OC robberies abound

CBSLA is on the case of a string of fast food chain robberies taking over Orange County. According to the news outlet, a Tuesday morning McDonald’s robbery is just the latest in a string of incidents that dates back weeks.

Calling it part of a “rash of robberies,” CBSLA says that on Monday a man also walked into a Jack in the Box on Beach Boulevard Tuesday night, brandished a gun, and ran off with something in the neighborhood of $500. They feel that crime, as well as Tuesday’s McDonald’s robbery and an earlier incident at a Chipotle could all be related. In total, there have been 22 stickups reported in and around Orange County in the past two weeks alone, all possibly related to the same individual or individuals.

Laurent Quenioux knows what’s good

Food & Wine is out with a new piece on Highland Park pop-up maestro Laurent Quenioux, who has turned a career as a Los Angeles chef into an underground sensation. From his own backyard, Quenioux turns out a beautiful tasting menu filled with luxury ingredients (including rare French cheeses), and he apparently loves it so much there are absolutely no plans for a real restaurant any time soon.

No more Asahi Ramen

Longtime Sawtelle Japantown option Asahi Ramen has closed, with dual notices on their front window offering some insight. The first is a shut down notice from the health department over a vermin infestation, and the second is a letter from the lawyers representing the building’s owner, saying the restaurant hasn’t paid rent in some time and may be abandoning the property all together.

El Sereno fights back

Last month LA Weekly put out a great piece on the Eastside Cafe, a colorful local shop in El Sereno that is in the middle of fighting back against a changing landscape and rising rents. Amidst worries of a sale to the building they occupied, the community rallied to raise tens of thousands of dollars to begin the process of buying it themselves. Now, the real work begins.

Four & Twenty to LA

Looks like another West Coast pop-up for Four & Twenty Blackbirds, the popular New York City pie shop. This time they’ll be helping out Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams in Venice from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on August 5 and 6, selling pies and ice cream and all that good stuff.

Backyard Bowls to Santa Monica next

Backyard Bowls is expanding once again, this time landing at 7th and Arizona, across the street from Cassia basically. The place is set to open sometime next week, doing healthy-ish fare from acai bowls to toasts to smoothies, with hours from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. 1317 7th St., Santa Monica.