Gold Standard 2012: Will There Be Another Quite Like This?

LAWeekly's Gold Standard 2011 was one of my favorite food events of all time, a gathering of the best of the city, whether Michelin-starred or mom and pop, fine dining or street - chefs flocked at the call of The inimitable Pulitzer prize winning food writer Jonathan Gold, to offer their hearts on a paper plate / plastic cup at an event like no other. 

I had been waiting twelve seemingly interminable months for this year's event - but merely a week or so away, the excitement started to play tug of war with wistfulness, when it was announced that The J Gold would leave LAWeekly for his former perch, LA Times. What would become of the much beloved annual extravaganza?  Who would have the pull to bring the likes of Michael Cimarusti, to an Auto museum of all places, in an event that from the start seemed designed for the people (vs. pure profit, though this year's admission price did increase by $15)?  I was sure only of one thing: that I would make the most of this potentially last year of the event, in its current form anyway before the Gold scoots off into the horizon.

This year's Gold Standard was again held at the Petersen Auto Museum, a quirky, fun venue where vintage vehicles lend a sort of timelessness without stuffiness to the event.   

The J Gold handpicks the food vendors that get to be there, and this year there were some great new additions to the list as well as some continuing favorites.  I almost died to meet the talented Michael Voltaggio at the booth for ink. - where he was personally serving up his show-stopping Beef Tongue and Tendon Taco with horseradish snow.  Said snow materializing as puffs of liquid nitrogen dissipated into thin air, for maximum theatrical value, of course. You'd think tendon would be very tough and chewy, but it was incredibly light, and in consistency just like a thin slice of ham!  Don't know what culinary wizardry was involved but the dish had a spunky design, and tasted amazing 

Palate Food+Wine was a huge disappointment for us when we went there for dineLA a while back - but their unexpectedly ethnic and delicious food offering at last year's Gold Standard (pig ear banh mi) had me convinced they are a 'must stop' at this year's show. And they had an awesome surprise there as well - serving up Lamb Heart Buns which were surprisingly supple.  Not as instantly addictive as the 'carpaccio'-like pig ear banh mi they had last year, but an exciting offering nonetheless.

While on what I'd call this decidedly non-onomatopoeic 'offal aisle' at the event - I couldn't help but be drawn to The Spice Table, with its eye-catching display touting pig tail. 

I half expected something like the version served at Animal - pork around a hard piece of cartilege.  But it was tender like meat that had been slow cooked for hours, and served on a piece of gem lettuce with mint, red parilla and fish sauce.  Delicious.  Added to my list of places to try a full meal at, soon.

Then there was the Salted Plum Lychee Panna Cotta by Starry Kitchen, one of my favorite bites from the show. The formerly underground and now popular downtown LA restaurant served up salted plum two ways: with chicken (I was too full by that point) and with lychee panna cotta.  The little cups of creamy heaven were as gorgeous to look at as they were to eat.  A taste of the tropics tinged by subtle unique salty-sweet-tartness.

Mo-Chica / Picca Peru served up perfectly grilled, skewered Black Tiger Shrimp with aji panca foam.  It was perfectly cooked with a nice smokey char. 

Their second item was Carapulcra: Sun-dried potato stew, roasted pork belly, jalapeno salsa. I liked the texture of the Peruvian potato, but out of the two items on offer the shrimp was much more flavorful and impressive.

Although there were literally table after table of all you can drink wine, cocktails are more my thing, and I was glad to see quite a few gourmet cocktails served at the show.  My hands down favorite was the St. Germain champagne cocktail.  It was light, refreshing, and sparkling, on a hot day - and proved the best way to get out of the heat.  In the flurry of activity and migratory movements of the flock of foodies, I didn't get a chance to write down the ingredients, but this was defnitely one addictive drink.  I had three, at last count.     

Last year, Providence offered a breath-taking item - scallop tartare on nasturtium leaf, pinned to a clothesline - that I completely missed because I somehow didn't see their booth until near the end of the show, when they had already run out.  So this year I made a beeline for their booth as soon as I got onto the show floor. Was hoping for seafood and maybe a glimpse of Chef Cimarusti, but neither were to be found - their offering this year were cups filled with pistachio, white chocolate, meyer lemon and rosewater.

