Épisodes

  • LA's Food Scene is Having a Moment and We Need to Talk About These Viral Korean Rice Pots and Fifty Dollar Wagyu

    LA's Food Scene is Having a Moment and We Need to Talk About These Viral Korean Rice Pots and Fifty Dollar Wagyu
    Jan 24 2026
    Food Scene Los Angeles

    # Los Angeles: Where Global Flavors Meet California Innovation

    Los Angeles is experiencing a culinary renaissance that defies simple categorization. This January, the city's restaurant scene explodes with bold international concepts, chef-driven tasting menus, and a democratic approach to fine dining that makes elevated cuisine accessible to everyone.

    The international chain phenomenon is particularly striking. Seoul's viral sensation Damsot has landed in Koreatown with its famous pot-rice trays, while Berenjak, a London-based Persian restaurant, now operates its first publicly accessible US location in the Arts District. These aren't mere franchises; they represent a genuine global culinary conversation happening right here in LA, where Tel Aviv's Miznon packs overstuffed pita sandwiches at Grand Central Market and Osaka's Takagi Coffee operates a kissaten-style spot in Beverly Grove.

    Yet what's truly distinctive about LA's dining evolution is how it blends accessibility with sophistication. Corridor 109, a Melrose Hill newcomer featuring chef Brian Baik from Eleven Madison Park, showcases LA's diverse food cultures through kimbap with bluefin tuna and Dungeness crab with crispy noodles. Meanwhile, Josef Centeno's Le Dräq downtown reimagines the beloved bäco with softer, cheesier iterations wrapped around crispy shrimp and short rib, feeling like "a classic LA restaurant moment, reimagined for now."

    The mini tasting menu format is reshaping how Angelenos dine. Kojima on Sawtelle offers an eighty-dollar four-course kappo-style omakase, while The Mulberry provides a choose-your-own-adventure Korean classics experience for forty-nine dollars. This democratization extends to casual steaks, where neighborhood spots like Sam's Place and Marvito feature bar steaks, and Butchr Bar serves sub-fifty-dollar wagyu cuts.

    Standout individual restaurants prove the city's depth. Max and Helen's in Larchmont brings Phil Rosenthal's elevated comfort food philosophy, developed with chef Nancy Silverton. Little Fish in Melrose Hill specializes in seafood-forward small plates and a legendary fried fish sandwich. On Fairfax, Lucia offers Caribbean cuisine with bold invigorating takes, like coconut fried chicken with fermented chili aioli and red snapper escovitch with pineapple-habanero sauce.

    What makes LA's culinary identity so magnetic is its refusal to choose. The city simultaneously celebrates hyperlocal California ingredients and welcomes global street food vendors. It champions fine dining while embracing come-as-you-are neighborhood spots. This isn't a scene following trends; it's creating them, one plate at a time..


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    3 min
  • LA's Food Feuds and Fusion Frenzy: Nancy Silverton Does Korean Pasta While Fine Dining Goes Dirt Cheap

    LA's Food Feuds and Fusion Frenzy: Nancy Silverton Does Korean Pasta While Fine Dining Goes Dirt Cheap
    Jan 22 2026
    Food Scene Los Angeles

    # LA's Culinary Renaissance: Where Innovation Meets Tradition

    Los Angeles is experiencing a remarkable dining awakening this January, with restaurants that blend audacious creativity and cultural authenticity reshaping the city's food landscape. From Korean-Italian pasta bars to Peruvian-Japanese fusion concepts, the city's newest establishments reveal a culinary scene hungry for boundary-pushing flavors and meaningful dining experiences.

    Chef Nancy Silverton continues her restaurant empire with Lapaba, a Korean-Italian concept in Koreatown that transforms traditional pasta through an unexpected cultural lens. The handmade noodles showcase her signature craftsmanship, with standout dishes like tonnarelli with clams, chorizo and braised kombu, and cacio e pepe dduk offering bold reinterpretations of Italian classics. Meanwhile, Zampo at the revamped Cameo Beverly Hills takes a similar fusion approach with its Peruvian-Japanese Nikkei cuisine, where dishes like charred octopus and lomo saltado tell stories of two distinct culinary traditions colliding on a single plate.

