Comfort food and killer cocktails.
My report at the L.A. Times here.
Tag Archives: hollywood
Perfecto Rocher’s Paella
I can’t stop thinking about this lobster paella by Perfect Rocher. It’s only available on Sundays at Smoke, Oil, Salt on Melrose in Hollywood.
Read Jonathan Gold’s review here, and do go if you’ve never had authentic paella. It’s simply life-changing!
Paella de Llamatol with Patagonia Shrimp, Garlic Lemon Aioli, Bomba
Photo by Jo Stougaard
Filed under Eating Out, Little Bites
Church Key
Check out a few photos from Church Key in Hollywood!
Fun food (Pig Ear Cheetos!) and GREAT cocktails by Devon Espinosa.
Filed under Eating Out, Little Bites
Township
Comfort Food & Moonshine? HECK YES!
My first bites at George Abou-Daoud’s Township: Kitchen Americana & Saloon…
Pork Slider Trio: Crispy Pork Belly w Slaw, Cheddar & Egg, Tasso Ham (not pictured)
Spicy Buffalo Wings w Ranch Dressing
Chili Cheese Fries Topped w Cheddar & Onions
Market Oysters on the Half Shell
L.A. Style Bacon-Wrapped Hot Dog topped w Grilled Onions
Detroit Style Hot Dog w Chili, Mustard & Chopped Onions
Fried Okra (FRESH)
Shared with Peter Stougaard, Greg Barnes, Craig Minami. We loved the corn whiskey “Original Moonshine Clear” from VA!
Township
6612 Sunset Blvd. (in the former District space)
Hollywood
CA 90028
Website
About Township Saloon by Grubstreet LA
Check out all of George’s awesome joints!
Filed under Eating Out
District On Sunset
District has closed, but luckily we now have Township!
George Abou-Daoud’s District On Sunset is my kind of hangout. A casual, friendly bar with killer food including a raw oyster bar, SPAM (woot!) Sliders and a Venison Relleno with Goat Cheese, that recently made GQ Magazine’s “Best New Dishes in America” list.
L.A. Times Food Critic, S. Irene Virbila wrote: “It’s a little bit steampunk, a little bit West Village back in the day. First of all, there’s the bar, a glorious hunk of mahogany that stretches from the front to the back of the long, narrow space. It was built in 1913 in France; you can’t help but wonder at all the changes and characters it must have seen in its many years.”
I think the space is a lot like its proprietor (who also owns several other eateries including the Mercantile next door). District is elegant yet so welcoming, with a surprising bit of sass on the menu.
Guess where I’ll be celebrating this New Year’s Eve?
Photos from District:
Venison Relleno with Goat Cheese, Corn Puree & Cotija Cheese
Spam Sliders with Quail Eggs, Bibb Lettuce, Tomato and Soy Mayonnaise
Chris manning the Raw Bar
Oyster Porn
Blistered Shisito Peppers, Ponzu, Black Sesame
Best Fish Sandwich in town: Wild Rock Cod, Tartar Sauce, Butter Lettuce, Pickle on House-Baked Roll & Fries
The Beautiful bar
Josh Goldman (guest bartender)
Josh Goldman’s B.L.T. Cocktail: Bacon-infused bourbon topped with tomato water foam, served with a ceramic-spoonful of romaine lettuce granita.
Note: This restaurant is now CLOSED.
District On Sunset
6600 Sunset Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 962-8200
GQ’s Alan Richman’s Best New Dishes in America 2010
Filed under Eating Out
XIV (now closed)
My first encounter with chef Michael Mina was during a birthday trip last January, for my niece and nephew, twins Kindal and Chace. Since they were about to officially become teenagers, I wanted to plan an extra special celebration dinner with Aunt Jo (that’s me) and Uncle Peter (my husband). Some sort of “grown up” place where we could get all dressed up and use every piece of fine silver on the table.
I’m extremely close with my sister’s kids, and would go to the ends of the world for them, but for their thirteenth birthday, I decided we would fly to San Francisco, and dine at Michelin-starred Michael Mina (the chef’s flagship restaurant).
Dinner was, of course, incredible, and the fact that chef Mina was in the house that night made it even more special. He oversees multiple restaurants from California to Florida, so we were happily shocked when he stopped by our table for a birthday photo.
Michael Mina’s XIV (“Fourteen”) in Hollywood is much closer to home of course, and we surely would have had the same dinner experience as we did in San Francisco, but I sort of felt like we (especially me) had to dine at Mina’s original outpost first.
