Halloween and today’s Sony announcements bring us more The Last of Us part II tease:
Definitely going for some seriously disturbing Walking Dead style violence. Although the clinician in me must make the observation that if you were hung twice by the neck by your body weight and you did manage to survive, you’d almost certainly have a crushed trachea for your trouble.
Any which way – can’t wait!
Restaurant: The Butcher’s Daughter
Location: 1205 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice, CA 90291. (310) 981-3004
Date: September 20, 2017
Cuisine: Vegetarian
Rating: Good for being vegetarian
Abbot Kinney is one of the bastions of hipness, and The Butcher’s Daughter is so “tres LA.” It’s a sort of spiritual successor to the Newsroom, filled with vegetarian food and a 70% female crowd.
They pay a lot of rent, of course.
Hipster baked goods.
The attractive shabby-chic meets garden decor.
Demographics are as expected.
The menu.
Surfer’s Breakfast. Breakfast burrito, farm eggs, avocado, black bean mole, new potatoes, green salsa, sour cream. Obligatory breakfast burrito. Not my thing, and like a lot of vegetarian food guaranteed to produce bloating.
Vietnamese Bahn Mi. Seared cauliflower, mushroom pate, pickled vegetables, classic baguette, cilantro, harissa mayo. Got this figuring it would have more flavor than most. Sandwich was pretty good, strong strong vinegar flavors. The “pate” didn’t have too much in the way of taste though.
Pad Thai. Handmade rice noodles, thai basil, pea shoots, peanuts, tamari thai, scrambled egg, cucumber-carrot salad. Not bad for being vegetarian. Very “bright” (sour) from the probable tamarind. Not as complex as a real pad thai (with the shrimp and fish sauce), but fine.
Overall, the Butcher’s Daughter is an attractive place with good energy. Eating here did feel like, and they got about as much flavor as you can imagine from it, but still not as much as in the fully leaded versions. The menu focuses on juices, smoothies, and vegetarian “imitations” of more meated LA dishes. There is also the bloating factor all these vegetables subbing as meat lead too, but hey, it does feel lighter.
We went down the street for some Blue Bottle. Achem, Nestle coffee.
Restaurant: Seafood Palace
Location: 684 W Garvey Ave. Monterey Park, CA 91754. (626) 289-0088
Date: September 24, 2017, July 14, 2019, and October 24, 2021
Cuisine: Chaozhou Chinese
Rating: One of LA’s best (and most authentic) Chaozhou places
My Hedonist group has been coming here for years, same location, same food, different name – formerly Seafood Village.
It’s actually in the mini-mall with Sham Tsem and the “hooker motel secret room” (see the post I linked in this sentence). Mysteriously, even thought he “construction” period transforming Seafood Village into Seafood Palace was like a year there is no apparent update. It’s still the same over-lit drop ceiling “palace” as before.
Pickled onions and boiled peanuts on the table.
Jellyfish (7/14/19 and 10/24/21). Nice crunchy texture.
Sliced cold pig’s feet (7/14/19). A bit gelatinous, but surprisingly delicious. Better sliced like this than whole!
Special order turtle soup. Since we had turtle soup at World Seafood Yarom has been determined to try it again.
The broth is delicate and savory, with an almost tea-like taste.
And all the crud that made the broth is as follows: bits of turtle, turtle fat, chicken feet, ginger, organs, god only knows. We actually picked at this repulsive looking plate and the meat was quite tasty.
We also selected two large lobsters.
Chaozhou style duck (2017 and 7/14/19 and 10/24/21). Sort of like the duck version of Hainan chicken.
A vinegar sweet sauce for the duck.
Roast pigeon (2017 and 7/14/19 and 10/24/21). Tasty little fellows.
Causeway style shrimp (7/14/19). Whole prawns crusted in garlic. Super delicious and so well cooked they could be munched whole.
This is what most people come here for, the house special Chiu Chow Style Crab (Dungeness) – (2017 and 7/14/19 and 10/24/21). This is basically battered crab, fried with chilies and lots of garlic. I’ve also heard this called “Causeway Style.” Good stuff with lots of flavor. You end up sucking out the meat or just chewing on through.
House special garlic lobster. Not causeway style, but very tasty.
Roast pork (2017 and 7/14/19 and 10/24/21). Cured like a pastrami and very flavorful — also quite fatty as you would expect.
Scallion omelet (2017 and 7/14/19 and 10/24/21). Eggs and green onions.
Special fried fish (2017 and 7/14/19 and 10/24/21). Lots of garlic flavor. Simple, but extremely tasty.
Mutton curry. Very strong flavored (but delicious) meat in a nice mild curry sauce.
Bean curd with duck in Chui Chow brown sauce (10/24/21).
Oxtail and lilly bulb with brown sauce (10/24/21). Star anise and black cardamon.
Lettuce Cup Chicken (7/14/19). Yeah, PF Chang’s didn’t invent it wholesale!
The lettuce cups and hoisin sauce.
Frog with chives (10/24/21). Delicious.
Chilies with ground pork (2017 and 7/14/19 and 10/24/21). I’ve never seen Jalepenos per se in China, but they do have lots of peppers. Regardless, this was a fabulous dish as the pork was cooked in a great black bean sauce and the combination of the mild heat and the slightly sweet meat was wonderful.
Special Chiu Chow Style “lettuce” (2017 and 7/14/19). Evidently a classic. It head a bit of a porky taste so there must have been something in there with the veggies. Not bad.
Rice porridge soup (7/14/19). A sort of congee-like concoction.
Special glass noodles with meat (earlier and 10/24/21).
Salty garlic fried rice. Excellent fried rice with a salty fishy taste.
White guy shrimp (aka walnut shrimp). Very heavy mayo’d version.
Scallion beef (7/14/19). Slightly different, very succulent.
Cumin lamb or beef. Really tasty full flavored nuggets. Pretty tender too.
Sweet and source pork nibblets (10/24/21).
Sweet and sour pork ribs (7/14/19). Someone ordered the sauce on the side. Salty crunchy pork slabs (with some bone) with the sweet sticky stuff.
Chili sauce.
As usual now-a-days I brought some home made gelati from Sweet Milk, my private gelato label. Green Apple Moscato Sorbetto.
Rosemary Chocolate Gelato. Valrhona chocolate and milk infused with rosemary from my own garden.
The 7/14/19 gelati:
Chocolate Peanut Pretzel Gelato — testing a new 80% chocolate fondant base made with Valrhona and Callebaut Chocolates — then layered that with a house made salty peanut pretzel ganache — you can’t see the base, it’s under the ganache — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #peanut #chocolate #valrhona #Callebaut #ganache #pretzel
Testing out two variants on a theme, first one: Bellini Sorbetto! — French White Peaches and Prosecco — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — I love the Pozzetti (round tubs), but I do need to figure out how to decorate the small batches in an attractive way — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #sorbetto #Bellini #peach #Prosecco
Testing out two variants on a theme, second one: Dark Mimosa Sorbetto! — Blood Orange and Valencia Orange juice mixed with Prosecco — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — I love the Pozzetti (round tubs), but I do need to figure out how to decorate the small batches in an attractive way — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #sorbetto #Mimosa #orange #bloodorange #Prosecco
The 10/24/21 gelati:
Strawberries & Mascar-Creamy Gelato — A base infused with Mascarpone Cheese then blended with house-made Strawberry Curd — created by me for @sweetmilkgelato — my vain attempts to pipe a pretty decoration on top were uttery foiled by timing –#SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #cheesecake #mascarpone #cheese #strawberry #cream
Overall, Seafood Palace is just like Seafood Village and there is nothing wrong with that because it’s still great. Last time we had a few “more interesting” dishes and in 2017 there was a LOT of fried. Still, awesome meal!
Back again on 7/14/19 I thought execution was even better. This is probably my favorite Chaozhou place — a bit like Cantonese but not exactly the same, slightly more “unusual”. Lots of garlic!
Our return visit on 10/24/21 was also spectacular. Just a really great place.
It’s not really worth writing up the “motley cru” of wines that come to Chinese, so I’ll just list the photos here.
Restaurant: Republique [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11]
Location: 624 S La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036. (310) 362-6115
Date: September 16, 2017
Cuisine: Modern Bistro French
Rating: Nice (loud) space, tasty hip food, great service
This is my 11th time writing up Republique! Woah. My parents were in town and turns out they had never been, so we headed on over for a dinner nominally celebrating my awesome dad’s 75th birthday!
Busy and loud as always!
Le menu.
From my cellar: NV Savart Champagne Bulle de Rosé. 92 points. Light pink/salmon color; nose has some strawberry fruit, clean, a bit limited; palate is full bodied, wonderful mousse, plenty of red fruit with strawberry and raspberry, tart grapefruit citrus from start to finish, slight brioche, nice density throughout but also medium-plus acidity that gives it crispness and freshness; medium to medium-long finish. The palate is really strong here with an awesome balance of richness, fruit, grapefruit tartness, and fresh acidity throughout that keeps it exciting and fresh. One of the most enjoyable and complex NV Rose Champagnes that I’ve had, and one of the best priced too. If the nose opens up a bit more, this will be killer, but for now still wonderful. Seems like it may change over a few years in the cellar too. 92+
30 minutes air: After warming from fridge temp, the nose is a bit more aromatic with clearer strawberry fruit, now a slight chalkiness (a bit denser than just minerality).
The bread and Normandy butter is always amazing.
Kampachi Crudo. Green thai curry, watermelon, basil, peanuts. Really nice interesting flavors. Love the combination. Very “Thai.”
Spanish Bluefin Tuna Toast. Avocado, yuzu, smoked sesame seeds, sun gold tomatoes.
Heirloom Tomatoes, cucumber, tenerelli farms peaches, santa barbara pistachios. Can we say seasonal California cuisine?
From my cellar: 1993 Domaine Robert Chevillon Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Saint Georges. VC 95. The 1993 Chevillon Les St. Georges is as fine a bottle of young Nuits as I have ever had the pleasure to taste, as it again seems to take the best of both the Cailles and Vaucrains and roll them into a whole that is more than a sum of its parts. The nose is deep, refined and regal, soaring from the glass in a mélange of black cherries, plums, violets, nutty tones, herbs, intense minerality, and woodsmoke. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, complete and youthfully complex, with a sappy core of fruit, brilliant acidity, great focus, and a very, very long finish of modest tannins and soil-driven flavors. This is a remarkable young wine that towers above many examples of the vintage that wear the grand cru label.
