Actor Jason Schwartzman is a Los Angeles native, so naturally we love everything he does, including a soon-to-be-aired "Iron Chef" parody on "Sesame Street." Schwartzman's guest appearance will broadcast this Friday, but thanks to "Sesame Street's" YouTube channel, the world gets a quick sneak peak. more ›

When The Foundry's Eric Greenspan announced he was opening a grilled cheese restaurant, it was big news. Grilled cheese, the ooey, gooey and naughty comfort food that could possibly solve world peace, has encapsulated Los Angeles in the past, whether it be with the hordes of people that show up at the annual Grilled Cheese Invitational (no date announced yet) or head out to the Grilled Cheese Truck. Greenspan, who won the Invitational and is known for competing on Iron Chef, is still working on his restaurant, but Lucinda Michele at Metblogs spoke to him about his plans. more ›

Eric Greenspan, a former competitor on The Next Iron Chef and owner of The Foundry, is working towards opening a comforting idea: a restaurant dedicated to grilled cheese. A similar-themed restaurant in Culver City, Meltdown, Etc., closed its doors earlier this year, but that may have been due to odd hours rather than any doubt in the sandwiches popularity (just reminisce on the craziness surrounding last year's Grilled Cheese Invitational--oh yes, Greenspan won that--and the Grilled Cheese Truck). more ›

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. more ›

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 city. I don't mind an occasional venture out to some creative rolls but will largely judge a sushi place by the quality of its traditional nigiri (fish on rice) sushi. more ›

Last night had some great TV. What'd you watch: "True Blood", "Mad Men", "Entourage", the VMAs? Any comments? more ›

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. more ›

Photo by chotda via Flickr
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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!). more ›

We'd like to take a brief moment to thank this week's advertisers on LAist. more ›

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... more ›

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 Dacascos, and we at LAist interviewed him about what being the IC Chairman is all about, his favorite battle, and the most delicious dishes he’s ever tried in kitchen stadium. Besides for being the Chairman, Mark is an accomplished actor, a Kung Fu champion, a husband, father, and a writer. more ›

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... more ›

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... more ›

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... more ›

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... more ›