Ethnic and Regional Cuisines

Sushi Nozawa Closes Today Sugarfish Coming Next

Tonight's your last chance for tuna, yellowtail and albacore at Sushi Nozawa, the 25-year-old sushi joint tucked into a Studio City strip mall. The restaurant, whose chef Kazunomi Nozawa has been described as a "sushi tyrant" and "imperious," told us last month that it would close its doors. But i ... More >>

10 Restaurants for Mardi Gras

We think Paul Simon must have accidentally left out a few lyrics from "Take Me to the Mardi Gras." Sure, we love the "music in the street both night and day" and the chance to "jingle to the beat." But what about the celebratory New Orleans-style food and drinks? Jambalaya, gumbo, crawfish and etouf ... More >>

L.A.'s Idea of English Food vs. What the English Really Eat

In honor of Downton Abbey's season-two finale on Sunday, we decided to cross the pond to explore English food with two overlapping circles that compare what Angelenos believe the English nation eats with what English folks say they actually eat. Moral of the story: Apparently, the collective gasp h ... More >>

Meet Your Food Blogger: Valentina Silva of Eastside Food Bites

At the Antigua Cultural Coffee House on a recent afternoon, Valentina Silva talked with us about Eastside Food Bites, her voice carrying over the coffee grinder's noisy whirr and the stereo's booming cumbia. Silva often eats at local spots such as Antigua, close to her Mt. Washington home in northea ... More >>

Cookbook of the Week: Made in Sicily Giorgio Locatelli's Limoncello Gelato Recipe

It's hard to flip through Made in Sicily without thinking of it as an island-specific version of Bocca, one of our favorite books last year. And not simply due to the style of the recipes and book layout. Like Bocca, this is the work of a top London chef dishing up his tribute to his family's class ... More >>

Lucques' 9th Annual Cassoulet Night Is Coming: Make Reservations Now

If you're not doing anything really important for dinner on Sun., March 4 -- and maybe even if you are -- you now have someplace to be. Every year for one night, Lucques co-owners Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne host a cassoulet night in place of one of their customary Sunday Suppers. This year will ... More >>

Vien Cafe Opens Near Kosher Corridor

Vietnamese food on the Westside? It's not that uncommon, but we are always pleased to see more of it. On Monday night, Vien Cafe opened on Pico Boulevard just east of La Cienega. The small, friendly cafe offers pho (both beef and chicken), half a dozen varieties of banh mi (including classic charcu ... More >>

Jonathan Gold Reviews Shanghai No. 1 Seafood Village

Huevos Rancheros: The Alcove vs. El Huarachito

Fried eggs and buttered toast is the Tim Duncan of breakfasts in that it's generally very reliable, if not a little boring. Give us fried eggs on top of fried tortillas topped with rancheros sauce and salsa on almost any morning though, and it's a whole new ballgame. Thankfully, huevos rancheros are ... More >>

Breakfast in Los Angeles: Top 10 Spots

Sweet, savory and in between

Sushi Nozawa Closing

Sushi Nozawa is not known for its customer service. Many call chef Kazunomi Nozawa a "sushi tyrant," our critic once wrote. The L.A. Times dubbed him "imperious." And the restaurant famously features a sign that reads: "Special of the Day: Trust Me." So it wasn't a huge surprise that the Studio Ci ... More >>

Naan Stop Food Truck to Open Restaurant... in Atlanta

The latest Los Angeles food truck to open a brick-and-mortar location is Naan Stop (@naanstop), but they're doing it in Atlanta. Why? Because Georgia needs samosas and masala fries. In fact, it's sort of a return to their roots for Neal and Samir Idnani, who own and run the truck. The brothers " ... More >>

Sushi Kimagure Ike: Pasadena's Best Sushi Bar Ever?

For years, Sushi Ike was the best sushi bar in Hollywood, the place you went when you wanted to escape from the fishy neologisms of Geisha House and Katsu-Ya for something close to classic, Edo-style sushi. Ike-san was never a flashy sushi chef, but he was beloved for his skill at the early-morning ... More >>

L.A.'s Idea of Japanese Food vs. What Japanese Really Eat

Our Venn Food Diagram series has studied the people of Thailand, Armenia, Vietnam and most recently California, comparing what they actually eat with what Angelenos believe they eat. In this edition, we turn our attention to Japan, looking past ramen and sushi to see what foods Angelenos have left t ... More >>

9 Best Burritos in Los Angeles

Behind every great taco, there's an even greater burrito. A proper burrito is excessive in all the right places: an edible package of chewy opulence that stands for everything great in the Mexican-American influenced culture that is Los Angeles. Meat, carbs and convenience, sauced and served to your ... More >>

Jewish Iraqi Food: Yes, But in Los Angeles?

