Al Fresco Dining: Piazza at Zucca Ristorante (Downtown Los Angeles)

Outdoors or patio dining area is pretty common for LA restaurants, but what about a restaurant where the outdoor area is now a whole other restaurant? Patina Group's Zucca Ristorante in downtown LA recently launched its outdoors dining area as Piazza, Zucca's more casual, inexpensive (prices range from $6-12) sister restaurant featuring a small but solid menu of antipasti, pizzettes, and pastas.

We started our dinner with the soup of the day: black lentil soup with bacon strip ($6),
The hearty bowl of soup is warming and filling on a cold night. It was flavorful without being too salty. The crunch of the bacon strip was a nice touch.

Next, a board of Prosciutto crudo, mozzarella e olive (parma ham, burrata, marinated olives) - $8

We devoured the creamy burrata immediately and could've easily had another serving! The ham was fatty and flavorful, but I didn't get how the olives are supposed to interplay with the others.
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Valentine's Dining For $60 and Under

Nick+Stef's V-day dessert

Hamamori: $47 for three courses
Prix fixe menu selection includes wagyu beef tartare, cured yellowtail, and housemade ravioli with lobster.
South Coast Plaza, 3333 Bear St # 320, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. (714) 850-0880
Friday, February 11th to Monday, February 14th.

Nick + Stef's Steakhouse: $59 for three courses ($69 for four courses).
Selections include yellowtail sashimi, poached loup de mer, braised Kurobuta pork belly, and oak grilled filet mignon. The pictured dessert above is Rose petal macaroon, lychee sorbet and fresh raspberry sauce.
330 S. Hope Street, Los Angeles, CA 90071. 213 680 0330
Friday, February 11th to Monday, February 14th.

Pinot Bistro: $55 for three courses ($65 for four)
Menu choices include caviar, roasted beet salad, wild forest mushroom risotto, duo of beef and chocolate sable cake.
12969 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, CA 91604. (818) 990-0500

The Raymond: $55 for three courses ($65 for four)
Menu choices include Alaskan king crab salad, sashimi, New Zealand lamb, and flexible chocolate ganache.
1250 South Fair Oaks Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91105. (626) 441-3136
Sunday, February 13th and Monday, February 14th.

RH Restaurant: $120 per couple ($60 pp) for five courses
Menu includes roasted lobster and split pea bisque vinaigrette, homemade foie gras terrine with grape marmalade, slow braised beef cheek.
8401 W Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069. (323) 785-6090

SUGARFISH by Sushi Nozawa: $90 for two ($45 pp)
The special V-day menu has more than the usual Nozawa menu and includes a variety of nigiri sushi, sweet shrimp, and two pieces each of toro, crab, and yellowtail handrolls. See the full menu.
Multiple Locations.

Vertical Wine Bistro: $49 for three courses
Selections include crab cakes, pan seared monkfish, beef wellington, and lemon souffle tart.
70 N. Raymond Ave, Pasadena, CA 91103. (626) 795-3999

Vū Restaurant: $120 per couple ($60 pp)
A 7-course tasting including a tasting of crudos, bison carpaccio, bone marrow, King Cole duck, and dark chocolate mousse.
14160 Palawan Way, Marina del Rey, CA 90292. (310) 439-3033

Waterloo and City: $55 for three courses
12517 West Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA 90066. (310) 391-4222

The Yard: $50 for three courses (includes a glass of champagne).
Your main course selection is a Roasted Cote de Boeuf for two or a whole roasted loup de mer, and chocolate truffle tart for dessert.
119 Broadway, Santa Monica, CA 90401. (310) 395-6037

Zucca Ristorante: $55 for three courses ($65 for four)
Menu choices include squid ink risotto and lobster, bone-in pork loin, and rose petal macaroon.
801 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA 90017. (213) 614 7800.
Friday, February 11th to Monday, February 14th.

And while Petrossian did not make this under $60 list, their $75 pp menu is tempting as it includes 30g caviar to share per couple!

Young Women at the Helm: Nick + Stef's Steakhouse (Downtown Los Angeles)

A recent article in Brand X spotted a trend of young women heading restaurant kitchens. One of them is 29-year-old Megan Logan, who is the new executive chef at Patina's Nick + Stef's Steakhouse.


Megan externed at Nick + Stef's while at Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Pasadena, CA, which then opened doors for her. After graduating in 2003, Logan continued with Patina Restaurant Group, eventually becoming sous chef at Patina before being promoted to executive chef at Nick + Stef’s in 2010.

