October :: 2016 :: All Things Andy Gavin

Archive for October 2016

Power of a Simbal

Oct31

Restaurant: Simbal

Location: 319 E 2nd St Suite 202, Los Angeles, CA 90012. (213) 626-0244

Date: October 28, 2016

Cuisine: Modern Vietnamese

Rating: Great subtle Southeast Asian flavors

In the last 1-2 years the LA Restaurant Zeitgeist seems to have picked up a decided South East Asian vibe. It’s really the “new fusion.” No one wants to use that word anymore, and it doesn’t have the old school 80s/90s X meets Y vibe (like say Asia de Cuba), but it’s fusion nonetheless. Still, I love the bright SEA flavors, so all good.

Simbal is Downtown, really more or less in Little Tokyo, across the street even from the lousy Honda-ya poke joint.

The decor is awesome modern by the very same designer that works with on Ramen Roll, the talented Terri Robison from Studio Unltd.

Here is a wider view with GM Ron Carey in the frame.

The menu.

From my cellar: 2002 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre. BH 93. This too is very opulent with a richness and breadth of aromas that is dazzling in their sheer range. Big, powerful, very masculine and exceptionally intense flavors blessed with huge extract but despite the size and weight, this also has the best acid/fruit balance of any of these 1ers plus this absolutely coats and stains the palate. In fact, there is an interesting textural quality by virtue of all the sap yet the finish is quite dry. A great effort that explodes on the backend and lingers for minutes.

Yin’s Wok Fried Seasoned Nuts. Seaweed, anchovies. With both crunch and chew and a decided bit of umami fishy tone. A little heat too and plenty of salt.

Hamachi Crudo. Fish sauce dashi, pickled green papaya, shallots. Very bright and acidic with a quite a lot of zing.

Roasted Eggplant And Squash. Pickled tomatoes, scallion oil, fish sauce caramel. Great blend of flavors. Sweet, smoky, pickled.

Adam brought: 2012 Pierre Morey Bourgogne Blanc. BH 88. A discreet hint of wood sets off the ripe yellow orchard fruit aromas that lead to impressively rich and suave medium weight flavors that possess plenty of dry extract before concluding in a surprisingly robust and balanced finish that is appealingly dry. Good stuff for its level.

Wild Octopus Grilled. Tomato and corn salad, tamarind dressing, thai basil. Nice bright octopus prep, like a Spanish version crossed with Vietnamese.

Pungent Seasoned Rice. Chili jam, salted duck egg yolk, bonito powder, crispy garlic. Yummy umami salty blend of complex subtle flavors.

From my cellar: 2010 Quarticello Rivellino Emilia IGT. 91 points. Terrific Lambrusco, with plenty of earth, cut and cherry fruits. Completely different that what many know as Lambrusco. Not sweet or generic by any means. This wine is begging for Prosciutto. It’s deep red, with a hint of the barnyard and very very dry.

Prime Beef Hanger Steak Tartare. Larb seasoning, puffed sesame bread. Very much larb-like, but with better meat. Nice puffy bread too.

Braised Oxtail. Congee, oxtail jus, pickled mustard greens, herb salad. I loved the look, texture, and the flavor of this dish. Photos well too. Bright Vietnamese flavors, soft congee, and fatty braised oxtail. Sort of like a Vietnamese braised beef on polenta.

Notice, I’m experimenting with topdown photography. Works very well in this case.

From my cellar: 1993 Domaine Marquis d’Angerville Volnay 1er Cru Champans. 94 points. Nose: Gorgeous red berries, strawberry, game, spice and leather notes. Palate: Beautifully resolved silky and balanced in the mouth. Great red fruit that gives sweet cherry, cranberry, red currant and sappy raspberry. This is backed up by minerality and a gamey note of raw duck and some sweet spices and pine notes. Complex and giving right now. Finish: Wow. grows more detailed as it finishes with a complex range of nuance.
Muscovy Duck Breast. Sesame oil, ginger, pickled hon shimeji mushrooms. Very subtle with a lovely flavor.
Jidori Chicken Thigh. Ginger caramel braised, scallions. Probably the best version of “caramel sauce chicken” I’ve had.

Heavenly Beef. Coriander, garlic, dry aged beef fat. Awesome! There seemed to even be a bit of Szechuan peppercorn in here. Very flavorful. Great version of this “French Style Beef”.
Pork Belly Braised. Fresh coconut juice, marinated egg. Melt in your mouth soft with a lot of great flavor. Not exactly lean!

Rib Eye Steak. Kecep manis glaze, roasted garlic fried potatoes. Super smokey, partially the potatoes (which were awesome). The meat was really good too.

Coconut Flan. Tamarind caramel, coconut snow (dairy free, includes eggs). I loved this. The tamarind gave it a very strong limey taste so it was extremely coconut/acid (like my coconut lime sorbet). The texture was soft and bread-like with that powdery coconut.

