The LA Food Podcast

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

Food writer, editor and founder of Pain Pizza Karen Palmer joins the pod for a wide-ranging conversation on making a career in food writing, the joys of pizza, and why everyone should aspire to become a regular at their favorite restaurants. I'm a big fan of Karen's and her perspective on food (read: carbs) and I think this conversation will remind you to do (and eat) what you love. Father Sal also joins me for a far less enjoyable conversation reliving Top Chef Season 20. We allow him to revel in his Fantasy Top Chef victory, and we award the superlatives of the season. Helpful links: Karen Palmer website http://www.karenlpalmer.com/ Karen Palmer on IG https://www.instagram.com/karenlpalmer/?hl=en Pain Pizza https://www.painpizza.com/about Pain Pizza on IG https://www.instagram.com/painpizza/

Daniel Wargo joins the pod to recap the epic season finale of Top Chef World All-Stars Helpful links Forking Around on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/forkingaround.tv/ Forking Around on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@forkingaround_tv Top Chef website https://www.bravotv.com/top-chef

Happy Top Chef Finale Week to all those who celebrate. To preview the occasion, we’re joined by Top Chef Executive Producer and Showrunner Doneen Arquines. We talk why this season of Top Chef World All-Stars has been so damn special and why you should drop everything to tune into the finale on Thursday night. We also dive into Doneen’s incredible journey from being a Production Assistant in 2006 when the show started, to Executive Producing the show today. I ask her what her favorite challenges have been over the years, which city she most enjoyed filming in, and of course, what the show will look like without the great Padma Lakshmi, who announced last week she’ll be moving on from the show starting next season.  Speaking of culinary legends, Father Sal joins me to discuss a weekend that saw Los Angeles dominate the medal count at the James Beard Awards. We give love to Anajak Thai, giggle at Eater’s petty behavior towards Bill Addison, and reflect on what these awards mean for LA’s continuing culinary ascendance. Helpful links: Full list of winners https://www.eater.com/23749724/james-beard-awards-2023-winners-restaurant-and-chef-awards Petty Eater article that minimizes Bill Addison's win https://la.eater.com/2023/6/6/23750210/los-angeles-restaurants-james-beard-awards-winners-ceremony-chefs Diep Tran's JB Award-winning essay https://www.foodandwine.com/the-day-my-cooking-ambitions-got-the-best-of-me-6950944 Fatima Ali's book, Savor https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/07/books/review/savor-fatima-ali.html The YouTube show that beat Top Chef https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9rX1LVnB3U NYT piece on James Beard "interrogations" https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/31/dining/james-beard-restaurants-investigation.html

Joining us today on the pod is Evan Lovett of LA in a Minute. You’ve probably seen Evan’s face on your TikTok or Instagram feeds, dropping some serious knowledge on the City of Angels’ wonderful and often whacky history. Whether he’s answering the question of why Trader Joe’s parking lots are always so damn small, or why people from LA say “the” before freeway numbers, Evan’s passion for Los Angeles is the secret ingredient that makes his storytelling so special.  On this episode, we discuss topics like why so many fast food chains were born in Los Angeles, what the heck Jaleel White has to do with revolutionizing the LA food scene, and why the City of Angels is definitely in the conversation for best food city in the world. There are tales of FBI raids, East Coast vs. West Coast hip-hop, and even murder! So if you’re the type of person who finds themselves wondering, who the heck invented the smoothie or what’s the oldest restaurant in LA, this is definitely the episode for you.  Helpful links: LA in a Minute on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@evanlovett?lang=en LA in a Minute on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lainaminute/?hl=en In a Minute with Evan Lovett podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-a-minute-with-evan-lovett/id1672118172

Poltergeist, Diego Argoti's bold and brash concept located inside of Echo Park arcade Button Mash, takes the cake for "best meal I've had in 2023." Whether you're munching on a Parker House Roll with fermented butter or spooning Panang lamb neck into a golden saffron bao, you'll find yourself alternating between thinking "this makes NO sense" and "this makes TOTAL sense." But as wild a journey as Poltergeist's menu takes you on, it's nothing compared to the journey that brought Argoti to where he is today. From losing his mentor in a freak helicopter crash, to being stood up at the altar after living a double life, to taking an acid-fueled walk to Bestia to demand an opportunity... Argoti's story is truly Slumdog Millionaire-esque in the ways that random and often tragic events have served as the building blocks of something beautiful. Perhaps my favorite LA Food Pod interview to date, Argoti's story is heartwarming, thought-provoking, and inspiring. It made me laugh, cry, gasp, and seriously ponder what it means to love food, love cooking, and love this crazy industry. Helpful links: Button Mash and Poltergeist website https://www.buttonmashla.com/#poltergeist Bestia https://bestiala.com/ Bavel https://baveldtla.com/ Saffy's https://www.saffysla.com/

