Instead of trick or treating, head over to Susan Feniger’s Street tonight where, if you wear a costume, you will get a free order of kaya toast! Kaya toast is a magical combination of egg, soy sauce, coconut jam, and bread eaten in parts of southeast Asia and would be a perfect way to kick of your Halloween revelry.
www.eatatstreet.com
742 N. Highland Los Angeles, CA 90038
Phone: 323.203.0500
Le Cellier, the brand-spanking new Vietnamese/French fusion restaurant from the people who brought you China Beach in Venice, has now officially (soft) opened for lunch and dinner. The modern/cozy boîte offers a menu of various “petits plats”, cheese and charcuterie plates, banh mi, tartines, and mains. Included among the Vietnamese and French classics (think French onion soup, tartine of duck rillette, lemongrass sauteed mussels, and roasted pork loin in plum wine sauce) are a number of vegetarian dishes such as: medley of sautéed mushroom on grilled eggplants, Le Cellier vegetarian tartine (baguette with caviar of eggplant, Maui onion marmalade, seared tofu, and sun-dried tomato), toasted banh mi cha (Vietnamese savory egg cake with mustard spread). Beer and wine are available. Le Cellier Restaurant and Wine Bar is located at 417 Washington Blvd., Marina Del Rey. Phone: (424) 228-5491.
For those of us who make reservations instead of cranberry sauce and pie for Thanksgiving, good news! It’s that time of year when LA restaurants roll out their holiday menus. The first to catch my attention is Josiah Citrin’s elegant Melisse in Santa Monica. His three course menu offers a variety of traditional and non-traditional choices, and at least one vegetarian option available for a main: wild mushroom, sweet onion and burrata torte with a choice of sides including praline pecan yams, szechwan green beans, fresh cranberry sauce. Dessert choices include an apple pie, a pecan pie, a chocolate souffle cake and a pumpkin pie with vanilla ice cream and sauce “terre et mer” (“land and sea”… your guess is as good as mine). Cost is $89 for adults and $42 for kids 8 and under. Dinner is served from 3:00pm to 7:30pm on Thanksgiving, November 24th. Make your reservations by calling (310) 395-0881. More information at melisse.com.
Nearing completion at 131 W. Grand Ave. in El Segundo, is Schat’s Bakery Cafe, a Dutch-style restaurant to be run by David Shat, whose family maintains a smattering of variously named bakeries across California. I’ll keep my eye out for an opening date, until then, read more at schatselsegundo.com/.
If you’re crazy about Barbaresco, the illustrious Piedmont wine from the Nebbiolo grape, you’re in luck. Mozza is hosting a wine tasting with Claudia Cigliuti, daughter of Renato Cigliuti who is esteemed for his family run, estate produced Barbaresco. Chef Matt Molina’s 4 course Piedmontese menu will be paired with various vintages from the famed producer dating back to 1997. The dinner will take place on Tuesday, October 25th at 7:00pm and costs $135 per person. Call (323) 866-5290 for reservations. mozzarestaurantgroup.com/
Start your holiday shopping early! Williams-Sonoma in Santa Monica is hosting a customer appreciate event tonight only (Thursday, October 20th) from 6pm until 9pm. They will be previewing the Thanksgiving collection, providing food samples, and offering 10% off the entire store (with some exceptions), as well as other offers. Williams-Sonoma Santa Monica is at 1600 Montana Ave.
Ah, Autumn. There’s a thrill in the crisp air as you anticipate the upcoming season… for holiday cooking demos! The latest one is at Whole Foods at 23rd and Wilshire in Santa Monica. Natural foods personal chef Christine Oppenheim will lead you through the world of vegan Halloween treats this Saturday, October 22nd at 1:00pm. Included on the menu are caramel apple bites, pumpkin pie dip, and pecan pie shake. Cost is free, reserve at sp.smc.marketing@wholefoods.com.
