V&T Daily
The latest travel news
|
|
table talk
Published in the April-June 2010 issue.
If you think Los Angeles is all about fast food and fad diets, think again, says Carol West, who explores the best dining options in the city of stars.
What’s going on? We’re in Los Angeles – a town where zero is a dress size, not the LAPD’s tolerance level – and we are about to order another serving of fries. Not the regular ones cooked in cholesterol-free canola oil but fries triple-fried in goose fat. Whoa: there goes the waistline!
“LA will always be a health-and body-conscious community but the fact is that we really love to eat,” comments Carrie L Kommers, director of dineLA and a woman with her finger on the city’s culinary pulse.
We’re sitting in Andaz West Hollywood’s RH restaurant, where chef Sebastien Archambault cooks what one critic dubbed “insanely delicious” food from south-west France, favouring pork and duck dishes, naturellement. His périgourdine poached egg topped with a shaving of summer truffles is a melt-in-the-mouth triumph. Foodie film Julie & Julia may have been a case of art imitating life, but RH is where it is lived to the fullest.
Sourcing local, often organic produce is a trend that underpins modern Californian cuisine, and helps minimise eateries’ carbon footprints. Some LA restaurateurs are also making a seismic shift in culinary style, embracing rustic, hearty fare in a bid to recession-proof menus.
“Last October, when we held our first-ever Autumn dineLA Restaurant Week, we did an informal audit of the 260 participating restaurants’ menus and discovered that the three top-utilised ingredients were Jidori chicken, short ribs and pork belly,” says Kommers. “Not exactly celery and lettuce leaves!”
Pork is the current runaway food trend that’s bringing home the bacon. “There’s maple-glazed bacon donuts at the Nickel Diner through to bacon-wrapped matzoh balls with horseradish mayonnaise at The Gorbals, Ilan Hall’s new Downtown spot,” Kommers reports.
Riding the trend, chef Jason Johnston of the Dakota at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel tells us about a new martini with which his mixologist is playing: an ode to bacon and eggs using vodka infused with rendered pork fat and pickled quail eggs in place of martini onions.
Ben Ford – Harrison’s son – enjoys getting his hands on the whole beast, recently cooking an entire pig for dinner at his hip Culver City gastro-pub, Ford’s Filling Station. “With the shift in the economy, it’s a great way to preserve the restaurant’s integrity while lowering prices,” he says.
Ford’s penchant for house-made dishes is echoed by Akasha Richmond, chef/owner of Akasha restaurant nearby. A card-carrying member of the ‘green is good’ movement, she’s now producing home-made condiments to complement a tempting organic menu based on sustainably grown, local, farm-fresh food. Behind the bar in her recycled heritage building, eight kinds of organic vodka complete with Akasha’s eco-conscious offerings.
While Ben Ford goes the whole hog, Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger from Santa Monica’s Border Grill and Downtown’s Ciudad believe that continued consumption of meat and animal-based proteins is unsustainable. Their prediction? Shrinking meat portions and more veggie action.
One clear trend that’s so LA is the food truck, a 21st-century take on the ‘meals on wheels’ concept. Kogi BBQ lit the blue touch-paper when its Korean taco truck hit the streets and the trend has spread like wildfire to include hamburgers, pizza by the slice, even cupcakes. In this instant-communication age, a plethora of websites and blogs help hungry locals track these mobile diners through their Twitter feeds, which report truck locations (though some have now found permanent homes on the corner of 14th Street and Santa Monica Boulevard).
If, as Dorothy Parker once quipped, “Los Angeles is 72 suburbs in search of a city”, then whole neighbourhoods experiencing food-led revitalisation await our consumption. Just behind Venice Beach, Abbot Kinney Boulevard is crammed with cafés keen to show off their ‘green’ credentials. AXE is a vibe-y haunt for light and healthy fare including locally grown, organic summer salads and a filling nine-grain breakfast pancake. The aroma of great coffee lures us into Intelligentsia, a light-filled, industrial palace serving direct-trade coffee. We take a number and join the queue for a table on the back patio at Gjelina, where local food runs the gamut from pizza to octopus salad. At Joe’s, a simple name undersells a complex Cal-French menu.
Downtown is one LA ’hood enjoying a culinary rebirth, with a slew of restaurants drawing chefs to its heart. Veteran celebrity-chef Wolfgang Puck has opened his Bar & Grill across from the LA Convention Center; Bottega Louie and Roy’s are popular hang-outs; while The Gorbals, housed in the barely renovated Alexandria Hotel, serves an unusual, eclectic mix of Jewish, Scottish and Middle Eastern cuisines.
