Old building, new Penthouse in Beverly Hills

April 11th, 2013 No Comments

Mastro’s Steakhouse, an institution in Beverly Hills known for it’s butter-slathered steaks (my favorite in LA!), second floor piano lounge, and working girl bar, has decided it’s time to restore it’s youth. Back in my college days, you would find twenty-something celebs, agents, and scensters dining there or downstairs begging for a reservation. Such is no longer the case. The average age of the male clientle seems to be about 60. So one day, the boys said, let’s do something with our crowd and this third floor.

They built “The Penthouse,” a more modern fine dining experience with a small bar and spacious outdoor terrace. The terrace is the best part because it’s hard to find nice outdoor dining in Beverly Hills unless you go to a hotel. Another bonus: they stay open until 1am if you’re looking for a nice late night snack.

While you can get the entire Mastro’s menu there, Chef Josef Morphis (with me above) has gone to great lengths to offer you a lighter fare in his appetizer and sushi menu. Our group devoured two seafood towers of about 8 unique dishes. The tuna on some sort of Parmesan cracker you see below was awesome. Prices are a little lower than the steakhouse, but not by much. I’m sorry my picture sucks…

I guess I’ll have to go back and get a better one to replace it. You’ll find me on the terrace, martini and hand. Feel free to join me!

(Full disclosure: Mastro’s offered a media discount in exchange for the review.)

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Food that will M.A.K.E. your day in LA

March 28th, 2013 No Comments

Looks good doesn’t it?!! This lasagna is actually better than good. It’s amazing. Mind-blowing. And meatless. And vegan. AND raw!

Don’t judge, don’t judge.

If I told you it was loaded in fat would that help you believe me that it’s delicious?

The fat comes from the macadamia nut cream and the pistachios. The rest is all raw, organic, refreshing, flavorful veg. That’s what you’ll find an entire menu of at M.A.K.E. - the latest venture from Matthew Keeney – in the Santa Monica mall (more on that later).

My friend and foodie extraordinaire Payman took me for dinner one night and I’ll be forever .

This, my friends, is one of the most extraordinary “cheese” plates you’ll ever devour. All made from nuts. Here we have chipotle (top), cheddar that tastes like a pepperoni (center), and truffle nut cheeses. They are so silky smooth you’d never guess they were derived from a crunchy nut. Those crackers on the side are Almond fennel flax (I believe). Thankfully they sell them by the bag so I could bring them home more to eat with guac and jam. All of those were gone by the end of the meal.

Bottom line, the food at M.A.K.E. is not for vegans, it’s for people who enjoy rich and delicious food because if I hadn’t told you what it was made of, you would have been perfectly happy to eat it and never ask. And yes, they do serve beer and wine; a solid selection I might add.

If you love the food as much as I do, you’ll be happy to know they have a Culinary Institute on-site where you can learn to make two vegan dishes and devour them with wine for $85. Considering their menu prices, that’s not a bad deal. Aside from the pricing, there are a couple of drawbacks to M.A.K.E. that I am going to ask you to overlook on your first visit.

First of all, it’s located on the top level of the Santa Monica mall in “The Market:” a collection of really great cafe and deli style vendors offering their unique take on food. There’s a farm-to-table comfort food, fine cheeses, a wine shop, and a nice patio to enjoy it all. Honestly, the cafe style reminds me of one of those cut-out cafes you would find in a mall in Europe amongst designer clothes. I am always pleasantly surprised at home good the food is at those.

The menu is a bit pricey but the food is wildly sophisticated (in a good way) to the point where I would like to be in a nicer setting. The decor of M.A.K.E. is right on target for San Fran chic, but looking out into The Market takes away from the ambiance. That being said, if they can start to pack the place with a solid crowd, you might not notice that much.

I say it’s a must for an LA local. Go with an open mind and enjoy the food. You WILL NOT be sorry. Then you’ll return to “The Market” for all of the other fun things it has to offer.

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Where to eat right now: Los Angeles cafes

September 14th, 2012 No Comments

Due to my stomach bug while in LA, I didn’t get out to eat very often. However, the new places we did hit up, which were all cafes, were well-rounded and exceptional in terms of food, decor, and service. I don’t know if they will become staples, but I loved the experience at each.

