Trying New Things At Blu Jam Café

For the past several years, one of the best brunch spots in Los Angeles has been Blu Jam Café on Melrose. Their crunchy, Corn Flake-dipped French toast ranks as one of the best French Toasts in the city, and given that I’ve grown to consider myself a French toast expert, that certainly is high praise …

Drago Centro Serves Up Amazing Cocktail Menu (and Bar Food Too)

The revival of Downtown Los Angeles continues, particularly as it pertains to great bars and mixology. Making a mark of its own is Drago Centro, which unveiled its Spring cocktail menu a few weeks ago with a media-comped tasting session at its bar. When I received the invite for this event, my eyes nearly fell …

Tequila Adventures at Soho House

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve blogged about cocktails (and it’s been an even hotter minute since I stated a blog by saying “It’s been a hot minute…”). Nevertheless, I’m here to buck the trend. Last night, my friend IndianJones and I attended a “tasting bout” sponsored by Tequila Herrandura and UrbanDaddy at Los …

Scenes from Farmshop’s Open House

Over the past weekend, Brentwood restaurant / market Farmshop held an open house for the community, and since I’m never one to turn down casual grazing and free samples, I happily trekked over to the West Side for the event. I’d never been to Farmshop before, and I can say with authority that walking inside …

Taste Awards Prove To Be The Most Embarrassingly Amateurish, Unintentionally Hilarious Awards Show Of All Time

Last night, a friend of mine offered me a free ticket to the Taste Awards (also known as the Tasty Awards, depending on which part of the official website one visits), which is a burgeoning celebration of food, fashion, drink, and style — four realms that most certainly deserve a glitzy award show. I was …

Grindhaus Is Closing. I’m Sad.

Sausages are the new black here in LA with Wurstküche, Berlin Currwurst, Wirsthaus, and Currywurst all jockeying for position. Sadly, the sausage wars have taken their first casualty: Grindhaus, a great, small shop that sold absolutely delicious sausages. The outfit sent out a newsletter just minutes ago announcing that the “Sausagpocalypse” had arrived. Yes, Grindhaus …

THIS IS REAL: Introducing the Silent Disco

I love a ridiculous fad, and Los Angeles is home to many of them (remember oxygen bars and pitch black restaurants?). Over the weekend, I stumbled upon my first ever Silent Disco, a unique party wherein participants can only hear music by donning wireless headsets. In other words, it’s the most antisocial conceit of all …

Eastern Mediterranean Fare At Mezze in West Hollywood

Small plates are a big thing in Los Angeles these days, which can be a blessing and a curse — if I may be so dramatic. On the upside, small plates lead to greater variety in a meal, and they also engender a convivial social element that comes from sharing food with friends. On the …

Table Taps and Burrata at City Tavern

Los Angeles is quickly becoming a city of gastropubs, and joining the fray is City Tavern, a relatively new eatery in Culver City, CA that offers a neat twist to the gastropubs experience: table taps! Yes, some lucky diners (or drinkers) will discover that their table comes equipped with three taps, allowing patrons to order …

Bold Flavors at The Tripel

In general, I pretty much despise driving out to the West Side of Los Angeles. It’s an arduous, congested drive that can suck the soul from your body. However, there are a few culinary draws that make the trek more than worth the effort: Bay Cities Deli and Don Antonio’s in Santa Monica, Mariscos Chente …