Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed from Le Cordon Bleu
Why the old English wedding adage to frame this piece? My dear parents will celebrate their 54th wedding anniversary mid-month, but to all those who have found wedded bliss in the month of October, I raise a glass to you (a Founding Father, no less). Cheers! Here are three eclectic local restaurants worthy of celebrating a meaningful anniversary.
To celebrate La Brea Bakery’s take-and-bake options being offered in Target stores nationwide – more than 1,000 locations – founder Nancy Silverton hosted a small group of guests at her beloved Hancock Park establishment, Osteria Mozza. The Michelin-starred restaurant has been delighting diners for 17 years, an eternity by industry standards. La Brea Bakery was established in the late 1980s and uses the same sourdough starter that Silverton developed after, as she tells it, tasting a bread in Berkeley that was of the sort she wanted to create here in L.A.
To be clear, these are the “something old” from my introductory adage. I would never use such language to describe the woman who ostensibly imbibes daily from the elusive Fountain of Youth, the aforementioned Nancy Silverton. I might’ve said, there must be something in that bread, it’s the same recipe as ever, with ingredients sourced and milled locally.
So, how to pay homage to the bread that started it all, and which is now available as a staple in virtually every home? With a bread-centric menu, of course. Indeed, every one of the four courses served in the private banquet room was created from La Brea Bakery loaves, beginning with a a panzanella crostini that Silverton says she enjoys at her home in a small Italian village.
The second course, pici pan cotto, featured the bakery’s wheat loaf. It was followed by a chicken dish with Swiss chard and a leek bread pudding featuring an Italian round, which absorbed the juices like a sponge. And to top it all off, a magnificent country white sourdough bread pudding topped with a fior di latte gelato with a caramel swirl. If it were on the regular menu, I’d be back there tonight for more.
And for something new, how about Barcelona-meets-Brentwood? Telefèric is a creative Spanish tapas restaurant in the former Vicente space, next door to Jon & Vinny’s. Authenticity fills the air here, from the open kitchen to the art and decor to the ingredients and culminating in a wine list that is a tour through the Spanish wine regions.
There is a certain order in which to enjoy this well-designed menu. It begins with the Iberian Oyster, a fresh-caught oyster with gazpacho and Iberian ham. Of course, the Spanish are renowned for that ham, and true to form, there’s a course that features the acorn-fed ham that’s been aged for over three years and served paper-thin. Of course, the country’s most iconic dish is paella, and the restaurant provides a creative selection, including a succulent Maine lobster variety featuring Gulf shrimp and octopus.
But the Spanish tradition marries perfectly with modern California cuisine as evidenced by the tuna tacos, for example, featuring slightly spicy marinated ahi tuna and mashed avocado served in a crispy wonton shell. Or consider the crab croquetas topped with tuna sashimi and spicy aioli.
But I’d be remiss if I did not also highlight Telefèric’s innovative cocktails. Unfortunately, my doctor and my liver won’t allow me to sample more than a few, but what a trio I have to discuss, beginning with the Liquid Silk. I love milk punch, and this one is gorgeous and viscous, concocted from a 1796 Santa Teresa rum and aromatically nuanced with pineapple, coconut, curry and kaffir milk, bitters and lime.
For something floral, the Dragon Rose is a sherry-forward, rose-scented libation served in a stemmed rose glass. And there’s Bryan’s Legacy, a smoky blend of big flavors: Scotch, 10-year Torres brandy, Drambuie, PX sherry, bitters and, of course, smoke. It’s a campfire in a glass.
And based on its success, the restaurant recently opened another L.A. County location, this one in Long Beach.
Something borrowed….
What strikes one first upon entering Lumiére is the understated beauty. The L.A. scene is replete with the gaudy and gauche, dining rooms that resemble film sets rather than authentic spaces. The decor at the Fairmont Century Plaza’s showcase restaurant/bar is visceral because it’s genuine. GM Danny Hartaz explains that the designer sought inspiration in France, but to such an extent as to return with a cargo plane stuffed with delightful relics. Among these treasures are church steeples, which provide a Francophilic ambience on a gardenesque patio hidden beneath the Century City skyline.
My stated purpose in visiting the luxurious hot spot was to sample a couple of cocktails designed around the return of “Hamilton” to the Pantages Theater, where the famed musical will run through Oct. 13. And to pay homage, Lumiére has crafted The Founding Father – “a bold and flavorful tribute to the spirit of revolution.” There’s a reason they threw tea into Boston Harbor. The cocktail is a decadent blend of St. Elizabeth Dram, with splashes of Tres Generaciones Reposado, agave, lemon and apple cider and garnished with a sliver of cinnamon stick. It’s shaken and served in a coupe glass.
Or, if you want to make sure you’re wide awake during the final act, consider the Hamilton Reviver. One wonders if a glass of which might have helped after that whole dueling incident with Burr. The cocktail comes alive with full ounces each of Roku gin, Campari and Antica, along with a half-ounce of espresso. It’s stirred and poured over a larged rock, and garnished with a trio of espresso beans.
Guests can bring in their Hamilton ticket stubs and enjoy either cocktail for a mere $10. That’s like Revolution-era happy hour prices.
Of course, you’re going to want a few bites to handle these powerful concoctions. And to that end, Mr. Hartaz provided some Lumiére one-of-a-kinds, including chicken liver mousse served on toasted country loaf with an olive oil jam; or the steak tartare prepared with cured egg yolk, shallot, capers, parsley and Dijon mustard, and accompanied by a grilled rustic loaf.
But then, what better way to cap off a night (is “cap off” appropriate given the way Hamilton goes out? Too soon?) than dessert, and what better dessert than creme brûlée? The silky decadence of the custard is surpassed, if at all, only by the warmth of the hospitality you’ll discover at Lumiére.
October Surprise! A Trio of Shockingly Good Restaurants to Experience This Fall
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