Smell some fresh food cooking? It may be hurting air quality
It’s been known for years that cooking indoors can taint the air in a home and cause health problems, especially when cooking without proper ventilation. But a new study found that emissions from cooking may degrade the air quality outdoors…
Why fast-growing asparagus is disappearing in California farming
FIREBAUGH, Calif. — It was a late March morning and dozens of women and men descended on a San Joaquin Valley asparagus farm — one of the last in the state. The workers walked along the furrows, cutting the newly sprouted…
Kato wins World’s 50 Best Resy One to Watch award
For the first time in more than a decade, the World’s 50 Best Restaurants will recognize a Los Angeles restaurant with an award. The organization, which puts out the annual world’s 50 Best Restaurants list, has named Kato the recipient…
Oxtail smashburgers from a Jamaican restaurant in Redlands
Is there such a thing as “too decadent” when evaluating a cheeseburger? Where does one draw the line? The fourth piece of bacon? The pool of foie gras Bordelaise? The patty of fried macaroni and cheese over the half-pound of…
Opinion: Just don’t call it a bagel. It’s fluffy, domed and dimpled
Bagels are under siege, and if you need proof, I offer a single word: Airy. Bagels, which have always been synonymous with chewy, have recently been described — approvingly — as airy on both coasts and in Canada. Also, fluffy….
Broccoli with pumpkin seed jazz recipe
Cook the broccoli: In a large pot, bring 3 quarts water and the salt to a boil. Line a plate with paper towels. Add the broccoli and blanch for 1 to 2 minutes, tasting for tenderness. (Doneness is subjective here….
A generation after Nobu, Peruvian sushi blooms in Long Beach
On a recent Sunday night in Long Beach’s Bixby Knolls neighborhood, chef Eduardo Chang and his wife and business partner, Daiwa Wong, greeted guests at Sushi Nikkei as they filed through the busy dining room to celebrate the restaurant’s two-year…
Fast food operators rushing to use AI in the wake of minimum wage hikes
It didn’t take long for Harshraj Ghai to respond to the impact of California’s new $20 an hour minimum wage for his 3,700 fast-food employees. Ghai and his family operate 180 Burger Kings, Taco Bells and Popeyes chicken restaurants across…
Marinated Feta With Spice-Roasted Tomatoes And Grapefruit Recipe
Roast the tomatoes: Heat the oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the cherry tomatoes, olive oil, Aleppo pepper, salt, coriander, black pepper, fennel and cloves and toss to coat. Transfer to a small ovenproof dish, ideally in…
Walmart launches store-branded food line catering to younger shoppers
Trader Joe’s has its iconic Two-Buck Chuck, chocolate lava cake and dumplings. Costco’s in-store brand, Kirkland Signature, is so beloved that shoppers recently swarmed to buy loungewear bearing its logo. Now Walmart wants in on the hype. On Tuesday, the…
Kismet's Marinated Feta
Creamy feta cheese marinated in oil infused with lemon and spices is something you probably want to have on hand all the time. You can infuse the oil in advance and use it for salad dressings and marinades.
MLB teams with IHOP to whip up ballpark foods for delivery, pickup
The concept is curious. Turn 347 International House of Pancakes locations nationwide into ghost kitchens that produce ballpark-themed fast food for delivery and pickup. Ballpark Bites outlets have sprung up seemingly overnight, 44 in California alone, second only to the…
Car cake is cake you eat in the car
Last week, while entering the 110 freeway from the Hill Street on-ramp, I ate my first car cake. I did not get crumbs in the stitching of my leather seats. I did not smear frosting on the steering wheel. I…
Breakfast-Lunch-Dinner Soup
A substantial, delicious vegetable soup with good chicken stock as the base — you’ll want to eat it for breakfast, lunch or dinner — combines the styles of several soups, described as avgolemono meets minestrone.
The best ways to cook vegetables, according to the new Kismet cookbook
Call them the vegetable whisperers. Sarah Hymanson and Sara Kramer are the two produce-obsessed chefs behind Kismet restaurant in Los Feliz, the growing chainlet of Kismet Rotisserie takeout shops (there are three across L.A. now, where the tahini roasted cauliflower…
Panes Con Pollo Recipe – Los Angeles Times
Panes con pollo, the Salvadoran version of a chicken sandwich, is a wonderful way to celebrate a party, birthday, holiday or just a regular family cookout. One thing to note is the type of bread used. Some folks say that…
Salpicón De Res (Salvadoran Minced Beef Salad) Recipe
This is the dish that got me to call my grandmother and ask her to help me figure out the recipe. It was probably my favorite as a kid because it serves as a savory vessel for lime and salt….
New Eagle Rock bakery Fondry is selling out of croissants to block-long lines
The line snaked down the parking lot toward the busy traffic of York Boulevard and around the corner, curving around the patio of a neighboring seafood restaurant. Guests began queuing for Fondry, Eagle Rock’s newest bakery, half an hour before…
Food recalls reach highest level since the pandemic.
Food recalls across the U.S. last year continued to rise following a drop during the pandemic, with nearly half due to undeclared allergens, according to a report released Thursday. The U.S. Department of Agriculture — which regulates meat, poultry, and…
Salvadoran Sopa De Res Recipe
My mom can be at home alone and randomly get the urge to make sopa de res. By the time it’s done, without her saying a word to anyone else, the whole extended family will have somehow heard about what…
Brothy Shrimp Meatballs With Sungold Tomatoes Recipe
Meanwhile, heat oil in a large stockpot over medium low. Add onion and ½ teaspoon salt; cook until softened, stirring often so onion doesn’t brown, 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant and softened, 2 minutes. Add tomato…
Sage Vegan Bistro owner faces backlash after going un-vegan
On Earth Day chef Mollie Engelhart took to social media with an announcement that rocked L.A.’s vegan community: Her pillar of plant-based dining, Sage Vegan Bistro, would become Sage Regenerative Kitchen & Brewery and begin serving meat and dairy. Following…
Make these meatless meatballs: shrimp albóndigas inspired by coastal Mexico
Meatballs don’t always have to be meat. Along the Mexican coast, you can find brighter variations of meatballs made with ground fish and shrimp that shatter your expectations of what albóndigas can be. In Playas de Tijuana, where the border…
If you love cookbooks, come see us at the L.A. Times Festival of Books
At the L.A. Times Food x Now Serving Booth L.A.’s world-famous cookbook store Now Serving is joining with L.A. Times Food for meetups and signings with chefs and authors of recent and forthcoming cookbooks. We’ll also have L.A. Times Food…
Butternut Hommus Recipe – Los Angeles Times
There seem to be endless variations on hommus these days, from what gets pureed to what goes on top. I love this version, a take on a classic Lebanese dish of pumpkin with tahini. We make ours with butternut squash…
Zaytinya’s Chilled Yogurt Soup Recipe
Yogurt, in all its forms, is an essential element of Eastern Mediterranean cuisine. Soups made of yogurt are a particular comfort food in Turkey, served hot in the winter months and cold in the summers. While those Turkish soups often…
José Andrés’ new Mediterranean cookbook celebrates Greece, Turkey and Lebanon
José Andrés spends much of his time contemplating the unifying nature of food, both in and out of the world’s most dangerous conflict and disaster zones. Days before an Israeli airstrike killed seven members of his aid organization working to…
Buttery Shrimp With Dill (Garides Me Ánitho) Recipe
Season the shrimp with salt and add them to the pan in one layer. Increase the heat to medium and sauté until the shrimp begin to color, about 1 minute. Flip the shrimp over, then add the lemon juice and…
Joan Nathan’s Passover Pecan Lemon Torte With Lemon Curd Filling Recipe
Many years ago, in Jerusalem, I was given a recipe for an almond-lemon torte. I loved the tartness of the lemon but wanted it even more lemony. I was reminded of my love for lemon curd, which started when I’d…
Joan Nathan’s Ann Arbor Schnecken (Sticky Pecan Rolls) Recipe
Sticky pecan rolls, sliced in concentric circles and toasted on a griddle with butter, were the irresistible draw to Ann Arbor’s now-closed Drake’s Sandwich Shop when I was a student at the University of Michigan. I imagined some little old…
Koreatown bakery Harucake is headquarters for the viral Korean minimalist cake trend in L.A.
