just one plate…of goodness
June 15, 2008
I recall the launch of this site, Just One Plate, back in Fall of 2007. It is so rare that a site will peak my interest, especially if it’s not selling anything. At the same time, I had been working on getting Wallflour launched and came to learn what a labor of true love having a website that showcases food and other interests can be. Beyond just being fun and being a complete overachiever’s dream come true, running a content based site has been an extreme challenge for someone like myself who is web-challenged.
But enough about myself, Just one Plate is a site that takes a very focused and clever idea and turns it into the online version of a beautiful coffee table book. The premise of the site is to capture the culinary art form in a simple photographic gesture. The concept: ‘take one plate, one recipe, one chef, and ten questions.’
photo courtesy of Just One Plate, Gardens at the Four Seasons
This concept, plus a hearty serving of perseverance and sparse design, makes for a sublime website. The minimal design and nicely composed food photos were enough to make a fan out of me, but to also have chef interviews and detailed recipes? Wow. If you are like me, I am constantly breaking down dishes in my mind’s pretend chemistry set and trying to come up with recipes of memorable dishes I have tried at restaurants. Pretty much while I am eating it.
I have also mentioned this site before in my basics article about “Plating”. Here’s a great resource for plating inspirations from LA’s finest chefs. I was so curious about this site that when I had decided to do a showcase article on them, I used it as a guise to learn more about the masterminds behind it as well as turn the tables on them so to speak , and throw ten questions back at the three of them. And like a true foodie, we all like to compare notes about where we have been, what cheap eats we haunt and if we actually do any cooking.
So if you are wondering about this trio, since their ‘about’ section is as minimal as their site’s design, here is an exclusive WF interview with them. And yes, they all have day jobs, those being: Max in TV, Margaux in magazines, and Neil in film. Just One Plate is a way to expose Max’s brilliant photography and their collective passion for food.
LA has always been a late bloomer in the areas of fashion, art and food in the past couple decades. The first two have made remarkable strides and the world of culinary delights is right there with them.
1. What’s your favorite restaurant where you can eat for under 10 bucks?
NEIL:
Henry’s Tacos- 1 taco burger, 1 combo burrito, 1 hard shell taco
11401 Moorpark St
North Hollywood, CA 91602-2009
Phone: (818) 769-0343
MARGAUX:
In-N-Out - Cheeseburger, french fries, strawberry milkshake and a side of spread (#2)
Locations in California, Nevada, Utah & Arizona
MAX:
Bay Cities Italian Deli - smoked turkey, lettuce, cucumbers, mayo, mustard, salt, oil, balsamic vinegar & swiss.
1517 Lincoln Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Phone: (310) 395-8279
2. What’s your favorite item in your closet?
NEIL:
My General Electric halloween costume. It’s an army general suit covered in battery-operated Christmas lights. Unfortunately I keep reusing it because I’ve yet to come up with a better costume.
MARGAUX:
A box of childhood home videos. You never said it had to be clothes…
MAX:
My John Varvatos suit. I spent over a year looking for the perfect suit and I finally found it. I wish I could wear it every day.
3. What’s your favorite “food city” in the entire world that you have been to and what “food city” have you not been to that you desperately want to visit? (A “food city” being the kind of city you would want to eat your way through.)
NEIL:
Los Angeles is an amazing food city. After almost 30 years I still haven’t made a dent in it. I would love to go to Bangkok- Thai street food is at the top of my list.
MARGAUX:
Bologna is one of my favorite food cities. I just got back from a trip there and had the most amazing tagliatelle with ragu I’ve ever tasted. As for a city that I’d really like to visit… what is Anthony Bourdain’s favorite food city? That’s where I want to go.
MAX:
Tokyo. The food is incredible. So simple, so refined, so beautiful. I could eat Japanese food every day for the rest of my life. The one “food city” that I’d really like to visit is Roses which is in Spain (not far from Barcelona). A restaurant called El Bulli is there and it’s considered one of the best (if not the best) restaurants in the world. If you haven’t heard of it, google it.
4. What food did you hate as a child but now love?
NEIL:
Gefilte fish. As my palate widens, I’ve incorporated gefilte fish into my life- something you couldn’t pay me to eat as a kid. That said, I will only eat my grandma’s homemade variety- never restaurant made or store bought.
