Gerry Furth-Sides Archives - Page 76 of 82

Angeleno Magazine’s “Live & Dine 2016” IS the Best of LA

July 12, 2016 Comments Off

Angeleno Magazine’s Live & Dine LA event takes place on Sunday, July 31, from 4 to 7 p.m. in the Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows in Santa Monica across from the ocean (101 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90401). The side valet area with huge trees is converted into the most wonderful garden area with food stations circling it. This is a smiling event from start to finish, staff and every guest.

To say there are “inventive dishes from the city’s finest chefs” is a vast understatement. This is the best $100 you can ever spend on restaurant food (and there are spirits and entertainment as well) because it is the curated “best of the new best” in the city with different restaurants showcasing themselves each year. And so every chef with his solo appearance presents “the best” he/she has to offer. It is the very best way, I say to everyone who asks me where to dine, to sample food and become acquainted with the restaurants (see links to the 2014 and 2015 events below).

Angeleno‘s 14^th annual event indeed “honors the city’s most distinguished chefs and restaurateurs that shape and evolve L.A.’s culinary scene.” Guests are treated to culinary demonstrations prepared by award-winning chefs, which are paired with exclusive wines and artisanal cocktails.

If there is one downside to Angeleno’s annual Live & Dine LA event signature culinary event it is that there so much good food celebrating the best restaurants it can feel overwhelming at times! And this is one event where the well-dressed, ready-for-fun crowd is at the door even before it opens. But while dining or for a needed break, there will be live music by Dave Damiani and the No Vacancy Orchestra with special guest stars Donny Most and Renee Olstead, beats by RedShoe.

A portion of ticket proceeds will benefit the Los Angeles Mission, so refunds are politely declined. All guests must be 21+ with ID to attend and require ticket (printed or digital) to enter.

This afternoon of culinary indulgences and refreshing libations is designed to raise awareness and benefit the Los Angeles Mission and its mission to help men, women and children in need of shelter, food, clothing and other resources.

New Global Café Concept Updates Ancient Japanese Matcha Tea

July 11, 2016 Comments Off

It took the “California Roll” with a familiar name to entice Americans to try eating of Japanese sushi back in the day. So it took Taku H. Maeda winning a green tea ice cream manufacturing challenge to eventually launch an Americanized version of Matcha tea products and menu at SHUHARI Matcha Café.

As the successful entrepreneur and heir to a generations-old green tea business, Taku H. Maeda had always envisoned making green tea an American mainstay since he became an U.S. resident over 17 years ago. In 1989 he opened three traditional Japanese tea stores, and in 1993 was challenged to include green tea ice cream in his line. It became the best-selling green tea ice cream in the U.S., and he established a factory three years later.

This summer Maeda chose Venice, California to launch SHUHARI Matcha Café, representing an updated ancient, classic Japanese concept going global. More than 40 handcrafted beautiful packages tea beverages, sponge cakes and candies are displayed on the wall shelves and on the menu that mirrors American tastes, from traditional sencha and gyokuro teas to the not-so-traditional creamy matcha lattes, bubbly sparkling matches and shakes.

The café offers an American twist on traditional Japanese grab-and-go food options including onigirazu, inside- out- sandwiches, which are a creative take on the the popular traditional Japanese rice ball that originated as street food and has become “almost famous” on the west coast. The onigirazu comes filled with chicken or spicy tuna with wasabi. They are wrapped in kombu, seaweed that takes the place of bread and looks outlandish and colorful and like a lot of fun. Every bite becomes the very definition of mixed sharp, tangy tastes and layered textures that are by turn unctuous, chewy and supple.

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Also are on the menu in the California-style grab-and-go eats category are a sumptuous variation of the now obligatory American sliders with toasted, pillowy Bread Rolls and Japanese twists to them — all too light and easy to down a few at a time before you know it. Hence, no photos.

Chef and Menu Developer, Michael Bower Johnston (that’s him in the photo above showing the very eager staff how to strain tea on the first very intense opening day, and his hands are hospitably holding the cones below!) described his process as “combining the texture-driven Asian palate with the more flavor-oriented Western one.” He expanded on this concept in this way: “consider that all nations will generally have a preference. And we find that generally with Europeans and westerners the preference is with flavor and that Asians have a preference for texture. Green tea has such different nuances in its flavor already, and it can be quite strong, so in creating this menu we tried not to complicate or overpower it with too many other flavors. Instead we introduced texture to the dishes and drinks in order to complement those things so that we get a fullness, so we get a crunch, so we get a ‘slurp,’ so we get a gulp.

“And I do believe that this will be the difference between the menus we’re tasting now in LA and in all of America that will be developing as we get more immigration in. And we’ll also start to understand this on a much broader basis.”

So what is “Matcha and why is everyone talking about it now?” This special type of powdered green tea, most often grown and produced in Japan, derives its green color leaves because they are shaded from the sun for the last few weeks of their growth, increasing the chlorophyll content. Once picked, the leaves are carefully ground with stone grinding wheels to produce a fine powder. The powder can then be used to brew an antioxidant rich frothy green tea or in recipes like smoothies or baking to produce the calming energy and the life-balancing properties. Unlike other types of teas, the green tea powder is not strained out before consuming, so you are consuming the entire leaf, making Matcha more potent than other tea varieties. In fact, only 1/2 tsp is needed to brew a traditional cup of Matcha.