Overall Simbal has a fabulous kitchen (not to mention an awesome space and great service). This is a quite different take on the New Vietnamese than a place like Cassia which is spicer and has more influence from Singapore. I’d say the Eastern influence here at Simbal is almost entirely Vietnamese, and some of the dishes like the Heavenly Beef and Chicken Thigh are fairly close to their native versions. But many others are sort of crossed with the format of “New American” or more European influence. This makes the actual items on the menu seem more in a New American or New French vein, but yet each is blended with Vietnamese flavor — or interpreted through a Vietnamese filter. This is most typified by the Muscovy Duck where it’s kind of like Tea Smoked Duck meets Vietnam meets a French duck prep.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Also check out my genuine Vietnamese dining (aka the food from my Vietnam trip).

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: DTLA, Ron Carey, Shawn Pham, Simbal, Vietnamese cuisine

R.I.P. Typhoon

Oct28

Restaurant: Typhoon

Location: 3221 Donald Douglas Loop S, Santa Monica, CA 90405. (310) 390-6565

Date: October 18, 2016

Cuisine: Pan Asian

Rating: Out with a whimper

I first started coming to Typhoon in 1996 or 1997. At the time I thought it was amazing and for years after I would take out of town guests there.

The location in Santa Monica Airport was super cool — and well they had insects on the menu (always good for a scare). Plus, upstairs was one of my favorite sushi spots the amazing Hump — shuttered some years ago.

But finally, after a long long run the city is raising the rent and things are winding down.

Today for a final visit before they close we actually ate upstairs in the Hump space. Nothing has changed. In fact, the whole building and complex has a “seen better days feel.”

The decor is still cool, and doesn’t in of itself look dated, but things are a little worn.

The menu seems to have been simplified.

Ma La Dumplings. Szechuan-style steamed ground pork dumplings. No ma la here. No heat at all and certainly no Szechuan peppercorn. They weren’t that bad, they just weren’t spicy at all.

Taiwanese Sausage. with garlic slivers. Seemed like Thai sausage. Not too bad either, if a bit chewy.

Filipino Grilled Pork bowl. Pretty tasty. Certainly better than the below:

Kung Pao Shrimp. scallions, peanuts, red chile. Pretty much like a PF Changs kung pao — no heat at all, just salty. Yuck.

Not super impressive. I remember loving this place a long time ago, but I haven’t been for a serious meal here in almost 10 years. 20 years ago it was one of the only places (particularly on the westside) doing all these different Asian cuisines and it did them fairly well. But the world has moved on and we have the likes of Cassia. Sigh.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: pan Asian cuisine, Santa Monica, Santa Monica Airport, The Hump, Typhoon

Quick Eats – AR Cucina

Oct26

Restaurant: AR Cucina

Location: 9531 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232. (310) 558-8800

Date: October 21, 2016

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Solid, particularly for a non Italian chef

Not long ago I tried out Sambar, a modern Indian in Culver City. Well, it turns out it wasn’t competing with the old school Indians out on Venice Blvd, and so the group rebooted it with the same chef as an Italian!

The menu.

The decor has barely changed. They took off the starburst pattern on the wall, added some mirrors, and painted an Italian scene.

Cacio E Pepe pane di casa. Somehow when I ordered this I imagined a pizza. Instead we got this bread which was… well covered in cheese and pepper. It did taste kinda like Cacio e pepe. And the read had great texture. It was salty too. I probably would have preferred something with melted cheese though.

Burrata Mozzarella. tomato-almond pesto, Sicilian sundred tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, ciabatta. More bread. The tomato/pesto was excellent though. Lots of acid. Not for those with reflux. But excellent rustic dish.

Chicken Meatballs. Nonna Giovanna’s tomato sauce. Pecorino cheese, ciabatta. More bread and even more hearty tomato sauce. Nice meatballs actually. Moist for chicken. Great sauce. Similar to above, but good.

Tricolore salad. Arugula, radicchio, escarole, parmigiano-reggiano, pistachio-pesto & lemon dressing.
Bucatini all’amatriciana. La quercia guanciale, tomato, pecorino. Solid version of this traditional dish. Also lots of pecorino and tomato — but it is supposed to be like that. I would up the guanciale factor if I was in the kitchen, but otherwise very nice.

Overall, and this was a quick little lunch, AR Cucina offered some solid rustic, slightly Southern, Italian. It’s not the most radical menu at all, sort of like a petite Bestia, or a lightweight modernized greatest hits of Central and South Italy — meaty hits, as there is almost no seafood. My new restaurant is just down the street, so I’ll be back to try more. They supposedly have a great Lasagna.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: AR Cucina, Culver City

Krug at Spago

Oct24

Restaurant: Spago [1, 2, 3]

Location: 176 N Canon Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. (310) 385-0880

Date: October 20, 2016

Cuisine: New American

Rating: Impressive

Today’s lovely luncheon is a combo Sage Society Krug event!

Nothing like Krug for lunch.

It was located in “Prive” one of the Spago private rooms.

Krug Grand Cruvee 163 Edition – ID 215034. 94 points. 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.

Falafel fritters.

Spago staple, sweet sesame cones with ahi tartar.

Pork belly macaron. Pretty awesome! Half dessert, half savory.

Salmon, creme fraiche blini. Another Spago classic that doesn’t disappoint.

The serious looking “krew”.

We got Krug goodies. A cookbook, and the history of the domain.

Spago bread. This one was olive.

Le menu.