I had the opportunity to try her creations myself when I was invited to a blogger dinner back in October.

Our meal kicked off with a Kusshi oyster followed by a beet salad with gorgonzola cheese, toasted hazelnuts.

We enjoyed our appetizers, but the steak and the sides were the stars of the night.

When our main attraction came, we were served not one but two pieces of steak: Prime Angus Rib eye and New York steak, both cooked to a wonderfully juicy and tender medium rare. The rib-eye steaks at Nick + Stef's are dry-aged for 28 days.

Of course, the steak came with a variety of sides. All of the sides were excellent and we dug into them like mad, especially the cabbage and kale fricassee with bacon lardon.

Mushrooms and creamed spinach.

Nick + Stef's is also doing a nice cheese and craft beer pairing program, which we also tried. Everyone's favorite pairing was the Hook's 10-year cheddar with Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale ale.

The lack of women in the professional kitchens used to be common knowledge, but Megan showed that even a young woman can lead the kitchen of a steakhouse, thought to be male-dominated, and do it well. Here's to all the female chefs out there.

Nick + Stef's Steakhouse
330 S Hope St
Los Angeles, CA 90071
(213) 680-0330
www.patinagroup.com/nickStef/

New Year's Eve Dining Under $60

There's no need to drain your savings to eat out on New Year's Eve (or opt for AYCE kbbq like I've done in the past 2 years). For a classy night out that won't break the bank, check out these restaurants offering prix fixe menus for under $60:

Border Grill. 4-Course Dinner For $45, $5 wine pairings (half-glasses).
1445 4th St, Santa Monica, CA 90401. (213) 746-0050.
445 S. Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90071. (213) 486-5171

Corkbar. $55 for 4 courses, complimentary glass of sparkling wine included. 6:30 and 9:30 pm seatings.
Optional pairings: $10 beer, $18 wine, $25 champagne/sparkling. Live music from 9 pm.
403 W 12th St, Los Angeles, CA 90015. (213) 746-0050.

District. $45 for 3 courses and includes a glass of bubbly. Menu choices will include oyster, smoked pork, and market fish.
6600 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028. (323) 962-8200

Eva Restaurant. $55 for 4-course dinner (6 pm seating only, 6-course for a higher price for later seating). Chef Mark Gold promises bubblies for diners.
7458 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036. (323) 634-0700

Ford's Filling Station. $55 for 3 courses.
9531 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232. (310) 202-1470


Nick + Stef's Steakhouse. $59 for 3-course dinner. Menu includes lobster and truffle ravioli, venison loin and berry ladyfingers.
330 S Hope St, Los Angeles, CA 90071. (213) 680-0330

Noir Food and Wine. $59 for 4-course dinner for 8:30-9:30 PM (second seating, a la carte menu available earlier).
40 N Mentor Ave, Pasadena, CA 91106. (626) 795-7199

The Yard. $50 for 3 courses + champagne. Menu includes crab bisque, beef wellington, and meringue custard.
119 Broadway Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90401. (310) 395-6037.

SUGARFISH: Quality Sushi, "Everyday Luxury"

Emmanuele (Lele) Massimini and his friends were avid fans of Sushi Nozawa and made the trek from Santa Monica to Studio City every week for Chef Kazunori Nozawa's sushi. When Chef Nozawa mentioned his concept of bringing his high quality sushi at a cheaper price to them, the SUGARFISH team was born.

Photo courtesy of SUGARFISH

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Corkbar: Test Kitchen Tuesdays, Gougeres, and Pork Sliders

This warm and spacious downtown wine bar is designed by Ana Henton (who also designed Intelligentsia Venice), with nice touches like the hanging shelves of empty wine bottles.

Corkbar's wine list is dedicated to California wines, and so is their beer list for the most part. The food menu changes seasonally with some mainstay items. I was invited by their PR to taste their new Fall menu, although since I have never been, I tried a lot of their somewhat permanent items.

Every Tuesday, Corkbar holds what's called TKT or Test Kitchen Tuesdays, where Chef Albert Aviles will try out and serve a new dish for just $2. Last week it was a bowl of Chile Verde, for which chef Aviles even called his mother for her recipe.

Chili meets chile verde for a hearty, spicy bowl. For $2, they gave very generous portions.

One don't-miss appetizer is the Cheddar Cheese Gougeres ($7)

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Blogger Prom 2010: If High School Was ...

Blogger Prom is what your prom might've been like in high school ...
If you were of legal age of drinking during high school and the organizers of your prom secured alcohol sponsors and a signature cocktail.

