If you're anything like us and still incorporate large quantities of instant ramen noodles into your diet (is that shameful for a food writer to admit?), this morning's news might cause more than a little worry. We woke to our local news broadcasters discussing yet another American health worry: salt. Apparently Americans consume 50% too much salt in their diet, much of it locked up in processed and canned foods, and the FDA is......

Sometimes it seems like the only people who actually eat at Taix are the musicians. Taix is kind enough to actually give the performing bands drink and meal tickets. I've never even eaten in the restaurant itself, but I've spent a lot of time in the homey wine bar, where I can listen to local bands while I dine. Whenever I cozy up in the warm brick-interior listening to the edgy jazz, I wonder......

Although I usually write about art, here on LAist, I jumped at the chance to join in on a group project of reviewing restaurants in Thai Town. All these cool, different types of people writing about L.A. because they love it, gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside. And speaking of warm fuzzy feelings, I sure lucked out with the restaurant I was assigned. Ord Noodle, is a very homey, neighborhood kinda place. Decked out......

The San Fernando Valley has possibly one of the most astonishing arrays of Latin American food in the entire country: you can't go a single block down Van Nuys Boulevard without passing any number of taquerias, pupuserias, casas de mariscos, and carnicerias. And it's not just Mexican food, either: one of the best little spots I've eaten at recently is a Honduran restaurant on Burbank in Sherman Oaks: El Katracho. The LA Times called......

The strip mall is perhaps Enemy Number One on the list of any urban-architecture appreciator: ugly, merely utilitarian, a breeding-ground for chain fast-food joints and Payless shoe stores. it's often mentioned in the same breath as freeways and silicone as tops on the list of Things To Loftily Despise About Los Angeles. The real Los Angeles foodie, however, knows that the magic words "well, it's this place hidden away in a strip mall" most......

Okay guys, I want you to listen very closely: whatever you're doing today, cancel it. If you can't, cancel what you're doing next weekend. Then, by hook or by crook, by car or by train or by bus or by broom, I want you to - stay with me here, this is going to get difficult - I want you to go deep, deep into the Valley. Follow Coldwater Canyon almost to where it......

In the Culver City cultural gold rush, Tender Greens (like Beacon) got there a little before the party started. (For those of you who have no resources other than LAist, people are just starting to get tipsy at the party.) And, as the line going out the door attests, Tender Greens is a great place for salads (and a couple of soups and dinners like yer ma used to make – meat, potatoes and......

Throw-The-Kitchen-Sink-In-It Pizza: with Vodka Sauce, Tomatoes, Mushrooms, Garlic, Mozzarella, Pepperoni, Basil, Parmesan, Caramelized Onions, and Olives We've gotta admit, Mozza was great, but Lord knows we can't eat like red-headed Italian kings every day. In fact, even ordering pizza every night tends to add up: $20 per pizza per day for two people over one week? That's over $140, even if you eat the leftovers for breakfast! It's enough to make us want to...I......

By now, everybody knows that the magical culinary wonderland that is Surfas will be closing its doors at its current location on July 1, no thanks to Culver City and one of the lamest enactments of eminent domain in Westside history. The latest news update on their website states that they will be moving to a nearby warehouse on July 1st and continuing to serve their customers, but hope to continue fighting the city......

Ahh, the power of suggestion. We're pretty sure it was that NPR story about ramen--both the starving student 10-for-a-dollar variety and the heartier restaurant kind--that came in the wake of the death of the man who invented said instant ramen, Momfuku Ando, that got our tastebuds set on a steaming bowl of broth and noodles served Japanese-style. Combine that with weekly viewings of the insanity that is the Dotch Cooking Show and we were facing......

by Pam Shaffer When most carnivores think of vegan food, they conjure up images of uncooked kale, mounds of curdled tofu, unsavory vegetable juices and rabbit food. However, even the staunchest meat eater can find a delectable meal at Follow Your Heart, where the menu holds a healthy amount of vegetarian and vegan dishes. From their homemade soups to their customized deep dish pizzas, FYH knows how to do vegetarian food right. Stand out......

The biggest problem with being a Vegan or vegetarian is finding variety. Sometimes we feel like an insomniac switching past the same channels at 3 am... everything looks/tastes the same. "Healthy" shouldn't be synonymous with "boring." If it is, the chef is usually stubborn or ignorant. Thankfully, Westwood's cramped, but creative Native Foods shatters two myths at once: (1) Vegan food tastes bad and (2) it's expensive. Their entire [non-dairy] menu includes earth- and......

In 1989, the seeds for Mäni's were sown. The small Fairfax bakery began as a coffee house -- one that preceded the big Starbucks boom of the 90s. Like RFD, Mäni's has a Danny DeVito connection. The production company for Other People's Money asked Mäni's to make baked doughnuts for the film. In return, Mäni's would receive product placement. Though the placement was ditched at the 11th hour, People Magazine picked up the story.......

LAist is going on a delicious spree around LA from A to Z. This week, the buzz is about the letter B. We visit Beacon in Culver City today. The lunch menu at Beacon is smartly organized, but it hints at an identity crisis because there are so many categories: small plates, large plates, soups, salads and sandwiches, noodles, sushi and sashimi. Though it is an asian cafe, some of the dishes are purely......