    The revival of established chefs' visions marks another compelling trend. Chef Ray Garcia has resurrected Broken Spanish in Culver City with renewed energy, bringing a sourcing-first philosophy that celebrates live-fire cooking and West Coast ingredients. Josef Centeno's Le Dräq represents his most ambitious project yet, unifying the best elements of his previous concepts into one downtown destination where bäcos arrive softer and cheesier than ever before.

    Los Angeles listeners are also witnessing a democratization of fine dining through mini tasting menus that make sophisticated cuisine accessible without pretension. Kojima on Sawtelle offers an eighty-dollar kappo-style omakase, while The Mulberry serves a forty-nine-dollar Korean tasting menu. These formats reflect a city increasingly comfortable with casual steakhouse experiences and ingredient-forward simplicity alongside haute cuisine.

    Casual dining continues evolving with seafood taking center stage. Little Fish in Melrose Hill specializes in small plates and pristine fish preparations, from carpaccios to the neighborhood's most coveted fried fish sandwich. Scarlett brings Italian-Californian sensibilities to West Hollywood with live music and intimate courtyard settings, while Max and Helen's offers Phil Rosenthal's nostalgic diner comfort food reimagined through Chef Nancy Silverton's refined lens.

    What distinguishes Los Angeles's current culinary moment isn't merely novelty but genuine cultural synthesis. These restaurants honor their heritage while embracing California's abundance and multicultural identity. The city's restaurants recognize that listeners increasingly seek authenticity wrapped in modernity, tradition elevated through innovation, and ingredients that reflect both local terroir and global influence. This is a dining scene that refuses simple categorization, where a single evening might transport diners from Seoul to Palermo to Lima, all without leaving the city limits..


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    4 min
  • LA's Food Scene is on Fire: Korean Pasta, Nikkei Fusion and the Tiniest Martinis You've Ever Seen

    LA's Food Scene is on Fire: Korean Pasta, Nikkei Fusion and the Tiniest Martinis You've Ever Seen
    Jan 20 2026
    Food Scene Los Angeles

    **LA's Culinary Fireworks: 2026's Hottest Bites Igniting the City of Angels**

    Listeners, Los Angeles is sizzling into 2026 with a restaurant scene that's bolder, fusion-forward, and unapologetically global, blending the city's multicultural heartbeat with hyper-local flair. Kicking off the year, Observer spotlights Lapaba in Koreatown, where chef Nancy Silverton teams with Tanya and Joe Bastianich and Robert Kim for Korean-Italian pastas like tonnarelli with clams, chorizo, and braised kombu—hand-pulled noodles stealing the show in an open kitchen buzzing with energy. Nearby, Zampo at Cameo Beverly Hills fuses Peruvian-Japanese Nikkei mastery, its mid-century modern space plating stunning dishes that marry Japanese precision with Peruvian spice, opening January 27.

    Culver City's Broken Spanish Comedor, revived by native son chef Ray Garcia, channels live-fire cooking with Central Coast gems—think spiny lobster with Tokyo turnip or Mt. Lassen trout amid wild mushrooms, as Wallpaper* raves. Melrose Hill's Corridor 109, helmed by Eleven Madison Park alum Brian Baik, offers an intimate 10-seat chef's counter for rotating 11-course seafood feasts, from salmon roe tartlets to horse mackerel, paired by Master Sommelier Michael Engelmann. Don't sleep on Hermon's innovative American fare with tiny 'tinis in Echo Park, Max & Helen's elevated diner classics in Larchmont from Phil Rosenthal and Silverton, or Little Fish's briny crudos and fried fish sandwiches.

    Trends lean into open-fire kitchens and sidewalk hangs, per The Infatuation, while Dine LA Restaurant Week from January 23 to February 6 floods the city with prix-fixe steals at Spago, Cut by Wolfgang Puck, and The Lobster's lasagna at Santa Monica Pier. LA's magic? Its mosaic of influences—Korean twists on pasta, Baja vibes at Beach House, modern Indian at Badmaash Venice—fueled by farm-fresh bounty and immigrant ingenuity, creating flavors as diverse and sun-kissed as the sprawl itself. Food lovers, tune in now: this is dining that's alive, electric, and endlessly reinventing paradise on a plate..


