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16 Great Bites from the Los Angeles Food & Wine Grand Tasting

Last weekend marked the first annual Los Angeles Food & Wine (yes, that's the full name), an occasion where, according to the posters that popped up around town "Celebrity Meets Celebrity Chef." Many stars of the kitchen made an appearance at the Lexus Grand Tasting, a two-day affair at L.A. Live downtown, which paired 30 chefs each day with some 200 wineries. It was a race with the clock and the stomach to make it around the room, gobbling up as much pork jowl and Pinot before time was up or extreme satiety set in. Here are some of our favorite bites.

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1 Comment | Posted by Katie Robbins, October 17, 2011 at 2:00 PM
Tagged: Bill Starbuck, Bradley Ogden, Casey Thompson, Chris Pandel, David Lefevre, Graham Elliot, Jared Van Camp, Joe Miller, Kenny Callaghan, LA Food and Wine, Los Angeles, Mark Peel, Michael Mina, Michel Richard, Ricardo Zarate, Rick Tramonto, Todd English, Tyler Florence

Do We Really Need Four-Star Restaurants?

When food critic Michael Bauer awarded four stars in the San Francisco Chronicle to the eponymous Michael Mina, many readers took offense at the very notion of eating in, enjoying, and writing about such a restaurant in these troubled times. Bauer aptly explained why he feels it's important to write about four-star restaurants now. I am not a fan of over-the-top decadent dining, but from Bauer's review I would hardly call Michael Mina an obscenely extravagant restaurant. In fact, Bauer's review made me want to jump on a plane and eat at Michael Mina tonight. Related: Does the World Need More Fancy-Pants French Restaurants?...

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3 Comments | Posted by Ed Levine, March 13, 2008 at 2:15 PM
Tagged: California, Michael Bauer, Michael Mina, SF