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Archive for September 2022

Paradise Dynasty Costa Mesa

Sep30

Location: 3333 Bristol Street, BLM, 1 Bloomingdale’s, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. (714) 617-4630

Date: February 17, 2022

Cuisine: Chinese XLB

Rating: Way better than DTF

I went twice to branches of Paradise Dynasty in Shanghai and really enjoyed it. This chain is like a much more interesting Din Tai Fung. Frankly, I don’t exactly get why DTF is so popular except perhaps that it’s a “gateway drug” to more modern Chinese food and is just “easy” for Americans.

Somewhat annoyingly Paradise Dynasty’s first US branch is in Costa Mesa. Well it could be worse, at least it’s in driving distance but I don’t go down there that often. In fact, it’s in the South Coast Plaza mall. I hate malls.

Build out is nice but it’s spoiled by that whole mall atmosphere.

The menu is epic with quite a bit of variety.

Spinach and Vermicelli tossed with Vinaigrette. A “salad” of sorts. Pleasant.

Specialty Dynasty Xiao Long Bao. These are why one comes to PD: the 8 flavored XLB.

Here is the “key” to the flavors.

White is “signature” (classic pork). Delicate and excellent. The skins on all of these are very thin and lovely.

Red is Szechuan Hot Pot and it actually tastes like hot pot broth!

Grey is Garlic pork, and it’s pretty garlicky.

Yellow is Cheese. Interesting.

Green is Luffa Gourd with Chinese Wine (and pork of course). Mellow.

Orange is Crab Roe (and pork). Lovely briney flavor.

Tan is Foie Gras (and pork). Tastes like foie.

Black is Black Truffle (and pork). Probably my least favorite actually, but not truffle oil.

Ginger for the XLB. One adds soy sauce and vinegar to the dish for dipping.

Hot and Sour Soup with Shrimp. Top notch.

Radish Pastry. Lovely flakey (probably from lard) texture.

Prawn and Kurobuta Pork Wonton in Chili Vinaigrette. Classic, light, and delicious.

Noodle with Prawn and Kurobuta Pork Wonton in Signature Pork Bone Soup.

A single portion. The broth was basically like Chinese Tonkotsu.

Stir-fried Shredded Pork in Black Bean Sauce served with Chinese Crepe.

This is the “Crepe” (Spring Pancake). This was an excellent version of this very salty/savory dish.

Ma Po Tofu with Pork. First rate version actually. Not super numbing, but very good.

Scrambled Egg White with Fish and Dried Scallop.

Breaking the egg. I really liked the soft texture and mild but very savory flavor of this dish.

Stir-fried French Bean with Minced Pork and Preserved Olive Vegetable. Nice version of this classic too.

Kung Pao Chicken.

Overall, Paradise Dynasty is very good. I wouldn’t really consider it a dinner restaurant where one would go to get hearty wok classics. Yeah, they have a few, but that’s not their strong point. However, the flavored XLB are unique and absolutely first rate and the noodles and other dimsum like dishes are really good. Only downside is having to walk in a mall. Blech. I haven’t walked inside a mall in years (probably over a decade) to actually shop.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (1)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Chinese Food, dumplings, OC, Orange County, Paradise Dynasty, Shanghai Cuisine, XLB

Asanebo Evening

Sep28

Restaurant: Asanebo [1, 2]

Location: 11941 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, CA 91604. (818) 760-3348

Date: January 27, 2022

Cuisine: Japanese

Rating: Very good creative Japanese

Asanebo has been a high end valley classic spot for a long time, so long that the last time I was here was before I started taking pictures of all my food (which was 2010).

Chef Tetsuya Nakao came to America in 1982. Him and his younger brother, Shunji, were the original chefs that helped start Matsuhisa in Beverly Hills. After establishing the restaurant as one of the best in Los Angeles, the Nakao brothers ventured out to start their own place. “Asanebo” opened in September 26, 1991. Over the years, “Asanebo” was recognized as one of the top Japanese restaurants from Zagat, LA Times, LA Weekly, and more.

“Asanebo” also accomplished one Michelin Stars in 2008 and the other in 2009. It is part of chef Tetsuya’s standards to provide the best quality fish, meat, vegetables, and other ingredients possible to his customers. Not only is the food so great, but it is his warm character that brings in new customers from all over the world.

Because of the pandemic they have this nice outside tend/patio in the parking lot.

The menu is big with a mix of traditional and that style of late 1990s and 00s LA Japanese that is heavily Matsuhisa influenced but not focused on the style over substance greatest hits (Katana and Sushi Roku I’m looking at you). It’s much closer in both period and style to Takao.

2000 Charles Heidsieck Champagne Brut Millésimé. JG 94. The 2000 Charles Heidsieck Brut Millésime is comprised of a blend of sixty percent pinot noir and forty percent chardonnay and spent more than ten years on the lees in the les Crayères cellars here prior to disgorgement and release. I had the good fortune to taste this beautiful vintage twice in preparation for this report, and it continues to deepen and add more complexity with the passing of time. The deep and very refined nose offers up a classy mélange of apple, pain grillé, peach, a marvelously complex signature of salty soil tones, orange zest and a dollop of summer truffle in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, pure and shows off lovely tertiary layers of complexity, with a rock solid core, great focus and breed, refined mousse and a very long, pure and perfectly balanced finish. Stellar juice. (Drink between 2014-2030)

2004 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut. VM 97. The 2004 Cristal is superb today. Bright and focused, the 2004 shows all of the tension and energy that has always been one of its signatures. The first hints of aromatic maturity are starting to develop, but the 2004 remains quite young and full of energy. I have always admired the 2004 (along with the best wines of the vintage) for its focus. In this bottle, the interplay of freshness from the recent 2018 disgorgement and richness gained through added time on the lees (which also results in lower dosage of 7 grams per liter) opens another window into the personality of Cristal. In 2004, the Pinot Noir is 57%, or a bit lower than normal, while the Chardonnay at 43% is correspondingly a touch higher. (Drink between 2019-2039)

2008 Claude Cazals Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs extra Brut Cuvée Vive.

NV Jacques Selosse Champagne Exquise Sec. JG 94. I had never had the pleasure to taste this limited release bottling of Demi-Sec from Anselme Selosse, which he crafts with an eye to matching with dessert and which it paired beautifully with at the end of a vertical Domaine Dujac Clos de la Roche dinner that I will be reporting on in the next issue. Monsieur Selosse only makes a thousand bottles of Exquise, with this particular iteration disgorged in May of 2015 and finished off with a dosage of around twenty-four grams per liter. This is the same base wine as his Brut Initial cuvée, which hails from the lower sections of the slope of his top vineyards in Avize, Oger and Cramant, and simply finished off with a more generous dosage. The current release of Exquise is really lovely, offering up a complex nose of pear, patissière, chalky minerality, custard and a pungent topnote of spring flowers. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and beautifully balanced, with and excellent spine of acidity to carry the additional sweetness, fine focus, refined mousse and a very long, crisp and moderately sweet finish. Just a lovely wine. (Drink between 2016-2030)

Chawanmushi. Santa Barbara uni. Wasabi. Ikura. Strong Dashi flavor. Lovely.

Baby Spinach Salad. Seared scallop, fried potato. Quite nice and fresh.

Seafood stick with homemade sweet salsa. Really great dish.

Dave and Annie enjoy their sticks.

2009 Henri Boillot Corton-Charlemagne. VM 96. High-pitched aromas of fresh peach, crushed stone, violet and lavender. Dense, sweet and rich, with very ripe pineapple fruit leavened by smoky minerality and given cut and focus by strong (4.5 g/l) acidity. Offers an uncanny combination of depth and high pitch for the vintage. The building, extremely long finish titillates the taste buds and leaves the mouth vibrating. Normally harvested on the late side, these vines were picked on September 5(!) in 2009, with potential alcohol of 12.9%.

From my cellar: 2012 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault Clos de la Baronne. PN 94 points. Showing very well, clean, mineral, straw basket, fine, articulated but not austere, nicely integrated, nice pear, apple, apple skin notes, long. In a great place right now and will hold 5-8 years.Asanebo w/Yarom and gang.

Amberjack. Sesame miso. Pink salt. Serrano. The fish was lovely, but the sesame paste clashes a bit.

Halibut. Italian Truffle. Sweet ponzu. Pickled cherry tomato. A bit too sweet and distracting.

Japanese wild yellowtail. Hawaiian lava salt. Spicy ponzu.

Grilled conch soup. Mushroom. Broth was great.

2012 Colgin Syrah IX Estate. PN 92. Big, bold, tons of blackberry and blueberry and some meatiness; a good dose of fine expensive oak in there, really nice with the A5 wagyu with onion and a sweet soy sauce sauce; silky, big, bold, and eventually pretty oaky. Turned more oaky as the night went on. I imagine if they halved the oak on these monsters they would have something pretty special. Asanebo w/Yarom and gang. Not exactly Japanese food friendly.

A5 wagyu with heirloom tomato. Very sweet classic Japanese flavor. Did pair nicely with the Colgin.

