Fallen Fruit Jamming at LACMA

Fallen fruit, what commercial farmers can't legally sell, has been taking center stage all over the country in urban spaces and now at LACMA.  It's a whole movement and way to build bridges in communities.  Take a look at the video then check out the Fruit of LACMA:

The Fruit of LACMA, now through November 2010

"Drawing on the museum’s permanent collection, The Fruit of LACMA assembles work in several media (painting, photography, and decorative arts) to examine the haunting persistence of fruit in art. This exhibition examines the symbolic and sociological aspects of fruit in art, from religious symbolism to embedded social messages. It includes a LACMA-commissioned piece from Fallen Fruit, as well as custom-designed wall paper. Also included is Show Us How You Eat, a new participatory piece in which the public is invited to upload video of themselves eating, and Fruit Stories, an archive of personal stories gathered on the collaborative’s travels will be a sound installation inside the gallery. The website for EATLACMA will be participatory and integrated into the overall project, collecting videos, tweets, artist’s blogs and images." (Taken from Fallen Fruit's website.)

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Alli411 Hot for Hot Toddies

I had my first Hot Toddy at a restaurant a few weeks ago; I was quite impressed. Hot Toddies taste like the holidays, warm your insides, and can soothe a cold. I created my own recipe using the Hot Toddy recipe from epicurious.com as a base. I've served them a few times at holiday parties with much success. Enjoy.

Hot Toddy Recipe

4 Tablespoons Kentucky Bourbon (Or Scotch, Rum, Brandy... depending on your preference)

2 Tablespoons Honey (Bee Raw- Florida Orange Blossom)

1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice

2 Tablespoons Fresh Orange Juice

A Pinch of Cinnamon

A Pinch of Ground Cloves

1/2 Cup Hot Water

Makes 1 serving. While water is heating, line up all the mugs you wish to fill. Start by putting a pinch of cinnamon and cloves in each, then add the hot water. Squeeze lemons and oranges into the cups, add the honey. Finish with a little bourbon. Taste and adjust to ingredients to suit your taste buds.

The mug on the left (with the chip) was great for my Hot Toddy. FYI the glass on the right had a fine ginger liquor. You can imagine the headache I had the next morning from mixing my drinks...

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A Tiger Worthy of Talking About: In Beverly Hills, None the Less

Forget about Tiger Woods shenanigans for a second, and let's talk about a Tiger without any infidelities. Just before I left Los Angeles for my holiday vacay I checked out new restaurant Tiger on North Canon Drive, the Japanese kitchen in Beverly Hills, a few bocks away from Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bistro.

Tiger's location has had many past incarnations. Happy to say, none of the past remains. Tiger now has a sleek, minimalist design with a focus on top quality food and eager to please servers.

The walls and ceilings of the chic, outdoor patio are lined with long, horizontal pieces of wood, reminding me a little bit of the inside of a very large sauna, just chic and with tables. Heaters are carefully built into the ceiling, and controlled to take the chill off Beverly Hills' nippy nights, and just right for drinking chilled sake with fab sushi combos.

Steve Tisch, owner of the Giants, also enjoyed patio dining that evening. No, not with me. I'm not sure who he was dining with. Next time I'll endeavor to snap a photo for you.

No flash yields crappy photos. Oh well, at least there are a few of them.

Loved the hip Diet Coke bottles. Same great taste, just a little more stylish for the holidays.

Click on the menu to zoom. Definitely worthy of a returning in 2010 with Win.

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Tiger

338 North Canon Drive

Beverly Hills, CA 90210

(310) 274-3200

Delicious Christmas and New Year's Eve Options

My Christmas and New Year's celebrations aren't the only tickets in town. I'll be on the East Coast, far from sunny Los Angeles. No need to worry about what to do for Christmas and New Year's Eve, I've included a few fun options for celebrating these holidays in Los Angeles.

You can either dine at a restaurant or take out. Most Christmas Eve menus include 3 courses or more with options to choose from. You can also buy prepared meals from some restos and serve them like you would your own. I've arranged the list by location. After all, Los Angeles is such a big place, sometimes one's local is the starting point for planning.

Beverly Hills

Bond Street

New Year's Eve: 6 Course Tasting $85. New Chef Brian Redzikowski is simply fab. Celebration at ABH Rooftop Bar to follow.

