Fabulous in South Pas

A date to go walking with a good friend turned into a fabulous outing filled with delicious food, great shopping and inspirational art ideas….all in three small city blocks.  My friend Sheila was not happy when I showed up at her house to go walking in my new Michael Kors boots and black BCBG skirt. Looking back I can see that her exasperation was justified, but I really could walk all day in those fantastic boots. Since her plans for a real workout was foiled, we decided to walk around her house in South Pasadena. She lives a few blocks from the library and Mission Street where all the sweetest boutiques in town co-exist with delicious restaurants and gourmet food stores. I found a perfect shrug to wear to a Mad Men party at Jane & Joe. Jasleen's down the street netted a Trinity sweater at half the price of Anthropologie. Things only got even better at Zinnia, an inspiring artist’s store filled with wonderful and unique crafting supplies. It’s as if Frida Kahlo, Pablo Picasso and Martha Stewart collaborated on an art co-operative. They also offer classes on an array of projects from tin can houses to three dimensional arts from found objects. I loved their rag tied chandelier and Christmas tree displays.

After such a rigorous workout we needed something to fill up our belly. Nothing fits the bill better than Nicole’s Gourmet Foods. Delicious French food and pastries in an informal café and store front with a cozy sidewalk patio. I ate what I always eat at Nicole’s, a pate mousse sandwich with split pea soup and a slice of almond butter cream torte. Everything was delicious and fabulous, just like South Pasadena.

 Zinnia and Nicole's Gourmet Foods

Market Inspirations

Autumn is finally here! It was a beautiful weekend with the temperature hovering in the low seventies and leaves turning brilliant shades of yellows and reds. The air is crisp and I am pulling out sweaters and scarves to keep me warm on these chilly nights. It’s time for slowl braised foods and hot nurturing soups to warm our bellies. I was inspired to visit the farmer’s market again after months of absence.

We were in La Canada Flintridge to see a friend's son play soccer. The park was only a few blocks from the Saturday Farmer's Market. The farmer’s market is a treat for the senses. In the midst of November, we still have peaches and plums from Yucaipa farmers and honey crisp and crab apples offering up their splendor at the stalls. The strawberries are still out and citrus are reaching their peak now. I came across a stall filled with fuyu persimmons and pomegranates, a still life of brilliant orange and crimson fruits. There was a beautiful cluster of persimmons still on the branch that I had to buy. What am I going to do with all these persimmons? The salade du marche from Church & State was still fresh in my mind so I decided to replicate the recipe. It really is a fitting name because the ingredients are all in season at the farmer’s market now. Tracking down fresh frisee, wild arugula and mushrooms was easy. There were several farmers selling beautiful fresh picked lettuce of every hue and variety. I am inspired and excited and can’t wait to make delicious food for my family.

Tonight we had braised lamb shanks with roasted chestnuts and preserved lemon couscous with the salade du marche. The girls devoured their salads and asked for seconds of the persimmons and pomegranates. It was a wonderful meal to welcome back autumn’s bounty.

Here's my recipe for the salad. It’s a colorful salad full of sweet, nutty, salty and tartness fit for the Thanksgiving table. You can make this a vegan salad by using olive oil instead of butter. Enjoy!

Salade Du Marche

Salad:
2 cup loosely packed frisee
4 cups loosely packed wild arugula
2 medium fuyu persimmons ( the crunchy variety, not the soft ones) peeled and cut into small wedges
2/3 cup pomegranate seeds
½ cup slivered almonds
¼ lbs of oyster mushrooms
2 tablespoons of butter
1 tablespoon of sherry or cognac (optional)

Dressing:
1 cup of extra virgin olive oil or walnut oil
2/3 cup of white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
A grating of fresh lemon peel
Salt & pepper to taste

In a hot frying pan on medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter and cook slivered almonds until golden brown, add in  a pinch of salt. Set aside in a bowl to cool. In the same frying pan, turn up the heat to high and melt the other tablespoon of butter until light brown, add in the oyster mushrooms and stir until the butter coats most of the mushrooms, let the mushrooms brown for a minute and stir again, sprinkle a teaspoon of salt on the mushrooms. When the mushrooms are brown, stir in the optional tablespoon of sherry and sauté for another 30 seconds. Take off heat and set aside.

Make the dressing by combining all the ingredients together and whisk vigorously.  Use a small amount of dressing to dress the lettuce, only enough to lightly coat the leaves.  Coat the persimmon wedges lightly with dressing and mix with lettuce.  Plate the lettuce and scatter the pommegranate seeds, almonds, and mushrooms around the plate. Serves 4.

Dream Job

I knew that going back to a corporate job after having my baby was the equivalent of a call girl going back to work after meeting Mr. Right. Which explains how I felt about my job when I quit in the first place. The perks were amazing and my expense account was more than most people’s salary, but I was bored and uninspired most of the time. I didn’t have much time to contemplate my next career move when friends came up with ideas of their own. Three months after giving birth to my first baby, a friend hired me to do flowers for her brother’s wedding. While I was installing the flowers at the wedding venue, someone came by and hired me for another event. I have been pretty fortunate, jobs have come steadily my way because of friends and referrals.

