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Doing it All Right – Christophe Emé

Sep30

My friend Eric Cotsen’s house is again host to another amazing food & wine event. French chef Christophe Emé, formerly of Ortolan, “whips” up an epic dinner with wines brought by the gang — with the organization of the evening arranged by Stewart.

First the setting….
Which is decidedly first class.

Look at that view!

Then the first time I’ve eaten at the inside table.

And chef Christophe Emé works had in the kitchen — he was slaving away intently the whole evening.

Have a few champagnes!

And the apropos fish theme.

1985 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut. BH 94. I have had a number of bottles, even from the same cellar, that have been showing plenty of age and even occasionally flirting with oxidative hints yet this most recent bottle (from my cellar) was among the freshest I’ve had in a while with its intensely yeasty and toasty aromas of white orchard fruit, citrus peel, marmalade and orange peel. This is arguably the most complex vintage of the 1980s (though not necessarily the most vibrant or the most complete) and in particular I like the way that the mousse has managed to maintain most of its original vigor on the sweet yet ultimately dry finale that delivers very fine persistence. While this bottle was admirably fresh it’s clear that it’s time to drink up sooner than later unless your taste runs to post-mature characters.

agavin: really awesome bottle, one of the best of the night.

1990 Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée. An older GC!

Gougeres. The classic French cheese puffs.

1998 Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Champagne Brut La Grande Dame. VM 90. The house’s 1998 La Grande Dame reveals notable clarity and precision. This focused, poised wine emerges from the glass with well-articulated flowers, pears, smoke, crisp apples and minerals in a medium-bodied style. The wine appears to have enough freshness and sheer depth to support another decade or so of aging. La Grand Dame represents a significant step up from the estate’s other wines. In 1998 La Grande Dame is 64% Pinot Noir (Aÿ, Verzenay, Verzy, Ambonnay and Bouzy) and 36% Chardonnay (Avize, Oger, Mesnil-sur-Oger). This is Lot 510 2572, disgorged between December 2006 and January 2007.

agavin: big flavors (for champ)

An amuse of grains, beet, and leaf. Gorgeous, huh?

1998 Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Champagne Brut Rosé La Grande Dame. VM 92. Copper-pink with a frothy mousse. Smoky strawberry and cherry aromas are complicated by buttered toast, blood orange and dried flowers. Deep and chewy, with vivid red berry and bitter cherry flavors underscored by dusty minerals. Gains power on the broad, focused and gently nutty finish. Already complex, and ready to drink.

1995 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon Rosé P2. VM 95.5. The just-released 1995 Dom Pérignon Rosé P2 is stunning. Young, delicate and vibrant in the glass, the 1995 has it all; expressive aromatics, crystalline fruit and fabulous overall balance. Cranberry, mint, hard candy, cinnamon and dried rose petals are laced into the super-expressive finish. The 1995 P2 is sweet and layered, but with lovely veins of chalky minerality that give the wine its sense of energy. A delicate, floral finish rounds things out nicely.

agavin: LOVED LOVED this champy — and so did everyone else.

1997 Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut. VM 95. One of the surprises in this vertical, the 1997 Salon is super-polished, delicate and refined. The 1997 offers lovely detail and nuance throughout. Hints of candied lemon peel, white flowers and white pepper add an element of brightness that complements the wine’s natural richness. Although 1997 doesn’t belong to the group of elite vintages at Salon, it does come close to that level. Perhaps even more importantly, the 1997 is aging gracefully and should continue to drink nicely for a number of years.

agavin: another amazing champy!

1990 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon. BH 95. This is a wine that I know extremely well from 750 ml and it’s one that is beginning to tire though I hasten to point out that it’s still enjoyable and just beginning to show signs of fatigue. However there are no such concerns with the same wine from magnum that remains magnificently fresh and while it’s clear that the aromas are mature, that’s not at all the same thing as describing the yeasty and baked apple suffused nose as tiring. There is equally good depth and vibrancy to the beautifully delineated flavors that are supported by a fine and firm mousse that allows the texture of a well-aged Dom to be easily appreciated. For my taste this has arrived at its peak though note well that it should easily be capable of effortlessly holding for years to come.

Foie gras terrine, toasted brioche, pear and apple chutney. Awesome foie terrine — serious fat!

Look at this house baked brioche!

And sliced open like pound cake.

The next course arrives from outer space.

The classique scrambled eggs caviar served in the shell. Can you saw Champagne pairing?

2001 Marquis de Laguiche (Joseph Drouhin) Montrachet. BH 93. Perfumed aromas of honeysuckle and ripe peach that display just a hint of secondary development introduce rich and solidly concentrated big-bodied flavors of limestone, citrus and an attractive nutty quality that are underpinned by good depth and outstanding length. This has lost the robust character that it displayed early on and has now matured into a delicious, round and relatively forward effort that is drinking perfectly for my taste even in magnum format though it should easily continue to drink well for much longer. As is often the case, I preferred the magnum to the 750 ml version (see herein), if only slightly.

agavin: needed like an hour in the glass.

From my cellar: 2000 Domaine Ramonet Bâtard-Montrachet. BH 94. Like all great examples of Ramonet Bâtard, the nose is simply gorgeous with immensely complex aromas of peach, white flower and ample minerality, which leads to big, rich and muscular full-bodied flavors that retain excellent focus and incredible intensity plus first rate precision on the hugely long finish. While approachable now, for my tastes I would be inclined to wait another year or two first as it still is on the way up. In a word, masterful. Tasted multiple times with consistent results.

agavin: I loved this very Batard batard

1998 Coche-Dury Meursault. BH 88. A touch of botrytis adds nuance to the otherwise clean, pretty and notably elegant aromas that merge into relatively dense, pure and round flavors that are supported by solid finishing acidity. As is often the case with this wine relative to its upper level siblings, this isn’t really built for the long haul and 2 to 3 more years of cellar time should see it at its best.

agavin: big reduction!

1980 Château Haut-Brion Blanc. In great shape considering. A bit amber, but delicious.

Lobster spaghetti, artichoke barrigoule, and parmesan.

I’ve had some versions of this amazing pasta years ago at Ortalon. This was a nice lobstery one — wrapped in spaghetti!

The chef at work.

1996 Domaine Leroy Richebourg. VM 94-97. Restrained but vibrant aromas of violet, licorice and cassis. Offers great volume in the mouth, but this is more muscular, more musclebound, than the Romanee-Saint-Vivant. Fabulous subtle flavors of black fruits (creme de cassis!) and minerals. Superb richness and powerful structure. Less giving and perhaps less subtle, but even more impressive on the finish. Will be more difficult to taste early on than the Romanee-Saint-Vivant.

agavin: a serious pedigree red Burg packing serious big flavor.

From my cellar: 1996 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny Cuvée Vieilles Vignes. VM 94+. Very good deep red-ruby. Black cherry, boysenberry, rose petal, licorice, minerals, shoe polish, mint and white pepper on the nose. Extremely unyielding today in the middle palate, and dominated by its rather large structure. Exotic hints of citrus fruit keep the flavors bright and sharp. Then extremely long and authoritative on the back end. A wine of great potential, but it’s all nose and finish today. May ultimately merit a considerably higher score.

agavin: very elegant.
2006 Camille Giroud Vosne-Romanée. BH 86-89. eduction. The delicious and rich flavors are attractively sweet and full with fine depth of material and good punch on the firm finish that offers just a bit more overall complexity. A serious villages.

The seabass (for the below dish) in its salt/dough shell.

Opened up to reveal the fish.

Sea bass en croute de sel with clams and lemon confit and artichokes. Great broth. I actually liked the artichokes the best. Some bones in the fish.

1998 Guigal Cote Rotie la Mouline. Parker 97-100. The awesome 1998 Cote Rotie La Mouline is a seamless, full-bodied classic with many characteristics of the 1997 La Landonne , but more structure, tannin, and muscle. It will need two years of cellaring, and will last for twenty years. Stylistically, it is reminiscent of the 1988.

