San Francisco: Smoked Salmon at the Swan Oyster Depot

Sometimes a dish is so simple yet so delicious you do a double take. The Smoked Salmon at the Swan Oyster Depot is such a dish.  The salmon is silky and is served on rye bread with capers and onions.  The bread that is used is small so the smoked salmon drapes over it.

I encountered this dish at Swan Oyster Depot on a recent visit on a Saturday morning with a member of the Australian diplomatic corps.  The restaurant is quite popular and often fills up with a line forming down the block.  All this can be avoided by coming in the morning for breakfast rather than at mid day or the afternoon for lunch.  At 10 am on a Saturday, half of the seats were empty and there was no line to be seen.  Note that all the seating is at stools at a long counter and that Swan Oyster Depot is closed on Sundays.

The smoked salmon plate is $17.50 and comes with your choice of shrimp salad or more smoked salmon.  I opted for the smoked salmon.  There is never too much of a good thing when the good thing is smoked salmon of this quality.  Despite living in San Francisco for several years, I had never been to the restaurant before because I did not know they served items that were not shellfish, which I do not eat.  It turns out that the smoked salmon is the exception to this rule, fortunately for me and anyone else lucky enough to get their hands on a plate of the fish.

Swan Oyster Depot: 1517 Polk St @ California.  (415) 673-1101.  Note - Cash Only.  Hours: Monday - Saturday 8:00 am - 5:30 pm

Eat Real Festival is Coming to Culver City

Next weekend, on July 16 and 17 the Eat Real Festival comes to the Helms Bakery Complex in Culver City.  Yes, that is the weekend of Carmageddon, but this event is too good to miss, so if you live far away, arrange to stay with friends as you will be kicking yourself if you don’t make it there.

Anya Fernald who founded the festival (and went to college with me) discussed the many demonstrations and workshops on offer, “from making jam, sauerkraut or bread, raising backyard chickens and bees, to seeing the artistry involved in butchering a steer or pig.”  All of the demonstrations are free as is attendance at the festival; that is a price I can get excited about.  The only cost of attending is buying food to eat, beverages to drink or shopping from the local vendors, and all prepared food will be $5 or less and incorporate regionally sourced and sustainably produced ingredients. 

I am particularly looking forward to the tomato sauce making workshop with Evan Kleiman, the host of Good Food on KCRW, and to the butchery competition with Amelia Posada and Erika Nakamura of local butcher shop Lindy & Grundy. The Beer and Wine gardens featuring local crafted brews such as the Bruery and Stone, and regionally grown wines should also be particularly fun.  If you think you will be sipping the suds, Thrillest is offering an unlimited beer and wagyu hotdogs deal for $29, which is a good value.

The LA Eat Real Festival is building off previous events in the Bay Area and should be a fun showcase for local producers of sustainable and tasty foodstuffs.  The opportunity to have a whole day of entertainment for free is reason enough to check out the fest.

To learn more, go to their website at http://eatrealfest.com/event/Los%20Angeles/California/2011

Joe Brooke's Next Act

For those of you who have been wondering what has become of Joe Brooke, the erstwhile bar manager of the Edison and handsome winner of reality television competition America's Top Bartender, the mystery has been solved. Brooke has packed up his bar spoons and decamped to open and manage Next Door Lounge, a speakeasy lounge on Highland Avenue in Hollywood.

The cocktail list is still in flux and includes both classic and modern cocktails.  On the evening of my visit only three of the seven modern cocktails on the list were Brooke creations.  I sampled the Shimmy, made with Hennessy VS, Sazerac Rye, jasmine liqueur, blood orange liqueur and lemon juice.  This (a Joe Brooke cocktail mixed by the man himself) was a frothy and refreshing cocktail with a strong backbone.

It will be interesting to see how Next Door Lounge evolves.  It is a large space for a speakeasy, although only a fraction of the size of the Edison.  A food menu is available as well for those who like to munch while they sip their bespoke cocktails.  I agree with Daniel of ThirstyinLA who recommended that the owners let Brooke jump into the deep end of the punch bowl.  Why hire one of the best bartenders in town and not let him create the whole drink menu?  Silly and not a good investment.  Hopefully they will come to their senses and give him more free reign.

