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Eating Philly – Tiffin

Nov30

Location: 8080 Old York Rd, Elkins Park, PA 19027. (215) 635-9205

Date: November 23, 2015

Cuisine: Indian

Rating: solid Indian

Our annual ThanksGavin trip always begins with a big Wednesday night dinner out in Philly, but this year we were out a day early so there was a Tuesday bonus.

Tiffin is a local (to Elkins Park) Indian restaurant.

The usual kind of casual decor.

From my cellar: 2004 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese. 93 points. Again, sulphur evident on the nose, although with plenty of bright and acidic fruit beneath. It is delicate, clean, minerally and has tingly acids. Then it seems softer, more gentle, not so much substance, with lots of bright character. Good potential.

Chutney and sauces are included which is nice.

Cauliflower with a coconut sauce. Very nice.

Fried fish. Like fish and chips with black pepper.
Samosas. Certainly a decent version of this classic.

A light creamy curry with potato balls (not unlike matzah balls in texture).

Saag. Creamed Indian spinach.

Chickpeas with a mild curry.

Shrimp curry. Again the slightly sweet goopy curry.

Tilapia with tomatoes and onions. One of the few without the smooth curry treatment.

2009 Bodegas Domeco de Jarauta Rioja Solar de Castro Vendimia Seleccionada. 89 points. Very healthy bright red, cherry and chocolate on the nose, great balance of concentrated but not overpowering fruit, tannins with good structure, giving it a long finish. Very yummy, great wine.

Chicken Tikka Masala. Dark meat. A credible version of this dish, but from the smooth and sweet school of Indian curries. Akbar’s is so much richer and more flavorful.

Chicken Tikka Masala. White meat.

Lamb in a coconut curry sauce. Again the sauce is very sweet with the spice blend being fairly mild and blended into the rich sauce.

Chicken Tikka. My uncle goes nuts over this “BBQ chicken.”

Bismatti rice.

Naan, plain and garlic.
Galub jamun. Perfectly nice syrup soaked cheese/dough balls.

Overall, Tiffin was a good meal, and decent Indian. All the curries have that smooth, creamy, and sweet thing going on, which is common enough at Indian restaurants. They were pretty good too, this wasn’t like the tomato sauce boring Indian. But it was also just too sweet, without the intensity of “spice” (and I don’t mean heat) that better places have. Now, I’m sure a good bit of that is catering to the Americans, but still. The smooth, sweet, creamy thing made all the curries run together, even though their colors and flavor profiles technically varied.

Still, I fully enjoyed it.

For more Philly dining reviews click here.

Or check out the full ThanksGavin feasting series.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Chicken tikka masala, curry, Indian, Philadelphia, ThanksGavin, ThanksGavin 2015, Wine

Pho Time – Nong La

Nov27

Restaurant: Nong La

Location: 2055 Sawtelle Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025. (310) 268-1881

Date: November 13, 2015

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Rating: Tasty

Nong La is a Vietnamese cafe located right next to Tsujita Artisan Ramen, home of the porkiest ramen around.

It’s always busy, so I figured I’d give it a try.

The inside is “cute” (aka small).

The lunch menu.

Goi Cuon Spring Rolls. Rice paper rolls with pork, shrimp, rice vermicelli, lettuce and fresh herbs. Served with peanut sauce.

Very herby from those greens. Moderately filling too.
Bun Bo Hue. Fragrant lemongrass spicy beef soup with vermicelli noodles, pork patty and beef shank, topped with white onions, green onions and cilantro.

What was not obvious about this soup was how much kick it had. The broth had a great flavor, and I love heat, but until I got the chili distributed evenly it burned right down my windpipe.

It came with the usual Vietnamese side of herbs.

And various sauces. In case it didn’t have enough kick to start, you could spice it up. Or go the other way as I did with the dark plum sauce. I love this stuff. Love it with Peking duck. Love it here. I particularly like getting globs of it in the spoon with broth and the meat.

One quick meal at Nong La isn’t enough to really get a good sense of it, and I’m certainly going to try a Banh Mi sometime soon. The soup was definitely tasty. I did get a big of an MSG/salt hangover for the rest of the day. Not sure if it was the soup itself or the third of a bottle of the plum sauce I consumed!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Nong La, Pho, Vietnamese cuisine

Ghosts of ThanksGavins Past

Nov25

A retrospective look at more than a decade of ThanksGavin turkey plates…

By: agavin
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Elite – King Crab Custard

Nov23

Restaurant: Elite Restaurant [1, 2, 3, 4]

Location: 700 S Atlantic Blvd, Monterey Park, CA 91754. (626) 282-9998

Date: November 21, 2015

Cuisine: Cantonese Banquet

Rating: Elite!

Elite is well known as one of great LA’s top dimsum places, but less well known is how great a Cantonese banquet place it is.

But Charlie chose it as the site for his legendary birthday feast, not only because of how good the food is (and it is good), but because they have a nice private room, great service, and are very Burgundy friendly.

They actually have a couple private rooms, but this time we had the small one, although it was certainly big enough for the 10 of us.

NV Jacques Selosse Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut V.O. 2006 disgorgment. VM 95. The NV V.O. (Version Originale) presents slightly darker, more burnished tonalities of Chardonnay. Almond, marzipan, dried rose petals, spices and anise blossom in an ample, generous Champagne built on volume, but supported by insistent veins of minerality. Hints of trademark Selosse oxidation make the V.O. a bit more eccentric, especially for readers who might not be familiar with these Champagnes. V.O. emerges from parcels in Avize, Cramant and Oger, all Grand Cru villages. The vintages are 2006, 2005 and 2004. This bottle was disgorged on October 15, 2013 and bottled with no dosage.

agavin: delicious. Super rich and tasted more like a 90s Champ.

Peanuts on the table is a Chinese staple.

2001 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos. Burghound 93. This is a big step up in power and weight with a gorgeously complex nose of minerals, white flowers and minerals that leads to pure, muscular, fantastically detailed and precise flavors just oozing with sappy extract. This is quite concentrated and there is a certain regal classiness that separates this from all of the prior wines plus the length and vibrancy are simply incredible. This will require a few years of bottle age to completely integrate as the finish is very firm and quite dry for an ’01 but all of the requisite material is here for this to evolve into a superb Les Clos.

agavin: a little closed and reductive at first, but opened up into a green apple monster.
Suckling pig. We preordered this little fellow. He’s kinda sad, but he sure tasted great. Really just a fabulous bit of pork and cracklings. The sweet sauce on the side is great too.

After we ate all the easy bits they took away the pig face and limbs and chopped them up for sort of a “piglet: the return” dish. A little too boney and nasty for me.

Charlie brought: 1995 Coche-Dury Puligny-Montrachet Les Enseignères. Burghound 88. Golden color though with no hints of browning. As one would reasonably expect, the nose has now gone completely secondary fruit though there is no sous bois or undue exotic notes in evidence and introduces flavors that are classic Puligny in style with their understated, delineated and pure character and clear minerality that shapes and defines the mid-palate plus a crisp, intense and fine finish for a wine of this level. This has always been a somewhat lean effort for a ’95 and it remains that way and to my taste, should be drunk up over the next few years as the acidity may begin to dominate the finish if held for much longer. To be clear, there is no danger of this falling over the edge, just that the balance may become compromised in time.

agavin: our bottle was a bit oxidized. Old enough not to be premoxed, but heading downslope. Still, it had a lovely complexity and brulee.

