Short Order Now Open at the Farmers Market

Short Order, the burger restaurant at the Original Farmer's Market at 3rd & Fairfax recently opened after being in the planning stages for several years.  The concept is a partnership between restaurateur Bill Chait, burger maven Amy Pressman and chef Nancy Silverton.  Pressman was the driving force behind Short Order; she succumbed to cancer shortly before the restaurant opened.  Silverton and Chait moved forward with the restaurant as a tribute to Pressman.  Now the executive chef is Christian Page, formerly of Daily Dose in Downtown Los Angeles.

The heart and soul of the menu at Short Order are the burgers.  Options on offer include the eponymous Short Order Burger, which features a patty of grass-fed beef, morbier cheese, griddled mushrooms, bibb lettuce and mustardy mayo ($12), Nancy's Backyard Burger made with Nancy Silverton's beef blend, artisan bacon, comte cheese, avocado, tomato, onion, iceberg lettuce and spicy mayo ($13), and Ida's Old School Burger made with grass-fed beef, pickles, tomato, griddled onion, iceberg lettuce and secret sauce ($11).  There is a veritable Noah's ark of burger possibilities with lamb, turkey, tuna and pork available in addition to the standard beef.  The burgers are served a la carte, with sides available for an additional price.

The Ida's Burger (pictured above) was tasty when I sampled it the first week Short Order was open.  It was a little rarer than I would have preferred but as the kitchen was still getting up to speed, we didn't expect perfection.  The bun is also of high quality, which is pretty much a given, considering Silverton's involvement.  Silverton was a pastry chef at Spago and founded the La Brea Bakery, before co-founding Osteria and Pizzeria Mozza.  To say she knows bread is an understatement.

In addition to Old School Fries ($3), Short Order Spuds ($4) are also available.  These delicious little fries (above) are a cross between potato skins and tater tots.  Addictive, hot and ready to be dipped into the accompanying sauces.  The Spuds are a must order.

I sampled the Chocolate Malt Shake ($6) which was rich and chocolatey.  I split it with a friend (half portion pictured below) and it was worth every penny and calorie.  Shakes aren't the only beverages on offer.  Up a flight of stairs is a bar where Julian Cox of Rivera, Playa, Sotto and Picca created a cocktail program to complement the food.  Quality cocktails in the farmer's market?  That's all I need to know to know I will be back.

Short Order: 6333 W. 3rd Street, the Farmer's Market (adjacent to Du Par's), Mid City.  Phone: (323) 761-7970.  Website: http://www.shortorderla.com/

See Julian Cox at The Art of Mixing at The Taste this Friday

Julian Cox (right) with fellow mixologist Ryan Magarian

One of the highlights of The Taste, the food, wine, spirits and culinary adventure set to land in Los Angeles this Labor Day weekend, is sure to be The Art of Mixing, a party and seminar by Julian Cox, the mixologist behind such cocktail programs as Rivera, Playa, Sotto and Picca.  He will be leading a cooking and mixology demonstration along with Chefs Ricardo Zarate of Picca (pictured below) and John Sedlar of Rivera.  The festival is sponsored by the Los Angeles Times and Food & Wine magazine, so they have been able to get heavy hitters like Cox to participate.

The Art of Mixing will be held on Friday evening from 9 pm - Midnight at the Paramount Studio Lot in Hollywood.  Tickets are $125, but you can get tickets for only $75 with discount code LAT, which makes this an excellent value.  KCRW DJ Jason Bentley of Morning Becomes Eclectic will be mixing (songs not drinks) to get the crowd in the mood for some delicious cocktails.

What does your ticket get you?  Aside from the demonstrations, which begin  promptly at 9:45 pm, you get unlimited tastes of food and drinks from dozens of restaurants and wineries/spirits makers.  The list of participating restaurants includes a variety of delicious spots such as hot Mediterranean newcomer Mezze, Zarate's Picca, Atwater Village's Canele and downtown sausage fest Wurstkuche among many others.  There is no risk of you going thirsty with options such as boozy snow cones from Damian Windsor's Ice Ice Shavie, rum from Ron Abuelo, Original Moonshine and more liquor and wine than you could shake a cocktail glass at.

I hope to see you all there as it promises to be a blast.  Tickets can be purchased here.
Learn More: The Art of Mixing: http://events.latimes.com/taste/artofmixing/

Ricardo Zarate

Summer Cocktails at Sotto

Kate Grutman & Julian Cox

Sotto launched a new cocktail menu this week with no fewer than fifteen cocktails.  Julian Cox and Kate Grutman worked overtime to create the list, which is divided into Aromatic and Shaken cocktails.  Grutman, who got her start at The Tar Pit and subsequently worked with Cox at Rivera is the bar manager.  This list gave her the opportunity to collaborate with her mentor on the extensive cocktail menu.  Just as Sotto has an Italian food menu, the cocktail list veers towards Italian cocktails and liqueurs in inspiration.

