Cocktail Academy's Apartment A, Now Open for Education and Parties

Sometimes a job leads to new comrades and new opportunities, as is the case with the team behind Cocktail Academy. Meeting while working together at 41 Ocean are Max Kestenbaum (bartender at Sassafras), Brandyn Tepper (bartender at Hinoki and the Bird), Matt Landes (in charge of management, worked at Montage Beverly Hills), and Ana Moskus. They all left 41 Ocean but their friendship and common vision led to Cocktail Academy.

Cocktail Academy will eventually (soon!) open a couple of bars downtown, but in the meantime, they have Apartment A available for private events and for them to throw educational workshops. And parties, of course parties. You can check out what they have coming up on the Aparment A's website. Their previous events and tastings have showcased amazing punch and cocktails like this one made with Buffalo Trace, Averna, marasca maraschino, and Miracle Mile chocolate chili bitters

Apartment A itself is a beautiful space. The first thing I noticed while trying to find the place is the billowing white curtain by the door. Stepping up the stool reveals the dimly lit room decorated with hanging vines and lovely couches. It's cozy, charming, and comfortable. It won't hold a lot of people but it's perfect for small parties or intimate tastings.

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Bulgogi Banh Mi and Juices at Fruit Farm in Little Tokyo

An unassuming cafe called Fruit Farm had popped up inside of Little Tokyo's Galleria mall, serving fresh juices, smoothies, sandwiches, and salads. What to know is that one of the owners is Korean so you can get fun sandwich mash ups like this bulgogi banh mi ($6.75 gets you the two pieces shown below and you can get half filled with something else!)

What I actually like even better was the spicy pork banh mi that I got in my other half of the sandwich.

The bulgogi tends on the sweeter side and I think the light spiciness of the pork works better with the banh mi accompaniments, but both were good and interesting.

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643 North: Polenta Pizza and Craft Cocktails in Chinatown

While Italian restaurants and craft beer and cocktail bars are abound in downtown Los Angeles, 643 North occupies an unusual location: Chinatown. You might be confused driving there through a desolate part of Chinatown, but don't worry, it's there. Plus they have a free parking lot to the left, perks of a cheaper real estate.

Actually, 643 North isn't really an Italian restaurant although the menu leans a bit in that direction. They also have other items like these Crab sliders (blue crab patties, chipotle remoulade, daikon sprouts, brioche, $13)

You shouldn't miss their pasta, though, especially the Ossobuco ravioli (braised veal, housemade ravioli, baby heirloom tomatoes, broccolini, Parmesan broth, Parmesan cheese, $17)

I was expecting a heavy dish, as ossobuco typically is, but this is light and lovely. The al dente ravioli sits in a bright parmesan broth, letting diners experience ossobuco in a different way. This was one of the highlights of my meal.

I was also pleasantly surprised with the cocktails here, created by Adam Acuff from Far Bar, which is more known for their beers rather than cocktails (643 North also has a good beer list). All cocktails are $12 and include drinks like Smokey the Pear (High West Campfire, St Germain, spiced pear syrup, lemon bitters) which was nicely balanced.

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The Factory Kitchen: A Strong Italian Contender in Downtown LA

I've had many good meals, but every once in a while, one stands out above the rest. This was my experience at The Factory Kitchen, which opened up in downtown LA recently. I didn't know much about it before, so I was quite surprised, but I really should've heard more. The chef, Angelo Auriana, was the executive chef at Valentino for 18 years before moving to Farina in San Francisco. The manager, Matteo Ferdinandi, was a business partner of Celestino Drago. Both of them are the epitome of Italian hospitality.

Because of the name, I was expecting a small restaurant, but the large dining room is simple but elegant.

 The bar is headed by Karl Steuck, who was previously at Writer's Room and Hatfield's.

I tasted another writer's Urban Cowboy (bacanora, cochhi americano, grapefruit, lime, sage honey - $10)

Bacanora is a rare find in the US, and I love how he used it in this cocktail.

I ordered the Soon To Be Divorced (tequila, campari, lime, agave, thyme - $10). I've never had tequila and campari together, but this was very drinkable with the lovely thyme aroma. Other than these seasonal drinks, Karl has a short list of classics as well.

For the wines, Francine Diamond Ferdinandi, who's worked at Gramercy Tavern and Spago, has created a small but impressive wine list. We left it to her to choose our wines and so should you.

Be sure to get the Prosciutto, which came in an unexpected form. 24 months Parma prosciutto is served atop a lightly fried sage dough, with some stracciatella in the middle ($18)

Barberosse Gratinate: oven baked sliced beet casserole with melted Asiago ($10)

It may sound strange at first, but the beet slices actually make a great vehicle for the melted cheese.

Pancotto (farmer's duck egg, red potato vellutata, sauteed greens, semolina bread crostone - $9)

Rather than pizza, The Factory Kitchen serves Focaccina calda di recco al formaggio, a thin focaccio crust. We liked both the traditional (with Ligurian olive oil) and Cotto (crescenza, cotto ham, rosemary - $17)

The focaccina is stuffed with crescenza cheese which was creamy but light. 