We also went all out tonight and got the giant crab! Here he is alive!

From my cellar: 1996 Coche-Dury Meursault Les Chevalières. Burghound 91. Coche always seems to be able to coax another dimension out of his array of villages level vineyards and the Chvalières is no exception with its completely mature nose of hazelnut, orchard fruit and hint of reduction that doesn’t carry over to the precise and mineral-driven middle weight flavors that offer a fine sense of focus and energy on the punchy and lingering finish. This is lovely juice that has arrived at its apogee but should remain here for at least another decade.

agavin: Charlie opened a bottle of this exact wine at his birthday 2 years ago and I immediately bought some. Expensive, but a total stunner then and now. Reductive, with a staggering nose and real depth. Most in the room agreed it was one of the two best whites of the night.

And in his first prep: Garlic fried ginger crab. Leg sucking yummy.

2002 Domaine Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet. Burghound 94. A supremely elegant nose of white flower and limestone notes are followed by sweet, pungently mineral and ultra precise middle weight flavors that offer simply incredible focus with an almost painfully intense, stunningly long finish. This\nhas just now arrived on the front edge of its peak drinkability though some may prefer a few more years in the cellar first. In sum, this is really lovely juice that should age gracefully for several decades.

agavin: a young monster, but fabulous.

But nothing compared to prep 2: Garlic steamed crab. This was incredible. Just plain 15 minute old crab steamed with garlic. Oh so good.

2008 Domaine Leflaive Bâtard-Montrachet. Burghound 96. Here the nose is notably tighter and more reserved with aromas of citrus blossom and zest, spice, smoke, fennel and hints of acacia that introduce big, muscular and wonderfully complex broad-scaled flavors that culminate in a long, focused and explosive finish of breathtaking length and intensity. This should reward at least a decade in the cellar and drink well for a similar period thereafter. This too is terrific and very Bâtard and like the Combettes, the ’08 version is one of the very best young examples from Leflaive that I have ever seen.

agavin: The group joked that this was premoxed. But no, it was nice, young and fresh but dominated by reduction and will almost certainly be even better in a few years.

And version 3: King Crab Head Custard. This crab gave great head. The custard was amazing, soft and tofu-like with bits of crab mixed in. About as perfect a white Burgundy pairing as exists.

Fred brought: 1996 Domaine Roulot Meursault 1er Cru Charmes. Burghound 94. Ultra pure and refined white flower and hazelnut notes introduce crisp, delineated and wonderfully refined, linear and nuanced middle weight flavors that culminate in a bright, racy and extended finish. This is incredibly youthful at 9 years of age and should age for 25 years. A great, great ’96 of uncommon elegance for Charmes.

agavin: another stunner. Got better and better through the night too.

Then garlic fried lobster. A truly great lobster prep. Crunchy, salty, and oh so garlicky.

Amanda brought: 1996 Domaine Ramonet Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet. BH? In its youth and up to 2003 or so, this was a brilliant wine and one of the best examples of Bienvenues that I have ever tasted chez Ramonet with an almost painful intensity and superb cut and detail. However, the last 4 bottles that I have tried, and from multiple sources have all displayed unacceptable levels of oxidation and were essentially undrinkable. It’s not clear whether good bottles exist or not but my luck with it has not been good.

agavin: well, our experience jives with Meadows because this was super oxed. 🙁

Another super special. Winter melon soup. Served fresh in the winter melon!

This doesn’t necessarily look like much, but it was an amazing mild soup. I had 2-3 bowls of it. Delicate lovely broth, and all sorts of bits of goodness in there. More like one of those traditional Japanese soups. There was pork, chicken, seafood bits, crab from our crab of course, mushrooms, and this fibrous soft yummy thing that might have been melon. Hard to say.

Amanda brought: 1969 Camille Giroud Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Pruliers. 93 points. A late release from the domaine. This was showing quintessential Nuits, with a simply massive dose of rustic earth on the nose and palate. The mushroom note was also quite prominent, though I think it’s more reasonable to chalk that up to its age. This was showing amazingly fresh for its age thanks to some bright acids. I’d never be able to call this as an almost-50-year-old wine blind. The ripe and prominent fruit makes this taste a lot younger than it is.

agavin: very fresh for its age. Browned out in the glass after about an hour.

String beans with sausage. A richer version of the usual prep.

1996 Domaine Robert Arnoux / Arnoux-Lachaux Romanée St. Vivant. VM 94. Deep red-ruby. Knockout nose combines raspberry, violet, coffee, licorice, spice and smoky oak. Superb richness and volume without excessive weight. Thick for a ’96, but kept bright by tangy Oriental spices and a lively floral nuance. Extremely long on the aftertaste, with noble tannins. Classy juice.

agavin: good stuff. Very much in the house style.

Roast squab. Succulent little birds, heads and all.

Erick brought: 1990 Domaine Dujac Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Aux Combottes. Burghound 92. A beautiful and now fully mature, complex and pure red berry fruit nose that has taken on secondary nuances is trimmed in noticeable oak that continues onto the supple, rich and still fresh middle weight flavors that offer excellent detail and plenty of finishing vibrancy. This is carrying a bit more oak than I personally like but there is no question that this is a quality ’90 that delivers a high quality drinking experience and should continue to do so for another decade, perhaps longer.

agavin: very nice, but at a sufficient level of maturity (bricking) that I’d drink up.

French style beef. Good with the reds.

2005 Domaine Marquis d’Angerville Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Ducs. Burghound 96. The magnificently pure and airy essence of notably ripe dark pinot fruit, cassis and menthol remains reserved and cool with its exceptionally rich, classy, sweet and vibrant mineral-driven and large-scaled flavors that are shaped by powerful if buried tannins. While magnificently long, this stunning Ducster is completely shut down at present and it would be a vinous crime to open one at this very early point in its development as the ’05 is built for the very long haul, indeed 20 years may be too soon. In my view, the ’05 Ducster is destined to take its place alongside the greatest vintages of the past, and while the words “best ever” are presumptuous in a wine with such a distinguished history, the mere fact that it has the potential to be among the very best ever is praise enough.

agavin: we decanted for a while. Even so, while there was tons of fruit, there was so much tannin that it needs AT LEAST another ten years.

Pea greens. Not the pea tendrils, but the older version of the same. With garlic of course.

1994 Vega Sicilia Unico. Parker 96-98. The 1994 Unico is a blend of 80% Tinto Fino, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Merlot (presumably 2% is unknown varieties) that was picked from September 28. It is very intense with notes of raspberry, wild strawberry and mulberry with sensational minerality and vigor. There is a Margaux-like florality to the 1994 that blossom with aeration. The palate is rounded and supple on the entry with great weight and backbone. There is real substance here, similar to the 1996. It expands in the mouth with ravishing notes of blackberry, strawberry, citrus lemon, orange peel and a touch of cedar. There is enormous weight on the finish, a behemoth of a Unico. This is very potent, but it still requires several years in bottle. 96,280 bottles produced. Drink 2019-2040.

agavin: We decanted, very nice.

Dried scallop fried rice. Salty with a lot of umami.

