Food

We started in Western Australia, then traveled to Sonoma, followed by Champagne. For the the fourth and final menu of Maude 2019, the team, consisting of Executive Chef Chris Flint, Wine Director Andrey Tolmachyov, and Pastry Chef Yesenia Cruz traveled to Tuscany, Italy. Making Siena their hub, they spent an immersive week filled with eating and drinking and now created a menu to share their discoveries. The cuisine of Tuscany is based on the Italian idea of cucina povera (“poor cooking”). It is a cuisine known for its simplicity. There are no complicated seasonings or elaborate creations, rather the focus is on fresh, high-quality ingredients. And this is exactly what Executive Chef Chris Flint executed. It was a menu that was clearly inspired by Tuscany and the presentations were simple. But the flavors were anything but simple, and paired with a selection of old Tuscan wines that my dining companions brought, our Maude journey to Tuscany was another wonderfully memorable meal. Our meal started with four small bites. 
26 December, 2019
Thinking about what to pair with a seafood meal? Of course a plethora of wines come to mind. From Champagne to Riesling to Gruner Veltliner to Sancerre to Chablis to Vermentino to Albarino, the list of white wines that pair beautifully with seafood is endless. But think outside of the box. What about pairing seafood with sake? Sake is a natural pairing for sushi and sashimi but thanks to JFoodo, a Japanese Government Organization committed to promoting Japanese goods, I had the opportunity to see how versatile sake is and how well it pairs with flavors outside of Japanese cuisine.
19 December, 2019
The last time I had dinner in Encino was in 2016 at Chef Phillip Frankland Lee's Scratch|Bar, a restaurant on the second floor of a strip mall that offers nightly tasting menus featuring seasonal ingredients. Two years ago, hidden behind Scratch|Bar, he opened up Sushi|Bar, an Omakase Speakeasy that serves a 17 course sushi meal for $125 per person. I love sushi and am always game to try a new place and added this to my list. And finally I made it for dinner. Sushi|Bar is not your typical sushi bar and much more like a speakeasy. We made our reservation for 6pm and were told to arrive 30 minutes early for a welcome cocktail. We arrived at the mall, took the escalator to the second floor and found an unmarked door with a doorbell. We rang the bell, gave our names, and were invited in to a small room with a bar and some tables. We had arrived promptly at 5:30pm and we were the first people there. We were welcomed with a drink of sake, lemon juice and ginger. And, as we enjoyed our drink, a few more guests arrived took seats and had their drinks. Promptly at 6pm, we were invited to follow the hostess into Sushi|Bar. There were a total of six of us. Sushi|Bar can accommodate a total of eight people at a time. There are actually two sushi bars, one with reservations at 6pm and 8pm and one with reservations at 5pm, 7pm and 9pm.
12 December, 2019
I love going on food tours when I am traveling in a new city as they are a great way to see a city and learn about the culture. I find nothing more fulfilling than when I can meet with locals and experience their culture through their eyes. And that is why Eatwith, the world's largest community for authentic culinary experiences with locals, is the Please The Palate pick of the week. Eatwith is in more than 130 countries and they are bringing people together through food. Cooking classes, food tours and dining experiences are hosted by home-cooks, food-lovers, MasterChefs and Michelin-starred chefs. My Eatwith experience was with Christina Xenos, a professional chef, cookbook author, recipe developer, and journalist based in Los Angeles. I have known Christina for years as a journalist but had yet to enjoy her cooking. When she announced her dinner, featuring cuisine from Sifnos, the Cycladic island in the Southern Aegean Sea and said the proceeds of the ticket sales would benefit the Union Station Homeless Services in Los Angeles, I bought my ticket. Christina is Greek-American and her family roots are from the islands of Crete and Milos. She travels there annually and this past summer she visited Sifnos, the birthplace of the first Greek cookbook author Nikolaos Tselementes. An island known for baking in clay pots, she worked with farmers and cooks while on her trip to learn these traditional recipes.
30 November, 2019
When I got laid off from the dot.com world in 2001, I found myself "drinking for a living" as I began my career in wine. When Evan Charest, who previously worked as the Corporate Beverage Director for Patina, got laid off from a tech company, he took his severance pay and decided to open a wine bar in 2018. So what would be a better name for the wine bar than Severance? Severance is a charming wine bar with exposed brick walls and a warm, inviting feeling. It is located on Melrose Avenue in the space that was once home to the former Smoke.Oil.Salt. Unlike its predecessor that specialized in Spanish food, Severance features a hybrid of Quebec-Swiss fare prepared by Chef Weston Ludeke.
28 November, 2019
Freshly shucked oysters, lobster rolls, clam chowder and a myriad of seafood options are not what one might think of when thinking of a food court in a shopping mall. Eating in the food court at a shopping mall usually conjures up images of fast food chains offering Chinese food, Mexican food and pizza. But, at the glitzy renovated Westfield Century City Shopping Center, the food court is anything but average and that is where Shuck House is shucking fresh oysters and serving other seafood delights. Shuck House is one of the food options inside the food court. It is not a stand alone restaurant. It is a space where you order at the counter and then can find a seat anywhere in the food court, both inside or outside.
21 November, 2019

When I think of caviar, I think of a luxury product that is very expensive. In fact, it is often well beyond my budget. So, when I have the opportunity to eat caviar at an event, I am never one to shy away from it. But, now, thanks to Imperia Caviar, caviar is something to be enjoyed on a daily basis. The quality, the taste and the value make Imperia Caviar the Please The Palate pick of the week.

Caviar is a very good for you. It is a super-food. It is a source of vitamins and minerals, including Omega 3, vitamins A, E and B6, Iron, Magnesium and Selenium. Caviar is good for our minds and it is also an aphrodisiac. With all of these health benefits, we should be eating caviar every day. And Imperia Caviar is making that possible.

Imperia Caviar was founded by Sony Mordechai in 2018 with the goal of making caviar feel less like a splurge and more like an everyday delight. The caviar comes from sustainable, eco-friendly sturgeon farms and it is made by hand to ensure the best quality. The sturgeon are grown in a nearly wild environment and rely on the purity of fresh water. There are no preservatives and no hormones used.

16 November, 2019
From morning to night, Bar Avalon in Echo Park is the place to be. Located in the Mohawk Collective development on Sunset Boulevard, Bar Avalon is a casual neighborhood restaurant where you can start your day with coffee and end your day with wine. Bar Avalon is located inside a brick building with floor to ceiling glass walls. Inside the space is has high barn-wood ceilings which make the space seem larger than it is. Exposed brick walls and leather booths warm the space. The open kitchen offers seating so that you can watch the cooks work. You can also sit at the bar that is cleanly decorated with wine bottles. There is also an outside patio where one can dine and also where you will find planters with herbs that the kitchen uses. All in all, it is a cool east-side space.
14 November, 2019
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