Papuli's Profile
Jonathan Gold to L.A. Times - again!
Ha - well, I don't think he comes up with NEW nice things to say about Casa Bianca, right? It just always shows up on the Essential 99 list, which as we all know, isn't a "Best of" list. I also think Gold, being human, has his nostalgic favorites, like Border Grill. I'd guess Casa Bianca finds favor for the same reason.
Jonathan Gold to L.A. Times - again!
It's his own personal rule that he won't give a bad review to a mom-and-pop, but figures the big projects with the millionaire investors can take the occasional dig.
Catering in Palm Desert?
I'm hosting a very casual event in Palm Desert for about 30 people in a couple months and I'm thinking about hiring caterers for it. I'm thinking $20 or under per person, so definitely not table service or anything like that - a couple people manning a build-your-own-taco table would be great. But my people are all food nerds, so I'm looking for exceptional deliciousness. Any thoughts?
Fig and Olive - WORST SERVICE EVER
I think we've had this back-and-forth before, but - the service there does tend to be pretty bad. Downright rude at the hostess stand, in my limited experience.
Jonathan Gold to L.A. Times - again!
Village Voice Media (LA Weekly's parent) and the Tribune Company (LA Times) each own 12 newspapers. Tribune is a larger organization with more diversified holdings, but neither the Weekly nor the Times is independent.
Most Divisive Restaurants?
I was going to ask the same question, but in a different vein ... I thought I was the only one!
KCET's new "How To" series
KCET.org's food section has started this cooking series, that's more artsy than instructional. In the video, anyway - the recipe is posted under the video. I made the roasted veggies. They were quite good.
http://www.kcet.org/socal/food/how-to/
Thoughts from the peanut gallery?
PIE MAKER like "The Waitress"? Sweets and Savories!
Speaking of simplethings, they're running a contest on KCET giving away five of their pies. I've had the chocolate silk too, and really enjoyed - anyone had their bourbon pecan? http://www.kcet.org/socal/food/the-nosh/win-a-thanksgiving-pie-from-simplethings.html
Special occasion restaurant for a family dinner?
I'll be coming home from LA for Christmas and want to take my dad and two college-aged sisters out to a nice dinner one night. My dad has a bit of a traditional palate and doesn't like Thai food, but likes all other Asian food. My sisters and I are up for anything. (Except Canlis, I don't want to go there.) I'd like to keep the search to Seattle proper, not the Eastside.
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!
-----
Canlis Restaurant
2576 Aurora Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109
Eatalian in Gardena
KCET did one of their Free Lunches there. I must say, it looks pretty enticing. The pasta in particular.
http://www.kcet.org/socal/food/freelunch/eatalian-cafe-cheese-pizza-pasta-pastries-gelato.html
BEST RESTAURANTS IN PALM SPRINGS
Do you have more info on Lucky's? I can't find anything!
Top Chef: where are they now (ongoing)
He was talking about toppings - and don't you think the default is chicken eggs? Hens, not roosters, as he'll remind you.
Top Chef: where are they now (ongoing)
Ilan Hall has a place in Los Angeles, and he's consulting on a new pizza place there, too. In this interview I do like that he admits he has a hard time making pizza dough...but then he goes straight back to pretentiousness by calling eggs "hen eggs." Yes, Ilan. That's what they are.
http://www.kcet.org/socal/food/the-nosh/top-chef-ilan-hall-expands-his-downtown-empire.html
Serious Eats writer finds “inspiration” in user comments
How did you figure this out? By following the link posted by commenter Monsieur_Ghislain?
looking for killer bar food
As of last night it's officially open, and they've done a couple of preview nights. (Word on the street: drinks, yay; food, meh.)
Whole Foods butcher.
It has been my experience that the butcher counter at Whole Foods Glendale is shockingly bad. They refused to remove a wishbone from a whole chicken for me, and on another occasion messed up a large order of skewers. It's a very silly place.
