Local Intelligence: Robertson Boulevard, Los Angeles

Jean Therapy: Paige Premium Denim is just
one of the celebrity haunts on Robertson
Boulevard in Los Angeles.

By Nandita Khanna

When I'm traveling it's not the guidebooks that I turn to, or even the area magazines (but I do buy them)-- it's the locals. Who knows where to eat, sleep, and hang out better than those who call the city home? Earlier this spring I headed to Los Angeles on assignment for the magazine's 20th anniversary issue. While I'd like to think I know the city well--I grew up there-- much like New York, things change in the blink of an eye. And while I insist that In and Out Burger is still the best place in town to grab a bite, I invited these three trend-setting women below--all of whom have taken up post on perpetually packed Robertson Boulevard--to share their favorite secrets and tips in the City of Angels.

The Materialist's Mea Culpa

Yes, it's true--after months of silence and neglect, the Materialist is back and wants once again to be friends, like a parent who abandons her child and then returns years looking like a hussy and wanting to be best pals. And like the sullen kid, the Materialist's few remaining readers (read: her friends and "friends") are not having it.

Over the past few months (eek!), the Materialist has been asked many questions about her disappearance and the life of her untended blog, most of which fall into the following categories:

1) Where the hell were you?
The Materialist must beg mercy. The truth of the matter is, the only place she's been is in her office, spending her days trying to close the September issue and attempting to control the vast oceans of rage that seethe beneath her placid moonface. Does the Materialist's reappearance mean she's gotten her life together and learned to manage her time? No. In fact, the primary reason the Materialist is writing this entry is not just to reassert her title as Conde Nast's most inconsistent blogger, but more importantly, to avoid writing her Iconic Itinerary: Southeast Asia piece (coming in the November issue!) while still operating under the illusion that work is being accomplished.

The Wong Way

Chef Alan Wong and Dole Farm's cacao specialist (chocolate guru), Michael Conway

By Mollie Chen

Hawaii is one of the places where all the cliches come true. It happens the minute you get off the plane: you are greeted by sultry trade winds and the strumming of ukuleles; people smile instead of grimace; and the air smells of pikake and ginger. Because my dad's family lives in Honolulu I get to go out there almost every year -it is hands down one of my favorite places in the world.

Foodwise, the islands have an embarrassment of riches. You can spend your days blissfully gorging on pineapple and papaya, or you can delve into more gluttonous pleasures like malasadas, plate lunch, and spam musubi. But Hawaii also has a thriving gourmet culture, led by star chefs such as Roy Yamaguchi, Sam Choy, and George Mavrothalassitis.

The arguable leader of this group is Chef Alan Wong, whose eponymous Honolulu restaurant made Gourmet's Top 50 last year and whose other two island eateries--Honolulu's Pineapple Room and the Big Island's Hualalai Grille--consistently rake in the accolades.

A few months ago, on a whirlwind trip to Oahu, the Big Island, and Maui, I had dinner at the very busy Hualalai Grille at the very opulent Four Seasons Hualalai. (Note to potential suitors: although the way to my heart is through food, this resort is a close, close second.)

I loved his take on the "soup and sandwich"--chilled heirloom tomato soup with a foie gras, kalua pig, and grilled cheese sandwich (really you can't go wrong with slow-roasted pork and fattened liver) and spicy ahi tartare with avocado salsa. For dessert there was an absolutely ridiculous chocolate, banana, and peanu concoction that (for me) was happiness on a plate.

For our July Islands issue, Chef Wong told us about the best "tastes" in Oahu (check it out on newsstands now). A champion of local producers, he has gone so far as to take his kitchen staff to some of his favorite farms so that his chefs can meet the folks who grow their tomatoes. Here, he makes a strong case for booking a one-way ticket to the aloha state.

Eat Dessert First

By Mollie Chen

Along with small plates and farm-fresh dining, the food trend that I am most excited about is all-dessert-all-the-time. I'll admit, I have an abnormally large sweet tooth (must make up for my abnormally small common sense meter) - but this food revolution is one that even salty freaks can latch onto.

Dessert menus are getting more elaborate and more thoughtful, integrating complex flavors from the world of salty, savory, and spicy - for example, WD-50 (whose former pastry chef Sam Mason is poised to open the hottest restaurant of the summer) weaves ingredients like edamame and parsnip into its confections. Not to mention restaurants that shun entrees altogether, such as Room 4 Dessert, where Chef Will Goldfarb will happily talk you through his four-course tastings, and Kyotofu, a fantastic Hell's Kitchen spot where two former i-bankers have joined forces with a Japanese chef to produce ethereal tofu-based desserts.

The hardest working man in this new landscape of sweets is Chef Pichet Ong, who recently opened P*ong, in the West Village. The menu is divided into "savory," "sweet and savory," and "sweet." Many of the savory dishes are light - "I wanted to save the carbs for dessert," jokes Ong - even decadent-sounding offerings like the stilton souffle with basil-arugula ice cream.

Desserts are both experimental and accessible, displaying Ong's trademark Asian fusion - Vietnamese espresso and tapioca affogato is a twist on bubble tea, while the miso ice cream and evoo cake sandwich reminded me of light-as-air sponge cakes I used to pick up in Chinatown. Even more exciting is the forthcoming ("hopefully sometime late summer," according to Ong) Batch, which will open in the space next to P*ong and will sell baked treats and logs of cookie dough (labeled according to which "batch" they are). Once the shop opens, Ong says to look for the peanut butter or cherry spiral cookies. If that weren't enough, Ong has a brand-new cookbook, The Sweet Spot. The recipes are wide-ranging - from traditional Asian desserts like mango sticky rice and red bean ice cream to updated inventions like chocolate kumquat spring rolls and condensed milk poundcake - and are bound to inspire. Here Ong gives us his round-up of the best things to eat in New York, Los Angeles, and beyond.

This Little Piggy

By Mollie Chen

The pig is having quite the star turn - much to its dismay. The poor swine is finding itself the center of attention in foodie circles everywhere, thanks to a coterie of bold-faced chefs: Martin Picard, of Montreal's Au Pied de Cochon; New York's David Chang, who has been showered with praise for his perpetually mobbed Momofuku and Momofuku Ssam: and, the father of it all, London's Fergus Henderson whose St. John pioneered "nose to tail" eating. Now, for home chefs with a weakness for stuffed pig's ears, blood sausage, and other swine-full delights, Chef Stephane Reynaud's Pork and Sons is a must-have. Recently translated from French, the cookbook-cum-memoir recalls the chef's childhood in the small village of Saint-Agreve, where he participated in his first pig slaughter at age 7, as well as tales from his more experience as chef-owner of the popular Villa 9 Trois, in Montreuil, France. Here, Reynaud gives us some of his tips on where to go, what to eat, and what to bring back.