Please The Palate |

Verlaine – From Baja to LA

Exploring the Valle de Guadalupe in Baja California over the holidays, I was on a mission to eat at as many of the incredible restaurants. On the final evening of my visit, I went to Corazon de Tierra, a restaurant located adjacent to the Vena Cava winery. At the head of Corazon de Tierra is the young and talented chef Diego Hernandez, a leader in the modern Mexican cooking movement, who has been awarded Latin America World's 50 Best winner for the restaurant. While I was enjoying my dinner, I learned that Chef Hernandez was in the process of opening a restaurant in Los Angeles in the old Dominick's space in West Hollywood. I waited in anticipation!

The anticipation was worth it and it exceeded my expectations. Located in the former Dominick's space, Verlaine is an outdoor space with a retractable roof. The front door is covered with greens and opens to a tiled walkway that was previously a parking space.

24 August, 2017

Please The Palate Pick of the Week: Ricardo Zarate’s Rosaline LA

I first tried the delicious Peruvian flavors of Chef Ricardo Zarate in 2009 when he opened Mo-Chica inside Mercado La Paloma in Downtown Los Angeles. I last saw him in 2015 when his first book, entitled The Fire of Peru: Recipes and Stories from My Peruvian Kitchen, was released and he was hosting a Peruvian pop-up called Once (on-seh) in Venice. And, lucky for Los Angelenos, he is back with the opening of his new restaurant Rosaliné, Please The Palate's "pick of the week."

Rosaliné, named after his mother, is located in the former Comme Ca space on Melrose and La Cienega. The restaurant is slated to open in mid-June but I was fortunate to get a sneak peak this past week at the final LA Food Bowl Hanging with Harris dinner and Santa Barbara County Wines, raising money for No Kid Hungry.

03 June, 2017

Thrillist’s Fest of the Best in LA Recap

Thrillist is one of the most irreverant guides of where to eat and drink and where to go in cities across the U.S. In addition, they are a great source for telling us about fun events around town, from festivals to concerts and beyond. But this past weekend, they hosted their own food festival called Fest of the Best in LA. During a weekend afternoon, thirteen hand-picked restaurants were showcased for a few hundred Thrillist food-enthusiasts.

Thrillist selected restaurants that have been ranked by Thrillist for some of the city's best food. That is right, some of Los Angeles' best bites! Here is a recap of what was tasted!

12 December, 2016