Sampler Platter: GrubHub launches in L.A., Susan Orlean considers the chicken, Superior Grocers opens in South LA, Vegemite renamed as iSnack2.0

A new Japanese restaurant, a new grocery store for South L.A., a new name for Vegemite and more in today's food news roundup.

--Superior Grocers is the first full-scale supermarket to open in the South Central Avenue corridor in at least five years. Los Angeles Times
--Susan Orlean considers the chicken. The New Yorker
--Agura Japanese Dining coming to La Cienega. Blackburn + Sweetzer
--Naming Contest Fail: New Vegemite spread to become the ever so catchy iSnack2.0. News.com.au
--Angry child's "bacon is good for me" rant gets remixed. YouTube
--GrubHub, which lists all the restaurants in your area that deliver food, launches in L.A. Click this link from Thrillist and get a $10 discount if you're a first-time user.
--Californians may soon be paying increased deposits on drink containers because lawmakers have been raiding the state's recycling fund. Los Angeles Times
--Folgers holds a contest (Sep. 30-Nov. 7) where five winners will receive a seven-day, six-night trip for themselves and up to three guests to travel to their hometown. (Restrictions apply.)

--Elina Shatkin

Photos: Top left: Annie Wells / Los Angeles Times. Top right: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times. Bottom right: Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times. Bottom left: Christina House / For The Times.

Domaine LA wine shop tries to break California Chicken Cafe curse

On a steadily gentrifying stretch of Melrose Avenue that's tucked between West Hollywood and Hancock Park, wine store Domaine LA quietly opened its doors just before Labor Day. The crisp, modern space that's highlighted by several striking light fixtures in various shades of purple was launched by Jill Bernheimer as a brick-and-mortar addition to her online business, Domaine547.

Between Mozza, Mozza 2 Go, Street, the impending debut of Hatfield's in the former Red Pearl space, the transformation of Divine Pasta Co. into Cube and next door to that, Mark Peel's new speakeasy-themed venture that's slated to open in mid- to late November, Domaine LA is in good company.

And for simpler fare, there's California Chicken Café, which is in the same strip mall as Domaine LA. Sharing a space with the rotisserie chicken juggernaut has proved difficult for other retailers. Before Domaine LA, that space was a laundromat and then a mini-mart. Both failed. So did Tutto Tutti, a hidden gem of a fro-yo shop that was recently replaced by the optimistically named Wow Bento & Roll. Can any business survive in the shadow of California Chicken Café? That remains to be seen. (It's hard to compete with off-duty police officers and yoked bodybuilders flaunting their tank top-perfect physiques.)  

The Oaks gourmet market and deli opens Friday near Beachwood Canyon [Updated]

Restaurateur Greg Morris is nothing if not prolific. The owner of the Spanish Kitchen, the Belmont and Oakfire Pizza is busily preparing the Olive for a mid to late-November debut in the former Boa space at the Grafton Hotel. He's also overseeing the newest Oakfire location, which is slated to open in late November in the former La Fondue space along Sherman Oaks' restaurant row. But this Friday, with little fanfare, Morris will finally open the Oaks, a gourmet market and eatery near the base of Beachwood Canyon.

Adjacent to Victor Square, the Oaks will be stocked with all manner of fancy foodstuffs but in an environment that Morris hopes will lend itself to becoming a casual neighborhood hangout as well as a dining destination.

"There are not too many places like us," Morris says. "I live nearby and when I came here to grab a sandwich, there would be 15 people here shooting the breeze. We wanted to keep the same energy and spirit."

The Oaks may be too casual for Morris to feel comfortable calling it a full-fledged restaurant, but chef Greg Paul, who was until recently the chef at the Belmont, has prepared a menu that includes a half-pound burger topped with black forest bacon, taleggio and a smoked jalapeno and pineapple compote -- for only $11. Morris, who's a die-hard burger guy, hopes to challenge the stalwarts of L.A.'s gourmet burger scene ounce for ounce. "I'm not going to say that it’s the best burger I've ever had," he says, "but I definitely think it's one of the best burgers in LA."

 The gauntlet -- in the form of a bun -- has been thrown.

Sampler Platter: Magnolia Bakery coming to LA, Top 10 food trucks, vegan cults & hip matzoh

Today's food news roundup features a rolling abattoir (who hasn't dreamed of that?), some amazing cakes and GQ's obviously inadequate list of the "top 10" food trucks in the United States.

