by lareine | Feb 25, 2026 | Stories, California, Los Angeles, San Francisco
I wanted to like this spot, but it all came down to the food; it just wasn’t good enough to make me come back. Sure—if you wanted a drink only, then by all means waltz right in. The vibes and atmosphere are what make Chez Jay what it is. The chef felt stuck in the...
by lareine | Feb 26, 2026 | Stories, California, Los Angeles, San Francisco
Before I came to Los Angeles, I made a huge list after hours of research on where to eat. I wrote down all the restaurants by area (mainly Santa Monica and Venice), marked the ones I should refer back to with a star, and noted their distance. To be honest, I haven’t...
by lareine | Mar 1, 2026 | Stories, California, Los Angeles, San Francisco
Searching around the area for a new restaurant to try led us to Workshop Kitchen & Bar. Two chefs who met at the Paul Bocuse Institute put their heads together and took over the historic El Paseo building in the design district of Palm Springs. Working with an...
by lareine | Nov 16, 2025 | Stories, California, Los Angeles, San Francisco
A fantastic lunch option would be Connie and Ted’s. After being in the area for a spot of shopping, I was after something chef-driven and tasty, but I didn’t want to sit for hours tackling multiple courses and plates. I wanted a diner, or something in between: some...
by lareine | Nov 14, 2025 | Stories, California, Los Angeles, San Francisco
Newly opened at Cross Creek Ranch in Malibu, I happened to come across an article in a local paper with a write-up about this. Somebody (not the writer) was blabbing on about how everything else is rubbish around here and Clark’s is just fantastic. Fantastic is...
by lareine | Nov 21, 2025 | Stories, California, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Subscriber Only Stories
Honestly, all the way through dinner, I kept wondering how chef Jordan Kahn was even remotely connected to this restaurant. After having nothing but high praise for Vespertine, I struggled to understand what the hell this was, and why. At times, I thought it had to be...
