Robyn Brown

If you haven't tried the salty, greasy, cheesy culinary triumph of a vampiros taco from the much-blogged about Boyle Heights stand Tacos Guanajuato... Bad news, you're not going to any time soon. Those addictively delicious vampiros (or volcanes, depending on which region of Mexico you're from) which Los Angeles Magazine......

Christmas is almost upon us... which, in addition to the reappearance of Santa at the Grove (and the ensuing disappearance of parking spaces, your paycheck, your sanity, et al.), also means the arrival of Pandoro cakes on bakery shelves. A sweet yeast bread traditionally eaten around holiday time which is......

Something about salted caramel has always seemed hardwired into the oh my god receptors of our brains. And, it turns out, for good reason: The effects of the sweet and salty combination may actually be a chemical one. Pin-up nerd Jonah Lehrer, a contributing editor at Wired (Isn't he dreamy......

Between unnerving water quality reports, speculation that plastic water bottles leak phthalates, and even suspicious recalls of the supposedly safer metal thermoses, there's one clear takeaway message from the bottled vs tap water controversy: Damned if you drink, damned if you don't. Could a new bottle with a silly-looking top......

Apparently, Mexican Coke isn't it. A collective shudder swept through diehard foodies everywhere last week, when Time Magazine and The Atlantic, among others, reported a new study in the journal Obesity that may have inadvertantly proven Mexican Coke to be no more than a myth......

As much as the folks over at A.O.C. would have you believe it, small plate restaurants are really no good for a group: they mean subdivided scallops and scant forkfuls of the one pasta that everyone sullenly wishes they could hoard for themselves. No, a big group really calls for......

The erotic symbolism of the banana is obvious. And the pomegranate, with its blood red juice and swollen shape (not to mention all that dark, lusty business involving Hades trapping his crush object Penelope in hell) is not far behind. But surely there is no fruit sexier than the persimmon,......

Whoever first came up with the whole "Happy Meal" concept is surely the world's most evil genius, so brilliantly and pointedly does it speak to the dirty (as in: crumbs on the floor, spilt milk on the table, and ketchup on that brand new Crewcuts dress) truth about taking children......

Los Angeles may well be ground zero for the let's-meet-for-a-drink cocktail culture, what with all the aspiring Sammy Glicks running around. And the city is crammed with bars and restaurants that cater to them, most of which have the plastic, glossy newness of a TCA chemical face peel. For the......

Los Angeles may be known as the land of vegan baked goods and brown rice sushi, but plenty of local chefs also turn out damn fine charcuterie, the prepared meat products (proscuitto, pâtés, terrines, sausages, etc.) that are a celebration of all things animal. Most often made from pork, charcuterie......