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Project x Project’s PbP-LA Insider Success Story

October 5, 2023 Comments Off

(Gerry Furth-Sides) Project x Project’s PbP-LA evening was always one of my top three food events. It proved better than ever this year. The annual charity benefit continues to be exquisitely organized and presented. All proceeds benefit a single different charity each year.

The Project x Project Planning Committee board at Project x Project’s PbP 2023, and getting ready at Delhi Belly, Alhambra

Planning is key. With Delhi Belly in Alhambra, the planning committee visited the restaurant to become acquainted with Chef Sagar Ghosh and his food. Delhi Belly (@delhibellyla was a presenter in the VIP section on the upstairs level.

Board members planning meeting for PbP by Project by Project 2023 at Delhi Belly

Tried ahead of time, the Chef Sagar Ghosh’s panipuri – tamarind juice to pour in potato mash-filled semolina balls at Project x Project’s PbP 20

Tried ahead of time, the Chef Sagar Ghosh’s panipuri by the project x Project PbP board member members at Delhi Belly

Delhi Belly’s surprised and pleased guest at Project x Project’s PbP 2023

Project x Project planning board attention to detail is with every step. The Malai Mascarpone chicken kabobs are prepped in the kitchen and grilled over a fire on-site.

Board Member Kevin Wang helps Chef Sagar Ghosh, Delhi Belly, set up at Project x Project’s PbP-LA 2023

Meanwhile on the first level below, guests mingled, watched live entertainment and presentations and wandered among two rows of vendors. Samplings included traditional and cutting edge food and both non-alcoholic drinks like boba) and spirits.

The PbP event main level with double rows of vendors to the right, a stage front and center and an upstairs VIP section.

Vendors in the VIP exclusive section also included long-time Long Beach stalwart, Cave Prime Steak, Long Beach (@thecavesteak). The short rib was melt-in-the-mouth over a firm but creamy polenta. The booth was at the far end of the row of vendors to draw people to the back. The strategy was to place The Cave at the far end of the row so that the fragrant live cooking attracted guests. It worked.

A full meal from Cave Prime Steak, Long Beach (@thecavesteak) — with creme brulee for dessert — with smiles

Maker’s Mark (Amakersmark; Matchako (@drinkmatchako; Sans @sanandwolvesbakeshop ; Sunmerry Bakery (@sunmerryus); Thai Farmhouse (@thaifarmhouse and Simonette Restaurant @simonetterestaurant.

Thai Farmhouse Kitchen’s elaborate table at Project x Projects PbP 2023

Stars on the first General Admission level, including Cafe Dulce, are written up in //localfoodeater.com/exquisite-project-x-projects-asian-pbp-la-benefit/ They included artisans who are just now setting up brick and mortar place, such as the truly marvelous authentic French, Maison Matho (@maisonmatho), shown below

Authentic, scrumptious French sandwiches at new Maison Matho (@maisonmatho, Project x Project’s PbP 2023

(@eastsidecheesecakes); Emporium Thai ( @emporiumthai); Flurr Ice (@fluffice); Gogo’s Tacos (@gogostacosla); Hummy Soju Seltzer (@drinkhummy); Intercrew (@intercrewla); Jack Daniel’s (@jackdaniels_us); Kazunori (@ kazunori); Kirin Ichiban (@kirinichibanusa); Le Cou @lecoupe_friedchicken); Loose Leaf Boba (@looseleafboba);

626 Hospitality at Project x Project’s PbP 2023

Gem offered a dish right out of the current Asian holiday news of: Salted Egg Yolk Paste as the answer to parmesan cheese. And it does taste exactly like it!

Gem with a newsmaker Salted Egg Yolk Paste with Shrimp at Project x Project’s PbP 2023

Eveleigh (@theeveleigh and trendy Kato Restaurant (@katorestaurant), shown below also presented.

trendy Kato Restaurant (@katorestaurant), Project x Project’s PbP 2023

Other presenters included: Maker’s Mark, @makersmark; Makku & Soku, @drinkmakku; Nep Cafe + Gem Dining, @nep.cafe, @gemdining; Paderia, @paderiabakehouse; Salt & Straw, @saltandstraw; Santuari, @santuarila; Sanzo, @drinksanzo; Sunright Tea Studio, @sunrightteastudio.socal, @sunrightteastudio; Tasty Food 626; Teremana Tequila, @teremana; Top Tep, @toptep.popup; Wanderlust, @wanderlustcreamery; Wildwonder, @drinkwildwonder; The X Pot, @chubbycattle, @nikuxla; Yoju, @sipyoju, and Papille Gustative, @papillegustativela, below, with a healthy, refreshing cod liver salad.

Papille Gustative, @papillegustativela at Project x Project’s PbP 2023

The formal evening of luxurious indulgences is designed to raise awareness of Project x Project on a local and national level, primarily its mission to develop leaders through innovative philanthropy. The charity fundraiser, PbP is the perfect backdrop while guests enjoy sampling signature dishes, participate in a silent auction, and attend the highly celebrated after-party.

Guests enjoying a leisurely, delicious, productive evening at Project x Project’s PbP 2023

PbP-LA guests include guests from nonprofit organizations, elected officials, community influencers, and professionals from various industries to learn more about our 2023 campaign theme of Education Access and our beneficiary partner.

