Gerry Furth-Sides Archives - Page 60 of 82

Top California- Inspired Ethnic Cuisine Ambassadors

January 24, 2018 Comments Off

Chef Jet Tila, a native of Los Angeles, has been the “official Thai Food Ambassador” since 2013. We applaud him for adding his own definition to his role as Ambassador of representing Thai food and culture at food events and in media around the world. Chef Jet also believes that it means, ” rallying everyone to create an extensive community.

Jet Tila and friend, Pastry Chef Sherry Yard, who spreads the word about Czech pastry learned from her grandmother

Jet Tila with mom, Mary on the left and writer Barbara Hansen who first wrote about Jet for the LA Times

//localfoodeater.com/jet-tilas-enticing-first-cookbook-101-asian-dishes-need-cook-die/

Long-time key ambassadors of Mexican food and two of the most beloved chefs in Los Angeles history are “The Two Hot Tamales,” Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger. Owner-founder-chefs of Border Grill in Los Angeles (three locations at one time) and Las Vegas, “the girls” are among the most popular in the entire food industry for their enthusiasm and promotion of their own Mexican chefs.

The irrepressible Susan Feniger

Chef Susan Feniger at Bon Appetit Las Vegas

Chef Mary Sue Milliken insists on having a former chef in the photo, too

Community-minded, the Border Grill has participated in, and been honored at, Planned Parenthood Food Fare for 25 years. (above and below)

At Market City Cafe chef-owners, Chipper Pastron and Sal Casola, Jr., have been translating the authentic recipes of Sal’s family into consistent, appealing fare for a quarter of a century.

They have also experienced bringing authentic food from Italian – Roman square pizza, the top Italian charcuterie, cheeses and freshly made pasta to Pasadena and it was a “no-go” replaced by Jakes Burgers.

New Market City Caffe Holiday Menu Celebrates A Quarter Century

Frida Mexican Restaurant, Spaghettini, and India’s Tandoori Brentwood earn top marks for introducing California-inspired ethnic cuisines with special authentic dishes sprinkled in the menu.

Frida Mexican Restaurant: New California-inspired Menu, Old-fashioned Latino Hospitality

New Italian-Inspired Spaghettini Restaurant Cookbook and Ancient Hospitality

Last but not least the consummate host at the most popular gathering place on the westside, India’s Tandoor, Brentwood, Matin Shah is always on the lookout to please his guests and the first choice for events, such as the fundraiser below.

This is the “go-to” place where you always feel at home and know you will be treated in a special way. Nothing is too much for him to do for his customers.

Matin takes care to introduce dishes from his own region of Bangladesh to his guests. In 2017 he even created a special Off-the-menu feast of a number of these dishes. So far they have been a success.

New Special Off-Menu Feast at India’s Tandoor, Brentwood

When I thought that another restaurant owner was alone on her birthday, of course, I phoned up Matin and welcomed us over. He prepared a little dinner and dessert. And when I looked at the photo of him and the guest, I could see he had fallen asleep he was so tired!

Usually, Matin prepares or purchases a favorite cake to celebrate each and every guest he knows by name. This year he was startled to be presented with a cake of this own to celebrate his birthday!

First Official LA Buca di Beppo in Historic Original Farmers Market

January 24, 2018 Comments Off

(Gerry Furth-Sides) The first Buca di Beppo in LA is inside the Original Farmers Market with easy access from the stalls and parking lot. I know Buca di Beppo originated and are still going strong in the LA ‘burbs of Pasadena, Redondo Beach, and Claremont because I arranged all the opening parties which deserve defining as “rollicking.” But this is the first official one inside of LA and under new ownership.//www2.farmersmarketla.com/merchants/104/Buca-di-Beppo

The service is friendly and impersonal- not like the early days when a team of exuberant “paisans” ran the show. The effort seems to have been transferred to the excellent food. For details, please see: //www.bucadibeppo.com/menu/

Chicken Saltimbocca topped with prosciutto & sage served with artichoke hearts, lemon, capers & lemon butter sauce.

Staying true to its southern Italian roots, dishes include my favorite (at one time off-the-menu) Pizza Arriabiata and Caesar Salad. The thin-crust pie is carpeted with spicy Italian sausage, pepperoni, caramelized red onions, Gorgonzola, mozzarella, provolone & our authentic pizza sauce. Excellent.

The cannolis did not disappoint. The pair is dense and crunchy enough outside and filled with a creamy cheese inside. But I miss the old tiramisu heaped in a soup bowl, heavy on the rum, mascarpone and espresso, and light on the lady fingers. The current version is more of a muddle topped with cocoa & crumbled hazelnut biscotti.