1983 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande. Parker 90-94. A stunning wine, Pichon-Lalande’s 1983 has been gorgeous to drink for a number of years. It is one of the finest 1983s, especially for a northern Medoc. The color remains a dark ruby/purple, with slight lightening at the edge. The knock-out nose of roasted herbs, sweet, jammy black currants, and pain grille is followed by a full-bodied, gorgeously concentrated and well-proportioned wine with low acidity, plenty of glycerin, and a savory, highly extracted, fleshy mouthfeel. This has always been one of the stars of the vintage. Anticipated maturity: Now-2008.

agavin: in really great shape and lovely

Seafood chow mein. I love these crispy noodles.

The sauce soaks into them and softens them up. Oh so good.

1991 Domaine Bertheau (Pierre et François) Bonnes Mares. Burghound 87. Bricking now though still showing a bit of elegant cherry/berry fruit influence on the nose leading to slightly sweet, somewhat light flavors that offer good complexity but not much density. There is good complexity and overall, this is pretty rather than profound and performs more like a good but not special premier cru rather than a big grand cru like Bonnes Mares. In short, this is perfectly good but frankly a bit disappointing for a wine at this level.

agavin: a third bottle left over from the night before.

Dessert buns. These fluffy buns are shaped like peaches, which have traditional happy symbolism in China. They had a bit of sweet paste inside. Perfectly nice (for Chinese desserts).

Another awesome Chinese feast. A lot of these dishes were stunning, like the pig and all the crab dishes. The private room was great and we had a stunning lineup of (mostly) Burgundy. Only one wine had any serious issues (the 96 Ramonet) and this dinner showed the power of high quality producer Burgundy — particularly in context of a dinner without too many big reds (only really the Unico and older Bordeaux). I feel that Burgundy shows off by far at dinners where it dominates (although it can mix fine with Champy). You can’t easily go back and forth between the big extracted wines and the more subtle Burgundy.

Fu really knows how to celebrate!

For more LA Chinese reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Babykillers, Burgundy, Cantonese cuisine, Chinese cuisine, Elite, Elite Restaurant, Wine

Quick Eats – Mondo Taco

Nov20

Restaurant: Mondo Taco

Location: 2200 Colorado Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90404. (310) 310-8922

Date: October 20 & November 30, 2015

Cuisine: Nuevo Taco

Rating: Tasty

There seems to be a bit of a new trend to apply “Californication” to just about any food type. By this I mean the process that transformed the humble Pizza 30 years ago into the now passe “California Pizza.”

Mondo Taco is one of several places trying this on the taco. Nothing wrong with that, as the taco is just a form of open faced sandwich. The shopfront is located right next to the Naughty Dog office (which I no longer work at), but is certainly a busy lunch zone.

Decor is cute and cozy.

The menu.

They have nice unlimited refills on drinks, so I hooked myself up with some pineapple juice.

Taj Mahal. Coconut shrimp, curry sauce, diced red bell pepper. This was one of my favorites. It had bright fresh tastes and packed a good dose of flavor. Plus I liked the crunch of the fried shrimp.

Thailicious. Grilled chicken, chipotle peanut sauce, cilantro, onions. This was actually my least favorite, even though I expected to like it. The flavors were too muddled, with the peanut being too muted by the chipotle. I think it would be better with a sauce closer to Thai classic peanut sauce.

El Greco. Grilled lamb, tzatzikki, diced tomato. In the middle. Certainly tasty, and much like the gyro it is modeled on.

A special: Southern Decadence. Super delicious. Fried chicken, bacon, a kind of ranch dressing, and some kind of sweet dressing. Full of fat and flavor.

Car-Neato. Pulled pork, salsa verde, cilantro. This was fine for what it was, but not my favorite.

Tokyo Shrimp. Tempura shrimp, avocado, spicy mayo. The combo worked, but was a tad mild for my taste.
Overall, these were promising. This isn’t the usual laser-focused Asian fare I lunch at, or even single cuisine fusion, but a sort of “anything can become a taco.” Still, I’ll go back and try some more.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Mondo Taco, Santa Monica, Taco

Yamashiro – Castle on the Hill

Nov18

Restaurant: Yamashiro

Location: 1999 N Sycamore Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90068. (323) 466-5125

Date: October 24, 2015

Cuisine: New Japanese

Rating: Great location, acceptable food

I’ve been meaning to check out Yamashiro for years, as the iconic building is just too cool.

I play with our son and another family at the nearby Pantages provided the opportunity.

This crazy crazy hilltop Japanese castle was actually built in 1914! Look at it lurking above the Magic Castle in this old photo. It was built by Adolph and Eugene Bernheimer, brothers from a large, wealthy family of dry goods importers based in New York. Usually together, they travelled the world for Bear Mill Manufacturing Co. and other business concerns, which included importing “oriental goods” for the American market. Along the way, they became fascinated with Asian silks and antiques, and amassed a collection of artifacts said to be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. In 1912, the middle-aged bachelors purchased 12-acres on the crest of a large Hollywood hill from developer H.J. Whitley. On it, they began constructing an Asian-style estate designed by NYC architect Franklin Smalls. It was said they had been planning its construction for twenty years. Why they chose unfamiliar Los Angeles as the place to build it remained a mystery.

There are epic (for LA) gardens as well and a fabulous view of the city.

2013 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Montagny 1er Cru Les Burnins. 90 points. A very Nice and complete wine. Quite ripe but with good aciditu. Medium bodied , quite a pleaser. Still a bit young, but i’ll drink these in the first two years anyway.

Farmers market salad. Field greens and market vegetables, avocado, goat cheese, roasted garlic croutons, shiso-champagne vinaigrette.

Wakame seaweed salad. cucumber, carrot, sesame rice wine vinaigrette.

Kurobuta pork carnitas. scallion-risotto cake, hoisin reduction, honey-mustard. Not bad, but could have had more flavor.

Spicy seafood hot pot. shrimp, scallop, new zealand mussel, shitake mushrooms, snow peas, glass noodles. Not a lot of flavor. I have the feeling these things have been “toned down” for the tourist crowd.

Seafood tempura. Shrimp, scallop, cod, sake-ponzu dipping sauce, yuzu chili cream sauce. Pretty straight up tempura.

Crisscut fries with dipping sauces. Sambai ketchup and yuzu-shiso ranch. Nice crunch to the fries.

Shoyu glazed black cod. sautéed mustard greens, maitake mushrooms, wasabi mashed potatoes, soy daikon sauce. A little bland.

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Pistachio salmon. coriander-sesame crust, miso-ponzu vinaigrette, pistachio-citrus relish.

Truffle hamachi. White truffle-infused ponzu, teardrop tomato-garlic confit, micro arugula. Basically hamachi with ponzu — and fine at that — but not really any taste of truffle to be found.

Salmon sushi.

Sushi plate. Albacore, tuna, hamachi, salmon roe, sweet shrimp, uni, scallop, eel. Mid rate sushi. Not bad, but the albacore was fishy.

Chocolate sorbet. Grainy and strong.

Graham cracker cookie-dough ice cream. Pretty good.

More sorbets.

And more, including a nice mango-lime.

Molten chocolate cake. Ginger ice cream, plum anglaise.

S’mores fudge browner. Warm brownie, house-made marshmallow, graham cracker cookie dough ice cream, milk chocolate sauce. Pretty good. Just the week before I had a real campfire s’more (while camping with my cub scout son). This was a decent approximation of the classic.

