the BEAT of the week: dineLA restaurant week.

It's that fabulous time of year again: dineLA's winter edition of restaurant week. For two (!) awesome weeks in Los Angeles, you can have a taste of what some of this city's best restaurants have to offer in the form of discounted prix-fixe (and totally fulfilling) dinners and lunches.

My picks for this time 'round? Cliff's Edge boasts a super-romantic jungle-like patio hidden in the middle of Silver Lake, and now also has a new chef -- James Beard-nominated Benjamin Bailly, a la Fraiche and Petrossian. There's also the brand spanking new Short Order, the latest offering from Mozza's Nancy Silverton. And then there is the completely buzzworthy Picca, where you'll surely be pleasantly satisfied by the creative and tasteful offerings (do yourself a favor and order that delectably smooth avocado cocktail too).

dineLA deals apply now until Jan. 27, then Jan. 29-Feb. 3. Check out the entire restaurant list here, and let us know where you're planning on grubbing. Happy eating!

-- Chau Tu

Eat Out. DineLA restaurant week.

At long last, it is that time of year again. DineLA restaurant week is back in full force, and you better get your reservations in soon. Some of my picks for this year: Santa Monica's Josie Restaurant (as a fancy preview to the new and less expensive Josie Next Door), Lukshon (from the mind behind Father's Office), the buzzworthy Picca (don't miss the mindblowingly smooth Avocado Project).

Check out the whole list here, and happy eating!

dineLA restaurant week is Oct. 2-7 and Oct. 9-14.

-- Chau Tu

Eat Out. Test Kitchen.

It's notoriously difficult to open a restaurant, and even more rare for it to be successful. So why not take a test drive, and bring some brave foodie customers along for the ride? Enter the Test Kitchen.

The Test Kitchen is a new sort of restaurant, conceptualized to allow chefs try out new and different dishes in a setting outside of their own eateries. They get the chance to do some experimenting, and customers get the chance to eat dishes that are rare or maybe haven't even been done before. The chefs will also be working with mixologists, meaning there'll be some interesting drinks being formulated as well.

First up in the hot seat is Jordan Kahn, who just happens to be the best sort of example for what the Test Kitchen hopes to accomplish. Kahn is the chef from Red Medicine, a Vietnamese restaurant that hasn't opened yet, but already has a ton of hype behind it because it's being opened by Umami Burger's Adam Fleischman. For Test Kitchen, Kahn will be offering a $40 prix fixe menu ($10 for cocktails) for what is presumed to be Red Medicine's future offerings. And with caramelized chicken dumplings and a coconut cream dessert, it's already looking good. But of course, if you head to Test Kitchen, you'll know first!

But make your reservations now--Kahn will only be there from tonight until Sunday, to be followed by Chef Richard Zapate and others in the following weeks. Keep up with the chef line-up through the website or Facebook, and happy (experimental) eating!
The Test Kitchen is located at 9575 Pico Blvd. in Beverly Hills.

-- Chau Tu