LudoBird
Buttermilk Provencal – The Original with Bearnaise
Housemade Chips
Ludo Sweet and Salty Ice Cream Sandwich
Having last eaten arena food at Staples Center on January 20th, 2007 when the Kings retired #20 to the rafters – an unmemorable plate of sushi in Club Level Seats – it seemed only appropriate to end a nearly 8 year streak as the team prepared to hang Rob Blake’s Number 4, a quick perusal while wandering the lowering ring after a visit to TeamLA quickly finding me in line at Ludo Lefebvre’s Ludobird – the fast-food style service perfunctory, at best, but the three strips of chicken somehow managing to justify the $11.50 tab.
Well culled in menu, with most items based on those offered at the Celebrity Chef’s roaming food truck, it was clearly a trainee that took my order and after twice asking his manager which buttons to press in order to process my order a crisp $20 was exchanged for a ticket – the numbers called out at the other end of the counter where several patrons waited, the entire process taking place in just under ten minutes after which a standing-room-only table was allocated next to a nearby bar.
Admittedly disappointed that highly praised lavender biscuits were not available, but happy to partake in hand sliced chips aggressively spiced and salted with hardly a hint of oil, it was onward to the signature bird that the tasting quickly progressed and with each strip intensely crisp over well brined bird the sidecar of sauce was almost unnecessary – the ‘almost’ qualification no slight, however, as the creamy béarnaise was better than that served at most restaurants and an instant upgrade to almost anything it touched, particularly the aforementioned fried spuds.
Obviously not one to forgo dessert, particularly not one so whimsical as a true “ice cream sandwich,” it was finally in one of Ludo’s signature Sweet and Salty compositions that the meal would end and although forced to consume the melting amalgam faster than I’d have preferred due to the toasty, warm bun the juxtaposition of heat and cold was a treat in-and-of itself while the tried n’ true caramel notes were every bit as good as those experienced at Sweet Rose or Salt & Straw – and certainly a whole lot better than one would expect from a concourse elsewhere in the NHL.
http://www.ludolefebvre.com/restaurants/ludobird/
