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

Food Goodness Sakes

So as if there were not enough reasons to love Mike D of the Beastie Boys he has messed around and upped the quotient by enhancing his food game with a good cause. He and his friend/restauranteur Robert McKinley launched a food truck called the Rockaway Plate Lunch. The truck serves hot meals for free to distressed and underserved communities. Yasha Wallin of Good.is did a great profile piece on this initiative. Check the rhyme at the end of the article. It's a foodie classic. What! Thought you knew!

Photo courtesy of Rockaway Plate Lunch

Foodie Alert:

I came across this posting for an in-store demo to be conducted by Jason Neroni while I was on one of my foodie wanderlust adventures at Disneyland, I mean Surfas. 

In an era studded with celebrity chefs who tantrum worse than rock stars, Chef Jason Neroni is making himself available for cooking demonstrations. I guess I should not be surprised given that he is the same chef who in spite of training in pristine establishments like Spago and winning Eater LA's 2012 Chef of the Year admitted to having "a soft spot" for Hot Dog on a Stick. Got to love a man who keeps is real...especially in Hipsterville (sorry Venice, you've changed...ech)!

Foodie Quotes

"Thighs are the new breast."
-Al Roker (Today's Kitchen "What's For Dinner" segment featuring pan roasted chicken thighs)

One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor!

Bienvenidos mi gente. It is National Margarita Day on Friday, February 22nd!

For those of us who are lovers of the agave gift of tequila, everyday is a fiesta and today is saucy as usual. But for those with gluttonous tendencies and more restraint today is a good reason to indulge in a little slippy-sippy during the work week.

A great local place with a delicious food, a nice tequila arsenal with a  balanced approach to margarita mixing is Tortilla Republic located in West Hollywood, CA. Or if your lucky enough to be in Hawaii check out the location in Poipu, Kauai. For all of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills fans, this restaurant is located next to Lisa Vanderpump's Sur Restaurant and Bar...and yes Ken and Lisa are seen their often.

For those staying at home my personal margarita recipe (warning: strictly for grown folks only) is a double (or triple if your feeling it) shot of tequila, juice of half a lime and a splash of liqueur (St. Germain or Grand Marnier).

Also on deck for today's celebration if you are looking for something a little different a friend of mine produces a naturally pink tequila branded under the name Luna Rosa. It is as strong as the pink is pretty.

¡Arriba, abajo, al centro, pa' dentro! ¡Salud!

Tea for me. Tea for you. A tea you must do!

After surviving yet another nightmare experience with the world's most miserable postal worker at my local post office, I was in need of something soothing and thirst quenching. I opted to patronize the coffee shop directly next door. It was cold so I wanted something hot. I was going to go for my usual green, black, mate or rooibos tea and then I saw it. It was displayed without the reverence it deserves. It was tropical. It was delicious and so so so so so soooooo smooth. Another bonus is that it satisfied my craving for a candybar without the calorie and sugar overload. My friends allow me to introduce you to The Art of Tea's White Coconut Creme Tea. This tea is just as beautiful as it tastes. The coconut taste is very subtle so don't let the flavor profile scare you away. 

The Art of Tea is a Los Angeles based tea importer and wholesaler. They specialize in hand blended and custom crafted teas. Their teas are composed of personally selected organic teas and botanicals. The founder of the company is a Master Tea Blender who studied preventative medicine at the Ayurvedic Institute in New Mexico. Some other tea flavors from the Art of Tea that I am dying to try out include Apple Pie, Coconut Cacao Puerh, Coconut Lime Verbena, Butterscotch, Pumpkin Pie and Chocolate Monkey.

Seasons Eatings

The holidays are amongst us. It's time to wine, dine and embrace these indulgent times. So break out the old wallet, think hard, dig deep and spread some holiday cheer with every gift you give. Here are a few ideas for the foodies who have been nice.

Hurom Slow Juicer (Extracts juice from fruit, veggies, greens, beans and nuts)

New York Times The Essential Cookbook

Levain Bakery Cookies

Murray's Cheese Gifts

Southern Candymakers (Pralines and Tortues)

eCreamery (Customized Ice Cream)

Growums (Grow-and-Eat Gardens for Kids)

Luxe Food Gift: La Madeline au Truffe ("The Most Expensive Chocolate in the World")

Fast Food Secrets of the V.I.P. Kind

We have all heard of the velvet rope, guest lists and V.I.P. sections at clubs. Well fast-food restaurants have their own esoteric elements that they serve up to those who are in-the-know courtesy of "Secret Menus".  I think most of us are privy to In-N-Out's secret menu which includes gut-busting options like animal style (a burger of your choice with a mustard cooked beef patty, pickle, extra spread and grilled onions) and the flying dutchman (two beef patties with two slices of American cheese sandwiched between them...no bun, no lettuce and no tomato). Turns out several other fast-food and quick service chains have secret menus too. Tap into your inner cake eating fat child and check them out here.

