GAYOT's Blog

by Sophie Gayot

I was not the only one dining at über-chef Wolfgang Puck’s new restaurant at Hotel Bel-Air on a recent visit (luckily for the restaurant). The multi-talented Randy Jackson, who has been a judge on American Idol since 2002 — longer than anyone else — was sitting next to me. I had dined with him before, and know he is a gourmet, so I was not surprised to see him there. As we know, he is a tough judge — nice and fair, but tough…

My judging of the dinner: very good California cuisine, with precise execution, that grants the restaurant a GAYOT.com rating of 16 out 20. Here is the explanation of the GAYOT.com rating system.

For more about Hotel Bel-Air, read my October blog post, which I wrote after touring the hotel a few days before it opened.

by Tiffany Maleshefski

Though Grand Café continues to be a stalwart French restaurant that’s been around since 1995, consistency hasn’t really been one of its strong points. Located inside the Hotel Monaco San Francisco, the eatery has seen an impressive roster of venerable chefs lead its kitchen, including Victor Scargle, Mauro Pando, Denis Soriano and Paul Arenstam. Despite their efforts, the restaurant has experienced a steady pattern of highs and lows.

Its newest chef, Alicia Jenish, who worked under Loretta Keller at Bizou and opened LarkCreekSteak, is the latest to throw her toque into the ring, with the stated goal of taking the Grand Café’s menu and “transforming it into something [that] is lighter, healthier, and distinctly San Franciscan.”

Now before anyone gets excited that the Grand Café can be a dieting girl’s best friend, what Jenish means is that she’s using sauces that are less rich and rustic and, therefore, lighter in texture and color.

Continue reading “San Francisco’s Grand Cafe” »

by Sophie Gayot

My assistant has typed up hundreds of photo captions of menu items. But after typing the captions for the gallery below, he couldn’t help but comment for the first time, “That menu seems very interesting.” He is right. And more than that, the wild game menu created by Chris Crary, chef de cuisine at Whist at the Viceroy Santa Monica, was creative, intelligent and sexy; pretty much what we look for when we go out for a fine dining experience.

By chance, the evening of the dinner was right after Chris Crary was voted off season 9 of the TV show Top Chef, where he was competing. Trust me, the dinner I enjoyed was created by a chef who is at the top of his game. I foresee a great future for Crary!

Continue reading “A TOP Chef, for Sure” »

by Meryl Pearlstein

With New York City Restaurant Week (January 16-February 10) already underway, foodies have hundreds of great restaurants from which to choose. But there are other food events and celebrations well worth checking out in the next few days, including the Kids Food Festival and the start of Mehtaphor’s Global New Year dinner series.

At this weekend’s Kids Food Festival at Citi Pond in Bryant Park, chef Jehangir Mehta continues his mission to educate children about the role of nutrition in combating obesity. Chef Mehta will be joining food personalities and chefs such as David Burke (David Burke Townhouse, Fishtail by David Burke, David Burke Kitchen), Ben Pollinger (Oceana) and Jackie Newgent, RD, to present culinary demonstrations and offer healthy samples. The festival provides plenty of fun activities, including the “Balanced Plate Scavenger Hunt,” a puppet show and the “Silly Workout,” but also aims to educate parents and kids about the importance of making balanced food choices. General admission is free from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on January 21 and 22; tickets are required for cooking demos and other chef events. Festival partners are the James Beard Foundation and Share Our Strength. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit www.kidsfoodfestival.com.

Continue reading “Foodie Fun for Everyone” »

by Sophie Gayot

Our team of writers and editors are working hard to compile the 2012 edition of the GAYOT.com Restaurant Issue, which includes GAYOT.com’s Top 40 Restaurants in the US, to be published soon. Subscribe now to be among the first to learn about the latest culinary trends, rising chefs, the restaurateur of the year, and much more.

Mélisse in Santa Monica has been on our Top 40 list since 2006. Take a look at the video interview above with chef/owner Josiah Citrin to see what it takes to rank consistently as one of the best restaurants in the country. Then join our community and post your ideas for what restaurants you believe should be on this select list.

Continue reading “Top 40 Time” »

by Tiffany Maleshefski

Michael Mina moved his eponymous restaurant out of the Westin St. Francis more than a year ago and into the building that formerly housed Aqua, the very restaurant where the chef started to develop his culinary cred. The move “home” had a lot of benefits, the biggest one probably being that it gave Mina a chance to tinker with the restaurant’s formerly stuffy atmosphere. Because while the space at the St. Francis was indeed stunning, there was no getting around the fact that one felt like they needed white gloves and tails to set foot in it. No matter how hard the restaurant tried to create a less opulent environment, with fun happy hour specials and a short-lived bar menu, diners weren’t buying it.

But now Mina is deeper into the Financial District, with a hipper, more vibrant and funky space that’s meant to make the restaurant feel less “special occasion” and more “this won’t completely deplete our bank account by eating here.” The introduction of a a prix-fixe lunch menu is one more step to making the restaurant more accessible. At $49 for three courses and $59 for four, the lunch menu is a great way to try out one of the Bay Area’s most decorated restaurants for half the price — but not at half the experience.

Continue reading “Lunch at Michael Mina’s” »

by Sophie Gayot

Have you ever wondered: “What exactly is molecular gastronomy?” Read GAYOT.com’s guide to this avant-garde cuisine or taste it for yourself by dining at one of GAYOT.com’s Top 10 Molecular Gastronomy Restaurants in the U.S.

If you are in the Los Angeles area this month, you can try chef Ryan Carson’s molecular creations during four pop-up dinners at Tiato in Santa Monica on January 18, 19, 25 & 26.

To see what you might expect, watch my exclusive video interview with chef Carson, filmed at Tiato during a December pop-up dinner. You can reserve seats for the upcoming events by calling Tiato at 310-866-5228. The dinners get booked very fast, so if you are not able to join this series there will be more in February and March, with some in Orange County. For more information, go to http://chefryancarson.com/.

Continue reading “Molecular Extravaganza” »

by Sophie Gayot

For whatever reason, Celestino Drago is closing his restaurant Drago in Santa Monica at the end of January. We are sad to see it go, but we are happy because Celestino is working on some new projects.

His Angeleno story started when he arrived in Southern California from Sicily at the age of 22. His restaurant Drago rapidly became a success, and has been Celestino’s flagship for twenty-one years! He later went on to open Enoteca Drago and Il Pastaio, both in Beverly Hills, and DRAGO Centro in a gorgeous space downtown LA.

Continue reading “Viva Celestino Drago!” »

by Sophie Gayot

For my “official” last meal of 2011, I chose to go to Josh Loeb and Zoe Nathan’s new restaurant Milo & Olive, named after their one-year-old son Milo. The place is as cute and small as a baby, and the parents can be proud of it.

Watch my exclusive video interview with them, filmed in the bakery located in the back, to discover this new venue; and read the just-published review in our restaurant section.

Continue reading “A Newborn in Santa Monica” »

by Sophie Gayot

If you are going through Los Angeles International Airport (aka LAX) and are looking for a restaurant for dinner, Paparazzi at the Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles Hotel is a very good option — and there are not that many in the vicinity. If you are close by and craving a nice Italian culinary voyage, don’t hesitate to go there. (The hotel is located on the north side of West Century Boulevard, so make sure to approach it from the right direction as it can be a challenge to make a U-turn on that busy road.)

Watch my exclusive video with chef Orazio Parisi, a true Sicilian native, to discover the restaurant and his personal recipe for tuna tartare. Read the just-published review in our restaurant section.

Continue reading “A Restaurant for Locals & Gourmet Travelers” »

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