First Shot: Summer Bounty

As this blog moves forward, so does my obsession with better pics and thus better equipment. Experiencing months long rumination on my next camera steps, calmly and indulgently guided by my friend Matt of mattatouille.com, it took a dishonest/negligent hotel staff in Victorville to finally push me over the edge.

Observe one of the first shot from my new D90. Summertime organic produce delivered to my front porch last Thursday by Love Organics, on my bar made by Jib Peres, the talent responsible for not only the bar at Three Clubs (where D & I met many years ago playing gin-rummy) but also the interior of Rosso Wine among other things.

Matt rec'd the Nikon Nikkor 35mm F1.8, which is the lens used for this shot. And I have only begun! *insert evilly maniacal laughter*

LA Burns & We Eat at Blue Fish in Pasadena

As the 2009 fires raged on north of Altadena, and Flintridge/La Canada, D and I headed out to Pasadena to run errands and experience the wilting temperatures of the current heat wave. Below is our view from the car heading north on the 2.

Blue Fish Sushi Bar Restaurant & Lounge
58 E Colorado
Pasadena, CA 91105
http://www.bluefishpasadena.com/

Looking for some decent sushi in Pasadena, I found good Yelp reviews for a little spot in Old Town Pasadena called Tani. We drove all the way across Pasadena, and found it had been tranmogrified into a hipster sushi restaurant and lounge. Starving and sweating, we decided to stay and have some lunch.

Given the surroundings, I should have known what kind of sushi we were in for...sleek, trendy, self titled lounge.

Patina Group Celebrates Coastal Organic Farms' Tomato Harvest

Patina Group
http://www.patinagroup.com/

Nick & Stef's Steakhouse
330 S Hope St
Ste 12
Los Angeles, CA 90071
(213) 680-0330

www.patinagroup.com/nickStef

Cafe Pinot
700 W 5th St
Los Angeles, CA 90071
(213) 239-6500

www.patinagroup.com/cafePinot/

Zucca
801 S Figueroa St
Los Angeles, CA 90017
(213) 614-7800

www.patinagroup.com/zuccaRistorante/

Thursday evening, the Patina Group partnered with Coastal Organic Farms to pull out the stops in a media preview of the First National Tomato Festival celebrating 2009's tomato harvest. The entire East/West coast Patina group is participating including Patina, Kendall's, Tangata and more. This week, Vanessa Kristal gathered a group of bloggers, tweeters, writers to meet chefs at Nick & Stef's, Cafe Pinot DTLA and Zucca, chat with Paul and Maryann Carpenter from Coastal Organic Farms and to enjoy some of the tomato bounty of the 2009 season.

Other bloggers in attendance included Neil from Food Marathon, H.C. of LA-OC Foodventures, the lovely Estar from e*star LA, Gastronomyblog was represented, Lindsay my moules frites co-conspirator from LAist, Matt from DigLounge was in the house (and I always forget his name), and Hadley from Grub Street LA which is fast becoming my favorite news site. As much fun was had socializing as tasting and drinking.


Our walking tour of DTLA started at Nick & Stef's. Nick & Stef's is doing something very fun in DTLA this summer. Every Thursday on the patio they offer $6 cocktails, BBQ, live music and a giant flat screen TV for baseball from 3:30-9.

Ortolan Bordeaux Dinner August 26, 2009

Ortolan
8338 W 3rd St
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 653-3300

www.ortolanrestaurant.com

Wednesday August 26th Ortolan offered a prix fixe 5 course Bordeaux accompanied tasting menu. Despite being arguably the most beautiful dining room in town with exceptional French fare, Ortolan is often quiet and I have feared for its lasting power during this recession. Last night cured me of those worries. Ortolan has undergone a few minor changes in seating arrangements, is now offering live music to accompany the Chef Eme dining experience, the place was packed.

In terms of seating, the long middle white banquette is now located along the back wall in the bar. This adds more cohesiveness in the decor between the front room and bar area. Also, the dark slightly rustic wood floor in the dining room is more visible adding a little casual balance to the formerly rather formal crystal chandeliers and white leather upholstered chaises in the dining room. I like the change. Our four top was seated next to an enjoyable jazz trio that became livelier as the evening wore on. Skillful and enjoyable, just occasionally a hair too loud.

Our friends D & Y are on Ortolan's special event mailing list, and contacted us early this week about the Bordeaux dinner. With so many places to dine in Los Angeles, and something enticing opening nearly weekly, I sometimes forget how much I love Ortolan and Eme's elegant food. So happy to have returned to enjoy it again.

Whole Foods Boycott

Enjoying watching the Whole Foods boycott develop, I thought I would share some opinionated and thought provoking links from both camps. Should Mackey have spoken out publicly against creating a government health care system as health care reform? Will it hurt Whole Foods' bottom line and public image in the long term among its liberal client base? Or will hearing a liberal public figure speak out against public health add levity to the liberal argument in favor of establishing public health?

Whole Foods CEO John Mackey's Wall Street Journal editorial that raised the ire of some liberal customers and launched the boycott movement.

Dennis Allard in The Ocean Park Column addresses Mackey's 8 points arguing against a public health care system.

Daniel Boulud Blew

Daniel Boulud Brasserie

Wynn Las Vegas
3131 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89136

(888) 320-7110

www.danielnyc.com

Thirty-five plus minutes between apps and entrees. Room temperature steak and burger. Really, no decent attempt at an apology or reconciliation after requesting an early bill. I have never looked more forward to a burger and been so disappointed. The oysters were good, but that's genetics and farming. Meh.

Gastrobus Saturday

Gastrobus Roadside Bistro
@TheGastroBus
Gastrobus on Facebook


Checking out my Twitter feed pre-Saturday tennis and errand running, I saw that GastroBus was going to be in the hood right around my post-tennis lunchtime. Score. We pulled up to Hillhurst and Price, right where they said they would be, illegally parked and strolled up for some grubbing.

Nice little menu, I was intrigued by the dates but trying to be healthy so instead ordered a BLT and a sweet corn salad. D caved on the skirt steak sandwich with tomatoes and chimichurri. The prices are certainly right and their attitude was lovely. We chatted with Lana at the counter while Tony made our sandwiches.

Things to Love at Ludobites

Ludobites at Breadbar
8718 West 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90048
310 205 0124
Through August 22, 2009


Last week I hit Ludobites for the third time this summer. For the third time in 6 weeks, no less. His food is not only that good, it is that fun. Inventive, ever changing, playful.

One thing to notice about the menu at Ludobites is how different it is with every visit. Not 100% different. But tweaks seem to be made to each dish, I notice, when I have had one repeatedly.

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

Lucky Devils' Questionable Behavior; The Other Side

After ruminating over EaterLA's coverage on Hollywood Girl's complaint and the ensuing comments thread during my lovely drive home from my Pasadena cubicle with a belly full of Inaka's spicy tuna bowl, (Yes, haters, spicy tuna! Blah blah bad spicy tuna blah blah spice covers flavor of poor quality tuna blah blah sushi on a Monday blah blah muthaeffing blah. Well, I like the occasional spicy tuna bowl, yum yum yum with a little hot miso on the left over sushi rice. Suck it.) I spent some time considering the opposing argument of Lucky Devil's management posted on the alternate newsy food site, newcomer Grub Street LA.