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Mo – Chica, Peruvian Restaurant – Los Angeles

Sunday, March 14th, 2010

By Sandy Driscoll

Mo Chica (image credit: Sandy Driscoll)Mo – Chica, Peruvian Restaurant with a definite Japanese Influence

Mo – Chica
3655 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles CA 90007
Tel. 213-747-2141
Website: http://www.mo-chica.com
Opening Hours: Mon: 11-4pm/ 6-8pm; Tues-Sat: 11-4pm/ 6pm-9:45pm
No License to serve alcohol: Hence it is not allowed on the premises
Dress Code: Casual
Credit Cards: Yes
Prices: Inexpensive

Looking for reasonably priced, adventuresome eating, where every bite is a sensational taste revelation?

This is it!   A little gem . . . a Peruvian Restaurant just off the 110 freeway, near downtown & USC.   Los Angeles Magazine has already crowned them as one of the top 10 new restaurants of the year.  Most on the rest of their list are fancy dancy high end spots.   This is not . . . just delicious, fresh food, artfully prepared and presented by a former sushi chef who will probably make the Bon Appetite list of top chefs in the next couple of years.

Enjoy it while you can!   This is why we foodies love living in LA . . . to find a place like this!!  (Thank you, Merion & Tom!)
This tasting menu was a very reasonable $35!

Napkin & Tasting Menu (image credit: Sandy Driscoll)Mo – Chica Napkin and Tasting Menu   02/25/10

Quinoa Soup (image credit: Sandy Driscoll)Soup,  Quinoa, Jerusalem Artichokes

Causa (image credit: Sandy Driscoll)Causa, Santa Barbara Sardines, Escabeche Sauce

Cerviche (image credit: Sandy Driscoll)Ceviche,  Seared Albacore, Gooseberries Aquaimanto Marmalade, Leche de Tigre

Cau-Cau (image credit: Sandy Driscoll)Cau-Cau de Mariscos,  Confit Potato & Garlic, Mix seafood, Aji Amarillo Mint Sauce

Corn Nuts (image credit: Sandy Driscoll)Corn Nuts, Peruvian Style

Cerviche de Pato (image credit: Sandy Driscoll)Ceviche de Pato,  Braised Duck Leg, Ceviche Orange Sauce

Chocolate Nikkei (image credit Sandy Driscoll)Chocolate Nikki,  Guava moose Chocolate Tempura, Pistachio Ice Cream

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Santa Monica Restaurant “Caught” Serving Illegal Whale – Los Angeles

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

Humpback Whale (image credit: Sea Shepherd)

The filmmakers who made the documentary “The Cove”, which won an Oscar at the Academy Awards on Sunday with its gruesome portrayal of the slaughter of dolphin at Taiji, Japan; and according to the New York Times, received a tip that the sushi restaurant, The Hump, 3221 Donald Douglas Loop South in South Santa Monica, California was serving whale. With the help of a hidden camera and microphone they filmed the dinner and also took a sample to a lab; it turned out to be the endangered species Sei whale.
Oddly enough, Mark Gold who is also involved in the investigation and possible illegal sale of whale at the restaurant, has a brother Jonathon Gold, the Pulitzer Prize winning food critic, who frequently writes about dining on endangered species much to the chagrin of Mark, who is President of Heal The Bay, an environmental group.
The hunting and killing of whales for food has long been a part of the Japanese culture and it will not end anytime soon. There are literally thousands of restaurants that specialize in selling whale in Japan however, I must say that I have never heard of it being served in a Los Angeles area restaurant although, I imagined it might be eaten secretly within the Japanese community.

UPDATE: According to latest reports “The Hump” has closed.

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Chefs: Walter Manzke Leaves; Enter Joshua Smith at Church & State – Los Angeles

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

Church & State, Los Angeles The National Biscuit Company, built in 1925, houses Church & State Restaurant

Lets put things into perspective: In September of last year, Yassmin Sarmandi bought out her partner Steven Arroyo, who made tapas popular in LA with his Spanish restaurant Cobras & Matadors, at Church & State (the French bistro in downtown Los Angeles on Industrial St.)   The amazing chef, Walter Manzke was brought in to put sparkle in what was an ordinary menu, and prompted Jonathon Gold, LA Weekly’s restaurant critic, to write: Manske is making “the most refined bistro cooking in LA“. He is about to leave Church & State to open his own restaurant. What happens now? He is replaced by Joshua Smith, who worked at Osteria del Circo, Michael Mina at his Seablue Restaurant and Alain Giraud’s Anisette. At this point, everyone has to wait and see!


