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The Boyle Heights conversation
Boyle Heights has been a hotbed of activity lately, on basically all fronts. There are the developers and house-flippers arriving in droves to the historic neighborhood just to the east of Downtown, and the upstart urban groups aimed at keeping them at bay. Weird Wave Coffee has been one flashpoint between the dueling groups, as have art galleries and craft beer breweries down by the river.
The Eastsider recently took to commenting on some of those issues, contextualizing the conversation around the opening of a shiny new La Monarca Bakery in Boyle Heights. Some took the highlighting of the Latino-owned modern panaderia as a slight against locals and a dim view of what La Monarca actually cares about, while others discussed rising rents and disenfranchisement at the hands of new businesses of all kinds, regardless of race or ownership. It’s a thorny public topic still very much playing out in real time in Boyle Heights, with actual lives still living in the balance.
LA Mag hits Malibu
The annual LA Magazine food event is back, landing at Saddlerock Ranch in Malibu on Sunday, October 15. The afternoon event will feature food from places like Same Same, 71Above, Republique, and the upcoming Simone, among others, alongside cooking demos and more. Tickets are on sale now for $130, says The Los Angeles Beat.
Pizza in the car
Can’t make it all the way out to the Rose Cafe for a slice of pizza from chef Jason Neroni? No worries, the Venice restaurant is now on UberEats. That means all diners have to do is fire up the app, order away, and wait for the pizza to come to their front door.
NOLA in OC
The Orange County Register files a review on Roux in Laguna Beach, a New Orleans-leaning restaurant with plenty of Creole influence. Critic Brad A. Johnson calls the restaurant “flirty,” and seems to come away mighty impressed.
The Puerto Rico give back map
The LA Loves PR movement is picking up steam, with restaurants donating some of their time, proceeds, and products to send funds to those in need in storm-ravaged Puerto Rico. Now the folks behind the campaign have put together a handy map of all participating destinations, for even easier navigation.
All the oysters
The third annual DTLA Oyster Festival is coming to Grand Central Market next weekend. The party goes down in Downtown on October 14 and 15, and will include tastes of oysters from farms located all up and down the West Coast and beyond.
Alta Nordic Kitchen really gets LA
Newcomer Alta Nordic Kitchen launched their first brunch last weekend, with all the usual Scandinavian specialities. That means crepe-style mini pancakes, classic open-faced smorrebord sandwiches, and a burger-topped egg. Expect the brunch every Saturday and Sunday moving forward, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The opening brunch menu is below.
