Eater Takes Max & Helen's Heat, New York Times Declares LA's "Essential" Dishes & Echo Park Survives The LA Food Pod Bar Crawl. Plus, Mirate/Daisy Margarita Bar's Max Reis on Mezcal & More.

Los Angeles shows out in a big way as the 2026 James Beard finalists are announced—and for once, it actually feels like the city is getting its due. We break down the biggest headlines, who got snubbed, and whether the Beards still mean what they used to for LA and fine dining at large.Then, we dive into the growing backlash against fine dining, sparked by Khushbu Shah’s viral Substack and a New York Times piece on kitchen culture. Is the model broken, or just overdue for evolution?In Chef’s Kiss / Big Miss, we react to Bill Esparza’s “bagels are just bread” take, a new South Asian hand roll concept in Lomita, and the case for “middle-aged restaurants”—the spots that have outlasted the hype and might actually be at their peak.In Part 2, Chef Brian Bornemann of Crudo e Nudo joins to talk about building one of LA’s most compelling restaurants from a pandemic pop-up, why the traditional restaurant model doesn’t work, and how local seafood—and smaller fish like sardines and mackerel—fits into the future of dining.--Presented by the wine geniuses at mva.wine. Subscribe to this totally unique wine collective to discover wines that don't typically make it to the US. First 20 people to use the code LAFOOD get $50 off their first collection.

On this episode of The LA Food Podcast, Luca checks in from Las Vegas in full Uncut Gems mode while Father Sal returns for a chaotic, no-holds-barred Q&A episode.You asked, we answered. We’re talking everything from which LA food influencers are completely full of shit, why certain “terrible” restaurants stay packed, and how to actually navigate tipping culture in 2026, to deeper cuts like underrated LA chefs, Mexican breakfast standouts, and whether LA food media ignores entire regions of the city. We also get into real-life dilemmas like bad restaurant recommendations, ordering disasters, and yes, Luca’s advice on finding a wife.On Chef’s Kiss / Big Miss, the biggest stories in LA food get the treatment. A San Gabriel Valley institution is forced to pull its iconic stinky tofu after neighborhood complaints, sparking a larger conversation about culture, identity, and who gets to “smell” in Los Angeles. The Horses saga returns as Will Aghajanian denies the now-infamous cat-killing allegations in a bizarre and headline-grabbing interview. Meanwhile, the Noma Los Angeles fallout continues to spiral, with conflicting accounts around a viral abuse story complicating an already explosive situation. Plus, we break down the wild new Dodger Stadium menu, including bone marrow tacos and loco moco, and highlight Night Out for No Kid Hungry, one of LA’s biggest food events of the year. (Use code LUCA20 for a discount!)In Part 2, we’re joined by world-class pizza chef Daniele Uditi live from Pizza Expo in Las Vegas. We dive into his latest project, Lele Dinner Club, and get into a full-on pizza myth-busting session. Should pizza have no flop? Is Neapolitan pizza supposed to be soupy? And are people crazy for expecting a dollar slice to still cost a dollar?If you care about LA food, pizza culture, or just want brutally honest takes on the restaurant world, this one’s for you.--Also don't forget you can discover amazing wines by subscribing to MVA.wine - use code LAFOOD for $50 off the first collection (first 20 listeners only!)

Today on The LA Food Podcast, James Beard Award-winning author, restaurateur, and longtime Angeleno Noah Galuten joins as guest co-host for a wide-ranging conversation on LA’s past, present, and future as a food city.In a moment where the restaurant world is dominated by headlines around René Redzepi and Noma, we take a different approach. Instead of focusing on controversy, we draft our Mount Rushmore of Los Angeles chefs—asking a deceptively simple question: who actually changed the game? Not just the best chefs, but the ones who reshaped how LA eats, cooks, and thinks about food. The result is a competitive, snake-style draft filled with legacy picks, bold calls, and a few names that might spark debate.We also dig into recent meals across the city, including Bistro Na’s, Loreto in Frogtown, and Secret Pizza, before diving into Noah’s career. From his early days running the influential food blog Man Bites World, to helping define some of LA’s most important restaurants of the 2010s, to his upcoming cookbook Grill Time, Noah shares how he’s built a career at the intersection of media, restaurants, and storytelling.In Chef’s Kiss / Big Miss, we break down some of the biggest conversations shaping the food world right now:A Helen Rosner take on whether you can separate art from the artist in the wake of NomaThe rise of LA’s pop-up culture and whether it’s sustainable long-termCelebrities stepping into chef roles at events like the OscarsThe growing presence of global restaurant brands entering Los AngelesAnd a wild slate of new Taco Bell menu items for 2026Plus, we kick things off with listener feedback and what might be the early stages of a beef with one of LA’s most iconic food publications.--Presented by mva.wine. To learn more about becoming a member of the mva.wine community and receiving regular access to incredible wines you won't find anywhere else, visit mva.wine/subscribe - first 20 people to sign up using code "LAFOOD" receive $50 off.

