I’ve noticed that I’m taking an unusually long time to write my review of Celadon, the newest addition to the other restaurant row on 3rd street in West Hollywood. I finally realized that it’s because I don’t even know where to begin!
The food here is phenomenal!!! I’ve now had an official dinner at the restaurant, attended a fabulous NBC party on-premises, enjoyed their catering at Los Angeles Magazine’s Halloween party, and even munched on appetizers while grooving to DJ Daniel in the lounge on a Friday night. If there was a guest room there, I would have even stayed over!
The atmosphere is lovely, dark and hip. You can have dinner in the main dining room, a semi-hidden-away indoor patio room in the back, or a special VIP “cabana” with a banquette and curtains. I chose the main room because I like to keep my eye on the action.
I had met the personable manager, Brian Keeth, when he was at a Beverly Hills restaurant that was fabulous, so when I heard he went to Celadon, I had to give it a whirl. He’s helped make this place into something special.
The amazing dishes are dreamed-up by executive chef, Danny Elmaleh, who’s adorable, too. The best part about him is that he wants to stay in the kitchen and have the culinary experience be about the food itself and not him, as opposed to the spate of celebrity chefs who are all about their own publicity. I love that Danny seems to be shy, but is passionate about his creations.
The presentations are the stars here. I’ve never oohed and aahed so much in my life! Each dish is more gorgeous than the next. Every few minutes, my friend, Eadie, would say, “Beautiful presentation!” When I pointed out that she was repeating herself, she said she just couldn’t help herself. To me, it was like getting another exquisitely-wrapped package on your birthday. (Which, in my case, is January 14.)
Then, the tastes were like opening those presents and finding out there was something even better inside. We loved everything. And the variety is incredible, as well. The food is in the category of Asian fusion, but to me, it’s just special and defies definition. For example, my favorite dish here is butternut squash ravioli. Where’s the Asian part of that?
Before I list the menu items we chose, I must tell you about the party for the premiere of “Life” at the beginning of the season. (I love that show, BTW. I wish I had already seen it, so I could have let the cast know, especially the lead guy, Damian Lewis, who’s perfect, but as it was the PREMIERE, I couldn‘t have, could I?) You can click over to my archives to see the complete review of that party, but what stood out to me was the generosity of the hors-d’oeuvres.
They never stopped coming for one second and there had to be at least 15 different kinds, which is beyond a rarity. Most functions serve 3-4 different kinds and not that many of them. You have to stand by the kitchen if you’re hungry, and watch the waiters try to whisk them away to others, over your head usually!
But at Celadon, they made sure to bring them to every table and offer repeat ones with a smile. I knew at that event that I would be back for dinner very soon. So here’s the rundown on their dinner fare:
For starters, Eadie and Lou loved their Tuna Tartar Lollipops. They were in good company because that’s the top-seller. One of them said that it was an extraordinary fusion of flavors. My favorite was the Vietnamese Sesame Shrimps Toasts, minus the very spicy Sweet Chili Sauce.
I regret that we passed on the salads and soups because they looked great, but we had exclaimed over each dish for so long that I was anxious to get to the main ones. Eadie chose the extremely tender Maple Leaf Roast Duck, and declared, “If ever a duck was succulent,” this was it. (How could Lou and I compete with THAT description???)
Lou’s pick was the Slow Braised Shortribs, which he went wild for. I was really full at that point, and knew there was more to come, so I opted for the Roast Salmon to bring home for Mr. X’s opinion. He loved it, especially the Black Forbidden Rice that accompanied the fish. (We kept calling it “the dangerous rice.”)
The most fun dish was the Saraudon Sizzling Noodles and Rice. We chose to have it with just shrimp, but it usually comes with scallops and bok choy as well. (And by “we,” I meant “me.”) You get to pick your own consistency of noodle and there are plenty of string beans and asparagus, too. And, it did, indeed, sizzle.
We loved every dessert we tried, none more than the Chocolate Soufflé, which was more of a warm lava cake, accompanied by roast banana and vanilla gelato. On a return visit for snacks in the lounge, my vegetarian pal, Vanessa, and I tried the Raspberry and Greek Yogurt Panache, a surprisingly crunchy and refreshing combo.
We had some appetizers before the dessert on that trip, and enjoyed them, as well. We had vegetarian Summer Rolls, which are usually made with ahi, but the chefs are very accommodating to our veggie friends. And we were into the Hummus Parfait, until I hit an olive and freaked. I was having such a good time that I let someone else order without looking at the menu, and I detest olives, which just reminded me to return to my controlling bi-atch ways.
