An Open Letter to Hipcooks Cooking School

A WARNING BEFORE YOU TAKE CLASSES AT OR VOLUNTEER AT HIPCOOKS

The letter below...

Frankly, I am appalled.

I have never been disrespected, demeaned, and belittled the way I was tonight.

First of all, I will never assist at one of your classes again.  The description was completely inaccurate.  I did not assist.  Apparently, the only thing I was there to do was clean dishes.  I spent four hours of my Friday night cleaning dishes.  I am a lawyer and I make a six figure salary.  There is no way I would willingly spend four hour of my Friday evening washing dishes.  Every other time that I have assisted somewhere I have actually assisted- sautéing, whisking, chopping or any other forms of prep.  Of course there are always some dishes to wash, but this was ridiculous.  To call what I was told to do tonight assisting is misleading.  In the emails sent out by Bonny, it touts one of the benefits of assisting as learning the class.  I don’t know how I could be expected to learn and participate when I am elbow deep in soapy water.  I can afford to buy my own cooking class.  I am clearly not doing this because I could not afford to otherwise.  I volunteered to assist because I thought it was going to be an interactive cooking experience.  I enjoy cooking and I thought this would be a fun way to participate and help out.

Second, I have assisted at a number of cooking schools in Los Angeles and I have never been treated the way I was tonight.  My friend Emily signed up for the class at my urging and she said she could not even enjoy herself because of the way I was being treated.  At one point Liza asked me to hand her a teaspoon.  She was standing closer to the teaspoon than I was.  Emily heard this and was shocked as well.  Joy did the same thing at one point.  One of the girls in the class came up to me at one point and said, “I feel so bad, you have to clean all these dishes!” and she doesn’t know that I’m not a paid employee.  The final straw was at 10:20 p.m. when I had been there fore four hours and Joy said to me, “the floor needs to be swept”, clearly implying that the floor needed to be swept BY ME.  That was it.  I left right then.

I’m sorry, but if you are going to ask for assistants, and tout the benefits as being earning free classes as well as learning and participating then it should be that.  I am not opposed to manual labor, but I did not sign up to be someone’s dish wench for an entire evening.  I signed up to assist people in a cooking class.   I am too tired and aggravated by tonight’s events to go into further detail.

Food Event- July 28

Malibu Wine and Dine

July 28, 2009

Charlie's 22821 Pacific Coast Hwy.

Join executive chef Eleano Camboni and uncover the hidden gems of Malibu – the wines, not the starlets or beaches – with a five-course menu paired with Malibu vinos at her surf ‘n' turfer across from the Malibu Pier. With an amuse of ostrich with a Port Cassis glaze, a demitasse of lobster bisque, wild arugula salad with candied walnuts, lychee and taleggio, a trio of fresh pastas and a Gorgonzola-crusted petit filet with mashed potatoes and root vegetables, by the time you’re done dining in the restaurant’s leopard print Dolce & Gabbana chairs even the non-famous will feel like they should be hiding from the paparazzi.

Event Details: $65 for five courses, $95 with wine pairing; tax and tip not included.

To Reserve: Call 310-456-3132 and mention  “Zagat Presents.”

Cooking Class- Jar

The Menu:

Peach Celery Salad, arugula, marcona almonds, parmesan

Beef Bourguignon with Egg Noodles

Cherry Clafouti, creme Fraiche

-taught by Jar's executive chef and owner Suzanne Tracht

-Saturday, July 25, 2009

-11:00 AM to 1:15 PM.

 

 

Jar Sommelier Rob Harpest will pair wines with each course.

 

$125 per person

 

Please email info@thejar.com or call (323) 655-6566 to reserve your seat.

Food and Music at Ford's Filling Station

Ford’s Filling Station will be featuring jazz musicians on July 30, 2009 from 6 to 11pm. 

The musical artists hail from and are inspired by different cultures all over the world. "From Bandito Royale’s old-world, French chanteuse style vocals and deep bass lines to Angelyna Martinez’s soulful, haunting melodies, their music is an ideal backdrop for the warm, inviting setting of the restaurant."

