The Halal Guys - Long Beach

I can't even pretend to be anything less than 100% miserable right now. There is nothing okay about being stuck in board prep, having the entire field of internal medicine hammered rapid-fire into my brain by a conceited, tangential man with an barely-intelligible accent. And if I can't get a decent meal during this intellectual assault, I would probably lose my will to live.

I guess I owe the Halal Guys for saving my life. A now-global franchise born from a humble street cart on 56th and 8th, they've landed in Long Beach, and they take my palate by storm every time. The Beef Gyro is juicily chopped, a waterfall of white sauce cascades over a riverbed of yellow rice. The hot sauce tap-dances on the tongue and settles in for a slow-kill burn so deep.

I'm usually too carnivorous to deviate, but when I do, the Falafel is incredible. I often find the fried chickpea concoction bland, but Halal Guys keeps it fragrant and moist.

When I left the northeast, I thought I'd lost them forever, but here they are. As I toil through six unbearable 12-hour days, Halal Guys gives me hope; food for the brain and fuel for the soul.