Similar to Disney’s concept for California Adventures, Chef Amy Jurist created a California adventure of her own with her latest underground dinner, the Bounty of California. From aesthetics to the ingredients themselves she captured the uniqueness and individuality housed in California. Here is a recap of a dinner that takes you from the hills of Northern Cal down to the wineries of our beautiful Golden State. Hold on to your hats, it’s going to be a tasty ride.



Location, location, location…Surfas!
How else do you seize an opportunity to dine al fresco and to showcase a gorgeous dinner representing your state? By having it outside at an Angelenos’ favorite hot spot, Sufras. The scene was dressed to impress by Jonathan Fong. Lush centerpieces of sunflowers housed in celery and/or asparagus made this table dressing perfect for the night.



Sweet as ice: Limoncello Snow Cones
Forget starting with the same old cocktails we are all used to by now. Instead head straight for the Limoncello Snow Cones by the Ventura Limoncello Co. Simply divine, this sweet treat kept your palette cool and set the bar high for the night.





Amuse Bouche | Ready, set, go…
Delicious small bites, awaited us as soon as we entered the event. Tray-passed delights included: 12 grilled vegetable & 6 Cheese pizza, Asparagus wrapped in prosciutto, guacamole and chips on the table. By far, we had started the evening out just right.



Toast of Temecula Valley
Nice big pours from wineries located in Temecula were on deck the entire night. From the amuse bouche right down to dessert. Some of the favorites of the night were from Vindemia, Hart and Palumbo Wineries. By observation, every bottle ended up being consumed to the last drop. Always a great sign for the night.

Whistle while you work…
Chef Amy’s whistle was a show stopper. Amy took the time to present each dish and introduce her guests to new California vendors, back stories for the creation of each dish and interesting tidbits of farm to table fare. Here is a break down for each main dish, full of flavor:



First Course:
Cream of Farm Fresh Corn Soup with with King Crab
Amazing and surprisingly refreshing. The King Crab was superb but did not out shine the edible micro pansy that added a pop of color to such a wonderful first course.



Second Course:
Pistachio Crusted Halibut with Tangle of Root Vegetables
Halibut felt right at home with root vegetables. Chef Amy added her own artistic touch with the perfect plating of cubed purple potatoes and yams.



Third Course:
Flowering Thyme & Garlic Grilled Baby Lamb Chops with Wild Rice Pilaf & Dried California Fruit Medley
Absolutely my favorite for the night. I normally don’t order lamb chops (usually I leave that up to Adam) but I think Chef Amy might have swayed me to the other side. The Colorado lamb chops were perfect in very which way. The wild rice complimented the dish and while the dried California fruit brought out the sweetness. Amazing job!



Fourth Course:
Sheild’s Date Shake Shooter, Almond Florentine Napoleon with Cherry Almond Ice Cream & Amaretto Macerated Cherry Compote
By far my favorite portion of the adventure. Amy wowed her guests with savory sweetness in her Date Shake Shooter, an Almond Florentine Napoleon with Cherry Almond Ice Cream and Amaretto Macerated Cherry Compote. Leaving me full for the entire night and possibly the next day.



It’s a wrap…
Definitely go to Chef Amy’s next underground dinner (and adventure). You and your taste buds will be rewarded with memories of a fantastic night.

Check out Chef Amy’s site for details of the next underground dinner adventure: http://www.amysculinaryadventures.com/

Special Thanks to Brian Deutsch, Jacqueline Reaume from Purry Communications, Chef Amy and our new friends we met during our wonderful dinner, Hettie Lynne Hurtes and Randy Roberts.

Comments Off | In: Events, Guest Foodie | tags: chef amy jurist, Los Angeles, underground dinners. | #

Happy Festivus everyone! Festivus for the rest of us!!

Our friends at Drink:Eat:Play are up to it again. This time it’s an 80′s Inspired Festivus Party benefiting animals in need and the SPCA LA chapter just in time for the holiday’s. Support animals and have a great time in the process!

The original holiday includes novel practices such as the “Airing of Grievances”, in which each person tells everyone else all the ways they have disappointed him or her over the past year. Also, after the Festivus meal, the “Feats of Strength” are performed, involving wrestling the head of the household to the floor, with the holiday ending only if the head of the household is actually pinned. While this may get us kicked out of most public venues, we’ve adjusted OUR tradition to include the following:

1) Attendees must dress in their ugliest holiday sweater. If you don’t have anything sufficiently ugly, feel free to dress in 80s attire.

