Anthony Bourdain spends a segment of "The Layover" speaking with chef and pop-up restauranteur Ludo Lefebvre, who slams the East Coast and gloats about how he has free reign in his adopted hometown. more ›

When Andrew Zimmern, host of the new Travel Channel show "Bizarre Foods America" came to L.A., he knew he had to make a really great episode in tribute to what he sees as a premiere food city. more ›

It was overcast and chilly just after noon on Sunday in San Pedro when a group of chefs and food lovers piled aboard the Monte Carlo for an afternoon of fishing, eating, and celebrating. more ›

LAist is taking a look at some of the great reasons to be lured to the Nevada desert for some sun and fun in Sin City. Here we recap our trip to check out BBQ & Beer at the Bellagio, and look ahead to the hotel's next "Epicurean Epicenter" event. more ›

Feta fetishists and mozzarella maniacs, this could be your day! Go ahead, have a slice. Have two. Have a whole dang pie. It's National Cheese Pizza Day, and you don't need to fight for your right to partake in all its gooey goodness. more ›

Quinn and Karen Hatfield, the husband and wife chef duo behind the popular Hatfield's restaurant, have announced they are prepping to open a second eatery, The Sycamore Kitchen, early next year in a remodeled former print shop. The casual restaurant is being pitched as a "hip, neighborhood haven for seasonally-focused fare and sweet and savory rustic pastries." more ›

Vegans and vegetarians, and their veg-curious and veg-loving carnivore friends, will have a new upscale dining destination to call their own in West Los Angeles. Venice's Seed Kitchen's chef and owner, Eric Lechasseur, will soon open Seed Bistro, where he aims to provide diners with a high-end fine dining experience serving vegan and macrobiotic fare. more ›

Summer beckons Angelenos outdoors, and at least one of tonight's local events are sure to tickle your fancy. Project Fresh hosts a night of documentary films, though if you're feeling more literary tonight, visit the Hammer Museum for this evening's presentation of Hammer Readings. If you entertain frequently and need to bone up on your grilling skills, learn from a master at STK. Slept through your morning workout? Walk your way through several of downtown's best bars with your punchcard. more ›

In Part One of our two-part interview with Chef Ludo Lefevbre and his wife Krissy about their new TV show Ludo Bites America, we talked logistics, and Hooters girls, foie gras, and "foodies." Now, in Part Two we talk food...and, okay, food bloggers. more ›

The dynamic duo of Chef Ludo Lefebvre and his wife Krissy took their act on the road for a new series on the Sundance Channel called Ludo Bites America. With the series debuting on Tuesday July 19th, we had the chance to ask the Lefebvres a few questions about the show, the food, and life in front of--and behind--the cameras. Here's Part One of our two-part interview. more ›

We visited former LAist writer Aarti Sequeira on the set of her Food Network show "Aarti Party,"--now in its third season--to find out what life after winning The Next Food Network Star and being a popular Food Network personality was like. more ›

In January 2008, devotees of Silver Lake's Back Door Bakery bid a forlorn farewell to their beloved neighborhood café. Owner Deborah Goodale packed up and all but disappeared after she closed up shop, but has since resurfaced in a whole new part of town, with a recently re-opened Back Door Bakery, serving up bakery treats and breads along with coffee and tea to new customers and old in the Sunland area. more ›

It's June, and while sultry summer weather has yet to make an appearance, we're more than ready for the tastes and treats of the season. Farmers' markets are full of strawberries and stone fruits, gorgeous cucumbers, succulent squash blossoms and bright berries. It's impossible to resist the temptation to overindulge. So what do you do when your larder overflows and these fresh fixings look ready to wilt? You preserve them of course. It's easier than you might expect, and the process is no longer something done out of pure necessity--stocking up for a frigid winter. Instead, preserving has become about the art of simplicity and economy, as well as taking advantage of local options. more ›

Chef Mary Sue Milliken is an institution in the Los Angeles culinary world. As a partner with Chef Susan Feniger for over 25 years, she has opened two Border Grill restaurants in LA (and one in Las Vegas) in addition to owning the wildly successful Border Grill food truck. As a chef, cookbook author and TV personality on “Too Hot Tamales”, she has introduced thousands of people to high-end modern Mexican and Latin American food. more ›

A 2010 LA Times article called them the "Food Paparazzi." Maybe you've caught one, or a gaggle, in action, firing up their digital cameras or cellphone cameras the second the dish hits the table at your favorite strip mall Pho joint or the latest beer-centric gastropub to open up. They are bloggers, photographers, social media users, and, above all, food lovers. An infographic by 360i published by Mashable takes a look at the world of food photography on the web and trends within the practice. more ›

