Wolvesmouth and Miles Thompson of Allumette at Le Grand Fooding Pre-Event Dinner (Credit: Wolvesmouth, Le Grand Fooding)

You have probably already heard about Le Grand Fooding: Crush, the posse’s upcoming inaugural event in Los Angeles on April 26-27. In fact, tickets went on sale a month ago, and a glance at the event website’s signage would indicate they’ve already sold out the duo of dates.

Therefore, it would be cruel of me to rehash that participants include Nancy Silverton (Mozza), Ludo Lefebvre (Trois Mec), Josef Centeno (Bäco Mercat, Bar Ama), Roy Choi (Kogi BBQ, Chego, A-Frame, Sunny Spot), Jordan Kahn (Red Medicine) and Carolynn Spence (Chateau Marmont) as well as Parisian chefs such as Inaki Aizpitarte (Le Chateaubriand), Gregory Marchand (Frenchie), Jean-François Piège (Restaurant Jean-François Piège) and for VIPs, Sven Chartier (Saturne). …And yet!

Maybe not. Fortunately, there’s an arguably even better opportunity for the winner of this giveaway. The pre-event dinner (wherein the winner of this giveaway plus a guest will join media and VIP) will feature a meal prepared by Craig Thornton of Wolvesmouth and Miles Thompson of Allumette. It’s no secret that I am a big fan of both chefs, so I can confidently say this dinner promises to be quite an adventure. And you may be in the company of some participating chefs from the main event.

To enter:

1. Comment below with a correct email address – this way I can get in touch with you – and why you want to go to the Le Grand Fooding pre-event dinner.
2. Tweet this:

“Giveaway by @estarLA: @LeFooding Pre-Event Dinner on 4/25 ft. @wolvesmouth and @allumettela with @MasterCard. http://estar.la/e/fb”

If you don’t have Twitter, post this blog post publicly on your Facebook wall. Link to your Facebook wall in comments if you did the Facebook post instead of the tweet. (I’ll be able to find you if you tweet.)

You must do both of these; if you don’t and I can’t confirm you’ve done both, I’ll have to choose another winner should your number come up in the lottery.

Contest will close Tuesday, April 23 at 5 PM. I will announce the winner via Twitter as well as contact you via the email you use to comment below. If the winner doesn’t respond to me by the end of the day on Tuesday, I’ll pick a new winner to be announced Wednesday morning.

Good luck!!

Disclosures: These tickets were given to me by MasterCard for promotional purposes to award to a reader, but I am responsible for this promotion. Winner must provide proper contact info to me, which I will then forward on to MasterCard. Your contact info will be used for fulfillment purposes only.

Breakfast Bäco

Anticipation of Josef Centeno’s upcoming Bar Amá reached fever pitch recently as a result of Bon Appetit naming Bäco Mercat one of America’s 10 Best New Restaurants (Michael Voltaggio’s Ink also received a nomination in this category – bravo for Los Angeles). But nothing prepared me for the day on which my cravings  actually led me to leave the 49ers-Packers game on my TV during free DirecTV NFL preview week. I wanted eggs. I wanted a Bloody Mary. I also wanted a Bäco.

Banana Cream Pie Rice Pudding

And to Bäco Mercat I went, driven by my bicycle, the southbound Metro Red Line and a “hanger” (hunger + anger) so intense, only the Breakfast Bäco and a spicy, red Hair of the Dog could quench me. Enter that magical flatbread, which came chock full of eggs, chorizo & cheese, but also arugula and pickled onions – altogether dressed in a spicy, comforting aioli. The wholesome but piquant sandwich becomes a mess after just a few bites, but one that you’re happily willing to dirty your face – and who knows what else – with. You eat a bäco with your elbows out.

The Bloody Mary also did the trick thanks to a strong pour, plenty of fresh horseradish and housemade ingredients. But nothing really prepared me for even the dessert menu. My server helped me out by pointing out the brand new addition: The Banana Cream Pie Rice Pudding.

The what?

If you were to recount Josef Centeno’s days at Lazy Ox Canteen, you’d remember the rice pudding as the “go to” dessert, forcing all of us to reconsider all those times in our childhood we’ve passed over it at the family potluck. And the “go to” dessert at Bäco? The Banana Cream Pie, thanks to its creamy but potent banana flavor and flaky, delicate crust. The combination of the two is like a mashup of the greatest Josef Centeno desserts. And the result was fantastic. Bananas, al dente rice, caramel and whipped cream – all topped by a sprig of mint and crunchy chocolate cookie crumbs.

