The LA Food Podcast

Michelin held its 2024 California Guide Ceremony earlier this week, and it’s fair to say that LA restaurants fared rather well. Jordan Kahn’s Vespertine earned back its 2 stars, Holbox, Uka and Meteora earned their first, and LA also dominated the list of new Bib Gourmands. But, like I ask my therapist on a weekly basis, what does it all mean? Father Sal’s on the pod today to help us make sense of it all.  We also discuss the crucial matter of whether aspiring Vice President of the United States Tim Walz is a foodie, why Pete Wells decided to go all get off my lawn on his final essay as critic of The New York TImes, and a brilliant new series from Eater exploring iconic regional dishes from around the country. Finally, we’ve got Part 2 of our interview with Botanica’s Heather Sperling. Last week’s Part 1 received rave reviews, especially from those who appreciate behind-the-scenes looks at restaurant operations. Well, Part 2 is even better. Heather and I discuss in detail the factors making restaurant finances so damn difficult, and what can be done to ease the burden both for businesses and, get this, landlords. I bet you weren’t expecting that. We also talk about the exciting food happening at Botanica, of course, and why you as a consumer should feel good supporting a business such as theirs.  Helpful links: LA FOODSTACK newsletter on Substack https://thelacountdown.substack.com/p/3-hot-takes-on-the-2024-california Botanica https://botanicarestaurant.com/ Heather Sperling https://www.instagram.com/heathersper/?hl=en Heather Sperling in the LA Times https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2024-05-14/one-dollar-at-botanica-restaurant-los-angeles-heather-sperling -- Get 10% off your first order at House of Macadamias using code “LAFOOD” https://www.houseofmacadamias.com/pages/la-foods -- Get 10% off your first order of wagyu beef products at First Light Farms using code “LAFOOD10” https://www.firstlight.farm/us/

We’re joined on the pod today by none other than Father Sal. As you know, dear listener, Father Sal doesn’t actually live in Los Angeles, but when he does visit our city, which happens often, he always comes prepared with the most thorough itineraries humankind has ever seen. If planning were an Olympic sport, Father Sal would take home gold, silver, bronze, and perhaps even the cutest leotard award. As a gesture of our goodwill to you, dear listener, we’re going to talk today about how to craft the perfect itinerary when visiting LA or when hosting out-of-town visitors. He’ll walk me through his latest plans, and I’ll critique them from a culinary perspective to make sure he’s not taking just another basic bitch visit to LA, but really getting into the guts of what makes  our city’s food great right now. Consider this the Gourmand’s Guide to Visiting or Hosting Visitors in LA.  We’re also joined today by a restaurant owner who has been a very vocal voice in recent conversations on the tough times restaurants have been having of late. You may have seen her piece in The LA Times breaking down where every cent of a dollar goes once you’ve spent it at a restaurant. It’s Heather Sperling of Botanica in Silver Lake and, honestly, this was such a fascinating conversation, I had to break it up into 2 parts. Today, we’ll be hearing about the path that led her to opening Botanica, and next week we’ll dive into the nitty gritty of owning and operating a restaurant in LA’s rather draconian regulatory environment. Heather actually worked in food media for a long time, and today’s portion of the interview includes some great insights on what we’re losing as the food media universe continues to hemorrhage dollars and therefore journalists.  Helpful links: Our free newsletter LA FOODSTACK https://thelacountdown.substack.com/ Botanica https://botanicarestaurant.com/ Heather Sperling on IG https://www.instagram.com/heathersper/?hl=en This episode of The LA Food Podcast was produced with the help of: Adam Skaggs Tiffany Perez Tim Bertolini -- Get 10% off on all purchases at House of Macadamias with the code "LAFOOD" https://www.houseofmacadamias.com/pages/la-foods -- Get 10% off your first order of wagyu beef at First Light Farms using the code "LAFOOD10" https://www.firstlight.farm/us/

We’re joined today by Leah Marcus and Yasaman Bakhtiar, the co-founders of Good Girl Snacks, a company you might be familiar with if you’ve come across their viral Hot Girl Pickles on your social media feed. Yasaman and Leah join us to share their story of ditching their day jobs as recent grads to start a pickle company with a Gen Z twist. We’re also joined on the pod today by Father Sal to discuss a couple of newsy bits that caught our eye this week. There’s the taco guide to end all taco guides from the LA Times, another big win for LA’s street vendors, and an al pastor tutorial from Bill Esparza. On that note, we also discuss the fall out from last week’s Bill Esparza vs. Villa’s Tacos battle royale, and answer a few comments that y’all left for us on social media. Helpful links: LA FOODSTACK, our free Substack where you can find all the links to the stories we discussed today on the pod https://open.substack.com/pub/thelacountdown/p/its-rainin-taco-guides?r=31nins&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web Good Girl Snacks https://goodgirlsnacks.com/ Good Girl Snacks on IG https://www.instagram.com/goodgirlsnacks Good Girl Snacks on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@goodgirlsnacks -- Get 10% off all macadamia products at House of Macadamias using code "LAFOOD" https://www.houseofmacadamias.com/pages/la-foods -- Get 10% off your first purchase of wagyu beef at First Light Farms using code "LAFOOD10" https://www.firstlight.farm/us/

