Los Angeles Michelin Stars, Leaked and Confirmed

Monday, November 12, 2007
Posted By Jonah in category Event

Due to a website SNAFU, the Los Angeles Michelin Stars were leaked this past weekend (including in our own comments). No LA restaurant was given the coveted three star rating. There were 15 One Star and 3 Two Star rated restaurants in the LA premier of the guide. Furthermore, 35 restaurants were awarded Bib Gourmand status (Establishments offering a simple menu at less than $25). Result here.

I will be sitting down with the Michelin Guide’s director, Jean-Luc Naret this afternoon. I have plenty to talk to him about, however if you have anything specific you would like me to ask, please let me know.

The full list of LA Michelin Star Restaurants below:

One Star (*):

Asanebo, Studio City
CUT, Beverly Hills
Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton, Huntington (The), Pasadena
Joe’s, Venice
La Botte, Santa Monica
Matsuhisa, Beverly Hills
Mori Sushi, Los Angeles
Ortolan, Hollywood
Patina, Los Angeles
Providence, Hollywood
Saddle Peak Lodge, Calabasas
Sona, Hollywood
Trattoria Tre Venezie, Pasadena
Valentino, Santa Monica
Water Grill, Los Angeles

Two Stars (**)

Melisse, Santa Monica
Spago, Beverly Hills
Urasawa, Beverly Hills

By Jonah (see more of his posts). Jonah is the founder of la.foodblogging and also created Digesty, a food blog aggregator and Cheww.com, a spam free foodblog search engine.

Seafood City Supermarket - Fish Roulette

Saturday, November 10, 2007
Posted By Rene in category Eagle Rock, Ethnic, Specialty

When it comes to fish, I usually hit a Whole Foods, Bristol Farm or Fish King (in Glendale).

However, the reality is that these upscale markets only offer a limited number of the most popular fish like salmon, halibut, trout and a few others. Nonetheless, you can be assured of excellent fresh fish.

But, if you want a fish adventure and good product at good prices, the place to go is an ethnic market.

Have heard a few people mention that there was a hot new affordable seafood market in the old Eagle Rock Plaza.

A Google search tells me that Seafood City in Eagle Rock Plaza has been there since September 2006.

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I saw many folks scooping up bags of shrimp.

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I have to keep an eye on the cholesterol but I did get some!

But clearly, the fun is the fish …

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I could play it safe and select a type of fish I recognize but what is the fun in that?

So I picked a fish I had never seen before as it looked pretty fresh. I selected a Yellowtail Fusilier that the tag says is from Thailand.

The fish in the above cited web link has the right tail (yellow!), the right body shape but, as you can see, the body color wasn’t quite the same as what I bought.

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Since the fish is from Thailand, I figure the way to go is the Asian way of steaming it.

Cut up matchstick size pieces of ginger and similar sized pieces of green onion. Stuff some into the body and around and on top of the fish. I sprinkled on some garlic powder and in a hat tip to Thai cooking, I put a few slices of lime on top.

Bring the water to a boil and place the dish in the pan and cover so the steam can cook the fish in about 10 minutes.

Drain off most of the liquid that winds up in the bowl. The finishing touch my parent’s taught me was to splash some soy sauce on the fish and then pour some hot oil and voila, moist and tender fish for dinner.

By the way, if you aren’t into fish, the meat section at Seafood City was also doing extremely brisk business and the selections looked good!

Seafood City Supermarket
2700 Colorado Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90041

By Rene (see more of his posts). You can find more of Rene's writing at his own website Rene's Ramblings

Mussels, Moules, Where To Go?

Friday, November 9, 2007
Posted By Jonah in category Dining Plans

I love mussels. Love them. Ever since I was coaxed into trying them at the restaurant I bussed tables for in High School. It didn’t hurt that a pretty college waitress was the one doing the coaxing. Those were mussels marinara (yes, with the tomato sauce) and not mussels marinare which I like even better.

My love affair continued when I was in France on a business trip and my host insisted on us going to a full French lunch which included enormously plump mussels on a half shell. I can still taste them ten years later, with their soupy, herby sauce.

On my next trip to Paris, for New Year’s 200, I ate mussels at least once a day — often for lunch. I did have one misstep, however, when employing my I-can’t-speak-French-so-I-point-at-what-looks-good method of communication. I ended up with more of a mussel casserole which was actually a bit of a chore to eat and the mussel meat was overpowered by the cheesy mass around it.

