Pastry goes precious at La Conversation in Los Angeles

April 21, 2012

LOS ANGELES, USA – Homey food made fresh from scratch, country décor accents, and doilies galore…sounds like you’re dining at Grandma’s, right?  Nope.  You’re in West Hollywood at La Conversation café, where you’d think the cluttered-kitsch tearoom look would be dismissed as totally unhip by entertainment industry insiders and Pacific… (more)

The proof is in the pretzel at 3 Square Café + Bakery

April 14, 2012

VENICE, USA – If you really stop and think about it, the soft pretzel is a grossly underused form of bread.  Unless you’re at a ballgame, on a New York City street corner, or at an Auntie Anne’s airport concession, it’s unlikely that you’ll encounter the deliciously twisted dough, burnished… (more)

Skip bed and head straight for the pancakes at The Griddle Café

November 20, 2011

LOS ANGELES, USA – On weekend mornings, the lines for the manhole cover-sized pancakes at The Griddle Café snake out the door and around the block. It would be the kind of place you’d want to wake up early for in order to secure your spot. Except, with its vaguely… (more)

Get rude with your ramen at Daikokuya

November 12, 2011

LOS ANGELES, CA – How many times when you were little did your mom tell you not to slurp your soup? Pursing your lips into a tight “o” and drawing in the noodles with a satisfying whoosh was also a no-no. But, really, what fun is that? Luckily, there’s a… (more)

Boho chic with a beachy backdrop in Venice

September 3, 2011

VENICE, US – When you think of shopping in LA’s Venice Beach, images of street vendors hawking string bikinis, knock-off bags, and el-cheapo sunglasses on the Boardwalk may be the first to pop to mind. While it’s true that loads of tourist shopping dollars are carelessly disposed of in this… (more)

Seafarers meet starlets at the HMS Bounty

August 22, 2011

LOS ANGELES, US – Hollywood has long had a romance with tales on the sea, especially the kind that intertwine love and disaster (Titanic, anyone?). In Hollywood’s imagination, the ocean’s expanse is like the “Wild West,” uncharted territory where anything is possible and the rules on land don’t necessarily apply.… (more)

The Brite Spot: a beacon of love and tofu enchiladas

August 8, 2011

LOS ANGELES, US – It may sound farfetched that a late-night, throwback LA diner could bring two soulmates together, but I’ve lived to tell the tale. Well, not my tale exactly, but the tale of my close girlfriend, let’s call her April. One summer night as April and I shared… (more)

Shop ’til you rock in Silver Lake

August 6, 2011

LOS ANGELES, US – In LA’s Silver Lake neighborhood, the focal point of the boho shopping district is known as “Sunset Junction,” located at the intersection of Sunset and Santa Monica Boulevards. But it might as well be at the intersection of Hip and Hipster. Chock-a-block with organic cafés, crafty… (more)

Martini madness for the new millennium at Lola’s

August 4, 2011

WEST HOLLYWOOD, US – Remember apple martinis? The fruity-tart cocktail was all the rage in the ‘90s as the martini became the favored cocktail palette for novel flavor combinations galore. Apples may have originated in the Garden of Eden, but this ‘tini temptation was invented right in Hollywood’s backyard at… (more)

Nosh with a side of nostalgia at the Fountain Coffee Room

August 3, 2011

BEVERLY HILLS, US – As it turns out, so much beloved Americana from the 1940s and ’50s ended up being pretty bad for us. Our nation’s love affair with “glamorous” cigarettes? A precursor to a cancerous epidemic. The era’s iconic burgers, shakes, and fries? A heart attack waiting to happen. … (more)