With all due respect, I disagree:

L.A. times writer Monica Corcoran had an article out on "Party planners' quick-and-dirty tips" which featured Bryan Rabin and Jeffrey Best "two of LA’s top party planners" according to whoever hires people to plan events on the scale of an Oscar party thrown by Madonna. Click here to read the article.

Anyway, I'm reading this article, and one of the questions is Do you need to consult your guests about food allergies and finicky tendencies? Bryan Rabin gave his reply: It's so L.A. You should ask around and see if anyone is a vegetarian or has food allergies. But don't plan the menu around someone who has allergies. Just prepare a special dish for that person. That made me remember a dinner for 10 that I prepared recently.

I grilled the host's assistant (well, not literally) about whether anyone had any allergies or other dietary restrictions. I was told that a few of the guests were vegetarian. I confirmed, "Only vegetarian, or vegan? I can use milk, butter, cheese, eggs..." and she said yes, just vegetarian. "Maybe you can make the whole meal vegetarian."

No problem! So I come up with a menu: A bunch of nice appetizers, a salad, a very hearty risotto with butternut squash, and several vegetable side dishes. I also ask people do they like something with fruit or chocolate for dessert. She chose chocolate, so in staying with the Italian theme set by the risotto, I made a cassata. (pound cake with marscapone cheese filling, covered with whipped chocolate ganache).

One of the guests approached me about 45 minutes before service, and asked what was on the menu. As i told him, he nodded, and then said, "So, nothing is vegan, then?" Well, nothing was intended to be vegan!

As you can imagine, by that point, most everything is nearly completed, just requiring a few finishing touches. I mentally scanned the menu, and there were still a couple of things that I could tweak, like not adding Parmesan cheese to one of the salads or to one portion of the risotto, not adding butter to the vegetables....but the cake was finished, and there was no un-doing it.

I had intended to garnish the risotto with a slice of green apple lightly sautéed in butter, but instead, I made a little dessert with the apple, plus some brown sugar, cinnamon, orange juice & zest, and whatever else i could scrounge. After serving this poor guy a whole bunch of plain food, I wanted to do something special for him.

Come time for dessert, I sauced the plates, served up slices of the cake, and arranged this little apple creation for him. When i served everyone the cake, and gave him his special vegan dessert, he looked at me like I'd set an assortment of rocks on his plate.

Vegan Guy: What is this?

Me: A baked apple with cinnamon and an orange sauce. It's vegan!

Vegan guy: Oh....

Guy across the table: (loud enough for all the other 9 guests to hear) Duuuuuuuuude! What did you do to piss off the chef? WE all got chocolate cake!

Me: Oh, ha ha, (gulp) nothing's wrong. (nervous smile) This is vegan.

Vegan guy: (clearly not pleased at the attention) Oh. Uh ...thanks.

But then, while I was cleaning the kitchen, I watched as he ate the butter/cream/cheese/egg cake off the loud guy's plate.*

So, no, Bryan Rabin, don't just serve them something special, particularly if it's especially obvious that it's different. If you're the host, realize that nobody wants to be singled out as different from the rest of the guests. A good chef can work with you to make something that works for everyone.



* I seriously don't care if you are wearing a PETA shirt under your fur coat while you gnaw the heads off of live baby koalas. And I'll never forget that one guy who, when someone said, "Hey, I thought you were Jewish, too!" replied with "Yeah, but I LOVE bacon, I just don't eat it in front of my kids." Whatever floats your boat. You hire me to cook for you, I'll do whatever you ask. But you gotta ask!


Last thing I ate or drank: Cold Filet of Salmon with Aioli, over Mixed Greens and Belgian Endive

Technorati Tags: Food and Drink in Los Angeles

Grilled Cheese Invitational: LOCATION ANNOUNCED!

