Yuquitas at Paiche

Paiche, the newest in Chef Ricardo Zarate‘s mini Peruvian restaurant kingdom, is his most ambitious yet. Located in Marina Del Rey just steps from the Pacific Coast Highway, its focus is seafood — a paiche is a South American tropical freshwater fish, after all. But I’m weird, OK? My favorite dishes at Paiche had nothing to do with the myriad fish and shellfish items on the menu.

The Yuquitas, yuca beignets filled with manchego cheese and topped with grated parmesan, were light and airy yet delightfully chewy. The creaminess of the cheese went well with the salty fried goodness of the yuca. I could eat these all day long.

Out of all the dishes I tried — and I had the uni shrimp toast (didn’t like it texturally) and the blood clams and uni risotto (too fishy tasting) — the Ceviche de Pato, confit duck in a ceviche stew and lima bean rice, was my favorite. It was super savory and hearty.

Ceviche de Pato

As for the Deysi Alvarez-designed cocktails, two stood out to me. The Last Ice Age, with Porton pisco, Hakushu whiskey 12 year, Asian pear, shiso, organic egg white, lime, lemon, evaporated simple syrup and Fernet Branca drops, was just my kind of drink. I always go for the whiskey-based drink, and this one didn’t disappoint. The Last Ice Age was a nice combination of sweetness, tartness, bitterness and frothiness.

The Last Ice Age

The Bernard Devoto AKA The Master of Intoxication, with Sino reposado tequila, Christian Drouin calvados brandy, yellow chartreuse, Benedictine and Angostura bitters, was also a highly drinkable — and potent — choice.

Bernard Devoto

Note: This meal was hosted.

Live Good Organic Cotton Sateen Sheets. From Live Good.

Live Good, Inc., is definitely one-of-a-kind. Not only does it make its products – bedding and decorative pillows — with fully certified organic cotton, the company also manufactures in the United States using sustainably sourced materials, including organic and renewable kapok fibers, unfinished wood buttons, and formaldehyde-free water-based inks.

All this results in unique items, including bedsheets, which I had the opportunity to try. Live Good’s organic cotton sateen sheets are unlike any I’ve ever had. They’re really soft, despite having a thread count of just 300, and they have the slightest bit of texture that makes sleeping on them a unique experience. The fitted sheet comes with a lot of room for a tall mattress — one with a pillow top, for instance — but once you wash and dry it, it shrinks a lot. Actually, you’re supposed to wash and dry it before using it for the best fit, so follow the instructions!

The only thing is, like most sheet sets, these are not cheap and weigh in at a hefty $250. But, if you’re concerned about the environment and fair labor practices, which Live Good is also a proponent of, then purchasing these should be a no-brainer.

Live good, my friends.

Note: Sheets were complimentary.

Poached octopus at Allumette

Allumette, owners Charles Kelly and Bill DiDonna’s new eatery in their former Allston Yatch Club space in Echo Park, is a home run. With chef Miles Thompson (Son of a Gun, Vagrancy Project) in the kitchen and mixologist Serena Herrick (Pour Vous, Harvard & Stone) behind the bar, Allumette really steps it up with inventive, intensely flavorful food and drink that’s hard to find in this neighborhood.

The restaurant recently added Tuesday night dinner service and changed its menu to a pared-down version of its à la carte and added a five-course $72 tasting menu with an optional beverage pairing for $45.

If you’re going for the tasting menu, which everyone in your party must order, you can look forward to the homey-yet-decidedly new-feeling poached octopus with beluga lentils, vadouvan butter and a fried egg (pictured above), and the goat’s milk flan with angel food cake, brown butter and cucumber-flavored tapioca for dessert.

Goat’s milk flan

From the à la carte menu, the crudo options — pink snapper with kanzuri (Japanese chili paste with yuzu), white soy and cherimoya, and live scallop tartare with strawberry, black truffle and elderflower — are both good choices.

Pink snapper crudo

Live scallop tartare

When it comes to pasta, go for the cavatelli bathed in an uni ragu and served with English pea purée, braised mushrooms and Thompson’s special fromage noir.

