Drinks In LA

During my time in LA I had the chance to visit two great establishments for a nice drink at night.

The first of these destinations was the Shangri-La Hotel in Santa Monica and the second was the Beverly Hills hotel in Beverly Hills.

Th Shangri-La is on the corner of the Santa Monica Freeway and Ocean Drive. As you walk into the hotel you are moved towards the elevators which take you to the penthouse. Arriving a top of the hotel you get  to enter through the bar area that has a very nice modern chic decor. This leads to an outdoors patio area the over looks the ocean and the Santa Monica pier. I recommend going there for the sun set as it is just gorgeous. The bartenders are all very knowledgeable and both nights I was there I told them to surprise me with a gin beverage. These guys truly make it an art as they have fresh fruit available a big block of ice that they chip ice cubes from and a vivid imagination in terms of new concoctions. Dress code is casual business all the way to black tie if there is an outside event going on. I recommend calling ahead to make sure it is open to the public the night you want to go as they throw events fairly regularly according to the door man Andre. Drinks will run you 12 to 22$ but well worth it to watch the bartenders in action with the lost art of drink making.

Coming back from Hollywood one night We decided to stop in at the Beverly Hills hotel to have a drink. We went there on a monday and lucky for us it was not too busy. There are two ares to go too one is almost a restaurant that turns into a bar  (The Polo Lounge) the other is a bar that over looks Beverly Hills and Sunset Blvd. (Bar Nineteen 12) While tlaking to the front desk about which one to try out I remembered on hearing that the hotel has very unique ball rooms. Seeing that it was not too busy we asked the receptionist to give us a tour which was not a problem. I have to say that the hotel made you feel like you where in the 1930. It was renovated less then 15 years ago but they kept all the old world touches in place. The ball rooms where spectacular even having some of them overlooking gardens.

We decided to go to bar nineteen 12 since it was named after the year the hotel was built.

The servers was where very quick and helpful and new the drink menu inside and out. As soon as you sit down you are brought olives to eat while you wait for your drink. I got the French 75 out of the favorite selection. I am not a big fan of champagne but it was recommended by the server so I gave it a shot. I was very surprised and very pleased. The Champagne sweetness was taken away by the gin bitterness but the bubbles remained there was also a hint of citrus that played nicely with the cucumber in the hendricks gin. Prices run from 16 dollars into the hundreds for things like a Johnnie walker 1805 or a Macallan 50 yr.

If you want to feel like you are in the 30's in old hollywood then this is the place to have a drink.

Koi in Los Angeles

So recently my travels have taken me to sunny Los Angeles. Upon arriving I knew that i would have to eat some seafood especially something with a Japanese twist. While in LA I had the pleasure to meet up with some great friends. I had my eyes set on two places one being Koi the other Nobu. Following some advice from some locals I settled on Koi. The supper was reserved for 730 on a Monday night. Walking in a few minutes earlier then the reso we where greeted by the Manager and a hostess. The table that was assigned to us was indoors but since it was so nice outside we asked to get moved to the patio. This was done without problem. We sat down and the server was very quick to ask if we needed anything and to recommend drinks. I started looking at the menu and I was very excited to see the mix of options. We decide to all share plates so that we can try as many things as possible.
For the first round of food there was quite the mix.
The seaweed medley was the first thing to be brought out. It was very nice not over powerful with vinegar but full of flavor.
This was served along with the Crispy Rice topped with Spicy Tuna. This is considered to be one of their specialties and I can see why. It was some sushi rice made into a roll and very nicely seared to give it a brown outside crisp. The Tuna it self was almost in a puree from mixed in with spices of all kinds. It was a very nice contrast in the mouth.
The next dish was the Kobe Beef Carpaccio with Yuzu Vinaigrette. This has to be one of the best Carpaccio's that I have ever eaten. It was not mixed meat that was sliced into small pieces like the french do it traditionally. Instead it seems that a meat slicer was used to make paper thin Steak cuts that just melted in your mouth.
Seared Tuna Sashimi with Foi Gras and Truffles was the following thing on the menu. It was nice to see something like a Foi Gras on a Japanese menu. I do have to say that it disappointed. Part of the nice thing with Foi Gras is that it should melt in your mouth if done right. The issue that arose here was that the pieces where too small and thus over cooked. The Sashimi on the other hand was delicious.
The oysters also felt dried.  Now I might have been spoiled back home with oysters but i was not that impressed here. They where quite small for starters and a bit on the dry side not the nice juiciness you would expect with oysters. Also there was no condiments that came with it other then lemon. No hint of horseradish or scotch or a house spicy sauce.
Steamed Chilean Sea Bass was delicious and it was more of a sit down plate. The ginger was nice in the dish as it was blanched as too not be so over powering. The bass was steamed perfectly but lacked a little something to take it over the top.
We also tried Baked Lobster Rolls which was quite nice but could have used a bit more sauce.
The hot dish Soft Shell Crab was a disappointment. The Crab was deep fried but unfortunately they where too small. This caused it to almost dry out. If it would have been a bigger crab and would have stayed moist it would have been succulent with the sauces, alas that was not the case.
The services was great the food all in all was very nice. Price wise if you have a few drinks be ready to spend 100$ per person before tax and grats. I recommend making reservations ahead of time. I hope that you all enjoy.

Hello Everyone

Hello Fellow Foodies

This is my first blog so bare with me. Also bear in mind that english is my fourth language so if you find the odd mistake it is too be expected. This Blog will focus on food mainly food and drinks from my travels, restaurants in the Ottawa area, as well as tips for young chefs and entertainers. If at any point anyone has questions about places to eat that I have visited and not blogged about or about something in particular about Ottawa or cooking feel free to ask away.