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Langham Huntington Pasadena Launches Special Cocktail Menu

Posted on Apr 08, 2014 under Archives, Los Angeles | No Comment
Four new drinks at The Langham Huntington Pasadena

Four new drinks at The Langham Huntington Pasadena

The Langham Huntington Pasadena has launched a new special cocktail menu of four new drinks available only at Langham hotels in the United States.

Alex Kratena

Alex Kratena

The cocktails were created by master bartender Alex Kratena. He is the head bartender at The Langham London and has won numerous best bartender awards around the world.I recently visited the Langham Huntington Pasadena to sample the new drinks.

Social Club

Social Club

Alex first made The Social Club, a concoction with vodka, lillet, vetivier, rose water and California citrus. This drink represented the Pasadena location.

Back to the Future

Back to the Future

Next came the Back to the Future with talisker, port, sherry, citrus, cacao and raspberry and represented the Chicago Langham. This was my fave for presentation because it featured a smoke element and the rocks surrounding the drink were actually edible chocolate.

making the Back to the Future

making the Back to the Future

The third drink was Skylines with aquavit, fino, citrus, cedarwood and bitters, representing the Boston Langham.

Skyline

Skylines

The last libation was Lady Pink with fino, rhubarb, citrus, agave and bitter orange, representing the Langham in New York.

Lady Pink

Lady Pink

Each specialty cocktail will be available at the participating hotels through the end of the year.  I also sampled some great bites at The Tap Room bar.

tuna tartar

tuna tartar

The Tap Room is the Langham’s bar and lounge and features hand crafted cocktails, a wide variety of wines, premium artisanal beers and upscale bar bites. Guests can choose to sit in front of the fire or overlooking the resort’s beautiful Horseshoe Garden on cozy couches or intimate tables. I started off with a lovely tuna tartar with shallots, chives, paprika oil and parmesan crisps. I also sampled the Kobe sliders with a bacon tomato jam and caramelized onions served on brioche buns.

Kobe sliders

Kobe sliders

Kobe sliders

Kobe sliders

Dessert was the decadent chocolate lava cake with a strawberry St. Germain consomme and raspberry sorbet. Both the cocktails and the bar bites were delicious. Head to the Tap Room at the Langham Huntington Pasadena to sample the great new libations and stay for a bite and enjoy the view. Located at 1401 South Oak Knoll Avenue in Pasadena, reservations at 626.568.3900.

 

 

All-Star Chef Classic Lunch

Posted on Mar 25, 2014 under Archives, Los Angeles | No Comment
Lady chefs

Nancy Silverton, Nancy Oakes, Waylynn Lucas, Naomi Pomeroy and Dominique Crenn

Last weekend, LA Live hosed the first All-Star Chef Classic, a three-day event featuring over 28 renown chefs.

entrance

entrance

 Saturday included two events. I attended the first, the “All-Star Lunch”, which celebrated women in the culinary industry with a five-course lunch prepared by chefs Nancy Silverton, Nancy Oakes, Waylynn Lucas, Dominique Crenn and Naomi Pomeroy. The event was held in the custom built Restaurant Stadium which housed roughly 270 diners.  French pastry chef Florian Bellanger and master maitre d’ Donato Poto hosted the event.

Chef Lude Lefebvre

Chef Lude Lefebvre

Special guests included Ludo Lefebvre, Pierre Meneau and Marc Meneau.

cooking arena

cooking arena

menu

menu

The five-curse menu began with a carrot, mushroom and hazelnut herbed crème fraiche mousse by Chef Naomi Pomeroy.