The new “star” seems to be an oversized sundae.

Buca’s excellent Spaghetti with Meatballs is still on the menu.

All dishes are served family style.

The chef was enthusiastic and coined the term, “meatballs as big your head.” It is now more of a t-shirt slogan.

Buca di Beppo translates into “Cave of Johnny.” and how many times did I explain this when I happily did the opening parties when they first landed in Los Angeles? I was thrilled after questioning how the rollicking concept would go in “sophisticated LA” after experiencing it at their successful San Francisco and Seattle locations.

It went just fine, thank you very much, or “Grazi,” in Italian, just as the restroom recorded language lessons instructed. It was all in the spirit of good food and good fun. So much fun that the music track was timed to play each song three times — the first for fun, the second for recognition, and the third, for an annoying signal to leave!

Everyone recognizes Sophia Loren, maybe not from an early American film role with Alan Ladd

Not one of the staff recognized the first CEO’s wife, Connie Micatrotto, an inside joke. Miss you, Micatrottos!

The idea of the Buca di Beppo chain out of the Midwest was to copy the low ceilings of early Italian apartment basement restaurants.

The remodeled Original Farmers Market location, holding approximately 200 patrons, was previously home to Planet Dailies L.A. and has regular height ceilings. The patio is the most fun now.

The location includes a cozy but upbeat outdoor second-floor dining patio, private rooms for larger group events, and a bar.

High School graduation celebration to these two now at UCLA!

A high school graduation – perfect setting

Gone is the over-the-top “secret” pope’s table. It is now more of a cipher at the end of the open dining room.

Still available, if you ask and remind the staff, is the candelabra birthday salutation. I dreaded when I saw it coming toward me as a Redondo Beach location surprise — but it was my turn, I love it. It is so much fun!

Original Farmer’s Market, 6333 W. 3rd St. Los Angeles, Third and Fairfax, Los Angeles, Ca 90036

CALL: (323) 370-6560WWW.BUCADIBEPPO.COM

Winning Ethnic Cuisine Ambassadors 2017

January 19, 2018 Comments Off

Server Oswaldo Lara at Osteria Bigoli, the catalyst for this article

(Gerry Furth-Sides) “Bravo!” to our 2017 “Food ambassadors,” winners, the ” bridge builders” who not only represent the best ethnic cuisine experiences but who cordially and enthusiastically entice, encourage and welcome us to enjoy new ethnic cuisine by way of an introduction and information to us and their guests over and over (and over) again.

“Ambassador” is defined as “a diplomatic official of the highest rank appointed and accredited as representative in residence.” One of the first outstanding and legendary ambassadors of Italian food in Los Angeles is Piero Selvaggio. He has taken such care to have only the finest, authentic ingredients in the dishes at his restaurant Valentino (and at my favorite, Primi) at all times, importing them when he could not find them in the states.

Neapolitan Chef Andrea Barbato at Domingo’s Deli in Encino, who with grace and wit, spreads the word of the “Monzu,” the honorable title represents a court chef of Naples when it was a kingdom. In culinary school, Andrea’s teacher was Chef Antonio Tubelli, still considered “last chefs of the Monzu,” who both passes on the recipes of this time and also “presents them in a more modern accent.” Chef Andrea beams, “oh my God, I fell in love with this guy and what he was doing.”

We have fallen in love with Chef Andrea, and with his exquisite food. Noted Italian food historian Linda Civitello wrote that his meatballs “are the best I’ve ever tasted. I would have to excuse myself ahead of time from judging his and others.”

Manager Cinzia is not only the ambassador from Domingo’s Italian Deli but for the Italian way of hospitality. The products are of the highest quality but Cinzia is the one who enhances it all and who, as we wrote, ” made us feel very special. She makes sure that the smell of warm bread is the first thing you notice when you walk in the door. Cinzia is the last sight you remember when you leave. //localfoodeater.com/historic-domingos-deli-sports-new-style-encino/

At Osteria Bigoli, Oswaldo Lara handled the entire dining room effortless, seamlessly — explaining the Italian cuisine and accommodating individual preferences with joy. He is the catalyst for this article. //localfoodeater.com/history-making-chef-server-osteria-bigoli/

Ekaterina Leziak sought us out at a Georgian wine tasting to “show us” how local Russian restaurants have evolved into entire evenings of very high energy and very lavish eating, dancing and drinking. When she heard me joke that my Russian friends were too ashamed to take me to a 90’s Russian restaurant, (true for the time) she proved that authentic high-end Russian dining is very much alive and thriving with one of our most exciting and authentic experiences of the year at Premier Restaurant. //localfoodeater.com/premier-restaurant-bar-makes-old-traditions-new-russia/

At Market City Cafe chef-owners, Chipper Pastron and Sal have been translating the authentic recipes of Sal’s family into consistent, appealing fare for a quarter of a century. They have also experienced bringing authentic food from Italian – Roman square pizza, the top Italian charcuterie, cheeses and freshly made pasta to Pasadena and it was a “no-go” replaced by Jakes Burgers.

