This is kind of like trying to describe love.  The kind of love you just suddenly feel and then find yourself musing  “I just knew” to all your friends… the kind of love that floats over your heart, effortless and pleased with itself.

My Love of this week (this month, this year) is Miss Peaches, and nothing but Miss Peaches, the small, painfully appealing hole-in-the-cupboard soul food joint on Lankershim blvd just north of Burbank in North Hollywood.  Lord SAVE me now, did I just suddenly sleep through a plane flight and end up in Baton Rouge?  Or wherever they make amazing Southern food that I never even knew existed in Los Angeles?
I scurried in late on Monday night to visit my foodie friends Jordan and Vivien and immediately forgot I was anywhere but Miss Peaches.  The kind of unique forgetfulness you get when you’re at home for. [ Read The Full Story -> ]

I personally have found great use in Metro Lines Orange and Red - central to frequent hang-outs, theaters, higher education, and all things daily - but in an attempt to see what more Los Angeles has to offer I’ve decided to tackle the other lines one by one: first off, the Gold Line. In all things purposeful, I figured it’s not a bad idea to see what lies between Union Station and the foothills of Sierra Madre, but I must admit that it was my friend Duane who unknowingly set me out on the hunt. One Saturday afternoon he came home from Chinatown with boxes of lemon biscuits, moon-pie-esque desserts, and gummie candies, and while I haven’t yet found out where he discovered those treasures, I will soon enough. I did however find an awesome Mongolian barbecue place, which I will mention (with directions) towards the end.

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There’s a little greasy spoon cafe right near my house in Van Nuys called Nat’s Early Bite, that has been like an old family friend for my household for a long time.  While it’s not necessarily “foodie” amazing, or a particularly “hip” greasy spoon, I love it because it’s real. And walking distance.  Which is a thrilling novelty despite the fact that the walk is really hot, sunny and far from scenic.  But inside Nat’s it’s always cool, clattering with silver ware and bubbling breakfast voices, the scent of syrup or french fries hinting the air.

Nat’s is not the place to go if you want to find some amazing hole in the wall that will give you spectacular brunch for $5, but if it’s good solid coffee shop food you want, they have some of the best out there. Which is to say if you love spooning coleslaw, warm and crispy hash browns or cool and crunchy BLT’s on white bread into your mouth, hit it up.

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The California Senate has officially ok’d the new law requiring chain restaurants to display caloric information in their menus. Places like Outback Steakhouse, whose blue cheese and bacon fries come in at more than the USDA recommended amount for an entire day, are no doubt sweating bullets over this one.

The bill still needs to get the Governator’s approval and signature before becoing law. This law is a first nationwide, and could set a wondrful precedent.

With over 16 million overweight Calironians, this is seen as one more step to help curb the obesity epidemic.

Story via LA Times, photo by glenmcbethlaw

My mother didn’t allow us to answer the telephone at the dinner table, and I imagine that yours didn’t either. We never ate at the mall food court unless it was a necessity - Mom thought it was all junk food. Now imagine her horror if each family member had his or her own computer - complete with touch screen - at every place setting. At the mall. I want to say that uWink is slowing killing the American family dinner and I would - if only the food wasn’t so darn tasty.

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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.

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My first visit to Tart was almost a year ago, and frankly I was less than impressed. In defense of the restaurant it was my first night out after a week in bed with the flu, and no one in the group was very daring with the menu options. My friend Molly, however, swore by their mac & cheese.

I had been meaning to go back and give it another whirl and got my opportunity this past week. The first thing I noticed was that their patio had been re-designed and was even cozier than before. As part of the Farmer’s Daughter Hotel, the Tart decor is very Americana; pitchforks mounted on the white washed walls, intimate and candle lit. [ Read The Full Story -> ]

In honor of the Olympics, when international pride and cultural curiosity run high, I thought I’d share with you one of the best places to get some good ol’ non-American treats. From Jammy Dodgers and Digestive Biscuits to curry powder and fat little rose-scattered tea pots, The Friar Tuck Shop gives us humble Valley folk the glory of all that is great in UK sundries.

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It’s a bar and grill slash art gallery and jazz club. Hal’s, located in the trendy 1300-block of Abbot Kinney, brings together the best of Venice’s funk and L.A.’s chic. Outside, it’s simple: wood-framing, lots of windows. Inside, it’s dim and sleek: bar on the right, dining on the left, original artwork on all walls.

The pieces are interesting nothing quite the same, no established theme or artist, all just effortlessly cool. Hal’s trademark? A multi-dimensional portrait of a man leaning on a bar (or table?), hand posed around a wine (or water?) glass. Take a look and decide for yourself.

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Having spent a disproportionate share of my lifetime at the mall, I can repeat normal mall business hours backwards, forwards and in my sleep. 10am to 9pm, Monday through Friday, weekend and holiday hours vary. For your average shopper during the non-holiday period, that is more than enough time to get your goods and go home. But what about movie-goers? After catching an 8pm movie, they exit at 10pm only to find locked doors and restaurants packing up for the night. If you’re lucky, the soft pretzel shop might still be serving.

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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).

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Toi on Sunset came very highly recommended from a friend. The atmosphere’s great, the food is greater, and she even got to meet Quentin Tarantino in a daring after-dinner introduction during which she referred to him as “Quenti.” This being said, I don’t take Thai recommendations lightly; it is one of my favorite cuisines.

My friend Ellie and I got there around 8:15 on a Thursday night. There were some people crowding around the entrance and we worried there would be a wait, but we followed the instructions on the sign out front to wait for the doorman who showed us right to our table.

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