Finally, last week I had my first full dinner at XIV (I previously enjoyed a few bites at the bar).
My nephew Cody (the twin’s older brother) is dating one of the sweetest, caring and downright gorgeous girls in all of L.A. That’s a bold statement I know, but Jade’s warmth and down-home personality (she hails from Tennessee), plus the way she cares for our entire family almost outshines her beauty. I said “almost” because there’s no denying her “WOW” factor.
Jade’s family still lives back in Tennessee, so Peter and I both try to be here for her if she needs anything. Last year after her car was totaled (a hit and run while parked in front of her building), she was in our kitchen on her cell phone dealing with her insurance company. The person on the other end must have asked her where she was at that moment, and she answered (in her sweet southern accent): “I’m with the folks that look after me”. Peter and I cracked up laughing. We just loved that she “got” how much we adore her, and how much our entire family loves her.
On September 10th Jade turned twenty-one, so of course we had to take her somewhere special to celebrate that night! I checked with Cody and we decided on XIV. It was perfect, and we had the best time TRYING to get through FOURTEEN delicious courses together. We almost made it (stopped at thirteen) but we’ll always remember it as yet another fun and fabulous, Michael Mina family experience.
What we ate:
Sea Scallops Tempura, Cauliflower, Passion Fruit, Edamame, Almonds $17
Liberty Duck Breast, Seared Fois Gras, Leg Confit, Pineapple, Star Anise $36
Tataki of American Wagyu Skirt Steak, Moroccan Spiced Vegetables $16
Top Left: Beef Carpaccio, Heart of Romaine, Cherry Tomatoes, Horseradish $16
Top Right: Tai Snapper Tapioca-Crusted, Broccoli Rabe, White Soy Vinaigrette $33
Bottom Right: Heirloom Beets, Burrata, Wild Arugula, Aged Balsamic, New Olive Oil $15
Bottom Left: Jidori Chicken “Cobb”, Blue Cheese, Avocado, Baby Gem Lettuce $17
Top Left: XIV Caesar Salad, Classic Dressing, Shaved Parmesan Reggiano $13
Top Right: Kobe Burger, Trio of French Fries, Farmhouse Cheddar, & “Secret Sauce” $27
Bottom Right: Asparagus Risotto, Sqash Blossom, Chervil, Castelmagnno Cheese $25
Bottom Left: Lobster Pot Pie, Baby Summer Veg, Brandied Cream Sauce $59
Sweet Corn Soup: Pork Belly, Apple Cider, Cilantro and Sea Salt $15
Bottom Left: Nutella Custard: Popcorn Ice Cream, Toast Streusel, Passion Fruit $11
Birthday Card from XIV Staff. Jade & my nephew Cody.
Uncle Peter, Jade & Cody.
Happy Birthday Jade!
XIV (restaurant now closed)
8117 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90046
(323) 656-1414
Dining Date: 9/10/09
Our XIV dinner (with lots of cocktails) was $200 per person, so the DineLA deal is a wonderful way to try out the menu!
Restaurant Week> October 4 – 9 / October 11-16
Mentioned Above:
Meeting Michael Mina, San Francisco with the twins!
Filed under Eating Out
RH Restaurant
Dinner at RH restaurant has been one of the best all-around dining experiences I’ve had in quite a while. It’s not just the sleek surroundings of the restaurant, the attentive staff or even the food writer’s dream of an open kitchen. It’s mostly about the straightforward, yet sumptuous market-driven cooking of French-trained Chef Sebastien Archambault.
Having grown up in the 70’s, I also loved the fact that I was dining at the “Riot Hyatt” (RH), the center for all rock ‘n’ roll badness way back when. One of the best-known stories of the infamous hotel was when (as Wikipedia notes): “Led Zeppelin rented as many as six floors of the hotel in the mid-to-late 1970s for the band members and entourage. Drummer John Bonham was reported to have driven a motorcycle along the hallways”.
If you’ve seen the film “Almost Famous”, you’ll remember the hotel scene where Penny Lane takes William to meet with the band. Director Cameron Crowe did a wonderful job replicating the hotel’s free-spirited fun of the era, and even though I never got to actually stay at the “Riot Hyatt”, a few years ago I did come very close.
In 2004, my husband Peter rented out the legendary Whisky-a-GoGo club for my 40th birthday party. He knew that as a kid, I used to sneak out to see bands like “X” and “Motley Crue”, so it was a real treat to play guitar on the same stage.
