Posts by Richard Foss

People who grew up in Mexico City find the way Americans eat tacos to be peculiar. Tacos there are a bocadillo, a snack, and making a meal of them would be like eating an entire can of the little Vienna sausages usually found impaled on toothpicks on cocktail party trays. I’m sure people have done…

I knew an artist who was extremely secretive about works in progress. She would flip her sketchbook over when I came into the room so I couldn’t get even a glimpse, and more than once I was on the receiving end of an annoyed, “Don’t look at that, it’s not fiiiiinished.” I get that some…

Depending on which set of statistics you look at, Chinese food is either the most popular restaurant cuisine in the U.S. or in second place. That includes high style fusion places, down home eateries, and take-out counters all lumped into the one category, but one statistic proves the appeal. There are more Chinese restaurants in…

Asian Arrival: Manhattan Avenue will soon have two modern Asian restaurants where previously there were none. After what seemed like years (because it was) the paper is off the windows at Dash Dashi, and the “now hiring” signs are down. The owner hasn’t returned emails about when they might be serving, but the interior looks…

I am old enough to remember the pre-internet age, and still marvel at some of the changes. If you wanted to know when a restaurant was open you had to call and ask, and if you were curious about what they served you had to hope the person on the other end of the phone…

There are locations that guarantee a restaurant a high profile and public recognition, but that’s a double-edged sword. That coveted ocean view or high traffic walk street comes with a higher rent, and a lot of nearby places also begging for the attention of prospective diners. Add in the parking challenges of high-density neighborhoods and…

Faith In The Future: There have been plenty of stories about gloom and doom in the restaurant industry, thanks to rising produce costs due to drought, a labor shortage, and other woes. All the same, very few restaurateurs are leaving the industry, and the lease rates for anyplace with a kitchen have trended up, not…

Many British pub names are bewildering to Americans. When I mention that I enjoyed an evening of quaffing ale at the Ferret & Firkin, or a glass of fine wine at the Boot & Flogger, people think I made these places up. Nevertheless, I did drink at both, as well as the Bear & Ragged…

It’s rare an artist’s rendition of a new restaurant inspires outrage, but that is what happened when this publication displayed an image of Esperanza to accompany one of my dining columns in July 2019. The spectacular, curved concrete façade provoked hate mail that declared that something like this would fit in fine in Beverly Hills,…

When I visit old cities, I find it charming that most residential neighborhoods have their local cafe, bakery, pub, and some little shop that sells the necessities of everyday life. It’s a relic of a world before the automobile, when neighbors met and socialized in the course of their everyday lives. That little eatery or…

A roadside bbq restaurant can be found in the most unusual places and have been having a moment in greater Los Angeles, sprouting up in vacant lots, parking lots next to bars, and anyplace else that has room for a smoker. These operations are helped by the fact that nobody expects fancy surroundings when chowing…

I like it when restaurants display symbols of culinary culture. The images of village markets laden with exotic produce, bakers proudly holding fresh loaves, grandmothers stirring pots over wood fires, and families at the table are more than mere decoration. It’s a reminder that these recipes are the legacy of countless generations of loving experimentation…

My wife had gone to work on a casual Friday wearing a T-shirt and jeans, and her first question when she got home was, “I remember that we’re going out tonight – do I have to change clothes?” From the tone in her voice, I could tell that she hoped the answer was no. She…

Straight Talk From Taco Land… The management at Tacolicious, which has a location on Manhattan Avenue, sent out a startlingly honest message that reads in part, “…we need to be frank with you: Along with the majority of restaurants in the U.S., we are not ok. Things appear shoddy for a reason. If you’ve noticed…