Maryland

The New Black and Other Docs Ask, "Why Has Black Been Made the Face of Homophobia?"

Fishing With Dynamite Review: New Manhattan Beach Hotspot's Food Is Hit or Miss

No More Shark Fin Soup for You! (In California)

As of today, shark fin soup and anything else made from shark fins are now banned in California. Two years ago, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a law making it illegal to "possess, sell, offer for sale, trade, or distribute" any shark fin statewide, giving aficionados of the cruel soup plenty of time to ad ... More >>

Azizi Gibson Met Flying Lotus at the Gym, Now He's Signed to Brainfeeder

Azizi Gibson has always been on the move. The 22-year-old rapper/producer was born a military brat in Germany and lived in Zaire and Singapore before moving to Thailand. After fifth grade, his family moved to Annapolis, Maryland, where he stayed until dropping out of college in 2010. His solo crossc ... More >>

The New LAX Terminal: Your Favorite Eats on the Fly

The new Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX was unveiled last night at a black-tie gala, after nearly $2 billion in renovations. There are new boarding gates, more passport agents and fancy new video displays, but most importantly, there's the new "Great Hall" -- an airy shopping and dining ar ... More >>

It's Softshell Crab Season: 5 L.A. Restaurants Serving Softshells

Chomping down on the spindly, arachnid limbs of a softshell crab is one of early summer's great joys. It's this time of year that blue crabs shed their hard shells and can therefore be eaten whole, legs and all. A handful of L.A. restaurants are serving the very seasonal seafood right now -- here ... More >>

Top 3 Food & Drink Events: Master of Sangiovese, Suds & Shellfish A Benefit Dinner

Master of Sangiovese The North American Sommelier Association (NASA) is teaching an intensive certification course on the varietal. Native to Italy, the grape has been planted in other wine regions including California, Australia and Greece, which is among the lessons covered in the two-day course. ... More >>

Olive Oil Investigations Launched With Public Hearing on Quality & Market Conditions

Olives are on the pressing block. Earlier this week, the U.S. International Trade Commission held a public hearing to launch an investigation into the olive oil industry that was largely fueled by a UC Davis study two years ago. The study reported many of the imported olive oils on our supermarket s ... More >>

2012 Election Results: Historic Night for Gay Issues and Candidates Across the United States

Four years ago, Senator Barack Obama won the presidency, but gay folks across the country were outraged that California voters approved Proposition 8, the anti-gay marriage ban. Last night, it was a completely different story -- and one of the most historic and significant nights for the LGBT comm ... More >>

Sarah Palin Porn Lookalike Lisa Ann, L.A. Adult Star, Rocks GOP Convention: VIDEO, PHOTOS

Some Republicans might not like abortion for victims of rape unless, you know, it's "legit rape." Likewise some of those on the far-right side of the GOP aren't really big on birth control. Or "sluts" who want to speak out about the right to contraception, for that matter. But don't get us wrong. R ... More >>

78: Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding at The Hungry Cat

Leading up to this year's Best of L.A. issue (due out Oct. 4), we'll be counting down, in no particular order, 100 of our favorite dishes. 78: Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding at The Hungry Cat. Sure, you can go to The Hungry Cat, David Lentz' Platonic (read: Los Angeles) ideal of a Maryland sea ... More >>

Filth Never Forgets

BierBeisl Hosts Hans Reisetbauer for Brandy Event

Beverly Hill's newish Austrian restaurant BierBeisl will be showing off its European roots Thursday, June 21, when it hosts a special schnapps sampling event curated by world-class brandy distiller Hans Reisetbauer. Guests will have the chance to sample six fruit brandies flavored with things like ... More >>

Ronald Reagan's Conservative Blood for Sale

A vial of freedom-loving blood said to have belonged to late President Ronald Reagan was put up for auction this week, and the Simi Valley-based Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation (host of his library) was none too happy. While the anti-communist blood was said to have been legally obtained by a ... More >>

Omegle Website Used by Men, Including SoCal Teacher, to Troll For Teens, Prosecutors Say

What if we told you there was a website where you could chat about sex with random teenagers? You'd answer that you're totally creep'd out. Then you'd take a shower hoping to soap off any residual sleaze. Correct answer. Unfortunately, one website has turned up in two sex crime cases involving chi ... More >>

13 Ways of Looking at a Sandwich and Other Regionalisms in the Dictionary of American Regional English

Depending on where you live in this great big country, a submarine sandwich might be known as a dagwood (Colorado), a wedge (parts of New York) or a poor boy (in the Gulf States, where, we once discovered, a banh mi sandwich is known as a "Vietnamese poor boy"). This is but one of the fascinating e ... More >>

Hungry Cat: 99 Essential Restaurants 2011

The Thursday Edition: A Roundup of Newspaper Food Stories

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

L.A. Doom Legend Wino Returns With Premonition 13 -- New Album Streaming Now!

