Cocktails

This story originally appeared in the Napa Valley Register.
It is a new year and the vines are dormant. In regions across the West Coast, much-needed rain is falling. But on the East Coast, the vines are buried under snow. As I see friends post photos of being in the snow, I am reminded about my visit this time last year to Loudoun County in Northern Virginia where I went to explore the wines. loudoun-county-virginia-1
There are approximately 250 wineries in Virginia. Loudoun County is considered the wine region of Washington, D.C. Located one hour outside of the nation’s capital, Loudoun is home to more than 40 wineries. The first vines were planted in 1981 and the region has exploded since. Loudoun County is divided into five distinct geographic sections – northern, western, southern, central and eastern. salamander-resort-and-spa
For my exploration of Loudoun County, my home base was in Middleburg in Southern Loudoun at the Salamander Resort and Spa. In the middle of horse country, this luxury retreat sits on 340 acres and includes 168 rooms, a 23,000-square-foot spa, equestrian center, culinary garden, cooking studio and restaurants.
19 January, 2017
Santa Barbara has had a long history with Spain. The Spanish first came to Santa Barbara in the 18th century. Santa Barbara then became a part of Mexico following the Mexican War of Independence and then part of the United States in 1848 following the Mexican-American War. Santa Barbara was destroyed by earthquakes in 1812 and again in 1925 and when the city was rebuilt, it was modeled after the Spanish Colonial style. Santa Barbara's newest restaurant is a love letter to the history of Santa Barbara. Loquita, which means "wild young girl", is the newest project from ACME Hospitality who own Les Marchands Wine Bar, The Lark, Lucky Penny, Santa Barbara Wine Collective, Helena Avenue Bakery and Notary Public Wines, all located in the Funk Zone. Loquita is conveniently located at the entrance to the Funk Zone, across the street from the train station in the downtown Waterfront District. loquita-1 As you walk into Loquita, under the hand-forged iron awnings, you will begin to see the melding of Old Spanish Santa Barbara with the style of today. An long walnut bar lines one side of the restaurant and another stand-up counter flanked by white columns separates the bar from the dining room. Along the back of the restaurant is an open kitchen that is framed by a white brick-framed picture window. From the walnut dining tables and mid-century modern wooden chairs to the antique mirrors, hand-carved wood frames and the vintage brass light fixtures warmed with white globe glass shades, the restaurant invites you in. 
05 December, 2016
Looking for a cocktail bar where you can watch a sports game? Or a sports bar that serves good cocktails? And what about good food? Well, Brack Shop Tavern in Downtown Los Angeles is all of that! brack-shop-tavern-1 Brack Shop Tavern is located on 7th between Grand and Olive, a street that has slowly been filling up with restaurants and bars including Little Sister, Bar Mattachine, Mas Malo and Bottega Louie. Brack Shop Tavern is run by Last Word Hospitality, which includes partners Angus McShane, Adam Weisblatt and Holly Zack, who also own Same Same Thai in Silverlake. At Same Same Thai, LWH took a neighborhood favorite Thai restaurant and updated the decor and added an interesting and diverse wine list to pair with the food. LWH has done it again. They took the old dive bar called Barrel Down, stripped it and created Brack Shop Tavern, a loud, friendly sports bar with craft cocktails, on-tap beer, house-made sodas and hearty, elevated bar food. brack-shop-tavern-3 Brack Shop Tavern has a small but creative wine list featuring domestic producers and interesting varieties. It is refreshing to go to a bar and to find wines like rose, chenin blanc, riesling, chardonnay, pinot noir, sangiovese and cabernet saviginon. And for the sparkling wine, they offer a cremant de Loire, definitely not what I would expect but was very happy to see!
02 December, 2016
One year ago, Clifton's Cafeteria in Downtown LA reopened its doors. The 47,000-square-foot space, covering four floors, reopened with two (of five) bars and a cafeteria. For the last year, there has been anticipation about the opening of the other three bars - Shadow Box, Treetops and Pacific Seas. Well, anticipate no longer as one of those bars has officially opened. Welcome to Clifton's Pacific Seas Pacific Seas is Los Angeles' newest tiki bar. From top to bottom, this Polynesian themed bar is a tiki wonderland, circa 1940-1950. Everything about Clifton's is a bit surreal. The decor has a Disneyland-esq quality to it, from the taxidermy animals to the 40-foot tree that reaches three floors in the center of the atrium. And Pacific Seas is no exception.
11 November, 2016
Miro Restaurant on the corner of Figueroa and Wilshire in the Downtown Los Angeles Financial District may look like just another new modern restaurant in town but there is more than meets the eye. From the street, the restaurant is dwarfed by the surrounding skyscrapers, especially the under-construction 73-story Wilshire Grand Center, which will be the tallest building west of the Mississippi. But, enter through the dramatic wooden doors where three different experiences await you. miro On the ground floor is the brightly light dining room. With floor to ceiling windows that face out to both Wilshire and Figueroa, the space is illuminated by the sun during the day. As you enter, you will be met by an elongated marble bar that is home to a pasta station, a charcuterie station and the bar which focuses on classic cocktails. The decor is modern with art deco touches. miro-dining-room Chef Gavin Mills has prepared a menu that is pan-Mediterranean, meaning it is influenced by Italian, Spanish, Greek and North African cuisine. The focus is on hyper-local seasonal ingredients with Mills purchasing ingredients from multiple weekly farmers' markets. Mills prepares all of the charcuterie in house and a board of charcuterie and cheese is a great way to start your meal. Our board had duck prosciutto, ungherese (Hungarian salami, paprika, garlic and white wine),  cacciatorini (dry salami with black pepper), Drunken Goat cheese from Spain, Mont Vully Rouge from Switzerland and Smoke Blue from Oregon. Presented on a magnificent slice of a tree trunk, the board also comes with house-made mustard, mostarda and pickles. Our board also included the chicken liver mousse topped with port jelly. 
10 October, 2016
FIG Restaurant has been serving up California Cuisine inside the Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows in Santa Monica for years. But some changes have taken place and now there is the NEW FIG Restaurant. Fig at Fairmont The space is still the same and the covered patio is flush with natural light. The decor now has a warmer feel to it with hanging plants adding life to the space. And there is a wood burning oven that has been added that you can see when you first walk into the restaurant. Fig at Fairmont Fig at Fairmont At the helm of the new FIG Restaurant is the personable Chef Yousef Ghalaini. A native of Lebanon, Chef Ghalaini grew up in his grandfather's bakery where he first learned the art of the wood-burning oven. He is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley and worked in Napa, Florida, Connecticut and New York before coming to FIG Restaurant at The Fairmont Miramar. At FIG Restaurant, Chef Ghalaini works with local farmers and fresh California ingredients to create his Mediterranean inspired menu that integrates the warm spices and legumes of Lebanese cuisine. 
12 September, 2016
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.
12 August, 2016

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.

05 August, 2016
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