• Goodbye My Daily Find
    The Final Find: Saying Good-Bye…
    UPDATE: I am now the Food Editor of Ventura Blvd Magazine and the weekly online blog, The Ventura Blvd Sauce.  Follow me and subscribe here http://www.ourventurablvd.com/Blogs/The-Sauce/ Dear My Daily Find Subscribers, Many of you have been with me for nearly four and a half years when I started My Daily Find, while others are new subscribers. [...]
  • umamiburbank
    Tasty Tidbits: New Restaurants and Special Events in the San Fernando Valley
    BY KAREN YOUNG   More Umami: Burbank (at the edge of Toluca Lake) is the now the home of the 17th Umami Burger to open in just five years. With recent openings in Miami and Oakland and the upcoming mega-locale in Greenwich Village, New York next week, Los Angeles based owner Adam Fleischman is spreading Umami [...]
  • HappyWeekend585
    THIS WEEKEND: What’s Happening Across Los Angeles
    BY KAREN YOUNG ALL WEEK Dine LA Restaurant Week is back  through July 26.   Here’s your chance to try out some new restaurants with special three course prix fixe menus  (from $15-$45 per person depending on the  restaurant.)  Check out DineLA for more information about where to find participating restaurants near you. It’s  happening in the valley and city-wide, [...]
  • sangria250
    The Weekend Cocktail: Summer Sangria
    BY GWEN KENNEALLY This weekend I will be catering a ‘friendraiser/thank you event’ for supporters of  El Nido Family Centers. Founded in Los Angeles in 1925,  it was created as a counseling service for girls. Believing that “a child cannot grow up twice” and that every child deserves health and happiness, they built a camp in Laurel Canyon. Now celebrating [...]
  • gwendolyn-Mary600
    Gwendolyn-Mary Candles and Perfumes: From Sherman Oaks to France and Back
    BY KAREN YOUNG Sherman Oaks resident Kathleen Laccinole  has always joked that “in my next life I’ll be a perfumer.”  As she explains,  ”I have an extremely ‘emotional’ nose and love, love, love scent.” In reality, Laccinole spent many years as a music executive before becoming a writer and professional screenwriter.  That is until one [...]

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paris585

Restaurants: Go French in the San Fernando Valley

BY KAREN YOUNG You don’t have to be French to celebrate Bastille Day on  July 14.  Think of it as another reason to relish independence and experience one of the many multi-cultural restaurants in the San Fernando Valley.   From casual bistro fare to more refined indulgence, there are choices for everyone. Bistro Provence This [...]

Picnicrecipes

Back to the Kitchen: Recipes for the Perfect Summer Picnic

BY GWEN KENNEALLY It is that time of year when there are picnics, concerts in the park, beach days and the Hollywood Bowl. Picnics can be as simple as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with fresh fruit and chips — or,  if you hang with a bunch of foodies they can be as elaborate [...]

grandparkla

Worth The Drive (or the Metro): Free Events at Grand Park in Downtown L.A.

BY KAREN YOUNG If you haven’t had a chance to venture downtown, consider taking a short trip by car or Metro this summer.  The restaurant scene is growing daily, while the cultural scene is exploding from Music Center events to the Downtown Art Walk and various museum exhibits.  Newest to the landscape is Grand Park, [...]

Cedar-Planked Pecan, Bourbon and Brown Sugar Glazed Brie

Back to the Kitchen: Veggie and Cheesy Options for a Fourth of July (or anytime) BBQ

BY GWEN KENNEALLY This 4th of July I will be making my usual ribs, salmon, burgers and hot dogs, but I have so many vegetarian and vegan friends that I will also be grilling up some fun veggie dishes. I love to create and eat wonderful vegetarian dishes, however, it can be quite challenging because [...]

The dining room of Girasol is designed by Gulla Jonsdottir of G+ who is also responsible for Red O, Hyde, Sushi Roku, and Roxbury.

Tasty Tidbits: Girasol Opens in Studio City, Michelin Offer, Free Coffee, New Menu

BY KAREN YOUNG Another Top Chef alum has arrived in the 818 (a group which already includes Fabio Viviani/Firenze Osteria in North Hollywood,  Alex Eusebio/ Sweetsalt in Toluca Lake, and Antonia Lafaso who created the menu at Black Market Liquor Bar).  The latest is CJ Jacobson (season 3 and 10), who opened the much anticipated Girasol in Studio [...]

Les Macarons Duverger is now available online for gift packs, buffets, party favors and even wedding cakes!

Food News: Les Macarons Duverger for a Perfect Taste of Paris

BY KAREN YOUNG I’ve loved macarons since I first tasted the delicate almond meringue confection in Paris over two decades ago.  Pronounced mack-ah-rohn, it is not to be confused with the coconut  mound cookie (maca-roon).  The macaron originated in Italy in the 8th century, and was brought to France during the 16th century by Catherine de Medici for [...]