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DimSumQuest – Happy Harbor

Sep21

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

Date: February 14, 2021

Cuisine: Cantonese Chinese

Rating: Great cantonese

I went here for dinner in 2021 and had a great meal — so I had high hopes for our dim sum visit.

Happy Harbor is a medium sized Cantonese located right next to Mandarin plaza, a “far east” (Hacienda Heights ish) area we have eaten at again and again.

The interior is classic Cantonese.

The infinite corridor.

Grungy tanks.

Le menu.

Decent set of basic sauces.

On request, they brought us peanuts form the dinner menu.

And smashed cucumbers which were very pleasant.

The lot.

Chicken Feet in Abalone Sauce. People said they were okay.

Jumbo Shrimp Har Gow. The insides were generous and pretty good but the shells were thick and sticky and broke apart on trying to pickup the dumplings. So just middling.

Truffle Shrimp har Gow with Squid Ink. These were better as the wrapper retained its integrity. The inside was shrimp with a hint of truffle oil. Not bad.

Fish Roe Siu Mai. The classic Siu Mai were huge and porky with a bit of whole shrimp. They were solid — both literally and figuratively — but not awesome.

Chiu Chow Style Steamed Dumplings. With the peanuts inside. These were pretty tasty but the wrapper was fairly heavy.

Mushroom Shrimp Dumpling. Pretty nice and certainly plump.

XLB. Typical for dim sum XLB — aka not particularly great.

Bean Curd Balls with Vegetables. The wrapper was a bit chewy but these were enjoyable.

Steamed BBQ Pork Bao. The bun was over-steamed and the inside sickly sweet and not very pleasant.

Inside.

Baked Abalone Sauce BBQ Pork Buns. Very sticky and sweet on the outside with a sickly sweet red pork interior. Better than the steamed but not great at all.

Inside.

Deep Fried Spring Rolls. Stuff with shrimp. Very nice flakey/crunchy outside and some solid shrimp. Pretty good.

Fried Chives Shrimp Pork Patty. I always try to order these when I see them. These were good, although not the best. They did have that nice texture and the pleasant greasy quality.

Tofu with Spicy Chicken Sauce. Not sure what’s chicken about this sauce. The Tofu was the classic fried Egg Tofu and was good, even if the overall presentation was sloppy and ugly. The sweet and slightly spicy sauce was probably jarred. But I did enjoy them as I always do.

Spiced Fried Shisamo Fish. Little dark baitfish DEEP fried. They were very strong and the fry was out of control thick. No one went for a second fish.

Stuffed Morel Mushroom. Stuff with shrimp paste and topped wiht a bit of crab. While the mushroom was a bit rubbery this was one of the better dishes and is fairly rare.

Steamed Shrimp Ball with Corn. Fluffy shrimp ball, a touch underseasoned but not bad, laced with corn kernels. The corn leant it an interesting and pleasant texture.

Steamed Rice Noodle with Spare Ribs in Black Bean Sauce. We ordered these ribs on top of the chow fun in order to get a “2 for 1”. The ribs were the usual steamed ribs, a bit porky, but soft and reasonably decent. Not sure having a bunch of rice noodle underneath was much of a plus.

Sticky Rice Wrapper with Lotus Leaf. The rice itself was under-seasoned, almost sticky white rice, although the filling was very pleasant.

Inside.

Live shrimp steamed with garlic. The garlic flavor of the sauce was potent but nice. The shrimp themselves felt a bit overcooked and small and shell dominated by the time we got to eating them. Could have been much better. AND they were like $80/lb!

Crispy Durian Cake. The lard based “buttery” pastry was solid and the durian custard very durian-flavored and reasonably nice.

Overall, Happy Harbor was very “B”. None of the dishes stood out as great. Most of the normal dim sum was okay, but not only below the top A tier, but also below the better (but not top) A-/B+ places in the SGV proper. Still, Happy Harbor was better than the meh places, they have a huge menu with many good options, so it would be enjoyable if the location was convenient.

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: Dim sum, DimSumQuest, dumplings, Happy Harbor, Lunch Quest, SGV, valentines day

Pavie at BOA

Sep16

Restaurant: BOA Steakhouse [1, 2]

Location: 9200 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069. (310) 278-2050

Date: February 13, 2019

Cuisine: Steakhouse

Rating: Okay food, no wine service

Certain parties like to put dinner at BOA for a number of reasons: distance (or lack-there-of), it’s half willingness to do no corkage (but NO wine service, including stems), and it’s classic steakhouse cuisine. I’m not a particular fan as it’s just meh in about all ways — except it’s pretty easy to get to.

This dinner has a Pavie theme.

Innovative Dining, always has a style-over-substance approach and medium service. On the plus side they do waive corkage, but this has some costs (more on that later) and they are huge, mobbed, and not super attentive.

We had a nice outside table, but it wasn’t a private room and was quite loud.

From my cellar: 2002 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Cuvée Nicolas François. 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)

The menu.

2019 Château Pape Clément Blanc. 93 points. The 2019 Pape-Clément Blanc has an attractive and complex nose with yellow plum, lanolin and light smoky scents, very well-defined with neatly assimilated oak. Noticeable SO2 here. The palate is medium-bodied with fine acidity, lacking a bit of mid-weight density and thereafter it just seems to lose complexity with a tinned pineapple and Golden Delicious finish. This bottle may have suffered light strike. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting.

Tuna Tartare. Avocado, Wasabi Oil, Furikake, Crisp Wontons. Just ok.

Hamachi Tartare. Yellowtail, yuzu ginger marinade, avocado, crisp lavosh. Better, but weird that they basically have two tuna/avocado tartares.

Jumbo Lump Crab Cake. Remoulade, Fennel Frond Salad, Fried Capers. Decent.

Chilled Saffron Prawns. Cocktail Sauce, Atomic Horseradish, Lemon. Nice shrimp but I didn’t detect either Saffron or Atomic Horseradish.

Goat Cheese Baklava. Pistachios, Black Truffles, Frissee. Didn’t try because of the carbs.

Jeff Leve’s Caesar Salad, no longer made table-side and without tasbasco.

Not what it once was — definitely not legendary.

Caesar Salad — their “lengendary” recipe. A bit mustard forward.

2007 Domaine Henri Boillot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos de la Mouchère. VM 94. Peach, spices and minerals on the nose. Dense and creamy but quite dry in the mouth, with deep, nuanced flavors of yellow peach, apple and spices. Is this as brisk and fresh as the Perrieres? (A second sample was every bit as rich and offered a bit more inner-palate tension.)

The Classic Wedge, chopped.

The Classic Wedge. Crisp Iceberg Lettuce, Applewood Smoked Bacon. Not bad, but nor was it a truly great wedge. Definately not enough dressing and not cold enough.

1998 Château Pavie. VM 92. The 1998 Pavie was Gerard Perse’s second vintage after buying the property and it was actually matured in 200% new oak. Now at two decades, it continues to be attired with a fresh and very attractive bouquet, blackberry, mulberry, clove and bay leaf, just a touch of Italian delicatessen in the background. I like the definition here. The palate is medium-bodied with fine delineation and a keen thread of acidity, quite classic in style with tobacco and a light seaweed influence towards the persistent finish. This is ageing supremely well and you can another 10 to 15 years of drinking pleasure here. Excellent. Tasted at the château. (Drink between 2018-2032)

1999 Château Pavie. VM 92. The 1999 Pavie shows very similarly to another ex-château bottle encountered a few months earlier. It has an attractive bouquet that has mellowed in recent years, notes of bacon fat and mint infusing the red and black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin, red fruit, a touch of hung game and a tarry finish that does not convey the same level of freshness and delineation as the 1998 and 2000 do nowadays. A seductive Pavie, though less turbocharged than subsequent vintages. Tasted from an ex-château bottle at the estate. (Drink between 2019-2032)

Wagyu Meatballs. Not bad, but maybe a lot of filler. Good sauce.

Rosie’s Farm Half Chicken. Had a weird grilled flavor. Didn’t love.

2000 Château Pavie. VM 96. The 2000 Pavie was tasted on two occasions. The first was from bottle at the château, where I felt it was quite sauvage and displayed more brettanomyces than I remembered. It was a peculiar showing. Then I tasted a magnum back in the UK, and this chimed more with previous bottles. Blackberry and crème de cassis feature on the nose, which is precocious and modern in style, though the new oak that once dominated this Saint-Émilion is now subsumed. The palate is full-bodied and dense, yet it does possess an alluring, silky texture. A sweet, precocious finish lingers extremely long in the mouth. (Drink between 2023-2045)

2003 Château Pavie. VM 92+. Ruby-red. Superripe nose features port-like black fruits, violet, truffle, coffee and minerals. Superconcentrated, rich and layered, conveying a powerful impression of solidity. High-pitched flavors of blackberry and violet pastille along with lower tones of mocha, coffee and smoked meat. Finishes with big but noble, palate-dusting tannins and great persistence. The wine’s aftertaste saturates every square millimeter of the mouth. Ultimately more exotic, more roasted and heavier than the young 2004; a quintessence of the 2003 harvest.

Marinated Skirt Steak Frites.

2002 Château Pavie. VM 92. Saturated ruby-red. Sexy aromas of blackcurrant, black raspberry, plum, mocha, minerals, game and nutty oak. Superripe, rich and chewy, with a higher pitch than the 2001 owing to its firm acids. Quite suave and fine-grained but youthfully backward. Finishes with building, ripe tannins that coat the teeth, and lingering notes of plum, leather and chocolate. This will need a good eight to ten years of bottle aging, and should last for two decades or more.

2003 Château Pavie. VM 92+. Ruby-red. Superripe nose features port-like black fruits, violet, truffle, coffee and minerals. Superconcentrated, rich and layered, conveying a powerful impression of solidity. High-pitched flavors of blackberry and violet pastille along with lower tones of mocha, coffee and smoked meat. Finishes with big but noble, palate-dusting tannins and great persistence. The wine’s aftertaste saturates every square millimeter of the mouth. Ultimately more exotic, more roasted and heavier than the young 2004; a quintessence of the 2003 harvest.

21 Day Dry Aged Tomahawk for Two (or 8). We ordered it medium rare, came medium. Got another which was actually rare. Bearnaise sauce on the side.

Lobster Mac N Cheese. Too many carbs. Ate a bite of lobster.

Creamed Spinach with Crispy Onion. Excellent.

Brussels Sprouts & Bacon. Had a balsamic glaze which made it a bit sweet.

2004 Château Pavie. VM 93. Bright ruby, less black than the ’04 Pavie-Decesse. Sexy aromas of black cherry, violet, minerals and oak. Very suave on entry, then superripe, fat and rich in the middle and evolving slowly. Like the Pavie-Decesse, this benefits from substantial ripe tannins and lovely flavor definition, but today this shows a bit less vibrancy than either the ’04 Pavie-Decesse or the ’05 Pavie. But this very deep wine appears to be in a closed phase.

2005 Château Pavie. VM 97. Six years have passed since I last tasted the 2005 Pavie. In that time, the wine has moved into its first plateau of maturity. Heady and explosive, the 2005 possesses tremendous richness right out of the gate. An infusion of inky dark fruit, chocolate, leather, spice, menthol and espresso greets the palate as the 2005 shows off its considerable charms. The style of the era is evident in the wine’s rich, extracted feel and strong oak inflections. My preference is to drink the 2005 now, as early signs of aromatic maturity are starting to set in. Tasted two times. (Drink between 2021-2030)

2006 Château Pavie. VM 95. Good full medium ruby. Blackberry, black cherry, licorice and minerals on the nose. Suave on entry, then cool and minerally in the middle palate, with brooding black fruit flavors. Today this comes across as less fleshy than the 2007, with the result that the tannins seem a bit tough. But there’s plenty of sweet fruit lurking and a very solid spine for aging.

Porterhouse Brooklyn with garlic and rosemary. Again ordered medium rare, again came way too cooked — but we were too lazy to send it back again.

Sauteed Mushrooms.

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

The wine.

Food was ok. It’s not nearly — not even close to — as good as The Royce, but it’s better than more hack steakhouses like Del Friscos or terrible ones like Taylor’s. The place is gigantic and a bit of a factory. It was very crowded and the like. Service was friendly but a bit distant — and wine service non existant.

They did waive corkage. But on the minus side, and perhaps because of this, they didn’t touch the bottles (maybe a good thing), so we did everything. AND they very strictly limited us to THREE glasses each (up from two last time). They directly told the staff not to give us any more. This is mostly the fault of certain parties who just aren’t willing to pay for corkage (which covers stem cleaning/washing).

The group has learned to break up the courses which is good, but of course really there should be more of a red/white balance. It’s hard to know if the food has changed or my taste has but it seemed lamer than it was a few years ago. Not terrible or anything, but just sloppier and a bit blander. Execution is just so-so. They can’t even do salads that well.

The wines, however, were excellent!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BOA, Bordeaux, BYOG, Gelato, hedonists, Pavie, steakhouse

All Day at 888

Sep11

Restaurant: 海珍大酒樓 888 seafood restaurant [1, 2, 3]

Location: 8450 Valley Blvd, Rosemead, CA 91770. (626) 573-1888

Date: February 12, 2023

Cuisine: Cantonese Dimsum & Banquet

Rating: good not great, but awesome room and a lot of fun

As has become a bit of a tradition, Superbowl Sunday hedonist style is an all day affair at 888 Seafood. Not one but two meals!

The frontage.

Nothing like hanging out in the hall with the hanging meat!

Jeffrey’s sauce bar.

We have been in this giant private room both with a single monster table and with the current two large table configurations.

Overall, dim sum here was very “meh.” It was certainly the worst I’ve had recently in the SGV (as I’ve been going to good places), but solid enough to be enjoyable. In general, skins were too thick and things were a bit overcooked. They do have a lot of variety but the “banquet” side of 888 is way better than the dim sum side.

Jellyfish. Pretty meh jellyfish with a decent texture but no flavor. Jellyfish needs an acidic sauce/marinate.

Cold meat plate. The pork was excellent, the duck solid, the chicken fine, and the pink pork “wurst” stuff incredible. Great “cured meat” quality.

Steamed Chicken Feet in Brown Sauce. People said they were gross.

Sparerib in Black Bean Sauce. Very piggy and unpleasant version of this typical dish. Texture was okay but the flavor was terrible.

