More than 3,000 people traipsed through Monterey Peninsula this weekend for the first annual Pebble Beach Food & Wine Festival. To those who could afford it---some tickets were almost $5,000 per person---to mingle with the country's best winemakers, talk shop with more than 75 sommeliers, and meet top toques, learn from them, eat their food, was totally worth it. Because someone had to let you know if it's really worth it, we jammed in as muchaspossible. We heard lots of goss, some news, tasted the best spatzel we ever had. Here, then, the final wrap-up.
On LA's Own: At the Sunday Lexus Grand Tasting, Josiah Citrin had the longest line at the Melisse table. We kept seeing chocolate cookies on a stick and found out where they came from: Sherry Yard, of course, handing them out in her in full-on pink chef regalia. The two each had a course at the grand finale dinner on Saturday. Way to represent.
On Tom Colicchio: In a cunning show of chef prowess, Colicchio butchered his own meat at his cooking demo. And cut his finger, but the crowd oohed and aahed anyway; they really didn't think he could cook anymore. Many asked if he'll open a restaurant in their hometown. Answer: No, but Foxwoods, CT (Craftsteak) and Atlanta (Craft, Craftbar) are next, and he'd definitely open something else in LA. One elder gent gave him an earful about not getting a reservation at Craft LA and having to deal with inept hostesses; Colicchio defended the restaurant and said he has a new GM. On why he finally decided to do Top Chef: "I got tired of coming to these things and sitting next to Mario Batali and Bobby Flay. They'd sign 200 cookbooks, and I'd sign 10. And not because they were necessarily better."
The best place to land at the Pebble Beach Food & Wine Fest was here: The wine room at the after party. Every night after after all the chefs demoed and cooked and plated and fed the masses, after every sommelier poured and tasted and swirled, bottles of wine miraculously ended up on this table in this one room. We'd find Ming Tsai, Todd English, Ted Allen, SF's Elizabeth Falkner, Walter and Margarita Manzke, Josiah Citrin and myriad sous and chef de cuisines in the other rooms where the cocktails were flowing and the music was pumping. Here, in this room, we handed Thomas Keller whatever red was closest (he passed on the Ravenswood zin for a Silver Oak cab) and asked how he makes that incredible potato mille-feuille (he completely obliged). This room was never empty, nor was the table. This room was also partially responsible for our lack of updates this weekend. We'll have a full report on Monday.
· Mega-Event Alert: Pebble Beach Food & Wine Fest [~ELA~]
· Pebble Beach Food & Wine Fest: Day One [~ELA~]
The Pebble Beach Food & Wine Fest is off to a roaring start. For something so new, it's been smooth sailing. Picking from the list of events was like picking a favorite child (Thomas Keller and various Michelin-starred French chefs or Thomas Keller and Charlie Trotter? Tom Colicchio or Todd English? Oregon Pinots or Plumpjack?) We'll have stories from the after parties after and more weekend goss, but here's a quick taste: cooking demos, lunches, lots of wine and celebrity chef sightings topped day one---and the day isn't even over yet.
1) True: Even Thomas Keller gets shut out of his own events. The man he chatted with in the above picture asked if the chef could help him get a seat for tonight's sold-out rare wine auction and dinner. Keller: "I can't even get myself a spot at a table."
2)Top Chef'sTre Wilcox is no longer working at his restaurant in Texas and now private cheffing. He's not very comfortable talking about his time on the show (remember he was eliminated for the Marcel head-shaving incident), but he can cook a mean scallop. (Thanks to our commenters for correcting us. Tre wasn't sent home for the head shaving; wrong chef, wrong season. That's what we get for drunk blogging.)
3) Iron Chef Masarahu Morimoto knows his way around the links. We're told he was the best on the course today; Ming Tsai, not so much. Tom Colicchio was also out there.
4) Gail Simmons treats every meal like it's at the judges table. Spotted at breakfast at Roy's, the Top Chef judge prattled on and on about papaya. "Maybe they don't get good papaya in New York," our spy suggested.
We'll have more from the PBFW over the weekend. Check back!
Everyone knows that LA is the true star of HBO's Entourage. Sure the actors are cute, the writing is fun, Jeremy Piven nails every scene. But what would the show be without the backdrop of every industry haunt, from the Coffee Bean to Rodeo Drive to Hyde? We watch and try to guess where the boys eat and drink, especially if there's no signage. It's our own little version of Name That Venue. But what to make of the places that show signage vs. those that don't?
Where does Vince tell his new agent that she's "cute?" Jar. It's the mushroom-cap light fixtures. But you don't see one mention of the restaurant's name throughout the entire scene.
In the Food Network's recent Chefography episode on big guy Mario Batali, you come to learn all about the orange-clogged chef---culinary school dropout, traveler, Italy, Spain, New York restaurants---but we only really care about what he says about LA. After getting a glimpse into the construction of both Mozza spaces, it becomes abundantly clear that he's really the wallet behind the operation, especially when he says things like, "Did I buy this floor or was it already here?" And Nancy Silverton is simply referred to his "secret weapon." Um, yeah, the secret weapon that's been working the pizza counter since day one. We do come across a few tidbits about Osteria Mozza: Mario wants high tables in the bar area ("Will Los Angelenos stand in a bar and eat?"), and it's said the restaurant will open this spring. Last we heard, it's coming in May.
· BataliWatch '07: Osteria Mozza Sneak Peek [Eater LA]
· Chefography: Mario Batali [Food Network]
In a town that was built on, caters to, and runs on the hum of the Hollywood machine, we can't ignore the fact that even our restaurants make cameos on TV and in movies. Thus, Eater on Location, here to highlight what might be missed in that 2.5 second spot, but clogged the street for three days for filming. Saw something we missed? Let us know.
Volvo ad 3/10.07: When have you ever seen this at Pink's? A tony couple stops in front of the hot dog stand, has no line to contend with, and trots on over for a little late-night snack.Yeah. Believable.
No Reservations takes a spin through LA tonight (Travel Channel, 10pm), and we hear chef/host eater Anthony Bourdain eats at Sapp Coffee Shop with Eat, Drink & Be Merry, Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles, and visits chef Jet Tila at Bangkok Market, his Thai import company. Bourdain's a fan of Koreatown, and in another show for LA, he went to Pink's. If he's eating alligator dong and monkey brains everywhere else, what will get his rocks off in LA this time? The breakfast of champions: Cow's blood soup, chicken and waffles, pad Thai.
· Anthony Bourdain: A lunch to remember [EDBM]
In a town that was built on, caters to, and runs on the hum of the Hollywood machine, we can't ignore the fact that even our restaurants make cameos on the big and little screens. Thus, Eater on Location, here to highlight what might be missed in that 2.5 second spot, but clogged the street for three days for filming.
Now that Badabing Betty is no longer on "Top Chef," it's time to focus on the other local star of the show: Los Angeles. The show was filmed here last year, and as we've already seen, it's ripe with local restaurant and chef cameos. This week's episode landed the last six contestants at uWink in its Plywood stage, the interactive café in Woodland Hills, brainchild of Nolan Bushnell, founder of Atari." The supposed goal was to show the chefs how difficult it is to open a restaurant. According to host Tom Colicchio's blog, they failed, especially Mikey, who got the boot. Losanjealous spent a night at uWink back in November, which shows the finished product. In all good-natured spoiler fun, does anyone know where the final LA episode was filmed? Let us know if you do.
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In the Food Network's recent 
Now that Badabing Betty is no 
