Elise Thompson

Betty White is this year's "it girl." She has a new sitcom, "Hot in Cleveland," recently made an acclaimed appearance on Saturday Night Live, and unveiled her "Naked Dog" for Pink's Hot Dogs. Now it appears that she is even more popular than the world championship Lakers. At last weekend's GLAZA benefit, courtside seats were auctioned off at $8,000 whereas lunch and a tour of the zoo with Betty White fetched a cool $10,000. White...

Pink's Hot Dogs has always had a wide fan base, from Sugar Ray Leonard, Bruce Willis, Snoop Dogg, Karl Lagerfeld, Leroy Neiman, who once sketched the stand, and most famously Betty White, who recently unveiled her favorite hot dog, "The Naked Dog". We eagerly await their newest stand in LAX.

Jake's Burgers has stood for over 60 years on the legendary Route 66 (Colorado Boulevard). It got a slight makeover in the 80s, adding a billairds room (and that's probably when the beer made its debut). A place does not stand that long on such pricy real estate without some serious chow to back it up.

Royce Hall was packed to the gills Thursday for Anthony Bourdain's book signing and speaking tour. Really, his lecture was more like stand-up comedy, with his acerbic wit with razor-sharp observations. He machine-guns bon mots so fast, so smoothly, it's easy to believe he does 40 speaking engagements a year.

El Taurino Tacos is located on a corner of a 3-way stop where Hoover, Olympic and South Park View Streets converge. Its bright lights beckon, promising good eats 24 hours a day. Painted above the door is the promise: A NICE PLACE TO EAT. This is drunk food at its finest.

Sunday, the 30th annual Picnic des Chefs was held in Elysian Park. The event benefits several charities, including the Concern Foundation and The Hope Program at Children's Hospital. The Picnic is one of several events held by Club Culinaire, a nonprofit organization of gourmands and people in the restaurant profession who specialize in French food.

Last Saturday, as part of Pride Week, Barnsdall Park was the site of Dyke Day LA. The event started at noon and culminated with beginning of the Dyke March. The fun day of hanging out on folding chairs and blankets was a welcome relief from all that marching, because some of us are not in such good shape.

Nowadays you have to be up on the latest technology before it even comes out. With the upcoming release of the iPhone4 it's a good time to take a look at apps. Which ones are lifesavers and which ones are just taking up space? There are over 1700 apps out there for your iPhone. LAist has come up with a list of essential apps for you.

This is a spectacular WANTED sign. It's not looking for a missing puppy, yet it includes drawings to identify the missing objects. The drawing of the shopping cart -- 3-dimensional wiring -- that deserves a prize. We should all send them a dollar to buy new stuff just for that drawing. What's even more amazing is that there is more than one sign. They replicated that drawing by hand.

Anthony Bourdain. The take-no-prisoners author will be making a rare appearance at UCLA's Royce Hall on Wednesday, June 16th, fresh on the heels of his new book, Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook, which will be released on June 8th.