Premium Har Gow. These weren’t so premium. The skins were a little thick and over-steamed and the interior, while fine and full of solid shrimp, was bland and under seasoned. Still not bad or anything, but bland.

Pork & Shrimp Siu Mai. A touch oversteamed but savory enough, so reasonably tasty.

Chiu Chow Style Pork & Peanut Dumpling. These had a heavy wrapper but the filling was delicious with a mix of peanuts, meats, and various veggies.

Shrimp & Chives Dumpling. Again the wrapper was a little thick and the inside okay but a touch underseasoned.

XLB. Pretty decent actually for dim sum XLB. The pork itself was very tasty but there wasn’t really any juice.

Bean Curd Skin Rolls in Brown Sauce. Actually one of the better dim sum here with a nice texture and decent flavor. Not as nicely white peppered as the best versions, but certainly enjoyable.

Steamed Rice Noodle Roll with Shrimp. Solid Chow Fun with good texture and lots of shrimp. Sauce wasn’t sweet but did work.

Steamed Rice Noodle Roll with BBQ Pork. Again, a pretty good Chow Fun as the BBQ pork here is good.

Pan Fried Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll. I think I actually tried to order the Red Rice Noodle Roll and got this instead. It was pretty good though, being basically a dried shrimp and chive Chow Fun that was pan fried. Tasty in a greasy way.

Steamed BBQ Pork Bun. THe pork inside was very sweet but there was a good amount of it. The dough was over steamed and soggy.

Baked BBQ Pork Bun. Decent but sweet filling, so-so bun.

Contents.

Pan Fried Dace Fishcake. Dense and very fried with an interesting flavor. Not to everyone’s taste but I kind of liked it.

Deep Fried Shrimp Spring Roll. Solid enough version of this with a heavy but crispy shell and lots of shrimp.

Pan Fried Water Chestnut Cake. We didn’t know what to expect from this, and certainly not what we got, but it did turn out delicious. It was gelatinous and vaguely sweet — quite yummy.

Eggplant with Shrimp Paste. The fried fish ball was good, but this kind of straight up baked or steamed eggplant not my favorite texture.

Egg Tofu with Fish Paste in Brown Sauce. I like the soft egg tofu texture and the fish paste (which might have been shrimp paste?) was good, so this was a pleasant dish. Could it have been better with a stronger peppery brown sauce and a more seasoned fish cake? Sure, but it was pretty good anyway.

Steamed Beef Ball. Solid and chewy version of this classic. Very stuck together.

Mushrooms and vegetables.

Sticky Rice Wrapped with Lotus Leaves. I didn’t get a chance to try.

Custard Egg Tart. Very meh version. Eggy, and certainly not offensive, but not great.

Wines.

The coma.

BBQ Suckling Pig. Absolutely awesome and probably one of the best Chinese pig’s I’ve had. It was porky in the best way with a crispy skin and that “sizzling pork fat” thing going on. Really delicious.

100 Flower Chicken. Nice version of this relatively rare dish with the crispy skin and the luscious shrimp paste. Could have been a touch more seasoned but still delicious.

Hot and Sour Soup. Just okay with a decent texture but wasn’t really hot or sour.

Beef Brisket in Chili Oil. Tasty but not amazing.

Crab in Salty Egg Yolk. I don’t love the salty egg yolk prep as it’s kind of heavy and has a grainy quality, but this was one of the best crab’s I’ve had with it. The shell’s were very tender and there was a lot of meat so one could crunch through and really enjoy the sweet meat.

Lamb, onion, cilantro, and mushroom stir fry. I guess this was a variant on cumin lamb (without much cumin). It was soft but quite enjoyable.

Typhoon Style Garlic Lobster. Really nice lobster with lots of meat and crispy garlic.

Eggplant and String Beans. Okay but not my favorite.

Cauliflower with Southern Chinese Sausage. Yum, that sweet porky sausage makes any vegetable good.

Yang Chow Fried Rice.

Kung Pao Fried Rice. Interesting.

Piggy!

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

One of my earliest Signature Flavors —Tiramisu Gelato — The base is a highly technical Zabaione of Egg Yolk, Fresh Mascarpone Cheese, and Sweet Marsala with Fresh Brewed Espresso. It’s dusted with Valrhona Cocoa powder and layered with house-made Vanilla Rum Espresso syrup-soaked Lady Fingers — the final result is totally Tiramisu — 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 #Tiramisu #Espresso #coffee #chocolate #Marsala #Zabaione #Eggyolk #Rum #Mascarpone

Wines.

Out in the main hall!

Dimsum at 888 was solid, but not particularly interesting or super fresh. Definitely a notch or two down from the made to order places. Shells were a bit “sticky” which indicates they have been sitting in the steamers for a bit. Also, because we were starting at 2pm the dim sum kitchen was closing and so they brought EVERYTHING out all at once.

The banquet food was better, pretty good actually. It’s not the best Cantonese restaurant in the SGV for dinner, but it’s certainly way way better than anything further west and really quite good. Service is very nice and good for the SGV. And that mega banquet room rocks. They have a couple of them too but ours is the best. Really great private party space even if a little garish.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: 888 Seafood, BYOG, Cantonese Chinese, Chinese Food, Dim sum, Gelato, hedonists, SGV

DimSumQuest – Lunasia

Sep08

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

Location: 500 West Main Street Suite A, Alhambra, CA 91801. (626) 308-3222

Date: February 23, 2023

Cuisine: Cantonese Dim Sum

Rating: Excellent

The DimSumQuest group continues to scour San Gabriel Valley dim sum restaurants. I’ve actually been to Lunasia many times before, but this is my first trip here for dim sum in a long time, so I figured that instead of updating the old post (it’s almost a decade old) I’d do an entirely new report.

Pretty menu.

House Special Stir Cucumber. The cucumbers themselves were fine, but they dumped packaged sweet and spicy dipping sauce on them. Kind of meh.

Seaweed Salad. This “seaweed” salad seemed like Jellyfish Salad. It was chewy, which was okay, but with a grainy mustardy dressing that lacked acidity — so not very pleasant.

Hangry brought some Beijing Lamb Buns from next door.

Steamed Chicken Feet. Bland.

Spare Ribs w/ Black Bean Sauce. Pretty good actually with lots of meat. Not much “black bean” but one of the better versions of this we have had — not the best but pretty good.

Jumbo Shrimp & Pork Siu-Mai. Huge but delicious with tons of pork meat and whole shrimp suspended inside.

Truffle Siu-Mai. The truffle version was identical but with canned truffle on top. Actually quite good but perhaps not legions better than the basic version.

Jumbo Shrimp Har-Gow. Great version, with fabulous shrimp inside and a good shell. Not the thinest shell ever but with first rate texture. After a few minutes the shell got a little sticky but that always happens.

Scallop Dumpling w/ Squid Ink. Sometimes the scallop dumpling falls a little short but not this one. The squid ink wrapper was nice and there was a lot of scallop inside, almost like a cooked “battleship” scallop sushi.

Spinach Shrimp Dumpling. Unusual, usually this is chive. It had both a green “spinach” wrapper and spinach inside with the shrimp — which surprisingly worked well.

XLB. Solid dim sum version. Not amazing or anything but better than many.

Pork Bean Curd Wrap w/ Broth. Really quite nice. This is the broth version, as opposed to the “flavor corn starch sauce” version, but the broth was pleasant and the rolls excellent.

Steamed BBQ Pork Char Siu Bao. There was plenty of filling but it was overly sweet and the bun itself was soggy and over-steamed. Not terrible but fairly meh.

Contents.

Baked BBQ Pork Char Siu Bao. The baked version had the same overly sweet pork. The bun was oddly small and just okay.

Inside.

Pan-Fried Pork Bun w/ Crab Meat. The buns seemed a bit soggy but the “crab” filling was interesting.

Inside again.

Stick Rice Wrap. This classic was great, probably second only to the 1968 version. Lots of stuff inside the rice and a great rice flavor. Excellent.

The guts.

Supreme Beef Ball. I’m the only one who liked these chewy beef balls.

Shrimp Egg Roll. Nice and crispy with a lot of shrimp inside. Quite good.

Deep Fried Taro Cake? Not sure exactly what this was but the texture was fabulously crispy. Quite lovely.

Mixed Puff with Pork. Just okay version. Not crispy enough and not enough flavor in the filling.

Live Lobster Chow-Fun. I’ve never had lobster chow fun, but now I have and this was awesome. One of the best regular chow fun I’ve had. The sauce cold have been a little strong/sweeter but the texture was very nice and there were lots of nice lobster chunks.

Crispy Seafood Noodle. Just fair version of this generally excellent dish. Seafood itself was pretty good but the MSG factor was very high.

Pan-Fried String-Beans. Woah — MSG string beans. Nicely crispy but they were also stir-fried with the same sweet chili sauce that were used on the cucumbers. Weird.

Assorted BBQ Combination Quartet with Hong Kong Roasted Duck, Lunasia Boiled Chicken, Macao Style Roasted Pork Belly, and BBQ Pork (char siu). Kinda excellent, particularly the char siu. But the duck and Macao pork were also great. Some great sauces for them too.

BBQ meat sauces.

Pineapple Bun and Macao Style Egg Custard. The Pineapple Bun was small but very good with a nice flavored custard and good texture. The egg tart was quite good, although still not in the same league as the Montery Palace one. Macao (caramelized) egg tarts are almost always better than the regular ones.

Pure and Concentrated Evil — Kentucky Mud Pie Gelato — Expresso Knob Creek Bourbon Custard Gelato base with layers of house-made Crushed Oreo Valrhona Fudge Ganache, and house-made Vanilla Coconut Cream Cheese Icing — The Plaid Mode of Gelati and includes a hefty Caffeine kick — 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 #valrhona #chocolate #ganache #expresso #bourbon #custard #oreos #icing

Overall Lunasia was much better than I expected. It’s always been quite good for dim sum, and there is some uneveness to the kitchen, but the steamed items were in general excellent, in the A tier. Fried items were good too. But baked savory items a bit meh, and some duds like the cucumbers and jellyfish. Desserts were excellent. The non dim sum dishes here generally aren’t great, but the BBQ was very solid. So overall maybe A-, slightly under 1968 and Tonys, but very close.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Cantonese cuisine, Chinese cuisine, Chinese Food, Dim sum, DimSumQuest, Lunch Quest, SGV

Rhone & the Goat

Sep05

Restaurant: Girl & the Goat [1, 2]

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

Date: February 8, 2023

Cuisine: Modern American

Rating: Very tasty, some service “issues” with large parties (no private space)

This is my second time here. Food is really good, but generally when Yarom returns he opens a bunch of SQN — blech. However, tonight as a top flight Rhone dinner, which is perfect with goat and more my style.

They are located in a fairly cute offshoot area of downtown I don’t think I have been to.

Swank build out, although we (fortunately) sat outside.

Our table — not quite large enough.

Super-fun night was a great crew, great wines, and great food! We certainly had a LOT of it too.

Jeffrey and I collaborated on the menu which turned out to be perfect. Not listed is the epic Goat Shoulder. They initially tried to get us to take their standard large party menu which had almost every other dish on the paper menu — all the lame carby ones — and NO GOAT!?!

2008 Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Cuvée Rare. 93 points.

Krug rose.

Bille rose.

1989 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc. 92 points. Actually great!

2017 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc. VM 96. Translucent yellow. An intensely perfumed bouquet evokes ripe pear, yellow plum, orange zest, smoky minerals and jasmine, along with a deeper suggestion of honey. Honeysuckle, energetic, sharply delineated citrus, orchard fruit flavors stain the palate and become weightier with aeration. The mineral note expands as the wine opens up and drives an impressively long, chewy finish that features lingering floral, brioche and saffron notes. (Drink between 2027-2036)

roasted oysters. clam baguette . sausage butter . oyster sauce mayo . finger lime. I just ate the oyster (skipping the bread) but it was pretty good with bright flavors and richness — and I don’t usually love cooked oysters.

1983 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage. JG 96. I have been a huge fan of the 1983 Chave in all of its various guises, and this most recent bottle was the finest I have yet had the pleasure to taste. The wine was at its absolute apogee, as it soared from the glass in a classic blend of black raspberries, black olives, grilled venison, a bit of bacon fat, ground pepper, great stony soil tones, espresso, and a bit of violet in the upper register. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, deep, pure and very transparent down to its stony soil, with a rock solid core of pure, black raspberry fruit, great complexity, melting tannins, bright acids and stunning length and grip on the pure and profound finish. Unlike the more recent vintages of Chave Hermitage, which seem to have all of their quality on the surface, this wine wells up from the depths of the glass and is clearly a wine of bottomless beauty. The best bottle yet of the 1983 that I have had the pleasure to taste, and I drink this vintage with some regularity! (Drink between 2008-2025)

1985 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage. JG 95. I finished up my last bottles of 1985 Chave Hermitage a few years back, after having been very happy with the case I bought many, many years ago, but always having the feeling that with each bottle I drunk that the wine had not yet reached its absolute apogee of peak maturity. This is also a vintage of Chave where there is quite a bit of bottle variation, as reportedly, there were three slightly different “blends” produced by Gérard Chave in this year, to match the wishes of his various importers. In any case, this most recent bottle was the finest example of the 1985 that I have ever tasted and fully open and singing, offering up a very complex and red fruity nose of raspberries, spiced meats, pepper, a touch of cocoa powder, bonfires, incipient notes of forest floor, lavender and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and gorgeously transparent, with a great core of fruit, stunning complexity, melted tannins and a very long, tangy and beautifully balanced finish. Makes me wish I was only just starting in on my own case of the 1985! (Drink between 2019-2060)

1991 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage. VM 96. The same is true of the 1991 Hermitage. A few months ago, I had a bottle of the Cuvée Cathelin, one of my favorite wines on the planet, so I was curious to check in on the Hermitage. Here it is the wine’s suppleness and silkiness that are utterly captivating. Expressive floral notes linger on the open, caressing finish.

duck tartare. gochujang mayo . cape gooseberries . sesame . fried brussels. This was eaten all mixed up and it was quite delicious with the gochujang mayo dominating and adding a mustardy slightly spicy zing. Great texture too.

goat liver mousse. crumpets . biscuit crackers . pickled manquats . persimmon-apple jam . craisin relish. First of all the crumpets, vaguely like Chinese fried bread that they were, were hot and delicious. Then the liver itself was much like chicken liver, very smooth and rich. It was nicely offset by the pickles and/or jam — particularly on on one of the bread options.

shrimp & crispy greens. avocado . satsuma mandarin . pepita crunch . limey-herby dressing. Great crispy texture and a nice bright acidic sweet salad.