1990 Montrose. Parker 100! The final blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc was harvested between September 14 and October 3. The spring was cold, yet summer was extremely hot and dry – one of the hottest vintages since 1949. The fact that virtually no rain fell in September served as a catalyst to get all the grapes ripe and in cellars. Some bottles of this wine have a definite brett population that gives off the notes of sweaty horses, but this one did not. The ones I have had from my cellar – where I have had it frequently – are quite pure and clean. I suspect that the brett population is in all of them, but unless the wine hits some heat along the transportation route or in storage, the wine will not show any brett. This one tasted at the chateau, as well as those I’ve had from my cellar, have been pristine and not showing the sweaty horse notes that can be in evidence in brett populations that have flourished in the bottle because of external temperatures. This wine has an incredibly complex nose of spring flowers, blackberry and cassis liqueur, scorched earth and barbecue spice. It is full-bodied, majestic and opulent, with low acidity and fabulous fruit. It is close to full maturity. The wine should continue to drink well for at least another 30 or more years, but it is showing secondary nuances in the perfume. The wine is absolutely magnificent, broad, savory and mouth-filling. This is one of the all-time modern legends from Bordeaux as well as Chateau Montrose.

agavin: great bottle.

2006 Haut Brion. Parker 96. Tasted at Bordeaux Index’s annual 10-Year On tasting in London. The 2006 Château Haut-Brion has a more ostentatious bouquet than the comparatively reserved La Mission: quite feisty blackberry, briary, kirsch and red plum scents, hints of leather and sage tucked just underneath. This is a bouquet determined to make an impression! The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, well-judged acidity, a gentle build to a concentrated, earthy, truffle-tinged finish that lingers long in the mouth. This seems to have the upper-hand over the La Mission and probably has a longer future. A thoroughbred from Jean-Philippe Delmas and his team. Tasted January 2016.

agavin: babykill

1986 Henri Bonneau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve des Célestins. Parker 96. Few Chateauneuf du Papes from this vintage turned out well, and the few that did required consumption during their first decade of life. Bonneau’s 1986 is just hitting full maturity. It offers a concoction of jammy, concentrated licorice-infused black cherry fruit, with hints of tobacco, cedar, beef blood, smoked herbs, and Asian spices. As the wine sits in the glass, aromas of licorice, Peking duck, and other exotic scents emerge. An amazing effort, it may be the only Reserve des Celestins I own that can be classified as fully mature. Anticipated maturity: now-2020.

agavin: looked a little cloudy, but tasted awesome.

Seared squab filet, wild mushroom, crispy potatoes. I liked the long gnocchi like things.

Partial lineup.

Les fromages.

1989 Chateau d’Yquem. Parker 97. The favorite sweet wine of millionaires, Chateau d’Yquem has, not unexpectedly, turned in a brilliant effort with their newly released 1989. It is a large-scaled, massively rich, unctuously-textured wine that should evolve effortlessly for a half century or more. It does not reveal the compelling finesse and complexity of the 1988 or 1986, but it is a far heavier, richer wine than either of those vintages. It is reminiscent of the 1976, with additional fat and glycerin. The wine is extremely alcoholic and rich, with a huge nose of smoky, honey-covered coconuts and overripe pineapples and apricots. As with most young vintages of Yquem, the wine’s structure is barely noticeable. These wines are so highly extracted and rich yet approachable young, it is difficult to believe they will last for 50 or more years. The 1989 is the richest Yquem made in the eighties, and it has an edge in complexity over the powerhouse 1983. It remains to be seen whether this wine will develop the extraordinary aromatic complexity possessed by the promising 1988 and 1986 Yquems.

agavin: awesome!

1999 Chateau d’Yquem. Parker 92.

Mille feuille caramelise with vanilla butter cream. Perfect contrast between crispy/butter pastry and the creamy filling.

1994 Broadbent Porto Vintage. 90 points. not bad at all.

Chocolate tart, fig and cream de praline. Looks dry, but tasted great.

1983 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Eiswein. 95 points. Great stuff — very mature, but awesome.

Artisanal gelato by moi. On the left macha green tea white chocolate straciatella and on the right rose water white peach sorbetto. Eric Cotsen called it by describing the rose one as like eating a “perfectly textured really high end bath soap” (he loved it though).

Overall a really epic evening. Super great combo of superb food, crazy sick wines, and great company!

By: agavin
Comments (2)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BYOG, Christophe Emé, Eric Cotsen, French Cuisine, Gelato, Wine

Poke Express

Sep28

Restaurant: Poke Express by Handa-Ya

Location: 316 E 2nd St. Los Angeles, CA 90012. Little Tokyo, Downtown. (213) 628-3665

Date: September 21, 2016

Cuisine: Pole

Rating: Sloppy but cheap

This is actually my first visit to a full on Poke place — sure I’ve had poke in Hawaii, and in all sorts of other specific occasions, but not at one of this new crop of Poke exclusive places.

Poke Express by Hando-Ya (not the car) is located right near Sushi Gen and the like in Little Tokyo.

Typical looking QSR (Quick Serve Restaurant) — much like a Subway.

The format is actually a lot like a dessert bar or snow place like Salju.

You basically pick a base (rice, salad, noodles) and then they dump on it a selection of toppings and proteins of your choice. These are the proteins (tuna, salmon etc).

Then toppings.

And more toppings — slightly confusingly divided into different categories. However, for your base price you get a ton of them. A few like crab are extra. Plus there are sauces.

Then a self serve toppings bar with dried onion, garlic, sesame seed etc.

Wasabi and ginger (looking non-too-fresh) and the omnipresent siracha and “spicy mayo”.

Here is one of our creations.

And a separate one.

These things are cheap, maybe $11-13 bucks typically before tax. How do they taste? Hmmm. Disorganized and sloppy. Not bad, but nothing went together. First off the rice isn’t great sushi rice — which is delicious by itself. This was pretty loose. Then nothing had too much flavor except for the tangy dressing and the spicy mayo. It would take great care and skill to construct a “harmonious” blend. Instead I’m sure more people end up with a works type approach like we did. Didn’t really taste like much.

Works much better for Salju or Frozen Yogurt.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (2)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Fast food, Japanese cuisine, poke, Poke Express

Sauvages Rioja at the Bazaar

Sep26

Restaurant: The Bazaar [1, 2, 3, 4]

Location: 465 S La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048. 310.246.5555

Date: September 23, 2016

Cuisine: Spanish influenced Molecular Gastronomy

Rating: Awesome, one of LA’s best places.

I’m like a José Andrés groupie. I’ve been to every possible variant of his restaurants in LA, Vegas, and many in Washington. I’ve been here countless times, but today return with the Sauvages for a special Rioja lunch.

We have the entire inner dining room to ourselves with a giant table.

And LOTS of stems.

Flight 0:

1994 R. López de Heredia Rioja Blanco Reserva Viña Tondonia. 92 points. A lovely old Rioja Blanco. Lots of oxidative notes, but still plenty of life in this puppy.

From my cellar: 2011 Raul Pérez Rías Baixas Muti. 90 points. Fresh citrus…lemon, lime, grapefruit tinged w/floral notes. Razor sharp base minerality puncuated with clean even finish. Paired with steamed shrimp, oysters on the half. Bottle didn’t last long. Great wine for the summer!

Today’s special menu.

Flight 1:

1995 R. López de Heredia Rioja Viña Tondonia. 91 points. Great nose! Mature, complex, sweet. Lots of tannins and high acidity. Could use a few more years to improve. Very nice!

1999 C.V.N.E. (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España) Rioja Imperial Gran Reserva. VM 92. Deep red. Blackberry, cherry and licorice on the nose, plus a strong note of smoky oak. Densely packed and very sweet on entry, then juicy and focused in the midpalate, with lush dark fruit liqueur and oak spice flavors firmed by a mineral spine. This still-youthful wine gains flesh and volume with air and finishes with silky tannins and resonating oakiness. Built for the long haul but should also show well now with enough aeration.

2001 Bodegas Valsacro Rioja Dioro. 90 points. vanilla, lots of oak at the start (this is a baby). plums and dark fruit dominate. minerality is well present in the mid. good finish. modern powerful wine – even with 2 hours in the glass it didnt move much. hard to judge it fully now – but the structure is there and so is the acidity and the fruit. With time this may develop into a beauty.

Organized Caesar. Egg Yolk Sauce, Parmesan. Little caesars rolled up in jicama. Taste pretty much like caesar salad. Not, perhaps, the ultimate Rioja pairing, but a nice dish.

Flight 2:

2004 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Tondonia. 91 points. Light ruby, tawny rim. Gorgeous scents of citrus peel and clove. Light to medium weight, just lovely sense of a complete, elegant package. Already complex with background vanilla, leather, tobacco, and a citric twist, gentle tannin. Beautifully balanced.

Tondonia is usually my favorite Rioja and we had 4 today (of different ages and levels and colors).

