Email Author Elina Shatkin

2012 Stories by Elina Shatkin

• New Chef + Happy Hour at Urbano Pizza Bar

  published Feb 21, 2012

  Chef Bruce Kalman recently took the reins as exec chef at Urbano Pizza Bar in downtown L.A., replacing chef Brad Winnaman. Kalman was the opening chef at The Misfit in Santa Monica, where he favored a... More >>

• Eddie Izzard: Death Star Canteen [Video]

  published Feb 20, 2012

  This video is a few years old, but since Eddie Izzard has been in town lately, playing a handful of late-night shows at Largo, his riff on the Death Star canteen (that's British for "cafeteria") is t... More >>

• Mohawk Bend: New Chef + Allagash Beer Dinner

  published Feb 20, 2012

  [Update: An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated that St. Clair and Pele had been replaced at Golden Road Brewpub by chef Adam Levoe.] When beer-centric, vegan-friendly Echo Park mega-bar... More >>

• Bacon Milkshake: Not Very Bacony But Still Drinkable

  published Feb 20, 2012

  If that headline isn't the most lukewarm compliment ever, we don't know what is. We were so thrilled to learn about Jack in the Box's bacon milkshake, we didn't even care when we learned it's not real... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Duff Goldman Admits: He Hates Fondant

  published Feb 20, 2012

  Duff Goldman, owner of Charm City Cakes (now in L.A.) and star of Food Network's Ace of Cakes, made a shocking admission on Saturday's episode of Good Food. The reality star told host Evan Kleiman: He... More >>

• Win a Free Trip to LudoBites 9 in Hawaii

  published Feb 20, 2012

  Pack up the surfboard and throw on the bikini. UrbanSpoon is giving away one free trip to LudoBites Nine-0 -- in Hawaii. The prize includes two first-class, round-trip tickets on Hawaiian Airlines,... More >>

• Champale: The Champagne of Malt Liquors [Video]

  published Feb 17, 2012

  Hey, baby. It's been a long week, but it's Friday afternoon. Time to kick off those shoulder pads, slip into the bathtub and pour a glass of cool Champale. Whatr Don't remember Champaler Why, it's the... More >>

• Roast Beef & Pastrami at Eastside Market: Sandwich of the Week

  published Feb 17, 2012

  Why should you have to choose between meatballs and sausages on your subr Or, for that matter, between roast beef and pastramir Thankfully, at Eastside Market Italian Deli, you don't. Though it ha... More >>

• Planned Parenthood Food Fare: Great Chefs, Great Cause

  published Feb 16, 2012

  If watching a gaggle of the country's most arrogant, clueless and regressive men discuss the reproductive fates of millions of American women -- with almost no input from women themselves (apparently,... More >>

• New Chef at WP24: John Lechleidner

  published Feb 16, 2012

  WP24 has a new chef de cuisine in John Lechleidner. A veteran of the Wolfgang Puck group who has cooked at Postrio at the Venetian, Spago at the Forum Shops at Caesars, Wolfgang Puck American Grille a... More >>

• Top 5 Weekend Food Events: Chowder Chowdown, Citrus Saver, Roasted Pig, All-Night Happy Hour, Foodie Chat

  published Feb 16, 2012

  Chowder Chowdown Ten days. Six chowders. No rules. Celebrate National Soup Month at Gladstone's annual chowder fest. In addition to traditional New England and Manhattan chowders, chef Dean Grill ha... More >>

• Ink.: GQ's Best New Restaurant in America; Picca Is #6

  published Feb 16, 2012

  Michael Voltaggio's Ink., which our own critic described as "the most eagerly anticipated brick-and-mortar opening in years," has been named the best new restaurant in America by GQ. The magazine's ... More >>

• Got Kosherr Reopens as Cafe

  published Feb 15, 2012

  After many, many months of renovations, popular Kosher Corridor catering and takeout vendor Got Kosherr Provisions reopened on Monday as Got Kosherr Cafe. Expanding into the shuttered mailing supp... More >>

• Heart Attack Grill Customer Has Heart Attack -- While Eating 6,000-Calorie Burger

  published Feb 15, 2012

  Everything is bigger and flashier in Las Vegas, even the heart attacks. Halfway through eating a 6,000-calorie Triple Bypass Burger, a customer at the Las Vegas outpost of Heart Attack Grill began exp... More >>

• Roy Choi + Mark Peel: Together at Last

  published Feb 15, 2012

  Here's a post-Valentine's Day love affair to whet your appetite. Kogi/A-Frame/Chego/Sunny Spot impresario Roy Choi and Campanile/Tar Pit maven Mark Peel will join forces for a one-night food and music... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Shaka Shack: A Burger You Should Know About

  published Feb 14, 2012

  There's skill on the grill at Shaka Shack, an island-themed burger joint on the south side of Santa Monica College. Tricked out with mismatched vintage furniture, moai figurines and a wall-sized pri... More >>

• Last Meal at gr/eats: Burger & Katsudon

  published Feb 13, 2012

  For our last meal at gr/eats, which closes today, we wanted something traditionally Japanese: a burger. Actually, gr/eats does a good burger, preternaturally soft on the inside with a sharp layer of... More >>

• Restaurant Openings: BierBeisl (Austrian), Nongla (Vietnamese)

  published Feb 13, 2012

  BierBeisl, a fine-dining Austrian restaurant from former Patina chef de cuisine Bernhard Mairinger, officially opens Feb. 27 in Beverly Hills. The intimate restaurant features a Stammtisch, a communa... More >>

• Plan Check to Open on Sawtelle on Feb. 22

  published Feb 13, 2012

  Plan Check, the newest entrant to Sawtelle's buzzing restaurant row, will open Feb. 22. The upper-midscale gastropubby restaurant features chef Ernesto Uchimura (Umami Burger) behind the stoves and ... More >>

• Pinot Bistro Closing on Feb. 19

  published Feb 13, 2012

  The old adage says "April is the cruelest month," but perhaps it's February in the restaurant business. After 20 years, Joachim Splichal's Pinot Bistro (of the fantastic pork rillettes) closes its ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Mendocino Farms Banh Mi: Sandwich of the Week

  published Feb 10, 2012

  When is a banh mi not a banh mir That is not a trick question, by the way. When it has no charcuterier When it lacks pickled vegetablesr Must it be served on a baguetter The ever-blurring boundary b... More >>

• Trader Joe's Signs Deal With Tomato Workers

  published Feb 10, 2012

  After years of nudges, calls to action and protests, grocery chain Trader Joe's has finally signed on to the Fair Food Agreement. Spearheaded by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, it's a major step... More >>

• Gail Silverton Sells Gelato Bar in Studio City

  published Feb 10, 2012

  Gail Silverton and Joel Gutman, co-owners of Gelato Bar, one of our favorite gelaterias in Los Angeles, recently sold their Studio City location on Tujunga Avenue. Thankfully, the shop's name and ge... More >>

• Top 5 Weekend Food Events: Chocolate Fest, Menu Design, Coffee Roasting, Knife Skills, The Last Chinese Chef

  published Feb 09, 2012

  Indulge Los Angeles This chocolate festival and pastry show features dozens of top chocolatiers and candymakers paired with champagnes, wines and spirits. Benefits St. Jude Children's Research Hospita... More >>

• Best Lunchbag Art Ever

  published Feb 09, 2012

  Some parents, at least in TV commercials, draw a heart in their kid's PBJ. Peter Balogh elevates lunchtime art to a higher plane with his brilliant, whimsical, amusing drawings. The methodr Freehand d... More >>