Chris Cosentino

Coming Soon: The Residency at UMAMIcatessen

Next Thursday, March 14, UMAMIcatessen will introduce "The Residency" amidst its layout of specialty food and drink stalls. One part dinner program and one part experimental space, The Residency begins with Micah Wexler, previously chef at the late, lamented Mezze. A native Angeleno, Wexler will ded ... More >>

Go Pork Yourself

Chris Cosentino Wants to Sell You a Shirt

We don't know Chris Cosentino, but we have tasted his brains risotto -- the warm, cinnamon-scented webs, the rice, the tender little chunks of chicken thighs studding the bowl. We have had his marrow salad and his tripe. The Top Chef Masters champ -- San Francisco's dark prince of "the nasty bits" ... More >>

Fabio Viviani on Life After Top Chef Why "Success Is Personal"

See also: Top Chef Tour: Richard Blais vs. Fabio Viviani at Hollywood & Highland See also: Top Chef Masters Recap: "Do You Want to Be Comforted, or Do You Want to Be Thrilled?" It's 10:00 a.m., and chef Fabio Viviani is eating cereal with chocolate milk. "Whole grain Cheerios, because fiber is good ... More >>

Top Chef Masters Recap: "Do You Want to be Comforted, or do You Want to be Thrilled?"

It was a battle of the coasts in last night's Top Chef Masters finale, pitting New York's Kerry Heffernan against San Francisco's golden boy Chris Cosentino. But it wasn't just that. It was also a battle of culinary ideologies, considering these two chefs' approach to food couldn't be more differen ... More >>

Top Chef Masters Recap: The Students Become The Masters

Finally, a challenge that truly lived up to the "Master" name. On last night's TCM, the three remaining chefs, Kerry Heffernan, Chris Cosentino and Lorena Garcia, did not touch the food they served in the Elimination Challenge. In fact, they did no cooking at all. Instead, in true master chef form, ... More >>

Top Chef Masters Recap: Blanc-ing Out

Paging P. Diddy. There was a white party and no one invited you. OK, it wasn't that kind of white party. Instead, on last night's episode of Top Chef Masters, the final four contestants were charged with catering a Dîner en Blanc, which is kind of like the James Bond of meals, that is, if 007 had ... More >>

Top Chef Masters Recap: And In This Corner...

Remember Mike Tyson's Punch Out? That old Nintendo game in which scrawny "Little Mac" fought his way through towering opponents, eventually taking down the heavyweight champion despite his apparent feebleness? Well, on last night's episode of Top Chef Masters, chef Lorena Garcia followed a similar t ... More >>

Top Chef Masters Recap: Un-Thaied

Curtis Stone is, in the words of Derek Zoolander, "really, really, ridiculously good-looking," so not the type, we'd imagine, to get tongue-tied around the ladies. But leave it to hometown girl Dita Von Teese, L.A.'s (and the world's) queen of burlesque to make TV's reigning pin-up boy blush. Von T ... More >>

Top Chef Masters Recap: Holly Madison Parties, But Not Harder Than James Oseland

What's more Vegas than a couple of lesbian folk singers eating vegetarian food?! OK, OK, not what you'd expect for this Sin City season, right? But something had to balance out what would become a Playmate-laced episode of Top Chef Masters, and we're thankful the Indigo Girls were up to the task. L ... More >>

Top Chef Masters Recap: Art Smith Teppanyak-ity-yaks

Who says a Quickfire has to involve fire at all? On last night's episode of Top Chef Masters, raw was the name of the game for the chefs, who found themselves surrounding a massive ice sculpture adorned with seafood they had to serve up sans heat for a chance at immunity. And as is appropriate for ... More >>

Top Chef Masters Recap: Take the Cake, Please

It was not chef Art Smith's best day, to say the least. What, you ask, could have happened to cause him such shame -- worthy of a melting forehead slap? Last night on Top Chef Masters, it was a case of letting his mouth write a check his baking skills couldn't cash, so to speak. More on that in a mo ... More >>

