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Eva Longoria to Expand Beso Empire

partysugar — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 15:30:27 -0700

Desperate Housewives star and successful restaurateur Eva Longoria is taking her eatery national. Longoria opened Beso, a Mexican restaurant in Hollywood, with chef Todd English back in 2007. The popular joint quickly became a celebrity hangout. Last Summer she announced her plans to expand and open a second restaurant in Las Vegas.

Now, the establishment finally has an opening date: New Year's Eve 2010. Beso Vegas will diverge from its LA counterpart, with "different specials and drinks." The actress told People that she's "so excited about opening Beso Vegas." She described the city as having "the most energy in the world. It's a great foodie city, which is great for us because of our menu. Everything we offer is pretty unique. Nobody in Vegas has anything similar."

Also in the works? Besitos - a series of airport eateries that will feature a limited menu. The first will debut at an undisclosed Los Angeles airport. Have you eaten at Beso? What did you think? Would you grab some Mexican food from a Besito while traveling?

Disneyland Trains Now Running on Frying Oil

partysugar — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 10:15:43 -0800

Can you imagine a land where you would go to McDonald's to purchase fuel for your car? Well that world might not be too far off. As of last week, all of the trains at Disneyland's Los Angeles theme park run on a biodiesel oil made from discarded cooking oil. Not only is the park saving money by reusing already purchased oil, but they are demonstrating how large corporations can make an effort to go green. Disneyland's five railroad trains are ridden by an estimated 6.6 million people each year using up about 200,000 gallons of fuel. The resort will generate enough cooking oil to provide half of this fuel. Disney's executive chef, Chris Hustesen, loves the idea and hopes the switch will "make more guests hungry for our fries."

Considering that I always reuse my cooking oil, I admire Disneyland's resourcefulness and commitment to being eco-friendly. I can't help but wonder if other companies will follow their lead. What do you think of the news? Do you recycle old frying oil?

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Guess Who?

partysugar — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 16:15:54 -0800

Guess which bad boy chef was at a party for Los Angeles Confidential magazine?

Do You Care About Michelin Stars?

YumSugar — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 10:15:19 -0700

This past week, the Michelin Guide announced its 2009 starred restaurants for New York and San Francisco. The Michelin Guide, Europe's best-known restaurant guide, is released annually in the form of a series of books organized by city. The red books award restaurants zero, one, two, or three stars, and the stars are arguably the most well-regarded rankings in the global restaurant industry, with three being an extraordinary honor.

Every year since the Michelin Guide debuted stateside in 2006, there have been shakeups over restaurants that gain stars and others that are stripped of stars. For instance, Tom Colicchio's restaurant Craft was stripped of its sole star in a big upset last year; this time, the big surprise was David Chang's new restaurant Momofuku Ko receiving the honor of two stars. Do these designations affect your dining selections in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, or Las Vegas?

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Philadelphians Are the Highest Tippers

YumSugar — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:00:55 -0700

The City of Brotherly Love is also the city with the most-tipping love. Based on Zagat's newly released Philadelphia survey, the city's residents leave a generous 19.6 percent tip on average, compared to the countrywide average of 19 percent. Diners in New York - long considered the most expensive place to live in the US - only tip equal to the countrywide average, while those in Los Angeles tip below average at 18.4 percent.

Do Philadelphians really possess more love for their fellow citymen? Or is it because of Philadelphia's large number of BYO restaurants? I'm most surprised by the fact that New Yorkers tip such a meager amount. When I lived in Manhattan more than five years ago, it was considered standard to tip 20 percent due to the high cost of living there, and the fact that so many New Yorkers make a living in the service industry. Do these numbers surprise you? Are they in line with what you would normally tip, given decent service?

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The London Opens in LA, No HK Chefs in Sight

partysugar — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 12:15:15 -0700

Gordon Ramsay's Los Angeles restaurant, the London, opened last night with a star-studded dinner service. However, the cheftestants from Hell's Kitchen were nowhere in to be found. This makes me wonder if the HK prize - to be chef of the London - is a little exaggerated. Perhaps they merely get to be a line cook there? Items from the menu are far more sophisticated than the dishes made on the reality show. The menu includes:

Baked foie-gras custard, crispy duck tongue, micro greens
Monkfish with crispy chicken skin, lemon-thyme consommé
Smoked pork belly with roasted Scottish langoustine, celeriac, and apple

For some reason I can't imagine Bobby, Jen, or Corey making any of these dishes. What do you think? Does one of the HK contestants really work at the London?

