The Brief

What's your favorite way to rip and dip a soft, artisanal pretzel?

Do you prefer to dunk into a drippy, cheesy jalapeño sauce? Or a bracing brown mustard? Maybe you prefer to slather on some whipped honey butter or garlic butter? Or do you go off script, and opt for a creamy cool dressing, like a herbaceous ranch?

There is really only one correct answer: All of the above.

Here are some of our favorite places in and around L.A. to get a soft, handmade pretzel. Some are take out or pick up only, while others can be enjoyed hot from the oven alongside a dark lager, bock or marzen.

Shappy Pretzel Co. in Los Angeles

Yo! You gotta move quick if you want to snap up a Shappy in person. These pretzels are the brainchild of actor and prezelpreneur Adam Shapiro (Never Have I Ever, Mank). He's aka the Philly-born Shappy, who was looking for something to do during COVID and started making pretzels that reminded him of home. The pretzels are now sold at rotating pop-ups across the city, including Studio City on Saturdays, Smorgasburg on Sundays, so watch his IG. They're sold daily at Diamond Bakery on Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles. But they sell out quick, so order ahead before heading out only to have your heart twisted into a pretzel shape and broken if the shelves are empty. Shappy's also ships via Goldbelly.

The menu stays focused, and at last check included a classic pretzel, an everything seasoning pretzel, a cinnamon and sugar pretzel (all three for $10), pretzel bites, $6, and The OreYo! — think Oreo stuffed inside a pretzel, $5. Also, they sell perhaps the greatest invention known to pretzeldom: The two-sized mustard packet, half classic yellow, half brown, because why should you have to choose? They also make pretzel wedding favors.

Pro tip from Shappy: If you buy pretzels in bulk (and why wouldn't you?) they freeze well. Just freeze immediately, when still fresh: "Once you know you’re ready for em, take em out, thaw, brush some butter or water on top, sprinkle a lil' more pretzel salt and pop in the oven until they’re good as new!"

Rasselbock in Long Beach

A place known for hearty, German fare like schnitzel and bratwurst and goulash is going to do a pretty good pretzel, right? The Bavarian Pretzel served up here doesn't disappoint. It will set you back $7.75, and is served with homemade sweet mustard. You can add the sausage platter for $16, which includes a bratwurst, a kasekrainer pork and cheese sausage and a spicy chicken and mango sausage served with a trio of homemade mustards, and that's dinner. They also carry over 35 German and Belgian beers.

Congregation Brewery & Cocina in Pasadena

This freshly baked pub pretzel is served piping hot from the pizza oven, with an equally hot cheddar and beer dipping sauce. Seriously. Don't burn the roof of your mouth. It's the second most liked item on the menu, second only to the ribeye burger, according to Doordash reviews. And we know from, ahem, personal experience that they'll bring you some butter too if you ask nicely. Pretzel with queso, $11.

Red Lion Tavern in Silver Lake

They serve up traditional German food at this Silver Lake pub, and a wide selection of German beer. So you know there's a pretzel on the menu: Their German pretzel is doughy on the inside, crispy on the outside, and served with sweet or yellow mustard (of course, ask for both). Large is $11. Add the obazda on the menu for an extra $1.50, a buttery, Bavarian cheese spread with onions and paprika. "This pretzel got me like.......woah. Fr!" said one person who took the time to submit this review on the restaurant website. Nuff said. Well, actually there is something else to say: There is also a pretzel platter on the menu, featuring sliced ham, cheese, pickles, mustard, obazda, salami, landjager beef sausage, and bierknacker, a smoked pork snack stick ... and a 14" pretzel, all for $20.25.

Highland Park Brewery in Los Angeles

You know a pretzel is legit when the menu brags about a "full lye bath" — an extra step that pretzel connoisseurs crave. (It helps gives pretzels their distinctive chocolate hue and that tight outer layer.) Well, Highland Park Brewery does it. Their pretzel is also hand rolled and hand formed. At $14.50, it's a hefty pretzel, served with chipotle crema and mustard for dipping. For an extra $2, add a side of queso.

From demogorgons clasping onto a white truck to a decibel reader device, much of the props in Stranger Things were designed with the intention to feel vintage and authentic.

