(Gerry Furth-Sides) The professional division of the salsa competition introduced the first “taste” of festival excitement for this summer’s Salsa Festival in Oxnard. (photo credit Ken Jones) For the third year in a row, on a dusty and hot afternoon, the professional competition took place right across the parking lo...
(Gerry Furth-Sides) Chicken Tikka Masala, Chicken Tikka Masala. Chicken Tikka Masala. The most frequently ordered dish in an Indian Restaurant continues oddly on, especially since it is not even really Indian. And there are so many other dishes to try. So why not “Take a different authentic dish instead.“ The new India’s...
(Gerry Furth-Sides) Exceptional Los Angeles Eastside restaurants usually stay a well-kept secret and so it was with La Casita Mexicana in Bell (all of about 3 miles from downtown L.A. ) for the bold, traditional dishes and the Latin hospitality of charismatic chefs Jaime Martin del Campo and Ramiro Arvizu (www.tienditamex.com...
(Gerry Furth-Sides) Rocio Camacho’s Oaxacan moles may have made the reputation at the year-old Aro Latin Restaurant for a year now (above Sopes de Certo stylishly hones together recently fashionable pork belly, orange marinade, achiote. trendy pork belly version above), but the outstanding fish plates (overseen by owner K...
Los Angeles holds the title of being the most culinary diverse city in the world. The area now also holds the most diverse Muslim population in the United States, which means that a variety of restaurants serve halal dishes, such as the relatively new India’s Restaurant on the eastside in Silverlake, and the long-time award-wi...
Wonder what you’re eating at a fast food or fast service when you order? Chipotle Mexican Grill answers that question with “Friend or Faux” – an integrated-marketing campaign and interactive digital experience that invites consumers to learn about the differences between Chipotle’s ingredien...
(Gerry Furth-Sides) Lum-Ka-Naad, fittingly translates into “delicious,” a popular expression to honor cooks in Northern Thailand. The off-the-menu feast that Alex served up at the original were sublime I first visited owner Alex Sonbalee on a rainy winter night years ago, writing him up as much for his irrepress...
Modo Mio in Pacific Palisades celebrates 30 years as a rustic Mediterranean dining room, intimate and friendly, serving familiar, refined, northern Italian dishes made from scratch from a loyal staff of almost as many decades. The culinary journey takes diners from Val d’Aosta and the famous Piemonte to Lombardia, Ven...
Restaurant diners at a Thai Restaurant know to order one from each category of Fried Rice & Noodles, Curries and Soups & salads, and that A La Carte means priced separately. And at A La Carte Thai Bistro. every dish is a meal in and of itself– visible by the parade of enticing colorful, original […]...
(Gerry Furth-Sides) So many food items and dishes get discovered over and over again down through the ages as though they were just invented, and lately this happens to be true with the baked samosa (rather than fried). And no wonder there is all the attention. The samosa is a fun food, street or inside […]...
Gerry Furth-Sides 
Barbara Hansen 
Chef-owner Alain Cohen 
Roberta Deen 
Jose Martinez 
Nivedita Basu 