Archive: Food

Entries in this category going back awhile
 

Gustavo Arellano, many others join LA Times staff

gustavo-arellano.jpg Read the memos: A new foreign editor, columnist and replacements for the late Jonathan Gold are among the positions in the latest roundup. Also an abrupt exit from the Times masthead and an updated lineup for the senior editor group.
rosey-alvero.jpg KCET debuts "SoCal Wanderer" with Rosey Alvero. The Wall Street Journal gets a new bureau chief. Plus other moves in local media.

Jonathan Gold, LA's preeminent food writer, has died at 57

jgold-scene-grab.jpg The restaurant critic, cultural anthropologist and voice of Los Angeles found out this month that he had pancreatic cancer.

Tail o' the Pup headed to Valley Relics Museum*

tail-o-the-pup-sv.jpg The iconic hot dog facade will go on public display in Chatsworth sometime soon.

Norms Pico has definitely closed

norms-pico-closed.jpg The windows are covered, cones block the driveway and the We Never Close sign has gone dark.

Norms on Pico looks to be closing this month

norms-pico.jpg The local homeowner group says the 24-hour coffee shop will close December 31 to make way for a new development.

Border Grill closing in Santa Monica after 26 years

milliken-feniger.jpg Chefs Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken have been VIPs in the LA food scene since they opened City Cafe in 1981.

Michel Richard, 68, formative LA chef

michel-richard.jpg The French-born chef built a national empire after his two hit Los Angeles eateries.

KCRW investigates LA restaurant worker abuse

kcrw-investigates-grafic.jpg Longtime LA investigative reporter Karen Foshay rolls out her first series for KCRW, a five-parter on the treatment of workers in LA restaurants.

CBS This Morning follows Jonathan Gold around (video)

jgold-cbs-grab-walking.jpg Correspondent Lee Cowan went out on rounds along Pico Boulevard with Gold for a piece pegged to the documentary, "City of Gold."

Yamashiro closure plan leaves weddings in disarray

yamashiro-inner-garden.jpg The old owner is still fighting eviction by the Chinese buyer of the Hollywood hillside landmark.

Photo: Another Starbucks coming in Santa Monica

starbucks-pico-sm.jpg A former stand-alone Kentucky Fried Chicken on Pico Boulevard is well along in its conversion.

Trailer for 'City of Gold,' film about Jonathan Gold

jgold-screen-grab.jpg The documentary opens Friday in Los Angeles and New York.

Russ Parsons purges his cookbooks after 30 years

parsons-cookbook.jpg The former LA Times food editor donated upwards of 500 cookbooks to the Long Beach Public Library. But it wasn't easy.

Treasure hunt for trees from the Gold Rush era

apples-felixgillet.jpg I love the California history behind this story of fruits and nuts.

Musso & Frank to open on Sunday nights

musso-and-frank-nbcla.jpg Only five hours for supper, but it's enough time for the hard-core Musso's types to run in for a martini and a steak.

Journo tries to visit his mom at Clifton's soiree

welcome-to-cliftons.jpg The ashes of Ray Richmond's mom may have been upstairs in the VIP area. But the family felt her presence.

Clifton's was closed all weekend

cliftons-sign.jpg The new Clifton's opened last week but was unexpectedly closed all weekend "due to some unforeseen circumstances," a sign taped to the door said.

Gjusta written up by health inspector, given B grade

GjustaReport-7-15.jpg Inspection last month found too many flies, improper food prep and dirty fingernails among other violations. Bon Appetit's top new LA restaurant now has an A.

Gjusta, Petit Trois make Bon Appetit's hot list

gjusta-bakery.jpg The magazine gets a second wave of publicity with its choice of the 10 best new restaurants in the U.S.

LA County cafeteria gets its wiggler worms on

worms-la-county.jpg Red wiggler worms now help with the composting so less food waste gets sent to landfills.

Singing the praises of LA's Chinese food

mark-bittman-la-kitchen.jpg "For Chinese food there's no place in the United States like Southern California," New York Times columnist Mark Bittman says in a new video from Los Angeles.

Saturday egg sluts

egg-slutsters.jpg These lucky few slutsters got seats at the counter.of Egg Slut in Grand Central Market.

NBC4 investigates food poisoning at LA restaurants

nb4-food-poisoning-map.jpg County health inspections are spotty even at restaurants with confirmed cases of poisoning, says report by Joel Grover.

Norms passes another landmark hurdle

norms-alan-hess.jpg The city's Board of Cultural Heritage Commissioners today voted unanimously to extend history-cultural monument status to the threatened Norms coffee shop on North La Cienega.

Days sound numbered for Norms on La Cienega

norms-la-cienega.jpg The news doesn't really get better for fans of the Googie-style Norms coffee shop.

Russ Parsons moves from LAT food editor to columnist

russ-parsons-juggles.jpg Move has been in the works for awhile, he says. Amy Scattergood slides up to food editor.

Clifton's Cafeteria facade gets new neon sign

cliftons-sign-install-by.jpg The former Broadway landmark has been closed since 2011, so this is progress.

Jonathan Gold: Pretense of anonymity ends today

goldpulitzer.jpg With a documentary on him debuting at Sundance, the restaurant reviewer says he will no longer pretend that no one knows it's him.

La Cienega Norms display cases: empty

norms-display-case-vla.jpg City Cultural Heritage Commission votes to take Norms status under advisement.

Demo permit issued for Norms La Cienega

norms-la-cienega.jpg An exuberant example of the California coffee shop type and an expressive Googie masterwork by Armet & Davis, the LA Conservancy says.

Larry Cano, founder of El Torito, dies at 90

oc-weekly-cano-cover.jpg Another of LA's chain restaurant pioneers passes away. He 'popularized the concept of the sit-down Mexican chain.'

Still life: Nate 'n Al's on a Saturday

nate-als-stillife.jpg One in a (possibly) occasional LA Observed series.

Cedd Moses will take over Union Station's vacant Harvey House diner

fred-harvey-franklin-ave.jpg Look for a brew pub kind of experience in about a year. The deal is for 20 years.

If you're working Paul McCartney, plan to go vegan

beatles-stadium-1966.jpg IATSE workers are first told "NO ONE is to bring meat of any kind" to Sunday's McCartney show at Dodger Stadium. The tone has softened a bit, but because McCartney is vegan the menu will be too.

Obama stops in Canters for some lunch chat

obama-at-canters-crowley.jpg Between the Brentwood high-roller breakfast and Trade-Tech, President Obama made a stop on Fairfax to have lunch and swap some stories.

LA's last Hamburger Hamlet may have closed

hh-sherman-oaks-mural-mark-london.jpg The Sherman Oaks location on Van Nuys Boulevard has gone dark. There's some talk of reopening under new ownership.

Gorky's sign still hangs over DTLA

gorkys-lamag.jpg The sign at 8th and San Julian should be in a museum, Ed Fuentes blogs. Gorky's Russian cafe was a big thing for downtown in its day.

Pepy's Galley at Mar Vista Lanes may face eviction

pepys-mar-vista-front.jpg Plans to evict Pepy's Galley to make way for a supper club has inspired a Facebook group with 4,000 members and a petition site with 1,200 signatures. A bunch of those are probably LAPD motorcycle cops.

Kate Mantilini in Beverly Hills to close

kate-mantilini-grab.jpg The restaurant at Wilshire and Doheny has met a need through the years: open late, big menu, long counter and a few dishes to come back for. It also has an LA Observed connection.

Big win for Mozza's Nancy Silverton at James Beard awards

nancy-silverton-zocalo-2009.jpg The last chef of the year from Los Angeles was Wolfgang Puck back in 1998.

Amy and Samy and Ana Garcia

Thumbnail image for ana-garcia-at-city-hall.jpg Ana Garcia, the former KNBC anchor and investigative reporter, shows up on a new issue of "Kitchen Nightmares" interviewing the overheated proprietors of Amy's Baking Company in Scottsdale, Arizona.

A twisted tale: Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter Filled Pretzel

peanut-filled-pretzels.jpg The trouble began when Trader Joe’s allegedly switched suppliers, cutting out Aliso Viejo’s Maxim Marketing in favor of giant ConAgra Foods. Maxim has not gone quietly.

Ten of LA's culinary power couples

gergis-menashe-of-bestia.jpg You've got Suzanne Goin and David Lentz (A.O.C., Lucques, Tavern, the Hungry Cats), Genevieve Gergis and Ori Menashe (above, Bestia) and more.

Broad Museum opening delayed until 2015

broad-plaza-rendering.jpg When the museum does open on Bunker Hill, there will be a public plaza and a restaurant whose partners include Bill Chait of Bestia and alums of Thomas Keller restaurants.

Tail o' the Pup sighting on the 405 (video)

tail-o-pup-on-405-am.jpg The storied West Hollywood area hot dog stand Tail o' the Pup has been in storage in Torrance for seven years — until Monday. The stand's wiener and bun were placed on a flatbed and launched toward some kind of destination in Las Vegas for restoration.

Rising to the defense of Mozza's butterscotch budino

budino-mozza.jpg The luxuriant dessert at Pizzeria Mozza threatens to sue over a so-so review. Read the press release.

Chefs will cook to benefit injured food critic Max Jacobson

Max-Jacobson-vegasseven.jpg Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken, Thomas Keller and Bradley Ogden are among the chefs who will join in Las Vegas dinners to raise funds for Jacobson, who was hit by a car while walking in Henderson, Nevada.

Now there is just one last Hamburger Hamlet

hamburger-hamlet-orig-ellenberman.jpg The Hamburger Hamlet in Pasadena is scheduled to close for good tonight and flip into a Du-Par's. That leaves the Sherman Oaks location. Alison Martino has nice memories of the Hamlet.

