| The Kitchen |  |
| The Kitchen | |
| Enter the Hallway |  |
Devin's Special Bloody Mary Recipe:
Yes, I am now a big fan of bloody mary's. I had my first one on a cold boat ride to Catalina island here in Southern California, and the taste, spiciness, and complexity of it just hit me the right way. Now, I have perfected my own personal bloody mary recipe and invite you folks to try it for yourself.
Ingredients:
Directions (for one serving, for more servings, increase all ingredients proportionately):
Mix in a cocktail mixer 1 shot of vodka to 1 shot of Clamato and 2 shots of bloody mary mix and 1/3rd shot of olive juice. Add paprika and nutmeg. Add 4-6 shakes of worcestershire sauce. Add Tabasco Sauce to taste (I like thing very spicy, so I put 12 shakes of it in; others report that 6 shakes is very spicy, so I'd recommend 2-3 shakes for most people). Shake mixture well and pour into a glass with ice cubes.
Add olives and squeeze the quarter
lime juice into the glass and then deposit the lime into the glass
as well. Place celery stalk into glass and stir. Serve cold.
Devin's Review of Restaurants:
Devin's Dining Reviews:
These are some reviews of the nicer places at which I have dined.
Almost all are in the Southern California area. Since I am not
a professional critic, the reviews are short, but prospective
diners can at least find out if I recommend the place or not.
BRANDYWINE
A tiny little place tucked away on Ventura Boulevard in Woodland
Hills, this establishment is notable for its quaint atmosphere,
personal service (the owner will read you the entire menu from
memory while showing you the same on a chalkboard...the menu changes
daily). On occasion a guitarist has been playing softly in the
corner. Food is excellent, continental cuisine, and I highly recommend
any of his succulent lamb entrees. Dinners are moderately expensive.
LIGHTHOUSE
Always crowded, Lighthouse Sushi and Buffet is an institution
on the corner of Ocean and Arizona in Santa Monica. It is essentially
an all-you-can eat sushi and Japanese cuisine establishment. Nothing
fancy here. The place is crowded and loud, and there is no service
since everything is serve yourself cafeteria-style. Nevertheless,
nowhere else in Southern California can you get all the sushi
you can eat as quickly as you want and with no time limit. Price
is moderate.
THE
BEL-AIR HOTEL
The top of dining elegance in Los Angeles, the grounds of the
Bel-Air hotel are almost worth the price alone. Ties and jackets
are required here. The decor is elegant and the food stunning.
I highly recommend the chocolate souffle, which literally melts
on the tip of one's tongue. Price, however, had better be no object,
because a full meal, including dessert liqueur and a bottle of
good wine can run $250 per person. Despite that, I would urge
everyone who can possibly afford it to come here once in their
life, just to see how the other half lives and to have a dining
experience that you will remember forever.
RUTHS
CRIS STEAKHOUSE
Located on Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills, this place is one of
a small chain spread around the country. Do not be fooled by the
name. This is steaks presented very elegantly and very expensively.
The meat is ultimo primo corn fed beef (no mad cow disease here!)and
is, in fact the best steak I have ever had. The atmosphere and
decor are nothing to write home about, but service is good. If
you want to taste a steak that will put every other to shame,
come here. Prices are expensive however.
BOMBAY
PALACE
Located in a Taj-Mahal-like building on Pico Boulevard in Beverly
Hills, this is possibly the best place for Indian food in Los
Angeles. The service is great, almost to the point of doting,
and the food is authentic and spicy. Prices are moderate.
LA
VIGNETTE HAUTE
Find yourself in Cannes, France ever? Oh well. If you ever do,
you must go to this place. Without a doubt, the finest dining
experience of which I have ever had the pleasure to partake. Worth
any price. The establishment is built upon the ruins of a 16th
century French farmhouse, and behind a floor-to-ceiling glass
window are some live farm animals that you can watch while you
eat (and vice versa). The decor is done up in 16th century style,
and there is no electricity in the dining area, all illumination
is provided by candles and a fire. The food is French country
cuisine, including a basket of fresh vegetables, and sausage links
served on an iron rack, to be cut apart by the diners. The food
is wonderfully prepared, in large portions and with tremendous
flair. Prices are expensive, even for Cannes.
LE
JARRE
Located in Antibes, France, Le Jarre is the most romantic restaurant
I have been to. The place is nestled amid crowded, quaint, medieval
streets, behind an iron gate and fence. Within is a typically
quaint little French restaurant, but behind is a small courtyard
around which is a beautiful garden. The courtyard is open to the
starry French sky, and the cascading water from a small waterfall
completes the romantic mood. The food is wonderful and prices
are comparable to other south of France establishments.
LE
PIZZA
The last of my Cannes reviews. Le Pizza is not fancy or exclusive
(and, surprisingly for Cannes, not expensive either), but makes
what is regarded by many as the best pizza in the world. Pizza
here is northern Italian style, with a very thin crust. It is
the herbs and spices that make the pizzas as great as they are.
Decor is plain but fun and the place is always crowded. Service
is uneven and plain (the waiters take your order on the paper
table cloths and then rip off that piece to take with them). Prices
are moderate.
SADDLEPEAK
LODGE
Nestled in the foothills of Topanga Canyon, the Saddlepeak is
done up like a 19th century mountain hunting lodge. The rooms
are all in wood, with trophy heads hanging above the stone fireplaces
and old intriguing books lining wooden bookshelves. Food is wonderful
and unique, as the Lodge specializes in game like buffalo, quail,
and I have heard bear as well. Service is good and prices are
moderately expensive.
