Spring in Provence at Kendall Brasserie (Los Angeles, CA)
by guest blogger @btsunoda
Housemade albacore tuna confit is the centerpiece of their Niçoise salad.
Tomato tarte tatin consisted of tomato confit, basil and parmesan.
by guest blogger @btsunoda
Posted by gourmetpigs at 8:31 AM 0 comments
Labels: downtown, dtla, french, kendalls brasserie, los angeles, passport to france series, patina group, provence, spring in provence
Umami Burger may have a new burger each season like the vegetarian caprese burger last year, but at the heart of it are their core burger menu. To bring back the focus on this core menu, Umami Burger on Broadway in downtown recently invited bloggers for a tasting menu of the core burgers, paired with a variety of drinks (remember, the Broadway location has a full bar since it used to be Umamicatessen). Nine courses, all paired with a beverage.
To start with were the sweet potato fries and onion rings, along with the "secret menu item", cheesy tots. The tots are made with potatoes rolled in parmesan and cheddar, then covered with panko crust.
Posted by gourmetpigs at 8:42 AM 0 comments
Labels: bacon, bacon cocktail, beer, burger, downtown, dtla, hatch chili, los angeles, maple bacon old fashioned, tuna burger, turkey burger, umami burger, umami downtown
You have to start your vacation right. We did just that before jetting off to Fiji thanks to Petrossian at the LAX Tom Bradley International terminal. If you haven't been yet, the newly renovated terminal is gorgeous with many shops and restaurants that you'd actually want to go to. You don't have to fly out of TBI, you can still get into the terminal with any valid boarding pass from the same day.
Posted by gourmetpigs at 8:01 AM 0 comments
Labels: airport restaurant, caviar, caviar picnic, champagne, jetsetter, lax, lax food, lax TBI, los angeles, petrossian, terminal, tom bradley
One of my favorite Italian restaurants, The Factory Kitchen in downtown LA, has started happy hour. The happy hour is on Monday-Thursday from 5-7pm and offers a variety of small plates, classic cocktails, and wines.
Among the food offerings was the roasted bone marrow with foraged mushrooms and herb salad for $11. There's certainly nothing to complain about when you have bone marrow for happy hour!
Posted by gourmetpigs at 8:54 AM 0 comments
Labels: bone marrow, cocktail, downtown, dtla, happy hour, italian restaurant, la happy hour, los angeles, the factory kitchen, wine
by: guest blogger @btsunoda
In the past winter season, Ray’s and Stark Bar featured “The Wurst Night of the Week” where executive chef Viet Pham exercised his creativity with the German bratwurst. Unfortunately, the program ended on March 2, but I had the chance to experience their "wurst" offerings before it ended.
The brats ranged in styles from classic Bavarian and contemporary to Moroccan and down home Southern. Top dogs include Currywurst Vadouvan with house-made ketchup and aioli or Boudin Blanc wurst with Pommes puree and tea-soaked prunes.
Spicy pork meatballs was the first sample that arrived. It was surrounded with a flavorful coconut curry sauce with ginger, garlic, fresno chiles and cilantro. The fresno chiles added a nice amount of spiciness to the sauce which made me wish that I had some bread to mop up my plate.
The first beer was a Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier, a German Märzen. The smoky bacon flavor was perfect to set the stage for bratwurst. It had lots of smoke and a slight tinge of peach in flavor. This is not a beer if you are looking for hops as it was incredibly smooth.
Posted by gourmetpigs at 8:53 AM 0 comments
Labels: bratwurst, german, Lacma, los angeles, mid city, patina group, ray's and stark bar, sausages, wurst
LA Weekly's Tacolandia returns for its third year on Saturday, June 6! While regular ticket sales will open on March 9, you can get a head start for some presale tickets starting today when you go to this link and use the code TACOPIGS.
Now, the event is getting bigger and bigger. While last year's event boasts 45 taquerieas for $25, this year's $35 admission promises 80 vendors curated by Bill Esparza! 55 have been confirmed so far including Amor y Tacos, Taco Maria, Aqui es Texcoco, along with Tacolandia veterans. The VIP admission is $55 which includes a separate entrance, a gift bag, and a VIP area with its own bar.
Not convinced you should spend the day feasting on as many tacos as you physically can? Read below for last year's recap by @iam_robot:
Being a Los Angeles transplant the last 14 years of my life, I’d think I have bragging rights on where to find great tacos this world has to offer. But after attending Tacolandia and devouring 25 different Taco variations, I have a feeling I could be looking for the perfect taco the rest of my life – And this is what makes Taco so fascinating…the variations are infinite and in the world of Yelp & Instagram, greatest taqueros/ taqueras are investing insane amount of thought, craftsmanship and labor hours to create the world’s most interesting taco.