Cavatelli with uni ragu

One of the more interesting dishes is the short rib cooked in pho broth served on top of a scallion pancake with a side of xiu mai. While I found the meat a tad too salty for my taste, I appreciate the innovation in the dish.

Short rib “pho”

If you’re lucky Thompson might send out a surprise, such as fried potato mascarpone butter (unlike anything I’ve ever had!) served with house-made focaccia topped with black lava sea salt, or a tiny fairy squid with flowering cilantro and yuzu.

Potato mascarpone butter

As for cocktails, I enjoyed the Gentleman’s Breakfast, a hearty concoction of Famous Grouse scotch, egg white, lemon and ginger honey syrup topped with Atomized Candy Cap bitters, Islay scotch and a piece of candied ginger. The Le Système Solaire with Oloroso sherry, Dolin Blanc vermouth and Bergamot bitters, is another satisfying choice.

Gentleman’s Breakfast

Note: This meal was hosted.

Pink coral, mother of pearl earrings in 16K gold-plated hoops from Paradise Bungalow

Amy Jennings’ island-inspired jewelry not only comes from the time she has spent traveling Polynesia but also from a deeply personal experience.

The high school history teacher had made jewelry all her life, but it wasn’t until her grandmother fell ill in 2007 when she really started to focus on the art. Jennings would spend time with her after work, playing the ukulele, painting and making jewelry — anything to cheer up her grandmother, who was no longer able to walk. The jewelry seemed to make her most happy.

“My late grandma was so encouraging. After I’d make something, I’d show her. Watching her smile propelled me to make more,” Jennings said. “I would have never dreamed off all these jewelry designs burgeoning from this relationship.”

Now Jennings sells her simple-yet-stylish earrings, necklaces and bracelets through her etsy store, Paradise Bungalow. Some of the materials she uses include shells she has found on the beaches of islands such as Hawaii, Samoa, New Zealand and Tahiti. Her husband, who is from Hawaii and Samoa, helps out by drilling the shells and carving mother of pearl.

Some of my favorite pieces include the pink coral, mother of pearl and 16K gold-plated hoop earrings (pictured above); sea foam blue chalcedony bezel and freshwater biwa pearl flake necklace; and the real red coral branch necklace.

Red coral branch necklace

Blue chalcedony bezel and freshwater biwa pearl flake necklace

All photos by Amy Jennings.

Maple Eggs at Littlefork

By now you’ve probably heard of Littlefork, the months-old restaurant from A-Frame owner David Reiss and former Fraiche chef Jason Travi. But in case you haven’t, know that with its inventive and well-executed Atlantic Northeast menu that it’s one of the most exciting restaurants to hit Hollywood in a long time. And now Littlefork, which also has an outstanding cocktail menu from Chicago import Dino Balocchi, has just started offering everyone’s favorite meal — brunch.

The brunch menu leans savory, with items such as a lobster frittata, with spinach, mushrooms and crispy onions, and the Good Morning Burger, with red corn pancakes, linguica sausage, a runny egg and maple syrup. The Maple Eggs (pictured above) — soft scrambled eggs, maple syrup and crispy bacon served in (fake) eggshells — are a favorite and can also be ordered at dinner, mercifully. The clam chowder is also some of the best in town, and the kale salad, with avocado, egg, red onion and blood orange is a nice light choice.

Clam chowder

Kale salad

If you’re ever here for dinner, make sure to get the clam cakes — fluffy fritters served with house-made tartar sauce — and consider the applewood-smoked brisket, some of the most tender I’ve had in a while. And if you’re staying for dessert, the apple cider doughnuts, which are served with apple butter and salted caramel, are a must.

Clam cakes

Applewood smoked brisket

Apple cider doughnuts

When it comes to drinks, Balocchi shines. If his brunch cocktails are as good as his dinner drinks, then you’re in for a treat. Brunch’s Bourbon Bramble #2, with Old Bardstown 90 bourbon, Combier mûre, lemon, maple syrup and Angostura bitters, sounds right up my alley, and the Elderflower Mimosa, with St. Germain, elderflower pressé, orange juice, Peychauds bitters and prosecco, is a nice twist on the original.

