The Sofitel Hotel Los Angeles and SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills

When the luxury SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills (465 South La Cienega Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90048, 310-247-0400) opened on La Cienega earlier this year, the location put it down the street and into direct competition with the remodeled Sofitel Hotel Los Angeles, formerly Ma Maison Sofitel (8555 Beverly Boulevard, Los Anegles, CA 90048, 310-278-5444).

Given their location on the border between Beverly Hills and West Hollywood, both hotels are a good stop for anyone pursuing business or pleasure in the area. They offer conveniences expected of luxury hotels but their approach to their customers are wildly different.

At Sofitel Hotel Los Angeles, the lobby is dark, backlit, and mirrored, the better to flatter the hotel's patrons with classic Hollywood-style glamor. The rooms, as in all Sofitel's, are devoted to comfort with a French appreciation of spare elegance.

The hallway to the right of the concierge desk leads to the intimate Stone Rose Bar and LA Simon. If you want a designer cocktail in a subdued setting, the Stone Rose Bar is for you. There are enough Martini varieties to keep a conversation going until the wee hours of the morning.

If you're hungry, Chef Kerry Simon serves what he calls "Modern American comfort food with a flair." That means crab cakes with Asian slaw, classic Caesars, freshly made pizzas, roasted chicken, meatloaf, surf and turf, spaghetti with meatballs and a 20 oz. bone-in rib eye so big they call it the "cowboy". Desserts hit high notes on all the standards: creme brulee, apple tart, dark chocolate mousse cake, beignets, and a "junk food sampler" that will take you on a sugar-rush back to your childhood as you eat gourmet versions of cotton candy, cracker jacks, Rice Krispie treats, cupcakes, snowballs, a peanut butter sundae, vanilla bean milkshake, and assorted cookies.

Whether you're a guest or a day-tripper, a great way to enjoy the pleasures of the hotel is to have a Spa-and-Dinner. One of the best dates my wife and I ever had was to arrange simultaneous massages at LeSpa, with a private session in the NanoSpa Immersion Therapy room, as a prelude for a leisurely dinner at LA Simon. Being so perfectly relaxed was a great way to enjoy Chef Simon's food.

The SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills is as elegant and pampers its guests as well but the approach is completely different. From the outside the hotel would appear to be just another large hotel on a busy street, but one step inside the lobby alcove and you know you're not in Kansas any more. The monkeys on the hotel's crest are a pretty good give-away.

SLS prides itself on being witty, hip, and clever. You get that from the way they twist-and-flip their "SLS" moniker which can mean "Style Luxury Service," "Start Living Smartly," "Society's Latest Scandals," or "Shoes Love Shining."

Even before you enter the lobby, you're confronted by larger-than-life flower pots and a silver tea pot. Philippe Starck designed the interiors and much of the art. His playful touch is felt everywhere in the hotel.

An interesting fact about SLS is that only registered guests can enter the hotel lobby. Which is nice if you're a power-broker, politician, athlete, or starlet who wants privacy while you wheel-and-deal in LA.

The lobby has all the creature comforts associated with a luxury hotel but those familiar elements are redesigned with an elegant subversiveness.

A long communal dining table shares the space with a club-like bar area where you can order drinks and appetizers. The bar is off to the left of the entrance where the bartenders work in a room-sized cubbyhole servicing customers seated in the lounge or at the long table. Entering the elevator on your way to your Phillipe Starck-designed room, you appear to join a party already in progress. The walls are lined with back-lit, full-sized photographs of beautiful, hip, stylish, and, presumably, interesting people.

On the roof-top pool, the cabanas and chaise lounges are so over-sized, the feeling you're left with is that you are forever-young, or at least, a child in a Magritte landscape. Sometimes, especially in the rooms, you might confront the dark side of witty-design when you try to sit in a beaded chair or you stumble over something that is sticking out where it shouldn't but overall the effect is delightful.

The rooms are chock-filled with high-tech toys, geared to the iPhone-iPod aficionado. Usually when I arrive at a hotel, when the bellman deposits me in my room I don't take him up on his offer to explain how everything works. In this case, definitely ask, "How do I turn on the lights? Where's the TV?"

There is no question that SLS is in the business of reinventing the hotel experience. They do a great job of making travel fun again.

