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Another 71 Above

Feb29

Restaurant: 71Above [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14]

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

Date: May 28, 2023

Cuisine: New American

Rating: Awesome in all ways

71Above is one of my favorite LA restaurants and I’ve been many times. In fact there are 10 previous write ups! Original Chef Vartan Abgaryan has moved on to his own new place, Yours Truly (which the pandemic has sadly done in), and 71Above is now seamlessly helmed by his disciple, Chef Javier Lopez. Today is another family birthday here.

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

On one of these visits, Emil gave me a quick tour of their new “patio” on the 70th floor below where they are serving up Mezzes and drinks.

Gorgeous build out upstairs for the main event.

Look at the crazy view and the crazy fog on this weird spring night.
The pre-lunch crowd.

The room.

The menu.

Bread Service. Cultured Butter.

Amuse of “spicy” ginger soup.

Caviar Service. Kaluga, 28 Grams, Blini, Egg Yolk Jam, Chives.

On the house!

Hiramasa Crudo. Passion Fruit, Mandarin, Avocado, Jicama, Furikake, Cilantro, Habanero.

Spring Farm Salad. Lettuces, Market Vegetables, Seeds, Goat Cheese, Kumquat Vinaigrette.

Fingerling Potato. Trout Roe, Leek, Bonito Butter, Lemon, Sesame Bread Crumbs, Dill, Chives.

Simple pasta.

Casarecce Pasta. King Trumpet, Hazelnut, Truffle, Kale, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Green Garlic.

Ōra King Salmon. English Pea Ragù, Carrot, Yuzu Kosho, Citrus, Pine Nut, Green Garlic, Mint.

Heritage Pork Loin. Pork Fritter, Celery Root Purée, Escarole, Cherry Relish, Fennel, Meyer Lemon.

Grilled Ribeye. Charred Broccolini, Crispy Shallot, Date Purée, Macadamia, Ju.

My son’s favorite — Triple Chocolate Cloud Gelato – The base is made this time with Valrhona 70% Guanaja 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

Coconut Crunch Gelato — Coconut dairy custard base with Strawberry Wafers and house-made White Chocolate Coated Crunch Berries — 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 #coconut #crunch #crunchBerries #WhiteChocolate

Guava Granita. Cream Cheese Cremeux, Kataifi, Strawberry Gel & Sorbet.

Chocolate Cremeux. Peanut Butter Crumble, Graham Cracker, Marshmallow Fluff & Ice Cream.

Cheese Plate. Pecora Nocciola, Briana, Tea Rose, Shabby Shoe, Reverie, Seasonal Accompaniments.

Rose Water Pavlova. Orange-Saffron Curd, Whipped Mascarpone.

Petite Fours.

Heading down!

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

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

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: 71above, birthday, Wine

Spanish Sauvages 2023

Feb23

Restaurant: Teresa Montana [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

Location: Flintridge

Date: May 26, 2023

Cuisine: New American

Today’s Sauvages lunch is a lunch in honor of late Co-Poobah Steve Levin. It’s graciously hosted by Paul at at his beautiful home in Flintridge. This event is held outdoors in memory of the Zinfandel barbecues that Steve would hold for our group every summer at his home (it being Paul’s idea to maintain this fine tradition). To that end, we always enjoy a few Zinfandels at this lunch in addition to the theme wines for the lunch. The annual lunches at Paul’s home always rate very high on the scales for ambiance, camaraderie and food quality.

The main wine theme has evolved to a tour of some of the best Spanish wines to go along with Spanish food by chef Teresa Montana.
This California style building isn’t the house itself, but the amazing top of the integrated cellar.

Trying to give you a sense of the mid century space.

This year (2023), we sat on the other side of the main house at a single large table.

Here the chef can be seem working the kitchen.

Starting with some champ.

Our special menu.

The chef gives the speil.

Spanish whites.

Sicilian Crudo. Yellowfin tuna, fluke, pugliese olive oil, olives, lemon, flowers, caviar. This generous crudo was flavored strongly by the grassy (and lovely) olive oil from Southern Italy and the hefty dose of sea salt. Very pleasant.

Riojas.

Chicharro y Tonnato. Charred snap peas, tonnato sauce, garrotxa cheese, bonito. These fresh veggies tasted great with what was essentially a thick “lemon-less” cesar dressing. Very rich, savory, umami sauce and ridiculously delicious.

Unico!