Bond Street

9360 Wilshire Boulevard

Beverly Hills, CA 90212-3134

(310) 601-2255

www.bondstrestaurant.com

Culver City

Le Saint Amour

Christmas Dinner $45. Three Courses (highlights: Duo of Foie Gras Terrine and Creme Brulee Caramelized Granny Smith Pear and Tokai Jelly, Asparagus Risotto Truffle Espuma Green Aspararagus, Arborio Rice, Truffle Shaving, Warm Chocolate Fondant) New Year's Eve Dinner $75 (includes a glass of champagne)

Le Saint Amour

9725 Culver Boulevard

Culver City, CA 90232-2739

(310) 842-8155

www.lesaintamour.com

Beverly/Fairfax/La Brea/ Third

Grace Restaurant

Christmas Dinner $75 plus optional wine pairing for $35. As a special bonus, Neal's Dad, Emmy Award winning Musical Director Ian Fraser, will be tickling the ivories. Three Courses (highlights: Prime Rib of Beef, Yorkshire pudding, Frozen Banana Parfait with dipping chocolate, peanut butter cookie crumble).

New Year's Eve $80 per person with an optional wine pairing for $40 or premium wine pairing for $80

Grace Restaurant

7360 Beverly Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90036

Phone: (323) 934-4400

www.gracerestaurant.com

Downtown Los Angeles

Casa Cocina y Cantina

New Year's Eve: (4-10 pm) 3 Course $35/ 2 Course $15; Night party package $25 10-1:30 am Reservations must be made by December 24

Casa Cocina y Cantina

1535 Vine Street

Los Angeles, CA 90028-7304

(323) 462-2155

http://www.casadowntown.com/

Hollywood

The Foundry on Melrose

Christmas Eve $39 A Greenspan Family tradition Chinese Food served family style with a movie screened in the patio. 8:45 Princess Bride/ 11:00 The Big Lebowski New Year's Eve $35 Lounge Cocktail Party (10 pm -2 ish) All you can eat passed hors d'oeurvres, complimentary champagne toast at midnight, live jazz all night.

The Foundry on Melrose

7465 Melrose Ave

Los Angeles, CA 90046

(323) 651-0915

www.thefoundryonmelrose.com

The Hungry Cat

New Year's Eve: A Spanish-influenced multi-course feast, open bar featuring Spanish wines, Hungry Cat cocktails, beer $135

The Hungry Cat

1535 Vine Street

Los Angeles, CA 90028-7304

(323) 462-2155

www.thehungrycat.com

Santa Monica

Stefan's at L.A. Farm

New Year's Eve: First seating starts at 5pm, 4-course dinner $55. Second seating starts at 8pm, 5-course dinner w. glass of Champagne $65. Live entertainment starts at 11pm.

Stephan's at L.A. Farm

3000 Olympic Boulevard

Santa Monica, CA 90404-5073

(310) 449-4000

www.stefansatlafarm.com

West Hollywood

Sona Restaurant

New Year's Eve: 6pm or 6:30pm seating: 4 course tasting $125/Wine Pairing $45/Premium Wine Pairing $75 9pm or 9:30pm seating: 6 course tasting $155/Wine Pairings $75/Premium Wine Pairings $115 Live Jazz Band. Champagne toast at Midnight

Sona Restaurant

401 N. La Cienega Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90048

(310) 659-7708

www.sonarestaurant.com

Take Out

Le Saint Amour: Love their Moroccan Merguez sausage, or choose from 11 other varieties from $5-8 a lb. There's also Foie Gras, Terrines and Chocolate Truffles.

Le Saint Amour

9725 Culver Boulevard

Culver City, CA 90232-2739

(310) 842-8155

www.lesaintamour.com

Kiss My Bundt Bakery: Mini $2.50, Baby $4.50 or Big Ol' Budnts $32 make great take out. My faves: Pumpkin and Chocolate Banana. Can't wait to try the Maple Bacon.

Kiss My Bundt Bakery

8104 West 3rd Street (@Crescent Heights Blvd.)/ Valet parking in back

Los Angeles, CA 90048

(323) 655-0559

Honey Baked Ham: For under $100 you can feed an army. Multiple locations. They even ship.

http://www.honeybaked.com

866-492-HAMS

Larchmont Larder: A huge menu to choose from.

Larchmont Larder

626 No. Larchmont Boulevard

Los Angeles, CA 90004

(323) 962-9900

www.larchmontlarder.com

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Breakfast At 35,000 Feet: Blogging in the Air on Virgin America

Free wifi on the plane means Alli411 is reviewing her first airplane meal live from the air. Add to that that I'm writing this from my iPhone with the Blogpress application. I feel so high tech.