Proceeds fro Project by Project (PbP) 2023 benefit Hope Community Services to continue youth and senior programs. Founded in 1995, Hope Community Services, located in Orange County, has been instrumental in supporting the Vietnamese community by delivering educational programs, including youth summer camps, after-school tutoring, and senior English Second Language classes. PbP-LA looks forward to contributing to HOPE’s mission as they build pathways so that Vietnamese Americans and the AAPI community can not only survive but thrive in our beautiful nation.

Maker’s Mark Old Fashioned Cocktails at Project x Project’s PbP 2023

Banana Leaf’s Expanded DTLA Menu

December 23, 2022 Comments Off

(Gerry Furth-Sides) One, two, three, four –here’s why THE perfect score for food and service at Banana Leaf DTLA, one month-old today. It makes me so 🥰 because the owner is the publisher of LocalFoodEater.

BananaLeaf owner and LocalFoodEater.com publisher, Sri Sambangi at BananaLeafLA

Please read the story about how the restaurant added a location to their Culver city flagship in //localfoodeater.com/southern-cuisine-banana-leaf-moves-north/

Toasting at Kapoor’s Akbar with former owner Avi and new owner Sri (front left and right),
writers Cathy Arkle and Barbara Hansen (back left and right)

(1) First off, two samosas( $4.99), always made from scratch here, are so big that one order could make a meal with a side. Plump with a potato mash, bright peas and mint combination snugly packaged into each substantial triangle, the firm crust is more pie than pastry. Please slide to see.

The gorgeous samosa made in house at the new Banana LeafLA in downtown Los Angeles

The second item for the new Banana Leaf score and my “reason” for ordering Banana Leaf Saag Paneer for the nth time even from this extensive menu of untried dishes: it is prepared by Chef “Cha Cha” in the northern style with cream. And it is sublime, with just the right measured, experienced touch of seasonings in the minced fresh spinach (saag).

Northern style Saag Paneer at Banana LeafLA in DTLA

Wonderful server Ani suggested the customary garlic naan fresh from the tandoor oven to go along with it. Please slide to see although this photo doesn’t begin to capture its deep color and playful puffiness.

Naan right out of the tandoori oven at Banana LeafLA in downtown LA

I asked Ani if the saag was popular and she herself ate it. Answer to both “yes, a lot.” She added, “but I am a vegetarian.” For me, a carnivore by DNA, Banana Leaf southern and now northern saag can mysteriously make up an entire satisfying meal for me… day after day 😋 actually it’s so healthy, why question it!

Ani helps us find new dishes from the BananaLeafLA in downtown LA

Reasons 3 and 4 for my Banana Leaf DTLA score: The front and back of the house!

Even as an unknown American customer to the new, young and yet old-school South Indian crew, I was treated warmly and guided to a meal of new dishes to me – and had my tons of questions answered thoughtfully and completely.

Friendly Ani at Banana Leafla in Downtown Los Angeles

High energy founder-owner Sri Sambangi created a happy and delicious experience both here and the more bustling, tiny Culver City flagship) with this more spacious spot so beautifully managed.

Here the aura of dignified Chef de Cusine, affectionately called, “Cha Cha,” seems to ripple through the place, even in the well-organized menu.

Chef recognized me from Banana Leaf Culver City and phoned the chef there to see that I was not ordering dishes they might have on the westside Southern-only menu!

The extensive menu reflects the most popular of Akbar’s most popular northern classics and Banana Leaf’s focus on South Indian food. The Akbar menu will still be available online.

Here is the beautifully packaged Biryani and Gitti Vankaya (stuffed eggplant), exclusive to DTLA.

Biryani and Gitti Vankaya from Banana LeafLA in downtown LA

Banana Leaf IS ready even though the pandemic craziness means the sign on the front still reads Kapoor’s Akbar, the restaurant that most recently occupied the site, as does the interior and wine list, all in transition.

The addresses are:

701 W. Cesar E. Chavez Ave., Suite 107, Los Angeles, CA 90012. (213) 372-5590.

10408 Venice Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232, (310) 838-2130.

Southern Cuisine “Banana Leaf” Moves North!

November 21, 2022 Comments Off

(Gerry Furth-Sides) Chef-owner Sri Sambangi didn’t let moving madness get in the way of making it a party on the first day of new Banana Leaf LA in DTLA. Thank you, Sri. Here he serves and guests new dishes he cooked himself on the new Southern Indian cuisine menu, starting with the Southern Shrimp Curry in his hand.

Chef-owners Sri Sambangi at Banana Leaf in DTLA

There’s also Chicken Curry in typical southern regional style made with tomato sauce and no cream. Naan here is so “hot” it earned the name “Bullet Naan,” extra crispy Gobi or cauliflower Manchurian style that is sweet, sour and spicy. And the extra crispy extends to the Paneer Majestic (below).

Southern Indian style Chicken Curry with tomato sauce, no cream **at Banana Leafla**

Extra crispy Gobi (cauliflower) Manchurian **at Banana Leafla**

Naan so (spicy” hot it’s called “bullet naan” at BananaLeafla – we could handle it!

The downtown location is now in transition to upbeat green and white Banana Leaf decor and a new wine list. The original Banana Leaf LA, which Sambangi founded in Culver City, maintains an extensive menu that includes 18 styles of biryani.