Campanile got a little lost behind the long line for Bulgarini Gelato (it was really hot inside the event venue) - and to be honest I sort of reached for their sampling only because I was tired of waiting in the gelato line, and their booth looked wide open for approach.  This turned out to be a great bite - 28-day dry-aged prime rib with white bean horseradish sace, and balsamic over bread. Delicious bites of beautiful folds of flavorful, tender beef.

One of my favorite things about the Gold Standard is that it's an event for you to discover new dishes / places without committing to a full dinner.  And sometimes, new restaurants that don't even have a permanent address - like LudoBites last year, and this year: Le Comptoir - Fried Quail Egg with wild greens and flowers. Simple, elegant, and divine. Can't wait to check out Chef Gary Mene's prix fixe meals, even if it requires a trek downtown. 

Sotto served up a nice juicy cube of Porchetta. 

And I got to sample from new, hot restaurants like Short Order without the oft-reported long lines.  The Pretzel Pup, with its hot dog in hard-to-find-but-oh-so-ahmazing toasted pretzel bread and the subtly delicious kraut made by the lovely and talented Ms. Koslow of SQIRLLA. 

Short Order was actually very generous with their samplings - aside from the Pretzel Pup they also served up a bean salad with garbanzo beans, haricots vert, and a Mac Salad. 

Their sister cafe, Short Cake, sampled Single Origin Verve coffee. I don't know anything about coffee at all, but this was so fragrant I was willing to risk a caffeine headache for it.  Twice: once for the Salted Caramel Latte and once for the Vanilla Latte.  Loved both, but maybe the Salted Caramel Latte more if I had to choose one.

Sunday is always an awkward day to have too much to drink, especially during the day, but I needed to try the gorgeously amber colored rye cocktail by Bulleit. It was apparently called a French Quarter Cooler and contained rye, chartreuse, benedictine. Another surprising light and refreshing drink.

Drago Centro offered fresh shaved truffle over their Agnolotti. I was too slow and only managed to grab one with a small piece of truffle, but others got pieces so massive you can see every fleck in the pattern.  But he pasta was freshmade and tasted fantastic.

Another newcomer to the WLA dining scene, Tsujita, best known for their tsukemen - somehow just brought sushi to the event.  Everyone got a small plate with two rolls plus a spoonful of ikura (salmon roe).  In a way, though not showing off their most famous dish, sushi was a smart choice as it was hot and humid in the event space and with people running around booth to booth it would be hard to try to dip noodles in broth.

This year the event seemed larger than the last - as there was another 'wing' set up in the parking lot area under tents - and in this extension wing, in the far corner was hidden gem Tasting Kitchen.  They score huge points in my book for presentation - bean stew served on a silver spoon with handbroken bits of crisp salmon skin.

Across the way was Upstairs 2, serving up the culinary equivalent of 'smart casual': Lobster Tater Tot with Sea Bean Salad.  A lovely grown-up version of a childhood classic, with beautiful greens on the side. 

MB Post has received rave reviews for its bacon cheddar buttermilk biscuit - but breakfast was not on the menu for the event.  Instead they served up cups of Cous Cous with Pomegranate, Feta and Marcona Almonds. Sort of a nice Mediterreanean inspired side, but not particularly memorable.

Roy Choi, godfather of the food truck as hotbed for innovative fusion cuisine, was also on hand to personally serve up octopus and squid dishes (both with bold flavors, of course!) at the A-Frame / Chego booth.

Night + Market is a place I've been meaning to try forever, but somehow always got sidetracked.  So was excited to check out the Moo Sadoong in trays served by chef/owner Kris Yenbamroong himself!  I didn't realize the level of spice I would encounter though - it definitely cleared my sinuses.

One of the reasons why Gold Standard is so aptly named, is that you would never leave this event hungry.  The food samples are not only high quality, they are generous porions and AYCE.  So after gorging for several hours, I realized I physically did not have room left for all the desserts on offer.

Huckleberry brought a ridiculous (in a good way!) spread of at least 15-20 desserts from cookies to cupcakes and cakes and pies, that all looked incredible.  It was the ultimate sadness for me not to have enough room to try everything.

Mozza had apparently served up Butterscotch Pudding as well, but had run out by the time I got to them.  They did have a small mountain of Pecan Rosemary cookies, which were a fabulous mix of sweet and savory on a crunchy bite-sized cookie.

