Friday, January 29, 2010

Bachelor's Kitchen Party

A sneak peak at what your next party could look like... if The Dish's Dish is cooking and the awesomely talented and incredibly hot Kyle Dean Reinford is behind the lense.

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TV1: Beach from sixty40 on Vimeo.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Bachelor's Kitchen Party - NY STYLE

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When The Dish's Dish and The Supper Club threw our premier Bachelor's Kitchen Party in LA at Dany Levy's gorgeous Spanish home earlier this month, it was a smashing success - enough to get the attention of the glambots at Vanity Fair.

This week, we are doing it NY style. The event will be held at a Supper Club members' gorgeous soho loft. Take a sneak peak at the menu. Interested in joining Supper Club? Shoot an email and maybe you can come to the party.

Appetizers: Mini Gougeres with Roasted Corn, Risotto Cakes with Roasted Mushrooms, Toasted Cornbread with Black Eyed Pea Salad Cups

Salad Selects: Crisp Romaine, Fennel, Fresh Pear, Roquefort, Maple-Ginger Dressing, Quinoa, Green Beans, Frizzled Shallots, Date and Thyme Vinaigrette

Dinner: Winter Vegetable Lasagna, Braised Short Ribs, Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Hazelnut and Wilted Arugula, Tomato Braised Lentils with Broccoli Rabe

Sweet: Bittersweet Chocolate Tart with Pecans, Dried Cherries and Ancho Chili, Apple Bread Pudding with Zacapa Rum Sauce

















Monday, January 25, 2010

Burger Shoppe Stomach Massacre

What the eff.

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When I read Urban Daddy a few days ago, I couldn't figure out if I wanted to curl up into a ball or jet to the FiDi at lightning speed. My friend Heather Tierney - who's got a hand in Apotheké, Burger Shoppe, WorkShoppe and few other projects on the brink - has launched the most gut-busting novelty I've seen in quite some time.

It's a medley of comfort food, freeing diners from that always tough choice of: mac n cheese or a burger? Tierney eliminated the issue by concealing a puck of mac within a juicy patty.  Her chefs then ladle some cheese sauce on top for good measure before masking the bomb in bun.

It's off the menu for now, so you'll have to actually asking for the burger with mac and cheese out loud! It kinda goes against everything I stand for... but it kinda feels good.

Friday, January 22, 2010

Whole Foods Market App

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I am very wishy washy about my iPhone. Some days it's ok and some days I want to throw it against a wall and see it's guts fly out across the carpet.  But an App like the Whole Foods App for iPhone is any Culinista's best friend.

The app allows you to search for recipes by food, diet, category or using what you have on hand in your fridge already.  Once you find a recipe you like, you can add it to your shopping list (or your favorites to save for later).  While you are shopping, you can go to your shopping list and tick off items as you grab them from the shelves.

I've found a ton of recipes that I am dying to try out - Shiitake-Lemongrass miso soup, Roasted acorn squash with squash risotto, Edamame Guacamole and Swiss chard gratin to name a few.

Oh - and you can search to find the nearest Whole Foods wherever you might be.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Dominick's

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A perfect atmosphere. And yet, unlike anything in NYC. You won't be disappointed. There's a fireplace in the back! Lo from The Hills was there and people were chill. It's a good idea to go here.

To eat?

Arancini, Polenta with Mushrooms, Italian Wedding Soup, Market Salad, Potato Ravioli with Shrimp.

Bliss. Dominick's. So glad to know about.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Not Eating Animals

I just finished reading Eating Animals.  Written by Jonathan Safran Foer, the book gives an in-depth, fact-filled run down of factory-farming in the United States. Whether vegan or the most hard-core of meat-eaters, I suggest reading the book, if only to give a greater sense of connection to the origins and journey of the food you are eating before it reaches your plate.

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For me, learning about the total insanity of factory farms that produce poultry, pork and beef was a lot to stomach.  From the amount of gene-fucking to the ample drugs that the animals ingest (and that we then ingest) to the severely detrimental living conditions in which the animals exist I learned a lot about the industry's goal - to keep the animals just well enough not to die before slaughter. Slaughter, done at slaughter facilities, is more gruesome than you'd think - not because it's sad to see life end but because of the seriously fucked up ways that workers deform and traumatize the animals.

Poking their eye balls out, skinning them alive and slicing off their noses and rubbing salt in them are just a few things the workers do for fun.  But I can't blame them - most are in such dire need of work, many are illegal workers bussed over so that they are completely dependent on the industry and essentially don't have rights to speak up... you've got to go insane working that job.

