Blank Street Lands on the West Coast
Blank Street, the New York‑born coffee chain famed for TikTok‑driven matcha drinks, is launching its West Coast debut with four Los Angeles County locations, two opening in June. The venture‑capital‑backed brand, now valued at roughly $500 million, has refined a scalable hospitality model that includes a name‑call "handoff" and automated espresso machines. Its expansion targets high‑visibility spots like Beverly Hills and Studio City, aiming to capture Gen Z consumers through influencer collaborations and rapid service. The company remains cautious, planning further West Coast growth only after the initial stores prove sustainable.
The Restaurant Inside L.A.'s Best New Food Hall Is a Triumph. It Could Be a Revelation
Rose Previte’s Maydan Market opens in West Adams as a 10,000‑square‑foot food hall featuring seven casual vendors and a full‑service restaurant, Maydan L.A. The restaurant centers around a $95‑per‑person family‑style tawleh menu that showcases Eastern Mediterranean and North African dishes,...
These Are the 10 Best Dishes at Maydan Market, L.A.'s Definitive New Food 'Collective'
Rose Previte’s Maydan Market opened in October as a 10,000‑sq‑ft collective dining hub in West Adams, pairing her sit‑down restaurant with six distinct vendor counters and a rotating pop‑up space. The market uses QR‑code ordering to let guests mix and...
These Are the Books We'll Be Cooking From This Spring
A wave of spring cookbooks has hit the market, spotlighting innovative pastries and desert-inspired desserts. Roxana Jullapat’s "Morning Baker" showcases plush chocolate muffins flavored with rye and yogurt, while La Copine’s new title brings its signature lemon polenta cake to home...
How La Copine's Founders Left L.A. to Build a Culinary 'Oasis' In the Desert
La Copine, the desert‑side restaurant founded by former Los Angeles chefs Nikki Hill and Claire Wadsworth, is releasing a new cookbook, *La Copine: New California Cooking from an Oasis in the Desert*, on April 28. The book translates the restaurant’s seasonal, desert‑inspired dishes—ranging from...
La Copine's Lemon Polenta Cake
La Copine’s lemon polenta cake blends almond meal and fine‑ground corn flour for a moist, tender crumb, finished with a bright lemon glaze. The recipe calls for a buttery batter, five eggs, and a finishing layer of crème fraîche, fresh raspberries,...
A Mobile Grocery Store Championing Black-Owned Brands Will Soon Cruise L.A.
Prosperity Market, a 48‑foot pink mobile grocery trailer, launched in Los Angeles to sell products from Black‑owned food brands and farms. Founded by former fashion professionals Carmen Dianne and Kara Still, the solar‑powered trailer debuted with a pop‑up on Crenshaw...
Las Vegas' Most Exciting New Opening Is a Seafood Restaurant From Mexico City
Mexican chef Gabriela Cámara has launched Cantina Contramar, a spinoff of her iconic Contramar, on the second floor of the Fontainebleau Las Vegas. The restaurant adapts the Roma Norte original’s seafood‑centric menu for the Strip, adding meat‑focused dishes like Wagyu...
Co-Founder of Iconic Korean Tofu House Dies at 88
Co‑founder Tae‑ro Lee, who helped popularize spicy silken‑tofu stew soondubu jigae, died on March 8 at age 88. He and his late wife Hee‑sook opened the first BCD Tofu House in Los Angeles’ Koreatown in 1996, a restaurant that has grown...
In a Sea of Bakeries and Pizzerias, This San Pedro Standout Is in a League of Its Own
Colossus Harbor opened on Valentine’s Day 2025 in the Vivo on Harbor luxury complex, marking the third location for Kristin Colazas Rodriguez’s bread‑centric brand. The 700‑square‑foot venue blends a morning bakery‑café, a lunch‑focused sandwich shop, and an evening pizzeria, all...
Why Grocery Outlet Is Closing some Stores in California
Grocery Outlet announced it will shutter 36 under‑performing stores nationwide, including nine locations in California, as part of a strategy to correct an over‑expansion misstep. The discount grocer posted a $225 million net loss for fiscal 2025, a sharp swing from...