New Market City Caffe Holiday Menu Celebrates A Quarter Century

Top Ten Ethnic Cuisine Trends for 2017-2018

January 11, 2018 Comments Off

(Gerry Furth-Sides) Our 2017 predictions based on 2016 had the theme: rediscovered classics that are thoughtfully revived and re-created. We present our 2018 predictions from the best of this list.

(1) authentic ethnic food pop-ups (2) breads from India (3) meatballs (4) bone broth (5) exquisite ethnic desserts; (6) whole fish – ok I’m still hoping for this one (7) Eastern European cuisines (why?) – (8) more new global produce hatch chilies (9) delivery of healthy dinner ingredients with recipes extreme health cookbooks (10) Authentic food festivals (we a)redoing one.

(1) Pop-ups with ethnic food: Kura’s Korean chef Daniel Son heads the list again, adding to his reverence for the Japanese tradition. This past fall, Chef Son introduced his favorite Japanese street food “Sando” with a pop-up. The comforting yet bracing Eurasian sandwich contrast snap of Asian spices with a pillowy brioche. Watch for ube bao pop-ups at Izakaya By Slowfish.

Kura Sushi’s New Traditional Yōshoku Katsu Sandwich Pop-up

(2) Authentic Indian bread and street food snacks always popular at Southern Indian restaurants, are hitting their stride on their own. //localfoodeater.com/famous-indian-snack-recipes-award-winning-mayura-restaurant.

Abhiruchi Grill in LA: “Delicious” in Indian (or any language)

(3) Exquisite updated Asian desserts. Chefs Alex Susuki and Kennen Navarro at IzakayaBySlowfish in West Hollywood created a Mango Ice Cream Cake made in-house layers ice cream, cake and candied nuts with a fresh flower and a cannelle of ube cream.

Hojicha Pudding layers frozen strawberry, pear and yuzu shaved ice.

Below is Kura’s version of the popular Korean Taiyaki, red bean paste, and custard-filled batter mold fish cookies. The chef adds to it Black Sesame ice cream with black sesame crumble for a fusion Korean, Japanese and American dessert.

(4) Classic whole fish, whole fish – ok I’m still hoping for this Historically considered a good luck dish for Asian holidays Visually stunning and natural, the fish just breaks apart and the major bone is left on the table, making it easy to eat.

The whole fish idea is becoming more popular, even with the head on. This year we loved the luxurious Fig & Olive’s New World version of branzino.

Fig + Olive’s New World Whole Branzino Feast

An add-on trend is making healthy, sustainable fish accessible for home delivery. Greensbury is one such company that probably has the same price as a high-end market.

Greensbury Salmon: the Best, Healthiest – and the most PC

(5) Eastern European cuisines. A Georgian wines tasting, Village Inn meal and even kohlrabi at Melissa’s Produce this year were indications of Eastern European comfort food coming into its own. “Comfort” is the keyword.

Astonishing Georgian Wines Keep “Georgia on My Mind”

All after Ekaterina Lesiak sought us out at a Georgian wine tasting to “show us” how local Russian restaurants have evolved into entire evenings of very high energy and very lavish eating, dancing and drinking. She proved that authentic high-end Russian dining is very much alive and thriving with one of our most exciting and authentic experiences of the year at Premier Restaurant. //localfoodeater.com/premier-restaurant-bar-makes-old-traditions-new-russia/

(6) Bone broth. We love it and it loves us – one bowl is so healthy and satisfying it makes a complete meal even on the go, now available in restaurants and boxes to save 18 hours of home cooking time.

New Kettle & Fire Bone Broth Smoothies for Summer

Nona Lim On-The-Go Global Bone Broth Soups

(7) New global produce, such as hatch chilies, Enjoy a (stripy peppers), which can also be home-delivered or purchased from companies like Melissa’s Produce, along with complete meals with recipe cards. And no need to continue to blame the Romans for domesticating kale, cabbage’s great-great-great grandmother or grandfather. We are thrilled that according to the Hotel Chef Association, “kale is out for 2018.”

