Food

We can eat healthily at home but when we go out, we don't want to think about how much butter might be in the dish or how much cheese. We just want to enjoy. Going out to eat can be a good excuse to just let go and be a bit decadent. After all, who wants bland food when they go out to eat? So, wouldn't it be nice to be able to go out to eat for a delicious, flavorful, filling meal that happens to be health-conscious at the same time? When you think about health-conscious eating, California is probably the state that comes to mind. With the stereotypes and fads that people like to jump on here, this is a normal conclusion. But, I not talking about the newest raw-food, vegan, juice bar. I am talking about the new health-conscious restaurant in New York - Cafe Clover. Featuring an American cuisine, there was not a single thing that didn't look good on the menu. The menu is diverse and creative but it's also healthy. As my friend and I looked at the menu and tried to decide what to order (or rather what items we had to leave out of the order due to our eyes being bigger than our stomachs), instead of a basket of bread, we were served chips made from flax, chia, sunflower and pumpkin seeds and served with butternut squash hummus with berbere. Butternut Squash Hummus and Seed Crackers
06 April, 2015
Do you work in Beverly Hills? Are you a tourist in Beverly Hills? Well, if you are one of these, or just looking for a lunch spot for a power lunch in Beverly Hills, then head to Freds at Barney's New York. Fred's at Barney's New York Located on the top floor of Barneys New York, you can walk up the spiral staircase as you eye the fashion on each level, or you can hop up in the elevator. Enter the newly remodeled Freds, named after the grandson of the original owner Barney, also formerly the space of Barneys Greengrass.
03 April, 2015
With a passion for smoking meats, Quinn and Karen Hatfield have left fine dining and opened Odys+Penelope, a churrascaria on La Brea Blvd (between 3rd and Beverly). And, I am so happy that they did! Odys+Penelope The 3,800 square foot restaurant is a modern, open space with a rustic charm. And, despite the open space and high ceilings, noise is not an issue. As the restaurant filled up while we were dining, my dining companion and I were still able to hear each other and talk. Odys+Penelope The open fire kitchen is home to Argentinian-style and Uruguyuan-style grills, offering different levels of char, along with a Braszilian churrasco and a smoker. Despite all of the smoking and grilling going on in the kitchen, the ventilation kept any sign of smoke from coming into the dining room.
30 March, 2015
A few things can make a good night out to dinner an exceptional night out. When the company, food, wine pairing and service all come together, this elevates the evening. And, my outing to Redbird in Downtown LA was all that. My winemaker friend Dan Glover of L'Objet Noir in Sonoma was in town and we were lucky to get a last minute reservation on a Saturday night. And, I knew I was in for a special night as my dining companion is a fellow foodie who is open to sharing lots of dishes and drinking lots of wine. Redbird is the long anticipated (5 years of waiting) restaurant by Chef Neal Fraser and his wife Amy Knoll Fraser.  Located in the old 1933-built rectory inside the Vibiana Cathedral, you enter into a lounge space and then continue into the main dining room which is an outdoor patio space with a retractable roof. In the center of the room is a 360 degree bar that can be accessed from the dining room or the lounge. As we perused the menu, Sommelier Diane Pandolfini came to our table. So personable and outgoing, we started chatting with her as we reviewed the dynamic, creative wine menu that includes a section (both by the bottle and by the glass) for Rose and Orange wines. (There is an extended wine list upon request that includes an entire page to Orange wines.) With so many lesser known wines, wine regions and wine styles, Diane makes sure that her staff can comfortably discuss the wines with customers in a manner that can be understood. Anyone on the service team can describe the wines and assist in making suggestions. Sommelier Diane Pandolfini (1)
27 March, 2015
While in Palm Desert for work, I asked my friend who lives there where to get breakfast before my drive back to Los Angeles. I heard her say, in passing, "I always stop for a flight of bacon when I am at the Palm Springs theater." I stopped her and asked, "a flight of bacon? Tell me more!" The next morning as I was about to head back to the city, I took a little detour to go through Palm Springs to pick up my breakfast. Open everyday, except Tuesday, Cheeky's is a popular spot on North Palm Canyon Drive that serves breakfast all day (8am - 2pm). Cheeky's Palm Springs
23 March, 2015
If you like wine, then to spend an evening with the winemaker, who has poured his/her passion and soul into his/her wine, will leave a lasting impression and make you feel connected to that winery more than another. When I was invited to Faith & Flower for one of their monthly “Terroir to Table” wine dinners, I couldn't say no. The theme was a Lyonnais Dinner featuring Larry Schaffer of Tercero Wines. Tercero Winemaker Larry Schaffer Larry started Tercero wines less than 10 years ago and has built the winery following through grassroots measures. This is why dinners like these are so valuable. Current wine club members attended but also non-members. After a meal with Larry, who is both eccentric and passionate, it is hard not to be converted to a fan.
20 March, 2015
I traveled to New York for a big Italian wine conference in the heart of this brutal winter. After canceled and delayed flights, I finally landed in NYC. An entire week in NY sounded great but I was committed to a conference all week (yes, filled with drinking wine) and little free time. But, with one night free, I ventured out into the cold to meet up with friends for dinner. With so many restaurants to choose from in New York, I am lucky to have a local foodie friend who always has a list of places to try. This doesn't mean that we will be going to the newest restaurant. This means that we will be going somewhere that is bound to have delicious food and that I would never have found on my own. On this outing, we went to Maysville in the Flat Iron district. This isn't just a restaurant, it is a whiskey bar as well. Maysville is actually a Kentucky port town that is the birthplace of bourbon. Maysville Food and Bourbon Maysville Food and Bourbon (2) Maysville has an extraordinary whiskey list that consists of over 150 American Whiskeys. Even better, the whiskeys, which come from distilleries across the country, are all available in both 1 and 2 ounce tastes. On a cold night, a little taste, or two, was in order. Maysville NY
17 March, 2015
While in San Francisco for an Italian wine event, a meal at St. Vincent was apropos. After all, St. Vincent, named for the Patron Saint of Vintners, is owned by David Lynch who wrote the book Vino Italiano. With a great passion for Italian wine, David has put together an extraordinary wine list of Italian wines but also features wines from France, Spain and California and beyond. David Lynch We ordered a bottle of the Cascina Luisin 2011 Dolcetto d'Alba "Bric Trifüla," Piemonte, Italy. With delicious notes of blackberry and violets, this juicy medium-bodied Dolcetto was velvety on the palate. The bottle was a great value, costing only $36. And, even better, all of the wines at St. Vincent are available through their retail store. So, if you like a wine, buy a bottle and take it home for later.
11 March, 2015
Looking for a lunch spot in San Francisco?  Head to The Commissary in the Montgomery Street Barracks, aka "infanty row", in The Presidio. The Commissary SF While the building was built in 1895, the restaurant is an open, comfortable, modern space run by award-winning chef Traci Des Jardins. The Commissary SF
09 March, 2015
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