It’s beginning to feel a lot like Black Friday. Father Sal and I are coming through with a very LA Food Pod Gift Guide.

But first, there’s a piece in Taste making the case in favor of gatekeeping your favorite restaurants, a podcast with the brand new editor of The Best American Food & Travel Writing that elicited some red hot takes on the future of food media, and a snarky Substack article on whether 2024 was a year of lows for LA restaurants.

Helpful links:

Shaan Merchant for Taste on gatekeeping ⁠https://tastecooking.com/is-there-a-case-for-gatekeeping/⁠

This is Taste interview with Jaya Saxena ⁠https://tastecooking.com/this-is-taste-499-best-american-food-writing-with-jaya-saxena/⁠

Bangers and Jams article on LA’s highs and lows ⁠https://www.bangersandjams.com/p/the-highs-and-lows-of-las-quiet-restaurant⁠

Eater’s Mona Holmes on Somerville and Long Beach’s new jazz lounge ⁠https://la.eater.com/2024/11/25/24305531/breakers-long-beach-hotel-sky-room-restaurant-opening-jazz-lounge-long-beach-southern-california⁠

GIFT GUIDE

• Gift for the accomplished home cook

• Sal’s pick: Vitamix 5200 Blender

⁠https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008H4SLV6?tag=seriouseats-onsite-prod-20&ascsubtag=8648475%7Cnfb598f95b40b4663a3a1de10248b91ba01%7CB008H4SLV6%7C1732671051584%7C%7C&th=1⁠

• Luca’s pick: Corto olive oil ⁠https://www.amazon.com/TRULY%C2%AE-Extracted-Straight-Official-Producer/dp/B00YG1DWP4/ref=asc_df_B00YG1DWP4?mcid=664965199a223a9aa11521ed5c649c18&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=693129827186&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2661308734640888339&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9030967&hvtargid=pla-762159356592&psc=1⁠

• Gift for the beginner home cook

• Sal’s pick: Foodist Kitchen.

⁠https://foodistkitchen.com/⁠

• Luca’s pick: Botanica Magic Spice

⁠https://www.botanicarestaurant.com/products/magic-spice⁠Gift for the friend who only eats out:

• Sal’s pick: Gym membership

• Luca’s pick: Red Dining Book ⁠https://www.reddiningbook.com/products/los-angeles-2025⁠

• Gift for the insufferable LA foodie

• Sal’s pick: How to Stop Being Toxic

• Luca’s pick: Subscription to LA Taco

• Gift for the insufferable fan of The Bear

• Sal’s pick: Gift card to Ever ⁠https://www.toasttab.com/ever-restaurant-1340-w-fulton-st/giftcards⁠

• Luca’s pick: Carmy’s white shirt ⁠https://merzbschwanen.com/blog/press-8/the-viral-95-t-shirt-in-the-bear-came-from-a-san-francisco-store-125⁠

• Gift for the cookbook collector

• Sal’s pick: Random Seattle bookshop ⁠https://booklarder.com/products/gift-card⁠

• Luca’s pick: Way more relevant Long Beach bookshop ⁠https://squareup.com/gift/MLR9NPYWBWS6J/order⁠

• Gift that says more about you than about the recipient (the virtue-signaling gift)

• Sal’s pick: Anonymous gift to PETA

• Luca’s pick: VISIONS wine clup at Psychic Wines ⁠https://www.psychicwinesla.com/wine-club⁠

• Food gift for your S/O

• For Emily: Dining in the Dark

⁠https://dininginthedarkexperience.com/los-angeles/⁠

• For my wife: Mercado Famous meats ⁠https://mercadofamous.com/products/papa-noe⁠l

• Gift we’d get each other

• Sal to Luca: Ooni he already has

• Luca to Sal: Masienda tortilla kit ⁠https://masienda.com/products/tortilla-starter-kit?variant=42499201597589&country=US¤cy=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=21317473580&utm_content=_m_&utm_term=&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAgJa6BhCOARIsAMiL7V-PRF7prmdx2jB-JKO3G4yXJLsrtgLVU118bVONv3ba71lum7BYJeEaAg8mEALw_wcB⁠

• Gift I wish people would get me

• Sal needs nothing

• Luca wants Cangshan Maya knives ⁠https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/cangshan-maya-block-set-12-piece-set/?clickid=wGBUu4Rh7xyKWHp1PfwtbQybUkCQcbzXI1PZQ40&irgwc=1&cm_cat=249354&cm_ven=afshoppromo&cm_ite=&cm_pla=ir&irpid=24935⁠

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Go check out The Lonely Oyster in Echo Park! ⁠https://thelonelyoyster.com/⁠

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