Dear Mr. Gold: My parents are coming to visit soon and I was hoping to do them proud by finding some authentic Iraqi cuisine akin to what my Baghdad-born father grew up eating just outside of Tel Aviv. His mother has stuffed us many a visit with things like sambusak, the sabich, kubeh, bamia and the ... More >>

NYC Cracks Down on Kimchi

Bureaucrats stomp in where angels fear to tread. Health inspectors in New York City have recently cracked down on how kimchi is stored, penalizing many Korean restaurants with violation points and fines. Health inspectors view the fermented cabbage dish as a cold food, which means it must be store ... More >>

Saturday Event: Walk and Eat in Little Tokyo

Visit Little Tokyo, and -- even if you're a rabid manga fan or karaoke maniac -- your trip will likely involve food. Perhaps yakisoba, fried noodles topped with bright red ginger. Or okonomiyaki, a pancake cooked with a variety of savory ingredients. (The name literally means "what you want.") A ... More >>

Crispy Pork Gang & Grill: In Thai Town, You Gotta Have a Gimmick

Well, yes, Crispy Pork Gang. A restaurant. A Thai restaurant. In that Thai Town strip mall that somebody should have thought of a catchy name for by now, but anyway, the one with Ganda, Ruen Pair and Red Corner Asia in it, and a valet who will stack three cars behind you should you decide that you c ... More >>

Night of the Broken Rice at Com Tam Thuan Kieu

Flickr/Cathy DanhCom Tam Thuan Kieu​Com tam is pure Vietnamese soul food, jagged shards of rice broken in the threshing process, repurposed as lunch -- com tam with a bit of scallion oil is among the cheapest and most delicious things you could eat. As with such former poverty staples as quino ... More >>

Chinese Dinner for Christmas

Anne Fishbeinthe invisible restaurant critic​Dear Mr. Gold: My husband and I, originally from Connecticut, are fairly new to L.A., and have had a hard time finding good Chinese food. This is our first year as a married couple and we're looking for a nice restaurant in which to restart our trad ... More >>

Where To Go For L.A.'s Version Of NYC Halal Carts

Anne Fishbeinthe invisible restaurant critic​Dear Mr. Gold: New York City has the legendary halal carts at 53rd Street and Sixth Avenue. Please tell me Los Angeles has something similar. --Joseph Saranglo, via Facebook

Bulgarini Gelato in Culver City Now Open Free Gelato

Leo Bulgarini's new gelato outpost in Culver City -- Bulgarini took over the lease at Teaforest Tea & Coffee Bar on Washington Blvd. last month -- officially opened last week. This despite the fact that the gelato maker's gelateria in Altadena lost power in the violent windstorm that battered much o ... More >>

Wako Donkasu: 30 Sandwiches in 30 Days (Day 19)

Guzzle & NoshThe tonkatsu sandwich at Wako.​Like a supermodel in a burlap sack, some sandwiches, no matter how sloppily presented or haphazardly photographed, sell themselves. Others don't strut into the room. The tonkatsu sandwich at Wako Donkasu isn't ostentatious. It may even look like "the ... More >>

Jonathan Gold Reviews Tsujita L.A.

Ramen and Tsukemen at the city's new noodle lover's paradise

Bulgarini Gelato Update: A New Outpost in Culver City

Fans of Bulgarini Gelato know the drill: head to Pasadena from wherever else you are, climb up Lake Avenue to Altadena, traveling up practically into the Mt. Wilson clouds, and then turn off into the vast concrete landscape of a Rite Aid parking lot. There, at the end of a long patio, you'll find Le ... More >>

The Kosher Corridor

A restaurant renaissance in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood

Top 5 Weekend Food Events: Temecula Wine Harvest, Vegan Cupcake Contest, LA Loves Alex's Lemonade, Creative Seeds, Marc Vetri Dinner

Guzzle & NoshTemecula wine country.​Temecula Wine Harvest Celebration Visit more than 30 Temecula Valley wineries (yes, some of them make very good wine: Hart, Doffo and Renzoni, to name a few) during this two-day annual harvest celebration and barrel tasting. WHERE: Temecula Valley WHEN: Nov ... More >>

Kimuya's All Night Happy Hour: $1.50 Pints Sushi & Art

jgarbeeSushi Art, In Its Many Forms​The notion that sushi is an art, both in its meticulous construction and finished form, is a cliché -- but one that gets a Happy Hour reprieve at the recently opened Kimuya Japanese restaurant and sushi bar in Santa Monica (formerly known as Hakata). The bo ... More >>

New Cookbook: Easy Chinese Recipes, Including Some from L.A., a Recipe for Pork Dumpling Soup

Courtesy of Tuttle Publishing."Easy Chinese Recipes" (left) & shrimp & yellow chive dumplings (right).​You'll find a couple of local dishes in Bee Yinn Low's Easy Chinese Recipes (Tuttle Publishing, $24.95). This is because Low lives in Irvine and eats Chinese food all over California as well ... More >>

Why Is It So Hard to Find a Decent Risotto?