Pizza al Pistachio. Stracciatella, pistachio, parmesan, mortadella. The toppings were great. The dough was a touch heavy. It was still a very nice pizza, but it wasn’t the super light and chewy dough of the very best pizzas. Still good though and the mortadella and added pistachio was great.

Priorats.

Txuletas de Iberico. Grilled montaraz Iberico pork chops, charred spring vegetables, xato sauce. Really yummy pork chop with bone and great meaty flavor. The romesco-like sauce was awesome as well.

Older Riojas.

Chef’s Special Cheeses. Selection of handpicked cheeses, fruit and honey, with housemade walnut raisin sourdough.

Pretty!

Bread.

My son’s favorite — Triple Chocolate Cloud Gelato – The base is made this time with Valrhona 70% Guanaja 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

Baileys Irish Gream Gelato — Stabilized 13% Bailys Irish Cream recipe, with a touch of seasonal coloring! — I have trouble resisting these once a year flavors — 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 #expresso #whiskey #baileys #StPatricksDay #cream #green

A bit of wine!

Overall, a delicious afternoon — food and wine both! An awesome range of Spanish wines and some great Spanish food.

We did have WAY too much wine for the number of courses. We could have used an easy 2 or 3 more courses to stage it out. A couple years ago we had one more course and we could really use that as there is that extra Zin flight.

The setting really is magnificent. The weather was perfect, if a little cloudy. Just an ideal afternoon in the yard!

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BYOG, Gelato, lunch, Paul Wools, Sauvages, Spanish, Teresa Montana

No Funk at Funke

Feb18

Restaurant: Funke

Location: 9388 S Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. (424) 279-9796

Date: May 23, 2023

Cuisine: Modern Italian

Rating: Great pasta. Salty!

Funke is the latest from the pasta master at Felix and Motherwolf.

Funke is located on Little Santa Monica right near Il Pastaio.

Fancy Beverly Hills frontage.

Lots of good wine, and not a crazy markup, maybe 2-3X. Of course, this is painful with a Gaja or something. And they have the really annoying 2 bottle limit. As usual this made us spend LESS money than if they hadn’t had the limit. We just drank less wine.

Downstairs bar. There is also a big roof bar.

Special pasta room.

Stuffed pasta!

The empty main dining room. The place is huge as there are several.

The big kitchen (empty now).

We took the elevator upstairs.

Big upstairs area and more bars!

Private dining room with this huge table. We were tucked in the corner here. Nice and quiet, the way we like it.

The menu. Lots of overlap with Felix and Mother Wolf.

From their list. High acid with nice minerality.

Fiori di Zucca. Squash Blossom, ricotta fresca, parmigiano reggiano, sea salt. Quite good, and very delicate, but odd without any kind of sauce.

Polpette della Maestra Alessandra. Sugo di pomodoro, english peas, parmigiano reggiano. Solid meatballs, great sauce. The balls were salty. Hey, everything at Funke is really salty. They were a bit chewier too then I like, but the meaty flavor was great.

Frisella Pugliese. Burrata pugliese, psring vegetables, extra virgin olive oil. This was a weird burrata dish. It was on a crispy bread/pizza/thing. It was tasty, but who needed more carbs? Burrata was great. Spring veggies were great. Herbs (like mint) were fabulous. The whole thing was messy though, fell all over the table as we tried to cut it.

Misticanza. Lettuces, wild and cultivated greens, herbs, flowers, condimento di lambrusco. Very lovely salad. Felt fresh and healthy.

Pizza Boscaiola. Wild mushrooms, l’avarizia, salsiccia, parmigiano reggiano, finocchietto. The dough wasn’t that exciting. It was good, but not nearly as good as Bar Monette or anything. The mushrooms + sausage on a pizza, however, great!

Troffie, Sori, Liguria, Sofia. Pesto Genovese, parmigiano reggiano, basil. Perfect classical rendition of this. Just like in Liguria except no potato or long beans. Great chew to the pasta and super bright basil flavor.

Agnolotti dal Plin, Roddino, Piemonte, Gemma. Sugo di Arrosto, erbette chard, parmigiano reggiano. Perfect. Super salty butter pasta water emulsion sauce and delicate little “porky” pockets. Perfect.

Orecchiette, Bari Vecchia, Puglia, Nunzia. Salsiccia, broccoletti, sugo di pomodoro, ‘nduja, pecorino pugliese. Great chew to the Orecchiette and a nice acidity and good sausage flavor. Very very salty again.