Overall, Yamashiro was amazing ambiance. Service was great too. They were extremely accommodating of our kids and special orders, even with the place being incredibly busy. Food is just middling. It’s not embarrassing, or bad, just sort of “tourist sushi”, slightly worse than than the Ilk of Katana and Katsuya and the like.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Japanese cuisine, Yamashiro

Ocean Star isn’t such a star

Nov16

Restaurant: Ocean Star Restaurant

Location: 145 N Atlantic Blvd #201-203, Monterey Park, CA 91754. (626) 308-2128

Date: October 6, 2015

Cuisine: Cantonese Dim Sum

Rating: Mediocre cart dim sum

I go out to the San Gabriel Valley all the time, and I figured that I ought to give one of the old school cart dim sum places another try.

Ocean Star has been around forever. In fact, I think I ate there sometime in the 90s.

The place was mobbed, and it wasn’t the youngest demographic in the world. The lobby too had that over-the-top SGV 90s decor. Look at that chandelier, the marble, the cove lighting.

Same thing goes int he enormous and chaotic hall.

Chicken soup with scallop wonton. Ok, basically one giant wonton.

Shrimp rice noodle. One of the better dishes. The usual sweet sauce.

Shu mai. Not the best shu mai by any means, but certainly edible.

Har gow. Just so so. Not bad, but a little “stale.”

Lotus wrapped sticky rice.

Mushy and not very good tasty.

BBQ pork. This was pretty tasty. Sweet and fatty.

They had those crazy crispy cruller rice noodle things on the cart. Didn’t try them though.

The food was lackluster. They had a large variety — if you managed to hail the right cart — but almost everything I tasted was a bit flat. Almost freezer burned. Really, for being out in the SGV, this is no better than The Palace in Brentwood. More options perhaps. The food quality might even have been a bit worse.

Service was kind of typical. They were nice, but I couldn’t manage to get either mustard or ice water. I did get tea and the check. It also took a while for the carts to come to me and when they did, I kept getting the lame carts, like the congee one, or the vegetables, or the tripe. It took a real while before I got the actual good stuff.

Prices are cheap. So if you like to pay less for worse, and join the crazy crowd of seniors, Ocean Star is your place. I’ll go to Elite or King Hua.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: California, Chinese cuisine, Dim sum, Monterey Park, Ocean Star, san Gabriel valley

More thoughts on Cassia

Nov13

The Hedonists and I return for an intimate core dinner to reevaluate this Santa Monica fusion newcomer…

Full details here.

By: agavin
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Boston Lobster

Nov11

Restaurant: Boston Lobster

Location: 727 E Valley Blvd, San Gabriel, CA 91776. (626) 288-4388

Date: November 9, 2015

Cuisine: Cantonese etc

Rating: Great Chinese

A perennial San Gabriel favorite is Newport Seafood, a large, crowded, high end Cantonese (with a bit of Southeast Asian) joint. Well, at some point a group of employees from there split off and opened their own “spin off” restaurant, Boston Lobster.

Boston Lobster isn’t as large or built out as Newport, but it does offer up very similar fare in a great location with much less of a wait.

2005 Alain Thienot Champagne Brut. VM 90. Bright yellow. Fresh orange and pear aromas are complicated by chamomile, honey, herbs and fresh porcini. Sappy and expansive on the palate, offering intense orchard fruit flavors braced by gentle acidity. A smoky, leesy nuance lingers on the long, supple finish. Drinking well now and showing good complexity.

Peanuts and cashews on the table.

Crunch, spicy cucumbers. A typical cold starter.

From my cellar: 2005 Morey-Blanc Corton-Charlemagne. Burghound 94. More evident wood with hints of spice and vanilla frames the green fruit and spiced apple aromas and a trace of it can also be found on the full-bore, rich and intense big-bodied flavors blessed with excellent concentration and muscle, all wrapped in a minerally, delicious and serious finish of superb length.

The house special lobster with noodles. This is basically a lightly garlic fried lobster and it was as awesome as this rather excellent dish gets. There was lots of easily accessible big chunks of meat and the crispy garlic bits were amazing.

Under the big guy was a big pile of noodles to soak up the garlicky sauce. Yum!

Arnie brought: 2009 Sea Smoke Pinot Noir Southing. VM 91. Sea Smoke’s 2009 Pinot Noir Southing is gorgeous. It possesses striking textural depth and finesse. Juicy dark cherries, licorice, spices and flowers take shape beautifully as the wine fleshes out in the glass. The finish turns a bit fleeting as floral elements become more pronounced, but this is still a very pretty, nuanced Pinot.

agavin: not bad for a new world pinot. Relatively mellow and unoaked (which is a good thing)

Special order duck. We asked them if there was duck on the menu, and they said only by special order. We hadn’t, so we left it at that. Well, apparently special can be really fast because on of the Boston Lobster guys ran out somewhere and came back with this delicious roast duck. It was huge, meaty, and very tender and juicy. We have no idea where it came from.

2007 Dönnhoff Kreuznacher Krötenpfuhl Riesling Spätlese. JG 92. A solid middle sweet Riesling.

Crab in curry sauce. The crab itself was tasty, although slightly hard to get at the meat. The sauce though was amazing. Just a tiny bit spicy, with a sort of Singaporean curry vibe, it was incredible over rice. We almost licked the plate clean.

2012 Château de Puligny-Montrachet Chassagne-Montrachet. BH 87-89. Here too the sulfur addition is sufficiently strong to dominate the underlying fruit. The middle weight flavors also possess good volume and concentration though not quite the same degree of complexity though I like the clean mouth feel on the mildly austere finale.

agavin: Tasted mostly like reduction at this stage.

Fried sea trout with garlic sweet and sour. This is the front half of the fish (the back half is below). The sauce smelled rather funky with a strong fish sauce smell, but it tasted great. Tons of good garlicky flavor. They love garlic here, and so do I.

The tail was much more boring, steamed with ginger.

2011 Bodegas Muga Rioja Reserva Unfiltered. agavin 86. Too young and barnyardy.

Sizzling hot plate beef. Tasty, but a touch chewy.

Yarom brought: 1970 Pierre Damoy Chambertin-Clos de Bèze. agavin 75. As much as I’d love to like a 45 year old Beze, this one was cloudy, brown, and about 80% of the way toward making a nice salad dressing. It did, however, still have a characteristic Beze terroir signature.

Kung pao chicken. Not spicy like the real Szechuan version, but very tasty none-the-less.

Shrimp with garlic sauce. More garlic. Yes!

2012 Justin Vineyards & Winery Justification. VM 90. Glass-staining ruby. Complex, seductively perfumed aromas of cherry, cassis, pipe tobacco and potpourri, along with a smoky topnote. Juicy, spicy and penetrating, showing very good clarity to its dark berry, bitter cherry and floral pastille flavors. The intense, clinging, smoke-tinged finish shows a hint of floral pastilles and suave, slow-building tannins.

Fried pork chops. And even more garlic. These were hot, fatty, boneless, and super delicious. So garlicky good.

Seafood chow mein. There wasn’t that much seafood but once the sauce soaked through the crispy noodles it was awesome.

Yam leaves. Apparently this is a typical Malaysian home dish: yam leaves sautéed with garlic (surprise!). They were a rather nice colon sweeper.

Mixed fried rice. A nice example.

