Last minute Halloween ideas

Lamill Coffee is hosting a Mad-hatter tea party with an array of tea and nibbles, along with the other Silver Lake Blvd. merchants providing treats.

There's special Halloween cocktails and more scary treats at 8oz Burger Bar, 7661 Melrose, from 9:30 to 2, 21 and over only...perfect for post-West Hollywood scene drinking and eating.

And if by chance you find yourself in Hollywood, Ivan Kane's Cafe Was, 1521 N. Vine, 323-466-5400 has a prix-fixe menu for $49 featuring Bloody Mary gazpacho and Red Velvet Molten Cake with Valrhona chocolate, marshmallow and candied fresh corn, paired with absinthe. That ought to go down well after a handful of fun-sized Snickers!

Are you sure you want to eat that candy? Author Denise Hamilton ponders whether possibly-tainted candy is too scary even for Halloween.

Delicious brittle that's not political

My last post about Morning Glory Confections might have gotten buried in news of the Barack bake sale, so now that I've tasted all the flavors I'm coming back to the brittle. I think we're all pretty much over cupcakes and frozen yogurt, and creampuffs never really floated my boat, but boy, this brittle is good.
And if there's one thing I know about, it's brittle -- my family founded Pease's Candy in Illinois, which used to specialize in peanut brittle (pictured at right).
Morning Glory's Max Lesser, an Echo Park resident and new dad who was formerly a private chef, has come up with several flavors full of savory spices that take brittle to a whole new level. The only one not pictured above is the peanut/fleur de sel -- it's the closest to a traditional peanut brittle, and I gobbled it up so fast I didn't have time to photograph it.
Here's the flavor rundown:
Fleur de sel and peanut: This hint of salt was just what old-fashioned brittle needed to put it over the top, in a good way.
Chai tea and cashew: Nice hint of chai flavor, and cashews make a good brittle.
Coffee nib, cocoa bean, pecan: A little gritty but the deep flavor and slight caffeine kick really grows on you.
New Mexico chili and pumpkin seed: A spicy finish makes this one fun to eat.
Indian curry/pistachio: I like curry, but this one might have been a little heavy on the cumin or something -- good but not my favorite.
Morning Glory Brittle is available at:
Big Sugar Bakeshop - Studio City
Belwood Bakery - Brentwood
Lark Cake Shop - Silver Lake
Susina Bakery and Cafe - L.A.

Around the blogs: Kokomo in Silver Lake, 15 to re-open

Food GPS has the news that the long-abandoned Eatwell space will re-open as Kokomo, just as the Eatwell on Beverly did a few months ago. Kokomo has really managed to hang on in a tough market for restaurants -- back in the early '90s it was so cool that some people thought there was too much attitude to eat there. Here's hoping the Silver Lake location comes with no attitude and the salmon nicoise salad I used to love.

And TheEastsiderLA talks to the new owners of 15, who were planning to rename the space Allston Yacht Club, but have had to take over so quickly that for now they're leaving the name 15. They're aiming for "a cross between a wine bar and a small plate bistro," which sounds about right for these times, but I'm not sure about the Yacht Club part. How about Echo Park Paddle-Boat Club?

Finally, I'm going to let Mike at Franklin Ave. describe last night's tasting at Bar Celona in Pasadena, because I'm on deadline. But I'd have to disagree about the fried anchovies , I could eat of barrel of those puppies (Mike's photo at left). Chef Josef Centeno, who redid the "Spanish-inspired" tapas menu, says he'll check back in from time to time to make sure the restaurant is carrying out his advice. We also liked the ceviche in a fruity tomato sauce with basil.