​ Dear Mr. Gold: Where can I have a good risotto? Half of the time I've had it in L.A., it has been sticky and overcooked. --Lorenzo Rossi, via Facebook

Ramen Rumble: Tsujita Pop-Up vs. Santouka

Guzzle & NoshA bowl of tonkatsu ramen from Tanaka.​It was a blink-and-you'll-miss-it kind of thing: Last week, chef Takehiro Tsujita of Tsujita L.A. (a.k.a. Nidaime Tsujita), or rather, his ramen, popped up for one week only in Mitsuwa Marketplace. Serving as Tsujita's temporary training groun ... More >>

Jonathan Gold Reviews Night + Market

Kris Yenbamroong mixes Thai with hip

Central Vietnamese in the O.C. ... or Echo Park

Anne Fishbeinthe invisible restaurant critic​Dear Mr. Gold: What's your favorite place to eat Hue/Central Vietnam food in Los Angeles? Also, do you ever venture down to the O.C. for some eats? --Brian Tran, via Facebook

Frozen Tuna Recall: Histamine Illnessess From Frozen Ground Tuna Grocery Sushi

sushi from AFC​ Another day, another food recall. The latest is of frozen tuna that has been linked to illnesses caused by elevated histamine levels. According to Food Safety News, the FDA found evidence of food decomposition and elevated histamine levels in frozen tuna packed by Osamu Corpora ... More >>

MexiKosher: Can Kosher Carnitas Be Any Good?

Guzzle & NoshMexikosher: ceviche (left), beef & duck carnitas tacos (top right), chicken wings (bottom right).​ MexiKosher: The name alone inspires skepticism. Open since July along the booming Kosher Corridor, the casual Mexican eatery with the cutesy portmanteau delivers what it promises: t ... More >>

Couscous Festival 2011: Start Your Couscouseries

It's time to get out your couscouserie again. Or rather, time to let Farid Zadi get out his. Zadi and his wife and business partner Susan Park are hosting their second annual Couscous Festival, Sunday October 23 from noon to 6 p.m. Last year's festival, you may recall, took place in Pasadena, comple ... More >>

Fish Taco Food Fight: Los Feliz vs. Silverlake

whysarah/flickrFish tacos at Best Fish Taco in Ensenada.​ The ideal fish taco is a time-sensitive collision of hissing-hot battered fish, a shell puffed up around mild, sweet flesh; a tortilla or two; crunchy cabbage; and cool, slightly sour crema. It is time-sensitive because, if the diner ... More >>

Jonathan Gold Reviews Guisados

Jonathan Gold Reviews Picca

At Ricardo Zarate's restaurant, Peruvian meets the Japanese izakaya

L.A.'s Idea of Thai Food vs. What Thais Really Eat

Our Venn Food Diagram series so far has hopscotched all over the globe, exploring Indian, Midwest American, and, most recently, Korean foods. As you probably can tell, this series is an organized chaos; our destinations are chosen in no particular order. Today, we randomly focus on Thailand to see ... More >>

Best Sandwich Shop That Looks Like a Gas Station: Banh Mi My Tho

T. NguyenThe counter at Banh Mi My Tho​ Sure, the San Gabriel Valley is home to countless strip mall bánh mì joints, and Bánh Mì My Tho is no different. Almost. Walk inside this tiny, shiny Vietnamese sandwich shop, and you'll think you've been transported not to Vietnam, but maybe the b ... More >>

307 Restaurants Participate in dineLA Fall 2011 Restaurant Week

Anne FishbeinSpicy chicken pops at Lukshon.​Ever wanted to try the Lukshon's squid stuffed with fermented ground pork or spaghetti at Scarpetta but can't afford it? dineLA, which returns for 12 days in early October, might be your chance. The restaurant promo returns October 2-7 and 9-14, and ... More >>

Jonathan Gold Reviews Moko

Happy 99th Birthday, Julia Child: Her Top 5 Cooking & Non-Cooking Moments

T. Nguyen​Everyone has a Julia Child story. Nancy Silverton has one. Martha Rose Shulman has one. Mary Sue Milliken has one. We have one. We bet you do, too. Today is Julia Child's birthday -- it would have been her 99th -- and it's hard not to appreciate this wonderful woman for all she did ... More >>

Ramen Chef Takeshi Tsujita Opens Tsujita L.A. Ramen Coming Soon

A. FrougThe open kitchen at Tsujita LA​ Confounded by an inability to make delicious ramen, searching for a shred of insight into a craft that he spent night after night practicing and experimenting with, Takehiro Tsujita did the only thing he hadn't tried before: he climbed into his stock pot ... More >>

Jonathan Gold Reviews Wako Donkasu

L.A.'s Idea of Korean Food vs. What Koreans Really Eat

​ Our continuing series of Venn Food Diagrams has explored American regional and a smattering of international cuisines in no particular order or with any sense of geographic or cultural continuity. We're taking another random trip from the land of tater tot hot dish to the land of kimchi hot ... More >>

Jonathan Gold Reviews Glowfish Truck

Top Thai Chef Comes to L.A. A Recipe for Duck Larb

Barbara Hansenchef McDang​Royalty just left Los Angeles. Now it's coming again. The royal personage arriving this week is chef McDang (real name ML Sirichalerm Svasti) of the Thai royal family. Not content to rest on regal laurels, McDang has become a culinary celebrity in Thailand, appearing ... More >>