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Archive for July 2022

Capital Sauvages

Jul28

Restaurant: Capital Seafood Beverly Hills [1, 2, 3, 4]

Location: 50 N La Cienega Blvd #130, Beverly Hills, CA 90211. (310) 855-1234

Date: November 12, 2021

Cuisine: Cantonese Chinese

Rating: Not their best meal

_

Sauvages has been on a fantastic (and “sold out”) tear since resuming in 2021. This lunch is a return to Capital Seafood in Beverly Hills with a (fake, AKA American) Chardonnay and Pinot Noir theme.

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Capital is the latest SGV place to move west, occupying the Newport Seafood Beverly Hills location that failed to work out. Not that I love even the original Newport, but Capital is fairly straight up banquet / dimsum Cantonese.

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The space looks pretty Chinese, even in Beverly Hills.
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Coves. Gotta have the coves!

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This particular lunch had the annoying 2 table and double wine format. We were set up in the bar area.

Champs to begin:

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These were (in my mind) the “real wines” before all that buttery chard came in.1A4A7809
Candied walnuts.
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Peanuts.
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Our special menu.
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The double table wine menu.
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Some various sauces.
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Smashed garlic cucumbers.
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Pickled jellyfish.
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Stuffed scallop with shrimp.
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Tony, who organized the menu, had them individually plate everything. This looks great and is a bit easier but it just doesn’t work well at Chinese restaurants. They aren’t used to it, and the time it takes them to do it means that everything is a bit cold by the time it hits the table. Plus, I’m a glutton and then I can’t take seconds :-).
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Steamed egg and lobster.
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Steamed live fish.
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Plated.
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Dum sum platter. A bun, a little rabbit dumpling (cute!) and a (single) hargow.
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So cute!

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Whole suckling pig.
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Plated. Notice how they have to stick some random vegetables on the plate so it doesn’t look empty. Fortunately, they didn’t plate the whole thing so there were fairly unlimited seconds of it available.

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French style filet mignon and String Beans. Tony just can’t resist ordering this dish. It’s tender but boring.
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Braised Tofu & Pea Leaves with Garlic.
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Fried Rice with Red Chicken Sauce and Shrimp Cream. This is the “classic” yin yang rice.
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Macau style egg tart.

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Baked Crispy Pastry with Almond milk. Cool but a bit odd.
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Fresh fruit.

Overall, Capital Seafood is quite solid SGV-style Cantonese banquet (as well as dimsum). I’d say that the food quality is about on par with middle of the road SGV Cantonese. Price is higher, but still not bad. They lean heavily on the MSG too. But today’s lunch was probably one of my least favorite meals here. The two table and individual plating thing meant that portions were small and the food was a bit cold.

Also, the whole two table thing is just not as fun as a single (even large) table. Having half the wines at one and half at the other is very chaotic.

I didn’t really like the white wine. There were a couple that were decent, but they are so heavy. I’d happily drink $20 2019 Fevre Chablis Villages over almost any of these, so I’m not even gonna bother to write them up. Some of the Pinots are pretty nice. Not like a great red burg, but at least like an enjoyable young red burg.

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For my catalog of Chinese restaurant reviews in China, click here.

Related posts:

  1. Capital Sauvages
  2. Dirty Dozen at Capital Seafood
  3. Capital Dim Sum
  4. Sauvages Roccos
  5. Sauvages AOC
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: BYOG, Capital Seafood, Chardonnay, Chinese Food, Gelato, lunch, Sauvages, Wine, wine lunch

Return of the Khan — Meteora

Jul25

Restaurant: Meteora

Location: 6703 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038. (323) 402-4311

Date: July 21, 2022

Cuisine: Primal Elfin

Rating: Late Red Medicine reborn

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Meteora is the latest restaurant by Jordan Kahn. I’ve been following him for years, from Old Red Medicine, to Late Red Medicine, to Vespertine (on site), to Vespertine (at home), to Destroyer. He’s one “out of the box” chef for sure! Meteora is a new high end ala carte concept. it’s currently in soft opening, but as a “regular” customers (who ordered a bunch of takeout from Vespertine) Erick and I got invites.

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It’s located in the old Auburn space (which was a great restaurant, BTW, and I was sad to see it close). I’ve actually eaten in at least 6 restaurants in this space: Citrus, Alex, something else, Hatfields, Auburn, and now Meteora. It’s a gorgeous space but must be somewhat cursed (probably too large).

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Jordan clearly has a substantial investor pipeline because the build out is not only so “him” but is quite extensive. Really, the bones of the Auburn space are largely unchanged but they have grafted on a ton of primal, forested, elfin, Michael and Roger Dean details. It’s very dark, and really weird ambient music blares. It’s also scented like a forest. You just have to experience it.

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The bar area and its whacky decor. It’s darker and moodier than these photos make it look, I brightened them up so things were visible.

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The bar is like a weird Sleestak cave. Or something designed by Catalan genius Antoni Gaudí.
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The cocktail tables, like most everything, are totally form over function. They are tiny, made of rock, and not even level. Barely usable at all!
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The cocktail menu. Weird stuff. There is barely any wine yet. We brought ours. They do allow corkage fortunately, although it’s not cheap.
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Pressed melon juice, anise hyssop, melon seed milk, aged grape liqueur, bee pollen-agave spirit.
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Freshly-pressed sugar cane juice, lemongrass, jicama, ginger, biodynamic lime, wild corn and cane spirit.
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Ancient purple corn, pressed plum juice, apricot seed, avocado leaf, opuntia, aged corn spirit.1A4A1685-Pano
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The main dining room is just as weird as the bar — only larger. The open kitchen from Auburn is still there, only mostly blocked off. This space is huge. You can see how they have scaffolded the Alien Forest Gaudí details over the old Auburn interior.

It should be noted that the lighting in here is extremely minimal, and Jordan doesn’t like flashes, so photography was VERY difficult.
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Welcome cocktail of “kombucha”.
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From my cellar: NV Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut Sous Bois. VM 92. Bright yellow. Pungent orchard fruit and lemon curd scents are complemented by suggestions of vanilla, anise and smoky minerals. Toasty and silky in texture, offering juicy pear and tangerine flavors plus a deeper suggestion of candied fig on the back half. Closes sappy, focused and long, with repeating smokiness and strong mineral cut.
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The current menu.
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Live Scallop. Lightly marinated in deep ocean water, dressed with smoked donganiza sausage, crunchy lovage steams, preserved apricots, Indian mallow, and crisps of giant kelp.
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A liquified rendering of sausage was poured over it and then ground sausage sprinkled. The kelp can be seen on the left side. It was way too fragile to actually support placing the mix of scallop et al on top. But the unusual flavor of the scallops was delicious. Very rich with all that sausage fat. This set the pace for various systematic qualities of Meteora cuisine:

  1. concealed ingredients
  2. flowers, leaves and foliage on top
  3. high fat “sauces”
  4. complex and unusual pairings, tending to include sweet, savory, and “herbal”
  5. very varied textures
  6. bright colors mixed with earth tones
  7. awkward methods of eating that don’t allow all the ingredients in the mouth at once
  8. black bowls and awkward flatware

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Bigfin Squid. Quickly grilled and seasoned with wild spruce and bird’s eye chile, with young coconut, ripe cherimoya, crunchy jicama, and a vibrant dressing of macadamia nut milk.