Small flight of sushi. Blue Fin, Chu-Toro, Snapper and another white fish.

Uni. Toro Takuan Roll (awesome) and crab hand roll.

Freshwater eel.

Asanebo has been around since 1991 and as he was an early chef at Matsuhisa (along with his brother Shunji) the food very much reflects that. Like Takao (also at Matsuhisa) it’s positioned somewhere between a classic broad menu 1980s style sushi place and the more Peruvian influence Nobu style. But it’s definitely got strong California influences from the 1990s in a way I never saw in Japan during that period. While the style here is a bit 1990s (unlike Shunji who has massively “updated” recently) the execution remains excellent. I myself do slightly prefer either the very updated traditional or modern styles at the top end right now but there is no question that Asanebo is a great place and thoroughly enjoyable. It’s also not as expensive as the painfully bleeding edge places at current like Kaneyoshi.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (1)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Asanebo, hedonists, Japanese cuisine, SFV, Sushi, Sushi Series

Drago Centro Champagne

Sep26

Restaurant: Drago Centro [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]

Location: 525 S Flower St, Los Angeles, CA 90071. (213) 228-8998

Date: January 21, 2022

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Great high end Italian

Back to Drago Centro for “another” Sauvages Champagne lunch. Historically this series has been located at Chinois, but this year it has been relocated east.

Located on busy Flower in DTLA.

The reception was held around our large square table — big group this time including a separate ladies table.

Multiple buckets were needed to ice all the champagne.

2012 Christophe et Fils Chablis 1er Cru Mont de Milieu. 92 points. Medium yellow. Quite ripe fruit but a whiff of seashell behind this. Pretty plush feel-you definitely sense the wood influence. More pear and yellow apple than citrus fruit character, some spice (unusual for Chablis), late iodine and limestone, lowish acidity. The wood plus ripe fruit plus low acidity make it veer in the direction of more southerly climats, but there is just enough Chablis character to identify it as such. To be drunk over the short term, that’s for sure.

2014 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir. JG 94+. Out of the blocks, the 2014 Domaine Fèvre Vaudésir seems just a touch more accessible than the top couple of structured premier crus and the Bougros. The beautiful, zesty bouquet delivers scents of pear, fresh pineapple, lemon, beeswax, chalky soil tones, a touch of licorice and a topnote of spring flowers. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and a bit more tensile than the wide open nose suggest, with fine mid-palate depth, bright acids and really superb cut and grip on the long, vibrant finish. Another superb wine, which I may be underrating a tad, but I had to leave room for what was to follow! (Drink between 2017-2050)

2008 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Bougros. VM 93. Good pale yellow. Restrained aromas of fresh apricot, pineapple and spices; showed riper stone fruit notes as it opened in the glass. Sweet, tactile and elegantly styled, with strong acids framing and lifting the intense peach flavor. Already boasts a lovely fat texture and considerable pliancy but this wine really needs three or four years to express itself.

2014 La Chablisienne Chablis 1er Cru Mont de Milieu. 92 points. Pale yellow in color. Very precise aromas of sea-spray, yellow florals, , green apples, herbs, green citrus leaf on the nose. Palate shows sweet, tart lemon curd, good mid palate sap, savory sea shell broth and a long saliva inducing mineral finish. Lovely.

2017 La Chablisienne Chablis Grand Cru Blanchot. 95 points. Superb.

Beef and truffle.

Crab Toast, Lemon and chives.

Seafood Arancini al Nero, saffron aioli. I’ve never had a squid ink risotto arancini before.

Celestino Drago in the house!

Our special menu.

2006 Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Cuvée Rare. VM 93. Piper-Hiedsieck’s 2006 Cuvée Rare is racy and polished to the core. Baked apple tart, apricot, lemon confit, vanillin and brioche infuse the 2006 with striking aromatic intensity and creaminess that builds with time in the glass. Sumptuous and forward, the 2006 offers tons of near and medium-term appeal. (Drink between 2019-2028)

2006 Gosset Champagne Brut Grand Millésime. VM 93. The 2006 Brut Grand Millésime offers more near term appeal than many Gosset Champagnes as the flavors show a good amount of complexity, while the contours are nicely mellowed. Hazelnut, savory herbs, anise, mint and dried pear meld into the generous, inviting finish. The typical Gosset energy is nicely balanced by the weight and soft, relaxed contours of a wine that is now nearly ten years old. Lightly honeyed and toasty notes round out the close. In 2006 the blend is 56% Pinot Noir and 44% Chardonnay from vineyards in Avize, Cramant, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Trépail, Vertus, Ambonnay, Avenay, Aÿ, Chigny-les-Roses and Louvois. (Drink between 2015-2021)

2008 Dom Pérignon Champagne Legacy Edition Label. 95 points. This wine was served to celebrate the legacy of my in-laws 50th anniversary while in St. John’s. I think time, place, people, and meaning can deeply impact how wine is remembered or appreciated. This was the best bottle of 2008 Dom that I’ve had to-date. There was a deep and complex nose that shifted each time the glass was lifted for a sip or a sniff. The wine was bright and focused, with a mid-palate that seemed to shift like the tides. While we served this with food, this wine, tonight was spectacular with the food and without. I don’t think the bottle lasted us more than 2 hours, but it was a pleasure to drink this from start to finish.

2008 Doyard Champagne Grand Cru Les Lumières Grand Cru Extra Brut. VM 93. The 2008 Extra Brut Les Lumières Grand Cru is a blend of 65% Chardonnay (from Avize and Mesnil) and 35% Pinot Noir (from Aÿ) that spent ten years on its lees before being disgorged and given just the smallest touch of dosage. Creamy, resonant and expressive, the 2008 has so much to offer. Even so, it clearly needs at least a bit of time in bottle to be at its best. Tropical accents provide a hint as to where the 2008 will go over the next handful of years. (Drink between 2020-2030)

Onion Panna Cotta, Scallops Tartar, Caviar. Lovely.

2005 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut. JG 95+. The 2005 Comtes de Champagne is a stunning young wine. The bouquet is deep, pure and youthfully complex, as it offers up a very classy blend of pear, delicious apple, fresh almond, incipient notes of crème patissière, chalky minerality, brioche and just a whisper of vanillin oak in the upper register. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, focused and rock solid at the core, with exquisite balance, refined mousse, crisp acids and simply superb length and grip on the seamless, youthful and oh, so promising finish. The style of the 2005 vintage gives this some early accessibility that was not evident with the more tightly-knit 2004 out of the blocks, but this wine has the structure to also age long and very, very gracefully. It has been a year since I last tasted this wine and it has started to show more precision to go along with its early generosity and is a classic in the making. My gut feeling today is that it will be superior to the 1989 version, to which I compared it to a year ago. Brilliant wine. (Drink between 2015-2045)

2006 Dom Pérignon Champagne. VM 96. Powerful, dense and tightly wound, the 2006 Dom Pérignon is fabulous today. To be sure, the 2006 is a broad, virile Champagne, but I find it compelling because of its phenolic depth and overall intensity. Chef de Caves Richard Geoffroy adds that August was quite cold and wet, and that ripening only happened at the very end of the growing season. Although numbers alone can never explain a wine, I find it interesting that the 2006 has more phenolics than the 2003. Readers will have to be patient, as the 2006 is easily the most reticent Dom Pérignon in the years spanning 2002 and 2009. I am confident the 2006 will have its day, but in its youth, it is not especially charming or easy to drink. (Drink between 2026-2056)

2005 Philipponnat Champagne Brut Clos des Goisses. VM 94. The 2005 Clos des Goisses is easily one of the wines of what turned out to be a complicated vintage. Just beginning to show the early signs of aromatic complexity, the 2005 graces the palate with the essence of candied lemon, almonds, chamomile, apricot and wild herbs. The 2005 is not the most complex or pedigreed Goisses, but it drinks beautifully today and should continue to deliver pleasure for another 15-20 years, perhaps more. (Drink between 2016-2031)

2006 Philipponnat Champagne Brut Clos des Goisses. VM 96. The 2006 Clos des Goisses is stellar, but it is also going to need quite a bit of time to come into its own. Powerful and ample in the best of the Goisses style, the 2006 hits the palate with serious intensity. Orchard fruits, lemon oil, white flowers and almonds are some of the many notes that open up in the glass, but, as is often the case with young Goisses, it is the wine’s gravitas that is front and center. Even with all of its overtness, though, the 2006 retains striking, crystalline purity. I imagine the 2006 will reward Champagne lovers with many decades of truly exceptional drinking. The only thing the 2006 needs is time. The question is: How much? (Drink between 2020-2046)

Seafood Panzanella, Sea Urchin, Salmon. Quite deconstructed with chunks of the seafood and fluffs of bread on the plate.

