Following is a list of friends, strangers and special places; some are review sites, some are simply places you need to see.

Food-Related Sites and Blogs

• Eating L.A. -
  Ah, so that's who has the other domain I was thinking about. Pat Saperstein happens to be the senior editor at Variety, which is neat. More importantly to me, she also knows this city well, and writes just as well about it.
• The Great Taco Hunt -
  Bandini is a hero. A hero, I say! A blog that's been around for a few years, covering in painstaking, loving detail all that is the wondrous nature of the taco: the best places, from restaurant to tiny stand to taco truck. I wish I'd thought of it first, but I bow to Bandini's experience.
• Caroline on Crack -
  A well-established "Diva of Drink" with an appreciation for well-made cocktails and sensible breakfast eateries, Caroline writes about the same L.A. we do, or a slightly more fabulous and cool one. There's also a list of favorite places you should go, of which I approve because she includes Dr. Hogly Wogly's Tyler Texas BBQ. No, she isn't on crack.
• Eastside Food Bites -
  The eastern side of Los Angeles is a unique hodgepodge of culture and food, and Valentina covers it with a discerning and appreciative eye. I'm glad to see places like Highland Park, Eagle Rock, the San Gabriel Valley and Echo Park get more attention.
• The Thirsty Pig -
  Many contributing piglets make this blog a comprehensive, friendly list of culinary adventures, ranging across the U.S. coasts and from Asia; they seem like the kind of people I'd love to run into and share side dishes with.
• Frugal Nosh -
  Unfortunately on DILA I tend to gloss over the bill. Kelsey Ramos is wiser in this regard, knowing the importance of exploring Southern California's diverse culinary cultures yet keeping an eye on one's budget. Especially keep up with Ramos's "3 Buck Bites" section.
• The 99 Cent Chef -
  Just as frugal but more hands-on, chef Billy Vasquez "takes the haute out of cuisine." His recipes are wonderfully detailed, using ingredients under a buck (!), so you've no excuse not to cook well. Also available are videos, reviews and deals throughout our beloved Los Angeles. Mr. Vasquez is a busy man.
• Grub in L.A. -
  I know nearly nothing about J.T. Griffith, nor about the blog that she (or he) writes, but she (or he) knows good places to be. Anyone who has noticed both Mr. Ramen and Orean Health Express and Auntie Em's has the kind of eclectic tastes I appreciate.
• Dinerwood: Los Angeles Diner Reviews -
  I love to see this sort of thing: a blog devoted to one kind of eatery, with an appreciation for historical context mixed with a forgiving nature for the highly iffy world of diners. Mike Tanner and #1 Diner Companion Antoinette bring us their well-wrought thoughts.
• L.A. Is My Beat -
  Ellen Bloom already has a double-handful of blogs and activities in which she engages, and also somehow finds the time to richly populate a review site with photos and good words. She breathes L.A., and for that I nod appreciatively to her.
• L.A. Food Crazy -
  Jess Winfield is an author, playwright, director, performer and producer, which means he's further along his career path than I am. However, I like his blog, since he seems to like a lot of the same things I do, and is as crazy about this place as I am.
• Two Beers One Bar -
  Much more penetrating and intelligent than the title suggests, Evan K. decided that rather than threading through myriads of review sites, they wanted to know, really know, what the good bars were like in L.A. So Evan (and several talented friends) started writing, and I dig the result.

Food-Related Blogs En Masse

• Digesty.com - Feeding Food Fiends -
  By the creator of the Cheww.com foodblog search engine, Digesty keeps you up to date with a grid of color-coded tiles linking to various food-related blogs. I haven't decided whether the pink ones or the blue ones are most tempting to pick up and munch on.
• BlogSoop -
  Reviews, reviews, reviews: by restaurant, neighborhood, cuisine, city. Blogsoop keeps track of hundreds of food-related blogs (including this one) in a friendly, browsable format.

L.A. Culture, Music & Lifestyle

• Plastica -
  Walk along 3rd Street, approaching La Cienega and facing the monolithic Beverly Center Mall, you'll see a pleasantly sky-blue storefront on your right. This is Plastica, run by the equally pleasant Carla Denker, and she specializes in the unique and the playful. Plastic mats by Chilewhich, cylindrical bento boxes, hard-to-find accessories from around the world. Plastica even has those little bobble-head penguins that I like so much.
• sharing lemons -
  Not sour at all, Sharing Lemons is a secretive, worldwide collective (read: Ade and Dave, who happen to be talented friends of mine) of modern music aficianados with a touch of whimsy and an eye for musical artists who aren't getting as much attention as they should, unless you listen to certain local L.A. radio stations. They discover music, they like it, and they want to share it. With you. Brief, well-written reviews and perhaps a link to an mp3 if it's available.
• Milk & Eggs Co. -
  More by Ade and Dave! You probably didn't know that they were artists as well as music aficianados, but they are, and this is a collection of t-shirts and print merchandise with their sunny work on them. Wear in good health.
• Baby Friendly L.A. -
  A helpful site for moms in Southern California, our dear friend Ro (and daughter Ava) provides product reviews, tips and tricks, and recommendations for places to go with a little one. As their experiences grow, so will yours.
• L.A. Story -
  Remember, we're in L.A... and there's a whole gamut of fashion, lifestyle and celebrity culture to chase. Luckily, we've got Stevie Wilson, the "L.A. Girl In the Know and On the Go" to keep track of it all. SoCal hot spots, zeroing on on that Ferragamo bag (insert name) is carrying, seeing who's with who.
• the mini skirts -
  I have a Mini. Victoria also has a Mini. Victoria, in fact, is the wonderful, vivacious person at the Mini dealer who helped me get my Mini. Therefore, the logic follows that you should do the following: 1) Go get a new Mini. 2) Join the mini skirts community. It probably helps if you're female, but I do have a kilt, so maybe that applies.

Friends and Alliances

• Just An Ordinary Goddess -
  This is Carol Elaine, a longtime friend of ours--since high school, and we shan't mention how long ago that was--and also a pretty mean wordsmith, except that she's not mean at all. All her friends have nicknames; hopefully Dave will have one someday.

Have a site we should include? Send an email via the Contact link above.