Krug Clos du Mesnil 2002 – ID 115024. VM 96. The 2002 Clos du Mesnil is brilliant right out of the gate. Vibrant, focused and crystalline, the 2002 hits all the right notes. Lemon peel, grapefruit, slate and white flowers give the 2002 its high-toned personality. The ripeness of the vintage has softened some of the typically angular young Clos du Mesnil contours. Best of all the 2002 is a rare Clos du Mesnil that drinks well right out of the gate, even if it will surely be more complex with more time in bottle. The 2002 has been absolutely stellar on both occasions I have tasted it so far. The 2002 was vinified by Nicolas Audebert, who is now making the wines at Rauzan-Ségla and Canon.

Sunnyside Up Egg, rye crisp, potato chip espuma. A classic champagne pairing of egg and caviar.

Wolfgang Puck materialized to say hi and grab his glass of du Mesnil!

Krug 2002 – ID 315043. 92-94 points. I have tasted Krug’s 2002 Vintage on multiple occasions but have yet to encounter a bottle that is fully expressive or that lives up to the level of the year. The 2002 needs several hours of air and even so, it remains incredibly reticent, both by Krug standards and relative to the other Champagnes of the vintage, nearly all of which have been released by now. My best advice to Vinous readers is to taste the 2002 before making a decision on whether to buy it or not.

Pan Roasted Maine Lobster Tail. Vanilla Dressing, Mizuna, Bartlett Pear. Interesting vanilla tone with the pear. Perhaps my lobster was very slightly overcooked.

Krug Rose – ID 414068. 94 points. The NV Brut Rosé is brilliant and finely-sculpted in the glass, with floral aromatics, pulsating minerality and chiseled fruit. Less austere than it can be, the Rosé impresses for its combination of tension and textured, phenolic weight. There is so much to like.

Slow Roasted Veal Loin!

Glazed carrots, wild mushrooms, chardonnay reduction. This was the best “prime rib” I’ve ever had — super tender as it was veal. Oh, and there were truffles too. The reduction was fabulous as well.

Krug 4 ways.

Standing is Maggie Henriquez, President and Directeur General of Krug! (the title makes me think of Napoleon). We learned a lot about Krug!

Krug Grande Cuvee 158th edition – ID 108002. A super rare “based on 2002” Grand cuvee. Amazing!

And an older Krug Grande Cuvee, probably from the 80s. Very slightly corked, but mostly blew off and was rather lovely.

Petits fours & Mignardises. I ate like a whole plate.

The lineup.
Maggie and Liz Lee of Sage Society, our hostess and superlative organizer.

I’m always blown away by the quality of Krug. Really, just one of those domains that makes sure the quality is always top notch.

Spago too continues to be fairly impressive. Service was flawless and the food was very good. Particularly that veal was stunning.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Krug, Sage Society, Spago

Mangement Problems – Herringbone

Oct19

Restaurant: Herringbone

Location: 1755 Ocean Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90401. (310) 971-4460

Date: October 4, 2016

Cuisine: Seafooder

Rating: Ok food, terrible management

I keep being reminded of Herringbone — partially because of its large signage on prominent Ocean Ave, partially because it always comes up in OpenTable.

To be honest the reviews and my sense that this really isn’t a chef driven restaurant really gave me pause.

The interior is huge and the build out lovely. They must have spent a lot of money.

Fugu tree! Never seen one of those before.

A nice patio.

Even more interior.

Anyway the menu is straight up seafooder. Not super exciting but they have some lunch deals.

But after you read about the food make sure to check out my “experience” issues.

Pear and burrata salad. Grilled persimmon, mizuna, sunflower seeds, poached pear, oregano vinaigrette. Tasty enough salad if highly derivative.

Kale Salad. La Quercia Prosciutto, baby heirloom tomatoes, avocado, pine nuts, pecorino, lemon vinaigrette. Also a solid salad.

Lobster roll and fries. The lobster itself was decent, although there wasn’t enough of it. The bun was too solid and the lobster just sort of piled on top (there was a little slit/hole). Overall the sandwich half worked. The fries were fine. Not amazing, not bad at all.

The location is great. The build out nice. The food not super inspired but okay. However, the service and experience kinda sucked. First of all, they sat us then basically ignored us for like 30 minutes. We barely got drinks (these took awhile). Eventually we managed to get an order in. And this was lunch. Who wants to sit around forever with a one page menu at lunch? Then there were a few minor goofs with the order, but it took forever. The place was huge but seemed short staffed both on service and behind the line. The servers appeared to spend far long tapping on the POS system than interacting with customers. The gap between our order and the first course was like another 30 minutes. Then after the mains were plopped down and no apology was proffered, we mentioned something and the server became instantly defensive and blamed it on the (lack of) cooks. Now that may (or may not) have been true, but it was graceless. And he didn’t even begin to offer anything up (like a free dessert or even an apology). Another member of our party complained to the front and got the manager — who was also defensive and didn’t offer much else other than saying we should “call ahead” and come in and he would make sure the experience went smoother.

But it was clear watching the room that there was a process problem. Everyone was waiting a long time (and there were only a couple tables in the big room) and there was no manager visible. In fact there were long periods where no servers were visible (just busboys). Clearly this is a corporate place and everyone was just phoning it in. I don’t know if I’ll ever go back, which is a shame because it’s close and has a nice space. Maybe, and it’s a big maybe, I’ll give it one more try at dinner (but reviews online indicate our problem was not isolated).

