Authentic.
Anyone who follows me at all knows this is my (least) favorite word in the food lexicon. “Authentic” is not only in the eye of the beholder (who typically has inaccurate perceptions) but also implies that adhering to an older style lends food some kind of extra “legitimacy.” Of course, any true student of food [...]

Fukuburger is one of the best of the few food trucks in Las Vegas. But for their first restaurant without wheels, they teamed with Harry Morton to open in Hollywood. My report ran in the Las Vegas Weekly, but I couldn’t resist posting all my food porn from the tasting, too…

While some might have enjoyed merely rubbing shoulders with Gail Simmons and the many Top Chef “Cheftestants,” this past weekend’s Food + Wine All-Star Weekend was a reminder of one important thing: Aria, City Center is one of the strongest destinations on the Las Vegas Strip for fine dining. Of all the restaurants represented at [...]

My good friend Zeke Quezada has been the GoVegas Editor for the New York Times’ About.com pretty much as long as anyone can remember. As such, he’s essentially the single most-read voice on Las Vegas anywhere on the interwebs (in other words, Anywhere, Period), and is remarkably humble about it. Well, humble relative to many [...]

Hidden amongst the skyscrapers of Downtown LA’s Bunker Hill, Nick + Stef’s was reinventing the modern steakhouse back when most of today’s foodies were obsessing on Olive Garden’s unlimited breadsticks and salad. They may not have been the very first, but when Joachim Splichal’s Patina Group opened N+S in the late ‘90s, most steak joints [...]

The Los Angeles Food & Wine festival (ambitiously declared “First Annual…” I guess they have a crystal ball) was an incredible assemblage of Star Chefs from both LA and elsewhere in the US, modeled after the Pebble Beach and Aspen events organized by much of the same team–but perhaps bigger than either.
I would love to [...]

Most food festivals tend to emphasize the savory over the sweet, but Indulge Los Angeles flipped the script, focusing on chocolates, pastries and beverage pairings. With two world-class pattissiers demonstrating, as well as the winner of Food Network’s Cupcake Wars, the event benefitting St. Jude Children’s Hospital (tix only $35!), it was pretty impossible to [...]

Ever wondered how we got the potato chip? Like many great innovations, it was created in anger, according to one story, by Chef George “Speck” Crum at Moon’s Lake House in Saratoga Springs, New York. Speck, in 1853, was irritated by a diner (allegedly Corneilus Vanderbilt, who was a regular) that kept sending back his [...]

As I’ve said before, it’s never a bad idea to know your food sources. During a recent trip to Santa Barbara, I got to make a fascinating side-visit to a moderate-sized abalone and halibut farm just north of town, poetically called The Cultured Abalone. For those who may be most accustomed to seeing it on Asian menus, abalone is a actually a type of snail (called abulon in Latin countries, ear-shells or mutton-fish in Australia, ormer in Great Britain, and venus-ears in South Africa) that lives in a half-shell which is a popular source of mother-of-pearl. Abalone meat might be easiest described as somewhere between scallop and clam, as it can be bigger like the former but firmer like the latter. If cooked right, it’s not chewy but tender and mild.

Like many star chef restaurants, nearly all the outlets of Scott Conant’s ever-expanding Scarpetta empire—including Miami, Toronto and Las Vegas—offer luxe kitchen-adjacent “Chef’s Table” dining rooms. And Scarpetta Beverly Hills, located within the Montage hotel, is no different. As a matter of fact, on the night I visit, comedian George Lopez, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and a trio of women are enjoying the one here. But Scarpetta B.H. has another dining option that’s not only unique to all of Conant’s restaurants, but also most fine dining establishments: a counter actually in the kitchen.

Whether you write about food or just enjoy it, knowing your sources is never a bad idea. So when the opportunity arose to visit the Watsonville, CA ranch where Driscoll’s Berries conducts their research, I was thrilled to accept.

Some things in Las Vegas have a way of hiding in plain sight. Aureole Wine Lounge is a fine example of this. Late last year, the Charlie Palmer restaurant in Mandalay Bay decided to update it’s rather austere entrance last year, opening up a huge window to their famous wine tower and dining room; it was a great idea, and arguably overdue, the first real change to the restaurant since it opened in the late ‘90s. At the same time, they also thought to gather some energy from the casino floor by creating a small “wine lounge” in front of the window, with a few select wines by the glass, and some small bites to accompany them.