Ellie You spent years dreaming up the Harucake universe, down to the color of the walls — the same soft faint yellow as butter that has been creamed for hours. The bakery walls were painted three times to get the…
Milk Chocolate-Dipped Bacon Ice Cream Sandwiches Recipe
There are a lot of reasons to want to make a bacon weave. You can lay it in the center of a BLT to make the ultimate version of that holy creation; you can use it to replace gingerbread for…
The izakaya gets a buzzy L.A. makeover at Budonoki, with very good snacks and sake cocktails
The tinted glass entrance to Budonoki, which faces the intersection of Melrose and Virgil avenues, doesn’t so much mirror its surroundings as stare back blankly. Only blurred streaks of neon seep from inside through the blackened windows. Open the door,…
2024 Coachella performer Blxst’s favorite bites at the festival
L.A. hip-hop artist Blxst performed on Coachella’s Outdoor Stage on Saturday, in an early evening set that overlapped with Sublime. But you’d never know it by looking at the crowd that swelled around the platform, gleefully shouting his lyrics back…
As avian flu spreads, a disturbing question: Is our food system built on poop?
If it’s true that you are what you eat, then most beef-eating Americans consist of a smattering of poultry feathers, urine, feces, wood chips and chicken saliva, among other food items. As epidemiologists scramble to figure out how dairy cows…
Food truck kingpin arrested in Stanislaus County on suspicion of theft
A food truck builder who had become a symbol of the perils of working in the mobile food industry was arrested Tuesday in Modesto by the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department on suspicion of theft by false pretenses, according to law…
Danbi opens in Koreatown, from the team behind Liu’s Cafe
Danbi A new restaurant from the hospitality group behind Liu’s Cafe is riffing on the classic Koreatown dining experience with galbi-inspired zabuton steak, seafood pancakes littered with bay scallops, and bibimbap packed with uni, marinated shrimp, ikura and edible flowers….
The best food vendors and experiences for Coachella Weekend 2
The universal advice for all things Coachella is simple: Arrive early. All three days, I made my way to the festival shortly after gates opened at 1 p.m. Yes, this is the hottest part of the day and the sun…
Boban Marjanovic misses free throw to give Clippers fans free chicken
No Kawhi Leonard. No Paul George. No James Harden. No way of helping or hurting their playoff status. Already locked into the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference playoffs, the Clippers gave their stars the day off during the…
Here’s what $20 buys now at 4 different discount stores in L.A.
The checkout lines stretched far into the aisles of the 99 Cents Only store in Beverly Grove on Monday afternoon. Red and black signs that read “Store Closing Sale” greeted shoppers at the entrance. Store shelves were mostly bare and…
French Onion Ramen Recipe – Los Angeles Times
This recipe is special. And not in the way that a mother says, “Oh, ALL my children are special!” You’re lying, Susan. You bought Rebecca a car for her 16th birthday, and you bought Kyle an SAT handbook. You clearly…
‘The Mythical Cookbook’ embraces culinary mayhem in Rhett & Link style
Earlier this month Josh Scherer cooked a corned beef sandwich and a few gelatin-encased shrimp in a nod to foods that have been to space. Earlier this year he served Gordon Ramsay a beef Wellington, a deep-fried Mars bar, an…
Okra Gumbo Recipe – Los Angeles Times
This okra gumbo puts a vegetable-forward spin on the classic Southern dish. With the addition of matzoh balls (see Matzoh Balls recipe), it makes a perfect plate for Passover Seders. Food historian Marcie Cohen Ferris serves as the inspiration behind…
Matzoh Balls Recipe – Los Angeles Times
Bring an 8- to 10-quart pot of salted water to a boil. Wet your hands with warm water and form the mixture into balls the size of walnuts. Drop into the boiling water, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. The…
Tourte De Blettes Sucrée (Sweet Swiss Chard Pie) Recipe
When I first moved to Nice, France, I lived upstairs from the now-defunct bakery Espuno, which had been run by the same family for generations. This bakery had none of the elaborate pastries I had grown used to seeing in…
Benny Blanco shares his favorite L.A. restaurants for tacos, seafood and Thai food
Benny Blanco is attempting to paint a picture of the many dinner parties he throws at his Los Angeles home. “My mom will walk in with like a shirt with rhinestones on it that says ‘bada bing,’” says Blanco. We’re…
How Rosa Jackson found real Niçoise cooking amid the glamour
There’s a certain reverse snobbery that some travelers may feel when they first arrive in Nice. So sleek. So sunny. So touristy. I admit that after a dinner of indifferently prepared Niçoise specialties in a restaurant along the Cours Saleya,…
A Dodgers fan wore a cap reading ‘VILLAINS.’ The team should embrace it
The Dodgers are getting another City Connect outfit on June 17, and we have an idea. The team had not even reported to spring training when Mookie Betts said every game against the Dodgers this season would be “the other…
How to make matzo ball gumbo with author Michael Twitty
With a rainbow knitted kippah affixed to the crown of his head, Michael Twitty is paced and intentional as he moves through the test kitchen at the L.A. Times. He’s here to make one of his classic Passover dishes, matzoh…
Memoir: Why Joan Nathan is more than a Jewish cookbook writer
The morning after Joan Nathan’s 80th birthday party last year — a long-table Palm Springs gathering on the grounds of a hacienda-style compound where Samuel Goldwyn, Lucille Ball and Judy Garland are said to have lived at various times —…
The best cookbooks for spring 2024
New cookbooks crop up like superblooms in spring, when the vitality of the season propels us to get into the kitchen. In the same way that each spring feels like life anew, every book is yet another way of looking…
Perch charges diners a ‘security’ fee. A new law may change that
A downtown Los Angeles restaurant is adding a “security charge” to diners’ bills, representing the latest in a wave of surcharges catching customers by surprise. Perch, a rooftop bar and restaurant near Pershing Square, tacks an extra 4.5% charge to…
The new Salvadoran cookbook SalviSoul is finally here. Why did it take so long?
