At last, the sequel to my pork and Doritos-fueled binge at Tacos y Amor. This time I stuffed my face full of herby, hearty falafel on some house-made flatbread. Also the best goddamned beet sandwich you’ll ever taste. Oh, and it all comes from Dune. Chef Scott Zwiezen has a pretty great story. Dig in to find out why he considers his first restaurant (Elf) his ex-band’s second album.
A brief list of things I collect: 1) Music. 2) Beer. So when Diffuser asked me to pair 21 brews of my choosing with their alt/indie/rock album equivalents, well, the work was already done. This was a labor o— hiccup! Er, sorry. What was I saying? Oh yeah: pop cap, hit play, cheers.
READ IT AT LOS ANGELES MAGAZINE (in print too)
For the first time in my life, I found myself with a cheese budget. It was glorious. Sadly, the results of that painstaking research appear in print only: the crowning of Cheesemongers of Sherman Oaks as the best (duh) cheesemongers in the city. On the L.A. Mag site, though, you can find my entries on carrot cake, gin joints, Filipino food, bone broth, dinner and a gig, bird-watching, outdoor gun ranges, and build-a-bot classes for kids. How’s that for range?
READ IT IN LOS ANGELES MAGAZINE (print only)
It sucks that you can’t read this online, but if you’re headed to the wilderness soon, you’ll want a hard copy of Los Angeles Mag’s Camping issue. I’ve got several contributions: the Coffee Snob’s Guide above (click the pic for a bigger image); a breakdown of the Channel Islands’ offerings; select sites in the big list (Joshua Tree, Sequoia); and a few additions to the camping etiquette ticker. Remember, if a bear is a’wanderin’, you should get to hollerin’: Comin’ yer way!
READ IT AT LOS ANGELES MAGAZINE (mostly in print)
Well, you’ll have to track down the issue to read both of my contributions to Los Angeles Mag’s booze-soaked new issue, but it’s worth it to be able to — ahem — tap into the liquid knowledge of so many professional drunks journalists. You can peep my Best Beer Shops in the greater L.A. area online. The one that’s only in print: DIY must-makes for home barkeepers, featuring expert advice from Miracle Mile Bitters Co., Pickled by Hattie, and Bäco Mercat chef Josef Centeno.
READ IT AT LOS ANGELES MAGAZINE (in print too)
Coachella is right around the corner and good grub awaits. I talked to Short Order chef Christian Page and Sweet Clementine’s pops boss Layne Eiler about the relatively fresh phenomenon of fine dining and epicurean snacks coming to a music festival near you. If you’re actually going to Coachella (I am), look for the next hot Buzz Bite while some band plays in the background. :/
My food journalism quest takes me to Cerritos in search of the Doritos chilaquiles, mole tots, and MexiCoke-glazed pork belly of Tacos y Amor. I profiled chef Tommy Ortega and his suburban outpost for Crave, and kickstarted my food-modeling career in the process. Eat this.
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I’m a coffee geek and a cheerleader for Los Angeles, so I nearly spit out my brew when I realized I’ve been favoring beans roasted by out-of-towners—Verve, Blue Bottle, Heart, Stumptown, Four Barrel. So began my quest to find out the truth about L.A.’s caffeine scene. Is there a homegrown roaster who can finally put my town on the map? Yes. No. Well, sort of. Let me explain…
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Look Ma, I’m a food blogger now. My most recent adventure for Los Angeles Mag grub hub “The Digest”: the fine folks over at LAX treated me and a bunch of other, ahem, tastemakers to a fine dining experience at, yes, the airport. Turns out writing about food involves binge-eating at high speeds. Also, tiny freaking cupcakes and Wayne Gretzky wine. All food porn photos by, well, me.
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You’ve heard of #HotTips? Well, I went to CoffeeCon 2014, got super jacked up on third wave brew, and came back with a few #HotSips for ya. One of them involves butter. Enjoy.
Chris Writes Things 