Food

Walking tours are a convenient way for tourists to learn about the history and architecture of a city. Why not take advantage of these tours to learn about your own town? Los Angeles hosts a variety of walking tours, but one of our favorites is one of the newest. And only partly because they give you Chinese food and cake. more ›

This summer Chef Traci Des Jardins traveled to Mongolia with a group of female chefs to hunt and cook a wild boar. Together with friends Loretta Keller, Mary Sue Milliken, Anita Lo, and April Bloomfield, they camped out in yurts and spent their days tracking wild beasts. In the culinary world these women know that hard work, talent, and creativity are necessary for a successful career as a chef. Hunting and cooking in Mongolia adds another layer of depth to their culinary experiences in the world. more ›

The lines were long--but moving--this weekend in the mobile food court section of the Abbot Kinney Festival. Posted along one branch of the annual street fair and community gathering were several of the city's trendiest restaurants, all on four wheels, among them The NomNom Truck, Get Shaved, and Coolhaus. In line to get some grub at the Border Grill truck, however, a friend leaned over to me and asked: "So, is it that all these trucks are started up and run by really young people just getting into the business?" more ›

Some big players on the local food scene were on hand this past Friday to take part in a media event to get everyone ready for dineLA's second go-'round of Restaurant Week 2009. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa brought his appetite to the table...will you? dineLA runs October 4-9 and October 11-16, and has a list of many, many (over 200!) wonderful local eateries at which you can treat yourself to specially priced three-course menus. more ›

Once upon a time, 11648 San Vicente Blvd in Brentwood was a Hamburger Hamlet. Yawn, right? Yes, the Hamlet had its heyday here in Los Angeles, but it's been a long time since the chain served anything to write (home) about. But if the three most important considerations in real estate are location, location, and yup, you guessed it, location, well, Tavern wound up with a prime piece of it. What you might not ever guess--if you didn't know it--is that this beautiful eatery, with its skylight-lit atrium dining room, plush seating, warm gray tones matched with airy cream colors, and wooden floors was once a Hamlet. more ›

It was a beautiful day and a great turnout for the San Antonio Winery's "A Taste of the Americas" Festival Sunday. The 200 plus people in attendance seemed pleased with the quality of these reasonably priced New World wines. Let's look at the wines in greater detail. We'll start with our host winery and our home state. more ›

Sunday San Antonio Winery threw another raging bash -- this time its " “Taste of the Americas ” Food and Wine Festival. It is the second of three festivals held at the San Antonio Winery this summer. more ›

The newest edition of Zagat covering Los Angeles and Southern California Restaurants was released today. Zagat 2010 covers 2,034 restaurants as voted on by local amateur foodies. As with anything in today's internet age, the guidebook, ratings and reviews are not only listed on Zagat's website, but they are now available for the first time on mobile platforms, including apps for the iPhone and Android. Oh, and they Twitter (of course). more ›

Survey says, Santa Barbara is a favorite day-trip for LAists. It turns out, like their large southern neighbor (us,) they have delicious mobile food vendors who are on Twitter. VendrTV gnaws into the meaty offerings of SB's Burger Bus. This video makes me so hungry that for a change, I wouldn't be ashamed to take the shortbus. Track these meals on wheels on their website, or Twitter. more ›

Carnitas, Spanish for "little meats," are my favorite edible incarnation of pork. For me, they’re a dietary staple, best devoured when surrounded by the perfect tortilla. Oh yeah, these tiny meats are typically pig butt. more ›

Gourmet Magazine shares with their online readers today their pick for their 8 favorite food trucks in Los Angeles. Their list, however, is both a tip of the hat to the trend-setters who Twitter and truck, as well as a nod to the truly wireless old school trucks that have been around the block a few times in the past few decades. more ›

As a kid, mom's toast was always a staple, but I never salivated for it when I woke up. Even though I fought the carb-conscious craze, breakfast took a turn with less bread consumption as age took its toll. Supermarket-bought bread was always handy to have around, for sandwiches and whatnot, but other than that, it sat in the refrigerator for months at a time. more ›

Say what you will about fusion food (and you will, we know) but Banh Mi happens to be one of the oldest forms of cultural collision cuisine on the books. These east-meets-west eats are now roaming the streets of Los Angeles in a rubber-meets-the road kind of way, thanks to the folks behind the Nom Nom Truck, who launched their mobile eatery this summer to fill the void of Banh Mi on the Westside. more ›

You might live a recessionista foodie lifestyle, hunting for high-quality eats at low-rent prices. And while we do encourage dining at all price-points, sometimes the only way feasting is feasible is when there's a special deal going down. This is where dineLA's Restaurant Week comes in. From October 4-9 and October 11-16, 2009, you can treat yourself to specially priced three-course menus at over 200 restaurants from all corners of LA County. more ›

Written by Greg Thompson/Special to LAist more ›

21 Choices is like hybrid of Cold Stones' mix-in concept and the delectable tastes of the current frozen yogurt craze. However, it's not a rip-off--the first of its four storefronts opened in 1989. more ›

