One of the highlights of holidays past for me has always been getting to taste some of the the delicious chocolate goodies that seem to appear everywhere this time of year. So the idea of checking out and tasting some of our city's finest chocolate makes absolute sense, which is where next weekend's Los Angeles Luxury Chocolate Salon comes handily into play. The event, which is presented by TasteTV, will include speakers and demos, as... more ›

Welcome to the lull between Spider-Man 3 and Shrek the Third, when studios and indie distributors alike unload little known films to sate audiences' hungry to be entertained by the fleeting magic of cinema. more ›

Anne Smith is the owner of the New School of Cooking in Culver City (which just happens to be a favorite of this LAist), which offers classes for everyone, from beginning to advanced. An aficianado of all things culinary, Smith is also interested in promoting sustainable agriculture, supporting local farmers and reducing our carbon imprint. She recently launched a blog that companions the School's website, and she has also offered us her top ten thoughts... more ›

This LAist admits to not talking food much around these parts for some time now. Obviously we haven't been starving ourselves; there's been plenty of eating out and cooking in at home to sustain us in our shameful absence. We might even so boldly suggest that while we were keeping quiet we were also busying ourselves with learning more and more about food so we could pass on this wisdom to our readers. We've devoured the written words of famed critics like Ruth Reichl, Gael Greene, and Mimi Sheraton, and are now nose deep in Anthony Bourdain's famous b.s., and loving every minute of it. We've also just started a series of professional cooking classes at Culver City's New School of Cooking, and boy howdy can we julienne a raw potato! So that's what we're up to. But we're back... so get ready to eat our words...again. more ›

A few hours from now, "Vanity Fair columnist Christopher Hitchens debates political theorist Andrew Arato of the New School for Social Research on the war in Iraq and its impact on the present and future of America" at REDCAT (8:30 p.m.) more ›