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The Beverly Hills Hotel Polo Lounge – Beverly Hills

Friday, January 22nd, 2010

Polo Lounge, Beverly Hills Hotel (image credit: Beeverly Hill Hotel)

There was a period in my life when the Polo Lounge was virtually my second home, although the days of Buddy, the telephone pager walking around the hotel with a sign and calling, ” Paging Mr. . .” and a telephone at your booth being a coveted symbol are over, the Polo Lounge is just as popular today as it was on the day it opened.  I recall Dino, who was the Maitre ‘d for the evening shift, and Nino the Maitre d’  for lunch, he took over Dino’s slot after Dino passed away. After Nino (his last name is Osti) took over and became the No. 1 man, the one that doled out what were considered the “good” tables to a limited few.

Beverly Hill Hotel (image credit: Beverly Hills Hotel)

It was always difficult to obtain one of the tables in front of the bar, and especially difficult to be seated at one of the booths lining the walls. Gus Tassoupulos was one of the bartenders at that time, I last saw him a couple of years ago tending bar at the Hotel Bel-Air (he told me at the time he would be retiring soon), and he was just one, of a great staff of waiters and bartenders that staffed the Polo Lounge, I can still remember all their faces, although unfortunately, not all of their names.

The Beverly Hill Hotel Pool (image credit: Beverly Hills Hotel)

It all began on May 12, 1912 when the hotel was opened by Margaret J. Anderson and her son, Stanley S. Anderson, who previously managing the Hollywood Hotel. In the twenties the name of the famous bar and lounge with attached al fresco dining patio was called El Jardin, the name was changed in the forties to honor Will Rogers and his friends Daryl Zanuck and Tommy Hitchcock as they played polo on the field behind the hotel and often stopped by for drinks afterward.

The founder of the Beverly Hills Hotel was Burton Green and the hotel was specifically built to attract people to the new area of Beverly Hills from the fashionable residential areas of Hollywood and Hancock Park in hopes of enticing them to buy one of the plots of land to build a house in the new surrounding development of Beverly Hills. Many different owners were to follow, and it should be mentioned that the hotel closed for a time in 1930 during the depression. In 1932, Bank of America reopened the hotel with William Kimball as manager, but the hotel struggled financially, and in 1935, the bank installed one of its vice presidents, Hernando Courtwright, to oversee foreclosure.  Courtwright fell in love with the hotel and dismissed the thought of foreclosing. He instead orchestrated a buyout, installed himself as manager, and along with Loretta Young, Irene Dunne and Harry Warner purchased the hotel in 1941. He then presided over the period of the hotel’s fastest growth.  In the next decade, it became an even bigger celebrity spot than it had been in the 1920s. Courtwright later went on to buy the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. There was also Ben Silberstein, who bequeathed the hotel to his two daughters Muriel Slatkin and Seema Boesky. Seema Boesky sold the hotel for $136 million to Denver oilman Marvin Davis. In 1987, Davis sold the hotel to its present owner, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, of Brunei under the umbrella of Sajahtera Inc, a subsidiary of the Brunei Investment Agency. They closed the hotel for two years for a complete remodel. The hotel is now managed by the Dorchester Collection, which includes such prestigious properties as: The Dorchester, London; Le Meurice, Paris; Hôtel Plaza Athénée, Paris; Hotel Principe di Savoia, Milan; The New York Palace, New York; Hotel Bel-Air, Los Angeles.

The Polo Lounge has been patronized over the years by Royalty, Presidents, film stars that go back from the silent years to the present, Hollywood power-brokers and wealthy people from all over the world. It is an institution!