The cautionary note in using the entire leaf, even organically grown ones, is the trace amount of lead and fluoride since the whole leaf is consumed. When brewed as traditional green tea, the leaves are removed, and most of the lead (and some of the fluoride) is removed with the leaves.

And the name SHUHARI? It is a reference to the stages of learning to achieve mastery in the world of tea ceremonies. “SHU” (守) alludes to the obedience of traditional wisdom; “HA” (破) is a reference to breaking away from established rules; and “RI” (離) means to separate from the conventional teachings thereby achieving a unique style and independence. To align with the meaning of SHU HA RI, the café will deliver a full range of green tea beverages from the classics to new contemporary concoctions of green tea.

The staff is friendly, lively and smart. Here is Madeline, representative of the welcoming staff for whom it seemed nothing was too much to ask.

Madeline slices the creamy Ume Chicken Sliders for us. They turned out to be silky, hearty and light in the Asian style. Other skiers include Zesty Yuzu (Asian citrus) Pepper Chicken, Pork Ginger, Creamy Wasabi Tuna Heat of Palm, Miso walnut Pumpkin Salad and Yuzu Miso Avocado.

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A line up of puffy ice cream sundaes featuring Japanese flavors such as matcha, ginger and black sesame as well as a variety of Japanese sweets flown in from Japan.

Below is the Shuhari Milkshake that comes in a variety of Asian-inspired flavors including Matcha Sweet Asuki Bean, Black Sesame chocolate, Vanilla Black Sugar Kinako, ginger, Matcha and Black Sesame.

The festivities started on the street out front with a big flower wreath and plenty of photographers. The neighborhood retains its local charm that still holds street parking places and a wiff of ocean air.

Out back, in the patio a screen frame, all the better to take Instagram images, a lottery for a trip to Japan and an assortment of products, such as the sponge cakes, candies and packaged teas were on display.

It was an international, globe trotting crowd with guests from two to 80. The newly gentrified Abbot Kinney neighborhood brought young families and

Below are visitors from the Philippines, Japan and France who now live in Dubai and are friends with the menu developer, Michael, who is from Australia.

The July 7^th opening was planned to be on the Japanese Star Festival or Tanabata. A celebration based on the romantic folklore of Princess Orihime and the young Hikoboshi, this day is known to be one from which hopes are realized. For SHUHARI, it symbolizes the beginning of a new era of Japanese green tea enjoyment in America.

Cool Japan Fund, a public-private fund that supports the development of overseas demand for Japanese products and services jointly funds the project with green tea distributor Taku H. Maeda and Maeda-en USA.

For more information and to stay up-to-date about the SHUHARI Matcha Café opening, visit www.shuharicafe.com.

“Eureka!” to Greek-owned Bareburger Restaurants in Santa Monica

June 21, 2016 Comments Off

(Gerry Furth-Sides) A “variety of proteins and buns” and “Certified Organic ingredients” head up the aggressive marketing hype at new Santa Monica resident, Bareburger, the upstart, Greek-owned New York outfit that triumphed from the start in a down-economy.

Can its most recent outpost replace the historic Omelette Parlor on Main Street? Co-founder Euripides Pelekanos is an industrious Greek from the Astoria section of New York with the Hellenic smarts and hospitality. I claim to be half-Greek so want the New York Greeks to succeed. But I had wanted my friend to do a cafeteria-style burger place to revive flagging Main Street so my critical eye was out.

The odds on are Euripides, “the David.” Bret Thorn in Nation’s Restaurant News originally reported that “June 2009 seemed an inopportune time to charge $12 for a hamburger in the middle-class, largely ethnic Greek enclave of Astoria, N.Y., even if it was made from the organic beef of grass-fed cattle. But Bareburger did just that.”

When the New York Post conducted a taste test of nine burger offerings, it declared Bareburger the winner, bestowing it with a coveted “four burgers” and noting: “Two patties for the well-seasoned burger, one for the delicate brioche bun, another for the quasi-barnyard decor and friendly service.”

Bareburger’s colorful menu –map, menu, history, diagram and photos rolled into one- rivals any drawing a kid might do with the box of crayons on the tables. It is also a useful teaching tool for parents.

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For the poultry lovers there is turkey, panko-crusted chicken tenders, grilled chicken, jerk chicken and ostrich – which will be coming to the beach location soon. Here the “Pickle Fried Chicken Sandwich” has been coated in buttermilk and boasts the extra snap of sweet pickle plus horseradish remoulade. A pillowy brioche bun allows for an easy bite of all three at once.

For the paleos (such as myself) there is fresh and amazingly juicy organic lamb, wild boar, elk and bison. The beef is Piedmontese – to me, the best (see www.localfoodeater.com/White) .

Below, Sammie devours a split-in-two bison burger – not realizing it wasn’t beef until she was told afterward. She’ll have the other half! She and her sister each finished a burger, half at a time.

Buns include brioche, multigrain or gluten-free tapiocarice; wheat flour wraps, or iceberg lettuce.

Pelakanos introduced the first Bareburger in Asoria with “home on the range” sort of trapping to set it apart, complete with yellow picket fence. In Santa Monica, the”rustic” is ironically upscale with open-beam ceiling, recycled wooden tables and chairs and trendy Edison lighting.