Good times.

2000 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage. VM 92-95. Full ruby. Raw red berries, leather and pepper on the nose. Thick and silky but bright; youthful and primary. Boasts good power for the vintage. Peleat: Bright deep ruby. Complex, stony aromas of tobacco, mocha, brown spices, pepper and iris. Smooth and vinous, with terrific class and delicacy more than power. Already offers lovely detail. Finishes firmly tannic and persistent. Very expressive of the vintage. L’Hermite: Saturated ruby. Explosive, quintessential Hermitage aromas of raw currant, leather, game, minerals and cedary spice. Supple and silky but quite unevolved. Here the tannins come off as a bit tough. Bessards: Deeper, more medicinal aromas of black fruits, cassis leaf and leather. Quite powerfully constituted but not yet sweet. A very serious, tannic lot that will provide the spine for the ultimate blend. Bessards from a new barrique: Sexy aromas of black raspberry, licorice, espresso and bitter chocolate. Sweeter in the middle than the last sample, then tough on the back end, with strong oak tannins showing. Bessards yet again: Aroma of raw crushed currant. Sauvage and minerally in the mouth; supple texture nicely framed by integrated acidity. A lovely blend of sweetness and tannic structure. Peppery on the back end. Very much a wine from granite soil. Meal: Sappy aromas of redcurrant, minerals and brown spices. Less fresh in the middle than the Bessards, with tannins a bit tough. Meal again: Roasted redcurrant, smoke, minerals and game on the nose. Silkier and more pliant in the mouth; this offers much better balance and more finesse than the last mouthful. Here the tannins are less rigid. The tougher sample was from a parcel that yielded just 25 hectoliters per hectare, while this parcel produced 35, noted Jean-Louis. Should make a lovely drink, though it’s hard to believe this wine will equal the ’99.

2003 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage. VM 98. “Now we take the monster out of his cage,” Jean-Louis warned me before pouring this. Inky, almost black in color. Elemental, hugely concentrated and powerful on the nose, which slowly unveils aromas of dark cherry liqueur, blackberry, cassis, espresso and a deep note of sweet tobacco. Impossibly rich and dense on the palate (the yields in 2003 were off by two-thirds), showing myriad dark fruit and bitter chocolate flavors, with a suggestion of tapenade and an intense licorice quality. Remarkably, this takes on a mineral tone on the finish, which has the effect of further drawing out the amazingly powerful finish.

2007 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage. VM 95-96. A real fruit bomb, with sexy aromas of red berries, cherry and cassis. Lithe and precise on the palate, with tangy mineral lift and very good cut. From Beaume: Exotic, intensely floral aromas of violet, lavender and magnolia. Sweet red fruits and spices on the palate, with the floral quality repeating. Again from Beaume: Spicy and mineral-driven, with sappy red berry flavors and gentle tannins. Less wild than the previous barrel. From L’Hermite: Musky cherry and dark berry aromas are complicated by minerals and underbrush. Fleshy dark berry and cherry pit flavors cling nicely to the palate. From Meal: A very rich sample, offering powerful cherry and cassis scents and a suavely smoky mineral note. Sappy and broad on the palate, displaying sweet kirsch and smoked meat qualities. From Bessards: Deep, strongly perfumed bouquet evokes cherry, cassis, cured meat and licorice. Firm and chewy, with deep dark berry flavors and slow-building tannins. “This will provide the spine of the final wine,” Chave told me. Again from Bessards: Hypnotic aromas of raspberry, candied cherry and incense, with a fresh lashing of minerals. Brisk and focused, with wonderfully pure red fruit flavors and silky texture. Impossibly pure and long on the finish. The final wine will be a riot of red and darker berry fruits, with excellent freshness and clarity.

pork belly noodles. chili crunch . black eyed peas . pickled veggies. Great noodle dish with a very bright light flavor with crunchy bits of rich pork belly. Vague Thai vibe like many dishes here.

braised crispy lamb. kabocha squash stew . pumpkin seed . locust bean yogurt. This was the weakest dish of the night. Some of the lamb was overcooked and dry and I don’t really like squash at all. But still it wasn’t bad.

grilled corn. spiced coconut caramel . cotija . tajin. Definately a hint of Thai going on here but this was some seriously delicious corn on the cobb with a kind of sweet and spicy vibe.

sautéed green beans. fish sauce vinaigrette . cashews. Interesting. Nicely cooked, still very crispy, with a richess from both the mayo-like-dressing and the cashews.

grilled whole branzino. thai style sweet n’ sour . mung bean apple pomelo salad . pickled vegetables. Very strong Thai flavor pattern with coconut and a light curry flavor. Delicious with a nice textural interplay between the soft fish and the crispy fruits and veggies (vaguely like a papaya salad).

2008 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage. VM 91-93. Highly floral bouquet of raspberry, blackberry, violet and Asian spices. Silky in texture, with sweet, fleshy, vibrant red fruit flavors joined by a late note of tangy minerals. From Peleat: Spicy cherry and dark fruit aromas give way to a deeper plum quality with air. Weighty blackberry and kirsch flavors are framed by dusty tannins and pack a solid punch. Surprisingly ripe for this vintage. From L’Hermite: Intensely mineral scents of strawberry, cherry and herbs. Dry and tightly wound, with bitter cherry and tangy red berry flavors. Firm but not tannic, with good finishing cut. From Meal: Ripe cherry and blackcurrant on the nose, plus a hint of cracked pepper. Full, chewy and gently sweet dark fruit flavors are braced by tangy minerals and close on a smoky note. From Bessards: Impressively fresh red berry aromas, with notes of Asian spices, minerals and potpourri. Very elegant in style, with pinot-like clarity and red fruit drive. Finishes with excellent vivacity and spicy persistence. The ultimate wine should be attractive early but looks balanced to age.

2009 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage. VM 96. Drop-dead, highly aromatic bouquet of red berries, incense and potpourri, with concentrated spiciness. From Beaume: Deeper and riper (15.5% alcohol, according to Chave), with intense cassis and blueberry character and hints of licorice and bitter chocolate. From L’Ermite: Heady aromas of red and dark berry preserves, licorice and violet, with a strong note of fruitcake. From Meal: Mineral-driven dark berry and cherry aromas and flavors, with silky tannins that gain strength with air. Really expands on the back end. From La Mortine, in L’Hermite: Powerful, pungent scents of dried red fruits, cherry-cola and licorice. More floral with air. Finishes with gentle grip and dusty minerality. From Bessards, a granite and clay parcel: Distinctly smoky and rich, offering deep blackberry and bitter cherry flavors that become sweeter with air. From Bessards, all granite: Sexy red fruits and minerals on the spicy, perfumed nose. Sweet and penetrating, repeating the red fruit note emphatically. Chave says that this might be the base for Cuvee Cathelin if it develops on the trajectory he anticipates. The final 2009 wine should be a lively, precise and attractively floral-accented wine, with excellent fruit intensity and strong minerality.

goat curry. masa chips . radish . pickled veggies. The goat curry version of Heuvos Rancheros? Interesting with the meaty curry and a lot of really crunchy and flavor-infused chips mixed in. Delicious and addictive.

sticky glazed pork shank. shiitake . asian pear . hoisin mayo . hot mustard . naan . lettuce cups. The first of our two big meat plates this fatty delectable but also sweet and crunchy meat could be arranged into various taco-like configurations or eaten by itself. A little like Chinese pork hock.

The pork itself and lettuce wrap options.

Flat breads.

Sauces for the pork.

My lettuce taco.

Flintstone.

2011 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage. VM 94-95. Tough to read initially, displaying scents of dried cherry, cassis and smoked meat. Chewy and deeply pitched, with sneaky spice and mineral notes coming up with air. #2, from Peleat: Fresher and more red-fruity, with intense spiciness and a hint of candied violet. Shows an appealing silkiness. #3, from L’Hermite: Explosively perfumed bouquet evokes candied red fruits, fresh flowers and minerals, with a hint of Asian spices. Juicy and precise, with strong finishing cut and focus. #4, from Meal: Exotic, floral accented red berry preserve and spicecake aromas and flavors. Sappy and precise, with excellent finishing lift and cut. #5, from Bessards: The wildest of this set, with deep cherry and dark berry character and impressive power. Finishes smoky and long, with resonating spiciness. The bottled wine should be surprisingly dense and dark-fruited for the year, with solid structure and the capacity to age.

2015 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage. VM 97. Youthful purple color. Mineral-accented dark berries, star anise, cola, olive and pungent flowers on the explosively perfumed nose. Offers impressively concentrated, expansive flavors of black raspberry, spicecake, smoked meat and candied flowers that are complicated by licorice candy and dark chocolate notes that sneak in on the back half. Sweet, sappy and precise on the floral- and dark fruit-driven finish, which shows outstanding clarity and round, harmonious tannins that build smoothly and steadily. (Drink between 2028-2040)

The second of our big plates was the pre-order house special Goat Shoulder. It came with pickles, various breads, lettuce wraps, and many sauces.

Zoom.

The crunchy fried tortilla-like breads were incredible.

So I couldn’t resist using a diet-busting “bread” for my goat wrap.

almond & citrus. almond buttercake . citrus ice cream . kumquats . blood orange gastrique . brown butter fun crunch. Very pleasant citrus, almost passionfruit-like flavors and texture texture variation (which is a theme at GATG).

miso butterscotch budino. piced tuile . passion fruit honey . honey whip. I was a little dissapointed with this — now it was good — but it was also very sweet.

The lineup.

The Chaves were incredible tonight. Every bottle was in perfect shape. The 1989 white was super complex, mellow, and “young.” The 85, 00, and 03 were particular standouts of the reds — but they were all very nice. Even the young ones were very approachable. Superb wine and paired very well with the zesty flavors here.

Food here is really good. Almost all of the dishes were really tasty. Very savory, fatty, salty and all that, but full of zest and punch. Chef Izzard was in the house on the night we went.

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By: agavin
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Tagged as: Girl & the Goat, goat, Rhone, Wine

Roscioli at Mozza

Sep02

Restaurant: Osteria Mozza

Location: 6602 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038. (323) 297-0100

Date: February 6, 2023

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Strange meal, but some great dishes

This was a special Roscioli dinner hosted at Mozza by Nancy Silverton (shown below). While the food was very good, and it was a fun evening, it turned out to be a bit of a money grub. It was $250 and most of what is shown was shared between two people. The highlight was two plates of very simple pasta.

Roscioli is a casual but amazing trattoria in Rome that I visited last time I was in the eternal city.

A very crowded dining room.

Us and Nancy Silverton (shown here).

The very short fixed menu for tonight.

2014 Emidio Pepe Trebbiano d’Abruzzo. VM 92. Bright dark straw-yellow. Musky but subdued aromas of orange, herbs and lees. Gently floral and vinous on entry, then slightly dilute in the middle, showing a wild character to the saline orchard fruit and herb flavors on the medium-long, uncomplicated finish. Considering how wet the 2014 vintage was, this is a very successful wine. (Drink starting 2016)

Antipasti. This (and all the food except the meatballs and cannoli) were served for the two of us.

Selection of Salumi: Prosciutto, Salame & Capocollo. Good stuff, really as good as these particular meats get, but not exactly prepared here (other than being sliced).

Mortadella with Crispy Flatbread & Parmigiano Curls. Very Italian actually and I do love a good Mortadella (aka bologna). Very nice combined with the vegetables.

Mozzarella di Bufala with Cantabrian Anchoives & Zucchini “alla Scapece”. These marinated veggies and Mozzarella were really first rate actually. You rarely get these kind of classic Italian products here at this kind of quality level.

Traditional Eggplant Caponata with Dried Fruit, Pine Nuts & Pistachios. Probably the best Caponata I’ve had.

Fried Squash Blossoms Stuffed with Roman Oxtail Stew served with Cacio e Pepe Fonduta. Unusual version of this and richer and more complex than the usual ricotta stuffed versions. Yummy for sure.

1999 Lisini Brunello di Montalcino Ugolaia. VM 91. Lisini’s 1999 Brunello di Montalcino Ugolaia presents generous sensations of over-ripe jammy fruit and alcohol with great concentration and expansiveness on the palate and a sublime, long finish. Made in a powerful, seamless style, Ugolaia is clearly a wine crafted to impress, and indeed initially it succeeds, but upon closer reflection it comes across as somewhat one-dimensional in its expression. Anticipated maturity (Drink between 2013-2019)

Bigoli Cacio e Pepe with Pecorino, Parmigiano and Roscioli Pepper Blend. Probably the best Cacio e Pepe I’ve had. The noodles were delightfully thick and very al dente and chewy, the cheese bright, and the pepper very coarse and intense. Perfectly balanced.

Mezzze Maniche Amatriciana with Tomato, Guanciale, Pecorino & Parmigiano. Very classic Amatriciana. The pasta was very chewy and al dente. Absolutely adictive texture. The Guanciale was extremely rendered and very nicely crunchy like I remember at Roscioli. There was a pleasant pork and tomato blend to the sauce. First rate.

Traditional Roman Meatballs with Baby Potatoes. This was the worst dish by a mile. Just so so meatballs and some potatoes. The tomato sauce was excellent though and you can see the nice seperation in the photo. That this was the main in a $250 dinner was a little insulting.

Sicilian Cannolo with Ricotta, Chocolate Chips, Candied Fruit & Pistachios. Great Cannoli for American. The ricotta wasn’t anywhere near as good as in Sicily but the shell was nice and crispy and the candied orange fabulous. I would have liked the fruit inserted into the cannoli but when combined it was great.

So this was a weird dinner. It basically felt like a money grab as for $250/pp it was a couple cold apps, some very basic (if excellent) pastas, and 2 meatballs! That being said the pastas were best in class Roman pastas. But the ingredients are so cheap. We are talking pasta, cheese, water, and pepper (for the cacio).

