The salmon belly burger from chef Sean MacDonald of Bar Monette and Burgette in Santa Monica swaps beef for fish and pickled cucumbers for turnips in this light, bright take on the smash burger. To ensure that he achieves maximum smash-ness for these burgers, MacDonald finely minces the fish. The…

It’s taken our beloved Dodgers reaching the World Series against the Yankees today for me to finally write these words: When it comes to old rivalries in America, Los Angeles has always been the better food city than New York. Many New Yorkers remain suspended in an echo chamber of…

The New York versus Los Angeles, Yankees against Dodgers, Judge versus Ohtani rivalry baked in a new element Friday. Hours before the opening pitch of the World Series, L.A. Archbishop José H. Gomez and New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan — leaders of the nation’s two largest Roman Catholic archdioceses —…

We judge presidential candidates on so many extraneous criteria: the style and color of their clothes, their hair, their height; whether they laugh or smile or scowl. The legendary food writer M.F.K. Fisher wrote, “First we eat. Then we do everything else.” In that spirit, I think it’s our patriotic…

This salsa roja delights with a sweet-tart spiciness. Strawberries macerated with lemon juice and light brown sugar enhance the salsa’s jammy flavors and complement the heat of ancho chile.

Deli meats, grab-and-go salads and frozen meals are staples of the modern American diet — convenient and inexpensive options that shoppers readily toss into their carts during grocery runs. But after hundreds of those products were flagged in major listeria-related recalls recently, nervous consumers have been left to scour their…

Pico de gallo is a summer salsa staple, but adding to it a favorite and seasonal stone fruit, the plum, gives this salsa a refreshing spin. The red-fleshed plum, with its sweet and tart notes, plays beautifully off the bright grassiness and sharp heat of fresh jalapeño. Alternatively, feel free…

Yosselin Cortés, a manager at the now-shuttered Otium, first noticed last year that something was amiss at the celebrated downtown L.A. restaurant when produce and wine vendors came to her asking why they hadn’t been paid. Upper management told her that Otium— the ambitious showcase restaurant opened in partnership with…

The dough is barely blistered, the bubbles just-singed. The pizzas crunch with each bite, especially the chewy-interiored crust. There’s pop-punk blaring out of the speakers, there’s clam on the pizzas, and there may or may not be cheese, which can mean only one thing: Ozzy’s Apizza — pronounced “abeetz” —…

ALONG INTERSTATE 25, N.M. —  In New Mexico, nothing is a straight line. Roads curve when they’re not undulating. Agricultural communities pop up like emeralds in a landscape of brown. Brilliant blue skies worthy of an Instagram filter open up in seconds, unleashing torrential rains. “Latino” in New Mexico is daily…

Gusto Bread makes pan de muerto every year in the weeks leading up to Día de Muertos on Nov. 1 and 2. This version incorporates both a yeast sponge (a mixture of flour, yeast and milk) and sourdough starter; if you don’t have your own, you can often purchase it…

On an early fall morning, Gusto Bread owner-baker Arturo Enciso ties on his yellow apron, puts Coltrane on the record player and makes himself an espresso. The October fog that rolls through the 4th Street corridor of Long Beach says it’s the season of pan de muerto, the sweet buns…

When it came time to develop a menu of creepy cocktails for Bamboo Club’s monthlong Halloween pop-up, the Tremble Club, beverage director and longtime horror fan Dustin Rodriguez knew just what to do. The Long Beach tiki bar — one of the best in Southern California — is riffing on…

Meat producer BrucePac is recalling nearly 12 million pounds of meat and poultry products sold at Trader Joe’s, Target, Walmart, Costco, Kroger and other companies because they might be contaminated with listeria. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced the sweeping recall on Oct. 9 and…

One of the great things about capirotada are all the variations. Some start with fried bolillos, while some are made with raisins and topped with salty cotija cheese. In Jalisco, you find a style of this Mexican bread pudding served at comedores (restaurants that serve home-cooking dishes) outside of Lent…

She expected to see some fans from her pop-up days, but what Jiyoon Jang didn’t foresee were lines out the door, countless new faces and selling out every single day. After years of popping up with black sesame mochi bars, tarts adorned with sugared whole perilla leaves and some of…

Every week, Caitlin Scuttio stops by Target and piles her cart with pureed food pouches for her 4-year-old and twin 18-month-old sons. In goes a 24-pack of unsweetened applesauce. Then a 24-pack of the fruit and veggie blend. And finally, the yogurt pouches for her oldest son’s breakfast. “He’d eat…

An easy chicken recipe for Día de Muertos: These parcels of chile-marinated chicken are wrapped in string-tied parchment bundles and steamed with sliced fall squash, for serving with tortillas, cabbage and wedges of lime.

