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DimSumQuest – Bistro 1968

Aug01

Restaurant: Bistro 1968

Location: 402 S San Gabriel Blvd Ste A, San Gabriel, CA 91776. (626) 766-1968

Date: December 30, 2022 & January 4, 2023

Cuisine: Chinese Dim Sum

Rating: One of the current best

Bistro 1968 opened with considerable fanfare (for the SGV) at the tail end of 2022. It serves up a large but focused menu of Cantonese dim sum and unusually is not two restaurants in one like most of the Cantonese places. Instead they have the same (dim sum focused) menu for both lunch and dinner.

The underground parking lot here sucks. Upper level was full and the lower level had this mechanical gated “resident only tow zone” that was poorly labeled and easy to get trapped in.

Escaping the parking lot involved this endless corridor.

Brand new!

Double-sided order sheet

The long form menu.

The main dining room. Several private rooms spawn off the sides.

At first we were in this claustraphobic interior room, but then we moved.

Into this much nicer (and larger) room. It had a window!

Holds a good sized group.

Jasmine Tea.

Basic sauces. They put several on the table, plus some chili oil.

Black and Red Vinegar.

XO Sauce was an extra $4, but totally worth it.

Chili oil is always better than paste.

Bean Curd Skin Roll in Soup. Great texture but very mild in flavor.

Shrimp Har-Gow. Fairly perfect textbook har-gow. Shrimp was delicious and skin was light.

Golden Har-Gow. I think these had a little bit of truffle inside plus the dark (squid ink?) skin. Normally I don’t like these “amplified” classics but these were excellent.

Pork Siu-Mai. Awesome version. Light, meaty, tasty. We had 5-6 orders.

Abalone Tart. A “lard short crust” pastry with shredded pork and abalone. Gorgeous. The tart was very crumbly. The pork itself was sweet and very nice, the abalone was great, not at all chewy — well it was abalone but it wasn’t too chewy.

Pumkpin Dumplings. Seasonal. Very mild and pleasant.

Leeks and Shrimp Dumpling. I really liked these. I’m not sure the wrapper tasted different, but the interior had a nice leek and shrimp (big surprise) vibe.

Shanghai XLB. Usually at dimsum houses the XLB are heavy and just “kinda nice.” These were delicate with fabulous pork soup flavor inside, arguably better than at specialty places like DTF. Really great.

Spicy Minced Pork Dumpling. Chewy and a bit sweet with that sweet porky filling. I’m not sure what was spicy about it but it was good. Sometimes this dumpling type, which is normally light brown, is underfilled. These were generous.

Stuffed Morchella Elata Fungus. They spelled it Fungas. Lol. This was one of the best dishes. It was a nice shrimp paste ball with a “fungas” wrapper” and a sweet soy sauce. Delicious.

Shrimp Noodle. The shrimp were large and succulent and the chow fun texture was excellent. The sauce could have used slightly more punch.

Wagyu Beef Noodle. I’ve never had chow fun with wagyu. It was silky soft, a touch sweet, and did pack quite a bit of flavor.

BBQ Pork & Mixed Fungus Noodle. Again they spelled it “Fungas.” Lol again. These were actually some great Chow Fun with nice Sweet BBQ Porky filling and a hint of mushroom.

House Special Seafood Congee. I didn’t try because of the carb factor — hey it’s all carbs — but some of my friends complained that it wasn’t jammed with enough goodies.

Close up.

Sticky Rice Wrap. This is the usual lotus leaf wrapped sticky rice. It was fabulous though with all sorts of flavor goodness and perfectly sticky rice.

Sticky Rice. These were mild, a bit sweet, and filled with Chinese sausage, ginkos, egg yolks, etc. Not nearly as good as the lotus leaf sticky rice.

Pan-fried Turnip Cake. I didn’t try because of the carbs.

Crabmeat Egg-Roll. I didn’t try but everyone else toasted them in two seconds.

Seaweed and Shrimp paste cake. Nice firm shrimp cake with an interesting spongy texture and a bit of crispiness from the seaweed. The mayo complemented.

House Special Crispy Lobster Roll. Very fluffy and crunchy texture stuffed with noodles and tiny bits of lobster. Interesting.

Steamed BBQ Pork Bao. The bun was a bit soggy and the filling overly sweet.

Snow Capped BBQ Pork Bun. This version was leagues better than the steamed version. Great slightly cirspy donut style bun with nice pork filling.

Deep Fried Taro Puff. Pretty but carb on carb — plus I hate taro. Anyway there were some little bits of pork in there too.

Supreme Beef Balls. Great spongy texture. I ate a ton of these.

