Starbucks Corporation

"Artisan" Instant Coffee? Just Add Panela

Sooner or later, a modern marriage of the current artisan and coffee crazes was inevitable. Still, when that box of Jiva coffee cubes landed on our desk, we found the idea of 'artisan' instant coffee highly entertaining (it was a long day). And, to be fair, our Folgers times have changed. Starbucks ... More >>

LAX Has Free Wi-Fi, Finally

Finally, there's free wi-fi at LAX. Sort of. Forget for a second that the LAX is one of the nation's crappier major airports, cursed by midcentury architecture and an array of politically-connected restaurant offerings that make you actually want eat the airplane food. This is, as the original Pre ... More >>

Jonathan Tropper on His Novel One Last Thing Before I Go, About a Former Rock Star Who Now Plays Weddings

Jonathan Tropper's last novel, This Is Where I Leave You (2009), become a New York Times bestseller. Tonight he's signing his new book One Last Thing Before I Go -- about a drummer in a one-hit wonder rock band who now plays weddings -- at The Grove's Barnes & Noble at 7 p.m. Here's our "Ask the A ... More >>

Most Meat Is Full of Antibiotics, Survey Finds

Rep. Louise Slaughter of New York has released the results from a survey of more than 60 fast food, retail, production and grocery companies asking them about their policies on the use of antibiotics in meat and poultry, Forbes reports. The purpose of the survey was to evaluate their level of transp ... More >>

Starbucks Coming Soon to a Disneyland Near You

The "happiest place on earth" is about to get even better for coffee fans. Disneyland has announced that they are partnering with Starbucks to bring the store into their theme parks. First stop: Disneyland California Adventure. Like all Disney stores, the coffee shop will be themed. It will be cal ... More >>

5 Creepy Vagina Nicknames That Should Go Away Forever

What's in a name? Well, it depends! Ladyslippers sound like the perfect wedding/christening flower -- until you look them up on Wikipedia and see they appear to have varicose veins and a nasty case of the herp. The Swedish supermodel/gymnast you watch buy a soy chai every morning as you loiter ... More >>

Stupid Alleged Criminals of 2011: Our Top 5

​There were way too many stupid alleged criminals to chose from this year. So we'll kick off The Informer's 2011 year-end lists with a solid, entertaining Top 5 of reported retardos, from a suspect said to have videotaped his endeavor to the genius who is accused of putting his underage fantas ... More >>

Thoughts From A Random Black Guy: A Poem About Herman Cain, aka H-Money

[Editor's note: Odd Future member Lionel Boyce writes a weekly column for West Coast Sound. His archives are available here.] "Stupid people are ruining America" is probably the smartest thing I've heard Herman Cain say. Unfortunately, I believe he belongs in that group. When I first saw this guy ... More >>

Yelping With Cormac: The Author of Blood Meridian Reviews Taco Bell

Yelping with Cormac​At its best, Yelp help can help you find a lunch that won't ruin your day.  At its worse, the website is, if not a petri dish for extortion, a willful enabler of bad, whiney writers.  The first big problem is, according to a judge, no longer up for debate, but the second ... More >>

Occupy L.A. Digs In

Hollywood's 10 Most Memorable Coffee Quotes

In honor of National Coffee Day, we've compiled a list of Hollywood's 10 Most Memorable Coffee Quotations. Why memorable movie quotations, and not, say, quotations from your favorite novels? Because we live in L.A. Duh. Turn the page.

Orson Welles' Moby Dick, a Beatles Cabaret and Romeo and Juliet: Monsters in Love

Craig SchwartzThis​ The Playwrights Horizons production of Melissa James Gibson's domestic comedy, This, opened on Sunday at the Kirk Douglas Theatre (presented by Center Theatre Group). In an excellent production, it's an absorbing soap opera with a metaphysical reach it can't quite grasp. See ex ... More >>

Elderly Santa Monica Woman Plows Through Crowd of Children at Fourth of July Parade

Perez HiltonThe Affleck children, just out of harm's way.​If you didn't hear about the near-disastrous car crash during Santa Monica's otherwise idyllic (bike traffic notwithstanding) Fourth of July parade last Monday, it's because the old woman behind the wheel, and the group of children she ... More >>

Music Picks: Elvis Costello & the Imposters, Prince, Ricky Martin, Carrie Rodriguez, The Low Anthem, Mogwai

Also, Gutbucket Chamber Orchestra, Pegi Young, Mike Stinson and others

Page Two: Gypsy Revivalism Is Not All Washed Up

Want Coffee? Tea? With 3:15PM, There's No Need to Choose

B. HansenA cup of coffee tea at Phoenix Food Boutique in Arcadia​ It's 3:15 in the afternoon, and you're dragging, half unconscious, unable to navigate the Web or anything else. What's the remedy? Why 3:15PM, of course. Designed for the afternoon slump, 3:15PM blends coffee, tea, milk and su ... More >>

Cheap Eats: Rainy Weekday at Bernie's Teriyaki

K. RobbinsChicken Teriyaki plate at Bernie's​To combat the biblical torrent of the last few days, we've been indulging in all sorts of rainy day comfort food. Soupy ramen, mac 'n cheese, hot toddys. When we woke today to yet another gray, blustery morning, we knew we needed to branch out. So w ... More >>

Short Attention Span Dinner Theater: Your Week in Food, 12/6-12/10

In which we highlight the past week in food, either at home or abroad. "When you see how they react to the live octopus tentacles at Masan or the pig ear chicharrones at Lazy Ox Canteen, you may have a better idea of how they might handle the idea of babysitting triplets or a sudden move to Icel ... More >>

How Did L.A.'s New Solar-Powered Parking Meters Rake In $230,000 For The Month Of September Alone?

