Show 533, July 8, 2023: Chef Nick Weber of Populaire at South Coast Plaza. Tribute Menu for “TINA -The Tina Turner Musical.”

Nick Weber of Populaire Modern Bistro

Chef Nick Weber of Populaire at South Coast Plaza has created a three-course prix-fixe gastronomic tribute to the life and music of iconic performer, Tina Turner, available nightly during the July 11-23, two-week run of the Tony Award-winning musical, TINA – The Tina Turner Musical, at Segerstrom Center for the Arts.”

“Weber, a music fan, has crafted a culinary journey naming dishes for Turner’s hit songs such as Be Tender with Me Baby (heirloom tomato, ricotta maison, jambon de Bayonne crumble), Nutbush City Limits (select either Duroc pork belly or swordfish, Nardello peppers, hazelnuts, charred soubise, black garlic) and Proud Mary Reprise (Paris Brest – white chocolate crémeux, peaches, pistachio). The menu is served starting at 4 p.m. and is $55 with optional wine pairings $25, exclusive of tax and gratuity. Reservations encouraged.”

Chef Nick Weber is our guest.

Show 482, July 9, 2022: Chef Philip Pretty, Heritage Restaurant and Sandwich Shop, Long Beach Part One

Philip Pretty of Heritage Farm

Heritage Restaurant and Sandwich Shop in the Rose Park area of Long Beach serves creative, gourmet, artisan sandwiches on premium bread during the day and fine-dining cuisine in an unfussy environment at night. Think Smoked Heritage Pork Belly with tomato and pepper jam, gem lettuce and served on country loaf. The Dinner menu is four courses for $70 with choices for each course. Wine pairing is a supplement of $30.

Chef Philip Pretty is using French cooking techniques combined with live fire. Heritage Restaurant uses sustainable meat, fresh seafood, and Farmers Market produce. The restaurant is certified blue, green, and zero waste kitchen.”

“Heritage is family owned and operated by Chef Philip Pretty and sister Lauren Pretty. Most recently featured in Michelin Guide California. Indoor dining is set in a cozy atmosphere, originally a craftsman house. Located in the Rose Park area of Long Beach, on the corner of 7th and Saint Louis. Limited parking is available in the back. There is paid parking on 4th and Saint Louis.”

Service is Tuesday-Saturday. Lunch Service is from 11a.m.-3p.m. (No reservation required for lunch). Dinner service is from 5p.m.-9p.m. (Reservations recommended). Closed Sunday & Monday.

Heritage Farm in Long Beach is the Pretty’s newest venture. Chef Philip is our guest with all the details.

Show 482, July 9, 2022: Chef Philip Pretty, Heritage Restaurant and Sandwich Shop, Long Beach Part Two

Philip Pretty of Heritage Farm

Heritage Restaurant and Sandwich Shop in the Rose Park area of Long Beach serves creative, gourmet, artisan sandwiches on premium bread during the day and fine-dining cuisine in an unfussy environment at night. Think Smoked Heritage Pork Belly with tomato and pepper jam, gem lettuce and served on country loaf. The Dinner menu is four courses for $70 with choices for each course. Wine pairing is a supplement of $30.

Chef Philip Pretty is using French cooking techniques combined with live fire. Heritage Restaurant uses sustainable meat, fresh seafood, and Farmers Market produce. The restaurant is certified blue, green, and zero waste kitchen.”

“Heritage is family owned and operated by Chef Philip Pretty and sister Lauren Pretty. Most recently featured in Michelin Guide California. Indoor dining is set in a cozy atmosphere, originally a craftsman house. Located in the Rose Park area of Long Beach, on the corner of 7th and Saint Louis. Limited parking is available in the back. There is paid parking on 4th and Saint Louis.”

Service is Tuesday-Saturday. Lunch Service is from 11a.m.-3p.m. (No reservation required for lunch). Dinner service is from 5p.m.-9p.m. (Reservations recommended). Closed Sunday & Monday.

