6 Restaurants and Their Car Equivalents

November 19, 2009 by foodmarathon

The car is as important to Los Angeles as pinstripes are to the Yankees. It’s also a vital part of food marathoning. Since the first food marathon back in 1996, the time spent driving to each restaurant- reminiscing, joking, plotting the course of least traffic- is as enjoyable as the time spent eating at each restaurant. On the 6 Freeway Food Marathon, driving time was probably five times longer than eating time.


So with this level of importance and my general love of cars, I put together a list of which cars most aptly represent local restaurants:

McDonald’s is the most famous fast food restaurant and the Ford Mustang is its car equivalent. Both are fast, both come in famous reds, both have sold millions, and both are classics. They changed the way food and cars were thought of after their respective successes. They also are still around today, adapting to the changing times, fighting to stay relevant.

On the burger flip side there’s In-N-Out- unquestionably the best fast food burger in California. The Chevy Bel Air is it’s car equivalent. Just as the In-N-Out double double sports a pair of patties, the Bel Air is famous for its pair of rear fins. The Bel Air is harder to find than the Mustang, which can also be said for In-N-Out vs McDonald’s.

Musso & Frank Grill is one of the oldest restaurants in LA and the Ford Model T would have to be its car equivalent. Although the Model T is famous for the process by which it was made (thus making it closer to McDonald’s), its age is what ties it to Musso & Frank.

The Cheesecake Factory is all about grotesque size (and recently, sexual harassment). What better car equivalent than the Hummer? I avoid Cheesecake Factory for dinner and Hummers in parking lots. I’m not sure which are cheesier, the cheesecakes or the guys driving the Hummers.

The Ivy is an expensive restaurant that’s built to be photographed. The Ferrari Testarossa (made famous by Miami Vice) is its car equivalent. They’ve both spent a lot of time in front of the camera, both are operated by men in pink shirts and neither are wise investments in this economy.

Last but not least is one of the most famous landmarks of LA- Pink’s Hot Dogs.  Although a pink Cadillac is the obvious choice, I think a dirty old limo is a more appropriate car equivalent. The car is always long, like the line at Pink’s. The car smells bad, like you after eating Pink’s. Both exemplify the outsider’s perception of Los Angeles vs the reality of Los Angeles- it seems glamorous but it’s really just big and dirty.

Soda Pop’s Sandwich Shop

November 18, 2009 by foodmarathon

Dear Dave,

Thank you for doing lunch right. Your new sandwich shop, Soda Pop’s, is the simple, easy restaurant I need in my regular rotation.

Blackburn and Sweetzer tipped me to your opening. As my office is right up the street, your convenient location with parking in back and fresh, tasty sandwiches are ideal with quick lunches.

Your prices ($9 for a large turkey sandwich with home made potato chips and a pickle) are spot on for the neighborhood.

Your soda selection will keep my palate from getting bored.

Your pickles will keep me going back to the soda case.

You really have done right what places like Potato Chips totally screwed up.

I’ll be back often. I just hope you’re not too crowded when I do.

Sincerely,

FM

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Soda Pop’s
349 N. La Cienega Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069
310-967-0119

Spontaneous Venice Food 5k

November 18, 2009 by foodmarathon

Coca Cola has new aluminum bottles. As much as I hoped it would be, this is not exciting.

Nor was the food at their event (corn dogs with Coca-Cola ketchup- because ketchup wasn’t sweet enough already).

What was exciting was the event was at the Hotel Erwin in Venice,

which means I can make a joke about the massive corporate soda company throwing a coke party at the pot hotel (the Erwin’s restaurant is called Hash, their rooftop lounge is called High and it’s located just off the stoner-heavy Venice boardwalk).

More exciting however is it meant I was finally able to get to The Brig to try whichever food truck was serving out of their parking lot.  So we not-so-stealthily snuck out the back door of the Erwin,

and went to The Brig to discover The Grilled Cheese Truck parked outside.

We waited in the short line, ordered the Harvest Melt, Cheesy Mac, tomato soup, tater tots and pickles.

Both sandwiches were grilled to perfection, with oozing cheese and crispy crusts. The tater tots were just like mom used to make them but the tomato soup wasn’t great. It was like a watered down version of Trader Joe’s box soups.

We drank and watched the end of the Laker game.

The food truck movement is definitely a good thing for LA. People have to get out of their beloved cars and stand next to each other- maybe even talk to each other. This causes a sense of community, a shared experience, something LA needs more of. It’s also fun to eat tater tots while drinking beer on a spontaneous food adventure.