Beverly Hill Hotel Bungalows (image credit: Beverly Hills Hotel)

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Brodard Chateau, Upscale French Vietnamese, Garden Grove – Los Angeles

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

Brodard Chateau, Garden Grove (photo credit: brodard chateau)Brodard Chateau – Upscale French Vietnamese in Garden Grove

9100 Trask Avenue
Garden Grove, CA 92844-2226
(714) 899-8273
Credit Cards: Yes
Prices: Inexpensive-Moderate

Brodard Chateau is quite upscale in comparison to the rest of the pack of Vietnamese restaurants in Garden Grove, a town straddling the border of Los Angeles and Orange counties. A large community of Vietnamese live and work there and I believe it is the largest single concentration of Vietnamese in California, if not the entire country. Dark wood paneling, solid wood and bamboo tables and amazingly, an actual bar.
As far as the menu is concerned, it contains the standard dishes as spring rolls, Pho (spicy soup accompanied by a platter of greens & herbs), various curries, grilled chicken with garlic noodles and the like, all are prepared with aplomb. They offer excellent French-style bread and no florescent lighting to be found outside of the kitchen.

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The Varnish Bar – Los Angeles

Sunday, December 27th, 2009

Varnish Bar Sixth StreetCocktail glass engraved into the door separating Varnish Bar from Cole’s

Varnish Bar
118 E. Sixth St. Los Angeles CA 90014
Tel. 213 622 9999
Live piano music
Credit Cards: Yes
Prices: Drinks around $12

Hidden in the back of Cole’s (one of the two original “French-dip” sandwich shops circa 1908, the other being Philippe’s) is a small, speakeasy-type bar called Varnish, it is accessed through an unmarked door at the rear. Once inside, a hostess will seat you at one of the tables or you may stand at the stainless steel bar where fresh fruits and other cocktail ingredients are displayed on ice surrounded by beakers of house-made syrups. Please be patient as there are only two bartenders, or mixolgists as they prefer to be called, and all the cocktails are hand-built and are meticulously constructed from “daisy fresh” fruit, hand squeezed juices and hand-sculptured ice from a block. For instance, order the Palma Fizz from the small list of drinks, it is made with vodka, lime, fresh ginger, and rose water and if nothing else, it will jump-start you with its spicy, gingery flavor. Incidentally, the name “Varnish” refers to the few varnished railroad cars available for the elite in the early 1900’s, which the decor of the room attempts to recapture. Varnish is the brainchild of NYC mixologists Eric Alperin and Sasha Petraske.

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The Tar Pit Bar – Los Angeles

Monday, December 14th, 2009

The Tar Pit Bar, Los Angeles (image credit: tarpitbar.com)

Just when New York’s bar scene had become too serious and stodgy even for New Yorkers, Los Angeles took up the slack and is beginning to open bars that are more fun and amusing. The latest being The Tar Pit Bar, 609 N. La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, 90036, www.tarpitbar.com where Manhattan Pegu Club mixologist legend, Audrey Saunders helped out by veteran bartenders Chad Solomon (Milk & Honey) and Christy Pope (Cuff & Buttons) have dreamed-up some stylized neo-tropical drinks that will head-up the bar list, suaver versions than the weary tiki-type concoctions, and served in vintage looking sculpted glassware. House-made bitters and a drink called “The Night Marcher” a mug complete with bondage gear and a ball gag in its mouth and a Barbara Eden look-alike genie glass with a view from the opposite side of the  genie’s bare bottom will prime you for what is to come. Several ice machines will churn out various sized ice, from block to pellet and includes an ideal one and a quarter inch cube. Chef Mark Peel from Campanile Restaurant is the food side of the equation and will devise a menu of small plates to suit the various drinks. Wine Director Jay Perrin will put together the wine list.

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ANIMAL – Los Angeles

Friday, November 27th, 2009

Animal, Los Angeles

Animal Restaurant
435 N Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90048
Tel. 323.782.9225
Opening Hours:
Sunday – Thursday
6pm-11pm
Friday – Saturday
6pm-2am
Open Seven Days A Week
Credit Cards: Yes
Prices: Moderate

The name gives it away, it’s all about saving animals. Oops, no, it’s all about animals on the plate! Much to the chagrin of animal activists, and it is also about the chefs, two dudes named Vinny Dotolo and Jon Shook who met each other in Florida, where later on in their travels west, opened a catering company that they named Caramelized Productions. Shortly after, they appeared on the Food Network, which led to a book deal called Two Dudes One Pan, and the opening of their restaurant Animal in an unmarked storefront on a nondescript stretch of “Matzoh Ball Alley” near Canter’s Deli on Fairfax. Even more curious is why they chose to open in this Jewish neighborhood, with their liberal use of the “piggy” from barbecued pork belly to bacon ice cream.

