la.foodblogging

Allston Yacht Club is one of those hidden restaurants right in my own back yard that I never would have noticed if someone hadn’t pointed it out to me. This someone happened to be an email inviting me to join them on a Thursday night for a tasting menu, drinks and all. Always one to [...]

8oz Burger Bar is yet another contender in the burger+beer category that has been hyped by places like Father’s Office. Unlike Father’s Office, the burgers here are highly customizable. The beer selection may not be as good, but it’s a small price to pay for not having to deal with the burger nazi.
First [...]

Earlier this year – actually, during summer – I made my way down to Santa Monica to try a restaurant that I’d heard rave reports about. A young, new chef, Evan Funke, had just taken over the kitchen at Rustic Canyon Wine Bar. Word on the street was that he had studied [...]

We have a special place in our hearts for The Oinkster, Andre Guerrero’s masterpiece of “slow fast food” on trendy Colorado Blvd. in Eagle Rock (and one of Jonathan Gold’s 99 Essential LA restaurants in 2008).
Part of this is Pinoy Pride: as the celebrated owner and chef of Max, Senor Fred, and Oinkster, Guerrero is [...]

[photo by Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times]

After learning from Daily Candy and Chowhound about this hot new watering hole in my ’hood (that had replaced the rather cool Sapphire lounge) we strolled over to Laurel Tavern one Thursday, just over a week ago, to see what the fuss was about.
We sauntered in around 6.30pm [...]

Sandwiched between more casual fare, Orris is the type of place you could easily miss. It looks like a posh izakaya, a single room of close-set tables and some counter seating, pleasantly packed and respectfully low-key. A big, chiseled Okinawan (a man you could mistake for Beat Takeshi’s gangster brother) lords over the open kitchen: [...]

Step inside this restored 1928 Spanish mission-style cottage, located on Riverside in Toluca Lake, and you might think you’ve been transported to somewhere in the exotic Spanish or Latin American countryside. D’Caché is a lively restaurant where they serve modern Latin-fusion cuisine, tapas and fine wines and great drinks. Try a fresh Columbian mojito made [...]

I moved to Los Angeles straight from college and landed here a naive 22 year with a freshly printed engineering degree and a knowledge of the city built from Raymond Chandler novels. Contrasting with the cozy comforts of my collegiate Boston existence, LA was a cold distant mistress. Everywhere I turned, the rule was detachment [...]