Where Can I Eat Ingredients Fresh From the Farm?
THE QUESTION: To celebrate her birthday, Melissa of San Francisco is eschewing NoCal for SoCal. She’d prefer to eat foods sourced directly from farms and drink drinks concocted of fresh fruits from said farms. Moreover, Melissa isn’t interested in a “scene” — unless the scene is simply diners just like herself relishing each bite of made-with-love food. So, where to?
THE ANSWER: Among my favorite things to do in L.A. is to stroll/shop/spy the Santa Monica Farmers’ Market every Wednesday morning — and the bevy of L.A. chefs and crew that take on the hardship of sourcing their ingredients from farms. To wit, their menus are some of L.A.’s best. You always know what’s in season, too; these days, I can’t escape a restaurant without some sort of corn special (ravioli, chowder, pudding, et al.).
Melissa, below are five restaurants that ought to suffice your farm-supportive appetite:
Photo: Food GPS
1. Cube
The menu here changes weekly, and while it’s devastating to see favorites depart, each new addition is as savory as the last. Cube offers a barage of cheeses and charcuterie, plus, antipasti like braised baby octopus, pastas of oxtail ragu and Red Cow parmesan, black truffle pizza topped with a fried egg, and secondi entrees like bone-in veal saltimbocca. Extra: Dessert Bar Mondays (five desserts at five bucks each) and Lasagna Lab Tuesdays (a $20 lasagna/market-driven salad/wine pairing).
2. Lazy Ox Canteen
The menu here changes daily — and the specials chalkboard is the only acceptable way into your belly. Pray you find the bäco — Chef Josef Centeno’s fleeting hybrid of a gyro, pizza and taco comprised of pork belly, arugula, slices of raw apple and a lot of sauce atop grilled flatbread. Plus, the crispy pigs ears — arguably the best in L.A.
3. Rustic Canyon
The menu, branded with today’s date, clearly states: “All of our food comes from farmers and ranchers that practice sustainable agriculture and is prepared with love.” Today, you’d happily discover crispy squash blossoms and a burrata and escarole ravioli; and every day, you cannot escape Chef Evan Funke’s acclaimed Niman Ranch burger, which thoughtfully pays homage to In-N-Out’s animal-style variety.
4. The Tasting Kitchen
Wow — the pork rillettes. The best way to fully grasp the gastro-attitude of these Portland cooks — led by James Beard-nodded Chef Casey Lane — is to let the chef handle it. Trust that you will experience food of the mind-blowing variety (even in the bread basket!). They talk about “terroir,” and wine has no part in the discussion.
5. Palate Food & Wine
Wine is to be savored at Palate (the ground floor of a former moving depot is now an eno-grastronomic library), and pairs superbly with its Mediterranean cooking sensibility of local, artisanal ingredients. Of course, the menu changes weekly, but attempt the “porkfolio” of assorted charcuterie as well as the “mason jars” filled of potted lamb, chicken, Berkshire port, or planked smoked trout.
Plus, five bars with too-fresh cocktails:
1. Mandrake (“fresh mint from the garden” — cute)
2. Varnish (for a Bartender’s Choice, mention you like citrus or apples, even)
3. Rivera (order ONLY the Barbacoa with mezcal or the Blood Sugar Sex Magic)
4. Copa d’Oro (get anything from their Signature Market Menu; beware: weekends are club-like)
5. Roger Room (“The Thug” is the one — habanero bitters, that’s right)
