More LA Food

A few more notes about eating in Los Angeles.

At the fantastic Campanile, I asked if Chef Mark Peel was in the house. I told the Maître D’ that he was one of my favorites from Top Chef Masters.

Truthfully, I didn’t remember if I had said anything horrible about him, but I didn’t think the Maître D’ would pull up my blog at the front desk and accuse me of treachery.

Funnily enough, Chef Peel was in Palm Springs on that very day at a food festival. We had JUST come FROM Palm Springs and I had actually wanted to wander over to that festival, but I had no other takers.

It didn’t seem to matter that the chef wasn't in the house. The food was amazing.

But it’s not only food I’m interested in whenever I’m in LA. I always have my antenna up for famous people.

I was really spoiled the first time we went to California, maybe 12 years ago. We were staying at some hotel near Universal Studios and as I walked into the hotel just after we arrived, THIS is who I saw!!! Awesome, right? I really hope you’re not saying you have no idea who that is. It’s the father from the Wonder Years, of course. Fantastic, huh?

Anyway, so I’m always on the lookout. So, listen to this! Right next to us at Campanile was a guy, who for the first 45 minutes, I was completely and positively sure was Paul Giamatti. AND I wasn’t the only one at the table that thought that.

THEN he turned and we saw more than his close-cropped beard and sturdy glasses profile and, NO, it wasn’t the Oscar winner. He turned out to be some kind of wine fundi, who, with a cast of rotating characters, spent the evening tasting wines, MANY wines, and making a ruckus and being generally completely full of himself. I’m sure Paul Giamatti would have been much lower key.

I also think that someone doesn’t have that look by accident. He WANTED people to do a double take and think he was a movie star. Incidentally, not all wine experts are painful. I know at least one or two who are completely delightful.

This is exciting. I didn’t realize until I looked back at any potential scurrilous remarks I had made about Chef Peel (there were none) that one of the things we ordered was what he cooked for Neil Patrick Harris at the Magic Castle on Top Chef Masters! It was the Tai Snapper With Scallion Oil. I didn’t actually taste it, but it got raves from the person who did.

The fish on Top Chef Masters was in parchment, though. And these were Mark Peel's Top Chef scores for that dish:

Diners 4

Critics - Gael 4½, Gail 4, James 3½

Total 18½

Other dishes we had:

Fresh Pappardelle with Parsley, Wild Mushrooms, Spinach, Mascarpone

Seared Sea Scallops, bacon lardons, stewed leeks, lemon relish

Duck Breast with Garlic Mashed Potatoes (I think)

Chocolate Cake and a Pavlova (mmmmm):

Another stellar meal that could have been the star of the entire trip (if I weren’t so spoiled and had so many culinary highlights) was Michael’s. Open since 1979, it has embodied “California Cuisine” for decades. The garden is the place to sit and since it was a Monday night, we had our choice of tables.

The food was incredible. The service was friendly and warm, yet unobtrusive.

House-Cured Gravlax, Toasted Brioche, Mustard-Dill Sauce

The salmon gravlax was so buttery and luscious that I could have made a meal of it.

Wild Quinault River Salmon Tartare Jicama, Avocado, Oro Blanco Granita

The salmon tartar was a work of art. It was so gorgeous and the salmon itself was freshness-personified. I would have liked a bit more of a punch of flavor, but I admired every bite.

White Asparagus with Serrano Ham

The White Asparagus with Serrano Ham was a special that evening. Even though I lived in Spain through several springs and always ordered it in season, I actually preferred the similarly shaped, but crunchier and more flavorful, hearts of palm. THIS dish though was a lovely balance between the asparagus, the ham and the Parmesan.

Liberty Farms Duck Breast, Leg & Thigh Confit, Yukon Gold Potato Gnocchi, Asparagus, Roasted Garlic, Duck Jus

The duck breast was rare, as ordered, and just perfect and the skin was lovely and crunchy. But I wish they had just forgotten about the confited leg. It was the first time I had ever had a DRY duck leg. It almost seemed like an afterthought. Luckily, the breast was the star.

