Author: Mona Day

The Rich Flavors of Michoacán

Mona Day Descanso Restaurant, Dine, Food & Wine Events, Restaurants

The menu at recently opened Descanso restaurant draws inspiration from the Michoacan region of Mexico, where owner Rob Arellano who grew up in the area.  Michoacán’s cuisine is heavily influenced by the region’s abundant resources, such as avocados, which grow year-round in the area;  it is also deeply rooted in its indigenous and colonial history, with a strong emphasis on traditional ingredients like corn, beans, and chilies. The restaurant’s menu draws inspiration from traditional family recipes and the vibrant flavors of the region reinterpreted through contemporary technique and premium ingredients.


The restaurant’s beverage program too uses popular street drinks of jamaica, horchata, local botanicals like aloe and agave and cacao blended  with regional spirits like tequila and mezcal.

Tuesday, August 19 the restaurant celebrated the rich culinary and beverage heritage of Michoacán with a multi-course dinner.  Owner Rob Arellano, Chef Sergio Lopez and bar manager  Justin Ybarra were on hand to field and address questions. 

The evening kicked off with passed appetizers.  There was guacamole with sharp on lime and chiles, and a home made house salsa with smoky with roasted tomatoes and chiles served with tortilla chips and chicharrones.  There was also popular street food of bowls of spicy tangy corn kernels.

The first course of the sit down dinner was a ceviche of tropical local sea bass with mango, jicama, Fresno chiles, cucumber, red onion, lime with a mango habanero sauce and micro cilantro. Ceviche with lemon / lime is more common in LA,  Arellano pointed out that the mango sauce is not that unusual for the region. 

 The ceviche paired well with a refreshing Ya No Vuela of Kettle One vodka, fresh kiwi, St Germain apricot liqueur, lemon and rosemary.

The second course  featured the Relleno:  a roasted Anaheim chili with tatuma squash, corn, sweet peppers, tres quesos, salsa verde, onion, Cotija cheese and micro cilantro on a blue corn tortilla. 

The relleno too was different in that it was not the drenched in flour before frying.  That omission definitely raised the chili profile.

The relleno was paired with a refreshing cucumber y Sal: El Tesoro Blanco tequila,  Chareau  Aloe liqueur, Cucumber, cilantro, lime and black sea salt.

The third course was a hearty short rib estofado of  braised short rib, guajillo Pinto bean Jus,  avocado, spring onion, micro cilantro, radish, serrano pepper, baby carrots and blue corn tortilla.

It was paired with a full bodied  Brazo Dulce:   Banhez  Espadin /  Barril  mezcal with fruity notes of  blackberries, raspberries, Orgeat,  honey, lime and mint.

The final course was dessert of Tres Leches de coco:   white cake soaked in a sweet coconut milk, fresh whipped cream, toasted coconut flakes and strawberries.

It was paired  with an espresso martini of  Herradura  Ultra, house horchata, cacao Blanc,  banana, and  espresso cold brew. It was the perfect closing drink.

Guests got to take home a jar of the popular house salsa as souvenirs of the evening. 

 For more information on the restaurant and its menu, please visit DescansoRestaurant.com.

SAUCY SAMMIES

Mona Day Dine, Restaurants

H&H Bagels has been a New York City institution for over 50 years, offering the quintessential New York bagel, even earning cameos in Seinfeld, Sex and the City, The Office, and more along the way.

H&H prides in using high quality ingredients, starting with unbromated and unbleached flour, and as being all-natural, non-GMO, with no artificial preservatives, and with each bagel providing 13 grams of protein. 

This focus on ingredients extends throughout its menu using fresh cracked eggs griddled for every sandwich, whole avocados hand sliced to order, and freshly ground small batch coffee all without microwaves or other short cuts. 

After 50 years in New York City, H&H is expanding nationwide, opening recently in Boca Raton and Santa Monica, and has plans for many more in DC, Tampa, Jacksonville, West Palm Beach, Knoxville, Chicago.  Its Santa Monica location opened just recently in February, on 710 Montana, right after the fires.  Expansion notwithstanding, the dough remains kettle-boiled in New York City water, then baked locally on-site fresh every day.

The bagel shop has featured bagel sandwiches made with eggs and cheese, steak, and sausage, along with its quintessentially New York Nova Salmon with the Works.  Now, starting June 18th, it is expanding its offerings with a new lineup of sandwiches using signature sauces, all of which will be available at its Santa Monica location.  

