Music and food. KCRW is a place where both live side by side. I had an experience this week that brought that intersection to consciousness. As soon as I knew that LA Times restaurant critic Bill Addison would join us to talk about dining along what's left of Route 66, the tinkling notes of Nelson Riddle's theme song for the 1960s TV show Route 66 started up in my head. I believe this music subliminally planted a wanderlust in me that has lasted a lifetime. That it started airing when the yearning for a learner's permit became the drumbeat of all interactions between my mother and me for years can't be discounted.

So many of you have written to us to share how Good Food has helped orient you to Los Angeles. Maybe you've found your people through the extraordinary number of live events we put on throughout the year, like Piefest! Food, music, and neighborhoods are a powerful triad that drives culture and community forward. If Good Food feeds your curiosity or helps you decide what to feed your stomach, take a minute right now to support us. And please shout the show out in the comments. Thank you!

—Evan

THE GOOD FOOD TEAM'S DINING HIGHLIGHTS

Evan: Sometimes visiting a restaurant is a trip down memory lane. This lunch at El Coyote was doubly so. I shared a plate of carnitas with my high school best friend, whom I hadn't seen in at least 20 years. We were wild and crazy girls.

Gillian: The tots at Pasjoli are chef Dave Beran's ode to In & Out. Instead of fries, he confits squares of finely grated potatoes into little bundles of textural bliss, then tops them with his own "spread" and a squiggle of what must be American cheese. It's part of the updated menu at Pasjoli and for me, an instant classic.

Laryl: I love any holiday that involves pie because — leftovers. Pumpkin and apple for Thanksgiving, but stone fruit in the summer. A slice of Fat & Flour's cherry with a cup of black coffee made for a breakfast of champions on the Fifth of July.

Elina: I popped into Tomat for a party and fell in love with their summer tomato galette. Chef Harry Posner does something clever with the vegan pistachio pesto that sits under the tomatoes. He replaces the Parmesan with umeboshi. But what gives the tart its deep, sausage-y taste? He says he switched flour suppliers and that changed everything, including his recipes. I'll be eating this as often as I can for the next few months.

Janek: This week, a friend clued me in to a ramen pop-up in Little Tokyo. Chef Cean Hayashi Geronimo (formerly at RVR in Venice) and chef Fuchihara Takaya ladled shoyu and shio broth into bowls with noodles, seaweed, and thinly sliced pork. The shoyu was the standout — powerful, almost briny in character. Chef Cean says they import it from Kyoto. It's also unpasteurized. Culinary thrill seekers, rejoice. The pop-up was amplified with Japanese whiskey and hip-hop albums. The same combo of flavor and sound will happen on August 7th. Mark your calendars.

WHAT I'M CONSUMING

WEEKLY RECIPE: I have a cucumber I pulled off my one plant. It's over a foot long. I also have a large bunch of beautiful radishes. That means it's time to make Okroshka, the cooling Ukrainian bowl of cucumbers, radishes, boiled potatoes, and spring onions in a fermented dairy base. My mom used to eat this melange like a salad instead of a soup, just the chopped vegetables and a serious amount of sour cream. It's an absolutely luxurious way to eat crunchy vegetables. GET THE RECIPE

TASTY THINGS TO DO

• The first-ever Los Angeles French Fry Festival debuts on Saturday, July 11th at The Autry. Expect waffle fries, curly fries, tornado potatoes, potato wedges, poutine, sweet potato fries, Cajun fries, and beef tallow fries. There will also be live entertainment, a French fry eating contest, blindfolded fry-tasting challenges, and cooking demos. $27–51.

• Local author Danny Jensen has written Unique Eats and Eateries of Los Angeles, a guide to historic delis, diners, and food halls, as well as innovators, multigenerational immigrant-founded businesses, and mission-driven restaurants. On Saturday, July 11th, he'll host a book release party at Flavors From Afar in Hollywood. FREE!

• Do you miss Pioneer Chicken? It's returning to Echo Park for the 45th Annual Lotus Festival on Saturday, July 11th. Enjoy the chain's famous fried chicken and celebrate the neighborhood where the Pioneer story began.

• We love an invented holiday (aren't they all?) and Sunday, July 12th is National Michelada Day. Fortunately, Santa Ana just released a guide to the best micheladas in the city. It includes Alta Baja Market, Café Cultura, El Rincón Mexicano, Lola Gaspar, Native Son, Santa Ana River Brewing, and Tacos Los Cholos, among many others.

• If the World Cup has piqued your interest in soccer, there's a charity fun run/walk benefiting Soccer Without Borders. The three-mile run or mile-and-a-half walk starts at Prince Street Pizza on Sunset Blvd. in WeHo and goes to Bar Next Door, where you can nosh on pies and Henry's Secret Ice Cream. Hate running? You can show up and stick to eating and drinking. Sunday, July 12th, 11 AM–2 PM.

• OTOTO in Echo Park hosts Yoonycat's Burger Pop-Up on Monday, July 13, 5–8 PM. For one night only, chef Susan Yoon will serve her burger, which she makes with soy-braised short rib sugo, gruyère, and horseradish aioli. Round out the meal with a sake pairing.

• For two days, Folderol, the trendy ice cream parlor and wine bar in Paris, will transform Melrose Hill restaurant Bar Étoile into a Parisian cave à vin for Bar à Glaces. Expect cheese, charcuterie, bar bites, and ice cream. Friday, July 17–Saturday, July 18th.

TASTY THINGS TO READ 

• Frozen yogurt fandom comes and goes. The current froyo wave is elegant, minimalist, and indulgent. But it shares one thing with every other froyo surge — the sheen of virtue. We can pretend froyo is healthy even though we know it isn't.

• Do you love Lunchables? You can thank cigarettes. After Philip Morris Companies acquired General Foods in 1985, the ultraprocessed food industry took a page from Big Tobacco's playbook to engineer products that would hook kids early and keep them loyal for life.

• NorCal restaurant Chez Xue is making waves after posting its strict dining policy re: poorly behaved children: "We are not a playground… Running around, shouting, making noise with utensils, etc. WILL NOT BE TOLERATED!" Parents whose progeny run amok will be fined if their kids damage restaurant property.

AWWW

Cat drama that looks like a Korean soap opera? Meow!

To see more of what I'm consuming, including recipes, events, and other stories, check out my Substack!

—Evan