Leif Hedendal Underground Dinner at KTCHN 105
Back in April, somebody forwarded me a message about a secret Chef Leif Hedenddal dinner happening in L.A., with the location divulged upon rsvp confirmation.I was not too familiar with the chef at the time, but the seafood and vegetable intensive menu definitely caught my eye.
The email contained a short bio from the chef. independent chef work in San Francisco, California. He cooked as Executive Chef in Barcelona, Copenhagen and interned at the infamous Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California. He promotes the Slow Food movement.
That gave me a good idea of style. I particularly love that he stated he specializes in weird vegetables. There is nothing I enjoy more than getting introduced to new foods and discovering items I've not yet tasted.
The location of KTCHN 105, a studio kitchen in Downtown L.A. that is dedicated to the appreciation of food. They do private tastings, cooking classes and private dinner parties. The location was in a building, recessed from the street. Since the neighborhood was quite empty, I thought I might have been in the wrong place. Rest assured, a few stylish people who looked like foodies started streaming in, so I followed the crowd.
The simple check-in process consisted of paying for the dinner and desired gratuity in advance, as well as leave any bottles of wine.
The table settings looked very organic and clean.
Several chefs cooked and prepared foods in the open kitchen. Many of them were women, which I don't see often, but enjoyed.
The dinner guests spent what felt like close to 45 minutes in the very green and beautiful courtyard outside have drinks and mingling. Although I met a friend for the dinner, we both spent a fair amount of time meeting new people.
Servers passed trays of the first course, an appetizer of live sea urchin, battered artichoke, yuzu kosho, all beautifully stacked together. I've tasted and adore sea urchin, but never tried it with artichoke. The yuzu kosho, a Japanese sauce with citrus zest, chili and salt added to the delicate flavors. Because we enjoyed it so much, they passed a few extra our way, even upon being seated.
From those I met, I gathered that many guests know the chef personally already. Being someone who attends a lot of events in town, I often run into some of the same foodie types at most outings. In this event, I didn't recognize anybody I already new.
I met a fair amount of designers - graphic designers, food stylists, photographers; types to whom I've always gravitated. A couple of people came from the east coast too. Because the tables consisted of two long rows, we did not get a chance to speak with as many people during the meal. However, we sat amidst extremely interesting people.
A case in point, Adam Pearson, who had been recently featured on the Huffington Post's
Food Informants: A Week In The Life Of Food Stylist Adam Pearson, and his charming Photographer partner, Matt Armendariz, who also creates the food blog, Matt Bites. Since both food styling and photography have long been my fantasy careers, they kindly stayed a bit after dinner in the parking lot to indulge my many questions.
The second course, house bread, churned raw butter, cured egg yolk caught the eye like very few bread plates. The vivid orange yolk appeared to be jam at first, surprising many people upon biting into it. I'm guessing the yolk came from a duck egg. All elements very rich and silky, it presented and tasted elegant.
The third course of sel gris roasted Santa Barbara spot prawn, crispy head, favas, Tokyo turnips, brown butter, cress celebrated both the delicate prawn and fresh vegetables, with enough acidity to even freshen the dish up more. Sel gris is a French grey, granular sea salt. The Tokyo turnips come in tiny radish size. The edible flower petals added more color.
I noticed at this point that most people were not taking food photos, which one often finds at L.A. events. It made me feel conspicuous, especially since it was so dark, I had to take some flash photos. If the attendees minded that, they remained very polite about it.
The fourth course, abalone, dashi tide pool, morels, white asparagus, leeks, seaweed, chickweed, stinging nettles brought that element of tasting not one but several new items. The abalone came in very small portions, making the vegetables the star again. Dashi, a Japanese broth, covered the items half way in the bowl. It added a light earthiness. Visually I loved the spiral fiddlehead ferns on each side of the bowl. These nutritious fronds supplied some great crunch.
While we were outside, before the meal, one of the chefs started grilling squid on the grill outside. I didn't recall seeing squid on the menu. Later I looked back to find that the dungeness crab got replaced with the squid. The initial menu stated there may be changes due to market availability. Based on the care in choosing highest quality ingredients, evident in the meal, I trusted any changes to the menu.
At this point in the meal, I appreciated that the courses tapered off to a light salad. On many tasting menus, getting the heaviest protein at this point really pushes me over the edge of fullness.
