ljeanne's Profile
Sunrise Soya Foods - Tofu deserts
Not sure if this will work for you, but I made a kind of raspberry pudding for desert recently with regular organic silken tofu & it was delicious. Instead of chocolate shavings I used thin homemade chocolate wafers for garnish.
Raspberry Mousse - the recipe is from the Whole Foods website of all places, but easy to adapt. Here's the link: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/2920
Flaxseed recipes?
I realize this post was made awhile ago, but I just made these muffins today & am very pleased with them! My spices were thyme, nutmeg, & lemon peel - about a quarter teaspoon each. The most time consuming thing was grinding the flaxseed - I would definitely recommend buying the Bob's ground version rather than the actual seeds. Good recipe!
Best Vegetarian Restaurants in NYC !!?
Several top restaurants have taken to offering veg menus recently which make them a great way for the vegetarian/vegan diner to have ambience & great service along with innovative dishes. Monday nights Dovetail has a vegetarian menu & seems especially parent dining with adult children friendly. Kajitsu is wonderful, but be aware that it has an almost spartan atmosphere that may be off putting to certain dining companions (my mom kept remarking on the fact that there's no music & little in the way of decor). Also, the Adour Alain Ducasse vegetarian tasting menu seems well worth saving up the funds to try!
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Adour Alain Ducasse
2 East 55th Street, New York, NY 10022
Kajitsu
414 East 9th Street, New York, NY 10009
parchment paper vs. waxed paper ?
I feel like I'm late to the party, but I just acquired my first baking mat & made scones on it tonight. It is an absolute dream! No mess with clean up, perfect scones. I feel ready to start baking up a storm again after years away. Just wanted to highly recommend giving these mats a try out!
I've Never Met a Recipe with More Controversy: Pie Crusts
One of my favorite recipes is from "Diet for a Small Planet" - a bean pie with corn meal crust. So simple & delicious!
HELP......fingers are burning from cutting jalapenos. Remedies?
Wanted to thank everyone for their contributions to this thread - 5 hours after working with chillies de arbol for a Bobby Flay recipe my fingers were burning. Dousing them with rubbing alcohol worked like a charm. Gloves next time!!!
Dinner in Brea CA
Olive Pit Grill is a great choice for healthy, inexpensive, delicious food from an experienced chef who takes pride in his own restaurant. Definitely worth a stop!
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Olive Pit
834 E Lincoln Ave Ste B, Orange, CA 92865
Valentino still chowworthy?
The passcodes are the best! Everyone has been super nice about accepting them & giving great food & service. I wouldn't have tried certain places without them & I'm so glad I did. Give it a go!
Clueless NY Hound Transplant Needs LA Help!
As a transplanted New Yorker myself, it took me awhile to discover Nate 'n Al in Beverly Hills. While this is the sort of diner/deli/take out place found all over Manhattan, it is a rare find in LA & will make you feel at home. Even has fried egg sandwiches! natenal.com
Welcome to LA!
Recommendations for Christmas Eve dinner
Not roast, but Lupa has a traditional Italian Christmas Eve menu available, the feast of seven fishes. Details on their website: http://www.luparestaurant.com/specialevents.html
Need a recommendation near Penn Station, please
Not sure whether you consider this too far, but there is Terrance Brennan's restaurant Artisanal to consider. It's at 32nd & Park & is has a cheese cave!
Post theater dinner - Bistrot like but not a bistrot.
Exactly - the issue is the holiday - I was going to suggest the late night Roman menu at Lupa (Sunday - Thursday 10:30PM - midnight they have a $26, 3 course prix fixe), but they will not be open on Christmas day. It's good to keep in mind if you need an after theater option on another night though!
Central Coast culinary adventures along Highway 101 and Highway 1
Panolivo, Paso Robles - Sunday brunch was excellent, with a mediterranean flair. Pastries looked pretty amazing too! Will definitely be back when in the area.
PLEASE POST YOUR VOTES HERE: Ultimate Los Angeles Restaurants 2009
>$25
AOC
Chinois
Pizzeria Mozza
Chaya Venice
Itacho
Bar Pintxo
Manchego
Bulan Thai
Seed
BreadBar
high tea at a hotel
Lady Mendl's Tea Salon at the Inn at Irving Place does a nice job with their five course afternoon tea. It has a bit of an early 19th century atmosphere & makes you feel as though you've gone back in time.
