All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go

In case you're looking for some local food events happening in LA in the next couple of months, here are some to look for, courtesy of DineLA.com:

August 3
More than 50 Central Coast wineries will be pouring yummy stuff at Wally’s 5th Annual Central Coast Wine and Food Celebration benefiting the Michael Bonaccorsi Scholarship Fund. A handful of Los Angeles’ best restaurants will also be representing. Among them: Spago, Sona, Lucques and The Hungry Cat. For tickets, call 310.475.0606 or visit wallywine.com.

August 5
If tequila and red meat are the source of pleasure for your palate, you won’t want to miss tonight’s Herradura Wine Dinner at The Palm West Hollywood. Each course will be paired with an Herradura tequila for sipping. In addition, each recipe integrates tequila. Think aged filet mignon in an anejo cream sauce paired with Herradura Anejo. Sabroso. Call 310.550.8811.

August 18
Club Culinaire, the local organization founded to promote French cuisine, sponsors a series of dinners throughout the year. Tonight’s “Chef a Table” takes place at Grace, the stylish Beverly Boulevard eatery. Like all Chef a Table dinners, this one begins at 7 p.m. with a Veuve Cliquot wine reception. A five course dinner follows during which chef Neal Fraser will table hop, giving guests a chance to hobnob with one of our biggest talents. But Fraser’s not French you say? True. You need not be to be a club member. You simply must cook in the French style. $105 for members, $115 for non-members. For reservations, call 323-934-4400. For more information on the club, visit clubculinaire.org.

August 31
Join five of Los Angeles’ most celebrated chefs along with Giuseppe Tentori of Chicago’s Boka—Tentori was named one of Food & Wine’s best new chefs of 2008—at tonight’s 5x5 dinner at Water Grill downtown, the penultimate in this year’s series. Water Grill chef David LeFevre teams up with Josiah Citrin of Melisse, Gino Angelini of La Terza, Michael Cimarusti of Providence and Walter Manzke, formerly of Bastide, to prepare a six course menu that promises to blow away even the most jaded foodie. Make your reservations asap. Even with the $150 price tag ($215 with wine pairings), seats promise to go quickly. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Southern California Chapter of Special Olympics. For reservations, call Water Grill at 213.891.0900.

September 7 – 21
Angelenos can get into the spirit of California Wine Month by sniffing-and-swirling their way through over forty restaurants during wine & dineLA presented by American Express. Top LA restaurants will strut their culinary stuff with heavy-hitting wine pairing menus designed to highlight the best of our local grapes. Watch for participating restaurants and their menus at dineLA.com.


UPDATE: Gayot also has a great list of events going on this Summer. Some noteable ones are the 888 Menu at Gonpachi on August 8 & 9 which features 8 courses for $88 (for two people), as well as the Backyard BBQ Series at Vinotèque in Culver City for $28 per person, going on now through August. Get out and eat something!

La Paella in Your Face

Spain is so hot right now - just ask The Cheetah Girls. I wish doing "movie research" was the reason I stumbled upon La Paella on Friday night, but a romantic dinner date will just have to do. How boring am I?

Dinner, however, was anything but stale. La Paella is an adorable Spanish restaurant, with twinkle lights and lace curtains. You walk in, and the smells of fresh seafood and quite conversation take you back to a time before date night at The Cheesecake Factory was considered acceptable.

We were sat in the back of this small restaurant, amongst cook book lined bookshelves and racks of aging wine. The waitress was Spanish. Am I dreaming?

We decided to just do tapas (next time, I'll hit up the Paella). Almost everything we had was delicious (save the one special we ordered that we both disliked), so I'll just shower you with pictures so you can go try for yourself!

Start off with a glass of Sangria ($5).

Fresh and light and fruity!
Enjoy the fresh baked bread and duo of garlic mayonnaise and olive tapenade.

Then move on to these assortment of tapas:

Patatas Bravas ($3.95)Lightly fried potatoes coated in a spicy tomato sauce.

Champinones con Chorizo ($5.25)
Delicious and rich - the combo of the mushrooms and the sausage was divine!