New Pangea Nutrition Brings Mediterranean Diet to USA

Melissa’s Produce Turns Global Gift Baskets into Local

(8) Healthy ethnic cookbooks, such as Deepa Thomas’ “Deepa’s Secrets” with recipes and information about how to prepare Indian food in a contemporary, “low carb” way.

“DEEPA’S SECRETS ” Earns Best Ethnic Book 2017

(9) Meals Delivered at Home

New “Primitive Feast”. Paleo. Perfect.

New Yamashiro Brunch Carries on Regal Japanese Legacy

January 8, 2018 Comments Off

(Gerry Furth-Sides, Donald Herman) Notes of Japanese and other Asian cuisines skip across the new Yamashiro Brunch Menu of international classics. Drama to this unique dining experience starts building right at the start of the rural winding drive up Franklin, just blocks from bustling Hollywood and Highland.

Thhe view “from the front door” (courtesy of Donald Herman)

The famous original “Buddha” just down the hill (photo courtesy Yamashiro)

The brunch also celebrates the new (year and a half) ownership of the longtime special occasion favorite. Three generations of happy ladies celebrate a birthday at the party below.

Private rooms are divided off naturally within the meandering space around the main room. We did not even hear, let alone see a party in an adjoining private room. The mesmerizing “garden room” (below) replicates the classic banquet hall style of Japan.

A Japanese Collins feels light and exotic with cucumber soda, along with Stoli vodka, fresh lemon juice, and simple syrup echoes the garden colors, perfect for slow sipping and meditation.

The Asian-inspired cocktail list balances refreshing and tart with a subtle sweetness. (left) A Japanese High Ball features Suntory Toki Japanese whiskey, lemon juice, simple syrup, mint and ginger beer. (right) A Hiro Tokyo Mule holds HIRO sake, lime juice, and ginger beer served in classic copper mug branded with the distinguished HIRO sake logo.

The signature Yamashiro Egg Benedict features two Poached Farm Eggs topped with a Wasabi Hollandaise, Black Tobiko, and Scallions, with Wild Alaskan Smoked Salmon, Grilled Asparagus over an English Muffin.

(photo courtesy of Donald Herman)

Sake Sambal and Ginger BBQ Sauce paint the plate, and the Asian Baby Back BBQ Ribs. The ribs are cooked in Duck Fat Confit add an ethnic flair and make them even juicier.

Blueberry and Yuzu pancakes topped with whipped cream are served with (real) warm maple syrup. Manager, Jared, pointed out that the blueberries keep the pancakes extra moist.

A subtle, sweet Wasabi Dressing tops the Asian Chicken Salad made up of mixed greens, Mandarin Grilled chicken and green onions with julienned wonton crunchies in the mix. Shreds of delicate Chinese cabbage add a unique flavor and lacey texture.

The universal favorite burger is elevated into a Snake River Farm Wagyu Burger, carrying through the Asian influence with Napa Cabbage and Yamashiro Spicy Mayonnaise folded into the brioche bun, along with tomato. Perfect, crisp shards of Sweet Potato Fries are served with Sambal Maple Syrup and ketchup.

The rest of the menu includes egg dishes and French toast dishes.

The exterior wrap around the dining room

Below is the vibrant, new elevated sushi bar and dining room with wrap-around seating that affords a spectacular view of the city.

Originally built as a private residence for the Bernheimer brothers, Yamashiro (“Mountain Palace” in Japanese) took its inspiration from their passion for classical Asian art and architecture. Over its 102-year life, Yamashiro operated as a brothel, boarding house and elite Hollywood cocktail lounge in 1963 before becoming a full-service restaurant.

Yamashiro’s regal Asian influences and breathtaking 180-degree views from downtown Los Angeles to the Santa Monica shore have been featured in popular films.

Yamashiro, 1999 Sycamore Ave., in Hollywood. Hours: weekdays 5-11 p.m. Weekends 5 p.m. to midnight. Sunday Brunch service from 11-3 PM. Please see www.Yamashirohollywood.com for or phone 323.466.5125 for more information.

“DEEPA’S SECRETS ” Earns Best Ethnic Book 2017

January 8, 2018 Comments Off

(Gerry Furth-Sides) Elegant, engaging and open, Deepa Thomas is the best advertisement for her new book, “Deepa’s Secrets” (Skyhorse Publishing, $24.99).

Deepa shares her well thought out healthy Slow carb” cuisine with “new Indian”dishes, as flavorful and textured as traditional Indian cuisine. She also shares her close- to- magical family history both in India and in America.

Deepa had grown up in India in a prominent, privileged family before she moved to California as a 21-year-old bride in 1972, swept off her feet by husband, Thampy. Daily cooking was not a priority.

