Posts Tagged ‘pasta’

Before I arrived in La, I had contacted a few of the LA Times food writers to get an professional perspective on the restaurants. I had hoped to pluck a few words of wisdom from some insiders, like myself, on some undiscovered turf. I’ve been to LA but never with the intent on covering the food…just consuming it and laying on the beach. A few of the writers responded rather quickly and I thought I had a good story to kick off my trip but unfortunately…no reply from them in the end and no profound nuggets. So, as a sole pioneer for Beauty and Her Feast heading west, I came up with a list based on suggestions from my trusty chefs in good ole Chicago. With my teenage daughter, Lo, captive for every meal I had a full week planned that I knew she would complain! Yet, by the end of the trip, she was honestly grateful (and stuffed) for the experience, especially when we filmed and she was able to see two very different chefs create what she had eaten. She also commented that I'm a lot of work to travel with because I don't sit still for long and I'm constantly looking for food. 

I wanted to hit new places that seemed to be making a splash in LA and around the country at the moment. It’s kind of my “thing” when I travel. What better place to start than at the Four Seasons’ (relatively) new restaurant, Culina. In March 2010, the Four Seasons spent roughly $5 million renovating the former Gardens into a stunning restaurant featuring modern Italian cuisine. Chef Victor Casanova, yes…seriously that’s his name, is the executive chef with prior stints in New York and Arizona. 

First things first, the space was gorgeous. If you make your way to LA, a visit to Culina’s bar or even a taste at the crudo bar are well worth the effort. The terrace looked equally enticing but I wasn’t able to peek before leaving. The palette is earthy with browns and buttery tones but my real eye-candy were the light fixtures. In the center of the dining room hung a cluster of glass balls, all sizes casting a soft glow over diners. The crudo bar, which is attached to the cocktail bar, is sleek and feels like an urban oasis. Like any Four Seasons restaurant, I still felt like I needed to tip-toe through the dining room to get to my seat being mindful not to knock into anything. Our service was top-notch and our waiter was fully versed on the menu as I would expect. I only threw one curve ball (which is so unlike me) and I changed my order after realizing what I really had my heart set on was a big bowl of pasta and not the fish he spoke so highly of. Oops.

Our Feast

FINOCCHIONA - wild boar. fennel, SOPPRESSATA - berkshire pork. porcini and PARMIGIANO
POLPETTE - american wagyu meatballs. san marzano tomato sauce. parmigiano reggiano. basil breadcrumbs
CRUDO -  yellowtail. star anise oil. orange sea salt
LASAGNA DELLA NONNA- sausage ragu. mozzarella
PAPPARDELLE with slow-braised lamb, mint and pecorino
TORTA - chocolate

The entire menu was an elevation on Italian cuisine. Smaller portions, bolder flavors, elegant plating and a few unexpected renditions. Truly, that is my favorite way to dine Italian because it is one of the only cuisines that chefs don’t mess around with too much. This isn’t a place they pour you a plate of olive oil, you order a salad and enormous plate of pasta then lean back in your chair unable to breathe. It’s a refined experience of a traditional family-style meal.  You start with a small tasting of quality salumi, some crudo to share and a normal portion of pasta or meat course ending with an exquisite dessert. Crudo is translated to “raw” and is the Italian version of sashimi. Chef Casanova did a lovely job of pairing some surprising ingredients that make up the menu at the crudo bar. The flavors were delicate and perfect for the yellowtail that we tasted.

We weren’t leaving without the meatballs! Two to an order was a suitable serving although we had a little fork fight over the last few bites because they were absolutely succulent. Made with American waygu and very few fussy ingredients to mar the flavor, then braised in a tomato sauce, they were actually straight-forward. Solo is precisely how they should be served. 

