BierBeisl Austrian Restaurant

Sausages, schnitzel, WHIPPED PORK FAT and kaiserschmarrn? Grüß Gott!

My first bites at Bernhard Mairinger’s BierBeisl…

Grammel Schmalz: Whipped white pork fat sprinkled w PORK CRACKLING.

Oh, I wasn’t supposed to eat the pork fat with a SPOON?

The Potato Cheese spread was so creamy.

Grapefruit Stiegl Radler: Half Goldbrau/half all natural grapefruit soda. I need this at home for pool-side sipping this summer!

“BierBeisl” Carpaccio, thinly sliced roast pork and bread dumpling, “Styrian Gold”, pumpkin seed vinaigrette.

So beautiful, light and refreshing.

Awesome Käsekrainer Sausage: Swiss cheese infused, light peppery, similar to “Polish”. Served with with tarragon mustard and fresh horseradish. Continental Gourmet Sausage (Glendale) custom-makes these for the chef.

Cheese inside the sausage.

The BEST veal schnitzel I’ve ever had (even in Germany). Make sure you order the vinegary potato salad. NOTE: This is a half-portion. Peter & I split the order.

I usually don’t order dessert, but when it’s made by pastry chef Lissette Rodriguez (she’s worked at ink & the Bazaar), it’s a MUST.

Classic Kaiserschmarrn (like a pancake), with warm plum compote.

Poppyseed Parfait, crispy chocolate tuille, raspberries… so GOOD!

Peter chatting with lovely Lissette!

Grab a seat at the “stammtisch” (communal table) along this wall. It’s the perfect spot to watch the action in the kitchen.

The talented Austrian himself, Chef Bernhard Mairinger!

BierBeisl entrance.

All my BierBeisl photos on flickr

Read all about BierBeisl:
L.A. Times

EstarLA

Tasting Table

BierBeisl
9669 S. Santa Monica Blvd
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(310) 271-7274
website

BierBeisl on FaceBook

Dining Date: 5/11/12 with Peter

Follow Lissette Rodriguez on Twitter

About Grapefruit Stiegl Radler

Vienna Bistro aka Beisl

Grüß Gott

 

Spring @ ink

Favorite spring dishes at Michael Voltaggio’s ink:

Egg Yolk Gnocchi (super creamy in the middle), Bay Scallops from Mexico, Accents of Spring

Octopus (the broth was fantastic), Young Fennel, Pimenton.

Pork Belly (of course I loved this), Charcoal Oil, BBQ Oil, Corn.

Lamb Shoulder, Lamb’s Tongue, Lamb’s Quarters, Vadouvan, Yogurt (I usually HATE lamb, but had to fight Peter to get my share).

Greek Yogurt, Strawberry, Rhubarb, Coconut, Granola Crunch (refreshing and not too sweet).

Dining date: 4/25/12

About Chef Michael Voltaggio & ink.

ink restaurant
8360 melrose ave.
los angeles, ca 90069
323.651.5866
website

Many more ink photos on flickr

All my Michael Voltaggio photos on flickr

Bill & Hiroko’s Burgers, Van Nuys

Burgers like my grandpa used to make!

Bill & Hiroko’s is near the Arclight in Sherman Oaks (my regular picture theater). If I’m heading to an early-afternoon movie during the week, I stop at Bill & Hiroko’s for a bite and skip the popcorn at the theater. They are open 8:30am – 4pm (M-F).

The Double Cheese Burger is my favorite. Sometimes I get TWO.

No fries here, so order a bag of chips and a soda.

It’s ALL BOUT the seasoning on the old-school 1930′s era grill. 

Bill and Hiroko working their magic.

Not a fan of burgers? The Pastrami on Rye is fantastic.

Super-filling Patty Melt.

Look for this sign, or follow your nose. If the counter in front is full, head to the dining room in back. Covert PBR’s go down perfectly with these delicious belly bombs!

Read all about Bill & Hiroko’s by Elina Shatkin at L.A. Weekly Food (where I first learned about this burger heaven!).

Read  “Ten Best Burgers in L.A.” by Elina Shatkin at L.A. Weekly Food.

Follow Elina Shatkin on Twitter, she is now Senior Editor at Los Angeles Magazine

Bill & Hiroko’s
14742 Oxnard St.
Van Nuys, CA 91411
818 785-4086
(no website)
Map

Hours:
Monday through Friday
8:30am to 4pm
Closed Saturday & Sunday

UMAMIcatessen

My Own Personal Pig Heaven.

Beautiful Iberico de bellota crudo (aka raw pork), at PIGG.

“Pork In A Can” Whipped Lardo (cured pork fatback) at PIGG.

Salty, Crispy, Porky Snacks!
Left: Pork Corn! Popcorn, juniper & rosemary
Right: Cone O’ Cracklins w sherry vinegar & sage at PIGG.

