Christine Chiao

A new steakhouse, Rare by Drai's, opened this past Saturday, Dec. 14, at a part of the Sunset Strip where the lines between restaurant and club frequently -- and purposefully -- blur. (Bar Marmont, the Den of Hollywood and the House of Blues are all close by.) Taking over what......

A well-made mug of hot chocolate, using quality cocoa and cream and often with plenty of marshmallows, is a glorious thing. There's the immediate thrill of sipping your dessert, at once decadent and practical in its liquid form. While milk chocolate may remain everyone's childhood standard, we've since grown just......

Even if you haven't visited Cafe Gratitude (yet), you can probably figure out the NorCal transplant's culinary M.O. with a quick glance at the menu. The names for the organic vegan menu items -- such as Present and I Am Inspired -- are an attempt to connect the food you're......

Our dessert vocabulary is about to be expanded, with the addition of little confections called nuage, French for cloud, at Bo Nuage in Beverly Grove, which is opening today. A nuage is composed of two layers of meringue that are first piped with a flavored whipped cream. This is then......

A diner in Los Angeles may have many iterations, but its basic identity is unmistakable. Breakfast is available at all hours. There's usually countertop seating with swivel chairs upholstered in leather, or booths for groups and the unhurried. A server will call you "hon," perhaps "sweetie" if she's so inclined,......

This past weekend Crossroads chef-owner Tal Ronnen launched a Sunday multi-course supper series that features his collaboration with a lineup of chefs known for various cuisines from Peruvian to the American South. "This is my first restaurant that has a theme. It really doesn't deviate from that," says Ronnen, explaining......

Your lunch and dinner options in Downtown will expand further as with the grand stall-by-stall openings of Torta Company and Loteria Grill at FIGat7th next Friday, Dec. 13. Whereas the Loteria Grill at the Downtown retail complex be its sixth outpost, Torta Company will be a debut venture for Jimmy......

Three Old Fashioned's and two tequila shots to celebrate, well, something, might have seemed necessary at the time -- until you wake up the next morning. Because time travel is not currently an option, the next best thing is to curb what already ails you. So we spoke with a......

This Saturday, Dec. 7, Susan Feniger and executive chef Kasja Alger will reintroduce their Hollywood restaurant as Mud Hen Tavern, complete with new menus and a new look. The business partners closed the previous iteration, Street, for an overhaul earlier last month. Feniger told Squid Ink that she felt the......

Olive Garden is hoping to get you through its doors with a new Italian-inspired burger called (what else?) the Italiano. Launched on the lunch menu yesterday, it's a 6-ounce sandwich with garlic aioli, arugula, prosciutto, seasoned tomatoes and mozzarella, according to Bloomberg. Taking a turn away from the chain's past......