As I write this, there are 2653 reviews of Wurstküche on Yelp (and a 4+ stars average), so I’m well aware that I’m a day late and a donut short (as my daughter likes to say) on this one. But it’s been a long time since a venue bugged the F out of me inspired [...]

Sometimes when you run a steady, sturdy ship it’s easy to get overlooked relative to newer, flashier restaurants with more marketing money. Such might be the case for Ping Pang Pong, perhaps one of the few perennial winners of the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s “Best Of Vegas” that actually deserves it. Both local and national critics [...]

I’ll be honest. The first time I ate at The Bazaar by Jose Andres, I didn’t get it. It was very soon after the restaurant’s opening, my friends and I knew nothing about the restaurant other than that it was something new and different, and the waitstaff were not only ill-trained, but unable to give [...]

I’ll be honest: in years of covering the Vegas dining scene, I’ve really only experienced a couple handfuls of restaurants off-Strip (or more specifically, outside a casino resort) worth writing about. Granted, that is probably on par with what you might expect of an average Southwest city even if it didn’t have a foodie-frustrating overload of fine dining right in the middle of it. But particularly in Vegas, most anyone with serious chef talent is going to want to be on the Strip. That’s where most of the money is, easy or hard.

Am I the only one who’s noticed in recent months that Jelly Belly, the California gourmet candy company that President Reagan first launched to stardom, has been dabbling in the health food arena?
Crazy, right? How could jelly beans possibly be a health food? But here’s the evidence: “Superfruit” Jelly Bellys, made with “real fruit,” “naturally [...]

Social House is easily the strongest culinary destination in Crystals, and one of the Strip’s most creatively approachable, ingredient-driven Japanese restaurants. No, it does not necessarily compete with the most adventuresome Japanese eateries in town, such as Spring Mountain’s Iburiya Raku and Ichiza, but this is a more relaxed, lavish, internationally-appealing experience, with strong quality and technique. The kitchen understands how to balance salty, sweet, sour and bitter with crispy, crunchy and soft textures for mouth-pleasing bites. That talent is all too rare.

From two star Michelin-rated Melisse to funky fresh Blue Plate Oysterette, dining in Santa Monica is perhaps better now than it ever has been. But with all the interesting new bistros–and even stalwarts like Drago reviving and refreshing their menus–it’s more than easy for locals to overlook the hotel restaurants.

In most cases, this is no great loss. But under Executive Chef Jason Bowlin and Executive Sous Chef Sean Conway, Casa Del Mar’s Catch restaurant and wine bar has reinvented itself as not only a gorgeous view room, but a semi-casual place with exceptionally inventive and satisfying dishes.

The menu, though, is enjoyably expansive, prompting the possibility of several different experiences without feeling like the forced eclecticism of many modern “small plates” spots. Executive Chef Pascal Lorange brings an interesting background with him, including experience in French and Beligian Michelin-starred restaurants, an extended sojourn on Tenerife, and stints working privately for Julio Iglesias and President Clinton.

The Palazzo’s Double Helix has long been one of my favorite wine destinations on the Las Vegas Strip: it was one of the first to have an extensive by-the-glass selection, and with owner Ray Nisi frequently on premises, it’s also always had a very well trained and knowledgeable bar staff–regrettably still a rarity.
It also seems [...]

Roll over Five Guys and tell Steak&Shake the news: Freddy’s is on your tail.
A close cousin to those other Midwestern  exports Five Guys and Steak&Shake, Freddy’s, which has outlets in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Nebraska, Arizona, Colorado, and now Victorville, CA, distinguishes itself primarily with Frozen Custard, a denser version of ice cream with higher [...]

Though I’ve been fortunate enough to dine at the Las Vegas CUT, not to mention many other Wolfgang Puck destinations, for some reason I have yet to experience one of his biggest recent successes, CUT Beverly Hills, in the impressively revamped Beverly Wilshire hotel. But for the restaurant’s fifth anniversary, Sommelier Dana Farmer (who’s been [...]

Have you checked out Rocket Fizz? While the Burbank store hardly originated the idea of selling every retro candy and soda pop available–shout outs to Galco’s Soda Pop Stop in Highland Park and Powell’s Sweet Shop in Belmont Shores (and 17 other locations)–I’ve been so overdue to check it out that, while I slept they’ve expanded to branches in:

Though certain pop music historians and fanatics know that Francis Albert Sinatra loved to cook, I never knew much about his actual technique. Until I came across this cookbook by the legendary Dinah Shore, who casually included recipes from many of her celebrity friends who probably didn’t realize they could cash in on their own! [...]

