The Food and I

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Hatfield's

Back around mid-June 2006, I was driving by Beverly Blvd., and I noticed that the location where Hatfield’s is located looked busy. Oh, they must have opened by now. I need to try that place ... In fact, the restaurant opened about two weeks earlier.

Quinn & Karen Hatfield decided to move from San Francisco, where they were working at Cortez Restaurant, down to Los Angeles, where Karen grew up. The restaurant is pretty small, 40 seats, not 400. That’s by design. Most of the tables are for two covers than for four.

When I had dinner at Hatfield’s for the first time, the servers were fine & knowledgeable when I was asking questions & inviting recommendations. Karen Hatfield, hostess/pastry chef, was quite helpful in the dessert selections, obviously. I sensed an intimacy and a familiarity with a small restaurant, without compromising on professionalism. Even after a couple of months later when I was dining at Hatfield’s with a friend, I felt like I've stumbled upon this wonderfully well-kept secret, which I don't mind. Delicious food, professional & personable staff, a small & very relaxing place where you can have a real conversation. As a result, Hatfield’s became one of my regular go-to restaurants in LA. I made it a point to visit the place and see what changes Quinn made in the menu or what new dessert Karen created. When one of my friends come into Los Angeles, I recommend Hatfield’s as one place to try, especially for Karen’s desserts.

Here are some courses from one of the chef’s tasting menu:

Over the past three years at Hatfield’s, a few things have changed. Repairs & renovations on the building. Constant changes to the menu. Karen’s hair is not blonde lately, and Quinn’s hair is not around lately (last time I checked). But the biggest change of all: Hatfield’s closed its doors at the original Beverly Blvd. location on Sat. 8 Aug. 2009.

This is not the end of Hatfield’s Restaurant permanently, due to the realities of this economy. As Quinn might describe it, this is the end of stage 1 of a long culinary “Tour de France.” Rather, Hatfield’s is moving to its new location on Melrose Ave., former site of Red Pearl Kitchen, Meson G & Citrus. Their new neighbors across the street will be Osteria Mozza, Pizzeria Mozza & Mozza 2Go. Several blocks east on Melrose is Providence Restaurant. And a couple blocks away on Highland, north of Melrose, is Susan Feniger’s Street.

They hope to open later in the fall of 2009. I wish them well. Los Angeles bureaucracy can be notorious.

Hatfield’s

original location (ended 8 Aug. 2009)

7458 Beverly Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90036

new location (starting in the fall of 2009)

6703 Melrose Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90038

(323) 935-2977

http://www.hatfieldsrestaurant.com

@twohatfields (Twitter)

Friday, July 31, 2009

Providence

It all started on a Thursday night back in April 2006 inside a building on the northwest corner of Melrose Avenue and Cole Avenue, across the street from a twenty-four hour car wash in Los Angeles, California.

I read the review in the Los Angeles Times and I heard many great things about chef Michael Cimarusti, since he left Water Grill, the seafood restaurant located in downtown Los Angeles, to start this highly-anticipated restaurant at the original location of chef Joachim Splichal’s Patina.

Once I entered and got settled down at my table, I ordered the nine-course tasting menu. Yes, the courses kept coming, right through the cheese course and the dessert courses. After the meal, I got a tour of the kitchen and was introduced to Michael Cimarusti. I remember him saying to me,

“We’ve been waiting for you.”

As a member of one of the food discussion websites (eGullet), I made comments about wanting to eat at Providence. Apparently, those posts were noticed. And that four-hour dinner was amazing.

From that evening on, for the past three-plus years, I continue to dine at Providence, to the point that I would be considered a regular. To illustrate that point, I recall having dinner one night at the bar, which I usually do once every two weeks or so. I decided to have the halibut. A few minutes later, chef Michael walks out of the kitchen into the bar area, stands right in front of me and says, “Halibut? You’re not having halibut! You’re having bouillabaisse!,” and then storms back into the kitchen. I was chatting and joking with the bartender how it doesn’t matter now what I order, the chef will probably overrule me. By the way, the bouillabaisse that I had was a new addition on the menu and it was excellent.

Along with Michael, I’ve gotten to know the Providence staff, including maitre d’ Donato Poto, pastry chef Adrian Vasquez, sommelier Drew Langley, mixologist Zahra Bates, and other staff members like Martin, Bobby, Hwang, Randy, Matthew, Krisi, Diane, Ray, Armando, Sam, and Tristan, as well as many Providence alumni, like Paul, Vincenzo, Yu Min, Jared, Nadav, and Peter, among others. And of course, a few culinary notables ...

What else is there to say? Providence is my favorite restaurant in Los Angeles.