Ground Minced Pork. Not a very descriptive label but these were delicious pan-fried pork patties. Nice and greasy.

Wonton w/ Chili Oil Sauce. This was one of the weakest dishes. The wrapper was soft and pillowy, but the chili sauce was weak, and the filling was shrimp (would have been better as pork). Mostly it just didn’t have the chili oil punch this dish deserves.

Lobster with Ginger and Scallions. Pretty nice lobster in the “wet” style.

Soy Sauce Chicken. A bit sweet, but very aromatic and juicy so a lovely chicken.

Hongkong Style Roast Duck. This was probably the best Hongkong style roast duck I’ve had. It was extremely juicy with fabulous skin and lots of great flavor.

Smaller sized portion of the same dish.

Slightly Sweet Sauce for the duck.

Sichuan Sauce Hen Chicken. Cold chopped Hainan Chicken style chicken with nice numbing sauce. Really good.

Sauce for that.

Barbecued Iberian Pork w/ Honey. Classic sweet red Chinese BBQ pork. Very sweet sauce but pretty damn tasty!

Deep Fried Quail with Spicy Salt. Yummy, but extremly salty and mostly bones with little bits of meat on them.

Roasted Squab. Leave it to Yarom to order every bird on the menu. These were solid, but not in the top tier.

Crispy German Pork Knuckle. Very piggy, nice crispy skin, succulent meat. I enjoyed these.

Oxtail Stew with Wine Sauce Clay Pot. There was the oxtail bone factor, but this did taste great. Moderate amounts of tasty meat clung to the tail bones and the whole thing was drowned in some sort of gravy.

Poached Watercress w/ Fish Ball. Basically a nice light broth with lots of greens and fish/shrimp balls. I actually really liked this dish, particularly given the nasty rainy weather. It was very soothing and provided needed carbs.

Creamy Egg-Yolk Bao. Tasty and the yolk inside almost exploded out. I just nibbled for dietary reasons.

Macau Egg Tart. A classic. Nice and eggy.

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 wines.

Yarom and the owner and the manager.

The whole gang.

They collect all the steamer trays in rolling huskee’s!

Overall, I thought Bistro 1968 is currently one of the best dim sum places in the SGV — and therefore in SoCal. Not every dish is perfect but they have a big menu, many interesting dishes, and an overall standard of execution that is just higher than most of the older places. Sure, there are a lot of good (and even great) options in the SGV but you totally can’t go wrong with this one!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (1)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Bistro 1968, BYOG, Cantonese, Cantonese Chinese, Chinese cuisine, dimsum, DimSumQuest, dumplings, Gelato, SGV

Manzke Birthday

Jul30

Restaurant: Manzke [1, 2, 3]

Location: 9575 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90035. (424) 500-9575

Date: December 16, 2022

Cuisine: Modern American French

Rating: Really good and great fun

There is no question that Walter Manzke is one of LA’s most influential chefs of the last decade or so. His Republique is iconic and I’ve eaten dozens of meals there.

This particular (second visit) to Manzke was for Sebastian’s 2022 birthday!

Manzke is his new “tasting menu only” spot located in the former Picca space above Water’s Bicyclette. Manzke is sort of a full restaurant version of the kind of special Walter tasting menu meal I’ve been getting for years at special events in the Republique private room.

The build out is lavish, two leveled, and features a big open kitchen.

There is a full bar of course.

Sebastian and Walter.

The menu.

Sadly, I forgot to charge my camera battery and had to slum it with the iPhone — ick!

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

Potato Chips. Charred banana tzatziki, soked trout roe. I ate the dip straight without the chips. Very nice, with just a bit of a hint of banana in the otherwise sour tzatzkiki.

Potato Chips.

2008 Pol Roger Champagne Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill. VM 95+. The 2008 Brut Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill is one of the most reticent and tightly wound wines of the vintage. To be sure, all the 2008s offer tremendous brightness and punch, but most are also a bit more approachable in the early going. The 2008 Churchill is totally closed in on itself at present. Vibrant floral, citrus and saline notes add an attractive upper register to a core of persistent Pinot-inflected fruit as the wine gradually opens up. The 2008 is a total knock-out, but I wouldn’t dream of touching a bottle anytime soon. (Drink between 2024-2038)

Tostada. Bluefin tuna, salsa fresca. Very lovely little tuna tostada, which tasted exactly like that with the strong corn notes offsetting the cool tuna.

The “salsa fresca” was actually this clear liquid which while it had about the texture of a shot of sake, did taste just like salsa fresca. Interesting!

