The L.A. Weekly's Squid Ink blog says we're in the midst of a "ramen renaissance" around here, and what renaissance couldn't use a little modern day navigation assistance? more ›

A recent reader e-mail prompted us to look into the possibility of there being a really (really, really) expensive bowl of pho out there. Our reader writes: "I heard that Tiato restaurant in San ta Monica will have a Pho Noodle with KOBE beef for $5,000.00 a bowl. Is this true?" The answer: Yes. more ›

It was a dark and stormy Sunday. You were hungry. You wanted soup. We understand. Whether you head out in pursuit of the puree of dreams, or cozy up to some broth-y goodness we admire your can-do spirit and wish you safe slurping. What's your favorite spot for a warm-up on a wet weekend? more ›

This weekend we will have to deal with more than our regular cadre of zombies, bootleggers, and serial killers as Saturday night will feature Robert "Bobby" De Niro hosting "Saturday Night Live." De Niro has hosted "SNL" in 2002 and 2004 but do you remember any sketches he was in? He seems to have loosened up a little bit from what we can see in the above promos so we're hoping that the writers will fully take advantage of the opportunity. more ›

It's early autumn, and a perfect day for bellying up to a big bowl--or plate--of noodles. And today is National Noodle Day. more ›

An Easter Sunday meal at Claim Jumper in Orange County turned into quite an affair for one family in 2009. Zdenek Philip Hodousek was eating his favorite menu item, French onion soup, when something felt weird. more ›

The Internet is abuzz today with promotion of HBO's "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" to air this Sunday. Some writer's are pointing out that the show doesn't address any of the problems going on in Africa these days (AIDS, war, famine, rape, pillaging of natural resource) - instead it depicts a laid-back and idyllic place with only quaint soap opera-esque concerns. more ›

Tonight marks the last broadcast of Conan O'Brien on "Late Night..." and what a ride it's been. From being a virtual unknown in front of the camera, O'Brien is now a staple of late night television. O'Brien's resurrection of NBC's "Late Night" after the departure of David Letterman to CBS was not easy and the first few years were very tenuous ones for the wild haired funnyman. With support from Lorne Michaels, O'Brien was given enough time to build an audience, something almost unheard of these days. more ›

Controversial contestant Joanna Pacitti has finally been pulled from "American Idol" after it was revealed that she had friendships with multiple executives with "Idol" co-producer 19 Entertainment. For fans of the show who couldn't believe that she had made the cut after performing poorly and fumbling lyrics to several songs during the Hollywood rounds of auditions, it will be assumed that she had moved ahead due to these personal relationships and not merit. more ›

A lot of our sport fan/fiend friends are convinced that this Sunday's Super Bowl event will be a boring blow out - "the Cardinals will win how?" is oft heard. But for a lot of media dorks, ourselves included, the Super Bowl is all about the ads. We already know that GoDaddy and PETA have had their ads denied (as must have been planned for). Adweek's Barbara Lippert analyzes past Super Bowl commercial foibles as well as a list of all expected advertisers for XLIII. On Saturday, CBS also takes a trip down memory lane with a program on the "best" commercials of years past. more ›

It's been an unusually warm January, but some of last and this upcoming week things are cooling down across Southern California. It just so happens that starting yesterday, Stories Books & Cafe will be serving soup. What caught our local eye is not only a bookshop that sells local books, but one that features a vegetable soup using locally bought food, or as they say, "assorted produce from the Echo Park and Atwater Village Farmer's Markets." On Mondays, they will serve said vegetable soup and other soups on different days (today is Torilla Soup). Where is your favorite place to get some soup? more ›

LAX may not be the most exciting airport by any means, but small steps help. Tomorrow is the ribbon cutting for two locally based companies, Baja Fresh and La Brea Bakery, in Terminal 7 where an express version of Wolfgang Puck's has already been located for years. La Brea has been at the airport for a couple months now, offering a limited menu of sandwiches, paninis, salads, soups and homeade pastries. more ›