Providence
5955 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 460-4170
http://www.providenceLA.com

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Palate, Food and Wine

It's been over a year since Palate, Food & Wine first opened its doors in Glendale on 16 May 2008, and I'm finally writing a post about it on my foodblog. One would think that I'm keeping this place a secret. Mind you, I have been telling my friends about Palate, and that they need to come over to Glendale and try this restaurant. As LA Times food critic S. Irene Virbila wrote in her review of Palate, "Glendale has just become a destination."

Scenes of the restaurant and kitchen out front

Palate can be described as a restaurant with a wine merchant in the back. It can also be described as a wine merchant with a restaurant in the front. Octavio Becerra is the head chef/owner/principal of this establishment, located on the ground floor of the seven-story Bekins Depot building (circa 1928). The other floors are used as a wine-storage vault.

Scenes of the wine merchant (with wine bar) in the back

The menu is market-driven, whatever is fresh and seasonal at the farmer's market. The dishes constantly change, even though a few items are regularly on the menu.

bread with house-made butter, pickled vegetables, potted pork

squash blossoms, halibut, scallops

cheese plate, Valrhona chocolate pudding

What else can I tell you about Palate? They're now open on Sundays. I've already eaten there for their Thanksgiving dinner and their New Year's Eve dinner. And I can walk to and from the restaurant in about 15-20 minutes (you read correctly). Palate is my new favorite neighborhood restaurant, and as a result, Glendale has become a destination!

Palate, Food & Wine
933 South Brand Blvd.
Glendale, CA 91204
(818) 662-9463
http://www.palatefoodwine.com/

Thursday, June 4, 2009

A few good restaurants

I keep telling my friends to come to Los Angeles, and eventually, I'll say,

"Los Angeles does have a few good restaurants!"

Well, here's a few good restaurants for you, in the form of a map, made possible by Google:

View Los Angeles area Restaurants in a larger map

Go ahead and check out the map. I'll keep updating the map from time to time.

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Church and State Bistro

Here are a few photos from a place serving traditional French bistro cuisine ... in downtown Los Angeles!

Scenes from the bar (le comptoir)

Bottles of wine, Cheese board and dessert board

Table setting, Roasted bone marrow, Salade frisee au lardon

Roasted chicken, Echire butter (the best butter in the world, IMO)

A bottle of wine, A view from the outside, Chef Walter Manzke

Church and State
1850 Industrial Street
Los Angeles, CA 90021
(213) 405-1434
http://www.churchandstatebistro.com/

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Paris in November

Allons enfants de la Cuisine. Le jour de gloire est arrivé ....

Well, not yet.

In November, I’m finally going to Paris! Actually, back in 1985, I was in Paris for four hours on my way to Brussels, but that doesn’t really count.

I’ll be in Paris for five nights, starting on Thursday night. In terms of eating, that would be about five dinners, five breakfasts, four morning snacks, four lunches, four afternoon snacks, four apertifs, and perhaps five midnight snacks. I’ll be traveling by myself. I just made a hotel reservation in the 7th arrondisement, close to Le Violon d’Ingres, La Fontaine de Mars and Au Bon Accueil. I could go visit such places as the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe and the Louvre, but on this vacation, I want to eat my way through Paris.

So far, I’ve told a few people about my vacation, and the suggestions have already started coming in. Trying to sort out all these recommendations can be a nice problem, I suppose. Mind you, I want to come up with an overall approach to Paris. Do I only dine at Michelin-starred restaurants? As a solo diner, how hard is it to make reservations at these high-end restaurants? I want to try some of the neighborhood bistros (bistrots). I also want to leave some room to discover places on my own, namely a spontaneous culinary tour to discover things. And I wouldn’t mind eating with a few Francophile foodies while I’m in Paris.

So far, here is my list of restaurants I want to dine at (subject to change): Arpege ; Astrance ; L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon ; Le Bristol ; Chez L’Ami Jean ; Le Comptoir de Relais Saint Germain ; L’Espadon ; Guy Savoy ; Le Meurice ; Pierre Gagnaire ; Le Violon d’Ingres

At this point in my vacation planning, I’m going to try and make reservations at three-star Michelin restaurants for lunch and eat at the various cafes and bistros near where I’m staying in the 7th for dinner, as well as snacking my way through the boulangeries, patisseries, fromageries, etc. I was told that I should have a back-up plan just in case my first choice is overly busy or closed.

In preparation for my trip, I’ve created a few Google maps:

Les restaurants (***) de Paris 2009

Les restaurants (**) de Paris 2009

Les restaurants (*) de Paris 2009

Les saveurs de Paris 2009

Although my Parisian vacation is six months away, any help would be appreciated.

Manresa

The final dinner of my November 2008 vacation was at Manresa in Los Gatos. Chef David Kinch gave me a copy of my dinner menu. It was definitely the best meal of this vacation!

The Autumn Garden

Manresa Restaurant

November 10^th, 2008