The thing's a machine​Embittered parking-enforcement officers all over Los Angeles are being outperformed by a steely army of 15,000 one-legged cash cows, KPCC radio reports. The new solar-powered parking meters accept credit cards in addition to coins, and avoid breaking down by sending an a ... More >>

Exclusive Interview: Megadeth's David Ellefson on Thrash Metal, his Favorite Bible Story and the Status of That Elusive American "Big Four" Tour (Yes You, Metallica. We're Waiting.)

Valerie McRobertsDavid Ellefson enjoying a stiff Starbucks before Megadeth's set​Megadeth are undoubtedly one of the biggest thrash metal bands of all time. Fronted by Dave Mustaine, founder, guitarist and vocalist, the band was formed in the early '80s after Mustaine was kicked out of Metalli ... More >>

Jinya: Ramen Freaks and Noodle Geeks

Getting schooled in the finer points of broth

Short Attention Span Dinner Theater: Your Week in Food, 7/6-7/9

In which we highlight the past week in food, either at home or abroad. "The Tam O'Shanter in Atwater Village, owned by the Lawry's family, is also as ersatz as can be, a Disney version of a Scottish inn that in fact started its life as a drive-in restaurant, but something tells me it's the ... More >>

SHE'S GOT PLACENTA TO TALK ABOUT

Enhancing the Vibe at Venice Grind

Ben CalderwoodPleasure cruising at Venice Grind​ Everything is in its right place at Mar Vista's most adequately hip coffee joint, where the beans and teas are organic, there is fresh fruit for those who abstain from refined sugar and the corkboard near the entrance is festooned with notices f ... More >>

Number Of Pot Shops In L.A: 583

​Houston, we have a number: After ad nauseam reports about Los Angeles' 1,000-plus pot shops, which some news organizations stated was a number greater than a count of the city's Starbucks outlets, we finally have a number, and it's 583, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Hyperbol ... More >>

Le Pain Quotidien's Uncommon Good

Ben CalderwoodLe Pain's warm welcome​ The Santa Monica PQ is an excellent place to collect an espresso and brioche after shopping the nearby Wednesday and Saturday farmers markets. (If you glimpse the special overfilled pâte à choux--resembling Pac-Man with a mouth jammed full of pastry crea ... More >>

Ask Mr. Gold: Finding Macaroons, From Eye-Popping Colors to Chocolate with Sea Salt

Photo credit: Anne FishbeinMr. Gold, with dim sum menu​Dear Mr. Gold: I was a big fan of the delicate, light-as-air macaroons they used to sell at the now-defunct Boule, on La Cienega. I always thought they made a nice gift and loved dropping by and getting a couple whenever I needed a sweet t ... More >>

This Zombie Moment: Hunting for What Lies Beneath the Undead Zeitgeist

"Zombies are always the monster for fear of something larger than yourself, whether it's the recession, or going on boats without pirates attacking, or countries far, far away plotting our doom. Zombies make sense right now."

Denis Anyone?

Koreatown 1.0: A Food Diary

Sunday, bloody Sunday

You Can't Spell Obama With B-A-M-F-O-R-D

A funny fund-raiser and other things to do this week

Tierra Mia Explores Coffee for the Latino Palate

A journey through the world's best beans

Saint Joan

Relighting the Fire: The Return of Renu Nakorn

The All-Female 1929 Skidoo Review

Meet the Antipress: La Mill Coffee

The caffeine obsessive's newest laboratory

Theater Reviews: Lost Angeles, Point Break, This Lime Tree Bower

Also this week's pick, The Wreck of the Unfathomable

Pink Kink

So I finally tried Pinkberry, and folks, I've just got one question- what's the big wup? Okay, it's pretty tasty and the place is cute (despite the name, the Vermont Ave. space has no pink to speak of; the palate is lime green and it's all plastica'd out with distinct Japanese toy touches) but serio ... More >>

Wrap It Up, I'll Take It

Last-minute hostess gift ideas

Casting by Craigslist

Ethos Theatre Company’s unorthodox classicist

Welcome to Gentrification City

Teardowns. Evictions. Investment. Rebirth. And the significance of that new gelato stand. The perils and pleasures of gentrification

10 Reasons to Switch From Christianity to Scientology

Suicidal Redundancies

Nick Hornby’s new novel, A Long Way Down. Plus, Mitch Cullin’s Sherlock Holmes

Chocolate City

Luna Vista

Davos, American Style

The state of global protest

Letters

All That Ken Burns

Jazz ain’t got that swing

Continental Drift

A new kind of Valley restaurant

Punch Lines

Director David Fincher works the ropes