Ah, Santa Barbara. Wine, adobe buildings, wine, nice scenery, wine... So a few months ago I shot a beautiful, simple wedding at the Santa Barbara Courthouse (Most of us bloggers have a life outside of LAist, dear reader. I happen to be a photographer.) Afterwards, we walked through the huge grassy courtyard, across the street, and right into this gorgeous little restaurant called Elements. We had some unbelievably good sandwiches and wraps at the......

Sometimes it seems like the only people who actually eat at Taix are the musicians. Taix is kind enough to actually give the performing bands drink and meal tickets. I've never even eaten in the restaurant itself, but I've spent a lot of time in the homey wine bar, where I can listen to local bands while I dine. Whenever I cozy up in the warm brick-interior listening to the edgy jazz, I wonder......

Núñez represents downtown Los Angeles, to the south of, and East LA in the state assembly. It is rumored he wants to run for Mayor. It is not like Democrat Fabian Núñez, Speaker of the California State Assembly, is some bogus politician with bad intentions and total self-serving motives. I am not going to argue with him for looking into universal preschool, high speed rail and global warming solutions for California; in fact, I......

At last, the final installment of LA Dishes Back. I promise there will be no "Son of LA Bites Back" or "LA Bites Back: Jason's Returns". A few readers have asked, "How did you pick these restaurants?" People felt like there has been no rhyme nor reason to my choices, or that these places are not representative of the finest the city has to offer. I plead guilty on both counts. My selections were......

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. If you were to give me a word association test and prompt me with “Belgian cuisine”, I would immediately answer waffles. Then beer. The chocolate. Then French fries (despite the misnomer, I’m in the fries originated from Belgium camp). Then a big fat blank......

"Vive l'independance!" Sure, we just hoisted back a few brews, grilled up some meat eats, and set off our own rockets' red glare on the 4th of July, but for the French--or merely fans of--today is the day of celebration: Bastille Day, which commemorates France's national uprising and storming of the Bastille prison. (We love history, but we'd rather talk parties, so if you've an inquiring mind, hop on over here and we'll continue with......

No time to find that special someone? Check out HurryDate, a speed dating service that hosts parties at fun spots around the city. The set-up is pretty typical: you have brief one-on-ones with about a dozen "dates," and a whistle blow indicates it's time to move on to the next potential love connection. Everyone gets a scorecard to mark "yes" or "no" after each date's name, you enter that info. in the HurryDate website,......

At last week's Digital Hollywood, I spent a few moments speaking wih Don Rose, Editor in Chief of the LA Report on the subtle but important difference between the monikers "geek," "dork," "nerd" and "dweeb." Having probably been called each one of these at various points in my life, I concurred with Don that by far geeks are where it's at . And so I feel compelled to share one of LA's best kept......

- Howard Stern's regulars Rev. Bob Levy, Sal "Whaaaa I Fell Off The Stage" Governale, Richard Christy, Shuli, Yucko the Clown & Beetlejuice will grace LA with two shows in May. What, no fat Artie? Hi Fred - Killers of Comedy - Art Brut will be coming to the Troubadour on 4/2. Has he moved here yet? - Pitchfork - Jane Pratt outs Drew Barrymore by saying that she and Drew got it on......

When we read New York Times' vacation on Ventura Blvd. last fall, we were happy the Valley got noticed with better geography skills than our local news outlets. And ever since La Di Da in West Hollywood closed (probably 'cause someone [see previous link] said its neighborhood was Miracle Mile), nothing in LA has been able to impress like Misti Chamkunthod's Brie mac and cheese (you can find Misti at The Backstage in Culver......

Seriously, folks -- friends don't let friends sit through State of the Union addresses sober. In fact this year, we fear that the more SOBER you are, the more sick you might get. Here are a few SOTU drinking games to help keep it real. Play one or play them all. DrinkingGames.us: The State of the Union Drinking Game 2007 Notes: This long guide is very easy to reference but will undoubtedly require a......

In Pasadena, one block north of Orange Grove Blvd on Lake St., is fast-food heaven. Among the four corners sit five fast food joints: KFC, Carl's Jr., McDonald's, Roscoe's Chicken 'n Waffles, and Orean. What the hell is Orean?!!? Oh, it's a fast food vegetarian joint. From breakfast burritos to hot dogs and hamburgers, it's an all-American vegetarian fare. However, the food doesn't come too fast -- the service is at pace with a......

