The Rise of Rick Lox. Plus, LA Gets an Erewhon Knock-Off, Vermin Hit LA Icons & the NYT 100 Causes a Stir

The Rise of Rick Lox. Plus, LA Gets an Erewhon Knock-Off, Vermin Hit LA Icons & the NYT 100 Causes a Stir

From The LA Food Podcast by Acquired Taste Media

May 15, 2026 · 1h 37m · Episode 178

About this episode

Luca discusses the state of Los Angeles restaurants and food media with guests Karen Palmer and Rick Lox, covering various topics from luxury grocery stores to restaurant reviews.

This week on The LA Food Podcast , Luca is joined by food writer Karen Palmer and LA food influencer Rick Lox for a two-part episode covering the state of Los Angeles restaurants, food media, and the city’s never-ending dining discourse. First, Karen breaks down the latest LA restaurant storylines, from the rise of luxury grocery stores like Laurel Supply to the possible comeback of the Helms Design District , plus recent eats at Jacaranda , Picala , Gjusta , and Pijja Palace . She and Luca also get into the new Helms District , Santee Alley after last year’s ICE raids, the Roll Em Up Taquitos controversy, vermin-related restaurant closures , the New York Times 100 Best Restaurants in NYC list , bromated flour , and Dine Latino Restaurant Week . Then Luca sits down with Adam Alper , better known as Rick Lox , one of LA’s most recognizable food influencers, to talk about how he built his platform, the origin of the Rick Lox name, his rating system, dealing with haters, why Shibuya is his favorite restaurant of all time, why In-N-Out still matters, and the LA restaurants he thinks are truly elite, including Dunsmoor and République . Rick also opens up about what makes a restaurant…

People in this episode

Host: Luca

Guests: Karen Palmer, Rick Lox

Topics covered

  • Los Angeles restaurants
  • food media
  • dining discourse
  • food influencers
  • restaurant reviews
  • luxury grocery stores

Keywords

  • Los Angeles
  • food influencers
  • restaurant reviews
  • luxury grocery stores
  • Dine Latino Restaurant Week
  • New York Times 100
  • dining scene
  • Rick Lox
  • Karen Palmer

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: New York Times, Soccer Without Borders

Products: bromated flour, Roll Em Up Taquitos

Places: Los Angeles, Helms Design District, Santee Alley, Dunsmoor, République, Shibuya, In-N-Out, Jacaranda, Picala, Gjusta

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