Acquired Taste Food Podcasts

What happens when the chefs behind Fauna bring their cooking to a city where everyone has an opinion about Mexican food?This week on Taqueando, Bill Esparza sits down with chefs David Castro Hussong and Maribel Aldaco, the husband-and-wife team behind Valle de Guadalupe’s celebrated Fauna, as they prepare to bring La Morocha to LA’s Arts District. Their vision: Baja comfort food, from tostadas and carne asada to flatbreads that might get the pizza police involved.David and Maribel trace their journey from young cooks working abroad to opening Fauna, finding their own styles, and building a restaurant that keeps people coming back. They also discuss Michelin versus 50 Best, the creative disagreement that transformed Maribel’s desserts, and why opening a Mexican restaurant in Los Angeles comes with a particularly complicated set of expectations.Plus: lettuce-wrapped tacos, banana ice cream with corn cake, the evolution of Mexican wine, and why David has no intention of putting mole on the menu just because someone expects it.Explore La Morocha Los Angeles and follow David Castro Hussong, Maribel Aldaco, and Fauna.Follow Bill Esparza for more Mexican food discoveries, and leave Taqueando a rating or review wherever you listen.Produced by Robert Haleblian.

Free from gluten, dairy, and any willingness to accept a devastating elimination.Nancy and Bits recap Season 17, Episode 7 of The Great British Bake Off, where Free From Week brings surprisingly impressive pastry, a vegan animal-cake technical that leaves them cold, and a children’s birthday showstopper featuring Tom’s farting Shrek swamp.Plus: a major update in the floating restaurant saga, an investigation into Birmingham balti, and a detour through the Christmas movie industrial complex. Come for the baking commentary. Stay for the Civil War ghost boyfriend.Follow Compliments to the Chef on Instagram and send Nancy and Bits your questions, hot takes, and breaking floating restaurant news.

Is the best pizza in America actually in Los Angeles? Filmmaker Peter Ferriero certainly thinks so. Or at least he did until he discovered a pizza in Ojai that made him question the title of his own documentary, The Best Pizza Is in LA.Peter joins Luca to make the case for LA's pizza supremacy, explain why New Yorkers need to get over themselves, and debate what actually makes a great pizza city. They dig into the genius of Nancy Silverton, the rise of Pizzeria Sei, the pizza shops that should've made the documentary, and whether LA even needs its own signature pizza style.Plus, things get heated during a round of pizza hot takes: Is Dave Portnoy actually good for pizza? Are numerical ratings hurting independent pizzerias? Does pineapple belong on pizza? And is there really such a thing as bad pizza?It's a spirited, occasionally contentious love letter to LA's pizza renaissance, with plenty of strong opinions and a few slices of humble pie.WATCH THE FILM & FOLLOW PETER🍕 Watch The Best Pizza Is in LA on Amazon Prime Video🎬 Follow Peter Ferriero on Instagram🎥 Follow The Best Pizza Is in LA on InstagramFOLLOW THE LA FOOD PODCAST📸 Instagram🎙️ Acquired Taste Media

Karen Palmer is back, and we've got some grievances to air.Fresh off running the New York City Marathon, Luca returns with a potentially friendship-ending take: New York pizza and bagels might be overrated. Plus, a visit to Danny Meyer's Union Square Cafe delivers spectacular food and surprisingly disappointing service, while a legendary New York steakhouse serves up a life-changing encounter with mutton.Back in LA, Karen breaks down the battle to save Silver Lake's Ye Rustic Inn, the financial struggles facing even the most iconic restaurants like Canter's Deli, and why El Segundo might quietly be becoming one of the city's most exciting dining neighborhoods. There's also plenty of bistro love, from Marée and Bar Étoile to a $42 burger worth discussing.Then, in Chef's Kiss / Big Miss, things get spicy. Is the LA Times 101 losing its soul? Has the backlash against the list gone too far? Are solo diners thriving or just lonely? Is DoorDash becoming too powerful? And has LA's obsession with steak au poivre officially gotten out of hand?Plus, OpenTable's latest dining trends, some podcast production confessions, and a very special case of stolen marathon valor.ARTICLES & STORIES DISCUSSEDYe Rustic Inn fights for its future in Silver Lake — SFGATEThe financial challenges facing Canter's Deli — SFGATEEl Segundo's emerging restaurant scene — SFGATEOpenTable Dining Trends ReportWhy Does the LA Times 101 Best Restaurants List Feel Like It's Lost the Sauce? — Diner TheoryDiner Theory's Alternative LA Restaurant List — InstagramDoorDash Is More Than Its Instacart — ExpediteLA's Steak au Poivre Obsession — Los Angeles TimesTHIS EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY SLANG AIRunning a restaurant means juggling a million things at once, and the phone shouldn't be one of them.Slang AI is an AI-powered phone concierge built specifically for restaurants, helping teams handle calls about reservations, hours, private events, and more, so staff can spend less time answering the phone and more time taking care of guests.With its new Superhost technology, Slang makes conversations feel remarkably natural, understanding guests' tone, handling interruptions, and even switching languages mid-conversation.Hear how restaurants like Casaléna are using Slang AI to deliver better hospitality without adding more work for their teams.Learn more about Slang AI here:https://www.slang.ai/restaurants?utm_source=la_food_podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=superhost_launch_oct_26&utm_content=ad_readFollow @thelafoodpodcast and @acquiredtastemedia on Instagram for more LA restaurant news, reviews, and recommendations.

Bill Esparza welcomes Mona Holmes, editor of Eater LA, to Taqueando for a candid, hilarious, and occasionally confrontational conversation about Los Angeles food, journalism, and the people shaping the city's restaurant scene.First, Bill and Mona lay down the rules of food event etiquette, including how to escape a conversation that just won't end. Then they get into the increasingly precarious state of food journalism, the rise of influencers, and why great restaurant coverage requires more than a camera and a supposedly impeccable palate.Things get especially interesting when Mona confronts Bill over his infamous criticism of Villa's Tacos, sparking a debate about journalistic responsibility, professional boundaries, and whether food writers sometimes go too far. They also tackle allegations of AI-generated Michelin Guide reviews, the political failures making life harder for LA restaurants, and what city leaders should actually be doing to help.Finally, Mona shares her personal restaurant recommendations for convincing skeptical New Yorkers that Los Angeles is one of the greatest food cities in the world.It's a spirited conversation between two people who love LA, love its restaurants, and aren't afraid to disagree about either.Follow Mona Holmes and read her work at Eater LA.TAQUEANDO with Bill Esparza is part of the Acquired Taste Media podcast network.