Le Food News

It's places like this that make me want to live or at least work downtown. Literally, I could go to Catch 21 several times a week for lunch or dinner and never get tired of it.

Alie Ward and Georgia Hardstark are two charming and funny mixologists who take their show on the road, to our delight

Titanic Belfast is an exhibition opening to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic--enjoy your last supper as well

Slammin' Sliders and Slummin' Gourmet are two SoCal food trucks that knock sliders out of the park, as Guy Fieri would say

The Arroyo Chop House in Pasadena knows protein, so go as a caveman, or caveperson, and forget the veggies etc.

I had to quibble to find fault with the Haven Burger at Haven Gastropub in Orange, Calif. Next trip I'll do the poutine.

The perfect complement to a great hot dog is a great beer; alas, Johnson's Hot Dogs has great dawgs but no beer

The Shenandoah at the Arbor in Los Alamitos, Calif, offers a great setting and a great menu, but does it deliver?

After the sunny days of spring and summer and long lines, the Grilled Cheese Truck seems suddenly accessible in wintertime

The Azteca Mexican Restaurant and Crooners Lounge is a shrine to Elvis Presley, but with some pretty good Tex-Mex offerings

I was looking for Villains Tavern (which, as it turns out, is open only at night) but found, first, Wurstkuche (highly recommended but had a line that I didn't want to deal with), then NOLA's (I entered but no one ever greeted or seated me), an...

Is the Berkeley Dog the ultimate sausage experience? Whatever, it's worth a repeat visit.

The Bazaar by Jose Andres in Beverly Hills is a glamour destination, but the menu can be a bit bewildering

I wanted to try the food at the Backstage dive bar in Culver City, Calif., but ended up at the dreadful ersatz bistro, La Dijonaise

I was only thinking of going to the L.A. Auto Show, but along the way I also discovered a great wine tasting at Bottle Rock in Los Angeles

Can anything as over-saturated as the food truck scene in Southern California continue forever with no casualties? I don't think so!

The Grand Oak Steakhouse and Bar at the Highland Springs Resort in Cherry Valley, Calif., is a grand escape with good food and drink priced right

The totally overrated Ludo Lefebvre can't even complete with KFC, let alone El Pollo Loco.

Both Shrimp Pimp and Temaki Truck serve food-truck Japanese-inspired fare, and both are worth a try

Cafe Sevilla in Riverside specializes in Spanish food and tapas, but in try to be too many things to too many pople, it falls short

SoCal Gas Co. offered up a combi oven cooking demo with smashing and ordinary food results

Riviera at the Fireside, a Continental Cuisine destination in Westminster, Calif., will be shuttering for good on Oct. 23.

The second incarnation of the Inland Empire Food Truck Festival on Oct. 8 proved more creature-comfortable than the first

Truck Norris serves up the most phenomenal Shepherd's Pie anywhere, and for just $4!

After my first visit to Slater's 50-50 Burgers in Anaheim Hills, Calif., all I can say is half of what I experienced was stellar, the other half, well, ordinary or not to my liking.

Cha Cha's Tacos and Tequila in Brea, Calif., is a nice after-movie or before-movie destination, with Flamenco dancing during Sunday brunch

I chased the Lardon food truck for a couple of months, hoping to find perfection in its ballyhooed bacon taco. I didn't.

You'd think a huge place like Orange County could get its act together to stage a food truck festival, but alas, bad planning and execution prevailed.

The Hound Dog is a bacon-wrapped (and I assume deep-fried) rather overweight hot dog served by the Rock-a-Billy Deli and Grill located next to the Chamber of Commerce in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., a city that should be famous for being home to the first...

'Latin Dance Fire' at the Center Stage in Fontana, Calif., was entertaining, but the food could stand some freshening up

Toru Sushi at Angel Stadium offers a healthy respite from fried and fast food while Five Guys, incredibly enough, serves the finest fast-food hot dog in Southern California

Servite High School held a food truck festival on Saturday, Aug. 13, with a good array of food offerings

The Waterfront Bar and Grill is San Diego's oldest tavern, but skip the Caprese Burger. Instead, head to San Diego's dive bar find of the century--the Aero Club.

