CIOPPINO

[SIMIHOUND]

Who makes great ciooppino? I have never had it but do I love seafood. I saw the throwdown with Bobby Flay and the owner of Phil's Fish Market in Monterey and now I have an interest in this dish. I am trying to get up to SLO in June for my BD so I will drive that far for cioppino.

[tablefor1]

not the usual suspect : Vicente's was very good last time I was there and I don't love shellfish all that much. Saffron seems to do the trick at most places.

Waiting for Jon and Vinny to do their take on it at Animal!!

[foodnmusic]

La Cachette makes a very nice Bouillabaisse.

[TracyS]

I was surprised recently by having a very good cioppino at 10 Street Cafe housed in Santa Monica Seafood.

I wasn't drawn to it initially, but figured at the very least the seafood would be very fresh and when I asked the server, she said it was an excellent choice. It was a very good rendition of cioppino and had some nice heat with perfectly cooked fish, shrimp, and mussels. Portion was not that large, but enough for lunch and relatively inexpensive. My boyfriend kept sneaking bread over to sop up the great broth.

[bruinike]

Speaking of, has anyone had the cioppino at THE KITCHEN in Silver Lake, IL FORNO Cafe in Santa Monica?

I've personally enjoyed the cioppino at CAFE DELFINI in Santa Monica, ROCK N FISH in Manhattan Beach and TRATTORIA AMICI in Beverly Hills/West Hollywood.

[missyp]

I seriously love cioppino. I have had it at The Kitchen, and it was just OK. The seafood was quite decent, but the flavor of the broth wasn't memorable. IIRC, they didn't serve it with bread or toasts, which was a huge bummer.

I'd like to try Colori; thanks for the tip, Rossi76.

[Rossi76]

Get yourself down to Colori Kitchen downtown. They make it with mussels, clams, shrimp, squid, whatever the day's fish special is, and a big old prawn split down the middle. The best part is the grilled bread they throw in, save it for the end and sop up all the garlicky goodness. I ordered it the other day, and though it was on the specials menu, I've seen it there the past three times I've gone. I would call ahead to make sure. Seriously, go.

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Colori Kitchen
429 W 8th St, Los Angeles, CA 90014

[bgazindad]

I love cioppino. It is my understanding that cioppino has American origins in San Francisco. If you went to Italy they would not know what cioppino is. There are similarities to a dish called ciuppin which is native to Italy. i recommend that you research the SF bay area for the best cioppino. I worked in a fish market and our Italian customers always wanted fresh crab for their cioppino. I would therefor recommend that you eat cioppino when fresh dungeness crab is available. Crab season varies but it is mainly in the fall. Check the fish and game regs for the seasons in Washington and Alalska where most of our crabs come from. I make it at home so I am not familiar with what the local restaurants are doing.

[monku]

Several years ago I had a pretty good cioppino at Enterprise Fish Company in Santa Barbara. (their website isn't working--wondering if they're still in business).

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Enterprise Fish Co
225 State Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101

[Cinnamon]

Check to see if Jiraffe in Santa Monica still has it on their specials - I've had it twice lately. Wonderful. Just the right hint of liqueur. (Not sure whether they called it a bouillabaisse or cioppino.)
http://www.jirafferestaurant.com/inde...

[ChinoWayne]

You do realize that bouillabaisse and cioppino are two VERY DIFFERENT dishes don't you?

[monku]

Agree they are different, but not "VERY DIFFERENT" as you emphasize.
Both are fish stews with similar ingredients and a few different ones. .
Cioppino was created by San Francisco fishermen and probably a offshoot from bouillabaisse.

[bgazindad]

I have had bouillabaisse in Paris France and I have tried bouillasisse and cioppino here in the US. The French bouillabaisse was not red like a tomato based as cioppino is . I have made "bouillabaisse recipes" from US restaurants but they look more like ciopipino. It is understanding that the origins of cioppino come from an italian dish called ciuppin. I am not saying that all French bouillaisse must not be red but I am reporting that the one I had in Paris was not red. Nevertheless, it was good.

[monku]

I can only speak for the bouillabaisse I've had in the US and its been red. I looked at the classic French recipes and correct, they are not red. I would like to try it sometime, and I'm sure they're good.

Bottom line we can agree bouillabaisse and cioppino are fish stews?

[Cinnamon]

Yes there are differences - here is a good guide to some of them:
http://www.nytimes.com/1988/04/24/travel/fare-of-the-country-cioppino-fish-stew-from-the-pacific.html?sec=travel&spon=&pagewanted=print

I would call what Jiraffe served a cioppino, however I do not recall their name for it on the menu.

Monku and Simihound, I see there is also Cioppino on the menu at Enterprise Fish Co. in Santa Monica. Haven't had it there - their other fish dishes are decent at least, some are quite good and the mussels in white wine and cream are excellent - so hopefully the cioppino would be good as well:

Cioppino a combination of shrimp, alaskan king crab, fresh fish, scallops, clams and mussels served in a spicy tomato sauce.
http://losangeles.menupages.com/menup...

[monku]

Many years ago there was a restaurant in LA that featured bouillabaise as a Friday special, I want to say it was Taix, but I'm not sure.

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Taix French Restaurant
1911 W Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026