Eater LA: All Posts by Amanda KludtThe Los Angeles Restaurant, Bar, and Nightlife Bloghttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52682/favicon-32x32.png2014-09-15T09:30:13-07:00https://la.eater.com/authors/kludt/rss2014-09-15T09:30:13-07:002014-09-15T09:30:13-07:00Eater Will Look Very Different in Seven Days
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dwqkoDH-uUVGciZv7DOkGi09Iww=/446x0:953x380/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/38790120/eater-logo-big.0.jpg" />
</figure>
<p>Back when Eater launched in 2005, <a href="http://ny.eater.com/archives/2005/07/eaterfood_stuff.php">the site promised to be</a> "a one-stop shop for information and commentary on the New York food and drink scene" covering "openings and closings and reviews, as well as what's buzzing on the food blogs, chef gossip, neighborhood news, and city-wide food trends." Nine years later that's still essentially the Eater mission — albeit in 27 cities and internationally — but the sites have also grown to include professional restaurant reviews, food photography, investigative reporting, broad features, cookbook coverage, videos, essential maps, and more. All that is to say: <b>it's time for a momentus change</b>.</p> <p>On Monday, September 22 readers should brace for a radically reconceptualized and reprogramed Eater. It will still feature work from on the ground reporters, reviewers, and columnists across North America. It will still obsess over the lives of restaurants and chefs. But it will be more beautiful, functional, and informative, with new powers and a new spirit of discovery to align with our ambitions to <b>change the world of food journalism</b>.</p> <p>Nine years in the making, the new Eater arrives in less than a week. Mark those calendars.</p>
https://la.eater.com/2014/9/15/6155545/eater-will-look-very-different-in-seven-daysAmanda Kludt2014-05-05T04:27:37-07:002014-05-05T04:27:37-07:00The Road to the 38: Night + Market, Pot, Sqirl
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8feYjlu_qqcYIxUNGAGLGg2geGI=/50x0:850x600/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/38820646/2014_potLA.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo: Bill Addison</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><i>Throughout the year, Restaurant Editor Bill Addison will travel the country to chronicle what's happening in America's dining scene and to formulate his list of the essential 38 restaurants in America. Follow his progress in this travelogue/review series, <a href="http://eater.com/tags/the-road-to-the-38">The Road to the 38</a>, and check back at the end of the year to find out which restaurants made the cut.</i></p> <p>I have much eating to do in Southern California before I compile Eater's first list of the essential 38 restaurants in America at the year's end. In this first pass through, I tried the <a href="http://eater.com/archives/2014/04/15/republique.php">wonderful Republique</a>, a somewhat modern day Campanile; compared the tasting menus at the boundary-pushing <a href="http://eater.com/archives/2014/04/22/the-road-to-the-38-alma-and-trois-mec.php">Trois Mec and Alma</a>; drove out to Bell to sample the authentic Mexican dishes at <a href="http://eater.com/archives/2014/04/24/the-road-to-the-38-la-casita-mexicana-in-los-angeles.php">La Casita Mexicana</a>; hunted down some of the best xiao long bao in the city at <a href="http://eater.com/archives/2014/04/28/the-road-to-the-38-din-tai-fung-in-los-angeles.php">Din Tai Fung</a>; dropped serious cash at one of the country's most expensive sushi restaurants <a href="http://eater.com/archives/2014/04/29/the-road-to-the-38-urasawa.php">Urasawa</a>; and weighed in on a trio of established and new standouts <a href="http://eater.com/archives/2014/05/02/the-road-to-the-38-la-roundup.php">Animal, Chi Spacca, and Maude</a>.</p> <p>What follows are the final three standouts from my Los Angeles explorations.</p> <p><a href="http://eater.com/archives/2014/05/05/the-road-to-the-38-night-market-pot-sqirl.php">Night + Market Song, Pot, Sqirl.</a> >></p>
https://la.eater.com/2014/5/5/6229887/the-road-to-the-38-night-market-pot-sqirlAmanda Kludt2014-05-05T02:55:40-07:002014-05-05T02:55:40-07:00Brew Dogs
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5cwmUlRzVgLp6Bl8QUxKkeHmzOg=/5x0:294x217/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/38820736/2014_brewdogs.0.jpg" />
