#137: Dine "Top Chef" Style

L.A. is home to a fair share of Top Chef contestants. Betty Fraser runs Grub in Hollywood (read my review on it here), Ilan Hall recently opened The Gorbals in Downtown, Stefan Richter is at L.A. Farm and Stefan's on Montana, and Fabio Viviani runs Firenze Osteria in Toluca Lake. Past winner Michael Voltaggio used to be head chef at The Dining Room in Pasadena, but left recently to pursue his own project.

One of the most memorable Top Chef contestants is Marcel Vigneron. I affectionately refer to him as "Wolverine" due to his awesomely sculpted hair. Known for his creative molecular gastronomy inspired cuisine, he worked at The Bazaar in Beverly Hills before leaving to do his own projects. He occasionally pops up here and there, and when I saw that he was doing a three day stint at Test Kitchen in West L.A., I immediately booked it.

Test Kitchen is a unique restaurant. Chefs take over the restaurant for two or three days and come up with a prix fixed menu that features innovative dishes that they might not normally be able to create in another restaurant. The cuisine is frequently bold and daring. Sometimes you will get a few duds, but it's all in the name of experimentation.

Here's what we were served by Marcel this past weekend... Six course menu, $55 per person.

Kombu Cured Hamachi: Crispy Rice, Pineapple, Avocado

The pineapple is the yellow rectangle underneath the hamachi. It is thinly sliced and topped with seaweed, toasted rice, jalapeno, avocado dollops and foam.

Scallobut: Flavors of puttanesca, artichoke

A scallop and a halibut cheek sit next to a deconstructed puttanesca with anchovy, olive powder, roasted cipollini onion, tomato and toast. Parsley and garlic dollops frame the composition.

Wagyu Beef Tongue & Fried Egg: radish, beet, arugala, beans

Break open the fried egg and you'll find a perfectly runny yolk dripping out. Three types of beets, arugula, radish and beans adorn the Wagyu tongue.

Vadouvan Lamb Chop: Cauliflower, Amaranth, Mint

In the background is a cauliflower puree that is just saturated with butter. The lamb sits on top of an almond, pomegranate, feta and mint blend. It is topped with more foam.

Ricotta Fritter: Baby peach panna cotta, agave

The green thing on top of the panna cotta is a Japanese baby peach. It was just about the most delicious thing I have ever eaten. The panna cotta was brilliant.

Macadamia "Sponge Cake": textures of strawberry

The sponge cake was made all in the microwave, our waitress bragged. What a strange thing to be proud of, I thought. This was such an interesting dish. The cloud of strawberry foam was topped with this carbonated filled strawberry jelly. It popped in my mouth just like the "olives" at the Bazaar. The whole thing was lightly sprinkled with pepper and topped with celery leaves. It all worked, strangely enough!

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#136: Abbot Kinney Festival

Photo from yovenice

I tend to shy away from festivals since parking is always a pain and long lines + crowds make me frustrated. Therefore with Glow in Santa Monica and the Abbot Kinney Festival in Venice this past weekend, a part of me wanted to run Eastward toward Pasadena and not look back.

Glow is an annual art walk festival on Santa Monica beach. It was held this past Saturday and ran late into the night. It has 1 1/2 stars on Yelp. That's pretty pathetic. Common complaints on Yelp involved parking, traffic and lack of organization. (I'm glad I didn't go.)

The Abbot Kinney Festival was held in Venice the next day. I tried attending this festival last year and have the all too frustrating memory of circling Venice for 30 minutes trying to find parking. This year, we circled for 20 minutes and finally found a spot after stalking a family for two blocks.

The festival highlights:

-There was a great band playing in a narrow crowded alley by a house-turned-art-shop. Didn't get their name, sadly.

-Tons of food trucks (most notably, Ludo Bites, Border Grill, Nom Nom and Grilled Cheese Truck)

-Refreshing young coconuts for sale for $5

-Free pop chips, coconut water, nut bars, frappuccino and more in the Whole Foods section of the festival!

The festival lows:

-Ahn Joo Truck (my worst food truck experience!)

