Showing posts with label Italian Food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Italian Food. Show all posts
Dine LA: Italian Cuisine at Scarpetta & Sotto
My tastes usually gravitate toward Asian food. After having traveled through Italy, it's been hard to appreciate Italian food in my town. As much as I support the L.A. food scene, the fact is that I've had much better Italian food in New York and San Francisco.Well, during the recent DineLA, restaurant week, I gave two fine Italian restaurants a try and can honestly say there was very little disappointment.
Chef Scott Conant's take on modern, earthy and refined Italian cuisine at Scarpetta provides an elegant and inspired experience.The setting within the Beverly Hills Montage Hotel, especially seated outdoors as we were, provides for some interesting people watching not to mention the feeling of being on a mini-vacation. It also brings that "New York" Italian food vibe to L.A.
As a low carb eater, I save my carb indulgences for meals like this - between polenta, pasta and a decadent dessert, it was carb heaven.
First Course: Creamy polenta, fricasee of truffled mushrooms.
From the time this lovely dish arrived with lids on each vessel to the time the server gently placed the first spoon of mushroom on the polenta, it proved to be a creamy, earthy feast for all senses.
My friend had the braised short ribs of beef with vegetable & farro risotto.
The beef melted in the mouth while the risotto had a creamy quality with some bite and still-crunchy vegetables.
Lucky for me, we ate our appetizers half way and switched plates.
Second Course: Speghetti tomato & basil
Ever since I heard Ted Allen raving about his pasta dish on The Best Thing I Ever Ate on Food Network, I wanted more than anything to taste it.
Genius in its simplicity, it tasted perfectly of sweet, Mediterranean tomatoes, high quality olive oil and basil. The sauce did not fall off the al dente pasta. Definitely worthy of all the hype (and recipes floating around).
Third Course:
Coconut panna cota guava soup & carmelized pineapple
Chocolate cake burnt orange-caramel gelato & espresso sauce
Once again we all tried each other's desserts. The beautiful presentation continued, although the desserts did not come with domes! While I love chocolate, the cake was of the dense, rich, heavy variety where 2 bites do the trick. The panna cota surprised me with the tropical coconut and guava flavors and a very buttery tuile on top.
Once again we all tried each other's desserts. The beautiful presentation continued, although the desserts did not come with domes! While I love chocolate, the cake was of the dense, rich, heavy variety where 2 bites do the trick. The panna cota surprised me with the tropical coconut and guava flavors and a very buttery tuile on top.
While this decadent, almost 3-hour lunch (food offered on Italian time) satisfied me immensely, our table faced Bouchon. After we said goodbye and parted ways, a cappuccino from Bouchon Bakery ended it the right way. Perfect cup with loads of luscious foam.
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And that was my second favorite DineLA meal! The top honors go to Sotto, Steve Samson and Zach Pollack's southern italian cuisine restaurant.
Sotto prominently features a wood burning oven, so clearly pizza stood out as a must-try, but the extra treat was the fact that every other item as well as the service exceeded expectations.
A trusted foodie friend recommended it to me long ago as his "go-to" restaurant. I can see why.
Olives to me are what chocolate is to many - absolutely adore them. So upon arrival, this bowl of cured olives, marinated with parsley, chilies and orange zest.
This prix fixe deal also offered, in lieu of dessert, a well-chosen glass of Cantele 2009 Negromaro Rosato. I love DineLA menus that offer a cheese plate or beverage in place of dessert.
My friend selected for first course the Blistered little gems salad with anchovy garlic pestata, breadcrumbs and aged caprino Sardo.
For me, much like with Scarpetta's speghetti, I came for one dish and one dish only, that I'd seen in a photo online - the Cauliflower Almond Zuppa with chilies, capers and sultanas (golden raisins).
I love cauliflower, and have cooked it countless different ways. I love soup, While I prefer Asian soups, this bowl taught me to explore more Italian soups.
Served piping hot, this soup bursts with gorgeous, warm colors. Its creamy, spicy, crunchy, sweet flavors meld into a heavenly combination. My dining companion took a few bites and declared it's the best soup she ever tasted. It deserves that honor for sure and I'd happily make a meal out of it any time.
