Jonathan Gold cast Kuniko Yagi into the spotlight when he reviewed Hinoki and the Bird in 2013. Soon after their Kaiseki-style pan-Asian cuisine restaurant made it into Jonathan Gold’s top 101 restaurants in LA. Yagi left Hinoki and the Bird and recently opened Pikunico in DTLA. I had Pikunico’s address but didn’t realize that they…
Pasta Sisters – Affordable Quality Italian
In LA’s westside, Culver City is where many new and exciting restaurant concepts appear. One of the latest is Pasta Sisters, a fast-casual Italian restaurant that makes their pasta fresh in-house. They pair the pasta with quality Italian sauces and offer them with an optional fresh ball of burrata cheese. Pasta Sisters first opened its…
Ord and Broadway Delivers Delicious Asian Fusion
Editor’s Note: Ord and Broadway closed in 2022. Modern Filipino cuisine is trending in LA. More dishes with adobo, ube, and silog are appearing on local menus. What I’m enjoying about this movement is the fact that chefs are taking dishes that they enjoyed growing up, and are using modern cooking techniques to prepare them….
OC Restaurant Week Begins March 3
The 11th annual OC Restaurant Week is set to begin Monday, March 3, and runs through Sat., March 9. The restaurants featured are geographically extensive, from Buena Park to the north to San Juan Capistrano to the south. I like the fact that there are choices for every budget. The prix fixe menus are priced…
The Slummin’ Gourmet Defines Gourmet in Pomona
I used to be an avid food truck chaser. Through that experience I got familiar with Twitter and learned about the foot truck community. Some of the trucks focused on gimmicky food like fried cheese balls, but others had bonafide chefs onboard and were trying to make a difference. A handful of trucks caught my…
Slab serves true Austin style BBQ
Barbecue in LA is trending. I believe this is strongly due to the nationwide publicity of Franklin Barbeque in Austin, Texas. Their multi-hour lines made news nationwide and flooded Instagram. In the last couple of year’s, LA pop-up BBQ’s become abundant and Trudy’s Underground Barbecue was one of them. Fortunately, owner Burt Bakman recently opened…
Los Balcones, a Gem in Studio City
Studio City is becoming the epicenter for cutting edge restaurants in the San Fernando Valley. It appears that the majority of valley restaurant news is about restaurants opening in Studio City. Los Balcones is one of them. It isn’t new, but what is exciting about it is the recent collaboration between chefs Jorge Rodriguez and…
Restoration Kitchen Features Italian Wine Dinner
The email I received from Restoration Kitchen in Torrance was too good to be true. A four-course pre-fixe meal paired with fine Italian wines for the price of $87 including tax and gratuity? Four-course wine dinners usually start at $100 and that doesn’t include tax and gratuity. Co-owner Wesley Takiguchi gave us a quick overview…
Celebrate Single Awareness Day at Figueroa Philly
Have you ever eaten a hot and gooey Philly Cheesesteak? Sometimes, some of the most basic comfort food like hot beef sandwiches are the most satisfying. Some of LA’s best sandwiches are from Figueroa Philly Cheese Steak. On Single Awareness Day, Feb 15, they will offer a special to reflect that day. Valentine’s Day brings…
Jalapeno Pete’s – a Vibrant SoCal Taqueria
Picture a Mexico City taqueria and combine it with a cool California look. That is Jalapeno Pete’s in a nutshell. I recently learned that they introduced a new food and beverage menu. My wife and I visited Jalapeno Pete’s to check it out. A spacious outdoor patio resides in front of the restaurant and it…