2004 Bodegas Muga Rioja. 91 points. Deep smoky cherry nose. Graphite, medium, dry, little spicy. Smooth. Paired great with spanish meal (paella). Enjoyable. Little prune on finish.

2005 Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial. 94 points. The 2005 Castillo de Ygay Gran Reserva Especial, a classic among classics, is back in top form with the excellent 2005 vintage. It’s produced from a blend of 89% Tempranillo and 11% Mazuelo (aka Carinena), a difficult grape that is in high esteem at the winery (they exceptionally produced a varietal Mazuelo in 2000 to celebrate their 150th anniversary) as they consider it adds acidity and aging potential to the blend and has been selected specifically to make part of the flagship wine’s blend. In 2005, the Tempranillo was harvested on September 30, the Mazuelo on October 3, and fermented separately in stainless steel vats. The Tempranillo ages in American oak barrels and the Mazuelo in French ones, both for a period of 30 months. The wine matures for a further two years in bottle before being released. It’s extremely backward and tight, showing very young, with a balanced nose between spice, tertiary and cherry fruit aromas. It’s a powerful, still young vintage, with plenty of glycerin, body, round tannins. An austere wine (is it the Mazuelo?), it is complex and ever-changing in the palate. It has a sense of harmony that only the best wines have. Very long and elegant. I loved its serious and austere overall feeling. 100,000 bottles produced. This is a true vin de garde which develops complex notes of violet and meat with time in the glass. This is a Gran Reserva greatly marked by the Mazuelo, which should give it great ability to age. At this quality level it represents very good value. Drink 2014-2030

Sauteed Shrimp. Garlic, tomato sofrito, guindilla pepper. A spicy gambas pil pil? A shrimp diablo? Either way, good and a bit spicy.

Flight 3:

2001 Artadi Rioja Grandes Añadas. VM 94+. Medium ruby. Penetrating aromas of blueberry, cassis and bitter chocolate. At once fat and firm, with strong acids giving shape and verve to the flavors of roasted blackberry, violet, espresso, nuts and baking spices. This has real power and thrust, not to mention inner-mouth perfume. Finishes with big but sweet tannins and terrific length. Like the Pagos Viejos, this is 100% tempranillo. This special bottling was previously offered only in 1994, 1998 and 1999.

2000 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único. VM 95. Deep red. High-pitched aromas of redcurrant, dried cherry, potpourri and spicecake. Silky in texture and alluringly spherical, offering seamless red fruit and floral pastille flavors and late notes of blood orange and Asian spices. Nothing heavy or fat here and yet this delivers the impact of a large-scaled wine. The finish is expansive and extremely persistent, leaving notes of rose and sweet red fruits behind. I find this to be drinking extremely well now but have no doubt that it will live a long life on its balance. (I also had the chance to re-taste the 1991 Unico and it is showing superb clarity and finesse, a seamless texture and suave red fruit and floral character. It is delicious now but holds excellent for further development in bottle.

2003 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único. VM 95. Inky ruby. Highly aromatic scents of ripe cherry and dark berries, singed plum, cured tobacco and succulent herbs, with a vanilla undertone. Sweet, expansive and powerful, offering intense black and blue fruit flavors with smoke and floral accents. Rich and full but surprisingly lively, with excellent finishing thrust and sweet, harmonious tannins adding grip. Shows the ripeness of the vintage to good effect; this is a somewhat approachable and exotic Unico, especially with some air, but it has the concentration to age slowly.

Jamon Iberico & Farm egg. Roasted Cipollinis, Tomato, Truffle butter, pan de cristal. Pretty much the consensus for the dish of the day. How can you go wrong with yummy egg and ham?

This is presumably the Pan de Cristal.

Flight 4:

More Tondonia! 1981 R. López de Heredia Rioja Viña Tondonia. 93 points. A lovely wine, drinking quite at peak. This had a classic Rioja nose, with cigarette smoke and tobacco aromas (somewhat reminiscent of Marlboro menthol lights) around a core of sweet cherry notes, then little drifts of dried herb and dried flowers and fragrant spice all playing against a backdrop of loamy earth – an absolutely beautiful bouquet. The palate had a stunningly youthful brilliance to it, with wonderfully bright, juicy acidity and the silkiest tannins hugging lovely flavours of bright cherries and wild berries. The wine may lack some of the depth that you will find in the Reserva or Gran Reserva, but there was such beautiful purity here. Bright, fresh, lively and absolutely joyous, I really enjoyed drinking this. A streak of metallic mineral and a little waft of cigarette ash and dried herb then stretched into a wonderfully fresh, lengthy finish. A beautifully elegant and graceful Rioja, this was drinking wonderfully on the night

1978 Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial. VM 93. Medium red with an amber rim. Highly complex bouquet of fresh and dried red fruits, cherry skin, pipe tobacco, smoky minerals, cigar box and potpourri. Sweet strawberry and cherry flavors stain the palate but are strikingly lithe. Cured tobacco and candied rose flavors emerge with aeration, and the fruit takes a darker turn toward cherry. The tannins have been completely absorbed, allowing the wine’s almost decadent sweetness to come through. Expensive, yes, but this would offer newly minted wine lovers an insight into the personality of aged wine from a great region and a very good vintage for the same price as many newly released Napa or Bordeaux wines.

1973 La Rioja Alta Rioja Reserva 904. 93 points.

From my cellar: 1970 Bodegas Olarra Rioja Cerro Anon Gran Reserva. Lots of fruit, but a touch corked.

Seared Wagyu Beef Cheeks. Black garlic, black olive. Rich meat, fabulous reduction.

From my cellar: 1973 Bodegas Olarra Rioja Gran Reserva. 91 points. Clearly shows evolution both color wise and on the nose/palate. A touch of oxidation, cedar, sweet strawberry and some oak. Elegant even if this is not totally focused. Clearly shows younger than its age. The oak is very well integrated. Very nice.

Sandeman Jerez-Xérès-Sherry Special Oloroso Sherry. Nice stuff, almost like a PX.

Quesos. Manchego “Pasamontes”, Murcia al Vino, and Valdeon.

The chef and co-poobah Kirk C.

No other restaurant in LA has the combination of ultra modern chic and whimsical playfulness that The Bazaar does — plus everything tastes great and you get to experience an great melange of flavors in one meal. If you haven’t been, or haven’t been recently, you should.

This particular meal was great, mostly importantly for the company, the wines, and the service. The Bazaar staff did a bang up job with our private party and all the dishes we had were very good. But I do prefer the Bazaar in a format where one can taste 15-20+ things, not just 4-5. Plus, being a true glutton I could have eaten easily twice as much!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or for a full swath of all my José Andrés restaurant reviews, click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: José Andrés, rioja, Sauvages, The Bazaar, Wine

Belcampo Meat Co.

Sep23

Restaurant: Belcampo Restaurant and Butcher Shop

Location: 1026 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401. (424) 744-8008

Date: September 2, 2016

Cuisine: American

Rating: A little flat

Apparently, opening a restaurant/butcher shop is all the rage recently. Seems everyone is doing it.

Belcampo has half a dozen or so locations, but I can’t attest to the butcher shop itself, having merely poked in.

The restaurant, despite a hidden entrance, has a nice clubby build out.

And a bar with lots of booze.

The menu.

And the cocktail menu.

Cherry Phosphate. The waiter claimed this was a real phosphate. I can’t be sure, but I’ve wanted to try one for a while. They’re a late 19th century / early 20th century thing where phosphoric acid was used instead of carbonic acid to add taste and fizz. It tasted pretty good either way.

“Free” crispy bread and pepper/olive spread.

Roasted red & gold beets. Burrata, kale, & balsamic reduction.

Veggie Burger. Avocado, lettuce, tomato, onion, & house sauce with fries.

Lamb burger. Romaine lettuce, roasted pobano chilies, & tourm, on Bread Bar brioche with fries and chipotle-tomato jam. The meat was tender and lamby but it was pretty much just meat on a bun. Yeah there was some chilies, but it didn’t have that much umph. Frankly, I prefer an Umami Burger (by a lot).

I didn’t try too many things, but what I did was just “fine.” Pretty typical modern American without much pizzaz. Call me jaded.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (1)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Belcampo, butcher shop, Meat, Santa Monica

Italian House Party

Sep19

The Hedonist gang periodically converges for a some house party goodness, this time for a home cooked Italian meal by Linda di Franco.

Elisabeth and Jake were very generous to host us at their lovely 20s Hacienda.

This setting always shows off some interesting views, in this case a cool orange reflection off some far off buildings.

