October 2008 Archives
Finally! It took me a little while to remember how to move the old site and get it up and running but TADA, it's done. If you want to see our previous blog entries and pictures, you can get to them by clicking here or it's also listed in our Links section.
http://www.willtravel4food.com/prevsite
You can also just go to our old pictures from http://www.willtravel4food.com/prevsite/g2.
http://www.willtravel4food.com/prevsite
You can also just go to our old pictures from http://www.willtravel4food.com/prevsite/g2.
Not sure how else to put emphasis on the 'A', but A Market & A Restaurant is one of the latest concepts from the Goodell's. I stopped in this weekend to grab breakfast.
A Restaurant (I did not have any luck reaching their website but maybe it was a temporary problem)
A Market is a great place to find high end treats and a nice selection of wine. Cute and convenient location right off of PCH just before I hope onto Newport to get into Costa Mesa. They are carrying baked goods from BlackMarket Bakery (my personal favorite bakery in Irvine) and LAMILL coffees. Thank God, there is somewhere I can go now for breakfast!
I grabbed a medium Latte and their homemade granola with greek yogurt and fresh berries. I think they should stack the granola like a parfait instead of yogurt-granola-fruit since it was a bit difficult to mix the three consistently. In any case it was still a very good filling breakfast.
A Restaurant (I did not have any luck reaching their website but maybe it was a temporary problem)
A Market is a great place to find high end treats and a nice selection of wine. Cute and convenient location right off of PCH just before I hope onto Newport to get into Costa Mesa. They are carrying baked goods from BlackMarket Bakery (my personal favorite bakery in Irvine) and LAMILL coffees. Thank God, there is somewhere I can go now for breakfast!
I grabbed a medium Latte and their homemade granola with greek yogurt and fresh berries. I think they should stack the granola like a parfait instead of yogurt-granola-fruit since it was a bit difficult to mix the three consistently. In any case it was still a very good filling breakfast.
After having a fabulous lunch at LAMILL we roamed about the Americana in Burbank and headed over to palate for dinner.
palate
Their website describes them better than I can so here's a snippet, "palate is wine-centric, passionate, and down-to-earth. palate is a restaurant, a wine merchant, a cheese cellar, a tasting bar and lounge, and an eno-gastronomic library occupying the ground floor of a seven-story Bekins moving depot (circa 1928) turned wine-storage vault."
The Chef, Octavio Becerra, created a tasting for us and it was paired with wines by Steve Goldun. Everything was delicious. Their wine store has a great selection and reasonable prices. The entire restaurant was very 'down-to-earth' as they put it and simple modern french appeal.
Apps:
We started with home made pickles and lardo on their 'porkfolio' and a mason jar of potted poulet.
Entrees:
Cauliflower Soup
Gnocchi+Butternut Squash
Poached Turbo
Pork Belly
Duck
Cheese Plate:
3 Sheeps Milk Cheese, Honey Comb, Sweet Pepper Relish and Oven Dried Grapes
Dessert:
Ciabatta Bread Pudding
Vahlrona Chocolate Pudding
I did return the following week for a pre-party event. We shared their porkfolio again and finished with truffle egg custard (which I think had an oxtail reduction mixed with the truffle top). As you can imagine, it was delicious.
palate
Their website describes them better than I can so here's a snippet, "palate is wine-centric, passionate, and down-to-earth. palate is a restaurant, a wine merchant, a cheese cellar, a tasting bar and lounge, and an eno-gastronomic library occupying the ground floor of a seven-story Bekins moving depot (circa 1928) turned wine-storage vault."
The Chef, Octavio Becerra, created a tasting for us and it was paired with wines by Steve Goldun. Everything was delicious. Their wine store has a great selection and reasonable prices. The entire restaurant was very 'down-to-earth' as they put it and simple modern french appeal.
Apps:
We started with home made pickles and lardo on their 'porkfolio' and a mason jar of potted poulet.
Entrees:
Cauliflower Soup
Gnocchi+Butternut Squash
Poached Turbo
Pork Belly
Duck
Cheese Plate:
3 Sheeps Milk Cheese, Honey Comb, Sweet Pepper Relish and Oven Dried Grapes
Dessert:
Ciabatta Bread Pudding
Vahlrona Chocolate Pudding
I did return the following week for a pre-party event. We shared their porkfolio again and finished with truffle egg custard (which I think had an oxtail reduction mixed with the truffle top). As you can imagine, it was delicious.
