WP24′s Lounge: Even if the Lakers Aren’t Playing

Fiona already did a great “Haute” Asian breakdown of WP24, Lukshon and Red Medicine. While marathoning them in one night would be fun, it would also be cost-prohibitive. However hitting up WP24′s lounge before a trip to the Stapler, is a great way to impress friends, guests or clients. If only my clients cared about the Lakers (and #24, Kobe Bryant) I could parlay some great meals out of pre-game “business dinners.”

Last night I attended a media dinner to enjoy the food, cocktails and view.

Suckers in traffic when they could be enjoying the view and a cocktail

They serve classic and specialty cocktails like their Hemingway (10 Cane Rum, Luxardo Maraschino, Grapefruit)and Ginny Hendrix (cucumber and rose hinted Hendrick’s Gin, rosemary infused simple syrup and fresh lime).

The lounge menu has some highlights like:

Steamed Baby Bao Buns with Slow Braised “Red Cooked” Pork Belly, Chinese Honey-Garlic Glaze

Chinese Crystal Dumplings with King Crab, Shrimp and Kurobuta Pork

“Chow Fueng” Rolls with Braised Kobe Beef Cheeks, Chilies, Scallions, Cilantro, Crispy Garlic, Hot Sesame Oil

Tempura Green Beans with Gochu Jang Chili Aioli and Curry Salt

Crisp Lettuce Cups with Maine Sweet Shrimp, Rice Sticks, Pickled Ginger-Serrano Chili Vinaigrette

You can also get Prawn Toast with Sweet & Spicy Garlic Chili and a variety of LA sushi rolls (the quail leg and fried scallop are from the main dining room menu)

Possibly blogger of the year, Kevin, wrote a thorough review of dinner at WP24 in the main dining room. We tried a few things from that menu including:

Singapore Style Chili Prawns with Fresh Crab, Fried Garlic, Chili, Scallions, Shallots, Pickled Ginger

As dessert was served Wolfgang came out to tell us about the lounge, menu and his empire (a new Cut opening in London is next). Striking fear into the heart of Chef de Cuisine, Sara Johannes, he invited everyone into the kitchen. Like a Lohan court appearance, the bloggerazzi descended:

Taking it in stride, Sara kept her cool.

It’s worth noting the three times I’ve met Wolfgang he’s been extremely modest. He praises his staff and chefs effusively, making sure they share in the compliments we bestowed upon him. No wonder his empire is still going strong.

So WP24 has a big lounge with the game on and good shareable food. Take advantage of its view and location.

Bangers & Smashed @ Lindy & Grundy

Good old meat and potatoes- they’re not what they used to be.

Lindy & Grundy will be supplying the city’s BBQ grills this summer with tons of beef, pork and hopefully some beef/pork combos (yes, that was for you Slater’s 50/50). They have kimchi pork sausages. Take that, old meat.

But what about the potato? Don’t worry, Lindy & Grundy now carry Bangers & Smashed gourmet mashed potatoes. This isn’t a clumpy just-add-butter situation. The five flavors of smashed are: Goat Cheese & Sage, Roasted Garlic & Sour Cream, Loaded & Smashed (smoked cheddar, bacon, sour cream and green onion), Moroccan Spiced Squash (vegan), and their brand new Smashing Lavender (a blend of russets and purple yam (ube) infused with real lavender).

Lindy & Grundy
801 N. Fairfax Ave
West Hollywood, CA 90046
323-951-0804

Il Covo Channels Orso, Strives for Madeo

I stopped by Il Covo for a quick business lunch yesterday.

The former Orso space has been decked out in much gaudier attire. It seems to be aiming at the Madeo crowd. They are still under construction during the day, so we sat inside. They open the patio at night. The preview menu features a list of straight ahead Italian dishes like buratta alla caprese and spaghetti bolognese.

I started with a simple octopus carpaccio with potatoes and olives. The portion size was fair considering the $15 price tag. The paper thin octopus was very tender and well salted.

I kept it healthy with a beet, spinach and goat cheese salad ($12). The uncut beets were light and the spinach was crisp. It was nothing mind blowing, but did the trick.

Service was good, however we were the only people in the restaurant. I’ll certainly be back to try the rest of the menu on the patio. Fingers crossed that it’s good, as it’s walking distance from my house.

Il Covo
8706 W. 3rd Street
West Hollywood, CA 90048
310-858-0020

Savor Los Angeles Pairings Event Preview

At last year’s Savor Los Angeles event, sweets were the theme of a great one-stop food marathon. On June 2nd, it’s more of a savory night of great foods paired in unique ways. It’s a mini mashup marathon:

The event will feature unique pairings from:
Starry Kitchen
Reservoir
Pure Cheesecakes
The Oaks Gourmet
Bangers & Smashed
Cast Iron Gourmet
The Farm of Beverly Hills
Malo/Mas Malo Restaurant
and more to be announced.

Siren Studios Orange will house the event this time. That’s 8,500+ sq. feet of dining, lounging and drinking free drinks from VeeV and my personal favorite, DRY Soda. Throw in music, a photobooth, raffles, and gift bags and you get plenty of bang for your 55 bucks ($80 for VIP).

There also will be a Pop-up Shop featuring items like Special Dining Gift Certificates, cooking accessories, take-home portions from participants, fine gifts, and charming novelties. A portion of proceeds benefit CoachArt, whose mission it is to improve the quality of life for children and adolescents with chronic and life-threatening illnesses by providing free, personal lessons in the arts and athletics.

The Math on Go Burger Equals All Negatives

3 fancy burgers
+ 2 fancy fries
+ 1 regular shake
+ 1 soda
+ 20%                    
= $82!?!

1 x (In-N-Out 2×2) > 25 (Degrees) > BLT/GO Burger

2011 - GO Burger = :- )

More Mediocre Bar-B-Que

I want to send you to read Eat, Drink + Be Merry, because I don’t have time to blog as often lately. Dylan really has stepped it up and his blog is one of the best. His recent Austin BBQ expose sparked my interest in ribs so I tried The Kansas City BBQ Company in North Hollywood.

Now, LA only has a handful of good BBQ places. And then one of the few good ones (Baby Blues) expanded and their quality diminished. So I wasn’t surprised at all when I found KC BBQ to be mediocre.

Their baby back ribs are definitely tender and smokey but their sauce is thick and lacks the homemade touch that separates good bar-b-que from greatness. The brisket sandwich was better than the ribs, and that may be the ticket. Get a sandwich and fries. The hot links were fine, not bad at all. The cole slaw, potato salad and beans all were on the bland side.

I will give them another run to try the burnt ends sandwich and wide selection of beer. But not before I try Big Mista’s.

Also, Lindy & Grundy is finally open so you can bar-b-que for yourself. Go get your grillables.