Most excellent beer at the Figueroa 7-Eleven

Thank you, manager Charles Chinea, for stocking some of the greatest beer at this unassuming 7-Eleven at Ave. 52 and Figueroa in Highland Park. It's known as the Rock and Roll 7-Eleven since they often play punk rock, cult movie soundtracks or classic rock, although I didn't notice, I was so busy trying to decide what to get. I ended up with an Alesmith Yulesmith Holiday Ale and a bottle of Russian River Brewing Blind Pig IPA. This has instantly become my new favorite beer -- It's bitter, but not overpoweringly so, with a crisp, clean character, so you don't feel like you've just eaten a loaf of bread like with some craft brews. The alcohol content is around 6%, so it won't totally overpower you. And the flavor is just incredibly well-balanced. Here's some more photos of the well-edited selection of Belgian ales, British beers, California craftbrews and much more on the Hair of the Dog blog. Here's another report on the store and the awesome Charles, who wasn't around when I was there, on the Hot Knives guys site.

Are you voting Yes on Prop. 2?

It took today's New York Times Magazine article The Barnyard Strategist to get me to finish reading up on Prop. 2, which would eliminate battery cages for hens and give chickens and other animals room to stand up and turn around in their cages. At first I was undecided, since if this proposition passes, it will cause the price of a dozen eggs to increase from 12 to 24 cents and be costly for California egg producers to implement. But after reading this article, and seeing that everyone from Wolfgang Puck to the United Farm Workers supports this ballot measure, I'm pretty sure I'll vote yes. It's not a panacea -- the chickens still won't really be free-range, and consumers may well decide to buy lower cost eggs from out of state if prices go up. I'd prefer if the free market could persuade farmers to do the right thing, but Americans are pretty used to paying rock bottom prices and not worrying about where their cheap eggs, cheap beef or cheap t-shirts are coming from or what the conditions are like where they are made, so perhaps the government needs to step in. What do you think?

Next week: Tuscany wines and Giada De Laurentiis

Sadly, not at the same time, though.

Monday, Oct. 27, at 55 Degrees Wine: Taste 11 Tuscan wines for $29, from 6:30-9:30.

Tuesday, Oct. 28: Hear TV chef Giada de Laurentiis at the Paley Center for Media, see a preview of her new show and get her new cookbook signed.

The weekend in L.A. food

If you're up early on Saturday, find out where the heck Maywood is with the L.A. County Bicycle Coalition's Mexican popsicle bike tour, described in detail on KCRW's Good Food blog.

Saturday is also the last day to suggest Flavors for Change at Scoops ice cream. Get your selections in now (at the link above), and next week go back to sample the selected flavors. Some of the suggestions include Beer 'n Twinkies, Pork and Prunes and "Yes, Pecan!"

Sunday's 3:00 tasting at Silver Lake Wine includes Argentinian chicken and beef barbecue, along with a Malbec, of course, and three other wines. $20, you must make a rez at 323-662-9024.

Also on Sunday, Los Angeles Magazine's Food Event in Malibu benefits The Los Angeles Regional Foodbank and the Concern Foundation. Restaurants repped at the tasting and wine event include Foundry, Dakota, Rustic Canyon and Saddle Peak Lodge. 1-5 pm. $60.

Top Island: land of dim sum plenty

I haven't been to dim sum with carts in quite a long time, but some old friends I hadn't seen for a long time suggested Top Island Seafood in Alhambra, so I was game to try it. It wasn't too crowded yet at 10 am on Saturday, and we were quickly seated in a massive room in a large strip mall. The carts started coming fast and furious. We were craving the real old-style dim sum -- giant fluffy char siu bao, fried taro, delicate har gow. The steamed char siu bao never did show up, but we tried lots of things that were different from what I'm used to at Sea Harbour and King Hua. The only problem was that we had no idea what they were called or what was in them, but no matter, most tasted pretty good, if not quite up to the level of the more gourmet places. Small wrapped dumplings (above right) married chopped green veggies with perhaps shrimp or pork; hard to tell, but at least we were getting our greens. We motioned toward the beef noodle plate, only to be given a large rice noodle encasing what seemed to be, according to commenter H.C, a deep-fried Chinese doughnut (bottom right) -- that was different! My favorite taro dumplings appeared, in a decent rendition (left). But I had forgotten how hard it is to get yum cha that's still hot off the carts, and most of them suffered by cooling off too much turning a bit greasy in the process. We also tried green pepper stuffed with shrimp, fried shrimp dumplings, fried shrimp balls on sticks with mayo, baked char siu bao, and a dessert-like bao filled with coconut cream that Mo likened to raw cake batter (pictured behind the taro). Prices are low and it was jammed by the time we left, so apparently it's a very popular place. I'm glad I got to try several different kinds of dim sum, but I'd have to say, Top Island is more of a price and variety place than a top quality dim summery.
Top Island
740 E. Valley Blvd.
Alhambra

