Chill out with these fantastic local cocktails, salads, smoothies and frozen sweets By Jessica Koslow Summer is all about fun under the sun, which makes it equally important to cool off. Restaurants in and around Playa Vista are there to help with lighter fare, thirst-quenching cocktails and, of course, frozen concoctions that will bring out […]

ROC Playa Vista’s devotion to the delicacy springs from an entrepreneur’s passion for Chinese food By Jessica Koslow “Alot of people ask, ‘Are you going to get a sign?’” says James Kim, owner of ROC, a new Chinese restaurant in Runway at Playa Vista. It’s unusual for a restaurant to forgo signage. But, according to […]

‘Top Chef’ alum Brooke Williamson keeps it fresh with Da Kikokiko By Jessica Koslow “Top Chef” alum Brooke Williamson likes to keep things moving. Whether it’s opening a new restaurant — Runway at Playa Vista newcomer Da Kikokiko is her and husband Nick Roberts’ fourth — or changing her hair color from her natural honey […]

For starters, it’s a Texas tradition that feeds the body and soul By Richard Foss Steven Banbury is the regional culinary director for the Hopdoddy Burger Bar chain, so he’s used to people asking: What the heck is a Hopdoddy? A misspelling of Hop Daddy? “We actually have to explain it to almost every guest […]

800 Degrees Pizza CEO Steve Overholt says his secret ingredient is adding a “real chef” By Jessica Koslow 800 Degrees Pizza is on fire. In the last five years, two have popped up in Las Vegas, seven in Dubai, one in Tokyo and six in Los Angeles, including their newest restaurant last month in Runway […]

Which came first doesn’t matter at The Chicken or the Egg — they’re both on the menu By Jessica Koslow A large, lively crowd has gathered at the east end of Millennium Drive to eat chicken. Mingling in the big yellow space at the bottom of a parking structure facing Campus Center Drive, the enthusiastic foodies […]

The Hawaiian-fusion comfort food of Monique Yamaguchi’s Wellfed is a tribute to Mom and Dad Story By Jessica Koslow Photos by Courtnay Robbins Bragagnolo Ask Monique Yamaguchi — little sister to celebrity chef Roy Yamaguchi — why she picked Playa Vista as the home for her first restaurant and her eyes light up, her mouth […]

Gulp pairs a diverse selection of craft brews with Asian-inspired comfort food By Richard Foss To gulp something is to consume it with haste, but Al Watson didn’t name his restaurant in the hope that people would eat and run.    Watson was walking in one of the beach cities trying to think of a […]

Chef Tia Baker explores endless possibilities of flavor at Sol Cocina By Christina Campodonico Call it tortilla tourism. The way Sol Cocina Head Chef Tia Baker sees it, each specialty taco on the upscale Playa Vista restaurant’s menu is a unique culinary destination. “Each taco has a different style,” Baker says as we sit for […]