June 19, 2008
By Richard Foss
Up on Copper Creek ... Copper River salmon are available at a few restaurants at the moment, and if it is offered, take it! This is the richest, tastiest salmon out there, with a slightly nutty flavor, and it is available for a month each year at the most. It’s a sustainable fishery, too, so no eco-guilt need occur … .
Eat Your Television! ... I don’t watch TV, so have never seen actually seen Antonia Lofaso in action on Top Chef. Most people who are given a raft of free publicity would take advantage of it and hike prices at their restaurant, but Foxtail in West Hollywood, where she holds court when not doing the star thing, has done the reverse – they’ve introduced a happy hour menu and Tuesday prix fixe. I like the sound of the lobster with curry, lemongrass, cilantro, and wild asparagus salad from the summer menu, and the four-course dinner for $55 sounds downright generous. Will Antonia be happy with staying at Foxtail’s scene, or will she do as so many others and move on while the spotlight is on her? Tune in for the next exciting adventure … .
Falcon Crests … Speaking of moving chefs, Mario Manabe has taken the helm at Falcon, the third exec in less than two years. Manabe has a résumé that includes restaurants in Washington, D.C., and Hawaii, and plans a market-driven and (per their press release) “classed up” menu. They also promise that “fashion and celebrity will be placed on hold,” upstaged by his brilliant cooking. Claiming that fashion and celebrity can be upstaged in West Hollywood is a stiff challenge that may call for a stiff drink … .
In Praise of the Aussie Meat Pie … Travel time to Two Rodeo Drive is much less than the 15 hours it takes to fly to Sydney, as Learn About Wine hosts an Australian wine tasting featuring 11 top wineries on June 28, with food provided by chef Jake Rojas of the Sunset Restaurant in Malibu. Knowing Rojas’s reputation, I’m sure he can even make Aussie meat pies edible; trusting to his common sense, I’m sure he will serve something else instead, like the French/Cal/Asian fare that keeps them coming in up the coast. Info at learnaboutwine.com – click “events” … .
Soft Opening … After months of painfully slow remodeling and weeks of serving first breakfast only, then adding lunch, Anisette in Santa Monica has just opened for dinner. It’s the reverse of the usual strategy, as most eateries begin with the more lucrative evening service, but by all accounts the food has been splendid and the service assured. Since the restaurant was originally scheduled to be open in February, it has been an agonizing wait for those who wanted to enjoy Alain Giraud’s transcendent cooking. The chef who founded Bastide is back to cooking in L.A., and Santa Monica has a new star spot.
We accept tips: richardfoss@earthlink.net.
Published: 06/18/2008
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