Overall consensus for last night's inaugural Chefs & Champagne event is that it didn't pack the wallop it deserved. The James Beard Foundation's annual Hampton's fete was brought west to honor and highlight LA's best chefs, and they were all there: Richard, Manzke, Myers, LeFevre, Cimarusti, Citrin, Greenspan, etc. Thing is, the JBF decided to honor Tom Colicchio, an East Coast transplant who's still considered an outsider no matter how loudly he yells "Go Lakers!" at the end of a speech. A solid but odd choice. The event still shuffled along and could have a bright future should it decide to come back. As is always the case, it's difficult to hit every table---one big gabfest, the crowd teeming with industry insiders (owners, writers, editors, publicists)---but here, some highlights and lowlights from the menu, rumor mill and more.
1) Ruffled Feathers: Local chefs were honored to be included in the event, respect Tom Colicchio as chef and restaurateur, but a general "WTF, why Colicchio" attitude wafted in the air like the scent of searing pork belly from the Spago table.
2) Three words: Suckling pig sliders. One of the best things we tasted all night. Handed a couple while standing in the Bastide garden as staffers poured delightful Champagne and pretended that everything's A-OK at the restaurant. We later heard otherwise.
LA: News for breakfast lovers: The owners of Square One Dining---Phil Fox, Robert Lee and Hayden Ramsay---have sold the restaurant to John Himelstein of Gingergrass and partners D'nell Larson and Manao Davidson. Before you get your applewood smoked bacon in a bunch, the new owners plan on "keeping everything basically the same" except now they'll open on Mondays. [Eating LA]
SANTA MONICA: The owners of Montrose's Goudas & Vines turned the wine shop into Three Drunken Goats tapas restaurant, but are now planning another Goudas & Vines across town. Signage was spotted next to the second La Grand Orange location at 2000 Main Street. [EaterWire Inbox]
WEST HOLLYWOOD: If you're not busy on Sunday and have $275 burning a whole in your pocket, a reminder that the James Beard Foundation's first Chefs & Champagne event in LA will be happening on Melrose Place at 5pm. Greenspan! Citrin! Cimarusti! Fraser! Manzke! Myers! Colicchio!!! Champagne!!! [EaterWire]
Time once again for the EaterWire. Got something for the tip jar? Well, drop it. Casual nights at Ingredients
MONTROSE/GLENDALE: Things are going well for Michael Ruiz's gourmet shop/casual eatery Ingredients, which he opened after leaving Bistro Verdu to become Bashan. There are now more opportunities to get the small plates menu, and the Thursday tasting menus are going so well that he's looking to add more nights to "accommodate the demand." New hours are Tue-Fri (4pm-9pm) and Sat (12p-9p). [EaterWire Inbox]
BEVERLY HILLS: Looks like the May 1 debut for Greenleaf was just a tad ambitious. The made-to-order salad shop will open on May 8. [EaterWire Inbox]
The Grilled Cheese Invitational takes place at the Crystal Springs picnic area this weekend, but if you're not on the list, forget about it. Per the website: "UNFORTUNATELY, WE HAVE REACHED CAPACITY FOR COMPETITORS AND ATTENDEES FOR THE 1ST 6TH ANNUAL GRILLED CHEESE INVITATIONAL HAPPENING ON APRIL 19TH." Per the reader who sent us the tip: "Any suggestions on how to crash a grilled cheese party in the park? If not, I fully plan to make every attempt anyway…!" [EaterWire]
ECHO PARK: A tipster emailed that Mitchell Frank's (Echo co-owner) wine bar in the former El Prado space (1805 W Sunset Blvd) opened last Friday night; another went by and saw lights on yesterday. With the gate pulled during the day and no one answering the phone, we don't really know if it's open, if the name has changed, or if there's wine to be sipped, but anything's possible. [EaterWire]
DOWNTOWN: While his brothers Tanino and Giacomino are busy readying their new Beverly Hills restaurant Gitano, Celestino Drago is working his new project---Drago Centro, scheduled to open between the two Arco towers at City National Plaza in September. [EaterWire]
