Posted on Jul 01, 2011 under Archives, Uncategorized |
Shutters on the Beach
Last week I attended the “Summer of Bastianich” dinner at Coast restaurant at Shutters on the Beach. The event was a lovely outdoor private dinner hosted by one of my favorite chefs, Lidia Bastianich. The event showcased wines from the Bastianich family winery that were paired with a special menu prepared by Coast chefs.
Nicole at Coast restaurant
I took my friend Nicole as my guest to enjoy the seasonal menu.
Place settings
The pr folks at Murphy O’Brien did a great job of organizing the event. Each guest had a personalized place setting and menu.
prosecco
We started with some nice prosecco before Lidia greeted all the guests.
Lidia addresses the crowd
Our starter course was a warm octopus and potato salad.
Octopus and potato salad
Our first wine was a crisp Friulano infused with citrus notes. It was a perfect pairing for the buttery salad.
Friulano
Next came a wonderful pear and pecorino ravioli. Shaves of pear were incorporated into pillows of ravioli. Our table devoured this dish and wanted more.
Pear and pecorino ravioli
This was served with a chardonnay blend, Vespa Bianco, 2008. Another perfect match.
Vespa Bianco, 2008
Next came our main course, a perfectly seared lamb chop with rosemary mint sauce and braised spring legumes.
seared lamb
Our lamb was served with a Vespa Rosso, 2008. All of the wine was wonderful, this was our fave of the night.
Vespa Rosso
Our table at this point was very happy to have tasted such fabulous wine and food. Our final course was a yummy cherry jam tart.
Cherry jam tart
The menus for the Summer of Bastianich at Coast restaurant will vary over the next few months but will always be paired with wines from the Bastianich Winery. Reservations can be made at 310/587-1707. If you want to purchase any Bastianich wines, the restaurant can provide a list of vendors who offer them.
Posted on Jun 18, 2011 under Archives |
Check out the new article on Top 10 Places to Spot A Celebrity on travelhoppers.com at http://www.travelhoppers.com/category/destinations/north-america/united-states/california/ and Best Los Angeles Budget Hotels on ShermansTravel.com at http://www.shermanstravel.com/top_tens/Los_Angeles_Budget_Hotels/
My article on the new Counter hamburger Toluca Lake location is now up on AOL http://northhollywood.patch.com/articles/countdown-to-the-counter
Posted on May 19, 2011 under Archives |
AKA Bistro
I recently took my neighbor Todd to visit AKA, An American Bistro, restaurant in Old Town Pasadena. The new eatery opened in mid February in the old Gordon Biersche space.
The classic American tavern has exposed brick walls, floor to ceiling glass doors opening to the outside courtyard, huge butcher block tables and cozy booths, a large bar area and a back area wine cellar. Chef Jonathan Weiner cooked us some delicious food, here is a sampling of what we tasted.
Portobello fries
Owner Robert Simon stopped by and recommended we try the famous portobello fries. Prior to the Pasadena AKA, Simon owned the original outpost in St. Helena which has since shut down. Robert and his wife Deborah also own the well-known Bistro 45 in Pasadena.
Our crispy fires were delicious and served with a creamy truffle aioli. We could have eaten a barrel of these.
Charcurterie
Next came a nice charcurterie plate with homemade mustards and salami, as well as a country pate, foie gras, parma prosciutto and olives. All delicious.
Pan seared Scottish salmon
I ordered the pan seared Scottish salmon, which came with a great side salad of baby mushrooms and vegetables. The salmon was cooked perfectly and had a nice crispy skin.
Side salad
My neighbor Todd had the huge grilled double cut fresh pork chop. It was awesome in size and in taste. Served with brussel sprouts, carrots and apple butter, we devoured it.
double cut pork chop
Before dessert, Chef Jonathan Weiner came out to say hello. We were surprised how young he was as the food reflected a chef with a vast amount of experience behind the kitchen. He shared with us that AKA tries to utilize organic sustainable products as much as possible and makes house specialties such as the mustards, chorizo and salamis.
Chef Jonathan Weiner
Chef Wiener then sent out a warm chocolate cake with home made peanut butter ice cream. A great way to end our lovely meal.
warm chocolate cake
I highly recommend stopping by AKA next time you visit Old Town, to sit outside and enjoy an appetizer and a great glass of wine or to have a leisurely dinner with excellent comfort food. Reservations recommended, 41 Hugus Alley, at One Colorado in Old Town Pasadena, 626/564-8111.
Posted on May 14, 2011 under Archives |
Montage Beverly Hills
A few weeks ago, I attended the premier viewing party for the new season of Food Network’s “24 Hour Restaurant Battle.” Hosted by restauranteur and chef Scott Conant, the show teams up and coming restauranteurs against each other in a battle for $10,000. Each team must open their own restaurant from scratch in 24 hours. The winning team is chosen by Conant and a panel of three food industry insiders.
The party was held at Conant’s Scarpetta restaurant in the upscale Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills. Scarpetta Beverly Hlls is one of five scattered across the country bringing Southern Italian cuisine to diners.
Writers watching 24 Hour Restaurant Battle
The restaurant has three dining areas, a big main room, a large bar and a courtyard patio across from Thomas Keller’s Bouchon. I joined food writers and bloggers in the open kitchen. I was a bit apprehensive about meeting Chef Conant, as I couldn’t recall him smiling on any of the Food Network shows where he appeared as a judge. I was pleasantly surprised when he approached me and my friend Nicole with a big smile and a plate of appetizers and thanked us for coming.
Chef Scott Conant
Guests gathered around a large flat screen TV in the kitchen to watch the first episode of the new season. We were asked if we wanted to sit in the back at the large chef’s dining room where the big table was set with a variety of appetizers.
Nicole at chefs table
Here is a sampling of what we were served:
We started with some creamy mozzarella on toasted bread.
Mozzarella on toasted bread
We also had parma ham wrapped around breadsticks.
parma ham and breadsticks
Then came fresh baked bread balls.
Bread balls
Next came tuna tartar on potato chips. We loved these.
Tuna tartar on potato chips
Conant’s specialty is his pasta. The spaghetti was delicious. We had two servings.
spaghetti
We left knowing that based on the appetizers, we would be back in the next few weeks to have a full dinner at Scarpetta.
Scarpetta is located in the Montage Beverly Hills, 225 North Canon Drive, 310/860-7970.