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I'm so bummed that i took work and i can't do this, because it sounds like SO MUCH FUN! If you go, please take lots of pictures and smuggle me out some samples.
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Greetings Cheese Enthusiasts!
This is the moment you have all been waiting for! Everything is coming together. Grills are at the ready. Loaves are waiting to be sliced. The cheese is...well...cheese!
The 1st 6th Annual National Grilled Cheese Invitational is merely hours away!
But first, some quick updates....
As you are probably already aware, the exposure for this event has gotten completely out of control! Los Angeles demands cheese! The public response to this event that I started six years ago is quite humbling and I'm so psyched to see that everybody loves grilled cheese as much as I do.
The unfortunate part is that the event location can only hold so many people and the parking lot can only hold so many cars, and not everybody will be able to get in to enjoy the Invitational.
Once the capacity for the event site has been reached, no one else will be allowed in, so do make sure to get there early, as we cannot guarantee space or promise anything.
CARPOOL, everybody! Seriously. This can't be stressed enough.
The more people who carpool, the more people will be able to get in to enjoy the event.
If when you get to the event, you see signs announcing that the event is at capacity, we apologize, but we mean it.
If you get into the event, you are more than welcome to bring beverages with you, however they must be non-alcoholic and in an unbreakable containers.
This is an adult event and the tone runs somewhere between PG-13 and a soft R, so please use judgement with regard to bringing young children. I mean, look at the names of the sammich categories.
If you have some poems about cheese, we'd love to hear 'em while the competitors grill. Stop by the stage and see one of the MCs to get on the schedule.
The event opens at 5:00pm and grilling starts promptly at 5:30 and will run till 9:00pm, or until we run out of cheese.
There will be over 140 people grilling in competition at the event!
As an added bonus, Kraft Singles has signed on board as a sponsor and will be on hand providing thousands of samples of the sammich that started it all plus all sorts of awesome freebies!
Also, IZZE beverages will be there in force and providing free samples of their sparking fruit juices as well.
There will be also be T-shirts, aprons and hoodies available for sale! Show your support for the event and also pick up some of the most frighteningly awesome merch you'll ever have the pleasure of wearing on your own body.
Have fun and remember, with a little bread, butter and cheese, even you too could be a Grilled Cheese Champion!
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
The event takes place at:
Crystal Springs Picnic Grove
Griffith Park
4730 Crystal Springs Dr
Los Angeles, CA 90027
Saturday April 19th
Event opens at 5:00pm
Grilling commences promptly at 5:30pm
Trophies awarded by 9:30pm
That address will get you into the park by the pony rides, but you'll want to follow the signs to the Crystal Springs Picnic Grove.
Here's a fancy google maps link that better shows where we'll be:
http://tinyurl.com/5y9umt
If you don't end up getting into the event, once again, I apologize.
But I also promise to you that next year's national grilled cheese Invitational will be in a much larger venue that will accommodate all the cheesey masses yearning eat cheese!
Yours in bread, butter, cheese and victory,
Tim Walker
Chief Instigator & Founder
Grilled Cheese Invitational
http://www.grilledcheeseinvitational.com

Earth day column I wrote for ChefsLine

Earth Day will be celebrated next Tuesday, April 22. I thought it would be a good time to ask some of the other ChefsLine team to suggest some steps we could take in our home kitchens to have a positive impact on the environment... or at least to tread a little lighter. WOW, they came up with some really great ideas! The cool thing is that these adjustments are simple enough that you can put them into action immediately.

ChefsLine's Suggestions for Earth Day (...and every day!)

• Chef Richard: Prepare a One-Pot meal. You'll conserve energy by using only one burner on the stove, and save water because you have to wash only one pot that night.
• Chef Robyn: Treat yourself and support healthier cows with a milkshake or smoothie made with organic milk, or even better, yogurt and local fruit! Your body and taste buds will feel like a million bucks.
• Chef Adrienne: Be certain that your used plastic bags from the grocery store are in a place where you can grab and go so you can reuse them. Even better, bring your own bag to the market.
• Melissa: If you wash dishes by hand, do it right away and you'll use less water. If you use the dishwasher, make sure that it's completely filled up before running it, and use an environmentally friendly detergent.

And here are a few ideas that I'd like to contribute:

• Buy fresh, local produce. Not only does it taste better, but you might not realize that frozen food requires a lot of energy to keep it frozen, and usually travels futher, which uses gasoline and creates carbon emissions.
• Consider purchasing your staples in bulk. (rice, beans, flour, etc.) buying food in packages requires the use of paper, cardboard and plastic and other materials that need to be recycled. Recycling's great but it still takes energy!
• If you eat meat, you don't have to go vegetarian to be environmentally friendly. Just eat less of it. It takes about 4 pounds of grain to raise 1 pound of beef, plus something like 2500 gallons of water! So if you're used to eating an 8 oz portion, eat 4 oz instead, and eat more vegetables. A good book you can read about this is The Omnivore's Delimma.

Sometimes it just takes looking at an idea from someone else's perspective to see how easy it is to make a few small changes to your day-to-day life, and it's empowering to see how subtle adjustments to how you get things done can make an impact on being "green".

