Show 54, December 28, 2013: Brock Radke, Food Editor, Las Vegas Weekly

Brock Radke of Las Vegas WeeklyIf you’re looking for big action on New Year’s Eve then Las Vegas is always a festive party with real fireworks. Our ultimate insider in Las Vegas, Brock Radke, joins us to talk about the newly launched Container Park development in Downtown (with unusual shops and restaurants) along with a couple of suggestions for great New Year’s Eve dining. Brock is the Food Editor for Las Vegas Weekly.

Catch Brock’s special year-end column in Las Vegas Weekly on-line naming his 13 best new restaurants in Las Vegas for 2013. The intriguing selections are both on and off The Strip!

One hint…His top choice is Tom Colicchio’s Heritage Steak at The Mirage.

Show 54, December 28, 2013: Host Chef Jet Tila and Producer Andy Harris on Food Trends for 2014 Part One

Thinking about Food Trends for 2014 ? We have…Just for fun Chef Jet and Producer Andy have put together their lists of Top Trends in Food for the New Year.

Each developed their list of “Top Five” without consulting the other. Also the items were not discussed between Chef Jet and Producer Andy before air. That’s live radio… Definitely a few surprises….

Eat Clean with a Gluten Free MenuJet’s top item is “Gluten-Free” is here to stay. For whatever reasons diners are becoming more sensitive to gluten in their foods. Savvy Restaurants need to be aware of this and increase their gluten-free menu options.

Producer Andy’s top trend was fine-dining restaurants developing more casual concepts which retain the food quality of fine dining but are more affordable. These are spots that diners can enjoy multiple times per week.

Show 40, September 14, 2013: Eric Klein, Executive Chef & Partner, Spago Las Vegas

Eric KleinIn 2007 Executive Chef Eric Klein (now a partner) was handed the keys to Spago Las Vegas by Wolfgang Puck and charged with freshening up the concept. This was quite a formidable assignment given that Spago is Wolfgang Puck’s flagship restaurant in Las Vegas! They celebrated their 20th Anniversary last year.

The restaurant is a busy café (with exhibition pizza oven) in the front and an elegant fine-dining restaurant open for dinner in the back. The front patio opens onto the busy main Forum Shops walkway. The location is right by the entrance to Caesars Palace’s Casino. Chef Eric shared a great parking tip. Give your car to the valet (without Valet fee) at Gucci and you’re steps from Spago.

As with the Beverly Hills original Spago Las Vegas attracts the A-List celebrity clientele in addition to sophisticated foodies. Chef Eric is the visible personality of the establishment.

Eric’s refreshing mantra is “never rest on your laurels and always be humble.”

Chef Eric’s first assignment in Las Vegas (after relocating from Beverly Hills) was SW Steakhouse at Wynn Las Vegas.

Show 39, September 7, 2013: Martin Riese, General Manager of Ray’s & Stark Bar at LACMA

Martin Riese of Rays and Stark BarMartin Riese, the General Manager of the Patina Group’s Ray’s & Stark Bar at The Los Angeles County Museum of Art on the Miracle Mile, joined us.

Martin is Los Angeles’ only certified Water Sommelier. During his time managing fine-dining restaurants in Germany (before returning to Los Angeles) he researched and wrote the definitive guidebook to mineral waters around the world. A water tasting of a flight of mineral waters at Ray’s will demonstrate there are different flavor characteristics of various mineral waters which, by definition, must come from a source.

At Ray’s he has just launched their first Water Menu with some twenty selections from around the world. It’s a great alternative for guests who want a festive beverage to pair with their meal but perhaps need to stay away from alcohol. It’s all done with a light touch and Martin is an amiable guide.

September 7: Sake, Soy Sauce, Sriracha, Du-Par’s, Hawaiian Eats, Ray’s & Stark,118 Degrees

Podcasts

Segment One: Host Jet Tila and Producer Andy Harris
Segment Two: Randy Clemens, food journalist
Segment Three: Vernon Cardenas, Executive Chef of State Social House on the Sunset Strip
Segment Four: Biff Naylor, proprietor of Du-par’s Restaurants & Bakeries
Segment Five: Chef Jet’s “Cooking with Soy Sauce” Tutorial
Segment Six: Kedric Francis, Executive Editor of Coast Magazine
Segment Seven: Martin Riese, General Manager of Ray’s & Stark Bar at LACMA
Segment Eight: Jenny Ross, Executive Chef & Proprietress, 118 Degrees Community Cafes

Host Jet Tila and Producer Andy Harris preview the show.

Also an intriguing dash of restaurant and food chat.

Thai 2013 Food FestivalMark Sunday afternoon, September 29th on your calendar. Our very own Jet Tila is hosting the Thai 2013 Food Festival at Paramount Pictures Studios in the heart of Hollywood. It starts at 3:00 p.m.

Celebrity chefs and outstanding local Thai chefs will be there presenting their signature dishes for the guests to sample and enjoy. Entertainment will include music, Thai dancers, and fruit carving.

Randy ClemensRandy Clemens, noted food journalist and author of the best-selling Sriracha Cookbook and The Veggie-Lover’s Sriracha Cookbook, both from Ten Speed Press.

Randy was just in Thailand in Sri Racha in the Chonburi Province researching the unusual origins of Sriracha and shares this rich history with us.

