Issue 12 — An Easy Bake Oven for Adults 🍳 Restaurant Openings 🍽 + Beans🫘

Are hot girls going to rally behind canned beans like they did for tinned fish?

Jun 13, 2023

Capri Club turned one last weekend! Happy b-day Bobby! Artist, Marianna Fierro made prints of their iconic cocktails to celebrate. LOVE 🍹

I made it on Fish Wife Tok doing what I’m usually doing, drinking a dirty martini. 🍸🐟

Taco Bell just released a vegan version of the crunch wrap supreme — only avail at the 6741 Hollywood Blvd location 🌮

Animal closed. TBH, I never went… but this feels like a big deal.

Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s is taking other celebrities out to dinner for his new podcast. So far he’s chatted with Julie Bowen at République, Kristen Bell at Little Dom’s + Nancy Nash-Betts at Gasolina Cafe. 🎧🍝

I blended a frozen banana with coffee because I saw it on tiktok, and it was actually so good (I know my pic doesn’t look that appetizing…) just try it and lmk. 🍌☕️

Los Angeles Won Big at the 2023 James Beard Awards: 🏆

Margarita Manzke (République + so many more) Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker (This was Margarita’s 6th time as a finalist!)
Anajak Thai’s Justin Pichetrungsi for Best Chef: West
Ototo for Outstanding Wine or Other Beverages
Here’s the on-going James Beard drama if you’re interested...

6 Los Angeles Restaurants That Just Got Added to the Michelin Guide (this is different from receiving a Michelin star ⭐️ btw)

Avner Levi’s Cento Pasta Bar in West Adams
Southeast Asian spot Cobi’s in Santa Monica
swanky seafood paradise Dear Jane’s in Marina del Rey
chef Brian Dunsmoor’s namesake restaurant in Glassell Park
French stunner Juliet in Culver City
+ chef Victor Villa’s Villa’s Tacos in Highland Park

Our Place just launched their first ever appliance🍳

Remember when they just sold pans?

Introducing the Wonder Oven: 6-in-1 air fryer and toaster oven with steam infusion. Like an easy bake oven, but for adults. Air fry. Bake. Toast. Roast. Reheat. Broil … and preheat in less than two and a half minutes. Maybe this is why I never got any air fryer all this time. It’s almost as if I knew a more attractive option was going to hit the market…

I also love these new tongs that just dropped. Wish I could buy them separately 👀

NEW Spots—

Frogtown is getting a new Wine Bar as early as this month 🍷 🐸 — brought to you by Justine, of vegan bakery Just What I Kneaded!

P.S. Some of JWIK’s new savory menu items look fun. Baja Style Tofu tacos, Smallhold Mushroom Tacos, + Bagel sammies)

The Found Oyster Team will be unveiling their newest addition, Queen St. on York in Highland Park very sooon! I am so excited for this one. It will be “a little bit grander” than Found Oyster and will focus on the foodways of Charleston and the coastal American south. “Shellfish, ETC” 🦪

Queen St.

Queen St. on Instagram: “Enjoying the local specialties”

June 8, 2023

Speaking of last word hospitality group…

Shin’s Pizza is going in next to Barra Santos — “The plan is to offer inexpensive slices (created by chef López of next-door Barra Santos) and seasonal sides and salads with pan-Asian flavors like roasted squash with togarashi oil or Chinese broccoli with gochujang.” I’m stoked. 🍕

Other spots on my list:

Yess (Japanese Seafood, Arts District)

Baar Baar (high-end Indian, Downtown)

Monarch (Chinese, Arcadia) *I have a feeling this place looks better than it tastes, but I’d be down to check it out. 🦋

Gram Cafe + Pancakes (Japanese Souffle Pancakes, Monterey Park)

Planta (Vegan, Marina Del Rey)

Amiga Amore (Italian Mexican, Highland Park)

Lots of people seem to be hyped on Funke, but a multilevel Italian restaurant in Beverly Hills just isn’t really my vibe. (love Felix though!)

Beans have entered the chat.

Heyday is selling canned beans in their own seasoned sauce — ready presto pronto. Better hot, but already cooked so of course you can just get your spoon in there if you’re camping or something.

I had a feeling these were going to be good, but they’re really good. I’ve only tried the Tomato Alla Vodka so far.🥫Just threw the whole can in a pan to heat ‘em, and garnished with a little Brightland Pizza Oil drizzle. They were perfect for a gloomy day. At $5 bucks a pop, I’ll definitely be re-purchasing. I think I’ll try the coconut curry next! 👀

The bean aisle is still antiquated — Amy’s, Goya, refried beans + private label have been quietly dominating for years. As Dan points out in this podcast (fast forward to 43:55), yeah, the bean buyer at Whole Foods was probably stoked to have something new to roll out.

Like tinned fish, canned beans are profoundly uncool (maybe aside from Rancho Gordo). If anyone is going to change that, it’s Heyday. We all saw Fish Wife become a lifestyle brand, creating an entire a community around their product. Many, including me, rallied behind the phrase, ‘Hot Girls Eat Tinned Fish’.

Do you think the same could happen with canned beans? Will they finally be able to drop the ‘Beans beans the magical fruit…’ and move on to ‘canned, but never bland’?

Hot Takes + Half Baked Thoughts

Reservations are out. Dinner parties are in.

No one actually buys Ghia, it just appears.

‘Mortadella’ is going to end up on the trending baby lists soon.

Buying a reservation is the tackiest thing you could do.

Complimentary bread is making a comeback.

The owner of Flamingo Estate laughs every time you buy something from them. 💩

It’s truly a CRIME I haven’t been back to Loreto yet.

This issue is a day behind schedule because I hosted my first event Sunday night! (That’s usually the time I block out to write these).

I put together a blind tasting spread for a bunch of my friends at Tac-tile Mountain. We had some really interesting revelations that I’m excited to share with you soon!