Hidden downtown courtyard revealed

pac-mutual-courtyard.jpg A former storefront in place since World War II has been removed on 6th Street to expose a courtyard between wings of the Pacific Mutual Building. Pain Quotidien and Tender Greens are coming soon.

Buggy Whip Steak House in Westchester: closed

buggy-whip-closed.jpg The La Tijera Boulevard standby had been around since 1949.

Tom Bergin's to reopen with new owner

Thumbnail image for tom-bergins-interior.jpg The plan is apparently to freshen things up a bit and reopen on December 1, according to Eater LA.

Eagle Rock burger icon closes after 78 years

the-bucket-eagle-rock.jpg The Bucket at 4541 Eagle Rock Boulevard was small but lively, says Eagle Rock Patch. Lost its lease.

Proud Bird at LAX to close in a rent dispute

proud-bird-breeze.jpg The long-time restaurant at the end of runways 25R and 25L plans to close by the end of the year, the Daily Breeze reports.

Hidden Clifton's Cafeteria sign

cliftons-sign-7th-street.jpg On the back of a classic Los Angeles address on 7th Street, visible only across a parking lot, is a reminder of the once popular Clifton's cafeteria empire.

When freelancing dried up, food writer discovered the soil

MyOC-PersonalGrowth.jpg Kelly von Hemert wrote about food and restaurants in Orange County for more than 14 years before the assignments stopped coming.
fukushima-detector-healthebay.jpg Heal the Bay has been hearing from so many people concerned about reports of radioactive contamination in the ocean here that it posted some questions and answers.

Jurgensen's Grocery sign

jurgensens-sign.jpg Who knows where this beauty of a sign was revealed by some construction a few years ago? I'll post the answer later. LA Observed photo...

Art Ginsburg, deli owner was 78 *

art-ginsburg-fb.jpg Art Ginsburg was the proprietor of Art's Deli in Studio City, which has been a politics, community and Valleywood hangout for decades. The deli will be closed Friday.

Tacos catch up to burgers on Google search

in-n-out-westwood.jpg It used to be that Google users searched more often for burgers than for tacos. That's not really true in 2013, at least not all the time. LA Taco does the analysis.

Tom Bergin's on Fairfax to close for good on Sunday

tom-bergins-interior.jpg it's surprising and unsettling when LA institutions, even the unofficial ones, suddenly vanish from the scene. The Irish-style tavern announced today on its Facebook page that it will close at the end of business on Sunday.

Another deli down: Jerry's in Westwood Village

jerrys-deli-ktla.jpg The Jerry's Famous Deli in Westwood Village closed its doors tonight, citing a disagreement with the landlord. Employees were given three days notice, according to manager Michael Angelo.

OC Weekly warns about two women posing as food critics

Two "very drunk and rude women" claiming to be OC Weekly writers were spotted this week at Don the Beachcomber in Orange County. Editor Gustavo Arellano is not amused and advises any restaurants approached for freebies to be suspicious.

Harry Lewis, Hamburger Hamlet founder was 93

hamlet-menu.jpg Lewis was an actor who played gangster “Toots” Bass in the Humphrey Bogart classic "Key Largo," then went on to open a number of restaurants that became Hollywood hangouts. Lewis and his wife, Marilyn, opened the first Hamburger Hamlet on Sunset Strip in 1950.

Empress Pavilion closes in Chinatown

dim_sum.jpg There was a time — actually a long time — when the Empress Pavilion at the north end of Chinatown was packed with hundreds of downtown and Chinese dim sum fans at lunch.

Battle of the French Dip sandwiches (video)

philippe-sign-lit-lao.jpg Dutch journalist and maker of LA-centric videos Joris Debeij has posted a four-minute exploration of the rivalry between Philippe and Cole's over the origin story of the French Dip sandwich. Animation included.

Canter's Deli as a rite of LA politics

canters-gil-garcetti-jj.jpg A group of Jewish real estate men that migrated over from Nibbler's in the 1990s sits down every Sunday morning and receives politicians — including Greuel and a Garcetti — and has welcomed both Yitzhak Rabin and Vicente Fox.

John Galardi, founder of Der Wienerschnitzel was 75

galardi-wienerschnitzel.png Another of Southern California's fast food pioneers has died. John Galardi was a student at Pasadena Junior College when he started working for Glen Bell, the founder of Taco Bell. Galardi opened his first hot dog stand on Pacific Coast Highway in Wilmington, next to a Taco Bell, in 1961.

Tujunga Village taco wars heat up: Henry's gets a rival

henrys-new-place-dk.jpg Just days after Henry's Tacos opened in its new location on Tujunga Avenue in Studio City, the popular spot's old location on Tujunga and Moorpark has been leased: to a competing taco joint. Hmm, I wonder if the landlord had a hand in this?

Pico-Robertson meat market sold

Thumbnail image for doheny-glatt-kosher.jpg A quick update to the story of the Doheny Glatt Kosher Meat Market, which has been accused of selling meat that isn't as kosher as advertised.

Henry's Tacos to reopen in Tujunga Village

studio-sub-patch.jpg The late, apparently missed Studio City taco and burger stand that closed in January will reopen next month a half-block away on Tujunga Avenue. What that means more immediately is that Studio Sub, a sandwich shop that opened in 2010, will be closing on Sunday. More inside.

Manuel Rojas, burrito maestro of El Tepeyac

manuel-rojas-el-tepeyac.jpg KFI News tweeted that employees of the burrito stand, on Evergreen Avenue since 1952, confirmed Rojas' death. Rojas is credited with creating the Hollenbeck Burrito.

Fred Harvey cafe at Union Station still looking for operator

fred-harvey-franklin-ave.jpg One of the most potentially cool spots to locate a restaurant in Los Angeles could be moving closer to opening. But we have heard this before. Check out Fiona Apple in the space.

Henry's Tacos signs and menus already history

henrys-stripped-gary.jpg By the time Gary Leonard got over there today, the period signage that a lot people liked about Henry's Tacos in Studio City had been taken down. Same with the old menu boards above the front window.

Saturday is the final day for Henry's Tacos *

henrys-tacos.jpg Owner Janis Hood said Friday that a potential sale of her family's 51-year-old business in Studio City fell through. She announced she will open at 9 a.m. on Saturday and go until the food runs out, or until 9 p.m.

Henry's Tacos may not close, owner says

Thumbnail image for henrys-tacos-line-gary.jpg The owner of Henry's Tacos said on Facebook tonight that the Studio City stand may not be closing entirely when its lease is finished. It might move, Janis Hood posted.

End-of-year restaurant closure roundup

juniors-sign-wide-lao.jpg Junior's Deli in Rancho Park closes today at 5 p.m., and there are other longtime LA restaurants shutting down or already gone.

When Jonathan Gold chose food over the Foreign Service

oki-dog-counter.JPG This weekend's year-end edition of "This American Life" reprises a 1998 segment in which Jonathan Gold explains his year exploring the food offerings of West Pico Boulevard. Then everything changed. Listen inside.

Junior's Deli can't face rent hike, will close within days

juniorr-deli-ext.jpg Longtime employes of Junior's Deli at the Rancho Park end of Westwood Boulevard were told today that the Westside landmark will close before the end of the year. A rent hike from the landlord is to blame, along with slumping business, say the sons of Junior's late founder.

Henry's to stay open two weeks longer as lease talks go on

henrys-tacos.jpg Janis Hood, the owner of Henry's Tacos in Studio City, says on Facebook that the landlord has asked her stay open until Jan. 15 and has agreed to hold lease talks with a possible new owner. Hood had previously said the landlord would not discuss a lease with the person she hopes will buy the business her family opened 51 years ago.

French bistro comes to the heart of Broadway

figaro-patisserie-byen.jpg f you still think of Broadway in Downtown as a street entirely devoted to bridal shops and other small stores catering to Latinos, look again. The Los Feliz bistro Figaro has just opened a large, gleaming new flagship restaurant near Clifton's Cafeteria.

Whoa: Long lines at Henry's Tacos on Sunday

henrys-lice-facebook.jpg Celebrities such as George Lopez, Adam Carolla and Elijah Wood have rallied around the Henry's Tacos cause, and there's a Change.org group. The result is a very long line outside Henry's on Sunday afternoon.

Henry's Taco's to give employees a break

Thumbnail image for henrys-tacos-close-sign.jpg Business has been so overwhelming since the news got out about Henry's losing its lease that the staff needs Monday off "to regroup."

Councilman Krekorian says don't blame him for Henry's Tacos

henrys-tacos.jpg Reaction to the news that Henry's will close has been swift and intense. Krekorian felt moved to post a lengthy statement denying that his office is aware of any development plans for the site.

Henry's Tacos announces it will close this month

henrys-janis-hood.jpg Signs went up Saturday saying the Studio City landmark would close at the end of December. The owner contends that the landlord and Councilman Krekorian have plans for the corner. Last year's cultural heritage commission vote never went into force.

Kind of funny: 'Reasons LA is the worst place ever'

cafe-gratitutde-menu.jpg A tongue-in-cheek rip on living in Los Angeles from a transplanted Londoner has some amusing observations. "David Spade is one of the city's most celebrated residents. David. Spade." Plus: Cafe Gratitude.

LA's toughest dining reservation

craig-thornton-tny.jpg It's Craig Thornton’s private Wolvesmouth dinners in a loft downtown, says Dana Goodyear in "Toques From Underground" in this week's New Yorker.

Time travel video: Googie coffee shops of LA

Six-minute clip from Harry Pallenberg looks at the rise of Googie coffee shop architecture around Los Angeles. Included are old clips of Astro Burger, the old Carnation building on Wilshire Boulevard, a Van de Kamps drive-in, Ship's, Norm's, Pann's and an interview Googie architect Eldon Davis.