And so we wait for Bar Amá, which will be serving Centeno’s native Tex-Mex. Bäco Mercat will continue to do us just fine…

Szechuan Chicken Ribs

I made my overdue visit to Bäco Mercat one cold-for-LA, weekday evening. I stationed at the full bar, in full view of the construction of both Bäzeracs I ordered for the duration of my meal. The red tinge of the storefront neon sign brought a welcome warmth, and it proved quite the perfect setting in which to enjoy each of the small plates that gradually came out.

Caesar Brussel Sprouts

They are all essentially small plates with big flavor. It sounds so simple, but only Josef Centeno can effectively achieve that. You could also oversimplify the Bäco as a sandwich, but that would be the same atrocity as calling its flatbread a mere pita.

I haven’t had any of the other Bäcos (an offense to be corrected over many future return visits), but the beef tongue schnitzel variety was absolutely divine. The combination of breaded beef tongue and spicy harissa with smoked aioli were like bites of heaven. And there are no words for that secret flatbread, in which Centeno uses “different fats and lebni” – you have to try it on your own. It’s more moist and dense than typical flatbreads while affording a fluffy consistency. I wanted to finish the whole thing right then and there. (Alas, I had ordered too much food.) If I had to move downtown for my daytime vocation, the lunchtime Bäco alone would be a huge consolation.

Beef Tongue Schnitzel Bäco

The thinly sliced pork headcheese with capers was a great way to start off. I also really enjoyed the brussel sprouts, which were made into a warm, chopped caesar salad. The Szechuan chicken “ribs” were to die for. They had a ton of spicy BBQ flavor and were super tender – and big.

The “Cocas,” or crispy, poofy flatbreads, are have a scrumptious texture further spiced up with tasty toppings – most pizzas will seem far and away plain boring in comparison once you’ve tried. Mine had a just-spicy-enough salsa verde topping with anchovies – a perfect savory treat.

There are many more dishes that I can’t wait to try at dinnertime. So between all those and all the different Bäcos I have yet to try, I definitely have my work cut out for me. The full bar is yet further  enticement. It’s clear that Josef Centeno is loving having a place to truly call his own – and we, the diners, are all the better for it.

Beef tartare with juniper berry, fried quail egg & olive oil toasted bread

It can’t be the easiest time to open a restaurant. While everyone else downsizes, Josef Centeno and Michael Cardenas take the opportunity to fill a niche in Little Tokyo. The aim would be to create a neighborhood canteen. That is, a watering hole with inventive yet casual plates at which you could count on to be there during all stages of your night’s indulgences. They have a permit in the works that will grant them operating hours that stretch until 3 AM.

Charred octopus with pickled shallots, lima beans & calamansi vinaigrette

Lazy Ox Canteen opens today. With previews going on the past two nights, I was lucky enough (with special thanks to Dawson) to be invited to occupy a spot last night along with Caroline on Crack, Shawn of Blog Downtown, Elina Shatkin, Sinosoul and Tyson, one of Michael Cardenas’ food-loving friends. The atmosphere is warm and inviting with clear, oversized light bulbs and frosted candleholders providing the ambiance. Perch on barstools underneath the red glow of the backlit bar or sit back in your chair or lengthwise booth behind small tables. Choose from a three-tiered menu, split simply into 1, 2 and 3: starters ($4-6), small plates ($9-15) and bigger plates ($20+) that can be doubled as entrees. The manageable brew list commands respect, from the St. Bernardus Triple on tap to Old Rasputen Imperial Stout and Allagash White (my choice for the night). Don’t overlook the bottle list, either – the Japanese “American IPA-style” Ozeno Yukidoke is unattainable anywhere else in the vicinity, confirmed by the back label which reads “Not for sale: For exhibition use only.” Most of the wines on the list run under $30 for the bottle and exhibit good range. And if your heart so desires, there are also a handful of sakes and shochus available.

