North-American Food and Cooking

Finally: L.A. Gets Mexican Food Worthy of Mexico's Grand Tradition

10 Best Tacos in Los Angeles

Los Cincos Puntos, one of our favorite places for a taco, is located right near a cemetery. This is fitting, in a way: After all, in Los Angeles, nothing can be said to certain, except death and tacos. Indeed, we're willing to bet that if you peeked in backyards across town during Memorial Day week ... More >>

Where to Eat on Cinco de Mayo in Los Angeles: Food, Drink, Party

Every year, we read articles revealing the true origins of Cinco de Mayo. Nope, not Mexican Independence Day, which happens September 16. Cinco de Mayo commemorates a minor battle in the state of Puebla in 1862 where an army of mostly Mexican Indians won against Napoleon III's French troops. The hol ... More >>

Bizarra Capital: Beyond the Border

Uptown Whittier can sometimes feel deliberately hidden -- a small stretch of mom 'n' pop businesses sequestered from any nearby freeway or convenient access. It's a fine example of late-'80s public planning, too -- a time when a penchant for Spanish Revival and mismatched pastels gave way to its no ... More >>

Taqueria Cuernavaca: Land of Eternal Spring

If you didn't initially order the taco al pastor at Taqueria Cuernavaca, surely you will after the trip to the salsa bar. Because while loading the small plastic cups with salsa and a few dark, dark red chiles de árbol, you'll probably glance into the kitchen. And in said kitchen, you'll spot meat ... More >>

Tamales at Guisados

If you're going to Guisados, the Boyle Heights eatery that, along with Mariscos Jalisco, just won LA Taco's epic Taco Madness 2012, you undoubtedly are going for one, or two, or three of its famed stewed and braised tacos. But tear your eyes away from the long list of available taco fillings chalke ... More >>

Q & A with Gustavo Arellano: Taco USA, Mexican Authenticity Food Writing

You might suspect Gustavo Arellano, the brain and wit behind the popular syndicated and OC Weekly column ¡Ask a Mexican!, as one of those Mexican food sticklers who bristles at ideas of yellow nacho cheese, the chimichonga, the chicken fajita pita, enchilada combination plates and Taco Bell's 50th ... More >>

Our Tacos, Ourselves: How Southern California Reinvented the Taco

How Southern California discovered, gave birth to, reinvented and loved the taco for more than a century

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

In this episode of Squid Ink's Venn Food Diagrams, we study Mexican food. Why? Well, because deep down, every single person in this city has a soft spot for the stuff. Whether it be Americanized or not, fajitas or tacos de guisado -- a taco is the archetypal Angeleno meal. In this city, a taco is ea ... More >>

Amelia Ceja of Ceja Vineyards on Wine With Mexican Food

You've picked out a good Cabernet. What should you serve with it? Beans -- Mexican beans. That's what Amelia Morán Ceja would do. Ceja is the first Mexican-American woman to head a wine production company, Ceja Vineyards. "People never thought to pair wine with Mexican food until we came along," s ... More >>

Pambazo at Metro Balderas

Angelenos who visit Mexico City inevitably return home on the hunt for certain foods. Squash blossoms. Huaraches. Mollejas. And the mighty pambazo. While the sandwich can be found in various regions, it's especially ubiquitous on the streets of el Distrito Federal. Variations abound, but pambazos ... 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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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

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 >>

Debbie Lee's Poutine Truck Hits the Streets

​Chef Debbie Lee must like running the Ahn Joo food truck because she's launching another truck, only this one is Canadian not Korean. Along with partner James MacKinnon, the Food Network regular will debut The Poutine Truck (@thepoutinetruck) this weekend at the Little Tokyo Design Festival.

Jonathan Gold Reviews Antojitos Carmen

​Chef Debbie Lee must like running the Ahn Joo food truck because she's launching another truck, only this one is Canadian not Korean. Along with partner James MacKinnon, the Food Network regular will debut The Poutine Truck (@thepoutinetruck) this weekend at the Little Tokyo Design Festival.

Ask Mr. Gold: Señor Bayless Where To Eat Regional Mexican Food in L.A.

