Good Things Come in Small Muffin Tins

I like miniature versions of things. We grew up with miniature daschunds, and though my ex-boyfriend used to call them "rats," I still love them. Those mini lip glosses are a staple of my handbag, and, when it comes to desserts, I prefer mini to monster.

For her birthday, my co-worker Wendy wanted a cheesecake (it's a tradition around here that I bake whatever the birthday girl/boy wants for her/his birthday. But the thought of lugging in a gigantic cheesecake to work and knowing that, after everyone had their slice, it would probably become a moldy blob in the refrigerator inspired me to change my approach. I'd miniaturize the cheesecake into bite-sized, single servings. People always eat more and feel less guilt with mini versions, I reasoned.

Graham cracker crust making in mini form

I saw a mini cheesecake recipe on Giada's page on Foodnetwork.com, but gathered from the reader reviews that the recipe wasn't as easy to make as Giada would like to think. Many complained that they could not get the cheesecakes out of the mini muffin tin or that half of the graham cracker crust was left behind in the struggle to remove the cakes. One reader suggested cooling the cakes for 30 minutes (as instructed by Giada) then putting them in the freezer for 15 minutes (instead of a refrigerator as instructed by Giada).

Armed with that information, I set out to make the mini morsels o' cheesecake. I changed a few things in Giada's recipe; no chocolate crust since Wendy gets migraines from chocolate, and instead of an orange zest flavor I went for raspberry. Pressing the graham cracker bits into the muffin tin is very time consuming, but not difficult at all. The filling is incredibly simple. Just cream cheese, ricotta, vanilla, egg and sugar. It blends into a liquid that is easy to pour via a gravy boat or tea pot (pictured below) or anything with a nozzle or narrowed pour spout.

Tea, cheese, or me?

Pour the cheesecake mixture into the pan

After baking for 20 minutes at 350 degrees, the cheesecakes came out looking firm and delicious. Letting them cool for 30 minutes on the counter and another 15 minutes in the freezer was torture for me, since I was dying to decorate! But, recalling many previous cooking disasters that were a direct result of my impatience, I resisted temptation.

Oh little wonders of cheesy delight!

When the time finally came for me to coax the little cheesecakes out of their mini nests, I whooped with joy and went to work with a slanted butter knife. The little creatures of cheese came out clean and easy. Next I swirled a little raspberry jam on the cakes and topped each with a single raspberry.

Little mini cheesecakes all in a row

The best part about making mini foods? You can try one (or two!) and no one will ever notice. And each is its own little wonder of amazing flavor, texture and taste. I plan to make these again and experiment with different flavor combinations.

Be still my heart: Mini raspberry cheesecake

Party Food and Appetizer Ideas

My friend Stacy recently asked me for some appetizer suggestions for an afternoon party she was going to. The main issues? There would be a lot of people at the party (around 80, she thought), it was going to be outside (so the food would have to be good at room temperature or above) and it had to be easy (Stacy is mom to Miles, age 2.75).

As I typed out my list of suggestions, I thought of my brief stint as a caterer. In 2006, I embarked on Fare by Clare, a private chef/catering company. But after only three months, I was involved in an accident that left me unable to work, so I had to let the business go. I'm now mostly recovered, and am back to work, but can't really do the heavy lifting and physical labor that catering requires. So, Fare by Clare is now a fond but distant memory.

Sorry for getting a bit off topic! My point is that, as a caterer, I used to have to come up lots of appetizer ideas that had to meet all of Stacy's criteria. Since I still have some photos from my catering days, I wanted to share some of my standards with you in the hope that it will help you if you're ever in need of fun, creative and easy food ideas for a party. Enjoy! Oh, and thanks to Bridget Vezina, who was kind enough in the beginning of my catering business to send me great tips and ideas (one of her suggestions is included below). I saw her on Recipe for Success on the Food Network today and wanted to give her a shout-out.