A wine list for Banana Leaf, curated by Avi Kapoor is in the works, along with wine event plans. Wine expert Avi is known for pairing wines and Indian cuisine, and regular sold-out wine dinners, which will continue at Banana leaf.

Banana LeafLA boasts a wine list curated by wine expert, Avi Kapoor

This is only one of the three new locations for Banana Leaf, including a new outpost in North Redondo Beach and a free-standing place. Sambangi has been partnering with venerated Chef-owner Avi Kapoor on both street food menus and for the upcoming Akbar Pasadena.

Avi Kapoor making a pink pineapple lassi for us at Kapoor’s Akbar

This downtown location takes over Kapoor’s Akbar, which served northern cuisine. So the menu will also offer a few northern favorites in-house plus the Kapoor’s Akbar menu online only. We’ll drink to that with @jollytomato and @tableconversation!

WritersBarbara Hansen (@tableconverssation),Jeane Fratello (@jollytomato) **BananaLeafla** DTLA

Drinking a pink pineapple toast at Kapoor’s Akbar in 2021 – who knew?

The celebration continues with the flagship Banana Leaf LA, in Culver City, the Redondo Beach outpost and this new location all now offering 18 variations of signature biryani.

Welcome! (Free parking inside the building) Just down the street from the Music Center.

701 W. Cesar E. Chavez Ave., Suite 107, Los Angeles, CA 90012. (213) 372-5590.
10408 Venice Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232, (310) 838-2130.
2302 Artesia Blvd. Ste:A. Redondo Beach, CA 90278 · (310) 540-0777.
Akbar Pasadena 400 S. Arroyo Parkway, Pasadena, California 91105 (626) 795-8401.

Top Ethnic 2019 Super Bowl Parties in LA

January 23, 2019 Comments Off

Super Bowl Margaritas (Photos Courtesy of Casita Del Campo)

(Gerry Furth-Sides) Festive Casita del Campo in Silverlake offers game viewing on a large projector screen with surround sound, right next to the bar. Enjoy delectably authentic Mexican cuisine, handcrafted margaritas and ice-cold beer as you cheer on your favorite team. Casita recently introduced Draft Beer selections by the glass or pitcher: Negra Modelo, Cerveceria Manos De Calaca, Stella Artois, Firestone Walker 805 and Lagunitas IPA. Casita Del Campo Margaritas feature the Classic, Strawberry, and Pomegranate. Food for the table includes the Casita’s Special prepared with six delicious crispy mini tortillas topped with chicken, beef, jack cheese, sour cream and fresh guacamole, the popular Queso Fundidos, Taquitos or Homemade Guacamole.

Casita Del Campo on Sunday, February 3^rd, 2019 from 11:00 am to 11:00 pm; 1920 Hyperion Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90027; 323.662.4255; www.CasitaDelCampo.net

(photo courtesy of Casita del Campo)

Preux & Proper’s Super Bowl Sunday in DTLA provides four TV’s for game watching after Sunday Brunch. Wakey Wakey Bloody Mary prepared with bacon-infused vodka, Smog City Little Bo’ Pils, Blackstrap Worcestershire, hickory-smoked black salt, sharp cheddar, pepperoni, cherry tomato and house-pickled okra is the drink of the day. Or make it a real Southern Sunday Brunch soirée with Bottomless Mimosas ($15 per person) available until 4:00 pm.

Wakey Wakey Bloody Mary (photo by Ziv Sade)

Superstar Executive Chef Sammy Monsour’s sweet and savory Fried Chicken & Waffles brunch special made with Mary’s Free-Range Chicken breast, a buttermilk cornbread waffle, served with honey, pecans, and butter of course (lots of butter) starts the day. Preux & Proper wants the fun to continue “all day long”. Their game day Happy Hour goes from 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm in the Barroom and the upstairs Proper Dining Hall. $1 Oysters, $1 Wings and Handcrafted Pitchers of Cocktails ($45 each) are inspired by the two competing Super Bowl 53 teams. The pitchers serve up to four guests. It is impossible to pick between them. Preux & Proper’s tantalizing Dungeness Crab Hushpuppies served with house bourbon barrel-aged green hot sauce, boil spice and charred poblano butter and Deep Dish Biscuit Dough Pizza like the Paulie’s Pomegranate-Habanero B.B.Q. Pork with smoked red onions and Tillamook cheddar are must-haves.

The inimitable team at Preux & Proper – your hosts for a perfect party. Owner-partners Josh and Chef Sammy top left and right.

Chef Sammy Monsour

Preux & Proper open for Super Bowl LIII on Sunday, February 3^rd, 2019 for Sunday Brunch from 12:00 noon to 4:00 pm, Happy Hour from 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm, and Sunday Supper from 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm; 840 South Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90015; 213.896.0090; www.PreuxandProper.com

Preux & Proper “New Orleans” Beignets at to sweeten the Saints fans’ day.

