Article by Paola Zevallos
Many California restaurants have set a goal of creating a menu based on takeout and delivery that features no-contact. During COVID-19, 101 North has accomplished that mission with meal kits and cocktail kits that enabled their patrons to enjoy an authentic dine-in experience in the comfort of their own homes.
The Westlake Village eatery’s cocktail kits are curated by their in-house mixologist Austin Franco and are priced at $30 each. 101 North’s cocktail to-go menu features five ready to-go options. Customers can call, text, or email to order The Italian Iced Tea, The Red Sangria, The Cosmopolitan or Margarita Kit.
After a trip to Macau, Jeffrey Helfer and Chef Anthony Alaimo were inspired to open up a restaurant in Los Angeles that features a diverse culinary menu. Chef Alaimo began working at Italian restaurants throughout New York City at a young age. He worked and traveled through the East Coast learning how to work with local ingredients and the seafood industry of New England. He worked in many famous kitchens throughout the United States including a stop at legendary restaurants in Las Vegas. From Las Vegas, he moved to Macau, China, where he spent nine years as the Chef de Cuisine, before bringing his unique skill set to Los Angeles.
During the Pandemic, Chef Alaimo has crafted a special Takeout and Delivery food menu. “Our goal was for our guests to be able to create a unique experience at home with the creativity of our menu,” noted the restaurant’s manager Brandon Breceda.
One of the restaurant’s most popular dishes is the grilled grass-fed Hanger Steak that gets served with salt-crusted potatoes and a mojo verde sauce. The second most popular dish is the grilled Spanish octopus accompanied with corona beans and an aji amarillo sauce.
The SoCal restaurant community awaited the news about reopening. California Governor Gavin Newson just announced that restaurants can once again open for outdoor dining. With an eye towards once again providing its guests with a signature dining experience, 101 North used the backdrop of the Super Bowl to highlight its fare.
The restaurant celebrated the Big Game with a takeout or delivery only special priced at $160.00 with fare for four to six people. The menu included stuffed shishito peppers, shaved steak sliders with mushrooms, onions, taleggio cheese, pork chile verde con queso, fresno chili wings, homemade tortilla chips, avocado salsa verde, and a chocolate dipped smores cookie sandwich. For an additional $30, guests were invited to add a margarita cocktail kit that serves eight people. for 30 dollars.
Despite the challenges of this extraordinary pandemic, 101 North found a way to be creative to maintain their business. The response showcased the opportunity for customers to stay connected and to generate revenue to keep the restaurant afloat. Customers have overwhelming responded to the cocktail kits and a special take-out and delivery menu, and a big game day special. Recently, they reopened for outdoor dining which brings them back to their roots as a neighborhood restaurant.
To learn more about 101 North in Westlake Village, CA, visit their website
