Spitz

Posted by Edmund in Fast Food, Los Angeles, Restaurants | 1 comment

Middle Eastern Fast Food (Doner Kebab).
About $10 for a doner kebab and a side.

I went to the location in Eagle Rock:
2506 Colorado Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90041.

When I was in Germany, I ate a lot of Doner Kebab, a really fatty type of kebab in which the meat is cooked in fat (its own I think) on a skewer. The meat is shaved off the skewer and placed in mounds in bread with a special garlic based sauce and some fresh veggies. So basically it’s a Mediterranean kebab sandwich. I’m not too crazy about Doner Kebab in general, because it tends to be very fatty, greasy, and even sickening at times, but it was all over in Germany, given the large Turkish population. That’s where the owners of Spitz took their cue. After traveling around Germany, they decided to bring the Doner tradition back to America, and  they started one of the only Doner Kebab fast food restaurants in LA.

The restaurant itself is very small, almost cramped, with very little parking. You really come here for the food, not for much else. And I have to say, the food delivers in a lot of regards but ultimately fails at what it’s supposed to be best at, the Doner Kebab. The food itself does have a good Middle Eastern feel to it, with options that include things like feta cheese and hummus. But ultimately, I would recommend Zankou Chicken over this place as a more authentic and a more wholesome style of Middle Eastern food. If you want good food at Spitz, I recommend sticking to the hummus, the sweet potato fries, and especially the gelato, which has, for good reason, been voted Best Gelato in the Universe by the LA Times.

What I had (recommendations in bold):

1. Chicken Doner—It has the taste of a typical Doner. I got it wrapped in lavash, street cart style, i.e. with some garlic aioli and fried pita strips. Really, the whole sandwich had some pretty good components. The veggies were fresh—you could really taste the crisp lettuce, for example. And the sauce was what it was supposed to be—a bit tart like yogurt, and pretty light and creamy. But the chicken just tasted like an awful gyro. It was spiced well, but felt greasy, to the point of making you feel like your arteries were clogged. It wasn’t atrocious, but it was definitely overhyped, and I would take any shawarma sandwich from Zankou over this one any day. 0.8/5.0
2. Gelato—I had some Café Mocca, Vanilla Bean, and Peanut Butter Cup. Every single flavor tasted just like what it was supposed to, and each had a different level of sweetness and a different texture. The vanilla bean was light, smooth, practically melting in your mouth, with a bit more sweetness. The peanut butter cup had actual, visible swirls of chocolate and peanut butter, and it was gooey, to the point of being difficult to cut through. It had a fabulously thick consistency. The mocca was similar to the chocolate, more on the gooey side, and it tasted like newly roasted coffee beans. All in all, this is real gelato, and one of the best in the city. At times, it seemed like it didn’t have enough sugar, but the focus is on flavor, not sweetness, and each flavor has a fabulous texture and taste. 4.0-4.5/5.0
3. Sweet Potato Fries—I didn’t have these at my most recent visit, but they’re awesome. Savory, good size, and just the right crispiness. It’s a keeper. I can’t remember quite enough to give too many specifics, but they were the best part of my meal last time.
4. Fried pita strips and hummus—Now this is Middle Eastern food. It’s one of the best hummuses I can find in a restaurant, and this is from a fast food place no less. Just an amazing texture, great, strong garbanzo flavor, with just enough spices. Doesn’t get boring at all. Remember too, this recommendation is coming from an Armenian—someone who has grown up with homemade hummus. Again, I didn’t have the hummus on my most recent trip, so I can’t give tons of detail. But I can say, on my Armenian hummus-tasting prowess, this hummus is a must!

Taste: 2.0/5.0
Value: 2.0/5.0. Way overpriced for a fast food joint, especially for the quality. Gets points for the price of the gelato, though.
Overall  Score: 2.0/5.0. Scores high on everything but the headliner, the Doner.