Calamares a la Plancha ($5.50)
Grilled squid lightly seasoned with olive oil, garlic and parsley drizzled with lemon juice. So fresh and not a bit on the chewy side.

Manchego con Membrillo ($4.75)

Fresh manchego cheese (my favorite) topped with slices of quince paste. Sweet and salty!

Espinacas con Pinones y Pasas ($5.95)

A heaping plate of sauteed spinach - little bits of creamy nuts and sweet raisins makes this dish really special.

Jamon Serrano ($9.75)
One of the specials of the evening, serrano ham with figs - great quality!

The other special was avocado stuffed with crab which was drowned in a thousand island type sauce and tasted too fishy for my liking. I'll give it to them since 1)it's not a menu regular and 2) 6 out of 7 ain't that shabby.

Like I said, I can't wait to go back here and try the Paella! The restaurant had charm and good food. You can just feel the fast pace life of Los Angeles slow down with each tasty bite (or was that just the Sangria...?). This is a great date spot, and a wonderful hidden gem inside this big ol' city!

One thing to note: Like all good Spaniards, La Paella will be taking a vacation after this Saturday's dinner service and will reopen on September 12. So, either go this weekend, or wait a few weeks if you can stand it. In the meantime, you can busy yourself with a little of this action.


La Paella
476 S. San Vicente Blvd.
Los Angeles, 90048
(323) 951-0745
$$

La Paella

Have you been to Cuban?

Photo Courtesy of www.labodeguitadepico.com

La Bodeguita de Pico is a charming Cuban restaurant just a stones throw away from Roscoe's. You know, for those nights you're debating between a heart attack and a cultural experience, I would always sway you towards the latter, but it's good to know you have options.

If you do in fact decide to dine at La Bodeguita de Pico, you will be pleasantly surprised. The restaurant itself is clean and garners the look of Cuba without being overly showy. The colors are neutral with a few brightly designed accents. The chairs and tables are made of a heavy, dark wood, and the ambiance is very pleasant and inviting.

The menu is very reasonably priced and offers a lot of fresh and tasty options. If you're really hungry and on a budget, I recommend the Pollo Asado, which is all you can eat chicken for $16. They serve you out of a big pot, so you get the whole dining experience to boot. On this particular evening, I went for the Clasico Plato Cubano ($16), which is described as a classic Cuban dish with white rice and black beans, roast pork and ground beef in a Habanera sauce and yucca with Cuban sauce served with a sweet plantains. The presentation was lacking, but the pork was excellent: very tender, well seasoned and delish! The pork itself was enough of a meal, but it also comes with ground beef in a thick sauce that was very good but a little too heavy for my taste. The fried plantains were very good and a great compliment to the plate.

This restaurant is a great date spot. Not only is the food very good, but you feel like you uncovered a secret when you go inside. LBDP is relatively new and makes you feel like you are very much a part of the birth of the place. In addition, the restaurant also offers Salsa lessons for $7 on Sunday nights, so what's better than a little Cuban food and some Cuban dancing?

Get a taste of Cuba without the fear of returning to your home and being tracked by the American government for the rest of your life. Go, eat and tell me about it for goodness sake!

La Bodeguita de Pico
5047 West Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90019
323.937.2822
$$

It only took me 4 times driving past the "Coming Soon" sign to check out the details on SweetCake. Although I never visited their previous location, I'm so excited to welcome this adorable bakery to my 'hood. Yelpers seem to have found the Hollywood location to be a gem, so yay for late Summer 2007 when SweetCake will again open it's doors.

SweetCake
633 North La Brea Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036

Mas Margarita's Por Favor

Photo Courtesy of Flickr Blog

I love a place that is as inconspicuous on the outside, as the amount of trouble brewing on the interior. I had not stumbled into such a place in quite sometime until I celebrated Cinco de Mayo at none other than El Carmen.

El Carmen oozes hipster chic as soon as you walk in the door. With its low lighting (some of which is glowing from water filled lamps that your kooky great-aunt might have had) and it's Mexican wrestler paintings (and masks) that adorn the wall, you know this place is going to foster a fun evening.

