Table at Third & Fairfax is a weekly dining column in 2023 where Food and Drink editor Patricia Kelly Yeo will eat her way through the Original Farmers Market. Each column will drop on Thursday for a week-by-week recap of her journey through the classic L.A. tourist attraction. Last week, Kelly revisited Magee’s Kitchen.
Seven months into this column, I’ve finally received some reader feedback! In the coming weeks, at the request of regular visitor Jude S., I’ll be dedicating a few visits to tracking down the best French fries, prepared drinks and baked goods at the Original Farmers Market. Until then, I’ve still got a few distinct meals I’ve been curious about trying, and I’ve still got to find the time to sit down at El Granjero Cantina and Marmalade Cafe.
This week, I’m returning to Pampas Grill, which is the market’s most popular vendor, hands down, to see if the hot section and salad bar are worth ordering without the Brazilian barbecue—whether you're a vegetarian, trying to save some cash or just not in the mood for red meat. On my last visit, I spotted some chicken stroganoff, a tomato-based Brazilian riff that substitutes heavy cream for the sour cream traditionally used in the classic Russian dish. It’s a dish I’ve been meaning to make at home, so I decide to get in line a little past noon on Wednesday, eyeing the rest of the salad bar as I watch other people fill their plates. It’s stupidly hot, but the shaded areas of the market feel surprisingly cool.
When it comes my turn, I fill my plate to the brim, adding tomatoes and red onion in balsamic vinaigrette, Caesar salad and steamed broccoli with onions and mushrooms from the salad bar. I heap a tiny mountain of white rice before ladling the chicken stroganoff on top, and add some garlic pasta, plus a small portion of moqueca, or catfish stew. This time, I skip the tiny cheese balls and garlic bread and bypass the meat carving station, and the cashier rings up my order, which comes out to $21.43 (the hot dish and salad bar costs $11.25 a pound). Compared to last time, it’s a solid $10 less, since the inclusion of meat bumps the cost of dining here to $14.85 a pound.
Digging in at a nearby table, I find the creamy stroganoff comforting, though lacking in strong flavor. The more delicate moqueca is pleasant, though equally subtle, and I find myself missing the picanha (sirloin cap) and maminha (tri-tip) I ordered at Pampas last time. Luckily, the vegetable sides are as fresh and tasty as ever. Adding some jalapeño sauce, available at the Pampas cash register, helps the two entrées out in the flavor department, but I wouldn’t recommend visiting solely for the hot dishes themselves.
Meals from Table at Third & Fairfax fall into three categories: Skip It, Worth Trying and Must Have.
Vendor: Pampas Grill
Order: Chicken stroganoff and catfish with rice, garlic pasta and veggie sides
Verdict: Worth Trying. While not as delicious as the Brazilian barbecue, these comforting dishes will still fill you up for a few dollars less.