BHAppeal's Profile
Speculoos in L.A. other than TJ's
The branch of Le Pain Quotidien on Robertson just below Third has jars of speculoos for sale, and other branches may as well. Shaky Alibi on Beverly Boulevard at Martel serves two types with its waffles, but I don't know if they package any for sale.
Where is a good resturant with the best bread pudding (preferably with liquor!)
The Grill On The Alley in Beverly Hills has an excellent Bread Pudding with whiskey sauce.
Kate Mantellini also has very good Bread Pudding.
Need a festive holiday punch recipe!
Charles Dickens punch is pretty good. Here is a recipe set forth in a letter he wrote to a friend, followed by a more modern (and precise) version that works well.
"Peel into a very common basin (which may be broken in case of accident, without damage to the owner's peace or pocket) the rinds of three lemons, cut very thin and with as little as possible of the white coating between the peel and the fruit, attached. Add a double handful of lump sugar , a pint of good old rum, and a large wine-glass of good old brandy‹if it be not a large claret glass, say two. Set this on fire, by filling a warm silver spoon with the spirit, lighting the contents at a wax taper, and pouring them gently in. Let it burn three or four minutes at least, stirring it from time to time. Then extinguish it by covering the basin with a tray, which will immediately put out the flame. Then squeeze in the juice of the three lemons, and add a quart of boiling water. Stir the whole well, cover it up for five minutes, and stir again."
Modern Version
Zest of 3 lemons, peeled off in spirals with as little white pith as possible
1 packed cup brown sugar
2 cups dark rum
1/2 cup brandy
Juice of 3 lemons
4 cups very hot water
More sugar to taste
In a 4-quart saucepan combine the lemon zest, sugar, rum, and the brandy. Warm over low heat. Be sure there's no exhaust fan running. Stand well back as you light the liquid with a long match. When the flames have gone out, stir in the lemon juice and the water. Taste for sugar. Bring the punch to a very gentle bubble, cover completely and cook 10 minutes. Remove the lemon zest. Set aside up to 3 hours, or refrigerate overnight. Serve warm, ladled into handled cups.(Some folks serve it cold, and it is very good that way too.) Other variations include adding cinnamon sticks when re-heating,or a pinch of nutmeg, or cloves, but if you want the real Dickensian deal, stick with the original recipe.
HELP! Cheap (but good) eats in Beverly Hills near Wilshire & La Cienega?
An update -- Cafe Flore is no more --replaced by Marchello's Pizza. Decent pizza,sandwiches and salads, but not outstanding. Sorry to see Cafe Flore gone. It was a gem.
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Cafe Flore
214 S Robertson Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90211
Marchello's Pizza
5937 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90035
HELP! Cheap (but good) eats in Beverly Hills near Wilshire & La Cienega?
I agree with the Al Gelato recommendation. Very good "red sauce" Italian. The prices can sometimes seem pretty steep for that type of food at first glance, but bear in mind that the portions are pretty big.
Cafe Flore on Robertson, South of Wilshire on the East side of the street between Charleville and Gregory is also very good. Tasty salads, along with a good burger and other fare.
I also second the suggestion of Chulada Grill on San Vicente.
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Chulada Grill
5607 San Vicente Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90019
Cafe Flore
214 S Robertson Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90211
Tom Colicchio Visits!
I was at Craft last night (Saturday), having made reservations several weeks earlier before the visit was announced. I've had many excellent meals there, and last night it was terrific as always. I only saw Tom in the dining room once over the course of 2 and a half hours, a quick chat with one table and then back into the kitchen. The place was pretty much full, but service was smooth and pleasant as usual. Not any different than when he is not there.
old school green goddess dressing - anywhere?
Houstons and its' sister spot the South Beverly Grill use Green Godess on their cole slaw.
Whole Bean, Medium Roast Coffee In LA
Went to Conservatory and it fit the bill perfectly. Many thanks to all for their suggestions.
Whole Bean, Medium Roast Coffee In LA
A friend in the armed services has recently been posted to what he is only allowed to describe as The Land Of Sand. One of the few pleasures they have is freshly brewed coffee. He brought a grinder, filters etc, but is always looking for good beans. I want to send him some beans -- medium roast is his preference -- and while I can do with a Starbucks here and there, I would welcome suggestions from those in the know as to where in LA they purchase whole bean medium roast coffee that is something above the ordinary, for someone who certainly deserves it. Coffee is the highlight of their (often mighty unpleasant) day.
Thanks.
Best dinner and entertainment in LA
Agree on Catalina -- great room and great music. Eat at one of the Mozzas and then drive about 3 minutes to Catalina and have an after dinner drink during the show. Best of both worlds.
