The Divine Dish

Dine LA Restaurant Week Red Carpet Event at the Roosevelt Hotel

Posted on Jan 12, 2010 under Uncategorized | No Comment

Tonight I took my neighbor Todd to the Dine LA 2010 launch event at the Roosevelt Hotel.  Dozens of local chefs, food writers, foodies and the Mayor showed up for the great food and to discuss the upcoming event, when restaurants will offer huge discounts on their menus.  Dine LA will take place January 24 to 29 and January 31 to February 5.  You can check out the website to see participating restaurants and prices at www.dineLA.com/RestaurantWeek.

Here are some pics from the event:

We sat next to some nice folks from Bubba Gump at Universal Studios, who introduced us to our chef.

We also ran into this guy ….

Here are some pics of the food that was served …

Specials on both lunch and dinner will be offered during both weeks, so have a great meal at one of LA’s many great restaurants and support your local chefs!

Dinner at CUBE

Posted on Nov 29, 2009 under Archives | No Comment

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.

All tables get a nice sample cheese plate to start.  Ours was paired with crackers and cranberries and very creamy.

We shared a shaved brussel sprout salad with  toasted hazelnuts, pecorino cheese and tangerine segments.

Also shared was a toasted farro salad with roasted beets, baby greens and fresh goat cheese.

We shared sides of baked mac and cheese with charred tomato and truffles, polenta, and 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.

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.

We all enjoyed a great meal.

CUBE is a great place to meet friends for a yummy dinner.  Located at 615 N. La Brea.

Dinner at Jerne, Ritz Carlton Marina Del Rey

Posted on Nov 29, 2009 under Archives | No Comment

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.

We started with a fragrant butternut squash soup with frangelico and pumpkin oil   Paired with a yummy prosecco from santa margherita, Italy.

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.

Then came a scallop with parsely root melted leeks and truffle.  This was our fave.  Paired with a chardonnay from Cakebread Cellars, California.

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.

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.

Stay at Ritz Carlton Marina Del Rey

Posted on Nov 29, 2009 under Archives | No Comment

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:

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.