Could “entertainment zones” save LA restaurants? Plus, Matu’s Scott Linder and Ryan Gianola on expanding their wagyu beef empire.

This week on The LA Food Podcast, we're diving into a bold new plan to revive Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade: open-container entertainment zones. Think Bourbon Street meets beachside retail. LA Food Editor Karen Palmer of SFGate joins us to unpack the potential impact on local restaurants and bars, drawing on reporting from other California cities where these zones are already live. Could this be the key to revitalizing LA’s struggling dining corridors—or just another overhyped nothingburger?

In Part 2, we sit down with Scott Linder and Ryan Gianola of Matu and the brand-new Matu Kai in Brentwood. We get into why they expanded beyond Beverly Hills, how the new spot differs, and what they’ve learned in their first couple months serving steak to the Westside.

Plus, in our lightning round of Chef’s Kiss / Big Miss:

• Bay Cities and its vermin problem
  

• Yelp’s "definitive" ranking of the best fast food burgers
  

• The New York Times takes a swing at one of the world’s most famous pizzerias
  

Powered by Acquired Taste Media. Don’t miss our other show Taqueando with Bill Esparza—this week, Luca takes some friendly fire over his fish taco opinions. And mark your calendar: The LA Chef Conference returns to Redbird and Vibiana on October 6.

#LAfoodpodcast #SantaMonica #ThirdStreetPromenade #MatuKai #BrentwoodRestaurants #KarenPalmer #EntertainmentZones #LosAngelesDining #FastFoodRankings #LArestaurants #ChefsKissBigMiss #AcquiredTasteMedia

Helpful Links:

Karen Palmer on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/karenlpalmer/?hl=en

Karen on entertainment zones for SFGate https://www.sfgate.com/california/article/california-entertainment-zones-public-drinking-20327329.php

Bay Cities’ vermin problem https://la.eater.com/2025/5/27/24438312/bay-cities-deli-temporary-closure-rodent-insect-vermin-infestation

NYT on Lucali’s exclusion from their pizza list https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/22/dining/why-lucali-still-isnt-on-our-best-pizza-list.html

Yelp’s burger ranking https://www.foodbeast.com/news/yelp-reveals-the-top-burger-chains-of-2025/

Bettina Makalintal on influencer trips https://www.eater.com/24433836/food-creator-influencer-travel-tour

Matu Kai https://www.matusteak.com/

Scott Linder on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lindersc/

Ryan Gianola on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ryanzane15/?hl=en

The LA Chef Conference https://www.lachefconference.com/

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