Hudson Valley Foie Gras. Steel-cut oats, applewood-smoked bacon, black mission figs, maple gastrique. Not sure what I thought about the oats but the foie and figs were perfect.
Charcuterie Board. Terrine, dry cures, pickles. I’ve had this a lot of times at wine events here, but it’s solid. Love the pates.
Simple pasta for my son. He liked it so much he ordered a second one!
Spinach Cavatelli. Wild mushrooms. Love the bitey texture and butter sauce. The pastas here are some of the best in the city. Better than 98% of all the Italian restaurants.
Sweet Corn Agnolotti. Chanterelle mushrooms. To die for. Absolutely incredible little pillows of sweetness.
Bucatini alla Carbonara. Pancetta, parmesan. Also buttery goodness!
From my cellar: 2001 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape. RJ 95. Bricking dark red violet color; ginger cake, pepper, garrigue nose; silky textured, pepper, very tart black fruit palate; long finish
Red wine-braised beef short rib. Braised kale, roasted carrots, fingerling potatoes, applewood-smoked bacon.
Cauliflower. Sweet potato, pomegranate, goat cheese, arugula, dukkah.
Mary’s organic roasted chicken. Summer corn, cherry tomatoes, basil. Getting full. They changed up the veggies for the season.
Les desserts.
Chocolate ice cream. Good flavor but still that hard ice cream texture — gelato is better!
Salted caramel chocolate cake. Like chocolate cake with caramel on top.
Plum crisp. vanilla ice cream. My dad’s style. This is, by the way, in about 20 République meals one of the first times I’ve had normal dessert here!
My Dad and I.
I haven’t just “eaten” here in a while — normally I’m at a private function — and I was impressed by how on point all the food was. Service was great too. There wasn’t that thing that sometimes happens at République where a 1 hour gap develops between dishes. The place is buzzing! Both with customers and staff and is humming along like a well oiled machine (this was a Saturday night). There is a reason why it’s one of the most popular major restaurants in the city.
Restaurant: Kato
Location: 11925 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025. (424) 535-3041
Date: September 15, 2017
Cuisine: Omakase Asian
Rating: Really interesting and different
It’s hard to describe Kato. Located in one of the ubiquitous Santa Monica Blvd mini-malls it serves a sort of modern Asian omakase/kaiseki.
Fit in there with the Mexican places, the cheap sushi, the massage joints.
The decor is minimalist but attractive. The crowd is young and predominantly Asian.
There are only 2 choices, $55 and $80 tasting menus. We went for the larger of course which includes beef and the foie gras and an extra dessert.
Cheap, minimalist, but attractive wares.
There is NO LIQUOR LICENSE, not even a 41 (beer/wine) so it’s tea only.
Stuffed shisito peppers. There was something sweet and savory inside. It was delicious actually, with just the right amount of salt.
Hamachi, cucumber, scallion, black squid sauce. Bright flavors, mixture of textures, some crunch. Very interesting — and attractive.
I love to make abstract squid ink art.
Cold Noodle. Apparently vaguely inspired by a Korean dish. Very thin white cold noodles in an almost clear vinegar sugar broth with bits of clam and greens. Bright and light. Quite lovely actually and very different.
Octopus, Doubanjiang. Crispy fried octopus with spicy sauce and some greens.Quite “crispy” and more than a little kick.
Ocean trout, ikura. Very soft, nearly rare ocean trout (aka salmon) with a light ponzu/dashi like sauce and a crispy bit of skin (or was it skin)? Regardless a nice fish dish.
Wagyu beef, ramp, seaweed. The seaweed was crispy fried. There was some ginger-like stuff on the meat. Also tasty and interesting.
Foie, strawberry, milk bread.
Basically a foie / strawberry uncrustable “peanut-butter” sandwich. Delicious and the light fluffy quality of the milk bread balanced nicely with the sweet/rich innards.
Buttermilk & yuzu. Very fresh and light citrus crumble.
Strawberry semifreddo and cream. Absolutely delicious. Great cold texture and intense strawberry flavor on the pink part, nice sweet cream on the rest.
Wasabi, matcha, lime. Interesting. Wasabi ice cream! And it tasted like it. A sort of tangy caramel below. Very different.
Corn & Hojicha. Fluffy bun of corn with corn filling. Tasted like corn bun.
Ginger gels.
Overall, a very interesting and different meal. Very light, bright flavors and the whole thing tasted great but left one feeling not in the least “bombed out” which is actually kinda nice. Extremely modern too and straight up ready for instagram!
Service was good. I’d like to see them get a liquor license and allow corkage. The manager told us they were working on it but there were zoning issues. I know all about those!
Restaurant: Kula
Location: 2130 Sawtelle Blvd #111, Los Angeles, CA 90025. (310) 597-4490
Date: September 7, 2017
Cuisine: Revolving Sushi
Rating: Great deal
This revolving sushi place over in the older, taller mini-mall on Sawtelle has long been on my list to try — despite being a sushi snob — just because it’s so popular.
I went this time because it was 11:30 and figured there wouldn’t be much of a line, but it had already filled up!
They have most of the regular sushi items.
For those of you not familiar with “revolving sushi” much of the food floats around the restaurant on a conveyor belt. You can pull a plate out from any of those domes at any time.
Or also browse through the entire menu on your own personal ipad and order ala carte — it will be made rapidly and scooted too you on a separate semi-automated conveyor deck!
All the plates are a staggeringly low $2.50 (yeah and for 2 sushi pieces!) They don’t even have to count them because each seat has its own individual plate “disposal” slot that counts for you.
Salmon sushi.
Seared salmon sushi with Japanese mayo.
Albacore sushi.
Mackerel.
Red Snapper with yuzu pepper.
Toro. This one comes with only one piece, but it’s still just $2.50. Down the street at Tsujita Sushi, they are $15 each!
Garlic tuna steak.
Tuna Yukhoe. Battleship tuna with egg. Never actually had this before — at least in this format. Maybe I’ve had it with raw egg.
Negitoro (chopped toro).
Eel.
Scallop.
Salmon belly.
Spicy scallop handroll. Special order. Didn’t like the sauce at all.
Sweet shrimp. This was one of the few that just wasn’t good. It was way too fishy and I only ate half of one piece.
Tamago (egg omelet). Boring packed tamago, but certainly edible.
My over the top one person lunch count.
Still, even going nuts the bill didn’t exactly break the bank for sushi!
Special orders come on the upper conveyor. It’s very cool to watch.
This wasn’t good sushi. Just a bit better than supermarket — although at least it’s been made in the last few minutes and not sitting for hours. Plus, if you want you could order everything ala cart and it would be fresh made. That’s not to say the fish would be super fresh. It’s fine, but a bit fishy and so best to stay away from aggressive items like sweet shrimp. Still, some of it wasn’t too bad and at $1.25 a piece ($2.50 for every plate) it’s staggeringly cheap.
Plus the format was very interesting with the individual ipads, the conveyor delivery, the plate counter and all that. Don’t try to come here with a bunch of people though because it’s super crowded.
Restaurant: Estrella
Location: 8800 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069. (310) 652-6613
Date: September 9, 2017
Cuisine: Italian
Rating: Mirko is an awesome chef
Sauvages lunches are always fun and this time we head off to:
Estrella, a former hollywood hip spot that now hosts one of our favorite Italian chefs, Mirko Paderno formerly of Culina, Officine, and Oliverio.
We had the cute private room in the back all to ourselves
Chef Mirko Paderno on the right.
From my cellar: 2014 Montenidoli Vernaccia di San Gimignano Fiore. 90 points. Sweet and sour white fruits, good acidity here and nice persistence. Very likable and food-friendly, but also able to stand on it’s own.
The menu.
The main wines were all Barolo and Barbaresco.
1995 Azienda Bricco Rocche (Ceretto) Barolo Bricco Rocche. VM 91+. Similar red color. Very expressive, very Barolo aromas of cherry, tar and chestnut. Sweet and densely packed but very firm and stubbornly backward; with aeration, this showed complex, fresh flavors of cherry, raspberry and smoke. The strong tannins are nicely integrated. A rather powerful ’95 that should show more personality with four or five years of additional bottle aging.
1996 Albino Rocca Barbaresco Vigneto Brich Ronchi. VM 94+. Even deeper red ruby color. Pungently spicy, penetrating aromas of rose petal, violet and red berries. Thick, intensely flavored and sharply delineated, with strong acidity and plenty of buffering extract. This has superb material and outstanding grip and persistence. Firm tannins are in perfect balance with the wine fruit. Wow! This is aged in all new barriques, but I never would have guessed it.
1997 Azienda Bricco Asili (Ceretto) Barbaresco Bricco Asili. VM 91+. Medium red. Subdued but pure aromas of sappy redcurrant, cherry, dried flowers, leather and mint; the most complex of these ’97 Barbarescos. Suave and rich but impressively unevolved for a ’97 Barbaresco. Firm acids contribute to the impression of solid structure. Finishes firm and persistent.
From my cellar: 1999 Roagna Barbaresco Crichët Pajé. JG 93. The 1999 Crichet Pajè is a superb bottle of young Barbaresco, with the inherent elegance of this superb vintage working very nicely with the “nobly rustic” style of the wines at this epoch at Roagna. The bouquet is deep, pure and complex, wafting from the glass in a blend of cherries, orange zest, cigar smoke, a superb base of soil, nutskins, fresh oregano and a dollop of road tar in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and beautifully balanced, with a sappy core, outstanding soil signature, ripe tannins and excellent length and grip on the tangy and focused finish. High class juice that is still in need of several years in the cellar to reach its apogee
Cauliflower Torino, castelmagno cheese founduta, summer truffle. Pretty much the Mirko signature dish. Always delicious. Creamy, cheesy, with that truffle goodness.
1988 Elio Altare Barolo Vigneto Arborina. VM 94. The 1988 Barolo Vigneto Arborina stands out for its forward, decidedly fruit-driven style. Soft, pliant and super-expressive, the 1988 is wonderfully expressive today. Hints of leather, smoke, tobacco, cedar and crushed flowers add nuance on the finish. The 1988 saw just four days on the skins and was the last Barolo aged partly in cask. Even today, the 1988 retains gorgeous freshness and delineation.
1997 Azienda Bricco Rocche (Ceretto) Barolo Bricco Rocche. VM 92+. Medium red, orange at the rim. Cool, highly aromatic nose of redcurrant, dried rose, clove, cinnamon, chocolate and loam. Highly concentrated and rich in the mouth; flavors of chocolate, marzipan and amaretto show an almost liqueur-like sweetness. Big but ripe tannins coat all the surfaces of the palate. Very impressive.