Periodically during the meal, Chef Hedendal came out and read off his list to explain what we were eating. His casual and humble manner really impressed me. He also stood by the door, greeting people and chatting as they left.
Sixth came the cheese course. At this point I got up to walk around a bit, and take more photos. One of the chefs stopped what she was doing and staged some of the plates for me, which also was unexpected and nice. I usually try to quietly take photos without intruding, and it's always impressive to find a chef who can talk through their work at the same time.
The plate included Andante Creamery Etude, green almonds, zahidi dates.
Etude an extremely small production cheese from the Andante dairy in Petaluma, California. The cheesemaker uses musical names for the cheeses, influenced by cheeses of the Pyrenees region. She uses goat’s milk instead of the more traditional sheep’s milk. The aged cheese had a firm yet creamy texture.
The original menu listed white mulberries, but the green almonds blended in very well also. They were a bit past that gel stage inside in maturity, however, they added some freshness and greenery.
In large meals like this, at the seventh course, I appreciate either a fruity dessert or something sweet and salty, not an overly sweet and heavy ending to the meal. The adorable, colorful and fresh dessert. Out came a strawberry galette, peas, creme fraiche, lemon thyme. On top the garnish of an edible sweet pea flower provided a charming play on the peas idea. I've never had peas in a dessert. The fresh, sweet and crunchy peas worked with everything.
This was not your childhood strawberry pie with thick red glaze. Everything tasted natural, with a tiny amount of sweetness.
Amedei chocolate, an exclusive handmade Tuscan chocolate, arguably considered the world's best. And those suggesting this are world classs French pâtissiers and visionary Spanish chef Ferran Adrià. Food and Wine magazine declared it the best chocolate in the world. This brother and sister team bypass brokers and acquire their cacao directly from the Chuao plantations in Venezuela.
Even with dessert, the chef introduced several things I haven't tasted and didn't think I'd be able to taste. The mark of a great and memorable meal.
Wang Xing Ji Juicy Dumpling & Dessert at Ozero
Wang Xing Ji is the first American branch of a popular, almost a century old dumpling house near Shanghai.Tucked away on the 2nd floor of the Focus Plaza in San Gabriel, it takes some diligence to find the fairly small store front.
L.A. Times Restaurant Critic Jonathan Gold reviewed this restaurant back in April this year, likening the extremely large xiao long bao, or juicy dumplings, to water balloons, or hand grenades!
After seeing photos of fellow foodies sipping the dumpling broth with straws, it became a high priority on the food trying list.
The rest of the items we tried on the menu, which is known for its sweet flavored savory dishes, didn't 'wow' me. Not bad but not memorable. I enjoyed the crispy scallion pancake, which is hard to mess up, although it has been done.
The main event, the crab and pork bun comes in its own steamer
sticky broth, served with a colorful boba straw. As usual, Jonathan Gold was right on the money, saying you feel slightly vampiric puncturing the dumpling and sipping the hot crab broth out.
The very rich, deeply layered almost sticky broth packs quite a flavor punch. The wrapper feels a little thicker than other juicy dumplings I've had, such as the ones in the very popular Din Tai Fung.
This makes total sense, as the first 1-2 minutes after being served the dumpling, you try to figure out how to lift it with the much smaller spoon. Chopsticks are too pointy. It's almost like working with a delicate souffle.
Experiencing this juicy dumpling is well worth the $5 or so you pay for it. I'd definitely enjoy trying it again.
After seeing and using the boba straw, I craved boba of course.
After having such savory bites, we went to Ozero by Cofftea in Alhambra to enjoy some tasty beverages and share a dessert.
The mug contains a frothy boba milk tea with caramelized brown sugar. A bit sweet for my taste, the rich flavors work well with the chewy boba, one of the best in the area in my opinion.
And because that wasn't sweet or rich enough (kidding of course), we shared this condensed milk brick toast, charmingly adorned with chocolate sauce and sprinkles, spelling out the cafe's name.
This makes total sense, as the first 1-2 minutes after being served the dumpling, you try to figure out how to lift it with the much smaller spoon. Chopsticks are too pointy. It's almost like working with a delicate souffle.