Preux & Proper’s regular menu will be offered. Here the Fried Game Hen that makes you forget fried chicken forever

Visit South City Fried Chicken at DTLA’s Corporation Food Hall and enjoy a Fried Chicken Sandwich, or two, while watching Super Bowl LIII and savoring a Handcrafted Cocktail, sipping a Glass of Wine, Ice Cold Beer or knocking back a stiff Shot at Corporation Food Hall’s new drinking destination, The Fountain. Fans can order a classic South City Fried Chicken Sandwich like the Nashville, made with Nashville Hot, house pickles and cookout slaw, or enjoy the Miami, made with jerk spice, lemongrass remoulade, mint, jalapeño, lime, and shaved gem lettuce. For those looking for more, try one of South City Fried Chicken’s new Fried Chicken Boxes. Choose the Chicken & Waffles Box with four cinnamon sugar spiced chicken tenders, two cornbread waffles, whipped butter and Vermont maple syrup or the Chicken & Biscuit Box served with four seasoned chicken tenders, a buttermilk biscuit, South City fries, avocado ranch & Carolina gold sauces. With each of these amazing options, even if your team loses, you will still be a winner at South City Fried Chicken with a full chicken dinner on Super Bowl Sunday!

Fresh from the kitchen at Preux & Proper!

South City Fried Chicken caters Super Bowl Day

Corporation Food Hall’s South City Fried Chicken prepares the perfect Super Bowl LIII spread for take-out home-viewing. South City Fried Chicken’s Super Bowl LIII Fried Chicken Box ($295.00 per order serving 14 to 16 guests) features favorite Southern fixings in a mix and match feast. Step 1: Pick Your Fried Chicken by deciding between 30 Boneless Breasts, 30 Whole Wings (Drumette, Wingette & Tip), 60 Tenders, or choose two and get a HALF & HALF at no extra cost. Step 2: Style options include the Carolina Picnic served with buttermilk biscuits, Carolina gold, and avocado ranch. The Nashville Hot includes sweet & tangy cookout slaw and zesty house dill pickles. And the Chicken & Waffles comes with cornbread waffles, whipped butter, and Vermont maple syrup. Step 3: Pick Two Sides such as Chicken Bacon Cobb Salad with avocado, heirloom tomato, hard-boiled Chino Valley eggs, house-made hickory-smoked chicken, bacon, queso fresco and avocado ranch; South City Fries; Tangy Cookout Slaw & House Pickles; Pop’s Slaw & House Pickles or Watermelon & Cucumber Salad with Thai basil, mint, lime, cilantro, extra-virgin olive oil and coconut-macadamia crumble.

Bo Smothers serveing up fried chicken

South City Fried Chicken adds a touch of southern hospitality by including House-Fermented Hot Sauce (choice of barrel-aged green hot or Cali-Fresno red), a Half Gallon of both South City Fried Chicken Unsweetened Iced Tea and Lemonade, cups, napkins and plastic cutlery with each order.

Photo courtesy of South City Fried Chicken

South City Fried Chicken will be open for Super Bowl LIII on Sunday, February 3^rd, 2019 from 12:00 Noon to 10:00 pm; 724 South Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90014; 213.278.0008; www.SouthCityFriedChicken.com. For Catering orders visit www.SouthCityFriedChicken.com/catering or call South City Fried Chicken directly at 213.278.0008.

Café Pinot with Grand Hotel Restaurant Manners

October 12, 2018 Comments Off

(Gerry Furth-Sides) Café Pinot feels like a secret garden cleverly tucked into a pocket on the dark side of the main Los Angeles Public Library. New Executive Chef Phillip Martin’s recently introduced fall seasonal menu that includes both new dishes and a few of the restaurant classics with his touch, reflects the care and craftsmanship that has always gone into this DTLA treasure. Now, obsessed with the Spanish series, Grand Hotel as I am, this radiant gem becomes the contemporary dining version of the hotel’s lush restaurant and afternoon tea grounds for me as well.

These are the Maguire Gardens (named after the developer who helped preserve the library after the 1986 fire), a favorite DTLA outdoor space of lush plantings that all that remains of Bertram Goodhue and Carleton Winslow’s original library gardens. Part of their plan recreates Goodhue’s original Islamic-influenced design with cypress lined tiers of steps flanking long shallow pools.

Chef Martin summons George- Local Food Eater

Exuberant Chef Martin summons George to table

The second of Joachim Splichal’s portfolio, it has been my favorite since it opened. Warm wood and earth tones add to the organic, hushed feel of the 1920’s craftsman interior. Glass walls allow the restaurant to fall away into the park itself. Outside dining in the manicured park is exquisite and intimate, whether by day or as the center of a glittering skyline at night.

The restaurant seems to fall away into the park by way of floor-to-ceiling glass walls, one open.

“White tablecloth” dining at its most exquisite, contemporary and relaxed

International inspiration is folded into the cuisine described as Cal-with touches of shishito pepper and calamansi and shimeji mushroom making an Asian statement in the menu.

The wine list is reasonably priced with many California and French labels. The helpful server picked a modestly priced Canyon Road Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast for our red. Medium-bodied and smooth with accents of cherries, raspberries, and vanilla with a silky finish, it is still light enough to pair with fish.

Even the cocktails hold international lure. The Copper Pot in its Moscow Mule copper mug translates into more of a romance language version than Russian with Casa Noble tequila, grand mariner, honey, watermelon cubes, fresh lime, basil, and cilantro.

The Copper Pot Cocktail at Café Pinot

Happily, each engaging dish begins with the same class French technique since Café Pinot opened, with evolving inventive touches that are surprising and delightful. The menu also includes shareable small and large plates (though Crispy Lamb Sweetbreads would never fall into this category for me).

