Born and raised in LA, I always seem to end up back in this city, no matter how far I stray. I *LOVE* to eat. And I love music. I wish I could eat music. :'( I'm French, which means I'm inherently better at eating, arguing and making love. No, seriously. It's one of the articles of the Geneva convention.
They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
Well, with that in mind, the LA Times has thrown together a list of what they consider to be the best breakfasts in our fair city. Three guesses as to what came at the top of the list? Here’s a hint: it starts with ‘G’ and ends with ‘ordon Ramsey’.
Yes, the list is comprised mostly of places that would be out of our budgets, but there are one or two little places listed in there that would actually be within our meager means.
→ No CommentsTags: Restaurants · Reviews
In sad news for cookie-lovers everywhere, Mrs. Fields Famous Brands, known as a little-old lady started cookie company, is filing for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
The cookie chain has been ailing since at least early 2007, when it started selling off assets and going through several rounds of layoffs.
According to the NY Times, the company licenses and franchises about 1,200 Mrs. Fields cookies and TCBY locations worldwide. Also, they apparently have $196 million in publicly-traded debt. Apparently cookies and frozen yogurt are really, really, really, really expensive to make.
→ No CommentsTags: Edibles · News
If you’ve been following the LA food blogosphere these past few months, you’ll know that LA has more or less criminalized those bacon-wrapped hot dog vendors ubiquitous to crowded late-night areas.
It’s unclear why the City of LA has declared deliciousness illegal (not just these but taco trucks in East LA), but things are reaching a boiling point: As reported on LAist and EaterLA, the LAPD had a crackdown on the mobile dog-vendors last Friday night, and it wasn’t pretty: apparently rather than actually subject them to this fanciful idea of “due process” and actually following the law, they simply tossed the carts, vittles and all, into a garbage truck.
Quote the Desert Dispatch:
In Los Angeles, police cracked down on illegal street hot dog (bacon-wrapped!) cart vendors. Most disturbing is that apparently, the police simply destroyed all the carts and all the contents without involving that crazy little creation we have here in the United States called âthe justice system.â
Theyâre probably relying on the operators to not have the money to sue over this, but good lord. Due process? Anybody heard of it? Anybody?
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For people who have lived in Venice for a while now (SF transplants and all you nouveau-riche feel free to skip this article), you’re no doubt aware of the unwelcome Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf that popped up across from the Collage Cafe at the corner of Windward and Pacific.
Well, fear not, our beloved local coffee shop has prevailed!
The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf has shuttered the location, deciding instead to relocate to a “higher foot-traffic area” (aka a place where they’re not regarded with hostility by locals).
Although unlike Starbucks, which is closing up shops like it’s going out of style, this seems to be a localized incident — the company is still expanding nationwide, and internationally.
So rest assured that the friendly, family-owned coffee shop is still, for the time being, intact.
Story via Eater LA, photo courtesy of www.yovenice.com
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I think the LA Times is trying to woo me.
After all, how else could you explain today’s big headline food article on Rillettes.
Those of you who’ve been following our food serion for a while now are probably already aware that yours truly is French (well, half but I’ve got a passport to back up my claim). And anyone who’s spent any significant amount of time in France is no doubt familiar with God’s gift to stomachs. But there may be a small and sad portion of you who are unfamiliar with this.
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Southern California has always been home to healthy living (or at least health fads)… We birthed jogging, popularized yoga, and let’s not forget the countless diets that have seen the light of day here. And recent trends are howing an increased awareness of just what we’re eating: a recent South LA city has imposed a moratorium on all new fast-food restaurants.
Well now Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky is mulling over a new proposal that would force restaurant chains to display the caloric content of each dish on their menu.
Quote Yaroslavsky: “Most people do not have a clue how many calories they are taking in when they have a milkshake or a double hamburger with cheese and fries,” he said. “This is an incentive for people to make the right dietary choices.”
This new measure would only affect chains with more than 15 franchises, so most of our favorite little hole-in-the-walls could still slip by. But this very well could spell doom for Outback Steakhouses’ Aussie Cheese Fries with Ranch Dressing (2,900 calories).
→ No CommentsTags: News · Restaurants
Feel ike eating some good food, drinking some fine wine and rubbing elbows with some celebrities (well, celebrity chefs)?
Then head over to Oishii Eats.
They’re doing a little giveaway to the Orange County Celebrity Food Show!
Quote the event website “This is Southern Californiaâs Premier Food Event Featuring TV Celebrity Chefs, Top-Shelf Gourmet Foods and Beverages, Wine Tasting, Celebrity Autographs and Photos! Enjoy everything the Gourmet Industry and Celebrity Chefs have to offer.”
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As a Frenchman, there’s one thing I simply can’t live without, and that’s butter. It really, truly does make everything better: bread, meats, veggies, desserts… There’s nothing that can’t benefit from a little butter.
Well with the heat keeping most of us indoors, here’s a great little project that can keep you busy and wow your palate: make your own butter!
Believe it or not, it’s actually extremely simple, and can be quite gratifying. All you need is some heavy whipping cream and a food processor.
So head on over to bay area bites for this fun and easy-to-follow little guide that will have you salivating in no time!
Photo by taiyofj, story via Serious Eats
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During these hot summer days, there’s nothing quite as refreshing as a nice chilled coffee beverage. Blended or iced, it just hits the spot when you’re trying to cool off. Recently Coffee Bean has launched their new Non-Fat Yogurt Ice Blended drink for the summer.
And being the lovingly generous people that we are, we’ve decided to give away four gift certificates, worth $40 each, to The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.
We asked you to leave your favorite joke below and the winners have been picked. Congratulations to….
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There’s nothing more pleasant than a nice brisk and refreshing cocktail on a warm summer afternoon to help you cool off and unwind. And with the Monday blues still lingering, I thought I’d share this fantastic recipe for a rosemary-infused cocktail!
First off, you need to start with some Rosemary Simple Syrup (or alternatively you can use the even more delicious-sounding Lemon Verbena Simple Syrup). Apartment Therapy’s The Kitchn has a very simple instructions on how to make both the Rosemary and the Lemon Verbena.
From there, it’s even easier.
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