Catch Restaurant - Dine LA
I went last week for dinner and found that their regular menu offers more interesting choices, some that can be had pretty inexpensively. However, I would not have gone there if not for Dine LA, so I did try that menu. The hamachi crudo appetizer was full of flavor, the shellfish risotto less so. The chocolate cake desert was average. The space itself is elegant, and they have a live jazz combo on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. The service was good and the desert wine selection was excellent. I would go back again, but not for the Dine LA menu.
DineLA- running reviews of places so far
Not sure exactly how well it stacks up financially against their regular menu, but I have always walked by Chinois on Main and wondered about it, have also read the good reviews, and it was Dine LA that made me finally try it.
I had a seat at the counter, where the kitchen staff put on a bit of a show in terms of flamboyant cooking. Tried the warm curried oysters to start, the loup de mer wrapped in won ton skin as an entree, which I was told is one of their most popular dishes, and a desert of a crème brulee trio, which was outstanding.
If I had not been on the Dine LA menu I would never have ordered a desert, and I'm so glad I did; I'm still thinking about those intense chocolate and the almond flavors, as well as the cookies that came with it and I went on Monday night!
Interesting that a restaurant of this level did not provide a wine by the glass list; instead the server offered three white wines by varietal, not mentioning producer. I will have to go back again specifically to try the crispy spinach side, which sounds intriguing. As it was, the entree was full size and very filling. All in all, a positive experience.
The Vegan Joint vs LA Vegan
Second the Bulan Thai recommendation. As a long time vegetarian, this is one of the better restaurants I've tried. I go out of my way to go here & they also do take out. Most amazing vegetarian chicken hot wings appetizer! Be aware that they are currently without a liquor license though!
LA semifinalists for James Beard Awards [Moved from LA Area Board]
For what it's worth, here are some LA semifinalists for the James Beard Awards:
OUTSTANDING CHEF
Suzanne Goin, Lucques, Los Angeles
BEST NEW RESTAURANT:
Animal, Los Angeles
The Bazaar by José Andrés at SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills, Los Angeles
Palate Food & Wine, Glendale, CA
RISING STAR CHEF OF THE YEAR
Evan Funke, Rustic Canyon Wine Bar and Seasonal Kitchen, Santa Monica, CA
Travis Lett, Gjelina, Venice, CA
OUTSTANDING PASTRY CHEF
Zoe Nathan, Rustic Canyon Wine Bar and Seasonal Kitchen, Santa Monica, CA
Catherine Schimenti, Craft Los Angeles
BEST CHEF: PACIFIC
Gino Angelini, Angelini Osteria, Los Angeles
Michael Cimarusti, Providence, Los Angeles
Josiah Citrin, Mélisse, Santa Monica, CA
Quinn Hatfield, Hatfield’s, Los Angeles
David Myers, Sona, Los Angeles
Craig Strong, The Dining Room at the Langham, Pasadena, CA
Jason Travi, Fraîche, Culver City, CA
Restaurant Week / Dine L.A Good Values?
Chaya Venice was a great experience & value. Campanile for me was terrible - I won't be back. Really enjoyed Grace, but not sure that it's much of a value compared to their usual options!
Dine LA Restaurant Week
Grace for DineLA last night was a great experience!
There was no attempt at upselling except for extra menu options with a slight surcharge as well as an offer of wine pairings. Server seemed just as pleased to be taking a regular dineLA menu order as she would have been had the other options been chosen.
The place was packed, but only a slight wait at the bar before the table was ready.
Had the Dungeness Crab Salad - English peas, meyer lemon vinaigrette - appetizer, which had an extremely fresh clean taste, and then the John Dory with Chervil - gnocchi, salsify, oyster mushrooms, red wine sauce - which was prepared perfectly. The desert, salted Caramel Mascarpone Panna Cotta - rum soaked cake, passionfruit, pomegranate was unique and intriguing. I'm not a big desert person, but ate every crumb. Overall, a very charming, satisfying experience. And they're extending their dineLA menu for an extra week (says their website http://www.gracerestaurant.com/index.php/grace/articles/dine_la_restaurant_week/)!
