Photo: Justine Warrington

​Why should it be believed that only a man's stomach is the gateway to his heart? Women just as easily -- perhaps more easily -- get their fires lit by a man who cooks. And if the guy's really smart about it, he can parlay that spark from kitchen to the bedroom.

If you need help figuring out exactly what recipes will help this process along, consider L.A.-based food writer Mona Holmes' blog Cook This...Get Laid, a resource for men on how to use food to, well, get some.

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Flickr/Lauren Manning

​In which we highlight the past week in food, either at home or abroad.

• "Is it a deadly bludgeon in the war against the atrocities of Fresh-Mex, Mission burritos or food-court wraps? Not quite." Where Does a Restaurant Critic Go When He's Not on the Clock?


• "Hallelujah!" Mexicali Taco & Co. to Open Restaurant.


• "Peak occupancy is hours away, bartenders are available for information and conversation, and if you're in the right place, the beer you adore is cheaper than at any other time." Top 5 Craft Beer Happy Hours in Los Angeles.


• "If there were beer pubs approaching Lazy Ox, Night + Market, Gorbals, M.B. Post or Waterloo & City in Denver in 1991, you probably wouldn't be living in Los Angeles." What's With All the Beer Pubs?
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Amy Scattergood, short attention span dinner theatre, week in review

Flickr/Lauren Manning

​In which we highlight the past week in food, either at home or abroad.

• "I'm not sure that what you're looking for exists." Bouillabaisse: Meant for the Poor, Now for the Rich.


• "And so, he borrowed the three-inch rock from an 'American collector' and tossed it in a barrel full of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes as it fermented for 12 months." Meteorito Wine Is Out of This World, Literally.


• "But before he's opening anything, the chef is going to Spain. Of course he is." Chef Evan Funke Leaving Rustic Canyon: Spain + A New Project.


• "What other medical miracles might this smoky, salty elixir accomplish? Treat erectile dysfunction? Cure cancer? Maybe Paula Deen should try it for her diabetes." The Bacon Tampon: Doctors Find Salt Pork Stops Nosebleeds.
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Amy Scattergood, short attention span dinner theatre, week in review

Anna the Red

summer Totoro

​Cuteness is the mother of invention, and Totoro is the proof. The mythical creature with the lovable paunch and adorable expression from Hayao Miyazaki's anime film My Neighbor Totoro has inspired countless spinoffs. We mean the kind you can hold in your hand -- backpacks to booties and pillows to pens. But our favorites are the edible varieties created by Anna the Red. Her bento boxes, pancakes, cream puffs and other foods made in the image of Totoro (and other characters) are detailed, whimsical, and mouth-watering.

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Flickr user the_junes / CC 2.0

Steve Albini plays in the band Shellac

​Crotchety genius Steve Albini* has a food blog. It's called Mario Batali Voice. Why? As Albini explains it on the blog: "This is what I made Heather for dinner. The name comes from the way I bring her food in bed and present it to her using an imitation of Mario Batali's voice from TV. When she posted pictures of her dinner on her Facebook I would write a little description and conclude it with the tag (/mariobatalivoice)." ("Heather" is his wife, Heather Whinna.)

Albini proves he's not only a gifted musician and record producer, he's also a good food writer -- though his mom thinks he's getting a little too precious with it. (Talk about a triple-threat.) Although Albini says he only owns two skillets: a "steel line cook's item I bought at a restaurant supply shop 20 years ago" and an iron skillet, he has an adventurous palate and an appetite for describing his culinary attempts. In most posts, he recounts with his laconic, dry wit what he makes for dinner and how he makes it.

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Flickr/Lauren Manning

​In which we highlight the past week in food, either at home or abroad.

• "Ike-san was never a flashy sushi chef, but he was beloved for his skill at the early-morning fish markets, and his ability to less cut fish than to coax it into its ideal form." Sushi Kimagure Ike: Pasadena's Best Sushi Bar Ever?


• "Next comes the best part: deep-frying!" 5 Paula Deen Desserts Not to Try if You're Diabetic: Or, Adventures in Schaden-fried.


• "And at Pee-Wee Herman's playhouse, it's pancakes, eggs, bacon, and Mr. T's cereal via a nifty Rube Goldberg breakfast machine that involves no less than a few whirling fans, a life-sized model of Abraham Lincoln doubling as flapjack flipper, and a toy skeleton pterodactyl swooping down to drop bread off into the toaster." 10 Best Breakfast Spots in Los Angeles.


• "In discussing this difference in frequency, sushi is the first casualty." L.A.'s Idea of Japanese Food vs. What Japanese Really Eat.
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Amy Scattergood, short attention span dinner theatre, week in review

Evelyn J. Henriquez

Amy T. Shuster

​Angelenos often drive across town for food -- say, to the San Gabriel Valley for dumplings, Artesia for samosas, East Hollywood for pad thai, Melrose Ave. for celebrity-chef creations, or Venice for burgers on the boardwalk. Amy T. Shuster says we should also frequent the restaurants close to home, wherever that may be, and support our own communities. Her determination to support local, independent businesses drives her blog, Backyard Bite. We talked with Shuster about her dining-local philosophy, blogging style, and background as a food-lover and Chicagoan-turned-Angeleno.

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Flickr/Lauren Manning

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In which we highlight the past week in food, either at home or abroad.

• "You probably should get a "garlic knot," which here is a hollow sphere of pizza dough, tied at the top with string and stuffed with a handful of baked garlic cloves -- it's the new-new thing, the first worthy food-fetish object of the new year. I want one right now!" Milo and Olive: 3rd Wave Pizza + Empire-building in Santa Monica.


• "Gill soon became Dale's disciple and Oskar Blues' west coast ambassador, preaching the gospel of canned beer to the unwashed masses from the top of a recreational vehicle." Golden Road Brewing Introduces Craft Beer Cans to L.A. County.


• "Behind every great taco, there's an even greater burrito." 9 Best Burritos in Los Angeles.


• "Although there is something to be said for having your own tiny chemistry lab in plastic wrap." Maker of Twinkies to File for Chapter 11: More Food News for Hoarders.
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The Domestic Scientist

The Deathwing cake!

​What happens when your encounter the Deathwing in the massively popular role-playing game World Of Warcraft: Cataclysm? It's a dragon that rains flaming death from above. You die, your raid party dies, and the entire virtual world feels its wrath. Back in the meat world, you can take revenge by baking the Deathwing cake and eating it too.

Meet full-time mom, amateur cake-baker, and Huntsville, Alabama-based blogger Renée White of The Domestic Scientist who'll share some tips for crafting your own World of Warcraft-inspired cake.

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Elizabeth Leitzell

Adam Roberts, "The Amateur Gourmet"

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Adam Roberts is one of those food blogger-turned-published authors whose success makes the rest of us drool. He created his blog, "The Amateur Gourmet," in 2004 while studying law at Emory University. "I'd come home from a long day of law school, my brain would be fried, and the only thing I could tolerate on TV was Food Network," Roberts explains in a post. Determined to learn about food and cooking, he began blogging to document his education. In 2007, Roberts published The Amateur Gourmet: How To Shop, Chop & Table-Hop Like A Pro (Almost). The Food Network took note and hired Roberts to host online shows. Salon.com, The Huffington Post, The Epicurious EpiLog and Food & Wine solicited articles. And another cookbook is due in the fall.

What else is on the horizon? Adjusting to life in Los Angeles after a recent move from New York. In an email-interview we asked Roberts about L.A. dining experiences, plans for eating here, and the craft of food writing.

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