The new Bareburger’s layout has a sports bar feel that has lost its way. A side section with comfy seating can feel both isolated or private. Families prefer this side room though the TV is a kid addiction. A front window affords the best seats in the house to watch the action in both rooms.

The big, back patio that ran the width of the restaurant was the big “Parlor” draw, where the packed house of buzzing diners reveled in the smell of ocean air from a couple of blocks away.

At Bareburger, you reach the very stark, very chopped off patio in a very round about way through the side section. However, the long common table and side tables for al fresco parties is inviting.

Bareburger has enormous shoes to fill in the former space of the Omelette Parlor, owned by Al Ehringer. With the introduction of craft beers, the enterprising Ehringer turned around his own so-so restaurant fortunes in 1968 into the American Fare corporation empire with 68 original concept places, ranging from the legendary Oar House hangout just across Main Street to the magical Saddlepeak Lodge in Malibu (which his wife, Ann Ehringer still owns). Al was a phenomenon. His intense, ongoing (imaginery, marketing gimmick) rivalry, complete with highway billboard challenges, with Bob Morris of Gladstone’s in Malibu was not only brilliant it was fun.

Can you import that from New York?

Bareburger. 2732 Main Street, Santa Monica, California, 90045. Hours: 11:30 – 10 PM.
www.bareburger.com

Five Ethnic to Try and why on Father’s Day at Rodeo Drive Concours d’Elegance

June 17, 2016 Comments Off

(Gerry Furth-Sides) Along with mouth-watering views of gleaming cars will be an astonishing array of ethnic cuisine on Father’s Day fills the streets of Beverly Hills at the 23rd annual Rodeo Drive Concours d’Elegance. Here the newly expanded “Food Truck faire” with special Rodeo Drive/Father’s Day items help celebrate this year’s theme, “The Fast Lane.”

The best of Truck fare includes The Rodeo Drive Big Daddy Burrito from Hang 10 Tacos and The Father’s Day on Rodeo Drive Sundae from The Pudding Truck. Above is an image of the glorious “Rodeo Drive Shrimp Bowl” fresh off the Grilled Fraiche Truck, chock-a-block full of jumbo Prawns, Jasmine Rice and Grilled Veggies dressed with the “ETB (Everything Taste Better) Sauce. “

There is something for everyone at the trucks besides other near by options. Below is the ever-cutting Coolhaus Ice Cream Truck. Also on the lots will be Downtown Dogs, The Deli Truck, Green Truck on the Go and Sprinkles, along with other food options. cool5

Grilled Fraiche	The Rodeo Drive Salmon Bowl – Build Your Own Salmon Bowl
Dogtown Dogs	The Rodeo Dog – Bacon wrapped dog topped with spicy salsa and crispy jalapeños
The Pudding Truck	The Father’s Day on Rodeo Drive Sundae
Hang 10 Tacos	The Rodeo Drive Big Daddy Burrito – Steak, Potato, green onions, Jack cheese, sour cream, chipotle salsa, cilantro wrapped in a toasted flour tortilla
Green Truck On the Go	Papas Rodeo Drive Paleo Bowl – free range egg, applewood smoked bacon, ground buffalo, avocado, kale, fire roasted chipotle sauce
Coolhaus	The Father’s Day Rodeo – Double chocolate chip cookies and Guinness chip ice cream.
The Deli Doctor	Rodeo Reuben – Grilled Rye Bread Filled W/ Pastrami , Corned beef or Turkey Swiss cheese Sauerkraut & Russian dressing.
Hungry Nomads	Daddy’s Avocado Stack Sandwich – Avocado, feta & muenster cheese, sprouts, aioli and fries

Of course the opportunity to have a close look at over 100 rare and coveted, handpicked Supercars starring in the event are perfect for a casual, truck eating experience. Hosted by the Rodeo Drive Committee, the annual Father’s Day event is free and open to the public. The Rodeo Drive Concours d’Elegance is the largest single-day Concours in North America, drawing approximately 30,000 spectators each year. Sunday, June 19, 2016 from 10:00am – 4:00pm on the 200, 300 and 400 blocks of Rodeo Drive. More information about the event may be found at www.rodeodrive-bh.com.

First MASTERS OF TASTE is Pasadena Perfect

May 1, 2016 Comments Off

(Gerry Furth-Sides) Even the sun came out in full force to lend an early spring glow to the first Masters of Taste recently on the field of the Historic Pasadena Rose Bowl.

From start to finish, this event defined Pasadena: prepared, sophisticated and friendly. It proved to be an ideal way to sample a number of gourmet global dishes from many restaurants and vendors at one time to benefit a worthwhile cause, Union Station Homeless Services.

Walking up the ramp through the dark dark stadium tunnel onto the bright field ringed with food and drink stations was stunning. But
the “moment” that stays in mind was shortly afterward listening to a member of the charity board giving a heartfelt thanks to the crazy-busy Chef Neal Fraser of Redbird for participating in the event. “They would not let me say ‘no” he told me when the board member wandered off.”

The bold, beautiful invitation was the first indication that the event would be important enough to head to what could be an intimidating venue. A welcome was the reward, from the ample and easily accessible free parking (take this, Dodger Stadium and your $25 pop parking) to the wonderfully laid out event on the field to the compact and detailed program booklet to read afterward.

