WHY Customized, “couture” cookies, brownies and teeny pots de crème for parties and gifts, and impulse treats to take home for yourself. WHAT This boutique gourmet cookie biz occupies a bare-bones commercial kitchen in still-untrendy west Culver City, with a tiny counter and no seating. But though the surroundings are spare, the product has all [...]
Alive with the color of brilliant silk saris, the aroma of a hundred different curries and the rhythms of Bhangra-inspired folk hits pouring out of music shops: This is Pioneer Boulevard, the heart of Little India on a typical weekend. It sits in the middle of Artesia, a suburb north of [...] Read the Full [...]
It’s that time of year when apple-anything sounds good, but the fermented versions so often disappoint. Apple ciders tend to be sticky sugary, particularly those from the commercial giants that dominate the Los Angeles market (do Hornsby’s and Strongbow or the pear cider from Wyder’s ring a bell?). A good cider, like beer, shouldn’t [...] [...]
A sandwich, salad or burger at La Grande Orange will set you back $8 to $14 — not exactly unusual for a Santa Monica lunch spot. But then there’s that $9 bag of giant house-made sourdough English muffins that you won’t be able to bike home without. The bargain hunter’s solution? The [...] Read the [...]
WHY Regulars have been frequenting The Yard mainly for its bargain happy hour (everything tastes better at $6 a pop). But for the past few months, this neighborhood bar (think late-night DJs and $3 martini specials) has been quietly turning into a true gastropub. Former personal chef as well as Axe and Campanile alum [...] [...]
Two of the country’s most respected cookbook authors and cooks have joined forces to open the Venice Cooking School, and the pending holiday-season roster of classes is tempting indeed. The partners are Martha Rose Shulman, author of some 25 cookbooks, including The Vegetarian Feast, Provençal Light and Entertaining Light, and Clifford A. Wright, author of [...]
WHY Because sushi masters are judged by their rice. WHAT “No cooked stuff,” warns a hand-scribbled notice at this no-frills Tokyo-style sushi restaurant in a generic West L.A. strip mall. They’re not kidding — there’s no miso soup, no edamame, no California rolls, no attitude. Just Hitoshi Kataoka’s glistening, warm sushi rice topped with supremely [...]
Most turkey burgers are generic things, coming out of the mass-produced, Foster Farms operation, making a person wonder if they really are a more responsible choice than beef burgers. But when they’re done right, a turkey burger is a beautiful thing — not just lower in fat and less environmentally bad than beef burgers, but [...]
Our own Jenn Garbee also writes for the new national food site Zester.com, and she’s just posted a fine rant responding to the new ban on bake sales by New York City public schools. Yes, it’s New York, not L.A., but this foolishness is catching on, and what New York does others will mimic. LAUSD, [...]
WHY Pan-fried dumplings that will have you eating far more than health or propriety demands. WHAT Given the amount of competition, particularly in this neighborhood, it takes a lot of chutzpah to call yourself “Luscious Dumplings,” but this simple café’s wares deserve the appellation. Each dumpling’s covering sports a different decorative pleating that indicates its filling [...]
