Santa Maria

Now Open: AVA Santa Barbara's Wine Tasting Room A Great Place for Beachside Wine

Like a lead singer with a side solo project, AVA Santa Barbara is winemaker Seth Kunin's side gig. Because Kunin Wines is a well-established, Santa Barbara County-based brand -- known for its Rhone-style blend, syrah and zinfandel -- Kunin decided to create another label, AVA Santa Barbara, to explo ... More >>

Vintage Bouquet Food and Wine Extravaganza: What You Missed (Maybe) at Greystone Mansion

Bringing attorneys and chefs together (and not because of a lawsuit), the Vintage Bouquet Food and Wine Extravaganza had its 25th run at Greystone Mansion on Sunday, April 28. The sun beat down on, among other things, hors d'oeuvres from L.A.-area restaurants including Lexington Social House, Lazy ... More >>

Making Wine on Catalina Island: The Rusack Family's Santa Catalina Island Vineyards

Wine as an expression of a specific locale or terroir is what countless skilled winemakers strive to achieve. A noble goal to be sure, but one winery has taken the task a step further, specifically 22 miles further, offshore on Santa Catalina Island. Buffeted by salty ocean air, the island makes for ... More >>

Demetri Samaha Of Supper Club Accused Of Safety Violations In Wake Of Brazil Tragedy

The L.A. City Attorney's office today unleashed a criminal case against the owners of Hollywood's Supper Club for alleged overcrowding, fire-code violations and "life safety hazards." This is the wake of a tragic fire at the Kiss nightclub in Santa Maria, Brazil last weekend that took 236 lives. Th ... 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 >>

90 Degrees-Plus in Los Angeles Today As New Heat Records Expected

Updated at the bottom: We did it! First posted at 6:08 a.m. Anybody look at the calendar lately? Yeah, November. Someone forgot to tell Mother Nature, because temperatures in the L.A. basin were expected to sneak into the 90s today and could break records, says the National Weather Service. Look ... More >>

90: Furikake Kettle Corn at A-Frame

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. 91: Furikake Kettle Corn at A-Frame. Roy Choi is rightly credited with many things: launching a fleet of trucks considered the modern street food equivalent of ... More >>

5 Dog-Friendly Winery Tasting Rooms

A love for wine and dogs can co-exist. People take their pets everywhere these days--dining and drinking out, no exception. Although Los Angeles has approved pets on restaurant patios (per the recent Squid Ink post), rules prohibit them inside. Nor are they welcome at bars or in the tasting rooms at ... More >>

Raul Ortega: The Truck Stops Here

One of the fascinating Angelenos featured in L.A. Weekly's People 2012 issue. Check out our entire People 2012 issue here. The most remarkable clue that you have arrived at Mariscos Jalisco, a lonchera parked on Olympic Boulevard in Boyle Heights, is in the air. A few blocks away, the climate is no ... More >>

10 California Summer Wine Events

Summer is a wine-drinking marathon in California, and up and down the coast, each weekend brings pleasant opportunities to imbibe outside. The diversity of events reflects the state's varied wine-growing regions. Those on hotel grounds come with a room night package -- a smart way to go. Because i ... More >>

In Memory Of A Fundraiser: Wally's Central Coast Wine & Food Event Ends Its 8 Year Run

Wally's Central Coast Wine & Food Celebration, a nonprofit wine and food tasting event that began eight years ago to support the Michael Bonaccorsi Scholarship Fund, has unexpectedly been cancelled this year. "We just don't have a place to do the event," says the event's volunteer publicist, Janni ... More >>

Josh Macciello Convinced L.A. He Was in Line to Buy the Dodgers. But He Was Really a Fraud

Buy This Now: Apple Wood From Ha's Apple Farm

It's that lateral-management time of year. But unless you're an apple or pear farmer, this is about as important to you as doing your taxes early. All you need to know is that proper lateral management ensures efficient fruit production, focusing a tree's energy where it counts -- building strong li ... More >>

