Food

Each time a new restaurant opens up on Ventura Blvd, between Studio City and Sherman Oaks, I get excited. I love seeing the area I...

27 July, 2017
I remember the very first time I had that "a-ha" moment with a food and wine pairing. They are not easy to come by. Of course, finding good wine pairings with a dish is not the challenging part, it is finding that elusive pairing in which you just have to pause for a moment and say "oh my!", "wow" and "A-ha!" When you do have one, you remember it all so clearly. And just this past week, while on a wine trip to the Nahe and Mosel regions of Germany, I had one of those incredible "a-ha" moments during a dinner with winemaker Ernest Loosen of Dr. Loosen wines. That is why it is the Please The Palate pick of the week. My week was spent exploring the amazing, delicious riesling grape in all of its manifestations - dry, off dry, sweet, sweeter and sweetest. And Ernie Loosen is one of the iconic winemakers of the Mosel, the oldest wine growing region in Germany. And we were lucky to be invited to his home for a tasting and dinner.
22 July, 2017
Food and wine pairing is like a good marriage. It is about balance, harmony and complimenting each other, although it is never perfect. At Primo Italia in Torrance, husband and wife team Lou and Grace Giovannetti share their passion for Italian food and wine offering monthly wine pairing dinners in one of their private rooms. Opened in 2016, Primo Italia is a collaboration and partnership. Lou is the restaurateur and Grace is the sommelier. They have created a restaurant that is warm and inviting and in a way, an invitation into their home. From their Campania and Sicilian roots, Primo Italia is an homage to Grace's Italian family heritage with family photos that line the walls. And their wine dinners are an opportunity to share their passion for food and wine. Their most recent wine dinner was with Tenuta San Guido, as estate located in Maremma, a coastal region in Tuscany. Tenuta San Guido is the estate that produces the iconic Super-Tuscan Sassicaia, as well as other wines.
20 July, 2017
I love basil. I love the aroma of fresh basil on a margarita pizza, on top of a caprese salad, in a pesto sauce or in a Thai dish. But never did I realize how many types of basil exist, more than forty varieties! Leave it to Maude, who picked basil as the featured ingredient for the July tasting menu. Holy basil, cinnamon basil, lettuce basil, sweet basil, lemon basil, Lesbos basil, opal basil, African blue basil and more, each has its own appearance and aroma. And we were in for a treat with the Maude July menu! Two of us sat down for dinner and as we waited for our dining companions, wine director Kevin Caravelli poured us a small glass of Domaine Julie Benau Picpoul de Pinet “Cuvée Libero” 2015 from Languedoc France. What is really cool about this crisp mineral-driven wine is that is it aged in barrels underwater. The delicate fresh wine was a perfect start to a meal that would also be fresh and delicate.
18 July, 2017
East Meets West in Pasadena at Bistro Mon Cheri. Tucked upstairs in a strip mall overlooking Pasadena's East Colorado Boulevard sits Bistro Mon Cheri, the newest restaurant by Chef Kimmy Tang. I first met Kimmy years ago in Beverly Hills at 9021Pho where Vietnamese cuisine was met with a California flair. Now at Bistro Mon Cheri, Vietnamese cuisine gets a European touch. The European influence was immediately apparent with the first dish placed on the table - Paté de foie de canard, a duck liver pate served with Vietnamese baguette. Creamy and rich, it was more French than any other culture. Next up was a more traditional Vietnamese dish - Sakura shrimp salad with carrot strips, cucumber, walnuts, fried shallots and sesame seeds on thin rice noodle crackers. I loved the freshness and lightness of this dish.
06 July, 2017
Work took me to Boston recently. I had not been to Boston in more than five years and in that time, especially in the past two years, the Boston food scene seems to have exploded. On my two day trip to Boston, I found three restaurants that are must eat-ats if you are heading to Bean Town. Committee Boston 50 Northern Avenue Boston, MA 02210 Located on the waterfront in Boston's Seaport District, Committee Boston is a large, 5,500-square foot restaurant. The open space is a mix of materials, including wood, stone, leather and metal. Wooden wine crates line the walls and ceilings and lighting fixtures are urban funky.  A Mediterranean theme, Committee features a menu of small plates, an interesting wine list featuring a good selection of Greek wines and cocktails. Having traveled to Greece a couple times over the past few years, I was impressed by the authenticity and flavors of the dishes. I hosted a Madeira wine event at the restaurant and the small bites paired perfectly with the sweet fortified wines.
29 June, 2017
I like cucumbers. What is not to like about cucumbers, those long crunchy green members of the fruit family who are related to gourds and melon? Cucumbers add a refreshing crunch to our salads, they are a fat-free conduit for dips and they are wonderful to infuse in water. Cucumbers are also very healthy, fight inflammation, freshen breath, full of vitamins that manage stress and help digestive health. But other than putting them on a crudite plate, in a water glass or on top of your eyes after a long night, are cucumbers really that interesting in flavor? In Maude's June menu, cucumbers were the featured ingredient. As I reached out to friends to join me, many seemed unexcited by the featured ingredient. They wondered aloud, jokingly, if the meal would be cucumber crudite, tzatziki, raita and cucumber water. In general, I heard a few tell me they did not think it would be very interesting. Boy did those friends miss out! The team at Maude proved how diverse cucumbers are with a menu that was one of the best so far this year! As we sat down for our meal, we were surprised with a bottle of Champagne Aubry Brut Rose that was a gift for one of my companions for her birthday.  As we toasted the birthday girl and enjoyed our first sips, the first two bites of the night were served.
20 June, 2017
It is easy to overlook many restaurants in LA. Drive down the street and tell me if you can name every restaurant you pass and if you have eaten there. One of these that I have driven by is Delphi Greek. Located on Westwood Blvd, just south of Westwood Village, it is possible I have driven by it for decades as it has been open for 32 years! Ten years ago, Persian businessman Roozbeh Farahanipour purchased the restaurant. As the street is filled with Persian businesses, he was pressured to change the theme of the restaurant. However, Farahanipour has been a lover of Greek wines for many years and he decided that he wanted to honor the tradition of the restaurant and maintain the diversity on the street.
15 June, 2017
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