Patina Alumni Reunion Dinner and Party

On Wednesday November 2nd, Patina Restaurant is having an all-star alumni dinner in which several of the most prominent alumni of Joachim Splichal's flagship restaurant come back for one night to cook a multi course feast.  Walter Manzke, Eric Greenspan, Octavio Becerra, Michael Otsuka, Theo Schoenegger, and David Feau will all be back in their old stomping grounds in their chef's whites.  Current Patina chefs Tony Esnault and Sarah Koechling as well as Splichal himself, will all be whipping up signature dishes.  The dinner is $150, all inclusive.  Reservations can be made by calling the restaurant.

A more affordable way to join in the celebration is the after-party at Kendall's Brasserie, for which tickets are only $30.  Oysters, pinot and pork products are all on the menu, along with some quality time with the talented crew of toques.  If you have spend much time with chefs, you know they can likely drink you under the table, so come and relax and share some wine.  You might even challenge Chef Manzke to a oyster eating contest?  Why not?  Life is good.

Reservations: (213) 972-3331.

Summer BBQ comes to Nick + Stef's Patio on Thursdays

Skirt steak with chimichurri sauce, pasta salad and potato salad

New this summer at Nick + Stef’s in downtown LA is a summer barbeque every Thursday evening on the restaurant’s patio in which Executive Chef Megan Logan grills veggies and meats and serves up traditional summer bbq sides.

From 5:00 to 9:00 pm on Thursdays through Labor Day, she will be grilling up tri-tip for sandwiches, skirt steak, chicken, shrimp and more plus serving up sides such as potato salad and corn on the cob. The main dishes are $8 - $14 and the sides are $5 each. There is also a cocktail available for $5, a wallet friendly price in pricey downtown.

Pea and radish salad and cabbage slaw

The consensus favorite side dish among my tablemates was the potato salad as it had a good amount of flavor.  The spicy cabbage slaw was not so spicy and on the bland side.

I enjoyed the skirt steak with chimichurri sauce, which went straight from the grill to my table (a benefit of a true open kitchen - the outdoor grill) so arrived piping hot.  These Thursday night bbqs are a fun excuse to hang out outdoors in a comfortable setting and enjoy the casual food.  The timing also works perfectly to eat at Nick + Stef's before heading across the street to the Grand Performances series.

One of the best parts of the new program is the opportunity to sit outside and eat and enjoy listening to the music from a different local band each week. The series kicked off last Thursday with Black Crystal Wolf Kids and rumor has it that they will be back again before the summer is out.

There is complimentary valet parking for up to 3 hours after 5 pm in the Wells Fargo Center Parking Garage (enter on Hope Street.)

Nick + Stef's: 330 S. Hope Street, Well Fargo Center. Phone: (213) 680-0330. Website: http://www.patinagroup.com/restaurant.php?restaurants_id=6

Taste of the Nation: This Sunday in Culver City

This Sunday from 1 - 4 pm the annual Taste of the Nation fundraiser returns to Media Park in Culver City to raise money for Share our Strength, the charity devoted to ending childhood hunger.  100% of all money raised will go to local Los Angeles food banks, which have seen increased demand during the long recession.  46 restaurants will be participating, including newcomers such as A-Frame and Lexington Social House and classics such as Michael's and Patina.

This year Taste of the Nation will also be featuring local bars, mixologists and craft brewers.  Julian Cox, who gained renown for his cocktail program at Rivera, will be showcasing some of the drinks from his most recent project Sotto.  The Spare Room at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel will be featuring Plymouth Gin cocktails and this is the first year that there will be a Craft Beer Tent which will feature brews from the Bruery and Eagle Rock Brewery among others.

Among the high profile chefs participating are Michael Voltaggio, Top Chef winner and chef/owner of the forthcoming restaurant ink, and this year's Food & Wine Best New Chef Ricardo Zarate, who will be showcasing dishes from his soon to open restaurant Picca.

For the sweet tooths in the crowd, Waylynn Lucas will be representing Fōnuts, her new doughnut concept. Lucas was the pastry chef at Patina and the Bazaar as well as for the whole SLS hotel, so if her past treats are anything to go by, these will be a hot ticket.

