Show 61, February 15, 2013: Bob Spivak, President, CEO, and Co-Founder, Grill Concepts, Inc.

The Grill on the Alley30 years ago dining history was made in Beverly Hills (a tough city for restaurant longevity) with the launch of The Grill on the Alley which is better known as The Grill. It soon evolved into a high profile business destination for lunch for the power brokers of Hollywood. Where your table was signified your status in the Entertainment Business. No one arrived before 1:00 p.m. At night it became a destination for affluent locals with a very loyal following. Unusually for the time pretentiousness was never part of the gameplan. It also was the start of a significant restaurant company with three successful concepts.

To this day the signature Cobb Salad (a faithful homage to the iconic Brown Derby) is the most popular menu item. Bob likes to feel it’s a true recreation of this classic dish from the long departed heritage restaurant in Beverly Hills that was a forerunner of The Grill. The most popular dessert is the house rice pudding, a perennial favorite.

Grill Concepts, Inc. continues to flourish to this day. Public School (“an education in the art of food and beer”) is the newest concept (with a sense of humor) with locations in Downtown Los Angeles, Culver City and Thousand Oaks. Northern California (Mountain View) and Sherman Oaks are next, and more locations are on the horizon. It’s a bar & restaurant gathering spot.

Founder Bob Spivak, a second generation restaurateur with a love for the hospitality business, joins us to share the fascinating story.

“We are so fortunate to have been in business for 30 years,” President, CEO, and Co-Founder Bob Spivak said. “In the ever changing restaurant industry, we are proud to say that we were vintage before it was trendy. And we will continue to maintain the tradition of exceptional service and timeless cuisine that guests have come to count on.”

Show 59, February 1, 2013: Chef Hans Rockenwagner, Rockenwagner Bakery and Café Rockenwagner. Continues…

Cafe RockenwagerIn addition to the growing wholesale bakery Hans Rockenwagner has a network of busy bakery cafes in Santa Monica, Venice, and Mar Vista. The most ambitious café to date just launched in Brentwood. This Café Rockenwagner is in the bw (a high-rise luxury apartment building) at the corner of Barrington Ave. and Wilshire Blvd.

Besides a full food menu with breakfast, lunch, and dinner there is an on-site pastry chef here so there is an impressive selection of fresh breakfast pastries, desserts, breads and pretzels available. All the bakery items can be secured grab-and-go, too. Hans likes to think of it as a modern day bistro.

Show 56, January 11, 2013: Walter Manzke, Executive Chef & Proprietor, Rebublique

Walter ManzkeOne of the most eagerly awaited restaurant openings of 2013 was Republique in Hollywood located on the site of the former trendsetting Campanile (Mark Peel and Nancy Silverton) which opened in 1989. The architecturally significant building goes back to 1929 when it was constructed as Charlie Chaplin’s offices.

The project is owned by the husband and wife chef team of Walter Manzke and Margarita Manzke along with restaurant impresario Bill Chait. Chef Walter is well-know to L.A. foodies from his time at Patina, Bastide and Church and State. Chef Walter joins us to talk about the first month of operation.

The cuisine is contemporary French with an oyster bar up front. Chef Walter’s particular pride is what comes out of the wood burning oven and rotisserie.

Recently opened is the bakery café for breakfast, brunch and lunch on the go.

Full-service lunch is on the horizon.

The restaurant is still not fully open. It’s expanding service in stages.

Show 50, November 30, 2013: Chef & Restaurateur Suzanne Goin of Lucques, A.O.C. and Tavern Continues…

A.O.C. CookbookSuzanne talks about cooking with seasonal vegetables and how that passion of hers found its way into the A.O.C. Cookbook.

She feels it’s very important to balance flavors which you only learn by tasting. Suzanne has a great philosophy that if you truly don’t enjoy eating then you can’t be a really good cook.

All the recipes in the cookbook were tested in a home kitchen by an enthusiastic home cook.

Suzanne’s long-time business partner, Caroline Styne, has wonderfully informative wine notes that go with each recipe in the book.

A.O.C. (the restaurant) has recently moved (it’s been a year) a mile West to the old Orso location (with an incredible patio) on W. Third Street across from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Suzanne shares how the move came about. It’s been an especially fortuitous transition as they now can serve lunch in the new location and it’s very busy.

Show 22, March 23, 2013: Anita Lau, Mad Hungry Woman Blogger

Cafe 21 at the Gaslamp District in San DiegoAnita’s San Diego dining find for right now is Café 21 in the Gaslamp District for lunch, brunch, or dinner. (There is also a 2nd location.) The proprietors are Azerbaijani and the food is international eclectic. Anita likes to start with the Sangria sampler. Her favorite dinner item is the Whole Grilled Sea Bass at a reasonable $27.00. Another standout is the Kabob Platter served with house-made bread.