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    3 min
  • LA's Hottest Tables: Korean Pasta, Nikkei Magic, and Why You Can't Get Into Hermon Right Now

    LA's Hottest Tables: Korean Pasta, Nikkei Magic, and Why You Can't Get Into Hermon Right Now
    Jan 17 2026
    Food Scene Los Angeles

    **Los Angeles Ignites 2026 with Bold Flavors and Fusion Feasts**

    Listeners, buckle up—Los Angeles is serving a sizzling start to 2026, where culinary boundaries dissolve like butter on hot pasta. Chef Nancy Silverton's Lapaba in Koreatown marries Korean twists to Italian classics, with handmade tonnarelli slicked in clams, chorizo, and braised kombu, or cacio e pepe dduk that bursts with umami heat, all crafted in a dedicated pasta room under an open kitchen's glow. Over in West Hollywood, Scarlett on Beverly Boulevard revives the strip with Italian-Californian lounge vibes—think live music echoing off a leopard-print pool table, cozy courtyard bites, and sultry sips that linger like a velvet night.

    Fusion reigns supreme: Zampo at Cameo Beverly Hills fuses Peruvian-Japanese Nikkei mastery, plating stunning dishes in a mid-century modern haven opening January 27. David Chang's Super Peach in Century City dazzles with all-day American-Asian hits like Korean fried chicken wings paired with sesame-marinated cucumbers, or Dungeness crab tangled in crispy noodles and XO sauce, nodding to LA's Korean-Californian soul. In Melrose Hill, Corridor 109 hides an intimate chef's counter by Brian Baik, dispensing 11-course seafood spectacles—fresh salmon roe tartlets, horse mackerel, and fish bone broth that whisper of Japanese imports.

    Local legends shine too: Hermon's innovative American fare and tiny 'tini's in Echo Park draw impossible reservations, while Max & Helen's in Larchmont elevates diner comforts via Phil Rosenthal and Silverton. Broken Spanish Comedor in Culver City revives Ray Garcia's modern Mexican with live-fire spiny lobster and Mt. Lassen trout amid wild mushrooms. Trends pulse with intimate tasting menus, California-sourced seafood, and cultural mash-ups, fueled by Dine LA Week 2026's prix-fixe temptations.

    LA's gastronomy thrives on its mosaic—Central Coast cheeses, briny Pacific catches, and global diaspora traditions blending in wood-fired hearths and neon-lit malls. What sets this city apart? Its restless reinvention, where a Koreatown pasta bar sits equals with a rooftop mezze spot. Food lovers, tune in now—this is dining alive, electric, and utterly unmissable..


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    3 min
  • LA's Spicy Secret: Why Every Chef is Mashing Up Cultures and We're Here for All the Drama

    LA's Spicy Secret: Why Every Chef is Mashing Up Cultures and We're Here for All the Drama
    Jan 15 2026
    Food Scene Los Angeles

    **Los Angeles Ignites the Culinary Fire: 2026's Hottest Openings and Bold Flavors**

    Listeners, Los Angeles is sizzling into 2026 with a torrent of restaurant openings that fuse global traditions with the city's sun-kissed bounty. Chef Nancy Silverton's Lapaba in Koreatown marries Korean ferments with handmade Italian pasta, like tonnarelli tangled with clams, chorizo, and braised kombu, pulled fresh from an open kitchen where dough dances under skilled hands. Nearby, Zampo at Cameo Beverly Hills channels Peruvian-Japanese Nikkei mastery, plating stunning ceviches that whisper of Pacific fusion in a mid-century sleek space.

    Culver City's Broken Spanish Comedor revives Ray Garcia's modern Mexican vision with live-fire spiny lobster and Tokyo turnip, grilled radishes kissed by Central Coast Seascape cheddar, all sourced-first from local farms. Max and Helen's in Larchmont Village, a Phil Rosenthal and Silverton collab, elevates diner classics—think fluffy pancakes dripping nostalgia—while Scarlett on Beverly Boulevard lounges Italian-Californian style amid live music and leopard-print vibes. Melrose Hill's Little Fish hooks with briny crudos and fried fish sandwiches, and Wilde's in Los Feliz charms with British bangers and mash infused with fresh California produce.

    These spots spotlight LA's alchemy: Korean-Italian at Lapaba nods to Koreatown's pulse, Nikkei at Zampo echoes immigrant stories, and Broken Spanish honors native roots with hyper-local seafood and veggies. Trends lean innovative—mini tasting menus at Corridor 109 by chef Brian Baik feature rotating Japanese imports like salmon roe tartlets—while events like LA Magazine's Best New Restaurants Celebration on February 23 at The Sun Rose promise bites from stars like Somni and RVR.

