Archive for the 'West Los Angeles' Category

Sotto Restaurant – Los Angeles

Published by Gastronomer on November 16, 2011 in Italian, Los Angeles, Mixology, Restaurant Review and West Los Angeles. 8 Comments

It just so happened that Lien and I supped at Sotto the same day that Jonathan Gold’s glowing review of the restaurant hit news stands. Using his article as our personal crib sheet, we loaded up on lardo, passed on pizza, and saved room for a cannoli. From beginning to end, it was a memorable and delectable meal, one that continues to linger in my mind even though weeks have gone by.

Chefs Steve Samson and Zack Pollack opened Sotto earlier this year along with restaurateur Bill Chait. The two previously worked at Pizzeria Ortica together and established it as one of Orange County’s top restaurants.

Here, at their first Los Angeles restaurant, the focus is on southern Italian fare. The menu includes Neapolitan pizzas, handmade pastas, and lesser-known regional specialties.

My date consulted with the sommelier for her wine pairings this evening, while I reached for the cocktail menu. I started with “Dem Apples,” a perfectly autumnal creation with bourbon, fresh pressed apple, Clear Creek pear eau de vie, fresh lemon, and cassia-infused honey ($12).

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Picca – Los Angeles

Published by Gastronomer on August 26, 2011 in Los Angeles, Peruvian, Restaurant Review and West Los Angeles. 11 Comments

Earlier this summer, I was tasked to photograph the food at Chef Ricardo Zarate‘s newest restaurant Picca. In exchange for a suite of photos, a friend and I were treated to dinner on the house. Considering how tough it is to score a reservation and the accolades surrounding the food, it was a more than fair trade in my book.

I’ve been sweet on Chef Zarate’s brand of Peruvian fare ever since dining at Mo-Chica, his first venture downtown. With Picca, he and his partner Stephane Bombet have created an energetic cantina serving modern Peruvian cuisine with a Japanese flair. There’s also a lively bar mixing up cocktails masterminded by Julian Cox.

The restaurant was barely three-weeks old when my friend Danny and I came in for dinner. Chef Zarate, who was recently named Best New Chef in America by Food & Wine, was calmly expediting at the pass.

The restaurant was insanely packed this evening, and we ended up having to wait nearly an hour for our table to open up. To pass the time away, Danny and I sipped on some pretty pink cocktails including the Martin Ricky ($11) and the Rhubarb Sidecar ($11). Real men drink pink.

The long wait was more than worth it when we were seated smack dab in front of the robata grill. Sous Chef Brian Huskey provided the evening’s entertainment with smoke, flames, and all sorts of skewering.

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Mori Sushi – Los Angeles

Published by Gastronomer on February 18, 2011 in Japanese, Los Angeles, Restaurant Review and West Los Angeles. 15 Comments

I will remember my 29th birthday as the one where I finally sat down for an omakase sushi dinner. Meals of raw fishes aren’t foreign territory for me, but entrusting my entire supper to one of the city’s best sushi chefs was a significant change and splurge.

Seeing as though Los Angeles is a sushi-appreciating town, I had a bevy of choices as to where to do the deed. After carefully considering my options, Mori Sushi stood out among the crowd. If I was going to spend a pretty penny on sushi, it had to be with a man who cares so immensely about his craft that he sculpts his own tableware and oversees the production of his rice to exacting standards. I wanted a serious sushi experience, and I knew Chef Morihiro Onodera (Katsu, R23, Matsuhisa, Hatsuhana, and Takao) would deliver.

The Astronomer and I had the opportunity to dine at the counter, but chose a table for privacy’s sake. Mostly, I didn’t want to weird the chef out with my happy-snapping ways. Next time, when I’m not documenting my meal plate by plate, I’m totally sitting at the bar.

The small dining room, which was decorated minimally and without fuss, was nearly packed on this Wednesday night.