Local Celebs' Favorite Hidden Gems in LA

My latest Huffington Post article is up. This time, I polled celebs and locals about their favorite off-the-beaten path restaurants and bars in Los Angeles. As a result, I was able to once again speak with James Van Der Beek and Mario Lopez and learned about some new places that I'll have to try soon before they become too popular now.

Whenever I have moved to a different area of Los Angeles, or to a new city even, it's not the new Top Chef-helmed gourmet restaurants that I miss the most, but the local dive bars and hole-in-the-wall restaurants. It's those hidden gems that I tell friends to visit because they have a drink or an item that I just can't seem to forget. For me, it's a hard-shelled taco with cheese from Tito's Tacos in Culver City that I crave when I've been away. That is where I like to take out-of-towners for a real L.A. experience. I could go on and on about my other favorite strip mall joints, but I figured I'd poll some interesting locals for their picks too. So, here's an alternative guide to Los Angeles' restaurants and bars (read full article)