Kristen

There’s no word on what will replace the western-themed restaurant

The bucking will soon cease at the Saddle Ranch Chop House’s Universal CityWalk location, as the restaurant prepares to close on January 2. After this closure, only five Saddle Ranch Chop Houses will remain, including the mothership location on Sunset Boulevard.

The Saddle Ranch Chop House is best known for the centrally-placed mechanical bull, and western-themed food. Inside Universal first reported on the approaching closure. The company is in the midst of challenges, with recent closings in Scottsdale and Kansas City. In 2016, the Saddle Ranch Chop House also filed suit against The Outlets at Orange, complaining that the shopping mall construction limited parking and restaurant access, along with noise and foul odors.

The Universal Saddle Ranch experienced a long run after initially opening in 1995. The space always seemed to attract cowboy-themed restaurants. Long before Universal CityWalk was a concept, the rib-loving Tony Roma’s created Womphopper's Wagon Works Restaurant in 1981, which eventually became Womphoppers. Tony Roma’s took over the space in 1988, then moved when construction began on Universal CityWalk in 1991. In 1995, the Country Star restaurant moved in, then transformed into the Saddle Ranch Chop House in 2003. There is no word on what will replace the massive restaurant space.

• Saddle Ranch Chop House at Universal CityWalk Hollywood set to close Jan 2 [Inside Universal]

For fans of HBO’s Game Of Thrones, the current, pre-final season wasteland we’re inhabiting, which both lacks new episodes and is peppered with dangerous potential spoilers, is rough. Harrowing thought it has been, it’s nothing compared to the wait fans of the books have endured since 2011’s A Dance With Dragons came…

Read more...

Starting this week, guests at Disney’s Animal Kingdom may get a glimpse of Anala and Jeda, the first Sumatran tiger cubs to be born at the park. The nearly four-month-old cubs are slowly being introduced into their habitat on Maharajah Jungle Trek. The sister and brother pair will be visible periodically as they acclimate to their new area.

We are thrilled to be able to share a first look of these adorable tigers in their new habitat.

Disney is proud to play an important role in the worldwide conservation and understanding of Sumatran tigers, a critically endangered species whose worldwide population has grown by two with the birth of Anala and Jeda. As part of these efforts, Disney participates in the Species Survival Plan, a breeding program through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums which helps ensure a diverse, healthy population of threatened and endangered species for years to come.

Our dedicated and highly trained team of animal care experts and veterinarians spent three years preparing for the birth of these Sumatran tigers and have worked tirelessly to provide them with the best possible care so they can grow and thrive. Part of this work included creating a special new backstage play area where the tiger cubs could learn to swim and climb before venturing into their habitat at Maharajah Jungle Trek.

As you may remember from our previous updates, Sumatran tigers are a critically endangered species with fewer than 500 left in the wild. The Disney Conservation Fund (DCF) is working with groups like the Wildlife Conservation Society on its Reverse the Decline initiative to develop strategies for saving these majestic animals.

The county is providing homeless residents with health services and a permanent address

As Los Angeles grapples with an escalating homelessness crisis, a new study from RAND Corporation provides support for one of the most obvious solutions: providing more residents with housing.

The study, which was commissioned by LA County in 2014, finds that the county’s Housing for Health program, which launched in 2012 and provides supportive housing and medical services to homeless residents, has reduced the reliance of participants on county medical and mental health services. Once stably housed, people involved in the program made less trips to the emergency room, spent less time in the hospital, and were arrested less frequently.

The financial impact of the program could be dramatic, according to the report, which analyzed the experiences of 890 participants. The cost of services provided to those in the program fell by 60 percent in the year after they found permanent housing (from an average of $38,146 in the year before to $15,358 the next year).

That drop is partially offset by the cost of operating the program (participants receive $825 per month housing vouchers and case management services worth about $450 per month). But, even with those costs factored in, the study found a 20 percent decrease in county expenses related to those residents.

The authors suggest that further research is necessary to properly measure the program’s cost benefit to county taxpayers, but lead author Sarah Hunter said in an announcement Tuesday that the findings “suggest that a permanent supportive housing program that targets people who are both homeless and are frequent users of county health services is feasible and may save local government money overall.”

With close to 43,000 residents sleeping on the street, in parked cars, or elsewhere on a given night, Los Angeles has the highest rate of unsheltered homeless residents in the nation.

