Gastronomy Blog by Cathy Chaplin

Restaurant Review

02 Sep 2010

The Peach Pit – Los Angeles (Beverly Hills)

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After spending the afternoon shopping with my gal pals Kelly and Brenda for the perfect Spring Dance frock, we were in dire need of something good to eat. Brenda suggested that we hit up a diner a few blocks away because her brother was working the dinner shift. I wasn’t in a burger and milkshake mood, but Brenda’s twin brother Brandon is pretty hot and is known to offer up freebies when the restaurant’s owner isn’t looking.

We pulled up to a retro-style restaurant emblazoned with the words “Peach Pit” in neon lights. Once inside, we were greeted by Nat Bussichio, the restaurant’s amiable proprietor. He pointed us towards a comfortable corner booth near the back and handed each of us a menu, knowing very well that neither Kelly nor Brenda ate much of anything.

As we settled into our seats, I glanced around the room to admire the decor. The brightly lit space was accented with chrome trimmed tables and waiters sporting fetching maroon and teal shirts. The records pasted on the wall and penny jukeboxes gave the Pit a decidedly throwback feel.

Brandon came by soon after to recite the daily specials and to take our orders. The Peach Pit offers classic diner fare, from fries to burgers to ice cream sundaes. The Mint Chocolate Marshmallow Jelly Bean Extravaganza Sundae is our friend Donna’s favorite for when she’s feeling traumatized (like that one afternoon when she witnessed her mother cheating on her father and missed hanging out with Color Me Badd). Quite a few menu items caught my eye, but I was told that the thing to get here is the famed Mega Burger. I went ahead and ordered the signature dish and a malted milkshake to go with it.

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Restaurant Review

31 Aug 2010

2 Amys – Washington D.C.

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Following the delightful progressive lunch at Chef José Andrés’ five restaurants, my levelheaded blogging companions headed back to the hotel for a nap and explored Julia Child’s kitchen at the Smithsonian. While both of these activities appealed to me on some level, I decided to do the unthinkable.

After meeting up with my cousin Kristine at Dupont Circle, we hightailed it to 2 Amys for pristine pies. Even though my belly was filled nearly to the brim, leaving D.C. without a meal here would’ve been a travesty.

2 Amys serves what is arguably the best pizza in The District. The restaurant is a member of the Verace Pizza Napoletana Association, which was established “to protect and promote authentic Neapolitan pizza and defend its Neapolitan origins and traditions.” This means that the restaurant only uses soft-grain flour, fresh yeast, water, and sea salt in its dough, and only Italian plum tomatoes, mozzarella di bufala, extra-virgin olive oil, fresh basil, and dried oregano for toppings. Furthermore, all pizzas are cooked in a wood-burning oven.

The folks at 2 Amys have been rewarded for their serious pizza making efforts with legions of devoted fans and lots of great press.

We arrived at the restaurant sometime after the Saturday lunch rush and were seated immediately at a table by the window. Kristine insisted that we sample some small bites before diving into pizzas, and I wholeheartedly agreed.

The pork rillettes ($6) arrived in chunk-form, dressed with a bit of olive oil and flaky salt. A few snappy cornichons were served on the side for balance. We slathered the pork onto some bread and savored the creamy fat embedded with shredded meat. Try as I might to stuff more than a bite of this into my system, it was too rich for my current state. My cousin stepped up to the plate and manhandled the decadent plateful of pork.

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Media Invite

30 Aug 2010

José Andrés Washington D.C. Restaurant Tour: Minibar, Café Atlántico, Oyamel, Jaleo, Zaytinya

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A tour of D.C.’s food scene wouldn’t be complete without examining Chef José Andrés‘ restaurant empire. The Think Food Group owns five highly lauded eateries in the metropolitan area: Minibar by Jose Andrés, Café Atlántico, Oyamel, Jaleo, and Zaytinya. Located within walking distance of one another in Penn Quarter, each restaurant has a different vibe and a distinct culinary viewpoint.

On our second day in the city, we enjoyed a progressive lunch at Chef Andrés’ restaurants. My feelings were lukewarm at best after dining at The Bazaar by Jos é Andrés in Los Angeles, so this tour offered the perfect opportunity to experience the chef’s cuisine on his home turf. I was hoping to be wowed.

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Minibar by José Andrés

With Minibar tucked into the second floor of Café Atlántico, our first two stops turned out to be one in the same. The six seat Minibar (yep, just six seats!) serves an avant-garde tasting menu with upwards of 30 courses. “This is food that owes as much to art and science as it does to gastronomy, food that is as much about the brain and eye as it is about the tongue and stomach, food that forces the diner to rethink food and its presentation,” states the restaurant’s website.

As a tremendous fan of Spanish molecular gastronomy, I was most excited to experience Minibar. Unfortunately, we were only given a taste, literally and figuratively, of what the restaurant had to offer.

“Olives Ferran Adria” arrived on a porcelain spoon in a shallow pool of olive oil. The spherified green olive encompassed all the qualities of a great olive, minus the proper texture. I’ve experienced these spheres dozens of times, but the sensation of the thin membrane popping and unleashing a flood of flavored liquid never gets old. [Watch Ferran Adria and José Andrés explain the spherification process here.]

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