Turkey Ice Cream? Thanksgiving Flavors from Portland's Salt and Straw,Now at Joan's on Third

Portland's Salt & Straw small batch ice creams aren't sold anywhere else outside of Portland - other than our very own Joan's On Third, that is! Joan had long been searching for the right ice cream to serve at Joan's On Third, and when they tried Salt & Straw they knew that was the one. They somehow managed to convince cousins Kim and Tyler Malek to partner up. 

Now, not only can you try this farm-to-cone goodness in town, you can also try their fun Thanksgiving flavors. Co-owner Tyler Malek has really gone all the way this year, creating a whole "Thanksgiving dinner" with ice cream.

The first, is the sweet potato and candied pecan ice cream with gooey marshmallow fluff! If you like sweet potato you will love this.

There's "apple cranberry stuffing." This was a celery ice cream with apple cranberry bread pudding.

The celery ice cream is lightly sweet, a perfect vehicle for the bread pudding inside. This was paired with Lanson Brut Champagne.

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Backstage Tour and Turkey Prep for Falstaff at the LA Opera

Being a blogger has some perks, like being invited to cool experiences I normally wouldn't get. Recently I had a backstage tour of the LA Opera to talk about the food preparation for their current performance, Falstaff. Falstaff is a comedic opera by Giuseppe Verdi and is an adaptation of Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor and some scenes from Henry IV. Gluttony is one of the major themes, hence the food preparation!

Lots of cool props from previous operas

We first made our way to the stage. On the stage, that is! It's quite something to be standing on the stage looking at all those seats.

We chatted with the director, Lee Blakeley, about the opera and the various food items he decided to include in the production (although his request for the Yorkshire Parkin cake got replace with a Trader Joe's gingerbread cake, they look close enough from the audience seats). While it's an Italian opera, since it's based on a Shakespeare play he decided to keep everything true to the Shakespeare era. The two towers that appear on stage are a nod to the Globe Theatre.

Seeing everything up close was a pretty neat experience.

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The Bazaar's 5 Year Anniversary Special Menu (SLS Hotel, Beverly Hills)

You may have read that The Bazaar at the SLS Hotel is celebrating their 5 year anniversary with a special $55 tasting menu until this Friday.

Well, I couldn't find what this menu actually entails online, but I went there for dinner last night and thought I should share the menu with you!

So, here it is. The $55 menu starts with pan con queso and pan con jamon, and three starters (chef's selection).

Japanese tacos (unagi in daikon) and jicama-wrapped guacamole

Then, you get to choose three dishes from the options below (click for larger view):

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Revamped Menu and Patio at Sadie Kitchen and Lounge

Sadie Kitchen and Lounge has gone through many chef changes since its opening, and most recently they also revamped their patio dining area to be more lounge-like, although dining tables for larger parties still remain. The lights adorning the walls and trees make this a romantic dining spot at night.

The current chef is Jonathan Moulton, who most recently was at Early Bird in Orange County. He brings many Southern comfort food to Sadie, like these decadent buttermilk biscuits with "red eye butter" ($3)

What is red eye butter, you ask? It has what you love most in the mornings: coffee and bacon!

While many chefs have come and go, mixologist Giovanni Martinez has always remained. Much of the drinks menu remains the same, but there are also many new and seasonal drinks - and they're all excellent. I loved the Negroni Sour (gin, vermouth, campari, nettle cordial, lemon)

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Cozy Comfort at Tart Restaurant

Tart Restaurant on Fairfax had been around do a while but I've always looked over it. Upon walking in for the first time I was pleasantly surprised at how cute the place is.

Both the indoor and outdoor dining areas are charming
Owl lampshades!
 

Biscuits and butter to start

From the appetizer (they're rather big appetizers) we tried the Shrimp 'n grits (beer braised white shrimp with andouille sausage, okra, cheddar grits, topped with sunny side up egg - $12)

They flavor is pretty different than the usual shrimp and grits, but mmm... cheddar grits and runny egg!

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Winemakers Roundtable at Temecula Valley's 4th Annual CRUSH

I had been to Temecula once before this year, but I didn't explore the wineries much and did not realize that the Temecula Valley Wine Country does have good wines. This year I had the opportunity to go on a media trip (thanks to Temecula CVB and the Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association) and visited a lot of wineries, in addition to attending the 4th annual CRUSH gala.

View of Temecula Valley from Callaway Winery

This past September marked Temecula Valley's 4th annual wine event, CRUSH, and it started with a Winemakers Roundtable discussion and wine tasting before the main gala.The roundtable took place in the beautiful barrel room of Callaway Winery.

There were 4 winemakers/winery owners, a wine writer, and the owner of a vineyard management company on the panel. During the panel discussion they talked about their personal history and the growth of Temecula Valley. A lot of people think that Temecula Valley cannot grow good wines because it's so hot, but according to these guys the heat during the day is just fine. Temecula still gets chilly at night and the temperature difference between daytime and nighttime is large enough to allow growing good wines. (Still, they admit that the recent humid monsoonal nights have been problematic).

OK, more on the panel later. Wines first. During the discussion we tasted four wines, one from each of the wineries sitting on the discussion panel.

