Product Review: Ile de France Goat Cheese

A few months ago I reviewed a sample of the brie cheese from Ile de France, and since I absolutely loved it, I wasn't about to turn down their sample of goat cheese. The package that was chilled with a couple of ice packs contained La Buchette, their 10.5 oz pack of the plain goat cheese (they also sell ones flavored with herbs).
Since I was out of town, I got to the package a day late but thankfully the ice packs still kept it cool.

When I first opened it, the cheese was so soft and creamy and spread very easily on crackers. The cheese was smooth and rich, slightly salty and had a -- interestingly -- slightly tart flavor to it. This surprised me at first but then I grew to really like it. I loved it paired with some sweet fruits.

You can chill the goat cheese to get it firm and crumbly to sprinkle it on your salad (or your beets, naturally!)

For me, I enjoyed most of mine spread over crackers with a side of champagne grapes.

STK Hell's Kitchen Promotion: Eat What You Watch

I'm sure I wasn't the only one. Iron Chef, Top Chef, etc. You watch what the chefs are cooking on TV and you start to drool over it. You wish you can go eat that item tonight, but there's nowhere in town to get it. Now you can. Well, for Hell's Kitchen anyway.

STK sous chef Ariel Contreras is participating in this season's Hell's Kitchen and starting tonight, STK starts a new promotion called Eat What You Watch.

It's just like the name says. Every Wednesday STK will serve a dish inspired by the Hell's Kitchen episode from the night before.

Last night we watched the Hell's Kitchen episode together with Ariel at STK where her team threw a dice of alphabets and picked ingredients based on that letter. The result? Rabbit, tenderloin, garlic, haricot vert, potatoes.

Tonight STK will be serving Steak with Roasted Garlic, Haricot Vert, and Heirloom Potatoes.

The promotion will continue every Wednesday at both the NYC and LA STK until the end of the season, so if you see something on the show you'd like to actually taste instead of licking the TV, see what STK has to offer the next night.

STK. 755 N La Cienega Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069. (310) 659-3535

Molecular Mixology Events Hit L.A.

Last year, The Bazaar introduced Los Angeles to Molecular Mixology with their cotton candy Magic Mojito and liquid nitrogen Caipirinha.

This year, molecular mixology is gaining ground, but not at bars or restaurants, but at special tasting events around LA.

Last week, Tres Generaciones tequila--a triple-distilled tequila line from Sauza that's aged in Bourbon barrels-- held a tequila cocktails tasting + a teaser taste of molecular mixology at the W Hotel in Westwood.

This Thursday, August 27, event production company Salt of the Earth is collaborating with catering company Epicurean Umbrella to hold a chef's tasting + molecular mixology event (see below for deets).

At the Tres Generaciones event, we first tasted three tequila cocktails each made with a different aged tequila: (from youngest to oldest) plata (unaged), reposado (aged at least 4 months), and anejo (aged 3 years).

1. L.A. Love: Tres Generaciones Reposado, Basil, Granny Smith Apple, Fig, Orange Marmalade & Vanilla
2. Obama-Rita: Tres Generaciones Plata, Brandy, Lime, Fresh Lemon Sour & Triple Sec
3. Bells Will Be Ringing: Tres Generaciones Anejo, Ginger, Fig, Fresh OJ & Vanilla
My favorite was definitely the L.A. Love - most likely because of the basil :P

W Hotel took care of us food-wise too with passed appetizers including (my fave) marinated korean beef skewers.

The three cocktails and the appetizers got us ready for tequila ambassador Eddie Perales to show us how to make some nifty drinks. He showed us muddling techniques and made a cocktail with muddled cucumber - I got a sip of it thanks to Rumdood but failed to get a glass of my own ... unfortunately. It was soo tasty too.
Eddie heated up some tequila with chocolate (tequila-infused chocolate, mind you), strawberries, raspberries, marmalade, and mint in a pan. Drink this warm, straight up - it's better than cider (for me), it has chocolate!
The promised molecular mixology was supposed to be some cotton candy cocktails, but we unfortunately didn't get any cotton candy cocktail because they had trouble with the stove, but did try the tequila-sprayed cotton candies he had on hand.


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This Thursday, August 27th, a unique event is being held at The Mark in West Los Angeles.

The basics: Three hours, three chefs, and three cocktails from San Francisco's Liquid Alchemy.

The setup: One chef will prepared on tasting plate every hour, which will be passed around the room along with the paired cocktail. There will be colored lights showing which chef isin action that hour.

The chefs: Renieri Caceres (Botero, Encore, Las Vegas), Tomas Rivera(co-founder of Salt of the Earth) and Al Gordon (co-founder of Epicurean Umbrella).

The molecular cocktails: Cotton candy martini, Kir Royale with blackberry gelee pearls, and liquid nitrogen in stainless steel rings Micro Basil Gimlet.

The event is held Thursday August 27th, 7-10 PM.
The Mark, 9320 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles 90035.
$52 per person.
Buy tickets here or call (323) 350-0953