All in all, another successful event that I would deem 'foodie event of the year'.  I rolled myself out after 3.5 hours of feasting, almost bursting at the seams (good thing I remembered to wear stretchy clothing!)  Though the future of this particular event with LAWeekly is uncertain, I'm looking forward with hope to the new era that Mr. Gold will bring to LA Times and possibly at least some of its well-heeled food events.

[For full set of 40+ photos from the event, check out the album on my Facebook page]

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LAWeekly Gold Standard Food & Wine Event 2012
March 3rd 1pm-5pm General Admission, VIP early entry 12pm
Petersen Automotive Museum
6060 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036

$75 General Admission, $95 VIP

Website: laweekly.com
Twitter: twitter.com/thejgold
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Save the Date: LAWeekly Gold Standard 2012 Sunday, March 4th!!!

If you only go to one food event this year, make it this one!!!

What: Pulitzer-prize winning food critic Jonathan Gold puts together this awesome annual event where he handpicks and calls on an eclectic group of over 40 of LA's best and finest (not by price, but by taste).  It's a who's who list ranging from Michelin-starred Providence to diner fare from Nickel Diner - with some newbies I've been wanting to try from Baco Mercat to Short Order and Short Cake - all in one convenient place! Plus, plenty of wine on pour.

When: Sunday, March 4th, 2012 1-5pm (General Admission) 12-1pm (VIP early entry)

Where: Petersen Auto Museum, 6060 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036

How much: $75 General Admission, $95 VIP admission

Anticipated drool-factor?: 500%!!! This is truly an event "for the people" where "thejgold" seems to just want to share the best of the best of LA with other food & wine lovers in the city.

Judging by last year's event, one of my favorite food events ever - we can expect generous, creative, tasty fare and bottomless pours of wine to wash it all down. You also get to check out some cool cars at the auto museum while you're there (free admission last year). See my recap of last year's event here.

This is where you'll get to check out samples from new hotspots or fan favs before committing to a full meal, and also make some fun food discoveries and maybe fellow food-loving friends along the way (conversation seems to flow especially freely with strangers by the wine tables...).

Event website: LAWeekly.com

[Deal alert: Get $10 off with presale tickets. Presale is from January 17 10am to January 25 10am. Use code: LAWFOOD]

A food AND music lover?  Enter LAWeekly's Gold Mixmaster Contest for a chance to win VIP tix to the event, along with limo service and for your ultimate playlist to be heard at the event.  Check details at contest site here.  Contest ends February 13th.

LA Weekly J. Gold Pancake Breakfast 2011 - Sunday Service at the Vibiana

On a sweltering Sunday morning this past weekend, the pious and pagan alike congregated in the temporary house of Gold, downtown at the Vibiana for a service like no other.  A self service Sunday breakfast, to be exact, with a set of some of the best purveyors of pancakes etc. in the city, handpicked by Pulitzer Prize winning LA Weekly food critic Jonathan Gold. 

I had been looking forward to this inaugural event, not only for the expectedly inspired and diverse takes on the eponymous classic breakfast food (and AYCE for $25!), but also to experience the unique venue - a historic structure that was a former cathedral built in 1876, which has now been converted to a performing arts / special events space.

The event started at 11am, and by 11:30am when I arrived, there were already lines down the block.

But the wait was worth it.  I fell in love with the venue immediately - its weathered exterior belying the relatively modern styled design within, with its rows of graceful white arches leading the way up to a marbled 'stage', on which people reclined and leisurely chatting away while enjoying samples of pancakes from different cultures.  The vibe was almost European - like some postcard from a piazza in Italy, but compact, indoors and no fountain (ok people, use your imagination, alright?). 

Others, as at other JGold events, understood the urgency of getting to popular samples before they run out - and flitted from table to table like mobs of locusts.

I decided to start classic, hitting up FIG Santa Monica first for ricotta pancake with blueberry butter and toasted almonds.  Due to the setup of the venue, almost all vendors were cooking from electric or portable gas griddles / stoves - and it was amazing the quality of pancakes they churned out with the basic equipment.  I decided my measure of how great a dish was that day, was whether I chose to take up precious stomach space to finish the dish.  The pancake from FIG Santa Monica was the first plate I wolfed down without so much as a breath in between each bite.

Here are some of the other plates I finished every bite of: Glowfish Okonomiyaki "Japancakes" with shrimp, bacon, cabbage dough pancake and nori sprinkles.  I know some people who didn't attend because they weren't inspired by the theme of the event - those guys really lost out...a big part of the fun of this event is discovering other interpretations of the deceptively simple breakfast staple. 