Just when I thought the food truck scene was dead in Southern California, a prominent food editor calls food trucks a key to L.A. being 'the food city of the moment'

Gordon Ramsay unexpectedly eliminated Gina Melcher on 'Hell's Kitchen' when there were more deserving candidates for the axe

Since I can't afford to eat in good restaurants anymore, I naturally latched onto the food truck phenomenon as the last refuge of the penniless seeking culinary fulfillment. Pennies were lavished everywhere, but fulfillments were few, alas. The Beh...

The cheeseburger at the Concourse bowling alley in Anaheim, Calif., is both simple and special--the best ever?

Schooner or Later has dibs on a prime waterfront location in Long Beach, Calif., and serves humongous portions of American favorites

Takoyaki are octopus balls popular in Osaka, Japan, and now coming to the U.S. on street vendor carts. I call them two things: 'OctoBalls' and 'delicious.'

OpenSky lets you follow your favorite stars and gives you 60% off their favorite products--join today!

Eight trucks, including seabirds from Orange County, will compete in the 'Great Food Truck Race 2' beginning Aug. 14.

Brothers square off on 'Rocco's Dinner Party' with an Italian theme on Wednesday, June 29

The Concourse in Anaheim is the perfect location for a food truck gathering since you can go inside and finish off your food over a cold beer, or other drink of choice.

'MasterChef' used some CGI to increase the size of its participant crowds as revealed in this marked-up photo

'Rocco's Dinner Party' is surprisingly good given how shallow and egotistical I once held Rocco DiSpirito to be (he seems improved this time around)

The inaugural Inland Empire Food Truck Festival was hugely attended and great fun, but has the NomNom Truck lost its magic?

In search of the perfect hamburger, I prowled the Las Vegas Strip to sample greatness. Did I find it?

This season's Top Chef Master will be crowned on Wednesday, June 15, and be awarded $100,000 for the charity of his or her choice

Naples, Calif., sits on the ocean in all its splendor, and it also has the distinction of being home to Kelly's, a great wine-dine destination

I finally caught up with the oh-so-popular Lobsta Truck and came away much the wiser about the food truck craze

The Bowery in Hollywood and Charlie Palmer's DG Burger spot in Costa Mesa don't know of each other, probably, but they both claim to have the best burgers

Both BJ's and Taps are Southern California brew-house chains--but which serves the best grub?

The remaining 'Top Chef Masters' undergo a taste test blind-folded, ear-folded, and nose-folded on the May 18 episode on Bravo

Grill 'Em All is still riding a wave of popularity from winning the Great Food Truck Race on Food Network, and it showed at the Fullerton High School Food Truck Fundraiser May 13

The remaining 'Top Chef Masters' contestants are challenged to create a feast for Grammy-winning rock group Maroon 5

In a battle of deep-fried, bacon-wrapped hot dogs, Dogzilla beats The Bomb handily

Contestants on the May 4 episode of 'Top Chef Masters' are challenged to operate a drive-thru restaurant

Miss Turkey probably never ate turkey before she promoted the Carl's Jr./Hardee's turkey burger. So how does it taste?

The 'Top Chef Masters' must create delicious dishes of less than 1,200 calories for all three meals (4/27/2011)

The 2nd 8th Annual Grilled Cheese Invitational in Los Angeles drew big crowds of hungry participants on Saturday, April 23, at the Center Studios parking lot

Eureka Burger specializes in craft beers, Angus beef chuck burgers, hand-cut fries, and gourmet salads--and brags about it

'Amazing Wedding Cakes' episode 5 finds three teams with three unique challenges

The Quickfire Challenge on April 20's 'Top Chef: Masters' features some earth-bound ingredients--it's truly a bug's life

Pho Vi is a Vietnamese restaurant in Pomona, Calif., that is about as good as it gets in that city

A couple wants three cities incorporated into their wedding cake this Sunday on 'Amazing Wedding Cakes'

