The LA Food Podcast

We’re joined today by Alexis Readinger, the founder of Preen Inc., an international award-winning hospitality architecture and design firm based right here in our City of Angels. Alexis walks us through her fascinating career designing some of Los Angeles’ most iconic dining rooms, from Michelin star establishments to beloved hot chicken powerhouse Howlin’ Ray’s.  More than that, though, Alexis discusses all that goes into the design process. And, sure, there’s talk of logistics and timelines, but there’s also reflections on getting to the heart of what a restaurant is trying to convey and how you bring a feeling or a vibe to life in a physical space. We talk about design trends over the years, which design trends Los Angeles is recognized for around the world, and what the heck an architect does when a client won’t stop asking for a punny neon sign.

19 LA area restaurants are named James Beard Semifinalists while 94 journalists at The Los Angeles Times, including some food journalists, lose their jobs - needless to say, it’s been a week of high highs and low lows. Father Sal joins us to dissect it all. We have some fun, congratulatory chat about the amazing restaurants like Amiga Amore and Kuya Lord getting the James Beard nods. And we have a thornier conversation on the importance of local media and what can be done to ensure a more sustainable media ecosystem moving forward.  On an entirely positive note, we’re also joined today by Traci and Shad Davis, the power couple behind Vietnamese fast casual concept My Lai Kitchen. Traci and Shad walk us through the inspiration for their rapidly expanding spring roll empire. We talk through the nuances of opening a fast casual concept, why some fast casual concepts succeed better than others, and the discoveries they’ve made as they translate the beauty of Vietnamese cooking into the fast casual format. Traci also talks to us about her inspiration for opening My Lai in the first place, and Shad tells a hilarious anecdote about how he chooses to spend his birthday each year. Traci and Shad are an absolute delight, and their food is delightful too, so make sure to stick around for that. Helpful links: My Lai Kitchen https://www.mylaikitchen.com/ My Lai Kitchen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/themylaikitchen/ James Beard semifinalists https://la.eater.com/2024/1/24/24048240/los-angeles-james-beard-foundation-award-semifinalists-2024 LA Times layoff news https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/los-angeles-times-lay-off-94-workers-union-president-2024-01-23/#:~:text=Jan%2023%20(Reuters)%20%2D%20The,media%20industry%20in%20recent%20weeks. Eater story on Melrose Hill https://la.eater.com/2024/1/23/24042254/melrose-hill-los-angeles-neighborhood-new-restaurants-bars-zach-lasry-developer-gentrification Danielle Duran Zecca on the LA Food Pod https://open.spotify.com/episode/2MdotJ7CPm5Ni0VhLPbZNQ?si=HkF7D6WTRVCR8nzTvcInDA

We’re joined today by L.A. Taco’s Janette Villafana to discuss the ins and outs of the Justice 8. If you’ve been scrolling Los Angeles food news on social media or the web over the past few weeks, you may have seen the name “Justice 8” being tossed around. Who are the Justice 8 and what do they have to do with food? In a nutshell, the Justice 8 are a group of street vendor activists who are being held in jail for reasons that many are calling unjust. Janette’s been covering the issue in depth, and is here to break down the situation, what it means for Los Angeles street vendors, and what’s happening next.  But first, a couple of things caught my eye that I wanted to quickly talk to you about, dear listener. From Plant Food + Wine to Cookbook to Sweet Lady Jane, accusations of bad restaurant behavior are running rampant and I want to unpack it all just a little bit. I also want to quickly give the Emmy-winning food shows their flowers, and take a quick second to plug some pretty cool things that I have cooking outside of the podcast.

We’re joined by Danny Castillo, the pitmaster behind San Juan Capistrano’s Heritage Barbecue, one of Southern California’s premiere barbecue destinations. In recent years Heritage has earned the attention of the LA Times 101 Best Restaurants List, they’ve been named Restaurant of the Year by the OC Register, and they’ve even gained Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition.  While Danny’s “Cali Craft Barbecue,” as he calls it, is now legendary, the story that got him there is full of pit stops and perseverance. Danny shares with us how he went from fixing up old cars, to working at Whole Foods, to finally breaking out on his own to dedicate himself fully to his one true passion - smoking meats. Beyond Danny’s story, I loved this conversation because Danny shows his true, barbecue nerd side. We speak in depth about the different types of barbecue, why certain woods yield different results, how the heck those big ole offset grills you see at barbecue joints even work, and more. There’s a touch of barbecue history in there, and a ton of recognition for the pitmasters who paved the way for Heritage and others to thrive today.  Helpful links: Heritage BBQ https://www.heritagecraftbbq.com/ Heritage on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/heritagebarbecue/?hl=en