Linguine alle Vongole. Aglio, olio, peperoncino, manila clams, vino bianco, parsley. Clams are much bigger than in Italy but the flavor was spot on, parsley forward, quite lovely. Extremely salty again.

Mezze Maniche alla Gricia. Guanciale, black pepper, pecorino romano DOP. My favorite pasta as it was basically salty bacon, pecorino, and pork fat flavored. Increidbly salty. Like salty for salt. All those ingredients are salt forward.

Scottadita di Agnello. New Zealand Lamb Rib Chops, cicoria bruciata, english peas, spring onions, green garlic, mint. Interesting prep covered in herbs. It was nice to have some more fresh herbs. This gave me a bit of Vietnamese vibe. The lamb itself was well cooked and delicious.

The dessert menu.

Mandorle Siciliano Gelato. Sicilian Almonds. I ordered this because at Sweet Milk Gelato several of my signature flavors are based on Sicilian Almonds. I have to say this wasn’t that exciting — i.e. mine are much better. I think they just used Mandorle Dolce (sweet almond). It’s pleasant and subtle, but I prefer Mandorle Tostate (toasted almonds) which just have more flavor.

Cannoli Siciliani. Murray farm cherries, pistacchi di bronte. Madagascar chocolate. These were okay, but not amazing. I’m not sure I felt about the cherry thing, although it is in season. And the pistachios were rubbery and chewy intead of crunchy — pistachio foul!

Crostata di Mirtilli. Puff pastry, sicilian almonds, crema di bergamotto. This was nice, although it tended to explode all over the place like any classic puff pastry.

The trio of desserts.

Some chocolate expresso truffles and almond “cakes.” The almond things were good, actually.

Emotional Damage!

Overall, Funke was quite good. Service was very nice and professional, and they certainly knew their menu. The wine director was very knowledgable and nice too — although I’m no fan of the 2 bottle limit (but I’m sure that comes from high on up). The wine list is small, nearly all Italian, and excellent. Prices aren’t bad. But having to buy from the list somewhat means we would buy less, and buy interesting cheaper wines instead of the kind of older big wines we often collect. They don’t even really have those older wines, only a few places like Capo do in LA. Food was excellent. It is VERY SALTY. I know all restaurants are pretty salty but they, like Felix and Mother Wolf, go to town with it. Very salty. It tastes good, but you can feel it. It’s also very carb forward, almost gratuitous. And while the menu is slightly bigger than either Felix or Mother Wolf, it’s essentially very similar. A big percentage, perhaps 50-70% of all dishes duplicate with the other restaurants. So to that effect you could eat at any one of the three and have essentially a very similar meal. At current, all three reservations aren’t so easy to get, very difficult for Funke and pretty darn hard for Mother Wolf — and these are large spaces — so they are clearly doing “something” right.

For more dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Funke, italian, pasta, Wine

Superb Shoku

Feb12

Restaurant: Shoku

Location: Private

Date: May 20, 2023

Cuisine: Japanese influenced Ultra Comfort Food

Rating: Incredible — and priced that way

Shoku is a team of hyper talented chefs who whip up some incredible high end interpretations of comfort food with incredible ingredients.

Tonight’s special dinner was hosted at the industrial chic DTLA appartment of a friend.

Shoku is an exclusive Private Dining Concept with a very talented team of chefs who come to a place of your choosing and cater an insane meal of mostly American comfort foods reinterpreted in an Asian-esque style with crazy high end ingredients. This was my first time and from their IG I was very excited.

Here are just some of the luxury ingredients including Hoikaido Uni, the very best Japanese Toro and A5, Umbrian truffles, and Astrea’s top caviar.

Gratuitous zoom!

The staff show off some of our live shellfish minutes before their demise.

Hokaido Tarabagani King Crab!

Hokaido Hairy Crab.

Don’t eat me!

Just because I’m a Champagne guy doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate its “distilled” variety — a tasting of Louis XIII !

In these amazing bespoke crystal glasses with the sunflower pattern.

Our special menu tonight.

The welcome cocktail is presented.

A vanilla, orange, strawberry, Don Julio 1942 beverage in this insanely pretty flask.

Onion “Soup” Ring. This fried ring contained caramelized onions and was served with a caviar riddled mustard sauce. It was so meaty that it invoked both hamburger and onion ring vibes. This sauce would make the best burger sauce too. Really fabulous.