Approximately 2,500 guests joined over 40 Culinary Masters and 25 Beverage Masters were joined by lifestyle activations and live entertainment.

Everyone was in an upbeat mood – maybe because the layout ensured that everyone at the event could see each other with so much room that no one felt crowded. Attendees sat at picnic tables in the middle of the field; a VIP section at one end had cocktail tables for a view from above. Even the bartenders got into the party mood while working. Not to say that alcohol was the mood-changer. The Kambocha Tea servers acted just as happy to see us and shared their drinks, especially to people who had never tried the tea before.

Catching up with food friends is one of the best part of these events. Today Japanese Executive Chef Shigefume Techie (legendary creator of the tuna tartare stack), now owner-chef of his own restaurant, gave a big wave and a hug later.

Most memorable dish of the day was offered by Birch Restaurant, British Executive Chef Collins. No more animated “bad boy!” Just a luscious, refined chicken mousse as only he can do it, with a huge smile while he told us about how his new place was going.

Collins has worked closely with Inothetke’s Executive Chef-owner Carolos Tomazos, a rare restaurant offering Greek

gourmet cuisine, here with his wife and partner with an offering of lamb done Cypriot style in a meatball with Shredded Cabbage Salad, Tomato Sauce and Tzatziki. (//localfoodeater.com/inotheke-modern-greek-cuisine-comes-to-santa-monica, and http:localfoodeater.com/inothetke.)

Hache LA chefs didn’t stop serving or greeting guests from beginning to end. Burgers still rule, even devilishly “hot” ones like the one decorated below with a pepper “horn.”

And the the “devilishly” visual Toca Madera served a refreshing coconut citrus salad.

For the rest, a picture is worth…

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BierBeisl offered Crispy Pork Belly Crostini with Fava Bean and Radish.

Guests even waited patiently in line for Chef Calagero Drago of Drago Ristorante & Panzanella, is proof of the high calibre and excitement of the event.

The beneficiary of Masters of Taste will be Union Station Homeless Services, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization committed to helping homeless men, women and children rebuild their lives. Headquartered in Pasadena, the agency is the San Gabriel Valley’s largest social service agency assisting homeless and very low-income adults and families through an array of services including street outreach, meals, shelter, housing, case management and career development. Since 1973, Union Station Homeless Services has helped thousands of people who were once homeless and without hope. 100% of the proceeds from this year’s event will go directly to Union Station Homeless Services.

Watch for this event next year. A full list of Masters of Taste participants is also on the website. www.MastersofTasteLA.com/Tickets.

STREIT’S: MATZO AND THE AMERICAN DREAM film

April 15, 2016 Comments Off

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(Gerry Furth-Sides) The historic Laemmle Theatres is pleased to present STREIT’S: MATZO AND THE AMERICAN DREAM, Michael Levine’s film about the historic New York company. The film opens Wednesday, April 20, ushering in passover this year (see details below). The story unfolds in an engaging and loving manner by the family who still head up the company, several of the workers — albeit once the plot is laid, there is a lot of repetition. Insightful urban geographer, Elissa Sampson, places STREIT’s in context to the changing urban dynamics of New York City in such a marvelous, measured manner that it alone is worth “the price of admission.” Director Michael Levine respectfully steps back to allow the story to present itself, from the first time we step into a tour of school children led by an orthodox Jewish elder in the century-old building.

In 1915, Aron Streit, an Austrian immigrant, opened a matzo factory on the Lower East Side – the neon light business was not steady enough work to support his growing family was the reason. Eventually situated in a tangle oftenement streits_pr_still_04

buildings on Irvington Street leftover from the great migration of the previous century – when the lower east side population was more dense than Calcutta, India. The complex, ancient machinery is also a tangle in the four-building factory — “shoots and ladders” as one owner describes it.

Streit’s Matzo is still the gold standard for the distinctive cracker found in almost every Jewish household. “The recipe? It’s found in the Bible,” deadpans one of the great-grandsons, and one to the handful of four-generation family descendants that continues to run the factory today. The quality of New York City’s water is given streits_pr_still_01

credit, but so too is the “time warp” machinery. Matzo moves along a conveyer belt of creaky baskets as it cools and travels to another level of the building while two rabbis ensure that kosher standards are upheld.

Streit’s is a place where the long-time workers think of themselves more as a “family” (not simply workers). There is a still-fit, former Russian boxer who represented the Soviets in the 1964 Olympics, a lawyer from Honduras, and the Jewish immigrants from Uzbekistan, who once had to make holiday matzo undercover.

One of the proudest and most attached as well, is Anthony Zapata.
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Anthony began working at the Streit’s factory in 1983 at the age of 19. Having grown up on the Lower East Side, he was summoned to work by then-owner Jack Streit, who saw him passing by on Rivington Street and called out “hey Italian kid, you want a job?!” Anthony (who is Puerto Rican) was at Streit’s from that day forward, all of whom he considers a “second family,” Many Streit’s employees share similar stories – neighborhood kids who found an unexpected career baking matzo.

