November 19, the Paley Center for Media hosted an evening with Iron Chef Cat Cora. During an interview with Broadcasting and Cable's Stephanie Robbins, Cora hints at the possibility of a sixth iron chef, but stays vague on the posibility of another installment of The Next Iron Chef. She also talks politics. The economy isn't the only issue on Cora's mind. As an openly gay woman, she recently participated in protests against California Proposition 8......

I was invited to dinner at Sashi by the restaurant's PR firm. I was very excited to try executive Chef Makoto Okuwa's sushi, who worked under Chef Morimoto of Iron Chef fame and was executive sushi chef at Morimoto in both D.C. and NYC. Now, I've found that people's standards about sushi vary greatly, so here's my disclaimer: I'm by no means a sushi connoisseur, but I've been to a few great places around our delicious......

Last night had some great TV. What'd you watch: "True Blood", "Mad Men", "Entourage", the VMAs? Any comments? Tonight features a great "Top Gear", "Sarah Connor" is back, and Michael Phelps is on Leno, if you haven't had enough of him. We're kinda waiting for tomorrow's "Shield" episode though. 8:00pm Top Gear BBC America - Auto, James and Richard spend their night driving people home in their own cars after they've had too much to......

Mayor Villaraigosa serves the city / Photo by Elise Thompson dineLA Restaurant Week kicked off in style yesterday at Neal Fraser's Grace on Beverly Boulevard. Neal Fraser is the only Angeleno ever to have won Iron Chef, against none other than Cat Cora. The Two Hot Tamales, Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken, were the belles of the ball. I just had a moment to chat with them regarding a funny story they had......

You know who makes a lot of sense? Michael Pollan does. If only he had the ear of the Senate as it prepares to pass a sorry, sorry Farm Bill. I love alcohol in unusual, fruit-oriented containers. Slashfood turns us on to this pumpkin keg -- yes the beer was actually brewed inside the pumpkin shell. Expect to see one of these at an LAist party near you very soon. It's good to know......

The Japanese Food Festival, a one day event being held at The New Otani Hotel, will be occurring this Saturday, October 27 from 11AM to 3PM. Tickets are 50 bucks but that includes all-you-can-eat-sushi as well as all-you-can-drink sake and beer (yay!). Hosted by the Japanese Restaurant Association of Southern California, there will be a best sushi chef contest, demonstrations of how to fillet a tuna, Jazz, and sake and beer tasting (drinks!). Do you......

We'd like to take a brief moment to thank this week's advertisers on LAist. AMEX Urban Adventures, because there's shopping, dining, and entertainment destinations to be discovered. Look Me in the Eye, by Augusten Burroughs' older brother. The Next Iron Chef, starting Sunday in its quest to find...the next Iron Chef. Busted Tees, where they have some shirts on sale for $9.99! If you're interested in advertising on LAist or any other site in our......

Top Chef hasn’t suffered from sophomore – okay, junior – slump at all. Bravo’s reality show is turning out to be one of the most consistently entertaining programs on television, thanks to one simple rule that’s all too often overlooked in the reality game: talented people make good television. Unfortunately, not everybody agrees: Regina Schrambling over at the LA Times recently decried the “tentacles” of advertising that have a firm grip on the show’s......

Although some say it doesn’t have nearly as much charm as the original cult sensation, Iron Chef America, is one of the top rated Food Network series since its first airing in 2005. Besides for some of the most inventive dishes one’s ever heard of – fish ice cream anyone? - the mysterious chairman gets to unveil the secret ingredient as well as the winner in that serious/self mocking tone. That chairman's name is Mark......

With a name like Fraiche, (um, “fresh” in French), I was kinda expecting some “fresh” new flavours, a psychedelic mouth adventure where few palates have gone before, where even an Iron Chef could learn a thing or two… well, I exaggerate. Let’s just say, my expectations were up there. And while it wasn’t quite as wild as I had hoped, there were still a number of plates that left my taste buds tingling. Fraiche......

Here are a few spots for eats and drinks that we are looking forward to seeing open: 1. We were very excited to pass on to you that last month was National Grilled Cheese Month, and now we're gearing up for the impending opening of Culver City's Meltdown, which is a (mostly) grilled cheese eatery that's slated to open as early as this week. Their menu, which is available online, looks like an ooey-gooey......

Los Angeles Sunday on NPR Last night, NPR featured, almost back to back, two stories about LA. The first, an interview with LAPD Chief Bratton on LA's increased gang problem. A few minutes later, Al Shelton's Western Art storefront on Ventura Blvd. is featured. (All Things Considered, NPR) LA's Reservoirs "Facing new water regulations prohibiting open-air reservoirs of potable water, the city would prefer to cover Elysian and Upper Stone Canyon reservoirs with fabric, metal......

This weekend marks the annual Tofu Festival, where fans of the soy based food product of Chinese origin can gather together in celebration of what to so many is an acquired taste. The festival is taking place in downtown on San Pedro Street between 2nd and 3rd on Saturday from 2-10 p.m. and Sunday from noon-9 p.m. General admission is $8, with kids (5-12) and seniors (60+) at $5 a piece. Of course, the......