Find Dark Corners and Duck Pate at This Cozy New Culver City Wine Bar

Culver City’s decade-old Hotcake Bakes decided that West Culver needed a wine bar and opened an adjoining business in January. That space, called Evil Twin, joins a handful of Westside wine bars with French-leaning small plates and natural wines in a comfy seating area.

If heading there for the food, options include a traditional duck pate, mussels in wine, lamb chops, and charcuterie. But there are also sliders and fried cauliflower and salmon tartare tacos. Mother-son owners Elfie Astier and Dylan Weiss also sourced wines from all over but focused on small and independent wine producers.

Mardi Gras menu at Gwen’s Specialty Cakes in Inglewood

Operating in Inglewood for 25 years, Gwen’s Specialty Cakes regularly prepares soulful platters a few times per month. This week, her crew has a Mardi Gras menu with fried catfish, smoked salmon, or baked chicken that comes with jambalaya, sauteed string beans, or a whiskey bread pudding. It’s an old-school operation, so give them a call at (310) 677-9979 before 4 p.m. on Saturday, place an order, and pick it up between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. this Sunday. While there, always pick up a slice of cake or sweet potato pie.

A book dedicated to LA’s legendary restaurants

Following up on his previous work that showcased favorite celebrity hangouts during the height of old Hollywood, George Geary published a new book last month. L.A.’s Landmark Restaurants: Celebrating the Legendary Locations Where Angelenos Have Dined for Generations takes a picture-heavy trek that ventures into the history of famous restaurants.

Dining guides for and by Southland cities

A handful of Southern California cities launched initiatives intended to drive interest in local restaurants. Head to Garden Grove’s YouTube page for a glance at the new food tourism guides, or view Oxnard’s taco trail video. Over in Beverly Hills, they developed a tasting guide for whatever craving hits you with a caviar guide that’ll put diners at Jean Georges, Wally’s, or Spago.

Los Angeles Times reviews Porto’s

As one of LA’s most classic and beloved restaurants, Porto’s gets a mostly glowing review from the Los Angeles Times.

Mini-trompos for takeaway in Oxnard

Filing under “things we need to try right now,” the Juarez Tacos Food Truck in Oxnard sells individual serving-sized trompos. These vertical rotating spits typically handle ample pounds of al pastor meat, but this is meant for one extremely hungry person or two. Just press “play” on the TikTok video below.