The new offerings include: 

Southwest Turkey – Oven roasted turkey, crispy bacon, fresh avocado, pepper jack cheese, and spicy Southwest sauce

Roast Turkey Ranch – Oven roasted turkey, crispy bacon, fresh avocado, provolone cheese, and buttermilk ranchHot Honey Ham & Cheddar – Smoked ham, cheddar cheese, red onion, Dijon mustard, and hot honey

BBQ Beef & Cheddar – Top-round roast beef, crispy bacon, cheddar cheese, red onion, and BBQ sauce

Spicy Sausage, Egg & Cheese – Savory sausage patties, fresh cracked and griddled eggs, pepper jack cheese, jalapeño cream cheese, and Southwest sauce

Build-Your-Own – Your choice of meat, cheese, and sauce with lettuce, tomato, and onion (additional items cost extra)

All of these offerings will be available at its Santa Monica location at H&H Bagels 710 Montana Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90403.

For more info and on-line ordering, please visit HHbagels.com

HOLLYWOOD UNDER THE STARS

Mona Day Chefs, Dine, Food & Wine Events, Restaurants

St. Vincent Meals on Wheels will once again host its fourth annual Hollywood Under the Stars gala fundraiser at the Paramount Pictures lot on Saturday June 21,  6:30p.m. 

The evening kicks off with a  champagne and cocktail VIP Hour  in the iconic Paramount Theater hosted by longtime Circle of Angels donors and 2024 Special Honorees Ian McShane and Gwen Humble-McShane featuring bites crafted by VIP Angel Chef Hosts Giuseppe Gentile and Francesco Zimone from Florence Osteria & Piano Bar and L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele.   

Then, nearly a dozen celebrated Angeleno chefs and pâtissiers will showcase a chef-curated tasting menu from 2025 Culinary Angels, who include Chefs Mihir Lad (Arth Bar + Kitchen), Nika Shoemaker-Machado (Georgia’s Restaurant), John Sungkamee (Thai Emporium), Armando Quiroz (City Club LA), and Noah Clark (BOX Chicken). Desserts will be provided by this year’s Sweet Angels Saffy’s, Bertha Mae’s Brownie Co., Lark Cake Shop, and Marsatta Chocolate. 

A brief formal presentation at approximately 8:00 pm will highlight the depth and breadth of services provided to seniors in LA County by St. Vincent Meals on Wheels. 

Nelly Llanos-Kilroy will be honored with the St. Vincent Meals on Wheels Crystal Angel of Service Award in recognition of her decades of unwavering support for the organization and exemplifying the spirit of community at St. Vincent Meals on Wheels.

Guests continue the celebration with signature cocktails and dancing under the stars to the lively sounds of a 10-piece live band the de Bois All Stars.  

Longtime donor and volunteer Rick Llanos will be back as the Honorary Host of Hollywood Under the Stars 2025. Rick’s connection to St. Vincent Meals on Wheels spans generations, beginning in his childhood when his mother, Nelly, and her close friend Kathy Kilroy collaborated with SVMOW’s founder, Sister Alice Marie, in the 1970s. Together, Rick, Nelly, and their family continue to actively support SVMOW by participating in events and sharing the organization’s incredible achievements.

St. Vincent Meals on Wheels supports those who are homebound and vulnerable throughout LA County, preparing and delivering food to those in need. These services are particularly in need during emergencies like the recent fires in LA. The need for fundraising and the support of donors is currently heightened by  the cutbacks in federal funding even as Los Angeles County is  experiencing the fastest-growing population of seniors facing food and housing insecurities.

Corporate and community sponsors include Kroger, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul;  individual supporters like Rick Llanos and Nelly Llanos-Kilroy;  and media sponsor Times Direct.

With Paramount Pictures as the venue for the evening, guests are encouraged to dress recalling the nostalgia for Old Hollywood.  Although tables will be reserved, guests are encouraged to mingle and visit all the restaurant stations and bars.

For more information and tickets to Hollywood Under the Stars, please visit: www.svmow.org/hollywood

SWAN LAKE

Mona Day Dance, See, stage, Theater

The 22nd season of Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center will conclude its 2024-2025 season with one of the most recognized pieces in the classical canon – the iconic Swan Lake.  The performance by Boston Ballet June 26–29 marks  the company’s  long-awaited debut at the Music Center.

Swan Lake tells the story of Princess Odette, who is cursed by the sorcerer Von Rothbart to be a swan during the day and a woman at night, and only true love can break the spell.  Prince Siegfried, captivated by her beauty, pledges his eternal love, but the sorcerer tricks Siegfried into breaking his vow leading to her tragic fate by conjuring an illusion of Odette. 


