New Year's Resolution

I recently had the opportunity to hear Mark Bittman speak to a packed audience about his food philosophy. Happily, the discussion mirrored my own approach to a healthful, convenient and delicious diet. He describes himself as a "home cook", a title to which anyone with a working kitchen can ascribe themselves. His everyman approach (and his love affair with the food processor) inspired me to gift his latest cookbook, Food Matters, to my mom (who shares his unnatural desire for the food processor).

In this latest tome (quite large for kitchen countertop cooking), Bittman expounds upon the necessity of bringing food closer to home, and cooking back into the home. These are simple ways to foster nurishment of our bodies, families, communities and farmland. I challenge you to incorporate home cooking into your inevitable "lose 10 pounds" New Year's Resolution. "By becoming a cook, you can leave processed foods behind, creating more healthful, less expensive and better-tasting food that requires less energy, water and land per calorie and reduces our carbon footprint. Not a bad result for us — or the planet," Mark Bittman, NY Times, December 31st.

Drop the Bottle Habit

I commend the Florence water utility, Publiacqua, for attempting to break the water bottle habit. Too often I attend environmental meetings and food security meetings to see more than 85% of the attendees are drinking from brand-name, one-use, plastic bottles. This is the exact audience that should be setting an example for others to follow. I refill and bring my 16 oz., BPA-free, reusable bottle with me always. It is crucial that we all take steps to reduce our dependency on water bottles and the commercialization of a resource. Please follow my example and purchase your reusable bottle and remember to use it!

Pie in the Sky

Yesterday, I had the privilege of competing in my first pie contest at the Malibu Pie Festival. This was the 21st Annual Malibu Pie Festival hosted by the Malibu United Methodist Church. There were over eight pie categories. I entered the Fruit Pie category - blueberry pie with a streusel crumble.








I dropped off the pie early in the morning, and I now know how my mom felt leaving me on the first day of kindergarten. It was so hard to hand over my baby to fend for herself in the Fruit Pie category. When I returned for the pie eating and judging, I was very excited to see that my pie was a definite crowd favorite. It was the first pie to sell out! Later that afternoon, I happily accepted a Third Place Ribbon in the Fruit Pie Category. I can't wait for next year!

Thanks, LA Observed!

Yesterday, I became the 5,000th Twitter follower of @LAObserved. Thanks for the shoutout LA Observed! http://bit.ly/co8B7y

A Break from Work

Culver City lunch spots cater to broad audiences from self-acclaimed foodies and health-nuts to deli lovers. The city has a wide-swath of lunch options that will deliver a short respite from the rat race.

Tender Greens

One of the most established restaurants in Culver's downtown revival, this cafeteria-style restaurant serves up hot and cold entrees. The assembly-line, open kitchen serves up food as quickly as your school cafeteria, but with fresh, organic ingredients that appeal to the vegetarian and meat-lover alike.

9523 Culver Blvd. - 310.842.8300 - tendergreensfood.com

Choppe Choppe

The recently renamed (previously Skratch) lunch spot aims to please the on-the-go diner. They have an efficient order and pay system that moves patrons from the chalk board menu to the outdoor seating. This healthful, flavorful lunch option is a surefire pit stop.

3867 Hughes Ave. - 310.558.3400 - choppe-choppe.com

Roll N' Rye

Los Angelenos are deeply dived on the best delis in the city, but here you will find an inviting and satisfying Jewish deli. Diners have the option of booths or stools at the counter and will never leave hungry with large portions and a matzah ball the size of a grapefruit.

10990 Jefferson Blvd. - 310.390.3497

M Cafe

By far teh most health-conscious lunch choice, M Cafe expounds a "contemporary macrobiotic cuisine" which simply means no refined sugar, eggs, dairy, red meat or poultry are used. Some may ask what makes the food so flavorful, but you can taste it in the global approach to seasoning.

9343 Culver Blvd. - 310.838.4300 - mcafedechaya.com

Cafe Surfas

You may already be familiar with Surfas, the famous cooking supply store of the same name. This cafe, attached to the store, rings true with its customer base providing clean, inspired lunch options. The soups, salads and sandwiches remind us why cold cuts just don't cut it.

8777 W Washington Blvd. - 310.558.1458 - cafesurfas.com

Surfas + BeeGreenFarm

Bettina with BeeGreenFarm was at Surfas this morning selling seedlings - tomoatoes, rhubarb, spicy greens, you name it. All of the seedlings were certified organic. I got some beautiful roma and heirloom tomato seedlings. She had some great tips on using ordinary home by-products to increase the health of your garden. The most interesting tip - use ashes from a campfire or firepit to increase the potassium in your plants. I would encourage home gardeners to visit Bettina next Saturday at Surfas from 1 - 4 p.m.

