Bill Chait

Petty Cash Review: Fancy Tacos and Mezcal in Mid-City

The Mysteries of Mezcal at Petty Cash Taqueria

Mezcal has long been one of the bastard children of the cocktail world. While its brother tequila is now considered a versatile cocktail companion ("Tequila! It's not just for margaritas anymore!"), mezcal has languished. Long considered a poor man's beverage, mezcal suffered because the low-grade ... More >>

4 Great Baja Chefs Coming to Tacolandia

If you're planning on spending the afternoon of June 23 watching a baseball game (the Dodgers will be in San Diego anyway) or catching a matinee of World War Z, you maybe haven't been paying attention. You have tacos to eat. TiVo the game, watch the movie later, after you've spent the better part of ... More >>

May Roundup of Restaurant Openings and Closings

Big-name chefs are doing big things this summer. Opening June 4 is L.A.'s newest clam "shack" Connie & Ted's. Chef-owner Michael Cimarusti's (Providence) friends and family previewed the goods last week; the rest of us are soon to follow. Possibly the most notable recent opening is Petty Cash Taque ... More >>

Petty Cash Taqueria Opens Tonight

There was a lot of speculation about what would become of the space formerly known as Playa on Beverly Boulevard when the restaurant closed earlier in March. About a week and a half ago, restaurant partners Bill Chait and chef Walter Manzke -- with assists from food blogger Bill Esparza and chef Gui ... More >>

5 Best Places to Eat in the Downtown Arts District

This week's L.A. Weekly profiles the one of the city's hottest neighborhoods: the downtown arts district. Check out the other stories in our series: *Tyler Stonebreaker: Curator of the Downtown Arts District. *6 Developments That Will Change the Downtown Arts District's Future*How the Arts District ... More >>

John Sedlar's Critically Acclaimed Playa May Be Closed, But With Rivera and His Museum Tamal, He's Still Cooking

5 Essential Italian Restaurants in Los Angeles

Our 99 Essential L.A. Restaurants issue came out last week, and we're highlighting a few categories drawing from the list. Today: Italian restaurants. This isn't every single Italian or Italian-influenced spot on the list, so make sure you check out the whole thing, but here are five of our favorit ... More >>

Bestia: 99 Essential Restaurants 2013

Porchetta Hits L.A.: The Mysteries of Pigsburgh

Porchetta is the thing to eat right now -- but deep roots belie its current trendiness

Bestia Does It Best

This new Italian restaurant on the edge of downtown does everything well

The 5 Things You Need To Know About Bestia

This week, our first ever starred restaurant review appears in print and online. It assesses Bestia, the new downtown Italian restaurant from chef Ori Menashe, his wife and pastry chef Genevieve Gergis, and restaurateur Bill Chait. You can read the full review here, or see below for a quick take ve ... More >>

MessHall Reviewed

This Los Feliz hot spot is a stylish riff on the summer camp of your childhood

Test Kitchen's Latino Series, Part 1: Mexican Chefs to Take Over Bestia This Weekend

If Angelenos are becoming intoxicated by Mexico's culinary renaissance, Northern Baja has been our gateway drug. Several events have popped up in recent years (most recently, at Playa) in which chefs from Tijuana and Ensenada have come up over the border to showcase their talents to eager SoCal fans ... More >>

Test Kitchen's Spooky Offal Night: Lamb Hearts, Blood Pasta Chocolate Salumi

At last night's Test Kitchen dinner at Bestia, the phrase "vegetarian options are not available during this special meal" printed on top of the menu was something of an understatement. Cooked by some of L.A.'s top "underground" chefs, the focus of the 5-course meal was a selection of offal-centric d ... More >>

Test Kitchen Returns: Testing ... 1, 2, 3

Test Kitchen was born in August 2010. Located in the lower level of Townhouse, the restaurant that would become Sotto and Picca, it was a culinary experiment, a rotating pop-up that featured different chefs and menus every night. During its 2010 run, from August to December, Test Kitchen held dinner ... More >>

42: Steak Tartare Tacos at Mess Hall

Leading up to this year's Best of L.A. issue (due out Oct. 4) -- and probably beyond, at this rate -- we'll be counting down, in no particular order, 100 of our favorite dishes. 42: Steak Tartare Tacos at Mess Hall. The historic Brown Derby space in Los Feliz (and former Louise's Trattoria) recen ... More >>

[Updated] Campanile La Brea Bakery Store Closing: Walter Manzke's Republique Opening in the Space