1. Cilantro & garlic shrimp skewers: Marinate peeled and deveined shrimp in a mixture of minced cilantro, garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper (puree in food processor for a smoother marinade). Skewer, and bake in a 400 degree oven on cookie sheets for 4-6 minutes. Serve warm or room temperature.

2. Caprese skewers: Skewer fresh, Buffalo mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and basil leaves. Stick into a pineapple or other fun fruit. Serve with a bowl of balsamic dressing for dipping.

3. Chinese noodle salad: Boil chow mien noodles according to package directions. In the meantime, make a dressing with soy sauce, creamy peanut butter, crushed red pepper, rice wine vinegar, chopped green onions and a touch of sesame oil. Toss drained noodles with dressing and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve in a family size bowl or in these cute little Chinese takeaway cartons:

4. Endive cups with candied walnuts and Gorgonzola cheese: I think this one is pretty self-explanatory. I served them here on a bed of red cabbage, just for extra color:

5. Steak crostini: Slice baguette into slices, brush with garlic olive oil and toastin oven. Broil filet mignon medium rare and slice after resting the meat for 15 minutes. Top crostini with meat slices and finish with a dab of horseradish cream and chopped chives.

6. Cheese platter: Get your favorite cheeses (variety counts here) and add some great dried and fresh fruits, nuts and honey to the platter.

7. Potato with smoked salmon spread: Bake small red potatoes in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until done, but not too soft. Let cool. In the food processor, add cream cheese, sour cream, lemon juice, smoked salmon, salt and pepper. Blend until just mixed. Slice cooled potatoes into 1/2 inch thick slices, and top with smoked salmon mixture and chives.

Healthy Taco Salad

I've been consuming way too much bready and carby things lately, so I'm sticking to mostly meat and veg for the next couple of weeks. I find that I feel lighter and just better overall when I eat little or no bread, but I'm realistic. Bread is and will always be an integral part of my life, but I can cut back here and there.

The key is finding non-carby foods that elicit the same mouthwatering cravings that bready food does. One of my favorites is my low-carb (as in bread, not vegetables) Taco Salad. It's simple to make and absolutely delicious and it's a healthy meal I can get excited about. Saying no to bread is easy when you know this is waiting for you at home! Recipe after the pic :).

The sun setting on my delicious taco salad

Healthy Taco Salad

1 lb. ground lean turkey

1 red bell pepper

1 medium yellow onion

1.5 packets of taco seasoning

2/3 cup water

1 15oz. can of pinto beans

Salad greens (I prefer romaine as it stands up nicely to the hot meat/bean mixture)

1 avocado

Low-fat jalapeno cheese, or jalapeno flavored Veggie Slices

2 cups grape tomatoes

Cook turkey, onion and bell peppers in a large saute pan until the meat is mostly cooked and onions are translucent. Add in the 1 and 1/2 packets of taco seasoning, plus 2/3 cups of water and 1 can of pinto beans. Stir to incorporate all the seasoning, and let simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes.

For family style: Make the salad with greens, sliced avocado, cheese and tomatoes and put onto a platter. Top with the hot taco mixture. There's no need for dressing as the spices and juices from the taco mixture will dress the salad quite nicely. Serve immediately.

For single style: Make the salad with greens, sliced avocado, cheese and tomatoes and put into a large Ziploc bag. Put the taco mixture into a Tupperware. Create individual taco salads using a portion of the greens, and a portion of the taco mixture (heat taco mixture first). This recipe makes enough for me to make 4 meal-sized salads for the week.

K-Town BBQ & First Time @ Pinkberry!

I think my palate is growing a bit tired of French/California fusion-type food. I'm sure that you've all noticed the recent wave of nouveau food stuffs featured on this site. While braised meats, seared fishes and cream-based sauces are wonderful, I need to get back to the flava [<--oh yes I did!] and the spice of ethnic food.

