Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese for “Big Kids” at Panera

One of the first menus that come to mind when thinking about winter foods is a crispy, grilled cheese sandwich paired with a warm bowl of tomato soup.  Panera puts a grown-up spin on both with their Vegetarian Tomato Soup and Big Kids Grilled Cheese sandwich.

New Food and Beverage Discoveries at the Western Foodservice and Hospitality Expo

The Western Foodservice and Hospitality Expo is an annual conference which caters to food service suppliers and restaurants.  It was held August 12-14 in the Anaheim Convention Center.  Our correspondent, Bryan, had an opportunity to attend the conference to report on the latest in food trends.  Read on for details….

Valentine’s Menus for South Bay Sweeties

When couples make plans for Valentine’s Day, a romantic dinner is often the focus of their celebration.  Fortunately, there are many options for love-struck diners in the South Bay.  Here are just a few of them!

Fried Cheese-Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms

I’ve eaten flowers before, usually as an accent or decoration on a salad or with sushi.  I’ve also seen them at markets and not known what to do with them.  A little bit of foodie edutainment, however, gave me the insight on a very easy and tasty dish featuring flowers.

National Grilled Cheese Month Comes to a Delicious End

Who comes up with these crazy “themes of the month” anyway?  Better yet, who cares!? 🙂 I made it just under the wire for National Grilled Cheese month.  Foodies across the states have been celebrating all month.  There’s even a Grilled Cheese Invitational where sandwich makers and chefs vie for the title of the best […]

Making Gourmet Burgers at Home

There are so many great places in LA where you can get a gourmet burger made to order.  Some of my favorites – The Counter, Houston’s, and numerous diners around the South Bay – are well worth the visit.

But these days, I’m finding it harder and harder to shell out $10 or more for a burger and fries at these places.  I’m even thinking twice about the $5 #2 “animal style” at In-N-Out!

To get over my hamburger-centric economic angst, I decided to do gourmet burgers at home.