Apple Tarts Recipe



Beautiful apple tarts are not hard to make at home. I found this recipe years ago in the LA Times Magazine and pull it out on occasion.

Some Random Wines Worth Noting

After a bit of a hiatus, I am drinking through a backlog of some of my favorite wines from some of my favorite wineries. Starting off with a wonderful Syrah from the well-regarded Hudson Vineyard made by Neyers. 

Clark Street Bread — Is LA Becoming a Bread Town?



I don’t know what it is. For a town where nobody eats carbs, all of a sudden there are a few legit bakers plying their trade. I’ve written about Bakeshack, a farmers market operation that has been selling great loaves for a couple years. Now the Grand Central Market has these Clark Street Bread folks selling their Tartine knockoff loaves. Is all of LA having a cheat day?

Creative Destruction and Destructive Construction in Little Tokyo



A cornerstone of Little Tokyo, the Galleria, is undergoing huge changes. The last couple years have seen new tenants come in, and now they are doing some changes to the facade.

Does this mean the end of the fortress mall in the 90013?

A Rash of Closures in Little Tokyo

For all the hype the Little Tokyo food scene has gotten in the last few years, there has been a surprising number of closures recently. Fierce competition and rising rents seem to be taking their toll on an area where a lot of ambitious chefs took a chance.

Saddest of all is the closure of Bryant Ng’s Spice Table.

Who else has fallen and can’t get up?

The Girl and the Fig — Sonoma — a Classic Bistro

If I only had to recommend one place to eat while visiting the town of Sonoma (and nearby Glen Ellen and Kenwood), it would be the Girl and the Fig. A classic French brasserie on the northwest corner of Sonoma town square, GF is exactly what you would expect from a lively but not fancy French restaurant. And it’s the one restaurant in town to feature wines from outside of Sonoma.