SoCal Restaurant Show

“The newly opened Bacari Long Beach is a Venetian-inspired small plates restaurant featuring Mediterranean-influenced dishes created by Chef Lior Hillel. It’s the 10th restaurant of Bacari Restaurants / Kronfli Brothers, a family-owned, growing group of restaurants in Southern California. Alongside inspired small plates, Bacari offer a rotating curation of small-production wines and eclectic beers, unique craft cocktails & mocktails, and are also known for their one-of-a-kind 90-minute open bar special. The Bacari Long Beach team provides warm hospitality in a comfortable, indoor dining room marked with rustic mediterranean decor.” Guests will feel like home when dining at the new Bacari Long Beach. They welcome but do not require reservations. Unusually (for a busy restaurant) they gladly accommodate walk-ins and large parties, even on busy nights. Co-founder Robert Kronfli joins us.“Now in its eleventh year with award-winning chef Suzanne Goin and restaurateur Caroline Styne, Hollywood Bowl Food + Wine promises exceptional dining for visitors to the iconic venue. Goin and Styne’s culinary history has defined Los Angeles tastes since 1998 when they opened Lucques, their legendary first restaurant. At the Hollywood Bowl, California-inspired offerings are available at three full-service restaurants and three marketplaces as well as the Terrace and Garden Boxes, which can be ordered a day in advance. Four-time James Beard Foundation award-winner Goin’s vibrant new summer dishes pair beautifully with the exceptional wine and beer programs curated by Caroline Styne, also a Beard Foundation winner for Outstanding Restaurateur. Overseeing the broad range of dining options serving Hollywood Bowl Food + Wine’s thousands of nightly guests

“The newly opened Bacari Long Beach is a Venetian-inspired small plates restaurant featuring Mediterranean-influenced dishes created by Chef Lior Hillel. It’s the 10th restaurant of Bacari Restaurants / Kronfli Brothers, a family-owned, growing group of restaurants in Southern California.” “Alongside delicious small plates crafted by Executive Chef & Partner Lior Hillel, Bacari offer a rotating curation of small-production wines and eclectic beers, unique craft cocktails & mocktails, and are also known for their one-of-a-kind 90-minute open bar special.” “The Bacari team provides warm hospitality in a comfortable, indoor dining room marked with rustic mediterranean decor. Guests will feel like home when dining at Bacari Long Beach. They welcome but do not require reservations. Unusually (for a busy restaurant) they gladly accommodate walk-ins and large parties, even on busy nights.” The Kronfli Brothers restaurants were originally inspired by a popular underground supper club, Paladar, that Robert Kronfli operated with his apartment roommate while an enterprising student at the University of Southern California. A fellow USC cinema student followed this for a year and the result was the well-received Paladar documentary film.Special offer: Robert extends a generous offer to show listeners. Dine at any of the Bacari restaurants by July 20th and when you’re ready for dessert mention you heard Robert on the “SoCal Restaurant Show.” You’ll then be rewarded with a complimentary dessert. One hosted dessert per table. Enjoy! No strings…Co-founder Robert Kronfli joins us.

