Category: Food & Drink

One of the fixtures of resort hotels is the grand buffet, complete with trays of roasted meats, an omelet station and artfully arranged salmon surrounded by condiments and salads. I’m not enthusiastic about buffets; many items are better when cooked to order instead of simmering in a warmer, and jostling through lines for a slab of ham isn’t my idea of luxury. Still, I can’t deny the lure of a long, lazy weekend meal, perhaps with something bubbly to wash it down. If only someone could perfect the delivery system – say, an opportunity to order small portions of...

Business owners spend a lot of time thinking about “curb appeal” – that indefinable something that makes someone outside decide to come in. It’s about projecting your style, the cues that tell someone that you have what they want, and you provide the atmosphere in which they’d like to buy it. In the case of an Italian restaurant called Sara the Wine Bar in Culver City, that involved painting their building bright purple. The spattered paint along windows shows that exuberance sometimes overcomes skill, and along with black doorframes and tribal accents in dark blue, the building looks like...

The sign at the door welcomed me to Morocco, and I glanced around to see if there were any camels or itinerant rug merchants along this stretch of Lincoln Boulevard in Venice. None appeared, so I shrugged and went into Casablanca, which I assumed had been a Moroccan restaurant before it was converted into a Mexican seafood place. I was wrong about that – while restaurants occasionally change cuisine but not decor, this was not one of them. Casablanca has a more interesting story, of a talented chef who had such a fascination with a golden age film that...

Growing up in Los Angeles meant I got to try almost every kind of food there is. On special occasions my family would pick a place (usually one of three) and that would be our night out. I have been coming to Pann’s in Westchester since I was a little girl in braids. It was our most frequent stop. When you walked in you couldn’t help but smile and feel welcome. Even as a child, I loved the sparkled floors, the music from the 1950s playing overhead (which could make you dance in your seat), the photos from the...

Venice has become synonymous with incredible fare, culture and variety. Abbott Kinney Boulevard is one of the most notably growing areas in the community with restaurants, boutique shops and incredible bars. Situated in the midst of all of them is 3 Square Caf/, created by chef and restaurateur, Hans Ršckenwagner. Designed with space and openness in mind, 3 Square has a patio with an air of modern, a coastal familiarity, and a menu that spans German, Swiss, and farm-to-table cuisine that honestly, took me by surprise. Executive Chef Wolfgang Gussmack is a certified sommelier, so the wine selection is...