Truck Norris is obviously more inspired by a good pun than any particular cuisine. Surprisingly, all the dishes aren’t as macho as one might expect. Though you can get a FULL ONE POUND “TNT” Burger for 10 bucks, they also serve Hawaiian/Filipino-inspired ribs, sesame chicken, sisig pork belly, and for dessert, nutella wontons and lumpia smores!

It’s been a while since I’ve attended an art gallery opening where you can’t buy the art. Not because it’s obscenely expensive, but because it’s actually not for sale.
Also, it was all behind thick glass. Which makes me think either someone feels this gold-lame flecked Technics 1200 is the new Mona Lisa, or they weren’t [...]

So it certainly took some guts for Carlos Buscaglia, formerly one of the best Italian chefs on the Strip at the MGM Grand’s Fiamma Trattoria, to take that leap and open up a pizza place on Summerlin’s Town Center Drive, particularly in the middle of a severe economic downturn. Thus far, Due Forni Pizza & Wine seems to be doing fine… but if it fails, don’t blame the food.

I’ve attended Aureole’s Wine Weekend for the past two years, and I remain convinced that this small, rather under-publicized affair, is among the best annual food and wine events in the country. The first year, 2009, I documented on this website, here. The second, 2010, on EscapeHatchDallas.com, here.

This just in: Rich people drink wine, too. As I was reminded at the Vintage Hollywood Foundation’s annual fundraising wine & food fest (cum live auction), at a private home in the Pacific Palisades. This year’s beneficiary was the Ocean Park Community Center, a multi-program organization to help the less fortunate in Santa Monica.

Locals providing [...]

There are so many “hip” spots in LA these days, that I feel like I’m continually catching up. One I missed during it’s opening flush was The Gorbals, run by Top Chef winner Ilan Hall. So during a recent evening with reluctant DTLA queen Amanda Leon, I grabbed the chance to finally sit down there.

Pizza has always been one of those ‘Holy Grails’ of LA food… for some reason, it’s generally accepted that no one can get it “right” here, though what defines “right” is an equal matter of debate. There is also no small irony in the fact that Wolfgang Puck was the chef who really influenced the whole world to take pizza more seriously (and more creatively)—and he did that from LA’s own original Spago. But let’s leave cultural insecurities alone for a second and get to the table.

For anyone who still questions Los Angeles’ legitimacy as a food town: It’s a good thing you didn’t make it to Taste of the Nation LA yesterday in Culver City’s Media Park. Because it would have blown apart every preconception you have, like Gallagher on a watermelon (dated reference?).

Originally not an important part of the operation (as you can tell from the four available stools), Michael’s galley-like bar is now being tended by one Jason Robey, most recently at downtown LA’s Death & Co outpost, but prior to moving west, at Washington DC’s New Heights.

I rarely feel compelled to promote corporate brands, but I recently enjoyed tastings at two restaurants in Las Vegas, both of which happen to be somewhat “under the radar;” happen to offer price points slightly below their quality might call for; and happen to be operated by the Los Angeles-based MCC Hospitality Group. It can’t be a coincidence.

It’s an odd thing to stake a claim as something of an expert when it comes to Las Vegas buffets…especially when you weigh in at under 200 lbs…but why hide it? I’m probably one of the few people on the planet to have dined at virtually all of the casino-resort buffets, typically in the course of research (see my Orbitz.com Top Ten Buffets, most of which I believe still holds accurate, with the exception of Mirage’s Cravings, about which I’ve heard too many complaints) but occasionally just in the pursuit of a quick, effortless meal. Which is largely the point of these casino smorgasbords, at least historically, as I noted in another piece I wrote on the topic for the Las Vegas Weekly.

One of the finest meals you can have in Los Angeles right now is at Drago Santa Monica. That shouldn’t surprise anyone who’s familiar with the LA dining scene of the past decade—all of Celestino Drago’s restaurants (including those in Pasadena and downtown) produce well-regarded modern Italian.

But a special spring menu, which is priced at only $59 for six courses (seven including a substantial amuse) or $88 with wine pairings is really worth seeking out while it’s available.

Though coastal city snobs can continue to sneer, few if any cities can come near to rivaling the chef star power that is available in Las Vegas, where over the past 15 years, a fine food scene of remarkable breadth, depth and sheer volume has been gathered at the major resorts—and increasingly off-Strip, too. And the best representation of that scene, the best assemblage and celebration, remains Vegas Uncork’d by bon appetit.