2002 Pol Roger Champagne Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill. VM 95. The 2002 Brut Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill is wonderfully open, expressive and resonant. The richness of the vintage comes through nicely, yet the more overt elements are very nicely balanced by a good deal of freshness. Baked apple, pastry, candied lemon, dried flowers and warm, toasty notes shape the generous, resonant finish. With time in the glass, the 2002 takes a on a striking, vinous character. Readers might want to consider opening the 2002 a few hours in advance, as it really blossoms with air. (Drink between 2016-2032)

2002 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Cuvée Nicolas-François Billecart. VM 96. The 2002 Cuvée Nicolas François Billecart is outrageously beautiful. The ripeness of the Chardonnay is front and center in a Champagne that delivers the goods, big-time. An infusion of apricot, orange peel, crème brûlée, chamomile, hazelnut and honey give the 2002 its racy, exotic personality. I enjoy it most with bottle age, but the 2002 is undeniably beautiful right now. The 2002 is a stunning NFB. The blend is 60% Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims and the Vallée de la Marne and 40% Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs, done partially in oak (20%). Dosage is 4 grams per liter. (Drink between 2020-2030)

2005 Jacquesson & Fils Champagne Aÿ Vauzelle Terme. 94 points. The 2005 Aÿ-Vauzelle Terme is the most polished of Jacquesson’s 2005 single-vineyard Champagnes. Silky and nuanced on the palate, the Vauzelle Terme highlights the more understated side of the vintage. Hints of chalk, red cherry, plum, mint and wild flowers are laced into the highly expressive finish. Today, the Vauzelle Terme comes across as a bit weightless to the point of being a bit on the ethereal side. It will be interesting to see if the wine acquires a bit more depth in bottle. Disgorged October 2014. Dosage was 2.5 grams/liter. (Drink between 2015-2022)

2002 Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Cuvée Rare. JG 95. It is funny that I have to “pull teeth” to get current releases from Piper-Heidsieck’s importer here in New York, but out in the real world of wine, I keep having people serve me the maison’s beautiful 2002 “Rare” Brut Millesime and thank me for alerting them to its excellent quality by writing it up in the newsletter several years ago! Such is the state of the world in 2021. In any case, this wine continues to evolve splendidly in bottle and is drinking with great style and breed at the present time, offering up a fine bouquet of apple, pear, warm bread, a fine base of chalky soil tones, caraway seed, a touch of citrus peel and a gently smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied, crisp and shows off excellent mid-palate depth, with refined mousse, lovely focus and a long, complex and impeccably balanced finish. Fine, fine juice. (Drink between 2021-2050)

Black and White Tagliolini, Langoustine, Lemon Zest. Great pasta dish. I always love a lobster/langoustine reduction.

1999 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon. VM 93. These four vintages of Dom Pérignon provide a fascinating snapshot of how the house has performed in recent years. The 1999 Dom Pérignon is a little flabbier than the 2000. Smoke, toastiness, tar and ripe fruit emerge from the glass in a generous, expansive style. The 1999 offers more body than the 2000 but the aromas and flavors are less well-articulated. This is a relatively simple Dom Pérignon, yet the wine possesses outstanding balance and plenty of harmony. According to Chef de Caves Richard Geoffroy the warm vintage also resulted in relatively high yields, and the low-acid style is most reminiscent of the 1976. (Drink between 2013-2024)

2002 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut. VM 94. This is perhaps the best bottle of Krug’s 2002 Vintage I have tasted. Expansive and creamy on the palate, with lovely finesse and brightness, the 2002 is quite expressive today. I don’t see the depth or pedigree that might place this wine among the best examples of the year. Instead, the 2002 Vintage continues to be an underwhelming wine by Krug standards. (Drink between 2017-2037)

2002 Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut. VM 97. Another highlight in this vertical, the 2002 Salon is also fascinating to taste after the 2004. Rich, opulent and intense, yet also very classic in the Salon house style, the 2002 possesses superb persistence and depth. The radiant vintage has softened the contours and given the wine fabulous depth to match its decidedly powerful personality. At the same time, the 2002 remains quite youthful. Next to the brighter and more finessed 2004, the 2002 offers more of a baritone-inflected expression of Chardonnay. (Drink between 2016-2036)

2000 Philipponnat Champagne Brut L.V. Clos des Goisses. VM 96. The 2000 L.V. Long Vieillissement, a recent re-release, is a fabulous choice for readers who enjoy Champagnes with a bit of bottle age complexity. Hazelnut, dried flowers, orchard fruit, herbs, mirabelle and lightly honeyed notes are all beautifully delineated throughout. The 2000 offers the weight and slightly more mature notes of a mature Champagne, but with the freshness that comes from impeccable provenance and a relatively recent disgorgement. If that sounds appealing, well, it is. The Brut L.V. Long Vieillissement offers a quintessential Goisses experience from the first taste until the last. This is an absolutely pristine bottle. Dosage is 4.5 grams/liter. Disgorged: May 2015. (Drink between 2016-2036)

Truffle Crust Breast of Chicken, Truffle Cream Sauce.

1990 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon. VM 93+. Pale color. Youthful aromas of lemon, quince, pear, toast, spice, chalk and red berries. Big, sweet and seamless, if a bit clenched in the early going. A powerful, very young wine whose fruit builds slowly in the mouth and explodes on the finish. A charry note contributes to its complexity. Possesses amazing depth of fruit, but the high quality of this wine can most easily be seen today on the extraordinary finish. May ultimately merit a 95+ rating.

1996 Pol Roger Champagne Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill. VM 95. Pol Roger’s 1996 Winston Churchill is fabulous. One of the most expressive, complete 1996s today, the Winston Churchill is in a great spot. Butter, spice, almond and lemon oil notes meld together effortlessly in the glass. In 1996, the Winston Churchill is a clear overachiever. Best of all, it remains reasonably priced vis-à-vis its peers. (Drink between 2014-2024)

1990 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut. VM 97+. Full copper-gold color. Initially restrained, brooding nose exploded with aeration, showing apple, orange, apricot, honey, iodine, smoke, hazelnut, macadamia and a suggestion of dry oloroso sherry. Dense, full, chewy and rich; an extraordinarily solid Champagne with an intriguing suggestion of Calvados. Broadens toward the back and goes on and on on the echoing aftertaste, with rich, mellow notes of toffee, brown butter and marrow. Like the ’92 Clos du Mesnil, this displays its powerful underlying acidity with aeration (Krug’s wines never go through malolactic fermentation) and should be long-lived.

1995 Krug Champagne Clos d’Ambonnay. VM 98. Thrown in as a ringer, the 1995 Clos d’Ambonnay is a real treat to taste next to the 1996. In particular, tasting both vintages together shows that that 1995 is the more complete of these two first releases of Krug’s single-vineyard Champagne from Ambonnay. Finely-cut fruit, expressive aromatics and exceptional textural finesse are the signatures. This is another fabulous showing from the 1995 Clos d’Ambonnay. (Drink between 2014-2024)

Breast of Duck, Kumquat Sauce.

Chef’s Selection of Assorted Cheeses.

Château Tirecul La Gravière Monbazillac Cuvée Madame.

Cherry Gelato – a blend of Morello Cherry and intense Amarena Cherry fruit make this dairy gelato really pop — topped with Candied Amarena Cherries — 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 #amarena #morello #cherry

Dulce Vanilla Gelato — a very simple and elegant Tahitian Vanilla Bean White Base (no egg) ribboned with house-made Dulce de Leche and Valrhona Dulce Pearls — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — sugar time! — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #vanilla #dulce #DulceDeLeche #leche #caramel

Birch Beer Gelato — Birch Beer flavored gelato base topped with Valrhona White Chocolate Pearls — 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 #RootBeer #RootBeerFlaot #Sarsaparilla #whitechocolate #Varlrhona

All the champs.

The main table.

And the ladies table.

Overall another great lunch. Drago did an incredible job handling the challenging logistics of this lunch. First of all, the custom menu was carefully paired to all that Champagne. Then they managed to actually serve so much bubbly to so many people. And the square table, despite being large, did enable us to all talk to each other.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BYOG, Celestino Drago, Champagne, Drago Centro, DTLA, Gelato, Italian cuisine, Sauvages

Luscious Dumplings

Sep22

Restaurant: Luscious Dumplings

Location: 919 W Duarte Rd, Monrovia, CA 91016. (626) 821-0518

Date: January 14, 2022

Cuisine: Chinese Dumplings

Rating: Fabulous Homestyle Dumplings

This is the second AFF (Asian Food Friday) in a row where we set off — Omicron be damned — for some homestyle dumplings.
This time I picked Luscious Dumplings, which I had heard were very good.
The menu is pretty simple, but has nice pictures.

The decor is even simpler!

This is the full menu.

Sliced Pig Knuckle. Sounds scary but was delicious!

Marinated Wood Ear Mushrooms. I love me some cloud fungus.

Seaweed Salad with Chili Garlic Sauce.

Shredded Sichuan Pickle and Pork Noodle Soup. This was an interestingly different noodle soup.

Pan Fried Flakey Fish Dumplings.

Pan Fried Chive Pockets. A bit bigger in form factor, but one of our favorites.

