The Divine Dish

LA Food & Wine Festival Kicks Off

Posted on Aug 22, 2013 under Archives, Los Angeles | No Comment

Over 120 chefs and 200 wineries will converge beginning tonight for four days and nights for the third annual Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival taking place along Grand Avenue, in Santa Monica and in Beverly Hills.  Tastings, seminars, cooking demos and live music are all part of the city’s largest epicurean gathering.

The festivities kicked off tonight with Giada’s Festa Italiana. Hosted by the Food Network star along the cultural hub of LA on Downtown’s Grand Ave., guests enjoyed the flavors of Italy by some of the city’s most renowned chefs including Gino Angelini (Rivabella), Fabio Viviani (Café Firenze), and Ori Menashe (Bestia), and vintners that include Barrymore Wines, while serenaded by a pop-up performance from the Los Angeles Opera’s Josh Guerrero.

Members of the press (that’s me) got to enter a half hour early.  Here is what I sampled and saw:

Most of the wine booths were down the middle of the red carpet with the food booths on the side.

Wolfgang Puck even had a wine.  And that’s Chef Gino Angelini (Rivabella) hanging out before the crowds came in.

Along with lots of wine, there was plenty of great Italian food.

Sponsors The Cosmopolitan and Jenn Air had a lounge and a big booth.

And lots of chefs, restaurants and food.

Chef Justin Smillie from Il Buco Alimentari & Vineria brought some fresh tomatoes.

The Bouchon booth was very crowded and Chef Thomas Keller did not want to take a pic by himself, so he obliged me and jumped up next to one of his chefs.

Chef Conant was amongst the crowd.

Looking forward to trying the new Bucato in Century City.

Tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday there are many more events for foodies to enjoy lots of great food.  To see the schedule and buy tickets, go to www.lafw.com,

Dinner at D.O.C.G, Cosmopolitan Las Vegas

Posted on Aug 11, 2013 under Archives, Las Vegas | No Comment

Located in the hip Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, Scott Conant’s D.O.C.G. is a casual rustic alternative to the chef’s other restaurant and next door neighbor Scarpetta.

The marble tables, exposed wood beams, hardwood floors and brick walls provide a cozy comforting ambiance. D.O.C.G. stands for the Denominazione di Origine Controliata e Garantita, the highest wine classification in Italy. It also denotes the restaurant’s dedication to offering plenty of exceptional wines. Scarpetta and D.O.C.G. share a 3,000 bottle wine cellar with over 500 selections.

The food is just as varied and satisfying as the wine and a lot less expensive then dining at Scarpetta. The only problem we had was choosing between the many pizzas, pastas, salads, antipastas, grilled items and main courses.

Restaurant manager Noe Alarcon was our charming host and knew the wine list inside and out.  He started us off with two drinks, a Roman Goddess with St. Germain, Hendricks, lemon and mint and a Pragola with muddled strawberries, Citron and mint. Both delicious.  Next came a very long series of excellent dishes.  Here is what Sheila and I sampled:

The grilled filone came out first.   A duck egg surrounded by fonduta cheese sauce that when broken and mixed results in an exceptionally creamy and rich place to deep huge perfectly grilled pieces of bread.  A great way to start the meal.

The arancini with calabiran chile aioli was soft and warm inside with a crunchy outside coating.

The lardo wrapped prawns provided a lovely combination of buttery prawn wrapped around salty bacon over rosemary lentils.  Lovely.

Every pasta is hand made daily. All are outstanding, especially the pici, a short thick pasta with braised duck sauce and black truffles.  We were fortunate enough to have the chef prepare three pastas for us.  All outstanding.

Cavetelli was served with a sausage and porcini mushroom sauce.  Warm and satisfying.

The Scialatielli also delicious with lobster and shrimp.

Pizzas are cooked in a large wood fired oven. Diners can choose from traditional, a lovely simple Margherita with fresh mozzarella and basil to the extravagant, the D.O.C.G. pizza with fonduta, egg and truffle.  Chef sent out the Margherita for us which had a nice thin crunchy crust.

There are also plenty of items from the grill including steaks, veal and pork chops and lamb as well as traditional main courses such as roast chicken and braised short ribs. The chef sent us out a nice trio of samples – the salmon with eggplant fregola, the braised short rib with parmigiano mash and vegetables, and the diver scallop with corn, pancetta and fresno chiles.  Yum.

Desserts are also delicious, especially the caramel budino, a sweet and salty concoction with caramel, vanilla cream, toffee and whipped cream.  We also got to try the decadent chocolate tiramisu.  Both great.

D.O.C.G. is a perfect casual alternative to Scarpetta for dinner with a casual ambiance and rustic exceptional Italian fare.  Reservations highly recommended, located at The Cosmopolitan, 3rd Floor, 3708 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109, (702) 698-7920.

Dinner at Mari Vanna

Posted on Aug 06, 2013 under Archives | No Comment

The best place for authentic Russian fare has finally arrived. Part of a small chain of Russian themed restaurants, Mari Vanna on Melrose Place is the third US location following New York and Washington D.C.

The décor can best be described as shabby chic on steroids with shelves and armoires full of nesting dolls, tchotchkes, candles, bric-a-brac, jars and pictures everywhere. It might sound cluttered but in reality the front porch area and inside small dining rooms are cozy and inviting.

The food is delicious and wide-ranging.  Here is what Travis and I had during our visit:

We started off with a very strong strawberry infused vodka drink.  Then they brought us….more vodka, then more vodka.  There are dozens of strong house infused vodkas and tequilas to choose from and we had to stop them from sending over the whole bar.  What we did taste was amazing.  A must order.

