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| A Room with a View |
Venison, asparagus and eleven-thousand virgins. That is one of the descriptions in the Los Angeles
Philharmonic Program for Mahler’s 4th. Given the fact that I am a foodie, music
lover and art groupie, Mahler’s 4th was the perfect kick off for our
2012 LA Phil experiences.
We started our day off with a visit to one of our favorite
restaurants in Little Tokyo – Lazy Ox Canteen.
At 11:30 on a Saturday morning, our expectation was that we would beat
the crowds and enjoy a quiet, intimate lunch.
I always forget that even on a Saturday, restaurants of the quality of
Lazy Ox are hopping, and we probably should have made a reservation in advance
to ensure a table. Fortunately, without reservation, they were able to accommodate our party of two and the festivities
commenced.
Our tablemates next to us ordered Blistered Shishito Peppers
with Mojama (salt cured tuna considered a delicacy in Spain). The scent wafted to our table like a siren
song. I love it when you are seated next
to foodies who don’t mind sharing – they must have seen the lust in my eyes as
they proffered their peppers to us claiming the plate was too much for the two
of them. These peppers were smoky,
slightly pickled and finished with a little heat. (My apologies on no photo, I didn’t feel it
appropriate to mooch off their plate and ask to photograph it.)
We had dinner scheduled at Patina before the concert, so a
decision was made not to gorge ourselves on the insanely unique and delicious
food. Instead we were sensible in our
ordering, which rarely happens.
To start a glass of Domaine Contat-Grange Pinot Noir and Muralhas
de Monaco Vinho Verde were in order.
After a 2-hour freeway drive, lunch is always more relaxed with a libation. Lazy Ox Canteen has an interesting, eclectic
wine list by the glass or bottle that is sure to please your palate.
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| Caramelized Cauliflower |
A lengthy perusal of the menu, and a short debate, led to
our selection of items. First selection
was the Caramelized Cauliflower with chile, pine nuts and mint with a hint of
sherry vinegar. The golden color
glistened in our bowl, and made me wonder why I had not thought of caramelizing
cauliflower before. The chile added a
nice round amount of heat to the dish, which was offset by the sherry vinegar
which added a unique pickling effect to the cauliflower without being
pickled. Pine nuts provided a nice
textural contrast. Fresh mint offset the
heat of the chile making it the perfect finish.
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| Grilled Cabbage Salad |
Grilled Green Cabbage Salad arrived just as we finished off
the last bite of cauliflower. The
Grilled Green Cabbage Salad was slightly wilted from the grill, but still
retained a nice crispness. The grilled
cabbage was accented with piquillo peppers, juicy shrimp, and a scant amount of
capers. This is something I will
definitely be playing around with at home to see if I can replicate it in my
kitchen.
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| The one and only Lazy Ox Burger |
My intrepid sous chef has long been told by his friend about
the legendary Lazy Ox Burger. Typically he allows
me to select our entire menu so I can experiment with flavors, ingredients and
see what inspiration takes flight. Not
so this time, he was determined to try the Lazy Ox Burger with cantal cheese
(one of the oldest French cheeses made from raw cow’s milk) and whole grain mustard,
along with the obligatory home fries.
The bun was light, the beef juicy, and the cheese delectable. The fries were crisp on the outside, and melt
in your mouth on the inside. Needless to
say he was completely pleased with his selection and offered only the smallest
nibble to sample.
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| Creamy Farro with Red Wine |
Since I’ve been on a grain kick this winter, I tried the
Creamy Farro with red wine, mixed herbs and pecorino. It is the equivalent of a hearty
risotto. Mushrooms also graced the faro
giving a textural like quality of calamari legs to the dish. This was definitely a dish that serves as a good
base to dress up to your personal satisfaction.
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| Lazy Ox Rice Pudding |
Last but not least was the rice pudding. It is light and refreshing. Cleanses the palate and makes for a memorable
end to a great meal.
One of the special things about Lazy Ox Canteen is that the
menu does change and though there are the favorites such as the Lazy Ox Burger
or Green Barley Salad always on the menu, it’s fun to discover the new dishes
and influences with each visit.
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| Charlie Chaplin at The Bradbury Building |
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| Beautiful Iron Work at The Bradbury Building |
After lunch we headed up over to do a quick tour of the Bradbury Building, and Grand Central Market with our ultimate destination MOCA (Museum of Contemporary
Art) to take a gander at the exhibit of "Naked Hollywood Weegee in Los
Angeles." It’s on display until February
27, 2012. There were some very
interesting photographic techniques used, and I suspect some interesting
statements about the time the photos were taken.
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| MF Gourmet - Grand Central Market |
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| Produce at Grand Central Market |
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| Grand Central Market Spices |
Next stop was back to the hotel to prepare for dinner and
Mahler’s 4th. Our room was
definitely a room with a view. Hard to
beat Walt Disney Concert Hall and MOCA, with the hills of Los Angeles in the background.
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| Nancy Rubens Sculpture outside MOCA and view from our room |
Dinner at Patina was exquisite as expected. No photos, just the memories. Admittedly that is because of the "no photos rule" at Walt Disney Concert Hall and I’m fearful of being overcome by Dudamel’s presence and
whipping my camera out to get a shot of him as that curly hair is bouncing around
to perfect beat of the symphony. The
Mahler Project is a definite must if you are in the Los Angeles
area. It’s beautiful.
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| This is a room with a view! |
The weekend was complete with breakfast at Dupar’s at The
Grove, and a quick trip through Farmers Market.
See what you can do in less than 24 hours if you plan in advance!
Prior experience at Lazy Ox Canteen:
http://christyspalate.blogspot.com/2011/04/lazy-ox-canteen.html
Lazy Ox Canteen:
http://lazyoxcanteen.com
241South Pedro, Los Angeles, CA 90012
213-626-5299
Omni Los Angeles:
251 South Olive Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
213-617-3300
www.omnihotels.com
LA Phil/Walt Disney Concert Hall:
www.laphil.com
MOCA:
www.moca.org
