Sunday, October 24: It's A Family Affair

It's a banner month for Dinner at Eight. The man who taught me to cook, my hero, my dad, will be in town and will be cooking this meal with me. We have conceived a menu that is inspired by all of my dad's favorite things to eat - deconstructed and reconstructed. And, of course, my mom will be on the dessert. It truly is a family affair!

Menu:

 Cocktail Hour:

The Germaine Pear

Course 1:

Butternut squash, kale and white bean bisque. Toasted pepitas. Sage oil.

with

2009 Donkey & Goat Stone Crusher Roussanne

Course 2:

Haricots verts.Toasted hazelnuts. Burrata.
with

2008 Donkey & Goat Brousseau Vineyard Chardonnay

Course 3:

Duck confit and pimiento mashed potato ravioli. Braised chanterelle and lobster mushrooms.

with

2009 Donkey & Goat Broken Leg Vineyard Pinot Noir

Course 4:

Bread pudding. caramel rum drizzle.

with

N.V. Caudrina Asti La Selvatica

*Details subject to change

*Wine pairings to come

Savory: Elliott & Steve Shaffner
Sweet: Kathy Emerson


Wine Pairings by: Jill at Domaine LA
6801 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 932-0280

Mixologist: Katy Hartman-Mart

September 18 AND 26: Autumnal Tones.

Menu:

Course 1:

Wild Mushroom-Sherry Bisque, Sage Oil

Course 2:
Roasted Beets, Pear, Ricotta Salata, Walnuts

Course 3:
Pancetta-Wrapped Quail over Parsnip Purée, Cavolo Nero

Course 4:
Apple Galette with Cinnamon Mascarpone

Savory: Elliott Shaffner
Sweet: Kathy Emerson


Wine Pairings by: Jill at Domaine LA
6801 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 932-0280

August 28, 2010: The Dog Days of Summer.

 Photography by Christopher Kuhn

Another fantastic evening! We had the birthday girl, Brooke, and her friends and family, along with a couple other wonderful guests this go 'round. Thanks so much for coming, everyone!

Though my oven is not yet repaired, we had an almost seamless day/night in the back of the house (figs + toaster oven = perfect). Mom and I hardly bickered at all, Stew and Katie were the perfect servers AND helped my sanity in the kitchen, and Chris was there to assist in plating and photo taking (and bad jokes). Ah, my very special team. The only thing missing this time was the venerable Jill. But she was there in spirit with her fantastic, and always surprisingly interesting, pairings. 

I do believe we will begin serving two dinners a month beginning in September. I am very excited for the new Autumnal produce about to explode... So be on the lookout for dates and menus coming very soon!

Menu:

Cocktail Hour:

Bacon-Wrapped Empress Dates Stuffed with Parmesan

with

Lillet Cocktail

Course 1:
Creamy Artichoke Soup with Truffled Creme Fraiche
with
 2008 Field Recordings Jurassic Park Vineyard Chenin Blanc, Santa Ynez Valley
 

Course 2:
Heirloom Tomato and Watermelon Salad, Feta, Red Onion, Basil and Mint 
with
2008 Edmunds St. John Heart of Gold Vermentino/Grenache Blanc Blend, Ed Dorado County
 

Course 3:
Wild King Salmon with McGrath Farms Succotash over Black Garlic Smashed Fingerling Potatoes
with
2008 Edmunds St. John Porphyry Gamay Noir, El Dorado County
 

Course 4:
Roasted Black Mission Figs with Honey Ice Cream
with
NV Vergano "Luli" Chinato, Piedmont, Italy


Executive Chef: Elliott Shaffner
Pastry Chef: Kathy Emerson


Wine Pairings by: Jill at Domaine LA
6801 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 932-0280

Saturday, July 17, 2010: And. Here. We. Go.

Wow. I think this was the best one yet. I had everything under control. Shopping, prep, tidying, timing and details. And then, right before Mom put her peach cake into the oven, we realized it was not getting hot. Broken oven. Right at the critical part of the day. After calling the Gas Co. with a "pressing gas emergency" and having the technician come out to repair it to no avail, I turned to my neighbors. So between my next-door neighbor, Beth and my across the street neighbor, Sheri, the show went on. And it was delicious. People especially appreciated Jill's pairings this night - most specifically with the pork course (2008 Charles Trosset Arbin Mondeuse, Vin de Savoie, France). By the by, she only has a scant few bottles of that one left in stock. 

Ah, now to plan the next one...

Enjoy some pictures from the evening, below!

Menu:

Cocktail Hour

NV Clavelin et Fils Brut Comté Cremant du Jura, Blanc de Blancs, France

Chilled Cucumber-Avocado Soup with Ancho Cream and Baby Shrimp 
with
2009 André et Michel Quenard "Les Abymes" Vin de Savoie, France

Heirloom Tomato Salad, Burrata, Basil Medley and Torn Croutons
with
2005 Stéphane Tissot "Selection" Arbois, France

Herb-Roasted Pork Loin, Summer Squash Gratin with Salsa Verde 
with
2008 Charles Trosset Arbin Mondeuse, Vin de Savoie, France

Skillet Peach Cake, Fresh Cream
with
NV Philippe Bornard "Tant-Mieux" Vin de Table avec des Bulles, Pupillin, France

Executive Chef: Elliott Shaffner
Pastry Chef: Kathy Emerson


Wine Pairings by: Jill at Domaine LA
6801 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 932-0280

Photo credit: Christopher Kuhn

Saturday, June 26, 2010: The Night of the Blogger

Photo credit: Ravenous Couple.
For more photos of this evening, visit e*starLA's Flickr & The Minty's Flickr pages.

