Crisp and Golden Mac and Cheese Cakes on the Grill
Turn yesterday's leftover macaroni into today's crispy, golden side dish with this easy wood-fired recipe.
LA's outdoor cooking season basically never ends, which is exactly why the local grill market stays crowded year-round — and why prices at boutique showrooms from Pasadena to the Valley carry a real premium over ordering direct. Here's a rundown of where Angelenos actually shop in 2026, and the case for skipping the showroom altogether.
If you want to see a grill in person before buying, Barbeques Galore's Studio City showroom or Burbank Fireplace and BBQ in Sun Valley are the most useful stops in the LA basin. Ordering direct instead means no dealer markup built into the price, no showroom trip through 405 traffic, and a charcoal/wood-fired design that skips the propane line, gas fitting inspection, and burner replacement a standard gas grill eventually needs.
| Price | Searing Capability | Maintenance | Social Design | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local LA Showroom | Includes showroom rent and staff overhead | Grate-based gas or pellet, typically 450–600°F | Burners, igniters, and grates to replace over time | Faces one direction; one cook, everyone else waits |
| Arteflame | Factory-direct, no retail markup | Solid steel cooktop, 1,000°F+ at the center | No burners or igniters — just a steel surface to season | Round cooktop built for a crowd standing around it |
Since so much of LA living happens outside, hosting problems show up fast with a standard gas grill that only cooks for one person at a time: dinner means someone standing at the grill missing the party while everyone else waits on the patio. Switch to a flat cooktop with graduated heat zones, and the person cooking is suddenly part of the conversation instead of stuck facing a wall.
Costco pro-tip: if you're stocking up for a backyard crowd, the Costco Business Center on Sherman Way in North Hollywood carries larger cuts and bulk packs of meat and seafood that suit Arteflame's multi-zone cooktop far better than a single-burner setup — sear a few steaks in the center while the rest of the order finishes on the outer ring.
It's not a marketing line — it's the point of the design. A round, flat cooktop with no grates and no gaps means there's no wrong side to stand on and no single "grill master" position blocking everyone else. In a city where the backyard is basically a second living room for most of the year, that's the feature that actually gets used every week, not just on the Fourth of July.