Drinking Local! The South Bay is a Craft Beer Mecca!

Since the dawn of time, wine has been a part of the daily lives of  many cultures. But did you know that beer has been too? The 1st known beer was made over 7,000 years ago in what is now Iran. The Sumerians were even praying to Nankasi, the patron Goddess of beer as long as 4,000 years ago! And now, FINALLY, we can pray to our own beer gods here in the South Bay.

Over the past several years, the craft beer movement has exploded and our neighborhood is right in the mix. Breweries are popping everywhere, including Redondo Beach, Torrance and Long Beach! See the list below for some great options to try! Its time to explore our neighborhood!

Torrance:

Absolution Brewing Company

http://absolutionbrewingcompany.com/

2878 Columbia Street

Torrance, CA 90503

Tasting Room Hours:

Mon: Closed
Tues: Closed
Wed & Thurs: 3pm-9pm
Fri & Sat: 11am-9pm
Sun: 12pm-6pm

Monkish Brewing Company

http://www.monkishbrewing.com/

20311 Western Avenue

Torrance, CA 90501

Tasting Room Hours:

Thurs & Fri: 4pm–9pm

Sat: 1pm–8pm

Sun: 1pm–6pm

Smog City Brewing Company

http://www.smogcitybrewing.com/yes.html

1901 Del Amo Boulevard #B

Torrance, CA 90501

Tasting Room Hours:

Wed-Fri: 4pm-9pm

Sat: 12pm-8pm

Sun: 12pm-6pm

Strand Brewing Company

http://www.strandbrewing.com/taproom/

23520 Telo Avenue

Torrance, CA 90505

Tasting Room Hours:

Thurs & Fri: 4pm-9pm

Sat: 12pm-8pm

Sun: 12pm-6pm

The Dudes Brewing Company

http://thedudesbrew.com/

1840 West 208th Street

Torrance, CA 90501

Tasting Room Hours:

Thurs & Fri: 3pm-10pm

Sat & Sun: 12pm-10pm

Redondo Beach & Gardena:

King Harbor Brewing Company

http://kingharborbrewing.com/

2907 182nd Street

Redondo Beach, CA 90278

Tasting Room Hours:

Wed & Thurs: 4pm-8pm

Fri: 4pm-9pm

Sat: 12pm-9pm

Sun: 12pm-6pm

Phantom Carriage 

http://www.phantomcarriage.com/post/107412891907

18525 South Main Street

Gardena, CA 90248

Tasting Room Hours:

Thurs & Fri: 11:30am-10pm

Sat: 12pm-10pm

Sun: 12pm-8pm

Long Beach & Seal Beach:

Beachwood BBQ & Brewing 

http://www.beachwoodbbq.com/

210 East 3rd Street

Long Beach, CA 90802

Long Beach Hours:

Tuesday – Sunday
Kitchen open 11:30 to 9:30
Bar open 11:30 to Midnightish

131 Main Street

Seal Beach, CA 90740

Seal Beach Hours:

Tuesday – Sunday
Kitchen open 11:30 to 9:30
Bar open 11:30 to 11ish

Thanksgiving is Around the Corner!

In just a little under 3 weeks it will be Turkey Day and that means it is time for a few great fall recipes! Nothing makes the house feel like the Holidays like the smell of turkey cooking and great things baking! Here are a couple favorites! Hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Hot Cheesy Roasted Brussels Sprout Dip

Ingredients

1 pound brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

2 cloves garlic, unpeeled

1/2 teaspoon thyme, chopped

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup mayonnaise

3/4 cup mozzarella, shredded

1/4 cup parmigiano-reggiano (parmesan), grated

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Toss the brussels sprouts in the olive oil, salt and pepper, spread them out in a single layer on a baking sheet along with the cloves of garlic and roast in a preheated 400F oven until golden brown, about 20-30 minutes, flipping half way through.
2. Squeeze the roasted garlic from the skins, mix everything, place in a baking dish and bake in a preheated 350F oven until lightly golden brown on top and bubbling on the sides, about 15-20 minutes.

Slow Cooker: Implement step 1, mix everything, place it in the slow cooker and cook until the cheese is nice and melted about 1-2 hours on high or 2-4 hours on low.