Foer talks about how humanely raised meat is better but most of it still goes to those slaughterhouses. And he talks about fish, though not as much, as another no-no.  Eating fish, he argues, is more of an environmental hazard (trolling shrimp brings up tons of by-catch that dies on the boat and then just gets chucked back into the ocean dead).  Then again, he does talk about the fish farms, underwater factories, in which fish are kept so close together that the tanks are filled with their shit, which they start to eat.

In any event, it's a harrowing tale. All true. And, though we know his stance, it's relatively unbiased.  He presents facts.  And those speak for themselves.

***HIGHLY RECOMMENDED***

Friday, January 8, 2010

Best. Week. Ever.

In this edition of Best Week Ever, not only does Daily Candy holla at The Dish's Dish but Vanity Fair bills our launch party as a tasty addition to LA dining. Bring it, soulja.

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Our Culinistas made a true feast.... Mini Mexican Spicy Pork Quiche, Cilantro and Shrimp Salad, Chimichurri Steak on the Grill, Broccolini that got eaten in a snap and an incredibly vegan berry tart for dessert.... just to name a few highlights!

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Delicious and gorgeous as well! Special thanks to my friend Dany Levy who hosted the event in her to-die-for LA home.

An evening to remember it was. The Culinistas got their LA feet wet and we wowed socialites and entertainers galore with the feast.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Daily Candy Pimps Us

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It has finally happened. In case you missed the coverage yesterday… and somehow didn’t hear my squeals of excitement reverberating across the country, Daily Candy included us in their first Monday of the year round up. It was pretty epic reporting. We were included as the “word on the eat”. The 2010 Feel Better Already Guide also included an ayurvedic salon and something called rock n’ roll ballet. Wowza.

DC touched on the fact that we are 100% customizable – and we mean it! You think you’re picky? Oh believe me, we’ve seen zanier appetites before. Want to lose those last ten pounds? We can help you with that. Try a vegan diet? Bring it on; we’ve got a pro on hand just for you.

Anyway, just like Daily Candy put it: “Come health or high water,” we hope you’ll sign up to try The Dish’s Dish in 2010 – it’s just what your body is craving. Or is that a 4pm cookie? Wait, we can work with that!

As You Wish!

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You may have missed getting the perfect present for your mother, girlfriend, boyfriend, husband, wife, sister, brother, roommate, boss, intern, and/or bff this holiday season but that’s ok because The Dish’s Dish has recently released our Culinista Kitchen DVD series as a pay-as-you-wish downloadable set.Check it.

It doesn’t come with the seriously awesome and functional tote bag or the sweet stickers that come in the bundle, but if you’re computer savvy and just want to cut to the chase and learn to cook, the pay-as-you-wish might just be the thing for you. Just pick your price (guaranteed best deal on the block!), pay via paypal, and get to streaming or downloading the vids. You can even watch them on you iPod – though not recommended while running at the gym!

The Tar Pit

A few weeks ago I wandered into opening night at The Tar Pit on La Brea Ave. From the moment I walked in I liked the place. The atmosphere instantly swept me from the vacant LA streets and brought me to a livelier space and time – 1940s cocktail den to be specific. The room in set up to really facilitate a relaxed experience. If you want to dine, there are booths around the perimeter that make for a private, sultry evening. If you want a more social setting, the lounge area, which connects directly to the bar but offers waitress service might be the best bet – I sat at the far corner table, in my opinion the best seat in the house.

Cocktails are pro – helmed by Audrey Sanders and the Cuff and Buttons gang. I went for the cucumber mint Creole and was not disappointed with the smooth but unexpected combination of gin, aquavit and sherry. Somehow the cucumbers, mint and lemon juice masked any trace of alcohol. Other elixirs on the line up that I’ll try next time include the lil jig – tequila, chartreuse, Thai basil and simple syrup – and the champion – campari, vermouth, lemon and champagne.

The food program is just as tantalizing. There’s a bar menu and a dinner menu. I ordered only off the bar menu this go around. But there are plenty of options. Dive into the fried oysters no later that five minutes after being seated – they go quick and you’ll want another round. The tuna tartare is more nuanced than most with hints of mustard seed, ginger and plum leaf, which tastes a little like shiso.

Looking at the dinner menu, shaved octopus salad perks my interest, with celery hearts and black cabbage. Oh and gnocchi with escargots, won’t that be a treat! I bet the roast chicken with preserved lemon, cumin, sumac and radish salad with parsley and olives is killer.

For those looking for something heartier, you might want to go for the braised pork cheeks and ears though I must admit it’s not my cup of tea.

Then again, with Mark Peel fromCampanile cooking, I bet everything on the menu is worth a try. But if you arrive and there’s really nothing you want (impossible), you could always sit at the bar, drink an expertly made hot toddy and dive into a daily-made cookie plate. Not bad.