Food never happened in a vacuum for Karla Tatiana Vasquez. Stories always followed. Whenever her grandmother or mother cooked, Vasquez knew something special was coming. Their food unlocked memories, especially about El Salvador — the homeland they’d fled in the…
Trademark war over chili crunch and chili crisp gets messy
Imagine walking into a grocery store and seeing a single brand of each item. Identical squeeze bottles of “Ketchup.” One company’s “Mustard.” One brand of “Salsa.” Just one maker’s “Hot Sauce.” What a bland world it would be. If Momofuku…
Where to find the best flat croissants in Los Angeles
I am a serious newspaper food columnist. I am not tempted by the next viral pastry trend. I will not spend money on something simply because it is larger or smaller than it should be, or a hybrid of two…
Wonderful Co. accuses UFW of fraudulent tactics in unionizing workers
WASCO, Calif. — The revelation that United Farm Workers would be representing workers at a Kern County company owned by the state’s wealthiest farming family should have been a triumphant moment for the storied union co-founded by Cesar Chavez and Dolores…
The wisdom of masa in pastry: Baking new techniques
Maíz in Mexican pastry is not an entirely new concept. Think of coricos, a northeastern cookie originating with the Cáhita peoples, made using nixtamal or masa harina and vegetable shortening to get its golden ring shape. Consider also the gelatin-based…
Diep Tran’s Creamy White Beans in Lemongrass Coconut Broth Recipe
Cook the beans. Add 3 tablespoons of oil to a medium pot over high heat. When the oil starts to ripple, add the rempah paste. It should bubble immediately. Fry the paste on high heat for 2 minutes, scraping the…
Here are 2024’s James Beard Award nominees in L.A. and California
In January, 18 of L.A.’s most beloved pop-ups, restaurants, bakers, rising-star talents and established names earned nods as semifinalists for the 2024 James Beard Foundation Awards. This morning, only two have been chosen as finalist nominees. The annual accolades celebrate…
Everything you need to eat and drink at Coachella 2024
Every year L.A. empties out for two back-to-back weekends when more than 100,000 festival-goers head to the low desert for Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. While last year’s lineup was an unapologetic celebration of Latin music with Bad Bunny,…
José Andrés aid group workers killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza
AQABA, Jordan — It was the middle of the night at chef José Andrés’ field headquarters on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus when word came in. The early details were frightening enough, but very quickly turned utterly catastrophic. Seven staff members…
José Andrés: Members of World Central Kitchen killed in Gaza airstrike
Multiple members of the international nonprofit World Central Kitchen were killed in an apparent Israeli airstrike in Gaza on Monday during efforts to feed thousands facing starvation, according to chef José Andrés, founder of the group. Unconfirmed media reports and…
Make this beloved Vietnamese street snack — without the snails
Snails are popular Vietnamese street fare and in no place is that more apparent than on Vinh Khanh Street in Saigon’s District 4. Affectionately dubbed “Snail Street” for its dense concentration of stalls and shops devoted entirely to mollusks, the…
Where to find fresh soba noodles in Los Angeles
“I’m going to tell you how to eat it.” The woman behind the counter at Sobar, a narrow restaurant on the congested corner of Washington Boulevard and Centinela Avenue in Culver City, is serious. My bamboo sieve of soba noodles…
Ash Reshteh (Persian Beans, Greens and Noodle Soup) Recipe
Ash reshteh, named for the square-edged, linguini-like noodle called reshteh, is one of those soups that seems to have as many variations as home cooks who make it. Some recipes call for only chickpeas, others for chickpeas and one to…
Kaeng Lieng (Thai Vegetable Soup With Shrimp) Recipe
With orange carrots and kabocha squash, green zucchini and chayote, yellow baby corn, fat white shrimp and handfuls of spinach and lemon basil, this is an eye-catching, colorful, leafy soup. It’s so nourishing that it is sometimes recommended to nursing…
Roman-style Chickpea and Tomato Soup With Bulgur Recipe
This soup was inspired by ceci or chickpea soup that I first ate in Rome in a busy café on Via del Gesù. It was redolent of garlic and rosemary, brothy and flecked with tomatoes and a few tiny pasta…
4 surprising flavor hacks to make your soups irresistible
If you try a regular rotation of soups for dinner, whether you’re cutting back on calories or just want to simplify your life, amp up the umami and other flavor notes with these unexpected flavor spikes when your soup needs…
The new epicenter of Korean Orange County is this mall in Buena Park
From the outside, the Source OC looks like a typical outdoor mall in Southern California with concrete and glass architecture and neon lights. But the entertainment and dining destination offers a unique window into Orange County’s newest, trendiest Koreatown. On…
With fewer options, South L.A. braces for bigger bills at fast-food restaurants
McDonald’s. Yoshinoya. El Pollo Loco. Little Caesars. Panda Express. Taco Bell. And not a supermarket in sight. On a six-lane stretch of Crenshaw Boulevard that thrums with traffic, the dining options within view highlighted a problem South Los Angeles has…
The best Korean BBQ, late-night hangouts and Korean fried chicken in L.A.
(Illustration by Karan Singh / For The Times) Koreatown is a neighborhood of extremes. At any time of day, its streets surge with traffic, car horns blaring as they dart through traffic lights. Nondescript shopping malls and plazas give way…
Why and how an L.A. food critic ate his way through New York’s Korean tasting menu restaurants
NEW YORK — Near the end of a week spent delving into Manhattan’s upwelling of modern Korean fine dining restaurants last fall, I watched a server at Oiji Mi light a blowtorch tableside and turn it toward a platter of Wagyu…
Soup-for-dinner diet: An easy, delicious way to lose weight
Late last year, my husband and I returned from a vacation in France some pounds heavier than we wanted to be. “That’s it,” I said. “From now on, it’s soup for dinner.” Soup is delicious, filling and moderately low in…
Beloved Beverly Hill burger joint mysteriously closed. What happened?
It’s a kinda-sorta memory. About the char of a cheeseburger from my childhood. I can almost taste it. It came to mind during a terrible stretch for the Los Angeles restaurant industry. More than 65 notable eateries closed last year,…
Persian pop-up Azizam opens restaurant in Silver Lake
Azizam In a small alcove along Sunset Boulevard, plates are newly piled with turmeric pilaf, braised chicken legs and pickles. Celery stews and barley-and-bean soups simmer, and saffron milk bread, or shirmal, comes served with feta, butter and house-made jam….
