By Troy Johnson | Photography by Edward Duarte | Riviera magazine | September 1, 2010
What Rick Bayless did for Chicago’s gourmet Mexican food scene, Richard Sandoval did for New York, Vegas and Santa Monica, not to mention the Four Seasons and Le Royal resorts in Dubai.
By Chantal Gordon | Riviera magazine | August 30, 2010
House-cured meats are trending. Burger King will be R&D’ing lardo soon. But Ryan Johnston’s at Whisknladle will outlive the fad. On the pâté side, his pork rillettes are unctuous and habit-forming (he rotates them with beef pâté and duck mousse). And the lomo (dry-cured pork tenderloin) is the richer, meatier answer to the common sausage. Housemade mustard and tapenades only tease out the meat’s addictive properties. read more
By Troy Johnson | Riviera magazine | August 27, 2010
Leucadia’s Lilliputian eatery Yu Me Ya is locked in an epic battle with Yakitori Yakyudori for S.D.’s best izakaya (Japanese tapas). Yu Me’s rep lies in the baked scallops and mushrooms in cream sauce, plus homemade udon and a spicy tuna carpaccio served in a wonton shell. The bounty of shoju, sake and the heirloom rice-and-sake beer called Red Rice ain’t bad, either. Make reservations or expect to wait.
By Troy Johnson | Riviera magazine | August 26, 2010
Tarragon growers of America should sponsor Jsix chef Christian Graves. The “king of herbs” makes frequent cameos in his dishes, to royal effect. Our current jones? His Prince Edward Island mussels in a white wine and spring onion-tarragon broth, with thin-cut fries sprinkled with fennel pollen and Meyer lemon aioli. “They’re best with a tall glass of Lost Abbey’s Red Barn,” says Graves. “But so are my socks or just about anything.” read more
By Troy Johnson | Riviera magazine | August 25, 2010
Riviera’s ed-in-chief hates breakfast. Forget her. Some of us eat before noon.
The Tractor Room Waiting in line for Hash House? Dummy. Same food, less sidewalk loitering at Tractor, where Andy’s Sage Fried Chicken Benedict and a Highlander (Bloody Mary with Scotch) ease the sting of Friday night transgressions. 3687 5th Ave., 619.543.1007, thetractorroom.com. read more
By Lisa Sweetingham | Photo by Ethan Pines | Riviera magazine | August 23, 2010
Two-time James Beard Award winner Wolfgang Puck may have first learned to cook at his mother’s side in Austria, but at 61, he is the master of his own empire in the states. In addition to his 60-odd restos, Michelin stars and a new raved-about L.A. resto (WP24), this Chino Farms pioneer and father of four is also voicing Chef Smurf in the new Smurfs movie. “The kids love it,” he says. read more
