HATCH LA opened one year ago in downtown LA at The Bloc, a block-long open-air urban center located on 7th Street at the 7th Street Metro Stop. What was once a covered shopping mall housing Macy's and the Sheraton Grand Los Angeles Hotel is now a vibrant open space with restaurants and shops.
Hatch is a modern izakaya style restaurant serving yakitori, Japanese skewered chicken from organic Jidori chicken, as well as fresh raw fish and creative plates.
And now they are serving cocktails with a Japanese twist.
Pico Boulevard in West LA has been a sleepy street for many years. A few restaurants are tucked along the street that have been there forever. And while I live only one mile from Pico Boulevard, I was not going to Pico very often until Khong Ten opened up. And now there is Pikoh LA, located in the former Chan Dara space, that has added a new life to Pico Blvd.
The space at Pikoh is modern, open, casual and inviting. The colors are clean, the decor is minimal and there is fresh greenery placed throughout the restaurant. There is a long bar for counter seating, a dining room separated by plants, the front section for happy hour seating and the main dining room. And there is outdoor seating as well.
Pikoh is a perfect neighborhood restaurant. Open all day, they serve breakfast, lunch, happy hour and dinner. But more than having a coffee bar, a cocktail bar and food, Pikoh has delicious, flavorful food that will keep you coming back! This is because Chef Ricardo Zarate, of Rosaline and Los Balcones Studio City, is behind Pikoh LA! And, while this is not another Peruvian restaurant, this all-day casual concept features California cuisines with Peruvian and Asians flavors.
In 2018, Maude Restaurant shifted the concept to highlight wine regions around the world. They covered Rioja, Burgundy, Central Coast, Piemonte in 2018 and started 2019 with Western Australia. When the Maude team picks their next location, the team (chefs and wine team) travel together for an immersive trip. They do this trip in secret as they do not let us, the customers, know what the next region is until one month prior to its launch. To date, most of the regions have been quite a distance from Los Angeles and the team has slipped away for up to a week to explore the region.
For the April - June menu, Maude ventured to Sonoma County. Sonoma, with its proximity to the Russian River and sixty miles of California coastline, was the inspiration for the spring menu.The team flew up on a Saturday night after service and spent a whirlwind weekend in Sonoma where they foraged, fished and learned about fermentation. They then created a menu retelling their experience to us.
Back in March, I attended an "Off the Menu" meal at Maude which was a sort of research and development of the Sonoma menu. Looking back and comparing the menus, I see the evolution of most of these dishes but for the Sonoma menu, the dishes were perfected and delicious.
Our meal began with the Biodynamic Preparation. Inspired by a visit to the winery Littorai, where winemaker Ted Lemon farms biodynamically, there were five small bites displayed on a wood and wire tray, similar to what is used in biodynamic farming. The amuses included an oyster with yarro root, tempura stinging nettle, ramps, soft kogi panna cotta and sourdough bread with oak bark butter.
Located in Los Angeles County on the border of Ventura County, Westlake Village is 30 miles from Los Angeles and can seem like a world away. But on a Sunday morning, when traffic is non-existent, it is an easy drive to Westlake Village for a one-day-getaway at the Four Seasons Westlake Village.
From the moment we pulled the car up to the valet, we felt like we were on vacation. Service is impeccably friendly at the Four Seasons Westlake Village. We were greeted at the door and directed straight ahead to Coin & Candor, the new restaurant inside the Four Seasons Hotel in Westlake Village.
A California Brasserie, Coin & Candor is open and inviting. It sits just off the main lobby and is bright white with large floor to ceiling windows. A large circular bar sits in the center of the restaurant with seats for eating on one side and a chef's prep station on the other.
It was a classic LA day, not hot but not cool. I drove across the city to Silverlake to Tacos Delta, a family-owned taco stand that was opened in 1981. But on this particular night, the nondescript taco stand was converted into a vibrant, eye-catching space for a Tequila Don Julio dinner.
Traveling across the country, Tequila Don Julio is bringing a taste of the colorful culture to the US as part of a series of events hosted by Tequila Don Julio and The Infatuation. The dinner was a celebration of Mexican culture as part of their new campaign, For Those Who Know.
Bringing a taste of Mexico's colorful culture to the US, Tequila Don Julio selected Tacos Delta to celebrate the restaurant’s story and how it became a meeting point where ‘those who know’ have been coming for nearly three decades to enjoy authentic Mexican eats.
Although wine and chocolate seem like a cliché, the fact is that they do not pair easily together. Either the chocolate is too sweet or it is too bitter and dominates the wine. Chocolate, like wine, has tannins and tannin-heavy red can clash with a piece of dark chocolate. But, if you like dark chocolate and you like wine and you want them to work together, than the answer is Brix chocolate. I found harmony in a pairing of Brix Medium Dark Chocolate and a glass of McCay Cellars Syrah from Lodi. That is why pairing wine with Brix chocolate is the Please The Palate pick of the week.
Crafted to pair with wine, Brix chocolate is a single origin Ghanaian chocolate, known for its red fruit tones. The Ghanaian chocolate is mixed with confectionery chocolate to create four specific blends.
Chef and Author of the Fire of Peru, Ricardo Zarate is on fire! Considered the "godfather of Peruvian cuisine", he is spreading the flavors and excitement of Peruvian food across Los Angeles. His restaurant Rosaline in West Hollywood showcases classic Peruvian dishes and his new place, Los Balcones in Studio City, explores Mestizo cuisine, Peruvian dishes blended with Spanish and Asian flavors.
Los Balcones is located on the corner of Moorpark, just east of Tujunga. It sits in the space that was previously Girasol. Los Balcones has kept some of the decor, including the magnificent ceiling that looks like an etched flower.
After sitting down in the covered patio looking out onto Moorpark Avenue, our first order of business was to select our drinks. We ordered the "special" cocktail that was described as inspired by Zarate's book, The First of Peru, and was made with mezacal and an orange juice ice cube. The serving of the cocktail was the first hint of what we were in for - lots of flavor, a little heat and some of the most colorful dishes you may have ever seen.
As a kid, latkas, or potato pancakes, were something that I looked forward to every Hannukkah. What was not to love about the shallow-fried pancakes made from grated or ground potato with matzah meal or flour, egg, onion and seasoning? My grandma would make them for the holidays and I thought she made the best ones.
When we weren't eating latkas during the Jewish holidays, I would order them whenever we went to a Jewish deli because I just loved potato pancakes with sour cream or applesauce. They were not my grandma's but they would still satisfy me.
Now you no longer need to head to a Jewish deli to have potato pancakes because restaurants have integrated them into their menus for brunch, lunch and dinner. I recently visited three restaurants in Los Angeles that are very distinct. One is a neighborhood restaurant with a diverse menu, another is a wine bar and restaurant featuring Italian tapas and the third is a steak house. It would seem that none of these restaurants have anything in common but in fact, they all have a potato pancake on their menu. Each has put their own spin on the traditional potato pancake and made it work with their menu.
Food
Hatch is a modern izakaya style restaurant serving yakitori, Japanese skewered chicken from organic Jidori chicken, as well as fresh raw fish and creative plates.
And now they are serving cocktails with a Japanese twist. 
