Los Angeles

Our long weekend in Los Angeles was not all about food -- the graduation at Occidental and ancillary ceremonies were classy and spectacular in the Southern California settings and the Getty grounds and gardens were breathtaking in their spring beauty. We saw some old friends, made some new ones and had a convivial time with family. But LA is a real culinary destination. It has that critical mass of money and people to support a lively and creative restaurant scene so we had a great time sampling the offerings.

La Bastide has a charming interior courtyard with a vertical garden that is intimate and refreshing. I had a marvelous turbot, the best I've had since France, preceded by a spring truffle salad. We had a great bottle of Montrachet that managed to be stringent and fruity at the same time. For dessert, we went down the street to Sweet Lady Jane for some wonderful moist cakes served in gigantic portions. I had German chocolate, which was actually several layers of different chocolates and delicious.

We went to trendy BLD for lunch, and I had the signature spicy Cuban pork sandwich, which was generous and tasty. The cocktails, including one with a cocoa nib-infused tequila, were stimulating. Another day, we had a late breakfast at Blu Jam Cafe, which had a good two dozen breakfast dishes on the menu that are served all day. I had the Eggwich, a tremendously filling egg, cheese and avocado sandwich on a toasted ciabatta. Both of these were just fun places to be, with clean, funky decors, bright, innovative menus, and a nice buzz. LA can fill a breakfast place at 10 a.m. on a weekday because a lot of people don't work 9 to 5.

We went to a pizzeria and a sushi place where I had to learn these simple concepts could be taken to new heights. Pizzeria Mozza has so many lovely appetizers that even after we had ordered several for our table of six there were others to try another time. One standout was the farro and bean appetizer, which seemed to burst with flavor; the duck rillette, the fried squash blossoms and the crispy goat cheese were also fabulous. I couldn't pass up the chance to get the pizza with stinging nettles -- kind of a cross between spinach and greens in flavor -- with pepper salami and a salty cacio di Roma cheese. The pizza crust was light and puffy and the whole package excelled anything I'd had before.

Nobu offered some really special hot dishes, notably the signature rock shrimp tempura and a seared salmon with spicy cilantro sauce that were simply out of this world. While the sushi and other cold dishes were very good, I would focus on the hot dishes on a second visit. It's also the first time I've drunk sake out of a bamboo box, with an equal portion spilled into the saucer for good luck. That and a special single malt whiskey cocktail made the drinks the match of the food.

The Getty has a beautiful light and airy restaurant where I had a surprisingly delicate crisp pork belly on polenta for a starter and then a delicious farro risotto with spring peas, mushrooms and parmesan cheese that was delicate and hearty at the same time. Two for two on the farro dishes, so I've found a new favorite grain.

It was marvelous fun having this cornucopia of choices to play with. The dinner restaurants, particularly Nobu, were pricey, but the lunch places and even Pizzeria Mozza were reasonably affordable. I'm sure we'll go back to explore some more.