Kiss My Bundt needs to sell 5,000 mini bundts to stay in business

The charming 3rd Street bakery Kiss My Bundt, which we have featured a few times in this blog (since its bundts and cupcakes are so tasty) is in a bit of trouble. Due to the recession and the rising cost of ingredients such as milk, butter, sugar and Belgian chocolate, the little bakery is struggling to stay afloat.

Last week, investor Erin Hill sent out an e-mail saying in part:

Chrysta [Wilson], the owner of the bakery, has been fighting valiantly since things got tough in January, but hasn't been able to build the business fast enough. So it has come down to the next few weeks, in which she has to sell about 5000 mini bundts to raise the money to keep her doors open into the Christmas season, when business will hopefully pick up.

It's surprising news, since the bakery has become a favorite with a lot of dessert-loving people I know and is often mentioned on popular blogs. Wilson even has a "Kiss My Bundt" cookbook coming out over Thanksgiving.

-- Jessica Gelt

Photo: A maple bacon bundt cake from Kiss My Bundt. Credit: Noelle Carter / Los Angeles Times

Nate 'n Al opens new location today in Thousand Oaks

What's old is made new again as Nate 'n Al deli opens a new location in Thousand Oaks. In its 64 years of existence the famous deli has not expanded, so that alone is cause for celebration.

The original Nate 'n Al opened in Beverly Hills is 1945 and swiftly became a destination for the Hollywood crowd who loved its signature rye bread and juicy pastrami sandwiches.

Owner David Mendelson, grandson of original co-owner Al Mendelson, had been looking to open in a new location and decided he found one when he saw the Lakes, the outdoor shopping complex where the new Nate 'n Al resides. In the wintertime, the Lakes sets up an ice skating rink, so there's an added bonus if you decide to stop by for a visit.

The new Nate 'n Al joins California Pizza Kitchen, P.F. Chang's and the Claim Jumper as a dining option at the center.

Nate 'n Al, 2200 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks. (805) 494-3354.

-- Jessica Gelt

Photo: Brothers Mark, left, and David Mendelson run Nate 'n Al in Beverly Hills. Credit: Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times

Preview: Philippe by Philippe Chow in West Hollywood

 

One of the great joys of life in Los Angeles is its aspiration toward casualness at all costs. In this city, the more dressed down you are at an upscale restaurant the more likely it is that you are someone important.

And so it was that on a recent Wednesday night at West Hollywood's new chichi Chinese restaurant, Philippe by Philippe Chow, a sizable turnout of meticulously informal diners found themselves seated in the resplendent red-white-and-black dining room, nibbling on thimble-sized crispy duck rolls and sipping exotic fruit-based martinis. Read more here:

Photo: The main dining room at Philippe by Philippe Chow, a recently opened ultra high-end Chinese restaurant in West Hollywood. Credit: Alex Gallardo / Los Angeles Times

Veterans Day Deal: Golden Corral to host free dinner for military on Monday

If you find yourself in El Centro, Tracy, North Highlands or Sacramento on Monday, and you are a current or former member of the military, head to Golden Corral for a free dinner. From 5 to 9 p.m., all 485 Golden Corral locations across the country will celebrate the chain's ninth annual Military Appreciation Monday.

As a bonus, customers' tips will be donated to the Disabled American Veterans organization.

Since its launch in 2001, Military Appreciation Monday has served more than 2 million free meals and raised more than $3 million for Disabled American Veterans. It has also served up a ton of steak. During last year's event, more than 80,500 pounds of sirloin was consumed.

-- Jessica Gelt

Photo credit: Golden Corral

This Just In: Umami Urban to open in Hollywood's Space 15 Twenty on Friday

Umami Burger owner Adam Fleischman confirms that the third outpost of his savory Japanese burger joint, this one called Umami Urban, will open Friday at  Space 15 Twenty (which is also home to an Urban Outfitters store) in Hollywood. There will be an attached full bar called Chu-Hi, which will specialize in Japanese cocktails. 

