Amy Pressman has passed away on September 30, 2011 just before the scheduled opening of Short Order, a Gourmet Burger project she was a partner in with Nancy Silverton, opening in October at the Farmer’s Market. Link to our recent post on Short Order
In July of 2012, California will ban the sale and production of foie gras. The selling of the velvety delicacy after July 2012 could result in a $1,000 fine. California should think twice before implementing this law. Remember how Chicago lifted the two-year ban on foie gras which, Mayor Richard Daly had said was the “silliest ordinance” the city council had ever passed and made Chicago “the laughingstock of the nation”.
Where will this stop? Restaurant owners worry that lobster, veal, and even eggs might not be too far behind on the “to be banned” list.
OTHER LINKS OF INTEREST:
Ludo Lefebvre, a forty-year-old tattooed, Burgundian chef known for his construction, operation & deconstruction of pop-up restaurants is partnering with Animal’s Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo to fight for the right to party with foie gras. The two festive dinners are to be held at Animal Restaurant on Fairfax on October 14 and 15, (the price for the eight-course dinner is $175 per person). Reservations are accessible by phone only by calling: (323) 782-9225. Be forewarned that the tel. line may be engaged, and Animal Activist group PETA with all certainty will hold a disruptive rally in front of the restaurant’s entrance.
Culinary Tidbits . . . Philippe Chow on Melrose Avenue is reportedly on the market for under half a million dollars. The owner however, denies that it is.
This was the former location of the Art Nouveau restaurant Le Chardonnay with its mirrored walls, ornate tile work and dark wood owned by Chef Claude Alrivy and his partner Robert Bigonnet. It was one of the most beautifully decorated restaurants in Los Angeles. Then designer Dodd Mitchell got a hold of the property and utterly destroyed it.
Houston’s took over Langan’s Brasserie’s, Century City space (pictured above) in the early 1990’s
Houston’s in Century City at the Westfield Mall is closing after more than twenty years after a lease dispute with the mall owners. Houston’s originally took over the site, especially built for Langan’s Brasserie of London, who eventually also terminated due to a lease dispute with the mall owners, the major shareholders of which, were a union pension fund at the time.
Image credit: racquetclubgardenvillas.blogspot.comAfter retiring as a popular Hollywood leading man of late silents and early talkies, Charlie Farrell became a resident and one of the early founders of the desert city of Palm Springs, California. Shortly after, he opened the well known and sought-after Palm Springs Racquet Club in the city with another actor, Ralph Bellamy. When he was owner and proprietor of Charlie Farrell’s Racquet Club in Palm Springs, California he became a major force in the prosperity of Palm Springs in the 1950s, Farrell was elected mayor of the community in 1953, a position that he held for seven years. During this era and going forward, the Chi Chi Club was in vogue as was The Doll House, where the bar stools were equipped with seat belts. Farrell was best known for his work with Janet Gaynor in 12 screen romances between 1927 and 1934. He retired from films in the early 1940’s, but returned to do a television series in the 1950’s where he appeared as Gale Storm’s widowed father in the popular “My Little Margie” (1952). He passed away in 1990 at 89 years of age.
Ingleside Inn – Melvyn’s
200 W Ramon Road
Palm Springs, CA 92264
760-325-0046
Opening Hours: 10 a.m.-2 a.m. nightly
Cuisine: America: Breakfast, Dinner, and Lunch
Price Range: Expensive
Reservations: Not Required
Full Bar
No Dress Code
Melvyn’s and the Ingleside Inn owned by Mel Haber in Palm Springs, California have been around for a long time, and customers are still treading the same path that the celebrity crowd did during the Sinatra era, as this was the place, and it’s still rocking after all these years.
The bar offers happy hour, entertainment starts at 8 p.m., jam session Sunday 3:30-7 p.m.
On the top of the Santa Monica Mall
Sonoma is an active and busy place for lunch
The fries were better than the burger by a long shot
A good Bellini
A view of the Pacific Ocean
Belwood Bakery
11625 Barrington Court
Los Angeles CA 90049
Tel. 310-471-6855
Brentwood
Belwood Bakery Beverly Hills
246 N. Beverly Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Belwood Bakery
12634 Ventura Blvd.
818-755-8853
Studio City
Brentwood was Belwood’s 1st location after the Bel-Air Country Market near Moraga Drive. Founded by a Vietnamese family, the two brothers were taught their bakery skills in Paris.Their croissants are marvelous as is everything else they serve including an excellent cold chocolate drink. Service is speedy and efficient. These bakeries are a must to visit while in Los Angeles.
Tsuruhashi Restaurant
18798 Brookhurst Street,
Fountain Valley, CA 92708
714-593-8393
Everything served at Tsuruhashi Japanese barbeque is the finest quality available on the market. Kobe beef and USDA Prime always chilled never frozen. Really outstanding quality.
