It's More Than Just Eating: Taste of Nation LA

Monday, June 7, 2010

Taste of Nation LA

All of Taste of the Nation's proceeds go to feed hungry children.

Media Park in Culver City

June 6, 2010 from 1 pm to 4 pm

My very FIRST Taste of the Nation experience! I have been waiting for this day ever since I bought my ticket at the open house ticket kick off at The Foundry a few weeks (months?) ago! Once I entered the double tape and saw the endless line up of restaurants starting with Lucques I was LITERALLY a kid in the candy store! With over 40 restaurants participating I felt like I was in heaven.

I was a total eager beaver and wanted to try EVERYTHING. I was starving when I arrived so I was going through each booth like it was going to run out in 30 minutes or something. After the hmmmmm... 20th restaurant (or more like 10) or so I was FULL! I tried to keep going but then it became painful haha. It was the most delicious pain I have ever endured. I am hungry again. I will try my best to remember how everything tasted. There were some misses but also great hits.

I enjoyed this fun day Sunday with some of the members from my Project by Project crew.

Lucques/AOC/Tavern

Suzanne Goin

Yellow tomato gazepacho with avocado and cilantro

Olive oil cake with citrus and pistachio aillade

I absolutely LOVE AOC and still yet to try Lucques and the new Tavern. This was the first booth I came to and very excited to try what they had in store. The soup was interesting, a tad thick chilled. The olive cake had a cornbread like texture. I wasn't quite too impressed with this one. Next.

FIG

Raymond Garcia

FIG dog with bacon habenero marmalade, cheesy comte fondue and fritos

I remember FIG from the StarChefs Rising Stars Revue Tasting in Santa Monica not too long ago with their bacon on bacon dish. I knew they were a bit emphasized on heartiness but my goodness... a WHOLE hotdog at a tasting?? I apparently did not share my dog and was so wasteful in tossing half of it out. It was a pretty good with the unconventional ingredients. Plus I was still starved and this only being my 2nd dish.

I wasn't able to try the dog with the fritos but that actually looks pretty good haha. Talk about JUNK food!

Joe's Restaurant/Bar Pintxo

Joe Miller

Braised artichoke with burrata cheese and jamon Iberico

Carpaccio of pineapple, pineapple blueberry compote, coconut mousse

House-made ricotta tapas with anchovy, dried tomato, and Jimenez

At the time I was only able to try the braised artichoke and burrata cheese. The burrata cheese was milky and creamy. Very delish and it was great to be able to eat my favorite cheese today. The braised artichoke was on the salty and sour side but was very soft and I was able to devour it with one bite.

K-ZO

Keizo Ishiba

Hamachi martini

This restaurant was not listed in the program booklet so I do not know what exactly was in this mini martini. It was refreshing and light in flavor. I loved the small martini glass presentation.

Patina

Joachim Splichal & Tony Esnault

Crispy chocolate hazelnut, chocolate mousse

I did not get to try this one because I was not ready for dessert. Sigh I wish I did!

Loteria Grill

Jimmy Shaw

Papa con rajas: potato with roasted poblano peppers

Mole poblano con pollo: chicken mole poblano

Carne deshebrada: shredded beef with fresh guacamole and chipotle sauce

I tried the papa con rajas and it reminded me of Taco Tuesday..... minus the spicy salsa.

Bar 210

Marcel Vigneron

Thai shrimp skewer

I remember just popping this in my mouth and it wasn't quite memorable to me. However the spoon with the Pom bubble was AWESOME! The bubble was gelantinous and when it popped the Pom juices oozed out like a really cool molecular gastronomy candy. I was very wowed by that one.

Hatfield's

Quinn Hatfield
Horseradish dusted braised short rib on smoked potatoes

I was so excited to see Hatfield's! The last time I dined at Hatfield's I basically tried everything and my most favorite dish besides the croque madam was the horseradish dusted braised short ribs on smoked potatoes. What do you know?? They were serving it! THIS was my absolute favorite dish at Taste of the Nation. It was incredibly flavory from beginning to end!!

The dessert was a light cheesecake on a cookie. That was freaken good too! It was like a cross between a cheesecake and panna cotta.

Pom Wonderful

This was basically the only drink I had besides water. I'm on a no alcohol diet. :)

Labels: LA - AOC, LA - Bar 210, LA - Bar Pintxo, LA - FIG, LA - Hatfield's, LA - Joe's Restaurant, LA - K-ZO, LA - Loteria, LA - Lucques, LA - Patina, LA - Sprinkles, LA - Tavern, Taste of the Nation LA

4 comments:

Cafe Pasadena said...: It's an understatement to say I'm very happy with the reporting job you've done with these latest food events!; June 7, 2010 11:25 PM
Oanh N. said...: Awww thank you! It took FOREVER but it's done... finally. I need to go back and re-edit my grammar since I just zipped right through it.; June 8, 2010 12:29 AM
Anonymous said...: nice pics. if u want to try more authentic cuisine, you should sign up for the bachelor, become the runner-up and then you'll be the bachelorette and have your own show. this way, you'll get to travel the world and get to try many types of authentic ethnic cuisine.; June 22, 2010 12:07 AM
Oanh N. said...: hahhhaa that's a unique way to get a free ticket to travel all around for authentic food.; July 5, 2010 10:56 PM

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