I would tell you that the Lasagna was fabulous but I wouldn’t know nor do I have a photo because my growing teenage daughter, Lo, scarfed it down. But it looked gorgeous in it’s little baking dish smothered in cheese. My pappardelle was the winner for sure. While Lo described it as tasting like a “christmas tree”, I attempted to explain the complexities of flavoring a braised dish. Really, it was an herbaceous sauce with shredded lamb tossed with a homemade pappardelle. Simply divine and the perfect plate of pasta for a Beauty who’s studied in Italy. Culina invested in a $20,000 pasta machine and I’m damn happy I tasted some. Our dessert was fantastic but what chocolate isn’t? And for the record, I did have to lean back in my chair a little…

Culina is located in the Four Seasons Beverly Hills
300 S. Doheny Drive
Beverly Hills, CA
310.860.4000

Some days, it’s about comfort food. But everyone’s idea of comfort is relative. Mine happens to be pasta because that’s what I grew up eating…lots of pasta. During college, I studied in Florence and part of the program was helping out everyday at lunchtime in the kitchen of the school. The space was a little cantina and added to the whole experience. The cooks spoke no English so anyone in the kitchen was forced to speak Italian or sign language. Thankfully, my Italian was pretty kick-ass at the time. I offered myself up each day after class. To this day, I vividly remember learning this dish which has now become my comfort food and a dinnertime staple. I learned it in the basement kitchen of this tiny Florentine school by watching and helping which is how I pretty much learned to cook. 

Pasta Amatriciana, or more commonly on menus served as Bucatini all’Amatriciana, is my all-time favorite pasta. A few years back while visiting San Francisco, Prince Charming and I stopped off at a very romantic restaurant in Sausalito called Poggio. It was one of my favorite meals on vacation because I ordered…Amatriciana. It sparked my love for this dish again. Prince Charming loves it, my kids devour it and if you are ever invited over…remind me to cook it for you. With very few ingredients, it’s a quick dish with tons of flavor. More importantly, make sure to use quality ingredients as each element plays an important role in this sauce. I was given some artisanal pastas a few weeks ago and I knew they needed Amatriciana. The pasta was perfect as it held its shape well and cooked to a nice al dente. The Verrigni pasta I used, is made with the best mixture of grains and rigorous drying at low temperature to ensure the highest quality of pasta. This process enables it to absorb the seasonings. 

Amatriciana Sugo

6 oz of pancetta, chopped into small pieces (ask deli to slice on a 3 which is a bacon cut)

1 onion, sliced thin (I often use red but white fine too)

3 garlic cloves

1 - 2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 28 oz can chopped tomatoes*

Olive Oil

Salt/Pepper

1 lb of Bucatini or spaghetti

Pecorino or Parmigiano

Start heating the pasta water while making the sauce.

Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large, deep skillet. Brown the pancetta making sure to break up pieces so they crisp up in the hot oil. Once pancetta is browned, add in onion. Toss around until onion is translucent and starting to caramelize, also make sure they don’t burn. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, saute for two minutes. Pour in can of tomatoes. Stir to combine everything. Season with salt/pepper. Be careful here, pancetta has some saltiness so taste as you season. The sauce will be cooked in about 30 minutes.

While the sauce is cooking, your water should have come to a boil. Drop the pasta in and cook until al dente. Times vary according to brand. Drain and toss the pasta in the skillet with the sauce. Serve with freshly grated cheese. The cheese is important because it finishes off the flavors of the sauce. 

*I always buy Muir Glen Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes. They have a great flavor and add more depth to my sauces. 

 Viola Imports is proud to represent Verrigni Pasta. For information on where to purchase Verrigni's artisanal products, please click here.

It was my last stitch effort for fabulous food in New York. I think I did well at Maialino in The Gramercy Park Hotel. Mr. Wall Street and Jersey Girl were both in attendance and ready to eat anything and everything on the menu. Always the self promoter, I had emailed a couple of restaurants ahead of time in hopes of interviewing the chef and getting Beauty on the map outside of Chicago. Surprisingly, I got a reply…a friendly one too. So, we were all set for Maialino.

I was excited to go to Maialino because I have followed the restaurateur since way back when I lived in NY…so many years ago. Danny Meyer of the Union Square Hospitality Group has built quite the culinary empire in New York. I was never able to dine in his places as a newbie fashion intern but I certainly knew the story. I had read and reread the menu before going so I was prepared to meet the executive chef, Nick Anderer. His story, is equally as interesting as Meyer’s and I was eager to taste his Roman-inspired menu. 