Ooh la la first class breakfast on Virgin America is pretty impressive. The spinach omelet was perfectly balanced in flavor with Feta cheese and many slices of thin, green onions were a welcome surprise. Paired with what they called a Brioche, more like French Toast, quite tasty. A thin slice of pancetta, rounded the whole meal out. The fruit compote (berries, figs and watermelon) with cream fraiche on top was a great ending. They should have stopped there. The muffin that also came with it, looked more like a brick, and tasted like the food I normally associate with airplane grub.

Cutest detail: the salt and pepper shaker looks like a mini airplane with a propeller, a souvenir.

Just for fun I snapped a photo of one of the crew working hard. I wish she would help control the screaming baby.

We land in an hour, time for a fruit and cheese plate. Not bad at all. That weird looking cheese is Pesto cheese, a new one for me, fresh tasting. Now to finish the cheese plate. Bon Appetit.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

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Location:Jeffries Point / Airport,United States

Alli411 Holiday Gift Guide

The holiday season is certainly upon us; there's two more days left of Hanukkah and 8 days until Christmas. Alli411 has compiled the ultimate gift giving guide for foodies and non foodies, great products that are tried and tested, to fit all budgets, and all seasons. Give one or group them together. These gifts also make great hostess gifts too. Enjoy.

Chili Addiction Mustards $5 each

There's are different flavors to choose from: Bavarian, Hot & Sweet, Dijon and Mellow Yellow. Buy one or all 4 as a gift pack. Mellow Yellow is by far my fave. It taste like caviar mustard.

Morning Glory Confections Peanut Brittle $5 or $10 depending on weight

Morning Glory Confections artisan peanut brittle come in two ($5) and five ($10) ounce packages. Get the tasty peanut brittle at The Mercantile, Joan's On Third, or on their website is sometimes more reasonable. There are many delish flavors. My faves are:

The Fleur de Sel & Peanut Brittle: The name says it all. Salty sweet notes of classic peanut brittle are elevated to the sublime with the finest French sea salt.

The Chai Tea & Cashew Brittle: It taste like the holidays. Warm complex flavors of chai tea are combined with buttery cashews for the experience that evokes the coziness of winter nights.

Mighty Leaf Organic African Nectar $9.95

I've been drinking Rooibos tea for years. It's high in anti-oxidents, has no caffeine yet tastes strong enough so you feel something might be happening. My guests always are wowed when I serve Mighty Leaf's Organic African Nectar after a meal. The rooibos with a tropical fruit and blossoms is a real treat.

Savannah Bee Company Raw Tupelo Honey $24

Bring a bottle of this honey instead of a bottle of wine and the recipient will be able to savor it for many weeks to come. One of the rarest types of honey, Tupelo honey has flavors of melon, creme brulee, butter and dried pear packed into one beautiful bottle. Great with tea, on toast, or even to add a little sweetness on its own.

James Beard Foundation Friend Membership $29

"The James Beard Foundation is the single most important culinary organization in America" -- Daniel Boulud. The James Beard Foundation Friend Membership includes:

JBF Notes: a members only newsletter with behind-the-scenes insights, interviews with chefs, recipes

Beard Bites: A biweekly newsletter with events, restaurant news, recipes

JBF Online: Access to members only section of the website

$50 Coupon on first culinary experience at the historic James Beard House in New York City

Andrew's Cheese of The Month Club $40

Get Andrew Steiner's expert advice and passion for cheese delivered every month or whatever frequency you choose. For $40 you get a selection of three cheeses and a bunch of informations about the cheeses delivered to your home or office every month. If you live near the store they will deliver it for an additional $5. Out of town is about $25 extra because they ship next day air (or else it would be cheese soup of the month).

Andrew is one of LA's cheese authorities (find his cheese in many restaurants Sona, Rustic Canyon, Huckleberry..). He's also a really nice guy. You can go into the shop for samples or call in your order. He introduced my husband and me to one of our favorite cheeses, Monte Enebro, an award-winning, handmade goat cheese from Spain. A trip to his shop is a treat.

Cinemin $299

Cinemin sounds like a food, yet it is really a small miracle. Cinemin Swivel by WowWee , about the size of 3 iPhones, is a multimedia projector that hooks up to a device (iPhone, iPod, laptop, computer, TV, etc) in a few seconds. Cinemin (OK, I love the name too) allows you to project video or photos onto just about any surface. It's great for travel, work, I even use it instead of a television in my bedroom. I'm thinking a foodie would love to project cooking shows with little Cinemin in the kitchen. Tons of fun!

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The Merry Mercantile in Hollywood

The Mercantile on Sunset in Hollywood is the type of restaurant that feels like it's been there for years.

