Private Grand Opening Party at Bouchon Bistro

Thanks to Ethan from Urban Spoon, I got an invitation from Allison Wagner of PR Consulting to attend the Grand Opening Party for Chef Thomas Keller's restaurant, Bouchon Bistro, in Beverly Hills last week. Also in attendance were quite a few fellow bloggers and there was even quite a bit of star gazing to be done with Pierce Brosnan, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss and Larry King who were also on the scene. Click here to see all the celebrity photos for this event.

This Private Grand Opening Party was definitely a hot ticket, so for those of you who weren't lucky enough to get an invitation, I hope that you'll be able to live virtually through my experience via the photos I took of what turned out to be quite a noshing evening. Of course, the party started by walking through the Bouchon Bistro entrance, which was lit up red lights. See the photo lead to this story. Once inside, walk past the reception area and walk up a few flights of stairs to get to the 2nd floor. An elevator is also available for those who need one.

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At the top of the stairs was a small reception area where glasses of champagne were freely being served, but what caught my eye was a large yellow spherical ice sculpture which was in a smaller room towards the back of the reception area. Of course, I had to investigate and lo and behold, I hit the caviar station and let me tell you, those caviar servings were more than generous.

It was hard to tear myself away from all that caviar and just as hard not to sneak one of those caviar tins into my purse, but somehow I prevailed and walked down this long hallway where there was wine storage area to the right of me past the bar and into the main dining room area.

Back to back were the Cured Meats, Pickled Veggies and Olives Station and the Cheese Station. My Filipino palate that loves sour flavors made a beeline for the thinly sliced prosciuitto and the olives first. After I finished off my little plate, I decided to hold off on cheese and instead, I sauntered over to the Raw Bar where oysters were being shucked and being served next to cold shrimp and mussels. One (or two) of each and I was now prepared for cheese.

The cheese selection was wonderful and plentiful. Being a Cheese Head, it was hard not to get a sample of each, but I had heard that there were also hors d'oeuvres being served in the kitchen, so I limited my choices. What I did have was pretty good and even more so, because a couple of them were paired with other foods.

Before I headed to the kitchen, I took a peek at one of their private dining rooms and took a couple of crowd shots.

The kitchen was long, narrow and there was food coming from both sides. It took me 2 passes but I managed to sample the butternut squash soup, the pork belly and arugula sandwich, the codfish fritter and a couple of other things.

By this time, I was ready for something sweet and I found it in the Dessert Station which was set up in another kitchen. I was already quite full, so although I would have loved to try each and every one of them, I limited myself to a chocolate macaroon, the fruit tart and one marshmallow-type tart.

My last stop for the evening was the Bakery. There was actual bread being baked when I walked in and the room smelled so good. On a long table, against the wall, were all these different types of bread stacked up like a pyramid. Apparently, they were all baked that day. While there, the Baker gave a lesson to one of the guests on how to prep the dough before it would be popped into the oven. As we walked out, all guests were given bread to take home.

It was definitely a fun evening of food and people watching, plus the nice gift bag we were all given was a nice treat. This was actually my first time experiencing any of Chef Keller's food and I'm definitely looking forward to a full sit down meal and getting the whole experience. Thanks again to Urban Spoon and PR Consulting. I definitely appreciated the chance to get a preview of what I know will be a Beverly Hills hot spot.

Click here to see all the photos!

Bouchon Bistro
235 N Canon Dr
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(310) 271-9910




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Tour and Paella at La Espanola

If you love Spanish food and are living in the LA area, then a trip to La Espanola, one of only four Spanish cured meat producers in the United States should definitely be on your to do list. La Espanola is an unassuming white building on a small side street in Harbor City in the South Bay part of LA County. To some who may hesitate because of the drive, let me tell you, it's more than worth it. I found that out after I made arrangements for my dining group to visit one Sunday for both a tour and lunch, but first, let's learn a little La Espanola history.

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In 1982, La Espanola Meats was founded by Juana Gimeno Farone, a native from Spain and her husband, Frank Faraone. When the couple relocated to California, Juana was disappointed that the availability of Spanish cured meats was extremely limited to almost nonexistent. After a lot of effort, she managed to find a Spanish food purveyor in Harbor City. After the current owners decided to retire, Juana and her husband bought all the remaining inventory and decided to start their own company.

