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From Our Instagram: A photo shoot and visit with the amazing folks at Foodshop LA. They were kind enough to let me do a ride-along as they prepared for one of their fantastic underground dinners. Photo set will be released soon.

#foodshop la #foodshop #underground dinner #secret dinner #pop up dinner #event #photography #food

Leif Hedendal Underground Dinner at KTCHN 105

Back in April, somebody forwarded me a message about a secret Chef Leif Hedenddal dinner happening in L.A., with the location divulged upon rsvp confirmation. I was not too familiar with the chef at the time, but the seafood and vegetable intensive menu definitely caught my eye. The email contained a short bio from the chef. independent chef work in San Francisco, California. He cooked as Executive Chef in Barcelona, Copenhagen and interned at the infamous Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California. He promotes the Slow Food movement. That gave me a good idea of style. I particularly love that he stated he specializes in weird vegetables. There is nothing I enjoy more than getting introduced to new foods and discovering items I've not yet tasted. The location of KTCHN 105, a studio kitchen in Downtown L.A. that is dedicated to the appreciation of food. They do private tastings, cooking classes and private dinner parties. The location was in a building, recessed from the street. Since the neighborhood was quite empty, I thought I might have been in the wrong place. Rest assured, a few stylish people who looked like foodies started streaming in, so I followed the crowd.

The simple check-in process consisted of paying for the dinner and desired gratuity in advance, as well as leave any bottles of wine.

The table settings looked very organic and clean.

Several chefs cooked and prepared foods in the open kitchen. Many of them were women, which I don't see often, but enjoyed.

The dinner guests spent what felt like close to 45 minutes in the very green and beautiful courtyard outside have drinks and mingling. Although I met a friend for the dinner, we both spent a fair amount of time meeting new people.

Servers passed trays of the first course, an appetizer of live sea urchin, battered artichoke, yuzu kosho, all beautifully stacked together. I've tasted and adore sea urchin, but never tried it with artichoke. The yuzu kosho, a Japanese sauce with citrus zest, chili and salt added to the delicate flavors. Because we enjoyed it so much, they passed a few extra our way, even upon being seated. From those I met, I gathered that many guests know the chef personally already. Being someone who attends a lot of events in town, I often run into some of the same foodie types at most outings. In this event, I didn't recognize anybody I already new. I met a fair amount of designers - graphic designers, food stylists, photographers; types to whom I've always gravitated. A couple of people came from the east coast too. Because the tables consisted of two long rows, we did not get a chance to speak with as many people during the meal. However, we sat amidst extremely interesting people. A case in point, Adam Pearson, who had been recently featured on the Huffington Post's Food Informants: A Week In The Life Of Food Stylist Adam Pearson, and his charming Photographer partner, Matt Armendariz, who also creates the food blog, Matt Bites. Since both food styling and photography have long been my fantasy careers, they kindly stayed a bit after dinner in the parking lot to indulge my many questions.

The second course, house bread, churned raw butter, cured egg yolk caught the eye like very few bread plates. The vivid orange yolk appeared to be jam at first, surprising many people upon biting into it. I'm guessing the yolk came from a duck egg. All elements very rich and silky, it presented and tasted elegant.

The third course of sel gris roasted Santa Barbara spot prawn, crispy head, favas, Tokyo turnips, brown butter, cress celebrated both the delicate prawn and fresh vegetables, with enough acidity to even freshen the dish up more. Sel gris is a French grey, granular sea salt. The Tokyo turnips come in tiny radish size. The edible flower petals added more color. I noticed at this point that most people were not taking food photos, which one often finds at L.A. events. It made me feel conspicuous, especially since it was so dark, I had to take some flash photos. If the attendees minded that, they remained very polite about it.

The fourth course, abalone, dashi tide pool, morels, white asparagus, leeks, seaweed, chickweed, stinging nettles brought that element of tasting not one but several new items. The abalone came in very small portions, making the vegetables the star again. Dashi, a Japanese broth, covered the items half way in the bowl. It added a light earthiness. Visually I loved the spiral fiddlehead ferns on each side of the bowl. These nutritious fronds supplied some great crunch.