In the end, I have to admit Tacolandia is probably the best food event to attend in terms of fun and bang for your buck. Two thumbs up to Bill Esparza (world’s 1st tacorazzo) for carefully selecting 45 super star taqueros and chefs from Southern California/ Mexico who performed admirably, and many times, exceeding imaginations. I can’t be happier how interesting ingredients (smelt, sprinkles, tongue, etc) and weird food (dickhead, offals, grasshopper, etc) were served up to satiate adventurous eaters like me. Below are some of the tacos served that day:
Cochinita Pibil by Chef Tim Hollingsworth (former Chef of the French Laundry) made the most visually stunning and delicious taco for the day.
Cochinita Pibil (Slow Roasted Pork) Taco is made with Oaxacan Corn Tortilla, Masa, Guacamole and crispy potato mole. Loved the interchanging flavors of heat and savory here.
Posted by gourmetpigs at 10:00 AM 2 comments
Labels: bill esparza, food event, food festival, la taco, la weekly, los angeles, mexican food, taco, taco festival, Tacolandia
Ever wonder how to make prosciutto? Or what exactly a rillette is? Wonder no more, because Patina's Cafe Pinot in downtown Los Angeles is holding a monthly charcuterie class with their chef, Joe Vasiloff. Every month's class is different and I attended the one in February where we made duck breast prosciutto and duck rillette.
Making charcuterie means curing meat. And curing means you need curing salt. Vasiloff uses this salt recipe full of herbs that he learned from Chef Thomas Keller when he worked at Bouchon in Las Vegas and Beverly Hills.
Posted by gourmetpigs at 9:10 AM 0 comments
Labels: art of charcuterie, cafe pinot, charcuterie making, cooking class, downtown, dtla, duck prosciutto, how to cure meat, joe vasiloff, los angeles, patina group, recipe
I'm already a fan of Sugarfish since it gives you access to good, affordable sushi. Even there, the hand rolls have a special place of their own since Nozawa uses a special seaweed that's really crispy - they always tell you to eat it immediately since the seaweed gets soggy fast. Now, the same company opened up KazuNori in downtown LA, specializing just in these hand rolls.
Just like Sugarfish, the menu is more or less set - you can get a set of 3, 4, or 5 hand rolls. Hand rolls are even cheaper, and the set of 5 hand rolls are only $17.50! I thought I'd be hungry after, so I ordered an extra one, but honestly I was quite full ...
Posted by gourmetpigs at 7:59 AM 0 comments
Labels: cheap sushi, downtown, dtla, hand rolls, kazunori, los angeles, rolls, seaweed, sugarfish, sushi, toro
There are a ton of food events and festivals in Los Angeles, but the All Star Chef Classic plays it a bit different? Ever wanted to watch a cooking show or competition in real life? You can with their events at the Restaurant Stadium, built just for this 4-day affair.
Last year's cabbage with crispy chicken skin from Paul Qui |
Posted by gourmetpigs at 8:23 AM 0 comments
Labels: all star chef classic, cooking competition, food event, food festival, inaki aizpitarte, los angeles, ludo lefebvre, restaurant stadium
Butchers and Barbers in Hollywood is Houston brothers' first venture into the restaurant business. Their bars are known for their themes and secret entrances, but this restaurant has a more classic bistro feel.
Posted by gourmetpigs at 8:13 AM 0 comments
Labels: bar, butchers and barbers, cocktail, hollywood, houston brothers, los angeles, restaurant, steak
When Marugame Monzo opened in Little Tokyo, I was excited for two things. First, the handmade udon means I don't have to drive to Torrance for good udon! Second, two words: uni udon.
Yep, one of the signature items is the Sea Urchin (Uni) Cream udon ($15.95)
Posted by gourmetpigs at 7:29 AM 0 comments
Labels: downtown la, dtla, handmade noodle, handmade udon, little tokyo, los angeles, marugame monzo, noodle, sea urchin, Tempura, udon, uni
Posted by gourmetpigs at 10:46 AM 0 comments
Labels: app, boston, delivery, delivery service, los angeles, mexican food, Postmates, tenoch, torta
Posted by gourmetpigs at 9:10 AM 0 comments
Labels: adam fleischman, chocochicken, chocolate chicken, downtown la, dtla, fried chicken, los angeles
Looking for holiday gifts? Local, artisanal, and most importantly delicious products like B.Toffee would make a great gift. B.Toffee was started by Betsy Thagard and 2009 and the toffees are handmade in Newport Beach. The caramelized sugar is topped with a blend of Guittard and Callebaut chocolate, and finished off with a layer of pecans.