NV Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut Rosé. VM 92. Light orange. Vibrant strawberry and orange zest aromas are complicated by notes of tea rose, smoky lees and chalky minerals. Bright, incisive red fruit flavors pick up a toasty nuance with air. Fresh, incisive and refreshingly tangy, with impressive finishing clarity and stony persistence.

From my cellar: 2011 Villa Diamante Fiano di Avellino Vigna della Congregazione. 92 points. Excellent, one of the best white wines I’ve had in some time. Beautiful golden color, with delicious fruit but not too fruity. It has the composed, focused quality of a Jobard from Burgundy. I can imagine that this wine would age nicely, but it is awfully good right now.

2013 Bruno Giacosa Roero Arneis. 93 points. It’s late summer, we were dining outside. So we brought this. Fabulous.

Cheese.

Crackers.

2008 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Bougros. BH 92-95. A classic Chablis nose of mineral reduction, oyster shell and green fruit aromas merges into sappy, rich and powerful flavors that possess more refinement than usual on the long, sappy and beautifully detailed finish. I’m impressed that this seems to have to rusticity and in this sense, it’s a bit atypical.

Gorgonzola stuffed figs wrapped in prosciutto. Very nice soft fresh sweet figs and paired very well with the salty ham and gorgonzola.

2014 Bouchard Père et Fils Corton-Charlemagne. BH 94. Mild notes of wood and reduction mask the underlying fruit though I can say that it appears to be ripe. Otherwise there is outstanding volume and concentration to the big-bodied and openly muscular flavors that exhibit evident power and punch on the hugely long finale. This is presently very compact and like the Perrières very clearly built to age. I should note that while this is certainly going to need time it is not especially austere and I suspect that it will begin to drink well after only 5-ish years or so if that’s your preference.

Younger than my fiano!

Zucchini mint onion frittata on a bed of baby greens.

2011 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne. VH 90-93. A restrained, indeed almost mute nose of Granny Smith apples and citrus aromas is in keeping with the rich and full-bodied but reserve flavors that possess very good size and weight, all wrapped in an intense, deep and sneaky long finish where noticeable wood surfaces. I like the concentration and this should be a rare Corton-Charlemagne that will be approachable in its youth.

Cannellini and Italian Salsiccia Crostini. A classic dish of central Italy, certainly including Tuscany and Umbria.

2014 Liquid Farm Chardonnay White Hill. 91 points. light-to-medium deep yellow core with nice viscosity. As others have noted, nose is quite reminiscent of a very good PC Chablis (or better?). Lemon zest, apple, pear, wet stone/minerality and a deft touch of oak; quite pretty. Palate of white flowers, apple pie, peach pit and minerals. Lovely, balanced, medium-bodied wine with no sharp edges that should pair nicely with most foods, unlike many of its Cali counterparts. Good acidity, as it should have, along with a nice midpalate and reasonably long finish. With the acid and minerality and balance I wonder if this would age like a good Chablis? Hmmmm . . . .

Bresaola with Parmiggiano. The dog liked it so much he licked the edge of it (dangerously close to the table edge). Rolled up with the cheese was a great meaty/cheesy snack boosted up by the olive oil drizzle.

Linda (right) making pasta with some “help” from Jennifer.

From my cellar: 2004 Podere Il Cocco Brunello di Montalcino. 94 points. I love this rare bio-dynamic Brunello.

2010 Valdicava Brunello di Montalcino. VM 94. The 2010 Brunello di Montalcino is one of the very best wines I have tasted here in recent years. Dark red cherries, mint, game, smoke, tobacco and licorice are all deeply expressive in a mid-weight, very classic feeling Brunello long on class and personality. Big yet silky tannins frame the dramatic, intense finish. The Valdicava wines are always big, but the 2010 is a bit pulled back, and striking.

2006 Le Presi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva. 93 points. Nice!

Lasagne with Besciamella.

2008 Tantara Pinot Noir Le Colline Vineyard.

Pizza with prosciutto.

Cheese pizza.

2009 Rocca di Frassinello Maremma Toscana Baffonero. VM 91+. Full ruby-red. Cool, brooding aromas of cassis, blackberry, violet and minerals. Concentrated, densely packed, minerally and brisk, with ripe black fruit and coffee flavors carrying through to the creamy, ripe, very long finish. This is an important wine for this estate, and one that it would like to become one of Italy’s most important merlots in the future, in the mold of Masseto or Messorio.

agavin: very nice giant ripe merlot

1997 Bava Barbera d’Asti Superiore Stradivario. 91 points.

2003 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate. VM 91. Bright ruby-red. Sweet aromas of black cherry, flowers, menthol and creosote. Supple, sweet and fine-grained, though not especially nuanced for this wine. Strong note of chocolate. Finishes with a fairly fine dusting of tannins and lingering notes of cherry and licorice. This seems a bit less vibrant than it was from barrel a year ago. Barrett noted that the December 2005 bottling date was quite late for this wine, and my sample had not yet recovered.

2012 Chris Ringland Shiraz. BIG!

Balsamic beef rags with arugula. Very thin tender meat, a little like Korean BBQ.

Roasted red potatoes with rosemary and garlic.

2003 Château Duhart-Milon. VM 88-91. Bright ruby-red. Blackcurrant, blueberry, black cherry, violet, tobacco, fresh herbs and currant leaf on the slightly medicinal, quintessential cabernet nose. Then broad, fat and rich, with a layered texture and enticing sweetness. Showing its cabernet side today, but this is thoroughly ripe, seamless cabernet.

Hand made mushroom agnolotti with butter and sage. I love these classic butter and sage pastas. There wasn’t a lot, so we each got about two.

2003 Château Gravas. 87 points. pale golden yellow; honey, apricot, dried pineapple and mango aroma; full-bodied; a relatively unimpressive palate as a Sauternais; short finish.

Tiramisu.

I brought this in my new Gelato cooler, made by moi: Gianduia Gelato – not only is this from a hardcore Italian recipe, properly stabilized for that gooey texture, but I used all Valrhona chocolate and Piedmontese hazelnut paste. Seriously it’s like frozen Nutella! A huge hit if I do say so myself — and I do!

A lovely group of ladies!
This one is a little less dignified.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BYOG, Gelato, hedonists, Italian cuisine, Linda di Franco, Rose, Wine

The High Life – 71Above

Sep16

Restaurant: 71Above [1, 2, 3]

Location: 633 W 5th St., Los Angeles, CA 90071

Date: September 12, 2016

Cuisine: New American

Rating: Awesome in all ways

This is my second visit to one of LA’s latest and hottest event restaurants, 71Above. The first can be found here.

Besides being located on the 71st floor (950 feet up!) of the US Bank building, being the highest restaurant west of the Mississippi, and showcasing the food of Chef Vartan Abgaryan, it’s owned and operated by my friend Emil Eyvazoff!

This is no casual opening, but a massive (and gorgeous) multipart buildout that encompasses the entire floor. Above is part of the lounge/bar.

And behind that is the stunning dining room with its computer controlled auto tinting windows. Beyond that the view continues all the way around with the chef’s table and several more intimate private dining areas.

The view alone is worth the price of admission, and offers varied sights depending on your 360 degree angle. Notice how even the second tallest building downtown (seen under construction here) is below eye level! On a clear day you can easily see the vast sweep of the Pacific and several mountain ranges.

1996 Philipponnat Champagne Brut Clos des Goisses. BH 97. One of the greatest examples of the ’96 vintage, this wine has it all with elegance, intensity, subtlety and grace, not to mention buckets of unrealized potential that will enable this beauty to improve for at least another decade and perhaps longer. I can only imagine just how good this would be from magnum format! The nose is discreet, reserved and pure with lemon, green apple and layers upon layers of fruit framed by just the right amount of yeast influence that continues onto the exceptionally dry and tight flavors that are crisp and refined as well as superbly intense yet through it all there is this underlying sense of harmony, as though all of the elements are working in concert. The greatest wines, at least those cut from classical cloth, persuade through the subtlest means and so it is with the ’96 Goisses, which is indeed a great wine by any measure. While it is drinkable now, for my taste preferences a lot of potential would be left in the glass and I wouldn’t start in earnest on this for another 5+ years.

Tease, we didn’t open this bottle.

1992 Louis Latour Montrachet. BH 93. exotic aromas merge into powerful, intense and long medium-bodied flavors that offer excellent length and vibrancy, especially in the context of the vintage. This is really quite good with ample density and plenty of refinement. Moreover, it exhibits no signs of fatigue, at least when the bottles have been impeccably stored.

agavin: In pretty great shape. Not a ton of fruit, but a lot of body and complexity.

