Ubuntu

I'd say I just about fit that description! I mean, I did love Ubuntu. I'd read about the restaurant in the Times a few years ago and had had it on my must-eat list steadily since then. Finally, a reason to go emerged! We were invited upstate (as I like to call it) by some friends to do a photos hoot and after an exciting day of picture taking, it seemed all too perfect to go grab ourselves a plate of vegetables.

Ubuntu is a restaurant, garden, and yoga studio. And, while we didn't go check out the garden or yoga, the restaurant itself provided for a very zenned out environment. And the food was just fabulous. I liked that, though they serve only vegetarian cuisine, it's not really "about" that, per se. It's more like going to a fun, sexy restaurant and the food just happens to be veg (or, vegan upon request). We started with Chickpeas in Romesco Sauce from the bar and then devoured a Carrot Salad that had been seasoned with ras el hanout, a spice I recently learned about while doing cookbook testing. It's a gazillion sweet and savory spices all mixed into one - sort of like a curry. We carried on with a tangy pasta, a sweet corn steamed bun with burrata and an amazing yellow bean chili. We were on the fence with the chili but it ultimately ended up being one of the favorites of the evening. The crispy toasts afloat in the middle of the bowl did the trick ;-)

As if things weren't going yummy enough.. when the dessert menu arrived, I had a mental break down - literally everything looked good. The best thing ended up being the corn pudding- Ambrosial! I could have dove into a swimming pool of the stuff. It was laced with popcorn which tasted like butterscotch and sweet peaches and blueberries from outside. Left a very very good taste in my mouth. I think a return visit is a must.

Spicy Corea, Korean Food in Provo, UT

Looking pretty good... Giving cred where cred is due.

Dragon Mark

Last night after driving 12 hours from a Memorial Day blowout crawfish boil in Park City, we finally got back to the LA area around 11:30p. Passing through the SGV, we decided to stop for some late night Chinese snacks at Dragon Mark, which I kept calling Snack Dragon.. a mexican late night place in NYC. We had a bevy of dumplings and pancakes. Favorites were veggie steamed dumplings and scallion pancake. We got two. All = perfect.

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Cafe Habana - Malibu Style.

Sometimes LA is the coolest place ever. Like when one of your favorite restaurants from your Soho days in NYC finally opens in the Country Mart a mile from your house, you go tot he opening night, it's not that crowded, and Cindy freaking Crawford is there. All of that actually happened last night. Now, I'm not saying that my I-Miss-NYC 'tude from last week is gone... but I mean, it's Cindy Crawford! Sure, her husband's a backer of the restaurant... but that doesn't mean that she necessarily needs to go to it! But she did last night. And she looked GORGEOUS. I mean just drop dead amazing.  Funny thing is, when I took this picture, I was just taking a pic of the general ambiance.. and then about three minutes later I saw her and realized I had snapped this pic. Go figure a snappy snap in LA would end up celeb-infused. Her presence did sort of put a sparkle on everything.  I managed to take pictures of all our food but have to say I was totally awed by the place because of her... they could have put plastic corn in front of us and I might have thought it still tasted good.

Luckily, the staff didn't get flustered by you know who and even in her presence, treated us like the prom king and queen. We had grilled corn (baby how I've missed you!), shrimp ceviche - goo goo gah gah - and some chips and guac to start.

Num num num num.... Now, post appetizers, I'd finally gotten used to the Cindy-vision. But then... outta left field... who's sits down next to her!!??? Like, as if to prove that all famous people definitely DO know each other... check.it.out.dude.

That is Kenny G! Well friends, onto the main course. Huaraches Vegetariane and Mahi Tacos. Both clean=plate worthy. Add a side of plantains and you've got two happy campers.

We stuck around for a while after we'd finished eating, enjoying the, huh, crowd, and finishing some yummy drinks.  Malibu seems complete now. We'll be back. Tonight.

Hatfields Seafood Trio

Taylor and I were ravenous after our friends award show a few nights ago and were around the corner from Hatfield's. We saddled up to the bar and ordered the cuttlefish, octopus, and the cod. I don't know why. We were just in that kind of mood.  They had this addictive rosemary popcorn that I was inhaling like a mad woman. The bartender kept pushing the croque madame but we ultimately skipped it. I ate too much popcorn.

The cuttlefish was so delish! Like salty ribbons of ocean.  There were maitake mushrooms and sunchoke purée.  Eatingla.blogspot had a picture. I didn't take any.



The octopus rocked as well.  Coins of hearts of palm nuzzled up with the thinly sliced octopus.. all on a puree of something that had saffron in it. Couldn't find photo online.

