The Food Event, the Recap

“Yum and Yay!”

My little Sis’ comment pretty much sums up last Sunday’s outing at L.A. Mag’s The Food Event 2010 at Saddlerock Ranch in Malibu. There were tons of amazing restaurants and wineries to sample along with a demonstration tent and a conversation lounge.
In the consuming department the Thomas Girls’ personal highlights included:

** Blue Hubbard Squash Custard with Pomegranate Relish and Bacon Apple Strudel by Palate Food and Wine in Glendale (my number one dish of the event).

** Red Velvet Truffle by the Bread Basket Cake Company. (This one was my little Sis’ top) described as a “unique blend of rich Chocolate Ganache, Red Velvet Cake, and a hint of Brandy it was pure heaven (and totally a great idea to keep in mind for the holidays!)).

** Qupé Grenache “Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard.” (A biodynamic wine (Hello!) whose spicy cherry flavors are intense to the point of almost being racy).

** Sweet Rose Creamery’s mini Ice Cream Sandwiches (We tried both flavors: Old Fashioned – Chocolate cookie with Vanilla Ice Cream and Ginger Lover – Gingerbread Cookie with fresh Ginger Ice Cream).

** Quady’s Essenia Orange Muscat. (I brought this last year to Thanksgiving dinner and it was an awesome compliment for all those autumnal desserts).

** Susan Feineger’s STREET’s Street Food (Don’t ask me what was in it… all I know it was a fusion of a ton of different cultures and was healthy… and it was Frakin’ awesome).

And it wouldn’t be a stellar food event if I didn’t learn a thing or two:

I was able to check out Rory Herrmann’s demonstration of Bouchon Beverly Hills. Rory was giving a lesson on Braising and this is what I was able to glean:

** The reason you carmelize meat at the start of braising is to lock in the juices. When carmelizing meat don’t even bother taking the skin off garlic cloves. Just cut them in half and toss them in (this protects them from becoming bitter).

** The great thing about braising is that you can do it all in one pot and the longer you cook it the better it tastes (every guy looking for a great date meal please take note).

I also caught the Wine and Cheese Pairing event with Ian Blackburn of Learnaboutwine.com and Andrew Steiner of Andrew’s Cheese Shop. Sure this talk was amazing b/c of the shared plethora of knowledge between these two men and learning how to pair their two specialties better, but really we were both blown away by how amazingly good the wine and cheese tasted. Some fun Factoids from this event:

** Andrew Steiner, who started cheese service @ Patina, credited the Atkins Diet with starting L.A.’s cheese revolution. “Everyone was skipping dessert and started choosing cheese.” He noted he can stay slim, even though he eats about a ½ of cheese a day, by eating cheese and only cheese (none of those fillers like crackers or bread…)

** Steiner also noted if you’re planning a dinner party and you come to his store looking for Big Cheeses to go with your Big Wines like Barolos and Cabs he’ll try and steer you in the other direction. “You should have a very simple wine with a Big Cheese. Look for wines with acidity to feature a cheese such as Champagne or Prosecco Sparkling goes with every cheese!”

** Or beer! Steiner does a Grilled Cheese and Beer night that sells out every month. “Beer is an amazing pairing with cheese.”

** There is an art form to pairing cheese and wine: 1. Take a small nibble of cheese. Enjoy. 2. Take a sip of the wine. Enjoy. 3. Put a small piece of cheese under your teeth and swallow the wine to check the pairing. Enjoy the absolute heavenly balance of the sweetness of wine and the saltiness of cheese.

** Stichelton Blue Cheese will blow your mind! Stichelton (the original name for Stilton) is an aggressive English Blue Cheese with earthy components. Plus its unpasteurized (as cheeses should be in my opinion) so you can serve it to your lactose intolerant guests.

And to finish off the event we took pics with Chaz the coolest camel I’ve ever hung with!