Top Chef Masters Recap: Cooking for Billionaires, and Why Curtis Stone Is, in Fact, the Man

Hooray! Top Chef Masters is back! You know, that souped-up version of the old Bravo staple in which we get to watch alreadyfamous chefs duke it out in the kitchen, not for money (as all their winnings go to charity) but for the prestige of being crowned truly the best of the best. Right? That must ... More >>

Time Machine Chefs: ABC's New Food Show Debuts in August, or Top Chef Meets Dr. Who

If you're tired of all the repeating chef reality shows out there, then ABC's latest foray into the genre will be worth checking out. The series pilot of Time Machine Chefs will air on August 16. No, this is not a food reality show with industry neophytes getting yelled at by Gordon Ramsay dressed u ... More >>

Time Machine Chefs: A New Show About Historical Squirming Chefs, Premiers in August

God forbid we just judge chefs on the food they actually cook. No, instead we must deliver "challenges," throw "curve balls," pull strings and make them squeal and dance for our amusement. The latest in the food reality chef competition genre is Time Machine Chefs, a show based on a premise that sou ... More >>

Cookbook Of The Week: The Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream Book Is Not Your Mother's (Damn) Ice Cream Book

It's the height of summer, and publishers seem to know that we are always tempted by new frozen churnings like those in the Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream Book, written by shop owners Jake Godby and Sean Vahey and writer Paolo Lucchesi. Forewarning: This is not a general reference book (for that, we s ... More >>

Food News Roundup: A Vegan's BBQ Solution, A $2 Cocktail in West Hollywood Radioactive Tuna

Eating L.A.: On the Altadena Farmer's Market. Gastronomy: A recipe for a whole wheat strawberry cake. The Associated Press: Radioactive bluefin arrives in Southern California. Consuming LA: The 7 best Cuban pastries at Porto's Bakery and Cafe. E*star LA: The best places to eat oysters in L.A.

Food News Roundup: Urasawa #2 Most Expensive U.S. Restaurant, New Obama Food Initiative Health Food Cheaper Than Junk

L.A. Observed: The Daily Meal calculates the country's most expensive restaurants -- with L.A.'s Urasawa No. 2. Melisse is No. 11. CBS News: Obama announces a food initiative aimed at improving food security in needy African countries. MedPage Today: A U.S. Department of Agriculture study finds t ... More >>

Flavour Gallery T-Shirts: "I Don't SCREAM I Express Myself" Chef-Inspired Fashion

If it's already one of those "Say YES CHEF and that's it" or "I don't SCREAM I express myself" sort of weeks, you're in luck. Flavour Gallery, the L.A. based t-shirt designer with an eye for dining-inspired designs, has expanded recently beyond their typical "swirl and sip" logos. The company began ... More >>

L.A. Times Festival of Books Recap: Star Chefs Food Authors

Foodists could have done worse than to spend two sun-dappled days at USC last weekend for the L.A. Times Festival of Books. TV personalities and chefs including Michael Voltaggio and Chris Cosentino flaunted their skills at the Cooking Stage, Nancy Silverton dropped by for a chat, food journalists d ... More >>

L.A. Times Festival of Books: Star Chefs, Cooking Demos Books

Cook on television; nab a book deal. That could be one of the takeaways of the Cooking Stage lineup at The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books happening this weekend at USC. Of eight chefs who will give cooking demonstrations, speak, and sign books, five are known for appearing on food shows, includ ... More >>

5X5 Collaborative Chef Dinners Begin April 29

From late April to September, a few of L.A.'s most acclaimed restaurants will offer a six-course tasting menu at $150 per person, not including wine pairings. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Special Olympics. If you're so inclined, stop reading and sigh. What else could be so bo-ring and ... More >>

Top 5 Weekend Food Events: Pebble Beach Food and Wine Festival, 626 Night Market, Anne Willan's Cookbook Family Tree, Cherry Blossom Festival The Tripel's "Brews and Bites"