Besides the quirky decor, this place is known for it's menu of over 400 tequilas, as well as an impressive list of specialty margaritas. I set my sights on the Watermelon Margarita, which at $8 was about 3 shots and tasted like I bit into a fresh watermelon - yum!! You certainly get your money's worth on booze (the beer is also reasonable at $5).

Although I intended to sample more of their food menu (the menu is small, but has enough to satisfy any lover of Mexican food), the 3 drinks before we got a table lended to less eating and more inappropriate storytelling. I was very impressed with the freshly fried corn chips, as well as the salsa and fresh guacamole (which disappeared in a matter of minutes). As a table we shared the nachos which I thought were very yummy and had a lot of flavor. My perpetually-mad-at-life Mexican friend made sure to poo poo the nachos for their inclusion of black beans, not refried. I happened to like this touch, making me feel less guilty for eating fried food and drinking excessive amounts. To each his own.

This is a great place to get the night started. I wouldn't go there just for the food, but the food/drinks combo is certainly worth every penny you spend and I swear you'll leave cooler than when you entered.

When in need of social lubrication, hit up this Mexican hot spot and you won't be disappointed!

El Carmen
8138 West Third St.
Los Angeles, 90048
(323) 852-1552
$-$$

Mayo Yayo!

Cinco de Mayo is right around the corner, and what better way to celebrate than with Mexican food! The Los Angeles staple, El Cholo, is known and loved by many. BUT, what you may not know is that they are adding a new menu item starting this month through October. Their famous Green Tamales, which are usually only available online, have been available as of May 1 in their restuarants!

Dust off your sombrero and take advantage of this special treat! Aye Aye Aye!

El Cholo
1121 S. Western Ave.
Los Angeles, 90006
$$

(Not Such a) Good Night, Moon

I went to Luna Park last night for a friend's birthday and it was just okay. Nothing special, nothing inedible. I was a little disappointed, hearing mostly good things about the place.

We started with a goat cheese fondue which ran about $9 and was hardly 4 oz of melted cheese with toasted french bread and half an apple to dip. The presentation was "interesting", stacking the bread like bricks around the elevated fondue ramekin. But it was melted cheese, for 9 dollars. And some of the bread was burnt. Not a great start.

I ordered the Roasted Sea Bass for my main course, which was appropriately priced at about 17 dollars. That's one thing I'll give this place - the main courses were very reasonably priced (the Lamb, for instance, was also $17). The Sea Bass was simply roasted, not a lot of flavor but okay. It was served on a bed of broccoli rabe, which I LOVE. But they overcooked it! The stalks were mushy so a boo to that!

Overall, I'm not taking my rocket to Luna again, I'd rather watch this movie and eat cereal in bed.

P.S. It's gray and rainy outside so I'm in a bit of a "mood."

Luna Park
672 S. La Brea
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 934-2110
$$

Whoa Daddy!

Photo courtesy of Shisso.org

I finally made it to Beard Papa's last night and thus began a spiral into gluttony. After an "okay" dinner at Restaurant 2117 (uninspiring, I might elaborate at a later date), I needed something sweet. Planning to grab some fro yo at Big Chill, I was luckily drawn to the strip mall across the street from the restaurant. And there it stood: Beard Papa. I knew there was one in Hollywood, but to stumble upon one on Sawtelle - what a surprise! This place has received quite a lot of buzz since it first opened in Osaka, Japan in 1999, and recently it's been spreading all over the world, and thank g-d for that!

So I walked into the store and was faced with a decision: vanilla, chocolate or carmel. I chose vanilla, my friend chose carmel, and we decided we'd share. After requesting such from the uniformed ladies behind the counter, our order was recited back to us in unison:

"1 vanilla, 1 carmel!"

"1 vanilla, 1 carmel, thank you!"