Yes, there is old-school bread offered, a meal in itself. George happily brought heels, too

We ate the rest of the heels at Café Pinot toasted

Crispy Lamb Sweetbreads with cumin Rojo, leeks, cucumber roll-up, yogurt and mint, our favorite bite of the evening in the Small Plates section, reflects both middle eastern and Latin inspiration. Only adventurous chefs with confident technique take on the challenge of this dish utilizing both the thymus gland (from the throat) and the pancreas gland (heart or stomach). When Lamb sweetbreads are soaked and blanched well as they are here, it takes away the usual offal musty flavor. As a result, Chef Martin’s sweetbread is perfectly smooth, tender and moist with a crispy outside complementing the mild, creamy flavor of the inside. And the sweetbreads interplay beautifully with the rich, more acidic flavors of the spice and yogurt, just as they should.

Lamb sweetbreads at Café Pinot

In the Small Plate section, Hamachi Crudo with tomato, watermelon, Fresno pepper and kalamansi, a cross between citrus and kumquat, known as the Philippine lime, but with a more sour taste. Mushroom confit and tarragon are new additions to an Australian Beef Tartare but more unexpected is the additional crunch of jicama and the Little Gem lettuce cover-up.

Australian Beef Tartare at Café Pinot

Fennel composed salad has a Northern California autumn flair with pear, citrus, hazelnut, Humboldt Fog cheese and black pepper.

The Fennel salad at Café Pinot

All the pasta are made fresh in-house daily using cage-free eggs. Spaghetti Alla chitarra, known as “guitar spaghetti,” gets its name from being pressed into long strands using a stringed chitarra cutter, which seems to make a guitar sound as you mold them.

Cilantro Chittara at Café Pinot

Squid Ink Fettuccine with shrimp, garlic, breadcrab and chili flakes at Café Pinot

Our favorite in the Large Plate section was the Market Fish, here delicately crusted, tender salmon with confit fingerling potato, Himeji mushroom, leek, and nasturtium. The nasturtium was such a nostalgic reminder of when it grew wild in our nearby Silverlake home — Chef Martin says he still finds it growing all over the area. The confit fingerling potato was a smart, innovative transition between the fatty salmon and the mushrooms and leeks.

Salmon with confit fingerling potato, shimeji mushroom, leek, nasturtium

Duck Breast with quinoa, charred fig jam, 64.5c egg yolk, five spice broth – 64.5 is the chef’s ideal temperature between the usual 62 and 65.

Dessert can be flamboyant – don’t forget this is also a special occasion party venue. But our own grand finale came at the restaurant’s closure. It even topped the time I was at a dinner at Café Pinot with the legendary Gloria Steinem after a library lecture. On this evening I was carrying home a very thoughtfully composed little bag of bread heels by the restaurant staff, a faulty parking structure gate would not let me leave the garage. No one was in the garage so I phoned the closed restaurant for help, and Manager George dashed right down to help even after hours. Now, I don’t know what could be a more Grand Hotel experience that this.

Café Pinot, www.patinagroup.com/cafe-pinot.

700 West 5th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90071, parking available at the adjacent Library, located on Flower St. Validation required. Weekdays 1st 2 hours $6, after 5 PM & Weekends first 4 hours FREE. Tel. 213-239-6500

Maker’s Mark Defines Preux & Proper and Vice Versa

September 12, 2018 Comments Off

The signature Maker’s Mark barrel at Preux and Proper

(Gerry Furth-Sides) Editor’s Note: Since this post was published, Preux & Proper no longer features Maker’s Mark. The dictionary definition of “Maker’s Mark” is the hallmark on a piece of English gold, silver, or plate denoting the person or firm responsible for its production. Maker’s Mark. Maker’s Mark is a small-batch bourbon whiskey produced in Loretto, Kentucky, by Beam Suntory, bottled at 90 U.S. proof (45% alcohol by volume), immediately recognizable by squarish bottles sealed with red wax. For the story, read //www.forbes.com/sites/joemicallef/2018/06/03/makers-mark-private-select-how-to-reinvent-bourbon-making/#54a6f4221030

Private label curated by Chef Sammy and Beverage Director, Kassady Wiggins

Owner-Founder, Joshua Kopel and Chef Sammy Monsour traveled to Loretto to curate their own private Maker’s Mark label.

Executive Chef Sammy Monsour

The cocktail program is considered as much of a physical manifestation of P & P’s Southern heritage as the food. Beverage Director, Kassady Wiggins layers each one of her creations with freshly squeezed juices, house made accouterments, locally sourced ingredients, and artisanal spirits.

Beverage Director, Kassady Wiggins

Preux & Proper’s welcoming drink: a GREEN GULLAH with st. george gin, pineapple, lime, green chartreuse, ginger beer and chipotle.

Preux (trounced “Pro” as in “Faux”): French, meaning brave, valiant, gallant, courageous. Preux refers to the downstairs barroom, a laid-back, inviting neighborly place with bold drinks. “The drinks are built to impress by being creative, heavy-handed and garnished,” explains Kopel, “all with the purpose of encouraging camaraderie among our guests. He himself is there most nights mingling with the regulars who support the place.

An open-air frozen daiquiri bar also serves warm true grit soul food and a long menu of cold drinks.