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By: agavin
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Tagged as: cacio, Italian cuisine, meatballs, Osteria Mozza, pasta, Roscioli

DimSumQuest – Chef Tony

Aug31

Restaurant: Chef Tony Dim Sum

Location: 1108 S Baldwin Ave, Arcadia, CA 91007. (626) 623-6668

Date: February 2, 2023

Cuisine: Chinese Dim Sum

Rating: Most dishes quite good

Continuing our group survey of LA’s best dim sum is Chef Tony, the original Arcadia location. I once went to the Pasadena branch, now shuttered, but I haven’t been here.

Frontage is strip mall.

A much smaller, pleasant, but less upscale dining room than the Pasadena location.

You can see into the kitchen and the steaming chamber.

Where the magic happens.

Epic menu!

The dim sum menu.

Cucumber Salad with Garlic and Vinegar. A very solid version of this classic. Cucumbers were nice and crisp and “fresh” tasting. It wasn’t smashed cucumbers, more cut, and there wasn’t much garlic. It did have a decent sauce though and was taken up a notch by the addition of our high end “Jing” chili oil.

Wood Ear Salad with Mature Vinegar. This might have been the best marinated wood ear I’ve had. Perfect chewy texture and a great sweet/sour sauce.

They had very solid sauces here at Chef Tony’s including strong mustard, black vinegar with ginger, and a very nice chili paste with a strong vinegar tang.

Preserved Chicken Feet with Chili. Yuck. And I don’t see any chili.

Steamed Chicken Feet with Brown Sauce. Not much better. Everyone thought these were bland.

Spareribs with Black Bean Sauce. Very soft and juicy with lots of meat. This might have been the best pork niblets we’ve had!

Har Gow. Very good thin skinned with nice whole shrimp inside. Great texture and not over-steamed. I think I liked these better than the “fancy” black version.

Squid Ink Shrimp Dumpling with Gold Leaf. Basically har gow. The Squid Ink shell didn’t taste like much. Not bad at all since these are great har gow, but nothing too special.

Shrimp and Pork Dimpling with Black Truffle. Siu Mai. Really nice ones at that with a more al dente wrapper. I’m not sure the truffle adds here, but it wasn’t offensive like it sometimes is.

XLB. Probably the best dim sum place XLB I’ve had. Nice and juicy and served with good black vinegar and ginger.

Scallop and Shrimp Dumpling with Fish Roe. Somehow not that exciting and not quite as balanced as the har gow — although certainly tasty.

Shrimp Wonton with House Spicy Sauce. These were great. Very delicate with lots of great shrimp plus the sauce, which was more sweet than actually spicy, was fantastic.

Rice Noodle Roll (Chow Fun) with Minced Beef & Chinese Parsley. I haven’t had a beef Chow Fun in a while. This had great texture as it was steamed perfectly. The meat was very soft, pleasant tasting, and extremely mild. Overall nice, but it would be useful to try some of the other flavors. It also wasn’t sauced with the usual seasoned sweet soy, which I do like with Chow Fun.

Sticky Rice wrapped in Lotus Leaf. This is a classic and we liked how they were actually smaller. It was perfectly stick and steamed and had a realative lot of filling. While it wasn’t quite as awesome as the 1968 version it was a very good example of this dish, possibly the second best I’ve had recently.

It’s not all rice which is great.

Whole thing.

Deep Fried Shrimp Spring Roll. The exterior was solid, but not awesomely flakey. The interior was more real shrimp and was excellent.

I think these were crispy fried shrimps.

Deep Fried Pork Dumpling. This was a very solid example of the Glutinous version of the pork dumpling. It had a nice chew and a decent amount of filling. It fell just slightly short of perfection as it wasn’t really crispy on the outside.

The interior.

Savory Deep Fried Chinese Donut stuffed with Mixed Shrimp, Squid, and Fish Paste. This was a polarizing dish. Jeffrey didn’t like the mayo (which was probably Kewpie) but I LOVED it. In fact I ate almost all of them even though I shouldn’t have. It had a great exterior crunch, a really nice umami shrimp cake interior, and that nice bit of acidic fatty zing from the “flavored” mayo.

Eggplant Stuffed with Shrimp Paste. Just okay, although the sauce was great (possibly the same as was on the spicy wontons).

Steamed BBQ Pork Bun (Char Siu Bao). Certainly a very solid version. Smaller than usual, which wasn’t bad, with a good ratio of sweet juicy BBQ pork filling. The bun was nicely steamed. This isn’t my favorite classic, but this was well executed.

Interior.

French Baked BBQ Pork Bun. Same filling as the steamed, and also a bit smaller than some, but with a nice crispy sweet exterior. Not the absolute best but a solid 8/10 version and better than the steamed (not realtively, but just because I like the baked better).

Interior.

Ginger, Chicken, Shrimp and Pork Bun. Interesting shape and the inside had a very pronounced shredded ginger chicken thing going on which was quite lovely and unique. Maybe it was the hit of ginger pungency. Very good.

Interior.

Pan Fried Shrimp and Pork Pandan Bun. The pandan leaf lends this bao its distinct pretty green color. It was nicely pan fried too and the dough was quite pleasant. The interior was fine too but overall I didn’t love it as much as I remembered from the last time I had it (at the Pasadena location).

Interior.

This chicken was displayed this way first.

Roast Crispy Chicken with Black Truffle. I’m not sure about the black truffle part, but we ordered this because of the irresistable “Vlad the impaler’s chicken” vibe the menu gave at — and the impaled chicken didn’t dissapoint. The dish too was actually great. Really nice juicy chicken with a crispy skin. Just a very nice roast chicken.

Poached Sliced Beef in Hot Chili Oil. This is a classic Sichuan dish and a fairly solid version at that. Quite a bit of numbing Sichuan peppercorns and tender beef — plus way too many bean sprouts but that’s a thing with this dish. I’ve had versions with more depth to the broth but this was quite solid and had the proper more water/oil texture rather than the goopy corn sauce vibe.

Sateed String Bean with Minced Pork. Very solid version with crispy beans and lots of umami almost XO-like pork.

Deep Fried Durian Pastry. After so many great dishes it was surprising to bite into this one — it was awful. The outside was a bit greasy and the durian inside overcooked and heavy with a bannana-like texture. Ick. Nothing like the incredible crispy puff with light durian cream at Monterey Palace.

Interior.

Egg Custard Tart w/ Milk. I’m not sure what the “milk” deal is but these pale soft tarts had almost no flavor and certainly not much egg flavor. Barely seemed like a custard at all. Big fail and maybe the worst egg tart I’ve had. Again the divine one at Monterey Park comes to mind.

Coconut Bunny Pudding. So cute and served very very cold. These had that agar agar jelly texture, much like a chilled hard-boiled egg white. The taste was mildly sweet and mildly coconuty. It was actually pleasant but not much to it.

Cute!

Overall, Chef Tony’s was one of the best dim sum place we’ve been to. Hard to remember exactly how it compared to Pasadena (3-4 years ago) but while the menu was almost the same I think this is quite a bit better. Almost all the savory dim sum was great, particualy the steamed dishes. The desserts were weirdly awful. The wood ear, spareribs, har gow, XLB, shrimp wonton, and sticky rice were first or second in class. Given how good the chicken, beef, and stringbeans were I suspect the rest of the menu would be pretty good too.

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By: agavin
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Tagged as: Chef Tony, Chinese cuisine, Dim sum, DimSumQuest, Lunch Quest, SGV

DimSumQuest – ixlb Dimsum Eats

Aug29

Restaurant: ixlb Dimsum Eats

Location: 5900 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028. (323) 848-4766

Date: January 30, 2023

Cuisine: Chinese Dim Sum

Rating: Meh. Horrible takeout focused format

ixlb is a mom and pop takeout oriented dim sum spot in Hollywood. The owner is incredibly nice and dedicated to his craft. The kitchen is great and the older dim sum chefs make everything in house right there. You order at the counter and they bring everything in takeout containers. Drinks, plasticware, napkins etc are all of the disposable variety. There are only a couple tables.

The tiny interior is even smaller than this wide angle photo makes it look.

The menu covers most of the dim sum basics but they lean toward the fried and are missing a lot of the dim sum classics like chow fun, lotus sticky rice, etc.

The menu.

We had to keep ordering in batches.

Iced Coconut Tapioca.

Spicy Cucumbers. Okay cucumbers.

Sauces is one of the biggest problems with ixlb. They are in these little containers. Mustard and chili paste are in packets. There doesn’t appear to be vinegar or XO sauce. They are hard to use like this and of vastly inferior quality. The mustard was bitter and awful. To me, along with the crappy plastic wares and takeout containers this lowers the whole “form factor” and “enjoyment factor” of the eating by a fairly massive margin — even though the kitchen is quite good.

Char Siu. Very solid “hefty” version. Nothing amazing, but good.

XLB are good for dim sum XLB but no great shakes by real XLB standards. The lack of vineyard is a big problem too.

Har gow. These had thin wrappers and an excellent shrimp interior. The wrappers did tend to stick and fall apart — perhaps because of the transfer to the tackout containers.

Shrimp and Chive Dumpling. Okay with that “metallic” chive taste.

Shrimp Wonton with Chili Oil. Not really much chili oil but this was a very nice light wrappered shrimp dumpling.

Pan Fried Dumplings. Pretty tasty.

Not sure what these fried shrimp wontons were called but they were very crunchy and delicious. Interior was basically shrimp ball.

Spring Rolls. Crispy with a pretty good interior. Not as good as Rays, but solid.

Scallion Pancake. Just fine.

Fried Crab Sticks. Just about what it says: fried crab sticks. Ok.

Steamed Char Siu Bao. Very nice sweet pork filling and well made bao.

Baked Char Siu Bao. Very nice sweet pork filling and nice fluffy bun.

The interior.

Snowcap Char Siu Bao. Very nice sweet pork filling and well made bao, quite sweet, with really nice crispy top. This was slightly better than the regular baked one mostly because of the awesome texture.

Smiling Bun Fish. Basicaly fried fish, slaw, and sauce. Pretty darn tasty, but a lot like a fried fish sandwhich.

Inside.

Fried Shrimp Balls. Very fried but nice solid shrimp paste.

Sticky Rice Ball with pork. Basically a wrapped ball of sticky rice. Way too carby and bland for my taste.

Inside — all rice.

Seafood Pearl (steamed rice ball). Filled with shrimp paste and a few veggies this was an decent “ricey” version of the normal shrimp ball.

More rice (and shrimp paste).

Tea Eggs. Hard boiled eggs marinated in tea. Not my thing. In China these are usually quail eggs.

Curry chicken puff. This was stuffed with a yellow chicken and pea curry. They were awesome actually, really delicious with a nice crunchy outside and great filling.

The delicious inside.

Baked Sausage Bun. Basically a hot dog in some baked bread. Total meh. The owner said they were “for Americans.”

Ick.

Char Siu. Overcooked, but somewhat tasty. Pretty middling.

Spicy Pork Noodles. Very dry, salty, and lacking in interesting flavors. Not particularly spicy. Not so great.

Mixed up.

Pineapple Bun. This was probably the best pineapple bun I have ever had. Really first rate. The outside had a wonderful crunch and the bun was sweet and pleasant but the custard was awesome, like coconut custard with just a bit of fresh pineapple mixed in.

Awesome.

Sesame Balls.

Macau Egg Tart. Fair version. Pleasant enough but nothing special.

The gang and the owner.

Overall, I didn’t actually enjoy ixlb even though the dim sum itself is homemade and actually quite good. Basically the format utterly ruins it for me. I hate plastic ware. I hate disposable containers. Dumplings stick to them. I hate high top seating. I hate counter ordering. I hate ordering and paying in batches. The sauces totally sucked. So all this conspired to make some quite excellent dim sum actually not taste very good. Dim sum needs the sauce. It needs the steamer with the little sheet of wax paper that prevents sticking. It needs to come out piping hot. It needs to come out in waves (and going up, waiting in line, and paying for each wave isn’t very fun).

Some might say it’s great for take out. Probably is. I don’t do takeout. Don’t like it. Dumplings don’t travel well.

Oh and then add to this that it’s far Hollywood location is actually harder to reach (for me) than the SGV. Well, I’ll probably never be back. Oddly, a couple of the guys really liked it. Not for me. I’ll sit down at a real table.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Dim sum, DimSumQuest, dumplings, Lunch Quest, take out, takeout

Monarch Madness

Aug27

Restaurant: Monarch

Location: 1212 S Baldwin Ave, Arcadia, CA 91007. (626) 596-2818

Date: January 29, 2023

Cuisine: Hong Kong fusion

Rating: Very good, but I like Chifa better

The Leon family knew within the first week of opening their Peruvian Chinese restaurant Chifa in late 2020 that a sophomore effort was in the cards. Though no one in the family was especially well-versed in food service or hospitality, the tenacious squad that includes Humberto Leon, the co-founder of fashion brand Opening Ceremony; his mother, Wendy Leon; sister, Ricardina Leon; and brother-in-law, John Liu; navigated pandemic-related hurdles and ultimately found success. Now they’re ready to do it all over again with Monarch, which opened on South Baldwin Avenue in Arcadia on Saturday, January 14.

Dressed up diner outside is totally SGV.

Super cool dining room.

8 is THE number for these round tables!

Bead screen of Iguazu Falls!

Jeffrey with Mama.

The menu.

Accidental grab as this was a $495 wine for Chinese!

Michael Kaplan’s son’s home-made chili oil (excellent).

Trusting the manager, I put in the entire menu organized into 4 flights. This 3rd flight item came out first but he graciously took it back, sorted it out, and sequenced near perfectly after that.

Silken Steamed Egg. delicate steamed egg with monkfish liver. The texture on the egg was great. However, the monkfish liver was a bit underappreciated in this (very cooked) context.

Decadent Spiced Okra. wok stir-fried okra in a Szechuan spice. Not particularly spicy, but very very pleasant with that goopy and crunchy okra texture.

Filet Mignon Tartare. Westholme Australian Wagyu filet mignon with pickled snow cabbage, chili crisp and quail egg. We mixed this all up and the result was an extremely flavorful tartare.

Shrimp chips for the tartare.

Slippery Egg Crab Fried Fun. Cantonese wok fried rice noodle with egg, crab and salmon roe add Uni. The “Fun” was basically rice sticks but this thick starchy dish was awesome with that old school “lobster sauce” flavor + uni. Really lovely.