Warren brought: 2001 Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey. VM 93. Pale yellow-gold. Orange peel, quince, honey and sexy oak tones of vanilla and spice. Chewy and powerful in the mouth, with highly concentrated flavors of creme caramel, honey and exotic spices. Finishes very long, honeyed and powerful, not to mention flamboyantly aromatic.

agavin: I don’t think this bottle was well stored. It was alcoholic on the palette, and certainly advanced, but kind of hit the spot at the time.

Seasonal pumpkin soup for dessert. A sweet soup with big nutty tapioca balls. Not bad for a Chinese dessert.

I was skeptical going into dinner because I tend to prefer more northern or central Chinese (Szechuan yum!) but Boston Lobster turned out to be really tasty. This is “comfortable” Chinese fare, there aren’t any pig intestines boiled in chili oil on the menu, but there is a lot of flavor and a very good value. With all this, and a giant tip, it came to $46 a person.

Service was awesome too, particularly by the standards of the SGV. They were super nice, very attentive, bringing water and napkins (gasp!), changing plates, and they even went out and found the duck. How cool is that?

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Boston Lobster, Chinese cuisine, hedonists

Theatrical Terroni

Nov09

Restaurant: Terroni [1, 2]

Location: 802 S Spring St. Los Angeles, CA 90015. 323-954-0300

Date: October 4, 2015

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Solid Italian

Terroni is a small chain (5 restaurants) of high end Italians out of Toronto. They have two locations now in LA, Beverly Hills and Downtown.

The Downtown location is situated in a stunning early 20th century space with great vaulted ceilings.

From my cellar: 2007 Podere Il Cocco Brunello di Montalcino. 94 points. Great young Brunello. It needs a few more years as it’s intense and hot.

Barbabietole. arugula, beet, goat cheese, pistachios, balsamic vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil.

Nizzarda. arugula, Italian tuna, potatoes, eggs, red onions, tomatoes black olives, green beans, anchovy, white wine vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil.

Prosciutto d’Anatra e Burrata. duck prosciutto, burrata, fresh spinach and extra-virgin olive oil.

Kids spaghetti.

Kids penne.

Cavatelli alla Norma. cavatelli in a light tomato sauce with deep fried eggplant, aged ricotta, basil and garlic.

Gluten free pasta.

Spaghetti al Limone. spaghetti with spinach, onions, capers, shavings of parmigiano with lemon and extra-virgin olive oil.

Pasta Norcina. Spaghetti with ground sausage, Pecorino, black truffles. The oddity here, is that the “real” (Italian) version of this Umbrian dish is LOADED with cream and cheese. It’s basically a cream sauce (and delicious). This lighter version was tasty, but it isn’t real Norcina.

Pizza C’t Mang. white pizza with mozzarella, gorgonzola, fresh pears, walnuts, speck (smoked prosciutto) and honey. Delicious pizza with that sweet and salty thing I love.

Zabaione and pear gelato. My gelato is way better. This Zabaione was just a eggy vanilla. No citrus or marsala that I could detect. Weak!

Chocolate gelato. Also not the greatest gelato. You couldn’t taste the milkiness. I think they used too much cacao powder so there wasn’t enough cocoa butter.

Nutella fritters and hazelnut gelato. These were good though, and the hazelnut gelato the best of the bunch.

Crema Catalana. Classic.

Overall this was a totally solid Italian meal. Trying to be “more Italian” than most, but not quite getting all the way there. Still, most dishes were quiet good. Bear in mind that I’m a serious Italian snob :-).

Service was solid, although there seemed to be a few too many rules about modifications (which is corporate I’m sure).

Oh, and they are open through (i.e. they don’t close between lunch and dinner). That can be convenient sometimes, and it was here.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Brunello di Montalcino, Italian cuisine, Terroni

Warcraft Movie Trailer

Nov07

Well the first “real” Warcraft Movie trailer is here:

Interesting. I really wonder what non players are going to make of this. Visually it looks good. The CGI and real world stuff appears fairly seamless. Odd too see the characters, which look pretty much like their in-game cartoon origins against those realistic backgrounds.

The world and mythos of WOW is so vast, complex, and “inclusive” of so many other fantasy ideas that it must have been a serious challenge to narrow down into a coherent story. Clearly they are focusing on the Warcraft I Orcs vs Humans aspect. I see nary a glance of any of the other even more fantastic elements: spellcasters, undead, elves, dragons, etc. Probably not a bad idea from a budget and mainstreaming POV.

Hmmm. It will be interesting to see how good a job they do — and if people not familiar with the lore can engage in it.

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By: agavin
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Day of the Truffles

Nov06

Restaurant: Laurent Quenioux [1, 2, 3]

Location: Near Pasadena

Date: November 4, 2015

Cuisine: Modern French

Rating: Truffles!

Four and a half years ago Foodie Club co-organizer Erick and I put together one of our more legendary dinners, the Bistro LQ Trufflumpagus. Now it’s time for the return!

Chef Laurent Quenioux grew up in Sologne, France, where he developed a passion for food. As a young boy, Quenioux and his father would hunt duck, partridge, and rabbit. Then, he and his mother would prepare her favorite recipes in the kitchen. Eventually, Quenioux left home to embark on an apprenticeship where he trained in some of Europe’s finest kitchens. Quenioux spent time at Maxim’s, Bistro De Paris and La Ciboulette in Paris, before moving on to Negresco in Nice and LaBonne Auberge in Antibe.

In the early 1980s, Quenioux made a move to the United States with a team from L‘Oasis at La Napoule to open The Regency Club in Los Angeles. In 1985, he introduced the celebrated and award-winning 7th Street Bistro in downtown Los Angeles. In the early 2000s, Quenioux debuted the cozy Bistro K in Pasadena and in 2009, Bistro LQ in Beverly Hills. At Bistro LQ, Quenioux set new standards for cuisine in Southern California with his Farmer’s Market-driven kitchen and an emphasis on value and fun.

Returning to Pasadena, Quenioux continues to delight patrons and critics alike in his role as Executive Chef at Old Pasadena’s celebrated Vertical Wine Bistro.

For this special dinner featuring fresh white truffles the chef hosted us at his house, out on the back patio.

Our epic menu.

Will brought: 1998 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut. VM 94-5. Bright gold. Ripe orchard fruits, peach pit, toffee, marzipan and dried flowers on the pungent, smoky nose. Broad and fleshy on entry, then tighter in the mid-palate, offering palate-staining pit fruit nectar, apple pie and brioche flavors, enhanced by a toffeed quality. Closes spicy and very long, with resonating smoke and toasted hazlenut qualities.

agavin: Krug is always great.

From my cellar: 2006 Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée. AG 94. Mint, white flowers, pastry and yellow orchard fruit meld together in Krug’s NV Grande Cuvée. This is one of the very best versions of the Grande Cuvée I can remember tasting in recent years. The impression of total silkiness on the palate is classic Krug. Even though this release is exceptional today, I would be tempted to cellar a few wines for the future, as the best Grand Cuvées age effortlessly. This release is based on 2006 and includes wines from 11 vintages going back to 1990.