This was certainly a flavorful dish, one of our favorites. The black crisp was almost solid enough to support the squid, although it tended to break into small pieces. The textures were both soft and crunchy and firm. The flavors were spicy and assertive and distinctively southeast asian. There was a coconut acidic tone.  Excellent.
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Avocado Pie. Biodynamic avocados cooked in hot ashes, flaky crust of avocado leaf and einkorn flour, grilled strawberries, caramelized lettuce, herbs and leaves of the moment, finished with spanish peanuts, burnt onion and a warm bone marrow vinaigrette (pure fat again!).
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Here after they basically poured molten bone marrow on top and sprinkled with the peanuts. This giant “tart” fragmented instantly. It did taste great but the failed attempts to get any reasonable percentage of the components into one’s mouth at any one time were a bit frustrating.
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From my cellar: 2012 Prager Riesling Federspiel Steinriegl. 94 points. Screwcap. Slightly off-dry, barely any development. Didn’t have the exotic fruit that I sometimes get from riper vintages in Austria but instead it had lots of tart yellow fruit accompanied by an impressive steely minerality. Liked this a lot, a textbook Riesling. Just a shame this producer is so difficult to source here.

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Caramelized Lobster Rice. heirloom indica brown rice crisped in black claw, grilled lobster glazed with black jaggery and sugar kelp, roasted fruits of the moment, black butter, sea lettuce, and a crisp of roasted brazil nuts and allepo chile.

The rice and lobster were (as usual) hidden under the foliage. This was a powerfully flavored dish — bursting with all sorts of tastes — except that of lobster. It was very good, but mostly tasted of exotic spices. The texture was primarily “wild rice” like. It was pretty spicy and so went well with the riesling.
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Wild Pacific Dungeness Crab. Gently warmed over the embers and dressed with coconut fat infused with roasted crab shells and allspice, cucumber molasses, slow roasted turnips, and slices of heirloom banana.

You can’t see it in the photo but there was actually a lot of crab under the layer of greens. Once mixed up it had lots of crab in butter flavor. The other elements were interesting. I fortunately did not seem to get a bite of banana, which I hate. People thought it an “unusual” pairing. As you can see, this had most of the hallmarks of Meteora dishes.

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Red Sea Bream. Grilled on the skin and wrapped in banana leaf, dried cacao flower, wild iceplant, served with a praline of smoked chiles, hazelnuts, and clove.

The net effect here was grilled fish with an excellent and powerful mole negro (black mole). The sauce was spicy with a hint of chocolate, cinnamon, and clove. This was one of our favorite dishes. It was also quite spicy.

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Wildflower Porridge Bread. Baked in a clay pan and brushed with coastal wildflower honey and aged goat’s milk cheese, served with a condiment of charred heirloom peppers and passionfruit juice, with fresh buffalo milk curds.
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The bread was dense and crispy under the pile of cheese. Much like a cornbread. The white topping was basically a buffalo ricotta. The red one tasted like Muhammara. Fairly nice, if very rich. The combo of the dairy and the “Muhammara” is something I do all the time at Lebanese and Armenian places by putting lebneh and Muhammara on pita together. This variant worked as well.

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Wild Fire Morels. Grilled over smokeless coals, served with swiss chard stuffed with a jam of roasted duck jus, overripe plantain glazed with tamarind, spruce tips, and a griddled flatbread of young coconut and burnt wheat.
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This is the flat bread. It was thick and delicious. I stuck a bit of everything else in there. It was quite good, very meaty, and rather unusual. The spruce was INTENSE. Most chefs do not cook with spruce!

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Erick brought: 2005 Dom Pérignon Champagne Rosé. VM 94. The 2005 Dom Pérignon Rosé is an attractive, persistent wine with plenty of character. Sweet dried cherry, mint and rose petals are some of the many nuances that develop with air. Savory notes that are on the edge of vegetal and a real feeling of tannin from the 27% still red Pinot in the blend give the 2005 a decidedly savory edge. (Drink between 2020-2030)
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Smoked Beef Rib. Rubbed with wild pine resin and gently smoked overnight, served with an array of grilled heirloom cucumbers, green melons, tamarind reduction, and a spicy paste of green peppercorn and coriander.
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In the back here is the ring of odd “condiments” and the fabulous spicy pesto-like green paste. The meat itself was very rich and pastrami like with a great smoked flavor. It worked very well with the spicy paste. The crunchy cucumbers and the like were more “interesting.” Pine resin. haha!

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Tamarind sauce on the left.
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California Lamb. Coated with a paste of roasted cacao and panca chiles then slow-smoked over live oak embers, served with candied green papaya, charred collard leaf, roasted beats, and a sauce of elderberries and aged rum.
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As usual for Jordan the protein was all hidden under some vegetation. There was actually plenty of lamb here (once one broke through). It was a bit well done but had tons of flavor.
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The beets actually tasted fairly “normal.”
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The dessert menu.
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Strawberries. Lightly warmed over the embers, dressed with cherry pit kombucha and virgin almond oil, an ancient almond “cake” wrapped in aromatic fig leaf, whipped buckwheat cream.
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This is the hard crunchy “ancient almond cake”. It was very crumbly, like shortcake, and you took some of the buckwheat cream and sauce and strawberries and made a kind of falling all over the place nordic strawberry shortcake. Very tasty though, even if it adhered to almost all of the “rules” of Meteora cuisine, including it’s inability to stay on the terrible modernist wooden flat flatware.
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Buckwheat cream.
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Cherry pit kombucha.
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Redwood Ice. Ripe California kiwi dressed with green olive oil, sweet cream custard infused with crushed lemongrass, shaved coconut, puree of roasted almond cookies.

