Ritz Bites

More this n' that from the JBFAs

I've already summarized the Angeleno presence on Monday at the James Beard Awards. Here are some other miscellaneous observations and dish.

I know from seeing plenty of celebs that they're always smaller or bigger than you expect. Martha was, like, a giant. I recognize those gottahavethem Manolo d'orsay pumps; looks like she's a size 40 to me, and has a very high tolerance for stiletto pain. Martha and Lorraine Bracco had a lot to talk about as Ms. Steward balanced herself on the couch arm next to me in the press room before the show started. I don't want to dwell on other starstruck moments, but Grant Achatz up close...Foxy!

After all the orange ribbon medals were handed out and the near-Oscars-length ceremony ended, it was time to eat at the Women in Food themed gala. Yay, finally. I've been to some disorganized, patience-testing tasting events. This was definitely NOT one of those. The food and drink were plentiful and efficiently churned out for a big crowd. That's the way to do it y'all, and thankfully all the pros are there to impress with their A game. 

The small bites ranged from the familiar to the uncharted. To wit: Fiore di Nonno burrata on bulgur crackers with artichoke and green olive (Jody Adams of Rialto) vs. Bolinas goat tongue on a thick crisp crouton with Meyer lemon, fenugreek, mint and tomato chutney (Loretta Keller of Coco500) .

Jennifer Petrusky of Charlie Trotter's super seasonal fava bean and onion surprise did leave us wondering what the that mysterious element was. The morels were obvious, but the terrine seemed to have something else to make it dense. Turns out it was all morels in there, topped with the pickled onions, more morels, and duck gizzards. Surprise!

A few desserts required a second round. Green apple sorbet topped with Alaskan king crab and crab butter powder served in little bamboo bowls by Holly Smith of Cafe Juanita

showcased intriguing texture, flavor, and temperature contrasts, even if the sorbet was a little overly sweet.

Danica Pollard's beautiful toasted almost and rose bonet (similar to flan) with rhubarb and candied rose petals and Kate Zuckerman of Chanterelle's warm coconut-cardamom rice pudding with rhubarb and kumquats were both gorgeous to look at and taste.

Green apples in the pink rose and verbena flower arrangement at Pollard's Lidia's Kansas City station is something I'll have to copy in future flower arranging  endeavors. Asparagus with white tulips at award-winner Maria Hines of Tilth's table, where the Best Chef Northwest winner set out beef carpaccio with asparagus, horseradish creme fraiche and sorrel, wasn't quite as pretty, but I love these efforts to incorporate food with flowers. 

One last little thought. Given the overflowing trash cans full of plastic plates and utensils, I recommend there be a Green Food /Good Habits attempt in future years.

Now we pause for a moment of self-promotion

I wrote three non-food-related articles in the brand new LA Weekly's Best of LA: City Classics 2008 issue. Read more about Travel Town Museum, Judson Studios, and the Exposition Rose Garden, or pick up the super fat paper issue to peruse the many recs contained within.

On a related note, I've also recently started writing the dining and food news portions of the Weekly's "Gold Standard" e-newsletter. To get the newsletter emailed to you every week, go to the Weekly's site and sign up for the "LA Weekly Insiders" mailings. You have to register but they don't ask for inappropriate information. But be sure to ONLY check the "Gold Standard" (as in Jonathan) box, unless you want lots of other emails about news and clubs and live music and whatnot. Which maybe you do. If so, go buck wild with the newsletters, friends.

Happy reading and eating...

Pitfalls of Dining Out

Butter-laden dishes at AOC last week reminded me of a big upside of in-home eating: fewer calories. Though I'm definitely not a low-calorie or low-fat cook -- nor do I exercise regularly like I should -- I love my veggies, I take pleasant strolls, and chase my active toddler around. I also don't obsess about food intake like I used to through my twenties, which is good for the soul.

So combined with fewer restaurant meals, most of my clothes look better on me than they used to, and I can wear slimmer pants, making jeans shopping a dangerously tempting proposition. Part of it must be in the genes; my sister also experienced this sort of bizarre postpartum weight loss fluke. (I'm also still relatively young. Right? Right?!)

Today the Times points to some dangers of chronicling food and all things gustatory that's a good reality check. After all, my cholesterol levels still give me cause for concern.

My Grandma Pearl, a very wise woman who loved food, used to say "always leave the table half full." More often easier said than done. Now it's time for a couple small bites of the bread pudding H brought me from Angeli.

Yes, I'm Still Here.

But while I've been dropping the blogging ball big time, Cicely has finally gotten hers rolling. Check it out.

Sniff sniff: quick Top Chef comment

OK, so despite being a big fan since coming late to the party during Season 2, I NEVER blog about Top Chef. Nor do I feel compelled to participate in any online chatter about the show.

Until now. I gotta speak out: Tre wuz robbed!!  I totally agree with Bourdain's as-always observant, hilarious and accurate take on what went down, yet am still SO bummed that the only chef to whom I'd feel confident handing over 100 grand in start-up money was sent back to Texas. That sucks.

Rest assured when I go to Dallas soon, the first meal plan I'll be making is a reservation at Abacus.  (It was also owned by a family friend who recently passed away, and my aunt is a big fan of the restaurant.) 

So, Tre, looking forward to seeing you in Big D instead of on the little screen.

I'm no Harry & Sally fan...

But this lady is right on when it comes to restaurant issues.

More importantly, forcing my small spoon fetish on others is vindicated in our nation's newspaper of record!  Ephron writes:

 

One of the greatest things about this land of ours, as far as I'm concerned, is that we never fell into the dessert-spoon trap. If you needed a spoon for dessert, you were given a teaspoon. But those days are over, and it's a shame.

As my friends and family can attest, even a teaspoon is too big for me.  Look through my purse and you'll find tiny gelato spades stashed away (and in need of washing).  I blame B-R taster spoons for the early development of this preference.  So come dessert time, there's really no reason to feel bad about asking for the smallest spoon possible.  Are there any good explanations of why bigger spoons are better?