Considering that it's half a block north of Sunset Boulevard and right across from Amoeba Music and the ArcLight, it's a safe bet the restaurant will make for many a happy hipster.

Umami Urban is large, featuring 70 seats both indoors and out. The menu will feature classic Umami burgers, sandwiches and daily specials. The venue is also equipped with a space for private parties, movie screenings, art exhibits and concerts with Umami food and drink on offer. (If you're familiar with the space, there is a courtyard where bands occasionally play.) For availability, contact info@umamiburger.com.

Eat your heart out, Hollywood.

Umami Urban, 1520 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Los Angeles. (323) 469-3100. 

-- Jessica Gelt

Photo: An Umami burger and hand-cut fries. Credit: Ringo H.W. Chiu / For The Times
 

Small Bites: A mixology mix-off at Comme Ca; LeSpa's happy hour; Cameo Bar's new deals

Shaken and stirred: Join some of the city's best bartenders for a spirited (pun intended, thank you) mix-off featuring three rounds of competition: best classic, freestyle and homemade cocktail (an established cocktail chosen by the bartender and made using the ingredients given). This is the second installment of the Raising the Bar event that started last month at Joe's in Venice. Mixologists from Joe's, Comme Ca, Church & State and Boa will compete using Elijah Craig bourbon, and four judges will choose the winner (who has to settle for the prize of "bragging rights"). Comme Ca's menu will be on offer during the event, which runs from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday. 8479 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, (323) 782-1104, www.commecarestaurant.com.

The happiest massage ever: Thanks to LeSpa at the Sofitel Hotel, there is finally a fitting option for those of us who like to mix our relaxing massage with our relaxing after-work drink and nibble. Today the spa introduces its first happy hour, featuring bites from Simon L.A., a spa sampler menu (which offers 15-minute treatments for $15), and 30% off everything on the spa menu. This means deep-tissue massage, facials, detoxifying body scrubs and something called "liquid pearl bath service," which I am about to make a reservation for based on the name alone. Happy hour lasts from 5 to 9 p.m.  8555 Beverly Blvd., L.A. (310) 228-6777, www.lespala.com.

At the end of a dreary day: More happiness for you, thanks to the Cameo Bar at the Viceroy Hotel, which just announced a new happy hour called "5 to 9." It features $5-to-$9 specials from, yes, 5 to 9 p.m. On Thursday nights, the whole 5-to-9 premise flies out the window as the bar offers specials from 5 p.m. to close. Menu offerings include Key lime martinis, shrimp tempura with chile mayonnaise and citrus soy sauce, and beef sliders with cheddar cheese and tomato jam. 1819 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, (310) 260-7500,  www.viceroysantamonica.com.

-- Jessica Gelt

Photo: The making of a classic gin martini at Comme Ca. Credit: Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times

An all-natural cold and flu remedy courtesy of Hot Knives

In what can only be described as the most productive sick day ever, Evan George (one-half of the food-blogging/catering outfit known as Hot Knives), whips up his own all-natural version of NyQuil, which he calls KniQuil.

Hot Knives is known for its vegan/vegetarian value system and a love of farmers market produce, so it isn't much of a surprise that George bristles at the long list of unpronounceable ingredients in a bottle of electric blue-colored cold and flu remedy. His alternative? A blended and boiled mixture of mint, agave nectar, ginger, lemon, olive oil, roasted green chilies, pastis and Southern Comfort.

One of the comments on the post refers to George as an "evil genius," and I would have to agree. A generous thimbleful of hot whiskey and lemon has long been my go-to self-medication at the first sign of a cold. But the concoction George comes up with is a gorgeous, all-natural highlighter green. It actually resembles something I was once given by a pharmacist in a tiny backroom apothecary in Venice, Italy. I had the kind of cough that sounded like an outboard motor underwater. Two doses of that crazy, alcohol-laced green stuff and I was as good as new.

Of course I can't attest to the efficacy of George's recipe, but I promise to try it next time I get smacked down by a super bug (please don't let it be H1N1, knock on wood three times and turn in a slow superstitious circle).

