Upcoming Pleasure Palate Events

For those of you who are or are not regular readers of my blog, you may not realize that I run a very active dining group that also goes by the name, Pleasure Palate. If you're in the LA area or even visiting the LA area and would like to join me and other food lovers, please check out my group by clicking here! While there's a variety of events currently on the calendar, I'd like to highlight some below.

March 29 - Vodka and Cheese Pairings
What I love about cheese...well, basically, I love everything about cheese in general, but what's great about cheese is how many different things that can pair with it. Whether it's other foods like honey, fruit, jams or beverages like wine, beer, vodka.... Whoa Vodka? Well, why not? To give you an idea of how well vodka pairs with cheese, I've set up a vodka and cheese pairing with Artisan Cheese Gallery in Studio City. Click Here For More Info!

April 11 - Food in the Hood Series: Block BBQ Party at Nate's
Nate's is distinguished in that its the oldest BBQ joint in Compton. In fact, it's been around since 1961. The original owner has since passed away but his wide, Feletia Williams, also known as Mrs. BBQ, carries on the tradition with her crew. At this Block Party, you'll get a chance to sample many of Nate's BBQ offerings, including sides and dessert. This will definitely a tasty way to spend a Saturday. Click Here for More Info!

April 27 - 4 Course Olive Oil Dinner with Optional Wine Pairings
Ever since I did a slew of olive-inspired events last year from an Olive Oil Tasting to a Tour of a Olive Manufacturing Plant to an Olive Picking Festival, my mind has been on olives and olive oil. So please join us for a unique 4 Course Olive Oil Dinner with optional wine pairings at Il Moro, a restaurant that features Northern Italian Cuisine. Click Here For More Info!

May 17 - Gelato and Sorbet Tasting at Paciugo Gelato Caffe
Summer is just around the corner and what better way to get in the spirit than enjoying delicious ice cream by the beach. But we're not talking just any old ice cream. Instead, I've set up a tasting of exotic and unique gelatos and sorbets with Paciugo Gelato in Hermosa Beach. Flavors will include Violet Chocolate Chip, Beer Chill, Black Pepper Olive Oil and so much more. Click Here For More Info!

May 31 - Beer Ranch Tour and Honey Tasting
This event will include a tour of the Bee Ranch where we'll get the opportunity to learn more about the production and uses of honey from Beekeeper Bill Lewis. We'll get to look inside a beehive as well as observe a small colony behind a glass partition and if that isn't enough, we'll even get to see honey extracted. To end the experience, we'll be able sample some of the honeys produced on the ranch itself. Click Here For More Info!

The Sweet Taste of Southern-Style Bundt Cakes at Kiss My Bundt

A few months ago, I heard the rumblings of a new cake shop in town and surprisingly, it wasn't another new cupcake shop. Instead, it was all about bundt cakes at the Kiss My Bundt bakery, owned and operated by Chrysta Wilson. Since this cutely named bakery was way on the other side of town from me, I didn't have any immediate plans to check it out until I went on a walking food tour run by Melting Pot Tours.

Lo and behold, it was along our route. On the way back to my car after the tour, I decided to stop by and see what the fuss was all about. As luck would have it, it was their grand opening and there were free samples to be had. I tried a couple of items and they were wonderful. After touching base with Chrysta and than following up, I set up a cake tasting for my dining group.

The evening started with Chrysta giving us some background about her shop and how she got started. You can read her entire story by visiting her website, but what isn't written there is how she came up with the name of her business. Her previous work background has been primarily in government and the non-profit sector and after having had a long work week and still having to be in the office during the weekend, she threw her hands up and said "This job can kiss my bundt!" Voila! The name of her new bakery.

Another thing Chrysta emphasized to us is that their bundt cakes are Southern-style and what she meant is that while traditional Southern bundt cakes are very sweet, she didn't want to use that same sensibility for her own cakes. In fact, getting ahead of myself a bit, what impressed me about the cakes we sampled that evening was that they had just the right amount of sweetness to satisfy one's sweet tooth craving without making you feel that you just ate a cup of sugar in cake form. Now that you've had some background, let's talk about cake tasting itself.

The first cake we sampled was a Vanilla Bundt Cake with a Vanilla Butter Cream. I tend to favor stronger flavors, even in dessert, so this wouldn't be the type of cake I'd order on my own. However, the cake itself was moist and if you're a vanilla lover, this bundt cake is for you.