Savory Canelé. Looks just like the not so savory kind, and has the same wonderful texture, but instead offered an evocative warm taste of rosemary and maybe cheese.

2008 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis 1er Cru La Forest. VM 93+. Bright, pale golden-yellow. Sexy aromas of orange, honeysuckle, hazelnut and toast. Big, silky, rich and deep but not especially showy today as its stony minerality currently dominates the palate. A downright profound premier cru with outstanding persistence. It will be interesting to taste this next to the superb ’07 in about eight years.

2003 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Bourgogne Blanc. 90 points. Very pale gold in appearance. The nose was very pure, clean, elegant and full of white flowers. On the palate, minerally with good acidity. Peach, yellow fruits like kiwi and a hint of rocks and stone. This was definitely a Puligny wasnt it? Table was torn between Meursault and Puligny, some were on a 1er or Grand. When Wayne revealed it was a Bourgogne, it could only be Vogue, and what an experience. The only discouraging note was that the wine lacked the structure and also had a tad of bitterness and roughness at the end. Nevertheless, it was extremely enojoyable and in a good drinking window.

From my cellar: 2011 Prager Riesling Smaragd Wachstum Bodenstein. VM 92. Initially reminiscent of slate and fresh rain, the nose evolves toward apricot and peach fruit along with caraway seed and lemongrass. Bracing lively acidity gives a weightless quality to the intense flavors of yellow plum, wild spice and abundant minerals. Seductive and stylish, with noteworthy grip and persistence, this is an excellent 2011. Some may prefer it, but the lower alcohol and marvelous freshness speak for 2012 as the slightly better of these two excellent rieslings.

Oyster. Poached, Uni, Caviar, Tarragon, Champagne. A super yummy bite of umami goodness. Very bright with strong flavors from the tartar-like sauce.

2014 Albert Grivault Meursault Clos du Murger.

1999 Henri Boillot Chevalier-Montrachet. 90 points. Had a steeliness on the palate that seems typical of 99. As the night went on, I felt like the power that H. Boillot is known for was trying to peek out as you can start to taste that density of fruit but the wine just needed time. There was a zest in the background, but still needing more time. I was actually very surprised how little it was giving up as the 00/02/04 chevs have been drinking wonderful in the past year or so.

1990 Pierre Bitouzet Corton-Charlemagne. JG 93.

Shrimp. Mango, Avocado, Fresno Chile, Sorrel, Chicharrón. Also extremely bright. A little heat, and very tangy. Loved this slightly Vietnamese-inspired sauce.

1976 Mayacamas Vineyards Chardonnay. 88 points. Dark yellow. Some peaches underlying moderate oxidative aromas. Actually on the palate, the wine was not bad. Amazing that a California chard could show this well at 35 years.

1998 Sine Qua Non Backward & Forward. VM 93. Pale peach skin color. Deep, complex nose of apple, nut skin, apricot and minerals; this somewhat resembled a bottle of 1990 Pol Roger Winston Churchill I had tasted 15 minutes earlier. Thick, penetrating and solidly structured; rich, nuanced flavors of vanilla, minerals, apricot and superripe peach. Wonderful sweetness and chewy texture more akin to the Southern Rhone than to Southern California. Great building length on the finish. Close in quality to the extraordinary ’95 Sine Qua Non white blend labelled The Bride.

2014 Donelan Vénus. VM 91. The 2014 Venus is lovely, soft and understated. Apricot pit, mint, chamomile and dried flowers flesh out nicely in this very pretty, expressive Roussanne/Viognier blend. Veins of supporting acidity give the wine its freshness and sense of overall proportion. There is plenty to like here.

Octopus. Grilled, Peach, Lemon, Mustards, Pickled Pearl Onion, Herbs. A great piece of octopus. Tender inside and a little crispy on the outside. Nice bits of mustards.

From my cellar: 1991 Domaine Georges Mugneret/Mugneret-Gibourg Echezeaux. BH 94. This possesses perhaps the most complex nose of any of these “youngsters” as there is a potent mix of spice, game, herb, leather, earth and smoke nuances that seems to signal the remarkably dense, sweet and intense flavors of near perfect balance and stunning length. While this is sublime now there is sufficient structure to carry it another 10 to 15 years with no problem, perhaps longer. In a word, astonishing and highly recommended.

agavin: I may have brought it, but for me, it was also (red) WOTN. Really expressive.

1990 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Volnay 1er Cru Santenots-Du-Milieu. BH 87. Rich, fragrant and complex black fruit aromas explode from the glass and lead to very rich, robust, indeed almost massive flavors underpinned by chunky tannins and good length if not much finesse or elegance. This is not a typical Volnay and will appeal more to those who enjoy Rhone-style Burgundies as it’s a powerful Volnay.

1990 Domaine Rossignol Trapet Chapelle-Chambertin. 96 points. Considerable bricking and somewhat opaque; knew from the outset it was at least fifteen years old. The luxurious bouquet sings with the finest elements of great Burgundy! Sous-bois, earth, rose petals, charred cork, and hints of smoke, etc. The wine features brilliantly focused acidity, all the elements on the bouquet, and a mind-bending textural mouthfeel! Lasting finish marked by tremendous acidity and unbridled deliciousness!

2009 Domaine Joseph Voillot Volnay 1er Cru Les Fremiets. BH 91. A deft touch of wood sets off an attractive mix of violets, wet stone and ripe red cherry aromas. The rich, full and seductively textured flavors possess excellent delineation and fine length. This is on the awkward side today as it hasn’t fully harmonized but the underlying material is of sufficiently high quality that it should do so in time.

1990 Bouchard Père et Fils Corton-Le Corton. BH 92. A complex nose of earth, leather, game and very ripe, in fact hints of over ripe pinot fruit leading to still firmly structured flavors are underpinned by curiously dusty, chalky tannins with outstanding length. In many ’90s, the fruit will never outlast the fruit but here the structure is completely integrated with the sappy and mouth coating flavors and finish. The only nit is that the wood is not subtle and while not dominant, if it hasn’t melted into the essence of the wine by now, it probably will always display a trace of it. Still, this is a most impressive effort in every respect and certainly built for the long haul as this is no where near its apogee in this format.

1994 Prince Florent de Merode Corton-Clos du Roi.

Suckling pig. Loin, Belly, Confit Pressé, Young Lettuces, Cherry, Mustard. An awesome trio of pig. The rich pork belly, the succulent loin, moist and with delicious herbal notes, and the confit fritter. Wow! A bit of chorizo juice on top too.

1990 Lynch Bages. Parker 99. This magnificent Lynch Bages has been drinking well since the day it was released and it continues to go from strength to strength. The biggest, richest, fullest-bodied Lynch Bages until the 2000, the fully mature 1990 exhibits an unbelievably explosive nose of black currants, cedarwood, herbs and spice. The majestic, classically Bordeaux aromatics are followed by a full-bodied, voluptuously textured, rich, intense wine with superb purity as well as thrilling levels of fruit, glycerin and sweetness. This beauty should continue to provide immense pleasure over the next 15+ years.

1978 Leoville-Las Cases. Parker 90-93. The 1978 Las Cases has taken on a garnet hue with some dark ruby tints. The nose is more complex and penetrating than the flavors. The wine offers classic, mineral, lead pencil, smoky, earthy scents, with plenty of ripe fruit, and none of the vegetal herbaceousness that many 1978s have begun to exhibit. The attack offers good ripeness, medium to full body, higher acidity than many more recent vintages, and considerable tannin in the hard finish. Although this wine possesses outstanding complexity, the high tannin level may never fully melt away. While it will last another 15-20 years, the 1978 is at its apogee and will slowly dry out over the next two decades.

1973 Rothschild Brothers of California Cabernet Sauvignon. 84 points. The nose speaks of old, maderized, gone wine. The palate initially also seems tired, but bottle after bottle, they wake up after an hour. Dried cherries and some woody notes on the palate; silky; some worcestershire. Unsure how this was 20 years ago (probably just okay) but surprising that this has any character left at this point.

1995 Bryant Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. Parker 99-100. The 1995 Cabernet Sauvignon is cut from the same mold as the profound 1996, displaying astonishing levels of black fruits (the usual suspects – blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and cassis), phenomenal concentration, and virtually perfect balance and equilibrium.