Craze be damned. A website dedicated to tracking all of Los Angeles' Twittering food trucks launched last night. Currently boasting 20 trucks (and a map of popular locations), the list is surely to grow as we await such tempting treats from the likes of the Grilled Cheese Truck and the Buttermilk (breakfast) Truck. Make sure to check it out from your phone on the mobile version where it looks much sleeker. more ›

Food and drink can definitely make football more fun (or for those who prefer their pig skin on the plate and not in a pass, palatable). Henry's Hat (Twitter), the recently opened eatery that sits conveniently in the Cahuenga Pass (you know--between "here" and "there" for those who travel either way over the proverbial hill) has some great Happy Hour offerings, with some extra fun in place for Monday Night Football. more ›

Chef Sumant Pardal only first heard of the Twittering designer food truck craze this summer. But when he heard the concept, it sparked an idea and in ten days, his India Jones Chow Truck was on the road. more ›

Los Angeles has a long-standing rep for elevating lunching to an art form. School lunching, however, isn't quite so glamorous. Now, when it comes to the food you get at school, well--that's another story. But the concept of cafeteria-style lunching with LA-style panache is what's on tap at Lemonade, a local eatery with outposts in West Hollywood, Venice, Downtown, and a fourth launching soon at MOCA. more ›

Today L.A.’s most-awarded winery will hold a " “Taste of the Americas ” Food and Wine Festival. It is the second of three festivals held at the San Antonio Winery this summer. Lunch will include food from North, South and Central Americas. Almost a dozen wines of the Americas will be available for tasting. The event runs from 2pm to 5pm today and is priced at 50. per person, reasonable, considering the amount of wine and exciting food. more ›

The Patina Restaurant Group has catered the Emmys for 14 years and for the first time, Pinot Bistro will be offering the same Emmys Governors Ball menu the stars will be enjoying tonight. The special Emmys prix fixe dinner will be offered from Sept 21 to the 27. more ›

As part of Zagat Presents, RH at the Andaz Hotel offered "French Farming", a four course prix fixe dinner last Tuesday night. Executive chef Sebastien Archambault took advantage of the best products available from local farmers to create dishes featuring the flavors of southwest France. LAist was invited to the swoon-worthy dinner, which included truffles, foie gras, duck confit and fine wine pairings. more ›

Every foodie in LA was giddy with excitement about the recent opening of Mozza2Go. And who could blame them? Waiting for a table at Mozza meant standing around feeling stupid, blocking the front door or bathrooms while using your mind control powers to try to make diners leave the bar. more ›

For Emily Zaiden, her popsicle business started with how all delicious things should begin: with an undaunting passion for the food she loves, in this case, desserts. "I've always been a frozen dessert fanatic," the Echo Park resident, Laurel Canyon native, explained over the phone from her company kitchen. "In elementary school for the inventions convention, I invented an ice cream flavor," she said with a laugh. more ›

TCBY, or The Country's Best Yogurt, was once huge. All of a sudden "frozen yogurt" and "phenomenon" were used in the same sentence. It was nationwide Pinkberry-like insanity which predated Pinkberry. Then, of course, Pinkberry found hip neighborhoods. Today, we're right in the middle of Frozen Yogurt 3.0, and this model's an upgrade. more ›

Looking for Mason jars at Target a few weeks ago in preparation for batches of preserved lemons, homemade yogurt, jam and pickled beets, a number of employees responded with blank looks when I asked where to find canning jars. This temporarily led me to believe that canning was a foreign concept in farmers’ market and Whole Foods-laden Los Angeles, work best done by Midwestern grandmothers still influenced by Depression-era frugality. But Angelino Kevin West’s blog Saving the Season makes it very clear that canning is still a relevant and if not strictly necessary than undoubtedly delicious means of preparing food. more ›

VendrTV digs into mobile meme, Kogi BBQ. If you're the one person who hasn't yet had it, you can host Daniel Delaney devour some Korean vs Mexican fusion. And why not try Chinese tacos? more ›

After celebrating their grand opening in Santa Monica this weekend, Pizza Fusion also quietly opened their new Hollywood location on Tuesday. "The response we received at our soft opening on Tuesday was wonderful", owner Michele Orlando said. "Hollywood residents are really warming up to our organic and socially conscious approach to restaurant service." more ›

Diners: Watch your mouth! This food truck's name can sometimes get tangled, and make you say something naughty. LA FuXion (fusion, people, fusion) is one of the many Twittering food trucks who are putting their spin on four-wheeled street eats. more ›

Today Pizza Fusion, a fresh, organic, and vegan-friendly pizza chain will celebrate the grand opening of its new location in Santa Monica. The chain boasts hybrid delivery cars, in-store recycling, LEED certification, wind energy offsets and organic kid's classes (Yum! They serve children? Bet that's not on the vegan menu). more ›

After several years working as a cook and executive chef for catering companies, Antonio Medina was ready to try something on his own. Seeing the the designer food truck trend, he and his wife took to some of their favorite food and hit the road. more ›

