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Hey all you Top Chef fans! A few weeks ago I attended the Share Our Strength Top Chef Pig Roast at Wilshire Restaurant in Santa Monica. This particular food and wine event had a good handful of former Top Chef contestants who live and cook in the Los Angeles area. It turned out to be a wonderful event with a tropical theme. The main event was the whole roasted pig from Chef Nyesha Arrington. While it was fun to pig out like crazy on pork, it was humbling to know that the money raised from ticket sales and donations were given to the organization, Share Our Strength, to feed hungry children.
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Frog Frozen Yogurt Bar is right smack in the heart of Hollywood. Beside being open late, this little yogurt place serves a delectable Salted Caramel frozen yogurtthat satisfied my late night sweet tooth.
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OYE…There’s Canadian food in Hollywood at Littlefork
After a long day at the Paris Photo event in the Paramount Studios, my friends and I went met at Littlefork for an early dinner. Littlefork is a fairly new restaurant in the Hollywood. It’s also one of a few restaurants in the Los Angeles area that dishes out some serious Canadian food. From what I know, the Chef/Owner of this joint is Jason Travi. He started his career cooking Italian dishes at the defunct Fraiche restaurant (RIP). In this new venture, he goes all out Canadian on us with Littlefork, because his parents are Canadian.
Like any group of BFFs, my friends and I spent most of our time chit chatting away the second that we were seated. The service was quick and friendly.
The Littlefork space is quite appealing in an almost Ikea like ambiance. The decor is simple with strange taxidermy creatures aka dead stuffed animals like deer, birds, and beavers mounted on the walls. Those animals are real (not fake) and quite amusing to look at when you can see them, because there isn’t much lighting throughout the restaurant after sunset so it’s almost like your dining in the dark.
The food and drink menu at Littlefork is just as simple as its decor. The selection for beers and ales are plentiful since we all know that Canadians love beer. The artisnal cocktails were fantastic and freshing, but the wine selections were just meh. I suggest that you stick to the beer and the cocktails.
Our meal started out with a complimentary mason jar of pickled carrots. It was a great introduction at the start of meal and a decent palate cleanser. The carrots were nicely sour and crunchy.
There’s a good handful of reasonably priced Canadian bar food items ($4-9). My absolute favorite bar food was the Smoked Meats Poutine. You just can’t pass up the most Canadian dish of all called Poutine so make sure that you get this one. It’s dish with french fries, brown gravy, and cheese curds. Then Littlefork adds their infamous Applewood smoked brisket and pork belly, which makes this Poutine oh so freakin’ delicious! Anything smoked with applewood add a nice subtle refined flavor to meats unlike hickory or maple smoked flavors that usually strong and bold. My friends and I devoured the Smoked Meats Poutine and literally licked the bowl clean.
The next dish came just as we started talking about planning more road trips. It was a hearty bowl of Portuguese Mussels. This is a must-try dish, because Canadian Mussel are mighty tasty morsels. Littlefork accompanies this bowl of mussels with a slightly spicy Portuguese sausage and it’s the wonderful sauce at the very bottom of the bowl that is full of delicious goodness. Don’t bother asking for bread to sop up the juices like we did. As suggested by our Server, get an extra order of fries or ask for extra spoons to taste the sauce.
Along the Northwest Canada, you’ll find plenty of Monkfish. It’s an ugly looking fish, but it tastes so good. Chef Travi concocted a rather wonderful Monkfish Francaise with a potato puree and spinach. I can see why this dish is among the most popular dishes at the restaurant. What makes this particular fish filet so flavorful is the coating of egg before it is pan fried. This dish will not disappoint your expectations.
Of all the dishes, the Steak Frites disappointed me. Don’t get me wrong, I mean, the steak was cooked to a perfect medium, but there is nothing special to this cut of meat other than it was imported from Canada. Also, the Maple Onion Rings were not exactly maplely. There is a slight hint of maple flavor, but the overall taste is nothing to write home about.
My overall dining experience with my friends at Littlefork turned out to be a northeast dining adventure through Canada. I think Chef Travi presented a charming, fresh array of Canadian food which fits in to the uniquely Los Angeles food scene. I think my return visit Littlefork would be to try those Maple Eggs just to taste what it’s all about.
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STORYBOARD: The Fine Art ofCoffee Portraiture
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You gotta hand it to Eric Ripert for being an excellent Chef, a good host, and a very good interviewer. His YouTube cooking show, On the Table, is a tasteful blend of cooking with celebrities. I enjoy watching this particular episode with Drew Barrymore, because he taught her and the audience how a glass and even a stytofoam cup can change the nuances and tastes of a wine. Being the avid wine drinker, I would have thought that Drew Barrymore knew this tad bit of info already. On second thought, perhaps she hasn’t got to the strange home wine parties that I’ve gone to. Yeah, I think that’s it.
Eric Ripert’s On The Table Show
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yU_kdDHxwo&feature=share&list=SP202BA616C5A2507A