Campanile and the La Brea Bakery shop are closing. The restaurant and bakery, which are in adjoining locations separated by a courtyard on La Brea Avenue and were both opened by then-married chefs Mark Peel and Nancy Silverton in 1989, will close at the end of November, the Los Angeles Times reports ... More >>

Food News Roundup: Campanile News, How to Quit Your Diet Coke Habit A Guide to Obama's Ale

Daily Dish: In which Bill Chait and Walter Manzke probably take over the Campanile space for Republique. Tasting Table: Café Dulcé pops up with coffee and street art in downtown L.A. The New York Times Diner's Blog: Brewing President Obama's ale, step-by-step. Zester Daily: Cruise food! (And we ... More >>

The Undercover Vegetarian: Short Order

This week, we focus on Short Order, the burger place at the Original Farmer's Market that was a collaboration between the late Amy Pressman and restaurateur Bill Chait. Though Pressman passed away, Short Order lives, with some consulting help from Pressman's friend Nancy Silverton. Burger joints a ... More >>

Short Order Comes Up Short

The newish burger joint meets certain needs, but it's no must-try

Los Angeles Chefs Discuss Downtown L.A. at ALOUD

"We can forget all our troubles, forget all our cares and go downtown ... everything's waiting for you!" When Petula Clark sang this line in 1964 -- albeit about New York -- who could have known she was she forecasting the future of downtown Los Angeles as a culinary destination? Numerous chefs have ... More >>

Test Kitchen Returns at Short Order

They say too many cooks spoil the soup. So how about five chefs -- each with a distinct style -- all making burgers in the same kitchen, at one time? It's not a plot to ruin dinner, but rather the newest incarnation of Test Kitchen, happening Saturday, Feb. 25, from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. at Short Order. ... More >>

The Thursday Edition: A Roundup of Newspaper Food Stories

What's the country reading today, foodwise? Here's a roundup of some of the food-related stories from other newspapers, many of which print their food sections midweek. And remember, even if you don't actually buy papers these days (or not; this paper is free), it's where most of your content comes ... More >>

Short Order Opens Here's The Menu

Guzzle & NoshShort Order at the Original Farmers Market.​Short Order, the most anticipated burger restaurant since the dawn of time, will finally open tonight at 5 p.m. The burger joint fronted by Nancy Silverton, Bill Chait and the late Amy Pressman held a splashy opening party last night. St ... More >>

Sqirl to Open in Silver Lake: Q&A with Jessica Koslow

Margy RochlinTomato and coriander jam (left), sauerkraut (right).​This Wednesday, what was fleetingly Gus' Lunch Box will officially become Sqirl (pronounced "squirrel"), where you can buy over 15 varieties of owner Jessica Koslow's small-batch jams and preserves. Produced in custom-made coppe ... More >>

Test Kitchen's Final Night: Alums Come Together To Feed You For A Good Cause

Flickr/Muy Yum​ Monday, December 13th, may be Test Kitchen's final dinner service, but Bill Chait and Brian Saltsburg's restaurant experiment is going out with a big-time culinary (and charitable) bang. For $150/person, Test Kitchen and non-profits Share Our Strength and Gettlove, are bringin ... More >>

Test Kitchen's Final Weeks: The Musical Chef Restaurant Experiment Shuts Down December 13th

A. ScattergoodTest Kitchen bar​ This just in from Test Kitchen, Bill Chait and Brian Saltsburg's restaurant experiment on Pico: You've probably heard the whispers that our run is winding down as the year comes to a close and that our little experiment is almost at an end. As our valued custo ... More >>

Test Kitchen: Never-Ending Experiment

Invented anew every night

Test Kitchen Update: Brian Saltsburg Talks Manzke, Voltaggio, Tapas, and More

Test Kitchen​The recently opened Test Kitchen, from Bill Chait and Brian Saltsburg, continues to be in the news -- though that will happen when your restaurant features a constantly developing lineup of big name chefs. In fact, several local television stations are already in the process of se ... More >>

Test Kitchen Opens Tomorrow: Red Medicine's Chef Jordan Khan Is First Up

Test Kitchen​Have you ever been to a restaurant and left wondering, for good or bad, "What was the chef thinking with that menu?" Well, now you can find out. Test Kitchen, a new restaurant concept by Bill Chait (Rivera, Spark Woodfire Grill) and Brian Saltsburg (Boyz Night Out Supper Club) is ... More >>

John Sedlar to Open R26 in October

Anne Fishbeinart as food at Rivera​ When John Sedlar opened his highly anticipated restaurant Rivera last January, little did we know that he'd just gotten started. Sedlar will be opening a second restaurant in the former Grace space on Beverly Boulevard in the fall. (Grace is relocating to ne ... More >>