Josef Centeno resurfaces at Pasadena's Bar Celona

After the debacle that was Lot 1 in Echo Park, which is regrouping with a less gourmet, less expensive menu, Josef Centeno has revamped the menu at Bar Celona in Old Town Pasadena, helping the tapas spot return to its Spanish roots. I'm going to a tasting next week, and I'm looking forward to trying dishes like crispy eggplant with honey and spiced yogurt; Spanish flatbreads with Romesco, pine nuts, manchego, grilled apple and arugula and main dishes like roast duck breast with beluga lentils, anise spiced pear and sweet-sour strawberries and Tasmanian ocean trout with lima beans and gooseberries. Not to mention the bitter chocolate mousse with Spanish sea salt and olive oil. Bar Celona is also open for lunch and has a full bar and new cocktails.

Moles La Tia: A rainbow of tastes in Boyle Heights

many many moles
The foodies are beating a path to Moles La Tia in Boyle Heights to try their dozens of unusually-flavored moles, and when I saw they had hibiscus and tamarindo moles, I had to try it, since those are some of my favorite flavors. With Josh of Food GPS, Matt of Mattatouille, Tara and John and assorted friends and family, there were enough of us to sample quite a few varieties. We started with samples of half a dozen moles to help us decide, served with handmade tortillas. Apparently the owners of Moles La Tia are the same as the late and lamented Gallo's Grill, and I remember the rustic flavor of the corn tortillas. We particularly liked the pistachio, the poblano, and the tamarindo -- only the white mole, which was a little too reminiscent of horchata, seemed like a non-starter. The entrees came with bowls of creamy, herb-inflected chayote soup with croutons, and then they brought over a special Day of the Dead chicken mole sandwich for us to try. My large grilled shrimp swam in a pool of coffee mole sauce which was nicely rounded, with just a hint of cinnamon and not too much sweetness. The other diners tried tequila lime mole, pistachio mole with salmon, scallops in coffee mole and a two-toned poblano combo. We sampled three different flans for dessert -- chile chocolate, coffee and coconut. Modest but charming, Moles La Tia is the type of charming spot with imaginative food that Boyle Heights should be very happy to have.
Moles La Tia
4619 East Cesar Chavez Ave.
323-263-7842

Hatfield's, Sushi Zo join Michelin one stars

The Michelin Guide for L.A. restaurants comes out today, and alas we have no time to attend the announcement luncheon.


A few observations:

• - No three star restaurant, sorry L.A. Las Vegas, however, has a three-star with Joel Robuchon.


• - Just four two star restaurants: Providence, Melisse, Urusawa, Spago.


• - New to the one-star category are Sushi Zo, Bastide, Hatfield's, Gordon Ramsey and Osteria Mozza.


• Some curious and/or interesting Bib Gourmand choices for value-priced meals include Babita, Cru, Elite, Triumphal Palace and Lu Din Gee.

Last year, the Guide seemed fairly uninterested in the Internet; this year, they've launched a website with community features like having readers rate restaurants and win trips. Is the Michelin Guide something you might be interested in, or is it strictly for tourists?

Morning Glory brittle: here's to a sweet election

The best thing about bake sales, besides donating to a cause you believe in, is getting to taste homey handmade baked goods -- some of which are now available commercially. At last week's fundraiser, we tasted fudge from Ellelle, available at Little Flower Candy. Then last night we tried brittle with distinctive flavorings from Morning Glory Confections. Morning Glory brittle is an adult-oriented crunchy confection flavored with cocoa nibs, coffee, pecan, chai and curry, made by former private chef Max Lesser, whose wife Susan blogs at Silver Lake Blvd. and the more baby-focused Reservation for Three.The brittle will soon be available at local spots like Lark Cakes and Fix Coffee.

