Plate by Plate 2013 (Los Angeles, CA)

Plate by Plate 2013
Vibiana
214 S Main St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Dining date: 8/3/13

This weekend was the 11th annual Plate by Plate event. Each year, Project by Project partners with a local nonprofit to help fund-raise and promote awareness for their cause (this year it’s East West Players). The chief fundraising event comes in the form of a large, annual tasting benefit which brings together many well-known local restaurants and bars.

The location for this year’s event was the same venue as the last couple of years – downtown’s Vibiana. I really like the place (and not just because it’s within walking distance for me), with its mix of outdoor and indoor space and its rich personality/history. General Admission tickets this year were $150 ($250 VIP) for the all-you-can-eat, all-you-can-drink feast. I attended as a media guest.

Tables were scattered throughout the venue featuring all of the chefs/restaurants represented with most of the spirits/vintners/breweries on the inside. A silent auction featured a host of items to further benefit the chosen organization. Plenty of partner restaurant gift certificates were auctioned off…yours truly will be making visits to Bestia and The Royce soon.

Scratch | Bar pork belly & raw oyster

Star King BBQ piedmontese marinated short rib, acorn jelly salad, sweet potato noodles with veggies

Church & State salade paysanne fraicheur, farmers market tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, sweet corn, herb vinaigrette

Guelaguetza micheladas

Circa tunisian chili marinated prawn

Petty Cash Taqueria ceviche negro

9021pho chicken pho; chicken curry pho

Mills + Company chicken liver mousse, country pate

Lexington Social House yellowtail tuna, compressed watermelon, yuzu tobiko, candied wasabi, ponzu creme fraiche

Little Bear fried oyster gougere slider

Chaya brie cheese tempura, yellow peach marmalade

Lukshon hawaiian red prawn & tea leaf salad

Paiche stuffed yucca beignets, parmesan, serrano chilies

Seoul Sausage curry rice ball with beef and potatoes, shoga siracha mayo

Lazy Ox Canteen octopus curry with ratatouille; hand whipped rice pudding

Taberna Arros y Vi shrimp gambas

The Park’s Finest coconut beef, cornbread bibingka

Phorage rare beef salad

The Raymond bonito cured sirloin with jalapeno salsa and pitchfork dressing; cantaloupe ice cream with raspberry streusel

Starry Kitchen singaporean chili crab gumbo & buttermilk beer beignet; black sesame panna cotta with green tea lemon latte cookies

Allumette german butterball potato chip, coconut white soy marinated salmon roe, yuzu cream

Rivera colombian chocolate torte with habaneros & citricos

Hamasaku pork belly hand roll with gochujamg moromiso

Bashan sword tip squid, red pepper chutney, mango

Patina tamarind braised lamb shoulder, feuille de bric, whipped yogurt and little gem lettuce; nitro cotton candy; coconut mango passion fruit squeeze pop

Ramekin key lime tart with whipped cream; chocolate chip & oatmeal raisin cookie

Charlie Palmer at Bloomingdale’s bulgogi sausage rolls

Fluff Ice 18-hour cold brew lamill coffee, condensed milk, raspberries, espresso beans

Saddle Peak Lodge duck mousse

Bestia grilled beef tongue, green garbanzo bean puree, pickled eggplant, salsa verde

Stella Barra summer tomato salad, arugula pesto, burrata, almonds on house-baked bread; vanilla bean custard, cognac-infused preserved peach, hazelnut crumble

Oinkster house made pastrami sandwich

Chef Jet Tila khao soi

Two restaurants and one bar were exclusive to the VIP area.

Kali Dining pistachio, dungeness crab, avocado, tomato gel, cilantro; vanilla panna cotta, strawberries, balsamic

Redbird dungeness crab salad with curried cauliflower and micro shiso

1886 vesper; mojito; medicina latina; maime taylor

Loved 1886’s made-to-order, handcrafted cocktails. Speaking of alcohol, there were plenty other options..including more handcrafted drinks from Ketel One.

As expected, this event was a lot of fun. My favorite dish had to be the beef tongue from Bestia. It was very tender with a delicious beefy flavor; a salsa verde helped to brighten everything up. As previously noted, something about that restaurant just really jives with me. Neal Fraser’s Redbird preview was another highlight for me, with a cool dungeness crab preparation accompanied by a creamy curried cauliflower – the flavors really worked well together. I loved Seoul Sausage’s fried rice balls, with a perfectly crispy shell and a hot and savory Japanese curry flavor on the inside. Fluff Ice’s collaboration with LAMILL’s cold brew coffee was a light and refreshing sweet/bitter note, with a ton of deep coffee flavor. In terms of drinks, 1886 and The Bruery were favorites (though I wish the latter served more than two beers). I also enjoyed sampling my way through a bunch of different sake with Kurosawa and Mizbasho

This plate was a cool touch, signed by all of the chefs. How appropriate!

Note: This was a sponsored event.