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FOOD and FUN in Alhambra Foodie Files Spotlight Auntie Qiu Kitchen (when was the last time you had Chinese breakfast?) Breakfast is probably our favorite meal to go out for, and we are always on the hunt for a great new breakfast spot. After falling in love with Taiwanese breakfast on a recent layover in Taiwan, we have been slightly (okay, majorly) obsessed with exploring the varied Asian breakfast options around LA. Finding hidden gems ain't easy. After all, they

Cooking in the Flexner Kitchen (TAMALE MAKING PARTY!) This month we are doing something a little bit different and going inside the Flexner kitchen, because as much as we love to discover amazing foods around the city, we also love to come home and try our hand at recreating those delicious finds in our own home. Our son Luke and his friends took over the kitchen for a full-on tamale-making party, and it was epic. 🌽🔥 We are so proud of Luke for diving headfirst into

FOOD & FUN in DTLA! (Downtown Los Angeles) Architectural Tour of DTLA Historic Core Walking Tour (so many cool things to see!) Sometimes I love to pretend like I'm a tourist in LA and dig into what makes this city so special, and this month, downtown was calling my name. My Downtown Tour is broken into 3 parts. 1. DTLA VIDEO WALKING TOUR (Minutes 0:00 - 6:36 ). 2. BROADWAY THEATER DISTRICT (Minutes 6:37 - 8:32 ) 3. OLD BANK DISTRICT (Minutes 8:33 - 9:24 ) I

Food & Fun in GARDENA - GARDENA TOUR Having lived in Japan for 5 years after college, I am especially intrigued by the Japanese communities here in Los Angeles, and Gardena is a great one to explore. Gardena is widely recognized as a historic Japanese American enclave in Southern California. Japanese AND historic? Those two things are like catnip to me! :) After World War II, many Japanese Americans—returning from incarceration camps or relocating from Little Tokyo

Food & Fun in Little TOKYO - LITTLE TOKYO TOUR My daughter Lila is growing up fast, so I seized the day and asked her on a daddy/daughter date. I asked "If you could do anything in town with me, what would it be?" Last year we walked around Tokyo, Japan and ate our faces off and she had a blast. She asked if we could do something like that again. Japan is a long way off, but guess what? You don’t actually need to leave LA to experience Tokyo. I suggested we do a walking

Food & Fun in ECHO PARK Foodie Files Spotlight Taix French Restaurant (LA's Oldest French Restaurant - since 1927) Ahhhh Taix, LA's Grand Old French Classic. When you’re craving a little slice of vintage France in Los Angeles, you can’t beat Taix Restaurant, serving up French comfort since 1927. This place oozes old-school charm: dim lighting, wood paneling, big cozy booths that practically beg you to lean in for family conversations, and soft French tunes floating through

Food & Fun in Hollywood Foodie Files Spotlight SUSURU RAMEN (Hollywood Daddy/Daughter lunch date) I recently took Tessa on a lunch adventure to Susuru Ramen in Hollywood—a place where ramen bowls are everywhere, but the real star is their elusive, drool-worthy katsu sando. Think crispy fried pork snuggled between fluffy, crustless white bread, like a fancy Japanese lunchbox sandwich—but better. Sure, you can find ramen on every corner in LA, but katsu sando? That’s li

Foodie Files Spotlight "Would you eat fried bugs?" Coyoacan Market, Mexico City (Daddy/Daughter spring break trip) This spring break, Lila and I traded roller coasters for creepy crawlies at Mexico City’s Coyoacan Market—and let me tell you, this was a fear factor foodie adventure we’ll never forget! We bravely chowed down on: ✅ Fried scorpion —like a potato chip with extra legs! ✅ Giant cockroach —tastes like chicken… if chicken had an exoskeleton. ✅ Ants —tiny but tangy,

Local Flavor Spotlight "Move over #19" Langers Delicatessen Where can I find a pastrami so good my kids all want it for their birthday? Spoiler: It’s Langer’s. :) If you’ve never been to Langer’s in Los Angeles, let me paint the picture for you. Imagine a place so legendary, that all four of my children—who can’t agree on anything except that I’m uncool—individually request it for their birthday meal. That’s right, no Chuck E. Cheese, no sushi, no cupcakes shaped like u

OUR VIDEO Review of JITLADA Restaurant Until his passing at age 57 in 2018, Jonathon Gold was LA's Pulitzer Prize winning restaurant critic. Imagine that! A Pulitzer Prize for writing about restaurants! He was an inspiration to me because he DEEPLY VALUED the ethnic restaurants of LA. In my opinion, they make LA so unique in the food world. Most cities have fine dining. But the KEY INGREDIENT to creating and sustaining an AUTHENTIC ethnic restaurant is a large population of n

Foodie Files Spotlight VIDEO Review of Great White Restaurant MY WINNER OF BEST EGG in LA at Great White Restaurant on Larchmont Blvd. It's just so beautiful (like a rose) and soft, even a little runny. Great White on Larchmont is THE place to be and this is THE breakfast! Check out my video review above on this beautiful egg! https://www.greatwhite.cafe Flexner’s Family Fun Guide QuestRoom Escape Rooms We love escape rooms! If you haven't tried one yet, they can be gr