While we were outside, before the meal, one of the chefs started grilling squid on the grill outside. I didn't recall seeing squid on the menu. Later I looked back to find that the dungeness crab got replaced with the squid. The initial menu stated there may be changes due to market availability. Based on the care in choosing highest quality ingredients, evident in the meal, I trusted any changes to the menu.

So the fifth course became grilled squid, green garlic, fennel, pomelo snow, blood orange, avocado, chervil, mache, sorrel. This salad also provided great acidity which complemented the greens and tender squid rings. The pomelo slices were on the extremely tart side. At this point in the meal, I appreciated that the courses tapered off to a light salad. On many tasting menus, getting the heaviest protein at this point really pushes me over the edge of fullness.

Periodically during the meal, Chef Hedendal came out and read off his list to explain what we were eating. His casual and humble manner really impressed me. He also stood by the door, greeting people and chatting as they left.

Sixth came the cheese course. At this point I got up to walk around a bit, and take more photos. One of the chefs stopped what she was doing and staged some of the plates for me, which also was unexpected and nice. I usually try to quietly take photos without intruding, and it's always impressive to find a chef who can talk through their work at the same time.

The plate included Andante Creamery Etude, green almonds, zahidi dates. Etude an extremely small production cheese from the Andante dairy in Petaluma, California. The cheesemaker uses musical names for the cheeses, influenced by cheeses of the Pyrenees region. She uses goat’s milk instead of the more traditional sheep’s milk. The aged cheese had a firm yet creamy texture.

The original menu listed white mulberries, but the green almonds blended in very well also. They were a bit past that gel stage inside in maturity, however, they added some freshness and greenery.

In large meals like this, at the seventh course, I appreciate either a fruity dessert or something sweet and salty, not an overly sweet and heavy ending to the meal. The adorable, colorful and fresh dessert. Out came a strawberry galette, peas, creme fraiche, lemon thyme. On top the garnish of an edible sweet pea flower provided a charming play on the peas idea. I've never had peas in a dessert. The fresh, sweet and crunchy peas worked with everything. This was not your childhood strawberry pie with thick red glaze. Everything tasted natural, with a tiny amount of sweetness.

It was hard to believe there was a second dessert. And I wouldn't have eaten it had it not been a wonderful bite. He most likely added this for those who wanted that decadent dessert. Eighth course was a coconut macaroon, piment d'espelette, Amedei chocolate. The piment is a French red chili powder made from a regional French pepper. Amedei chocolate, an exclusive handmade Tuscan chocolate, arguably considered the world's best. And those suggesting this are world classs French pâtissiers and visionary Spanish chef Ferran Adrià. Food and Wine magazine declared it the best chocolate in the world. This brother and sister team bypass brokers and acquire their cacao directly from the Chuao plantations in Venezuela. Even with dessert, the chef introduced several things I haven't tasted and didn't think I'd be able to taste. The mark of a great and memorable meal.

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#vegetables #underground dinner #seafood #Leif Hedendal #KTCHN 105

Underground Supper Club: Dinner at Eight

Underground Supper Clubs definitely appeal to me. My friend Abby from Pleasure Palate blog and dining group recently organized a private event at Dinner at Eight. This group, created by food blogger Elliott Shaffner from F for Food, highlights some great collaboration by some talented and efficient women. The rest of team includes Kathy Emerson Maggie Stebar.

Their promise is for their 4-course, once-a-month dinner under the stars for 12 guests in the Hollywood hills. The seasonal ingredients come straight from the local farmers' markets and the garden.Meats are sourced from Lindy & Grundy and wine pairings are by Jill at Domaine LA. The cost of the meal is all-inclusive from cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, the 4-course meal, coffee and even gratuity. It's always relaxing to pay in advance and not think about the bill on the night of the event. This combination would make any foodie purr with joy, but the setting really adds to the stylish experience, especially if like me, you've fantasized about living in the Hollywood hills.

