City of Gold

Shame that I had to learn about this doc in Gold's obituary. It's a love letter to Gold, but also to the LA food scene that he helped uncover. Probably only worth seeing if you live in LA or are already a fan of Gold and his writing.

This is certainly how people who love Los Angeles talk about it. Diversity as character.

City of Gold functions as a culinary tour of Los Angeles led by Gold just as much as it is a portrait of Gold himself. One supposes he likes it that way; his passion for the city and its food is obvious throughout the film's 90-minute run time.

City of Gold is a celebration of a critic who helped define a city by what it eats. And at a bargain price. So take notes, and dig in.

City of Gold gives a whole lot of credit to food criticism, and Jonathan Gold in particular, for the food revolution in LA and other cities. While it's argument is convincing, there's a disjointed distance from the chefs and restaurateurs that makes the subject feel incomplete.

Maybe it's the scrumptious vegetable-cheddar quiche I made yesterday that made me want to seek out this documentary, yet I find most food-centric content too hard to pass up. While Jonathan Gold may not be the Roger Ebert of food criticism - lacking the level of confidence, questionably large ego and occasional mercilessness that made him so loveable - he does however share his drive and unyielding determination in championing the unseen and under-appreciated. Nice soundtrack too.