Gastronomy Blog by Cathy Chaplin

Restaurant Review

11 Feb 2011

18 Hour Staycation: Omni Hotel Los Angeles

Filed Under:

Last Friday night, I was spoiled rotten by the Omni Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. Renovations are currently underway at the hotel, and I was invited to preview the spruced up rooms and restaurants with a handful of media hounds.

My 18-hour staycation began with fireside drinks on the outdoor terrace of Noe Restaurant & Bar, followed by a four-course dinner with wine pairings orchestrated by Executive Chef Glen Ishii. Chef Ishii, who has cooked at Noe for the past six years, draws inspiration for his menus from the seasons and from traditional Japanese cuisine. Hotel restaurants usually don’t have a great reputation for interesting fare, but the Omni is an exception.

To start, the chef sent out an amuse bouche of raw Santa Barbara spot prawns draped by sea urchin with a cucumber wasabi dressing. Both the uni and the prawns were impeccably fresh. The dish’s simple and clean flavors provided a great start to the meal.

(more…)

Recipe

10 Feb 2011

Rosemary Rice Krispies Treats

Filed Under:

15 Comments

My last three attempts at making dessert have turned out terribly. I mean, they were good enough for The Astronomer and me to eat after dinner, but not nearly perfect enough to share in this space. The first mishap was my grandfather’s birthday cake. He is a strawberry lover through and through, so I decided to use this recipe for Sprinkle’s cupcakes as the base of a two-layer cake. It turns out that great cupcakes don’t necessarily translate into great layer cakes, and I ended up with a dense, scone-like tower. Fail.

My second not-so-hot execution occurred while making butterscotch pudding a la Pizzeria Mozza. I removed the pudding from the heat probably three minutes too soon and ended up with pudding the texture of melted ice cream rather than thick, luscious custard. Fail squared.

Most recently, I attempted Baked‘s Grasshopper Bars, and the result was downright atrocious. The bar consisted of three layers—brownie, mint buttercream, and chocolate ganache. The first one went off without a hitch, while the second one resembled watery butter infused with creme de menthe. I was so crushed that I didn’t even make the final layer. Fail cubed.

After a slew of kitchen heartbreaks, my confidence was at an all-time low and I desperately needed a sure thing. Enter: Rice Krispies Treats.

For the amount of effort that goes into making marshmallow squares, they give back ten-fold in taste. Even better, they are almost impossible to screw up. Instead of preparing the standard recipe found on the back of the Kellogg’s cereal box, I drew inspiration from the Los Angeles Times‘ test kitchen. The addition of fresh rosemary penetrates every “krispie” grain and adds a whole new savory dimension to this all-American sweet. After successfully preparing these rosemary marshmallow squares twice in the past week, I think I’m finally ready to move on to something slightly more difficult. Wish me luck.

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 (10-ounce) bag plain marshmallows
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
6 cups crisped rice cereal

In a large sauté pan heated over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the rosemary and stir until the rosemary is coated.

Stir in the marshmallows, and continue to stir until the marshmallows melt and mix with the butter, about 5 minutes.

(more…)

Restaurant Review

08 Feb 2011

Sushi Komasa – Los Angeles (Downtown)

Filed Under:

14 Comments

Last Thursday called for something special for dinner. It was Tết and all, and I wanted to ring in the Year of the Cat with some fanfare. Since grandma’s house was too far to travel to on a weeknight and no bánh chưng or bánh tét were to be found in the fridge, The Astronomer and I drove downtown for dinner at Komasa.

Komasa was opened by Hokkaido-born Chef Minoru two decades ago and has been a Little Tokyo staple ever since. Prior to opening the restaurant, Chef Minoru spent 35 years working at sushi bars in Japan and the U.S.

With a reputation for fresh fish at fair prices, Komasa is almost always packed. We were warned by our friends that long waits were the norm, and sure enough, The Astronomer and I wandered around the neighborhood for a solid hour before our seats at the bar opened up.

We placed our order while waiting outside, so the appetizer arrived soon after we sat down. The slices of “Soft Tofu” ($4.20) were served chilled and topped with sliced scallions, grated fresh ginger, and salty bonito flakes. I poured in a dash of soy sauce to liven things up even further. The texture of the tofu was silky smooth, while the flavor was pure, unadulterated soy.

(more…)