FARM SHOP

Brentwood Country Mart (West LA)

Tucked behind the food court, Farm Stand is a market, deli, bakery, and farm-to-table cafe serving up sophisticated comfort food. The guilt-free indulgence seems to good to be true until the bill comes and you realize you’ve just dropped $25 per person on brunch! Absolutely worth it though :)

800 DEGREES PIZZERIA

Westwood

8I wanted to try out 800 Degrees, the new pizza joint in Westwood where you can customize your own pizza that cooks up in 60 seconds, but as you can see the entire neighborhood came out to do the same that night. Chef Anthony Carron takes great pride in his concept and pie that he claims is based on the original Neopolitan recipe. Watch the video, it looks delicious!

PITFIRE PIZZA

West LA (below), West Hollywood, North Hollywood, Culver City, Downtown,

Due to the line at 800 Degrees, we ended up at Pitfire Pizza down the street. Honestly, I’m happy we did. They have a super fresh menu full of things other than pizza like the quinoa tar tar above. I was a little disappointed the crust was traditional instead of thin, but overall their pies were delicious. The craft beers on draft were a nice addition. All around great concept for a casual night out!

SYCAMORE KITCHEN

West Hollywood

From the masterminds behind Hatfield’s (arguably one of the best restaurants in LA) comes a little sister cafe on La Brea, The Sycamore Kitchen. Think Urth Cafe…but San Fran chic instead of LA rag-a-muffin. Delicious pasteries, savory quiches, and a ricotta crepe dish that looks like heaven are just a couple things to make you salivate when you walk in the door. I didn’t get a chance to try lunch, but as you can see from the menu above it looks as divine as breakfast. They use Stumptown roasted beans, but unfortunately have not figured out how to serve them properly yet (why is it so hard for people to make a proper cappucino). The service is a bit cold, but I think the hipsters and their mommy manager will warm up over time.

Everyone is also buzzing about John Rankin’s Lauren Hardware in Weho. A la the Beauty & Essex entrance, this eatery looks like a hardware store. But all the cool kids are flocking there for food and fun, so maybe we should follow their along.

Trust me, I know I’ve missed tons of great new places, so if you want to offer up recommendations, please do so in the comments. I hope to make it back out there soon!

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The New LA Restaurant Hit List

March 22nd, 2012 No Comments

As much as I love the classics (original Katsuya, Trattoria Amici, Pace, Matsuhisa, Spago, Urth, Beverly Hills Hotel, Mozza etc. See some of my recs here.), I am always seeking out the newest foodie hotspot when I visit Los Angeles.

A couple months ago I wrote “5 Restaurants That Get Locals Out of Los Angeles,” all of which would align with the “Casual City” section of bon appeitit’s “So Cal, So Good: Where to eat now in LA” list from last month’s edition.

For descriptions of these joints, read the full article here. I’ll just provide you with a quick list you can reference on the fly.

Casual City

Farmshop – Brentwood
ink.sack – Melrose
Baco Mercat – Downtown
GTA (Gjelina’s take out) – Venice
The Larder at Maple Drive – BH
Umacmicatessen – Downtown

Peruvian

Lomo Arigato – Food Truck
Osaka – Hollywood
Picca – West LA

Power lunch: Cafe Gratitute (like the one in Nor Cal)

Burger joint: Short Order – West Hollywood Farmer’s Market

Cocktails

Library Bar – Roosevelt Hotel Hollywood
Sunny Spot – Venice
Playa
Coppa d’ Oro

Also check out their “10 Ways To Do LA Like A Star” restaurant list.

(Photo of Picca above via)

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LA needed this dose of Red Medicine

October 13th, 2011 4 Comments

Finally thoughtful and inventive food housed in a contemporary and casual bistro in Southern California. (Took you long enough.) For the last decade, restaurateurs have been transplanting NYC favorites to the West Coast or building larger than life restaurants that seem more like clubs than a place to dine. In my opinion, both get my stamp of #epicfail.

Red Medicine in Hollywood is the first proven success story of modern fine dining since Hungry Cat, in my opinion. (Mozza’s traditional food and decor take it out of the running.) The contemporary and casual Hollywood eatery that’s been open for a year is a chic hot spot where the food is better than the clientele. It’s “not Vietnamase,” they say. All I know is that it tastes Asian and looks like art to me. It all makes sense when you find out the Managing Partner grew up in NYC and chef Josh Kahn worked as the head pastry chef at Per Se. Both worked with Michael Mina.

A year ago, when Red Medicine first opened, you might have heard it in the blogosphere. Ellis posted a pic of the famous food critic S. Irene Virbila (like the Frank Bruni of the West Coast) and asked her to leave. He exposed her anonymity because he said he didn’t like her reviews. You can read more about it here. That’s how I found this place, and by the looks of the food, I wasn’t going to let a couple egos get in my way of going.

