A meal out of history, babka love, Christmas Caesar, Kismet’s cheesy pickle-and-greens dip, ranking the best and worst chicken tenders, a Somni sneak peek, why Trump’s no-tax-on-tips may not help many restaurant servers and a note about illnesses following the 101 Best Restaurants in L.A. party. Reading from the family’s diaries, she described the preparations for the visit, and the …
Beatrice Ughi’s Italian connection. At every spot is a plate of pasta cooked with Salsa Pianogrillo — “the best ready-to-use tomato sauce we’ve ever tried,” says Gustiamo’s website copy. But the Gustiamo product I think about most is the Noto Romano variety of almond that Sicily chef Corrado Assenza helped save from extinction — a story detailed in the pastry …
Sandwich heaven in L.A. and Italy. Luca Bartoccioni operates Il Pizzicagnolo di Bartoccioni from a closet-size kitchen on the Piazza Plebiscito inside the walls of Città della Pieve — birthplace of the region’s great painter Pietro Vannucci, better known as Perugino. No matter which of Bartoccioni’s sandwich combinations you order — some traditional, others his own invention — your panini …
Laurie Ochoa is general manager of Food at the Los Angeles Times. She has won two James Beard Awards for her food writing, and the cookbook she co-wrote, “Nancy Silverton’s Breads From the La Brea Bakery,” was nominated for an IACP Julia Child Cookbook Award and a James Beard Cookbook Award. L.A. Times Food includes ongoing coverage at latimes.com/food and …