LA Times restaurant critic Irene Virbila outed by local restaurant. Good tidings & food guidings from the LA Times test kitchen.President Obama and the 111th Congress – in review. Holiday gifts gone bad…real bad.
LA Times restaurant critic Irene Virbila outed by local restaurant
Many restaurant critics say anonymity is a vital tool of their trade, because if restaurateurs know who they are, they’ll get exceptional service. Irene Virbila, Los Angeles Times critic for 16 years, was outed Tuesday night by Red Medicine, a Beverly Hills eatery. The manager figured out who she was, snapped her photo, asked her to leave, and then posted her picture on their web page. Was the restaurant justified? Do critics have too much power to destroy a restaurant’s business? Or is it a moot point anyway: in the age of the Internet, is anonymity even possible?
Guests:
Russ Parsons, LA Times Food Editor, “The California Cook” columnist; author of “How to Pick a Peach” and “How to Read a French Fry”
Johnathan Gold, Pulitzer winner and Restaurant Critic for the LA Weekly
Good tidings & food guidings from the LA Times test kitchen
Before a recipe for turducken, bacon-maple biscuits or magical honey cakes can grace the pages of the Los Angeles Times it gets tested, tasted, tweaked and re-tested in their spacious test kitchen. The perfectly-styled recipe is then whisked into the nearby photo studio for its close-up. The Los Angeles Times Test Kitchen is one of very few such facilities still in existence at daily metropolitan news publications. They test more than 600 recipes on average per year. But only 400 make it to print. Who makes all the tough decisions? Where do they get all those recipes? And who gets to eat the divine mishaps and culinary triumphs? LA Times Food Editor, Russ Parsons, and Test Kitchen Chef, Noelle Carter, join Larry in studio to dish about the year’s most popular recipes, tasty ideas for last-minute holiday treats and to answer all your gastronomic questions.
Guests:
Russ Parsons, LA Times Food Editor, “The California Cook” columnist; author of “How to Pick a Peach” and “How to Read a French Fry”
Noelle Carter, LA Times Test Kitchen Manager & Chef; “Culinary SOS” columnist
President Obama and the 111th Congress – in review
Two years into President Obama’s first term, what have he and Congress accomplished? One historian calls this “the most productive session of Congress since the ‘60’s,” and it’s true that they’ve made more law affecting more Americans since that decade’s “Great Society” legislation. Health care overhaul, Wall Street reform, and credit card regulation are just a few of the accomplishments we’ve seen, and the market appears to be bouncing back from the dark days of a year ago. Much progressive legislation was blocked as well, but given how polarized Congress has been, it’s a remarkable achievement. So why do so many think so little was done? And with the reins being handed to the Republicans in January, what changes can we expect in the coming year?
Guest:
Richard Wolffe, Political journalist and author of "Revival: The struggle for survival in the Obama White House"
Linda Feldman, White House Correspondent for Christian Science Monitor
Holiday gifts gone bad…real bad
It’s cute to get a home-made gift from a child, but what about when it comes from an adult? And while we all like to get a knit sweater, a knit toilet seat cover is probably less appropriate. What about a plush-toy “PhartEphant,” a stuffed elephant that makes certain, uh, noises when you squeeze it? Nearly everyone can recount a time they got a gift that just didn’t seem well thought-out or appropriate. Whether it was obviously recycled, or damaged, or obnoxious, holidays abound with stories of absurd, outlandish, or just plain reckless gifts. Amy Dickinson, writer of the syndicated “Ask Amy” column, gives her advice about gifting dos and don’ts.
Amy Dickinson, writer of the syndicated advice column “Ask Amy”