Interviewed on the Kick Back Kook show.

Today i participated in an interview on Angela McKeller's podcast show, KickBackKook. Myself and two amateur chefs made the recipe that can be found on Angela's website http://www.kickbackkook.com

Listen to the podcast, and let me know what you think! I took more pictures of the dishes i made, which you can find here.

Last thing I ate or drank: dinner at Bistro Provence:
1st course, crispy gnocchi with sautéed vegetables and lardons
entrée, duck breast with mushroom croquette
dessert, lemon curd with strawberries and citrus meringue
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TELEVISION opportunity: Grill It!

I'm too old and too professional for this show, and I've already been on a Bobby Flay show... but maybe someone else can pitch this?

FOOD NETWORK seeks Cool, Young & Diverse Grillers!
Reply to: grillitwithbobby@gmail.com
Date: 2008-03-31, 2:49PM

If you love to grill and have a unique recipe--nothing from a can--we want to hear from you! The Food Network is launching a new cooking series with Bobby Flay called Grill It! and is looking for young (21-35), cool, diverse people with BIG personalities˜especially females and those who can grill a dessert!
To apply, please create a 3-5 minute VHS Tape or DVD in which you cook us your favorite dish. Tell us the history of your recipe, the ingredients you use, and why you love to grill. All applicants must have a terrific personality and must illustrate why you‚d make a fantastic candidate for GRILL IT! with Bobby Flay! Unlike "Throwdown with Bobby Flay" this is not a competition, instead GRILL IT! shows people how to grill with a well-stocked kitchen.
All applicants must live in the U.S and be 18 and over (although quick-witted teenagers with parents‚ permission can apply). Professional chefs need not apply.
To be considered, please mail your submission tape, original recipe and photo of yourself to the address below no later than April 8th.
Embassy Row
ATT: GRILL IT!
110 Leroy Street, 7th Fl.
New York City, NY 10014
Questions? Email us at grillitwithbobby@gmail.com or call 646.747.4728

-------------------------------------------------
Compensation: We'll fly you to NYC and put you up for 1 night
Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
Please, no phone calls about this job!
Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.
Original URL: http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/tfr/625568978.html

Last thing I ate or drank: onion foccacia i made over the weekend.

Technorati Tags: Food and Drink in Los Angeles

Book Review: He Said Beer, She Said Wine

I recently received a review copy of He Said Beer, She Said Wine and was really excited to get into it. I love wine, and usually have a dozen or so bottles at any given time. I try to run the gamut, having everything from sweet Riesling and Dry Gewurtztraminer to robust Cabernet and Syrah. A lot of my friends, however, are into beer (and scotch, but that's another story). Usually the only beer I have in my house is the Corona I like, the Guiness my husband likes, and whatever said friends have left behind from their last visit. In fact, there's a bottle of Chimay in the fridge door, and a few other miscellaneous bottles that roll around in the produce drawers.
      (Don't fret, I have produce, I just don't keep most of it in the refrigerator!)

After the above confession, I wouldn't be too surprised if author who covered the beer-half of the book (Sam Calagione, who bears a passing resemblance to David Duchovny) were to come here and bash me over the head with a hefty bottle of XX Bitter Golden Ale. I was looking forward to a crash course in beer varieties without my head exploding like a Heinekin left in the hot sun.

So the first impression of this book is made by the gorgeous food photography. I could lick the pages. I sat down with the book after dinner a couple nights, and found my self hungry again. And thirsty: the beverages are photographed in well-lit glassware appropriate to the contents. Also, the design of the book in general is, for lack of a better word, cute, and I don't mean that disparagingly. The pages that talk about fish pairings are bordered with fishnet. The cheese pages are bordered with woodgrain, to invoke a cheeseboard. The page numbers are adorned with either beer bottlecaps or rings of wine-stain (which is a curious choice), or both bottlecaps and stains, to indicate whether the page discusses either or both. A final note on the design, which you might find petty, is that the body copy is in a fine-lined sans-serif font, (which means straight lines and curves, without embellishment, like this), instead of a serif font (that has little thingamajigs on the ends of each line, like this). To me, the sans-serif font makes it sort of difficult to read on paper. I'm not even 40 and I found myself squinting. I'll forgo critique of the myriad of font choices, because only a handful of people will feel the same pain.

