Food

While I was deciding whether or not to break things off with Aroma, I thought I might go check out their sister restaurant, Alcove. It was only in Los Feliz. I mean, it was right there on the way to Wacko. It would almost be rude not to stop. I had my nephew along for the ride too, so it wasn't like a date or anything. I mean, I'm still getting over Aroma. No need to rush into anything. more ›

Did any of you catch Bobby Flay's Throwdown the other night? It's the show where he goes to different cities across the world and challenges some legendary food purveyor that his version of whatever traditional city food they're making will win a blind taste test. Usually, he loses, cause I mean COME ON: can anybody really make a cheese steak better than a Philly native? What about fish n' chips from some grotty bar... more ›

From what I’ve gathered, book clubs are about two things: books… and wine. Or at least mine is! So in the interest of sending my friends home with something to soak up the fruit of Bacchus in their tummies, I make these yummy treats: garlic naan pizzas. more ›

I can be cheap. When it comes to food, I like thinking I’m getting a good deal…a great bargain…the best bang for my buck. Who doesn’t like getting a hearty meal? But this weekend, I realized that sometimes too much food isn’t always a good thing. My breakfast buddies and I decided to chance the lines at the Griddle Café on Sunset and really dive into our Memorial Day weekend. We lucked out and... more ›

Some mornings, you wake up in a wandering mood: after a strong cup of coffee and a survey of the weather, we decided to peek beyond the veil of the early morning haze and venture southeast. We forsook the freeways for the more scenic route of Sunset Boulevard, through Hollywood east to Western, then south, south, south beyond the 10, through K-town and past endless strip-mall Iglesias de Dios and pupuserias. Wonderful! As we... more ›

A late lunch at the Century City Mall’s Bread Bar proved quite refreshing. It’s Friday of Memorial Day Weekend and everything is jammed, but Bread Bar was pretty empty and we got seated right away. We ordered iced teas, a ham sandwich and some chicken soup. Everything was really good. I’ve heard that the salads come a little under-breaded for a place called the Bread Bar, and indeed, most of them seemed to come... more ›

Every Friday, LAist is taking you on a trip down to Orange County to uncover the unique dining experiences that await adventurous eaters willing to explore beyond the county line. As much as I love fine dining, there’s a certain satisfaction that comes with the comfort foods that I find at local hideaways that five-star restaurants can’t provide. While these local eateries will never make a Michelin guide, they possess a reliable meal, a... more ›

Sometimes, when the world seems harsh and cold, I long for the comfort foods that my Italian mamma used to make me. I crave a hot bowl of her minestrone soup, and a plate rigatoni Bolognese smothered in Parmigiano-Reggiano and made with so much love you can taste it. Ah, yes the comfort foods of my childhood. Only one thing—I didn’t have an Italian mamma. I had a Jewish American Princess mamma, and literally... more ›

Sexy Pasta. Can I make a confession? I've kinda got a soft spot for Rachael Ray's recipes. Not the woman herself - while I don't detest her enough to join a hate club or anything, I don't find her particularly witty or interesting or original. Now, Tony Bourdain - THAT'S my idea of a chef-slash-television-personality! And the fact that he'd probably cut me for calling him a television personality makes me love him even... more ›

One of our favorite Food TV shows is Throwdown, which involves Celeb Chef Bobby Flay trying to master someone else's culinary specialty and springing a spontaneous cook-off challenge (hence, Throwdown) on them. (Our favorite part of the intro sequence is Flay saying: "I might win. I might even lose.") Every time we watch it, though, we wish that we could run out and taste the competition, like we did when we were craving fish... more ›

This weekend marks the official start of barbeque season! If you've already mastered grilling, and are ready to move up to the next level, welcome to the world of smoking. Just remember, grilling is like a one-night stand and smoking is like a marriage. You should prep the ribs the night before and start smoking them six hours before serving. It requires a certain level of commitment. But the commitment is only one of... more ›

Let’s be real. Finding good Indian food in LA is kind of like finding good Mexican food north of LA. You all have that friend from some Midwest town, who swears that King Taco has nothing on the burritos he knows back home, where the closest he’s had to a Mexican experience is watching Ricky Ricardo on I Love Lucy. No matter what ethnic fare strikes your own palette, you’ll inevitably suffer through at least... more ›