Next up was a Carrot Cake with a Cream Cheese Frosting that had an interesting story behind it. Traditional Southern carrot cake has pineapple as an ingredient and sometimes even raisins, neither of which Chrysta was a big fan of. So her first attempts at carrot cake didn't include either ingredient, but the cakes weren't turning out right, both in flavor and texture. It took her 5 years to finally come up a recipe that could mimic a classic Southern carrot cake, but without the pineapple or the raisins. I was a big fan as soon as soon as I took my first bite of a cake that was carrot-sweet and nutty. The pineapple and raisins were not missed at all.

The next cake we tried was and still is their top selling cake and it's their Red Velvet Cake with a Cream Cheese Frosting. An interesting thing that Chrysta mentioned is that that there's a basic assumption that a Red Velvet Cake is a straight out chocolate cake that's been dyed red. Red dye is usually used, but the addition of cocoa powder to a Red Velvet Cake recipe is minimal to what you'd see added to a regular chocolate cake recipe. Side by side and maybe even blind-folded, one could probably taste the difference. Although I love the color, I never understood why people are so gaga over red velvet cakes. Flavor-wise, it's pretty mild and in fact, I don't even feel like there's anything distinct in how it tastes. I wouldn't turn down this cake, but it wouldn't be my first choice.

After the Red Velvet Cake came one of my favorite cakes of the evening. Simply, it was a Callebaut® Chocolate Bundt Cake with a Chocolate Glaze. My eyes are glazing over just thinking about it. I remember Chrysta mentioning that the cake itself was dark chocolate with the glaze being more milk chocolate. All I know was that each forkful was heavenly. Of the cakes we sampled so far, I found this one to be the most moist and I loved its chocolate richness. I think some people even asked for milk to go with this particular cake. I could go for a slice right now.


Following the chocolate bundt cake was the Pumpkin Bundt Cake served in two different ways. We had one sample with the cream cheese frosting and one with a cinnamon sugar glaze. I actually preferred the version with the cinnamon sugar glaze. It was almost like eating a pumpkin pie in the form of a cake.

Finally, our tasting ended with a slice of their Rum Pound Cake with a Butter Rum Glaze. I enjoyed this cake as much as I did the chocolate bundt cake. I think this cake was actually soaking in rum because the cake was pretty moist. The butter rum which tasted like one of my favorite hard candies, butterscotch, was the perfect match.

Overall, this was a wonderful tasting event. Chrysta was informative, funny and really knows her bundt cakes and we got to sample a nice cross-section of what her bakery offers. Other information you should know is that her bundt cakes come in 3 sizes: mini, baby and Big Ol' Bundt Cake. There is what is referred to as the "Daily 8", which are 8 bundt cakes that will always be available 7 days a week. However, with over 30 recipes that Chrysta has developed, other bundt cakes will come in and out of rotation on their daily menu and of course, pre-orders are also available.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157613253212298/

Kiss My Bundt
8104 West 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 655-0559
http://www.kissmybundt.net/

Tasting Extravaganza at Glacier Ice Cream & Gelato

When Cecilia, one of the organizers of my dining group went into Glacier Ice Cream & Gelato to see if she could set up an ice cream tasting for Pleasure Palate, little did she know at the time that it was going to snowball into a tasting extravaganza. Apparently, Cecilia came in at the perfect time. Executive Chef Roxanne Gin, of Glacier, had been contemplating adding salads, sandwiches and soups to the menu and what better way to get feedback on her recipes than from a bunch of passionate foodies. So on one of Saturday afternoon, 16 of us walked in and by the time it was all said and done, 16 of us had to be rolled out.

Our afternoon started off simply enough with bread dipped in balsamic vinegar and a couple of basic salads: Caesar and Cobb. While we were sampling these items, Chef Gin gave us a little info about Glacier Ice Cream and Gelato, which by the way, was selected as one of America's Best Ice Cream Stores by Forbes Traveler Magazine. Glacier actually started in Colorado and just opened another location in Manhattan Beach. Lucky us! We also learned a little more about Chef Gin, who has been a chef for over 20 years. Along with ice cream, Chef Gin creates desserts (petit-fours) for cruise lines, the Fresh & Easy stores as well as various high end hotels.