Polenta Taragna, duck prosciutto, butter and sage. Rough polenta with a that butter and sage flavor. Very rustic dish, but nice.
1989 Giovanni Corino Barolo Vigna Giachini. VM 91. Corino’s 1989 Barolo Vigna Giachini offers up cedar, mushrooms and a host of mostly mature aromas and flavors on a delicate, elegant frame. The tannins remain a touch firm, but there doesn’t appear to be much upside in holding bottles too much longer.
1997 Giovanni Corino Barolo Vigna Giachini. VM 92. Good full red. Fresh, spicy aromas of cherry, camphor, licorice and dried flowers. Fat, sweet and pliant; a step up in complexity and concentration from the Arborina. Finishes very long, with lush, fine tannins. A very successful, thoroughly ripe ’97 Barolo.
Pennoni all’amatriciana, guanciale, red onion, san marzano, pecorino. Nicely al dente, and tons of bacon fat flavor. Not was integrated or smooth as the Felix version though.
1996 Luciano Sandrone Barolo Cannubi Boschis. VM 96+. The 1996, one of the estate’s best, takes things to another level. It shows an outrageous, well-delineated nose of fresh roses, minerals and menthol followed waves of dark fruit and licorice flavors that are just beginning to show the signs of early maturity, with exceptional freshness, length, and harmony. This opens beautifully in the glass, taking on an almost Burgundian elegance. A wine to marvel over. It is hard to resist this now, but it will be even better in another 3-5 years, and age gracefully for another decade, and probably more.
1996 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Falletto di Serralunga d’Alba. VM 94+. Medium red. Musky, complex aromas of black raspberry, licorice and lead pencil. Large-scaled but penetrating; tangy raspberry flavors are given great precision by the wine firm spine of acidity. Almost painfully young today. Finishes with explosive, very persistent flavors and firm but thoroughly buffered tannins. A bit dominated by its powerful structure today, but this wine really blossomed with aeration.
Black summer truffle risotto, chenterelle mushrooms, parmigiano reggiano. Gorgeous risotto. Mirko really knows how to get the perfect texture.
1998 Domenico Clerico Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra. VM 92. Domenico Clerico’s 1998 Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra is one of the most full-throttle wines of the vintage. Still deeply-colored, this authoritative wine possesses tons of mineral-infused dark fruit intermingled with French oak and menthol. This remains one of the most tannic and firm wines of the vintage. My impression is that the fruit will fade before the tannins melt away. Still, this is a beautiful wine Barolo to enjoy over the next few years, although it is not a wine for the timid.
2001 Domenico Clerico Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra. VM 95. Clerico’s 2001 Ciabot Mentin Ginestra was one of the first Barolos that really captivated my attention and for me it remains this producer’s most representative wine. It is a superb achievement and one of the highlights of the vintage.
Roasted squab, eggplant caponata, soft potatoes, natural jus. Stuart who organized this dinner loves game bird!
From my cellar as a bonus: 2008 Ferrando Carema White Label (Etichetta Bianca). VM 92. The 2008 Carema Etichetta Bianca wafts from the glass with sweet dried cherries, tobacco, sweet herbs and crushed flowers. A mid-weight, delicate wine, the 2008 is quite typical of these hillside vineyards. In 2008 the acidity is a bit on the high side, which readers should keep in mind when considering food pairings. This is a gorgeous wine from Ferrando.
Chocolate Mousse Cake, mixed berries.
Grapefruit aperol sorbetto by moi — I brought this one.
Cafe.
Cryptic notes.
Cute details in the room.
I opened this “bonus” wine: 1997 Maison Roche de Bellene Chambertin Collection Bellenum. 91 points. Seemed a bit uninteresting at first, but after about 5 hours of air, this was really singing. Very perfumed, elegant nose, with loads of soft red fruit, spice notes, and a touch of secondary. Great acidity on the palate, beautiful silky tannins on the finish.
These Sauvages events are always great fun and the wines were spectacular, particularly supported by Mirko’s sophisticated Northern Italian cooking. This is his fourth location in recent years but wherever he goes, there the cooking is!
Restaurant: Killer Noodle
Location: 2030 Sawtelle Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025
Date: October 16, 23, 26 & 29, 2017 + about 15 other times!
Cuisine: Japanese Dan Dan Noodles
Rating: Tasty but highly specific
Tsujita is the king of Sawtelle ramen with three existing store fronts on the street, the original, annex, and their high end sushi joint.
Yesterday/today they just opened their newest venture in the old Bachi Burger space. Killer Noodle specializes in Tantanmen which is the sort of milder more approachable Japanese “adaption” of Chinese Dan Dan Mien. I love the original Chinese version and even make it myself.
All the Japanese vendors leave these flower arrangements to celebrate your opening.
They are quite lovely but a few of them are rotting in the former Ramen Roll space as I type — I’m not bitter, no no.
The outside menu. Yesterday Killer Noodle was giving away free bowls but today is the first (normal?) day and it was mostly full at 12:30-1ish but not quite. People probably don’t totally know it’s open yet but no crushing mob.
The interior is spacious and much more upscale from the other two noodle shops.
Attractive for sure and lots of space between tables. Small bar too.
Tasty looking spices make up the decoration behind the bar.
You can pick your spice level. I tried #3 normal. It wasn’t really spicy at all by my standards.
The simple focused menu. Don’t bring anyone here that doesn’t want spicy pork noodles — nothing else on the menu!
Because of the threat of spice I ordered this Japanese Yogu drink. Went well with the tan tan actually. Very Japanese. They have Asahi draft and that’s about it too. Tsujita is VERY minimalist.
Long after opening (second half of 2018) they added some buns like this spicy pork bun to the menu as cheap appetizers. I detested the slice of tomato and the slightly sweet, slightly spicy bun just didn’t do it for me. Stick to the noodles.
Side of Char sui pork. Same as at Tsujita LA, and just as good. They make a nice fatty pork. You stuff this in the noodles (below).
Shabu Shabu Pork. Boiled pork with green onions and a bit of soy and chili sauce. Nowhere near as good as the char sui — go for that instead.
Poached egg. What the Japanese call an Onsen style egg (boiled at low temp) rather than a proper marinated ramen egg (with gooey center). This is a very soft half cooked egg. Still good though. You crack it in your dish.
Now for the main events:
Tokyo style Tantanmen, wet. Here is the “signature” version, wet. The wet version uses thinner ramen noodles.
With pork and egg added. The Tokyo also has some sesame in it, but as far as I can tell no Szechuan broad beans, five spice, or pickled mustard greens like a real Dan Dan. The broth base is a mix of chicken stock and tonkotsu stock. Presumably the same or similar as a regular Tsujita ramen. It’s mildly spicy with the chili oil, very garlicky, and has a mild sesame taste. It was very tasty, and again much closer to a “spicy ramen” than a real dan dan. But that’s what tan tan is.
Tokyo style dry. This is a 10/26/17 level 5 with extra egg and pork. Tokyo is a touch nuttier, a touch less mala by default, but certainly not very different. So far, this is my favorite variant (and I’ve tried all the dry versions).
Mixed up. This is what you actually eat.
Downtown Style Tantamen, dry. The dry variant they claim is closer to the Chinese original, although I’m not sure I agree. This downtown one has cayenne and Szechuan peppercorn. It wasn’t very hot or particularly numbing at level 3. It was very tasty though. Tons of garlic. Ground pork. Definitely a more Japanese blend than a real Chinese one. This version doesn’t have the sesame (or at least not nearly as much). At a level 5 this packs a very potent chili wallop.
Fully dressed and ready to mix (photo from 10/23/17). This is actually a killer level 4 and you can see the increased Szechuan peppercorn dust on it.
The stirred up (but messy) dry style. Not totally dry obviously as the flavor is in the sauce. They use the same (as far as I can tell) thick Tsukemen noodles for the dry version.
The final flavor is “original style“, here shown “dry” level 3. “Original” here apparently means “novel” not the most “typical” tantanmen.
With the requisite $1.50 egg.
And all mixed up. This is BY FAR the most different of the 3. It’s got a sort of green/black pepper flavor and while it has plenty of heat is much more subtle and much less flavorful. Nice texture with the bean sprouts and tofu too. They give you lemon to add acid. Tasty and interesting, and almost “cooling” between bites of my level 5 “downtown”. But I wouldn’t crave it nearly as much.
Pork over rice bowl. This is tiny. It’s not a meal but an “extra”. You mix it up, but it has sour cream in there too along with chili sauce and ground pork. Makes for a weird mix.
Mapo ball. Why it’s called a ball, I have no idea. But the mapo is actually an excellent take on the Chinese classic. Not exactly totally Chinese, but super delicious with some real mala heat.
Overall, I’ll be back (many times) as this was a very tasty spicy ramen. I had the wet version the first time (Tokyo) and the dry version (Downtown) the second and a dry (Tokyo) the third and a dry (Downtown) and dry (Original) the fourth. To break down the styles: Tokyo is my favorite and has far more sesame nut flavor. Downtown is more straight chili, mala, and vinegar. Original has it’s unique bright green/black pepper flavors but is much more subdued flavor-wise and feels far less rich.
The thicker noodles are better and because of that I like the “dry.” But I found out you can order the thick noodles in a wet so I have to try that too.
I think Killer Noodle does an excellent job with Tantanmen — being the derived milder Japanese version of Dan Dan. That’s pretty much all they offer, even if there are a couple versions. It would be a weird place to bring a group because not EVERYONE wants a spicy ramen variant. But when you do, totally worth coming.
The first time I got a 3 heat level and that was relatively mild. The second a 4 and that was a big step up heat wise and had me sweating although it wasn’t tough to eat. I tried a 5 (on two different days) also and that was very hot. Certainly I could eat it, but I was really sweating. I’ve had the 6 twice too and it’s fabulous, but has “consequences.” 4 is probably the sweet spot going forward for most people although occasionally I feel like a 5 or 6. Definitely on my regular rotation for now – I go most weeks!
This isn’t for everyone, but if you like a LOT of flavor and spice, Killer Noodle is fabulous.
For more LA dining reviews click here.
Because of the heat we were bad and wet across the street to B-Sweet.
Glazed donut stuffed with taro (Ume) ice cream. Sweet and delicious.
Glazed donut bread pudding with cream-cheese sauce and ice cream. Oh yeah, sweet!