From my cellar: NV Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut Rosé. VM 92. Pale orange. High-pitched red berry, orange zest and jasmine aromas, with suave mineral and smoky lees notes adding complexity. Spicy and precise on the palate, showing very good punch to its strawberry and bitter cherry flavors. Opens up smoothly with air and picks up a bitter rhubarb quality that lingers onto the long, tightly focused finish. This bottling showed more brawny character than many past renditions of this cuvée, but with no lack of vivacity.

On the left, Buckwheat truffle blinis, ankimo, caviar de Sologne, wagyu.

On the right, Bone marrow, sopes, hutlacoche, truffles.

Interesting and rich flavors.

Mark brought: 1983 Joseph Drouhin Chevalier-Montrachet. agavin 93. Very nutty and drinking rather lovely for its advanced age. Some reductive notes still.

Mark brought: 1983 Louis Latour Montrachet. BR 95. Golden. Deep and sweet nose with butterscotch and lanolin. The palate is intense without weight. Very nice acidity though lower than some – but that doesn’t seem to have harmed it. Overall a very impressive wine that has depth and still plenty of ripe fruit, but just missing an extra zip for the absolute top prize.

agavin: our bottle was just a touch inferior to the Chevy, but was still in very good shape.

“La ratte” potatoes, melted 24 months Comte cheese, H8 vinaigrette, truffles.

Very yummy, with a rich velvety quality.

Will brought: 1990 Domaine Michel Niellon Bâtard-Montrachet. Burghound 96. Wonderfully expressive, ripe, forward and complex white fruit and honeysuckle aromas explode from the glass leading to incredibly rich and powerful, massively proportioned flavors of simply incredible depth and awesome length. One of the greatest examples of this vineyard I have ever had and it should be capable of living for a long time to come. A genuinely terrific wine of uncommon breed, class and power.

agavin: great bottle!

Will brought: 1991 Domaine Michel Niellon Bâtard-Montrachet. Burghound 88. Fully mature aromas of honey and a lovely roasted bread quality lead to fat, rich, slightly heavy flavors of good length if not necessarily the best balance. To be sure, a perfectly good wine that is drinking perfectly now and should probably be drunk over the next 5 years.

agavin: much more mature than the 90, but rounded out in the glass and was still impressive for 91

Maine diver scallops crudo, bottarga, chanterelles, escabeche.

This dish had some unusual flavor notes going on. Perhaps it was the bottarga.

Veal tartar, sun choke chips, pickled onions, truffles brioche, celery leaves.

A really nice integration of all the classic tartar elements. Truffles and pickles, how can that not go with raw meat?

Truffle soup VGE. Rabbit albondigas.

Inside this buttery pot-pie pastry was a traditional kind of soup with “meat balls” made from rabbit. Quite lovely.

Trish brought: 1999 Domaine Ramonet Chevalier-Montrachet. Burghound 96. This is now knocking on the front door of its full maturity with the classic white flower, green apple and limestone aromas all framed by a touches of citrus and spice components as well. The flavor profile combines intense minerality and marvelous detail plus fantastic depth and breadth, all wrapped in a hugely long and powerful finish. This just oozes class and while it could be approached now because of the superb mid-palate fat, for my tastes, I would give this another 2 to 3 years in bottle and then drink over the next 10+. Note that I have upgraded my score as the wine has added notably more depth than I originally envisioned.

agavin: another great great bottle.

From my cellar: 2001 Domaine Leflaive Bâtard-Montrachet. Burghound 93. Big, rich and muscular yet this offers excellent definition with explosive fruit trimmed in obvious anise notes and luxuriant, sappy, dense flavors of uncommon depth and complexity. The finish is rather linear presently yet offers wave after wave of mouthwatering extract, all beautifully framed by more than sufficient buffering acidity. A Bâtard worthy of the name and a great success for the vintage.

agavin: still very fresh and reductive.

Truffle congee, poached hen egg, crispy basil snails Karaage, uni.

Wow! This was an amazing dish. One of the best congee I’ve had. The thing that looks like a bao or burrata was actually a poached egg. The fried snails were amazing too.

Celery root risotto, king crab, truffle air, aged parmesan, uni.

Another wonderful dish. Very harmonious. And that crab was fabulous.

From my cellar: 2000 Domaine Jacques Prieur Montrachet. VM 93. I tasted a sample of this wine from tank; the real bottling was scheduled for the next day) Bright but reticent aromas of iodine, clove and nutty oak. Fat, round and silky, with superb weight and volume. By far the richest and longest of this set of wines, with the most volume. Very suave and mouthfilling, but with plenty of underlying backbone and power. Very tightly wound but also very long on the aftertaste.

agavin: I was nervous since I had a corked bottle at the Locanda dinner, but this bottle was a stunner. Incredibly powerful.

Trish brought: 2002 Marquis de Laguiche (Joseph Drouhin) Montrachet. Burghound 94. The bottle in the tasting displayed definite notes of premature oxidation. I last tasted this in 2011 and that note is: Astonishingly pure fruit aromas of very ripe pear, peach, honeysuckle and lovely green fruit are nicely complemented by a subtle hint of oak spice that merges seamlessly into powerful yet exquisitely delineated, strongly mineral laden flavors of incredible length. This has an amazing depth of sève and it completely stains and coats the palate. This combination of a silky palate impression yet driving intensity makes this an extremely impressive and very classy effort. For my taste this has just arrived on the front end of its peak drinkability and this beauty should be capable of holding at this level for years to come.

agavin: another great white.

Pacific lobster, Malaise, Truffle vichyssoise, nest.

More shellfish goodness.

Santa Barbara prawn, truffle creme brulee, brussels sprouts, xo.

This had interesting autumn notes of spices and such.

Amanda brought: 1991 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Bonnes Mares. Burghound 92. Big, rich and explosive, still very primary fruit nose that displays only the barest hints of secondary development followed by big, powerful, classically robust and structured flavors that offer superb depth and exceptionally good length. Still youthful, this should benefit from another 3 to 5 years of cellar time but live for a long time after that. A first-rate effort that will probably always possess a slight tannic edge to the finish yet the power and depth make it easy to overlook this.

agavin: Our bottle was cloudy and funky. Not undrinkable, but not really pleasant either.

Larry H brought: 2005 Domaine Robert Groffier Bonnes Mares. Burghound 94. I was frankly shocked to find that the aromatic profile here was even more elegant and arguably finer than that of the Amoureuses with its bright red and blue pinot fruit, minerals and spice notes, particularly anise that complement to perfection the sleek, taut, brooding and focused flavors that explode on the hugely long and deep finish. This is an impressive wine that has that ‘wow’ factor.

agavin: a young stunner. Really good.

Halibut, truffle granola, hazelnuts, chanterelles, brown butter vinaigrette.

The granola was crazy good. Chewy crunchy and a bit sweet.

Larry H brought: 2000 Château d’Yquem. Parker 90. The millennial 2000 Chateau d’Yquem is a valiant effort in one of the most challenging Sauternes vintages in recent memory. The 2000 is quite deep in color. The nose is crisp and well-defined but not the most complex, as you would expect from a truly challenging growing season in Sauternes. It is pleasant in its own way with delicate scents of tangerine, yellow flowers and Mirabelle. The palate is well-balanced with marmalade tinged opening. I like the acidity here, an Yquem with good race, although it does feel a little tapered toward the finish. Drink now-2025.

agavin: very nice sticky in a good spot.

Corn veloute, apple wood bacon, foie gras, truffle Soubise.

A fabulous foie. That corn veloute really notched it up too.