Two entertainment celebrities will bring their own idea of cooking challenges to 'Top Chef Masters' on Wednesday, April 13

'Amazing Wedding Cakes' pits two competitors in a baking competition each Sunday night on WE tv

'Top Chef Masters' begins a new season on Bravo with new host Curtis Stone on Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Santa Anita Race Track held its second Food Truck Festival of the year on Saturday, April 2, with 80 trucks and thousands of hungry fans

For the series finale of 'Top Chef: All Stars,' finalists Richard Blais and Mike Isabella get to create the menu of their dreams

Reality begins to sink in for Richard Blais in the next-to-last episode of 'Top Chef: All Stars' as Mike Isabella begins looking more and more like a real winner

For St. Patrick's Day, I visited two Irish/pseudo-Irish pubs, both located in nondescript strip malls

With just a quartet of contestants remaining, 'Top Chef: All Stars' on March 16 features its own version of the Final Four

If you're ever in Walnut, Calif. (I know, where's that?), and have a craving for Japanese food, you'd enjoy a restaurant I'd driven by countless times but only recently tried on a Sunday night with my wife. Akasaka, as it is named (for ...

The five remaining 'Top Chef: All Star' competitors find themselves on the Bahamas in a face-to-face challenge with the winners from their respective seasons

An Australian favorite, Oporto opened a week ago in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., serving its famous chicken burgers with hot Portugese chili sauce, along with other chicken concoctions

The Top Chef: All Stars take the ferry to Ellis Island and discover they must cook up a repast based on their family's heritage (March 2, 2011)

Tio's Mexican Restaurant in Etiwanda, Calif., serves up yummy Tex-Mex dishes with fast-food ordering combined with table service.

Jimmy Fallon orders up a birthday fete and feast while fondue separates the winners from the losers tonight on 'Top Chef: All Stars'

Aburiya Toranoko Sushi Bar and Izakaya in L.A.'s Little Tokyo serves up some of the most delicious food anywhere

On the Feb. 2 episode of 'Top Chef: All Stars,' the Quickfire Challenge is judged on presentation only by Isaac Mizrahi, and then the Elimination Round features Italian dinners prepared at Rao's and judged by Soprano Lorraine Bracco

Some 20-plus fast food trucks were the center of attraction on Saturday, Jan. 29, 2011, at Santa Anita Race Track, drawing thousands and thousands, who appeared to have no interest in the horses

James Suckling leads an extraordinary private Bordeaux tasting at the Barker Hanger at Santa Monica Airport on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2011

Anthony Bourdain and Restaurant Wars both return to 'Top Chef: All Stars' for the Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2011, episode

Wine and Dogs was held this past Sunday, Jan. 16, 2011, in the Artist District of Downtown Los Angeles, featuring wine from nine wineries and dogs of every variety as guests

On 'Top Chef: All Stars' on Jan. 12, 2011, the contestants find themselves out to sea to fish for the protein to prepare for their competition

As 'Top Chef: All Stars' returns for 2011, judge and chef Tom Colicchio faces off with the contestants in a Quickfire challenge

Park Ave. in Stanton, Calif., is a warm and inviting steak house, but stick to the meats

Los Angeles Times 'anonymous' food critic S. Irene Virbila has been outed by an irate restaurant owner, who took and posted her picture with scathing remarks online

Top Chef: All Stars on Dec. 22 forces the chefs to prepare a holiday dish using only their hands and not utensils

For its Dec. 15, 2010, episode 'Top Chef: All Stars' has the contestans competing in four of New York's top restaurants.

Five Guys Burgers and Fries may be getting rave reviews for some unknown reason, but my visit left me completely unsatisfied--full of meat and potatoes but not taste

Zwack is a traditional Hungarian after-dinner liqueur that smacks of licorice and other spices but is best mixed in a drink called an Oatmeal Cookier

Get a sneak peak at the opening episode of 'Top Chef All Stars,' which reunited 18 'losers' for a final chance at redemption!