Much of that is thanks to Shane Dzicek, a special effects designer based out of Burbank. Beyond Stranger Things, Dzicek worked on the Faztalker device in the most recent Five Nights at Freddy’s film, the jets on Top Gun: Maverick and the Roomba-esque vacuum cleaner shoes in Hocus Pocus 2.

LAist’s Julia Paskin talked with Dzicek about working on this latest season of Stranger Things and what it’s like to design special effects in the age of AI.

The process of designing the props in “Stranger Things”

Julia Paskin: What can you share on this date in terms of anything that you worked on in the new season?

Shane Dzicek:  One of the things that I was excited to work on was a device that Steve actually has in the squawk van. It's this great device that counts from zero to 99.

 I put in an alpha numerical display. Back in the ‘80s, they might have used different tech…And the original one weighed like 35, 40 pounds. So I hollowed the ones that we remade from scratch. So that way, Steve [Harrington] could have this thing with him and not have to worry about the weight.

A screengrab from the "Stranger Things" season 5 trailer. Special effects designer Shane Dzicek created the decibel system device to the right of Joe Keery's character Steve Harrington.

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Courtesy of Netflix

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Julia Paskin: In the trailer, there's the truck with demogorgons on top of it. And you did some work on that. Can you tell us about that as well?

Shane Dzicek:  Murray [Bauman] was driving the truck. [The actors inside] need to be able to act. They need to have cameras right there, so you can't always have this all strapped on a big truck or on a process trailer moving down the road. So we built rigs that we can move the trucks around [and] be able to do any type of heavy riding, if there's big bumps they gotta go over, if you gotta move and flip the truck over any of that type.

A screengrab from the trailer for "Stranger Things" Season 5. Special effects designer Shane Dzicek rigged the truck to withstand heavy riding.

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Courtesy Netflix

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The impact of AI on the SFX industry

Two years ago, actors and writers in Hollywood went on strike, demanding protections from AI in TV and film writing. Last year, those same fears creeped into labor negotiations between the Animation Guild and studios and streaming companies, with the Guild calling generative AI a top concern.

But when it comes to special effects, Dzicek is optimistic about his field withstanding AI’s threats to job security.

Julia Paskin:  Are you dealing with the same kind of AI anxiety that other industries are fearful of, including myself?

Shane Dzicek: [AI] is a powerful tool. I'll probably end up seeing directors and producers and creative people that might be using it as references, being like: "Hey, I AI generated a thing now. I need you to make this come to life and be physical and practical." So I don't see AI necessarily taking that practical part of making this a real thing. That takes a lot of just ingenuity and years of education on how to fabricate and build things and bring all these elements together to create a working prop.

The other thing is you gotta train AI on the knowledge that we have. And [this] kind of knowledge is all handed by word of mouth. It's not written down anywhere. So good luck trying to protect that. Good luck trying to get the information out of all of us.

These excerpts have been condensed and edited for clarity. Watch the full interview below.

We have a winner in the bidding war for Warner Bros-Discovery.

Netflix is in final talks to buy Warner's film and TV studios, plus its streaming assets and some debt, in a deal worth nearly $83 billion.

In a statement Friday, Netflix said the two entertainment giants had "entered into a definitive agreement under which Netflix will acquire Warner Bros., including its film and television studios, HBO Max and HBO." The announcement caps what had been a closely watched bidding war in Hollywood that involved top competitor Paramount.

The deal would be valued at $82.7 billion, or an "equity value of $72.0 billion," the streaming giant said.

“Our mission has always been to entertain the world,” Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix, said in a statement. “By combining Warner Bros.’ incredible library of shows and movies — from timeless classics like Casablanca and Citizen Kane to modern favorites like Harry Potter and Friends — with our culture-defining titles like Stranger Things, KPop Demon Hunters and Squid Game, we'll be able to do that even better. Together, we can give audiences more of what they love and help define the next century of storytelling.”

The deal would give Netflix one of Hollywood's most valuable libraries, including the Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, and the DC Comics properties.

The Directors Guild of America told Variety that the deal "raises significant concerns."

“The news that Netflix had secured exclusive rights to negotiate for WBD raises significant concerns for the DGA,” the guild said. “We believe that a vibrant, competitive industry — one that fosters creativity and encourages genuine competition for talent — is essential to safeguarding the careers and creative rights of directors and their teams."

