Andrew Simmons

The hot sauce didn't make it to the table until a third of our whole fried snapper had been stripped down to its bones. Attracted by a laudatory L.A. Times article, we were dining at Flavors of Belize, a retooled cafe wedged into the Relax Inn on La Brea near......

There's no sin in Zin--particularly the cozy, relatively smooth sort frequently produced in Paso Robles. This coming weekend, March 18-20, the region will celebrate vines both old and new at the Paso Robles Zinfandel Festival where more than 50 wineries will play host to a variety of events. Spicy zin-heads......

If Jitlada, despite its massive, unknowable menu and maddeningly languorous pace during peak hours, remains the standard by which other Southern Thai establishments are judged, our pick for Northern Thai is Spicy BBQ. Her hair bound in a kerchief, Nong, the proprietor of this endearingly ramshackle closet will make cheery......

Outstanding in the Field, that Magical Mystery Tour of underground suppers, has announced its 2011 schedule. As usual, the dates are heavy on visits to West Coast farms. In case you don't know much about this roving feast, allow us: a merry band of activists, artists, and chefs pilots a......

The Place: El Carmen, 8138 W 3rd St., Los Angeles, CA, (323) 852-1552. The Hours: 5-7 p.m. Mon.-Fri. The Deals: $3 cans of Tecate, $4 margaritas, $2 guacamole, $5 combination platters (two tacos with rice and beans), and free chips and salsa......

The Place: Kibitz Room, 419 N. Fairfax Ave., West Hollywood; (323) 651-2030. The Hours: Every day from 10:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. The Deals: Well, that can be a relative term in a dive bar. What did we think? Turn the page to find out........

We were happy to learn that Monsters of Folk principles Jim James (My Morning Jacket) and M. Ward (She & Him) have a food blog. James is from Louisville, KY, our hometown. We were first exposed to his sweet, billowing voice at an all-ages show in 1998. He wore a......

Anyone who has wasted an afternoon at work bouncing around The Smoking Gun's collection of hospitality riders -- an artist's list of demands, like towels, booze, food, guest tickets -- understands that musicians can be fairly particular about what they ingest before, during, and after their performances. Indie bands are......