The Bay Area’s Chef Alice Waters was instrumental in starting America’s slow food movement and is genuinely credited with inventing California Cuisine, or the fusion of different cooking styles and cultural ingredients while using fresh local produce. Los Angeles embraced this fusion to extremes, drawing from the city’s ethnic culinary mix and coming up with a quintessential cuisine that, for the most part, hits the mark. Take, for example, the California Sushi Roll, which has gone on to international fame. California has been put on the world culinary map and its influence in using local, fresh ingredients poured into supermarkets, farmers’ markets, and has paved the way for independent artisans. California could claim a gourmet food education on a par with New York City.
Californian cuisine is most eminent in Northern California along the side of their beautiful wine countries, Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley, although we are lucky enough to have all those delicacies right here in Hollywood, Downtown, Santa Monica or any other surrounding areas throughout Los Angeles.
Because of Los Angeles ethnic mix, there’s an endless variety of international food. LA’s Chinatown, Koreatown, Little Tokyo and Thai town thrive because produce is shipped from the old countries on a regular basis just across the Pacific Ocean. Italian Delis, Russian/Armenian supermarkets, Hispanic markets and bakeries are ample. Shopping in ethnic stores is a genuine voyage of discovery. Some of the ethnic eateries retain their ethnic traditions while others can’t help but be influenced by the fresh locally grown food and the Californian flare.
This is America and American food of burgers, fries, pizza, donuts and, let’s not forget, TexMex (America’s version of Mexican food), are just as popular in health-conscious LA as anywhere else in the States. Angelino’s are spoilt for choice as ordering a simple burger can take a few minutes while you decide what kind of burger meat, what type of bread, which toppings and what to eat alongside of it.
The LA County Department of Public Health has a periodical check-up on food facilities’ sanitation. They are labeled as A, B, and C (A being the most sanitary) and the letters are displayed prominently on the front of all restaurants and eateries. You may want to avoid any and all C Facilities.
