Olé! Spain Delishop is open in Santa Ana

When a friend in Orange County alerted me that Olé! Spain Delishop had opened in Santa Ana, I made a note to check it out next time I was nearby. Over the weekend, I had the chance to visit the spare, simple cafe and shop.

Shelves are lined with hard-to-find products imported from Spain — nyora peppers (essential for an authentic romanesco sauce), olives, anchovies, olive oils, vinegars, saffron, paprika, paella rice, beans, nougat, cookies and more. There’s a case of imported cheeses carefully marked, Spanish soft drinks, bottled sangría and at the very back of the space, a refrigerated case stuffed with all sorts of Spanish charcuterie, most from La Espagnola Meats in Harbor City. You can pick up jamon serrano, butifarra, Vic sausage, Pamplona chorizo and many more examples of Spain's extensive sausage and chorizo repertoire.

A board lists bocatas (Spanish-style sandwiches) — and they’re terrific. Made on a perfect crusty loaf, “La Española” features jamon serrano, dry-cured sausage, Manchego cheese and velvety piquillo peppers, while the "Catalana" loads on Vic sausage, Pamplona chorizo and butifarra sausage. All of the five sandwiches on offer come with olives and capers. 

Owners Sarah and Javier Bañuelos also have a few tapas and make a traditional tortilla, the Spanish omelet laced with potato, to order. 

All in all, a fine spot for a quick lunch or to pick up Spanish ingredients for a recipe. 

Olé! Spain Delishop, 136 W. MacArthur Blvd. (at Main Street), Santa Ana; (714) 966-1087; www.olespaindelishop.com. Open Monday to Friday 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

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-- S. Irene Virbila
Twitter.com/sirenevirbila

Photos: Scanned menu. Courtesy Olé! Spain Delishop.

Wurst heaven: Continental Gourmet Sausage in Glendale

On the hunt for the makings of choucroute, I stopped in at Krüegermann Pickles in Echo Park for some of their superior sauerkraut, which, by the way, the family firm has been making here since 1965 (and going back to 1896 in Germany). I needed sausage too and didn’t feel like driving all the way to Sausage Kitchen in Beverly Hills, so they pointed me toward Continental Gourmet Sausage in Glendale. 

I’m ashamed to say I’d never been, but that was quickly fixed. As soon as I opened the door to the modest shop and got a good look at the sausage counter I knew I’d be coming back again and again. Eugen Goetz has been making sausages here for close to 30 years and offers a glorious collection of bratwurst, weisswurst and myriad other German-style sausages. I picked up half a dozen types for the choucroute fest, including a robust blood sausage. I also couldn’t resist buying some of the house-made liverwurst, which comes smooth or chunky. My vote goes to the chunky.

And then when I went to the new BierBeisl in Beverly Hills, I discovered that chef/owner Bernhard Mairinger has teamed up with Goetz to make authentic Austrian sausages for the restaurant. The former Patina chef de cuisine is serving weisswurst slow-simmered in milk with sweet mustard and salty pretzel, and bratwurst with sauerkraut, tarragon mustard and a roll. More unique is käsekrainer, which is something like a Polish sausage infused with Swiss cheese and served with mustard and freshly grated horseradish. You can also get three courses of sausages, each paired with a German or Austrian beer for $32, five courses (and beers) for $42. 

BierBeisl is not all sausages, though. The a la carte menu dishes up pumpkin soup, schnitzels, veal goulash and seared venison loin with braised red cabbage and brioche dumplings. And for dessert, he's got apfelstrudel and kaiserschmarren. 

Krüegermann Pickles, 2824 Gilroy St., Los Angeles; (323) 662-9313; www.kruegermann.com.

Continental Gourmet Sausage, 6406 San Fernando Road., Glendale; (818) 502-1447; www.continentalgourmetsausage.com. Cash or checks only.

BierBeisl, 9669 Little Santa Monica Blvd.; Beverly Hills; (310) 271-7274;
www.bierbeisl-la.com

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 -- S. Irene Virbila
Twitter.com/sirenevirbila

Photo: Mural in front of Continental Gourmet Sausage. Credit: S. Irene Virbila / Los Angeles Times

 

 

Farmshop to open artisan market Jan. 29

Farmshop in the Brentwood Country Mart is welcoming a new addition to Jeff Cerciello's restaurant and bakery: a full-scale artisan market.

The market, comparable in size to the restaurant itself, boasts a deli, cheese and charcuterie counters, products such as Jessica Koslow's Sqirl preserves and seasonally inspired prepared foods. Also stocked on the market's shelves are California wines, craft beers and housewares from L.A. favorites including Heath ceramics.

