Stella Rossa - Raising the Bar on Farm to Table Pizza in Santa Monica

What's a chef with The Fat Duck, Nobu, Arzak, and L20 on his resume, and 9 Michelin stars at last count in his trail, doing at a pizza bar in Santa Monica?  That's the burning question I sought to answer, when I was invited to a hosted dinner this past weekend at Stella Rossa Pizza Bar and to meet its chef-partner, 27-year-old Jeff Mahin.  An hour and a bit, one cheese plate and three pizzas later, my conclusion is this:  Chef Mahin is there to change the way we look at and enjoy pizza, by simply doing what he loves.

The son of a civil construction engineer and metallurgist, Chef Mahin left a job at Nobu New York at 17 years old to 'take a break' to study science and math at UC Berkeley. Then he decided he wanted to pursue cooking in earnest, and with the background in science, it made all the sense in the world for him to get into molecular gastronomy. Obviously a guy who does whatever he sets his mind to, he then applied on a whim and landed a job at 3-Michelin-Starred London eatery The Fat Duck, in Heston Blumenthal's famed culinary lab.

From there, if you look at it this way, the transition to Stella Rossa is arguably just as natural: to reference a familiar scientific / philosophic rule - Ockham's Razor states 'the simplest of competing theories should be preferred to the more complex'.  And with the early Japanese influence in his life (and his continuing love of sushi) - you can see, as he's explained, the philosophy of Japanese food carries over - subtraction, not addition, letting natural flavors shine. Simple food, done well with fresh ingredients can be exquisite. 

The result of Chef Mahin's science background combined with his passion for local ingredients is pizza that borders on a religious experience.

Laid back and unaffected (his favorite food to make at home is soup - "I could drink Miso soup for the rest of my life") Chef Mahin's chill personality belies a drive for perfection.  His goal may just be for Stella Rossa to be a fun place to work, making a universally loved simple food, but his talents direct him to go beyond the ordinary.  After many trials, he landed on a mix of locally milled flour, filtered water, sea salt and fresh yeast for his pizza dough.  This is fermented for at least 18 hours in individual containers - to allow the dough to 'age' properly. Each mound is only removed from the container at the proper 'rise', immediately before use, for optimal freshness.

The fresh yeast apparently gives the dough a less sour taste, which allows for a better bread-like 'canvas', the better for flavor-infused pizza crusts that work in balance with, and don't  overshadow, farm fresh ingredients sourced from the best of Santa Monica Farmers Market.

It was fun sitting at the counter to watch Chef Mahin in action.  He demonstrated how to toss the dough, working air into the sides for a fluffy crust while stretching out the center - til it's translucent - for an incredibly light, thin pie, the better for showcasing toppings.

Then goes the pies into the Baker's Pride ovens. Much has been written about the lack of fancy wood-burning or brick ovens here, but Chef Mahin's recipe was calculated to work best with the ovens he has.  As he good-naturedly quips: "I'd love to get an inscription over the oven, in Latin or something, that says "I'd rather be criticized for our oven and praised for our pizza, than praised for our oven and criticized for our pizza."

While the pizzas were baking, we noshed on Fresh Local Burrata ($10.95) with organic extra virgin olive oil, sea salt - creatively paired with wood fire roasted grapes and housemade bread.  All simple ingredients, but incredible in every way. 

The burrata (locally sourced from Di Stefano) was one of the most smooth and creamy I've ever had - and in my mind rivals the cheese handcrafted at Osteria Mozza daily.  Chef Mahin intended to present two different kinds of sweetness between the cheese and fruit, which comes through nicely - and is elevated by light grilling, giving great interplay of cold/warm and layered textures with creamy cheese and crunchy grapes atop crispy, toasted, deliciously fragrant housemade bread.  Top it all off with Olave extra virgin olive oil from Chile - chosen for its light, buttery, sweet finish - and you have a dish that is absolutely divine. (This olive oil is also used on all SR's pizzas! Chef Mahin see his crusts as more like bread - and prefers olive oil with bread versus butter as olive oil is much more nuanced.)