</figure>
<p>The beer-centric Esquire Network <a href="http://eater.com/tags/brew-dogs">show <b>Brew Dogs</b></a> is holding a live taping in Los Angeles at <b>Golden Road Brewing</b> and a meet and greet with James Watt and Martin Dickie on May 6, and they've invited 20 Eater readers to join. To enter to win, please <a href="http://la.eater.com/archives/2007/05/02/esquire_network_invites_you_to_a_brew_dogs_live_taping.php">click through here</a>, and read an interview with co-host <b>James Watt</b> <a href="http://sandiego.eater.com/archives/2013/09/24/brew-dogs-visit-san-diego-brew-on-a-moving-train.php">on Eater San Diego</a>. [Eaterwire]</p>
https://la.eater.com/2014/5/5/6230061/brew-dogsAmanda Kludt2014-05-02T06:37:51-07:002014-05-02T06:37:51-07:00The Road to the 38: Animal, Chi Spacca, Maude
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/_TkL1LCUwtTltDTagTYyox8owko=/56x0:944x666/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/38821020/chi_20spacca_interior.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>All photos by Bill Addison</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><i>Throughout the year, Restaurant Editor Bill Addison will travel the country to chronicle what's happening in America's dining scene and to formulate his list of the essential 38 restaurants in America. Follow his progress in this travelogue/review series, <a href="http://eater.com/tags/the-road-to-the-38">The Road to the 38</a>, and check back at the end of the year to find out which restaurants made the cut.</i></p> <p>Los Angeles is fevered with extraordinary restaurants right now. I wasn't dining there in the 1980s, when L.A. chefs helped steer the culinary revolution that changed the way our nation eats, but I can't imagine it was a more exciting time than this. And it isn't just California's fabled bounty. It's the freedom with which the chefs cook. They can look to any point on the globe—Italy, Asia, Latin America, the farm an hour's drive north—and find inspiration that will resonate with the city's cultural spirit. Best of all, these chefs have customers eager to support their autonomy.</p> <p>I still have scads of eating to do in Southern California. Here, though, are <b>three standouts from my recent feasting</b>. A report from my three final L.A. meals will run on Monday.</p> <p><a href="http://eater.com/archives/2014/05/02/the-road-to-the-38-la-roundup.php">Animal, Chi Spacca, Maude.</a> >> </p>
https://la.eater.com/2014/5/2/6230743/the-road-to-the-38-animal-chi-spacca-maudeAmanda Kludt2014-04-15T04:50:09-07:002014-04-15T04:50:09-07:00The Road to the 38: République
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/kS2aYP0VGrD4CZmAsgKPsvXMZzM=/55x0:944x667/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/38825322/2014_republiquewalter1.0.JPG" />
<figcaption>Photo of Walter Manzke by <a href="http://www.elizabethdanielsphotography.com/#/">Elizabeth Daniels</a></figcaption>
</figure>
<p></p> <p><i>Throughout the year, Restaurant Editor Bill Addison will travel the country to chronicle what's happening in America's dining scene and to formulate his list of the essential 38 restaurants in America. Follow his progress in this travelogue/review series, The Road to the 38</i>.</p> <p><b>Campanile</b> is dead, long live Campanile. </p> <p>Chefs <b>Mark Peel</b> and <b>Nancy Silverton</b>, then husband and wife, opened their marquee trailblazer in Los Angeles's Hancock Park neighborhood in 1989. It helped set an almost preposterous number of standards for how the country now eats. Other influential restaurants at the time centered their kitchens around the grill, or bought their ingredients directly from farmers, or entwined Italian and Mediterranean dishes among Americana staples. Campanile coalesced these notions of California cuisine under one roof. Soon glories like rosemary-perfumed lamb, fish over whipped potatoes, and luxury versions of ravioli proliferated across the land, as did nostalgic enticements like Campanile's grilled cheese night.</p> <p>Silverton poured her soul into the restaurant's side business-cum-juggernaut <b>La Brea Bakery</b>. She upgraded fruit crisps and cobblers by sluicing pears or peaches with vanilla-bean brown butter, and her tangy loaves of sourdough redefined the genre. If today the words "La Brea" are as synonymous with bread as they are with tar pits, you can thank Silverton.</p> <p><a href="http://eater.com/archives/2014/04/15/republique.php#more">Read the full piece over on Eater National. >></a></p>