At a pub in the English countryside, my Aunt’s husband taught me the best way to attack a bowl of mussels. First eating the meat from one shell and then using that shell as a pair of tongs to pull out the little bivalves from the rest of the shells. And of course, no one had to teach me to finish the soup with sturdy pieces of crusty bread.

When we are at my wife’s parents for Christmas and the tide is just right we hike out to Mussel Rock and pull off buckets of mussels using screwdrivers. It is a struggle to get back up the hill with our loot. That’s where I learned about BBQ mussels. We were outside cleaning the bounty and one of our friends tossed some mussels on the grill until they popped open, dripped a little butter and lemon inside and the result was a little taste of heaven.

On occasion I make mussels at home. I have bought them at Whole Foods, Santa Monica Seafood and I think the best batch I got was at the Redondo Beach Pier from one of the live tanks.

At local restaurants I almost never find mussels presented as a full entree, unless they are part of a bouillabaisse, paella or added as more of a garnish. It’s not so uncommon to find them as an appetizer and I am often tempted to make a meal out of that.

So tell me friends, where should I go on my mussel hunt? How are they served? Best for a casual lunch? Point me in the right direction, my dollars wont get me to Paris like they used to.

Photo by SpeedM

By Jonah (see more of his posts). Jonah is the founder of la.foodblogging and also created Digesty, a food blog aggregator and Cheww.com, a spam free foodblog search engine.

L.A. Michelin Stars Announced Nov. 12

Friday, November 2, 2007
Posted By KT in category Event

Michelin Guide

Los Angeles gets its very own Michelin Guide next week! Very soon we will be able to find out which of those restaurants we can’t afford are actually worth it (according to some French dudes). It will actually be very interesting to see how Los Angeles fares, since we’re not exactly an esteemed eating destination on the world stage, even though some of my very favorite restaurants and chefs are right here in this very city.

The big question will be - does any restaurant in LA get the coveted three star rating? Only one restaurant in the Bay Area (French Laundry) received that honor. There are some contenders, but it’s going to be tough to meet the standard. I am rooting for Providence, but it may not have had enough to time to build itself to that level yet.

The restaurants who received stars will be announced on Monday, Nov. 12 at noon. The  list should be all over the LA food blogs at about 12:01.

That night, a reception will be held for the recipient chefs at Le Deux, which strikes me as slightly hilarious, since I don’t think you could have picked a better place to represent exactly why it’s taken so long for L.A. to even get a Michelin Guide. I hope that Mike “Boogie” Malin and his Dolce Group are not holding their breath in anticipation of any stars for themselves, because I just don’t see them forthcoming.

The book will be available starting Nov. 14, and the Barnes & Noble at the Grove will be hosting a panel that evening at 7 p.m. featuring Barbara Fairchild of Bon Appetit, Leslie Brenner of the Los Angeles Times, and Evan Kleiman, chef/owner of my beloved Angeli Caffe and host of KCRW’s Good Food.

The Michelin Guide Las Vegas also comes out later in the week for all you road trippers out there.

By KT (see more of her posts). You can find more of KT's writing at her own website Gastronomy 101.

Mom and Me - Primitivo

Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Posted By Jonah in category Dinner, Westside

My parents were up last weekend for some hang out and dining. Since my mom’s last post went over pretty well, thought we could do a Mom and Me post for our dinner.

Mom: After a bit of discussion with our resident gourmet advisors on Sunday afternoon, it was decided that we would venture over to Primitivo Wine Bistro on Abbot Kinney for an early Sunday supper with Jonah and Suzy. We had plenty to celebrate, including wedding anniversaries, baby-on-the-way, Sunday afternoon and Halloween around-the-corner. We called ahead to reserve a table on the patio at the opening time of 5:30.

Me: The last time I went to Primitivo, it was a spur of the moment dinner after striking out at Cora’s Coffee Shop. Primitivo is consistently crowded and getting in early or with a reservation seems to be the way to go.