Instead, Deepa, a Delhi University graduate, founded the internationally renowned, award-winning, Deepa Textiles. After two decades, she retired to care for her parents.

Always intellectually curious, Deepa then took on the study of Indian and American diets, “deconstructing the principles of the most successful weight-loss diets and the contrasting principles of Indian cuisine to create her slow carb New Indian cuisine.

The Thomas Family

Deepa feels that “Indian cuisine crosses international borders because people love the flavor of it.” So much of it comes from naturally satisfying Indian nuts and spices are healthy, she notes, that can replace the unhealthy current high carb, high starch content.

Not only did Deepa drop 20 pounds, but more surprisingly, her long-time diabetic husband was able to stop his daily insulin shots and keep his blood sugar stable. This was a double victory since the shots increase appetite.

The more she learned, the more she wanted to share with others. What began as a personal experiment led to research, revamping recipes and shifting her cooking style.

Glorious Roasted beets with a Spark of Shaved Fennel –

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Indian spices

For example, Deepa was not that surprised to learn that” India is the diabetic capital of the world with 15% of the population afflicted.” Three million Indians living in America are also diabetic. This is partially due to the white rice carb effect on certain people due partly because of depleted growing soil.

Deepa’s rule is to “bump up the flavor when I take an ingredient out.” Her “new Indian” cuisine also retains the delicious mouthfeel of Indian cuisine after taking out “overly refined carbohydrates and oils.”

Carmelized shallots boost the flavor of almost any veggie or protein.

“Best ever OvenRoasted Swee’ Potato Fries” – oven-baked and as satisfying and crunchy as fried

Her own favorites are the unique dishes from Southern India, home to both Deepa and her husband’s ancestors. Historically the benefactor of the trading route with the Middle East and Portuguese, dishes tend to be exotic with delicious, savory coconut milk sauces.

Kerela Fisherman’s Prawns – with memories of buying fresh fish and season in the open market for Sunday dinners

A “protein-like” Smashed Chickpea and Toasted Peanut Cakes, inspired by Delhi street vendors toasting peanuts

Commercial “made up” Curry power, in fact, dismays Deepa’s, compared to the beloved handmade signature family recipes in India. Spice mixes are very special to Deepa because they always lent a “lovely fragrance that signaled a special dinner.” She encourages everyone to make up their own blends and provides detailed instructions in DEEPA’S SECRET.

“I adore chaat masala,” she laughs pulling out a bottle of her own creation for sale. Spices also lend a zing to any Western dish, too

The beautiful photographs in DEEPA’S SECRETS are dramatic and filled with energy. Volunteer help from friends and family made this happen naturally, much to her surprise. She beams, “I shopped, I cooked and (the food) was shot in natural light in my own kitchen.

Thomas is donating all book sale proceeds to the non-profit FoodCorps, an organization which connects students to a healthy diet.

Celebrate Ethnic Meals with Turner Classic Movie Wines

January 5, 2018 Comments Off

The Turner Classic wine gift sets from pop culture-themed wines for film and wine lovers make for a novel, entertaining, and delicious way to learn more about and enjoy ethnic foods. The inaugural TCM Orson Welles Signature Selection sourced from a top Paso Robles boutique is a rich, velvety hand-harvested, oak-aged, 2013. It is touted as having “a silky texture, waves of intense red cherry and strawberry flavor, with notes of white pepper and vanilla on the finish.

Orson Welles Merlot would pair well with Austrian menu in honor of The Third Man, of course. Any Wolfgang Puck menu with his famous Austrian dishes will do just fine to connect a rich supper with wine to Vienna.

Chips and Mexican salsa could accompany the TCM wine with a viewing of the Touch of Evil. And a historic Hangtown Fry to eat a late night omelet while watching Lady from Shanghai, easy to eat and still watch the mesmerizing final mirror scene with Welles and Marlene Dietrich!

We’re adding ideas for a French meal from one of Mr. Welles’ favorite chefs at the famous Ma Maison Restaurant, where Welles was a regular and had his own table. And it is not Wolfgang Puck! In fact, Chef Didier Poirier prepared Welles’ his final meal there. //localfoodeater.com/the-pure-heart-of-provence-in-ventura-california/

For the Touch of Evil film, pair light chips with Mexican Taco Stand Avocado Salsa by San Diego author and chef Deborah Schneider. Chef Deb may as well have been describing the film as she described life at that time across “la Frontera – the border… “when Hollywood stars, gangsters, and gamblers headed across the border to party in Tijuana and Ensenada.”