One of L.A.’s best pizza chefs has set out to perfect focaccia
When Daniele Uditi was 9 years old, he remembers hearing voices at 4 a.m. He was in his childhood home in Caserta, Italy, and had just woken up to get a glass of water. He walked around the house, trying…
‘Top Chef’ host Kristen Kish didn’t call Padma Lakshmi for advice
Kristen Kish was going through airport security in Dubai when the call came in that provoked the sort of clock-ticking, accelerated-heart-rate feeling the former “Top Chef” winner was familiar with during all those Quickfire challenges. Like most fans of Bravo’s…
Starbucks’ extra charge for nondairy milks stirs up lawsuit
The cost to drink a milk-based Starbucks Frappuccino goes beyond the $5-plus price tag for California residents Maria Bolliger, Dawn Miller and Shunda Smith. All three are either lactose intolerant or have a milk allergy. Ingesting any milk product, they…
I’ll take Sophy’s jerky over your Wagyu steak anyplace else
Pepper-smeared strips of beef jerky fueled countless late-night study sessions in my college dorm room. I enjoyed the leathery, stringy belts I ate on road trips as a kid to Las Vegas, Palm Desert or wherever my parents drove us…
On Cafe Tropical’s reopening day, the community rallies around an iconic L.A. Cuban cafe
A line snaked out the door all Saturday morning, with guests peering in the front windows at trays of guava pastelitos cooling on racks. Families, dates, babies and the occasional puppy filtered through the space, which reverberated on the corner…
Secretive FBI probe seeks records on premier Napa Valley wineries
St. Helena, Calif. — Highway 29 winds along the floor of the Napa Valley through Yountville and St. Helena and up into Calistoga, passing by vineyards that produce some of the most celebrated and expensive wines in the world. The road,…
Pickled eggs at 100-year-old Joe Jost’s in Long Beach
I like to make up fantastical stories for people I see at dive bars. I can entertain myself for hours, subsisting on nothing more than sips from a sweating glass of vodka soda and my imagination. The divey-er the bar,…
California schools could ban Flamin’ Hot Cheetos under bill
The days of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos in California schools may be numbered. A new bill aims to ban from public schools food products that contain artificial dyes, including the ingredient that makes Cheetos pop with their signature yellow and red…
Opinion: Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and iPhones are ruining my kid and yours
With apologies to Allen Ginsberg: I am seeing the best minds of our middle-school generation destroyed by Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and iPhones, Teenagers on the cusp of young adulthood dragging themselves out of bed each day to mainline TikTok and…
L.A.’s Oaxacan community rallies after wildfire devastates a Mexican region famed for its mezcal
The photos and videos began flooding in Feb. 27. In a region of Oaxaca famous for its flavorful mezcal, a wildfire was raging dangerously close to the town of San Lucas Quiaviní. Massive plumes of smoke choked the horizon as…
Kogi chef Roy Choi debuts a new taco stand, Tacos Por Vida, in Palms
Last week Roy Choi was looking for the telltale signs: a lot of cursing, a lot of eyes rolling back with every bite. He was secretly launching a new taco stand — his first L.A. restaurant debut since 2016 —…
Medieval Times labor efforts collapse as union backer pulls out
A beleaguered union effort among show performers and stable hands at Medieval Times’ Buena Park castle has met its end. The American Guild of Variety Artists, the union backing workers who organized in Buena Park as well as at another…
The sun will not set on Café Tropical. It’s back
Neighborhood residents snapped pictures of their guava cheese pastelitos and greeted old friends inside Café Tropical in Silver Lake on Thursday. It was a sweet reunion for the cafe’s patrons who have missed the Cuban institution since it suddenly shuttered…
How to grow green onions, potatoes from grocery store at home
Red ripe tomatoes, juicy pineapple and tongue-scorching peppers — the produce aisle at the grocery store is full of possibilities for cooking a great meal, but it can also be a great starting point for a prolific garden. There are…
Cal-Mex is having a moment in New York. But how does it taste?
NEW YORK — When I’m in New York, the thing I love to do more than anything is eat. Slabs of roast pork, skin as brittle and sweet as toffee and bathed in vinegar garlic sauce at Dominican spots in Washington…
Celebrate Pi Day! Here are 3.14 great pie recipes to try tonight
If you were looking for an excuse or occasion to make pie, mathematicians have got one for you. On March 14, math aficionados like myself celebrate Pi Day — the number that represents the ratio of a circle’s circumference to…
Where to eat on a ‘Brothers Sun’ crawl through the San Gabriel Valley with Justin Chien
Ongoing Series Columnist Jenn Harris joins your favorite celebrities to explore their go-to cuisines and restaurants in Los Angeles. Jidori Chicken, if you’re reading this, Justin Chien is a fan. A big one. Chien, who plays a Taiwanese triad pistoriophile…
Michelin just added 10 restaurants to its California guide, nine in L.A.
California diners are awaiting the release of Michelin’s full 2024 guide, but today the global restaurant compendium released another preview of its top restaurants in the state. Out of 10 restaurants newly added to the California guide, nine are located…
Holy Basil’s Kai Jiew (Thai-Style Omelet) With Prik Nam Pla Recipe
There’s no substitute for the low tables and frenetic energy of Thai restaurant Holy Basil, but it’s possible to re-create some of chef Wedchayan “Deau” Arpapornnopparat’s culinary magic at home. At his downtown and Atwater Village restaurants, he and partner…
El Bacano, L.A.’s only Dominican restaurant, introduces meaty, comforting glories
Jonathan Santana opened the sole bricks-and-mortar Dominican restaurant in the Los Angeles area last summer. He was a teenager in the 2000s, though, when he first considered that his family’s recipes might be the basis for a business. Among eight…
Topanga Farmers Market is back after a nearly 6-year absence
Last Friday, after having been shut for nearly six years, one of L.A.’s most scenic farmers markets reopened to so much excitement that nearly every food vendor sold out of their goods. The Santa Monica Mountains provided a striking backdrop…
Mandrake Bar to close in Culver City this month
On a busy section of La Cienega Boulevard at the edge of Culver City, bordering Pico-Robertson and Mid-City, Mandrake can be easy to miss. The bar is tucked between nondescript art galleries and auto repair shops, with a blinking, white…
Hotel Figueroa’s laid-off restaurant workers file complaint
Two days after the food hospitality operator at a fashionable downtown hotel shuttered its restaurants and laid off its food and beverage employees, a new third-party management company moved in and hired a whole new set of workers, according to…
How very spicy noodles saved the Korean ramen pioneer
SEOUL — In February 2014, a British YouTuber known as the “Korean Englishman” uploaded a video that would change the fate of an instant noodle company halfway across the world. The video features his friends and family eating a cup of…
Trader Joe’s recalls more than 30 tons of Chicken Soup Dumplings
On your next Trader Joe’s run, you can skip the steamed chicken soup dumplings. More than 61,000 pounds of the grocer’s frozen Steamed Chicken Soup Dumplings have been recalled this week because of a possible extra ingredient: bits of plastic…
New owner of Sweet Lady Jane reopening beloved bakery
Sweet Lady Jane When Julie Ngu woke up to the news in December that the beloved bakery chain Sweet Lady Jane had abruptly closed all six of its locations, she turned to her partner and jokingly asked, “Can you imagine…
Do vegetarians smell different than meat-eaters?