Mom: Upon arrival our table was ready and the patio was hopping with a neighborhood family Halloween get together! Wait, it sounds crazier and more intrusive than it was. I am a huge fan of children, just not under foot when I am out for an adult meal. This group of about 30 or so children and adults was corralled in an adjacent part of the patio and was appropriately controlled for the environment. The entire scene was reminiscent of a sort of village bistro where all generations enjoy themselves in close proximity. We sat immediately next to another multi-generational group obviously out to celebrate a family occasion – much like ourselves. It helped that it was a glorious southern California autumn evening. The menu lends itself well to the support of the general ambiance.

Me: The patio was great. The party next to us was passing around a pitcher of sangria and it nearly kept moving to our table. The Halloween party was festive, but not distracting.

Mom: Primitivo’s menu is based on the Italian wine bar/small plates concept with several fantastic choices of smallish entrée- style dishes, as well as hot and cold appetizer and salad selections. I hesitate to use the term “tapas� for these dishes (although they do!) as it conjures up visions of mostly fried or otherwise heavy bar type appetizers that are at most a bite or two in size. The fare on this menu is based on Farmers- market- fresh vegetables, and grains, lean meats and fresh fish with liberal use of various nuts, artisan cheeses and fresh and dried fruit. All are enhanced by innovative preparations and pairings. Actually, 2 dishes make very adequate and delicious meal for one. Taking that route would, however, eliminate the fun of sharing plates and bites around the table.

Me: The entrées are good size, last time we ordered two per person and more than full by the time we left. One way to go is to order everything up front, the kitchen paces things pretty well. The other way to go is to order a few dishes at a time. You can pace yourself that way and decide if you need more dishes, or just more wine!

Mom: We mulled over the menu while munching on authentically chewy, holey Italian bread accompanied by olive tapenade and light aioli mayo. That and our wine selections from the over 100 options of both domestic and old world vintages and one glass of Sangria was a satisfying first taste of what was to come. I was disappointed to discover upon checking the website later, and then my bill, that the Sangria should have come to us at happy hour price and had not. Gracious hospitality dictates that when a special treat is offered, it shouldn’t have to be asked for. It WAS a generous and strongly flavored thirst quencher. The four of us settled on 2 salads and four assorted hot plates to share. The first was a beet salad with micro greens and Roquefort cheese chunks which came out in a stack of finely chopped red and yellow beets, greens so micro we think they may have been omitted and two nice slices of Roquefort.

Me: The other salad was an autumn mix of greens with a pomegranate vinaigrette. The salad was also topped with a generous amount of pomegranate seeds too, I love that. I’m not a big fan of beets, so I concentrated on this salad, but I did steal some of the cheese from the other.

Mom: The main event consisted of four diverse and delectable plates, any of which would have served as a meal in itself. First served out, was a plate of chewy gnocchi in a creamy white cheese sauce tossed with chopped broccolini. The addition of this veggie brightened and somewhat lighten the whole dish. Let me say here that the service was quite efficient, gracious and unobtrusive. It felt as though one was being cared for by professionals who had down the rhythm of providing excellent service. Dishes were served one after the other in perfect intervals to allow for divvying up the dishes onto our plates. Next out was the Pan Roasted Salmon on a bed of a Israeli couscous – a mixture that included pine nuts, dried cranberries and a Citrus Fennel Sauce. The grains alone possessed an amazing chewy, flavorful consistency and are worthy of repetition. A ramekin of fairly straightforward Paella followed with the requisite Chick, Tiger Shrimp, Mussels and Chorizo. Good, solid rendition. Last served was the Roasted chicken on fingerling potatoes and onions. In my book, it is nearly impossible to mess up roasted chicken and Primitivo did not disappoint. It was succulently moist with an abundance of crispy skin. The potatoes had the same characteristics and sat on a bed of sliced, herbed, onion bathed in a buttery sauce.

Me: What can I add? Mom has it covered.

Mom: We found ourselves more than satisfied upon cleaning every morsel from every plate. No room for dessert - this time - although the seasonal Pumpkin Crème Brulee on the list of daily specials was calling our collective names. Walking out into the warm night air we checked off another very satisfying dining experience on the block where we had already enjoyed other such meals at the restaurants immediately each side of Primitivo. Those stories have already been posted!

Me: Great meal, great company…

Primitivo Wine Bistro
1025 Abbot Kinney Blvd
Venice, CA 90291
310-396-5353

By Jonah (see more of his posts). Jonah is the founder of la.foodblogging and also created Digesty, a food blog aggregator and Cheww.com, a spam free foodblog search engine.

