It’s been too long since I dined at Rossoblu, an Italian restaurant located in Los Angeles’ Arts District. The food is commendable, the restaurant’s interior is well designed and comfortable, and the wine list contains lots of quality.
At the end of this month I’ll visit Rossoblu again, for Taste of Italy: Ancient Rome, a family-style meal with wine pairings selected and led by Jeremy Parzen. I met Jeremy Parzen back in 2013 or 2014 in Houston, and it’s also been too long since I’ve seen him.
Steve Samson, Rossoblu’s chef.
Steve Samson, the chef at Rossoblu, has put together a menu steeped in history, and here’s what you’ll eat on July 31 if you make a reservation for the dinner:
Columella salad: fresh greens and herbs, pecorino cheese, soft-boiled egg, garum and pine nut dressing
Puls Tractogalata: farro pasta circles with roasted lamb
Stuffed porchetta: sausage and fig, honey sauce, coriander lentils
Savillum: ancient Roman cheesecake with bay leaves and honey
Parzen says he is keeping the cost of the wine pairing as low as possible. “The menu is very reasonably priced and the wine pairing (including generous pours) is priced aggressively so as to make it accessible to all. It’s a great deal and I have some awesome wines lined up,” he writes.
In my head, Trimalchio’s dinner is coming to life … toga optional.
Want a seat at the table: Here’s a link to the dinner, and I hope to see you there.
Palomino. Carnelian. Souzao. If you read those words and think, “grape varieties,” I applaud you. If, however, the words are unfamiliar, I suggest you get a ticket to The Festival of Forgotten Grapes, which will take place in Los Angeles on June 29. (If you are in the former group, you, too, should attend this event, because it’s a great opportunity to sample and purchase an outstanding and diverse lineup of wines from California producers at a great price.)
First, I know that many of you know from Dornfelder and Nebbiolo (which are both on the Forgotten Grapes Wine Club’s – the organization behind the festival – list of forgotten varieties). It’s important to note that by “forgotten” we are not talking about wine grapes that have been lost to humans in the mist of time. No, what Allison Levine and Chris Kern mean by the word are grapes that aren’t widely grown in the state. As they write, “More than 100 different grape varieties make up only 7 percent of the total planting in California.” Those grapes are the focus of the festival.
An exciting feature of this festival is the number of wineries that will be pouring their wares (click here for the full list); it’s a cornucopia of producers from the state, including San Rucci Winery, Tansy Wines, Tres Sabores Winery, and Unti Vineyards. Taste, talk to the producers about their wines, and order bottles that you like. If you live locally the Forgotten Grapes team will deliver your selections for a low fee ($15), and for those of you who reside in other locales your wine will be shipped at an economical price.
I love the idea that most of the wines that will be poured at the festival are made either from varieties planted during the settling of California, the early days of the state’s wine industry, or before the Judgment of Paris. This means you’ll taste history and take some home with you.
The Festival of Forgotten Grapes takes place at Frankie in downtown Los Angeles. VIP check-in begins at 11:30 am – I recommend going the VIP route, because the perks are worthwhile, including early admittance; a pre-tasting discussion with Wes Hagen titled “How Forgotten Grapes Became Forgotten: The Changing Landscape of California Wine Since Prohibition;” free delivery of wines that you order at the festival; and discounts on purchases of 6, 12, 24, or more bottles. VIP tickets are $75, and general admission passes are $59. (A portion of ticket proceeds will benefit Minds Matter Southern California.)
Adam Robson Chew (apt name), the head chef at Cape Lodge, is in Malibu this week, where he is teaming with Joshua Balague, executive chef at Malibu Beach Inn, in “West Coast to West Coast,” a seafood-centric dinner series that aims to highlight the culinary influences of the two locales.
Adam Robson Chew
Western Australia’s Cape Lodge, which opened in 1992, is a 22-room property in the Margaret River region – great wines are produced there – while Malibu Beach Inn’s 47 rooms hold a prime spot on the Pacific Ocean. Both lodgings are situated in beautiful environs, surroundings sure to complement meals served at the establishments’ tables.
Cape Lodge
A room at Malibu Beach Inn.
Robson Chew, who is from the United Kingdom, had worked at a number of restaurants, including Oscillate Wildly and Nomad, prior to joining the kitchen brigade at Cape Lodge. Balague, meanwhile, who credits his grandmother with sparking his passion for cooking, began working in restaurant kitchens at 16 and graduated from Cordon Bleu Pasadena in 2008. He had stints at Napa Valley’s Oenotri and in kitchens in the Bay Area and the Pacific Northwest previous to his appointment at Carbon Beach Club, Malibu Beach Inn’s restaurant.
Joshua Balague
The chefs are collaborating beginning today through June 16, and I had the opportunity to sample their wares at a preview dinner this week. My take: If you enjoy dining well above the beach on a sublime strip of the Pacific Ocean, get a reservation for the series (OpenTable is the place to book a seat).
Here’s the menu:
Amuse Bouche: Sea urchin uni on toast Baby lettuce and bottarga (Ashbrook Estate Verdelho)
First Course: Spot prawn carpaccio with heirloom tomato and spiced watermelon (2021 Cape Mentelle Sauvignon Blanc/Sémillon)
Second Course: Razor clam, green shallot, and linguine (2021 Cape Mentelle Sauvignon Blanc/Sémillon)
Third Course: Monkfish with mussel béarnaise and purslane (2021 Vasse Felix “Premier” Chardonnay)
Fourth Course: Necartarine with salted macadamia cake and blood plum granita (Ashbrook Estate Verdelho)
Fifth Course: Selection of local cheeses (2018 Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon)
The chefs told me that it took them about an hour to come up with the menu, and the uni was an inspired choice, as it began the meal in a great manner. To my palate, the monkfish dish was the highlight of the meal, and I hope only that the chefs plate a tad more monkfish than that served at the preview dinner. I’ve no doubt that the staging event allowed them to iron out the wrinkles they discovered, and the debut meal was engaging and full of flavorful touches – the fried prawn head was satisfyingly earthy.
The wines were apt and suitable, and though I was partial to the Vasse Felix Chardonnay, all paired well with the courses.
The evening will cost you $90 per person, and $50 gets you the wine pairings listed above.
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