EATZ

For my birthday last year, my lovely friends and my lovely boyfriend bought me a gift certificate to EATZ.  EATZ is a small cooking school in Los Angeles that offers a condensed culinary series, as well as a variety of classes centered around a meal.  Their specialty is  "personal cooking classes in a fun dinner party environment." The classes are small, which means you get to cook and eat every item, as well as get to know the people you are cooking with.  Each class has a theme like "An Italian Affair", "Greece is the Word", or "Bring on the Bacon!".  We finally got around to signing up for a class and we chose "Your Home Steakhouse."  When choosing classes, I was meticulously looking for three things:


pretty good menu, right?



1.  I wanted whatever we were cooking to be somewhat difficult and not similar to what I have cooked before.

2. The dessert can't just be a last minute decision and add on.  It must be something decadent. Preferably chocolate.  I will refuse eating a fruit skewer for dessert.

3.  The alcohol served must be either red wine or a fancy cocktail.

<<< I thought this covered all the important points.

  



I was excited because I don't ever really cook steak.  I eat it and like it, but I am too cheap to buy steak to cook for myself so I usually don't bother.  Plus, everything else on the menu looked awesome!

The boyfriend and I arrived at EATZ at 7, to be greeted by already made mushroom turnovers, free flowing red wine, and a cozy kitchen equipped for 14 people.  Everything about the setting was perfect. 

We got right in to the cooking!  First with the chocolate mousse, then down the rest of the menu.




By the time we were done cooking everything (and had downed a few glasses of wine and eaten one too many crostinis with garlic compound butter) we finally got to indulge in our efforts.

Literally, everything I would make again.  I imagine myself cooking this meal for my friends and family and them being uber impressed, then the boyfriend and I would high five and laugh because everything was pretty simple!  The salad was probably my favorite; who can go wrong with arugula, tomatoes, and balsamic reduction? The steak was crusted with Panko and Blue Cheese, then smothered with a reduced red wine sauce.  Say whaaaat? It was rich and buttery and cooked perfectly. I didn't want the meal to end! 

More than the food though, we loved the whole experience.  The staff at EATZ makes the night very comfortable.  Conversation flows with your neighbors as well as with the teachers.  Not only do you learn how to cook a certain meal, but you also learn tips and techniques that you can use throughout cooking any meal.  Our "At Home Steakhouse" class really did feel like we were at home because of the warm atmosphere.



yum!

I'd really like to go back to EATZ and recruit friends to go with me!  Anyone would love these classes, no matter their cooking experience. 

Thanks for the birthday gift friends!

(To sign up for a class or for more info: http://www.eatzla.com/)