Three of California's upscale eateries rank among the top ten of Bundle's "The 25 Most Expensive Restaurants in America." Six other Golden State restaurants also made the list. more ›

So you're looking to watch your weight, but you're dining at one of those ubiquitous fast-casual family friendly restaurants like Olive Garden, IHOP, or the homegrown California Pizza Kitchen. And, hey--check it out!--they've got all these new menu items that look positively tantalizing. more ›

Take a trip down food memory lane with a bite of some back-in-the-day establishments for today's video lunch. A new compilation of footage by Vintage Los Angeles has just been posted featuring LA restaurant exteriors from the 40s and 50s. more ›

California lawmakers are considering a bill that would make the Golden State the first to institute a full ban on restaurants and eateries serving food and beverages in Styrofoam containers, reports ABC Local. more ›

Los Angeles' 15-year-old smoking regulations are about to be expanded. Come Tuesday, smoking will be prohibited both inside and outside of restaurants. The ordinance, passed unanimously by City Council in January 2010, is likely to have a mixed reaction from restauranteurs, patrons, and passerbys in one of the greatest cities for year-round al fresco dining in the world. more ›

Restaurants in the Antelope Valley and Glendale have become the target of a fake health inspector, reports KTLA, and police are warning restaurant employees to be mindful of the scam -- although they're not exactly sure how the scam works. Authorities say the man appears at restaurants, claims to be a health inspector from either the California Department of Public Health or the Orange County Department of Public Health, and "asks restaurant owner to call a phone number and enter a numeric code, according to police. more ›

Newport Beach is considering a crackdown on rowdy bar patrons and their respective Balboa peninsula drinking establishments because of problems with "overcrowding, assaults, public drunkenness, public urination and others nuisances," reports the Daily Pilot. more ›

Legendary boxing meshugenah and entertaining Phil Collins-impressionist, Mike Tyson, is planning to launch a chain of high-end kosher restaurants, reports the Jewish Journal. According to the New York Post, the former heavyweight champ is in talks with businessman Moshe Malamud (owner of the Franklin Mint, and chairman of an Asian technology service provider), to pummel their way into the kosher-food biz. Tyson recently began following,"a strict vegan diet, which he says gives him more energy." more ›

Today is National Fast Food Day! Not to get all mom on you, but before you run out this afternoon and take Jack In the Box up on their free taco promo, (or get that Happy Meal while you can) consider making a healthier choice. While "fast food" often connotes "drive-thru," grease bomb, mega-chain craving satisfaction, there are some establishments who specialize in getting "good-for-you" food to you fast. more ›

What makes a dining experience more cult than culinary? According to the folks at PoorTaste, there are five key components to make a dining destination "cult," and they've compiled a pretty delicious list of the Top 100 such spots across the country. more ›

I've been a vegetarian for around 15 years and will say this about Los Angeles: this is one hell of a veggie friendly city, perhaps the most friendly in the states. Since it's Hug a Vegetarian Day (sweet!), these are my picks, based on the vegetarian-only places I desire the most (actually, six of these are vegan). It's Valley-focused, but this is where some of the best kept secrets can be found. Here's my list, in no specific order: more ›

Foodies around Los Angeles start to buzz when the biannual dineLA Restaurant Week announces its participating restaurants. Today it's officially time to pore over the list and get out the calendars. Now the largest Restaurant Week event in the nation, there are 300 participating restaurants--up from 233 last Winter--that will offer special menus October 3-8 and October 10-15, 2010. Lunches range between $16 and $28 while dinners are from $26 to $44. more ›

Restaurant workers in California may soon be required to be trained and certified in proper food handling. What?! They weren't already trained and certified in that? Apparently not. Now a bill, which passed out of the State Senate today and headed to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger for his approval, seeks to address that issue. more ›

I jumped on the chance to interview James Beard Award winning Chef Roy Yamaguchi, having enjoyed dining at multiple locations of his Roy's Hawaiian Fusion restaurant across California and Arizona. The Japanese-born Yamaguchi opened the first Roy's in a suburb of Honolulu, Hawaii in 1988. more ›

West Hollywood has one of the highest rates of smoking in Los Angeles County. Maybe that's part of the city's rock and roll culture, or maybe it's due to the lack of a public smoking ordinance, something found in many surrounding cities. A task force that met Friday began to shape a proposed smoking ordinance, according to the WeHo News. Under one idea, smoking would be banned at restaurants with outdoor dining areas that serve minors younger than 18. more ›

Right now in new restaurants and bars: The Border Grill Stop sets up shop in a DTLA kiosk, Cafe Habana brings Cuban flair to Malibu by way of NYC, a long-time coffeehouse space morphs into a wine bar called Vintage Enoteca, and there's another new wine bar, Noir, in Mid-City. Ladies and gentlemen, your table is ready. more ›