This week, legendary LA food writer Bill Esparza made waves when he dropped a scathing review of Villa’s Tacos on his Instagram stories. The review had been building for weeks, if not more than a year, and its Kendrick-style intensity left all of Los Angeles talking. Father Sal is with us today to dive deep into the situation, including what led to it, what the review got right and wrong, and how Victor Villa and others in the LA food community responded. We attempt to answer the essential questions - was Bill’s criticism fair? Did he go too far, was he too mean? And what does it mean that Bill’s opinions on these tacos, seems to be so far removed from that of other key voices in the food world including Bill Addison, LA Taco and even Michelin Bib Gourmand. One housekeeping note, Bill’s review took place on Instagram stories and is no longer available. Fear not, we’ve got your back. We took screenshots and the entire review can be found at our substack, LA FOODSTACK, linked in the show notes. On a lighter note, we’re also joined on the podcast today by Duncan Parsons and Joe Wedd, the duo behind Creamy Boys, a New Zealand-style real fruit ice cream concept down in Hermosa Beach. I had a blast talking to these two rambunctious fellas about how they turned their lifelong friendship and passion for their hometown delicacy into a business concept that is kind of taking Los Angeles by storm. If you haven’t had New Zealand style ice cream yet, I’m not sure you can really say your summer has even begun. So give this a listen, and then go get your Hokey Pokey on. Helpful links: LA FOODSTACK, where you can find Bill Esparza's Villa's Tacos review in its entirety https://thelacountdown.substack.com/ Creamy Boys https://www.creamyboys.com/ -- Get 10% off at House of Macadamias with code "LAFOOD" https://www.houseofmacadamias.com/pages/la-foods -- Get 10% off on your first purchase of wagyu beef products at First Light Farms with code "LAFOOD10" https://www.firstlight.farm/us/

Father Sal is with us today to talk about the LA Times’ 2024 Restaurant of the Year Baroo. We break down what the award means, why it’s significant, and why we are so excited for our upcoming meal at this very special restaurant. We also talk about the LA Times’ Gold Award winner, the rise of non-alcoholic beer, and the sudden closure of Rampart Village restaurant due to homelessness question mark?  Arguably even more exciting is that fact that we’re joined in Part 2 by none other than Eater’s Mona Holmes. A James Beard Award nominee, Mona is one of the most intrepid food reporters in the city and possibly the country. We have a wide-ranging conversation on the state of LA food, the state of LA food media, and much, much more. Helpful links: All articles mentioned on the pod are linked in LA FOODSTACK, our free weekly newsletter https://open.substack.com/pub/thelacountdown/p/baroo-is-the-la-times-2024-restaurant?r=31nins&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web Mona Holmes in Instagram https://www.instagram.com/monaeats/?hl=en Mona Holmes in Eater https://la.eater.com/authors/mona-holmes Mona Holmes in KCRW https://www.kcrw.com/people/mona-holmes

Part 2 of our The Bear Season 3 recap. Father Sal is with us to break down episodes 6-10. If you listened to Part 1 on Monday, you'll know that we weren't too sweet on episodes 1-5. Did the second half of the season change our opinion? Not exactly, but keep listening to find out where exactly we feel the show got lost in the sauce, and most importantly, Father Sal's killer conspiracy theories about why.  But first, a couple of things that caught my eye this week. There's an end finally to the service fee saga, a massive win for street vendors, and some really insightful reporting on just how hard it is to score a liquor license in LA, courtesy of Emily Wilson at The Angel. Helpful links: LA Foodstack, our free newsletter where we curate all the week's most essential food news https://open.substack.com/pub/thelacountdown/p/the-epic-service-fee-saga-comes-to?r=31nins&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web -- Get 10% off at House of Macadamias with code "LAFOOD" https://www.houseofmacadamias.com/pages/la-foods -- Get 10% off your first order of wagyu products at First Light Farms with code "LAFOOD10" https://www.firstlight.farm/us/

Father Sal and I recap episodes 1-5 of The Bear Season 3, which is now streaming on Hulu. Helpful links: The Bear https://www.hulu.com/series/the-bear-05eb6a8e-90ed-4947-8c0b-e6536cbddd5f -- Get 10% off when you use code "LAFOOD" on House of Macadamias https://www.houseofmacadamias.com/pages/la-foods

