Elise Thompson

Screw KFC and El Pollo Loco. Dinah's makes the real stuff. Through the end of the month, Dinah's in Glendale is offering a free chicken lunch to "new customers". That means anyone over 18 with a picture ID. If you try to go back twice, your name will be on a list (and you will have really bad karma). Customers have their choice of a leg and thigh or breast and wing plus one side dish absolutely free. From opening to closing.

It breaks our hearts that the Top Chef Master can't be hometown heroes Suzanne Tracht, Ludovic Lefebvre, Michael Cimarusti or Mark Peel. The show made us fall even more in love with Mark Peel, if that is even possible. Among the final four, Rick Bayless is definitely a fan favorite. Not to burn Anita Lo, Michael Chiarello or Hubert Keller, who we kind of want to sleep with even though we know he'd probably...

Notorious Manson follower Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme is scheduled to be released from prison on August 16, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. If she is released on Friday, as some online sources have reported (not enough prison staff on Sundays?), it will be less than a week after the 40th anniversary of the Tate-LaBianca murders. Fromme, now 60, was sentenced to life for pointing a gun at President Gerald Ford on Sept 6,...

Last Sunday the mild weather of Santa Monica made for a pleasant evening in the courtyard of The Fairmont Hotel where Angeleno Magazine celebrated their annual restaurant issue. Many of L.A.’s top chefs were on hand to serve up delicious bites to Benefit Children’s Institute. Double gold award-winning wines and spirits from the San Francisco International Wine and World Spirits Competitions were also served. Hosted by Angeleno magazine’s award-winning food critic Brad A. Johnson, who...

The evening began with the cool breezes of Santa Monica blowing through the courtyard of the Fairmont in Santa Monica, causing Chinese lanterns to sway and swaths of white fabric to billow gently. Colorful tequila "mischief" cocktails were served on silver trays as hors d'ouvre after hors d'ouvre appeared seemingly out of thin air.

Last Sunday Angeleno Magazine honored some of Los Angeles' best chefs and restauranteurs during the "Chef's Night Out" charity event. James Beard Award-winning critic Brad Johnson recently chose his top 50 restaurants for the July issue of Angeleno in a marathon of gastronomy that seems at times to have rivaled Le Grande Boeuf. Johnson's annual survey of local restaurants is broken down into a Top 50, Top 25 and Top 10. Urasawa, AOC, Artolan and...

Cosmos and Mojitos may come and go, but margaritas are forever. In celebration of national tequila day, we would like to share a few specialty margarita recipes with you The Herradura Habanero Margarita (pictured) 1.5 ounces Herradura Reposado 1 ounce of fresh lemon juice 1 ounce of Monin Habanero Lime syrup

In case you don't have a good reason to drink beer this weekend, hop along, Cassidy, to the Gene Autrey Center in Griffith Park for all the hops and barley you can drink. The admission price of $50 includes food, beverages and live entertainment including the returning Host Bil Dwyer and and an encore live performance by Blackstone Heist. The 21 and over event runs from 3pm to 7pm Saturday, and cabs will be on site in case you have more than a taste and get overhydrated.

Sunday from noon until 3pm, the San Antonio Winery will present the next class in its series, "Wines from Down Under", featuring wines from Australia and New Zealand. The price per person is $68.00 per person - including lunch. Australian wines have become very popular over the last decade, particularly the Shiraz. Some of the wines to be sampled are D’Arenberg “Hermit Crab” Viognier Marsanne 2008, D’Arenberg “Laughing Magpie” Shiraz Voignier 2007, and the...

Papoo's Hot Dog Show is often overshadowed by the popular and iconic Bob's Big Boy across the street in Toluca Lake. And to be honest, well, Hot Dog Show is kind of weird. Decorated like an old-fashioned ice cream parlour and populated with bar flies, the restaurant has a strange air of desperation. The servers are friendly, but somehow you get the feeling that everyone has kind of given up. In contrast to the general...