Because it was both of our first times at Sotto, we also shared our second courses. The Margherita Pizza made with just tomato, mozzarella, basil and Extra Virgin Olive Oil, was one of the best versions of this dish I've had in the U.S.
We cut it in half thinking we'd take the rest home, but ended up rapidly eating the other half too.
Our other dish, the Casarecce braided pasta with braised lamb ragu, egg and pecorino dazzled us so much that I forgot to photograph it before eating - a very rare occasion since I usually have my camera and have been photographing beautiful food for over a decade.
Instead, allow me to provide this link to click on, which I found on a web search, that will take you to Flickr to see the dish.
Our meal ended and our bellies both satisfied and full, we still ordered a dessert to share a la carte. Who can turn down a well made cannoli? This crispy Cannoli Siciliani, filled with ricotta, orange marmalade, pistachios, chocolate then sprinkled with powdered sugar, provided a poetic end to a perfect meal.
With that comes the end of another exciting season of DineLA and some standout choices for Italian food in Los Angeles.
Angelini Osteria - The Square, Church and Osteria
On their website Angelini Osteria lists the square, church and osteria as the meeting places of Italian people. The osteria is meant to serve traditional, rustic food and glasses or carafes of wine.I've been hearing about this place for a long time. When my Italian friend, Ilaria, gave it the thumbs up it got added to my list of places to try.
They've achieved a wonderful balance of comfort and polish that places them in the short list of L.A.s great Italian restaurants.
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| Lasagna Verde - "Omaggio Nonna Elvira" |
They are probably most popular for their "green" lasagna, with layers of spinach noodle sheets, beef and veal ragu and topped with fried spinach.
Lasagna is not something I ordinarily order due to it's heaviness. While this dish is rich, it's not as heavy as one would think and provides a flavor explosion.
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| Red Beets with Mixed Greens and Burrata |
The meal began with a fantastic prosecco rose and a perfectly seasoned salad of burrata, beets and mixed greens. Perfect salt, acid and freshness.
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| Affetati Misti |
Next came an encore of the freshly made burrata drizzled with balsamic vinegar and herbs in the Affetati Misti platter. Mortadella, prosciutto di Parma, bresaola and salame above a bed of greens rounded it out.
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| Fegatini Chicken Livers |
The most unexpected menu offering was the Fegatini Chicken Livers, nicely browned and laying on a bed of crunchy green beans and a balsamic vinegar glaze.
Actually, I'm not sure if it was pure balsamic or a glaze. It worked perfectly with the liver, which was such good quality it tasted close to foie gras.
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| Lasagna Verde |
Fourth course brings us back to this cross section of the lasagna verde. The intricacy
of the layers reveals the talent of Gino Angelini's kitchen.
I'm looking forward to a follow up visit to try their seafood dishes.
Firenze Osteria & Fabio
Many of my friends who do not live in L.A. tell me they are jealous about all the 'celebrity chefs' we have access to in this town. Recently I was invited to a media tasting lunch at Firenze Osteria, restaurant of the ever charming, Tuscan Chef Fabio Viviani of Top Chef TV fame. |
| Chef Fabio's many expressions |
Chef Fabio loves to share his passion about food and life with people. He walks, talks, touches and hand gestures rapidly with contagious energy, peppering the afternoon with charming one-liners, just as we've all seen on TV.
It's not hard to see why he won the Top Chef season 5 audience chosen Fan Favorite Cheftestant award, and serves as spokesman for multiple products.
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Both Chef Fabio hosted the 7 course lunch with wine pairings from Santa Margherita (of the Terlato Wines International, a sponsor of the Top Chef series).
Warm herbed bread with sundried tomatoes were promptly placed on the table while Executive Chef Ken Biffar worked on the other dishes.
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| Firenze Osteria's open kitchen; Santa Margherita tasting cards and prosecco |
Chef Fabio explained that ingredients from each dish will be carried into the subsequent dishes, and that we would try 3 wines across the 7 courses. This helped us explore the wines with different food flavors.
He likes to use round, white plates and keep things accessible. He referred to these dishes as his grandma's food with a pretty presentation. Or in his own words, "Sometimes grandma's pot roast looks like road kill but tastes amazing. I want to get rid of the road kill but have it taste the same".
