Saint Martha: An Ode to the Patron Saint in Koreatown

An unexpected wine bar has opened in the heart of Koreatown with Tart's Chef Nick Erven (formerly Messhall) and sommelier Mary Thompson (formerly Rivera). The warm gougeres is just an amuse of the surprising and delectable dishes to come.

The appetizer puts almost all that is good on one plate - and it worked with the steak and oyster tartare and champagne sabayon, served with hot bone marrow beignets ($13)

Steak and oyster tartare: the combination of these two raw delicacies  was one of those "why didn't I think of that before?" moment.


Sommelier Mary Thompson has done a wonderful job with the wine list, and the servers know their stuff, too. I told my waitress what I liked and she recommended a lovely, crisp, 2012 Wagner Stempel Weissburgunder, Rheinhessen from Germany. This is one of the best new whites I've tried lately.

Read more »

Laurent Quenioux's New Menu at Vertical Wine Bistro (Pasadena)

It's the height of summer and Chef Laurent Quenioux has rolled out a new menu at Pasadena's Vertical Wine Bistro. I hadn't been in for a while but I'm always excited to try LQ's food, especially seeing fried quail on the menu.

Now, when Laurent Quenioux is in charge, you can't miss the cheese plate! For mine, I chose cheese that spanned the whole range: Brillat Savarin Frais (France, cow), Bucheron (California, goat), and Pecorino Foglie di Noce (Italy, sheep). Truffle honey is extra but a must try.

The cheese plate is typically served with berry jam, bell pepper mustard, roasted hazelnut, and baguette, but like I said my favorite condiment is the truffle honey! Especially with the creamy triple-creme Brillat Savarin.

I couldn't settle on a wine, so my server put together a flight instead. I asked for a rose and two reds and received: 2011 Schnaitmann Pinot Noir Rose from Germany, 2012 Boson Pinot Noir from Carneros, 2011 Le Pich Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa

Appropriate for summer, the menu features Watermelon gazpacho with lobster and mango ($11)

Read more »

Giveaway! Tickets to California Beer Festival in San Dimas, September 6

Does drinking craft beers next to a lake (ok, a water reservoir) sound good to you? If so, check out the giveaway below for the California Beer Festival in San Dimas!

On Saturday, September 6, the annual beer festival is coming to the Frank G. Bonelli Park in San Dimas. There will be over 60 beers poured at the event next to Puddingstone Reservoir, along with live music and bocce ball.

Among the breweries that will be pouring there are Hangar 24, Deschutes Brewery, Stone Brewery, Firestone Walker, Sierra Nevada, and many other smaller breweries like Ninkasi from Oregon. There will be food vendors on-site if you need to soak up all the beers.

General admission tickets are $45 which gets you all the beer samples and a souvenir glass, or you can get the VIP ticket for $70 for all that plus specialty brews, early admission, and access to the taco bar. You can purchase tickets here.

Oh, so you want to go for free? Well, luck you. They've offered up two general admission tickets ($45 value each) which gets you a souvenir glass and all the beer samples. There will be food for purchase.

To enter, just follow the directions in the widget. Remember, this giveaway ends on Tuesday, September 26!
a Rafflecopter giveaway