Show 177, June 25, 2016: Brock Radke, Managing Editor, Las Vegas Weekly

Brock Radke of Las Vegas WeeklyJournalist Brock Radke is no stranger to the SoCal Restaurant Show. He’s a genuine Las Vegas insider.

Brock is Managing Editor of Las Vegas Weekly and has been covering Las Vegas for more than 15 years. He joins us for a long overdue update on the dynamic Las Vegas dining scene. First up is an update on The Strip.

The big news is on The Strip is that David Chang’s Momofuku is coming to The Cosmopolitan. Also the former Monte Carlo is being rebranded, renovated and split into two luxury properties. One luxury property will be the trendy NoMad Hotel from Manhattan including the NoMad restaurant from Chef Daniel Humm. Also on the site will be Mario Batali’s Italian food emporium, Eataly, long-rumored to be coming to Las Vegas but in a different location.

Las Vegas is also welcoming their first major league sports franchise. NHL Hockey is coming to the new T-Mobile Arena (just off The Strip) in 2017! They already have over 14,000 deposits for season tickets so it’s obvious The City is ready!

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

Eataly New YorkJet Tila and Andy Harris continue with their Top Ten Food Trends to look for in 2014.

Jet forecasts that Market Halls / Market Cafes will be replacing gastropubs. The shining example here is Mario Batali’s and Joseph Bastianich’s (Osteria Mozza) high profile Eataly in New York with a new branch in Chicago.

Producer Andy suggests that high-end sandwiches using great bread and premium ingredients will be more prevalent. Michael Voltaggio’s ink.sack and Lawry’s Carvery (with prime rib sandwiches) are two popular local examples. Jet mentioned the newly launched Top Round Roast Beef on La Brea Ave. as an example of this trend.

October 12: Lindy & Grundy, Duskie Estes, Kristine Kidd, Brock Radke, Greg Daniels, Hawaiian Tropical Fruit

Podcasts

Segment One: Host Jet Tila and Producer Andy Harris
Segment Two: Erika Nakamura, master butcher, chef, and co-owner of Lindy & Grundy Meats
Segment Three: Duskie Estes, Executive Chef and Co-Proprietor of zazu kitchen + farm, Sebastopol. CA Part Onw
Segment Four: Duskie Estes, Executive Chef and Co-Proprietor of zazu kitchen + farm, Sebastopol. CA Part Two
Segment Five: Kristine Kidd, author of Williams–Sonoma Weeknight Gluten Free
Segment Six: Brad A. Johnson, Restaurant Critic for The Orange County Register Part One
Segment Seven: Chef Greg Daniels of The Haven Collective
Segment Eight: Ken Love, President of the Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers

Host Jet Tila and Producer Andy Harris preview the show.

Jet discusses the highlights of the Luckyrice Festival Night Market held last Saturday at the Cosmopolitan Hotel on The Strip in Las Vegas. Jet served some 1,100 portions to the enthusiastic guests.

Andy reviews the highlights of the Patchwork Show – Edible Edition at SoCo and The OC Mart Mix in Costa Mesa last Weekend. The show broadcast live from the South Coast Collection.

Erika Nakamura of Lindy and Grundy MeatsThe classic, full-service neighborhood butcher shop is alive, well, and prospering at Lindy & Grundy Meats in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles. Artisan butcher Erika Nakamura (half of the Lindy & Grundy team along with Amelia Posada) is with us to fill us in. Erika is a classically trained chef.

All of their premium meats are from humanely treated, grass fed animals and 100 per cent locally produced and sustainable. The partners only source meat from farms they have visited. They even inspect the harvesting facility where the animal is processed. They offer an alternative to commercial farming.

Lindy and Grundy hosts classes for true meat enthusiasts.

Chef Duskie Estes and Salumist John Stewart of Zazu Kitchen and FarmOne of the most exciting chef teams operating in the Sonoma County wine country is Chef Duskie Estes and Salumist John Stewart (wife & husband) who are the proprietors of the new zazu kitchen + farm located at The Barlow (a former apple juice processing facility) in Sebastopol. Some of the vegetables used at the restaurant are actually grown in large tubs on the restaurant’s patio. They were mentored by pioneering Seattle chef/restaurateur Tom Douglas before relocating to Sonoma County to go off on their own.

The original zazu restaurant (part of a former chicken coop) was founded in Santa Rosa in 2001. It was located in a rustic roadhouse way out of town surrounded by farms and vineyards. If a local didn’t tell you about it you’d probably never know it was there. Their regulars include some of the most distinguished winemakers in Sonoma County. The eclectic wine list includes reserve selections that you just don’t see outside of the private stash of the wineries.