Nice elegy to the place that was Campanile

campanile-front.jpg With Campanile winding down to next week's end of its almost-25 year run on La Brea, Emily Green writes at the LA Weekly's food blog that the restaurant launched by Nancy Silverton and Mark Peel "has stood as proof that Los Angeles has a native-born food culture on par with anyone's. It introduced us to the glories of trattoria cooking and reintroduced us to American classics."

99 Cent Chef on the Hallmark Channel

dressed-burger-bv.jpg Forget all that stuff about a 99 Cents Only store opening on Rodeo Drive. Just a gimmick to get the media talking. But the 99 Cent Chef, he's real — and on TV this morning.

Out in the Central Valley with Mark Bittman

kern-county-soil-lao.jpg Mark Bittman, the New York Times food columnist, asked readers where in the world they wanted him to go to write a solid, serious piece for the NYT Magazine's food issue this Sunday. This challenge led him to California's Central Valley, where so much of the food consumed in America comes from — at least for now. He explains why that had to be the place, and shows his excitement at the scale of it all, but sounds the alarm about the future.

OC Register picks its chief food critic

One of the most talked-about of the positions the Orange County Register is filling is the paper's food critic. Now we know the job will go to Brad A. Johnson, the James Beard winner who had been writing about restaurants for Angeleno.

Restaurant news: Campanile loses lease, will close *

campanile-1932.jpg The owner of the La Brea Avenue building that houses Campanile is close to signing a long term lease for a new restaurant, Republique, the LA Times says.

Canter's changes up the menu a little

canters-fairfax-sign.jpg Out are short ribs, canned salmon, a triple-decker sandwich with tongue, macaroni salad and peppered beef. In are panini wraps, more salads, more breakfast choices and a cocktail menu.

Tacos of the 2013 mayoral race

emanuel-pleitez-taco.jpg Chances are we won't hear a whole lot from or about Emanuel Pleitez as the mayoral race evolves into the big-bucks contest that everybody expects. But he did answer the call from LA Taco to give his list of favorite tacos. Wendy Greuel hasn't done that.

House of Pies, the prequel and the sequel

House-of-Pies-sign-thurman.jpg Here's a bit more intelligence on the House of Pies, the Los Feliz survivor that attracted some appreciative attention recently from a blogger at The Paris Review. The LA Weekly got there first.

In praise of the House of Pies and its history

house-of-pies-graphic.jpg "Sure, you can get gourmet pie flavors at Pie Hole downtown," writes Aaron Gilbreath at the Paris Review blog. "You can get better coffee most anywhere. You can find more unusual egg breakfasts right across the street. But the burgers here are fat and delicious, the pies are unmatched."

Behind the scenes at Guelaguetza

emilia-mateo-guelaguetza-sonicid.jpg Sonic Trace, a radio storytelling project from KCRW and Localore — which is a nationwide initiative of the Association of Independents in Radio and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting — spent a morning talking to servers and other staff at Restaurante Guelaguetza before the venerable Oaxacan eatery in Koreatown opened for the day.

Free tix: Chef Marcus Samuelsson

Marcus-Samuelson.jpg Short notice on this one. You can receive two tickets to see Marcus Samuelsson, the much-honored New York chef whose new book is "Yes, Chef," Tuesday night at Begamot Station in Santa Monica. He will be interviewed by David Burtka, the actor who joined E! News as a correspondent in January.

Jonathan Gold as an LA 'Jewish foodie'

jonathan-gold-craft.jpg Tablet magazine bills itself as "a new read on Jewish life," and it's through that lens the publication profiles the LA Times' food writer Jonathan Gold.

The successful life pursuits of ex-newspaper people

A laid-off newsman starts Newspaper Alum to tell the stories of those who have blazed a new path. Plus: Relaunch for the food site Zester Daily.

LA Weekly editor takes a little shot at Jonathan Gold *

SarahFenskeHeadshot.jpg "We needed someone who could be critical when it was called for, and who had no loyalties, and who was not interested in befriending the city's chefs," says Sarah Fenske. "We needed someone fearless."

Cassell's Hamburgers going dark, then relocating

cassell's-eater.jpg Cassell's has been on 6th Street in what is now Koreatown for a long time, though not so long in its current location. Soon the place christened a couple of media generations ago as the home of LA's best burger will be moving again — and after many months of darkness, perhaps rebooting again with a new menu.

Taco books are suddenly a growth industry

taco-irene-montano-laweekly.jpg Last month the editor of OC Weekly, Gustavo Arellano, began readings around the country and got an interview in the New York Times for his new book, "Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America." Now comes Jeffrey M. Pilcher, a professor of history at the University of Minnesota who for 20 years "has investigated the history, politics and evolution of Mexican food, including how Mexican silver miners likely invented the taco, how Mexican Americans in the Southwest reinvented it, and how businessman Glen Bell mass-marketed it to Anglo palates via the crunchy Taco Bell shell." Read up

Urasawa the second most expensive restaurant in US

urasawa-daily-meal.jpg The Daily Meal did a web exercise of deciding the 25 most expensive restaurants in the United States. Urasawa in Beverly Hills came in at number two, after Masa in New York City. The average bill at Urasawa is said to be $1,111. But there are alternatives.

Chez Jay's future may be short

chez-jay-pavlik.jpg Santa Monica's city hall and the Ocean Avenue landmark Chez Jay are not playing well together. The city is developing the parcel around Chez Jay into a park and wants a restaurant that will point inward to the park — not out to the street — and will serve healthier fare than the steaks and stuff drinks that Chez Jay's current patrons like.

NYT eats tacos with OC's Gustavo Arellano

gustavo-arellano-nyt-mitla-ak.jpg The dateline is San Bernardino, where followers of Arellano's taco chronicles know is the home of Mitla Cafe, the Route 66 roadhouse where Taco Bell reportedly got its original taco recipe.

Expo Line grand opening at noon hour on Friday

expo-park-usc-station.jpg The grand opening to unveil the new Expo Line light rail train is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. at the 7th Street/Metro station in downtown. That kicks off a weekend...
amanda-hesser-mug.jpg Amanda Hesser, the former New York Times food writer who made a cameo in the movie "Julia and Julia," writes on her current website, Food 52, that she used to always give encouragement to would-be writers who contacted her. Then she felt she had to stop feeding, so to speak, their hopes. It's about the market for writers.

Southern California's romance with the taco is now a book

taco+usa+cover.jpg Its earliest-known mention in American letters came in an 1899 Los Angeles Times story about life in Mexico City, says Gustavo Arellano. His new book is "Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America."

Frank Bruni, ex-NYT food critic, blogs about his gout

porterhouse-bruniblog-nyt.jpg Frank Bruni is the latest prominent food critic to reveal that he has been diagnosed with the painful disease called gout.

Five reasons to respect Taco Bell

taco_bell_boy.jpg Taco Bell gets 50th anniversary love from an unlikely source: OC Weekly editor and Mexican food expert Gustavo Arellano.

Malibu dishwasher now died of...respiratory infection

Honestly, I'm not sure that's better news for the residents of Malibu.

Documentary on Sunset Strip's The Source at SXSW

the_source_restaurant.jpg The Source opened in 1969 at Sunset and Sweetzer with a Rolls-driving, acid-taking owner with a family of followers. It became quite the scene.

Jonathan Gold's LAT titles become official: he's a columnist

When Jonathan Gold returns to the Los Angeles Times this month, he will be both food critic and columnist.

Taix honors trio of staffers with 50 years each

taix-waiters.jpg The Echo Park landmark packs them in to honor long-time employees.

Jonathan Gold also debuts at Smithsonian

The March issue of Smithsonian introduces Jonathan Gold as the magazine's new food columnist, and he writes about LA food trucks.

LA Weekly posts Jonathan Gold's job - and loses another

Jonathan Gold's new job at the LA Times includes front page pieces on culture — while the LA Weekly also loses Elina Shatkin to Los Angeles Magazine.

LA Weekly confirms: Jonathan Gold leaving for LA Times *

The entreaties from Village Voice Media executive Mike Lacey didn't work. LA Weekly editor Sarah Fenske posts on the LA Weekly website.

This is weird: Village Voice blog says Gold to LAT, citing us *

A food blogger for the Village Voice misread our latest post on Jonathan Gold and wished Gold the best of success at the LA Times, saying that LA Observed confirmed the move. Except, of course, we didn't.

Jonathan Gold finds himself in a good spot

jonathangold-100.jpg It will be interesting to see how persuasive Village Voice money is at this stage, and how much, if any, the Times is sweetening its offer. If you're Gold, a bidding war is a nice place to be.

Oops: Obama's Chinatown stop still serves shark fin

The Great Eastern, the Chinatown landmark in San Francisco where President Obama made one of those "unscheduled" stops on Thursday's campaign swing, still offers a $48 bowl of braised shark...

Coup for the LA Times: Jonathan Gold coming back?

gold+pulitzer+lunch.jpg The popular and respected food writer Jonathan Gold was spotted shaking hands in the Los Angeles Times building yesterday. The buzz is that he will rejoin the paper shortly after his upcoming Gold Standard tasting event, but the Weekly would like to keep him.

Clifton's lifts the veil

cliftons+original+facade.jpg We told you earlier this week that the 1960s-era metal grates would be coming off the old facade of Clifton's Brookdale cafeteria on Broadway — and this morning they did.

Old Clifton's facade to be revealed *

cliftons-brookdale-facade.jpg At a ceremony later this morning, the original Broadway facade of the Clifton's Brookdale Cafeteria will be uncovered and later restored.

Now this is a quick and dirty book review

taco-usa-cover.jpg OC Weekly editor Gustavo Arellano's new book, "Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America," was just praised by Publishers Weekly as one of the top cookbooks of the spring crop. That would be nicer for the author if it were a cookbook.