So, I went to BCD Tofu House in Koreatown with the boss and coworker last week for lunch. There was a short wait when we arrived (good sign) and the patrons were mostly Koreans (another good sign). But the best sign was the straight-forward description of what BCD is all about, which is displayed prominently on their menu:

Three principles of BCD

*First, cleanliness.
*Second, warm heart.
*Third, top ingredients and taste.

I can appreciate a restaurant that states its philsophy straight-up, and I also like that all three of BCD's top principles are interchangeable. I wouldn't mind it if their first priority was top ingredients and taste, nor would I mind if the second was cleanliness, and the third was a warm heart. Then again, maybe it's nice to start with a warm heart, then focus on the cleanliness of the place. No matter the order, I like the sentiments.

A soup that will warm even the coldest heart

We ordered a few lunch sets - one for each person - but decided to share the main entrees. The sets include a hot tofu soup, a fried whole fish, rice, the main BBQ dish and tons of condiments. I started by ceremoniously cracking a raw egg into my boiling (literally) hot soup to let it cool. The soup itself was good, though not nearly as spicy as I would have liked.

BBQ meat, with fried fishies in the background

For our main entrees, we chose the BBQ pork, the BBQ beef ribs and the BBQ beef. All three were fantastic, though still not spicy enough for my taste. We asked for it "medium spicy," as most K-town places take that to mean Satan's-panties-on-fire hot, but clearly this was not the case with BCD. Still, the flavors were great and I thoroughly enjoyed every bite.

Rice, seaweed and soupy kimchi

My favorite condiments were the kimchi (though it wasn't spicy at all) and the jalapeno and raw oyster mix. When I was little, I used to eat kimchi with milk. I would take a big bite of kimchi, then, with the kimchi still in my mouth, I'd take a big swig of whole milk. No, I was not dropped on my head as a baby, and no, I no longer practice this curiously strange practice of kimchi eating. I do, however, enjoy the "combo bite" method of eating. A little bit of the oyster with a bite of hot rice = heaven. I also enjoyed the seaweed and the fried fish.

More kimchi, jalapeno/oyster stuff and pickles

Afterward, my boss wanted to hit Pinkberry since I'd never been before. I got a medium with blueberries and yogurt chips. It was good, but not wonderfully, fantastically, mind-blowingly great like everyone always says. And the lady at the counter scolded me for taking a pictures, snapping, "No photos allowed!" As if? Pinkberry is one of the most blogged about and most photographed food items on the planet Earth. Luckily I managed to get one shot before being reprimanded.

I prefer Pinkberry to other soft-serve frozen yogurt, and I will definitely have it again, but I won't say it's the best thing ever. A few weeks ago I tried a low-fat Raspberry and Cheese frozen yogurt at Baskin-Robbins, which I can proclaim as the Best Thing Ever (for now). Bits of graham cracker crust, ribbons of cream cheese and raspberry - now THAT is a low-fat dessert I can love.

Good, but not amazing

Sorry, Pinkberry. Love is just not in the cards for you and me.

Happy Birthday Papa!

Just want to give a quick shout-out to my dad, who turns 28 again today!

Love,
Clare

Sunday Cooking: Chocolate Crunch Layer Cake with Milk Chocolate Frosting

The ideal Sunday morning for me consists of a nice, hot cup of rich decaf coffee; a challenging but exciting cooking/baking project; and my radio tuned to This American Life. Lucky for me, this past Sunday included all three.

Before I proceed, I will address the decaf issue: I love the taste of coffee but dislike the jitters caused by caffeine. Call it diet coffee or something more sinister, but I like my decaf as long as it tastes like real coffee (no Trader Joe's weak stuff; I get the pricey-yet-worth-it Starbucks variety).

So back to Sunday morning: Since I'd promised my coworker Tony that I'd bake him some variety of chocolate cake for his birthday, I wanted to find a recipe that would both delight his picky taste buds and challenge my mediocre baking skills. I chose the Chocolate Crunch Layer Cake with Milk Chocolate Frosting from my newly acquired Bon Appetit Cookbook. The crunch comes from a layer of toffee bits, and since Tony is a fan of the candy, I figured it'd be a suitable choice.