Tamale Festival - Meet Me There?

Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Posted By Jonah in category East LA, Event

The 3rd Annual Los Angeles Tamale Festival is being held at MacArthur Park from November 9-11th. I will be there on Saturday, November 10th does anyone want to meet up? If you do, leave a comment in this post with your email address in the email address field (will not be displayed, will not be shared). You can also email me directly at foodblogging [at] gmail .com. I will send an eVite with the time and meeting place.

It seems like I have always been out of town for the festival, so I am looking forward to this one.

Here is Rene’s write up of last year’s festival.

By Jonah (see more of his posts). Jonah is the founder of la.foodblogging and also created Digesty, a food blog aggregator and Cheww.com, a spam free foodblog search engine.

Random Digesty

Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Posted By Jonah in category Digesty

A fun part of my Digesty site is that it reaches back into its archives and gives you a random list of local food posts.

It’s easy enough to share, when I visited this morning, here are some of the posts Digesty gave back:

For those of you who can’t get enough local food content reload this page for a never ending supply.

By Jonah (see more of his posts). Jonah is the founder of la.foodblogging and also created Digesty, a food blog aggregator and Cheww.com, a spam free foodblog search engine.

Cafe Surfas

Monday, October 29, 2007
Posted By Jonah in category Lunch, Westside

cafesurfas_1.gifWe headed over to Surfas to pick up a couple of clothing items for our Halloween costumes. Ours was a busy day with a few other stops, but we timed it so that we could have lunch at the Surfas Cafe.

I had heard mixed reviews, which is the best way to get me to try a place. If I get a bad review, I usually skip it, if I get a great review, my expectations are usually too high. To cut to the chase, my review was that the food was great!

My wife ordered a Buffalo Burger and I went for the Haute Dog. The menu is limited mainly to salads and sandwiches. All of the options looked appetizing and even without a ton of choices, it wasn’t easy to narrow things down. I angled for the sandwiches but that Haute Dog caught my eye.

The Buffalo Burger ($8.95) was juicy and flavorful. It came on their panini bread, topped with onion, arugula, tomato, Fiscalini white cheddar and
Sweet Harissa Mayo. As far as I can remember, it was my first taste of ground buffalo. I agree with my wife who described it as “a more flavorful turkey burger”. The meat was leaner than a beef patty, but much juicier than a turkey patty. Over all the buffalo burger was a winner, well cooked, well topped and with great bread.

My Haute Dog ($7.95) was a smoked venison sausage, split in half lengthwise and sandwiched between two pieces of a French baguette. The dog is topped with horseradish mustard, blue cheese cream, and cioppolini onions. I liked the idea of the blue cheese cream, but the horseradish mustard way overpowered it. The flavors came together though, and the nicely toasted baguette was a perfect wrapper. Like the buffalo burger, I hadn’t had venison sausage before. 2 for 2 on new meats.

There were two soups on the menus that day, potato leek and lima bean. I ordered a cup of the potato leek to share. The soup was good, but was the very thin and brothy, I like my potato leek soups a little thicker. As far as I could tell, there wasn’t any cream either, the broth was the color of the stock (chicken, I assume). The soup wasn’t bad, but wasn’t remarkable either.

We did love the burger and dog. Two unique takes on American classics. I would have pictures, but there were no fewer than three 8×11 signs saying “no photography”. I’m always curious what spawns those types of signs. Is it blogger/yelp/chowhound backlash? Fear of copycats? Seems a little silly to me.

It does take a little while for the food to be prepared, but there is a nice patio to sit on. There isn’t much indoor seating, other than a small bar area.

Service was friendly and courteous. A lot of customers from the main store were in and out of the cafe. Most for some great looking coffee drinks. Others ordered meals and the servers at the cafe announce when the orders are ready over the PA system so customers could hear no matter where they were.

Cafe Surfas
8777 W. Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
310-558-1458
Breakfast Served 8:30AM- 3PM Monday - Saturday, 10AM Sundays
Lunch Served From 11AM- 3PM

By Jonah (see more of his posts). Jonah is the founder of la.foodblogging and also created Digesty, a food blog aggregator and Cheww.com, a spam free foodblog search engine.

RMUX