Los Angeles Magazine

Never Stop Fighting

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 16:19:00 -0700

The first raid came at five o’clock in the morning last May 17. Carlos Montes awoke to a thud. It was the sound, he soon discovered, of his front door splintering open. The sun had not yet risen, and Montes’s bedroom was dark, but in retrospect, he says, he’s glad he didn’t reach for a flashlight—or for a gun. Montes, a retired Xerox salesman, had kept a loaded shotgun behind the headboard and a 9mm pistol beneath a pile of towels on a chair beside the bed since the day he had walked in on an armed burglar a year and a half before. That time a cool head had kept him alive: He persuaded the thief to drive him to a 7-Eleven, where he withdrew as much cash as he could from the ATM and refused to take another step. This time, fortunately, he was half-asleep: He stumbled toward the hallway empty-handed.

Montes, 64, is a tall man, but his shoulders are rounded and slightly stooped, which along with his long, thin legs and the short fuzz of his gray hair, gives him something of the appearance of a bird. Maybe it’s that he always seems to be in motion, as if there’s a motor in him that keeps humming even when he’s sitting still. He often seems to be on the verge of cracking a joke, or as if he’s already laughing at the joke he could be telling. Once I showed up early for an interview and found him on the phone, reserving a space in a yoga class. “Gotta take my yoga, man,” he said, laughing at himself, “or else I’ll blow it!”.

Montes by Willie Heron’s 1972 mural The Wall That Cracked Open in City Terrace. Photograph by Bryce Duffy.

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James Mercer of the Shins Is Having a Full Circle Moment

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 18:05:05 -0700

The Shins are releasing a new album, Port of Morrow, this month. How is it different than the group’s first three albums?
Well, the production is better, for one thing. I think the songwriting is more efficient and focused and I think it’s stronger. I’m biased, but I think I’m better at writing songs now.

Is that the result of having more experience, or did luck and inspiration hit?
It’s hard work and experience adding up. Maybe I’m being optimistic, but I think that writing songs is like most any other thing: if you work hard at it and care enough and think enough about it and you will get good results. When you see people getting older and then their pop songs aren’t cool anymore, it’s because they lose that self-critical side. I think they just get lazy.

So what does your song writing process look like? Do you carve out time to do it or are you waking up in the middle of the night and jotting things down?
Sometimes I do that. I always have a guitar in the house waiting and I just like to sit and play the guitar and write new parts. My favorite thing is those moments when I’m coming up with something new—where you don’t get exactly what it is yet but it sounds cool and you like it and it’s got a hook. I buckle down when it’s time to do a record. It’s somewhere in between the moments of inspiration and the really hard work where the thing that works happens.

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Coronet braids in four easy steps

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 17:00:06 -0700

For best results, start with freshly washed hair that’s been blown dry with a large round brush

step 1: Part Create a horizontal side part, starting behind one ear and ending halfway across the back of the head. Begin an inverted French braid behind the ear at the top of the part.

step 2: Braid Continue braiding, sticking close to the hairline as you add hair to the three braid sections while working your way to the opposite ear.

step 3: finish Secure crown braid behind the opposite ear. With the remaining hair, make a second inverted French braid, beginning at the base of the part.

step 4: Finesse Keep braiding until all the hair is incorporated. Secure the end with a silicone elastic band, and pin the braid into a messy bun.

For more fashion how-to’s visit our website here

Milo and Olive

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 16:37:00 -0700

In the morning, Milo and Olive is still calm. You can sit at one of the eight counter seats eating a bowl of stone-ground grits with sautéed chanterelles and an egg, sunny side up, feeling as if you’re part of the working crew. A cook weighs out pizza dough on a digital scale; another checks a broad pot steaming on the stove. A young woman in a pink hairband peers into the wood-burning oven and tends to the embers. Meat is being fed into grinders for sausages. When an order for muesli comes in, a tall Tupperware container appears and a moist scoop is plopped into a cup. Adorned with thin slices of one of the organic pippins on display, it is a great way to begin the day.

Soon the quiet will be shattered. That communal table where a guy happily reads Lopez and Plaschke over a cup of coffee and buttered toast will fill with a crowd here for chef Evan Funke’s rustic cooking and Zoe Nathan’s neotraditionalist baking. By high noon the atmosphere could be called a collision of sorts. A woman with a Saint John’s Health Center ID clipped to the lapel of her pantsuit tucks into a salad of Coleman Family Farms lettuces with squishy cubes of Hachiya persimmons. A teen who has appropriated his grandfather’s hopsack blazer savors the fried lemon wedge atop the calamari. Two guys at the counter look like they gave up on the Kogi line. Over at the other marble-topped communal table, a bunch of women in good haircuts sporting all the shades of Eileen Fisher commemorate their get-together with cell phone pics.