On both occasions, I finished up my meals with Coco Loco Rooibos Tea. It’s a heavenly blend of vanilla and chocolate bits, and tasted a tad familiar. One look at the loose tea in the pot-strainer, and I knew it had to be Serendipitea, my new favorite brand! That company has the most creative and delicious flavors and I was so proud of myself for recognizing their distinctive taste. It was one of the very few times in all these years that I actually felt like a true restaurant critic, and I sincerely thank them for that!
Celadon 7910 W. 3rd St. Los Angeles 323-658-8028 www.celadongalerie.com
Serendipitea at www.serendipitea.com
Jon Lovitz and Chad Lowe (with whom Mr. X once did a series) are two of the celebrities due to participate in the inaugural Bank of the West Pro-Celebrity Tennis Classic this Saturday, Dec. 8, at The Riviera Tennis Club in Pacific Palisades. Though I’ve played in other charity sports events over the years (and was always the worst one), I’m happy to be just a spectator this time.
The day sounds like tons of fun. Former French Open doubles champions, brothers Luke and Murphy Jensen, will host the event. Besides Lovitz and Lowe, some other celebs expected are musician Gavin Rossdale, Ryan O’Neal, Scott Foley, and Donna Mills.
More excitingly, to us sports fans, are the pros themselves, including nine-time Grand Slam winner Monica Seles, three-time Grand Slam champion and Olympic gold medalist Jennifer Capriati, former UCLA star (and all-around fun guy) Justin Gimelstob, and current ATP players Taylor Dent and Vince Spadea.
The best part to me, is that the whole day’s events will benefit worthy charities. According to the press release, “the Jensen Brothers designated youth organizations, including the Jensen-Schmidt Tennis Academy for Down Syndrome, will help meet the sport specific needs of children and young adults with Down Syndrome and other special needs. In addition to meeting sport specific needs, the other designated organizations will use multiple avenues in assisting special needs and disadvantaged children.”
The schedule includes a Tennis Pro-Am, Kids’ Clinic, Pro-Celebrity Tennis Exhibition and my personal, fave, an opportunity to mingle with the luminaries (and moi!) at the Evening with the Stars Gala.
Bank of the West Pro-Celebrity Tennis Classic December 8, 2007 1-877-888-6433 www.chevents.com
The Riviera Country Club 1250 Capri Drive Pacific Palisades
I wrote about Butler Bags in my recent Pre-Emmy Suites column, and I’m even more into them now. At that time, I had just seen them; now I actually own one myself.
Rarely a day goes by where I don’t get compliments on it. Even from men! I go to a lot of screenings where security goes through your bags, looking for all kinds of contraband, mainly gum, water, and camera phones. I love it now because no matter how jaded these guys look, they perk up when they see my purse, and invariably compliment me on it’s neatness!
In case you missed it the first time, Butler Bags all have built-in compartments for every different-size item. I have the largest one, the Hybrid, from their Boutique Line. When it arrived, (in the most thorough packaging EVER, I must say), I was a tad concerned that it would be too big, and thought I longed for the smaller Classic.
But there was no way that I was going to pack it back up the way it came, so I stuck with the larger one, and now I’m so in love with it, I just might marry it! (Kinky, I know.) And this line is very affordable.
I noticed on their website that they have all kinds of fancier evening bags now, with the same organizer system. That way you can be fashionable and have it all together in the nighttime, too. Makes me want to go out even more than I already do. On second thought, maybe I out to stick with the daytime purse, so I can get a night’s rest occasionally. www.butlerbag.com
I first found this fudge at an Emmys Suite, as well, and my original appreciation of it has grown. I’m not a fudge fan, because it’s usually grainy-tasting, but John Kelly’s is really smooth and creamy.
I’ve had many other people try it, including my most recent studio audience, and they all more than confirmed my opinion. The toughest critic, Marcia, said the mint is absolutely delicious, which is a different kind-of flavor to most.
You can get the gold and brown boxes in several different sizes. My favorite is the one with four individually-wrapped chunks in assorted flavors. And the smartest move is that they come packaged in varieties with nuts, or without, which makes them easier to gift.
The foil wrapping keeps them fresh, if you want just a taste at a time. The richness of the fudge makes that possible to do, but the taste will make it hard to stop at just one bite.
www.johnkellychocolates.com
I know that this is the time of year when most of us (even here in sunny SoCal) are sporting boots, but it’s never the wrong time to give a sparkly gift, even in the footwear category.
Someone recently sent me a pair of Lady Lanell’s Sandals, with Swarovski crystal-studded thongs! How luxurious! Though it hasn’t been the weather to wear them yet, I’m getting joy just from looking at something so sparkly.
As mush as I never want the seasons to rush by, at least I know I’ll be ready for some Spring Stylin’! www.ladylanells.com |
