Posted on Nov 29, 2009 under Archives |
Fresh sfoglia with pork ragu
My friends Paul and Chris came over to visit over Thanksgiivng Day weekend from Palm Springs and we ended up joining friends Arnold and Ricardo at Cube restaurant on La Brea. Guests have a choice of sitting at wooden tables, at the bar inside, or on the sidewalk patio to enjoy the menu of fresh pastas, salads, paninis, wood-fired brick-oven pizza, and select main courses and sides. We sat inside at the cozy cafe. Here is what we ate.
sample welcome cheese plate
All tables get a nice sample cheese plate to start. Ours was paired with crackers and cranberries and very creamy.
shaved brussel sprout salad
We shared a shaved brussel sprout salad with toasted hazelnuts, pecorino cheese and tangerine segments.
toasted farro salad
Also shared was a toasted farro salad with roasted beets, baby greens and fresh goat cheese.
mac n cheese
We shared sides of baked mac and cheese with charred tomato and truffles, polenta, and seasonal greens.
Creamy polenta
seasonal greens
Our main courses were the smoked pork chop with apple compote and brussel sprout tops with roasted greens, the sugar pie pumpkin stuffed pasta with marscarpone cream and crispy sage, fresh sfoglia and pork ragu, and the balsamic glazed hanger steak with yam and carmalized onion gratin. All were delicious.
fresh sfoglia with pork ragu
smoked pork chop
balsamic glazed hanger steak
sugar pie pumpkin stuffed pasta
For dessert we sampled a yummy bittersweet Valrhona chocolate mousse (my fave), the apple and blackberry raspberry cobbler duo with vanilla gelato and the warm persimmon pudding.
valrhona chocolate mousse
cobbler duo
warm persimmon pudding
We all enjoyed a great meal.
Arnold, Paul, Ricardo, Chris and me
CUBE is a great place to meet friends for a yummy dinner. Located at 615 N. La Brea.
Posted on Nov 29, 2009 under Archives |
During my stay at the Ritz Carlton Marina Del Rey, I visited their Jerne restaurant. It has beautiful views of the marina and boats and a great menu selection. A perfect place for a date or dinner with friends. Here is what my friend Antoine and I had at our tasting menu.
appetizer butternut squash soup
We started with a fragrant butternut squash soup with frangelico and pumpkin oil Paired with a yummy prosecco from santa margherita, Italy.
Sea bass
We then enjoyed a lovely sea bass with broccolini, peppers, olive and shallot butter, served with a chenin blanc from Man Vintner’s Steen, South Africa.
scallop
Then came a scallop with parsely root melted leeks and truffle. This was our fave. Paired with a chardonnay from Cakebread Cellars, California.
Delmonico beef
We ended the meal with a nice course of beef with chanterelles, brussel sprouts and zinfandel jus. Served with a pinot noir from Hahn, California.
We also got a selection of desserts from the chef, below.
Chef
dessert platter
Antoine and me
I recommend bringing a date or friends to enjoy the marina views and fabulous food at Jerne, located in the beautiful Ritz Carlton, Marina Del Rey, 4375 Admiralty Way.
Posted on Nov 29, 2009 under Archives |
Ritz Carlton Marina Del Rey
The Ritz Carlton Marina Del Rey is a romantic high rise set harborside overlooking LA’s largest marina. Here you can hang by the pool, indulge in a couples massage at the spa, rent a bike and go on an oceanfront ride or enjoy a lavish meal at the Jerne restaurant. Rooms are decorated in warm hues of gold and brown with French doors, decadent feather beds and marble bathrooms. I stayed to review the resort and restaurant for my upcoming iphone application on romantic places in Los Angeles.
Here are some pics from my room:
Bedroom
Huge main mathroom
Tub and shower
Living room
second bathroom
View from my room
The room and hotel are beautiful. I had a great massage at the intimate spa and received two nice welcome gifts, some yummy macaroons and champagne with chocolate dipped strawberries, pics below, before heading to dinner at Jerne restaurant.
welcome treats
champagne
choc dipped strawberries
Posted on Nov 26, 2009 under Archives |
Avalon hotel room
Last week I stayed at the Avalon hotel in Beverly Hills and had dinner at their restaurant to review both for my new Best Places to Kiss in Los Angeles iphone application (coming out in December!). Marilyn Monroe once lived here before the property became the cool retro-chic hotel it is today. Three buildings dating back to 1949 house 84 rooms surrounding the alluring curvaceous pool and cabanas. Each room is unique and decorated in sage and sky blue with a mid-century flare, including George Nelson bubble lamps and Charles Eames inspired chairs. Above is a pic of my room, below the bathroom.
bathroom
My friend Raymond joined me for dinner, which was served poolside.
mozzarella tomato salad
I had the mozzarella tomato salad, Ray had the mozzarella and beet salad. Both yummy.
Beet salad
For our main courses, I had the short ribs and Ray had the steak.
ribeye steak
shortribs
We both ordered dessert, I had a trio of ice cream and Ray had panne cotta with fruit.
panna cotta
trio of ice cream
The Avalon hotel is located at 9400 W. Olympic Blvd.
