Newsletter: Sobriety in the restaurant industry

The top food stories from this week at the Los Angeles Times:

Sober talk in the restaurant industry.

(Saskia Keultjes / For The Times)

SERVE THE SERVANTS

Amy Scattergood talks to chefs and food industry folks about how they’re turning the service model on themselves to help those struggling with alcoholism and substance abuse in a profession long fraught with it.

Yan du xian, listed on the menu as “smoked and fresh pork warm pot,” makes an ideal centerpiece for a meal at Jiang Nan Spring.

(Silvia Razgova / For The Times)

SHANGHAI CUISINE

Bill Addison takes on the 150-dish-strong menu at Jiang Nan Spring, a Shanghainese restaurant in Alhambra. A veteran chef, a tureen of yan du xian, a surfeit of rice cakes.

The cheese boat with parsley from Forn Al Hara restaurant in Anaheim.

(Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)

IN PRAISE OF CHEESE BOATS

Patricia Escárcega sits down at Forn Al Hara, a restaurant and bakery in Anaheim’s Little India neighborhood, where she finds some pretty great Lebanese flatbreads and pastries.

NOT JUST MIREPOIX

David Karp considers celery, which is suddenly a thing but has a long and surprising history in Southern California. Who knew that Venice was once a celery hub?

Buckwheat Tahini Brownies, a menu item at Botanica restaurant in Silver Lake, can be made at home.

(Pascal Shirley / For The Times)

SOS BROWNIES

Ben Mims gets the recipe for Botanica’s gluten-free brownies as the latest Culinary SOS. Buckwheat flour! Valrhona! Tahini whipped cream!

Our 101 Restaurants We Love list for 2018 is out. The list incorporates restaurants and trucks from around Los Angeles and Orange County, in alphabetical order (no rankings this time). Plus there’s a bonus list of 10 classic restaurants.

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