Grubtrotters

Flora Springs 2005 Trilogy from Napa Valley is our wine pick of the day. I had an opportunity to sample half a dozen Flora Springs wines at a dinner hosted by the third-generation, family-owned winery at Wilshire, one of my favorite Santa Monica restaurants, back in March.

The 2005 Trilogy is a Meritage blend of traditional Bordeaux varietals, 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 4% Malbec mainly from the Komes Ranch estate vineyards surrounding the winery. The wine spent 22 months in new French oak barrels, and it’s wonderfully rich, full-bodied and balanced.

The best wine of the night was actually the 1996 Trilogy, but that one is a lot harder and more expensive to get your hands on at this point. The ‘05 Trilogy retails for $65, but I found it offered online for as little as $39.99.

The family behind Flora Springs owns 650 acres of vineyards in Napa Valley, a total of 10 vineyards in five appellations: Rutherford, St. Helena, Oakville and Carneros. All the vineyards are sustainable, and 20% are certified organic, with another 240 acres to be certified this year. A full 90% of the grapes used in the Flora Springs red wines are from organic vineyards. That means no spraying of harmful chemicals. Instead, they use natural methods such as cover crops, hawks and owls to control problems such as pests.

A quick summary of our dinner to whet your palate: We started with a delicate hamachi seasoned with ponzu and wasabi, which was paired with Flora Springs 2007 Soliloquy Sauvignon Blanc. That was followed by ricotta gnocchi with hedgehog mushrooms, Cippolini onions and chestnuts, which we enjoyed with the 2007 barrel fermented Chardonnay. For our third course, we savored a rich and delicious Moroccan spiced lamb stew with fregola sarda (a healthy pasta from Sardinia), cauliflower, piquillo pepper harissa (a hot sauce) and banana raita (a cool, yogurt-based sauce). This dish was accompanied by the 2006 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. And finally, we sipped the ‘96, ‘99 and ‘06 Trilogy wines with some artisinal cheeses before capping off the evening with a dessert of pain perdu with meyer lemon, huckleberries, port reduction and vanilla ice cream. Yum. — Jenny

One Life Natural Natural Foods is a healthy little corner market on Main Street in Santa Monica. I often stop in after my yoga class at Exhale Center for Sacred Movement, when I’m craving clean cuisine. I love their juice bar. You can create any combination you want, and today I ordered organic spinach, beet, carrot, cucumber and ginger juice with a shot of wheatgrass thrown in for good luck. Ginger was the dominant flavor, but it was the mixture of sweet, spicy and bitter that got my blood flowing. They also have great acai smoothies, a deli, and prepared foods from Leaf Cuisine, the raw food restaurant in Culver City, and Sakura, a catering company. I bought a delicious Sakura hiyashi wakami seaweed salad to go with my juice. If you have never tried seaweed, except wrapped around your sushi, it’s crunchy, tastes like the ocean, and it’s surprisingly good. I was feeling the spice, with red peppers adding a nice kick and mellow sesame oil providing some balance. I only wish the portions had been bigger. One Life has had the same owners for almost 30 years, and before that, it was a hippie hangout where people used to give away food. The prices now are a bit steeper than free, but it’s a great spot to pick up some veggies and health foods. They also have a cool upstairs space to devoted to natural herbs and vitamins and alternative cures for whatever ails you. With only one life to live, One Life might just help you extend it. – Jenny

One Life Natural Foods, 3001 Main Street, Santa Monica, 310-392-4501

When I think of Coast, the chichi oceanfront restaurant at Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica, BBQ is not the first thing that comes to mind. But Thursday is Blues & BBQ night, and for $25, you can gorge on an appetizer of spicy chilled “peel ‘n eat” shrimp with cocktail sauce and an entree of ribs, chicken leg and thigh, brisket and sausage, with a side of coleslaw and cornbread — all accompanied by live music (albeit a rather sedate form of background blues).

This is hardly your typical down-home BBQ. When I was there on a recent Thursday, Cindy Crawford sat at a table nearby with her husband and kids. We had a view of the ocean. It was lovely. And messy, too. Initially, I felt uncomfortable peeling the shrimp with my hands and tried doing it with a knife and fork. After several minutes of struggling with a single shrimp, I grew resigned to the fact that I’d have to get over myself and get my hands dirty to enjoy this little meat fest. And, I actually did enjoy it. The ribs were moist and tender, the brisket nice and smoky. I definitely like my sauce to crank up the heat more, but overall, it wasn’t half bad, especially for the price. You’ll probably drop more dough at the hipster dive Baby Blues BBQ in Venice, which just opened its second outpost in WeHo.

