jgold 101 at union station
jonathan gold's list of 101 best restaurants in LA was released by the LA times last week, and they threw a launch party at union station to celebrate. it was considerably smaller than the bite nite hosted at the times' printing plant back in may, but the food was just as good. and there was enough time to visit most of them several times (i know i sure did!).
cassia's vietnamese sunbathing prawns with fresno chiles, garlic and vietnamese hot sauce.
an orange twist for the cardinal punch (buffalo trace bourbon, lustau brandy, grand poppy bitters, roasted orange, clove, champagne, lemon orange essence).
redbird's thai julep (jm rhum agricole, arette blanco tequila, pineapple thai basil shrub, lemongrass, thai chili, thai basil) and cardinal punch.
chef ludo lefevre plating for petit trois.
petit trois's burgundy escargots with garlic and parsley butter.
odys + penelope's smoked chicken salad.
for me personally, it was a mix of places i know and love (lincoln, b.s. taqueria), places i've been wanting to go but haven't had the chance (petit trois, jon and vinny's, cassia) and places not really on my radar that i now have to go try (leona, mariscos jalisco). all the food was amazing, and i got seconds and even thirds of most of the savory dishes. the standout/surprise of the night for me though was mariscos jalisco! that crispy shrimp taco was just SO. GOOD.
slicing avocados for tacos at marisco jalisco.
marisco jalisco's crispy shrimp tacos, with avocado and tomato and cabbage salsa.
plating at leona's..
leona's beef heart rolled wontons.
szechuan impression's chicken with asparagus.
szechuan impression's ice jelly.
ink.'s mushroom bourbon slushie.
like bite nite, another really fun aspect of the event was all the chefs! everyone on the list was invited to the event, even if they weren't serving food. it was fun to get to chat with various chefs while they were plating, see celebrity chefs like tom colicchio chatting with michael voltaggio, and watch LA's "taco royalty" take a group photo.
prep at jon and vinnie's.
jon and vinny's marinara-based meatball with ricotta and garlic bread.
b.s. taqueria's mushroom and garlic taco with chile de arbol.
b.s. taqueria prepping tacos.
and of course, after all the savory, it was time for some dessert! delicious cookies and cake and tarts were the perfect way to end the night.
lincoln's chocolate peanut butter cookies and olive oil cake with brown butter buttercream.
craft's pear tart with shakerag blue cheese and candied walnuts.
republique's salted caramel chocolate cake.