The Last Days of 99-Year-Old Taix: Stolen Art, French Onion Soup Lines and an Online Auction
Taix, the iconic 99‑year‑old French restaurant in Echo Park, will close its historic chalet‑style building on March 29, 2026 to make way for a six‑story mixed‑use housing complex. Owner Michael Taix sold the property to Holland Partner Group for $12 million and plans to...
Historic Cole's Is Days Away From Closing. Really. Here Are the Final Specials
Los Angeles’ iconic Cole’s restaurant, famed for inventing the French dip sandwich, will close its doors on March 29, ending a 118‑year run. The closure follows a series of extensions after owners Pouring with Heart failed to secure a buyer...
Homemade Butter
Anna Stockwell’s March 22, 2026 article walks readers through making butter at home using just heavy cream and common kitchen tools. The guide details each stage—from whipping the cream and agitating past stiff peaks, to separating the buttermilk, rinsing, kneading, and shaping...
Another Billionaire Confirms California Exit: Uber Co-Founder Kalanick
Uber co‑founder Travis Kalanick announced he became a primary Texas resident on Dec. 18, joining a wave of billionaires exiting California ahead of a proposed state wealth tax. He also revealed plans to rename his ghost‑kitchen parent, City Storage Systems, to...
Iconic Malibu Restaurant Poised to Reopen 14 Months After Palisades Fire
Duke’s Malibu, the iconic oceanfront restaurant on Pacific Coast Highway, is set to reopen this Friday after a 14‑month shutdown caused by mudslide damage from the 2025 Palisades fire. The venue underwent a full renovation, replacing walls, equipment, plumbing and...
Noma L.A. Pop-Up Loses Key Financial Sponsors a Day Before Opening
Noma’s highly anticipated Los Angeles pop‑up lost its three main financial sponsors—American Express, Resy and Blackbird—just a day before opening, after renewed abuse allegations against co‑founder René Redzepi. The accusations, detailed in a New York Times investigation and amplified by former staff, prompted the sponsors...
This Is The Turkey Chili Everyone Is Asking Me For
Carolynn Carreño shares a turkey chili recipe that transforms lean ground turkey into a rich, beef‑like stew by using duck fat, caramelized tomato paste, and tomatillo salsa. The method emphasizes heavy vegetable reduction, extensive spice blooming, and a generous bean...
A Vital Neighborhood Coffee Pop-Up Opens a Bricks-and-Mortar in Altadena
Bevel Coffee, a former pop‑up, opened its first permanent 600‑sq‑ft storefront on Allen Avenue in Altadena. Owner Kevin Mejia serves a Honduran‑Ethiopian espresso blend roasted in his garage, alongside matcha lattes, loose‑leaf teas, and pastries from Bakers Kneaded. The opening...
At L.A. County's Largest Black-Owned Farm, Healing Grows From the Ground Up
Bloom Ranch, a 250‑acre property in Acton, became Los Angeles County’s largest Black‑owned farm when podiatric surgeon Dr. Bill Releford bought it in 2023. The pesticide‑free operation grows collards, kale, peaches and a variety of herbs, while offering guided tours,...
A Winter Storm Equals Flooding and Disaster for Three L.A. Restaurants
Presidents Day flash‑flood warnings inundated three Los Angeles eateries, forcing Gritz N’ Wafflez, Sala Coffee & Wine Bar, and Valley Grounds Coffee to halt service. Gritz alone anticipates $25‑30 k in repair costs and a similar amount in lost revenue, while...
Chef Joseph 'Joe' Randall, Trailblazing 'Dean of Southern Cuisine,' Dies at 79
Chef Joseph "Joe" Randall, celebrated as the “Dean of Southern Cooking,” died on Feb. 14 at age 79. Over a five‑decade career he championed Black chefs, founded the African American Chefs Hall of Fame in 1993, and opened culinary schools in...