For Freddy Smalls Bar + Kitchen to succeed, it has to become a dining destination, since there isn’t too much else happening along that particular stretch of Pico in West LA, unless you count strip clubs, San Francisco Saloon and the long-revered Mori Sushi. The Counter founder Jeff Weinstein proved to be prescient with his DIY burger concept, and he may very well be ahead of the curve with Freddy, which occupies the former home of a notorious Mexican restaurant called El Sarape and specializes in retrofitted comfort food.

The small space with an efficient layout could be considered a draw on its own, featuring frosted windows, white subway tiles on walls and columns, and Heath ceramic plates on wood butcher block tables. NorCal native Charlie Parker, who’s drawn interest from outlets like the LA Times and Taste Terminal, is offering twists on comfort food classics like chicken Parmesan and the Reuben, some of which work better than others. Friends who’ve already become regulars pointed me toward the Crispy Pig’s Ear and Fried Egg ($12), which is available on the late night menu after 10:30 PM. My favorite dish of the night involved a slice of buttery brioche topped with crispy bacon strips, spicy cilantro slaw, a single fried egg with a runny yolk, and crispy, slightly chewy hacks of fried pig’s ear.

Dose of Vitamin P spotlights my favorite pork dish from the previous week.