Cream of pasilla soup with crispy pork belly, red grapes & creme fraiche

Cod brandade fritters is a popular-enough appetizer around town, by now, but surprisingly I could have done with less cod in this incarnation while the breading was a tad too delicate. The chicken liver is quite good – that is, if you like chicken liver (period) unlike Caroline on Crack – and prepared in milk for 24 hours leading up to it being plated atop toast and topped with pancetta crisp. The result was a much less pungent taste than I’m used to chicken liver having. The whole-grain mustard it’s served with was a good highlight to the combination.

The octopus wasn’t so much charred as it was incredibly tender – I’ve rarely had tako that just escaped chewy, let alone was entirely soft. We found out later that it is actually braised in preparation. The lima beans provided a good accompanying consistency to the dish with the pickled shallots adding a nice briny note. Steamed, mild collard greens rounded the dish out but probably took a little attention away from the octopus.

Brick-roasted mussels with basil, house-made sriracha, white wine & feta

One of my favorites was the spicy cream of pasilla soup - the combination of the crispy pork belly (crispy and salty), red grapes (sweet) and creme fraiche to complete the creamy consistency of the pool was something I just could not stop savoring!! It was actually served at the same time as the Brick-roasted mussels, another welcomed spicy dish. Truth be told, I love mussels but it’s the quality broth that allows me to thoroughly enjoy them – and this particular one fit the bill. It was distinctive from the pasilla spicyness; its menu listing boasts it is made with “house-made sriracha,” which gave my new friend Tyson and me a little chuckle. “Oh no – not the rooster sriracha, not that!” The red chilis from that special sriracha went well with the basil covering the dish and ultimately reminded me of a Thai soup - with the feta throwing a curve ball into the whole thing. But it worked. When we had finished the mussels, I had to stop one of the bussers from clearing away the pan, just so I could have more broth.

Braised beef paleron with cream of wheat, kumquats and red wine

The braised meat dish of the night was a Centeno classic – a pot roast - or as Lazy Ox brands, Braised beef paleron with cream of wheat, kumquats and red wine. Yes, cream of wheat – which left me satisfied and thinking twice about necessitating a potato mash (I also didn’t know it was cream of wheat until looking at the menu)! The sweetness of the kumquats was really nice – providing the variation on what we might come to expect from, say, carmelized onions. Michael clued us in on the fact that 60% of Lazy Ox’s produce comes straight from Temecula, putting emphasis on their farm-to-table menu and support for local growers and their continual influence on the menu.

The tender smoked sesame crusted aji had a perfect, crispy skin and was served with a celery and fennel salad that only added to its crunch. On top was a sweet olive-tomato tapenade, a nice note added. Now I’m not well-versed in my beef tartares – starting with the urge to fight comparisons to my local butcher’s refrigerated case – but I actually enjoyed compiling a toast topped with it (seasoned with juniper berry) along with a bit of fried quail egg. It’s a surprisingly delicate bite – if even light – with the heaviest element being the egg.

Tapioca brulee with pineapple szechuan

On to the desserts – of which my favorite was the tapioca brulee with a pineapple szechuan (sauce?). Of course, my bias rests with my being a bona fide creme brulee fan, so the inspired variation on the torched dessert was a welcome departure. The brulee actually served as a bit of a textured, eggy canvas for the delicious, subtly-sweet pineapple sauce. It’s lighter than “the original” and the Asian influence here is welcome. The chilled tangerine custard with hazelnut cookie (crumble) was also good, while reminding me of a crumb cake-pudding hybrid: You just can’t go wrong.

Overall, I was readily impressed with the inventiveness of the menu and the early-on execution of each of the dishes. Keeping Centeno and Cardenas’ previous successes in mind (Lot 1, Opus; Sushi Roku, Katana respectively), I appreciated the new neighborhood direction they were taking while keeping things surprising, even challenging. I’d come back any other night, whether it be 7 o’clock or 2 AM. Hopefully the latter option will be available soon.

All aforementioned food was hosted.

Further reading:

Early Bird: The Lazy Ox Canteen – S. Irene Virbila for LA Times

Celebrating Centeno at Lazy Ox Canteen – Jonathan Gold for LA Weekly

Lazy Ox Canteen: Where’s Bäco? – Jonathan Gold for LA Weekly

Lazy Ox Canteen Flickr Set

Lazy Ox Canteen
241 S. San Pedro Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213.626.5299

@lazyoxcanteen