Trip Hatch III with a trio flight of slushy daiquiris, perfect for a hot Indian summer evening

The barkeeps pose; note the Maker’s Mark on the top shelf

Brunch dishes range from BraiSED COLLARDS with lady Edison country ham, chino valleyed and house-fermented Fresno hot sauce to the COLORADO LAMB RIBS Jamaican jerk rub, passionfruit-scotch bonnet bbq, radish pickles shown below.

Sunday brunch is SRO at Preux & Proper

Preux & Proper’s uncorked Sunday street face

Upstairs is PROPER (präpər): Conforming to established standards of behavior or manners. Proper—the spare, airy upstairs dining roof which offers bistro seating, a more extensive modern dinner menu and craft cocktails. It is also used for private parties and closed down on slow evenings.

Bo Smothers personifies the happy, integrated staff at Preux & Proper

Preux & Proper offers $1 oysters all evening, every Monday in the downstairs Barroom, accompanied with fresh lemon and an array of house-made Southern hot sauces, plus Handcrafted Cocktails.

“Must Try” PREUX & PROPER DTLA: Chef Sammy Monsour Cures My Heart

September 12, 2018 Comments Off

Gumbo pot cooking at the tip of the Preux & Proper flat-iron building, or the prow of an imagined Mississippi riverboat. Okra gumbo with sticky rice, “tobacco leeks” and crispy onions.

(Gerry Furth-Sides) Preux & Proper’s is in a sweet two-floor version of the iconic (22 stories) New York flat-iron high-rise built in 1902. This DTLA location may be an odd match-up for New Orleans cuisine, but founder-owner Joshua Kopel, partner-Chef Sammy Monsour beautifully realize Kopel’s mission to “bring a little bit of authentic Southern food and hospitality to Southern California.” It is his modest Southern way of saying, “we moved mountains to bring it about.” www.PreuxandProper.com

Owner-Founder Joshua Koppel with P & P’s private selection of Maker’s Mark Bourbon

The first visit ranged from endearing endlessly impressive, and even more so on confirming visits afterward. Not one to follow the herd, it makes me beam that the owner’s vision of Preux & Proper doesn’t sit well with certain local restaurant critics. They just don’t get it.

The upstairs bar at Preux & Proper with live entertainment on Thursdays at the far end

Dining al fresco at the opposite (tip) end of the flat-iron building of Preux & Proper

There are two stories to the place. PROPER (präpər): Conforming to established standards of behavior or manners, refers to the upstairs dining room enveloped in an elegant bistro atmosphere, and offering an extensive dinner menu and craft cocktails. For the Preux story, please see //localfoodeater.com/makers-mark-defines-preux-proper-and-vice-versa/.

So let’s talk about the intensely flavored, sometimes giddy combinations of food. What is merely the standout dishes on the menu could make a menu in and of themselves though it was heavenly to work our way through here appears to be the best of all New Orleans cuisine.

Chef Sammy in the downstairs kitchen across from the stairs

Chef Sammy Monsour is a man who traveled down many culinary roads, and he will readily explain how this works. His Lebanese heritage shows up in the middle eastern flavors threading their way through dishes, infusing a sunny, cool Mediterranean light among the more earthy heat of New Orleans ingredients. He fondly recalls his grandmother cooking dinner for the family every night, and we suspect he may be channeling her talents.

Chef Monsour, first of all, cures my heart. This is the “heart” listed first in the Hand Made Charcuterie as SMOKED BEEF HEART PASTRAMI TOAST, hummus, lemon, and shaved trinity. A surgeon would be proud of this precisely-sliced heart, evenly laid onto a bread roll spread with hummus and rancho Gordon Domingo Rojo beans. A novel shaved a layer of New Orleans Holy Trinity (onion, garlic and bell peppers) on top becomes an instant, natural classic.

Preux & Proper’s SMOKED BEEF HEART PASTRAMI TOAST

Anson Mills sea island red peas, blackstrap molasses, marjoram, house gorditas share the bowl and dress up HOUSE ANDOUILLE SAUSAGE.

HOUSE ANDOUILLE SAUSAGE at Preux & Proper

In the SOUTHERN fried section, SQUASH BLOSSOM CHILE RELLENO arrives as an outrageously colorful blooming Squash Blossom, hides under a crazy quilt of Humboldt fog, midnight bean & corn succotash and epazote, with pumpkin seed mole rivulets to seal in all the flavors.

Preux & Proper’s SQUASH BLOSSOM CHILE RELLENO,

The FRIED WHOLE GAME HEN in the same section will make you forget about fried chicken forever. The secret is the crunch of crushed pecans and the honeycomb on top. Add it to the buttermilk biscuits with serrano jelly taste for pure decadence.

FRIED WHOLE GAME HEN at Preux & Proper

CHARRED OCTOPUS in the Fresh OFF THE HOOK section refers to the most tender but firm, scintillating octopus dish ever prepared. I’ve always loved the Marino ristorante grilled squid and it turns out squid and octopus are cephalopod cousins but not rivals! //www.youtube.com/watch?v=6I3221Fhb14

The “proper” CHARRED OCTOPUS at Preux & Proper

Preux & Proper DUNGENESS CRAB HUSHPUPPIES float atop a house bourbon barrel-aged green hot sauce, boil spice, with a spark of color by way of charred poblano butter. The textures alone define umami.

