THE BITES OF SPRING
By Steve Coulter
For dineLA.com
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Southern California winters aren’t particularly long, cold or hard, so it’s easy for Angelenos to miss the transition into spring. Thankfully, we have a vibrant restaurant scene to help us mark the passage of time with some sensational seasonal fare.
To get a real taste of what’s bursting forth on menus around town it’s smart to start where the best chefs do – at local farmers’ markets. A quick trip through the stalls at the La Canada/Flintridge Certified Farmers’ Market on a recent Saturday revealed a new bounty of fruits and vegetables.
The blood oranges, pears and apples that ruled this winter have given way to strawberries, grapefruit and melons, with cherries, apricots and nectarines only a few weeks away. Meanwhile, Brussels sprouts and eggplant are being replaced with heirloom tomatoes, asparagus, artichokes, mustard greens and fava beans.
“The chefs that come to this market are usually looking for a muse, something that might result in a new dish,” said market manager, Shane McLaren. “You get to see the flavor profiles they’re looking for, and why the seasonality is so important to them.”
At 750ml in nearby S. Pasadena, newly appointed chef Chris Gawronski greeted April with house-made angel hair pasta, mint, and heirloom tomatoes tossed in a light cream sauce. The same menu also boasted a spring lamb trio featuring spicy merguez sausage, succulent roasted leg meat, and a sampling of the rack.
“California is great for fruits and vegetables so there’s always something interesting coming in. Our day starts at looking at what’s new from our purveyors and what is moving through seasonally,” said 750ml general manager, David Fleisher.
Down in Redondo Beach, Chez Melange is approaching the season with typical stylish aplomb. A succulent salad of asparagus, pea shoots, potatoes, ricotta cheese and mint is topped with lemon and olive oil, while delicate veal sweetbreads are sautéed in Marsala wine with wild mushrooms, fava beans, artichoke and shallots.
Further up the coast, Santa Monica’s Jiraffe is making the most of spring with their Monday night pre-fixe menus featuring several seasonal dishes including jumbo shrimp in an orange zest harissa broth with baby beets, zucchini, cilantro and wild mushrooms.
Inland at Lucques, Susan Goin’s Sunday Supper menu recently featured a grilled Niman Ranch pork chop with soft polenta, mustard greens and mustard breadcrumbs. While at the Foundry on Melrose, Eric Greenspan’s weekly menus are abloom with poached chicken and asparagus marmalade, or pea soup with buttermilk ricotta crepes and Serrano ham.
And finally, because Angelenos cannot live on savory foods alone, we turn our attention downtown to Patina where pastry chef Ian Gresik recently unveiled a menu of tempting seasonal desserts. Of note are fresh strawberries served with lemon crème, croquant and ginger-strawberry sherbet, or the enticing mojito soufflé with lime ice cream.
“Anybody out there who is calling themselves a chef should be cooking with seasonal ingredients. It just seems to make sense,” Greenspan said.
La Canada Flintridge Certified Farmers Market, Saturday: 8:00 AM to Noon, Beulah Dr. & Foothill Ave., La Canada/Flintridge
750ml, 966 Mission St., S. Pasadena, (626) 799-0711
Chez Melange, 1716 Pacific Coast Hwy., Redondo Beach, (310) 540-1222
Jiraffe, 501 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica, (310) 917-6671
Lucques, 8474 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, (323) 655-6277
The Foundry on Melrose, 7465 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, (323) 651-0915
Patina, 141 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, (213) 972-3331
