Posted on Jan 25, 2011 under Archives |
La Frida restaurant
While I was visiting Cabo San Lucas for an article on the Pueblo Bonito Pacifica Resort & Spa, I also ventured over to another Pueblo Bonito property – Sunset Beach to visit the famous La Frida restaurant. The restaurant is set in an authentic Mexican 1920’s style room. Named after and honoring Frida Kahlo, the restaurant is filled with dresses, jewelry and other historical items. Huge silver mirrors, wood ceilings, comfy leather and upholstered chairs, and live piano music enhance the interior space. Outdoor, the setting is romantic with unrivaled views of the Pacific.
After chatting with Chef Antonio de Livier, my interview is featured in a previous blog, he prepared an extensive and delicious tasting menu for me. I usually get to sample a few tasting menus a month for articles I am working on and each year there are just a few that I remember because the food was remarkably good. Chef Antonio’s is one of these meals. Here is a sampling of what he made for me.
Mole
The amuse was a juicy mole with cabbage and chives, served with a refreshing Mexican beer.
mexican beer
La Frida also has an excellent selection of cocktails that are made and shaken right at your table. A big cart of booze is wheeled in front of you and diners order whatever they desire. I opted for the house specialty, the Frida Margarita.
Booze cart
Frida Margarita
Next came a lovely plate of blue fin tuna belly served on a little tortilla and what Chef Antonio called a sample of “chicali” food, a combination of Chinese and Mexican cuisine, which was a wrapped up combination of chop suey skirt steak, shrimp and cucumber. Both appetizers were fresh and a bit spicy.
tuna and chicali appetizer
blue fin tuna belly on tortilla
Chicali wrap with steak and shrimp
Next game a nice gordita filled with fresh sea bass and mashed potatoes in a bright green tasty asparagus sauce. Yum.
seabass gordita
Next was a Yukatan pork belly on a corn and ginger cake with a pineapple foam. This was a killer dish. Who would think that pineapple foam on a savory cake with a spicy pork belly would taste so good? I loved this dish.
pork belly on corn/ginger cake with pineapple foam
Next came a wonderful local fish dish, ash paste mole with pan seared red snapper over potatoes with a basil mushroom sauce. The rich sauce perfectly paired with the fish.
red snapper with mushroom sauce
red snapper, open
The last entree was a rib eye, topped with torched bone marrow (this was incredibly good and very flavorful) with poblano onion and a green raw salsa verde. Also awesome.
rib eye salsa verde
rib eye
salsa verde
For dessert the chef prepared a rich dulce de leche.
dulce de leche
I highly recommend visiting La Frida the next time you visit Cabo. It was one of the best meals that I have had in a long time. Reservations recommended, 624-142-9999.
Posted on Jan 20, 2011 under Archives, Chefs, Interviews, Uncategorized |
Chef Antonio de Livier
I recently visited the Pueblo Bonito Pacifica Resort in Cabo San Lucas. While there I was lucky enough to dine at La Frida, the Mexican-themed restaurant which celebrates the artist Frida Kahlo at their sister resort, Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach. Executive Chef Antonio de Livier was gracious enough to sit down with me before he made me an elegant and lovely tasting menu at La Frida. We talked about his philosophy on cooking, Mexican cuisine, and cuisine at La Frida.
De Livier is Mexican by birth, eclectically international in his approach to food and its preparation. Since childhood he has harbored a passion for the special qualities of Mexican foods—their tastes, textures and abundant variety. At La Frida, he combines the best of local fish, seafood, meats and fresh organic vegetables and spices in his own artistically adventuresome recipes, creating delicious nuances and intricate layers of delicate flavors. The result is a menu that brings elegance and a joyful exuberance to contemporary Mexican cuisine.
De Livier was born and educated in Mexico and speaks fluent Spanish, Portuguese and English. His passion for cooking took him to the U.S. for further study and to work with talented chefs in an international atmosphere. He was formerly with the acclaimed Great Bay Restaurant in Boston, which has lent an authentic Boston accent to his perfect command of English. He is executive chef at restaurants Fellini’s and Las Palomos at other Pueblo Bonito resorts in Cabo. Here is our conversation.
Posted on Dec 18, 2010 under Archives |
Main dining room
Top Chef contestant Fabio Viviani’s Firenze Osteria specializes in regional comfort cuisine. Divided into three warm yellow and brown eating areas, diners can enjoy specialty cocktails and appetizers at the long bar, get a glimpse of the celebrity chef cooking in the open kitchen from the main dining room, or share an intimate meal in the back dining area. The extensive simple rustic Florentine menu includes a variety of choices.
Bar area
I recently sat down to speak with Fabio about his thoughts on cooking, his experiences on Top Chef, and his upcoming projects (see last blog to hear interview). After we spoke, he cooked a wonderful tasting dinner for me – here is what I sampled.
duck and truffle pasta
Chef Fabio started us off in traditional Italian style with the pasta dish first. We were delighted to devour this tasty pasta dish made with duck and truffles. We could have eaten an entire pasta pot of this dish. Yum.
mozzarella with parma ham and sun dried tomatoes
Next we got a special treat – mozzarella with parma ham, sun dried tomatoes and 25 year old balsamic vinegar. The mozzarella was the best I have tasted since my last visit to Italy. It was creamy and rich and the parma ham provided a nice salty flavor to the dish. I would come back just to eat this dish with a nice glass of wine. We both loved it.
dumplings
Our next dish was the spinach ricotta dumplings in a warm brown butter sauce with fried sage. My friend Todd and I loved the crispy sage and rustic dumplings, a comforting dish I thought about and craved after leaving.
Lamb with braised pistachios
Our next to last course before dessert was the clever lamb and braised pistachios, Chef Fabio’s take on pork chops and beans. The dish appears as if two pork chops are resting on a mound of baked beans, but the ingredients are really perfectly cooked lamb and braised pistachios. This exemplifies why Fabio was one of the last chefs standing on his season of Top Chef, very clever, delicious and perfectly executed.
lemon cheesecake
Dessert was a nice little lemon cheesecake with raspberry sauce.
Me and Chef Fabio
Lucky for me I live just around the corner in Toluca Lake and can visit Chef Fabio and dine on his delicious food regularly. I would highly recommend a visit to Firenze Osteria for outstanding rustic Italian dishes, reservations recommended, 4212 Lankershim Boulevard, 818/760-7081.
Posted on Dec 10, 2010 under Archives, Chefs, Interviews |
Chef Fabio Viviani
Italian chef Fabio Viviani was born on October 10, 1978 in Florence. There, he trained in Italian and Mediterranean cuisine at IPSSAR Saffi. He is best known for appearing on season 5 of Bravo’s reality series Top Chef and earning a place among the final four contestants. Before he was eliminated from the competition, he was named Fan Favorite.
Aside from his stint on the show, he works as the owner of Cafe Firenze in Moorpark and Firenze in Toluca Lake. He is also an endorser of a variety of food products and is starting up a non-profit to promote healthy eating for children.
You can now see Fabio competing in Top Chef All Stars every Wednesday night on Bravo.
I visited Firenze in Toluca Lake for an article for AOL’s Toluca Lake Patch and sat down with Fabio for a short interview after he made us a great tasting menu (pics in next post). We talked about his views on cooking, managing two restaurants and all of his endorsements, and his experiences on Bravo’s Top Chefs.