This was my favorite and was like a Filipino dessert with Thai and California redwood flavors.
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Sweet Corn. Frozen sweet corn custard, crispy ancient cereals, a caramelized crepe made from almond, coconut, and psyllium husk, roasted pecan butter, wild candycaps, and a light cream of aged rum.

Mild and soothing flavors. A lot of textures going on here. It wasn’t super sweet, more primal and foresty.
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We closed out the place, so I got to take a picture after it was empty.

Meteora will be polarizing for sure. I found it largely successful, at times brilliant. The experience is one-of-a-kind. The dishes are beautiful, unique, and mostly delicious. They are weird and a bit hard to eat, and you certainly wouldn’t want to come here alone — or really with 2 people — it pretty much requires exactly 3-4. I will repeat some of the features of the food:

  1. concealed ingredients
  2. flowers, leaves and foliage on top
  3. high fat “sauces”
  4. complex and unusual pairings, tending to include sweet, savory, and “herbal”
  5. very varied textures
  6. bright colors mixed with earth tones
  7. awkward methods of eating that don’t allow all the ingredients in the mouth at once
  8. black bowls and awkward flatware

And add some odd details about the service experience:

  1. Decor is really cool, but very form over function. For example our mushroom shaped table was very uncomfortable. There was no where to put one’s legs.
  2. It’s so dark that a phone light is absolutely required to read the menu or see the food.
  3. The odd shaped table barely fit one dish.
  4. Odd (but appropriate) ambient music was quite loud. At the same time the servers were instructed to whisper.
  5. The whole restaurant is scented (like a forest)
  6. Staff were all super nice and very excited to be there.
  7. Plates, wine glasses, flatware etc were all gorgeous but marginally functional. The flatware was hyper flat and food fell off it. The wineglasses had no steams, were heavy, not of crystal, and had a hyper annoying turned in lip that made them difficult to actually drink from.
  8. Dietary restrictions seem like they would be impossible to navigate. The dishes have so many ingredients and are so integrated.
  9. Not good for anyone who likes to know exactly what they are eating.
  10. Beverage options for those not bringing wine or loving really exotic cocktails are fairly limited.

For me, as most of this doesn’t bother me too much, this is the best incarnation yet of the “Jordan Khan” style. The food was delicious and had more “protein” than Vespertine. He’s a very talented “chef” (artist?) as is able to push the boundaries of what you expect food to be like while mostly still keeping it delicious. I found Meteora tasted better than Vespertine and was closer in style and spirit to “Late Red Medicine” but more advanced. It’s in this primal forest elfin style that doesn’t really have a clear definition. Hard to explain, but there is a consistency to all the elements food, decor, music, scent, style, and even the hard-to-use flatware.

I hope they change up the menu frequently, which knowing Jordan is likely. If they do it’ll be interesting to keep trying.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

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Related posts:

  1. Return to Paul Wools
  2. Return to Esso
  3. Return to Rocco’s
  4. Yamakase Return
  5. Vespertine does Alinea
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Foodie Club, Jordan Kahn, Meteora, Wine

Old Baroli at Etta

Jul23

Restaurant: Etta

Location: 8801 Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232. (424) 570-4444

Date: November 10, 2021 and June 10, 2022

Cuisine: Italian Wood-fire grill

Rating: Tasty, hearty

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Etta is a new “transplant” from Chicago bringing a sort of modern Italian American wood-fire grill thing to LA.
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It’s located adjacent to the Shay boutique hotel in Culver City.

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The interior is large and attractive with a lively bar scene.
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On 11/10/22 we brought an all Italian slate of mostly old Baroli, plus this bonus white of mine.

2015 Azienda Agricola Valentini Trebbiano d’Abruzzo. AG 93+. Good bright yellow. The pure, complex nose suggests lime, yellow apple and botanical herbs. Then very precise, intense and penetrating, if still youthfully unevolved, conveying a powerful, three-dimensional impression of extract and a deep, textured, multilayered mouthfeel. The wine closes very long and juicy, with herbal and saline elements that titillate the taste buds. Another outstanding wine from Valentini, who never misses a beat with his Trebbiano d’Abruzzo.

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1937 Giacomo Borgogno & Figli Barolo Riserva.
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1958 Giacomo Borgogno & Figli Barolo Riserva.
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1961 Giacomo Borgogno & Figli Barolo Riserva.

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1964 Giacomo Borgogno & Figli Barolo Riserva.
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1967 Giacomo Borgogno & Figli Barolo Riserva.
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1970 Francesco Rinaldi e Figli Barolo.
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1978 Giacomo Borgogno & Figli Barolo Riserva.

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The menu in November 2021.
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And in June 2022.

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Fire- baked focaccia. Ricotta, honey, truffle. Nice and fluffy.

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Meatballs. Sunday sauce, fire-wilted kale, herbed yogurt, grilled bread. A bit of heat.
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Roasted eggplant. Tahini ricotta, buttered hazelnuts, Calabrian chie, herb salad. Pretty darn spicy actually.
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Bubbling shrimp. Ginger, chiltepin chile, mint.

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Rack-roasted oysters. smoked-tomato butter, lovage, lemon.
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Grilled pork jowl. Smashed cucumbers, peanuts, herb salad.

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Little Gem Salad. Avocado, cucumbers, creme fraiche vinaigrette. Nice textures.

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Pizza toppings.

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Wild Mushroom Pizza. Goat cheese, black truffle raclette. Excellent except for the truffle oil.
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Fire Pizza. Sausage, giardiniera, chile de arbol. Spicy sausage basically.
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Cacio e pepe agnolotti. Pecorino, black pepper.
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Lumache. Sun gold pomodoro, basil, olive oil.
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Casarecce bolognese. Parmesan fondue.
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Spaghettone. Uni, lemon, black pepper.
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Orecchiette. Crispy sausage, cavolo nero, tomato jus, fennel pollon. Lots of hearty flavor. Some spice.

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Cacio e pepe. Mafaldine, pecorino, black pepper. Lovely, nice emulsion.

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Orecchiette with red sauce.

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Brussels sprouts. Honey dijon vinaigrette, crispy bacon, dill yogurt, herbs.

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Market haricot vrt. Grilled romano beans, sweet peppers, lemon vinaigrette, purslane.
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40oz bone-in hearth-roasted short rib. This is the fixings tower.

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Herbs.
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Pickles, sauces, and more herbs.

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The actual meat. 40oz bone-in hearth-roasted short rib. You made your own pita/taco like things out of this. delicious.

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Bread and “sauce”?

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Dry-aged whole branzino. Brown butter, capers, parsley, lemon.

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Spinalis. Last of the season tomatoes, wild arugula, parmesan & date vinegar.
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Hanger steak. Tamarind glazed bok choy, pepita butter, charred cipollini, crispy buckwheat. Nice steak.