(They’re known for their cocktails. I usually never order mixed drinks, but I’m glad I made the exception here.)

We had one other dish on the reccommendation from the waiter and were too stuffed to move on to entrees. Our dessert was the first picture you saw. We were totally statisfied as our expectations for LA food were low and the quality of their bar food was close to perfection.

The whole Red Medicine experience reminded me of eating out at one of the many bistros in San Francisco – fresh food, modern decor, a cool crowd – you know the scene. It makes sense when you know find out that the Managing Partner Noah Ellis grew up in NYC and chef Josh Kahn served as pastry chef at Per Se and worked for Michael Mina in San Fran.

I can only hope that more LA restauranteurs take this medicine and get better soon. On my next trip to LA you can bet I’ll be hitting up their dinner menu properly before venturing anywhere else though.

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Zero Effort Nutirion in Los Angeles

September 15th, 2011 No Comments

Just discovered a new meal delivery service in LA. Well, actually ZEN found me on twitter and I investigated further.

ZEN offers meals and cleanses to your doorstep daily for a pretty reasonable price. (This got me thinking maybe I should consider doing TruMeals in Houston. I wouldn’t mind the time off in the kitchen.)

They seems to be capable of customizing a plan specifically for you, so feel free to call or tweet them. They answer!

All of the good stuff is on the coasts. Poo for me, yay for you big city folks.

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Want to go Celeb-Spotting in Hollywood?

April 28th, 2011 No Comments

Along with my review of the W Hotel Hollywood for the Houston Chronicle, I also wrote a quick list of new places you might not know about to see celebs. A little local birdie helped because I’m not around as much as I would like to be these days.

• Fig and Olive : The acclaimed coastal Mediterranean eatery from New York City just opened a Melrose Place location. Call for reservations. 310-360-9100 (I wrote about it here.)

• The Eveleigh : Hidden on the Sunset Strip, this low-key restaurant is a local hideout for tabloid favorites such as Charlotte Ronson. 424-239-1630 (Pictured above via)

• Runyon Canyon : Don’t forget to pack your tennis shoes so you can hike the hills with stars such as Jessica Biel, Jake Gyllenhaal and Cameron Diaz. 323-666-5046;

• Larchmont : This strand of boutiques and cafes is one of the only peaceful escapes the rich and famous have south of the hills.

• The Bar : Hipster celebs can’t get enough of this Hollywood dive. 323-468-9154

Originally published in The Houston Chronicle here.

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Spring Sundays on the patio

April 3rd, 2011 2 Comments

I cannot think of a better way to enjoy a Sunday afternoon during PERFECT spring weather than outside on a beautiful patio with a bottle of something delicious in the company of great friends.

When I’m trying to find a patio on the fly, I can never remember my favorite spots. Seems ridiculous, but you’ve felt the same way I’m sure. It’s like when you want to try out a new place, but you can’t think of the 10 places you talked about with friends during the week.

So, off the top of my head here are a few of my favorites (in no particular order):

New York:

Central Park (bring a picnic)
Peninsula roof top – Midtown
Soho House roof deck – Meatpacking
Friend of the Farmer – Gramcery Park
Soho Grand Hotel
Locanda Verde – TriBeCa
Pastis – Meatpacking
Mole – Meatpacking
Crosby Hotel – Soho
Elizabeth – Soho
Dos Caminos - Soho
Extra Virgin – West Village
Sant Ambroeus – West Village

Los Angeles:

Beverly Hills Hotel pool
Four Seasons West Hollywood
Toast
Urth Cafe
Bread – 3rd @ Robertson
Shutters
Moonshadows – Malibu
Anywhere on Sunset Plaza
The Abbey – West Hollywood

Houston:

Tiny Boxwoods (pictured above)
Houston Country Club (private)
La Griglia
Four Seasons pool
Ruggles Green – City Center
Tasting Room – Uptown Park
Cyclone Anaya’s – Midtown
Hudson

Dallas – I only know the Hotel Zaza – I prefer it’s intimate and small setting over the Houston location

Austin (the few I know):

Four Seasons
Hotel Saint Cecilia (private)
San Jose bar
Perla’s
Taco Express
Hula Hut
Salt Lick
Moonshine

Unfortunately spring hasn’t blown into the north yet, so we feel for you guys up there freezing. I hope this list keeps you strong until Spring comes!

Add your favorites below!

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