“Now in its eleventh year with award-winning chef Suzanne Goin and restaurateur Caroline Styne, Hollywood Bowl Food + Wine promises exceptional dining for visitors to the iconic venue. Goin and Styne’s culinary history has defined Los Angeles tastes since 1998 when they opened Lucques, their legendary first restaurant. At the Hollywood Bowl, California-inspired offerings are available at three full-service restaurants and three marketplaces as well as the Terrace and Garden Boxes, which can be ordered a day in advance. Four-time James Beard Foundation award-winner Goin’s vibrant new summer dishes pair beautifully with the exceptional wine and beer programs curated by Caroline Styne, also a Beard Foundation winner for Outstanding Restaurateur. Overseeing the broad range of dining options serving Hollywood Bowl Food + Wine’s thousands of nightly guests is Executive Chef Erik Lopez.”“Caroline Styne has curated a diverse retail wine selection in the three marketplaces this season, offering a broad selection of varieties and options for wine lovers visiting the Bowl. The markets feature a number of canned wines as well as a wide selection of organic, biodynamic and non-alcoholic bottles made by celebrated artisanal winemakers like Melville, Cafe Society, Weingut Leitz and The Wonderland Project, as well as an array of wines from the Bowl’s new sponsor Grapevine Wines in partnership with Beckmen Winery, Hitching Post Winery and Lola Wines.”“Hollywood Bowl Food + Wine’s many dining options include three sit-down restaurants with seasonally changing menus, street-food kiosks, pre-ordered picnic boxes and a full-service dinner delivered to your box seat. For private events, Hollywood Bowl Food + Wine provides catering at several locations for groups both large and small.”Restaurateur Caroline Styne joins us to uncork all that is Hollywood Bowl Food + Wine for 2026.

“Chef Chris Yang (2024 James Beard Award nominee for Best Chef: California) of Yang's Kitchen launched a tea and kombucha brand called Joimo late last year.” “Joimo was born from a simple observation: Better tea makes better kombucha. Built on Taiwanese tea traditions, it starts with the finest single-origin oolong tea, handpicked from the high mountains of Taiwan. Chris didn't start out as a tea lover and was experimenting with making kombucha using a SCOBY bought on Amazon years ago while opening Yang's Kitchen. Unbeknownst to him, the gifted tea leaves he was experimenting with were expensive and intended primarily for a traditional tea ceremony. But the kombucha was delicious, and Joimo was born.” “Labeled as the "champagne of kombucha,” Joimo is crisp, clean, and bright without the bite; it's crafted for taste, not just wellness. Each batch of Joimo kombucha is artisanally crafted in small batches without shortcuts, transforming organic cane sugar through months of careful fermentation with a symbiotic culture of healthy bacteria and yeast. The result is delicate and floral, with airy, slightly earthy notes and a touch of minerality. Bright and lightly dry, with fine, crisp effervescence, it finishes clean and perfectly balanced.” Every third Saturday their DTLA Kombucha brewery is open from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. for tastings and tours.Co-Founder Rinna Lee continues with us with a Joimo Mango Mango Kombucha in hand.

“At Bianca Sicilian Trattoria (located in a quieter area of the Arts District of DTLA) , Chef Michele Galifi’s philosophy is rooted in the timeless traditions of Sicily - where food is memory, hospitality is instinct, and every meal is an occasion. They believe true refinement comes not from complexity, but from respect: respect for ingredients, for technique, and for the rhythm of a proper Sicilian table. Chef Michele’s cuisine highlights handmade pastas, pristine seafood, seasonal produce, and the vibrant balance of citrus, herbs, and Mediterranean depth that define Sicilian cooking. Indulge in his hand-crafted unique Sicilian Street Style Appetizers, Sicilian Pastas, Pizza, and Italian Seafood.” Chef Michele takes a brief pause from his busy prep to join us.A little earlier than usual (10:45 a.m. PT) our own Chef Andrew Gruel, the menu-maker behind the full-service Calico Fish House (located in the Sunset Beach area of Huntington Beach) joins us with another timely and informative “Ask the Chef” segment where he responds to listeners’ thoughtful inquiries. It’s Summer Grilling Season and Chef Andrew resumes his timely and practical series from American Gravy of “Grilling Mistakes That Are Ruining Your Cookout.”