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: bad service, Herringbone, Santa Monica, Seafood

Gasping Fish Shunji

Oct17

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

Location: 12244 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064. (310) 826-4737

Date: September 30, 2016

Cuisine: Japanese Sushi

Rating: First rate traditional sushi

My parents and some friends wanted sushi — so out we go for Shunji’s omakase!

Shunji, which took over for the “Mr. Cecil’s BBQ” in this oddball looking building on Pico has developed quite a reputation.

At night, Shunji offers an amazing and advanced mix of traditional and modern raw and cooked dishes.

Chef Shunji Nakao was an opening chef at Matsuhisa in the day, then opened Asanebo, then The Hump (one of my old favorites). It has quickly risen to the top of the LA Japanese scene.

From my cellar: 2013 Zardetto Prosecco di Conegliano Zeta. Just a touch sweet, very food friendly.

Eggplant mouse. One of those vegetable purees, presumably mixed with dashi. Had a cool, slightly slimey texture and an oh so Japanese vibe. Not the most approachable.

A section of starters.

House made flavored tofu (can’t remember the flavor) with some kind of gel.

Uni caviar ball, steamed sea creature, shrimp, octopus.

Pickled celery. Marinated tomato.

From my cellar: 2006 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses.. BH 94. The touch of wood spice this displayed last year has now been completely integrated though the original anise, clove and saline notes remain to add nuance to the pretty and elegant mix of white and yellow fruit aromas that introduce round and generous flavors that offer up real volume and mid-palate density, all wrapped around a firm acid spine on the refined, pure and explosive finish. This is positively stunning, certainly in an absolute sense but particularly so in the context of the vintage. One to look for and like the Valmur, this almost vibrates with an underlying sense of energy.

A tea pot of soup.

Some kind of very mellow Japanese broth with bits of fish and mushroom. You squeeze the yuzu in too and pour it into the little cup.

Live Halibut! A rather impressive but disturbing bit of dinner theater. This poor guy was still alive (or at least gasping) as we ate his yummy sashimi flesh. Bits of his skin had been fried so they curled up all chewy too.

A close up. Too bad I didn’t shoot the video of him in “action.” It was so sad we had the fish taken away and returned with the meat only.

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.

Snapper in slime. A bit of raw snapper in a goopy sauce that reminded me of gefilte fish.

Vegetables and seared fish. Perfectly crispy marinated vegetables of different textures and a bit of seared fish with two sauces.

Tomato tofu. This Shunji classic is a block of sticky tomato paste made from 5 Japanese tomatoes. It has been glommed together into a tofu-like texture with a mild but very fresh tomato taste and topped with a shiso pepper. It was pretty good, even by tomato-hater standards.

Wagyu, uni, caviar, truffle. Yum yum!

Mushrooms and squid? Hard to remember but this was a great dish with interesting texture and woodsy notes.

Sushi. Includes snapper, toro, salmon, mackerel, and uni.
Traditional toasted tea.

All and all Shunji is rather fantastic, joining the large repertoire of top LA sushi restaurants. This was a really great take on sushi kaiseki style dishes, combining both innovations with a solid grounding in traditional Japanese flavors and seasonal ingredients. There was some really unusual stuff too. While this was a good meal, I prefer Shunji at the sushi bar with a smaller group — and possibly more nigiri. Many of the items tonight had that very subtle Japanese flavor profile. Shunji, although modern, is less “punched up” than many LA sushi houses with much less reliance on acid (a.k.a. vinegar) and other “flashier” flavors.

For more LA sushi reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Shunji, Shunji Nakao, Sushi, Wine

Sweetfin Poké – Not Getting It

Oct14

Restaurant: Sweetfin Poké

Location: 829 Broadway, Santa Monica, CA 90401. (310) 395-1097

Date: October 7, 2016

Cuisine: Poké

Rating: Better than what I’ve had before, but not that exciting

This is my second trip to a pure Poké shop. I mean, I’ve had Poké in Hawaii, and I’ve had a tremendous amount of sushi, but this whole “Poké joint” thing is fairly new — if a huge trend as they seem to be everywhere now.

Located right on Broadway just a couple blocks back from the Promenade. Too far to walk, but it didn’t stop the crowds (which must be fairly local) from showing.

The menu system is on the board. Here you pick from more curated bowls or build your own in a less assembly line fashion than the other one I went to: Poke Express.

The crowd was huge on this random Friday at 12:30.

Spicy Yuzu Salmon. yuzu kosho sauce, edamame, lime. Like everyone else I added crispy onions (and cucumbers). It was okay. Certainly better than the Poke Express mess of flavors. More in balance. But still, the rice was a little weird. I prefer straight sushi rice. And the whole thing didn’t have a TON of flavor. A good chirasi bowl is way better. This was a large. It wasn’t large. The small was tiny.
Horchata. Odd with poké.

I’m not sure I get the whole poké thing. Don’t get me wrong, I love raw fish, but these combinations are a bit odd and everything either tastes like dressing or not much at all. It’s fine, but nothing exciting. Why’s it so popular? Maybe because it’s “cheap” and vaguely sushi-like? Maybe because the quick serve format is appealingly fast? Maybe people think it’s healthy (should be reasonably so)? I dunno. I certainly don’t really crave it.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: poke, Sweetfin

Elite Champagne Brunch

Oct12

Restaurant: Elite Restaurant [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

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

Date: October 9, 2016

Cuisine: Cantonese Dim Sum

Rating: Elite!

