STIMULATION performs at Spark Woodfire Grill

Come invigorate your senses with STIMULATION; a night of Auditory & Visual Media presenting artists Lolita O'Connor, Eric Charles, LIVE musical performances by MASHIA and PAPILLON, plus additional entertainment by Mike Varela.

Spark Woodfire Grill cordially invites you to tantalize and invigorate your senses with an evening of STIMULATION. Bring friends for dinner or just cocktaills, be entertained, network and whether you’re a collector of art or just an admirer, come browse the works of featured artists and photographers.

No Cover! VIP Services are available. Dinner reservations will be accepted, but not required. For those who arrive famished, esteemed Chef Fredy Escobar has prepared a Special Menu available for event guests; tapas and full entrees including Spark's famous Baby Back Ribs, seared Ahi Tuna and ultra thin Milanese style woodfired Pizzas. For your well-rounded listening pleasure, live performances will include MASHIA & PAPILLON -- both accented by the rhythmic electronica mixes of Mike Valera.

Eric Charles' photography glorifies the untraditional, more liberal female; it is bold, provocative & sexy. Preview his work at http://EricCharles.com

Lolita A. O’Connor’s creative realm lies somewhere in the midst of traditional 2D art, sculpture, graphic design, 3D computer animation, visual fx, and experimental film and video. Her works reflect heavy elements of surrealism and post-modernism and are accented by her dark passion for horror, vibrant love for nature, obsession with science, mathematics and perpetual quest for life’s adventures. For more on Lola... http://www.lolitaslair.com, http://www.bolt.com/lolitaslair, http://www.lostcherry.com/lolita.

For your listening pleasure--returning for the 2nd time, is MASHIA -- a siren of acoustic soul. This rising star is an LA resident; she'll be sure to impress!

Also performing is PAPILLON, who will thrill you with sounds of French Pop--inspired by the sounds of the erotic horror films of the 70s, the fusion of vintage pop with contemporary textures, French Literature & modern Electronica create an auditory experience truly unique to the group. Read more@ http://www.papillonwerks.com/bio.php

Additional atmosphere by DJ Mike Valera, or Capt Mike -- the latter serving him much more justly. He, indeed, is the Captain when it comes to seamlessly melting together various worldly urban rhythms with Electronica dance beats to create his own unique style in the true essence of groove lounge.
Dinner reservations are not required, but will be accepted. Please specify that you are attending STIMULATION along with any requests for VIP Service. Upscale casual attire requested.

STIMULATION
Date: Wednesday, June 28th, 2006
Venue: Spark Woodfire Grill Address - 9575 W. Pico Blvd, LA, CA 90035
Time : 7:00pm - 1:00am
Ticket Info: No Cover
Website: www.sparkwoodfiregrill.com

Behind the scenes at Spark's Volk Wine Tasting Dinner

The Kenneth Volk Wine Dinner was a success. The kitchen had been bustling all day to prepare and the restaurant smelled delicious. Kenneth Volk was the first to arrive. What a lovely man. He explained that he would like to say a little something to the group and then “table hop” to personally answer any questions the guests may have for him. We were also honored to have Pro Football “Hall of Famer” Eric Dickerson in attendance. The guest slowly trickled in and after enjoying a tasty Malvasia Bianco with a flowery bouquet and clean, dry finish, everyone eventually took their seats.

I said a few words to set the tone for the evening. Smiling faces beamed back at me, many of them familiar from past events, fully expectant of wonderful pairings. As they listened intently to my greeting, I conveyed that in my opinion the actual food and wine tasting are always wonderful, but pale in comparison to the new friendships, the memories that will remain and of course, the few hours of chaste satisfaction derived from escaping the hectic lives we lead. Simple pleasures and quality of life is what I think it’s all about. And with that said, Kenneth Volk welcomed everyone to Spark Woodfire Grill and the servers began to pour Chardonnay for the first course.

The sautéed scallops with grilled cauliflower and spring onion puree combined terrific tastes and textures. The light smokiness of the grilled cauliflower with the sweetness of sautéed scallops and the fresh, mildly sharp spring onion puree paired nicely with the well balanced Volk Chardonnay (Sierra Madre Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley) 2004.

Tables began to merge, a single gentleman joined a table of four and several guests started visiting familiar faces in the room. The servers had some special requests which are difficult to honor when the guests keep moving around the room, but I had encouraged it. Service is key to a smooth event. There is a fine line between professionalism and being overly friendly. I strive to maintain a level of professionalism, combined with a sense of genuine caring and couldn’t have asked for a better crew. Jake (whom I used to work with at Alto Palato), Sara and Lolita were all wonderful, accommodating when necessary, very attentive, super professional and yet, I saw some hugs at the door from their guests at the end of the evening.

The second course paired Volk Pinot Noir (Santa Maria Valley) 2004 with thin small squares of fresh lasagna sautéed with a Tuscan style rabbit ragu. The pasta had a little bite to it tossed with tender ragu that melted in your mouth. The Pinot Noir possessed a very light smoky finish which paired beautifully with the hint of sweetness from baby carrots in the ragu.

As we replaced silverware, cleared empty glasses and replaced them for the next course, the room was getting progressively louder. A gorgeous night, some people stepped out onto the patio to enjoy a little fresh air, others talked to complete strangers in favor of fresh pasta over dried, Bill Chait (co-owner with Danilo Terribili and Jeff Sladicka) stopped by and I think half of the room was up and milling about. Then we served the lamb paired with Mouvedre (Enz Vineyard, Lime Kiln Valley) 2003 and a hush came over the room. The lamb was butterflied, stuffed with fresh herbs, tied and wood fire rotisseried served with Mouvedre that had an intense, deep, flavor with a black cherry finish. I had a gentleman call me to the table to ask if he could please have a little more because it was the best lamb he had ever tasted. As I recounted this story to our beaming Chef Fredy Escobar and Co Chef for the evening Danilo Terribili, I thought to myself, “This is when you love the restaurant business.”

For dessert, we served a chocolate tart aromatized with black and pink pepper garnished with fresh whipped cream. (Yes, aromatized. In Italian, the word is Aromatizzata and when translated it means “to make aromatic”. I liked it.) The Volk Cabernet Sauvignon (Carmody McKnight Vineyard, Paso Robles) 2003 was smooth, velvety and complimented the extremely subtle spiciness of the black and pink pepper.

After a month of preparation, tastings, menu design, meetings with the Chef, e-marketing, press and finally the actual event, I am exhausted and swear it will be a long time until I help to organize another Wine Dinner. Then I write this article and I slowly realize that I derive great pleasure in producing a successful event, bringing enjoyment to a group of very nice people and maybe in a small way, making a difference in somebody’s life.

Then the phone rings, a conversation begins, they say the event isn’t for a couple of months.

Alright…I’ll do it.