https://la.eater.com/2014/4/15/6241127/the-road-to-the-38-republiqueAmanda Kludt2014-02-03T03:00:20-08:002014-02-03T03:00:20-08:00Call for Nominations: Eater Young Guns 2014
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/CwgHSqPoyCqOpciVuYdXD7NTDwE=/134x0:945x608/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/39783674/eater-default-final.5.0.0.png" />
</figure>
<p><img alt="eater-young-guns-2012.png" src="http://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/747764/eater-young-guns-2012.0.png" width="312" height="320" class="padded float-right"><b>Eater Young Guns</b> is our annual roll call of the next guard, and right now, in this very moment, we begin the 2014 hunt. The aim of Young Guns, which since its <a href="http://eater.com/archives/2012/06/25/annoucing-the-2012-eater-young-guns.php">launch in 2012</a> has highlighted the careers of 31 <a href="http://eater.com/archives/2013/06/19/eater-young-guns-2013.php">incredibly talented young individuals</a>, is to identify the most promising up-and-comers in the restaurant and nightlife world, whether they're working as chefs or line cooks, sommeliers or bartenders, restaurateurs or <i>maître d's.</i></p> <p>The criteria are simple. Nominees must be <strong>under 30 years of age</strong> (or have worked in their chosen field for less than five years) and must be currently employed in the hospitality industry in the United States or Canada. Though you most likely haven't yet heard their names, they must show extraordinary promise. These kids are the future, those that will soon lead the business but have yet to receive critical attention.</p> <p>To identify them, we're opening the nomination process up to the public. Know an amazing young sommelier, an empire builder in the making, a burgeoning chef's chef? We want to hear about them. Starting right this second, <strong><a href="http://eater.com/young-guns/">we're asking for your nominations right here</a></strong>. This nomination process will be open through March 5.</p> <p>Then, we'll put our heads together with the legends of the industry in markets across the country who've agreed to serve on the Young Guns deliberation committee. To keep things as transparent as possible, the entire process, from the nominations to the deliberations, will be presented in full view in this space. In June, we'll name this year's class and toast them at a gala event. </p> <p>But first: nominations. Do you know someone who deserves to be honored as an Eater Young Gun? Fill out the <a href="http://eater.com/young-guns/">nomination form here</a>; if you have additional supporting materials, please send them our way at <a href="mailto:youngguns@eater.com">youngguns@eater.com</a>. </p> <p>· <a href="http://eater.com/young-guns/">Eater Young Guns Official Nomination Form</a> [-E-]</p>
https://la.eater.com/2014/2/3/6286849/call-for-nominations-eater-young-guns-2014Amanda Kludt2013-12-13T05:04:24-08:002013-12-13T05:04:24-08:00Cocktail University: Watch Dave Arnold Make Tea Time
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/RB6AzVew64E7VIXVUcMzuU2YibQ=/135x0:946x608/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/39526408/eater-default-final.5.0.0.0.29.png" />
</figure>
<p><iframe width="500" height="281" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/31abZ1HxsSM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p> <p>Welcome back to <b><a href="http://eater.com/tags/cocktail-university">Eater's Cocktail University</a></b>, where <a href="http://eater.com/tags/dave-arnold">cocktail wizard</a> <b>Dave Arnold</b> — he of the cutting edge <a href="http://ny.eater.com/places/booker-dax">New York bar</a> <b>Booker and Dax</b> — presents a series of cocktail recipes and techniques. He's already demoed his <a href="http://eater.com/archives/2013/04/03/cocktail-university-how-to-make-dave-arnolds-corsair.php">elegant version of a Corsair</a>, a <a href="http://eater.com/archives/2013/05/03/cocktail-university-dave-arnolds-thai-basil-daiquiri.php">Thai Basil Daiquiri</a>, a <a