Tickets for the event are $25 for children 12-18 years old and $100 for adults ($125 at the door).  You can purchase tickets here - just click on the large "purchase tickets" link on the Taste of the Nation blog.  VIP tickets have already sold out, so I recommend you purchase your admission tickets quickly, before the entire event is sold out.

Taste of the Nation at Culver City Media Park: 9070 Venice Blvd, Culver City
Sunday June 12th, from 1-4 pm
http://tasteofthenationla.org/blog/

City Of Angels Wine Fest in Downtown LA this Monday

The Second Annual City of Angels Wine Fest is coming to the Music Center in DTLA on Memorial Day, Monday May 30, 2011 from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. The Wine Fest is sponsored by the Rotary Club Foundation and is a fundraiser for Volunteers of America, an organization that is devoted to helping the homeless, Veterans, those released from prison and the elderly improve their quality of life.  Not only can you help the community and Veterans on Memorial Day but you can salute the sacrifice of those who served to protect our country by enjoying the bounty of this great state.

Almost 30 California wineries will be participating in the Wine Fest, including Rodney Strong, Malibu Wines and more than two dozen others.  Attendees will not go hungry as tastes will be available from local restaurants Nick & Stef’s, Café Pinot, Kendall’s Brasserie and Tina Tacos.  All can groove to the live performances by Ours and The Family Crest as they sip and munch and enjoy the day.

As this is a fundraiser, it is not free.  The prices are $25 for 4 food tickets, $70 for 4 food tickets with unlimited servings of wine, and $150 for all you can drink and eat with Foundation Room VIP access.  Be generous.

For more info, go to the Wine Fest Website: http://www.cityofangelswinefest.com/
Follow the Wine Fest on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/cawinefest

62nd Emmy Awards Governors Ball: The Food

When the cast of Mad Men and the other Emmy Award winners left the Nokia Theater on Sunday evening, they walked across the plaza to the Governors Ball, where an army of caterers, waiters, florists and planners organized a seated dinner for over 3,500 attendees. This is the largest annual dinner in North America and required months of planning to enable the dinner to go smoothly and each guest to get their food hot and delicious.

With so many celebrities in attendance, this was no rubber chicken dinner. I will leave it to others to dish about who wore what. I will focus on the important stuff: what did they eat? Joachim Splichal's Patina Catering catered the three course meal of Summer Vegetable Salad, Rack of Lamb and Dark Chocolate Decadence. Wines were provided by Beaulieu Vineyards and the cast of Modern Family and Daily Show celebrated their statuettes with Moet & Chandon Imperial Champagne. Nobody was going hungry or thirsty at this bash.


The first course (above) was Summer Vegetable Salad, Avocado Mousse, Salsa Verde and Heirloom Tomato Water Gelee. The avocado mousse and the tomato water gelee (at the right side of the plate) provided a nice textural contrast to the fresh vegetables on the left. This year the Emmy Awards were held in August, instead of the traditional September, which provided Chef Alec Lestr, the Executive Chef of Patina Catering, the opportunity to focus "on summer ingredients instead of fall. We have beautiful heirloom tomatoes this year."


The main course was Rack of Lamb with Dried Fruit Crumble, Chickpea Puree, Basil Marinated Grilled Eggplant with Summer Vegetables and Rosemary Juice. The lamb was delicious and made it out to the table pink in the center. Chef Lestr began planning the meal and came up with 80 different dishes. By March he and his team had narrowed the choices to 20 for the Board of Governors to sample and the entree options included beef, lamb and chicken.

For the first time in a decade the Governors chose something other than beef by going with the lamb. For diners who don't eat lamb, the kitchen provided an option of Portobello Mushroom Ravioli or Lemon Studded Salmon Ratatouille. Almost 1,000 pounds of rack of lamb was served to the attendees.


Over 180 chefs and 13 executive chefs were on hand to prepare the food for the full house of 3,600 winners, nominees, presenters and academy members. The dessert course (above) was Dark Chocolate Decadence with Smoked Fleur D'Sel on Duncan Hines Chewy Fudge Brownie. This is not a dish you see every day, combining a dessert mix available in the supermarket with high end fine dining flourishes. Philippe Muze, the Executive Pastry Chef for Patina Catering, created the dish, which was a first for him. "I tested the brownie recipe and it came out well. Coming from France, we don't have these kind of products there. I love fleur de sel. I thought, what can I put with chocolate brownies? Fleur de sel gives some special flavor to the dish."