Let Someone Else Cook for Thanksgiving

November 13, 2009 by foodmarathon

DINNER AT HOME

Zeke’s Smokehouse is selling take-out Hickory Smoked Turkey and all the Southern Zekes Smokehouse Signinspired trimmings you can imagine (roasted yam puree, Southern Style Green Beans etc.). Zeke’s is offering a 14-16lbs pre-cooked Hickory Smoked BBQ Turkey for $65 and quart-portioned sides for $8.95-10.95 to be picked up and enjoyed at home. Place orders early to guarantee availability.
Call Montrose 818.957.0720 or West Hollywood 323.850.9353

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DESSERT AT HOME

Madame Chocolat

Madame Chocolat

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DESSERT AT HOME

Tender Greens in Tender GreensWest Hollywood (310.358.1919) and San Diego (619.226.6254) (not available in the Culver City location) will be taking dessert orders and making your holiday treats. Orders must be placed by Sunday, November 22 and be picked up by Wednesday, November 25 at 5pm. All desserts will be $40 and make a great holiday party gift. Choose from:

Apple Bread Pudding with cider sauce
Apple Crumb Tart
Pumpkin Tart with pecan streusel (also available without pecan streusel)
Pumpkin Apple Tart with pecan streusel (also available without pecan streusel)
Pecan Pie
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Meyer Lemon and Chocolate Tart
Banana Cream Pie
Coconut Cream Pie

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DINING OUT

Palate Food + Wine are celebrating their favorite holiday foods to cook. With the change of season they are sourcing terrificPalate Food + Wine product and ingredients including celery root – persimmons – pomegranate – chestnuts – mushrooms – brussels sprouts – whitefish – blood sausage – red king salmon – pork loin – and of course free range turkey!!!

Enjoy their four-course tasting menu $48 / children under 12 years $25
Reservations beginning at 2 pm through 7 pm. Call 818.662.9463
Check out the 2009 Thanksgiving Menu.

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DINING OUT (OR AT HOME)Tavern

Tavern will be open for thanksgiving eat there or take your turkey home. The menu includes:

Persimmon and pomegranate salad with arugula, local walnuts and torta della rocha

Herb-roasted diestel turkey breast and stuffed leg with mashed potato and gravy or Kabocha squash gratin with poblanos, queso fresco and candied pepitas

All served with two stuffings (mom’s traditional and suzanne’s chestnut, prune and cavolo), sweet potatoes with sherry and roasted shallots, brussels sprouts with pancetta and thyme
italian broccoli with garlic and chili, cranberry sauce with orange and mint

Pumpkin pie with piloncillo and pepita tuile or candied pecan pie with vanilla ice cream

$65 per adult, $35 for children 12 and under, no charge for children 2 and under

Check out the to go menu here.

Call 310.806.6464

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DINING OUT

Nick and Stefs

Nick & Stef’s Steakhouse is hand-carving turkey or roasted prime rib with your choice of brioche & sage or cornbread & raisin stuffing served with all the traditional Thanksgiving fare starting at 3pm. Also, available to-go with 48 hour notice. Call 213-680-0330
Click for full Thanksgiving Menu

Price: $32 adults, $15.95 children under 12, free for children under 3

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DINING FOR CHARITYMagnolia

For the entire month of November, Magnolia Restaurants will be supporting The Art of Elysium with matching donations! The Art of ElysiumFor every monetary gift received, Magnolia will contribute an additional 20%. Please visit either the Hollywood or Downtown location for a chance to learn more about The Art of Elysium, while enjoying Magnolia’s wonderful menu.

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TAILGATINGPatina Block Party Tailgating

Patina Block Party Tailgating

Patina Catering is grilling traditional BBQ favorites with festivities starting two hours before all USC home game kick-offs. There will be a hosted bar, plasma screen TVs and a ton of football fans. The cost is $45 and you must RSVP to: Summer Stearns – 213.239.2549

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
3911 S Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA

USC Football

The Great Chefs of LA Food Marathon

November 8, 2009 by foodmarathon

Great for other people’s kidneys, bad for my cholesterol. That’s how I’d sum up the terrific one-stop food marathon known as The Great Chefs of Los Angeles “Go Green, Go Organic” Food and Wine Benefit. The National Kidney Cancer Foundation of Southern California gets millions of dollars every year from GCLA events, so I’m glad to be able to report on it.