2) Money donated to the Human Fund: Money For the People will make its way to the SPCA LA . Not in some Bernie Madoff sleezy way, but rather 100% of proceeds will support the animals. Admission is $30, but enter “Facebook” to get half off. To purchase tickets, click here: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/90675

3) Every Festivus must have a theme. Ours is 80s. And yes, we’ll have an 80s tribute band.

Host:
Drink:Eat:Play (Los Angeles)
Thursday, December 10, 2009 at 9:00pm-1:00am
Festivus for the Rest of Us
V Lounge @ 2020 Wilshire Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA

http://www.drinkeatplay.com/

Brown Paper Tickets(Online $15 with code FACEBOOK or $30 at the door)
https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/90675

Facebook Group Page:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/event.php?eid=177209188830&ref=ts

Comments Off | In: Events | tags: drink eat play los angeles, festivus party, Los Angeles, SPCA LA, SPCA Los Angeles, SPCALA. | #

Today our foodie adventure began when I got the call to do lunch around 2 o’clock this afternoon. I was told that I had one condition and that was to determine where we were going to go. After contemplating various places it came to me all at once. I decided that we would go to Stone Fire Pizza and we would participate in the Weekend Happy Hour Special of 1/2 price gourmet pizza and beer.

Stone Fire Pizza was a perfect candidate for our Saturday/Sunday Sip section because they are one of the few restaurants here in Los Angeles where you can get an ice cold fresh tasting draft by the pint or as a pitcher. It seems like pitchers of beer are few and far between these days but we did not have to worry today as we got our fill at this eclectic watering hole on La Cienega Boulevard.

In addition to both beer and wine specials we enjoyed a sampling of homemade thin crust pizzas from the extensive pizza menu. It is best to order several and try a taste of all that Stone Fire has to offer. Our favorites include the following:

No. 3 Texas BBQ Brisket
Smoked Texas Brisket with Mozzarella, Sliced Jalapenos, Sweet BBQ Sauce and tossed with Crispy Onions

No. 6 The Wheat Garden Tomato(w/ optional Tomato Sauce)
Yellow and Red Tomatoes with Mozzarella, Fresh Herbs and Garlic oil on whole wheat Honey crust

No. 23 Wild Mushroom
Wild Mushrooms, smoked Mozzarella, Fontina cheese, Tomato Sauce and a touch of Truffle Oil

Each pizza was cooked to perfection. We requested that all three pizzas were prepared on optional whole wheat crusts for a healthier more organic approach to balance out the toppings. The service was timely and our glasses never had a chance to sit empty. The pizza stayed hot and the beers in contrast were cold and drafty. A football game was in the distance on the array of flat screen televisions and the Sunday football crowd was heard cheering in the background….”Go Chargers.”

Since we were in a mood for total indulgence we decided that it was one of the few times to order a desert. All of the offerings sounded good so we decided on the Rocky Road Deep Dish Pizza
Deep Dish which uses Cookie Dough as the crust and pecans, chocolate chips and marshmallows for the toppings and it is served a la mode by request. It was as rich and decadent as it sounds, but well worth it.

Check the website for Happy Hour Specials and times and don’t forget to submit to the “design your own pizza” contest. Keep the phone number in your speed dial because you never know when you will need to reserve a table for your next out of town guest. Stop by the Spanish Kitchen across the street by the same owners and you will not be disappointed when you get the craving for your next Mexican Food fix.

829 N La Cienega Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90069
Phone: (310) 659-8848

Cross Street:
Willoughby Avenue

Hours:
Daily 11am-4pm, 5pm-2am

http://stonefirepizza.com/

1 Comment | In: Saturday Sip | tags: bbq brisket pizza, Beer, happy hour, Happy hour at stone fire pizza, La Cienega, Los Angeles, Pizza, pizza and beer in los angeles, pizza on la cienega, Stone Fire Pizza Los Angeles, www.stonefirepizza.com. | #

The Italian Feast of San Gennaro|Los Angeles

This weekend we attended the 7th Annual Precious Cheese Feast of San Gennaro, Los Angeles in Hollywood. This event is brought to Los Angles each year by Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Carolla and various food and drink sponsors and was located below Hollywood Boulevard behind the El Capitan theater.

