This post originally appeared on FoodableTV.com
The Winter Fancy Food Show descended upon San Francisco for two days to showcase thousands of food products. With so...
If you like meat, then Fogo de Chao might just be paradise. Originally from Brazil, there are now 27 restaurants in the United States with the newest location open in downtown Los Angeles. Located at 8th at Figueroa, the it took over the space that was formerly Roy's. It is a vast open space but after a meal here, you might feel like you need all that room to roll yourself out the door.
Stop at the bar for a drink before heading to your table and get in the Brazilian mood with a fresh and tart Caipirinha.
Last time I was in downtown Santa Barbara (less than a year ago), I went to a pop-up sushi bar at Three Pickles Deli. Yes, inside a deli! But, as the deli itself is closed at night, it was a perfect location to set up a pop-up inside. Sadly, the pop-up sushi bar is no longer there but now there is a pop-up every Sunday called Corazon Cucina run by Chef Ramon Velazquez and his wife Chrissie.
Another big change since I was last there is that the neighborhood (aka the Presidio Neighborhood), which is centered around a historical Spanish fortress and Santa Barbara's former Chinatown, is now booming. While last time we walked a few blocks from State Street to find Three Pickles Deli on an isolated street, now it is surrounded by restaurants, wine tasting rooms, coffee houses and shops. There were people everywhere and I almost didn't recognize it.
Due to the popularity of the area, and the Corazon Cucina pop-up, it was difficult to find parking. And, once we did, we found ourselves at the back of a long line.
Eating in New Orleans is one of my favorite annual trips. After all, in New Orleans they know how to fry food like nobody's business. Po boys, beignets, gumbo....what's not to like?!?! And, now Angelenos don't have to travel across the country to enjoy these dishes because Preux & Proper is here.
Located in Downtown LA, wedged between Spring and Main Streets, you might even think for a moment that you are in New Orleans. With second story windows lining the narrow, two story brick building, you can just imagine people throwing down beads. If it wasn't so quiet in this part of town and the patrons were not wearing so many articles of clothing, you’d be fooled.
As I entered the restaurant, I passed the ground floor bar (Preux) with slushy machines. But, we didn't stop here until we were on the way out.
Please The Palate is about great food and drink. We are constantly on the go, looking for palate pleasing experiences. Of course, all of this eating out (and drinking) can take a toll on the body. Personally, I work out regularly and eat pretty simply when at home. But, sometimes, you need a little jump start.
I love juice but am not a fan of juice cleanses. These fads are just that. Most of the juice cleanses out there are very low in calories and leave you hungry, grumpy and deprived. Sure, you may drop a few pounds but as soon as you start eating solid food, you gain them back.
So, when we heard about Soupure, we were equally skeptical. Afterall, swapping juice for soup didn't seem all that different and a cleanse is a cleanse, right? Well, perhaps not.
Monday night may be the night you like to stay in. And, perhaps it is a good night for cooking at home as many restaurants are closed on Mondays. But, if you want to have that home-cooked meal and don't want to do the work, head to Smoke.Oil.Salt in West Hollywood.
Smoke.Oil.Salt is an authentic Spanish restaurant and wine bar known for its traditional Catalan dishes (paella, fideua, wood-grilled fish and seafoods). But, on Monday nights, Chef Perfecto Rocher is preparing a traditional stew from Valencia, a region south of Catalan.
At Smoke.Oil.Salt., Chef Rocher's Valencian Putxero is served on a “TV Dinner/School Cafeteria Tray” with the items in different sections. Traditional Valencian Putxero is a Spanish stew made with rice, lamb, beef, pork, pilotes (Valencian meatballs), chickpeas, potatoes and other vegetables. This stew may vary from household to household in Valencia but it always contains meat, vegetables and sometimes sausage with ingredients typical to the area where it is prepared.
Looking for a local escape? Head to The Old Place Cornell for brunch and you will feel like you have entered another place and time.
Located in Agoura Hills, The Old Place Cornell was originally in the once established town of Cornell. Started by Tom Runyon and his wife more than 40 years ago, they converted a dilapidated former country store into a restaurant. Today, The Old Place is run by Tom Runyon's son Morgan.
Whether you head up for brunch or dinner, it's best to plan ahead and reserve a table. It's a small space with a handful of tables and seating at the bar that can accommodate almost 70 people.
We don’t see a lot of Turkish food here in the U.S. but on a recent trip to Turkey, we discovered a lot of local dishes that definitely pleased the palate! Blending Central Asian, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and Balkan cuisines, Turkish cuisine is the heritage of the Ottoman Empire. And, while you may not have tried these dishes yet, perhaps they seem familiar to other dishes we know. Here are our favorites that we hope to find in the U.S.:
Borek
A family of baked filled pastries made with phyllo dough and filled with cheese, meat or vegetables. We had fresh home-baked Borek made with spinach, cheese and onion for breakfast in Alaçati (on the Çesme Peninsula near the Aegean Sea). It was similar to spanakopita but the layers of phyllo dough were tender, not crunchy.
It may not be the easiest restaurant name to say. But, those in the know can easily pronounce Tsujita. After all, Tsujita LA and Tsujita Annex have been popular ramen destinations on Sawtelle Blvd. since 2011. And, last year Tsujita opened it's 3rd location on Sawtelle Blvd, Sushi Tsujita, in the space that used to house Orris. If you didn't know how to say it before, you will quickly want to learn it now.
I had been to Tsujita for lunch and had the special lunch deal - Bara-Chirashi, a bowl of warm sushi rice with an assortment of sashimi and miso soup for $15. (Note that they only make 15 of these each day.)
But, I was really looking forward to coming back for dinner where they serve an edomae-inspired, omakase-focused menu. Edomae-inspired means is that the dishes are about simplicity. Because it about the fish, it is about serving the best quality. And omakase means that you are in the chef's hands. There are three price options, $120, $150 and $180, and once you make that decision, you sit back and leave the rest to the chef.