LA Thai Food, Coffee and Summer Wines

Hosted by
Fresh Fruit Pie
Fill a pre-baked pie crust with 1/2 sliced strawberries and 1/2 boysenberries. Pour fruit glaze on top. Fruit Glaze
Makes about 1/2 cup of glaze
  • 1/2 cup fruit
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 Tbsp cornstarch
Combine ingredients in saucepan, stirring until smooth. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Remove from heat; cool until lukewarm. Spoon over fresh fruit. Chill.


Endangered Treasures: A Celebration of Cookbook Preservation
Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2003
The IACP Foundation will host this fundraising dinner and restoration project at the Four Seasons Hotel at Beverly Hills. Join emcees Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, Evan Kleiman and others in their effort to preserve historic cookbooks for future generations.

Evan Kleiman will be one of the table hosts, if you'd like to sit with her and dine, ask for her table.

The dinner will include dishes from 100 year-old cookbooks including trout baked in paper with almonds, olives, chiles and capers and grilled fish smoked with bay leaves, also scuffled potatoes and ham croquettes.

For information and tickets to the Endangered Treasures Dinner, call 502-581-9786 x264, or email tgribbins@hqtrs.com.


Slow Food-Kobrand Wine Tasting and Food Tasting
Tuesday, June 10 at the Park Hyatt Hotel in Century City, featuring rare allocation Italian wines (wines made in such small quantities that the only way to get them is through allocation by the vineyard) and food tasting from Suzanne Goin from AOC; Mako Tanako of Mako; Vicente restaurant; Josie LeBalch of Josie's; Piero Selvaggio from Valentino among others. Ticket price is $55 for Slow Food members, $75 for non-members. Call 212-965-5640 for information and to purchase tickets.


On Saturday June 21, local cook Amelia Saltsman will be leading a farmers' market tour and cooking class from 9am to 1pm. Saltsman will take participants on an hour-long tour of the Santa Monica Farmers' Market, then return to Sur La Table for a cooking demonstration and lunch. The cost is $70. Call 866-328-5412 or call the store directly, 310-395-0390 to reserve a space.


Sunday, June 8 at the Hollywood Farmers' Market meet Lucques pastry chef, Kim Sklar. From 9-11am, she'll be turning the best of the season's fruit into delectable treats that you can make at home. One hour of free parking (with market validation) is available at the Arc Light / Cinerama Dome structure at Ivar and Sunset Blvd.


Jet Tila is a private chef and cooking teacher. You can find out more about his classes and recipes at www.chefjet.com.

Sea Harbour Seafood
3939 N Rosemead Blvd, Rosemead / 626-288-3939

  • Baked Chasu Bao
  • Shrimp and Scallop Dumpling
  • Sea Cucumber
  • Chicken Knuckle
Erawan Thai Restaurant
7119 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles / 323-692-0600
  • Meaung Kum
  • Chicken Larb
  • Choo Chee Prawns
  • Steamed Seabass
  • Seafood Curry Udon
JJ Cafe
447 West Garvey Ave, Monterey Park, CA 91754 / 626-280-3833 (7am-4am)
  • Smelt Roe Fried Rice
  • Chicken Steak with Pepper Sauce
  • Baked Seafood Pasta
  • Lamb Stew Curry


Stacie Hunt is a wine expert at DuVin Wine & Spirits
540 N San Vicente Blvd, West Hollywood, 310-855-1161

The Eco Wine Fest, the first organic international wine festival, takes place June 8-10. To buy tickets, call 310-860-9900. The Wines of Summer
Ah, yes it's that time again. No more serious swirling and sniffing. Time to lighten up. The wines of summer are here to entertain us and give us a giggle and refresh our souls. It's surfer wine, barbeque wine, light food wine, spaghetti strap, shorts wine, flip flops wine -- and, importantly, inexpensive wine.

'00 Moscato d'Asti, Piemonte $13.99 (500ml)
A sparkling wine that's highly perfumed of apple blossoms and green apples, from Piemonte, the northwestern region of Italy. Slightly sweet in taste with a terrific frizzante.

For those who say, "Oh, no, I only drink dry wines." Try this with honeydew melon and prosciutto. You'll never say never again.

NV Neblina Vinho Verde, Portugal $ 6.95
Every year, Portugal makes an entry into the summer wine race with this non vintage, every so slightly fizzy-on-the-tongue white wine. The name translates to "green wine," and this is a basic, light, low-alcohol white wine. The green refers not to the color of the wine, but its youth and innocence. Drink this right now. It's made so immediately that most producers don't even put a vintage on the label. Great with fish dishes and the salads of summer, or a spicy tuna roll.

Some thoughts on rose wines: The bold fruity, snappy, roses wines from around the world are not to be confused with the "blush" or "white zin or merlot" wines seen in the US. These are wines that are released in the early summer and are made for the food of summer. The wines are served with meals of olive oil, garlic, herbs and spices. These wines are substantial in body and succeed where other wines would fail against the flavors.

'02 Castello d'Ama Rosato, Tuscany $15.99
From one of the finest Super Tuscan winemakers of Italy comes this beautifully rose-colored wine. This is not your grandmother's rose. This is full-bodied, elegantly flavored and very sexy wine. This wine is made from Sangiovese and is kept on the skins only for a day or so to impart the color of a sunset. The wine is served ice cold and best shared with a loved one at lunch, or as the evening begins. Serve with grilled foods, roasted-over-coals foods, and summer pizza.

'01 Canto Perdrix Tavel Rose, Rhone, France $12.99
From the Rhone region, this is the area where rose was first born. The grapes are all red ones that enjoy only a moment being on their skins. Grapes with such juiciness and body, such as Grenache, Syrah, Cinsaut. A robust rose that will delight your senses and pair with spicy or peppery foods.

'02 Domaine Tempier Rose, Provence, France $14.99
Completely beautiful wine. The color of early morn, or sunset in your glass. The French would have this wine at lunch, but we don't have those restrictions. We can have it anytime. This wine is from the region of Bandol in Provence. Try this with paella, bouillabaisse, cioppino, spiced olives and each other.

'00 Boutari Kretikos, Crete, Greece $ 7.99
The wines of Greece were the most important wines of antiquity. Thanks to Greece's extensive trade and colonization, wines became an integral part of the cultures of Western Europe from their earliest beginnings. Greece is home to over 300 mostly unknown grape varieties.

This is not a Retsina wine, but a refreshing, floral and fruity wine with a dry finish that is perfect with the warm days on the island of Santorini or Catalina...or on your kitchen island. Goes with hummus, pita, stuffed grape leaves, and a good time.

'00 Seignour de Lauris, Cote du Rhone $ 7.99
A red wine that can be served with a chill on it. A very, deep fruity taste with a white pepper finish. This is another barbeque wine.

'01 Coto de Hayas, Spain $12.99
This Grenache comes from 100 year old vines. A really juicy cherry, red wine that can also take a chill. This is extracted and rich and red, ruby colored. Grilled sausage, pork, beef, lamb anyway you want it.


Faith Willinger lives in Florence and conducts food tours through Italy. She is the author of Eating in Italy: A Traveler's Guide to the Hidden Gastronomic Pleasures of Northern Italy.

To find out more about her tours, go to www.faithwillinger.com.


Stewart Lee Allen is the author of The Devil's Cup: Coffee, the Driving Force in History.