Toro Nigiri. Yamayuki toro. 48 month barrel aged kombu. Sumidaya rice. An incredibly delicate and etheral (two) bite(s) of sushi. Incredibly soft and uniform with a light sweetness, salinity, and a hint of acidity.

Wagyu Chalupa. A5 Kobe strip. Chipotle lime crema. Charred tomatillo. Lots of flavor and great textural contrast in this one. Rich, soft, and crunchy, and the fat factor was offset by the crema. The Chalupa itself was light, crispy, and airy.

Black Pepper King Crab. Live Hokkaido tarabagani. Zanzibar black peper. Fermented white pepper. The crab itself was delicate and moist but the intense pepper sauce was so good! Of course this evokes the Singapore style Black Pepper Crab but at a much less messy, much more refined level. Needed evil bread and a bucket of the sauce. It’d be an amazing steak sauce too.

Astrea’s top caviar just for a bump. Grand Selection Oscietra. Russian Oscietra (aka Osetra or Ossetra) are from sturgeons originated in the Caspian Sea. This world-famous caviar is delicate and refined in taste, perfect for special occasions. A truly luxurious indulgence. It might not be a 4lb tub but the quality was very high.

King Crab Po’ Boy. Hokkaido Tarabagani. Old Bay remoulade. Private Reserve Ossetra. This was one of my picks because of the awesome video and it didn’t dissapoint — except perhaps for being tiny (although I did manage to get a second). Just the best little “fried fish” sandwhich I’ve had. That buttery bread and the remoulade alone would have been worth it.

Uni Bucatini. Hokkaido Bafun uni. Calabrian chili butter. Private Reserve Ossetra. Arguably my favorite dish. The bucatini had a nice chew and thickness and the uni, once mixed in, was ultra creamy. The caviar just upped the savory ante and the bit of chili really just made it zing without overwelming the delicate flavors. Bravo!

This beef has a certificate from the cow and the owner!

Tournedos Rossini. A5 Kobe chateaubriand. Seared Hudson Valley foie gras. Sauce Rouennaise. Presented before being covered in truffles.

Now you can barely see it. Sorry Heroic, this version is richer! Very rich, well balanced, soft, and delicious. The sauce was amazing.

Now time for the little crabs to do their thing.

Ooops, it’s shellfish Hannibal Lector.

Ridiculous butter sauce.

And crab meat IN the sauce. We snitched a few.

Kegani Donabe. Hokkaido hairy crab. Dashi butter. Private Reserve Ossetra. This was like the ultimate crab fried rice. Plus caviar, plus truffles (comming in a second). Both the body and leg meat was here, in that butter sauce.

On come the truffles again.

Bit of citrus to cleanse the pallate.

I shouldn’t have eaten this much rice but it was just too good. It was almost dessert sweet from the crab and so buttery. Just a to-die-for crab rice.

Cookie and Cream. The “cream” was sphereized and exploded, making a bit of a mess.

Burnt Basque Brie Cake. Madagascar vanilla. Triple Creme Brie. DOP Mascarpone. Rich, soft, with a bit of firmness. This was the best BBCC I’ve had outside of Northern Spain.

New Flavor — Cherry Bakewell Tart Gelato — While watching every episode of the Great British Baking Show I was introduced to the Bakewell Tart, which I liked it enough to make a gelato — Sicilian Noto Romano Almond Custard Base is layered with house-made Honey Almond Graham Crackers and Cherry Preserves. For extra fun I made an Almond Icing and glazed the Grahams with it in the traditional pattern (first time trying it) — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato –#SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #Sicily #Almond #Cherry #GrahamCracker #BakewellTart #tart #bakewell #jam #icing

I thought this would play nicely with the cheesecake. They plated it up in a bowl on the side. Definitely one of my best flavors. That almond rules.

Strawberry Shortcake Bar. Harry’s Berries. Tahitian vanilla. Valrhona white chocolate. This was very nicely made and delicious, but the Ivoire dominated the strawberry, so it was like a crunchy white chocolate bar with a bit of strawberry. The ice cream texture wasn’t very obvious.

Strawberry Jam Gelato — an awesome dairly Strawberry base swirled with Strawberry Jam — 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 #strawberry #jam

I’d made this for my son, but I chose to bring it to “test myself” against the strawberry shortcake. It delivered. Texture and light stawberry and cream flavor was perfect — if I do say so myself.