Guests arrive for cocktail hour out on the terrace. Back on Saturday, January 28, when I attended this event, I had come straight from a funeral, stuck in traffic for a very long time, and thought I'd find it hard to switch gears.

That anxiety disappeared quickly as I took in the clear night air, herb garden fragrances, firelight and relaxing ambiance. Cocktail hour consisted of Maggie Stebar's classic martinis with garlic and dill pickled okra, along with garlic-rubbed crostini. She laid out the bottle of small-batch Leopold's gin as well as jars of her wonderfully tart, crispy okra pickles.

While she expertly mixed my drink, she mentioned her Maggie Mae Apron Co where she sews vintage-inspired aprons. As we migrated to the dining room after cocktail hour, I noticed one of her charming creations on display.

The kitchen was indeed on the small, cozy side, so I knew they worked efficiently to serve 2 tables of diners. The chalkboard cabinet contained a shopping list of some of the meal's ingredients.

The drinks are byob, but water, a refreshing blood orange soda and later, coffee, was provided.

The charming indoor/outdoor fireplaces with candlelit mantel, as well as the artwork throughout the house made for a cozy setting. I enjoyed the Spanish/50's/Shabby Chic fusion going on in the house.

The table setting, complete with more pickle jars to take home as a souvenir, maintained that stylish, feminine touch. I always enjoy when the table contains salt and pepper because I tend to like more spice and seasoning than most.

We all loved the butter crock that contains chilled water which keeps the butter fresh, cool and soft for hours. Paired with the fresh bread with roasted garlic cloves baked in, it spelled out comfort.

Most of their dinners have themes (you can see previous themes on their blog). In this case Abby worked out a garlic themed menu with them.

1st Course Creamy green garlic & potato soup with black garlic chips & bacon

I loved that they used the green garlic and the black garlic chips in this course. A fairly mild and creamy start to the meal that made a strong impression. The glass serving dishes, which varied across the table popped.

2nd Course Salad of arugula, strawberries, black walnuts & Mimolette Extra Vieille with roasted heirloom red garlic vinaigrette This most unusual salad also popped with color and flavor. The peppery arugula against the sweet strawberries, walnuts and the bright orange aged cheese blended well. Again, I loved the use of red garlic in the dressing.

In an underground setting I did not expect restaurant quality service in any way, but the ladies were so attentive with filling glasses and checking whether we needed anything. I even found my napkin refolded when I left the table for a moment.

3rd Course Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic This abundant plate held three pieces of 40-clove chicken from Lindy & Grundy, charred broccolini, anchovies, garlic confit and a beautiful presentation of roasted domino potatoes with roasted garlic slivers, rosemary and bay leaves. I loved both of the sides and wanted to like the chicken more. However the skin did not crisp up as much as I'd have liked and the sauce tasted fairly mild and creamy for "40 cloves'. It also arrived lukewarm and unfortunately both the potatoes and the chicken could have used a bit more cooking time to soften it up. However, nobody could say they left hungry, nor was there any lack of "love" in the preparation. Their genuine efforts shone through.

4th Course Honey-Garlic Mousse with Pinenut Garlic Brittle Served with Chicory Coffee

Special guests Esi Imprain and Nastassia Johnson prepared our final course, this bold and textured dessert. We all loved and devoured it. It hit all the right notes and the garlic made itself known without killing the dessert vibe.

They hit a home run. In fact, the ladies graciously brought out a couple more plates of the brittle for us to enjoy. The chicory coffee also tasted heavenly, and once again, I loved the colored glassware. One of my dining companions offered me his cup as a trade because I enjoyed the color so much.

The wonderful evening and meal ended with a quick trip back outside for some parting photos and we all said our goodbyes. I am still in awe of their artistic touches and being able to create a sensuous and dreamy environment while serving a hearty yet gourmet meal. Every touch was thought out and executed to perfection. Find details on their upcoming events on their blog.