Yuca's donates to Obama tonight

Stop by Yuca's tonight before the Obamathan bake sale at Fresh-Pressed, and Yuca's on Hollywood will donate 20% to the Obama campaign. Cochinita pibil for the change!
Yuca’s on Hollywood event from 5 - 9 PM
4666 Hollywood Blvd.
Fresh Pressed event from 6 –11 PM

Nachos popularizer dies: RIP Carmen Rocha

If Carmen Rocha hadn't started making nachos at El Cholo during the 1960s, where would we be now? Possibly nacho-less... Waitress Carmen Rocha, who brought the San Antonio specialty to L.A. Rocha, died Oct. 9 in L.A., according to the L.A . Times obit.

Steven Arroyo change it up: 750 ml closes, Malo sells

Restaurateur Steven Arroyo, who just opened Church and State downtown, is changing around other pieces of his moderately-priced, festive-atmosphere style empire. We'll let the other blogs describe the changes:
Over at EaterLA, it appears 750 ml, which was loved by some and emphatically disliked by others, will turn into some sort of upscale pizza place. That seems to fit the neighborhood better, as there are already several other pricier bistros nearby, and few moderate places.
At Food GPS is news that Arroyo has sold his stake in Malo to his other two partners and is casting about to open another Mexican restaurant.
Also, there's a feature on Church & State over at the Downtown News. It's not really a review, with only one paragraph about the food, but also talks about Arroyo's vision for the space and his restaurant history. Anyone tried it yet?

Silver Lake Wine adds jumbo tasting events

Don't worry, he was loved before we ate him.

Not to be outdone by Bizarre Foods, I too have eaten not just ham with the black foot still attached (at Bar Pinxto), but baby suckling pig as well in the last week. Silver Lake Wine, which offers light meals from various restaurants and caterers at its Sunday afternoon tastings, has decided to do bigger meals once in a while for up to 90 people. We checked out the tasting catered by Matthew Poley's Heirloom LA Catering last Sunday, and it was a terrific deal for five wines and five courses. Starting with steak tartare and tuna tartare toasts paired with Domaine Allimant Brut sparkling white Pinot Noir, we moved on to a garlicky panzanella salad with heirloom tomatoes, rich squash lasagna with brown butter sauce and small but tender pieces of the precious little piglet accompanied with fresh cranberry beans. We were lucky to taste three desserts: polenta cake with carmelized peaches, mascarpone with fresh berries and triple chocolate cookies. My favorite wine was the dessert pairing of Sori' Gramella Moscato d'Asti 2007, just $12 a bottle, which was lightly fizzy with just enough sweetness to not overpower the rich food. Sign up for Silver Lake Wine's mailing list and don't miss the next jumbo tasting event, if it's going to be anything like this one.

Bizarre Foods features L.A. bloggers

Scorpions on toast at Typhoon on Bizarre Foods

People seem to have an inexhaustible fascination with creepy, crawly, yucky foods that gross everyone out. Tonight at 8:00 on the Travel Channel, Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern comes to L.A. and features Eddie Lin of Deep End Dining and the Teenage Glutster. The rooster testicles and cockscomb at Chinois certainly sound adventurous, although I didn't realize deep-fried piglet at Ford's Filling Station was considered bizarre!

Psst, wanna buy a burger landmark or a vegan restaurant?

If you're brave enough to contemplate getting into the ground floor of the Silver Lake restaurant business, you can now take your chances with the former Jay's Jayburgers, recently Sean's Burgers. From Craigslist via Lottaliving. What would you do? Gourmet fast food burgers?

Or if that's too meaty, how about the Vegan Spot on Sunset, home of the vegan Twinkie, which has been open only five months? The Vegan Spot has some fun vegan dishes but could maybe use a little fine-tuning in the design, decor and management. Here's the Craigslist ad via vegan/beer blog Quarrygirl.

