United in Butter

Inland and coastal pastries from B1 Breadshop

Two Angelenos are eating pastries and drinking coffee on a weekday morning. One is sitting in the cool fog of Venice; the other is feeling the day’s heat in...

Regressive Snacking

Eating ice cream (and cupcakes) in Beverly Hills

We would have been incredulous if you had told us in first grade that we would one day tire of cupcakes. Of course, we could not predict the sweet oversaturation of the cupcake...

Dessert First

Playing the temptation game on La Brea

The baked goods at the new Sycamore Kitchen from Quinn and Karen Hatfield will mock you. They look friendly enough, sitting pretty on cooling racks behind the counter. But after...

Conversations to Cook By

Talking with chefs and musicians on "Food Is the New Rock"

Brass Monkey and wine have little in common beyond being alcoholic beverages. That, and Beastie Boy Mike D has been a fan of both. Such culinary insights from musicians and,...

Slurrrrrrrrrp

Fresh soba from a buckwheat ace

Noodle-making and downward dog might not initially seem like kindred acts. Soba-noodle-obsessed Sonoko Sakai, however, happily relates the two. She told us that making “soba...

Just Peachy

The perfect pie for summer

Summer is a shifting concept in Southern California.  The most recent solstice hit in the midst of June gloom, and our May temperatures bring to mind August in many other...