Overall, this was a stunning meal and a great evening. Fun meeting lots of new people, plus Louis XIII, great wines (which we paired nicely), and some really amazing food. I knew it’d look good and have amazing ingredients, but I was pleasantly surprised how great everything tasted and how technical the preparation was — all executed at a very high level of skill. Not cheap, but pretty epic.

For more dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BYOG, Caviar, cognaq, Gelato, popup, Private dinner, Shoku

Gaja at Charcoal

Feb09

Restaurant: Charcoal Venice [1, 2, 3, 4]

Location: 425 Washington Blvd, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292. (310) 751-6794

Date: June 14, 2022

Cuisine: New American Grill

Rating: Some great meats

Our second Gaja dinner of the Spring (there were rival factions). Back to Charcoal, a favorite.

The menu.

Bread with Beurre De Baratte

smoked paprika mustard chimichurri, red wine chipotle bbq sauce, J-1 steak sauce, and charcoal marinade.

Yellowfin Tuna, Pickled Cucumber, Avocado, Citrus Vinaigrette. Classic, but good. Kinda sweet.

Sweet potato chips.

Oysters on the Half Shell. Garnished Traditionally and Creatively. Nice small oysters.

Very nice, tasted like Sav Blanc with a lot of petrol.

Super hot, flabby, and tending toward sherry.

Smoked Mushroom and Beet, Crème Fraiche, Currants. Tastes like liquid smoke, but really nice actually.

Grilled bread.

California Avocado Pesto, Cherry Tomatoes,Fresh Tagliatelle. Bright and enjoyable, but not as sexy/rich as a “normal” (very good) pesto.

Some kind of shrimp special, with a salsa-like sauce.

Gorgeous.

Grilled Lamb Chops, Cilantro Mint Emulsion. Well cooked, very tender, and tons of flavor.

Smoky Grilled Chicken Wings, Oregano, Chili, Vinegar. Good, but I like Vietnamese wings better. Still, these had a really great char flavor.

21 Day Aged Half Liberty Duck, Honey, Coriander. Amazballs. Sweet but very ducky and delicious. Pretty stupendous tasting, if bad for the blood sugar.

Cabbage Baked in the Embers, Yogurt, Sumac, Lemon Zest. Really great veggie.

Coal Roasted Carrots, Sheep’s Milk Ricotta, Herbs, Honey, Black Pepper.

Boneless ½ Chicken Salsa Verde. Some of the best straight chicken I’ve had in a while.

Little Gems, Shaved Market Vegetables, Bread Crumbs, Grilled Scallion Vinaigrette. WIth the breadcrumbs on the side this was a very enjoyable bright salad.

16 oz Prime Ribeye. Nice meat. Not overcooked at all 🙂

Roasted Wild Mushrooms, Parsley Breadcrumbs, Fermented Garlic Dressing. Yum — and fiber too!

Steak Fries with Ketchup, Mustard.

Probably a bit cooked, but grapey and enjoyable to my taste.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Cake, McConnell’s Double Peanut Butter Chip Ice Cream. Really nice.

Apple Crumble, McConnell’s Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.

Nocciola White Gelato — Nocciola (hazelnut) base made with Pure PGI Piedmont hazelnut paste mixed with house-made Valrhona White Chocolate Hazelnut Bark — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — one of my signature flavors –#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 #white #Chocolate #bark

Overall, a super fun evening. I liked the Gaja’s slightly better tonight than at the previous Gaja dinner. They were more differentiated. The San Lorenzos were my favorite actually, which makes sense, as they are softer.

We became friendly with this mother/daughter pair at the next table.

For more dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BYOG, Charcoal, Gaja, Gelato, Wine

Carnival of Flavors

Feb05

Restaurant: Carnival Restaurant

Location: 4356 Woodman Ave, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423. (818) 784-3469

Date: May 16, 2023

Cuisine: Lebanese

Rating: Maybe second best Lebanese in the city

I’ve been wanting to try Carnival for a long time.

Pickles!

Tabbouli Salad. Cracked wheat, ripe tomatoes, onions, parsley, with lemon & olive oil. Nice bright tabbouli. Fortuantly not much wheat.

Humos. Ground chickpeas with sesame sauce blended with lemon juice. I can’t eat chickenpeas anymore.

Bab Ghanoug (Mutubal). Grilled eggplant, marinated with lemon juice. Great version of this classic.