Adria in L.A.: The closest I'm getting to elBulli for a while

Chef Ferran Adria flanked by his translator and chef Jose Andres

World-famous chef Ferran Adria came straight from a presentation to Google employees last night for a reception at S Bar to introduce his new book A Day at elBulli, hosted by his former employee Jose Andres. He's on a whirlwind U.S. tour -- cooking with the NY Times' Allen Salkin Thursday, a talk with Anthony Bourdain at the New York Wine & Food festival Saturday, a stop in Toronto, and then the Cook's Libary on 3rd St. today. Manager Tim Fischer says the shop has taken reservations for some 200 people for the signing. Chefs including Alain Giraud, Nancy Silverton and an extremely expectant Suzanne Goin were at the reception, as well as the executive chef, pastry chef, general manager and sommelier of the new SLS hotel where Andres is launching Bazaar restaurant on Nov. 7.
A Day at elBulli is a massive 528 pages and about 15 pounds, full of color photos leisurely leading the reader through the preparations and meal at elBulli. It's quite astounding to read through the recipes and try to imagine making some of these creations -- each one has six or eight separate components, and each component calls for ingredients such as calcic, lecite or xantana. Even the non-molecular ingredients could be tricky to find, unless you know of a source for samphire, goose barnacle and cat's claw plant. I suspect, however, that the crunchy snack 3-Ds used in one canape could be replaced by Bugles.

If I get fat, it's Barack's fault

Yesterday's Silver Lake Bake for Barack sale netted at least $5000, according to the organizers. We got there late but snagged some wonderful brownies and totally over-the-top fudge from Ellelle.

On Friday, there's another fundraiser including baked goods and a chance to create original Obama t-shirts at Fresh Pressed in Los Feliz. As usual, if your political views differ, skip to the next post. But if you eat a brownie, you must commit to vote.

Ferran Adria hits New York and L.A.; NY Times mag food issue is full of goodness

The New York Times Magazine's food issue has all kinds of great stuff to spend your Sunday morning with (take that, L.A. Times!). But don't miss the Styles section either, where writer Allen Salkin recounts how he spent Yom Kippur: having Ferran Adria cook a multi-course shellfish meal in his modest kitchen. That tops even ham-sampling in the bad Jew sweepstakes! Frustrated by inflexible Chinatown merchants and lack of kitchen slaves, Adria declares he will never, never accept such a challenge again, but not before Salkin and friends get to sit down for a nice, non-molecular meal cooked by the master chef.
Adria in L.A. Tuesday
Adria will be sign copies of his new book A Day at elBulli on Tuesday at the Cook's Library on Third St., but you must reserve ahead at 323-655-3141.

Jamon Iberico de Bellota: Tales of a black footed pig

Slicing off the first layer of fat to reveal the meat....

On Thursday, my staycation continued with a vigorous bike ride from Santa Monica to Playa del Rey, and then an evening of ham tasting...just the thing for the end of Yom Kippur. La Espanola Meats, the only California distributor of the Spanish delicacy, hosted the tasting at Bar Pinxto with Spanish wine purveyors Antalya Imports and guests including Alain Giraud. Nico Jimenez, one of the 10 ham cutting masters in the world (who knew there was such a thing?) and winner of the Prosciutto d'Oro award, flew in to demonstrate how to cut the ham. It's worthy of some very special treatment, as each one goes for about $1500 or around $100 a lb. Bar Pinxto has been serving the jamon iberico for several months, but the Jamon Iberico de Bellota, from black-footed pigs that feed only on acorns and then cures for more than three years, is a real prize. We tasted slices from various parts of the leg, and all had fat that melts instantly in the mouth and a complex, slightly nutty flavor. Unlike some prosciutto, it's not at all salty, just porky, slighty chewy and full of the free-range flavor of the Salamanca terroir. Bar Pinxto owner Joe Miller said he will likely charge around $25 a plate for the rare treat...definitely pricey, but worth a try if you can swing it. Of the Spanish wines we tried, my favorite was the Deobriga Seleccion Familiar 2004, which is 90% Tempranillo and 10% Graciano. Or if you're near Harbor City, stop in at La Espanola, where a 4 oz. package is $25 for Jamon Iberico or $30 for Jamon Iberico de Bellota.