Boiled Chive, Egg, Pork, and Shrimp Dumplings. Awesome classic.

Pan Fried Pork Dumplings. The super classic.

Steamed Pork and Blue Crab Soup Dumplings.

Steamed Pork Soup Dumplings. No one complains about XLB.

Bank breaker.

This was a great place for both boiled and pan fried Jao Zo dumplings. Some of the best I’ve had actually. Unfortunately I forgot to order the unusual “Pan Fried Beef Dumplings with Onions and Cheese” — darn, I’ll just have to go back.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: AFF, dumplings, Friday Lunch, Luscious Dumplings, pork

Quicker Crustacean

Sep20

Restaurant: Crustacean Beverly Hills [1, 2, 3, 4]

Location: 468 N Bedford Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. (310) 205-8990

Date: January 11, 2022

Cuisine: Vietnamese Fusion

Rating: Awesome as always

Crustacean is one of our regular haunts and features a great patio in these “outside is better” days. Tonight’s meal was a Hedonist wine dinner — but for some completely inexplicable reason I totally forgot to photo all of the wine. I have no idea why and I’ve never done that before. Wine was good though.

We’ve had a couple awesome meals here in the last couple of years.

For extra caution in these uncertain times we ate on one of their fabulous patios.

Our menu tonight.

Diver Scallop & Green Apple Sashimi. Earl Grey, Thom Yum Calamansi, Kaffir Lime, Ancient Grains. This looks like a bit of fruit or cucumber or something but was a mix of scallop and apple. It was actually incredibly delicious with a briny, sweet, spicy vibe and a contrast of soft and crunchy. Very bright too and unique.

A5 Wagyu Tartare. Rau Rum Salsa Verde, L’Amuse Gouda, Quail Egg. Another great dish. In fact, one of the best tartare’s I’ve had, but very unusual.

Roasted Bone Marrow. Escargot Brunois, Garlic Baguette, Rau Ram. I don’t normally like Bone Marrow (and it’s a total Yarom pick) but this was an amazing dish. It didn’t really come off as that bone marrow-like, but more like escargot with the snails and all that garlic butter.

Asparagus Soup with Langoustine and Black Truffle. Another unexpectedly excellent dish.

Smoked Pork Belly with Roasted Acorn Squash, Hazelnut and Vietnamese Caramel with Winter Truffle. Sounds too sweet and heavy but it was great.

Rib Eye Salt Block Steak.

With An’s Famous Garlic Noodles — can never have too many of these!

And Kung Pao Eggplant. Thai Basil, Thai Red Chili Gastrique. Pretty much just great friend eggplant.

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

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

Overall, this was an awesome evening. Boy did the Ans treat us right and we had an incredible menu, amazing service, and great wines. A was initially skeptical of tonight’s particularly menu, as it had less dishes than usual and none of the “favorites” (except the noodles) but they turned out to be home run unique dishes that really knocked it out of the park.

Wines were great — if only I had taken pictures of them.

Discussing the food analytically. Very good, and most dishes varied from good to great. The Vietnamese influence is far more subtle, less heavy handed, then at most newer fusion places like Little Sister / LXSO or the more contemporary small plates style Khong Ten. Definitely more roughly 2000 in formal fine dining style — which I don’t mind at all. In some ways it feels like a millennium event fine dining place with Vietnamese — and to a lesser extent Thai and Chinese — notes. It’s a pretty fancy place, and priced accordingly — but they do knock it out of the park.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Beverly Hills, BYOG, Crustacean, Gelato, hedonists, Seafood, Wine

Chifa Rulez

Sep18

Restaurant: Chifa LA

Location: 4374 Eagle Rock Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90041. (323) 561-3084

Date: January 9 & October 21, 2022

Cuisine: Peruvian Chinese (Chifa)

Rating: Amazing

Jeffrey had the hookup here at this awesome Peruvian Chinese fusion place in Eagle Rock. Yeah it’s far, but it seems to be one of the only Chifa (Peruvian Chinese) places in LA that’s middle/high end. Most just serve on styrofoam. This is a composite of two visits but in both cases we ordered 80% of the menu, so between them I’ve covered almost all the dishes.

The jazzy interior.

A huge patio.

Our table.

The grill.

The menu 1/22.

The menu 10/22.

Brûlée Char Siu . Wood fired pork toro marinated in house made Chinese BBQ sauce. Insanely good (and sweet). The meat itself was super tender with that porky goodness. The sauce is incredibly sweet, almost dessert sweet, but does pair very nicely with the pork.

The caramelization is gotten via blow torch.

See it in action.

Tiradito. Fresh Japanese sea bream chilled in a peppery orange and lime sauce. Hint of garlic and yellow chili topped with salsa criolla, sweet potato, and toasted Peruvian corn. The actual contents of this dish were irrelevant (in a good way) to the zesty Leche con Tigre sauce. It was so limey spicy and so delicious it would have made fabulous “pickles” out of just about anything. I could have soaked a big pile of the onions and carrots with it and devoured them no problem.

Anticucho (GF). Peruvian street style skewered beef heart with cilantro & serrano chili sauce. Beefy! Chewy, because it was heart, but full of deep beefy flavor.

Traditional Zongzi. With lap cheung, pork belly, shiitake mushroom, duck egg yolk, wrapped in bamboo leaf. Sticky rice texture with a very interesting herbal and deep flavor much like the stuffing for Beggar’s Chicken. Quite nice.

Si Yao Chicken. 1/2 free-ranged chicken poached in Popo’s fragrant aged soy sauce with garlic steamed rice. Soy sauce chicken but the sauce was a very lovely aged soy with notes of star anise and cooked down rock sugar. This is known as “aromatic” or “seasoned” soy sauce in Chinese cooking.

Mapo Tofu (VG). Wok cooked tofu and OmniPork Ground in fermented bean sauce with Szechuan peppercorn, garlic, scallion. This has a bit of numbing flavor, but not much, and isn’t nearly as hot as a real Sichuan Mapo but it was also quite pleasant with great texture.

Braised Spare Ribs. Caramelized in soy sauce, shaoxing wine, golden sugar, ginger, garlic. Very soft and yummy spare ribs, although not as spectacular as the pork belly.

Dan Dan Mian (VG). Fresh noodles with spicy Szechaun sesame sauce tossed with pickled radish. This isn’t a classic Sichuan dan dan as it’s not very spicy and has no chili oil or the layers of fermented flavors, but it was delicious. The sesame flavors dominate making it a great version of “sesame noodles.”

Lomo Saltado. Filet Mignon, wood grilled and sautéed with cherry tomatoes and onions.

Green sauce.

Special order Cowboy Lomo Saltado. Cowboy Tomahawk Ribeye steak, wood grilled and sautéed with cherry tomatoes and onions. This was an incredible steak with great smoky flavor that was really amped up by the veggies. The beef fat soaked fries were incredible too. A real meat and potato feast.

Black Pepper Lobster. Lobster wok tossed with sweet and spicy black pepper sauce. This was perhaps the best stir fried lobster I have ever had, like a lobster version of black pepper crab. This is a great “Chinese” lobster dish. The lobster was perfectly cooked and easy to extract from the shell and the flavor of the sauce was incredible. It’s related to the Singapore style black pepper crab dishes.

Meat on the grill.

Cowboy Steak. Delicious with an incredible smokey flavor.

Marinated Jalepenos for the steak.

Garlic and Scallion whole Crab.

Dessert menu.
Black Sesame Cheesecake Tart. Smooth black sesame cream cheese Chinese almond cookie crust. Also a little on the dry side, but kind of addictive.

Alfajores. peruvian shortbread cookie with dulce de leche filling dusted with powdered sugar. A touch dry, as these South American treasts always are, but very pleasant.

Lavender and Truffles Mint Strawberry Ice Cream. This vegan ice cream was coconut milk based and had a very lovely mint punch (stronger than the stawberry) and good texture for being vegan. It wasn’t nearly as rich though as a “proper” (dairy) ice cream would be.

Lavender and Truffles Salgona Coffee Ice Cream. This vegan ice cream was a touch grainy and while the coffee flavor was nice it was certainly missing that rich milk coffee combination.

I love this flavor — Peppermint Bark Gelato — Base is pure peppermint milk (subbed the sugar with crushed peppermint candies) and it’s laced with house-made double-sided peppermint bark, Valrhona Dark Chocolate and Ivoire White! — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — The Peppermint Bark recipe was developed by a famous pastry chef and author, the mum of a Naughty Dog Alum @nancy_baggett — this year I added the two layer thing which is awesome — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #dessertgasm #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #peppermint #bark #Valrhona #chocolate

Le tab in 10/22.

Chevy with the owner.

Wines in 1/22.

Wines in 10/22.

Chifa was really awesome. Basically super zest latin flavored Chinese food, so what’s not to love?