Check out www.fordsfillingstation.net

Xooro

Date: 7-13-09

Dining Companion: Joy R.

Xooro (pronounced Sure oh) opened a new branch in West Hollywood adjacent to Sweet Lady Jane?  Risky?  Maybe.  Tiny?  For sure.  The "restaurant" is more of a walk up stand than sit down eatery.  There are only two tables with two uncomfortable odd barstool type chairs each.

The restaurant only serves churros or as they call them "Spanish Fritters" and some coffee beverages.  The churros come in a variety of flavors.  Apparently, the churro is the new cupcake!  Flavors include Dulce de Leche, Black and White, Mississippi, and Original.  Some flavors were not available in the West Hollywood location that are shown on the website (including mango, turkish hazelnut, chocolate coconut, triple chocolate, raspberry, and maple bacon).  At least one flavor at the West Hollywood was not found on the website- an Italian flavored churro with pistachio filling.  The man behind the counter informed us that the Santa Monica location carries other flavors and they have temporarily discontinued the gluten free option.

We ordered two and split them.  The first time around they messed up the order and it took a while to do both orders.  The churros were disappointing in that they did not seem freshly made.  When I think of a churro I think of a golden crispy outside and a soft warm center.  The churro base was definitely not made to order.  The cook took the pre-made churro "shell" and filled it with some fun looking machines in front and then dipped it in front of us.  So, the flavoring was done on the spot, but the best part of the churro was not.

The flavors are nice but very sweet.  Don't expect to have more than one.  They are pretty gooey too.  The flavors and the concept are very unique, they have an interesting appealing look, and they're priced well (under $4).  However, this seems like a fad and I'm not sure how long this will be able to stay open, especially next to dessert powerhouse like Sweet Lady Jane.

A nice feature is that the churros are fried in rice bran oil which the company touts as a healthy less greasy alternative for frying.

Xooro offers parking in the rear and is open in the afternoon/evening.  The company has new locations set to open in Orlando, San Antonio, and San Diego.  The website is phenomenal looking.

www.xooro.com

8360 Melrose Avenue #107

West Hollywood, CA 90069

(323) 951-9592

125 Broadway

Santa Monica, CA 90401

(310) 260-2919

Corkbar

Date: 7-9-09

Dining Companion: Angie R. and a whole bunch of lawyers

Laurel Tavern

Date: 7-8-09

Dining Companion: Dad

Yum.  Oh my god yum.  When did they start letting good food into the valley?

I've said it once and I'll say it again.  There are three things I can't pass up when I see them on a menu- burrata, pork belly, and squash blossoms.  Well, two out of three ain't bad.  Boy it ain't bad at all!

We ordered the heirloom tomato and burrata salad.  Delicious.  We ordered the grilled artichoke.  Delicious again.  We order the pork belly skewers.  Oh my.  The pork belly skewers came six to an order and were well priced at $6.  Sweet and smoky.  

We also ordered the bacon and bleu cheese burger.  It also had apple slices on the burger.  I didn't love the burger.  I thought it was a good idea, but it wasn't my favorite item.  The bun was nice and fresh, the meat was good, but something in the execution didn't work for me.  We order the fries on the side ($3) and they were just alright.

We ordered the mussels.  Delicious.  They come with grilled bread to dip in the broth and they are tasty!  We ordered the roasted marrowbones (billed only as "bones" on the receipt) also.  I finally did it.  Never had it before, always seemed a bit scary.  It was great.  This also came with grilled bread, a bit of gremolata for flavor, and a cute little knife to scoop the insides out and onto the bread.  It's a bit greasy, but in moderation it's great.  Very flavorful!

They also offer a large selection of wine and beer.  My dad ordered the apple cider thinking it was actually apple cider.  I drank it.  It was a very tasty cider.

This neighborhood vibe gastropub is a treasure.  I can't wait to go back and try everything else on the menu!

Valet is $4.  But alas, no reservations.  Sit at a table- but you order at the bar with an open tab. No waiters.  Yes, you heard me.  Cute chill decor including the bathrooms.

www.laureltavern.net

11938 Ventura Blvd.

Studio City, CA 91504

(818) 506-0777