It was so weird. One morning I was watching KTLA where one of the dudes from Animal Restaurant was preparing a yummy-looking tiramisu for the Nespresso CitiZ launch party at Sur La Table in Santa Monica and in the next moment I was attending said party thanks to LAist’s lifestyle editor Julie Wolfson. Score!

The invite-only event featured some of L.A.’s renowned chefs and their coffee-based dishes, all to showcase Nespresso’s new single-cup serving espresso machines, the CitiZ, which is exclusively available at Sur La Table this month (online and at other stores after September 1). It was an unusual affair that took over the corner around the Sur La Table store on Wilshire and 3rd Street. The sidewalk usually bustling with shoppers was blocked off for caffeinated party-goers, famous chefs and a dj.

Set up like a mini food festival, the chefs each had their own tables where they prepared their food and set their tasting-size dishes out for the guests. Fortunately, Julie and I got there early enough before the crowds to chat with the likes of SLS’s Jorge Chicas, Nancy Silverton of Mozza and David Myers of Comme Ca/Sona and even Top Chef‘s Gail Simmons who was MCing the event. The guys from Animal weren’t all that talkative as they were too busy saucing up their pork bellies to pose for pictures. Ah well.

But the food was aah-mazing. Not only were we able to try the chefs’ coffee dishes but there were ample passed appetizers from Patina so we never went hungry. Back to the coffee dishes, each was so unusual, like Iron-Chef-secret-ingredient-coffee unusual. Not stuff like coffee bbq sauces or tiramisu, which was nowhere to be found by the way.

Animal chefs Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo prepared a savory Nespresso rubbed pork belly with grits and greens. Teen chef Greg Grossman created the crowd favorite combo of cappuccino cotton candy and a nitro-chilled Nespresso shot. David Myers set out a delectable poached shrimp with coconut milk, kumquat jam and essence of Nespresso cosi. Jorge Chicas was responsible for the creamy creme fraiche and, I think he said, foie gras, in a cone with a sphere of Nespresso. And Nancy Silverton and Dahlia Narvaez of La Brea Bakery created a decadent and rich Ciocccolato with Perugian Chocolates and some edible goldleaf.

But what made the party very unusual, especially for a food event, was the skateboarders — recent X Games two-time bronze medalist Rob Lorifice among them — showing off their mad skillz on the half-pipe set up inside the Sur La Table store right next to the Reidel glassware (now 50% btw). They were there to further promote the urban feel of CitiZ. The demo wasn’t exactly X Games but skateboarders flying so close to so many expensive and breakable objects still made it a nail-biting spectacle. Eek! Watch out for those porcelain Revol covered cocottes!

At the end of the party as I was leaving, I thought I had hit the mother lode when a lady greeted me at the exit with a huuuge Nespresso shopping bag that was about half my height. The biggest goody bag I’ve ever gotten. “Ooohh! Is it an espresso machine?” I gasped. How awesome would that be? “No,” she said. Still, I wasn’t disappointed. I had just participated in an awesome foodie party and gorged myself on delicious coffee dishes created by L.A.’s top chefs. I had nothing to complain about. The cookbook and espresso serving set in the goody bag were just the mascarpone cheese on top of the tiramisu.

If you’d like to get a taste of Nespresso CitiZ’s coffee for yourself, there’s a pop-up tent with free coffee and demos at the Santa Monica Sur La Table through August 16 Monday through Saturday 10am to 9m and Sunday 11am to 7pm.

More pics from Nespresso event.

Sur La Table
301 Wilshire Boulevard
Santa Monica, California 90401 (map)
(310) 395-0390