MARGAUX:
Tuna fish. When I was a child I would only eat tuna if it was covered in Fritos. It’s actually pretty funny because now I could live off of tuna fish sandwiches.
MAX:
I guess brussel sprouts. I hated them as a kid. Now I really like them. But they have to be roasted. There’s a tapas place in New York that makes them and they taste like candy.
5. Do you have a signature dish that you make for friends and family?
NEIL:
I don’t. My current cooking habits involve cans and microwaves. I intend to work on it though…
MARGAUX:
I don’t have a “signature” dish… but I do tend to make my Mom’s chicken & broccoli recipe and Max’s Mom’s beef & potatoes recipe at least a couple times a month.
MAX:
I make a mean beef stir-fry.
6. What is your favorite pair of shoes and who makes them?
NEIL:
Vans Syndicate Ballistic Sk8 Hi
MARGAUX:
My current favorite is a pair of red leather pumps by Jeffrey Campbell.
MAX:
I have a pair of chucks (converse chuck taylor’s) that I got in Japan last year made out of a kind of parachute material. I wear them pretty much every day. I wish I had another pair because I’m going to be so sad when these ones get to be unwearable.
8. What do you consider your ultimate comfort food?
NEIL:
For a while it was wasabi peas- whatever pain they brought would nullify the other pains and stresses in my life.
MARGAUX:
A homemade tuna melt. I wasn’t joking about the tuna fish sandwiches.
MAX:
It’s a drink — cranberry juice. I crave it.
8. What is your fondest food memory?
NEIL:
As a kid growing up I used to love my other grandma’s spaghetti with meatballs. The meatballs were huge and dense and covered in a perfect sauce that wasn’t too thin or thick and toed the line of being too sweet (which is ideal for a kid). I wish I had the recipe, although I think my age and hers on those quiet Sundays were as important as the food.
MARGAUX:
This is a tough one. Some of my fondest food memories include late nights cooking with my best friends, a few bottles of wine and some good music.
MAX:
Dinner at a sushi restaurant a few years ago. The entire family was there — my brother was in town from New York, my grandfather was in from Japan — I just remember it being one of those nights that you wish you could bottle up and save forever. Lots of laughs, good stories and wonderful food.
9. Who is your favorite photographer or artist of all time?
NEIL:
Albert Watson
MARGAUX:
This may seem unoriginal, but I’ve always loved Ansel Adams’ work. I even tried recreating his style of photography for my senior project in high school. Let’s just say it didn’t work out exactly the way I had imagined.
MAX:
Is it wrong of me to say myself? Just kidding. Let’s see, I’m going to have to stay current for this one…And I’m going to answer both. My favorite photographers at the moment are Jeremy & Claire Weiss. I love their work. And my current favorite artist is Sam Flores.
And in the spirit of the questions on your own site:
10. Describe your perfect Sunday.
NEIL:
In this order: a pupusa, omelette, bacon, hash browns, chocolate milk, a real new york bagel with cream cheese and lox, a taco, oysters, Culver’s butter burger, Culver’s frozen custard, about five things from Jitlada including tom yum soup, bbq ribs, fried chicken, potato salad, Yang Chow’s slippery shrimp, sushi, ramen, pumpkin pie with fresh whipped cream and a peach.
MARGAUX:
My perfect Sunday takes place in Hawaii. Waking up (anytime after 10:30am) in an ocean view suite. A leisurely breakfast by the pool… french toast, bacon, fresh fruit, mimosas. Spend the day lounging by the ocean with a really good book and a strawberry daiquiri. Finish it off with a late dinner by the beach… full of friends (who also came with us to Hawaii), mai tais and a lot of good food.
MAX:
Breakfast in Tokyo, lunch in Paris and dinner at home in Los Angeles watching a Lakers game. Is that even possible?
***********
Thanks to Neil, Margaux, and Max for taking the time to answer these questions. I have a foolproof roasted brussel sprout recipe that has made a convert out of my friend, Stephen. I’ll post it shortly. For now though, I’m cooking Sunday dinner after having been out of town a few weekends and I have a fish stock to tend to.
all photos in this article and site screengrabs are courtesy of Just One Plate.
