Food: January 2008 Archives

We've been hitting DineLA's Restaurant Week pretty hard over here at LAist, but I just wanted to make a few quick observations about my great experience at Simon LA last night. We arrived about half an hour early for our reservation, but the hostess seated us promptly, in a friendly and welcoming way. Our waitress got our drink orders in quickly, and our appetizers came out within minutes of placing our order. This place is ready for Restaurant Week. I saw quite a few other tables with the prix-fixe menu -- Simon LA has been getting some good marks on the boards for its great R-Week experience. more ›

Sitting besides Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, Allegria is a cozy and warm fine Italian restaurant. As part of DineLA Week, we visited to try the prix-fixe menu. LAist has been offering you some great coverage of Restaurant Week: to join in the party, you can find a listing of participating restaurants at DineLA.com. Participating restaurants typically offer a three-course lunch for $22 and dinner for $34. more ›

I think I have found it. I have found The One. True, I have not eaten at every soul food restaurant in LA (yet), but if I had to pick the one to settle down with, Mama's House would be it. Hidden away in an old-fashioned strip mall on Crenshaw Boulevard, Mama's House has been quietly gaining fans for the last seven years. The room is comfortable, filled with family photos and bric-a-brac. It almost takes a minute for you to recognize the Japanese windows and realize you are sitting right in the middle of a sushi restaurant, sans sushi. Instead of raw tuna, the glass display case is now brimming with sweet potato pies. Not a bad trade, really. more ›

When I lived in Japan, I often ate a communal stew called nabe in the wintertime. One of the staple ingredients within the myriad of possibilities of a nabe is konnyaku. Konnyaku is a firm translucent gelatin with black spots that is completely flavorless. After a few months, I felt comfortable enough to ask a close friend why Japanese people eat the flavorless konnyaku. The answer surprised me. It's the texture of the konnyaku that makes it important in the mix. It turns out the nabe is something to be savored in every part of your mouth. One should contemplate each ingredient’s distinct flavor, sensation, and texture within each mouthful. Even the simple act of eating of a stew in Japan can have a Zen-like importance. more ›

It was bound to happen, I'm just sorry I didn't think of this idea first: a "taco truck" that sells healthy, organic food. "Sacrilege!" you're probably saying but then when you think about it some more you have to admit it is a pretty good idea, especially in health-conscious L.A. more ›

Is it still raining? Seriously? Sigh. Since the wet weather is making me loathe to venture very far away from my office, here's a few happy hour spots in Hollywood that were recommended by reader Klodi B. (Okay, and one in Highland Park, but whatevs.) Anyway, she emailed me with her animal-themed picks. I like emails. I like 'em a whole lot, especially when they are all about cheap booze. Or animals. I'm not picky! So make me happy, won't you? Send your secret spots and recommendations my way at carrie@laist.com. more ›

It was an inauspicious start for L.A.'s first Restaurant Week: when first we arrived at Ford's Filling Station for lunch (the first stop on our two-week tour of the event's featured restaurants), the rain was falling, the wind was blowing, and tables were not being filled. But thanks to a brief respite from the storm, and to a hearty, delicious prix-fixe menu, the day redeemed itself. more ›

Photo by ~db~ via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr more ›

Food bloggers Potatomato must have their Foodie Batphone connected to my psyche: after finishing a delightful and surprisingly inexpensive lunch at the new Phillip Starck-designed Katsuya in Hollywood, I jumped on the Internet to see what the bloggers had to say about this upscale sushi restaurant/bar/lounge. And what do you know, but those intrepid foodies had cased the joint only days before me. more ›

Unlike the rather tired and off-handed assessment of the LA food scene that the SF Chronicle tossed off about six months back, the New York Times has been showing how it's done: their recent piece on "36 Hours in Hollywood" and last week's survey of Sunset Junction. Okay, yes, some of their picks are probably geared to the curious tourist rather than the traveler interested in a more gritty L.A. experience -- Teddy's nightclub is one of their spots to hit up (although you do get to see L.A. teenage wildlife in its natural habitat). more ›

Dudes, it's raining, I know, but that doesn't mean there's still not cheap booze to be found in this city tonight! Here's a few more we managed to dig up this week -- send your secret spots and recommendations my way at carrie@laist.com. more ›

I should hate Pinkberry for a million different reasons: what it does to neighborhoods, the mom & pops it shuts down in its wake, its fake-yogurty ingredients that are likely very, very bad for me and its off-putting, sour flavor that foodies abhor and I, strangely, adore. I know and I agree and I held out as long as I could. more ›