Kyochon Chicken: No going back after you've tried it

chicken bento box...cute, but stick to the sticks (legs)

Although EatingLA loves to eat just about everything, we usually prefer healthyish Asian or European food to categories like fried chicken, hotdogs, hamburgers and doughnuts. But naturally, I make frequent exceptions. So for day three of the staycation, I tried the much-discussed Kyochon Chicken, which is Korean, so it doesn't count as junk food. And besides, the slogan on the wall reads "Healthy food for ecstatic body and soul," so that proves it. Healthy fried chicken. Right. The Koreatown location wasn't too crowded when I got there at lunchtime, and although I did make it through much of the LA Weekly's Best of LA issue before the food arrived, the wait wasn't as long as some people have experienced. The chicken takes 20 minutes or so to be cooked to order, but the wait and the calories are well worth it as this stuff is seriously crispy, juicy, spicy and tangy. It's like if Panda Express' best order of orange chicken ever mated with Roscoe's fried chicken and created a whole new category of habit-inducing twice-fried fowl. It's also a shame, because I never really felt the need to eat fried chicken before, but now I'm going to have to stop by Kyochon whenever I have a few minutes to wait, because once you taste it, you won't stop thinking about it. I tried the spicy variety in a large bento box ($7.50) which comes with two chicken legs, some zesty chicken bulgogi, cabbage doused in ketchup and mayo, fries and rice. Probably overkill, but I'm a sucker for bento boxes. All you really need to do is order three or four legs per person (or wings if you prefer them), take them home, pair with some vegetable side dish, and add beer. Ahh.....
Kyochon Chicken
3833 W. 6th St.
213-739-9292

Ding's Garden: Szechwan field trip to Rowland Heights

Day two of my weeklong staycation/tasting tour found us in Rowland Heights, which happened to be the halfway point between two local breweries I was visiting for an upcoming article. We thought of trying Seafood Village, but it looked cavernous and empty, and didn't even manage a "C" rating, so we ended up at the closest place that looked busy and popular, Ding's Garden. I'm sure you folks will correct me if I'm wrong, but Ding's appears to be a Szechwan/Shanghai deli/noodle house type of cafe, which is a delightful idea. We had a cold appetizer plate with cucumbers, bean curd and seaweed knots, all doused in a bright-red Szechwan-peppercorn infused oil. I insisted on trying the Shanghai rice cakes, but the oval noodlish shapes were a bit gummy, and could have used more vegetables to perk them up. The soup dumplings were our favorite dish -- I haven't been to every single place that has xiaolongbao, so I'm not the expert, but they were certainly as good as at Mei Long Village. Most people were having beef noodle soup, but it was over 100 degrees, and we just couldn't handle it. The server was very friendly and helpful and the place was clean and busy -- just what you want in a lunch place. I'm not sure if the food is the same at the Alhambra and San Gabriel locations, which seem to be under different management, but I think I'll have to check them out for the dan dan noodles, beef noodle soup and maybe pork chop fried rice for my son.
Ding's Garden
18922 E. Gale #A
Rowland Heights

Bake for Barack Sunday in Silver Lake

Oy, there she goes, getting political again! From a neighbor:

SILVERLAKE BAKE FOR BARACK SALE

It's the "yeast" we can do; a big bake sale to help "raise dough" for the Obama/Biden ticket. All proceeds will go directly to the campaign, specifically targeting efforts in swing states. Stop by for some delicious cookies, pies, cakes and bread, washed down with lemonade from a genuine kid-run stand.

Where: Montri Auto Repair parking lot: 1701 Silver Lake Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026 (near Effie St. and Spaceland)
When: Sunday, October 12th, 10am-2:00pm

DONATIONS NEEDED:
Please email Lauren Malkasian at bakeforbarack@gmail.com to donate baked goods.