-loooong lines for the food trucks

You are either a festival person or you aren't. If you don't mind crowds, being in the sun for a long time and walking a lot, then you're probably the former. Do beer gardens make you happy? Then Abbot Kinney's festival is definitely for you. They had two of them, and it looked like MTV's Spring Break in there. Do you like tribal/new-age jewelry? I must have seen 30 tents selling the stuff.

If this is your scene, then definitely check this festival out next year!

Abbot Kinney Festival

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#135: Govinda's Natural Foods

Photo from examiner

I get obsessed with things and "over-do it", as Brad would say. For example, my current obsession is watermelon. I've been eating what amounts to probably half a medium sized watermelon a day. When our "supply" runs low, I get antsy. Brad would inevitably bring home another giant melon, and I would look as elated as if he brought me a dozen roses.

Past obsessions: spaghetti squash, Japanese home cooking, Chinese medicine, and about a million Trader Joes snacks.

Sometimes I push my obsessions too far and Brad gets really tired of them.

I discovered Govinda's on Yelp some time at the beginning of this year (It is actually one of the "Hot Restaurants on Yelp" right now). I went once a week... Then twice a week... Pretty soon, Brad didn't even need to ask me where I wanted to go to eat.

Now Brad made a rule that we can only go there together once a month. That doesn't stop me from going more often though. :)

Govinda's is run by the Hare Krishna temple attached to it. It is buffet style featuring all vegetarian/vegan cuisine. The food is simple but delicious. There are always salad items, a soup, dahl, halavah, a main course, and white/brown rice. The price is perfect--$8 (It used to be $7, but they recently had to raise their prices). The thing I love the most about their food is how "clean" it tastes. I don't know how else to describe it, but it has a very pure taste and you can tell that they put a lot of care into the preparation. It is also not overburdened with butter, oils or salt.

After you've had your fill of healthy vegetarian food, go upstairs to their gift shop. They have so many gorgeous clothes, accessories, and great books up there.

Govinda's is one healthy obsession that I don't think I'll ever tire of!

Monday-Saturday 11-3pm and 5-8:30pm.

Govinda's

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#134: Mar Vista Farmers' Market

Photo from http://www-scf.usc.edu/~nthakore/story1/

A couple of our friends always go to the Mar Vista Farmers' Market on Sundays and for the longest time I had been wanting to check it out. One visit, and I'm hooked. This has become my favorite west-side farmers' market for the following reasons:

• It's not nearly as crowded as Santa Monica's two farmers' markets
• Lots of hot food vendors (empanadas, ribs, quesadillas, omelettes, crepes)
• Lots of cheese/dip/hummus vendors
• All vendors practically forcing samples on you. You could seriously get full on just the samples!
• A few all-organic stalls (not as much as Santa Monica, but still enough for what I need)
• Live jazz band
• Picnic tables and chairs

Brad got an apple sausage quesadilla and I got a raw Oaxacan zucchini lasagna. Then we got a bunch of produce including a giant watermelon that was perhaps the juiciest I have ever tasted. We had no idea how to choose a watermelon (I know it's supposed to sound "hollow", but what does that really sound like?), so a kind woman shopping near us gave us a three minute lesson on choosing watermelons. Now I can tell the difference between a dead thud mimicking as "hollow", and a truly resonant hollow sound. (Brad, on the other hand, still insists that they all sound hollow :P)

The farmers market is pretty close to Mitsuwa, so we just parked in front of Mitsuwa and then walked across the street. Definitely check this place out if you're tired of fighting for parking or space on the lawn at the S.M. market!

Sundays 9 am-2 pm

Mar Vista Farmers' Market

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#133: Abalone Cove

Make a day out of Palos Verdes; stop by Wayfarer's Chapel, then head across the street to Abalone Cove Shoreline Park.

Dirt path to the shore

Abalone Cove is known for their tide pools. I wouldn't say the tide pools were teeming with sea life, but we did spot a few sea anemones, star fish, small crabs, limpets, mussels and a rock louse (gross!).

Head in this direction to the tidepools

Parking is $5. In the parking lot, there's a vending machine where you can get water and soda for $1. Follow the map the parking attendant gives you, and head toward the Abalone Cove sign. Walk along a dirt path to the shore. Once you get to the water, it takes about a ten minute walk to get to the tide pools. For most of the way, you will be walking on rocks, so it might be a good idea to wear shoes.

