(Roberta Deen) The partners and staff of Cutting Board Filipino Gastropub in Las Vegas have mastered the cooking and drama of lechon (pork). They even arrayed the Crispy Lechon Kawali (deep-fried pork belly) into bite-sized logs to make them easy to eat.
A serving of Crispy Lechon is usually three times the size of this one.
Meaty pork belly rests overnight in a brine of vinegar and spices, is slow-simmered until tender, sliced into logs or batons, then deep-fried immediately. Tender and melting on the inside and perfectly crisp on the outside. The dish is served with a mango-cabbage salad dressed in fresh lime and vinegar which is a counter-balance to the rich pork. The full order would make a nice appetizer for four and an entree for two.
Moving on down the pig to the upper leg, Barry, Momma Glo and Tiffany have created a marrow lover’s dream. The Roasted Bone Marrow is a long leg bone halved lengthwise (rendering the entire marrow accessible with no digging in little round bone towers), topped with garlic butter, herbs and Parmesan then roasted. The fragrant bones are presented with slices of garlic toasted baguette and a variation of the cabbage salad with tender lemongrass and mango, just the right note against the rich marrow. The taste may be a bit unexpected with its decidedly French flavor notes, but the French were a major influence in Filipino cuisine along with the Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Thai and the Portuguese. This dish would easily serve four as an appetizer.
Roasted Bone Marrow for sharing.
Then on down to the limit of the leg – The Crispy Pata. The entire shank and foot are brined in the same vinegar and spice mix as the Crispy Lechon Kawali, slowly boiled three to four hours until very tender. Then the pata is deep-fried in hot, hot oil until the skin is crisp.
The dramatic do-it-yourself Crispy Pata
You can hear the snap and crackle when the very dramatic presentation is placed in front of you. Eat it quickly before it cools to get the full benefit of the “concert”. A fine dish for sharing with a crowd of friends and a frosty San Miguel beer at the communal tables while watching a big screen sporting event.
This is the ultimate set of pork dishes, equal in drama and satisfaction to the best American-style barbecue. They are an ideal introduction to an ethnic cuisine that is now gaining an audience in this country.
Cutting Board Filipino Gastropub., 2131 Rock Springs Drive, Las Vegas, 89928. 702.233.9838.
Last, but not least, for sheer shock and awe, is the famed 
The staff was just finishing up the Chef’s Table for six set behind a wall of etched glass. (Chef Savoy had prepared that meal himself.) The kitchen was breath-takingly small for such an expansive meal.
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The history of the various grains and their sources is carefully explained. The penne lisce (long, sturdy quills) was made from matt, “a strong and rich variety of durum wheat” cultivated in Puglia and Sicily.
The chiocciole (an oddly shaped, textured tube) is made from Khorasan-type durum wheat known as kamut,”the ancestor of our modern grain…easier to digest than other grains.”
And the linguine, a rich, textured whole wheat brown, is made from spelt which “has been around since the ancient days of the Celts, Egyptians and Etruscans. It is a soft wheat…that has a higher protein content and is richer in vitamins. There are 250 varieties. The Felicetti family uses one specific variety from…Umbria”.
I chuckled a bit and thought how the packages read like wine labels with “scents of hay and dried coconut, scents of hazelnuts and cooked eggplant, white flowers and freshly peel fruit”! There was the nose. Then came the flavor profiles – “pine and macadamia nuts with hints of edible flowers, stone cooked bread, butter and bamboo shoots, hints of peanut butter and red dates”. I took these descriptions as a challenge to see if they held true.
When I cooked them I chose to go very simple – water, a generous pinch of Fleur de sel salt and a splash of extra-virgin olive oil. I cooked about 4 ounces of each pasta until just a bit past al dente ( I am a very old school American pasta eater. I like it done.) As it cooked, I wafted the rising steam directly to my nose and there it was – the penne lisce made with matt gave off notes of green hay overlaying the dried coconut.
London Blend Scones
(Roberta Deen and Gerry Furth-Sides) Virtually “hidden in broad daylight” in a sprawling Sunset Boulevard strip mall, the spacious, subdued interior of Kura Sushi Restaurant becomes the realm of a sophisticated Korean father-son team (Sunny and Daniel) offering the finest of seasonal and omakase dinners prepared in true traditional Japanese style. Its name is accurate: In Japan the “kura” was historically a village storehouse holding precious heirlooms and provisions to support the local community. 
The effervescent, intelligent server/manager, Annie, turns out to be Chef Daniel’s sister! She presents the next course, a step up in a rich and fattier fish, with a touch stronger flavor as well.
Dessert was a meal unto itself as well – and shows the best of Daniel’s playful Korean influence, along with his work at world famous restaurant. Chef Daniel has taken the street food, Taiyaki, the little red bean paste and custard-filled fish batter mold cookies. The chef added to it house made Black Sesame ice cream with a black sesame crumble. A whimsical abundance of riches after a spectacular meal.
(Roberta Deen and staff) American versions of Izakayas have been popular in America for years, sushi usually being the draw, with several in Los Angeles fully booked for their entire 24-hour daily runs. Owner John Lee recently introduced a more classic version at Izakaya by Slow Fish in West Hollywood. His executive chef, Hyunchang Han, trained in Tokyo to learn the Japanese version of dishes, and in New York to master current, popular American trends. Chef Han and his crew strut their stuff in the compact performance kitchen along one side wall fronted by a specially built grill. Below is a photo by Yakir Levy.
And all lined up on the serving board is an array of their work, still smoking.
Infused sous are, in fact, a specialty of the house. Apple, grapefruit and hot pepper lemon are the three current flavors. Fruits infuse the alcohol for well over a month in bottles that decorate Izakaya’s shelves overlooking the dining room. The more they sit to infuse the more flavorful they become, so patrons are encouraged to keep trying them for up to six months regularly to taste the difference after the first bottles are opened.
Corn on the Cob is grilled, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and paprika powder for a smoky flavor that has become a classic Latin take on an American picnic favorite. Slowfish Fries are wedge-cut and delicately sprinkled with rosemary andserved with a trio of dipping sauces: spicy mayo, ketchup and bacon-mustard sauce. (Shown below)
Taco Yaki, a favorite ball-shaped Japanese snack made of a wheat flour-based batter is cooked in a special takoyaki pan. Tucked inside is tender, chopped octopus, tempura batter bits, pickled ginger and green onion.
An assortment platter with one each of shiitake, seafood, pork and hot pepper offers a preview selection. Another version is the Chopped Shrimp, Hot Peppers and Ground Beef filled Pancakes in the form of seared patties, similar to crab cakes.
Garlic Seafood Rice speaks an international language of pan-fried rice with garlic, shrimp, mussels, calamari, scallions, leeks and asparagus – with a buzz of .
This high regard for sushi and sashimi comes as no surprise. Chef Sean An’s fish and seafood creations at the two original Slow Fish locations on the Miracle Mile and in Huntington Beach, inspired by the slow food movement, are acclaimed for freshness and sustainability.
Gerry Furth-Sides 
Barbara Hansen 
Chef-owner Alain Cohen 
Jose Martinez 
Nivedita Basu 