“At Bianca Sicilian Trattoria (located in a quieter area of the Arts District of DTLA) , Chef Michele Galifi’s philosophy is rooted in the timeless traditions of Sicily - where food is memory, hospitality is instinct, and every meal is an occasion.” “They believe true refinement comes not from complexity, but from respect: respect for ingredients, for technique, and for the rhythm of a proper Sicilian table. Chef Michele’s cuisine highlights handmade pastas, pristine seafood, seasonal produce, and the vibrant balance of citrus, herbs, and Mediterranean depth that define Sicilian cooking. Indulge in his hand-crafted unique Sicilian Street Style Appetizers, Sicilian Pastas, Pizza, and Italian Seafood.” “Each dish is thoughtfully composed to honor tradition while embracing a modern elegance. They encourage guests to experience the meal as it was intended - progressively, unhurried, and shared.”At Bianca, cooking is not simply craft; it is heritage, discipline, and devotion brought to the table with grace.” “Covered Patio Garden with Twinkle lights will transport you to a Piazza in Italy.” Also does off-site catering with a mobile wood-burning pizza oven. Chef Michele takes a brief pause from prep to join us.

“The Garagiste Festival returns to Los Angeles for the eleventh Garagiste Festival: Urban Exposure on Saturday, June 20th, featuring 30+ of the best micro-production wineries from nearly every California AVA, pouring over 150 exceptional and under the radar wines. Angelenos can taste wines from Paso Robles, Santa Barbara County, Sonoma County, Napa Valley, Malibu, San Diego, and almost everywhere in between, all under one roof on one day, and for less than the average cost of two wine tastings in California wine country.”“The Garagiste Festival: Urban Exposure affords (pun intended) LA wine lovers the opportunity to taste small production wines from almost every wine region in California, made with an awe-inspiring diversity of grapes, without leaving town,” said Douglas Minnick, co-founder of the Garagiste Festival. “Whether attendees are savoring a bold Trousseau Gris from Sonoma, a funky Carignan from Mendocino, or a sparkling Picpoul Blanc from Paso Robles, the winemaker will be there to talk about the grape, the wine and how it is made, something that is rarely ‘afforded’ to wine enthusiasts in wine country.”“Among the winemakers pouring this year in LA are Rúakh Wines from Paso Robles, 10 Ninths from Santa Barbara County, Maylena Wines from Sonoma, Greyscale Wines from Napa Valley, Grá from SLO, Malibu Wine Company from Malibu, Hoi Polloi from Newhall, Effenberger Vineyards from San Diego, and more! In addition, for the first time, the festival will showcase a selection of wines from New Zealand small-production wineries.”“The Garagiste Festival: Urban Exposure includes a Rare and Reserve Tasting, Grand Tasting, and a Silent Auction, all taking place at LA County’s Glendale Civic Auditorium.”Co-founder Doug Minnick joins us to uncork all that is The Garagiste Festival: Urban Exposure.

Acme Hospitality, renowned for its distinctive independent restaurants and boutique hotels across California, has launched its latest endeavor, Picala. Positioned as a landmark dining destination, Picala anchors the innovative Cumulus District, located in the West Adams neighborhood at the crossroads of where Culver City, South Los Angeles, and West Los Angeles come together. “Rooted in the Spanish tradition of sharing food in community, it’s a restaurant designed for connection where dinner, drinks, and conversation naturally come together. Guests can stop by the bar for a quick tapa and cocktail, linger with friends on the patio, or settle into the dining room for a complete live-fired feast. Ingredient-driven, fresh, and welcoming, Picala aspires to be where West L.A. comes to eat, drink, and belong.”“At the culinary helm is Chef Luis Sierra, who brings a deep respect for culinary tradition to Picala, shaped by a career rooted in curiosity, craft, and place. His journey began not in a kitchen, but under the ground in archaeology, studying ancient hearths across the American Southwest. There, early cooking practices and regional ingredients sparked a fascination with how people cook and gather, a thread that would follow him into kitchens around the world.” Chef Luis takes another brief break from prep in his busy kitchen to stay with us. “At Picala, he channels that range into a seasonal live-fired menu of soulful, shareable dishes inspired by Spain and shaped by California, where every dish celebrates the beauty of cooking simply, eating communally, and gathering often.”