"Toast of the Coast" Review Session

Checked out LGO’s (La Grande Orange’s acronym) “Toast of the Coast” on Monday night in Santa Monica (I posted it as a “Something to Check Out” item last week) and had an absolute blast! (the pic for this post really represents it all: Fun, Colorful, and a little more than fuzzy…)

This event is definitely the only game in town for Santa Monica when it’s held (so far every other month on a Monday night). Total deal. Total way to get schooled.

For those who missed the Math Lesson: 25 wines (unlimited) for $25 = an absolute deal (and you don’t have to check your totem on this one, it’s definitely real.)

For those who missed the Geography Lesson: “Toast of the Coast” featured wines from up and down the West Coast: Santa Barbara, Santa Maria Valley, Monterey, Napa Valley, Sonoma, Willamette, and Columbia Valley. (The quality level… well let’s put it this way, there was a whole table of Justin offerings (Sauv Blanc, Chardonnay, Cab (yummy yummy), Justification (Cab Franc and Merlot Blend), and Obstuse (Port style)))

For those who missed the Home Ec Lesson: Mini Sliders (With Homemade Buns, Fraking Amazing), Sushi (Spicy Tuna and California), Edamame, Blisted Padron Peppers, and Tempura Green Beans
So now that we’ve had our Review Session I suggest next time you hear about LGO’s Toast of the Coast (or read about it in my amazing amazing blog) you actually check it out.

Something to Check Out: Toast of the Coast "Fall Finds" hosted by LGO

LGO (or La Grande Orange for those who don't live within walking distance of the Santa Monica local) is hosting a "Fall Finds" edition of their monthly Monday night Toast of the Coast event.
The math is really simple:

$25 = 25 (unlimited) Wine Tastings + Signature LGO Hors D'oeuvres

The "Fall Finds," happening this Monday the 18th @ 6:30PM, will have imbibers tasters an assortment of fall varietals from Santa Barbara straight up the west coast to Oregon and Washington (without even having to put on a raincoat, and believe me I was in Portland last week, you need to). Plus for those who like equation wine + education (which, Nerdling that I am, includes me) there will be wine connoisseurs on hand from different vineyards to chat about each varietal (allegedly to divulge the alchemy of each boutique varietal).
So if your interested Sushi and Slider, along with a heck of a lot of wine options check it out. The Deets are below.
Toast of the Coast "Fall Finds" @ La Grande Orange October 18 @ 6:30 2000 Main Street.

Hey Guys, if you’re looking for a fun time involving food and wine (and who isn’t) you’ll get both (and an amazing amazing view) at the Saddlerock Ranch in the hills of Malibu on Sunday, October 24 from 1-4 pm so look no further than LA Magazine's 5th Annual "The Food Event: From the Vine". The day features unlimited food and alcoholic beverage from more restaurants and wineries then I can type (although there’s a Short List below). It also includes Chef Demos by Philippe Chow (Philippe), Mark Gold (Eva), Rory Hermann (Bouchon), Walter Manzke (formerly of Church and State), Mark Peel (Campanile), and Laurent Quenioux (Bistro LQ) in the Snyder Diamond Sub-Zero/Wolf Kitchen (one of the sponsors). There’s also panel discussions all day long with topics including: TOP CHEF MASTERS moderated by Los Angeles Magazine Dine Editor Lesley Bargar Suter and WINE AND CHEESE PAIRING with learnaboutwine.com’s Ian Blackburn and Andrew’s Cheese Shop’s Andrew Steiner.

Oh and did I mention they have horses, llamas, and zebras (Hello! The ultimate date events always includes Zebras.) Below is the Short List of Food and Wine offerings and the Deets on how to check it all out:

FOOD: Akasha Restaurant Bar & Bakery, Beso Hollywood, Bulgarini Gelato Artigianale, Coast Restaurant & Bar, Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village, Kate Mantíliní, ¡Lotería! Grill, Malo Cantina Suavecita, Michael’s Restaurant, Noir Food And Wine, Palate Food + Wine, Rosa Mexicana At L.A. Live, Susan Feniger’s Street, Sweetsalt Food Shop, The Foundry On Melrose, The Penthouse At Huntley Hotel, Tra Di Noi, Barbix, Bread Basket, Cake Company, Café Habana Malibu, Eva Restaurant, Gotta Have S’more, La Mill Coffee, Magnolia Bakery, Matteo’s La, Mo-Chica, Onsunset Restaurant, Public Kitchen & Bar, Rosti Tuscan Kitchen, Sweet Rose Creamery, Takami Sushi & Robata Restaurant, The Lobster, Tierra Sur At Hertzog Wine Cellars, and Westside Tavern

