Jessica Koslow

Starting in January with the wildfires and continuing until present day with the ongoing ICE raids, Los Angeles eateries have been at the receiving end of a one-two punch. Like a superhero swooping out of the sky, Dine LA Restaurant Week launches this month to help foodies (re)discover what makes LA’s dining scene so special.

“Restaurants throughout the county have shown incredible resilience in recent years,” said Stacey Sun, executive director of Dine LA. “Our hope for Dine LA is that it offers restaurants a platform to increase visibility, attract new diners and boost business during what can otherwise be a slower season. For many, it’s an opportunity to showcase their signature dishes, or debut something new, at a price point that invites exploration. Beyond reservations, the program also generates social buzz, press coverage and real community support.”

For almost two decades, Dine LA has tempted and treated locals and tourists with new restaurants, menus and food. This year, 450 restaurants serving 33 global cuisines across 88 neighborhoods are participating, which is the highest number of participants since the program’s inception in 2008. . . .

Read the entire article at Pasadena Weekly.

The stories about Chez Jay, a beloved Westside restaurant and Santa Monica Historic Landmark as of 2012, are endless. There’s the one about the “Astro-nut,” the peanut sitting in the owners’ safe that Alan Shepard took with him to the moon on Apollo 14. Or the one about the secret meet-up between Marilyn Monroe and JFK, or the passing of the Pentagon Papers to a New York Times reporter at Table 10. The Beach Boys brawled here; Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Warren Beatty wrote screenplays; and The Rat Pack gathered. In fact, the name Chez Jay is a nod to Chez Joey, the supper club in Frank Sinatra’s film “Pal Joey.” 

Chez Jay is both a dive bar and classy joint where celebrities often hang. Located on Ocean Avenue across from the Santa Monica Pier, it is something of a celebrity itself since opening in 1959. Original owner Jay Fiondella hosted a circus elephant at the launch party, which snacked on peanuts — still the eatery’s signature free offering today. . . .

Read the entire article at The Argonaut.

In the 1940s, a mid-century modern neighborhood called the Mar Vista Tract was popping up near Palms and Beethoven boulevards. This very corner became the home of Beethoven Market, which operated for 75 years before shutting its doors.

Local residents would stock up on snacks, drinks and lottery tickets. One of the market’s customers was Jeremy Adler, a partner at Cobi’s restaurant in Santa Monica. Adler and his business entity 3rd Place LLC acquired Beethoven Market in 2023 and spent 2 1/2 years renovating the 1949 historic building.

“Your home is your first place. Your work is your second place, and your third place is your local hang,” said Isa Roske, Beethoven Market’s general manager. “That is the vision behind this restaurant, and Adler decided to keep the name in honor of the history of this place.” . . .

Read the entire article at Playa Vista Magazine.

Starting in January with the wildfires and continuing until present-day with the ongoing ICE raids, Los Angeles eateries have been at the receiving end of a one-two punch.

Like a superhero swooping out of the sky, Dine LA Restaurant Week launches this month to help foodies (re)discover what makes L.A.’s dining scene so special.

“Restaurants throughout the county have shown incredible resilience in recent years,” said Stacey Sun, executive director of Dine LA. . . .

Read the entire article at LA Downtown News.

There has been a rivalry in Los Angeles for more than a century over who invented the French dip sandwich: Philippe the Original or Cole’s French Dip, both 1908 eateries that are located roughly 1.4 miles apart.

Yet, only one will remain standing after Aug. 2, when Cole’s, which has been called the oldest continuously operating restaurant in Los Angeles, will close its doors, citing reasons including the pandemic, the recent writers’ and actors’ strikes, rising costs and bureaucracy.

The French dip sandwich is an LA icon. According to the experts, it “consists of either roast beef, roast pork, leg of lamb, turkey, pastrami or ham served on a lightly textured, freshly baked French roll which has been dipped in the natural gravy of the roasts.” . . .

Read the entire article at LA Downtown News.