    What sets LA apart? This sprawling mosaic devours cultures, turning diverse neighborhoods into flavor labs where tradition bends to California's fertile soil and endless reinvention. Food lovers, tune in—your next obsession awaits in the city's electric hum..


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    3 min
  • LA's Spicy Food Drama: Nancy Silverton's Double Life, David Chang's Peach Power Move and Noma's Pricey Silver Lake Takeover

    LA's Spicy Food Drama: Nancy Silverton's Double Life, David Chang's Peach Power Move and Noma's Pricey Silver Lake Takeover
    Jan 13 2026
    Food Scene Los Angeles

    **Los Angeles Ignites 2026 with Bold Flavors and Fusion Feasts**

    Listeners, buckle up—Los Angeles is serving a culinary fireworks show as 2026 unfolds, blending global ingenuity with sun-kissed local bounty. Chef Nancy Silverton's Max & Helen’s in Larchmont Village elevates diner classics like fluffy pancakes and juicy burgers with her signature finesse, a nostalgic nod to Phil Rosenthal's family roots. Nearby, her Korean-Italian gem Lapaba in Koreatown crafts handmade tonnarelli with clams, chorizo, and braised kombu, plus cacio e pepe dduk that marries chewy rice cakes with peppery pecorino punch.

    Fusion rules the scene: Zampo at Cameo Beverly Hills debuts Peruvian-Japanese Nikkei dishes on January 27, like ceviche kissed by Japanese precision amid mid-century modern vibes. Super Peach in Century City, from David Chang's Momofuku, dazzles with kimbap stuffed with bluefin tuna, Korean fried chicken wings alongside sesame-marinated cukes, and soy-maple pork belly that crisps to caramelized perfection. Culver City's Broken Spanish Comedor revives Ray Garcia's modern Mexican with live-fire Mt. Lassen trout and wild mushrooms, while Corridor 109 in Melrose Hill offers an intimate 11-course seafood tasting—think fresh salmon roe tartlets and horse mackerel—from chef Brian Baik.

    Trends pulse with casual steaks at spots like Dunsmoor and Kali, mini tasting menus at Kojima and The Mulberry, and international chains like Damsot's viral pot-rice in Koreatown. Mark March for Noma's 16-week Silver Lake residency, where René Redzepi ferments California produce into $1,500 experimental artistry. Local ingredients shine: Central Coast cheddar graces grilled radishes, briny seafood nods to Pacific shores, all fused with LA's multicultural heartbeat—from Korean twists to Nikkei flair.

    What sets LA apart? This city's gastronomy thrives on fearless reinvention, where Koreatown pastas meet beachside Baja bites, drawing from diverse heritages and hyper-fresh farms. Food lovers, tune in—LA's table is the world's most electric stage..


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    2 min
  • LA Eats Its Feelings: Masa Palaces, 10-Seat Seafood Shrines, and Why This City Finally Stopped Apologizing

    LA Eats Its Feelings: Masa Palaces, 10-Seat Seafood Shrines, and Why This City Finally Stopped Apologizing
    Jan 10 2026
    Food Scene Los Angeles

    Los Angeles is having a moment, and it tastes like masa, smoke, and just a little bit of stardust. This is Byte, Culinary Expert, reporting from a city where dinner is as much about identity as it is about indulgence.

    According to Wallpaper’s guide to new restaurants in Los Angeles, Broken Spanish Comedor in Culver City signals how deeply the city is doubling down on Modern Mexican cooking. Native Angeleno chef Ray Garcia reimagines masa as a luxury material, folding Los Angeles farmers market produce and Mexican heritage into dishes that are rich, earthy, and unapologetically local. It is comfort food, but with the swagger of a movie premiere.

    On the other end of the spectrum, Corridor 109 in Melrose Hill, highlighted by both Wallpaper and Resy, turns dinner into a 10-seat high-wire act. Listeners perch at a walnut counter while chef Brian Baik sends out an 11-course seafood parade featuring Japanese imports and pristine California product. It is the city’s current thesis on luxury: intimate, seasonal, and quietly obsessive.

