All Aboard: Jonathan Gold’s Union Station Cocktail Party

All aboard the Speakeasy Express as LA Weekly restaurant critic Jonathan Gold is hosting his second annual Speakeasy themed Cocktail Party at Union Station featuring bartenders from several of Cedd Moses's 213 Group's bars and benefiting Zocalo Public Square, an organization that sponsors and organizes lectures, panels, and other public discussions of the issues of the day.

The party will be held on Saturday October 9th from 7 - 11 in historic Union Station as conductor Jonathan Gold welcomes revelers aboard and collects tickets, which are $185 per person ($150 for non-profit employees & $125 for those under 30). The drinks will be provided by the talented crews of Seven Grand, The Varnish, Las Perlas, Cole’s and CAÑA. Restaurants from downtown as well as across the city will be providing vittles to munch on, and these aren't just any gin joints but top notch spots such as John Sedlar's Rivera, Michael Cimarusti's Providence, Josef Centeno's Lazy Ox Canteen, Neil Fraser's Grace, Susan Feniger's Street, David Myers' Comme Ҫa, and Suzanne Tracht's Jar, among others. There is no danger of going hungry with that crew on tap.

The participating bartenders are creating specialty cocktails for the event. I am particularly looking forward to trying The Plymouth Fitzgerald from Chris Bostick of the Varnish. It is his take on a gin sour with Plymouth Gin, fresh lemon juice, sugar, shaken and served up and lightly drizzled with Angostura bitters. It sounds refreshing and the Angostura bitters should provide a nice counterpoint to the citrus.

Attendees are encouraged to wear period dress and to put folks in a party mood, KCRW’s Garth Trinidad will be spinning. Should be an awesome party with a bonus of supporting a great cause (I'm a big fan of Zocalo's panels and events). Get your tickets here. Hurry up because once this train leaves the station, you will want to be onboard, not watching from the platform as it pulls away into the distance.

Tickets are available here: http://www.zocalopublicsquare.org/union_station_event/

A Winning Formula: The 1st Annual LA Craft Beer Crawl

Saturday was the first annual LA Craft Beer Crawl, which was held in seven of 213 Group's bars in Downtown.  Almost 1,400 enthusiasts, press, brewers and friends attended the event curated by Christina Perozzi and Hallie Beaune, known as the Beer Chicks (pictured below).  On a hot day, the sold out crowd explored the offerings and migrated from bar to bar sampling craft beers and meeting the folks who produce them.

The Beer Chicks said they hope to "convert people to the craft beer lifestyle" and encouraged attendees to try darker beers saying "don't judge a beer by its color."  Over 50 different beers were represented, many from California breweries, with an emphasis on representing as many local quality brews as possible.

There were several treats along the way, including Maui Coconut Porter beer floats at Cana and beer cocktails at the Varnish created by head bartender Chris Bostick (pictured above).  I got the last beer float at Cana, which had a large crowd despite being a long walk on a very hot day from the other 213 bars.

The Varnish offered two cocktails: the Picon Biere (TAPS Belgian White, Amer Picon, lemon juice and sugar) and the Double Black Diamond (Deschutes Black Butte Porter, Goslings Rum, Whole Egg, Sugar & Nutmeg).  Both were refreshing and it was wonderful to be in the chilly Varnish, where LA Weekly's Jonathan Gold was holding court in a booth with colleagues from KCRW's Good Food, including host Evan Kleiman.

Gold curated the food vendors along the route, which included the Ludo Bites Truck, the Grilled Cheese Truck, the Manila Machine truck and Guelaguetza (inside Las Perlas).  All of the food vendors proved popular.  I have enjoyed all four in the past but only had an opportunity to sample the Manila Machine on Saturday, which was serving a mean version of corned beef hash.