We had several of the nine chopped salads.

The Olivier salad includes roasted vegetables, pickles, hard boiled eggs and mayonnaise.

The Vinegret beet salad was refreshing with roasted beets and corn dressed in sunflower oil.

Their signature salad is the Herring Under A Fur Coat, layers of herring, potatoes, carrots, beets and onions and topped with egg and a little mayonnaise.  We loved this dish.  Very lovely plating as well.

Next came…more infused vodka drinks – nectarine and pear.  This were delicious.

Next came the tasty veal kotletki, pan seared veal patties served with buckwheat kasha.  Yum.

The blinis are terrific, we tried one with red caviar and it was outstanding.

The signature beef stroganoff was equally good and comforting.

My favorite was the pierogies, they reminded me of my grandma’s, filled with either sea bass, pork or beef and cabbage and egg.

The signature dessert, smetannick with strawberries, is also a delight.

We loved all the traditional Russian cuisine and atmosphere.  Make sure to visit next time you are in the Melrose area.  Located at 8475 Melrose Place, reservations recommended at 323.655.1977.

A Visit To Nobu Las Vegas

Posted on Aug 04, 2013 under Archives, Las Vegas | No Comment

Last time I was in Las Vegas I got very lucky.  I was fortunate enough to stay at the new Nobu hotel.

Nobu Hotel is the first celebrity chef branded resort in Las Vegas. Opened earlier this year, the 181-room boutique hotel inside Caesar’s Palace is one of several nationwide Nobu properties planned to open by partners Robert DeNiro and Chef Nobu Matsuhisa.

The hotel takes the place of Caesar’s old Centurion Tower and offers lots of high-end features for guests. Check in takes seconds via staff’s ipad’s and automated elevators.  You just swipe your room card and the elevator automatically knows which floor and directs you to your elevator.  Very cool.  This was the fastest check-in for me in five years of writing about Las Vegas.

Guest rooms feature origami-inspired décor, teak fittings, multiple shower heads, huge egg-shaped basin sinks and the most comfortable beds on the Strip.  We especially loved the low ultra comfy bed, huge shower and really deep sink.

The spa also offers a “Nagomi Ritual” with herb and food enhanced treatments including a honey foot scrub, massage with lavender aroma oil and a CO2 facial.  If you are a guest at the hotel a visit to the spa for this treatment is a great add-on to your stay.

The biggest draw for us besides the comfy beds were the luxury amenities for food lovers. Shortly after check-in, room service delivers complimentary Japanese tea and rice crackers to each room. The mini-bar stocks Japanese beer, Nobu branded sakes and chocolate covered Pocky pretzels.

Downstairs, guests have private access to and guaranteed seating in the largest Nobu restaurant in the world (12,775 square feet and 327 seats). Designed by David Rockwell, it is the first Nobu in the U.S. with teppanyaki tables where chefs cook on three flat top grills in front of diners. The menu features signature items including black cod miso, shrimp and lobster with spicy lemon, salmon skin salad, bento dessert box with flourless chocolate cake and green tea ice cream and a huge variety of tobanyaki, sushi, kushiyaki and tempura options. Additionally, diners who want to experience a tasting menu have a variety of price ranges to choose from – $90 to $190 for seven courses and $280 for eight courses.  Here is what Sheila and I sampled when we dined at Nobu Las Vegas:

Our waiter talked us into ordering this one, as neither of us are spinach salad lovers.  It was one of the best things we had all weekend – a lovely fresh spinach salad with dry miso.  This was so good we could have eaten a dozen of these.

The lobster and tuna tacos were fresh and tiny.  Next came the signature Black Cod Miso, which was delicious.

We also sampled a great sushi mini platter and some very fresh sashimi.

We also ordered the shrimp and Maine lobster with spicy lemon which was a nice mix of a small amount of heat with buttery shellfish.

We knew the appetizers and main courses would be amazing but we were surprised at how good the desserts were as well.  If your budget doesn’t allow for more than a few pieces of sushi or sashimi at Nobu (let’s face it, it is a bit pricey) make sure to add on one of their desserts.  The ones we tasted were amazing.

The bento box came with a flourless chocolate cake, white chocolate sauce, shiso syrup and the best green tea we have ever had.  Best.  Ever.

We also had the suntory whisky cappuccino with a coffee almond crumble on the bottom, coffee cream, milk ice cream and a whisky foam.  Beautiful.  Our waiter again suggested we try another dessert, we hesitated but he insisted that since we loved the ones we already tried that the third one would be just as tasty so we submitted.  We were served the heavenly toasted rice cake which was equally amazing.  A butter mocha cake with citrus creme fraiche, lemon gelee, almond crumble and a fresh guava sorbet.  Best desserts on the Strip.

Another huge lure for food-lovers is the unique in-room dining menu. Highlights include the High Roller Bento Box featuring lobster wasabi and Wagyu steak, rock shrimp buns, and a takami burger with foie gras and truffle oil. The one-of-a-kind breakfast menu items include blueberry and yuzu soba pancakes, scrambled eggs donburi with salmon nori and rice and green tea waffles with braised short ribs.

Here is what we sampled for our in-room breakfast:

Whether you choose to dine in or enjoy the large trendy restaurant, eating and staying at Nobu Las Vegas is a sure win.  Located at 3570 Las Vegas Boulevard South, inside Caesar’s Palace on Nobu Way.  702.785.6677 for reservations.