If said organizers had access to Yamashiro, the restaurant with the best view in the city.

(and when there's a giant screen showing our tweets all night long because we're okay being geeky like that)

If everyone dressed their best and ended up on the LA Times blog!

Nastassia from Let Me Eat Cake and one half of the Manila Machine

If prom came with duck or black cod tacos for dinner!

If no one judged you for stuffing yourselves with truffles from Chocobox and two Coolhaus ice cream sandwiches.

... plus a selection of cheese and dried fruits from Barrie Lynn, The Cheese Impresario, including her infamous "cheese sex" (a 10 year old cheddar from Hook's Creamery).

If prom kept feeding you for the next two weeks with coupons from Manila Machine, Border Grill, Sprinkles, and 7-11 (and kept you smelling good too with all the shampoos and deodorants).

The best part? We all raised $2,400 for Operation Frontline!

Many thanks to the Blogger Prom committee members LA & OC Foodie, Caroline on Crack, e*starLA, Happy Go Marni, Liquid Muse, LAist, ShopEatSleep, and When Tara Met Blog for putting on a great party.

Table20 Celebrates LA's Best Bartenders

My personal opinions aside, Table20's contest on LA's Best Bartenders certainly brought some of the city's best together at downtown's Elevate Lounge with some mighty rum punches.

The night had started slow and since I overestimated traffic, I arrived 30 minutes early (in LA? Impossible!). I ended up waiting at Takami and had one of their $4 bar snacks, calamari with rice krispies crust. Not a bad portion for $4.

Since the bartenders were still preparing their punch, we first had to wait outside the lounge, but the management graciously provided a drink ticket for the bar at Takami.

Sure, some of my other favorites were missing from the contest, like Julian Cox and Pablo Moix, but 5-6 glasses of punch are enough for a night. I say 5-6 because there were supposed to be 6, but The Edison's Joe Brooke went MIA that night.

A special shoutout to the only female finalist, Dee Ann Quinones from STREET, The Parlour Room, and Philippe Chow.

My favorite drink of the night ended up being Cole's bartender Max Diaz's Red Sparrow Punch.

I might have been biased towards this cider-like hot drink as it was raining outside, but it was definitely a great drink regardless!
For this punch Max Diaz combined the Don Q Anejo rum (one of the sponsors) with apple cider, cabernet sauvignon, green chartreuse, and a "secret syrup" that, alas, shall remain a mystery.

At the end of the night, Matt Biancanello was crowned Best Bartender in LA. The skills of Matt Biancanello are already well known in the city from his creative concoctions at the Library Bar such as the Shiitake Manhattan and Arugula Gimlet. Congratulations to Matt, all the other finalists, and the other great bartenders of Los Angeles!

An L.A. Pilgrimage: Langer's Deli

I finally made it to Langer's and one visit was enough to see why everyone loves their pastrami.

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Nyotaimori, or "Naked Sushi." You've Been Warned.

WARNING: This post should be rated ... at least PG-13. NC-17 maybe.
If the thought of eating sushi off an almost-naked woman offends you, I'd suggest you stop reading this.
Oh, and of course: NOT SAFE FOR WORK!

I'd like to say I did it out of journalistic duty, but in the end it was mainly because I was curious.
(And maybe this is a good time to point out that I'm a girl, so you don't get the wrong ideas about my intention :p )

I had read about nyotaimori (a.k.a naked sushi, a.k.a body sushi) before, then again on Deep End Dining's post about it at Hadaka Sushi (now closed).

The thought of it is definitely wrong. Can one objectify women even more than using a woman's naked (well, almost naked) as a plate?

Still, when a certain friend asked if I'd like to go try it, I was curious enough to say yes.
No restaurant I know of is offering nyotaimori, so the event offered at something called the Asianmodelpalooza (for unknown asian models to break into the biz, from what I can gather. That biz.) seemed to be a rare chance.
Apparently though, it was provided by ... let's say a very specialized catering company, simply named Naked Sushi Entertainment. Subtle.
The person in charge said that you can actually get these services starting from $65/ person depending on the menu, the model you chose, and um, how nude you want her to be. Anyway ...

Sushi served on banana leaves on an almost naked girl (she was wearing a g-string).
Earlier I wondered if we were allowed to talk to her, but she (I believe her stage name was Akira Lane) was actually quite talkative and lively. That made me feel better since she seemed less of an object.
Getting close-up shots of the food was rather dangerous, though...

Food porn takes on a new meaning.