We’re flipping the script today and Father Sal will be interviewing me on today’s podcast. Why are we doing this? Well, today happens to be the day that I announce which type of food I’m focusing on for the 2024 Countdown, a.k.a. My annual expedition to try 100 different versions of a certain Los Angeles food. As a reminder, in 2021 I tackled pizzas, in 2022 I visited 100 different taquerias, and in 2023 I ate 100 epic LA sandwiches in 365 days. Which food will 2024 spotlight? Burgers? Noodles? Tinned fish? Let’s find out.  But first, Father Sal and I catch up on our holiday plans. We hear about his exotic travels to Morocco and South Florida, and I share the behind-the-scenes details of my annual Feast of the Seven Fishes extravaganza. We talk New Year’s Resolutions, and share the top two food-related goals we each aim to complete in 2024. Also stick around to the end if you want to hear real-life audio of my wife and I surprising Father Sal in Seattle for his birthday. He turned 21 for the 11th time this past Wednesday, so a very special Happy Birthday to him from the entire LA Food Pod community.  Helpful links: The LA Countdown https://www.instagram.com/thelacountdown/

Believe it or not, it's already been one full year (and 50+ episodes!) of The LA Food Podcast. As we gear up for 2024, here's a compilation of some of our favorite moments from 2023. Happy New Year! Helpful links: Gilberto Cetina episode https://open.spotify.com/episode/34o2zYM6KVJHqu8D1q76bK?si=zAzzkHxoTAaUi5unZdV3Xg Diego Argoti episode https://open.spotify.com/episode/5Aci2o7gLVn4jtLlOuwZZR?si=1nUibxNWSNWyrbyfyKUIEQ Lien Ta episode https://open.spotify.com/episode/3VjeSpIelDfrXsMMbvIXQd?si=NNfO7BuFQz6LNOLOaJVhog Gustavo Arellano episode https://open.spotify.com/episode/7iST9Uyzbdcc92R4ERhkAr?si=_Y2NZIbMTheqIewtT3IOwQ Farley Elliott episode https://open.spotify.com/episode/4jJTzB5avWHZsxY6qb3x3L?si=DhQivuDmSQWgsFBt8cvpzw Jeremy Fox episode https://open.spotify.com/episode/7dkkJfaXT76lAy06pZ41Jb?si=JreoyC5gRM674wX0h1b9aQ Courtney Storer episode https://open.spotify.com/episode/3Crkss2igPVP6CG43qHqMr?si=bHBiF5_BQhKn0mnF3JOMrw The Menu episode https://open.spotify.com/episode/0MOjASg51JCYgeiCuCpBDk?si=TQ0gS1sjT_y6hCqG4gv4cQ

Welcome to the first-ever LA Food Pod Holiday Party! Father Sal joins us to talk holiday plans and to try our hands at some festive mixology. We're making something called a Merry Margarita, brought to us by our friends at Hornitos. Will we like it? Will we hate it? Will you want to try making it for your holiday gathering? Listen to find out.  But that’s not all. What is a holiday party without some sort of game? In a game that only makes sense in the context of the LA Food Podcast, Father Sal and I have combed the food lists of 2023 from the likes of the LA Times, Eater, The Infatuation and more, to draft which ones we thought did the best job. It's a deliciously convoluted white elephant of sorts, except instead of gifts, what you get to walk away with is our arbitrary ranking of a bunch of other arbitrary rankings. What’s not to love? Helpful links: Eater Where to Eat https://www.eater.com/23506205/best-places-to-eat-restaurants-travel-2023 NYT Mexico City dishes https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/14/t-magazine/mexico-city-restaurants-food.html LAT Hall of Fame https://www.latimes.com/food/list/los-angeles-hall-of-fame-restaurants-modern-classics LA Taco pupusas https://lataco.com/best-pupusas-los-angeles LA Taco tacos https://lataco.com/69-best-tacos-in-la LA Times Italian Sandwiches https://www.latimes.com/food/list/best-italian-sub-sandwiches-los-angeles-guide Infatuation Celebrity-owned restaurants https://www.theinfatuation.com/los-angeles/guides/the-celebrity-owned-restaurant-power-rankings LAist Cheap Fast Eats Gardena https://laist.com/brief/news/food/deliciously-messy-teriyaki-burgers-a-bowling-alley-coffee-shop-and-secret-shu-its-cheap-fast-eats-gardena Kenji Lopez Alt for South Seattle Emerald https://southseattleemerald.com/2023/08/26/j-kenji-lopez-alts-favorite-south-end-restaurants/ NYT's LA 25 https://www.nytimes.com/article/best-restaurants-los-angeles.html