Service was great and the outside patio was nice and huge. Did end up surprisingly pricey though, particularly the lobster. We were treated like royalty. The family that owns it know Jeffrey and his wife and are incredibly nice with a real sense of hospitality. Highly recommended as this is the only “serious” Chifa I know of in Los Angeles.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

We weren’t really hungry, but there was a “famous” taco place across the street…

Al pastor. Aka Mexican gyros/shawarma. Looking it up, I read that it’s ACTUALLY based on shawarma which Lebanese ingredients brought to Mexico! But it uses the “other white meat” instead of lamb.

They fry the tortillas with cheese.

Sauces. Street tacos are not a neat food.

Taco al pastor. Tasty.

A beef taco of some sort.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: al pastor, BYOG, Chifa, Chifa LA, Chinese Peruvian, Gelato, Lobster, Peruvian cuisine, pork, Tacos, Wine

So Can Though

Sep16

Restaurant: Sáu Can Tho Vietnamese Kitchen [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

Location: 8450 Garvey Ave #103, Rosemead, CA 91770. (626) 307-8868

Date: December 26, 2021 & November 20, 2022

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Rating: Excellent (and so full)!

Every November/December my Hedonist club goes to this awesome SGV Vietnamese place — which used to be named Phong Dinh and is now Sáu Can Tho. This authentic Vietnamese/Chinese continues to serve up interesting stuff — plus they’re happy to take some of Yarom’s “do it yourself” meats, like his recently shot wild boar. This is a composite post from 2021 and 2022 depicting the true belly bursting epicness.

The new logo.

Our menus for the various nights. Pretty similar actually.

Shrimp and Pork Papaya Salad. Mild but nice.

“Dressing” for salad (fish sauce).

Shredded Chicken Salad. Free-range chicken, julienne banana blossom, fresh coriander, sesame seeds. Pleasant with an interesting stringy texture. Not my favorite of the Vietnamese salads as this didn’t have the sweet/tangy/spicy thing that some do.

Grilled Squid and Mango Salad. A bit of fish sauce. Nice char on squid.

Wild boar sausage (Yarom’s boar). A bit spicy and ridiculously good. Ate way too much. We had a bit of a pacing problem where there was a lull in dishes and I kept eating these.

Spring-rolls with herbs. Delicious.

Goat ribs with beancurd marinate. Good flavor but VERY chewy. Hard to even chew through.

Coconut Snails. Barely any snail meat but the sauce was as good as its ever been. Top snails sauteed in coconut milk and topped with rice paddy herbs. The snails themselves are tiny and very hard to extract, but the creamy coconut curry flavor of the sauce is super addictive — quite sweet though and goopy with what is presumably corn starch. It’s extra good on the plain noodles, but I skipped that this time for carb avoidant reasons.

Fresh Water Prawn. Half prawns fried with garlic and butter seasoning. The huge mantis-type prawns had a somewhat mushy flesh but the crispy garlic/onion topping was super delicious.

Famous Baked Catfish. Super soft and tender this time. Delicious. Had 2 which was too much (full later). Whole catfish marinated with signature sauce and baked til golden brown. 2022’s version had very moist and tender meat but the skin was a bit soggy. Yarom had asked them to undercook as previous it was crispy but the flesh was dry. Probably better this way — too bad one can’t have both.

Condiments for the fish.

Spices and other toppings.

Sauce for the fish. garlic!

Noodles, ostensibly to go in the “fish tacos” but I like it with the curry.

Noodles with coconut curry sauce. So good, but certainly contributing to my over-stuffed state.

Lamb chops. Delicious, lots of char.

Alligator curry. The curry was amazing. Super rich and delicious.

Goat Curry Stew. Goat meat smothered in a spicy coconut curry sauce with clear noodles. Very soft “tendon-focused” goat meat in a scrumptuous super sweet and spicy curry sauce. Lots of flavor.

Crisps for the curry.

Vietnamese Rotisserie Squab. Squab braised in soy marinate and cut in quarters. Very good crispy squab with meaty dark flesh.

Garlic butter quails. Fried battered quails and dressed with aromatic garlic butter oil. These were even better than the squabs as they had more meat and the crispy garlic stuff (same as on the prawns) was again amazing. There is an ordering repetetion here which is a Yarom hallmark as we had the two birds in a row and the prep on the prawns was the same as the quail.

Salt and lime for the quail.

Wild boar curry. Again curry was delicious but the boar was too chewy to even get through.

Pepper beef. Tender.

Shaken Wild Boar. Wok stir-fried wild boar on a bed of watercress. This time the boar was fairly tender (maybe because Yarom didn’t shoot it) and this was a very tasty dish with a ton of black pepper flavor.

Lemongrass Chili Frog Legs. Stir-fried frog legs with spicy lemongrass and chilli. Great flavor, lots of meat, and without those “muddy” tones that sometimes mar frogs. Bones were pretty easy to deal with as well.

Goat Beancurd Hot Pot. Broth flavor was amazing. Too full to even try more than a taste. Lots of taro and beancurd.

Greens for the curry.

I’m sure the curry would have been great with the noodles, but I didn’t dare.

Jelly dessert. Super firm, vaguely sweet, and without much flavor.

I love this flavor — Peppermint Bark Gelato — Base is pure peppermint milk (subbed the sugar with crushed peppermint candies) and it’s laced with house-made double-sided peppermint bark, Valrhona Dark Chocolate and Ivoire White! — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — The Peppermint Bark recipe was developed by a famous pastry chef and author, the mum of a Naughty Dog Alum @nancy_baggett — this year I added the two layer thing which is awesome — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #dessertgasm #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #peppermint #bark #Valrhona #chocolate

Passion for Pistachio Gelato — Sicilian Pistacchio di Bronte DOP custard gelato base with just a touch of Grand Mariner, ribboned with bits of Valrhona Dark Chocolate Passionfruit Ganache — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #pistacchio #bronte #Sicily #Valrhona #Chocolate #Passionfruit #GrandMariner #Ganache

Chocolate Raspberry Pie Gelato – The base is made with Valrhona 62% Satilla Chocolate and then layered with Raspberry Jam, Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Raspberry Squares, and house-made Gluten Free Graham Cracker “crust” — 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 #raspberry #Ghirardelli #GrahamCracker #GF

Overall, Sáu Can Tho is a delicious place, and most of the dishes were great — particularly the catfish, boar sausage, snails etc. This is pretty spot on California style authentic Vietnamese, similar to many places in Garden Grove / Westminster. I suspect these are mostly Saigon style places reflecting the 1970s exodus of many Vietnamese to America and are part of our great Los Angeles cultural melting pot! I didn’t pace correctly and was so full by the end — painfully full. But I really do love this kind of full service Vietnamese restaurant. A lot of places are small and specialized but for a really epic meal it’s hard to beat Sáu Can Tho!

More crazy Hedonist adventures or
LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: BYOG, Gelato, hedonists, Phong Dinh, Sau can tho, vietnamese, Wine

Midnight Merois

Sep14

Restaurant: Merois

Location: Pendry West Hollywood. 8430 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069. (323) 918-3410

Date: December 21, 2021

Cuisine: Modern Fusion

Rating: Excellent food

Perched atop Pendry West Hollywood, Wolfgang Puck’s Merois is a stylish rooftop restaurant where the city’s awe-inspiring landscape is the backdrop to a sophisticated menu of global flavors and creations with a decidedly Californian point of view. A simple yet stunning raw bar and sushi menu sit alongside heartier main dishes and delicate vegetables infused with flavors of Thailand, Singapore, Japan, and beyond. All finished with an indulgent menu of house made desserts and paired with handcrafted cocktails, fine wines, and more.

The lobby downstairs.

The main dining room. There are outside spaces as well.

The menu.

From my cellar: 2008 Domaine Leflaive Meursault 1er Cru Sous le Dos d’Âne. VM 90. Bright yellow. Ripe stone fruits, grilled almond and vanilla on the nose, lifted by a spicy element. Good sweet, fleshy Meursault, conveying more precision and an impression of firmer acidity than the Puligny villages-perhaps a positive effect of the bottling. Finishes with very good length. I like this.

agavin: our bottle was a bit advanced. Sigh. 2008 Leflaives.

From my cellar: 2007 Lucien Le Moine Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Hauts-Doix. VM 89-92. Good deep red. Slightly wild aromas of dark fruits, smoky minerals, herbs, spices and crushed stone. Serious and structured wine, with pepper, spice and earth notes giving it a drier aspect than most of these 2007s. Not the smoothest wine in the portfolio but the tannins are essentially ripe and gentle.

1999 Domaine Michel Gaunoux Corton-Renardes. 93 points. Great balance with an everlasting finish. It’s a very light wine that paired perfectly with King Salmon. This is in its prime with another decade of good drinking.

Free amuse. Blue Fin Tuna Sashimi, cucumber relish.

Toro crispy rice special. Elevated version of the “classic.”

Grilled Mongolian Lamb Chops.

Baked Sweet Potato, pomegranate, pistachio-mint vinaigrette.

Kurobuta Pork Shank Confit. Crisp Chicharron, gochujang, market greens.

Crispy Peking Duck. Came out whole.

Then cut up with the Persimmon Compote.

Scallion pancakes, not quite large enough. Regular sping pancakes would have been better.

