5. Patita - Mo-Chica

Patita - Mo-Chica

Lima native Ricardo Zarate migrated the patita from electrifying sister restaurant Mo-chica to his more home-style Peruvian restaurant in Downtown L.A. This hearty stew features a blizzard of flavors and textures, including collagen-rich chunks of pork trotter, cubed potato, crushed potatoes, brightness from roasted cherry tomatoes and spicy seared chorizo. The complementary elements rest in a bath of spicy oil that incorporates a Peruvian pepper called aji panca. This dish is great cool weather eating, but since that rarely exists in L.A., indulge anyway.

6. Eggs benedict - M.B. Post

Eggs benedict - M.B. Post

There’s a reason David LeFevre’s Bacon Cheddar Buttermilk Biscuits have their own Facebook page, and at brunch, the rich, buttery baked good gets even better with the Eggs Benedict. The M.B. Post chef and co-owner starts by laying twin halves in a cast iron skillet before piling on crisp arugula, silky La Quercia prosciutto, rich Hollandaise and poached eggs with bright orange yolks that serve as a sauce. If bacon cheddar buttermilk biscuits like these were available, nobody would have used English muffins in Benedict.

7. Kar moo parlow - Night + Market

Kar moo parlow - Night + Market

Chef Kris Yenbamroong has brought a jolt of culinary electricity to the Sunset Strip, a stretch of West Hollywood that’s better known for live rock venues. One of L.A.’s leading proponents of regional Thai cooking features dishes from the nation’s northern reaches, many including pork. Startled Pig is a fierce grilled pork dish, and pork toro showcases the fat-rich collar. For Kar Moo Parlow, he braises a whole bone-in pork hock, "skin on, fat on, slow-cooked with dark soy, five spice, garlic," resulting in tender meat that's sticky, spicy, and pulls easily from the bone.

8. Soondae bokkeum - Oh Ma Ni

Soondae bokkeum - Oh Ma Ni

This side-street restaurant from Eun Mi Lee and mother Koo doesn’t prepare Korean comfort food quite like anybody else. For instance, for soondae, the pork blood sausage bound with rice, also incorporates olive oil, which keeps the dark links especially plump. Oh Ma Ni serves soondae in platters and soup, but bokkeum is best. A massive pot arrives with sliced soondae tossed with spicy gochujang, bitter sesame leaves, sweet onions and supple strips of pork stomach. The result is balanced and addictive.