A La Carte
Apologies and Congratulations… I misspelled Chef Greg Hozinsky’s name in an article a few weeks ago, and it was completely my fault – in the photo that I shot for the story, he was wearing a chef’s jacket with his name on it. Lots of people have been learning to spell Hozinsky lately, since Chris made the Zagat Survey’s list of the top up-and-coming chefs. I’d actually question the designation up and coming – as the Executive Chef at Shade Hotel and the Strand House, I’d say he has already arrived…
Reuse, Recycle, Recork… If you have been getting the mailings from Hermosa’s Uncorked wine shop, you have probably noticed the requests that you bring in your used wine corks. It occurred to me to wonder just what they are doing with them all – lining the walls for soundproofing and insulation, perhaps? Gluing them together to build a raft so that if a tsunami hits, they may float to safety? I called and found that they are indeed recycling them, both the ones made from real cork and the newfangled rubber ones. You can save a cork tree somewhere by bringing your used stoppers to their Pier Avenue store – alas, the screw tops will still go in the trash bin…
And Speaking Of Popping Corks… Fleming’s in El Segundo will host winery owner Jim Dierberg this Friday for a lavish dinner pairing European-style wines from the Central Coast alongside seared shrimp with chimichurri sauce, scallops with lemon-honey glaze, and other delights. (Knowing that it’s Fleming’s, you won’t be too surprised that the other delights involve prime beef two ways.) The whole menu is on their website, or you can call them at 310-643-6911 for details and reservations…
Great Moments in Marketing… When I saw the sign for a restaurant called Bad Sushi in El Segundo, I considered going to have my eyes checked. I looked closer and the sign was still there, so I considered having my reality checked. According o the management, B.A.D. stands for “Best And Delicious,” the initials presumably being just a coincidence. I haven’t been there yet but will have to go just so I may report whether it is bad or B.A.D…
No Need to Travel to Texas… A particularly lunatic politician recently suggested, possibly seriously, that an alligator-filled moat be built to separate the US from Mexico. If implemented this could have unintended consequences, one of which may be tasted at Los Muchachos in Hermosa. They are serving alligator meat tacos, and they are actually rather interesting – a bit like a cross between a fish and a chicken taco. In case you are wondering why they might do this, it is because Los Muchachos is owned by the same folks who run New Orleans Cuisine a few doors up, and they presumable decided to try cross-fertilizing the two cultures. That also explains why both restaurants offer chicken and waffles on weekends – the New Orleans version with crispy fried chicken, Los Muchachos with it grilled Mexican-style…
Now Open (And Surprising)… House of Pita is open in Riviera Village, and it’s unlike most Middle Eastern restaurants in the area. First of all, they have some Moroccan Harira soup, inspired by the chef’s own heritage, and they are offering a kind of pizza made with pita bread. That pita is baked in-house when you order it, so you know it’s fresh. This could be a new level in Arabic food locally, and it’s a welcome development…
Now Open (And We’ve Been Waiting…) Limani Taverna has opened in the space vacated by Papadakis in San Pedro, and the vibe there is subtly changed from the previous establishment. It’s a little less flamboyant, the prices are lower, and a makeover has freshened up décor that was looking a bit tattered. The owners are Bulgarian and may be offering occasional specialties from that country, with which Greece shares a border and many core elements of the cuisine…
Sharing a Meal With The Kitty… There have been many jokes about how happy cats would be if turned loose at a sushi bar, though I have never met a feline that had much of a taste for wasabi or ponzu sauce. I did get an email from a human who objected to a Manhattan Beach restaurant serving her what she referred to as “Kitty Kaviar.” The restaurant is actually using the gourmet version of dried bonito fish, called katsuobushi, a staple of Japanese food for hundreds of years, and a simplified version of this is sold as Kitty Kaviar. That company’s marketing director did not return my call, and while their website extolled the virtues of the product for cats, they do not recommend it for human consumption. A Japanese chef who I called showed common sense about this, saying only, “Cats and people both like concentrated seafood flavor… how unusual is that? There are cheesy biscuits for dogs and also for people. People like to spoil their cats.” I think the restaurant should be applauded for using interesting Asian ideas in a contemporary Californian menu. I like bonito flakes and use them in my cooking, both for the taste and the eerie way they move along with the heat rising from a dish if you use them as a garnish…
Fish Versus Corned Beef… I went to Fishbar to try their lobster hash for brunch, and it was excellent – big chunks of claw meat with fried potatoes, green onions, herbs, and homemade Hollandaise sauce. If you are a seafood lover, this is he way to start the day. You’ve probably had enough corned beef hash for a while anyway since you were using up the leftovers from St. Patrick’s day. You did know that they don’t eat corned beef and cabbage in Ireland, didn’t you? That tradition started in the expatriate community in New York where local residents missed a similarly spiced dish called bacon loin, but could only get beef from the local butcher, who was Jewish. Next year, why not eat something that is actually popular in Ireland, like pizza, curry, or Chinese food… Or more traditionally, boxty and crubbeens with barmbrack! If you knew what that was, your mouth would be watering right now…
What You Can’t Get… I went to Chez Melange’s “Trust The Chef” dinner this week because it was billed as a Chesapeake evening – the food of Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware, rich seafood dishes perfumed with Old Bay and other seasonings. The Chez delivered the goods, and as my family enjoyed crabcakes over spaghetti squash and asparagus we wondered why this cuisine is so hard to find around Los Angeles. There are rich American regional culinary traditions that you just can’t get here – not just Maryland seafood, but the Caribbean-inflected food of Charleston and Savannah, the rich flavors of the Pennsylvania Dutch, and the Scandinavian-influenced comfort food of the Midwest. Perhaps the rarity of finding these flavors at all makes special evenings like that night at the Chez more sweet. My mother, a Baltimore native who is picky about such things, said that the crabcake at the Chez was the best she has had since coming to California over fifty years ago, and that is high praise indeed…
Know where to find wonderful and obscure cuisines? I’m at Richard@richardfoss.com.