Carrot veloute

Carrot veloute

The second course was Chef Nancy Silverton’s lovely gem lettuce salad with a dressing of champagne vinegar, shallots, lemon juice and olive oil.  It was accompanied by labneh toast. This was my fave of the day.

salad and labneh toast

salad and labneh toast

The third course was Chef Nancy Oakes’ seared scallop over polenta al negro, topped with uni, crab and lardo panzanella.

scallop with polenta al nero

scallop with polenta al nero

Next came Chef Dominique Crenn’s lamb topped with preserved lemons and cabbage. We loved the dried cabbage on top.

lamb with umeboshi consumme

lamb with umeboshi consumme

The afternoon lunch ended with Chef Waylynn Lucas’ dessert of a  buttermilk cake topped with textures of grapefruit, pistachio and coconut.

cake with grapefruit, coconut and pistachio

Buttermilk cake with grapefruit, coconut and pistachio

 

Coqueta Brings Tapas to Pier 5, San Francisco

Posted on Jan 31, 2014 under Archives, San Francisco | No Comment
Chef Michael Chiarello's Coqueta

Chef Michael Chiarello’s Coqueta

Chef Michael Chiarello, owner of Chiarello Family Vineyards, Napa Style and Bottega in Yountville, opened Coqueta, his first Spanish influenced restaurant, last year on Pier 5 in San Francisco.

Working with chef de cuisine Ryan Mcllwrath, Chiarello spent two years in Spain researching recipes for the tapas inspired menu.  Lots of work also went into renovating the space. Tables were raised so diners can admire the ocean view, the outdoor terrace was glassed in to create an enclosed al fresco bar area, a huge wood fired oven was added to the open kitchen, and the inside décor was enhanced with long dramatic drapes and cowhide rugs.

“Coqueta” translates to “flirt,” which references the chef’s playful dishes, drinks and experimentation with a new Spanish cuisine.

The 56-seat restaurant offers a variety of plates. Here is what we sampled when I visited last month.

Pintxos at Coqueta

Pintxos at Coqueta

The Pintxos, one-bite skewers, are a fun way to start a meal and include house cured boquerones; chorizo, roasted artichokes and piquillo peppers; Serrano ham, manchego cheese and apricot conserve; baby beets with cana de cabra cheese, and quails egg with pickled mustard seed and ham.

Pintxos at Coqueta

Pintxos at Coqueta

We also sampled the El Plat Cap which was a nice selection of cured meats served with nuts and a pan de cristal con tomato.

El Plat Cap

El Plat Cap

Our tapas items began with white gazpacho with marcona almonds, grapes and syrah. We loved this.

white gazpacho

 

Next came the red kale ensalada with roasted squash, fuyu persimmons, and warm rancho cordo.

red kale salad

red kale salad

The tapas also included a nice smoked salmon bite with queso fresco and truffle honey.  Yum.

smoked salmon

smoked salmon

My fave of all the tapas was the chicken and English pea croquetas with cured cara cara orange.

croquetas

croquetas

We also sampled the sunny side-up egg with shrimp, crispy potato and a chorizo dressing. This is the most popular dish of the tapas.

egg with shrimp and potato

egg with shrimp and potato

The grilled albondigas, pork and duck meatballs, with a tart cherry and tempranillo puree were also lovely, as was the grilled shortribs served Catalan style.

duck and port meatball

duck and port meatball

beef shortrib

beef shortrib

Larger family style plates include a variety of paellas, we had the classic with bomba rice in a Jamon serrano and shellfish broth with root vegetables, chorizo, gulf prawns, clams and lemon alioli.  A must to order.

paella

paella

paella

paella

 

Other main courses on the menu include a whole grilled branzino, a 32 ounce ribeye and a pork shoulder loin.

lollipops

lollipops

Dessert includes a strawberry rhubarb gazpacho in liquid nitrogen, churros, caramel lollipos with popcorn and ice cream sandwiches.  We sampled the lollipops and the churros, both were a great end to a fabulous meal.

churros

churros

The cocktail menu is equally inventive, with specialty sangria, mojitos, margaritas and traditional porrons – party pitchers of refreshing libations.  We had the festive mojito costa brava with mint, white rum, lime and minted cane sugar as well as the J&T, a non-alcoholic juniper, lime and tonic beverage.  I also got to sample a special holiday cocktail, don’t remember what it was but it was delicious.

mojito costa brava and J&T

mojito costa brava and J&T

 

Holiday cocktail

Holiday cocktail

Coqueta is a perfect spot to wind down with a sangria and tapas and travel to Spain while remaining in San Francisco.  Located at Pier 5, The Embarcadero, reservations highly recommended at 415.704.8866.

