High and lows as we bid Poltergeist farewell, but celebrate Holy Basil's big Food & Wine win. Plus, a sneak peek of two exciting concepts coming this Fall to Ojai and Montecito.

What do we make of Poltergeist and Button Mash closing? Was The LA Times out of line in writing about chef-driven optimism during the tough times restaurants are facing? And why does it matter that yet another LA chef has earned a place on Food & Wine’s vaunted list of Best New Chefs? Father Sal’s with us to discuss all of the above plus, why Taste waited until now to post one of the best think pieces on The Bear, why Netflix is giving David Chang’s Dinner Time Live a season 2, and whether pickles belong on pizza.  In Part 2, we’re joined by Chef Brandon Boudet of Little Dom’s in Los Feliz for a sneak peek of two exciting concepts he’s opening in Montecito and Ojai this Fall. Helpful links: Our free newsletter LA FOODSTACK, where you'll find most of the articles we referenced today https://thelacountdown.substack.com/ Little Dom's https://www.littledoms.com/ Bar Lou Montecito https://www.instagram.com/barloumontecito/?hl=en Hotel El Roblar Ojai https://www.elroblarhotel.co/ The LA Food Podcast is produced with the help of: Adam Skaggs Tiffany Perez Tim Bertolini -- Get 10% off at House of Macadamias using code "LAFOOD" https://www.houseofmacadamias.com/pages/la-foods -- Get 10% off on your first purchase of wagyu beef at First Light Farms using code "LAFOOD10" https://www.firstlight.farm/us/