Elissa Sampson, a Lower East Side historian and a born and bred New Yorker, seamlessly describes the shifting immigration patterns, architecture, and finally gentrification shaping the Lower East Side’s identity over generations. It is fitting hat she leads tours of the neighborhood that engage her young audiences with not only the historical Lower East Side that their grandparents might have known, but also, through destinations like the Streit’s factory, with the living legacy of its immigrant past.

Echoing Sampson’s thoughts, Anthony stares over the river and muses that everything in New York “has a price. Only the Brooklyn Bridge and The Statue of Liberty – maybe- do not. Is there opportunity for me in another direction? No. no.. no… its do or die. That’s what the eastside is all about now…. There’s no more American dream. No. There’s only the reality. It’s way too late to go back now. It this change good for me? This change is a good thing for me – if Streit’s remains here. If not a good thing if it moves on.”Last fall, after years of deliberation (and failing machinery), the family moved their factory to Rockland County. “Like snowflakes, no two matzos are the same,” we are assured. They did not say anything about the New York water.

Director, photographer, and editor, Michael Levine explains the story best. In his words, “Having my own deep family roots on the Lower East Side, I was immediately drawn to the story of Streit’s Matzos, an iconic fifth generation family business that had been a part of the neighborhood for nearly a century.

“From the moment I first walked through the doors of the Streit’s factory, I knew there was a story to be told. Here, just steps from the now-hip neighborhood,

“Streit’s stood a living lineage to the Lower East Side’s immigrant past. Dozens of workers buzzed around the ancient machinery, as old as the factory itself, while rabbis kept careful watch, ensuring that each batch met the strictest standards. The owners – the great-grandsons and great-great- grandson of founder Aron Streit – sat behind the desks of their ancestors, holding tight to their family tradition and heritage, despite the obvious challenges of operating a factory out of tenement buildings in the 21st century.

“When I began filming, neither I nor the Streit family could have envisioned that by the time of the film’s release, the factory would leave its Lower East Side home. Suddenly and unexpectedly, the film became not only a document of the family’s history, but a chronicle of the family’s struggle to make the most daunting decision of their lives.

“As a Lower East Side resident who has seen so many family-owned businesses depart in the face of a changing neighborhood, the loss of the Streit’s factory is an emotional one for me, and I know it is even more so for the Streit family and the workers at the factory. However, I also have tremendous admiration for their decision to continue the family business.

“Streit’s may no longer be baking on the Lower East Side, but their legacy there will not be forgotten, and their commitments to community, their workers, and to the matzos they bake will continue in Rockland County.

“I believe that, now more than ever, it is essential that this story be told, not only to preserve the history and legacy of the factory, the Streit family, and the workers there, but to draw attention to difficult choices facing family-owned businesses nationwide.

Elissa Sampson’s words continue to ring in my ears, in my city, in describing the gentrification of the city. “Whether you call it mom or pop shops shop or smaller businesses , or even larger ones like Streits, getting people to feel comfortable in terms of staying in place is critical because staying in place is really the battle about belonging and diversity. Once that diversity is gone, it becomes homogenous, it becomes just another franchise, it becomes another superstore. We see new buildings going up and old buildings coming down. We see communities that don’t know if they still belong. And that sense of belonging is extremely important because losing that sense of belonging disassociates you from everything.”

STREIT’S: MATZO AND THE AMERICAN DREAM (2016, 76 minutes) Directed, photographed, and edited by Michael Levine. Produced by Michael Green. Sound and original music by Levine. A Menemsha Films release.

For more information and schedules, please check the Laemmle website below.

Music Hall

9036 Wilshire Blvd.

Beverly Hills CA 90211

Town Center 5

17200 Ventura Blvd.

Encino CA 91316

www.laemmle.com

310-478-3836

Fresh Brothers (Italian) Goes Ethnic with Matzah Pizza for Passover

April 12, 2016 Comments Off

small (Gerry Furth-Sides) Ethnic (Pizza) Goes Mainstream Goes Ethnic (Matzah) at Fresh Brothers this season. For “those looking to celebrate one of the traditions of Passover,” Fresh Brothers is bringing back the Matzah Pizza. “It was a huge hit with customers in the past,so we have again decided to make the Matzah Pizza available for the weeklong Jewish holiday starting Friday April 22nd until Saturday, April 30^th,” according to Adam Goldberg, CEO and founder of Fresh Brothers. Here he and brother, Scott, look over tomatoes to see if they qualify for “fresh.”

“When you keep Passover, it’s difficult to eat out,” says Goldberg. “So, Fresh Brothers is giving people a place to go during the week of Pesach, a time when Jewish people normally don’t eat out. In keeping with the traditions of Passover, Fresh Brothers has tweaked the recipe, using part skim milk cheese and crust without yeast, so that observers of Passover can now satisfy their pizza cravings while honoring the holiday,” he noted.

Here is Adam Goldberg’s inspiration in his own words as a growing teen boy that was “always starving.” He relates, “As a teen in Chicago I worked at my brother’s pizza restaurant and was frustrated during Passover as I could not eat my creations. This memory inspired me to make the Matzah Pizza to satisfy pizza cravings among those keeping the traditions of the holiday,” explained Adam Goldberg, founder and CEO of Fresh Brothers.