CBS Radford Studios was the location, the weather was warm and sunny (yes, November in LA…), over 30 chefs were presenting a wide range of dishes and I didn’t even drink the 40+ wine/beer/spirits offered.  I hope they remake A Different World soon… it’s long overdue for a comeback.

Great Chefs of LA- CBS Radford

I got there early,

Great Chefs of LA

before the crowds arrived.

Great Chefs of LA

I skipped the auction so I could eat, but whoever did win all that wine is gonna be happy and drunk.

Great Chefs of LA- Auction

I started with The Bazaar because it always draws the biggest crowd and I didn’t want to deal with it later. They presented their liquid nitrogen caipirinha, tomato and mozzarella pipets, guacamole cone, dark and white chocolate, pineapple gum drop, passion fruit marshmallow and saffron bonbons.

Great Chefs of LA- The Bazaar

I still appreciate the care and attention The Bazaar brings to their food, even if it’s become one of the douchiest places in LA.

Great Chefs of LA- The Bazaar

At a lot of these events the restaurants don’t bother bringing their strongest dishes, but The Bazaar had a small army behind their table making sure everything was made as you would get it at the restaurant.

Cecconi’s is another douchebag-filled restaurant that puts a lot of emphasis on style over substance. They did, however, bring truffles to the event- raising their stock in my book. Their wild mushroom and black truffle risotto was the richest dish of the day. The flavor was solid but I don’t know how someone could eat an entire plate at their restaurant.

Great Chefs of LA- Cecconi's

Then the short ribs began. Perhaps it was the season (it’s supposed to be cold in November and the chefs signed on to this event back in January), but short ribs represented about half of the proteins served at the event. At 8oz, Govind Armstrong was in attendance to serve short rib grilled cheese with onion marmalade and bel paese cheese. Truffled potato chips were the side, to add color and crunch. It was one of the best dishes of the day.

Great Chefs of LA- 8oz Great Chefs of LA- Govind Armstrong from 8oz

Another one of my favorites came from Akasha (although she was not in attendance). Beer braised Niman Ranch short ribs on pretzel rolls served with Coleman Farms cabbage and Windrose Black Arkansas apple slaw with horseradish-celery seed dressing. Betty Kennedy’s Plum-Mustard Chutney and Bread and Butter pickles accompanied the sandwich.

Great Chefs of LA- Akasha

There were about three hundred Drago restaurants at the event, so I’m excluding them from this post because of their overwhelming market share. Also, they had so many dishes that the good ones canceled out the bad ones and it was as if they weren’t there at all. Celestino Drago was hanging with Josie Le Balch.

Great Chefs of LA- Josie Le Balch and Celestino Drago

He also was hanging with Jennie Garth. The guy is everywhere.

Great Chefs of LA- Jennie Garth

Neal Fraser continues his run at the nicest, most helpful chef in LA. He was one of the Chefs of Honor and served up Grace’s braised veal short ribs with polenta. Although the meat wasn’t the best of the day, the polenta was very good.

Great Chefs of LA- Grace Great Chefs of LA- Grace

The other Chef of Honor was Mary Sue Milliken, who was their with her Border Grill truck.

Great Chefs of LA- Broder Grill Truck

The problem I have with Border Grill is the same I have with Loteria Grill. Both seem bland to me. La Casita Mexicana was abundantly flavorful, so that’s the bar and it’s high.

Before I go on I’d like to bring you this short commercial announcement from Sushi Popper. Great Chefs LA- Sushi Popper

Sushi Popper is your on-the-go sushi roll built on the same platform as the Push Pop.

Great Chefs of LA - Sushi Popper

I’m not sure which Great Chef of LA is behind the concept but they were there and not as gross as they seem. Available in super markets and grocery stores everywhere… Now back to our regularly scheduled blog post.

La Grand Orange had deviled eggs and a very hearty Brussels sprout salad with young manchego, dried cranberries and simple vinaigrette. At first I was disappointed with their weak choice of dishes, but in the end it was nice to have a break from all the short ribs.

Great Chefs of LA- La Grand Orange

(clockwise from top left)

East served scallops on the half shell with lemongrass sambal, wasabi creme fraiche, shiso dust and micro cilantro AND Hawaiian walu with miso mustard cream, micros wasabi, chive essence and smoked chardonnay salt.

Mr. Cecil’s served big beef ribs and St Louis style ribs.

Mar’sel served braised wagyu beef cheek and creamed chard tortellini with homemade ricotta, andtiny autumn vegetables (pictured).

