The slow realization that not a single Halloween party provided refreshments on Friday led to a stop at The Gumbo Pot, which in turn led to the serendipitous discovery of a total rager at the Farmer's Market at Third and Fairfax. Who knew? more ›

Even though the Farmers Market at 3rd and Fairfax isn’t really a farmers market at all, Loteria! Grill alone stands out among the labyrinth of tchotchke-filled stores and food stands that make up this misnomer (and trend setter?) as a viable reason to brave the parking lot at the Grove. Named after Mexico’s answer to Bingo, Loteria!’s Zagat-rated and highly lauded open-air stand seems to belie its moniker; consistently excellent food here seems anything but a game of chance. more ›

In Louisiana, red beans and rice are traditionally served on Mondays. Monday was wash day, and once all of the ingredients were thrown in, you could ignore the beans all day while you tended to the laundry. I am obsessed with red beans and rice. The only version I've eaten that beat my own recipe was made by Mike Anderson's in New Orleans. more ›

Dupar's is known for its delicious pies, so it naturally follows that they would have a kick-ass chicken pot pie. Really, its only competition in town is Musso and Frank's, and I still think Dupar's has them beat. more ›

CLASSICAL: There's other classical music about town tonight besides Chanticleer. The Calder Quartet is the Colburn Conservatory’s first quartet-in-residence, and these new faculty members will show their chops with a program that includes Philip Glass, Quartet No. 2 “Company” by Philip Glass; Quartet in A minor “Rosamunde” by Franz Schubert and Terry Riley's “Cadenza on the Night Plain.” more ›

... but there's not much Los Angeles in the latest issue of Plenty, a bi-monthly magazine on environmental news and commentary. There's a feature story on the negative environmental impact of surfing and good tips for going to the farmer's market (use it with the new Farmer's Market Google Map), but our dear home is not but a mere mention in a small, but fun brief. With the fact that "urban areas are responsible for... more ›

OK, well it isn't exactly the same make and model as the old farmer's market, which recently kicked the bucket -- but it's got heart, which is all that matters. You see, the popular Westwood Farmer's Market of Weyburn Ave was shut down by the LAFD in March 2006 because of safety concerns during construction. There were problems re-establishing the farmer's market on other nearby streets because as everybody knows, Westwood residents and merchants... more ›

So I'm at the Cheesecake Factory in the Sherman Oaks Galleria one night - you know how that goes - and my dinner companion and I decide to order some appetizers, even though the Cheesecake Factory practices the most horrible crimes of unhealthily-large-portion-sizes ever committed upon humanity. I want something light to start, so I tell the waiter: "I'll have the bruschetta, please." "One order of the bru-SHET-a?" "Um, yes. And I want the... more ›

Feeling a little lazy. Maybe a little experimental. We ordered in. We refused the nice bike ride to the grocery store. We said no to the nice farmers at the market. We skipped going out for dinner. Instead, we went online and pressed "yes" to delivered organic fruits and veggies. To live in a city with farmer's markets everywhere, it just feels so lazy to do this. But when we opened that box, we... more ›

"There were 10 bodies deceased. It wasn't so much that we had to find out if he was guilty or not. It was just if it was simple negligence or gross negligence." - Juror Jorge Granados more ›

Mmmmm. Fried food! Here's 2 recipes for fall. Fried stuffed Zucchini Blossoms and fried baby Artichokes. Fried Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms: Late summer/early fall is the only time to get Zucchini blossoms, a versatile little treat you can find at the farmer's market. The Hollywood Farmer's Market has them right now. The stand is on Ivar, just north of Selma on the west side of the block. Last Sunday the blossoms caught my eye and... more ›

We had a chance to stop by the farmer's market at Wilshire Boulevard and Mariposa Avenue on Friday morning. The little market bustled with workers from the nearby office towers and people who live in the neighborhood. The first spring produce was already available. We picked up some slim spears of new asparagus. The strawberries smelled nice, too, though we didn't buy any this time. Also, we haven't had great luck buying bread at farmer's markets in the past, finding it too often dry and dull, but we picked up a loaf of whole wheat and honey bread from the stand run by the Old Town Baking Company of Fontana, and it was excellent -- simultaneously hearty and light, and, according to the vendor and the label, 100% whole grain. It's great when the healthiest foods are also the most delicious. more ›

Sure, we talk a lot about The Grove--some of it good, some of it bad. But sometimes we forget the deluxe mall mecca's next-door neighbor: The Farmers Market. And, yes, it's a bit of a tourist trap. But it's also one of those places that if you leave it be for a while, and then give it a revisit, you can find that it has a great deal to offer. more ›