In “Steak House: The People, The Places, The Recipes,” comedian, director and author Eric Wareheim takes us on a captivating cross-country road trip, highlighting the enduring charm of American steakhouses, including Los Angeles' iconic Musso & Frank and Taylor's Steak House.
“It's about nostalgia,” says Wareheim, probably best known as the co-creator of the television series “Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!” “The people and the atmosphere are what make you feel so good.”
In Sunday Funday, the people of Los Angeles tell us step by step their ideal Sunday in the city. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends.
But there's more to Wareheim than just restaurants with red booths and Steak Diane.
“Gardening has made me this new version of myself,” he says. “For me, it's about peace and a deeper journey. Planting has changed something in my brain so I can see things differently.”
Wareheim, a self-proclaimed “nursery hunter,” has traveled around California in his truck, connecting with growers along the way. Her latest venture, the Serpentine plant studio, showcases her love of plants and gardening. “We've created an oasis in a huge parking lot in Boyle Heights, and it looks like a botanical garden in Australia,” he says. “It's pretty extreme. I worked for six months to get two huge bottle trees here.”
Not surprisingly, a perfect Sunday for Wareheim involves shopping for plants and perusing rock yards and quarries, though he won't reveal exactly where. “You're building life every day,” he says of gardening.
And while he's been known to go to Taco Bell when he's traveling (“My order is always the same: a bean burrito with onion and sour cream and Doritos Locos Tacos”), when he's in Los Angeles, he prefers the shrimp aguachile at Loreto in Elysian Valley (also known as Frogtown) or a burrito stuffed with birria from Burritos La Palma in Boyle Heights.
This would be your ideal Sunday in Los Angeles.
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for length and clarity.
5am: Enjoy coffee and the sunrise in the garden.
On a perfect Sunday, I would get up at five in the morning, make myself a La Colombe coffee and walk through my garden, which could be my great masterpiece. Lately I really like watching the sunrise. Sunrise and sunset are very important to me because they are very reflective moments. From 5 to 7 in the morning is the only time I am at peace. Nobody calls me and I turn off the phone. As part of my morning routine, I listen to Nala Sinephro’s “Space 1.8” album every day. I highly recommend it. That and working in the garden together have turned me into a new version of myself, which happens every five years. It is now a deeper journey through art and design. Because I get up so early, I often ask people if we can meet at 7am and they say, 'What?'
9 am: Visit to the daycare in Pasadena
After waking up, having coffee, and walking through my garden, I feel inspired, so I'm going to Nursery Blvd. in Pasadena. Sometimes I don't even buy. Simply walking through a daycare is a beautiful thing. It's on its way to Lincoln Avenue Daycarethe OG of nurseries in Pasadena. But Blvd has more artistic and sculptural examples. It's a good bang-bang to hit both. When I started, I bought at the tropics in West Hollywood. I would have to save all year to get a boat. But it inspired me. Once you pay those prices, you'll need to dig deeper. Part of the fun for me is finding these things. I love connecting with the people who grow the plants. The journey is a big part of it.
11am: Hungry for a hoagie
After that, I would get hungry for a sausage. Lately I've been hitting Delco Rose Hoagies in Highland Park. It's the most legit Philly funnel (I'm from Philly) and I'm glad for it. They use really good products and you don't feel gross afterwards. Josh Agran, the owner, is great. I order the Italian classic with prosciutto, ham, salami and provolone cheese. There are like three different styles, but when it comes to pizza and hoagies, I'm very simple. Right now, my entire life revolves around harnessing these feelings of joy. That's what I tried to do with my book “Steak House.”
Midday: Go to Serpentine, grab a snack at Taco Row
After that, I usually go to my studio. Serpentine in Boyle Heights. We are accepting appointments now and are very excited. Some of my plants are ones we have grown here; others are like art and I don't want to sell them. I have a team of six gardening teams and we collaborate on some epic things like landscaping in Loreto restaurant in Frogtown, another place I like to go on the weekends. my studio is nearby row of tacosand when there are friends in town, I take them to Tacos and Birria La Única since their consommé is very special. Jalisco Seafood He is the love of my life. AND The Original Arab Tacos It's a really interesting mix of Mexican and Middle Eastern food combined.
2 pm: Stroll through Chinatown and shop for cookbooks.
I love independent bookstores like Now servingwhich is dedicated entirely to cookbooks. skylight books Los Feliz is great too, but Chinatown It is one of my favorite places to walk. I went and signed my books at Now Serving. You can get an autographed copy there now.
6:00 p.m.: Sichuan-Vietnamese dinner at the Alhambra
Because my weekends often take me east to nurseries, rock yards, and quarries, I usually end up in Boston lobstermy favorite place to dine in the Alhambra. It's a particular kind of combination between Sichuan and Vietnam that, to me, may be the best thing ever. They make all the classics like Beef with Chinese Broccoli and Kung Pao Shrimp, which have mouth-numbing red Sichuan chilies. It is informal and not sophisticated but delicious; the quality of the food is incredible. I order French-style beef cubes, which are chunks of beef seasoned with spices like allspice and other ingredients you'll find in Vietnamese-influenced French food. There is also crispy shrimp, which is a dish of sautéed shrimp with sweet chili sauce. I'm a wine aficionado, so we would pair it with a German Riesling. I would probably bring my own wine and stems. I try not to be as strange as I used to be; I used to carry a cooler with me. But drinking wine in beautiful glasses is like combining plants with the right container.
8 pm: Relax with a martini in the hot tub.
I always end the night the same way: I get in the jacuzzi and pour myself a martini. I have two cats and I enjoy hanging out with them. After that, I went out or stayed home. Lately, I've been staying home because I've been busy with my book. It's a simple but beautiful way to end my day.
