New in Pasadena: Trattoria Neapolis Italian restaurant and bar

Trattoria Neapolis Italian restaurant and bar has opened in the middle of one of Pasadena's popular shopping districts on South Lake Avenue. Sandwiched between an Anthropologie clothing store and an Aaron Brothers, first-time restaurateur Perry Vidalakis' new spot is bringing the style and flare of an Italian piazza to the suburb.

Chef Bryant Wigger (Four Seasons Los Angeles) is turning out a mixed menu of traditional Italian and California market-driven cuisine featuring items such as the bistecca, a Wagyu flatiron steak with porcini BBQ sauce, roasted garlic gnocchi and smoked pork shoulder, and Wigger's take on tiramisu, made with house ladyfingers, mascarpone crema, roasted summer peaches and caramel. The kitchen houses a 7,000-pound Neapolitan wood-burning oven, used for making Neapolitan-style pizzas. 

The bar program boasts a curated list of cocktails by mixologist Vincenzo Marianella (Copa d'Oro) and a beer list by sommelier Christina Perozzi. The wine list is a mix of 50 bottles of wine from California and Italy, with nothing priced more than $50.

The restaurant space, designed by Hatch Design Group, is divided into two levels and various dining spaces. At the entrance is a light-filled garden room. The main dining room on the first floor consists of the bar and roomy booths, and at the back of the dining room are smaller tables, near the kitchen. On the second floor there is a balcony area that overlooks the first floor and a private wine room.

The restaurant is now serving dinner nightly from 5 p.m. but has a few plans in store for the coming months including a late-night menu at the bar until 2 a.m., lunch service beginning at 11 a.m., a to-go counter and a bottega.

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Photos, from top: View of the restaurant and bar from the balcony; the roasted garlic gnocchi. Credit: Frank Noack

The plein-air plate: Monet at the Royce in Pasadena

Painter Claude Monet may best be known as a founder of the Impressionist art movement, but the Frenchman was also a serious gourmand. The Royce restaurant at the Langham Huntington hotel in Pasadena created a special lunch inspired by Claude Monet on Saturday -- one of a few experiential meals the storied hotel has hosted lately, including a foie gras dinner last month with D’Artagnan owner Ariane Daguin. Next at the Royce will be "Gastronomy in the Garden" in August, an outdoor dinner in the chef's organic garden.

On Saturday, chef David Féau created four courses inspired by and dedicated to the life and work of the painter. Artist Nori Green, whose tapestries are on display at the Royce, started the afternoon with a lecture on Monet's life at Giverny, relaying anecdotes of his famous lunches, where "Monet was the only one allowed to cut the meat."

Féau's "Green on Green" (pictured above) was an homage to Monet's "The Waterlily Pond: Green Harmony," 1899, with legumes, peas, flowers and a dark sauce made of kale and a lighter sauce made of asparagus. The thin spears of asparagus were arranged to resemble the bridge in the painting.

The Royce at the Langham Huntington, 1401 S. Oak Knoll Ave., Pasadena, (626) 568-3900.

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Photo: Chef David Féau's "Green on Green." Credit: The Royce at the Langham Huntington.

Pasadena PinotFest arrives once again

Has an entire year rolled around already?

At any rate, it’s once again time for the annual Pasadena PinotFest (the fourth, actually) which kicks off Jan. 15 with a five-course dinner at Altadena Town & Country Club. Each course is cooked by a local chef and paired with a Pinot Noir producer.

Chefs involved include AKA Bistro and Bistro 45’s James Labrinus, the Raymond’s Tim Guiltinan, and Noir Food & Wine’s Claud Beltran. And Pinot producers pouring their juice include Hartley Ostini Hitching Post Winery, Clos Pepe Vineyards, and Williams Selyem.

Part of the proceeds for the $149 dinner ticket help Los Angeles County families in need.

But the dinner isn't the only event.

Weekly Pinot tasting events at $15 per person follow for a month, and Saturday afternoon, Feb. 11, a grand public tasting at the Altadena Town & Country Club will feature up to 100 wines. That tasting costs $89 per person, a bit more for those who fancy hanging around the "VIP" lounge. 

