The 99 Cent Chef: Restaurant Nocturnes 3

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Restaurant Nocturnes 3 - Video

The 99 Cent Chef pulls out all the f-stops for
Restaurant Nocturnes 3.

Like turn-of-the-century photographer August Sander's "People of the 20th Century" (where he tried to record all of German society - from industrialists to circus performers) I continue to follow my taste buds in shooting my epic 21st Century Los Angeles epicureal photo/video series that's suitable for framing.

And I film almost everything: from the Valley's Bob's Big Boy Coffee Shop and Eagle Rock's 1955 landmark of Italian cuisine, Casa Bianca, to L.A.'s latest hip speakeasy The Tar Pit (from Mark Peel of Campanile) and everyone's favorite neighborhood Hollywood hang, Birds.

I record audio and capture a tasty photo/video segment of 26 local restaurants, at 10 second each, in this five-minute video serial. With more than 130 nighttime restaurant photos I've published on Twitter (click here to see the latest ones), I am just scratching L.A.'s Teflon surface of unequaled dining experiences. This time I've shot a savory and intoxicating nocturnal mix of enticing cafes, pungent dives, and exotic ethnic eateries.

As an example, I walked the short block of Little Ethiopia on Fairfax Avenue in the heart of L.A., and zeroed in on Rahel, the only all-vegetarian Ethiopian restaurant in Los Angeles? Also, of special note, I take you inside the bustling kitchen of downtown L.A.'s cool and elegant Rivera - the kitchen and appetizer bar is separated from the outside by large ceiling-to-floor windows.

Be sure to check out my clip of Breadbar (a bakery/sandwich shop in West Hollywood), that is spearheading the celebrity chef Pop-up Restaurant theme -- this month featuring a twist on the budget "Japanese Salaryman" bowls of ramen, topped with pork belly and foie gras, from Chef Kazuo Shimamura. And, I also hit Ye Old Kings Head Pub/Restaurant (one block from the ocean on Santa Monica Boulevard) on the day USA fought England to a tie in the World Cup soccer game -- be sure to check out the rowdy, wild crowd out front!