Starting off with the main ingredient: Chocolate!

I perused the recipe while keeping an ear to the radio. This week's episode, titled "What I Learned from TV," was poignantly funny and featured some of my favorite writers as well as Mates of State, who performed covers of television theme songs. David Rakoff's monologue about his recent introduction to cable television was especially hilarious.

But I digress. I started first with the cake batter, which consisted of 4 oz. of melted, unsweetened Valrhona chocolate, eggs, butter, sugar, plus the basic dry ingredients. Then there is the whole milk, which really transformed the flavor of the batter (and, ultimately, the cake) from a rich chocolate to a rich, milky chocolate.

Chocolate cakes - ready for the oven

The cake itself was relatively easy to make, but the frosting was a bit of a challenge. First, you have to melt 1 lb. of chopped milk chocolate with heavy cream and corn syrup.

Chocolate ready to melt

Then you have to pour the melted chocolate mixture into a bowl over an ice bath, and whisk for about 15 minutes. The purpose of this is to cool the mixture quickly without letting it set, so constant whisking is necessary. The recipe says "about 8 minutes" but I can tell you from personal experience that it takes much longer for the chocolate to cool. The bonus is a great upper body workout.

Whisk, whisk like the wind!

After the mixture has cooled, you whip the chocolate with an electric beater until the color has lightened to a tan-ish brown. The mixture will also thicken, essentially becoming a fabulous frosting.

It takes a beating and comes...frosting

I frosted the first layer of cake, then added bits of chopped toffee candy on the middle of the cake. Then I topped with the second layer of cake, and covered the entire thing with the milk chocolate frosting. I finished the top with more toffee bits and some chopped semi-sweet chocolate for a nice flavor contrast (well, I hope - I haven't tried it yet, because, unlike Paula Deen, I can't bring myself to give a half-eaten cake as a present!).

I liked the way the cake turned out - especially the frosting. It's thick enough not to run all over your cake plate, but loose enough to ooze down the sides of the cake. And the flavor is very milk chocolaty. Hopefully I'll get a bite at work today and can update you later on the taste.

Chocolaty, milky, toffee crunch goodness

Click here for the recipe.

Chefography Reviews: Food Network

Tyler Florence = YUM

I managed to catch four out of the five Chefography shows this week on the Food Network. Here's the rundown, with my thoughts:

Rachael Ray: I will admit to being a RR hater. She's just too...cutesy, and it bugs me to no end that she uses both the acronym AND the full word/phrase when she talks. Like "EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil!" As if we don't know what EVOO means after hearing it a million times per episode. Another annoying factor is that she always calls her food "healthy" when most of the time, it's far from it. There's a difference between "fresh" and "healthy" but little Rachael doesn't seem to know this. A cheesy enchilada made with fresh ingredients is fresh, but not necessarily healthy, Rachael. Oh, and the fact that she tips $1.82 for a $15 meal bugs too.

However...[long pause]...[sigh]...[groan], I have to admit that, after watching her Chefography, I kind of sort of maybe hate her a bit less. The girl has worked hard to get where she is, and she seems like a relatively nice person. I'll be talking less smack about her, and that's all I can give right now. But I'll still laugh heartily whenever Anthony Bourdain makes a RR joke.

Bobby Flay: People either love Bobby or hate him, and I definitely luuuuuurve the guy. He makes grilling sexy and pretty darn fabulous. He knows how to eat, and he takes big bites of food. Yeah, he's cocky, but for some reason that makes him even sexier. His recipes work, and he just has that lust for life that I admire. His Chefography didn't disappoint, and only confirmed what I already know: Bobby is da man.

Sandra Lee: Clearly the Food Network chose to skip a huge part of Sandra's career: Her rich, now-ex-husband who helped fund many of her projects. They made her out to be some Mother Teresa, struggling to make ends meet, helping her "grammy" and all that other sappy crap. Bottom line: She still sucks, her curtain kits are only good for creating fugly decorating disasters and her boobs are still down to her waist. And knowing how to make 100 dishes out of Bisquick does not a chef make.

