Consuming LA

July 3, 2013 · 11:08 am

Dead Chefs Society

Something very cool and collegiate is going on downtown at UMAMIcatessen. There’s a twelve-seat bar in the back of the restaurant that has been converted into “The Residency.” Here, visiting chefs create intimate and unique themed dinners. The latest is the Dead Chefs pop-up series presented by talented chef Micah Wexler (of the late great Mezze) and his partner Mike Kassar. Each meal is five courses, with optional wine pairing, inspired by the cuisine of a deceased chef. Wexler precedes each course with information about the legendary chef and an explanation of the dish you are about to consume. It’s kind of like that fun seminar that everyone wanted to take when you were in college with the cool visiting professor.

I recently attended one of these dinners; an homage to Maestro Martino di Como, a 15th-Century Italian culinarian who was the Western World’s first celebrity chef. The meal (pictured below) was molto buono and its highlight was a whole roasted suckling pig that Wexler carved table-side. Future Dead Chefs honored will include Julia Child, Jean-Louis Palladin, Sylvia Woods (the Queen of Soul Food) and Chen Kenmin (the father of Chinese Sichuan cooking).

The Residency at UMAMIcatessen is located at 852 S. Broadway, Los Angeles (Downtown). The Dead Chef dinners are at 7:15 and 9:00 every Thursday night until August 15th. Each dinner is $60 per person plus $30 for optional wine pairing.

Sgombri con Zucchini e Finocchi (Mackerel and Summer Squash with Wild Fennel Sauce)

Sgombri con Zucchini e Finocchi (Mackerel, Summer Squash with Wild Fennel Sauce)

Zanzarelli con Fava e Zafferano (Bread Soup with Fava Beans and Saffron)

Pasta with Arugula Pesto

Maialino da Latte Arrosto (Roasted Suckling Pig, Garlic, Herbs and Offal Sauce)

Crostata di Madorle (Almond Tarte with Date and Coffee and topped with Creme Fraiche)

Chef Micah Wexler educates and feeds you

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June 21, 2013 · 11:33 am

Boom Goes the Dynamite

If there was a Justice League for LA’s top chefs, David LeFevre would be included as “South Bay Man” or perhaps would just be known as “The Beachcomber.” He would travel on a turbo-charged beach cruiser, his flapping cape adorned with an “MB” shield and his utility belt replete with oyster knife and spatula. His superpower would remain the same: bringing kick ass cuisine to the impoverished palates of bronzed surfer dudes and beautiful volleyball babes in Manhattan Beach.

After opening the South Bay’s first great restaurant, MB Post, a couple years ago, LeFevre has now brought a second excellent eatery to the Beach Cities. Fishing with Dynamite is a tiny but bustling Eastern Seaboard-style oyster bar and seafood house located just a stone’s throw from the Manhattan Beach Pier. It’s a fun place to enjoy a cocktail such as the “Original Gangster” (Boulevardier with White Dog Whiskey, Aperol, Vya Sweet & Grapefruit) or the “Branding Iron” (Beer Flip with Oro Acholado Pisco, Egg, Vanilla, Nutmeg & Witte Bier), while slurping down Mattaki Oysters or indulging in some Peruvian Scallops or Little Neck Clams. The menu also features an array of delicious seafood concoctions such as Black Miso Cod, Maryland Blue Crab Cake (pictured above) and a truly spectacular Spicy Albacore Tuna Tartare. For those concerned with sustainable fishing practices, don’t get bent out of shape over the restaurant’s playful name. There is no actual dynamite fishing with regard to the seafood served by LeFevre; superheroes don’t condone that sort of thing.

Fishing with Dynamite is located at 1148 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach. Reservations are taken for only a couple tables; everything else, including seats at the raw bar and cocktail bar, is for walk-ins.

Oysters on the Half Shell with Horseradish, Lemon, Cocktail Sauce and Ponzu Sauce

Chef David’s Mother’s Cape Cod Squash Rolls with Rosemary Butter

Spicy Albacore Tuna Tartare

Beer Battered Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos with Red Cabbage and Spicy Crema with Lime and Cilantro on Housemade Corn Tortillas

Maple Pudding with Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Candied Pecans and Rosemary Sandies

A tiny place with a party atmosphere

Chef David LeFevre

A second great restaurant for Manhattan Beach!

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June 14, 2013 · 10:10 am

Do Not Pass Go’s

When I arrived at Go’s Mart for the first time on the advice of a friend, I thought maybe I was being punk’d. Its name sounds more like a gas station convenience store than a highly recommended Japanese restaurant. Its location next to a massage parlor in a non-descript strip mall in the West Valley Hinterlands of Canoga Park further fueled my skepticism. Once inside, I found myself in a tiny space with mostly bare orange walls, two tables and a seven-seat sushi bar. One of the best sushi restaurants in the city? Inconceivable! But after my first few pieces of mind-blowing nigiri, I know that it was true.