I started cooking for Día de Muertos after my grandfather Heriberto González Sánchez died in 2011. I made my first pan de muerto bread leavened with pulque, the pre-Hispanic beverage made from the fermented sap known as aguamiel, extracted from the maguey (agave) plant. The sour elixir came in a…

It wasn’t until I moved to Los Angeles and saw people from all over Mexico honoring their dead that I built my first Día de Muertos altar 13 years ago. Now, it is an annual rite I practice every Nov. 1 and 2. I’ve witnessed how a spiritual ritual I…

I left Las Vegas for home on a Tuesday morning, tired and optimistic after nearly a week on the road. I took so many notes talking to Latinos about their hopes and fears in this election year that I filled up my legal pad. So many quotes, so many anecdotes…

DIXON, Calif. —  Deep inside one of the world’s largest corn mazes, where the tri-tip sandwiches and soft-serve ice cream purchased at the concession stand have become but a memory and all that can be seen in any direction are dirt paths and dead-end walls of green plants whispering in the…

Travis Lett, the chef who founded some of the city’s most defining restaurants, left his Gjusta and Gjelina restaurant group in 2019. This month, he returned to the restaurant world with a new venture: RVR (pronounced “river”), a Japan-meets-California izakaya. Lett’s trademark farmers-market focus that became hallmarks of his other…

Some of the city’s freshest tortillas are bubbling up on the planchas of Komal in Historic South-Central, arriving just-blistered and blue, yellow or white in color. The highly anticipated molino and restaurant from a Holbox and Damian alumna, is now open in Mercado La Paloma for freshly ground masa, a…

Despite concerns about the health risks of secondhand smoke, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday signed a bill that will allow cannabis dispensaries to serve hot food and nonalcoholic drinks. Assembly Bill 1775, which goes into effect Jan. 1, gives California cities the option of allowing dispensaries to prepare and serve…

A tagine is a dish and also a clay cooking vessel. As a vessel, it has a tall, cone-shaped or domed lid that very cleverly recirculates moisture. You can easily make one with a shallow skillet and lid, but an unglazed clay tagine is a marvel. Moroccan and Mediterranean food…

Add the brown sugar and continue cooking, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, vinegar, soy sauce, mustard, salt, chipotle powder, allspice and cloves and stir well to combine. Cover the pot. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent the sauce from scorching, until thickened…

McDonald’s is putting Beyond Meat’s plant-based chicken McNuggets on its French menu, marking an expansion of the El Segundo company’s European business. The Veggie McPlant Nuggets, made from wheat and pea proteins, will be served at all of McDonald’s 1,560 restaurants in France on a permanent basis, the fast-food company…

Sam’s Place Dimly lighted and mysterious, the new Highland Park hot spot Sam’s Place from Hermosillo wine bar vets Scotty Cantino and Ben Jones has no social media, no website and no phone number. “We’re not trying to make it feel like a speakeasy or anything like that, where it’s…

When director Alexander Payne set out to create the 2004 film “Sideways,” based on the then-unpublished novel by Rex Pickett about two friends’ wine-fueled visit to the Santa Ynez Valley, his intention was just to make a funny film. “I just wanted to make a movie and I loved the…

It’s been over a year since Minh Phan closed her Los Angeles restaurants, but the refrigerator at her former Porridge + Puffs dining room in Historic Filipinotown is full. The shelves are crowded with tall deli containers filled with aqua blue passion fruit alginate, jet-black cardamom-and-coffee alginate, and jars of…

Stir together breadcrumbs, oregano, black pepper, porcini powder, salt and paprika in a large bowl until combined. Add garlic, green onion, tarragon and parsley and stir to combine. Using your hands, gently mix chicken, butter and mustard into breadcrumb mixture.