Tyler Florence: Is it just me or was Tyler a spitting image of River Phoenix when he was younger? The resemblance is a bit eerie, in fact. I didn't know much about Tyler until seeing his Chefography, so I found it to be very educational and entertaining. Plus this guy knows food - I crave everything he makes. Now I know there's all this talk about how he's putting on a few pounds, but he's still a hottie potattie in my book.

Nigella Lawson: I will no longer make fun of Nigela's oversexed cooking techniques after seeing her Chefography. Though born into a life of privilege, this woman has overcome numerous tragedies and obstacles in her life and I truly admire what she's achieved. She is an inspiration to me and countless others. She's a wonderful cook, mother, wife and an all-around domestic goddess. Actually, she's just a goddess. Period.

Quick Weekend Getaway: Part 3

In yesterday's entry, I forgot to mention that we went to a hotel bar for a quick drink after going to 230 Forest. It was the lounge area of the Hotel Laguna, and though there was a big group of cheesy wedding goers singing Barry Manilow songs, it was quite nice and we enjoyed our wine. There was a nice patio as well, with an ocean view and strong heat lamps. That's me, enjoying the view.

What? I can't show my face...this is a food blog!

The next day, we ventured out further into Dana Point for breakfast. Janet recalled passing by a "cute little place" that may serve breakfast, so we stopped there. It was Bonjour Cafe & Bistro, and it was, in fact, quite cute and they did, in fact, serve breakfast. The menu was exactly what I look for in a brunch menu: lots of interesting egg dishes, some delectable sweet and bready things plus a good variety of sides.

Bonjour! Breakfast wee wee!

Janet started with a cappuccino, which looked frothy and rich (she said it was great), and I got my usual decaf coffee. I know, DECAF? I gave up caffeine over 3 years ago and it just works for me. My rule is, no caffeine unless there's alcohol in it. In any case, the decaf was smooth and full-bodied, so I was happy.

For my breakfast, I ordered the Les Oeufs Poches Formidables with Scottish smoked salmon. Basically it's two pieces of toasted country bread with pesto spread, topped with poached eggs and the meat or fish of your choices (smoked ham or salmon). It also comes with tomato concasse in basil dressing and either a salad or potatoes. I chose the salad. For me, this is the perfect breakfast because a) I can and will eat poached eggs in and on everything/anything; 2) Toasted. Country. Bread. Say no more.; 3) Smoked salmon is one of my favorite types of fish. The dish was everything I wanted and more; the tomato concasse was like a salsa, but made with basil instead of cilantro and jalapeno. Delicious.

Janet got the Les Oeufs Broullies au Saumon Fume. That would be toasted brioche bread topped with two scrambled eggs, Scottish smoked salmon, onions, freshly chopped chives and Swiss cheese. She gave her breakfast two thumbs up, and it looked very appetizing from where I was sitting.

The service was a bit French (by that I mean slow and easy, like Sunday morning), but it was a Sunday morning and we were not in any hurry so it worked for us. And the food was excellent, as was the bread in their bread basket (which we devoured before I had a chance to take a pic, sorry!). The atmosphere was cozy and quaint, with patrons leisurely sipping coffee and reading the paper. I love places like this.

We had a half hour to kill before my Amtrak was to arrive, so we drove to the San Juan Capistrano station and walked around the little historical streets next to the station. There are a few adobe houses, plus a slew of cute little businesses (petting zoo, hair salon, cafes) in the area so it was a nice little walk before heading back up to LA.

Janet in the San Juan "jail" by the train station

Signage pointing to all the sights of San Juan, cute!

All in all it was a very relaxing and easy trip, one that I will do again someday soon.