Surfas
8777 W Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90230
(310) 559-4770
www.surfaslosangeles.com/

Colorful Dining

Samosa House East's curries are as colorful as its decor and clientele. The Crayola-colored dining room is filled with families, foodies and tattoo artists. This is the new branch of the original Culver City dining option of the same name. Vegetable curries of all varieties come in an affordable combination plate ($7.99).

There was a line to the door (or out of it) for my entire meal. This was due to popularity of the newest Culver City restaurant, but could have been remedied with an additional person behind the counter dishing out the delicious curries. The counter could also be shortened by about two inches - the height of the counter required both server and me to stand on our tippy-toes to hear each other.

The dining room had both private and community tables which was condusive to fast dining without the guilt of french fries. Samosa House East is a nice compliment to a rather junky area of Culver City. I can only hope it inspire other restaurants to consider developing another downtown.

Samosa House East
10700 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
310.398.6766
http://www.samosahouse.net/Samosa_House/Home.html

Aspen in Moderation

While my boyfriend and I may have felt significantly out-classed in Aspen this New Year's, it wasn't hard to find a place for bourgeois Midwesterners like ourselves. The sparkle of the glitterati often diminished our presence at trendy, food-centric restaurants. We should have expected this, but we didn't have the same experience during our previous summertime visit. However, the winter clientele was certainly a step-up.

On our first evening we visited the revamped Escape. The renovated interior and improved vegetarian menu were an overt effort to attract Aspen's wealthiest. However, we were treated hospitably and enjoyed a great and filling vegetarian dinner.

We continually visited The Main Street Bakery for breakfast. This is a true, greasy-spoon diner where they aren't afraid to offer community tables. Some of the guests chose to wait for private tables (mind you they were less than two feet away from the next closest table). We weren't too proud to mix with the commoners, wait, maybe that's because we WERE the commoners.

One of the newest restaurants in Aspen, Ute City, didn't treat us with the same friendly care. There seemed to be absolutely no cohesion or cooperation between the three hosts at the front. We were made to wait over 25 minutes for our reservation and once seated were practically IN the kitchen - and not at the chef's table. To create ambience, the restaurant had a grand piano and a jazz quartet. The live music made it necessary to yell at my companion - and in my mind, contributed to the 25 minute wait and the pretentious atmosphere.

We discovered the Double Dog Bar towards the end of our visit, but returned twice. This was a relaxing, apres-ski bar with table shuffle board and parlor games available. We rang in the New Year with complimentary hats and noise-makers.

By the end of the week, we had no complex about the women dripping in furs, diamonds and gold. The vacation was what we made of it.

On another note, I must commend the Aspen Valley Hospital, the medic crew on Buttermilk and the cab drivers in Aspen. I tore my ACL skiing and was treated very well by all involved!

Grilled Persimmon Spinach Salad

This beautiful, fall fruit is available for only a few short weeks. Grilling the persimmons warms the salad and softens the dense fruit.

Dressing
4 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. honey mustard
1 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste

Salad
Two peeled fuyu persimmons
Spinach
Red Onion
Dry Aged Cheddar
Candied Walnuts

Dressing

1. Pour in small bowl olive oil, honey mustard and honey.
2. Sprinkle in nutmeg, salt and pepper.
3. Whisk briskly with fork until oil, mustard and honey combine into a creamy liquid.

Salad

1. Wash the spinach.
2. Peel, slice and separate four sections of red onion.
3. Grate the cheddar.
4. Slice persimmons into large sections, place on hot grill, flip when grill marks appear on fruit.
5. Combine in large bowl spinach, red onion, candied walnuts, persimmons and cheddar.
6. Drizzle dressing over the salad.

A penny for your tapas?

My eyes dart from perfectly stacked books to flat screens projecting portraits of Tudor kings. I pause to stare at glass cases where oddities from an encrusted, oyster-shucking glove to a miniature Titanic replica rest. I was unsure if I had just entered Ripley’s Believe It Or Not or my dinner destination. The Bazaar by José Andrés has created much excitement in the Los Angeles food scene for its delightful, unexpected tapas selections as well as its tactile, carnival-esque décor.