This timeless story of love, betrayal, deceit and sacrifice in a world of sorcery and romance is set to Tchaikovsky’s soaring score. The second act, originally choreographed by Lev Ivanov, is widely considered one of the finest pieces of classical choreography ever created for the corps de ballet.  

Boston Ballet’s artistic director Mikko Nissinen and the company’s adaption of Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece dazzles with stunning audiovisuals highlighting  Robert Perdziola’s impeccable set and costume designs, and amplifying the emotional rendering and technical precision of the company’s dancers. The performance will be accompanied by a live orchestra conducted by Boston Ballet music director Mischa Santora. 

Boston Ballet’s has been performing to international acclaim since 1963 and has cultivated a compelling and dynamic collection of classical, neo-classical and contemporary repertoire.  

Artistic director Mikko Nissinen has been defining the company’s image since 2001.  Born in Finland, Nissinen trained at The Finnish National Ballet School in Helsinki and the Kirov Ballet School. He danced professionally with The Finnish National Ballet, Dutch National Ballet, Basel Ballet and San Francisco Ballet where he was a principal dancer for a decade. Nissinen is committed to developing the art form and the future of dance and actively promotes progressive new works and creations.

Boston Ballet’s Los Angeles stop will extend its visit beyond the Music Center stage to lead  a free outdoor movement workshop on Saturday, June 28, 10:00 a.m.–11:00 am, on Jerry Moss Plaza at The Music Center on Saturday June 28, 10:00 a.m to 11:00 a.m. Taught by two of the company’s artists, Associate Director of Boston Ballet Joan Boada and Principal Dancer Chyrstyn Mariah Fentroy, the free special workshop ‘Plié & Play: A Swan Lake–Inspired Movement Workshop’ is open to the public and will explore the elegance and expression of ballet and the joy of movement in a fun, accessible way. No dance experience or special attire is needed; participants of all ages are encouraged to wear comfortable clothes and be ready to move. For more information and tickets, please visit musiccenter.org/bostonballet or call (213) 972-0711.

Mushroom Monday!

Mona Day Chefs, Dine, Food & Wine Events

The Mushroom Council is touring the nation this spring to spotlight the flavor, versatility and sustainability of fresh mushrooms and the dedication of farmers who help bring this superfood from farm to plate.  

The Los Angeles stop of the gourmet roadshow celebrated all things mushroom at a  cocktail reception at Century City Italian specialty market Eataly’s Terra Rooftop Restaurant & Lounge on Monday, June 2, 7 pm.

The event launched the restaurant’s month-long Mushroom Monday promotion featuring a mushroom-forward tasting menu of signature dishes and mushroom infused cocktails created by Eataly’s chefs.  

Passed appetizers included spiedinos of Cremini mushrooms and cippolini with balsamic.  There was fritto of crispy tempura oyster mushroom with thyme aioli.  Pizza alla palla featured roasted cremini and button mushrooms with mozzarella and provolone.

Mushroom tasting stations displayed Insalata Spinaci with baby spinach and roasted shiitake mushrooms with sherry vinaigrette and parmigiano.  A housemade casarecce pasta featured  a mixed mushroom ragù with  fresh herbs and Grana Padano.  A gnocchi with sausage and oyster mushroom ragù was topped with pecorino romano.  Portabella mushrooms were grilled  with rosemary oil.  A Double R Ranch striploin steak featured  maitake compound butter.

Two signature cocktails included Beech, Please! – a white beech mushroom–infused Botanist gin, Campari, Baldoria Umami vermouth.  Shroom Service featured Japanese whiskey, shiitake mushroom cordial and soda. 

Table displays featured a gamut of mushrooms.

The formal presentation featured remarks by a Mushroom Council spokeswoman and Eataly’s culinary team.  

If you hadn’t had your fill of mushrooms yet, there was a gift bag on your way out, with – you guessed it – more mushrooms to cook at home!

A California Avocado Grove Tour

Mona Day Dine, Food & Wine Events, Local Travel, Nature

Spring through summer is an exciting  time in local agriculture:  it’s the California Avocado season!   This year is even more so because at about 375 million pounds, the crop is expected to be the most robust since 2020. 

Although the season lasts only late March or early April through late summer, it is enormously important to the roughly 3,000 families who farm the land from San Diego to Monterey because after months of  work, they now gear up to pick  the fruits of their labor.  

