Newsletter: In search of snook, in praise of meatloaf
Welcome to springtime in Los Angeles: more sunny days, glorious farmers markets, a procession of taco trucks, and the prospect of great food and music in the desert. So this week we look at who will be cooking at Coachella next month, what produce is in season and thus at your neighborhood farmers markets, plus a rare pear that’s finally on the shelves at local grocery stores. It’s also been a time of more changes in this town’s dining scene, including the end of chef Andy Ricker’s L.A. Pok Pok project in Chinatown, plus an upgrade to a longtime Grand Central Market favorite.
This week, Jonathan also checks in on not one but four restaurants in a quest for snook. This is chef Sergio Peñuelas’ near-legendary and seriously addictive Mexican grilled fish dish, which comes in the form of a sheet pan or a platter — depending on when and where you’ve ordered your pescado zarandeado — that has migrated from kitchen to kitchen with the chef. If grilled fish isn’t your thing, then we have meatloaf, lots and lots of meatloaf, as well as a story on the post-rain state of this state’s Central Valley vineyards, plus a video and recipe for a pretty great chicken cheeseburger fashioned by chef Curtis Stone.
In search of snook
If you’ve been to Coni’Seafood, the Mexican fish and shrimp restaurant in Inglewood that’s a staple on the 101 Best Restaurant’s list, then you’ll doubtless have ordered the snook, also known as the pescado zarandeado, a fantastic whole grilled fish. This week Jonathan considers the snook at not only that restaurant, but three others where chef Sergio Peñuelas has cooked the legendary dish.
Creative loafing
Meatloaf is serious comfort food but it often gets overlooked in the way other comfort food doesn’t — you can find tricked-out or upscale versions of fried chicken and mac and cheese on restaurant menus, while meatloaf gets relegated to diner counters. Test Kitchen Director Noelle Carter talks to New York Times op-ed writer Frank Bruni, who has just written a whole book about meatloaf, and offers some pretty great recipes for the dish herself.
9 meatloaf sandwiches
If you grew up with your meatloaf served in slices, on a plate with ketchup, mashed potatoes and, if you were lucky, something green, then you might be surprised to find the stuff between two slices of bread. But many diners and coffee shops around town make pretty terrific meatloaf sandwiches. Noelle checks out nine of them, including one at Bay Cities Italian Deli — because sometimes it’s good to get a sandwich there that isn’t the Godmother (or maybe get one of each).
Central Coast vineyards in the rain
It has been raining, finally, which means that our drought has been helped, our deserts are in bloom — and our vineyards are getting some hugely needed relief. Wine writer Patrick Comiskey checks out some of the vineyards and talks with growers in the Central Coast about what the wet weather means for their grapes, and their wines.
How to make a chicken cheeseburger
Watching chefs play with their food is a lot of fun, especially when the mash-up is not only of ingredients, but of the chefs themselves. Lately the folks on the NoMad food truck have been letting Australian chef Curtis Stone (Maude, Gwen) onboard to make a killer chicken cheeseburger — with black truffle pâté, smoked bacon, sauerkraut. If you can’t make it to the truck, you can make the burger yourself, as Deputy Food Editor Jenn Harris got the recipe.
The Los Angeles Times Food Bowl: Want to spend 31 days exploring the food of this city through a Night Market, forums, dinners, films, pop-ups and more dining and drinking? A month-long food festival is coming to L.A. in May.
Food for Soul: As part of the Food Bowl festival, join chefs Massimo Bottura, Roy Choi, Dominque Crenn, Mary Sue Milliken and Mario Batali for a conversation about how we can turn the issue of food waste into a solution for global hunger. Hosted by Jonathan Gold, at the Ace Hotel on May 5 at 6 p.m. Information and tickets here.
The Daily Meal, the food and drink website under the editorial direction of Colman Andrews, is now one of our partners. Check out their 101 best pizzas in America and other stories, recipes and videos.
Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants, the authoritative annual guide to local dining, is online for subscribers and now features his 2016 Best Restaurants. If you didn’t get a copy of the booklet, you can order one online here.
Check us out on Instagram @latimesfood
Check out the thousands of recipes in our Recipe Database.
Feedback? We’d love to hear from you. Email us at food@latimes.com.
Sign up for The Wild
We’ll help you find the best places to hike, bike and run, as well as the perfect silent spots for meditation and yoga.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