For this milestone birthday celebration, we flew in my younger brother Greg and his band from Scotland, and just for fun… we treated them to a night at the Hyatt.
The Whisky is just up the street from the hotel, so after our gig we loaded up the band equipment, then dropped off Greg and his mates at the legendary flophouse. The hotel was renovated in January 2009 and is now called the Andaz West Hollywood.
The food at RH Restaurant is more “French Brasserie” than “Sunset Strip Room Service”, but take one bite of Chef Archambault’s “RH” Burger and you’ll feel like a self-indulgent, spoiled celebrity. The Black Angus beef is topped with a piece of perfectly seared foie gras, morel mushrooms, and it comes with a side of TRIPLE-fried french fries with fresh truffle shavings (not just truffle oil).
The RH Burger is absolutely my favorite burger and fries combination EVER. On top of that, the rest of the meal was excellent as well.
What we ate:
Market fresh veggies arrived at our table first.
Pata Negra Ham-Bellota (aged 36 months) w/ Tomato and Garlic Crostini. (Pan con tomate – Pa amb tomaquet) $25
Hudson Valley Foie Gras Terrine with Kumquat Confit $18
Hudson Valley Foie Gras Terrine with Kumquat Confit (close up)
Morels and Green Spring Onion Tart w/ Parsley Oil $18
The RH Burger: Black Angus Beef, Foie Gras and Morels $26 (includes fries)
Truffled Triple Fried French Fries (included with burger). Extra side $7
Green Vegetable Risotto Arborio with Peas, Zucchini, Asparagus and Fava Beans $20
12 Hour Cooked Boneless Suckling Pork with Roasted Apricot and Rosemary Jus $25
Side Dishes: Glazed Rainbow Carrots and Cauliflower Gratin $7 each
Warm Chocolate Cake w/ Little John’s English Toffee Caramel $8
Executive Chef Sebastien Archambault
RH from Sunset Strip
Shrimp & Bread Appetizers at the Bar. The day of our reservation, I learned that the RH bar was the start of the Sunset Strip’s first-ever “Twitter Crawl”, so Peter and I went early to check it out!
Left: Mojito, Martini, Vodka
Top Right: Looking in from the bar into the restaurant before dinner
Bottom Right: Looking out the RH bar window, Vincent Chace and his “boys”.
Seriously, one of the SWEETEST chefs in town! Chef Sebastien Archambault was kind enough to give me a private tour of the kitchen.
Touring the Open Kitchen
RH at Andaz West Hollywood
8401 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90069
(323) 785-6090 Website
Dining Date: 7/1/09 with Peter, Julian & Wendy
Check out Twitter Tuesdays!
Posted on Twitter 7/28/09
“RH restaurant announces Twitter Tuesdays. Get one complimentary dinner when dining with 2 or more people if you are following us @andazweho “
Mentioned Above:
My brother Greg’s band (in 2004) playing at my 40th birthday
Greg’s current band His personal website
“Riot Hyatt” clip from “Almost Famous” (scene starts at 1 minute in)
“Almost Famous” on IMDB
“Almost Famous” DVD
The first Sunset Strip Twitter Crawl
All my RH photos on Flickr
With my brother Greg, on another legendary L.A. stage
Filed under Eating Out
Taste Of The Nation – 2009 Tix On Sale!
I just purchased my ticket to Taste of the Nation 2009, and wanted to share a few photos from last year’s event. If you’ve never been before, it’s a great opportunity to taste wonderful food from many of our top L.A. restaurants.
My favorite part (besides all the food) was chatting with the chefs in a relaxed, fun atmosphere… all while supporting Share Our Strength’s fight to end childhood hunger. It’s a “fill up and feel good” event for sure!
From the Share Our Strength Website:
“Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation is the nation’s premier culinary benefit, featuring top chefs and mixologists — all of whom are coming together to donate their time, talent and passion to end childhood hunger in America.
More then forty of the area’s finest restaurant and wineries will participate in Taste of Nation Los Angeles, bringing a memorable afternoon that will highlight some the best food and wine that Los Angeles has to offer. Come join us for an afternoon in Culver City, enjoy a strolling buffet, entertainment, live auction and much more. Join us as we work to create a hunger-free generation. 100% of ticket sales benefits Share Our Strength’s fight to end childhood hunger.”