Oh joy! What an entrance for these little puffs (which disappeared in about 30 seconds. A tragically short but dramatic life). The dough is light, fluffy and flaky. The cream (a mixture of custard and whipped cream) is soft, creamy and incredibly flavorful - and there's plenty of it. One bite and the custard is spilling out of the puff, and I was loving every minute of it! I was surprised that it didn't feel heavy. One generally associates cream puffs with weighing you down, heavy custard put me in bed please! It wasn't that way at all. The vanilla was sweet and simple. Not too much vanilla flavor, just enough. The carmel was really divine. Much richer, but certainly the better of the two.

Okay, finished. Now what? Well we had to order a chocolate just to see what we were missing! This was definitely the weakest of the three, but still very tasty. A rich, almost ganache tasting chocolate. Yum!

Listen to the hype, people! This place is divine!

Beard Papa Sweet's Cafe

2130 Sawtelle Blvd.

Los Angels, 90025

(310) 479-6665

Yum to the Third Power

Photo Courtesy of BeverlyHillsPeople.com

As of yesterday, it had been a week since I'd eaten a carb. I needed bread bad. Really bad. So I did what any resourceful Jew would do and organized an end of Passover get together so that I could eat large amounts of pasta and pizza with other people, blaming the "company" for my insatiable hunger.

CUBE seemed like the perfect locale and the menu was ripe with carbs ready for the picking. Unfortunately, I was so focused on eating a piece of bread that I forgot my camera, so please let your imagination run free. Note that CUBE is very close to, but has yet to secure a liquor/wine license. For the time being it is BYOB, and they do not charge corkage.

OUR MENU:
Crostini ($6.95)
Tomato, Olive and White Bean - very yummy, a good start

Roasted Garlic Pesto w/ Gorgonzola & Walnuts ($11.95)
Delicious! The pizza was a thin crust, very moist and fresh dough. The cheese was really top notch; great flavor.

Wild Mushroom Ravioli w/ Sun Dried Tomato Sauce ($12.95)
This came at the waiter's recommendation and was very good. The sauce was a cream base, but not heavy at all.

Mozzarella, Prosciutto & Arugula ($12.95)
I think they made the mozzarella in the back - so creamy it melted in my mouth! The Proscuitto was also fantastic. A very simple but tasty dish.

Four Cheese Mac & Cheese ($6.95)
Lots of flavor, I just wish it was crispy on top. It's a side dish, but certainly enough for one person.

Russian Kale $4.95
Not on the regular menu but they had it in house. Lightly crisped, salty, yum!

Tartufo $4.95
I like mine with a hard chocolate shell, but this was pretty yummy. Rich cocoa coating, coffee and liquor gelato center.

The meal started with complimentary flat bread (like pizza dough) which was great. We were also given two small plates with an assortment of 3 cheeses (about an ounce each), dried cranberries (or currants?) and cashews. The presentation was very nice as the plates were slate so the cheese names were written on the plate itself with chalk. We had a Tilamook, A Cows Milk Cheese and one other that I can't remember. I'll blame it on the wine.

The ambiance and service was really top notch. Our waiter understood that we were in no rush and let us be for about an hour until we ordered our main course. At one point, my friend Sam walked down the street to buy another bottle of wine because we wanted to keep the party going. In fact, we were the last table to leave that night, after the chefs, after the lights went off, after all the other tables were set for the next day. I honestly felt like I was in Europe and was sipping wine and eating great Italian food on my own clock, not feeling rushed by any of the waitstaff. I recommend CUBE to anyone who loves good food. It's by no means pretenious, despite its list of over 80 cheeses (I plan to go back to sample some of these when they get their wine license).

This is a restaurant that appreciates good food, and taking the time to enjoy it.

CUBE
615 N. La Brea
Los Angeles, 90036
(323) 939-1148
$$

Breakfast In Full Bloom

I love it when I find cute cafes with outdoor seating within a few miles of my little house. I somehow missed the bus on Bloom Cafe, which opened in November of 2006, but was able to see and taste what I had been missing just last week.

Bloom opens at 9am on weekdays, but was kind enough to let my girlfriends and I sit down at 8:45 and enjoy a cappuccino and some tea prior to ordering. Bloom is an adorable cafe, with modern designs and love for color. The breakfast menu is fantastic, offering eggs and griddle items, all fresh and some quite unique. I opted to make my own omelet for $9.50, with spinach, tomato and mushroom.


