"Los Angeles Times" news and stories

Gourmet Movie Theater Opens in Los Angeles

by Jennifer Lawinski, Posted Dec 22nd 2009 @ 4:00PM

gold class cinemas Photo: ~C4Chaos, Flickr

Move over movie theater popcorn. At Gold Class Cinemas, going to the movies has taken on a whole new dimension, if you're willing to shell out $29 a ticket for the luxury cinema experience.

Customers sit in gigantic recliners with small tables and each has its own dedicated server on hand to bring $49 bottles of sparkling wine, $14 platters of fried calamari with ginger and lemon or a $19 New York strip-steak sandwich, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The Pasadena, Calif., theater is the fourth in the U.S. for Aussie cinema chain Village Roadshow, which has two Gold Class theaters in suburban Chicago and one in Redmond, Wash., home of Microsoft.

"We've never experienced anything like this," theater customer Tina Galloway told the paper.

Filed under: Business, Food News, News

Fried Food, Forbidden Fruit and 9021Pho - The Los Angeles Times in 60 Seconds

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by Alexa Weibel, Posted Dec 10th 2009 @ 12:00PM

Taco sampler from Loteria restaurant. Photo: OctopusHat, Flickr.

Radio personality, cookbook author and self-proclaimed "culinary multitasker" Evan Kleinman carries serious clout in the LA food scene -- she recommended Loteria restaurant, it got packed; she initiated a "Pie a Day" project, Los Angelenos got cooking; she opened the LA chapter of Slow Food and they joined.
Due to the Festival of Lights' origins, during which one day's worth of oil miraculously lasted eight, fried foods are a perennial staple during Hanukkah. To celebrate, the Times offers a collection of their seven best latke recipes.
Used in a traditional fruit punch during the holiday season, tejocote was for years the most smuggled fruit into the U.S. border from Mexico. Farmer Jaime Serrato specializes in produce used in Latino cooking but illegal to import, so started growing the "crab-apple-like" fruit stateside five years ago and now has some 35 acres of it.
In "35 Holiday Gifts to Buy, Give, Inspire, Make -- and Receive," the Times suggests everything from edible delicacies to kitchen gifts for cooks and more.
Comically monikered eatery 9021Pho offers a "simple yet excellent" pho menu, which one diner calls "Vietnamese penicillin" -- and the writer praises for its "pristine freshness."
Recipes: Peruvian Ceviche at Ciudad, Persimmon Pudding and Wild Rice Stuffing

Filed under: Food News, In 60 Seconds

Tasty Tours, Thanksgiving Recipes and Famous Food Editors - The Los Angeles Times in 60 Seconds

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by Emily Farris, Posted Nov 12th 2009 @ 12:00PM

Stuffing. Photo: tiny banquet committee, Flickr.

In a city where it seems most everyone drives everywhere, two sisters lead a taste tour, on foot.
But a trip on the light rail can be just as delicious.
Now that Gourmet is gone -- and with it, Ruth Reichl -- Bon Appétit editor-in-chief Barbara Fairchild steps into the spotlight at Condé Nast.
A round-up of gravy and stuffing recipes from the Los Angeles Times' test kitchen.
Drinking juice at breakfast? You might as well be chugging soda.
Raising your child on a vegetarian diet? If so, meat may become the forbidden fruit.
Even though the picks may not be perfect, it's lime season in California.
Dining guide "EAT: Los Angeles 2010" hits bookstore shelves Dec. 1.

Filed under: In Sixty Seconds

Seasonal Cooking, 'Save the Deli' and Stefan Richter - The Los Angeles Times in 60 Seconds

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by Alexa Weibel, Posted Oct 26th 2009 @ 12:00PM

Sticky-sweet monkey bread. Photo: jamailac, Flickr.

Despite New York's deli domination -- and the alarm of passionate "Seinfeld" enthusiasts -- "Save the Deli" author David Sax believes Los Angeles to be the true deli capital of the U.S.
"Top Chef" finalist Stephan Richter opens the "smart and cheeky" Stefan's at L.A. Farm restaurant in Santa Monica.
Seasonal cooking recommends the "mysterious, elusive and alluring" fruit that is chocolate persimmon, as well as Claremont cucumbers and locally grown New Mexican chiles.
The Times marvels at the jarringly whimsical shape -- and "powerfully aromatic" flavor -- of the "Buddha's hand" fruit, and praises ragu as "fall food as its best: slow cooking that develops deep, harmonic flavors."
Imbibers get an excuse to get dead drunk at the Newport Beach Zombie Pub Crawl.
A vino visit with a "beautiful," "luscious and velvety" 2007 La Massa Toscana.
The dated but ever-delicious monkey bread has a variation for every occasion, from caramelized brown-sugar with walnuts to olive oil and thyme.
A pictoral "taste of fall" at the Santa Monica Farmers' Market.
Recipes: Curried Chickpeas, Neapolitan-Style Ragu, Cinnamon Walnut Monkey Bread.

Filed under: Food News

Editor's Picks - Best of the Rest

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by Alex Van Buren, Posted Aug 21st 2009 @ 5:00PM

Grown-up sodas. Image: Details.

A few of the best stories spied elsewhere on the Web this week:

BoingBoing picks up The Economist's story (and awesome graphic): "How many minutes do people in your city have to work to buy a Big Mac?"

Adult sodas from the stylish fellas at Details.

Starbucks-lovers, alert! They are lowering prices on some drinks but kicking them up a notch on others.

The L.A. Times reports: Facebook has created "Restaurant City." You may never get work done again.

Another ephemerally gorgeous piece from Design*Sponge's "In The Kitchen With" column, featuring a meringue-raspberry ice cream cake and some enviable dishware.

Portland, Oregon continues to rule, with a Fermentation Fest on Thursday of next week. (Clearly either our invite was lost in the mail, or they do not know about our pickling problems.)

Have you sampled the blackberries in the market right now? They are super-sweet. This Blackberry-Cabernet Caipirinha from Chow had us drooling.

The best Bruni interview of the bunch -- from the New Yorker.

Filed under: On the Blogs