Go’s Mart is not for sushi purists. The super fresh, melt-in-your-mouth slices of fish are topped with things like gold leaf, sea salt, truffle oil and caviar. The only menu is a list of exotic specials on a dry erase board, but you can order lots of things that aren’t on the board and it’s probably best to put yourself in Chef Go’s expert hands and get the omakase (chef’s choice).

If you’re a-la-carting it, there are a few must-have items. The Live Scallop Sushi is insanely good, the Kelp Halibut is unbelievably amazing and the Akimo (Monk Fish Liver with Sweet Plum Sausce, Scallion, Sesame Seeds and Goji Berry) is transcendent. One of the best and most interesting dishes is the “Holy Cow,” a seared slice of authentic Japanese Kobe or Wagyu beef served sushi-style on rice with lemon salt and truffle oil. Although he’s clearly ultra-passionate about his sushi, Chef Go is no Sushi Nazi and won’t eject you for ordering a Spicy Tuna Roll.

At the end of my meal, there was no doubt that, despite the low-rent location and decor, Go’s Mart was a high-end sushi establishment and the bill reflected this as well. It was very expensive but worth every penny.

Go’s Mart is located at 22330 Sherman Way in Canoga Park.

Akimo (Monk Fish Liver with Sweet Plum Sauce, Scallion, Sesame Seeds and Goji Berry)

Kampachi Belly Sushi

Baby Abalone Sushi, Baby Red Snapper Sushi and Japanese Sea Bass Sushi

Live Scallop Sushi

Holy Cow

Snow Crab and Vegetable Hand Roll

Special Albacore Roll

Sashimi porn. Nice pair…of scallops!

A tiny place with orange walls

Don’t judge a book by its cover.

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June 7, 2013 · 11:46 am

Badmaash is Badaash

Q: What do you get when you combine Downtown hipsters, a Warhol-esqe treatment of Mahatma Ghandi, craft beer and Chicken Tikka Poutine? A: Badmaash, which opened last month and appears to be the country’s first Indian Gastropub. Its name is Hindi slang for a rascal or mischief-maker, and this Indian bad boy sports a modern and Ã¼ber-cool look which includes blackboard walls and brightly-colored vintage Bollywood movie posters. Rock music and an eclectic selection of fruity wines, India pale ales and other microbrews create a party-like atmosphere which stimulates the chakras and brims with good karma.

The food is as fun as the decor. The menu offers a mix of Bombay street food, Indian fusion cuisine and traditional Indian favorites. Badmaash’s mash-up fare includes the aforementioned Chicken Tikka Poutine (which is excellent and pictured above), Crispy Tamarind Glazed Pork Belly with Housemade Pickles and Cilantro-Pineapple Yogurt, a Spiced Lamb Burger and Chili-Cheese Naan Bread. There’s even a blasphemously delicious beef dish (which you rarely see in Indian restaurants for religious reasons) called Holy Cow Keema POW! If you want to go old school, you can feast on Butter Chicken, Saag Paneer and Ghost Chili Lamb Vindaloo. To drink, I recommend trying an imported Thums Up soda, a spicy cola with a strong cardamom and cinnamon flavor. Namaste, LA foodies!

Badmaash is located at 108 W 2nd St, Los Angeles (Downtown).

Indian Pickles and Preserves (Housemade Pickles with House Mango Chutney and Tomato Chutney)

Holy Cow Keema POW!

Butter Chicken

Two Thums Up!

Super cool digs

Love the upstairs too!

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May 31, 2013 · 10:08 am

Alma Lovin’

Alma started as an acclaimed pop-up restaurant in Venice, but laid down roots last year next to a taxi dance hall downtown on South Broadway. It has a cool minimalistic and modern interior with an open kitchen where a talented young chef named Ari Taymor hones his craft. Taymor’s modern American cuisine is the food equivalent of a Terrence Malick film or an opera by Phillip Glass; in other words, it’s not for everyone. But for foodies and other bon vivants (myself included), dinner at Alma can be a very special experience.

The menu, which is printed in lower case letters on pages of a yellow legal pad, changes daily and features small plates composed of seasonal, market-driven ingredients, many of which are sourced from an exclusive arrangement with a garden/micro-farm in Venice. The flavors are complex and nuanced. The combinations are, for the most part, interesting and inspired. As you would expect, there are foams and droplets of sauce.

My favorite dish is the Chicken Liver Toast & Date Jam, a perfect amalgam of sweet and savory, creamy and crunchy. I’m also a big fan of Alma’s Seaweed & Tofu Beignets with Yuzu Kosho and Lime, as well as their unusual “onion salad” of Spring Alliums, Kumquats, Goat’s Milk, Turnips and Coffee Granola. For dessert, I recommend the Warm Rye Bread Pudding with Red Fruits, Almond Brittle and Frozen Yogurt. You can enjoy it all with an organic wine, craft beer or homemade soda.

Alma is located at 952 S. Broadway, Los Angeles (Downtown). UPDATE: ALMA IS NOW CLOSED. VERY SAD.