Youthful, passionate, energetic, driven, professional, tasty....these are just some of the descriptions that come to mind about Baldoria in Little Tokyo. Baldoria, which is Italian for a "revelry, merrymaking, a good time," is a restaurant that is celebrating the good things in life. It is about small plates and shared plates; it is about good food, good wine and good drink. Baldoria This little neighborhood gem is also about friendship and fun. It is owned and run by David King, Duke Gervais, Matt Bostick and Aaron Justice. Owner David King previously worked as a sommelier at Mozza and was the beverage director and partner at Cube. It was at Cube that he met chef Duke Gervais and Aaron Justice, who oversees the front of house at Baldoria. It was at Mozza where King met Matt Bostick who is the beverage director at Baldoria. David KingDuke Gervais Matt BostickAaron Justice and Andrea Mai-Tran Baldoria has only been open a few months but the level of professionalism makes it seem as if the restaurant has been open for years. It is because these four guys, who are all in their early 30s, have such great respect for each other, as well as respect and passion for what they are doing. They come from fine dining backgrounds which is reflected in the professionalism and seamless service.
Just as the summer started, Napa Valley Grille in Westwood Village reopened after a major renovation. And now that summer is underway, Napa Valley Grille is offering a special three course pre-fixe summer menu that will be available until the first of September. The theme of the summer menu is grilling. But the menu is not a bunch of grilled meats and vegetables. Various ingredients are grilled, resulting in charring which brings out different flavor profiles. For the first course, there is a choice between Summer Corn Soup and Grilled Octopus. The Summer Corn Soup with grilled baby corn, sesame crackers, blue croutons and micro cilantro tastes liked the corn is fresh off the grill. The char flavor of the corn is dominant and the soup is rather light but could have used a little more seasoning. Summer Corn Soup, grilled baby corn, sesame crackers, blue croutons, micro cilantro

El Segundo is the small beach community just south of LAX. I accidentally ended up there once when I missed a turn off of Sepulveda on the way to the airport. But recently I made a point of going there to check out Sausal, a restaurant featuring Nuevo Rancho cuisine. In fact, I hopped off a flight to LAX and was there in less than ten minutes.

Sausal

Sausal is named after Rancho Sausal Redondo, the vast farmstead that once encompassed El Segundo and most of the South Bay. It offers a modern take on rancho-inspired cuisine with an emphasis on wood-fired, slow-roasted cooking. This Nuevo Rancho cuisine melds the bold flavors of Mexican cuisine with the essential flavors of citrus, olives and figs that were brought by the Spanish missionaries and with the fresh California vegetables and produce.

At the head of the restaurant is Chef Anne Conness, who has worked for Michael Cimarusti at Water Grill, Mark Peel and Nancy Silverton at Campanile, Mako Tanaka at Wolfgang Puck’s Chinois on Main and Alex Scrimgeour at Saddlepeak Lodge and ALEX.

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