href="http://eater.com/archives/2013/05/24/cocktail-university-watch-dave-arnold-make-a-margarita.php">shave ice margarita</a>, a perfect <a href="http://eater.com/archives/2013/06/21/cocktail-university-watch-dave-arnold-make-a.php">gin and tonic</a>, a <a href="http://eater.com/archives/2013/07/12/cocktail-u-watch-dave-arnold-make-a-manhattan.php">pre-bottled and chilled Manhattan</a>, his take on the classic Gibson cocktail, <a href="http://eater.com/archives/2013/08/30/cocktail-u-watch-dave-arnold-make-a-debbie-gibson.php">which he calls The Debbie</a>, an original cocktail called <b>Friend of the Devil</b>, and a <a href="http://eater.com/archives/2013/11/01/cocktail-u-watch-dave-arnold-make-a-first-date.php">First Date</a>. Today he makes an alcoholic variant of one of the greatest non-alcoholic drinks of all time, the <b>Arnold Palmer</b>, which he calls <b>Tea Time</b>.<br>· <a href="http://eater.com/tags/cocktail-university">All Cocktail University on Eater</a> [-E-]</p>
https://la.eater.com/2013/12/13/6314155/cocktail-university-watch-dave-arnold-make-tea-timeAmanda Kludt2013-11-13T09:15:36-08:002013-11-13T09:15:36-08:00Houndmouth Opts for the Hottest Chicken at Hattie B's
<figure>
<img alt="ShaneCody, Zak Appleby, Matt Myers, and Kate Toupin with their host at Hattie B's." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/XU0PALracPirDIDMAQ7xcMmEVYo=/0x0:1200x900/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/38733578/AodX5YZ_20_2_.0.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>ShaneCody, Zak Appleby, Matt Myers, and Kate Toupin with their host at Hattie B's.</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><i>Welcome to <b>Road to the Eater Awards</b>, in which the Indiana band <a href="http://houndmouth.com/">Houndmouth</a> chronicles the good eating along the Southern leg of their "From the Hills Below the City" tour, culminating at <a href="http://partners.eater.com/eater-eve/">Eater Eve</a> and the <a href="http://eater.com/tags/eater-awards-2013">Eater Awards</a>. This series is presented by <a href="http://f.curbed.cc/f/Canon_Tour_Post2_111313">Canon PowerShot</a>, makers of the <b>PowerShot S110 and SX280 cameras</b> that captured all the action.</i></p>
<div class="gallery-inline editor-view hidden" data-gallery-post-id="6094868">
<hr class="widget_boundry_marker">
Editor markup for Houndmouth Hattie B's. This is only visible in the story editor.
<hr class="widget_boundry_marker">
</div>
<br><span class="credit">[All photos by Houndmouth]</span> <p>We rolled into Nashville absolutely starving, knowing that <b>Hattie B's Hot Chicken</b> awaited. We'd all had fried chicken before (c'mon, you can see Louisville's <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kC5MT2r5U8s/TRrrmICXIEI/AAAAAAAARpg/zOvELyPDNmg/s1600/Louisville+KFC+Yum+Center+Indiana+side.jpg">KFC YUM! Center arena</a> from our hometown of New Albany, IN), but this new iteration of hot chicken was one that we had yet to experience. <br><img src="http://f.curbed.cc/p/Canon_Tour_Post2_111313.gif?" height="1" width="1" border="1"></p> <p>Upon arriving to Hattie B's, we were greeted by one of the main chefs. He pointed us in the direction of the extensive local beer selection. There were like eight Tennessee brews on draft, which was impressive—we tried to pitch them on bringing in our <a href="http://newalbanian.com/houndmouth-the-ale-to-be-pouring-year-round/">Houndmouth Ale</a> via New Albanian Brewing Company but to no avail. Local supporting local is tough to beat. </p> <p>We grabbed a pitcher of <b>Fat Bottom Brewing's Ida Golden Ale</b>. It was fantastic and disappeared quickly. Little did we know how much liquid we'd need when the hot chicken came.</p> <p>Hattie B's serves their chicken at six levels: Southern (not hot), Mild, Medium, Hot, Damn Hot, and <b>Get The Cluck Out</b>. For some reason, we thought it was a good idea to run the gamut here. Within the band, two members went for the real heat: Shane got Damn Hot and Matt got Get The Cluck Out. </p> <p>Approximately two bites in, I'm pretty sure Shane and Matt had steam pouring from their ears and beet-red faces. Consider yourself warned. Hot chicken is kind of like the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPIpeW581rE">Shitty Beatles in <i>Wayne's World</i></a>—it's not just a clever name. </p> <p>On top of the chicken, we devoured some solid french fries and a whole lot of different side items. The dessert menu looked good, but we couldn't even fathom having another bite of food by the end.