For Deb’s menu ideas about south-of-the-border meal ideas please see //localfoodeater.com/sol-brings-mexican-brunch-beach/.

Ingredients to make 1/2 cups

3 large tomatillos, husked and washed
½ serrano chile
1 large garlic clove, peeled
2 tablespoons minced white onion
1½ teaspoons salt
½ bunch fresh cilantro

Our own longtime favorite, Hangtown Fry, along with a bottle of ORSON WELLES merlot doesn’t take any attention away from “Lady of Shanghai”. Fried breaded oysters, eggs, and fried bacon folded into an omelet or a scramble still earns a “light but richly textured” description. The historic dish was invented in Placerville, CA a.k.a. “Hangtown” in the gold-mining camps of the late 1800s — supposedly a criminal’s luxurious “last meal” choice. See our post: ( //localfoodeater.com/placerville-california-celebrates-hangtown-fry-food-history/)

Traditional Hangtown Fry from Tadich GrillServes 2Adapted from “Tadich Grill: The Story of San Francisco’s Oldest Restaurant” (Ten Speed Press, 2002).

2 slices bacon
4 large oysters, shucked
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt, to taste
1/2 tablespoon cracked black pepper, to taste
3 to 4 dashes Tabasco sauce, to taste

In an 8-inch nonstick saute pan, fry bacon until crisp. Drain the bacon to paper towels.

Dredge the oysters in the breadcrumbs and shake off excess breadcrumbs. Add the butter to the pan and melt over medium heat. Add the oysters and saute until plump. Crumble the bacon and add it to the pan. Toss with oysters. Season the eggs with salt, pepper, and Tabasco.

Pour the eggs into the pan and shake the pan from away and toward yourself until eggs set (about two minutes, then flip the omelet and cook another two minutes. Eggs can also be scrambled.

Transfer to a plate and serve immediately.

History-making Chef at Osteria Bigoli

December 31, 2017 Comments Off

(Gerry Furth-Sides) Knowing Claudio Marchesan is in the house at Osteria Bigoli in Santa Monica is enough to bring out fans immediately. I am one of them. We know the name translates into hearty Italian food and lively atmosphere from the founding chef of the enormously successful Prego in Beverly Hills, Pane e Vino (Los Angeles and Montecito) and Il Fornaio with legendary San Francisco restaurateur Larry Mindel. Underscore enormously successful.

The ebullient, masterful Marchesan does not disappoint in the kitchen. Its as if the chef-owner condenses all of his decades of grand scale restaurants into his new gem of a “new home”. He not only creates and carries out the dishes to consistent perfection on his chef-driven menu, but he also presides over the warm, woodsy, intimate, neighborhood dining room space, table hopping in-between cooking.

Timeless classics, both familiar and unique, are on the menu. Oswaldo, the ultimate server effortlessly takes care of the entire filled dining room, explaining dishes with enthusiasm and accommodating every need.

Fried, tender calamari with a golden crust and tangy aioli falls into the first category. The go-to staple first came into the public eye in 1975 with a New York Times article, then offered as an exclusive dish in high end “exotic” eastern seaboard cities. By the mid-1980’s it had gained popularity in most restaurants, and by 1996 was earned a permanent place in the company of such beloved and “hip” new dishes as tuna tartare, ramen, and short ribs. //www.towndock.com/squid-market-history-calamari/

Chef Marchan prepares this dish with authority. His Fritto Misto Di Calamari E Gamberi adds shrimp in a rich seafood tangle with the squid)and adds grilled lemon and herbs to bring out the texture and flavor.

Grilled octopus is a non-fried option, served with fingerling potatoes, arugula, tomatoes coulis, and mint. salumeria and cheese board for two

Trippa Alla Fiorentina is a fascinating dish, carried out with pride and precision. It comes straight from the heart of the chef’s birthplace in Grado, northwest Italy. Brazed honeycomb tripe, tomato sauce, cannellini beans, parmesan in this composed stew is an appetizer or main dish perfection, down to the toasted fresh bread to soak up the sauce.

Braised Short Ribs with Pappardelle is slowly baked in red wine, mushrooms, and tomatoes. Melt-in-your-mouth short ribs hold the sauce with an intense depth of flavor, along with endowing it with a rich, royal dark color. The wide Pappardelle pasta, our favorite, “takes on” the sauce so well it becomes a robust partner adding body to it.

Housemade pasta are so intriguing we paleos had to have two. The Sausage Ragu with Wild Boar mixed into the fat tubes of Bigoli pasta is a specialty. Other choices even more decadent include Rigatoni Carbonara short tube pasta, guanciale, white wine and Pecorino Romano.