SR was extremely generous with the tasting, sampling three pizzas for me that night.  The first was Bloomsdale Spinach ($13.95) with crispy purple kale, young pecorino, cracked black peppercorn, organic extra virgin olive oil. 

It was the unique topping combinations that got me.  Chef Mahin selects not only from whatever inspires at the farmers market, but also what works best on his pizza dough without weighing it down, and what will shine with its clean and balanced flavors.

Though the first and last time I had kale - as a side dish from a catered meal elsewhere - I hated it (too bitter and rigid), I'd read many great things about SR's Bloomsdale Spinach pizza and I figured I'd give the veggie another try.

Then I took a bite, and become a Believer.

Again balance was key - the brushes of green with petals of purple, sprinkled with tiny curlicues of cheese were not only gorgeous to look at, but struck a perfect balance of tastes and textures with creamy sweet/savory spinach and paper-thin crisps of slightly bitter kale, and buttery, nutty gossamer pecorino. 

All this on the lightest layer of bread, surrounded by a thick outer crust which got me food-drunk with its doughy smell and golden-brown crispy outer shell, that yielded to a pillowy center with nice chew.  I still can't believe Chef Mahin got me to like kale - but it turned from hate to love at first bite.


Just when I thought I'd found my favorite, the Shaved Mushroom ($13.95) with gruyère, melted onions, black truffle, torn parsley, rosemary, thyme arrived.
 
Regular readers know I'm a sucker for truffle and mushrooms.  That these are thrown in with rosemary, thyme and gruyere made it almost statistically impossible for me not to like this pizza.  What I especially loved: all ingredients are finely chopped, so they melted and blended well into each other, making each mouthful a smorgasbord of rich and balanced flavors.  Though I didn't see actual truffle shavings (RIP 8 1/2 Taverna), I ended up liking that the truffle aroma/taste is not so pronounced as to overwhelm the rest of the pizza.  And again, a crust so perfect it made my eyes roll to the back of my head.

I also got to try the pizza special: Butternut Squash with Candied Bacon and Taleggio.  The squash was thinly shaved and almost salmon-colored, draped in light folds over the pizza, and beautifully garnished with fresh basil leaves.  I loved that all ingredients were again incredibly fresh, applied with a skillful, light hand - and of course it had me at 'bacon'.  I did find the squash a little too sweet, but really liked that the cheese was barely there - unlike most heavy handed pizzerias which load their pies up with artery cloggers in dense blankets. And. Again. That. Crust.

I thought I would be ready to burst after all that food - but apparently my stomach is bottomless, and cried out when a fellow diner started raving about dessert. She said the Salted Caramel Pot de Creme with maldon salt was amazing - and knowing caramel was one thing Chef Mahin mentioned in other interviews that he'd spent a lot of time at The Fat Duck lab perfecting, I just had to try it. 

The eggless custard  came in a glass jar - thick and creamy topped by runny amber colored liquid caramel, punctuated by salt crystals to cut through the sweetness.  A perfect finish to the meal!

All in all, loved Stella Rossa, which has proven that simplest can be best.  There's no novel length list of ingredients to hide behind, no gravity-defying feats of architecture or mind-boggling products of chemistry on your plate to serve as distraction. At Stella Rossa, it's just you and the beautiful crust and fresh ingredients.  Pure, clean, local flavors, served up in top form.

Very happy to have a pizza place to love, that I can now add to my list of favorite restaurants on the Westside. 

[For more photos from Stella Rossa, check out the album on my Facebook page]

[Deal alert: Text STELLA to 30364 to receive periodic messages with offers like free appetizer or dessert. Standard messaging rates may apply.]

On a 7 point scale:
Flavor - 6 bites
Presentation - 5.5 bites
Originality - 5.5 bites
Ambience - 5.5 stars
Service - 6 stars
Overall experience - 6 bites
Price - $$ (2 bite marks)
Probability of return visit - 100%
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Stella Rossa Pizza Bar
2000 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90405
Ph: 310.396.9250

Parking: Valet $7, meter parking on Main north of Pico free after 6pm (double check signs before parking, of course)

Website: stellarossapizzabar.com
Twitter: twitter.com/stellarossasm
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*This meal was hosted.