Pintade hen, crispy truffle potato crust, salsify, quince.

Nice interplay of textures.

From my cellar: 1971 Maison Roche de Bellene Volnay 1er Cru Santenots Collection Bellenum. agavin 87. Weird menthol notes.

Erick brought: 1988 Domaine Georges Mugneret/Mugneret-Gibourg Clos Vougeot. 87 points. Pretty tannic.

Amanda brought: 1995 Domaine Dujac Echezeaux. Burghound 90. Beautiful black fruit aromas laced with Vosne spice leads to medium weight, elegant, sappy and quite dense flavors that offer beautiful complexity and terrific length. What it isn’t at this point is especially complex but the tannins are well-integrated and this should drink well for all its life. I would give it another 10 years and drink over the next 10. Really pretty juice of evident class.

agavin: a great bottle. Powerful, fruity, and delicious.

Liberty duck breast, figs, vinegar jus, truffle confit rutabaga.

Here we have sweetness, and more than a little of those autumn notes. That jam like stuff was “spiced.”

From my cellar: 1989 Domaine Leroy Nuits St. Georges Aux Lavières. 94 points. Absolutely beautiful bottle. Floral scents with violets and roses, a lovely earthy underbrush tone on the nose. Bright red toned fruit, cinnamon and spice with a cherry backbone. Just got better and betterover time. Perfect balance, luscious fruit and a long finish. Plush yet sharp. A terrific effort.

Amanda brought: 1991 Domaine Leroy Pommard Les Vignots. 93 points. tart red cherry, candle wax, sl spice nose; full bodied, red raspberry, red pie cherry flavors, body matches promise of the nose; tannic, oaky in a new world way, finish all about barrels, not fruit; need rich sauce, meat to cover the tannins in the finish.

Veal sweetbreads, porcini, carrot emulsion, truffle.

I’m not a sweetbreads fan, but this was amazing. Rich too.

Amanda picked up these two old Italians in order to replace some we had lost in a “guest shuffle.”

1958 Oddero Barolo. LF 94. This was sauvage and untamed as a Barolo I’ve experienced. This was all black tar, dark cherry/berry fruits and a little horse on the nose with some macerated flowers and rotting forest floor. Lovely deep, sauvage nose. Sauvage Piedmont style though. The palate was big and concentrated. Apparently alot of the fruit that went into this was from Vigna Rionda which would explain the massive palate presence still at forty plus years old. This really opened up and became much more of a complete wine after around an hour. Definetly a bit less finesse than the Fiorina but compelling in a differnt way for itas singular character within the context of Barolo. Fantastic wine that really seemed four or five years away from full maturity.

agavin: this bottle was pretty nice, very Barolo!

1971 Gaja Barbaresco. VM 93. Angelo Gaja’s 1971 Barbaresco, takes a few hours to open up, but when it does it is fabulous. Still deep and quite intense, the 1971 is a testament to how well Nebbiolo can age.

agavin: ours was a bit on the “mature and cloudy” side.

Painted Hills Beef Hanger, vadouvan, eggplant mole, truffles.

Very rare. More autumn spaces too.

Emil brought: 2003 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg. Burghound 93. his too is very aromatically reserved with only glimpses of spicy and exotic perfume that speak of very ripe, even slightly surmature crushed berries, plum and spice because even though the nose is reticent, the intensity of the fruit is magnificent. The flavors are opulent and sumptuously proportioned with massive amounts of sap and dry extract that completely stains and coats the palate before exploding on the hugely long finish. Yes, this is a big, indeed enormous wine but one that never loses its sense of balance and the velvety backend largely buffers the very firm tannins. There is not necessarily great complexity yet but this is the one wine in the range that could easily surprise to the upside as the raw material here is exceptional and while the style is clearly particular relative to what it normally delivers, it has that “wow’ factor.

agavin: we decanted at the start of the dinner. Wow! Very nice massive powerful and complex bottle of Riche.

Erick brought: 1990 Gros Frère et Sœur Richebourg. JG 92. Starts off a bit meaty and sweaty but breathes up beautifully. Almost looks like an aged DRC with all of its hoisin and soy action. It has notes of mushroom and meat. It is full, rich and intense with acidity that is gentle and length that is superb.

agavin: oh Richebourg, how I love thee!

Scottish wild Hare ravioli, chestnut truffle nage, pecorino.

Great texture combos.

Vacherin cheese, truffle honey.

Tiny, but lovely. And the honey was amazing.

Epoisse flambee!

I love epoisse, but I was a bit disappointed by how much the alcohol in the “flambee” dominated the cheese.

From my cellar: 1977 Dow Porto Vintage. 95-100 points. Wonderful dusty cherry, prune/plum, and raisin aromas. Generous on the palate with more fruit and subtle, tawny-like carmel. Long finish.

agavin: a powerhouse. Next one I’m going to give some more years and then decant.

Chocolate Marquise, Thai basil, mango, macaron.

A really nice bit of chocolate with the mango brightening it up.

Tonka Cremeux, butter ice cream, caramel, granola.

And another great use of that granola.

Overall, this was one of those supremely epic dinners. The food was totally over the top, and delicious at that. Lots and lots of truffle. Not every dish was perfect, but many were very very good. Standouts include the congee, the lobster, the sweetbreads (I have a hard time saying it), and the foie.

The wine was particularly great. Almost all the whites were superb and many of the reds stellar like the Dujac, the Leroys, and both Richebourgs. The Krugs and dessert wines were no slouch either.

Certainly worthy of being called epic.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or for more Foodie Club reviews.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Burgundy, epic, Foodie Club, Laurent Quenioux, Pasadena California, Truffles, Wine

Park’s Finest BBQ

Nov04

Restaurant: Park’s Finest BBQ

Location: 1267 W Temple St, Los Angeles, CA 90026. (213) 481-2800

Date: October 13, 2015

Cuisine: Filipino BBQ

Rating: Rich & tasty

Park’s Finest BBQ is a sort of Filipino / American BBQ hybrid located over in the North corner of Downtown.

The location isn’t much to look at, nor is the back of the building which literally abuts on the 101 freeway!

The menu.

Elote. Corn off the cob served with mayo, freshly grated parmesean cheese, topped with cayenne pepper. Delicious stuff. The cheese knocked up the corn.

Ann’s Cornbread Bibingka. A special take on cornbread – cornmeal is combined with rice flour, baked on a banana leaf bringing elements of a traditional filipino dessert. Wow was this tasty! Like cornbread with a bit of a sugar glaze.

Mt. Taal chicken. seasoned and smoke-roasted chicken. Pretty straight up.

Beef tri tip. tender season-crusted sirloin beef, cut deli thin and paired with home made horseradish sauce. Good, and lean as it goes for today’s fare.

Mt. Mayon hot link medley. smoked, sliced spicy sausages with sweet filipino longanisa. Awesomely tender, flavorful, and fatty.

Mt. Malindang pork ribs & riblets. seasoned, slow-smoked st. louis pork ribs and rib tips. Rich, fatty, and very smoky tasting.

Mama Leah’s coconut beef. smoked chuck roll, cubed, and stewed in a coconut cream. Awesome creamy beef — a must over rice.

Steamed white rice. a warm bowl of long grain jasmine rice.

Coconut banana leaf flan. Incredibly soft, rich, and delicious flan.

