Photo by Farley Elliott/LAist While not generally synonymous, Los Angeles and barbeque food have a lot in common. Both seem to attract the eccentrics, the slightly misguided. Both have a worldwide appreciation, but not many people talk about the greasy, slimy mess that gets left behind when all else is gone. And both are responsible for a lot of bad gas issues, and a sizable hole in the ozone layer. One of the best......

Photo by karthikkito via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr. TAKE A TRIP EAST Theaters, churches, and temples across L.A. will house the World Festival of Sacred Music starting today and ending on the 28th. There will be over 1000 artists performing music from India, Persia, Tuva, and more. This is a great opportunity to see what other countries across the world have to offer. Britney Spears won't be appearing, sorry to disappoint.......

Local food blogger Food Woolf went in for the attack (in the nicest, saucy rib-devouring way possible) at the 8th annual Lucques BBQ aka the Rib Roundup which was held Sunday August 10th. By the end of the meal there wasn't much left except for some bared bones, empty plates, stained table linens, and these delicious photos that she shared with us via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr. It'll be another year until......

Inspired by the popular Big Apple BBQ Block Party in New York, the L.A. BBQ Festival will take place at the Santa Monica Beach North Parking Lot on September 13-14. Enjoy the grilled meats from some of the top pitmasters around the country. Tickets are $10 a day or $50 for a two-day fast pass that gets you admission on both days, shorter lines for food and beer, and more (food/drink not included though). But......

Miss Peaches on Lankershim has just premiered a new weekend barbecue menu for the summer. This cozy little cafe, formerly known as Angelina's, brings a welcome breath of southern comfort to NoHo. Famous for their fried chicken, Miss Peaches usually only pulls out the barbecue for its popular catering department. But this summer you can get your fix while relaxing at a table surrounded by their white picket fence. Miss Peaches 5643 Lankershim Blvd. North......

Over at B's Wonton Noodle House in Chinatown, LAist Featured Photos contributor ~db~ has a dilemma. "There are still literally dozens of soups I haven't tried at B's, yet the BBQ pork wonton is so incredibly good, I don't know if I'll ever get to the others... I think all this cost about 5 bucks. I could barely finish it, but of course I did." Submit your Eye Nosh food 'porn' photos and mini-reviews......

Liquid Kitty's annual punk rock BBQs have been such a success, this Sunday they are hosting a special Winter BBQ. What better to chase away the rain than with colorful drinks and hard-core thrash? Some dogs on the grill? Done! And all for the low, low, price of FREE. Liquid Kitty's BBQs are famous for reuniting long-lost 80s classics and this one is no exception. This year is marked by the return of old-school locals,......

It's just another day at the beach for this polling place in Marina Del Rey, where volunteers hand out fresh-baked goodies to the voters and are hosting a BBQ for the poll workers. Unfortunately, not everything is picture-perfect around Los Angeles. As reported earlier on LAist, Decline-to-State voters (a/k/a DTS, a/k/a non-partisan, a/k/a "real" independent) must be extra careful to mark their ballots correctly if they choose to vote in either the Democratic or......

Breakfast of champions pictured above, delivered directly to your apartment/dorm/oral cavity The first thing you blurt out when you walk into Jose Bernstein's is "it's a fuckin' hole in the wall" because it is a fuckin' hole in the wall". But that's never been a problem for UCLA students because what we lack most are money and holes. But Bernstein's is clean, hygienic and delicious so we do it anyway. There is a caveat......

Sometimes the news really does paint our wonderful town as something of a racial powder keg, which makes it all the more gratifying when you stumble across a truly diverse neighborhood. Hugging the western border of Koreatown, just south of tony Hancock Park and just north of West Adams, sits a neighborhood where true diversity is a reality. Just how diverse is Country Club Park? Ask yourself this; where else in town can you......

Dudes, it's raining, I know, but that doesn't mean there's still not cheap booze to be found in this city tonight! Here's a few more we managed to dig up this week -- send your secret spots and recommendations my way at carrie@laist.com. Kung Pao Kitty, Hollywood, 3pm - 7pm everyday: Need more, uh, kitty in your diet? Try $3 appetizers like lettuce cups, chicken wontons, and fried tofu, plus $3 drinks. Lucky Devil's,......

Last Friday night at Bordello, Elite Yelpers gathered for drinks and music to wish Stephy S, Community Manager of Yelp.com for Los Angeles (she's like Tom of MySpace, but goddess style), a farewell adieu as she takes on a larger responsibility for the website up at its San Francisco HQ (sister site SFist should feel so lucky). Since May 2006, Stephy has been leading the way for Yelp.com, bringing in the energy for a site......

The BBQ & Hibachi Marching Grill Team are taking part in the mischief of the Doo Dah Parade, as they did above in '05 Forget the pageantry and regal demeanor of the Rose Parade, the 31st Occasional Pasadena Doo Dah Parade is the ultimate antidote. Billed as being the loud and irreverent twister sister of the aforementioned annual march down Colorado Boulevard, the parade promises to "send up a woolly range of mischiefs, grounded superheroes,......

This is the recipe that will bar me forever from the Cordon Bleu, that will cause Anthony Bourdain to look upon me with scorn; it is cooking's dirty little secret. I first discovered these meatballs at a raging 4th of July party. I couldn't believe what they put in the sauce! It's just so awful! Then I tried it myself and now all of my friends are addicted. They stand around at my parties......

LAFD responded to a fire in the 3200 block of Dos Palos Drive in Studio City Sunday morning. The blaze was confined to the patio of the residence but upon entering the home, firefighters saw what appeared to be weed. LAPD followed up and confiscated 382 marijuana plants -- approx. 48 pounds -- growing in the garage. 37-year-old Eric Porter of Studio City was later arrested and booked on suspicion of felony cultivation of marijuana,......