Last Friday night at Bordello, Elite Yelpers gathered for drinks and music to wish Stephy S, Community Manager of Yelp.com for Los Angeles (she's like Tom of MySpace, but goddess style), a farewell adieu as she takes on a larger responsibility for the website up at its San Francisco HQ (sister site SFist should feel so lucky). Since May 2006, Stephy has been leading the way for Yelp.com, bringing in the energy for a site that had nothing to a site that now has everything. Today, we spoke to Stephy about food, drink, some other stuff, and... food. After all, when it's your job included writing over 1500 food reviews (1575 to be exact as of this publishing), you're going to have great foodie suggestions. more ›

In Louisiana, red beans and rice are traditionally served on Mondays. Monday was wash day, and once all of the ingredients were thrown in, you could ignore the beans all day while you tended to the laundry. I am obsessed with red beans and rice. The only version I've eaten that beat my own recipe was made by Mike Anderson's in New Orleans. more ›

When it comes to straightforward chicken broth, Canter's on Fairfax is the broth to beat. It is so hot and soothing, so flavorful. They must put the chicken feet in to get that kind of flavor. You can have chicken or carrots as ad-ins. I chose chicken, and big, moist, chunks of chicken peeled off in strings at the touch of the spoon. It is the best chicken soup around. more ›

This winter, Seven Grand in downtown LA is offering three specialty winter drinks: The Dublin Flip, Hot Toddy and Irish Coffee. more ›

The King's Head is arguably home to the best fish and chips in Los Angeles. Sadly, the fish and chips get so much attention that the clam chowder is not given its rightful due. Let me make up for that now. The King's Head Pub in Santa Monica serves the chowder of the gods. All other chowders should bow down before it. Other chowders dare not speak its name. more ›

It sounds like the plot of a Charlton Heston film from the 70's, but the possibility of meat from cloned livestock has become a reality. more ›

Tomorrow is the ribbon cutting of the third and newest downtown Famima!! at the California Plaza on Grand Avenue near MOCA. It's about time this part of downtown receive some new food options, even if this is quasi Japanese 7-11 style. However, a made-to-order sushi bar will be the centerpiece of this location. more ›

LA Mill finally (soft-)opened its "boutique" in Silver Lake last Friday and we were lucky to get there in time to sample the goods -- for free. The space is impressive but the environment -- almost pretentiously over the top. But let's discuss the coffee: more ›

I have always had something against mulled wine. Besides it having the viscousity of blood, I just imagine Will Farrell and Rachel Dratch's "Lovers" characters from SNL drinking hot mulled wine to wash down the juices of their roasted goat meat. more ›

Even more restaurant news is coming down the wire -- earlier today, we checked out some early reports on Bond St in Beverly Hills, and now we hear that developers The Valencia Group will be transforming Downtown's historic Union Bank building into The Union Restaurant & Lounge (it's all about the restaurant-slash-lounge concept nowadays, isn't it?). So, yes, Downtown will have another fancy-schmancy dining space; the website is promising "2 Floors of Entertainment, Upscale Dinning [sic] and Cocktail Bar, The Vault Lounge & Bar." more ›

Dupar's is known for its delicious pies, so it naturally follows that they would have a kick-ass chicken pot pie. Really, its only competition in town is Musso and Frank's, and I still think Dupar's has them beat. more ›

A sexy new NYC restaurant import is hitting Beverly Hills: Bond St, the brainchild of New York entrepreneur Jonathan Morr. BondSt is offering up modern Euro-Japanese cuisine in a sexy brown-leather setting (EaterLA has a few pics up here). more ›

Dudes, it's become clear to me that just by walking about whatever fine neighborhood you happen to reside in (NoHo, WeHo, SilLake, DnTn, SanMo, KTown, HanPark, CulCity, etc), you're bound to happen upon a great little bar with great happy hour deals. Fer instance: this week I was walking around Downtown and ran into some friends, who happily guided me to the Redwood Bar & Grill, a fun and surprisingly classy little pirate bar near Disney Hall. Do they have an awesome happy hour? You betcha. more ›

In addition to your usual Irish Coffee, O'Brien's in Santa Monica serves five other fun alcoholic coffee drinks. The Nutty Irishman, made with Frangelico, was beckoning (why are nutty Irishmen in bars always beckoning? Must be my red hair. And their beer goggles). more ›

Sad news, East siders! As of January 14th, Back Door Bakery is officially closed. Although the bakery has been at 1710 Silver Lake Blvd for 17 years, this past December the landlord for the building provided BDB 30 days notice to leave the premises. But all is not lost. While at the bakery on Sunday, I overheard one of the employees tell a customer that Back Door Bakery is currently in the midst of finding a new location and would keep everyone posted via their Myspace page.
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According to WhatWouldRamsayDo.com, this email was sent out to everyone on the mailing list of Sebastian's, a Burbank restaurant that was featured on the TV show Kitchen Nightmares: more ›

