What's going on lately in the L.A food scene? Chew on this: A couple of hot spots have new chefs manning the flames, you can eat duck from bill to tail tomorrow night in SaMo, and use your extra "Leap Day" to drink more beer next week, plus a few more food news bites. more ›

What's going on lately in the L.A food scene? Chew on this: A famous red-headed chef is doing a special lunch by the shore soon, there's a new head chef in the kitchen at Cliff's Edge, and all hope is not lost for those who didn't score seats at LudoBites 8.0, plus more food news. more ›

What's going on lately in the L.A food scene? Chew on this: All the flavors of Thanksgiving in one big (turkey) burger, where to find fine dining all the way out in Rancho Cucamonga, holiday beers, "designer" cocktails and more in our weekly food news roundup. more ›

There's an elegance to Locanda del Lago's cuisine that makes it a solid spot to experience Northern Italian. They do it so well that it's a beautiful representation should you be conducting a study in The Differences Between Northern and Southern Italian. more ›

This weekend's impending Carmageddon has spurred a host of deals throughout the city, luring Angelenos from their safe abodes to various restaurants, bars, malls and amusement parks. Despite the city's caveats to refrain from driving this weekend, especially on the west side, western establishments are offering some tempting (and slightly absurd) specials. more ›

People mag hasn't called George Clooney the "Sexiest Man Alive" since 2006, but, five years later and turning 50 on May 6, the actor is still smokin' hot. To cool yourself down and celebrate his hitting the half-century mark, Santa Monica's Locanda del Lago has a cocktail named for Clooney, and are offering it at a special price Friday to Sunday in his honor. more ›

You may not be able to share lunch by the water in George Clooney's villa, but you can get a taste of Lake Como right here in Santa Monica. Its location on the 3rd Street Promenade may make some people think the restaurant is a tourist trap, but once ensconced in the tasteful high-ceilinged, white tablecloth restaurant it becomes clear this is not some cheesy chain. Locanda del Lago is a special occasion restaurant, but it is also down-to-earth enough that you can come-as-you-are straight off the Promenade. more ›

Locanda del Lago sits on a prime piece of Santa Monica real estate, at the corner of 3rd and Arizona, with a patio and floor to ceiling windows looking into the heart of the eternally bustling Third Street Promenade. And just as shoppers and looky-loos alike keep the street humming with vibrancy, the atmosphere inside the cozy and inviting Locanda del Lago is just as vibrant, and even more welcoming. LAist was invited to try their DineLA menu a few days before the event began, and to experience their hospitality and the cuisine of Bellagio and the Northern Lakes region of Italy. more ›

One of Brazil's most renowned musicians, Milton Nascimento, pays a visit to L.A. with the Jobim Trio of Paulo and Daniel Jobim and Paulo Braga. Nascimento's career spans four decades and his repertoire includes classics such as Samba do Avião, Travessia, and Canção da América. The latter was dedicated to the late great Brazilian Formula 1 race champion Ayrton Senna who died in a racing accident in 1994. more ›

In all the many, many years I have been trolling Santa Monica's Promenade, in search of shopping and people-watching and places to eat, it had never occured to me to stop in at Locanda del Lago, an Italian restaurant right in the thick of Santa Monica's shopping mecca. I was invited out to try some of their house specialties; it's Italian cuisine in the Lombardy style, which emphasizes ingredients like fish from Lake Como, veal, butter (rather than olive oil), and risotto (rather than pasta). more ›