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Archive for the ‘Dining in LA’ Category
Catch Some Rye with Brunch at Caulfield’s
Saturdays and Sundays. Brunch service is available now every weekend at Caulfield’s, the Thompson Beverly Hills’ new literary-inspired American bistro, headed by chef Cody Diegel. Start with homemade coffee cake (it’s a must) and continue savoring your weekend over dishes such as the Caulfield’s Benedict (jumbo crab, poached eggs, hollandaise on toasted brioche with avocado); blueberry pancakes layered with maple-vanilla bean butter; and brioche French toast with apple compote. Wash it all down with signature cocktails like a bourbon milk shake, Pimm’s Cup, Ram os Gin Fizz and more. Make your Los Angeles tour plans and get to the restaurant from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. for a tasty and fun midday meal.
Thompson Beverly Hills
9360 Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills
310.388.6860
caulfieldsbeverlyhills.com
Live It Up at Livello
Livello
Italian and Asian meet in a free-form inspiration at L’Ermitage Beverly Hills’ newest dining concept from Executive Chef Joseph Elevado. Dine on entrees such as grilled veal porterhouse with pickled cherry peppers and veal reduction; garlic oil-seared imperial wagyu with sun-dried tomato, ginger, garlic chips and sudachi soy; Prince Edward Island mussel saffron risotto with fennel and shimeji mushrooms; and free-form oxtail ravioli with edamame and veal reduction. Complementing the menu are handcrafted cocktails with Italian and Asian influences. You just flew over Beverly Hills during a Los Angeles helicopter tour and deserve a fine dining experience to top off your day.
L’Ermitage Beverly Hills
9291 Burton Way, Beverly Hills
310.385.5302
www.livellorestaurant.com
Believe it or not – Cheeseburger Week in Pasadena
Pasadena will be hosting a “Cheeseburger Week” starting on January 15th and going until the 20th. It will feature various renditions of the cheesy meat sandwich by a handful of popular places, even a sushi restaurant.
Invented in Pasadena, CA
According to the press release (and Wikipedia), the cheeseburger was actually invented in the good ‘ol North East L.A. community at “The Rite Spot,” a popular sandwich shop in the mid 1920′s.
Pasadena Cheeseburger Week is sponsored by the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce with support from the City of Pasadena and is a California Restaurant Month event.
Other eateries in town that will offer deals and assorted specials include the recently opened Kings Row Gastropub, Vertical Wine Bistro, and possibly a Yucatan rendition by El Portal. Also, Noir Food and Wine, CREPEstudio, Lovebirds Cafe and Magnolia Lounge.
Cheeseburger eaters are encouraged to go eat them all and vote for their favorite ones on the event’s website. For a complete list of places featured and their accompanying menu’s, check out the Pasadena Restaurant Week website.
Pasadena is part of the Los Angeles scene and a perfect place to eat during or after an amazing Los Angeles sightseeing tour.
Bid Adieu to Drago Santa Monica
As much as Los Angeles diners are mourning the impending loss of Drago Santa Monica—Chef Celestino Drago’s 21-year-old modern Italian institution—at the end of January, Drago softens the blow by offering “throwback” dishes from the original 1991 menu, in addition to their featured winter menu items. Dine on seven dishes from the original Drago Santa Monica menu, which includes polenta sandwich, wild mushrooms, fontina cheese, truffle fondue; sautéed duck liver, aged balsamic glace, grilled Belgium endive; baked ziti, meat and cheese sauce, wrapped with eggplant; spaghetti with pressed dried tuna caviar, garlic and chile; Sausage-filled quail, grilled polenta, saltimbocca sauce; and Pan roasted lamb loin, potato tart, grilled mushrooms, sweet & sour. The amazing dishes are only going to be found here while taking a tour of Los Angeles.
You can also bid adieu with an array of creative Itialian comfort food by Chef de Cucina Evan Gotanda on Drago’s winter menu, which we recently had the pleasure of experiencing:
Ricotta e pere: Ricotta, pear, red wine, arugula, hazelnut salt:
Agnolotti di zucca: Butternut squash, ricotta, butter glaze:
Risotto alla barbabietola: Beet risotto, shaved candy beets, puffed risotto:
Pappardelle al fagiano: Pappardelle, roasted pheasant, morel mushrooms (Photographed with hand rolled cecaluccoli instead of pappardelle):
Trota salmonata: Arctic char, carrot, rapini, oregano, balsamic:
Costata di manzo: New York steak, soft polenta, bacon, Brussels sprouts, red wine (Photographed as a duo of beef with braised short rib):
Brioche al mirtillo: Orange espuma, orange dust, cranberry granola:
Crostata al cioccolato: Dates, brown sugar gelato, walnuts:
Drago Santa Monica, 2628 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, 310.828.1585.
Hyde Lounge Reopens in Hollywood
In L.A., it seems as though a new nightclub opens up once a week, instantly becoming the hottest spot in town, and fizzling out not long after. Hyde, a nightlife institution that garnered celebrity and media attention in its heyday in 2006, is getting a rare second chance as entertainment aficionado SBE reopens the spot. Tableside mixology is a prominent feature of the redesigned venue, featuring fresh cocktails created at the sunken bar in the back of the narrow space. DJs spin alternative tracks instead of the usual Top 40, helping the venue further distance itself from more cookie-cutter clubs. Always the best places to be while taking a private tour of LA. SBE selected lauded chef Daniel Elmaleh, of Katsuya Hollywood and the Redbury hotel’s Cleo, to create a menu of small bites with a global influence. Look for additional Hyde nightclubs in South Beach, Florida and in Las Vegas’ Bellagio hotel, opening soon.