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| 1st course - Crostino di Pancetta |
The very crunchy and firm toasted bread Crostino was topped with a luscious and generous portion of imported, fresh burrata cheese, grilled pancetta, crispy sage, brown butter and some lightly dressed greens for contrast.
Pancetta is salted and cured vs. bacon which is smoked. The brown butter, cooked down with sage, retained the dish's fluid flavors. The prosecco's acidity and bubbliness balanced the creamy and salty components of the dish.
Chef Fabio referred to the fried, crispy sage as "vegan bacon", a spot on description. The butter mellowed out the sage's bold flavor and added that fatty component.
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| 2nd course - Gamberoni in Carnicia |
This course, a take on shrimp and grits, continued with pancetta as an ingredient. The pancetta-wrapped Santa Barbara spot prawns were filled with Gorgonzola cheese, stone grilled, served on a bed of parmesan polenta and sauteed spinach. The whole dish was finished with a drizzle of 25-year aged balsamic vinegar. The Prosecco also cut the richness and saltiness of this dish.
The prawns were as big as the palm of my hand, very tender and meaty. My only issue with the dish was that the polenta had hardened and sort of came up in my fork as solid pieces, which was surely not the intention. It tasted great, but perhaps not served in time to retain the creamy consistency for the polenta.
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| 3rd course - Gnocchi Cinque Terre |
Of so many dishes cooked on Top Chef, one of them I really wished I could try was Chef Fabio's gnocchi. So I had higher expectations for this dish than others.
These potato gnocchi seasoned with nutmeg, salt and pepper sat atop a pool of bright and sharp basil pesto with a generous sprinkle of pine nuts and parmesan cheese shavings. The gnocchi were soft and fluffy oval dumplings were served as they would have been served in the Viviani home in Florence on Sundays.
He mentioned that some diners prefer the gnocchi to be tossed in the sauce, and he accommodates that request. However, we ate them the Tuscan way. While I'm not much of a white wine drinker, this Pinot Grigio complemented the creamy gnocchi quite well.
He said he remembers making gnocchi since his earliest memories of being able to move his hands. That talent and tradition definitely showed with this dish.
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| Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio and Chianti Classico |
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| 4th course - Oil poached Escolar over chunky puttanesca |
In order to keep the moistness, the escolar was poached in a light olive oil on top of a lemon slice and fresh thyme. The tangy, spicy puttanesca sauce came full of sliced green olives and capers.
I love the tangy and lemony elements with my fish. Yet there was a subtle sweet taste coming from either the fish or the tomatoes. The fish texture was meaty, not flakey. The flavors melded perfectly well.
The Pinot Grigio complemented the fish. We found out that Anthony Terlato first introduced Pinot Grigio to the U.S. over 30 years ago and it is still one of the most requested imported wines in restaurants.
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| 5th course - Costolette di Agnello |
By this point, a lot of diners were hitting the wall in terms of fullness. Then the herb marinated rack of lamb came out. Chef Fabio said he likes to treat lamb like pork, and offered this as a take on braised pork and beans.
The most unusual component, something I'd never seen before, was the glazed pistachios in place of beans. They were essentially softened and cooked like beans. Very unexpected and delicious.
I have heard of some unfavorable reviews from friends of the lamb at this particular venue, however, in this case its preparation and taste exceeded my expectations. The chianti's fruitiness and earthiness washed it down very well.
By this time I started staring into space as I was approaching food coma. Chef Fabio, always attentive, immediately noticed and asked if I was enjoying the lamb. He told the group to "take it like Italian diners", and we mostly did. It was a very large meal that felt like one big Italian family Sunday lunch.
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| 6th course - Trofie con Anatra e Finocchio |
The homemade trofie pasta, with duck sausage, caramelized fennel and parmesan cheese comprised a very hearty pasta course. I loved the hand torn pasta, the gamey duck with the chianti.
While I normally love fennel, caramelizing it in a small bit of butter intensified its already strong flavors. The fennel dominated the dish a bit too much, but I worked around it and still enjoyed it quite a bit.