</p> <p>All in all, most of us found Hattie B's delicious if/when we weren't writhing in pain. If you know your limits on both heat and portion-size, you'll have an amazing Southern meal. If you don't know your limit, you'll end up like some of us—stuffed and napping in the green room before show time. </p> <p>Luckily, once we hit the stage, all was forgotten and we had an incredibly fun time at Mercy Lounge that evening.<br>· <a href="http://houndmouth.com/">Houndmouth</a> [Official Site]<br>· <a href="http://eater.com/tags/eater-awards-2013">All Coverage of the Eater Awards</a> [~E~]<br>· <a href="http://partners.eater.com/eater-eve/">Eater Eve</a></p>
https://la.eater.com/2013/11/13/6330825/houndmouth-opts-for-the-hottest-chicken-at-hattie-bsAmanda Kludt2013-11-01T05:35:54-07:002013-11-01T05:35:54-07:00Cocktail U: Watch Dave Arnold Make a First Date
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/RB6AzVew64E7VIXVUcMzuU2YibQ=/135x0:946x608/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/39526408/eater-default-final.5.0.0.0.29.png" />
</figure>
<p><iframe width="500" height="281" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/0B_9PyXFI9Q" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p> <p>Welcome back to <b><a href="http://eater.com/tags/cocktail-university">Eater's Cocktail University</a></b>, where <a href="http://eater.com/tags/dave-arnold">cocktail wizard</a> <b>Dave Arnold</b> — he of the cutting edge <a href="http://ny.eater.com/places/booker-dax">New York bar</a> <b>Booker and Dax</b> — presents a series of cocktail recipes and techniques. He's already demoed his <a href="http://eater.com/archives/2013/04/03/cocktail-university-how-to-make-dave-arnolds-corsair.php">elegant version of a Corsair</a>, a <a href="http://eater.com/archives/2013/05/03/cocktail-university-dave-arnolds-thai-basil-daiquiri.php">Thai Basil Daiquiri</a>, a <a href="http://eater.com/archives/2013/05/24/cocktail-university-watch-dave-arnold-make-a-margarita.php">shave ice margarita</a>, a perfect <a href="http://eater.com/archives/2013/06/21/cocktail-university-watch-dave-arnold-make-a.php">gin and tonic</a>, a <a href="http://eater.com/archives/2013/07/12/cocktail-u-watch-dave-arnold-make-a-manhattan.php">pre-bottled and chilled Manhattan</a>, his take on the classic Gibson cocktail, <a href="http://eater.com/archives/2013/08/30/cocktail-u-watch-dave-arnold-make-a-debbie-gibson.php">which he calls The Debbie</a>, and an original cocktail called <b>Friend of the Devil</b>. Today he pulls out a big block of ice to make a <b>First Date</b>.<br>· <a href="http://eater.com/tags/cocktail-university">All Cocktail University on Eater</a> [-E-]</p>
https://la.eater.com/2013/11/1/6338657/cocktail-u-watch-dave-arnold-make-a-first-dateAmanda Kludt2013-10-14T06:22:34-07:002013-10-14T06:22:34-07:00Please Say Hello to a New Era of Eater Commenting
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/lRMF2cLTZDTfWkTO5YyPpkjlrzU=/68x0:460x294/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/38865998/take-out.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo: <a href="http://eater.com/archives/2010/10/12/waitress-goes-on-hardearned-killing-spree-in-take-out.php">A still from Take Out</a></figcaption>
</figure>
<p></p> <p>It's a brand new day in the world of Eater commenting. To encourage the growth of a thoughtful and civil commenting community, Eater <b>no longer accepts anonymous comments</b>. So if you want to call a restaurant a shitshow (which we have no problem with), you'll have to log in to do it. </p> <p>With the change, we've also made it easier to get to know and follow one another. Readers can follow a commenter on Twitter, see how many comments they've made, and subscribe to their comment feed directly from the comments section. Those readers who used anonymous comments as a means of leaving tips, please send those to right along to <a href="mailto:la@eater.com">la@eater.com</a>.</p> <p><i>Have questions, complaints, tips, suggestions regarding the commenting overhaul? Sign up and leave them in the comments</i>.</p>
https://la.eater.com/2013/10/14/6352647/please-say-hello-to-a-new-era-of-eater-commentingAmanda Kludt