The location for the annual Grilled Cheese Invitational is supposed to be under wraps until you get the secret subscriber email alert, but Metromix has it that the big cheesey, gooey party will be at the Crystal Springs picnic area in Griffith Park. The event (April 19, 5pm-9:30pm) is open to the public, but with this new caveat from CGI organizers: "Due to circumstances beyond our control, there will be no alcohol served or allowed at the Grilled Cheese Invitational." We applaud the open-air setting for what's sure to be a fiery, grilling frenzy, but no booze? Bummer.[ELA/Metromix]
HOLLYWOOD: We hear from our Bronson Canyon spy: "The deli portion of Victor's Liquor & Deliclosed at the end of March, but the liquor store is still open through April as long as the merchandise holds out. Some good deals on Spiegelau wares. Owner says there's already something planned for the space that will be 'food and wine oriented', but not a wine bar since Victor's Restaurant already has one. He's confident that 'the neighborhood will embrace' this mysterious newcomer. Fingers crossed." [EaterWire Inbox]
SOMEWHERE: We dished that Samir Mohajer would leave Rustic Canyon this month, and now we hear he and former Providence chef de cuisine Paul Shoemaker are teaming up to open their own place. No word on concept, timeline or location yet, but the seed has been planted. Shoemaker, who opened Providence with Michael Cimarusti and Donato Poto, left the restaurant in late 2007. [EaterWire Inbox]
We did mention that April is Grilled Cheese Month, right? In addition to Clementine's grilled cheese madness, the Grilled Cheese Invitational is pretty much the end-all-be-all of gooey, cheesy, melty competitions. Please eschew the organizers' use of the word 'sammich' (too close to Rachael Ray's 'sammies'), but feel free to participate anyway you see fit: as grilled cheese creator, grilled cheese judge, and if all goes well, as king or queen of all grilled cheeses. There are four categories: From the basic white bread-yellow cheese model (The Missionary) to any kind of bread, cheese and lubricant (Spoons) to any kind of grilled item that is filled with at least 60% cheese (the Kama Sutra). Yes, they have a thing for sex and grilled cheese. Location is still under wraps at this point, but the date is April 19. The GCI website has all the details.
· Grilled Cheese Insanity at Clementine [~ELA~]
· EaterWire: Grilled Cheese Invitational 2007 [~ELA~]
Reminder: Get a designated driver and head out to the Malibu Wine Classic tomorrow at the Malibu Civic Center. Central Coast wineries will be on hand, including some personal faves like Linne Calodo, Fiddlehead, Ken Brown, L'Aventure, Saxum, and Summerland. And restaurants like Water Grill, Il Grano, All' Angelo, Michael's, Terra, Moonshadows, American Flatbread and Barrel Malibu will supply the food. Ticket proceeds go to Childhelp, a national non-profit that aids in the treatment and prevention of child abuse. (April 5, 12pm-5pm, $79 in advance)
For almost 20 years, the James Beard Foundation has hosted the Chefs & Champagne fundraiser in the Hamptons, a swank party for top chefs to feed the rich and hungry, with one chef being honored for their culinary contributions to the local scene. The good news: This year they're bringing the party to Los Angeles "to showcase the extraordinary and diverse culinary talents." The odd news: They couldn't think of a "more fitting" guest of honor than Tom Colicchio.
Now, we're fans of Colicchio, we like the Craft, we heart Top Chef, but if the JBF is going to come out and celebrate LA's local chefs, shouldn't the guest of honor be someone, you know, more local? We're not the only ones who noticed: There are rumblings out there in restaurantland, and even Colicchio says he's completely honored to be honored, but it might have been more appropriate to pick someone from LA. But who's going to turn down a party? In an odd twist, Wolfgang Puck will be the honoree in the Hamptons in July.
There's still a pretty stellar lineup of local chefs participating in the tasting event, and as the name suggest, lots of Champagne. The event takes place on May 4 on Melrose Place. Click here for ticket info.