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Dessert menus from the two days.

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Mint chip semifreddo. Devil’s food cake, creme de menthe, chocolate sorbet.
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Chocolate ice cream. Caramel, brownies.

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Strawberry ice cream. Olive oil, sea salt.
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Double Chocolate Mousse. Feuilletine crunch, dark chocolate cremeux, banana sherbert, oreo crumbs.

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Etta was good. Hearty and perhaps just as much American as it is Italian — maybe more than 50% — but it is pretty tasty. The space is large, loud, and attractive. Service was pretty good. Very friendly for sure, although I had to go “grab” some glasses because I’m impatient.

Our wines on this Barolo night (the second visit was more casual) were really awesome. Old Borgogno rocks!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

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Related posts:

  1. Drago Centro Baroli
  2. Angelini Osteria
  3. Mountain Eats – Campo
  4. Italian? – Tom George
  5. Palmeri again
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Barolo, Culver City, Etta, Foodie Club, Italian cuisine, pasta, Pizza, Wine

Chengdu Impression

Jul21

Restaurant: Chengdu Impression

Location: 21 E Huntington Dr, Arcadia, CA 91006. (626) 462-9999

Date: November 7, 2021 and May 1, 2022

Cuisine: Sichuan Chinese

Rating: Great kitchen, terrible service

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I wanted to go here for years but a combination of distance, the pandemic, and the challenge of getting Sichuan groups together made it a bit hard. Finally I got here in late 2021 and the kitchen was so good we swore to go again.
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It’s located in the North SGV, more Arcadia, on a busy street.
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The interior is modern and deserted. Both times almost no other customers. They have 2 privates rooms as well.
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This is the upstairs. The first time we ate up here.
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The second time we had the large private room.
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This is the menu — however, both times, despite my attempts in advance to pre-order stuff, they were “out” of a mysterious range of items. I think it’s staff shortages in the kitchen honestly.

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Cold Tossed Cucumber. The second time we tried to order this (on the second visit) they were “out” supposedly because the chef declared that the sauce was “too complicated.” This has to be some kind of staff shortage.

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Hot and Sour Jelly Noodle. Good, but could have used a bit more sour to my taste. Texture was on point. Notice the take out container. They really wanted to service us everything in these crap containers with plastic forks and spoons. I went and had a talk with the manager and only by playing up the blog card managed to get them to use real plates. I think they have returned their rental dishwasher or something.
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Sliced Pork Belly with Spicy Garlic Sauce. The sauce in particular was incredible. Really awesome and on the second visit when we tried to reorder, again the chef declared the sauce “too complicated” and wouldn’t serve it. Weird!
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Boiled Pork Dumplings. Because they were out of the wontons on the first visit. These were basic.

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But on the second visit we managed to get wontons! Numbing Spicy Wonton. Nice soft wrapper, very intense numbing sauce (almost a soup).

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Couples Sliced Beef and Tripe. Good sauce, beef was a bit tough.1A4A6148
Chinese bread for the beef.
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Pungent and Spicy Chicken. Sauce was full of chilis and quite excellent. I particularly liked the bamboo shoots in here.

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Chicken in Chili Sauce. Different, less “oily” variant than I usually find.

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Cold Chicken Noodles. Really excellent noodle dish with that sweet and tangy quality.
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Pickled garlic!
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Sliced Sole Filet and Tofu in Sichuan Peppercorn Sauce. Delicious and perfect rendition of the dish. Super moist and soft fish with lots of numbing. Not as spicy as Sichuan Impression.
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Kung Pao Shrimp. Delicate and almost floral. Incredible version. There might be some lychee in here for sweetness.

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Spicy Lobster (preorder). Nice tender meat and good flavor. They did charge a LOT for this, however. Pre-ordered and brought too early because they can’t resist bringing the pre-order stuff.

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Bullfrog Dry Pot with Sichuan Vegetables. Awesome version of this dish, particularly the crunchy lotus root and soft potato.
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Braised Sea Cucumber with Minced Pork. The pork was awesome. The cucumber was a bit chewy (and not so strong on flavor).

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Bullfrog Stewed with Spicy Ginger Broth. One of the classic Sichuan Bullfrog variants. Quite nice meat.

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Beef Tendon. Very jiggly, but nice.
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Shredded Beef with Sour Sauce. Interesting.
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Chengdu Style Beef Jerky. Very dry but a lot of flavor.

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Honey Roasted Duck (Pre-order). Really excellent, super jucy sweet duck. Polarizing as Yarom and David didn’t like the sweet. The rest of us loved it.

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Country Style Sliced Pork with Shisito Peppers. Excellent meat with great salty flavor.

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Angus Beef Ribs. Interesting. Very fatty, but quite a lot of flavor.
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Crispy Spciy Diced Chicken. Fabulous version of this dish with plenty of aromatic chili vibe and a very darkly 2-3 time fried chicken.
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Wok Fried Cabbage with Garlic and Minced Pork. Super delicious with a nice crunch and good pork flavor.
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Twice Cooked Pork. Perfect. Leeks were great.

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Dan Dan Mein.
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Mixed up. The flavor was quite good, if a touch sweet.

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Mapo Tofu. Very good version of the dish. Not that hot, but lots of numbing and deep flavor.

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Raspberry Sorbetto — French Raspberries, a touch of lime juice, and a splash of Amaro — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — I had to add a bit of Amaro for my “art” otherwise it would have been too simple — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #sorbetto #raspberry #amaro
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Hazelnut at the Ritz Gelato — Nocciola (hazelnut) custard base made with Pure PGI Piedmont hazelnut paste then mixed with house-made caramel and crushed Ritz Crackers (for that salty offset) — 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 #hazelnut #nocciola #caramel #caramello #ritz #crackers
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My son’s favorite — Triple Chocolate Cloud Gelato – The base is made with Valrhona 62% Satilla Chocolate and then layered with Dark Chocolate Cream Cheese Ganache and chopped Oreos! — 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 #Valrhona #chocolate #oreos #ganache #icing #NestléCrunch

So in summary:

I think the actual Sichuan kitchen here is great, maybe the best I’ve had in the greater LA area. But there are serious problems with the operation.