Wild Steelhead Salmon, Creamy Polenta, Manila Clams, Chorizo, Scallions, Blue Lake Beans

Moist and really tasty salmon (3 salmon dishes in one meal was definitely not too many). The dot of polenta under the fish was bland and a bit too runny.

Roasted Oregon Black Cod, Butternut Squash Risotto, Black Trumpet Mushrooms, Poached Cherry Tomatoes, Beurre Blanc

WHY didn't I take pictures of the Trio of Sorbets and Ice Creams and the Bread Pudding? I must have been in a fabulous food coma. Okay, that's it. Until the post that follows this one...

Top Chef Las Vegas - Serving The Troops Really Great Food And Poor Pronunciation

We’re reminded of last week’s challenge. Jen was mad because it was boys against girls and she found that stupid. Ashley was mad about catering for a wedding-related function, when marriage isn’t legal for everyone. And Eve is mad because the judges expected her food to have flavor. The two Josh Lucas look-a-like brothers did the best.

Jen is my pick to win for her cooking skill and tough broad attitude.

The new episode starts with a bunch of unrecognizable chefs. Have we even seen these folks before? I only know Laurine, because Tracy said she’s from her home town.

Jesse somebody (all kinds of stuff sticking out of her lips) is talking a lot. Does that meant that she be gone at the end?

For the Quickfire Challenge, Mark Peel from Campanile is there, standing before lots of potatoes. The Quickfire Challenge is to create an “out of this world” dish featuring potatoes.

Rings-In-Lip Girl is getting A LOT of airtime. Jen is going to use mussels, Haitian guy is using fish and says something about Bob Marley. Some guy I never saw before is making sweet potato ice cream. What a cool idea!

LipRings is making sweet potato soup, which will probably stink, so that will set her up to go home. I mean, seriously this is so obvious, that, even to the untrained reality TV eye, it’s clear she’ll be eliminated this week.

Mike (Michael?), whom everyone hates, is making a risotto type potato dish. Big mistake, I bet. Ashley is making gnocchi.

Preeti mistakenly uses Ashley’s water and there’s a huge brouhaha. Jen says she wouldn’t have been as “nice” as Ashley (who wasn’t nice at all).

Oh, here we go, LipGirl says her soup is way too spicy and not balanced. GO ME! I knew it. Even a rock could have figured out that she’s going home.

Ash

Sweet Potato Custard With Toasted Pecans

Oh that’s the guy I never saw before. Ash’s ice cream didn’t work out, so he called it a custard. Surely they won’t buy that.

Mark says good texture. Funny. Ash is really amused that he got away with it.

Bryan

Sunchoke & Yukon Gold Vichyssoise With Applewood Smoked Caviar

It looks fine, but it’s annoying how he pronounces vichyssoise. He says Veeshy-Swah. NO! There’s a reason there’s an e on the end. It’s Veeshy-SwahZZZ. Got it?

He says it’s served slightly warm, which is obviously because he didn’t have time to chill it properly. Mark says it could have been gluey but it’s not.

Preeti

Saffron Poached Russian Banana Fingerlings With Asparagus & Tomatoes

Looks pretty. (Get it? Preeti, pretty.) Mark says very nice.

Michael V (Bryan’s Brother)

Confit Tuna & Potato Sandwich

It looks dreadful…like a block of gray spam. It does have a few slices of beautifully cut cucumbers as garnish. Mark is giving A LOT more feedback than usual to all the chefs. He says aside from the tuna being underdone, the balance of texture and flavor is great.

Jennifer

Steamed Mussels, Yukon Gold & Blue Potatoes With Lemongrass Potato Sauce

Padma says very nice.

Robin (Who’s that?!!)

Purple & Fingerling Potatoes, White Yams with Pancetta, Frisée & Fried Egg

She had me at the fried egg. All Mark says is that it looks like breakfast.

Hector

Steamed Sweet Potato With Fish Sauce & Lime, Purple Potatoes & Ham, Smashed Fingerlings With Yeast (why?), Yellow Chile, Slow-Cooked Egg & Cream

Hector’s accent is so strong, it’s hard to tell if he’s speaking English. He’s about the third or fourth person to say he’s cooked potatoes 3 ways. Mark says good flavor. I’d say it’s more like a miracle, how did he cook ALL of that in 45 minutes?