The Vampire Shark, (above) a tribute to bartenders Julian Wayser and Dave Fernie, is served on the rocks and is made with a sex wax tincture.  The flavor of the aged rum comes through as does some sweetness from the Luxardo morlacco cherry.

The easiest sipper on the menu may be the Holland Daze (above) as it is well balanced, frothy and appealingly garnished with mint.  The name is a play on the main ingredient Genever, as it comes from Holland and the "daze" that many visitors to Amsterdam experience in coffee houses as well as a take on the ever popular Hollandaise sauce.

Il Cavallo Bianco (above) is a crisp and aromatic cocktail that is made with a pineapple and thyme infused Bianco Vermouth.  The name translates as "The White Horse."  Infusions are a Grutman signature, so it is not surprising to see some on the menu.  What was surprising was how well pineapple and thyme went with the rest of the ingredients.  This is a subtle cocktail that should appeal to fans of a classic gin martini.

The Bicycle Thief

The Dude Abides #2 (above) is made with double barrel aged rum, double cream and espresso among other ingredients.  The coffee flavor predominates and it is frothy like an egg cream.

The 5th Amendment is a smooth and boozy Bourbon, wine and Ramazzotti based cocktail that seems designed to lure in LushAngeles, perhaps the #1 fan of Ramazzotti in Los Angeles.

If you get one snack on their menu, I recommend the chickpea fritters as they are light, airy, and have just enough cheese.  A squirt of lemon and you are in business as these addictive snacks will seem to disappear from your plate with alarming speed.

Sotto Cocktail Menu:

Aromatic:

Il Cavallo Bianco
Reposado tequila, pineapple.thyme infused Bianco Vermouth, Cocchi Americano, grapefruit peel

The Bicycle Thief
Scotch, Holland Gin, Italian Vermouth, West Indian orange bitters

American Trilogy
Rye whiskey, Applejack, brown sugar cube, orange bitters, flamed orange

Vampire Shark (Tribute to Wayser & Fernie)
5 year aged run, Luxardo Morlacco Cherry, Mr. Zoggs sex wax tincture

The 5th Amendment
Bourbon, Barolo Chinato, Ramazzotti, Angostura bitters, orange essence, cherry

Cornwall Negroni
English Gin, Campari, Punt e Mes, Carpano Antica, burnt orange

Life Is Beautiful
Dry Vermouth, Cocchi Americano, Benedictine, Absinthe, lemon twist
------------------------------------------------

Shaken:

Amaro Daquiri: Fall Redux
Rhum, fresh lime, Averna, pimento dram

Grappa Don't Preach
Vodka, Grappa, fresh strawberry and nectarine, lemon, Aperol, Fresno chili tincture

Dem Apples
Bourbon, fresh pressed apple, Clear Creek pear eau de vie, fresh lemon, cassia-infused honey, dehydrated apple chip

Holland Daze
Genever, fresh lemon, pistachio orgeat, maraschino sambuca bitters

Paloma Italiano
Blanco Tequila, fresh grapefruit, Campari, agave nectar, San Pellegrino Aranciata, salt

The Dude Abides #2
Double Barrel Aged Rum, Cynar, double cream, espresso, Bassano bitters, egg yolk

Use Your Illusion
Rye whiskey, Amaro Nonnino, fresh lime, Velvet Falernum, grapefruit essence, Peychaud's bitters

Smart and Fennel
London Dry Gin, fresh lemon, housemade bitter orange marmalade, fennel-scented egg, fennel frond

Sotto: 9575 West Pico Blvd, West LA.  Phone: (310) 277-0210.  Website: www.sottorestaurant.com

Picca: Ricardo Zarate Scores Again

Picca did not fly under the radar when it opened earlier this summer.  The new restaurant from chef Ricardo Zarate of Mo Chica, fresh off his wins as Best New Chef and People's Choice in Food & Wine Magazine, paired him with restaurateur Bill Chait, the owner of Rivera, Stephane Bombet, his GM and partner, and mixologist Julian Cox, who began working with Chait at Rivera and has since developed the cocktails at each of his subsequent openings (Playa, Sotto etc).  The location is the main floor space above Sotto, in the same building where the much buzzed about Test Kitchen was located.

