Recent Episodes

 

Dwight Furrow, the author of American Foodie: Taste, Art, and the Cultural Revolution, talks about the philosophy of food. We discuss everything the impact of everything from automobile to Alice Waters to the Slow Food movement have shaped the way Americans think about food.
 
 
 
 

 

Inbal Baum, the Founder of Delicious Israel, joins us to talk about where foodies should eat when they travel to her country.

• Shakshouka is a popular dish in Israel
• Israeli Breakfast is a distinct and important meal
• The modern cherry tomato has roots in Israel
• Tel Aviv and Jerusalem top the list of cities you should visit
• Beach season runs from April to October
• Rosh Hashana is a great time to visit Israel
• When you visit Tel Aviv, go to the Carmel Market, the Levinsky Market
• Try the date syrup, Silan

 

 

Food for Thought

• Q: After pita bread, what is the most common food used to “wipe” humus?
• A: Raw onion.

 
 

Out of the Frying Pan

• Favorite Spot for Outdoor Dining: Milgo & Milbar
• Favorite Place to Buy Spices: Cafe Arma in Levinsky Market
• Herbs to Try: Za’atar and Hawaij (in Yemenite Coffee)
• Favorite Winery: Sphera
• Favorite Place for Dessert: The Malabia
• Favorite Food Experience for Kids: Max Brenner
• Chef to Watch: Eyal Shani
• Dish to Try at Different Places: Shakshouka and sabich

Bennet Jacobstein, author of The Joy of Ballpark Food: From Hot Dogs to Haute Cuisine, talks to us about what foodies can find at different baseball stadiums around the country.

• Hot dogs and sausages are not the same thing.
• The quality of ballpark food was elevated in the 90s as new stadiums were built and food television shows took off.
• Stadiums have highlighted regional foods.
• Gordon Biersch‘s founder Dan Gordon introduced garlic fries at Candlestick Park in 1994.
• The song “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” was written in 1908.
• The Yankees replaced Cracker Jacks at one point, but brought it back after a public outcry.
• 

  San Francisco Giant Gordon Biersch Garlic Fries

  Veggie Happy spearheaded the movement to get veggie dogs sold at ballpark stadiums.

• Andrew Zimmern has a stand in the Minnesota ballpark.
• Rocky Mountain Oysters are bull testicles.
• “The Big Six” are the food companies that service the major ballparks.
• As you go from ballpark to ballpark, try the hot dogs at each to see how they’re done differently.
• Proceeds from Bennett’s book go to Second Harvest Food Bank.

 

Food for Thought

• Q: In what year were Cracker Jacks first served at a baseball game?
• A: 1896 in Atlantic City.

 

Out of the Frying Pan

Here’s what Bennet recommends you try at each ballpark:

• Yankees Stadium in New York City: Chicken and Waffles.
• Fenway Park in Boston: Lobster Roll and a cuban sandwich.
• Wrigley Field in Chicago: Chicago-style hot dog with Vienna beef.
• Turner Field in Atlanta: Boiled peanuts.
• Marlins Park in Miami: Cuban dishes.
• Safeco Field in Seattle: The Ivar’s hot dog (with fish) and cream cheese hot dog.
• Nationals Park in Washington D.C.: A cauliflower hot dog and presidential cupcakes.
• 

  Chicago White Sox Chicago-Style Hot Dog

  Busch Stadium in St. Louis: The BBQ.

• Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles: Tommy Lasorda Spumoni ice cream.
• AT&T Park in San Francisco: Crab salad, lamb sausages, and Gordon Biersch garlic fries.

Try a Food Tour

More in this City

Diane Scalia is a self-proclaimed Chefpreneur, World Football Passionista, and Gourmet Storyteller, with credits that include Founding Partner of Melting Pot Tours, the first and premiere walking-tasting food tours company in Los Angeles. She also works as a Mediterranean Tapas Chef in an open kitchen, at BarComida in Redondo Beach, California, where she is known to serve menu items inspired by her soccer passion.
 

1. What is Melting Pot Tours? What tours do you offer?

 
Melting Pot Food Tours, the original company of its kind in Los Angeles, offers walking-tasting tours in select neighborhoods. We offer locals and tourists alike, the unique opportunity to explore our great city through its fantastically diverse and incredibly delicious food.

