Please The Palate |

What’s Your Perfect Martini?

How do you make your perfect martini? Do you like it with gin or vodka? Do you like it dirty, wet or dry? The original martini, which dates back to the 1880's, was a combination of gin and vermouth. By the 1950's, vodka was introduced to the martini and rose to fame with James Bond. By the 1990's, many variations of martinis were made, using a martini glass and adding fruit juices and other modifiers. This was the time that Lemon Drops, Appletinis and the Cosmo became popular. But, let's got back to the basic martini. A martini is made with 3 ounces of spirits. Pick your gin or vodka and your vermouth (fortified wine) of choice and do what ever ratio combination you want (2:1, 3:0, 1.5:1.5). At a recent event at Big Bar with Absolut Elyx, we got to play with different combinations to come up with our own preferences.

16 November, 2015

Tapas and Brunch are the Perfect Combo at Smoke.Oil.Salt

We all look forward to weekend brunch. It's that filling meal that can take up half the day as we sip on Mimosas or Bloody Marys and hang out with friends. But, my problem with brunch is that I can never decide what I want to eat. I am a fan of sharing lots of dishes so that I can enjoy a lot of flavors in a meal. And, at brunch where I have to pick between savory and sweet can be a challenge. But now I think I found my perfect brunch at Smoke.Oil.Salt. Smoke.Oil.Salt. is known for serving authentic and traditional Spanish foods, meant to be shared, for dinner. And, now, under the guidance of Consulting Executive Chef Ricardo Zarate, they are offering brunch on Sundays from 11am-3pm. Tapas for brunch! With 12 selections on the menu, tapas style is perfect! As a party of two, we ordered 10 of the selections and had no problem eating every course! Overall, you cannot go wrong with any of the egg dishes. No matter how the eggs are prepared, they are perfect - light, fluffy and perfectly cooked. Our favorite dishes were: Pan Tomate con Huevo de Mar (soft scrambled uni eggs, tomato toast, chili oil) - The scrambled eggs are fluffy and soft and almost melt in the mouth. The uni is not dominant but the saltiness comes through.

14 November, 2015

Bar Mattachine – Downtown LA’s First Craft Cocktail Gay Bar

What was once the largest concentration of historic theaters and movie palaces on one street in the nation in the 1920s and 1930s, Broadway in downtown Los Angeles had been a street of disrepair for many years. But now The city of Los Angeles is in the process of revitalizing Broadway and new restaurants and retail stores are starting to open. One of the bars that has opened in the area is Bar Mattachine.

Bar Mattachine, part of a small but growing group of downtown gay bars, isn't just a part of the revitalization of Broadway, but it is also the first gay craft cocktail bar in the area. Bar Mattachine honors and pays tribute to the 1950s Mattachine Society. Created by Harry Hay and a group of Los Angeles male friends, Mattachine Society was one of the earliest gay rights organizations in the United States, built to protect and improve the rights of gay men.

Bar Mattachine is a two story lounge owned by Vianey Vee Delgadillo and Jigger Mercado (Bar 107, The Down and Out, The Little Easy) and Garret McKetchnie (formerly head barman at 1886, Cole's). The cocktail menu includes seventeen cocktails, including nine signature cocktails, six classic cocktails and two frozen drinks.

12 November, 2015