Grandmas Arms Just Stretched A Little Further

Tap into your inner grandmother or perhaps her cookbooks and spread the foodie love at a Beyond Bubbie event or by contributing a recipe to the Beyond Bubbie online interactive community cookbook. Bubbie is the Yiddish word for grandmother. For may people the word grandmother evokes an image that takes us back to a warm cozy place filled with good food. The Beyond Bubbie Project was born out of a collaboration with Reboot a Jewish cultural identity initiative. Based on dialogue about the undeniable link between memories, food and Jewish grandmothers, they recognized that this is a phenomenon that exists in all cultures. In an effort to promote this commonality they set up a platform where people from all walks of life can share their identity and memories through their grandmother's (real or imagined) recipes. They have truly embraced the concept that, "you are what you eat"...I couldn't resist.

Check out the details on the latest Beyond Bubbie event below. Speakers include notable culinary dignitaries like Pulitzer Prize winning LA Times food critic Jonathan Gold and Chef Susan Feniger. You can get tickets here.

For the Love of Food: Declarations of Culinary Appreciation

In honor of Valentine's Day I am sharing a few quotes from people who like us share a deep love for all things food. Wishing you love, lust and gluttony. Happy Valentine's Day.

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.”
- Virginia Woolf

“Sex is good, but not as good as fresh, sweet corn.”
- Garrison Keillor

“Eggs Benedict is genius. It’s eggs covered in eggs. I mean, come on, that person should be the president.”
- Wylie Dufresne

“Food has replaced sex in my life, now I can't even get into my own pants.”
- Unknown

“Desserts are like mistresses. They are bad for you. So if you are having one,
you might as well have two.”
- Chef Alain Ducasse

“I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.”
- W.C. Fields

“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.”
- Luciano Pavarotti

"Forget love. I'd rather fall in chocolate."
- Unknown

Food + Love = Solution for Valentine's Day

Everyday is an opportunity to show the people we care about that we love them. Valentine's Day is a day on which we are held accountable with doing so. If you have been dragging your feet or are feeling overwhelmed or are single but looking to indulge yourself here are a few options that caught my eye.

Susie Cakes: SusieGrams

For an alternative but still sweet twist on candygrams Susie Cakes is offering "SusieGrams". You can select anything from a single cupcake on up to an assortment of their confections (cakes, cupcakes, cookies, sweetie pies, pies or whoopie pies) and Susie Cakes will have it delivered on February 14th. They'll include a personalized note with your "sweet" purchase. The starting delivery fee is $25. With locations in Southern and Northern California, spreading the love is just a little bit easier...in a good way. FYI, my pie baking class here was well-orchestrated, fun and delicious (lip smackin').

Recchiuti Confections: Not just a box of chocolates but rather th"ee" box of chocolates...and then some.

San Francisco's Ferry Building houses one of the United States' finest chocolate destinations. At the helm are lead confectioner Michael Recchiuti and his wife Jacky who founded Rechchiuti Confections in 1997. This Parisian inspired shop fuses classic French technique with "signature distinctive flavors such as fresh lavender, lemon verbena or tarragon" to make their handmade artisanal chocolate collection. They also carry gourmet chocolate bars, caramels, truffles, dessert sauces, pates de fruits, handmade marshmallows, nut dragée and brownies. A unique option is one of the boxed chocolate collections that you can pair with whiskey, beer and red wine (Gasp...eyes bustin'). Chocoholics can indulge by enrolling in their "Obsession Club" which affords members monthly complimentary shipments of confections for either 3, 6 or 12 months. Whether you purchase one of their $25 or $605 options, when your decadent gift arrives your loved one will feel like a million bucks.

Six Taste: "INDULGENCE" Valentine's Food Tour

Six Taste is a Los Angeles based tour company that specializes in epicurean tours. Their "INDULGENCE" Valentine's Food Tour takes place on February 11, 12, 18 and 19 for $125/person. The pricing includes wine, food and delectibles from each location. This tour will lead you through Beverly Hills for kitchen tours and/or tastings at "Scarpetta, Bar Bouchon, The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills, Madame Chocolat, Montage Beverly Hills Lobby Lounge, Coupa Cafe, and Erbe Matte" (destinations vary depending on the date). This tour is for adults 21 and over. Gift certificates for this tour are available on the Six Taste website.