101 Noodle Express introduced us to Chinese 'pancakes' - Beef Rolls that were the size of a 1/3 of a burrito - except the flour 'tortillas' were wrapped around beautifully thin slices of marbled beef in a soy sauce marinade.

On the theme of Asian pancakes, Kobawoo House brought their Hoemul Pa Jun, a korean pancake with seafood in eggy dough.  This booth had long lines for good reason!  Can't wait to go to the restaurant at some point to try their other dishes.

Along with food, there were also drink stations - grabbed myself some free bottles of POM as well as bottomless cocktails from Don Q, which in themselves made up for half the value of admission!

Playa sampled a creative plate of things I would not have thought to go together, but that turned out to be divine: maize cake with pressed seeds, fresh made burrata, greens and micro amaranth - I loved the beautiful presentation, with its mix of colors and textures, as much as the taste of this one.  And of course, fresh burrata gets me every time!

If playing a game of 'one of these things is not like the other', I would have to choose Mayura Kerala Restaurant as the one that's MOST not like the others at the event - bold flavors, well, in curry, is not what most people would think of for breakfast.  I loved it when I was in Sabah this past holiday, but I'd never tried these specific south Indian offerings before: chicken curry with appam and idiyappam (gluten-free pancake and gluten-free noodled pancake that were ever so slightly and deliciously sour).  The combination was instantly addictive - and if it were humanly possible for me to stuff down any more than I had that morning, I would have had 10 more plates of this one.

But, I did want to leave room to sample offerings from the many other interesting vendors - and found myself drawn to Tiara Cafe which had the most playful, fun display with the chef and server both dressed in costume (one as I think a bunny and the other an angel).  Everything was in white, as appropriate for Sunday service, with dunny-like vinyl figures on the table, other random white decorative pieces, a bowl of eggs and bell jar pastry displays. What they served: pancake with lemon sabayon and maple syrup.  I confess that all I remember is picking up a plate, and taking it to a little corner to sample - the next thing I remember is an empty plate with streaks where my tongue dragged across trying to catch every last morsel.  I inhaled this one and made a mental note to get to the Cafe next chance I get for brunch.

After grabbing some pourover coffee from LAMILL in my free ceramic mug, I headed out to the courtyard, a charming outdoor space attached to the main hall. 

Out there were BLD (who served blueberry pancakes that were forgettable), Warzsawa (who served potato pancakes that were unfortunately fairly burnt, with apple and raisin sauce), Marston's (frosted flake fried french toast, a southern specialty, I'm told), Salt's Cure (oatmeal griddlecakes with honey cinnamon butter) and some others.

The only dish I polished off in its entirety, from these outdoor booths, was Xoia's Banh Xeo, a vietnamese crepe filled with grilled beef, bean sprouts and topped with peanut sauce. It tasted positively sinful, with its juicy charred meat dripping with flavor, wrapped in the golden, freshly crisped crepe tempered by the refreshing lettuce and bean sprouts for crunch.

From the outdoor booths, I also enjoyed Zona Rosa's iced mexican chocolate topped with whipped cream - refreshing and possibly lifesaving in the extreme heat.

The event also included some non-pancake items for dessert - I only really had room left for one item, and chose from Nickel Diner their salted peanut pie - this felt to me like a s'more in cake form with graham cracker crushed into the creamy peanut filling instead of in crust.  I absolutely loved this and need to go over to the diner for a fix soon!  Definitely also appreciated them going against the grain - since everyone was already doing pancake, it was refreshing for them to offer something different.

All in all, a truly great event and well worth the 'early' morning trek downtown.  This is one event I would consider sacrilege for self-professed breakfast devotees to miss.  Can't wait to see what the JGold brings us next year!

[For more photos of the event, check out my album on Facebook]
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1st Annual LA Weekly J. Gold Pancake Breakfast 2011
August 28th 11am-2pm
Vibiana
214 S. Main St., Los Angeles, CA 90012

$25 General Admission

Website: laweekly.com      
Twitter: twitter.com/thejgold

Parking:
$3.50 for all-day, self parking in structure on southwest corner of Main & 3rd. Not sure if next year's event will be held in the same venue, but this lot was just a block and a half away from the event venue.