Sweet “Spicy Apricot Sauce” was a bit cloying.

Hoisin, but we had to specially request it.

The dessert menu.

Marjolaine Cake. Hazelnut dacquoise, dark chocolate ganache, pistachio ice cream.

Basque Cheesecake. Fresh passionfruit and mango.

The wines.

Overall, Merois has very good food, very much an updated version of that California/Asian aesthetic that Puck first deployed at Chinois. Service was quite good and very friendly.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or for epic Foodie Club meals, here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Dessert, Foodie Club, Hollywood, Merois, Wine, Wolfgang Puck

Sebi Mastro’s 2021

Sep12

Restaurant: Mastro’s [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]

Location: 246 North Canon Dr, Beverly Hills, Ca 90210. 310-888-8782

Date: December 18, 2021

Cuisine: Steak House

Rating: Once a top LA Steak joint

For the fifth year (sort of, ignoring pandemic years) in a row, my friend Sebastian picked Mastro’s for his birthday dinner so we all hauled out the wines and headed across town. Wine theme: First Growth Bordeaux, focusing on early 80s and Margaux.

Usually we are in the Penthouse, but this year we were on the second floor of the main restaurant. It was jammed with the oncoming holidays, Omicron be damned.

I didn’t photo the 2021 menu, so this is a 2019 Penthouse one. It’s similar.

2008 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut. VM 99. The 2008 Cristal is one of the most complete, most dazzling Champagnes I have ever tasted. A stunning wine from any and all perspectives, the 2008 simply has it all. Spherical in construction, with superb persistence. The 2008 takes hold of all the senses and never gives up. One of the many things that makes the 2008 special is a combination of ripe fruit and bright, piercing acidity. Marzipan, lemon confit, dried flowers and orchard fruit all build into the explosive, resonant finish. “We learned from the mistakes of 1996, when we picked more on acid than ripeness, as was the norm in Champagne back then” Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon told me recently. “In 1996, the best fruit turned out to be the last picks, where the fruit was physiologically ripe. Today, we aim to pick all our fruit with that criteria.” (Drink between 2020-2050)

1996 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut. VM 97. As good as the 1995 Cristal (Late Disgorged) is, the 1996 may be even a touch better, as it has a bit more volume and also more layers of intensity. Taut yet wonderfully explosive, with fabulous energy, the 1996 captures all the best qualities of the vintage. In most 1996 retrospectives, Cristal makes a case for itself as one of the wines of the year, so it is not so surprising to see the Late Disgorged version show so well. Readers who can find the 1996 are in for a real treat. (Drink between 2015-2030)

2004 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut. VM 97. The 2004 Cristal is superb today. Bright and focused, the 2004 shows all of the tension and energy that has always been one of its signatures. The first hints of aromatic maturity are starting to develop, but the 2004 remains quite young and full of energy. I have always admired the 2004 (along with the best wines of the vintage) for its focus. In this bottle, the interplay of freshness from the recent 2018 disgorgement and richness gained through added time on the lees (which also results in lower dosage of 7 grams per liter) opens another window into the personality of Cristal. In 2004, the Pinot Noir is 57%, or a bit lower than normal, while the Chardonnay at 43% is correspondingly a touch higher. (Drink between 2019-2039)

Pretzel bread — gotta love it.

Mustard, cocktail sauce, atomic horseradish.

A seafood tower. The quality of the seafood here is impeccable! Amazing shrimp, claws, king crab (didn’t taste frozen), crab cocktail, and oysters. This year’s tower was a bit skimpy.

1981 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Mouline. 93 points. Loads of freshly roasted coffee and coffee stout with notes of camp fire, damp earth, cigar wrapper, roasted almonds and faint notes of plum and black currant. The mouth is full, dense and compact, very layered and long. Still a bit tannic. Tons of sweetness on the attack, still a good amount of blackberry fruit left. Still drinking so well.

1981 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Landonne. 92 points. Dark fruit with some good meaty spice on the nose. Still quite primary for its age with good density and power. But this didn’t show much complexity near the end, and only had a moderate length.

1981 Château Margaux. 92 points. Just a wonderful mature Margaux explosive aromatics with hints of herbaciousness mixed with flint and cedar notes. Palate is more subtle, lean, but a wonderful expression of mature bdx lengthy finish. Doesn’t have the “power” and concentration of the “big” vintages — but this is a classic year probably at peak maturity.

The birthday boy and his lovely wife.

Bone marrow and toast — have a bit of fat! Actually not my favorite as I don’t love the texture of bone marrow straight up.

Bigeye tuna tartare with avocado and spicy Sriracha.

Steak Sashimi.

Salad with shrimp.

Chopped iceberg wedge. Way worse for being chopped and underdressed at that.

Caesar salad. A bit too mild for my taste.

1986 Château Mouton Rothschild. VM 99. Philippe Dhalluin served the 1986 Mouton Rothschild to wrap up our vertical. The 1986 remains one of my favorite Moutons. A dark, powerful wine, the 1986 is endowed with a vertical sense of structure that is a marvel to behold. Dark stone fruit, smoke, graphite, mocha, soy and licorice are fused together in a marvelously intense, deep Mouton that promises to drink well for another few decades. Tonight, the 1986 is absolutely stunning. The blend is 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Harvest started on October 2nd and wrapped up on the 16th. (Drink between 2016-2036)

1998 Château Haut-Brion. VM 96. The 1998 Haut Brion has long been a favourite vintage of mine and consumed with pleasure several times. Now at 20-years of age I feel it is one step ahead of the 1998 La Mission: there is great fruit intensity with almost precocious blackberry, raspberry coulis, pastilles, tobacco and hints of olive. It has exquisite delineation and focus. The palate is medium-bodied with fuller in the mouth than the La Mission: deeper fruit (blackberry, mulberry and a touch of strawberry) intermingling with sage, cedar and a touch of hung game. It is not quite as precocious or as glossy on the finish as I remember previous bottles, but it is certainly turning into one of the finest wines of this vintage. Tasted at the château. (Drink between 2018-2045)

Fries.

1983 Château Margaux. VM 95. Deep ruby-red. Exotic aromas of cassis, meat and smoke, plus a whiff of funky wood. Then remarkably sweet, lush and suave, with a flavor of raw berries. Pure Margaux silkiness allied to firm structure. Finishes very long, with rich, sweet tannins. Remarkable wine, particularly considering that the bottle was not perfect. Pristine bottles of this wine are just now embarking on their period of peak drinkability, which should last another 20 years or more.

1986 Château Margaux. VM 98+. The 1986 Chateau Margaux was even more emotionally moving. Still incredibly youthful, it showed incredible focus and depth, all backed up by considerable structure. As hard as it may seem to believe, on this night the 1986 appeared to still be some years away from peaking. It was striking in every way.

Rack of lamb.

Bone in Ribeye.

Norwegian Cold Water Salmon.

Rosemary Garlic Sautéed Button Mushrooms.

White Cheddar Lobster Mac & Cheese.

Creamed corn. My wife loves this (and so do I).

1982 Château Margaux. VM 98. The 1982 Château Margaux was the best bottle that I have tasted and I have been blessed with this wine over twenty times over the years. This boasts wondrous blackberry, raspberry and crushed stone scents that like recent bottles, suggesting a touch of Pauillac at its heart. The palate is defined by its filigree tannins, heavenly balance and scintillating tension that prefer not to convey the warmth of that season, not the high yields it produced. Again, that Pauillac leitmotif continues throughout, conveying a sense of linearity and focus that is unmatched by any previous bottles. On this showing, best-preserved bottles will give another 30 years of drinking pleasure without any problem. Tasted at the International Business & Wine First Growth Dinner at the Four Seasons. (Drink between 2018-2035)

1982 Château Mouton Rothschild. VM 98. The 1982 Mouton-Rothschild continues to be the extravagant Pauillac that it has always been. This has an irresistible, exotic bouquet of precocious kirsch, hoisin, graphite and blueberry scents that gain intensity in the glass. The palate is a little headier than previous bottles, sensual and almost glossy, presenting a glycerin-rich smorgasbord of dark cherries, black currant, crème de menthe and mint that almost knocks you off your feet. Fabulous. Tasted from an ex-château jeroboam at the Palace of Versailles charity dinner. (Drink between 2019-2040)

From my cellar: 1982 Château La Mission Haut-Brion. VM 94. The 1982 La Mission Haut-Brion is a vintage that I have tasted several times. This bottle has a gorgeous, eucalyptus-tinged bouquet of black fruit plus hints of clove and bay leaf; a light marine scent emerges with aeration. The palate has a ripe pastille-like quality, dark cherries commingling with blackberry and cranberry. A lovely saline undertow lends sapidity on the harmonious finish. This does not equal the 1982 Haut-Brion and may have reached its peak in the late 1990s, but it remains the best La Mission Haut-Brion since the 1978. Tasted at the La Mission Haut Brion dinner at Amuse Bouche in Hong Kong. (Drink between 2021-2035)

More bone in steaks.