1 tablespoon olive oil 1 ½ cups diced yellow onion (about 1 medium onion) 1 garlic clove, minced 2 tablespoons heavy cream, plus more for brushing 3 tablespoons dried oregano 1 tablespoon finely chopped basil 1 tablespoon finely chopped Italian parsley 2 teaspoons smoked paprika 2 teaspoons kosher salt 1…

Akira Hirose, a chef who bridged Japanese and French cuisine for decades across some of L.A.’s most influential restaurants, has died at 70. The legacy of the former Azay and Maison Akira owner, who died Sept. 26, continues to reverberate; the Japanese-born, French-trained chef who cooked with Joël Robuchon and…

Hollywood’s upper-class elites have found a new way to show that they’re out of touch. And I fell for it. Chain, a recent darling of social media and beneficiary of articles that speak of its nostalgia-fueled good times, promises the in-the-know somewhat exclusive access to the latest celebrity chef creations,…

After weeks of failing to pay their former workers unpaid wages, owners of now-shuttered Otium distributed checks over the weekend. But several workers say their last paycheck was short hundreds and in some cases thousands of dollars. Maria Ramos Hernandez, a dishwasher at Otium, said the restaurant still owes her…

This creamy risotto from Dunsmoor restaurant in Los Angeles is fortified with shrimp paste, shrimp stock and plenty of butter and Parmesan cheese.

Dozens of cases of salmonella linked to a popular Oaxacan restaurant in the Santa Clarita Valley in mid-September resulted in its temporary closure and a lawsuit filed by a man who said a chicken mole plate made him sick. The lawsuit aimed at Madre Oaxacan Restaurant in the Valencia area…

The walls are coated in memorabilia: ticket stubs, childhood photos at the baseball stadium, trading cards, the framed sheet music to Randy Newman’s “I Love L.A.” For La Sorted’s first sit-down pizzeria, owner Tommy Brockert knew he wanted to build not only a space where diners could sit down to…

Put 3 tablespoons of the oil into a large sauté pan (for which you have a lid) — about 10 ¼ inches/26cm wide — and place on medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and 10 curry leaves and cook for 1 minute, until the seeds begin to pop. Add the…

Adam Johnson became a soccer fan by accident. During a visit with family in London, Johnson’s brother-in-law handed him a Tottenham jacket. And when he put his hand in one of the pockets, he found two tickets to a Spurs’ game. At the time Johnson may have preferred a root…

In late September a light-purple square of an Instagram post caught the attention of fans of fine dining all over the world: Chefs Daniel Patterson and Keith Corbin said they would open a new restaurant, Jaca, next year in L.A. It marks Patterson’s return to fine dining after leaving Coi,…

As California struggles to contain an increasing number of H5N1 bird flu outbreaks at Central Valley dairy farms, veterinary experts and industry observers are voicing concern that the number of cattle deaths is far higher than anticipated. Although dairy operators had been told to expect a mortality rate of less…

Every weekday morning, drivers arrive at the Little Tokyo Towers at 10 a.m. carrying precious cargo: seniors’ meals individually wrapped in tinfoil. Not too salty, not too sweet, each bento box is carefully portioned by food group to meet federal nutrition standards. Since 1976, Little Tokyo Senior Nutrition Services has…

Brussels sprouts had their moment, propelled into culinary celebrity by the gastropubs of the 2000s. Cauliflower continues its reign as the go-to cruciferous substitute for meat-centric and carb-heavy favorites. Kale invaded the chip aisle and salad section of menus years ago. I’m here for all the brassicas, but I’m looking…

As California draws nearer to the annual release of the Michelin Guide’s top restaurants across the state, fans and followers of the global restaurant rating system can put a few more new businesses and star contenders on their “to visit” lists. This week Michelin added six new L.A.-area restaurants to…

In the pastoral patchwork of vineyards west of Highway 154, winemaker Alice Anderson and her partner, Topher De Felice, farm a historic 10-acre property with the help of her small herd of animals, growing grapes for some of the most singularly expressive wines in California. The manner in which Anderson…

The now-vacant, iconic Arby’s on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood will soon be home to a New York-founded pizza joint — and the neon-lighted cowboy hat sign will remain in its original state. On Thursday, Prince Street Pizza, a slice shop with locations across Southern California and Nevada and in Toronto…

The ice cream flips, twists and floats just out of reach, attached to one end of a long silver scooping staff being controlled by a professional trickster on the other side of the counter. The second you think you’ve firmly grasped the cone in your hand, it’s out of your…

The third of six courses at Baroo — the dish where the momentum behind Kwang Uh’s modern Korean cooking, light and assured, becomes fully realized — is a ssam of fried sole, built on a leaf of butter lettuce that lives up to its name. Its soft pleats cradle the…

Raul Ortega holds a plate with his famous “taco dorado de camaron” outside his original Mariscos Jalisco food truck location in Los Angeles’ Boyle Heights. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) It’s noontime on a hot Sunday afternoon and all along the Boyle Heights stretch of Olympic Boulevard, taco…

A private corner table in a beautiful dining room will never match the allure of a seat at the bar. By myself or with a date, social niceties are more relaxed on a stool, with our elbows resting on the counter. The gaps in conversation feel less excruciating with attentions…

