(Gerry Furth-Sides) Chef-owner Sri Sambangi didn’t let moving madness get in the way of making it a party on the first day of new Banana Leaf LA in DTLA. Thank you, Sri. Here he serves and guests new dishes he cooked himself on the new Southern Indian cuisine menu, starting with the Southern Shrimp Curry in his...
(Gerry Furth-Sides) An unexpected drive to the valley found us on PCH looking to eat and look at the ocean. My patient companion let me stop at two other places before exclaiming she had never been to Patrick’s Roadhouse. Irish theme. Lucky Day for me. Established in 1973, Patrick’s Roadhouse, now in its third or [&helli...
(Gerry Furth-Sides) The Nua Restaurant Friday evening created by the Tel Aviv Groove series was billed as a “relaxed gourmet Kabbalat” Shabbat dinner. Host chef Yoav Schverd, Israeli Chefs, Jonathan Sharvit and Danna Lee-Berman, created the menu and worked the kitchen. Mastermind series creat...
(Gerry Furth-Sides) We learned that Stella Barra has so much more than pizza when we went to celebrate “Beach Days,” there this year. The official and unofficial dates range from Italian Beach Day (a religious holiday) on August 15 to National Beach Day in the USA on August 30th, also an alert that September 17 [&hel...
Winery, executive chef-partner Yvon Goetz has a smile on his face for a couple of reasons! First, as we were reminded as honored guests at the Hatch Chili Roast & Toast at the Winery in Tustin. Chef Goetz oversees both The Winery in Tustin and Newport Beach, both in what just feels like “cushioned” Orange [...
(Gerry Furth-Sides) This summer a Melting Pot Tour proved in the most fun way that you can visit an iconic (read “tourist) place and always learn more about it! Tour company owner Jodi Flowers, who combines midwest common sense with southern charm, led us to places that boasted 40 years or more at the market. […]...
(Gerry Furth-Sides) Returning after a two-year hiatus, half-century-old AltaMed Health Services, we were honored to attend the nation’s largest, independent federally qualified community health center held the 15th East LA Meets Napa Food & Wine Festival at L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles. The ...
If Indian Sag Paneer were an American dish there would be no need to create a Popeye to get kids to eat spinach. Or me. I never tire of it. This is especially true after about a decadent month of candy and spirits, like now. And it is the perfect side dish that complements all foods. […]...
Muslims all over the world this week are celebrating Eid al-Adha. Eid al-Fitr, one of the religion’s principal festivals was celebrated in spring. Ken Chitwood, a scholar of global Islam, helped us understand the two Islamic festivals. Eid literally means festival or feast in Arabic. There are two major eids in the Islamic cal...
(Gerry Furth-Sides) In the “everything old is new again,” we discover ancient ingredients that have traveled the world in classic and now new forms. Barberries, pomegranate molasses and for our kitchen, preserved lemons have become favorites as they have been for hundreds of years. And as wonderfully surprising an in...
Gerry Furth-Sides 
Barbara Hansen 
Chef-owner Alain Cohen 
Roberta Deen 
Jose Martinez 
Nivedita Basu 