Philippe's raising a cup of coffee to...45 cents

philippe-roof-sign-lao.jpg Since 1977, Philippe has charged just nine cents for coffee — plus a penny in tax. Nice touch and marketing gimmick while it lasted

Anthony Bourdain lays over in LA on Monday

bourdain-innout-cameras.jpg The Layover, Anthony Bourdain's new food and (a little) travel show on the Travel Channel, has been to London, San Francisco, Amsterdam, Montreal, Hong Kong, Miami, Singapore and Rome and now comes to Los Angeles. Here's where he goes.

Paula Deen confirms diabetes and endorsement deal

The Southern TV chef known for her Krispy Kreme doughnut bread pudding and similar recipes went on "Today" to explain that she was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes three years ago.

Angeli Caffe, thanks for the memories *

insalate-forte-he.jpg Lots of tweeting and checking-in online tonight from the final night at Angeli Caffe on Melrose Avenue. And a call for food trucks to come feed the staff.

Drago to close Santa Monica restaurant

drago+logo.jpg Celestino Drago has decided not to renew the lease for Drago on Wilshire Boulevard.

Angeli extends closure by almost a week

angeli-interior.jpg
angeli-interior.jpg
Email from Angeli Caffe says that Evan Kleiman's Melrose Avenue Italian trattoria will stay open until Jan. 13, instead of closing after the meals of Jan. 8 as previously announced.

More restaurant closures plus a couple of newbies *

mr-cecils-zoomout.jpg Mr. Cecil's Ribs on Pico is gone and Orris is going. But there are a couple of fresh new entries in Westwood Village.

Evan Kleiman talks about shutting down Angeli

Thumbnail image for evan-kleiman-angeli.jpg The owner of Angeli Caffe got a little emotional with host Lisa Napoli last night on KCRW.

Angeli to close, Evan Kleiman announces

evan-kleiman-angeli.jpg Losses have been mounting, and Kleiman informed her staff that she can no longer cover the restaurant's bills after 27 years.

KFI adds food show: 'The Fork Report'

Neil Saavedra, the KFI/AM 640 marketing director, will host the new Saturday afternoon show that's due to start Jan. 7.

Phil's Diner makes it 8 months, but that's it

phils-diner-2.jpg There's less demand in NoHo for an "organic, sustainable fast food restaurant that embraces local, hormone-free and pesticide-free food, compostable containers and other green components" that one might have thought.

Hamburger Hamlet on Sunset closes Monday

sarah-mason-soqui.jpg Two local Hamlets remain from the chain that made its mark in part by hiring African Americans in visible positions when many L.A. restaurants didn't.

LA Weekly's ten best burgers

billhirokosburger-law.jpg The list ranges from Mom's to Lazy Ox Canteen.

DWP cafeteria to open again?

dwp-building-lao.jpg The Department of Water and Power has apparently decided to reopen its once well-regarded cafeteria to the public, KPCC says.

Fruit sellers of Los Angeles

StellaAjose_FruitSellers_3.jpg Stella Ajose, a photography student from Russia, has been shooting a series of pictures of immigrant fruit vendors on the streets around L.A.

Big crowd forms for South L.A. turkey giveaway

turkey-giveaway-sla.jpg he Jackson Limousine Service gave out turkeys and fixings for the 23rd year today from its fleet yard on West Slauson Avenue.

Video: How to make pizza margherita

Tips from Zach Pollack of Sotto, via Los Angeles magazine.

Jonathan Gold's essential restaurants, now on spreadsheet

Food blogger and list-maker Sarah Gim went to bed the other night with several years' worth of Jonathan Gold's essential restaurants lists from the LA Weekly.

Feniger and Milliken the subject of an ABC sitcom

Susan and Mary Sue hair-thumb-250x311.jpg Before Border Grill, City, the Too Hot Tamales and Street — and way before "Top Chef Masters" — chefs Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken had a game-changing little dive on Melrose called City Cafe.

New restaurant critic named at NYT

It's dining editor Pete Wells, according to an internal announcement at the New York Times.

Occupy LA as business opportunity

occupy-pie-hole.jpg The sign here was out front of The Pie Hole, a new dessert and coffee spot in downtown's Arts District.

Live tree frog found in Costco salad

tree-frog-costco-sgvt.jpg It now goes by the name of Dave.

Free tix: Adam Gopnik and Ed Zwick

New Yorker writer Adam Gopnik talks about his new book, "The Table Comes First: Family, France and the Meaning of Food," with producer-director Ed Zwick on Thursday night.

Obama waffles while L.A. is fuming

obamajam-creshts-1011.jpg L.A. gets acquainted with a new level of Obamajam while President Obama himself stops for takeout and politics at Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles.

What becomes of Johnie's in LACMA deal?

johnies_coffee_shop-martin.jpg For a lot of us, the future (or potential fate) of Johnie's Coffee Shop was one of the first questions to come to mind after the news broke that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences would buy the former May Company across the street for a film museum.

Hamburger Hamlet on Sunset Strip to close, blog says

hamburger-hamlet-sunset.jpg You've got a couple of months to pay a last visit to the early Hamburger Hamlet where Sunset forks into Doheny Road. Closing day is said to be Dec. 19.

A very Korean Sukkot

Korean broadcaster TVK24 did a feature story on Jewish Journal editor Rob Eshman's garden and cooking for the Sukkot holiday.

Cracked sidewalks and burgers on SoCal Connected

"SoCal Connected" begins a new season tonight on KCET with stories on deteriorating sidewalks and the link between obesity and fast food in L.A.

Clifton's Cafeteria closes for remodeling

cliftons-flickr.jpg The landmark Clifton's on Broadway will be shut down for three to six months, according to Eater LA. The kitchen and the serving line will be redone, and the dining...

Erin Aubry Kaplan on black L.A.

The former Los Angeles Times op-ed columnist talks about the post-civil rights generation of African Americans in Los Angeles and her new book, "Black Talk, Blue Thoughts, and Walking the Color Line: Dispatches from a Black Journalista."

NYT restaurant critic Sifton named national editor

This makes Sam Sifton the editor more or less over most California reporting

The Tamale lives on

the-tamale-lapl.jpg The East Los Angeles building that used to house The Tamale is a beauty salon these days.

LA Sketchbook: Fair food

qqLAFairFood.jpg

Tamales as L.A's first street food

the-tamale-lapl.jpg Interesting piece by Gustavo Arellano in the L.A. Times Food section this week on the historical place of tamales — and the XLNT company — in Los Angeles cuisine.

NYC food blogger Adam Roberts is L.A. bound

adam-roberts-kitchen.jpg Adam Roberts began blogging about food in 2004, grew it into a part-time gig with The Food Network, and now calls himself a full-time food writer.

Hot Dog Show closes after 62 years in Toluca Lake

hot-dog-show-share.jpg There used to be others around the Valley, but far as I know this is the last Hot Dog Show.

Helms Bakery truck

helms-truck-patterson.jpg Reader Bob Patterson spotted this vintage Helms Bakery truck at the festivities surrounding the Concours d'Elegance in Pebble Beach. If you don't smell bread or donuts upon seeing the...

The line at Pink's, from a law and economics POV

pinks-flickr.jpg Southwestern Law School professor David Fagundes, writing at the legal blog Concurring Opinions, considers the long waits for a hot dog at Pink's and concludes there's a paradox lying therein....

How Jonathan Gold came to call for ban on shark fins

His brother Mark, the head of Heal the Bay, says that he asked the LA Weekly food writer for this weekend's op-ed piece in the Los Angeles Times. Getting it done was more of a struggle.

No more free coffee for breakfast at Original Pantry

The 84-seat landmark now charges 50 cents a cup on orders from owner and former L.A. Mayor Richard Riordan.

The best cooking show on television

It isn't even close, says Slate's Jennifer Reese. It's "America's Test Kitchen," the PBS show from the staff of Cooks Illustrated magazine.

What recession? Dinner for $1,300 a head

Screen shot 2011-07-07 at 12.48.25 PM.jpg Fraiche is hosting a seven-course wine dinner next Wednesday that's not for the unemployed or those whose 401-k's have cratered.

Jonathan Gold branches out

In the new issue of the Wall Street Journal Magazine, the LA Weekly's Jonathan Gold escapes from the San Gabriel Valley's Asian dives he frequents to profile the Copenhagen restaurant just voted the best in the world for the second year in a row.

A little Papaya King, a little Wahoo

papayaking-kpcc.jpg They had a really good lineup of stories on Saturday's "Off-Ramp" on KPCC, plus a search for Wahoo, Calif.

Joan Luther, restaurant publicist was 82

Joan Luther, called by some the first lady of restaurant PR in Los Angeles, died yesterday.

An alternative diet plate

ruth-bourdain-plate.gif The anonymous blogger at Ruth Bourdain has customized the government's new dietary plate to his/her own foodie taste.
victoria-beckham-2011.jpg Gjelina's no substitution policy has always been ridiculously amateurish, but this time the Venice hot spot did its Menu Nazi act on Victoria Beckham. And Gordon Ramsay.

Champion of the healthy firehouse kitchen

Firefighter-Paramedic-Sheila-long.jpg Sheila Kelliher, a firefighter-paramedic at the county's West Hollywood fire station, won a cooking contest with clean, healthy chili.

L.A. journalist turned Cincy blogger

state-route-013.jpg Gordon Smith, the former Los Angeles bureau chief for Copley News Service, resigned last year as chief spokesman for the local ACLU to movie with his wife to a farm...

Cooking with Julia and Suzanne

suz-marques-julia.jpg Channels 2 and 9 reporter Suzanne Marques blogs that she's been reading Julia Child's autobiography — and woke up Sunday morning with an insatiable craving to make Julia's Boeuf Bourguignon recipe that had a starring role in the movie "Julia and Julia." So she did.