The salads, while fresh, didn't really have any wow factor, but the two soups that followed were quite tasty. One was a roasted veggie and meatball soup, with a vegetable broth that was so surprisingly rich that we all thought it was chicken broth. The second was a refreshing crab gazpacho soup. I enjoyed the chunky vegetables. but would have liked more broth.

Two more salads appeared and gave the wow that the Caesar and Cobb lacked. One was a Pasta Salad and the other was an Potato-Egg Salad. Generally, these are basically picnic salads that are more of an afterthought than anything else, but let me tell you, other than the gelatos, these two salads were the talk of the group. The pasta salad ingredients included basil, tarragon, tomatoes and mini mozzarella balls. What was great about it was that it wasn't over-dressed plus I really enjoyed how the basil added a little pungent hit of flavor. The Potato-Egg Salad was also quite delicious and the addition of tarragon gave it a nice herb-y freshness.

So far, we've sampled bread, 4 salads and 2 soups. Next up were samplings of 6 different panini sandwiches. I'm just glad I hadn't had breakfast. Of the six, two really did it for me. One was the Roasted Turkey Sandwich with ingredients that included housemade cranberry sauce, red leaf, cream cheese and housemade herb mayo (mint, oregano and Italian parsley). I'm not much of a sandwich person, but this turkey one was just scrumptious. The cranberry sauce added a wonderful sweet tartness and being a cheesehead, the thick slab of cream cheese really made my day. I also really liked the housemade herb mayo, which I thought added a wonderful flavor that went well with the rest of the ingredients.

The other sandwich that also appealed to me was the Proscuitto and Salami Sandwich, which also included arugula, pesto and a thick cut sun-dried tomato. I honestly think that arugula should be the new lettuce. The combination of the peppery arugula, the meat's saltiness and the sun dried tomato that had been packed in oil and herbs was the perfect Italian sandwich.

With all this food, I bet you thought we wouldn't have room for dessert, huh? But you were wrong. After a brief demonstration of their gelato-making process, a gelato and ice cream sampling frenzy started with Chef Gin basically letting us sample as much gelato and ice cream that we wanted before choosing what we wanted for our dessert.

She even set up a little sundae bar, but honestly, the gelato and ice cream, for me, really stood out just on its own and didn't need any additional ingredients. After sampling everything from Manhattan Beach Plum to Cantaloupe to Peanut Butter to Cinnamon, etc. and that doesn't even include the ice creams I tried, I finally settled on the Coconut Stracciatella and the Cantaloupe Gelatos. I actually preferred the gelatos finding them lighter and more creamy than the ice creams, which seemed a bit heavy to me.

The Coconut Stracciatella had a wonderful richness and creaminess to it while the Cantaloupe was just so refreshing. I also ended up taking home a Papaya Sorbet, a Vermont Maple and Honey Ice Cream and one other one that I'm totally blanking on. I thought the Papaya Sorbet was a little icy, but the Vermont Maple and Honey Ice Cream, like the Coconut Stracciatella, was richly creamy.

Overall, it was a fun event and Chef Gin was extremely gracious and generous throughout our visit there. She was also open to all comments, positive or negative and that's definitely a sign of someone who really wants to put out excellent product, which for the most part, she did.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157606137713833/

Glacier Ice Cream & Gelato
1605 N Sepulveda Blvd
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
(310) 545-9730

www.glacierhomemadeicecream.com

Brunch & Cheese Tasting at Auntie Em's Kitchen

Isn't it funny that sometimes the restaurants that are the closest to you are the ones you take the longest to visit? Not that Eagle Rock is close, but heck, I've driven to Gardena for ramen and Fountain Valley for 8 Courses of Fish. In retrospect, Eagle Rock is practically a neighboring city to Duarte where I reside. When you also take in consideration that I have a friend in Eagle Rock that I hang out with a couple of times a month, it's a wonder that I still haven't paid a visit to Auntie Em's and took her with me. Finally, we went for brunch and also brought another mutual friend for the ride.

Walking in, I was already liking that the menu was written on chalkboards. What that tells me is that this restaurant probably plans its dishes around seasonal ingredients. Using produce at its peak definitely can make good food great. While waiting in line, I also spied their cupcakes, both mini and full size. Having heard rave reviews, especially from my Eagle Rock friend, about those cupcakes, I decided to bring some home and try them out for myself, but that's getting ahead of myself.