Then we had this perfect piece of cod. Sun dried tomatoes, olives, and eggplant joined in. And a crispy thing on top. Maybe the skin, deep fried. My favorite of the dish.

Oh but then we had to get dessert. It was over priced but the bar tender kept giving us all this free booze so we were like oh well what the fuck let's do it. The hot chocolate souffle tarlet screamed eat me so we complied. Like a molten chocolate cake with a chocolate tart crust.  I didn't taste any chicory in the ice cream as advertised but I still loved it all the same.

We left happy, well-fed, and feeling kinda like celebs. They were so darn nice. We'll be back. And i'll bring my camera.

The Flatbreads

My not-so-new but recently getting out-of-hand obsessionis the flatbreads at Huckleberry.  See them in the picture above? They are a little left of the center - oily bread covered in zucchini slices that've been baked into the dough.  I'm swooning left and right for them and have scheduled four lunch meetings for next week at this Santa Monica cafe just to sate my craving.  Just a few days ago, even when the selection didn't look so hot (it was something like green onion), I still couldn't resist, ordered one, and fell in love like usual. So far my favorite has been the potato, garlic, spinach version. Keep an eye open for it, but don't wait to order one - of any flavor - for another minute!

No Sleep Til Joseph Leonard

I wanted to go to Joseph Leonard almost immediately after they opened. The problem was I'd just moved to Cali.  So after several trips back to the east coast and like five attempts to get to JL, I set up my final evening so that I'd start off having a drink there and hopefully be able to sneak in some appetizers.  Sadly, the friend I was meeting was in a rush to get to Waverly Inn to meet a hot date.  We had one glass of wine and parted ways.

The rest of my evenings' plans included a meeting at Soho House around 9 followed by a rendez-vous with one of my favorite lady friends.  The night went on... meeting turned into champagne-fueled laughfest 2010... and before I knew it, my girlfriend came to tag out the fellow from my meeting.  The ladies were off to Bobo to meet some other buddies.  After some more bubbly, I felt a hole in my stomach and realized I'd been subsisting on Soho House snack mix for the last few hours - I was in that blissed out state of hungry and buzzed!  I also realized that JL was opened on the late side.  I parted ways with my pretty blonde sidekick and roped another friend from the crew into crossing Seventh Avenue with me for some grub.  We pulled up to the bar around 1am and I ordered spicy Brussels sprouts, an octopus appetizer, and that hockey puck potato pancake featured above.  In daylight, these three items may not seem like the most nature combination, but add carbonated alcohol and the wee hours of the morning to the equation... and now you see what I am talking about.  The meal was manna.  I finished everything to my friends horror/delight.

I even topped things off with a butterscotch pudding served up in a little bell jar - ask for extra cookie crumble - that my friend couldn't help but split with me.  I finally made it to Joseph Leonard and there was no putting a lid on it.

Locanda Verde - Hit Me Baby One More Time

I first visited Locanda Verde last summer after they'd just opened.  Andrew Carmellini... Robert Deniro... Karen Demasco... talk about a dream team!  Ever since that lovely day back in 09, I'd been plotting my return.  But somehow, there was just never enough time.

So you can imagine my squeals of joy when my uncle and I decided to dine al fresco on one of the first warm days this year.  We started with a few blue crab crostini and washed them down with some mushrooms.  Then he went for the casarecce pasta with spicy seafood.  It was a light, yet robust combination of flavors that took us both out of Tribeca and into a seaside villa.  I went for the scallops which came with cauliflower in a citrus-y broth.  It, too, was masterful and we both cleaned our plates.

Dessert was something maple but by that time, martinis and wine has taken hold and I was more interested in dancing than anything else.  Locanda Verde was just as magical as I remembered it.  It's perfect for any occasion - from first date to dinner with your boss.  Go for lunch or dinner no matter; just go hungry and you can't go wrong.

Gjelina Redux

Since moving to LA, I've been to Gjelina about four times. And Taylor has been even more than I have. It's weird: In NYC, upon arrival, I was determined to try every restaurant - old and new.  But here, it's just a little different. When you find something you like, you just stick with it. I like this place so much that I even name dropped it in a recent piece I did for Angeleno Online.

So, when Taylor and I had to do an errand in Venice over the weekend, it seemed like the perfect excuse to hit up our old favorite. We sat at the bar where we were treated like celebs when given a complimentary olive tapenade and burrata starter. Wow. That salty tapenade with the creamy, stringy burrata. What an impact. This actually might be my favorite burrata in the city. I shall inquire where they source next time around.