Pabst Blue Ribbon returning to L.A.

pabst-ribbon.jpg The company that makes Pabst Blue Ribbon beer is moving its headquarters from the Chicago area to Los Angeles, where the name has local roots.

Happy 65th birthday, Tommy's

cupidsnr.jpg Original Tommy's rolled back prices Sunday at the founding location at Beverly and Rampart boulevards — 65 cents for a chili cheeseburger and a Coca-Cola. Limit five per customer. (No comment.)

James Beard honors for Kuh, Gold

Patric Kuh of Los Angeles magazine and Jonathan Gold of LA Weekly are the top local winners of the James Beard Foundation media awards.

Pink donkey for Cinco de Mayo makes people mad

pinktacodonkey.jpg For yesterday's celebration of Cinco de Mayo, the Pink Taco in the Century City shopping center painted a donkey pink and tied it up outside the restaurant.

Pasta making 101, courtesy of L.A. journo

Greg Critser is a Pasadena author who, in his magazine days, edited several top L.A. journalists. He's also enough of a cook that Science 2.0 put up some instructional videos of Critser making pasta.

Magazines this month

miller-mccune-511.jpg Los Angeles has Chinese restaurants, Herb Alpert, Austin Beutner and girls on quads. Miller-McCune has Lee Baca.

Fiona Apple at the Fred Harvey coffee shop

After yesterday's posts on the Fred Harvey cafe at Union Station, blogger Scott Lowe stumbled across a Fiona Apple video shot there.

New life for Fred Harvey space at Union Station

fred-harvey-franklin-ave.jpg The first time I snuck into the vacated Fred Harvey cafe at Union Station, maybe 20 years ago, I could almost smell the 1940s cigar smoke. The room and adjacent...

Friday desk clearing

Obama's menu from last night, Lohan sentenced back to county jail, and more.

Obama pool reporter not a foodie - or a details person *

Pool reporter from the LA Times gets the name of Obama's restaurant wrong. Can't say she wasn't warned.

Obama media alert: it's Tavern *

tavern-grab.jpg There is no article in Tavern, and no solid news on how to avoid traffic from president Obama's visit this evening.

Mark Peel's Culver City outpost didn't go

The Point, located beside the route of the Expo Line in the artsy and techy Hayden Tract section of Culver City, closed on Friday.

Dodgers hire Bratton as security consultant *

bratton-cropped.jpg It's hard to know whether ex-LAPD chief William Bratton and Kroll, where he is chairman, will be actual security advisers or they are there as Frank McCourt's latest in a series of image consultants.

LAX food fight gets even more political

Everything around the LAX retail concessions is about politics and the practice of influence — do you think services that disappointing and overpriced would fly in the real world?

Two views of Creole Los Angeles

Harold-Legaux-la-fwd.jpg I've recently enjoyed two pieces of writing on the local Creole community spurred by the Feb. 21 passing of restaurateur Harold Legaux, proprietor of Harold & Belle’s on West Jefferson Boulevard.

Zagat wants your votes on L.A. restaurants

They'll take your recommendations at the website until April 10.

Hail Dooce, still queen of the mommy bloggers

dooce-nyt.jpg Heather Armstrong has traveled a lot of blog miles since she was fired from her Los Angeles start-up job in 2002 for keeping a personal online diary called a weblog.

NYT declares Craig's an instant institution

The new West Hollywood restaurant by Craig Susser, former manager at Dan Tana's, got the feature treatment in the New York Times over the weekend.

Food blogger writes about burglary that stole her appetite

barbara-hansen-mess.jpg Police told Barbara Hansen that the burglars who ransacked her place were pros, but the destruction seems needlessly vicious.

Angelenos among '50 Most Powerful People in Food'

The Daily Meal's list is more than a lazy tally of hot chefs of the moment; the 50 include corporate and government officials, journalists and others who shape the food business.

Open Table from the restaurant's point of view

The reservation service is a mixed bag of good and bad, says Angeli's Evan Kleiman on her KCRW blog.

Kung Pao Kitty closing

kung-pao-kitty-patch.jpg Friday is the last day for the Hollywood Boulevard restaurant and bar that the new AOL Patch Hollywood says helped clean up a blighted stretch of the street.

Jonathan Gold: Red Medicine panicked, looks 'second-rate'

Gold suspects that the dude at Red Medicine knows it was dumb to turn away L.A. Times reviewer S. Irene Virbila and compound his error by posting her picture on the web.

Mila Kunis votes for In-N-Out

mila-kunis-upclose.jpg In one of those promotional interviews that actors do with the smaller magazines when their movie is coming out, Mila Kunis was asked how she broke the diet that let her lose a bunch of weight for "Black Swan."

Virbila gets in a little dig

L.A. Times restaurant critic Sherry Virbila has tweeted a pretty good response to that dust-up with the co-owner of Red Medicine, the Beverly Hills restaurant that refused her service in a hissy fit over past reviews.

Wednesday notes

Jerry Brown, the Downtown Art Walk, even Lindsay Lohan. And more.

Beverly Hills restaurateur outs LAT's Irene Virbila *

irene-virbila-tumblr.jpg For some reason, co-owner Noah Ellis of the recently opened Red Medicine in Beverly Hills didn't want L.A. Times restaurant critic S. Irene Virbila to critique his restaurant.

Rainy day notes

Neighborhood councils, Hollywood, City Hall politics and more.

Hollywood market gets 90 days, at least

The Hollywood Farmers Market can continue in its current location and size for 90 days while the market and L.A. Film School continue to negotiate. From the market's side, former Councilman Michael Woo has circulated an email detailing why a final agreement didn't get done.

Hollywood farmers market deal to be detailed

KCRW says that on tonight's "Which Way, L.A.?," City Council President Eric Garcetti and "Good Food" host Evan Kleiman will discuss details of a deal struck today between the Hollywood Farmer's Market and the LA Film School.

LA Observed on KCRW: L.A. stories

My piece today commented on the observations of L.A. I've mentioned recently by a gifted migrant to the city, Christopher Isherwood, and by 50 native (or close to it) Angelenos in Los Angeles magazine.

Hollywood Farmers Market may lose its spot

It's a dispute with the L.A. Film School, say operators....

Broadway Deli is history *

The Broadway Deli, opened in 1990 by Bruce Marder and Marvin Zeidler, closed Monday after the landlord said the restaurant had to be out by Nov. 30.

Some notable L.A. deaths to acknowledge

Jose Rodriguez, Harold Katz and Danny McDevitt.

Phil's Diner in NoHo gets a new home

phils-diner-2.jpg Phil's Diner was a beloved hangout for its fans in North Hollywood when it was located on Chandler Boulevard, from the 1920s until about ten years ago.

Nancy Silverton's coming out of the financial blues

A piece in the November issue of the Los Angeles Times Magazine starts out sounding a little bit like Silverton's financial reversals weren't already big news two years ago, but the story goes on to look at what's been going right at the Mozzas and elsewhere.

Journalists with guns

hugh-garvey-gun.jpg This is the second in a very random and occasional series, the first having featured KCAL TV reporter Suzanne Marques at the shooting range. In heels.

Media and Hollywood group ankles Yamashiro

yamashiro-front.jpg After 11 years, the monthly gathering of media and Hollywood types started by TV writer Scott Kaufer, blogger Mickey Kaus and journalist-author Steve Oney is leaving Yamashiro.

Jonathan Gold softens on Paula Deen *

paula-deen-kpcc.jpg In an open letter he posted at the LA Weekly's food blog, Jonathan Gold never quite apologizes to Paula Deen for blasting her selection as Rose Parade grand marshal. But he does explain how his words came to be printed, and allows that "our mutual friends say that you are delightful."

Paula Deen in Rose Parade doesn't please Jonathan Gold

The Rose Parade's choice of food author and TV host Paula Deen as grand marshal gives LA Weekly food critic Jonathan Gold indigestion.

And in tonight's food news...

My favorite tweet of the day, from former New York Times restaurant critic (and author) Frank Bruni.

Los Angeles does L.A. Mexican food

la-mag-nov10.jpg Los Angeles magazine's Ultimate Guide to Mexican Food in L.A. in the November issue is heavy on tacos, apparently, but also has more — including critic Patric Kuh’s selections of the city’s top 10 Mexican restaurants.

East Coast praise of Sunset magazine

sunset-cover-1933.jpg On the occasion of a new cookbook from Sunset, the New York Times heaps praise on the former booster publication of the Southern Pacific Railroad as the ultimate definer of California cuisine and the California image.

Letter grades coming to food trucks

The county Board of Supervisors today gave unanimous final approval to rules that will let health department inspectors inspect and assign letter grades to food trucks.

L.A. Times adds two film writers

Rebecca Keegan and Nicole Sperling are joining the L.A. Times movie staff, writing for print and online. Read the memo.

Raymond M. Taix, restaurateur was 85

Taix ran the Taix French Restaurant in Echo Park, started Downtown by his father in 1927 and among the oldest family-owned restaurants in Los Angeles.

Deli's sandwiches no longer a work of Art *

art-at-deli-grab.jpg Art Ginsburg is leaving Art's Deli to his children, but look who reported the story for AOL Patch.

Ruth Reichl lands at Random House

Ruth Reichl, the longtime California-based food writer and editor before moving to the New York Times and Gourmet, has been named an editor-at-large of Random House.

Clifton's plans get more detailed *

cliftons-flickr.jpg The new owner of Clifton's Cafeteria will be appearing at a press conference shortly with Councilman Jose Huizar to announce that there will be 100 new jobs for the formerly homeless as part of the new Clifton's. Plus a DWP cafeteria update.