Eggplant Salad. Chopped grilled eggplant, tomato, onions, parsley, drizzled with vinegar & olive oil. More tangy than the Baba Ghanoug.

Fool Mudamas. Fava beans prepared with lemon, garlic, olive oil, and served with tanhini.

Balila. Garbanzo beans prepared with lemon, garlic, and olive oil.

Labneh. Homemade Mediterranean yogurt topped with olive oil. Excellent Labneh — love this stuff.

Grape Leaves. Grape leaves stuffed with rice, tomatoes and cooked in lemon juice. Nice, but I actually prefer these cold and tangy. These were warm and more savory.

Makanek. Lebanese sausage sauteed with lemon juice. These have an interesting spice blend characteristic of these kind of Lebanese sausage. I like it a lot.

Combo Plate. Included: Kibbeh (fried rolls of kibbeh, stuffed with meat and nuts), Hot Spinach Cheese Pastry (home style dough stuffed with marinated spinach & lemon juice), Falafel (Ground fava beans, chickpeas, vegetables & spices deep fried). In the middle was a yougurt salad (refreshing home style salad made with chopped cucumber, plain yogurt, olive oil and a touch of dried mint).

French Fries. Looked kinda soggy.

Combo Meat Plate. This included: Chicken Kabab (marinated chicken breast), Beef Kabab (charbroiled filet mignon), Kafta Kabab (charbroiled skewers of ground lamb & beef seasoned with onions & parsley), Chicken Shawarma (tender chicken slowly cooked on the vertical grill — aka the meat-sicle), Lamb Chops (lean and tender lamb cutlets, marinated with special spices), and Shawarma (combo of marinated lamb and beef). My favorites were the Kafta and the Shawarma. I always love the mixed seasoned lamb and beef.

Rice.

Toum (garlic paste) — gotta have this stuff.

Desserts we didn’t try.

Overall, Carnival is really really classic Lebanese excecuted very well. My friend Kareem who took us here is friends with the owner and got special service. The food was very good. It’s considerably better than Sunnin, although very similar in style. Kareem thinks it’s better than Carousel (he thinks more subtle). I’m not sure I agree across the board although the style is a bit different. Probably Carousel is more Armenian Lebanese. I think I like Carousel’s bright lemon forward Mezze flavors a bit better. But the meats may have been better here. You really can’t go wrong with either if you want some great Lebannese.

For more dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Carnival, Lebanese, Lebanese cuisine, lunch

To Tama

Feb02

Restaurant: Sushi Tama

Location: 116 N Robertson Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048. (424) 249-3009

Date: May 15, 2023

Cuisine: Sushi

Rating: Solid Beverly Hills Sushi

Kaz (from Totoraku) invited us to try this favorite sushi spot of his.

Right across from The Ivy.

Edamame.

Baby squid with miso sauce.

Super tender and succulent with that “in a good way” taste of the sea.

Clams in “butter broth.” It was a delicious clam broth with a bit of butter and plenty of salt.

Cubes of Seared Toro (tuna belly) with yuzu koshu. The salty/spicy zing of the yuzu koshu offsets the fatty char nicely.

Seared Wagyu. A soft, nice bite, but just a single bite.

Wasabi and ginger as usual.

Halibut fin.

Salmon. Very good salmon actually.

Seared Hokaido scallop with toasted seaweed. Very enjoyable combo.

Saba (Japanese Mackerel).

Chu toro. Totally yummy as always.

Hamachi. The most boring type.

Sweet shrimp. Very nice.

Sardine or some other small fish. I like these and enjoy the oily fish taste.

Ikura (salmon roe). Extremely nice marinated ikura.

Spanish Mackerel.

Charred Sea Eel. Lovely.

Hokaido Uni. Super tender and sweet.

Clam Miso. This is always one of my favorite misos as I feel the clams add a nice equally saline complement to the miso’s inherent salinity.

Fresh crab handroll.

A kind of elevated Futomaki. Tuna, Ikura, Takuan, and chives. Excellent.

Wasn’t cheap — but it is Beverly Hills.

Overall, Tama was a very enjoyable “classic” sushi place. There aren’t a lot of “new style” or ponzu covered dishes, which is nice. This is mostly classic Japanese fare and well executed Tokyo style nigiri. It’s very much in the sushi tradition I grew up with in the 70s and 80s. This is the kind of place like the late lamented sushi sushi that I’d happily go by myself at lunch for a straight up “good sushi” fix.