The staff is friendly and easily engage in conversation with customers. What's more, they also talk amongst themselves, as if they actually like working together (surprisingly, a rarity these days).

The Mercantile has a casual vibe, with decor to match. Every thing's not in pristine order. Thankfully. On the contrary, it feels lived in (already), functional, real. Take the deli case, for example, piled high with cheeses, no fancy stylist put it together.

Not that I have anything against pristine gourmet markets, "in" for the past few years. The Mercantile is doing it a little bit different though. It feels like a neighborhood hangout with top quality eats, to take out or eat in, including shelves of gourmet grub to stock the cupboards for a rainy day.

There's zero pretention at The Mercantile. .. what a relief.

And a passion for good food. I had the Soup of the Day, a Cranberry bean, chunky croutons, cheese and a bitter green, kale perhaps. The white blob you see in the bowl is a poached egg.

The Mercantile's soup warmed me up; perfectly satisfying on a cold day. For dessert I bought some Morning Glory Confections, Chai Tea & Cashew Artisan Brittle. I savored it for the rest of the day. Ahh... satisfaction.

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The Mercantile

6600 Sunset Blvd.

Hollywood, CA 90028

(323) 962-8202

Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year's Latkes

Latkes are downright delicious and comforting; they put hash browns to shame. Every December Robin and I have a tradition of making potato pancakes. Robin is my oldest friend, our moms know each other since high school, so I know her my whole life. Typically we make them at her house (or sometimes at her kids' school). She shreds the potatoes; I mix and fry them up.

I don't mind standing in front of the stove, frying the potato pancakes. On the contrary, I savor the experience just as much as I enjoy devouring the latkes, dipped in a little sour cream and applesauce, pure heaven. Our annual tradition reminds me of my grandmother, who used to make them for me as a special treat when I was a kid. Good Times.

This year Robin's house is under construction so Robin and her family came to our house for a little advance, holiday celebration. I did all of the cooking this time, and Win took over Robin's job with the prepping. I made a couple of batches of potato pancakes and took some to a Christmas ornament decorating party where they paired perfectly with the rest of our meal: New York steaks, roasted squash and brussel sprouts. Allegra, upon hearing about the latke celebrations, now wants to make them for our New Year's Eve dinner. Gladly.

Latke Recipe

4 Russet potatoes

1 large onion

1 tablespoon lemon juice

4 eggs

3 tablespoons flour pinch baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

freshly ground pepper

canola oil

Grate potatoes using the food processor or fine shredder. Immediately transfer to large bowl, and add onion, lemon juice, eggs, flour, baking soda, salt and pepper to taste- Mix well.

Heat oil over medium heat. Spoon batter into hot oil with a large spoon, and flatten latkes with back of spoon. Cook on 1 side until just golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes, then tum and cook other side. Turn once only. Drain well on paper towels and serve.

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I Dream of Tini: Rhode Island Bites

On this early morning I'm thinking about some of my favorite bites I had this summer at Tini in Rhode Island. Like its name implies,Tini is a teeny, tiny restaurant with seating for 19 people. Tini in Providence, Rhode Island serves miniature food (not tapas), so cute with big taste (a la George and Johanne of delish resto Al Forno) . With so many actors that eat like birds here in California, you'd think Tini originated in Hollywood.

The Tini Weenie... a miniature, homemade dog.

With a huge serving fries.

Steak Tartare.

The little details are so much fun. "Lost time is never found." So true.

Big screen menu.

All the fun little details are hidden outside.

Good 'ole Rhode Island architecture across the street.

Tini

200 Washington St
Providence, RI 02903

(401) 383-2400

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Fish Shack Bling: BP Oysterette in Santa Monica

BP Oysterette on Ocean Ave in Santa Monica reminds me of the fish shacks I love in New England,a few notches more upscale with valet parking. Since BP Oysterette doesn't take resos, call ahead and see what the wait is like before you go. That's what I did, on and off for a couple of weeks. I called to see if there was a wait and finally went only when it was empty (I refuse to wait in line).

The bar is the place to sit, even better when sipping Watermelon Sake. You can see all of the action happening there, and by that I mean food action (thankfully no cheesy bar scene at BP Oysterette).

BP Oysterette got packed pretty quick.

Today's Ceviche tasted better than the presentation.

Grilled Artichoke with Old Bay Aioli looked better than it tasted.

Linguini with Clams, whole, fat littlenecks in a red sauce. Hit the spot.

So much to choose from. Next time I'm doing it up with oysters and a Lobster Roll.

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BP Oysterette

1355 Ocean Ave
Santa Monica, CA 90401

(310) 576-3474