Cafeterias are so much more than Jell-O and hair nets. And the Southern California Restaurant Historical Society is going to prove it to you. more ›

So here we are, the week before Memorial Day and we're starting to see summer fruit at the Culver City Farmer's Market. There's the first apricots, nectarines and peaches, along with high season cherries (which peak between Mother's Day and Father's Day) and lingering strawberries. Whole Foods already has saturn peaches and cherries, though their charging nearly nine bucks a pound, whereas at the Farmer's Market you get something around a pound for five.... more ›

Have you ever gone out with someone who was so attractive that you were never really sure if you were good enough for them? And sometimes they treated you like shit because they knew they could get away with it? But you kept going back, no matter what, because they were really, really good in bed? I think that is what is happening between me and Aroma Coffee and Tea. Aroma is my bad boyfriend. more ›

LAist has been giving a lot of love recently to the many fine eating establishments that exist all over the basin. No matter what type of cuisine you like, there’s a long list of restaurants that can meet the grade. However, there’s also been a noticeable lack of Orange County representation in these reviews. True, 95% of the non-five-star restaurants in OC are chains not worthy of being reviewed, unless you want to debate... more ›

We've been a little bit crazy about tacos lately here at LAist, even venturing to the far reaches of Culver City and San Pedro to find the city's best. But what with gas prices skyrocketing and food prices doing much the same thing, sometimes even a quick trip down to Pedro can really be a bigger budget-hassle than it's worth. Lucky for you, the intrepid foodies of your favorite city blog have been conducting... more ›

In one of the worst-publicized but most delicious days on our calendar is Dessert Day up in Westwood. What the Farmers Market lacks in web presence or marketing they're making up in that sweet stuff today, as the new-to-us goCityKids site tells us: Westwood Farmers Market lures dessert connoisseurs with delicacies ranging from Asian Pear Raspberry Cobbler to Dark Chocolate Carmel Corn. Visitors can indulge in 30 different tarts, cobblers, pies, cheesecake, scones, and... more ›

My name is Elise and I take pictures of food. There, admitting the problem is the first step towards recovery. I know my hobby borders on the peculiar, if not the insane. I was recently snapping a few shots of a take-out carton behind a bar. The drunken regulars pointed and laughed, “Har, har! That girl just took a picture of a SANDWICH!” I am certain that’s what will be engraved on my gravestone.... more ›

Cashew-Cilantro Pesto over Ravioli, Roasted Asparagus, & Mushrooms Okay, okay, so we didn’t mean to piss off the vegans, but somewhere in between dead babies and an ontological inquiry into the humble mollusk, we lost sight of what’s really important: good, fresh, locally grown food. In an attempt to put our money where our (hungry) mouth is, we visited the Farmer's Market at Santa Monica's 3rd Street Promenade this weekend. We were delighted to... more ›

With a name like Fraiche, (um, “fresh” in French), I was kinda expecting some “fresh” new flavours, a psychedelic mouth adventure where few palates have gone before, where even an Iron Chef could learn a thing or two… well, I exaggerate. Let’s just say, my expectations were up there. And while it wasn’t quite as wild as I had hoped, there were still a number of plates that left my taste buds tingling. Fraiche... more ›

The goal of Sante La Brea is not to compromise taste over the absence of dairy and fat. And they do that extremely well, except for the falafel which is just ok because the taste got up and left. Sante is not a purely vegan joint, they serve dishes with chicken, turkey sausage, salmon, ahi tuna, sword fish and whatever the catch of the day may be. For meat eaters or veggies, the pizza... more ›

It seems like good restaurants tend to cluster together. Maybe it is an ancient herding instinct. One neighborhood that is happening of late is Crenshaw and Adams. To see it today, you would never know that this corner has an infamous drug-laden past. Check out Jerry Stahl’s book, Permanent Midnight, for the whole sordid story. Nowadays, it’s all about the food. On the west side of Crenshaw, just next to the gas station, stands... more ›

Seven Grand had its official “hard opening” Thursday night. (It “softly” opened last month.) The bar is the latest from 213, which also owns Broadway Bar and Golden Gopher and plans to reopen Downtown establishment Cole’s, aka “originator of the French Dip,” in winter 2007. Seven Grand is in the former home of Brocks Jewelry Emporium, although now it’s stocked with stuffed stag and elk heads, a few hot tattooed- and mohawked waiters, and... more ›