Call it recession chic. Even at upscale joints, bargains are in. Extravagance is out. At least, expensive extravagance is out. Shutters is still pouring champagne, but you won’t have to spend a fortune to enjoy. The hotel is offering Champagne Wednesdays in the lobby lounge every week from 5 p.m. until midnight. You can sample a selection of luxury champagnes — a flight of five, in fact — and hors d’oeuvres for $30. It’s $25 for just champagne without the hors d’oeurves, but for that price, why would you skip the food part of these sample pairings: Canard-Duchene Brut paired with Duck Prosciutto and Fig Marmalade topped with Black Pepper; Henroit Blanc Souvrain paired with Charentais Melon, Blue Vein Cheese and Pickled Cherry; or Villa Sandi DOC Valdobbiandene Cuvee complimented by White Anchovies with basil and cured lemons? Now that sounds more like Shutters. Typically pricey spots are obviously doing whatever it takes to lure customers back. It seems to be working, and I suspect these deals won’t last long. So take advantage while you can. – Jenny

Potato pizza? Sounds like a far-fetched idea in carb-phobic Santa Monica. I, too, was skeptical, but let me tell you, this creamy pizza with fontina cheese and rosemary is a decadent delight. It’s one of the highlights at chef Jason Travi’s new coastal Italian restaurant, Riva. (Travi also runs Fraiche in Culver City.)

We started our meal with the crudo, thin slices of raw fish similar to sashimi. A dorade with sea salt and olive oil melted in my mouth, followed by fluke with mint and blood orange. Very nice. Next we tried the tradizionale pizza with San Daniele proscuitto, tomato arugula, red onion and pecorino romano. I’m a huge proscuitto fan so I was shocked to discover that I enjoyed the potato pizza more. The proscuitto was sliced a bit thick for my taste, and there was something so rich and wonderful about the potato pizza. Pure comfort food.

Our group of four also shared three entrees, including the pork chop (pictured below), which was moist and tender.  Mine at home never are. I wish I knew the secret. (Writing that, I realize I sound like that cheesy Folgers commercial from the 70s. “Jim never has a second cup at home.”)

The shellfish diavolo (pictured below) was a messy mixture of lobster, mussels, clams and squid in a hot tomato sauce. The dish also contained fregola sarda, which was a new one for me. It’s a toasted breadcrumb-like pasta that’s apparently better for your blood sugar levels than most starches. Not sure if it made up for the potato pizza, but nevertheless. The dish was just OK. Not as much kick as I had expected.

My favorite entree, by far, was the lamb spezzatino (pictured below), a rich, comforting dish with a wonderful smoky flavor from the mozzarella. Definitely a winner, and it worked well with the 2004 Barbaresco.

Desserts were a mixed bag. I wasn’t a huge fan of the strawberry semifredo (pictured), but the ricotta fritters were amazing. They were like tiny, warm doughnut holes. Quite addictive.

Overall, Riva has a nice, upscale vibe, far less touristy than most of the other places near the Third Street Promenade.  It’s got a bar and a pizza bar, and the place was buzzing all night. With Mozza, Gjelina and Riva, I think LA’s reputation for having crappy pizza is finally an anachronism. — Jenny

312 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, (310) 451-7482

Huckleberry Cafe, from Chef Zoe Nathan and Josh Loeb, the husband and wife team behind Rustic Canyon, has barely been open three weeks, but word has clearly spread. There was a line out the door today at lunch, despite the rain. Nathan is pretty famous for her pastries, and while Rustic Canyon only had Saturday morning breakfasts, you can buy her goodies for breakfast and lunch every day at Huckleberry Cafe. (Saturday breakfasts at Rustic Canyon are kaput now.)

The cafe occupies a bright, casual space, perfect for Santa Monica, while the menu focuses on “locally sourced, farm-driven” foods, such as salads, sandwiches, soups, rotisserie meats (free-range Jidori chicken, of course, and duck on Thursdays) as well as all kinds of breakfast treats. Also perfect for Santa Monica. There’s a communal table for those who want to mingle with neighbors, a growing trend in LA. I arrived just after 11 a.m. in the mood for a hearty breakfast, but I’d just missed the cutoff. Instead I ordered the one savory, breakfasty item on the lunch menu, a fried egg sandwich with Niman Ranch bacon, gruyere, arugula and aioli on two thick pieces of freshly baked country bread ($9.50). Delicious. The caffe latte hit the spot, too.

