Gastronomy Blog by Cathy Chaplin

Restaurant Review

31 Dec 2022

48 Hours in the Santa Ynez Valley: Something Old, Something New, Everything Stupendous

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I spent 48 hours exploring the fabulous Santa Ynez Valley back in September. In the decade since I first visited the area (Hello, Pea Soup Andersen’s and Saarloos & Sons), the region which includes six towns (Ballard, Buellton, Los Alamos, Los Olivos, Solvang, and Santa Ynez) has come into its own to become a tremendous food and wine destination.

The Valley’s breathtaking vistas, easy-going spirit, and community of passionate chefs and artisans make a visit here equal parts rejuvenating and delicious. Given its close proximity to Los Angeles, I make an effort to visit the area annually, along with my other favorite wine region the Valle de Guadelupe.

My whirlwind trip included visits to both new and familiar restaurants, along with a few stops at notable farms and vineyards. Early fall’s sunny skies and mild temperatures made for outstanding conditions. The plump grapes clustered on the vines were almost ready to be plucked, processed, and transformed into wine.

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Restaurant Review

30 Dec 2022

Kato – Los Angeles (Downtown)

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Some of the most memorable meals this year were shared with my colleagues from Eater LA. While it’s hard to top the night we breathed the same air as Jay and Bey at Mother Wolf, our final feast of 2022 at Michelin-starred Kato gave it a run for its money.

It’s been a year since chef Jon Yao and his team moved from West LA to Downtown, and from the look of things Kato is settling in nicely to its new home at the Row. Elegant, thoughtful, and ambitious, the restaurant’s $275 tasting menu offered a dynamic ride through Yao’s take on contemporary Taiwanese cooking.

All great meals begin with a solid cocktail. The Old Fashioned ($23) made with Kavalan Distillery select whisky, hoshigaki, and Angostura bitters hit just right.

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Restaurant Review

29 Dec 2022

Bar Sawa – Los Angeles (Little Tokyo)

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It felt surreal to sidle up to the eight-seat sushi counter at Bar Sawa on a Friday evening back in September. Though my current dining habits have mostly returned to Before Times ways, I hadn’t partaken in a proper omakase since prior to the pandemic. Joining me for an evening of sushi and whisky was my homie B-Side. It was a beautiful night in Little Tokyo.

While Sawa offers cocktail pairings for $45, I opted to nurse a stiff Old Fashioned made with Japanese whisky ($17) for the evening. My companion opted for the beverage pairing, which entailed choosing three cocktails from the list of available drinks. He would’ve preferred a more curated experience with personalized recommendations that enhanced various courses.

Behind the counter at this underground spot is executive chef Anthony Nguyen. The omakase ($170) featured a trio of appetizers, nearly a dozen nigiri, a lil’ helping of somen noodles, and dessert. While I very much enjoyed the experience overall, the pacing at the start was somewhat haphazard for my taste, with appetizers and nigiri interspersed with one another; a clear delineation between starters and sushi would have been preferred.

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