Mod Mex

Palmilla Cocina y Tequila 39 Pier Ave in Hermosa Beach 310-374-4440, palmillarestaurant.com

Sweet Endings

Skip the candy and head straight to the heart of the matter. These delicious wines satisfy your sweet tooth and set the mood for Valentine’s Day. From delicate bubblies to luscious, late-harvest treats, sweet wines make a perfect gift.

Counter Culture

It’s official. The so-called “third wave” of coffee culture has finally crested in Los Angeles. Maxwell House, Folgers and Sanka at home and the beloved bottomless brew from Original Pantry Café down at Figueroa eventually gave way to our homegrown Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and the Starbucks phenomenon. This was a monumental improvement, to be sure, but franchised coffeehouses are themselves now yesterday’s flavor in a city that fully expects not just a decent latte but fair trade-certified, shade-grown, organic beans roasted in-house. Welcome to coffee’s third act.

Written by Bonnie Graves

Bubble Talk

From authentic French Champagnes to crowd-pleasing proseccos and moscatos from Italy to generation-next producers right here in the U.S., bubbles abound for holiday toasting.

Cookie Crash Course

As a kid, I always felt sad for friends whose cookie experience was limited to sad plastic tubes of “slice and bake” dough with store-bought frosting. In our family, cookies are second to nothing else at the holidays. From my Danish great-grandfather’s cherished klejners to my Mexican grandmother’s galletas de boda to my mom’s perfected chocolate chip recipe, holiday baking means getting out the cookie sheets.

Written by Bonnie Graves

12 Days of Delicious

This year, we encourage you to think outside the box for your holiday giving. Consider some of these unique food and wine gift ideas and hum along ...

Written by Bonnie Graves

A Catered Affair

Food and wine editor Bonnie Graves plans the perfect outdoor holiday meal … with the help of South Bay vendors and friends.

WRITTEN BY BONNIE GRAVES

Life’s a Picnic

Whether lunching in the park, packing for the beach or concert dining at Malaga Cove, we picked a few local restaurants with offerings for the perfect picnic basket.

Nice Delivery

LeFevre gives the South Bay something to celebrate with M.B. Post

Reviewed by Bonnie Graves

Tiny Dining

While our little tribe does on occasion visit Red Robin as part of our unavoidable excursions to Target, Old Navy and H&M, we also regularly take our kids out to eat at restaurants that might make other parents blanch. Pristine white tablecloths? Check. Entrées that cost more than a month’s worth of diapers? Check. Bag of tricks ready to go to keep kids occupied, fed and happy? Check.

Written by Bonnie Graves

Perfect Shot

When Demi Stevens and Tommy Ortega opened Ortega 120 in Redondo Beach, they not only brought incredible Mexican dishes to the South Bay, they also revealed a menu of tempting tequilas for their local patrons. We asked Demi to share her top tequila picks to enjoy en solitario, just in time for Cinco de Mayo.

PHOTOGRAPHED BY AARON BUSH

Artful Dining in Three Acts

With pulchritude comes assumptions, most commonly and unfairly that LA has no culture. But if you equate architecture with the Playboy Mansion or dance only “With the Stars,” then you’re missing the show outside of show business. From world-class museums to summers spent at the Bowl, LA is a paradise for culture mavens who appreciate great art and music and food.

By Bonnie Graves • Photo by Elon Schoenholz, ©J. Paul Getty Trust