• Our first tour, running for 6 years now, is the Original Farmers Market Food and History Tour, where we dine around one of LA’s most revered and historic landmarks of the last 80 years.
• Our Old Pasadena Tasting Tour enjoys fabulous cuisine in the original business district of LA’s first suburb, which is also home to the world-renowned Rose Bowl and Tournament of Roses Parade.
• Our East LA Latin Flavors Tour uses our Metro Gold Line trains to travel between tasting stops, where we feature the most celebrated Mexican and Central American foods in our own Latin quarter.
• We also have a fantastic tour of Thai Town, hosted by celebrity Chef Jet Tila, whose father founded the neighborhood. Los Angeles is officially honored by Thailand as their “77th province”.

 

2. How did Melting Pot Tours come to be?

 
My sister Lisa birthed the idea in spring 2007, while I was enjoying an extended holiday in Europe. The first day I was home she told me all about it and invited me to sign up as her partner. Although I’d had very little sleep at that hour, I said yes, and the rest is history!
 
Lisa is brilliant and I always say Melting Pot Tours is so successful because “We have Lisa.” She is the true brains behind the operation, and I am the heart, out in front. Our skills are very complimentary, and we genuinely like and love each other, and working together.
 

3. What cuisines is Los Angeles known for?

 
We are blessed that so many immigrants came here, just as our own ancestors did from Italy, and brought their food with them! It is entirely possible in some parts of LA, to walk less than one mile, and find 20 or so different ethnic eateries spanning that distance.
 
So we’re quite famous for our multi-ethnic cuisine – and authentic cuisine, I hasten to add – that not only landed here from six continents (I haven’t found any Antarctic cuisine, yet), it is prepared and served by the multi-generations of master cooks who proudly brought it from their homelands, to share with Los Angeles.
 
We also have a strong, exciting culture of farm-to-table cuisine, made popular by all-star chefs like Nancy Silverton, Suzanne Goin, Ludo Lefebvre, and Ari Taymor. Some of our highest-profile restaurants have opened “little sister” and outpost-style restaurants in the last few years, making “5-star”-style dining affordable for everyone.
 

4. What would surprise people most about the food scene in Los Angeles?

 
Probably how well-priced its amazing food is! And how spectacular the grocery shopping is! These are hallmarks that we are so proud to share on our tours, and we’ve been privileged to be consulted as “experts” by international publications for this type of information.
 
Part of our mission is to play a positive role in LA earning its rightful place on the map, as a world-class culinary destination. We take that role very seriously, and joyfully, on each and every tour.
 

RELATED: What is a food tour?

 

5. You are also a chef. How does leading food tours compare to working in the kitchen?

 

At the restaurant, called BarComida at Chez Melange, I only do the main prep of my Mediterranean tapas and small plates in the back kitchen. For the entire evening, four nights a week, I cook at the Bar in a very small “open” kitchen. Understandably, my experience as a chef out in front, is actually very similar to hosting a tour because I have to be “on” at all times!
 
This feels like the blessing I’m cursed with on occasion, like those under-slept times I mentioned earlier. But in truth, I really do love getting to know who I’m cooking for, the same way I get to know my tour guests. I’m able to share how passionate I am about my recipes, menus, ingredients, and express a huge part of who I am through my cooking. I adore when my tour guests are able to come to the restaurant, and when my restaurant customers are able to enjoy one or more of our tours.
 
Both “jobs” make me feel like I’m doing something(s) very important in life. It is my deepest desire to have my work be all about bringing people to the table, because I believe that peace begins there. Earning a living while perhaps making such a delicious contribution toward peace in our world, makes me love where I’m at in life, that there’s no one else I’d rather be. I love walking in my own shoes.

 

In this episode of the Find Dining podcast, Chef Michael Cimarusti, owner of  Providence in Los Angeles, tells us about his culinary journey.  We discuss his time cooking in France, the secrets of seafood, and his family’s recent culinary travels in Europe.Restaurant critic Johnathan Gold of the Los Angeles Times named Providence on his Top 101 Restaurant List in 2013 and 2014.
 

