Experience Magazine and DineLA Summer of 2018

(EXPERIENCE MAGAZINE) — Santa Monica, CA — Monday, July 30th, 2018 — DineLA is in its tenth year. This amazing foodie event is presented twice a year by the Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board. This summer, for 15 days, the Experience Magazine sampled just a few of the participating restaurants. There are no tickets required. Anyone can sample gourmet dining by ordering from the DineLA menu. Here’s a few of the restaurants we experienced.

INOTHEKE

Our first outing for DineL.A. was Inotheke in the heart of Santa Monica. For our starter we had a Greek salad which consisted of tomato, cucumber, pepper, feta, onion and olive. everything was very consistent with the salad and opened the pallete for the main course. The main course was Spanakopita which consists of feta, kaseri, spinich and red pepper. I have had these before at greek takeouts but this one as a main course was really special. The layers were very separated instead of the usual all blend together variety. It also just melts in your mouth! They provide you with a very sharp knife to cut it properly so it is eaten properly. It is eaten with Kopanista a red sauce. It has Kaseri, a sheeps cheese.

Main course at Inotheke for DineLA 2018. Photo by the Experience Magazine

For desert we had the pistachio greek yougurt that had a blackberry coulis puree.The puree really set off the flavor of yogurt. For Greek dining in Santa Monica the DineL.A. menu was great and we will be going back to try out the regular menu.

Dessert from Inotheke for DineLA

Check out the website for Inotheke here

STRFSH
THE EXPERIENCE MAGAZINE decided to dine at the 3rd St. Promenade and visited STRFSH.
You go up an escalator to the second floor. Their menu consists of sustainably farmed salmon or wild caught swordfish. We opted for the salmon. you get a choice of
of your condiments and sauces and cheese if you want to top it off with that.

STRFSH for DineLA 2018. Photo by the Experience Magazine

They made the salmon well done the way we like it. Fries with the sandwich makes it a complete dinner and the fries here are excellent. They have some beers on tap or fountain sodas.


For dessert we got to go downstars and share a sundae. The ice cream at Sloans is very rich and creamy and made from very good ingredients. The establishment
is very colorful and vibrant with a lot of families taking their kids for the perfect summer treat. STRFSH and Sloans which is downstairs right on the promenade
make for good summer lunch or dinner.

Heres the menu  for STRFSH

 

Taste at the Palasides

THE EXPERIENCE MAGAZINE decided to end our DineL.A. journey by visiting the TASTE at the Palisades. I had a feeling to just go up the coast highway to Sunset but I listened to the GPS and it took me the real long way by going back to 26th st. and taking Sunset and going all along for the long cut. When you know where something is just go and forget the GPS!!


We started with a moscow mule served in a brass cup the way it should be!

Grilled Salmon Bowl

Our starter was a Crispy Truffle Arancini. It has aged white cheddar, fresh thyme, panko crust with a red pepper sauce. They were very crispy on the outside but soft and tasty on the inside. The sauce brought out the flavors of the truffle.
For the main course we had the Grilled Salmon Bowl.It came with Jonathan Gold’s fave, roasted new potatoes which he seemed to highlight at the food bowl. We really miss him and no one can really replace his very original style coming from a music background going into food which followed him with his reviews.
The Grilled Salmon Bowl also had spring peas, asparagus, pea tendril, chili oil and a garlic creme friache. It was grilled well done so you can eat the skin which turns out crispy when well done.

Toasted Almond Meyer Lemon Cake

For our indulgence we had the Toasted Almond Meyer Lemon Cake. It had macerated strawberries, champagne sorbet, and candied mint leaves. A great dessert with very individual tastes running through each bite. If you are in the Palisades check out the TASTE AT THE PALISADES.
The service is also very quick and efficient with very easy parking.

DRAGO CENTRO

The Experience Magazine stopped by Drago Centro for DineLA. Vincenzo and Mark Sadr were both present when we arrived. They were busy making everyone’s evening meal special. To begin, we selected the Sesame crusted Ahi tuna with vegetables. The watermelon and basil had a subtle affect on the taste of the fish.
For the entree we tried the chicken that had a touch of fennel.

Mark Sadr at Drago downtown

Drago Centro is known for taking classic Italian recipes and offering a modern and delicious spin. The downtown location makes it perfect for people who work and live in the area.

The Chicken entree at Drago Centro for DineLA

Mark Sadr, who is an expert at wine pairings offered us an amazing parings of wine. To start with, Mark recommended a Sorelle Bronca proseco. Mark had a moment to talk about proseco. How its different than Champagne. He told us how proseco is made and how the fermentation process happens with proseco. It was so delicious. The wine that Mark recommend to go with the chicken was the Rosso Di Valtellina. This Italian wine is off the charts with flavor. It has a smoky nose to it but a smooth and tasty flavor. This wine blew me away.
Dining and chatting at Drago Centro is such pleasure. The dining room looks out into downtown and its a first class experience.

Proseco
The Ahi
Dessert was the perfect amount

For dessert, Drago Centro really went over the top for DineLA. We had lemon tart strawberry sorbet, hazelnut ganache, praline and a tiny caramel mascarpone.

BACARI PDR

Chef Hillel from Bacari PDR put on another top DineLA menu for the summer of 2018. His Israeli influenced menu has flavors that pair perfectly with a glass of wine or a cocktail. To start out our experience, we had the Cheese & Salame. There was St. Andre cheese from France, the legendary Midnight Moon from Holland (my favorite) and Beemster Smoked Gouda. This is a delicious appetizer that can be munched on while having a beverage.

Bacari Fries with fried egg
Noa’s Cauliflower
Crab Crostini
Greg from Bacari PDR (L) with Erwin Glaub (R)

The Stuffed mushrooms were so good. The five cheese’s blend with the toasted almond for an amazing bite. The Wild Mushroom polenta was also a great veg bite. We tried Bacari fries that came with a fried egg on top of it. I loved the fries. We went on to have a Noa’s Cauliflower and a crab Crostini. Bicari PDR is one of my favorite Los Angeles restaurants. I’ve never been disappointed and I always recommend it to people who are visiting.

ART’S TABLE

We stopped by Art’s Table and we weren’t disappointed. For starters we had the cuban inspired Tony Montana Corn. We paired this with a Porca de Murca wine. This is a Portuguese red blend that was smooth and tasty. This wine paired well with the Art’s Garlic Guacamole Toast. The toast was surprisingly good. Fresh guac, crispy toast and red wine. For a main course omg the DineLA menu, we had Chicken Prosciutto Linguine. The grilled chicken was cooked just the way we like it. For desert on the DineLA menu, we had the Chocolate Buttermilk Cake. It came with butterscotch sauce and a scoop of Vanilla Bean Gelato.

Tony Montana Corn
Art’s Table in Santa Monica serves up gourmet fare for DineLA
Chocolate Buttermilk Cake

The DineLA menu at Art’s Table is always fun and allows you to sample a few of the tasty items on the menu. Art’s Table is a popular place. The patio is a place to see and be seen.

About Erwin Glaub

Erwin is the founder of the Experience Magazine (EEWorldNews.com)

View all posts by Erwin Glaub →