Duskie and John were living farm-to-table long before that became a marketing buzzword for chefs. They raise their own chicken and ducks to provide the eggs for their fresh pasta and their praise-worthy gelati.

Duskie Estes of the new zazu kitchen + farm in Sebastopol stays with us.

John Stewart learned the art of curing meats from Mario Batali’s father who has a highly-praised salumi business in Seattle. Visitors to zazu can watch John cure his acclaimed Black Pig Meat Co.’s bacon and salumi right there.

Zazu even has an experienced organic farmer on staff. He supervises the three spots of zazu’s soil including the MacBryde Farm where John and Duskie live with their children. The Farm is home to zazu’s chickens, ducks, turkeys, heritage wattle pigs, sheep, rabbits, goats and more.

Kristine Kidd Loyal readers of Bon Appetit Magazine will remember Kristine Kidd as the long-time Food Editor.

She is now the food editor for the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch website as well as a busy cookbook author.

Her newly released seventh cookbook is Weeknight Gluten Free. This title is particularly important to Kristine as her childhood celiac disease resurfaced recently.

Kristine is a serious home cook. She prepares fresh meals at home almost every night.

On Wednesday, October 23rd Kristine Kidd will be part of a “Zov’s Lunch and Learn” program at Zov’s Bistro in Tustin. Kristine will be explaining how to prepare delicious meals that are gluten free.

Lunch will be on the menu, too. The entrée is Grilled Lemongrass Chicken with Ginger Rice, Braised Kale and Grilled Roasted Tomatoes. It’s a modest $25 per guest and seating is limited. Make your plans now because it will reach capacity quickly.

Brock Radke of Las Vegas WeeklyIn Las Vegas it’s who you know and the “SoCal Restaurant Show” is lucky to have Brock Radke as our insider on the ground in Las Vegas. Brock is the Food Editor of Las Vegas Weekly and joins us regularly to clue us in on what’s happening on the dynamic Las Vegas dining scene.

This morning Brock is giving us the 411 on Tom Colicchio’s Heritage Steak at The Mirage and Rick Moonen’s Rx Boiler Room at The Shops at Mandalay Bay. Brock recommends both new additions to The Strip’s dining choices.

We’re proud to be part of the hospitality industry as chefs and restaurateurs are some of the most generous folks we know. When there is a worthy cause they are there in a flash with food and support…

Greg Daniels of Haven GastropubWe know Chef Greg Daniels from the two Haven Gastropubs (Orange and Pasadena,) taco asylum and Provisions Market. From October 16th to 25th Chef Greg has assembled a group of distinguished OC chefs to raise money for children who suffer from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) worldwide. It’s all under the playful banner of “PB&J for Good.”

Participating chefs will put their creative spin on the traditional PB&J as a special menu offering. Each will donate a portion of the proceeds from the sale of every PB&J dish to benefit StopSAM.org, a fundraising arm for Severe Acute Malnutrition.

Besides Haven Gastropub some of the high profile restaurants participating include ARC, Broadway by Amar Santana, Little Sparrow, LUCCA, and The Winery Restaurant & Wine Bar.

The State of Hawaii has some of the most fertile agricultural land in the United States yet, in recent years, this dirt hasn’t been used for agriculture. Sadly they need to import most of their fruits and vegetables from the Mainland.

Sharwil AvacadoOn the Big Island of Hawaii, for example, over 200 varieties of avocados grow. The pearl of the group is the Sharwil. It’s creamy with a rich buttery flavor, and prized by local chefs.

Surprisingly until very recently the USDA wouldn’t allow the Sharwil to be imported into the lower 48 states. This is a real shame because the seasons of the Sharwil match the seasons of availability for imported avocados from Mexico. Wouldn’t you want to enjoy a made in the USA fruit which also supports our economy ?

Ken Love, the President of the Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers, joins us from The Big Island to explain what has changed…It’s a baby step.

Podcasts

Segment One: Host Jet Tila and Producer Andy Harris
Segment Two: Erika Nakamura, master butcher, chef, and co-owner of Lindy & Grundy Meats
Segment Three: Duskie Estes, Executive Chef and Co-Proprietor of zazu kitchen + farm, Sebastopol. CA Part Onw
Segment Four: Duskie Estes, Executive Chef and Co-Proprietor of zazu kitchen + farm, Sebastopol. CA Part Two
Segment Five: Kristine Kidd, author of Williams–Sonoma Weeknight Gluten Free
Segment Six: Brad A. Johnson, Restaurant Critic for The Orange County Register Part One
Segment Seven: Chef Greg Daniels of The Haven Collective
Segment Eight: Ken Love, President of the Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers

Show 31, June 15, 2013: Brock Radke, Food & Web Editor for Las Vegas Weekly

Brock Radke of Las Vegas WeeklyBrock was back with us to provide insight on what’s new on the always dynamic Las Vegas dining scene.