Chef Lestr (above) was surprisingly calm before the awards, "I wish every day was the Emmys. I want to feed 3,500 people every day. We have such an amazing team. With the theme of Starry, Starry Night, we thought, let's make the food beautiful," he said. His motto is "plan the work, work the plan."


The tables were decorated with the theme of Starry Night and the food was cooked on-site, on temporary kitchens set up in the adjacent parking lot and plated adjacent to the ballroom. Your correspondent was unfortunately not able to keep the Emmy statuette pictured in the photo above, despite having a perfect spot for it on my mantle. Below the full expanse of the room is visible in all of its scale and extravagance.

LAX airport restaurants eat-in at Patina

This morning the winning bidder for the largest airport food concession at LAX held an "eat-in" media event with their participating restaurant partners at Patina restaurant at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Pat Murray (pictured below), a Vice President at SSP America, spoke about his winning bid and the local restauranteurs that are participating in the vision for enhanced dining options at the airport.




Partner restaurant chefs/owners such as Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken of the Border Grill, Megan Logan of Nick + Stef's, Rod White of Bertha's Soul Food and Andrew Cherng of Panda Express all spoke about their excitement at participating in the expansion and improvement of the dining options at LAX. Cherng (pictured below) referred to it as a "once in a lifetime transformation."



White of Bertha's Soul Food said, "We intend to make the best of this opportunity and show the world what true diversity looks like and tastes like. He then quoted Bonnie Raitt and said 'Let's give them something to talk about.'" The chefs each prepared a dish or dishes reflective of their restaurants. The offering from Border Grill Taqueria was Yucatan Pork Tacos, which Susan Feniger is pictured holding a tray of below.



Other dishes included Chiles Rellenos from La Serenata de Garibaldi and SweetFire Chicken Breast from Panda Express, both shown below on the table. Nancy Silverton's Sputino offered a spicy focaccia with roasted chilis and tomatoes.

The restaurants represented a diverse array of both cuisines and price points from coffee specialists groundwork and LA Mill Coffee to Asian restaurants such as Park's Korean BBQ, Geisha House and Panda Express.




Chef Tim Goodell from 25 Degrees served mini sirloin burgers and mini chocolate malts, both of which were particularly delicious.


The various chefs shared limited space in the Patina kitchen and the chef below from Panda Express is shown cooking the SweetFire chicken breast.


LA Mill Coffee (shown below) provided coffee and a selection of teas to the attendees, which included members of the media as well as representatives from the fifteen local establishments that are part of the consortium. Other local participants in addition to those mentioned above are Market Cafe, M Cafe de Chaya, Red Mango, Buttercake Bakery and Pete's Coffee.


The winning bid would displace longtime incumbent LAX food service provider Host Marriott. Today's event attracted protesters outside who marched and shouted that the airport needed affordable and flavorful food options. It was strongly hinted that these protesters were organized by Marriott and other news outlets reported that some protesters confirmed this.


Construction should begin at the airport in January 2011 and I look forward to having more options, at different price points when I travel in the future, than the meager options available now.

Taste of the Nation 2010 Recap

Last Sunday over 1,500 food fans, chefs and vintners got together to raise money for Share Our Strength, an organization dedicated to fighting childhood hunger in America, at the annual Taste of the Nation event in Culver City.

Over 40 local restaurants participated by providing sample size portions of their food. Attendees could try as many of the foods as they wanted, and fortunately the lines were manageable for almost all vendors, with the exception of the Gelato Bar, whose icy offerings were much in demand on a hot day.

Chef Michael Voltaggio of The Dining Room at the Langham in Pasadena did a cooking demonstration on the main stage and also got inked a new tattoo in honor of the charity event.

Mozza, Bottega Louie, Patina, Bar 210, Hatfields, The Bazaar, Sprinkles, and Loteria Grill were just some of the restaurants represented.

