SoCal Restaurant Show February 1, 2025 Hour 2

“Bar Etoile in the Melrose Hill area of Los Angeles is a natural wine focused restaurant with a full bar featuring Executive Chef Travis Hayden’s farmers market driven, seasonal cuisine with a French lean.Bar Etoile has everything you’d expect from a Paris neighborhood bistro combined with the trappings of a perfect Los Angeles restaurant. Think trout rillettes studded with biquinho peppers and house potato chips, steak frites with Montpellier butter, and vibes for days. Co-owned by the team behind one of L.A.’s oldest (and best) natural wine shops (Jill Bernheimer and Julian Kurland,) expect some fantastic sips on the smart list, plus cocktails, including a damn fine martini, too.”Co-Owners Julian Kurland and Jill Bernheimer are our guests gently pulling the cork on all that is Bar Etoile.“Bar Becky, which quietly opened in 2024 at Long Beach Exchange (LBX) after a series of pop-ups, is an Italian American kitchen by Chef Johnathan Benvenuti, a Southern California native and Hell’s Kitchen Finalist from last season, and partner Jason Scarborough, a Michelin-star restaurant industry veteran and sommelier. Bar Becky is Chef Johnathan Benvenuti's tribute to his mother, Becky. Open for dinner every day, the scratch kitchen features focaccia, house made pastas, and a constantly evolving collection of comforting classics and chef-driven creations. They strive to feature the freshest produce from local farmers and artisan producers.” Chef Johnathan takes a break from Brunch service to join us.Our own Chef Andrew Gruel, the menu-maker behind the full-service Calico Fish House (in the Sunset Beach area of Huntington Beach) provides another timely and informative “Ask the Chef” segment where he responds to listeners thoughtful inquiries. On a much lighter note this week (Fire Relief is still front-and-center) we’re talking about crave-worthy fast food menu items. Chefs, on occasion, do enjoy their favorite fast food menu items. Chef Andrew sheepishly shares his top picks. First morsel up is a discussion of the best in fast-food French Fries.