XIV served chilled vichyssoise with creme fraiche foam, olive oil, leeks and caviar.

Great Chefs of LA- East, Mr. Cecil's California Ribs, mar'sel, XIV

Crows Pass Farm was there, as well as Saddle Peak Lodge (their grilled Nilgai antelope with cabbage, bacon, apple and black garlic was cold by the time I got there), LaLoggia and Leyna’s Kitchen with strawberry cupcakes (reminiscent of Nestle Quik strawberry milk).

Great Chefs of LA

This was a very well-run one-stop food marathon. Money was raised for charity and I was totally stuffed. A win win situation.

Marathon-Worthy Recipe Links

November 6, 2009 by foodmarathon

I don’t have time to run as many food marathons as I’d like so here is a hypothetical food marathon you can cook yourself from a few of LA’s best food bloggers:

Unemblogment Rasa Malaysia Food Destination

Unemblogment cooks Spanish Prawns with Avocado Ceasar Salad

Rasa Malaysia cooks Char Kuey Teow (Penang Fried Flat Noodles)

Food Destination cooks Kha Neow Mamuang (Mango Sticky Rice)

So Good, Haute Patisserie Recipe

November 2, 2009 by foodmarathon

It was only a matter of time before the insanely artistic world of fancy desserts got a magazine of its own (and that I posted a recipe on my food blog).

With a weight of two pounds and a $20 price tag, So Good is a magazine that is as decadent, stunning and expensive as the pastries it features. So Good Magazine logoHowever, just to call them desserts or pastries is to do this new art form a disservice. The combination of painstaking craftsmanship, impossible patience and endless imagination helps these culinary Gauguins create their awe-inspiring masterpieces. The complexity of the recipes leaves one just as stunned.  Some of the recipes you can find in the first issue of So Good include:

Albert Adria’s Orchid- A yogurt croquant orchid with saffron ice cream and caramelized honey sponge cake on a bed of milk chocolate creme with chocolate foam-lyo rocks.

Albert Adria's Orchid

Paco Torreblanca’s Pistachio Flower- White chocolate light cream with vanilla, red fruit, white glaze with Tahitian vanilla, pistachio sponge cake and transparent isomalt, silver leaf, vanilla bean seed decoration

So Good Magazine Cover

and Jacquy Pfeiffer’s Blue Flowers Earl Gray Tea Macaron.

Macarons

Here is his recipe:

chocolate macaron
Makes 45 finished macarons
340g Canfectionary sugar
190g American Almond almond flour
170g Aged Egg whites
45g Sucrose
7g Egg white powder
25g Cacao Barry cocoa powder 20-22% flat
Total weight: 777g

Sift the almond powder and confectionery sugar.
Add the cocoa powder.
Robot coupe for a few seconds if necessary if not fine enough.
Whisk the egg whites, sucrose and egg white powder until firm.
Fold the dry mix and cocoa powder into the egg whites. Fold until the mixture becomes shiny and somewhat loose (you should have to squeeze the mixture from the piping bag, not let in run). This process is called macaronner.
Pipe 1″ diameter disks onto parchment paper and let rest for about 30 minutes until it forms a skin.
Bake in the convection over at 150 degrees C/300 degrees F for two minutes with the vent closed and 8-9 minutes vent open.
Let cool and freeze immediately.

blue Flowers Earl Grey ganache
290g Heavy cream 35% fat
15g Blue Flowers Early grey tea
270g Cacao Barry Dark chocolate couverture 58%
50g Cacao Barry Dark chocolate couverture 38%
50g Plugra Unsalted butter 82% fat
Total weight: 675g
Bring the cream to a simmer. Add the tea and cover and let steep for 5 minutes.
Strain the cream/tea mixture.
Add cream to infusion to bring weight back to 290g and simmer again.
Pour the cream over half melted dark and milk chocolate.
Add the soft peak butter and emulsify using a bur mixer.

Fill the macarons with ganache and close.

Chef Pfeiffer is the co-founder and dean of The French Pastry School in Chicago. If you can make this recipe you’ve either attended this school already or don’t need to. If you can’t make this recipe but want to learn, check out the school…

If you just want to drool over the pictures you can buy So Good here.

Costume Ideas for the Food-Minded Pt. 3

October 29, 2009 by foodmarathon

After the first two costume ideas, here are a few other food related costume ideas for Halloween.