Charcuterie at PIGG. Starting from the top:
1: Burgers Ozark (CA, MO)
2: Finchville (KY)
3. Iberico de Bellota (Spain)
4. Iberico de Bellota paletta (Spain)

Pig Ear Salad at PIGG.

Pork Liver Pâté  at PIGG.

Pork Liver Pâté Sandwich with caramelized onions, arugula at PIGG.

PiGG’s Asian Pears & Lardo.

PIGG Fries w pickled peppers, ham puree & brainaise (aoili made of pig brain).

Country Pâté Sandwich at PIGG.

“Pork In A Can” Pork Riellette at PIGG.

Douglas Rankin (I call him my “pork dealer”) & Chris Cosentino, “Tower of Pig” under construction (opening night).

And YES, there’s so much more than just PIGG at Adam Fleishman’s UMAMIcatessen. There’s Umami Burger of course, a “kosher-style” deli, a full bar, gourmet coffee, and a donut shop that serves a decadent FOIE GRAS donut! Just think of UMAMIcatessen as an awesome food court, except that you order items from each restaurant off of one menu.

Cheesy Tots at Umami Burger (on the Secret Menu).

The Shrimp Burger with Yuzu-Kosho (paste made from chili peppers, yuzu peel and salt), Umami Burger. Note: Currently only available at the downtown UMAMIcatessen location.

Greenbird Burger: Spicy turkey, crushed avocado, green cheese, butter lettuce, sprouts, green goddess, at Umami Burger.

Wasabi Potato Salad with Sashimi, Umami Burger.

Sweet Potato Fries, Umami Burger.

Pastrami Sandwich at the CURE deli.

Matzo Ball Soup at the CURE deli.

“Micha-Mami”: Corzo tquila, umami crafter spiced tomato juice, topped with beer with an umami dust rimmed glass at the Back Bar.

“Velvet Mule”: Beluga vodka, Velvet Falernum, Fresh lime juice, ginger beer and dash of Angostura bitters at the Back Bar.

Tres Leches, Cajeta, Ceylon Cinnamon (cake). Donuts are fried-to-order at “& A Donut”.

FG&J, Foie Gras Doughnut: Foie Gras Mousse, Robert Lambert’s Forrest Berry Jam at “& A Donut”.

UMAMIcatessen
852 S. Broadway
Los Angeles, CA, 90014
(213) 413-8626
Website
MENU (pdf)

About UMAMIcatessen in L.A. Times

About Adam Fleischman

More about Chris Cosentino at L.A. Times Food

Jonathan Gold writes about the Foie Gras Doughnut

Caroline on Crack writes about the Back Bar

EstarLA writes about Bar Bites

PIGG_LA on Twitter
Chris Cosentino on Twitter
Umami Burger on Twitter
Doug Rankin on Twitter
Spring for Coffee on Twitter

More UMAMIcatessen Photos

My Umami Burger Photos

Photos above from three visits. Dishes shared with Peter, Akasha, Alan, Debbie, Julie, Dan and Stephane.

Sotto

Peter and I FINALLY had dinner at Sotto Restaurant last month. Named one of Esquire Magazine’s Best New Restaurants in 2011, as well as L.A. Magazine’s Best New Restaurant in Los Angeles, it’s been on my personal “to do” list for awhile.

Even my favorite food critic, Jonathan Gold, wrote about Sotto when he was still at L.A. Weekly:

The menu at Sotto points to Southern Italy instead of the requisite Tuscan dishes, with things like clams cooked with fresh shell beans and the awesomely spicy Calabrian sausage ’nduja; braised octopus tentacles crisped on the griddle and nestled into a bed of chickpeas with preserved lemon; and the little dough puffs called pittule — appetizer doughnuts! — served with fresh ricotta and a drizzle of reduced sweet wine. (full review here)

From the moment our server delivered the plate of glistening lardo (cured pork FATBACK) on crispy toast, we KNEW we were in for something pretty special. This was an unusually carb-heavy dinner for us, and it was so WORTH IT.

Photos: My First Bites at Steve Samson and Zach Pollack’s Sotto!

Housemade bread with Lardo Pestato

Grilled Pork Meatballs

Blistered little gems with anchovy, garlic pestata, breadcrumbs, aged caprino Sardo

Guanciale pizza with house-cured pork cheek, ricotta, scallions, fennel pollen

Penisola Sorrentina Gragnano rosso frizzante (sparkling red). Steve’s wife Dina (also the manager) told us they discovered this wine being served in pizzerias while vacationing in Italy. 

Spaghetti with spicy octopus ragu, black kale, burrata, and breadcrumbs.

Cannoli Siciliani: ricotta, orange marmalade, pistachios, chocolate.