If learning more about Pinot Noir happens to feature on your new year’s resolutions, this event is for you.

For more information and tickets, call (626) 795-7199 or go to pasadenapinotfest.com.

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Photo: Pinot Noir grapes on the vine. Credit: Stephen Osman / Los Angeles Times

Wine classes offered monthly at the Huntington Library

The Huntington Library in San Marino holds a wine class one Wednesday evening a month. From 5 to 7:30 p.m., Brad Owen -- chef, sommelier and instructor at the Art institute of California Orange County -- lectures on various topics relating to wine at the cultural and educational center near Pasadena.

Earlier this month, Owen led a course on Champagne and sparkling wines to gear folks up for the holidays. Already lined up for 2012 are many other classes on specific regions and varietals for wine enthusiasts.

On Jan. 25, the course's lecture and tasting will explore the wines of Spain, while Pinot Noir from around the globe will be the focus of the course offered Feb. 29.

Classes are $80 for members and $90 for nonmembers. To register, call (626) 405-2128.

1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, (626) 405-2100, huntington.org.

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3 Events: Cooking demos; Yujean Kang's tofu-and-wine dinner

Shop and cook: Santa Monica's Gourmandise School of Sweets and Savories will be holding a series of free class demonstrations with local chefs. Meet the chef at the Santa Monica Farmers Market, walk through the market for a morning shopping tour, then follow the chef back to the cooking school for a demonstration and tasting. Classes kick off with Chef Joe Miller of Venice's Joe's Restaurant. Miller will meet with students at the farmers market on Aug. 17 at 9 a.m.; the demonstration ends at 11:30 a.m. The next scheduled chef is Mark Gold of Eva Restaurant, who will lead the tour and demonstration on Aug. 31. The classes are free, but do require an RSVP. Click here for more information and to reserve a spot.

"Joy of Soy": Chef Yujean Kang at Yujean Kang's in Pasadena curates a five-course tofu-and-wine dinner on Aug. 12. The dinner highlights the textures and shapes of tofu prepared with a variety of methods and flavors, including stuffed tofu with shrimp and minced pork and sweet soft tofu with sesame paste and sesame ice cream. Optional wine pairings, such as Champagne Ployez Jacquemart Brut NV with julienned pressed tofu with chicken and Chinese ham. $45 per person; an additional $45 for wine pairing. 7:30 p.m. Call for reservations. 67 N. Raymond Ave., Pasadena, (626) 585-0855, www.yujeankangs.com.  

Cupcake class: Bittersweet Treats proprietor and former "Top Chef: Just Desserts" contestant Danielle Keene will lead a cupcake class on Sunday at Malibu Family Farm. Keene will teach basic and more advanced techniques to decorate cupcakes with homemade frosting. A starter kit for your cupcake-making needs will be raffled off. Appetizers and beverages provided. $75 per person. Space is limited to 12 people; class will last about three hours. E-mail malibufamilyfarm@gmail.com for a reservation. 

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Upper photo: Santa Monica Farmers Market. Credit: Anne Cusack/Los Angeles Times

Lower photo: Bittersweet cupcakes. Credit: Bittersweet Treats

Keeping cool in L.A.: Today is National Ice Cream Sandwich Day

Whether part of the food truck scene or as a creamery's menu staple, ice cream sandwiches are a frozen treat geniusly invented to get the best of both worlds -- cookies and ice cream -- in the realm of sweets. Angelenos can get their fix from local producers with flavors, from classic to wacky, to satisfy a spectrum of cravings during summer's warm months. Or, as it so happens, on National Ice Cream Sandwich Day.

Beachy Cream: Made in small batches with local and organic ingredients, Beachy Cream’s ice cream sandwiches are made with a spin on names and flavors sure to fit the SoCal scene: Key Lime Cowabunga, Strawberry Surfer Girl, Surfin' Safari Chocolate Chip and Ginger Wipe Out. These tasty treats can be found on the streets of Malibu, at select stores and online. Beachycream.com. 

