Plate by Plate 2012 (Los Angeles, CA)

Plate by Plate 2012
214 S Main St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
www.platebyplate.org/la/
Sat 08/04/2012, 06:00p-10:00p



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On Saturday, August 4th, Project by Project hosted its 10th Annual Tasting Benefit, Plate by Plate, at the Vibiana cathedral and event space in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles. For the uninitiated, PbP is a nationwide not-for-profit organization focused on issues relating to the Asian-American community, and as always, the event showcased the culinary chops of some of the City's most popular and up-and-coming eateries, all washed down by a selection of liquor, wine, beer, sake, and even non-alcoholic beverages from a wide array of purveyors.

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The requisite group photo of all the participants.

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Accompanied by The Langham's Director of Communications Elsa Schelin, Chef David Féau of The Royce presented an attractive plate of Marinated Cantaloupe, Kampachi, Toasted Ginger.

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Elsa is joined by FOX 11 News anchor/reporter Susan Hirasuna, whom I actually ran into during the recent C.H.E.F.S. foie gras dinner held at The Royce.

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Chef Greg Daniels of Haven Gastropub & Brewery was on hand with his Cola-Glazed Berkshire Pork, Smoked Cream Corn, Garroxta, Thyme.

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The Seoul Sausage team--Ted Kim, Chris Oh, Yong Kim--served up their Flaming Fried Balls: Deep Fried Spicy Pork Seoul Sausage Cheesy Kimchi Fried Rice Balls topped with Da "DMA" Sauce (Kimchi Sriracha Garlic Jalapeño Aioli). The trio recently competed on Season 3 of the Food Network's Great Food Truck Race, which they may or may not have won, and which may or may not have anything to do with their upcoming brick & mortar store in Little Osaka.

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Chef Mathew Woolf of the revamped West Restaurant & Lounge had his Crispy Egg, Bacon Jam, Arugula on offer, which seemed to go over well with guests.

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Though Chef/Owner Kris Yenbamroong was over at that other food festival across town, Night+Market had another "Kris" in tow: Sous Chef Chris Napaamporn. To eat, think Moo Sadoong "Startled Pig": Grilled Pork Shoulder, Lime, Fish Sauce, Bird Eye Chile, Basil, Lemongrass, Kaffir Lime Leaves, Sugar, Rice Powder.

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Guelaguetza was en la casa with their Tamales Oaxaqueños: Black Mole and Chicken Breast Tamales wrapped in Banana Leaf, as well as their famed Michelada.

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Sharing is encouraged between participants. Here, Jason Mattick of Milo & Olive swaps his sliders for some of Guelaguetza's mole-drenched tamales.

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Chef Jeremy Berlin has been doing a fine job over at Church & State, and tonight he gave us a refreshing Heirloom Tomato Salad, Charentais Melon, Vinaigrette with Greens and Reduced Balsamic.

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Left: Former ink. GM-cum-Sommelier Josh Goldman looks rather contented here, and for good reason.
Right: Sauce LA's Mary Park, looking lovely in red.

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The award for the most interesting protein of the night goes to Team Mo-Chica and their Alpaca and Lamb crostini, Pickled Cucumbers, Avocado, Aji Amarillo Yogurt dressing.

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With Andre Guerrero out of town, Little Bear was repped by Chef de Cuisine Sainegee Wong and Pastry Chef Jan Purdy. Their dish? A Carbonnade de Flamande.

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Recently replacing Walter Manzke at Josh Loeb and Zoe Nathan's Milo & Olive is Chef Jason Mattick, who showed off his Mini Chicken Meatball Sandwiches with Fresh Mozzarella and Country Line Harvest Arugula.

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Chef de Cuisine Kevin Luzande of Playa rolled deep, serving up a svelte dish of Maize Cornet, Chopped Salad of Rooftop Vegetables and Lettuces, Chipotle Crema, Avocado, Micro Amaranth.

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A highlight of the VIP hour was a cooking demo hosted by Chef Nyesha Arrington of Wilshire restaurant (and Top Chef Season 9 contestant), who utilized tofu from producer AFC.

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An open bar sponsored by Ketel One was certainly a big draw.

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Left: PbP's Manager of Campaign Partner Relations Jackie Fung and Co-Manager of Past Partner Relations Stephanie Huynh.
Right: Justin Wang, Director of Events for Project by Project New York, along with Los Angeles Legal Counsel Annie Lin.

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Left: Short-haired Asian girls stick together!
Right: PbP's Manager of Design Risa Yanai looks happy.

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PbP partnered with TOMS and Viva La Art to have some specially-decorated shoes auctioned off at the event. Artists included Adam Talan and Nora Martin-Hall, and I hear Eater LA editor Kat Odell even won a pair.

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Stepping inside of the Vibiana now, whom do I see first but the Mo-Chica/Picca duo of Ricardo Zarate and Stephane Bombet, along with noted Pour Vous barman Devon Espinosa.

