GOOD GIRL!

Sometimes simple pleasures are the most wonderful. This certainly holds true at the Good Girl Dinette in Highland Park. Their American Diner meets Vietnamese Comfort Food concept is not only charming, but very delicious. Every single dish - from fresh spring rolls and chicken curry to vegetarian pho - is made from scratch with fresh organic ingredients sourced at local farmers markets. It's honest food, beautifully executed, healthy and fun.  

BEVERLY HILLS HOTEL CATERING SUCKS

I recently have attended two events at the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel. And it is only after I went there yesterday again, that I feel compelled to write about my culinary experiences, since I simply couldn't fathom the low quality of the food served there. This is mass-produced food made with mass-produced ingredients, and  a disgrace for an establishment like the Beverly Hills Hotel. Meat and Fish tasted like protein synthesized  in some scary lab and cooked to extraordinary dryness, the mashed potatoes on my plate were so superdense and sticky, it was hard to swallow. The salad came with no dressing and was tossed so carelessly on a plate (probably out of a bag where some gas is added to keep 'freshness'), that I felt like a cow grazing on a badly maintained pasture. To be fair, a waiter later poured some dressing with unidentifiable taste on top of the tasteless greens! Unfortunately this only covered the top leaves. When we finally arrived at dessert, I even didn't feel like eating it. The dusty looking interior didn't make things better. This place needs a makeover. Badly.

A LOVELY LUNCH AT TAVERN, BRENTWOOD

The other day I had a meeting in the Pacific Palisades that ended around lunch time, and of course, due to that perfect timing, I couldn't resist stopping at a good restaurant. I ended up at Suzanne Goin's Tavern in Brentwood. I love those little lunch adventures with nobody else but myself. It makes me feel like 007 on a very secret mission. I was thrilled to find a nice spot at the bar. Isn't there anything more casual-chic than lunch at the bar of an elegant place like the Tavern? Wonderfully, I hit it off right away with Juan, the charming bar tender, who knew exactly how much to entertain me and when to give me space. The bread he served me was one of the best I had in the whole entire universe of L.A. - airy, light, mildly aromatic and with a super crunchy crust. Juan told me that Tavern makes its own bread on a daily basis in-house. Fabulous! I chose a Farro Tabouleh Salad with roasted beets and carrots and crumbled feta cheese. The citrus vinaigrette dressing complemented the nutty flavors of the farro nicely, and the root veggies were beautifully roasted. Too bad, they had an icy feeling, as if they just had come out of the fridge. Unfortunately, that's a huge flavor killer. While my stomach was already satisfied, I had to treat myself with one of the delicious sounding desserts. After contemplating various options, I finally decided to go for the Pistaccio Macaron with Rose Ice Cream and Raspberries. Let me say it right away, they messed up the macaron. What did those pastry guys use to make it? A powder mix? Artificial flavor? C'mon, you can do better than that. And the lovely sounding Rose Ice Cream  - a bit on the tame side. The soft rose could use a complementary ingredient to elevate it to something a bit more exciting. But maybe I am just not the rose type.

FAKE ORGANIC

I am pretty sick of hearing the term 'organic', since I feel the term has become somewhat meaningless. The organic hype has put us under a massive attack from supermarkets (yes, count Whole Foods in), selling us their version of organic food. Industrialized organic food, that is. What's the value of grass fed beef, if shipped thousands of miles from South America, leaving substantial carbon footprint? What that of organic milk, if the herbivore cow is still forced to eat corn - organic corn - that makes it sick? And what about the vegetable, shipped across the country, losing taste and nutritional value on its way to the shelf?  And the fruit having been picked by farm workers paid minimum wage? 

FRAICHE @ CULVER CITY

Yesterday we felt nostalgic visiting our old neighborhood Culver City. Boy, has it changed here. I know, I know, this is no breaking news, but every time I visit, I am pleasantly surprised how lively the scene has become - it almost has the vibe of an Italian piazza. We decided to have dinner at Fraîche, a restaurant, I hadn't crossed from my "restaurants I want to try" list, yet.

We ordered Beef Tartare with Bacon Sabayon, Chives and Argula; Ravioli with a Ricotta/English Pea filling and Francobolli (postage stamp in Italian), small rectangular Raviolis with fresh corn, sage and mushroom nage. It was good. The Beef Tartare was nicely seasoned, the Argula very, very fresh, aromatic and crisp. The Ravioli dough thin (as it should be), the fillings not bad, although the English Pea/Ricotta ones, were a teeny tiny bit on the bland side for my taste. The one thing that was really off, was the presentation. Splash - drop it off on a plate and don't bother  - that's how it looked. My better half ordered espresso, which I very rarely do, since a REALLY good espresso is one the hardest things to find in town. This one didn't proof me wrong, either, as I was told. We also had the Piccola Pasticceria, a selection of housemade confections, basically cookies. They were served warm, which some people might think of as sophisticated. It's not. Warm pastries just taste too much like dough - it is only with the cooling that the lovely aromas are being released.

It's is hard to complain about the food at Fraîche - but it also didn't excite me. My palate doesn't scream MORE, I WANT MORE, that's for sure.

MINI ORGASMS

The other week, I was lamenting the - in my opinion - failed concept of XIV Michael Mina. Now, there is proof that the formula 'big name chef X big name interior designer' can be much more than just a marketing catch. Bazaar, like XIV, a child of the SBE Restaurant Group, and also designed by the omnipresent Philippe Starck - is fabulous! I felt like living the magic of a fun and stylish wonderland.

And the food was right up my alley. I've always loved the concept of tapas, eating tons of small dishes, trying this and then this and this, and oh, maybe that. Chef José Andrés creates small dishes with modern tools of liquid nitrogen and organic emulsifiers, but never gets lost in gimmickry. He wisely keeps his focus on great products, the foundation of every great dish. The results are equally playful and delicious, 'like mini orgasms' as my friend visiting from New York moaned between two tapas dishes. I especially loved the cotton candy foie gras in the shape of a lollipop, the ethereal, airy Philly cheesesteak and the sensual modern/traditional olives.

SUGARGUN

I absolutely love the idea behind this lollypop in the shape of a revolver designed by the super talented Dutch food designer Marije Vogelzang (not available in the US - sorry!). It perfectly visualizes what sugar can do to your body.