Santa Monica

Web Surfing: A Roundup of Posts from LA Food Blogs

-- Cocktails @ The Tasting Kitchen. [Naked Sushi] -- Op Fed: Remembrances of Food Past. [Eat: Los Angeles] -- The World Cup at Guelaguetza: Mexican Glory And Chef Ludo. [Teenage Glutster] -- Dean Sin World - Dim Sum, Dumplings, and a Dating Epiphany. [The Delicious Life] -- The Future of Food T ... More >>

Beach-punks and Ballyhoo: Pac-Sun's Seaside Sound and Swag Fest

The weather may have been breezy, but there was a definite warm-up going on at PacSun's Beach Ballyhoo in Santa Monica this past weekend -- warming up for skimpier fashions, warming up for summer sports like skateboarding and biking, and if the considerable showing of punky, pierced tweens was any i ... More >>

Two Arrested In Murder Of Santa Monica Actress

SMPDSuspect Kelly Soo Park.​Santa Monica police announced Friday that they've arrested two suspects in the murder of 21-year-old actress Juliana Redding, who was found dead in her apartment in the 1500 block of Centinela Avenue on March 16, 2008 after police went there to conduct a welfare che ... More >>

Stage Raw: Blue in the Face

COMPREHENSIVE THEATER LISTINGSNEW THEATER REVIEWSCurrent STAGE FEATURE on Anton Chekhov's 150th Birthday BashNEW REVIEW TI RECORDI, AMORE MIO (D0 YOU REMEMBER, MY LOVE?) ​Blue in the Face ensemble; photo courtesy of Santa Monica Playhouse A small bit of the Roman spring came to the Santa Monica P ... More >>

ACLU Drops Suit Against Santa Monica Over Its Treatment Of Homeless

​The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California announced this week it was dropping its lawsuit against the city of Santa Monica over its treatment of homeless residents. An ACLU statement indicates Santa Monica officials have agreed that " ... merely sleeping and homeless status sh ... More >>

Company Helps Prevent Traffic Tickets In Santa Monica

Ticket Angels.​A new company in Santa Monica promises to patrol your block-- before parking enforcement and street sweepers arrive -- and warn you to move your car or face a parking ticket. The concern charges $60 a year and claims that $12,000 in tickets have been spared so far. According to ... More >>

Kennedy Clan Member Becomes Mayor Of Santa Monica

​Happy birthday, Mr. Mayor. It's not exactly the White House, or even the California first lady's office. But Santa Monica City Hall does have one of the more potent and groundbreaking political bodies on the West Coast, and now it has a member of the Kennedy clan, Bobby Shriver, as its leader ... More >>

Santa Monica Police Officer Wounded, Suspect Shot

​A Santa Monica police officer was recovering in a hospital Tuesday after he was shot by a suspect during an early morning traffic stop near Lincoln Boulevard and Bay Street, police said. The passenger of a vehicle pulled over for a DUI investigation allegedly opened fire on the officer about ... More >>

Web Surfing: A Roundup of Posts from L.A. Food Blogs

-- Santa Monica bar The Joker gets raided after employees and customers sold coke to undercover agents. [Grub Street] -- Playing Maj Jongg, with a little wine and cheese. [Food, she thought] -- Pat Saperstein stops by the preview party for Private Chefs of Beverly Hills. [Eating L.A.] -- OC Weekl ... More >>

Bite Bar & Bakery Open In Santa Monica For Breakfast and Lunch: Dinner, Wine Bar Forthcoming

Bite Bar & Bakery in Santa Monica is entering into its third week since opening their doors, but are still considering themselves to be in preview mode. Their first week began with breakfast and last week they were able to expand to lunch service. Dinner and a wine bar are in the works (license is o ... More >>

In Wake of Whale Sales, Hump Closes For Good

Earlier this month, news broke that Santa Monica restaurant The Hump had been engaging in the illegal act of serving whale sashimi. The restaurant did eventually admit to the offense, and as of Saturday, they have officially closed their doors. See the full statement, as issued on their website, aft ... More >>

