Best thing I ate: Do you know about this thing called dizi?

The Hen House in Irvine serves a classic Iranian stew called dizi, which isn’t eaten like normal stew. You’re going to want to try this, says critic Brad A. Johnson

Brad A. Johnson • Orange County Register • May 8, 2019

“Do you want us to mash it for you?” asks the man behind the counter at Hen House Grill in Irvine when I place an order for dizi. “Thanks,” I say, “but I’ll attempt it myself.” “You know how to do it?” he asks. “Well, sort of,” I admit. “I’ll...

The full article can be read on the Orange County Register website.

Tin Vuong’s LSXO Combines Hip-Hop and the Best Vietnamese Food Outside of Little Saigon

Edwin Goei • OC Weekly • March 30, 2017

If you’ve been to Bluegold at Pacific City and thought, as I did, that it was an uneven experience, you need to push the reset button, then go back and try LSXO, the Vietnamese restaurant within the restaurant. It turns out that this speakeasy-ish...

A critic's favorite hack for a quick meal at home

Bill Addison • Los Angeles Times • April 4, 2020

Late last week, when I needed a fast lunch, I remembered I had a tin of mussels in pickled sauce on hand. I’d picked them up while buying wine at Tilda, the new Echo Park bar that has shifted to retail during the shutdown. (My visit became part of...

Saltie Girl is the newest standout in West Hollywood

Bill Addison • Los Angeles Times • February 27, 2023

Small squid had been stuffed with rice and suspended in glossy tomato-pepper sauce spiced with clove and bay leaf. Sardines in pepper olive oil were paired with piquillo peppers or spritzed with lemon or hot sauce before canning. A few threads of...

What to eat now: A focaccia bread ice cream ribboned with olive oil and flakes of salt

Jenn Harris • Los Angeles Times • May 2, 2022

Focaccia bread ice cream at Antico Nuovo Nearing the end of a 2.5-hour dinner at Antico Nuovo in Larchmont, our server recommended the focaccia ice cream. It was around 9 p.m. Drowsy and full, I was on the fence. I asked if I had heard her...

Local Pastry Chefs Invite You to Beat Mitch McConnell with a Tin of Cookies

Merle Ginsberg • Los Angeles Magazine • December 14, 2020

Here’s a way to kill two birds with one stone this holiday season: stock up on Christmas cookies (or send some to friends you’ll be missing this year) and help Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock foil Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s...