Option: Add 4 slices cooked crumbled bacon.
Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 50 minutes Total Time: 1 hour Servings: 4

Cinnamon Crusted Pumpkin Bread

(image borrowed from pinterest)

Ingredients

Bread:
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
1 cup vegetable oil
⅔ cup water
4 large eggs
3⅓ cups flour
3 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon cloves

Topping:
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350º. Grease two 8 x 5 inch loaf pans, line bottom of pans with parchment, then grease the topof the parchment. In a large bowl, beat together pumpkin, oil, water, and eggs until smooth.

2. In another bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix till combined. Mix together cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl.

3. Pour into pans, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar mixture, and bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans 10 minutes then remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 2 large loaves bread
Total time: 1½ hours

Fall is Here & Halloween is On the Way!

Here we are in mid October with Fall in full swing, although apparently no one told Mother Nature! Its time for fun fall recipes and the beginning of a chain of holiday parties! Halloween is up 1st, so we thought we would share some great Halloween recipes for all those parties you’ll be having and attending as well as just for fun at home! We all know that pumpkin is king this season, so it’s always fun to find recipes that go along with the trend! Here are a few great recipes to play with this season:

Pumpkin Spice

(put this in your latte’s, on top of some caramel ice cream, in your pancake or waffle mix or even in your cereal for a festive holiday punch!)

4 Tablespoons Cinnamon

4 Tablespoons Ginger

4 Tablespoons Nutmeg

3 Tablespoons Allspice

Candy Corn Martini

(This is an easy cocktail that looks great!)

Ingredients:

2 oz  Candy Corn Infused Vodka (its easy…pour out a little vodka and dump in some candy corn. leave it in until you get your desired flavor.)

2 oz Lemonade

2 oz Pineapple Juice

1/2 oz Grenadine

Whipped Cream for topping

Directions

1. Combine vodka, lemonade & juices and shake.

2. Pour mix into a martini glass.

3. Slowly pour Grenadine into mix so it settles at the bottom.

4. Top with whipped cream.

Pumpkin Pancakes

Ingredients:

2 Cups All Purpose Flour

2 teaspoons Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

3 teaspoons Pumpkin Spice (see above)

1 1/4 Cup Pumpkin Puree

1/3 Cup Brown Sugar

1 Large Egg

3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil

1 1/2 Cup Whole Milk

• Feel free to add chocolate chips, nuts or berries in for something a little extra!

Directions:

Mix dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin spice) and set aside.

Add brown sugar, pumpkin, egg, oil and  milk and blend in a mixer or blender until smooth.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk by hand until combined evenly.

Heat a skillet over medium heat and generously coat with butter.

Put 1/4 Cup batter on and flip when edges look dry and there are bubbles forming on the inside.

Flip and cook for 2 more minutes.

Remove and add more butter to skillet as needed.

We hope you enjoy these recipes and we will see you soon here at Zazou for our AMAZING Pumpkin Ravioli!

A Great Night for Love & Salt at Palmina Winery!

Last Sunday, September 14th, we had the pleasure of a celebrating the awesome collaboration of our soon to open sister restaurant, Love & Salt and Palmina winery. Together they created the signature wine for Love & Salt. It is 80% Dolcetto with 20% Refosco. It is an incredible wine thanks to its incredible winemaker, Steve Clifton! He makes amazing wine & we are so lucky to have had him mastermind this one!

Sunday night we joined Steve, his wife Chrystal, their amazing crew as well as some great Palmina lovers for a night to be remembered! We paired an amazing meal by Love & Salt’s chefs, Michael & Rebecca, with Palmina’s amazing & unique Italian varietals. Check out the incredible menu below! Man, we cannot wait for Love & Salt to be open…

Housemade English Muffins, cultured house butter, fried rosemary & sea salt

with Palmina 2013 Vermentino

Shaved Black Kale, crushed olives, pickled peppers, bread crumbs, ricotta salata & oregano vinaigrette

with Palmina 2010 Subida

Potato Gnocchi, roasted mushrooms, wild arugula & parmesan

with Love & Salt Dolcetto

Caramelized Fennel, burrata, peperonata & white anchovy

with Palmina 2013 Malvasia Bianca

Rabbit Porchetta, prosciutto, swiss chard, black rice & farro

with Palmina 2007 Nebbiolo “Honea”

Down Sugarlip Peach Cake, whipped kendall farms creme fraiche

with  Palmina 2010 Santita

A beautiful set up for a beautiful dining experience!

Each course and pairing was better than the last!

Just as amazing as we dreamed it would be!

Zazou Completes the 5K with the LA KINGS to Support the Hydrocephalus Association!