Restaurant: Sushi Tsujita [1, 2]
Location: 2006 Sawtelle Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025. 310.231.1177
Date: August 30, 2017
Cuisine: Japanese Sushi
Rating: Classic Fish
A couple core members of my Foodie Club who all like White Burgundy and Champagne enjoy periodically doing great sushi with the aforementioned wines. This time Tsujita Sushi came up as it’s great and easy to book (I think it’s secretly a loss leader for their noodle chain).
Sushi Tsujita specializes in traditional sushi preparations that involve a lot of subtle salting, curing, and marinating.
The interior has been jazzed up since its previous engagement as Orris.
This is just a small event with Foodie co-chair Erick and regular Fred. But we brought good stuff, just opened it all, shared with the chef, and chowed down.
Fred brought: NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée Edition 164eme. JG 95. The 164th Edition of Krug “Grande Cuvée is absolutely brilliant and one of the best iterations of this iconic wine that I have ever had the pleasure to taste. This is not surprising, as it is from the base year of 2008, though the team at Krug utilized reserve wines all the way back to 1990 in this version. The final cépages is forty-eight percent pinot noir, thirty-five percent chardonnay and seventeen percent pinot meunier, with the wine spending eight years in the Krug cellars sur latte. The beautiful bouquet wafts from the glass in a blend of apple, white peach, fresh-baked bread, very complex soil tones, white flowers, incipient smokiness and just a hint of the caraway seed to come with bottle age. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and seamlessly balanced, with a great core, utterly refined mousse, superb focus and grip and a very, very long, complex and zesty finish. The vibrancy of the exceptional base year of 2008 is very much in evidence here and this is destined to be one of the all-time great Grande Cuvées.
From my cellar: NV Drappier Champagne Brut Rosé. JG 90+. As I noted in the past, the Drappier Brut Rosé is one hundred percent pinot noir from the estate’s own Aube vineyards and is produced by the saignée method, so that its lovely cherry color is from skin contact, rather than by adding a bit of still red wine to the blend. The cuvée is aged two and a half years sur latte prior to disgorgement and has a dosage of 7.5 grams per liter. The current release in the market is really pretty and stylish on the nose, offering up a vibrantly complex mix of strawberries, a touch of blood orange, chalky soil tones, rye toast, woodsmoke and a hint of clove in the upper register. On the palate the wine is brisk, full-bodied and focused, with a good core, frothy mousse, lovely minerality and a long, nascently complex and still quite tightly-knit and youthful finish. I was surprised how youthful the structure still was here, given how open the nose is at the present time, but it is certainly approachable today and should really blossom with a year or two in the cellar.
From my cellar: 2001 Domaine Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet. VM 95. Even though the 2001 Chevalier-Montrachet is five years younger than the 1996, it comes across as a bit more forward, evolved and open-knit, but that is not at all a bad thing, as the 2001 is more enjoyable to drink now. Layers of creamy, tropical-inflected fruit flesh out effortlessly in the glass. Scents of marzipan, chamomile, apricot, lemon oil and light, floral-infused honey all add further shades of nuance. Wonderfully complete and seductive, the 2001 Chevalier is a great choice for drinking today, although I would not push my luck too far beyond another handful of years at most.
Fred brought: 2004 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Chevalier-Montrachet. BH 94. As one would reasonably expect, this is more elegant with a stunningly pure nose of white flower, citrus, orange peel, acacia blossom and the barest hint of wood spice that seamlessly introduces refined, complex and beautifully defined flavors that are tightly wound and impressively vibrant, particularly on the powerfully long and chiseled finish that cuts like a knife. This will be a long distance runner and will require plenty of patience.
Erick generously brought: 1996 Domaine d’Auvenay (Lalou Bize-Leroy) Auxey-Duresses Les Boutonniers. 96 points. Amazing! Fred writes: Well hot damn if this didn’t run circles around the 01 Levlaive Chevalier Montrachet and 04 PYCM Chevalier Montrachet tonight. This was in impeccable balance between the acid and fruit. A much more precise wine than either Chevy tonight. My WOTN easily.
For food, we ordered the larger omakase (with more cooked dishes) and then added on pretty much every nigiri we didn’t get in the omakase.
House made tofu, vegetables, and truffle.
Smoked duck noodle soup.
With the light, delicious, dashi-based broth.
Super smoked toro.
Reveal the fish and bathe in the sumptuous smokey smell.
Really tasty bit of fish. Intense fat and smokiness.
Sashimi plate.
Ebi with truffle, some delicious tuna, and some other white fishes.
Toro tartar with caviar. The Matsuhisa classic.
Cool containers.
Eggy tofu ball?
Seared garlic wagyu — more or less tepenyaki.
I eat about 4 bowls of ginger.
Special Japanese snapper with yuzu.
Golden eye snapper.
Blue fin tuna.
Santa Barbara sweet ebi (shrimp).
The head, including roe, fried up.
Ikura (salmon eggs) and uni (sea urchin).
Squid with a bit of char taste and yuzu.
Ocean perch.
Black throat sea perch.
Amberjack yellowtail.
House smoked copper river king salmon.
O-Toro (super fatty tuna belly).
Seared scallop “roll”.
Miso soup.
Tamago (egg) with sea eel.
Marinated big eye tuna.
Sardine. I like the marinated ones.
Yellowtail belly.
Shiro ebi icy shrimp.
Toro tartar.
And a peach sorbet.
Plus a cleanser of sweetened yuzu juice.
Not only is Tsujita pretty spectacular, but for high end sushi the price isn’t too bad — i.e. it’s expensive but you get a lot relatively. I enjoyed the variety of fish and particularly the highly marinated ones. The cooked apps are very good too with a lot of flavor without heaviness. They emphasize fish and other proteins too avoiding that “veggie + dashi” thing you sometimes get with Kaiseki dishes.
Also, it should be noted that they have great lunch bowls — I go all the time.
Restaurant: Le Saigon
Location: 11611 Santa Monica Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90025. Phone number (310) 312-2929
Date: August 27, 2017
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Rating: Decent Pho
Westside Vietnamese. Hmmm.
Conveniently located on Santa Monica blvd.
Nothing to write home about inside but fine.
Fresh drip Vietnamese coffee. You let it drip into the sweetened condensed milk and then pour in ice and mix.
The final drink is yummy.
Classic Spring Rolls. Not bad but not great either. Sauce wasn’t that exciting and they didn’t fully have that interesting herbal blend you find in Vietnam.
Table sauces.
Two beef (rare and cooked) pho. This wasn’t bad, particularly with hoisin (which I love). There are the usual noodles buried down there.
Condiments.
The menu isn’t huge, mostly pho and a few classics, but I’d come back again if I’m in the neighborhood and want some pho. It was fine, but certainly not the amazing stuff you occasionally get at a very good pho place.
Restaurant: China Taste
Location: 529 E Valley Blvd. Ste 108A. (626) 766-1788
Date: September 3, 2017
Cuisine: Anhui Chinese
Rating: Great and really different
I was excited to try this place because I’ve never had Anhui cuisine before — neither probably have you. For those not in the know, it’s a province of China just west of Shanghai. Landlocked and fairly rural although the Yangtze passes through it and it’s certainly had it’s share of famous goings on during the last 10,000 years of habitation.
China Taste is located in a slightly upgraded version of the space that used to house Hunan Restaurant. That was a good place too actually, but not Anhui (as the name betrays), and there is always Hunan Chili King right across the street. China Taste is more modern now with booths and less standard Chinese big tables. The buffet of cold appetizers is gone.
From my cellar: NV Drappier Champagne Brut Rosé. JG 90+. As I noted in the past, the Drappier Brut Rosé is one hundred percent pinot noir from the estate’s own Aube vineyards and is produced by the saignée method, so that its lovely cherry color is from skin contact, rather than by adding a bit of still red wine to the blend. The cuvée is aged two and a half years sur latte prior to disgorgement and has a dosage of 7.5 grams per liter. The current release in the market is really pretty and stylish on the nose, offering up a vibrantly complex mix of strawberries, a touch of blood orange, chalky soil tones, rye toast, woodsmoke and a hint of clove in the upper register. On the palate the wine is brisk, full-bodied and focused, with a good core, frothy mousse, lovely minerality and a long, nascently complex and still quite tightly-knit and youthful finish. I was surprised how youthful the structure still was here, given how open the nose is at the present time, but it is certainly approachable today and should really blossom with a year or two in the cellar.
agavin: great with spicy Chinese
Shredded potato? or some other root vegetable. Vinegar and chili oil give this crunchy stuff an awesome spicy/sour flavor.
Sake. A decent mid-end sake, but doesn’t pair that well.
Cucumbers and garlic. Standard dish. Fine, but not particularly great.
From my cellar: 2012 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault Clos de la Baronne. 95 points. Light gold color. Drank 1 glass over 45 minutes plus. I’ll echo a lot of the sentiments of Chablis28. This was a thing of beauty. There was everything happening here tonight, finesse, purity, fruit, minerals, and all coming together in a perfect package tied neatly in a pretty little bow just ready for us to open. And speaking of open, it surely was. A great wet stones nose with stone fruits, pear, melon, citrus, great aromatics. The palate is bright, but elegant and seductive, the fruit is fresh and lively without being too forward, just the right amount of toast shows, stone fruit, lemon, balanced, lengthy finish, just plain lovely stuff.
Cold beef. Great with the sauce.
Cold chicken with peanuts in chili oil. You have to like the chicken bones and cold chicken in general but the chili oil had a great flavor.
2005 Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Brücke Riesling Spätlese. JG 93. The 2005 Brücke Spätlese is another stunning bottle in the making. The bouquet is deep and racy, offering up a mélange of white cherries, kiwi, very slatey minerality and a topnote of spring flowers. On the palate the wine is medium-bodied, deep and intensely flavored, with a great core of fruit, brilliant structure, and a very, very long, nascently complex finish. The Brücke Spätlese is more closed than either the Kirschheck or the Felsenberg at this early stage, with the wine’s inherent complexity now a bit muffled by the combination of firm underlying structure and plenty of puppy fat. But this will be a great wine with a few years bottle age.
House special griddle chicken in chili pot. The white stuff is like dumpling skin or peking duck pancake floating in the rich dark chili soup. The chicken is little bits of chopped up chicken parts underneath. They were boney (full cleaver treatment) but the broth was extremely tasty!
Sliced pork with black fungus and garlic. Super delicious bacon-like pork in a nice garlic sauce.
Shrimp with aromatic chilies. Like the chicken and chilies dish that is common in Szechuan, but with whole shrimp. You could eat the shell and they were sweet, salty, and hot.
Warren brought: 1994 Zind-Humbrecht Tokay Pinot Gris Herrenweg de Turckheim. 81 points. Too old. Not undrinkable, but thin with no fruit or sweetness. Residual sugar was too low to last 23 years.