This wasn’t light fare by any means, but it sure was tasty. Definitely some of the most flavorful BBQ I’ve had in LA.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: bbq, Filipino Cuisine, Park's Finest BBQ

Saint Joseph at Maison G

Nov02

Restaurant: Maison Giraud [1, 2, 3, 4]

Location: 1032 Swarthmore Ave, Pacific Palisades, Ca 90272. 310-459-7562

Date: October 21, 2015

Cuisine: French

Rating: Classic French “home” cooking

Maison Giraud is the closest fine dining to my house. Pacific Palisades doesn’t have a lot of great food, but this restaurant/bakery is from acclaimed LA French chef Alain Giraud. This wine dinner, featuring the wines of the Northern Rhone’s Saint Joseph region was hosted by a friend of mine, Merv Hecht, author of The Instant Wine Connoisseur.

And it should be noted that the Swathmore Ave frontage might not be there for too much longer, as the whole street is slated for massive construction in 2016 when developer Rick Curuso starts building his new “Palisades Village” project.

Anyway, as it was a lovely warm (late October in LA) night, we dined outside.

With a generous staging area for the wines.

Tonight’s special menu.

2012 J.L. Chave Sélection St. Joseph Céleste. VM 91. Light gold. Pungent, mineral-laced aromas of dried pear, fig, honey and fennel, with a hint of jasmine in the background. Fleshy and dry on the palate, offering incisive orchard and pit fruit flavors and a touch of waxiness. Smoothly combines richness and vivacity, finishing with firm mineral bite and strong floral persistence.

agavin: I’m not sure I’ve even had a Saint Joseph blanc before. It tastes very much like white Hermitage, and that means Rousanne. Not sure it’s my favorite grape. A bit hot.

2013 J.L. Chave Sélection St. Joseph Circa Clos Florentin. 90 points. Obviously young. This is probably getting more serious and I think has more sulphur. Very rich, concentrated and that slightly oily texture that you get with white rhone. I’m sure this will get better, and probably will leave for another year before approaching again. Good value.

2013 Domaine Coursodon St. Joseph Blanc Silice. 92 points. 100% Marsanne this had a fruity honey quality. Vinified without oak.

Maison G bakes its own fabulous bread.

Classic french pate with toasts.

2011 Domaine Faury St. Joseph Vieilles Vignes. VM 92. Opaque ruby. Intense, mineral-driven aromas of dark berries, candied licorice and potpourri, plus a sexy Asian spice quality. Tangy and sharply focused, boasting impressive purity and depth to its sweet blackberry and cherry compote flavors. Silky tannins build on the persistent, incisive finish, with the floral and spice notes repeating.

2013 Domaine Faury St. Joseph. VM 89-91. Bright purple. Lively black and blue fruits on the spicy nose and in the mouth. Nervy and focused, showing no excess weight and a subtle sweetness. Shows good clarity and siky tannins on the gently gripping finish. Very fresh, in the style of the vintage.

2012 Domaine Coursodon St. Joseph Le Paradis Saint-Pierre. VM 92-94. (made from 80-year-old serine vines and raised in all new oak): Dark purple. A complex, highly perfumed bouquet evokes ripe blackcurrant, cherry pit, potpourri and olive tapenade, along with smoke and mineral accents. Stains the palate with intense dark fruit liqueur flavors and suggestions of candied violet and licorice. Closes on a smoky note, with superb clarity and lift and slow-mounting tannins.

Lobster bisque. Jumbo crab, asparagus, brioche croutons. One of my favorite soups. This version didn’t disappoint and was full of chunks of crab meat.

2011 Domaine Coursodon St. Joseph L’Olivaie. VM 91. Bright ruby. Fresh blackberry and floral scents are complemented by deeper-pitched notes of dark chocolate and licorice. Supple and open-knit, offering gently sweet black raspberry and cherry flavors that become spicier with aeration. Closes tangy and quite long, with sneaky tannins adding grip.

agavin: these Coursodon’s were in general my favorite wines of the night.

2012 Domaine Coursodon St. Joseph L’Olivaie. VM 91-93. Inky ruby. Fresh blueberry and candied violet on the highly perfumed, spice-accented nose. Fleshy, seamless and broad, offering intense black and blue fruit flavors and a sweetening note of vanilla that gains strength with air. The spicy quality comes back on the finish, which clings with excellent tenacity and just a hint of tannins. These vines are now over 60 years old, according to Coursodon.

2012 Domaine Coursodon St. Joseph Silice. VM 90-92. Brilliant ruby. Spice-accented black raspberry, mocha, pipe tobacco and licorice on the nose, with a sexy floral topnote. Sweet, spicy and penetrating, displaying a silky texture to its dark berry and spicecake flavors. Shows pinot-like character–or at least pinot from a warm region. Finishes round and supple, with soft tannins, good breadth and a lingering suggestion of violet.

Spanish Turbot. Slowly backed, forest mushroom, porcini emulsion. An absolutely lovely fish and a killer sauce.

In the back is chef Alain Giraud.

2012 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave St. Joseph. VM 93. Bright violet color. Explosive aromas of black and blue fruits, smoky Indian spices and minerals, with a suave floral quality in the background. Fleshy and expansive on the palate, but with excellent clarity and spicy lift to its blackberry and licorice flavors. The dark fruit element recurs on the long, seamless finish, which is framed by supple tannins that fold smoothly into the wine’s lush fruit.

2012 Paul Jaboulet Aîné St. Joseph Domaine de la Croix des Vignes. VM 92. Deep ruby. Explosive aromas of black and blue fruits, smoky Indian spices, licorice and minerals, with a suave floral quality building in the glass. Fleshy and expansive on the palate, showing excellent clarity and breadth to its blueberry and cherry compote flavors. The floral quality repeats on a long, seamless, fruit-dominated finish that’s framed by velvety tannins.

2012 Domaine Boissonnet St. Joseph.

Rack of Lamb. Roasted, Fall baby carrots, lamb Bordelaise. A perfect pairing for the wines.

2011 François Villard St. Joseph Reflet.

2010 Domaine du Tunnel (Stéphane Robert) St. Joseph. VM 90. Inky ruby. Spicy black raspberry and cherry aromas are complicated by notes of black pepper and dried flowers. Deep, chewy dark fruit flavors are framed by dusty tannins and become spicier with air. Shows very good energy and focus, finishing with strong cut and grip.

2012 Domaine Blachon St. Joseph Hommage. 91 points. Deep purple to rim. Barnyard earth, pepper spice and a sweet floral tone on the nose. Sweet cherry, toasted bread and rhubarb on the palate. Medium to medium-plus tannins. Medium acidity. Medium-long to long finish.
I’m thinking this would be great with braised lamb and cassoulet. Also a good cigar wine.

Cheese Plate. Selection, grapes, fruit-nuts bread. This was both a generous and awesome little trio of cheeses. I loved the buttery one in the middle.

2012 Domaine Durand St. Joseph Lautaret. 89 points. Gamey.

Lemon Tart. Meringue, berries, raspberry coulis. Also classic, but perfectly executed.

This was a great dinner. The food is very classic, but these special menus show off Giraud’s cooking even better than the regular menu. Each dish was superlatively executed. The wines were fun, and solid, if a little young and not quite up to the refined heights of Syrah at my recent LaLa dinner.

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