The editors at Eater LA dine out several times a week, if not per day, which means we’re always encountering standout dishes that deserve time in the limelight. Here’s the very best of everything the team has eaten this week.

Brisket sandwich at Oso’s BBQ in Torrance

Matthew Kang

On the Friday afternoon before Memorial Day, I hadn’t eaten lunch by 3 p.m. and was looking for some great barbecue ahead of the holiday weekend. I struck gold with Oso’s BBQ, a brewery-roaming operation by Jimmy Hardesty that started in 2020 serving a distinctly Californian brand of barbecue. Hardesty originally aimed to get into the competitive barbecue circuit but realized he found an audience smoking up meats in his backyard during the pandemic. Now he rotates through the South Bay’s brewery scene serving beer lovers some of the area’s best barbecue. I found him camped outside Absolution Brewing down the street from my house in Torrance. Oso’s juicy, tender, fat-studded brisket melted in my mouth, with a sweet but consistent smoke flavor coming from Hardesty’s preference for California red oak. The pitmaster sliced a half pound of thick brisket onto Texas white bread, layering crisp coleslaw, barbecue sauce, and housemade pickles for a perfect mid-afternoon lunch. Paired with a glass of Japanese-style rice lager from Absolution, it was a delightful dish going into the holiday weekend. Check Instagram for Oso’s BBQ weekly locations. — Matthew Kang, lead editor

Grilled Khmer sausage at A&J Seafood in Long Beach

Cathy Chaplin

Vannak Tan opened the 280-square-foot A&J Seafood Shack on the edge of Long Beach’s Cambodia Town in 2020, and it has been a vital part of the neighborhood’s food scene since. While the seafood offerings — garlicky shrimp served over steamed rice and whole lobsters wok-fired with onions, jalapenos, garlic, and crushed black pepper — are worthy of headline billing, the turf side of the menu is equally fetching. The beef stick sandwich is ideal for on-the-go eating but for those who can spare a minute to sit down, the grilled Khmer sausage (kwa koh) is the dish to get. Each smoky link is taut with chopped beef, rice, garlic, galangal, and spices. A bed of white rice and sweetly pickled vegetables contrasts beautifully with the sausages’ funky appeal. 3201 E. Anaheim Street, Long Beach, CA 90804. — Cathy Chaplin, senior editor

Steak frites at Here’s Looking at You in Koreatown

Rebecca Roland

I’m a sucker for steak frites. Among all the sides that can come with steak, fries are easily among the best of them. One of my favorite places to order the dish is at Bell’s in Los Alamos, but a trip there requires a two-plus hour drive from LA (which is worth it). This weekend when I saw steak frites on the late-night happy hour menu at Here’s Looking at You, I knew I had to order it. The eight-ounce baseball steak came out medium-rare imparted with the charred flavor of the grill. On the side, a pat of soft pink fermented radish butter added a creamy-cool touch which melted seamlessly into each bite. The real surprise was the mountain of curly fries that came with the steak. Often steak frites are served with shoestrings, but this was something else entirely. Twisted into tight ringlets, the fries were well-seasoned with a crispy exterior and a fluffy center. For dipping, the dish came with an aioli that reminded me of the ranch dressing that used to be served alongside fries at Islands. The best part may be that the steak frites come in at only $26, which means that I’ll be back for more soon. 3901 W. 6th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90020. — Rebecca Roland, associate editor