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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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Sushi Omakase and More at Hamasaku

Full disclaimer: I came here on a hosted media lunch, but I had also come back twice after that on my own dime (granted one of them was using the 30% off from the awesome Blackboard Eats). Hamasaku in West LA has actually been open for many years and is a Zagat favorite, but for some reason I hadn't really heard much about it and had not been until I was invited in. I've missed out! This place was great.

The omakase listed on the menu ($75) actually includes a lot of cooked items, so here's a tip: Go on any other day but Monday and sit at the sushi bar, preferably in front of the sushi chef, Yoya, who used to work at Sashi in Manhattan Beach.

My sushi lunch omakase started with some Uni with fried Yuba (tofu skin)

Big uni pieces and so fresh, but the best part is the contrast with the crunchy yuba. What a wonderful start to my lunch!

Next, a sashimi plate of: Blue fin tuna, aji snapper, young king mackerel, octopus. Served with kabosu (a sort of citrus) paste

Agedashi tofu. I always love the delicately fried agedashi tofu and the broth

 Big eye tuna from Hawaii

This tuna is very rich and fatty, almost like a chu-toro. Loved it. For the sushi they use haiga-mai (half-milled) rice. It's half way between brown and white rice so it has more nutrients than white rice but tastes just like white rice.

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A Lesson in Rum And Cocktails With Shellback Rum

A Shellbacker is someone who's crossed the equator. Shellback is also the name of a rum made in Barbados, claimed to be the birth place of rum according to the oldest document found thus far documenting rum being made (from 1651). They're one of the affordable rums (about $15 a bottle) and come in both silver and spiced rum. 

They had sent me a box containing both of them and while the rum is affordable, they sure sent them in a fancy box with my name engraved on it!

The silver rum was pretty smooth and they both make good mixing rums. I didn't know what to make with them though (other than the classic rum cocktails that I usually drink), so when I was invited to a tasting and mixology workshop with Tony Abou-Ganim, the Modern Mixologist, I figured it's a great chance to get some creative recipes. 

Before making cocktails, we had to learn how to properly taste rum. Tony told us to put our nose in the glass but breathe through the mouth. Then we rinse the mouth with the rum itself. We get a saliva drip in the back of the mouth which is a good indication of acidity. As I said when I tasted it at home, the rum is pretty smooth.

Barbados style rum is unique in Caribbean because it is a blend of pot stilled and column still. The silver rum tasted of burnt sugar, honey, banana, vanilla, and caramel.
The spiced rum had seven natural spices added: Vanilla, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, cinnamon, cassia, ginger. It has the aroma of caramel butterscotch and is rich with a luscious mouthfeel. It's hot as it runs down your throat. There's a bit of acidity and a lingering finish but it's a clean finish.

Now, on to cocktails! He gave us three recipes.

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Touring Artisanal Shops in Old Town Temecula

During a recent press trip to Temecula Valley Wine Country (thanks to Temecula CVB and the Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association), we also got a little tour of Old Town Temecula's artisanal shops from an olive oil store, a lavender store, a sweets shop, and a spice and tea shop.

Our first stop was Temecula Olive Oil Company. The building used to be a saloon and brothel but before the olive oil tasting we headed upstairs for breakfast first, catered by E. A. T ("Extraordinary Artisan Table"), located 5-10 minutes outside of Old Town.

EAT sources ingredients from local producers and even make their own almond milk for morning coffee. We had tomatoes that were picked just the day before.

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Handmade Pastas and Charcuterie at Desco (Oakland, CA)

Desco is a gorgeous new restaurant in Oakland from Donato Scotti who owns Donato Enoteco in Redwood City, serving house made charcuterie and pastas.

Desco's bright and spacious dining room

I had dinner there with a couple of vegetarian friends, but I indulged in plenty of meat on my own. I started with a platter of three house-made charcuterie that seemed to be much more reasonable than the ones I find in LA. The Piatto della casa (smoked duck, lamb prosciutto, rabbit terrine ) is only $10

It's quite the charcuterie plate for $10! The lamb prosciutto was aged for 3 months and the rabbit terrine was drizzled with extra vecchio (extra old) balsamico.

There's a small list of classic cocktails ($10 each), but they're made well and included drinks like Pegu Club. The Old Fashioned was quite nice and they have a good selection of gin and whisky.


The thing you must get here is the handmade Casonsei ($12). Casonsei is a type of filled pasta from Bergamo in Lombardi region, where the chef is from. It is filled with pork and amaretto cookie crumbs, then topped with brown butter and guanciale. 

I absolutely loved it. The pasta had very nice thickness and texture. The pork inside is very tender, perfect with the crispy guanciale. This pasta was so delicious, I couldn't stop eating despite having another entree coming ..

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Halloween Deals and Specials!