For those observing the holiday it can be an isolating time due to the dietary restrictions. When you keep Passover, it’s difficult to eat out,” added Goldberg. “We are giving people a place to go and eat out during a time when Jewish people normally don’t. ”Fresh Brothers created a way to incorporate matzah, a cracker-like unleavened bread that symbolizes the Exodus from ancient Egypt when there was not enough time to let the bread rise, into their menu selection. “Observers of Passover now can follow their traditional dietary restrictions with the matzah while enjoying a satisfying pizza,” Goldberg noted.

In addition to the 27 toppings they offer, Fresh Brothers also offers many vegan options. It can also accommodate those who eat gluten-free, which can be applied to the Matzah pizza orders as well. Fresh Brothers prepares theirgluten-free pizzas in accordance with the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness “Great Kitchens” protocol.

About Fresh Brothers—The first Fresh Brothers was opened in 2008 by Adam and Debbie Goldberg. Their goal was to take their traditional Chicago-style family recipes, originally created by Adam’s older brother, Scott, and give them a fresh California twist. Fresh isn’t just a part of the name. Fresh Brothers’ sauce is packed with 100% fresh tomatoes, not concentrate. The mozzarella is all natural, with no fillers, additives or preservatives. Nothing is ever fried; our wings, bites, and tenders, even the fresh fries are baked. Fresh Brothers has been voted the LA Times Best Pizza in the South Bay, and the Best Pizza Restaurant in the Easy Reader’s Best of the Beach. In addition, Fresh Brothers has received national accolades such as “Best Independent Pizzeria” from Pizza Today.

For details, please ee: www.Freshbrothers.com

You’re a Big Fat American Pig, and I Love You

April 12, 2016 Comments Off

(Gerry Furth-Sides) The little dishes on little plates were playful, even whimsical at times when it all started just a couple of years ago. One of the first was a simple pork belly on a piece of toast offered by Chloe at the beach. It was almost as if the chefs wanted to tiptoe around Michelle Obama’s directive for the obese to lose weight.

It was certainly nothing to alert anyone about what would become a chefs craze for pork that has gone wild these days. Even ethnic dishes are getting into the act – and my favorite of books about the irrepressible OLIVIA.

At Chadaka Thai in Burbank, once owner Katy Noochor-la and her chef sister, Amanda Kuntee learned that customers liked pork they put two dishes on the menu that became instant hits. The famous Crispy Pork Kra Pow Thai dish with twice-cooked pork belly, sweet basil, fresh garlic, chili, bell peppers and green beans is joined by Crispy Pork Belly with Chinese Broccoli is joined by Crispy Pork Belly with Chinese Broccoli, twice cooked pork belly stir-fried with fresh garlic,m roasted chilies and Chinese Broccoli.

How do I define “craze?” Fig Bistro (at the beach) former Executive Chef Ray Garcia left his mark in a “pork sandwich” creation – that’s bacon wrapped around a pork belly- That’s “Bacon Wrapped Bacon,” served with Tomatoes, Arugula, Fuerte Avocado. Guests snapped them up as soon as grinning Chef Garcia put them on a plate. As Garcia put it, “who doesn’t like bacon? They’re selling like hot cakes!”

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Chef Garcia tucks pork into a lot of his other dishes, including a Short Rib and pancetta Meatloat. Pork with Short Ribs! If crunchy (texture fun) and fat (flavor) are key, this has it, and beyond. And, of course, pork pairs perfectly with fruit, and with cocktails.

Chef Jason Neroni of The Rose Cafe in Venice didn’t stop at pork belly. Here he serves up an Asian inspired dish, Vietnamese Salad made of Pig’s Ear & Belly, Polito Farms Citrus.

Pork belly and bones and confit are the “Caesar salad” of yesteryear. Rustic Canyon’s delightful pork belly with fava beans and peppers is one example.

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TART chef

At Hanjip Korean BBQ in Culver City, Marinated Pork Belly (Mae-won-sam-gyup-sal) is joined on the menu with Classic Pork Belly (Sam-gyup-sal) and Pork Neck Jowl (Han-jong-sal).

To control your own crunch, moving east, you are the cook your own at elegant Korean table grills and can fawn over the richest, purest pork belly raw before you cook it. At the ever-evolving, always “out there” Church and State downtown, pork shanks (the joint that looks like your knee) is a best seller.

Farther west, Animal’s fun-loving, talented executive chefs (one always in the house), Jon Shook and Danny Vitolo, serve pork belly (braised) sliders, and pig’s ears are “Favorite Thing” TV- famous, as is their bacon crumble chocolate cake. You can make them at home from their cookbook.

Down the street at a Smithfield Foods event at PistolaLA, pork belly with beluga lentils and pesto was the hit of the evening. Slow-Roasted DURoC Pork Belly – trendy in LA for years now – was the clear favorite and there was enough of it on the dish to satisfy any pork belly lover! The crispy skin, tender meat is evident even in the photo. Here it was prepared with beluga lentils, caramelized shallots & salsa verde.

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Crispy Pork cheek “Milanese” with wild arugula, sweet 100 tomatoes, lemon & parmigiano-reggiano was a clever play on the classic Italian. Sweet tomatoes were an invigorating substitute for a sauce, updating a classic by making it lighter while retaining the same flavors.

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At Craftbar owned by Top Chef judge and famed New York restaurateur, Tom Coliccio, Crispy pork belly with fresh huckleberry and a jalapeño vinaigrette is representative of Executive Chef Anthony Zappola’s sophisticated, sleek seasonal menu.

