The Queen is Coming

The former White House budget analyst turned best-selling cookbook author, Emmy + James Beard Award winner, former mentee of Martha Stewart ("The Empress") + Eli Zabar and maven of all things Hamptons fabulous is coming to a town near you. I can almost smell the Atlantic ocean water, the French faire, the hydrangeas and the food finds from Loaves & Fishes. Yes, I am talking Ina Garten a.k.a. The Barefoot Contessa!

Ina will be giving talks and signing her latest book Make it Ahead courtesy of a tour in association with Williams-Sonoma. Tickets are available at a very premium royal price.

The icing on the cake would be to get a glance at her and her husband Jeffrey, that is if he will be able to pull himself away from his post at Yale to attend. If he can't make I bet we can count on one of her fabulous friends to be in tow.

Food in the News

Some interesting articles worth reading:

The Local: France, The Wine Bar and The Hospital

The New Yorker: An exploration of why Americans stopped eating American seafood.

Punch: A look at the evolution of Wall Street wine culture.

The Farmers Market For You By You

If you are up for a challenge, a novel farmers market concept has made its way west and is launching on February 8th. The L.A. Underground Market is a farmers market with a twist. It is a farmers market without the farmers. Instead the stations are helmed by people with a passion for food who have not yet acquired licensing. Think of this event as being a secret invite only potluck featuring homemade "unusual" and "interesting" dishes. Entrance is $10 and tastings are $1-5. Click here to get the inside scoop on attending. Click here if you are interested in being a vendor.

Dinning Table Meals Made Easier

The dining table can be a battlefield for unresolved adult guests. For some kids, like my finicky nephew, every meal at a dining table is an act of inflicting a timeless period of agonizing torture on him. If your little one is anything like this rest assured that there is hope. These tear-off placemats may be the answer. They keep kids occupied with coloring doodles of animals while learning fun facts about their eating habits. Thank you Deborah Zemke!

Foodie Find

I was so tickled when I saw this. Quirky foodie fun. A must have item.

$40 at storenvy.com's LuxuryLivingNYC

Season's Eatings. When in doubt…shop, but shop well.

The holidays are a time of festivity, food and giving/receiving. If you love to eat but are "kitchen skill-challenged" it doesn't have to mean that your only option is to show up with a supermarket pie, tired veggie crudite platter or cooked-to-hell pre-baked something or other.

Show your host or guests some culinary effort and make your holiday dinner contribution a stand out. Here are a few "make them say wow" foodie favorites to add to your online shopping cart:

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Caramel Pecan Levee High Apple Pie (An Oprah favorite) 

$49.95

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Miss Grace Lemon Cake

$29.99

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Beecher's "World's Best" Mac & Cheese

$58-$160

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Candied Yams (2 lbs arrive frozen and you bake)

$80

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Linda's Latkes

$35 on up to $144 (for latkes, smoked salmon and all the fixings)

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Deep Dish Fudge Pecan Pie

$29.95-$55.90

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Gravlox and Smoked Salmon from NYC's Zabar's

$17.98 to $325 for a platter for 10

-Make a platter by adding creme fraiche, lemon wedges, capers, minced onion, minced boiled egg, caviar and sliced toasted bread (crust cut off).

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Cronuts (delivered white-glove style from The Dominique Ansel Bakery in NYC)

$100-$1000 

or if you are in LA buy them fresh from Bistro Laurent or at Beckers.

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Cheese Plate

$24-$495 at Dean & DeLuca…To make a platter just add crackers + fig paste or honey.

If you have any food favorites let me know so I can spread the word!

Culture, Food and Fashion in Culver City: 2nd Saturday Has Arrived

Culver City Arts District has been an established understated hub for the art world for a while but its burgeoning status as a foodie destination is a more recent development. Up until recent years this forgotten stretch of Culver City was defined by the historic Helms Bakery District and In-N-Out. Surfas, Father's Office and Let's Be Frank are pioneers of the foodie scene and have recently been joined by other notable establishments hoping to make a mark. This more recently gentrified area of Culver City has boundaries that stretch from the north by Venice Boulevard, to the south by Washington Boulevard, to the west by Helms and to the east by La Cienega.  Click here for map of the area and local galleries.

A great way to explore or rediscover this area is through it's art galleries, shops and food scene. The Culver City Arts District 2nd Saturday is a new monthly event highlighting all three. The first 2nd Saturday kicks off this Saturday, April 13, 2013. Food trucks, galleries, retail stores and restaurants will be open from 12 noon until as late as 9 pm. If you can't make it this weekend, try again next month. Some of the featured participants include:

Bar and Garden
Cognoscenti Coffee
Coolhaus
Gramercy York
Honor Fraser
Koplin Del Rio Gallery
Le Basse Projects
Maxwell Alexander Gallery
Minnie T's
Muddy Leak
Thinkspace