The anticipated LA MILL COFFEE boutique opened this morning in Silver Lake on its eponymous boulevard between Sunset and the Reservoir (they close at 6 p.m. tonight and are only serving bar drinks and clovers until then). Eater LA takes in the decor: "Custom-made French wallpaper, faux crocodile, ostrich and sharkskin chairs in dark teal, sky blue and red, black Lucite tables. A dramatic brass chandelier hangs in the main room." Definitely not a place safe for vegans. Actually, the menu isn't either. more ›

Bodega Wine Bar is all about making wine as unpretentious as possible. The owners opened the bar after searching high and low for "a casual place to grab a glass of wine...somewhere that didn't require us to be wine experts, spend a lot of money, or even talk about wine much (if at all)" but found nothing. Ah - a wine philosophy this wine novice can get behind entirely! So, of course, I had to check it out. more ›

Sometimes when the weather or the world is a little too harsh, I get a craving for something I call "Mom food". Most people call it comfort food. Stew is the quintissential mom food, and Bistro Provence in Burbank serves a beef bourguignon just like mom would make, if mom were an award-winning French chef. more ›

What better way to get 2008 started than with some cheap booze at some happening city spots? Here's a few more we managed to dig up this week -- send your secret spots and recommendations my way at carrie@laist.com. Yes, some of these are later than the usual after-work happy hour, but I know you L.A. kids -- you can't be bothered to go out before at least 9pm, so enjoy some after-hours drink deals just the same! more ›

The meals are being offered at great prices -- only $15 for a three-course lunch at Luna Park, for instance, or dinner at Sushi Roku for $34 (prices vary according to restaurant and meal). American Express cardholders (yes, they're the event's major sponsor, along with the Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau, aka LA INC.) can make their reservations now; the general public has to wait until January 16th to save their spots. more ›

There is a common misconception that we don't have seasons in Los Angeles. We know when the seasons are changing. There are two distinct events that herald the coming winter: the Christmas displays replace the Halloween merchandise, and the lunch trucks start selling champurrado. more ›

Every once in awhile something is so surprisingly good that you never forget the first time you tried it. more ›

A feeling of familiarity always comes over me when I escape from the cold and the rain into the warmth and comfort of the Tam O'Shanter. Maybe it's because I grew up in Scottish pubs. Maybe it's because my mother's house is decorated exactly like the interior of the Tam O' Shanter, as is my brother's house, as is my own den (I have managed to contain all of the Scottishness in one room of the house by sheer willpower). Oh, sorry, am I babbling? Have I mentioned how strong the drinks are? more ›

Following up on my last post, here are five favorites I return to time and time again. All are reliable sources for good eating! more ›

A previous owner of Pane Dolce (Italian for "sweet bread") in Sherman Oaks, went up and down the immediate neighborhood on Ventura Blvd., taking notes on the neighboring restaurants' soup selections. What he found was little selection for vegetarian and dairy free soups. So he went to work on his cafe's soup menu, which is now the most popular item ordered. more ›

Happy New Year from LAist and your brand new Food Editor! I've arrived home refreshed from a fantastic vacation in the Philly/New Jersey area, and now I'm revved up and ready for the New Food Year. It was difficult to leave Philadelphia and its fabulous dining options behind (cheesesteaks are only the tip of the iceberg), but nothing beats Los Angeles for its range of offerings. Here's my wish list for places to go, ingredients to cook, and meals to eat in 2008. What's tops on your list of must-eat destinations and recipes this year? more ›

I was looking through the recipe box for ways to use up the old Christmas carcass, when I re-discovered a little gem from days gone by: 1969 to be exact. It's one of those tiny paperbacks that they used to sell, a Flash World Library For Modern Living publication called: bachelor's cook book (all lower case for style's sake). more ›

Ed LaDou, the father of modern California-style pizza, has died of cancer at age 52 in Santa Monica. LaDou is best known for his work at Wolfgang Puck's legendary Spago; LaDou was the first to experiment with unusual and innovative pizza toppings like duck and smoked salmon, and he also helped develop the menu for the casual dining chain California Pizza Kitchen. From The LA Times:

"Ed really set the tone for the pizza," said Mark Peel, a former chef at Spago who now owns Campanile in Los Angeles. "Wolfgang had a great sense of taste, but he was not a pizza maker by any means. Ed was highly skilled, fast and clean; he was an intelligent guy who made a great, great crust. There are people who have built empires on less." more ›