Father Sal joins the pod to discuss a particularly busy news day. The James Beard Awards are being accused of "bending to wokeness" for informing Alabama chef Timothy Hontzas that he is no longer being considered for 2023 Best Chef: South for ethical reasons, while the hotel group in charge of Hollywood heavyweights like Mother Wolf and Ka'Teen is being investigating for allegedly stiffing workers of the 5% service fee charge. We discuss what we're most excited about on the eve of EEEEEATSCON 2023, and Father Sal gives us a recap of where things stand in our Fantasy Top Chef battle royale. Helpful links: Eater article on the James Beard situation https://www.eater.com/23721900/james-beard-awards-2023-resignations-todd-price-timothy-hontzas-investigation-transparency LA Times article on the 5% service fee situation https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2023-05-16/la-fo-city-investigating-la-restaurants-for-service-fees-workers The Bear Season 2 trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5U-w1yL4r0 EEEEEATSCON https://www.eeeeeatscon.com/los-angeles Baar Baar Los Angeles https://www.baarbaarla.com/

This episode is guaranteed to give you a sugar rush! We're joined by Valerie Gordon, the chocolatier, chef, and entrepreneur behind Valerie Confections and Valerie Echo Park. Valerie walks us through her journey, and tells us what it takes to run a successful food business that lasts the test of time. We get into fun topics like what it was like to be a maître d' at one of San Francisco's hottest restaurants in the 90s, how she became a barbecue expert, and where she goes when she's craving a good ole' fashioned sandwich. Helpful links: Valerie Confections https://valerieconfections.com/ Valerie on IG https://www.instagram.com/valerieconfctns/?hl=en Valerie's book https://valerieconfections.com/products/sweet Maison Matho https://maisonmatho.com/ Pizza City Fest https://pizzacityfest.com/events/los-angeles/ Tribute Pizza https://www.tributepizza.com/

This episode is what the kids call "a banger." Brant Cox of The Infatuation joins us to talk about how he became one of LA's most trusted food critics, how The Infatuation goes about rating restaurants, and why anonymity in food criticism is no longer a must. He talks us through EEEEEATSCON, The Infatuation's upcoming behemoth of a food festival, which is coming in hot May 20 and May 21 at Santa Monica's Barker Hangar. Father Sal and I proceed to then recap an epic food crawl we took through LA last weekend, which took us from noshing on smashburgers in Santa Monica to gnawing on Thai fried chicken in Sherman Oaks. Helpful links: EEEEEATSCON (including ticket links!) https://www.eeeeeatscon.com/los-angeles Brant Cox bio https://www.theinfatuation.com/contributor/brant-cox Brant Cox Instagram https://www.instagram.com/brantcox/?hl=en Infatuation LA Instagram https://www.instagram.com/infatuation_la/?hl=en Flavors From Afar https://www.flavorsfromafar.co/ Tail O The Pup https://www.tailothepup.com/ Heavy Handed https://heavyhanded.la/ Crudo e Nudo https://www.crudoenudo.com/ Pizzana https://pizzana.com/ Angler https://anglerla.com/ Mother Wolf https://www.motherwolfla.com/ Poltergeist https://www.buttonmashla.com/ Anajak Thai https://www.anajakthai.com/

In 2019 Benson Tsai quit his job at SpaceX to start... a pizza company. Stellar Pizza isn't just any pizza company, though. Benson and his co-founders used their engineering backgrounds to launch a fully automated robot-powered pizza operation, which eventually attracted the financial support of Jay-Z and is now operating trucks that serve USC and UCLA. Benson joins us to talk about Stellar Pizza's journey so far, how the heck it all works, and what's next on their quest for global pizza domination. Also on this episode... I quickly recap an insane social media interaction I witnessed this week between Eater's Bill Esparza and the owner of Guisados. Food criticism in the social media age is wild... Helpful links: Stellar Pizza's website https://www.eatstellarpizza.com/ Stellar Pizza on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/eatstellarpizza/?hl=en Pizza City Fest https://pizzacityfest.com/events/los-angeles/ Love Letter Pizza & Chicken https://www.loveletterrh.com/ 38 Essential Tacos to Try in LA https://la.eater.com/maps/best-tacos-los-angeles-taquerias-mexican