Managing the floor is Emiliano Lee. With years of experience working as a cheese monger and manager (and even a "fresh foods wrangler" who sourced sustainably farmed produce) while working at Liberty Heights Fresh in Salt Lake City, Farmshop's new hire knows his cheese.

Lee, a Bay Area native, is thrilled to launch a market filled with foods crafted in California. The advocate brings farmstead American cheeses to Farmshop's cheese counter from Oregon and Vermont but mainly from California producers such as Bellwether Farms, Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese, Cowgirl Creamery, Cypress Grove Chevre, Marin French Cheese, Franklin's Cheese, Vella Cheese, Laura Chenel's Chevre, Andante Dairy, Garden Variety Cheese and Bleating Heart.

With the market in place, Cerciello and team are working to add an educational component with dinners, tasting events, cooking demonstrations and book signings on the horizon.

The artisan market at Farmshop will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

225 26th St., Suite 25, Santa Monica, (310) 566-2400, farmshopla.com.

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Photo: Farmshop's artisan market. Credit: Spencer Lowell

Follow the Butchers

I’ve recently started following L.A.’s artisanal butcher shops on Twitter, a brilliant use of the social media for the home cook.

If I open my Twitter account, between tweets on the developing Syria crisis, José Andres’ travels in Spain, Scrivener and iA Writer updates, and our own Food section's tweets, McCall’s Meat & Fish Co. notes they've got in “Wild Black Grouper, Skate Wing, Black Cod, Salmon, Tuna, Scallops, Halibut, Black Bass, Branzino, Clams, Mussels." Not to mention Berkshire pork and fresh calves’ liver. I read the post and my mind instantly switches over to planning the weekend's menu. 

Amelia Posada and Erika Nakamura, the two women behind Lindy & Grundy Meats have used social media to churn up a frenzy of anticipation for their new Fairfax Avenue butcher shop. Via Twitter, they might report that the butcher case is now stocked with “beef & bacon grind, rack of lamb, lamb loin chops, pork chops, fresh chickens, bone marrow, sirloin tip steaks, london broil, rancher steaks” or “fresh Mexican chorizo and have just made a batch of espresso chili with marrow.”

Then comes a flash from Grindhaus, the little sausage shop that could, trumpeting “Spicy Beef w/Garlic, Bratwurst, Kielbasa, Pork w/Grn Chilis, Spicy Italian, Wild Boar, Chkn Chorizo."

By the time I get to the farmers market, I’ve already got a main course in mind and can build my shopping around it. Sweet.

To note: Both butcher shops and sausage shop are open Sundays.

McCall’s Meat & Fish Co., 2117 Hillhurst Avenue, Los Angeles; (323) 667-0674; www.mccallsmeatandfish.com. Twitter handle @mccallsmandf 

Lindy & Grundy, 801 N. Fairfax Avenue (at Waring), Los Angeles; (323) 951-0804; www.lindyandgrundy.com. Twitter handle @LindyGrundy

Grindhaus, 5634 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood; (610) 906-2677; www.GrindhausLA.com. Twitter handle @GrindhausLA.

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Photo: Butchers Amelia Posada, left, and Erika Nakamura of "Lindy & Grundy's" on Fairfax Avenue. Credit: Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times

Ready for summer's pies: Woolly pig leaf lard

Yesterday I was browsing through my Twitter feed at warp speed when the words "Mangalitsa" and "lard" brought me to a screeching halt. Evan Kleiman (@evankleiman), host of KCRW's "Good Food," had tweeted or re-tweeted that McCall’s Meat & Fish Co. on Hillhurst Avenue in Los Feliz is now selling Mangalitsa leaf lard.

Fantastic! I’ve been lugging the same leaf lard home from Seattle’s U-District Farmers Market, where Heath Putnam Farms sells bacon and lard from Hungary’s Mangalitsa (MON-go-leet-sa), or woolly pig. The curly-headed beast is closely related to Europe’s wild boars and has a thick layer of particularly tasty fat, which, according to what I’ve read, is less saturated than that from many other breeds.

After rendering the fat, I used some in every pie crust I made all last summer. The snowy-white lard makes an ineffably flaky crust that has to be tasted to be believed. I’m just about out, so the fact that McCall’s is now selling the stuff is a wonderful thing.

Since the butcher shop is owned by a couple who are both chefs, I asked Nathan McCall and Karen Yoo how they would use the lard.  Nathan said Karen made a batch of biscuits to test the lard.  “They were excellent, easily the most moist and flaky biscuit I’ve eaten," he said. "I've also heard it makes an exceptional pie crust.”

On the savory side, he plans to try duck and pork confit, carnitas, even a quick-cured halibut confit. “I will definitely try utilizing it anywhere I would use duck fat, like beans, potatoes, braised cippolini, fries. The possibilities seem to be endless.” 

