The Divine Dish

Interview with Chef Akira Hirose

Posted on Nov 19, 2009 under Archives, Chefs, Interviews | No Comment

Chef Akira Hirose was born in Kyoto Japan and traveled to France to study the art of cooking.  He soon met renown chef Joel Robuchon and trained under him at the Nikko Hotel in Paris.   In 1981, he came to America and worked at the famous L’Orangerie before returning to Japan to open Azay le Rideau, a French retaurant in Kyoto.  He closed it after five years to return to Los Angeles with his wife.

He then served as chef at several well known restaurants in LA, including the Peninsula Beverly Hills, Citrus and The Tower.  He opened Maison Akira in Pasadena in 1998.  I visited Chef Akira at his restaurant and after a wonderful dinner we sat down for a chat about his background, philosophy about cooking, and his journey to open his own restaurant.

 

Bouchon Beverly Hills Opening

Posted on Nov 17, 2009 under Archives | No Comment

Tonight I attended the opening of Thomas Keller’s Beverly Hills location of Bouchon.  The restaurant is huge  and located across from the Montage Beverly Hills.

We walked the red carpet to the entrance which is located in the back.

Chef Keller was greeting guests as we entered.   The main area of the restaurant is up a dramatic staircase.

The staircase led to the upstairs main dining area, kitchens and outside patios.  There was a huge turnout of people for the opening, including a bunch of celebrities.  We saw Pierce Brosnan (so handsome!), Fred Savage, Don Johnson, Cheryl Tiegs, Larry King, Ryan Seacrest, Jay Leno and Julie Louis Dreyfus.  I am sure there were more famous people there, but those are the ones we spied.

There were a variety of different types of food offered at stations set up throughout the dining area.

We headed into the main kitchen to sample more food.  We took samples of everything.  It all looked delicious.

We made our way to the bar outside of the kitchen to try out the food.  My plate is above, my friend Dalbert’s is below.  The butternut squash soup and ham and cheese sandwich was my favorite, but everything was fantastic.  All of the chefs did a terrific job of getting the food out.

After sampling the kitchen fare, we headed to the seafood bar.

The seafood bar offered mussels, oysters and shrimp.

We headed over to the caviar bar to sample some caviar before going to the outside patio.

We headed back inside to try some of the amazing cheese.

I spotted ad hoc Chef Dave Cruz, who made me a spectacular meal at ad hoc a few months ago, manning the popcorn machine.  He helped co-write Keller’s new book, Ad Hoc at Home.

The host of the night, Chef Keller, stopped for a photo with Chef Cruz.

A band was set up in the back providing some nice music for the event.

Jay Leno was nice enough to pose for a photo for us.

We headed back to the kitchen to get some more fabulous food.  There were at least a dozen chefs in the kitchen, all working hard to feed all the guests.

We were allowed access into the dessert kitchen, which is a baker’s dream.  Look at the size of that kitchenaid!

These hard working chefs were trying to keep up with the demand for the delicious desserts.

All of the desserts were very tasty.  My fave was the lemon tart, Dalbert loved the chocolate desserts.

We went back inside to check out the bread area, which was also amazing.

We also got a fabulous swag bag full of goodies, here is what was inside.

Inside the swag bag was a Bouchon silicon mold, Bouchon coffee, Bouchon chocolate baking mix, and a lovely vase.

The restaurant is beautiful and all of the food was fantastic.  I recommend making a reservation for breakfast, lunch or dinner at Bouchon the next time you visit Beverly Hills.

Dinner at JAR

Posted on Oct 20, 2009 under Archives | No Comment

Last weekend after visiting Campanile, I headed out the next night for dinner at Mark Peel’s other restaurant (with co-owner chef Suzanne Tracht) JAR.  I had heard great things about the eatery for a long time and decided to try it out.

It is one of LA’s best for dishing up familiar comforting food.  The minamilist decor of browns and pastel green and yellows with orange hanging globe track lights creates a romantic retro-modish ambiance, where steaks and chops are featured heavily on the menu.   The crab deviled eggs, juicy pot roast, lemongrass chicken and marinated skirt steak are served with creamed spinach, duck fried rice, and mashed potato sides.  Desserts are also delicious, with chocolate mousse, banana cream pie and other faves to choose from.  Here is what we sampled, all fabulous.

we started with the special appetizer, the lobster tomato soup, rich in lobster flavor but light because it has no cream.   Very tasty.

I love deviled eggs, so these crab deviled eggs were a real treat.  My fave of the night.

The butter lettuce salad was served with radishes, parmesan and a tangy lemon garlic vinaigrette.

Our main courses were the lemongrass chicken with kaffir lime leaf sauce, very good, and the marinated skirt steak (which comes with a side sauce, choices include bearnaise, lobster bearnaise, tamarind, peppercorn and creamy horseradish).  I had the lobster bearnaise sauce.

We also ordered some great side items, mashed potatoes and a medley of roasted mushrooms.  Both paired perfectly with our dishes.

We ended the meal with a mouth watering chocolate mousse (my favorite dessert).  If you crave your grandma’s classic comfort food but can’t cook it or get to nanna’s house, head to JAR for some tasty home cooked fare.  JAR is located at 8225 Beverly Boulevard, call 323-655-6566 for reservations.

Dinner at Campanile

Posted on Oct 20, 2009 under Archives | No Comment

Last weekend I visited Mark Peel’s Campanile restaurant for two reasons, to review it for an upcoming iphone application I am working on and for a birthday celebration for my friend Mario (and me, we share the same birthday).  Opened in 1989 in a building from the early 20th century designed for Charlie Chaplin, Peel’s Campanile is reminiscent of a Mediterranean village.

Divided into three sections, the front section is an open patio with a tiled fountain and glass atrium ceiling, the middle section has stone walls, a bell tower and gothic arches with seating looking into the open kitchen, and a romantic backroom for more intimate dining.  Here is what we sampled on our visit:

We started with a lovely amuse lobster salad from the chef.  Big chunks of lobster so everyone was happy.

I had the braised short rib with horseradish sauce.  Huge and delicious.

Mario and John had the grilled Alaskan halibut with braised fennel, tomato confit and spinach.  I had a few bites, also very yummy with a lovely sauce.

For sides we shared the mashed potatoes with shallot creme fraiche and the braised leeks with feta cheese.

For dessert we shared the flourless chocolate cake (my fave) and a delicious apple and strawberry crisp.

the Italian and French inspired menu changes often, and everything on it is delicious and homey, so anytime is a great time to dine at Campanile.  Also, they have a fantastic brunch.

This Monday, a special book signing and dinner is being held at the restaurant.   Chef Mark Peel’s new book, “Classic Family Dinners” will be sold and signed by Peel, with a great dinner menu of grilled squid, potato and asparagus salad, leeks vinaigrette, or Waldorf salad for appetizer (diners can choose one option), giant ravioli with spinach, ricotta and egg yolk, cornmeal crusted pan fried trout, or pot pie (again, one choice), and chocolate pudding, apple cobbler or roasted figs with vanilla ice cream for dessert.  The cost is only $39, a great deal, and reservations are a must.

Campanile is located at 624 South La Brea, call 323.938.1447 for reservations.  Signing event starts at 6pm.