Photos from Taste of the Nation 2008
Entrance Sign
Chef Jake Rojas making a “Foie Gras Nutty Buddy”, The Sunset Restaurant
Former Top Chef contestant Antonia Lofaso (my favorite from season 4), Foxtail Restaurant
Chef Antonia Lofaso’s home-made linguini with caramelized fennel, clams and absinthe from Foxtail Restaurant
The delightfully COOL Chef Carolyn Spence, Bar Marmont
10 Cane Rum (I skipped the wine and went for the good stuff!)
Chef Neal Fraser (Grace Restaurant) made whole roasted pig on the spot!
Akasha Richmond’s Braised Short Rib Sandwiches on Pretzel Rolls with green and red slaw, Akasha Restaurant
It was surreal bumping into Bob Blumer!
Taste of the Nation Los Angeles
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Media Park
Corner of Venice Blvd. & Culver Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
Note: The “Early Bird” ticket price is no longer available on the Taste of the Nation site. Thanks to SinoSoul for letting me know.
Tickets are $125.00.
Price at door is $135.00. (I know this seems expensive, but last year there were over 40 restaurants at the event, and it was worth every penny to try a taste from each!)
2009 Participants (including my friends at Animal!)
2008 Participating Restaurants A-K
2008 Participating Restaurants L-Z
Mentioned Above:
Filed under Food Events (festivals, classes, etc.)
Sri Siam Café [4]
My friend Laur invited me to lunch yesterday and suggested we go to Sri Siam Café, our favorite, local Thai joint. She wanted me to meet her niece Sherry, an intensive care nurse visiting from Chicago. I was totally fascinated with all of her exciting hospital stories, especially about the time she got to hold someone’s lungs during surgery (she said they felt “spongy”). Obviously it wouldn’t be appropriate lunch conversation for everyone, but for three gals with iron stomachs (sitting there filling ourselves with fiery Thai goodness), it was perfectly lovely.
I ordered the Spicy Basil Seafood with pan-fried Squid, Mussels, Shrimp, Sole, Peppers and Chilies. The dish came with rice and an eggroll and is not on the regular menu. Look for it on the “All Day Special” menu. $11.50
Sherry ordered the Succulent Grilled Chicken over Egg Noodles. $5.95 (#91 on the regular menu)
Laur ordered the Panang Chicken cooked with Red Peanut Curry Paste and Coconut Milk. $6.95 (#66 on the regular menu)
Beautiful Thai Chili Sauce on the table
On each visit I’m trying to taste a new dish, but the one thing I have to order EVERY time is the Crispy Rice Salad with Sour Sausage (Nam). It’s tangy, spicy deliciousness!
Sri Siam has over 100 dishes listed on the regular menu, plus ten dishes on the “Specials” menu. If none of those delights interest you, then you can always check out the “Off Menu” items listed here (you may need some help with the translation).
Sri Siam Café
12843 Vanowen St.
North Hollywood, CA 91605
818 892-6262
All my Sri Siam Photos on Flickr
Sri Siam Café Website
Dining Date: 2/26/09 (Visit #4)
Visit #3 to Sri Siam (with photos)
Filed under Eating Out
Sri Siam Café [3]
For my third visit to Sri Siam Café, I invited my good friend Bob for lunch. This time I was determined to eat Thai food the way I’ve always eaten Thai food… very HOT and very SPICY. Not all food has to set my mouth on fire to be pleasurable. There’s just something about Thai food that doesn’t quite taste “authentic” without the extra heat. I think it’s because when I first tried it (twenty years ago) the dishes were always extra hot and spicy.
For lunch I suggested Bob and I start with the Nam (crispy rice salad), which has Thai sour sausage mixed with roasted peanuts, ginger, green onion and crispy rice. The unusual sour sausage almost tastes like it was soaked in lime juice, and the crispiness of the individual rice kernels are a surprising, savory crunch. The spicy Nam had been my favorite bite from lunch the week before, so I wanted to share it again with Bob, and he LOVED it.
When I asked for “very hot and spicy” on my first two visits, the waitress smiled and brought me what I thought was a medium heat, which is totally understandable since I was a new Sri Siam diner. She probably assumed I didn’t understand how hot and spicy Thai food could be, and didn’t want to throw out perfectly good food just because I ordered incorrectly.
On this visit I asked our server (a waiter this time) which dish was the “spiciest” on the menu. He pointed directly to “Poh Tak” (spicy seafood soup). It’s a hot pot filled with mussels, shrimps, crab, fish and squid in a sour spicy broth. I ordered the Poh Tak and made sure the waiter understood that I wanted it extra spicy. I made a point of saying that my food wasn’t spicy enough before and to please ask the chef to make the soup extra HOT and VERY SPICY. The waiter then raised an eyebrow and was probably about to ask me “are you sure?”, when I butted in and pleaded “I need my food to be very, very spicy PLEASE!”.