Special whole fish. Some kind of fish from China in a chili sauce, covered in chilies, and with tons of lotus root and other interesting stuff. Really delicious sauce. Fish was fish. I loved the sauce and vegetables over rice.
2010 Sea Smoke Pinot Noir Southing. 93 points. Central coast, cherry, earthy, mineral. Low tannin, complex.
Spicy beef soup with white mushrooms and chives. Looks mild but it was hot as bejesus. The waiter told us that it had 5-6 types of “spicy things”. We could see some green peppers. It nearly burned my esophagus out — tasted amazing though.
2013 Sea Smoke Pinot Noir Botella. 93 points. Deliciously approachable. Cherry, light cedar and oak, tannins still pull your cheeks in a bit on the finish to remind you there is still a lot of youth in the bottle
Mystery pot of mystery meats. Hot dogs, tripe, bacon and who knows what other yummies were at the ends of the sticks.
Greens and garlic. The usual.
Spicy crawfish. Great sauce, but the cockroaches of the sea were very hard to get any real meat out of.
Dai dan qiezi. Amazing dish of 1,000 year-old eggs and eggplant.
You mash it up and it was incredibly umami.
David brought: 1989 Château Meyney. 89 points. Bright red in color. Green pepper, stony mineral, tobacco, black pepper and mature tannins. Very savory with little remaining fruit. Modest finish. Cork was intact. Possible an off bottle, but mostly just very mature Bordeaux.
Spicy chicken. Similar very spicy brown sauce and more super cleavered chicken bits. Bones again, but very tasty (and hot).
Fried rice. Nice fried rice, particularly with just about any of the red/brown sauces.
Scallion Pancake. They were out of preserved meats (Chinese salami) to stick on top. Still it was a yummy slice of oily goodness.
I brought a pair of homemade gelatti made that day: on the left, “Bourbon Street” a molasses, coffee, chocolate caramel with Knob Creek bourbon and home-made butterscotch. On the right “Triple Chocolate Cloud” with two kinds of Valrhona chocolate, Valrhona cream cheese chocolate icing and chocolate on chocolate oreos!
Overall really fun night. China Taste is family run with parents cooking in the back and the young (twenty-ish) son working the front room. Service was very friendly if not the speediest, but they really took care of us and brought the dishes out 1-2 at a time nicely. And the food was really interesting, very inexpensive ($31/person all in with a big tip) and extremely interesting. I’ve never had a bunch of these dishes and many of them were outstanding.
Restaurant: Spicy Noodle House
Location: 3314 S Bristol St, Santa Ana, CA 92704. Phone number (714) 957-2818
Date: August 22, 2017
Cuisine: Cheapy Chinese
Rating: Meh
I finished a meeting down in Santa Ana and googled to find some food. This Chinese place came up on Yelp as 4.5 stars and was named Spicy Noodle House…
Standard minimall.
I knew looking inside that I was in for it and I even wandered around the mall to see if there was anything better, but this being Santa Ana there was nothing so I buckled down.
Kung Pao Shrimp. I ate out the shrimp and left all those bell peppers. It wasn’t even hot. The rice was worse than Panda Express rice.
House made pan-fried dumplings. These were better. Not good or anything, but tolerable.
Ick. So not worth it. Not worth the MSG, the carbs. I’ve become very spoiled with regard to Chinese. How can this get a 4.5 on Yelp?
Restaurant: Alexander’s Steakhouse
Location: 111 N Los Robles Ave, Pasadena, CA 91101. (626) 486-1111
Date: August 28, 2017
Cuisine: Steakhouse
Rating: Asian fusion & some of the best steakhouse I’ve had
People have been saying that Alexander’s is the best steakhouse in the city and so the Foodie Club braves the most hideous traffic to cross town on a weeknight to…
Old Town Pasadena.
Here is the imposing entrance, right there next to the California Pizza Kitchen… lol.
The menu.
The manager set us up spectacularly in the private dining room at this awesome 12 person square table. SO SO much better than a long table.
Right next to the wine cellar too, which we didn’t sample from, but certainly revealed some great bottles peeking out.
Charlie brought: NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée Edition 164eme. JG 95. The 164th Edition of Krug “Grande Cuvée is absolutely brilliant and one of the best iterations of this iconic wine that I have ever had the pleasure to taste. This is not surprising, as it is from the base year of 2008, though the team at Krug utilized reserve wines all the way back to 1990 in this version. The final cépages is forty-eight percent pinot noir, thirty-five percent chardonnay and seventeen percent pinot meunier, with the wine spending eight years in the Krug cellars sur latte. The beautiful bouquet wafts from the glass in a blend of apple, white peach, fresh-baked bread, very complex soil tones, white flowers, incipient smokiness and just a hint of the caraway seed to come with bottle age. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and seamlessly balanced, with a great core, utterly refined mousse, superb focus and grip and a very, very long, complex and zesty finish. The vibrancy of the exceptional base year of 2008 is very much in evidence here and this is destined to be one of the all-time great Grande Cuvées.
Ron brought: NV Krug Champagne Brut Rosé. BH 94. Medium rosé hue. A cool, restrained and highly complex nose that is not especially fruity displays a moderate yeast character along with slightly exotic aromas of mandarin orange and Asian tea, all wrapped in an enveloping array of beguiling rose petal scents. There is very good richness with a relatively firm supporting mousse that adds to the impression of richness to the superbly complex and highly textured flavors, indeed one could aptly describe this as more wine that Champagne. As such this is indeed a sumptuous Krug rosé that is difficult to resist already though it should reward extended keeping if desired. As I noted in the original 750 ml review, that while I am not always wowed by the Krug Rosé, this latest incarnation in magnum is strikingly good.
An amuse of tater tot with a bit of cheese and whipped something.
Charlie also brought (blind): 2000 Arcadian Chardonnay Sleepy Hollow Vineyard. JG 92. This was my first introduction to the wines from Joe Davis at Arcadian and I was very, very impressed with what I tasted. While the 2000 Sleepy Hollow chardonnay is not the current release from the winery, the estate’s philosophy of holding back their wines several years prior to release obviously is a testament to their commitment to producing truly cellar-worthy wines. This 2000 chardonnay is drinking beautifully and is at its apogee of peak maturity, offering up a deep and complex nose of pears, acacia blossoms, a touch of beeswax, lemon curd, a very pretty base of soil, citrus oils and buttery oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and still quite zesty, with a great core of fruit, excellent focus and balance, fine structure and a long, complex and tangy finish that closes with a bit of citrus peel. This is a lovely bottle at its apogee, but still with plenty of life ahead of it. Impressive juice.
agavin: our bottle was premoxed and tasted like an 80s white burg. I actually enjoyed its nutty tones as it wasn’t very hot like some premoxed bottles.
Emil brought: 2009 Bouchard Père et Fils Corton-Charlemagne. BH 93-96. A cool, fresh and densely fruited nose of crushed citrus, green apple and mineral reduction gives way to seriously concentrated and overtly muscular flavors that possess a suave and silky mouth feel yet do not lack for an underlying reserve of power. This isn’t as fine as the Montrachet but it’s even longer, at least at present with a chewy character that provides evidence of the massive levels of extract. Even so, don’t buy this with the intention of drinking it young as it will require plenty of cellar time, at least if you want to see its full potential realized.
Ron Brought: 2009 Philippe Colin Chevalier-Montrachet. BH 90. This is aromatically quite similar to the Demoiselles though the medium weight plus flavors are bigger, richer and more powerful with even more dry extract that are given lift by the solid minerality though again, the finish is distinctly sweet. To be sure, there will be some who appreciate that sweetness but it’s too much for me.
HAMACHI SHOTS 3.0. dashi / avocado / fresno / ponzu / negi / arare. Very bright flavors and mixed textures.
DRY AGED TATAKI. wasabi mustard / charred ginger ponzu / crispy yuba. Strong ponzu tastes but it left much of the beefy flavors intact.
UNI TAMAGO. egg salad / potato chip / celery. The omelet (tamago) made a nice bed for the uni, a Japanese take on the uni egg toast thing.
GRILLED OCTOPUS. calabrian chili / honeynut squash / pickled onion / ink crumble. Tender with a nice char.
GRILLED PORK BELLY. golden beet miso puree / fennel / truffle balsamic. Lol, fried pork belly.
CHILLED FOIE GRAS. kaya toast / pandan gel / soy egg yolk emulsion. This was an amazing foie terrine formulation. We started with 3 of them and ordered 3-4 more extra. It was crazy!
From my cellar: 1985 Domaine Jean Grivot Echezeaux. 95 points. Lots of bright red fruits and good penetrating acid. In fabulous shape.
Erick brought: 1991 Gros Frère et Sœur Grands-Echezeaux. 94 points. Deep and still youthful, although fully integrated.
(blind): 1996 Domaine Heresztyn/Heresztyn-Mazzini Clos St. Denis. 94 points. Beautiful and perfumed: spicy and sweet, baking spices, nutmeg, cinnamon, some meaty and savory. Somewhat similar to the nose on the palate – savory, meat, sweet spice, lots of 96 acid: tart but still enough perfume and depth. Finish is tart cherry and spice.
Vahan brought: 2000 Emmanuel Rouget Echezeaux. BH 92. A gorgeously scented and wonderfully complex nose of black fruit, spice and warm earth aromas introduce forward, complex, intense and seductive medium-bodied flavors that display excellent power, all wrapped in a sappy and largely, if not completely, resolved finish of excellent length. This is lovely juice that is could either be approached now with pleasure or held for a few more years in the cellar first as it has only just arrived at the front edge of its drinkability. Tasted several times with consistent notes.
agavin: most people here thought this was the best red burg of the night. It certainly had the most intense finish with a ton of fruit, just entering maturity.
The bread was amazing. The dark one was squid ink, then there was a cheese and a milk bread.
Plus some fabulous butters, Strauss Creamery butter, bone marrow butter with honey, and a rendered beef tallow!
KOSHIHIKARI RISOTTO. squid ink / shrimp / uni / braised celery. Great congee-like texture, really nice blend of fresh ingredients.
CRISPY PATA. pork shank / achara / vinegar soy / creamed taro. A whole crazy pig leg deep fried. Super crispy and succulent inside. Yum! Filipino style!