Pebble Beach Food and Wine Festival 250 wineries, 75 chefs (Daniel Boulud and Jacques Pépin among the many stars), a beautiful beach, and you. That's the premise of this fifth annual event, which is packed with tastings, dinners, lectures and activities. Events include a "Say Farewell to Foie Gras" ... More >>

The Wednesday Edition: A Roundup of Newspaper Food Stories

You can't replace the feeling of lounging on the couch with a scrunched-up newspaper. But with the web, at least you don't need to worry about getting ink on your hands and bagel. Here's a roundup of some food-related stories from our country's newspapers this week. Lucky for us, it's mostly free. F ... More >>

2012 James Beard Foundation Award Nominees Announced: The Mozza Edition

Yesterday the James Beard Foundation announced its 2012 nominations for book awards, journalism, design and graphics, broadcast and media, and restaurant and chefs. It is a very long list. There were also awards given for lifetime achievement (Wolfgang Puck!) and humanitarian of the year (Charlie Tr ... More >>

Umamicatessen: Meating Place

A "soft open," in restaurant parlance, is a kind of dress-rehearsal period, wherein the establishment throws open its doors and hopes for a manageable trickle of customers to walk in, allowing the kitchen and waitstaff to work out kinks in the menu and service. In the Twitter age, however, a soft o ... More >>

Food News Roundup: Chefs for Hire, Spice Table Recipes Passion for Cilantro

Technology: Why cook when you can hire professional chefs to make dinner via Kitchit. In L.A., choose among Neal Fraser (BLD, Grace), Mark Gold (Eva), Nyesha Arrington (Wilshire), and others. Food & Wine: Three Spice Table recipes (simplified!) from Bryant Ng, with photos by Anne Fishbein. Gilt Ta ... More >>

UMAMIcatessen: Now Open Photo Gallery

Up until Saturday, Broadway Street in downtown L.A. was a great place to be if you were in search of a bedazzled quinceañera dress, a solid gold watch, an art deco architecture tour, or a decent torta. But it terms of modern dining, Historic Broadway wasn't quite the hot bed of hipsterdom that the ... More >>

James Beard Awards 2012: Semifinalists Announced

Los Angeles chefs made a strong showing among the semifinalists for the 2012 James Beard Awards, which were announced today. Local nominees for the Best Chef, Pacific award include Josef Centeno (Lazy Ox Canteen), Michael Cimarusti (Providence), David Feau (The Royce at the Langham), Matt Molina (M ... More >>

Umami Burger to Open in Hermosa, Laguna Beach

​Umami Burger, which already has so many locations around greater L.A. we've stopped counting, announced it will open two more locations: Hermosa Beach and Laguna Beach. Located within a block of the pier, the Hermosa Beach location will open by the end of 2011. The Laguna Beach location, whic ... More >>

Food News Roundup: Bug Food Truck, Homemade Halloween Treats Grant Achatz' Chocolate Video

SF Weekly/Joseph Schellscorpions in a saute pan​ SF Weekly: San Francisco chefs are getting on the bugs-as-food bandwagon. Literally. Don Bugito food truck to launch soon. Food52: 8 Homemade Halloween Treats. Martini recipe included. Food Safety News: Alaska senators want to ban genetically ... More >>

Top 6 Weekend Food Events: LA Food & Wine, Taste of Mercado La Paloma, Beer Float Showdown, Sunset Beer Company, Golden Road Brewing, LQ's Cheese Cart Pop-Up

LA Food & Wine This four-day extravaganza features dozens of events including special lunches and dinners cooked by top chefs from around the country. Sang Yoon of Lukshon hosts Chris Cosentino of Incanto (San Francisco), Tom Colicchio throws a clambake, Michel Richard will discuss his book Happy ... More >>

Offal Time

Meat-on-meat crime at Waterloo & City