2024 was brutal for Los Angeles restaurant closures
Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Sunday. I’m your host, Andrew J. Campa. Here’s what you need to know to start…
Creativity and $400 menus amid record restaurant closures
L.A. is fully in the era of the $400 tasting menu. Plus, a golden era for Champagne, a good bowl of pho, Feast of the…
Where to eat in Pasadena during the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl
When Dianne Willis brought a chicken salad to a dinner party, she had no idea it would become the most famous bowl of lettuce in…
The favorite stories written by the Food team in 2024
Plenty of nicknames knock around the Internet to describe the blurry stretch of time between Christmas (Chrismukkah this year!) and New Year’s Day. “Feral Week”…
Trump’s deportations on a collision course with California’s economy
This country has always had a hypocritical relationship with the undocumented workers who keep America’s agricultural, construction and hospitality industries humming.On one hand, we simply…
A taste of 1789 Japan
A meal out of history, babka love, Christmas Caesar, Kismet’s cheesy pickle-and-greens dip, ranking the best and worst chicken tenders, a Somni sneak peek, why…
No plans? This app will match you with a group of strangers for dinner
When David Brown moved from Chicago to Los Angeles this summer, one of the first things he did was download an app that aims to…
5 Korean restaurants and bottle shops to try makgeolli in L.A
As the granddaughter of Korean rice farmers who brewed rich, viscous makgeolli to keep their six sons sated while planting in the fields, my journey…
Why Destroyer is still crushing it at breakfast and lunch
“This is so 2017 of me,” I texted my journalist friend Meghan McCarron earlier this week, “but I’m spontaneously going to Destroyer today. Any chance…
Here are the 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles for 2024, ranked
Our annual mega-project is live!Since 2013, The Times has published a yearly guide to the 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles, though in the six…
Inside the Italian food warehouse every cook should know
Beatrice Ughi’s Italian connection. Plus, obsessing over chicken rice, how to use extra pumpkin filling, where chefs eat on their night off and how food…
Will RFK Jr. ‘go wild on Big Food? Why that could be a good thing
Could RFK Jr. “make America healthy again”? Plus, the Mountain fire’s toll on avocado growers, the closing of a beloved Silver Lake diner, mincemeat cookies…
A favorite L.A. brunch is back — and better than ever — at Kismet
Do your tastes lean sweet or savory for the day’s first meal? At home, the answer for me is simple: savory, mostly involving a soft…
Pretty Mallorcan town away from crowds has the best restaurant on the island
Our style assistant, Grace, paid a visit to the idyllic Cap Vermell Grand Resort in Mallorca - and was blown away by the luxurious hotel…
This cozy enclave near Santa Barbara offers up a dash of star power
• This tiny SoCal neighborhood offers up quaint, low-key vibes, and it’s easy to access off the 101 North.• The new Godmothers Bookstore and Cafe…
No bread crumbs: David Campigotto’s cassoulet road show
Comfort us with cassoulet. Also, Thanksgiving prep begins, TGI Fridays struggles, Helms Bakery reopens and La Casita Mexicana gets sweet and spicy. Plus the full…
Best Los Angeles restaurants with Thanksgiving takeout 2024
Let’s face it: It’s been a roller coaster of a year, and the thought of hosting Thanksgiving dinner or even bringing a dish to a…
Two recalls in Oakland show frustration about crime ‘boiling over’
OAKLAND — When Sheng Thao was sworn in as mayor of Oakland in January of 2023, a raft of feel-good stories followed, often featuring beaming portraits…
‘La Cocina’ review: Restaurant drama is one of the year’s freshest
Opening with a quotation from Henry David Thoreau’s 1863 essay “Life Without Principle” including the lines “Let us consider the way in which we spend…
Los Angeles food and drink deals for voters in 2024 presidential election
Tuesday, Nov. 5 marks the end of the highly unpredictable 2024 election season. And after months of political ads and funding campaigns, election day itself…