The bacon banh mi sandwich at Banh Mi Ba Le can be a curious specimen for those who might be expecting a more Western approach to bacon. To be sure, most people in America have probably never seen this Vietnamese take on the almighty pork belly, which at Banh Mi Ba Le features a bright [...]

Lots of barbecue places tend to be hit or miss, at least here in California. Everett and Jones is no different, although their misses are few and far between. I always get the pork ribs alongside the beef brisket, which is the “Two-Way” pictured above (typically, I request to have the sauce on the side, [...]

Bakesale Betty is one of those word-of-mouth, lightning-in-a-bottle lunch spots that might as well have a license to print money. Ironically, you might never even realize that the place was there, if it wasn’t for the line of people outside waiting to order their fried chicken sandwiches. The good news is that this lunch line [...]

Being from California, I’m not obligated to swear my allegiance to any one particular style of pizza. It’s a bit of a relief, really. The Chicagoans and the New Yorkers can wage their apples-versus-oranges debate for as long as they wish — that tired routine will never be resolved. In the meantime, I’m happy to mind [...]

The word “barbecue” has many different connotations in the culinary world, depending upon what you’re eating. I think for most people in the United States, “barbecue” implies cooking with smoke, whether it’s the short, intense heat from a real charcoal grill, or the tried-and-true, all-day, slow-and-low approach with a meat smoker. To be sure, most [...]

Last month, a weekend trip to Los Angeles reacquainted me with a couple of my old favorites, Paco’s Tacos on Centinela and Tito’s Tacos on Washington Boulevard. Angelinos have known about both of these places for years, and frankly, I mention them here only in homage, not as some great undiscovered secret. After all, the [...]

Last week, the quest for decent Cajun cuisine brought me to Angeline’s Louisiana Kitchen in Berkeley. I had first noticed this restaurant while perusing the neighborhood for used records and books (Telegraph Avenue has incredible stores for both). I was interested yet skeptical, wondering if any place in the shadows of Chez Panisse could possibly [...]