The Why – Part One

we’re chewing up dots and chasing flashing monsters without asking the question of who’s behind the joystick, where that quarter came from or even what those dots mean

The Five Worst Reasons to Open a Restaurant

First off, owning a restaurant is a lot like owning a car or a house. You’re gonna say you own it, but in fact, you’re probably just making the payments. And more importantly, at least at the outset, your shop will own you just as much as you supposedly own it. That is a fact.

Getting The Edge On Your Local Watering Hole

Your knight in shining armor, doing battle with The House, is your friendly neighborhood bartender.

North Woods Inn Take Me Home

There really isn’t anywhere like The North Woods in left around. A wonderful remnant of a bygone era where everything tasted like Lawry’s seasoned salt and smelled like Worcestershire sauce. Founded in 1958 it’s a welcome trip back in time to a simpler culinary era. Most people are unaware I grew up in Arcadia. My […]

Love And Loss At Santa Anita’s Turf Club

Out of courtesy (and readership) I generally try to keep my writing OC-focused but once in awhile an out-of-county topic jumps onto my radar. One of my very first pieces here at The Weekly was about Laguna Beach’s Frank Panza, the beyond-legendary bartender at Santa Anita’s Turf Club. That room has hosted the best of […]

Grandma Lola’s Old Fashioned Recipe – Still The Best

It seems the Sazerac and Old Fashioned are the Gamera and Godzilla, respectively, of the cocktail Monster Island, locking horns in a duel for supremacy while Godzuki, the lowly Manhattan, looks on (although it’s on my go to list). There is lively debate about which came first and who reigns as the oldest and classic […]

For The Love Of Logan

I don’t know if you’ve ever been inside a B-17 bomber but it’s an experience for sure. It was called a “Flying Fortress” for a reason. Bristling with .50 caliber machine guns on the outside, it was a formidable aircraft that could hold its own against most anything that flew. Being in one, however, feels […]