My friends chose the Poached Eggs with Goat Cheese on a Crostini, and the Smoked Salmon Omelet. All of the breakfasts came with toasted whole grain and nut bread and a choice of fruit or potatoes.

Poached Eggs

Smoked Salmon Omelet

We all went for the fruit, which came in a generously sized bowl, swimming in a fruit juice soup - which was a refreshing end to the meals.

Directly next to the cafe is Bloom 2 Go, which offers take out or a quick bite if you're in a hurry. I will definitely go back to Bloom as I had such a lovely experience. A couple things that I MUST try on the next round will be the Lemon and Ricotta Pancakes, or for dinner, one of their fabulous sounding pizzas (like the Blue Cheese and Butternut Squash).

Spring has sprung, so go get your bloom on!

Bloom Cafe
5544 West Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90019
(323) 934-6900
$-$$

Something Old and Something New

When you're craving Italian food, here are a couple fantastic options. One is old, one is new, both are worth a return visit.


Dominick's Restaurant used to be favorite of Frank Sinatra, and now enjoys frequent visits from Jack Bauer himself, Kiefer Sutherland. But it really isn't about the eye candy (although it doesn't hurt). The menu features classic Italian American fare such as fried rice balls and Veal Parmesan. Must haves include the Spaghetti and Meatballs, Grilled Artichoke, Hanger Steak and Gelato Trio (I lucked out with Coffee, Mint Chip and Brown Sugar - it changes every night).

But the thing that makes Dominick's unique and user-friendly is their Sunday Supper. For $15, enjoy a 3 Course Menu and for an extra $10 share a bottle of their very own white or red wine. The portions are plenty big and the atmosphere is quite romantic. On a nice night, request the patio, complete with fire place and terracotta galore. You'll swear you died and went to Italy.

Dominick's Restaurant
8715 Beverly Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90048
(310) 652-6335
$$-$$$




There's nothing like gourmet pizza to make you feel a little less guilty for eating bread and cheese. Thanks to chefs and co-owners Mario Batali (the red-head from the Food Network) and Nancy Silverton, formerly of Campanile, pizza has never tasted so good. Pizzeria Mozza, located on Melrose and Highland, and serving hot pies until midnight, is so good you could almost convince yourself to go twice in one week. Heck, with over 15 pizzas to choose from, you wouldn't even have to be a repeat offender.

But let's start at the beginning, shall we? The restaurant takes reservations, but if you're feeling risky, just drop in as it's first-come-first-serve at the counter. I prefer this view as you get an upfront seat at the brick oven, viewing the pizzas in all stages of creation (not to mention giving you a chance to window shop before you buy). Prior to the main course, I recommend partaking in one of the starters. Nancy's Chopped Salad is wonderful, and any of the bruschettas will leave you ready for more. If you're overwhelmed with the pizza options, you can't go wrong with either the Funghi misti, fontina, taleggio & thyme or the Prosciutto di Parma, rucola & mozzarella. I beg you, save room for dessert. And if you don't have room, make it. One of the best desserts I've ever had was at Mozza. Of course, I can't remember the name of the dish, but it included two scoops of caramel gelato, marshmallow fluff (for lack of a better term) and caramelized salted peanuts.

A moment of silence, please.

Thank g-d for Italians. Stay tuned for Osteria Mozza, coming soon, complete with its very own mozzarella bar.


Pizzeria Mozza
641 North Highland Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 2970-0101
$$-$$$

Grilled Cheese, Please!

Although it’s in the job description, not many people listen to their bosses. They smile, and say, “yes,” “exactly,” and “great idea,” but are really imagining a large, cartoon-esq piano dropping on their superior’s head. I, luckily, like my boss. One of the greatest things he ever taught me (besides covering my a**) was about Grilled Cheese Thursdays at Campanile.

