January 2000 (Photo of Chef Serge
& Corrine Burckel) ONE Restaurant, located at 672 S. La Brea and owned by chef Serge and wife Corrine Burckel, was recently named in the top ten restaurants by LA Magazine, and no doubt is ONE you will not forget! Chef/Owner Serge Burckel is a master of imagination with food, creating such entrees as: pan fired yogurt served in steak form with hash potatoes and salad; fruit sushi; crispy duck firecrackers with lettuce and mint leaves; a choice of five foot long sandwiches, including hanger steak with garlic & onions at $7 or melon with proscuitto & brie at $8; whole roasted papaya stuffed with seasoned minced beef or spicy tuna sushi served like an ice cream cone. His dessert's include a lit and smoking chocolate cigar served on an ashtray filled with creme anglaise and raspberry sauce, as well as eggplant tempura filled with bananas on an apple saffron coulis.

(Photo of Chocolate Smoking Cigar Dessert)

Chef Burckel made his restaurant kitchen debut at age five in his father's restaurant, Begie-Doritam, in Alsace, France. At 16 he apprenticed in Colmar with Hubert Keller, current owner of Fleur de Lys in San Francisco. Bruckel then worked at Three Kings Hotel in Basil, Switzerland, with Jacques Maximin at the Negresco Hotel in Nice; with Germany's Ekahrt Witzigman in restaurant L'Aubergine in Munich and Tokyo's Chez Joel in Japan. He created the menu at The Crown Plaza in Hong Kong, but longed to own his own place and bring his integrated talents to California...which he has done admirably! This is a One of a
kind restaurant, with indescribably delicious and original menu items. The talented Chef/Owner of ONE Restaurant in Los Angeles was recently commissioned to open a new hotel dining facility in South Korea BRAVO Serge! For reservations call 323-692-0541.

(Photo ofOreste Di Gregorio & Bonnie Carroll)

ALLEGRIA CAFE-RESTAURANT, Malibu continues to be an outstanding example of what the chef calls Country Style Italian, the co-mingling of Italian regional recipes. The chef tastefully offers a combination of Northern, Central and Southern Italian influences. Chef Oreste Di Gregorio is considered the heart of Allegria restaurant, and has a very humble presence considering the spectacular Italian dishes he creates. This dining room with a beach view was transformed by managing partners Franco Simplicio and Antonio Tomassi in 1997, from a local pizza joint into a warm and charming family restaurant, where "mangia bene" takes on new meaning. (Photo of Pumpkin Tortilini)

Chef Di Gregorio'sPumpkin Tortilini is a secret recipe. It is prepared with roasted pine nuts, crumb bread, and imported amaretto cookies, and is one of the most delightful dishes ever. Ordinarily, I do not eat mussels, however, Oreste surprised me with a platter of the most deliciously prepared mussels that I ate and adored every bite! The Risotto Al Frutti De Mare is prepared with arborio rice, sauteed calamari, mussels, shrimp, scallops, clams diced tomatoes and garlic... perfecto! Insalata Allegria, combines watercress, arugula, pine nuts, heart of palm, endive and avocado in Parmesan dressing, and the Zuppa Di Polio E Patte Con Bietole-country style soup of chicken, potato and swiss chard is rich and wonderful. For dessert I recommend any of the following: Panettone Bread Pudding, traditional Italian custard and chocolate, served with vanilla sauce. Tiramisu, lady fingers soaked in espresso coffee, layered with mascarpone cream cheese and dusted with chocolate powder or Crema Di Vaniglia, vanilla cream custard covered with a soft, rich caramel sauce. They also have a fine selection of dinner and dessert wines to accompany your selections. For reservations call 310-456-3132.

BERNIE SAFIRE, former owner ofBernie's in Westwood, the Whale Watch in Malibu has designed a dynamic new chefs station for restaurant or home use. The Chefs Assistant is a very practical and highly attractive cooking station that can be used inside or outdoors for food preparation by caterers. I tested this unique, portable station which provides ample room for condiments, sauces, utensils, and it makes everything so easy. It also includes a maple veneered cutting board, and interchangeable sauce bowls, along with a waste holder making it a must have, portable food preparation station. For information contact 310-457-3317 or at Bernie@malibuonline.com.

(Photo of Satire's Chefs Assistant)

BEETS ARE THE BEST! If my last supper is to include beets, let it be the roasted beet salad with carmelized walnuts, dried bing cherries, goat cheese cream and banyuls-ginger vinaigrette at JiRaffe in Santa Monica. Raphael Lunetta, proprietor/chef has created an ambiance and French-California menu that is so welcoming it was hard to leave my balcony seat, which overlooks the main dining salon and offers a great view of 5th and Santa Monica Streets. (Photo of Raphael Lunetta, owner/executive chef JiRaffe) This innovative young chef and early protege of retired chef Georges Vernotte, who stole the show earlier this year as an invited chef at James Beard Foundation in New York, offers a menu that is bold, imaginative and delicious. Lunetta is California born, but developed a love of French food from his mother's family in the South of France, where he visited often as a child. His menu includes a variety of imaginative salads, crispy Atlantic salmon, with parsnip puree and braised fennel is wonderful as are the brine-cured pork chops in cider with wild rice and smokey bacon or Ahi tuna with braised endives, baby bok choy, Napa cabbage, crispy noodles and Yuzu sesame soy vinaigrette. The dessert menu items are rich and delicious, but I'll still take the beets. Bon Appetit! For reservations 310-917-6671.