Now we need to go back and try the Porcetto sandwich!

Read Jonathan Gold’s Sotto review

L.A. Magazine’s Best New Restaurant

Sotto in Esquire Magazine

Sotto Review in L.A. Magazine July 2011

Sotto Restaurant
9575 West Pico Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90035
(310) 277-0210
website

Follow Sotto on Twitter

Sotto on FaceBook

More photos on Flickr

Night + Market

Northern Thai street food that goes with booze? Yes please!

“In Thai, it’s called ‘aharn klam lao’ which roughly translates to ‘food to facilitate drinking.’ That’s at the heart of what we do. We make food for drunkards”. ~  Chef Kris Yenbamroong, Night + Market

SAUSAGE! Front: Fermented sour pork sausage balls from Isan (northeastern Thailand). They are best eaten with the chili, ginger, peanuts and raw cabbage.
Back: Sai Uah sausage from Chiengrai. It’s a grilled herb sausage which you eat with nam prik noom and a mortar-pounded relish of chili, roasted shallots and garlic. Kris makes both sausages in house.

Mekong Old Fashioned – Mekong is probably the most popular of Thai spirits and is actually a rum. It is made from sugar cane and a blend of herbs.

Kab Moo, housemade pork rinds.

Chicken wings, brined in fish sauce.

Chang Beer Tower! You know, because there’s more food coming!

Kor Moo Yang, grilled pig collar. Kris calls it toro because he finds it to be the most decadent part of the pig.

Nam Prik Ong, chiengrai pork ragout. Basically a pork dip for pork rinds. Kris serves it cold.

Nam Prik Ta Daeng, another type of relish eaten with Thai beef jerky.

Moo Sadoong, startled pig — a spicy salad of pork, chili and herbs.

Goong Ten, traditionally this dish consists of live, tiny shrimp. This one is raw shrimp cured with lime juice and dressed with pounded chilis.

Hor Ab, essentially a tamale made with catfish and a mix of chili, baked in a banana leaf.

Fried pig tails.

Gang Hanglay, a Chiengrai stew with Burmese influences — pork simmered with palm sugar and pickled garlic. Kris used pork trotters and tails for this rendition.

Kao Kluk Gapi: Rice, seasoned with shrimp paste, It’s basically a salad because you toss all the components together.

Pu Pad Pong Karee, jumbo lump crab sauteed with curry powder and onions.

“Have you ever felt as if a restaurant was just waiting for you to walk into it?” ~ Jonathan Gold Please read Jonathan Gold’s awesome review here

Night + Market
9041 Sunset Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069
Note: Enter thru Talésai restaurant
(310) 275 – 9724
Website 

Twitter: @NtMRKT

Night +Market on FaceBook

All my Night + Market Photos

Dining Date: 2/9/12
Shared w Peter, Jessica, Josh, Charles & Robert
Many thanks to Sarah St. Lifer for her assistance on this post!

We started ordering from the DineLA menu but obviously enjoyed so much more!

A Cocktail Recipe

I’m not a fan of overly sweet cocktails. Whenever I see “simple syrup” (sugar water) listed on a cocktail menu, I usually just order a vodka or scotch. There’s just something about mixing booze with sugar that guarantees I’ll be suffering a hangover the next morning.

Recently, my friend Chris Parke (mixologist/bartender at Raphael) created a special cocktail for the latest Test Kitchen night at Short Order. This was a one-time event showcasing burgers and cocktails from some of L.A.’s most talented chefs and bartenders.

On the day of the event, I was surprised when Chris tweeted that he named his clementine (“oh my darling”) cocktail after me. Of course I was honored, but what if was too sweet and I didn’t like it? MyLastBite.com has always been about focusing on the positive. If I don’t like it, I don’t share it.

Thankfully the drink was fantastic (everyone at our large table thought so too). It was fruity, refreshing and just a tad bitter. The clementine cocktail also went perfectly with my favorite burger of the night, made by Raphael’s chef Adam Horton.

Jo My Darlin’ Cocktail Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

2 oz Bourbon

1 oz Aperol

1 oz Clementine juice

2 dash orange bitters

A bit of chopped basil

A slice of clementine soaked in aperol for 24 hours (to garnish)

Lemongrass for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS:

Mix Aperol, juice, bourbon, bitters and basil together in cocktail shaker, then pour over ice

Garnish with lemongrass and aperol soaked clementine

Note: Chris added a tiny bit of cayenne pepper in my drink. He knows I like it spicy!

Enjoy!

Follow Chris on twitter

Test Kitchen at Short Order

Raphael Restaurant

About Aperol

Cocktail Menu by Chris Parke at Raphael Restaurant. Note: “The Basil” is the one I order the most.

Photo of Chris by Lane Smith Jr. (provided by Chris Parke).