Steamed Seabass Olive Tapenade. slow steamed chilean seabass topped with Chinese pickled olive tapenade. Olives are an unusual feature of southern Chinese cooking, probably courtesy of the Portuguese. They certainly worked in this night light seabass preparation.

Black pepper lobster. This special order prep was absolutely to die for. This 5ish pound lobster was super juicy and the black pepper sauce on of the best stir-fry sauces ever. Putting it on those thick al dente noodles was absolutely to die for. Once the oily pepper sauce soaked into the noodles… oh yeah!

Again, just because.

The gang.

Monarch Bolognese. simmered pork and tomato ragu with Chinese egg noodle. Even on their return in proper sequence this was a contentious dish. The porky Bolognese, while a touch dry, was quite lovely. But the noodles tended to clump.

Addicting Curry Noodle. fragrant and spicy curry squid ink noodle with scallop, calamari and shrimp. We all much preferred this unusual noodle dish with its grainy yellow curry flavor. Really was addicting.

Garlic Sweet & Sour Pork. crispy fried pork with Popo’s sweet & sour sauce, onions and kiwi. Like a high end Panda Express Sweet & Sour Pork! Very fried and drowned in this sweet and jammy sauce.

Black Pepper Lobster Tail. Whole lobster tail wok tossed in sweet and spicy black pepper sauce — noodles added. The lobster (and its noodles) were so good that we ordered two tails worth of lobster with MORE noodles. However they were out of the thick round ones and substituted this linguine. The tail meat was easier to eat and I enjoyed its lobster flavor, but the shell had one up on it for being finger licking good. The new noodles were good, and if we had had them first would have been great, but they just weren’t as chewy and amazing as the larger noodles.

Our special order Tomohawk came at first “well done” but again they graciously took it back and swapped for…

Tomahawk, rare. Now this was an amazing steak and really delicious with its warm deep pink/purple center. I particularly enjoyed with the sauces.

Black Pepper Cognac au Poivre sauce. Roasted Garlic Red Wine Reduction sauce. And special Chifa Cucho Sauce. My favorite was the black pepper.

Braised Curry Lamb Shank. tender braised lamb shank in fragrant tomato curry with cauliflower puree. Great that this was on a cauliflower puree (low carb) and the meat was super tender and drowned in delicious sauce.

Trinity Fried Rice. garlic, ginger, scallion trinity fried rice with egg, shirmp and fish roe. Nice large shrimp.

Celery & Red Chidori Kale (V). simple wok tossed celery and kale with fresh garlic. This was a surprise stand out for me. I very much enjoyed the crisp crunch of the celery.

Dessert menu, but we had better:

Cremino al Siciliana Gelato — The base made with Galbani Whole Milk Ricotta and Sicilian Acacia Honey laced with house-made Bronte Pistacchio DOCG “Fudge” — 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 #ricotta #honey #pistachio #pistacchio #fudge

Overall, this was an amazing meal. It’s sort of an interesting fusion, as it’s essentially Chifa — both the restaurant and the cuisine. Specifically this is a Hong Kong Peruvian hybrid fusion. It’s good and the decor and service are fabulous. But it’s also more expensive than almost all SGV Chinese. And I’m not sure it’s exactly better, just different. I actually like my Chinese very Chinese. I don’t even love Hong Kong “style” Chinese as much as most mainland restaurants because of the European (aka British) influence.

My favorite dishes here at Monarch were many of the ones that were at Chifa as well, like the lobster and steak. I do have to say, however, that the black pepper lobster is INSANELY GOOD. Best Chinese style lobster I’ve had. It’s also pretty expensive, but worth it. And the version we had was off menu, as the on menu one is lobster tail (which is also really good and we also had).

My recommendation would be that anyone very into SGV Chinese, or Chinese food in general, try out Monarch and see what they think themselves. I imagine many people will love it. I’ll certainly be 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: Black pepper, BYOG, Chifa, Chinese cuisine, Gelato, Lobster, Monarch, Wine

Food as Art – Corridor 109

Aug24

Restaurant: Corridor 109

Location: 727 N Broadway #207, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Date: January 28, 2023

Cuisine: Fusion

Rating: Delicious, minimalist

Corridor 109 | Test Kitchen is inspired by Chef Brian Baik’s passion for sourcing and experimenting with the world’s finest seafood ingredients. Influenced by experiences at high caliber establishments such as Bouley, Eleven Madison Park, The Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare, and Sushi Noz, Chef Brian begins his West Coast journey with an intimate tasting menu of 8-9 courses. Seating is limited to only 8 guests.

Corridor 109 tucked away, almost invisible, on the upper floor of a Chinatown mini-mall.

Tonight’s menu.

The small interior space.

NV Jérôme Prévost Champagne La Closerie Extra Brut “Climax” Les Beguines. 93 points.

Spot Prawn & Caviar Tartlet. Ebi miso, vidalia onions, wasabi, citrus. Really lovely caviar tart bite with a fantastic textural and flavor contrast. Very umami.

Jeju Island Fluke with Ensui Uni. Citrus soy gelee, myoga ginger, shiso oil. Essentially a sashimi, the soy gelee served to bind together the very fresh flavors.

2020 Domaine du Côteau de Tormery Vin de Savoie Chignin-Bergeron Côteau des Ducs.

Scallop with Herbal Clam Broth. Herb Oil Extracts. The broth was delicious but subtle, with an intense clam quality enhanced by the oils. Lovely, although a challenging wine pairing.

2017 Prager Grüner Veltliner Stockkultur Smaragd Achleiten. 94 points.

Iwashi Toast. Homemade milk bread, pickled red peppers, aioli. An awesome little “sando”. I love the marinated quality of the macherel, which was perfectly cut, and it paired effortlessly with the light, fluffy bit of milk bread.

Side view.

2020 Egon Müller Riesling QbA Scharzhof.

Nagawaki Red Tile Fish. Anchovy dashi, parae seaweed, Tokyo turnips. The fish itself was light and mild prepared with hot oil in the French manner. The seaweed broth however was very Japanese with that mild sea herb note.

Katsuo with Pesto. Spaghetti, shallots, grated ginger. The pasta was perfectly cooked, very green, and had an almost startling but addictive intense ginger quality nicely offset by the fatty fish.

2006 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon. VM 94+. The 2006 Rosé Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon is powerful, intense and also classically austere in its make up. Crushed flowers, mint, red berries and cranberries are all finely sketched. The 2006 finishes with striking mineral-driven precision, and while it doesn’t have the opulence or exuberance of the 2002, it is still a very pretty and appealing Champagne. The Elisabeth Salmon is 50% Pinot Noir and 50% Chardonnay, with about 8% still Pinot Noir. Dosage is 6 grams per liter. (Drink between 2018-2031)

Dungeness Crab. Crab consomme, chives. Crab and crab guts — who wouldn’t love this? Well, certainly I did.

2015 Y de Yquem. 94 points.

Gorgeous large abalone from Japan.

Abalone Risotto. Sumidaya rice, black truffle, gamtae seaweed. I lovely risotto. Not as rich as an Italian variant (with more butter and cheese) might be, but with great savory/umami notes and nice bitey rice. The abalone itself was tender and full of subtle flavor and chew.

Pixie Mandarin Sorbet. Very intensely mandarin with quite a bit of satisfying bitterness and a silky texture.

Corridor 109 was some very fine and innovative food. It’s possibly a bit subtle for some people’s tastes, as there is a very strong Japanese aesthetic and nothing is over the top, but it was superlatively prepared and quite elegant. Location is “interesting” — but all in all very enjoyable.

This dinner was small, but organized by Liz Lee of Sage Society.

For more Italian dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Corridor 109, DTLA, fusion, Sage Society, Seafood

Ray’s Duck House

Aug22

Restaurant: Ray’s Duck House晶瑞轩海鲜酒楼

Location: 4721 Chino Hills Pkwy, Chino Hills, CA 91709. (909) 606-9046

Date: January 26, 2023

Cuisine: Cantonese (and more) Chinese

Rating: Quite excellent, but really really far

So strong is my commitment to Chinese food that I was willing to drive a small group of us ALL the way to Chino Hills (roughly 1.5 hours each way) just for the chance to try this newish recommended Peking Duck and dim sum restaurant.

The aforementioned hills.

It’s unusual for a Cantonese place to have real Peking duck.

Check out the mysteriously featured “plastered over wall”!

Nice new “classic” decor.

Sauce station.

The menu sheet.

Specials. There was also a large glossy dinner menu I forgot to photo.

Jeffrey waiting for Chevy (who was 45 minutes late). Grr.

Chili sauce and very intense Chinese mustard.

Soy Sauce and Red Vinegar.

Smashed Cucumbers made special to order. Not marinated but very fresh and pretty decent.

Spicy Vermicelli. This wasn’t quite what I expected as I was looking for the Sichuan tangy spicy numbing version. This was basically the same but not very tangy or spicy. It was good though and a little vinegar and chili oil half solved the problem.

Spicy Wontons. Sort of drowned in lightly spicy broth. Wontons themselves were fine.

Ray’s Peking duck spread. Style was modern Beijing cut in the back room.
Skin was thick, crunchy, airy, and quite spectacular, both the separate parts and the bits on the meat — it was all crunchy! = 9
Meat was served mostly moon cut with the skin, some dark meat by itself. The wings and legs were missing. And while the meat wasn’t as juicy as MDP it was very very tasty with great duck flavor. Probably the third best meat = 7.
Pancake was thin and translucent and there were plenty of them = 10
Hoisin was great. It wasn’t goopy thick, nor too sweet, and had fabulous on-point flavor = 9
Accoutrements were scallion and cucumbers as usual. This was the weakest element as they had been cut the previous day (most likely) and were dry = 3
Bones were on the menu, but they didn’t think we needed them = N/A
Duck Soup was bland although at least not unpleasant = 4
The burrito/bing together was excellent = 8.5/10.

More details on our giant survey of LA peking duck can be found here in the Ultimate LA Peking Duck Guide.

Skin was thick, crunchy, airy, and quite spectacular, both the separate parts and the bits on the meat — it was all crunchy! = 9
Meat was served mostly moon cut with the skin, some dark meat by itself. The wings and legs were missing. And while the meat wasn’t as juicy as MDP it was very very tasty with great duck flavor. Probably the third best meat = 7.

Hoisin was great. It wasn’t goopy thick, nor too sweet, and had fabulous on-point flavor = 9

Accoutrements were scallion and cucumbers as usual. This was the weakest element as they had been cut the previous day (most likely) and were dry = 3

Pancake was thin and translucent and there were plenty of them = 10

Duck Soup was bland although at least not unpleasant = 4

Spareribs in Blackbean Sauce. These were a bit bony — fine — but not as (realatively) good as most of the rest of the dimsum here.

Steamed Chicken Feet in Brown Sauce.

Shrimp Har Gow. An excellent version of this classic. Pretty nice medium shell with a nice chunky shrimp interior.

Pork and Shrimp Siu Mai. Excellent version. Very chunky with lots of good pork flavor.

Shrimp and Chives Dumpling. Quite solid.

XLB. Not the typical over heavy buns in the tin foil, so a step up. Shells were decent, if still a little thick. The meat was good but there wasn’t that much “soup.”

Rice Noodle Roll with BBQ Pork. The sauce was more savory than usual, but very nice. The texture on the chow fun itself was really stretchy and excellent and the pork was juicy and great.

End on view.

Sticky Rice Wrapped with Lotus Leaves. The rice itself was very good and the filling bits tasty, but minimal. Needed a bunch more and some eggs.

Inside the wrap.

Pan-Fried chives & shrimp cake. I always love this dish and this was no exception. Greasy and delicious with awesome texture.

Bean Curd Skin Rolls in Brown Sauce. This was one of the best versions of this dish I’ve had. Maybe not THE BEST but very good. The quality came down to the extremely “flavored” (MSGed) brown sauce and the nice texture of the wrap and veggies inside.

BBQ Pork Bun. The fluffy bun might have been a hair dry but the pork interior was sweet, classic, and delicious.

Inside view.

Baked BBQ Pork Bun. The sticky sweet bun was spot on and the interior contained the same yummy sweet pork. Excellent.

Inside view again.

Tianjin Pork Bun. I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one. What we got was a classic bao bun, the kind that’s also common in Japan, with a dumpling like pork ball interior. The meat was good. This felt quite old school.

Beef Ball with Dried Tangerine Peel. These were a bit fluffier than usual, although still stretchy. The flavor was nice so quite excellent, although subtly different.

Fried Shrimp Ball with Egg Yolk. Not sure where the yolk was, as these were served with what seemed like a sweet mayo. They were good though, being classic shrimp balls with a crunchy shell.

Deep Fried Vegetarian Spring Roll. This was like the ideal veggie spring roll, perfect. It was super hot, crispy, and then the cabbage and white pepper interior was absolutely lovely.

Deep Fried Pork Dumplings. The glutinous shell was a bit sweet and quite good and there was a different (if understuffed) pork filling inside. Quite excellent.

Baked Egg Tart. Shell was a touch heavy but the eggy custard filling was excellent. Not as amazing as the Monterey Palace ones, but still good.

Overall, Ray’s was reasonably impressive. The Peking Duck was quite solid, definitely real Peking Duck and right int he middle of the pack. It would have been even better if Chevy wasn’t 45 min late (during which time the duck sat and waited for him, growing soggier). The dim sum was also very good. It’s not the BEST and the dishes were pretty standard, but execution was overall quite good, allowing for a totally solid classic dim sum experience.

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: Chinese Food, Chino Hills, Dim sum, DimSumQuest, Lunch Quest, Peking Duck, Ray's Duck House, SGV

Can there Bee too many Tacos?

Aug20

Restaurant: Bee Taqueria

Location: 5754 W Adams Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90016. (323) 452-9575

Date: January 25, 2023

Cuisine: Mexican Taco

Rating: Delicious, but a lot of tacos

Bee Taqueria was opened and operated by Alex Carrasco. He’s worked in the kitchen at some notable restaurants such as Viceroy, Joe’s Restaurant, Paiche, Mo-chica, Red Medicine, and Mozza. Carrasco caught the attention of LA foodies with LA’s first taco omakase menu — which is what we shall be trying tonight.

Normally, Bee’s is a delicious modern taqueria with casual seating.

And a colorful “shack” style.