Next, to the characters: Marnie and Sam each have impressive resumes, and each is extremely qualified to handle his/her section. Marnie is pictured in plain-yet-elegant dresses with a smart haircut (my hair will never lay that flat!). She looks like she'd have a great laugh. Sam is shown in untucked, spread-collar shirts and dockers, looking very much like the kind of guy who'd be as comfortable tending bar as bellying up to one. I mean this in a good way. The book is based, of course, on the He-Says-She-Says of which libation is more appropriate for a given food, and that feeling seasons each section.

On to the content! we start with a "primer" for each beverage. How they came to be, what they're made from, and the ingredients and techniques used to produce the individuality of each drink. Well done, and very appropriate for a newbie or a not-so-seasoned afficionado.

Then, they go food-by-food, picking out a couple items from each genre (for spicy foods, they choose chorizo, kung pao chicken, jambalaya...you get the idea) and pair those choices with wines and beers. Throughout, there are graphs and charts and tables and grids, and that gives the impression of a textbook. I think that many people appreciate an graphical approach than column after column of dry text. Even though they DO include that archaic tongue map. Twice. (sigh)

The part of the book that does the least for me is the "Which Drink Wins" section that follows each food category. Each author says a paragraph extolling the virtues of his or her preferred drink, while degrading that of the other. Here's one of the first examples. The following transcription is truncated, I grant you, but it sounds like a playground argument of "my dad can beat up your dad".
      Marnie: ...there's a reason we have 'wine and cheese' parties and not 'beer and cheese' parties.
      Sam: we DO have beer and cheese parties. What do you serve with pizza... Pizza is nothing more than a giant melted cheese sandwich.
      Marnie: We're talking about real cheese, not 'cheez' with a 'z'.
Also, esoteric as it may be, I will mention that I felt the layout of this feature is dizzying. Bold, all-caps, serif, sans-serif, script font, headline fonts...the typographer must have been drinking both beer AND wine when setting this one up. Again, I'm sure I'm in the minority of people who even notice.

The last part is The Great Debate At Home, which includes recipes and specific beverage selections, as well as detailed instructions as to how to do your own side-by-side evaluation.

Actually the REAL last part is the makeup -slash- confession by each author that maybe (wine/beer) is not the end-all be-all of beverages, and that perhaps a good (beer/wine) does have its place at the table.

So what's my final verdict? I feel it serves its pupose excellently... provided its purpose is to give someone a more-than-basic overview of how to match foods and wines. Take away the debate and the textbook aspect, and I'd be inclined to see this as a coffee-table book, something to be paged through casually while ogling the food porn and making you lust for a glass of something... anything... But with those essential parts, you get a fun, uncomplicated and very approachable book that will do its best to encourage you to be more adventurous with what you eat & drink.

I might even have to crack open that Chimay to enjoy with the roast beef I'll be having for dinner!

"you oughta be in pictures"

http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifoh yeah, and Reality TV wants me again. http://snipr.com/20p1c I like you, Chef Ramsey, i do... but i'm not going on THIS show either, ok?

Last thing I ate or drank: kurobuta pork sandwich from Violet. MOAN nom nom nom

Technorati Tags: Food and Drink in Los Angeles

DineLA review: Minx Restaurant and Lounge in Glendale, CA

Just got home from the most amazing dinner of my DineLA experiences yet: MINX in Glendale! OMG who knew? Everything was PERFECT! Amazing food. Just WOW.

Since the place is all colored lights and triangles of "sails" over the patio, I wasn't sure what to expect. My husband even said he thought it looked like it might be like an upscale version of Chili's.

Boy was he wrong. It was plainly the best meal I've had so far from the DineLA program.

First off, I might mention: the best part of taking my husband with me on these meals is that neither of us is squeamish about eating half of the food and then trading plates. You can never get the full impression of someone else's dish by one bite ferried over on a fork.

We started with an order of crabcakes and an order of ahi tartare. Devoured. Surprise of the appetizer course: onion sprouts! (since the seeds were still attached, I think you call them sprouts as opposed to microgreens?)

Then the entrée. Oh My God. We got the Truffle-crusted New Zealand Lamb Loin with Creamy Polenta, Wild Mushrooms and Truffle Jus;, as well as the Petit Filet Mignon with Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sautéed Spinach and Beer Battered Onion Rings. Both were amazing... and I have to confess, I had a hard time stopping at half of the lamb so I could pass it to my husband. It was cooked perfectly. The crust was delicious. the mushrooms, veggie puree, the sautéed greens, all of it. YUM. The filet mignon came with a very generous portion of garlic mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach (flavored differently from the lamb's greens) and two enormous onion rings. Someone must have put out a memo and declared all fancy onion rings shall be made from red onion.

