Ritz Bites

Recipe for a great anniversary weekend

A little bit of crazy:

The Standard Hotel Downtown undoubtedly retains its mojo as party central.  I love the design, rooms are cheap, the pool is delicious, and its success is good for Downtown.  Still, it's sort of an odd place for us to spend part of our first anniversary weekend, since we wound up practically hiding in our room to avoid the crowds of good-time seekers. 

Yet if you want to celebrate a milestone event with memorable food, I can't recommend the Standard's room service.  Even if it's well priced compared to other room service charges at other hotels, breakfast arrives cold and they mess up a couple of items.  Oh well.  No biggie.  We enjoy our mini-local vacation Downtown anyway.  Despite these glitches the Standard has a decent if not innovative wine list, including Sea Smoke Ten for $115; not bad for a wine that retails for $70-80.  Those fools might not know what they've got.

A lot of sentimentality:

Most of our many out-of-town guests stayed at the Standard for our wedding and it's close to Traxx, where we had dinner on Saturday night (technically the night before our anniversary).  How strange to think back on our big noisy festive celebration and see Union Station so quiet and nearly deserted this past weekend.  Hello, memory dissonance.

A little bit of bargain hunting:

A trip to Compton to get a scratch and dent model Vinotemp wine fridge is recommended anytime.  If not the most romantic of activities, many good deals are to be found there.

A little bit more trendy with a dash of classy:

The glorious freedom that we currently enjoy to go out as a couple without babysitters and lots of fuss is soon coming to an end � all the more reason to have two nice dinners.  We spent a couple nights at the hotel during our nuptials, thus we're sticking to the theme by having a big Sunday night meal at Whist at the Viceroy.  When we came here last year with a big group I was still reeling from all the goings-on, so uncharacteristically I forgot what I ate. 

This year I'm more clear headed.  And many hours later the side of sauted wild mushrooms and the main course of sea scallops topped with caviar, separated by a procession of fresh potato chips standing at attention, and placed over potato puree and lobster butter is very much still with me.  For better or for worse, portions match the prices at Whist and if I didn't hate to waste food, I wouldn't finish my plate.  Heavy stuff.  With the exception of the under-cooked, completely bland braised leek and perhaps too much salt on everything else, the food at Whist is quite good and suave.  As is H's elk, and how often do you see that on a menu?  For those who wonder, it's textured sort of like a filet and not gamey.  Dinner turns out to exceed my modest expectations based on the tepid reviews I read. 

A lot of awesome cake:

Ah, the best coda to the weekend, and the one I most greatly anticipate.  I carefully unwrap the multiple sheets of silver foil, anxious to see how will the cake hold up a year later.  Well, it does, and beautifully!  Not as good as fresh; saying so would be an insult to Roxana's masterful work, right?  But the hazelnut flavors chime through as if it were recently baked.  Giandujia remains smooth as the butter with which the cake is loaded.  A perfect way to mark the occasion, maybe with some friends over later to help us finish it off and taste Sauternes. 

But not the Chteau d'Yquem.  That's for a later anniversary.

Thursday Tastes

I've read about Blossom, the Vietnamese restaurant in the Historic Core, but it's still a little shocking to find a place like this while walking from City Hall to 6th Street along Main on a weekday.  I love the barely-there celadon green colored walls and thick wood tables, and the menu appeals. 

Though tempted by the packed with goodies crepes, I try the bun with cia gio and steak ($5.75) since that's a good litmus test.  (Today is too hot for pho.)  The bun is OK, nothing to write home about.  The bowl contains firm noodles, freshly shredded lettuce, tender steak slices, and underwhelming cha gio and sauce on the side.  The skin of the egg rolls doesn't have the satisfying heft and crackling exterior I crave.  I know the sauce isn't supposed to have too strong of a flavor, but this seems quite weak and I need to add in a lot of the bright red hot sauce to compensate.  Of all things, the ginger lemonade packs a serious punch.  Yet I can't say I don't enjoy lunch.  All in all, I can read my magazine in well-lit, stylish peace in a location that would be considered highly unlikely just a few years ago.   

For more flava I stop at Pazzo Gelato on my way back to the office.  It's toasty outside, I'm six months pregnant, so what's wrong with a mid-week daytime ice cream break?  I easily thrill to the fact that the gelato cycle is finally coming back, unseen since the 80s quickly witnessed a similar trend (anyone remember Gelato per Tutti on Melrose?).  It makes such perfect sense; there's no reason we should go without quality freshly made ice creams, diet trends be damned.   

A couple weeks ago five adults and one baby occupied a table here for a couple hours while we took turns going back to the counter for more scoops.  So I'm obviously already a fan of this place.  Today the fig balsamic and pistachio I order make for an odd combo at first.  It's unclear where the balsamic comes into the fig gelato equation; the most discernable taste is that of the earthy, perfumed fruit.  With the other flavor, I first sense the typical sweetness of pistachio, and then the rich nuttiness kicks in.  These actually two wind up being very complimentary.  Other flavors I can endorse are strawberry/banana, espresso, chocolate malt, and Madagascar vanilla.  It's no San Crispino or Giolitti in Rome, but these gelati strike a balance between traditional and inventive, and are among the best we'll see in the area � until June starts serving their versions. 

Blossom Restaurant
426 South Main Street (at Winston)
Los Angeles 90013

Pazzo Gelato
3827 W. Sunset Blvd. (at Hyperion)
Los Angeles 90026