It is also important to us consumers:  California avocados are fresh and local.  Grown close to home, they move from grove to grocer to table within days, minimizing carbon emissions  from transportation.  The avocado is a nutritional powerhouse, with 1/3 of a medium fruit providing nearly 20 vitamins minerals and phytonutrients packed in good heart healthy fat.  Not to mention, the fruit has a rare knack to transform an array of dishes from being ordinary and mundane to becoming extraordinary and gourmet.  Clearly, its time to celebrate the California season, and what better way to do so than an avocado grove tour?

Our tour met  up at our base hotel in Thousand Oaks to walk over to local resto Pearl District for an avocado forward dinner.  On the menu was  Ahi Crudo with California Avocado, Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette, Pickled Kumquats;  Chilled California Avocado and Shrimp Vietnamese-Style Ceviche;  Pan Roasted Halibut with California Avocado and White Miso Salsa;  Grilled Prime Filet Mignon with California Avocado and Potato Hash;  Spicy Vegetable Fried Rice with Local Veggies and California Avocado.  Dessert was a decadent California Avocado Tiramisu with Berry Coulis.

Next day  after breakfast,  we shuttled over to family owned Camlam Farms in the hills of Camarillo. With over 1,000 acres in production and 300 acres dedicated to avocados, the farm has history goes back to the 1876 Rancho Calleguas land grant. John Lamb has led operations for over 30 years and served on the California Avocado Commission board with brothers and long-time stewards Robert III and David Lamb, and  sixth-generation grower and next-gen leader Maureen Cottingham.  The family is a pioneer of high-density planting and sustainable irrigation and works with universities to host rootstock trials for continued innovation.  One such trial led to the Lamb Hass,  a premium variety gaining global recognition.

A people mover ride toured us through groves of a number of different avocado varieties including Lamb Hass, Gem and the most well-known, Hass. We learned their differences and their different needs.  We also learnt about their  irrigation and temperature control for frost prevention. And we learned about the bees and pollination.  We tried our hand at harvesting, and my big lesson was to leave a bit of the stem on the fruit to prevent it from ripening too fast.

Then there was a guacamole competition with some surprising ingredients like mango, pepitas, bacon, jam and dragon fruit. We split into teams for a showdown for prizes for various categories like most creative, most scoop-worthy, etc

By now we had worked up an appetite and were ready for lunch by the orchard’s peaceful reservoir.  Hosting farm visitors to the farm over the years, the family has become expert at grilling, so lunch featured pork ribs, tri-tip and chicken grilled onsite by the Lamb Family. The proteins were accompanied by – you guessed it – avocado forward sides.  There was Farmers’ Market Green Salad with Sliced California Avocado and Roasted Beets, Baby Gem Lettuce and California Avocado Salad with Spiced Chickpeas and Goat Cheese;  Grilled California Avocado, Corn, Quinoa and Mango;  Lemon and Herb Risotto Cakes with California Avocado Crema.  Dessert was Lamb Family Lemon Tart and California Avocado Brownies. 

After lunch it was time to relax with the  multi-generation Lamb family for a Q&A and farming stories. Maureen’s young son whom we had previously met as he rode his horse now flitted in and out of the area on his bicycle. 

After a bit of rest back at the hotel, the group walked over to another local eatery Crawford’s to network and say farewell at one last avocado-forward reception.

Learn more at CaliforniaAvocado.com 

To learn more about how to select, handle, store and peel a California Avocado, visit https://californiaavocado.com/how-to  

You can use the California Avocado store locator at to find a store near  you CaliforniaAvocado.com/store-locator

#CaliforniaAvocados #CAavoseason #GroveTour2025

Grupo Corpo:  A Thrill From Brazil

Mona Day Dance, See, stage

Leading Brazilian dance company Grupo Corpo will return to LA Performing Arts Center after 14 years for three performances May 2–4.The company whose name means ‘body group’ in Portuguese will present  two works 21 and Gira which blend classical ballet, folk traditions and bold choreography. 

The program opens with Pederneiras’ 1992  groundbreaking work 21, a ballet divided into three movements that weave the company’s 22 dancers into rhythmic and timbral combinations of the number 21. Featuring a score by Marco Antônio Guimarães, the choreography moves with precision with a series of mesmerizing movements that blend the energy of Brazilian folk dances with the formality of classical ballet. The 40-minute piece amplifies the unique sounds of Guimarães’ unusual instrumental composition which culminates in a colorful, dynamic finale.