Osteria Bigoli also offers for the paleo, roasted meats, sustainable fish, grass-fed Angus Flat Iron steak and marinated vegetables. Veal and pork meatballs are prepared “old school” with a rich Pomodoro sauce and fresh parmesan. Visit the menu at bigoliosteria.com

Dessert is made in-house. The cannoli is crispy and not too sweet, filled with ricotta and sprinkled with chopped pistachios. Other choices include Tiramisu, Buttermilk Panna Cotta, and New Orleans style Bread Pudding.

The kitchen graciously accommodates all dietary restrictions with gluten-free flavorful pasta, dairy-free entrees, and nut-free sweets.

Claudio Marchesan is a native of Grado, Italy. He attended ENALC, the Professional Cooking School of Rome, from 1966 to 1968 where he studied under the guidance of the renowned Master Chef Giovanni Caruso, one of the still living prodigies of the one and only “August Escoffier”. Watch for cooking classes and wine pairing events in 2018. Osteria Bigoli, 714 Montana Avenue in Santa Monica. Hours: 5:30 pm – 10 daily, closed Mondays.

English Culinary Insights in Delightful “Mr. Dickens and His Carol” Book

December 24, 2017 Comments Off

MR. DICKENS AND HIS CAROL by Samantha Silva (Flatiron Books) tell the tale of how prolific writer, Charles Dickens, came to pen A Christmas Carol. A delightful book filled with holiday cheer, I could not put it down and would recommend it to anyone, including teen readers.

Samantha writes the book “as a fan letter – a love letter” and indeed it is a romanticized version of his life in London at the time.

And food is key to the mood of the moment. For example, Samantha’s historical premise is that when Dickens’ serialized novel Martin Chuzzelwit was a total flop, his publishers threatened that he would have to pay back his advance unless he wrote a successful Christmas novel. And this meant canceling the annual, extravagant holiday feasts at home, which much of the food already ordered.

At home, wife Catherine, who loved ten-course dinners, dictates Christmas dinner to the cook. “… four turkeys, a goose, mince pies, filberts, and candied fruits. A Christmas pudding, of course….”

“Christmas had been hiding in the streets all along,” she writes, even though Dickens is to the point of depression during the 1843 holiday season.

As Miss Silva describes it, “Shopkeepers stood on ladders, decking their windows with evergreen boughs. Old men roasted chestnuts in crowded courts; the pourer had a hand-painted sign for his goose-and-brandy club, the butcher his roast beef, the grocer his plum pudding. Never mind … that the air smelled like it had hailed nutmeg and snowed cinnamon,. Dickens couldn’t see or smell it.”

It is all part of how these streets and shops inspire and bring to life the spirit of Dickens’s stories, a favorite form of escape from his writing desk and bills at home. His long midnight walks around London – 20 miles at a time!

This is interspersed with a meal of every sort. At a dinner party of writers, “a guest leaves after the oyster patties but before the apple tarts.”

Tea was just beginning to be in vogue. Dickens was “surprised to find at one.. a low table laid with a fat pink rose on the side of each cup, hearts of lettuce, thin bread, butter, and pillowy scones baked that morning… and he suffered politely through conversation about ‘little tea,’ ‘low tea,’ ‘high tea’ and ‘handed tea.'”

This did not mean that after another dinner – and a miles-long walk, Dickens was not at the Saracens Head Inn “gobbling his breakfast of one plate of beef, another of shrimp, a hot kidney pudding, coffee, and claret.

Dinner is no less opulent. For one such dinner, Dickens settled for a dining room he often frequented, “stuffed into a little court out of Newgate Street… an old room.. heavy-paneled, dark, and dingy.. with a fire crackling away no matter the season. It had old-fashioned food and tidy waiters with limp white neckcloths who were always glad to leave him in peace for the prospect of a twopence at the end of the meal.” The menu read by the waiter was a “monotonous catalog” of roast beef, boiled pork, mutton chop, pigeon pie and rump-steak..with pastry or cheese for dessert.

To gain inspiration, Dickens visits his own London past. He finds himself in front of a decaying warehouse that once was workplace to an eleven-year-old Dickens when his father was in debtor’s prison and he, “a mere boy, worked ten hours a day, eating one stale pastry a day.”

When another ghost of the past, a former love, does inspire him, it also brings back the author’s appetite. On Christmas Eve day at Furnivals Inn, Dickens had “two tablespoons of rum with fresh cream for breakfast, a pint of champagne for tea, and two hours later a raw egg is beaten into a tumbler of sherry with a biscuit on the side.”

