1) London: Taking a brief pause from the LA dining circuit, SIV dishes on St. John Hotel in London, a new restaurant opened by chef Fergus Henderson, and Dinner by chef Heston Blumenthal, two of the toughest reservations in the city. St. John houses a "60-seat restaurant [that] resembles an old-fashioned dining hall, with its white walls, dark wood furniture, coat hooks and simple hanging lights. There's an open kitchen at the back where cooks work in navy blue striped aprons." SIV was especially smitten by a Gloucester Old Spot pig which she describes as "incredible" with "the skin crackling, the flesh moist and marbled with sweet pork fat." The restaurant's one fault: pricey vino.
Next, SIV skips off to Dinner, a restaurant that not only serves dinner, but lunch as well. Here, "Blumenthal dives into the archives of British food history, finds a dish or a concept that interests him and resurfaces to interpret it in his own inimitable way. And though he employs an arsenal of the latest culinary techniques, here any techno-wizardry is tucked inside and hidden: You'd never know those techniques were used...Main courses showcase great products and Blumenthal's impressive technique...the winner is, hands down, a thick pork chop (1860) from a black foot pig served with a Robert sauce and 'pointy cabbage' that's cooked to the perfect point between crunchy and soft." In the end, SIV decides that "...these new restaurants are two more reasons why London is one of the most exciting places to eat right now." [LAT]
2) NYC: The Goldster hit The Big Apple for the James Beard Awards, so most appropriately today he discusses his most recent NYC eats. Seems like he flip flopped from one part of the city to the next, dining at Lincoln, Dutch, Boulud Sud, and M Wells (high five for the roasted marrow bones spiked with snails). But, amidst all the these east coast eats, The Goldster still finds time to take a bite of "a lacquered pork-belly bánh mì assembled by L.A.'s own Octavio Becerra of Palate...I was proud, I was hungry, and damn, did that sandwich taste like home." [LAW]
The Elsewhere: The Find eats falafel at Habayit Restaurant, Caroline on Crack drinks at Library Bar, Eat: LA samples the Buttermilk Truck, gastronomy brunches at Scarpetta, kevinEats at Rustic Canyon, and Refined Palate revisits Vin Bar.