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| 7th course - Torta al Cioccolato |
Chef Biffar came out to present the dessert, a warm cake served with vanilla gelato, pistachios, chocolate and coffee cream sauces. The other end of the plate contained a homemade ricotta cannoli with chocolate chips.
I'm more of a savory food lover, so chocolate cake doesn't usually thrill me. However, this was a very well made cake and the coffee sauce added an interesting kick. Chocolate with the chianti went really well together. The cannoli tasted less sweet and appealed to my sweet and salty preferences.
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| Firenze Osteria |
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| Parting gifts |
Overall, the meal contained many highlights and memorable tastes.
* This was a hosted event and meal. *
Pre-Holiday Celebration at Cube Los Angeles
A couple of weeks ago I attended a lovely, autumnal evening to kick off and celebrate the holiday season with friends. Of course this involved friends breaking bread together. We met at Cube Los Angeles in one of the intimate, private rooms and feasted on the 6-course chef's tasting menu.Upon arrival, the table was set with tulip bouquets, menus, name cards and place settings. The table also included a bottle of Nicodemi, Montepulciano d'Abbruzzo 2007, a red, earthy, spicy wine that was served during the whole meal, and our first course of artisanal cheese and cured meats served with bread. This is the area where Cube really shines and all diners were thrilled to have this course.
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formaggi e salumi
formaggi:
Loma Alto - an organic cow cheese from California
Challerhocker - a Swiss, firm cheese made from partially thermalized cow’s milk aged about 10 months in a cellar
Taleggio - a raw cow's milk, washed rind Italian cheese that is semi-soft and aromatic yet mild
Verde Capra - an unusual Italian blue cheese made with goat's milk with vertical marbling
Beecher's Reserve - a 16-18 month aged cheddar from Washington that are aged in the form of cylindrical wheels wrapped in cheesecloth
Barely Buzzed - a cow's milk cheese from Utah. The rind is rubbed with espresso coffee and lavender, and the flavors delicately permeate to the core of this semi-soft cheese as it ages
The platters included the accompaniments of pomegranite seeds, balsamic vinegar, figs, candied spiced pecans, cinammon infused dark chocolate and cashews.
salumi:
Cacciatore - a dry-cured Italian salami
Cullatelo - this prestigious air cured ham from Parma is a refined variety of prosciutto
due
fall crunch salad
This refreshing, crunchy salad contained fall flavors of cabbage, apples, fennel, crispy bacon all tossed in a grain mustard vinaigrette. It was hearty enough to stand up to the crisp, cool weather.
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gnocchi
This feather-light gnocchi was like biting into a cloud. The rich, meaty and slightly spicy bolognese sauce was made of Broken Arrow Ranch venison sausage and gracefully topped with pecorino cheese. It harmoniously added some weight to the gnocchi. For me, this dish was easily the best course.
quattro
seared Maine boutique scallop
This extremely fresh, seared and browned scallop was perched on top of a rustic, creamy polenta which was so different in texture from polenta I've eaten in the past. It was a slightly more grainy and coarse variety that added texture and a bite to the side dish. Another side dish was seasonal, sauteed beet greens. Everything was plated with a smoked serrano pepper vinaigrette, continuing the spicy undertones found on many of the dishes.
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Piedmontese beef medallion
The tender beef was nicely seasoned and portioned to round out this filling meal. Parsnip mash was a suitable autumnal side dish and the baby broccoli added another touch of freshness and crunch.
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dessert
By the time dessert came to the table, most diners were completely full, but decided to try the offerings. The dessert trio began on the left of the plate with a sticky date pudding drenched in a salty caramel sauce. The middle had two mini, fresh donuts cooked in bacon fat with a creme anglaise. They were a bit too heavy and doughy for my taste and hearing about the rich cooking medium was a lot of flavor for our diminished appetites. The third component on the plate was a simple chocolate chip cookie sandwich filled with a creamy espresso ice cream.
Throughout the meal there was a large platter filled with mesh golden bags. After finishing dinner, our hostess Briley, thoughtfully offered each diner one of the bags filled with home baked fall flavored biscotti and seasonal decorated cookies. It was a lovely treat on top of a warm, enjoyable evening.
Happy holidays!
