Food and Cooking

Jonathan Gold Reviews Westfield Culver City Food Court

9 Best Burritos in Los Angeles

Javier CabralScallop Burrito at Señor Fish​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 ... More >>

New Jazz Bakery In Jeopardy; West Side Jazz Scene Hurting

Tom MeekThe Ron Jones Orchestra at the Jazz Bakery, 2008​The Jazz Bakery, L.A.'s major jazz non-profit organization, is in turmoil because of the pending shutdown of the Culver City Redevelopment Agency. Jazz Bakery president Ruth Price had been working with the agency to reopen Jazz Bakery's ... More >>

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

D. Rainey​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 Angel ... More >>

7 Best Bloody Marys In L.A.

J. GarbeeFig's Richard's Secret (Left), Tomato-Watermelon, Bacon Foie Gras Bloody Mary​If chili has a liquid cousin, it is the Bloody Mary. Not for those obvious spice and tomato-based similarities, but because they share that passive-aggressive knack that blood-relations have so perfected f ... More >>

Top 5 Weekend Food Events: Margarita Dinner, Union des Grands Crus, Meat 101, Soba Workshop, Art Soup Night, DineLA

Margarita Dinner This four-course dinner from executive chef Alex Moreno features a different margarita (made with Don Julio tequila) to complement each dish. The menu includes lobster ceviche, braised pork belly with an artichoke sunchoke ragout and arroz con leche. WHEN: 7 p.m., Thu. Jan. 19 WH ... More >>

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

F. FriesemaJonagold apples​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 fo ... More >>

Pinot Days Is Back: How To Fit 80 Wine Producers Into An Airport Hangar A Special Discount

JGarbeeThe Pinot Days Aftermath At Barker Hanger​With so many wine festivals and tastings out there these days, forking over $60 ($54 with the 10% discount code for LA Weekly readers below) seems somewhat excessive for your everyday Chardonnay and Merlot pours. But this is Pinot Days, the ann ... More >>

Jonathan Gold's Angeli Caffe Eulogy

Evan Kleiman's beloved Melrose Avenue trattoria closes after 27 years

Crossing The Bridge Noodles: Yunnan's Signature Dish Where To Find Them

Jim ThurmanYunnan House Special Rice Noodle Soup​Yunnan cuisine doesn't get the kind of respect accorded to the cuisine from other provinces. It isn't included in the "Eight Schools" of Chinese cuisine, instead being relegated to a subset of its neighbor to the north, Sichuan. Adding to that ... More >>

The Piglet: Food 52's Cookbook Madness Starts Now

​If you follow food sites and current cookbooks, you'll doubtless be aware of Food 52, the website run by Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs. You will perhaps also know about their annual cookbook tournament, The Piglet, in which a number of this year's best cookbooks are pitted against each oth ... More >>

Disneyland Offers New Super-Pricey Cakes for Your Little Princess

disneytravelbabble.com​We always suspected Cinderella was just a golddigger. How much would you be willing to fork over for a birthday cake for your little princess? How about $112.05 for a 6-inch cake at Disneyland? (To be fair, that includes a "princess" balloon centerpiece, crystal-adorned ... More >>

LudoBites 8: The Wine List

LudoBites 8 (with its eminently more sane booking policy) debuted last night, which means a new wine list curated by Domaine LA along with chef Ludo and his wife, Krissy. The big news: the wine list now includes beer and cider (a Normandy cide from Domaine du Manoir in Montreuil, France, to be pre ... More >>

Pasadena's Bistro 45 Celebrates Anniversary With Party You're Invited

Bistro 45​Pasadena's Bistro 45 will celebrate it's 22nd anniversary with a party on Monday, Jan. 23 starting at 6 p.m. (the restaurant is usually closed on Mondays). It kicks off at 6 with Gruet Sparkling Rose upon arrival. Tables will be set with seafood brandade, pork rillette, house mustard ... 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 >>

Tar & Roses Opening: Sneak Peek [Photo Gallery]

After numerous delays, Tar & Roses, the new restaurant from chef Andrew Kirschner officially opens next Tuesday, January 24 (with at least one friends-and-family night before then). A Santa Monica native and former Iron Chef contestant, Kirschner tells us, "I'm thrilled to be back in Santa Moni ... More >>

Musso & Frank Literary Salon Jan. 23

Simone PazKim Cooper and Richard Schave at Musso & Frank Grill​ On Mondays, Musso & Frank Grill is usually closed. But next week, the Los Angeles Visionaries Association run by Richard Schave and Kim Cooper will take over the historic restaurant for the inaugural "Salon at Musso & Frank." ... More >>

Chinese New Year: A Feast of Symbols

Kim NowackiChinatown decorated for Chinese New Year​The eve of Chinese New Year is often favored for its capacity to cultivate dreams and generate good will. Dining tables whereupon many Chinese families gather this Sunday evening will witness a brief, but sharp increase in property value as h ... More >>

