Healthy Eats: Arugula & Goat Cheese Pasta Salad

I've said it once, I'll say it again: there is something  so wonderful about cooking with friends. Opening a bottle (or 2, or 3) of wine, brainstorming dishes together, deliberating over spices, rubs and marinades... it can't be beat. This past weekend Quinn and I got together with two of his good friends from high school to grill high quality tri tip and chicken breasts purchased at the Los Angeles Original Farmer's Market.

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Kate Mantilini, Industry Staple

In the few short weeks I’ve been working the “biz”, my stepfather’s restaurant has popped up in conversation several times. The actors I work with often ask me about myself and my background. Inevitably we pass through my public school teacher mother, lawyer father, and reach the point where I admit, “Well, my stepfather’s a chef." "Where?"  "Kate Mantilini!”

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Benihana Birthday

This is my little brother. Universally lauded as the coolest kid ever, Louis turned 11 on February 21st. Such a milestone was celebrated at one of his favorite restaurants,  a title earned by their pyrotechnics and food-as-entertainment schtick -- the one and only, Benihana. Last year, I had not yet fully come to appreciate Japanese cuisine as I do now (more sushi please), so I was looking forward to trying something brand new.

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