WINE: (Ian Blackburn & learnaboutwine.com is the winery curator for the Food Event.) Aldelaida Cellars, Ampelos Cellars And Vineyard, Cantara Cellars, Cellers Melis, Coho, Coquelicot Estate Vineyard, D’anbino Vineyards & Cellars, Dutcher Crossing Winery, Farella-Park Vineyards, Fontes & Phillips, Hope Family Wines, J&J Cellars, Millesime Cellars, Quady Winery, Rosenthal-The Malibu Estate, Semler, Star Lane Vineyard, Sweeney Canyon Vineyard, The Malibu Vineyard, Zaca Mesa, Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards, Ahnfeldt Wines, Casa Dumetz, Cielo Malibu Estate Wineyards, Colcanyon Estate Wines, Malibu Cornell Winery And Tasting Room, Dierberg Estate Vineyard, Écluse Wines, Flying Goat Cellars/Ynot, Herzog Wine Cellars, Hoyt Family Vineyards Malibu, Jaffe Estate, Niner Wine Estates, Qupé/Verdad, Saddlerock Solsticio, Surfrider Wines, Tercero Wines,The Paring

THE HOW TO: Tickets are $95, $100 with a L.A. Mag subscription, and $110 at the door (this includes all demonstrations, food, beverages, parking.) It’s 21+ with absolutely no infants, children, or pets (Ah, you gotta love LA, that they even had to say that you can't bring your Rhinestone wearing Chihuahua… ) allowed.

To purchase tickets and for more information: www.lamag.com/thefoodevent

Wine with the Ultimate View

Wrote an article for the SM Observer on the new restaurant at the Santa Monica Place Sonoma Wine Garden. 

Wine with the Ultimate View

There are now almost ten new restaurants at the two month old Santa Monica Place 2.0, and of all them Sonoma Wine Garden has the best view, hands down.  From brunch overlooking sparkling ocean waves to drinks at sunset to dinner during the lighting of the iconic Santa Monica Pier, this is a restaurant that will always be busy based on the view alone.  (And since the market for ocean view restaurants isn’t that big in Santa Monica to begin with I can definitely see it giving The Lobster and Casa del Mar a run for their money on Valentine’s Day and New Year’s Eve).

Now, with a name like Sonoma Wine Garden you know that fermented grapes are definitely meant to be imbibed.  This is a wine garden (read casual yet sophisticated) (but definitely not as casual or sophisticated as a beer garden… at least according to most wine drinkers).  The list has a few California offerings but definitely sides on that of a global passport with choices from Italy, France, New Zealand, and Austria (Executive Chef Roman Petry’s homeland).  And also, with the one of the best sunset ocean views in Santa Monica you know you’ll be paying top dollar for those fermented grapes.  On the wine by the glass list there is nary a glass under ten dollars with some of them going as high as $19 (although, I have heard that the bottle list was a little bit more reasonable). I started out with Assyritiko Sigalas Santorini Greece, which was congenial, but would have be positively delightful if it had been ten degrees warmer (it was during our super chilly summer, before we got into this heat wave of an autumn).  Luckily there was a fire pit right behind me so this lack of warmth was not a truly pressing issue.  My dining companion went for the Malbec Navarro Correars Alegoria Mendoza Argentina, an earthy cherry and plum flavored wine that was definitely more deliciously weather appropriate.