NEW DIRECTION AT LOUISE TRATTORIA under the leadership of CEO Fred LeFranc. The Southern California restaurant chain which was established in 1978 now has a new look, ambiance, menu and service mode of operation. Dining at Louise's on Beverly Drive was a wonderful change from my last visit to a Louise's restaurant. The new thirty item menu offers California-Italian faire like chicken fettuccine with sun dried tomatoes and scallions, a delicious variety of appetizers, salads and pasta dishes. Specialties include veal or chicken piccata, classic New York steak, and grilled salmon with artichoke relish. A selection of vegetarian items are also available, and ever favorite California Pizza's. I highly recommend you try one of the new enhanced Louise's dining venues, you'll be delightfully surprises.

(Photo of Wolfgang Puck, Barbara Lazoroff and their two children at AW&F Festival)

Thank you WOLFGANG PUCK and BARBARA LAZOROFF for yet another fabulous AMERICAN WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL at Universal Studios to benefit MEALS ON WHEELS; CUISINE A ROULETTES & VALLEY INTERFAITH COUNCIL.

(Photo of Bonnie Carroll with Society Members Adam & Warren F. Hoffman)

"Les Amis d Escoffier" Society, dedicated to bringing together members of the culinary profession and loyal friends who appreciate good food and good wines; men who believe in the adage "Live and Let Live" and place sincere friendship above all else, presented a Gala Dinner Celebration at the Century Plaza Hotel and Towers on December 6th. Where Century Plaza Executive Chef Andreas Nieto, a third generation chef, Thomas Henzi, executive pastry chef and their all-star culinary associates presented a dream menu of chilled lobster salad with Caviar Russe Sevruga, seared Foie Gras with grilled apples, glazed ginger on radish salad; wild mushroom consume with quail egg; roasted darne of wild striped seabass; Stolichnaya lime sorbet; toumedos of veal; framage de Grande Marque; chocolate decadence cake; and mocha petit fours, paired perfectly with outstanding wine selections including Olivier Leflaive, Pommard 96, Ladoucette Pouilly Fume 97, St. Estephe Chateau de Pez 96 and Chablis A.C. 96 Regnard. It was a magical dinner followed by V.S.O.P Cognac and cigars by Hamilton House and MonteCristo. The presentation design of the dishes and the service of the hotel staff was inchanting. My compliments and thanks to all!

(Photo Stolichnaya Lime Sorbet)

 

RESTAURANT NEWS NIBBLES

The word on the street is that Josie LeBalch (formerly of Remi, Saddle Peak Lodge and Beach House) will be do her own wonderful thing at 2424 Pico Blvd.

The Professional Chefs Association, founded by Walter Neuhold from Austria and wife Marietta, had their first holiday dinner at Wilshire Grand Plaza recently. Website professional chefs, corn is now available to individual members of the Professional Chefs Association for information requests. Those attending included Reiner Schmidt, executive chef of Photos to accompany 1 1

known to process white grape juice to remove the flavor and nutrients. The result is basically sugar water. These manufacturers may make the claim that their product is 100 percent juice. However, the product may no longer qualify as a fruit juice under FDA XE "FDA" regulations. This processed juice allows these manufacturers to reduce costs by using poor quality, low-cost fruit juice concentrates as sweeteners. Mass-market juice products in general contain refined sugars and preservatives and other chemically derived substances, yet still qualify as natural flavors according to FDA definitions. Many juice concentrate suppliers will promote their products as natural. However, a closer look will reveal that the products are really sweetened with refined sugar, or have other legally approved "natural" ingredients XE "ingredients" . The basic premise is, "If it tastes good, it must be good for you." "Natural flavors" depict ingredients XE "ingredients" that provide intensification to the main flavors in fruit juices and fruit juice concentrates. Natural flavors can increase the impression of the fruit juice integrity and overall taste by enhancing what is already there. Just like spices bring out the tastes in other foods. However, the term "natural flavors" can mean something else entirely - Chemicals! Therefore, use discretion when choosing your smoothie ingredients. For juice blends and juice concentrates, ask questions about how the products are manufactured and where the ingredients come from. What kind o type of sweetener is being used? Corn syrup? White Grape juice? Or, some other "natural" sweetener. Juice Blends and Juice Concentrates PAGE 1 À!