When a torrent of grasshoppers devoured more than 100,000 acres of grass pastures and rangeland three years ago in the state’s northeast, Mike McKoen felt bad for the cattle ranchers who took a financial hit. But the third-generation farmer didn’t worry much about his family farm, where they grow crops…

The Varnish, a legendary cocktail bar that heralded a modern cocktail revolution in L.A., will close its doors Wednesday after being open for more than 15 years. In 2009, Eric Alperin, Sasha Petraske and Cedd Moses opened the bar hidden behind an unmarked door inside the more than century-old sandwich…

Fast-food workers have long complained of unstable schedules that make it difficult to plan their finances, child care, medical appointments and other obligations. Now, a proposal by Los Angeles City Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez aims to give these workers more stability and consistency in scheduling, as well as access to paid…

Those 3, 5 and 20% fees at the bottom of your menu could be here to stay. With little time to spare, a new law will allow restaurants and bars to continue charging service fees, healthcare costs and other surcharges when listed clearly for diners to see. The practice was…

There is no nail-biting stress for Liza Colón-Zayas in this restaurant. On a balmy June afternoon, she enters the homey, brightly colored space of Mofongos, a family-run North Hollywood Puerto Rican eatery, and instinctively begins moving her hips to the beat of Ángel Canales’ ”Sabor, los Rumberos Nuevos,” which slaps…

Licorice root, reishi mushrooms and vitamin B-6 are often among the ingredients listed in various adaptogenic drinks. (Rebecca Peloquin / For The Times) It’s not enough for a drink just to taste good anymore. Most specialty grocery or liquor stores now offer colorful cans and bottles that advertise so-called adaptogens,…

Some of the region’s best ice cream recently expanded to Larchmont with a new location and a rainbow of flavors — just in time for L.A.’s current heatwave. Dayglow coffee’s Tohm Ifergan and chef Zen Ong (formerly of Inda and E.P. & L.P.) debuted Awan in West Hollywood in 2021,…

McDonald’s had high hopes for its signature plant-based burger when it rolled out in California and Texas two years ago, but it turns out customers just weren’t lovin’ it. Joe Erlinger, the president of McDonald’s USA, said during this week’s Wall Street Journal Global Food Forum that the meatless burger…

Roscoe’s House of Chicken ’n Waffles in Pasadena closed its doors Sunday, thanking customers for their three decades of support. But there may still be a future for the iconic soul food restaurant in the city. ”We are searching for another upgraded Pasadena Location. Stay tuned and follow us on…

California restaurateurs are counting the days to July 1, when a statewide law is set to ban restaurants, bars, hotels, concert venues and other businesses from charging service fees — sending the hospitality industry into a tailspin. But a new emergency measure unanimously approved by the state Assembly on Tuesday…

It’s hard to miss the giant meatball. Anyone on their way to ordering at the counter inside Azizam, while passing through its patio along Sunset Boulevard in Silver Lake, might instinctively sweep their gaze over the tables already full of Persian dishes. Colors parade on platters as if in competition:…

A Disney-themed bar and restaurant in Hollywood that has been open for nearly 80 years appears to have fallen into a death-like sleep. Only this time, there may be no handsome prince coming to save it. Snow White Cafe, at 6769 Hollywood Blvd., was first opened in 1946 by a…

Growing up in Los Angeles, I passed the 10-gallon Arby’s hat on Sunset Boulevard frequently. I always viewed the fast food chain, known for its roast beef and cheddar sandwiches, with mild curiosity, but never quite enough to actually venture inside. Arby’s came up in conversation over the years with…

Millions of American families are hitting the road to start summer vacation, and ordering food on the run tends to be par for the course. It couldn’t come at a better time. Fast food joints are in the midst of a budget-meal war, offering promotions to lure customers back to…

Michael Flood, photographed at the Los Angeles Times in El Segundo on Sept. 8. About a month after COVID-19 locked down most of the state in the spring of 2020, Debbie Deck, who runs a neighborhood food pantry, decided to stay open when so many had shut down. But most…

The Arby’s restaurant on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, famous for its enormous, neon-clad hat sign, has shuttered its doors after 55 years. Its last day of operation was Friday. On Monday, at the back of the lot, Gary Husch — general manager of the Arby’s and son-in-law of its original…

Before one of the country’s most celebrated sushi omakases opens in Los Angeles, diners can get a taste via an affordable new delivery operation. Sushi Nakazawa chef Daisuke Nakazawa, a former apprentice of famed sushi chef Jiro Ono, had always planned to open something more casual than his eponymous 20-course,…

MEXICO CITY  —  The United States will “gradually” resume inspections of avocados and mangoes from the Mexican state of Michoacán, the U.S. Embassy here said Friday, opening the way for a prospective resumption of exports to the U.S. Inspections by the U.S. Department of Agriculture were suspended Monday after two…

The flow of avocados from Mexico to California could slow in the days ahead, potentially resulting in tough times for fans of guacamole and avocado toast. The United States Department of Agriculture said this week that it has suspended inspections of avocados and mangoes imported from the violence-plagued Mexican state…

Ongoing Series Columnist Jenn Harris joins your favorite celebrities to explore their go-to cuisines and restaurants in Los Angeles. Las Vegas —  Elena Reygadas did not want to eat at the omakase restaurant run by a world renowned chef from Japan. The Mexico City chef, named the World’s Best female chef…

What’s for dinner? It’s a deceptively simple question, asked millions of times each day. But consider the myriad factors that go into answering it — from cost to convenience to climate change — and it’s no wonder we spend so much time thinking about the food we eat. And that…

Tim Icely did everything he was supposed to do to save up for retirement. He worked 27 years in hospitality and hotel management before he was furloughed during the pandemic and forced to retire at 74. Icely is now 76, single with no dependents and no spouse, living on his…

Allergist and immunologist Dr. Gideon Lack’s first inkling that some peanut allergies might be preventable came more than 20 years ago while he was giving a talk in Tel Aviv. Lack, a professor of pediatric allergies at King’s College London, asked an audience of roughly 200 Israeli allergists how many…

Chef Jamal “James” Kent, who oversaw a burgeoning New York City restaurant empire and recently debuted a new culinary vision for the Santa Monica Pier, died Saturday. The lauded chef’s passing was first announced on social media via his restaurant company, Saga Hospitality Group. A representative for the group confirmed…

I can’t stop eating in Koreatown. As my fingers fly across the keyboard, I anticipate the angry emails from readers in the various valleys (I hear you, San Fernando Valley) and beyond. I promise there will be more columns devoted to wherever you live, soon. But if you’re like me,…

Pies for Justice is returning this year on Saturday in celebration of Juneteenth for its first in-person bake sale, bringing together nearly 200 pies from about 40 chefs. Organized by Gather for Good, the bake sale donates proceeds to support advocacy for racial justice and underserved communities in Los Angeles.…

On a Wednesday night in April taquero Victor Villa was chugging beer from a large gold trophy cup. A crowd gathered to help celebrate. Surrounded by fans and a sierreño band, the owner of Highland Park’s Villa’s Tacos had just taken home L.A. Taco’s annual Taco Madness award. The independent…

Warren Winiarski, whose 1973 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon turned the wine world upside down by winning the famous ”Judgment of Paris” tasting in 1976, has died at the age of 95. Winiarski was a liberal arts lecturer at the University of Chicago when his wine interest bloomed into…

99 Ranch is so much more than just another grocery store. It’s a mecca — an oasis where members of the Chinese-speaking diaspora have indulged in the flavors of their heritage for four decades and a convenient place to snag live fish and acquire specifically Asian produce such as wispy…

The James Beard Foundation Awards, often regarded as the most prestigious national restaurant awards in America, took place Monday evening in Chicago, celebrating culinary and beverage professionals across a range of cuisines, price points and locales — and one Los Angeles chef took home the region’s biggest accolade. In January,…

How to tell if a particular flavor has entered the mainstream American culinary vernacular: Spot said flavor at Trader Joe’s in the form of cookies, chips and/or ice cream. Have your dad, who was previously unfamiliar with said flavor, ask if you’ve tried the flavored cookies, chips and/or ice cream…

It was the pretzel that left all others in a pile of stale dust. Light glinted off the golden brown crust, its curves radiant with a light sheen. Tiny nodes of salt littered the surface. It was perfectly chewy, with crunchy pops of salt giving way to a warm, soft…

“Are you ready? It’s my first-ever double hack.” Zach Brooks is offering up a paper plate of barbecued lamb hearts with pomegranate sauce and a fluffy, steaming pita he got from the pitmaster at III Mas Barbecue to the dubious cook at Macheen, a pop-up taqueria. It’s 10:30 a.m. at…

In 2021, as the COVID-19 pandemic was upending the mobile food economy, L.A. County officials won approval for an ambitious, multimillion-dollar plan designed to aid beleaguered street vendors across the region. At first, $5.81 million was allocated for the effort — and last month, an additional $1 million. Among the…