Joachim Splichal has lassoed LA’s cultural venues and his spectacularly contemporary restaurant, Patina, at the Frank-Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall, is setting a new benchmark with impeccable food and service.
During summer, in this trend-driven town, what’s ‘out’ is ‘in’, particularly when it comes to dining. Picnicking at the Hollywood Bowl while being entertained by some of the biggest names in the business is an LA pastime with enduring appeal. An array of eating options, from gourmet picnic boxes to fine dining, is prepared by the Patina Restaurant Group – which makes ‘going Bowling’ easy. Sitting in a box with foldaway table and chairs nestled into Bolton Canyon’s hillside, popping corks under a balmy, starlit sky, we’re served a selection of appetisers, mains and delectable desserts before Hollywood composer John Williams strikes up the band.
‘Doing brunch’ in LA is all about your environs. The old-school opt for an elegant Mimosa Champagne brunch at Hotel Bel Air, while those nursing hangovers hang at sidewalk cafés such as BLT Steak on West Sunset Boulevard, popular with music-industry types. Then there’s that other reason to search out hip brunch haunts: celebrity-spotting. Hot spots to note include Taste on Melrose, The Gorbals, any Urth Caffé, Cecconi’s sun-dappled courtyard in West Hollywood – perfect before swinging by Voda Spa for a martini and a manicure – and Thomas Keller’s new Bouchon, Beverly Hills.
If John Mayer or Kate Hudson is in the house, there’s little chance of scoring tables 43 or 65 at XIV, Michael Mina’s whimsical, postmodern extravagance created by designer Philippe Starck. The patio of this homage to a 17th-century French chateau comes replete with vintage mirrors, chandeliers and sexy food.
Once home to movie cowboys Jimmy Stewart, Ronald Reagan and Fess Parker, and to Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch, Santa Barbara County, 90 minutes’ drive or so north of Los Angeles, lures visitors with breathtaking vistas, farm-fresh produce and fine wines. One of four appellations, it is home to more than 130 wineries, most specialising in Chardonnay and Shiraz, while the vines braiding the central coast’s Santa Ynez Valley are shaped by ocean breezes beloved by thin-skinned, temperamental Pinot Noir grapes.
The region played a starring role in critically acclaimed film Sideways – and a gentle meander through its villages and communities brings us to Kalyra Winery, where Aussie and American flags hang limply in a still afternoon. Owned by two Brown brothers from Adelaide, this little piece of Australia got a unique kick-start when the Sideways crew came knocking.
“We hadn’t constructed our tasting room – so they built it, painting it in the colours of the outback to feature in the film,” recalls Mike Brown, whose cellar’s stellar client list includes Robin Williams, Pink, Ellen de Generes and Mick Fleetwood.
A familiar menu of California comfort food, full-bodied Bernat wines from the owner’s organic vineyard and local art all co-exist happily at The Los Olivos Cafe and Wine Merchant, an intimate bistro showcasing local organic-farm produce in one of Los Olivos’ original buildings.
In Santa Barbara itself, food trends revolve around the catch drawn daily from the Pacific Ocean and fresh produce from the County’s abundant agricultural heartland. At Seagrass Restaurant, chef Josh Brown makes ceviche by marinating fresh Pacific fish in citrus topped with California Estate sturgeon caviar. Giant seared sea scallops are a specialty, as is a delicious lobster salad with farmers’market pea tendrils, honey-crisp apples and avocado.
Imbued with the fresh, sustainable, local vibe, we head for Santa Barbara’s renowned farmers’ market and fill our picnic basket with Solvang raspberries, Santa Rosa stone fruits, dew-drenched organic lettuce and heirloom tomatoes.
Back in post-Sideways Los Angeles, a new crop of wine bars has burst onto the scene. Beachside Santa Monica boasts two new entries: Pourtal and Salute Wine Bar, where the vibe is sexy and social. Meanwhile, over in Culver City, Ugo wine
bar’s risotto pancakes act as blotting paper to Italian and Spanish wines.
Downtown, at the Corkbar, we hoe into Californian wines with charcuterie sandwiches before Steve Goldun at Palate Food + Wine tunes us in to summer’s big trend: spritzy, crisp vinho verde – green wine. In this trend-obsessed town, where health nuts peacefully co-exist with carnivores, bring on the triple-fried frites. •
Photography by Robert Muir / imageink.