The crowd of happy imbibers (Seven Grand is pictured above) included fellow bloggers Josh Lurie of FoodGPS, Pat Saperstein of Eating LA and Yolanda Evans of Eater.  It was great to see so many folks crowding the sidewalks and bars of DTLA all in search of and in support of quality craft beer.  In the past three years there has been a renaissance in quality cocktails in Los Angeles and it if Saturday was any indication, the beer movement here is only poised to grow.  I hadn't realized how many local breweries there are here in Southern California and look forward to trying more of their offerings.

LA Craft Beer Crawl: This Saturday

The first annual Los Angeles Craft Beer Crawl will take place this Saturday afternoon in downtown. The event is a collaboration between the Beer Chicks (Hallie Beaune and Christina Perozzi) who are curating the event and Cedd Moses's 213 Ventures, whose seven bars will host the beer crawl. Tickets are $49 and are available online. The early bird and VIP tickets have both sold out and at this time only limited tickets remain for Saturday's event.

The stops on the Crawl include Broadway Bar, Casey's Irish Pub, Cana Rum Bar, Cole's, Golden Gopher, Las Perlas and Seven Grand. For those with VIP tickets, Jonathan Gold, the Pulitzer Prize winning food critic from LA Weekly, will be holding court in the Varnish. To keep Crawl participants fed, Gold has curated a selection of gourmet food trucks which will be stationed along the route. LudoBites and Kogi are among the participating trucks.


Each $49 ticket entitles the attendee to a wristband and tasting glass which are the keys to unlock unlimited samples of over 50 different beers from 3pm - 8pm at the seven participating bars. Breweries represented include Allagash, Ballast Point Brewing, Brouwerij West, The Bruery, Craftsman, Chimay, Deschutes, Eagle Rock, Gentleman's Scholar, Jolly Pumpkin, Ladyface, Lagunitas, Lost Coast, Maui Brewing Company, New Belgium, Schneider, Sierra Nevada, Stone Brewing, TAPS, Uncommon and several more.

Beer geeks rejoice: Not only will participants get to try dozens of craft beers but several owners and brewers from the participating breweries will be on-hand to discuss their beers. Look for Tyler King from the Bruery at Broadway Bar, Jeremy Raub from Eagle Rock Brewing at Las Perlas, Cyrena Nouzille from Ladyface at Casey's, and Victor Nowak from TAPS at Cole's. Each bar will have at least one brewery represented.

Look for special pours and events at the different bars including the opening of a Jeroboam of Chimay Special Reserve at Seven Grand, Maui Coconut Porter beer floats at Cana and a signing of the Beer Chick's book Naked Pint at the Golden Gopher.

A portion of the proceeds from the Craft Beer Crawl will go to benefit local charity Heal the Bay, an organization dedicated to making the Santa Monica Bay and all of Southern California's coastal waters clean and safe for fish and swimmers to enjoy. Heal the Bay is run by Mark Gold, Jonathan Gold's brother. Talk about an overachieving family.

Remember tickets are only available online. Buy them here. Note that designated drivers can get a wristband to enter the bars for only $10, but they will not be permitted to sample the beer.

2nd Annual Korean BBQ Cookoff

A parking lot in Koreatown was the scene of the 2nd Annual Korean BBQ Cook-Off on Saturday. Thousands of hungry korean bbq aficionados attended the free event, in which many of the top local korean bbq specialists competed for the title of champion. Park's BBQ was overall winner as the Judge's Selection, selected by a panel that included Chef Ludo Lefebvre of Ludobites, LA Weekly's Pulitzer Prize winning restaurant critic Jonathan Gold, actress Sandra Oh, and diplomat Consul General Jae Soo Kim of Korea.



Some of the longest lines of the day were for Park's BBQ (above) and Kalbi Burger (below). Each dish was priced at one ticket ($5). The Park's line moved excruciatingly slowly in the hot sun. The crowd was patient and good natured while waiting for their bowl of beef. The beef was very good but perhaps not worth waiting 45 minutes in line for. I recommend the restaurant wholeheartedly, where the experience is much more comfortable and delicious, although considerably more expensive than $5.

