Mariachi Plaza, a square in Boyle Heights, has served as a gathering spot for musicians since the 1940s. Players arrive with guitars, violins and trumpets, ready to perform for any interested passers-by. In recent years the mariachi mecca has seen a surge in instrumentalists, causing hourly rates to drop and fists to raise, as reported by The NY Times. more ›

This weekend, the Egyptian hosts Spanish thespians Luis Tosar, Antonio de la Torre and Eduardo Noriega, as well as director Emilio Aragon, as part of its 16th annual Recent Spanish Cinema series. Thursday, Tosar opens the series with Even the Rain, Spain's official Oscar submission. The film follows the fight against privatization of water in Bolivia, blurring fact and fiction by cutting footage of real protests within its story. It's preceded by Voltereta, a coming-of-age short set in 1985 Brooklyn. Cell 211 locked down the Goya Awards (the Spanish equivalent of the Oscars), with eight victories including Best Film and Best Actor for Tosar. De la Torre leads the U.S. premiere of Lope and the L.A. premiere of Fat People. Noriega accompanies another L.A. premiere, For The Good of Others. Aragon appears alongside his film Paper Birds. more ›

Los Angeles' foodie Twitterati went into a tailspin on Sunday when they caught Chicago-based Top Chef Master Rick Bayless dissing the city's favorite food writing son, Jonathan Gold in a Tweet: "@thejgold Thought a Pulitzer meant you checked facts. Sneering at me for something I never said is either mean or sloppy. I'm offended." more ›

We last checked in at Downtown's upscale taqueria CASA not long after it first opened, and had the chance to taste the menu items as guided by departing chef Kris Morningstar, who was soon off to open Mercantile, and later, District. more ›

In Vietnamese "Xôi" is a sweet sticky rice used in many dishes. But in chef and owner Jose Sarinana's family, "Xoia" is the family nickname for his daughter Sawyer, explains his wife, Thien Ho. This blend of food, family, and tradition comes together at Xoia, a bright, cheery, new Vietnamese restaurant in Echo Park. more ›

Upscale Mexican food in Los Angeles could potentially be a hard sell, considering the ease with which excellent, authentic, and affordable can be accessed in the area. For Rick Bayless, however, the Chicago-based master chef, his arrival in Los Angeles as a consultant for Red O was more like a long-awaited response to fanatics' clamor. With a hype poised to usurp the buzz of the town's last big out-of-town chef partnership restaurant (that would be Batali and Silverton's Mozza, 2006) Red O opened late last month, and as they've been dishing out the first few weeks of elegantly affordable Mexican dishes, there is already talk of a second location. more ›

It's May 5th, and you have a thirst for celebration, Mexican-style. But where to go? What to do? We'll break down the lists and roundups inundating the webosphere in our Guide to the Guides: Cinco De Mayo. more ›

It's a shame that not every diner can sit down with Rivera's John Sedlar and listen to him tell the stories of his dishes while they dine. Sedlar is a gifted storyteller in person, however the power of myth, history, and culture are also embedded in every bite of the beautiful food he has on the menu at his popular and welcoming downtown restaurant. more ›

EaterLA is confirming that Rick Bayless, Chicago's famed Mexican restauranteur, is opening two local restaurants. At first it was a rumor since Bayless was seen going restaurant-to-restaurant back in November, something that was unusual considering he hadn't visited Los Angeles in 15 years. Apparently, Bayless will take over the two spaces, the former Table 8 space on Melrose (scheduled to open in March) and the soon-to-be-shuttered Ma'Kai space in Santa Monica (scheduled to open in May). Bayless will head up both kitchens and be in town monthly to oversee operations. more ›

Downtown LA’s Grand Central Market is a Recession Obsession institution. If you’ve never been, grab a crisp five dollar bill, and you’ll purchase a great meal. Grab a crisp ten dollar bill and you’ll find that nirvana known as Food Coma. more ›

Today’s Recession Obsession is a gluttonous walk down memory lane, a walk to Campos Tacos in Venice, where a plate of hard-shelled chicken tacos, chips, and a drink is $7 after tax. While this Campos location might look like a dime-a-dozen Mexican hole-in-the-wall with a scary bathroom, to this author, it represents the birth of a love affair, and LAist’s latest Recession Obsession. more ›

After opening a second location in Hollywood last year, Loteria Grill is readying a new one in Studio City, according to a land use committee agenda (.pdf) with the Studio City Neighborhood Council. This Wednesday, the group will discuss and possibly make a motion in regards to the restaurant's application for a full line alcoholic beverage license. Loteria, which has a space on the corner of Laurel Canyon and Ventura Blvd., is also planning to obtain a permit to allow for live entertainment between 11 a.m. and 2 a.m. more ›

Mobile food trucks, revealing their location on Twitter, who serve taco-fusion, is in. This is no longer news. It's getting competitive on the streets, and the novelty is decreasingly novel. more ›

Authorities in Santa Barbara County have confirmed that a wildfire which has currently scorched over 75,000 acres was set within a Mexican drug operation's cooking area, according to LA Now. The blaze began on the pot farm, and it's believed "the assailants are still in the forest area trying leave the forest by foot," as the fire rages uncontrolled. The "La Brea fire" started on August 8th, but is only at about 25% contained right now. Although firefighters are working to deprive the blaze of new fuel to burn through, hot temperatures, low humidity, and difficult terrain have made this battle a challenge. Over two hundred homes remain on evacuation. more ›

The taco is as friendly a Recession Obsession dish as can be consumed. At best they're warm, flavor-dense, transcendent, and $0.50 to $3 each. At worst -- I don't need to tell you. We've all been sold a few ghastly tacos. FYI, you can throw them out before they taint your lips. more ›

