Please The Palate |

Orsa & Winston

The highly anticipated Orsa & Winston, Josef Centeno's return to fine dining, lives up to all expectations. Open only a couple weeks, the simple room, located next door to his bustling restaurant Bar Ama, is quiet and minimally decorated. The ambiance is sophisticated and casual. And the highlight of the room, and where most of the action takes place, is the open kitchen with Chef Centeno standing calmly in the center.

Orsa & Winston offers a tasting-menu format, which Centeno describes as Japanese/Italian omakase. You can chose a 5-course tasting menu, a 9-course tasting menu, 4-course family style or the 20-course tasting menu. Ranging from $50 to $195 per person, depending on the menu you choose, your palates will be in the hands of the chef (the staff will inquire about food allergies).

28 January, 2014

Downtown LA Destination: Bäco Mercat

I remember the first time that I went to Bäco Mercat. I was having drinks with a friend Downtown at The Varnish and after a few too many, we realized that we needed to eat something. Cole's wasn't serving anymore and the bartenders suggested we go around the corner to a new place that had just opened that was serving late. I remember how good the flatbread was that we had and vowed to return. Since then I have been back to Bäco Mercat a few times, each time trying new things. A recent evening before heading to the theater, we ate at Bäco Mercat again and I was reminded how consistently reliable and tasty Josef Centeno's restaurant is.

26 June, 2013

Comfort Food at Bar Amá

A birthday is a perfect excuse as any to go out to dinner. It is a guarantee to have a group of people which means ordering lots of different dishes and sharing. So, for this year's birthday, I picked Josef Centeno's newest restaurant Bar Amá in downtown LA that recently opened. Inspired by the memories of the women who raised him, Josef Centeno has created a menu of elevated Tex-Mex favorites that he grew up on.

08 February, 2013