Let's get back to brunch. Catching my eye was their Strata which had layers of Asparagus, Goat Cheese, Bread and Eggs and along it was going to be a bowl of fresh fruit. Doesn't that sound yummy? With no available seating in the main dining area or outside, we ended up in their Cheese Store next door, which had quite a nature motif. There's a fake tree where the hanging branches are made up of interconnecting square cardstock paper. At the foot of the tree, there's a painting of a wolf. You can also look up to see branches sticking out from the wall holding birds nests. I just really enjoyed the quirkiness of the decor.

Finally, our food arrived. When I took a gander at my plate, what really caught my eye first was the bowl of fresh fruit. Inside were plump raspberries and blackberries, along with the usual pineapple, cantaloupe and watermelon. Those berries looked amazing and definitely looked in season. They tasted as juicy as they looked. Then I dug into my strata and oh boy, was it worth getting up early for, especially since I'm not much of a morning person in the first place.

The top of the strata was browned perfectly and had a nice crispy-flakiness to it, but that first bite of an almost creamy-like texture of egg and melted cheese along with the tender asparagus was just an "oooh" and "ahhh" moment. It was just that good. Needless to say, my plate was almost licked clean. How can you go wrong with fresh fruit and a cheesy egg dish? That strata is definitely worth a return visit, although I'd probably would order something else just because I'd like to sample more of their menu.

Finally, we finished our meals and off we went our separate ways, but I had cupcakes with me. Later on that day, I tried their red velvet cupcake and left the others for the family to sample. I liked the cake portion of it, but I found the frosting overwhelming. From the side, it looked almost the same height as the cupcake itself. There was just too much of it and I also found it too sweet for my palate. I told my Eagle Rock friend when I saw her a couple of weeks later that I actually scraped off most of the frosting, to which she replied that the way she eats her red velvet cupcake is to put it in a bowl and mash cake and frosting together and than eat by the spoonful. Hmmm....forget a bowl of cereal when you can have a bowl of cupcake. Now that's an interesting concept.

While I wasn't much of a fan of their cupcakes, what I did like along with that strata dish was the selection of cheeses inside their Cheese Shop. During our brunch there, I chatted with Owner,Terri Wahl, and Jody, the Cheese Monger about doing an after hours cheese tasting there at the restaurant and they were quite agreeable.

About 3 months later, a group of between 20 and 25 joined me for what was a veritable cheese buffet where we sampled 9 different cheeses and each cheese was paired with another type of food, whether it was figs, olives, honey or a type of jam or relish. I honestly can't remember all my tasting notes, but the cheeses and the pairings that Jody put together were awesome.

All of them had the distinction of winning awards at a recent competition held by the American Cheese Society. There were two that really stood out for me. One was made by Capri out of domestic goat's milk and was called Wasabi Disc. The wasabi in this cheese added a little heat that really blended well with the pungency of the goat cheese. My other favorite was the Smokey Blue made by Rogue River Creamery. Cold smoked for 16 hours over Northwest -grown hazelnut shells, this cow's milk cheese definitely had a unique flavor profile - smoky, sharp with hints of a sweet nuttiness.

Overall, both of my experiences at Auntie, brunch and cheese tasting, were just wonderful. I still dream about that strata and it's good to know that there is an artisanal cheese store that's fairly local and is headed by a Cheese Monger who knows her stuff.

To see Brunch pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157603390870289/

To see Cheese Tasting pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157603386767328/

Auntie Em's Kitchen
4616 Eagle Rock Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90041
(323) 255-0800
www.auntieemskitchen.com

Chocolate Tasting at Compartes

Walking into Compartes for a chocolate tasting I had set up, I wasn't sure what to expect. For the past few months, I've reading off and on about chocolatier, Jonathan Grahm and was definitely curious as to how someone in his early 20s had already made quite a name for himself in the very competitive world of artisanal chocolate making.

Soon the rest of the group arrived and it was time for Jonathan Grahm to start off our tasting event by giving us some background about himself and Compartes. With his talk, we found out that Compartes was originally owned by Mrs. Compartes and had been around since 1950. Back then and up to when Jonathan took over, Compartes was more of a traditional candy store than a real chocolate shop. When Jonathan's family, of Bonny Doon Wine fame, purchased the shop, at first they weren't quite sure what to do with it, but at age 19, Jonathan volunteered to take it over and because of his creativity, Compartes reached new heights.