For its part, Netflix said in it's statement that it "expects to maintain Warner Bros.’ current operations and build on its strengths, including theatrical releases for films."

The deal still has to clear regulatory and other hurdles, and would likely take around a year to close.

Breezy conditions will linger today for L.A. County mountains, but otherwise, expect a mild weather day. Come Sunday, temperatures will rise significantly continuing into next week.

Temperatures in the Inland Empire and Coachella Valley will range from 67 to 73 degrees.

In Orange County, inland and coastal areas will stay in the 64- to 70-degree range.

For the L.A. County coast, expect highs from 64 to 72 degrees. For the valley communities, highs there will range from 68 to 74 degrees. In the Antelope Valley, highs will range from 60 to 65 degrees, but foothill communities will still see daytime highs in the upper 50s to around low 60s.

Beach hazards

High surf has come and gone, but now look out for high tides that could lead to pooling of water around walkways, parking lots or other low-lying areas near the ocean. These conditions will last until Saturday morning.

Eleven months after the January fires, childcare providers — especially those who operated businesses out of their homes — still are struggling to open up their doors.

“There were no state or federal funds provided to support families or providers connected to childcare,” said Cristina Alvarado, executive director of the Child Care Alliance of Los Angeles, at a recent legislative hearing. “Sadly, we will experience another disaster, another fire, another loss.”

The California Department of Social Services said as of this summer, 50 of 280 impacted childcare facilities remained closed. They stopped tracking the data in August.

Providers told lawmakers in October that they needed more support to survive in an already fragile childcare industry. Preschools have been closing in L.A. County. There also are not enough childcare providers, and those who are in business are chronically underpaid. A recent study out of Stanford found that most childcare workers struggle to afford basic needs.

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At least 280 childcare spaces were affected by the Eaton and Palisades fires in January. LAist reporter Libby Rainey and early childhood senior reporter Elly Yu followed two women who ran childcare businesses out of their homes until the Eaton Fire destroyed them. In this episode of Imperfect Paradise, they look at how these two childcare providers are rebuilding their lives and businesses, the catch-22 they found themselves in around government assistance, and the state of the child care industry at large.

Altadena childcare providers' struggle to rebuild raises questions about government disaster response

At least 280 childcare spaces were affected by the Eaton and Palisades fires in January. LAist reporter Libby Rainey and early childhood senior reporter Elly Yu followed two women who ran childcare businesses out of their homes until the Eaton Fire destroyed them. In this episode of Imperfect Paradise, they look at how these two childcare providers are rebuilding their lives and businesses, the catch-22 they found themselves in around government assistance, and the state of the child care industry at large.

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This means those childcare providers and the system as a whole are particularly vulnerable when a disaster strikes, like January's fires.

“ I lost my only source of income without a place to operate. I cannot work. I still had to pay my rent and my mortgage payment, as well as our living expenses such as food,” said Francisca Gunawardena, who lost her house and childcare business in the Eaton Fire. Nearly a year later, she still hasn't been able to re-open.

What was available for providers? 

Unlike during COVID, childcare providers didn’t receive dedicated relief money to recover from the fires. That left them to piece together federal support, state unemployment and private grants.

Providers who took care of children from low-income families and received state subsidies did receive payments from the state for 30 days after the fire. But that didn't get them very far. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office then directed childcare workers to an unemployment phone line.

Providers who looked for help from FEMA and other agencies sometimes found a bureaucratic maze. Felisa Wright, a childcare provider who lost her home and business in the Eaton Fire, spent months trying to get the agency's support. She encountered a series of catch-22s. She was rejected when applying for a small business loan because she didn't make enough money. But to start making money again, she needed to reopen her childcare center.

In a statement, the agency said, “FEMA makes every effort to ensure that everyone eligible for assistance receives the help they need to recover,” and its program for assisting individuals has provided over $150 million to about 35,000 households.

The office of state Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, who co-chairs the select committee on childcare costs, said this fall that the committee will look at identifying legislation to help the childcare industry in times of natural disasters.

Providers say some kind of relief is necessary.

Hear the stories of two providers — Francisca Gunawardena and Felisa Wright — who both lost their homes and what their journeys reveal about recovery overall after the L.A. fires on the latest episode of Imperfect Paradise.