Smart, stylish Tavern in Brentwood, headed by nationally acclaimed and inspired Chef Suzanne Goin, offers a typically colorful, boldly flavored, and decadently large pork confit with sweet potatoes, spinach and romesco, It is a far cry from the much more modest pork belly on toast dish she served at her other restaurant Lucque two years ago (which we made up for by adding on duck confit!).

At the new Salt’s Cure (www.saltscure.com), the smell of sizzling meat can be any part of a whole pig that the chefs have brought back from a farm, using all the parts.

Over the hill, killer Chicharron skewers and pig’s trotter are hits at the Laurel Tavern in Studio City. And even at the more traditional Saddlepeak Lodge, Chef Adam Horton serves Wild boar “spread” with grilled toast; Pork belly with vadouvan, apple, yogurt and cucumber and Elk with almond, bacon, brandied cherries and squash.

But wait! Just the other evening on “Next Iron Chef,” legendary chef Ming Tsai prepared “lardo,” essentially pork fat shaped into flat flowers, that sent him packing. Does this mean times they are a changing?

It may be in the restaurant world where excess in pork dishes has exceeded its limit. But this week the New York Times Magazine, no less, came out with a magazine article on how a high fat diet filled with bacon can be, as the title reads, “A Big, Fat Miracle.” Fred Vogelstein asked the question right up top, “Who would have ever thought that bacon could be this good for you?” “A pork-laden diet” and ”the idea of food as medicine” were actually in the same paragraph.

Yes! And my own final hoorah for the wonderful smart pig, is if “you are what you eat,” I’d rather be a pig than a cow – or a chicken. And what happened to the whole and wonderful ham as a dish – other than it went spiral? It’s still here and a slice of ham still makes the best leftover dish in the world with a dab of mayo and a piece of lettucebetween two slices of almost any kind of bread .

p.s. Chloe is now defunct but not to worry. The Library Ale on Main Street has pork belly skewers with a spicy maple glaze, cilantro & lime and that says it all. Ah.

American Smithfield Welcomes Italian Cuisine

April 12, 2016 Comments Off

(Gerry Furth-Sides) It was just about four years to the day on a (rare) dark and stormy night in Los Angeles when Smithfield Foods brought in a Chicago-style party to introduce their take on Italian-influenced pork dish options to local chefs at Pistola-LA.

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bourbon with a Smithfield bacon

“Bicycle Thief” with subtitles playing on the bar TV echoed the Italian note of the menu. Both featured timeless classics.

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Italy “ruled” with Sicilian almonds in the Medjool Dates and blu di buffala wrapped inside Smithfield Log Smoked Bacon and the “Casarecci, BRIX6547-S Neapolitan DIRoC Pork Shoulder rage, chili & pecorino cheese.

Crispy Pork cheek “Milanese” with wild arugula, sweet 100 tomatoes, lemon & parmigiano-reggiano was a clever play on the classic Italian. Grazi for putting “Milanese” in quotes for the novel use of perfectly prepared pork instead of beef, although pork (or veal) was sometimes used in the dish originating in Milan. Sweet tomatoes were an invigorating substitute for a sauce, updating a classic by making it lighter while retaining the same flavors.

Crispy Pork cheek “Milanese” with wild arugula, sweet 100 tomatoes, lemon & parmigiano-reggiano

“Milanese” defines a dish with the beef or pork coated with flour or bread crumbs and browned in hot oil or butter with a sauce of tomatoes, mushrooms, grated cheese, shredded meat and truffles.

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Slow-Roasted DURoC Pork Belly – trendy in LA for years now – was the clear favorite and there was enough of it on the dish to satisfy any pork belly lover! The crispy skin, tender meat is evident even in the photo. Here it was prepared with beluga lentils, caramelized shallots & salsa verde. BRIX6707-S

We were happy to catch up with the dynamic Chef-Owner of Academy of Culinary Education (ACE)and on-site cafe in Woodland Hills, and meet friendly, small catering company chef-owners.

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Smithfield Foods bid farewell to guests with a beauty of a bold red, durable insulated bag plus handy Smithfield meat thermometer and paring knife in a case. The company made a donation to the LA Regional Food Bank on behalf of every guest in attendance as well.

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The event also brought to mind a memory that has lingered even longer: my immigrant mom cooking a whole Smithfield Ham (mouthwatering and complete with cloves sticking up all over it) for the family – moist and flavorful and festive any time of the year. In our household of “eaters,” this favorite was a rare meal with leftovers. Part two of this taste memory: sandwiches simply made of ham, lettuce and mayo – white bread or week-end rye, on a plate with potato salad or coleslaw. Perfection in a regional American dish.

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-Contributed photo

Smithfield Foods is a $13 billion global food company and the world’s largest pork processor and hog producer. The US leader in numerous packaged meats categories, popular brands include Smithfield®, Eckrich®, Farmland®, Armour®, Cook’s®, Gwaltney®, John Morrell®, Kretschmar®, Curly’s®, Carando®, Margherita®, and Healthy Ones®. Smithfield Foods is committed to providing good food in a responsible way and maintains robust animal care, community involvement, employee safety, environmental, and food safety and quality programs. (For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com and www.smithfieldcommitments.com.)