Preux & Proper’s DUNGENESS CRAB HUSHPUPPIES

VEGETABLES in THE TABLE section possess their own innovative Chef Sammy twists. Classic BRAISED COLLARDS arrive with a Chino Valley egg perched atop the greens, laced with shredded lady Edison country ham shoulder, and Fresno chili hot sauce turning up the hearing. Cracking the egg over the top turns the dish into “bacon and egg.”

BRAISED COLLARDS with an egg

The last bite is, of course, beignets dusted with powdered sugar.

The side window view at Preux & Proper upstairs

How to Eat the Hottest, Wildest Ethnic Food without Heartburn

May 1, 2018 Comments Off

(Gerry Furth-Sides) How do you promote a heartburn medicine to Millennials and foodies? PEPCID® has the medicine and Feastly has the event spaces and diner market. So by way of a New York PR company they partnered to create a series of dinners to trigger heartburn with chefs. Chef Bruce Kalman, known for his farn-to-table refined dishes, created the Los Angeles dinner. I was privileged to sit next to the extraordinary food photographer, Peter Tseng.

PEPCID® events nationally include Chef Matt Adoo (Pig Beach, Pig Bleecker) in New York City; with the wonderful Chef Fabio Viviani in Chicago. Triggers that cause heartburn that was in the meal are listed below.

Menu by Bruce Kalman (below)

Photo by David Morrison

Meatballs and Cheese Puff Passed Hors d’doerves

Bread Appetizer

With housemade cultured butter and pickled giardiniera to induce heartburn!

The lovely server got me a bread heel on a little plate. Then every other server tried to pick it up!

Mussels Small Plate

Smoked Hope Ranch mussels conservas with pickled Fresno chile and buckwheat lentil crackers

Tortelloni Small Plate

Ricotta tortelloni, tomato-orange fondue, minted English peas, whey, and Meyer lemon.

Entree

Barolo and coffee-braised Holstein beef short rib with Urfa chile and butter-poached radish.

Budino

Budino Dessert

Salted caramel budino with spiced and candied hazelnuts and whipped crème fraiche.

You too can be a part of this campaign. The east coast PR company also thought up the Instagram campaign of #CarpeDinner (“Seize Dinner”), encouraging diners to shoot photos of their favorite dishes when doing this.

TRIGGERS THAT CAUSE HEARTBURN

Increased pressure on your abdomen
Being overweight, obese, or pregnant; eating heavy meals; or wearing certain clothing that might be too tight around your abdomen may cause excess pressure.

Certain types of medication
Never stop taking any medication prescribed or recommended by your doctor without talking to the doctor first.

Smoking or inhaling secondhand smoke
Smoking weakens the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) and can also contribute to other digestive conditions, as well as cause cancer.

Greasy, spicy, or fatty foods
Learn more about specific foods that trigger heartburn and how to help manage your diet.

Caffeinated beverages
Coffee, tea, sodas, and energy drinks are common heartburn triggers.

Alcohol
Red wine is worse than white wine as a heartburn trigger, though both increase stomach acid production.

My slender, aunt Lillian (who recently passed away at 100), “loved everything when it comes to food as long as there were no herbs in it.” She loved to tune in to the CNN station regularly to follow my literary hero, Anthony Bourdain, not for his cultural insights but to gasp as what he ate. And then she would have a field day asking me how he could eat so much, and rhetorically ask how he could eat so many things that were sure to explode in his stomach. The answer: he got sick a lot so now he just takes little tastes and he now works out. She never seemed to have found Andrew Zimmern’s TV show (I maintain that he can describe the culinary scene within the cultural context of a town just as well as any travel writer), or there would have been a lot more to say. And I’m sure that PEPSID would be very beneficial to them.

Third Los Angeles (v. Spain!) Paella, Wine & Beer Festival October 7

October 4, 2017 Comments Off

The 3rd Annual Paella, Wine & Beer Festival is a celebration of Paella – a dish that comes to us from Spain, with origins dating back to the eighteenth century. It features UNLIMITED TASTING PAELLA that will feed over 5,000 people, including the largest Paella ever cooked in California, that will feed 3,000 attendees by itself!

Fifty chefs from California-Baja California region and Spain will compete for the title of Best Paella in Los Angeles at the 3^rd Annual Paella & Wine Festival to be held on October 7^th, from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., at Pershing Square (532 S Olive St, Los Angeles, CA)

Fifty Regional and International Chefs to Compete for the Best PaellaParticipating chefs include Mario Medina, Leo Razo, Luis Roger, Chris Tzorin, Claudia Sandoval, Miguel Angel Guerrero, Andrew Spurgin, Javier Gonzalez, Flor Franco, and Jesus Melero and Miguel Sanfeliu, both from Spain. A panel of ten chefs will judge the paellas a select the winner. The Festival will also feature 20 wineries, 10 beer companies, and 10 tequileros from California, Mexico, and Spain.

The winner of the paella Valenciana will be going to Spain to compete for the world title of best Paella Valenciana in Chueca Valencia Spain.

Restaurateur and Chef Vicente Ortiz will be cooking the biggest Paella ever cooked in the USA. Don Chente Bar and Grill, 1248 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90015.

The famous saffron-infused rice dish that marries bold flavors and delightful textures. Combined with a variety of meats, shellfish, and vegetables, paella was originally a peasant’s meal cooked over an open fire in the fields and eaten directly from the pan using wooden spoons. The dish takes its name from the wide shallow pan that it is cooked in, traditionally called the paella or paellera.