Quick Weekend Getaway: Part 2

After picking me up from the San Juan Capistrano station, my friend Janet (we have known each other since we were 8 years old) took me to her gated apartment community in Dana Point. Is it me, or is the entire O.C. area gated communities? The interesting thing is that there's really no danger in these areas in the first place; everything is super clean and new and yuppie-centric. So why the need for all those gates?

Maybe to keep crazy dogs like Sassy away from the world at large. Just kidding. Sassy is Janet's Shih Tzu, and she's really cute and sweet, but hyper as the day is long. We decided to go on a walk down to the beach, but left Sassy behind as apparently she was too tired and would need to be carried half the way.

Sassy stays at home

The cool thing about Janet's gated community is that there is a path that leads down to the Dana Point coastline. It was a cold and foggy day, but the beach and hillsides are still breathtakingly beautiful, and it was a really nice walk. We passed both the St. Regis hotel and the Ritz Carlton on our way down the ocean. Of course our biggest motivation for taking the walk was to prep for our fabulous dinner later. After about 3 miles of walking, we felt like we had created enough of a calorie deficit to head back to the apartment and get ready for a fun night on the town in Laguna Beach.

Dana Point beach

Thanks to some Chowhound recommendations, we chose 230 Forest Avenue restaurant. The place was packed, and we had to wait a while to be seated in spite of reservations, but we were also running a bit late thanks to a very slow cab driver. We sat at the bar and ordered two glasses of Hess Select Cab Sav, one of my favorite wines, and within 10 minutes were escorted to our table.

Warm bread in a bag - yum

The bread, hot and fresh, came in a paper bag and was served with a side of olive butter. Now usually I don't like olives, but the butter was actually quite good. And the bread was crusty on the outside, and nice flaky, buttery wonder on the inside.

We started with two appetizers: the roasted beet salad with hazelnut crusted goat cheese and shallot vinaigrette, and the prosciutto wrapped shrimp with mozzarella, herb pesto and young basil. The roasted beets could have been cooked a little longer, but overall the dish was very good - especially the goat cheese. And the shrimp dish was perfect and an interesting combination of flavors. The fresh mozzarella was a nice contrast to the tangy pesto and salty prosciutto. A winning combo.

Beets and goat cheese

Wonderful shrimp with pesto

The service at 230 Forest was spot-on and they clearly know how to handle their stuff even on the busiest of nights. We had both forgotten it was St. Patrick's Day, so downtown Laguna Beach was rampant with rabid drunken types, all hungry for a good meal. Our waitress was friendly and attentive, and she kept a watchful eye without hovering or getting in the way.

For dinner, Janet ordered the wild King salmon in a saffron and tomato broth. She gave it a thumbs-up and said it tasted good. The presentation was nice and it looked appetizing, though for some reason I didn't take a bite - think I just plumb forgot!

Salmon, served in a heart bowl.

I opted for the seared Ahi tuna with lobster mashed potatoes and edamame. The tuna was crusted with black and white sesame seeds, which was good but I think they overdid it with the sesame. I can understand the use of this nutty seed to balance a fishy fish, like mackerel, but with fish as neutral as Ahi, I don't really get the purpose. All you taste is sesame seeds. However, the fish was fresh and perfectly cooked. The accompaniment of lobster mashed potatoes was something that seems like a good idea, in theory, but it just doesn't work. I love lobster, and I love mashed pots, but together, it was like a fishy blob of paste. I don't think fish or shellfish really works as an ingredient in mashed potatoes. I think a jalapeno mash or a saffron mash would have worked better with this.

Tuna and fishy mashed pots!

The edamame was good, and the sauce was nice as well. I liked but didn't love, sigh. But stay tuned for Part 3, as a little French brunch place saves the weekend with some delectable mid-morning fare.

Quick Weekend Getaway: Part 1

I'm really starting to get into riding the train. So when my friend invited me down to Dana Point for a weekend visit, I chose Amtrak over hoofing it 70 miles down south in my car. With Southern California traffic (and roadwork!) as unpredictable as it is, you never know when a 2-hour car trip will turn into half a day's worth of driving.

