California 1983

Trolling through a box of old papers, I came upon this picture of Hiro Sone in 1983, along with the menu for his restaurant Terra.  Hiro's one of my favorite chefs in the world, and I was curious about what he was cooking thirty years ago.  And here it is:

Hiro, was the original chef of the Tokyo Spago, and among the first to fold international flavors into his dishes.  Interesting to see that he was already adding Thai curries, tahini, and miso into what was then being called "California Cuisine." In the same folder I found the considerably more sedate menu from La Petite Chaya, which was on what was, at the time, an extremely untrendy stretch of Hillhurst Avenue in Los Angeles.  (That restaurant is long gone, but there are still a few Chayas in California.)

  And finally I unearthed this fascinating artifact, courtesy of Bipin Desai, Professor of Physics and internationally renowned wine collector.  Where I got this I have no idea....