Western Europe

Dorothee Burkhart, Mother of Accused Arsonist Harry Burkhart, Ordered to be Sent Back to Germany

Around New Year's Harry Burkhart went on an arson spree that terrorized Los Angeles, prosecutors say. And one of his reported motives was that his dear mother, a woman who ran an erotic massage business out of the same apartment building where the pair lived, was going to be extradited back to Germa ... More >>

The World's 50 Best Restaurants List: Noma, Again (And Again)

Everyone loves a list, particularly a ranked list. We do. David Letterman does. Water companies do. Thus S. Pellegrino has just announced their list of the World's 50 Best Restaurants. For the third consecutive year, Noma in Copenhagen comes in at the number one spot. (Congratulations to Rene Redzep ... More >>

World's Most Expensive Chocolate Easter Egg Sold for $10,000

Thank you, Easter Bunny! London-based chocolatier William Curley has cracked a Guinness World Record by crafting the most expensive non-jeweled chocolate egg ever sold at auction, according to London & Partners. The 110-lb. confection sold for over $10,000 (you could buy about 10,000 Cadbury crème ... More >>

Short Attention Span Dinner Theater: Your Week in Food, 1/23-1/27

In which we highlight the past week in food, either at home or abroad. "I'm not sure that what you're looking for exists." Bouillabaisse: Meant for the Poor, Now for the Rich. "And so, he borrowed the three-inch rock from an 'American collector' and tossed it in a barrel full of Cabernet Sauvign ... More >>

Vaginal Davis, Performance Artist, on Why Her 'Pussy Is Still in Los Angeles' Though She 'Lives in Berlin'

Vaginal Davis, the one-of-a-kind genderqueer performance artist/writer (Cholita, Bricktops, Fertile LaToya Jackson Magazine, much, much more) returns from her adopted home of Berlin for My Pussy Is Still in Los Angeles (I Only Live in Berlin) at the old Bullocks Wilshire. Still jetlagged, she update ... More >>

She's Bla-a-a-ack! I Mean Ba-a-a-ack!

Vaginal Davis, the one-of-a-kind genderqueer performance artist/writer (Cholita, Bricktops, Fertile LaToya Jackson Magazine, much, much more) returns from her adopted home of Berlin for My Pussy Is Still in Los Angeles (I Only Live in Berlin) at the old Bullocks Wilshire. Still jetlagged, she update ... More >>

James Joyce Would've Loved This, Too (at Least the Drinking Part)

Vaginal Davis, the one-of-a-kind genderqueer performance artist/writer (Cholita, Bricktops, Fertile LaToya Jackson Magazine, much, much more) returns from her adopted home of Berlin for My Pussy Is Still in Los Angeles (I Only Live in Berlin) at the old Bullocks Wilshire. Still jetlagged, she update ... More >>

Top 5 Weekend Food Events: Boxing Match, Eat My Blog, Food of the Jews of France, Breakfast with Santa, Artisanal LA

It's a bake sale!​Boxing Match Boxed wine: scourge of snooty oenophiles, emblem of populist wine drinkers, re-embraced by thrifty contrarians. The stuff has, supposedly, improved by leaps and bounds since Trader Joe's cleverly repackaged the it in bottles and sold it as Two Buck Chuck. Decide ... More >>

Berlin Currywurst: Sausage Über Alles

Guzzle & NoshSausages dressed in flavored ketchup at Berlin Currywurst.​There were always plenty of good butchers around town, if you knew where to look, but now that butchery has, for better and worse, acquired a patina of hipness, meat and potatoes, with all the old world comfort and stodgin ... More >>

Are London Riots Any Different Than L.A. Riots? UCLA Professor Says Blacks Are 'Similarly Oppressed' In UK

Getty ImagesThe London riots​Based on the (absurdly informed) opinion of UCLA sociology professor Darnell Hunt, Telegraph correspondent Tim Stanley was right to worry that Brits -- and commentators around the world -- may be blaming this week's London riots on the moral character of the rioter ... More >>

Planes, Trains, Citroëns French Fries: Air France to Fuel Planes with Cooking Oil