But there is more. SLS wants the public to visit. If the lobby is off-limits, that's not true of the Bazaar.

The Bazaar was created to house the imagination of chef Jose Andres. Like a culinary Cirque de Soleil, the Bazaar has a lot going on. There is an upscale bar--with those over-sized chairs that make you feel like a kid in a candy store--a very expensive retail store selling art and household objects selected by Philippe Starck, 2 restaurants (Rojo and Blanco), 1 dessert bar, and a dining room reserved for private parties.

Jose Andres' menu is probably one of the most complex and original offerings in Los Angeles. There are traditional Spanish dishes like seared piquillo peppers, toasted bread with fresh tomatoes and Manchego cheese, paella, stuffed green olives, and the best ham you've ever eaten. But Andres trained with world-renowned chef Ferran Adrian so he also offers chemically marvelous creations like liquid olives that are actually olive-essence turned into a gel by the magic of alginate. For those who can afford a playful hit on decadent treats like foie gras, chef Andres serves a cube of that delightfully delicious indulgence on a stick, wrapped inside an airy globe of cotton candy.

At the Bazaar you can have almost anything your heart desires, just be prepared to pay for it. The restaurant is not inexpensive but you'd never know that from the crowds that pack the restaurant every night.

Staying at either hotel is a win-win proposition. There are many luxury hotels in Los Angeles but the Sofitel Hotel and SLS Hotel are unique unto themselves in their very different ways.

This is a dedicated TravelingMom post.

Mom’s Apple Pie Recipe with a Crystallized Ginger Crust

Besides making the turkey for Thanksgiving, my mom always made apple pie. Her recipe for the filling was classic in its simplicity: apples, brown sugar, lemon juice, and raisins. I’ve played around with her recipe but never improved it. The crust, however, was a different matter.

Over the years I tried dozens of recipes with varying results. When I finally settled on a recipe that worked there was still something missing. Sure I wanted the crust to be light and flaky with a buttery flavor and a little sweetness, all of which nicely framed the flavors of the apple filling but I still felt something was missing.

I wanted the crust to add to the flavors of the apple pie, not just frame them. That’s when I hit on using crystallized ginger to add sweet-heat to the crust.

Apple Pie with Crystallized Ginger Crust

You can use any tart apple or, as we prefer, one with more flavor like a Fuji.

Yield: 6-8 slices

Time: 90 minutes

Ingredients

6 large sized apples, washed, peeled, sliced 1/2” thick

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon golden raisins

5 large pieces crystallized ginger

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

3 teaspoons raw sugar

2-3 tablespoons ice water

1 egg white

Method

Make the pastry first. Hand chop the crystallized ginger as fine as possible. Put the flour, butter, sea salt, 2 teaspoons of raw sugar, and the crystallized ginger into a food processor and pulse until well-blended. While the food processor is running, slowly add water until the dough forms a ball.

Sprinkle flour onto a cutting board. Remove the ball of dough, divide into two pieces, put onto the flour and flatten into two 6” disks. Wrap each disk separately in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 60 minutes.

Prebake the bottom crust.

On the floured cutting board, remove one disk from the plastic wrap and roll out the dough so it covers a 9” pie dish. Gently lay the dough over the pie dish and press down to fit. Trim the excess dough off the edge with a sharp paring knife. Make a dozen holes in the bottom of the dough. Weigh down the dough with ceramic pastry balls, uncooked rice, or beans and bake 15 minutes in a preheated 375 degree oven. Remove. Let cool on a wire rack. Remove the weights.

For the filling, put the lemon juice, raisins, and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Toss the apple slices in the mixture so the apples don’t discolor. Using a rubber spatula put the slices and juice in the prebaked crust.

Roll out the top crust on the floured cutting board as before. Lay the pastry on top of the pie. Trim away the excess and press together the edges of the top and bottom crusts. Use a paring knife to make half a dozen slits in the top pastry to allow steam to escape.

Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven. Lightly beat the egg white with 1/2 teaspoon of water. Brush the pastry with the egg white and sprinkle the remaining teaspoon of raw sugar over the top. Return to the oven for an additional 25-35 minutes or until the crust is nicely brown.

Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Il Fornaio Serves Up a Recession Busting Tasting Menu

Il Fornaio started a tasting menu several months ago, encouraging customers to visit and sample the regional menus that are offered two weeks at the start of each month. For $29.99, choices can be made from the soup and antipasti, pasta, and main course menus.

We visited our favorite branch of Il Fornaio (1551 Ocean Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401; 310/451-7800) across from the Santa Monica pier to have this month's selection from the Piemonte region, bordered by France, Lombardia, and Switzerland. Befitting an area with a colder climate, the dishes are comforting and savory, perfect for fighting off the mountain chill.

We happily started with the Potato and Leek Soup (Zuppa di Patate Porcini e Porri), served hot with a toasted disk of Il Fornaio's country white bread topped with a thick coating of melted fontina cheese. Finely chopped sauteed porcini mushrooms supplied the sweetness, complimenting the salty broth. A glass of Gavi, Patasiolo (2008) was the perfect companion.

For our pasta, we ordered the Cheese Ravioli with Porcini Sauce (Agnolotti di Fonduta ai Porcini). With the first bite, the porcinis dominated, suggesting that this was one of those dishes where the pasta was merely a delivery system for a richly flavored sauce. But the agnolotti were an amiable partner in this marriage of equals. With just a hint of white truffle oil--which is all too often applied with a heavy hand, the better to trumpet a restaurant's grand largess--the mild ravioli stuffed with fontina acquired a light but determined accent of roasted nuts.

For the main course, we had our choice of a Breaded Chicken Breast with ham and fontina cheese (Suprema di Pollo Ripiena), Roast Pork Loin with Figs and Sage (Maiale alla Piemontese), or Wild Seabass with Sauteed Vegetables and Mashed Potatoes (Filetto di Branzino all'Uva).

We were in the mood for a lighter dish, so we chose the seabass with the accompanying sauteed whole stems of broccoli-rabe, mashed potatoes, baby carrots and yellow squash. Halved green grapes and musky thyme complimented the sweet, moist fish, served in a delicate Champagne vinegar sauce.

To finish the meal, we treated ourselves to the regional dessert, an Amaretto-Coffee Custard (Bonet Classico), served with a caramel-coffee-creme anglaise sauce, the perfect ending to a delicious meal.

The Piemonte Regionale is served from November 2-15. If you're going to the American Film Market or Cirque du Soleil across the street or if you're just out on the town looking for an delicious, affordable meal, it's easy enough to stop by Il Fornaio in Santa Monica.

For more posts about Il Fornaio's Festa Regionale check out:
Grilled Vegetable Couscous Salad
A Tasting at Il Fornaio, Santa Monica--Trentino-Alto Adige
A Trip to Italy is Just Around the Corner at Il Fornaio--Calabria
Il Fornaio Heads South to Campania for May's Regionale
Il Fornaio Heads North to Lombardia
Abruzzo at Il Fornaio, Santa Monica
Friuli-Venezia Giulia at Il Fornaio

An Easy 30 Minute Meal: Arugula Salad with Avocado & Sauteed Fish with Olives and Tomatoes

When you're pressed for time, the last thing most people want to do is cook. Coming home after a hard day at the office or dealing with kids and errands, the kitchen can seem unwelcoming.

You're hungry. It's dark outside. The house is cold. You open the freezer and stare at the frozen dinner you bought two months ago but never nuked. A can of chicken noodle soup in the pantry holds the promise of a warm meal but a quick read of the label tells you that the salt content is high enough to brine a Thanksgiving turkey.

Your mind tries to convince you that you aren't all that hungry. Maybe all you really want is a glass of wine and a bowl of dry cereal.

But you are hungry and you'd feel a lot better if you had a home cooked meal.

The truth is all it takes is a little planning and a couple of easy-to-make recipes and you'll actually look forward to coming home and cooking dinner. Ok, maybe that's a little Pollyannaish, but you get the idea.

First things first.

Stop at a farmers' market or the grocery store and buy a few essentials: fresh fruit (maybe a bunch of grapes, a pear, an apple or stone fruit), a leafy green (romaine or arugula), carrots, a basket of tomatoes (if they're still in season), a bunch of Italian parsley, spinach or kale, a clove of garlic, a couple of onions, some fresh fish or organic meat, and whatever else looks good to you.