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I recall the launch of this site, Just One Plate, back in Fall of 2007. It is so rare that a site will peak my interest, especially if it’s not selling anything. At the same time, I had been working on getting Wallflour launched and came to learn what a labor of true love having a website that showcases food and other interests can be. Beyond just being fun and being a complete overachiever’s dream come true, running a content based site has been an extreme challenge for someone like myself who is web-challenged.
But enough about myself, Just one Plate is a site that takes a very focused and clever idea and turns it into the online version of a beautiful coffee table book. The premise of the site is to capture the culinary art form in a simple photographic gesture. The concept: ‘take one plate, one recipe, one chef, and ten questions.’
photo courtesy of Just One Plate, Gardens at the Four Seasons
This concept, plus a hearty serving of perseverance and sparse design, makes for a sublime website. The minimal design and nicely composed food photos were enough to make a fan out of me, but to also have chef interviews and detailed recipes? Wow. If you are like me, I am constantly breaking down dishes in my mind’s pretend chemistry set and trying to come up with recipes of memorable dishes I have tried at restaurants. Pretty much while I am eating it.
I have also mentioned this site before in my basics article about “Plating”. Here’s a great resource for plating inspirations from LA’s finest chefs. I was so curious about this site that when I had decided to do a showcase article on them, I used it as a guise to learn more about the masterminds behind it as well as turn the tables on them so to speak , and throw ten questions back at the three of them. And like a true foodie, we all like to compare notes about where we have been, what cheap eats we haunt and if we actually do any cooking.
So if you are wondering about this trio, since their ‘about’ section is as minimal as their site’s design, here is an exclusive WF interview with them. And yes, they all have day jobs, those being: Max in TV, Margaux in magazines, and Neil in film. Just One Plate is a way to expose Max’s brilliant photography and their collective passion for food.
LA has always been a late bloomer in the areas of fashion, art and food in the past couple decades. The first two have made remarkable strides and the world of culinary delights is right there with them.
1. What’s your favorite restaurant where you can eat for under 10 bucks?
NEIL:
Henry’s Tacos- 1 taco burger, 1 combo burrito, 1 hard shell taco
11401 Moorpark St
North Hollywood, CA 91602-2009
Phone: (818) 769-0343
MARGAUX:
In-N-Out - Cheeseburger, french fries, strawberry milkshake and a side of spread (#2)
Locations in California, Nevada, Utah & Arizona
MAX:
Bay Cities Italian Deli - smoked turkey, lettuce, cucumbers, mayo, mustard, salt, oil, balsamic vinegar & swiss.
1517 Lincoln Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Phone: (310) 395-8279
2. What’s your favorite item in your closet?
NEIL:
My General Electric halloween costume. It’s an army general suit covered in battery-operated Christmas lights. Unfortunately I keep reusing it because I’ve yet to come up with a better costume.
MARGAUX:
A box of childhood home videos. You never said it had to be clothes…
MAX:
My John Varvatos suit. I spent over a year looking for the perfect suit and I finally found it. I wish I could wear it every day.
3. What’s your favorite “food city” in the entire world that you have been to and what “food city” have you not been to that you desperately want to visit? (A “food city” being the kind of city you would want to eat your way through.)
NEIL:
Los Angeles is an amazing food city. After almost 30 years I still haven’t made a dent in it. I would love to go to Bangkok- Thai street food is at the top of my list.
MARGAUX:
Bologna is one of my favorite food cities. I just got back from a trip there and had the most amazing tagliatelle with ragu I’ve ever tasted. As for a city that I’d really like to visit… what is Anthony Bourdain’s favorite food city? That’s where I want to go.
MAX:
Tokyo. The food is incredible. So simple, so refined, so beautiful. I could eat Japanese food every day for the rest of my life. The one “food city” that I’d really like to visit is Roses which is in Spain (not far from Barcelona). A restaurant called El Bulli is there and it’s considered one of the best (if not the best) restaurants in the world. If you haven’t heard of it, google it.
4. What food did you hate as a child but now love?
NEIL:
Gefilte fish. As my palate widens, I’ve incorporated gefilte fish into my life- something you couldn’t pay me to eat as a kid. That said, I will only eat my grandma’s homemade variety- never restaurant made or store bought.