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I first headed over to the VIP area, where Pablo Moix was repping Black Market with his Pisco Punch.

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The Cured Wild King Salmon Tartare, Crispy Buckwheat, Nori Crème Fraiche and Ikura from Providence's Michael Cimarusti was regarded by many as the prettiest plate of the evening.

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Left: Michael introduces himself; Josh checks his phone.
Right: Brothers Eric Tung and David Tung. Getting a sort of American Gothic vibe on this one.

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Kali Dining's Kevin Meehan served a trio of dishes: Duck Mousse, Grapes, Gel, Almond Powder; a Savory Corn Pudding, Vegetable Chips, Zucchini, Olive Dust; and Lamb Belly with Onion Ash, Carrot-Ginger Jam, Crispy Pea-Sesame Soil.

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Here was an Artichoke and Fava Paella with Chicken and Pork, courtesy of Chef Perfecto Rocher of Lazy Ox Canteen.

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Tasty Clouds' founder Nina Rodecker was on hand to offer up a variety of her haute cotton candies.

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Scarpetta at Montage Beverly Hills sent a dish of Branzino as well as Sous Chef Victor Boroda (quite the shutterbug himself it seems).

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The ever-ebullient Nguyen Tran was of course all about getting people to sample Starry Kitchen's Citrus Sesame Tofu and Salted Plum Lychee Panna Cotta, prepared by his wife and chef Thi Tran.

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Sharing a table were Short Cake and Short Order. Short Order, helmed by Chef Christian Page, presented Pretzel Pups: Smoked Beef & Bacon Link, Sauerkraut, Grainy Mustard, Pretzel Bun, while Short Order's Head Baker Hourie Sahakian brought along a variety of baked treats.

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Left: Restaurant Relations team member Danny Li and Margaret Lin.
Right: Director of Operations Ray Warriner with his date Theresa Kiang.

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Neal Fraser and Amy Knoll Fraser's Fritzi Dog will be launching soon, but the even bigger news is that Grace's replacement (which will not be named Grace) will finally be getting off the ground, taking over the space currently occupied by the Vibiana's rectory building. Plans call for both indoor and outdoor dining rooms, a bar, a separate bar/lounge on the second floor, and a number of private dining rooms.

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Chef Hiroyuki Fujita served up a hearty Beef Tongue Curry: Chopped Beef Tongue with White Rice, Curry Sauce and Pickles for Downtown Japanese curry slinger Fat Spoon.

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Sadie Chef Jason Petrie injured himself recently, and thus had to pull out as a food purveyor at the last moment. However, the Hollywood newcomer still managed to deliver with a selection of three cocktails: the Friar Fresh (Plymouth Gin, Velvet Falernum, Lemon Juice, Grapefruit, Honey), the Veev Gveev (Vodka, Chartreuse, Grenadine, Lemon, Fresh Berries, Orange Juice), and the Guayabera (Basil Infused Avion Tequila, Lemongrass, Watermelon Syrup, Lime Juice, Soda, Chili Salt Rim).

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PbP Co-Manager of Event Productions Risa Abarientos and her boyfriend seemed to have enjoyed Sadie's cocktails.

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Drunken Udder Ice Cream's Matt Donley was on hand to serve up his company's alcohol-infused frozen treats in four flavors: Bourbon Salted Caramel Ice Cream, Lemon Basil Sherbet with Lemon Vodka, Raspberry Orange Sorbet with Orange Vodka, and Chocolate Espresso Sorbet with Espresso Vodka. Booze and ice cream? How has anyone not thought of this before?

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Celebrity caterer Jack Lee's Chinoise Cuisine put out some Filet Mignon & Grilled Shrimp fresh wraps with Mint Leaves with sweet and tangy dipping sauce.

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Jar's Chef de Cuisine Preech Narkthong offered up a duet of desserts: their signature Jar Chocolate Pudding and a Butterscotch Pudding, Salted Caramel.

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Chef Seakyeong Kim from Charlie Palmer at Bloomingdale's embraced his Korean heritage with his Gochujang Glazed Lamb Belly in Steamed Bun.

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Right next door to Charlie Palmer was Broadway, the new-ish restaurant by CP's former head chef Amar Santana. His sticks of Crisp Pork Belly, Miso-Caramel Togarashi, set in a bed of grass, may have been the evening's most interesting presentation of food.

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Chaya Downtown's Chef Atsushi Kenjo cooked up a plate of Stone Fruit & Fromage Blanc, Jamon Serrano with Sherry, Vinegar Gastrique.

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Fluff Ice co-founder Matthew Hui was on deck with four varieties of his shaved ice: Honeydew, Original, Mango, and Thai Tea, all served with a bevy of accompaniments.

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Surprisingly, 9021Pho's Kimmy Tang wasn't slanging pho, but rather her version of a Chicken Salad.

