Cocktails

For the last year, I have driven up and down Centinela Blvd to and from LAX but I had never noticed Fin, a restaurant located half a block east of Centinela Blvd on Washington Blvd. Now I have!  A modern space with minimal decor, Fin is located in the space that was formerly Mi Ranchita, a Mexican Restaurant. The menu at Fin is Asian-fusion. Perhaps this is because owners Michael Flanagan, Gerardo Reyes and Ken Whang had all worked together as servers at Koi in the past? Well actually, that is where they met. One night Michael and Gerardo were drinking at Mi Ranchita when they told the owner they wanted to buy the place. The owner wasn't looking to sell the 25 year old restaurant but somehow they convinced him. They set out to remodel the space and hire staff as they created their own concept. But what impressed me so much was that they ended up also keeping the original staff from Mi Ranchita. And why Asian Fusion? Because, as Michael explained, he wanted to offer a restaurant in the neighborhood that would be fun for a date spot or a night with friends.... flavorful, fun food that is easy to share and not too heavy. It's been a year now and Fin is a friendly local neighborhood restaurant. Fin Culver City
26 August, 2015
The first Indian dish Akasha Richmond, owner and chef at Akasha in Culver City, ever tried was Sambar, a lentil-based vegetable stew with tamarind, spices, onions and toor dal, popular in South Indian and Sri Lankan Tamil cuisines. The dish stuck with her and her love for Indian food developed over the years as this self-taught chef worked as a personal chef for Michael Jackson and other celebrities and opened Akasha seven years ago. So, when she opened her newest restaurant in Culver City, it was only natural to call it Sambar. Sambar The space is open, modern and bright with white walls and a multi-color glass light fixture hanging in the center, adding lots of color. The open kitchen, which has a counter for patrons in front of it, has a large wood-fire burning oven.
24 August, 2015
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. Porto Carras Bartender Dimitris Galanis
13 August, 2015
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
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"? Wildcraft Culver City 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
With a free weekend in between events in Washington DC and Chicago, it was time to visit Milwaukee, Wisconsin for the first time. With two food/wine/spirits/travel writer friends living there, I wanted to see the city they call home. Milwaukee I arrived on Saturday afternoon and we immediately headed over to Bert's Bar (3907 S. Lake Drive), a local bar on the south shore of St. Francis. It was a perfect early summer day with temperatures in the high 70s and the sun shining as we sat on the patio, looking out to the lake. Surprisingly, for a local bar, Bert's has a very substantial and interesting wine and beer selection. We enjoyed a bottle of the crisp private labeled Bert's Bar Chardonnay (the grapes come from California) and typical bar food - fried mozzarella sticks and fried zucchini. 
28 July, 2015
My taxi picked me up in downtown Chicago and I told the driver to take me to the Pilsen neighborhood, just three miles southwest of the Chicago Loop where I was staying. The area was originally inhabited by Czech immigrants who named the neighborhood Pilsen after the Czech Republic city Plzeň. The area then became predominantly Latino. He argued with me and kept questioning why I wanted to go there. I couldn't understand why he was so resistant and explained that I knew exactly where I wanted to go.....Punch House, located in the historical Thalia Hall. Thalia Hall Thalia Hall, modeled after Prague's opera house, was built in 1891 by original proprietor John Dusek and the neighborhood's Eastern European immigrants. The space has been restored and today is a music venue/event space, as well as Dusek's restaurant and The Tack Room, a bar in the former carriage house. And, downstairs is Punch House.
23 July, 2015
The Little Door restaurant is like a little secret hideaway, but it's not a secret. The space on 3rd Street in West Hollywood has been known as a romantic French restaurant since it opened in 1996. It seems  to be tucked away but it's actually on a busy street and easy to find, if you are looking for it. In September (2014), The Little Door opened a second location, tucked out in the open on 26th Street, just south of San Vicente, in Santa Monica (across the street from the Brentwood Country Mart). The Little Door Santa Monica With ornate wrought iron fencing covering the entrance on 26th Street, it is easy to miss The Little Door Santa Monica, if you are not looking. There are no signs that pop out as you drive by. But, located in the former space of Mimi's, enter the "little door" and you are in a large open patio area. To the right is indoor dining and bar and there are two private rooms in the rear [who hadn't been to a bridal shower, baby shower or birthday lunch in those spaces when it was Mimi's?]. But what the Little Door Santa Monica offers is lots of outdoor dining space that will make you feel like you have been transported to a French Mediterranean village.....white washed walls with blue accents and lots of fresh greenery. While the space may be a perfect romantic destination at night, it is an ideal spot for a weekend brunch.
22 June, 2015
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