The menu changes a bit daily.

You order from here.
However, they also have this lounge and Omakase space!

And a big charcoal grill.

So we set up in the “private dining” room.

Some Champagne to kick things off.

Jeff brought another pound of caviar!

Caviar bump.

7 musketeers!

And Jeff M with the chef.

From my cellar: 2012 Raul Pérez Rías Baixas Sketch. VM 93. Pale gold. Expressive, orchard fruit, honey and mineral aromas pick up hints of quinine and white flowers with air. Bitter pear skin and Meyer lemon flavors gain weight, with the wine maintaining vivacity and focus thanks to juicy acidity. Closes on a tangerine note, with serious, mineral-driven thrust and lingering floral character.

From my cellar: 2013 Veyder-Malberg Grüner Veltliner Liebedich. VM 93. Sourced from Bruck, Schön, Buschenberg and Hochrain, and bottled under the mock site name “love you,” this cuvée delivers a wonderfully cooling and succulent amalgam of green herbs and ripe honeydew melon in undulating interaction with stony, alkaline, subtly smoky and mouthwateringly saline mineral elements. The feel is polished and the overall effect delightfully buoyant. Crunch, bite and piquancy of cress, pepper, iodine, dark leafy greens and walnut oil add depth as well as energy to a palate-clinging finish. (Drink between 2015-2030)

2010 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Grand Cellier Rubis. VM 93. A classy, understated wine, the 2010 Grand Cellier Rubis offers striking depth and nuance. Now, nearly two and half years after its disgorgement, the 2010 is just starting to open up aromatically. The Rubis is deceptively medium in body, yet it possesses notable drive. There is plenty of depth in the glass, but it is more implied than overtly stated. The Rubis is 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay. Dosage is 8 grams per liter. Disgorged November, 2014. (Drink between 2017-2025)

The chef introduced every dish with its (extensive) personal story.

Nuts. Roasted peanuts/ chile de arbol/garlic/ roasted chulpe/ sea salt. Spicy peanuts and cornnuts with lime. Pretty tasty with a bit of burn.

Every dish!

Lobster aguachile. Kombu serrano broth/ ikura/ cilantro criollo. Very zesty ceviche with nice thick chips with excellent corn flavor.

Added some caviar!

Bugambilia mole taco w/ Queso fresco, Bugambilia chicken mole/onion/fried bugambilia leaf. Smoky meat and cheese taco. Delicious.

Chicatana & ahi tuna tostada. Wakame sesame tostada/chicatana rub /soyu/heirloom tomato pico de gallo/garlic oil. Fish and tomato taco with crispy fried tortilla.

Huitlacoche empanada/ Truffle Cream. Pipiche Salsa verde/Truffle carpaccio/epazote Truffle oil. Delicious! The sauce was incredible. The whole thing incredible actually.

Fish taco w/ Squid ink tortilla. Yellow tail/ house made ponzu/ Morita aioli/fried rice/ furikake/ caviar/ fried charales. Yellowtail, anchoivy, and caviar taco. Very interesting textures and the cool raw fish and salty fish flavors.

From my cellar: 2003 Valdicava Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Madonna del Piano. VM 93. The 2003 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Madonna del Piano is a super-ripe, opulent wine that resembles the 1997 in its generous, full-bodied personality. The tannins are surprisingly well-balanced within the context of this challenging vintage. The 2003 should drink well relatively early for this Riserva. All things considered, this is a superb effort. Production was down sharply in 2003. The estate bottled just 13,000 bottles of this wine compared to the typical 23,000 bottles. (Drink between 2013-2023)

2006 Castello Banfi Brunello di Montalcino Poggio alle Mura. VM 92. Good medium red, a bit less bright than the classico. Deeper and earthier on the nose, showing more oak and less lift today. Then sweet, silky and lush on the palate, broader and weightier than the basic Brunello. This initially displayed less clarity and definition but seemed to gain in energy and depth as it opened in the glass. Finishes with sweet tannins and serious weight and length.

Some monster.

And more monster.

Pork taco. Cecina/aciento/guacamole/Salsa borracha/ prosciutto/speck chips. Pork X ways taco with prosciutto and crispy pork rind. To die for great.

Bistek Con huevos taco. Blue corn tortilla/dry aged rib eye/brie cheese/Truffle roasted sauce/Lobster veal demi glaze/ sunny side up quail egg. Steak and egg taco.

Churros w/ Dulce de leche. Mezcal sugar/ Mezcal oaxacan hot chocolate/amaranto. Churros filled with delicious cream and mezcal coffee liquour. Really great churros.

Pure and Concentrated Evil — Kentucky Mud Pie Gelato — Expresso Knob Creek Bourbon Custard Gelato base with layers of house-made Crushed Oreo Valrhona Fudge Ganache, and house-made Vanilla Coconut Cream Cheese Icing — The Plaid Mode of Gelati and includes a hefty Caffeine kick — 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 #valrhona #chocolate #ganache #expresso #bourbon #custard #oreos #icing

Added some of the mezcal sauce.

The wine lineup.

Overall, each dish was super super yummy. As a meal however, there were a few too many “tacos.” It didn’t feel exactly like a progression of dishes but a series of tacos (which it was). Some of these dishes would have been better served in a slightly different form favor, perhaps without the tortilla.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Alex Carrasco, Bee Taqueria, BYOG, Caviar, Foodie Club, Gelato, Mexican, Tacos, Taqueria, West Adams

DimSumQuest – Monterey Palace

Aug18

Restaurant: Monterey Palace [1, 2]

Location: 1001 E Garvey Ave, Monterey Park, CA 91755. (626) 571-0888

Date: January 24, 2023

Cuisine: Cantonese Dim Sum

Rating: Many good, some great items

The DimSumQuest continues with Monterey Park classic Monterey Palace.

It’s right there on Garvey with that classic 90s look.

And the classic Monterey Park dining room.

Hanging roast meats.

Menu.

You have to pay for the basic sauces at $1 a plate.

We ordered this twice and it cost $1. They were out of XO sauce! huh?

Har Gow. Solid, but a little underseasoned. There was a real shrimp in there and the skins were just a touch thick.

Shu Mai. Also a bit underseasoned. Not my favorite. Not bad or anything, just a bit meh.

XLB. The standard “Elite style” pre-packaged tin foil thick XLB. Filling was underseasoned.

Shrimp with Chives dumpling. Filling was a touch underseasoned and skin just a little thick, but certainly pretty good.

Chao Zhou Dumpling. Peanuts inside this one. Better filling, same skin.

Bean Curd Wrap with Oyster Sauce. A nice version of this dish, piping hot. Solid but not the best ever.

Steamed Pork Spare Ribs with Pumpkin. Really excellent version of this dish. Little bone, very tender, and lots of flavor.

Beef Balls with Orange Peel. The typical “dense” beef ball but quite nice.

Sticky Rice Wrapped in Lotus Leaf. Solid enough, but not so much meat. Rice did taste very nice though. Not as good as the incredible 1968 version.

The contents.

BBQ Pork Chow Fun. Solid with the wrapper being a touch heavy but the pork was good. Sauce could have been a touch sweeter.

Sauced.

Flaky BBQ Pork Buns. Flaky laminated lard pastry was great but the filling was minimal and bland. Very meh.

Baked BBQ Pork Pie (or possibly this is the flaky, hard to know). This pastry was great here and the pork pretty good, although not as red and sweet as some. The pastry was just a touch undercooked in the center but the outside and crackle was delicious.

Pan Fried Spring Roll with Taro. The outside was nice and crispy/flaky but the blah taro interior was heavy and flavorless.

Pork Dumpling. The usual glutinious bomb. These were actually a great example of the type with a nice thick, chewy, and slightly sweet skin. Could have used a bit more filling but what was there was delicious.

The nearly hollow interior.

Cantonese Roast Duck. Cold. Once a person adjusted to the temperature this juice duck — while very salted — was absolutely delicious.

Chinese Broccoli with Salted Fish. Nice very salty green veg with lots of crunchy and umami.

Roasted Squab. Solid, probably 7/10, but I have had better versions of this dish quite frequently.

Live Turbot.

Live Turbot, steamed with Garlic and Ginger. Absolutely first rate fish. This had nice flavor and that melt-in-your-mouth flesh quality that the best versions of this dish have. Almost as good as the Chang’an version — which is to say incredible.

Bovon likes a good Turbot.

Baked Snow Capped Bun. Inside was a coconut cream filling. The pastry was nice, but not that sweet and the filling lacked flavor to my taste.

Yum.

Baked Portuguese Egg Tart. These were probably the best example of this classic I’ve ever had. I think the “pastry” chef here is very good. The tart itself almost fell apart but tasted great and the filling was light, eggy, and very fluffy, not too sweet. Spectacular fresh out of the oven.

Thai Durian Puff. Super crispy sprial pastry with durian cream inside. This was again the best durian puff I’ve ever had. That petrol taste was clean and lovely with a really great “creme pat” texture. Fabulous warm.

Insanely good.

Black and White Sesame Balls. Took 30 min to bake! I didn’t try but apparently they were good too.

Overall, the dimsum was solid but generally just “good-” on the scale of SGV made to order dim sum. A couple dishes stood out. The baked pastries were excellent although the savory fillings hit or miss. The sweet baked goods some of the best Chinese sweet baked goods I’ve had anywhere. There was a general tendency to under-seasoning in the savory items. The non dimsum dishes were better, quite salted.

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: Brunch, Cantonese Chinese, Dim sum, DimSumQuest, dumplings, lunch

Crudo e Nudo

Aug16

Restaurant: Crudo e Nudo

Location: 2724 Main St, Santa Monica, CA 90405. (310) 310-2120

Date: January 20, 2023

Cuisine: Raw bar & crudo

Rating: quite tasty!

I’ve been meaning to try this place since it opened. They serve very fresh modern seafood, mostly raw. But it’s not Japanese at all.

The seating is basically outside (although weirdly I’ve heard that recently they got rid of that, maybe stupid rezoning).

Inside there is nothing but a counter to order at.

The menu is on the board.

Striped bass. Smoked oil, za’atar, cilantro blossom. Very soft perfect fish. Interesting blend with the za’atar, but nice. Oil lent a silky quality.

Big Eye Tuna. Aleppo, Colatura, orange. Just a bit of kick. Quite lovely.

Kanpachi. Calamansi vinegar, piment d’espellete, pickled onion, sunflower. Bright citrus notes. These crudos were all good but this was the best.

Abalone. Rose, bay leaf, fennel pollen, yuzu oil. Super tender with interesting flavors. Great chew. I loved this.

Tuna Tartare Toast. Onion confit, shrimp stock, yuzu, sesame. Slick with a bit of an “interesting” taste. Not off at all, just different. Maybe it was the sesame as we had a version with and without the stock and it was the same.

Caesar goes Vegan. Little gems, scrappy croutons, avocado, furikake. Nice for being vegan. Great texture and very fresh. The nori added an interesting quality.

Chicory Salad. Apple, squash, miso maple dressing, hazelnuts, sesame. A little on the sweeter side but great texture and flavor.

Market Mezze Platter. Santa Monica Farmer’s Market veggies, black garlic hummus. The Za’atar took this up. Mostly bitter veggies which was great. Lots of pickles too.

Prawns a la plancha. Diavola, sesame, sunflower. Awesome prawns. Very fresh and full of flavor.

Squid Ink Fried Rice. Sofrito, shrimp stock, chili oil, herbs. Super addictive crunchy texture with a great brine quality.

Steamed Mussels. White wine broth, fregola, herbs, bread. Very nicely cooked with a delicious white wine broth.

Overall, extremely tasty. The outside patio (if they still have it) is very cute. Inside, not so much. I wish they took orders at the table — as I’m not a fan of counter ordering — but the food was very good.

Having a crudo focused restaurant is an interesting concept. Essentially it allows operating with a much smaller kitchen and possibly in spaces without a normal hood, or at least a much smaller hood. Plus it’s pretty protein forward instead of leaning on the carbs.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Crudo, crudo e nudo, fish, lunch, raw

Eating Ohio – Texas Roadhouse

Aug14

Restaurant: Texas Roadhouse

Location: 4314 Milan Rd Unit #750, Sandusky, OH 44870. (419) 624-8407

Date: January 18, 2023

Cuisine: American Steakhouse

Rating: Better than the hotel restaurants

Traveling in Ohio with my son for a robotics conference is not exactly conducive to great eating, and our ONLY meal on the trip — not kidding, the rest of the time I ate protein bars — as at this low-to-medium American Steakhouse chain.

Peanuts on the floor at Texas Roadhouse in Sandusky OH.

Fluffy rolls.

The menu is VERY reasonable by my jaded California standards.

“Cactus Blossom” (aka fried onion) with Cajun Sauce. Pretty good but also very fried.

Texas Chili.

Side salad without tomatoes with ranch dressing. Pretty plain vanilla but edible.

Caesar Salad.

Mac & Cheese. The waitress (she was super nice) confessed this was Kraft Mac & Cheese.

Fries and “Veggies” (brocoli and carrots).

BBQ chicken and corn (from the can?)

Fries.

12 oz ribeye steak, medium rare, smothered in sauteed onions and mushrooms. Half rack of ribs and green beans with bacon. Sloppy, but not too bad. Ribs were sweet but meaty and fell off the bone. Steak was properly cooked. Beans might have been from the can, but they served.

A smaller (6oz) steak, smothered, with a loaded Baked Potato.

Bone in Rib-eye!

Well, I can’t say that Texas Roadhouse was actually good. But they did make a decent Old Fashioned and it was real — and relatively low carb — food. Far better than keto bars anyway.

For more dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Ohio, Steak, Texas Roadhouse

On Fire – Wasn’t

Aug12

Restaurant: On Fire Hot Pot

Location: 500 N Atlantic Blvd Ste 201 Monterey Park, CA 91754. (717) 966-6666

Date: January 15, 2023

Cuisine: High End Hot Pot

Rating: Evidently golden toilets don’t bring luck

This high end hot pot joint in located in a hard to find spot upstairs near Atlantic Seafood.

Lots of cheap marble.

The main dining room.

Golden urinal.

Golden toilet!

Cheesy bling by the sink.

Our 8-10 person private room with two pots. Very undecorated.

Snacks and the “sauce bar.”

Green onion, cilantro, lime, garlic/ginger paste, chilies, chili oil.

