 |
|
|
 |
In COUNTER INTELLIGENCE, Three Dog Night: Frank talk about a new L.A. food movement. By Jonathan Gold. In FIRST BITE, After Topolobampo: Rick Bayless brings his Chicago Mex to Red O. In ASK MR. GOLD, Water and Oil: Meat and vegetarian, mixing it up at The Lazy Ox. This week's cover story, by Amy Scattergood, features the tattoos of L.A. chefs, including Ludo Lefebvre, Minnie Choe and Carolynn Spence.
And for daily food news, check out our food blog, Squid Ink. |
|
 |
Another week passes in Los Angeles, another food truck hits the street. Ahn-Joo (Twitter: @AhnJooLA), serving Korean pub food by Chef Debbie Lee, arrives at L.A. Live's Event Deck on June 18 during the LA Film Fest. Lee's robata skewers, Korean fried chicken, nachos, meatloaf and other substantial nibbles showcase her hybrid but mostly Korean-influenced approach to pub snacks. The menu is organized into small, medium, large and sweet sections to serve a range of appetites. Sounds like a good place to stop after seeing Jonathan Gold's personal film selection, which screens on June 19 at the LAFF.
Neighborhoods with a healthy supply of simpatico and pluck make for happy dining experiences, a fact that is not lost on a few friendly Eagle Rock enterprises. Colorado Wine Company (2114 Colorado Blvd.) has added extra seating to encourage consumption of both its own products, as well as those from adjacent businesses. Order food from Brownstone Pizza, Four Café, and/or Camilo's on Colorado Blvd., and have it brought a few doors over after you're ensconced in the charming wine shop. This arrangement has existed on a casual basis with Brownstone for a while, but "we wanted to make it more formal," explains co-owner John Nugent. Which doesn’t mean fancy or exclusive. It's about "sharing customers and increasing the selection." No brown bags required. |
|
Sponsors
|
 |
Breadbar (8718 W. Third St.) keeps the pop-up/guest chef agenda going with the Yatai Ramen series at the West Third Street location. This is the second of the six-week-long stint from Chef Kazuo Shimamura, in collaboration with Breadbar's "chief gastronomy officer" Noriyuki Sugie of Ironnori Concepts. Served Monday through Saturday from 5 until 10:00 p.m., Shimamura and Sugie's menu riffs off of dishes served at mobile food stands in Japan known as "yatai" (perhaps that brings one of our aforementioned local food trends to mind?). Ramen dishes start at $10 each and incorporate traditional ingredients, along with those that remind diners they're squarely in Los Angeles. So, dude -- foie gras ramen, oxtail truffle oil ramen, noodles with tomato consommé, and vegetarian kale gyoza sound like, totally awesome! The series ends on July 24.
After this weekend’s Culinary Historians of Southern California lecture, attendees may be inspired to head down the 710 to soak up some of the Queen Mary’s atmosphere. Bruce Vancil, Western Regional Vice President of the Steamship Historical Society of America, will speak on the history of dining at sea. Learn about the complex range of issues this topic entails -- from culinary finesse to far less dignified forms of dietary subsistence -- at the Central Library's Mark Taper Auditorium on Saturday, June 12 at 10:30 a.m. Refreshments related to the subject matter will be served following the lecture. Dramamine not included.
BottleRock will host several appealing events and also combine sports and drinking in a civilized manner throughout the month of June. BottleRock Downtown (1050 S. Flower St.), which is in the shadow of the Staples Center, will show all NBA Finals games in the Lounge and offer extended happy hour during the broadcasts. This venue is available for World Cup daytime viewing starting on Thursday, June 10, with regular lunch and happy hour menus served starting at 11:30 a.m. At BottleRock Culver City (3847 Main St.), World Cup fever will be in full effect, along with special June events such as an Allagash beer tasting on Wednesday, June 16, a tasting featuring Mulderbosch Vineyards wines from the Stellenbosch area of South Africa on Monday, June 21, and a sampling of Saint Laurent Estate Winery's goods from Washington state on Monday, June 28. All tastings cost $20 per person. And don't forget about the Culver City Summer Block Parties happening near BottleRock all summer long.
|
|
 |
| We see a summer fruit theme emerging here. Again, we have more cross-breeds and their funny names. This week Squid Ink looks at the mighty Flavorosa Pluot, yet another edible example of man triumphing over nature in order to fully fuse two tastes that taste great together. |
|
|
|
 |
Lucifers Pizza (1958 Hillhurst Ave.) in Los Feliz is rolling out additional pizza, salad, and dessert items for the summer. But much like the regular menu, which offers its pizza on a heat scale of zero to medium to fiery to blazing, Lucifers is not for staunch traditionalists. (Vegan and gluten-free options are also available.) "When I first moved here from New Zealand and opened up the restaurant, I wanted to bring new, unique, gourmet pizza flavors that people hadn't tried before, such as the lamb and rosemary, or pumpkin prosciutto," explains owner Adam Borich. "I look at pizza crusts as a plate that you can cook anything on, and am happy that people here are not only welcoming but demanding new creations." The new pizza combos include the "Spagnolo" with shrimp, chorizo, spinach, chili, garlic and mozzarella; soppressata, basil and fresh mozzarella; chicken, prosciutto, basil, caramelized onion and mozzarella; and quattro formaggi.
Although downtown power lunch spot Water Grill (544 S. Grand Ave.) might not evoke memories of relaxed outdoor seafood rituals, Executive Chef David LeFevre offers what's certainly a refined and skilled interpretation of the Atlantic coast tradition of the lobster clam bake. LeFevre's latest seasonal version is served family style on Sundays from 4:30 until 9:00 p.m., and includes fresh salad; a one pound-plus lobster with mussels, clams, corn, potatoes, and Portuguese linguica sausage; and maple budino served with pecan shortbread cookies. The meal costs $49 per person.
-Jessica Ritz
|
|
 |