 
For Gira Pederneiras immersed himself in the history and practices of Brazil’s Afro-Brazilian religions, particularly Umbanda, transforming the characteristic the powerful gestures of Umbanda and Candomblé ceremonies nto a universal human expression.  His choreography reconstructs the powerful gestures captures trance-like turning and movements as well as the raw and dizzying energy of their sacred rites. Set to eleven musical themes created specially for the company by Brazilian fusion group Metá Metá, Gira becomes a mesmerizing 40-minute piece of primal, ritualistic energy. 

Artistic director Paulo Pederneiras founded the company in 1975 recruiting his siblings who included choreographer Rodrigo Pederneiras.  Grupo Corpo went on to become the resident dance company of the Maison de la Danse in Lyon, France from 1996–1999, and today, with over 40 works in its repertoire, the company has gained international acclaim for disciplined dancing by virtuoso dancers who seamlessly integrate disparate influences.

For more information and tickets, please visit  musiccenter.org/grupocorpo or call (213) 972-0711.

Ainadamar

Mona Day Opera, See, stage

LA Opera will present the company premiere of Ainadamar April 26 through May 18. 

The show recounts the fateful final days of poet and playwright Federico García Lorca who was executed during the Spanish Civil War at a natural spring in the hills above the Spanish city of Granada known as Aynadamar, Arabic for fountain of tears. 

Recounting the poet’s life is Margarita Xirgu, a veteran Spanish actress and Lorca’s muse who spent her career portraying Mariana Pineda in Lorca’s play.  Pineda was a 19th-century political martyr executed by the absolutist Spanish regime for sewing a revolutionary flag with the embroidered slogan “Equality, Freedom and Law.  Lorca  could see her statue from the window of his family home in Granada and grew to idolize her.  Evoking the vibrant colors and poetry of Andalusia and especially Lorca’s hometown Granada, the play was Lorca’s first theatrical success. He asked Xirgu to play the title role at its premiere in June 1927 at the Teatre Goya in Barcelona with scenic design and costumes by Salvador Dalí.

Xirgu fled Spain at the beginning of the Civil War but was unable to persuade Lorca to leave as well. His liberal beliefs and open homosexuality subsequently led to his death at the hands of the Falange, the fascist party founded by the son of former Spanish dictator General Primo de Rivera. Xirgu continued to play Mariana Pineda, keeping Lorca’s work alive.  The opera is based on Xirgu’s memories in a series of flashbacks as she prepares  to go on stage as Mariana Pineda.  

The opera opens with a group of young actresses singing the opening ballad and Xirgu remembers Lorca’s brilliance as she tells her young student Nuria of meeting Lorca for the first time in a Madrid bar where he first described his play to her. The flashback is interrupted by a broadcast over the state radio by the Falangist Ramón Ruiz Alonso that his party will stamp out the beginnings of the revolution.  With the launch of the Spanish Civil War, Xirgu pleads with Lorca to join her and her theatre company in Cuba, but he is adamant about staying on in Granada. Xirgu blames herself for not being able to persuade the idealistic Lorca to abandon Spain and save himself.  As she sings of her dreams of finding freedom in Cuba, Lorca insists that he must witness and write about his country’s suffering.

As Xirgu is dying, she performs Pineda’s story for the last time, telling Nuria that though the actor acts only for a moment, but the larger idea of freedom transcends that. A vision of Lorca interrupts her, thanking her for immortalizing his spirit on stage, in the hearts of her students, and the world. 

Led by Resident Conductor Lina González-Granados, the production features a dramatic, flamenco-inspired score by Argentinian composer Osvaldo Golijov and a poignant libretto by David Henry Hwang. Staged by director Deborah Colker, the production has  won acclaim at the Metropolitan Opera, Scottish Opera, Welsh National Opera and Detroit Opera.

Ana María Martínez (currently appearing as Despina in LAO’s Così fan tutte) returns to take center stage as Lorca’s muse, Margarita Xirgu. 

Since its 2003 world premiere, Ainadamar has become one of the most frequently performed operas of the 21st century, seen throughout Europe, North America and South America. Although it is an LA Opera company premiere, the opera has even been performed extensively locally in LA by the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 2004, Long Beach Opera in 2012 and USC Thornton Opera in 2016, and so should be familiar to local audience.

Ainadamar is sung in Spanish with both English and Spanish supertitles. 

Special Events planned around the opera include  a Celebración de las Artes hosted by LA Opera Connects and Hispanics for LA Opera after the May 4 matinee, with  music, food and fun for all on the Music Center’s Jerry Moss Plaza.

The May 7 performance will mark Pride Night, with a special post-performance gathering for attendees. 

For more information and tickets, please visit LAOpera.org/Ainadamar.