Profile

Lara Bowman

Texas transplant now living in LA. I enjoy cooking, eating, traveling and am passionate for all things culinary. My grandmother was a wonderful cook and we enjoyed watching Julia Child together. I owe my love of food and zest for life to her.

  • Location: Los Angeles, CA
  • Favorite foods: oysters, shrimp, salmon, tuna, lobster, sushi, steak, pasta, pizza, cheeseburgers, pot roast, fried chicken, po-boys, gumbo, chili, enchiladas, eggs, cheese, potatoes, pinto beans, artichokes, asparagus, spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, avocado
  • Last bite on earth: Tex-Mex in TX. Queso, guacamole, red & green salsas, fresh tortilla chips, single layer nachos w/ pickled jalapenos, crispy ground beef taco, cheese enchilada w/ chili gravy, sunny up huevos rancheros, creamy refried pinto beans and Don Julio margaritas.

Chicagoland: World's Best Burgers at Fred's in Burlington, WI

Jalapeno-cheese filled tots!?! I think I would take a day trip for those alone.

How do you like your potato salad?

My grandmother's German/American hybrid. Vinaigrette of warm bacon grease, vinegar and mustard over hot boiled potatoes with chopped onions, celery, bacon, salt and pepper. Garnished with sliced hard boiled egg. Sprinkled with fresh dill or parsley. Served warm or cold. Best the next day.

NYC: Truly Terrible Burgers Barely Saved By Excellent Fries at Hudson Common

That burger face is frowning and has a black eye. :(

Burger. Crime. Scene.

help my boyfriend is so hard to cook for!

Steak with bacon wrapped steak fries and béarnaise sauce on side.

The Food Lab Rapido: Cheesy Grits with Spring Vegetables

That is spring on a plate. Swoon!

What dish best represents the food of your region?

@leapfrog22: Certainly YOU can add beans! Just don't call it Texas chili. ;)

What Gross Food Stuff Did You Do as a Kid?

When very young, I would eat stick butter straight from refrigerator. I ate Ovaltine (chocolate milk powder) by the spoonful. I liked cold, non-sauced spaghetti and preferred milk when eating tuna sandwiches.

What dish best represents the food of your region?

Texas: Chili (state dish), Barbecue and Tex-Mex

Los Angeles: Henry's Hard-Shelled Tacos Return to Studio City

"Gringo": yes. Delicious: yes! Henry's Tacos is my fix when I'm craving the Tex-Mex (hard shell/ground beef) tacos that I sorely miss in Texas. They are not quite the same but they definitely hit the spot. Sad when they closed and happy they're back! Long live Henry's Tacos!

Pet Peeves When Dining Out

Menus the size of books, snobby service, slow service, cold bread, hard butter, warm beer, cool coffee, dirty/unstocked bathrooms.

Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese

jalapenos: check.
bacon: check.
Grilled Cheese Sandwich: Check!

The Food Lab Mini: Crispy Taco Shells Made of Cheese? Yes!

Cutest taco ever! If you serve them flat, you would have the cutest tostada ever. I'll take 10 please.

The Food Lab Turbo: How To Make The Best Grilled Cheese Sandwich

I'm in the Kenji camp except I prefer salted butter. Sliced American (Kraft), white bread, pan melted salted butter (NOT spread!). My fancy pants version is smoked fontina with sourdough but the classic is still my favorite. Cream of tomato soup is usually required as well.

A Sandwich A Day: Papa Preparada From Porto's, Los Angeles

Porto's potato balls always immediately transport me to my happy place.

The Food Lab: The Crabbiest Crab Cakes

I think I've seen that photo of Eggs Chesapeake before. In the dictionary next to food porn. Gorgeous shot!

Plating & presentation...Is it everything?

It is definitely not everything but we do eat with our eyes first so plating is important to me. However, if it does not taste good, I don't care how good it looks.

American Cheese?

From Wiki: American cheese is a processed cheese. It is orange, yellow, or white in color and mild in flavor, with a medium-firm consistency, and melts easily. American cheese was originally only white, but is sometimes now modified to yellow. In the past, it was made from a blend of cheeses, most often Colby and Cheddar. Today’s American cheese is generally no longer made from blended cheeses, but instead is manufactured from a set of ingredients such as milk, whey, milkfat, milk protein concentrate, whey protein concentrate, and salt. In the United States, it may not be legally sold as "cheese", and must be labeled as "processed cheese", "cheese product", or similar—e.g., "cheese food". At times even the word "cheese" is missing in the name on the label, e.g. "American slices" or "American singles".

Staff Picks: Favorite Burgers for $5 and Under

I second Damon's pick for Bill & Hiroko's Burgers in Van Nuys. Hands down! Even their double burger is under $5 bucks. They are only open weekdays until 4:00pm so it's a rare and delectable treat for me.

Only One Beer For Life: What Would You Pick?

Harp

Pre-emptive Spring Cravings

Asparagus!

Can you share a easy and quick dinner recipe?

Spaghetti carbonara! I use bacon instead of pancetta. Recipe from Serious Eats here: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/09/spaghetti-alla-carbonara-recipe.html?ref=search

Staff Picks: Do You Prefer Chocolate Chip or Oatmeal Raisin Cookies?

chocolate > raisins

What is your favorite shape of pasta or noodle?

spaghetti

Chain Reaction: Hook Burger Scores a Knockout in Los Angeles

Finally made it to Hook Burger in Burbank this weekend and was thoroughly impressed. My "Prime" burger was well seasoned and cooked perfectly to my requested medium rare. The bun, toppings and fries were all on point as well and service was quick and friendly. I'll be a regular!

We Spend Valentine's Day at White Castle

Cheese sauce on the side for fries. Yes please!

Lara Bowman hasn't written a post yet.

North Hollywood, California: Pitfire Artisan Pizza

North Hollywood, California: Pitfire Artisan Pizza

Inspired by the rustic pizzas they found in Northern California, Pitfire Pizza co-owners Paul Hibler and David Sanfield opened their first branch in North Hollywood in 1997. They have since expanded to three additional locations in West Los Angeles, downtown, and Culver City. With the motto "Slow food, fast", they strive for simplicity, focus on quality, and specialize in wood-fired pizzas, pastas, salads, and paninis. After hearing several friends rave about their pizzas, I was eager to check them out. More

Field Report: Terroni, Los Angeles

Field Report: Terroni, Los Angeles

Here's another community-submitted bit of intel from the field (again from L.A., what is this!?!) from Lara B. (aka "Leebo" in Slice/SeriousEats-land). Thanks, Lara! And remember, if YOU want to submit your review, here's how. —The Mgmt. [Photographs: Lara "Leebo" B.] Terroni 7605 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles CA 90036 (at Curson; map); 323-954-0300; terroni.ca Pizza style: Neapolitan Oven type: Electric Price: $12 to $17 for medium (the only size) Being a recent transplant to Los Angeles, I discovered that great pizza is actually hard to find here. Well, it wasn't that big of a surprise, but I was on a... More

The Top 50 Talk Threads of 2009

In the Best Thread Overall nominations post some folks were asking about the top threads of 2009 in terms of most-favorited or most-trafficked. I'm going to list most-favorited first, since that's probably a truer reflection of popularity among SE'ers than... More