Now, the pasta. Handmade pasta is one of my favorite things in the world and there's one pasta dish here that blows the rest away. It is the Mandilli de Seta (handkerchief pasta, Ligurian almond basil pesto, fiore sardo - $19)

This... This was outstanding. It's the dish that makes the entire table fall silent. So simple yet from the silky handmade pasta to the beautifully subdued pesto that covers it. This is a dish that you dream about days after eating it. It was heavenly paired with the white wine that Francine had chosen.

Pappardelle (taggia olives speckled pasta, duckling ragu, Italian parsley - $19)

This is also a wonderful pappardelle, although it was difficult for me to go to other pasta after the previous one. I usually like pappardelle with meat ragu so I'm going to have to eat this again another time before the mandilli di seta.

Porchetta (rolled pork belly, red onion, carrots, fennel celery - $24)

This porchetta is one of the best I've tried in recent memory. The richness and fattiness doesn't overwhelm, it's tender and flavorful.

Anatra (duck breast, huckleberry, romanesco, broccoli di cicco - $26)

The duck breast was excellent, but it's the leg confit that everyone fights over!

If you want something lighter, the dentice (pan seared tai snapper) is perfectly prepared.

I had to try one more drink. The Backyard Boogie (Templeton rye, root, fennel, absinthe mist, orange oil - $10) is perfect for those who prefer stronger, more aromatic cocktails.

For dessert, you can't miss the cannoli. We saw them make the cannoli shells earlier that night.

Perhaps it was the orange marmalade on one end, or the pistachio on the other, but this ricotta-filled cannoli was simply the best I've had.

Chef Angelo Auriana

I hadn't heard much about The Factory Kitchen prior to coming in, so I came in with no expectation and was wowed. I wasn't eating out when Chef Auriana was helming Valentino, so I never knew what it was like, but I'm glad he decided to return to Los Angeles with The Factory Kitchen.

The Factory Kitchen
1300 Factory Place #101
Los Angeles, CA 90013
(213) 996-6000
http://thefactorykitchen.com/

Singaporean Food Hits Downtown with Bugis Street Brasserie at Millennium Biltmore Hotel

Despite LA's diversity, Singaporean food is still few and far between, but the new Bugis Street Brasserie at The Millennium Biltmore Hotel is filling in a bit of the gap.

The space that was Sai Sai Noodle Bar recently turned into Bugis Street Brasserie following its success at the Biltmore in London. Serving "Singaporean Chinese" cuisine and named after a famous street in Singapore, Bugis Street is still mainly Chinese but they do serve the two famous Singaporean dishes: laksa and Hainanese chicken rice.

Start with a tempura fried salt and pepper squid with chili and green onions ($9)

A nice appetizer since it's light and not too greasy. 

What you should order here is the laksa. The $13 bowl is pretty large and can be shared with two people. This spicy coconut broth is filled with vermicelli, shrimp, tofu, egg, chicken, fish cakes, and thai basil.

I was quite happy with the flavor of the laksa. It's spicy and flavorful, and the taste pretty close to what I can get in Singapore! The only thing missing is the standard add-on of cockles and the special chili sauce Katong serves. Oh, and there's usually no chicken.

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Cocktails and Bitters at Coco Laurent

Rivera was one of the propellers of craft cocktails in restaurants, and now one of its bartender alum, Krishna Vutla, is striking out on his own. 

Krishna headed the bar and created the current cocktail menu at Coco Laurent in downtown LA, although he unfortunately left earlier this week. His cocktails are staying on the menu, thought, and there are quite a few exciting ones.

My favorite is the Insane Bolt, which helped Krishna win an Angostura cocktail competition. There are usually only a couple dashes of angostura bitters in cocktails but this one has 3/4 oz! It's combined with Smith and Cross rum, orgeat, and maraschino liqueur.

Sounds crazy? It was actually really good, both sweet and dry with a really nice balance. You just have to try it.

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Mo-Chica's $27 Tuesday OG Tasting Menu

When Mo-Chica was just a stall at the Mercado La Paloma, Ricardo Zarate would do special tasting menus on Tuesdays. They've no revived the Tuesday tastings at the downtown Mo-Chica. The "OG Tasting Menu" offers 5 courses for just $27! A good deal, right?

The menu changes but when I went the 5 courses started with an Heirloom tomato salad, crispy red quinoa, fresh mozzarella, huacatay pesto

A fun Peruvian twist on the cliche tomato mozzarella with pesto

The next course is a Ceviche trio:
tuna sashimi, yuzu miso, green shiso, mountain yam
Diver scallop, aji amarillo aioli, wasabi, tobiko
Hamachi, jalapeno ponzu, nori lettuce, garlic crisp

I'm glad they included a ceviche course in the tasting menu, because what's a visit to Mo Chica without some? Because it was more unusual to find, my favorite here was the scallop. 

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Pre-Game Beer and Street Food at The Mixing Room at L.A. Live, Starts October 7

The Mixing Room at the JW Marriott at LA Live will outfit their outdoor space with a beer bar, serving a rotating selection of local craft beers and street food before and during athletic games at the Staples Center. You can grab a bite and a brew before heading to the game, or stay and watch the game on their large screen.

