Carrie Meathrell

Video of "Welcome Home" by the LOCAL via Flickr Thanks to a few MTV hits and a tour schedule that often paired them with the likes of Linkin Park and AFI, Coheed and Cambria have long been wrongly confined to the teeny-bopper ghetto of emo/nu-metal genres -- when in fact, their work is much closer to the expansive prog-rock of Rush and the epic fantasias of Led Zeppelin. Each of their four releases is...

Ready to pick up some free election-day goodies? (Ok, so freebies might be against the law, but it's still worth a shot, right?) Or are you looking for a place to party tonight while you watch the results come in? Here's a quick round-up of Election Night specials around town: LAist will be co-hosting a party at the Edison downtown with non-profit Causecast and many others. The event is free but small donations are...

Are hard economic times finally hitting the Los Angeles restaurant industry? Signs are pointing to yes: a press release just sent out this morning is announcing that Chef Joachim Splichal is closing his Beverly Hills seafood restaurant Paperfish. From the release: "It is with sadness that I made the decision to close Paperfish...Much time, effort and creativity went into the foundation of the restaurant, but we had an option in our lease to return the...

Photo courtesy of Molly McAleer It's not often that we feel moved enough to give some major props to a blogger at a competing city site, but Molly McAleer's departure from Defamer last Friday is just such a worthy occasion. The irrepressible, endlessly stony-but-smart blogging moppet posted her last "To-Do", a series of video posts that quickly became the top reason to visit the site. Her last, which you can see here, is a...

With all the buzz surrounding restaurant newcomers Anisette and Comme Ca, another elegant French bistro has quietly slipped under the foodie radar: The Hall at Palihouse. This serene, casual, but sophisticated space within the "extended-stay" hotel has recently changed chefs: Anisette's former chef de cuisine, Brendan Collins, has taken over from Stephanie O'Mary, and in doing so has invigorated the traditional French bistro menu with more exotic Mediterranean influences. The updated fall menu features classics...

Thanks to increases in the prices of commodities like beef, many food chains are adjusting their menus to reflect higher prices across the board. Many food suppliers are renegotiating long-term contracts with purveyors, and with beef and veal costing almost 20% more, places like McDonald's, Chili's, and Carl's Jr. will have to adapt to these culinary hard times. From the HuffPo: Even fast-food leader McDonald's Corp. is considering making some changes to its popular...

Photo by orangesarenottheonlyfruit via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr Food bloggers What You See is What You Eat are back in the LAist Featured Photos pool with this refreshing and unusual cocktail from The Hungry Cat in Hollywood. They said: "Where else are you going to see the bartender take a slice of avocado, muddle it up with some hard spirits, and then give it to you like it is normal to...

Looking for a hot spot to watch the Vice Presidential debates tonight? Generation Obama/GO is hosting a debate party at Social Hollywood, starting at 5p.m. The debate officially begins at 6p.m., but you can sip a cocktail and nibble on Michel Richard's bar menu while you wait -- it'll be so much more fun once you're a little liquored up, right? Generation Obama is a grassroots, nationally-coordinated organization supporting the Obama/Biden ticket, so McCain supporters...

Photos by Kevin Weis/LAist Fans of Bravo's highly successful reality program "Top Chef" were in for quite the treat last Thursday evening, when two contestants from previous seasons, CJ and Antonia, participated in a friendly cook-off at The Grove. The event was sponsored by the Sherry Council of America, and featured sherry tastings and gourmet bites from a few of The Grove's top restaurants. The evening began with demonstrations from chefs representing The Whisper Lounge,...

Loteria Grill at the Original Farmers Market has long been one of the city's most popular Mexican outposts (we reviewed it back in April just for kicks), so it's nice to see chef Jimmy Shaw take up residence in an attractive space on Hollywood Boulevard. The new restaurant's menu is more extensive than the original's, but there are still plenty of your old favorites to choose from. LAist's editor Zach Behrens has given the...