Peanuts and jicama. Not sure what the jicama was for.

Sesame paste was available on request. This is just straight sesame paste.

The menu.

Some starter wines.

On the left, Pepper with Hog Maw and Chicken Soup. On the right, Tom yum soup. The Tom Yum was nice and included a couple of shrimp, but the “hog maw” had lots of pig stomach in it and that lent it that stinky smell (which permeated the room) and funky taste. Okay, but a bit stinky.

On the left, Golden Soup Fish Maw Chicken Pot. On the right, Taiwanese Spice Abalone Duck Blood Pot. The maw was added later to the maw pot and was very tender and delicious. This pot was mild but good. The Spicy pot was medium spicy and had great tofu in it to start as well as a tiny number of duck blood slabs, which were good. But I only saw 1-2 small abalone. Very different from the picture where it was loaded with abalone.

The fish maw for the golden broth. At least there was plenty of this and it was fabulous.

The big seafood platter with two lobsters, shrimp, scallops, oysters, clams, a few abalone, and salmon.

Get in close.

Angus Sirloin Steak.

Snowlake Short Ribs.

Premium Ribeye. This was one of the best cuts. We also had a wagyu in here somewhere but not sure which one it was or if I missed the photo. It was definiately softer.

Premium Lamb Shoulder.

Beef Tongue. Always like some tongue.

Pork Neck. This was porky, soft, and super delicious.

Assorted balls and fish tofu. Some of these were beef and some were fish and there were two were roe “dumplings.”

Beef Balls.

Luncheon Meat (aka spam). Always one of my favorites.

Pork Sausages. Very tasty.

Assorted tofu plate. The fried tofu balls were particularly delicious.

Assorted green vegetables.

Spinach and glass noodles. I’ve never had wide glass noodles like this.

Yin yang.

Vickye at work as hot pot mom.

Truffle Rice. This got dumped in the spicy broth and simmered down to form a gumbo-like bowl of yum.

The rice and broth.

Pure and Concentrated Evil — Kentucky Mud Pie Gelato — Expresso Knob Creek Bourbon Custard Gelato base with layers of house-made Crushed Oreo Valrhona Fudge Ganache, and house-made Vanilla Coconut Cream Cheese Icing — The Plaid Mode of Gelati and includes a hefty Caffeine kick — 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 #valrhona #chocolate #ganache #expresso #bourbon #custard #oreos #icing

Overall, a very fun night. This is an interesting hot pot format. It’s more seafood focused and there is more emphasis on the different pot flavors. Some were good, like the abalone one, and some not so good, like the pig ass flavor. The place clearly has a lot of competition. There are tons of much cheaper and easier to find hot pot places. It was deserted and that obviously took its toll — as they seem to be out of business. It’s a shame though because it was on the different side and I like variety.

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: BYOG, Chinese Food, Gelato, hot pot, On Fire, SGV

Champagne Sauvages

Aug10

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

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

Date: January 13, 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 the location plays host to a special Sauvages lunch — the “infamous” January Champagne Lunch.

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.

2018 Dönnhoff Roxheimer Höllenpfad Riesling im Mühlenberg Großes Gewächs. VM 92. This bottling from the stand of very old vines in Höllenpfad is full of juicy white peach fruit that I hadn’t expected from this site – but after all, we are talking about fruit-dominated vintage 2018. That’s not to say that certain elements conducive to austerity are absent: peach kernel piquancy, ash, crushed stone. On top of which, there is only one lone gram of residual sugar. The feel is full and firm, the minerally concentrated finish persistently pithy but juicy, and there is a welcome, saliva-inducing hint of salinity. “This is my new favorite child,” quipped Dönnhoff, “but it still has to finish school,” meaning not that these old vines need to be taught anything, but rather that he and Cornelius are still learning how to best channel this site’s and those vines’ potential. (For extensive background on this bottling and its site designation, consult my review of the inaugural vintage 2017 installment.) (Drink between 2020-2027)

2019 Domaine de Chantemerle Chablis La Chantemerle.

2014 Domaine Billaud-Simon Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre. BH 93. A spicy nose grudgingly liberates notes of citrus, floral, wet stone, oyster shell and iodine. There is a fine blend of power and finesse with outstanding punch, complexity and balance on the beautifully lingering and markedly dry finish. A classic Montée de Tonnerre of refinement and grace. (Drink starting 2022)

From my cellar: 2016 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Saint-Aubin 1er Cru En Remilly Cuvée Nicholas et Mathis. 92 points.

Crispy Chicken Bites. Mustard Emulsion, Dill. Crispy with just a touch of heat.

Caviar. Brioche, Dashi Gelee, Chives.

Truffle eggs.

Our private room.

Chilling out.

Today’s special menu.

1995 Charles Heidsieck Champagne Blanc des Millénaires. VM 95. The 1995 Brut Blanc des Millenaires shows just how compelling this often overlooked vintage can be. Layers of lemon, pastry spices, crushed rocks and savory herbs literally jump from the glass in this exquisite, perfumed, beautifully delineated Champagne. The 1995 shows lovely flavor complexity and nuance from its extended time in bottle, yet it also retains plenty of freshness, verve and acidity. This is a great showing from Charles Heidsieck. The 1995 was made before the tenure of the house’s current team, headed by CEO Cécile Bonnefond. It will be very interesting to see what develops at this historic property over the coming years. (Drink between 2013-2022)

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

1998 Krug Champagne Clos du Mesnil. VM 97+. The 1998 Blanc de Blancs Clos du Mesnil has developed beautifully since I last tasted it. What a wine. For the first few years of its life, the 1998 seemed to lack personality, then, suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, it blossomed. Today, the 1998 is rich, powerful and explosive, none of which was a few years ago. Layers of textured fruit, pastry, spices and crushed rocks jump from the glass. Still an infant, the 1998 promises to drink well for two to three decades. This is without question the best bottle of the 1998 I have ever tasted. Time to do another complete vertical? (Drink between 2013-2038)

1990 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon. BH 95. This is a wine that I know extremely well from 750 ml and it’s one that is beginning to tire though I hasten to point out that it’s still enjoyable and just beginning to show signs of fatigue. However there are no such concerns with the same wine from magnum that remains magnificently fresh and while it’s clear that the aromas are mature, that’s not at all the same thing as describing the yeasty and baked apple suffused nose as tiring. There is equally good depth and vibrancy to the beautifully delineated flavors that are supported by a fine and firm mousse that allows the texture of a well-aged Dom to be easily appreciated. For my taste this has arrived at its peak though note well that it should easily be capable of effortlessly holding for years to come. (Drink starting 2015)

Hiramasa Crudo. Passion Fruit, Mandarin, Avocado, Jicama, Furikake, Cilantro, Habanero. Super fabulous crudo with a really zining sweet, spicy, savory, tangy marinate. 71 Above often has these really interesting complex flavors.

2002 Dom Pérignon Champagne. VM 98. I remember the first time I tasted the 2002 Dom Pérignon with then-Chef de Caves Richard Geoffroy at Hautvillers. It was the upcoming release at the time. As was his custom, Geoffroy served the 2002 in a flight that included a number of previous releases. The bouquet was immediately stunning for its audacity. I had never tasted anything like it. Two thousand-two was a year marked by extreme ripeness in the Chardonnays, and that opulence has always been a big part of the wine’s profile. Today, what strikes me most about the 2002 is its timelessness. That youthful opulence remains, yet the 2002 is still vibrant, almost shocking in its freshness. Apricot, ripe peach, tangerine oil, butter and dried flowers all build towards a captivating crescendo of aromas and flavors that saturates the finish. Readers can look forward to another two decades of exceptional drinking. (Drink between 2022-2042)

2002 Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Cuvée Rare. JG 94. It is funny how often I drink the 2002 Rare from Piper-Heidsieck, given that I cannot get a sample out of this Grande Marque of the 2008 Rare or any other recent releases these days. In any case, the radio silence has not soured me on the beauty of the 2002 Rare, which remains one of the finest wines I have had the pleasure to taste from Piper. The bouquet is complex, deep and refined, offering up scents of apple, lemon, fresh-baked bread, chalky minerality and a nice touch of upper register smokiness. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied, focused and complex, with a fine core, lovely balance and grip, elegant mousse and a long, focused and still vibrant finish. At age twenty this wine is cruising along beautifully at its plateau of peak maturity and still has plenty of life ahead of it. (Drink between 2022-2045)

2012 Pol Roger Champagne Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill. VM 96. Pol Roger”s flagship Brut Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill is fabulous in 2012. Rich, open-knit and seductive, the 2012 will drink well right out of the gate, although it certainly has the pedigree to age well for decades. Lemon confit, chamomile, dried flowers, mint, spice and a kick of brioche infuse the 2012 with notable textural richness and resonance. Time in the glass brings out gorgeous aromatic lift to round things out. The 2012 is classy and polished all the way. (Drink between 2022-2037)

Crispy Octopus. Smoked Paprika, Morita Chili, Fingerling Potatoes, Celery, Lemon. Very nice crispy octopus.

2007 Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Cuvée Rare. 93 points.

2004 Paul Bara Champagne Grand Cru Annonciade. 92 points.

2003 Dom Pérignon Champagne. VM 95. The 2003 Dom Pérignon is in a gorgeous place right now. To be sure, it is a powerful Champagne that reflects the personality of a year marked by frost, that took out 70% of the Chardonnay, and then record heat and drought over the summer. The 2003 is just starting to head into its first plateau of maturity. Brioche, baked apple tart, lemon confit and marzipan build into the rich, layered finish. (Originally published in May 2021) (Drink between 2021-2038)

2006 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs. VM 98. We started with the 2006 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne, which is every bit as racy and seductive as it has always been. It’s a great, great vintage for Comtes. (Drink between 2022-2046)

Lettuces, Market Vegetables, Labne, Cumin, Cilantro, Parmigiano-Reggiano. Very nice interesting cumin notes. Good texture.

Risotto Milanese. Saffron, Crispy Bone Marrow, Parmigiano-Reggiano. Perfect risotto, if very rich. I only had a bite as I was saving my blood sugar.

NV Jacques Selosse V.O. Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut. VM 95. The NV Extra-Brut V.O. (Version Originale) (2015) is super-expressive right out of the gate. It marries richness with translucence in stunning style. Dried flowers, mint, pine, spice, baked apple tart and brioche add gorgeous aromatic presence. In this release, the V.O. is so compelling. As always, V.O. is a blend of parcels on the upper slopes of Avize, from vintages 2015, 2014 and 2013 in this release. Disgorged: April 5, 2021. (Drink between 2023-2033)

2008 Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Cuvée Rare. 93 points.

2008 Dom Pérignon Champagne. VM 98. The 2008 Dom Pérignon is a huge, powerful Champagne and also clearly one of the wines of the vintage. This is one of the most reticent bottles I have tasted. So much so that I am thinking about holding off opening any more bottles! The 2008 has always offered a striking interplay of fruit and structure. Today, the richness of the fruit is especially evident. Readers who own the 2008 should be thrilled, but patience is a must. (Originally published in May 2021) (Drink between 2028-2058)

2008 Veuve Clicquot Champagne Brut La Grande Dame. 92 points.

Murray Cod. Little Neck Clams, Celadonian Prawn, Celery Root Chowder, Fennel. Very nice seafood flavors. The Cod was perfectly moist and flakey. Excellent seafood dish.

Sweet champ!

Mignardise. Choux au Craquelin, Pate de Fruits, Madeleines. My diet only allowed me a nibble of each, but the pastry cream Choux seemed awesome.

Pure and Concentrated Evil — Kentucky Mud Pie Gelato — Expresso Knob Creek Bourbon Custard Gelato base with layers of house-made Crushed Oreo Valrhona Fudge Ganache, and house-made Vanilla Coconut Cream Cheese Icing — The Plaid Mode of Gelati and includes a hefty Caffeine kick — 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 #valrhona #chocolate #ganache #expresso #bourbon #custard #oreos #icing

Orange Old Fashioned Sorbetto — Cold Pressed Orange Juice, Knob Creek Bourbon and Angostura Bitters! Topped with cherries — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — Really tastes like an Old Fashioned –#SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #sorbetto #orange #tangerine #bourbon #KnobCreek #bitters #Angostura

The gang.

The chefs and to the right, our awesome Somm, Katherine.

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.

Today’s lunch excelled on all counts. Service, food, company, and of course the wines. Years ago I used to complain about too much Champagne… no longer!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: 71above, BYOG, Champagne, Emil Eyvazoff, Gelato, lunch, Sauvages, Wine

Mr. T x 2

Aug08

Restaurant: Mr. T [1, 2]

Location: 953 N Sycamore Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038. (310) 953-4934

Date: January 10 and February 18, 2023

Cuisine: Modern French Bistro

Rating: Really tasty

I enjoyed my first dinner here so much that I wanted to come back and try the regular menu — which I did — twice!

Mr.T is a contemporary French cuisine inspired by upscale street food dishes featuring fresh ingredients and masterful preparation by our head Chef Alisa Vannah. Indulge in unique flavors using local ingredients to create an authentic dining experience. Mr.T carries a variety of handcrafted cocktails and a uniquely selected wine list offering a tasteful array of wines from some of the greatest producers in the world. We look forward to serving you!

“For Mr. T’s Los Angeles location, Guedj and Miyazaki have tapped Chi Spacca, Tsubaki, and République alum Alisa Vannah to head up the kitchen. Vannah, a Los Angeles native, trained with Miyazaki in Paris and collaborated with him on several dishes that will only appear on the Los Angeles menu, such as a riff on a chicken pot pie made with caramelized onion and tare chicken jus, as well as a big eye tuna crudo inspired by Vannah’s trips to Redondo Beach with her family as a kid.”

The have a cute “patio.”

A sleek modern interior.

Spotless open kitchen.

The main dining room.

Our cool booth in January.

In Feb we ate outside.

The menu on two different nights.

Some Krug from the list.

THE “UNI”. Koshihikari rice, confit egg yolk, sea urchin. Very soft and pleasant. Could maybe have used more uni.

CHIP N DIP. Spinach and artichoke, truffle cream/BBQ chips. Very soft dip texture with an interesting richness.

