Eater Takes Max & Helen's Heat, New York Times Declares LA's "Essential" Dishes & Echo Park Survives The LA Food Pod Bar Crawl. Plus, Mirate/Daisy Margarita Bar's Max Reis on Mezcal & More.

This week on The LA Food Podcast, we’re diving deep into LA’s cocktail culture with James Beard semifinalist Max Reis, beverage director of Mirate and Daisy Margarita Bar. Max shares his journey from Napa to Los Angeles, how he became one of the country’s most respected mezcal advocates, and what it takes to build a world-class bar program.

In Part 1, Luca and Father Sal recap a legendary Echo Park bar crawl, including strategy, standout stops, and inevitable chaos. Plus, Chef’s Kiss / Big Miss tackles the New York Times’ essential LA dishes list, the Max & Helen’s review debate, smart glasses in restaurants, AI reservation bots, and the battle over dining-room photography.

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