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#underground dinner #supper club #Nastassia Johnson #Maggie Stebar #lifestyle #Kathy Emerson #Hollywood #garlic #F for Food #Esi Imprain #Elliott Shaffner #Dinner at Eight

Renzini Underground Dinner

On top of Chef Renzo Pinillos' catering company, he hosts an occasional underground dinner in his own home in Southbay area of L.A. After stints at restaurants such as JiRaffe, Chef Renzo pepares modern Peruvian cuisine, influenced with Asian touches. The food reminded me of Mo-Chica, but perhaps a bit lighter, reflecting local California style.

I'm a huge fan of underground dinners as my previous posts show, but this one really stood out to me. I loved to see his wife in the kitchen as sous chef and his adorable daughter, Francesca, playing in her room then mingling a bit.

The general vibe transported me to Latin America. The room was peppered with Peruvian guests who not only contributed to a festive ambiance, they helped answer questions about the ingredients.

They even managed to provide live music in the fully packed room.

While they completed finishing touches in the kitchen, we perused the printed menu and enjoyed a couple of pours of Pisco, Peru's national drink.

The amuse bouche came out family style - crab meat, shrimp and fish nuggets with Saigon style tamarindo sauce. Our table devoured these warm, crunchy seafood nuggets. The herbs and sauce complemented them well. The table also contained bread, a Peruvian chili sauce and a bowl of toasted white corn, another Peruvian staple.

The 1st course started off with a bang - tuna tiradito with aji amarillo tiger milk, peruvian beans and canchita salad with arugula. The freshness, tart pickled red onions, crunch from the toasted corn and hit of chile sauce worked like a symphony in the mouth.

Mini Pisco Sours were passed from a tray at this point. This Peruvian cocktail contains Pisco, the national grape brandy along with a lime-frothy consistency. It's a very refreshing drink.

In the kitchen, they didn't miss a beat as several of us watched them and shot several photos of the food in progress. Chef Renzo explained some ingredients and techniques as he cooked.

The 2nd course of wild peruvian perico (mahi-mahi) with chemichurri from Los Andes, nativas potatoes oxzitel and peruvian purple, corn and peas with llantan also displayed the chef's love of seafood.

Like the other courses, it contained a variety of flavors and textures. The potatoes at the base of the dish were flavored by the fish. I enjoyed the addition of the green elements with the peas and sauces.

The pacing of the meal worked so well. I saw some blender action starting up and found they were making another Pisco variation, this time a Lucuma Sour with the fruit Peruvian tropical fruit, lucuma.

One of the guests at our table suggested we try the lucuma ice cream, which I definitely plan to do.

By the time the 3rd course arrived, I could barely eat another bite. The huatia (beef cooked in a terracotta pot with herbs and spices), sweet potato puree and Ica asparagus was so good, I managed to eat most of it. I loved the pops of color on the plate with the vibrant orange of the sweet potato puree and the bright green asparagus.

My expectations for dessert usually are low, mainly because of being full, but also since I am more a fan of savory foods than sweet. The 4th course of almond cake layers with zaya rum stuffed with pallares (Peruvian Faba beans) dulce de leche, banana ice cream and blackberries compote totally wowed me and I finished every drop on the plate. The sheer creativity of baking this nutty cake with those intricate layers of beans and dulce de leche blew me away. It did not taste as heavy as one would think when hearing high protein ingredients like almonds and beans. I could not detect anything but cream between the layers. Once again the accompanying fruity ice cream and the tart compote added the creaminess and sour touch to balance the rich cake. Chef Renzo nailed the dessert.

When reflecting back on this whole experience, I still marvel at how beautifully they put it all together. It's not only an amazing value for such high quality and exotic food, but the atmosphere truly transports the diner. I always love learning about new ingredients in meals and this one taught me many new things, even though I am not a stranger to Peruvian cuisine. If you would like to experience this type of meal, you can contact them at this form. Whether it's a catering engagement, where they provide everything from start to finish, or experiencing one of the underground dinners, it surely will amount to a culinary experience you will not regret.

