TV chef and cookbook author Ina Garten will be in Santa Monica to sign copies of her latest book, Barefoot Contessa: How Easy Is That? Fabulous Recipes & Easy Tips. Although I have yet to get my hands on a copy of this one, Ina’s cookbooks are a favorite of mine and I often find myself referencing them before parties. The signing will be at the Williams-Sonoma at 1600 Montana Avenue, Santa Monica, from 1:00pm to 3:00pm on Thursday, November 11, 2010. Call (310) 586-1018 for more info.
Construction continues fast and furiously on the La Monarca Bakery at the corner of Wilshire and Euclid in Santa Monica, slated to open in early November. (Toddrickallen broke the story in June: http://wp.me/pIwAN-9f) Signs went up this week and a prominent “Now Hiring” sign is in the window. We’ll keep you posted. Until then, see the menu here: http://lamonarcabakery.com/en/pdf/MONARCA-MENU.pdf.
Toddrickallen got a chance to speak with Sauro Mosti, the manager of the upcoming Bar Toscana, currently under construction at 11633 San Vicente Blvd in Brentwood, in the space right next door to the old neighborhood fave, trattoria Toscana. According to Sauro, Bar Toscana will be a “fresh, new experience” and feature “contemporary tapas” with a strong emphasis on “mixology”- using fresh and seasonal herbs and fruits for artisanal cocktails. The windows are still papered over and the scheduled Thanksgiving debut has been delayed, but look for the opening around the first of December.
Sauro in front of the exciting new Bar Toscana
Ittou Bento, which has been under construction for some time now (see http://wp.me/pIwAN-bd), is finally scheduled to open on Monday, October 27th. The Japanese bistro boasts a menu of fresh salads, soup, bento, and of course, sushi. Check out more at http://www.ittoubento.com/.
The Barnes & Noble in Manhattan Beach is hosting a “Cookbook Fair” this Sunday, October 24th. Featured are the chefs/authors of the new splashy global cookbook “Flying Pans”, Bernard Guillas and Ron Oliver from the Marine Room in La Jolla. Events start at 12:30pm.
Barnes & Noble, 1800 Rosecrans Ave Ste B, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
If you read S. Irene Virbila’s upbeat and positive review of Obikà Mozzarella Bar in the Westfield Century City Shopping Center, then you know that the one flaw she encountered was the lackluster bread, which she described as, “Squishy as Wonder Bread.” (LA Times 10/18/10 http://articles.latimes.com/2010/oct/18/entertainment/la-et-earlybird18-20101018) Well Sweetie, you can rest assured the problem has been remedied, even before your review went to print. The bread, we were informed by manager Reagan, was now from Breadbar and was perfect accompaniment with the featured Mozzarella di Bufala DOP which, as you all know by now, is flown in fresh three times weekly. On our recent visit, the food was everything Sister Irene promised. We loved the tasting of fried mozzarella and vegetables with sage leaves and a spicy tomato sauce, the fried breaded mozzarella di bufala was a comforting treat of a grilled cheese, and the roasted bread topped with cherry tomatoes, caperberries, olives, fresh oregano, salted ricotta, and mozzarella di bufala DOP exploded with fresh mediterranean flavors punctuated by an intense salty caper bite. We tried many other dishes as well, all thoroughly enjoyable. But the hands-down winner at our table was the Rice and Eggplant Tortino with Smoked Mozzarella de Bufala Compana DOP. I arrived at our table molded, the smoky mozzarella rice carefully hidden beneath grilled eggplant. The light and fluffy rice was a perfect foil for the flavors of the eggplant, cheese, and pesto. An unusual dish, but one that left us in awe. Completely satisfied and stuffed, on the way out, we were introduced to the owners Nilde and Raimondo, whose friendliness, warmth, and genuine interest in us reminded us of dreamy evenings spent in trattorias in Southern Italy. We instantly felt like family. We were even treated with limoncello at the end of the evening! While Century City Shopping Center may not feel like Italy, Obikà gets it right; delicious, innovative food and friendly, warm staff.
The new breadbasket by Breadbar
The Rice and Eggplant Tortino
Obikà (310) 556-2452 www.obikala.com
Construction is underway on a new Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza at 780 S. Sepulveda in the building that was once Smith & Hawkins at El Segundo Plaza. The upscale restaurant (think CPK) is based in San Diego and has only one other LA area location in Torrance. The menu boasts surprisingly diverse selections including pastas, tacos, Asian, and of course, woodfired pizzas. Check out more at http://www.sammyspizza.com/.