The recipe commonly known as paella can more accurately be referred to as Arroz a la Paella (rice is done in paella-style). Today, paella recipes have become somewhat of an art form – ranging from decadent meats and seafood to vegan and vegetarian.

//www.eventbrite.com/e/3rd-annual-los-angeles-paella-wine-beer-festival-tickets-36222886629

The festival is proud to have one of the World-Wide Semifinals of Paella Valenciana in Los Angeles, competing with other eight countries. The Food Festival will also feature more than 50 acclaimed Paella chefs and their teams which will gather from across the globe to compete for the titles of:

“Best Paella Valenciana in Los Angeles” and “Next Best Paella Valenciana in Los Angeles”

“Best Free Paella in LA” and “Next Best Free Paella in LA”

“People’s Choice”

The 3rd Annual Paella, Wine & Beer Festival will also feature dozens of acclaimed local and international wineries, breweries and tequilerias with UNLIMITED WINE & BEER TASTINGS, Sangria, Spirits and Spanish Tapas for sale.

Spanish & Mexican music and dance performers who will create a one-of-a-kind festive atmosphere. Of course, everyone is invited to dance.

This is a 21 and over an event , Tickets are non-refundable,  rain or shine event.

The Los Angeles Paella, Wine & Beer Festival will also feature a number of Spanish & Mexican music and dance performers who will create a one-of-a-kind festive atmosphere.

For more information about the festival, please visit www.paellawinefest.com. General admission tickets cost $50 and may be purchased online. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the festival’s non-profit partner, CANICA USA Inc

Celebrate French Chef Tony Esnault and his New “Cool” Take on Bastille Day 2017

July 14, 2017 Comments Off

Celebrate Bastille Day on Friday, July 14^th DTWA with the most unusual at Church & State. Executive Chef Tony Esnault has added four special menu offerings to celebrate this French National Holiday.

On the menu on the cool side are the Vichyssoise, a chilled soup of leeks, onions, potatoes, and cream, and the Salade Lyonnaise with frisée, soft poached egg and bacon lardoons.

For the main attraction, Church & State will be offering two extraordinary Parisian entrées: Chef Esnault’s Bouillabaisse, a Provençal fish stew made with prawns, mussels, clams, rock fish, fennel, potato, leek, and rouille, or the Confit de Canard made of duck confit, ratatouille, pickled grapes, and duck jus.

Church & State will be open on Bastille Day, Friday, July 14^th, 2017, for dinner from 6:00 pm to 11:00 pm; 1850 Industrial Street #100; Los Angeles, CA 90021; 213-405-1434: www.churchandstatebistro.com

Housed in the time-honored Douglas Building, and one of L.A.’s most beautiful settings, SPRING Owner Yassmin Sarmadi and Executive Chef Tony Esnault will serve A Grignoter & Sweets for the holiday. A selection of nine A Grignoter (nibbles) includes a plate of Huitres Glacées du Jour, four daily market selected oysters, Melon et Jambon, fresh melon and handcrafted ham, Figues & Brie, (you guessed it), figs and Brie, and an assorted selection of additional delicious bites for $4.00.

Spring will also be offering a special selection of Sweets, including the Chou à la Crème; a puff pastry filled with vanilla cream, the Louis XV; Valrhona Jivara Chocolate with crunchy hazelnut, or the Pastèque; a refreshing watermelon ice cream sandwich for just $3.00 each.

Pair your celebratory French fare with a glass (or bottle) of fine French wine from Spring’s extensive wine list, or celebrate by sipping a custom, artisanal cocktail of your choosing.

Spring Los Angeles will be open Bastille Day, Friday, July 14^th, 2017 for dinner from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm; 257 South Spring Street; Los Angeles, CA 90012; 213.372.5189; www.springlosangeles.com

Executive Chef Tony Esnault brings the light and sophisticated cuisine of Southern France to Spring, his latest collaboration with partner and wife Yassmin Sarmadi. Spring opened in February 2016 at Los Angeles’ historic Douglas building, and presents a complementary culinary experience to the couple’s acclaimed French bistro, Church & State.

“The simplest way to describe the culinary difference between the two restaurants is to say that, while Church & State’s classic bistro fare is driven by the use of butter, the backbone of Spring’s lighter fare is olive oil,” says Esnault.

Growing up on his grandparents’ farm in the south of France, Esnault learned at an early age to appreciate seasonal ingredients and regional French cooking. One of his earliest culinary memories includes his grandmother showing him how to hunt and prepare every part of a rabbit.

By eight years old, Esnault had already decided he wanted to become a chef. In his early culinary years, he trained at the François Rabelais culinary school in Lyon, followed by multiple Michelin-starred restaurants across Europe. In 1996, at the legendary Louis XV restaurant in Monte Carlo, where he met his mentor, Alain Ducasse.

“First and foremost, he (Ducasse) taught me how to maintain flavors without altering the ingredients too much,” Esnault says. “There’s a radiance to food in its natural state that you don’t want to undermine.”

Elegance of flavor and artistic execution have become Esnault’s award-winning trademarks in the United States, including the Ritz Carlton Boston, and as executive chef Alain Ducasse’ Essex House and Adour at the St. Regis in 2007.

Esnault relocated to Los Angeles in 2009 to head the Patina kitchens in the Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall to rave reviews.

dtLA