They are clearly “barely in business.” The restaurant is empty and given how crowded most SGV restaurants are this is hardly a good sign. They tried both times to serve on plastic wares. The front of house staff, while friendly, lounged around a good deal of the time. They didn’t replace plates, clear stuff very often, or bring napkins etc. We had to constantly go out to find them to get things and to order — only to discover them chatting with each other in the hall. The kitchen was out of items both times. Oddly out of stuff. We also had a third “failed” dinner between these two where they canceled it on us because they were “doing renovations.” I suspect they were just short staffed or had some permitting issue. The unavailability of basic dishes like cold cucumbers because the sauce was “too complicated” was laughable. Even in the private room where they will give you real plates they gave us mostly plastic silverware.

Additionally, the second visit was oddly expensive. It seems they priced the pre-order dishes (like the lobster and duck) really high. Maybe $200-300+ for just the lobster!

Anyway, it’s really a shame that they have these logistical issues because the subtlety of the cooking is for the most part very good and they do have a lot of interesting items on the menu (when they are in “stock”).

For more LA dining reviews click here.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Szechuan Impression Tustin
  2. Szechuan Impression West
  3. Silk Worm Road – Guan Dong Da Yuan
  4. Rice Yummy
  5. NC Peking Duck – Double Duck part 2
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: BYOG, Chengdu Impression, Chinese cuisine, Chinese Food, Gelato, hedonists, SGV, Sichuan, Sichuan Cuisine, spicy, Wine

Quick Eats – Pasta Sisters

Jul18

Restaurant: Pasta Sisters

Location: 3280 Helms Ave, Culver City, CA 90232. (424) 603-4503

Date: November 5, 2021

Cuisine: Pasta

Rating: Good pasta, weird fast casual format

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I met John G for a nice little lunch in Culver City on this particular Friday.

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Pasta Sisters in located on the corner of Helm’s Bakery.
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Yep. Helms bakery location.
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Small interior space with very little (or no?) interior dining space.
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The fast casual menu at the counter.
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A bit of focaccia bread.
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Spaghetti Truffle. A daily special simple pasta with white truffle.
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Spaghetti Bottarga. Dry Sardinian mullet roe, olive oil, garlic.
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Tagliatelle Porcini. Fresh Italian porcini, cream, parsley.
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Gnocchi Pesto. Pine nuts, basil, parmigiano reggiano, pecorino romano, extra virgin olive oil.
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BRESAOLA CARPACCIO. air dried carpaccio, arugula, shaved parmigiano reggiano, lemon olive oil.

This is pretty good pasta, but it is served in an odd fast casual format. Typical counter ordering where you pair the very small number of pastas with a variety of simple sauces. The results are quite “tight” (aka good) but very very “classic.” They aren’t new style more integrated pasta dishes like at a place like Felix. As such, I’d only come for a quick lunch. I don’t do fast casual formats for dinner. But if I was near Culver City and craving pasta it’s not bad at all. There is a very nice patio too.

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After lunch on this particular day we went down the block and tried some ice cream.

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This place specializes in home made (simple) ice cream put inside cookies.
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Voila.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Quick Eats – Colapasta
  2. Quick Eats – Obica SM
  3. Quick Eats – AR Cucina
  4. Quick Eats: Piccolo
  5. Quick Eats – Margo’s
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Culver City, pasta, Quick Eats

Loire at Akbar

Jul14

Restaurant: Akbar [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

Location: 3115 Washington Blvd, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292. (310) 574-0666

Date: November 4, 2021

Cuisine: Indian

Rating: Bold and balanced flavors

ANY CHARACTER HERE

It’s time for my my Hedonist group to return to LA’s best Indian restaurant, Akbar (Santa Monica branch). Too many Indian places focus on low cost buffets of very over cooked food, but Akbar cooks everything to order — even baking their own Naan when you place the order. They are more focused on the cuisine of the Punjab (Northern India), with very good curries and kormas. You can get anything from extremely mild to blow the top of your head off. Once I had the “pepper lamb” on 5 (max heat) and my scalp sweat for hours.

Tonight’s event is a Dirty Dozen blind tasting focusing on Loire wines, both sweet and dry.

Fellow Hedonist Chef Avi commands the kitchen!

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NV Henriot Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut. VM 91. Pale yellow-gold. Fragrant melon, white peach and tangerine aromas are complicated by smoky lees and floral honey. On the palate, supple melon and pit fruit flavors are energized by smoky minerality. Shows a gently sweet touch and finishes with excellent cut, clarity and persistence.
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2009 Domaine Huet Vouvray Pétillant Réserve Brut. VM 93. The 2009 Vouvray Pétillant Réserve is dry and bracing. A wine of substance and power, the 2009 has a lot to offer. Today, I especially admire its breadth. Yellow orchard fruits, plum, dried flowers and chamomile abound, but the 2009 remains a wine endowed with tremendous palate presence. It is very much a wine for the dinner table. (Drink between 2020-2027)
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Tonight’s special menu. It was custom designed to “try” to pair okay with the Loire wines, which is a bit of a challenge considering how strong and flavorful (in an entirely good way) Akbar’s food is.
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Gobi Manchurian. Cauliflower breaded, fried, and tossed in a super spicy super delicious Chinese inspired sauce.
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A non spicy variant.
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Shrimp Makhani Cocktail.
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2018 Didier Dagueneau Sancerre Les Monts Damnés. 90 points. Quite tight at first, air coaxing out an herbal profile, dried hay, perhaps the slightest bit of tropical fruit such as kiwi. Acidity is more balanced than expected. Give this time. Peter 91. This started out quite stinky and herbal and smoothed out after 15-20 min. slight kiwi here as well, high acidity, very nice, taught. Guessed ’18 Dagueneau. Very young. Will improve with 2-5 years+. Although I haven’t had any Dagueneau’s so far that have aged well past 10-12 years. DD at Akbar blind–Loire Whites.
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2014 Didier Dagueneau Sancerre Les Monts Damnés. Peter 93. Like yellow with green hints; nice citrusy notes, slight herbal, kiwi flavors, clean, great concentration but balanced and silky mouthfeel. Really superb. My #1, came in 8th/12. DD at Akbar blind–Loire Whites.
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2008 Didier Dagueneau Pouilly-Fumé Silex. Peter 89. Golden color, waxy note, honied, nutty; This was really dark and seemed like it had a lot more age on it than it did. Would have been ok for a 1998, not a 2008. Prematurely aged. DD at Akbar blind–Loire Whites.
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2018 Didier Dagueneau Pouilly-Fumé Silex. Peter 92. This was very pale in color; neutral nose at first, closed. Really blossomed after 20 minutes or so. Rich nicely textured silky body with nice balancing acidity, deep but quiet at first. Light herbal quality, ripe grapefruit blossom. clean minerality. Very nice and ended up first place out of the 12 Loire whites. DD at Akbar blind–Loire Whites. Try again in 2-3 yrs.
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Kerala Shrimp.
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Chilean Sea Bass Tandoori style.
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Naan.
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2015 Domaine Huet Vouvray Moelleux 1ère Trie Clos du Bourg. Peter 92. Dark orange; lots of apricot, aged kind of peach pit, honey, molasses, sauterne sweet. This was delish, but thought it had 20 more years on it than it did! (guessed ’96 Quart de Chaumes). Probably b/c the color. Very good, but curious about the color. Could have been a storage issue that did not significantly affect the quality (for a ’15 I’m pretty sure it should have shown brighter and a bit fresher). DD at Akbar blind–Loire Whites.
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2015 Domaine Huet Vouvray Moelleux Le Mont. Peter 92. Gold-amber; minty note, apricot juice, herbal note with floral honey thing going on, med. sweet (not like 1er Trie); bright, clean for a Vouvray, high acid. Very cool, interesting to compare with the ’15 1er Trie side by side. DD at Akbar blind–Loire Whites.
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2016 Domaine Huet Vouvray Moelleux Clos du Bourg. Peter 89. Med. gold, slight orange; almond, honey, med.- sweetness (as far as sweet wines go), a little bitter finish, wheat bread aspect, lower acidity on this. OK, but a top Chenin must have good acidity in my opinion. Not my fav. Interestingly enough, this came in 2nd place. DD at Akbar blind–Loire Whites.
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2016 Domaine Huet Vouvray Moelleux Le Mont. Peter 89. Medium dark orange, slightly less than the ’15 1er Trie. Not sure why these are showing so dark so young. Like the ’16 Clos de Bourg Moelleux, med. acidity, and slightly nutty, just a slight hint of age/oxidation? So far not a fan of ’15 or ’16 in Vouvray, unless these have bottle issues. This got 11/12th place, with no votes. DD at Akbar blind–Loire Whites.
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Chicken Tikka.

