Meat

5 Great Old School Burger Stands in Los Angeles

There's something special about the walk-up burger stand, that post-WWII staple of American eating that has slowly started to fade from view. There are still zillions of madre-and-padre burger operations around Los Angeles, pressing beef into ageless cast iron griddles, but many of them have opted f ... More >>

22 Mother's Day Food Drink Specials (Bottomless Mimosas! Cupcakes! Tiaras!!)

Mother's Day is this coming Sunday, and if you haven't gotten that one figured out yet, maybe it's time to start planning. Depending on your age and demographic, a crayoned card could work, or maybe your kid's card and a stiff drink. If you want something a bit more professional, turn the page for a ... More >>

6 Favorite Italian American Delis for Cold Cut Sandwiches

On May 28, the FDA will lift the USDA ban on imported Italian cured pork products. This means we'll finally get to enjoy artisanal salami from parts of Italy like Emilia-Romagna and Piedmonte. Although according to The New York Times, it remains to be seen how much will be made available to us, give ... More >>

Banadir Somali Restaurant: More Fun With Goat in Inglewood

At first glance, Banadir Somali Restaurant looks more like Somalian community center than a restaurant. White bars cover the shaded and tinted windows. The main entrance leads to a long hallway with a kitchen off to the left. You have to look around a bit before noticing a door that leads to the din ... More >>

Horse Meat Found in IKEA Swedish Meatballs

Across the Atlantic, the horse meat scandal continues to rock Europe -- and now it appears that IKEA's Swedish Köttbullar meatballs are the latest ready-made product found to contain horse meat. The Czech State Veterinary Administration alerted the public to traces of horse DNA found in meatballs p ... More >>

Now Open: Big Al's Halal Pizzeria in Maywood

Some say that L.A. is having it's pizza moment. Big Al's Halal Pizzeria entered the pizza fray on Saturday, Feb. 2 with a grand opening block party. Although, you might ask,"What exactly is halal pizza?" The second question you may ask is "Why halal pizza and in Maywood of all places?"

Yoshinoya Beef Bowl: What Does It Really Taste Like?

Let me preface all of this by saying that I've never been to a Yoshinoya Beef Bowl, and I'm willing to bet that you haven't either. In fact, I don't know anyone who has dined at a Yoshinoya Beef Bowl, and my contacts folder reads like a who's-who of questionable eaters. Yet, inexplicably, those oran ... More >>

Where's the (Piedmontese) Beef? At Star King in Koreatown

Where would you show off an elite variety of beef? Not in some flashy high-end dining spot but in the most beef-centric part of Los Angeles -- Koreatown. There, it's hard to find a place that doesn't serve bulgogi and galbi, and the buzz words are grass-fed, Wagyu, Kobe and Black Angus. That is, un ... More >>

BierBeisl Brings Something Different to Beverly Hills

Austrian chef Bernhard Mairinger has brilliantly old-school technique

Chefs Cook At Home, The Holiday Edition: Sotto's Zach Pollack A Recipe For Brisket

This week and next, we'll be featuring the holiday food traditions of L.A. chefs. Today, Sotto's Zach Pollack tells us about his relationship with brisket. "Growing up a reformed Jew in West Los Angeles, I developed a relationship with brisket around the same time that I developed a relationship wi ... More >>

100 Favorite Dishes: The Whole Menu

Over the past few months, you've watched us catalog our 100 Favorite Dishes. Catalog being a lovely term meaning eating our way across this town, well, even more than usual. And because we thought you might want a better way to access these, we've collected all one hundred into one piece, a menu if ... More >>

Salumi Night at Mozza's Scuola di Pizza

Mozza's Scuolo di Pizza dazzles thanks to chef Chad Colby -- and his salumi bar

10 Best Cheap Eats in Los Angeles

As you may have noticed, this year's Best Of issue dropped on your doorstep, metaphorically if not actually, yesterday. There are hundreds (yes, hundreds) of listings, of spas and hikes and cocktails and grottos (yes, grottos), so many that you might get lost -- so many that we thought we'd pull ou ... More >>

Grand View Pastures' Ultimate Father's Day Gift: 100 Pounds of Beef

Having trouble coming up with the perfect Father's Day gift? If a shirt or tie doesn't seem quite appropriate for your dad, you might want to consider something else in a gift box, maybe, say, one-fourth of a cow. Oak Park resident David Johnson and his wife, Nicole, owners of Grand View Pastures, ... More >>

Fried Chicken Sandwich at Fundamental LA

When you crave a fried chicken sandwich and a fast food version just won't hit the spot, you have a few options. Son of a Gun makes one of our favorite upscaled fried chicken sandwiches, as does Canele, though that one is offered only during brunch on the weekends. And if you live on the Westside, ... More >>

6 Great Butcher Shops for Memorial Day Grilling

Where's the beef? It's at these Los Angeles meat shops, which will most certainly be bustling in preparation for this weekend. We've outlined a few recommandations for what to get a several of the city's most respected butchers -- locally sourced, organic, all that good business -- but we also nam ... More >>

