Show 120, May 2, 2015: Chef Eric Samaniego and “Little Maria” Evening

Eric SamaniegoWhen two highly regarded young chefs get together for a collaborative dinner that’s a recipe for true dining excitement! On Tuesday, May 12th, Chef Eric Samaniego of Little Sparrow in Santa Ana and Chef Carlos Salgado of Taco Maria at SoCo in Costa Mesa will partner up for a special chef collaboration event, Little Maria. The five-course dinner will be hosted at Little Sparrow, featuring dishes that motivate both chefs to break out of their comfort zones.

“Guests can expect the unexpected” Samaniego said. “This has been in the works for a long time and Carlos and I are excited it’s finally happening.”

The Little Maria dinner features two seatings, at 6:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., priced at $85 per person with an optional $30 wine pairing. Tickets must be purchased in advance. To maintain the element of suspense the menu will not be revealed until a few days before the dinner.

Later this Summer there will be an encore “Little Maria” evening at Taco Mario with a completely different menu.

Both Chef Samaniego and Salgado have made a huge impact on the Orange County culinary scene in the past year. Little Sparrow recently had their debut on Season One of Bravo’s “Best New Restaurant” series hosted by Chef Tom Colicchio while Chef Salgado was recognized by Food & Wine magazine as one of the “Best New Chefs of 2015.”

Little Sparrow’s Chef Eric Samaniego is our guest with all the tantalizing 411.

Show 19, March 2, 2013: Dining at Urasawa in Beverly Hills and Highlights from “A Taste of Harlem in Baldwin Hills” at Post & Beam

Urasawa serves only very expensive omakase feasts and every course is prepared by master Japanese chef Hiro Urasawa. Jet shares his thoughts on the rarified experience of dining there.

Marcus Samuelsson and Andy Harris at a Taste of Harlem in Baldwin HillsSuper chef Marcus Samuelsson was in town on Feb. 26 to prepare a collaborative dinner with Chef Govind Armstrong (“A Taste of Harlem in Baldwin Hills”) at his Post & Beam in Baldwin Hills to benefit C-CAP. Interest was so strong that the dinner, served Family-style, was sold out two weeks before the event. An after party was added and many prominent area chefs came by to say hello to Marcus.

Menu standouts included Crawfish Beignets, Fried Yard Bird, and Black Eye Peas with Roasted Yams & Bacon.