A round trip Amtrak Business Class ticket from Union Station to San Juan Capistrano station (about 4 miles from Dana Point) and back is a mere $50, so I figured that was my best bet. Business class offers much roomier seating, plus complimentary wine, coffee, juice and snacks. Even though it's only 1 hour and 15 minutes to San Juan, I thought I'd treat myself.

Union Station signage

The Surfliner was my train and I was pleasantly surprised by the clean and roomy interior of the business class cabin. I leaned the seat back, put on my headphones and let the iPod blare away as I prepared to soak in the beautiful scenery that would surely soon reveal itself through my window.

Was I ever wrong. The entire trip from LA to San Juan was like riding through the stinky armpit of SoCal. Nothing but train graveyards, trash heaps, cement parking structures, abandoned buildings and miles of brown, dead grass. "This is where serial killers go to dump their victims," I thought, morbidly, as I stared out in disbelief. Amtrak should rename this train the Trashliner, as it would be more appropriate.

Beautiful sights along the way

Thankfully my iPod provided a colorful soundtrack to the urban decay, so it wasn't so bad. Props to Mika, Dan Spreewald, Rachael Yamagata, Aimee Mann and the other musicians who live in my digital music device for their inspired (and inspiring) sounds.

The other view from my comfy seat

Sorry there's not much food in this post, but I promise more with the next posts about my trip. In the meantime, I'll leave you with a picture of the snack pack: Tortilla chips and salsa, spreadable cheese with some rosemary crackers, dried fruit and some French sugar cookies. I didn't eat anything except the sugar cookies, which were decent. I gave the rest to my friend when I arrived in San Juan Capistrano. More on that tomorrow...

Snack attack pack rat

Quickie Review: Vertical Wine Bistro, Pasadena

Being big fans of the wine + appy formula of dining, my sister and I went to Vertical Wine Bistro for a small bite and some wine the other night. We walked in and sat at a table in the lounge/bar area, which consists of a couple proper tables, a handful of couches and coffee tables and, of course the bar. We managed to secure the last coffee table/cushy chair set, so we sat down and perused the menu.

My sister chose a Savignon Blanc from New Zealand, while I chose a Tempranillo from Spain. Both wines were very good, and the 6oz pour is quite generous for the $11 (white) and $7 (red)price tags. We also noticed the restaurant offers a good number of bottles for around $28-$30. Not bad at all.

The waitress, who looked as if she was in a zombie state, dragged herself over and took our order. We chose the 3 charcuterie plate and the 3 cheese plate. Her vapid expression remained, so we weren't sure if she got our orders or not, but she jotted something down and walked away so we assumed she did. She came back minutes later with the house bread basket - a generous helping of olive bread and french bread with a side of red pepper and walnut paste and a side of salt. The bread was very good, and the red pepper and walnut paste was excellent. It's one of the great "free" finds in an LA restaurant, I would say.

Bread and paste - yum

Our charcuterie plate was a chalkboard platter (nice touch) and loaded up with our picks of serrano ham, soppressata and country pate. The meats were served with nicely toasted pieces of bread, some cornichons, roasted jalapenos, a simple salad and whole grain mustard. It really was the perfect plate and offered everything I'd want as condiments.

Our cheese plate was also served on the chalkboard, so I found it a bit strange that the restaurant didn't take the opportunity to write the names of the cheeses on the boards (something that's popular at other restos that use the chalkboard plates). But we knew what we ordered (Bellwether Farms - San Andreas, Matos - St. Jorge, CowGirl Creamery - Mt. Tam) so it was no biggie. The cheese came with a salad of apples, fennel and cashews, as well as toasted bread. All of the cheeses were very good, and the portions were just right.

The only complaint about Vertical is the noise level of the bar, but it might have had something to do with the Sex & the City wannabe table of 8 gaggling women in the lounge area. The service was good and we liked what we ordered. I will definitely go back for another drink and apps night to Vertical Wine Bistro.