I have not fully explored the menu and look forward to trying more of the drinks.  You should check it out as well.  Look for the neon key sign outside to signal you in for a cocktail or two.

Next Door Lounge: 1154 N. Highland Avenue, Hollywood.  Phone: (323) 465-5505.  Website: http://www.nextdoorhollywood.com/

The Cape Comes to Hollywood This Summer at the Spare Room

Wednesday nights this summer you don't have to go to Cape Cod to experience some old fashioned New England summer breezes as the Spare Room hosts a Wednesday night Nantucket special.

Nantucket Sound cocktails are only $7, with mini lobster (pronounced lob-stah for you non Yankees) rolls for $5, beer for $3 and best of all half off bowling (a $50 savings).  What is in a Nantucket Sound you ask?  Naomi Schimek's recipe is:

1 1/2 oz. Chamomile and lemon balm infused Plymouth gin
3/4 oz.    Bianco vermouth
2 oz.       Fresh pressed cantaloupe juice
Fresh lemon juice and Peychaud's Bitters to taste

Shake ingredients together with ice and strain over a scoop of spiced ginger sorbet.  Garnish with a candied lemon balm leaf.

Sounds like a perfectly civilized way to while away a Wednesday evening.  The Spare Room becomes your "Cape House" every Wednesday this summer from 6 - 9 pm.

The Spare Room at the Hollywood Roosevelt: 7000 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood. Phone: (323) 769-7296. Website: http://www.spareroomhollywood.com/

Corned Beef Hash @ Brent's Deli

Corned beef hash.  Such a simple dish combining potatoes and corned beef, yet it can be difficult to find the version of your dreams.  I recently tried the version at Brent's Deli in Northridge figuring if they had one of the best corned beef sandwiches in Southern California, that they would have one of the best corned beef hashes.  Alas, corned beef hash nirvana is not to be found in Northridge, or at least not at Brent's Delicatessen.

While their corned beef sandwich vies with Langer's for the best in the region, the corned beef hash was lacking.  The portion was large and it was served with a side of potatoes, so the issue was certainly not leaving without enough food, as my waitress noted that nobody leaves Brent's hungry.  Rather the ratio of potatoes to corned beef was off as there was not enough potatoes.  Even worse, the corned beef was pureed, giving it no texture.  The dish came out more like a corned beef patty than corned beef hash.

The poached eggs on top were perfectly cooked and ran wonderfully over the hash.  There was ample choices of bagels and my egg bagel with butter that was served with the corned beef hash was also quite good.  It was sadly the main event that fell short.  I'll still keep Brent's in my Jewish deli sandwich rotation, but my search continues for the best corned beef hash.  If you have any suggestions, please let me know in the comments.

Brent's Deli: 19565 Parthenia Street between Tampa and Corbin Avenues, Northridge. Phone: (818) 886-5679. Website: www.brentsdeli.com

Ice Ice Shavie: Quality Ingredients and Mixology Flavors Come to Snow Cones

Ice Ice Shavie elevates the humble snow cone to artisinal status, using fresh and local fruits and herbs to create delicious flavors.  The venture from Damian Windsor, the head bartender at the Roger Room, and Liz Wiltgen offers flavors inspired by cocktails, although at public events does not include booze.  The Shavie team does do private events, at which they can add in the liquor to make these into truly adult shaved ice treats.

I sampled two of the flavors last weekend at the Studio City Farmers Market, which is the most consistent spot to find the Shavie team each Sunday.  I tried Strawberry Mojito with lime and strawberry juices, mint and sugar, as well as the Grapefruit Ricky with Elderflower, Lemon Juice, Vanilla and Grapefruit Juice.  Both were quite refreshing although I preferred the Grapefruit Ricky by a nose.

Other flavors available included:
Hammer Thyme: Strawberry, Thyme, Ginger and Simple Syrup
Blackberry Bramble: Blackberry, Lemon, Basil
Sonoma Fog: Sea Salt & Caramel

All flavors are $4 each and if you ask nicely they will put two flavors in one cup of shaved ice.  This was a whole other league than the Snoopy Snow Cone machines of our youth.  Windsor is one of the foremost bartenders in Los Angeles and the quality of his product was evident.  I hope to try the boozy version on a hot day soon.  Follow them on twitter or facebook to keep up to date.

