Posts for February 26, 2013

Ricky's Fish Tacos Closed in Silver Lake; After-Party Tonight With Marcus Samuelsson at Post & Beam

By Hadley Tomicki

Ricky's Fish TacosPhoto: Tatiana Arbogast

Baldwin Hills: Following tonight's guest-chef dinner with Marcus Samuelsson, Post & Beam will hold Red Rooster at Post & Beam after-party at 9:30 P.M. $20 at the door buys the chance to meet and hand out with the visiting chef and Govind Armstrong, along with a cash bar. Proceeds go to C-Cap. [GS]
Beverly Hills: Burger Lounge features an elk burger topped with duck cracklings through April and a Guinness milkshake from March 1 through Saint Patrick's Day. [GS]
Brentwood: Coco Ichibanya is now open and serving Japanese curry on Wilshire Blvd. [GS]
Citywide: Ricardo Zarate is entering 4G4Hope to try and raise $10,000 for Share Our Strength. [4G4Hope]
Culver City: Muddy Leek is now serving brunch on Saturdays, featuring Whitney Flood's chicken and waffles, quiche, and brioche French toast. [GS]

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Shocker: Lawsuit Accuses Budweiser of Watering Down Its Beer

By Hugh Merwin

We still love you, blue beer.

Listless teenage boys and Jennifer Lawrence alike will be dismayed to learn that lawsuits have been filed by plaintiffs in three states accusing beer giant Anheuser-Busch InBev of watering its brews down before passing them on to an unwitting drinking public. “AB’s customers are overcharged for watered-down beer and AB is unjustly enriched by the additional volume it can sell,” reads part of one complaint filed by Thomas and Gerald Greenberg in federal court in Philadelphia. While it's currently unclear just how multiple plaintiffs came to the conclusion that Budweiser is mislabeling its beer, Bloomberg reports two more lawsuits are imminent, in Colorado and Ohio; meanwhile, the beer company, which currently controls 39 percent of the beer market in the United States, steadfastly denies such preposterous claims, adding that it routinely deploys technology that measures "alcohol content in malt beverages to within hundredths of one percent." The plaintiffs are seeking an amount in excess of $5 million in compensation and damages, apparently, because weaker beer ruined their lives. Or something. First it was America's bourbon watering it down, now it's the King of Beers? Does this mean we can expect some horrible news from Bartles & Jaymes about their wine coolers tomorrow? [Bloomberg, Earlier, Related]

Golden State Turning Four Tomorrow

Taking a break from nailing Bludso's flavor in a new Hollywood home, Jason Bernstein and James Starr will celebrate Golden State's fourth birthday tomorrow on Fairfax. Anyone coming by the restaurant from 3:00 to 7:00 P.M. will find four-dollar burgers on offer, available only when dining-in. In addition, Bernstein tells Grub Street the crew will tap into its reserve kegs, with brews like 2010 Deschuttes Stoic and Bruery's 2011 Oude Tart on offer. 426 N. Fairfax.

Sherry Yard Takes on Hostess at Father's Office

By Hadley Tomicki

The "OMG Cookie"Photo: Zagat

Sherry Yard, the legendary Spago pastry chef who recently decamped from Puck's place to breathe life back into the Helms Bakery complex with Sang Yoon, is now offering her own Helms-branded treats at Father's Office in Santa Monica.

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New Study: Democrats Love Bagels, GOP Loves Olive Garden’s ‘Ethnic Food’

By Kara Baskin

A sad new Public Policy Polling survey of registered voters reveals that a vast swath of the country is very sheltered when it comes to authentic spaghetti. It seems that 43 percent of Republicans agree with the following statement: "Olive Garden is a quality source of authentic ethnic food." Democrats don't know good pasta, either; 41 percent of them think the exact same thing.

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Fast Times' Mike Damone Opens Bob's Coffee Shop in North Hollywood

By Hadley Tomicki

"This is going to be great, Rat."Photo: Bob's Espresso Bar

Remember Mike Damone, the most unctuous teenager of all time from Fast Times at Ridgemont High? Today we learn where that guy is now and we're happy to see, dude is still hustling. Robert Romanus, the actor behind the famous eighties role, grand-opened Bob's Espresso Bar in North Hollywood last month, serving The Valley with gourmet lattes, muffins, crossiants, cheese rolls, local art, and live music.

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Abandon All Hope: In-N-Out Burger Has No Big Expansion Plans

By Hadley Tomicki

Staying out of reach.

Hold on to your Shake Shacks and Five Guys, everybody, because In-N-Out is not coming your way anytime soon. In a rare interview with Orange County Register, secretive company scion Lynsi Torres makes it plainer than a Bible verse on a paper cup when she says, "We're definitely not franchising, and we're not going to sell." The 30-year-old heiress, who spends her free time and family fortune on a passion for drag-racing, explains that the company has purposefully plodded slow out of the gate to maintain their famously never frozen food, daily baked buns, and hand-sliced fries. To keep its focus on freshness, every new In-N-Out has to stay close to the company's distribution centers in Dallas and Baldwin Park, the main reason In-N-Out has only expanded to five states in 65 years.

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Pliny the Younger Hits Eureka Burger In Claremont Today

While we comb the city trying to secure every last limited six-pack of Lagunitas Sucks, Eurkea Burger in Claremont reaches out to let us know it's tapping a keg of Pliny the Younger this afternoon at 5:00 P.M. Russian River Brewing Company's ultra-rare triple IPA will be available on a first come, first served basis until it runs dry. Whether or not it's worth the wait will likely be between you and your palate and your thirst for long lines. 580 W. 1st St. Calremont; 909-445-8875.