Matt Biancaniello: Redefining 'Novel' at Library Bar - One Farm Fresh Cocktail at a Time (1MB Exclusive: 3 New Drinks Debut!)

It's not every day that a bartender is deemed by The J Gold as "one of the most interesting" in Los Angeles.  Where many 'innovate' by adding new ingredients to modern classics - e.g. Lycee Martini instead of Appletini - Matt is literally rewriting the book on bartending with his market-driven, culinary, incredibly creative, trailblazing, yet authentic and personal approach.

A self-taught talent with no experience working in a bar prior to his current role at Library Bar at the historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel (where "every week is like test kitchen") - Matt sort of fell into it after a stint in advertising and catering - 'winging it' after the manager took a chance on hiring him. Matt chucks the rules when it comes to cocktails, drawing inspiration instead from culinary luminaries like Walter Manzke and Michael Cimarusti, local farmers' freshest offerings, and the element that sadly too many others seem to have forgotten - interaction with people across the bar. 

If cocktails were works of art, market fresh ingredients would be Matt's palette, and original concoctions the medium through which he creates an intense connection with patrons.  On any given day, his counter is a vision of gorgeous flora, fruits, vegetables, herbs and house made syrups, with a splash of colorful salts and spices for good measure (Matt practically lives at farmers' markets around the city!).  Yet his art is not pretentious - Matt's passion for his craft is clear, and every ingredient or technique he uses is with the goal to create the best culmination of visual / scent/ texture / taste experience for his guests.  We can all tell when someone is just 'showing off', but you don't get that with Matt - what you get is the sense that everything he does is because he genuinely loves / is excited by it, not because of any need to gratify ego.  Matt treats the glass as an artist would his canvas, and a chef would his plate.  He cares a lot about the interplay of tastes and textures, flavor profiles and visual presentation, as any chef worth his salt would.  He also puts a lot of thought into naming his creations, and will use culinary terms like 'amuse bouche' to describe some of his drinks.

Due to his seasonal approach, there isn't really a set 'menu' at Library Bar - so expect the unexpected every time you visit, 'omakase-style' as they say on the hotel website (love that!). In the cozy little nook that is the Library Bar, Matt takes time with guests to find out what they like before getting to work on their drink. 

My favorite quote, on this restorative visit on Easter Sunday, is Matt's answer to the few hit or miss feedback he has received: "you don't succeed without failing and by taking risks...truly creative people actually make more mistakes than most people because they take more risks, and I'm willing to do that".  Really respect his no-guts-no-glory approach when it comes to experimenting with new things, from mushrooms to emu eggs to prosciutto to fennel to stinging nettle gin, and sometimes that means drinks that fall flat - but sometimes it leads to pure genius.  Like the three drinks that he premiered for me that afternoon.

Plenty of articles have been written about Matt's signature drinks Rocket (arugula gimlet), Breeder's Cup (take on Gordon's Cup, served with oysters!), and Last Tango in Modena (strawberry, 25-yr balsamic vinegar, gin, St. Germain elderflower foam, named one of Gayot's Top Ten Cocktails in the US), so I won't repeat here, but I was honored to be there for the debut of his three latest creations!

The first of these was the Spanish Rose - organic strawberries are muddled with lime juice, agave, chocolate mint and an exquisite rose geranium water that Matt made himself, and Hendrik's gin, topped with saffron infused St. Germain foam and a sprig of fresh chocolate mint.

This was in a word - fantasmagasmic. I might be a bit biased as this drink contains a few of my favorite ingredients to encounter in food.  But it was a sensory journey with each sip - layers of flavor gradually revealed with the unique taste of saffron in the thick, almost creamy golden foam combining with the fragrant chocolate mint hitting you first on the inhale, before giving way to a light, refreshing, faintly floral and subtly tart & sweet payoff.  The sprig of chocolate mint was a little awkward to balance while tilting back the glass, but worth it for the lovely aromas it adds to the drink.

Sparked by Matt's culinary approach to cocktails, I decided to play a quick game inspired by Iron Chef with him.  What three things would he make if I were to give him a secret ingredient of, say, kumquat?

