October 27, 2011 – Coney Dog is one of the latest additions to the rock and roll end of the Sunset Strip, a Detroit inspired concept complete with encased meat, beef chili and a craft beer program that certified cicerone Ryan Sweeney ushers. They’ve also got celebrity ownership, if that matters to you: writer-director Mike Binder, Adam Sandler, Tim Allen and director Sam Raimi.

October 28, 2011 – In September, the counterwoman at Beach City Baked Donuts tipped me off to the owner’s other concept – Doya Doya – an Osaka style okonomiyaki shop in Torrance. Matthew “Mattatouille” Kang and I finally checked it out and tried the savory, creamy-cored pancake, plus a couple recommendations from convert Dylan Ho (Eat, Drink + Be Merry), including beef tendon skewers with white miso, a dish that far exceeded the okonomiyaki.

October 28, 2011 – Intelligentsia Coffee hosted their third annual Extraordinary Coffee Workshop over the weekend, inviting coffee farmers from more than a dozen nations to Pasadena to achieve a better understanding of the final stages of coffee delivery. To reach the first day’s workshops and demos, guests had to pass under a “Stairway to Heaven” mural.

October 29, 2011 – O Jang Dong continued to prove they specialize in more than just naeng myun, delivering one of Koreatown’s better bowls of spicy pork neck soup.

October 29, 2011 – Jae Bu Do announced its presence in Koreatown with a neon crab sign (with faulty claws). The restaurant, named for a Korean island, specializes in vast varieties (and quantities) of charcoal grilled seafood, including scallops and clams of varying sizes, shrimp, oysters, mussels and more. During my gut busting meal with Bill “Street Gourmet LA” Esparza, we ordered enough food for four people…and ate it all. Did we really need that conger eel, Bill?