Cruzan Blackstrap, Barbancourt 8 Year, Ron Abuelo, Wild Turkey Rye, and Soliciting Opionions on a 40 year old bottle of Cherry Heering?
Completely agree on the Cruzan Blackstrap. I had the same experience --just an overpowering unpleasant molasses/maple syrup taste. Not suitable in any drink I've made with it. One salvation -- it is very good for braising a pot roast or pork shoulder.
The Wild Turkey Rye is one of my favorites. It makes a terrific Manhattan.
ISO restaurant near Beverly Center
House Cafe on Beverly between Crescent heights and Orlando. Great menu -- very broad range. Breakfast all day, plus sandwiches, plus high end entrees in a very nice room (the former Pastis, but the room has been re-worked considerably) easily within you price range and a very nice dining experience..
Carpano Antico Vermouth and Luxardo Triplum Triple Sec
Absolutely agree with the Oh Gosh rating of Creole Shrubb as one of the best orange flavored spirits. Tough to find, but worth seeking out. Really delicious, with very different flavor notes than other orange based spirits.
How would you characterize what a good guacamole is?
The Mexicola has a much creamier texture and buttery/nutty taste than a Bacon. They both do pretty well in cold weather (relatively cold weather from a California standpoint, i.e. a few 32 degree nights here and there in the winter and consistently in the 40s and 50s at night in the winter). The Mexicolas are worth trying to grow yourself because they are tough to find in markets -- at least that has been my experience. On the other hand, I can find Bacons pretty regularly. Mexciolas tend to be smaller than Bacons, and sometimes seems to be as much seed as fruit, but what is there is choice. Nice looking too -- smooth blackish purple skin. I suspect that the reason you don't see them as much in stores as other varieties is the seed/fruit ratio I note above, and the fact that they don't seem quite as prolific as other varieties. We grew Haas, Bacons and even some Fuertes for $$ and had dozens of each tree, but only 4 or 5 Mexicola trees to produce fruit for us. Great guacamole starts with great avocados. (Delicious on a BLT as well, or as we called them, BLTAs.)
Forget the Entree, Give Me the Appetizers.
Jar -- the Wedge salad, Crab Deviled Eggs and an order of Fried Ipswich Belly Clams. I love the entrees as well, but often as not I find myself ordering this trio. Also at Comme Ca, a salad along with the Marrow Bones & Oxtail Jam is a satisfying meal given how rich the latter combo is.
How would you characterize what a good guacamole is?
I grew up in a house with a commercial avocado orchard -- heck, the house was on Avocado Crest Drive. Agree that guacamole is always a matter of taste, but generally around our house it was ripe avocado scooped from the halved fruit, mashed with a fork and mixed with a little onion, some lime juice, salt, pepper and a couple of dashes of Tabasco if folks wanted it a bit hotter. Nice balance between chunks of avocado and smooth paste. It was always used as kind of a counterpoint to salsa -- the salsa was spicy, the guacamole cool and delicious. The texture also varied based on which avocados we used -- Haas, Bacon, Fuerte, and my favorite, the Mexicola, a small, thin, black skinned avocado with an incredible nutty, buttery flavor and very creamy texture. I never see Mexicolas in stores, but they are the best. In contrast to our guacamole, our avocado dip had bunch of stuff added to it -- garlic, cumin, curry, onion , lemon juice, salt, pepper, splash of Worcester sauce and a couple of tablespoons of sour cream. Very tasty in it's own right.
Need moderate priced nice place for dinner in Beverly Hills----on a Monday.
Kate Mantilini can get kind of pricey -- I don't think of it as all that moderately priced. On South Beverly Drive Piccolo Paradiso is very good, though maybe it falls under the category of ethnic. It's a Drago brother place, but not as expensive as Enoteca or some of the others. Same is true of another Drago place -- IL Buco on Robertson just north of Wilshire. Very good Italian, nice space, pretty reasonable prices. Frida on South Beverly has upscale Mexican food in a nice setting. A bit pricier than El Torito Grill (which itself can get surprisingly expensive for what you get and a branch of which is on Camden at Wilshire) the food at Frida is much, much better and the space much more elegant. The Farm on North Beverly Drive has fans, but I've found it inconsistent and it can quickly get expensive depending on what you order. Further west, at the Westside Pavilion, is Westside Tavern. Terrific bar with very good, sometimes excellent food at pretty reasonable prices.
Fun Restaurants/Bars on a Monday Night?
