Elina Shatkin

The old adage says "April is the cruelest month," but perhaps it's February in the restaurant business. After 20 years, Joachim Splichal's Pinot Bistro (of the fantastic pork rillettes) closes its doors on Feb. 19. To celebrate its two decades, the Studio City restaurant is offering giveaways and featuring several......

When is a banh mi not a banh mi? That is not a trick question, by the way. When it has no charcuterie? When it lacks pickled vegetables? Must it be served on a baguette? The ever-blurring boundary between all other sandwiches and the banh mi -- or what's passing......

After years of nudges, calls to action and protests, grocery chain Trader Joe's has finally signed on to the Fair Food Agreement. Spearheaded by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, it's a major step forward in the decadelong campaign to improve working conditions for pickers in Florida, where nearly a third......

Gail Silverton and Joel Gutman, co-owners of Gelato Bar, one of our favorite gelaterias in Los Angeles, recently sold their Studio City location on Tujunga Avenue. Thankfully, the shop's name and gelato production will remain the same......

Indulge Los Angeles This chocolate festival and pastry show features dozens of top chocolatiers and candymakers paired with champagnes, wines and spirits. Benefits St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. WHEN: 1-5 p.m., Feb. 11 WHERE: Olympic Collection COST: $65, general; $175, VIP (buy tix here)......

Some parents, at least in TV commercials, draw a heart in their kid's PBJ. Peter Balogh elevates lunchtime art to a higher plane with his brilliant, whimsical, amusing drawings. The method? Freehand drawing with a Sharpie. The medium? His daughter's lunchbags. (He also posts them on his blog.)......

What happens to a dream deferred? It ends up on reality TV. USA Network is looking for pastry chefs, chocolatiers and private chefs for The Moment, a reality show hosted by former quarterback Kurt Warner. The hopey-sounding show is casting applicants from all walks of life, but we're told they......

It looks to be an un-lovely Valentine's Day for gr/eats. Even as the stretch of Sawtelle between Santa Monica and Olympic experiences a raft of restaurant openings -- ramen shop Tsujita, cafes Balconi Coffee Company and Coffee Tomo, shaved ice shops Blockheads and Brian's Shave Ice, and the impending opening......

Because cookies, video clips and hilarious interviews aren't enough, there is now a Ron Swanson T-shirt. And it's spectacular. Designed by Tom Trager, it imagines everyone's favorite Parks & Recreation character as the star of a Dr. Seuss book. Only instead of sharing and caring and positive values, it promotes......

Vietnamese food on the Westside? It's not that uncommon, but we are always pleased to see more of it. On Monday night, Vien Cafe opened on Pico Boulevard just east of La Cienega. The small, friendly cafe offers pho (both beef and chicken), half a dozen varieties of banh mi......