Events – Rivera’s Chef Seduces with Foods and Spirits

(Mixologist Krishna at work)

I was more than happy to drive to Santa Monica for what I imagined to be an entertaining evening with delicious food, drink, tips and tricks—all coming from celebrity chef John Rivera Sedlar. Co-hosted by Los Angeles magazine and held at Snyder Diamond, the intimate culinary event was a rare chance to watch the founder and chef of the celebrated Downtown namesake restaurant Rivera create his famous Latin cuisine. Besides, it was a nice preview of what’s to come to Beverly Boulevard, when Sedlar takes over the space currently occupied by Grace. (The tasty fare and potent drinks, after the jump.)

(Delicious queso fresco and mango crostini)

(Shrimp ceviche)

I started off with a seductive cocktail containing lemon Maraschino liqueur and orange bitters by Rivera’s mixologist Krishna. (The recipe for The Casino is available on our Facebook page.) Before I knew it, it was time to sit down and listen to Sedlar and his team prepare one of his new dishes (sea scallops with eggplant, preserved lemon and ras el hanou) and a signature dessert (a chocolate torte with caramel Seville orange). All of it was simply divine.

The charismatic chef is at once informative and engaging, and is also more than happy to take questions. Most influential Latin dish? Tamales. Three course dinner he would have on a desolate island? Foie Gras, lobster, and chocolate with tequila, of course. Favorite Restaurants in LA? High end: Providence; everyday: Mo-chica.

The wines were superbly paired by Learn About Wine, and it was too bad I had to really hold back and only take a few sips of each because of my long drive home.

Another thing I found really interesting was the philosophy of cocktails at Rivera. In an effort to educate the Angelino palate, they offer a wide selection of unusual spirits and liqueurs to convey the range of possible flavors. “You won’t find a Grey Goose on the rocks or a Cosmo here. Instead, we’ll try and figure out what you like about these drinks and offer you something that has that essence, but in addition a lot more depth and variety.” Krishna explains. Sure makes me curious…