Archive for the 'Mid-City' Category

The Sycamore Kitchen – Los Angeles

Published by Gastronomer on March 21, 2013 in Bakery, Los Angeles, Mid-City and Restaurant Review. 4 Comments

Chefs Quinn and Karen Hatfield can do no wrong in my book. Their restaurant Hatfield’s in Hollywood is one of the loveliest spots in town, serving desserts that dazzle and a Croque Madame worthy of being my deathbed meal.

The two Hatfields debuted The Sycamore Kitchen, a fast-casual bakery and sandwich concept, last summer, and I’ve been eager to check it out ever since.

The Astronomer and I made our way to The Sycamore Kitchen late one Saturday afternoon. The daily special, a Vietnamese steak salad, was unfortunately sold out at this hour, as were the famous Salted Caramel Pecan Babka Rolls, but most everything else was still available.

We placed our order at the counter, grabbed a seat nearby, and awaited our spread.

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{swoon} Lemon Ice Box Pie at Hart & The Hunter

Published by Gastronomer on January 9, 2013 in Dessert, Los Angeles, Mid-City, Southern and {swoon}. 9 Comments

I swooned for nearly four hours straight last Friday afternoon at The Hart & The Hunter, a southern-inspired eatery tucked inside the Palihotel. Following a savory start of smoked trout toast and a shaved Brussels sprout salad, my friend and the restaurant’s pastry chef Sarah Lange treated me to a parade of desserts, including this unforgettable lemon icebox pie.

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Pacific Standard Timeʼs “Art As An Appetizer” (a.k.a. Secret Menu at Playa and Rivera)

Published by Gastronomer on February 9, 2012 in Food Event, Los Angeles, Media Event (this meal was free), Mid-City, Mixology and New American. 2 Comments

Pssst! Can you keep a secret? From now until March 31, Playa and Rivera are offering a special three-course menu as part of Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945-1980, the hugely ambitious initiative that tells the story of the birth of the Los Angeles art scene.

“Art as an Appetizer,” a collaboration between chef John Sedlar, artist Ron Cooper, and mixologist Julian Cox, is a one-of-a-kind menu inspired by artworks featured in Pacific Standard Time.

The secret menu is available for $34 at Playa and at $44 at Rivera during dinner to customers who show proof of admission to any Pacific Standard Time engagement or ask for the “Pacific Standard Time Secret Menu.” I was able to test run the menu this past weekend at a media event held at Playa.

Master mixologist Julian Cox has designed three unique cocktails for this special affair. All cocktails are priced at $12. The “47 Chevy in Wilmington, CA,” a crisp, tart, and refreshing sip, is comprised of mezcal, agave nectar, St. Vincent Orgeat, passion fruit, fresh lemon, and lavender foam.

It was inspired by Oscar Castilloʼs “47 Chevy in Wilmington, CA” (1972), which is featured in “Icons of the Invisible: Oscar Castillo” at the Fowler Museum, UCLA.

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Son of a Gun – Los Angeles

Published by Gastronomer on October 31, 2011 in Los Angeles, Mid-City, Restaurant Review and Seafood. 11 Comments

I like to visit restaurants that are “so-hot-right-now” after they’ve had a chance to cool off a bit. This sentiment isn’t popular among fellow food bloggers (ahem, Kevin and Darin), but I can’t deny that I like my restaurants worn in and comfortable, like an old pair of sneakers.

Some eight months after Son of a Gun opened its doors, my friend Lien and I made our way there for dinner. Whereas chefs Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo focused on nose to tail cooking at their first restaurant, Animal, this follow up effort draws inspiration from coastal seafood shacks.

The 55-seater was packed when Lien and I walked in on a weeknight. We were expecting to be relegated to the communal table since we didn’t have reservations, but were fortunately given two seats at the bar after waiting for twenty minutes. While sharing the communal table would’ve been festive and cozy, Lien and I preferred the relative seclusion the bar offered.

Since neither of us had eaten here before, we ordered a mix of Son of a Gun’s most popular dishes and ones that read interestingly on the menu.

The first dish to arrive was the lobster roll ($7). Stretching three-inches long, the sandwich contained hunks of lemon aioli-dressed Maine lobster tucked into a buttered and toasted roll. Finely chopped chives and potato chips provided the finishing touches.

Lien and I split the roll down the middle. We were prepared to order another serving if necessary, but it turned out that a bite and half each was all that was needed to take in the rich and creamy sandwich.

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Robata Jinya – Los Angeles

Published by Gastronomer on December 20, 2010 in Chain / Multiple Locations, Japanese, Los Angeles, Mid-City and Restaurant Review. 16 Comments

Do you know what tastes heavenly after a long day of selling sweets on one’s feet? A steaming bowl of porky ramen. The noodling tradition began this past summer when the Eat My Blog committee stopped by the Yatai Ramen pop-up at BreadBar to fuel up after the event. As we buried our heads into the rich and savory bowls, satisfying our bodies’ every craving with each slurp, we vowed to make this a permanent ritual.

We kept our promise to ourselves and stopped into Robata Jinya for a bite after the most recent bake sale. According to the restaurant’s website, Robata Jinya first opened its doors 40 years ago in Japan. This Third Street outlet comes from the same owner who oversees seven restaurants in Japan and one in Hong Kong.

Without reservations, our party of five was seated along the robata bar toward the back of the restaurant. The bar was overflowing with a gorgeous collection of produce, most of which would meet its fate upon the charcoal grill by the end of the night.

To get the robata and ramen party started, I ordered some eryngii mushrooms ($2.40). The plate was delivered on a long wooden plank—one of the exciting perks of dining bar-side.

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