Spring Beer Bash at Rustic Canyon Tomorrow

Rustic Canyon in Santa Monica will be kicking off the arrival of Spring with a 5 course tasting menu and beer pairing tomorrow. Beers will be handled by Naked Pint authors and beer sommeliers Christina Perozzi and Hallie Beaune, with selections coming from local breweries such as Craftsman, Skyscrap ... More >>

Santa Monica Whale Sushi Restaurant Closes

The Hump and Typhoon restaurants.​The Hump, the Santa Monica restaurant that faces a federal charge for serving endangered whale meat, announced it's closing its doors effective Saturday. "The Hump hopes that by closing its doors, it will help bring awareness to the detrimental effect that il ... More >>

Anti Whale-Sushi Campaign Waged Against Wrong Restaurants

​The owners of a chain of Thai restaurants in the Pacific Northwest say they've been wrongly targeted by activists upset over the serving of whale meat: Apparently the eateries are in the cross-hairs of animal lovers because they happen to have the same name as the parent company of the Santa ... More >>

Whale Sushi Restaurant Issues Apology, Admits Wrongdoing

thehump.biz.The Hump.​The Hump, the Santa Monica sushi restaurant charged with serving endangered whale meat, admitted to the crime and issued an apology on its website. "The charge against the restaurant is true: The Hump served whale meat to customers looking to eat what in Japan is widely ... More >>

Celebrities Frequented Whale-Sushi Restaurant

thehump.biz​If The Hump, the Santa Monica restaurant that allegedly served illegal whale sushi, was not exactly in the same league as its more critically acclaimed competition (Urasawa, Nozawa), it was still on the map for many celebrities, some of whom frequented the eatery after flying into ... More >>

Breaking News: Restaurant's Owner, Sushi Chef Charged In Whale Meat Scandal

​Federal charges were filed Wednesday against a Santa Monica restaurant and its sushi chef for allegedly serving sei whale, an endangered species projected under the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act, the U.S. Attorney's office announced. The criminal complaint charges the The Hump's parent c ... More >>

Fig Out

Whether you swing carnivore or vegan, Ray Garcia has you covered — or wrapped

Murder Trial For Alleged Santa Monica Gangsters Set For This Month

Google MapsWoodlawn Cemetery.​Four men accused of murdering a popular man in Santa Monica's Pico neighborhood are headed to trial later this month after a judge deemed there was enough evidence to try them. The May 11, 2008 discovery of Preston Brumfield's body in the community set off a maj ... More >>

Memorial Pending For Santa Monica Mayor

Ken Genser.​Memorial arrangements were pending Monday for Santa Monica Mayor Ken Genser, 59, who died over the weekend from "multiple complications," according to the Santa Monica city manager. Genser was a three-time mayor and a longtime leader in the city's ruling political organization, Sa ... More >>

Santa Monica Closing Deal For Broad Museum, According To Report

The Broad FoundationEli and Edythe Broad.​The city of Santa Monica is wrapping up a deal to bring billionaire Eli Broad's long-planned contemporary art museum to the seaside town, city officials told the Santa Monica Daily Press. The location would be a 2.5-acre, city-owned lot near the Civic ... More >>

Food Truck Flash Mob Quashed In Santa Monica

Aaron Stein-ChesterThe Kogi taco truck in action (file photo).​A virtual flash mob of food trucks that successfully gathered at a Santa Monica parking lot (and raked in the dough) Monday was quashed Tuesday after the city announced that the mobile food court was illegal. While the owner of th ... More >>

Gourmet Food Truck Corner in Santa Monica Shut Down After One Day

Following up from yesterday's post on the opening of the Gourmet Food Truck Corner in Santa Monica, city officials confirm that the mobile food court was shut down today due to zoning violations. Just hours ago, mobile food court organizer the Southern California Mobile Food Vendors Association twee ... More >>