Even at such a tender age, he knew not to completely throw out the old and replace it with everything shining. Compartes' signature line were chocolate dipped fruits, everything from apricots to orange peels, so that stayed and what he added to the mix were truffles and ganaches utilizing exotic combinations of various spices, nuts, fruits, etc. Also, since his passion is dark chocolate, that's generally what Compartes sells.

What impressed me throughout the rest of his talk was how some of his chocolates were limited because he would only make them if he was able to get the ingredients directly from the source. For example, you aren't seeing umeboshi plum truffles until he's actually made a trip to Japan and picked some up to bring home. Now that's dedication to your craft. He finally ended with telling us that at the age of 23, he finally bought the business from his family and now it was really all his. I think that's pretty cool.

Now it's time to taste chocolate and we tried 8 different ones. Here's the run down:

1) Love Nuts (vanilla roasted and caramelized nuts sprinkled with sea salt, covered with chocolate and dipped in cocoa powder) - There was quite a cornucopia of ingredients, yet the combination of sweet-salty flavors combined with a nice crunch worked well together.

2) Brown Butter and Sage Truffle - Don't ask me why but the ingredients of brown butter and sage reminded me of a roast turkey with stuffing. I wasn't quite sure how it would translate with chocolate, but it did. The nuttiness of the brown butter and the slight peppery kick from the sage really complimented the dark chocolate.

3) Cup of Coffee Truffle - I'm not much of a coffee drinker, so I wasn't expecting much from this truffle. After my first bite, I decided that it should be called Perfect Cup of Coffee Truffle because if coffee tasted like that, I'd probably be drinking (or eating) a lot more of it.

4) Chocolate Covered Candied Orange Peel - I really don't have much to say. It was tasty and of good quality, but too "classic" for my taste.

5) Chocolate Covered Candied Apricot - Ditto.

6) Lavendar Violet Marshallow topped with Sugared Violet Petal - I love lavender and I've had it a few different ways from ice cream to chocolate, but a lavender marshmallow was something quite unique and how can you say no to a lavender marshmallow dipped in dark chocolate? You'd be a stronger person than me. What worried me was that the lavender might be overpowered by the dark chocolate, but it wasn't. The lavender certainly wasn't in your face, but I think the concentration of it was just enough in the marshmallow that you could appreciate it.

7) Bonny Doon Dessert Wine Truffles - These particular truffles were extremely limited in that once all the dessert wine was used for this chocolate recipe, you wouldn't see these particular truffles back on the shelves. I can't quite remember the story, but it had something to do with those dessert wines not being produced anymore, so there was only a small number of them left.

I'm not much of a wine drinker, so while I remember liking it, it didn't stand out as much as some of the other chocolates we sampled.

8) Smoked Salt Truffle - Of the 8, this was my hands down favorite. I've had chocolates sprinkled with sea salt before, but not smoked salt. It was something different. The name of the truffle really describes how it tasted to me - a little smoky, a little salty, but just the right amount of sweet from the dark chocolate somehow balanced all the flavors together.

The range of chocolates we sampled really showed a good example of "traditional" Compartes as well as a more "forward-thinking" Compartes, a company that is willing to take culinary risks, all in the name of chocolate. Throughout the tasting, Jonathan would talk about how he likes to experiment with new ingredients. Here's a hint for you. If you walk into Compartes, look into the display case and if you see chocolates without a label on the front of the tray, more than likely, the "Mad Chocolate Scientist" was at work again. If you're feeling brave, ask about those unmarked chocolates. You'll never know what treasure your palate might experience.

After the tasting, Jonathan gave us a tour of his "chocolate factory" with factory being quite a misnomer since it brings to mind automated machines belching out items from a mechanized production line. Instead, all the chocolates are hand made and hand-dipped in chocolate tempering machines and they're never refrigerated, with the exception of the original line of Stuffed Fruits, where one or more of fruits like grown apricots, dates, figs and prunes are combined with almonds and walnuts.

Overall, it was a great event. Jonathan really impressed me with his passion for what he does. After all, it's obvious that only someone who is quite dedicated and inventive can come up with truffles like Sichimi 7 Spice (Japanese spices), Lemongrass, Olive Oil Vanilla, Peach Rosemary and Raspberry Pink Pepper. Like I said earlier, he's only in his early 20s. I think it'll be amazing to see what else he comes up as he continues to evolve. I, for one, am looking forward to tasting the end results of all his hard work.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157603274176536/

Compartes Chocolatier
912 South Barrington Avenue
Brentwood, CA 90049
(310) 826-3380
www.compartes.com

Cupcake Class with Gourmandise Desserts

A few days ago, I hosted a really fun private cooking class in my home with Pastry Chef, Clemence Gossett, owner of Gourmandise Desserts. So what were we cooking up? Well, cupcakes of course, specifically two kinds: chocolate and vanilla bean.