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#underground dinner #seafood #Renzini #Peruvian food #Chef Renzo Pinillos #catering

Return to the Wolvesden

It hadn't even occurred to me until I arrived at wolvesden that my previous and first visit was a year ago. Having run into and chatting with wolvesmouth, aka Chef Craig Thornton a couple of times, it seemed more recent.

But that was most likely because that first dinner blew my palate and mind and stayed in my foodie memory as a precious experience. You can read about that post by clicking here. Needless to say, it felt great to be back.

Being one of the later arrivals, seeing the group gathered around the kitchen and smelling the food cooking is the best way to enter this feast.

This gathering was a private dinner organized by my friend Abby, so several diners were wolvesden alumni.

The handwritten menu on the refrigerator also brought last year's memories back, this menu being as exciting with its diversity of courses and ingredients. Throughout the meal, I noticed times each course was served next to each item. Although the atmosphere feels laid back, the meals are planned and executed with great precision.

After blocking the refrigerator trying to take photos of the menu, while the Chef was trying to get ingredients, I tried to lay low and not talk too much or be in the way until the meal started.

I didn't remember seeing the ingredients throughout the kitchen last time, but I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the raw materials, given the sheer variety and highest quality of ingredients.

I saw many ingredients that were new to me, despite being an avid cook and adventurous eater most of my life. The beautiful apples above worked their way into the first course.

1st Course: delicata Moroccan squash Arkansas black apple cider brown butter goat cheese

This bold, flavorful and bright course started off the meal with a bang, much like the first course (my first course ever) of Tahitian squash last year.

The skin on squash took on a very solid, meaty consistency, rounded out nicely with vinegar. I thought I bit into some ground meat in the squash puree, but was told there was no meat in the dish.

2nd Course: black sea bass cauliflower puree lemon

There was no way this dish wouldn't be perfect. Three of my favorite ingredients. There is an are to cooking fish and this version maintained that juicy flesh, crispy browned skin. The creamy cauliflower with lemon complemented the sea bass.

Once again, one could hardly ignore this crispy skin sitting on a tray, to be integrated into the next course.

3rd course: chicken liver mousse chicken skin poached pear watermelon radish wild arugula pain de mie The greens and radish provided nice contrast to the creamy mousse, which contained cherry brandy. I used the buttery pain de mie (toast soldiers) to wipe up every last drop.

I like the color variation in these eggs.

Looking at the components of this dish made our mouths water. Profiteroles, fried green tomatoes?

4th Course: corn crab fried green tomato crystal hot sauce profiterole And those weren't even the highlights. They piped a spicy creme fraiche, seasoned with Crystal hot sauce and Old Baby seasoning into the profiteroles. The juicy, sweet dungeness crab seasoned with olive oil, lemon and chives was the star of this dish. I did not expect the corn sauce. The flavors reminded me of the Chinese classic crab corn soup to which I always add hot sauce.

The plate says it all for this course.

5th Course: rabbit baked beans celery root remoulade sorghum Sorghum, a sweet grain, provided a sweet glaze for these rabbit meatballs. The contrast of the smoky beans and the celery root remoulade, which had a lot of bite and crunch, kept the textures varied.

By this point we were thankful for the large loft setting and I began walking around between courses trying to keep going. My stroll included passing by the immersion circulator. A couple of the diners left the building for a walk around the block.

And the Anti-Griddle, often used to make ice cream. I've seen all these tools put to use on Top Chef and got to hear how the Chef uses them too.

6th Course: Roman gnocchi glazed carrot kale parmesan fennel pollen 12 year balsamic I didn't expect a traditional Roman dish to be part of the meal, but when I saw it, I wasn't surprised to find a cloudy gnocchi on the plate. The carrot cooked for a long time and tasted almost like vegetable candy. A good balsamic enhances any dish.

The sous chefs worked nonstop and were so aware of everything going on at the table.

We all enjoyed Chef Craig's visits to the table. In fact I passed by the kitchen a couple of times and with all burners full and multiple dishes going on, he actually held up fairly detailed conversations. He really makes this daunting effort look easy and natural.

When this came out of the oven, the bubbling and loud sizzle filled the room. I wish I took a video of it for full sound effect.