Aun Deli Cafe: Bringing zen to Pasadena

To uncover Pasadena's restaurant charms, it's essential to venture out of Old Town and onto more eastern stretches of Colorado (Daisy Mint) or less-travelled streets (Tonny's). Hidden away on Mentor Ave., Aun Deli Cafe is the kind of place I would give anything to have near my office on Wilshire: super-healthy, reasonably-priced Japanese home cooking, bento boxes and takeout in a cozy cafe with a selection of organic teas. Aun calls itself "zen cuisine," which means using organic ingredients when possible and concentrating on healthy preparations. Like at M Cafe de Chaya, the cold salads all look tempting, including spinach with sesame, root vegetable salad, avocado fruit salad and tuna potato salad. Hot dishes include rice bowls with chicken, yellowtail or vegetables, spicy chicken fried soba noodles, sukiyaki and pork ginger saute as well as specials like chicken curry. I tried Ocha-zuke with salmon ($6.95), which is a bowl of nutty brown rice topped with tender grilled salmon. A beaker of warm green tea-flavored broth is poured over the rice to make a comforting and savory soup. Each main dish comes with one salad choice, and the spinach, with a healthy dose of sesame flavor, is both virtuous and utterly delicious. Iced jasmine tea is the way to go on a warm day, and there's also wine and beer.The only problem with eating such clean, healthy food is that you may be tempted to do as I did and walk around the corner to Europane for some ethereally perfect salted caramel and lavender macarons, just to make sure lunch isn't too virtuous.
This little stretch of Mentor is heating up, with popular Mexican restaurant El Metate, Aun Deli Cafe and soon Noir Cafe & Wine Bar, specializing in boutique pinot noirs, opening next year from Mike Farwell, formerly of Red Carpet Wines and Vertical Wine Bistro.

San Antonio Winery, on bikes

Flying Pigeon's Adam cycled home with a jug from San Antonio Winery

After getting a brand-new bike at Target, I set off yesterday to join the Flying Pigeon folks on one of their Sunday brunch rides. It was mercifully cooler than the last few weeks when they rode to dim sum parlors; this time, it was a trip to the historic San Antonio Winery, built in 1917 near Downtown. We took off from the Flying Pigeon shop on Figueroa, which sells cool Chinese street bikes. I brought my own bike, but some people, like blogger ShaInLA, borrowed one from the shop. The shop's owners Adam and Joseph led us on a nearly car-free route down Marmion, through fascinating pockets of Lincoln Heights, and on to the winery on Lamar St. San Antonio takes up an entire city block, with a wine and gift shop, large restaurant, banquet rooms and rows and rows of barrels aging private label wines as well as the San Simeon and Maddelena labels. The cyclists were amused to see the way the food was all displayed in front of the cafeteria line wrapped in plastic so that you see exactly what you'll get -- like in Japan, only with real food, not plastic models. There's pasta, sandwiches and a full breakfast menu including chicken fried steak and eggs and huevos rancheros. You pick up your drinks and desserts in a cafeteria line, but the main dishes are cooked to order and brought to your table. You can also get a fruit plate or salami and cheese, if you want something simpler. Wines from the winery and elsewhere and a good selection of beers are available, in case you're thinking Delerium Tremens with chorizo and eggs. I was very happy with the a fresh-tasting tarragon chicken salad sandwich (left) with coleslaw, although one of the other cyclists found it had too much mayonaise for her taste. Well, that's chicken salad for you. The restaurant is reminiscent of an upsale Clifton's, and the decor of giant wine barrels is nearly as kitschy. After lunch we had a tour of the winery (antique carved wine barrels, pictured at right), which survived Prohibition by selling sacramental wine to churches. In the tasting room, we tried the winery's San Simeon chardonnay and cabernet before riding back to Highland Park, which is just a touch more uphill than the way there. This was a great trip for a fairly novice cyclist like me, especially with the option to take the Gold Line back!

News and events: 15 closing? Cupcake deliveries and more...