Kalbi Burger's line was long, but they kept it moving quickly, and folks were served in well under half the time of Park's. The physical Kalbi Burger location opened in mid June at 4001 Wilshire Blvd, at Wilton Place. The burger is a Korean take on the American classic with a kalbi aioli sauce and a Korean vinagrette on the patty made outof ground short ribs and chuck.



Ironically my favorite taste of the day came from Scoops Westside and its owner/operator Matt Kang. (pictured below) In addition to some Korean flavors such as kimchi and red bean, Scoops was serving a roasted corn flavor that was sensational. It should be the signature flavor of Scoops Westside when it opens later this year on Overland.



Other dessert options included the Coolhaus Truck and Sprinkles, which also sent a truck. There was a beer garden, which was tented and proved a popular attraction for beating the heat.



In addition to the Korean BBQ cooking competition and the general food tasting, there was a Soju mix-off cocktail competition. The winning drink, the K-Town Cobbler, was made by Joel Black (pictured above), formerly of Cana Rum Bar.

The recipe for the winning K-Town Cobbler is:

Ingredients:
3 oz jinro soju
1 tbl spoon pear chutny
1/2 oz lemon juice
2 pecans
1 tbl spoon honey
10 drops Ginger juice
1 1/2 oz apple juice

Directions:
Put all ingredients into a mixing can and muddle.
Shake cold and strain into a double old fashioned glass.
Top with crushed ice and a dallop of the pear chutney pecan mash.

Recipe courtesy of Joel Black

Pal Cabron: Cemitas are big time sandwiches

Pal Cabron, a Mexican restaurant in Huntington Park, specializes in Cemitas & Clayudas. For the uninitiated, Cemitas are large Mexican sandwiches on a roll that include avocado, meat, cheese and salsa. Clayudas are flat (like a pizza) and are made with a crispy tortilla with a layer of beans and pork fat on top, with meat and/or cheese added to taste.

Pal Cabron is the creation of Bricia & Fernando Lopez, part of the local restaurant dynasty that owns the Guelaguetza chain of Oaxacan restaurants in Los Angeles. (This location was formerly a Guelaguetza.)

Last week, I drove out to Huntington Park to try a cemita and see what all the fuss was about. I had met Bricia at La Descarga at a party to celebrate the drink which is named after her. Coverage here. I had the "La de Barbacha" with quesillo ($7.25), which is a lamb barbacoa cemita with quesillo (Mexican string cheese) and chipotle sauce. The sandwich was large, and quite good. The different flavors all came together to create a unified whole. There was nothing dainty about this sandwich and those with small appetites need not apply. I had originally planned on making the most of my trip to Huntington Park by pairing my visit to Pal Cabron with another meal at a nearby restaurant but a friend told me that wasn't possible, "You can't pair Pal Cabron with anyplace else. It simply isn't possible to eat another meal after eating at Pal Cabron," he said. Boy was he right.

What better to wash down the sandwich which ate Huntington Park than a horchata, the traditional Mexican beverage made with rice and cinammon and no shortage of hearty ingredients. There would be no sense to serve a wimpy horchata with the Hercules of sandwiches, and Pal Cabron's is up to the challenge.

The restaurant is covered with murals, including pictures of LA Weekly critic Jonathan Gold and local blogger Javier Cabral, Teenage Glutster, above. There are also murals of Steve Livigni and Pablo Moix from La Descarga

There is ample street parking at meters and the prices are very reasonable for the cemitas & clayudas. The only drawback about Pal Cabron for me is that it is over 16 miles from my house, so it is just far away and a long drive to get there.

Pal Cabron is located at 2560 E Gage Ave (just west of Pacific) in Huntington Park. Phone: (323) 277-9899 Website: www.lascabronas.com
Huntington Park is 5 miles South of downtown Los Angeles.