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House favorite Chicken Tikka Masala. Another perfect batch of this amazing dish. The chicken itself is all super tender chunks of white meat. The sauce has this snappy tang and complex flavor.

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Chicken Akbari. Milder creamy sauce.
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Mushroom Pillau (rice with veggies).
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1989 Domaine Huet Vouvray Moelleux 1ère Trie Le Mont. Peter 91. Medium gold-orange; almonds, minty, herbal, old nutty aspect but just as it should. Med+ acidity. Nice stuff. Aged well. DD at Akbar blind–Loire Whites.
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2002 Domaine Huet Vouvray Cuvée Constance. Peter 93. Dark orange, very sweet, nutty, honied, with great lifting acidity, complex and tasty. DD at Akbar blind–Loire Whites.
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2002 Domaine des Baumard Quarts de Chaume Grand Cru. Peter 90. Darker golden-orange; honey, nuts, excellent structure and acidity. NOtes lacking on this one. Interesting next to ’89 Vouvray Moelleux Le Mont. DD at Akbar blind–Loire Whites.
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1996 Domaine des Baumard Quarts de Chaume Grand Cru. Peter 93. Dark brown, pecan, botrytis notes, orange liqueur, orange peel, quite sweet but with good supporting acidity making it light on its feet, slight bitter phenolic finish, really good stuff. Like this vintage, sailed above the ’02. DD at Akbar blind–Loire Whites.
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Rack of lamb.
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Gosht Lazeez. Mutton Lazeez. Literally translates to delicious mutton, it is a dish of melt in mouth mutton cooked in mild spices, mixed in yoghurt and cream.
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Saag (spinach).
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Eggplant Bharta.
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2019 Domaine Luneau-Papin Terre de Pierre.
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2005 Domaine Vacheron Sancerre.
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2015 La Source du Ruault Saumur-Champigny Clos de la Côte.
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2016 Domaine de la Haute Olive Chinon.
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2003 Kalleske Shiraz Greenock.
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Hazelnut at the Ritz Gelato — Nocciola (hazelnut) custard base made with Pure PGI Piedmont hazelnut paste then mixed with house-made caramel and crushed Ritz Crackers (for that salty offset) — 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 #hazelnut #nocciola #caramel #caramello #ritz #crackers
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t
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The outside setting was really fun.
imagejpeg_0

Akbar has long been my favorite LA Indian, and this meal was probably my best yet — and very different than usual. Chef Avi really turned out a lot of unique things tonight as he tried to adapt to the wines. And the wines were really great too. However, I’m not sure the amount and strength of the food made for a perfect “fair” tasting. And also not sure how much the mix of sweet and dry in the same blind tasting works — but who cares when it’s this much fun?

For more LA dining reviews click here.

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

Related posts:

  1. All Things Akbar
  2. Akbar – Curry not so Hurry
  3. Ultimate Akbar
  4. Akbar – Big Flavors, Big Fun
  5. Amazing Akbar
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Akbar, BYOG, Dirty Dozen, Gelato, Indian cuisine, Loire Valley

Girl & the Goat

Jul11

Restaurant: Girl & the Goat

Location: 555-3 Mateo St, Los Angeles, CA 90013. (213) 799-4628

Date: November 2, 2021

Cuisine: Modern American

Rating: Very tasty, 2 bottle limit

_

Last fall (yes I’m very behind in my posts), “people” kept going on about how great this new Chicago transplant by Chef Stephanie Izard was. So off we went.
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They are located in a fairly cute offshoot area of downtown I don’t think I have been to.

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Swank build out, although we (fortunately) sat outside.
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The menu.
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Marked up with our orders.
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One disadvantage to GATG is that they have one of those new terrible wine lists with most domestic weird cheap wines at inflated prices, COUPLED WITH (and they usually go together), a nominal 2 bottle corkage limit. I’m not going to rant again too long about the 2 bottle limit but… places should just charge a fair (unlimited) corkage that approximates their profit.

We did buy 2 bottles off the list. As usual there were basically no reds I would want to drink on the list, most are grapes I would never drink or way too young. There were 1-2 pleasant whites. Not sure there even was a white Burg, and if there was it would have been some off location village wine.