When people tell her they dislike Los Angeles — too much traffic; everybody drives and nobody walks — Nancy Silverton doesn’t try to defend her hometown. “I understand all of those things,” says the James Beard Award-winning chef, whose Pizzeria Mozza is considered one of the best pizzerias in America.…

A new state law to prohibit hidden surcharges and other “junk fees” tacked onto customers’ bills is slated to go into effect July 1, with businesses having to include those charges in the prices they post or advertise. Now, however, the author of that law is proposing to carve out…

It was an evening that began with caviar bumps, a mythical giant and dancing light sabers and ended with sparklers and tequila shots at a poolside resort beach club. For the first time, the World’s 50 Best Restaurants hosted its annual awards ceremony and festivities in Las Vegas. Disfrutar, an…

Los Angeles is a pizza town. While chefs and diners grapple with the question of what defines an L.A.-style pie, the fact remains that there’s a bevy of nearly every variety to be found: Neapolitan, Detroit-style, the New York slice, Chicago-inspired deep dish, and the fluffy Sicilian. Here are three…

Andrew Meieran is about to reopen the doors of one of L.A.’s legendary restaurants in a bid to once again make it an offbeat dining and entertainment destination. Meieran is the proprietor of Clifton’s Republic, the kitschy, forest-themed restaurant on Broadway in downtown’s Historic Core that for nearly a century…

Your favorite restaurant’s fish with the buttery texture and pronounced taste might not be fresh — and that’s by design. Fishmonger Liwei Liao meticulously dry ages fish in climate-controlled refrigerators, extending shelf life by weeks and coaxing unique flavor from snapper, salmon, mackerel, branzino, tuna, sea bream and more. His…

I’m convinced that the beautiful people in line at the juice bar, the ones with athleisure-wear clinging to their perfectly toned glutes, dress specifically for the occasion. It is important that one must look appropriately fit and healthful while buying the elixir that promotes said health and vitality. I’ve never…

Chef Sean MacDonald says he’s always been a champion of using salt of all kinds — often adding more than “what people would normally do” — but in his Santa Monica restaurant Bar Monette, it takes on a sweeter form. A house-made vanilla salt, with just a hint of sugar,…

“Cake Boss! Seriously? Can I get a picture?” I watch as a woman shakes her head in disbelief, then squeals at the sight of Buddy Valastro. In the 10 steps it takes to walk from Buddy V’s Ristorante, the reality show star’s Italian restaurant at the Grand Canal Shoppes at…

Plan your ultimate trip to always-evolving Las Vegas. Try new immersive experiences and the best places to eat on and off the Strip — including desserts approved by Cake Boss Buddy Valastro. Check out the coolest indie shops and escape the neon lights with fun day trips. Bonus: For relaxing…

When Beyond Meat went public in 2019 in an initial stock offering that saw its shares nearly triple in price, it seemed to confirm that plant-based meats had arrived. The food technology, capable of converting beans into something approaching meat in taste and appearance, caught the imagination of the public,…

Why is pairing sushi with wine so hard? Most sushi bars put the drinking focus on sake, and while great wine is not uncommon in a sushi setting, it has often been offered by the bottle only, from traditionally revered appellations like Champagne, Burgundy and Napa. In the last several…

For anyone who catches flights from John Wayne Airport in Orange County, there’s a huge upside: It often beats traveling to LAX, and it’s easy to get in and get out. The downside? Food choices are limited and a bit boring. That’s about to change. More than a dozen new…

FRESNO —  The former general manager of a San Joaquin Valley water district, accused by federal prosecutors of carrying out one of the most audacious and long-running water heists in California history, pleaded guilty Tuesday to a version of the crime far more muted than what prosecutors had laid out in…

It’s 4:30 a.m. on a Tuesday and the lights are blazing at Food Forward’s Pit Stop warehouse. Big trucks are lining up waiting their turn while forklifts whiz around the loading dock, pulling pallets of donated asparagus, lettuce and strawberries off one truck or pushing boxes of purple potatoes, green…

I recently attempted to explain my new favorite restaurant to a friend. Things got complicated, quickly. The restaurant is called Red Room. Well, it’s sort of a restaurant, sort of a pop-up. Yes, the room is red, but it’s not actually painted red. There are lights along the walls that…

Whether it’s bears, coyotes or mountain lions, there is a sense in many of L.A.’s hillside communities that something four-legged and feral lurks just beyond the asphalt and attached garages. And on Canyon Crest Drive in Monrovia, the residents know that they live in bear country. Their street is frequented…