Andrés has attracted much attention during his culinary career through cookbooks, television appearances and accolades. Many credit the chef with bringing Spanish-style tapas to American diners. The Bazaar is his first restaurant outside Washington, D.C. His four other restaurants, Zaytinya, Oyamel, Jaleo and Café Atlantico, serve versions of tapas and mezze within the Beltway.

Previously enjoying his other restaurants, I had been eager to visit The Bazaar. I put on my highest high-heels, my tightest jeans and hippest top to enjoy the DineLA prix fixe menu. However, my efforts to achieve the effortless look of cool fell flat at the hostess stand. Even on a weeknight, I was made to wait thirty minutes past my reservation. If it was a ploy to weed out the uncool, but hungry crowds, they didn’t know they had met their match. My date and I were encouraged to wait at the bar until our table was ready, but our stomachs told us to hover until the hostess understood that we weren’t going to ignore our grumbling stomachs.

I finally leaned back in a white armchair, margarita with a sea salt foam top in hand, to peruse the menu. Maybe we seemed hipper sitting down, or maybe he understood our attempts at cool, regardless, the server was much more welcoming than the hostess. He had a strong interest to ensure we appreciated the inventive menu as much as he did. He explained the menu concept and how the restaurant provided a large value for the DineLA menu – I agree with him. I had waited to visit The Bazaar, because its tapas selection can sink any young professionals’ monthly budget. However, I found the restaurant week menu to be one of the few that provided a real experience of the restaurant by allowing the diner to choose three tapas from its regular menu as the entrée portion of the meal.

The food arrived as it was fired, similarly to what I had experienced at Andrés’ other restaurants. I ordered a smooth, watermelon-colored gazpacho that arrived first. The dishes then started to come out quickly allowing me to hop from different flavors, colors and textures. A manchengo cheese bread woke up my gazpacho-cooled taste buds. The perfectly cooked beef hanger steak with piquillo pepper confit melted into the Ottoman carrot fritters. Perhaps the most interesting plate was the “philly cheese steak” on air bread, unlike any sandwich I have ever eaten.

At the end of our gluttonous entrée course, our server informed us that we would now be escorted to the Patisserie for our desert course. I now had visited or been encouraged to visit all three portions of the restaurant. Whether this was a conscious decision to create a choreographed dining experience or to simply turn the tables faster, it seemed abrupt. While we received polite service from our waiter in the Patisserie, a bond had been created with our server as he led us through our meal. Shuttling us to another table broke the connections.

Even though we were displaced for desert, the flan made up for the injustice. My date and I savored the opportunity to visit The Bazaar. We are now starting a penny jar to fund our next visit – only 5,000 more to save.

The Bazaar by José Andrés
465 S. La Cienega Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90048
310-246-5567
www.thebazaar.com

Read: "From Market to Menu: An Interview With Chef Neal Fraser"

Another great post on LAist from Eli Sussman of Freshman in the Kitchen. http://bit.ly/1HFTIo

MIA

I apologize to my readers (if you're still out there) that I haven't posted anything in quite a long time. I am not on a hunger strike, just very busy with my real job. I visited The Bazaar for DineLA Restaurant Week and will have a post soon - lots to discuss!

Now Tweeting

Find sporadic updates on LA food events and my restaurant visits on Twitter - @frontofthehouse.

For Indian Ask a Brit

One of the only cuisines I crave from time to time seems to be Indian. I found my love of it in London. The Brits truly have adopted the cuisine, and perhaps have made it their own. Former UK Foreign Secretary Robin Cook dubbed chicken tikka masala as "Britain's true national dish." Naturally, a British colleague of mine recommended several local restaurants.

His suggestion led me to Bombay Cafe. The unassuming restaurant really lent itself to a relaxing dinner. The casual dining room with several large, family style parties made the experience all the more enjoyable. I really love to see people connecting over food - sharing, tasting, laughing - cheesy, I know.

There was service with a smile. Our non-Indian server had a vast knowledge of the menu and a true understanding of the food - I only distinguish, because many Americans are left in the dark when it comes to South Asian food, and particularly curries. The chutneys were superb, particularly the tamarind served with the vegetable samosas. The curries were pureed without a hint of heaviness to the sauce. To top our meal off, they also served a variety of Indian lagers - delicious to wash everything down with. Cheers to the suggestion.

Bombay Cafe
12021 West Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90064
310.473.3388
www.bombaycafe-la.com

JAR + steak = GOOD

Perhaps somewhat uninspired by Top Chef Masters, I thought I would see if visiting contestant Suzanne Tracht's LA restaurant, JAR, would sate me until Padma and Tom return. From her winning meal on the show, I didn't expect the steakhouse offerings on the menu. The atmosphere was sparse, but my date and I were tucked in a cute corner with a view of the restaurant, service and celebs (of which there were several, I can't speak to the popularity pre-show vs. post-show).