Anne Fishbeinthe invisible restaurant critic​ Dear Mr. Gold: Chef Rick Bayless has continuously told the media that he thinks L.A. is a "timid" food city and that we do not have as good regional Mexican cooking as what he can find in Chicago. He seems to think that we only have "California" Me ... More >>

Cookbook Review: Truly Mexican A Pipián Verde (Green Pumpkin Seed Sauce) Recipe

​Mexico City-born (now New York City based) chef Roberto Santibañez's latest cookbook. Truly Mexican: Essential Recipes and Techniques for Authentic Mexican Cooking with JJ Goode is truly exactly what the subtitle describes -- something that is not as common in the cookbook world as it should ... More >>

Eat This Now: Quesadillas at Quesadillas Lupita

T. NguyenA carne asada quesadilla at Quesadillas Lupita​ Los Angeles is blessed with having a great number of places where one can nosh on one of the simplest of curbside foods: the homey quesadilla. Your neighborhood (non-gourmet) food truck probably has a decent version; Mexicali's garlic-i ... More >>

Mexican Cooking, from a Korean Point of View A Chicken Pozole Recipe

Amazon​So why is a Korean food expert writing about Mexican cooking? It makes sense when you find out that Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee's parents had a Mexican grocery in the San Fernando Valley. Working there, she learned many a dish from the women who came in to shop, and she later immersed herself ... More >>

Q & A With Ricky Piña of Ricky's Fish Tacos, Part 2: Fish Tacos For Angelenos Baja Night 2.0

T. NguyenRicky Piña ​In the first part of our interview with Ricky Piña, the guy behind Ricky's Fish Tacos told us about growing up in Ensenada, learning how to cook from his mother and grandmother, and going back and forth between Los Angeles and Baja before finally settling in Los Angeles ... More >>

Jontahan Gold Reviews Frysmith

T. NguyenRicky Piña ​In the first part of our interview with Ricky Piña, the guy behind Ricky's Fish Tacos told us about growing up in Ensenada, learning how to cook from his mother and grandmother, and going back and forth between Los Angeles and Baja before finally settling in Los Angeles ... More >>

Jonathan Gold Reviews Playa

John Sedlar continues to reinvent the tortilla

Ask Mr. Gold: Poutine in Los Angeles, or The Endurance of Boy Food

Anne Fishbeinthe invisible restaurant critic​ Dear Mr. Gold: Is there anywhere local that serves poutine? I have seen pictures of the dish, which apparently includes fries, cheese curds and gravy, but I have never seen it in a restaurant. Have you ever tried poutine? It looks like a french fr ... More >>

Rick Bayless Taco-Blocks Local Blogger

Chicago-based chef Rick Bayless, who graciously introduced Los Angeles to authentic music right after introducing us to authentic Mexican cuisine, doesn't want a certain Los Angeles blogger to know what he's doing. The blogger in question is Bill Esparza of Street Gourmet LA, who savaged Red O in ... More >>

Tinga: New-Wave Tacos

The latest in a refreshing trend

Red O: Back to Bayless

Bringing Mexican to L.A., With Mixed Results

Rivera: Burrito on the Rocks, Salt

Searching for great food and a great margarita

The Gathering: Guatemalteca's Newest Snack and Chat

The beloved Beverly Boulevard bakery and chapines shop expands its reach

L.A.'s Original Fusion Dude Opens the Mexican Rivera

New downtown spot is just a block from Staples Center and Nokia Theater

Moles La Tia: Beyond the Magnificent Seven

Sauced in East L.A.

Praise Cheeses: Jimmy Shaw's Loteria Grill Spices Up Hollywood

The latest of L.A.'s hip Mexican restaurants, where the food is as good as the scene

Canadian Club: Dusty's Draws in Poutine Heads

The latest of L.A.'s hip Mexican restaurants, where the food is as good as the scene

Cook's Tortas, Westside espresso, Eastside spice

The new torta paradigm

My Taco: Frying High

Carne asada fries — the Everest of fine gabacho cuisine

Lenchita's: Corn Star

Making masa magical

Sole Food

Highland Park, home of the huarache – also, links to Jonathan Gold's rounds as a public radio guest after winning the Pulizter Prize

Low and Slow

That is the tempo. Jaime Martin del Campo and Ramiro Arvizu’s La Casita Mexicana

The Great Carnitas Plate

That is the tempo. Jaime Martin del Campo and Ramiro Arvizu’s La Casita Mexicana

Mole Minimalism

That is the tempo. Jaime Martin del Campo and Ramiro Arvizu’s La Casita Mexicana

Ask Mr. Gold

That is the tempo. Jaime Martin del Campo and Ramiro Arvizu’s La Casita Mexicana

Ask Mr. Gold

That is the tempo. Jaime Martin del Campo and Ramiro Arvizu’s La Casita Mexicana

Ask Mr. Gold

That is the tempo. Jaime Martin del Campo and Ramiro Arvizu’s La Casita Mexicana

Love, From Los Angeles

That is the tempo. Jaime Martin del Campo and Ramiro Arvizu’s La Casita Mexicana

Beyond Coffee and Cigarettes

That is the tempo. Jaime Martin del Campo and Ramiro Arvizu’s La Casita Mexicana

Green With Envy

That is the tempo. Jaime Martin del Campo and Ramiro Arvizu’s La Casita Mexicana