7th Course: pork belly rice paper calamansi chili garlic peanut This course is inspired by the Filipino delicacy Sisig, sour and spicy pork. This version contained a sous vide pork belly, rice paper in place of steamed rice and papaya pickled in palm vinegar. The base was a raw calamansi (Asian citrus) sauce including garlic and Thai chilies. Each bold flavor combined well and countered the rich, fatty meat.

Once again, seeing the components of chanterelle mushrooms, brussels sprouts and shallots, the next dish already was made up of some of my favorite ingredients.

8th Course: duck breast leg chanterelle farro skin maple brussels sprouts I enjoyed the chewy texture of the farro, chive risotto. The creamy chanterelles, crunchy brussels sprouts and crispy skin provided a hearty base for the duck breast and leg meat (the meatball). The sauce consisted of maple cider vinegar.

9th Course: brown butter maize pound cake red wine wine fig creme fraiche A most unexpected dessert from this chef, I did not expect a composed cake dessert. The brown butter flavor added to the flavor with very fresh fruit, vanilla and cream notes. The figs were both fresh and poached and played well with the tart Granny Smith apple balls. The sauce of poaching liquid and wine and the bits of bacon provided contrasting flavors.

10th Course: latik ice cream letik shortbread baby banana lime coconut ube pudding I enjoyed this light, hot and cold dessert, another Filipino inspired dish. Latik involves extracting coconut cream and cooking the curd down with brown sugar to form a topping. The ice cream and the shortbread cookie crumble are based on this flavor. The ube (purple yam) pudding, thickened with tapioca, adn flavored with lime and coconut formed the warm component. By this time I only had a couple of bites possible and was thankful the ice cream had a super light consistency. I loved the flavors.

I enjoyed seeing the antler centerpiece which I loved so much during the first visit, as well as other bone and antler decorative items. I over course, came equipped with my antler necklace, to dress the part! Overall, the meal once again wowed me in creativity and presentation, taught me some never before seen ingredients, yet also provided that same degree of comfort and familiarity I love so much about wolvesmouth food. He continues to take feedback from repeat diners, which only serves to enhance the experience. I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy the meal just as much this time. I hope to enjoy another unforgettable evening at the wolvesden before another year goes by.

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#wolvesmouth #wolvesden #underground dinner #craig thornton #All Posts A-Z

Burgers & Beats - Recession Priced Burgers

There are so many variations of burgers all over town, but an 'underground' burger from a chef of quite an extensive background was a first for me.

Burgers & Beats 4.0 - The Juicy Luicy

For this beautiful burger it's worth going underground. Several months ago my friend Abby from Pleasure Palate shared some tweets and blog posts about a monthly outdoor event by Chef Christian Navarro of Haute Skillet. So a group of us were determined to try his next creative burger at the 2nd event of this type. Because of the rain, the normally outdoor location moved to the Curry Up Cafe in Woodland Hills.

Christian Navarro and the Mother's Office Burger description

His concoction for that day was the Mother's Office Burger - "the difference is Mom doesn't get mad when you add bacon and sauce to it".

Curry Up Cafe's Wongie Fries

While the burgers were grilling in the kitchen we ordered some of Curry Up's side dishes - the Philipino lumpia (egg rolls) and the house special Wongie Fries (think In N Out Animal Style - esque fries), complete with cheese, green onions and secret sauce.

Mother's Office Burger

Mother's Office Burger - unwrapped

The burger, served on a French baguette, came with pork belly confit, organic arugula, maple glazed onions, classic American cheese and the divine topper of a 63 degree egg. The runny yolk served as sauce which the bread held up to well.

After eating we got to go into the kitchen one by one (due to space restrictions) where Chef Navarro warmly chatted with us and we exchanged contact information.

Needless to say, I was a fan. Not only of the delicious food, but also of his passion and charisma. Which brought me back to B & B 4.0 where Chef Navarro would prepare his much requested signature version of the Juicy Lucy burger, and it would be outdoors as intended.