Thursday, February 10, 2011

2/11 Matt Lauria, Chef Miki, Mustards Grill, Diamond Creek Vineyard, Movie Guy Steve Evans

What's Cookin' Today Hour ONE:

Matt Lauria Stops By To Tell Us About His New Show, Fox drama “The Chicago Code”

Matt stars in the new Fox drama “The Chicago Code” from creator Shawn Murphy. The show premiered on Monday, February 7th. Promoting: the second episode of “The Chicago Code” on Monday, February 14th. He plays a young detective on the show and can also currently be seen on “Friday Night Lights” on DirecTV. The “FNL” season finale airs on February 7th. He was also seen as a sassy fashion assistant on “Lipstick Jungle.”

This new FOX drama series “The Chicago Code” on Mondays 9pmET/8pmCT. For more information, check out their website at www.fox.com/chicagocode/

What's New at Bistro Provence? Owner & Executive Chef Miki Zivkovic Tells Us Everything!

Much in demand by Hollywood celebrities, major corporations and prestigious wineries, Miki Zivkovic has emerged as one of L.A.’s premier chefs.For a kid who grew up in the Serbian countryside of the former Yugoslavia he lives a pretty glamorous existence. But his modest roots have always kept Miki grounded and his cuisine while featuring occasional elegant touches often exhibits comforting, homespun qualities.

At 16 Miki enrolled in a culinary school in Belgrade with plans of eventually opening his own bar. Upon graduation he apprenticed at Restaurant Vuk, an acclaimed establishment in the capital city, after which he was hired as a cook at the Sava River Restaurant, one of the city’s most prestigious seafood establishments. He was working at the Hyatt Regency in Belgrade when the war broke out and the company provided him an opportunity to safely emmigrate to California. He left the Hyatt hotel chain to work for When in Rome, a popular San Diego Italian restaurant, followed by a position at Grazi in the Bay Area.

At Albona Ristorante Istriano in San Francisco, Miki landed his first job as head chef but he left the position to cook on the line at the establishment of celebrated chef Alain Rondelli, one of the hottest restaurants in America at the time. It was there, cooking an inspired modern French cuisine grounded in classic technique, where Miki experienced a major transformation in his career - cooking suddenly became a passion, not just a vocation.

With a new sense of excitement about his craft, Miki left Alain Rondelli in 1992 to open Enzo’s, his own French restaurant in the Oakland Hills. The high-end establishment, specializing in multi-course tasting menus, received widespread acclaim. In 1998, Four Seasons Hotels recruited Miki to work at the Aviara Resort, its exclusive property in northern San Diego County. Then, in 2000, he began collaborating with L.A. superchef Joachim Splichal of the Patina Group, for whom he opened many of the company’s highest profile properties, including Pinot Provence in Orange County, Pinot Brasserie at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, and Catal Restaurant & Uva Bar and Naples Ristorante at Downtown Disney. He then took over as Executive Chef at Pinot Bistro in Studio City, where he was fixture for nearly five years, before departing to open his own restaurant, Bistro Provence in Burbank.


What's Cookin' Today Hour TWO:

We're Visiting the Mustards Grill in Napa Valley with Wine Director, Patrick Kellaher!

Mustards Grill was named for the wild mustard flowers that bloom in the vineyards every spring, which help to nourish the soil. Mustard is an integral part of Napa Valley's wine growing diversity, makes for one heck of a condiment, and doesn't look too shabby in the springtime either! After 27 years of feeding Napa Valley and its visitors, Mustards Grill is still the hub of the food and wine community where winemakers lunch with truckers and chefs come to dine on their night off. Alternately known as the fancy rib joint with way too many wines, Mustards is still the place to go for a heaping plate of honest American fare with worldly sophistication, washed down with a glass of the valley's finest.

We're Getting a Kick Out of Boots Brounstein & Diamond Creek Vineyard!

Founded in 1968, Diamond Creek is California's first exclusively Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Vineyard. Visionary pioneer Al Brounstein defied modern conventions and planted Bordeaux varietals on secluded Diamond Mountain. The three vineyards produce a small amount of long-lived wines that are elegant with great depth and richness, honored and cherished by connoisseurs the world over. Taste the differences imparted to the wine by the distinct soils and micro-climates of Diamond Creek Vineyards.

For more information on this winery, go to http://www.diamondcreekvineyards.com!

Movie Guy Steve Evans Gives us the Movie Hits and Misses!
Steve Evans, the Movie Guy, is going to tell us what we need to run out and see and what we can avoid in the movie theaters, this week! So, grab your popcorn, folks! Get your movie news and reviews right here on the What's Cookin' Today show!
Steve “The Movie Guy” will take a look at what’s hot at the box office and the new films being released this weekend including…
  • The Eagle Channing Tatum stars as a solider of the Roman Empire who embarks on a quest to find his father and the missing Ninth Legion.
  • Gnomeo & Juliet Two garden gnomes find themselves in a star-crossed love affair when they are caught up in a feud between neighbors.
  • Just Go With It Adam Sandler enlists Jennifer Aniston to pretend to be his soon-to-be-ex-wife, in order to cover up a careless lie that snowballs.
  • Justin Bieber: Never Say Never The story of teen pop idol Justin Bieber, chronicling his meteoric rise to stardom alongside real-life 3D concert footage.

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