Father's Office: A recent addition to the menu, ice cream sandwiches are now offered at the Culver City location. Creations include the hazelnut and foie gras ice cream on oatmeal cookies and the buttermilk ice cream and raspberry sorbet on lemon shortbread. 3229 Helms Ave., L.A., (310) 736-2224, fathersoffice.com. 

MILK: The brightly colored sandwiches are made of fresh macarons and ice cream flavors such as grasshopper (mint chip), Thai tea, rocky road, coffee toffee and red velvet. 7290 Beverly Blvd., L.A., (323) 939-6455, themilkshop.com. 

Sweet Rose Creamery: Located in the Brentwood Country Mart, the shop bakes its cookies on site daily, and ice cream flavors change regularly in accordance with what's in season at the farmers market. Classics include fresh mint with homemade chocolate chip and salted caramel while August's ice cream flavors include melon, summer corn, peaches 'n' cream and watermelon granita, among others. 225 26th St., Ste. 51, Santa Monica, (310) 260-2663, sweetrosecreamery.com.

More after the jump:

Food culture: History's making us hungry at the Norton Simon

"Paintings of food shine out at me with their voluptuous colors and shapes whether I am hungry or not," says Eleanor Congdon. As educator for the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, Congdon creates tours of interest for museum guests including a food paintings tour titled “Dinner at the Norton Simon: Food in Paintings” that was featured in June.

Throughout the museum’s galleries are a range of still life and genre paintings depicting food from the 17th to the 19th centuries. The Chardins, Courbets and Manets, among others highlighted in the tour, reveal a subject eternally relatable for its viewers. Whether depicted as necessity or extravagance, with symbolism or none at all, food is visually stimulating enough to provoke its viewer to go beyond the surface and imagine the possibilities of its textures, aromas and tastes.

“Symbolism [in the food paintings] disappears over the centuries and the painting techniques evolve over the course of time just as with other subjects in art," says Congdon. "What does not ever disappear is their lusciousness and the invitation to eat.”

Congdon has kindly re-created the food paintings tour for Los Angeles Times readers, which can be viewed here. Bon Appetit!

411 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, (626) 449-6840, nortonsimon.org.

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Image: Still Life with Cherries, Strawberries and Gooseberries, 1630, by Louise Moillon
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4 Food Events You Should Know About: Tomatoes, pigs, stories and tastes

'Heirloom Tomato' dinner in Pasadena: On July 27, The Terrace restaurant at the Langham Huntington will host a farm-to-table “Heirloom Tomato” dinner. Chef de cuisine Erik Schuster will create a five-course tasting menu featuring seasonal produce from local farms. The dinner is $95 per person and includes a cocktail reception and wine pairings. Make a reservation by calling (626) 585-6218. 1401 South Oak Knoll Ave., Pasadena, (626) 568-3900, pasadena.langhamhotels.com.

Pig roast at Craft: A Sunday afternoon pig roast is going down July 31 at Craft. Attendees can listen to live bluegrass music, shop for produce from select farmers from the Santa Monica Farmers Market and sip on local wines and beers. All proceeds go to Familyfarmed.org, a nonprofit organization aiming to expand the production and distribution of locally grown food. Tickets are $150 per person and can be purchased at eventbrite.com. 10100 Constellation Blvd., L.A., (310) 279-4180, craftrestaurant.com.

Let's talk food ... good food: On Aug. 3, Los Angeles Moth StorySLAM will open the stage to L.A.’s general public -- foodies included -- who want to share a story on the evening’s theme: good food. Stories begin at 7:30 p.m. For more information, go to themoth.org. Zanzibar, 1301 5th St., Santa Monica, (310) 451-2221, www.zanzibarlive.com.

Plate by plate: Project by Project’s ninth annual tasting benefit “Plate by Plate” is set for Aug. 6. Church & State, The Gorbals and Fraiche are among the 25 participating restaurants. All ticket sales, priced from $125 to $250, go to the Asian Youth Center. Vibiana, 214 S. Main St., L.A., (213) 626-1507, www.platebyplate.org/la.