Agro de Bazan Albariño Rías Baixas Granbazán Etiqueta Ambar. This was a fine wine. Of course it was like $80 for a $20 bottle.
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NV Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut Rosé. Always great, but like 4X what I’d normally pay for it.
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Roasted Oysters. Clam baguette, sausage butter, oyster sauce mayo, finger limes.
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The guts slid out onto a toast (which is how you are supposed to eat it).
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Hamachi crudo. Browned goat butter, goat crema, pickled apple, tempura crunch, sesame seed.
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Shrimp and crispy greens. Avocado, tangerine, pickled veggies, pepita crunch, limey-herby dressing.
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Pan-roasted scallops. Chili relish, peanut-popiah crunch.
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From my cellar: 1990 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape. VM 93. The 1990 Châteauneuf-du-Pape has a compelling bouquet of plump red fruit, oxtail, leather and morels, all well defined and full of chutzpah. The palate is smooth in texture and, at 29 years old, has certainly mellowed. There is a core of sweet fruit here, but it has softened with age and delivers a smorgasbord of second flavors: meat juices, clove and touches of fennel. It does not possess the audacity of the Hommage à Jacques Perrin, yet it has retained effortless charm. (Drink between 2019-2036)
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1972 Xavier Vignon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Xavier 1972. This is not really a 1972. It’s blended or reconditioned.
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Pork liver mousse. Crumpets, biscuit crackers, pickle persimmon, blueberry mostarda.
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Duck tartare. Gochujang mayo, sesame, plums, fried brussels.

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1989 Château Rausan-Ségla. VM 94. The 1989 Rauzan-Ségla is a vintage that to my surprise, I had not tasted since September 2007. Just like then it represents the high point of the decade and augured a much brighter future in terms of quality. At three decades old it has a beautiful bouquet, so elegant with brambly red fruit, cedar and rose petals, very Barolo in style and less exotic than previous bottles. The palate remains youthful and like the aromatics, comes across so finessed with superb delineation and natural balance. There is even a dab of honey on the sensual finish. Certainly à point, this Margaux is highly recommended. Tasted at the 1989 Bordeaux dinner at Hatched restaurant. (Drink between 2019-2035)
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Roasted shishitos. Harissa-tahini yogurt, parmesan, garlic crunch.
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Confit Goat Belly. Tasty broth, plum pickle relish, spiced pecan crunch.
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Grilled corn. Spiced coconut caramel, cotija, tajin.
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Beef short rib. Gochujang, apple-cucumber salad.
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1999 Tenuta dell’Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia. VM 95. The 1999 Ornellaia (magnum) does not disappoint. This vivid, energetic wine emerges from the glass with a myriad of graphite, menthol, licorice, leather and dark fruit wrapped around a powerful core. The bouquet alone is worth the price of admission. Though not as opulent as the 1997, the 1999 offers exceptional length and a finessed, regal close. The 1999 Ornellaia is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. The wine spent 18 months in French oak (60% new) prior to being bottled. (Drink between 2009-2021)

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Special pre-reserved giant goat back with all sorts of salad, sauces and breads. Meat was actually a little bit dry but all the condiments juiced it right up. A LOT of food.

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Pickled salad (and sauces).
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A mushroom salad.

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Breads.
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Goat Curry. Masa chips, radish, pickled vegetables. Yummy! Getting very full.
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A sort of butterscotch type thing. Descriptions are vague because they just brought and comped the desserts and I didn’t see any menu.
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Chocolate.
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Chocolate and orange or something.
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Fruity.
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Food here is really good. Almost all of the dishes were really tasty. Very savory, fatty, salty and all that, but full of zest and punch. Chef Izzard was in the house on the night we went.

Service was also quite excellent. Very nice, attentive, and all that. The patio location outside was fabulous.

I’ll try to go back again this year and try more dishes (even if we did a pretty good job on the menu). It was really delicious.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or for epic Foodie Club meals, here.

Related posts:

  1. Black Goat at Mirak
  2. Goat Herding at Tar & Roses
  3. Tar & Roses got your Goat?
  4. Story of a Girl
  5. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: 2 bottle limit, Chef Stephanie Izard, Girl & the Goat, goat, Wine

Happy at Happy Harbor

Jul08

Restaurant: Happy Harbor

Location: 1015 Nogales St, West Covina, CA 91792. 626-965-2020

Date: October 30, 2021

Cuisine: Cantonese Chinese

Rating: Great cantonese

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Yarom discovered this place during the day (for dim sum) not too long ago and as it was really great in that mode we decided to hit it for Sunday dinner.
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Happy Harbor is a medium sized Cantonese located right next to Mandarin plaza, a “far east” (Hacienda Heights ish) area we have eaten at again and again.
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The interior is classic Cantonese.
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With the tanks.
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And the over-decorated private room which was where we set up shop.
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On table to start, cucumbers. A bit sweet.
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Peanuts.
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The show off the live “creatures.”
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Cold plate. Roast Pork, Roast Duck or Chicken, Jellyfish, Macau style pork belly.
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Tofu with preserved egg. Oddly sweet and not one of my favorite versions.
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Lobster with garlic and ginger. Very tender.
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“Spot prawns” in a crunchy very fried Typhoon style. Not immensely garlicky but the prawns themselves were very well cooked.
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Quail. Excellent version.
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Peking duck skin. Not enough, but good. Buns unfortunately instead of pancakes.
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Peking duck meat/bones. Lots of meat here, more should have been cut onto the other plate.
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Duck letuce cups (from same duck). Good but no hoison at the time. Radically insufficient hoison.
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The actual lettuce.
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Chicken “Knees.” Great flavor!
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Beef ribs and egg plant. Nice.
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Vermicelli pancake with beef and eggy sauce. Delicious “pizza.”
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Pork chops. Very friend. Ok.

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Tripe.
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XLB. A little under-seasoned.
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Free custard buns. Nice.

1A4A6942Pistachio Cardamom Gelato — Sicilian Pistachio di Bronte with Cardamom infused milk — pretty awesome new flavor! — 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 #pistachio #cardamom #sicily

Happy Harbor was quite seriously good, definitely in the top tier of Cantonese kitchens (of the many) in the SGV. A bit further than most, but excellent.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

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Related posts:

  1. Happy Table 2X
  2. Fake Chard at Grand Harbor
  3. 888 Seafood – Banquet
  4. Tong Tak – Epic Cantonese
  5. Happy Duck – Double Duck part 1
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: BYOG, Cantonese cuisine, Chinese Food, duck, Gelato, Happy Harbor, hedonists, SGV, squab, Wine

Tiempo de Tatel

Jul02

Restaurant: Tatel

Location: 453 N Canon Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. (310) 651-8553

Date: October 26, 2021

Cuisine: About half Spanish

Rating: Tasty, great service, loud

_

This Vega Sicilia Unico dinner moved around a little bit but eventually settled on the new (for LA) Tatel in Beverly Hills.

1A4A6669-Pano
Tatel is a Spanish restaurant with locations in Madrid and Ibiza that recently opened here in Beverly Hills in the classic Nic’s Martini bar in Beverly Hills.
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The interior is updated a bit but still filled with gorgeous booths.
IMG_9791
Sebastian with the chef.
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The menu.