1986 Ritche Creek Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. All of our old Cabs were in great shape!
1973 Mount Eden Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Estate. JG 93. The 1973 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon was the second vintage crafted by the Richard and Peter Graff here at Mount Eden, and the wine is really very lovely and still right in its prime fully forty-three years out from the vintage. This was a small crop that was picked between October 7th and 12th and the wine was fined, but not filtered prior to bottling. The wine is showing beautifully today, offering up a deep and tertiary bouquet of cassis, cigar ash, complex, dark soil tones, menthol, woodsmoke and a touch of red curry in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and at its absolute apogee, with a good core, a wide open and inviting personality, lovely focus and balance and a long, velvety and very pure finish. Just a lovely vintage of Mount Eden cabernet in its prime.
The next bottle Vahan brought blind:
Vahan brought (blind): 1970 Cheval Blanc. 90 points. The ’70 Cheval Blanc has moved into the latter stages of its useful life, and while it remains a reasonable mouthful of wine, it has begun to drop a bit of its fruit and is more defined by its smoky and earthy characteristics today. The nose offers up a rather flat blend of anonymous black fruit, menthol, charred wood, tobacco smoke and damp earth. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, smoky and earthy, with solid mid-palate depth, but a rather flat personality that could do with a bit more acidity, but solid length on the rather tobaccoey finish. Flavor-wise, there is not much fruit left here, but the wine is not fraying or collapsing as of yet, but simply dominated by its smoky and damp earth character.
CAB PRIME RIB. until it’s gone / horseradish duo / natural jus. Soft and meaty.
With the jus.
And two types of horseradish.
AURORA ANGUS FILET MIGNON 8OZ. illinois black angus / negi salad. A nice filet. Filet is contentious among the carnivores. I have always liked it, but I’m not a steak guy. Some others prefer a gamier bit of meat.
MACARONI AND CHEESE. udon / caramelized mornay / truffle panko. This Japanese variant of Mac & Cheese was pretty fabulous actually. I liked the use of the udon.
ERYNGI MUSHROOMS. roasted garlic / thyme / lemon vinaigrette. Solid buttery mushrooms.
A selection of gourmet salts, mostly intended for the wagyu (below).
From my cellar: 1985 Leoville-Las Cases. RP 94. The 1985 is a gorgeously open-knit Las Cases with a sweet nose of lead pencil, sweet black cherries and currants, and a hint of underbrush and new oak. Medium to full-bodied with expansiveness, supple tannins, and outstanding concentration, this is a beautifully made wine that still tastes like it is an adolescent and may even have an even greater upside as it continues to age in bottle. The low acidity and sweet tannin, however, suggest it has entered its plateau of maturity. Anticipated maturity: Now-2018.
Michael brought: 2002 Palmer. RP 93-95. A successful wine for the vintage, this blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 8% Petit Verdot boasts complex notes of menthol, black currants, plums, licorice, and a hint of cappuccino in its stunning aromatics. Dense, medium to full-bodied, with high levels of tannin in a big, full-bodied style (much in the spirit of such classic Bordeaux vintages as 1966, 1986, and 1996), this wine possesses superb purity and serious length, but should be purchased only by those with considerable patience and a good, cold cellar, since it will need plenty of time.
agavin: the baby of the night, but a great wine.
T-BONE 18OZ. grilled sudachi / chive butter / chives.
AURORA ANGUS RIBEYE CHOP 20OZ. illinois raised prime black angus / grilled lemon
BLUE LAKE BEANS. flash fried / garlic / sansyo. Awesome beans, like Szechuan green beans, but no pork. Reduced soy.
TRUFFLE FRIED POTATOES. truffle butter / togarashi / furikake. Solid potatoes too.
2000 Chapoutier • Chateauneuf du Pape Barbe Rac. RP 95. There are approximately 500 cases of this wine. It is a large-scaled Chateauneuf du Pape that represents the antithesis of La Bernardine. This wine has been spectacular, and I have been a frequent buyer and consumer of this wine since the first vintage Michel Chapoutier made, 1989.
2000 Domaine du Pegau • Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reservee. RP 92. Fully mature, with a ruby/amber color that shows some lightening at the rim, it offers classic Pegau garrigue, olive tapenade, beef blood and wild herbs to go with a medium to full-bodied, seamless and resolved profile on the palate. It still has a core of sweet fruit and is drinking nicely now, so don’t make the mistake of waiting too long on this. It should be consumed over the coming couple of years. 
Larry brought: 1998 Domaine de la Janasse • Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Vieilles Vignes. RP 96. A bigger, richer wine than the Cuvee Chaupin, the 1998 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes is full-bodied, rich and silky on the palate, with classic Janasse notes of barbecue smoke, licorice, peppery herbs and smoked black fruits. I’ve been lucky enough to have multiple bottles of this recently, all of which have shown beautifully. There’s no upside, but it will continue drinking nicely through 2023.
Chris brought: 2004 Henri Bonneau • Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve des Celestins. RP 95. Classic Bonneau with its knockout perfume of sweet kirsch, blackberry, saddle leather and roasted herbs, the 2004 Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve des Celestins is medium to full-bodied, supple and elegant, with fine, sweet tannin on the finish. Showing more depth and richness than just about any other wine in the vintage, with a fantastic mix of aromatic complexity and textural richness on the palate, it’s drinking beautifully now, and should continue to shine for another decade.
滋賀県 SHIGA OHMI JAPAN A5. extremely rare / complex flavor / prized in japan. The first of the super marbled A5 wagyu monsters!
北海道 HOKKAIDO JAPAN A5. château uenae / farmed in below freezing temperatures. And even more amazing!
KING CRAB FRIED RICE. lap xuong / egg white / chive. Really great fried rice. Better than almost all the ones I’ve had at Chinese restaurants (and that’s a lot).
Special medal for the Hokkaido snow beef — only sold into 2-3 places in the US!
And look how marbled it is!
We were too full to order much dessert.
This intermezzo of tangy and sweet fruit and various textures was awesome.
Trio of sorbetti. Watermelon, strawberry balsamic, peach. All were way too sweet. Way too sweet. Texture was good though.
Various Petite Fours. Can we say wafer thin mint?
And a parting biscotti.
Refuse. Probably not even all of them.
And the lineup. They had a lot of stems too. Not all the same type, but even some Riedel Somms.
Overall, an amazing meal.
Service was knock down, drag out awesome. The manager and the maitre d’ took care of us personally, they helped design the meal, and really made sure we had an incredible time.
Food was really fabulous. I can’t really evaluate steak vs other good steakhouses as I’m not a steak guy, but they seemed up there with the best, but the appetizers and sides were both different and interesting (with their Japanese fusion) and extremely well executed. Every dish was pretty much awesome. Not all your typical American steakhouse stuff either.
Wines were great. Only major flaw was the premoxed Cali Chard (which I still enjoyed), and maybe a little bret on 1-2 of the Rhones. I like that we had old stuff. I’ve had too many of the giant young cabs recently. Nice progression too and well timed with our 6-7 waves of food.
Ordering (Emil and I did it) was spot on if very slightly too much. We reordered foie (even if it was great), ate a bit too much awesome bread, and maybe had 1-2 too many steaks — so there was no room for dessert. But better a bit too much than going out for ramen later! Price was even quite reasonable considering what we had, the service, and all that A5 (which has a steep premium).
Restaurant: Officine Brera [1, 2, 3, 4]
Location: 1331 E 6th St, Los Angeles, CA 90021. (213) 553-8006
Date: August 24, 2017
Cuisine: Italian
Rating: Some of the best (new?) Italian in the city!
Sebastian tried to get me to go out to Glendale to a more uninspired Italian so I hijacked the whole dinner location over to Downtown’s Officine Brera. Another modern “rustic” Italian by the team that brought us Factory Kitchen, including master chef Angelo Auriana.
The area offers a mess of old brick 40s warehouses and factories which are being lovingly converted, allowing large spaces at reasonable rents (for now).
And inside the gigantic warehouse/factory space has been reconfigured with highly attractive duct work. Who would have thought that grungy 70 year-old factory windows could look so good?
For some weird reason, despite being impossible to get into last summer, and really good, Officine is much quieter now-a-days. It was about half full on our Thursday. I hope it picks back up. LA is a notoriously fickle market driven by hype, star power, and rent prices instead of food quality.
Tonight’s menu.
From my cellar: 2010 Abbazia di Novacella (Stiftskellerei Neustift) Kerner Praepositus. VM 90. The 2010 Kerner Praepositus is a more textured, creamier wine that the Sylvaner Praepositus tasted alongside it. Layers of fruit caress the palate in this effortless, totally gracious white. Ripe peaches, apricots, sage, savory herbs and wild flowers are all woven together nicely.
Fiore di Zucca. Crescenza-reggiano-pecorino stuffed zucchini blossoms, tempura batter. Always yummy.
Rustici. Baked stuffed vegetables, eggplant ,peppers, red onion, zucchini, tomato pepper sauce. Interesting, all these roasted vegetables stuffed with ground meat and cheese.
Carpaccio di Manzo. Seared beef sirloin, arugula, raspadura, Ligurian extra virgin olive oil. Solid, but not as much flavor as the tongue below.
Farinata. Chickpea “pancake” cooked in the 750 degree wood oven.
Sebastian brought: 2005 E. Guigal Condrieu La Doriane. VM 93. Light gold. Explosively aromatic nose offers a complex array of citrus and spice scents, notably tangerine, blood orange and nutmeg. Sappy and concentrated, showing great depth to the sweet but energetic citrus flavors. Really expands on the palate, with riper peach and nectarine flavors building through a strikingly long, elegant finish. “We’re after finesse and expression without heaviness here.” explains Guigal, who points out that this was raised in 100% new oak. “You can’t see it, can you?” he asked. Nope.
Stacciatella. Baby kale, white endive, mint, sage, stracciatella cheese, toasted almonds. Nice salad, particularly with the cheese.
Lingua Salmistrata. Sliced pickled beef tongue, parsley sauce, taggia olives, arugula salad. LOVED the tongue. We ordered a second round. Great tender meat, with pesto, cheese, and bright arugula.
Sebastian brought: 1996 Tenuta San Guido • Bolgheri Sassicaia. RP 92. Here’s a little gem from Tenuta San Guido that has never been reviewed in Robert Parker Wine Advocate (except informally by me one year ago in a Hedonist’s Gazette). I have consistently found the 1996 Bolgheri Sassicaia to be an impressive wine on the few occasions I have had to taste it. This is one of those rare underrated vintages that bring so much delight and surprise in an important retrospective such as this. As I recall from my informal tasting, this Sassicaia shows a heavy dose of Cabernet Sauvignon typicity but without the astringent medicinal tone or unripe greenness you might expect. Instead, it delivers a bright but balanced, tonic verve that is driven by the wine’s natural acidity. I had previously paired this wine with an oversized bistecca alla fiorentina t-bone steak and the marriage was perfect. This was a difficult vintage in Bolgheri, but the results in the bottle suggest otherwise.
