's Blog

Sophie & Alain Gayot with chef Paul Shoemaker before Bastide closed yet again

By The Gayots

And the saga continues at Bastide. Is this restaurant that was once one of our top 40 in the country closed temporarily or for good? That is the question.

Well, it seems that our dinner a few weeks ago might have been one of the last ones served. We sensed at the time that the restaurant which has been closed before and is on its fourth chef in six years was in a state of flux.

The employees arrived at the restaurant this week and found the door closed without notice, and they (and the rest of us) are awaiting a final verdict from owner Joe Pytka who is currently out of town. Stay tuned.

Alain with Gillian Cook, Brand Manager for Johnnie Walker Scotch Whisky

By Alain Gayot

Jeff Hoyt and I headed out to Craft last night to celebrate the launch of Johnnie Walker’s first ever Los Angeles-area bottle engraving studio.  Hosted by Edward Adams, Master of Whisky for Johnnie Walker, the evening included a masterful dinner by chef Matthew Accarrino and multiple whisky samplings from the prestigious spirits brand. As we arrived, we were greeted with Ginger Ale, Grand Marnier and vanilla liquor were blended with Johnnie Walker Red Label in three different drinks with the later becoming the evening’s favorite.

The meal started with Maine lobster tortellini paired with Johnnie Walker Green Label, a blend of four mature single malt whiskies aged for at least 15 years. The second course was a well executed Muscovy duck breast with whiskey sour cherry puree, Tokyo turnips and Savoy cabbage in a mustard sauce paired with Johnnie Walker Black Label. The third course was a very ambitious and very good bacon wrapped dry aged sirloin and short rib with smoked shallots, Yukon Gold potatoes and salsify, delivered with the only single malt from the Isle of Skye, the peaty 18-year-old Talisker.  

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Sophie Gayot with chefs Sylvain Rivet of Amuse Bouche, Sebastien Pfeiffer of Sofitel LA and Akira Hirose of Maison Akira

By Sophie Gayot

The Beaujolais Nouveau has arrived in America, as it does every year in late November. One of the celebrations took place last night at the prestigious Royce Hall on the UCLA campus.

Last night when I got there, a little late I admit, the response  was so great that the young wine had already been poured. But fortunately, I had a tasting the day before.

Read our impressions here.

The food was provided by the chefs from The Club Culinaire of French Cuisine.

Alain with a Rolls Royce

By Alain Gayot

Which car would you buy today? That is becoming an ever more difficult question to answer. For sure, the current trend is small and fuel efficient automobiles. One could go with a Scion tc for something zippy but small enough and easy to drive.

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By Sophie Gayot

I am honored that founder and CEO of the hotel, Alan Fuerstman, and chef John Cuevas invited me to be part of the evening.

by Sophie Gayot

I just came back from a two-hour tour of Sam Nazarian’s first hotel of his SLS collection, the SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills. Designed by Philippe Starck, the Los Angeles address is a unique property that will surely set new standards; not to mention that chef José Andrés is in charge of your gastronomical pleasures.

I would like to thank Sam for what his endeavors bring to the hospitality and culinary world.

Get a full photo tour, with the images below. Click on them for larger view.

To see grand opening party of SLS at Beverly Hills on December 5th, click here..

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By Sophie Gayot

My dinner on Friday was a deluge of sushi at the new Hamasaku location on Melrose; a legendary spot that once housed Ma Maison (where Toshi Kihara got his first job in the US).

Toshi must have figured out that my birthday was close and came from the kitchen with a gorgeous decorated plate filled with mochi ice cream. And yes, we all ate the caramel sugar sculpture!

Here it what I can report on the dinner I had the following week.

Listen to what I said about Hamasaku on KNX1070.

Watch me on The Insider, aired in Dec, 27, about the restaurant.

(Sophie is dressed by Paule Vasseur, www.paule-vasseur.com)

What a better way to eat sushi than when it is prepared by the CEO/President of the California Sushi Academy, chef Toshi Sugiura—who is also the first of the only four certified sake Masters Emeritus in the United States.

 After Hama in Venice, he is now at the helm of Bar Hayama on Sawtelle, south of Santa Monica boulevard. Sugiura has partnered with the InterContinental Los Angeles, and executive chef Vincent Cachot from Park Grill restaurant.

Every day from 5:30pm to 10pm sit in the lounge and indulge yourself in raw fish, rice, nori, soy sauce, wasabi without forgetting sake. Irasshaimase!

By Sophie Gayot

The Dorchester Collection, which includes the Plaza Athénée in Paris, Le Meurice, The Dorchester in London, the New York Palace, The Beverly Hills Hotel and the Hotel Principe di Savoia in Milan, has taken over the Hotel Bel-Air, located in one of the most exclusive cities in the world.This week, chef Yannick Alléno from Le Meurice had prepared a series of lunches and dinners for a lucky few at the hotel’s restaurant. Yesterday, I attended one of his lunches and, for the first time, (as I have dined here many times before) I enjoyed an “haute cuisine” experience. In short, this was the best meal I ever had in Stone Canyon, and one of the best of the year.

It was composed of a six-course meal with caviar, foie gras and numerous shavings of white truffles. The dessert, a palet fondant au chocolat with a lemon marmalade decorated with gold leaf (the lemons, from a small producer in France, were brought by Yannick in his suitcase), was as sublime as his savory creations.

 Since it was only a few days before my birthday, Yannick surprised everyone by coming out and helping me blow out my candles! I felt quite privileged during this moment and it is one I will not soon forget. I hope to see him again in the near future at his gorgeous Paris restaurant, a historical dining room redecorated last year by star designer Philippe Starck.

(Sophie is dressed by Paule Vasseur, www.paule-vasseur.com)

Palate Food + Wine

By Jeff Hoyt

It’s hard for me to visit Glendale without an old song popping in my head, “Somebody robbed the Glendale train, this morning at half past nine…” I wish I could have taken mass transit, as I washed down a fine lunch at Palate Food + Wine with 15 wines from France.  As more and more people want value wines, you’ll be happy to hear that 13 of them retail for $20 or less, with the most expensive topping the scale at $27. I raised a glass to Jay Fiondella, the owner of Chez Jay, who recently passed on. I used to hang at his bar often when I lived a block away from the classic dive restaurant, and after I moved, was pleasantly surprised to find Jay living in my building. (As did actor Evan Handler from Sex and the City, but that’s another story.) Jay’s presence and his greeting, “Hi, neighbor!” will be missed.

Among the attendees were Joel Stein, whose writings I enjoy in the LA Times, and Barbara Marie, the General manager of Water Grill downtown, one of my top seafood restaurants in LA. She raved about her Smart Car, and we talked about her chef David LeFevre. When I mentioned that I had written an article about him when he first took over for Michael Cimarusti, she told me that my piece was hanging on her office wall.

After all that wine, I still had a Cachaça event to attend at Beso that evening. More to come….