I’m trying to win a Mac Book Pro! A new Twitter revenue service called MyLikes is running a giveaway promotion to drive signups for their new service. Direct from their website, MyLikes describes themselves like this…

MyLikes is a word-of-mouth advertising platform that connects the long-tail of Influencers on the web to advertisers. Influencers choose to write and recommend Sponsored Likes to their audience through their blog, website or Twitter account. Influencers earn money for themselves or a charity of their choice whenever there is a click from a Sponsored Like to the advertiser’s website.

Sponsored Likes are based on the simple principle that the influencer is the expert when it comes to understanding their audience. Influencers can tailor the Sponsored Like to speak to their audience leading to higher click through rates and superior quality leads for the advertiser. To promote transparency, all influencers have a profile page on MyLikes where all their Likes (some of which maybe Sponsored) along with comments are showcased.

For those of you who are active on Twitter (like me @LAFoodie) and looking to make a few bucks to pay the bills, check out MyLikes and let me know what you think. If I’m able to refer enough people, I’ll win a Mac Book Pro, which would be great since I don’t currently have a working laptop. A new laptop for LA Foodie means more reviews and tweets about great food in Los Angeles for you!

If the service sucks, just say so in the comments and I’ll take this post down (or update it with an honest review). But at first blush, the service looks promising as it aims to place control of the content of sponsored tweets in the hands of the experts. I have tried several services in the past, and they have all been terrible failures. I’m going to give MyLikes a shot, and hopefully you will too. Thanks!

In addition to being on a lifelong quest to experience the perfect example of every kind of food the world has to offer, I am a big movie buff. I have worked at two video stores in my lifetime (one of them is Vidiot’s Video in Santa Monica, which is the poor man’s film school), and I consider myself to be an armchair student of the art form. I have always respected Roger Ebert as a film critic. I frequently disagree with his opinions of films (case-in-point: He seemed to totally miss the point in his review of Team America: World Police), but even when I think he’s being retarded, I still respect his opinion as a far-more-educated-than-most film lover. And every now and then he writes the most awesome review of a film available anywhere (case in point: The Tuxedo)

Thankfully, somebody brought my attention to a recent post on Roger Ebert’s blog called Nil by Mouth. Most people know that for years Ebert has been dealing with serious health problems. He recently experienced a round of surgeries that left him with the inability to eat or drink. Roger was always a big fella, so it’s not tough for anybody to tell that the man enjoyed his food. But the post isn’t about how sad it is to not be able to eat anymore. Instead it’s a celebration of the memories of food as an excuse for social gatherings.

So please forgive me for indulging in a bit of a weepy subject, but I commend Roger for his ever-elegant treatment of the English language. I frequently take eating for granted, so it’s nice to hear what it might be like to lose such a thing, eloquently written from a unique perspective.

And now, just for fun, here is an hilarious compilation of some of the funniest “At The Movies” clips I had never seen. Don’t forget to enjoy your dinner.

For most Los Angeles residents, especially those who grew up in the Southland, sushi is a given. Good sushi isn’t hard to find, and even cheap sushi can be perfectly acceptable at the right location. Therefore, I forget sometimes that in other parts of the country sushi is much harder to come by. In parts of the Midwest, where I come from, raw fish is still considered taboo by many people. It’s a shame really, since sushi is one of the world’s most perfect fast foods.

This post is intended for the sushi beginner. I recently came across a great article on another blog entitled 50 Sushi Tips for Beginners. The tips are targeted at those people who are familiar with sushi dining but might still be a bit intimidated by the protocols that come with the territory.

For one thing, sushi does not always contain raw fish. In fact, some of the best sushi around has no fish at all. This and other health tips like “never eat the purple tuna” and “never eat day old sushi” might be handy to a sushi rookie.

But the most useful parts of the article concern proper etiquette. While I don’t personally go in for the really minute (crazy) etiquette, there are certain standards that any diner should consider following, like “never stick chopsticks straight up in a rice bowl.” One of the tips is a lesser-known one that both young and grown up kids should enjoy: “chopsticks are optional.” That’s my personal favorite.

UPDATE: The truck lot was shut down just as fast as it opened. More about the closure here on LAist

Hey everyone, FRANK here. And I’m reporting from the heart of sunny Santa Monica, California. On my good days I find myself constrained to the city limits.

I’ve also picked up a habit of eating lunch almost exclusively at food trucks lately.  For lunch time grub they are perfect for being equal parts cheap, quick, light, and undeniably delicious.

If you aren’t familiar with the Twitter launched phenomenon you still may have seen traditional taco trucks cruising the city with some bizarre paint jobs.  Beyond the flashy aesthetics and web 2.0 mindset the people behind the grill of these food trucks are wholly concerned with the food.  And don’t let the traditional food truck menu fool you – these trucks are all about gourmet and experimentation.

Whether you are looking for hamburgers made with rice buns (Marked5) or burritos filled with Asian cuisine (Kogi and Calbi) you will find it on these trucks.

For the past month I’ve been making trips to some of the popular squatting spots for these trucks; T Lofts off Olympic, Wilshire and Granville, or my favorite, Pennsylvania behind the Water Gardens.  The lot on Pennsylvania has been particularly rewarding for the ample parking and prime real estate for the likes of Barbie’s, India Jones, and Fish Lips.

Outside of the SaMo city limits, from what I’ve heard, the popular 5700 block of Wilshire in downtown has been experiencing some problems with the city and their place in the sun.  And with growing concerns from local businesses and residents people started to see the writing on the wall – these trucks needed a place to park, in peace.

Enter Steve Taub who had previously run an Infiniti dealership at the corner of Santa Monica Blvd. and 14th Street.  With the lot sitting empty and presuming a lack of interest in future dealerships in the wake of a recession, Steve turned to Twitter.  And it was here that he found a problem that needed a solution.

Today marked the start of that solution, the Santa Monica Food Truck Lot.

I took my inaugural visit down to the lot along with a gross amount of other media outlets (there was even a news van, which from what I hear broadcasts on something called the local television).

The lot was set up with the trucks hugging the Santa Monica Blvd. side of the lot, leaving the remaining space open to parking for hungry patrons.  The trucks in attendance when I stopped by were: India Jones, Border Grill, Barbie’s Q, and Fish Lips.  The mood was festive and happy foodies were milling about sharing stories.

I went with fellow blogger, Bootsy, and we choose to eat India Jones and Border Grill.  I was trying Border Grill for the first time, and although delicious, I was a bit disappointed I didn’t go for one of my favorites – the pulled pork at Barbie’s.  Bootsy had nothing but glowing comments for her Curry dish from India Jones and a specialty drink.

We also chatted a bit with Nick Taborek from the Santa Monica Daily Press who was sharing in the festivities and masking it as an assignment (just like us!).

I’m happy to see a new home to the food trucks as they slowly transition from a mobile operation to a traditional restaurant set-up (yeah I said it).  But I won’t be mad if we still see some spillover at the Pennsylvania lot, which still holds a place in my heart for the secret atmosphere it conveys.

P.S. If you are looking for a great list of all the food trucks in Los Angeles, check out my Twitter list which seems to be one of the more complete lists I’ve seen.