WHY Mexican dishes with a jolt of traditional flavors in a casual, eco-friendly storefront café. WHAT Tinga’s owners were inspired by Santa Barbara’s deceptively casual La Super Rica. Their thick corn tortillas also have a house-made heft, with cochinita pibil pork tacos as spicy as advertised. Taco plates, quesadillas, burritos and tortas made with steak, [...]
January 25, 2012 | Posted in
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WHAT Welcome to the cuisine of gluttony, which can be hard to resist, especially when it rolls up to your doorstop smelling of smoky Nueske bacon. Everything on this truck is bacon-based: breakfast burritos, sandwiches, French toast, even the brownies. The signature item is the baco (pronounced bock-oh), a reverse taco with strips of bacon [...]
January 21, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY Better-than-you’d-think cooking in a no-frills café. WHAT Owner Robert Humphreys brings his classical training (at Patina and elsewhere) to his funky, everyday café, and the result is a gift for East Pasadenans. There’s good coffee in the morning, worthwhile and affordable wines and beers at night, and one of the best burgers in Pasadena. [...]
January 20, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY A newly revamped menu inspired by pre-Columbian Mexican cooking. WHAT La Huasteca has long been Plaza Mexico’s grand stage: sylvan murals, wrought-iron chandeliers, a fully stocked bar. But with a reinvigoration by chef Rocio Camacho (formerly of Moles la Tia), it is charting a new course, one that celebrates ingredients and techniques native to [...]
January 15, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY Serious dogs served on grilled King’s Hawaiian bread. WHAT These are solid, substantial hot dogs, often topped with bacon and/or chili. Skip the heavy, bland El Mariachi, but consider the BLAST dog, with bacon, lettuce, avocado, tomato and serrano chili, and by all means try the tater tots. The addition of a beer garden [...]
January 12, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY We’re delighted to see serious schools for home cooks popping up once again all over the county.; WHAT A ‘culinary event company,’ Simple Gourmet is really a cooking school plus. In addition to quality avocational classes, it offers kids’ cooking camps, team-building events, private cooking parties, and catering. 443-A S. Pacific Coast Hwy., Redondo [...]
January 11, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY Sophisticated pastries, excellent coffee and fresh bread in a fast-transforming neighborhood. WHAT Though owner Na Young Ma is a Glendale native, Proof has a Parisian look, with marble-topped tables and chocolate-colored walls. Pastries strike the right balance between rustic and refined and rank with some of the best in the area. All things meringue [...]
January 5, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY Yountville foodie elegance in Brentwood. WHAT Freshness is a fetish here, whether it’s braised sunchokes or perfectly cut shoestring fries from Weiser Farms potatoes. Jeffrey Cerciello, former culinary director of Thomas Keller’s casual dining division, has created an upscale larder featuring dishes (salmon rillettes, poached chicken salad) made with the best local produce alongside [...]
January 4, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY A former textile factory transformed into a warehouse of authentic Italian cooking. WHAT Owner Antonio Pellini originally intended for Eatalian to be just a production facility for cheeses, gelati and baked goods. But the airy, industrial space is so big that a dining room was an easy addition. The restaurant veteran (he ran five [...]
January 2, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY Berlin’s favorite street snack pops up at Sunset Junction, with a simple menu of saucy sausages and killer fries. WHAT Choose from pork, beef, chicken or tofu all-natural sausages and select a heat level of sauce. After they’re grilled and sliced, the sausages are topped with an organic curry-flavored tomato sauce; you can add [...]
December 24, 2011 | Posted in
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