When we ordered, we decided we had to have our very favorite dish - the cauliflower. Slowly but surely, I am investigating all the ingredients and plan to hone in on a recreation.



Dang. That cauli is good.  After a beat, the salt and pepper fries arrived and then the tuna with eggplant caponata followed suit.  The French fries were decidedly a portion for a family of six. They came with an underwhelming, runny aoili (some strange West coast version?) and a super yummy, tangy Romanesco sauce, which of course we both favorite to the mystery dip.



Somehow in the course of the evening, we actually managed to power through the majority of the pile.  I've been known as a fry pusher at times. But to order these was truly a mutual decision. And so was our most substantial dish, the big eye tuna with eggplant caponata. We died! Fat slabs of rare tuna on a mountain of chunky marinated eggplant, red peppers, and pine nuts.  A little crema sealed the deal up top.



We purposely saved ample room for dessert - as we known that Gjelina does sweet right.  And that they did with the butterscotch pudding topped with whipped cream and salted caramel. It innocently arrived in a teacup, but it was anything but - yeah... we finished it.



All in all, another golden evening at Gjelina. Sure, we had to wait 90 minutes for a table. But it was a First Friday so stores along Abbott Kinney were hopping and we wrangled excellent drinks at the Tasting Kitchen beforehand.

Burger Shoppe Stomach Massacre

What the eff.



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.

Dominick's

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.

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.

Inspiration from my favorite L.A. restaurant

On our last night in L.A.,  Jill and Taylor suggested dinner at GJelina - a new restaurant on a very hip street in Santa Monica. We were dazzled by the 20 or so choices of vegetable small plates on the menu and our favorite of the ones we tried was roasted cauliflower.
I made my own version tonight that my husband thought was just as delicious. Here's the easy recipe: Place cauliflower florets in a baking dish, drizzle with olive oil, add garlic, salt, pepper, capers, golden raisins and scatter lightly with breadcrumbs. Roast until lightly browned. Serve sprinkled with parsley! Le Yum!

Gjelina

Gjelina, that trendy but not too trendy restaurant on Abbott Kinney (that trendy but not too trendy street in Venice), is like Craft and Little Giant combined but with that California casualness and breeze that makes it unpretentious – even when it is crowded on a Monday night and Owen Wilson (he checked me out!) is hanging around.

It was round two for me there last night and what struck me this time was how heavily the dishes rely on the natural flavor pairings of only a few ingredients. The items are simple and yet each one packs a flavorful punch. It’s fun to see the star ingredients listed out on the menu – really alluding to the fact that you could make these items yourself (or The Dish’s Dish could do it for you) if you got the balance juuust right.

We repeated a few vegetables from last time – Brussels sprouts and cauliflower – and we added a new one – radicchio. The cauliflower is still my very favorite. There really is something very Little Giant about the dish – the simplicity yet expert preparation, the balance of fat and fresh and sweet/savory equilibrium… sweet vegetable plus a few chili flakes for good measure.

Moving down the menu, we added the trout salad to our order. White fish tossed between curly leaves of arugula, flavored by grapefruit and lemon and punctuated with avocado and shaved red onions – with each bite, I kept saying to myself, “remember to make this at home! This is perfect for a simple supper!” Likewise for the squid… on which we re-upped after we gobbled away the first order… it was such a simple combination of capers, parsley, shaved celery and tiny smashed potatoes. I could so easily imagine the process of composing this dish – the best dishes are always the ones to which you say “why hadn’t I thought of it before?” So Craft.

As a bonus, we threw in some pizzas. Hen of the woods, beet greens and taleggio was my addition. The boys picked the eggplant, tomato, oregano and mozzarella pie. I know better than to eat pizza outside of NYC but these are really pretty good. It’s not so much about the crust/sauce/cheese ratio as it is about the interplay of gourmet ingredients, which sometimes can be just fine with me!

Dessert was chocolate chip banana bread pudding.  It was another of those dishes: "Why didn't I think to do that?!"

Neighborhood Spot

Zooma Sushi, located just down the way from Zuma Beach, for which it’s phonetically named, is a true neighborhood spot – quite, hidden, unpretentious. But it’s no frills atmosphere – like a third world version of Nobu in the country mart – masks excellent rolls that are both inventive and made from incredibly fresh fish.

A favorite was the Fire Roll – spicy tuna on the inside with tuna and sriracha on the out. The salad roll also impressed us – the masters packed four different types of fish plus asparagus, avocado and cucumber into soy paper managing to make it look beautiful and stay together seamlessly. But my favorite roll was one for which I cannot remember the name. It was fresh albacore on the inside topped with broiled albacore on the out and drowned with a garlic ginger sauce that I could have drank!