It took him all of a split second to come up with three amazing drink ideas - one of which he sampled for me as my second drink (Mandarino):

1.  Kumquat-cello: Cut at least 1 pound of Meiwa kumquats into halves, put in jar with Belvedere 100 proof vodka, 'cook' for 30-35 days, take out & add new batch of fruit, add a cup of simple syrup and let sit for additional 30-35 days.

2.  Candy kumquats (for use in Old Fashioned): Combine 2 cups water + 2 cups sugar, 40-50 kumquats, simmer 2 hours then take out so that you are left with a nice kumquat sugar syrup (one of many syrups that Matt makes from scratch himself at the bar!).  To make Old Fashioned:  use 1/2 oz of kumquat syrup, add 2 dashes Angostura bitters, 2 oz rye whiskey or bourbon, and 2-3 kumquats as garnishes.

3. Mandarino - kumquat daiquiri.  This one he happened to already be working on at his 'test kitchen' at the bar, trying to find that perfect balance, and made for me to try - it was so beautiful I almost cried.  Here is the recipe:

4-5 muddled kumquats
0.75 oz lime juice
0.75 oz agave syrup
0.75 oz egg whites
2 oz rum

Dry shake to emulsify egg whites, then shake with ice and serve in cocktail glass.  Garnish with thinly sliced kumquats, pink pepper and pansies.

This drink tastes like a luxe getaway in a cocktail glass - clean  like an ocean breeze, laid back yet sophisticated - I could drink dozens of these in one sitting and never want it to end.  It was love at first sight and sip.

The third and final drink Matt premiered for me was Thai Chai (working title), made with chai tea infused gin shaken with condensed milk and longan (a lycee-like fruit) topped with chocolate shavings.  The chai tea is from Sugarbird Sweets and Teas from the Sunday Larchmont Farmers Market, and tastes amazing with the naturally sweet, tropical flavors of the longan in this refreshing, silky drink that a fellow guest described simply and joyously as "dessert"!  The perfect finish to a lovely afternoon of the best, most refreshing, delicious cocktails I've ever tasted.

Some might balk at the $15 price tag, and drinks at Library Bar are definitely not for the faint of wallet.  But consider the 'liquid fine dining' and personal, pretty much one-of-a-kind experience you are getting for that price.  I've never been this excited about cocktails in general - and I'd even pay that twice over when Matt does his white truffle eggnog again!

Matt's figurative new 'book' on bartending is definitely a page-turner that has me on the edge of my seat.  So what will the next chapter bring for Matt? 

He's looking forward to summer fruits / veg to come into season - especially passionfruit - which was also the answer to my question "if you can only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?" Somewhat poetic, that Matt's favorite thing in the world is passionfruit. 

What are his favorite drinks to make with it? Liquid Yoga Campari, aperol, lime juice, agave and passionfruit - because it's bitter, tart and sweet at the same time, and perfect to drink after yoga.  And the artist shines again with his 3 Faces of Van Gogh Cynar, Cassis and passionfruit -  forming 3 faces: bitter from the Cynar, made from artichokes; passion from passionfruit; and sweet from cassis.

He'd also like to have his own farm someday, keep his own bees to make his own honey.  But for now - his star continues to rise, with press feature on CNN actually posted today, and high profile foodie events like Cochon 555 coming up next (partnering with Chef Tim Goodell from Public Kitchen & Bar to compete with top chefs from around the country).  I'm calling it, look out for the duo to make headlines.

More pop-ups pairing cocktails with dinner may be in the future. As well as a continuing barrage of interviews with TV shows, print and online media (and he's still making time for fledgling bloggers - love him!).  And some other big projects in the works, not for me to mention here.

So pretty much get to Library Bar before Matt becomes an international superstar - if you live in LA, I promise you you'll kick yourself later if you don't pop down to get The Biancaniello Experience while you still have the chance!  Matt is at Library Bar off the lobby of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

[I am on a mission to try as many of Matt's creations as my liver can handle - check out photos of the latest and greatest photos in the full album on my Facebook page]

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Library Bar
Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel
7000 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
Ph: 323.466.7000
Website: thompsonhotels.com
Like Matt on Facebook: facebook.com/people/Matthew-Biancaniello
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