It seems like everyone just instinctively knows how to make JELL-O shots. Only recently did I discover that this fine art is not in everyone's repertoire. With the holidays coming up, it might be time to brush up on College Drinking 101. The standard recipe includes 1 (6-oz) package JELL-O, 2 cups boiling water, 1 cup cold water and 1 cup vodka. Over the years I have futzed with this recipe. I like to......

I am thankful for… Thanksgiving - even though I think it’s a stupid holiday, and I pretty much hate all the food associated with it - for giving me the opportunity to spend the day with family that I love and actually enjoy being around. I am thankful every day that I am able to make a living being creative and doing something I love. (Except for when I’m on strike) I am thankful......

As one blogger so delicately phrased it, "CMJ goes out with a whimper". There wasn't a whole lot I wanted to see on Day Five of CMJ. So I rested my weary bones, wandered around Williamsburg, and caught a couple of shows. One highlight was Ha Ha Tonka's performance at Union Pool in Williamsburg at a homey, jam-packed venue. I believe there was a BBQ going on as well. Williamsburg was lovely, flourishing with......

The last thing I wanted to eat for lunch yesterday was Thai food for this series. The ‘rents are in town for the weekend, and guess where they wanted to eat family style Friday night? Yup. Thai BBQ in Valencia. Now while I like Thai food as much as the next person, having it two days in a row is a bit much, right? But I found the perfect solution to my quandary: (1)......

Cheap wine doesn't have to mean a case of Charles Shaw: NY Times readers are discussing their favorite bottles under $10 over at their Food section message boards -- what are yours? The LAist staff thanks you for continuing on with us on our Thai Town journey: check out Thai Patio, Yai #1 and #2, Red Corner Asia, Kruang Tedd, Thai Original BBQ, and (phew!) Hollywood Thai. If we never see another plate of......

Tucked away in Thai Town, Thai Original BBQ is in the former home of a Taco Hell, back when they were little buildings instead of the other side of a KFC. The BBQ moved in and swanked up the joint with marble tables and a large tropical fish tank. It’s clean and small and nearly empty at about 3pm on a Saturday afternoon (cross town traffic was a killer!) Our waitress had colored contacts,......

I love the fair. Absolutely love it. Why you ask? Well, it could be the awesome carnival rides. Or it could be the adorable animals. Or it could even be taking those "Olde Tyme" photographs with my friends (oh, you know that you love to dress up in Saloon outfits and pose with a shotgun!). But honestly, there is only one thing that revs me up for the fair. One thing that gets me dreaming......

Bands, Food, Carnival, Rides, Animals, Shopping, an Indoor Snow Park, Monster Trucks, Freestyle Motocross, and a Demolition Derby. Everything you would expect at a County Fair. The Carnival has the usual assortment of rides, games, and carnies. There are air conditioned shopping areas with over 2,000 vendors, a 4H style animal area with petting zoo, cows, and some bulls with 4' horns. When you get hungry you can get some over priced bottles of water......

You can reproduce the amazing flavors of true Santa Maria BBQ in your backyard on a much smaller scale, using a 2-3 lb. tri-tip in place of a 20 lb topblock. Looking to watch your urbane clique revert to their primal roots, forsaking knife, fork, and plate for fingers, bulged eyes, and wide smiles? Want to see your veggie and vegan friends split into groups of people either salivating because they want a taste, or are fully repulsed at such a carnivorous feast? Want to make something awesome, with $20, and at the last minute for a group of 4-5 people? This is your answer. ...

Every Friday, LAist is taking you on a trip down to Orange County to uncover the unique dining experiences that await adventurous eaters willing to explore beyond the county line. With the holiday weekend and the news that The Pig was closing down, I was in the mood for some barbecue. I wanted that heavy feeling in your stomach that you get when you’ve ingested a whole cow and/or pig, when your fingernails reek......

For many of us who live east of La Brea, Liquid Kitty is the Westside bar. On Sunday, they held their sixth annual Punk Rock BBQ. Swarms of old-school punks spilled from the super-packed watering hole and out onto Pico, where grills, crammed with hot dogs, hamburgers, and sausage sent smoke wafting high in the hot summer air. Inside, $2 Pabst Blue Ribbon and free music kept the crowd bopping and fist-pumping, and screaming......

No doubt you have already heard about Reggie the alligator, who for two years lived in Machado Lake in Harbor City. He was captured a few months ago, and hauled to the Los Angeles Zoo. And NOW Reggie the gator is ready to make his grand debut, and strut his stuff in his newly adapted environment at the LA City Zoo. "Reggie looks great," said Council member Janice Hahn. "He is healthy and ready......

Another sunny Southern California weekend is upon us, which means all over this fair city and its outermost reaches people are planning on gathering around the great American grill to marry meat and flame. Sure enough, a caravan of your closest friends and cohorts appear on your doorstep with cases of beer and plastic wrapped bundles of weiners and buns in the spirit of the BBQ. Sometimes things get a little imaginative, and some......

You may have noticed a new button on our left-hand column with the title We See The Best Concerts. It dawned on us the other day that we really do go to the best concerts and we usually write about them the next day or a few days later. So here's a wrap up of all 37 shows we reviewed this month, with links to the posts just in case you missed it. Chris......

LAist sometimes is invited to parties. Sometimes it's a backyard BBQ. Sometimes it's a dinner party. Sometimes it's LAist's friend's two-year-old's birthday party. However, sometimes it's a Hollywood film production company's high school-themed summer party where every girl dresses up as a slutty Catholic school girl.......