Los Angeles might be the land of the doughnut shop, but in some fine dining restaurants, doughnuts are an elegant and delightful way to end a meal. For the past couple of years, National Doughnut Day was celebrated on June 3rd at Neal Fraser's Grace. Now, in its stead, Fraser's other eatery, BLD, is picking up the torch frying oil, and is offering a special Doughnut Day Flight next Friday. more ›

Sunday, the 30th annual Picnic des Chefs was held in Elysian Park. The event benefits several charities, including the Concern Foundation and The Hope Program at Children's Hospital. The Picnic is one of several events held by Club Culinaire, a nonprofit organization of gourmands and people in the restaurant profession who specialize in French food. more ›

Well, good morning! Uh oh... Did you skip breakfast today? more ›

As the warm afternoon light gave way to the cooler notes of evening just steps away from the Pacific Ocean last Thursday night, Los Angeles' top chefs of today and tomorrow gathered in celebration of the city's finest food. The StarChefs annual Rising Stars event gave the recognized masters from local restaurants the chance to raise their glasses in honor of their proteges--and the next wave of talent cresting on our own shore. more ›

Chef Neal Fraser of Grace and BLD believes the art of cooking needs daily cultivation. Even if he has 10 restaurants, he will always be exactly where he wants to be - in the kitchen. As an LA native he has “a personal vendetta” to elevate LA into the echelon of the best restaurant cities in the world. With the development of a new Grace like fine dining restaurant downtown that will grow at least a third of the produce on site, and a new BLD slated to open in Pasadena early next year, Chef Fraser shows no signs of leaving the kitchen. LAist caught up with the busy chef at the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market (as he bought green beans for his daughter) to provide details about moving Grace to downtown, the struggle of when to pull a dish from the menu and how he is inspired by Wonderbread. more ›

As much as we like to give love to LA's many veg-heads, once in a while, you've got to give equal billing to good old meat. "Snout to tail" cuisine, which encourages the use of every single little bit of the animal, has long been a way for us omnivores to practice a more ethical approach to meat-eating. Now you can enjoy a four-course "Head to Tail" menu, along with a lecture on the practice, at Ford’s Filling Station next Monday night. Leading the lecture will be none other than chef/owner Ben Ford himself, alongside star chefs Neal Fraser (Grace, bld) and Nate Appleman (from San Francisco’s A16). So what does the head-to-tail philosophy espouse?

By using all parts of the animal or vegetable, from cutlet to cockscomb, diners will not only experience new tastes and textures, they will meditate upon the art of butchery and the environmental impact of modern factory farms. “Considering the recent beef recall and the growing demand for locally produced, artisan food products, I felt like creating a Head to Tail event would be a great jumping-off point for a discussion about the factory farming techniques of today compared to how our forefathers farmed and ate,” said Ford. “I feel that it is disingenuous not to use the whole beast and there are a growing number of chefs who feel the same way. Nate and Neal are both supremely talented chefs and we had a great time creating this menu together.”