Jonathan Gold's latest Counter Intelligence column has us wondering if writing about a first-hand account with weed is some sort of hazing ritual for columnists in the Los Angeles Times. In the piece, Gold grudgingly agrees to attend a dinner put on by Starry Kitchen's Nguyen Tran that features marijuana-laced dishes. more ›

What began as an April Fools' Day prank meant to rib his LA Weekly photographer, restaurant critic Jonathan Gold wound up punking himself by sitting down to a review lunch at the Arcadia outpost of the megachain the Olive Garden. In today's "Counter Intelligence," column, Gold breaks down how he came to dine upon a "Tuscan" feast of lasagna and those famous doughy breadsticks. more ›

At last, the final installment of LA Dishes Back. I promise there will be no "Son of LA Bites Back" or "LA Bites Back: Jason's Returns". A few readers have asked, "How did you pick these restaurants?" People felt like there has been no rhyme nor reason to my choices, or that these places are not representative of the finest the city has to offer. I plead guilty on both counts. My selections were... more ›

Last night's free Zocalo program at the Central Library featured L.A. Weekly food writer Jonathan Gold in conversation with Variety's Monica Corcoran. Her first question: Did winning the Pulitzer Prize (for criticism, this year) blow your cover as an anonymous food critic? And if so, this evening won't help, will it? more ›

We were delighted to find out that one of our favorite folks who talks about food was named this weekend as the recipient of the LA Press Club Award for Best Individual Blog. Congrats to Pat Saperstein and Eating LA! According to Saperstein, the judges summed up her site as follows: Writer does a great job of merging personality and topic, producing an engaging voice. Well-informed without coming across as elitist. Great showcasing of... more ›

Jonathan Gold just might be both the first and last word on food in the city. His Counter Intelligence column is the centerpiece of his coverage of consumption in the Eat/Drink section of the LA Weekly; many of his findings are tidily compiled in a book of the same name that we urged you to buy earlier this month for the person on your list who's ready to take their dining out to the next level. His quest for the exotic or unusual has been known to provoke countless taste buds in the readership he's earned since he signed on at the Weekly in 1986. We also love his regular on-air visits to Evan Kleiman's "Good Food" show on KCRW. Gold's Best of 2006 is an homage to the pig. Bon appetit! more ›

It's time. As much as we hated seeing silver stars and winter white wonderland at the Beverly Center as early as October (did they completely gloss over Halloween or did we just miss it when they were promoting it back in, say, July?), we must accept that Holiday shopping is indeed upon us now that it's December. To make it easier on us all, LAist has toiled, worn out our mouse clicking fingers, scoured... more ›

As Chowhound.com -- the once relatively obscure über-food lovers' website -- becomes increasingly well-known to the world at-large, it becomes less of a sweet hound and more of a daunting monster. The site’s most active discussion boards, LA included, amounts to a deluge of information and opinions. For the impatient, too much info can be a definitely bad thing. more ›

Because we are so fond of this city and all the great things about it, we here at LAist decided to focus on some of the people that make LA such a unique and interesting place. With that in mind, here is the inaugural edition of a new LAist feature. Today we introduce a new, biweekly interview series featuring conversations about Los Angeles with interesting and opinionated Angelenos, which we are kicking off off with Jonathan Gold, a true LAist who has been writing the "Counter Intelligence" food column for the LA Weekly since 1986. more ›