In a city where five-star restaurants are tucked away in nondescript strip malls, there’s nothing particularly novel about a high/low culinary mash-up. Still, when Rome native Mario Vollera opened South End, a casual eatery dedicated to pairing fine wine with rustic pizza, it’s hole-in-the-wall location at the very southern end of Venice’s Abbot Kinney quickly […]
Ask a friend: what’s your favorite kind of pizza? Go ahead, I’ll wait. Chances are they have an opinion regarding not only their top spot for a slice, but also what style and which toppings reign supreme. In fact, I bet you’ve conjured up a personal pizza of your own while reading this. Pizza is […]
When Andrew Ahn moved to L.A. to pursue his dream of becoming a filmmaker, he never expected to land so close to his roots — in a kitchen, slinging Philly cheesesteaks. Thirty years earlier, his Korean immigrant father had gotten his start in America making cheesesteaks in Philadelphia. He later opened his own cheesesteak shop […]
When Phuong Hoang’s parents’ generation opened restaurants in L.A. after immigrating from post-war Vietnam, the sole purpose was to put food on the table. “They made enough money to raise a family and wanted all of us to be doctors,” says Phuong, a Torrance native who grew up eating home-cooked pho and pork chops. But […]