Teri at Auntie Em's reports a massive response to the restaurant's new delivery service for organic fruits and veggies as well as prepared dishes. Prices are $42 for a small box and $62 for a large box, with add ons like artisanal cheese, homemade granola, mac 'n cheese and of course, Red Velvet cupcakes, delivered to your door. Delivery area ranges from Los Feliz, Silver Lake and Echo Park to Eagle Rock, Highland Park, South Pasadena and Pasadena.

Changes at Echo Park's 15?

EaterLA has it that 15 in Echo Park could get a new concept or see other changes with its new partner while chef Alex Eusebio is busy appearing on Top Chef. My advice: give the place some personality and a distinctive style. Have a concept. Fit the neighborhood. And come up with a better name.

Bike ride to San Antonio Winery

Flying Pigeon Bikes rides to wine instead of dim sum this Sunday, hitting the San Antonio Winery and other stops along the way.

Beer tasting at Wednesday at 55 Degrees

55 Degrees is hosting a rep from Stone Brewing Wednesday, Oct. 8 from 6-9:30 pm. Stone distributes beers from up and coming Orange County brewery The Bruery, and 55 Degrees will be tasting Orchard White, Blanche de Namur, Black Orchard, Saison Rue and Flemish Primitive. $16 for five beers.

Cupcakes: End of the trend?

Maybe just one baker's decision, or maybe the beginning of the decline of the cupcake, but Maxmillion on Chowhound reports that Leda's Bake Shop in Sherman Oaks is closing up Oct. 18 to become a catering-only operation, at least for a while. They were one of the best, but it's not too surprising that this fad could be coming off of its sugar high. Can it really be more than three years that we've been obsessing over cupcakes? I'm afraid I peaked really early when writing this post, My Take on the Cupcake , nearly sent me into a diabetic coma. And yet, new cupcakeries continue to open, like the one in South Pasadena I mentioned recently.

Take-out tales: Banh Mi Che Cali, Phoenix, Italian Middle Eastern market

For some reason, lately I can't seem to find time to sit down and have a full restaurant meal. So herein a tale of some recent takeout experiences.
Meal #1: Always in search of the best bahn mi, I tried Banh Mi Che Cali in Alhambra after a trip to Target. The BBQ beef was nicely flavored, but the plain pork could have used a little more oomph. A pork ball dim sum, on the right, concealed a hidden egg -- surprise! Really hard to complain since two sandwiches and the bao came to $5, but I think I prefer the cilantro-adorned sandwiches at Banh Mi My Tho down the street. I'd go back to eat in the bustling cafe and try some other Vietnamese dishes, but probably not for banh mi.
Banh Mi Che Cali, 647 W Valley Blvd Alhambra, CA 91803

Meal #2: When you're in South Pasadena, and real Chinese or Thai food is just a bit too far away, where to go? Oak Tree Inn looks scary, and Patakan Thai is greasy and bland. Phoenix Food Boutique has wonderful desserts, so I decided to try their main dishes. I like the way each dish comes in individual boxes with rice for about $5.75 each -- not as good for sharing, but perfect for one or two people. Thai style beef with onions (above left) was a bit greasy but the beef was thin and tender. Szechwan style shrimp (bottom) was more successful, but with too many chunks of green pepper. Lo mein with shrimp and pork was also underwhelming, but I want to like this place, if only so I can pick up a mango pudding to go with my supper. I'll try again, but with different dishes. Any recs?
Phoenix Food Boutique, 456 Fair Oaks Ave., South Pasadena
Meal #3: After a visit with friends in Sherman Oaks, we wanted to bring back a Middle Eastern spread for the family. I didn't know the Italian Middle Eastern market closed so early (5:30!) on Saturdays. The affable owners had already put away most of the salads, but obliginglly dragged everything back out and fixed me up a bag of hummus, babaghanouj and tabbouli. I especially liked the super-smoky babaghanouj with a nice chunky texture, and the hummus and tabbouli were solid. Next time I'll try Pita Kitchen or someplace that also offers main dishes. The owners are super-friendly here, which always helps.
Italian Middle Eastern Market, 13246 Riverside Dr., Sherman Oaks