Monday, July 21, 2014

Fit & Fab Food Festival, Angeleno Magazine's Live & Dine 2014 with Bai Ling.

By Laura Medina

https://www.tastemade.com/@the_arriviste/eust00aJSuO9u_hGPItHqQ


Chris Gialanella, the publisher of Los Angeles' high society magazine, Angeleno Magazine, was really amazed at yesterday's turn-out for Angeleno Magazine's 12th Annual Live and Dine LA' sip and nibble food festival where brand new restaurants and established restaurants with new dishes burst out with new flavors.  Mr. Gialanella kindly reminded people that the deeper purpose behind all this fun in the sun is to raise funds for Share Our Strength, ending childhood hunger.

He was so looking forward to meeting this year's guest celebrity, Bai Ling.

As the publisher, Chris was bummed he missed her.

 https://www.tastemade.com/@the_arriviste/eust00aJSuO9u_hGPItHqQ

The more apparent reason for the foodie fete is this is the formal launch party for their annual Restaurant Issue, a tableaux of a glossy profiling and highlighting the hottest chefs, the hottest meals, and the hottest restaurants.

Fishing with Dynamite's simply shucked oysters.
https://www.tastemade.com/@the_arriviste/eust00aJSuO9u_hGPItHqQ

The less but more steadier reason behind Angeleno Magazine's 12th Annual Live and Dine LA/Restaurant Issue is this...regardless, if there's a drought or not, California is always bursting with a bumper crop of ripe produce and fruit right about now, Summer time.  Not everyone can eat it fresh, much less having the skill and the knowledge to cook them.  Leave it up to the professionals to do something with all this ripeness. 

Fishing with Dynamite's booth is a simple but classic bounty of freshly shucked oysters where people patiently lined up in a long line to slurp down all you can eat oysters.

Jose Andre's Saam Beet Meringue & Parmasan Macaroon.
https://www.tastemade.com/@the_arriviste/eust00aJSuO9u_hGPItHqQ

With all this bounty of fresh vegetables and great diary up in "Nor Cal," (Northern California), you gotta do something with all this stuff.  Spaniard Gastromonist Chef, Jose Andre took a step further and debut his new "restaurant-within-a restaurant" concept, SAAM, at Live and Dine LA 2014. 

As always, his dishes were the most innovative.  They were savory desserts, diabetic-friendly.  The plating were Beet Meringue and Parmasan Macaroon.

This pairing was a mere tasting teaser of what to expect when you and your friends reserve a multi-course tasting dinner.  SAAM is Jose's challenge to the newcomer, the theatrical Barton G while digging his feet deep in that it is he that pioneered the whimsical, experimental cuisine genre.  Dining and feasting as theater.

Kalamansi Lime Creamsicles Pops.
https://www.tastemade.com/@the_arriviste/eust00aJSuO9u_hGPItHqQ

Another innovation was pushing a traditional tropical fruit then making it even more Summer-time appropriate-Kalamansi Lime Creamsicle Pops smack dabbed in the middle of Summer when people desire it the most.  The dry ice wasn't theatrical.  Its purpose was to keep the popsicles frozen, coated in white chocolate...drool...

Crispin Apple & Pear Cider
 https://www.tastemade.com/@the_arriviste/eust00aJSuO9u_hGPItHqQ

Since it is the middle of July and the dog days of August are a mere two weeks away, people...especially the ladies...happily quaffed beer's sweeter cousin, Crispin Apple and Pear Cider, http://www.crispincider.com/

For the British guests, this was a sweet taste of back home where cider is just as accepted as a pint of beer.

For the Americans, this was a big "Wow" moment.  They were shocked this wasn't heavily syrupy apple juice that you fed babies and toddlers.  Crispin was certainly living up its brand name.  Their apple and pear cider was certainly bubbly and crisp but a tad sweeter to the usual sparkling white wine.  It was a big hit among the ladies, across all generations.  Cider is the unassuming girl-next-door to the usual suspect of sparkling wine.  If you're searching for a simple but surprising alternative to beer, give cider a try.  Certainly, not your kid's fruit juice.

This scribe may had highlighted the hits and innovations but the running of theme, for this year's food festival, is hamachi, raw Japanese Yellowtail.  Chefs had slipped it out of its sushi rice blanket then made it a stand-alone meat, a low-calorie protein.   Angeleno's true foodies commented this was a lighter switch compared to last year's heavier and richer pork theme.  A counter-reaction to the rich and heavy pork fest of last year, Hamachi was the fit and fab backlash where people can feast on Yellowtail without the fear of fat.

Feasted they did because, within, an hour and half most of the food was gone! 

Angeleno Magazine's 12th Annual Live and Dine Food Festival is always about celebrating California's bountiful bumper crop of produce, America's "fruit basket" then twisting them into inventive dishes and unexpected cuisine.

 

No comments: