Lesley Balla
Los Angeles-based freelance food writer.
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At some point this holiday weekend--and this summer--you will be around a grill, and a burger will be thrust at you. So why not make things a little interesting: Try a lamb burger.
The philosophy at Forage Restaurant in Silver Lake is simple: the best locally grown produce and ingredients around, even from home-growers.
There's nothing better than a Bloody Mary on the weekend--or anytime, really--and FIG Restaurant at the Fairmont Santa Monica knows this.
An ingredient in the Beer and a Ball, one of my favorite cocktails at John Sedlar's new Beverly Boulevard restaurant Playa, is listed as "Hops Infused Champagne" on the menu, but it's actually the Champagne of Beers, Miller High Life. Who knew?
With so many cooking classes around town this summer, you can finally develop your outdoor cooking prowess, and maybe even get lunch, to boot.
The ratatouille is a huge hit. It's full of summer squash, tomatoes, eggplant and onion drizzled in herbs and olive oil--basically summer on a plate.
Living in Southern California means we can pretty much fire the grill up any day of the year.
Most people heard of Red Medicine in Beverly Hills because of a very public kerfuffle with the L.A. Times restaurant critic. That incident shouldn't overshadow the restaurant's innovative Vietnamese-inspired cuisine and awe-inspiring presentation. But...
If you can't make a trip to Italy this summer, you can always get a taste in Brentwood.
You could say that people flock to Hollywood mixologist Matthew Biancaniello's drinks like bees to honey, but he's the one going to the bees for honey--literally.
"I don't think of my vegetable dishes as healthy food, although they are," says Chef David LeFevre. "They're just flavorful."
It's really not surprising that Michael McCarty wanted to start a farm-to-glass cocktail program at his eponymous Santa Monica restaurant. After all, he was instrumental in starting the farm-to-table movement here when it opened in 1979.