T. Cooks Reopens at Royal Palms Resort and Spa, Phoenix

Posted on Nov 01, 2013 under Archives, Everything Else | No Comment
Royal Palms Resort and Spa

Royal Palms Resort and Spa

The Royal Palms Resort and Spa recently re-opened their highly acclaimed T. Cook’s restaurant. After a three-month renovation, the restaurant now has a new look and a new chef.

T. Cooks

T. Cooks

Highlighting Executive Chef Paul McCabe’s creative interpretation of New American cooking and reflecting the Mediterranean-inspired design and architecture of the resort; the restaurant is introducing a new culinary experience for guests.

Chef Paul Mcabe

Chef Paul McCabe

The refreshed T. Cook’s design, led by Haley Balzano, founder and architect of Phoenix-based creative design team Bar Napkin Productions, emphasizes a more vibrant color scheme, authentic design elements, an interactive kitchen, a remodeled private dining room and a glass- enclosed wine and tequila tasting room. New boldly-colored chairs surround rustic wooden tables adding depth and diversity to the new dining room, while iron chandeliers create a sense of intimacy and stimulate an experience of romance. Al fresco dining can also be discovered at T. Cook’s with intimate patios and nooks, including a new private dining element found within the property’s historic Orange Grove.

The Mix Up Bar

The Mix Up Bar

Adjacent to the restaurant is the new Mix Up Bar, offering live entertainment, inventive small plates and unique cocktails.  The interior design is appointed with dark woods and gold and yellow accents.  A new semi-private nook named “The Study” provides a more intimate seating area while the outdoor Mansion Courtyard offers additional al fresco seating.

Private room at The Mix Up bar

The Study area at The Mix Up bar

The new menu, created by Executive Chef Paul McCabe, honors classical techniques while utilizing locally-grown and sustainably raised foods. Chef McCabe has established relationships with a wide range of local purveyors, farmers and artisans, including McClendon’s Select, Singh Farms, Noble Bread and Hayden Flour Mills. I had tasted Chef McCabe’s cooking when he was Executive Chef at Kitchen 1540 in Del Mar, so I was prepared to have a great meal.  Here is what we tasted at T. Cooks.

charcuterie

charcuterie

We started with a nice charcuterie and cheese plate.  We had the mini version as we knew we would be getting several courses.

roasted beet salad

roasted beet salad

Next came the roasted beet salad with caramelized yogurt, pistachio brittle, blue cheese and orange. We liked the combination of salt, savory and creamy flavors.

stone seared foie gras

stone seared foie gras

Since we can no longer order foie gras in California, it was great to be able to have it at T. Cooks.  Delicious and my fave of the night.  Served on a hot stone with coffee, cherries and a cocoa nib financier.

risotto

risotto

The tomato fennel risotto was equally amazing, served with fava beans, mushrooms, broccoli rabe and shaved romano. We could have eaten a whole tub of this.

corn agnolotti

corn agnolotti

We also loved the corn agnolotti, which was a decadent mix of Maine lobster, chanterelles, roasted corn and truffles. We we are couple of lucky gals, foie gras and truffles in the same night.

scallops and short rib ravioli

scallops and short rib ravioli

Chef McCabe offered a nice twist on surf and turf with his scallops and short rib ravioli dish, served with chanterelles, peach and sea beans.

stellhead salmon

steellhead salmon

Our main courses were Steelhead salmon with pole beans, zucchini, sweet and sour plum sauce and a pistachio vinaigrette and the dry aged ribeye with a root vegetable cassoulet, onion jam and marrow butter.  We shared these as they both were excellent.

ribeye with root veg cassoulet

ribeye with root veg cassoulet

Desserts were a perfect finish to a fabulous meal, a dark chocolate pate with pistachio lace and ice cream and smoked caramel and a creamy goat milk panna cotta with wheat berries and a blood orange sauce.

dark chocolate pate

dark chocolate pate

panna cotta

panna cotta

T. Cooks is a wonderful restaurant to enjoy a romantic dinner, celebrate a birthday, anniversary or special occasion, relax for Sunday brunch or enjoy a cocktail in the new lounge.  Reservations recommended, call 602.808.0766, located in The Royal Palms Resort and Spa, 5200 East Camelback Road in Phoenix.

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