​ Scott 'Wino' Weinrich is a man who over the last 35 years has helped define heavy music, starting with Maryland's doom-y Obsessed and L.A. St. Vitus and now culminating with this fine return to form, Premonition 13. They'll be opening for Sleep this weekend and they're streaming their full album ... More >>

Seven Habits of Highly Effective Magicians: Marketing Lessons (and Lots of Handcuffs) from the Era of Houdini

Collection of Ken Trombly, Bethesda, Maryland. Photo by Dean A. Beasom.​ You wouldn't think, in an era before movies, TV, or even radio, that it would take much convincing to get people to a magic show. Even the cups and balls routine must have been a thrilling alternative to singing in rounds ... More >>

The Thursday Edition: A Roundup of Newspaper Food Stories

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

Marijuana Pain Reliever Without 'Unwanted Highs' Possible: L.A. Pot Shops Frightened at Prospect

Pain relief.​Q: What do you call marijuana without the high? A: A waste of time. But seriously, results of a new study published at NewScientist suggest that the pain relieving qualities of weed can be isolated from the psychedelic qualities, rendering a more medically focused remedy. You ... More >>

Found Footage Festival: Back to the Future

One man's trash is another's beloved time capsule

Four Loko To Be Turned into Ethanol: From Fueling Frat Parties to Fueling Your Car

Flickr/Darby RoseFour loco, etc.​ You may remember the relative chaos over Four Loko, the energy drink that contains up to 12% alcohol, which debuted in US markets in 2005 and provoked a warning letter from the FDA this past November. The FDA called the caffeine and alcohol combination an "un ... More >>

The Thursday Edition: A Roundup of Newspaper Food Stories

SapphireBlue22stack of newspapers​What's the country reading today food-wise? Here's a roundup of some of the food-related stories from other newspapers, many of which print their food sections mid-week. And remember, even if you don't actually buy papers these days (or not; this paper is free ... More >>

The Thursday Edition: A Roundup of Newspaper Food Stories

SapphireBlue22stack of newspapers​What's the country reading today food-wise? Here's a roundup of some of the food-related stories from other newspapers, many of which print their food sections mid-week. And remember, even if you don't actually buy papers these days (or not; this paper is free ... More >>

Fresh From The Market: Laurent Tourondel's New Cookbook, Definitely Not Another BLT

​There's something missing from the just-released Fresh From The Market: Seasonal Cooking With Laurent Tourondel, but what exactly is it? According to the publisher's press release, the recipes are culled from Tourondel's "childhood in France, his early career as a globetrotting chef, and stra ... More >>

James Lee: Discovery Channel Standoff Suspect Has Southern California Roots

James Lee's mug shot.​Updated at 3:05 p.m. with authorities saying the suspect is dead. The man suspected of taking three hostages at the Discovery Channel headquarters outside of Washington, D.C. has a Southern California connection: He lost a job in his hometown of San Diego before going fu ... More >>

Chemicals in Processed Meats Linked to Cancer

Mike Johnson, TheBusyBrain.comThe chemicals that make hot dogs red may be a contributing factor in certain cancers. ​ Cigarettes might not be the only "cancer sticks." Nitrites and nitrates -- chemicals added to processed meats such as hot dogs and bologna for preservation, color and flavor -- ... More >>

How Honest is L.A.? The Results of Honest Tea's Social Experiment

Last week Maryland-based organic tea company Honest Tea brought its unmanned, pop-up "Honest Stores" to L.A., gauging Angelenos' propensity for (or against) bottled tea thievery. The results, revealed by hidden cameras located throughout the Honest Stores, revealed what we knew, but perhaps hoped wa ... More >>

How Honest is L.A.? Honest Tea's Pop-Up Store Puts SoCal Ethics to the Test

NBC ChicagoHonest Tea's "Honest Store"​ Despite our downfalls, we'd like to think we draw the line when it comes to stealing. To test this theory -- and the honor system -- try heading to Maryland-based organic tea company Honest Tea's unmanned pop-up "Honest Stores," loaded with one dollar b ... More >>

Cookbook Review: Cider Beans, Wild Greens, and Dandelion Jelly (And Wine)

​Reading the introduction to the just-released Cider Beans, Wild Greens, and Dandelion Jelly, you might think this is going to be one of those spiral-bound potluck affairs with Xeroxed photos and hundreds of recipe contributors. And that author Joan E. Aller is surely a culinary historian or l ... More >>

White Children Now A Minority In California, States Report (UPDATED)

​(UPDATED with Valley stats after the jump). Don't tell the produces of The Hills or any of the other youth-oriented television shows that seem to portray people of color as background noise in California, but for the Golden State's under-18 population whites are now a minority. This accordin ... More >>

1959 Pillsbury Bake-off Cookbook Reissued: Mastering the Art of Vintage Cooking

Although many Pillsbury Bake-Off cookbooks have been published during the years, it's the 1959 book that is the classic, assembling the best 1000 winning recipes in the Best of the Bake-Off Collection. The book, which Wiley is reissuing in a facsimile of the original edition on its 60th anniversary, ... More >>

Cockroach Sushi For Your Delectation

Chrissy Prusha makes cockroach sushi out of felt. She is 28 years old, lives in Hollywood, and goes by the name "Felted Chicken." Ordinarily, Prusha is a scenic sculptor who sculpts styrofoam into props, movie sets, and theme park rides. Work has been slow lately, however, which gives her time to co ... More >>

Whistling in the Wind

Our readers write

Marineland: Michael Cimarusti's Providence

Surfing for Trouble

Change in the Weather

Off the sequence

Thrown for a Loup

Water Grill’s split personality

Hot! Pink! Plywood!

Edited by Kateri Butler

Hallelujah

In praise of Liz Lerman

A Happening Plate

Early and Often

Twenty-eight years ago, Arizona easily solved the Palm Beach County problem

Money Changes Everything

Lunching with the ladies who lunch

Sport of Supes

Maybe it makes sense to expand L.A.’s Board of Supervisors

The Suck '90s and So You Do

The Great Race Dilemma

Personal struggles in a multiracial society

Tripped Out