The opening night was filled to the brim in a giant party and the next night was packed with Test Kitchen regulars and fans.  Once the restaurant opened to the public, I waited several weeks for the crowds to abate (only somewhat) and the operations to find their groove.  Bombet presides over the front of the house, ensuring that order prevails and also charming diners with his winning attitude.  Zarate is clearly visible in the open kitchen, keeping the kitchen humming and approving dishes as they get sent out.  Nobody is dialing it in here.

After a cocktail at the bar made by Cox, my friend Paul and I moved over to our table to begin our meal.  We were given a choice of sitting at the dining bar in front of the kitchen or at a table and we opted for the bar seating as it promised to turn the meal into dinner and a show.

The meal began with the Chicharron de Pollo, marinated crispy chicken, salsa criolla and rocoto sauce. Rocoto is a spicy Peruvan pepper sauce.  The chicken was suitably crispy and got dinner off to a good start.  I am not sure that it dethrones Japanese or Korean fried chicken, but it was in that spirit.  I was curious about this dish as the only chicharrónes I had previously encountered were of the pork variety.

We segued from the fried chicken to the Tuna Tartare, which was served on a layer of avocado and had micro greens and lemon soy dressing on top.  Wonton chips were served alongside to scoop up the tartare and they were light and crunchy.  The tuna was diced into nice chunks, big enough to enjoy and have texture, unlike the almost pureed version sometimes seen around town.  We did run out of wonton chips long before the tuna, but that did not dissuade us from finishing the dish.

One of the specials on offer was a Spanish Mackerel from Japan.  The presentation was beautiful with the fish crisped and presented on the plate with its tail in the air as if it was diving into the Pacific Ocean.  The quality of the fish was very high and it tasted as good as it looked.

The Tuna ceviche continued the raw fish portion of the meal, served sashimi style on daikon radish with choclo kernels and with a citrus sauce.

At the dining bar, we sat in front of the robata grill.  All of the anticucho skewers were grilled right in front of us and it was fun to see the chefs prepare the food.  If there had not been glass between us and the grill, it would have been very hot indeed.

We ordered both the Pollo and the Black Cod anticuchos.  They arrived together and were another high point.  The black cod was quite different from the signature dish at Nobu which popularized it twenty years ago.  It is impossible to eat at Picca without thinking about the restaurant that first brought together Peruvian and Japanese cuisine, but from the Japanese perspective.  Chef Zarate puts the Peruvian element of the cuisine front and center, lending Japanese touches but never letting you forget that it is the Peruvian elements that form the base of his menu.

The only miss of the evening were the Causa Sushi, of which we tried Spicy Yellow Tail and Albacore.  This dish is presented like nigiri, except with causa (Peruvian yellow potatoes) substitutiing for the rice beneath the fish.  The texture of the causa was unappealing to me, much like eating sushi on top of solid polenta.

Chicken Lomo Saltado was served with toast and tomatoes and the meal was back on track after the brief detour.  This was a special on the night I dined, but I hope it becomes a regular menu feature.

Bisteck a lo Pobre - skirt steak, pan fried banana, and chickpeas tacu tacu with a fried egg on top.  This was a hearty stew of a dish and we wondered how we would eat it all yet managed to do so, albeit at the cost of skipping dessert. The egg was pleasingly runny, so the yolk was able to provide another element of texture and flavor to the dish.

Overall I enjoyed Picca very much and can recommend it unreservedly.  It is not inexpensive, though.  No one dish costs very much but by the time you order enough food and drink, it adds up.

The environment is relaxed and lively, the service was capable and the opportunity to have Julian Cox's cocktails and Ricardo Zarate's cuisine in one setting is a very fortunate occurrence.

Picca: 9575 W. Pico Blvd, West LA.  Phone: (310) 277-0133.  Website: www.piccaperu.com  Closed on Sundays.

Ryan Magarian's Aviation Gin Hour at Rivera

On Tuesday evening bartender and partner in Aviation Gin Ryan Magarian hosted an Aviation Gin evening at the bar at Rivera, John Sedlar's downtown restaurant. Magarian, who is based in Portland, Oregon, was in Los Angeles straight from Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans, and he mixed up eight classic drinks, using Aviation Gin instead of the original liquor. He is pictured above with Julian Cox, the head bartender at Rivera.

Magarian said that many claim that these and other drinks don't work with different gins or liquors such as Aviation but that the key is to adjust the proportions so that the taste is right. If you leave the proportions the same, its not surprising that the cocktails do not work with different ingredients, he said.



Each classic cocktail was available for $8 each and I sampled the Last Word (above) and the Bee's Knees (below). The Last Word was made with Aviation Gin, Green Chartreuse, lime juice and Maraschino. The Aviation version was noticeably different than the standard Last Word, a little lighter. The Bees Knees was fine but suffered in comparison to the best version of the drink I have had, last week from Chris Bostick at the Varnish.