Chef Nick came out to meet us and offered to take the menus away and “just cook for you.” Uh, hello…that would be a YES. Let me fill you foodies in on a secret, if you are ever in a restaurant and the chef wants to cook for you, thank your lucky stars and put on a bib. Mr. Wall Street and Jersey Girl were pretty damn excited having not had the experience before. Chef Nick then asked if we were OK with weird stuff. No foodie turns away any plate of food…bring it big guy. Holy smokes…that he did and it was one of the best dining experiences I’ve had…even the weird stuff! 

For starters we tasted:

• Grilled shrimp wrapped around a scallop 
• Salumi tasting with Pecorino
• Tripe, Pecorino & Mint
• Charred Cuttlefish, Winter Greens & Chilis
• Radicchio and Aged Balsamic

Let me preface this review with the fact that I whole heartedly love simple, regional Italian food. Most people don’t recognize true Italian food. Maialino…straight from the boot. In fact, Meyer and Anderer spent time traveling around Rome being inspired to create the menu and it shows. The key with most of the starters are the ingredients they use pack flavor, specifically the balsamic. When you use a splash of high quality, aged balsamic, it’s sweet and you need nothing else. The simple pairing of bitter radicchio with sweet vinegar and sharp cheese was perfect. While I’m not a fan of tripe, (really who is other than chefs and 80 year old Italian women) it was tender like a pasta tossed with tomato sauce. And the cuttlefish with chili oil had a great flavor. 

The pasta course was our favorite part of the meal, hands down. Anderer has become known for his fresh pasta having worked under Mario Batali at Babbo for years. His pasta dishes brought me back 20 years ago when I was studying in Florence and helping out in the kitchen. I would have tasted them all if I could and I think we missed only a few on the menu. He sent out:

• Tonnarelli with Pecorino & Black Pepper
• Malfatti al Maialino, suckling Pig Ragu & Arugula
• Taglionlini Neri, Squid Ink Pasta & Bottarga di Muggine
• Raviolo al Uovo, Ricotta, Brown Butter & Egg Yolk
• Agnolotti di Zucca, Pumpkin, Balsamic & Ricotta Salata
• Lumaconi all Norcia, Sausage & Winter Greens 

Seriously, can you believe all that pasta? I was in doughy heaven as were my fellow diners. My two top picks (because I couldn’t decide) were the tonnarelli and the lumaconi . The first is a classic dish but not many Americans know it. Most Americans are used to pasta smothered in sauce. This dish breathes Italy with it’s simplicity and sharp flavor because the fresh pasta depends on the pepper and pecorino which they executed flawlessly. My second favorite, the lumaconi, is a large shell shaped pasta ready for stuffing. Chef prepares it with a lean sausage and sauteed greens over a creamy sauce. At first glance I thought, oh stuffed shells, woo-hoo. Don’t ever be fooled by a man who specializes in pasta. They were wonderful and the sauce was so good, I wanted to lick the plate…but I didn’t. Also noteworthy in the pasta line up is the suckling pig ragu. While I haven’t had any suckling pig in my past Italian dining experiences, Maialino actually means “little pig.” His version of ragu combines a rich reduction with fall-off-the-bone meat. It had intense flavor with a wide noodle to sop up the sauce. When you get a chance to dine at Maialino, someone at the table MUST order this dish as it is one of the special items he prepares. 

Lastly, he sent out a meat course. Now I have to be honest, for fun we decided to take bets on what he would send out to round out the meal. Can you believe I was the only one who guessed wrong! The so-called trained eater was off on both plates. He sent us a plate of pig which I am pretty sure isn’t on the menu. I believe you have to ask for it. It included the pigs feet and Mr. Wall Street guessed it. We also tasted the lamb chops with fried sweetbreads. Both were amazing and I fell for the lamb. The chef has some damn good chops…amazing flavor and perfectly tender. I made my friends taste the sweetbreads even though they were reluctant to try them. We were completely stuffed and still had dessert! 

They brought out:

Affogato, gelato drowned in espresso

Torta della Nonna: pine nut tart & lemon caramel

Pomegranate and red wine sorbet

The three desserts were a great combination to send out. Nothing was too sweet and I particularly loved the vanilla gelato covered in espresso. It made me think, I need to serve this for a dinner party! They came out with a scoop of gelato and poured the espresso over as we watched. Again, simple but superb. 

Maialino is located in the Gramercy Park Hotel  

2 Lexington Avenue

(21st Street)

212.777.2410

Tell them Beauty sent ya!