Meet The Team / Julie Tilsner

Here's what's doing in the Los Angeles Times Food Section for Wednesday, November 26, 2008:

• Smile and say Cheese on Turkey-Day: Here's what you need for the perfect cheese plate on Thanksgiving.
• Where to buy artisanal cheeses in L.A. (hardly an exhaustive list, but a decent start).
• Fuss-free side dishes (mustard rolls, braised cabbage, smashies...who can resist?)
• Recipe: Brown butter mashed potatoes.
• The day after: Turkey pot pie. Oh yes, please.
• Beyond pumpkin pie...pumpkin cake with sour cream ganache. And also roasted pumpkin salad.
• Joe Pytka closes down Bastide...again.
• Review: S. Irene Virbila isn't terribly impressed with Chateau Marmont's fare these days.

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All good meals must eventually come to an end. And so it is that Gael Greene, the New York Magazine critic who shaped the taste of a generation of New York foodies, has been sacked.

Greene, now in her mid-'70s, was hired by by Clay Felker in 1968 to be the restaurant critic of his just launched New York Magazine. According to the New York Times, "It was as if New York magazine had found its own version of Colette when it came to food. She created an entirely fresh new voice, one that has never staled."

True, she dallied with more than one celebrity chef. And although that should have presented a grave conflict of interest, Greene embraced the frisson by working it into her copy. Her 1977 review of Le Cirque was deliciously titled, I Love Le Cirque, but Can I Be Trusted?" and let her readers into her fling with chef de cuisine Jean-Louis Todeschini. Her readers loved it.

Over the course of her long career, Greene could be thought of as a early prototype of Carrie Bradshaw: eating and sleeping her way through 70's-80's era New York City. Her 2006 book "Insatiable: Tales from a Life of Delicious Excess" goes into her sensual exploits in detail.

Although she gave up her gig as weekly chief reviewer eight years ago, Ms. Greene continued to write about food for the magazine. Her final column will run in New York's December 1 issue.

Fans of her wit, writing and legendary palate can continue to follow her musings on, where else, her own food blog: called the Insatiable Critic.

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It's that time of year again. The Los Angeles Times Food section for Wednesday, November 19, has your instructions. To wit:

How to host a successful Thanksgiving meal: Russ Parsons explains it all to you:

Recipe: Cream of parsnip soup with crisp-fried pancetta.

Everyone loves dry-brined turkey.

The potluck secret: Bring a side that stops the show.

More on T-day from the Daily Dish blog.

What wine to bring to dinner on the big day? Bring two. Or more.

Dessert? Pie, of course. And have the kids help, too.

Don't want to cook your own? Here's where to go in L.A. to buy your Turkey-day meal...

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Here's what's doing in the Los Angeles Times Food Section for Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2008:

Bonjur, dude. Vietnamese street food, with a French and SoCal twist. Get thee to Westminster or make it yourself. In either case, like, bon appetit!

The slow drip: Because you have to know how to make that delicious Vietnamese coffee. Here's how.

Comeback Kid: Years after dying out, the American chestnut is making a slow and much-welcomed return. Russ Parsons reports.

How to skin a chestnut. Right here.

Recipe: Brussels sprouts braised with bacon and chestnuts.

The craft beer revolution in L.A.

The best beer bars in L.A.

S. Irene Virbila reviews BiMi in L.A. and finds it not just another sushi-bar in L.A.

Where the slow food movement is headed.

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Here's what's cooking in the Los Angeles Times Food Section for Wednesday, October 22:

Put the kids to work: They want to eat only pasta? Let them make their own. Actually, it's a pretty kid-friendly activity. Amy Scattergood investigates.

A political feast: Regional foods from the states of presidential candidates work together to create a sumptuous feast.

Restaurant review: S. Irene Virbila dines at a retooled Max in Sherman Oaks.

Transitions: It's the best of times for SoCal's Farmer's Markets. Russ Parsons tells you what's looking good right now.

The times, they are a changin': And so do smart food retailers. Santa Monica's Goudas & Vines specialty shop expands into tapas.

Cookbook alert: Rick Rodger's Autumn Gathering.

Walla-Walla....wineries? Yep. The region now grows good red.

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