Rock path to the tide pools

We saw some people picnicking, but it didn't seem like the best place for that... There was lots of decomposting kelp washed up on shore, and thus flies all over the place. It was also pretty windy.

On our way back to the car

Once you reach the bluff, you can cross a channel to see more tide pools. It seemed a bit dangerous, though, so most people didn't risk it.

Have fun and be safe!

Abalone Cove Shoreline Park

#132: Wayfarer's Chapel

Thank you "Hybrid" for commenting on my Escondido Falls post and suggesting Wayfarer's Chapel as a place to visit!

There's a little waterfall inside the chapel!

Built by Lloyd Wright, Frank Lloyd Wright's son, the Wayfarer's Chapel in Palos Verdes is a place where people can meditate, reflect and enjoy the beauty of nature. The church's walls and ceiling are made out of glass, so everywhere you look, you get a beautiful view of the trees. The property overlooks Abalone Cove with a gorgeous view of the ocean. Around the church are small gardens, benches and a tiny visitor's center.

Couples who got married at the church

The church is busy with weddings on the weekends, and the only time it is guaranteed to be open to the public is on the odd hour for half an hour. We barely got there in time (I think we arrived at 1:20), but that was enough time to enjoy the interior. At 1:30, they roped off the area and no one except wedding guests were allowed past the ropes.

Parking and admission are free.

After you've seen the chapel, go across the street to check out the Abalone Cove tidepools!

Wayfarer's Chapel

The ceiling

Tree that split, then grew back together!

Outside the chapel

View of Abalone Cove from the chapel

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#131: L.A.'s Best Desserts

I'm gonna need your help with this one. I don't have a huge sweet tooth, so I don't try a ton of desserts in L.A.. Here are some of my top picks, but this list is by no means a comprehensive one.

What are your favorite desserts in L.A.? Leave me a comment below!

Popcakes: I went to a dessert tasting event a couple of weeks ago put on by Savor Los Angeles. Most of the offerings were "meh", but Popcakes really stood out from the rest. It's just what it sounds like--cake in the form of a lollipop. I tried the chocolate (the blue one shown above) and the red velvet (the red one). The cake was so moist, and the flavors and textures were outstanding. They don't have a store front, but they do take orders online. The pops also come in star shapes. I think this would be a perfect party favor!

Maple Bacon Donut at Nickel Diner: This is a favorite of Brad's. I don't think any guy can resist bacon. The only problem is that Nickel Diner is in downtown, and the area can be kind of sketchy late at night. There's limited street parking as well.

Bacon Chocolate Crunch Bar at Animal: Another one of Brad's favorites. You see a theme emerging? The bacon chocolate crunch bar marries dark chocolate, peanuts and bacon... A perfect threesome! See #70: "Oh No You Didn't!" Desserts

Bulgarini Gelato, Pazzo's, Scoops: These are the three best gelato shops I've tried in and around L.A.. If you're feeling adventurous and in need of a sugar rush, hit them all up in the same day (#6: Do a Triple Gelato Run)!

M Cafe's macrobiotic desserts: For being relatively "good for you", these desserts taste so decadent. My favorites are their chocolate tart (I don't know the exact name, but it's a dark chocolate tart with gold leaf on it) and their carrot cake.

Bhan Kanom's coconut sticky rice and banana wrapped in banana leaf. Located in Thai town. I love this whole shop, but this dessert in particular calls out to me every time.

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#130: Grand Performances

Photo from fineartsla

Friday night we caught an awesome show downtown at California Plaza put on by Grand Performances. Grand Performances hosts free shows throughout the summer at the plaza, and I've always been meaning to go. Brad got out of work early, so it was the perfect day to beat the traffic and head to downtown.

Friday's show featured Bassekou Kouyate and Ngoni Ba, an electrifying group from Mali. Dengue Fever, a surf/psychedelic rock band that is fronted by a Cambodian pop singer, also performed. Both groups were amazing.

