The Divine Dish

Viewing/tasting party at Scarpetta, Montage, Beverly Hills

Posted on May 14, 2011 under Archives | No Comment

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.

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.

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.

Here is a sampling of what we were served:

We started with some creamy mozzarella on toasted bread.

We also had parma ham wrapped around breadsticks.

Then came fresh baked bread balls.

Next came tuna tartar on potato chips.  We loved these.

Conant’s specialty is his pasta.  The spaghetti was delicious.  We had two servings.

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.

Tasting Dinner at Rolling Stone Restaurant and Lounge Los Angeles

Posted on Apr 25, 2011 under Archives | No Comment

The new Rolling Stone Los Angeles restaurant and lounge, the first-ever licensing of the Rolling Stone name for an American restaurant, hosted a tasting menu last week.  The menu showcased the restaurant’s emphasis on mixed small plates.

Capturing the edgy-yet-elegant spirit of one of the world’s most iconic music magazines, Rolling Stone is distinguished by a “vintage chic” design from Gavin Brodin of Brodin Design Build.  The venue features a 5,900-sq. ft. upstairs dining room housing up to 140 guests and an additional 40 on an outside patio.  The dining room  houses walnut-hued hardwood floors, ‘50s-style leather chairs and tufted red- leather banquettes with a variety of lighting treatments and unique elements as British-style lampposts. The upstairs restaurant, serviced by a dedicated bar, offers two sections for semi-private dining for large parties. Its downstairs features private booths, movable lounge chairs, an area for bottle service, a lounge bar and elevated DJ booth.

We were greeted by Director of Operations Erik Russell  before sampling Chef Christopher Ennis’ menu.

The tasting started with a salad of romaine, roasted baby beets, apple, spiced pecans and goat cheese.  A Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand was also served.

Next came a perfectly roasted salmon with wilted baby spinach, fingerling potatoes, capers and golden raisins.  Served alongside was a Cakebread Chardonnay.

We also were served a nice grilled rack of lamb on top of beans, spring peas and a side of yogurt.  This was served with a Don Miguel Gascon Malbec.

Chef Christopher Ennis came out to greet the crowd.

Our last course was a dessert of buttermilk panna cotta with local strawberries and almond cookies.

Rolling Stone’s restaurant is open Sunday through Wednesday 11:30 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. and Thursday through Saturday 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 a.m. The lounge is open 10:00 p.m. – 2:00 a.m. Thursday through Saturday. Dining reservations recommended. Located at Hollywood and Highland, (323) 464-4000.

Dishing In the Kitchen with Top Chef Fabio Vivianni

Posted on Mar 08, 2011 under Archives | No Comment

Last week I ventured out to Moorpark to film a video segment with Top Chef Fabio Vivianni for AOL’s Patch.  Here is the link to the video and article that appeared on AOL Patch today.

Interview/cooking with Top Chef Fabio Vivianni

Great Affordable Burgers at Rounds in WeHo

Posted on Feb 10, 2011 under Archives | No Comment

Earlier this week I stopped by to check out the new Rounds Premium Burgers in WeHo.  West Hollywood was really lacking a good burger joint so I was looking forward to sampling what they had to offer.

The inside area is cozy with several small round tables and barstools and a nice long counter overlooking Santa Monica Boulevard which is perfect for people watching.  The owner let me know that he is planning to expand the seating area (which is good because it is a bit small) out to the patio which will double the capacity.

The set up is similar to The Counter, where you can build your own burger, but a lot simpler to order and much less expensive.  You can easily get a good cheeseburger with the basics, fries and a drink for about $10.  If you want to add premium toppings such as more cheeses, onion strings, jalapenos, guacamole, bacon, chiles, fried egg, pineapple or mushrooms it costs a buck for each additional topping.  The regular toppings including lettuce, tomato, pickles, mayo, 1,000 island dressing and onions are free with your burger.  Protein choices include beef, chicken, veggie and turkey burgers.

You can also choose your bun, fresh briouche, sliced sourdough, wheat, or opt to have your burger lettuce wrapped or over mixed greens.  Nicole is watching her gluten intake so she opted for a lettuce wrapped burger with sweet potato fries.

Guests can choose from two sides, house cut sweet potato fries or french fries.  The dipping sauces include chipotle mayo, bbq, garlic mayo, chipotle ketchup, tabasco ketchup, buttermilk ranch, buffalo, southwest and teriyaki.  My friend Nicole and I tried most of them and we both loved the buttermilk ranch and garlic mayo.

There are lots of reasons to visit Rounds, affordable and easy to order burgers, fresh ingredients, figure-friendly options, great sauces and open late – till 2 am most nights, but you better get there fast.  As soon as more people know that an inexpensive tasty burger and fries with killer sauce options joint is available in WeHo, Rounds will surely be packed.  Located at 8871 Santa Monica Boulevard.