MARGAUX:
Tuna fish. When I was a child I would only eat tuna if it was covered in Fritos. It’s actually pretty funny because now I could live off of tuna fish sandwiches.
MAX:
I guess brussel sprouts. I hated them as a kid. Now I really like them. But they have to be roasted. There’s a tapas place in New York that makes them and they taste like candy.
5. Do you have a signature dish that you make for friends and family?
NEIL:
I don’t. My current cooking habits involve cans and microwaves. I intend to work on it though…
MARGAUX:
I don’t have a “signature” dish… but I do tend to make my Mom’s chicken & broccoli recipe and Max’s Mom’s beef & potatoes recipe at least a couple times a month.
MAX:
I make a mean beef stir-fry.
6. What is your favorite pair of shoes and who makes them?
NEIL:
Vans Syndicate Ballistic Sk8 Hi
MARGAUX:
My current favorite is a pair of red leather pumps by Jeffrey Campbell.
MAX:
I have a pair of chucks (converse chuck taylor’s) that I got in Japan last year made out of a kind of parachute material. I wear them pretty much every day. I wish I had another pair because I’m going to be so sad when these ones get to be unwearable.
8. What do you consider your ultimate comfort food?
NEIL:
For a while it was wasabi peas- whatever pain they brought would nullify the other pains and stresses in my life.
MARGAUX:
A homemade tuna melt. I wasn’t joking about the tuna fish sandwiches.
MAX:
It’s a drink — cranberry juice. I crave it.
8. What is your fondest food memory?
NEIL:
As a kid growing up I used to love my other grandma’s spaghetti with meatballs. The meatballs were huge and dense and covered in a perfect sauce that wasn’t too thin or thick and toed the line of being too sweet (which is ideal for a kid). I wish I had the recipe, although I think my age and hers on those quiet Sundays were as important as the food.
MARGAUX:
This is a tough one. Some of my fondest food memories include late nights cooking with my best friends, a few bottles of wine and some good music.
MAX:
Dinner at a sushi restaurant a few years ago. The entire family was there — my brother was in town from New York, my grandfather was in from Japan — I just remember it being one of those nights that you wish you could bottle up and save forever. Lots of laughs, good stories and wonderful food.
9. Who is your favorite photographer or artist of all time?
NEIL:
Albert Watson
MARGAUX:
This may seem unoriginal, but I’ve always loved Ansel Adams’ work. I even tried recreating his style of photography for my senior project in high school. Let’s just say it didn’t work out exactly the way I had imagined.
MAX:
Is it wrong of me to say myself? Just kidding. Let’s see, I’m going to have to stay current for this one…And I’m going to answer both. My favorite photographers at the moment are Jeremy & Claire Weiss. I love their work. And my current favorite artist is Sam Flores.
And in the spirit of the questions on your own site:
10. Describe your perfect Sunday.
NEIL:
In this order: a pupusa, omelette, bacon, hash browns, chocolate milk, a real new york bagel with cream cheese and lox, a taco, oysters, Culver’s butter burger, Culver’s frozen custard, about five things from Jitlada including tom yum soup, bbq ribs, fried chicken, potato salad, Yang Chow’s slippery shrimp, sushi, ramen, pumpkin pie with fresh whipped cream and a peach.
MARGAUX:
My perfect Sunday takes place in Hawaii. Waking up (anytime after 10:30am) in an ocean view suite. A leisurely breakfast by the pool… french toast, bacon, fresh fruit, mimosas. Spend the day lounging by the ocean with a really good book and a strawberry daiquiri. Finish it off with a late dinner by the beach… full of friends (who also came with us to Hawaii), mai tais and a lot of good food.
MAX:
Breakfast in Tokyo, lunch in Paris and dinner at home in Los Angeles watching a Lakers game. Is that even possible?
***********
Thanks to Neil, Margaux, and Max for taking the time to answer these questions. I have a foolproof roasted brussel sprout recipe that has made a convert out of my friend, Stephen. I’ll post it shortly. For now though, I’m cooking Sunday dinner after having been out of town a few weekends and I have a fish stock to tend to.
all photos in this article and site screengrabs are courtesy of Just One Plate.
June 15th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
What is a side of ’spread” No. 2 from In and Out?
June 16th, 2008 at 8:27 am
I was just wondering about that.