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Save the date: J. Gold LA Weekly's First Annual Pancake Breakfast August 28th

Now this is one 'church' service I can't wait to attend...

"TheJGold" is presenting LA Weekly's First Annual Pancake Breakfast!

What: Gorge on Jonathan Gold's favorite breakfast picks in LA, all gathered in one place at a historic converted cathedral space downtown (check out their website, the venue looks breathtaking!)

When: Sunday, August 28 11am-2pm

Where: Vibiana 214 South Main Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012

How much: $25 (advance purchase required)

Image credit: LAWeekly.com

Anticipated drool factor: 100%!!!

Don't mean to sound like a fan-atic, but: hello, it's curated by The J Gold. Have you been to his other events like the Gold Standard?! I expect it to be an amazing celebration of breakfast foods and all that is good in the food world. It's an offer you'd be hard-pressed to refuse ;)

FIG, Dupar's and Warszawa are among the restaurants scheduled to participate.
Check out the full list and more event details at:  LAWeekly.com!

Gold Standard 2011 - Setting New Bar with Culinary Currency

Yesterday's 3rd Annual Gold Standard Food & Wine Event was easily the best gourmet gathering I have ever been to in Los Angeles - the best $50 I have ever spent - and one that could only have been pulled together with the cache of LA Weekly's pulitzer-prize winning food critic Jonathan Gold. 

That the event was created for the people, to celebrate the essence of the Los Angeles dining scene - while reflecting Mr. Gold's personal, eclectic approach - is apparent in every carefully crafted detail.

First off, the event was held inside the Petersen Automotive Museum, an unusual choice for a destination food & wine event - a venue with a vibe that feels more Hard Rock than Pebble Beach (in the most fabulous way - it was eye-opening to check out all the classic, futuristic, movie-prop and vintage 'Hot Wheels' cars on display, after the gorgefest was done).  Read:  no pretentiousness served here, only a curated collection of the noteworthy.

The restaurants and vintners who were hand-picked out of thousands for the event ran the gamut from street food by emerging superstars to fine dining culinary luminaries, with cuisines reflecting some of the incredible diversity that Los Angeles has to offer, from Southeast Asian to Mexican to French to fusion.

The space was well designed - with the main room divided into three aisles, two on the outside for food, and the center aisle for wines - this was perfect as you didn't have to travel far to move from one to the other, and  'Designer Cyclist', her hubby and I found that we loved floating easily between the aisles to spontaneously create our own pairings!

Armed only with a souvenir wine glass, plastic 'fife' (fork + knife hybrid), event program and near-hysterical-excitement, we launched straight into the locust swarm of enthusiastic food lovers buzzing from booth to booth.

I knew we were off to a great start when the first booth we saw upon entering the main room was Mozza.  Regular readers know that Pizzeria and Osteria Mozzas are two of my favorite restaurants in LA, and they didn't disappoint with an incredibly smooth, creamy and yieldy ball of burrata topped with roasted tomato, basil and bread crumbs for contrasting crunch.

The tastings that followed were a blur of blissful, extended ecstasy.  I struggled with how best to represent them, chronologically or by favorites - and decided to on the latter.

So here are the highlights - my absolute favorite / pick for best of show (out of the items we tasted) would be Drago Centro's Foie Gras Panna Cotta with Duck Confit and Beet Crouton in a shot glass.  I might be a bit biased as this features some of my favorite foods on earth - but I thought it was a brilliant idea to turn rich, earthy foie into incredibly creamy panna cotta, then to counterbalance with gamey duck and crunchy beet croutons!  All in a presentation that highlighted the gorgeous colors, and smartly made it easy for guests to carry away quickly and eat while standing / scurrying through the crowds without making a mess! Sheepishly, I went back for seconds - twice.

My runner-up for best of show has to be the Bahn Mi with pork belly + ears, kumquat, pistachio and lardon from Palate Food+Wine.  Given my last semi-traumatic experience at the restaurant, I was a bit hesitant to allocate precious stomach space to them - but Designer Cyclist and "Mr. Cyclist" tasted first and convinced me with their lit-up eyes and disregard to the sauces dripping down their arms.  They were right - I absolutely LOVED the sandwich with its unique combination of ingredients and fatty juices soaked into the bottom of the bread - ESPECIALLY the fact that it is a completely unexpected ethnic offering from a place not normally known for...ethnic dishes.  And, we decided that from now on, like Windex in 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding', if something needs fixing or sprucing up we're going to say "put some Banh Mi sauce on it!".  Palate's Banh Mi paired incredibly well with a sauvignon blanc whose label I can't remember - will have to ask Designer Cyclist later! 