8029 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 323.525.2444. www.sbe.com/hyde
Wolfgang Puck Lands at Hotel Bel-Air
Wolfgang Puck at Hotel Bel-Air serves up California cuisine with European and Mediterranean influences. Dishes such as a comice pear salad with fuyu persimmons and Shropshire blue cheese, Parmesan risotto with white Alban truffles, and grilled prime sirloin steak with braised Wagyu beef cheeks are composed of fresh produce from Chino Farms and local farmers markets, hormone- and antibiotic-free poultry and sustainably raised seafood. Wolfgang puck in a lavish hotel, can't beat that while touring LA. The Rockwell Group is responsible for the old Hollywood-inspired dining room redesign, incorporating multiple transparent glass wine cellars that showcase more than 2,400 bottles.
701 Stone Canyon Road, Bel-Air, 310.909.1644. www.hotelbelair.com/wolfgang-puck-bel-air
Artisan House Downtown Los Angeles
As the name would imply, Artisan House offers artisan, old-world-style food and products. The philosophy is represented by the locally farmed and boutique ingredients used in the restaurant’s Cal-Med cuisine and the bar’s “molecular mixology”; the meats, seafood and cheeses in the deli’s build-your-own sandwiches; and the condiments, beverages, baked goods and various other items sold in the market. (Pictured: candy apple with Granny Smith apple sorbet and spiced rum caramel.) Nothing more to say than you really need to come and enjoy this while touring LA.
600 S. Main St., downtown, 213.622.6333.
Short Order Arrives at LA Farmers Market
Short Order restaurant was established by two star restaurateurs: the late Amy Pressman, founder of Pasadena’s Old Town Bakery, and Nancy Silverman, of La Brea Bakery and Osteria Mozza fame. This is the place that you need to be when having a bit of hunger while touring LA. Emphasizing naturally raised meats and pesticide-free produce, menu items include the much-hyped Short Order Burger, made with grass-fed beef, Morbier cheese, griddled mushrooms, Bibb lettuce and “mustardy mayo.”
Farmers Market, 6333 W. 3rd St, L.A., 323.761.7970. www.shortorderla.com
ndrew Zimmern Hosts Bizarre Food Pop-Up at Royal/T
When he’s not eating crickets, scorpions, or any variety of offal, Andrew Zimmern, the James Beard Award-winning TV personality behind The Travel Channel’s cult culinary show, “Bizarre Foods,” is inviting LA food enthusiasts to dive into his world of bizarre foods with “California Dreaming,” a one-night-only culinary pop-up Jan. 13, at Royal/T.
At this rare event, Zimmern has created a menu to introduce the curious culinarian to his world of bizarre foods. Guests can expect to dine on a collaborative five-course dinner menu of: sea urchin and yellow tomato-vegetable aspic; pasta a la vongole, linguine and ‘clams’ with oregano, olive oil, and garlic; tongue tied: veal tongue tartare and chile braised lamb’s tongue quesadilla; grilled broken arrow ranch venison chop, crispy goat chuckles, posole, and avocado salsa; and cioccolato orrare da gustier.
As a bonus you may end up in an episode of the Travel Channel’s “Bizarre Foods America” with Andrew Zimmern (the purchase of your ticket confirms that you are willing to be on camera). This will be a great event for the family and for anyone really, the place to go to when taking a private tour of Los Angeles.
Ticket price $150 includes the five-course menu (a generous portion of it going to the LA Regional Food bank). Reservations are required and can only be made as of Monday, Dec. 19. Reservations start at 6 p.m. with the last seating at 9.30 p.m.
Royal/T, 8910 Washington Blvd., Culver City, 310.559.6300 x4. andrewzimmern.eventbrite.com
Venison Fair at Chaya Venice
As a throwback to the seasonal food fairs Chaya Venice thew when they first opened their doors 20 years ago, Executive Chef Shigefumi Tachibe continues the tradition this fall with venison. At Venison Fair, dine on succulent venison dinner fare, paired with sweet and spicy ingredients and flavors. Venison chili con carne (pictured right) arrives both as chunks of succulent steak and more finely ground mixed with kidney, garbanzo and white beans; topped with pepper jack cheese and grilled country bread for savoring any leftover sauce. Now is the time to settle your meat cravings while touring LA. TexMex flavors continue with the Texas-spiced venison burger (smaller version pictured left) which is tender and accented with crispy bacon, pepper jack cheese, arugula, red cabbage; Fugi apple and red pepper chutney give the burger a lively sweet spice. For more of an Italian take savor tender venison meatballs top perfectly cooked pappardelle pasta sauced with fresh marinara and shaved Parmesan. The crown jewel of the menu (and Chef Tachibe’s favorite dish) is the roasted venison tenderloin with blueberry peppercorn sauce, which is accompanied by sauteed organic mushrooms, haricots verts, on top of a chestnut puree. For those of the faint of heart, venison can seem intimidating, but Chef Tachibe specially sources his venison from New Zealand where he finds it has less of a gamy quality sometimes found domestically.
Menu offered, Mon.-Thurs through Dec. 11. Chaya Venice, 110 Navy St., Venice, 310.396.1179. www.thechaya.com/venice