Elite is well known as one of great LA’s top dimsum places and so the Dirty Dozen is heading there on this lovely (hot) Sunday afternoon for a blind Champagne tasting.

We have the private room, of course.

2014 St. Romain Les Jarrons. Just a little chard to get started.

The bucket of Champs.

Flight 1:

This flight of 3 (ignore the rightmost) was first, but remember the whole lunch was blind.

2004 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut Millésimé. Peter says 93 points. Nice BdB bready-yeasty notes, fine, straw, with exceptional elegance, lemon, bosc pear, minerals, chalk, complex, super long, powerful but pretty. Loved this, guessed Comtes BdB ’04.

1995 Charles Heidsieck Champagne Blanc des Millénaires. AG 95. The 1995 Brut Blanc des Millenaires shows just how compelling this often overlooked vintage can be. Layers of lemon, pastry spices, crushed rocks and savory herbs literally jump from the glass in this exquisite, perfumed, beautifully delineated Champagne. The 1995 shows lovely flavor complexity and nuance from its extended time in bottle, yet it also retains plenty of freshness, verve and acidity. This is a great showing from Charles Heidsieck. The 1995 was made before the tenure of the house’s current team, headed by CEO Cécile Bonnefond. It will be very interesting to see what develops at this historic property over the coming years.

Peter, anther attendee says 93 points: Medium burnished yellow/gold; rich, powerful, a touch nutty, berries showing through tertiary notes, very long, complex and great balance. Blind at Dirty Dozen tasting. Guessed ’96 Dom. Would not have guessed a BdB. Curious to know disgorgement date since they have the new bottles/embossed clear labels.

1988 Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut. VM 97. After the lackluster 1990, things get back on track quickly with the 1988 Salon, a wine that is absolutely peaking today. From one of the all-time great vintages in Champagne the 1988 Salon exudes power and explosive intensity, with superb balance and pulsating acidity that gives the wine its drive. A host of candied lemon peel, hazelnut, smoke, licorice and anise overtones meld into the super-expressive finish. Disgorged à la volée, with no dosage.

agavin: our bottle was a bit oxed. According to Peter, another of our guests: Quite dark gold color; this seemed very old with a quite strong oxidative nose, nutty aspect, light caramel bits, a touch of a sour tangy finish. Still, very intriguing and enjoyed the burnished aspect of an older Champagne. Drink up now for sure, although this most likely was prematurely oxidized as it shouldn’t have been this developed. Guessed ’90 Krug. Blind at Dirty Dozen tasting.

Pork Shui-Mai. Also great versions of the classic.

Shanghai Style Steamed Bun. We love XLB, and these particular examples were awesome. My brother and I snarfed a tin each on at least 2 trips.

Har Gow (Crystal shrimp). Excellent versions of the standard.

Peanut Dumpling. This one had peanuts and some other protein bits inside.

Elite BBQ Pork Bun. Like a jelly donut, just filled instead with porky goodness!

Baked BBQ pork dumpling. Little flakey. pastry triangles stuffed with the usual red BBQ pork.

Hot sauces.

XLB sauce.

Macau style pork belly. What it looks like (pork belly). Today was really on point.

Layered beancurd. Never had this before. All texture but it was really great.

Halloween version! (actually dipped in its sauce)

Flight 2:

More goodies — vintage.

2002 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Cuvée Nicolas-François Billecart. VM 94. The 2002 Cuvée Nicolas François Billecart comes across as rich, powerful and opulent. This latest release of the 2002 was disgorged in July 2015 and finished with a Chardonnay-based liqueur whereas the previous release, disgorged in May 2014, was finished with a Pinot Noir-based liqueur. This is a distinctly vinous, almost shockingly raw, visceral Champagne from Billecart-Salmon. There is no shortage of volume or intensity, that is for sure. Stylistically, this year’s release inhabits a whole other world relative to last year’s release. Dosage is 4 grams per liter.

Peter says 91 points: Distinct but subtle berry notes on the nose, slight pinot character with very slight oxidative character; somewhat rougher bubbles after the Heidsieck Millenaires, Billecart BdB and Salon. At first it seemed less fine in the mouth, but coming back to it it seemed very foamy small bubbles. 91-92. I usually like this much more than I did today. Guessed ’02 Blend. Blind at Dirty Dozen tasting.

From my cellar: 2000 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut. BH 96. A wonderfully layered and nuanced nose features an intense yeasty character to the maturing fruit that displays interesting phenolic characters, in particular petrol, along with aromas of apple, pear and soft citrus hints. In contrast to the nascent maturity expressed by the nose the flavor profile is still tight and backward with a genuinely gorgeous texture, all wrapped in a strikingly persistent and highly complex finish. For my taste the 2000 Brut is at an inflection point as the nose does offer enough maturity so that it’s really quite pretty whereas the palate impression is substantially younger. As such it really just depends on how you prefer your Champagne because I suspect that the nose will be very mature by the time the still very youthful flavors attain their majority. For my taste preferences it would be no vinous crime to begin enjoying this now but be aware that this will age for a very long time. The best approach is probably to buy 6, or even 12, bottles and enjoy them over a longer period of time.