LA Natural Wine Week: Natural Wine Symposium

On Sunday a symposium on natural wine was held at LACE in Hollywood as the culmination of Los Angeles Natural Wine Week. Lou Amdur of Lou on Vine moderated the panel of wine experts Jonathan Gold and Alice Feiring, and vintners Randall Graham of Bonny Doon, Abe Schoener of the Scholium Project, Jared Brandt of A Donkey and a Goat, and Hank Beckmeyer of La Clarine.

Photo above: the full panel. Photo below: moderator/organizer Lou Amdur.


A full room of wine enthusiasts, including a large contingent from Venice's the Tasting Kitchen, filled the seats in the art gallery to taste some of the panel's wines and hear their opinions on natural wines and what makes them special. Feiring said, "Give a shit about natural wine because if you really want to taste terroir, get a terroir driven wine."

Many on the panel espoused the merits of dry farming (not irrigating the vines). Amdur noted that the fruit has more flavor when it is dry farmed. Graham said that "irrigation is not compatible with terroir," and Schoener said "for me, the most important question is irrigation."


Beckmeyer commented on how it can be difficult to change the prevailing momentum to continually be doing something to the vines/farm, "I look to do as little as possible, because I'm basically lazy. The natural tendency is to do things all the time."

Now that the market for natural wines is growing, not only can biodynamics make the vineyard more itself, as one winemaker noted, but as Brandt said "biodynamics can help sell wine."

Photo above: Beckmeyer and Graham. Photo below: Schoener, Feiring and Gold.

The panel had a spirited discussion about sulfur, which is the only additive that many of the winemakers on the panel use. Sulfur acts to preserve the wine and without it, most white wine would turn brown. Additionally it prevents some bacteria from forming or making a presence in the flavor of the wine. Graham said, "Sulfur adds a predictable trajectory," and Feiring commented that "not using sulfur can obscure terroir."

Natural wine does not have to mean funky, although some wines do fall into that category and they have their fans, including Gold. He said, "There is a certain time at which you just have to embrace the baby diaper. Wines with a little something rank in them are those I tend to love the best."

Note that LACE is having a benefit art auction Thursday May 20th - click here to learn more.

Santa Monica Farmers Market Panel Series - Spring 2010

Thursday evening the Santa Monica Farmers Market had its Spring 2010 quarterly panel series entitled Menu Minuet: How Chefs and Farmers keep seasonal produce on the plate while maintaining consistency on the menu. LA Weekly restaurant critic Jonathan Gold moderated a panel of restauranteurs Akasha Richmond of Akasha Restaurant in Culver City and Mark Peel of Campanile and the Tar Pit in Los Angeles and farmers Alex Weiser of Weiser Family Farms and Romeo Coleman of Coleman Family Farms.



The Weisers have been at the Santa Monica Farmers Market since its inception in 1981, when they started out by selling apples. Since then they have diversified their offerings, a strategy also employed by Coleman, which is known for their lettuces and herbs. Both farmers emphasized that offering a variety of fruits, vegetables and herbs enables them to diversity their risk and offer more unusual varieties without the danger that the failure of any one crop due to weather or customer tastes would ruin their season.

Mark Peel said that "he is too lazy not to use what is in season. With seasonal ingredients you just don't need to do a lot to them."



In the photo above Chef Mark Peel speaks with Farmer Alex Weiser while Jonathan Gold looks on.

The farmers market has expanded the range of produce available to both restaurants and consumers and many of the farmers have taken it upon themselves to introduce new varieties to the market. Cavallo Nero was virtually unknown here until it appeared at the Santa Monica farmers market. Akasha Richmond said she goes to the market to "but what we need and to buy what is new. I love buying local produce. It is fun; it makes it exciting."

Both farms featured on the panel each grow over 100 varieties of products over the course of the year. Seasonal produce means that products are only available for part of the year, although the growing season here in Southern California is much longer than in other parts of the country. As Peel said, "Peaches in July are exquisite. An epiphany. That's when summer is over, when the last peaches are gone."