Funny enough, directly next door to Palate was Starry Kitchen - the husband and wife team who started with an 'underground' kitchen run out of their apartment, built a cult following, and now serves up their pan-Asian creations to masses of fans from a brick and mortar opened downtown just last year.  Nguyen playfully ribbed Chef Octavio for not notifying him of taking over 'his' cuisine!  I loved SK's sweet, spicy, coconut-y Malaysian Chicken Curry, and liked the Crispy Tofu Ball (stuffed with corn and fried in green colored breading) which was so popular they ran out maybe an hour and half into the event.  Nguyen "of course" dressed in Top Hat and suit, with a Gold mustache paying fitting tribute to his host. 

On the subject of blowing expectations - Italian is not normally my first pick, but "Foodie Mentor" has always raved about Little Dom's, and when we finally made our way to the tents in the back patio, we spotted a huge line and happy looking people walking away with BBQ Oysters!!!  Unfortunately, just an hour or so into the event, they ran out just as we got to the front of the line.  So we grabbed their last two Spiced Caramel Sundaes with candied pecans (delish!!!) as a palate cleanser.  The team was incredibly nice though, and instead of shutting down early like some (disappointing) restaurants that shall remain unnamed (why bother to exhibit / take up a precious slot if you're going to be stingy about it?) - they sent for additional supplies from the restaurant and reassured us that they would be 'back in business' shortly.  The service alone, even at an AYCE event, made me want to go visit Little Dom's at some point.  The team made good on their promise, and I was in absolute heaven to taste the fresh-off-the-grill oysters marinated in butter infused with paprika, garlic and other spices I can't report because I my eyes were rolled too far back in my head and my fingers - dripping with delicious buttery goodness - were jammed too far in my mouth for me to be able to take any notes!

Another favorite was Bistro LQ - which offered up two exquisite dishes - the tenderest, addictively-flavored Braised Ox Cheek on Grits, and Wild Hare Terrine with pickled huckleberries (I think they ran out of stuffed duck neck which was to accompany the dish, at that point?)  Again my inner glutton overtook the blogger - suffice it to say I would have eaten these all day if I could!

My go-to favorite for foodie-friendly happy hour on the westside, Waterloo & City, brought Chicken Liver Foie Gras Mousse complete with aspic in little plastic shot glasses, served up with a slice of baby baguette.  Loved this - it was a little pungent but still a sollid tasting.

The thing I was MOST sad about missing at the event is Michael Cimarusti's (Providence) leaf-wrapped scallops.  (I also missed Ludo Bites! :( They ran out when I got there and I didn't get a chance to go back) I had originally planned to hit Providence FIRST, but got distracted with all the whip-lash-inducing offerings around the room.  By the time we made our way to Providence, they had completely run out of scallops, but had started serving dessert - which was an amazing skewer of Compressed Pineapple whose density contrasted nicely with the levity of the Pineapple Curry Pectin Fruit.  Heaven on a stick!

The Gorbals, true to form, brought probably the most unusual protein of the show - Grilled Chicken Gizzards with Romesco Sauce and saffron.  If there had been a bone for this to fall off of, it would have fallen off the bone - it was that unexpectedly tender.

One that I had been dying to try was Jitlada - based on all the rave reviews from critics and bloggers alike, about its hard-to-find authentic Southern Thai food.  When I asked for the name of the dishes they were serving, I was told simply "beef and chicken in green curry".  Aware of the spiciness of its dishes as one of its claims to fame, when asked whether I wanted chili sauce I asked for just a small dollop on the side. Turns out I wouldn't even make it anywhere near the sauce - the dishes were so hot I think the three of us each downed a half a bottle of water before our eyelids could fall back safely over our eyeballs (I guess we had the Crying Tiger Beef!).  The burn was worth it for the taste - though I'm not so sure now that I can handle an entire meal of this level of spice!

Since my office is literally minutes away from Ramen Jinya, I didn't want to take up stomach space when I have such easy access any day of the week.  However, its rich, nuanced Tonkotsu broth lured me in, and after Designer Cyclist and hubby headed home, I snuck back to end the show with just one more bite (and sip), hard won through sheer force of willpower (my jeans were seriously in danger of splitting at that point).  It was well worth it, and a nice belly-warming finish to an amazing experience.