Laurine

Vegetarian Potato Burger, Portabella Mushroom Bun & Fingerling Chips

That’s impressive. Mark says the chips are perfectly crisp.

Mattin

Poached Cod With Blue, Yukon & Sweet Potato Purées

Mattin looks like a caricature of a French sailor or chef (I can’t decide) with his gaily tied red bandana arranged rakishly around his neck.

Mark looks at his dish and says beautiful!

Kevin

Bacon-Braised Yam With Potato Sauce, Asparagus, Mushroom & Cauliflower

Mark says very good.

Goodness! This is why I hate these early episodes, we’re only 13 minutes in and they’re not finished.

Mike I.

Potato Risotto With King Crab & Mascarpone

Oh gosh, again with the bad accent! Mike says he cut the potatoes into a brunoise. Fine, but it’s not a Broon-Wah, it’s a Broon-Wahzzzzzz. People! If the French word ends in an e, SAY the last consonant. It’s not that hard. (I’m sure there are exceptions to that rule, but not for brunoise and vichyssoise.)

Mark says it’s a little salty. Mike pretends to be surprised, but Padma gives him a huge smile and says “Nice idea.”

Still more chefs?!!

Ashley

Potato Gnocchi With Hen Of The Woods Mushrooms & Homemade Ricotta

How in the world did she make her own ricotta? Mark is really impressed by that.

Seriously, if there’s one more person, I’m going to scream. AAAYYY!!! I never saw the next guy before, really.

Eli

Yam Purée With Pistachios, Whipped Bliss & Bourbon Maple Syrup

That sounds really good! Mark says, wow. Unfortunately Padma gets a piece of shell. Oh, don’t hold that against whoever this is.

I am seriously NOT going to do this again. There are still more contestants!

Ron

Sweet Potato Crusted Yellowtail With Fennel And Leek Stew

Mark says his favorite part is the fennel and leek on the side.

Jesse (She’s the one that I’m sure is going home.)

Sweet Potato Soup With Ginger, Brown Sugar & Cayenne Pepper

Mark says he likes the texture and color, but that it’s really spicy, which she already knew.

FINALLY, they’re done. I like it when Mark tells them that from being on Top Chef Masters he understands that their most difficult ingredient is time. (Incidentally, I think Mark should have won against Anita in his Top Chef Masters episode.)

The results: Eli’s dish was too sweet. (Mark didn’t mention the shells). Ron’s fish was overcooked and Jesse’s soup was too spicy. His favs were Jennifer’s mussels, Ashley’s gnocchi and Ash’s custard. Ash is totally surprised. He says he’s laughing to himself so hard he can barely look up, because his dish was basically a failed ice cream.

The winner is Jennifer. Yay!!!! She kinda looks like she expected it. Mike is bitter. She gets immunity in the Elimination Challenge.

The fact that Mark loved Ash’s custard doesn’t surprise me at all. One of my most favorite things in the world is Craig Claiborne’s custard from his vanilla ice cream recipe in The New New York Times Cookbook. That custard is sooo awesome that I use that recipe for Floating Islands and actually whenever a custard is required.

The Elimination Challenge is to create a meal for 300 airmen (no women?) at Nellis Air Force Base, home of the Thunderbirds, the United States Aerial Demonstration Squadron.

The chefs are not told what or how they’ll be cooking. They divide themselves in teams of two, with Jennifer acting as the supervising or executive chef, because she has immunity.

They arrive at the kitchen and see mostly a lot of canned food and some different meats.

Their dishes all sound good. These folks are really chefs and they are heads above the other seasons. There are a few loser types, but most of them seem highly skilled.

The French guy really sounds like Pepé Le Pew. Actually, that’s not true, Pepé sounds much manlier. Hector’s English is getting worse.

Ash tells us he actually thought that Jen was soft spoken. I didn’t think that after seeing her for 10 seconds. She’s not afraid to tell Hector to stop with his stories (that no one understands anyway).