Flickr/ldrose​ If you needed another reason to book an Air France flight to Paris, you can now do so in the name of environmentalism. Well, at least if you ignore the carbon footprint part. According to Mother Nature Network, Air France-KLM has announced that this fall it will start fueling pl ... More >>

reliq, SYMBOLCLUB and More: Berlin Goths Keep It Up All Night

grayl growlsphoto by Adi Parvulescu​ Our writer Drew Denny traveled from L.A. to Lithuania, Germany, Poland and Denmark meeting artists and musicians for her "Overseas Underground" series. Her next stop was a goth club in Berlin, where she met the band reliq. Despite their myriad references ... More >>

Q & With Coffee Geek Mark Lamberton Blue Crow Media's Best Coffee In L.A. App

David BernsteinMark Lamberton at work​ Over the past year, London-based Lamberton brothers Derek, 33, and Mark, 23, have rolled out Best Coffee iPhone apps -- the kind of comprehensive, searchable interactive map of cafes that java enthusiasts dream of -- for London, San Francisco and New Yor ... More >>

Amsterdam Marijuana Cafes Could Close to Tourists: An Opportunity For L.A. Pot Shops?

This could be us.​This could be a great opportunity for Los Angeles, the marijuana capital of America. Turns out Amsterdam might not want your weed-smoking tourist business anymore. Associated Press reports that "the Dutch Cabinet says it will push ahead with plans to force anyone wishing to ... More >>

There's No Porno Like Old French Porno

This could be us.​This could be a great opportunity for Los Angeles, the marijuana capital of America. Turns out Amsterdam might not want your weed-smoking tourist business anymore. Associated Press reports that "the Dutch Cabinet says it will push ahead with plans to force anyone wishing to ... More >>

Revisiting the Regency: England, 1811-1820

This could be us.​This could be a great opportunity for Los Angeles, the marijuana capital of America. Turns out Amsterdam might not want your weed-smoking tourist business anymore. Associated Press reports that "the Dutch Cabinet says it will push ahead with plans to force anyone wishing to ... More >>

Eat This Now: Traditional Currywurst and Jambalaya Fries at Berlin Currywurst

A. TrachtaThe Currywurst at Currywurst.​ L.A. may be known for its street food, but currywurst, Berlin's most popular grab n' go snack, was largely off our radar. That is until two weeks ago when three German transports opened the aptly-named Berlin Currywurst restaurant in Silver Lake's Sunse ... More >>

Of Gods and Men

A. TrachtaThe Currywurst at Currywurst.​ L.A. may be known for its street food, but currywurst, Berlin's most popular grab n' go snack, was largely off our radar. That is until two weeks ago when three German transports opened the aptly-named Berlin Currywurst restaurant in Silver Lake's Sunse ... More >>

Opium, 8 Pounds Worth, Found on LAX Passenger Arriving From Amsterdam, Authorities Allege

What happened to good ole' fashioned American heroin, anyway?​Hmm. Coming from Amsterdam, eh? Maybe we better take a closer look at those suitcases. That was the case at LAX, and authorities said they busted a 28-year-old U.S. citizen returning from the Dutch city. They allege he had nearly 9 ... More >>

G20 to Address Rising Food Prices

Flickr/John Rohana grocery aisle in Korea​ How long has it been since you thought groceries were cheap? Everyone has noticed the increase in food prices, and now the G20, a group composed of the heads of state of 20 of the world's largest economies, is poised to do something about it. Accord ... More >>

Scientists Crack Genetic Code for World's Best Cacao

GastronomyCacao Sampaka, Madrid​An international team of scientists has sequenced the genome for criollo, a cacao variety that reportedly produces some of the best chocolate in the world. The results, published in the latest issue of Nature Genetics, could eventually lead to new and improved v ... More >>

Q & A With Joan Nathan, Part 2: Kosher Wines, "Newish Jewish" How Tom Colicchio (Literally) Saved Her Life

Joan Nathan​In the first part of our conversation with Joan Nathan, we drove around the hometown of Providence, Rhode Island, (via speakerphone) of this award-winning cookbook writer and authority on all things Jewish cuisine, as she explained who loves matzo in France (apparently everybody), ... More >>

Q & A With Joan Nathan: Her New Book, Jewdar The Secret French Matzo Society

​Tonight's sundown is the sixth night of Chanukah. To celebrate this occasion, we check in with Joan Nathan, award-winning author of ten cookbooks about Jewish cuisine, the latest being Quiches, Kugels, and Couscous: My Search for Jewish Cooking in France (Knopf). It's part cookbook, part inve ... More >>

Beyond the Buttplug Gnome

Rotterdam's Wunderbaum satirizes the arts-funding debate

Ask Mr. Gold: Ou Est Le Cassoulet À L.A.?