Larry brought: 2001 Tenuta San Guido • Bolgheri Sassicaia. RP 88. The 2001 Bolgheri Sassicaia had never been previously reviewed in The Wine Advocate. When I saw that this wine was missing from the database, I asked to open a bottle. I also wanted to taste the 2002 Bolgheri Sassicaia (also missing from the database) but there are virtually no bottles left at the winery. It’s counterintuitive, but Tenuta San Guido did make Sassicaia in the difficult 2002 vintage. The 2001 vintage was promising when released but shows heavy warm weather aromas today. In fact, these jammy notes come as a big surprise and add to the wine’s weight and heaviness today. The results are somewhat muted and flat. The bouquet shows savory tones with cured meat, leather and bresaola. The fruit tones are dried and dark in character with plum, blackcurrant and dried fig. The aromas are evolved and mature. In the mouth, the wine shows thick density with gritty texture. Because this was a warm vintage, the wine showed plush tannins and round fruit flavors upon release. Those qualities can make longevity difficult.
Pappardelle al Pesto. Wide cut egg pasta, arugula pesto, crispy foraged mushrooms. Nice pasta but a mild pesto, probably because its arugula instead of basil.
Raviolini. Roasted three meat ravioli, rapini, cherry tomatoes, raspadura. Interesting with the fruit.
Mafaldine. Wide cut chestnut pasta, lamb ossobucco sugo, lodigrana, chives.
Gnocchi al Sugo. House-made potato dumplings, nebbiolo beef cheeks, castelmagno fonduta. By far the best of the pastas. Awesome meat/cheese factor.
From my cellar: 1990 Tenuta dell’Ornellaia • Ornellaia. RP 92. Another super effort from this producer, Ludvico Antinori’s 1990 Ornellaia is a worthy successor to the super 1988. Fat, supple, and loaded with black-cherry and curranty fruit, and a dash of vanillin from new oak barrels, this full-bodied, velvety-textured, opulent wine should drink well for 10-12 years.
Mark brought: 2000 Leoville-Las Cases. RP 98+. Tasted blind as a vintage comparison at the Valandraud vertical, the 2000 Leoville-Las-Cases is a quite fabulous, magisterial Saint Julien that is only just beginning to flex its muscles. It has a very intense and beautifully defined bouquet with mineral rich blackberry and bilberry scents, outstanding focus and harmony, and very well-integrated oak. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, impressive backbone and focus in situ. There is a touch of mint infusing the fruit here, superb tension with a touch of mulberry and Hoi Sin lingering on the finish that still feels backward and sinewy. What was remarkable was to observe the melioration in the glass, achieving wondrous energy and delineation with time, still improving after a couple of hours. Buy it, cellar it, drink it. Tasted December 2016.
Marittimo. “Acquerello” carnaroli superfino rice, octopus sugo, cuttlefish, black mussels. Very nice seafood risotto.
Bassa Padana. Carnaroli riserva san massimo rice, luganega rope sausage, cotechino, grana. Awesome sausage risotto.
Milanese. Vialone nano rice veronese igp, saffron, wood oven roasted bone marrow, raspadura. The classic Officine saffron risotto with bone marrow.
Anthony brought: 2008 Sine Qua Non • The Line. RP 98. 2008 The Line: This wine was just released in April of this year, and is a blend of 87.5% Grenache, 11% Syrah, and 1.5% Viognier, with 21% whole clusters used in the Grenache component. Seventy-eight percent of it came from the 11 Confessions Vineyard and the balance from Bien Nacido and the White Hawk. It is no measly wine at 15.5% alcohol, but it displays extraordinary berry fruit and kirsch notes intermixed with lavender and other floral components. Intense, full-bodied, voluptuously textured, and stunningly pure, with no real noticeable oak (21% new French oak was used, most of it the larger demi-muids), this beauty has put on weight and is showing additional complexity since I first tasted it. Anticipated maturity: now-2023.
Carne Bovina. 30-day aged prime new york steak, heirloom baby carrots, roasted peppers.
Rombo Intero. Whole grilled european turbot, potatoes, cherry tomatoes, capers, taggia olives.
Roasted Turbot!
Dessert menu.
The lineup.
Torrone. Honey & nut nougatine semifreddo, warmed fudge sauce, amerena cherries. Awesome dessert. I love semifreddo, and nougat and amerena cherries? Yum!
Nocciola meringata. hazelnut meringue cake, gianduja feuilletine, chocolate cream, black grapes. Nice gianduja flavors.
Panna cotta di coco. coconut panna cotta, pistachio sponge, gelato, rum pineapples, tuile.
Pistachio gelato. Very Neapolitan version of pistachio, not strong in the nut department, but probably had a touch of marsala or something too.
Macedonia allo zabaglione. Seasonal stone fruits, sherry zabaglione, almond tuile. Very classic with the fruits and zabaglione (sherry, egg, sugar custard in this case).
Budino di cioccolato. Chocolate cream pot, whipped Chantilly cream, maldon salt, caramelized nuts. Love budinos — basically custard/pudding.
Castagnole. Freshly fried goughnuts, anise sugar, salty bourbon caramel sauce.
Overall another amazing evening.
Food. The food at Officine is very good. It’s very Italian, with a fairly non Italian “vibe” to the place and a more modern share plates style.
Service. Service was great and we were treated like family. Wine service in particular is great.
Atmosphere. I love the big factory look. It’s a little loud, but not as bad as some (Bestia!). It wasn’t as crowded tonight as on all my previous visits and so was nicely not as loud.
Wines. Great wines.
Restaurant: Toscana
Location: 11633 San Vicente Blvd #100A, Los Angeles, CA 90049. (310) 820-2448
Date: August 18, 2017
Cuisine: Italian
Rating: Excellent upscale neighborhood Italian
I haven’t been to Toscana (other than one quick lunch) in over 10 years but Seb was willing to drive across the city so we headed out on a Friday night “double date” (my wife was my date obviously). The place has been open since 1989 but is still seriously holding its own. It was mobbed as was Bar Toscana next door.
Raw vegetables on the table. Toscana has had these for at least 20 years, probably longer.
Sebastian demos — a theme for this post.
From my cellar: 2013 Azienda Agricola Bucci Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore. VM 92. Bright-straw yellow. Knockout nose combines orchard fruits, anise and crushed stone. Dense, juicy and brilliantly delineated, offering very pure, intense flavors of tangy stone fruits, almond paste and flinty minerality. Offers lovely grip and intense, lingering floral notes. This is much more minerally than the 2014 Verdicchio.
Crispy pizza-like bread.
Insalata Carciofi. Baby artichokes, fine slices of pecorino cheese, lemon, walnuts, fennel & fava beans.
Burrata. Creamy mozzarella, bibb lettuce, tomato. Love burrata of course.
Insalata di Pere. Spinach salad with pear, goat cheese and walnuts. My wife’s dream salad (she loves pear, goat cheese, and walnuts).
Prosciutto e Melone. Artisanal 24-months prosciutto di Parma with *melon
Tartufo Nero e Burrata. Burrata cheese and winter black truffle. Tasted of truffle…
Smelled like truffle!
From my cellar: 2007 il Cocco Brunello di Montalcino. 95 points. Great grapey brunello.
Trenette al Pesto. Linguine with pesto sauce. Nice solid classic pesto.
Ravivioli di Carne. Homemade veal ravioli with butter and sage. I love this old school butter and sage sauce with a meat ravioli.
Special spaghetti with king crab and shrimp. Great pasta too with lots of crab.
Risotto ai Funghi Selvatici. Arborio rice and wild mushrooms. A solid risotto.
Milanese. Pounded veal chop in bread crumb. Old school!
The lemon helped lighten it up. I was getting very full though.
Bone in.
The dessert spread. Like many traditional Italian places in Italy, Toscana has a great selection of tortes.
Blueberry torte. Fabulous buttery crust.
Chocolate mouse torte and profiterole. The torte had milk chocolate mouse, white chocolate mouse, and shaved white chocolate.
Overall, I was very impressed, and we should go back more often — far more often than once a decade. Toscana was a regular place for my wife and I when we were young and used to eat out late (Naughty Dog hours). I assumed it was “dated” but far from it, still a great Italian and one of the best in Brentwood (which is jammed with Italians).
Location: 362 N Camden Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. (310) 277-7346
Date: August 16, 2017
Cuisine: Italian
Rating: Good food, big “formal” space
The Dirty Dozen is a sub group of the Hedonists that does themed blind tasting meals a couple times a year.
Tonight’s was again at Doma, a newish (2012) Beverly Hills Italian very much in a 90s (high end) vibe. The theme — again oddly for Italian — is California Cabernet. And even more oddly, Doma is “closed” supposedly for a month, but a skeleton crew came in and cooked our dinner. The manager pretty much served us. lol.
The Doma interior is large, formal, very white tablecloth and so different than more hip Italians like Bestia.
The white wines tonight were not blind and were served before dinner proper.
Jen brought this bonus: 2006 Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne. VM 97.5. The 2006 Comtes de Champagne is striking, especially in the way it brings together elements of ripeness and freshness in a hypothetical blend of the 2002 and 2004. Smooth and creamy on the palate, the 2006 is all about texture. There is a real feeling of density and weight in the 2006, qualities I expect to see grow with time in the bottle. All the elements fall into place effortlessly. The 2006 has been nothing short of magnificent both times I have tasted it. Comtes de Champagne remains the single best value (in relative terms) in tête de cuvée Champagne. I suggest buying a case and following it over the next 20-30 years, which is exactly what I intend to do. There is little doubt the 2006 Comtes de Champagne is a magical Champagne in the making.
A bonus from my cellar: 2015 Vietti Roero Arneis. 90 points. Light, fresh, bright. Lemon meringue and green apples. Some mineral notes.
Onion, balsamic, fontina cheese flatbread. Delicious. I could have eaten a whole pizza of these.
Warren brought: 2002 Blank Cabernet Sauvignon. RP 98. VM 88. This beautiful hillside vineyard is situated behind the Dominus Estate in Yountville. The 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Paradise Hills Vineyard (100% Cabernet Sauvignon) has turned out even better than I predicted seven years ago. Made by Helen Turley when she was the consultant at Blankiet from tightly spaced, steep hillside vineyards planted by her husband, John Wetlaufer, it exhibits a beautiful nose of flowers, high quality unsmoked cigar tobacco, creme de cassis, chocolate, espresso and blueberries. Extraordinarily young, fresh and fabulously concentrated, this wine still impresses with its intensity, complexity and youthfulness. It will probably not peak in quality for a decade, and has 20-30 years of further aging potential.
agavin: eucalyptus, hot. 8 votes.