While our initial service was a little slow - we waited for our water until I was parched and for our bread until my date asked for it. However, once a couple of the nearby tables turned the service improved. I would strongly recommend patrons to bring a notepad for the specials. There were far too many to comprehend and review - choice is great, but give me a written description. However, the server's ability to rattle off what seemed to be the table of contents for Joy of Cooking was impressive.

I wasn't looking for, nor expecting steak that evening, but as it appeared to be a large portion of the menu options I decided I should try the filet. It was beautifully cooked with a great taramind sauce. I would still rank the filet at Wolfgang's in Beverly Hills slightly higher, but it could have been the martinis that night!

Our service remained somewhat attentive, but for the price of the meal, I would have liked the servers to have smaller sections to encourage a more personal touch. With a steak of that caliber and a slightly more intimate relationship with the server could have elevated the meal to an experience.

A visit to JAR will however, soothe your foodie needs until a new season of Top Chef.

JAR
8225 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA
323.655.6566
http://www.thejar.com/

Read: "From Market to Menu: An Interview With Chef Ben Ford"

A friend of mine, Eli Sussman, moonlight-chef, caterer and published cookbook author (Freshman in the Kitchen) has interviewed Chef Ben Ford for LAist. Here's the link - http://laist.com/2009/07/06/from_market_to_menu_an_interview_wi.php - enjoy!

South of the Border

In my quest for the best chile rellenos in the city, I tend to patronize small, authentic (some not as much as others) Mexican restaurants. I visited Mexico for dinner - the brand new restaurant in heart of West Hollywood. The chile rellenos were great with a rare smoky flavor from the wood-burning oven in the kitchen.

The service was really a treat. Visitors could feel that the wait staff had gelled perfectly and all employees were happy employees. At one point, I caught the manager dancing to the contemporary Mexican music playing on the stereo. While some Mexican restaurants go for kitchy, Mexico went for a fun, vibrant atmosphere. The pink, turquoise and orange decor seemed a little much at first, but as the sun went down the candles made everyone glow (good for a date or after dinner drink). If I had to critique one thing, my date ordered skirt steak (really yummy) and wasn't given a steak knife - but it really was tender enough to simply pull apart.



For Doors fans, the restaurant is housed in the same building in which LA Woman was recorded - in the bathroom actually.

Mexico
8512 Santa Monica Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069
310.289.0088
http://www.gogomexico.com/index.html

Happy Anniversary, Gordon Ramsay

The London-West Hollywood threw a one-year anniversary party for the Gordon Ramsay, and the chef who lent his name to the restaurant. The hostesses (there were four of them) were very welcoming and eager to show me to the reception. I would have liked to have not seen the guest list, but one of the hostesses was highlighting arrivals on a piece of paper on top, rather than behind the stand. The reception was held in the bar and sunroom of the restaurant - I entered the reception into the bar, which was like an up-scale English pub, lots of wood and dark lighting, then I entered the sunroom with great views of the city.

The restaurant offerred complimentary champagne and cocktails (FYI: my invitation noted that all dinner guests will recieve a complimentary glass of champagne throughout the month of June). I ordered the English Rose cocktail and started looking for the food. The servers were friendly and circulating nicely with appetizer options. I was surprised to see Gordon at the event, also circulating nicely.

The appetizers were vaguely disappointing. Lamb burgers, temperate and slightly dry. Chocolate cake, as heavy as a brick. Crispy ham on flatbread with balsamic glaze, warm and satisfying. Shrimp with cherry gazphaco, different and refreshing. Tiramisu, light with a nice coffee end-note. Panna cotta with caviar, one bite and a glup of my cocktail.

While the restaurant was sold to the LXR Luxury Resorts in March by Gordon Ramsay Holdings, it was nice to see that the restaurant was still operating in coordination with the chef. But one has to wonder whether the restaurant and hotel are floundering in the luxury boutique hotel market.

Gordon Ramsay at the London West Hollywood
1020 N. San Vincente Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069
310.358.7788
http://www.gordonramsay.com/gratthelondonwh/

If It Smells Like Urine, GET OUT!

Last week I was in our nation's capitol for work. I had previously lived there for two years before moving to Los Angeles several months ago. Mostly things have remained the same - the same poilitical junkies, the same Hill issues, the same food. DC has been slowly evolving into a culinary city, but it is taking its sweet time - I guess that's just how things move south of the Mason-Dixon line. I hit a couple of my favorites on the Hill.

