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Top 10 Miracle Mile Bars

Miracle Mile is pretty much smack dab in the middle of Los Angeles. It got its name for its improbable rise from a dirt farm road to a mid-century shopping destination, one of the most desirable areas in L.A. in the 1950's. That distinction diminished as other neighborhoods developed "downtowns" of ... More >>

Q & A With Nancy Harmon Jenkins: On the Mediterranean Diet, Her Cookbook(s) What Took Us So Long

For many of us whose idea of good food is a bowl of olives, a plate of mezze, a huge dish of paella or Catalan soup or lamb with couscous, Nancy Harmon Jenkins' cookbook The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook, or her newer The New Mediterranean Diet Cookbook, is one of the basic books of the kitchen. First ... More >>

The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted: Food-Related Stories From Elizabeth Berg

Ladies, are your brains too fried from the summer heat to get through a hefty book club tome? Then put that one aside and instead spend a few days reading Elizabeth Berg's collection of short stories, The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted: And Other Small Acts of Liberation. Sorry, guys, don't mean to ex ... More >>

Occupy L.A. Is Mad About Supreme Court's Obamacare Ruling

Who knew? Occupy Wall Street (and its Los Angeles faction) hates Obamacare. That's because, though your run-of-the-mill Westside liberal is likely to applaud the "health care for all!" initiative, the more skeptical end of the 99 percent sees it as just another victory for corporate America:

7 Bizarro Life Lessons from Kevin Smith's New Book Tough Sh*t

Southwest Airlines may agree with the "fat" part of Kevin Smith's new book Tough Sh*t: Life Advice from a Fat, Lazy Slob Who Did Good from Gotham Books, but Silent Bob is far from lazy. He's an author, comic book store owner, professional stage farceur and podcaster who runs a network of podcasts fo ... More >>

America the Beautiful 2: The Thin Commandments Review

Web Surfing: A Roundup of News from L.A. Food Blogs & Beyond

-- The Unbearable Heaviness of Cookbooks. [Zester Daily] -- The joy of cooking squirrel. [The Ethicurean] -- Today's federal programs make you long for the Depression. [Mark Bittman] -- Seriously, What Is Up With These Pistachio Ads? [Grub Street] -- Divorce Cakes: 10 Outrageous Confections. [Hu ... More >>

Unintenionally Funny Culinary Ephemera and Food Ad Gallery

Food advertising may not be built to last forever, but it sure can be entertaining. Scan online ephemera collections and you'll quickly find a collection of tasty--and sometimes stomach turning--food advertisements that prove some promotional materials really should have a brief shelf life. Aspiri ... More >>

Art Pick

Must See Art

Kim Fisher at China Art Objects Galleries and “Identity Theft: Eleanor Antin, Lynn Hershman, Suzy Lake, 1972–1978” at the Santa Monica Museum of Art

Writer's Boot Camp

... with dessert. The Writing Pad promises gain without the pain

Citizen Forester

Andy Lipkis speaks for the trees. Now he wants to solve our water problems too.

Heir of the Dogma

Group 101 goes global

Memoir of a Singing Waiter

Life after college

Letters

Too Damned Far

But -- to paraphrase Michelin -- well worth the drive

American Pie