The festival included everything from Italian food, music, culture, games, petting zoo, and Carnival rides. When we arrived on Saturday night the crowd was thick and the air smelled like a blend of all things Italian. Pizza, Pasta, Calzones, Calamari, Roasted Corn, Gelato and Zeppoles were everywhere and figuring out what line to wait in and holding back the hunger pains were our only concerns. We each went our separate ways on a mission for hot Italian dishes to soothe all of our senses. I went for the Pizza and she went for the Pasta. The line for a slice of Rocco’s Pizza was long but well worth the wait. The choices were limitless and I opted for the meatball and tomato/basil slices for us to share. We had both discovered a treasure in our own backyard that reminded us of the authentic Pizza that we had a few years ago in Little Italy in New York. The pizza had perfect proportions of marinara, cheese and toppings and we decided that we would get our next pizza pie from here. It wasn’t more than 24 hours later that we ordered a pie for pickup from the Miracle Mile location and again the pizza was amazing.

We also shared a large bowl of Penne Alla Vodka sauce from Frankie’s New York Italian Restaurant on Melrose. The Pasta was fresh and had a nice bite to it. Within minutes it was gone. We then decided to have some cocktails while we waited for our friends attended. We sipped on glasses of Peroni draft beer and glasses of Lasorda Chianti Classico Toscana. I went back to Frankie’s and sampled the Clams on the half shell while I waited for our order of mini Calzones. I requested them with marinara sauce and when we bit into them at our table there was a perfect balance between cheese and sauce. When our friends arrived I went back for a final slice of Pepperoni pizza and went with them to get some roasted corn from the Fire Roasted Corn booth. I watched as they pilled on the toppings including butter, chili con Limon and Cotija cheese.

We were all so grateful that this event was in our back yard and that it promotes such a positive message while raising money for children and families in Los Angeles who are in need. It is also great being exposed to the many facets of Italian food, culture and life here in Los Angeles.

Don’t miss next years feast as you will truly regret it if you do. Let the countdown begin.

Vendors:

Rocco’s Italian Kitchen
http://www.roccospizzala.com/
6335 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
323-655-0058

Frankie’s New York Italian Restaurant on Melrose
http://www.frankiesonmelrose.com/
7228 Melrose Avenue
Hollywood, Ca 90038
323-937-2801

Lasorda Wines
http://www.lasordawine.com/

Peroni Beer
http://www.peroniitaly.com/us/

The 7th Annual Precious Cheese Feast of San Gennaro, Los Angeles
http://www.feastofla.org/

1 Comment | In: Festival Fare | tags: Calamari, Calzones, Frankie’s New York Italian Restaurant on Melrose, Gelato, Italian, Lasorda Wines, Los Angeles, Pasta, Peroni Beer, Pizza, Roasted Corn, Rocco's Italian Kitchen, The 7th Annual Precious Cheese Feast of San Gennaro, The Italian Feast of San Gennaro, Zeppoles in Los Angeles. | #

So it’s Friday night and you can’t decide what to eat. You get a call from your friends and they say they are going for Chinese and they ask if you are down. We say most definitely and where to? They say come check out this great Chinese restaurant in Los Feliz called The Palace. We decided to take a cruise over to Los Feliz Village and get our Chinese fix.

Once we arrived we were seated immediately. The friendly staff suggested appetizer selections and we decided to share an order of Steamed Dumplings and Vegetable Egg Rolls. This was a nod to Chinatown’s finest Dim Sum. The group had Wonton Soup and Sizzling Rice Soup. The rice soup made its own “Snap, Crackle, Pop” when it was brought out and gave it a sizzle that continued to pop flavor in your mouth.

We shared the Sizzling Beef with Scallops and the Palace Fried Rice. The surf and turf version of the Scallops and Beef was done to perfection and was combined with fresh veggies. The Fried Rice was truly unique and was loaded with flavor. Half way through the meal we insisted on sampling the BBQ Pork and this to was infused with bold flavor and cooked to perfection.

The consensus is that this East-side establishment rivals some of the great authentic Chinese restaurants that you would find in Chinatown and Monterrey Park.

