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Cantinho Brasileiro Helps Culver City's Camaguey Meat Market Rise Again

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 17:41:34 GMT

Tucked in the back of the pan-Latino Camaguey Meat Market in Culver City, there once stood a little restaurant called Cocina del Camaguey, run by Dominican chef Ilonka Garcia. Ever since the restaurant’s much-lamented departure, I’d still check in to the market from time to time while shopping for dende (palm) oil, Catupiry (Brazilian cheese spread), and picanha (sirloin cap) to see who might fill the void where the cocina once stood. Needless to say, it made perfect sense when news came that Cantinho Brasileiro (“little Brazilian place”) would emerge at a market that already caters so well to L.A.’s Brazilian community. Partners Cristiano Ferrari and Edu Moreira with their Carioca cook—Deise Nulim--have brought us a much-needed Brazilian take-out lanchonete, serving up prato feito (complete meals) which consist of a protein, with rice, garlicky beans, potato salad, and a vinegary tomato salsa. A favorite plate is the Milanesa Napolitana—a thin, ...

This Week in L.A. Food: November 16, 2012 edition

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 21:18:33 GMT

It's Friday afternoon. The clock is ticking slower than ever and you're already mentally checked out at work. To help pass the time, we present you with a weekly recap of some of the food-focused gems we've mined from our own site and from friends around teh interwebs, to help keep you in the know. Read on and try to enjoy your last few hours of office thumb twiddling... that drink will be in your hand soon enough. The Good:L.A. City Council Approves Meatless Mondays [LA Weekly] Barbecued Meat with a Filipino Twist [Eating LA] Video: Making Udon Noodles in Japan [Perennial Plate, via Serious Eats] Good News: 2012 California wine grape harvest deemed excellent [LA Times Daily Dish] Hangar 24 Craft Brewery: Destination Beer By Redlands Airport [Food GPS]An Evening with Anthony Bourdain and Roy Choi at the Pantages [LAMag Digest]Dishing on L.A.: Wil Wheaton [LAMag Digest] The Shameless: (an event I'm participating ...

Behind the Bartender: Zahra Bates of Providence

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 21:14:20 GMT

Upon first meeting Providence’s Zahra Bates, one would mistake her for a shy, little thing. But once you get to know the soft-spoken bartender, you learn of her wicked sense of humor, so naughty it would even make Lenny Bruce run and hide. And although she appears a mild-mannered bartender in uniform behind the bar at the two-Michelin-star restaurant, Zahra is actually a wildcat in the cocktail department. She was trained by Vincenzo Marianella (2012 Spirited Awards nominee for American bartender of the year) and has made a name for herself thanks to her creative culinary cocktails. Her latest on the Providence menu, called “The Operator,” serves as an ode to Marianella. It’s made with Atlantico Platino rum, housemade honey liqueur, seedless green grape juice, and a pineapple sage foam, all served in a Pernod-rinsed glass. Sadly, after five years, she’s leaving the Melrose Avenue restaurant. She says she doesn’t know ...

The Day the Twinkie Dies: Hostess Files for Bankruptcy

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 20:53:33 GMT

Whether you're of the camp that's saddened by the news or more in the good riddance mindset, today's news that Hostess was filing for bankruptcy and liquidating its assets did come as a bit of a surprise. In addition to Twinkies, Hostess has been churning out what have (unfortunately) become iconic American foodstuffs like Wonder Bread and Ho Ho's for the past 82 years. The Wall Street Journal reports that Hostess was a “victim of changing consumer tastes, high commodity costs and, most importantly, strained labor relations, Hostess ultimately was brought to its knees by a national strike orchestrated by its second-largest union.” The news is still very fresh, and there are already rumors of Bimbo potentially stepping in to sweep up the Frankenfood company and its far-from-nutrititive recipes. Whatever may happen, we just have to say that the reaction on Twitter today has been wildly entertaining. Behold a sampling of some ...

ink. Hosts James Beard Foundation Celebrity Chef Tour Dinner

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 17:12:29 GMT

The über-respected culinary powerhouse that is the James Beard Foundation has announced that it’s putting on a celebrity chef tour (now that they’re not busy giving our Dine Editor big fancy awards) that will be making a stop at Michael Voltaggio’s ink. restaurant on December 2. Per the James Beard Web site: “The Celebrity Chef Tour began in 2004 as a way to bring the unique experience of dining at New York City’s historic James Beard House to cities around the country. [S]ome of the nation’s top chefs come together to create a fantastic multiple course dinner paired with premium wines, beers, and spirits.” And the L.A. fête is no exception, boasting a respectable line-up of chefs taming the flames that night: Jon Shook and Danny Vitolo (Animal, Son of a Gun), Nancy Silverton and Matt Molina (Mozza), Jordan Kahn (Red Medicine), Jeremy Fox (who just left the soon-to-open ...