Hangawi menu suggestions?
There are two different prix fixe menus; both are excellent. The more expensive one includes steamboat soup, which is brought to the table with a heated element under it so that you can take your time with it. The less expensive one includes a choice of porridges, and the porridges are always one of my favorite parts of a meal there - thick & wonderful. However, you will also be happy if you order a la carte to your taste. They also have good wine and sake options, which is great considering that some vegetarian restaurants seem to think that just because you don't eat meat you also don't consume alcohol! Enjoy it & let us know what you end up ordering!
DineLA: Campanile
Sorry to say, but Campanile's DineLA dinner was extremely disappointing. They did not have a vegetarian appetizer option, so they brought the field greens that accompanied one of the appetizer options that had meat in it (with no price reduction). This after the server said the appetizer could be made meat free; had I known the truth before the greens were served I would have ordered something off their regular menu as an appetizer. Also, wine did not arrive at the table until after the appetizer dish was waiting to be cleared, although it was ordered at the same time as the meal. Lastly, the fish was woefully overcooked. It appeared the restaurant overbooked on reservations since there were plenty of people waiting for tables, very early in the evening too. Unfortunately, I can't recommend trying this one.
For my vegetarian aunt, Hangawi or Franchia or others?
I've not eaten at Franchia yet, but must throw in a positive vote for Hangawi. This is a restaurant that has been around for many years and is consistently a wonderful experience. For about a 10 year stretch my mom and I celebrated my birthday here every year, and each year it's an oasis of serenity and amazing food. We most often get the tasting menu.
Asian near Lincoln Center
How about Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill at the 6 Columbus Hotel? You can see their menu here:
http://www.blueribbonrestaurants.com
DineLA Restaurant Week 2009
There are definitely some great places I want to try on this year's list. Grace even has their special restaurant week menu on their website (I wish more places would list exactly what they'll offer): http://www.gracerestaurant.com/index.php/grace/articles/dine_la_restaurant_week/
Is Sushi of Gari 46 as good as the other locations?
While this is obviously too late for the OP, I just wanted to say that I experienced Sushi of Gari 46 for the first time on 12/26/08. My dining partner and I found it just as good, if not better, than the UWS location.
The fish was amazingly flavorful & fresh and while this is not an inexpensive dinner at all, it's a fantastic pre-theater alternative. We liked one of the appetizers so much we ordered another portion of it! There's also a tuna entre with several different cuts prepared several different ways that was not only inventive but a superb taste experience that I'm still thinking about.
We usually don't do dessert, but did here, and recommend it. Unique and beautiful, especially "Gari's favorite."
Definitely worth a visit or two, but be prepared for a pricey check!
Best Daniel Boulud Restaurant in NYC?
Re: db Bistro Moderne
This is a wonderful alternative to the usual pre-theater options. It’s extremely convenient to almost any theater in the district, open after the show, and even has a pre-theater prix fixe option for the budget conscious.
Instead of a bar, they have several high tables on a raised level between the front and back dining rooms for walk ins, and this was an extremely comfortable place to have dinner as I suddenly found myself on my own instead of with my mom as we had planned.
The wine list is extensive, and I was happy with several options for the cheese plate desert. This is not on the level of Daniel, but it’s far above what we’ve come to expect for theater district dining.
Where Did You Go for New Year's Eve?
Artisanal was definitely festive!
We were there for the later evening $88 prix fixe four course menu, but even though it had already clearly been a long night, the server worked with us and was quite knowledgeable about the menu. I had been looking forward to the Roquefort parfait, but she let me know there’s gelatin in it, which is not on my diet. I certainly didn’t expect that, and as a long time pescatarian (vegetarian + fish), am always impressed when a server is aware that even something like cheese is not always vegetarian. In addition, she suggested an appetizer in an entre portion, and was even able to swap out the prix fixe desert for a cheese tasting at no extra charge! We took another cheese tasting home and loved it on New Year’s day just as much (if not more).
The place was packed, and the crowd was eclectic, from older to younger diners, from families to groups on triple dates. Everyone used their complimentary party favors, and overall, while I have certainly experienced more sophisticated and/or foodie options on other NYE's, particularly for the price point, this was a New Year’s Eve experience I would definitely recommend.
