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/

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.

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/

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

Petit fours “red pepper-black olive”

Garden beignets

Parmesan churros, anchovy

Pumpkin veloute ‘blue hubbard,” nasturtium ice cream

Arpege farm egg

Foie gras soup, oyster and apple

Japanese sea bream, sashimi style, exotic citrus

Mar y muntanya: root vegetables in wood ash, caviar from Iran

Spot prawns and yuba, heritage chestnuts with kohlrabi

Into the vegetable garden...

A risotto without rice, big fin squid

Autumn tidal pool

Squab, garden carrots with farro, meyer lemon preserve

Beef short ribs cardoons with bread crusts and chanterelles

[The wines of the evening]

[Tea service]

Crepe croustillant, persimmon and bourbon cranberry

Spice cake and coconut caramel, ginger-port pears

Chocolate-banana crème with huckleberries, burnt cinnamon

Petit fours “strawberry-chocolate”

Manresa Restaurant

320 Village Lane

Los Gatos, CA 95030

(408) 354-4330

http://www.manresarestaurant.com

Fook Yuen

On Sunday morning, I ate Chinese dim sum over in Millbrae, several blocks away from Zen Peninsula.

Jellyfish & seaweed salad, Pork dumpling

Fried taro root & Chinese broccoli, Steamed spareribs with black bean sauce, Shrimp on green bell pepper

Shrimp dumpling, Egg custard

Although Fook Yuen wasn't bad, overall Zen Peninsula's dim sum was better.


Fook Yuen
195 El Camino Real
Millbrae, CA 94030
(650) 692-8600

Coi

Half the fun was trying to find this place. Located on Broadway, a few blocks east of Columbus, Coi restaurant is a two-star Michelin 2008 restaurant that was highly recommended to me by one of my chef/friends. Street construction equipment was in front of the restaurant. Valet service was provided by a man dressed like he came from the 'hood. I was fine, the car was fine, and the dinner was very fine.



I waited in the lounge and had one of their liquid creations.



I entered into the small dining room with thirty covers. I decided to have their tasting menu. Unfortunately, I don't remember all the details of my dinner courses. Please enjoy the pictures anyways.






After the savory portion of my tasting menu came the desserts.





The dinner was truly worthy of a two-star Michelin restaurant. Whatever concerns I may have had about finding the restaurant, the street construction hassles and the valet service (which was fine), they all disappeared and had no effect on my dining experience at Coi. Definitely go have dinner at Coi, it's worth it!




Coi
373 Broadway
San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 393-9000

http://www.coirestaurant.com/