LA
FAMILIA DIAS
Located in a downtrodden section of Santa Paula in Southern California,
this Mexican restaurant comes highly recommended by many living
in its outlying areas. Unfortunately, I found the service to be
less than adequate and the food quite mediocre as Mexican food
goes. The food is pasty and rather bland. The decor is fun, however,
and a highlight is that the place offers a free meal to anyone
who takes a snapshot of their bumper sticker in exotic locations...one
was from Antarctica.
TIA
JUANAS
This small joint in West Los Angeles is the best Mexican Food
I have had in Southern California. Prices are very reasonable
and the atmosphere is done in a jai alai motif. The place has
appeared in several movies, and the highlight of the place is
the old stone fire pit over which two old Hispanic ladies hand
make tortillas. The constant clap-clap of their hands as they
pat the tortillas can always be heard in the background and is
rather soothing white noise. The food is excellently prepared,
with enough spice to please die hards without assaulting the palettes
of the less initiated. Service can be slightly spotty at times,
but in general, is quick. This place is a favorite lunch stop
for the nearby work force.
LA
FONDITA
Continuing our run of Mexican Restaurant reviews, this place provides
a nice counterpoint to La Familia Dias. Located in the town of
Fillmore, some 12 miles north of Thousand Oaks California, this
restaurant is near La Familia Dias and is its exact opposite.
The decor is plain and uninteresting and very sparse, but the
food is absolutely authentic and excellently prepared. In fact,
I highly recommend the Carne Asada, which is prepared traditionally,
very thinly sliced and very well done.
This snazzy hotel in Marina
Del Rey boasts a very nice tre chic dining room for dinner. Service
is impeccable and the continental cuisine is scrumptuous. However,
it is the Sunday brunch that really distinguishes this establishment.
Not for the timid of pocketbook, brunch runs $40 per person. For
that you get champagne, omelettes made to order, much of the usual
brunch fare, and a small selection of sushi and, the real kicker,
all you can eat caviar in several varieties. Nothing much compares
to relaxing outside overlooking the boats in the marina and munching
on heaps of beluga caviar. I highly recommend the experience for
special occasions.
Continuing the Sunday Brunch
scene, Mountaingate is perched high atop the Santa Monica Mountains
just off the 405 freeway along the Sepulveda Pass in Los Angeles.
The atmosphere is casual but the food compares favorably with
the Ritz Carlton brunch, again featuring all you can eat caviar.
The dining room is open are expansive, well-suite or large parties
and special occasions.
Similar to Lighthouse seafood
buffet (see above), this place is an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet
Japanese style with, of course, sushi. The sushi is freshly made
and includes an acceptable variety of rolls and sushis, but there
is also enough here to satisfy those not fond of sushi. Hot dishes
include teriyaki chicken, tempura vegetables, steak, ribs, etc.
Todai has several locations in Southern California. The one in
Woodland Hills is usually quite loud and crowded.
A house of French cuisine off
of the 101 Freeway in Westlake Village, Le Rendezvous features
a rather plain and crowded interior which was at times, noisy.
That said, the food was good, though the menu selection is fairly
limited, I would have liked to have seen more in the way of fish
and seafood dishes which are common in most French restaurants,
but the filet of lamb that I had was quite tender and well prepared
and complimented with side dishes. Prices were resonable, certainly
not cheap but also not out of line for French cuisine. Given the
dearth of good French restaurants in the Conejo Valley/Thousand
Oaks area, I would say that Le Rendezvous is a good choice for
those in the area who wish to stay close to home.
Located in Agoura Hills south
of the 101 Freeway between Chesboro and Kanan, Yamato is a great
place for Japanese cuisine. The place is stocked with a sushi
bar, a cocktail bar, a Benihana-style show dinner area, and a
traditional sit-down area, meaning one could eat there three times
and have a completely different experience each time. The menu
is full and varied and the food is well done, though the portions
are a might small for my tastes. They have a great selection of
sake, both cold and hot and the edamame (soaked soybeans) are
great as an appetizer and prepared so that the tender seeds siterally
pop into your mouth out of the pods.
Located in Agoura Hills south
of the 101 Freeway between Chesboro and Kanan (and not visible
from the freeway, you'll have to look around a bit for it) is
Casa Rea. This is a family-style Mexican restaurant, featuring
one wing of the building that serves as a bar and another as a
sit-down restaurant. I have eaten at this restaurant often and
it is always pretty much deserted as far as other customers go,
whether on a weekday night or weekend night or Sunday brunch.
How they stay in business is a mystery to me, but since they advertise
live music in the bar, they must get a good bar crowd on some
night that I just have not yet determined. Food is above average
and includes all of the traditional Mexican restaurant fare. There
really isn't much in the way of ambiance and the dining room is
a bit run down in places. Nevertheless, the food is good enough
so that we keep returning.
Situated in the Janns Marketplace
in Thousand Oaks, Akio's is known for its sushi. While they offer
traditional Japanese cuisine, the sushi bar and suhsi and sashimi
menu dominates the fare. The sushi is not all-you-can-eat, and
as such can be expensive to the hungry palette. Nonetheless, the
sushi chefs are attentive and on the ball and there is a nice
variety of sushi available, including some very interesting sushi
plate combinations named after the various years they were invented.
Akio's also offers some more exotic sushi. I recommend the beef
sushi for the avdenturous amongst you. The beef sushi is not a
sublte flavour, as it has to be soaked in a vinegary brine mixture
to ensure its safe consumption, but the texture is interesting.
| Enter the Hallway | |