The Palace

www.6671595.com

2112 Hillhurst Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 667-1595

No Comments | In: Ethnic Corner | tags: Chinese Food, Chinese Food in Los Angeles, Dim Sum, Egg Rolls, Los Angeles, Los Feliz, Sizzling Rice Soup, Wonton Soup. | #

We started out this foodie adventure out unexpectedly.  We were planning to go to La Cienega’s Restaurant row for some pizza and beer at Stone Fire Pizza Company but when we arrived the doors were closed for a private party.  We were slightly disappointed but we regrouped and headed down La Cienega to the Stinking Rose.  The mission quickly turned from Pizza to Garlic.  It had been sometime since we dined here and we had no problem getting in on a Thursday night.

Our server Stephen L. was amazing and provided us with tremendous insight to the dishes and impeccable service.  Everything that we ordered came out lightning fast and our palettes and our stomach thank him. We started out with a pitcher of Anchor Steam beer as a perfect compliment to the garlic.  The bitter hoppy taste provided a wonderful contrast.  The three of us opted to order everything family style so we could mix as many Garlic flavors as we could.  We started with an order of Bagna Calda (Garlic Soaking in a hot tub).  This selection is served in an iron skillet tableside and is paired with house baked Focaccia bread.  We made little garlic sandwiches and also integrated the house garlic pesto mixture with the roasted garlic cloves to create an extreme garlic flavor.  Next we ordered the large Sizzling Iron Skillet of Roasted Mussels.  This was truly a unique preparation and I was glad that we decided on this selection.  The platter was enough for 3 and we were able to add the tasty mussels to our garlic sandwiches.  The garlic, mussels and butter were simply amazing.  I shared the Louisiana Shrimp in Garlic tomato broth with Marissa and the broth provided a mild garlic flavor that was soothing.  Our friend Brian ordered the Gnocchetti with Garlic Gorgonzola, asparagus and toasted pine nuts and he summed up the dish as “Creamy bodacious”.  I was able to sample a few bites and I agree.  Despite the robustness of the dishes we still had room for desert.  We decided to take our deserts to go and the staff served both the Chocolate Cake and Rum Cake in to go containers along with vanilla bean ice cream.  We all left extremely satisfied and we will definitely go back once we sweat out the Garlic from our systems.  If you need a garlic and/or seafood fix this is the place.  You will surely keep the vampires away.

The Stinking Rose
55 North La Cienega Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
310-652-7673

mussels

No Comments | In: Fab foodie on the run | tags: Bagna Calda, Beer, Garlic, iron skillet, La Cienega, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Garlic Restaurant, Pizza, Restaurant Row, Seafood. | #

The following food review captures the passion for cooking that embodies Elba Merino a close personal friend and family member. She is a hobbyist cook who should have her own restaurant and is a wonder in the kitchen. For her anywhere is a kitchen; the barbeque pit in the backyard with pots and pans or the stovetop range.

Earlier this week I was treated to a home cooked Latin meal that gave my stomach the ultimate in gastronomic pleasure. We had lunch planned for several days but the menu was kept top secret. When I arrived at the house there was a splendid aroma in the air, but I could not place the smell. All I can say was that my stomach immediately started growling and my nose had been fancied and sold upon entry.

The meal consisted of homemade refried beans that no restaurant could replicate. They were light and so smooth to the taste. You could tell that they were made with love and careful precision. After eating you didn’t feel like you just ate a ton of bricks. She calls them simply frijoles refritos. Along side them was her homemade Pico de Gallo (aka Cilantro). A simple play on traditional Pico de Gallo with radishes and pear and cherry tomatoes in alternating yellow and red. The main course was something I had never had before but I will request again. She did not have a specific name for it but I have dubbed the entrée, “Croquettes de Pollo Asada.” Translation chicken cakes similar to a crab cake or potato pancake. These chicken delights contain chicken, onions, red peppers, cilantro and some other secret ingredients. They were flash fried and then baked in the oven. Homemade infused white rice accompanied along with corn tortillas.

The pairing of the croquettes, rice, beans, Pico de Gallo and corn tortillas provided an incredible flavor palette. I was full for the entire day, but had that kind of satisfied fullness because the meal was incredibly light. Now when I think of this meal all I can say is “Que Sabor, Me Encanta” Translation; Such flavor, that I love.

Stay tuned for more culinary delights from “La Cocina de Elba”

No Comments | In: Home Grub | tags: Beans, Home Cooked Latin food, Los Angeles, rice and pico de gallo. | #