1982 Laurel Glen Cabernet Sauvignon. Parker 73. Me 93. Tasted like a nice 82 Bordeaux!

2009 Donelan Syrah Obsidian Vineyard. VM 95. Another stellar wine, 2009 Syrah Obsidian Vineyard is fabulous today. In 2009, the Obsidian has a little more fruit, richness and sheer volume, all of which serve to balance some of the wilder notes of this cool-climate, marginal site. Dark, sensual and alluring, the 2009 Obsidian is firing on all cylinders today. This full-throttle Syrah should drink well for another decade, perhaps beyond.

Prime Ribeye. Dry-Aged, Eggplant, Black Garlic Miso, Onion, Cipollini Jus. A fabulous hunk of rich meat. Super tender and marbled with a very intense (good for me) sauce.

The dessert menu.

1997 Domaine Robert Groffier Bonnes Mares. VM 94+. Knockout aromas of black and red fruits, flowers, mocha and game. Great freshness and grip on the palate; at once thick and penetrating. Superripe flavors of framboise and blackberry. This powerfully structured wine quickly closed up in the glass. Very subtle and very long on the aftertaste. Another remarkable ’97: the crop level here was just 22 hectoliters per hectare, according to Serge Groffier.

Caramel Custard. Truffle-Praline Almonds, young coconut sorbet, vanilla white soy gelee, pork & maple powder. Awesome dessert. Very soft, almost sweet-soup-like, broken up by the almond crunch.

Lemon Curd. Sparkling goat’s milk ice, vanilla rhubarb, sweet basil oil, wild bay leaf ice cream, cherry blossom gelee. Really interesting flavors and textures. Barely a dessert actually as it was more like an herb/lemon ice — extremely savory and refreshing.

Chocolate. Cremeux, gel, ganache, smoked, yogurt sorbet.

The wine lineup.

Emil Eyvazoff on the left and Chef Vartan Abgaryan on the right.

Heading down!

Overall, 71Above is just a seriously well conceived and executed one-of-a-kind restaurant. Really, it’s more like a NY, Singapore, or Tokyo kind of concept. First of all, the view is just awesome. I can’t wait to come back on a really clear day. Particularly once they begin brunch service, a nice winter day will offer an observation deck like panorama.

But then Emil and crew built out such a lovely space to capture the drama. It’s modern, but welcoming. Not too loud, you can here the conversation and the music both. And from when you enter off the double elevator ascent it folds from one experience to another: lounge, dining room, more intimate corridors, chef table, quiet and romantic view areas in the back, and a series of two adjustable private dining rooms. The attention to architectural detail is amazing.

Then the menu has a creative format with a fixed price (currently $70) and three savory courses. You can pick from six options per category. If you are a glutton like me, you can add extra courses – and of course dessert.

But an interesting menu wouldn’t be anything without great execution. As you can see above the plating is modern but approachable and highly attractive. But the flavor on the dishes is paramount, and really quite excellent, particularly considering their complexity and textural variation. There is a balanced quality between opposite forces in Chef Abgaryan’s cooking that pulls from Chinese culinary theory, while that specific flavors and combinations are largely American/European. It’s both approachable and sophisticated. Bravo!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

More Foodie Club outings here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: 71above, Emil Eyvazoff, Foodie Club, Red Burgundy, Vartan Abgaryan, White Burgundy, Wine

Newport Seafood is Special

Sep14

Many people consider Newport Seafood one of the best Chinese restaurants in SoCal. Essentially, it’s Southern Chinese, with some Cambodian and Vietnamese influences (the owners are Cambodian). I’ve been a couple of times, and this latest September 11, 2016 visit has been added into the grand pile to give some scope on this enormous menu.

Click through here to see all the details.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Chinese cuisine, newport seafood, Newport Special Lobster

Sauvages at Upstairs 2

Sep12

Restaurant: Upstairs 2 [1, 2]

Location: 2311 Cotner Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90064 Tel. 310-231-0316

Date: September 9, 2016

Cuisine: Modern Tapas

Rating: Bright flavors and a lot of options.

ANY CHARACTER HERE

Upstairs 2 is located just above the Wine House on Cotner. The main room serves an eclectic tapas menu, but as this was a special Sauvages du Vin lunch (always a lunch, always Friday) we gathered upstairs in the private room for a special menu and flights of themed wine. This time around Grand and 1re cru Red Burgundy from the village of Gevrey-Chambertin, vintages older than 2004.

Today’s special menu.

Flight 0

The whites are bonuses that various people brought – like me.

From my cellar: 2008 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Bougros. BH 92-95. A classic Chablis nose of mineral reduction, oyster shell and green fruit aromas merges into sappy, rich and powerful flavors that possess more refinement than usual on the long, sappy and beautifully detailed finish. I’m impressed that this seems to have to rusticity and in this sense, it’s a bit atypical.

1999 Louis Latour Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Caillerets. 83 points. Our bottle was “very” advanced. Golden and oxidative.

2005 Brewer-Clifton Chardonnay Mount Carmel. VM 91. Light yellow. Rich pineapple and lichee on the nose, with fresh melon and fig adding complexity. A real fruit basket on the palate, displaying peach, honeydew, tropical fruits and an exotic licorice quality. Picks up sexy baking spices on the long, juicy finish. I prefer the finesse of this to the power of the Seasmoke today.

The gang gathers in the private room. Amusingly, this was the very same room in which I took my Italian Sommelier mastery class
4.5 years ago!

Flight 1

1999 Domaine Rene Leclerc Griotte-Chambertin. 92 points. Bright ruby. Very seductive and perfumed nose of first roses, then cherry, raspberry and a touch of roast. Somewhat tight on the palate, yielding some cherry and flowers. Gritty tannins with medium acidity and body. Sappy finish with medium to long persistence. Needs at least another 3-5 years to come together.

1990 Serafin Père et Fils Charmes-Chambertin. 90 points. Black fruit with earthy hints, overall a bit firm and rustic. Nice fruit, length and balance, but I was surprised this was from 1990 given the wine’s firm structure and seemingly modest ripeness.

1996 Geantet-Pansiot Charmes-Chambertin. VM 94. Saturated deep ruby; one of the darkest ’96s I saw in November. Multifaceted nose combines black fruits, violet, licorice, espresso, smoke, gibier and sweet butter. The class of the cellar in terms of concentration, sweetness, finesse and length; in fact, today this wine makes Geantet’s ’95 seem almost heavy in comparison. Lovely roundness and clarity of flavor. Really explodes on the palate-staining finish.

1996 Dominique Laurent Chambertin. VM 92-95. Much deeper red-ruby color. Brilliant sauvage perfume of dark fruits, mocha and Chambertin earth. Very intensely flavored but folded in on itself; currently showing less texture and volume than the Clos de Beze. But explodes and expands on the finish, which features powerful, chewy tannins. A musclebound wine that will need at least seven or eight years of bottle aging.

Foie Gras Terrine. Burgundy-Pomegranate Reduction. Pretty straight up duck liver goodness!

Flight 2

From my cellar: 1998 Domaine Bruno Clair Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Petite Chapelle. 93 points. Lots of cherry fruit and good structure. Quite delicious.

1998 Claude Dugat Chapelle-Chambertin. VM 89-92. Dugat vinifies two barrels of Chapelle-Chambertin juice owned by Philippe Livera and Butterfield & Robinson, keeping one barrel for himself.<BR> Higher-toned aromas of iron, earth and game. Penetrating and rather powerful, but a less fruit-driven style than the wines from Dugat’s own vines. Not quite as much material or nuance here. Soaking up the oak more quickly, and thus a bit drier on the finish. But still impressive.

1997 Domaine Joseph Roty Charmes-Chambertin Très Vieilles Vignes. VM 93. Deep red. Perfumed, nuanced aromas of cherry, faded rose, woodsmoke and bacon fat. Tighter and less showy than the last two bottles, but displayed sappy, intense red fruit flavors with aeration. A rarity: a ’97 with real finesse. Finishes very long and juicy, with unusually supple tannins for this wine, from some of the oldest vines on the Cote de Nuits.

agavin: voted WOTD (wine of the day)

1998 Hospices de Beaune Mazis-Chambertin Cuvée Madeleine Collignon Louis Jadot.

Flight 3

Pan Seared Quail. Roasted grapes, poltry reduction, celeriac choucroute. A nice small game bird dish.