Last year, Los Angeles voters approved a $1.2 billion bond to build 10,000 new units of permanent-supportive housing over the next 10 years. Then, in March, county voters signed off on a quarter-cent sales tax bump to pay for an array of supportive services, including some of those offered through the Housing for Health program.

• Homelessness in LA County spikes 23 percent [Curbed LA]
• LA county voters approve Measure H—here’s how higher taxes will help the homeless [Curbed LA]
• Measure HHH: Angelenos OK $1.2 billion bond to tackle homelessness [Curbed LA]

From Sylmar to Crescenta Highlands

Editor’s note: This story was originally published on December 5. It has been updated throughout with the latest information.

The Creek Fire ripped through a big swath of the San Fernando Valley, mostly north of the 210 freeway, forcing as many as 150,000 people out of their homes this week. But as winds weaken and firefighters gain the upper hand, city officials are allowing many residents to return home.

The majority of evacuation orders were lifted Thursday night, three days after the fire started. Fanned by wicked winds, the blaze has blackened more than 15,000 acres acres since early Tuesday morning. It has obliterated or damaged some 30 homes. It is 40 percent contained.

The fire chewed through neighborhoods and wilderness areas in, around, and above Sylmar. It started shortly before 4 a.m. Tuesday near Little Tujunga Canyon Road, and that afternoon, flames jumped the 210 freeway and raced through the Tujunga Wash into Shadow Hills.

Below, a map from the Los Angeles Fire Department shows the fire’s boundaries and just how many neighborhoods were—and still are—affected.

The red boundary is the fire perimeter. The area shaded red is closed to the public. The old evacuation zone is shaded green. The areas shaded dark red and light blue are still under mandatory evacuations.

Those communities include Limekiln Canyon and the portion of Shadow Hills that burned, along with Riverwood, where homes have not burned but remain at risk, according to to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.

The map also pinpoints evacuation centers and shelters for people and animals. We’ve listed those below.

Emergency shelters (Set up to accommodate sleeping overnight)

• Sylmar Recreation Center (13109 Borden Ave., Sylmar)
• Branford Recreation Center (13306 Branford Street, Pacoima)
• Ritchie Valens Recreation Center (10736 Laurel Canyon Blvd, Pacoima)
• Sun Valley Recreation Center (8133 Vineland Ave, Sun Valley)
• Sepulveda Recreation Center (8825 Kester Ave, Panorama City)
• Granada Hills Recreation Center (16730 Chatsworth St, Granada Hills)
• Stonehurst Recreation Center (9901 Dronefield Ave, Sun Valley)
• Valley Plaza Recreation Center (12240 Archwood St, North Hollywood)
• North Hollywood Recreation Center (11430 Chandler Blvd, North Hollywood)
• Chatsworth South Recreation Center (22360 Devonshire St, Chatsworth)
• Van Nuys Sherman Oaks Recreation Center (14201 Huston Street, Sherman Oaks)
• Mason Recreation Center (10500 Mason Ave, Chatsworth)
• Balboa Recreation Center (17015 Burbank Blvd, Encino)
• Lanark Recreation Center (21816 Lanark St, Canoga Park)
• Chevy Chase Recreation Center (4165 Chevy Chase Dr, Atwater Village)
• Yosemite Recreation Center (1840 Yosemite Dr, Eagle Rock)

For small animals

• West Valley Animal Shelter (20655 Plummer St., Chatsworth)
• East Valley Animal Shelter (14409 Vanowen St., Van Nuys)

For large animals

• Pierce College (6201 Winnetka Ave., Woodland Hills)
• Antelope Valley Fairgrounds (2551 W Avenue H, Lancaster)

The holidays at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure are in full swing, with merchandise, food, and drinks tailor made to create holiday cheer for guests of all ages. And with the Festival of Holidays at Disney California Adventure, there are more eats than ever!

But one item that’s not part of the Festival of Holidays booths has us particularly giddy with excitement: Gingerbread Funnel Cake Fries. They’re available at Award Wieners, and they are awesome!

Gingerbread Funnel Cake Fries!

We first saw Funnel Cake Fries during the Summer of Heroes. We thought they were good then. The gingerbread version? Well, our Disneyland correspondent Heather Sievers says to run, not walk, to get these!

Gingerbread Funnel Cake Fries

They start with a layer of crisp, sugar/cinnamon funnel cake fries. Crumbled gingerbread is scattered about, with drizzles of glaze and caramel. A massive swirl of whipped cream covers the whole thing (as it should!).