Bon Appetit leaving L.A., Fairchild leaving the mag

Conde Nast announced today that the editorial offices of Bon Appetit magazine will be moving to New York, without longtime editor Barbara Fairchild.

Clifton's sold, will go more hipster

cliftons-flickr.jpg The last remaining Clifton's Cafeteria in Downtown, the forest-themed one on Broadway, has been purchased by Andrew Meieran, owner of The Edison.

DWP's final insult: cafeteria closed to public

dwp-building.jpg ow they have gone too far. The Department of Water and Power, already in the running for least popular city agency, has closed its cafeteria to the public,

Campanile's Mark (The Voice) Peel joins 'Off-Ramp'

Mark Peel, the chef at Campanile and Tarpit (and formerly of Spago if you want to go way back), will contribute pieces on the restaurant business to KPCC's Off-Ramp beginning with an inside look at tipping on today's show at noon.

NYT checks out Downtown food scene

starry-kitchen-nyt.jpg Before she left town for Washington, former New York Times bureau chief Jennifer Steinhauer did the tour of newer Downtown restaurants.

Trader Vic's covers up topless Polynesians

trader-vics-blue.jpg Blogger Tabloid Baby notices, and cares, that the little Trader Vic's remnant at the pool of the Beverly Hilton has added modest blue bikini tops to the bare breasts of the polynesian women in a painted scene.

A campanile in Culver City *

The Eric Owen Moss art tower beside the Expo Line, as observed by John Rabe, Mark Peel and Scott Timberg — and Moss.

Hatfield's makes Bon Appetit list of best new restaurants

It's not new, strictly speaking, but Hatfield's is in a new space on Melrose.

Lending some expertise to the other side

Longtime California political writer John Marelius, lately at the San Diego Union-Tribune and previously at the Daily News for 15+ years, has been appointed to a state Fair Political Practices Commission task force to reform and simplify the Political Reform Act. Plus other media notes.

Sam Sifton checks out LudoBites

ludobites-nyt.jpg The New York Times food critic wangled his way into LudoBites 5.0 twice last week, in the Downtown location that's in use this summer.

Beverly Blvd. cheapskate cheats meter of 30 minutes

parking-meter-towel.jpg Food writer Barbara Hansen watched last night as a guy pulled into a parking spot on a trendy block of Beverly Boulevard, wrapped a shirt around the parking meter and strolled away with two women. She got a photo.

Talking seafood with the Gold brothers

seafood.panel-613x408.jpg Here is Zocalo's report on the panel we told you about, discussing the future of seafood.

Gold and Gold, mano a mano

j-gold-mark-gold.jpg Jonathan Gold — the enthusiastic fish gourmand — and his brother Mark Gold — the head of Heal the Bay — will be on the same panel tomorrow night talking about the sustainability of seafood. It's sort of a rermatch, if you remember their 2008 blog throwdown.

Faye Dunaway peels and eats a hard-boiled egg

Just because. It's a commercial by Japanese photographer Kazumi Kurigami.

You want architecturally modern restaurants?

101-coffee-shop.jpg You've got them. Chronicler of all things modern Chris Nichols has put together a quick web guide to 33 local eateries that fit the criteria.

Layoffs at the library: one blogger's story

While the politicians and unions haggle over whether the next round of city worker layoffs will actually happen, at the Los Angeles Public Library they already are happening.

Where in L.A. Anthony Bourdain ate tonight

The book-touring chef and TV host praised L.A. food culture (and endorsed the Lakers over the Celtics) and revealed where he ate before taking the stage at Royce Hall.

LA Weekly gets a little staff help

Jonathan Gold, fresh off his James Beard Foundation win, will be splitting some of the food writing duties at the LA Weekly with a second staff critic. Plus a new news blogger. Read the memo.

Another local food writer wins big

Brad A. Johnson, the national food and travel editor for Modern Luxury and Angeleno, won the top restaurant critic prize at the international 2010 Le Cordon Bleu World Food Media Awards held in Adelaide, Australia

Jonathan Gold wins again

The LA Weekly's Jonathan Gold won the Craig Claiborne Distinguished Restaurant Reviews category at last night's James Beard Foundation awards.

How L.A.'s food scene can be better, continued

saveur-march-2010.jpg If you remember the minor dust-up in March over Saveur's Los Angeles issue — or even if you don't — you might like this. Plus: The Bazaar on "60 Minutes."

The Hump is off the hook for serving whale

The U.S. Attorney's office has moved to dismiss federal charges against the Santa Monica sushi restaurant that admitted serving illegal whale meat.

Another Pinkberry melts away

pinkberry-abbot-kinney.jpg Since we seem to be on the Pinkberry closure beat now, let it be noted that the Abbot Kinney outpost of the empire — mildly controversial when it opened two Julys ago — shuts down on May 3.

Original Pinkberry (the one in WeHo) closes

pinkberry-wehonews.jpg The little shop on Huntley Drive where you or someone you know probably lined up for tart yogurt-like icy stuff — and possibly earned a parking ticket or two —...

What about a Tail o' the Pup truck?

Going on five years since it closed, the news is that there's no news on the reopening of the much-loved Tail o' the Pup hot dog (and more) stand.

L.A. milestones o' the week

apple-pan-logo.jpg The Apple Pan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar turn 63, plus Jackie Robinson and the Hollywood Freeway.

Food and journalism

On Saturday morning, the Culinary Historians of Southern California are hosting a discussion on "the heyday of the Los Angeles Times Food section." Former Food section stalwarts Betsy Balsley, Donna Deane, Rose Dosti and Barbara Hansen will be on the panel at the Central Library in Downtown.

Tiger Woods covered in condoms

tiger-woods-condoms.jpg L.A. food writer and blogger Barbara Hansen discovered an unexpected restaurant in Bangkok. Called Cabbages and Condoms, it's part of a safe sex and birth control program.

End of the line for Broadway Deli?

broadwaydeli_logo_small.png A big rent hike and the desire by the landlord to break up the space at the south end of Santa Monica's 3rd Street Promenade looks like it spells the end, the Santa Monica Daily Press says.

Kuh, Gold nominated for Beard awards

Of the three food writers nationally who are finalists in the top journalism category of this year's James Beard Foundation awards — Craig Clairborne Distinguished Restaurant Reviews — two are from L.A.: Patric Kuh of Los Angeles magazine and Jonathan Gold of LA Weekly.

The Hump shuts its doors

the-hump-logo.png The Santa Monica Airport restaurant that served whale sushi posted on its website that it was closing today after 12 years with an apology to "our loyal customers, the city...

Zacatecas is the new Iowa

Zacatecas is to modern-day Southern California what Iowa was for a previous generation of Angelenos: a place known for its work ethic and its conservative values, and for sending hundreds of thousands of its residents to our sunny wonderland. But no restaurants.

LA Observed on KCRW: Whale of a story

Today's LA Observed piece during "All Things Considered" on KCRW talks about the L.A. story of this week that had a little of everything. That would be Jennifer Steinhauer's New...

Heal the Bay vs. The Hump *

hump-nyt.jpg Heal the Bay president Mark Gold is trying to get the whale-serving restaurant closed — but this time doesn't have to worry about his brother, Jonathan Gold the food writer.

Media swarm The Hump over whale meat

hump-nyt.jpg It's been amusing watching today's Twitter traffic from reporters who showed up at The Hump, the exotic food restaurant in Santa Monica fingered in this morning's New York Times for serving outlawed whale meat.

Food blogger thinks positive

Rob Eshman got soooo much strong reaction to last week's list of nine things wrong with L.A. food culture that he tries again this week with an up-beatier Nine Ways to Make LA the “Ultimate Food City."

Pup 'n' Taco sighting *

pup-n-fries.jpg In the new TV spot for "The Runaways" film, the relatively short-lived but fondly recalled SoCal fast-food chain shows up as "Pup 'n' Fries."

El Cholo coming Downtown *

liberty-grill-fuentes.jpg The L.A. institution is expected to open an outpost in the former Liberty Grill spot in the South Park area.

In the face of Saveur's enthusiasm, a taste of reality

saveur-march-2010.jpg Saveur's March issue on Los Angeles "is edited to within a hairs breadth of puffery," says food blogger Rob Eshman, who lists what they left out.

Paula Deen cancels Pantages event, U.S. tour

Picture 35.png The Food Network chef cites problems with the concert promoter.

TiGeorges closed by fire

The Echo Park restaurant that become such a community and media center after the Haiti earthquake may be closed 6 to 8 weeks. An electrical short is blamed.

Philippe's closed by roaches, could reopen today *

philippe.jpg Philippe's has reopened after a bout with cockroaches.

Huell Howser goes inside the In-N-Out empire

huell-howser-burger.jpg Howser's 'California Gold' ets exclusive access to the Baldwin Park headquarters of In-N-Out and camera access to one of the chain's stores, both billed as firsts by KCET.

Papadakis Taverna, RIP

The San Pedro destination for Greek food and community closes Sunday after 37 years.

Goody's, a San Gabriel culinary landmark, moves on

goodys-sign.jpg Goody's is leaving San Gabriel for El Monte.

Glen Bell, founder of Taco Bell was 86

taco-titan-cover.jpg Bell had opened a few fast food chains around Southern California after World War II, starting with a rival to McDonald's in San Bernardino. He also started Der Wienerschnitzel, but...

Online family tree of L.A. chefs for Restaurant Week

cheffamilytree.jpg Pretty clever use of Flash by the folks at dineLA as part of the upcoming Restaurant Weeks.

Waiters who do Langer's and Canter's

Great Los Angeles story in the L.A. Times: there are several waiters who sandwich in deli shifts at Langer's by day then head over to the Fairfax area to work Canter's at night.

Jonathan Gold finally joins the LA Weekly

jgoldjj.jpg Yes, all this time, LA Weekly food star Jonathan Gold has been a freelancer. Now he's on staff, the rest of the newsroom was told today. He'll continue writing his...