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Photo: Heirloom tomatoes from Tutti Frutti Farms. Credit: Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times

4 Food Events You Should Know About: Drago tasting menu; Public Kitchen happy hour; Yujean Kang's 20th anniversary; Surfrider dinner at Cafe del Rey

Seasonal tasting menu: On June 27, executive chef Evan Gotanda and two guest chefs will create a five-course tasting menu highlighting local and seasonal ingredients at Santa Monica's Drago restaurant. Dishes include pan-seared branzino and chai-spiced duck. The menu is $65 per person with an option to add cocktail pairings for an extra $25. For a reservation call (310) 828-1585. 2628 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica.

5 for 5 happy hour: Public Kitchen at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel is offering five signature menu items priced at $5 for happy hour. The specialty cocktail and appetizers change daily, meaning one night you might devour chickpea-and-three-cheese fritters, and the next time chicharrones with chili and lime. 3 to 7p.m. Monday to Friday. 7000 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 769-8888.

20th-anniversary specials: Yujean Kang's Chinese restaurant is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. The restaurant will be serving two different menus priced at $20 per person.  A four-course chef's tasting menu will be offered Monday through Saturday. On Sundays, a family-style dinner for two will be served. Menu items will change monthly. 67 N. Raymond Ave., Pasadena, (626) 858-0855.

Saturday soiree: Cafe del Rey is teaming up with Surfrider Foundation's West L.A./Malibu chapter to commemorate the restaurant's 20th anniversary. The event will include live music and a Champagne tasting, and executive chef Daniel Roberts will make Mediterranean-inspired hors d'oeuvres. The celebration will be held June 25 from 5 to 8 p.m. The Surfrider Foundation is asking for a $20 donation per guest.  4451 Admiralty Way, Marina del Rey, (310) 823-6395.

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3 Food Events You Should Know About: Nathan's hot dog eating contest in South Bay; Bruery beer-maker dinner at Craft; Old Pasadena Restaurant Week

The Bruery meets Craft: Orange County's Bruery is the featured brewer at Craft's first beer-maker dinner of 2011, on Monday, June 6. So here's the planned menu: charred calamari salad with Fresno chiles and oregano, with Hottenroth wheat beer; cured yelloweye snapper and watermelon, Thai basil and crispy rice, with Trade Winds, a tripel with Thai basil; buckwheat tagliatelle, bratwurst, morels and onion soubisse, with Saison Rue, a Belgian-French farmhouse ale with rye; Ellensburg lamb sweetbreads, green chickpeas and fava beans, with Marron Acidifie Imperial Oud Bruin and Mischief Belgian strong ale; California cheese, with Rugbrød Danish rye ale; and mignardises, with Cuir bourbon barrel-aged ale. A reception is at 6:30 p.m., dinner's at 7. $95 per person. Contact Anna Morini for reservations at amorini@craftlosangeles.com or call (424) 204-7485. (Reservations cannot be made via Open Table for this event.) 10100 Constellation Blvd., Los Angeles, www.craftlosangeles.com. 

Hot dogs galore: Nathan's in Hawthorne -- the only Nathan's Famous in the L.A. area -- is holding a hot dog eating contest on Sunday, June 12, at South Bay Ford. It's one of 16 qualifying rounds leading to the annual July 4 contest on Coney Island. (FYI, Joey Chestnut of San Jose holds the world record for eating 68 Nathan's Famous hot dogs -- with buns -- in 10 minutes. He is seeking his fifth straight title this year.) Registration is closed because of the number of applicants, but you can watch. Noon to 4 p.m. 5100 Rosecrans Ave., Hawthorne.

Pasadena restaurant week: More than 20 Pasadena restaurants will take part in the third annual Old Pasadena Restaurant Week,  June 1-8. Three-course meals will start at $15 for lunch and $25 for dinner, with part of the proceeds benefiting Union Station Homeless Services. Participating restaurants include Vertical Wine Bistro, Pop Champagne & Dessert Bar, Café Santorini, Quadrupel Brasserie, 1810 Argentinean Restaurant, Villa Sorriso and Sushi Roku. For a complete list of restaurants and menus, go to www.oldpasadena.org/restaurantweek.

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Photo: Joey Chestnut. Credit: Stan Honda/EPA.