Aviation Gin, which is based in Portland, is expanding its distribution and Magarian mentioned that it will be available in all 50 states by the end of the year. It is unusual to see a bartender have a significant ownership stake in a liquor brand and I hope to see more bartender/mixologist driven distilled spirits on the market following in Magarian's footsteps.

You can taste his style of cocktails in Los Angeles at Westside Tavern in West LA and at the Penthouse at the Huntley Hotel in Santa Monica, both of whose cocktail programs he designed.

Tales: Cabana Cachaça Bartender Olympics

The Cabana Cachaca Bartender Olympics at Tales of the Cocktail featured five regional teams competing for the title of the champion and the prize of the Golden Muddler. The regions were New Orleans, Southeast, Northeast, Midwest and West.

The winning team was our local West Coast team, evenly split between Los Angeles and San Francisco bartenders. Julian Cox of Rivera, Alex Straus of Wilshire & the Shangri-La, and Jason Bran from Roger Room represented Los Angeles. Josh Harris and Scott Baird, both of 15 Romolo, and Duggan McDonnell from Cantina, represented San Francisco. The team was captained by Straus and McDonnell.

Congratulations to the Champions, for representing the West Coast and brining home the Golden Muddler!

Julian Cox Hatchi Mix: Tequila in 3 Magical Acts

On July 1, Julian Cox brought his considerable bartending talents to BreadBar in Century City, as the host/chef of Tequila in 3 Magical Acts, the latest edition of the continuing Hatchi Mix, a monthly event bringing different guest bartenders each month to create a menu of eight innovative cocktails offered for $8 each. Cox was the third bartender following Devin Espinosa, who curates the series, and Joel Black, formerly of Cana.

Cox, the head bartender at Rivera and the force behind the launch list of cocktails at mezcal mecca Las Perlas and the upcoming R26, developed a menu of eight drinks divided into three acts, representing appetizers, entrees and desserts. The menu which included items such as Roasted New Potatoes with Brown Butter, Crispy Sage and Truffle Oil, initially confused some patrons who thought they were looking at a food menu, not a cocktail menu.

The Vote for Pedro, with Pedro Ximenez Sherry, Rye and Aperol was my favorite of the evening, a nicely balanced aromatic cocktail. The truffle oil in the Roasted New Potatoes drink made it hard for me to drink, although eStarLA commented that she enjoyed the savoryness of it.

Overall the evening went smoothly and Cox and his fiancée Kristina Howald tended to stay behind the bar and mixed drinks quickly, getting them out to thirsty punters who were excited to try the unusual flavor combinations. Another personal favorite was the Assortment of Green Chiles with Mint and Tequila, while the Jamon Iberico Old Fashioned (which I did not sample) was a hit with pork lovers including FoodGPS.

Rivera's Spring Cocktail launch

On Thursday Rivera's superstar bartender Julian Cox launched his Spring cocktail list of 13 new libations with a special launch night price of $6 each.

The bar and lounge area was packed with cocktail aficionados, bloggers, and fans of Julian's delicious drinks. Recent DonQ cocktail competition champion Kristina Howald (pictured at left), who is usually only behind the bar on Fridays & Saturdays, was there to help with the onslaught.

I got to meet several people in person for the first time including the Amateur Enthusiast and LA/OC Foodie.

I sampled three beverages over the course of the evening in two sessions (had to decamp to the Rooftop Bar @ The Standard for a reunion of another sort in the middle).

Began with the Widow's Kiss - Rye Whiskey, Calvados, Yellow Chartreuse.

Followed up with Sexy Thyme - Gin, Aperol, Orgeat, Golden Raspberries, Thyme

Last drink (round 2) was the Smoked Manhattan - Rye, Amaro Cio Ciaro, Smoked Rosemary, Angostura

My favorite of the cocktails I tried was the Sexy Thyme. Very balanced, not too sweet but easy to drink. I was a bit hesitant to order it as I have had a few unsuccessful cocktails with Aperol, but Sexy Thyme has removed the Aperol jinx from me. I also love the great ice served with this drink.

The smoked manhattan involves lighting the rosemary on fire to smoke it and impart some of the smoky scent to the drink. Enjoyable to watch and it adds another flavor component to the drink without overwhelming it.

The evening was so successful that when I came back for round 2, the bar had run out of several of the fresh ingredients, which I take as a very good sign. Rivera's classics will continue to be available.

Blogger ThirstyinLA has helpfully posted the full list of Spring cocktails here.