Patrick's Roadhouse may be evicted

patricksroadhousegrab.jpg The holder of the lease says he got a 30-day eviction notice. The landlord growled that it was none of a reporter's business, then said "the restaurant is open and...

Chowhound's 25 'ultimate L.A. restaurants'

We have a new winner: Langer's Deli knocks Providence off the top of the list selected by 100 participants in Chowhound's Los Angeles pages. A change in procedure that encouraged...

Bruce Lisker gets a girlfriend

brucepackingthumb.jpg In part three of Iris Schneider's exclusive-to-LA Observed posts following Bruce Lisker's reentry to society after 26 years behind bars, Bruce moves in with Kara in Marina del Rey. Iris...

Food blogger bake sale, for good cause

eatmyblogcupcake.jpg Three dozen local food bloggers are pooling their talents Saturday to raise money for the Los Angeles Regional Foodbank. The menu has cookies, pies, cupcakes, scones, tarts — even butterscotch...

Fried grasshoppers with Jonathan Gold

friedgrasshoppers.jpg Veronique de Turenne shared a cab in Guadalajara with Jonathan Gold and his wife, Laurie Ochoa, then joined them for an adventurous lunch — fried grasshoppers included. Veronique's photos will...

Gold Line culinary tour

The blogger known as the 99-Cent Chef rode the new Gold Line extension to East Los Angeles for Sunday's opening. Squash blossom quesadillas at Taqueria Las Cabañas were the gustatory...

Metropolitan Home, RIP

methomecover.jpg The December issue of Metropolitan Home will be the last one, Hachette Filipacchi Media announced today, saying that resources will be focused on its Elle Décor title. Met Home editor...

Orso closing by Nov. 21

The Hollywood power lunch spot near the Cedars medical buildings on West 3rd Street is soon to shut its doors, after 20 years. “It’s not without some sadness and remorse,"...

Jonathan Gold profiled in the New Yorker

Dana Goodyear's profile, almost a year in the making, calls the LA Weekly's Jonathan Gold "the high-low priest of the L.A. food scene." Subscription required to read the whole piece,...

El Tepeyac not going anywhere

eltepeyacsign.jpg The Rojas family has let me know that the accounts of El Tepeyac being up for sale have left out a key fact: the burritos are staying in Boyle Heights....

What Bratton will really miss about L.A.

langersschall.jpg The departing police chief rates at least one thing about Los Angeles higher than New York. After the jump....

Want to buy an Eastside landmark? *

eltepeyacsign.jpg El Tepeyac, the family-owned home of the Hollenbeck burrito, is up for sale. (The land, anyway. See below.) Around since 1957, the stand on Evergreen in Boyle Heights is rightly...

Gourmet's problem was print

amandahesserforbes.jpg Food writer Amanda Hesser, who may be a partisan about this as a longtime print scribe transitioning to online, says Gourmet magazine's content was fine. It just existed in the...

Gourmet's Reichl: 'Stunned, sad'

Gourmet editor Ruth Reichl tweets, sounds like she was surprised at magazine's demise: Thank you all SO much for this outpouring of support. It means a lot. Sorry not to...

Conde Nast to close Gourmet, others *

As part of Conde Nast's post-McKinsey restructuring, Gourmet magazine will become an online, TV and book publishing brand, with only Bon Appetit continuing to publish as a magazine. Also shutting...

Eater LA redesigns

eatermap.jpg Curbed's food sites unveiled a chain-wide redesign and a national food blog, with an offer to pay other food blogs $25 to shut down and send traffic Eater's way. The...

More Time Warner Cable out(r)age

Dodgers' post-game show host Ken Levine lets the city's least favorite cable provider have it with both blog barrels after a late-night phone exchange with the, so to speak, help...

100 live psyllids found in Norcal

A detection dog working with inspectors found a package at a FedEx depot in Sacramento that contained at least 100 live Asian citrus psyllids, including juveniles and adults, the L.A....

Angeli, missing A's back on Gold's list

I wasn't alone in being surprised that Evan Kleiman's Angeli Caffe, a family favorite at our house, was dropped from Jonathan Gold's annual list of 99 essential restaurants. Emails and...

99 essential local restaurants *

Jonathan Gold's latest compilation for the Los Angeles area includes some newcomers and a nod to the city's changing eating scene: This year especially, an essential L.A. restaurant may not...

Gastrokid cookbook

gastrokidbook.jpg Hugh Garvey, features editor at Bon Appetit magazine here and a food blogger, has a new cookbook out called "Gastrokid Cookbook: Feeding a Foodie Family in a Fast-Food World." Self-explanatory...

Trying to like L.A. Live

The Amateur Enthusiast is a blog devoted to drinking and dining in Downtown by political strategist Glenn Gritzner. In today's post, he struggles to bring his fellow Enthusiasts around on...

Downside of food trucks

Workers are losing their jobs at restaurants on the Miracle Mile stretch of Wilshire Boulevard as customers opt out for lunch trucks. "We all average $15,000 to $18,000 in rent,...

New food site

Former Los Angeles Times reporters are key players in Zester Daily, which bills itself as "the latest news and information from around the globe about all aspects of food and...

NYT restaurant critic: Sam Sifton

samsifton.jpg Currently the culture editor, Sifton will replace Frank Bruni as the main restaurant critic at the New York Times — a job that still has a lot of national influence...

Best city for deli: L.A.?

From the Jewish Journal's food blog, posted by editor Rob Eshman: I just got a peek inside David Sax’s new book, “Save the Deli,“ due out Oct. 19, and can...

Eater LA apologizes

Eater LA, through a post signed by Curbed creator Lockhart Steele, says its post earlier this week leveling blind charges at downtown wine bar The Must "didn't rise to our...

Eater LA assailed over blind post *

The food blog owned by the Curbed chain ran a litany of damaging, specific accusations against Downtown wine bar The Must attributed to an unidentified "tipster." The owners, talking to...

Downtown leads restaurant design awards

Bottega Louie, Chaya Downtown and The Conga Room won jury prizes at tonight's AIA/LA restaurant design awards that are part of the Dwell on Design event this weekend. The Lab...

Beware of Gridskipper, says blogger

Former Gridskipper contributor Katherine Spiers, who has a new food blog, alleges that the dates on Gridskipper posts for travelers to Los Angeles are bogus. Lots of people think I...

That's a hot sauce

srirachasauce.jpg Today's New York Times food story on our legendary local Sriracha Chili Sauce has been the subject of some chatter on blogs and Twitter, and I even got an email...

Anna Wintour has a turkey burger

annawintour.jpg The day after she was featured on "60 Minutes," the editor of Vogue was spotted at Tavern in Brentwood eating dinner at a table of four without any paparazzi in...

Tweet o' the day

In the world of foodies and food writers, today's big news is that Frank Bruni is turning in his Amex card as the restaurant critic of the New York Times....

In praise of In-N-Out

L.A. Times business columnist Michael Hiltzik writes that his life as a fast-food consumer pretty much ended once his kids could drive. But even back then, "I knew that all...

An idea for food blogger ethics

Brooke Burton, who recently moved from Pizzeria Mozza to Suzanne Goin's new Tavern in Brentwood and blogs at Foodwoolf, and Leah Greenstein (SpicySaltySweet.com) have proposed a code of ethics for...

An L.A. blog that aims high

SoCal Minds is a new blog that bills itself as presenting "Intriguing research, ideas, activity, people -- tracked from universities, cultural-intellectual institutions in Southern California." Recent posts have come out...

LA Weekly's food blog

It's called Squid Ink and it features posts by Gourmet contributor Margy Rochlin, Los Angeles food blogger Jessica Ritz and the Weekly's own Jonathan Gold making recurring appearances with his...

Cook's Library on 3rd to close

Another good bookstore is folding up its tent — and the news drew multiple, audible protests here in the house when I read it out loud. "After 20 years selling...

El Cholo: Legend alive and well

Here's an update to my post last night about nachos, El Cholo and Anthony Bourdian. El Cholo says through its publicist that the claim regarding Carmen Rocha has always been...

So much for El Cholo's nacho legend *

When longtime El Cholo waitress Carmen Rocha died in October, the L.A. media hailed her as the creator of nachos. It's not so, says chef and Travel Channel foodie Anthony...

Kogi mania in Rosemead

Telemundo's new lifestyle cable network for Latinos, mun2, has posted a video with the guys behind the Kogi Korean barbecue taco truck. The video was shot during a stop at...

Now a word from the kitchen

I'm glad to see the most emailed L.A. Times story right now is the one I enjoyed the most in yesterday's paper — Food Editor Russ Parsons' guide to caramelizing...

dineLA returns

Two weeks of special prix-fixe menus at more than 150 participating restaurants — more than last year — start on Sunday. Here's the list. The price levels this time are...

Costco's scanners pay off

TJ Sullivan got a robo call from Costco reminding him that he bought a box of Clif Bars a few months ago — and alerting him they are part of...

Eating cheaply around LAX

Billy Vasquez, the 99 Cent Chef, has put together a blog and video guide to "dining and drinking establishments within the shadows of the arriving and departing giant silver birds"...

Food blogger moves on

Lesley Balla, late of Eater LA, is not the new LA Weekly food blogger. She starts Jan. 26 as Los Angeles editor for Tasting Table LA, a new daily email...

Serious dining on $35 per person

Los Angeles Magazine's restaurant issue includes three-course epicurean splurges for $35 or less at Local, The Park, Palate, Sugarfish, Terroni and Delancey. Also in the issue: Patric Kuh's designation of...

How bad was the food, Carl Reiner?

The Paley Center for Media honored actor Carl Reiner tonight at the Hyatt in Century City, but apparently the main topic of conversation was the poor quality of the hotel...