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Laurent Quenioux was defiant in his serving of foie gras at the event. It came as a "Hure" of Foie Gras, Salmon Roe, Smoked Eel, Lobster Gelee, Vietnamese Shiso as well as in "sashimi" form. He also featured bread from newcomer bakery B1 Breadshop, with dozens of pieces available for patrons to take home.

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With her cooking demo done, Chef Nyesha Arrington came over to sample some of Laurent's wares.

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XT Patisserie co-owner Tuan Trinh had a colorful spread of macarons for us to try.

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Beverage Director-slash-Partner Jeffrey Faust for fundamental LA had two dishes for guests to consume: the Pickled Floret, Avocado, Crispy Shallot, Thai Coconut Sauce and the Vanilla Panna Cotta, Black Pepper Granola, Sorrel

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Longstanding Plate by Plate participant Akira Hirose and his restaurant Maison Akira gave out a Braised Pork Belly "Kakuni" with Yuzukosho Kabocha Coulis.

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Marcus Baird's Feast Catering presented several dishes, including a Blue Cheese Studded Yorkshire Pudding with Slivered Beef and Horseradish Crème Fraiche.

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The charcuterie program over at Wood & Vine is arguably the best in the City, and we were happy to have Chef Gavin Mills present a trio of his House-Made Charcuterie at the event.

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Stepping back outside now, I ran into former Project by Project team member Yulree Chun, who was here representing Gogobot, a new socially-focused travel site.

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The St. Germain-sponsored cocktail challenge got underway, pitting Chris Hewes, Gia St. George, and Devon Espinosa against each other to see who would prevail with the top cocktail incorporating the elderflower liqueur. When all was said and done, it was Library Bar's Chris Hewes who would reign supreme with his whimsically-named "Gettin' Figgy With It."

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Left: Restaurateur-of-the-moment Bill Chait was in attendance with girlfriend Julie. As reported earlier, he's partnering with Neal Fraser to take over the Vibiana.
Right: Perfecto Rocher with Ibérico Fresco's José Ignacio Martínez-Valero, importer of fresh 100% jamón ibérico products from Spain.

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Somehow, during my first sweep through the garden area, I'd managed to miss Rustic Canyon. The restaurant offered a dish of Sweet Corn and Rosemary Fritter with Honey Crème Fraiche, presented by new head chef Jeremy Strubel.

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Co-Manager of Restaurant Relations Joy Bitonio just happens to be the girlfriend of Chef Jeremy.

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More PbP'ers: Manager of Design Risa Yanai, Director of Marketing Rosanna Huang, Co-Manager of Team and Leadership Development Irene Choi, and Co-Manager of Multimedia Paul Kim.

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Left: Our Director of Fundraising Sunny Chung and friends.
Right: DineLA director Stacey Sun, with beau Josh Lurie of Food GPS.

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Jeremy Crooks on stage performing, in between sets by DJ Freddy Ruxpin.

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This year, the Plate by Plate ice sculpture doubled as an ice luge.

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Left: Director of Events Marian Bacol-Uba along with National Director of Events Oanh Nguyen (and previous Los Angeles Director of Events), with Lindsey Wang.
Right: Events Team member Vickie Chan.

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Left: Event planner Amy Ling with husband Paul Lee, VP Director of Purchasing at Hing Wa Lee Jewelers.
Right: Angela Park working it at the silent auction station.

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Left: Devon Espinosa looking quite smug with his stache.
Right: Longtime PbP fixture Sherwin Goo, along with former PbP team member Helen Kim.

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Left: Playa CdC Kevin Luzande is smiling for a good reason.
Right: PbP NY President Eleanor Lem, PbP National General Counsel & Secretary Nirendran S. Kathirithamby, and PbP LA Legal Counsel Annie Lin.

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Taking the stage: Argentine-Australian-Korean actor Leonardo Nam.

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Left: Irene Choi and budding restaurant investor Caroline Choe, along with Jennifer Sanderson.
Right: Bricia Lopez having a good time with Perfecto.

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Director of Partner Outreach Eden Tol with past partner Michelle Freridge, Executive Director of the Asian Youth Center.

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Left: PbP PR/Social Media Manager Camellia Cheng and acquaintances.
Right: The unmistakable duo of Ramiro Arvizu and Jaime Martin del Campo from La Casita Mexicana.

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Wong Fu Productions in the house.

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Left: Director of Events Marian Bacol-Uba with PbP team member and noted Hello Kitty fiend Kayla Vu.
Right: Is she pulling Eden's tongue?

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Left: Perhaps a punch is more effective.
Right: Soft like pillows.

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Left: National Director of Marketing Grace Hsiang with LA Director of Marketing Rosy Huang.
Right: PbP Operations team member Christie Liu, with Clayton Tran.

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Yes, that's none other than former MasterChef Season 3 contestant Felix Fang (who works at Katsuya here in LA). It's too bad she got the boot on the last episode; I was really rooting for her to win the whole thing!

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Having fun with cake toward the end of the night.

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Previous Plate by Plate posts: 2011, 2010