The Taste - Picnic in the Hills

Last Monday I was lucky enough to attend one of LA Times and the Food Network's events at "The Taste". The series of food demonstrations and tastings took place in Beverly Hills, Hollywood, and downtown LA all weekend and were hosted by celebrity chefs such as Giada De Laurentiis ("Everyday Italian", "Next Food Network Star"), Susan Feniger (Border Grill, "Top Chef Masters"), and Duff Goldman (Charm City Cakes, "Ace of Cakes"). Themes included "Burgers and Beer", "Street Eats", "Desserts After Dark", and "Picnic in the Hills". 

Sheltered by massive tents to combat the late August heat, the "Picnic in the Hills" VIP pass included fresh lemonade in basil or strawberry (Target), endless wine tasting from California vineyards, and little bites from the best and brightest of LA's culinary scene. From Santa Monica's M Street Kitchen to on-the-go food truck B Sweet, every plate I sampled was artfully assembled and exquisite. 

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Travel Tastes, New Orleans: A Mano

When I spent a week in New Orleans, I tried to stick with the regional cuisine as best I could, stuffing myself to capacity at the festival booths and even taking a 3 hour Cajun cooking class at the New Orleans School of Cooking. Despite my best efforts, I somehow found myself  yet again at an Italian restaurant for dinner with my dad before another night in the French Quarter. 

Most Italian restaurants in New Orleans have a Cajun-kick to them; spicy cream sauces, grilled shrimp or sausage. Though A Mano had all these things, it is run by one of the city in the bayou's favorite chefs Adolfo Garcia (Chef & Owner of A Mano, RioMar & La Boca) and Joshua Smith. Inspired by both Latin and Italian flavors, A Mano serves central and southern Italian dishes from local and sustainable purveyors. 

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Healthy Eats: Fettucini Alfredo with Spinach & Mushroom

 

At dinner the other night, my precocious little brother Louis asked me, "Why does it take adults so long to order?" I thought about that for a moment. When I was his age, the three main meals I accepted without a fuss were mac&cheese, spaghetti with meatballs and chicken tenders. I was not adventurous with my palette, nor did I find any reason to listen to my parents when they told me that I would like something new. I told him that as you get older, your tastes expand and so more items on the menu seem appealing. For example, I am currently addicted to mushrooms of any sort, so I took several minutes debating over my usual pick of pasta (carbonara, bolognese, amatriciana) or grilled veggies. (I ended up with the latter... summer is approaching!)

There is still the little kid in me that craves those rich, fattening meals I adored as a skinny-minnie string bean. (No, really. My family nickname was "Noodle".) Unfortunately, I can't scarf down high-calorie pasta the way I used to. Last night Quinn requested Fettuccini Alfredo for dinner, and I set out to make a lighter version -- while still retaining that abundantly creamy flavor.

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Carbonara Nirvana (Iron Chef Potluck #1, Volume 3)

There are times when I chide myself for my constant out-pour of affection and appreciation for all things Italian. Sometimes I wonder if the ingredients and cuisine there are in fact better than what we have here in the US, as I often claim. This weekend was not one of those times.

Sure, it can be annoying to hear my undying love for Italian Parmesan or my quest to fine-tune my favorite Roman dishes. But such obsession lends to perfection, and on Saturday I think I finally reached carbonara nirvana.

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Old School Italian - Vito in Santa Monica

 Vito Ristorante rests nonchalantly on Ocean Park Blvd, just a few blocks from my new apartment. Opened in 1980 and maintained by 3 Neapolitan brothers Vito, Roberto and Giovanna Somma, Vito is classic old school Italian. Cozy tables and red leather booths bring patrons close together as the Italian waiters bustle around in bow ties and cravats. With accents so thick I couldn't discern "medium rare" from some intelligible Sicilian word, the servers definitely added to the Southern Italian mood.

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Fraiche Happy Hour

Blog Note: Due to my recent relocation to a studio apartment in Santa Monica (!!!) and the expenses that follow, Culinary Therapy will be entering a period of finance-management. Don't fret dear readers, now that I'm mostly settled into my new digs my infrequent posts will be a thing of the past. This just means that I'll be sampling more happy hours and adding more recipe posts to the mix. 

Last week, my friend Jamie and I had a happy hour date at a restaurant I've been meaning to try, Fraiche in Santa Monica.  As I perused my new "happy hour finder" app, I discovered that not only is the hip foodie locale only a few blocks from my work, but they have a happy hour Monday-Thursday 5:00pm - 10:30pm, Friday-Saturday 5-6:30pm. As we settled in for some epic girl-time, we ordered a glass of their red and white house wines ($6) and took a glance at the menu.

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