The Patina Group Celebrates Summer with Bi-Coastal Tomato Fest

This just in from Vanessa Kristal of JS² Communications:

PATINA RESTAURANT GROUP CELEBRATES THE SEASON WITH THE FIRST NATIONAL TOMATO FESTIVAL

The juicy jewel of summer takes center stage at Patina Group restaurants on both coasts

Patina Restaurant Group announces its first national Tomato Festival this summer beginning August 1st on both coasts and lasting until the tomatoes run out. Special menus featuring a wide range of heirloom and local vine-ripened tomato varietals will be available at various Patina Restaurant Group locations from coast to coast. There is nothing more symbolic of summer than a ripe tomato. Delicious on its own, with nothing more than sea salt and olive oil, in the hands of a great chef the summer tomato becomes a masterpiece. Add one in, put one under, layer it, chop it, puree it, serve it hot or cold, an heirloom tomato adds the very essence of summer to all that it graces. In glorious hues of red, yellow, green, purple and orange, these versatile fruit scream summer and are impossible to resist.

“Cherokee purple, green zebra, ida gold, brandywine, black crimson – these are just a few of the varieties of tomatoes that we will spotlight,” said Patina Restaurant Group Chef and Founder Joachim Splichal. “We make them into cocktails, tarts, gazpacho, terrines, sorbets, chutney, salads, risotto, consommé – the possibilities are endless, and always a pleasant surprise. It’s one of the creative pleasures I most look forward to every year.”

Patina Restaurant Group’s chefs work with local farmers, such as Double Decker Farm in Hillsdale, NY, Windrose Farm in Paso Robles, CA, and Coastal Organics in Oxnard, CA, to source the best and most diverse produce available. They also collaborate with greenmarkets and forge long-standing relationships with tomato specialists across the country.

I am particularly enamored of Patina's menu, naturally being fancy like that.

Grilled Octopus, Tomate au Sel, Onaway Potatoes, Blackberry Essence $16
Tomato & Melon Tartar, Cured Kobe Beef, Black Bread $18
Salt Crusted Santa Barbara Prawn, BLTA $22
Warm Lobster Salad, Sesame Ginger, Barbecue Corn Sorbet, Tomato Air $24
Grilled Honjake Salmon, Blistered Baby Heirloom Tomato, Saffron Emulsion Lemon Basil $32

East Coast:

• Brasserie: 100 East 53rd Street, New York, NY. (212) 751-4840
• Brasserie 8½: 9 West 57th Street, New York, NY. (212) 829-0812
• Café Centro: 200 Park Ave, New York, NY. (212) 818-1222
• Naples 45: 200 Park Ave, New York, NY. (212) 972-7001
• Nick & Stef’s Steakhouse: 9 Penn Plz, New York, NY. (212) 563-4444
• Rock Center Café: 20 West 50th Street, New York, NY. (212) 332-7620
• The Sea Grill: 19 W 49th St, New York, NY. (212) 332-7610

West Coast:

• Patina: 141 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA. (213) 972-3331
• Cafe Pinot 700 W 5th St, Los Angeles, CA. (213) 239-6500
• Catal 1580 S Disneyland Dr # 103, Anaheim, CA. (714) 774-4442
• Kendall's Brasserie 135 N Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA. (213) 972-7322
• Nick + Stef's LA 330 S Hope St, Los Angeles, CA. (213) 680-0330
• Pinot Bistro: 12969 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, CA. (818) 990-0500
• Pinot Provence: 686 Anton Blvd., Costa Mesa, CA. (714) 444-5900
• Tangata 2002 N Main St, Santa Ana, CA. (714) 550-0906
• Zucca Ristorante 801 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA. (213) 614-7800