Acquired Taste Food Podcasts

This week on The LA Food Podcast, we finally tackle one of the biggest destinations in Los Angeles dining: Vespertine & Providence.

After revisiting Jordan Kahn's boundary-pushing tasting menu and making our long-awaited first trip to Michael Cimarusti's three-Michelin-star seafood temple, we compare every course, every experience, and ask whether Michelin got the rankings right. We also rank the Southern California Michelin restaurants we've visited so far and debate which are truly worth the pilgrimage.

Then it's Chef's Kiss / Big Miss, where we unpack the New York Times' controversial Chez Panisse review, whether restaurants have become too obsessed with spectacle over hospitality, LA's bizarre luxury ice trend, why handcrafted restaurant marketing is making a comeback in the AI era, and Taco Bell's attempt to survive the "Diarrhea Lettuce Summer."

Finally, Luca sits down with Daniel Patterson and Sarah Lewitinn of Jacaranda, one of LA's most exciting new restaurants, to discuss turning an intimate supper club into one of the city's hottest reservations, why they're betting on ambitious fine dining in 2026, hospitality without pretension, and what modern restaurants can learn from both the music industry and Michelin-starred dining.

Is Maddie's Secret actually a movie about food influencers... or is food just the backdrop?

On this special edition of Couch Potatoes, Luca is joined by Bits Nicholas and Nancy DaSilva of Compliments to the Chef to unpack one of the year's most talked-about food films. Together they break down John Early's directorial debut, debate whether its satire of millennial food creators lands, explore its surprising turn into a story about eating disorders and recovery, and ask why critics have been almost universally glowing despite the film's many unresolved questions.

Along the way, they dive into Top Chef, Tom Colicchio, influencer culture, restaurant criticism, BuzzFeed nostalgia, Gen Z food videos, and whether Maddie's Secret ultimately has anything meaningful to say about the modern food internet. If you're obsessed with food media, food television, restaurant culture, or the intersection of social media and cooking, this is the conversation you've been waiting for.

A TikTok review of a $38 Armenian basturma brisket sandwich has exploded into one of the biggest food controversies Los Angeles has seen all year. This week, Luca is joined by Taqueando producer Robert Haleblian, who's been following Glendale favorite Yerord Mas since its pop-up days, to unpack how one viral video ignited a debate about restaurant pricing, tradition, influencer culture, and why some cuisines are still expected to stay cheap. If you've seen the Richie Gaines, Yerord Mas, or Los Angeles Times discourse online, this is the conversation behind the headlines.

Then it's time for Chef's Kiss / Big Miss with MY WIFE as the crew weighs in on Diarrhea Lettuce Summer, the rise of luxury all-you-can-eat buffets, Chipotle opening in Mexico, The Tasting Kitchen's return to Venice, and whether food media needs more people who've actually worked in restaurants.

Come to the West Hollywood Pizza Run Club this Sunday July 12!--

Has Eater fully lost its place as the most influential name in food media? This week on The LA Food Podcast, Luca Servodio and SF Gate food writer Karen Palmer unpack Dana Brown's explosive deep dive into Eater's rise, evolution, layoffs, SEO strategy, and uncertain future under Penske Media. They debate whether the publication lost sight of what made it essential, what today's media landscape means for food journalism, and whether there's still a path back.

Plus, Karen takes us behind the scenes at the 2026 California Michelin Guide Ceremony, shares what it was like to witness Kato earn its second Michelin star, and explains why La Jolla is emerging as one of California's most exciting dining destinations, with stops at Lucien, Fleurette, and Wayfarer Bread.

Also in this episode: recent meals at Bar Di Bello, Vespertine, Tacos Royale, Bad Roman, and Tower Bar; whether Los Angeles has officially become America's pizza capital; the slow disappearance of the Las Vegas buffet; Mark Cuban's ambitious new Hollywood sports bar Pawn Shop; and our reactions to the wildly over-the-top menu from Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's reported Madison Square Garden wedding celebration.

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Father Sal calls in from his Los Angeles staycation ready to quiet quit the Michelin Guide, even as he heads to two-star Kato and makes the case for restaurants like Lielle, Anajak and Jacaranda. Luca and Sal recap memorable meals at Quarter Sheets, Oaxacalifornia, Asadero, Cafe Telegrama, Expendio de Maíz, Voraz and Anajak before asking whether The Bear Season 5 has somehow rediscovered what made the show great.

They also break down the Top Chef Carolinas finale and explain why America’s Culinary Cup, featuring Padma Lakshmi, Michael Cimarusti, Wylie Dufresne, Chris Morgan and Alta Adams chef Keith Corbin, may be the best cooking competition on television.

Plus, Luca goes solo for Chef’s Kiss or Big Miss, weighing in on Noma’s controversial Los Angeles residency, Eddie Huang’s public response to Ryan Sutton’s Baohaus review, J Lee on Sqirl’s new dinner service, the supposed death of food writing per Vittles, and Norway’s brown-cheese waffles at the World Cup.