I also brought home some moist turkey meatballs in a tomato sauce and three prepared salads, one with farro (a type of wheat), english peas and feta; one with tangy broccoli and one with crunchy/sweet sugar snap peas ($12.75 for the trio). All fresh, healthy and tasty. Thumbs up for Huckleberry Cafe. Not that they need it. – Jenny

Huckleberry Cafe: 1014 Wilshire Blvd. Santa Monica; 310-451-2311.

It was girls night out at the new Father’s Office at the Helms Bakery Building in Culver City earlier this week. The second incarnation of this insanely trendy Santa Monica-born gastropub opened a month ago to massive hype and lines worthy of holidays at Disneyland. We figured some of the initial frenzy had probably died down by now, and, fortunately, we were right. My friends Janine and Kerith showed up at 6 p.m., and even though the place was buzzing, we had no trouble getting a table. What a refreshing change from the inaugural experience Victor and I had at the phone-booth-sized Father’s Office in Santa Monica. There we had to shovel in our burgers and beer standing up on one foot while using the other to kick away competitors. The Culver City space is much larger, with indoor and sidewalk seating, although the same rules apply. You order everything at the bar and take a plastic number back to your table to wait for delivery. No substitutions. No whining.

No reason to whine, really. The food is hearty and hand-licking delicious. All three of us ordered the burger. Of course. You have to get the burger. It’s legendary in size, spilling out of the bun, juicier than any Juicy Couture sweats and decadently dressed with sweet carmelized onions, bacon, Gruyere and Maytag blue cheese and arugula. My favorite part? No ketchup anywhere. I abhor ketchup. Always have. I had no trouble devouring the entire burger. And when Kerith filled up and sent the second half of hers away, I flagged down the server and snatched it back. I knew Victor would be pleased. He and I split the leftovers later.

FO’s side dishes get less attention, but man, oh man, were those Spanish mushrooms garlicky and good. Even the white anchovies were reminiscent of the ones we ate regularly on our honeymoon in Italy last September. After examining the impressive wall of beer, I washed all the pub grub down with a spicy, hoppy and fruity beer called the Russian River Brewing Damnation. Damn, was I happy. Sometimes you should believe the hype.

Father’s Office, 3229 Helms Ave., Los Angeles, 310-815-9820

We checked out two new tapas and wine bars last week, Bar Pintxo in Santa Monica and Vinoteque in Culver City. Both were festive, yummy and fun, albeit with completely different menus and vibes. Bar Pinxto is a Spanish-style tapas bar from one of my favorite neighborhood chefs, Joe Miller, of Joe’s in Venice. We stopped in after work one night to have a drink and a bite with Kelly Liken, chef-owner of her eponymous Vail, Colo., restaurant, who was in town for a Bon Appetit photo shoot. (Look for her to be singled out as a young female chef of the moment in an upcoming issue.)

We ordered a whole slew of tapas and platos to share, including the jamon iberico, which was only recently allowed into the country and which we believe should be renamed jamon fantastico! Our other favorites were the paella with blood sausage and chicken, which managed to taste rich and yet feel light; the juicy gambas al ajillo (shrimp in garlic), and croquetas de pollo y jamon (chicken and ham).

In the solid but not spectacular category, we put the chorizo and fried quail eggs. Full disclosure, we may have let get too cold before trying it. Hey, we ordered a lot, and they delivered it all at once. The esparragos blancos con romesco (white asparagus with red pepper aoli) was cool and refreshing but lacked the zest I was expecting. I’m shocked to report that none of us cared for the dates wrapped in bacon with cabrales cheese. Grubtrotters readers know how much we love bacon, but as Liken pointed out, it tasted a bit too smoky. We also had a bland flatbread special that we didn’t order, even though the waitress insisted we did. As for the wines, we could have done without the 2004 Ostatu-Crianza Rioja Alavesa that our server suggested. It was too light for our taste, but we very much enjoyed the bolder 2005 Canopy Malpaso Mentrida. Bar Pintxo was pretty crowded, and the benches are hard and backless, but this is a great spot for a fast bite and a nice glass of wine after a day at the office.

Vinoteque was our Saturday night pick. The location was a bit surprising. We figured it would be in the heart of what’s happening downtown in Culver City. The owner helped found the Bottlerock wine bar there. Instead, Vinoteque was way off the beaten path, on Sepulveda near an ice rink and a Taco Bell. With live jazz music and low lighting, it feel like a small nightclub for the vino crowd. A very uniform vino crowd. In fact, five women at one table wore nearly identical black and white patterned dresses. Just about all the ethnic diversity in the joint was provided by the band.