-- Thinkbread attempts to cleverly rebrand matzoh for the off-season. Consumerist
-- GQ lists the Top 10 food trucks in America. L.A. has two. Hint: One beings with a K.
-- Slaughterhouse on wheels aids 'locavore' movement. Seattle Times
-- Brief Rundown of LA's first Korean BBQ festival & cookoff. SinoSoul
-- Brainwashing never tasted so delicious: Top 5 vegan cult restaurants. Powell's
-- It's no longer a rumor: Magnolia Bakery is coming to West 3rd St. Blackburn + Sweetzer
-- The winners of the amazing Threadcakes cake/t-shirt contest.

--Elina Shatkin

Photo: Customers decide on what sweets to buy at New York's Magnolia Bakery, which will soon open an outpost in Los Angeles.. Credit: Yanina Manolova / AP

Small Bites: Kitchen Pantry opens at the Bazaar, Amici Trattoria opens in Glendale, Gordon Ramsay class

Kitchen Pantry: The newest addition to the Bazaar by José Andrés is the Kitchen Pantry, a collection of cooking products and specialty foods available for sale, including  Ventresca tuna belly fillets, Mancho-Oro saffron, Grand Reserva sherry vinegar, Nuñez de Prado olive oil, preserved El Navarrico piquillo peppers, blanched Marcona almonds and, of course, Andres' cookbook "Tapas: A Taste of Spain in America." The Bazaar by José Andrés, SLS Hotel, 465 S. LaCienega Blvd., Beverly Hills. (310) 246-5555, www.thebazaar.com.

New Amici: Brentwood Italian restaurant Amici Trattoria has opened another outpost in Glendale that's noticeably larger (seating for 187) with a patio garden, a full bar and a few new menu items. The Americana at Brand, 889 Americana Way, Glendale. (818) 502-1220, www.amicila.com.

Cooking like Ramsay: On Saturday, executive chef Andy Cook and his team at Gordon Ramsay at The London West Hollywood will host a two-hour master class. For $150, they'll teach guests how to create several of Ramsay's signature dishes. If you miss it, there are seven more of these master classes scheduled through the end of the year. 10 a.m. to noon Saturday. 1020 N. San Vicente Blvd., West Hollywood. (310) 358-7788, www.thelondonwesthollywood.com/gordon_ramsay/.

Eating Out: DineLA Restaurant Week will return for its first-ever autumn event Oct. 4 to 9 and Oct. 11 to 16. Here are just a few participating restaurants: Cache, On Sunset, the Lobster, the Bistro Garden at Coldwater, Bella Cucina, Geisha House, Ketchup.

-- Elina Shatkin

Photo: The Bazaar by José Andrés in the SLS Hotel. Credit: Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times

Making whoopie... pies that is, at SusieCakes

Rapidly expanding bakery SusieCakes, well known for its red velvet cupcakes -- they won first place in the traditional category at this year's Los Angeles Cupcake Challenge -- recently added another retro dessert to its lineup of snickerdoodles and frosted animal cookies: whoopie pies. Already a trend in New York, whoopie pies remain a rare and unpredictable sight in Southern California.

SusieCakes makes theirs with an inch-thick layer of vanilla butter cream socked between two soft, doughy rounds of chocolate cake. A frosting-lover's dream, they're almost unbearably rich. Introduced May 15, they come in three diameters: 3½ inches ($5), 6 inches ($50) and 9 inches ($85). If you can consume even the smallest of these whoopie pies on your own, you've got a serious sugar addiction.

You can find them at any of SusieCakes' three locations -- Brentwood, Newport Beach and Calabasas -- and starting in late July, they'll be at SusieCakes' newest outpost: 3500 N. Sepulveda Blvd. No. 150, Manhattan Beach. (310) 303-3780. Just in time for the chain's original Brentwood location to celebrate its third anniversary on July 17.

--Elina Shatkin

Photo: Courtesy of SusieCakes

Sampler Platter: Taco tables, community gardens and chicken shortages

Is Dijon mustard elitist? We ponder this among other issues in today's Sampler Platter.