Running along the trails that whipsaw through the oak forests of the Palo Alto hills, I was hit with a musky, skunky smell that made the hair on my neck stand up. I don’t know if it was a mountain…
Inside Quentin Tarantino’s Vista Theater cafe Pam’s Coffy
Los Angeles is home to a bevy of coffee shops, but only one is owned by Quentin Tarantino. The director’s highly anticipated cafe recently opened adjacent to the newly relaunched Vista Theater, purchased by Tarantino in 2021, and now Pam’s…
Video shows burglar vandalizing East Hollywood restaurant
It was a typical Sunday at El Zarape. Families enjoyed Mexican food and good vibes at the East Hollywood restaurant inside a strip mall on Melrose Avenue as CicLAvia shut the street down to traffic. But the next morning, when…
Bill Torrez’s Red Menudo Recipe
“Menudo is always good. There is good menudo and there is better menudo.” This statement was from Arnold Jimenez, Coachella chief of police and a judge in the 1982 California State Championship Menudo Cookoff held in Indio. Menudo cooks are…
A game-changing mercado sparks a question: ‘Why Costa Mesa? Why not Santa Ana?’
In 2018, the popular Northgate González supermarket chain announced plans to shutter its downtown Santa Ana store to make way for a development project of apartments and retail space. It wasn’t the most earth-shattering news for the region, but it…
Jered Standing, owner of ethically minded butcher shop Standing’s, dies at 44
Jered Standing, a popular L.A. butcher and a champion of ethical and sustainable meat sourcing, has died at 44. According to a report from the Los Angeles County medical examiner-coroner, he was found dead Feb. 22. In 2017, Standing opened…
L.A.’s Black tacos and where to find them
One day when she was 12 years old, Barbara “Sky” Burrell, owner of Sky’s Gourmet Tacos on Pico Boulevard, saw a neon, taco-shaped sign in the window of a local restaurant in the town where she grew up. The glowing…
In L.A., Worldwide Tacos has epic lines. Are they worth it?
There are already a few cars idling when I pull into the parking lot at Worldwide Tacos. It’s midafternoon and the leaning palm trees behind the sloped, burnished-cherry building cast long shadows in the street. As I park and walk…
Here’s everything to order at Joyce, downtown L.A.’s new Southern oasis
“Sacred” wouldn’t be too strong a word to describe the stature of one-pot rice dishes among the culinary traditions of the coastal American South. Their names — red rice, dirty rice, bog, jambalaya, hoppin’ John, perloo — speak as much…
Holy Basil Thai restaurant has a new Atwater Village location — and line-worthy food
Holy Basil Atwater Village The fragrance of Thai chiles, fish sauce, from-scratch curry paste and wok-fried meat and seafood wafts from a small alcove in an Atwater Village shopping center, drawing throngs of customers. The second location of Thai restaurant…
Easy recipe: Caribbean Turkey Salad with Orange Vinaigrette
Turkey is considered an excellent choice for fat-watchers, provided that some caution is exercised. Registered dietitian Evelyn Tribole says it’s important to read labels and compare products for fat and cholesterol, instead of choosing foods for their “halo effect.” “When…
Island Turkey-Rice Salad
An easy, flavorful and low-fat lunch or dinner salad recipe that uses honey-roasted turkey breast: Island Turkey-Rice Salad
Food truck kingpin denies claims he took workers’ money and never delivered the trucks
Guitars flutter, an accordion wheezes and a singer unwinds the triumphant tale of Fernando Ochoa Jauregui, a Modesto-area builder of food trucks and trailers. “He still parties just because he feels like it,” the lyrics go. “But what he enjoys…
Turkey Tostada with Chipotle Sauce Recipe
Ounce for ounce, turkey compares favorably with beef and pork in terms of the amount of fat it contains, although dark meat tends to be slightly higher in fat than white. A 3-ounce serving of cooked, skinless turkey breast has…
L.A. County accuses Grubhub of misleading customers
The price of the turkey on rye half-sandwich from Langer’s Delicatessen-Restaurant in Los Angeles, purchased through the delivery app Grubhub, starts around $17. But at checkout, the costs mount. With additional fees and sales tax, the cost of a sandwich…
French onion is the most romantic soup of them all. Where to eat it in L.A.
I am the last person you should talk to for romance advice. Notoriously single and allergic to commitment, I’m not sure that I’m qualified to even categorize a restaurant as particularly romantic. But if prompted, as I was during last…
Beverage company fined $14 million for alleged fraud
Three women who ran a Lancaster-based beverage company were ordered to pay more than $14 million in combined penalties for allegedly defrauding and misleading investors over a three-year period, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission. She Beverage Co. and…
Foods recalled in listeria outbreak; what you need to know
After federal inspectors found potentially deadly bacteria in samples of its products, Modesto-based Rizo Lopez Foods Inc. recalled all of its packaged goods this month, including various types of cotija cheese, yogurt and sour cream. The bacterium in question, Listeria…
Will Southern California be the ‘Napa Valley of coffee’? The crop is nascent but booming
It’s a Sunday afternoon at the San Francisco Coffee Festival at Fort Mason, and Jay Ruskey, founder of Frinj Coffee, is standing at his booth in front of a row of lush green plants wrapped in burlap. He picks up…
A new law banning ‘hidden fees’ takes aim at restaurant service charges
Coming this summer is a new state law that bans unadvertised service fees, surcharges and other additional costs that are added to the end of a bill for meals or delivery service. On July 1, Senate Bill 478, which Gov….
Where to find da bing, giant Chinese scallion pancake bread
I do not understand more than a few words in Mandarin or Cantonese, though my grandmother can read, write and speak both languages. Growing up in the San Gabriel Valley, she only ever spoke English to me and my sister….