L.A. Farmers Markets Exposed

Often, produce sold at stalls isn't organic, grown by small farms — or even spray-free

The LA BBQ Festival: Barbecue on the Beach

Melissa CaskeyTom Ferguson slow-cooks his pork ribs​ For three glorious days, barbecue companies from across the country gathered this past weekend at the Santa Monica Pier for the 3rd annual LA BBQ Festival: all-you-can-drink-and-eat on the beach. In case you missed it, turn the page for a look a ... More >>

Top 5 Weekend Food Events: LA BBQ Festival, Cevapcici Festival, Dinner in the Exploding City, Trevor Project Benefit, Vietti Wine Dinner

Guzzle & NoshA pile of sausages at the 2009 LA BBQ Festival.​3rd Annual LA BBQ Festival Admission covers all you can eat from nine of the nation's top pitmasters including LC's (Kansas City), Bourbon Q (Kentucky), Hitching Post (Santa Maria) and Memphis Championship Barbecue (Las Vegas). 24 be ... More >>

American Farmhouse: A New Location, an Old Look

Barbara Hansenthe dining room at American Farmhouse​ There couldn't be a happier place than American Farmhouse Tavern & Dining Hall in Manhattan Beach. Happy hour ($4 wines, beers, well drinks and appetizers) is whenever you want to go, lunch, late afternoon or from 9 p.m. until midnight. N ... More >>

DIY BBQ: How to Barbecue Santa Maria-style

Jeff KirshbaumMichael Cordsen of Guadalupe's Far Western Tavern barbecues pork loin and chicken Santa Maria style​Memphis, North Carolina, Kansas City, Texas and Santa Maria--all are barbecue styles; only one is native to California. Traced to early ranchers and vaqueros (Mexican cowboys) of t ... More >>

The Chardonnay Symposium: Wine, Santa Maria BBQ Chardonnay Clones (Yes, Clones)

Bob DickeyChardonnay Symposium's Grand Tasting Byron Vineyard​America's favorite wine is getting the star treatment. This weekend, July 22-23, the second Chardonnay Symposium in the scenic Santa Maria Valley puts the spotlight on all aspects of the wine varietal: where it comes from (clones!), ... More >>

American Gastronomy: A State By State Food Map

The New York Times Weighs in on "That Other California Cuisine"

hmdavid/Flickr​ As Kim Severson writes in Tuesday's New York Times, Southern Pacific Railroad big-wigs started Sunset magazine to express the idea of California living: sunshine, gardens, open spaces, clean air, and opportunities as wide-ranging as the state's epic coastline. The intent was l ... More >>

Best Evening Farmers Market: South Pasadena

A. ScattergoodSouth Pasadena farmers market​ Sure, there are farmers markets with more high profile chefs trailing carts and, often, camera crews (Santa Monica Wednesdays); there are markets with stalls featuring more Asian or Hispanic produce (Torrance); or markets scheduled early enough and ... More >>

Stage Raw: California International Theatre Festival

COMPREHENSIVE THEATER LISTINGSNEW THEATER REVIEWSSTAGE FEATURE on Lieutenant of Inishmore LOVE, CONNIE​The Nellie Olesons' John Cantwell has created a multimedia dance comedy thriller, which plays Fri.-Sat., 9 p.m. at Casita del Campo, 1920 Hyperion Ave., L.A.; thru July 24, cavernclubtheater ... More >>

Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado Sidesteps College Tuition Controversy

Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado​When California State University trustees passed a 5 percent tuition hike for undergraduates last Friday, Lieutenant Govenor Abel Maldonado, who sits on the board of trustees, was sure to vote against the fee increase. Why? Maldonado, a moderate Republican in a state ... More >>

Gavin Newsom Challenges Abel Maldonado in Lieutenant Governor Race

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom​San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom glided easily through the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor yesterday, and now readies himself for a competitive general election race against Lieutenant Governor Abel Maldonado, a former state senator from Santa Maria ... More >>