Anne FishbeinMr. Gold, with dim sum menu​Dear Mr. Gold: My wife had a great cassoulet in Paris several years ago. Is there a place in Southern California that has a real French cassoulet? I know this is the time of year they make it. --Jim Nakano, Glendora Dear Mr. Nakano: The Donut Man! It g ... More >>

Tour De Fat Beer And Cycling Party: Who's Giving Up Their Petroleum Wheels?

Belgium BreweryA Recent Belgium Brewery Anti Petrol Party​Want to pretend that you're living in a quaint beer-friendly college town with less than 150,000 people rather than a sprawling mixology-obsessed metropolis of more than 3.5 million? Fort Collins-based New Belgium Brewery (Fat Tire) is ... More >>

Movie Review: Skirt Day

Belgium BreweryA Recent Belgium Brewery Anti Petrol Party​Want to pretend that you're living in a quaint beer-friendly college town with less than 150,000 people rather than a sprawling mixology-obsessed metropolis of more than 3.5 million? Fort Collins-based New Belgium Brewery (Fat Tire) is ... More >>

Legendary Indie Label Drag City Finds Way To Work "Tila Tequila" and "Juggalo" Into Headline Promoting Bizarre Anti-Comedian Neil Hamburger

This poor man is now the bitch of Tila Tequila and ICP​File this one under: "the Internet and search engines have turned all cool, interesting pop culture into the bitch of the stupidest forms of pop culture." Once upon a time, Drag City was a label that stood for the awesomely weird, from cu ... More >>

Funniest Song About Hipsters. Ever.

They all play synths​Apparently, there are hipsters in the UK (yeah, I know--shocking!). And...they're just like Silver Lake and Williamsburg hipsters! And now someone's written a funny song about them. It's very funny. Best line: "We all play synths." 'Nuff said. Check it out:

MAKE US LAUGH FUNNY BOY: GLENN WOOL

They all play synths​Apparently, there are hipsters in the UK (yeah, I know--shocking!). And...they're just like Silver Lake and Williamsburg hipsters! And now someone's written a funny song about them. It's very funny. Best line: "We all play synths." 'Nuff said. Check it out:

EXCLUSIVE: First Interview with LA DJ Kutmah after His Controversial Deportation

​ Two months ago, news broke that the popular Dublab and Low End Theory-affiliated DJ, Justin "Kutmah" McNulty had been detained by Department of Homeland Security authorities for failing to honor a voluntary deportation notice that he had signed over a decade earlier. The arrest triggered a ... More >>

Weekend Spirits: Genever, Gin Before Gin How Rembrandt Paid His Liquor Bill

Bols GeneverBols of Old​In today's age of anything-goes flavored vodka, it's easy to forget the juniper berry roots of all those smoked salmon and banana vodka shots (salmon first, with a double banana chaser). And so we'd like to thank Genever, a gin-like spirit from the Netherlands dating ba ... More >>

Les 50 Francais qui Comptent aux Etats-Unis en 2010: #1? Ludo

DJ Q&A: A Few Questions For The Legendary Mr. C (Who Says Eezer Still Goode)

​Mr. C is one of the founding fathers of contemporary electronic dance music. He became a top DJ during the late-'80s dawn of rave culture and soon joined the dance-pop act the Shamen, which was so successful ("Move Any Mountain," "Ebeneezer Goode") it was even heard on L.A. radio in the early ... More >>

Plate Spinning: Listings From the Past Week

Some food for thought from local, national and international news sources from this past week: -- Should I Move to France? (28 Questions to Ask Yourself) [David Lebovitz] -- Wendy's pulls disco CD from kid's meals because of "racy" Donna Summer lyrics. So now they can just go home and listen to ... More >>

GO TEAM!