Santa Barbara Film Feast: Dinner and More Than 195 Movies

Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbaratuna tartare from the Four Seasons' Film Feast menu​Santa Barbara's International Film Festival (SBIFF) echoes Cannes' famed film festival -- both are held in lovely seaside towns betwixt mountains and the ocean, stars come out in force and there i ... More >>

Deep Fried Fluffernutter at Black Market: Sandwich of the Week

Deep-frying improbable edibles is hardly new. County fair concessions maven Chicken Charlie has fried up Oreos, Twinkies, frog legs, White Castle burgers, SPAM, zucchini, Pop Tarts, brownies, ribs and Kool-Aid balls -- and that's only the beginning The combo of crisp batter and gooey center speaks ... More >>

10 Best Romantic Restaurants in L.A.

Anne Fishbeintaco love at El Pique ​Valentine's Day is fast approaching, thus it is time to book reservations at your favorite swank restaurant. Assuming you have a date for the evening. If you do not, well, check back later for our Best Dive Bars in L.A. list. Of course your significant othe ... More >>

Breakfast in Los Angeles: Top 10 Spots

Sweet, savory and in between

Sushi Nozawa Closing

Robert August OldingKazunori Nozawa at Sushi Nozawa​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: ... More >>

Meteorito Wine is Out of This World, Literally

Flickr/Southern Foodways Alliancea glass of Cab​Sure, that nice vintage Cabernet Sauvignon you have sitting in your wine cellar may have notes of dark chocolate and hints of sweet cherries, but does it really taste out of this world? No? Well then, you may want to head to Chile for the Meteo ... More >>

Report: Treating Workers Well Helps Bottom Line

Samrod Shenassa​As the restaurant industry's busiest and most profitable day of the year (Valentine's Day) approaches, ROC has released two reports: a study challenging the idea that restaurants can succeed only by keeping labor costs low and a Diners' Guide spotlighting restaurants that aim f ... More >>

Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken on Upcoming CITY Night at Border Grill

Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, young, wild and free.​With their success at Border Grill and beyond, it's difficult to think of chefs and restaurateurs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger as ever being scrappy young things, just starting out, with a kitchen so tiny it spilled over into th ... More >>

Gino Angelini to Open New Restaurant in WeHo

University Hospitals, Ireland Cancer CenterChef Gino Angelini​Chef/restaurateur Gino Angelini will open a new restaurant in the old Hamburger Hamlet space in West Hollywood. The project doesn't have a name yet, but it's scheduled for a fall 2012 opening. The design is "rustic Tuscan farmhous ... More >>

Jason Robey Debuts New Cocktail Bar at Ammo

AmmoThe Blood Orange Fizz.​Already known for its clean, California-inspired menu, Ammo hopes to be known for its alcoholic libations as well. Tomorrow, the Highland Avenue restaurant officially debuts its "Artisan Cocktail Bar," featuring a menu by Jason Robey. Robey, who previously oversaw t ... More >>

Huevos Rancheros: The Alcove vs. El Huarachito

T. NguyenHuevos rancheros at The Alcove​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 ... More >>

Top 5 Craft Beer Happy Hours in Los Angeles

Erika BoldenHappy Hour at City Tavern​Last week's State of the Union promoted a generally positive economic outlook. If your pocketbook is more cynical of times ahead, you may find yourself defeated by the meager options at your disposal for living well in an expensive city. If you define 'l ... More >>

What's In Season at the Farmers Markets: California-Grown Truffles, No Violence Required

Felicia FriesemaCalifornia white truffles from Clearwater Farms​Somewhere in a back alley outside of Paris, $30,000 worth of black European truffles are exchanging hands. Asking the seller about the truffles' origins could send them packing to another less inquisitive buyer, so the buyer poni ... More >>

Elements Kitchen in Pasadena Closes

Felicia FriesemaElements Kitchen's tomato tartare​Sad news for tomato tartare lovers in Pasadena -- chef-owner Onil Chibas announced on Facebook yesterday that his two-year old Pasadena Playhouse adjacent restaurant Elements Kitchen was closing for good, mere days after the restaurant reopened ... More >>

Sangak Bakery & Cafe to Open This Week

Guzzle & NoshSangak Bakery & Cafe​Sangak Bakery & Cafe, which we spotted months ago in the heart of the Kosher Corridor, is set to open later this week. The Glatt Kosher restaurant will offer a full menu of kabobs, giving nearby Kabab Mahaleh (a neighborhood favorite known for its cheap and ta ... More >>

Jonathan Gold Reviews Shanghai No. 1 Seafood Village

Guzzle & NoshSangak Bakery & Cafe​Sangak Bakery & Cafe, which we spotted months ago in the heart of the Kosher Corridor, is set to open later this week. The Glatt Kosher restaurant will offer a full menu of kabobs, giving nearby Kabab Mahaleh (a neighborhood favorite known for its cheap and ta ... More >>

Menu for CITY Night at Border Grill Announced

Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger​Earlier this week we told you about CITY Night at Border Grill -- a special event at which Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken will indulge the nostalgia of their 1980s glory days by serving a menu inspired by their first restaurant, City Cafe and its subseq ... More >>