Gavin Newsom Complains About Oil Fee, Janice Hahn Votes for Herself

Ted SoquiL.A. City Councilwoman Janice Hahn​As California voters head to the polls today, Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor hit the radio airwaves and, of course, voted for themselves. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, the front-runner in the lieutenant governor race, made an app ... More >>

Lieutenant Governor of Paper Clips

Janice Hahn, a product of the L.A. City Council, hopes to be a heartbeat away from governor of California

Proposition 14, the Open Primary

What happens to ossified Sacramento if California voters get to shop around?

Schwarzenegger's Pick For Lt. Gov. A Fail (For Now)

Sen. Abel Maldonado.​Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's pick for Lt. Governor, moderate Republican state Sen. Abel Maldonado, was rejected Thursday by the California Assembly. His nomination had passed muster earlier with the state senate, but Maldonado could only garner 36 and then 37 of 41 needed ... More >>

Governator Appoints Hot-Blooded Latino To Second-In-Command

Abel Maldonado​Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Monday appointed state Sen. Abel Maldonado to the position of Lt. Governor, an office vacated by John Garamendi, who left the job to become a U.S. Congressman. Maldonado is a Republican from Santa Maria who was born to Mexican farm workers. He help ... More >>

Mark Peel's New Cookbook: New Classic Family Dinners A Recipe for Cold Cucumber Soup

Amazon.comNew Classic Family Dinners​Mark Peel has had a busy summer. In addition to working on the new bar up the street from his La Brea Avenue restaurant Campanile, opening a new take-out place (more on both projects coming), competing in Top Chef Masters and appearing as a judge in the new ... More >>

Don't Cry Into Your Wineglass: California Wine Wins Malbec Competition

Barbara HansenA glass of Malbec​Don't cry, Argentina, but you've lost a bit of your glory. The top Malbec in the 2009 San Francisco International Wine Competition didn't come from Argentina, where Malbec is so common that wine judges there get tired of tasting it. Voted overall best was a Cali ... More >>

Do Right by Your Dad: Father's Day 2009 Tips

Hey kids, treat your dads right! Their Hallmark holiday comes up this Sunday, June 21, so here are some venues where you can honor thy father. Or at least treat him to a burger and beer. Royal/T, the Japanese maid-themed café and art space, is... oh, who cares. We've said enough. Does Royal/T rea ... More >>

Rock Picks: Black Lips, Maria Taylor, Audacity, Irina Bjorklund

Also, Gangi, Chris Cornell, Joe Lally, Useless Keys and others

Rock Picks: Winifred E. Eye, Stagecoach, Marianne Dissard, Thao

Also, Franz Nicolay, Sweet, Tinted Windows and others

Neverland Moves to Bel Air

The King of Pop's New FortressPhoto: Leahcim506 Forget Bahrain. Forget Europe. Santa Maria? -- a distant memory. The trainwreck-in-progress known as Michael Jackson has taken a lease on a mansion in L.A.'s very own Bel Air. The Associate Press reports that the King of Pop has been ensconced in  ... More >>

Checking Back Into Frederick Wiseman's Hospital

The doctor won't see you now

American Flatbread: The Anti-Steak of California's Central Coast Wine Country

In the meat-intensive land of Sideways tourism, a fresh phenomenon in Los Alamos

Let It Burn

The battle between firefighting and fire guiding

Mr. Bossman's Ragtime Band

Bruce Springsteen and the Seeger Sessions Band at the Greek, June 5

The Smog Doctor

John Peters and the science of children and dirty air

Never Say Neverland

Michael Jackson’s fan army and the California rapture

Serving Monster

The Deer Dancers of Mexico

Guilt Trip

The transformation of Kathleen Ann Soliah into Sara Jane Olson

Slingshot to Hyperspace

My Favorite Things, Part 3

Carne Knowledge

Alfresco steak in East L.A.