Another great night. I wish I could know that will be the case during the 7am-12pm time period of that day. During that time nothing seems like it will turn out at all. Then, magically, around Noon, I can see it all clearly. Everything will be fine.

And it was.

The blogger posse seemed to enjoy everything (I guess we shall see soon enough). I was happy with the food, the presentation and the pacing. And I was in a dither about plating that trout for about a week.

A ginormous thank you to Stew and Katie, who served and poured wine and helped me out in the back of the house so very, very much. I hope they'll be back for future dinners!

Thanks, everyone, for another memorable night, and I can't wait for the next one!

Menu:

Sweet Corn & Buttermilk Soup, Fresh Mint & Curry, Topped with Creme Fraiche & Prosciutto Crisp

with
2009 Josef Leitz "Leitz Out" Riesling, Rheingau, Germany

Green Duchess Salad with Romaine, Avocado, Cucumber & Pine Nuts

with
2008 Geyerhoff "Rosensteig" Vineyard Gruner Veltliner, Kremstal, Austria

Baby Spinach & Shallot - Stuffed Whole Trout, Shiso Leaf Lemon Butter over Potato Fennel Hash

with
2008 Monestero Suore Cistercensi Coenobium Bianco, Lazio, Italy

 
  Rustic Cherry Tart with Almond Ice Cream 
with

    2005 Tschida Muskat Ottonel Eiswein, Burgenland, Austria

Executive Chef: Elliott Shaffner
Pastry Chef: Kathy Emerson


Wine Pairings by: Jill at Domaine LA
6801 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 932-0280

Saturday, June 5, 2010: Dinner at Eight's Maiden Voyage

“Such a special evening and I can only praise your food.”   - J. Westerberg

“You have a sophisticated palate paired with a comforting cooking style so that makes for a great combination.”   - Y. Davis

“What a wonderful evening - fantastic wine pairings and it's hard to imagine a more beautiful setting in the heart of LA. That is not even mentioning the food - the nuanced, well-loved and flawlessly presented food. Elliott really pulled out all the stops and I would say that I didn't want the meal to end, except the 'meal not ending' would have meant no strawberry shortcake.”   
- D. Stern

 

Menu:

Vichyssoise atop one raw Hama Hama oyster & garnished with caviar
with
2008 Domaine de la Fruitiere "Cuvée Petit M," Muscadet Sevre-et-Maine


Endive salad with roasted garlic, walnuts and oil cured olives with Meyer lemon cream
with
2007 COS "Rami," Sicily


Grilled lamb chops with mint and lemon over spring pea risotto and heirloom carrots braised in vermouth, sweet butter & sage
with
2008 Pithon-Paille "Graviers," Bourgueil


Fresh strawberries, chocolate mint & Chantilly cream with cornmeal shortcakes
with
NV Terres Dorées "FRV100," Beaujolais


Executive Chef: Elliott Shaffner
Pastry Chef: Kathy Emerson


Wine Pairings by: Jill at Domaine LA
6801 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 932-0280

After weeks of planning, sweating, shopping, prepping and stressing, Dinner at Eight’s maiden voyage is now behind us. Although my personal experience with the actual party was almost entirely from within the confines of my tiny kitchen, I do believe it was a surprising success.

The guest list consisted of six of my friends, my lucky taste testers. None of them really knew one another very well, their only real connection was that they know me. I thought it best to have somewhat of a trial evening before the real deal. This way I could test out my methods, timing, well, everything, and get their input, feedback and suggestions. Plus, it always makes me happy to cook for my friends. And, ultimately they all had a hand to play in helping me out in some small way. Sigalle hooked us up with La Brea Bakery bread, Doug did the lighting, Yvonne made the menus pretty and printed them out, in addition to designing the playlist of music for the evening.

The back of the house consisted only of myself, chef and brains behind the operation, my mom, helper in every way, designer of the table setting, and pastry chef, and Jill from Domaine LA, our sommelier. My oldest friend, Heather, was the server for the evening – and apparently really added an exceptional flair of professionalism to the process.

The guests began to arrive at 7pm for Aperol aperitivos, bread, olives and introductions/reaquaintings prior to seating at 8pm. This is about when I went from nervous and scared into The Zone. And for the most part, that is where I stayed for the next 3 hours (felt like 5 minutes), until the dessert course was served.

Everyone loved the night. Including me. I got some great feedback and I know a couple of things to tweak for future Dinner at Eight parties. Most of all, I am really excited about what is to come. Food to share, fresh conversation under the stars, wine, new friendships being formed, an Evening. 

For pictures of the food, recipes and more fun details visit F for Food!

Photos credits: Kisma Baker, Yvonne Davis and Heather Mathews.