Inside the revamped OG Cannabis Cafe consumption lounge
At first glance, the scene unfolding on a leafy, half-crowded patio in West Hollywood looks like any other gastropub on a Sunday afternoon. In one corner, a table of nine celebrates a milestone birthday around a vase filled with 21…
Jonathan Whitener, chef of Here’s Looking at You, dies at 36
Jonathan Whitener, who was a chef-partner of Los Angeles restaurants Here’s Looking at You and All Day Baby, died at his home Wednesday night, according to a report from the Los Angeles County medical examiner-coroner. He was 36. A representative…
The flaming duck is the dish to chase at glittery Array 36 in Temple City
No matter the culture, whatever the era, primal human wiring governs a truism: When a chef trundles a cart into a dark dining room and sets food theatrically ablaze, heads will turn from every direction. At Array 36, an upscale…
Snoop Dogg sues Walmart, Post brands over cereal handling
These days, Snoop Dogg has his mind on his cereal money. The hip-hop star, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, and fellow rapper and label head Master P, whose real name is Percy Miller, are suing the cereal conglomerate Post…
The vanilla queens of Papantla, Mexico
PAPANTLA, Mexico — In this Mexican city, some girls dream about a crown made of vanilla. Papantla adorns its Corpus Christi festival reinas, or queens, with the vanilla orchid’s thick brown stems woven, twisted and bejeweled into aromatic crowns — a…
31 L.A. sandwiches you’ll fall in love with
I’m not going to name the sandwich shop I’m referencing in this article, because I don’t believe in throwing shade that eclipses the sun. But the locations in Italy are world-famous, and the restaurant has since opened shops in Los…
Restaurants at Hotel Figueroa to close after workers announce plan to unionize
Six days after restaurant workers at a hip downtown hotel filed cards to organize a union, the hotel’s food operator declared it would shutter the dining establishments that employed them, the latest in a string of showdowns and confrontations between…
A push to revive vanilla where it’s from — Mexico
PAPANTLA, Mexico — Long gone are the days when heaps of green vanilla pods were drawn into town by mules and laid out on woven mats to dry in the sun, perfuming the streets before being packed up and sold abroad….
L.A.’s Michelin-starred Manzke and Bicyclette to close
Manzke and Bicyclette, a duo of restaurants from two of L.A.’s most celebrated chefs, are set to close March 2. It’s the latest in a handful of notable early-2024 closures — and follows roughly 70 shuttered restaurants and bars in…
Shrimp in Vanilla Sauce From Papantla Recipe
Vanilla is much more than a dessert ingredient in Papantla, a city in the Mexican state of Veracruz once famous for producing the spice. Local artisans braid vanilla’s dark stems, and several restaurants offer a variety of vanilla-infused dishes. Irma…
U.K. pubs struggle to survive as work, leisure habits shift
LONDON — Over the bar of a 200-year-old pub in southeast London hangs a sign: “For the people of East Greenwich, by the people of East Greenwich.” What might sound like a pithy slogan is in fact the truth. The Star…
Pioneering restaurateur behind celebrity hangout Antonio’s dies at 85
Working as a server at the Warner Bros. commissary in the 1960s, Antonio Gutierrez routinely waited on the tables of Hollywood heavyweights. Frank Sinatra. Jane Fonda. Francis Ford Coppola. Barbra Streisand. And Jack Warner, the head of the Burbank studio….
Bill would allow drinking on public streets in designated areas
Imagine a California where you can buy a beer at your favorite bar or restaurant, take it outside and drink it on the street with a friend. That could soon be a reality, if state and local officials clear the…
Mid East Tacos, from Mini Kabob’s Armen Martirosyan, opens in Silver Lake this week
Mid East Tacos A popular pop-up from one of L.A.’s most notable Middle Eastern chef-restaurateurs returns this week as a permanent restaurant in Silver Lake — with new items and ambition for even more to come. But Mid East Tacos…
Trying out the original Caesar salad in Tijuana, Mexico
TIJUANA — The wood-paneled cart arrives at the table with an air of ceremony, pushed by a server, usually a gentleman in a white shirt, black vest and tie. On it sit all the elements required to prepare a beloved salad…
Fontana’s Black mayor cracking down on Latino street vendors
FONTANA, Calif. — At meeting after meeting, activists, social justice groups and residents took their turn at the lectern in the Fontana City Council chambers in the fall to sound off against Mayor Acquanetta Warren. Their denunciations of the city’s…
Vegan foie gras, Super Mario cookies and other food products you’re about to see at the market
Imagine a convention center the size of about 10 football fields filled with endless rows of specialty food products. One booth is hawking Wagyu beef jerky, another wants to introduce you to gochujang cheese. There are cauliflower snack puffs, pickle…
James Beard names 18 L.A. chefs and restaurants as semifinalists for 2024 awards
Some of the top chefs in Los Angeles are in the running for some of the country’s most prestigious culinary honors. Each year the James Beard Foundation Awards recognize a bevy of chefs, restaurateurs, beverage professionals, bakers and beyond. Wednesday…
Ladyhawk, L.A.’s most compelling Lebanese restaurant right now
The mezze platters at Ladyhawk in West Hollywood are an armful for staff, an eyeful for customers and the swiftest, most celebratory introduction to the restaurant’s elegant Lebanese cooking. Servers hoist table-size black-lacquered trays from the open kitchen’s counter, hurtling…
Toronto chef Rob Gentile to open West Hollywood restaurant despite alleged harassment at his last job
Rob Gentile is just about to open West Hollywood’s “most exciting” new Italian restaurant. Construction is nearly finished. The menu is being created. In the space that used to house old-school Italian joint Madeo, Gentile will be serving up Italian…
Koreatown’s Dragon to close after 40 years serving jajangmyeon
Song-tae Kim and 17 of his friends from church chattered boisterously, some fueled by soju, with the remnants of their dinner — black bean noodles and spicy seafood noodle soup — spread out in front of them. For dessert, they…
‘Top 100’ best chef: respect Guatemalan Indigenous food
GUATEMALA CITY — One of Debora Fadul’s earliest childhood memories is traveling in the backseat of her family’s sedan as her father negotiated long, windy roads to far-flung and verdant villages in Guatemala’s interior. In the countryside, her father trained schoolteachers…
In ‘Chrissy & Dave Dine Out,’ L.A. and its restaurant scene get the spotlight
Chrissy Teigen and David Chang weren’t supposed to make “Chrissy & Dave Dine Out.” Not exactly. The pair had briefly teamed up for an episode of the 2019 Netflix docuseries “Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner,” where they trekked to Morocco and…
Ex-Café Tropical employees say coffee shop owes them thousands in pay
Almost two months after Silver Lake coffee shop Café Tropical shut its doors, former employees who worked there say they are still missing hundreds or thousands of dollars in final paychecks that never went through. The nearly 50-year-old Sunset Boulevard…
5 of 100 who smashed, trashed longtime Compton bakery are arrested
Five suspects, including one juvenile, have been arrested and charged in connection with the Jan. 2 ransacking of Ruben’s Bakery & Mexican Food, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said at a news conference Tuesday. Luna said the juvenile, about…
Spicy chicken burgers and New Orleans-style wings
