Sushi Kiyono Date

 

Before a holiday weekend filled with long-lost San Francisco friends, the Fairfax flea market and 70's roller disco, Quinn took me out to a mellow sushi date at Beverly Hills' Sushi Kiyono. Smack dab in the middle of Beverly Drive, the restaurant serves sashimi, nigiri, and Los Angeles themed sushi with names like the Show Me The Money or The Godfather.

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Iron Chef Potluck #1, Volume 1: The Prep & Alex's Tuna Tar

I challenged my tastes, wallet, and stomach stamina when some friends and I hosted a Iron Chef-esque potluck on Saturday night. With 10 guests and individual dishes crammed into one kitchen, we had our work cut out for us. After hours of toiling away in the kitchen, we deemed the first Iron Chef Potluck a glorious success!

The Menu:

Alex: Tuna Tar Tar served with Quail Eggs

Sam: Burgundy Beef Stew with Horseradish Sour Cream

Heruy: Grilled Alaskan Salmon with Creamy Parmesan Polenta in a Diane Sauce

Rachel (me!): Rigatoni Carbonara

Jodi: Gnocchi with Spinach, Peas in a Creamy Red Pepper Sauce

Ted: Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Adam: Pasta Shells with Meat Sauce

Jamie: Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

Quinn: Key Lime Pie & Chocolate Mint Pie

Carla: Chocolate Brownies

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Benihana Birthday

This is my little brother. Universally lauded as the coolest kid ever, Louis turned 11 on February 21st. Such a milestone was celebrated at one of his favorite restaurants,  a title earned by their pyrotechnics and food-as-entertainment schtick -- the one and only, Benihana. Last year, I had not yet fully come to appreciate Japanese cuisine as I do now (more sushi please), so I was looking forward to trying something brand new.

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Romantic Robata

If I get to choose the restaurant, I almost always go for Italian. For Valentine's Day, I wanted to treat my lovely boyfriend Quinn to dinner, and to choose something more his taste. Katana, a hipper-than-hip Japanese restaurant, bar and lounge on the Sunset Strip. Serving Robata, Japanese comfort food grilled and served on skewers, as well as a plethora of sushi, Katana is a pricey spot for the young and beautiful. And they know it. Blasting euro-trance-techno-trash and filled with leggy, surgically enhanced women and the men that love them, Katana is worthwhile despite its ambiance. Its redeeming quality? The food, of course.

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