ShopEatSleep

The opening of the new Santa Monica Place mall has been exciting for those of us who knew the old, tired mall that stood in its place years ago. Perhaps some of the most exciting parts have been the new food options, some of which are entirely new to Los Angeles. La Sandia and Zengo from chef Richard Sandoval are two of those new restaurants.

I was invited to try out the food and drink at both places last week, and I came away from the experience pleasantly surprised. These restaurants — the Mexican La Sandia and the Latin-Asian fusion Zengo — are nicer than your usual mall joints, with some pretty respectable cocktails, too.

We started out with cocktails and appetizers at La Sandia. My favorite drink was the cucumber-serrano martini made with mezcal, cucumber, serrano chili, citrus and chili piquin salt on the rim. I love spicy hotness as well as cucumber in my drinks, so this was the prefect combination. I also really enjoyed the shrimp quesadillas made with shrimp, Mexican cheeses, black bean puree, chipotle aioli and topped with crema and avocado. So tasty!

La Sandia cocktails

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South Coast Plaza. From Examiner.

This is interesting…A party at Saks Fifth Avenue‘s South Coast Plaza location tomorrow, Aug. 21, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., with the Kogi truck, a steel drum band, live DJ, photo booth fun, Guitar Hero, models and champagne. The event will span all three levels of the store, too. Now, I don’t know about you, but when I think of Saks — at the fancy-pants South Coast, no less — Kogi and Guitar Hero aren’t the first things that come to mind. Models and champagne, sure, but food trucks and video games, no. But who am I to say it’s not a good thing? If you stop by, let us know how it went!

The Skillet, with roasted new potatoes, bacon, cheddar poached eggs, gucamole and chipotle sour cream.

Located in a small shopping plaza behind Laguna Hills Mall in Orange County, Break of Dawn is a local gem of a restaurant for breakfast and lunch. With the entrees divided into the two main categories of Traditional and Savory, Chef Dee Nguyen uses bold flavors and Asian influence to take his dishes to the next level at accessible prices. The result is not simply fusion food, but rather a hearty Asian and American meal.

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Savor Los Angeles, a showcase of L.A.’s sweetest of the sweet, is hosting its first event this Friday, July 30, at Miauhaus photography studio. There will be all kinds of desserts, including those from BabyCakes, Frosted Cupcakery, Gotta Have S’more, N’iceCream, p.o.p. candy, Plaisir, Popcakes, Pure Cheesecakes, Sweets for the Soul, The Crosby and XT Patisserie. According to press materials, these companies were chosen “for their emphasis on fresh and organic ingredients, alternatives to high-fructose corn syrup, vegan offerings, presentation and design, and good ol’ overall yumminess.” Sounds good to me! There will also be coffee from Intelligentsia, champagne and paired beverages, sparkling juices from IZZE, a cheese and fruit bar, drinks from PAMA liqueur, raffles, music, a photo booth, gift bags, and Boxed water.

The regular ticket price is $35, but Goldstar is selling tickets for $21. Not too shabby, eh?

Details:

Miauhaus
1201 S. La Brea Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90019
Friday, July 30
7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

I’ve often heard of underground dinners — pop-up restaurants that move around from undisclosed location to undisclosed location (sometimes even a private home) — but I had never been to one. They sounded so mysterious, and frankly, I was a little intimidated. But then the opportunity to have dinner from the chefs of Supper Liberation Front presented itself, and I went along for the ride, which turned out to be a pleasant surprise.

The meals, which usually take place on the Westside, are $35 for four courses plus a couple of amuse bouches. This generous amount of food coupled with more-than-competent cooking makes this one of the best values around.

The dinner that I attended earlier this month in Santa Monica was Asian-inspired, but there was a level of inventiveness that made this better than your typical Asian fusion meal.

We started off with two amuses, or “lil bites,” as the chefs like to call them. Then we moved on to our first course of squid and konjaku noodles, which are made from yam flour, accompanied by a dashi chorizo sauce, some of which was encapsulated in little bubbles. It was a light yet flavorful dish, and the different textures were a nice element.

Squid and konjaku noodles

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Mozzarella amuse bouche

I’ve been to downtown Los Angeles’ Drago Centro many times before, but I had only partaken of the bar menu, which is one of the best deals in town (everything is less than $10 all the time — no need to wait for happy hour!). But I hadn’t had a real meal at the restaurant until last month, when my friends very generously took me for my birthday. And it was one of my favorite meals of the last month.

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It’s Blogger Prom time again! This year’s party will be held on Wednesday, September 22, 2010, from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the iconic Yamashiro restaurant, which will be the perfect backdrop for our new theme, “Hollywood Confidential.” Think the Golden Age of Hollywood (glitz! glamour!) mixed in with some film noir (“Sunset Boulevard,” “The Maltese Falcon“). The costume possibilities, historical references, breathtaking views and good-old-fashioned fun will be endless!

Just check this out:

View from Yamashiro. How Hollywood is that?! From e*starLA.

Be sure to check the Blogger Prom website, Facebook page and Twitter feed for more information on our venue, food and drink, and other goodies!

Momed (“modern Mediterranean”), a new Beverly Hills eatery, offers diners authentic foods from all over the Mediterranean in a sleek space formerly occupied by Rosti Tuscan Kitchen on South Beverly Drive. The fact that nearly everything on the menu comes in under $20 just makes this place an even more welcome addition to the neighborhood. Good food at good prices can’t be beat.

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Cocktails and the Taco de Atun Crudo from Ortega 120

The 4th annual White Light White Night fundraiser event, which benefits Walk With Sally, a non-profit organization that provides free-of-charge mentoring support programs and services to L.A. children who are living with or have lost a parent or sibling to cancer, is taking place Saturday, July 10, at 6:00 p.m. at the South Bay BMW lot and rooftop in Torrance. This year’s event will feature a concert from Rocco DeLuca, an auction, and food and drink from South Bay eateries, including Ortega 120 and the new outpost of Gonpachi in the Miyako Hybrid Hotel.

Last year, the event raised more than $100,000 to sponsor children through the Walk With Sally program. The goal for this year is to fund 60 new kids in addition to the 43 existing mentorships; there are currently 59 children who are waiting to take part in the program.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.WalkWithSally.org. General tickets cost $100 per person, and VIP tickets, which allow access to the silent and live auctions, cost $150 per person.

I don’t know what your idea of resort food is, but mine is that it’s mediocre at best. But Sirocco and CAVA at the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa in Indian Wells turned that idea on its head, as I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the food and service at both eateries. (Read Part 1 on the resort property here.)

When we arrived at the hotel, it was just in time for the United States vs. United Kingdom World Cup match, so we hunkered down in our room and ordered room service for lunch. I got a tuna salad sandwich, which came on rye bread and potato chips and a salad on the side, and a creamy mushroom soup that was to die for. The menu wasn’t kidding when it said “A House Favorite.” Rory got a standard club sandwich, which he enjoyed. Our Arnold Palmer drinks were nicely mixed, too. The meal was rounded out with extra glasses of water and oatmeal raisin cookies for dessert, which I actually didn’t eat because I don’t like raisins.

Tuna sandwich (that's a side of avocado way in the back)

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