I’ll be surprised if the pasta salad tastes like anything. That is sooo boring. Pepé Le Pew is being kind of slow. They load the food up to go to the hangar, where they'll be serving. They get taken there in a cool looking convoy.

One of the brothers (no idea which one) says the emotion starts to kick in as they realize how important this is. Jen is really awesome. WHAT is she doing on this show? She should be running her own restaurant.

Preeti acknowledges that her pasta salad looks really simple. Oh there’s a bit of question about how one of the brothers and Mike will be serving their dish. Could this be a potential problem.

Padma arrives and gets out of the jeep with a serviceman helping (leering at) her. Michael (Mike?) is overwhelmed, and he’s going too slow. Quite a bit of Padma cleavage is going on. Is that patriotic?

These are the dishes:

Mike I & Michael V

Greek Salad With Cucumber, Chickpeas, Olives & Olive Oil-Poached Shrimp and Braised Pork Belly With Soy Mustard Sauce & Peanuts

Laurine And Preeti

Pasta Salad With Broccoli, Peppers, Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Artichoke Hearts

Jesse & Ron

New England Clam Chowder with Roasted Corn

Hector & Robin

Three-Bean Chili With Roasted Chicken

Eli & Kevin

Georgia Style Braised Pork Shoulder & Potato Salad

Bryan & Mattin

Roasted Beef Strip Loin With Mushroom Demi-Glace & Cauliflower Gratin

Ash & Ashley

Chocolate Bread Pudding With Peanut Butter Sauce

Eli is sweet. He’s very moved at cooking for the troops.

Gail thinks the pasta salad is salty and not inspired. Every other dish is doing well.

The clam chowder is thick, but everyone really likes it.

They love the potato salad and pork shoulder. Michael and Mike’s slab bacon, which they braised, is fantastic, but the judges do not like the Mike’s shrimp salad.

Several of the judges say the bread pudding is a little dry, but very flavorful.

The colonel thanks all of the chefs. It is very nice and touching. The colonel dismisses them and they get a huge round of applause from the airpeople. Sweet. When is Oprah gonna come out and give everyone a house…or end the war?

Back at Judges Table, Mike, Michael, Eli and Kevin get called in first. They have the best dishes. Mark tells Kevin and Eli that everyone loved the pork. Tom doesn’t like Mike’s shrimp dish.

Mark tells Michael he’s the winner with his braised pork dish. The only thing he seems to care about is that he and his brother have each won one challenge so far. Back in the stew room, Bryan looks less than thrilled about his brother’s win.

Mike (Michael?) doesn’t understand why he gets called back in for having the worst dish, when he was just there as the winner.

Michael is po’ed that he’s there. Mark says he was responsible for the shrimp dish and it was bland. Michael (Mike?) says he wasn’t even 100% sure that he should serve it. Padma says, “THEN you shouldn’t have served it.”

All the judges start dumping on him. Doesn’t he know that you NEVER argue with a judge. Explaining is okay; telling them about your intentions is okay, but arguing? Never.

I guess Jess is off the hook for leaving. They’ll probably get rid of Preeti, because both her pasta salad and personality have been a bit bland. Michael (Mike?) yells at everything, so that’s good television. He says he’s angry at himself for messing up and that it won’t happen again.

Preeti says she thought her dish was better than a lot of others. The judges disagree. This is bad, they ask her if she WANTS to go home and she can't even answer the question.

It’s going to be Preeti. It’s going to be Preeti. It’s going to be Preeti.

And the loser is…Preeti! She’s gracious. She says what everyone says - that she cooks far better in real life than she showed. But then she says that the competition is a lot harder this year. It’s as if she’s saying she’s a crappy cook and, with fewer good competitors, she might have gotten further. Whatever. I just want there to be fewer of them.

My favorites? Still definitely Jen, who is certainly out French-cooking Pepé Le Pew. I like the brothers too, because every time I see them I think of Sweet Home Alabama, which was such a cute movie. I don’t remember or much care about any of the others.

I’m just psyched that (I THINK I heard this in the previews for next week) TWO of the chefs are being eliminated. Maybe then, I'll be able to keep them all straight.