Saturday morning the Zou Crew walked for a Great Cause! The run benefiting the Hydrocephalus Association started and finishsed right out front of Zazou! Sara, Lisa, Stefanie, Nateja and Robert were joined by our amazing regulars for the 5k and it was a great experience! Some of us walked, some of us ran but in the end we all finished and had a great time doing it! For more info on the 5k and the amazing cause please check out the websites below!

Hydrocephalus Association Home: New Slider Feb

LA Kings 5K

http://kings.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=98949

Beat the Heat with a Great Rosè!

Rosè has gotten a bad rap for a long time. If you ask me, that fiercely sweet look alike White Zinfandel is to blame…They’re truly 2 different beasts entirely! A good rosè will give you the same great satisfaction as you get from your favorite white wine. They can be crisp and refreshing and a great way to cool down on a muggy September day. Spain and California are making some amazing rosès and France makes the best rosès, especially in the south of France!

A great California Rosè is made by Larner in Santa Ynez and it is made with grenache, syrah and mourvedre.

http://larnerwine.com/wines/

An example of a great French rosè is Mas du Fadan Côte de Ventaux.

http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/ventoux+rose

Give Spain a try with Ametzoi “Rubentis” Rosè Getariako Txkolina! (Iknow, quite the mouthful!)

http://www.klwines.com/detail.asp?sku=1067531

 

4 ways to make rosè: Saignèe, Pressèe, Limited Maceration and Run-Off

Typically, Run-Off is used in making a White Zinfandel. Run-Off is pretty much what it sounds like. The winemaker removes the juice from the red wine tank during fermentation and uses it to make rosè. This technique tends more produce a darker rosè, like White Zin.

Limited Maceration is when the juice is left in contact with the skin of the now crushed grape until the desired color is achieved.

Pressèe is the technique where the grapes are literally pressed until the juice coming out is the color that the winemaker is looking for.

Saignèe is bleeding the grape and it is used to make some of the best rosès. The grapes are stacked in a tank and their own weight is used to crush the grapes. Since this process occurs very quickly, the color ends up being a very pale rosè color and a very fresh and rich flavor.

 

So, go out and give ROSE a try today!

 

Guy Gabriele Featured in South Bay Digs

(photo credit: South Bay Digs)

Zazou owner, Guy Gabriele, has been a staple of the South Bay culinary scene for over 37 years. He’s seen the South Bay restaurant world grow and blossom over time from a small beach community to one of the more respected areas to dine in the Southern California.

Guy Gabriele was recently featured in South Bay Digs in an article titled “Local Tastemaker: Guy Gabriele.” In the feature you can read all about what it was like to say goodbye to Cafe Pierre in Manhattan Beach and you can also learn about Guy’s newest venture, Love & Salt.

A very big thank you to Pamela Corante-Hansen and South Bay Digs for the amazing feature!

Zazou is on Instagram

Did you know Zazou is on Instagram? That’s right, you can now follow all of our day-to-day happenings at instagram.com/zazourestaurant. On our page you can of course expect to see delicious food photos, but you’ll also get a taste of Zazou culture as well as a feel for our Redondo Beach community.

Are you on Instagram? Share your username in the comments and we might just follow you!

Homemade Pappardelle Pasta

At Zazou we take pride in serving an interesting blend of classic French and Italian flavors. One of our favorite traditional Tuscan dishes is pappardelle pasta. We serve a pappardelle pasta with wild boar ragu and portobello mushroom (pictured above). But pappardelle is a simple and delicious dish that you can cook at home.

We came across this tasty recipe for Homemade Pappardelle Pasta with Mushrooms, Green Peas, and Asparagus. This homemade pasta dish was created by Chris Hastings, renowned chef at Hot and Hot Fish Club in Birmingham, Alabama.

Below are the ingredients for the pasta portion of the dish. To view the full menu visit myrecipes.com.

Pappardelle Pasta:

• 1 teaspoon saffron threads
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Guide to French Wine

French wine names can sometimes be difficult to discern because unlike most wines, French wines are labeled with the place where the wine comes from and not the name of the grape. In France, each bottle of wine is labeled with the “Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée,” which indicates that the bottle follows the specific rules for winemaking and grape growing of the region.

French wines are labeled by region due to the idea of “terroir.” Terroir is what makes each wine specific to its region. The taste of each wine is influenced by where the wine comes from – the type of soil, elevation, climate and weather among other factors.

How well do you know French Wine? Take a look at the regions above and see if you can guess the matching grape varietal.