Popeye Aint Got Nothin on Me!

So Popeye loves his spinach. That's canned spinach to be correct. No judgement (left eyebrow raised) but to each his own. He and his creator missed the boat on the wonders of kale. Kale salads especially with lemon or Asian dressings have been the trend for a while. I still find them delicious but my friends, the cooked variety is insane if done correctly.

The hubby, some friends and I ventured out to Chef Eric Greenspan's latest restaurant called The Roof on Wilshire. The restaurant is located on the roof of The Hotel Wilshire and wraps around the pool deck. The place has a New York feel complete with wraparound city views.

Overall our meal was pleasing but there was one item that stood out, the kale. I mean THE KALE!!! Let me warn you. If you are lucky you will smell it before you see it. I kept smelling it in the air as we waited for our cocktails. I had no idea what the intoxicating aroma was until it landed on our table with our entrees. I was so excited I gobbled it up before I realized that I didn't take a picture. Sorry! My taste buds lit up like 4th of July Fireworks before the fork landed on my tongue. This stuff is crack-ish! I'm talking eyes bustin', lip smackin', Lord help me gooooood. This side dish might need to be Federally regulated. The menu minimally listed the side dish as "kale, blue cheese, lemon, bread crumbs" which does not give even a remote hint about the buttery blue cheesy and garlic infused deliciousness that makes up this powerfully flavorful balanced dish.

Do yourself a favor. Go to the The Roof on Wilshire and order this dish.

The Roof on Wilshire
6317 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90048-5602
(323) 852-6000
http://theroofonwilshire.com

Over the Moon

I am a lover of all things Venice (Italy and California). However I am not a fan of the trend towards hipster and Hollywood trendiness that has infected the California branch. Every now and then little gems that reflect the warm bohemian roots of the area pop up. The latest well rooted neigborhood addition is a healthful drink and snack shop called Moon Juice. The decor is minimalist but not in a contrived stylized way and even more importantly their 100% organic product lines are delish. I lucked out on my first visit and met the owner Amanda Chantal Bacon. Amanda has some serious culinary credibility. She attended culinary school in Vermont, honed her skills in Italy, New Zealand, Buenos Aires, Uruguay and Luques in LA. She is a former assistant food editor at the LA Times Magazine and was a key figure at Forage in Silver Lake. She came up with the name because she was an avid juicer and decided that she wanted to open her own shop. Shortly after settling on this lifestyle change she found herself sitting by a beach in San Francisco when a hippie bus with a "beautiful mural of a moon surrounded by a galaxy" drove by. The name Moon Juice was conceived.

Moon Juice sells hydraulically pressed juices (orange, carrot and blends with ingredients like kefir lime, ginger coconut meat...), moon milks (made from raw almonds and alkaline water which can be blended with cacao nibs, bee pollen...) and healthful snacks (dried fruits, granola, almonds and walnut butter). Amanda took a few moments to let me know that they also have custom blended Japanese developed probiotics. I opted to do a shot of this and I have to say I will be going back for more. I also got the Carrot, Lime & Coconut juice and the Date Shake. Both were soothing and delicious.

Just a few pointers. They will let you sample. You must consume the milks and juices within 3 days before the nutrients degrade beyond benefit. Parking can be tricky. The juices and milks are pricey ($8-$12) but are worth the price given how unique and tailored they are...this is NOT Jamba Juice. Check out the menu here and if you are up for exploring a uncharted healthful realm of deliciousness jet over to Moon Juice.

Moon Juice
507 Rose Avenue
Venice, CA 90291
(310) 399-2929
moonjuiceshop.com

Goods and Gadgets

Garlic is spicy, flavorful, savory and healthful. Its aroma can be intoxicating. Garlic is a taste of love wrapped up in a delicate casing. Like any great love it can take some effort to access. Thanks to the twin brother duo and founders of the contemporary kitchenware design firm Joseph Joseph it is a little easier to get to the good stuff. The Joseph Joseph garlic crusher is cool to look at and is super easy to use. I have come to hate the process, product and cleanup of hand sqeezed garlic presses. The rocker has made all that heartache melt away. It's a great tool for prep but it is also great for odor neutralizing. If you gently rub your hands on the rocker while you run it under water, like other stainless steel products, it will reduce the intensity of strong odors. To fill your kitchen with garlic love check out Sur La Table or check out the Joseph Joseph website.