Sample Menu Follows:

chicken liver toast 3

crispy hominy, lime 5

roasted pork salad, celery, red onion, olive oil 5

heirloom tomato, ginger vinaigrette 6

roasted marrow bone, parsley salad 8

pig ear, chili, lime, fried egg 10

lettuce, beets, avocado, pita, feta, creamy sumac 10

barbeque pork belly sandwiches, slaw 10

baby broccoli, pancetta, parmesan, soft egg, bread crumbs 11

ricotta & goat cheese gnocchi, sage butter, pumpkin 11

melted petit basque, chorizo, grilled bread 11

sweetbreads, creamed spinach, capers, hen of the woods 14

duck confit, dates, arugula, pecans, sherry vinaigrette, apple 14

poutine, oxtail gravy, cheddar 15

fluke, grape & yuzu granita, apple, orange, serrano, mint 16

foie gras, biscuit, maple sausage gravy 22

pork shoulder, collard greens, country ham, red peas, mustard vinaigrette 22

flat iron, artichoke hash, truffle parmesan fondue 25

turbot, shell bean ragout, basil, pickled peppers 25

striped bass, savoy cabbage, benton’s bacon, fennel 28

quail fry, grits, chard, slab bacon, maple jus 28

foie gras loco moco, quail egg, spam, hamburger 35

balsamic pork ribs, delicata squash, cippolini onion vinaigrette 37

rib eye for two, escargot butter, mash, brussels sprouts 80

tres leches, dulce de leche 7

panna cotta, saba 7

bacon chocolate crunch bar, s&p anglaise 7

joe’s doughnuts, cinnamon sugar, caramel 7

changes and modifications politely declined

we support local and organic farming

18% gratuity added to parties of 6 or more
$20.00 corkage fee

They have put together an interesting wine list a sample of which follows:
Prices are for Glass/ Carafe / Bottle
Animal House Chardonnay/ Cabernet Sauvignon 7 12 20
Sparkling & Champagne