A bistro is a café that serves simple meals in a relaxed setting, the kind of place you can go where you don’t have to worry about meeting anyone’s expectations for relative fame or fashionable dress. My favorite places in L.A. this year generally fit this definition. 1. Pazzo Gelato (my review) Many of my friends look at the dessert menu before they even consider a main course, so let’s start there. After lunch......

In case you haven't noticed, the World Cup championship started Friday. This LAist plans to watch the Footballers Wives marathon on BBC America this weekend in preparation (did you know that Tanya has a blog?). A reader asks where Angelenos rooting for teams from countries outside of the Americas and the Caribbean can watch the games. Here's a list for starters. Where will you watch? 1. Hollywood Football hosts the World Cup Breakfast series......

It's been a while since LAist shared the dish on local food events, so we're doing our best to recoup and serve up a tasty mouthful of food tidbits today. Speaking of today, Planned Parenthood's Los Angeles Guild is hosting Food Fare 2006 today, and attendees will sample an assortment of local food and wines from 150 wineries, restaurants, and catering outfits to benefit PPLA’s Campaign for the Advancement of Reproductive Health. We're a......

Tonight, many Los Angeles-area restaurants join with OpenTable.com and the charitable organizations Share Our Strength and Windows of Hope to raise funds for relief efforts for victims of Hurricane Katrina. The following restaurants are slated to participate: 310 Lounge & Bistro, Asia de Cuba, Border Grill, Chaya Brasserie, Chaya Venice, Ciudad, Doug Arango’s, The Edendale Grill, Il Fornaio Manhattan Beach, Il Moro, Joe’s, Josie, La Cachette, L.A. Prime, Literati II, The Lobster, Locanda del......

Sunday marks the arrival of the 4th annual Taste of Santa Monica. From Noon until 4:00 tomorrow afternoon, attendees can stroll the Santa Monica Pier and experience a feast for the senses (we're guessing the sights and smells of food will overpower the sights and smells of the homeless, seagulls, fishermen, and tourists). 40 of Los Angeles' finest restaurants will be on hand to dish out samples, and there will be live music and......

We're not quite sure how a book satirizing and mocking a film studio but bought and published by the same film studio's book division is supposed to work but that didn't stop us from drinking as much free vodka as possible at Geisha House last night. Media Bistro and Miramax Books hosted a book release party for Rachel Pine and her novel, The Twins of Tribeca, a gossamer thin swipe at the house that......

Tomorrow is Bastille Day, and even though we're thousands of miles from France, we're feeling all warm and frenchy with the addition of Parisist to our family, and are ready to say "Vive La France!" LA style. We could always take an all-American and classic Angeleno approach, and celebrate with a picnic (with Brie, French bread, some chocolate, and plenty of French wine, bien sur) and a show at the Hollywood Bowl. Tomorrow night's......

Share our Strength's Taste of the Nation is an annual event aimed at raising money to fight hunger. With over 60 cities in the U.S. and Canada participating, the event uses the power of sponsorship and the generous donations of participating chefs and restaurants to ensure that 100% of the ticket price goes to the cause. The Los Angeles event is Sunday June 5th, and has two levels of support aimed at giving donors......

There are lots of comings and goings on the radio this week as Steve Harvey's morning show on The Beat signed off on Friday and Suicide Girls Radio joined the Indie 103 lineup over the weekend. Harvey's popular show continued to do well in the mornings but was very expensive to produce and failed in its efforts at syndication. Former Laker and Best Damn Sports Show correspondent John Salley took over the slot for......

We saw Sideways not too long ago, and realized that we were among the uncultured masses who thought wine was just alcoholic grape juice. Apparently there's a lot more going on, with the grapes, the aging, the acidity, the complexity of flavors, and so forth. In fact, knowing this stuff can help you pick a great wine, but without knowing what foods go best with it, well, you're just a hungry drunk. Fortunately, LA......

Los Angeles is a bright place. Some Angelenos embrace the region's light, while others scurry from it like a roach caught in the beam of the refrigerator's bulb at midnight. Whether you are a sun-worshipper or a vampire, though, sun is bad for you. When the rays are too much, we find solace in shady spots that cleverly use design elements to provide respite and relaxation (yes, we use sunglasses, hats and umbrellas too—but......

With all the nation's journalists taking a week's vacation to drink their faces off, LAist has been reduced to trolling through the CitySearch food rankings. Let's see who's leading the burger derby... 1. In-N-Out Burger (Sunset) 2. Tommy's (Beverly) 3. Apple Pan 4. Father's Office 5. Fatburger (3rd St.) Looks solid. In-N-Out on top, where it belongs. We'll take the heft of a double Fatburger with cheddar cheese over the Apple Pan any day of......