It began one day in June when Emily Green was — like any water politics reporter worth her salt — wandering through Vroman's looking for books about the history of the Los Angeles County Flood Control Division. She stumbled across "The Ripple Effect" by Alex Prud'homme (who just happens to be the nephew of Julia Child), and as she perused the book, she got a "queasy" feeling. more ›

It was pretty much love at first bite--but at breakfast time--at the Black Cat Bakery on Fairfax, thanks to their savory and crave-worthy Bibimbap-Style Farro. With a menu of satisfying morning and midday eats, as well as tantalizing pastries, the restaurant has recently expanded their hours, and offerings, with the addition of dinner service and its selection of old school favorites re-tuned for contemporary palates. more ›

The genre of "foodie movies" demands that the Los Angelean viewer have an after-movie plan. If you're seeing Tampopo, make haste for Daikokuya. If it's Soul Food, M&M Soul Food better be no farther than 20 minutes away. And now with Julie & Julia... well really, is there any place in Los Angeles where you can find the exquisite French food featured in the movie? Oh sure, there's Kendall's Brasserie or Church & State. But the best thing about Julie & Julia is that you're gonna wanna cook. Maybe not like Julia Child, but you'll be inspired to break out the pots and pans, and maybe even the pen and paper. more ›

Looking for a way to express your inner gastronome this Bastille Day? Lucky for you, L.A. is full of fine French dining (as well as some options for the more budget-minded). A number of restaurants are offering prix-fixe menus if you're feeling like a splurge: $130 per person at Melisse, $85 at La Cachette, and $48 at Comme Ca. Or, you can try out the newly opened Anisette, which LAist conveniently checked out last month. more ›

The Los Angeles Michelin ratings are out! No three-star restaurants for LA, and many Angeleno foodies are already complaining about the non-starred status of places like Lucques, Grace, and JAR. They couldn't get Ackroyd? Meryl Streep will be playing Julia Child in the upcoming movie adaptation of the book "Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen." The sequel will be based on Carol Cooks Keller, hopefully. The kids over at... more ›

Would you pay $85 for truffle mac n' cheese? Or would you rather enjoy the cheaper, classic versions at Larkin's or Lucky Devil's? The Glutton over at the LA Times samples the goods for you. What do we want? Conservation programs, access to healthy food, and promotion of renewable energy! When do we want it? Whenever the Senate gets around to voting on the Farm Bill. There's still time to make your voice heard.... more ›

Let's start over, shall we? Disney is investing $1.1 billion into California (Mis)adventure, the ghost town of an amusement park next to Disneyland. The Rose Queen for the Pasadena Rose Parade was announced this morning and her name is Dusty. We just love that name for a girl. Staring now, there is no excuse for anyone of any age to ever go "I don't get blogging." The world's oldest blogger celebrated her birthday this... more ›

"Vive l'independance!" Sure, we just hoisted back a few brews, grilled up some meat eats, and set off our own rockets' red glare on the 4th of July, but for the French--or merely fans of--today is the day of celebration: Bastille Day, which commemorates France's national uprising and storming of the Bastille prison. (We love history, but we'd rather talk parties, so if you've an inquiring mind, hop on over here and we'll continue with... more ›

Julia Child, the Pasadena-raised gourmet whose television career spanned four decades, is coming to DVD tomorrow. The 3-disc, 18 episode collection showcases some of her favorite recipes. While most of her shows were produced at WGBH in Boston, Mrs. Child never forgot her Golden State roots. In 1981, She helped launch the American Institute of Wine and Food, a non-profit organization with the sole purpose of getting all of us to enjoy our meals and drinks more. They continue to host elementary school program, Days of Taste, in Orange County. She died in Santa Barbara in 2004 at the age of 94 (as an aside, is Santa Barbara the cool place now to live out your last days?). more ›

During the past week since we posted about culinary legend Julia Child’s passing, LAist has been angrily stewing (so to speak) over a local issue related to the woman who transformed the way Americans perceive and experience food. more ›

Cooking maven Julia Child, a native of Southern California, died on Thursday at her home in Santa Barbara. more ›