Star Chefs shined on Santa Monica
Last month’s Star Chefs event at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica showcased some of the best culinary talent in Southern California. The event was a walk-around one with a different chef-created dish at each table. Some of the most-talked about chefs were there, including Michael Voltaggio from The Dining Room at the Langham Hotel, Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo from Animal, and Ray Garcia of FIG, among others.
Some of my favorites from the night were Animal’s poutine made with oxtail and cheddar and Voltaggio’s wagyu beef with white cheddar, cream of dehydrated broccoli and topped with dehydrated broccoli.
Voltaggio's wagyu beef. From e*starLA.
The cocktail offerings were great and included the Barbacoa from Julian Cox of Rivera made with tequila, chipotle, jalapeno, ginger and topped with beef jerky. Highland Park single malt scotch had The Highlander made with cherry Herring liqueur and Highland Park 12 Year made by Eric Alperin of The Varnish. Not too shabby, eh?
The Highlander. Photo courtesy of Highland Park.
The desserts were probably the most delectable of the night. Jordan Kahn’s (formerly of XIV) unique and delicious block of white chocolate filled with cacao fruit, strawberries, elderflower syrup, Kaffir lime and sealed with a base of beet cake was the standout of the night. Adrian Vasquez of Providence served up small bowls with big flavor: Kalamansi gelee and lychee-shiso sorbet floating in a white chocolate-coconut soy milk soup. And Zoe Nathan and Josh Loeb of Rustic Canyon and Huckleberry gave us a simple-but-heavenly chocolate pudding pie topped with whipped cream and cocoa nibs.
Kahn's white chocolate block. From e*starLA.
Bottom of Kahn's dessert. From e*starLA.
Providence dessert. From e*starLA.
Note: I attended this event as a guest of Highland Park. Special thanks to Esther of e*starLA for allowing the use of her photos.