This week on The LA Food Podcast, Luca Servodio and Karen Palmer break down the biggest restaurant industry story of the year: the escalating Noma scandal surrounding chef René Redzepi and the $1,500-per-person Noma pop-up in Los Angeles.Following a bombshell New York Times investigation into abuse and labor practices at Noma, protests erupted in LA led by former Noma fermentation director Jason Ignacio White. Sponsors pulled out, demonstrators gathered outside the Paramour Estate, and Redzepi ultimately announced he would step away from Noma’s day-to-day operations. Luca and Karen unpack what happened, why this moment hit differently than past allegations, and what it means for the future of fine dining, kitchen culture, and restaurant labor. Before diving into the controversy, the hosts share their latest LA restaurant recs and recent eats, including meals at Republique, 88 Club, Bell’s in Los Alamos, Pinyon in Ojai, and more.Then in Part 2, you’ll hear audio from the Noma protest press conference in Los Angeles, where organizers laid out demands including leadership change, worker reparations, and broader industry reforms addressing unpaid labor and abusive kitchen culture. All that, plus Chef’s Kiss / Big Miss covering LA Times popcorn nostalgia, the rise of the San Luis Obispo Coast wine region, Expo West’s protein-everything food trend, and drama inside the world of food media.--Presented by mva.wine. Subscribe to you first collection to discover unique wines that are meticulously selected and rarely (if ever) seen in LA. First 20 people to become members using code "LAFOOD" receive $50 off at check-out.

A new podcast is hitting the LA Food Podcast feed.Welcome to the debut episode of Couch Potatoes: A Food TV Podcast. To kick things off, Luca Servodio and Father Sal are joined by Bits Nicholas of Compliments to the Chef to preview Top Chef Season 23 and hold the first ever Fantasy Top Chef Draft for 2026.The twist? It’s Team LA Food Podcast vs Team Compliments to the Chef. Each side drafts chefs from the new season and will compete all season long to see whose picks dominate the competition.Along the way the crew breaks down the Season 23 cast, early favorites, potential dark horses, and which chefs could flame out early. If you’re a Top Chef diehard, a Bravo fan, or just love food TV debates, this is the ultimate pre-season preview.New episodes of Couch Potatoes will cover the biggest moments from Top Chef and the wider world of food television.

Matt Rodbard of This Is TASTE joins Luca Servodio as guest co-host on The LA Food Podcast for a wide-ranging conversation about the future of food media, restaurant discovery, and what’s happening right now in the LA dining scene.They dig into Rodbard’s recent interviews with Emma Orlow of Caper Media and David Cho of the restaurant discovery app Postcard, exploring the idea of “post-traffic” food media, whether apps like Beli and Postcard change how we discover restaurants, and what the next generation of food TV might look like.Plus, Matt and Luca break down their recent eats around LA — including Sqirl’s new dinner service, Max & Helen’s, Erewhon, Holbox, and brunch at Mirate in Los Feliz — before diving into the return of everyone’s favorite segment: Chef’s Kiss or Big Miss.On the table this week:• The Serving Spoon winning the James Beard America’s Classics Award• Whether media like the New York Times shapes what diners order• Restaurants getting paid to switch reservation platforms• And the internet’s newest meme: The Pitt, but set during a Waffle House night shiftIf you care about restaurants, food media, and how we discover what to eat next, this one’s for you.