Peter says 93 points: This had great vinous character, clear aged notes, apple skin, baked bread, earthy minerals; fine foamy mouth, elegant but powerful and intense, with excellent acidity and very long in the finish. 2nd day drank kinda like a great older Burgundy. Guessed ’96 blend. Blind at Dirty Dozen tasting.

1999 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut. VM 92+. Light gold. Vibrant, tangy aromas of apple, pear, white peach and minerals. Wound tight right now, only reluctantly offering up flavors of fresh orchard fruits, herbs and pepper. Finishes zesty and long. Seems less deep than the 1997 bottling; is this just in a sullen, youthful stage?

Peter says 94 points: This was a killer–gorgeous complex character, fruit, minerals, yeast, all in perfect balance, savory notes shining through with power and elegance. Guessed ’90 BdB. Blind at Dirty Dozen tasting. My WOTN (with very strong contenders).

1996 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon. BH 97. A distinctly reticent but elegant nose with a purity of expression that is truly impressive to experience as it’s relatively high-toned and while the yeast comes up with air, it’s relatively muted at presence, combining with intense, precise and superbly detailed and complex flavors that culminate in an explosive and wonderfully long finish. This may very well rival the sublime ’90 in time even if it’s not quite as concentrated. This is still a baby so there is absolutely no rush whatsoever.

agavin: our bottle was sadly corked.

Chicken feet in house sauce. Not my thing, but some like it.

Pheasant lettuce cups. Really nice crunchy texture. Put in the lettuce cups below and add hoisin.

Lettuce cups.

Scallop Dumpling. This was one of the best scallop dumplings I’ve had. There are all sorts of trefy goodies in there.

Singapore noodles. Great version of this classic dish with its yellow curry flavor.

Flight 3:

The NV wines.

NV Kirkland Signature Champagne Brut. CW 79-81. Light golden yellow color with steady stream of small bubbles; tart peach, baked pear nose; ripe pear, apple, honeyed palate; medium-plus finish.

Peter says 88 points: This had a prosecco-like aromatic floral nose (Not a champagne nose), it was light yellow (contrasting with the darker more intense colors of the other prestige cuvees), and more rustic effervescence and quick finish. Guessed Prosecco or low level young brut. This was fun because it ranked very high when put up against a slew of prestige cuvees. I think maybe because of the nice floral aromatics and bright freshness which may have been refreshing after a lot of older vinous wines? Blind at Dirty Dozen tasting.

2005 Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée. Always great!

1990 Perrier-Jouët Champagne Cuvée Fleur de Champagne. VM 92. Complex, nutty, vibrant aromas of orange peel, lemon oil, and biscuit. Very concentrated and intensely flavored; thick with extract in the style of the best ’90s, but without any heaviness. Lemon and apple flavors really cling to the palate. Finishes very long and thoroughly ripe.

Peter says 91 points: This was just as dark as the ’88 Salon (maybe a bit darker even); Oxidative, nutty, pecan, slight caramelized notes, old tired bubbles, but this really grew on me like a comfortable worn out old leather chair. It seemed a bit older than it was, but fun to drink. 91-92. Blind at Dirty Dozen tasting.

Beef chow mein. Excellent, although I liked the seafood a bit better.

House Roasted Duck. The duck does not suck. In fact, it was great. There was that usual authentic Chinese bone factor, but the taste was first rate.

Elite fried rice. A bit of everything.
TT

Macau Egg Tart. Nice custard pies. Pretty awesome.

Coconut cakes. Wow are these good!

Durian bun. One of the best Durian buns I’ve had. With a really creamy mushy (banana texture) interior with that weird but yummy Durian flavor (rotten bananas with pineapple and petrol?)

Mango pudding. Love this stuff.

Another awesome Chinese feast. This whole thing was $45 including paying for the winner AND a huge tip. Food was very fresh and on point. A large percentage of my fiends who go to dimsum think it’s the best in the SGV. I personally agree, with next best being King Hua. Certainly Elite, King Hua, and Lunasia are also at the top, but slightly below and there is a tier even slightly below that including Sea Harbor and maybe Shi Hai.

Wines were pretty good. Sadly the Salon and a couple others were over the hill or off (the Dom 96 too which should have been great), and a couple were showing oddly. But still great fun.

One of the best Dirty Dozen meals I’ve been too — particularly because they tend to be at restaurants I don’t like, such as Taylor’s Steakhouse, Del Frisco’s Grille, Locanda Veneta, or Wilshire. They are selected for being accommodating (which they are), but the food at that lot tends to be dated and/or sloppy which isn’t my thing. The next event, however, will be at BOA SM, which while still a steakhouse (I’m not a steak guy unless it’s Yakiniku), is a pretty good place.

For more LA Chinese reviews click here.

Other Hedonist festivities.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Champagne, Dim sum, dimsum, Dirty Dozen, Elite Restaurant, hedonists, Wine, XLB

Quick Eats – Bru’s Wiffle

Oct10

Restaurant: Bru’s Wiffle

Location: 2408 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90403. (310) 453-2787

Date: October 5 & November 25, 2016

Cuisine: Breakfast

Rating: Interesting and solid combo

I’m always up for trying a new breakfast joint, and I noticed this one in that breakfast heavy corner of 26th and Wilshire.