My girlfriend Coral just moved to LA and we went to Jin Patisserie. I first read about Jin in a magazine reviewing Macaroons. It's taken me about 6 months to find an excuse to drive up to Venice but I finally made it. Unfortunately (again) this was the week that I misplaced my camera so there are no pictures.
Jin Patisserie
Jin is a small cafe/bakery in Venice. They only have outdoor seating and indoors is only for their shop.
Next time I would like to check out their tea menu options but this time around we decided to keep the meal short and sweet.
We split their Lunch Set which includes a Sandwich, green salad, chips and cake of the day. We chose the duck proscuitto and brie sandwich. The salad was simple mixed greens and a light vinegarette. The cake of the day was a sponge cake with a strawberry mousse and strawberry gelee on top. This was a very nice light lunch.
In addition we tried
Spring Bouquet: fluffy meringue, light exotic cream, fresh mango & strawberries (served on weekends only)
Green Tea: green tea bavarois & red bean paste on green tea sponge
The Spring Bouquet was fantastic. The green tea was a bit overwelming with macha for my taste and not enough red bean for balance.
To go I ordered an assorted box of 12 macaroons. The flavors ranged from traditional to asian flair. Caramel Fleur De Sel, Chocolate, Cinnamon, Mint, Lemon, Pistachio, Strawberry, Tahitian Vanilla, Tea, Ume
My favorite was the Mint and I was a bit disappointed in the Tea and Ume since their flavors were not as distinct as I had hoped.
Jin Patisserie
Jin is a small cafe/bakery in Venice. They only have outdoor seating and indoors is only for their shop.
Next time I would like to check out their tea menu options but this time around we decided to keep the meal short and sweet.
We split their Lunch Set which includes a Sandwich, green salad, chips and cake of the day. We chose the duck proscuitto and brie sandwich. The salad was simple mixed greens and a light vinegarette. The cake of the day was a sponge cake with a strawberry mousse and strawberry gelee on top. This was a very nice light lunch.
In addition we tried
Spring Bouquet: fluffy meringue, light exotic cream, fresh mango & strawberries (served on weekends only)
Green Tea: green tea bavarois & red bean paste on green tea sponge
The Spring Bouquet was fantastic. The green tea was a bit overwelming with macha for my taste and not enough red bean for balance.
To go I ordered an assorted box of 12 macaroons. The flavors ranged from traditional to asian flair. Caramel Fleur De Sel, Chocolate, Cinnamon, Mint, Lemon, Pistachio, Strawberry, Tahitian Vanilla, Tea, Ume
My favorite was the Mint and I was a bit disappointed in the Tea and Ume since their flavors were not as distinct as I had hoped.
I have been hearing about LAMILL from my friends for months. Last Monday we finally had a chance to go up to Silverlake to have lunch.
LAMILL Website
Along with sampling their coffees (Stella Noche and another one that I cannot remember the name of) brewed using Siphon and Clover we had a fabulous meal.
The restaurant is small but had a fabulous aesthetic. I loved the chairs. Upholstered in designer hand bag materials and functional! I seriously considered trying to distract the host so I could slip one into the trunk of my car :D
Service was great.
Food was above and beyond.
I cannot wait to come back again.
If you get a chance, sneak over to their coffee shop. I guarantee you will never look at coffee machines the same way again.
I am sorry I could not include pictures but I seemed to misplace my camera last week. This is a great excuse for me to have to go back again.
Apps
Yuzu Kosho Caesar
King Salmon Tartare
House Cured Tasmanian Sea-Trout
Entrees
ABLT (Asian BLT)
Buffaletta Mozzarella
Butternut Squash Polenta
Desserts
Passion Fruit Gelee
"Coffee and a Donut"
LAMILL Website
Along with sampling their coffees (Stella Noche and another one that I cannot remember the name of) brewed using Siphon and Clover we had a fabulous meal.
The restaurant is small but had a fabulous aesthetic. I loved the chairs. Upholstered in designer hand bag materials and functional! I seriously considered trying to distract the host so I could slip one into the trunk of my car :D
Service was great.
Food was above and beyond.
I cannot wait to come back again.
If you get a chance, sneak over to their coffee shop. I guarantee you will never look at coffee machines the same way again.
I am sorry I could not include pictures but I seemed to misplace my camera last week. This is a great excuse for me to have to go back again.
Apps
Yuzu Kosho Caesar
King Salmon Tartare
House Cured Tasmanian Sea-Trout
Entrees
ABLT (Asian BLT)
Buffaletta Mozzarella
Butternut Squash Polenta
Desserts
Passion Fruit Gelee
"Coffee and a Donut"