The Oinkster's Burger Week Returns: White Castle Sliders, Big Macs Sourdough Jacks

From June 4 through June 10, Andre Guerrero's retrofied pastrami and burger shack in Eagle Rock will host round two of it's popular Burger Week, which features a burger-a-day tribute to some of America's cherished cheeseburgers re-engineered by the bun 'n' patty architects in The Oinkster kitchen. ... More >>

Ground Organ Meat: The New Farmers Market Burger Essential From Novy Ranches

If you've been wondering where all the "organ burgers" have been hiding among the ground beef, turkey and vegan summer grilling options, you're in luck. Novy Ranches recently began selling ground grass-fed organ meat (kidneys, heart and tongue) at the Sunday Brentwood Farmers Market and on its websi ... More >>

10 Best Hot Dogs in Los Angeles

For a town whose cultural and culinary landmarks are two hot dogs -- Pink's, for better or worse, and the Dodger Dog, also for better or worse -- the hot dog nonetheless is greatly overshadowed by its other half, the hamburger. And while there may not be as many great hot dogs as there are great ha ... More >>

Jonathan Gold's 60 Korean Dishes Every Angeleno Should Know

See Also: A Google map for all 60 of the Korean dishes Jonathan Gold says every Angeleno should know, read "5 Koreatown Restaurants Open 24 Hours: Hangover Soup," learn about "5 Koreatown Beer Joints: Hite Requirement," or just look at more of Anne Fishbein's beautiful Koreatown food photography. I ... More >>

10 Best Sandwiches in Los Angeles

So much can happen between two slices of bread. Practical, portable, difficult to define and nearly impossible to mess up entirely, the sandwich offers a broad canvas for the harried parent or the creative chef. John Montagu (aka the 4th Earl of Sandwich) could never have dreamed of the baroque monu ... More >>

Roast Beef & Pastrami at Eastside Market: Sandwich of the Week

Why should you have to choose between meatballs and sausages on your sub? Or, for that matter, between roast beef and pastrami? Thankfully, at Eastside Market Italian Deli, you don't. Though it has been around for 73 years in the same beige and brown corner building, the deli is a hidden gem tucke ... More >>

Meat 101 at Nick & Stef's: Demystifying Meat Wine Pairings

At the farmers market, a couple digs through the coolers at the Jimenez Family Farm stall, unearthing plastic-encased cuts of goat, lamb, pork and rabbit. They're shopping for dinner, but looking a little less than confident. "What do you do with this again?" asks the lady, bespectacled, gray-bunned ... More >>

Ron Swanson of Parks & Rec vs. Nick Offerman: The Food Interview

The Ron Swanson food pyramid.​Like the character he plays on Parks & Recreation, Nick Offerman is a man with a magnificent mustache. Something of a libertarian, most certainly a contrarian and definitely not a vegetarian, Ron Swanson is the gruff but goofy patriarch who viewers have come to id ... More >>

Langer's vs. Oinkster: 30 Sandwiches in 30 Days (Day 12)

If yesterday's 30 Days post, pitting Johnnie's Pastrami against The Hat, was the battle of the lowbrow fast-food joints, today it's all about highbrow pastrami. Want to look like a dyed-in-the-wool Angeleno? Next time you visit Langer's, sit down and order the #19 without glancing at the menu. Bett ... More >>

The Kosher Corridor

A restaurant renaissance in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood

Top 5 Places to Eat in the Kosher Corridor

Guzzle & Nosh​Pico Boulevard has its share of intriguing restaurants, and the "Kosher Corridor," from Beverly Drive on the west to La Cienega on the east, is no exception. Although this neighborhood has long been home to one of the largest Orthodox Jewish populations in the city, for years, ko ... More >>

Pork Wine Pairing: Black Pig's Heritage Bacon Is Good, But Have You Tried The Pinot?

biteclubeats.comStewart and Estes After Their Big Cochon Win​Heritage bacon. Could life get better? It can, particularly if chefs John Stewart and Duskie Estes -- and a really great back story -- are involved. The couple is best known as the chef-proprietors behind Sonoma County's Zazu Restaur ... 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 >>

Jonathan Gold Reviews Mozza's Whole Hog Dinners

Texas Ends Last Meals for Death Row Prisoners

Guzzle & NoshNo more last meal requests for brisket from Texas death row inmates.​Texas will stop serving final meals to death row inmates after a state lawmaker complained about an inmate's absurdly large last supper. Lawrence Brewer, who was executed last Wednesday in Huntsville, requested a ... More >>

Creminelli's "Full Muscle" Meats: Picnic, Sandwich Sure, Muscle Beach-Worthy

JgarbeeCreminelli's Latest Assortment​This time of year, those Farmers Market Santa Rosas and lemon cucumbers get all of the attention. Well deserved, but some of us also have the same veneration for really great picnic meats. Not your average deli-counter glazed ham affairs, but fresh, authen ... More >>

Q & A with Chris Phelps and Zak Walters: Driving to Napa Valley for Pork Converting Vegans at Salt's Cure

