Jet Tila’s Coffin Case

Jet Tila Coffin Case Jet Tilas Coffin CaseLA Weekly’s Squid Ink has a fascinating look inside one of our head chef’s favorite carrying cases. Most chefs place their knives in a standard metal case, but not our Jet Tila. No way! Instead, Jet learned about Jonny “Coffin” Edwards and his company Coffin Case, which creates coffin-shaped guitar cases for rockers and other anti-establishment characters.

Since Jet is a rockstar of the culinary world, it makes sense he would forgo the standard knife cases and instead go with one of Jonny’s signature creations as you see above.

As Jet explained to LA Weekly’s Daina Beth Solomon, “I got tired of using toolkits…I needed something to show my personality.” Have Jet’s peers in the culinary world noticed? .“Big Time.”

You can read the entire article here and to learn more about Coffin Cases, check this out.

Evan Kleiman Pops Up at The Charleston with a 4-Course Dinner

by Celia Soudry
LA Weekly Squid Ink

April 18, 2012

kleiman chocolate chunk bread pudding Evan Kleiman Pops Up at The Charleston with a 4 Course DinnerIf you’re still mourning the loss of chef Evan Kleiman’s Angeli Cafe (who isn’t?), you can sample her food again at The Charleston on Monday, May 7, with two seatings at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. The KCRW Good Food host will prepare a four-course rustic Italian meal, served family-style. “Everyday I get emails from customers asking me to make Angeli food and bring it to them,” says Kleiman, “It’s pretty funny, like I should now run Angeli like a cottage industry from my house. Well, that’s not going to happen, but the pop-up allows me and my staff to reunite and make food we love and of course to see customer friends we miss and give them a fleeting taste.”

The first in a series of pop-up events at The Charleston, chef Jet Tila will invite various chefs to share his kitchen on a monthly basis. For the May 7 event, you can expect farmers market-plucked ingredients in dishes such as gnocchetti di ricottalinguine vongolepollo arrostolasagne Angeli and chocolate chunk bread pudding (pictured above).

Longtime friends, Tila and Kleiman’s collaboration seemed only natural. “I was dreading never making the food again or collaborating with my staff. He [Jet Tila] told me not to worry. I could do pop-ups at his new place.” Kleiman hopes to do this sort of thing regularly and is busying herself, along with many other things, with teaching at cooking schools and in private homes. The pop-up dinner is $45 per person, not including beverages, tax and tip. To reserve, call (310) 828-2115,

March Roundup of Restaurant Openings and Closings: Endless Tequila, Beer & More

by Celia Soudry
LA Weekly Squid Ink

April 2, 2012

Ginger Kiss resized thumb 560x398 March Roundup of Restaurant Openings and Closings: Endless Tequila, Beer & More

Springtime is upon us — you can tell by the pastel-colored clothing and cocktails around town.

As some of our favorite bars close (Lou’s days are numbered, Palate Food + Wine), others emerge, not necessarily taking their place.

1920s-themed “gastropub,” The Charleston recently took over the shuttered Angels space on Wilshire Boulevard. There, you’ll find toasted  (small, but highly recommended), marinated olives, bacon-wrapped dates, pulled pork sliders and cocktails served in spiffy glasses (try the Minted Mule). We visited the intimate bar on opening weekend (Saturday night) to find a packed house.