Prosecco, Col de Salici, Extra Dry, 2008 Vendemmia 11 35

Domaine Des Baumard, Methode Tradionelle, Brut, 2004 Loire 16 52

Cremant de Bourgogne, Parigot, Blanc de Blanc, NV Burgundy 17 55

Cremant d’Alsace, Lucien Albrecht Brut Rose, NV Alsace 15 53

White

Luneau-Papin Muscadet (melon), Clos des Allees, 2008 Pays Nantais 12 22 40

Simcic Pinot Grigio, Goriska Brda, 2007, Slovenia 13 24 46

Vermentino di Gallura, Canayli, 2007 Garantita 14 26 47

Gewurztraminer, Albert Seltz, 2007 Alsace 12 22 39

Kerner, Abbazia di Novacella , 2008 Alto Adige 15 28 58

Sylvaner , Domaine Francois Baur, 2003 Alsace 12 22 42

Pic Saint Loup (marsanne/roussanne), Chateau Cazeneuve, 2005 Languedoc 16 32 59

Domaine Charache Bergeret, Les Gravelieres, 2006 Hautes Cotes de Beaune 16 32 58

Riesling, Richter Estate, 2007 Mosel Saar Ruwer 11 20 39

Rosé

Grenache/syrah Rosé, Dragonette Cellars, 2008 Santa Ynez Valley 12 22 38

Sancerre Rosé, Domaine Girault, Le Grand Moulin, 2007 Loire 17 32 60

Red

Pinot Noir, Domaine Serene, Evenstaad Reserve, 2006 Willamette Valley 18 34 65

Barbera d’Alba, Casinca val del Prete, ‘Serra de’Gatti’, 2007 Piedmont 15 28 48

Rosso di Montalcino (sangiovese), Villa le Prata, 2006 16 34 68

Betts & Scholl, O.G. Grenache, 2006 Barossa 17 34 65

La Grange de Piaugier, Cotes du Rhone, 2007 11 18 40

L.P. Red, L. Preston, Dry Creek Valley, 2006 12 22 42

Henri Milan, Saint Remy de Provence, 2005 14 26 50

Syrah, Holus Bolus, 2007, Santa Ynez Valley 15 28 50

Tres Negres,(merlot, syrah, tempranillo), Puig Romeu, 2002 Penedes 13 24 46

Cabernet Sauvignon, Macauley, 2001 Napa Valley 18 34 70

Dessert

Moscato d’Asti, Montaribaldi, Veneto 11 34

Jorge Ordonez (tocai friulano), Malaga, 2005 10 30

Muscat, Yalumba Museum Reserve, Barossa 12 40

Jonesy Port, Trevor Jones, Tawny, Barossa Valley 13 35

Monty Python’s Holy Grail Ale 5

Green Flash IPA 6
Hopf Spezial Weifse (pint )15

Anderson Boont Amber Ale 7

The Bruery, Orchard White (750 ml) 28

Avery Salvation Ale (22oz) 24

Mission Blonde (22oz) 15

Ommegang Abbey Style Ale 9

Cooper’s Sparkling Ale 7

Mexican Coke 4

Abita Root Beer 5

Diet Coke 4

Ice Tea 4

Coffee 4

Fresh Mint Tea 5

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Musso & Frank Grill, Hollywood – Los Angeles

Saturday, November 21st, 2009

Musso & Frank Grill (image file credit: Musso & Frank Grill Hollywood)Image credit: Musso and Frank Grill

Musso & Frank Grill is an institution in Hollywood that goes back to 1919 when it opened.  It has served the film industry and Hollywood residents ever since and is still popular and going strong after all these years. There is a large bar in the main dining room and another food counter along the grill station in the adjoining dining area.
Chef Jean Rue, who holds the longest tenure at Musso’s, created the menu that exists today. I first remember being introduced to him years ago by a longtime Musso customer, Tom Beyrle, who happened to be a regular customer of mine as well, down the road on Vine Street at Au Petit Café.  Chef Rue was with the restaurant from 1922 until 1976. He worked for 53 years and trained John Hellman and Michele Bourger, his successors.
They have items on the menu that harken back to another era including Welch Rarebit, although it is generally good advice to stick to the “grill menu” or signature items that you know to be good.
The Martinis are the best in town and are accompanied by a small beaker cradled in ice holding the refill as they are so large.

Musso & Frank Grill, Hollywood (image credit: Musso & Frank)

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Giorgio Baldi, Santa Monica – Los Angeles

Monday, November 16th, 2009

photo_ristorante (image file credit: Giorgio Baldi)114 W. Channel Rd. near Pacific Coast Hwy.
Santa Monica, CA 90402
Tel. 310-573-1660
Tuesday – Sunday
6-10pm
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Expensive

If you are more interested in “where you sit” than “what you eat” than I would highly advise you to stay away from this small, charming, candlelit restaurant in Santa Monica Canyon. I have been dining there for years and honestly cannot remember, or care, where I was seated, as the straightforward Italian cuisine was for the main part, excellent. It may be overpriced for trattoria cooking although, on the other hand, I have put away many far inferior preparations for higher prices elsewhere in L.A.  Since Giorgio Baldi is frequented by celebrities living in the neighboring hills and beaches, a reservation is hard to come by therefore, I would avoid trying to book on the weekends. While Giorgio is in the kitchen, his daughter, Elena is in charge of a most difficult job of providing reservations for a very limited amount of tables in the small dining room.

tour13 (image file credit: E. Baldi)His son, Edoardo Baldi, who was at one time the manager & sous-chef in Santa Monica, has opened his own restaurant in Beverly Hills called E. Baldi, pictured above and below.
375  N. Cañon Drive,  
Beverly Hills, CA  90210
Tel. 310-248-2633
Tuesday – Friday:
11:30 am – 3:00 pm
; 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Saturday:
6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Closed Sunday & Monday

homedoor (image file credit: E. Baldi)

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