Now, all you have to do is look at Petry’s resume to understand why the wine list reads like United Nations roll call.   Roman Petry, executive chef of both Sonoma Wine Garden and Ozumo Santa Monica (another one of the restaurant choices on the third floor of Santa Monica Place), was born in Erding, Germany.  His culinary career started in his native Germany as student at the Bavaria Hotel Management School in Altoetting, which led him to a training position at the established Alois Dallmayr in Munich.  From there Roman went on to work at some of the top restaurants in Europe such as the Two Michelin Star rated Obauer in Werfen, Austria and Tristan in Mallorca, Spain.  During that time he acquired the skills and experience needed to form his own creative style so at the young age of 20 he became the Executive Chef of the One Michelin Star rated Christian`s Restaurant in Kirchdorf, Germany. During his tenure there he was awarded 2^nd place in a national competition as Best Young Pastry Chef in Germany.

Driven by his passion for Japanese food and culture he joined the renowned Zuma Restaurant at London`s Knightsbridge in 2005. In 2007, Zuma selected him as Sous Chef of the opening team for the company’s first opening outside of London at Zuma Hong Kong. Within its opening year Zuma Hong Kong was voted to 99th place on the list of the Top 100 Best Restaurants Worldwide.  In 2008 Roman joined Roka Akor as Executive Sous Chef to establish the first American counterpart of London’s award-winning Roka in Scottsdale, Arizona.  During Roman’s time as Executive Chef at Roka Akor, the restaurant was voted as one of the Top Ten Spots for Sushi in the United States by Bon Appétit magazine.   Petry then joined one of the Bay Area’s foremost contemporary Japanese Restaurants: Ozumo.  So when Ozumo decided to open another location at our fair two-month-old mall, Petry jumped on board and decided to create Sonoma Wine Garden to boot!

Petry’s culinary philosophy is using only the best products and letting the flavors speak for themselves (but really what chef would argue for the opposing viewpoint of this?) and it is prominent for on the menu.  He enjoys restaurants which are relaxed and serve as informal gathering points (and I can happily note that Sonoma Wine Garden is both of these, which definitely not always the case when you’re working with a view).   With that in mind, naturally Sonoma Wine Garden has an extensive (but not overwhelming) choice of Cheese, Charcuterie, and Oyster for their wine (read smaller) plates.

We decided to start out with a couple of oyster tastings. The Fanny Bays, hailing from British Columbia, were meaty and smooth with is supposedly a cucumber finish (my oyster palette just isn’t that refined yet…).  By contrast the Lunas from Carlsbad were delicate and sweet, more of a dessert oyster, which paired great with the temperature thrown aside Assyrtiko.   Our oyster choices came with cocktail, horseradish, and grilled lemon but not Mignonette sauce (sigh, my favorite).  Another choice foray into the seafood small plates was the Chilled Wild Prawns from Baja California served with a selection of Champagne Vinaigrette, Sonoma Cocktail Sauce, or Mustard Grain Aioli.  The prawns were ginormous and cooked and chilled to perfection, for there is nothing worse than a totally overcooked shrimp (other than an overcooked scallop…)

 

As I said before Roman Petry hails from Austria and its apparent in details of a good amount of dishes on the menu.   Some details are big, one such example is the Liptauer, a petite jar of Austrian cheese spread made of soft cheese, paprika, and caraway seeds served with artesian bread.  According to our server, this dish is quite popular both in Austria and at Sonoma Wine Garden.  So maybe I’m in the wrong but for myself, and my dining companion, the taste came off as strange, almost hodgepodge like.  Other details are smaller, such as the meat friendly Nectarine and Burrata Salad with Brentwood Farms Corn was served with Prosciutto (but really where is Prosciutto not on the menu these days when wine is featured).  But my personal favorite is of the five cheeses offered at Sonoma Wine Garden one of them (the cow based Oma) is made by the von Trapp Family in Vermont (yes it’s totally the same singing and dancing Austrian von Trapp family you’re thinking of).

There’s something about the energy of a new restaurant.   Sure everything isn’t perfect, but that’s okay because everyone is so excited and their enthusiasm makes up for their foibles. The night we were there we met both the GM and Wine Director of Sonoma Wine Garden both were nothing but effervescent.  Our server Ryan when talking about the purveyor of carnivore options for the restaurant, with the complete earnestness a modern day Jimmy Olsen, blurted out “our Butcher is totally Rad!” (Yeah he really did use the word Rad, it was really cute). 