Top Chef 10: What We Learned from Last Night’s Episode 2

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 01:49:24 GMT

In honor of the 10th season of Bravo’s beloved cooking competition show—and the continual stream of L.A. restaurants spawned by its contestants—we shall, every week, outline the 10 (get it?) things we learned from watching each episode. Last night’s episode of Top Chef Seattle taught us plenty. Here, our top 10 learnable moments: 1. C.J. is huge We almost forgot how tall our hometown boy is. The Space Needle was all, “Hey, back off dude!” 2. The Broncos Rule At least according to Tyler, who cheers, “Go Broncos!” while talking about his experience at Elway’s Steak House in Denver. We’re pretty sure that you could cut that in at any point this season and it will always be funny. 3. Oh yeah, and John Elway has a steak house Wow. 4. We sorta feel bad for geoduck Just once, couldn't this unassuming clam be highlighted for something beyond its phallic appearance? ...

Liquid Chicken & Waffles: The Flavor Syrup of Your Dreams (or Your Nightmares)

eshatkin@lamag.com (Elina Shatkin) — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 23:44:29 GMT

What happens when you’ve gone as far as you can with bacon? You get crazy with chicken and waffles. Torani, a company that produces syrups—mostly in benign flavors like hazelnut, strawberry, and peppermint—is now making Chicken ‘N Waffles syrup. It started as an April Fool’s joke, but it’s real. The syrup is only available on the company’s website for an unspecified but limited period of time and sells for $6.95 for a 12.7 ounce bottle. Here at the Los Angeles magazine nerve center, we were lucky enough to get our hands on a bottle (read: it arrived for free in the mail). SMELL: Great. Somehow manages to capture the scent of sweet maple syrup and crackling, chicken-infused oil. TASTE: Reactions varied. “Not that bad.” “Oh, my god. Disgusting!” “Not nearly as awful as I expected.” We tried this a few different ways. A tiny dab on the tongue tastes pretty ...

Watch out, Dylan’s! There’s a New Candy Store in Town

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 22:39:40 GMT

Holy cavities! Los Angeles is in the midst of a candy craze. Hot on the heels of September’s Dylan’s Candy Bar opening at the Grove, Sweet! Hollywood opened inside the Hollywood & Highland complex on Tuesday. The 30,000 square foot shop is part tourist attraction, part all-out candy extravaganza, and puts that New York transplant to shame. Tucked in an odd corner of the mega-mall, the place is visually stimulating to the point of overwhelming, and packed to the sugar-coated brim with candy and memorabilia. At a recent grand opening preview, our inner 8-year-old couldn’t get enough. The shop is comprised of 12 themed “boutiques,” but the Wonka Inventing Room is the main draw. Sweet! scored the exclusive licensing rights to the Wonka brand, and the fictional chocolatier and his goodies are a motif throughout the shop. Upon entering, you are greeted by a case of fancy (they call them ...

Salsify? It's New to Me!

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 21:34:30 GMT

Now that pop-up Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing has gotten a permanent landing place in the former Lilly’s space on Abbot Kinney in Venice, I was giving the dinner menu a once-over when an ingredient caught my eye: roasted salsify. Now, I don’t claim to know anywhere near everything about food, but I’ve never had salsify, let alone heard of it, so I reached out to Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing executive chef Kevin Kathman (French Laundry, NYC's Daniel)—who is currently serving it alongside a trio of roasted, raw, and pureed sunchokes—for a little more info on this mysterious root vegetable. I've never had salsify; can you describe its flavor? Salsify’s flavor when roasted is sweet and nutty with nuances of roasted artichoke heart. Where are you getting yours, and how long is the season for it? The sunchokes are the real local seasonal feature in the dish. They come from ...

An Evening with Anthony Bourdain and Roy Choi at the Pantages

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 20:43:38 GMT

Anthony Bourdain, the culinary world’s favorite badass, is coming to Los Angeles on April 16 for a one-night event at the Pantages Theater. Seeing it was called “Guts and Glory: An Evening with Anthony Bourdain” got our hopes up for some kind of wicked 12-hour bender laced with illicit drugs, loud taxi rides, and multiple preparations of curried sheep balls, but an intimate seated interview with our beloved Roy Choi (Kogi, Chego, A-Frame, Sunny Spot) will probably be just as awesome. But uh, hey Tony! If by some chance you are up for some up-till-dawn shenanigans that night, just know that I’m holding my extended thumb and pinky in a phone shape against my face while mouthing the words: “call me.” Tickets ($35 to $75, plus the usual exorbitant fees you’d expect from Ticketmaster) go on sale Friday, November 16 at 10 a.m. Guts and Glory: An Evening ...