Top Chef Masters - The Magic Of An Egg

Sorry, this post is so late. We were away. Definitely more about that in a later post.

Douglas Rodriguez is the first chef out of the gate. I remember him from Patria, which is now closed. Ola, Miami is one of his restaurants. Chef Rodriguez calls his cooking “tortilla-free Latin cooking”. Others call it Nuevo Latino. Ayuda For The Arts is his charity.

Anita Lo, from Annisa in NY, has a Michelin star. “Critic” James says she works the line a lot, which will give her advantage here. She’s playing for SHARE.

John Besh is from New Orleans. He’s sweet. He’s been on Top Chef before. He has 4 or 5 restaurants with ”snazzy Cajun flair”. His charity is the Make It Right Foundation (Brad Pitt’s charity) to rebuild New Orleans.

Mark Peel of Campanile in Los Angeles started his career with Wolfgang Puck. He’s very passionate about Doctors Without Borders and that’s his charity today.

Kelly comes in and tells them the Quickfire Challenge – Create an egg dish with one hand behind their backs. The judges for this challenge are Gail Simmons, Terry Reish from Chino Valley Egg Ranch and Monica May, executive chef, The Nickel Diner. They have to put an oven glove on the hand they won’t be using. They have 25 minutes.

Douglas makes an arepa from scratch.

Wow, this is interesting. Mark Peel’s father was born with one arm and he watched him his whole life. He says if his father could do it, he knows HE can. He wants to do something out of the ordinary. He’s making a fresh duck egg pasta with a light egg olive oil cream sauce.

John Besh is working on Eggs Over Easy Topped With Asparagus.

Anita is having problems cooking one handed and cutting the tops off the shells to use a holder for her eggs. She’s making scrambled eggs with truffles and oyster sauce.

They're all having problems finishing their dishes in time.

Douglas – Open-Faced Corn Cake With Scrambled Eggs And Ham

Gail: Delicious. Monica: Nicely cooked.

Mark - Fresh Duck Egg Pasta With An Egg And Olive Oil Cream Sauce

Judge Terry wants to know how he made the noodles with one hand. Monica: The texture of the noodles is really nice. Terry thinks it’s bland, though, and so does Gail. Mark realizes at that moment that he’s forgotten the olive oil.

Anita – Soft Scrambled Egg And Shitake Mushrooms With Truffle Oil And Oyster Sauce

Gail: I think it’s beautiful. Monica: It’s lovely. Terry says it may be eaten with a small spoon, but “it’s a big taste in your mouth”.

The judges discuss the dishes further. John’s eggs never finish cooking, which results in him only having ONE partially cooked cocotte for the judges to share. Gail says that part of John’s soft cooked egg tastes like burned grease. Terry says it tastes like a fried egg and nothing more.

Results:

Mark - 2 1/2 stars

John - ½ star

Is that the first time that’s ever happened anywhere??? He’s amazed he got THAT.

Douglas - 3 stars

Anita - 5 stars

The Elimination Challenge is to create a dinner for Neil Patrick Harris at The Magic Castle in Hollywood. Douglas is excited to cook for Doogie Howser. Max Maven is introduced. He’s a magician and mentalist.

They have to create dishes which are inspired by a card that they draw from Max. Mark gets Mystery. He thinks that a dish en papillote will be a good choice. Spectacle is the card Douglas draws. He wants to cook the dishes that he’s sure will get wows. John Besh gets Surprise and is going to use the liquid nitrogen tank.

Anita gets Illusion, which she says to her means you expect one thing and get something else. She’s going to do Illusion of a scallop. She says she’s not the most theatrical usually, but this will be fun. Mark says the guys feel she’s the one to beat.

They have 250 dollars to shop.

They get to work. John is cute and talks about his military service and how it came in handy during Katrina. Doug says his main mentor was Julia Child and that he watched her instead of cartoons. He’s doing 4 different preparations of duck.

Tom shows up to give them moral support. Douglas doesn’t give him any details of his dishes because he doesn’t want to give anything away.

Tom says they can tell any story they want with food.