Pirate’s Chai is the new everything. Healthier than coffee and yummier than moon pies, it’s about the best beverage i've ever tasted. To put it another way, it’s sell-your-mother amazing. I’m not convinced it’s not drugs. more ›

Just about every time I'm winding my way over the hill into Hollywood I pass by Solar de Cahuenga at the corner of Franklin and Cahuenga and think, "Man, I need to check this place out." Back when I lived just a hop, skip, and a jump (aka three blocks) from the cafe's corner there was no cafe there to speak of. Then again, there was no such thing as WiFi to speak of,... more ›

When we heard that a Georgia couple were sentenced to prison yesterday for the death-by-vegan-diet of their infant son, we got a little bit pissed off: "DAMN VEGANS and their DAMN DIETARY RESTRICTIONS! Now they're killing babies, what's next?? Muzzling tigers so they can't hunt their prey? De-fanging sharks so they can't devour fish? Ruining Christmas???" Then we calmed down a bit and took a closer look at the story: the baby's death was... more ›

Call it overpriced. Call it overrated. Call it crappy, sour-priced crud. But call it deceptive? Bryan Williams thinks so, and that's why the West Hollywood "legal recruiter" is suing Pinkberry, the newest craze in frozen dessert treats. Williams' lawsuit does not ask for punitive damages. He simply wants the wildly successful yogurt chain to tone down its claims that the product is frozen yogurt. A statement from a California Department of Food and Agriculture... more ›

What happened, Bar Marmont? We used to be so good together… You were a classic, attached to a piece of Hollywood history, whimsically decorated (butterflies!), not too trendy, but very hip. I understood your dalliances with movie stars and other celebrities. Just as long as they would stay away from me, and I could still get in, it was all cool. You have to admit, we had some fantastic times – intimate candle-lit dinners composed... more ›

For at least one major Hollywood hotspot last night, it was all smoke and no fire. And ironically enough, that molten mecca rockstar restaurant wanna-be of radness is named “Charcoal”. more ›

By now, everybody knows that the magical culinary wonderland that is Surfas will be closing its doors at its current location on July 1, no thanks to Culver City and one of the lamest enactments of eminent domain in Westside history. The latest news update on their website states that they will be moving to a nearby warehouse on July 1st and continuing to serve their customers, but hope to continue fighting the city... more ›

Wake up and look around you! There's a war going on. It's not some piddling scuffle over oil in a distant, dusty land. This is a serious battle that's playing out in supermarkets and convenience stores across America. While the mainstream media hypes up fluff like governmental corruption, attorney firings, the collapse of the subprime lending market and the floundering Iraq War, some of us in the blogosphere are covering the issues that truly matter. more ›

Some people might think a chicken sandwich is just a chicken sandwich, those people obviously haven't eaten at a Chick-Fil-A. The reason they haven't eaten a Chick-Fil-A sandwich is simple, there just aren't enough here in LA. Having lived next door to Chick-Fil-A during my brief stint in Orlando, I had the honor of enjoying the deliciousness of a piece of fried chicken on a bun with three pickles whenever I wanted. Ever since,... more ›

I think we can all agree that food does much more for the body than fill it with nutrients; food can nourish the soul, thrill the senses, and sometimes transport us to faraway lands faster than a Concord jet. Koutoubia, a little Moroccan restaurant in West L.A., serves food that does just that. You could drive by this place for years, as I have, and never take much notice to the small, slightly embellished,... more ›

What with all the political hubbub brewing this year over issues like The War, immigration, abortion, political corruption, we’re pretty sure the Farm Bill is going to get the shaft as far as public conversation is concerned – just like in 2002, when its passing was totally overshadowed by 9/11 and the ensuing hysteria. Frankly, it’s a damn shame. This is one issue that actually has a chance of raising bipartisan support – even... more ›

It was always a special occasion when my parents took us out for pizza. We always went to the same little family-run restaurant where we were allowed to climb on the chairs and run in the aisles. I can still remember playing “Billy Don’t be a Hero” on the jukebox while drinking root beer out of one of those pebbled plastic glasses. When the pizza finally arrived, it was always presented with a flourish, as if it were a birthday cake. That is the pizzeria against which all other pizzerias in my life have been measured. If you were lucky enough to grow up with a neighborhood pizza joint like this, then you will recognize Folliero’s from the minute you walk in the door. more ›

