Lucques

Every spirit has its own personality. Vodka is bright and cheerful; tequila is sensual and a bit sloppy; gin is no-nonsense and driven; rum is reckless and bold. Then there's whiskey. Whiskey is sexy and sullen and a bit mean. It's a spirit that plays...

When it comes to dreaming about a perfect Mother’s Day, Los Angeles’ top chefs turn out to be just like working moms everywhere -- sleep and perfectly behaved children are at the top of the list. Suzanne Goin is chef and owner at Lucques,...

The great opera and theater director Peter Sellars draped a chain of Lithuanian amber around his neck for PreCognito, something he does, he said, only for very special occasions.  That special occasion, Thursday’s gala dinner, celebrated the Santa...

The James Beard Foundation Awards -- the Academy Awards of the food world -- were distributed Monday night in New York, and it was a victory for women but a shutout for Southern California. The winner for outstanding chef, the last award in a long,...

Jonathan Gold, the Los Angeles Times’ Pulitzer Prize-winning restaurant critic and self-proclaimed “belly of Los Angeles,” is selecting his 101 favorite restaurants for a special section to be published in The Times on May 23. And if...

So what makes the ultimate grilled cheese sandwich? Is it the type of cheese? Bread? And, well, is bread even necessary? We checked with the experts at the Los Angeles Times Food section, asking each to describe what constitutes the ultimate grilled...

Caroline Styne and chef Suzanne Goin opened Lucques together in 1998. A.O.C. soon followed, and a while later, Tavern. Both partners are very hands-on, Goin in the kitchen and Styne in the front of the house. Styne also puts the wine lists together and...

This seems to be the week for lists. Not only did the James Beard Foundation release the first round of nominations for its restaurant awards Tuesday, but longtime GQ restaurant critic Alan Richman announced his choices for the 12 best restaurants of...

The new A.O.C., located in the space that was until recently Il Covo on West 3rd Street, opens on Wednesday. Suzanne Goin and business partner Caroline Styne, owners of Lucques, Tavern and the Larder at Maple Drive, decided last year to move the decade-...

What you think about Cortez is going to depend in large part on what you think about crowds, and noise, and screechy jazz, about well-meaning servers who are slightly impatient with the idea of service, and about spending most of an hour leaning up...

DineLA's restaurant week returns from Jan. 21 to Feb. 1, with prix fixe lunch and dinner menus from more than 250 restaurants across the area. It's a good time to try those restaurants that have been on your radar, but might be a little out of your...

For more than 20 years, Campanile has played an important role in shaping the cuisine of Southern California and beyond, not just through its menu but also through the many graduates of its kitchen. Among these are: Govind Armstrong, chef and co-owner of...