"la" news and stories

This week, the Los Angeles Times Food section touches on every corner of the world:

• Zakuski is the Russian version of tapas, made just for vodka. The recipes are Spinach Pkhali, a dip, Salad Olivier, Quick Khachapuri (Georgian cheese pie), Eggs stuffed with caviar, and Smoked salmon and shiitakes on toast.
• From Japanese cuisine, there is shiso, with recipes for Broiled citrus with shiso, Italian tuna and shiso sandwich, and Angel hair pasta with fresh shiso-herb mix.
• On the restaurant scene, SIV goes Italian and gives Melograno two stars (**), while Linda Burum adds Ecuadorean at El Caserio in Silver Lake.

Naturally, every Food section around the country is covering Thanksgiving, and The Los Angeles Times is only different in the approach: looking at the Thanksgiving table as a palette of colors:

• Amy Scattergood starts off with ivory, offering recipes for Celery root gratin, Braised hearts of celery with Parmesan, Roasted baby parsnips, and Glazed cipollini with pancetta.
• Green is vibrant in Brussels sprouts with bacon and chestnuts, Mixed greens soup, Lima beans with mint, and Braised kale.
• The star of the show, turkey, goes golden brown, along with Cognac reduction sauce, Mushroom-walnut stuffing, Chanterelle-sage bread pudding, Intertwined rosemary and black pepper breads, and Pecan brown-butter bread.
• Red is, of course, cranberries, but in everything from Cranberry fig tart to Spiced cranberry syrup to Ruby Port cranberry sauce.
• My favorite, Russ Parsons, takes orange and spins out Peppery roasted squash, Sweet potato purée with hazelnut soufflé top, Bruléed pumpkin pie, Craft pumpkin tart, and finally Spiced pumpkin soup in roasted pumpkins.

This week in Food at the LA Times, Russ Parsons goes to town with Heirloom apples with a Guide to Apple Varieties and answering the age-old question, To bake or not to bake?. Recipes include Baked Apple Ice Cream, Boozie's Apple Cake, and Maple Baked Apples with Dried Fruit and Nuts.

Also in the kitchen, Rosh Hashana recipes to celebrate the Jewish New Year: Kibbeh bi'kizabrath (cilantro-tomato soup with Syrian meatballs), Rubuh' (roast veal stuffed with spiced ground meat and rice), and Ejjeh b'kerrateh (leek fritters).

In restaurants, SIV visits the newly re-opened Ca'Brea and gives it a half star, LA chefs try serving cocktails with or as the amuse bouche.

The most interesting article of the day (in my opinion, of course) is from Regina Schrambling who ponders the anonymity of restaurant reviewers from professional journalists to bloggers (and if you happen to recognize a mysterious half face on the article, yes, that is yours deliciously!)

Looks like the entire staff of the Los Angeles Times food section went on a retreat over the long weekend to Santa Barbara, with the entire section dedicated to the "local" wine country.

• On the Santa Barbara restaurant scene, Square One's Jason Tuley makes the best use of local ingredients, SIV reviews the SB outpost of LA's The Hungry Cat, and the section provides a mini-guide of dining options in the area.
• Concord grapes make more than just jelly for your sandwiches. Recipes include: Concord Grape Granita, Pork Tenderloin with Concord Grape Sauce, and Concord Grape Flatbread.
• You can't be in Santa Barbara without talking about wine, particularly five wineries and the newly taken over Firestone. SIV reviews 2005 Passopisciaro Rosso Sicilia.

It's an endless summer in LA:

• He's a "kid" in LA, but Matt Molina is running the kitchen at the hottest restaurant in town, Mozza.
• For Labor Day, break out the keg
• The best way to chill out if you're Korean (or not) is with an ice cold bowl of naeng-myun
• Take advantage of the height of fig season with a Fresh Fig Tart
• Speaking of tarts, SOS gets its hands on the Walnut Praline Tart with Espresso Ice Cream from Hatfield's