Inaugural LA Fried Chicken Fest this Sunday

Fried chicken is on the rise.  It may be the pork belly of 2012.  In the continuing wave of upscale comfort food, whether fancy burgers or macaroni and cheese, fried chicken is enjoying its day in the sun.  A well deserved high profile after soaking in deep fryers for many long years paying its dues.  This Sunday will be the premiere of the L.A. Fried Chicken Fest, at the Coop (aka Gonpachi) on La Cienega in Beverly Hills.

Nine of LA's most popular and talented chefs will each be making their own take on Fried Chicken (that is eight versions as Marcel Vigneron and Haru Kishi are collaborating on their dish).  There will be Asian, Latin and European takes on the American classic.  The list of participating chefs is a whose who of recent award winners, such as Ricardo Zarate from Mo Chica and Pica  and Bryant Ng of the Spice Table, who won Food & Wine Magazine's Best New Chef in 2011 and 2012, respectively.  

Tickets are $55 and are in limited supply.  No tickets will be sold at the door.  So get on the waitlist or do what you gotta do, as this fest is not to be missed.  Sunday, August 26th from 4 - 8 pm.  Where else will you get to see Beverly Hills housewives chowing down on golden bird?  Plus there is a charity component as 10% of proceeds will benefit Share Our Strength.  This is going to be one finger lickin' good afternoon.

134 N. La Cienega Blvd, Beverly Hills.  www.lafriedchickenfest.com

Showdown at the Verdugo Bar Corral: Beer Float II

In a sequel that is more than welcome, Josh Lurie of FoodGPS will be hosting the second L.A. Beer Float Showdown on Sunday October 10th at 5:30 PM at Verdugo Bar in Glassell Park. The showcase showdown will feature four teams competing to create the best beer float in LA. Last year Golden State and Scoops teamed up for the grand prize, but as they are not able to defend their crown this year, it is anybody's game.

The competitors are Boneyard Bistro, Ladyface Alehouse, Simmzy's and Tony's Darts Away. Each competitor will make a float which will be judged by those in attendance based on flavor and originality. Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 in cash at the door, and half the proceeds will go to benefit the great charity Share Our Strength. If you want to be a judge, you don't need a degree in chemistry or experience as a judge on Iron Chef America, all you need is to purchase a ticket and be ready to cast your vote.

To help you feed your belly with food as well as beer, Josh has arranged for the Manila Machine and Mandoline Grill food trucks to be stationed outside Verdugo Bar to sell their famous eats.  This event is part of LA Beer Week, the second annual festival of all things sudsy here in Los Angeles.

Click the Pay Now button on the post here to buy tickets.

Verdugo Bar: 3408 Verdugo Road, Los Angeles. Phone: (323) 257-3408. Website: verdugobar.com

Toma Tequila Competition @ Ortega 120

Last week three finalists competed in the championship round of the Toma Tequila competition at Redondo Beach Mexican restaurant and bar, Ortega 120, for the honor of having their drink featured on the menu, and a cash prize.

A distinguished panel of judges including Josh Lurie of Food GPS, Hadley Tomicki of Grub Street LA, Carole Dixson of Feast LA aned Alan Kropf of Mutineer Magazine tasted the tequila cocktails prepared by the three finalists, Christopher day, Damon Hewlett, Nancy Kwon. The audience was also invited to sample each of the three contenders and the audience winner was Nancy Kwon's Naranja Dorada, which included orange bitters, kumquat marmalade and blood orange juice.

Photo above is of the finalists & the judges; photo below is of winner Christopher Day.



After deliberating, the unanimous selection of the judges was Christopher Day's "River Tam." (Recipe below) His drink is now on the restaurant's cocktail menu and was a focus of the Cinco de Mayo celebrations there. All three finalists were also invited to attend an upcoming Mutineer Magazine event.


"River Tam" By Christopher Day

Ingredients:
1 ½ oz tequila (preferably anejo)
½ a lime juiced (~3/4 oz)
½ oz habanero simple syrup*
3 small slices fresh ginger root
Club Soda

Directions:
Pulverize two slices of ginger in habanero simple syrup*, followed by adding in the tequila and squeezing in the lime. Add ice and shake. Pour into a lowball glass filled with ice (with a strainer if you don’t want to chew on bits of ginger). Top it off with club soda and give it a quick stir. Garnish with a wheel of lime, if desired.

*(1 cup water to 1 cup sugar; 4 fresh habanero peppers, stemmed and sliced in half)