WHY For everything needed to concoct a Thai feast, from fresh lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and Thai basil to galangal and great deals on canned coconut milk and other essentials. WHAT The first place in L.A. to find exotic Thai ingredients is still owned by the family of popular local chef and culinary teacher Jet [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY For tasty, good-value bottles from the Santa Ynez Valley and the northern and southern Rhône. WHAT The selection is small at this tidy little shop, but it’s creative and includes some very good specials. The focus is on just three regions: California’s Central Coast, the Rhône and Spain. Regulars stop by for the Friday- [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY A chic tasting bar (Thursdays and Fridays) and a smart choice of small-producer Californians. WHAT Excellent displays and some little-seen Californian and French wines make this a fun place to browse. There are some good values on the racks, too. WHO Local tasters and producers’ assistants who were dispatched to fetch an emergency $250 [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Old Laurel Canyon character, convenience and a good deli sandwich. WHAT The ghost of Jim Morrison and the spirit of Joni Mitchell live on in this historic little market. Because it’s in Laurel Canyon, the parking-lot access is hairy and the prices are high, but the place is so dang atmospheric that we love [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY The ingredients and equipment for virtually every style of cooking in the world. WHAT This former restaurant supply store has morphed into a food-shopper’s paradise complete with a little café. In addition to thousands of fresh, frozen and packaged gourmet food items, Surfas has equipment aisles devoted to a fascinating array of large-scale appliances [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Vacuum-packed fresh foie gras, French nut oils, whole French cheeses and some wine buys. WHAT Several times a year (get on the e-mail list) this wholesaler of gourmet imported products opens its doors to the public, permitting a sometimes-chaotic supermarket sweep through aisles of plus-size food items (three kilograms of Valrhona dark chocolate, anyone?). [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY For Chinese and Asian herbs and vegetables, from lemongrass to bok choy, as well as fresh noodles of many types, a remarkable selection of tofu and good, very cheap knives. WHAT Locals have been known to call it ‘the stinky-meat market’—not that there’s anything wrong with the meat, mind you. It’s just aromatic. Anyway, [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY For professional knife sharpening in Long Beach. WHAT Drop off your knives (standard, serrated, ceramic, Japanese) and shears by 2 p.m. on Monday, and you’ll get them back sharpened and/or repaired by 5 p.m., thanks to the Perfect Edge mobile truck. While you wait, you’ll have fun shopping for kitchen gear in this Naples [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Fresh burrata, made every single weekday, and other lovely soft Italian cheeses. WHAT Vito Girardi is a third-generation cheesemaker and the man responsible for most of the burrata you see in L.A.’s best restaurants. It is our good fortune that he also sells to the public—not just burrata, but also mozzarella, ricotta, mascarpone, affumicata, [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Educated and refreshingly honest staff members, who also know their way around tequila and beer. WHAT Wine Expo started as a champagne specialty shop and has evolved into the westside’s go-to source for Italian wines. Owners Ali Biglar and Robert Rogness cultivate relationships with Italian winemakers and ship back via their own import business [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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