Victoria Recano, James Lukanik, & Sophie Gayot  At Beso in Los Angeles with Sophie Gayot and Todd English

Dining on the Inside 

Several months ago I joined my very good friend and former general manager of Le’Orangerie (sigh), James Lukanik, for dinner at The Boulevard in the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. It’s one of my favorite spots for lunch, dinner, snacks, cocktails… you name it! But that night, James introduced me to someone that has changed the way I approach and appreciate a meal.   

A tall blonde with a charming French accent, Sophie Gayot of Gayot.com,  sat down across from me at the table in the window of the lobby restaurant. We hit it off instantly and now I am becoming accustomed to a new way of dining out -as the guest of one of the world’s top food critics. Dinner along-side the woman whose opinion will be known by millions of people around the world, has been an eye-opening experience.  It is amazing to share my passion for food and indulgence of dining out with an expert. Who better to compare notes with!?

See below for a few of our recent dinner destinations and then check out Sophie’s reviews at http://www.gayot.com/…

BLT Steak (Los Angeles): Personally, I like the one in New York better but I loved their warm   donuts! They were perfectly coated with a light dusting of cinnamon and sugar.  Too bad Sophie doesn’t like cinnamon…more for me!!

Raw (Santa Monica): Not my first choice to dine, since there are no meat or milk products on the menu.  There is only so much you can do with nuts and tofu…    Sometimes you just need a good steak!   

Akasha (Culver City): Atmosphere was fun and funky-good place to grab a drink. The Akasha Cocktail was my favorite- a refreshing combination of vodka, cucumber and lime.   The dessert was confusing though.  Why would you match a flourless chocolate nut torte, which was pleasingly rich and crunchy with a soy-based ”ice cream“- What’s the point?  You cannot make ice cream without cream.  

Beso (Los Angeles): I had a great time hanging out with head chef and owner, Todd English. The watermelon margaritas are delicious and are a perfectly potent blend of tequila and fresh watermelon juice. The soft-shell crab tacos and the juicy, tender steaks were amazing and then there was the gooey, rich chocolate soufflé that would satisfy any sweet tooth!

Le Cirque (New York City): I talk for a living and even I was speechless during our multi-course dinner! The fois gras ravioli is heaven in your mouth and the pork, lamb, and duck were difficult to choose between. To top it off, Christophe generously sent over every dessert, which easily disappeared even after a seven course feast!  And when my friends showed up late to join us, Christophe kept the kitchen open just a little longer for us to sample some goodies off the bar menu.  We had juicy sliders, crispy shrimp tempura and onion soup smothered in bubbling gruyere.  It was the encore after giving the dinner a standing ovation!   

                                                           ~*~

Keep checking back for an updated list of hot spots we have hit in your area!

~The 26^th Annual Food and Wine Magazine Classic in Aspen, CO was a weekend revolving around three of my favorite things; delicious food, great wine, and good company. Who could ask for better company than culinary and wine experts like Jose Andres,Bobby Flay, Danny Meyer, Michelle Bernstein, Masaharu Morimoto, Jacques Pepin-(just to name a few)?! The weekend was comprised of over 95 cooking and wine seminars, a Grand tasting Pavilion that held over 50,000 bottles of wine, the 2008 F&W Best New Chef’s Dinner, and of course, the Classic Cook-Off.~

Nine-thousand feet above sea level, armored in aprons, two teams stepped up to the cutting board ready for battle. In what has become an annual tradition, the Classic Cook-Off is a culinary showdown where two chef’s skills and creativity are put to the test in a race against each other and the clock.

 I was lucky to team up with the winner of Top Chef’s third season, Hung Hseih, to act as his sous chef for the cook-off. Our competitors were none other than world famous chef Jacque Pepin and his sous chef Jean Claude. There was a 20 minute time limit on the culinary combat as both teams created their dishes. Among other things, Hung and I made seared salmon topped with sautéed artichokes and Jacque cranked out three dishes including gravlox and roasted salmon with a raspberry soufflé for dessert!

 In the end, it was Jacque Pepin’s team who took the title, but it was a lot of fun to meet and cook with both of these amazing and very talented chefs. I was also excited to try Jacque’s wasabi cocktail, which turned out to be sweet, spicy, and surprisingly delicious.

 You know what they say- It’s not who wins the battle…it’s what they serve afterwards!!!

 For more on the event check out:

http://www.foodandwine.com/ext/classic/press_room.html