Missing British Teen 'Alive,' 'Out There,' Police Say

SMPDLeona Dawn Perryman.​Santa Monica police now say they believe missing British 19-year-old Leona Dawn Perryman is alive and probably is not the victim of foul play. Officers picked up her boyfriend, 45-year-old Paul Alfred Atkinson, Wednesday evening after he was named as a person of intere ... More >>

Top 10 Christmas Dining Options If You're Going Out This Year, For Whatever Reason

Because your mother-in-law is critical of your cooking. Because your mother-in-law always burns the roast. Because you've been finding Pepperidge Farm bread crumbs scattered about your kitchen since Thanksgiving. Because this year you just don't have time. For whatever reason you're not cooking or ... More >>

Battle Of Menorahs Comes To Santa Monica

​It's all going down this weekend as Chabad of Santa Monica and its oil-fueled, traditional menorah faces off against Santa Monica Synagogue and its light-bulb illuminated, new-school menorah at Third Street Promenade in the Westside city. Chabad of Santa Monica used to run the menorah show o ... More >>

Hang Out With Farmers: Volunteer At The Santa Monica Farmers Market

If you've always wanted to be a part of the farmers market, here's your chance. Hang out with farmers, learn about where your food comes from, shop early for your Meyer lemons and fresh garbanzos and tuber roses while the marine layer rolls in off the nearby Pacific, all while you do a little good w ... More >>

ICE PICK OF THE WEEK

Black Wednesday at the Santa Monica Farmers Market: Come Early, Bring Your Pith Helmet

Santa Monica Farmers Market​This Friday may be Black Friday and the start of the Christmas shopping season, but tomorrow is the biggest shopping day of the year at the Wednesday Santa Monica farmers market. To accommodate the crowds shopping for Thanksgiving dinner, the market will open with t ... More >>

Shootings Rock The Westside (Updated)

UPDATED: Whomever says the Westside sees no action hasn't been paying attention this week. On Tuesday night a 20-year-old man was fatally shot in Santa Monica and early Thursday morning Los Angeles police opened fire on a robbery suspect, wounding the boy in the Sawtelle neighborhood of West Los Ang ... More >>

JiRaffe Joins the Circus (Metaphorically) With A Prix Fixe Menu

Erinn EichingerKooza Tickets​If you've been anywhere near the Santa Monica pier lately, you know the circus is in town: dominating the landscape these days is the yellow and blue striped big top that is Cirque du Soleil. The troupe is in town with their new show Kooza. Chef Raphael Lunetta ... More >>

Santa Monica Police Tear Into Local Gangs

Some find it hard to believe that Santa Monica, with a median housing price of $1.6 million, is home to two entrenched gangs. The residents of the Pico Neighborhood, near Santa Monica College, know the fact well.SMPDSanta Monica police patrol the not-so-mean Third Street.​ Preston Wayne Brumf ... More >>

Pumpkin Carrying & Decorating At The Santa Monica Farmers Markets Where To Buy Dick Cheney Halloween Costumes

It's pumpkin season again, in the fields and on front porches and at local farmers markets, where next Wednesday the Santa Monica farmers market will be holding its annual all-you-can-carry pumpkin patch. It's pretty self-explanatory: pay $5 and load up with as many pumpkins as you can carry ("balan ... More >>

Whisky Live: They Came, They Sipped, They Went Home Bleary-Eyed

Last night's Whisky Live tasting in Santa Monica was a rather buttoned-up affair in the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium - at least for the first hour. Tastings were politely dolled-out in exchange for drink tickets all night (a sort of grown up carnival ride system), thus cleverly keeping the tossing- ... More >>

Name That Pastry Chef 3: Her Flan Is Front and Center

For this week's Name That Pastry Chef, we're heading east. That should be a pretty big clue, if not for the little issue of those last two pastry chefs hanging their whisks in Santa Monica. So this round you're also getting a photo with a panoramic view of the restaurant's bar (this pastry chef's wo ... More >>

