Nestled inside the Proper Hotel in downtown Los Angeles is Caldo Verde, the restaurant from James Beard Award-winning team duo Chef Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne.
The restaurant itself is a beautiful space and just a total vibe.
When it comes to the eatery’s concept, Goin said they were inspired by the design of the building.
“The mood, the space, the food; you want it all to be interconnected and make sense,” she explained to Jessica Holmes.
The restaurant is inspired by travel and the name was sparked by a recent trip to Portugal.
“Caldo Verde is actually a very simple peasant dish. It’s a soup. It’s linguica, potato and kale,” the chef explained.
Goin jazzed up the recipe with some seafood and California flair. She added rock crab from Santa Barbara along with mussels and clams.
“Taking that idea of the seafood I had in Portugal and loved and bringing it together with the caldo verde,” she reasoned.
The dish comes in a beautiful cauldron with a ladle, the duo calls it the “perfect festive dish” and says it’s “very comforting.”
They pair credit the dish for launching the restaurant.
Each item on the menu is inspired by food Goin and Styne have had at other places or on their travels. While the trip to Portugal initially motivated the menu, it also has foods based on that “California lens.”
Opening a restaurant is nothing new for these women. Goin and Styne have been working together for 25 years after being introduced by a mutual friend. They’ve opened Lucques, A.O.C., Tavern, and The Larder- among other businesses.
“We often say that we spend more time with each other than we spend with our husbands,” Styne laughed.
Both working moms are looking forward to Mother’s Day, however, they know they’ll have to work the brunch crowd at one of their eateries before they can celebrate themselves.
“Mother’s Day brunch is notoriously busy, which is amazing,” Styne smiled.
Among the many commonalities between the two is the fact that they were raised by “strong moms.”
On this Mother’s Day weekend, Goin honored her mother, who passed away in 2018, by making a lobster salad.
“My mom was from New England, she was a doctor so she came out here to continue her studies. She went to San Francisco and her number one favorite thing was lobster. Every birthday we would go out for lobster. We’d get lobsters and grill lobsters.”
During one of her mom’s visits, Goin whipped her up this salad, which she calls “California meets New England.”
This segment of California Cooking aired on Episode 172.
My Mom’s Favorite Lobster Salad
Courtesy of Chef Suzanne Goin
Serves 6
10 oz slab of applewood-smoked bacon
3 small heads of mixed lettuce, leaves separated, cleaned and dried
Green Goddess dressing, recipe follows
Lemon, for juicing
¾ cup shucked and blanched English peas or fava beans
¾ cup sliced sugar snap peas
2 large ripe avocados, diced
¾ pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 pound shucked lobster meat (OR MORE!!!)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Slice the bacon into 3/8-inch-thick slices. Arrange the bacon strips in two stacks, then cut the strips crosswise into 3/8-inch even-sided rectangles. Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat for 1 minute. Swirl in 1 tablespoon olive oil, add the bacon, and cook about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the bacon is tender and lightly crisped. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels.
- Toss the lettuces with some of the green goddess dressing, salt, pepper, and a big squeeze of lemon.
- Gently toss in the peas, sugar snaps, avocado, cherry tomatoes, and bacon. Taste for seasoning and divide the salad between 6 dinner plates. Add the lobster to the bowl, season with a little more dressing, salt, pepper, and lemon, and then tuck it into the lettuce leaves.
Green Goddess Dressing
1 extra-large egg yolk
1 cup grapeseed oil
1 cup flat-leaf parsley
1 cup packed watercress, cleaned, tough stems removed
2 tablespoons tarragon leaves
3 tablespoons minced chives
1 clove garlic
2 salt-packed anchovies, rinsed and bones removed
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon champagne vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Place the egg yolk in a stainless-steel bowl. Slowly pour ¼ cup of the oil into the bowl, drop by drop, whisking all the time. Continue in this manner as the mixture thickens. Once the mayonnaise has emulsified, whisk in another ¼ cup of oil in a slow, steady stream.
- Purée the parsley leaves, watercress, tarragon, and chives in a blender with the garlic, anchovies, lemon juice, and remaining ½ cup oil.
- Whisk the herb purée, vinegar, 2 teaspoons salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper into the mayonnaise. If the dressing seems too thick, thin it with a little water. Taste for balance and seasoning.