Our next round of wine, by this time now viewing the illuminated lights of the Santa Monica Pier’s roller coaster, included the Pinot Noir, Littorai, Sonoma Coast (ironically the only offering on the Wine by the Glass list actually from Sonoma).  This wine was super super smoky, but paired great with our two dinner entrées: a Prime Rib Eye Steak, crusted with garden herbs, Russian River sauce, and parsley potatoes and the Maccheroni with braised rabbit and asparagus. The latter was the standout dish of the meal (I absolutely adore rabbit).  It had perfectly round flavoring and was hearty without being heavy.  I also absolutely adored the side dish of Truffle Fries.  Yes, I know they are now offered on many many (many) menus these days, but I still ate every topped with Parmesan Cheese and garden Parsley one of them.

Sonoma Wine Garden sophisticated, casual, lovely.  ‘Cause really there’s no worry that a glass of wine, an amazing view, and the use of late 1990s catchphrases couldn’t replace with a smile. 

Kat Thomas is a writer who eats food and cooks food.  You can check out her out more at her blog, the edibleskinny.com

The SoCal Raw Milk Raid

I know this is somewhat old news (the raid on Rawesome Foods occurred at the end of July), but what happened (the FDA shutting down the store with guns drawn because they were selling raw items such as Raw Milk. Something which by the way is legal in California, but isn't in almost two dozen states in the US) keeps coming up on conversations so I thought I create a post for another who wanted to check out the LA Times article

It's definitely been a hot button year for the topic of Raw Milk. On March 12th of this year Whole Foods removed all raw milk from their shelves. The official explanation was that they were exploring the subject, weighing their options (there's a big insurance issue with a food item that is legal in some states but not others). It has since been completely banned as a company wide policy.

Most of the time E. Coli is cited for these Raw Milk bans, but if anyone has seen (or smelled) a feed lot (or watched the news about people getting sick because of contamination from these lots) know that's not the whole truth.

Truthfully, I have since been drinking Raw Milk for almost five months (thanks to places like Rawesome and the Santa Monica Co-op) and am perfectly fine (actually better than fine since my skin has cleared up quite a bit) If you take a step back and look at the bigger picture, the California Raw Milk Association (CReMA) notes studies that have found that drinking raw milk reduces the risk of Asthma and Allergies. Along with it's health benefits most people who drink Raw Milk cite its superior flavor and creaminess; in the ultimate foodie country of Italy you can even find it in high end vending machines.

So I think it's better and I drink it.

But that's just my opinion. You too can have an opinion, but having an one requires that you have choices. Remember, if the FDA shuts down stores and food clubs (with guns no less) that sell Raw Milk it's taking away your choice. So whether you chose to try out Raw Milk, the more important point of this blog entry is to be informed.

For me, one of the most memorable moments of Food Inc was at the end of the film when the following words appeared on the screen:

When we run an item past the supermarket scanner, we're voting. You can vote to change this system. Three times a day.

Neal Fraser and the Best Scallop Risotto Recipe (Ever!)

As I said in my last blog I was lucky enough to attend the Los Angeles Magazine and Synder Diamond’s “In the Kitchen” with Neal Fraser (Executive Chef and Founder of BLD and Grace). “In the Kitchen” allows aspiring “home” chefs in Los Angeles to learn innovative cooking techniques, food and wine pairings, and creative menu ideas from top culinary experts. Fraser made the most luscious Sautéed Day Boat Scallop Risotto, Midnight Moon, and English Peas (and we’re all lucky enough that he offered out the recipe, it’s below so don’t change that dial!).

Along with Neal Fraser, wine expert Ian Blackburn (Founder and Wine Educator LearnAboutWine.com) was there giving great wine advice and teaching us the ins and outs of Bubbly (specifically Domaine Caneros by Tattinger).

So with that in mind let’s get on with the Entrée of informative Factoids (God I love the Factoids…) so then we can get to the Dessert of the Risotto recipe.