Before we even started, we were all given the recipe cards so that we could follow along, then we started putting together the ingredients for the chocolate cupcake. Egg whites were cracked into the bowl with flour, sugar, other ingredients and finally the melted chocolate was added later. Once the batter was mixed, portioned scoops were used to pour them into the cupcake liners.

What was nice is that everyone participated in some form or the other, whether it was cutting the butter or melting the chocolate or putting the cupcake tin inside the oven.

While the first batch of chocolate cupcakes were baking, we started in on the vanilla bean cupcakes. Again, everyone had a chance to be hands on throughout the class. Who wouldn't want to be part of the action, especially if you can sneak a finger in the bowl for a lick. Yum!

As both cupcakes were in turn baking and cooling, Chef Gossett showed us how to make a chocolate ganache, which serves as the filling for the cupcake. The ingredients were quite simple, just cream and chocolate shavings. When mixing the ganache, we were told to stir at a slow pace so that we get a smooth consistency. Air bubbles were a big no-no.

Once the cupcakes were cooled enough, the next step was to scoop out some of the cupcake middle so that you can spoon in the ganache inside the cupcake. If you want to put other things with the ganache like cut fruit or candy or nuts, that was the time to do it. As soon as we were done with our task, we learned how to frost the cupcakes using a piper with a delicious Italian meringue.

Throughout the whole 3 hours, Chef Gossett shared a lot of tips with us like the importance of putting a cookie sheet tray under your cupcake tin while it's baking so that the bottoms of your cupcakes won't burn or if your cake recipe comes out too dry, it's okay to add an extra egg yolk next time for moisture.

I also appreciated how patience she was with all of us, even when we peppered her with a lot of questions. She answered them all with a smile. I also have to say that the chocolate cupcakes we made were so moist and delicious, that they were almost sinful.

Along with her cupcake baking classes, other classes she does include cake baking and decorating, making gingerbread houses, learning how to make homemade marshmallows, caramels and funnel cakes and so much more. Along with private classes, she also teaches at Chefmakers.

Overall, the class was a great experience. Everyone who attended really enjoyed themselves and of course, being able to bring home cupcakes that we frosted ourselves is a pretty cool achievement. I would definitely host another class with her.

As a side note, Gourmandise Desserts used to sell pastries to a variety of restaurants; however, Chef Gossett is no longer doing that. Instead, she's concentrating strictly on teaching, although she'll occasionally will do a special cake or dessert if asked.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157602974569864/

For more info, go to:
http://www.gourmandisedesserts.com/

Pizza Making Party at Pitfire Pizza

Last October, a fun time was had by all at a pizza making party at Pitfire Pizza Company in downtown Los Angeles. The event started with us arriving to tasty breadsticks. While we were munching on those, owner David Sandfield, gave us some history about pizza as well as his restaurant. For example, he told us how the name for the Margherita Pizza came to be.

Apparently, in 1889 chef Don Raffaele Esposito honored Queen Margarita with a special pizza topped with the colors of the Italian flag-tomato (red), basil (green) and mozzarella (white) and hence the name "Margarita" was formed. It is the 'base' pizza of any pizza shop worldwide.

David also gave us some background on Pitfire Pizza. He and his partner, Paul Hibler, run a company called Deluxe Motion Picture Catering, a catering company that caters to tv and movie sets. With their pizza, which they normally barbecue on grills, being one of their popular selling items, they finally decided to open up pizza restaurant in North Hollywood. Soon after, they opened a downtown LA location and just recently a location in Westwood.

Their pizza dough is handmade daily from a proprietary recipe. In fact, they trust just one baker to make their dough, and he has perfected the craft over the past eight years. Every batch is handmade and fired in a 750 degree ceramic oven. Their philosophy is to also use fresh local ingredients sourced from farmer's markets.