Chabuya Tokyo Noodle Bar is sometimes referred to as the best noodle bar on the Westside (although, there are those who disagree and say Asahi Ramen is the way to go). The restaurant is modern and clean cut, the staff is friendly and accommodating and most importantly, the leftovers taken home didn't make it into the refrigerator (Dinner, the sequel, was a hit). What's your favorite Little Osaka haunt? more ›

Over at B's Wonton Noodle House in Chinatown, LAist Featured Photos contributor ~db~ has a dilemma. "There are still literally dozens of soups I haven't tried at B's, yet the BBQ pork wonton is so incredibly good, I don't know if I'll ever get to the others... I think all this cost about 5 bucks. I could barely finish it, but of course I did." more ›

more ›

John Richardson signs A Life of Picasso: The Triumphant Years 7pm @ LACMA more ›

Ray Bradbury, Forrest J. Ackerman and Ray Harryhausen discuss their work 7:30pm @ Mystery & Imagination Bookstore more ›

Get Your Lit On: The Week in Bookish LA includes some outstanding readings this week from some fine, fine writers including Maggie Nelson, Anne Enright, Colm Toibin, Toby Barlow, Amy Hempel, Peter Carey, John Rechy, Martha Grimes and Russell Banks. more ›

Cindy Pierce and Edie Thys Morgan presents Finding the Doorbell 7pm @ Book Soup more ›

The man, the legend, the writer who puts himself in crazy situations to get the best material, will read from his new book, Riding Toward Everywhere, at Book Soup tonight @ 7pm. more ›

Will Leitch, Deadspin editor, New York Times contributor, and author is in Los Angeles today presenting and signing copies of his new book God Save the Fan: How Preening Sportscasters, Athletes Who Speak in the Third Person, and the Occasional Convicted Quarterback Have Taken the Fun Out of Sports (And How We Can Get It Back) at Book Soup. LAist caught up with Leitch on his drive into Los Angeles from Phoenix, where he had spent a week covering the Super Bowl for both Deadspin and The Times. more ›

LA readings and book signings around town for January 28th - Februar 3rd including Judith Freeman, Ron Jeremy, Tamara Jenkins, Mary McNamara, Sam Jones and Tom Dolby. more ›

No bookish events on Mr. King's Day. more ›

Kim Sunee presents Trail of Crumbs 7pm @ Vroman's more ›

The anticipated LA MILL COFFEE boutique opened this morning in Silver Lake on its eponymous boulevard between Sunset and the Reservoir (they close at 6 p.m. tonight and are only serving bar drinks and clovers until then). Eater LA takes in the decor: "Custom-made French wallpaper, faux crocodile, ostrich and sharkskin chairs in dark teal, sky blue and red, black Lucite tables. A dramatic brass chandelier hangs in the main room." Definitely not a place safe for vegans. Actually, the menu isn't either. more ›

New York author Jami Attenberg is in town this week to read from and sign her excellent debut novel, The Kept Man which examines the life of a young woman, Jarvis, whose artist husband is in a coma. It also curiously examines the life of the"kept men" friends Jarvis meets who are able to spend their days as they please because of their wealthy wives. Attenberg's tale is intense, as any novel about a coma patient is likely to be, but her gorgeous prose and her pitch-perfect humor turn what could be a standard-coma-drama (is there such a thing?) into a story that plumbs the deeper depths of what it means to be an artist, what it means to live for your art and how to live - or die - with dignity in today's political climate. more ›

The week in Los Angeles bookish events from Monday, January 7th - Sunday, January 13th. Readings, signings and bookish events this week include Andy Summers, Jami Attenberg, Judith Freeman, Alice Fulton, J.A. Jance and Robert Gottlieb. more ›

Following up on my last post, here are five favorites I return to time and time again. All are reliable sources for good eating! more ›

A previous owner of Pane Dolce (Italian for "sweet bread") in Sherman Oaks, went up and down the immediate neighborhood on Ventura Blvd., taking notes on the neighboring restaurants' soup selections. What he found was little selection for vegetarian and dairy free soups. So he went to work on his cafe's soup menu, which is now the most popular item ordered. more ›