Mark says it’s very tense working against the clock and it reminds him of the James Bond scene with the laser going close to his…well, whatever.

Anita is nervous that Douglas is smearing Sterno all over the outside of his coconuts.

Hold on, are those last two thoughts related in any way?

Mark has never been to the Magic Castle before. I didn’t know it was a private club.

Mark is happy he gets to go first with Mystery. John says his might flop, but it won’t be boring. Anita has a problem plating her food. Douglas says he hasn’t been behind the line in 15 or 20 years, but he’s having fun. The food they’re coming up with looks amazing.

Neil comes in with his buddies. Max tells them the building was built as a private home.

The critics are there - Gael, Gail and James. No Jay?

Mark – Mystery

Isn't that the name of that the name of that weird guy who "peacocks" to get women?

Tai Snapper In Parchment With Garlic Mashed Potatoes And Leeks With Scallion Oil And Dassai Sake

Neil says it’s so delicate. They toast to the first course.

John Besh - Surprise

He asks Neil to assist him with the liquid nitrogen in making a horseradish sorbet.

Salmon Tartare With Cauliflower Blini AND Salmon Roe Salad With Horseradish And Crème Fraiche Sorbet AND Tempura Fried Lobster Wrapped In Smoked Salmon

Neil says his horseradish sorbet ended up as a cream, not completely frozen, and he wasn’t too impressed. Others loved the surprise element of the dishes. Gael liked that he was so enthusiastic about the magic part.

Anita Lo - Illusion

Braised Daikon With Kombu Caviar And Steak Tartare

Btw, are they each doing a 3 course meal? I’m a little confused. No, it seems like they’re each doing just a one off presentation of whatever their theme is, but some of them are including quite few elements in each dish. This is a heck of a lot of food.

Neil says wow to Anita’s dish. It reminds one of the guests of the sawing-the-lady-in-half trick. Max thinks she nailed the illusion part. Someone doesn’t care for the daikon. Neil says this is easily his favorite. He loves the “accoutrements”. Show off!

The chefs in the kitchen are worried about Douglas’s Sterno flamed dishes. Douglas comes out and says to Gael Greene, “How are YOU?” He tells them to be careful of the flaming coconut.

Douglas – Spectacle

Spectacle Duck Four Ways - Oyster Ceviche With Duck Broth; Empanada With Foie Gras And Figs; Duck Breast With Butternut Squash; Duck Soup With Young Coconut

There’s a plate of fire and ice. Amazing. James is worried about the flames. Max thinks it’s a very impressive spread. Neil doesn’t like it. One of the magicians says he uses a duck in his act.

The judges get to stay for a show by a magician. Eww, he pulls something furry out of his hair.

Back to the Critics Room to be judged:

John wants to surprise the guests with tastes and textures. Gael says the blini being cold was a not-nice surprise.

Gael says that Anita’s dish was like a surrealistic painting. Gail loves it and says it adds to that trick of the senses.

Douglas says he wasn’t happy with the way his coconut dish worked. Gail asks if he has ever set fire to a coconut before. He says yes. Gael says his ceviche is classic and properly tart.

Mark says he was little stumped by his word, mystery. The critics like the paper package. Gail says the sake was the crisp note that went really well with the dish.

Gael thinks John was great in that he attempted to DO magic. She likes Anita’s approach to magic. Gael thinks Mark’s dish was wonderful. James does too.

Scores

John

Diners scores - 2½

Critics – James 3, Gael 3, Gail 3

Total 12 stars

Mark

Diners 4

Critics - Gael 4½, Gail 4, James 3½

Total 18½

John is dismissed to go back to the kitchen.

Douglas

Diners 3

Critics - Gael 2½, Gail 2½, James 2 stars

Total 13 stars

I don’t get that. I thought the only thing they didn’t like was that the soup needed salt. He’s dismissed too. Mark is up against Anita.

Anita

Diners 4 ½

Critics - Gail 4½, James 4, Gael 4½

Total 22½ stars

Anita wins! Douglas gives her a big bear hug. Mark says he’s taking away great appreciation for the talent of other chefs. Anita is kinda unhappy she has to do it all again in the final round.