If you’ve ever held a pastel-yellow box full of Cuban pastries in Los Angeles, you’ve most likely tasted the legacy of Raul Porto Sr. On Wednesday the patriarch and co-founder of Porto’s, one of the region’s most popular bakery chains, died at the age of 92. Porto’s company shared the…

More Americans now consume marijuana on a daily basis than drink alcohol every day, according to a recent study. That’s welcome news for an industry that has been unfairly demonized by opportunistic politicians since the days of Nixon. The findings — based on data gathered between 1979 and 2022— are…

MEXICO CITY —  The taco guy didn’t quite get the fuss. “I didn’t realize the magnitude of the whole thing,” recalled Arturo Rivera Martínez. “I had no idea of what a Michelin star was.” He does now. El Califa de León, the modest taquería where Rivera has labored over a sizzling…

Heavy Handed Studio City Some of L.A.’s best burgers just landed in the Valley. Santa Monica’s popular smashburger spot Heavy Handed has expanded to Studio City, filling the former Mister O’s space with short-rib patties, indoor and outdoor seating, double the craft beer list and a new soft-serve dip flavor.…

Inflation and high food and housing costs are squeezing millions of families in the United States. At the same time, a designer pineapple priced at nearly $400 sold out within weeks of its launch. The disparity reflects a deepening chasm between luxury food consumers and average American families just scraping…

Thursday mornings at La Princesita Tortilleria in East Los Angeles are devoted to making chips, so customers couldn’t get any piping hot tortillas when I visited last week. But CEO Enrique Rodriguez made sure two fresh batches of corn tortillas were available for what we were about to do. It…

On the surface, the story of Red Lobster’s bankruptcy is about one of the seven deadly sins: gluttony. The most eye-catching manifestation of that sin, as my colleague Marisa Gerber reported, was the chain’s experience with its $20 all-you-can eat shrimp promotion, which attracted families that parked themselves in the…

Making the decision to quit a restaurant that one has poured passion, sweat and money into can be daunting. But the tumult in the restaurant industry and its fragile recovery have forced many restaurant owners and chefs to do just that. After years of pushing to keep their kitchens afloat…

A thousand stimuli charge your senses when you walk into the Mercado González in Costa Mesa. Dragon fruit, colored in lucid pinks and greens, piled in a wooden bin among dozens of other fruits and vegetables displayed with a gallerist’s fastidious eye. The sunshine smell of masa, maybe mingling with…

The Wonderful Co. is escalating its battle against unionization of its job sites, looking to halt a new state law intended to streamline the farmworker unionization process. The move comes two months after the United Farm Workers utilized the provision to become the collective bargaining representative for employees of the…

Why the industry is facing a uniquely tumultuous year, and what it means for restaurateurs, chefs and diners.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey recently signed into law bans against cell-cultivated meat in their states. They apparently find meat grown in a lab rather than stripped from a factory-farmed animal so repellent that its production, distribution or sale ought to be a misdemeanor punishable with…

Red Lobster promised customers an endless supply of shrimp for $20 — a gamble the struggling restaurant chain hoped would help pull it out of its pandemic doldrums. But Americans, and their appetites, had other plans. The beloved yet beleaguered pillar of casual dining abruptly shuttered dozens of locations this…

My industry has always been as difficult as it is magical. In the post-pandemic era, challenges are categorically higher. The threat to restaurants during the pandemic was obvious; it was a given that many wouldn’t come out the other side. In 2024, restaurants are back! No, restaurants are dying! No,…

The opening of Orange County’s Gudetama Cafe has been anything but “meh.” Lines wrapped through the Buena Park Downtown Mall parking lot on its May 4 opening day, when hundreds of fans showed up to try a cafe devoted to the world’s favorite anthropomorphic, utterly lazy egg. Some waited hours,…

The first time I visited the J&G Fried Chicken restaurant in Hacienda Heights, I left without any chicken. It was around 2 p.m. on a Saturday and the line of customers spilled out the door and onto the walkway outside. I estimated about 50 people waiting, not counting the people…

When chef Dominique Crenn won the World’s 50 Best Restaurants’ 2016 best female chef award, she famously called it “stupid. A chef is a chef.” “I agree with Dominique: A chef is a chef,” says Mary Sue Milliken, chef and co-founder of Regarding Her, a nonprofit organization for women in…

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 as well. “If you can smell it, there’s a good…

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 spears at precisely nine inches, a market standard. Later that…

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 of the 2024 Resy One to Watch award. While Kato…

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 ground beef? I recently contemplated how much was too much…

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. And because they are, they risk losing another defining characteristic,…

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 things I like. Also me: I spent an hour in…

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. You may like your broccoli more snappy or more tender…

