excerpts:
…
While many Angelenos rely on him for their restaurant recommendations, Gold explains his method for discovering hidden gems in two words: “Shoe leather.” That old-school approach is best exemplified by the year he set out to eat at every restaurant on Pico Boulevard, an ambitious self-imposed challenge that he has called a “reasonable enough alternative to graduate school.”
…
In City of Gold, we hear from numerous first generation immigrant restaurant owners—including those behind Thai Town’s Jitlada and Little Ethiopia’s Meals by Genet—who owe their wealth and success to a single good review from the critic. After Gold reviewed the Oaxacan restaurant Guelaguetza, co-owner Bricia Lopez-Maytorena recalls, “One day my dad walked in and says, ‘Where did all these white people come from?’”