Ice Ice Shavie: www.iceiceshavie.com

MB Post: LeFevre Raises the Bar in Manhattan Beach

Manhattan Beach had been in need of a destination restaurant that reflected the informality of the upscale beach community.  Chef David LeFevre, formerly the Executive Chef of the Water Grill in Downtown Los Angeles had been wanting to open a restaurant in his own neighborhood to fill that void and he has succeeded in both delivering a quality experience and pleasing the masses, as the food was quite good and the restaurant was packed on my visit.

I recently met up with Daniel from ThirstyinLA, Fiona of GourmetPigs and Tony from SinoSoul for a media dinner at MB Post and I had the opportunity to try the full gamut of the menu.  Although known for his fish dishes, LeFevre also excels at meat and vegetable dishes, such as the lamb belly and fried chicken.

Pomegranate Cous Cous

I particularly enjoyed the Salt Roasted Baby Beets served with chevre goat cheese and pistachio and beet green pesto.  The presentation was attractive and the beets still had their stems which made them appear freshly picked.

Salt Roasted Baby Beets

There is an extensive bread selection and the Fleur de Sel Pretzel served with horseradish mustard is the way to go.  The mustard is legitimately spicy and the pretzel was just the right consistency.  Hans Rockenwagner better watch out.

Bacon Cheddar Buttermilk Biscuits, Fleur de Sel Pretzel, Grilled Naan Flatbread

Cured Meats and Cheeses

The cheese selection includes some unusual choices, such as the Mycella Blue from Denmark.  Some marcona almonds are just the thing to accompany an order of cheese.  MB Post also offers a selection of honeys.  I had not seen this before and it is worth ordering for the novelty alone.  The honeys are comb, chestnut and truffle.  My favorite was the simplest, the comb, as the truffle could be overly intense.

Honey Selection, Mustard Selection and Fruit Spreads

Marinated Cucumbers

The Marinated Cucumbers with kalamata olives, peppadew peppers and chick peas is an unusual flavor combination with the salty of the olives with the sweet spiciness of the peppers and the neutral canvas of the cucumbers.

My favorite dish, hands down, was the Steamed Tai Snapper with bok choy and sudachi (Japanese citrus).  It was delicate and flavorful and the broth was just wonderful.  This was the dish I wanted to keep all to myself; it is not surprising that LeFevre is a fish expert.

Steamed Tai Snapper

For the lumberjacks in your party, the Fee Fi Fo Fum Fries are just the thing.  They must come from enormous potatoes as they are almost a foot long.  These thick cut fries with salt and herbs also retain much of the potato skin.  You may need a wheelbarrow full of ketchup to properly dunk them.

Fee Fi Fo Fum Fries

Moroccan BBQ Lamb Belly

The Moroccan BBQ Lamb Belly with creamy semolina, and weiser farms tiny carrots was as soft as short ribs.  The meat was unctuous and rich.  This felt like more of a winter dish for a cold night.  The Meyers Farm "Never Ever" Skirt Steak with grilled ramps and chicichurri was tasty and had some chew.  A crisp red wine would be just the thing to drink with it.

Meyers Farm "Never Ever" Skirt Steak

Three Point Tart

For dessert, I found the Three Point Tart to be the most successful as it combined macerated strawberries and rhubarb inside the pastry and was served with a buttermilk panna cotta.  The tart looked very much like an over-sized Hamentaschen, the traditional dessert at the Jewish holiday of Purim, which is made to look like a three point hat.  The fruit tasted fresh and the combination of strawberry and rhubarb was a pleasing way to end the meal.

Chef David LeFevre

LeFevre is excited that the neighborhood has taken to MB Post so strongly.  This is the rare South Bay restaurant that is worth the detour from the Westside.  It doesn't run away or condescend to its neighborhood; rather it provides an experience that feels organic, like it should have always been there, but better.  With its comfortable vibe and accessible quality, MB Post lives up to its moniker, a Social House.

MB Post: 1142 Manhattan Avenue, Manhattan Beach.  Phone: (310) 545-5405.  Website: www.eatmbpost.com