I met up with friends at the new Matchbox location for pizza and sliders (because that's what you get at Matchbox - anything else is a waste of time). The new venue had the same decor as it's older brother in Chinatown, but they have solved the noise-level issues, added sidewalk seating and large french doors. The open feeling is a welcome offset to the industrial brick and metal piping, but I can't imagine will be open much after the first heat and humidity wave hits the city. Our server seemed overwhelmed by our large party, and was very concerned that she was forgetting something. She thought our table was too easy for such a large group - give us food and beer and we become pretty easy going. She was sweet, but not a professional server.

I grabbed lunch at Good Stuff Eatery. The opening of this restaurant created quite a stir with Hill staffers when it opened about nine months ago - it could have been a prayer answered for a new lunch spot or could have been it's famous chef/restaurantuer, Spike from Top Chef, Season 4. After the crush of curious onlookers, the lunch business remained steady. There was a continuous stream of patrons, but the only difference was the much more efficient behind the counter staff. The grill and cashier system moved quickly, which prevented the lines once seen down the block.

One other thing that hasn't changed was the terrible taxi system in DC. My colleague and I had our concierge call a cab service for us, so we could pay with credit card (I would say about 10 cabs in the city have the ability to pay by credit card). Well, it was about 20 minutes late, smelled like the SW fish market (later I learned it was a musty urine smell) and the credit card machine didn't accept three different cards. Earl gave us a little attitude when we suggested it was his credit card machine, not our corporate cards. Well, I directed him to an ATM in L'Efant Plaza, because he didn't know where it was - thank goodness I lived in the city for two years - got cash and sat in traffic that we desperately tried to avoid. We finally made it to Dulles with 15 minutes to spare before our flight. To top it all off - my colleague then informed me that while I was getting cash that Earl urinated in a bottle, poured it out the window, sealed it and put it in the passenger's seat. My lesson - wait for another cab if it smells like urine!

Matchbox - Capitol Hill
521 8th St., SE
Washington, DC 20003
202.548.0369
http://www.matchboxdc.com/capitolhill.shtml

Good Stuff Eatery
303 Pennsylvania Ave., SE
Washington, DC 20003
202.543.8222
http://goodstuffeatery.com

Cecconi's

The newest restaurant in town is a British import.  Cecconi's is the hot spot of West Hollywood for now.  I went on a Sunday night - the bar was full of gold diggers and the men they want to sleep with.  I had a reservation and was seated immediately in a charming two-top set in french doors looking onto the patio.  This was the perch for people watching.  The decor matched the glitzy diners - with turquoise leather seats, crystal chandeliers, and white and black marble floors.  

The wait for our server to greet us became too long, so the floor manager came to greet us with water and to take our drink order.  Soon after, our server - a cheerful, chimpmunk-like woman - came to explain the specials.  Unfortunately, we were again greeted by the manager after a wait to take our order.  It seemed as if the glitterati-filled, eight-top next to us was demanding the time of our server, and their own.  Our server had suggested the risotto as a particular favorite, so my companion and I both ordered a different risotto - mine the summer squash with aged balsamic, his the special of truffled risotto.  The manager very stealthily suggested to my companion that the risotto may not be enough, so we ordered the side of arugula and parmesan.  

My risotto was delicious, light and perfectly suited for the change of seasons.  My companion's risotto was good, but not worth the $40 we were later charged.  Beware the specials - the risotto on special was more than twice what we paid for the risotto on the menu.  The risotto dishes turned out to be more than enough for both of us, but as my companion observed for his meal it was nice to have the small salad as a change of flavor from the overwhelming truffle taste.  

Our server was relieved of some of her duties from the table next to us, so we got her for the end of the meal and dessert.  However, we were disappointed to learn that the ricotta cheesecake we wanted might or might not have nuts in the crust (my companion is allergic) as it was a new dish and the pastry chef was not in we could not be sure.  We passed on dessert; got our check; and went to get the car from valet.  Disclaimer: the valet only accepts cash; there is no ATM within walking distance; and the host was disinclined to make change.  We had just enough to pay for the valet, but no tip.  The party behind us didn't have the cash to pay for the valet.  Moral of the story - bring cash, bring glasses for people watching, and bring patience if you are a nobody.  

Cecconi's 

8764 Melrose Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 

310.432.2000

http://www.cecconiswesthollywood.com/