Here’s Some Things You Might Not Know About Sparkling Wine….

• You need cold to make Champagne; it’s the Northern most region of France because of this the grapes must be harvested before they are fully ripe. Thus, their sugar content is too low to make a strong alcohol (remember the little buggers eat the sugar and turn it into alcohol). For this reason Champagne has sugar artificially added to it so that the yeast can get their fill of sugar.
• Higher Class Sparkling Wine includes a Vintage (the year that all the grapes came from). If there’s no Vintage on the bottle they use grapes from a variety of years to get a specific taste (kinda like how a French Fries taste exactly the same at every McDonalds around the country because of tiny vials of flavoring…)
• I have always heard the smaller the bubbles the better the Sparkling. Not always true, but rest assured if there’s big bubbles in that bottle the Sparkling was probably not made in the Champagnois style and was instead it’s likely was made in huge vats.
• If it’s made in the Champagnois style all of the mixing is done directly in the bottle, a real good bottle of the Bubbly usually gets about 5,000 hands touching it over it’s lifetime (but don’t call it promiscuous).

Here’s Some Things You Might Not Know About The Stuff That Goes Into Neal Fraser And His Risotto Recipe….

• Make sure to buy Day Boat Scallops (which means they were harvest and landed in the same day). Many of the Scallops sold in supermarkets are preserved in a chemical that helps it keep longer (but dries it out like no other, and if you no anything about me you should know how much I hate an overcooked Scallop).
• Scallops should be sautéed in a cast iron skillet (it holds the heat in an even balance, plus it helps the Scallops caramelize real pretty like). They shouldn’t be crowded because then they won’t become caramelized.
• Scallops should be cooked in grapeseed oil since it has a high smoke point (when oil burns it becomes a carcinogen, Bad News Bears!). They should also be seasoned with salt and butter (for color) at the last minute otherwise it will dry them out.
• Grace is closed at the moment, but will reopen in 2011 in downtown LA.
• The Risotto ratio is always 1 part rice to 3 parts liquid. Neal says it should take 20 minutes from start to finish, but truthfully my dining companions and me noted it always takes us about 25-30.

Okay I know this is getting long and since I don’t want you to get your panties in a bunch here’s the AMAZING Scallop Risotto!

Sauteed Day Boat Scallop Risotto, Midnight Moon, and English Peas

• 12 each u-10 Day Boat Maine Scallops (u-10 means under 10 in number in a pound)
• 6 oz Butter
• 2 oz Olive Oil
• 4 oz frozen English Peas
• 1 gallon Chicken Stock
• 1 Yellow Onion Minced
• 3 Garlic Cloves
• Kosher Salt, Diamond Crystal
• 6 oz White Wine
• 2 oz Midnight Moon Goat Cheese
• 1 oz Butter

They way this Recipe goes is in a bowl Sauce First, Risotto Second, Topped off with 3 Scallops. Yummm (with three Ms as my little sis would say!)

For the Sauce: Sauté 1 oz of the chopped onion and garlic (forgot to tell you to chop than above, well do it!) until translucent. Add 3 oz white wine and reduce until dry. Add 2 cups of chicken stock and cook onion/garlic mixture until soft. Add the peas, a touch of salt, and cook for 3 more minutes over a medium flame. Place all ingredients in a blender (Frazer recommends a Vitamax, “they’re the best”). Add 3 oz butter and blend until smooth. Taste for salt and add more if you need it. Strain thru a chinoise and keep warm.

For The Risotto: Heat olive oil with the remainder of chopped onion in a large enough pot to hold the risotto and the stock you are going to add. Cook onion till translucent. Season with a touch of salt. Add the rice and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the remainder of the wine and reduce until absorbed. Add 2 cups of chicken stock and cook until absorbed. Add stock one more time and cook until al dente. Finish with midnight moon, butter, and salt as needed.

For the Scallops: Heat a well-seasoned iron skillet until hot. Add grapeseed oil and place the scallops gently in the pan. Add 1 oz of butter and salt to help the scallops caramelize. When golden brown, flip over and cook for 1 more minute.