Facebook/Milk Jar Cookies

Cookies from Milk Jar Cookies

In spite of, or perhaps because of, all the cupcakes and whoopie pies, Courtney Cowan and husband Adam Tiller opened Milk Jar Cookies this past Tuesday. Their Mid-Wilshire cookie shop offers up to 14 flavors -- all Cowan's recipes -- at a time, such as cinnamon sugar and white chocolate raspberry.

A Tollhouse recipe for chocolate chip cookies got Cowan started on the track to developing her own recipes in her teens, and she's tweaked them over the years.

"I started to work on it once I was old enough to understand [that] there's a chemistry to baking. I remember the day we were out of baking soda. That was the day I learned about leavening agents," she says.

More »

M.A.K.E.

Drink your veggies at Matthew Kinney's new juice bar M.A.K.E. Out.

Something about springtime makes Angelenos long for a healthier lifestyle. Perhaps the constant Victoria's Secret commercials, or research claiming junk food will kill a man's sperm. Whatever it is, more juice bars and macrobiotic foods have arrived, namely at new restaurants including Shojin, M.A.K.E. Out, LYFE and others.

While some are trying to be healthy, others are enjoying dumplings, smoked hocks, creamy grits, sweet tea, crab soup and other decadent, country-style fare thanks to Govind Armstrong's Willie Jane in Venice.

Bringing more carbs to downtown L.A. (in the FIG at 7th Center) is Mendocino Farms, opening April 2. Read on for a full list of March openings and closures:

More »

M.A.K.E.

New juice line

M.A.K.E. Out, a new juice and snack bar, is opening today as an extension of Matthew Kenney's raw foods restaurant M.A.K.E. at Santa Monica Place's The Market. With items ranging between $2 and $12, the menu is composed of a seasonal selection of fresh juices and smoothies made from ingredients found at the nearby thrice-a-week Santa Monica Farmers Market.

More »

Miles Morin

Tortelloni at Crossroads

Tal Ronnen has had a busy week, first with the grand opening of LYFE Kitchen in Culver City last Friday and now Crossroads in Beverly Grove. Whereas Ronnen was a consultant for LYFE, he's both chef and partner at Crossroads. Unlike the fast casual concept behind LYFE Kitchen, Crossroads is designed to be a fine dining establishment.

More »

Facebook/Burger Lounge

Smokey Wild Boar Burger

Can Los Angeles be considered an unofficial burger capital of the U.S.? It wouldn't be a tough argument to make. We have plenty of burger joints: Apple Pan, Hawkins House of Burgers, In-N-Out, Father's Office, Rick's, Pie'n'Burger, and Earlez Grille, to name a handful. Next week, two burger joints -- one chain and the other borne from one -- will be expanding the roster.

More »

LYFE Kitchen

Roasted Loch Duart Salmon at LYFE Kitchen

LYFE (an acronym for Love Your Food Everyday) Kitchen opened in Downtown Culver City on Feb. 25, in the former Gyenari location. Featuring an eco, health, social and somewhat budget conscious dining concept, LYFE has two of McDonald's top executives, Michael Donahue and Mike Roberts, at the helm. (Editor's note: That line you've been seeing stretching around the block is for lunch, not concert tickets.)

Tonight is the restaurant's grand opening, bringing out Roberts, Culver City's mayor Andy Weissman, chefs Art Smith and Tal Ronen, two-time Super Bowl champion Troy Polamalu and Olympic Gold Medalist Janet Evans, among others.

More »

Justin Baker

Mole at Corazon y Miel

Eduardo Ruiz, formerly of Animal, introduced the city of Bell to Corazon y Miel (Spanish for "Heart and Honey") last Friday with partners Travis Hoffacker and Robin Chopra. Ruiz created a menu based on influences from Central and South American cuisines, in addition to recipes inspired by family and friends -- see the current menu below.

More »

Christine Chiao

Bread pudding at Ramekin

Soft-launched on Feb. 23, Ramekin has opened its double glass doors to the public -- with most of its many desserts served in, you guessed it, ramekins.

Paul Yoo and Jason Park's menu of ice cream, sorbets, and baked-to-order desserts are made in-house, from as many organic, local and non-GMO ingredients as possible.

More »

Photo by Amy Scattergood

Tacos Punta Cabras opens in Santa Monica

February was a big month for restaurant openings: Umami Burger continued to grow its empire with a $20 million dollar acquisition and a 14th location in Pasadena. On a smaller scale, Josh Gil and Daniel Snukal opened Tacos Punta Cabras in Santa Monica. The tiny taqueria replaces Utopia Cafe.

After nearly two years of construction, Caffé Vita finally opened in Silver Lake, next to Rudy's Barbershop. Founded in Seattle in 1995, Caffé Vita is one of the most prominent independent coffee shops in the Pacific Northwest; the Silver Lake location is the cafe's first outpost in California.

In more opening news, pop-up Barbershop Ristorante Italiano from chef Walter el Nagar (La Botte) and partner Mario Vollera (Piccolo Venice) found a permanent home in the former A.O.C space on West Third Street.

Sadly, there will be no more tea sipping tea or macaron munching at Jin Patisserie. Sunday, March 24 is Kristy Choo's last day in business. So, soak up the charm of Jin's Abbot Kinney patio while you still can. Also closing this month is Bahooka Ribs & Grog, a Tiki-themed restaurant in Rosemead. Others to add to the recently departed list are Papaya King in Hollywood and Pici Enoteca and El Torito Grill in Beverly Hills. Read on for a full February list of openings and closures:

More »

800 Degrees

A new 800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria will set up its wood-burning oven in Santa Monica this fall, just a little over a year after the first one opened its doors in Westwood Village. Slated for a 5,000-square-feet space at 120 Wilshire Boulevard, the latest outpost will feature a take-out area and a deli offering "hot and cold Italian sandwiches on pizza dough bread baked in the wood-burning oven" in addition to the pizzeria. Just as relevant to their guests, there will also be a parking lot with up to 90 spaces. (Editor's note: You try parking in Westwood, especially if you're really hungry. Right.)

More »