The shows are always free, and parking is $7.50 under the Plaza. There is a Famima, Panda Express, an Italian restaurant and Starry Kitchen if you get hungry. We had some steamed pork filled buns from Famima (meh) and a bulgogi "burger" from Starry Kitchen (yummy!). You can get the food to-go, and eat it while watching or waiting for the show.

Before the show

We got there at 6:30 for the 8:00 show, and there were already people sitting down and reserving seats, so the first rows were all taken. By 7:00, the seats were about 1/3 filled, and by 7:30, the place was about 2/3 filled. Even if you come at 8 or later though, you can still find a place to stand and watch the show. If you like to dance, there's a little area by the bleachers where people were standing and dancing. I would not recommend sitting on the lower level of the bleachers for this reason--your view would be blocked!

the bleacher area on the right

The plaza is pretty big, and they set up lots of chairs all over the place. They allow alcohol, but not dogs. It got pretty cold the night we went, and there were people with blankets and even a woman with gloves.

Here are some excerpts from the Grand Performances website about the two groups last night:

Mali’s Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba have deep roots in the griot tradition. The ngoni – considered to be the banjo’s ancestor – is at the center of the band’s energetic live performances. When paired with the bass ngoni, callebasse, percussion and vocalist Amy Sacko’s transcendent voice, the group’s pulsing, hypnotic sound compels audiences to dance.

60’s-era Cambodian pop meets psychedelic rock when Dengue Fever takes the stage. Sung in English and Cambodian, the band’s music has found homes in film and television shows such as Must Love Dogs and Weeds.

Coming up later this month: Korean B-Boy champs Last For One, a puppet show by Paul Zaloom, and Turtle Island Quartet's homage to Jimi Hendrix. Click here to see August's calendar.

Grand Performances

Dengue Fever's Seeing Hands

Dengue Fever's One Thousand Tears of a Tarantula

Bassekou Kouyote

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#129: X-Games

Cam Sinclair's double back flip. This trick put him in a coma a year ago.

This year was the seventh consecutive year L.A. hosted the summer X-games. Brad got VIP passes through his work, so he took Friday off and we headed downtown.

When he told me we were going, I was actually just as excited about the free food as the actual competition. The VIP area of the Staples Center had a whole buffet spread with bacon wrapped hot dogs, sliders, chinese food, dessert and tons of other stuff. We watched the motocross "Step Up" and "Best Whip" competitions there. We also caught the women's Vert skateboard finals and the men's BMX Vert finals at the Nokia theater. During the men's bmx vert, one guy popped out his shoulder twice! I didn't realize there would be so many injuries and people falling down... It made for an intense day!

If you don't have a VIP pass, you can just buy tickets either online or at the door. I think tickets for each event might have been around $15-20, and parking was $20 right across the street.

X-Games

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#128: Be a Rock Star at the Hollywood Academy of Music

Rock Band 101

I've been playing the drums for about three years. When I first started, there was no way I could imagine playing in public. My experience on drums just consisted of messing around on my electric kit to the songs on my ipod. I had zero confidence, and I really just needed to get out of my apartment and play on an acoustic kit with other musicians.

Enter the Hollywood Academy of Music! On a whim, I enrolled in their School Of Rock Band 101 adult class, which met once per week in the evening at their location on Melrose. I think that the lessons were $40 per lesson, or $160 per month.

This was the perfect no-pressure environment for me, and I felt very comfortable with our group. The term "adult class" was misleading.. Our group actually consisted of two young kids (on guitar and keys), an older gentleman (guitar), our teacher (bass), a guy around my age (singer), and myself. We looked like an odd bunch, I'm sure, but it was so much fun.

After eight sessions, we performed on stage with a bunch of other groups enrolled in the program. It was my first show, and I was pretty nervous. My friend and Brad came along for support.

I stopped after those eight sessions, mainly for financial reasons. A short time later, I joined a band I found on craigslist, and then in three months we recorded an album. Right after that I played my first real gig. I don't think I could have done any of that without the Academy of Music--it really boosted my confidence.

So if you've always wanted to play an instrument or be in a rock band, you can do it! Try an adult class either at Hollywood Academy of Music or at the other School of Rock in Santa Monica (see #35 School Of Rock). Pretty soon, you'll be up on stage rocking out :)

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