TRAVEL FACTS
getting there
getting around
where to stay
where to eat
- Dakota Chop House, 7000 Hollywood Boulevard (at Orange Avenue), Los Angeles, phone +1 323 769 8888 or visit www.dakota-restaurant.com
- Patina, 141 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, phone +1 213 972 3331 or visit
www.patinagroup.com
- The Gorbals, 501 S. Spring Street, Los Angeles, phone +1 213 488 3408 or visit www.thegorbalsla.com
- Roy’s, 800 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, phone +1 213 488 4994 or visit
www.roysrestaurant.com
- Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill, 800 W. Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles, phone +1 213 748 9700 or visit www.wolfgangpuck.com
- Bottega Louie, 700 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, phone +1 213 802 1470 or visit www.bottegalouie.com
- Ford’s Filling Station, 9531 Culver Boulevard, Culver City, phone +1 310 202 1470 or visit www.fordsfillingstation.net
- Akasha, 9543 Culver Boulevard, Culver City, phone +1 310 845 1700 or visit
www.akasharestaurant.com
- RH, 8401 West Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood, phone +1 323 656 1234 or visit www.westhollywood.andaz.com
- Urth Caffé, 8565 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood (other LA locations include Beverly Hills, Santa Monica and Downtown), phone +1 310 659 0628 or visit www.urthcaffe.com
- Gjelina, 1429 Abbot Kinney Boulevard, Venice Beach, phone +1 310 450 1429 or visit www.gjelinafood.com
- AXE, 1009 Abbot Kinney Boulevard, Venice Beach, phone +1 310 664 9787 or visit www.axerestaurant.com
- Seagrass Restaurant, 30 E. Ortega Street, Santa Barbara, phone +1 805 963 1012 or visit www.seagrassrestaurant.com
- Los Olivos Wine Merchant Cafe, 2879 Grand Avenue, Los Olivos, phone +1 805 688 7265 or visit www.losolivoscafe.com
further information
|
|
|
V&T Takeoff
Updates from our editors and writers
 |
It was a night of great unveils when Relais & Châteaux revealed its three new “Routes du Bonheur” on Tuesday with a surprise appearance by actor and winemaker Sam Neill; Vranken Pommery gave the first preview of its new Aboriginal design POP Art Champagne and French chocolate house Valrhona introduced the world’s first “blond chocolate”, called Dulcey. |
 |
The team from the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau were in town last week to update Australia on some of the BIG things happening in the Texan state. |
 |
V&T mag dropped into Bali last month and helped the W Retreat & Spa celebrate their 2nd anniversary and what a splash it was. With local and international fashion designers on display, the W Lounge was transformed into a catwalk party zone. 2500 people flowed through the resort late into the night, moving to NYC DJ Sandy Rivera. This was the biggest ticket in Bali for some time and the resorts pulling power is a testament to just how hot this property and international hotel brand actually is.www.vacationsandtravelmag.com/Mca/874/765/3/0/0/#takeoff1 How did we cope the next day? Poolside. Don’t wait until their 3rd anniversary as the vibe, sound and style of this resort makes for a very cool holiday. In the heart of Seminyak and right on the beach, Bali beckons. |
 |
Thanks to our friends at Air France we got out of the office for the day and enjoyed a great round of golf at the annual Financial Markets Charity Golf Day and Gala Dinner. Held annually in February, this event as well as the Financial and Media Markets Charity Sailing Regatta in October raises AU$1.2 million for a wide range of charities.The ASX Group and Thomson Reuters Australia (formerly Reuters) joined forces in 1999 to form a Charity Foundation with the objective of helping Australian-based children, disability and medical research charities by organising fundraising events in conjunction with the Financial Markets. Pictured here: Thomas Reeves Air France, Middle, Patrick Benhamou, Atout France; Anthony Gallagher Vacations & Travel magazine. |
 |
Vacations & Travel magazine rubbed shoulders with local and international buyers and sellers of travel from around the globe at 2013 AIME (Asia Pacific's Incentive Meeting Expo). This is the biggest event on the Australian travel industry calendar, where key decision makers congregate to network over a three-day event of hosted parties, trade and leisure travel meetings and press conferences. |
 |
The who's who of Sydney's entertainment industry turned up for the recent opening of the city's newest hotel to receive a makeover, The Parkroyal. Located in Darling Harbour, the property has just emerged from a milt million-dollar makeover to reveal striking rooms and seriously sexy public spaces. Speaking of sexy, some of the celebs on hand to celebrate the re-launch included Casey Burgess, Danielle Blakey and Amy Milne, not to mention Timomatic who entertained the crowds into the witching hours… |
 |
 |
|
