Please The Palate |

Monday is Valencian Putxero Night at Smoke.Oil.Salt.

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.

16 February, 2015

Hearty Brunch at The Old Place Cornell

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.

13 February, 2015

Ten Turkish Dishes You Should Know

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.

06 February, 2015