Did you know that the mango is the most popular fruit in the world? I didn't either--I hadn't given it any thought, really--until I got in touch with the newly assembled National Mango Board, who are all about getting you to get to know the mighty mango. I met my first mango many years ago in my grandmother's kitchen. (Unfortunately, if you're looking for an exotic story about my spicy abuelita or a tale... more ›

This weekend is the launch for the new Sunday Tea event at The Standard in Hollywood (4-7 p.m). From the Cactus Lounge, lobby, or poolside, the hotel is offering a special menu of sandwiches, desserts, brewed teas and it wouldn’t be The Standard without cocktails. Called “mar'tea'ni's,” these drinks are booze infused with tea and herbal blends by La Mill, a nice change if you want some antioxidants with your buzz. There are five... more ›

It's 2am. You’ve closed the bar down and you need something to soak up the alcohol. If you’re on the Westside, you might hit a coffeeshop. If you’re on the Eastside, it’s a taqueria. But if you are in Koreatown, it’s all about the Pho. This Vietnamese noodle soup has taken Koreatown by storm, almost surpassing Korean BBQ in popularity. more ›

A cluttered stretch of Sunset Boulevard, crowded with stores and neon, billboards and cars, the sidewalks studded with gum, marked with the spray-painted symbols of different bands who’ve played Amoeba, seems a place ill suited to the food of a blue New England day, a little warm with a nice breeze, the air has that sweet salt tang to it. But to find the best seafood in town, Los Angelenos know better than to head for the coast, where Neptune’s Net and Gladstone’s do a tolerable job serving tourists. You head east – to the place where it all started. No, not Plymouth, MA. Hollywood. more ›

Across from the Sony lot, on West Washington Blvd, lies the unassuming little hole-in-the-wall that is Victor Jr.’s. It is easy to miss, but I urge you not to because it is home to some of the best pizza and Italian subs I have had in Los Angeles. It’s not a secret either--between twelve and two on weekdays the place is packed with busy Hollywood types from Sony who are just dying for a treat.... more ›

One of the coolest, most classic things about that most classic of old-school Hollywood restaurants, Dan Tana's, is that the servers will toss your Caesar salad for you right at your table. The white-clad waiters wheel the whole station out on a little wooden cart, and fling those frilly romaine leaves about with a kind of carefree showmanship. Besides the tart, creamy taste of freshly made dressing, what puts their salad over the top is that they add anchovies, bless their little hearts! Dan Tana's is quite literally the George Clooney of Los Angeles restaurants: in fact, the ol' heartthrob and Go Fug Yourself intern holds his post-Oscar parties there, and comes in for dinner often - you know, when he's not vacationing in Lake Como or making another Ocean's Eleven sequel or whatever it is he does most of the time. Besides being really really hot. more ›

I love Mexican food, and really who doesn’t? I’ve met few people who don’t love the flavors of our neighbors to the South. That being said, not everyone likes the same types of Mexican food. By types I don’t mean Tex-Mex or Oaxacan—I mean that there are several different culinary categories of Mexican food to be found here in our fair city. There’s taco truck Mexican food, which on a good day can be... more ›

Huston’s Pit BBQ is a bit of an anomaly. It’s an aging, yellow-painted shack smack in the middle of Hollywood, on a stretch of Cahuenga that is also home to such hip, happening spots as Citizen Smith and the Hotel Cafe. You could easily walk right past it and not even register that it’s there. I know I used to, until one day one of our supervisors at work had them cater lunch –... more ›

Here are a few spots for eats and drinks that we are looking forward to seeing open: 1. We were very excited to pass on to you that last month was National Grilled Cheese Month, and now we're gearing up for the impending opening of Culver City's Meltdown, which is a (mostly) grilled cheese eatery that's slated to open as early as this week. Their menu, which is available online, looks like an ooey-gooey... more ›

Scoops, a colorful little ice cream shop and gelateria next to LACC on Heliotrope, is the creation of a man named Tai, who went to CalTech and clearly loves his customers. He lets them try each and every flavor as many times as they see fit until they've picked the right one, (although at a dollar a scoop, why not pick two, right?) and relishes watching them grow giddy as they hop from one... more ›