Well, it looks like there’s yet another addition to the new carb-tastic bakery row that’s developing on Montana Ave. in Santa Monica. While the construction continues (and continues, and continues…) at Sweet Lady Jane and Nothing Bundt Cakes, a flashy new sign has gone up at the defunct Coffee Bean at 1426 Montana. The search engines yield no information beside the permits, but at first glance, it looks like the upcoming Valen Dolcé will be a bakery or sweet shop of some sort. We’ll keep you posted…
Just in case you need some cheap eats and drinks after maxing out your cards in the tony shops below, Pizza Antica, at the top of Santa Monica Place, has announced a new happy hour from 4:00pm to 7:00pm with $6 starters, $7 pizzas, and specials on beers and wine. Some of the nibbles offered are Crispy Summer Beans with Sweet Corn Fonduta, an Antipasti of Young Vegetables, Housemade Mozzarella and Focaccia Crisps, and Bruschetta with Burrata, Tuscan Kale, Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Sea Salt. Just don’t spill on your new LV bag.
395 Santa Monica Place, Santa Monica 310.394.4080 www.pizzaantica.com
Construction still continues, but the signs have gone up for the new restaurant in the Jamaica Bay Inn at the corner of Admiralty and Palawan in Marina Del Rey. The new restaurant, named Vu (View) will, according to the website, feature market fresh small and large plates to entice ‘sophisticated diners’. There will be beach views, patio dining, and fire pits. Opening date is projected for Fall 2010. They just might make it…
Good News! Mozza2Go is offering a terrific deal on pizzas on Sundays and Mondays: Two Margherita pizzas for $20. That’s a savings of $6. (Carnivores can also get 2 sausage pizzas for $25 or 2 ‘meat lover’ pizzas for $28.) I can’t think of a better way to start your week…
Call (323) 297-1130 to order or check out www.mozza2go.com for more details and other news.
641 N. Highland Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90036
Phone: 323.297.0101 Fax: 323.297.0109
Perhaps you’ve had a revelation at the Sunday brunch at Mesa Grill. Or maybe you just can’t tear your eyes away from any of his 10,000 daily appearances on tv, either way, face it… as much as you try not to be and don’t want anyone to know, you’re a fan of that irresistible griller, Bobby Flay. So put on your dark glasses and drive to the Williams-Sonoma in South Coast Plaza this Friday, Oct 15th at noon. Bobby will be signing copies of his new book, Bobby Flay’s Throwdown! More Than 100 Recipes from Food Network’s Ultimate Cooking Challenge.
Williams-Sonoma at South Coast Plaza
3333 South Bristol Street
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 751-1166
But maybe grilling isn’t your thing. If you’re a baking fanatic, and a reader of Bakerella.com (http://www.bakerella.com/), you may want to pop by the Williams-Sonoma in Santa Monica for the book signing of Bakerella’s Cake Pops: Tips, Tricks, and Recipes for More Than 40 Irresistible Mini Treats on Tuesday October 12th at 12:00pm. Who doesn’t need more mini-treats in their life?
Williams-Sonoma Santa Monica
1600 Montana Avenue
Santa Monica, CA 90403
(310) 586-1018
More info at http://www.williams-sonoma.com/
Construction continues at a dizzying pace at The Market, the “Ferry Building style” marketplace set atop the brand spanking new Santa Monica Place. Words like “local” and “organic” feature heavily in the promos. What we DO know is that, according to the sign, Rockenwagner, N’Ice Cream, and Kings Road Cafe are slated to move in.
If you noticed that the Houston’s on the corner of Wishire and 2nd in Santa Monica quietly changed its name about 3 weeks ago and were wondering what was going on, here’s the skinny. No, it’s not a new restaurant, it’s still the same Houston’s and menu but with a new sign out front. It was explained to me by an employee that Hillstone, the parent company of Houston’s, Gulfstream, R&D, South Beverly Grill, and Bandera has been upgrading its higher-end Houston’s into the original brand name of Hillstone. The name change is an attempt to draw more attention to the Hillstone brand, or as it was told to me, “To get the name out there.” So there you go…
Toddrickallen 