The we.tv series 'Amazing Wedding Cakes' comes to a close with a champion crowned tonight, Nov. 14, 2010

The Wednesday, Nov. 10, episode of 'Top Chef: Just Desserts' finds the remaining four contestants battling it out over truffles for a spot in the finale

'Top Chef: Just Desserts' uses a version of restaurant war called dessert war on the Oct. 27 episode

Top Chef: Just Desserts melds fashion and chocolate on the Oct. 13 episode

Contestants on Top Chef: Just Desserts must create the "ultimate ice cream sundae" for the Oct. 6 episode.

The heat is on as contestants weigh their fates in week three of Top Chef: Just Desserts.

The series Amazing Wedding Cakes turns to the southern tradition of the groom's wedding cake.

Will Alex own up to stealing the pea puree on tonight's Top Chef Reunion?

Top Chef: Just Desserts makes its debut on Sept. 16 on Bravo TV following the crowning of the new Top Chef.

Top Chef reaches its finale tonight, Sept. 16, in Singapore, as Angelo falls ill and Hung springs to the rescue!

Master Chef finals, coming up Sept. 15, looks to be a contest between the men and the women, two each for the final title and $250K in filthy lucre.

With the remaining four Top Chef contestants slugging it out in Asia, will this be a human version of the Singapore Sling on Top Chef Sept. 8, 2010?

A bakery team is challenged to create a cake based on "Edward Scissorhands" tonight on 'Amazing Wedding Cakes' on WE Tv

With Slim gone, there's not much charm left on Master Chef, so I'll have to root for beauty-cum-brains in contestant Sheetal Bhagat.

Acerbic chef-author-raconteur Anthony Bourdain is set to liven up proceedings on the Sept. 1, 2010, episode of Top Chef.

Sheetal Bhagat is not only a surviving participant on Gordon Ramsay's Master Chef TV competition, she is also a natural beauty with talent and ambition, who may be getting reduced in air time because of her marketing efforts.

The Cafe 101, or 101 Cafe, in Oceanside, Calif., certainly exudes 1950s charm, and it serves decent-enough diner grub, but the service (at least when I was there) definitely needs an upgrade.

Top Chef takes on a secret mission as the finalists cook at the CIA for a group of spymasters.

The Western Foodservice and Hopistality Expo runs at the Los Angeles Convention Center through Monday, Aug. 16, 2010. Next year—back to San Diego.

As 'Top Chef' Washington, D.C., draws to a close, the producers rolls out the legendary restaurant war competition.

The remaining Top Chef contestants tackle a variety of foreign cuisines for Top Chef Master Marcus Samuelsson and foreign dignitaries on the Aug. 4, 2010, episode.

Gordon Ramsay seeks to one-up the entire cooking competition industry with his debut of Master Chef, which pits home cooks against one another—and even against professionals!

On two of three criteria—diner and dive—Tony's Restaurant, located in an off-the-beaten-path warehouse district in Pomona, Calif., qualifies for inclusion on the popular Guy Fieri TV series, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.

'Top Chef' on July 21 lets teams of finalists judge one another--let the sniping begin!

It seems hard to beat Thai restaurants in a pinch--the food is usually reasonable and tasty.

If you’re a seafood person, this week’s Top Chef episode is guaranteed to make your mouth water, because what’s a season in D.C. without a little bit of blue crabs in a Quickfire Challenge? Then for the Elimination Round, it’s a...

Who was it who said, "Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker"? I agree, but I'll take a U-No candy bar any day--and quaff it down with Guinness.

Viva Villa Tagueria in Fontana, Calif., is neither one Route 66 nor a dive in the classical sense, but it sure serves tasty Tex-Mex food with great salsas.

Is the cooking of Marcus Samuelsson truly stellar? If my trip to the Signature Kitchen in Costa Mesa is any indication, yes, it is.

French chef extradordinaire--and ultimate gentlemen--Eric Ripert is joining the Judges' Table when season seven of Top Chef gets under way June 16.

Now comes Next Food Network Star to round out the summer's reality cooking shows.