Moody Pops Up!

Who: Chef Dan Moody (Peter and I first met him when he worked under the pop-up king himself, Chef Ludo Lefebvre!)

When: Feb 28 – Mar 3, 2012 

Where: Batch Restaurant in Culver City

Photos below from Dan’s popular “Relate at Bistro St. Germain’s” pop-up in San Diego last year. We shared the dinner with dear friends, Julie Wolfson, Perry (my ex-husband) and his beautiful wife Karen.

2/25/2011 Relate at Bistro St. Germain’s, 1010 S Coast Highway 101, Encinitas, CA

Above: The surprise amuse in the spoon was ”French Onion Soup”!
In bowl: Mussel Chowder, Bacon Corn Custard, Potato Foam

63 Degree Egg, Star Anise Potato Mousseline, Hedgehog Mushrooms, Duck Confit, Vadouvan Foam, Crispy Spinach

Sesame-glazed Sautéed Barramundi, Baby Bok Choy, Vanilla Sushi, Rice Creme Anglaise, Seaweed

Spiced Beef, Spinach Avocado Puree, Porcini Spaetzle, Guinness Gastrique

Above: Crispy Burgundy Escargots w Cauliflower Puree, Ancho Chili & Garlic.
On toast: Foie Gras Terrine w Olilves, Pistachios, Kumquats.

Banana Bread Pudding, Bourbon Pecan Pie, Vanilla Cognac, Cream

With Dan & Julie.

With Perry (left), Karen and Peter.

Dan Moody’s Popup at Batch Restaurant:
Tuesday, February 28th through Saturday, March 3.
Batch Restaurant
8631 Washington Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232

Check out the tentative menu HERE

Reservations may be made through Batch, either on the web www.batchrestaurant.com, or via phone: 310-202-8631

Follow Chef Dan Moody on Twitter

Chef Dan Moody’s Relate Website

Follow Batch Restaurant on Twitter

More Chef Dan Moody Photos on flickr

More about my friend (& ex!) Perry in “About”

The Gorbals

My brother Greg was in town recently (from Glasgow, Scotland) to attend the NAMM (music trade) conference. He happened to be free for dinner on “Burns Night” (Jan 25th), a Scottish holiday celebrating the birth of Robert Burns.

The weekend before, Peter and I had already gone out for our annual haggis-eating, whisky drinking, deep-fried banger fest with friends. It’s always a music-filled, raucous Burns Night party at Buchanan Arms in Burbank.

The Gorbals restaurant is located inside Alexandria Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. Chef Ilan Hall named his restaurant after the gritty neighborhood where his father grew up in Glasgow, Scotland. I’d had bites of chef Hall’s cooking at various food events; mostly his popular bacon-wrapped matzoh balls (his mother is from Israel), but this was my first visit to his popular eatery. The food was perfect for a night of drinking. Needless to say, having my brother there with me was a celebration in itself!

A few of our favorite bites:

Bacon wrapped matzoh balls

Chips & Herbs

Gribenes (CHICKEN SKIN) Sandwich

Bánh mì Poutine  (We were drinking lots, more chips needed!)

Crispy Poached Egg & Sausage

Short Bread & Scotch

Entrance to the Gorbals

Chef Ilan Hall with my brother Greg

The Gorbals
501 South Spring Street
Los Angeles,  CA 90013
(213) 488-3408
website

Follow Ilan Hall on Twitter

Read Jonathan Gold’s 2010 Gorbals review here

Gorbals, Glasgow

Buchanan Arms

My Go-To (not just Super Bowl) Party Recipe

I’ve been making this EASY BACON appetizer for years. So simple and fun, that even my husband Peter likes to help make them!

The best part is, they can be made a day or two before you need them. I added cayenne (for heat) and fresh nutmeg to Food Network’s original mix.

Ingredients
1 cup grated parmesan
2 teaspoons garlic salt or powder
1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg
24 slices bacon
24 long breadsticks (with sesame if avaialable)

You will also need: parchment paper

Directions
Preheat oven to 350

Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium size mixing bowl, combine the parmesan, garlic salt, cayenne and nutmeg.

GENTLY wrap each breadstick with a slice of bacon (so breadsticks don’t break), then place wrapped bread sticks on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. If you break one, just cut bacon to fit and add to sheet. No one will care if the pieces are small.

Bake for 15 minutes or until bacon is cooked to your liking.

Next, roll the breadsticks in cheese & spices. Do this while bacon and breadsticks are still warm, then set aside and let cool. (Peter loves this part!)

Can be made a day ahead and even taste great cold! I’ve even chopped up leftovers and used them as salad croutons!

Recipe on FoodNetwork.com (Note: I added Cayenne & Nutmeg)

(Originally posted 7/16/09)