I also really liked - but could only sample - A-Frame's Furikake Kettle Corn that was spicy and sweet at the same time, with nori, sesame and corn nuts.

And yes, going out of order chronologically  - next up in terms of favorites is the Braised Short Rib (?) with flatbread from Cut.  This was a bit too salty for me - but the cute, friendly blond chef at the booth (whose name I was too shy to get) made that fly immediately out of my head.

Chichen Itza served up Tripe Soup (wonderfully but not overwhelmingly spicy, though a little hard to eat while wading through the sea of humanity), Banana-Leaf Braised Pork, and Ceviche with Habanero.  I liked them all, but there was a little too much heat in the ceviche for me to handle.  "Made" me guzzle more wine than I wanted to, only for purposes of neutralizing the spice, of course.

Susan Feniger is one of those personalities that people love to love - and Street is on my list of places to try (though to Foodie Mentor's point, it's tough for an Asian to pay gourmet prices for street food that is not designed as a unique culinary excursion through different cultures, but simply presented 'mix and match' as is).  At the show, guests got to sample the Coconut Mung Bean Crepe filled with pickled daikon, long beans, carrot, bean sprouts and peanuts.  The crepe was a little sour, and the style of preparation reminded me of Ethiopian.  Unfortunately, I wasn't a fan of this particular dish - it was a toss up of flavors that didn't come together for me.

To be perfectly honest, I am not at all knowledgeable about wines - luckily Designer Cyclist and her hubby are experts, and took me on a guided tour down center aisle throughout the event.  A complete lightweight, I am normally done after one glass - but for some reason I was able to hold up at the event and got to try tons of amazing wines.  I can't name half of them, but I do remember Jeio Cuvée Rosé Prosecco, from Bisol - a medium-bodied sparkler with fruity notes (do I sound somewhat like I know what I'm talking about?  No? Ok.)  I also loved that the event offered a range of cocktails and mocktails as well.  My favs were Fine Print cocktail from A-Frame - with its luscious layers of sweet / tangy/ floral flavors from rum, hibiscus, falemum, lime and orange bitters, the Olympus Mons with ginger and lemon infused artisanal vodka from Moon Mountain, and the POM Julep - which was refreshing and critical to hydrate between sips of alcohol.

All in all, we had an awesome time.  Beyond all my raving above, I also loved that even A-list chefs were actually in their booths, some actually cooking.  In my opinion this is the best collection of amazing restaurants / chefs etc from a wide-ranging spectrum that you will find in LA for just $50 (General Admission is $60, but early birds got $10 with publicized promotion code) - setting a high bar thanks to the eponymous Mr. Gold's currency in the culinary arena.  And is the antithesis of the awful, fool-me-once-shame-on-you-fool-me-twice-shame-on-me event thrown by Los Angeles Times ($65 at door). For one thing, I actually left stuffed to the gills, and at no time did I feel like I was going to expire from dehydration out on the streets due to 'exposure' to extreme heat in an uncovered venue in the dead of SoCal summer, with little obvious access to water or other beverages besides alcohol.   And I didn't have to pay for any food that's even the tiniest bit larger than one bite-full, after paying exorbitant admission - Gold Standard was AYCE, once you're in the venue, it was a free for all.  Gold Standard is definitely, especially very much appreciated by foodies on a budget - if you only go to one food event next year - make it this one!  (And as I mentioned, with admission to the event you also get to wander through the awesome auto museum, which includes of all things the Batmobile - the regular cost of admission just to the museum is $10 for adults, so I consider it an additional value!)

Well done LA Weekly - and thank you Mr. Gold - I will definitely be back next year!!!

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3rd Annual Gold Standard Food & Wine Event 2011
March 6th 1pm-5pm General Admission, VIP early entry 12pm
Petersen Automotive Museum
6060 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036

$60 General Admission, $80 VIP

Website: laweekly.com      
Twitter: twitter.com/thejgold

Parking:
$8 self parking in Petersen Automotive Museum structure was full by 12:55pm!  Not sure if next year's event will be held in the same venue and on the same day of the week, but I was happy to find street parking fairly easily just 2 blocks away, down Wilshire - free because it was Sunday! 

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