The writers at Forbes, who reference Los Angeles as a "sea-side city," have deemed that the best kind of street food offered here are fish tacos. Forget burritos, Portland nabs that. Forget the eclectic assortment of non-traditional street food like Kogi BBQ, the Green Truck, Sprinkles, etc. Seattle wins that category. And forget all the reindeer sausage that lines L.A. streets--Anchorage Alaska wins that. Here's what Forbes has to say: "This sea-side city’s most ubiquitous street food is a fairly recent creation. Fish tacos—fried fish wrapped in corn tortillas and topped with a variety of creamy sauces—were introduced to Los Angeles in the 1980s. Since then their popularity has spanned all classes of dining establishments, from high-end to fusion, though arguably the best ones to be had are still off the street." They recommend taco trucks on Olympic Boulevard east of Downtown L.A. and, of course, The Best Fish Taco in Ensenada in Los Feliz. What do you think? Comment below... more ›

Not even 24 hours after a post on LAist about Baja Fresh's suspiciously sounding Kogi BBQ-like menu spread through Twitter, the Orange County based company has changed their word usage and released the following statement by Chuck Rink, president of Fresh Enterprises, which owns Baja Fresh: more ›

A Baja Fresh with margaritas, korean tacos, new salsas and step by step ordering like you do a Chipotle? That's what the Cypress-based company is testing in Irvine, according to Nancy Luna, the Fast Food Maven of Orange County. She also notes that one of the franchises in Huntington Beach recently received an alcohol permit, which might be one of the 13 locations that gets the liquor upgrade, according to the chain. The Kogi Korean tacos won't be from the famous truck, but definitely seems inspired by them. According to a blog dedicated to Orange County Mexican food, Baja will let you choose a meat--spicy chicken ($6.59) or Korean BBQ steak ($6.99)--for two dishes: The Baja Korean Taco Platters ($6.59) are two tacos with corn tortillas garnished with Kimchi slaw and sesame salsa Roja, served with cilantro lime rice, black beans, chips and salsa. Their Korean BBQ Burrito will consist of sesame salsa Roja, served with cilantro lime rice and kimchi slaw. more ›

It's safe to say that Kogi BBQ has started a trend: fusion, Twitter and deliberate locations. Don Chow Tacos, obviously inspired by Kogi, has been around for about two months and last night they were found at the Downtown Art Walk. more ›

We actually haven't tried this recipe out, but a guest writer over at NachosNY, a blog that came from one man's love of the scrumptious snack, takes on what Los Angeles nachos should be all about: more ›

The Official Recession has been upon us for fourteen official months. It’s still not a reason we can’t enjoy life. This is LA -- we have a million inexpensive options! A Recession Obsession is meal (or activity) that is fantastic whether times are good or bad -- because it's just that damn good. We last loved on fish tacos, and LA institution Zankou Chicken. Today, we... more ›

If you turned your radio dials to Indie 103 this morning and overheard a stern, visceral message of immediate termination between each song, then you’re already aware of the fate of one of LA’s most popular alternative stations. more ›

Well, that's what Casa's public relations folk are saying. But we'll let the public (and Yelp) decide its uniqueness starting tomorrow when Casa finally opens in downtown's California Plaza next door to MOCA on Grand Avenue (we've penned the area as Performance Row). more ›

Dear Recession: With leading economists recent declaration that our great nation has been in one of you since December 2007, our emergence into December 2008 can only mean one thing. It’s time to celebrate your first birthday. Happy Birthday Recession! more ›

Late last night in Westwood, among the dense maze of housing east of UCLA's campus, was a line, at least an hour's wait for some, of some 500 people waiting to grab some Korean inspired tacos and burritos and maybe the day's special--Kimchi Fried Rice Cake with Egg-Shiso. Meet Kogi BBQ. It's Korean food with the edge of a street taco on a catering truck mixed with the savvyness of Web 2.0 (follow them on Twitter to know their location). more ›

Around 120 people protested last night in front of El Coyote on Beverly Blvd. over the well-known restaurant manager's donation of $100 to support Prop 8 that eliminated gay marriage in California. more ›

Now with the Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension nearing completion, there is much more accessible without a car. With that in mind, Metro is highlighting the food along the transit corridor with their interactive Metro Gold Line Eastside Flavors Map. more ›

For a couple weeks, Malo has been serving up $1 tacos on Monday nights with mostly vegan choices including Eggplant & Potato, Grilled & Marinated Vegetable and Soy-Rizo (make sure to ask that the sour cream and cheese condiments are left off). A vegetarian Potato & Chipotle taco (has cheese mixed in) and Grilled Chicken soft taco is also available for the same price. For an extra 50-cents, you're looking at meaty taco truck favorites: carne asada, al pastor and carnitas. But if you're a seafood lover, the Grilled Fish and Lobster tacos are available, albeit not at the near Monday deal ($3 and $5, respectively). Malo, as much as people loved to hate it in its early days, has quickly become a Silver Lake mainstay, especially with their own mixologist on staff creating an excellent cocktail list. more ›

Loteria Grill at the Original Farmers Market has long been one of the city's most popular Mexican outposts (we reviewed it back in April just for kicks), so it's nice to see chef Jimmy Shaw take up residence in an attractive space on Hollywood Boulevard. The new restaurant's menu is more extensive than the original's, but there are still plenty of your old favorites to choose from. LAist's editor Zach Behrens has given the place thumbs up for vegetarian options, but meat eaters will enjoy a long list of pork, chicken, and beef entrees as well. more ›

LAist Featured Photos contributor ~db~ submitted this tasty treat for us and writes this about it: more ›