Heritage Farm in Long Beach is the Pretty’s newest venture. Chef Philip continues as our guest taking a brief break from his busy kitchen.

August 23: Live from Valley View Casino with Kedric Francis, Travis Rodgers, Russ Parsons, Michael Cimarusti, Michael Rossi, Freddy Vargas, Brad A. Johnson

Podcasts

Segment One: Guest Host Kedric Francis and Producer & Co-Host Andy Harris preview the show
Segment Two: Preview of Los Angeles Times The Taste
Segment Three: Kedric Francis, Executive Editor, Orange County Register Magazine
Segment Four: Michael Rossi, Executive Chef, The Ranch Restaurant & Saloon
Segment Five: Freddy Vargas, Executive Chef, Scarpetta, Montage Beverly Hills
Segment Six: Brad A. Johnson, Restaurant Critic, The Orange County Register & The Los Angeles Register
Segment Seven: Chef Michael Knowles, Black & Blue Steakhouse, Valley View Casino
Segment Eight: Travis Rodgers, “The Travis Rodgers Show” on AM 830 KLAA

Kedric Francis and Andy HarrisGuest Host Kedric Francis of The Orange County Register Magazine & Coast Orange County Magazine and Producer Andy Harris preview the show.

The always debonair Kedric Francis, our dashing man about Orange County, is the Executive Editor of both publications.

Also joining us at 11:00 a.m. is Travis Rodgers of the “Travis Rogers Show” heard weekday mornings on AM 830 KLAA from 6:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. Travis’ loyal fans know his second most favorite subject is food! He’s serious about eats. “The Travis Rodgers Show” is SoCal’s only live and local sports morning show.

Arriving on August 29th and continuing through August 31st is The Los Angeles Times The Taste at Paramount Pictures Studios in Hollywood. Los Angeles Times Food Editor Russ Parsons and Chef Michael Cimarusti of Providence and Connie & Ted’s are participants and our very special guests.

Kedric Francis of the Orange County Register Magazine and Coast Orange County Magazine has been out and about exploring the latest finds in the OC. He was at the very exclusive pre-opening preview lunch for the eagerly anticipated Din Tai Fung Dumpling House in South Coast Plaza on August 15th and will share some of his observations.

Executive Chef Michael Rossi (ex-Napa Rose) has been at the helm of The Ranch Restaurant & Saloon since it’s opening day in early 2012. He was actually on the ambitious project over a year testing recipes before the first guests were greeted. The Ranch (unusually) has its own farm located on the Edwards Ranch Estates in Orange which provides a lot of the fresh fruits and vegetables used at the highly regarded and much acclaimed restaurant. It’s a chef’s dream to have these resources…

Freddy Vargas is the forward-thinking executive chef of the high profile Scarpetta located in the Montage Beverly Hills across a pocket park from Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Beverly Hills. This is one of Celebrity Chef Scott Conants’s restaurant properties. At lunch on Weekdays he’s operating a to-go Paninoteca. Think gourmet Italian sandwiches like a Porchetta. It’s spiced pork belly, broccoli rabe pesto and a fried hen egg on house-baked bread.

Brad A. Johnson is the James Beard award-winning restaurant critic for both the Orange County Register and the Los Angeles Register. Where does a restaurant critic eat when he’s not reviewing ? Those are the spots we all want to go…Brad shares with us some of his favorites in both Orange County and Los Angeles. The origin of this discussion was a recent article Brad wrote for the Orange County Register Magazine.

The show is live on Saturday morning from The Valley View Casino. The fine dining restaurant there is Black & Blue – The Place For Steak. We’ll meet Chef de Cuisine Michael Knowles .He started cooking at age 14! He has elevated Black & Blue to an award-winning California steakhouse that’s true destination dining for San Diego residents.

Travis Rodgers is the easy-going Iron Man of personalities on AM 830 KLAA. Every weekday morning he’s on AM 830 KLAA talking sports for four hours beginning at 6:00 a.m. After he’s finished at 10:00 a.m. on AM 830 he continues his national show for Yahoo Sports Radio for another hour until 11:00 a.m. That’s five hours on Weekdays as the solo host.

