You won’t find Mark Peel in the fine-dining kitchens of Wolfgang Puck and Alice Waters anymore, but you can spot him at his Grand Central Market food stall, Prawn, and his latest, Prawn Pasadena. In honor of the chef’s recent expansion, we caught up with the native Angeleno to talk about where to find L.A.’s best seafood, and other picks.
Prawn is of course seafood-centric—where's your favorite seafood market in L.A.?
Koreatown. There are all kinds of markets there, but there’s one I love: Han Kook Supermarket. It has great seafood: live lobster, live fish, live crab—all kinds of fun stuff in the tanks. There’s another one [Galleria Market]: It’s big and in the basement, has really fresh fish, really good produce, lots of things. If you need dried mushrooms, there’s an entire aisle of dried mushrooms. If you need buckwheat noodles, there are 17 kinds of buckwheat noodles.
As someone who grew up here, left, then came back years later, what are some of the biggest changes you’ve seen in L.A.?
What really struck me was how much of San Gabriel Valley had changed; it was pretty much a white suburb way back when, and then it changed to become much more Hispanic, much more Asian, and much more interesting, let’s be honest. I love the markets, I love the restaurants out there—there’s something going on all the time.
What do you like to order in those stomping grounds?
There used to be a dish called the Pork Pump. Jonathan Gold reviewed a restaurant and they served a big lump of pork rump that was braised and glazed with chilies and rock sugar and it came out glistening and crisp in this shimmering broth—I’ve had it and I loved it, but I don’t know anyone who’s doing Pork Pump anymore. After this glowing review, within like six months, there were like 20 restaurants serving Pork Pump. And I want the damn Pork Pump back.
Do you have any neighborhood favorites closer to where you are now?
I live in the mid-Wilshire area, and up on La Brea is Rascal; it’s my favorite. It’s not a culinary temple, but it’s not trying to be. It’s just a warm, welcoming place with great service and delicious food.
As someone with years of experience in these types of kitchens, when you’re looking for the full fine-dining experience, where do you go?
I love seafood, so Providence. Michael Cimarusti isn’t just an extraordinarily talented chef, he’s a really good person and one of integrity. And Spago, of course. I can’t not! I never worked at the Spago in Beverly Hills—I was the chef of the Spago in West Hollywood—but the feeling is still there: the warmth, the creativity, the care. It’s still there after 35 years.
Find Peel's cooking at Prawn Pasadena, now open at 16 Miller Alley, and at Prawn in Grand Central Market.