Santa Monica

Al Michaels Gets DUI In Dicey Santa Monica Neighborhood

Football announcer Al Michaels committed a major foul over the weekend. At least according to Santa Monica police, who stopped him in a dicier part of town and soon discovered, they say, that the NBC Sunday Night Football caller was drunk behind the wheel. It all happened ...

Drug Overdoses Take More Lives Than Car Accidents; California Bill Hopes To Change That

You know you have an overdose problem when more of us in California die from drugs than car accidents. Nationwide a majority of those deaths involved prescription drugs. Marijuana looks downright beneficial in comparison. State Assemblyman Richard Bloom of Santa Monica announced today that he has ... More >>

Mélisse: 99 Essential Restaurants 2013

Tokyo nights

Assembly District 50: Gay Republican Brad Torgan Says He Won't Endorse Betsy Butler or Richard Bloom

In an email to the press titled "Brad Torgan Announces Endorsement Decision," gay Republican and one-time California Assembly District 50 candidate Brad Torgan alerts political journalists that he is, in fact, endorsing no one. So much for that. Torgan placed a somewhat surprising third in the extr ... More >>

Wolvesmouth Goes to Comic-Con: Food Nerds Pop Culture Geeks

It's almost universally agreed upon that the food at Comic-Con sucks -- that is, unless you're a fan of floppy pizza slices and soggy hot dogs marked up to movie-theater prices. Yet just like music festivals, gaming conventions and other pop culture gatherings, Comic-Con is experiencing an influx of ... More >>

Can a Penny Pressing Time Machine Save L.A. Architecture?

Los Angeles specializes in its own brand of architectural amnesia. We like to level Craftsman neighborhoods in favor of freeways and bulldoze stately Victorians in the name of "urban redevelopment." But artist Diane Meyer wants to restore the city's collective memory of our built environment -- and ... More >>

What's In Season at the Farmers Markets: Basil Early Stone Fruit

The big news on the tables this week was the arrival of not one, but two favored stone fruits -- Spring Snow white peaches at Boujikian Farms at the Hollywood market on Sunday and the first cherries from Murray Family Farms at the Wednesday Santa Monica market. The cherries will be here through Jun ... More >>

Top 5 SoCal Pantry Essentials To Pretend It's Really Fall

Those lazy burger grilling summer days may officially be over, but in L.A., that notorious September sun and surf is still going strong. And so if you're not quite ready to retire those local burger condiments for cassoulet beans, these Top Five SoCal Pantry Essentials To Pretend It's Really Fall wi ... More >>

I. Cugini in Santa Monica To Close This Summer

​Santa Monica seafood restaurant i. Cugini, open for over 20 years on Ocean Avenue, announced plans to close this summer, by June 19th. "It was a very difficult decision for us to make," says Sam King, CEO of King's Seafood Company, in a press release. "We truly enjoyed operating i. Cugini ove ... More >>

Sports Bar Report: Where Do Laker-Haters Drown Their Sorrows?

schudog3/flickrSonny McLean's​ Not every adopted Angeleno hops on the Laker bandwagon. Many of the guys with whom we play pick-up. The gruff, white-bearded bartender at the local pub. "I'm from Jersey, see," the bartender said on a Sunday afternoon, doling out free samples of a new Irish w ... More >>

KCRW's Daily Global Street Food Photos: A Countdown, of Sorts

Indonesian street bike, via Marc on KCRW's Good Food blog.​Kind of like an advent calendar leading up to the big day, KCRW's Good Food blog will be posting a daily photo (or photos) of street food from around the world everyday now through May 1st, when the station's Global Street Food event h ... More >>

Last Night: Second Glass Wine Riot at Santa Monica Place

​ They came with their propaganda and their party fever. They welcomed everyone, invited the masses into the cavernous space where they assembled at Santa Monica Place mall, jamming to the driving beats of DJ Andie Cassette. And they poured wine. Lots of wine. Wine from all over the world. Sec ... More >>