• LAist crawls the taco tables and trucks of Highland Park.
• Henry's Farmers Market, a swank health-food and grocery store, opened Wednesday in Woodland Hills. Daily News
• Sean Hannity attacks President Obama for ordering Dijon mustard on his burger. Gawker
• Supporters of the Crenshaw Community Garden hope a partnership between the school and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's office will let the garden bloom once again. LA Beez
• Franchises not cooperating, long waits and chicken shortages; the day after the Oprah/KFC chickengate, Consumerist analyzes What Went Wrong. And El Pollo Loco now says (via YouTube and Twitter) that it'll accept KFC-Oprah coupons on Mother's Day.

-- Elina Shatkin

Photo: The popular Tacos La Estrella truck in Highland Park

Credit: Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times

Mozzarella makers come to Hawthorne

 

While the rest of Los Angeles was flocking to the Times building to see the Governator speak, I rushed away in search of another import: fresh mozzarella and ricotta cheese made by Angelo & Franco.

The grand opening of the company's small cheese factory in Hawthorne had a quite a turnout  —possibly due to Hawthorne’s close-knit Italian community (or perhaps it was the free catering by chef Antonio Pisanello and Il Forniao).

Franco Russo, a third-generation artisan cheese maker, is a native of Bagnoli Irpino, a village in Italy's Campania region so renowned for its mozzarella that there are 10 family-owned formaggio "factories" – impressive considering the town’s population of just 3,000. He and Angelo Tartaglia, the company's chief executive, grew up together and decided to take their knowledge to the U.S. 

“At first, I thought the reason why America didn’t have good mozzarella was because of the milk. Then we figured out it was the timing, the process and the tradition,“ Tartaglia says.

The two are hoping that their small-production cheeses — produced using Italian-made machinery and their almost-instinctual knowledge of cheese  — will tap into Angelenos’ increasing demand for fresh mozzarella. Mozza's Nancy Silverton and Santa Monica cheese shop owner Andrew Steiner have sparked local interest on a small scale, but this team is aiming for distribution in Whole Foods, Bristol Farms and Costco.

Upon cutting the red ribbon Thursday that officially opened the Angelo & Franco Factory, one of Hawthorne’s representatives encouraged attendees to join the city’s third annual Italian Festival/Bocce Tournament on June 13 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Memorial Park (3901 W. El Segundo Blvd.; free). Best believe that if there’s fresh cheese, we’ll be there.

-- Krista Simmons

Photo credit: Angelo & Franco

Spice store Penzeys is open in Santa Monica

The economy may be inspiring people to cook at home more. At least that's one explanation temporary manager Frank Locante has for why the new Penzeys Spices shop in Santa Monica has been busy since it opened Feb. 27.

He also credits the location -- on 4th Street, between Arizona and Santa Monica Boulevard. It's the second Southern California store; there's one on Hawthorne Boulevard in Torrance.

Penzeys Spices is a Wisconsin-based company that began doing only mail orders more than 20 years ago. The Santa Monica store is the 41st for the company, and like some others includes a '50s kitchen as part of its decor.

Penzeys has more than 250 products, from chile spice mixes to extracts, common herbs and spices to the more unusual, such as ajwain -- which is a bit like thyme and is used in Indian and Pakistani dishes.

-- Mary MacVean

Photo: Jerry Bojarski / Penzeys Spices

Famima!! opens at 700 Wilshire in downtown

Today, upscale Japanese-originated convenience store Famima!! opened its fifth downtown location at 700 Wilshire Blvd. between Hope and Flower. The store was jumping at lunchtime as captains of industry rubbed elbows with homeless people queuing up for free coffee. (Famima!! minions in neon green T-shirts were posted on nearby street corners handing out coupons.) The small convenience mart should be a pleasant addition to nearby office workers' lunchtime options, though it's strictly carryout, so you'll still have to schlep to your desk or find an accommodating bench.

Famima!! offers the usual selection of chips, candy and soda, but their stock in trade is an in-house line of prepared meals and snacks that are a cut above the usual corner store fare: A French Toast breakfast sandwich; fresh Cobb, southwestern and Thai salads; sandwiches like a smoked turkey and Havarti panini; sushi that's far better than the stuff sold at Trader Joe's (not that that's saying much); various Asian and Italian noodle dishes; hot dogs; corn dogs; bao; buffalo wings; individual cupcakes; high-end supermarket chocolates; and what is perhaps their best known snack, crisp, deep-fried curry bread.

The hours vary depending on whether you trust the website and who you talk to, but it will be open seven days a week.