A couple of my favorite Balocchi cocktails are The Maestro, made with wheated bourbon, Averna, cinnamon, clove and Angostura bitters, a nicely spiced stirred drink, and the Saskatchewan Summer, a highly sippable combination of rye, cardamom, honey, Fernet and Forbidden bitters.

Saskatchewan Summer

Littlefork is not your average Hollywood restaurant, and I mean that in the best way possible. Travi and Balocchi take great care with their menus, and it shows.

Further reading:

Counter Intelligence: Littlefork takes a big-east turn north by Jonathan Gold on Los Angeles Times

Littlefork Ups Hollywood’s Eating & Drinking Game by estarLA

What to Eat at the New Littlefork Restaurant in Hollywood by LAist

O Hotel lobby. Photo from Orbitz.

O Hotel, a downtown L.A. boutique with 67 modernly styled rooms, recently celebrated its 5th anniversary. And with the addition of lauded barman Matt Biancaniello to its restaurant Bar | Kitchen, and a 6-month old day spa, O Hotel has lots to be happy about.

While I haven’t seen the hotel’s rooms, I have visited Bar | Kitchen and Oasis City Spa, both of which offer some pretty impressive amenities for such a small hotel. The spa has some St. Patrick’s Day weekend specials for those of you who partied too much (or for those getting ready to party): a signature organic facial with green herbal mask for $100, green tea mint scrub for $55, and a mani/pedi for $40. If you can’t make it this weekend, Oasis also offers a $25 mini facial and esthetician consultation, the cost of which can be applied toward a future facial or spa products. Prices are reasonable, and the facility is simple yet elegant.

Bar | Kitchen is no slouch, either. Chef Vahan Tokmadjian has created a well-executed, seasonally appointed menu with gems such as shrimp and grits with Spanish chorizo sauce (this is one of the better S&G dishes around town), mushroom bread pudding and pork cheek hash.

Shrimp and grits

Pork cheek hash with quail egg

And Biancaniello, whose moves have been closely watched since he left Library Bar last year, has brought some of his best-known cocktail recipes, including those for Last Tango in Modena (gin, muddled strawberries, balsamic vinegar and St. Germain foam) and Kentucky Bubble Bath (bourbon, Cynar, lavender simple syrup and lemon), which I could drink all day!

Kentucky Bubble Bath

Given the hotel’s combo of good food, drink, decor and spa amenities, I would recommend a stay here for those looking for a downtown hotel with some style.

Stacy Keibler in Naeem Khan at the 85th Annual Academy Awards. From FabSugar.

I know everyone is talking about Jennifer Lawrence’s dress (and her stumble up the stairs to receive her award, which just seemed so fitting for her — in a good way), and Anne Hathaway’s nipple dress (why would you wear a dress with darts placed there?), but my favorite dress of the evening was hands-down Stacy Keibler’s Naeem Khan gown. With its head-to-toe sequins and well-placed patterns, Keibler looked positively statuesque. And her date wasn’t bad-looking, either.

George Clooney and Keibler. From Huffington Post.

Public Kitchen & Bar. Photo courtesy of Public Kitchen & Bar.

What’s the next best thing to actually attending the Academy Awards?

Watching a live telecast while enjoying a meal at Public Kitchen & Bar, located in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel — the site of the first Academy Awards in 1929 – of course!

On Sunday, Feb. 24, the Oscars ceremony will be shown on large televisions around Public’s main dining room, so you’ll be able to see all the glitz and glamour while noshing on Executive Chef Tim Goodell’s three-course prix-fixe menu. For $99 per person, you’ll get Wagyu beef tartare with crostini and quail eggs; Dover sole with cauliflower, brown butter, pine nuts, golden raisins and capers; and lemon Napoleon with honey ginger ice cream.