There are no hamburgers at Ace Burger, a tiny restaurant on Valley Boulevard, on the same block as Pepe’s Finest Mexican Food. But there’s a short menu offering chicken burgers and New Orleans-style chicken wings. The chicken burger is not…
Korean game-changer Baroo is everything Los Angeles needs it to be
If I had to choose one word to encapsulate the creative surge that propelled L.A.’s food culture forward last decade — a momentum that confirmed the city’s status as a global culinary destination, a spate of nonconformism that continues to…
2024 Smorgasburg L.A. vendors.: a Cambodian cowboy and more
New Smorgasburg Vendors One of the region’s top food festivals and culinary incubators just returned from its annual winter break with nearly 60 food vendors — and 10 of them are new. With the 2024 debut last Sunday of Smorgasburg…
Raw oyster warnings after Southern California diners sickened
After dozens of reports of illnesses potentially linked to raw oysters, public health officials across Southern California are warning consumers to ask where the shellfish at their favorite seafood joint comes from. The Orange County Health Care Agency became the…
Los Angeles restaurant crawl with celebrity restaurateur Mr. Chow
Ongoing Series Columnist Jenn Harris joins your favorite celebrities to explore their go-to cuisines and restaurants in Los Angeles. Michael Chow likes to name-drop. “I did a movie called ‘55 Days at Peking,’” he says, seated at the sushi counter…
Where to find great breakfast in Los Angeles
My first introduction to brunost, a brown cheese popular in Norway, was through my good friend Jo Stougaard in summer 2019. She had recently returned from a Viking Ocean cruise around Northern Europe. And she couldn’t stop raving about the…
Sweet Lady Jane bakery faced class-action lawsuit for wage theft
Sweet Lady Jane, a bakery beloved by Angelenos and a celebrity clientele, unexpectedly shuttered six locations on New Year’s Day, citing a lack of sales that prevented it from paying its “treasured employees.” But for some former workers at the…
Help us find SoCal’s most ‘Asian Costco’ for Lunar New Year
Last weekend, when my family was shopping at Costco, one of the free sample lines caused a shopping cart traffic jam. It was the new Bibigo Korean-style crunchy chicken with sweet & spicy sauce, featured in this month’s Costco coupon…
TikTok star Lynn ‘Lynja’ Yamada Davis dead at 67 of cancer
Lynn Yamada Davis, a social media star known for her fast-paced and kooky “Cooking With Lynja” online tutorials, has died. Hannah Shofet, Davis’ eldest daughter, confirmed Friday to The Times that her mother died Jan. 1 at Riverview Medical Center…
This hip Hollywood rooftop has a persistent rat problem, food workers say in claim
In his experience as a restaurant worker, Jhobani Hernandez said it isn’t out of the ordinary to see perhaps a mouse or rat scurrying from the bushes of an outdoor eating area. But, he said, he’s never encountered what he…
Meals by Genet, L.A.’s most celebrated Ethiopian restaurant, reopens for a new beginning
After 2½ years, L.A.’s most celebrated Ethiopian restaurant is ready to reopen its dining room. And Genet Agonafer, its semi-retired chef and owner, is ready for a return to the flurry of excitement, the hugs from longtime guests and the…
Split Pea Andersen in Buellton closes for redevelopment
One of California’s most iconic roadside destinations closed suddenly this week, though guests hunting for a bowl of split pea soup might find it in Buellton again someday. The century-old Pea Soup Andersen’s restaurant and hotel — beloved for its…
Ruben’s Bakery survived pandemic but not street takeover
Nearly a decade after emigrating from Mexico, Ruben Ramirez Sr. and his wife, Alicia, had opened the business that would provide for their family for years to come. It was the ’70s, and they started small. First came a store…
Where to find the best Peking duck for Lunar New Year
People often ask me where to find the best Peking duck. It’s a question that comes up year-round, but more frequently during the holidays. And especially around now, with Lunar New Year celebrations on the horizon in February. Strangers slide…
Here’s how to make Highly Likely’s NA-spresso martini Recipe
The ubiquity of the espresso martini can’t be understated. Especially within the last five years, the cocktail has become a staple on bar menus across Los Angeles and beyond. In Highland Park, a new restaurant is hoping that those who…
Rose & Rye’s flaky, golden nazook for Armenian Christmas traces a story of diaspora
In her family’s Granada Hills kitchen, Kristine Jingozian, one of the founders of Rose & Rye bakery, takes a tray of fresh nazook out of the oven — the flaky, rolled, traditional Armenian pastries that have a butter-and-sugar filling, scented…
Mandarin Garibaldi Recipe – Los Angeles Times
The distinct flavor of Calpico, the Japanese cultured milk drink, and fresh mandarin juice combine to fruity-citrusy, tangy effect. The original Garibaldi cocktail features two ingredients: Campari and orange juice (proportion is everything). The key to any Garibaldi is its…
A new nonalcoholic cocktail revolution? L.A. leads the way
Peer behind the bar of your favorite L.A. restaurant or watering hole these days and you’ll spy bottles of nonalcoholic spirit replacements sharing space with your usual rum, whiskey, tequila and vodka labels. You’ll notice no-alcohol cocktail menus are more…
How the new nonalcoholic cocktails let me join the party
When I was a tender adolescent, maybe 11 years old, I was at my friend Jane’s house for a sleepover. Jane’s older brother Mark had friends over too. One boy we deemed especially cute, so we decided to mix a…
The best nonalcoholic IPAs? We tried these 19 NA beers to find out
If you’ve spent time in major metropolitan areas that are not Los Angeles, you know, at least anecdotally, one thing to be true: We’re not much of a drinking town. Maybe it’s for health reasons; maybe it’s because states like…
Sweet Lady Jane closes all Los Angeles locations
For the past three decades, it seemed there was only one cake worth having at your graduation, birthday, bridal shower or wedding. The cake sitting on top of the pedestal in the middle of the celebration table, the one being…
Food trends to look forward to in 2024
For many, the start of the new year calls for a list of resolutions. A fresh start and newfound inspiration for whatever it is you’d like to accomplish. I know myself and my limitations. It takes more than my digital…
Lupe and Cecilia Del Rivo’s Pizzelle Recipe
Crisp and light as air or chewy and sturdy, the consistency of the iconic pizzella depends on preference and pizzelle iron. These flat, round and delicate cookies are especially traditional to the holiday season, and add a festive touch to…
The worst food trends of 2023
As the complete and utter trash fire that is 2023 comes to an end, I feel compelled to highlight the one-offs and trends in the food world that I hope to never see again. Here’s to a brighter, more delicious…
Tamales have persisted as a dish for all seasons
Wrapped inside a fresh or dried corn husk is a soft maíz cake known intimately across the Americas as tamales. A closer look beneath the husk reveals centuries of history beheld by generations of hands, known by many other names,…
Marie and Emil Mor’s Pignoli Recipe
Quite possibly the MVP of the Italian bakery, pignoli are the nutty, soft, textured cookies found in any Italian cookie spread worth its salt. Named for their topping of a scattering of pine nuts, Sicilian pignoli — also referred to…
Ignazio Vivirito's Cuccidati (Sicilian fig cookies)
Cuccidati are classic Sicilian cookies that are like grown-up Fig Newtons and make an appearance around Christmastime. Flaky dough is filled with a fig or mixed-fruit jam. Enjoy as-is or top them with icing and sprinkles.