The texture of this toffee is perfect. It's crunchy but in between bites the chocolate melts in your mouth. The caramel is neither too hard nor too sticky. I never thought I would like a toffee this much but I'm kind of addicted to these things. Feel free to send my some for Christmas.
You can order the toffee online at https://btoffee.com/ or check their website for a list of stores that carry them!
Need more gifts? Check out this post for other local foodie gift ideas!
Posted by gourmetpigs at 8:31 AM 0 comments
Labels: artisanal gifts, b toffee, chocolate, gourmet gift, holiday gift guide, local product, los angeles, newport beach, sweets, toffee
Posted by gourmetpigs at 8:37 AM 0 comments
Labels: calle tacos, catering, hollywood, los angeles, mexican, taco, taqueria
By: guest blogger @btsunoda
It’s been my experience that many museums don’t plan for the food and drink interests of their patrons. While visitors may be wowed by the fine art and sculptures, the food offered doesn’t quite match the experience. I recently visited Ray’s and Stark bar and I’m happy to say that I had a very different experience.
Ray’s and Stark Bar is located at the LA County Museum of Art or LACMA.
They opened in 2011 and feature a Mediterranean-inspired menu includes dishes locally obtained ingredients and offerings from their wood-burning oven. They feature seasonal cocktails, a California-centric wine list, and artisan beers and spirits. While the original chef, Kris Morningstar, former sous chef Viet Pham has taken over and keeping the restaurant going strong.
The restaurant is actually situated outdoors from LACMA, next to the BP Grand Entrance to the museum. It is well protected by the elements, covered to shield diners from direct sunlight and a glass partition to isolate noise from busy Wilshire boulevard. Eames-style chairs gave the interior a retro-styled look.
Executive chef Viet Pham is a graduate of the California School of Culinary Arts in Pasadena. His mother helped him to become interested in cooking at an early age. Pham became passionate about the farm to table philosophy when he met Philip Tessier from Bouchon. He has worked at Ray’s and Stark Bar as their sous chef since they opened in 2011 and was promoted to executive chef in the spring of 2014.
Collaboration and teamwork are essential ingredients which make Ray’s and Stark and Bar successful. Viet Pham and “Dragon”, the forager, team up to decide what ultimately gets placed on the menu. Pham credited much of the success of the menu to Dragon because of the knack he has for finding the best fruits and vegetables.
The brainchild of Ray’s and Stark Bar’s water menu is Martin Riese, general manager and certified water sommelier. Flipping through the book, it read much like a wine list, only for water. The water menu included each water’s total dissolved solids, sodium, magnesium and calcium. Because water includes local minerals, it varies greatly, much like wine. Read more about the water menu.
First out of the kitchen was their housemade charcuterie which included duck rillette and truffle chicken liver.
I liberally spread the duck rillette and the truffle chicken liver over the toasted baguette slices and enjoyed both immensely.
Posted by gourmetpigs at 8:30 AM 0 comments
Labels: clams, Lacma, los angeles, mid city, patina group, pizza, pork belly, rays and stark bar, uni spaghetti, viet pham
Did you know that downtown Los Angeles actually has some cool architecture and historic buildings? And did you know that you can take a tour with LA Conservancy to see them?
Not the Biltmore, but a typical beaux artes style nonetheless. |
Posted by gourmetpigs at 8:13 AM 1 comments
Labels: angels flight, Architecture, Art Deco, beaux artes, bradbury building, downtown la, dtla, la conservancy, los angeles, walking tour
One of the latest high end sushi restaurants to open in Los Angeles is Q Sushi in downtown. It's a quiet dining experience: he interior is stark, but certainly well thought out and elegant. The man behind the operation is Chef Hiroyuki Naruke who ran a small sushi bar in Tokyo but moved to Los Angeles after the tsunami in 2011.
Posted by gourmetpigs at 8:32 AM 0 comments
Labels: downtown, dtla, edomae sushi, la, los angeles, omakase, q sushi, sashimi, sushi, toro, uni
First of all, the new Commissary is beautiful. Situated in a green house complete with hanging pots of greenery next to the pool at The Line Hotel in Koreatown, diners can enjoy the LA sunshine all year long. You already kind of feel like you're on vacation when you step in.
Posted by gourmetpigs at 8:35 AM 1 comments
Labels: commissary, greenhouse, koreatown, ktown, la, line hotel, los angeles, Roy choi, schnitzel
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