The sushi itself was surprisingly not bad. It was better than I had expected although I wasn't expecting much at all. Yes, a lot of rolls here and it's no Mori.
It's sushi that you can expect at a standard sushi restaurant and I actually enjoyed the spicy hamachi roll. The sushi was provided by Queee Sushi in Chinatown, although of course, at these events the sushi isn't made right there on-site, so it isn't as fresh as sitting at a sushi bar.
But, really, does anyone expect this to be about the food?

Now I can at least say "been there, done that."
OK, stop staring.

If this is your thing, now you know where to get it (I'd imagine it'd make a great bachelor's party.)
Me, I'm bracing myself, waiting for my mom to read this and call and scold me, for people I've offended to leave hate comments, etc etc.

Get Iced this Summer: The Shaved Ice Roundup

What's colder than ice cream? Why, ice. So what better way to cool down this summer than some shaved ice (or shaved "snow")? Los Angeles, being as diverse as it is, offers many ethnic options for shaved ice, from Korean to Oaxacan to Indonesian.

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Hawaiian Shaved Ice

Perhaps one of the simplest, Hawaiian shaved ice is typically topped only with flavored syrup (though of course what's to stop you from adding more toppings?). Unlike most others which actually use crushed ice, this style of shaved ice uses a machine which literally shaves the ice, generating a much smoother texture. The most popular spot right now is probably Get Shaved, which has a storefront in Northridge and a truck that roams around the greater LA area. You can find syrup flavored with mango, lychee, passionfruit, all the way to bubblegum here and you can also add a scoop of ice cream below your shaved ice and top it all with red beans, condensed milk, and mochi balls.

Get Shaved
http://www.getshavedice.com
@getshaved

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Korean Shaved Ice/ Pat Bing Su

One of the best pat bing su in town can be found at Chego, although it is a rotating menu item so you may not necessarily find it when you go there. Here the shaved ice is topped with chewy mochi, red bean, mangoes, kiwi, and a red syrup. The flavors of all the ingredients here work better than many pat bing su concoctions. If you see it on the menu this summer, you might want to give it a try.

Chego
3300 Overland Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90034
www.eatchego.com

Ice Kiss is a popular cafe in Koreatown for their shaved ice. Size and visual matters here where you can get the largest serving served to you in a dogbowl. All the fruit and red bean are further topped with ice cream and whipped cream, which can be overkill, but they're open late and you can be sure there'll be enough for everyone.

Ice Kiss
3407 W 6th St, Los Angeles, CA 90020
(213) 382-4776

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Taiwanese Shaved Ice

While the Koreans put all the toppings on top of their shaved ice, the Taiwanese style covers the bottom of the bowl with items of your choice including lychee, pudding, peanuts, red bean, etc and then top it with a tall pile of ice and condensed milk. Two popular places are Kang Kang food court where you can choose your toppings from the deli case, and Sin Ba La, a popular Taiwanese joint.

Kang Kang Food Court
27 E Valley Blvd, Alhambra, CA 91801

Sinbala
651 W Duarte Rd Ste F, Arcadia, CA 91007

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Taiwanese Shaved Snow

Shaved snow is pretty rare even in the San Gabriel Valley and the reputed best version outside of Taiwan is the one at Class 302 in Rowland Heights. The difference? The "snow" is flavored and milk is added prior to shaving and (according to Kung Food Panda) it is shaved with a special machine, generating smooth ribbons of creamy "ice". I suspect this special machine is similar to the one used for Hawaiian shaved ice. The texture is closer to an ice cream and chunks of crushed ice. Their most popular is the mango but it tends to run out, so either try to go early or just order one of their other flavors such as green tea topped with red bean and mochi balls, or the caramel pudding. And yes, the milk-added-shaved snow is still topped with condensed milk.

Class 302 三年2班
1015 Nogales St #125, Rowland Heights, CA 91748

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Mexican Shaved Ice / Raspado

At the newly opened Natura Bar, you can get Oaxacan-style shaved ice, raspado, with exotic flavors such as tamarind, guayabana to more familiar flavors such as walnut and eggnog. A small raspado is a big cup filled with the syrup and chunks of fruits/nuts of your flavor both at the bottom and the top for uniform flavoring.

Natura Bar
3335 1/4 W 8th St, Los Angeles, CA 90005
(213) 784-0943

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Indonesian Shaved Ice: Es Teler

In Indonesia even shaved ice can be considered a mid-meal drink. "Es Teler" (semi-literally, drunken ice) is a popular drink in Indonesia that utilizes tropical fruits and topping. Lucky for Angelenos, a version of it can be found at Simpang Asia. The shaved ice is topped with condensed milk and slices of coconut, jackfruit, and avocado. You can either eat it with a spoon or mix everything and drink it through the big straw!