McCall’s Meat & Fish Co., 2117 Hillhurst Ave., Los Angeles, (323) 667-0674; woolly pig leaf lard is $5 for a half-pound.

Heath Putnam Farms, (253) 833-7591; sells bacon and lard on Saturdays at Seattle’s U-District Farmers Market.

— S. Irene Virbila

Photo of woolly pig courtesy of Heath Putnam Farms

The next big thing in street food? The wearable grill

In Berlin, I found this wurst vendor staked out on the pedestrian bridge leading to Museum Island. While Berliners sunned themselves in canvas beach chairs sprinkled on the grassy banks of the Spree, this fellow sweated under his umbrella grilling wursts. For 1.5 euros, or about $2.25 at the current exchange rate, you get a freshly grilled sausage in a bun.  

This guy's wearable grill is pretty ingenious: The rectangular grill is worn in front , cigarette girl-style, counterbalanced by a brace and supply box at the back. An umbrella is part of the outfit too, shading  him (barely) from the  sun. He looks strong and fit, but even so, what a hard job. I wonder how he got there. Did he wear this getup on the subway or the bus? Or does it come apart and stow in a canvas carryall? Another day, I saw a sturdy blond woman in a similar getup working the crowd.

The wearable grill may be new, but the idea of street food vendors hanging their goods on their bodies isn’t. Somewhere I have a collection of images of street food vendors from, I think,  the 18th century. (My books and papers are all boxed up right now so I can’t find it.) Instead of a big umbrella, though, they usually wore a hat with a wide brim for shade. 

-- S. Irene Virbila

Photo:  S. Irene Virbila / Los Angeles Times

A few tasty tidbits on Sunday's Cochon 555 event

St. Vibiana’s has seen many makeovers, transforming from an ultraslick nightclub into a tween-friendly prom venue, or from an immaculate wedding chapel into a medieval masquerade ball in a matter of days. This Sunday, the Baroque-inspired cathedral will morph again, this time into a shrine of swine, as Brady Lowe and his traveling porkapalooza, Cochon 555, roll into downtown.

The inaugural Los Angeles event is a carnal gantlet for pork lovers, where five heritage pig farmers and five vintners are paired with five local chefs. Each chef is then challenged to create a snout-to-tail feast for 400 guests, who will serve as judges alongside a selected panel. The goal is to introduce patrons and chefs to new brands and breeds, showcasing some of the best pork each region has to offer.

Because of L.A.’s enthusiastic response and rapid sellout, Lowe felt he needed to up the ante.

Sunday's event will feature two butcher demos instead of one, an extra bar and an additional winery. There will be an additional 60 pounds of bacon from La Quercia, an extra kilo of caviar for the VIP room, and Chris Pollan from the Cheese Store of Silver Lake will be serving up his wares. In addition, this will be the first time a musical component has been added -- DJ Lord from Public Enemy and Egon from Stones Throw Records will spin as guests swirl into a swine-induced stupor.

Adding a sacrificial element, butchering demos will take place in front of the main altar. There will also be a freestyle butchering competition and the Bacon Hall of Fame, where exceptional producers of hormone- and antibiotic-free cured and smoked meat will be showcased. In the VIP area, Amelia Posada and Erika Nakamura of Lindy & Grundy will break down a Kume Kume pig, a small spotted Maori breed native to New Zealand.

Tender Belly Farms will be providing Hereford, Spotted Poland and Hampshire pork to be used by Ben Ford (Ben Ford's Filling Station), Tim Godell (Public Kitchen and Bar) and Chad Colby (Osteria Mozza), respectively. Octavio Becerra of Palate Food & Wine will be work with Berkshire from ReRide Ranch, and Joshua Whigham of the Bazaar will use the Red Wattle breed from Walnut Keep Farm & Vineyard.

Most chefs are tight-lipped about what they have in store for the competition, and are wary of any definitive speculation.

“It may come down to traditionalist versus modernist. If that’s the case, it could be Josh Whigham,” says Ford. “I will say this, though: Chad Colby is the only guy whose head cheese I’d eat.”

To get the full rundown on Cochon 555, plus a porcine photo gallery, read on. >>>

-- Krista Simmons

Follow me on Twitter @kristasimmons

Photo courtesy of Cochon 555

Exclusive, with photos: A sneak peek at Lindy & Grundy, opening Tuesday

Back in January, we published our profile of Amelia Posada and Erika Nakamura, the cleaver-wielding butcherettes who have been setting up their sustainable meat store on Fairfax Avenue.  Since then the women have been hard at work putting the finishing touches on their butcher shop, leaving the city in suspense for the opening. Some were so antsy, in fact, that they jumped the gun in announcing the opening.