Chef Chris Bianco’s dad painted a masterpiece. What happened to it?
The woman in the brightly colored shawl is beautiful. But she does not look happy. Or, at the very least, she wears a wry expression, one that suggests something in between boredom and belligerence. Chef Chris Bianco long remembered that…
Uchi, lauded Texas sushi bar with a cult following, just debuted its first L.A. location
Uchi and Oheya A national sushi brand with a ravenous fandom just landed its first West Coast restaurant, launching in West Hollywood — with another L.A. sushi bar soon to follow. Uchi, founded in 2003 by James Beard Foundation Award-winning…
Amanda Lanza’s ‘The Brick’ cookies Recipe
Thick, nostalgic and filling, this family recipe from Garibaldina member Amanda Lanza — who also is the chef-founder of the club’s popular Bar Bene series — is a riff on a classic Italian breakfast cookie or biscottoni. Meant to be…
Lauren Veca’s ‘Versace’ Rainbow Cookies Recipe
One of an Italian bakery’s most beloved creations, this tricolor treat stacks three layers of red, green and white (or pale yellow) cake to resemble the Italian flag, then smears the top with melted chocolate. Before diving into these beautiful,…
Michelangela ‘Lina’ Pompilio’s Cartellate Recipe
Sticky and chewy with crags of crispiness, these cookies are Christmastime must-haves across Puglia and beyond. Garibaldina member Michelangela “Lina” Pompilio, from Adelfia Canneto in Bari province, fondly remembers her mother and grandmother in the kitchen preparing them each year,…
Bake like Nonna: Six Italian holiday cookie recipes from Garibaldina Society
The stereotype of the Italian nonna, or grandmother, attempting to feed you until you burst holds true — especially at the holidays. No sooner had any family member walked through her door than my own nonna would lay out a…
It’s time the biscuit had its moment in Los Angeles
Is L.A. a biscuit town? We’re quickly becoming a pizza town. It’s definitely a bagels town, too. One could successfully argue that the collective appreciation for carbohydrates is on the upswing. There are some really great biscuits here. And there…
This retro 1940s filling station now serves buttery lobster rolls in Koreatown
Royal Lobster A restored 1940s Texaco gas station is serving plump Maine-caught lobster rolls and lobster salads in Koreatown. Royal Lobster, from husband-and-wife team Justin Sok and Ashley Cho, opened its first location in Waikiki roughly two years ago but…
Opinion: Why giving cookies and cakes is my favorite part of Christmas
Up until last week, I had no Christmas tree in my house. The ancient shoeboxes holding decorations were still in the garage, no stockings hung on the fireplace. Gifts were still unwrapped. I take care of my mother, who will…
Michelin adds seven restaurants to its California guide — and three of them are in L.A.
Though the release of the 2024 Michelin Guide to restaurants across California is still months away, the world-famous guidebook just teased seven new additions, and three of them are in Los Angeles. The Michelin Guide awards star ratings, and to…
Recipe: Red Alert
Charred red pepper and fresh strawberries make a delicious drink with an extra hit of smokiness from ancho simple syrup. Everyone will love this savory-ish alcohol-free cocktail. Just don’t call it a mocktail.
Recipe: Coconut-Pina-Guava Fresca
Pineapple juice, coconut milk, guava nectar, lime juice and a dash of Tabasco come together for a refreshing tropical booze-free beverage with just a hint of heat.
At Westlake’s Guatemalan Night Market, street vendors create a piece of home
Every morning, Julissa Corado rises with the sun to prepare her day’s worth of goods. By noon, she and her mom load their white van with soup-filled pots, orange Home Depot buckets and a cast-iron griddle to heat up tortillas….
Danny Trejo on 55 years of not drinking: ‘It’s the best time in history to be sober’
Use caution when attempting to make the aptly named Red Alert nonalcoholic cocktail from Danny Trejo’s latest cookbook. The first step, alongside boiling ancho chile syrup, requires fire-roasting the pepper over an open flame or directly under a broiler, from…
‘The world’s most dangerous wine’: Smuggled grapes from Iran
Several years ago, Vahe Keushguerian, one of the pioneers of modern Armenian winemaking, had a daring idea — one that would involve smuggling native grapes from Iran, making wine in Armenia and presenting it to the world as a wine…
In my Jamaican Mexican household we make jerk chicken tamales
In 1985 my mom received a phone call from a wrong number. When she picked up she had no idea that the man on the other end would end up being her husband and father of her two daughters. It…
Soup dumpling giant Paradise Dynasty is expanding to Los Angeles
There aren’t a ton of truly great soup dumpling places in this country, as it’s a dish generally best left to a handful of specialists. Soup dumplings are one of those particular foods, like bagels, that you don’t just wake…
Stephanie Villegas’ ‘ancestral kitchen’ is more than just chocolate making
Making chocolate is a sacred process, particularly for descendants of the ancient Mesoamerica, and for those looking to reconnect with ancestral practices, like Stephanie Villegas of Xochitl Vegan, a concept and pop-up restaurant based in L.A. Known for her vegan…
Making tamales brings my family together. But can we keep it going?
“These are likely the last tamales I will ever make,” my aunt and godmother Vicky says as she hands me bags filled with four varieties. This may not be a heartfelt prediction: In fact, Tia Vicky has made this announcement…
The definitive guide to the best restaurants in Los Angeles
Dec. 19, 2023 2:51 PM PT Every year for a decade now, The Times has published its annual guide to 101 exceptional restaurants. Painting an intimate portrait of Los Angeles’ current dining scene, the ranked list celebrates newcomers alongside beloved…
Almost 2 tons of meth, cocaine was hidden in jalapeño paste
They covered themselves with hazmat suits, gloves and masks and put plastic bags over their boots. That’s how dangerous the substance was that U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers were examining Wednesday morning. A cadre of agents — veterans who…
Your new Las Vegas dining guide: the best places to eat right now
When was the last time you were in Las Vegas? I visit about half a dozen times a year. When people learn this about me, they assume I like to gamble or go to nightclubs. I’m not much of a…
Regulators seek to force Starbucks to reopen six L.A. stores
Federal labor regulators are looking to force Starbucks to reopen six Los Angeles-area Starbucks stores and 17 other locations that were closed across the country in 2022 in a move that was allegedly done to suppress union organizing. The complaint…