Stage Raw: The Laramie Project Ten Years Later

COMPREHENSIVE THEATER LISTINGSLATEST NEW REVIEWSSTAGE FEATURE on Parade at the TaperINTERVIEW with Pieter-Dirk Uys and Charlize TheronTHE DOCTOR IN SPITE OF HIMSELF​Photo courtesy of Ipenema Theater Troupe and the Electric Lodge TheatreCheck back here Monday afternoon for reviews of Moliere's The ... More >>

FoodGPS Sponsors Progressive Dinners: Walk to your Food

If you're yearning to try a few of the restaurants that will be participating in the upcoming dineLA Restaurant Week (um, weeks), FoodGPS is sponsoring 2 progressive dinners to preview participating restaurants, and they're walkable. Not only can you hit a few restaurants, picked for their proximity ... More >>

Santa Monica Pier: Party Like It Was 9/9/09

The last time Angelenos had something to celebrate on September 9, '09 was one hundred years ago today when the Santa Monica Municipal Pier first opened to the public. Ever since its beginning, the 1,600-foot-long concrete pier has been popular with tourists, fishermen, and hungry locals. To celebr ... More >>

Last Free Concert on the Pier This Thursday: A Patti Smith Appropriate Take Out Menu

Jenn GarbeeRib Eye Tacos To Go​Rock legend Patti Smith is performing the season closer again this year at Santa Monica's free Concerts on the Pier on Thursday night. Although you can't BYOB like at the Hollywood Bowl, you can pack a killer picnic. Here are a few take-out suggestions appropriat ... More >>

Stage Raw: The Redemption of Mrs. Satan

The latest NEW REVIEWS are embedded in the COMPREHENSIVE THEATER LISTINGSAlso, see the current STAGE FEATURE on Troubadour Theater Company's Oedipus the King, Mama! and the Chekhov Studio's The SeagullJULIUS CAESAR​Shakespeare's history play is being performed at Theatricum Botanicum, and is one o ... More >>

Stage Raw: Touch the Water

This latest NEW THEATER REVIEWS are embedded within this week's COMPREHENSIVE THEATER LISTINGS; also, see this week's THEATER FEATURE on El Ogrito (The Ogreling) and Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad ZooHALF OF PLENTYHalf of Plenty Photo by John FlynnThe West Coast premiere of Lisa Dillman's play "on le ... More >>

Stage Raw: Marry Me A Little

The latest NEW THEATER REVIEWS are embedded in this week's COMPREHENSIVE THEATER LISTINGS; also, see this week's THEATER FEATURE on Kevin King's The Idea ManMARRY ME A LITTLE/THE LAST FIVE YEARS Marry Me a Little Photo by Michael LamontNEW REVIEW MARRY ME A LITTLE & THE LAST FIVE YEARS For M ... More >>

EVERYTHING'S BETTER IN SANTA MONICA!

Today in Photographs: April 20, 1977

Roman Polanski (right) on his way to court in Santa Monica for a preliminary hearing on rape charges filed against him.Photo: LA Herald-Examiner/LAPL CollectionClick image to enlarge

Today in Photographs: March 12, 1968

Dream On! What looks like an aircraft carrier for Concordes is actually Santa Monica Island -- a proposed artificial landmass that would have served as an extension of Los Angeles International Airport. The island would connect directly to LAX by means of a subway (seen extending from the island's b ... More >>

Market Forces: Fig at the Fairmont Miramar

Ray Garcia's menu follows the flavors of the seasons

Ice Skating Is Fun

Coalition of Whatever

Bizarre outcomes in California bond measures, social issues, taxes. Mystery voters have their say.

Queer Town: "No on 8" Supporters Rally in West Hollywood

With less than 48 hours until Election Day, hundreds of "No on 8" supporters gathered in West Hollywood Park on late Sunday afternoon, showing their resolve to defeat Proposition 8, the ballot measure that seeks to eliminate the right of gays and lesbians to legally marry in California. The peaceful ... More >>

Proposition T: The Most Divisive

Things get absurd between slow-growthers and pro-growthers in Santa Monica