Photograph by Lisa Romerein

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Valle de Guadalupe

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 18:00:05 -0800

The overnight boom in Baja Cali-fornia’s Valle de Guadalupe was more than 200 years in the making. First came the Spanish, who planted the inaugural vineyards. They were followed at the beginning of the 20th century by the Molokans of Russia, who revived the practice of winemaking. Almost a century after that, visionary winemakers like Hugo D’Acosta established the valley as a place to pair tasty varietals with exquisite local cuisine. Ninety minutes from the San Ysidro border crossing, pleasant little B&Bs have popped up among the grapevines, little old ladies sell olive oil by the road, and travelers sip nebbiolo while banda music blasts. This is a wine region like no other.

coat draped over an elaborately beaded gold and black flapper dress.

Photograph by Stephen Kepple

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Palm Springs

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 16:00:00 -0800

Photograph courtesy Banyan Tree Mayakoba

As you arc along Highway 111, the clutter of casino billboards and outlet malls gives way to an unfurling desert that surrounds Palm Springs, a town built for relaxation. Long a refuge for Hollywood types, retirees, and snowbirds, the area became something of a mausoleum for the Sinatra set, an oasis of golf courses and aging resorts strung out along the arid valley floor. But with new hotels reinhabiting famous buildings and replacing those old rose gardens with native succulents, Palm Springs has managed to reinvent itself. There’s still the great midcentury architecture, the dramatic hikes, and of course, the kitsch, but visitors are discovering cosmopolitan offerings beyond lounging in the sun by the pool or playing the back nine.

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Endive, Citrus, and Fennel Salad

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 14:00:06 -0800

Farmers’ markets are positively bursting with superb citrus right now and local chefs are taking full advantage. Scott Quinn’s citrus and fennel salad graces the menu at Bagatelle Bistro, the new West Hollywood outpost of the NYC spot famous for its fabulously boozy brunches. The kitchen is currently open for dinner only but expect weekend brunches to roll out in the coming weeks. The restaurant’s Salade d’Endives aux Agrume is made with fennel, endive, tangerines, and blood oranges and would pair perfectly with a mimosa.

Click here for the recipe.

FIDM's Art of Motion Picture Costume Design Exhibit

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 12:00:05 -0800

FIDM’s 20th Annual Art of Motion Picture Costume Design Exhibition pays tribute to the sartorial side of the movie biz by showcasing over 100 costumes featured in 20 films released in 2011. The glamorous exhibit includes costumes from all five Academy Award-nominated films and allows visitors to immerse themselves in the intricate details of each uniquely crafted costume that may have been overlooked on the big screen.

The elegant Art Deco inspired designs by Mark Bridges for the “The Artist” earned him a prestigious Academy Award. It’s a delightful surprise to see the vibrant colored costumes worn in the black-and-white film. Featured are a flirty bright coral dress, an olive green raincoat and a floral printed umbrella worn by Peppy Miller. Not to mention the luxurious velvet coat draped over an elaborately beaded gold and black flapper dress.

Photo courtesy of FIDM, Colleen Atwood’s White Queen dress from Alice in Wonderland (worn by Anne Hathaway)

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SXSW 2012: Who To Know If You Go Or Don't

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 10:45:25 -0800

Part music festival, part gambler’s game, half the fun of South by Southwest is predicting which bands will emerge as breakout stars. We’re ready to place our bets. Here are eight top picks for SXSW Music 2012, which kicks off Tuesday in Austin:

Hacienda Folks flock to Austin in search of the best acts from distant lands, but you needn’t look too far from 6th Street for Hacienda, a quartet from San Antonio, TX. Their fully southern, surf-infused style melds retro-pop sensibilities with a penchant for garage fuzz (honed on their upcoming LP by none other than southern garage master Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys). Don’t let that pairing fool you—Hacienda’s infectious tunes trade rough guitars for catchy, smartly-formed grooves with just enough Texan grit.