El Coyote manager quits over Prop. 8

Christopher Lisotta at Frontiers magazine says that Marjorie Christoffersen, the manager at El Coyote who threw a few bucks to the yes of Proposition 8 campaign through her church, has...

Bastide shuts down, abruptly

Owner Joe Pytka locked the doors on the staff Monday to "re-conceive" the West Hollywood restaurant....

Jay Fiondella, Chez Jay founder was 82

Jay Fiondella moved to Los Angeles to act, roomed with Leonard Nimoy, and opened Chez Jay near the beach in Santa Monica in 1959. It became a showbiz hangout for...

Scratch another Hamburger Hamlet

Sign on the Sepulveda and National Hamlet on the Westside cites loss of the lease, but skeptical Chowhound posters suspect "loss of customers" is behind the closure. "We'll certainly see...

Election Day freebies

Free eats and beverages all over town, from Daily Grill to Starbucks. Eater LA provides a roundup. Also, an LAT story....

Rondelli's follow-up *

I asked readers to update me on what's in the Sherman Oaks space at 13359 Ventura Blvd. where mafia hangout Rondelli's was located in the 1950s. Le Fondue Bourguignonne recently...

Jonathan Gold gets a plea from his brother *

Mark Gold is executive director of Heal the Bay, which often puts him at odds with his brother, the whale-eating food writer for the LA Weekly (and their Madison Avenue...

L.A. Michelin Guide makes some changes

Providence gets a second star, and the list one one-star restaurants grows: Hatfield's, Bastide, Osteria Mozza and Sushi Zo. There are also more Asian and Mexican restaurants and the added...

Carmen Rocha, nachos creator was 77

Carmen Rocha waited tables at the original El Cholo on Western Avenue for nearly four decades and in El Cholo lore gets credit for introducing patrons to nachos. From Mary...

Taco trucks win the fight

"Carne asada is not a crime," attorney Phil Greenwald said again, perhaps for the last time, after DA Steve Cooley's office said Friday that it would not appeal a judge's...

And in French dip news... *

Oddly, Philippe The Original's hundredth anniversary celebration next Monday isn't the only French dip sandwich news in my mailbox. On that day from 4 to 8 pm, Philippe's will roll...

Ethier reviews Mozza: it's good

Andre Ethier, the food-blogging Dodger, showed up at Pizzeria Mozza between lunch and dinner, got a seat right away, and enjoyed himself. "Love at first bite," he writes as a...

Taco trucks win a round

The Los Angeles County ordinance making it a misdemeanor for taco trucks to stay parked for longer than an hour was tossed out Wednesday by Superior Court Judge Dennis A....

Eating with Denise in postwar L.A.

Eating L.A.'s Pat Saperstein joined LA Observed author Denise Hamilton on a culinary tour based on locations mentioned in "The Last Embrace," Denise's latest Los Angeles-based mystery. This one, set...

Ethier finds a lineup he can crack

Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier can't convince Joe Torre to play him full time, even though he's second on the team in home runs and gets on base more than Juan...

Zev talks calories — and diabetes

Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky has posted a personal piece at his county website explaining why he pushed to require fast-food stores to list the calories of their fare on menus. Yaroslavsky...

Villaraigosa's other favorite restaurants

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa gave his list of faves to the Times' Guide section. It differs some from the list in Angeleno I posted last night — but still will sound...

Mayors of expensive tastes

EaterLA's Lesley Balla did a little feature for Angeleno's food issue this month comparing the dining quotients of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and predecessor once-removed Richard Riordan. (Jim Hahn gets left...

Angeleno's L.A. culinary awards

In the August issue of Angeleno, national food and travel editor Brad A. Johnson picks his top 50 L.A. area restaurants and hands out some awards: Restaurant of The Year:...

Philippe's forced to cut the mustard

No more table-top mustard pots at Philippe the Original, Lesley Balla reports at Eater LA. Truth be told, they were kind of grotty. But hey, the people declared it worked...

Founder of Benihana dies

Tokyo-born Rocky Aoki was 69 when he died last night in New York, Bloomberg reports. The Benihana version of Japanese teppanyaki cooking began in New York, but of course they...

Riordan has a new reason to hate the L.A. Times *

In today's LAT, reviewer Leslie Brenner absolutely savages Gladstone's Malibu, the Pacific Coast Highway goldmine where former mayor Richard Riordan is the largest shareholder. The food is "abominable" and the...

Frappuccino invented in Santa Monica?

Greg Rogers, a flack at CRPR who represents Anisette and other restaurants, tells Eater LA that he created the Frappuccino while working at a Starbucks on Third Street Promenade: "No...

Parsons featured on 'Off Ramp'

I've been kicking myself for a week for under-playing the selection of Russ Parsons, one of my favorite food writers, to the dining industry's hall of fame. He's the first...

Angeleno wins James Beard Award

Brad A. Johnson, national food and travel editor for Angeleno, won the James Beard Foundation Award in restaurant reviews for his pieces on Hampton's, Sona and The Penthouse. Junot Diaz...

Oy vey, a shortage of matzoh in L.A.

Media in the Bay Area have been reporting all weekend on the difficulty of finding the unleavened crackers for Passover, due in part to big-box stores and Trader Joe's declining...

Pinkberry is now officially frozen yogurt

Seal of approval from, yes, the National Yogurt Association comes through. Lesley Balla at Eater LA dishes it up....

How it really works: restaurant hosts

Every so often we get a glimpse of how things really work, without the cautionary impulse and spinning that takes over when people are talking to the media. Eater LA...

Canter's now in Dodger Stadium

When the season opens next Monday, Canter's will have a stand selling corned beef and pastrami on the third-base side of the field level at Dodger Stadium. The concessions area...

Best breakfast in L.A.?

In another of those generic magazine roundups claiming to know the best of something, but really an exercise in geographic diversity, Details includes Square One Dining on its top ten...

Why recall two-year-old ground beef?

In case you were wondering, Slate explains why that order to recall meat sent to schools from Hallmark Meat Packing wasn't as pointless as it may have seemed: Why would...

Papadakis Taverna could be closing

San Pedro's best-known Greek restaurant has been targeted by Marie Callender's, and the Community Redevelopment Agency and the local councilwoman sound excited. "If it works out, this would be a...

Reviewer retires after 50 years of eating out

Larry Lipson wrote up restaurants for the Daily News starting in 1958. From his exit column: Sure, there have been editors who have leaned somewhat heavily on me - especially...

Free the bacon-wrapped hot dog

In his last piece left in the can for the LA Weekly before taking his keyboard to Mexico, Daniel Hernandez uses Elizabeth Palacios's troubles with the law to tell the...

Trader Joe's will drop Chinese imports

Trader Joe's will give up single-ingredient items from China, such as garlic and frozen spinach, by April 1. Products that include ingredients from China will still be sold. "We feel...

La Fonda returning to Wilshire

Downtown blogger Angelenic has the scoop (and some nice photos): Wilshire Boulevard institution La Fonda will reopen on Valentine's Day. The new version won't appeal to Japanese tourists or homesick...

Lovie Yancey, founder of Fatburger

The bad run continues for founders of Southern California's fast-food icons. Yancey, who died Jan. 26 at age 96, and a partner reportedly used scrap materials to build a three-stool...

Langer's cult of pastrami grows

Councilman Ed Reyes stopped in at 7th and Alvarado before noon to dedicate the intersection as Langer's Square. No dummy, he loaded up on the good stuff before making the...

Hot dogs go grass fed and nitrate free

Maybe their dogs aren't up to Cupid's or Pink's, but the LAT Food section makes the hot dogs at the Let's Be Frank cart parked at the Helms Building in...

Carl Karcher, burger man was 90

Carl Karcher essentially grew a single hot dog cart in Los Angeles into the Carl's Jr. fast-food chain. He and his wife Margaret opened Carl's Drive-In Barbecue in Anaheim in...

Riordan's new vision of Mort's Deli

Nine dollar French toast is a little too upscale for one Palisades blogger's taste. You might know it as the deli that's been featured often on HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm--...

Must be some burger

Jonathon Gold, in the course of praising the new French brasserie Comme a, on Melrose in West Hollywood: The cheeseburger paradigm has shifted a lot of times over the last...

Ciudad gets tasty

Ciudad's culinary guide to Latin dining in the November issue ranges from La Casita Mexicana in Bell to La Super-Rica Taquera in Santa Barbara, and has good things to say...

Best read of the weekend

Joel Rubin's first-person Column One in the Saturday L.A. Times described — in tasteful but descriptive detail — how he ended up in the ER with salmonella. He suspected the...

New blogs: food, justice

Barbara Hansen's TableConversation.com picks up where her ethnic food columns in the Times food section left off.

Restaurant closures

During the readers survey, someone asked for the Los Angeles County health department's restaurant closures list that used to run in the Times. Here it is, after the jump: all...

This time Beadle's means it

Beadle's Cafeteria in Pasadena has shut its doors for good. Don't believe the taped-up sign in the window saying it's just closed for remodeling. Not going to happen, the landlord...
New at LA Observed
Clinton fundraises in LA
kermit-la-brea-closer.jpg Jim Henson Studios on La Brea became a presidential campaign stop on Thursday.
Brown declares disaster area
porter-ranch-sign.jpgThe natural gas leak above Porter Ranch now qualifies for various government actions. Story
Wet coyote
wet-coyote-vdt.jpgSpotted between the storms at Here in Malibu.
Performing arts with cheer
guys-dolls-kevin-parry.jpgDonna Perlmutter closes out 2015 with productions downtown and on the Westside.
Junkyard down
upick-firetruck-560.jpgAfter 53 years, Sun Valley's Aadlen Brothers and U-Pick Parts cleans out. Photos