Did food trucks aid in the death of three Wilshire Boulevard restaurants that shuttered over the last year? Or was it just bad food? more ›

There are lists and lists and lists aplenty of where to eat in Los Angeles, many of the compiled by people considered to be the premier epicureans, culinary enthusiasts, and savvy eaters in the city. Not so much of a list but more of a curatorial effort is this evolving map of places you may have heard made mention on the KCRW airwaves during the weekly "Good Food" broadcast. more ›

LA has a diverse cast of characters. Whether it's the characters with stirring stories or interesting occupations or the people who are just simply characters, this town has them all. In an effort to get to know some of those characters a little better, we've created "Seven Questions" If you have a suggestion for a future Seven Questions subject send us an email. more ›

The French are apparently horrified that nary a one of their dining establishments ranked in the top ten of a list of the World's 50 Best Restaurants released this week by S. Pellegrino. But for us Californians, something "French" is pretty much all we've got, thanks to the inclusion of just one of our restaurants: Thomas Keller's French Laundry in Yountville (#32). more ›

Rome counts as the Mediterranean, right? Because the press meal held at Delphine last week held such an embarassment of riches I felt as if we should have been eating reclined on one elbow wearing crowns of laurel. more ›

In a unanimous vote, the Los Angeles City Council this morning approved a new city ordinance banning smoking near outdoor dining areas. It will go into effect 30 days after Mayor Villaraigosa signs it, beginning a one-year educational grace period before going into full force, likely in February of 2011. more ›

New York City, Boston, Philadelphia have all done it, but California this week will become the first state to ban trans fat from restaurants. Assembly Bill 97, which worked its way through the state legislatures and signed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2008 finally becomes law New Year's Day, reports the Sacramento Bee. more ›

For those who would like to ring in 2010 with a night on the town, several local restaurants are offering special menus and packages for New Year's Eve. For nights out like this, reservations are required, so planning ahead is a must. Remember, most of these packages won't include drinks, parking, or gratuities, so cushion your budgets accordingly! more ›

Celebrate with savings! Here are three dining out deals spotted this morning on Twitter that will take the edge off holiday woes or take the bite off your budget: From Henry's Hat: "Today 12-21,lunch,dinner & take out, get every $ you spend back in gift certificates to Henry's Hat & Luna Park rounded up to make good gift" Promo details [@henryhatla]. From the Hungry Cat: "Happy Holidays! To put everybody in the mood, cocktails are 1/2 priced all day Monday 12/21/09. Hope to see you!" more ›

Via a tipster, looks like the restaurants are winning in the battle against the food trucks parking in front of their businesses: "Just wanted to let you guys know, as of today the city put up tow zone signs on the entire 5700 block of wilshire, essentially forcing the food trucks to scatter around the area. The tow zone times are 9am to 3pm, suspiciously ending right after the lunch rush." Frustrated with the lunch choices, workers in the area praised the presence of various food trucks appearing at lunchtime. In turn, the loss of business for some restaurants prompted calls to police and elected officials. UPDATE: Some are saying that these signs might be fake, or installed temporarily. UPDATE #2: LADOT confirms they are not fake signs. UPDATE #3: And now LADOT confirms that fake or not, city officials did not place the signs on posts. Read the updated story here. more ›

There's a new multi-faceted food destination now open in Hollywood. The Mercantile comes from the business mind of relocated New Yorker George Abou-Daoud (Bowery, Mission Cantina and Delancey), who describes the restaurant as "equal parts gourmet marketplace, daytime café and nighttime wine bar." In the kitchen is Chef Kris Morningstar, most recently of DTLA's Casa, who helped the modern Mexican eatery get on its feet before announcing an amicable split calculated to prep him for his new gig in Hollywood. more ›

With the opening of the Gold Line Eastside Extension this Sunday, it's been quite the foodie fever here on the internetz. It's almost feels as if the six miles between Union Station and East L.A. never existed. Nevertheless, the laying down of light rail tracks means people are ready to explore the tastes and wonders there are to offer and with no car in tow. Here's what others are saying. more ›

It's dineLA week, are you checking out new restaurants? Some vegans felt their options were limited, but the bloggers and readers at Quarrygirl are calling all the restaurants, asking if they'll accommodate vegans. Most restaurants so far are agreeable, but two are not. There's nothing surprising about Chaya Downtown not offering vegan food, but La Grande Orange, the restaurant that promotes dishes made from fresh, organic and seasonal ingredients? That's just disappointing. more ›

The newest edition of Zagat covering Los Angeles and Southern California Restaurants was released today. Zagat 2010 covers 2,034 restaurants as voted on by local amateur foodies. As with anything in today's internet age, the guidebook, ratings and reviews are not only listed on Zagat's website, but they are now available for the first time on mobile platforms, including apps for the iPhone and Android. Oh, and they Twitter (of course). more ›