27 years later, La Espanola wears many hats. Not only do they import, distribute and sell, both retail and wholesale, Spanish foods, they also manufacture Spanish-style sausages and cured meats using traditional Spanish recipes. Along with cured meats, other products that La Espanola imports from Spain to re-sell here include olive oil, olives, canned foods, candy, paella pans and more. As for their plant, it has the approval of the US Department of Agriculture and has state-of-the-art equipment, including mixers, multiple curing rooms and ovens.

On the day of the our La Espanola visit, many of the group arrived early to check out the retail store and as luck would have it, the store was sampling quite a few of their products including cheeses, cured meats, white anchovies and olives. I have to say it was difficult to display restraint. The quality of the product really was evident in how good everything tasted. I enjoyed the spicing of the cured meats and I could have eaten two plates of the white anchovies.

Walking around the small store was like a treasure hunt. It was just amazing the variety of products they had for sale. The various meats, sausages and cheeses were a definite draw, but so were the wines and the olive oils. Also on the shelves, I found sardines, quince, both an asparagus mousse and piquillo pepper mousse and so much more.

Soon, it was time for the tour and it was led by Alex Motamedi, a family member and it started outside where he first told us La Espanola's history and we also got a chance to take a peek at the Paella that was going to served later in the afternoon.

After the talk, we put on our oh-so-fashionable hair nets and were walked into the inner sanctum of their plant. As an importer of cured meats from Spain, those meats arrive whole, are cut into larger pieces, sliced, put into a plastic wrap, vacuum sealed and are ready for sale.

The star attraction was really the sausages. First, Alex pointed out the various machines that go into the sausage making process from the grinder, the scale, the mixer and finally the sausage casing machine.

Then we took a peek into sausage nirvana where row after row of sausages hung. The temperature, humidity and airflow in these curing rooms are carefully monitored. For a moment, we just stood there in awe. It was hard not to want to run in, grab a few sausages (some of which were actually taller than my 5'1" height) and make a run for it. It was a beautiful sight of meaty-goodness.

Once the sausages have finished their curing process, they are taken out of the vaults to be cleaned and packaged. An interesting thing that Alex mentioned was regarding the white mold on the surface of the sausages. During this curing process, white mold grows on the outside while the moisture evaporates as the sausage dries; hence, you get a dry sausage. There's apparently nothing wrong with the mold and while La Espanola generally cleans it off before packaging the sausage, they do get requests for the mold to be kept on for those customers who want to ensure the sausage was actually cured on location.

It was definitely a fun and informative tour and I always love going behind the scenes of a food factory because it makes you so much more appreciative of the work that goes into what lands on your plate. After the tour, we walked over to the covered patio for lunch which started with a tapas plate of cured meats, cheeses and olives.

Soon it was paella time and it arrived in a large platter right in the middle of our table. This was definitely an epic serving of rice, sausages, mussels, shrimp and chicken. I wasn't even sure if we'd finish it, but I have to say we made a pretty good dent and along with espresso and Spanish cookies to end the meal, it was definitely an enjoyable afternoon spent at La Espanola.

A couple things I should mention in regards to the tour and the lunch. This was a private tour I had set up with Alex and at the time, he had mentioned that they were going to start limiting the number of factory tours. So if you want a private tour, he's the person to contact, but there's no guarantee that he'll say yes.

As for the paella, it's only available during the weekend and you need to make advance reservations for it. They only make enough paella for the number of reservations that come in. Even if you can't do the tour or try their paella, La Espanola is really the place to go for Spanish cured meats and imported foods, so I definitely encourage you to check it out.

Click here to see all the photos!

La Espanola Meats
25020 Doble Ave
Harbor City, CA 90710-3155
(310) 539-0455
www.laespanolameats.com





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¡Baja Delicioso! The History of Mariachi and Late Night Mariachi at La Vuelta

Last August, I posted the first of my ¡Baja Delicioso! series where I talked about the ultimate Carne Asada Taco, but life, a new job and other responsibilities took over and I fell a bit behind. It's time to rectify that situation. After scarfing down both a carne asada taco and tostada at our first destination, we were driven over to La Vuelta, also in Tijuana.

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La Vuelta is open 24 hours, but what they're known for is a house mariachi band that will play until 2 am every night but before I talk more about our time at La Vuelta, I thought I'd give you a little mariachi history lesson reprinted from www.mariachi.org.