Whipped Cream Heaven

The effect is a delightfully ginger-spiced, sweet, crunchy snack that’s perfect for the holiday season.

Crunch!

Go. Get some immediately. Heather says so. (We don’t argue with Heather when it comes to Disneyland snacks. She’s a master.)

How excited are you for seasonal Disney treats? Tell us about your favorites in the comments below! 

Disney Food Blog Fans, be sure to check out our DFB Disney World Dining Guide e-Books! Find great deals at DFBStore.com! Also, come on over and:

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One of the hottest new openings closes without notice

After just a few weeks after opening, Killer Noodle has been temporarily shut down by the LA County Health Department for section 114381, a violation of operating without a valid Public Health permit. It’s certainly an odd way to shut down, though one that’s not uncommon.

Many times restaurants elect to open before their permits come through because they’re in a situation where they need income to pay for various pre-opening expenses. Killer Noodle has been very busy since opening, regularly drawing lunch and dinner lines.

Yesterday at around 1:45 p.m., the Health Department came in for an inspection, resulting in an early lunch service termination. This writer was actually on site having lunch during the inspection. The Health Department enforced the violation afterwards, some time in the late afternoon or evening after lunch service ended. Yelpers have already caught onto the shutter, with an indefinitely shutter notice on Killer Noodle’s Yelp page. Eater reached out to Killer Noodle’s public relations person, but hasn’t heard back.

Killer Noodle is the budding Tsujita empire’s take on tantanmen, or spicy Chinese-inflected ramen noodles. While there have been some early service issues, most critics have pretty excited for the place.

• All Killer Noodle Coverage [ELA]

Known for its award-winning burgers and signature CrazyShake™ milkshakes, Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer will open its first California location in the heart of Downtown Disney District at the Disneyland Resort next year.

Black Tap is creating a customized concept for its Downtown Disney District location, which will feature indoor and outdoor seating. The burger and beer joint will be set in a casual atmosphere reminiscent of a classic American luncheonette, but with a distinctly New York vibe.

Black Tap’s menu will include burgers ranging from the classic All-American to The Vegan Burger. In addition, their specialty “CrazyShakes” will boast whimsical and over-the-top decorations and flavors, such as The Cotton Candy Shake and The Bam Bam Shake.

Construction is scheduled to begin soon, across from Catal Restaurant and Uva Bar.

Set to open in 2019

The film academy on Wednesday drummed up excitement for its forthcoming museum on the Miracle Mile, releasing a batch of new renderings, giving the press a tour of the construction site next to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and announcing a $50 million donation from philanthropists Cheryl and Haim Saban.

That donation brings the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences close to three-quarters of its new fundraising goal of $388 million. In honor of the Sabans, the museum’s main building—the old May Company at Fairfax and Wilshire—will be renamed in their honor.

Pritzker-Prize winner Renzo Piano and architecture firm Gensler are restoring and reworking the Streamline Moderne-style department store built in 1939 to house a 288-seat cinematheque and spaces for exhibitions, an entire floor devoted to an “Oscars experience,” restaurants, and special events.

The Saban Building will connect via three glass bridges to an eye-catching, 130-foot tall sphere, the bottom of which will hop be encased in panels of precast concrete and house a swanky theater. The top will be sheathed in glass and serve as an observation deck looking out over the Hollywood Hills.

When it opens in 2019, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will finally give Los Angeles a permanent museum to celebrate and explore the history and art of films and filmmaking. The collection includes millions of photographs and hundreds of thousands of films, screenplays, posters, and production and costume design drawings.

Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucas Film, said Wednesday that it was unbelievable that Los Angeles doesn’t already have a motion picture museum.

"We should have the world's most preeminent motion picture museum, and now we have the opportunity to have that,” she said.

For the new renderings, scroll down.

Joshua White

Joshua White

Joshua White

The lines will be very, very long once it kicks into gear

Killer Noodle opens today, October 16, despite scorching heat on the Westside and already the place is drawing in lunch crowds. The real test will be throughout this first month, where it seems like every Instagram influencer and food journalist visited over the weekend to preview Tsujita’s Japanese-style tan tan ramen spot. That means the lines will be very, very long, and what used to be front patio is already being built out for the queue.

The expansive space might have the most ambitious interior look for Tsujita (with the Sushi spot also in the running), with a Las Vegas-style red-laden decor, plastic chandelier, and massive spice rack behind the bar. According to the Times, chef Takeshi Tsujita worked to craft this original tantanmen recipe for Sawtelle.