Vernon Cardenas of State Social HouseExecutive Chef Vernon Cardenas oversees the kitchen at the just-opened State Social House on the fabled Sunset Strip. He has extensive experience cooking locally including his tenure as opening chef at Katana, also on the Sunset Strip.

Chef Vernon is an expert on all things Sake. He presents a overview course in Sake Appreciation 411.

Biff Naylor of Dupar'sBiff Naylor is a veteran restaurateur on the SoCal restaurant scene. He previously owned Tiny Naylor’s and Biff’s.

In 2004 Naylor came out of a brief retirement to purchase and revive the surviving Du-par’s Restaurants & Bakeries. The first location at The Original Farmers Market (opened in 1938) remains after a massive renovation and needed refurbishment. They are particularly well-known for incredible pancakes and house-baked fruit pies.

The Naylor Family represents three generations of career hospitality folks. Daughter, Jennifer, was the executive chef for many years at Wolfgang Puck’s Granita in Malibu. One of Jennifer’s key chefs is now the corporate executive chef for Du-Par’s. Most everything is made from scratch using premium ingredients.

If you sit at the counter at a Du-par’s you’ll see servers squeezing the fresh orange juice to order.

There is even a very busy Du-par’s in Downtown Las Vegas in the Golden Gate Casino & Hotel. They are famous for their ever popular “to-go” chilled shrimp cocktail which is actually a clever loss-leader designed to attract guests to the casino.

Soy SaucesJet Tila provides a useful tutorial on the types of soy sauce and their uses. There are differences in flavor and texture between Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Thai soy sauces.

Light soy sauce, for example, does not have reduced salt. It’s actually saltier than the darker version.

Kedric Francis of Coast Magazine and the Orange County Register MagazineKedric Francis the Executive Editor of both Coast Magazine and The Orange County Register Magazine is back with us with his regular travel segment.

Kedric is talking about a September craft beer cruise to Hawaii (Ensenada to Hawaii) as well as other upcoming craft beer cruises.

He also previews a new luxury Montage Hotel in Maui arriving in 2014.

From there it’s some standout travel options in Southern California.

Martin Riese of Rays and Stark BarMartin Riese, the General Manager of Ray’s & Stark Bar at The Los Angeles County Museum of Art on the Miracle Mile, joins us.

Martin is Los Angeles only certified Water Sommelier. During his time managing fine-dining restaurants in Germany (before returning to Los Angeles) he researched and wrote the definitive guidebook to mineral waters around the world.

At Ray’s he has just launched their first Water Menu with some twenty selections from around the world. It’s a great alternative for guests who want a festive beverage to pair with their meal but perhaps need to stay away from alcohol.

Jenny RossJenny Ross is the executive chef and proprietress of the 118 Degrees Community Cafes in Costa Mesa, Anaheim, and Laguna Niguel. The original location at The Camp in Costa Mesa recently celebrated its 7-Year Anniversary.

Chef Jenny characterizes her food as fresh, organic living cuisine.

The line of Jenny Ross Living Foods can be found pre-packaged in the grocery section of select Whole Foods Markets.

Her soon to be published 3rd cookbook is Healing with Raw Living Food.

Podcasts

Segment One: Host Jet Tila and Producer Andy Harris
Segment Two: Randy Clemens, food journalist
Segment Three: Vernon Cardenas, Executive Chef of State Social House on the Sunset Strip
Segment Four: Biff Naylor, proprietor of Du-par’s Restaurants & Bakeries
Segment Five: Chef Jet’s “Cooking with Soy Sauce” Tutorial
Segment Six: Kedric Francis, Executive Editor of Coast Magazine
Segment Seven: Martin Riese, General Manager of Ray’s & Stark Bar at LACMA
Segment Eight: Jenny Ross, Executive Chef & Proprietress, 118 Degrees Community Cafes

Show 39, August 17, 2013: Kedric Francis, Executive Editor of Coast Magazine and Orange County Register Magazine

Kedric Francis of Coast Magazine and the Orange County Register MagazineOur regular roving travel correspondent, Kedric Francis, joined us. Kedric is the debonair Executive Editor of both Coast Magazine and The Orange County Register Magazine.

A hot button issue in dining is the advisability of kids in fine-dining restaurants. Is it ever appropriate to restrict guests in a restaurant to adults? Is it even right for the restaurateur to make this call? Kedric and Chef Jet get into a roundtable discussion on this. How do you feel ?

Are special Children’s menus in restaurants a good thing? That’s discussed, too.

Show 28, May 11, 2013: Kedric Francis, Executive Editor of Coast (monthly) as well as the co-founding editor of the new OC Register Magazine (appearing twice monthly with the Monday edition of the Orange County Register

Kedric of Coast Magazine has been covering Orange County for 17 years. He responded to the question of how dining out differs between Los Angeles and Orange County.

Kedric observed that in L.A. the dining out scene is greatly influenced by the Entertainment Industry. People have unusual work hours and might not be working at all for extended periods of time. They can frequent restaurants late at night on weekdays without a concern about being up very early the next morning. Being seen out regularly at trendy establishment is part of the scene.

In Orange County the diners work regular hours typically with early starts so dining out is more a weekend activity. On weeknights they need to be home early. Orange County also supports the longevity of the classic fine dining restaurants now seen less frequently in Los Angeles.

Kedric noted that few celebrity chefs from L.A. have been able to transfer that success to Orange County. He feels part of the reason is that they have dumb downed their menus for “Orange County tastes” which is a real mistake. The sophistication levels of frequent-diners in both areas is really the same!