Jean and Scott Adam, SoCal Missionaries on Global Yacht Tour, Taken Hostage by Somali Pirates, Dragged Back to Lair

svquest.comJean and Scott Adam, L.A.'s gutsiest missionaries, hand out Bibles in the Cook Islands​Update: Jean and Scott Adam were fatally shot on their boat by pirates, authorities said today -- even as U.S. Navy ships trailed the vessel. Two pirates were then killed and 13 were captured, acc ... More >>

Just Your Average Chef Fest in an Historic Landmark National Park Hotel: Yosemite Chefs' Holidays at the Ahwahnee

Chris AndreChefs' winter wonderland: the dining room at the Ahwanee.​ For those who want to experience our country's natural treasures but aren't the camping type, here is the event for you. The 26th annual Yosemite Chefs' Holidays series of chef demonstrations, presentations, dinners, recepti ... More >>

YET ANOTHER WURST OF TIMES

Food Q & A With Clippers All-Star Baron Davis: L.A. Native Talks South Central, Crossroads, UCLA and More

2009 Eric RichardsonBaron Davis at Clippers media day​Baron Davis is a rarity in this city. He is a true Los Angeles athlete, having grown up in South Central, playing high school basketball at Crossroads in Santa Monica, then in Westwood at UCLA, where after two years, he was chosen with the ... More >>

All My Sons

Bashing With Bad Girls at Nylon Magazine's London Hotel Happening

Wire ImageDrew's favorite LA dive? Chez Jay in Santa Monica ​It would have made sense to hit up Smog Cutter or Lost & Found or Chez Jay after talking drunks and punks from our Dive Bar book on Indie1031.com Tuesday night, but nothing about Nightranger's social schedule ever makes sense (and we ... More >>

Santa Monica Consumer Group Alleges Google-Verizon Internet Plan Could Hinder Universal Internet Access

​A Santa Monica-based consumer watchdog group this week decried a proposal by Google and Verizon Communications that it says would put an end to net neutrality and create a system of pay-to-play haves and have-nots when it comes to internet access. " ... It sets up a two-tiered structure," sa ... More >>

Best Spice Shop: The Spice Station

J. Ritz​If you happen to be cooking your way through the tomes of Madhur Jaffrey, Claudia Roden, Paula Wolfert, and other authors who mine the depths of specific cuisines, you know the ups and downs of assembling ingredients. Some days it's a joy to stop at three different shops to find the sp ... More >>

Chris Behre Is Mr. Fix-It at Gonpachi

Barbara HansenGonpachi chef Chris Behre​Last September, Chris Behre slipped quietly into Gonpachi in Beverly Hills as executive chef. There wasn't any fanfare, and Behre deliberately kept a low profile, because he had to see if he could repair what was then an ailing business. It was a big jo ... More >>

Wine Expo New Wine Tasting Bar in Santa Monica Hello Kitty Wine On The Lineup

Champagne, Italian wine, blue agave and a now tasting room. Wine Expo in Santa Monica is opening a wine tasting room adjacent to the Santa Monica Boulevard strip mall shop this summer. The date is still TBD, but owner Ali Biglar says he's aiming for a late June or early July opening. There will be n ... More >>

Some Like it Hot: A Round-Up of L.A.'s Spiciest Cocktails A Jalapeño Martini Recipe

How do you like your cocktail? Straight-up, salty, sweet? How about mouth-burning, butt-kicking spicy? If it's heat you crave, L.A.'s latest cocktail craze - all things jalapeño - is for you. Mixologists from Santa Monica to downtown to the Valley are turning to the Mexican-grown chili to add a kic ... More >>

Dinner Party a L.A. Mode

B.Y.O.H.P. (bring your own Huckleberry pie)

Santa Monica Could Shut Down Whale-Sushi Spot

thehump.biz​The city of Santa Monica, which apparently owns the land occupied by exotic sushi restaurant The Hump, is looking into allegations that the eatery serves exotic whale meat in violation of federal law. Santa Monica City Attorney Marsha Moutrie told the Santa Monica City Council tha ... More >>