1999 Louis Jadot Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques. BH 91-93. Roasted ripe fruit that has a mix of red and black fruits, especially black cherry with wonderfully spicy, complex flavors that are both rich and dense. This is very ripe but the acidity is more pronounced which does a better job of balancing off the richness. Clos St. Jacques is almost always the finest Gevrey 1er chez Jadot and 99 is no exception. Grand cru quality and because of the richness, this will be approachable young but drink well for a long time.

1999 Domaine Joseph Roty Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Fontenys. VM 91. Full red. Expressive aromas of raspberry, woodsmoke, tobacco and game. Sweet and pliant, with very ripe flavors of meat and tobacco. Showing more personality today than the Brunelle or Clos Prieur. Lovely ripe, harmonious acidity. Finishes very long, with fine tannins. This was delicious since the beginning.

2000 Domaine Joseph Roty Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Fontenys. VM 90+. Red-ruby. Floral aromas of red cherry, licorice and tarry oak. More perfumed than the foregoing wines; tightly wound but very aromatic in the mouth, with dark fruit and licorice notes. Pure and fresh for the year but in need of aging.

2001 Domaine Joseph Roty Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Fontenys. VM 91+. Full ruby-red. Pure, vibrant aromas of berries, cherry, minerals and flowers. Sweet, stony, minerally and quite firm, with refreshing framing acidity. ?A mix of old vines and very old vines from a very hot part of this vineyard,? says Philippe, adding that the fruit here came in with a relatively high 12.5% potential alcohol in 2001. Structured finish features firm acids and serious but supple tannins.

agavin: our bottle was slightly tainted

Pan roasted Duck Breast. Cauliflower Puree. Duck Demi-Glace. Some perfect bits of medium rare duck breast. Very juicy.

Flight 4

The partial flight lineup.

2002 Claude Dugat Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux St. Jacques. VM 94+. right ruby-red. Deeply smoky aromas and flavors of black and red cherry and violet. Less nuanced and expressive today than the 1er cru, but also boasts terrific freshness of fruit. Brilliantly primary wine, finishing with slow-building, extremely persistent flavor and superb grip. Give the 1er cru six years in the bottle, but hold off on this one for seven or eight. (Incidentally, Dugat opened a bottle of the ’92 Lavaux, no doubt to make the point that his wines age better than some critics believe. It was a knockout: at its peak right now, and more stylish and complex than 99% of Burgundies from this relatively early-maturing vintage.)

2001 Domaine Perrot-Minot Mazoyères-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes. BH 93. This is much like the ’02 in style with a sterner and less elegant character but a good deal more power and the same masculine quality. Earthy, robust and slightly austere minerality and a mix of red and black fruit aromas introduce precise and brilliantly intense flavors that deliver outstanding length and simply incredible complexity. I rarely prefer big over fine but the additional complexity and depth of material make this a better wine and this is just flat out wonderful.

2002 Domaine Perrot-Minot Mazoyères-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes. VM 92. Good deep ruby-red. Knockout nose combines black fruits, minerals and coffee. Richer and more tactile than the Charmes but not sweeter; more massive and powerful. This boasts very strong fruit without coming across as overly sweet or heavy. A wine of compelling length, with the well-buffered tannins coating the entire palate.

2002 Louis Jadot Chapelle-Chambertin. VM 90-93. Good bright ruby-red. High-toned roasted fruits, licorice, violet and sweet oak on the nose. Sweet, supple and creamy, with fruit currently dominated by an exotic coconutty oak quality. A second barrel showed even riper aromas and superb richness.

2002 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Chambertin-Clos de Bèze. VM 92. Ruby-red. Wild, musky aromas of strawberry, minerals and smoky oak. Wonderfully silky on entry, then suave and aristocratic in the middle palate. Very subtle flavors build impressively on the sweet finish, which features very fine tannins.

Grilled Alpine NY Strip. Gratin of Root Vegetables. Haricot Verts. Truffle Jus. I loved the meat and “potatoes” quality of this dish — particularly that the potatoes were rich and cheesy.

Expresso Ice Cream. A nice creamy bit of ice cream clearly made with real expresso beans.

The lineup.

Overall Upstairs 2 did an awesome job with this dinner. Wine service was good and the food was a fowl collection of tasty morsels. Sorry, couldn’t resist. We had only 1-2 flawed wines and a lot of great showings from Gevrey, particularly the 90s wines. Sauvages is always a great time.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Burgundy, Gevrey-Chambertin, Red Burgundy, Sauvages, Upstairs 2, Wine

Jitlada – 9 is Nice

Sep09

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

Location: 5233 W Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90027. (323) 663-3104

Date: September 6, 2016

Cuisine: Thai

Rating: Gut burning great

Tonight’s outing is a Hedonist return to Jitlada, an outrageously authentic Southern Thai place deep in Thai-town. The joint gets 27 in Zagat! It’s run by Jazz Singsanong with Chef Tui in the kitchen. The menu can be found here.

You know it’s real because they don’t skimp on either the chilies OR the fish sauce.

NV Herbert Beaufort Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée Marcellin Extra-Brut. 88 points. Lemony nose and citrusy palate. Small bubbles, but loses it’s fizziness quickly. Tasty.

Larb. Ground pork with spices, fish sauce, etc. Pretty hot too and very salty, but tasty.

Honey duck. This was pretty awesome, and we should have ordered more. The skin was crispy and sweet, the meat succulent.

Bone in!

2011 Dönnhoff Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling Spätlese. VM 92. Delicately refined aromas of pineapple, quince and herbs. The refreshing palate offers a subtle interplay of ripe citrus fruits and salty minerality. A pure and expressive finish provides stature. I may be underrating this, but it’s certainly one of the great spatleses of the vintage.

Pumpkin frog legs. A pumpkin curry basically with frog’s legs. Poor kermit.

2011 Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Spätlese. 92 points. This wine has come together in a beautiful manner. Its sweet but with bright acidity and good minerality.

Papaya salad. Solid, but not as yummy as the fried one.

From my cellar: 2002 Dr. Loosen Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Spätlese Goldkapsel Auction. 96 points. Balanced in all ways. Medium old. Medium sweetness. Medium yellow gold color. A really fine Spätlese.

Coco lotus soup. This was a mild red coconut curry soup with chicken. It was amazing! Really fabulous curry flavor. Tons of tamarind giving it a really balanced sour tone.

2012 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Clos Windsbuhl. VM 93. Pale straw-gold color. Deep aromas of white peach, white truffle and pear nectar. Wonderfully juicy and light on its feet, conveying a distinctly perfumed quality to its very pure citrus zest and floral flavors. The finish offers very good juicy grip, with lingering notes of orange and sweet spices. Delicious.

Jungle curry with lamb chops. Exotic thai curry with god knows what in it. This stuff was HOT and pretty fabulous. This is a brown curry. I actually like their super hot green curry better, but this is good too.

Garlic frog’s legs. Deep fried turmeric marinated frog legs with garlic.

Flambe Prawns. Grilled giant prawns topped with our house curry sauce. These are amazing. The sweet curry sauce is just full of curry flavor goodness.

1997 René Renou Bonnezeaux Cuvée Zenith. 97 Parker. Tasted four times over the last six months, the show-stopping 1997 Bonnezeaux Cuvee Zenith has gone from being massive, disjointed and difficult to assess, to being harmonious, intense, and sublime. Aromatically revealing spicy yellow fruits of exquisite ripeness, this is a medium-to-full-bodied, powerful, and explosive wine. Copious quantities of spicy bergamots, flowers, almonds, perfume, caramelized minerals, and tropical fruits can be found in its layered, velvety texture. Renou was somehow able to marry 1997’s awesome density and depth of fruit with virtually perfect levels of acidity, creating a blockbuster-sized wine of great equilibrium and freshness. Bravo! Projected maturity: now-2050+.

agavin: Our bottle was a tiny bit corked. Sad, because you could tell it was a great sweet wine under there.

Crispy Morning Glory Salad. This salad of shrimp and fried morning glory is just plain glorious. Sorry, couldn’t resist. Basically tempura flowers and it’s really the tangy, slightly sweet sauce/dressing that really makes it. Very similar to many of the salads I had in Vietnam.

Adrian Fog Pinot Noir Alexander Valley. Wines that don’t put their vintage on the front don’t get reviews.

Red Snapper Salad. deep fried snapper filets topped with cucumber and tomatoes in a spicy lime sauce. Super fried and super tasty. One of the yummiest fries ever. We ate all the crispy stuff at the bottom of the plate.

2003 Turley Petite Syrah Rattlesnake Ridge. VM 89. Potent, biting, but very good. Definitely mellowed by the second day. What I would expect from a PS but maybe not one 13 years old!

agavin: our bottle was badly corked.