More bone in steaks.

More bone in steaks.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts.

Wild Mushroom and Black Truffle Gnocchi. This dish was drastically worse than it usually is and very dry.

Sautéed Spinach.

The all important Butter Cake. This is “Mastro’s signature warm butter cake ala mode.” Basically a pound cake with an extra four sticks of butter or something. It’s really sweet and really good. Goes well with the magic whipped cream (see below).

Looking a bit more tipsy and full.

This year, while the wine and company were great, the food and service at Mastro’s had declined precipitously. Many dishes just felt flat, or dry, or half hearted. Then there were the service problems…

We had a very late reservation (9pm) and a large party. The place was very busy when we came, but everyone was getting toward the end of their meals. They made us wait (a while, maybe 30 min or more) then chose to jam us in at a tiny and inconvenient table when they could easily have chosen a larger space given the openings. They then pretty much ignored us both front of house and in the kitchen until everyone else was done. For most of the meal we were the main then only active table in the huge space. Yet they continued to act like the restaurant was jammed (it clearly wasn’t anymore). A table this size needs a couple people, but they left us way understaffed, even after we were the only ones left.

When we finished up, well after midnight, and it came time to close out the check, they complained that their POS (Point of Sale) system was down and so they couldn’t generate the bill. They told us they would need 90-120 MINUTES!!! to generate one. Target for this was like 2:30am. I was incredulous. They could easily have hand calculated it in 10 minutes. Yes there were a lot of items, but not more than 30. Someone there should be capable of adding 30 numbers using a hand calculator or phone app! We were the only people left in the place (and had been for a long time). They seemed impervious to any suggestion to speed up. Most of us, including myself, just left and the “lucky” birthday boy had to wait it out (we Venmoed him the next morning). That was pretty unforgivable, no way was I going to wait around for that long, exhausted, while they tinkered with their computers. I’m not sure I’ll ever return on that basis alone — the lamer food didn’t help either.

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By: agavin
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Tagged as: beef, Beverly Hills, BYOG, Gelato, Mastros, Steak, steakhouse, Wine

Curry at Cobi’s

Sep10

Restaurant: Cobi’s at Dhaba

Location: 2104 Main St, Santa Monica, CA 90405. (424) 238-5195

Date: December 14, 2021

Cuisine: Southeast Asian

Rating: Lots of great flight flavor

Dhaba was a local Indian restaurant that was a fixture on Main St in Santa Monica for decades (50 years!). Recently it’s “rebooted” (been replaced?) by Cobi’s, a new Southeast Asian place.

It’s helmed by the team of Cobi Marsh and Lance Mueller.

The interior has been lightly updated and is rather charming.

The menu.

The have a mostly natural wine list, of course we brought our own.

2002 Laurent-Perrier Champagne Millesime Rare.

From my cellar: 2012 Veyder-Malberg Grüner Veltliner Hochrain. VM 91. Enticingly fragrant nose combines apricot, acacia honey and white pepper. A touch of vanillin oak from a new cask troubles Peter Malberg, but others will find that it adds an element of complexity. Although supple and wonderfully ripe without undue alcohol, a subtle freshness gives a filigree character to the pear extract flavor. Finishes with lingering notes of wet stone, pistachio and subtle spice.

2010 Domaine Lignier-Michelot Gevrey-Chambertin Cuvée Bertin. VM 91-93. The 2010 Gevrey-Chambertin Cuvée Bertin is rich, dark and sensual. Black cherries, plums, spices and minerals are some of the notes that are woven into this generous, textured wine. The Cuvée Bertin finds a higher, brighter register on the mid-palate and finish. This is a beautifully poised, elegant Gevrey. The Cuvée Bertin was made with 40% whole clusters. (Drink between 2015-2025)

2004 Torbreck The Factor. VM 94. Opaque ruby. Powerful dark berry liqueur aromas are complemented by a kaleidoscopic array of fresh and dried flowers, incense, Asian spices and vanilla. Suave and silky in texture, with explosive blackberry and mulberry flavors complemented by exotic spice and floral qualities. Finishes with superbly integrated tannins and outstanding persistence, leaving sexy spice and mocha notes in its wake.

2002 Shirvington Shiraz. 94 points.

Dry Aged Kanpachi. finger lime, green chili, coconut dressing. Nice bright flavors and with the coconut milk decidedly southeast asian in vibe.

Grilled Prawns (3pc). ginger & yellow bean sauce. Like prawn satay.

Curry Puffs. curried split peas & potatos, pickled onion, tamarind ketchup. Samosas basically.

Pork & Shiitake Dumplings (5pc). chili crunch, black vinegar. I think we ordered 2 of these.

Egg Noodles. pork belly, ginger relish, szechuan.

Nasi Goreng. fried egg, rice, sambal terasi, long beans. An Indonesian classic.

Roti.

Chili sauces.

Beef Rendang. chili sambal, crispy shallot, gulai, squash. I love beef rendang. This one is more classic (but not quite as good) as the Cassia version.

White rice.

Jungle Curry. thai eggplant, long beans, baby corn. Thinner and not as spicy as the Jitlada version.

Devil Chicken Curry. mustard seeds, habanero chili vinegar. Good stuff.

Butter Chicken. tomato masala, cilantro, fenugreek.

Beef Short Rib. chili & tamarind dressing, roasted peanuts.

The desserts. These were light and sweet and soothed all that curry heat.

Vanilla Soft Serve Sundae (modified version for a kid). salted caramel, milo brownie, peanuts.

Vanilla Soft Serve Sundae. salted caramel, milo brownie, peanuts.

Shaved Ice. berry granita, kiwi, passion fruit, coconut, tofu cream, basil seed.

Thai Tea Pudding. boba pearls, black sugar, lemongrass.

Overall, I really liked Cobi’s and need to get back. Execution is very solid even if many of these dishes I’ve had slightly better versions at more specialized places. But it brings together under one roof a whole host of goodies that that potent set of spice, herb, and acid forward flavors that I love. It’s also very close (to my house) and has a cute little decor.

And all of the above was just 4 of us!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Cobi's, curry, Dhaba, Foodie Club, Santa Monica, southeast asian cuisine, Wine

One One Dumplings

Sep08

Restaurant: One One Dumplings

Location: 704 W Las Tunas Dr #4, San Gabriel, CA 91776. (626) 282-8695

Date: December 17, 2021

Cuisine: Northern Chinese

Rating: Solid boiled and fried dumplings

AFF and another Friday trip to the SGV to check out some Asian goodness. We actually intended to go to Hui Tou Xiang next door but they were only open for takeout — and since daddy don’t do takeout, we hit up one one.

Small interior.

Very casual sauce containers.

The menu is smaller than the interior and doubles as an order form. And a third of it is crossed out.

Flavors stewed bean curd. Tastes pretty normal actually. Flavors is mostly soy sauce (and maybe some sugar) and a couple of spices like star anise.

Fried pork dumplings. Great crispy bottom.

Stewed pork noodle in soup.

Flavors stewed beef. Presumably this meat is braised in the same liquid as the tofu.

Cabbage, pork, and shrimp. Straight up delicious boiled dumplings.

Pork with soup, steamed. What they mean here is soup dumplings, ie. that frozen or solidified broth was included in the filling before steaming. Delicious of course.

Chive, pork, egg, and shrimp boiled dumplings.

Fried chive, pork, egg dumplings. These had the most perfect pan fried bottom!

The mess.

One one is a simple place, but if you crave straight up boiled and fried jiaozi dumplings, it’s certainly got ’em.

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This is where we intended to go. When they reopen for sit down, I’ll try again.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: AFF, Chinese cuisine, Chinese Food, dumplings, Friday, lunch, noodles, One One Dumplings, SGV

Melisse 2.0

Sep06

Restaurant: Melisse [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 (Citrin), 14 (takeout), 15]

Location: 1104 Wilshire Blvd.Santa Monica, CA 90401. (310) 395-0881

Date: December 16, 2021

Cuisine: California French

Rating: New style lighter, but still great

Right before the pandemic “Old Melisse” reopened split into a more casual ala carte Citrin and this new smaller tasting menu only format Melisse.

There is a new door on Wilshire.

And what used to be the slightly lower back room of “By Brazil II” and Old Melisse has been closed off to form the new more elegant tasting menu venue. It feels quite separate and you only go into the main dining room to use the restroom. The decor also looks and feels different and it’s set up pretty much exclusively for 4 tops (which I guess can be 2 tops).

Tonight’s menu.

Welcome cocktail.