Cute logo.

Very simple space that does the job.

The menu has a lot of options, particularly for those with a sweet tooth.

And look, latte art!

banana split waffle. belgian waffle topped with ice cream, whipped cream, bananas, strawberries & chocolate sauce

Breakfast burrito. mushrooms, onions, bacon, eggs, potatoes & crispy chicken, topped with enchilada, salsa verde and queso fresco. That’s a lot in one burrito!

eggs benedict. crispy chicken on mini waffles.

eggs benedict. smoked salmon on mini waffles.

eggs benedict. canadian bacon on mini waffles.

Chicken & waffle: huevos rancheros. with queso fresca, refried beans, fried egg, guacamole & red salsa. Seems a little scary, but those that ate it enjoyed it a lot.

Chicken & waffle: Golden goat. served with goat cheese and honey. A seemingly weird combination, but the salty sweet was quite good. Nice chunks of boneless crispy fried chicken too.

chicken on fire. served with grilled onions, grilled jalapenos, oaxacan cheese with blazing sauce. Very savory. Quite delicious, but sticks with you for a WHILE because of the heavy carb and fat factor.

Overall, Bru’s definitely seemed solid for a casual (and hearty) breakfast place. The staff was very friendly too. There are a lot of substantial options and it would make a great place for a crazy treat of a breakfast with my son (can we say chocolate waffles?).

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Breakfast, Bru's Wiffle, waffles

Introducing Ramen Roll

Oct06

Culver City, CA – October 6, 2016 – Adam Fleischman, Andy Gavin, and Kiyoshiro Yamamoto announced plans to establish Ramen Roll, a new Japanese fine-casual concept in Culver City. Opening by year’s end, Ramen Roll heralds a new wave in accessible Japanese dining: Patrons choose from fixed menu sets that include hand rolls, next-level ramen, and Japanese bowls that showcase Chef Yama’s punched-up, modern Japanese style. An expertly tailored list of beer, wine, and sake crafted by beverage masters Gavin and Fleischman will complement.

“Japanese cuisine has been relatively untapped in the fine-casual space,” said Adam Fleischman, co-owner. “Ramen Roll combines bold yet elegant Japanese flavors with an energetic atmosphere designed by Studio UNLTD (Bestia, Otium) and decorated with stylish murals by surrealist L.A. street artist John Park.”

“Great customer service is about getting what you want, when you want it,” said Andy Gavin. “An innovative mix of sushi bar, ramen bar, and table spaces patrolled by iPad wielding staff will ensure ultra-fresh food in ultra-short time.”

The menu for Ramen Roll is the work of Master Chef Kiyoshiro Yamamoto, best known for his ultra-exclusive modern kaiseki restaurant, Yamakase, which garners customer and critical praise alike. “Yama has long been one of my favorite Los Angeles chefs, and I am thrilled to finally be working with him,” said Fleischman.

Ramen Roll will open by the end of the year at 9900 Culver Blvd., Culver City, CA, 90232. To learn more about Ramen Roll visit www.ramenroll.com or follow @RamenRollEats on Twitter or facebook.com/RamenRollEats or instagram.com/ramenrolleats.

About Adam Fleischman

Adam Fleischman is a self-taught food innovator and entrepreneur. He is widely regarded as an influential tastemaker and culinary personality (including appearances on Iron Chef). In 2009, he founded Umami Burger (and soon afterward, the Umami Restaurant Group), and co-founded 800 Degrees Pizza, both multi-unit innovative concepts. Recently, he has been putting his tastemaker abilities to use as co-founder and managing director of AdVantage Restaurant Partners, creating and sourcing the next wave of culinary brands. Fleischman was featured on Fast Company’s list of the “100 Most Creative People in Business” and National Restaurant News’ “Power List: The 50 most powerful people in foodservice.”

About Andy Gavin

Andy Gavin is an unstoppable entrepreneur who studied for his Ph.D. at M.I.T. and founded video game developer Naughty Dog, Inc. at the age of fifteen, serving as co-president for two decades. There he created, produced, and directed over a dozen video games, including the award winning and best-selling Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter franchises, selling over 40 million units worldwide. He founded several other tech companies, wrote and published two novels, and blogs obsessively, mostly about his great passion for food and wine. Andy is also a trained sommelier, sleeps very little, reads novels and histories, and eats up a storm the world over.

About Chef Kiyoshiro Yamamoto

A native of Tokyo, Chef Kiyoshiro Yamamoto has been slicing up the Los Angeles sushi scene for years. After training at Yuu and Mitsuki, he spent long stints at Taiko El Segundo and the Hump. At this glamourous airport location Yama’s delectable omakase preparations laid the groundwork for his unique style of traditional Japanese dishes slashed with contemporary verve. In 2011, Yama debuted his ultra-exclusive modern kaiseki restaurant, Yamakase, which garners customer and critical praise alike. The incomparable 20+ course omakase-only experience earned the #2 spot on Eater’s “Hottest Sushi Restaurants in America” list and the coveted #1 place on Tabelog’s “11 Best Sushi Restaurants in America!” His dishes combine superbly sourced ingredients, impeccable knife-work, and the subtle elegance of Japan’s Zen influenced cuisine — punctured with western influences and striking but harmonious flavors.