Jazz burger. A big beef patty covered in onions, peppers, and dressing. The flavors were fabulous.

Mango sticky rice with coconut ice cream. Awesome dessert, even though I was so full, I shoved three helpings down the gullet. This was as good a sticky rice as I’ve had. The rice is warm and the mango cool.

I love Jitlada, and it’s hands down the best Thai I’ve had in LA. The menu is enormous and full of goodies. Tonight’s meal redeemed the disaster we had last time (where we had way too many people and and some late comers that botched the whole progression).

Tonight we ordered very well. Every dish was very good, most great. We had a pretty nice progression. Sure, there are favorites we missed, and some types I would have liked more of (like a good green curry or something like the “sweet” lamb curry) but it was a great meal. Jazz hung out with us for a chunk of it and helped us order. The kitchen was really on point too with some dishes that have a little variability all coming down on the awesome side tonight.

Not super spicy either, only the jungle curry busting the 5 or 6 line (on the weighted Jitlada scale of blistering heat). Part of me would have liked some of the killer heat (like that amazing green curry) but this morning, writing this up with only very mild gut pain I’m thinking we made a sane choice.

All in all, if you like Thai food and live (or visit) in LA you must try Jitlada.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or for more crazy Hedonist meals.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: hedonists, Jitlada, Thai cuisine

Hanjip Korean BBQ

Sep07

Restaurant: Hanjip

Location: 3829 Main St, Culver City, CA 90232. (323) 720-8804

Date: August 31 & September 15 & 19, 2016

Cuisine: Korean BBQ

Rating: Fabulous value at lunch, good food

Culver City doesn’t have too many great ethnic joints, and we are a bit “far” from KTown here, but there is Hanjip, an upscale KBBQ joint.

The cow says it all.

Hard looking seats and no grills at the otherwise nice outside patio.

Crazy black and white interior.

The menu.

The tables have gas grills.

And like all good Korean joints there are the banchan. Like this cabbage salad.

Chewy squid with black sesame were awesome. I ate two entire bowls (not kidding).

Pickled onions.

Kimchee of course.

And cauliflower.
Plus, the all important potato salad (which I liked a lot).

Macaroni salad.

Onion.

Kimchee fried riche with soft egg. Pretty awesome stuff.

Egg custard with uni and ikura.

Seafood pancake. Nice example of this type with lots of seafood inside.

And a Dolsot Bibimbap bowl which comes with the lunch special. This was my favorite. Nice soft egg and all those goodies. I tend to love this dish.

This was the beef brisket lunch special.

Cooking the brisket.

And cooked. Tasty enough, but not as yummy as with the rice.

Spicy miso for whatever you like.
And chilies.

In September Hanjip started an all you can eat lunch program that has an interesting format. There are 3 tiers ($18, $25, $30ish) with each tier having increasing meat types. They are all good deals, but the best meats are at the higher levels.

Tongue!

Spicy chicken. Not the most exciting.

Garlic chicken.

More brisket.

Cheese fondue. This is an optional item included in the AYCE. It’s pretty awesome to dip the meat in the gooey cheese!

Marinated pork shoulder. By far the best of the 1st tier meats. Tons of flavor.

Pork belly. Also a good one from the basic set. Like bacon!

Garlic pork belly. Even better! (2nd tier)

Garlic beef (2nd tier). Also really flavorful.

Short rib (2nd tier). Awesome and steaky.

Bulgolgi (3rd tier). Really tasty.
Spicy squid (2nd tier). Doesn’t cook as well as the meats.

Veggies (1st tier). Are what they are. Pretty good with the fondue.

I’ll have to come back to Hanjip for dinner (with some wine) and try a wider selection. But what I has was very good. And wow do you get a lot of food for $15-18! A great option for Culver City dwellers.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: beef, Culver City, Hanjip, KBBQ, Korean BBQ

Wadatsumi – Where Dat Beef

Sep05

Restaurant: Wadatsumi

Location: 10914 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064. (310) 470-0014

Date: August 24, 2016

Cuisine: Japanese Wagyu

Rating: Tasty

After our crazy Yazawa dinner a couple weeks ago my friend Erick recommended I step “downscale” and try the wagyu at Wadatsumi.

Again, this is a small international “steakhouse” chain.
The frontage is on Pico just blocks away from meat palace Totoraku!

Beef in the house.

The open kitchen.

And the rather huge interior (this photo only shows part of it).

The menu.

Typical tasty Japanese salad.

Red miso soup.

Homemade tofu with wasabi and soy glaze. Super soft texture and mild creamy flavor.

Wagyu beef croquette. Pretty mild, with lots of potato.

A sushi lunch special.

Wagyu beef curry. Tasty enough and my favorite dish, but nowhere near as good as the Yazawa wagyu curry. Truth is I like a more straight up curry better.

Filet mignon special with mashed potatoes. Tasty beef nuggets.

Sauces for the beef. Soy, yuzu mustard, and yuzu juice.

Rice was on hand too.

Overall this was an okay lunch and I’ll have to return to try some other things, namely a dinner set. But I wasn’t that impressed by this format. I like regular Yakiniku better — or the crazy Yazawa type.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: beef, beef curry, Japanese cuisine, Wadatsumi, wagyu beef

Westwood Chinese – Northern Cafe

Sep02

Restaurant: Northern Cafe

Location: 1064 Gayley Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90024. (310) 208-8830

Date: August 4 & 29, 2016

Cuisine: Northern Chinese

Rating: Small menu (for Chinese), but great to have on the Westside

My quest for decent Chinese food on the west side of town continues unabated.

Northern Cafe joins Qin as one of Westwood’s two most recent fairly authentic Chinese openings. Here they serve northwestern Chinese type food, sort of quick Beijing favorites.

It’s located right in the heart of Westwood, on Gayley, far from the SGV!

The interior is simple but pretty updated. The clientele was almost all Chinese.

The format is fast casual. You order and pay at the counter and then get a number. They bring the food to the table.

The menu.

Some cold appetizers. Cold beef and cilantro.

Pickled cucumber and chili.

Cold noodles w/ Shredded Chicken. Chicken white meat, sesame peanut sauce, cucumber, chili oil. A bit western-a-fied (chicken?) and pleasant, but pretty mild.

Dan Dan Noodles. Sesame peanut sauce, chili oil, cucumber, peanuts.

The dan dan in a bowl. Lots of sesame flavor, but almost no heat and no meat! This is a far cry from the rich, spicy, umami flavor of the real deal.

Zha Jiang Noodles. Kurubuta pork, black bean sauce, cucumber.

Mixed up. Ok, but not as much flavor as I would have liked.

Vegetable pie. Like a tortilla pie filled with garlic greens!

XLB. Juicy Pork Dumplings. These are good as always. A little thicker dough than Din Tai Fung (which I had the day before!). But the inside was very tasty.

Pork & Celery Dumplings. Classic steamed dumplings. The celery flavor came through loud and clear and I always like this kind of textured dumpling. Pretty good actually.

Lamb dumplings. Not the perfect incarnation of this kind of simple dumplings, but maybe an 8/10, very enjoyable. Strong lamby flavor too.

Pan fried shrimp and egg dumplings. Excellent too, hard to tell what is inside these puppies, but it’s good.

Spicy wontons. Nice. Again they just tasted pretty good. A medium heat.

Beef rolls. Tasty enough. Not amazing, but certainly a decent version and not too huge.

Kung Pao Chicken. A decent version. Not amazing, and a little fried, and not too hot, but a good amount of flavor.

Orange Chicken. The American Chinese classic. More like sweet and sour spare ribs, the ultra-fried orange version. That being said, I like this homey dish and this was a very good version of the goopy sweet “type.”

House Special Cumin lamb. Onion, cilantro, cumin, chili oil. Not a bad version of this staple dish. Not super spicy but good lamb flavor.

Mapo tofu. (10/1/16). This mapo had nice soft silky tofu and a thin looking sauce — but there was a decent amount of mala numbing flavor from the Szechuan peppercorns. No meat however, I much prefer it with some ground pork, but this wasn’t a wussy Americanized version either. Sort of a 6/10.

Shrimp fried rice. A passable version. You can’t really go to wrong with fried rice. This version was actually very lightly fried.

Overall, Northern Cafe has some pretty authentic stuff on the menu, it’s not American Chinese exactly — nor is it as good as so many places in the SGV. But it is close, quick, cheap and pretty tasty, so I will go by again soon enough.

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