1999 Domaine Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet. VM 98. Very fresh, bright medium yellow. Knockout mineral-saturated scents of lemon cream, lime oil, acacia flower, vanilla, crushed stone, nut oil and iodine. Sappy and vibrant but at the same time utterly seamless, offering a compelling combination of refinement, concentration (especially impressive in light of the year’s full yields) and acid balance. The wine’s outstanding mineral tension is intensified by its brisk acidity–or is it the other way around? This is an exhilarating and truly exceptional grand cru but I would not describe it as an easy drink. Finishes with powerful crushed-stone salinity and a rising whiplash of flavor. A real cellar treasure and my favorite wine of the tasting, still with a long life ahead of it. The ’99s at Domaine Leflaive have always stood out for their ripeness and richness but today this wine is even more impressive for its adamant minerality. (Incidentally, my notes at the time said that following a reorganization of the cellar, 1999 was the first vintage at Leflaive to be bottled without filtration, as well as the first vintage to be bottled by gravity.) (14% alcohol; 3.18 pH, September 25 harvest) (Drink between 2019-2036)

Aged Beef, Green Goddess, Charcoal, Caviar.

Gougeres, Chestnut, San Daniele Ham.

Toasted Buckweat, Gouda and Bourbon

Potato Tart, Sunchoke, Mushroom, White Truffle.

Trio of starters. The new more Japanese influence is instantly obvious.

Shibumi Oyster, Smoked Vinegar Jelly.

Kona Abalone.

Scallop, Squid, Matsutake Broth.

Uni Cromesquis, Yuzu, Honey.

Golden Osetra Caviar, Roasted Potato, Creme Fraiche, Champagne. This was a bit more “French” in style.

Toro Sawara, Concord Grape Vinegar, Oboro Kombu.

1999 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny Cuvée Vieilles Vignes. VM 97. Very bright red with ruby tones; looks like a young wine. Deep, dark red and black fruit aromas are complicated by cinnamon, black pepper, roast coffee and a hint of truffley underbrush. Wonderfully rich but classy and reserved, and not a bit heavy. Utterly silky, plush, energetic wine with a relaxed quality to its lively dark fruit and dark chocolate flavors. Finishes classically dry, with beautifully buffered tannins and captivating building sweetness. Amazingly, this 375-milliliter bottle seems still short of its peak, so I would imagine that well-stored 750s still need time. I’d guess 2022-2042 for 750s. (Drink between 2018-2034)

From my cellar: 1999 Domaine Anne Gros Richebourg. JG 94. Whereas Anne Gros’ Clos Vougeot has been seemingly slaughtered by new oak in this vintage, the Richebourg has had no problem gobbling up its new wood. The result is a superb Richebourg, bursting from the glass to deliver notes of sappy black cherries, plums, hints of dark chocolate, woodsmoke, violets and a framing of toasty new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and packed with urgent fruit, with impeccable balance, lovely generosity on the attack, and fine depth in reserve at the core. The finish is long, complex and ripely tannic, with fine balance and very impressive grip. This is a majestic young Richebourg that should blossom in another eight to ten years, and drink well for at least a quarter of a century. Fine juice. (Drink between 2010-2035)

1999 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Cuvée Duvault-Blochet. VM 93. The 1999 Vosne-Romané 1er Cru Duvault-Blochet, the debut release in the modern era, was beginning to show some signs of bricking on the rim. The bouquet is a treat: decayed red berry fruit, sage and peppermint, just a soupçon of wild fennel all at the liminal point as primary tips into secondary aromas. The palate is soft and mellow on the entry with a subtle meaty/dried blood quality, fine tannin and well judged acidity that keeps this linear and focused. There is just a pinch of spice on the finish that strangely brought to mind more Chambolle than Vosne-Romanée, not that I am complaining. Tasted at the 1999 DRC dinner. (Drink between 2020-2040)

Chicken and Rice, Cordon Bleu, Vin Jaune. This is the “chicken” part.

And the rice part was pretty much a Japanese ingredient flavored/inspired risotto — one of my favorite dishes.

Turbot “Marchand de Vin”, Brown Butter Sabayon, Celery Root. I love a good Sabayon (aka eggy fat emulsion).

Corvus Farm’s Guinea Hen “En Farci”, Turnip Soubise, Sauce Albufera.

A bit of light soup.

Millbrook Farm’s Venison Loin and Bun, Pumpkin, Walnut, Chocolate, “Pickleback.”

A bit of bread to sop up that reduction.

1966 Paul Reitz Corton.

Chocolate, Rum, Chestnut.

Mont Blanc Choux. A choux is a style of pastry where the dough is heated as it’s made.

Coffee and Caramel Brittle.

Chocolate and Whisky and Mulled Pear.

A take home gift of shortbread.

Melisse 2.0 remains and exciting and focused tasting menu restaurant. Right now, it’s decidedly lighter, more Japanese, and less French than the original restaurant. The number of courses, while plenty, is more restrained and there are essentially no options. But it’s also more experimental and quite delicious. I really enjoyed the food. Individual dishes felt distinctly “French” or “Japanese” in style.

However, the format changes make this a place for 2-4 person high end dinners as they do not really do larger groups and are decidedly less accommodating with regard to outside wine. They really want you buying off the list. This is a bit tough for guys like me as we almost always do dinners with slightly more bottles than people and where everyone tries to bring fairly evenly.

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By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: French Cuisine, Melisse, Red Burgundy, Richbourg, Wine

Quick Eats – Casa del Mar

Sep04

Restaurant: Casa del Mar

Location: 1910 Ocean Way, Santa Monica, CA 90405. (310) 581-5533

Date: December 15, 2021

Cuisine: California Spanish

Rating: Great

This is actually a catering test lunch that we did for a big event we were hosting at Casa del Mar in February 2022.

We setup in a private conference room.

This test menu represented a small sampling (maybe 1/5) of planned possible foods for our epic “station” based event. The Casa chef is Gemma Gray, a Spanish native and veteran of Trés, the much missed lunch spot helmed by Jose Andrés.

Duck Charcuterie with Candied Tangerine.

Beef Roll with Cucumbers, Green Onions and Cilantro.

Breads.

Spanish “kosher style” Paella de Montana. A vegetarian paella, quite nice.

Beef Tartare on a Crispy Rice Paper.

Tuna Ceviche with Avocado.

White Fish Taradito.

“Beet” Caprese Tower.

Condiments for a taco bar.

Habanero Salsa.

Pacific Snapper (for tacos).

Tortillas.

One of my tacos.

Roast Leg of Lamb. This was awesome, even if it was eventually replaced at the event by an even better wagyu brisket!

Sauces for the lamb.

Various pastries.

Spanish style flan by special request.

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By: agavin
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Tagged as: Casa Del Mar, Santa Monica, Spanish Cuisine

Xi’an isn’t Shaanxi

Sep02

Restaurant: Xi’an

Location: N Canon Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. (310) 275-3345

Date: December 12, 2021

Cuisine: Chinese

Rating: Better than I thought semi-Americanized Chinese

I’ve seen Xi’an on Canon for years but never even considered going into because it looked so Americanized and kitchy. But Yarom met the owner and she offered to make us a special “Chinese” menu.

The outside patio was mobbed.

But in the wake of the virus most people were scared off the inside.

The normal menu is pretty Chinese American. There are even a bunch of oddball dishes that aren’t Chinese at all like salads, edamame (I guess some Beverly Hills residents confuse China and it’s island neighbor).

They start off with plenty of sauces on the table though.

Drunken chicken. Very nice and moist.

Garlic ginger chili sauce. This is pretty much a traditional hainan chicken sauce.

Sichuan Style Chicken Wontons. Not bad, would be better with pork. No self respecting Chengdu chef would use chicken for this dish. Sauce was a bit sweet.

Tofu with chili and Century Egg. Somewhat bland version of this dish. Needed the sweet/tangy soy sauce.

Scallion pancakes. Could have been crispier.

Friend shrimp dim sum. Excellent. Hot and delicious.

Chicken lo-mein for a wus. For some unexplained reason, our esteemed leader sometimes invites people to Chinese who have no interest in real Chinese food — they order dishes like this because they won’t eat what everyone else does.

Miso cod. What’s this doing on a Chinese menu? Did it hitchhike over from Matsuhisa?
Peking duck. Hoison was excellent. Duck was a touch dry. But they had pancakes and rolled some of them for us.

The pancakes were a tough tortilla-like.

Chinese Broccoli with Chinese Sausage. Very good.

Salty egg fried rice. Nice.

Lamb stew with a bit of anise and black cardamon. Quite good. A touch gamey.

Shanghai Style Dungeness Crab with Shanghai Rice cakes. Great ginger/garlic sauce.

Southern Spicy Prawns. Not my favorite.

Hunan Style braised/steamed pork belly with preserved vegetables. Respectable version of this dish, although I have had better.

String beans. Excellent crunch, a touch under-seasoned.

Sesame Red Bean Buns. Chewy.

Fruit. This was ice cold and kinda nice.

I was actually pleasantly surprised by Xi’an. The meal was quite enjoyable. It’s not even slightly “Xi’an” as in having cuisine even remotely related to the capital of Shaanxi province, for that go here. And I wouldn’t be very interested in the regular menu, but what we had was pretty good. It was kind of hit or miss. I had the feeling the chef is solid, but out of practice seasoning dishes authentically given his Beverly Hills crowd. Some dishes were solid and many were middling — but I love Chinese food and even middling Chinese is quite enjoyable.