We’re joined by Brant Cox and Sylvio Martins of The Infatuation LA to break down their list of the Best New Restaurants of 2023. They dropped this list a couple of weeks ago now, and it includes some truly stellar spots that have graced the LA dining scene this past year, such as Donna’s of Echo Park and Loreto of Frogtown. Brant and Sylvio walk us through their process for compiling this list. We learn about their favorites, honorable mentions that just missed out, and why some big names like Funke and Poltergeist didn’t quite make the cut.  We also talk food trends of 2023 - from the Great Martini Revival to the seemingly inescapable barrage of red sauce Italian spots flooding our timelines - and they look forward to 2024, discussing which upcoming restaurant openings have them chomping at the bit.  First though, there are a couple of headlines in the food world I wanted to discuss, from LA’s Al Fresco Program moving towards permanence to the closure of several big name restaurants. Helpful links: Infatuation Best New Restaurants 2023 https://www.theinfatuation.com/los-angeles/collection/best-new-restaurants-los-angeles-2023 LAT on Al Fresco dining https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-12-08/los-angeles-city-council-permanent-al-fresco-dining Michelin adds 3 LA restaurants to guide https://la.eater.com/2023/12/12/23998495/michelin-guide-discoveries-2023-hibi-baroo-olivia-restaurants-los-angeles Kinn closure https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2023-11-21/los-angeles-korean-restaurant-kinn-chef-mental-health#:~:text=On%20closing%20L.A.'s%20Kinn%2C%20chef%20highlights%20mental%20health%20issues,close%20his%20tasting%2Dmenu%20restaurant. Craft closure https://la.eater.com/2023/11/20/23969943/craft-la-kinn-koreatown-closed-restaurants-los-angeles-november-2023 Angry Egret closure https://la.eater.com/2023/12/14/24001272/chef-wes-avila-angry-egret-dinette-chinatown-restaurant-closure-los-angeles

LA Times restaurant critic Bill Addison dropped his much-anticipated 101 Best Restaurants list on Tuesday and it’s set the internet abuzz with thoughts and reactions aplenty. Congratulations to all of the restaurants who made the list, I hope you’re all celebrating accordingly. I offer some high-level observations and perhaps a couple of nuggets of constructive criticism. Because that’s just the helpful guy that I am.  We’re also joined by Father Sal to talk about the trend of influencer-backed restaurants, and we also break down the latest season of The Great British Bake Off. The Bake Off conversation is jolly good fun - we talk about the new host, our fave contestants, and we get into a pretty heated debate about whether this is actually a show about food, or if it’s really just vibes.  Helpful links: 101 list https://www.latimes.com/food/list/101-best-los-angeles-restaurants-ranked-2023 Hall of Fame https://www.latimes.com/food/list/los-angeles-hall-of-fame-restaurants-modern-classics LA Times on influencer-backed restaurants https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2023-11-24/influencer-backed-restaurants-los-angeles-worth-the-hype Great British Bake Off https://thegreatbritishbakeoff.co.uk/ Eater article defending Prue https://www.eater.com/23972427/leave-prue-leith-alone-great-british-bake-off

Chef Jeremy Fox is best known in Los Angeles for helming the widely acclaimed restaurants Rustic Canyon and Birdie G’s. He joins us to walk through his illustrious career, from his days at David Kinch’s Manresa in Los Gatos, to earning a Michelin star for a vegetarian restaurant attached to a yoga studio in Napa Valley. He talks about how an impounded car led him to move to Southern California, and his very personal inspiration for opening Birdie G’s, his Santa Monica restaurant that he describes as the product of an Eastern European Jew who grew up in the Midwest and settled down in California by way of the American South. Now, there’s a journey. Helpful links: Birdie G's https://www.birdiegsla.com/about/ 8 Nights at Birdie G's https://blog.resy.com/2023/10/8-nights-at-birdie-gs/ Rustic Canyon https://rusticcanyonrestaurant.com/ Chef Jeremy Fox on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/chefjeremyfox/?hl=en