Three years ago I received a call from Joe Pytka Productions requesting a resume and portfolio for flowers. A friend had recommended me as a floral designer for Bastide Restaurant which Joe Pytka owns. At the time Bastide was ranked one of the most expensive and famous restaurants in the US. I think the acclaim stems from Joe Pytka’s famously mercurial temper as much as his chefs’ talents. By some stroke of good luck, I was hired on the spot. Keep in mind that Pytka had fired an immensely talented chef, a few floral designers, not to mention countless assistants in the space of a year. I was told by the manager that Joe effing hates yellow callas, don't ever put effing yellow flowers in his restaurant or he'll fire you! I came to work with trepidations but genuine inspiration everyday. The restaurant was a beautiful space designed by the iconicAndree Putman . It was a dream job in every aspect. I got to wake up early and go to the Flower Mart and spend with abandon, choosing only the best and most beautiful flowers. Once the arrangements were done, I treated myself to freshly brewed Italian coffee in the courtyard patio and reflect on my great luck. Some days my cup would overflow with good fortune when the chef prepared staff lunches or new dishes and I got to sample the meals. It was bliss. .....And by the way, this is what the chef looks like! Food for all my senses.

Like all good things, my tenure at Bastide came to an end when Joe Pytka decided to close the restaurant to revamp his menu and decor. Bastide reopened after two years with a brand new staff and format. It was the best five months of my career!

Bastide- LA Times

Church & State

I remember a time when walking through downtown LA at night with your college boyfriend felt like a suicide pact. The only people who were insane enough to wander around downtown after sunset were overworked junior associates at mega law firms, thrill seeking college students or homeless vagrants. Now downtown is the destination spot for suburbanites seeking culinary excitement. The reigning establishment is Church & State, located in the Biscuit Lofts building on Industrial Street, surrounded by large warehouses and loading docks.


Paul and I have been looking forward to going to C& S for months after many feeble attempts to break away from our suburban routine. We were greeted by a large brick and glass fronted building teeming with diners when we pulled up to the restaurant. After finding street parking, we walked through the large double glass doors only to wait behind two well-dressed, middle-aged couples who obviously had reservations. We were told the previous night that they had no reservations available but we were welcomed to eat at the bar. I immediate scanned the bar and found two spots and the very end of the L shaped formation and hopped onto the stool, happy to park myself in a prime viewing spot. The clientele were a mix of business people and artsy, loft-dwelling types. We were handed three white legal size sheets of paper and proceeded to peruse their cocktail list, wine list, and menu respectively. The menu has conventional brasserie offerings like steak frites, charcuterie, and the classic salade aux lardons which is really bacon salad. The choices were overwhelming because we were so hungry but we narrowed it down to an item from each category. The selections were moules marinieres, pork & duck rillettes, a salade du marche, the duck confit and the special AOC French butter from Normandy. Paul ordered a glass of Bordeaux while I had a bottle of sparkling water, saving myself for the cocktails at The Varnish after dinner. We settled in to people watch and enjoy a sophisticated meal sans enfants.

The moules mariniere came first with toasted slabs of garlic bread and a bowlful of fries. The mussels were plump and sweet, swimming in a Pernod flavored broth and cubes of fennel. The fries were not the skinny shoe strings I love but regular cuts of potatoes. They were well seasoned and crispy, accompanied by a rather anemic aioli. We were barely finished with the mussels when the waiter brought out the AOC butter and crusty, chewy French baguettes to accompany it. One impression: yumm! It’s toe-curling, primal yumminess that sent us both into a swoon. For only three dollars we contemplated getting a tiny crock to bring home to our butter loving girls. After recovering our senses, we were greeted with a petite mason jar of Berkshire pork & duck rillettes topped with a prune confiture. The rilletes’ unctuous richness complimented the spiced, sweet plum confiture. We slathered the rilletes on toasted crouton bread that were little too hard for my taste. After three artery clogging courses, our coronary system rejoiced at the sight of the salade du marche. A pretty still life of baby arugula, frisee, fuyu persimmons, pomegranates, almonds and warm sautéed chanterelles. Delicious simplicity, something I can make at home. Our last course was the duck confit with tiny potatoes and sweet cherries. Delicious, the skin was crisp and the meat perfectly seasoned and very tender. We couldn't even consider dessert but the chocolate pot de crème seemed to make the couple in front of us rhapsodic with joy. The tab came in at an amazing seventy seven dollars. Wow! At this price we can eat here every weekend.

Paul and I wandered out into the cold evening and walked to our car, craning our necks to peek into the beautiful lofts above us. This part of town reminded us of walks through European back streets in search of authentic meals. As we approached our car, a chic woman in skinny jeans and heels was out walking her large black poodle. It was a perfect Parisian street scene. Thank you Church & State for bringing a little bit of Paris to LA.

http://www.churchandstatebistro.com/#