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From my cellar: NV Pierre Péters Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut Cuvée de Réserve. VM 92. The NV Brut Cuvée de Réserve Grand Cru is fabulous. A Champagne of tension and energy, the Cuvée de Réserve has real presence, not to mention tons of class. Citrus, jasmine, mint and crushed rocks are some of the many nuances that race out of the glass. In this release, the Cuvée de Réserve has a light tropical quality that is both exotic and hugely appealing. Dosage is 7 grams per liter. Disgorged: March, 2021. (Drink between 2021-2028)

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Burrata Salad. Tomato, basil. Pretty modern salad, not particularly Spanish.

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Bluefin Tuna Tartar. Avocado, Fresno chili, chive. Kind of a nod to modern dining.

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Spanish Carabineros Prawn. Avocado escabeche. Not exactly gambas pil pil.

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1989 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único. AG 95+. Saturated dark, fresh red. Exotic dried fruits complicated by minerals, cedar, cigar box and nuts on the nose. Huge, dense and solid, with great sappy redcurrant and wild strawberry sweetness buffered by powerful acids. With its huge concentration and extraordinarily chewy extract, this has fruit of steel. The wine’s explosive, extremely long finish and great thrust go beyond 99.99% of the world’s wines. (Europvin/Christopher Cannan Selections; importers include Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY and Diamond Wine Merchants, Oakland, CA)
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1994 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único. VM 95+. Full ruby-red. Knockout nose combines roasted blackberry, minerals, cedar, graphite and flowers; reminded me of a very ripe vintage of Chateau Lafite. Creamy and sweet, but with penetrating, perfectly integrated acids and a structure of steel. Powerful yet wonderfully elegant wine, with flavors of crushed redcurrant, minerals, flowers, chocolate and truffle. Finishes with great length and grip. An outstanding vintage for Unico, with the sheer acid structure and flavor intensity to go on in bottle for at least another two decades. . (Europvin/Christopher Cannan Selections; importers include Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY and Diamond Wine Merchants, Oakland, CA)

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Steak Tartar. Dijon, chives, shallots, sourdough. Pretty classic but very nice tartar.
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Jamon de bellota 100%, COVAP D.O. The real deal ham.

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Bread with tomato and garlic. This is a fairly deconstructed version of the pan con tomate. You rub the garlic on the bread. However usually they pre-chop the tomatoes for you. Personally I think the best combo is the ham ON the tomato bread.
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Ham Croquette. Tomato Sugo, parsley. Solid version of the classic.

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1996 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único. VM 94. Deep ruby. Complex, heady bouquet of kirsch, candied plum, cured tobacco, licorice, dried rose and cedar. Pungent herbal notes build with aeration and repeat on the palate, adding complexity to the deep, ripe cherry and dark berry liqueur flavors. Remarkably elegant wine with precise cherry/berry flavors and a slow-mounting mocha quality on the long, sappy finish. There’s a very impressive interplay of fruit and tannins here. (Europvin USA, Oakland, CA)
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1999 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único. AG 96. Ruby-red. Shockingly deep in color for a ten-year-old wine. Explosive aromas of cherry compote, black raspberry, blood orange, Asian spices and smoky minerals. Pure, vibrant and sweet, offering intense cherry and red berry flavors, with tangy mineral spine and an exotic smokiness. Extremely deep but energetic, with a powerful echo of minerals and singed orange on the endless finish. This is remarkably youthful but highly alluring already. (Europvin USA, Van Nuys, CA)
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They have a couple different types of “rice” (risotto and paella). We ordered this and two paellas.

Tatel Risotto. Semolina Orzo, parmesan cheese, truffle. Nice risotto, even if that form of rice isn’t old school Spanish.

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Roasted Cornish Hen Paella. Porcini Mushrooms, thyme.
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Individually plated.
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Carabineros Paella. Carabineros prawn.
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A more seafood variant. Nicely cooked and good flavor.
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Grilled Colorado lamb rack. Very well executed, but pretty “international.”

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Tatel Veal Milanese. Soft poached egg, Black truffle. Rich and bit mild in flavor.
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Boomsdale Spinach. Garlic.

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1989 Château Suduiraut. VM 90. The 1989 Suduiraut has always shown better than the 1990. The bouquet is quite vivacious with quince and frangipane, hints of pear and crème brûlée, certainly responding to aeration. The palate has similar weight and texture to the 1990 although, there is slightly more tension here with orange rind and marmalade imparting Barsac-like notes towards the finish. It lacks the sophistication of 21st century vintages but there is joie-de-vivre here. 89gm/L residual sugar. Tasted at a private dinner in Switzerland. (Drink between 2019-2029)
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Dessert menu.
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Apple Tart. Good, but grainy mild ice cream.
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Tatel World Famous Cheese Cake (Basque Cheese Cake, but not burnt). Perfect creamy light texture on the cake. Ice cream mediocre. The interior was stellar actually, and on point for Basque cheese cake, but the top wasn’t really burnt.1A4A6700
This was a great evening. Wines ruled, of course — Unico duh!

The build out and and service at Tatel was top notch for modern high end restaurants. Additionally, given that we were a 4 person “wine group” at a trendy Beverly Hills restaurant I was surprised how nice and accommodating they were. None of that trendy place BS. Food was very high quality. I was skeptical going in as it looked pretty international, and it was in its way, but the kitchen is good and dishes were generally well executed. I’m slightly weirded out by the mix of classic Spanish dishes (again, well done) and what I think of as “boring BH staples” like Burrata Salad or Tomahawk Steaks. Half the restaurants in 1st tier cities has devolved into the Tomahawk. It’s like the goat cheese and beet salad, burrata, or hamachi with jalapeño and ponzu. So personally I would have preferred an updated (and Tatel is updated) take on roast lamb shoulder, suckling pig, etc. Or better yet LA desperately needs anything good smacking of the kind of modern Basque restaurants to be found in… well the actual Basque region. So Tatel feels like a Basque Mom who married Arnie Morton.

It should be noted that La Paella is the old school 1970s variant of this kind of place (minus any of the trendy). It’s a good place too and quite Spanish, but it’s also very dated and “old fashioned.” It’d be nice to get more modern Spanish in LA.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Unico at La Paella
  2. Vega Sicilia – Hearth and Hound
  3. Seminal Somni
  4. Dirty Dozen at La Paella
  5. Hedonists at La Paella
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Foodie Club, Paella, Spanish Cuisine, Tatel, Unico, Vega Sicilia, Wine
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