Experiencing this juicy dumpling is well worth the $5 or so you pay for it. I'd definitely enjoy trying it again.
After seeing and using the boba straw, I craved boba of course.
After having such savory bites, we went to Ozero by Cofftea in Alhambra to enjoy some tasty beverages and share a dessert.
The mug contains a frothy boba milk tea with caramelized brown sugar. A bit sweet for my taste, the rich flavors work well with the chewy boba, one of the best in the area in my opinion.
And because that wasn't sweet or rich enough (kidding of course), we shared this condensed milk brick toast, charmingly adorned with chocolate sauce and sprinkles, spelling out the cafe's name.
The side view particularly does this toast justice as you can see the condensed milk pooling in the center. Lovely for the eyes and the tastebuds.
The Shambala Wild Cat Preserve
While we are on the subject of animals with the peacocks, let me share another animal story.A couple of months ago, my friend Robert invited me to join his group with a reservation for a safari visit at the Shambala Peserve in Soledad Canyon, Acton, CA. Shambala is a sanctuary where big cats can spend the rest of their lives without being bred or used for any commercial purposes.
Shambala Director Chris Gallucii, Tippi Hedren and the docent/tour guide's love and passion for these animals is evident throughout the grounds. Even the name Shambala comes from a Sanskrit word meaning "a meeting place of peace and harmony for all beings". Ms. Hedren is so dedicated to her mission, that she lives right onsite in a humble home one would not expect from a Hollywood star.
While the cats are in enclosures for everyone's safety, they offered irresistible photo opportunities. As usual, I went rather camera crazy. So instead of too much more writing, let me share some of the shots from the day. Let me warn you, this will be a long post.
Tigers
This tiger, who like many of them at Shambala, is underweight, was close to the entrance.
I'm a big fan of signs and product labels, and there were lots of fun signs everywhere on the grounds.
This tiger named Precious, was one of my favorites. She seemed to really want attention and was quite playful.
This last stare above the shoulder is very Hollywood starlet/pinup girl.
Before leaving we were given a survey to offer our knowledge when arriving and what we learned. They also asked who our favorite cat was and why. I picked this little darling, Precious.
Before leaving we were given a survey to offer our knowledge when arriving and what we learned. They also asked who our favorite cat was and why. I picked this little darling, Precious.
A lot of yawning and sleeping goes on. Since they are not in the wild and don't have to worry about hunting food, there is lots or rest and relaxation time.
This is the one tiger that really looked like he wanted to eat me! Fierce eye contact. This photo gives me the chills whenever I see it.
Like the name Thriller suggests, this tiger came from Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch. Sadly she died of lung cancer in June of this year at the wildlife preserve.
This one is also adorable, with the paws, stripes and dots behind the ears. A pleasure to photograph.
Lions
This lion put on a great sequence of events. Sleeping first.
Yawning.
Looking at us.
More yawning.
Standing up, reluctantly
More eye contact
Walking up to the 'house'
Roaring.
And back to sleepy time. It was like four seasons in one day.
Most of the other lions were napping on their sides. They are cats after all.
This striking feline is named Boo. She had a giant pickle toy to play with in her enclosure .
In the sun you can see her gorgeous dark spots. The guide told us what we call panthers are really black leopards. The spots are on their skin, not on the fur.
When we arrived, we were given a cart to put our picnic lunch food into, and the contents stay in a cage so the cats can't get to them.
The grounds are dotted with the cutes port-a-potties I've ever seen, complete with beaded wood curtains. They were really clean too. The house for overnight stays had an outdoor shower with similar enclosure.
Some people decided to get into the spirit with bright colors and animal prints. I felt underdressed in black, cream and grey. It's not exactly the kind of place where one wants to wear red.
The grounds are full of all types of statues.
The crabs and lobster statues in the very dry area were amusing.
The tour ended in the gift shop. There were kitschy tributes to Ms. Hedren's movies, especially The Birds. I loved this lone bird hanging in a walkway.
After our tour this duck came to hang out in the picnic area.
We chose some picnic tables under this tree with hanging lanterns.
The picnic spread was extremely tasty, since this was a foodie crowd.
Towards the end we were greeted by the whole team at Shambala and learned more about the legislation, programs at the preserve and other information.
All in all it was a very exciting afternoon.
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