San Francisco Salt Company Goes Global with Salt

April 9, 2016 Comments Off

(Roberta Deen) Salt is both a necessity and a luxury. We need it in appropriate quantities to survive, but we can also use it to soften skin, soothe muscles, and relax our bodies, to name just a few benefits.

This St. Patrick’s Day, the “Dusting the Wild Irish Salmon Roses Salad” received “oohs and “ahas” when I brought them to the table.

My guests were even more impressed when they tasted the dusting of Cherry Smoked Sea Salt on them.

I was thrilled when I learned of so many other salts in the world besides just Morton’s iodized table salt. I grew up with that little girl with her umbrella thinking that was all there was to salt.

So it came as a lovely surprise when I became a professional catering chef to learn that salts came from all around the world, in a multitude of flavors, colors and textures. It was a culinary revelation to learn that there were salts to cook with (good old Morton’s) and salts with which to finish dish.

One cautionary note: I always loved the taste of salt, so I tended to under salt as I cooked and sprinkle heavily over the dish to meet that craving for flavor.

San Francisco Salt Company ( www.sfsalt.com )provides a huge array of the highest quality salts, some of which I have found individually over the years from different companies. All have been fun to play with – a bit on this, a dusting on that – until each found its own place on my palate and became a perfect fit for certain dishes. Smoked salt can transform and perfect a mixed green salad, for example.

bath-salts-or-food-salts French salt, Irish Flake salt, Mexican pyramid-shaped salt, Hawaiian Black salt, Himalayan pink salt, rust red salt – each with a distinctive taste and crunch – provides a distinctive addition to different dishes.

Now one of the largest importers of specialty salts in the country, San Francisco Salt Company selects only the best premium-quality salts from around the world for their new line of gourmet chef salts. Just a pinch or two can transform a meal from mundane to delectable while providing vital nutrients that are essential to human life and healthful diets.

We’ve tried a small selection of their top-selling salts and look forward to trying them all: Ultimate Salt Blend – Gourmet Salt Trio, Pacific Sea Salt – Pure & Natural, Flor De Sal – Guatemalan Sea Salt, Black Truffle Sea Salt, Fennel Saffron Sea Salt, French Grey Sea Salt, Kosher Chef Salt, Lemon Rosemary Salt, Mediterranean Sea Salt, Sherpa Pink® Himalayan Salt, Smoked Cherrywood Sea Salt, and Smoked Applewood Sea Salt.

Meanwhile Gerry Furth-Sides in Los Angeles tried the Ultimate Blend in oatmeal in crispy pancake form (show below). She reported that “it turned to look inviting and was fun to eat.

“It was simply bulk oatmeal cooked in a pot, with black Hawaiian Lava salt from the San Francisco Salt Company, then cooked until lacey. A little pour of natural honey was the final touch before serving it in a black bowl. 2016-03-08 10.56.45 “What a lively breakfast because of the different textures,” added Gerry. The snap of the Hawaiian Lava salt gives it ‘wake up’ flavor. Each of the salts adds a little bit different taste.

“Even though I didn’t disagree with the top chefs I worked with that salt brings out the taste of an item, now I’m a believer. Truly, a sprinkle of The Perfect Blend or the Hawaiian Blend even transforms the otherwise fairly bland, blank canvas, Bieler Healing Soup, made from string beans, zucchini, cilantro or parsley, onion, broth, black pepper, oil. ”

The mission of The San Francisco Salt Company is “to raise public awareness of the amazing benefits of natural sea salts by harnessing the power of the ocean to enhance well-being, from the inside out.”

The idea started after British founder, Lee Williamson, discovered balancing long work days with long soaks and bath salts in the tub each night led to “feeling fresh and invigorated each morning after a good night’s sleep and with skin as a soft as a baby.” It inspired him to spread the word of the amazing benefits of bathing in sea salts. So in 2002 the San Francisco Salt Company was created.

He met with instant success. In his words, “with the growing demand for gourmet salts, and continued requests by retail and wholesale customers, it was no surprise a few years later when we expanded into gourmet chef salts to become now one of the largest speciality salt suppliers in the U.S.A. We now offer an extensive line of bath and shower salts to soothe, cure, and promote relaxation, as well as a line of gourmet chef salts to guarantee just the right flavors for your dishes. The design, develop, and package of all of our salt products is done in our San Francisco facility.”

For more information on the company, please see: www.sfsalt.com. There are a number of recipes and a blog for the latest news and updates.

For a singular, entertaining and enormously educational experience, we suggest the book, SALT by bestselling author, Mark Kurlansky. In his fifth non-fiction work, Kurlansky turns his attention to the household item with a long and intriguing history. 9780142001615 The only rock we eat, salt has shaped civilization from the very beginning, and its story is a glittering, often surprising part of the history of humankind. A substance so valuable it served as currency, salt has influenced the establishment of trade routes and cities — it was a surprise to learn that animals headed to the same salt licks over and over originated trails that became roads. Salt provoked and financed wars, secured empires, and inspired revolutions. Populated by colorful characters and filled with an unending series of fascinating details, Salt by Mark Kurlansky is rightfully touted by the publisher as “a supremely entertaining, multi-layered masterpiece.” Mark Kurlansky also wrote Cod, The Basque History of the World, 1968, and The Big Oyster.