Dinner in the Sky; Face Food; Whale Meat; Wood Aged Beers

Guest Interview

The Market Report ()

Laura Avery chats with Tina of Maggie's Farm, who sells fresh herbs and salad mixes. In season now is tarragon, the thin, long-leafed herb essential in French cooking. Also in season is chervil with soft, fern-like leaves.  Try arugula flowers. They have the nuttiness of arugula but without the spicy heat. All these herbs should be used at the end of cooking so their flavor stays intact.

James Birch of Flora Bella Farms has Miner's lettuce, a spinach-flavored wild green that grows on mountains. Word is that the gold miners ate this green when they came to find their fortunes. Both the leaves and stems can be eaten raw in a salad.

Aces High by The Classics

Guest Interview

Dinner in the Sky ()

Dinner in the Sky co-partner David Ghysels hosts a unique dining experience while suspended 150 feet in the air. The table comes with place settings, wine glasses, a chef, waiter or entertainer. Ghysels is located in Brussels, but these events can be held anywhere in the world.

Agent Duble-0-Soul by John Schroe

Guest Interview

Face Food ()

Japanese pop culture enthusiast Christopher Salyers documents charaben, the cute and creative characters made from food for Japanese children's bento lunch boxes, in his book, Face Food: The Visual Creativity of Japanese Bento Boxes. He talks about the ingredients, tools, the appeal of making charaben and the charaben-child connection. To see more pictures of Japanese bento box art, you can visit Salyers' blog.

Alki Point by The Jesters

Guest Interview

Lacto-fermented Foods ()

Local Forage co-editor Steven Fineberg explains the appeal of lacto-fermented foods and its health properties. Lacto-fermentation is the process of submerging vegetables or fruits in water with a little salt and allow it to ferment. You can read the Local Forage article on lacto-fermented foods for more information.

Back Home by Ananda Shankar

Guest Interview

Wood-Aged Beers ()

Sang Yoon, owner of Father's Office in Santa Monica, pours wood aged beers. He talks about the new trend in brewing that involves aging beer in oak barrels. Father's Office bar is opening a second location in the Helms Bakery building in Culver City.

He mentions the following beers:

La Roja - caramel, spice, and sour fruit notes developed through natural barrel aging from two to ten months. Made by Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales in Dexter, Michigan.

Supplication - oak with cherries, made by Russian River Brewing.

Curieux - aged bourbon barrels, made by Allagash.

Scaldis Prestige - aged in oak barrels, comes in a champagne bottle, $70.

Father's Office
1018 Montana Ave
Santa Monica, CA 90403
310-393-BEER (2337)

Vendedor de Bananas by Milton Banana Trio

Guest Interview

The Whale Hunt ()

Visual artist Jonathan Harris goes on an incredible quest to document an Alaskan tribal whale hunt. He discusses how a group of men slay a 40 ton whale with a handheld harpoon and how whale meat sustains the Inupiat Eskimos for a year. Harris details his Alaskan experience on his website, The Whale Hunt. He is a polymath who combines elements of computer science, anthropology, visual arts and storytelling. To learn more about his other fascinating work, you can visit his Number 27 web site.

Man with the Golden Arm by Jet Harris

Guest Interview

The 75 Best Restaurants in Los Angeles ()

Los Angeles Magazine dining editor Lesley Bargar dishes up the 75 best restaurant in Los Angeles. She talks about some of the top celebrated and lesser known dining establishments and why they made the list. The 75 Best Restaurants issue is currently available at newsstands.

Some of the 75 Best Restaurants are:

Lucques
8474 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90069
323-655-6277

Mélisse
1104 Wilshire Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90401
310-395-0881

Providence
5955 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90038
323-460-4170

Vincenti Ristorante
11930 San Vicente Blvd
Brentwood, CA 90049
310-207-0127

Tasca
8108 W 3rd St
Los Angeles, CA 90048
323-951-9890

Mini Skirt by Juan Garcia Esquivel

Guest Interview

The World of Competitive Cooking ()

Ellie Mathews won $1 million in the mother of all cooking competitions, the Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest, in 1998. She talks about the world of competitive cooking and creating prize-winning dishes over the past 15 years. She recounts her culinary adventures in her book, The Ungarnished Truth: A Cooking Contest Memoir. You can find the top 100 finalists' recipes, vote for your favorite recipe and find last year's winning recipe at the 2008 Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest website.