Gordon Ramsay Has Really, Truly Relinquished the Spotted Pig Trademark

By Hugh Merwin

Sending out good vibes all over.

The British chef angered many last November when it was learned he had moved to trademark the Spotted Pig name in the U.K., leading everyone and their mother to speculate that he was trying to prevent April Bloomfield, Ken Friedman, and one-time rivalMario Batali from opening a branch of their successful New York restaurant across the pond. Ramsay stood down, and while he's been saying for months he'd surrender the trademark, it looks like it's only now official, reports Eater. Unfortunately, there's news today of another pressing legal matter involving the chef: Ramsay, it turns out, also owns the trademark to the name "Brain Freeze," and may in fact be opening a restaurant under that name. "No freakin' way," said some 7-year-old kid in Dade County, responding to the news that papers had been filed last January. "I had that idea when I was 5." [Eater, Earlier, Earlier]

Gaby's Mediterranean Washed Away on Washington

By Hadley Tomicki

Gaby's

Big bummer for the availability of fast, casual, inexpensive options on the seaside, as Yo! Venice! reports the shuttering of Gaby's Mediterranean in Marina del Rey, just steps away from the sand. The chain, a quick fix for Lebanese cuisine with four locations still in operation, may have concluded that its interests were too concentrated on Washington, having closed the location for a remodel in January while preserving a store just blocks away. It is just as likely, given the region's rising rents, that Gaby's fell victim to yet another land-grab rampaging the Venice-Marina area. This corner of the city is fairly unique among corporate chain-crazed Marina del Rey, set up as a hub of independently-owned, local businesses like Hinano, Bin 73, and the Whaler. Sadly, we'll be surprised if it stays that way forever.

Shuttered: Gaby’s Mediterranean at 20 Washington [Yo! Venice!]

Will the Sequester Really Halt Meat Production?

By Alan Sytsma

At least the cows would be happy.Photo: Joel Saget/AFP/Getty Images

Bear with us while we talk food politics for a sec. Even if you aren't thinking much about the sequester — those looming government budget cuts that are set to happen Friday if Congress can't come to some sort of agreement — there is one bit of possible fallout that could affect the food world, big-time: The White House and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack have floated the scenario that cutting the USDA's budget (something that would happen as a result of the sequester) would leave the agency with "no choice" but to give food-safety inspectors unpaid leave, which would in turn halt meat inspections, which would in turn mean no fresh meat for anyone. Not good!

Stock up on broccoli. »

Get Ready for a Pollan Family Cookbook

By Hugh Merwin

Sage advice.

“Don't eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food," Michael Pollan famously wrote, but what about more immediate family? We're going to find out, it seems, in the Pollan Family Table, which is being written by the food-policy advocate's mother and three sisters. According to Publishers Marketplace (subscription), the forthcoming cookbook will be chockablock with "Pollan family stories, recipes, cooking techniques, and pantry wisdom for healthy, harmonious meals for every family." While the sagacious, best-selling author — who once told Grub Street all about noshing at Barney Greengrass and ricotta on twelve-grain toast at his mother's apartment — won't be dispensing tips for using sage here himself, he is writing the foreword. Look for the Scribner book in the fall of 2014. [Publishers Marketplace, Earlier]

Derrick de Jesus Moving MSG Pop-Up To Venice

By Hadley Tomicki

Derrick de Jesus, the Alma chef de cuisine who branched out with his own MSG pop-up last month at City Sip, is relocating the temporary restaurant to Venice. Since City Sip is now shuttered, the chef will be taking over every Monday at Brickhouse off of Abbot-Kinney, starting March 4 at 6:30. De Jesus is sticking to his market-driven menus, but will adapt to the ramen rage by serving a main course based on noodles from Sun Noodle. As the restaurant lacks a liquor license, de Jesus tells Grub Street he's working on creating tea, coffee, and soft drink pairings for future events. Reservations can be made over email.

Nobu and Geoffrey Zakarian Are Cruising

By Sierra Tishgart

Bingo, anyone?

Is partnering with a cruise line the next step to building a celebrity chef empire? Aboard the uppity Crystal Symphony in July, Nobu Matsuhisa will lead cooking demonstrations, host special Omakase dinners, and schmooze with passengers. A pretty sweet deal, considering he's sailing around Italy. Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarian already had plans for a partnership with Norwegian Cruise Line, and now he's sweetening the deal by opening a second restaurant on a Miami-based Norwegian boat. Like Matsuhisa, he'll hop onboard to do cooking demonstrations and hold babies for photographs. Since these cruise lines are two of the most luxurious ones, hopefully these guys will avoid feces and four-hour waits for food. [USAT, Earlier, Miami Herald, Earlier]

20 Examples of Counterfeit Meats That Are Way Grosser Than Horse

By Hugh Merwin

One of these things is not like the other. Bring on the ammonium hydroxide!Photo: Corbis

For many, Mondays are meatless. Read on here, and you'll probably end up adding Tuesdays through Sundays. While the horse meat scandal continues to expand in Europe and more and more schools and retailers and restaurants who could have sworn they were serving beef find out that they weren't, it's become clear that once added to a food system, counterfeit meat can really have legs, in addition to what are purportedly shanks and trotters. So keep a close eye on your rump roast: Here are some of the worse mystery-meat substitutions from the last few years.

Unfortunate cats, hamburger helpers, and other sad steaks. »

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