Gastronomy Blog by Cathy Chaplin

Now Closed

21 Jan 2020

Bar Restaurant – Los Angeles (Silver Lake)

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The Astronomer and I checked out Bar Restaurant in Silver Lake during the Thanksgiving holiday while my in-laws were in town to provide free and enthusiastic child care. Black Friday may be the finest time to go out to dinner. Turkey-induced comas and over-charged credit cards make for mellow dining rooms across the city. Our kind of scene.

Here in this comfortable and quirky dining room, Bar Restaurant serves up a “not too serious neo-bistro” dining experience from Chef Douglas Rankin. He previously spent years behind the stoves at Trois Mec, Petit Trois, and the Bazaar.

Before diving into the Euro-Californian fare, The Astronomer and I sipped a cocktail each. I had my usual Old Fashioned, while he had the evening’s special, which was tall, gingery, and well-balanced.

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Restaurant Review

14 Jan 2020

Pasjoli – Santa Monica

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Mom and I braved a brutal Friday night drive from Altadena to Santa Monica to experience Chef Dave Beran’s neo-bistro Pasjoli. The place was very much humming along when we arrived for an early dinner.

Seated on the quieter side of the brightly lit dining room, we were separated from the open kitchen and casual bar by a wall. Mom sipped some wine while I honed in on the menu of French small and large plates. We focused mostly on the small plates this evening — it’s the way we like to eat.

The first dish to arrive was the blue crab with cauliflower cream and sorrel ($26). The tender hunks of crabmeat were dressed ever so deftly so as not to distract from their intrinsic sweetness.

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Restaurant Review

07 Jan 2020

80 Hours in Baja: Puerto Nuevo, Valle de Guadelupe and Ensenada

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I have been meaning to return to the Valle de Guadelupe and Ensenada ever since an epic trip back in 2009. It took an entire decade to make it happen, but I finally made my way this past November along with The Astronomer, my mom, and June. We had a fantastic time.

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Puerto Nuevo #1 – Puerto Nuevo

While we could have driven from San Diego straight to our lodging in the Valle de Guadelupe, it was far more delightful to swing through Puerto Nuevo for lunch. Rounding out the feast of lobsters were rice, beans, salsa, made-to-order flour tortillas, and plenty of drawn butter.

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Lumi – Valle de Guadelupe

From Puerto Nuevo, we drove to the Valle de Guadelupe. A fortuitous internet rabbit hole led me to Lumi, a Scandinavian-Mexican escape in the heart of Mexico’s wine country. While my mom stayed in a well-appointed converted shipping container, The Astronomer, June and I glamped our hearts out.

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