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

​Our latest attempt in Understanding Cuisine through Racial Profiling finds us examining the dietary habits of Jews. But what kind of Jews? One respondent wrote, "You meant to ask what American Jews eat, right? Otherwise you will get sucked forever into separating Moroccan Jews from Polish Jew ... More >>

Ben Flajnik: Winemaker First, TV's The Bachelor Second

Sonoma MagazineIn the vineyard with The Bachelor and partners​Most people dream of quitting their day job to be on TV. ABC's The Bachelor Ben Flajnik says his reality star turn is a means to an end: His heart is in winemaking. (He auditioned for The Bachelorette originally as a way to pursue ... More >>

10 Great Places To Dine Alone in L.A.

Joséphine Runneboom/FlickrAlone at The Biltmore Hotel​"A is for dining alone," M.F.K. Fisher wrote in An Alphabet for Gourmets, "...and so am I, if a choice must be made between most people I know and myself." We feel ya, Fisher. Like Fisher, we would much rather dine alone, or not at all, ... More >>

The Wall That Everyone in Silver Lake Is Talking About (and Why It's Too High)

Alissa Walker​ The wall seemed to materialize overnight. Where once there was the pleasantly twee boutique, its offerings of Navajo blankets and denim shorts carefully staged like an anthropological survey of Silver Lake, now there was a cinder block bunker. A sheet of paper taped to the wi ... More >>

10 Best Beer Bars In Los Angeles

Elina ShatkinBeer Sampler At Beer Belly​With craft beer L.A.'s current unyielding obsession, it seems crazier than a 55% ABV beer that four short years ago that we were celebrating, along with dozens of tube sock-clad homebrew club sorts, the first local bars to land coveted cask-conditioned a ... More >>

ROC Diners' Guide on Restaurant Working Conditions: The 2012 Edition

​In this age of food we're bombarded by facts and opinions on how, what and where to eat. We Angelenos especially like our fine restaurants and casual eateries. But where to go? There are more than 20,000 restaurants in greater L.A., according to the Weekly's Voiceplaces.com. There seem to be ... More >>

John Sedlar Creates Pacific Standard Time Menu at Playa, With Dishes Inspired by L.A. Art

Photo by Calvin LeeMain course inspired by Ed Ruscha's painting LACMA on Fire​ "You screwed up," chef John Rivera Sedlar told Getty curator Andrew Perchuk in the months before Pacific Standard Time began. The sprawling, Getty-funded celebration of postwar SoCal art should have included food. ... More >>

Lares Restaurant: Old School Beer Drinks at the Altar

jgarbeeThe Lares Altar​In L.A., where high-paid architects and interior designers seem as essential to a new restaurant's success as the choice of chef, walking into a well-worn local haunt like Lares in Santa Monica has that "welcome home" appeal that you can't buy. It's the sort of place whe ... More >>

Cookbook(s) Of The Week: The World In A Skillet & The Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook A Recipe For "Hot & Numbing Rabbit"

amazon​On first read, we didn't believe it ourselves when we decided to include a hybrid cookbook/anthology from an academic publisher, The World in a Skillet, and what boils down to a promotional cookbook from a cast-iron skillet maker, The Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook, in the same post. But give ... 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 Blvd. just east of La Cienega. The small, friendly cafe offers pho (both beef and chicken), half-a-dozen varieties of banh mi (including classic charcute ... More >>

Golden Deli: A New Restaurant, in the Style of Chipotle

F. FriesemaJonagold apples​Golden Deli has been the default Vietnamese noodleshop in the San Gabriel Valley for a couple of generations now, a cramped, eternally crowded storefront where the pho, and especially the fried springrolls called cha gio, have always been worth the discomfort -- and ... More >>

Jonathan Gold Reviews Baco Mercat

F. FriesemaJonagold apples​Golden Deli has been the default Vietnamese noodleshop in the San Gabriel Valley for a couple of generations now, a cramped, eternally crowded storefront where the pho, and especially the fried springrolls called cha gio, have always been worth the discomfort -- and ... More >>

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

My Last BiteIt's not Lucques' cassoulet, but it looks pretty great​If you're not doing anything really important for dinner on Sunday, March 4th -- 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 cass ... More >>

gr/eats Giant Robot Cafe Closing

Courtesy of gr/eats​It looks to be an un-lovey Valentine's Day for gr/eats. Even as the stretch of Sawtelle between Santa Monica and Olympic experiences a raft of restaurant openings -- ramen shop Tsujita, cafes Balconi Coffee Company and Coffee Tomo, shaved ice shops Blockheads and Brian's Sh ... More >>

4 Japanese Valentine's Day Chocolates for Guys

photo credit: Janne in OsakaJurassic Chocolat​Valentine's gifting is especially tricky for women. You want your gift to tell him how you feel, without telling him how you feel. (Not because you're cryptic or unsure of how you really feel, but because he's not a heart-shaped box kind of guy and ... More >>