Jimmy Shaw, chef-owner of Loteria Grill (three and counting), has long had a special place in his heart and in his kitchen for Diana Kennedy, the highly respected authority on Mexican cuisine and author of a long string of classic cookbooks on the subject. When Shaw was first getting into the business, he pilgrimaged from his native Mexico City to visit and cook with Kennedy, and when he first opened his Hollywood location, the first party was to celebrate not Shaw's restaurant, but the reissue of Kennedy's seminal 1989 The Art of Mexican Cooking.

So there is a certain symmetry to Shaw's latest party, this time to celebrate the publication of Kennedy's most recent work, the stunningly massive Oaxaca al Gusto (read our review here).

On October 21st, Shaw will be opening his Hollywood doors to Kennedy and her fans again, for a dinner prepared by the British author using recipes from her Oaxacan manifesto (look at it, try and lift it, and you'll see why the term is an appropriate one).

As Shaw noted in the announcement: “It is certain to be a very special evening.” A vast and glorious understatement. And if you haven't picked up a copy of her book, from the University of Texas Press, you can get one at the Loteria on the night of the dinner, nicely discounted and signed by the author. Bring a wheelie, as between the dinner and your enormous book, you may be needing one. I'm sure the valets at the Geisha House have seen it before.

Diana Kennedy dinner at Loteria Grill Hollywood: October 21st at 6:30 p.m., 6627 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles. For reservations call the restaurant at (323) 465-2500. The cost is $100 per person.

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