Chef Joachim Splichal of Patina has been the mentor for many chefs in Los Angeles, and is poised to expand his influence through a new partnership with the culinary program at the LAUSD's Santee Education Complex, a local high school, and South LA's A Place Called Home, a youth social service center. Patina will select apprentices for the program, which is due to begin next month, says the Daily Dish. more ›

Up until a few weeks ago, Chef Timothy Abell had never cooked anything in a food truck. Several days ago, Abell and his wife, Heather, debuted their Flatiron Truck to a hungry crowd lined up in front of Bolt Barbers Monkey House on Melrose in West Hollywood. By building their menu around locally farmed produce and ingredients inspired by the diversity of Southern California, the Flatiron Truck takes the “farm to table” movement one step further: to the streets. more ›

The knives are coming out for a third installment of the all-pro TV cooking competition show Top Chef Masters on Bravo, and today the network has revealed the list of 12 "cheftestants" and solidified who will be doing the adjudicating. Representing Los Angeles are two beloved and well-known local culinary stars, Mary Sue Milliken of Border Grill, and John Rivera Sedlar of Rivera and the just-opened Playa. more ›

According to the U.S. Census 23.6% of Los Angeles County are known as "some other race." There's no question that Los Angeles is a melting pot of cultures from all over the world. Each culture staking claim to certain areas of Los Angeles, and eventually making it their own. K-town, Chinatown, and Little Ethiopia are just some examples of Los Angeles' colorful identity. Along with the people, of course, comes their food. more ›

I wasn’t raised eating kale, so when I discovered it in my 20s, I didn’t have much of an idea what to do with it, and left it on the shelf in favor of more familiar greens [back when I shopped in places with shelves]. It’s gone from being something I never heard of as a kid to a go-to green I absolutely love, so if you’re lost somewhere along that spectrum, maybe I can help you make it your valentine this year. more ›

They’ve made their way into recipes in every post I’ve written so far, and despite the fact that everyone knows exactly how they like them, I wanted to give oranges a spotlight this week, because there are so many ways to use them. more ›

Kohlrabi is that really sculptural curiosity we’ve all seen, but haven’t all taken home to try [every blog post on it starts out with regret, trust me]. It’s a member of the brassica family, which makes it a cousin to cabbage, broccoli, and kale, all grandchildren of wild cabbage. Though it’s got a light, apple-broccoli flavor all it’s own when raw, it resembles more of a delicate broccoli stem when cooked. more ›

A good deal of my winter food research leads me to these amazing root vegetable purees and mashes, where a variety of vegetables take your typical mashed potatoes and infuse them with color and flavor. One popular suggestion is celeriac, or celery root, which has the flavor of celery with a touch of fennel, and a nutty warmth when cooked. This nice reader-person asked if I’d write about it, and I promised that if I found some I would, so here it is! more ›

I’ve wanted to write about beets for awhile now, because they’re a cool-season crop that’s available fall, winter and spring here in California. They taste great on their own, highlighting or contrasting from their natural sugar content, and they add bright colors to all kinds of foods. Best known are red beets, but a spin through your local farmer’s market will reveal golden beets and the candy-striped Chioggia, an Italian heirloom, as well. more ›

One of the great things about holiday fare is that it’s usually already seasonal, based on traditions that are older than the globalized food market. However, if you’re anything like me, you like a good blend of traditional favorites with some new and innovative flavors to mix things up. Also, these holidays originated in the north-east in the freezing cold, not the, uh, sometimes-very-rainy south-west. more ›

If you’ve been in LA for the last few days, I don’t need to explain why we’re so lucky to live in a mild climate where so many delicious things are seasonal through winter. Swiss chard is a cool-weather leafy green that loves the southern California climate and grows here year-round if you can give it enough sun in winter, and partially shade it in summer. If you love swiss chard, hopefully you’ll get some new ideas on how to use it. If you haven’t loved it yet, it’s never too late—read on! more ›

I'll admit, I don't have an extensive history with Jerusalem artichokes, so when I saw them at the farmer's market, I decided to make them the topic of the week. As the photo caption suggests, there is no easily-searchable information on how they got “Jerusalem” in their name. They're native to north America, though when cooked, they do have an artichoke-like taste. more ›

Of the numerous food events held in and around town, the Los Angeles Magazine Food Event happens to be one of the best. Escaping the concrete jungle and sending guests to the awe-inspiring acreage of Malibu Hills' Saddlerock Ranch--one of our premiere local wineries--the afternoon is a true celebration of good eats and drinks in a relaxed atmosphere. more ›