la.foodblogging

It was Saturday night, a few weeks back, around 9:30, when I first visited Jingo to try their Japanese BBQ.  I’ll be blunt, by initial impression was mixed, at best.
Jingo is the new incarnation of Gochi, and my first thought was that the latest proprietors have taken the decor from “Mom and Pop” to casual [...]

[photo from their website]
I occasionally like to imbibe a cocktail or dine in a hotel. It feels extra glamorous and I can pretend I’m a traveller in a foreign land. So when a visiting friend suggested we meet for lunch at the Hotel Intercontinental, on Avenue of the Stars, [...]

In keeping with la.foodblogging’s recent focus on the Valley (sorry, Westsiders!) I am thrilled to be writing about one of the best little finds of late.

Tarzana has a lovely European-style café restaurant that is one of the best kept secrets in the Valley. The only reason I am telling you about it because I want [...]

I’ve noticed the last few months there are quite a few new joints opening all up and down Ventura Blvd.  I’m officially excited. 
 
That’s the good news.  Here’s the bad news - or part of it:  you have to look really hard and keep that head on a swivel ’cause they open - then it [...]

It’s no secret how much I love cheese. I also love my local cheese emporium, The Artisan Cheese Gallery in Studio City.
Apparently plenty of cheese aficionados make frequent pilgrimages to this temple of buttermilky delights. One of their bestsellers is Coach Triple Creme Goat from New York cheese maker Coach Farm (apparently the same [...]

[photo of Hiro Urasawa from Gayot.com's review of Urasawa, by Louis Charles]
I kept some notes from a somewhat recent discussion on chowhound that I found extremely interesting. (I’m afraid I neglected to note which posters made which points, so I’m sorry I cannot give full credit where due.)
Here are a few general things you [...]

[Photo from their website]
R23 Japanese Cuisine and Art Gallery is exactly what a downtown, cool and artistic space serving fantastic sushi and exceptional gastronomic delights ought to be. Tucked away on the outskirts of Little Tokyo, in L.A.’s Arts District, this fine restaurant first opened its doors in 1991. Now, seventeen years later, R 23 [...]

I’m not sure I should even be writing this review. As far as I’m concerned, Mezzomondo Trattoria, with its cosy neighborhood vibe and its fantastic fresh and simple northern Italian cuisine, is the best kept secret in Studio City. I love being able to cruise in and snag my favorite table at lunchtime (though for [...]