Today’s Recession Obsession is a gluttonous walk down memory lane, a walk to Campos Tacos in Venice, where a plate of hard-shelled chicken tacos, chips, and a drink is $7 after tax. While this Campos location might look like a dime-a-dozen Mexican hole-in-the-wall with a scary bathroom, to this author, it represents the birth of a love affair, and LAist’s latest Recession Obsession. more ›

This unofficial commercial will surely bring a smile, a few good-hearted laughs and maybe that warm fuzzy feeling to any Trader Joe's shopper. Good times, good times. more ›

Okay, so at lunchtime one of the city's ever-growing fleet of mobile eateries may park outside your workplace, but for many of us we don't emerge from studio lot bungalows or Wilshire Blvd. high-rises midday--we have to go to where the lunch is. And while some of the trucks offer up sweet treats, they aren't always parked behind the main course. Tomorrow from Noon to 2, however, you can get your NomNom on right where some of the city's best chocolates come from. more ›

"This has officially gotten out of control," tweeted Angeline Vuong, a Citysearch community manager, in reference to LAist's growing list of designer food trucks that Twitter. That list, which was updated yesterday, includes 23 trucks plus six more, like the grilled cheese truck, that are coming to Los Angeles streets soon (add in this fact: a 2006 estimate has the number of taco trucks at nearly 4,000). more ›

It's been a while since we updated our list of Food Trucks that Twitter, so we gave the internets another scour, recalled some of our own recent food-on-wheels excursions, and have added a whole bunch of eateries to the growing ranks. Some are just getting on the road, and some are in the works, so of course the best way to know where to go is to follow them on Twitter, and get ready to chase down the grub. Added to the list include the best damn Hawaiian-style shave ice you'll find in town, a "roadside bistro," a hot pink truck with babes and burgers on board, curious fusions, and...breakfast. As always, let us know in the comments if we've missed a truck! Check out the update here. more ›

If you answered: A Grilled Cheese Sandwich on Wheels, you'd be correct! Yes, Los Angeles, it's coming. Another food truck is gearing up to hit the streets to peddle a familiar food for the socially networked masses. Already reaching out to local foodies via Twitter, the Grilled Cheese Truck says they'll be "oozing through the streets of LA soon," somewhere around four weeks from now. more ›

It's that time again: Weekend breakfast. Or, if you prefer: Brunch. May we tempt you with this Eye Nosh-able shot of the Ricotta Pancakes with Lemon Creme Fraiche and Blueberry Sauce, Side of Seasonal Fruit and Maple Syrup enjoyed by food blogger and LAist Featured Photos pool contributor LA & OC Foodventures? Need some words to go with your picture? How about this, from his blog report more ›

It's summertime (shhh, don't tell the calendar) and the livin' can still be easy when you grub on burgers and beer. The Golden State on Fairfax is one of the newest burgers on the map (and, yes, it also happens to have made it onto this map of some of the city's Essential eats) and after LAist Lifestyle Editor Julie Wolfson got a taste of the place, it wasn't going to be long before the rest of us got on board. more ›

You've seen the list, you've double-counted and confirmed you're not crazy--it is 105, not just 99, and now you're ready to tackle the task: Eat at all of the restaurants selected by the LA Weekly's Pulitzer Prize-winning food writer Jonathan Gold as LA's essentials. The annual list--err, event for the foodie set--is still fairly hot off the presses, and for many means that no matter how many hot spots they've settled in for a fork, hand, spoon, chopstick, or mouthful, there's still plenty left to try. more ›

Put on your sneakers and suncreen! Fill your pockets with Tums! Today marks the opening day of the LA County Fair, which will run from Sept. 5-Oct. 4th this year, a week longer than usual. more ›

Prabhat Gautam, owner of Positive Television and a local vegan gadfly (also, a former LAist contributor), is a very energetic guy. This month, he set out to accomplish the goal of 30 straight days of vegan events. "A lot of people said it could never be done, but lots of people stepped up," he wrote in an e-mail. And so it began last Tuesday night at SunPower Natural Cafe and continue throughout September. more ›

Earlier at today's 30th Anniversary of local farmers markets, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced the creation of a food policy task force that will provide a report and recommendations in the next six months on a city food policy council and a foodshed assessment. The group, which has not been chosen yet, will look into issues such as urban agriculture and community gardens, food access/transportation and level of regional self sufficiency in food production (see a full list here). more ›

Possibly adding fuel to the city's grease fire to get rid of illegal street vendors, a Center for Disease Control report released today tells of an April incident in which pot brownies bought from a bogus church fundraiser ended up in a preschool teacher's lounge sickening several teachers. more ›

Mobile food trucks, revealing their location on Twitter, who serve taco-fusion, is in. This is no longer news. It's getting competitive on the streets, and the novelty is decreasingly novel. more ›

At today's 30 years of the farmers market celebration, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is expected to announce a task force on food policy and will lead a pledge for local restaurants to use locally grown food. more ›

In spite of the occasionally cringe-worthy dishes on Top Chef and the bumbling and blubbering of Hell's Kitchen, you know you're insanely jealous of those judges. Well, now you have the opportunity to eat like the judges--yes, even the actual recipes they picked apart like bits of carrion on the small screen. more ›