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LA's Taco Trucks Told to Hit the Road, Literally

YumSugar — Mon, 05 May 2008 10:45:15 -0700

I love taco trucks. At my old job, there was one I would flock to at any given chance. It seems my taco truck - aka "roach coach" - love puts me in great company. Los Angeles-based food critic Jonathan Gold - the only food critic to have received a Pulitzer Prize - is also a big fan of the taco truck. However unlike myself, who knows where her favorite taco truck is at all times, Gold may now have to hunt down his faves. Starting May 15, the city of Los Angeles is enacting a new law that will prohibit taco trucks from staying in one spot for longer than one hour at a time. The law carries a fine of up to $1,000, or six months in jail. And considering that LA actually jailed a hot dog vendor for breaking one of their new food laws, it wouldn't be a surprise if they set an example by cracking down on a taco truck as well.

So why have they written the new law? The ordinance started due to complaints from other businesses. They claim the taco trucks deliberately choose popular restaurants and park in front of them, causing the restaurants to lose business. While this may be the case for some, I can't imagine it's the case for all. Some of these taco trucks - like Tacos El Galuzo - actually pay rent to the businesses they're parked in front of.

To fight the new law, more than 150 taco truck owners are vowing a "taco resistance" and plan to stay parked exactly where they are. If you're interested in learning more on how you can help visit SaveOurTacoTrucks.org.

Would you save the taco trucks? Or should they pack their tacos and go?

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Living It Up at Les Deux

partysugar — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 09:55:10 -0700

On a recent Saturday night, I found myself living it up at Hollywood hot spot Les Deux. Open since 2006, Les Deux is a popular nightclub - frequented by LA's elite actors and fabulous starlets - set inside a remodeled house. Before the bar opened, I had the chance to speak with owner Sylvain Bitton and take a behind the scenes look at the space. To check out what happened - and see which celebrity I befriended - while partying at Les Deux, click the "Start" button.

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Hanging With One of LA's Hottest Nightclub Owners

partysugar — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 07:28:33 -0700

Les Deux is undeniably one of Los Angeles' most trendy bars. Paris and Nicky Hilton have a private table, and so does Jamie Foxx. The Hills girls kick up their heels on the dance floor and everyone from TV Guide to Tom Hanks has hosted parties inside the famed house's walls.

While in LA for the Sugar Party, I had the chance to slide behind the velvet ropes, check out the party scene - more on that later! - and chat with one of the owners, Sylvain Bitton. To see what Sylvain had to say about his party lifestyle as a nightclub owner, read more.
Devilishly good looking and impeccably dressed, Sylvain is a member of the Dolce Group, part owner of Les Deux, and host to some of Hollywood's hottest. He spends most of his time at Les Deux, arriving as early as 10 a.m. and staying until the place closes. Although he caters to the stars, Sylvain is a friendly, normal, down to earth guy, who just happens to have three motorcycles and a house in the Hollywood Hills. Here is what he had to say:

PartySugar: What's it like being a host to LA's rich and famous?
Sylvain Bitton: It's fun. We are a very rare situation. Trendy nightclubs come and go, but we're just as popular now as when we first opened. We offer something incomparable. Les Deux isn't really a place for hard partying and dancing. It's more of a social nightclub. We offer the whole experience. It's a place where normal people feel like celebrities and celebrities feel like normal people. After all, you have to remember, they [the celebrities] need me as much as I need them.

PS: What trends are emerging in the party/nightclub scene?
SB: Immaculate service and attention to the smallest details in the world. The smell of a place matters. I have a guy whose job it is to spray this place with Febreeze. I think smaller restaurants and smaller boutique clubs that take their guests on a journey are on the rise.
PS: What's the biggest disaster that has ever happened at one of your parties?
SB: Not enough room. Sometimes we get a couple celebrities here at once and it's hard to accommodate them all. Just last night Rihanna was here. Journey was here.

PS: What do you like most about owning a place like Les Deux?
SB: The control of making my ideas and visions happen and it being a success. All the people who come inside of Les Deux, I decide the fate of their night. This is a beautiful club, which deserves to be filled with beautiful people.

PS: What's your advice to the everyday hostess?
SB: Know what you want and be strict to get it. Have something no one else is going to offer. That's how your parties will be remembered.

PS: A successful party is...
SB: When time never matters. I know it's already been said, but when you dance like no one is watching. When you don't care who's next to you because you are having so much fun then everything about what the club has to offer will forever be a memory.

Take a Visit to Pink's

YumSugar — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 05:56:31 -0700

A few months ago, I was supposed to grab dinner with my brother in LA. Unfortunately he had to work late, so a sit-down dinner was out of the question. However that was okay with me, this meant I finally had an excuse to go to Pink's, the famous LA hot dog institution. We got there around 11p.m. and there was definitely a crowd. To see what it was like, what we ordered, and learn why it's so darn popular, click the "Start Slideshow" button.

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