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I'll take a Larry Mantle: New LA restaurant names sandwiches after NPR hosts
Introducing the Kai Ryssdal: pole-caught tuna, potato confit, celery, lettuce, and black olive aioli.
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Wax Paper Co. will open later this month in Los Angeles's Frogtown, and a Larry Mantle sandwich will be one of four on its lunch menu named after public radio personalities. Meanwhile, his fellow KPCC hosts Alex Cohen and A Martinez make an appearance on the morning menu.
"The Larry is probably one of my most favorite sandwiches on the menu," said co-owner Peter Lemos, who was previously the chef at Jon & Vinny’s. "It's kind of like our version of the classic East Coast Italian hoagie."
The sandwich, which honors the host of KPCC's AirTalk, includes hand-sliced bologna with capicola, provolone, pickled peppers, red onion, lettuce, tomato and oregano vinaigrette on a sesame roll. It costs $12.
You'll also find sandwiches named after public radio hosts Kai Ryssdal (Marketplace), Ira Glass (This American Life) and Lakshmi Singh (NPR newscaster) at Wax Paper Co.
"We didn't really ask permission; we just took their names and hopefully we just thought that if we made a delicious sandwich and named it after them, they would be honored," said Lemos.
Smart marketing? They got us writing about it.
As for the morning menu, you can order a mouthful of Take Two: Choose between the Alex Cohen (thick brioche, poached egg, chili/herb, avocado oil for $8) or the A Martinez (yogurt, granola and honey in a jar for $5). Also making an appearance is NPR's Audie Cornish in the form of seeded wheat bread, nut butter and seasonal jam.
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Wax Paper Co. will be near the L.A. River inside a reformatted shipping container. Lemos says the space does limit their menu, but that doesn't mean there won't be more NPR-inspired sandwiches in the pipeline. (The Frame's John Horn will take a grilled cheese with caramelized onions on homemade sourdough if you're reading.)
How does Larry feel about the local publicity? He says he's flattered. And if he does stop in the new sandwich shop, he'll probably try the Kai Ryssdal with tuna and black olive aioli.
What do you think of the menu items? What ingredients would you pair with your favorite NPR hosts? Here's are the current morning and lunch menus:
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