Soon after his talk, we went behind the line and David gave us more specific information about what his pizza dough is made up and it's not just flour and water. There's a definitely a lot more to it than that. Then we were given a demonstration of how to first shape the dough on a floured board into a "pancake" and stretch it out using our fingertips. Then it's to the air as we were taught to take the now flatter pizza dough and using our finger tips turn it like a wheel, at the same time, stretching it out even more to make it thinner. It's not as easy as it looks and unfortunately, I was all thumbs.

Afterwards, we were able to sauce our pizzas and add whatever toppings were calling to us. Of everyone in the group, I was the only one who wanted a white pizza. Instead of red sauce, my pizza dough had olive oil spread on it before I added the rest of the ingredients. A couple of us even got to put our pizzas in their 750 degree oven.

As part of the event, we also got to tour their downstairs kitchen/commissary. This downstairs kitchen is where all the dough and sauces are made for all three Pitfire Pizza locations. Chefs are there everyday at 5:30 am to start work. Those appliances were huge. We saw everything from their large sauce cooking pot to this one machine that once you put a handful of dough in it, it will shape it into perfectly sized balls of dough.

Eventually, we all sat down to a meal that included our pizza masterpieces, salad, dessert. What was cool was that no had the same exact pizza. Everyone really used different ingredients. There was even some pizza trading going on, which allowed some to do a nice sampling of what other ingredients people used for their pizza. Overall, it was a delicious way to spend a few hours.

To see all the pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157602924411895/

Pitfire Pizza Company
108 West 2nd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213-808-1200
www.pitfirepizza.com

Grilled Cheese Sandwich Tasting at Meltdown Etc - CLOSED

Last September, I set up a tasting of the ultimate comfort food, grilled cheese sandwiches at Meltdown etc in Culver City, a part of town that's starting to be quite a foodie mecca. Our ooey-gooey-cheese fest started with the perfect accompaniment, a tart tomato soup, which definitely paired well with the first three sandwiches we partook in.

We started off with their Classic Three Cheese sandwich, which consisted of sharp cheddar, Meunster, Fontina, Roma tomato on sourdough bread. For this particular sandwich, there are different variations to its ingredients. The three cheeses stay the same, but you have the option to add separately or together, a roma tomato and/or applewood bacon. For our tasting, I opted to include the tomato, simply because I like how it added a fresh, juicy acidity to every bite of the sandwich.

Up next was their Cheddar, Ham and Apple sandwich that was made up of sharp cheddar, smoked ham and apple butter on sourdough bread. In truth, the apple butter seemed a strange bed partner to the other two ingredients, but I was willing to give it a whirl. Surprisingly, it was a total hit with me. Usually, I don't like ham because I find it too salty for my taste, but the sweetness of the apple butter actually counter-balanced that saltiness so much so, that I could have happily eaten a whole sandwich without complaint.

Just around the corner came the Turkey Melt with brie, oven-roasted turkey, arugula, cranberry-horseradish mustard on walnut bread. Of the three savory sandwiches we sampled, this was my least favorite. Usually, I'll pick turkey over ham any time of the week, but not in this case. What I found lacking or should I say missing was the cheese. There just wasn't enough of it. The turkey portions were generous, but with the word "melt" being part of the sandwich name, cheese is an important part of equation and unfortunately, it was MIA.

Also, while I loved the addition of the arugula which added a nice peppery kick, I was a little disappointed in the cranberry-horseradish mustard, which I expected to add more oomph to the sandwich and it didn't.

With three of Meltdown's savory grilled cheese offerings under our belt, it was now time to experience two of their "Sweet Melts". First up was their Goat Cheese, Fig and Honey sandwich on walnut bread. What's interesting about this sandwich is that if you are someone who doesn't like goat cheese because of its pungency, you may actually be able to eat this sandwich and even like it. The sweetness of the fig preserves and the honey cuts into the piquancy of the cheese, which may make it more palatable to goat cheese naysayers.

Last, but not least, came the Brie and Apricot sandwich, also on walnut bread. I've actually had this sandwich before and at first, I couldn't quite equate melted brie mixed with apricot preserves as being a good combination. My first bite; however, made me a convert. The mildness of the cheese was a perfect foundation for the tart-sweetness of the apricots.

Overall, this was a fun little tasting and I think we were able to get a good sampling of Meltdown etc grilled cheese sandwiches. For those of you who weren't able to join us, I guess you'll just have to live vicariously through my photos below. :-D

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157602589758602/

Meltdown etc
9739 Culver Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 838-6358
http://www.meltdownetc.com/