Father Sal records his final episode as a bachelor, we launch our new Couch Potatoes Top Chef recap series, and then we head straight to Santa Monica for one of the most ambitious meals in Los Angeles: SELINE.Chef Dave Beran’s winter tasting menu is structured around the idea of “outside” and “inside” — cold, memory, warmth, progression. We break down the sunflower sequence disguised as cod, the venison tartare that had us laughing mid-bite, the short rib slider moment, and whether SELINE is already operating at a Michelin-star level.Then we zoom out.We unpack the James Beard Foundation’s State of the Restaurant Industry report, produced with Deloitte, and talk about what it actually says: volatility as the new norm, alcohol sales declining, guests spending less per visit, full dining rooms that still aren’t profitable, and the widening gap between consumer expectations and restaurant economics. Oh, and here's that New School report we keep referencing. After that, Chef’s Kiss / Big Miss returns — our recurring segment where we call balls and strikes on LA food culture:Sqirl flips to dinnerThe “restaurant monologue” backlashPizza losing ground to Mexican and Asian cuisineAnd a few takes that might ruffle feathersIn Part 2, we sit down with Laurent Vernhes (founder of Tablet Hotels) and Tito Melega of MVA.wine — a 600-member wine collective that blind tastes 50–60 wines in Tuscany and only selects six. No filler inventory. No mass distribution. Just curation and scarcity.And if you're interested in becoming an MVA member - a.k.a. a Vinefinder - the first 20 listeners to sign up get a $50 discount on their first collection with code "LAFOOD"Powered by Acquired Taste

This week on The LA Food Podcast, we’re diving deep into LA’s cocktail culture with James Beard semifinalist Max Reis, beverage director of Mirate and Daisy Margarita Bar. Max shares his journey from Napa to Los Angeles, how he became one of the country’s most respected mezcal advocates, and what it takes to build a world-class bar program. In Part 1, Luca and Father Sal recap a legendary Echo Park bar crawl, including strategy, standout stops, and inevitable chaos. Plus, Chef’s Kiss / Big Miss tackles the New York Times’ essential LA dishes list, the Max & Helen’s review debate, smart glasses in restaurants, AI reservation bots, and the battle over dining-room photography. Powered by Acquired Taste

Alison Roman joins The LA Food Podcast for a wide-ranging conversation on cookbooks, creativity, and the unsettling rise of AI-generated recipes. We dive into Something From Nothing, her evolving aesthetic, growing up in the San Fernando Valley, and her early days in LA fine dining. Before that, Father Sal and Luca break down meals at Lucia, Bess, Max & Helen’s, and Cheesesteaks by Matu, plus the fallout from last week’s LA Dining Scam debate. In Chef’s Kiss / Big Miss: Noma controversy, Villa’s Tacos at the Super Bowl, Jenn Harris’ big career news, a David Chang review, and a Tesla Diner confession you truly won’t believe.

On this episode of The LA Food Podcast, Luca Servodio is joined by food reporter Karen Palmer to break down the viral LA dining discourse sparked by Kerry Rose Schwartz (@comfywithkerry) and her claim that “LA fine dining is a scam.”We dig into why Kerry’s videos exploded, the pushback from chefs like Jeremy Fox, and what the backlash reveals about hype culture, pricing, influencer power, and the widening expectation gap facing Los Angeles restaurants. Is this a needed reality check for diners—or damaging rhetoric during a brutal moment for the industry?Karen also shares where she’s been eating lately, including Broken Spanish Comedor, a return visit to Ronan, cocktails at Bar Benjamin, and what makes a restaurant worth revisiting beyond the hype cycle. Luca recaps recent meals at Napa Rose at Disneyland post-renovation, Darling by Sean Brock, and an accidental Bravo-side quest at SUR.In Chef’s Kiss / Big Miss, we weigh in on the Crenshaw Food Hub and its community-first food model, Marco Pierre White going viral while eating McDonald’s, the rise of all-day cafés reshaping American dining, and the latest wave of algorithm-friendly “liquid food” and meal-replacement culture. A wide-ranging, opinionated conversation about what’s actually worth eating—and talking about—in LA right now.We also discuss Karen's latest on Hermon's and The Rainforest Cafe (lol). Powered by Acquired Taste