Hate him or love him, he’s earned his place as one of the top food personalities of the year:

Guyclops Fieri

Guyclops Fieri

Although she’s still the most delicious thing on Top Chef, her diva ways have branded her:

Padma “Black Sheep” Lakshmi

Padma "Black Sheep" Lakshmi

His hot temper isn’t very Godfather-like but his past success could have landed him position as…

GorDon Corleone

GorDon Corleone

However these days it’s more:

GorDown and Out in Beverly Hills

GorDown and Out in Beverly Hills

Zeke’s Smokehouse Build Your Own BBQ

October 28, 2009 by foodmarathon

Zeke's Smokehouse Sign

This recession has caused a shift in restaurant pricing. You have to stretch your dollar and Zeke’s Smokehouse’s new Build Your Own BBQ Special for $9.95 is the epitome of value. It’s not the best BBQ in the world, certainly better than any chain in LA, but today we’re talking about value.

Zeke's Smokehouse Build Your Own Menu

First, “pit boss” and owner Michael Rosen is a passionate BBQ aficionado. He’s researched extensively, bought the right smoker and won awards for his skill.

Zeke's Smoker

Second, Michael and co-owner Leonard Schwartz have pedigrees as professional chefs at esteemed LA restaurants (Maple Drive, 72 Market). Third, Zeke’s location next to Target and Best Buy means you already are nearby all the time (at least that’s what I was told by everyone at dinner). Forth, this isn’t industrial/economy/chain BBQ. Everything from sauces, to sides are made in-house by Zeke’s staff. Last but certainly not least the huge portion size and high quality of food you get for around ten bucks is unbeatable outside of the SGV.

Zeke's Smokehouse Table

The restaurant is clean, the service is on point and there’s an extensive list of specialty sodas. One notable soda is Margo’s Bark Root Beer. The root beer is on the sweet side- much more than the Sprecher which they have on tap (and is from Wisconsin).

Margo's Bark Root Beer at Zeke's Smokehouse

I should note the dog theme (Zeke was the BBQ-loving dog after which the restaurant was named. Margo was the dog of the boy who invented the root beer for his science project).

Margo's Bark Root Beer <-Margo’s Bark . Sprecher-> Sprecher Root Beer

The Frito Misto is a combo platter featuring hush puppies with honey butter, onion rings and sweet potato fries. The hush puppies are reminiscent of latkes- more onion-y and moist than any I’ve had before. The onion rings are one hundred times better than Wood Ranch’s. And speaking of ranch, Zekes’ is phenomenal.

Zeke's Smokehouse Frito Misto

Their fried okra is a good change compared to Baby Blues’ garlic and oil drenched version.

Zeke's Smokehouse Fried Okra

The Build Your Own BBQ options include a choice of two meats (pulled pork, pulled chicken, dark 1/4 chicken, smoked ham and hot links) and two sides (baked beans, collard greens, mashed potatoes, green beans, potato salad, cole slaw, applesauce, kettle chips, fries).

Zeke's Smokehouse Build Your Own Plate

I really liked the hot link. The flavors were well-rounded, the crunch was strong. The idea of a sausage making class came up as well, as it’s hard to do without the right equipment. The pulled pork was tender and smokey. The cole slaw wasn’t great, the rest was solid.

Zeke's Smokehouse Build Your Own Plate

The brisket is serious business at Zeke’s- 10 hours in the smoker, slathered with their home made Longhorn BBQ sauce- it’s not your grandma’s brisket. You can see the ring of flavor.

Zeke's Smokehouse

Zeke's Smoekhouse Brisket

Their sauce never get to vinegary, which is good in my book. They also don’t get spicy enough, which is bad.

Zeke's Smokehouse Sauces

The desserts included pecan pie, brownies and warm bread pudding with bourbon sauce (my favorite of the three). I think I’d actually just do a root beer float next time.

Zeke's Smokehouse Bread Pudding

Overall Zeke’s is solid BBQ.

Costume Ideas for the Food-Minded Pt. 2

October 27, 2009 by foodmarathon

Last year I presented some food related costume ideas. This time I opted for the scary movie food mashups.

Ferran Adria makes a guest appearance in the breakout hit of the year Ferranormal Adriactivity:

Ferranormal Adriactivity

In her second feature film of the year (after Julie and Julia) see the most famous chef again in Julia Child’s Play:

Julia Child's Play

On the lighter side see Spago’s own Teen Wolfgang:

Teen Wolfgang

And because he’s the chef of the century you can also see Ferran that Rocks the Cradle:

Ferran that Rocks the Cradle