Simplicity seems easy but it is difficult; very difficult. To specialize in the creation of a single, relatively uncomplicated dish, particularly one that is familiar to diners, requires perfect execution. I have great admiration for small menus. L’Assiette, on Melrose Avenue, is an example of a restaurant built on the premise of perfection. The name itself means, “the dish.” And what is that dish around … Continue reading Can’t Spell ‘L’Assiette’ without LA
When I met you in the summer. To my heartbeat sound. We fell in love. As the leaves turned brown… Calvin Harris’s song Summer is on repeat in my mind when I think of Summa! No better time to start dreaming of SUMMER when it is about to quickly approach, although really it is summer all yearlong in LA. Here we present you with our new favorite summer … Continue reading Summer Beverages: Your go-to drink guide
LA comes up with everything or seems to present everything first. Tonight as I scurry down my neighborhood block in my navy Jack Purcell sneaks with my sparkling sneaker wings attached, I realized I probably should have dressed up for this occasion on lavish Robertson Blvd, but after hours in the car and on my feet, I love LA more because most of the time … Continue reading Tanya Heath LA, Change up your look by changing your heels
Sonos Studio and Pandora gave us an intimate evening with Marina and the Diamonds (diamonds referring to not her band but the audience) after discovering and listening to this indie pop band rock out at Coachella much farther away. Donned in a sparkly pink pant suit, with colorful high heels, the crowd went wild when lead singer Marina Lambrini Diamandis walked on stage at Sonos to … Continue reading Marina and the Diamonds perform at Sonos after Coachella
In 2012 Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice, California was deemed the coolest block in America. During my almost 8 years in LA, Abbot Kinney has turned into a mecca of the hottest boutiques where one can find unique high end products that are not mass produced. Many of these cool one-of-a-kind American finds often come to LA from NY or come to life right here … Continue reading Patties and Pies at Three Square Cafe
Founded in the 1880s as a temperance colony, Lompoc was originally conceived as a booze-free utopia. (Note: this is not to be confused with a free-booze utopia, which, I’m sorry to say, is not a real thing). William Hollister, a wealthy rancher who was once considered the state’s largest producer of wool was interested in cheap labor and clean sobriety. Today, wages are still low … Continue reading Escape LA: Lompoc, a Santa Barbara city
It’s amazing sometimes how simple the best things can be. We get so overwhelmed with choices and options these days that we forget or miss out on the good stuff. Personally I get paralyzed by indecision sometimes in doing the daily task of choosing a place to eat. Being in LA, I, like most people around here, tend to be very health conscious. When I say … Continue reading Mainland Poke – Casual Healthy Dining
Every once in a while, a food writer comes across a restaurant concept that seems to have all of the intangibles necessary to be a mega-hit. It is a glimpse into the future. I won’t be the least bit surprised if in a few years, there are fast-casual poké chains in every neighborhood in L.A. and expanding across the country. And, to some degree, those … Continue reading From Hawaii with Love
“This is not ‘Nam. This is bowling. There are rules.” — Walter Sobchack, The Big Lebowski There used to be rules to bowling, anyway: cigarette smoke, fluorescent lighting, off-brand beers, country music jukeboxes, pederasts and women named “Flo.” Times have changed. Well, not really. But at Bowlero in Mar Vista, they really have. Bowlero is the newest concept in bowling. And while it’s been a … Continue reading High Rollers in Mar Vista
“It’s completely out of your hands,” proprietor Mark Reynolds of Torrance’s Jolly Oyster Market says about the travails of mollusk farming. And yet Reynolds’ hands are scarred by cuts acquired from years of oyster shucking. These are the same hands that were once defined by the manicured digits of a high-finance banker. The African-born Englishman, who had spent time working in Dubai and Hong Kong, … Continue reading The Oyster Will Be Your World
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