Whole Foods: "Faux Hippy Walmart"
I wouldn't know either way, but you might want to double-check about the bakery. They're discussing this letter over at Gawker, and another former employee had this to add:
"I was there for several years doing graphics for the marketing folks. This guy forgot one of my favorite things: Almost all of the prepared foods come from Sysco, not the sales floor. The only time you'll be eating anything even remotely similar to organic romaine in your $9 caesar salad, is if they had bunch of it on spoil in the produce department."
http://gawker.com/5824867/the-whole-foods-experience-part-one
98-year-old needs to gain weight, doesn't eat enough: Food suggestions
Yes, any dish that has butter or oil in it can be made with marijuana. Pesto, stir fries, mashed root vegetables, salad dressing, all kinds of desserts, you name it. If it were my grandma I wouldn't mind if she got a little high in her quest for an appetite (to my mind, that beats the side effects of the steroids recommended downthread).
Oh, another idea - if you make a point of overcooking pasta it'll be mushy enough to eat but still delicious!
David Sedaris on China and Chinese food
@T Long @southeritalian Yup, any bodily function can you think of. It's really just a cultural difference (in China, you get rid of the nastiness when you can), but it becomes a bigger deal because it's an issue of hygiene. And listen, I was horrified to throw up in public there; I was just that sick. And I tend to think getting sick is just luck of the draw, which is why I don't travel to China with my own Costco pack of chopsticks from home, as I saw other tourists do.
David Sedaris on China and Chinese food
The spitting, the vomiting, the pooping ... I love China, but it is horrifying on that front. I happen to think the food is delicious, generally speaking, but I've paid for it with some public vomiting of my own every time I've gone. (Maybe my body was just trying to fit in...)
Xi'an Famous Foods Looking To Open in Los Angeles?
Random, but: if you're ever in Vegas, go to China Poblano at the Cosmopolitan and get the rou jia mo there. It's made with pork, Beijing-style, and it is fabulous. I crave it fortnightly. I wrote about it, actually, for http://www.tripouttravel.com. It's very "authentic," too, if you're into that sort of thing.
Osteria La Buca on Melrose
I've been twice recently and if it stays as good as it's been the past month or so, it's going to become one of my favorites. The focaccia, the non-traditional carbonara, the short rib ravioli and the budino have been excellent. (It's gone through a ton of changes in the past year, but I think they've finally figured out what they should be doing.)
New Wave for Gladstones??
Is it possible that it is in fact worse under SBE? I checked the reviews on Yelp and there's a whole slew of one-stars from the past couple of months. Anyone been recently?
Chimu Peruvian Soul Food adds another foodie stop in DTLA
The head chef at Chimu, Mario Orellano, has said that the Peruvian style in which he cooks is fairly common in Lima. He is also a partner in, and former cook at, Mo-Chica, so there really isn't any knocking off going on, since it comes from the same person.
-----
Mo-Chica
3655 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90007
Water Service - am I naive?
Ah, but tap water is always an option, as all restaurants must meet health codes by having running water. I think it would be the rare North American who thinks tap water isn't available!
Water Service - am I naive?
When you say that some restaurants provide bottled water for free, do you mean branded bottles purchased from a store or purveyor, or do you mean tap water that's been poured into bottles at the restaurant and set on your table?
Potluck Wedding
You should ask the bride! Nothing wrong with that, and she seems like a pretty relaxed person, given the wedding she's planning.
Fig & Olive - has anyone been?
When I went, the food was fine but the host stand employees were so effing rude that it really colored my experience. They were like a stereotype of LA servers that I'd never actually encountered in real life. Our waiter was sweet, though.
Looking for the new Ben & Jerry's flavors --any sightings?
I saw Late Night Snack and Clusterfluff at Gelson's in Silver Lake.
In n' out Off Menu
apple7blue probably meant the grilled cheese with chopped peppers, specifically, is never ordered. If you ever go to an In-n-Out, you'll see that the peppers are requested pretty consistently.