Say what you want about In N Out–the world of burger fans seems to divide neatly into ‘lover’ and ‘hater’ camps–the California-based chain certainly deserves credit as the catalyst for fresh-ingredient fast food, as well as prioritizing customer service.

Among the myriad fine dining grouped on the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas’ third level, Blue Ribbon appears as something of a sleeper. Unlike the flashy, hostess-heavy Jaleo and STK, the uber-fancy Milos, or classically modern Scarpetta and Comme Ça, Blue Ribbon is in a darker corner and somewhat hidden behind a patterned screen wall. But [...]

In the realm of prominent Food & Wine festivals, few have the cache of Pebble Beach—and it isn’t hard to see why. Take the muscle of American Express Publishing—Food&Wine magazine, Departures, Executive Travel ($$$) and combine it with the captive audience of one of the richest private developments in the country ($$$$) and, well, you [...]

I’m not one to be starstruck–often–but there’s always something cool about meeting the namesake of a wine, and Hailey Trefethen can claim that twice. Not only is she one of the daughters of the well-known Trefethen wine family (the scions of the Oak Knoll A.V.A.) but their single vineyard reserve HaLo was named after Hailey and sister Loren.

Dropped by for a quick visit with Chef Gary FX LaMorte at Andre’s Monte Carlo this evening, and the chef waylaid me with an unexpected menu tasting! I would complain, but every dish was remarkably creative and well-executed. While Andre Rochat, one of Las Vegas’ longest-established haute cuisine chefs, is very classically-minded, LaMorte has taken his namesake restaurant in exciting new directions (ask about the foie gras martini!) for which he’s relatively under-appreciated. This food is quite seriously up there with the finest in the city–and served formally in a gorgeous, cheerfully romantic, intimate dining room. Incidently, LaMorte told me it was the first time he’d actually sat down in his own dining room to experience the service, but I bet he tells all his dates that

It may not quite be a SCOOP, but it seems to have not been reported yet that Brian Howard has taken over the day-to-day reins as Executive Chef at Comme ça in the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas resort. Howard is known as one of the more ambitious chefs in the local dining scene, most recently executing a very molecular/fusion menu at Nu Sanctuary in Town Square that should be remembered as one of the most adventurous culinary experiences in Las Vegas dining (particularly off-Strip–and joining Carlos Guia at Louis Osteen in the Town Square too good/too soon club).

Though it’s been around for years (35 to be specific), and I’ve driven by it several times, I finally got the gumption to check out German Cold Cuts. With such an imaginative name (ahem) not to mention the most nondescript location imaginable (not only is in Woodland Hills, not only in a tiny strip mall, but actually in the rear/side of a tiny strip mall in Woodland Hills), you can hardly blame me.

Jet Tila is probably best known as Executive Chef of Wazuzu, the critically-acclaimed Pan-Asian restaurant in the Encore Las Vegas resort. But the LA native’s first professional identity was as a cooking instructor, holding classes in his backyard at 22 [He's also gone on to be accoladed for his recipes, blogs, videos, and making the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest stirfry. There are also frozen dinners on the way, I'm told. Here's a bio with more detail than I have the energy to paraphrase.] He moved his classes to Culver City’s New School of Cooking quite a while ago, but I only recently got a chance to sit in on a session to check it out. I confess that Thai is one cuisine I’ve always shied away from trying at home, the best dishes always seemed excessively complex and home versions never seemed to mirror what you could get very cheaply from a restaurant.

Hey, remember Freedom Fries? No? Good.

Because the best executions of this BELGIAN dish (like many Belgian things, regrettably colloquialized as ‘French…’ Jacques Brel, for example) ignore cultural and political boundaries, finding endless expression in double-frying, seasoning and topping the Luther Burbank hybridized potato. My, I’m using big words today, aren’t I?

Would you believe me if I told you one of the most creative, satisfying and entertaining dinners I’ve had so far this year was at a country club? In Palm Desert, no less? I’ll avoid repeating what I wrote in the article for The Tasting Panel (see below) and just post some pics… Chef Ralph Fernandez, I like your style.

I rarely endorse corporate branded foods. Even if they might be found in my home pantry, I’m always a little bit suspect of what goes in with mass food production. But I’m making an exception for this recent random discovery: Lay’s Lightly Salted.