On La Brea, just north of Wilshire, and directly next to The La Brea Bakery, sits Campanile. It’s quite a fancy place, and even the lunch time specials can get a little pricey. However, on Thursday nights, the chef provides a Grilled Cheese menu which is reasonable and delish. Don’t go in expecting a bowl of Cambell’s and a couple triangles of the orange stuff. This is gourmet fromage.

The best thing to do is to share (the more you can try, the better). I started out with the antipasta plate: a few slices of proscuitto, salami and a couple other thinly sliced meats. The plate also was sprinkled with sliced figs and an assortment of Italian olives. Delish and only $9!

For dinner, I shared the Sliders (mini burgers) with carmelized onions, grafton cheddar, pancetta, tomato and avocado ($16). I’ve never tasted a bigger flavor in a burger that was smaller than my hand. I also had the open faced Lamb Sandwich, (of course, now I’m forgetting the cheese…. I believe it was a goat cheese). The lamb was so tender, and the sandwich had such robust and complex flavors – it was fantastic ($17). They also have a Beer Battered Soft Shell Crab Sandwich with Coleslaw and Spicy Mayonnaise ($18), which is just as good (if not better) than it sounds.

The sandwiches are all accompanied by a mixed green salad, and complimentary French Fries for the table. I could have just eaten the fries and been happy, but what a meal, what a meal!

Try something different next Thursday and make the trip to Campanile. Don’t forget to make a reservation because the tables fill fast. I mean, who doesn’t like cheese, right?

Campanile
624 S. La Brea Ave.
Los Angeles, 90036
($$$)

If I Could Marry a Plate of Nachos...

I would marry the chicken nachos from Chanos. I was first introduced to Chanos my freshman year at USC. It's one of those places that gets a bad rap because, 1) It's often frequented by drunk frat boys and 2) it's the size of my bedroom. However, despite the obstacles, I have chosen to give my heart to Senor Chano.

While I enjoy the Enchilada combo plate, the taquitos and the chicken burrito, I have yet to meet a man who makes my mouth water like a hot plate of chicken nachos (don't worry Jake, it's all for literary fluffing). If you have yet to find reason to venture into the ghetto, this is the time and Chano's is the place ($).

What's for Brunch?

I happen to be a fan of any widely accepted "in between" meal, brunch being my favorite. Here are my top five favorite brunch spots in Los Angeles:

OFF VINE
6263 Leland Way, Hollywood
$$
This is an incredible hidden gem in Hollywood. It's right off Sunset and you would have no idea it was there unless I told you. So now that I've told you, you have to go. Rather than giving you bread before you meal, Off Vine gives you a plate of assorted bagels, cream cheese and their homemade jam - and that's just before you get your meal!

KINGS ROAD CAFE
8361 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles
$$
If you don't mind waiting (especially on the weekend), this place is worth the massive amounts of saliva you've collected in your mouth. Great eggs, great home fries. You can't go wrong with this traditional brunch spot.

QUALITY
8030 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles
$$
This is one of my favorite brunch/lunch spots in Los Angeles. I'm a big fan of Mexican food for all meals, and this place has awesome huevos rancheros. They also make great egg white scrambles if you would rather not have to take a nap after breakfast. If you're feeling more on the "unch" side of brunch, they make an incredible curry chicken salad. You can't miss here.

JACK N' JILL'S
510 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica
$$
Don't be turned off by this order at the counter, take a number and we'll bring you you're meal, type of place. The food is really wonderful. The Chinese Chicken Salad is awesome and get a side of corn bread - it's huge! Their lemonade is great too, which always wets my whistle (actually, only when I wear a whistle around my neck and it accidentally falls into the lemonade). They also make wonderful coffee and tea drinks, so even if you want to grab a muffin and a coffee to go, go to Jack n' Jill's.

LE PAIN QUOTIDIEN
1055 Broxton Ave., Westwood
$$
Belgain baked goods and tasty sandwiches? Am I dreaming? These may be questions you'll ask yourself at this old country style food spot. The answers are collectively, yes. Trade in your Eurorail pass for some new kicks, and take an instant trip to Europe at Le Pain.