Some food for thought from local, national and international news sources from this past week: -- Should I Move to France? (28 Questions to Ask Yourself) [David Lebovitz] -- Wendy's pulls disco CD from kid's meals because of "racy" Donna Summer lyrics. So now they can just go home and listen to ... More >>

Top 10 Places To Watch the FIFA World Cup

​Tomorrow begins the the most widely watched sporting event in the world, the 2010 FIFA World Cup. And for the next month, from June to July 11th, even Laker mania will take a back seat to soccer. The World Cup, held for the first time in Africa, showcases 32 countries. And while you can of co ... More >>

New No Age Songs Unveiled in Portugal

No Age (plus cake)​The Ashtape website (via Pitchfork) has uploaded Soundcloud versions of a short set of new No Age songs premiered in, of all places, Portugal: As we've told you before, No Age's recent stay in Portugal didn't go that well. First, they were beaten up in Lisbon and the day af ... More >>

DJ Q&A: A Few Questions For Booka Shade's Arno Kammermeier

Berlin duo Booka Shade has broken out of the Berlin underground and into The New York Times with its accessibly melodic techno and mesmerizing stage presence. The pair that started out with groovy choons found mostly via online outlets such as Beatport has become a big-league electronic act known to ... More >>

The Edible Schoolyard, Paris Edition: Champs-Elysees Transformed Into Farmers Market

Daily Mail​ If you were lucky enough to be in Paris yesterday and today, we hope you meandered over to the Champs-Elysees to check out one of the most beautiful ad hoc farmers markets you're ever likely to see. To celebrate a 2-day French public holiday, the street before the Arc de Triomphe w ... More >>

Captain America To Be Filmed In ... England

Marvel​Even as the city of Los Angeles has been trying to keep film production here and Marvel Comics vowed to make its movies in the Southland, news this week reveals that Captain America: The First Avenger will be filmed in London. Bloody hell. That's according to the Los Angeles Times, whi ... More >>

Harold Germany, L.A. Homicide No. 106: South Los Angeles Man Killed in Gang-Related Attack

Los Angeles Police Department detectives are searching for the gunman who shot 21-year-old Harold Germany as he was walking down a street in South Los Angeles May 11. View Larger Map Germany was walking to a corner store at 1:50 pm in the 200 block of West 89th Street when he was approached by the ... More >>

Dubstep Is ... Bang!

Today Los Angeles, tomorrow the world for U.K. bassman Rusko

Airplane Happy Meals: Cocaine Hidden in In-Flight Food

Airplane food has always needed a little something to make it edible, even when it was free. Your average person might pack a sandwich and maybe drink a few more of those tiny bottles of gin to make it all palatable. Now Dutch police have detained 20 people for smuggling cocaine in those in-flight m ... More >>

Plate Spinning: Listings From the Past Week

Some food for thought from local, national and international news sources from this past week: -- The 41 Deadliest Fast Food Meals in America. [Daily Beast] -- Woman becomes first person to be banned from drinking in every bar in England and Wales. [Daily Mail] -- The British finally discover bá ... More >>

Flights Between LAX And London Cancelled

Craig Murphy.​Nine flights to and from London were canceled Thursday morning as a result of volcanic ash above the U.K. that could damage jet engines, LAX officials report. Four flights from London to LAX were nixed while five from LAX to London were a no-go as an Icelandic eruption sent a pl ... More >>

Q & A With José Andrés: His TV Show, What Should Be In Your Pantry & Cooking with Ferrán Adriá

José Andrés' beautiful fun-house of a hotel restaurant, The Bazaar, has been open for about a year and a half now, where the Spanish chef has been serving up cotton candy foie gras, little tin cans of King crab and raspberries, and olive oil pancakes to a crowd variously composed of hotel guests, ... More >>

5 Questions with The Stranglers' Hugh Cornwell [ Free Album Download!]

5 Questions with The Stranglers' Hugh Cornwell [ Free Album Download!]

Nocando Vs. Wrekonize Battle Tape: Stamina Vs. Homophobia [NSFW]

A few months ago we wrote about LA rapper Nocando, whose work during Project Blowed and, recently, the Low End Theory have garnered him much praise on the experimental beatz scene around town (and in London). We just found this battle clip in which the emcee takes on Miami rapper Wrekonize, and w ... More >>

Germans Fulfill Peaches' Weimar Fantasies by Banning Her Little Subversive Cabaret Act

"A degenerate cabaret singer and her Jew pianist singing about Jesus? Vee are not amused."​Oh, Peaches! Why oh why do you insist trying to engage the Germans? Yeah, "Berlin in the 90s," cheap housing in East Berlin, weird theater, state sponsored art things, yadda yadda. You lived your Weimar/ ... More >>