The filmmakers who made the documentary “The Cove”, which won an Oscar at the Academy Awards on Sunday with its gruesome portrayal of the slaughter of dolphin at Taiji, Japan; and according to the New York Times, received a tip that the sushi restaurant, The Hump, 3221 Donald Douglas Loop South in South Santa Monica, California was serving whale. With the help of a hidden camera and microphone they filmed the dinner and also took a sample to a lab; it turned out to be the endangered species Sei whale.
Oddly enough, Mark Gold who is also involved in the investigation and possible illegal sale of whale at the restaurant, has a brother Jonathon Gold, the Pulitzer Prize winning food critic, who frequently writes about dining on endangered species much to the chagrin of Mark, who is President of Heal The Bay, an environmental group.
The hunting and killing of whales for food has long been a part of the Japanese culture and it will not end anytime soon. There are literally thousands of restaurants that specialize in selling whale in Japan however, I must say that I have never heard of it being served in a Los Angeles area restaurant although, I imagined it might be eaten secretly within the Japanese community.

Washington State Wine Dinner Menu, March 26, 2010

US scallop wrapped with bacon, vegetarian couscous

and asparagus mousse

Cappesante avvolte nel bacon, cous cous di verdure

e crema di asparagi

*****

Soft cannelloni with porcini mushroom,

spinach and pecorino cheese and saffron fondue

Cannelloni morbidi ai funghi porcini e spinaci

con fonduta di pecorino e zafferano

*****

Grilled US Black Angus tenderloin with eggplant croquette,

tomato gratin and red wine sauce

Filetto di Angus Americano con crocchette di melanzane,

pomodoro gratinato e salsa al vino rosso

*****

White coffee mousse with hazelnut ice cream and chocolate sauce

Bavarese al caffe, gelato alla nocciola

e salsa al cioccolato

*****

Coffee or tea and chocolates

Caffe o thé e Cioccolatini

Baht 1690.++ per person

BaroloWinemaker Dinner

Produttori di Govone

Wednesday 17^th March, 2010

7:30 pm

Wine Bar

CORTESE PIEMONTE 2008

(DRY WHITE WINE)

Menu

Swordfish carpaccio with micro cress, marinated vegetables and lemon dressing

Carpaccio di pesce spada con verdurine marinate e vinaigrette al limone

ROERO ARNEIS TERRE SABAUDE 2008

(AROMATIC DRY WHITE WINE)

*****

Ravioli stuffed with polenta and venison ragu, fresh black truffles

Ravioli di polenta con ragu di capriolo e tartufo nero

BARBERA D’ ALBA SUPERIORE 2005

(MEDIUM BODY RED WINE)

*****

Grilled Canadian black Angus tenderloin with eggplant croquette,

tomato gratin and red wine sauce

Filetto di Angus Canadese con crocchette di melanzane,

pomodoro gratinato e salsa al vino rosso

BAROLO DOCG 2005

(FULL BODY RED WINE)

*****

Sicilian cannoli with white chocolate ice cream, orange sauce

Cannoli siciliani con gelato al cioccolato bianco e salsa di arance

MOSCATO D’ ASTI 2008

(AROMATIC SWEET WINE)

*****

Coffee or tea and chocolates

GRAPPA MONOVITIGNO DI ARNEIS

Baht 2,200.++ per person

]]> http://www.restaurantdiningcritiques.com/bangkok-restaurant-dining-critiques/piedmonte-wine-dinner-wednesday-17-march-bangkok/feed/ 0 http://www.restaurantdiningcritiques.com/los-angeles-restaurant-reviews/chefs-walter-manzke-leaves-enter-joshua-smith-at-church-state-los-angeles/ http://www.restaurantdiningcritiques.com/los-angeles-restaurant-reviews/chefs-walter-manzke-leaves-enter-joshua-smith-at-church-state-los-angeles/#comments Wed, 03 Mar 2010 19:21:48 +0000 Kit Marshal http://www.restaurantdiningcritiques.com/?p=4834 The National Biscuit Company, built in 1925, houses Church & State Restaurant

Lets put things into perspective: In September of last year, Yassmin Sarmandi bought out her partner Steven Arroyo, who made tapas popular in LA with his Spanish restaurant Cobras & Matadors, at Church & State (the French bistro in downtown Los Angeles on Industrial St.)   The amazing chef, Walter Manzke was brought in to put sparkle in what was an ordinary menu, and prompted Jonathon Gold, LA Weekly’s restaurant critic, to write: Manske is making “the most refined bistro cooking in LA“. He is about to leave Church & State to open his own restaurant. What happens now? He is replaced by Joshua Smith, who worked at Osteria del Circo, Michael Mina at his Seablue Restaurant and Alain Giraud’s Anisette. At this point, everyone has to wait and see!

2316 Polk St
San Francisco, CA 94109
Tel. 415-776-5577
Credit Cards: Yes
Prices: Expensive

Roland Passot, the chef-owner of La Folie opened the strictly French restaurant about 20 years ago, I remember I made it a habit to stop by for dinner on each visit to the bay area; at that time it was family run, although it still maintained a certain formality. In the dining room his wife Jamie was at the door, and brother Georges would pour wine.

Recently the restaurant has gone through another redo, and has emerged looking like a sophisticated Manhattan establishment with polished wood paneling and vertical mirrors and a reshuffled menu. Passot is still behind the stoves—and loving it! Foie Gras reigns as King at La Folie and his presentation of foie gras with brioche is a must, along with many other dishes concocted in the fashion of Lyon where he grew up.

La Folie Lounge, a smart spot for cocktails and small-bites next door is already collecting its own clientele, in addition to those who drop in before or after dinner at La Folie.

The first phase of the Las Vegas Sands Singapore Casino will open earlier than anticipated on April 27, 2010 and is expected to generate $1 billion in annual profits, when fully operational, according to its billionaire CEO, Sheldon Andelson. The restaurant line-up features American restaurateurs: Wolfgang Puck, David Boulud and Mario Batali.

Rival casino Genting Singapore’s Resorts World at Sentosa opened slightly ahead of the Sand’s on February 14th and has had a mixed performance with restaurant and food outlets packed and, hotel rooms fully booked although, the actual count of traffic entering the casino’s doors were lower in comparison to casinos in Macau on their opening days. In addition, the Sand’s location is considered better with its waterfront location nearer to the central business district.

Breaking News . . . Earlier we heard word that Ferran Adria would close his restaurant El Bulli for a two year period from 2011-2013. Now he has announced that he will be closing permanently in December 2011. The restaurant along with his cooking workshop in Barcelona has been losing money at the tune of a half million Euros a year, although as we mentioned in our post on the two-year closure, the cookbooks are generating a large income. Instead of opening a new restaurant he will use any resulting funds to open an academy devoted to the study of molecular and other gastronomic studies; the academy will sponsor scholarships to allow the most talented chefs from around the world to attend.