Dave brought: 2002 Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve. RP 95. Put them all together and you have the 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve, a sensational 14,000-case cuvee that is one of the benchmarks for what Napa Valley is capable of achieving. Its dense purple color is followed by copious notes of smoky barbecue, creme de cassis, white chocolate, blackberries, charcoal and truffles. Full-bodied, fleshy and succulent, with sweet tannins in the finish, this 2002 has not yet hit full maturity. Give it another 2-4 years of cellaring, and drink it over the following two decades. I asked the winemaking team what the final blend was for the 2002 Private Reserve, and to the best of their recollection, the largest component was from Steinhauer Ranch (50%), followed by St. Helena Home Ranch (23%) and tiny percentages of Bancroft, Rancho del Oso, Chabot, Marston, and some Cabernet Franc from Howell Mountain.
agavin: oak, hot. 7 votes.
Yarom brought: 1999 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon. RP 91. I was never as enthusiastic about the 1999 vintage for Napa Cabernet as some of my colleagues, and the late-released 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate displays the green, herbaceous element that was one of my disquieting observations about this vintage when it was first reviewed. Still very young, with a deeper color than the 2007 with just a touch of lightening at the edge, it reveals notes of forest floor, roasted herbs, black currants, and a hint of mint. Medium to full-bodied, pure, and extremely youthful, it has another 20 years ahead of it.
agavin: corked in my opinion. 0 votes.
Tartar with egg. Solid.
LEC brought: 1994 Mayacamas Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon. JG 92+. The 1994 Mayacamas cabernet sauvignon is another stellar bottle in the making, that offers up a classic aromatic mélange of black cherries, dark berries, chipotle peppers, a fine, complex base of soil, cigar ash and woodsmoke in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and rock solid at the core, with impeccable focus and balance, bright acids and plenty of ripe, perfectly-integrated tannin on the long, complex and youthful finish. This superb bottle will need at least another six of seven years in the cellar to fully blossom, and over time should prove to be one of the very best vintages of Mayacamas cabernet from the decade of the nineties. If only all of the top wineries in California were still making wines with this sort of pedigree and cellaring potential! Fine juice.
agavin: bright and fruity. 2 votes.
From my cellar: 1998 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha’s Vineyard. JG 94+. This was the first time that I had the pleasure to taste the 1998 vintage of Martha’s Vineyard and the wine is excellent. The bouquet wafts from the glass in a ripe and classic constellation of sappy cherries, blood orange, a touch of red currant, eucalyptus, a fine base of soil, cedar and fine spicy complexity in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and now nicely open for business as it closes in on its twentieth birthday, with a superb core, impeccable balance and a very long, complex and moderately tannic finish. A classic in the making.
agavin: nice, drier, long finish, eucalyptus. 10 votes. 3rd place overall. One of my better rankings.
Erick brought: 1995 Colgin Cabernet Sauvignon Herb Lamb Vineyard. RP 98. I realize perfection in wine, like perfection in anything, is in the eyes of the beholder, and there are those who believe perfection is simply unobtainable. But in my mind, the 1996 and 1995 come close to perfection. Why? First of all, these extraordinary expressions of Cabernet Sauvignon are awesomely concentrated and endowed, while at the same time elegant and amazingly harmonious. The equilibrium between the wines’ component parts – new oak, alcohol, tannin, acidity, and extract – is right on, with nothing out of place. The 1996 and 1995 could be mistaken for identical twins, although close examination reveals that the 1995 has a slightly firmer tannic edge, and the 1996 slightly lower acidity. However, both possess Colgin’s tell-tale opaque black/purple color, phenomenal aromatics consisting of blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, cassis, subtle new oak, and a notion of floral scents (is it acacia or lilac?). In the mouth, both wines are full-bodied, remarkably supple and opulent, with a purity and presence of fruit that must be tasted to be believed. Their finishes last for 45+ seconds. I suspect each of these wines will get even better over the next 5-10 years before reaching their full plateau of maturity, where they should remain for two decades or more. They are the quintessential examples of Cabernet Sauvignons that marry power with elegance. As a friend said after tasting a Colgin Cabernet Sauvignon, “they float like a butterfly, but sting like a bee.” I am not sure Mohammad Ali or Ann Colgin would agree with that, but it paints another picture of these extraordinary wines. These wines are made by Helen Turley, the prodigiously talented winemaker/consultant.
agavin: herby, tart, menthol. 11 votes. 2nd place overall.
Walnut and radicchio risotto. I love risotto, and this was well cooked, but the walnuts could have been better and the radicchio gave it a touch of bitterness.
Avi brought: 1997 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon. RP 98. A blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc, the 1997 is just short of perfection from this great vintage in Napa Valley. A spectacular wine, it was the first made by Rosemary Cakebread. Production was quite high, as the new plantings started to fully produce, with 4,800+ cases declared. This is wine that fills the olfactory senses with gorgeous ripeness, blueberries, black raspberries, blackberries and cassis, while spring flowers and a touch of oak still lingers in the aromatics. When the wine hits the palate, the extraordinary intensity, purity and multi-dimensional complexity all seem to converge with a cascade of fruit, glycerin and richness. Like most Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignons, it is only 13.8% alcohol. This is a magnificent wine, a young adolescent in the scheme of its potentially fascinating evolution and should have a good 25-30+ years left in it – although it’s strutting its stuff at present. Certainly in the first two decades of Spottswoode wines this is clearly one of the most compelling efforts.
agavin: deep purple, rhone-like. 4 votes.
Robin brought: 2001 Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignon. RP 91-94. The 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa has hit its plateau of maturity where it should rest for another decade. Sweet, juicy, sexy black and red currant fruit intertwined with licorice, earth and subtle oak aromas jump from the glass of this dense plum/purple-colored wine. Attractive, round, fleshy and voluptuously textured, this fully mature, loaded 2001 can be drunk now and over the next ten years.
agavin: deep. 4 votes.
Larry brought: 2001 Dominus. RP 98. A brilliant showing for Christian Moueix’s well-known Napanook Vineyard, the 2001 Dominus is a blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 10% Petit Verdot. A classic in the making, this is a flawless, seamless example of elegant, complex Napa Cabernet Sauvignon that possesses a Bordeaux-like personality. This gorgeous, sexy, opulent, dense ruby/purple-colored wine reveals sweet caramel, mocha, creme de cassis and kirsch notes intermixed with a hint of espresso roast as well as underbrush. Ripe, long and full-bodied with well-integrated tannin, acidity, alcohol and wood, this prodigious 2001 is drinkable now and over the next 25+ years given this estate’s longevity track record. A virtually perfect wine, it is one of the most complex 2001s at present.
Parpadelle with ragu Bolognese. Very good, although not quite as good as Felix.
John brought: 2005 Colgin Cariad Proprietary Red Wine. RP 100. The blend that Colgin fashions from three vineyards owned by David Abreu (Madrona, Thorevilos and Howell Mountain) is called Cariad. The 2005 Proprietary Red Cariad consists of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc and 9% Petit Verdot. Offering up spring flowers and garden aromas, sweet blueberry and black raspberry fruit, a touch of charcoal embers, graphite and background toast, it is fleshy and full-bodied, and again, meriting a three-digit score. This is absolutely remarkable wine. As it sat in the glass, it developed some rather compelling chocolaty, licorice undertones. This is a great classic to drink over the next 20-25 years. By the way, for those interested, the cooperage generally chosen is dominated by Taransaud barrels, but there are at least four different coopers.
agavin: hot. 5 votes.
Brian brought: 2006 Shafer Hillside Select. RP 92-94. A slightly more compact version of the great Hillside, but nevertheless youthful, the 2006 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select has a dense purple color, some notes of damp earth, cedar wood, forest floor, red and black currants, and toast. Some austere tannins kick in in the finish, but the wine is full-bodied, ripe and rich. An outstanding effort, but not one of the monumental vintages for Hillside Select, it should be drunk over the next 20 years.
agavin: rich, hot, long finish, tropical skittles. 32 votes. First place of the night. Brian gets the free dinner!
Amanda brought: 2007 Bond Vecina Proprietary Red Wine. RP 100. A perfect wine, the 2007 Vecina provides a prodigious display of blackberries, charcoal, black currants, burning embers and a La Mission-Haut-Brion-like hot rock/gravelly character. The most tannic as well as most concentrated and layered of the 2007s, this is a long-term, but utterly brilliant wine. In many ways it reminds me of the Harlan Estate itself given its prodigious build and potential for extended longevity. It merits 4-5 years of bottle age and should drink well for three decades thereafter.
agavin: super dense, eucalyptus, coconut. 8 votes.
Mark brought: 2007 Maybach Materium. RP 99. The prodigious 2007 Materium exhibits an even more opaque purple color, and ratchets up the level of intensity and aromatic complexity. Blackberry, black raspberry, blueberry, and cassis aromas intermixed with notes of crushed rocks, spring flowers, and toasty new oak are found in this beauty. Outstanding intensity along with full-bodied power and beautifully integrated acids, tannins, alcohol, and wood suggest this 2007 should hit its peak in 5-7 years, and evolve for three decades or more.
agavin: dense & hot. 9 votes.
Only here did I start to get full. Veal with potatoes. Fine, but not exciting.
Dave was getting hungry also before this course and ran down the block and brought back parmesan truffle fries!
2003 Château La Tour Blanche La Tour Blanche. RP 92-96. The La Tour Blanche ‘03 offers yellow flowers, melted candle wax and honey on the nose with Muscat-like aromas developing in the glass. The palate is well-balanced on the entry with lemon curd and honey notes, though it needs just a little more acidity to give it tension and freshness. The finish is quite linear, springs no surprises, and just drifts a little when you seek more tautness and race. Still, this is a pleasurable, if not profound La Tour Blanche. Drink now-2020+ Tasted April 2013.
Apple bread with ice cream. Tasted like French Toast.
My cryptic notes.
The lineup
The gang.
Overall the food was pretty good. Not as good as last time — noting that they are technically closed. Service was slow despite the place being empty, as the manager pretty much did it himself, but they were extremely nice and accommodating.
Wines were solid for the Dirty Dozen and being Cabernet (which I don’t really like). Only one “bad” or spoiled and a whole mess that were great.
