French Laundry
Yes, yes, yes. OH YES. I finally had an opportunity to dine at the mecca of West Coast Dining, Thomas Keller's ode to amazing, The French Laundry. It has been many, many years of longing to finally get onto the hollowed grounds. I have been by it. I have seen the gardens. I have had friends who have dined. I have eaten at Ad Hoc, right down the street. But, never ever, been inside the lovely world of Mr. Keller's old Laundry.
There is almost something magical about putting
iNG Restaurant: Chicago, Illinois
A week ago, I had the opportunity to not only go to, but to be "Chef for a day" at iNG restaurant in Chicago. If you do not know it, it is the sister restaurant to Moto, Chef, Owner, and Michelin star winner Homaro Cantu's two amazing molecular gastronomy establishment's in the Fulton River District.
Chef Cantu started doing experiments with the miracle berry at Moto and because of the response opened up iNG so he could continue his "flavor-tripping" experience in a new place. iNG stands for
Test Kitchen LA
I had an opportunity to attend a night of fantastic food and wine downtown at this year's incantation of Test Kitchen LA. http://testkitchenla.com/. This year' s residency is downtown in the soon to be opened Italian themed Bestia. A very lovely space off 7th and Santa Fe. The inside is a nice blend of rustic and industrial, with a nice long bar upon entrance.
So to start why not indulge in one of the nights special cocktails. The cocktail menu was created by Julian Cox and Chris Day. The original
Superba Snack Bar!!
So I first met Chef Jason Neroni at Cochon 555 this past spring at The House of Blues. I was blown away by his amazing pasta dishes where he included to honored guest of swine. I chatted with him for a while, listening to his plans for a "snack bar" in Venice. I was very intrigued by the concept, and his cooking. I sat waiting all summer till I heard that he had finally opened. Last week, I found myself in Venice at dinner time, and secured a seat at the bar that overlooks the kitchen.
5X5 Collaboration, INK, 9/16/2012
WAIT!?!?!? A five chef collaborative, progressive dinner you say?? Here in LA? And it happens more than once? Well there has been a few incarnations of the famous 5X5 dinner for charity. Last Sunday's was the last of the year, and at Michael Voltaggio's ink http://mvink.com/. The group who got together for the 2012 edition were, Voltaggio along with Josiah Citrin of Melisse http://melisse.com/, Rory Herrmann of Bouchon http://bouchonbistro.com/ , Michael Cimarusti of Providence
The Taste LA. – Labor Day Picnic
Yes dear friends and confidants, I attended the Labor Day Picnic of The Los Angeles Times "The Taste". And, I had the honor to be on the Backyard Burger Champs panel with Noelle Carter from the LA Times test kitchen. Thank you to whoever came over to hear our discussion! Hope you learned a tip or two from the burger masters. Here is the link to go check out my BLT&E burger. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dailydish/2012/06/battle-of-the-burgers-blt-e-burger.html. My homage to a real deal
CRABS!!!!
Well first off, get your head out of the gutter. I'm talking KING CRAB, DUNGENESS, and all things ALASKAN CRAB!!!
What I'm talking about here, is Tracy's Crab Shack in Juneau, Alaska. I was up that way to take a small family cruise, and we left out of Juneau. An amazing town in it's own right. You get to see why they call this state the Last Frontier. But I digress, crabs.
Let me start with just two words. Crab Bisque. Thoughts of warm coziness in liquid form should fill your
Mammoth Mountain Food and Wine Experience
Yes folks!! You're favorite Southern California Resort now has it's very own Food and Wine weekend. It is a very small, easy-going experience. Nothing like the much, much bigger one in another mountain town. Mammoth is one of my favorite places to go. So add food, wine, education, and many many tastings, and I'm there.
It is short and sweet, starting Friday July 6 in the afternoon and finishing with a grand tasting Saturday night. My party arrived Saturday at lunch, and unfortunately
Smoking Brisket
So you hear a lot of people this time of year always talking about "Smoking Meat".
Well I am here to tell you that it's quite easy to work on your smoking technique and turn out some fantastic meats. You want to get some good hard wood, obviously, to smoke anything. I have been using Mountain Mahogany that I acquire at Mahogany Smoked Meats in Bishop, CA http://www.smokedmeats.com/ . It imparts some nice flavor, but not too much that the smoke and wood flavor is all you taste.
Cochon 555- Part Deux!
As promised, I had time to recover my brain, liver and stomach to further talk about the event known as Cochon 555. A massive pig cooking competition. 5 chefs, 5 heritage pigs, wine, whiskey and beer!!
Well this year was a little different than last year. It was a smaller venue and over two floors, so the flow wasn't quite there. Last year the event took place at St. Vibiana's downtown LA. An old cathedral that has undergone an amazing transformation. I have done the VIP ticket
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