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 anniversary. Chang and Wong specialize in Peruvian-style sushi, including various…

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 the state, and one of the first things they did…

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 a single layer, and roast, stirring as needed to avoid…

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 retail giant launched a line of store-branded groceries, stocking shelves…

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 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 76 in Texas. Maybe that’s how ghost kitchens roll. Major…

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 did not let the lack of a proper napkin envelop…

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 is as popular as the chicken) and a new vegetable-forward…

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 pan francés and Mexican bolillo are the same and interchangeable;…

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. Salpicón de res is technically considered a salad because the…

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 she is making and show up at her house for…

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 its doors opened, but only a few dozen guests would…

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 eggs — and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration —…

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 late 1980s during the country’s civil war. Vasquez was born…

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 paste and cook, stirring, until slightly darkened in color, 2…

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 a vegan diet, the chef-owner said, is no longer enough…

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 wall delineates the westernmost borough of Tijuana with Imperial Beach…

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 merch, including a new apron from Hedley & Bennett and…

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 — a perfect fall ingredient that’s a little easier to…

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 add rice and maybe saffron, we love this cool garlicky…

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 feed Palestinians in Gaza, Andrés spoke to The Times about…

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 mustard to the pan. Simmer for 20 seconds, then immediately…

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 lady making these rolls each morning but learned only recently…

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 — guests from the nighttime celebration were invited to brunch at…

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 color exactly right. You’s vision for her Koreatown bakery was…

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 your holiday festivities and turn it into a way more…

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, and for a moment the sensation is nearly the same.…

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 at him. Earning a spot on Coachella’s annual lineup is…

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 throughout the Midwest became infected with a strain of highly…

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 enforcement officials. Fernando Ochoa Jauregui, 28, and his company, 8A…

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. Danbi is the latest project from Long Hospitality, which recently…

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 was especially punishing on Day 1, but it’s also when…

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 regular-season finale against the Houston Rockets on Sunday at Crypto.com…

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 the fresh fruit bins almost empty. It felt like a…

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 think Rebecca is more special, just how we think this…

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 these combined recipes. Her 2010 book “Matzoh Ball Gumbo” explores…

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 matzoh balls should be fluffy and float on top. Remove…

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 ball gumbo, which combines two recipes from his food memoir…

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 Paris; instead, next to the croissants and brioches, it showcased…

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 sitting at a table in a small Thai restaurant in…

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, when light-up pedicabs and street performers replaced the famed daytime…

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 team’s World Series.” The pitcher they faced on opening day,…

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 In-N-Out burger and everything else the chef decreed would be…

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 at how we cook. (It’s why we keep adding books…

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 go from bakery to bakery in Paris, tasting each lemon-curd…

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 all customer checks to “ensure the safety for all staff…

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.

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 has its way, the only “Chili Crunch” on store shelves…

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 Huerta. Following decades of diminishing membership in the vast stretches…

“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 comes with a set of verbal instructions. “First, taste the…

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 bottom of the pot to prevent the paste from burning.…

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 multiple facets of the hospitality industry — including beverage programs,…

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, Kali Uchis, Rosalía and more, this year’s festival, which takes…

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 from World Central Kitchen, the Andrés-founded humanitarian aid group that…

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 statements by officials in Gaza said at least four aid…

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 corridor is packed from evening to the early hours of…

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, and the trend hasn’t let up: Spartina, Manzke, Pearl River…

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 three other kinds of beans. Some recipes say to stir…

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 mothers in Thailand. You can find flavor packets for the…

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 bits. This version replaces the pasta with bulgur, which gives…

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 long faced — and one that could worsen when the…

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 any given weekend, the Source brims with activity. In the…

(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 to smokehouses specializing in everything from coal-fired seafood to pan-grilled…

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 bavette steak carved into carpaccio rounds. A snug beige cloth…

If you try a soup-for-dinner diet to cut back on calories or just to simplify your life, amp up the umami and other flavor notes with these unexpected flavor spikes when your soup needs a boost. Red Boat Salt Infused with Red Boat’s famous fish sauce, this salt is pricey…

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 calories — if one goes easy on the cream and…

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 nicuatole, a silky and shiny dessert commonly found in Oaxaca.…

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. At Azizam, which translates to “my dear” in Farsi, there…

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 to pinpoint the source of the sounds. He eventually found…

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 cooking competition, Kish was stunned to learn last June that…

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 say, can result in issues including stomach pain, digestive tract…

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 in my mom’s cherry-red Volvo station wagon. A bag of…

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 of Sunset and Silver Lake boulevards with an excited hum.…