-- Jessica Gelt

Photo: Hot Knives Evan George, left, and Alex Brown. Credit: Sarah Meadows

Raising a glass to Brazil's national cocktail, the caipirinha

Now that Brazil is slated to become the first South American country to host the Olympics, maybe Americans will pay more attention to one of its finest exports: cachaça. Made from fermented sugar cane juice, the clear, fiery liquor puts the defining kick in Brazil's national cocktail, the caipirinha.

Made with cachaça, muddled lime and sugar, a caipirinha is a profoundly simple beverage that perfectly captures the restless, vibrant spirit of the nation that loves it. Unfortunately, though, we don't seem to have much of an appreciation for it in the States.

"I'm still amazed how challenging it is for people to say caipirinha and cachaça," says Steve Luttmann, the founder of Leblon Cachaça, one of the new boutique brands that have been making inroads in the U.S. in recent years. (Don't be one of those people. Say kye-peer-EEN-yah and ka-SHAH-sa.) Luttmann cites a study by BuzzBack Market Research in New York indicating that awareness in the U.S. of the caipirinha among cocktail drinkers is 30%, compared with 85% for the mojito, the caipirinha's closest cousin.

As someone who quit her job and moved to Rio de Janeiro for a month because she loved caipirinhas so much (OK, I also loved the beach, the music and the churrascarias), I am here to say: You're missing out, America.

To read the rest of Jessica Gelt's story, click here.

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Photo: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times

Mom feeds family of six for $4 per week using coupon magic

This link is just too amazing to not highlight all on its own. The Huffington Post linked to it last week. It's a clip from "Good Morning America" that shows a Massachusetts mother named Kathy Spencer performing shopping magic with coupons.

I've watched it a couple of times now and I'm convinced that the woman is a genius, or at least patient to the point that she nears superhuman. From what I can gather (and believe me I'm a bit foggy on the details of how this actually works), Spencer spends a few hours a week combing weekly mailers and the newspaper for coupons and buys only what she can get free. So, to give an example from the video, if she has a coupon for $1 off scallops, and scallops go for $4 per pound, she buys only a quarter pound.

Granted, that's not too many scallops, but when she combines them with small portions of seafood she's purchased with other coupons, she'll have the makings of a nice casserole or soup. She also has a giant closet filled with food and kitchen supplies that she's gotten free and saves as backup. Bottles and bottles of ketchup, rolls and rolls of paper towels and boxes of cookies are stacked neatly from floor to ceiling (begging for a natural disaster to help them get used up).

The best part is watching Spencer check out. In the video she makes a bill that's over $200 shrink to a single penny. There's some math there, and a kind of crafty planning, that I am too lazy to even begin comprehending.

-- Jessica Gelt

Photo: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times

The return of the Gorbals: 'Top Chef' Ilan Hall's restaurant to reopen Saturday

After opening at the end of August only to be shut down nearly a week later due to a citation for an equipment violation involving the boiler system, "Top Chef" Ilan Hall's downtown restaurant the Gorbals will reopen Saturday.

Here's the skinny from a Gorbals rep:

"Good news: After an arduous permit journey, the Gorbals finally has every single one signed, sealed, and  delivered -- double-checked this past Friday! The restaurant could feasibly open anytime this week (they are hosting private parties in the interim), however Ilan has to retrain the staff and will officially relaunch on Saturday, Nov. 7, and will begin taking reservations that day as well going forward."

Hall will also be offering 50% off to L.A. Department of Building and Safety employees who present ID, just to show that there are no hard feelings. Here's what he has to say:

"What a journey! We are thrilled to be relaunching 100% this Saturday and especially want to thank all of our guests for their continued support. There's some fun stuff planned i.e. artisanal Scotch pairing dinners, Hannukah dishes (guess what's going in the latkes!!), and great deals for Art Walk. I invite everyone to come in and have some Scotch with me!"

-- Jessica Gelt 

Photo: Stefano Paltera / For The Times