Simpang Asia

10433 National Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90034
(310) 815-9075

Spring Menu at Fleming's Steakhouse

The semi-new L.A. Live next to the Staples Center and Nokia Theatre has certainly livened up downtown LA with its multitude restaurant offerings. One of these restaurants is Fleming's Steakhouse, which recently launched its Spring menu. They held a tasting of their new menu items for a few media/bloggers, but since I couldn't make it, they generously invited me to come at another time. I brought a friend of mine from college in the hopes that feeding him steak might render him more inclined to help me move again if need be, even after the previous moving fiasco with the super-heavy-bed-that-won't-fit-in-the-elevator.

But I digress.

The dimly lit dining room is reminiscent of an old school steakhouse, complete with white vs black napkins (though I was surprised when the server asked which one I wanted, as opposed to looking at what I'm wearing and giving me the one I needed).

Housemade rosemary bread with black pepper butter and chardonnay-infused feta cheese.
Nice herb flavor on the bread, served warm. The black pepper butter was smooth and had a nice kick. I really liked the special feta cheese.

I've never been to a Fleming's before and so I never knew about "Fleming's 100", their list of 100 wines available by the glass, about 30 of which are under $10 per glass. I got a glass of the 2007 Louis Jadot Pinot Noir ($13)

The Chef Partner, Calvin Holladay, came out to greet us and I decided to let him send out whatever he wanted me to try from the new menu offerings.

We started with some Lump Crab Louis Wraps (butter lettuce, avocado, bacon, chives, egg, tomatoes)
This reminds me of a the Chinese lettuce wraps but with BLT + generous lumps of fresh crab. They used fresh quality ingredients including the sweet juicy tomatoes. Can't go wrong. This was probably my favorite of the night.

Roasted Mushroom Ravioli (portobello & shiitake mushrooms, porcini butter sauce)
I also quite liked the pasta. Al dente ravioli filled with earthy and flavorful mushrooms topped with a rich buttery sauce made for a bite to savor. While they don't make the pastas in house, Fleming's worked directly with the producer to develop the pasta they felt was just right for the dish.

Tillamook Bay Petrale Sole (crab beignets, lemon butter sauce)
Lightly breaded and fried, the sole was meaty and topped with Jalapenos and red peppers for extra kick and their crunch helped cut the richness of the dish. The crab and corn beignets were well spiced although after eating a whole one I felt they could be more moist.

Peppercorn Steak (prime NY steak, crushed white & black peppercorns, "F17" sauce)
The peppercorn crust made for a great flavor kick without being overwhelmingly peppery. Even though the steak is a bit overcooked (I ordered it medium rare) and thus tougher than what I normally like, I could easily finish my half because it was flavorful.

Our entrees came with two sides:
Roasted Baby Carrots (golden raisins, toasted almonds)
Let it be known that my friend hates cooked carrots, but for some reason he tried these (perhaps feeling that he should since I'm reviewing it) and loved it. Maybe loved is too strong a word, but he did indeed say it's the best cooked carrot he's ever had and that he can actually eat them and enjoy them.

On my part, the carrots were tender yet not overcooked and still crisp and the golden raisins added a nice extra sweetness.

Sauteed Haricot Vert (French green beans, shiitake mushrooms, porcini essence)
A simple dish of green beans elevated by the umami-ful garnish.

I knew that the friend that I took here was a huge cheesecake fan, so when the waiter said that their cheesecakes are the best, I decided to order it for us.
New York style cheesecake with blueberry sauce.
Light and fluffy, this cheesecake is not overwhelmingly sweet as some cheesecakes can be. The richness and slight tanginess of the cheesecake are complemented well by the blueberry sauce.

I forgot to write down the prices but appetizers were around $15-20 and the steak was around $30-35.

I have to say as far as chain steakhouses go, Fleming's pleasantly surprised me. Of course, because they had invited me they probably paid extra attention to the food they served that night, but it seemed that they did not slack off in choosing good ingredients, especially the produce the appetizers and side dishes. Being a steakhouse, their steak did not disappoint either with both the natural flavor from the meat and their spices and sauce. Next time I'll have to make sure to get it a bit more rare and it should be just right.


Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar
800 W Olympic Blvd Ste 113
Los Angeles, CA 90015
(213) 745-9911
www.flemingssteakhouse.com