A. FrougChris Phelps and Zak Walters from Salt's Cure​ If it's manly to love meat, there are no two manlier men in Los Angeles than chefs Chris Phelps and Zak Walters of Salt's Cure. The two opened Salt's Cure to supply local restaurants with specialty products such as house-made bacon and sau ... More >>

A Recipe for Father's Day: Grilled Côte de Boeuf Wine Pairings

Farid ZadiRib Steak or Côte de Boeuf​ Suggesting a hunk of grilled meat for Father's Day seems predictable. But the weather is perfect just about this time of year and bonding with dad outdoors over an open fire seems like an almost universal pastime. Besides, grilled steak tastes better tha ... More >>

Salt's Cure: Steak on a Budget

Cookbook Review: This BBQ Book Will Make You Want To Fire It Up

​Just as we say perhaps it's about time for publishers to put the idea of an annual summer onslaught of new BBQ books to rest, a grilling guidebook arrives at our doorstep that we actually want to add to our swelling collection of books on everything seared and smoked. Fire It Up by Andrews Sc ... More >>

Jonathan Gold Reviews Spice Table

Jonathan Gold Reviews Noodle Guy

Winter Is Coming & So Are The Cheesesteaks: On Game of Thrones, George RR Martin Food Quests

(c) http://www.westeros.org/2006 WorldCon, Glasgow, Scotland, with haggis in the foreground.​ Until we read Laura Miller's April 11th New Yorker piece on fantasy, horror and sci-fi writer George RR Martin, we didn't know much about HBO's new Game of Thrones, except that it's an American medie ... More >>

Food Truck Friday: Bowers Gourmet Sausages

There are few acts so graceless as eating a bacon-wrapped hot dog from Bowers Gourmet Sausages (@BowersSausages). While Los Angeles has no shortage of sausage trucks (Dogzilla, Dogtown Dogs, Germany's Famous Bratwurst, Grindhaus and Let's Be Frank, to name a few), none seem as determined as Bowers t ... More >>

The Periodic Table of Meat Explained: Q & A with Jeff Wysaski

​ Jeff Wysaski, 29-year old founder of Pleated-Jeans, debuted his Periodic Table of Meat last year. The number of meats in the world is vast. Wysaski's table brings order to the chaos. Creating it took him "a long freaking time." Wysaski also happens to be married to Unicorn Magic Baking Comp ... More >>

Flatiron Truck Brings "Farm-to-Street" Food to L.A.

courtesy of Flatiron Truck​ You can't exactly serve farm-to-table food when there's no table involved, so the new Flatiron Truck, which joined the masses of L.A. food trucks on March 5th, has dubbed their cuisine "farm-to-street." The latest endeavor from Chef Timothy Mark Abell, who's worked ... More >>

Valentine's Day Round-Up, Part 1: Prix-Fixe Menus

Flickr/Bakerella​ These days, every time we walk into a supermarket, pharmacy or even drive past certain intersections of town, we're faced with an explosion of red and pink, well, everything: "Be My Valentine" cards, heart-shaped boxes of chocolate, fake long-stem roses, and endless tins of ... More >>

Cookbook Review: Good Meat, A Good Idea While Oprah Goes Vegan

​When we decided to circle back to Good Meat: The Complete Guide to Sourcing and Cooking Sustainable Meat by Deborah Krasner this week, we didn't realize that Oprah and her staff of 370 would be simultaneously announcing their week-long vegan cleanse. More maple sugar walnut pie made with a b ... More >>

Steerage: Smoke City Market

New Sherman Oaks barbecue joint gets the important things right, Texas-style

And Now for Something Completely Different: Fried Chicken

D. Gonzalez Samusas at Jasmine Market​ When it comes to dining in Los Angeles, there are can be paths of predictability. Depending on the craving, there are areas where nearly every other restaurant is a safe bet and others where we should have known better. But then there is fried chicken, ... More >>

Restaurant or Butcher Shop?

Salt's Cure keeps the focus on the meat

Q & A With Alex Moreno, Part 2: Turduckenizo Albondigas, Taking The Goat Out Of Birria, Moving Beyond Happy Hour

CASATacos de Camarones Fritos at CASA.​ In the first part of our interview with Alex Moreno, CASA's newish chef talked about his attempts to bring updated versions of other taqueria's dishes onto the menu. In part 2, Moreno gives more details, including his spin on classic dishes like birria ( ... More >>

Cookbook Review: Meat By James Peterson His Rolled Skirt Steak With Prosciutto And Sage Recipe

​When you start counting your James Beard Awards in round numbers (about a half dozen?), you've long since earned the right for concise cookbook titles. James Peterson's latest, Meat: A Kitchen Education is a primer on how to properly cook bipeds and quadrupeds, albeit those most commonly cons ... More >>

Meatloaf Sandwich Fight: Joan's on 3rd vs. Food Lab

Humans always seem to find a way to grind meat, season it, then mold it into a shape that fits their needs. We've come to love meatballs and meatloaf as comfort foods, even though the names of both would come off a bit foul had we not grown up with them. In truth, they sound like some kind of Gillia ... More >>