Los Angeles & Southern California - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [35]
Supermarkets
In addition to traditional supermarkets such as Ralphs, Vons, Pavilions and Albertsons, the following specialty chains have faithful followings:
Bristol Farms (www.bristolfarms.com) Small chain of gourmet supermarkets. Attractive presentations, stellar selection and prices to match.
Gelson’s (www.gelsons.com) Though rather pricey, this local chain excels at anything fresh – produce, meat, fish, flowers, baked goods etc – and is dependable in all other departments.
Trader Joe’s ( 800-746-7857; www.traderjoes.com) Many Southlanders count this chain of small gourmet markets as one of life’s essentials, alongside sunshine and the beach. TJ’s, which began in the San Gabriel Valley, offers an amazing, budget-priced selection of great wines, cheeses and prepared foods.
Whole Foods Market (www.wholefoods.com) Excellent, comprehensive natural-foods store with fresh produce, meat and fish, plus shelves of vitamins.
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When Trader Joe’s, the popular LA County-based grocery chain, opened its first store in New York City, it had to send employees from SoCal to give niceness training to local hires.
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Quick Eats
Virtually all grocery stores sell to-go food: sandwiches, freshly roasted chickens, sushi, salads, deli meats and cheeses. Sit-down restaurants can often accommodate you with quickly served meals if you let the staff know as soon as you arrive.
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VEGETARIANS & VEGANS
SoCal is so vegetarian-friendly that it’s almost a cliché. While strictly vegetarian restaurants are rare outside the bigger cities, virtually every restaurant offers at least some vegetarian options. Chinese and Indian restaurants are plentiful (people do astonishing things with tofu). In Western-style restaurants look for vegetarian pastas, grilled portobello mushrooms and more. Even many Mexican restaurants offer vegetarian dishes (unusual in Mexico) – just make sure they don’t use lard in the beans.
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For informal gatherings, many Southlanders swear by ‘Two-buck Chuck’, nickname for Charles Shaw wines sold at Trader Joe’s markets. These six varietal wines cost an unbelievably cheap $1.99 per bottle, but they’ve won numerous awards in wine competitions.
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HABITS & CUSTOMS
The dress code at Southern California restaurants is generally casual, or ‘smart casual’ at midpriced and top-end restaurants. For women this means a dress, nice pants or a skirt combined with a stylish top; men will do fine with a collared shirt or fashionable T-shirt (with maybe a sport coat), a nice pair of slacks or designer jeans, and presentable shoes. Fancier dress is expected only at receptions or old-line restaurants. If you’re uncertain about what to wear, call ahead.
As at restaurants anywhere in the US, tips are a large part of servers’ incomes, and not tipping or only giving a very small tip is a serious insult. Giving 15% to 20% of the bill is the norm. A simple rule of thumb is to double the tax as it appears on the bill. At bars, figure on $1 per drink. For particularly good service, you might tip even higher and/or offer a kind word to the manager. Tipping is not required at takeout or counter-service restaurants, though many of these have tip jars for you to leave some extra change and earn karma points.
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California grows more apples, pears, peaches, grapes, oranges and tomatoes than any other state in the US. Many of them end up at farmers markets throughout the Southland.
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By state law, smoking is illegal in restaurants and bars; the only exception is on outdoor patios, and many cities prohibit even that. Smokers who are guests in a private home should smoke outdoors unless your host indicates otherwise.
When invited to someone’s home, it’s polite to offer to bring something for the meal. Even when the host says no, many guests still bring chocolates, flowers or a bottle of wine. Do