Gindaco Takoyaki, the number one takoyaki chain in Japan, recently opened its first American site in the food court inside Tokyo Central in Gardena. The chain, extremely popular in Japan, specializes in this golf ball-sized street food made with a wheat flour mixture with fresh octopus. Takoyaki originated and became popular in Osaka and then…
Mexican
The Taste LA – Recapping Opening Night
THE TASTE LA, the Los Angeles Times’ annual celebration of the Southern California culinary scene, is back at Paramount Pictures Studios lot this Labor Day weekend. THE TASTE LA is again cooking up a locally-focused, internationally-flavored menu of offerings with featured chefs and special guests. This is one of my favorite events to attend because…
Tolosa for Modern Mexican Tapas
The entrepreneurial spirit I once had is ignited when I see an experienced chef starting out on his or her own venture. While it is a status symbol to own a restaurant, there are plenty of owners that have gone down that road unsuccessfully. A restaurant named Tolosa recently opened in Boyle Heights and caught…
LA Times Food Bowl Night Market
The Los Angeles Times Night Market recently returned to Grand Park as part of the L.A. Times Food Bowl. The Night Market is a bustling outdoor street food market in Downtown LA featuring over 50 of LA’s favorite restaurants and food trucks, plus DJs, themed bars, and experiences. When I saw the ad for the…
Good Food and Friendly Service from Maderos
Cinco de Mayo has come and gone. That day my wife and I weren’t feeling like battling the crowds at a local cantina and we decided to try Maderos, a restaurant that just opened in Redondo Beach. Maderos took over the space where Hostaria Piave was originally located in Redondo Beach. Despite being two blocks away…
Recapping the 2018 Latin Food Fest
The Latin Food Fest produces the largest annual multi-city destination event in the U.S. that showcases Latin food, wine and spirits. The LA event recently took place in Santa Monica and I felt fortunate to be there. The event kicked off on Friday evening with a party called “Mexico In 32 Flavors”. This was a small…
Mariscos Jalisco Opens a Brick & Mortar in Pomona
If you have seen the documentary, City of Gold, you will see LA Times food critic Jonathan Gold ordering from the Mariscos Jalisco food truck. The Mariscos Jaliscos food truck is an LA favorite and on the LA Times Top 101 Restaurants. Owner Raul Ortega recently opened a brick and mortar restaurant and I recently…
Madre Happy Hour Raises the Bar
Through a friend, I learned about Madre in Torrance and I recently visited them during Happy Hour. Madre took over the Buffalo Fire Department’s space and is directly across from Miyabi Uni in Old Town Torrance. The chicken taquitos were crispy and weren’t coated with cooking oil. Instead, a black bean paste coated the taquitos…
Carnitas El Momo – For Amazing Carnitas
If you frequent taco restaurants, you will almost always find carne asada (steak), pollo asado (chicken) and pescado (fish). What you may not always find is carnitas because they take much longer to prepare. Marinated pork is slowly cooked so that the flavors meld into the meat. One such establishment is Carnitas El Momo. Each…
Taco Window – Frenchmen Make Great Mexican
Saturday Nov. 25 was Small Business Saturday. American Express, in partnership with the non-profit National Trust for Historic Preservation, created this shopping holiday which follows Thanksgiving to support small business and to shop local merchants. Through my social media feed, I discovered Taco Window and I decided to support them on Small Business Saturday. Boyle…