The Divine Dish

Dinner at Lago D’Argento, Silverlake

Posted on Apr 17, 2012 under Archives, Los Angeles | No Comment

Located next to Barbarella Bar in Silverlake, Lago D’Argento is a new modern open mellow trattoria serving up very affordable and delicious salads, sides, and signature pizzas.

The ceilings and walls are huge chalkboards with assorted written messages while down below is a cozy atmosphere with comfy red leather booths and banquettes, hardwood floors, plenty of candles and one big communal table.

Chef Jay Mendoza, formally the pastry chef at Churchill and Ortolan, is running the kitchen and doing a great job.  He invented Lago’s signature pizza dough, which is made of a secret combination of much more than flour and water.  That’s why the pizzas here are just as delicious as those costing three times as much over the hill at Mozza.  What makes Lago such a gem is the quality of food for the price – big tasty pizzas start at $9 and their specialty pizzas run up to $13, much less than most pizzerias and one of the best pizzas I have tasted.   Here is what my friend Monica and I sampled while we dined at Lago D’Argento:

We started with the Lago Chopped Salad with salami, mozzarella, garbanzo beans, cherry tomatoes and ricotta salata cheese over mixed greens with a tangy sherry vinaigrette.  Very tasty.

Next came out some delicious charred carrots – a top seller at the restaurant.  Farm fresh charred carrots are topped with creamy burrata, toasted almonds and fennel, mint and brown butter and honey.  We loved this side dish.

Chef Mendoza sent out a tasty Bianca pizza with fontina, mozzarella, smoked gouda and parmesan cheeses and crispy sage.  Enough to feed three hungry people and only $9.  What a deal!  The dough on all pizzas is made fresh daily and is delicious.

Diners can also choose from a variety of pizzas including pear, gorgonzola and arugula; duck sausage; truffles; and fig jam and goat cheese to name a few combinations, all $13 or under!!

We also were sent out a lovely spinach gnocchi topped with lamb ragu and ricotta cheese.  Also delicious.

Drinks are also a great value at $10 for huge glasses.  Monica had a nice ginger cucumber martini with vodka, muddled cucumber, ginger syrup and lemon juice.    We also sampled their sangria which had notes of cinnamon, also very tasty.

We ended our meal with Chef Mendoza’s signature white chocolate bread pudding.

We loved this dessert – white chocolate sauce and mixed berries over a yummy savory bread pudding.  It’s well worth a trip to Silverlake to taste Chef Mendoza’s signature pizzas (and special dough) and other delicious dishes.  I don’t know another spot where you can get a great meal for under $20 for two people.   You’ll save enough money for a walk  to LaMill for an after dinner specialty espresso.  Reservations recommended, 323/300-5500, Lago D’Argento is located at 2611 North Hyperion Avenue.

Food and Wine Taste of Beverly Hills, Day 2

Posted on Sep 30, 2010 under Food and Travel News | No Comment

On the second day of the festival, I interviewed Food Network’s “Chopped” host Ted Allen.  It was hot as Hades and he was nice enough to spend a few minutes talking about  “Chopped Champions” and some upcoming projects.  You can view the interview at www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpwV6M6Ib10.

I also got to interview Chef Roger Mooking, star of the Cooking Channel’s Everyday Exotic.

You can view the interview with Roger at www.youtube.com/watch?v=rik9Pzrsb9A.

We went to see the LG Cooking Competition, but on the way we stopped off and sampled some food.

The Bazaar chef made an awesome mozzarella shooter.  Really good.

We headed over to the LG booth to watch  “The Taste of Something Better” culinary competition.  The event was held to determine “America’s Top Amateur Chef” with three finalists making it to the cookoff. Guest judges included Ted Allen, Tim Love, Ludo Lefebvre, and Michael Voltaggio. The event was hosted by Sissy Biggers, who provided a play by play as competitors Lou Kostura, Paula Mannino, and Brett Youmans took their places in the kitchen. After an hour, Pennsylvania’s Brett Youmans was named the winner with his orange scented lamb skewers, securing a trip to Seoul, South Korea, to compete in LG’s annual global cooking competition this fall.

The festival still had a day to go, but we were pretty full so we headed home.  The event will be held again next year over Labor Day weekend.

Dinner at Roy’s Restaurant Rancho Mirage

Posted on Sep 21, 2010 under Archives, Palm Springs | No Comment

Roys restaurants are renowned for their upscale exotic Euro-Asian fusion cooking.   Chef Roy Yamaguchi opened his first Roy’s in Honolulu 22 years ago and today his haute-cuisine chain stretches from Atlanta to Tokyo.

I stopped by the Rancho Mirage location, which opened in 2002, for a sampling of the Hawaiin fusion cuisine and to include the review in an upcoming iphone application.   The 7,,200 square foot location features and exhibition kitchen, a lounge area, bar seating and an outdoor patio.  Here’s what my friend Chris and I sampled.

We headed to the bar and tried their famous “1988” drink, a blend of tart grapefruit and tangy pomegranate with Ruby Red Vodka, Lychee Liqueur and Patron Citronge Liquor.  Strong and tangy and a great way to start off the meal.