Gourmet burger spots fronted by celebrity chefs are continuing to proliferate on the Strip. It’d just been announced that both Daniel Boulud and Mario Batali are bringing gourmet burger concepts to the Venetian/Palazzo complex. Every Strip hotel has a high-end steak house so the new trend is to have a celebrity chef driven burger restaurant, too. Gordon Ramsay’s burger place arrived on The Strip late last year.

The big noise in Las Vegas right now moves to Downtown. The “Life is Beautiful Festival” has been announced for the Weekend of October 26th and 27th. In addition to big name musical acts on five stages there will be an exciting culinary program on equal footing with the music. The Culinary Advisory board is headed by Bruce and Eric Bromberg of the Blue Ribbon Restaurants in New York and Las Vegas (at the Cosmopolitan).

March 9: Anne Burrell, Barbara Hansen, Jason Quinn

Podcasts

Segment One: Chef Anne Burrell, Star of Food Network’s “Worst Cooks in America” and “Chef Wanted”
Segment Two: Barbara Hansen, veteran food & travel journalist Part One
Segment Three: Barbara Hansen, veteran food & travel journalist Part Two
Segment Four: Jet Tila
Segment Five: Jason Quinn, Executive Chef and Owner of Playground & Playground 2.0 in Santa Ana Part One
Segment Six: Jason Quinn, Executive Chef and Owner of Playground & Playground 2.0 in Santa Ana Part Two

This week it’s a showcase of extraordinary culinary talent. Food Network’s biggest female star is with us along with a preview of a just-published Korean Restaurant Guide for Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Then it’s on to a groundbreaking young Orange County chef who started as a partner on a winning food truck and now has two unconventional (and very much in-demand) restaurants.

Anne Burrell of Food NetworkIt’s hard to miss celebrity Chef Anne Burrell on Food Network these days which is currently airing two popular Anne Burrell shows. “Worst Cooks in America” is in it’s fourth season and “Chef Wanted” is in it’s second season. Anne was also Mario Batali’s ace sous chef during his long tenure on “Iron Chef America.”

 

 

Barbara Hansen of EatMX and LA Weekly Squid InkBarbara Hansen is a greatly respected, veteran food journalist on the Los Angeles scene. She is best known for her many years as a staff writer for The Los Angeles TimesFood Section. Now Barbara is a regular contributor to the “Squid Ink” food blog at the LA Weekly. She also writes and edits, “The Table Conversation” blog on food, wine, travel, and recipes as well as EatMx.com, a Mexican food blog.

Barbara just finished a fascinating project for the Korean Food Foundation. It’s the newly published Korean Restaurant Guide – Los Angeles which includes Orange County. To complete the book on a tight deadline Barbara dined in 40 area Korean restaurants with a Korean-American translator as her guide.

Jet was in Tampa, Florida during the last week and squeezed in a dine-around. He’ll share his take on the quintessential family-owned steakhouse there (55 years and still aging) and some local bakeries of distinction.

The chef/partner of then OC based The Lime Truck, winners of Season 3 of Food Network’s “Great Food Truck Race,” is the outgoing Jason Quinn.

Jason Quinn of the Lime Truck and Playground DTSAShortly after Season 3 concluded he opened the bricks-and-mortar Playground in November of 2011in the downtown Santa Ana redevelopment area. It’s a bit unconventional in concept and Chef Jason takes pride in doing things his way. It’s high energy all the time…

The menu changes daily and there is serious attention to pairing draft beer with the food. Produce is also used creatively on the menu.

Jason’s latest ambitious effort is the next door, IO, a culinary theater.

Podcasts

Segment One: Chef Anne Burrell, Star of Food Network’s “Worst Cooks in America” and “Chef Wanted”
Segment Two: Barbara Hansen, veteran food & travel journalist Part One
Segment Three: Barbara Hansen, veteran food & travel journalist Part Two
Segment Four: Jet Tila
Segment Five: Jason Quinn, Executive Chef and Owner of Playground & Playground 2.0 in Santa Ana Part One
Segment Six: Jason Quinn, Executive Chef and Owner of Playground & Playground 2.0 in Santa Ana Part Two