Travis’ second favorite subject is good food. Did we say Mexican ? We’ll talk assorted cravable eats with Travis

Russ Parsons of the Los Angeles TimesArriving on August 29th and continuing through August 31st is the Los Angeles Times The Taste at Paramount Pictures Studios in Hollywood. Los Angeles Times Food Editor Russ Parsons and Chef Michael Cimarusti of Providence and Connie & Ted’s are participants and our very special guests.

On Saturday morning, August 30th at 11:00 a.m. Russ Parsons and Nancy Silverton (Mozza) will be hosting “Field to Fork.” “The city’s best eats are in season.”

On Sunday, August 31st at 7:30 p.m. Chef Michael Cimarusti and Jonathan Gold will be hosting “Flavors of L.A.” “Find great eating around every corner.”

Din Tai Fung Dumpling HouseKedric Francis of the Orange County Register Magazine and Coast Orange County Magazine has been out and about in the OC. He was at the pre-opening preview lunch for the eagerly anticipated Din Tai Fung Dumpling House in South Coast Plaza (August 18th was Opening Day) and will share some of his observations.

Din Tai Fung is most famous for XiaoLongBao, the Shanghai-style soup dumplings which became a signature dish at the original site in Taipei.

Din Tai Fung at South Coast Plaza is over 8,000 square feet, making it one of the largest in over 100 locations worldwide.

Michael Rossi of the Ranch Restaurant and SaloonExecutive Chef Michael Rossi (ex-Napa Rose) has been at the helm of The Ranch Restaurant & Saloon since it’s opening day in early 2012. He was actually on the ambitious project for over a year testing recipes before the first guests were greeted.

The Ranch (unusually) has its own 2-acre farm located on the Edwards Ranch Estates in Orange which provides a lot of the fresh produce used at the highly regarded restaurant. Think of over 600 heirloom tomato vines featuring 90 different varieties. Original (and fully mature) orange and fig trees are also part of the property.

Future expansion plans for the Edwards Ranch Estates include avocado trees, olive trees, and grape vines.

It’s a chef’s fondest dream to have these incredible resources…

One of Chef Michael’s signature menu items is the much talked-about 58 oz. bone-in Cowboy Ribeye chop.

Freddy VargasFreddy Vargas is the forward-thinking executive chef of the high profile Scarpetta located in the Montage Beverly Hills across a lush pocket park from Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Beverly Hills. This is one of Celebrity Chef Scott Conants’s restaurant properties.

At lunch on Weekdays he’s operating a to-go Paninoteca. Think gourmet Italian sandwiches like a Porchetta. It’s spiced pork belly, broccoli rabe pesto and a fried hen egg on house-baked bread.

Photography by Brad A JohnsonBrad A. Johnson is the James Beard award-winning restaurant critic for both the Orange County Register and the Los Angeles Register. He’s also an accomplished photographer.

Where does a restaurant critic eat when he’s not reviewing? Those are the spots we all want to find…Brad shares with us some of his favorites in both Orange County and Los Angeles. The origins of this was discussion a recent article Brad wrote for the Orange County Register Magazine.

Michael Knowles of Black and Blue SteakhouseThe show is live on Saturday morning from The Valley View Casino. The fine dining restaurant there is Black & Blue – The Place For Steak.

We’ll meet Chef de Cuisine Michael Knowles.He started cooking at age 14! Chef Michael cooked at Wolfgang Puck’s Postrio in San Francisco in the 90s. He has elevated Black & Blue to an award-winning California steakhouse that’s true destination dining for discerning San Diego residents.

All of his pastas are made in-house along with some of the cheese.

His “Signature Indulgence” on the Black & Blue menu is “The Ultimate Surf & Turf” for $75.00. It’s also part of a betting challenge. How about Lobster Creamed Spinach as a premium side?