Santiago Lastra is the chef of Michelin-starred restaurant KOL in London. He visited in LA on the heels of the World’s 50 Best ceremony in Las Vegas, where KOL was named the number 17 best restaurant in the world. He stopped by the City of Angels for a special collab dinner with Vespertine’s Jordan Kahn, and I’m really honored he made time to grab lunch with me at Gilberto Cetina’s Holbox, the 2023 LA Times Restaurant of the Year, located at Mercado La Paloma.  This is truly a one-of-a-kind episode, dear listener. Chef Lastra tells us his frankly wild story, from growing up in Cuernavaca, Mexico to becoming known globally as a nomadic chef hosting pop-ups all over the world. He tells us about working with Rene Redzepi on Noma’s famed pop-up in Tulum, how he developed his style as a chef who blends Mexican techniques and traditions with hyper-local ingredients, and he walks us through what a meal at KOL actually looks like. Personally, I was deeply moved by Santiago’s passion and philosophy around food and hospitality. Oh, and did I mention that Chef Gilberto Cetina was serving us lunch while we spoke? Chef Gilberto makes multiple cameos in the episode to chat with Santiago and to explain the incredible dishes he’s bringing to the table. It was an outstanding meal as meals at Holbox always are, and it was really cool for me to see these two powerhouse chefs exchange thoughts and ideas. I think you’ll enjoy it too.  Finally, no news on this podcast - but subscribe to LA FOODSTACK, our brand new Substack newsletter for our curation of the week's headlines. Helpful links: Chef Santiago Lastra on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/santiagolas/?hl=en KOL Restaurant https://kolrestaurant.com/ Holbox https://www.holboxla.com/#/ LA FOODSTACK, the LA Food Pod newsletter https://thelacountdown.substack.com/p/the-bear-season-3-drops-as-la-pizza?r=31nins -- Get 10% off when you use code "LAFOOD" at House of Macadamias https://www.houseofmacadamias.com/pages/la-foods

Top Chef Season 21 is in the books. A champion has been crowned, both for Top Chef and our LA Food Pod Fantasy Top Chef. Father Sal and I are joined by Jessie Evans also known as Jessie Eats, and Daniel Wargo AKA Forking Around to recap the finale and the season as a whole.  But first, a few things that caught my eye this week. An iconic LA fast food restaurant has closed forever, there’s yet another twist in the restaurant service fee saga, and, remember those pesky reservation resale platforms? Well, their days may be numbered. Finally, there’s free political advice for vegans, and a brand new LA Countdown website? Omg.com, dear listener.  Helpful links: Jessie Eats https://www.instagram.com/jessie_eats/?hl=en Forking Around https://www.instagram.com/forkingaround.tv/?hl=en The LA Countdown website https://www.thelacountdown.com/ Arby's closes https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2024-06-18/arbys-hollywood-closure-family-minimum-wage-law-fast-food Service fees live on https://calmatters.org/commentary/2024/06/california-restaurants-hidden-fees-law/ Grub Street on James Kent https://www.grubstreet.com/article/chef-james-kent-rip.html -- Get 10% off on House of Macadamias products using code "LAFOOD" https://www.houseofmacadamias.com/pages/la-foods -- Get 10% off on your first order of First Light Farms wagyu beef using code "LAFOOD10" https://www.firstlight.farm/us/

Kuya Lord’s Chef Lord Maynard Llera took home this James Beard Award this week for Best Chef California, and we’d like to extend him and his whole staff a heartfelt LA Food Pod congratulations. Today’s episode is all about awards. I’m joined by Father Sal to discuss LA’ showing at the Beards, as well as some of the most interesting takeaways from the World’s 50 Best, which was also announced since our last episode.  We talk about what these awards tell us about the state of dining in 2024, whether we’d rather win a Beard Award or be named on the World’s 50 Best and why, and which award recipients caught our eye and may warrant an LA Food Pod excursion in the future.  We also discuss a fascinating Karen Palmer article in SF Gate on why Little Tokyo as we know it may be endangered, and finally, the earth-shaking news that competitive eating GOAT Joey Chestnut has been banned from the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. Stick around to the end if you want to hear a true story about the time that I, your friendly neighborhood podcast host, won an eating competition of my own. It’s a tale that’s frankly not for the faint of heart.  Helpful Links: James Beard Award 2024 Winners https://www.jamesbeard.org/blog/the-2024-james-beard-award-winners World's 50 Best https://www.theworlds50best.com/ Overheard at the World's 50 Best https://vegas.eater.com/2024/6/6/24173200/worlds-50-best-restaurants-awards-overheard-gossip-las-vegas-strip-winners SF Gate on Little Tokyo https://www.sfgate.com/la/article/little-tokyo-los-angeles-endangered-restaurants-19463905.php Joey Chestnut-gate https://www.npr.org/2024/06/12/nx-s1-5003036/joey-chestnut-banned-nathans-hot-dog-eating-competition John Mulaney's Everybody's in LA https://www.netflix.com/title/81742123 Gordon Ramsey's Food Stars https://www.fox.com/gordon-ramsays-food-stars/