What makes an L.A. Times Restaurant of the Year, and San Jose food recs with Brian Lerner

Father Sal joins me to discuss the 2023 LA Times Restaurant of the Year. This year’s honors went to Holbox, Gilberto Cetina’s seafood concept at Mercado la Paloma near USC, and while we definitely give them their flowers, our discussion today is more about what it means to be s a Restaurant of the Year in the first place, what distinguishes this type of recognition from other big time awards in the food world, and which LA restaurants we can see snagging the title in years to come. We also recap the latest and greatest in the food world, from the most recent iteration of the World’s 50 best  Restaurants List, to Netflix’s foray into the pop-up dining world. 

Finally, we’re joined by our good friend Brian Lerner who you might know on social media as Brian Eats. We’re debuting a new segment with Brian in which we explore what to eat when you’re on the road in different cities. Brian recently left our City of Angels for San Jose, and he walks us through the eats you absolutely must check out next time you’re up there on a business trip, family visit, or your annual pilgrimage to the alma mater of Joey Chestnut. That’s right, dear listener, the greatest eater of all time went to San Jose State. Imagine that.

Helpful links:

LA Times Restaurant of the Year https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2023-06-13/gilberto-cetina-holbox-los-angeles-times-2023-restaurant-of-the-year

LA Times Jonathan Gold Award winner https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2023-06-13/2023-la-times-gold-award-winner-parks-korean-bbq-jenee-kim

World's 50 Best https://www.theworlds50best.com/list/1-50

Brian Eats on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/brianeats__/?hl=en

Brian Eats on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@brianeats

Pre-Hispanic Mexican cuisine https://www.instagram.com/prehispanicmxcuisine/?hl=en

Adamsons French Dip https://www.adamsonsfrenchdip.com/

Slice of Homage Pizza https://www.sohpizza.com/

Horn Barbecue https://www.hornbarbecue.com/

Kowbird Fried Chicken https://www.instagram.com/kowbird/?hl=en