Bahamas Canadian singer-songwriter Afie Jurvanen goes by Bahamas, but don’t think that means you’ll find anything steel-drum or island-vacation inspired in his music. Instead, Jurvanen, who formerly played guitar for Feist, transports through simple, sometimes solemn and always beautiful songs that have the frankness of The Tallest Man on Earth and the smoothness of M. Ward.

Click here for the full list.

Preview of our March 2012 cover

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 11:26:25 -0800

Preview of our March 2012 cover

Tropic Thunder

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 10:02:05 -0800

Just 28 years old, chef Jordan Kahn has built the sort of résumé that others take another decade or so to cobble together. After helping launch Thomas Keller’s New York restaurant, Per Se, he did a stint making desserts at cerebral showman Grant Achatz’s restaurant Alinea in Chicago before eventually landing in L.A. to head the pastry department at Michael Mina’s XIV. That Sunset Boulevard venture went on to become a sensible (and good) steak house before closing in August, but when it started, XIV was damn-the-torpedoes ambitious. Owner Sam Nazarian wants things no other way. Kahn tried to deliver the final note to already jarringly dissonant meals with such offerings as jasmine ice cream crowned with cashew shortbread and paired with brandied bananas. Presented on supersize plates, his swooping, curling fantasies seemed to be rubbing up against the boundaries of the pastry discipline. I didn’t predict he would shift from desserts and open a restaurant as a chef, but I wasn’t surprised when I heard he had, either.

Photograph by Misha Gravenor

Click here for the full review.

Pony Up to the Braid Bar

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 09:06:05 -0800

At the Braid Bar in Nine Zero One, a new salon in West Hollywood, clients can choose from over a half dozen different styles like the fishtail “Venice Hippie,” the coronet “Top of the World” and half up-half down “Halfway to LA.” for just $25 (shampoo and blow dry cost extra).

If you want to try the look at home, check out this month’s March spring beauty feature in Los Angeles magazine (on newsstands now!). We show you how to create chic and easy crown braids in just 4 steps.

Click here for the full article.

Pink Eggs & Ham

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 18:04:06 -0800

Mendocino Farms creators Mario Del Pero and Ellen Chen have stepped up their sandwich game with the recent opening of Blue Cow Kitchen in downtown’s California Plaza, which boasts a bevy of sandwiches, including a tandoori turkey club, a nouveau French dip, and a vegan torta. The real charmers, though, might be the drink-friendly bites crafted by chef Joshua Smith (formerly of Church & State), which are designed to pair with the bar’s barrel-aged cocktails, craft beers, and Fernet on tap. Pickled eggs, a bar-food staple, get an upgrade here thanks to Smith’s addition of spicy jalapenos and candied bacon, earning them the Seuss-inspired moniker Pink Eggs and Ham. Here’s how to whip them up for your next cocktail party.

Click here for the recipe.

New Bicycle Master Plan Approved For L.A. County

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 16:49:00 -0800

The L.A. County Board of Supervisors this week approved a new Bicycle Master Plan that calls for more than 800 miles of bicycle lanes to be created throughout unincorporated areas of the county.

The proposal, which KPCC reports Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky called a work in progress, will cost an estimated $330 million over 20 years.

Click here for the full post.

Photograph courtesy Flickr/Wha’ppen

Patina

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 16:28:46 -0800

If there’s any place left in L.A. that plays by the rules of the all-frills grande maison restaurant experience, it is Patina. Food runners, captains in dark suits, sommeliers, and cheese experts gracefully execute their duties around a chef—the name changes every few years—who invariably has a résumé filled with posts at legendary establishments heavy on Michelin stars. A busboy in a natty smock dragging his silver-plated crumber across the high-thread-count tablecloth is but the coda to the evening. ¶ Patina founder Joachim Splichal clearly has personal reasons for maintaining these standards. A German steeped in the highest levels of French dining, he worked at the storied Hotel Negresco in Nice under Jacques Maximin in the late 1970s—a period when Provençal cuisine was figuring out how olive oil fit into the haute world—and made his name when he opened L.A.’s Max au Triangle in the early ’80s with similar goals in mind for the local cuisine. He followed the 1989 opening of Patina on a dark stretch of Melrose with a string of restaurants that soon became a ubiquitous force. The Pinots in Hollywood, Pasadena, and wine country were duds, but the strategy of glomming onto cultural institutions has been a fabulous success. Want to have a bite after viewing the Zurbarán still life at the Norton Simon, eat something before catching Tony Bennett at Segerstrom Hall in Costa Mesa, carb up at Downtown Disney before entering the park, or take a break from touring LACMA? The Patina Restaurant Group has you covered.

