Sometimes food and love can be intertwined in the strangest ways. There may be a food that you absolutely love or perhaps you first fell in love with your spouse or significant other while sharing a yummy apple pie a la mode. This year, Whist, the luxury restaurant located inside of the grandiose Viceroy Santa Monica hotel, plans to celebrate Valentines Day, the holiday dedicated to love, in a uniquely appetizing way by teaching patrons how to lovingly tantalize their date with exclusive, aphrodisiac menu selections.
On Tuesday, February 3rd, the amazing culinary duo consisting of Whist’s newly appointed Executive Chef, Taite Pearson, and Senior Sous Chef Brooke Mosley will offer an ultra special aphrodisiac-inspired cooking class with Valentines Day serving as inspiration. Whist’s Valentine’s Day Aphrodisiac class will focus on the many different facets of interactivity and the intimacy of cooking while providing an experience that is stimulating in both texture and flavor. This unique event will open with a stirring study of the senses, linking food with mood alterations as you prepare and consume it, and then progress into a full-blown progressive learning experience as guests move through three stations:
Raw Fish-
Which will focus on the pure, unadulterated flavors and textures.
Hand-made Pasta-
Which will progress from “foreplay” meaning the initial kneading of the pasta dough to the “climax”, where there will be actual finished shapes. This will demonstrate how much fun couples can have making pasta together as they discover the sensuality of the process.
Individual Tarts and Pies-
Will be the last station and will illustrate the sheer pleasure that can be derived from making a food creation completely from scratch for someone you love.
Patrons will be allowed to sample offerings created all throughout this hands-on class and will even get a chance to enjoy aphrodisiac inspired cocktails (but will be asked to please keep their hands off their cooking partners… at least until they get home). Afterwards, guests will receive a small goodie bag, in addition to a take-home box for items made during the class. The classes will be open to the public as well as to hotel guests.
WHEN: Tuesday, February 3, 2009 from 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM
COST: $65 per person, inclusive of welcome champagne reception, class materials, and valet parking
WHERE: Whist at Viceroy Santa Monica (Bristol Room), 1819 Ocean Avenu, Santa Monica, CA 90401
For reservations, please call: 310.434.285
Valentine’s Day Menu for Whist 2009
Eighty-five dollars prix-fixe
One
Scallop crudo, hearts of fire, blood orange
-or-
Pink lady apples, red endive, pomegranate, pink peppercorns
Two
Petite herb salad, poached organic egg, black truffle
-or-
Coconut broth, shellfish, thai chili, lemongrass
-or-
Torn hand made pasta, ricotta, chanterelles
Three
Milk poached veal loin, mustard spaetzle, roasted grapes, sweet breads
-or-
Angel hair wrapped lobster, roasted young beets, tarragon
-or-
Breast of duck, leg of duck, liver of duck, quinoa, kumquat
-or-
Lamb chops, pearl cous cous, preserved lemon, harissa
Four
Meyer lemon ravioli, mascarpone, pine nuts, basil
-or-
Crepe torte, gianduja chocolate, candied clementine, hazelnut
-or-
Take me home pots de valentin
To get a room (one hundred and ninety-nine dollar supplement)
The Whist is located at the exquisite Viceroy Santa Monica hotel at 1819 Ocean Avenue. The restaurant serves breakfast Monday through Sunday from 7:00 am to 11:00 am, and lunch from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. Brunch is served Sunday from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm. Dinner is offered from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm Sunday and Monday, and 6:00 pm to 11:00 pm Tuesday through Saturday. The bar menu is offered daily from 3:00 pm to 11:00 pm. Reservations can be made by calling 310.260.7507 or by visiting
www.viceroysantamonica.com.
Viceroy Santa Monica
Viceroy Santa Monica is the flagship property of the luxury hotel operator Kor Hotel Group, which is based out of Los Angeles, and its ‘Viceroy’ brand. It was named as one of the “Top 100 Hotels in the U.S. and Canada” in Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best issue in 2008 and is one of the eleven hospitality endeavors resulting from Kor’s partnership with designer Kelly Wearstler. The hotel’s style is a direct reflection of that partnership as it combines small pieces of English colonial with extravagant Regency furnishings, which have been updated with contemporary materials such as Lucite, a daring splash of parrot green, driftwood gray, and wavecrest white. Each of the hotel’s 162 guestrooms and suites are appointed with specially applied moldings, custom armoires, clean-lined bed frames and pristine marble tiled bathrooms. The expansive executive suites offer breath-taking ocean views and feature original furnishings, coffered ceilings, and whirlpool tubs with lovely steam showers.
