To honor National Doughnut Day, which is celebrated every year on the first Friday of June, we round up the best deep fried treasures in LA, the U.S. city with the most donut shops. Clearly, Angelenos have displayed their serious commitment to doughnuts (aka donuts), which originated in the 19th Century. Here are some of our favorite places to get our deep-fried donut fix.
Andrew Zimmern is a two-time James Beard Award-winning TV personality, chef, food writer and teacher. The globe-trotting host of Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern recently led an expert panel of celebrity foodies to create the list of 100 nominees for the 2013 Munchies: People’s Choice Food Awards. Now through April 30, 2013, the public is invited to vote for the Munchies here.
Find out some of Andrew Zimmern’s favorite places to eat and stay in Los Angeles.
What do you do after GQ dubs you "The Coolest Block in America”? In the case of Abbot Kinney, you just keep getting cooler. In fact, the hip factor seems to permeate the whole neighborhood. But Venice has always done its own thing. An alternative area since real estate developer Abbot Kinney founded it as the “Venice of America” in 1905, the beach community is distinct for its Italian-inspired canals, the carnival-like Ocean Front Walk and its ever-evolving restaurant scene.
From pioneers like the Rose Café and Joe’s, to vanguard restaurants like Tasting Kitchen and Superba Snack Bar, find out more about one of the best dining neighborhoods in LA.
No longer must Angelenos subject themselves to old, overly roasted coffee. A new wave of specialty coffee purveyors is now either roasting their own beans or employing diverse multi-roaster approaches to deliver variety and nuance. Here are 12 participants that are propelling the movement forward.
Los Angeles loves its organics: organic baby clothing, organic sheets, and most of all, organic food. Lots of restaurants dabble in organics, but some of them stand out for their efforts. Whatever your reason for choosing organic—fewer unwanted chemicals in your system, an opposition to GMOs, sensitivity to the environment—these restaurants will hook you up with some tasty organic grub and in some cases, something delicious and organic in your glass as well. Organic gimlet anyone?
In cultures around the world, noodles are an integral part of everyday life, from waiting two hours outside of a ramen stall in Japan to the instant form that’s become a rite of passage for college undergrads. Noodles offer therapy for those feeling under the weather or homesick, or to begin the healing process after a night of overindulgence. Whatever the case, for millions of people hardly a day goes by without noodles at some point.
Los Angeles and its surrounding areas offer a lot of heavy noodling, and for aficionados there’s even more enjoyment to be found with noodles than Chinese dumplings. During the late 1970s, the Vietnam War caused an influx of Asian immigration into the United States. The people of Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar (Burma) sought refuge here and they brought the one thing that kept them alive for generations: noodles. A key influence on the noodle dishes from these countries are the Southeast Chinese from the province of Chiu Chow (pronunciation in Cantonese), Chao Zhou (pronunciation in Mandarin), Trieu Chau (pronunciation in Vietnamese) and Teo Chew (pronunciation in Thai/Cambodian).
Historically, the Chiu Chow Chinese are some of the smartest, fastest-moving, hardest-working merchants and sojourners of the Chinese diaspora. Their footprints can be tracked in Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Taiwan (Fujian), Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and even the Philippines. Essentially, they are everywhere, and so is their food. When you walk into a restaurant that offers 3-4 different languages on the menu, you're most likely in a Chiu Chow establishment. It will usually be Chinese, Vietnamese, Cambodian and sometimes Thai.
The following round-up of some of the best noodles in Los Angeles County focuses on dishes from Southeast Asia's "Golden Triangle" and Southeast China (Chao Zhou/Fujian/Hainan provinces).
Like all great actors, Hollywood is constantly reinventing itself. At various times, it’s been known as the home of pioneering movie studios, the first Academy Awards ceremony, an Art Deco treasure trove, a punk rock stomping ground, a tourist T-shirt mecca, and an epicenter of nightlife. These restaurants, from as far back as 1919 to more recent openings, have helped to establish Hollywood as one of the hottest dining and drinking destinations in the city.
There’s a constant dialogue about whether or not food is art, and that’s a conversation that has no clear-cut resolution. However, one thing’s for sure: people who experience art in museums need sustenance before or after their excursions. Here are some of our favorite restaurants located near key Los Angeles cultural institutions.
There’s no doubt, Angelenos are believers in burgers. Los Angeles County has hundreds of burger outlets and we’ve been savvy enough to produce In-N-Out, a regional chain that started in Baldwin Park and still has street cred. LA is the birthplace of Umami Burger, which is expanding nationally and seems destined for a global stage. There are more local spots that deserve national recognition for their burgers, including the timeless Bill & Hiroko’s and the contemporary Father’s Office. Here are 10 of our other favorite burger options in Los Angeles.
From trendy new hotspots to more low-key venues, here are ten Los Angeles restaurants where you're likely to see a star.