    If Los Angeles once chased New York, it now looks confidently outward. The Smith & Berg Property Group’s 2026 guide points to Little Fish in Melrose Hill as a prime example: a seafood-centric spot where fried fish sandwiches at lunch evolve into crudos and soy-cured mussels at night, channeling both Spanish pintxos bars and Pacific breezes. Max and Helen’s in Larchmont, documented by the Los Angeles Tourism Board, filters the classic American diner through the lens of Phil Rosenthal and chef Nancy Silverton, turning grilled cheese and pie into high-gloss nostalgia powered by SoCal dairy and produce.

    Global influences are no longer a trend; they are the grammar of Los Angeles dining. Super Peach at Westfield Century City, from David Chang’s Momofuku group, blends Korean flavors with California ingredients, pairing kimbap and Korean fried chicken with a breezy mall-side casualness that feels distinctly Angeleno. The city’s tourism board also notes Berenjak in the Arts District, bringing Persian kababs, khoresht, and fresh breads into the mix and reaffirming that Los Angeles is a Middle Eastern food capital in its own right.

    Events like Dine LA Restaurant Week, described by Secret Los Angeles as a 375-restaurant, 70-neighborhood, 30-cuisine marathon, crystallize what makes this city different: nowhere else can listeners eat a mini omakase, a Baja-style fish taco, and Imperial Manchu banquet fare in a single day without leaving city limits.

    What makes Los Angeles unique is not just diversity, but the ease with which it all collides: Korean-Californian at a mall, French brasserie by the beach, Mexican fine dining in Culver City, and a 10-seat seafood temple on a side street. For food lovers paying attention, Los Angeles is no longer the future of American dining. It is the present..


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    3 min
  • LA's Food Scene is Unhinged Right Now and We Need to Talk About David Chang's Mall Kimbap

    LA's Food Scene is Unhinged Right Now and We Need to Talk About David Chang's Mall Kimbap
    Jan 8 2026
    Food Scene Los Angeles

    Bite Into Tomorrow: Los Angeles Dining In Its Most Dazzling Era Yet

    Los Angeles is having one of those cinematic food moments where every corner seems to hide a plot twist. The city’s new restaurants are less about white tablecloths and more about personality, heritage, and a fierce love of California’s pantry.

    Take Super Peach at Westfield Century City, David Chang’s latest love letter to Korean flavors and Los Angeles ingredients. According to Wallpaper’s restaurant coverage, listeners can expect kimbap with bluefin tuna, Korean fried chicken with sesame cucumbers, and Dungeness crab tangled in crispy noodles, all powered by local produce and that big-mall, high-energy hum. Super Peach distills a core LA idea: global cravings, fed by California sunshine.

    In Culver City, Broken Spanish Comedor marks chef Ray Garcia’s triumphant return to modern Mexican cooking, with dishes that lean into masa, chiles, and coastal seafood. Wallpaper notes the salt air margaritas and refined takes on regional classics, an evolution of Mexican American dining that reflects both Mexican roots and LA’s experimental streak.

    Phil Rosenthal’s Max and Helen’s in Larchmont Village, highlighted by Discover Los Angeles and Wallpaper, turns the classic diner on its head. Think patty melts and pie reimagined with help from chef Nancy Silverton, using farmers market produce and pedigreed baking technique. It’s nostalgia, but filtered through LA’s obsession with craft.

    The city’s appetite for immersive experiences is on full display at Corridor 109 in Melrose Hill, described by Wallpaper as a 10-seat chef’s counter where Brian Baik serves an 11-course seafood-focused tasting, weaving imported Japanese product with Southern California seasonality. Meanwhile, Berenjak in the Arts District brings London’s modern Iranian cooking to a family-style feast of kababs, khoresht, and just-baked bread, as detailed by Discover Los Angeles, tapping into LA’s deep Persian and Middle Eastern communities.

    Trends are shifting fast. The Infatuation reports a boom in international chains landing in Koreatown, Century City, and Grand Central Market, from Seoul’s Damsot and Gebang Sikdang to Tel Aviv’s Miznon, while “casual steak” and short, affordable tasting menus turn high-end formats into weeknight options.

    Layer in events like DineLA Restaurant Week, which Discover Los Angeles describes as a citywide prix-fixe celebration each winter, and listeners get a portrait of a metropolis that treats dining as sport, culture, and conversation.

    What makes Los Angeles singular is this: nowhere else marries year-round local bounty, immigrant traditions, and relentless innovation with such nonchalant ease. For food lovers paying attention, LA isn’t just keeping up with global dining—it’s quietly rewriting the script..


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    3 min