Please The Palate |

Showcasing the Wines of Porto Carras in Cocktails

Cocktails made with wine? I have had wine based cocktails when the wine base is Port, Sake, Soju, but a cocktail made with Rose, Cabernet and other Greek varietals? My first reaction is that I am a purest when it comes to wine. I don't believe in adding ice cubes or coca cola to wine. But, while visiting Porto Carras, a winery and resort located in the north of Greece, an evening at Calma, the newest bar on property, I was pleasantly surprised with how beautifully the wine cocktails showcase the Porto Carras wines. Bartender Dimitris Galanis is responsible for creating the wine cocktails at Bar Calma at Porto Carras. I met him on the day that he was promoted to supervisor for all of the bars on the resort property, including Bar Calma, two beach bars, and all of the main bars at restaurants in the hotel and marina. This is a well-deserved promotion as Dimitris has been honing his craft for the last eight years at Porto Carras, where he started as a barback, as well as spending the last five winter seasons working behind bars in Prague.

13 August, 2015

#CrudoHour at Culina Beverly Hills

My mouth starts to water when I think of fresh crudo - uncooked fish, thinly sliced and drizzled with olive oil, an acid (such as lemon) and seasonings. A classic Italian dish, there are a handful of Italian restaurants in Los Angeles known for their crudo. With a crudo bar in the center of the restaurant and a variety of crudo dishes on the menu, Culina Restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles is one of these restaurants. In addition to the crudo dishes on the dinner menu, which range from $12-$14, Chef Mette Williams has created four seasonal crudo dishes for #crudohour. And, even better, they only cost $6 each. So head to Culina, grab a seat at the crudo bar and order up.

12 August, 2015

Get Scrappy at Wildcraft Culver City

According to the British Institution of Mechanical Engineers, as of 2013, half of all food worldwide is wasted! Food waste happens from production to processing to consumption and we all need to do our part to reduce this waste. And, that is exactly what Wildcraft in Culver City is doing. A modern Italian tavern, Wildcraft uses fresh seasonal vegetables and their pizza and pasta is handmade. However, there are scraps left over when they are cutting pasta or pieces of vegetables that typically get thrown away. But, not anymore! Not only is Executive Chef Bryant Wigger using the scraps in the kitchen and the bar, but you can enjoy them during happy hour....or shall we say "Scrappy Hour"?

As the saying goes, "one man's trash is another one's treasure." What we may see as scraps, Chef Wigger doesn't see as waste and utilizes kitchen scraps in some of the cocktails and happy hour offerings.

10 August, 2015