Fried Chicken takeout challenge [restaurant review]

One of my favorite American meals is fried chicken — the real thing, not the not the stuff sold by a certain franchise operation best known by three initials. An expert in the fried chicken business referred to their product as “nothing more than a fried dough ball wrapped around some chicken.” That expert was […]

Pop-up poke, a new pizzeria, Goat Hill migration, take-out ecology, and more dining news

A La Carte column for 23 April 2020

Life Beneath The Surface: The “For Lease” signs are down at the former Ragin’ Cajun on upper Pier Avenue in Hermosa, which will soon become another branch of El Tarasco. This looks like a savvy move, which will give them dine-in space without much competition in food style or price point in the immediate neighborhood. […]

Brave plans for new eateries, unusual strategies for established ones, and more Good Stuff

A La Carte column for 16 April 2020

For the first time since I started writing this column almost 20 years ago, there isn’t a single restaurant opening to announce. That’s not particularly surprising given the current circumstances, but it’s still sad. There are new places on the horizon, of course, since construction work has continued at many projects that were already in […]