LA

FIRST COURSE

A few season ago, Angelo Sosa was thisclose to winning Top Chef. And while that didn’t happen, his flair for exotic updates on Southeast Asian food (and his flair for unfashionably tight jeans) has remained in our memory.

Finally, a chance to sample some of Sosa’s spicy eats is available to Angelenos (completely accidental pun, here) at SmithHouse Tap and Grill. Sosa’s presence elevates the space from standard pub-style food and the 100+ beers on tap don’t hurt the experience either.

FIRST COURSE

Just because you’re vegan doesn’t mean you have to be healthy all the time, and luckily, restaurateurs in Los Angeles seem to understand this. The following are (in my humble opinion, as a vegan with a sweet tooth that influences more life decisions than I care to admit) the best places to find animal product-free desserts in L.A.

Tai Kim’s nothing short of a genius with his impressively Yelp-approved menu of vegan and non-vegan ice creams. How he manages to rotate his eclectic flavors daily and never miss a beat, how he makes some of them vegan without a hint of iciness or intrusive soy flavor, and how he does it for just $2.49 per giant two-scoop serving, are beyond me. And how I’m ever going to be able to move away soon from my convenient walking-distance location from Scoops is definitely, most certainly, beyond me. Stop by here (perhaps after dinner at vegan haunt Pure Luck across the street), and you won’t be disappointed. Feed your vegan-phobic friends Kim’s signature brown bread dairy-based ice cream, and they won’t be disappointed, either.

GLAM DAMN IT

As winter approached, we looked at our honey blonde locks and realized that their sunshine tones did not match the more serious seasons' sober mood. We needed more depth, more winter-ness! So, always one to rock and spot trends, we dyed our hair a rich chocolate brown, as did, by coincidence, Olivia Palermo.

But now, mid January, we have a hair dilemma. Unlike Olivia, we live in a city where the sun always
shines and the beach always beckons. As soon as the Xmas turkey is out of the way, the days start to
heat up and we suddenly need to feel, lighter, more free, and altogether more Malibu and less New York. We wanted highlights, but without the obvious look that they usually gave. What to do?

FIRST COURSE

The Lobsta Truck from New England is driving around LA stocked full with fresh crab and lobster. This product of Maine is fresh and flown in three times a week. Flex those seafood taste buds and savor the flavors from the east coast.

The menu is short but month watering. Have Lobsta Rolls and Crab Rolls (split-top roll, with a bit of mayo or butter), and Clam Chowder (cup or pint). For dessert have a whoopee pie and some Cape Cod chips. Worked up a hunger yet? Find out where they’re going to be next by looking for a red truck with a giant lobster on it or following them on Twitter.

FIRST COURSE

Monopole Wine
21 S. El Molino Ave
Pasadena, CA 91101
626.577.9463
monopolewine.com

Monopole Wine, which opened Monday in Pasadena, offers not only an impressive array of competitively priced wines, but also a convenient bar where customers can open and enjoy their purchases right away--or choose from several other varieties offered by the glass.

The store has garnered rave reviews citing its striking, cathedral-like decor (a 25-foot-high ceiling, stained glass windows, and chandeliers from an old Laguna Beach church), its knowledgeable yet unpretentious staff, and its thorough selection of domestic and international wines.

SCENETRACKER

If you need a rest from the usual hard-to-get-in and crowded LA Club scene, then Bar Marmont may be the place for you (as well as a few A-list celebrities spotted here.) Located within Chateau Marmont hotel, it's no wonder that the famous flock here to remain undisturbed. The low-key, yet upscale bar features charming and delicate French-style decor, very old fashioned yet it certainly fit the image (watch out for the butterflies on the ceiling and the stuffed peacock.) Some people have compared it to a "dark Hollywood set", but perhaps that depends on how many drinks they've had!

The menu itself is "hearty with European influences" as they describe it, though they could be pricey with European portions as well. The music is eclectic and the drinks expensive, but really, it's the full atmosphere that people pay for.

FIRST COURSE

Sometimes life is hectic. In Los Angeles, sometimes usually means often. A vacation to an exotic destination may be the ideal fix, but if it’s not an option, and you happen to be hungry, I have an alternative that requires a little less planning. And there’s no need to cash in on your frequent flier miles. Just book a table at D’Caché in Toluca Lake. This delightful, not to mention delicious, hidden find of a restaurant will deliver a vacation-worthy dining experience in what just might become your new favorite home away from home.

It was a quiet Friday afternoon when I sat down on the charming patio of what the owners call a Spanish Fusion style restaurant. D’Caché is housed quite literally inside a house, a Spanish mission style structure that was originally built in 1928, and still retains much of its original formation, including the floors and windows and even the lovely chandelier that hangs in one of the dining rooms. When owner and General Manager, Patty Gamba, joined me to tell me about the history of the house and the restaurant, she made me feel as welcomed and special as if I was an honored guest in her own home, which in many ways, is what D’Caché is.

FIRST COURSE

Opened last night, the Eveleigh is a cozy rustic restaurant of exposed brick, beams of raw wood and a fireplace. Sit around the bar, in a booth, or out in the back patio garden in this country retreat.

Go in for some after-work drinks or dinner (lunch will have to wait till next month). There is beer, wine, and cocktails like the Clipper (gin, Aperol, St. Germain, grapefruit, and soda) and Poor Carlitos (tequila, lime, honey, and smoked sea salt). Dinner will be a tuff choice with Pot-Roasted Clams, Braised Beef Cheek, or Roasted White Fish. Dessert is a must with a poached peach and brown sugar ice cream or a frozen dark chocolate sandwich.

Fine refuge from the bustling city at the Eveleigh.

Eveleigh
8752 W Sunset Blvd
(east of Holloway)
West Hollywood, CA 90069
424-239-1630

FIRST COURSE

Seventy of L.A.’s finest cheese makers, cupcake bakers and chocolatiers gathered October 23rd and 24th in a celebration of handmade, local and sustainable cuisine that took place in the historic Cooper Building downtown.

A budget-foodie’s dream, Artisanal L.A. provided thousands of hungry Angelenos the chance to sample food and spirits, shop, take part in hands-on workshops, and listen to expert panels on topics ranging from craft beer to eco-friendly caviar to the difference between “sustainable” and “organic”—all for just $10.

If witnessing the sheer passion of the local vendors, who artfully designed not only their gourmet fare, but their irresistibly inviting display tables, wasn’t enough of a draw on its own, then certainly the plethora of innovative treats—think jalapeno cotton candy, fig and port butter, and clementine olive oil—was well worth fighting Downtown L.A. traffic.

FIRST COURSE

There are about 9,500 food trucks and carts in Los Angeles and the health department wants to round them up with some rules. The rules will be the same as restaurants. The trucks will be required to post letter grades based on food inspections as well as file route maps. No more surprise location announcements via Twitter. The department wants field inspections possible at least one a year.

Inspectors will be able to shut down trucks that score less than a C for lack of basic safety and food cleanliness practices. This includes dirty counters, food left out, and unwashed hands. Food truck operators as not fighting the changes and believe posting a letter grade will be good for business. Matt Geller, vice president of the Southern California Mobile Food Venders Association, said, “It brings more legitimacy to an industry that is fairly new in the mainstream.”