The 5x5 dinners were a hit last year---chefs from Providence, Ortolan, Water Grill, Melisse and Valentino all cooked in each others restaurants on one night to "build a stronger community" among chefs, and we lucky diners got to reap the rewards. Sonme new changes for 2008: Swap in Bastide and La Terza for Valentino and Ortolan, plus this year they've invited some of their friends from around the country to join the fun. Oh, you know, just some random guys like Douglas Keane from Cyrus, David Kinch from Manresa, and Gabriel Kreuther from The Modern in NY. The full lineup:
Monday, May 19, 2008: PROVIDENCE with David Kinch of Manresa Tuesday, June 17, 2008: BASTIDE with Gabriel Kreuther of The Modern Monday, July 7, 2008: MELISSE with Douglas Keane of Cyrus Sunday, August 31, 2008: WATER GRILL with Giuseppe Tentori of Boka Monday, September 22, 2008: LA TERZA with Alain Giraud of Anisette
So should it be the 6x5 Collaborative? Dinners are $150 per person, $60 extra for wine pairings. Last year’s project raised $34,000 for Cure Autism Now; the 2008 project will benefit the Southern California Chapter of Special Olympics. Call each individual restaurant for reservations.
We're heading up to Pebble Beach for the mega food and wine event this weekend and be sure we'll have plenty of stories to share from the after parties, the tastings, celebrity chef run-ins, cooking demos, and probably enough food to feed a small country. Top Chef's Tom Colicchio and Ted Allen will be there to tell us how ridiculous our theories are, plus Thomas Keller, Gary Danko, Charlie Trotter, Walter Manzke, Josiah Citrin, Jacques Pepin, oh, the list is just ridiculous. Look for updates throughout the weekend. [~ELA~]
There are worse ways to spend a Saturday than the Malibu Wine Classic, but why would you: Central Coast wineries like Linne Calodo, Fiddlehead, Ken Brown, L'Aventure, Saxum, Summerland, Rideau and Laetitia to name a few; restaurants like Water Grill, Il Grano, All' Angelo, Michael's, Terra, Moonshadows, American Flatbread and Barrel Malibu; one tent, one afternoon. The beachside location from the last four years was a draw, but we suppose the Malibu Civic Center is close enough. (April 5, 12pm-5pm, $79 in advance) [~ELA~]
When we first brought you news of the Pebble Beach Food & Wine event that takes place at the end of March, we didn't really grasp what's about to take place up there Monterey Peninsula. Sort it all out, and it's mind-boggling. No, you won't find Bourdain and the Golden Clog Awards, but even he could appreciate the culinary love-fest on tap. The weekend is chock-full of wine tasting sessions, cooking demos (Jacques Pepin, Mark Miller, Thomas Keller, Gary Danko, Charlie Trotter, Tom Colicchio, Ted Alen, Michel Richard), lunches with the chefs (Susan Spicer, Josiah Citrin, Walter Manzke, Todd English, Hubert Keller, Michael Mina and many more), a walk-around tasting event each afternoon, plus some serious dinners and rare wine auctions. At least one must-do is the opening night reception on Thursday, March 27; if we golfed, we'd try to get there for the Celebrity Chef Golf Tourny that morning because we want to see Colicchio putt. And one thing has changed: Some proceeds will go to charity.
The whole shebang runs March 27-30, most events are priced individually ($100-$500; $165 for the walk-around event), some are only available with packages, and some are already sold out (anything Keller, natch). But tickets and plenty of hotel rooms are still available---we checked. Can't choose? Just shut your eyes and point. You can't go wrong. Order online or call 866.907.3663 for more info.
· Pebble Beach Food & Wine: Like Aspen and AWFF All Rolled Into One [~ELA~]
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HOLLYWOOD: We hear from our Bronson Canyon spy: "The deli portion of Victor's Liquor & Deli 
We did mention that April is Grilled Cheese Month, right? In addition to 
When 
