I met Pedro Liébana earlier this year at the Latin Food Festival in Santa Monica. He was hand carving a large leg of Jamón Ibérico, a classic delicacy in Spain. I hesitated at approaching him, but he was quick to smile and offered me a sample. The flavor was quite remarkable and it was obvious…
Roman Aroma Now Features Wine Tastings
Roman Aroma was a fairly recent discovery of mine. It has become my “go to” Italian bakery for pastries and cannolis. The latter have been a bit hit with my friends and family. I recently learned that they are serving wine and offer wine tastings each week. To kick off the new offering, they recently…
Enjoying Oktoberfest Food at Brat & Brau
We are in the middle of Oktoberfest season. To celebrate this,I purchased a Groupon for a restaurant named Brat & Brau in Hermosa Beach. While the South Bay isn’t Germantown, I live close by and decided to give it a try. I invited a friend to join me in the experience. We arrived just after…
Drink Pink To Support Breast Cancer
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and to increase awareness of this serious disease, there will be a huge number of pink things to buy, to eat and to drink this month. If you are seeking a sip for TGIF, a Happy Hour or just wishing to honor that special someone, here are a…
Taste of Italy Returns to DTLA on Oct 14
The Taste of Italy is a one day festival of Italian culture and cuisine benefiting the Italian American Museum. The event features the LA’s top Italian and Italian American restaurants and wineries, offering a delicious and diverse array of culinary delights. The festival also features live musical entertainment at a beautiful outdoor plaza on historic…
Oktoberfest Comes to LA’s Beachside
Now that it is October, Oktoberfest is in full swing. This means there will be plenty of traditional celebrations such as dirndl dresses and lederhosen outfits, giant Bavarian pretzels, and of course the obligatory keg tapping which leads to questionable activities like nail driving and the embarrassing chicken dance. But the feast and the party…
Celebrating My Birthday at Cassia
I recently had a birthday and I felt extremely special when my cousins took my wife and me to Cassia. Co-owners Bryant and Kim Ng (Spice Table) ran a popular restaurant near Little Tokyo and was forced to close because of LA’s Metro. They re-opened as Cassia in Santa Monica and I’ve wanted to visit…
Marugame Udon Brings Authentic Experience to Westside
Marugame Udon opened a couple of weeks ago in Sawtelle Japantown. Simply stated, this area is bounded by Centinela to the west, Santa Monica Blvd to the north, the 405 to the east and Pico Blvd to the south. What caught my attention is the fact that the parent company also owns the namesake in…
Redondo Beach Lobster Festival Returns This Weekend
On Friday evening, Sept. 22, the 22th Annual Redondo Beach Lobster Festival returns to Seaside Lagoon. This popular event will bring 27,000 fresh Maine lobsters to the South Bay for dishes featuring the red crustacean. Craft beer, activities for the kids and live entertainment will be available all weekend long. Not wishing to mess with…
Authentic New Orleans Po’Boys at Little Jewel
Good tasting sandwiches aren’t hard to find, but great tasting sandwiches are rare. What is the difference between delicious and great? I think a great sandwich is due to the chef’s passion about using quality ingredients. One such great sandwich maker is the Little Jewel of New Orleans. They operate in LA’s Chinatown district. The…