“THAI” SCALLOP CRUDO. Maine Scallops, Nam jim vinaigrette, mandarine, jalapeno oil. Fabulous sweet, tangy, and slightly spicy vinaigrette. Cucumbers were nice and crunchy too. Perhaps could have had more scallop.

LA SALADE D’AUTOMNE. Yellow Belgian endive, Delicata squash, asian pear, candied walnuts, date vinaigrette. A little sweet for my taste, but that’s the “fall vibe.”

LA SALADE D’AGRUMES. Citrus, cress, pistachio gremolata, calamansi vinaigrette. Lovely light tangy/sweet salad. Quite delicious.

CROQUETTES MONSIEUR. Portabello mushroom, mimolette cheese, lemon crème fraiche. Very gooey inside and quite delicious. The “sauce” had a feel a little like one of those Greek dips.

A lovely white from the list.

MR. T LAMB KEBAB. Roasted lamb, tzatziki, spicy aioli. Stunning. Super soft bread with that great lamb and yogurt thing. Pretty much perfect.

MR. T MAC N CHEESE. Rigatoni, truffle oil, comte cheese flambe, wild mushroom. Really rich and tasty with a great cheese and cream flavor.

BUCATINI A LA TEQUILA. Spicy San Marzano tomato sauce, crispy parmesan. Nice bright and tangy flavor with great texture.

BUCATINI A LA TEQUILA. Manila clams, spicy San marzano tomato sauce, castelvetrano olives. Nice thick bucatini, although one person thought maybe a little over-cooked. The sauce was good with a pleasant infusion of the clam juice. But the best part was the clams itself.

BRANZINO. Miso sabayon sauce, vadouvan crust. Staightforward but nice with that bit of crunch to offset the softness of the fish.

Reds we brought (2 dinners worth).

CRISPY CORNISH A L’ORANGE. Cornish game hen, orange gastrique, marinated cucumber, sesame dressing. I can’t help but think this is not a take on “duck l’orange” but more on “orange chicken.” Either way it was great. Sweet and ultra crispy almost Korean fried chicken like hen bits with a nice hint of orange.

STEAK POMMES PUREE. Hanger steak, black peppercorn sauce. Solid, but not as exciting as the other steak.

CAULIFLOWER TIKI MASALA. Roasted warren pears, Golden raisin. Really great sweet and savory curry sauce. Not spicy at all but fabulous.

CHARCOAL DRY AGED NEW YORK STEAK. Tare glazed. Fabulous charcoal taste and nicely rare. Great steak.

Farmers market vegetables.

LA MR. T BURGER. American Wagyu Beef, Mac T sauce, cheese flambe, fries. Lovely burger. Very soft and juicy and the remoulade-like sauce was first class and a bit tangy.

LOMO SALTADO. Hanger steak, Aji Verde, roasted peppers, fingerling potatoes. Pretty much that classic Lomo taste, which I have really come to love.

Fries and Remoulade. Nice crispy fries and the first rate sauce totally made them. Longs of punch.

Les desserts.

STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING. Pineapple relish, dates, mascarpone. Can’t say no to a sticky toffee pudding! It was sweet, but not as sweet as some.

BERRIES AND PEARLS. Seasonal berries, tapioca water chestnut, rose water tuile. Really great pannacotta and berries dish. The glaze on the berries made it all quite sweet.

PAIN PERDU AU CHOCOLAT. Mascarpone, Amaretto cream, Hot Chocolate. Looked like a mess, tasted great.

BERRIES AND PEARLS. Seasonal berries, tapioca water chestnut, rose water tuile. Really great pannacotta and berries dish. The glaze on the berries made it all quite sweet.

APPLE PITHIVIERS. Hot caramel apple, vanilla ice cream. The spoon of caramel vanilla ice cream was dunked inside the tart.

Comped corkage and some discount on the Krug. Owner was mega-nice.

First of all, the food was off the charts good. I was really impressed. This is American classics filtered through French modern bistro style, very fresh and crispy. Really tasty.

Great times.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Foodie Club, Mr. T, Wine

I don’t think that word means what you think it means

Aug06

Restaurant: Blooming VIP Restaurant [ 1, 2]

Location: 8118 Garvey Ave A, Rosemead, CA 91770. (626) 280-2288

Date: January 8, 2023

Cuisine: Cantonese Chinese

Rating: There are better

The latest Dirty Dozen white overlaps with Sunday Chinese. Truth is, I prefer just straight Sunday Chinese, but having a wine theme is ok. It was Champagne again this time.

We went out to relative newcomer Blooming VIP — which has pretty decent dim sum – and a very over the top decor.

This time around we needed white wine to begin, as Champ was the main event.

Peanuts Yarom brought in from Sichuan Delicious. They were pretty good, nice bit of spice and Chinese flavor.

Smashed Cucumbers. Very solid classic smashed cucumbers with garlic. Not spicy but nice crunch.

Chicken Feet. Bleh. Only Yarom ate these as usual.

Geoduck Sashimi. It looked good, but these were tasted like a bait and tackle shop. Not even close to the quality of Longo. I actually had a hard time finishing what I took. It didn’t taste unfresh, and this should have a briney quality, but this was too strong.

Close up.

Fried Geoduck. The neck fried salt and pepper style. Edible, but not really good, particularly in comparison to Longo (whose version of this dish is awesome).

Walnut Shrimp. Excellent version of the gweillo classic. Large shrimp, lightly fried with the sweet mayo. Guilty pleasure.

Ginger Scallion Lobster with Noodles. The lobster was tiny, very little meat, but it was juicy. Ginger balance was way too strong here. I also don’t love this kind of sloppy noodle, but it is typical.

White Pepper Jellyfish. Someone in the kitchen accidently dropped an entire cannister of white pepper into the dish. It was disgusting and I like white pepper. Almost sneeze inducing and none of the vinegar thing that this dish should have.

More wine (getting lazy).

Roast Chicken. A very solid roast chicken. Not the best I’ve ever had, but nice and juicy. It was served with an odd “jus” gravy.

Roast Quail or Pigeon. Solid 7/10 version of this classic dish and certainly enjoyable.

Pseudo Peking Duck with buns. Thin Cantonese hoison and spring onions (no cucumbers, no pancakes). The duck itself was pretty tasty although this was like 1/2 a duck as it was on top of a huge pile of shrimp chips to make it look bigger. To find out more about Peking Duck, consult my Ultimate Peking Duck Guide.

Thin Cantonese hoison.

Yarom brought these carb free egg-white pancakes which actually served quite well as duck pancakes.

Duck Lettuce Cups. Fine.

The lettuce itself.

Tofu with Mushrooms. I added to the order because we had nothing from the wok — Yarom has a thing for straight meat dishes. This tofu had that lovely soft egg custard texture. The mushrooms were nice but covered with a slightly sweet cornstarch sauce. There were not actually very many mushrooms however, and they were bulked up with a bunch of soggy iceberg lettuce underneath.

Clay pot with satay beef and vermicelli. More vermicelli than beef. The satay sauce was decent and the beef was nice and tender.

Roast Suckling Pig. Excellent 10/10 Chinese style crispy roast pig. Best dish for sure with awesome crispy skin and nice slightly porky flavor.

Cremino al Siciliana Gelato — The base made with Galbani Whole Milk Ricotta and Sicilian Acacia Honey laced with house-made Bronte Pistacchio DOCG “Fudge” — 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 #ricotta #honey #pistachio #pistacchio #fudge

The scores.

Overall, it was a fun evening, but the food was really hit or miss. Blooming is good at roast birds and pig, but all the seafood was really meh, almost bad. Not “really bad”, still better than a westside Chinese, but not up there with the good Cantonese seafood places. The wok dishes were decent but not outstanding. But again, the birds and pig were excellent. So they know how to BBQ. Service was great and we had a nice private room.

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: Blooming VIP, BYOG, Cantonese, Chinese Food, Dirty Dozen, Gelato, hedonists

Niku X – Hits the Spot

Aug03

Restaurant: Niku X

Location: 900 Wilshire Blvd Ste 212, Los Angeles, CA 90017. (323) 920-0302

Date: January 2, 2023

Cuisine: Chinese-owned Japanese Korean BBQ (cultural A for the win!)

Rating: Excellent neighborhood Italian

Every New Year demands a big celebration!

Niku X is Yakiniku (Japanese Korean BBQ), but it’s Chinese owned and operated which means it has a certain extra blind factor — at the expense of Japanese obsession with quality and detail. They describe themselves as:

JAPANESE TRADITION MEETS GLOBAL INFLUENCE
Located in the heart of downtown Los Angeles at The Wilshire Grand Center, NIKU X offers modern
contemporary Japanese cuisine with global influences. NIKU X incorporates the classic yakiniku style
of cooking, a traditional Japanese technique utilized to grill meats. Michelin-starred chef, Shin
Thompson, offers an extraordinary culinary experience characterized by the use of artisanal
produce and “ranch-to-table” ingredients, including certified Japanese A5 Wagyu, in a harmonious
fusion using global techniques.

The space is HUGE and elaborately built out.

This is our “private” room.

Meat hook!

The menu.

From my cellar: 2011 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut. 92 points.

Crudo. A5 Toriyama Ribcap Wagyu. Spanish Bluefin Tuna. 7 Days Dry Aged Panama Kanpachi. Tamago. Fresh Wasabi, sudachi jelly, sweet shoyu creme fraiche. This was one of the weaker dishes. The beef was meh. The sweet jelly made an odd and not particularly effective contrast. I did like the sweet shoyu sauce, which tasted like maple cream. Overall it needed acidity instead of sweet.

More white.

Lobster Sashimi. Lobster Tail, black vinegar ponzu, wasabi root. They topped it with some uni and caviar and it was quite lovely.

From my cellar: NV Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut Réserve. JG 92. This particular bottle of Brut Réserve had been in my cellar since 2008, and it has aged beautifully and was drinking very well when opened this past spring. The excellent nose wafts from the glass in a mélange of apple, peach, warm bread, a touch of ginger, a lovely base of soil and plenty of upper register smokiness. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bdoied, complex and still rock solid at the core, with fine mousse, bright acids and lovely length and grip on the wide open, complex and classy finish. This particular release of Brut Réserve had been particularly steely out of the blocks, which is why I tucked some away to see how it evolved with bottle age. Yet again, a pretty strong argument for treating non-vintage Brut bottlings like other fine wines and cellar them for some time before starting to drink them! (Drink between 2014-2025)

Uni and caviar ready to mix up.

Caviar. Astrea Oscietra Caviar, Hokkaido Uni, Stone Axe Wagyu Tarare, Senbei, Nori. The whole of this is mixed up and then served on a choice of crackers or nori. Quite nice and the nori was dry and crispy.

Crackers and nori to eat it with.

From my cellar: 2016 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Saint-Aubin 1er Cru En Remilly Cuvée Nicholas et Mathis.

12 Days Dry Aged Tyee Ora King Salmon. Sekokani Salt. Smoked.

Raw.

On the grill.

12 Days Dry Aged Tyee Ora King Salmon. Sekokani Salt. Smoked. The salmon was seared and topped with a bit of Teriyaki-like sauce. Quite nice.

Radish and lettuce salad with passionfruit dressing.

Live Boston Hotate (Scallop) with Hokkaido Uni Butter. I didn’t love the scallop, not sure why.

Tilting fast into red Burgundy.

Port Wine Yakiniku Tare, Jidori egg yolk.

The show begins.

Tomohawk, already cooked.

Salty base.

Seared over fire.

After searing it’s sliced.

Then out comes the truffle!

Full Blood Dry Aged Wagyu Tomahawk Steak with Piedmontese White Alba Truffle. The “lighter fluid” they used to flame the steak could still be lightly tasted and I found that midly offputting.

Bordeaux time.

Wagyu Oxtail Pot Stickers. Masami Ranch, Orange, Tokyo Negi. Very nice delicate bite, more like an XLB than a potsticker — and better for it.

And more.

The meat IS nicely presented.

Masami Ranch Wagyu Beef Tongue. Mushroom Duxelles, Japanese Black Vinegar, Tokyo Negi.

Stone Axe Misuji (top blade). Chrysanthemum.

Stone Axe Ichibo (top sirloin).

Masami Ranch 45 Days Dry Aged Striploin.

Masami Ranch Shortrib. Umeboshi Salted Plum Chimichurri.

A5 Miyazaki Tenderloin. Served on the toast below.

Before cooking.

Tomahawk Tallow Fried Parmentier Potatoes. Masami Ranch Wagyu Butter, Valery Potatoes. These were great.

On the grill. They cook it for you.

Some of the cuts on the plate.

And more wine.

This was my favorite one.

Miyazaki A5 Ribeye & Wagyu Rice Donabe. Hijiki Salt, fresh wasabi Covered with Piedmontese White Alba Truffle. Pretty yummy.

More meat.

Miyazaki A5 Ribeye & Wagyu Rice Donabe. Hijiki Salt, fresh wasabi Covered with Umbrian Black Winter Truffle. Pretty yummy.

Mixed up.

The bone.

Standing ovation.

And more meat.

Ick!

A5 Miyazaki Tenderloin. Ginza Nishikawa Milk Bread, foie gras, blueberry gastrique. This was rich and delicious. The sweetness of the gastrique paired nicely.

The meat keeps on coming.

The wine keeps on flowing.

The raw A5 before grilling.

On the grill.

Fried rice at the ready.

A5 Miyazaki thin cut, with Wagyu Rice and Port Wine Yakiniku Tare, Jidori egg yolk. Really yummy with that slightly sweet tare.

Japanese Pickles. Nice and crunchy but didn’t have that sweet vinegar thing I really like about Japanese pickles.

Macha Mochi with fruit. The macha was way too strong here.

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

Meat larder.

Overall, this was an incredibly fun night. However, it looks slightly better than it tasted. I mean it tasted good. And we had a blast, but being Chinese they rushed the service. They were super nice and super well intentioned, but they favor theatrics and they basically deluge you with food and theatrics AT THE SAME TIME. Several of the major events like the Wagyu reveal and the Tomahawk flaming were literally happening simultaneously. It should totally be sequential, but Chinese favor fast service. There is also that “fancy but cheap” Chinese build out. Ingredients are good, but they don’t quite have the flavors in perfect balance in the same way that a fully Japanese place would. But then again, given all the high end ingredients the value proposition is actually quite high. It’s just a little different than you might expect if you are used to high end Japanese dining.