Press Coverage:

On Eater where they neglect to bold my name.

LA Times says (briefly)…

The Culver City Patch.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Adam Fleischman, Andy Gavin, Kiyoshiro Yamamoto, ramen, Ramen Roll

71Above – Knights Who Say Wine

Oct03

Restaurant: 71Above [1, 2, 3]

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

Date: September 30, 2016

Cuisine: New American

Rating: Awesome in all ways

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! And Emil also happens to be a member of my class in the Chevaliers du Tastevin, which bring’s us to this year’s annual “Grand Cru” lunch.

The Chevaliers are a sacred (to Dionysus) order of “knights.” Hehe. Knights of the grape.

And today we took over Emil’s spectacular high-rise.

Even the wine commands a view!

As does every table!

First comes the cocktail hour.

With live band.

And champagne of course.

Plus yummy fig and burrata tarts.

2013 Comte Armand Bourgogne-Aligoté. BH 86. A spicy and ultra-fresh nose exhibits notes of green apple and citrus peel. There is fine verve and delineation to the lightly mineral-inflected flavors that exude a subtle salinity on the clean, dry and nicely balanced finish. This is not especially complex but I like the clean style and delivery.

And foie gras toasts.

Today’s special menu.

Notice the committee details.

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.

2009 Domaine Larochette-Manciat Pouilly-Fuissé Les Petites Bruyeres. 91 points. Nose of acacia flowers, lemon zest and lemongrass. Extracted lemon, some chalkiness with hints Grass and stone. Very refreshing.

agavin: over performing.

2011 Paul Pillot Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Champs-Gain. BH 89-91. A ripe but very fresh nose of spiced herbal tea, white flowers, pear and fennel leads to generously proportioned middle weight flavors that possess both good volume and a suave mouth feel. There is just a touch of austerity to the agreeably dry, pure and well-balanced finish that offers very good if not truly distinguished depth and length. (Drink starting 2018)

2007 Yves Boyer-Martenot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Le Cailleret. VM 91. Medium, bright yellow. Ripe aromas of peach, butter, clove and grilled nuts, lifted by violet and lavender nuances. Supple and pliant, offering the sweetest impression of Boyer’s crus, but with an edge of pineappley acidity giving the wine an early spiky quality. For all its texture, this shut down in the glass and will need some bottle aging.

Hamachi with apple, dill, horseradish, and preserved lemon. Really bright and delicious Japanese/herby “enchilada.”

2009 Domaine Henri Boillot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos de la Mouchère. BH 95. There is also a trace of reduction and sulfur remnants present on the nose though there is a brilliant purity to the refined and penetratingly mineral-driven flavors that possess outstanding precision and cut on the powerful finish that is quite dry for the vintage with almost painful intensity. A real stunner.

agavin: young and tons of reductive bandaid.

Sautéed scallop with cauliflower, raisons, and harissa. Really interesting textures and a great turmeric taste.

Halibut with a similar prep.

2006 Domaine Michel Lafarge Volnay 1er Cru Clos du Château des Ducs. VM 92+. Good medium red. Captivating aromas of cherry, spices, minerals and flowers. Fat, broad and deeply spicy, with noteworthy depth of flavor and a tactile mouth feel. At once mouthfilling and vibrant; seamless and lively. The very long finish features thoroughly enrobed ripe tannins and vibrant spicy persistence. It will be fascinating to compare this with the 2007 version in six or seven years.

2004 Bouchard Père et Fils Beaune 1er Cru Grèves Vigne de L’Enfant Jesus. VM 90. Medium red. Black cherry and a resiny nuance on the youthfully medicinal nose. The broadest and sweetest of these Bouchard Beaune bottlings, with dark fruit flavors given definition and lift by firm acidity. This has good volume and a chewy texture. Finishes with sweet tannins and very good length, with a piquant note of grapefruit.

agavin: 90 points is a stretch for this wine which is still showing the awful ’04 meany greenies.

Roasted duck with parsnips, dates, and Szechuan peppercorns. The duck was gamey and perfectly medium rare. A really nice piece of fowl. And boldly there was a real Szechuan peppercorn tongue buzz. I’ve almost never seen these used outside of Chinese restaurants.

The vegetables were sweet and “spicy” (cinnamon, etc) with a decidedly autumn vibe.

Emil and Chef Abgaryan and crew.

1998 Domaine Michel Gaunoux Corton-Renardes. BH 92. This is markedly more complex than the ’98 Rugiens with a classic Renardes nose that is intensely sauvage and displaying moderate secondary development along with plenty of spice nuances. There is excellent energy and punch and it’s clear that the supporting structural elements are riper while supporting and shaping the impressively well-detailed and mineral-inflected flavors and finish. This is an excellent ’98 though note that while it could certainly be drunk now with pleasure that it will continue to age for years.

Selection of American Cheeses. The middle one was like a Gorgonzola dulce.
Reds in the sky.

Crazy views! The Wilshire corridor.

In full swing.

Like on my previous visits the team at 71Above really pulled ahead with 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!

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