L.A. Times - Food & Dining

Market Watch: Some farmers pulling up stakes

By David Karp, Special to the Los Angeles Times — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PST

Many vendors find the work and driving heavy, the profits thin.

As certified farmers markets have proliferated in recent years, it may appear as if everyone and his uncle is getting into the game. Some vendors indeed are flourishing, but others have been stretched thin by the expansion and resulting dilution of farmers markets. Selling at farmers markets has always involved manifold risks, inefficiencies and frustrations, but in the last year, likely because of the weak economy, quite a few longtime or prominent vendors have withdrawn from the markets or are considering doing so. Each has his own reasons, but together they tell a story: Surviving at farmers markets is increasingly tough for many growers.

Bill Chait navigates rocky shoals of L.A. restaurant business

By Betty Hallock, Los Angeles Times — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PST

The entrepreneur, who backed Short Order, Short Cake, Rivera, Playa, Picca and Sotto, works behind the scenes on Bestia and more.

Bill Chait is leading a half-dozen colleagues through a two-story factory that has been converted into lofts on the edge of downtown's Arts District. The building is the future home of his next project, a $1.2-million, 140-seat trattoria called Bestia, in the shadow of the 7th Street bridge, next to train tracks that run along the L.A. River. Among its neighbors are a furniture warehouse, a diesel gas station and an all-nude strip club.

Warm memories of Mom's puchero

By Lorenza Muñoz, Special to the Los Angeles Times — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PST

The hearty peasant stew, chock-full of vegetables and meat in a savory broth, is warm comfort. For frazzled cooks, it's also easy to make.

Like many frequent cooks, I think of menus by season. Like most frazzled moms, I think of simplicity. And so in our home, it is the season of the stew.

King cakes are a great way to indulge before Lent

By Noelle Carter, Los Angeles Times — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PST

The traditional New Orleans pastries are best homemade — don't forget the fillings and the toy baby inside.

At first sight, it comes across as, well, a little unusual. A large wreath-shaped cake bedazzled in vibrant shades of purple, green and gold — there's nothing subtle about it. It might be flavored simply with a touch of cinnamon sugar, or maybe it's decked out with any of a number of creative fillings. Help yourself to a slice, or two — just be careful you don't accidentally bite into the plastic baby.

Critic's Choice: Antipasti

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PST

Los Angeles Times food critic S. Irene Virbila offers a selection of Italian restaurants in the L.A. area serving the best small plates, or antipasti.

Italians really know how to eat. A meal always begins with wine, and since no one ever drinks wine without food, a selection of antipasti (literally, "before the meal" snacks) appears on the table or sideboard. No rush, you talk, sip wine and nibble, sometimes for hours. For this purpose, Italian cooks have perfected a broad repertoire of little dishes. In some regions, Piedmont, for example, the sheer number and variety of antipasti can be alarming. But who can resist carne cruda (raw veal with a thread of olive oil and, in season, shaved white truffles) or thick, velvety-skinned roasted peppers rolled up with a tuna and caper stuffing? Not I. Not ever.

Culinary SOS: Heilman's Key lime pie

By Noelle Carter, Los Angeles Times — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PST

Dear SOS: Bob Heilman's Beachcomber Restaurant in Clearwater Beach, Fla., has the most exquisite Key lime pie I have ever eaten. It isn't heavy — it is light but not airy like a mousse. The crust was not soggy on the bottom — almost like it was just made. Do you think they'd share the recipe?

The Find: House of Chicken

By C. Thi Nguyen, Special to the Los Angeles Times — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PST

House of Chicken doesn't overwhelm the chicken. Instead its chicken kebabs are subtle — and delicious.

You may have had a moment in your life — a lot of Angelenos have — when your understanding of sushi completely transformed. Before, all you knew was big crass Americanized sushi rolls — you know, the kind with fried stuff and spicy mayo and avocado and teriyaki sauce — and then somebody handed you an unvarnished piece of perfect sashimi, and suddenly you understood. You got the pleasure of comprehending a beautiful thing.

Wine of the Week: 2009 Tenute Silvio Nardi Rosso di Montalcino

By S. Irene Virbila, Los Angeles Times — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PST

Montalcino enjoyed a very good vintage in 2009, and this pretty Rosso di Montalcino from Tenute Silvio Nardi shows why. Bright and youthful, with a taste of dark cherries and spice, this junior Brunello makes delicious drinking now — or a few years from now.

Critic's Choice: Where to go for dumplings

Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PST

The sheer variety available locally, with myriad fillings, textures and ethnic origins, boggle the mind and tempt the taste buds. Here are some favorites.

Love dumplings? The soupy, Shanghai-style ones filled with juicy pork? Puck-shaped Beijing ones with beef? Pan-fried? Steamed? Boiled? There are Vietnamese dumplings made with rice flour wrappers folded around chunks of sautéed shrimp. Or beefy Lebanese dumplings blanketed with yogurt-garlic sauce. Or hat-shaped Afghan dumplings served with stewed pigeon peas, yogurt and dry mint. If you're on the hunt for dumplings, check out these slingers from recent Find columns.

Market Watch: Prized Dekopons arriving

By David Karp — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PST

Another great mandarin, Daisy, is approaching too.

The Dekopon, a Japanese hybrid of mandarin and orange reputed to be the most delicious citrus in the world, created a sensation last year when California-grown fruit showed up at local groceries under the marketing name Sumo, after a dozen years of secrecy and intrigue. The new crop has started arriving at stores and will be available at the Santa Monica farmers market starting next Wednesday from the Dekopon kingpin himself, Mike George of Lindsay, who grows 16 acres of the variety and organized the group that secured the rights to it.