Auntie Em's Tops List for Best Cupcake Shop, Sprinkles Left Out
ABC7 and Citysearch got together and made a top 7 cupcake shop list. Auntie Em's Kitchen in Eagle Rock took the top spot with Yummy Cupcakes in Burbank and Famous Cupcakes in Valley Village in spots 2 and 3. The list is rounded out by Susie Cakes, The Cobbler Lady, Violet's Cakes, French's Cupcake Bakery, Cupcakery and Dolcissimo. Who didn't make the list? Sprinkles and Crumbs. Oh, snap!
Vietnamese-Fusion Restaurants to Open in Santa Monica, The OC
If you've been to Crustacean Restaurant in Beverly Hills, then you know the An Family style. This week they announced a big expansion, with two new restaurants in Orange County and more locally in Santa Monica scheduled to open by the end of this year. AnQi in Costa Mesa's South Coast Plaza will carry a more casual bistro environment. Tiato, located in Santa Monica's MTV building, will be a quick service restaurant, serving up traditional fare with some Asian flare. Think eggs on bao instead of Eggs Benedict or pancakes with persimmon instead of with strawberries. For lunch, one of the highlighted menu items is Vegetarian Crepe Ratatouille and the family's secret kitchen Garlic Noodles.
Lawry's Settles at $1 Million-Plus for Not Hiring Male Waiters
When you go to the Tam O'Shanter Inn, Five Crowns or Lawry's, there should be a good mix of men and women servers. After a gender discrimination complaint was filed in 2003, Lawry's stopped a policy dating back to 1938 in which women were the preferred gender to hire. Despite the change in policy, the case went forward to federal court. The Pasadena-based company will pay out more than $1 million, half of which that will go to men who were denied jobs based on their gender," says the LA Times. The other money will go towards discrimination training and a public awareness campaign.
Is Yelp Dying a Slow Death in L.A.? What's happening over at Yelp? The powerhouse of a community-driven review website made a big local announcement today, but one many users are not happy with. Yelp said they are "parting ways" with their most recent community manager, Dawson S. That comes after the exit of Stephy S. (LAist interview) and a slew of others. "Gosh. It seems hard to imagine how Yelp will maintain any sort of credibility in the community when the local leadership changes more frequently than I change my oil," noted one user. The onslaught and Yelp hating continues on the Yelp's talk thread. Previously: 5-Star Yelp reviews go up before restaurant opens.
Buttermilk Truck Announces Launch Location
For the past couple of months, two trucks have teased us as they prepped for their debut. The Grilled Cheese Truck tempted us with delicious photos before launching with great success last week. Up next is the Buttermilk Truck, which launches next week Wednesday at The Brig in Venice. With a breakfast and a late-night menu, there's a handful of items that sound savory. For example: the Hawaiian Bread Breakfast Sliders have Portuguese sausage, sauteed onions and shoyu scrambled eggs on Hawaiian bread.