Forget parties with a high cover charge, a lot of bars and restaurants are throwing deals and specials! Here's where to drink on the cheap for Halloween:

First of all, there's a Boos for Booze bar crawl along Washington Blvd in Culver City. Deets:

Crawl kicks off at A-Frame from 5-7pm
Serving: Furikake Kettle Corn and Heirloom Pickles - $6, The Omen (Rye Whiskey, Yellow Chartreuse, Imbue Petal & Thorn, Lemon) - $6

Crawl moves to Waterloo & City from 7-9pm
Serving: Scotch Egg with Piccalilli - $4, Waterloo Scary PubTail (Mezcal, Blood Orange, Serrano Chilies) - $6

Crawl culminates at The Corner Door, 9pm

Serving: Fried Chicken Sandwich - $7,  Halloween Punch - Ginger & Mary Ann (Bourbon, House Made Spiced Apple Cordial, Lemon, Lime, Ginger, Prosecco) - $6

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Or, if you'd rather stay put at one place and drink all day/night, Ricardo Zarate's restaurants are giving you open bar deals:

Picca. 9575 West Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90035

www.piccaperu.com

310-277-0133

9:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m:

·         Welcome shot for those dressed in costume

·         $20 open bar to those who enjoyed dinner earlier in the evening

·         $25 open bar to general public

·         Includes: Pisco Halloween Punch, Peruvian beer, and house wines

Tricks: Costume contest, “Thriller” dance competition, and bobbing for apples  

Treats: 20% off New Year’s Eve Dinner, “Spooky Gift Bags,” and a surprise grand prize

Mo-chica. 517 West 7^th Street, Downtown Los Angeles, CA 90014

www.mo-chica.com

213-622-3744

                                                 

11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.

·         Welcome shot for those dressed in costume

·         $25 open bar: Pisco Halloween Punch, Peruvian beer, and house wines

2:30 p.m.-10:00 p.m:  Happy Hour- 20% off entire bill

Tricks: Costume contest, dance competition

Treats: Gift certificates and “Spook Gift Bags”

  

Paiche. 13488 Maxella Avenue, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292

www.paichela.com

310-893-6100

            2:30 p.m.-10:00 p.m:   $25 open bar with special-themed cocktails, beer, and house wine

9:00 p.m.-midnight:    666 Menu featuring 6 dishes for $6 each

Tricks: Raffle, Costume contest
Treats: One-hour mixology class with Mixologist Deysi Alvarez, one-hour cooking class with Ricardo Lopez, and more

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Thirsty Crow in Silverlake is also throwing a Dead Celebrity Party starting at 9pm with $5 "blood punch" and a costume contest

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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Media Conference and Lunch at the Korean Food Fair Trade Show [sponsored]

Before checking out the Korean Food Fair trade show, I attended a media conference and lunch. The Korean agriculture department signed a contract with Unified Grocers in the US, and I learned that seaweed is the #1 exported food product of South Korea. 

Chefs Cathlyn Choi and Bernard Guillas also had a panel talking about Korean food. Chef Guillas fell in love with Korean food and even put dukbokki on the menu of his restaurant, The Marine Room in San Diego. We tried a dish he made using Korean pears: Salmon on pickled pear with sesame leaf and masago

Fellow writer Barbara Hansen winning a gift certificate to Wi Spa

There are three types of fermented food in Korea: kimchi, fermented sauces, and fermented seafood. But these can be used in other types of food. Our lunch made by Chef Myung was half "fusion" - Western style dishes made with Korean ingredients or sauces, while the other half was traditional Korean food.

Lamb chops in soy sauce

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New Finds at Korean Food Fair Trade Show

I recently went to the Korean Food Fair trade show. It's a business to business trade show. This trade show was only open to buyers and big retailers, but as media I still got to look around and sampled a bit of what was there. 

While some brands are already distributed in the US, at least half were products that are still looking for distribution. One of the things I tried and enjoyed was this seaweed snack (laver snack). So, the number one exported product out of South Korea is dried seaweed! Yet unlike regular seaweed they actually put a thin slice of cracker between seaweed, giving it a crunchier texture that's better for snacking!

I also like tasting the teas from Hankook Tea. They had things like persimmon tea leaves, and one of the most interesting ones was the hydrangea leaf tea.

Because of the container we really saw what was inside the tea, and it really just was the leaves, yet it was surprisingly sweet! There was no sweetener added, hydrangea leaves just contain a substance called phyllodulcin that is naturally sweet.

I don't know if this is currently being imported into the US, but I sure hope so!

Pork Chop and Beers at Carson House (Beverly Hills, CA)

Sure there are an abundance of gastropubs in LA, but you can't say the same of Beverly Hills. In fact, Carson House on Wilshire Blvd may be one of the only ones offering such a big beer selection. 

I've been to Carson House once for lunch and once for dinner.

For lunch they serve sandwiches, pizza, and a few entree dishes like this roasted salmon with forbidden rice. 

Perfect for a nice, healthy lunch.

I indulged more during dinner. We started with the Grilled watermelon salad, heirloom tomato, basil, Dutch feta, lemon vinaigrette

I really liked the combination of flavors here. The feta was not crumbled but served as a whole slice which added to the texture contrast of the salad. I thought this really distinguished the salad from the usual watermelon feta combo.

Chicken lollipops (chicken meatballs, buffalo plum glaze, blue cheese whip)

These are a little spicy! Luckily the blue cheese whip is there to curb the spiciness.

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