Our friend Rob joined us, and initially we sat at a wobbly little table in the bar area. They fixed the wobble, but the tiny table just didn’t have room for the dishes we ordered and drinks for three. Luckily, a couch space in the lounge area opened up after somebody failed to show. (Be sure to make a reservation if you want to eat in comfort.) We enjoyed the charcuterie plate and the Mideast Burger enough to order seconds of each. The Mideast Burger is actually a juicy, sausage-shaped lamb kefta on top of homemade pita with a honey-harissa yogurt sauce. The Grilled Truffle Cheese on Breadbar bread was a bit dry, but the Grilled Spring Onions and Peas in a romesco sauce with Spanish Garroxta cheese was flavorful, with onions that were nicely charred. There’s also an extensive cheese menu, but we skipped it. Not in a cheese mood. Our first wine selection was a light Italian red, a 2003 Borgo di Colloredo Molise Rosso that just didn’t do it for us. But they give a small discount for pairing certain wines with dishes so why not try a glass? We asked for a taste and then switched to a bottle of 2005 Huntington Petit Syrah, which was affordable and solid.

Bottom line, if you’re hungry and looking for good food, Bar Pintxo has a much wider selection. If you want more of late-night bar experience, with wine specials projected onto screens and just enough grub to cure the munchies, bypass the Taco Bell and head over the Vinoteque. — Jenny

Fans of Tender Greens, rejoice. New locations in San Diego (opening in June) and West Hollywood (slated for September) are just the beginning. Owners of the wildly popular, eco-friendly salad spot in Culver City have plans to expand across the city, state and nation. “I think we see ourselves growing sustainably, maybe three restaurants a year,” owner David Dressler told Grubtrotters. “We don’t see there being a cap to the number of stores. There are opportunities for 20 to 30 from Northern California to Southern California and one-offs in other parts of the country.”

The reason for such massive expansion? Long lines outside the Culver City location are a huge clue. While many restaurants are suffering during the recession, Tender Greens had its best month ever in April (boosted by Earth Day, perhaps) and sells $3 million worth of food a year. “We see a hole in the marketplace,” Dressler says. “There are not a lot of places for good, affordable, healthy food, where you can get a great organic plate for $10. The lion’s share of our business is within three to five miles. People are just so time-crunched, they don’t want to spend 15 minutes in the car to go to lunch.”

Dressler is looking for locations with lots of foot traffic from homes and businesses, as well as outdoor space for sidewalk cafes and plenty of parking. “We’re looking at Burbank and Tarzana, Hollywood and maybe Santa Monica…We’ll get to Santa Monica eventually, but it’s a slightly more difficult restaurant market.”

So could Tender Greens turn into the next Pinkberry or even Starbucks? Whatever you do, don’t use the vile C word. “We may have multiple locations, but we don’t see ourselves as a chain,” Dressler says. “Our goal is to build a company that believes wholeheartedly in sustainability. We’re not trying to build a behemoth.” – Jenny

Esquire admits that its feature on the Best Sandwiches in America is incomplete. We will help fill at least one gap.

The only real downside to Bay Cities Italian Deli in Santa Monica is that the parking lot during lunchtime is the automotive equivalent of a steel-cage death match. Even that hassle is not enough to dissuade devotees of scrumptious sandwiches from packing the place like a pope’s Mass.

You can reduce your waiting time inside the deli by ordering online or via fax. The deli has a separate area for such pickup orders. If you choose to make an in-store order and wait for your number to be called, be prepared for your hunger to explode exponentially. You’re surrounded by such tempting sights and smells — and other people getting their food ahead of you — that it almost seems unfair. But it is worth the wait.

The menu is extensive, but we have our favorites. Jenny usually chooses the Godmother, a combination of Genoa salami, mortadella, coppacola, ham, prosciutto and Provolone that she tops with Dijon mustard, peppers, lettuce, tomato, olive oil and vinegar. My standard pick is the meatball sandwich with tomato sauce, onions and sliced red bell peppers. But if it’s a Tuesday, I will often opt for the daily special of the sausage and peppers hoagie that looks like it came off the set of “The Sopranos.” Their rolls are excellent. The crust has that nice crunch, but the rest is soft, fresh and tasty.

If you do decide to order online — and this is our recommendation — be careful which buttons you press. We once ended up with two Godmothers instead of one, but I hesitate to call this a mistake because it simply extended a pleasurable meal. In fact, I wonder if Jenny will order two instead of one accidentally on purpose from now on. — Victor

Bay Cities Italian Deli; 1517 Lincoln Blvd., Santa Monica, Calif., 90401. 310-395-8279. Closed Mondays.