When you get home at night, don't go straight into the kitchen.

Get out of your work clothes, wash your face, and slip into something comfy. Now when you go into the kitchen, you'll be re-energized. Give yourself 30 minutes to make dinner.

Here are two ideas to help get you started.

Arugula Salad with Avocado and Croutons

Yield: 4 servings

Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

2 bunches farmers' market fresh arugula, washed, pat dried, stems removed
1 carrot, peeled, ends trimmed, cut into thin rounds
1 medium sized avocado, peeled, roughly chopped
1 scallion, washed, ends removed, green and white parts thinly sliced
1/4 cup croutons, preferably home made
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Sea salt and pepper

Method

In a small saucepan, over a very low flame, slowly reduce the balsamic vinegar to 2 teaspoons. 5-10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Tear the arugula into bite-sized pieces and put into the bottom of a salad bowl. Add the other vegetables and croutons. Toss well.

Drizzle with olive oil and the reduced balsamic vinegar. Season with sea salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Variations

Add 1/4 cup chopped tomatoes

Add 4 pieces crispy bacon, chopped

Add 1/4 pound grilled shrimp, roughly chopped

Add 1/4 cup fresh grapefruit sections, peeled

Fish with a Spanish Accent

Yield: 4 servings

Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

2 pounds white fish--sole, swordfish, halibut, flounder--washed, deboned, skin removed
1 medium yellow onion or 4 shallots, washed, skins removed, roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, skins removed, roughly chopped
1/4 cup green or black Mediterranean olives, pitted, roughly chopped
1/2 cup Italian parsley
1/4 cup fresh corn kernels
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon capers
1/4 teaspoon Spanish paprika
Sea salt and pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

Method

Cut the fish into squares roughly 2" by 2". Put half the olive oil on a plate, season with paprika, sea salt and pepper, dredge the pieces of fish in the oil and put aside.

In a large frying pan saute all the vegetables and herbs, except the tomatoes, with the remaining olive oil until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Because of the capers, additional salt may not be needed. Then, push them to one side of the pan to make room for the fish.

Pour the seasoned olive oil from the plate into the frying pan. Add the pieces of fish and saute until lightly browned on one side, about 5 minutes. Carefully turn over the pieces and spoon the saute over the top of the fish while the other side cooks.

Top with the chopped tomatoes and continue cooking another 4-5 minutes.

Serve hot with a salad or a side dish of sauteed vegetables--garlic spinach or steamed broccoli for example.

Variations

Substitute fresh cilantro for the Italian parsley

Add 1/4 teaspoon pepper flakes to the saute

Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Cocktails Perfect for the End of the Week: Passion Fruit, Lime or Orange, & White Rum

Just when you thought you'd never get a break, the week is finally over. It's Friday night and you can stop thinking about work, school, and those never-ending errands.

The truth is, if you don't recharge on the weekend, you're toast next week. You'll be in a bad mood. You won't look forward to work, school, or those never-ending errands.

So you owe it to your good humor, your health, productivity and the betterment of all your relationships to kick back and take it easy.

A cool refreshing drink is a great way to slow down and smell the roses, or, in this case, the fresh fruit.

These drinks are all about the quality of the fruit. The limes, oranges, and passion fruit need to be fresh and juicy. The rum must be white. The sugar powdered.

Besides that, you'll need a couple of ice cubes and a muddler or a spoon. Now you're set to entertain yourself or share the good times with friends.

Passion Fruit, Lime or Orange & White Rum

Pick either lime or orange, the choice is yours.

Yield: 1 serving

Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

1/4 cup finely chopped lime or orange, with juice
1 teaspoon passion fruit pulp including seeds
1/4 cup white rum
1 heaping tablespoon powdered sugar
4 ice cubes

Method

Crush the lime or orange in a glass with a wooden muddler or the back of a spoon, add the passion fruit, rum and sugar. Stir to mix well.

Add the ice cubes and serve with a small spoon, the better to sip and stir and sip some more.

Hot Soup for a Cold Day: Homemade Vegetable Soup

In the blink of an eye, summer disappeared. It seems like the 4th of July was just yesterday when we wore short sleeve shirts and shorts, had a picnic in the park, and watched fireworks explode overhead.