Here’s everything to know about Killer Noodle, poised to become LA’s most popular new ramen spot thanks to location and unique spicy ramen offerings:

1. The main ramen selection here is called the Tokyo bowl, but it’s a spicy take on Japanese-style tantanmen that resembles Chinese-style dan dan noodles. The soup boasts heavy sesame paste and a pork-based broth, with numbing Sichuan peppercorn chili oil and more providing a spice backbone.
2. The secondary selection is called the “Downtown” style, and it’s more clearly a Sichuan-style noodle base, with a tangier, sweeter sauce with more of the numbing “ma la” taste one might expect at a place like Mian or Chengdu Taste.
3. The alternative to each category is the soupless variety, which still has the same seasonings. While the soups have a thinner fresh noodle, the soupless bowls have a thicker, tsukemen-like alkaline noodle that fans of Tsujita ANNEX would love. They do a great job of sopping up the spicy sauce.
4. They also have an original-style tantanmen that doesn’t quite have the imposing red look of the other two bowls. Much of the “spice” flavor in this one comes from a dusting of ground black pepper instead of chilis. In addition, the bowls come with a hefty dose of tofu. Finally, they’ll provide slices of lemon on the side upon request.
5. Soup-based bowls cost $11.45 each while soupless cost $10.95 for the Tokyo and Downtown varieties. The Original costs $10.95 for the soup variety. Remember, it’s cash only, though there’s a handy ATM toward the front of the restaurant.
6. Spice levels go from zero to six. The triangular graphic on the menu illustrates this perfectly. The standard level is three, which most people will be able to handle unless they’re very sensitive to spice. Anything beyond four depends completely upon spice tolerance, but it’s safe to say the six will become a favorite of spice hounds (like the kind of people who wait in line at Howlin’ Ray’s).
7. They serve chashu pork, soft boiled egg, and cilantro as extra toppings (for a fee).
8. There’s an explanatory section that tells first time visitors not to try a five or six level spice, and that they won’t take back any bowls because customers find them too spicy. Also they recommend a yogurt drink for those who seem to be suffering too much from the heat.
9. They have full size plastic bibs, so don’t worry about spilling.
10. The menu warns one to “take care of your bottoms” in the instructions. One can only construe this to mean that the spicier bowls will have potentially painful ramifications after the meal’s over.
11. They’re open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and then from 5 to 11 p.m., with the last call at 10:30 a.m. This is decidedly earlier than Tsujita’s other ramen spots, which close at midnight (ANNEX) and 2 a.m. (Artisan Noodle).

Killer Noodle
2030 Sawtelle Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90025

Matthew Kang

Colorful walls, a spiral staircase, and an indoor swimming pool

It’s safe to say that not many people passing by this eye-catching residence on Silver Lake’s Fanning Street would recognize it as the work of architect William Kesling. However, while it may not be as easily identifiable as its next-door neighbor, the Wilson House, both homes were erected by the Streamline Moderne master in 1936.

On the market for the first time in six decades, the tri-level home still retains some original features, including bands of windows, hardwood floors, Art Deco tile, walls of glass, and curving staircases and railings.

The three-bedroom, two-bath also sports a number of fanciful modifications and additions done by its longtime owners, Silver Lake philanthropists Nadia and Norman Kaplan, including its technicolor kitchen and halls, an indoor swimming pool, and bar with kitchenette.

Per the listing, the property is sited on “an R2 zoned 6,036 square foot lot, which allows for 2 units built on the property and future development, subject to Los Angeles County permitting rules and regulations.” Asking price is $1.25 million.

• 1827 Fanning St [Golden Land]
• '12 Years a Slave' actor Jay Huguley at home in Kesling design [LAT]

Southern California is largely Dodgertown

With the Dodgers playing in the World Series for the first time in almost three decades, it seems like everyone’s got Dodger Fever. But when the fever subsides, where do true blue Dodger fans reside?

Using aggregated data gathered from Facebook in 2014—all those "likes" for a certain team—the New York Times created this interactive map, which lets us see down to the zip code where Southern California’s baseball allegiances lie. Just how far does Dodgers fervor spread and how much have the Angels encroached on their territory?

The maps show fandom with colors, and the darker the color, the larger the majority of residents for that team. SoCal is largely Dodger blue despite expected hot spots for the Padres around San Diego and the Angels in Orange County.

