Tag Archives: M Cafe

The Hollywood Bowl To-Go Round-Up

Posted on by

Bienvenido Gustavo! at The Hollywood Bowl (October 1, 2009)

Hollywood Bowl season is upon us! And what better opportunity to combine your love of food with your love of music than to do up the pre-performance picnic the right way? Grab a recommended wine from Jill at Domaine LA to pair with your food and you’re set. Just make sure your show is an official Bowl event and not leased out. If it’s leased out (most likely to include the high profile rock bands not part of the KCRW World Music Series), then you’re confined to the Patina catering sold (or served in your fancy box seats) at the venue. If not, you’re good to go!

Below, you’ll find options all over town. So wherever you hail from, you’re set to make your little haven in Hollywood home for a few hours whether they be Pool, Garden, Terrace, Super or bench seats. And by the way, yes, you can always order from Nancy Silverton’s Mozza2Go – I would just recommend ordering and picking up extra early in the day on Bowl nights given its vicinity and the likelihood everyone may be thinking the same thing as you. Here we go… (Check the map at the bottom for a visual of all mentioned locations.)

Napa Valley Grille – Westwood

When at UCLA, I always knew the Napa Valley Grille as the out-of-range option for us students – the place you got your parents to take you to when they visited from out-of-town. But they’ve recently come out with a boxed lunch program that seems pretty accessible to me, ranging from $10.75 to $13.75 with 3 seasonal options from Executive chef Joseph Gillard and packaged in recyclable materials. You can wax Napa in Hollywood (or elsewhere) as they are themed after different Napa Valley regions:

Russian River Menu: Shrimp Salad Sandwich, with Poached White Shrimp, Fine Herbs, Buttermilk Dressing, and Shaved Cabbage on a Soft Herb Roll; Sweet Pea Salad with Butter Lettuce and Green Goddess Dressing; housemade Napa Potato Chips; and Summer Fruit Trifle ($13.75)

Stag’s Leap Menu: Slow-Roasted Rare Prime Beef Sandwich with Bacon, Red Onion Jam, Creamy Horseradish, and Smoked Cheddar Cheese on Pretzel Bread; Roasted Red Fingerling Potato Salad; housemade Napa Potato Chips; and a Black and White Cookie ($12.75)

St. Helena Menu: Roasted Vegetable Foccaccia with Grilled Zucchini, Eggplant, Portabella Mushroom, White Bean Hummus, Tomato Fondue, and Basil Goat Cheese on Herb Ciabatta Bread; Orzo Pasta Salad with Pepperdew Peppers, Spring Onions, and Golden Balsamic Vinaigrette; housemade Napa Potato Chips; and a “Blondie” Bar ($10.75)

You’ll undoubtedly want dessert (not included) - so choose from delicious selections like Mini Eclairs with Cordillera Dark Chocolate-Brandy Cream, Bourbon Pecan Bars and White Chocolate Coconut Cookies.

Call to place order

Napa Valley Grille
1100 Glendon Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90024
310.824.3322
@nvgwestwood

Petrossian Boutique & Restaurant – Robertson/West Hollywood

Ordering your take-away items from Petrossian means you demand taste, style and class. More power to you. In fact, I just ate there last night and was delightfully reminded how absolutely talented Chef Ben Bailly is. So tote his offerings to The Bowl – your tastebuds will be titillated while your ears are enchanted. Below are some picnicking suggestions straight off their menu:

Caviar Surprise, served in a caviar tin and comprised of layers of Caviar, King Crab, Crème Fraîche and Apple Cider Jelly ($32)

Caviar Dip and Sweet Potato Chips ($14)

Blinis with Caviar, Trout, and Salmon Roe; the Green Bean Salad with Burrata, Marcona almonds and Transmontanus Caviar ($18)

Smoked Salmon Tartine with Goat Cheese, Capers, and Caviar ($16)

Eggxiting Caviar—two 12 gram “eggs” of Transmontanus caviar and spoons in an isothermic case ($49)

Petrossian CaviarCubes ($45)

Foie Gras and Pâté (from $20)

The Petrossian staff will kindly package the items to go in one of their stylish cooler bags or pack your picnic basket for you. Provide your credit card number ahead of time and they’ll deliver your items to you in your car.

Call to order

Petrossian Boutique & Restaurant
321 N. Robertson Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90048
310.271.0576
@petrossianweho

Continue reading →

M Café: Accessible Macrobiotics & Plain Deliciousness

Posted on by

Kale with spicy peanut sauce, Scarlet quinoa, Lentil salad

All good things – that require discipline – come to an end. That is, in my case, anyway; I had dabbled in Macrobiotics all but a week a few years ago before deciding that my palate wasn’t committed and my budget wasn’t copious. It’s not as if I didn’t agree with the basic theories behind the philosophy – as opposed to the new-ish fad diets such as Atkins or South Beach. Yin and yang, salt and sweet. Good and nightshade grains. Macrobiotics, no doubt, introduced me to my affinity to quinoa – even if it took some acclimation in the beginning.

Enter that one-off shopping trip I had made to Erewhon way back when. I had spent $100 yet when I got home, it seemed as though I had barely bought anything at all. My yoga teacher and friend Hillary had confessed to me that her financial planner had stressed that she and her husband “must spend less on food” – and they were the most hardcore advocates of M Café I had ever known.

Organic cut-fries with nori, shiso & sea salt

The good news is that M Café – starting with the Beverly Hills location – has made a recent effort to meet the affordable price points of today’s healthful vegan and macro-foodie. What’s undoubtedly a response to the market of today, menu items on average came down by $2-3; Javier of Teenage Glutster and I were invited to sample the goods of their new, accessible “Little m” menu.

First of all, I cannot sing enough praises about their organic fries. I am actually thinking they are the best “salted” fries in the city – with a mixture of nori (seaweed), shiso and sea salt and simultaneously not tasting nearly as salty as any other fries I’ve ever had before. Perfectly crispy and perfectly sized, it was truly a revelation. The sweet potato fries are also perfectly seasoned with chili, sea salt and lime. If you’re into the sauce thing, the beet-red organic ketchup is impressive as is the spicy yuzu mayo. The great thing about the fry selection is that M Café stays true to the original while making an effort to put an imaginative spin on things given the Macrobiotic requirements.

The focus of our lunch was the deli salads (title picture) that are available at M, which also happens to be how most diners enjoy the restaurant during the day. Depending on availability, you can get a 2 serving selection for $7.45 or a 3 serving selection for $9.75. There wasn’t a salad I wasn’t impressed with. Fresh kale was perfectly seasoned and dressed, the scarlet quinoa had such a unique flavor that was appetizing yet didn’t hide the taste of the grain. The lentil salad was deliciously hearty and the salmon salad tasted fresh and had good bite (thanks to the perfect amount of celery) with a good, “creamy” consistency.

Continue reading →