Or, choose from a selection of à la carte items, including the Oscars Ultimate Burger & Wine combo with the restaurant’s signature burger topped with four-year aged cheddar, bacon, and bread and butter pickles served with a side of black truffle Kennebec fries and a glass of Cain Cuvée cabernet for $39.

Want to take in the splendor without being tied down to a table? Then head over to the hotel’s main lobby, where you can watch the ceremony on a 15-foot screen while partaking in a selection of fresh oysters and sushi.

And since this is Hollywood and all, champagne and bottle service with the likes of Cristal, Dom Perignon, Grey Goose and Patron will also be available to toast the winners — or play some really expensive drinking games — throughout the evening.

Public Kitchen & Bar
Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel
7000 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 466-7000

Sunday, Feb. 24
5 p.m. – 12 a.m.

Beer sausage

There’s one more week left for Dine L.A. Restaurant Week, and if you’re going to go to one place, I suggest you try GORGE, a cozy house-made charcuterie and wine bar from Top Chef alumna Elia Aboumrad and pastry chef Uyen Nguyen (Le Cirque, Craftsteak, Restaurant Guy Savoy). GORGE is located on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood just steps away from old-school rock hangouts the Roxy and Rainbow Room. Not exactly where one might expect to find such fine food, so all the more reason to patronize the place!

GORGE’s Dine L.A. menu ($45 for dinner) features some fantastic dishes. To start, the chicken liver pate, which comes with a clarified butter top sprinkled with paprika and sides of cornichons and baguette toasts, is smooth and clean-tasting. It’s wonderfully addictive.

Chicken liver pate

The beer-cooked pork sausage (pictured above) served with savory fingerling potatoes, choucroute (French sauerkraut) and German mustard is mild yet satisfying.

The St. Honoré cakes, traditional French desserts made with layers of flaky pastry and fluffy cream topped with small cream puffs, are fun to eat. Both flavors on the Dine L.A. menu — vanilla and the chocolate orange — are good, but the chocolate orange is richer and comes with a macaron on top, too. These cakes are like two or three desserts in one!

Chocolate orange St. Honore

Other highlights from the regular menu include Belgian endive, which are poached in broth and served warm with a vanilla bean sauce and toasted almonds, and the pheasant pate, a well-balanced terrine of wild pheasant, black truffles and pecans served with a side of buttery potato puree and a simple green salad.

Belgian endive

Pheasant pate

If you’re more of a purist, get the charcuterie plate, which can include red wine salumi with pepper and ginger, or varieties with garlic and sage or nutmeg, fennel and cardamom, as well as pork head cheese and pickled romanesco. Nothing is gamey; everything is satisfyingly palatable.

Charcuterie plate

In addition to all the great food, GORGE has Master Sommelier Darius Allyn on hand to help you find the perfect drink to pair with your meal. For example, he puts Bordelet pear Granit cider with the endive, and the sweet notes in both dishes play off each other nicely. Allyn’s choices of Becky Wasserman et Fils sauvignon blanc paired with the charcuterie plate and Alsace pinot gris with the chicken liver pate are also nice, clean matches.

Between Aboumrad’s meats, Nguyen’s pastry and Allyn’s drink pairings, you can’t go wrong at GORGE.

Note: A meal here was hosted by the restaurant.

Clarks Indigo Heath Harrier in taupe

I’m really into ankle boots at the moment, especially after my recent purchase of a pair of Clarks Indigo Heath Harrier boots. I’ve been looking for a comfortable, easy pair of boots that I can dress up or down, and I think I’ve found them. I got mine in taupe, though the color is more like a chocolate brown than the grayish brown color I saw online. No matter; they’re still neutral enough to match with lots of things, and the distressed material makes it so I’m not so afraid of scuffing them (which I totally did the minute I put them on, of course).

Even though I love these, I’m having a bit of a hard time styling them. Obviously I’ve worn them with skinny jeans, but can I wear them with other pants that require a larger cuff when folding them up? And then do I wear them with or without visible socks? I’m talking winter looks, not spring/summer looks with dresses and shorts. Any advice, dear readers?