The Monday night roast chicken for 2 at Comme Ca is excellent and a good value too when you consider that you end up taking home enough left overs for another couple of meals, plus vegetables and herbs for the stock. And it comes with fries -- so, $42 for a top quality whole roast chicken for two, plus fries and a vegetable, not bad at all.
Who Cooks the Best Quail
I've had very nice Quail with Huckleberry sauce at Craft on two occasions in the last two months.
Opening Night at the New Hatfield's
I absolutely agree. We went tonight and the food was excellent, the cocktails well made and the new room beautiful. Had the angnolotti, and they must have heeded your comments because there was just a note of cinnamon and the ricotta more pronounced -- a nicely balance dish. We also had the celery root soup with pork confit, masala spiced pumpkin and compressed cucumber . Sweet, smokey and clean flavor all at once. For mains we had the Loup de Mer with haricot vert, red onion soubise, fried caper, almond dried apricot crunch and the buttermilk steamed chicken breast with Japanese pearl barley, chanterelles mushrooms, charred pea tendrils, and a tarragon. The fish was delicious, with a jumble of textures and a nice combination of flavors. The chicken was firm, but moist, almost melting in your mouth, with a very subtle flavor. For dessert we had the Lime Pie and Nutella Ganache Cake, with the Butterscotch Rosemary ice cream really blowing us away. With a perfectly made Jack Rose and glass of Gewurtztraminer, the whole thing set us back about $125, not including tip. Well worth it. The new space is very elegant and even as the room filled it was easy to hold a conversation. The service was spot on as well. We will definitely be going back.
Best BACON in Los Angeles. Prepared or for Take Home
Wolfgang's steak house in Beverly Hills has a bacon appetizer that is excellent. Interesting starter for a steak dinner, but very good.
Best frisee salad, please
Comme Ca -- On Melrose just East of La Cienega. Solid bistro fare all around. And a great bar to boot.
craft, quality meats, or keens
Given the way you've described your friend, I think Keens might win by a nose. Great meat -- prime rib, mutton chop and steak are all top rate, plus an unbelievable scotch selection. Donuts, well, there are plenty of Dunkin Donuts in the city for a quick stop on the way home.
RESULTS: Ultimate Los Angeles Restaurants 2009: The Top 25 [Post #1 of 2]
Very interesting. Thanks for putting it together.
Comme Ca - good, but not as great as before
I've had a couple of excellent meals at Comme Ca over the last two weeks. The bone marrow and oxtail jelly appetizer was very good but the oxtail definitely had a hefty amount of salt in it. Entrees of braised short rib on one night, and rack of lamb on another were great and not too salty. My dinner companion had the Beef Stroganoff one night -- kind of a deconstructed version -- and it was terrific. Have not had the polenta or mushrooms, so I can't comment on them. But I take your point on the burger -- it is almost always served on the rare side, medium rare is nigh on to rare and medium is plenty rare on their scale. If it comes in too rare for your taste you can always send it back. That has happened a couple of times to folks I've dined with and the staff was always quick to make certain the problem was corrected. And over the past 6 months I've had the same experience with seasoning on the burger that you had -- fine on a couple of occasions, but overly salty on another. (Seems to be going around -- had a burger at Westside Tavern this weekend that was almost raw -- though ordered medium -- and very salty.) Comme Ca is still one of my favorite places, but there can definitely be some bumps from time to time.
Mr Taster requests the *impossible* (or just improbable?)... Office holiday party for $25 per person (including tax+tip) at or around the Grove/Miracle Mile
Minestraio Trattoria (formerly La Terza) might be worth contacting. My daughter had a birthday party with 20 guests on the patio for about $25 or less per person and the food was very good.
LA Speakeasy
The Varnish, in the back of Cole's downtown. Go to Coles. Go to the door in the back with a picture of a cocktail glass on it. Open it. Inside is a great bar. 118 E Sixth St.
Suggestions for B & B replacement?
I had a Manhattan made with with Rye and a touch of Tuaca several years ago that was excellent. The Tuaca gave it some deep notes of Vanilla. I've also had a Manhattan with a dash of B&B replacing the bitters that was very good. Well worth trying.
best cole slaw?
Pann's at La Tierja and La Cienega near LAX. Not too tart, not too sweet., good balance of acid -- some bits of pineapple mixed in. A perfect counterpoint to the rich, savory fried chicken and mashed potatos and gravy.
Best Italian in Downtown Beverly Hills - hunt & peck
I second Enoteca Drago. Il Pastaio is excellent, but Enoteca Drago has a more interesting menu, better wine selection (not surprising) and a litlle more breathing room between tables. (Il Pastaio can be a little snug.) IMHO the Caesar salad and Carbonara at Enoteca may be the best in in the LA area.