The people from Golden Road Brewery is helping build the bar, so about 75% of the beer lineup will consist of Golden Road beers.

The bar wasn't ready yet, so we had their canned beers

Each week on game days, they will serve one particular "street food" item paired with a beer (other beers will be available, but each week will feature one particular brewery), launching on October 7 with the Kings game.

Here is the schedule and some preview of what they will be serving:

October 7: Korean Taco (Korean shortrib / asian slaw / garlic red chili sause)

October 14: Mahi Mahi Ceviche Fresno pepper / cilantro / fresh lime / vegetable chips

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CAN CAN Cleanse: A Juice Cleanse With A Soup Twist

Are you into the juice cleanse trend? I've tried a juice cleanse for a day before, and while I liked the taste of the juices and didn't really mind not eating for a day (I don't know if I could do it longer), I did miss having something savory and salty. Well, CAN CAN Cleanse may have solved that problem. The cleanse substitutes a warm soup for one of the juices.

They sent me a one day cleanse to try, which consisted of eight glass jars of juice, tea, and soup. The juices are delicious, just as good as the other juiceries. The lime and cayenne master cleanse is sweeter and less spicy than the one I've had at Kreation before, this cleanse starts with a lemon lime juice, and instead of either lemon or aloe water, they gave me chamomile mint tea and watermelon juice. Warm chamomile tea would be my preference over water any time.

Of course, there's also almond milk and green juice. You know the juices are fresh because of the separation that naturally occurs.

The soup I got is the zucchini basil soup. It's healthy and not that creamy, but it still curbed my cravings for savory things during the cleanse. The soup is seasonal and the newest selection is celery root sage soup. The new tea is rosemary nettle, which sounds pretty exciting to try.

Drago Centro's Latest Cocktail Menu and Bartender

Yes, there has been a lot of changes in the bar management at Dragon Centro, but the man in charge now has actually been there for a while. Jason Eisner came to work at Drago Centro because he was inspired and wanted to work with Jaymee Mandeville. Now he's taken his experience and designed a fun menu for Drago Centro.

He enhanced whiskey sour with apple nectar in the namesake Drago Sour (bourbon, fuji apple nectar, lemon, maple syrup, egg white,  angostura - $10)

One of my favorites was the Italian Roots ($14) with cognac, ciaciaro amaro, demerara syrup, chocolate bitters, angostura, vanilla bourbon extract, fernet branca whipped cream

This is Jason's version of an adult root beer. It smells just like root beer and tastes like a less sweet, more complex version of root beer. And that fernet whipped cream? So much awesomeness.

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Patina Toasts 10th Anniversary With Build-Your-Own Tastings For $10/Dish

On October 10th, Patina Restaurant in downtown LA will be celebrating their tenth anniversary in a big way. On that day only, guests can design their own tasting menu for just $10 per dish. For Patina, that's an amazing deal!

I was lucky enough to taste a few of the dishes that will be served on October 10th during a lunch preview.

The man behind the food at Patina now is Executive Chef Charles Olalia who was previously Chef de Cuisine, with experience at French Laundry and Guy Savoy. 

My lunch started with an Amuse bouche duo of Paradise Cove oyster topped with caviar and vichyssoise, and a Scallop and potato chip sandwich

What a decadent start to a weekday lunch! The scallop "sandwich" was a unique combination.

Bread service: olive bread

Big Eye Tuna Tower, soya onion, avocado, oven dried tomato, yuzu granite.

Paired with Albarino from Galicia, Spain. 

I thought this tuna and avocado combination would be like any other tuna tartar-like dish, but I was wrong. The flavors here were surprising and delightful and the tuna was fresh and almost melted in my mouth. The Albariño was a great wine, crisp, lightly sweet. This was my favorite pairing and wine of the day.

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G&B Coffee Elevates Coffee Experience at Grand Central Market(DowntownLA)

The Grand Central Market in downtown LA is experiencing a revival with the opening of some great destinations, including G & B Coffee, which used to be located inside Sqirl. The coffee bar is also visible from the street and pedestrians can just walk up to it without going through the market itself first.

G & B Coffee wanted coffee to return to being a social experience, more like a bar, where guests can interact with baristas and other guests instead of moving down the line to get your pourover.

By the way, I came here for a preview tasting so for some, the pictured portions are much smaller than the full size that you'll get when you purchase.
G & B doesn't roast their own coffee, instead you'll find a rotating selection of their current favorite coffees from other roasters. Right now they seem to be liking Heart from Portland, but they'll have 6-10 different varieties each day so there will always be something for everyone.
The most popular item may be the almond latte. Kyle Glanville, one of the co-founders, thinks that soy tastes weird with coffee, so instead they have almond milk made in house which is only slightly sweet and is quite good. It has a nice subtle flavor that goes well with coffee.

The coffee shop sells pastries from Pete the Baker, who used to do pastry for Storefront Deli in Los Feliz.

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