Josiah Citrin’s new book, In Pursuit of Excellence, is just about to be released. To celebrate, Josiah will be hosting a function at his flagship restaurant Melisse on Sunday December 4th from 4pm to 7pm. Hot off the press, the books will be available for signing, as well as food and drink. Space is extremely limited… But if you’re a fan of Citrin’s, why not try your luck by sending yours and one guest’s name to Jannis Swerman at jannids@aol.com.
According to a press release that just landed in my inbox, Artisan House, the upscale deli/market/restaurant going into the historic Pacific Electric Building at 600 South Main in Downtown, will open the first week of December. The ambitious project is overseen by managing partner Patrice Rozat (Mr. Chow, Four Seasons) and exec Chef Jason Ryczek (One Sunset, Boa), who will oversee a lengthy upmarket Cal/Med menu designed to be “adventurous and socially responsible” (including the current trend in eco-hip: the rooftop garden). The extensive selection of choices will include salads, soups, sandwiches, flatbreads, mains and will be available in two dining rooms, a large patio, bar, and deli designed to evoke a “stylish neighborhood hangout” with a look utilizing the building’s original turn-of-the-century romanesque and beaux-arts design. The market will stock specialty items such as artisan olive oils and vinegar, condiments, jams, chocolates, beer and wine. DJs will be spinning tunes Thursday through the weekend, and brunch is served on Saturday and Sunday. Clearly a lot of thought and development have gone into the creation of Artisan House including my vote for best idea ever: “take-home cocktails”.
You can follow progress on their website: www.artisanhouse.net.
The fifth in a series of travelling chef competitions, “The Ultimate Food Fight” takes place this Thursday, November 17th from 5:00pm to 6:30pm at the Whole Foods in Venice. Chefs from Whole Foods have 30 minutes to create a unique dish out of basic stuffing. Guest judges for the event are Ben Ford from Ford’s Filling Station, Casey Lane from The Tasting Kitchen, and Jason Bowlin from Catch at Casa Del Mar. To get in, you have to donate two shelf-stable Thanksgiving food items to the Venice Housing Corp Food Bank. RSVP to spven.marketing@wholefoods.com or by calling (310) 566-9480. Whole Foods Venice is at 225 Lincoln Blvd.
As you probably know, Dr. Andrew Weil was the consultant for the über-healthy menu at True Food Kitchen on the ground floor of Santa Monica Place. So it should come as no surprise that the good Doctor will be giving a presentation there on his new book, Spontaneous Happiness on Tuesday, Nov. 15th at 10:00am. Included in the $45 fee will be a variety of True Food offerings including: kale salad, eggplant pizza, squash pie, and others. Reservations are limited… call (480) 751-2176 to secure yours. truefoodkitchen.com
Thanks to those busy pigs in Alba, Italy (although I think they’re actually dogs), truffle season is upon us! And in case your budget doesn’t include an 8 course at Melisse, good news! Obikà in the Century City Shopping Center celebrates the famous and traditionally pricey fungus Nov 15 starting at 6pm. They are offering a special four course menu paired with wine that you can check out here: truffledinnermenu2011. Cost is $85 for food, $28 for the wine pairing. Seating is limited so call (310) 556-2452 ASAP for reservations or visit Obikala.com.
A little South Pacific with your latte? Tonight (Nov 8th) from 6:30pm to 8:00pm at the Montana branch of Caffe Luxxe is a “musical review of Broadway classics” sung by house barista and baritone Nathaniel Reynolds. More than likely it will be quite crowded so arrive early. Caffe Luxxe is at 925 Montana Ave. in Santa Monica.
And while we’re on the subject of chain restaurant openings, East Coast-themed sandwich shop Jersey Mike’s Subs continues its incursion into SoCal with the opening of its latest outpost in West Los Angeles at 12003 Wilshire, next to California Pita. Read more at jerseymikes.com.
Missing their promised October opening only slightly, Yogurtland is now open in the Westfield Century City Shopping Center on the first floor next to Vanilla Bake Shop. Read more at yogurt-land.com
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Already a fixture at local farmer’s markets, Chocovivo, the “bean to bar” specialists are working fast and furiously on their new boutique, The Chocolate Mini Bar at 1504 Abbot Kinney Blvd. in Venice. Passionate about chocolate, they only offer dark chocolate that is stone ground, organically raised, gluten-free, made in small batches, and sourced from a family plantation in Tabasco, Mexico. Although by the looks of this photo taken last night they have a way to go, I was told by Alex Conn (VP of strategic development) that they are planning on a soft opening this weekend. Read more at chocovivo.com.
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.
Toddrickallen 