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!
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
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.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
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
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
Thursday, October 15, 2009
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
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
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!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Saturday, August 8, 2009
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
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
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