• Chef Michael and his wife studied under Larry Forgione at American Place


Providence Restaurant

• Compare the formality of Le Cirque to the causal elegance of Spago
• Michael shaped his first menu at Water Grill
• When in England, it’s okay to bring the kids to Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
• Find J Sheekey in the Theatre District of London
• Zio’s is a great old school restaurant
• Head to Seasalter to eat at the pub at the Sportsman
• When in France, dine at Arpege, Le Coquillage, or be a guest at Michel Bras’ inn
• When in Spain, enjoy tapas at Arzak in San Sebastian

 

RELATED: Where to Eat in Los Angeles.

 
 

Food For Thought:

• Q: To what did Julia Child attribute her longevity and good health?

• A: A steady diet of red meat and gin.

 
 

Out of the Frying Pan Picks:

• Influential cooking shows or books: Le Livre de Michel Bras, Simply French: Patricia Wells Presents the Cuisine of Joel Robuchon
• Favorite local merchants/farmers: Sea Stephanie Fish
• 

  Fresh Sea Scallop

  Dish for newly adventurous eaters: uni in champagne reduction

• Favorite beverage to pair with seafood:  wine or sake
• Great place to get dinner for under $20: Pizzeria Mozza
• Chefs to watch in Los Angeles: Josiah Citrin at Melisse, Jon and Vinny at Animal, Jeremy Fox at Rustic Canyon, Chad Colby of chi Spacca
• Advice for up-and-coming chefs: Work hard, stay inspired, and learn the history

*Give or take.
 

 

When you find yourself in Los Angeles with only a fin in your pocket, here is the list of the top 5 places to get the most bang for less bucks! The Los Angeles dining scene is hot on the heels of New York City and Chicago, but that doesn’t mean you have to spend a lot to get a great meal! These 5 restaurants are where you can taste the essence of multicultural L.A. for less than it costs for the cab ride there.
 
 

1. Chego

Only the father of the food truck movement, Roi Choi, could bring us such Korean goodness and for such little money! His beer battered ooey gooey fries for $6 will keep you coming back!
 

727 North Broadway, Los Angeles, CA

http://eatchego.com

 

 
 

2. Pink’s Hot Dog

An L.A. Institution since 1939 that began with a couple of Pink’s selling hot dogs on the corner, and morphed into an L.A. Landmark! Pink’s Hot Dogs is still a place you can go and have an original chili dog for $3.85. Plus with an ever changing menu of “super star dogs” you can keep coming back to Pink’s to taste the celebrity dujour!
 

709 N. La Brea Avenue, Los Angeles, CA
(323) 931-4223
http://pinkshollywood.com

 

 

 RELATED: Where to Eat in Los Angeles.

 
 

3. Ink Sack

Surprising low prices for such a hot chef, Michael Voltaggio’s Ink Sack feeds the masses with his well priced “sandos” My personal favorite is the Jose Andres aka “the spanish godfather” made with ham, tomato, chorizo and manchego for $6 dollars. Another great find is the cold fried chicken, and with a $5 price tag you can afford to have 2.
 

8360 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA

http://mvink.com

 

 
 

4. Porto’s Bakery

Although this restaurant is technically in the valley, it’s worth the drive for some of the best Cuban food in the city (and as a Cuban girl I should know!) A freshly pressed “Medianoche” will only cost you $4.25…possibly less than the cost of the gas it took to get you to Glendale!
 

315 N Brand Blvd, Glendale, CA
(818)956-5996
http://portosbakery.com

 

 

 RELATED: The inside scoop on the Los Angeles food scene.

 
 

5. In-N-Out Burger

No list of affordable LA eats would ever be complete without a nod to the food that has kept it classy since the beginning. Even with a recent 10 cent price hike, you can still get a cheeseburger “animal style” off the not so secret menu for less than $4.
 

7009 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, California

http://www.in-n-out.com

 

 
 

 

---

 

About Caroline Gelabert-Noh

Caroline Gelabert-Noh is a cultural anthropologist who enjoys the finer things in life while still finding frugal ways to do it. Read more from her at EatDrinkLA.com.