The duo's thousands of Facebook and Twitter followers are likely privvy to the meticulous inspections and multiple bumps in the road that have pushed their opening more than a month behind schedule. But this afternoon we finally received word that Lindy & Grundy Local, Pastured, and Organic Meats is finally ready to peddle its first pork jowls.

Naturally, we wanted to give you an exclusive sneak peak of the shop in its final stages. A virtual tour with smellevision would be helpful, because upon walking through the front doors we were slammed with the scent of smoking cedarwood and roasting meat. Decked out in chain-mail aprons, Nakamura was meticulously breaking down pork parts for house-made sausages and Posada and their two  employees were busy loading the smoker, testing recipes and quartering chickens.

The store, which opens Tuesday, will offer sustainably raised beef, lamb, pork, sausage, poultry, cheese and aged meat. Sausages are being stuffed for opening day; varieties include kimchi pork, sweet and hot Italian and classic lamb. Nakamura's signature "gateway" sausage (part tofu, part chicken) will be available once they settle in. They will sell a house blend of ground beef in freezer cases, along with stocks and other prepared items. The store will also have a rub and spice station where customers can work with the butchers to create specific spice mixtures for the meats they're purchasing.

The doors will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, and they plan to have an official opening party within a few weeks. The celebration will be a welcome one, after the series of delays.

"Getting this place open has been our lives." Posada says. "We couldn't have done this without each other."

For photos of their nearly completed sustainable butcher shop, keep reading.

--Krista Simmons

Follow me on Twitter @kristasimmons

Seriously pig

At 7:30 sharp this past Saturday,  I strolled in the door of Mozza2Go and into the adjoining Scuola di Pizza with some friends in tow, ready to do some serious eating.  I mean really serious. 

While guests next door at Osteria Mozza are dining on ricotta and egg raviolo and duck al mattone, those lucky enough to score a reservation for the weekly Cena di Maiale are feasting on all and sundry parts of the pig.

Chef Chad Colby gets in a whole animal every two weeks from farmers who raise each animal with care. This week, it happened to be a Gloucester Old Spot pig, a traditional British breed that’s white with black spots. It’s a beautiful animal, Colby enthused, as early arrivals crowded around the open kitchen supplied with wood-burning oven and wood-burning grill. 

Three billowy foccacie sat on the marble counter top ready for tasting. This was real foccacia, dimpled and slicked with olive oil. I loved the one covered with pickled red peppers. Glasses of prosecco in hand, the guests milled around and chatted with the chef, ogling the packets of fresh sausage wrapped in caul fat sizzling on the wood grill, and the wooden boards loaded with house-made cured meats.  

When the chef tapped his glass, we obediently sat down at the broad communal table. He welcomed the 20 guests, introduced the pig and the handmade salumi and let us have at it. Platters whizzed up and down the table, family-style, along with a picture-perfect giardiniera of pickled vegetables. “It’s like eating at Nancy’s house,” the chef told me earlier. Nancy being, of course, Nancy Silverton.

Small Bites: Chaya Brasserie turns 25; Forty Deuce burlesque at Cafe Was; raclette on Balboa Island

Chaya celebrates: Chaya Brasserie in Beverly Hills launches a new menu for its 25th anniversary, still focusing on its mix of French and Japanese cuisine (heavy on the French): fruits de mer, rillettes served en cocotte, daily specials such as cote de boeuf and entrees such as boudin blanc. A new bar menu, titled "La Petite Chaya," in honor of the first restaurant that the Tsunoda family opened in California in1982, features small plates, sushi and dessert. Executive chef Shigefumi Tachibe also is offering a $25 prix-fixe dinner special for the month of October served with anniversary-edition wines by the glass from Au Bon Climat Winery. Proceeds from $25 tickets for an Oct. 25 celebration will benefit the Careers through Culinary Arts Program. 8741 Alden Drive, Los Angeles, (310) 859-8833, www.thechaya.com.

Forty Deuce Fridays: Starting this week Ivan Kane brings back his Forty Deuce burlesque show. Kane's Cafe Was will host Forty Deuce Fridays with shows at 10 p.m. and midnight. 1521 N. Vine St., Hollywood, (323) 466-5400, www.cafewas.com.  

Balboa Island raclette: Raclette night returns to Swiss-French restaurant Basilic on Tuesday. For $21.50, all-you-can-eat raclette is served with fingerling potatoes, cornichons and pickled onions; for an additional $7, a selection of Bundnerfleisch (Swiss air-dried beef), prosciutto and saucisson sec. 217 Marine Ave., Balboa Island, (949) 673-0570, www.basilicrestaurant.com.

-- Betty Hallock

Photo credit: Chaya Brasserie.