September 27th saw the release of the brand-spankin’ new The Mozza Cookbook: Recipes from Los Angeles’s Favorite Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria by Nancy Silverton with Matt Molina, Carolyn Carreno, and intro by Mario Batali. Now’s your chance to score the new book and get it signed by Nancy herself, along with Matt Molina, the executive chef of Mozza. The book signing will take place on Sunday, October 23rd from 1:00pm to 3:00pm at the Mozza Scuola di Pizza (next to Mozza2Go at 6610 Melrose). You might want to get there early…
This Sunday October 16th, Native Foods founder Chef Tanya Petrovna, (who clearly loves Halloween and will be dressed as a witch) will be leading a free cooking demo at her Native Foods Cafe in Culver City at 9:30am. Included on the menu will be chewy dirt clod bites, green goo goblin stew, and witches warts. And if that weren’t enough, all Native Foods Cafes will be offering a special Vampire Burger from October 28th through October 31st. What is a vampire burger you ask? Blackened seitan with Native chili, Native cheese, served with garlic fries and beet salad. Reserve a seat for you and up to three of your friends for the demo by following this link: Nativefoods.com. Native Foods is at 9343 Culver Blvd. in CC.
While well-known cheese authority Andrew Steiner of Andrew’s Cheese Shop in Santa Monica periodically offers classes and tastings at his Montana Ave. store, the former Patina Maitre d’Fromage is hosting a free event on Tuesday, Oct. 18th at 7:00pm in the Fairview Branch of the Santa Monica Public Library. In Cheese 101, Andrew will lead you through the basics of cheese, its history and origins. Seats are likely to book up, so secure yours by calling (310) 458-8681. Find out more about Andrew’s programs by visiting http://andrewscheese.com/ . The Fairview Branch of the Santa Monica Library (http://smpl.org/) is located at 2101 Ocean Park Blvd.
Breadbar’s latest pop up makes its debut this weekend. Being billed as “creative, affordable, modern haute cuisine”, Bistronomics Lucky 13 will run every weekend through October at Breadbar in the Century City Shopping Center from 6:00pm until 11:00pm. Chefs Jet Tila (ChefJet.com) with Alex Ageneau (sous at The Royce) will be offering a French and Asian blend seasonal menu. Reservations will be hard to come by… Get yours by calling (310) 277-3770. Read more here: http://www.breadbar.net/archives/966.
This Tuesday, October 11th, Susan Feniger’s Street is going “herbivore like never before”. They are offering a seven course vegetarian tasting menu (that can even be made vegan upon request) for only $45! Here’s the menu:
Autumn Squash Soup with Balkan-style Flatbreads
Malaysian Vegetable Springrolls
Indian Spiced Melon with Homemade Paneer and Pickled Chiles
Stuffed Tempura: Shiso Leaf, Toybox Pepper, Kabocha
Braised Endive Gratin with Herbed Breadcrumbs and Late Harvest Tomatoes
Wild Mushroom Piroshki
Almond Cake with Bitter Orange and Peach Marmalade
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
Reservations are likely to sell out so get yours ASAP by calling (323) 203-0500.
www.eatatstreet.com
742 N. Highland Los Angeles, CA 90038
Phone: 323.203.0500
Thanks to reader Zaine at Zaine Colour Salon, Toddrickallen has learned that a new tea shop is going into the vacant space on the corner of 16th and Montana Ave. in Santa Monica. Hoping to anchor the other end of the block from Sweet Lady Jane, Josh Pourgal (a businessman who already has a presence on Montana with Bellacures) will be opening the tea shop in the old Sun Precautions space at 1601 Montana. Called Fenjune, the new store will be offering specialty tea, loose leaf teas, “tea concoctions”, fresh fruit and veggie juices, smoothies, macaroons, gifts and gourmet items. You’ll be able to sip your tea at a communal table while reading Paris Vogue from the international news stand that Pourgal will be installing on the blank wall of the store that faces 16th. Sounds like a refreshing change to pull people away from the tired coffee chains that choke the western end of Montana. Look for an opening sometime in November. (Remember, this is Santa Monica… so fingers crossed!)
Toddrickallen 