In the 1950s and ‘60s, fine dining in Los Angeles was centered in Hollywood. There was Chasen’s, La Rue, Scandia, Ma Maison (if you were lucky enough to have the unlisted telephone number) and a few other fine restaurants, usually in the French mode.
The one restaurant most closely associated with fine dining in Santa Monica is still Michael’s. While it has not followed the many fads into more modern or experimental foods, it has maintained the same level of quality and consistency since it opened in 1979.
What is there left to possibly say about the most critically reviewed, dissected, and highly acclaimed burger in Los Angeles? A mouthful, if you are one of the people like myself that are late in the game to scratch this contemporary hot spot off your burger bucket list.
If you want to invoke change in others, you shouldn’t be a food snob. This weekend the Good Food Festival is being held in Santa Monica. The festival offers everything you could want to learn about good, healthy food; how to get it and the policies surrounding it.
In an area jam packed with restaurants it is easy for a simple diner to get overlooked, even if that diner is the biggest, brightest building on the block.
DOWNTOWN — The Santa Monica Farmers’ Market is celebrating its 30th anniversary by partnering with Family Farmed, which is nationally recognized for working with many of the country’s largest buyers of local and sustainably grown food and “growing the market” for local and sustainable food.
PICO NEIGHBORHOOD — “We buy ‘em, we roast ‘em and we sell ‘em!” barked Ted Galvan, manager of the Saturday Pico Farmers’ Market, as he stood near a cast iron barrel loaded with green peppers being roasted by vendor Chili Asado.
The passing of Labor Day in Santa Monica means many changes but no more noticeable than down by the Santa Monica Pier. The Twilight Dance Series has come to a close, the beaches are much less crowded, and the leaves on the palm trees started to turn (well not really).
With hot new restaurants opening up all the time, we tend to forget some of the old standbys that have stood the test of time. If a restaurant has been in the same location and under the same management for 20 years or more, it must have something special.
DOWNTOWN — In the mood for some freshly baked bread, handmade salted caramel ice cream or a sip of northern Italian style espresso? Bike, bus or walk to a Farmers’ Market near you and enjoy.
Whenever I write an article claiming one thing is the best, I get a number of e-mails suggesting I try another place. So after my hamburger article I received about six e-mails from PR people suggesting I try their client’s hamburger, and one of those was an invitation to the Daily Grill.
Sonny McLean’s serves food? That was my initial reaction as I bellied up to the bar for a cold one. The barkeep enthusiastically showed me a menu and pointed to a bunch of cooking trophies behind the bar won by their head chef.