The Wedding of Musical Traditions

Prior to the arrival of Cortes the music of Mexico, played with rattles, drums, reed and clay flutes, and conch-shell horns, was an integral part of religious celebrations. Quickly, however, as Christianity spread, in many areas these instruments gave way to instruments imported by the Spanish: violins, guitars and harps, brass horns, and woodwinds. The Indian and mestizo musicians not only learned to play European instruments, but also to build their own, sometimes giving them shapes and tunings of their own invention.

Mariachi - What Does It Mean?

Musicologists and folklorists have argued for years over the origin of the word - Mariachi. Currently, the best scholarly opinion is that the word mariachi has native roots. In fact, one theory is that it comes from the name of the wood used to make the platform on which the performers danced to the music of the village musicians.

The Unique Make-Up of the Mariachi Ensemble

In the complete Mariachi group today there are as many as six to eight violins, two trumpets, and a guitar - all standard European instruments. Then there is a high-itched, round-backed guitar called the vihuela, which when strummed in the traditional manner gives the Mariachi its typical rhythmic vitality; a deep-voiced guitar called the guitarró which serves as the bass of the ensemble; and a Mexican folk harp, which usually doubles the base line, but also ornaments the melody. While these three instruments have European origins, in their present form they are strictly Mexican.

The Beginning of the Mariachi We Know Today

Although the origins of Mariachi music go back hundreds of years, in the form we know it the Mariachi began in the nineteenth century in the Mexican state of Jalisco - according to popular legend, in the town of Cocula. The Mariachi was the distinctive version of the Spanish theatrical orchestra of violins, harp and guitars which developed in and around Jalisco. In other areas such as Veracruz and the Huasteca region in the northeast, the ensemble evolved differently. By the end of the nineteenth century, in Cocula the vihuela, two violins, and the guitarrón (which had replaced the harp) were the instruments of the Mariachi.

Coming of Age: Mariachi Vargas

Until the 1930's Mariachi groups were local and semi-professional. They were almost entirely unknown outside their own region. This began to change about 60 years ago, when the Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, founded by Gaspar Vargas in 1898, went from Jalisco to Mexico City. They were invited to play at the inauguration in 1934 of populist President Lázaro Cárdenas, one of whose great interests was to foster the native culture of Mexico. Catching the Presidents enthusiasm, urban sophisticates took the folk arts to their hearts, and the Mariachi Vargas instantly became the toast of the town and spawned a musical tradition that has is now an important part of Mexican culture.

La Vuelta

Hopefully, you enjoyed learning more about this Mexican musical tradition so now, let's get back to La Vuelta. When we arrived at La Vuelta and made our way into their larger dining area, we were greeted by the sounds of a mariachi band, performing on a gazebo-like stage.

Once seated, the restaurant sent over complimentary tortilla chips and salsa and beef taquitos along with our choice of beers. The majority of us opted for the Casta beer and while we nibbled and sipped, we sat back and enjoyed the performance.

The food at La Vuelta was solid, if not spectacular, but in the end, it's not really about the food. It's more about finding a late night spot becaue you're still not quite ready to turn in yet. A few appetizers, a beer or two or more and enjoying the lively music and singing of a mariachi band is certainly not a bad way to end your night.

By the time we left La Vuelta, it was around 1:30 am. I was definitely ready for a good night's sleep for tomorrow was going to be an early start time where the first activity of the day was going to be a Tijuana City Tour. More to follow.


La Vuelta
Ave, Revolucion y Calle 1, #2004
Centro
Tijuana, Mexico
www.restaurantlavuelta.com

Click Here to See the Photos of the Entire Trip!

¡Baja Delicioso!
- Introduction and the Ultimate Carne Asada Taco at Tacos El Poblano
- The History of Mariachi and Late Night Mariachi at La Vuelta
 - TJ City Tour, Cuban Cigars, Chili Shrimp Tacos and Churros
- From Spain to Argentina to My First Taste of Baja Med Cuisine

Disclaimer: Sponsored by the Tijuana Visitors and Convention Bureau along with the support of the Crossborder Business Associates, Cotuco (Tijuana Tourism Board) and the Tijuana Canirac (Tijuana Restaurant Association). This sponsorship took the form of these organizations paying for our travel arrangements, our hotel accomodations and all our meals.



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