Now we're trying to keep warm and dry as dark clouds matte out the sky and cold winds push thick rain drops against our bodies. At a time like this, happiness is a good parka and thick socks!

Wrapping up in a thick blanket or cozying up to a well-stoked fireplace fortifies body and soul against the chill. For internal weatherproofing, though, nothing beats the cold better than homemade soup.

Simple is often best and that is doubly true in soups. When I'm cold, I want my soup hot, fresh tasting, and flavorful.

Vegetable soup is easy-to-make and nourishing. Perfect any time of the day, but when the weather's cold and rainy, I like soup in the morning. It's better than a cup of coffee or tea to get me out the door.

8 Vegetable Soup

For visual appeal, the vegetables are all cut the same size as corn kernels.

Please check out the Variations below. The soup makes a good base for the addition of other flavors and ingredients.

Yield: 4 servings

Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

1 medium yellow onion, skin removed, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, skins removed, finely chopped
1 medium potato, peel on, washed, finely chopped
1 ear of corn, husks and silks removed, kernels cut off
2 carrots, washed, trimmed, peeled, finely chopped
1 cup Italian parsley, washed, dried, leaves and stems finely chopped
1 cup brown mushrooms, washed, pat dried, finely chopped
10 cherry tomatoes, washed, quartered
3 cups spinach leaves and stems, washed thoroughly, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 cups water
1 tablespoon sweet butter (optional)
Sea salt and pepper

Method

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium flame. Saute the onions and garlic until lightly browned. Season with sea salt and pepper. Add the other vegetables. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add the water, bring to a light boil. Continue to simmer for 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. For a creamier texture, add the sweet butter.

Serve hot, topped with croutons, preferably homemade.

Variations

Use chicken or meat stock instead of water

Trade out any of the vegetables for broccoli, zucchini, leeks, squash, kale, or any vegetable you like

Use chopped arugula instead of the spinach

For a hearty soup, in the final 5 minutes, add 1 cup cooked pasta, like ziti, penne, fussili or 1 cup cooked rice or 1 cup cooked white beans

Add 1 cup cooked, shredded chicken meat

Add 1 cup roughly chopped sauteed sausage

Season with 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary or oregano added to the saute

Just before serving, sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

For a touch of heat, dust the saute with cayenne

Rhode Island, O Rhode Island, How You Have Changed

In the mid-1970s, when I lived in Providence the food wasn't very good. Sure there was great local seafood, especially clams and lobsters, but if you wanted to eat out, your choices were pretty much limited to diner food and Mafia Italian.

To get decent food I traveled to New York to buy ethnic ingredients, read cook books and taught myself how to cook.

Recently I had the chance to return to Rhode Island to write a series of food and travel articles. I spent two weeks traveling around the state, eating in a great variety of settings, from diners and beach-side clam shacks to upscale bistros and fine dining restaurants.

I discovered a lot has changed in Rhode Island. The state is now home to dozens of passionate chefs with incredibly smart palates.

Johanne Killeen and George Germon (Al Forno), Brian Kingsford (Bacaro) Kevin Thiele (One Bellvue in the Hotel Viking), Kyle Ketchum (Spiced Pear in the Chanler Hotel), Champe Spiegle (Persimmon), Matt and Kate Jennings (Farmstead and La Laiterie), Ed Reposa (Thee "Red" Fez), Matt Gennuso (Chez Pascal), Ross Audino (Hotel Manisses), Bruce Tillinghast and Beau Vestal (New Rivers) to name a few.

Whether they're running a 10 or a 50 table restaurant, they want their customers to have the most satisfying experience possible. They care deeply about finding the best ingredients. They are constantly innovating and changing their menus. Good food is taken seriously in Rhode Island.

These are chefs with extraordinary energy. Like Derek Wagner, chef/owner of Nick's On Broadway. He is in the kitchen from the breakfast service at 7:00am until the restaurant closes at night. His energy, focus, and attention to details is mesmerizing. His food, delicious.

He is one of many.

The chefs know each other. They eat in one another's restaurants. They share ideas. They shop together. They help one another when needed. This is a community in the best sense of the word.

When I lived in Providence I had to fend for myself and that was good for my cooking. If I lived in Rhode Island today I might not have learned how to cook, but I probably wouldn't miss it. I'd be eating too well to notice.