Last month, for his 32nd birthday, I took my boyfriend to an at-home cooking class, EATZ. The class, called Rendezvous a Deux, teaches a menu that includes making Belgian Endive with Tuna Tartare, Prosciutto wrapped halibut with sage brown butter sauce and cracked potatoes with garlic and thyme. We gobbled up the little appetizers Niki had set out during the process. The good thing though about EATZ is that you're allowed to munch the plates as you make them. I think Saadi and I practically finished off the tuna tartare. At the end of two hours, all 14 students sit down outside on her patio and relax into an eating reverie. Not only did Saadi love it (I know cooking, right?), he called it the best birthday gift he's ever gotten -- which of course, made me very pleased.
Here, Niki demonstrates how to use a carving knife.
Throughout our class, Niki keeps the wine flowing.
Back in September I had actually written about EATZ and the chef, Niki Tehranchi in an article, Home Schooled for the food website, Tasting Table. If you are looking for something unusual and out of the ordinary in Los Angeles, you have to take a class from Niki - food classes range from Rock the Casbah, One Night in Bangkok, and A Flight to India to Cocktail Bash. It's best with a date or a group, although many people will take it by themselves. The night I went, we started chatting with an engaged woman who's parents had bought her a class to take a break before the wedding. The classes run a bit pricey ($85) but for someone who has not of late taken many vacations, I'd say this is one of the most worthy investments for you staycation folks.
I also have to say Chef Niki is so pleasant and immediately makes you feel like you're at home, ahem in her home! A lawyer-turned-chef, Niki knows how to command a room of hungry, would-be chefs and makes it fun along the way. The setup is very idyllic, being at a cotttage in what doesn't feel at all like the middle of Los Angeles. My boyfriend commented that it even felt like a movie set, just with the type of old-world architecture surrounding us.
The table is lifted so that folks have it at cutting level.