Zooma Sushi is perfect after a long day at Zuma… or if you live in the neighborhood (wink wink).

Umami Burger

After hearing mixed reviews - from gushing accounts to up-turned noses - I wanted to check out Umami Burger.  Umami, is that unknowing but all-knowing sense of something-delicious-in-my-mouth-is-happening-now.  I like this word, and this name for the restaurant.  I also liked my burger, the namesake patty.  Meat plus portabello mushroom plus parmesan crisp plus sun-dried tomato did have that je ne sais quoi affect.  I could have done for more dipping sauces - house spread was a thousand island-esque dressing and the garlic aioli was addictive.



Onion rings also yummy, but I wanted more in the order. Then again, it was nice that you'd got what you paid for all around. Having a sparse plate with just a burger on it made the burger a heck of a lot more manageable over all.  We left happy and full but not devastated; a good indicator that we will be back.

Brunch at Ford's

Fresh off the plane from NYC on Sunday, what better a thing to do than collapse into the sunny patio outside of Ford's for brunch? Biscuits, fish n chips, brisket, polenta... a heavenly way to re-acclimate to California livin'.

Biscuits... hot from the oven... came with sweet jam. A good opening salvo.

Shrimp Pil Pil. I liked the idea of dipping the sweet biscuits into the garlicky shrimp. No one else did but I thought it was great. I was pretty hungover and wrecked from NYC though so that might have had something to do with it.

Holy fish n chips. The batter was light and spongy and not only were there chips but there were onion rings and asparagus, too!  The fish was perfect. Perfect! Loved.

Brisket Hash. Booyah. That's some good Sunday food right there.

Blue Maxx - Ford's version of eggs benedict. Smoky potatoes lined the bottom of the dish. Killer hollandaise.

Polenta Cake with mushrooms and truffle-mascarpone. So baller it's on the dinner menu, too. This was the dish that I, officially, ordered. No regrets.  I'll see you soon my friend.

Tacos Por Favor

A reason high on the list for moving to the west coast: Tacos Por Favor.

Best Brekkers in Jackson

Before a hike in the Tetons over the weekend, my friend let me in on a secret- Nora's Fish Creek Inn. It's an old-school spot that's been serving meals to woodsmen for decades. Huevos Rancheros are a must. Eggs over easy plus bacon plus beans plus green sauce plus a layer of cheese will give ample energy for a hike (in our case 13 miles). A close runner up is trout and two eggs which comes with potato hash. Don't worry - all those calories will quickly burn up on the gnarly mountain range that waits right outside the door.

English Muffins Reimagined

(photo courtesy of Le Grande Orange)

It might seem silly to devote an entire article to English muffins but once you try the homemade sourdough rendition that Le Grande Orange makes daily, you’ll understand.

I was never much of an English muffin fanatic growing up, but that all changed when I moved to New York and discovered the Good World burger. This burger, made up not only of fine meat but also of beets and other Scandinavian-esque fillers, was topped with Jarlsberg and bacon and served on… an English muffin. It seemed revelatory to me – that this somewhat dainty bread could make an appearance on a very manly burger.

So I started loving English muffins after that. The positive association with the burger was enough for me. I would get caviar from Brighton Beach and spread a thick layer atop a toasted muffin.

Then it dawned on me, though, that I didn’t love the muffins, I loved the idea of them – the nooks and crannies, the flat outside and doughy inside. I like English muffins OK but it’s true, they really aren’t that special – it’s all about what you can do with them.

Now enter Le Grande Orange – a Phoenix-based phenomenon, now in Santa Monica, that brings eclectic food a good name. They started making English muffins at their Arizona grocery and have become an obsession. Made with a sourdough starter every day, baked à la griddle not oven to preserve the crispy outside soft inside balance and dusted with cornmeal, these are not Thompson’s.

They are about triple the size of any English muffin I’ve ever seen and triply delicious. They are excellent plain, toasted or topped with a variety of accoutrements. Le GO serves their commuter breakfast on one and you can ask for their burger on the muffin at lunchtime. The dense dough will sop up all the juices.

There’s something chewy about them that makes even a plain muffin incredibly satisfying.

$9 will get you a bag of six muffins but be sure to purchase an extra one – you won’t be able to drive home without busting into the bag. I am looking forward to having Thanksgiving leftovers on them. Can you imagine? A toasted muffin, a slathering of mayonnaise, cold turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing… drizzled with gravy…