Update: WeHo's Red O To Open In March 2010, With Santa Monica To Follow in May

L. McCaveRed O​Here's a shot of the Dodd Mitchell-designed restaurant on Melrose Avenue (corner of Kilkea Drive) taking shape. The West Hollywood Red O, which is set to open in March of next year, is in the former Moustache Café (later Chocolat) space. Details are currently sketchy, but we'r ... More >>

Ask Mr Gold: The Sunday Meal. Burgers, Beers and Fries

Photo credit: Anne FishbeinMr. Gold, with dim sum menuDear Mr. Gold: We have friends in town from Seattle, and they're hungering for a really fine burger, excellent fries and a primo beer selection. (Is there such a place, a place that offers all three under one roof? A place that's open on Sunday? ... More >>

Fraîche (Formerly Riva) Opens This Wednesday: Musical Restaurant Bar Chairs

The second outpost of Fraîche will open this Wednesday for dinner, in the former Riva space in Santa Monica. The website goes up today for reservations. If this game of musical bar chairs seems somewhat confusing, you're not alone. But at least you know where you'll be eating your dinner this Wedne ... More >>

Francesca Gabbiani at Patrick Painter

Having Tomato Issues? Anne Willan Has a Soup Recipe To Perk Them Right Up

Jenn GarbeeTo Sauce or Soup?​Until last week, you could have gotten away with blaming the cool weather, rather than your potager skills, for your lifeless Beefsteaks and Green Zebras. This week, there's the heat wave to hold accountable for par-baking whatever produce manages to make it to the ... More >>

Drink Up: Prosecco is About to Go 'Glera' A Rustic Canyon Fizzy Aperitif Recipe

The sparkling Italian wine Prosecco is often revered as much for its affordable price as for its food-friendly flavor. That may soon change. Beginning this fall with the 2009 vintage, Prosecco from a select region will obtain "Garantita" status. For the weekend wine buyer, it simply means a G will b ... More >>

Morning Sixpack: A News Roundup

Waiting for Wal-Mart Far from fearing a big-box store, job-hungry Florence-Firestone residents are petitioning to get a Wal-Mart put in their community. L.A. TimesHeal the Aquarium An octopus exploring its tank at the Santa Monica Aquarium loosened a water-control valve, flooding the facility with m ... More >>

Pulling Strings

Lessons From a Santa Monica Food Line

Through HOPE, the humanist impulse hits home

The March That Got Away

The flyer from SMC Students Against Budget Cuts was impressive: A cartoon of the Guv all buffed up, standing behind a podium bearing the California state seal, while brandishing a gun. Out of the weapon's viewfinder poured the words: Hasta la Vista Education!!! Schwarzenegger's new budget will slice ... More >>

David Hinnebusch

The outsider

Before the Hyenas

The wall full of Hyenas wearing oil company bling was previously a Seventh Letter wall covered in a lot of complex, almost dizzying, writing. These pictures are from September 2007 on Santa Monica near Heliotrope. I checked back several times to see if maybe there might be a time with no cars ... More >>

Por El Suelo on Virgil: Retna, AWR, Dame, Werc

The wall that went up a couple of weeks ago on Virgil a few blocks south of Santa Monica is looking beautiful. Here are some sections that weren't finished during our last visit. All photos by Mark Mauer. More after the jump. The words Retna painted going across the piece are lyrics from a Man ... More >>

Theater 2007: Listing Toward the Valley

Here’s to the memories

Riding Out the Apocalypse

Where to catch the last wave

Best Fizz

Wine Expo

It's Not Just Lunch!

Networking at lunch 2.0

a Few of Our Favneighborhoodbookstores A&m Book Cellars Alias Books Counterpoint Records and Books t

Vietnamese Tabletop Barbecue

Dance Camera West

Mommies and Tommy's

Freedom Without Apology

No restitution, no clean records, not even a simple sorry for the wrongly incarcerated in Jessica Sanders’ documentary After Innocence

Saving L.A.

Wanted: A city planner who can organize communities

Drive, He Said

Counter Intelligence throws a party — or 10 tips for no-cook entertaining