Our waiter brought out some Szechuan spiced pork ribs from the chef.  These are smoked and grilled in a mongolian sauce and were spicy and good, and a huge portion.

I am a sucker for a good California roll and these included avocado, cucumber and lobster and were fantastic.  Also a huge portion so plenty to share.

Chris got their garden salad which was a basic simple salad, but a good pair for the lobster rolls if you are sharing like we decided to do.

I ordered the combination surf and turf, a petite filet mignon, lump crab oscar on top and a Maine lobster tail.  It comes with a poblano mash and asparagus.

I thought the filet was very good and cooked perfectly.  I would order the lump crab oscar on the side next time as the sauce was a little strong for me.

The lobster tail was cooked well and had a ton of lobster meat.

Chris tried their signature Misoyaki Butterfish, very similar to a sablefish or cod.  It comes with a tri-pepper soy vinaigrette.  We both really liked this dish.

For dessert we were served Roy’s melting hot chocolate souffle, a flourless chocolate cake with a molten hot center served with vanilla ice cream and a raspberry sauce.  This was delicious.  We also were given a bread pudding.

This was also yummy, but we were so full we took it home to Paul and he finished it immediately.

Roy’s restaurants can be found in varies cities, including locally in Pasadena, so you don’t have to travel to the islands when you get a craving for traditional Hawaiian fusion food.  Roy’s Rancho Mirage is located at 71959 Highway 111, reservations recommended at 760/340-9044.

Making A Splash in Sin City

Posted on Aug 07, 2010 under Archives, Las Vegas | No Comment

The hottest parties in Las Vegas aren’t at the nightclubs.  They’re now by the pools.   Anyone deprived of spring break shenanigans in college can make up for lost time at any of Vegas’ latest indulgence – the ultra pool.   Many resorts have recently added opulent swimming areas each with a distinct personality catering to an adult crowd.  Here is a round up of the latest splashiest scene.

Encore Beach Club

At 60,000 square feet, Steve Wynn’s new Encore Beach Club is larger than the combined square footage of XS Nightclub (40,000), Tryst (10,000) and Blush (4,000) at the Wynn properties.  The venue features three tiered pools, daybeds and 26 cabanas with refrigerators and flat screen TVs.   Eight luxurious bungalows include balconies overlooking the Las Vegas strip, each with a private bathroom, shower and Jacuzzi.

Guests can also play blackjack at air-conditioned poolside open-air tables.  Encore Beach Club is the first pool venue to offer sunbathers air conditioning outside.

City Center

Whether guests choose to soak up the scene at the newest pools, go all in at waterside casinos or dare to be bare at an adults-only retreat, the resorts at City Center are the place to dive into summer fun.

ARIA Resort and Casino houses three distinctive pools and hot tubs.  Lavish cabanas include 42” LCD televisions, iPod docks and WiFi Internet access.  The Liquid Pool Lounge offer an adults-only experience with a state-of-the-art sound system and world class DJ’s.  Liquid’s 1,200 main pool is surrounded by 85 chaise lounges and 35 daybeds, while two separate private pools boasts uber-VIP private cabanas.

The Vdara  Hotel and Spa 40,000 square foot features phenomenal views of City Center, chaise lounges, plush daybeds and cabanas.   Massages, made-to-order cocktails and gourmet tapas can be ordered poolside.

Mandarin Oriental’s stylish 8^th floor pool deck houses two lap pools, a plunge pool, Jacuzzis and pool butlers that provide guests with towels, ice, drinks and snacks.   Poolside cabanas offer fresh fruit, sun care amenities and flat screen televisions.  The Pool Café offers Asian inspired dishes as well as salads and light snacks.

Caesars Palace Garden of the Gods

Caesars Palace’s new five acre Garden of the Gods pool oasis features eight swimming pools, an 18-foot waterfall and swim-up blackjack tables.   Forty-four new private cabanas include flat screen televisions, DVD players, iPod docking station, wireless Internet access and plush furniture.  Caesars Palace Spa offers a variety of pampering services poolside including sun tan lotion application, massages and body scrubs.  The Garden of the Gods pools are situated on three levels at the heart of the resort and allow guests to find their own pool experience, from those looking to socialize and connect at the stylish new Fortuna Bar to those who want to enjoy a relaxing quiet massage at the Jupiter pool area or partygoers who want to swim to the latest sounds by resident and guest DJ’s at the Venus Pool Club.

Hard Rock HRH Beach Club

The new HRH Beach Club at the Hard Rock Hotel nearly doubles the pool vicinity to house five acres.  Featuring an expansive pool area, sandy beach, 17 daybeds, 24 luxury cabanas, eight spa villas, swim-up blackjack and a gaming lounge.   The spa offers manicures, pedicures and poolside services including deep tissue, Swedish and reflexology massages.  The gaming area includes seven blackjack tables, a roulette wheel and one ice game.   For those who want to play their favorite casino games such as video poker and slots in the comfort of a cabana, mobile gaming is also available.