By the way, the platings were gorgeous. Everything was arranged just right: sauces, height, colors, balance, all of it. lovely.

My favorite thing about these DineLA menus is that you get dessert. Period. You don't have to ponder and fret over whether or not you should get something, because it's included. He chose the Fiji Apple Tartlet with Cinnamon Crumble and Butter-Pecan Gelato, I got the Chocolate-Hazelnut Pot de Creme with Bourbon Chantilly. He loved his apple dessert, and I think I died and went to heaven with mine. He's not a fan of chocolate, and I'm glad, because I nearly finished the thing! I'm a sucker for hazelnut-praline.

I've got to counter all the negative reviews I'd just seen when looking up the chef's name. I know that this place has been having trouble with finding a good manager, because they're posting ads all the time. The people who complain about the food offered on the menu must not be accustomed to this type of cuisine. Maybe they were also expecting something like Chili's? Also, we were there on a Monday, so there wasn't a huge crowd and there wasn't much of a bar scene at the time, so maybe we were spoiled by the calm environment.

I'm a very harsh critic, I admit, but I've got to say, I couldn't find a single fault with Minx. The service was attentive (<3 to Xavier!) the atmosphere was lovely, even the music they were playing was just right. I'd happily go here again. Chef Joseph Antonishek has won my heart and my belly.



Last thing I ate or drank: I couldn't finish the chocolate pot de crème. ME. Not finishing dessert. Does that convey exactly how rich that thing was? Mmmmmmm!!!

Technorati Tags: Food and Drink in Los Angeles

Nights 1 & 2 of DineLA

I wanted to give a couple of one paragraph reviews on where i've eaten
so far.

On the first night, Sunday, I went to NeoMeze in Pasadena and it was
AWESOME. The decor was modern but comfortable. (metrosexual bachelor's
apartment?) The pork tenderloin on the tasting menu was mind blowing.
each slice of the meat tasted like the meaty part of bacon. Also, i've
never had onion rings made from red onion: so sweet, i thought at
first bite that maybe it was apple! I had a really interesting rose by
the glass ($10 and worth it) Chateau Val Joanie or something like
that. I felt it didn't go with the quail, even tho the menu suggested
the pairing.

Last night, Monday, i went to Cobras & Matadors on Sunset. we bought a
bottle of cava next door, and it took us through all the plates, even
to the churros with chocolate dipping sauce for dessert. The standout
on the table there was the Game Hen. When i try to copy this dish, i
will use boneless chicken thighs, because getting the meat off that
critter was kind of a challenge. I'd heard such bad reviews of this
place, and was delighted that i'd decided to give it a go anyway.
also, ryan my server was as hot as the patatas with aioli. PS #1 don't
even bother trying to avoid Valet. #2 don't order all your choices at
once unless you want it all on the table within 5 mins of each other.
Hang on to the menu and keep it coming 2 at a time.

Tonight i'd intended to go to Violet, but i've been there several
times before (OMG i truly LOVE that place) and I think i have to spend
today eating lentils and brown rice so that i can pace myself for the
rest of DineLA.


Last thing I ate or drank: Diet Pepsi. it can't be champagne everytime...

Technorati Tags: Food and Drink in Los Angeles

Salad bar dangers!

I think that salad bars are gross, in general, but if you do eat from one, avoid canned green beans and canned garbanzo beans for a while.

There's a recall for possible botulism poisoning!

Click here

Prescription dessert?

The menu of a St Francis Bay chef, who apparently serves up a powerful drug against erectile dysfunction with a banana split, was shrouded in mystery when Die Burger newspaper tried to investigate.

One of the items on Big Time Taverna's dessert menu, between Greek baklava and ice-cream desserts is the so-called Viagra, but whether or not it's the real thing is not that easy to determine.

actually the guy said he used cialis. Who do you think is more upset?
1) viagra, because they're associated with this crackpot?
2) cialis, because their brand name wasn't in the headline?

Click here for the rest of the story.

Last thing I ate or drank: two Omega-3 rich hard boiled eggs with black salt and lavender pepper, with half of a toasted sesame bagel. and a double espresso. the other half was spread with pear butter. We did the math, it came to about 60¢ per person. Learn how to cook, people, you'll save a fortune.


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