Please The Palate |

Please The Palate Pick of the Week: The Impossible Burger at Umami Burger

I am an omnivore. I like food. I do not restrict myself and jump on trendy bandwagons of "no gluten", "no dairy" or "no meat". And as much as I love vegetables, I do not like the idea of meat replacements. In fact, when I went to the launch of a new product this week and they said it was about "using science for the creation of their product", I found those words concerning and unnatural. But, then they brought out the Impossible Burger, a meatless burger that is now available at nine Umami Burgers, as well as at 10 other restaurants across the country, I was wowed. It looked just like a hamburger but in fact, it is a vegetarian burger for meat lovers. And that is why it is the Please The Palate "pick of the week."

Impossible Foods was founded in 2011 by Patrick O. Brown, M.D. Ph.D., Professor Emeritus in Stanford University's Biochemistry Department and a 40-year vegetarian. Brown wants to make the global food system more sustainable. He explained that cows are the "most destructive technology on earth." People love to eat beef but cows will do irreparable damage to the earth as they produce emissions. As a result, Brown is focused on producing meat and dairy products from plants, which have a lower environmental footprint. In fact, the Impossible Burger uses 1/8 of greenhouse gasses, 1/20 of the land and will reduce water consumption by one billion gallons per year.

20 May, 2017

Even the Rain Could Not Stop the 2nd Annual Masters of Taste

As the saying goes, "April showers bring May flowers", but in Los Angeles that saying rarely applies. Here we are in the beginning of May, ready to enjoy the spring weather. But, last weekend, while the sun was shining, the clouds were grey and the rain was looming as the 2nd Annual Masters of Taste LA was getting ready to start. As we entered the iconic Rose Bowl in Pasadena, we were ready, just in case, and we had our rain jackets and umbrella.

Masters of Taste brought together more than fifty chefs and restaurants, as well as wine, beer, spirits, cider and non-alcoholic purveyors. More than 2000 people bought tickets to attend the event. A football field filled with food and drink is reason enough to attend the Masters of Taste but all the more so because 100 percent of the proceeds go to Union Station Homeless Services which assists the city's homeless.

11 May, 2017

Please The Palate Pick of the Week – Humphrey Yogart

Frozen yogurt has come and gone and come again as a trend. First in the 1980s and 1990s, frozen yogurt shops were on every corner. Then, in the last decade, places such as Pinkberry and Yogurtland started popping up. But with the motto: "Be Bold. Be Different. Blend-In," Humphrey Yogart has stood the test of time for more than thirty years and that is why it is my Please The Palate "pick of the week."

I began going to Humphrey Yogart, located in a strip mall in Sherman Oaks in the 1980s, when I was in high school. Humphrey's was always different than the rest of the frozen yogurt shops. In fact, just from the name, you can tell they follow their motto to "be different." The name "yogART" is the playful name for their art of blending frozen yogurt with ingredients to create individualized flavors.

06 May, 2017