The meal was good preparation for the Dickens family feast, filled with family and literary friends, and news of his successful new book. “The long table was set magnificently, with tiered stands, flowers, and candelabras. ” The food was from wife Catherine’s list and more: “stuffed turkeys, a goose, oysters, mince pies, plum puddings, and Christmas cake, timbales, jellies, and molds, punch bowls of eggnog and smoking bishop. in the foyer, a magnificent tree nearly two floors tall was strung with candies, fruits, nuts, and trinkets, and a hundred lighted candles.”

According to local food writer, Richard Foss, “the works of Charles Dickens contain rhapsodic descriptions of good meals and disgusting details of bad ones.” As he described these repasts, Dickens inserted cues about class and society. Ms. Silva’s book, Mr. Dickens and His Carol, is a wonderful annual companion to A Christmas Carol.

Celebrate Sonoma County Strong

December 19, 2017 Comments Off

(Gerry Furth-Sides) Sonoma County people, survivors who remain strong, brought me to tears with their thoughtfulness when they sent me a holiday package of Carol Shelton wine, VOLO chocolate, whimsical socks and a pouch reading: What’s Your Passion. Clearly, their’s is a several generations old tradition of smart, savvy and spectacular products — while the artisans make it look like so much fun.

Sonoma wants everyone to know that the fires did not hinder them and visitors are more than welcome!

//www.npr.org/2017/11/11/563288201/after-fires-california-wine-country-wants-tourists-back

Here is the update 2018 news

What’s Old: Gundlach Bundschu celebrates 160 years. Just east of the town of Sonoma, it’s California’s oldest family-owned and -operated winery. Dutton-Goldfield Winery will celebrate its 20th harvest. For details about these and other anniversaries, read Sonoma Co unty milestone celebrations .2018

Find out what’s new in Sonoma County wineries, restaurants, and communities, including a brand new American Viticultural Area. For a free visitors guide or information on hotels, wineries, events, spas, attractions, and dining in Sonoma County, visit www.sonomacounty.com or call 707-522-5800 or 800-576-6662. For a complete calendar of upcoming events, visit www.sonomacounty.com/sonoma-events.

Carol Shelton has been Mastering the Zen of Zin since 1978. Focusing mostly on her favorite varietal, Carol is a guru of single vineyard Zinfandel. California has been the homeworld class Zin for over a century, making it the benchmark varietal of American wine culture.

Carol & Mitch Mackenzie, her husband, and business partner have sought out exceptional vineyards throughout California. Many of her vineyard sources are organically grown and decades old.

She develops close partnerships with each grower to ensure her wines maintain and express the unique terroir of the vineyard.

Based out of an industrial park in the city of Santa Rosa, Carol continues to meticulously hand-craft her wines with a combination of experience, creativity, and passion. Each of Carol’s Zinfandel wines receives its own whimsical and memorable name.

We just tried the wonderful young, fruity 2014 KARMA RESERVE – with an Indian Chicken dish! Reserve is Carol’s nickname for the wonderful Reserve Zin she makes from the Rockpile appellation.

Award-winning Carol has won Winemaker of the Year five times, has countless gold medals for her wines and was named one of eight Pioneer Women Winemakers of Sonoma County in 2005 and being named in Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of 2014.

VOLO //volochocolate.com chocolates make the perfect complement to the wines. After 16 years of owning premier Wine Country restaurant, Zin, in Healdsburg, Ca. and being co-chefs at a boutique resort near Todos Santos in Baja, Mexico Susan and Jeff jumped at the opportunity to make chocolate.

The delicious results run deep with flavor. Candied Orange Peel is a perfect example. It is one of the most popular sellers in the year-old VOLO Chocolate business in Windsor, in Sonoma County.

The couple’s taste for Mexican chocolate is in every bite of the intense flavor, distinctive salt, and spice notes. And it is purposely compatible with savory ingredients.

Their particular Cacao or Cocoa Bean, sourced from the state of Chiapas, has been grown in Mexico for 1000’s of years. Co-workers from various parts of Mexico had also honored them by generously entrust beloved family recipes to them.

The beans are carefully roasted to bring out their rich flavors of this 73% cocoa to make their “deepest, darkest” chocolate bar. Organic Unrefined Sugar is balanced by a pinch of Sea Salt before being molded into 2.5 ounce/72 gram bars.

Jeff and Susan candy the orange peel themselves using oranges from artist Cathy Shanahan’s trees in Healdsburg. An inherent caramel and cocoa flavor are backed by a hint of orange citrus and nuttiness.

“We approach it from the standpoint that it’s a food and not a candy,” said Susan. Any way you describe the bars, they are scrumptious.