Travis RodgersTravis Rodgers is the easy-going Iron Man of personalities on AM 830 KLAA. Every weekday morning he’s on AM 830 KLAA talking sports for four hours beginning at 6:00 a.m. After he’s finished at 10:00 a.m. on AM 830 he continues his national show for Yahoo Sports Radio for another hour until 11:00 a.m. That’s five hours on Weekdays as the solo host.

He’s also the master of engaging with his listeners via Twitter.

Travis’ second favorite subject is good food. Did we say Mexican? We’ll talk assorted cravable eats with Travis!

Podcasts

Segment One: Guest Host Kedric Francis and Producer & Co-Host Andy Harris preview the show
Segment Two: Preview of Los Angeles Times The Taste
Segment Three: Kedric Francis, Executive Editor, Orange County Register Magazine
Segment Four: Michael Rossi, Executive Chef, The Ranch Restaurant & Saloon
Segment Five: Freddy Vargas, Executive Chef, Scarpetta, Montage Beverly Hills
Segment Six: Brad A. Johnson, Restaurant Critic, The Orange County Register & The Los Angeles Register
Segment Seven: Chef Michael Knowles, Black & Blue Steakhouse, Valley View Casino
Segment Eight: Travis Rodgers, “The Travis Rodgers Show” on AM 830 KLAA

Show 81, July 26, 2014: Founder Danielle Chang, LUCKYRICE Los Angeles continues…

Luckyrice Night MarketLUCKYRICE Founder Danielle Chang is an award-winning media entrepreneur. Prior to launching LUCKYRICE in 2010, she was CEO of Vivienne Tam, a fashion company. Danielle has also worked for Goldman Sachs, The New York Times, and as a Professor of Contemporary Art History. Born in Taiwan, Danielle created LUCKYRICE to share her life-long affinity for Asian cuisine and lifestyle.

Our own Chef Jet Tila is preparing a five spice pork belly taco for LUCKYRICE Los Angeles.

Danielle is finishing the manuscript for her eagerly anticipated first cookbook. It’s inspired by her many years of experience working with both Asian and non-Asian chefs who are cooking Asian specialties.

LUCKYRICE Las Vegas is set for the pool deck at The Cosmopolitan on October 16th.

Show 53, December 21, 2013: Executive Chef Brian Malarkey of Enlightened Hospitality Group, San Diego

Brian MalarkeyYou know Chef Brian Malarkey from “Top Chef: Season 3, Miami” on Bravo and Season 1 of ABC’s “The Taste.” In real life he’s also a highly successful restaurateur in San Diego (and Scottsdale and Austin) with major financial backing.

In a bold move he’s bringing an expanded Herringbone (La Jolla) to The Mondrian on the fabled Sunset Strip in January. After a major gut-rehab it’s replacing the pricey Asia de Cuba at this hip & happening boutique luxury hotel. The panoramic 180 degree view from the restaurant toward the coast, now improved, is pretty spectacular. He’s responsible for all foodservice at The Hotel including in-room dining and functions.

The food is Herringbone’s own “Fish Meats Field” cuisine. A favorite is Pork Belly with wood roasted sunchokes, manila clams, and calvados and green apple jus.

A signature wood-burning oven is being added to the totally revamped kitchen.

Show 45, October 26, 2013: Rick Moonen, owner/chef of Rx Boiler Room and rm seafood at the Shoppes at Mandalay Place in Las Vegas

Rick Moonen of rm seafood in Las VegasAn acclaimed former New York chef, known as a seafood master, has really taken to living in Las Vegas. We’re talking about Chef Rick Moonen.

His latest creation is Rx Boiler Room in the Shoppes at Mandalay Place (on the upper level.) The decor is over the top but our Las Vegas food expert, Brock Radke, Food Editor of Las Vegas Weekly, recommends the menu. Highlights include bacon-wrapped pork belly and “fish tacos” which are actually kampachi tartare presented in crunchy/crisp taro root shells. There is a serious cocktail program at Rx.

Chef Rick also revealed what he’s doing on both Saturday and Sunday at “Life is Beautiful.” His famous Moon’N Doggie (shrimp hot dog) was a big hit in the Culinary Village.