The Angels/Dodgers border (the Reagan-Nixon line, as the Times calls it), runs roughly along the Orange County line for much of the way, with exceptions for La Habra and Los Alamitos.

In general, the Westside is cooler on blue than Central and Southeast LA and areas east of the LA River. Some areas in the Valley, Carson, Gardena, and Baldwin Park have also been exceptionally hard-hit by Dodger fever. We wonder how the map would change if the data were gathered right now, as the Dodgers prepare to head into their first World Series game.

• Up Close on Baseball's Borders [New York Times]

If kombucha is your thing, and it is for some of us, then get ready for a new kind of signature cocktail for your wedding: kombucha mocktails! These non-alcoholic drinks are full of cocktail-style ingredients that make them yummy for everyone. They're also sparkly and arguably probiotic-rich, so it's a win for everyone. Plus, they're awesome if your guest list contains a few names who are in the recovery community or you're having a dry wedding. Here are a few of our favorite kombucha mocktails recipes…

Note: as always, do your research when it comes to home brewing kombucha to make sure you're doing it the right way. Otherwise, hit up your local market for pre-made.

Perfect for your holiday season wedding!

For that summery vibe…

It’s the end of an era for one of LA’s most prominent restaurant names

Thomas Keller will close his iconic Beverly Hills restaurant Bouchon by the end of the year, leaving a gaping finer dining hole in the middle of Los Angeles.

Eater heard days ago that Keller would be letting go of the giant multi-floor lease at the Beverly Hills property, owing to a number of factors between Bouchon and the city itself (which owns the building). In a statement, Keller acknowledges those troubles, saying:

It is with great sadness that we must end our partnership with the city of Beverly Hills and will therefore not continue to operate Bouchon Bistro, Bar Bouchon and our bakery in Beverly Hills. We have not been able to find a solution to the adverse conditions impacting our success with our landlord, The City of Beverly Hills, that would provide the proper conditions for the restaurant. The circumstances no longer exist to operate a profitable restaurant. We have had nine wonderful years and I am proud of what we have achieved, making a mark in the challenging BH business landscape, hosting wonderful events with the community of Los Angeles and creating a loyal customer base. I especially want to commend everyone who has worked with us over the years to make such an important impact with our guests and the community. We will conclude our operations at the end of the year, but remain committed to providing our guests and neighbors with the cuisine , the service and the excellence they have come to expect from us until the very last minute of our last day.

This wasn’t the first time Keller and his team had been angling for help from the city of Beverly Hills since opening back in 2009. A number of amendments to the restaurant’s original lease have over the years requested reductions in things like parking fees as a way to keep Bouchon from hemorrhaging money, but ultimately the decision was made between both parties to move on.

The move to shutter Bouchon by the end of the year means that Los Angeles will be without Thomas Keller for the foreseeable future. It also marks one of the more high-profile shutters for the world famous chef, and offers a peek into just how slim the margins for restaurants can be even at the highest level. No word on exactly what the final night of service for Bouchon will end up looking like, but expect a party.

• The 20 Hottest Restaurants in LA Right Now [ELA]

A one-bedroom in Atwater Village and a house in Mid-City are two options

Welcome to Curbed Comparisons, where we explore what you can rent or buy for a certain dollar amount in various LA 'hoods. We've found five rentals within $100 of today’s price, $1,950.

↑ Not far from Lafayette Square, this Mid-City two-bedroom has a dining room, a patio, a lovely tile-fronted fireplace, and an ample kitchen, but there’s no off-street parking and only one bathroom. It rents for $1,950.

↑ Just south of Santa Monica Boulevard in Sawtelle, this one-bedroom apartment has a cute ranch-house vibe with diamond paned glass windows and beamed ceilings. The top-floor unit has hardwood floors and a pink bathroom. Parking is pictured but not explicitly mentioned. It rents for $1,895.

↑ Here we’ve got an updated Koreatown studio with two big bonuses: in-unit laundry and parking. The apartment on Fourth near Normandie measures about 500 square feet and rents for $2,000.

↑ Rent a front-unit in an Atwater Village duplex—it’s got one bedroom, wood floors, a great living room, a kitchen with vintage-looking tile, and off-street parking. But the apartment has no laundry. It rents for $1,850.

↑ Over the hill in Studio City, this one-bedroom apartment offers hardwood floors, high ceilings, a fireplace, and a new kitchen. There’s also parking. It rents for $1,950.

• Curbed Comparisons [Curbed LA]