New Age Diner In The Beverly Center: Easy’s.

Pork Belly Benedict

Self-described as “the twisted lovechild of Tupac and The Fonz,” the J. Fall Group’s newest concept, Easy’s, is a mix of contemporary Americana cuisine and iconic west coast swag – a millennial dream. 

Located at the sixth-floor entrance of the Beverly Center in Los Angeles, California, this fresh, fast-casual restaurant features a playful twist on traditional diner fare and classic cocktails. The walls are painted with graffiti-inspired art, and each table is equipped with a vintage View-Master® loaded with enticing images of menu items for your viewing pleasure. Upon arrival, guests are greeted by a friendly, energetic staff, stylishly dressed in leather moto jackets and all black ensembles.

Author’s child entertained by ‘View Master.’

The diverse menu offers something for everyone, including kids. Easy’s signature burger is made with a grass-fed ground beef patty, red onion, Easy’s secret sauce and American cheese on a brioche bun. The English Reuben melt is made with tender corned beef, large slices of dill pickles, black garlic, thousand island dressing and Swiss cheese on an English muffin. 

One of the most popular dishes on the menu – and understandably so, is the pork belly benedict (pictured above.) This dish re-interprets the classic eggs Benedict with an explosion of flavors, which includes mouthwatering maple braised pork belly perched on top of a soft English muffin topped with a perfectly poached egg and enhanced with pesto and BBQ hollandaise sauce. This dish is brimming with decadence.

Other menu items include elevated versions of salads, sandwiches and all-day breakfast dishes. They also have vegetarian options and marquee menu items which include Duck Parmesan and Fried Chicken N’ Funnel Cake.

Easy’s Doodle Wall

And being that this is Los Angeles, Easy’s features a fully stocked bar and creative cocktail menu. Drinks include boozy spiked milkshakes, and a Kimchi Bloody Mary made with Easy’s house-made bloody Mary mix, Chinese five-spice, kimchi and shiso leaves – it’s almost too pretty to drink.

Easy’s is family friendly and located on the sixth floor of the Beverly Center at 8500 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90048. They are open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and until 7 p.m. on Sunday.

Article originally posted HERE

A Foodie’s Dream : LA Times Foodbowl’s Night Market

As part of the second annual Los Angeles Times Food Bowl, a month-long food extravaganza, the Night Market showcased some of Los Angeles’ most popular restaurants, food trucks, bars and pop-ups. Attendees got the chance to experience LA’s renowned and eclectic food scene. 

With over 50 vendors offering a wide variety of food items from pizza to pupusas and uni to oysters, there was a little something for everyone.

Ranked one of the top vendors at Smorgasburg, a weekly food market in Downtown LA, Lobsterdamus was crackin’ with their picture-perfect dish, the Lobster Nest – a perfectly open flame grilled, butter and garlic marinated whole or half lobster laid on a bed of yaki soba noodles seasoned with soy, sesame, lemon, roasted garlic, and Parmesan cheese. This dish had me going back for seconds!

Cheezus, another Smorgasburg fave, featured their Insta-worthy raclette, a traditional Swiss dish that includes a sensual scrape of perfectly melted raclette cheese on top of roasted potatoes, pickled vegetables, garlic sea salt and black pepper. If you aren’t part of this raclette revival…you’re missing out!

Now, you can’t have a Los Angeles food market without traditional Latin fare. Delmy’s Pupusas offered guests a Central American staple, a handmade corn tortilla stuffed with chicken or steak and served with salsa, cilantro and onions. But, it’s not complete unless you have a side of black beans and dollop of crema.

For the adventurous foodie and seafood lover, Broad Street Oyster Co. served fresh (and yes, still alive) Santa Barbara Uni (sea urchin) and sweet, freshly shucked Dutch Island, Rhode Island oysters on a bed of sea salt.

The LA Food Bowl Night Market concluded on Monday, May 20, but events are still scheduled throughout the end of the month. To check out a calendar of events, visit www.lafoodbowl.com.

Article originally posted HERE

The ‘Julia Child of Mexico’ Holds Court at LA Times Foodbowl Event

Chef and author, Diana Kennedy, is one of the leading authorities on Mexican cuisine, and she won’t let you forget it.

She has been described as the “Julia Child of Mexico” and an “ethno-gastronomer”, and at 95 years young, Kennedy is still as fervent and sentimental as ever when discussing her love of Mexico and its native fare. 

On Saturday, May 5, at the historic Million Dollar Theatre in Los Angeles, Kennedy took the stage to reflect on her life and path to becoming a renowned expert on the history and art of Mexican cooking, authoring nine cookbooks on the subject and being honored with an Order of the Aztec Eagle by the Mexican government for advocating on behalf of the cuisine and tourism of Mexico. 

Passion ran high among panel participants which included, Latin chefs and restaurateurs Bricia Lopez of Guelaguetza; Carlos Salgado of Taco Maria and Gabriela Càmara of Contramar and Cala, when the discussion turned to sustainability, economics and food politics. Kennedy stressed the importance of honoring Mexico’s traditional cuisine and preserving its abundance of natural resources for future generations.

As of 2010, Los Angeles is home to over 2.5 million residents of Mexican heritage. However, Mexican culture and cuisine has been woven into the fabric of Los Angeles since its founding over two centuries ago and now second and third generation Mexican American chefs are continuing to honor the cuisine and traditions of their lineage.

The Los Angeles Times Food Bowl pays tribute to the diversity that the city has to offer by hosting a month-long series of events throughout the month of May.

To check out the schedule of Los Angeles Times Food Bowl events visit www.lafoodbowl.com/.

Article originally posted HERE

Chef Jose Andres Kicks Off LA Foodbowl

Waste is Wrong: that was Chef Jose Andres main message at the iconic Wiltern Theatre Monday night, in a spectacular event which kicked off the LA Times  Food Bowl, 31 days of great food, fascinating chef dialogues and more events than we can count.  

In the United States, it is estimated that between 30-40% of the food supply ends up in landfills instead of on dinner tables. In Los Angeles alone, more than half a million households live 300 percent below poverty level and often have to choose between putting food on their table or paying the rent. And according to renowned chef and philanthropist Chef Jose Andres, that is absolutely unacceptable.

Chef Andres along with L.A. Kitchen founder Robert Egger, Los Angeles restaurant critic Jonathan Gold and other prominent names in the Los Angeles food scene, took to the stage to raise awareness about the importance of food security and the Power of Food. Other guests included New Girl actress and The Farm Project co-founder Zooey Deschanel and Border Grill co-founder Susan Feniger.

The event featured a panel discussion on the topics of food sustainability and accessibility and a sous chef cook-off, where the challenge was to create a dish of limited ingredients that can be distributed to thousands of people during a post-disaster relief effort.

This event launched the Los Angeles Times Food Bowl, a month-long food extravaganza, in partnerships with LA’s best bars, cafes, hotels, markets, restaurants and top chefs, to raise awareness and funds to combat food waste, hunger, food insecurity and promote sustainability.

Food at the event was prepared and served by L.A. Food Kitchen students and Los Angeles restaurant Todo Verde and Everytable.

The Los Angeles Times Food Bowl runs the entire month of May at various locations around Los Angeles. To check out the schedule of events visit www.lafoodbowl.com/.

Article originally posted HERE