Category Archives: Cool Cooking Techniques

Dining in Los Angeles, Part II: The Astonishing Michelin Three-Starred Somni

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A pizza Margherita that will leave you dumbstruck at Somni.
A pizza Margherita that will leave you dumbstruck at Somni.

The first time I ever dined at the French Laundry in Yountville was a seminal experience, one punctuated by a whirlwind of wee dishes that somehow possessed such outsized, intense flavors that they left me feeling as if I were tasting food for the very first time.

Earlier this month at Somni, I relived that same type of vivid, jolting excitement — but with even more whimsy, humor, and daring.

No wonder this Los Angeles restaurant garnered three Michelin stars this year practically right out of the gate after opening in November 2024.

To be fair, Somni’s original incarnation that opened in Beverly Hills in 2018 had already earned two Michelin stars before it was forced to close when the pandemic hit, the same week it would have celebrated not only its second anniversary, but Chef-Owner Aitor Zabala’s birthday.

The unassuming entrance.
The unassuming entrance.
The courtyard behind the gate, where the meal begins.
The courtyard behind the gate, where the meal begins.
The giraffe sculpture at the front.
The giraffe sculpture at the front.
A welcome note.
A welcome note.

After hunting high and low, he found the ideal space in West Hollywood to relocate in what was previously a Donna Karan store and a former music studio frequented by Jennifer Lopez.

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A Lazy Way — And A Good Way with Tomatoes

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There's a time and place for stuffed tomatoes. And there's an even greater time for "unstuffed'' ones.
There’s a time and place for stuffed tomatoes. And there’s an even greater time for “unstuffed” ones.

There are times when I am up for a challenge, for those recipes that are as long as a chapter in a novel, made with ingredients that take me four trips to as many different grocery stores, and that leave me spent but gratified when I sit down at the table to enjoy them.

Granted, those times are rare.

More likely, as with so many of you, I gravitate to recipes that are not only quick and easy, but let’s face it, take the lazy approach.

Because there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

For example, I’ve made Julia Child’s classic “Stuffed Tomatoes Provencal,” and they were fantastic.

But when I came across Laura Vitale’s “Baked ‘Unstuffed’ Tomatoes,” the loafer in me immediately latched on to it.

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Michael Symon’s Grilled Pork Steaks with the Surprise of Dr. Pepper Barbecue Sauce

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Juicy and so very tender, these bountiful pork butt steaks get glazed with a Dr. Pepper -- yes! -- cherry barbecue sauce.
Juicy and so very tender, these bountiful pork butt steaks get glazed with a Dr. Pepper — yes! — cherry barbecue sauce.

Have you ever held a succulent rib between your fingers, then bitten into a taste of sweet-savory, marvelously yielding meat, only to wish there was more left on the bone to enjoy?

You get exactly that with Chef Michael Symon’s “Slow-Grilled Pork Butt Steaks with Cherry BBQ Sauce.”

It has the taste and tenderness of your favorite smoked ribs — but in the much more substantial form of pork butt or shoulder steaks that are meaty and beyond.

Best yet, they get glazed and served with a thick, fruity, savory and slightly spicy barbecue sauce made with not only fresh or frozen cherries but also a can of Dr. Pepper. Yes, you read that right.

The recipe is from his newest cookbook, “Symon’s Dinners Cooking Out” (Clarkson Potter), of which I received a review copy.

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Scaling the Heights of Lofty Peaches and Granola Galette

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As tall and majestic as a deep-dish pizza, that's what this peach galette is like.
As tall and majestic as a deep-dish pizza, that’s what this peach galette is like.

If a classic galette were a ranch house, then this baby is a high-rise for sure.

“Lofty Peaches and Granola Galette” lives up to its name, with a girth and stature like pizza that’s extra deep-dish.

This statement-making galette is from the new cookbook, titled — what else — “Galette!” (Artisan), of which I received a review copy.

It was written by Rebecca Firkser, a Brooklyn-based writer and cook, whose recipes have been published in Bon Appetit and on Food52.

I have always loved a good galette, especially because it requires rolling out only one round of dough, and its free-form nature means no matter how you crimp or fold, it will still end up with a lovely rustic look.

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The Nostalgic Taste of No-Churn Yuen Yeung Ice Cream Cake

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Sara Lee Pound Cake goes fancy and sentimental.
Sara Lee Pound Cake goes fancy and sentimental.

As a Chinese American kid growing up in San Francisco, I would peer into our family freezer to spy not only bamboo leaf-wrapped sticky rice dumplings and on-sale bags of shrimp for future stir-frys, but plenty of Swanson Salisbury steak dinners, boxes of Banquet boil-in-bag chicken a la king, and Sara Lee Pound Cake.

The latter of which I much preferred to eat still frozen.

Apparently, I wasn’t alone in that, either.

Not if the cookbook, “Salt Sugar MSG: Recipes From A Cantonese American Home” (Clarkson Potter), of which I received a review copy, is any indication.

That’s because deep within its pages is a recipe for “No-Churn Yuen Yeung Ice Cream Cake” made with — you guessed it — a Sara Lee Pound Cake, but one gussied up with layers of a fluffy whipped cream-and condensed milk flavored with Lipton tea and a dash of coffee.

For me, it is as if old-school Chinatown milk tea and that buttery dense pound cake decided to skip joyously together down memory lane.

The cookbook was written by Calvin Eng, chef and owner of Bonnie’s, a well-regarded Cantonese American restaurant in Williamsburg in New York. who is also a Food & Wine “Best New Chef,” with assistance from Phoebe Melnick, a New York video journalist.

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