Carrie Meathrell

Looking for a way to express your inner gastronome this Bastille Day? Lucky for you, L.A. is full of fine French dining (as well as some options for the more budget-minded). A number of restaurants are offering prix-fixe menus if you're feeling like a splurge: $130 per person at Melisse, $85 at La Cachette, and $48 at Comme Ca. Or, you can try out the newly opened Anisette, which LAist conveniently checked out last...

So it finally looks like the rumors were true: famed chef Thomas Keller will indeed be opening a branch of his restaurant Bouchon in Beverly Hills. We mentioned this earlier in the week, but the arrival of the true American top chef in the City of Angels warrants a closer look. The Los Angeles Times and EaterLA have both confirmed that this third incarnation of Bouchon (there is already one in Vegas and one...

One of the most exciting new spots to hit Hollywood this month is actually not new at all -- Loteria Grill. Chef Jimmy Shaw's Farmer's Market staple, home to some of the best tacos in the city, has expanded out to a new Hollywood location near the Highland complex. And this time around, they're serving alcohol! Until very late at night! (They're open til midnight during the week, and until 3am on the weekends.)...

The Mae Shi played to an enthusiastic home crowd the other night at Spaceland, their last Los Angeles show before they rocket off across America in support of their fantastic album HLLLYH. The audience was lucky to have drummer & vocalist Brad Breeck in the house (he doesn't usually tour with the band), and the infamous Mae Sheet made a guest appearance. The Mae Shi are legendary for their explosive, interactive live performances; it's almost...

It's hard to imagine a more un-L.A. cuisine than German food -- it's heavy, it's meaty, it's about as vegetarian-unfriendly as you can get. So how does the Red Lion Tavern in Silver Lake stay so busy? A few reasons, actually: beer. Beer! Also, beer (bier!). The Red Lion has a number of great brews -- pilsners, bocks, weizens, and so much more. These Germans value their beer so much that the interior of...

Despite the older generation's lingering fear that even stepping outside of your car in Echo Park will somehow get you assaulted or shot or worse (suburban Boomers, I'm looking in your direction!), this increasingly gentrified neighborhood has become a new mecca for intelligent, classy dining. Joining Lot 1 and Masa is Restaurant 15, a hip spot with a cool interior, but also a menu that still seems to be a work in progress. 15's...

It was a beautiful night at the Los Angeles Zoo; perfect weather and a perfect setting made the LA Zoo's annual "Beastly Ball" an event to remember. Celebrities and guests wandered the grounds of the zoo, feasting on gorgeous dishes prepared by the city's best restaurateurs and interacting with friendly animals like a boa constrictor, an armadillo, and a gray horned owl. Participating restaurants included Yamashiro, Typhoon, Pink's, Malo, El Cholo, Fabiolus Café and many,...

California Shuttle Bus, a self-proclaimed "upscale" transport connecting Los Angeles and the Bay Area, has announced a new $5 service for those of us who would like to get from LA to SF without the hassle of high gas prices and expensive airfares. The new prices take effect beginning next Monday; the shuttle company is also offering expanded hours and pick-up/drop-off services for certain Westside neighborhoods. From the press release: "We have noticed increasing...

Stan Winston, legendary Hollywood special-effects wizard, died this weekend at his home at age 62. He succumbed to multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer, after a 7-year struggle with the disease. Winston created some of the most memorable creatures in modern cinema, including the Terminators, the "Jurassic Park" dinosaurs, and more recently, the character suit for "Iron Man." Winston accumulated four Academy Awards and ten nominations over the course of his career; his first...

Photo by Unhindered by Talent via Flickr You can't fight the funk: scientists are just beginning to discover some of the more insidious effects of creeping global warming, which is about to put polar bears on the endangered species list -- and wild Alaskan salmon may be next. Alaskan fisheries, long been overflowing with magnificent salmon supplies, are now threatened with a sticky situation: warmer waters in the northern climes are breeding yucky bacteria...