Click here for the full review.

Photograph by Misha Gravenor

Wild Mushroom Salad

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 16:12:55 -0800

Josiah Citrin is one of a dozen or so chefs who, without fail, pace stalls at the Santa Monica Farmers’ Market every Wednesday. “I’ve been going for probably 30 years,” he says. “In my twenties I’d ride my bike over and pick up tomatoes, eggs, and sourdough bread after surfing.” Citrin’s new cookbook, In Pursuit of Excellence, stars this wild mushroom salad with oeuf mollet, garlic croutons, and a lemon-mushroom vinaigrette. “You can sub in any mushrooms that look good at the market, so it works in any season.”

Click here for the recipe.

Wingin' It

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 15:49:58 -0800

Buffalo style or szechuan, the ultimate game-day nosh is on fire

Photograph Courtesy of flickr.com/stuart_spivack

Ching Chang Wing Wang

The name of this snack house might raise some eyebrows, but the offbeat array of wings casts all doubts aside. The mala, or “numbing spicy,” variety, with Szechuan peppercorn extract, leaves your lips tingling and your tongue wanting more. Extreme spice heads opt for “The Devil,” which piles on extra heat. » $5.99 for 10 wings. 400 E. Valley Blvd., San Gabriel, 626-486-9285 or chingchangwingwang.com.

Ye Rustic Inn

Did the [insert favorite local sports team here] win? Then expect to find this tavern teeming with fans devouring plate after plate of buffalo wings. The combination of atomic orange sauce (heat levels range from mild to “suicide”) and supermoist chicken keeps the crowds coming, even through the off-season. »$9.50 for 12 wings. 1831 Hillhurst Ave., Los Feliz, 323-662-5757.

Beer Belly

Chef Wes Lieberher’s Volcano chipotle sauce packs a punch reminiscent of a late-night taco truck’s salsa roja. The chile-spiked mixture covers the gastropub’s jidori chicken wings. Fortunately, there are a dozen craft beers on tap to cool things down. » $8 for 12 wings. 532 S. Western Ave., Koreatown, 213-387-2337 or beerbellyla.com.

For the rest of this list and Burn Factor click here.

"@Lucy_Mapstone Los Angeles is turning me into a proper fatty. Had a huge bagel for breakfast,..."

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 14:59:45 -0800

“

@Lucy_Mapstone
Los Angeles is turning me into a proper fatty. Had a huge bagel for breakfast, In-N-Out burger & fries for lunch but now am STARVING. #how?

@railoftomorrow
Did someone annihilate two-thirds of Los Angeles? There was no traffic on the 10 and Trader Joe’s is empty.

@kirashea
Dear Runyon Canyon: thanks for kicking my butt this morning. It’s clear I need to visit you more often. But for now, I will eat waffles.

@edkxo
My first time in Venice Beach. Now I know why my dad doesn’t like me coming here! Lol.

”

- Tweets of the day

"Some Like It Hot" Ginger Galettes

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 15:24:00 -0800

In case the billboards, movie trailers, or traffic on Hollywood Boulevard haven’t already tipped you off, this Sunday is the Oscars. It’s a night we look forward to: gathering with friends, spending several hours nitpicking celebrity fashions, basking in the charm of Billy Crystal, and drinking several bottles of champagne. We’ve asked Robert Lambert, a former chef and local producer of jams, spreads, and condiments (available at Mr. Marcel, Joan’s on 3rd, Surfas, La Brea Bakery, and Cube Marketplace) to provide us with some easy-to-make recipes so that you can create a gorgeous party spread without spending too much time away from the red carpet. One of our favorites is the “Some Like It Hot” galettes, which pair baked sweet potatoes with a ginger caramel sauce atop a crisp shortbread cookie. We’ve included a host of other quick bites as well, ensuring that you won’t miss a single “And the award goes to…”

Click here for the recipe.

Freddy Smalls

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 14:09:52 -0800

What draws us to Freddy Smalls, a Mexican café turned cocktail-centric American bistro, is consulting chef Jeremy Fox, who made waves in Napa with his vegetarian cooking at Ubuntu. Here, with executive chef Charlie Parker, sprouts have been abandoned for rabbit mortadella and flash-grilled steak tartare. A plate of carnivorous indulgence called Reuben’s Gluttony features corned beef brisket and bone marrow.

Click here for full article.