My favorite tastes of the day included the short ribs with potato puree from Hatfield's, the hamachi from Patina, the torchon of foie gras and the salad of heirloom tomato, watermelon and feta, both from Bottega Louie. Both of the Bottega Louie offerings were excellent and the watermelon and tomato salad was perfect and refreshing on warm summer day. I can't wait to get to the restaurant to try the full menu.

The FIG station was serving hot dogs, in order to promote their newly launched FIG Hot Dog Cart, which is available poolside at the Fairmont Hotel on weekends. It seemed silly to offer a full sized hot dog (they were quite large) at an event at which people were grazing from dozens of booths. I was also disappointed when after it turned out that both toppings on offer included pork (which I don't eat), they weren't willing to let me try one without the toppings (which I could see them adding literally in front of me.) "We are pork friendly," the smug member of the kitchen staff said. His attitude made me question whether I should bother returning back to FIG again.

Below are selected photos from the event:

Executive Chef Tony Esnault & Pastry Chef Waylynn Lucas of Patina.

Marcel Vigneron of Bar 210 with his pomegranate spheres.

Karen Hatfield of Hatfield's plating.

Sam Marvin of Bottega Louie.

The wonderful torchon of foie gras with apple gastrique and marcona almond brittle from Bottega Louie.

The albacore sashimi with onion sauce in a cocktail glass from K-Zo.

The delicious vanilla panna cotta from Mozza.

Dine LA Chefs Roundtable @ REDCAT

Last night six of the most prominent and successful chefs in LA participated in a roundtable discussion organized by DineLA, the team who brings you restaurant week. The participating chefs (from left to right in the photo below) were Wolfgang Puck, Karen Hatfield, Joachim Splichal, Susan Feniger, Josiah Citrin, and Mark Peel and the panel was moderated by local radio personality Lisa Foxx of 104.3 FM.

Food for the event was generously catered by the new local restaurant Starry Kitchen, led by the husband and wife team of Nguyen and Thi Tran. Their signature crispy tofu balls were very much in evidence. Starry Kitchen held an online contest two win tickets to the roundtable and the winning entry was this very cool game.

The event was held in REDCAT, in Walt Disney Concert Hall. The free tickets "sold out" in only 45 minutes according to event organizers. Wolfgang Puck's comments were very personal, speaking about how he got his start in kitchens at the age of 14 and how he overcame being fired from his first apprenticeship to his stepfather's not believing he should be a chef (he wanted him to be a mechanic). Feniger and Peel spoke a lot while Hatfield was mostly silent; it was like pulling teeth for Foxx to get her to say anything. She did say when asked what it takes to open your first restaurant, "Desire alone is not enough. You have to fight for every dollar you make." A group of culinary students sat in the first few rows and listened attentively.




The dining scene has evolved significantly since many of these chefs who are now major players and businesspeople in the dining industry in LA got started. As Puck put it, "when I came to LA it was an open playing field. The high end restaurants were all serving Continental cuisine." He was able to open Chinois without even knowing what fried rice was; something unimaginable now as the broader range of "ethnic" cuisine and flavors has filtered to the general population. Ingredients that were hard for even fine dining restaurants to obtain in the 80s are now readily available in your local supermarket.




Foxx was an unusual choice for a moderator. She is apparently a foodie and an investor in Citrin's Cache, which she brought up way too many times. Her style is perhaps more suited for drive time radio than moderating a panel of culinary heavyweights as she did not display a depth of knowledge about the dining scene in Los Angeles.

One potential grenade did not explode, as over the past week Peel has been in a nasty online imbroglio with a local writer/editor for LAist about a negative review she wrote about his new bar/restaurant The Tar Pit. No questions were asked about bloggers, yelpers or critics, and the author in question chose not to attend the panel.

It was interesting to see how many of the panelists had worked for either Puck, Splichal, or both. They have been godfathers/mentors to the younger generation of chefs that followed in their footsteps. Puck's honest responses were both entertaining and felt very genuine; there was nothing canned or rote about them. I'd happily sit through a Q&A with just him and a host any time, although next time bring in someone from the LA Times, Los Angeles magazine, Jonathan Gold or Ruth Reichl to moderate please.

The entire one hour talk can be viewed online here via streaming video.

Note, I assisted the Starry Kitchen team in their preparation for this event.