When my hot pot of spicy seafood soup arrived, I gave the waiter a look of “hmmm… this looks a little spicy, but we’ll see if you succeeded here”. He graciously scooped out the first little bowl of soup for me and then I went ahead and started in on the beautiful (and delicious) green mussels. Bob ordered the Panang Chicken lunch special, which came with steamed rice, soup and a vegetable egg roll. After I took a few sips of my soup, Bob asked me a question and it was the strangest thing… even though I was trying to answer him, my mouth wouldn’t work. Right then my eyes started blinking and I sat there with my mouth open, struggling as I mouthed “OH MY GAWD”. This was the hottest (and spiciest) thing I had ever tasted in my life, and it was truly a whole new level of fire in my mouth.
I know spice and heat are all relative, but I just want to note that I can easily handle blazing habanero chilies (even with the seeds intact). One of my favorite spicy treats I make at home, is a dessert I saw on tv a few years ago called “Fire and Ice”. It’s half of a habanero chili filled with lemon sorbet. The fire and ice gets under your tongue and it’s sort of paralyzing (in a good way) for a second.
Back in my 20’s I read (in some glossy, fashion magazine) that rubbing a slice of jalapeno on my lips would make them plump… a cheap alternative to lip injections. On the morning I decided to try this “natural” method, I was also scheduled to meet my new boss, who was flying in for the day to check on his photo gallery. Following the magazine instruction, I cut a dime-size piece of the jalapeno and pursed my lips while I rubbed the chili round and round. At first, nothing… then came the screaming and crying. NOTHING took the pain away and I ended up with a large, uneven, red outer ring that looked like “double” lips. If you can remember “Wax Lips” candies, then you get the picture.
Later in the day, when my new boss shot me a strange look, I just laughed and said my lips were overly chapped and did my best to hide in the office. I never admitted that I’d purposely rubbed jalapenos on my tender, perfectly fine, natural lips.
Currently, I have my fridge stocked with habanero stuffed olives that I order online from Primos Gourmet. The habaneros are perfect little, painful explosions that make me do the “happy eating dance” around the kitchen.
Just how hot are habaneros? Chili peppers are rated by Scoville units. As noted on Wikipedia: “The number of Scoville heat units (SHU) indicates the amount of capsaicin present. Capsaicin is a chemical compound which stimulates nerve endings in the skin”. For example, on the Scoville scale, a bell pepper would measure 0 (that’s zero, zilch, nothing). Jalapeno peppers would measure from 2,500-8,000.
The hottest chili pepper I’ve ever eaten is the habanero, and it would measure approximately 100,000-350,000 on the Scoville chart. Culinary Masochism? Well, if that means I’m getting intense pleasure (go endorphins!) from intense pain (gastronomically speaking), then fine, I admit it…. I need a little C&M in my life.
Sri Siam’s spicy seafood “Poh Tak” soup felt like it was OFF the Scoville chart, and at first I thought it was way too fiery for me. After the initial shock wore off in my mouth I absolutely LOVED the broth, and from then on it was a heavenly seafood feast of squid, crab, shrimp and those delicious green mussels. Poor Bob had to watch me wipe the sweat off my brow, and he laughed as I dashed to the restroom several times to deal with a heat-induced runny nose. This meal was the perfect Thai experience I’d been after.
When we finished lunch, I went back to the kitchen and thanked the chef. He gave me a little smile and looked a little baffled, so I wasn’t sure if he understood what I said to him. I can’t imagine it, but maybe it was the first time he’d ever heard, “Thank you, thank you… thank you for making me hurt so good“.
Spicy Seafood Soup, Poh Tak: Mussels, shrimps, crab, fish, squids in a hot pot and sour spicy soup.
Lunch Special Panang Chicken: Served with steam rice, soup, vegetable fried egg roll, and fresh fruit.
A few photos in the Sri Siam Kitchen, and the wonderful crew.
Sri Siam visit #4 (with photos)
Previous Visits to Sri Siam (with photos)
All my Sri Siam Photos on Flickr
Sri Siam Café Website
12843 Vanowen Street (at Coldwater)
North Hollywood 91605
818 982- 6262
Primos Gourmet Foods (Habanero Olives)
Dining Date: 1/16/09
Filed under Eating Out, Food Stories (written by me)
my last bite... 