Health

Dry-aged sushi? One of L.A.’s best fishmongers says ‘fresh is boring’ Liwei Liao, owner of the Joint fish market in Sherman Oaks, has a motto: “Fresh is boring.” Coral-red snappers from Japan hang upside down in the rows of refrigerators, mouths agape and eyes bright and glassy, as if they‘ve just been plucked from the … Read more

Tell your friends: ‘I know a dancer who makes the best vegan sushi in L.A.’ Growing up in Saitama, Japan, Yoko Hasebe didn’t dream of sushi. From the age of 7, she studied ballet and later jazz dance at the Nihon University College of Art in Tokyo. Fate brought her to California and a series … Read more

(Brandon Ly / Los Angeles Times) Although bluefin tuna is commonly found at sushi restaurants throughout Los Angeles, many diners might not be aware of what it means to eat a particular species or how it’s sourced. The more you know about bluefin tuna, the better equipped you are to make decisions about whether to … Read more

“Everything sort of surrounds bluefin tuna,” says sushi chef Daniel Son. 1 When a massive bluefin tuna sold in 2019 for a record-breaking $3.1 million at Tokyo’s then brand-new Toyosu fish market, it brought renewed attention to how extraordinarily valuable bluefin is. And renewed questions about the species’ survival. The prized fish, which is a … Read more

This South Bay sushi shop has been serving the same six items for decades — and wants to keep it that way I am firmly dating myself with this anecdote, but the first time I went to a rave while growing up outside of Chicago, there was a Le Carré-like air of mystery. Furtive landline … Read more

There is more to coffee culture in L.A. than you can ever imagine Mondays are Jack Benchakul’s favorite day of the week at Endorffeine. He looks forward to the calm, even though he’s grateful for the streams of coffee fans that file into his tiny shop on Saturdays and Sundays. Ttaya Tuparangsi, his cousin, takes … Read more

Sherry Gao owns Mandarin Coffee Stand in Pasadena, specializing in China-grown coffee beans and tea-infused lattes. Chinese coffees have been “changing so much over the last decade. They keep getting better and better.” (Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times) Beyond a curved bay window painted with flowers, Sherry Gao is pouring coffee made from single-origin … Read more

Why the espresso martini won’t go away — and never should On weekends, the espresso martini is one of the top-selling drinks at the Lets Go! Disco & Cocktail Club in downtown Los Angeles. “It’s the drink of the moment,” beverage director and co-owner Lee Zaremba said on a recent evening at the bar as … Read more

Owners Shanita Nicholas and Amanda-Jane Thomas pull espresso shots at their Sip & Sonder coffee shop in Inglewood. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)