Los Angeles Weekend Wrap-Up: Day One

by Michelle Dudash, Chef and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

June 20, 2011 • 2 comments

Last weekend Steve and I, along with another couple, escaped for a quick weekend getaway to Los Angeles for some poolside relaxation and dazzling dinners out.

Warning: images in the photos you are about to see are a little over-the-top Hollywood, not an accurate representation of my daily suburban mommy life. But it’s fun when I do get the opportunity!

My husband travels for work and racks up hotel points. We are loyal Starwood Preferred Guests, and were lucky enough to check into the SLS Hotel, a hot spot in West Hollywood. Kat Von D passed by me after getting out of a black Bentley convertible.

It’s the little things in life that really give me a thrill, like lavish hotel amenities.

The most luxurious mini bar I have ever seen. Chambord, anyone?

These temptations lined the wall next to the door in my room, and included a decadent mint chocolate (“Be Bad”, it said) that I ate after Saturday’s dinner, and an apple (“Be Good”) that I brought to the airport for my breakfast.

In the lobby I sipped on some tart, rosemary lemonade and munched on an assortment of spiced pistachios, candied sherry apricots and homemade corn nuts.

Hopeful of celebrity sightings, we headed to the lush patio of Chateau Marmont for a late lunch, where I noshed on French onion soup with cauliflower and a handful of fries from a plate shared with my friend, Natalie. I alternated dipping my fries in ketchup and mayonnaise, an obsession I picked up in France last summer. A larger-than-life glass of California pinot noir lasted the entire time we were there.

Later we dined at The Bazaar by Jose Andres at our hotel. Everything here is served tapas-style, meaning that plates are meant to be shared. I don’t think you could go wrong with anything on the menu, and this is what my party of four shared.

American caviar cone.

Three types of dry Spanish ham served with toasted bread topped with tomato jam.

Scallop with romesco sauce.

Tuna ceviche.

Jicama wrapped around mint salad with coconut vinaigrette.

They call these Philly Cheese Steaks, with Kobe beef clinging to air bread filled with a sharp white cheddar sauce exploding with flavor.  My favorite dish.

Braised beef cheeks with citrus. We loved this so much that we ordered a second plate.

Piquillo peppers stuffed with goat cheese. Divine.

Shrimp with paella-style pasta.

For dessert, you can stay in the main dining room, or drift into The Patisserie. I felt full, so just opted for a delectable single salted caramel wrapped in edible paper. The guys sampled cupcakes, which I thought were just so-so.

While I could go on and on about the amazing food and vibrant scene, the service was not as impressive. The servers were very pleasant and refreshingly unpretentious, however, they were too busy, leaving water and wine glasses empty longer than one would expect in an establishment of this caliber. Even so, I highly recommend a visit to this restaurant.

Estimated calories: 995 (lunch). Please don’t ask me to calculate dinner. I’ll estimate that I ate over 1,000 calories, but with much pleasure and absolutely no regret.

I’ll save day two of my trip for a rainy day sometime soon. To preview – we enjoyed breakfast at The Griddle Café and had dinner at the trendy Katzuya.