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James Beard Award-winning Los Angeles Times journalist Stephanie Breijo joins The LA Food Podcast to unpack her historic Jonathan Gold Local Voice Award win, becoming the first Los Angeles-based reporter to receive the honor. Stephanie reveals how she selected the three stories in her submission, what happened when her name was called and why the award represents a victory for local food journalism and the resilience of Los Angeles.

Plus, we break down the 2026 Michelin Guide California results, including Kato’s second star, first-time stars for Seline, Lielle, Corridor 109, Kojima and Miura, and the surprising restaurants that lost recognition. We also discuss the best places in LA to watch soccer with great food, Olvera Street’s uncertain future, the Obama Presidential Center burger, the return of fancy Jell-O shots and recent meals at Lielle, Alta Adams, Jacaranda, Max & Helen’s and Chill Since 1993.

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Karen Palmer joins Luca to break down Los Angeles’ huge night at the 2026 James Beard Awards, including wins for Dave Beran, Providence and Kato, Holbox’s heartbreak, LA’s four-year Best Chef: California streak and what the results reveal about the city’s growing culinary dominance. They also trade recent eats from Mish Deli, Rustic Canyon, Cambria’s Sea Chest, Guelaguetza, Delicious Pizza, Estrano Verano and Maydan before debating the glamorous but isolating world of private chefs, Stephanie Breijo’s James Beard Media Award, Condé Nast’s lawsuit against the revived Gourmet and the New York Times giving its first four-star review outside New York.

Then, Smorgasburg LA General Manager Zach Brooks looks back on 10 years of the Sunday food market he initially called a “terrible idea,” its role in launching Tacos 1986, Bridgetown Roti, Bub and Grandma’s, Wanderlust Creamery and more, and the former vendors returning for its June 21 anniversary celebration.

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This week on The LA Food Podcast, Luca and Father Sal kick things off with a listener Q&A covering some of the most pressing issues in Los Angeles dining: where to find a trendy but affordable sit-down meal, whether LA has its own pizza style, how much power food influencers really have, what makes a restaurant creator trustworthy, and why Brazilian pizza at Sampa’s in Marina del Rey might be one of LA’s most underrated World Cup-adjacent food experiences. They also discuss Holy Basil, Cafe Telegram, Roshna Bilash, KurryPinch, Asadero Los Angeles, Naughty Pie Nature, Dudley Market discourse, chef behavior, and the eternal question of whether Reese’s peanut butter cups have always been this chalky.

Then, James Beard Award-nominated journalist Mona Holmes of Eater LA joins the show for a deep conversation about how 2020 changed food media forever. Mona and Luca revisit the collision of COVID, the George Floyd protests, the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen reckoning, Adam Rapoport’s resignation, Alison Roman, Peter Meehan and the LA Times Food section, the James Beard Awards overhaul, and the shrinking of food newsrooms across the country. They also dig into what has been lost as food journalism has shifted toward video, engagement and influencer culture, why LA remains one of the strongest food media cities in America, and how outlets like Eater LA, LA Taco, LAist, the Los Angeles Times, independent newsletters and local creators are still telling the story of the city’s restaurants in a brutally difficult era.

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Come to the Pizza Run Club in Mar Vista to Venice!

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This week on the LA Food Podcast, Luca and Father Sal dig into the new North America’s 50 Best Restaurants list and what it says about the state of dining in Los Angeles, New York, Canada, New Orleans and beyond. LA landed four restaurants on the 2026 list — Holbox, Providence, Somni and Kato — while major Bay Area names fell off, raising the question of whether Los Angeles has fully closed the gap as California’s most exciting fine dining city.

Before that, Luca shares the launch of Pizza Run Club, his pizza-fueled marathon fundraiser for Soccer Without Borders, and the guys trade recent eats from Anna Pizzeria, Etra, La Burg, Bridgetown Roti, La Coupe and Pasjoli. Then, in Chef’s Kiss / Big Miss, they debate Pizzeria Sei being named one of the best pizzerias in America, Dudley Market’s seafood controversy, Connie & Ted’s closing, Eric Greenspan’s deli comeback at Mish, restaurants becoming a political issue in LA, and whether even the Baklava Guy can make Sal feel anything positive about the Knicks.

LINKS WE PROMISED TO SHARE:

Pizza Run Club sign-up

Robert Haleblian's article

The last time we covered North America's 50 Best

Andy Kadin, founder of Bub and Grandma’s, joins The LA Food Podcast for a deep dive into one of the most beloved bakeries in Los Angeles. If you’ve eaten at restaurants across LA, from Michelin-starred dining rooms to neighborhood sandwich shops, there’s a good chance you’ve had Bub and Grandma’s bread on the table.

In this episode, Andy tells the story of how a home bread operation grew into a wholesale bakery supplying hundreds of LA restaurants, what makes Bub and Grandma’s such a force in the city’s bread scene, and how obsession, craft, and consistency helped build one of LA’s most recognizable food brands. We also talk about opening the Bub and Grandma’s restaurant in Glassell Park, expanding into a second restaurant, and the very real dangers of getting into the pizza business.

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