2007 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut. VM 97. Long-time Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon has produced yet another in a string of superb Champagnes with the 2007 Cristal. Rich, powerful and enveloping, the 2007 takes hold of all the senses and never lets up. The aromatics alone are captivating, but then the wine opens on the palate, revealing layer after layer of flavor to match a multi-dimensional, kaleidoscopic personality that will leave Champagne lovers weak at the knees. The 2007 is 58% Chardonnay and 42% Pinot Noir, which is to say a bit more Chardonnay-leaning than is the norm. The 2007 is striking today, but it should also age effortlessly for several decades. It is also without question one of the very finest new releases of the year. (Drink between 2015-2037)

Nantucket Bay Scallops. Granny smith apple, ginger vierge, shiso. Lovely little bit with strong fruity and ginger notes and an awesome sweet and tangy sauce.

Santa Barbara Uni. Kaluga caviar, heirloom tomato gelee. The uni was in some kind of panna cotta beneath the caviar, but mostly it tasted like caviar and panna cotta — which was pretty delightful.

2012 Domaine Billaud-Simon Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre. BH 93. A more elegant and equally restrained nose is composed of floral and mineral reduction scents where top notes of white fruit and sea breeze hints are evident. The pure and sleekly muscular flavors possess a silky texture that continues onto the mineral-driven, intense, mouth coating and beautifully balanced finish. This is seriously impressive. (Drink starting 2020)

Laminated Brioche. Radolphe le meunier Normandy butter.

Incredibly soft and flakey laminated croissant-like pastry bread.

Radolphe le meunier Normandy butter. This butter is to die for!

From my cellar: 2010 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières. VM 93. There is a cool, inward minerality to the 2010 Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatières that is quite striking, but the wine is going to need some time to fully come together. Lemon, white flowers and flint are some the many notes that are layered into the wiry, tense finish. I very much like the sense of energy here. (Drink starting 2013)

Japanese Hamachi. Shinko pear, passionfruit nuoc cham. Extremely tangy and lovely crudo.

Sebastian and his lovely wife.

From my cellar: 2002 Gros Frère et Sœur Richebourg. VM 95. Medium red. Highly perfumed, ineffably complex aromas of strawberry, currant, bacon fat, cocoa powder, gunflint, coffee and smoked meat. Dense, sappy and wonderfully intense, with exhilarating flavors of smoked meat, spices, minerals and underbrush. Conveys a powerful impression of soil tones. Builds almost freakishly on the back end, finishing with a kick of spice and a flavor of pink peppercorn. A wonderfully suave, extremely long Richebourg that offers great early appeal but has the spine to develop in bottle for 10 or 15 years. (A Patrick Lesec Selection; importers include Classic Wine Imports, Boston, MA; Fine Vines LLC, Melrose Park, IL; The Wine Warehouse, Commerce, CA; Domaine Select Wine Estates, New York, NY )

Maine Lobster. Carrot, coconut Thai curry. Tasted like lobster tom yum goong more or less. Certainly rich and delicious.

The private room.

The wines.

2009 Château Mouton Rothschild. VM 97. The 2009 Mouton-Rothschild has a very backward bouquet that is clearly nowhere near its drinking plateau, unfolding reluctantly with cedar and pencil box infused black fruit. Glimpses of pressed rose petal unfurl with continued aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, a mixture of red and black fruit, and veins of blue. Very harmonious with a satin-like texture towards the persistent finish. Philippe Dhalluin conjured a gorgeous Mouton-Rothschild this year, but it needs another few years in the cellar. Tasted at BI Wines & Spirits’ Ten Year On tasting. (Drink between 2022-2055)

2009 Château Cheval Blanc. VM 98. The 2009 Cheval Blanc has a rambunctious nose with copious red fruit, meat juices, sage and crushed stone aromas, ineffably complex. This is so refined, constantly mutating in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, saturated tannin. There is a mixture of red and black fruit, hints of cassis, cardamom and allspice. Immense depth and grip towards the finish expresses ripe Cabernet Franc. This is an outstanding 2009 destined for long-term ageing. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting. (Drink between 2021-2060)

Norwegian Halibut. Monterey abalone, matsutake, dashi beurre blanc. This is essentially a classic french poached fish with beurre blanc, but with various Japanese twists. The fish texture was succulent and perfect, and suspended in the rich, bright butter. The Abalone was very tender and nicely offset by the pistou-like sauce.

1985 Château Mouton Rothschild. VM 92. The 1985 Mouton-Rothschild came from magnum. Unfortunately, there was a little cork taint on the nose, so this tasting note actually comes from a bottle that I tasted in Bordeaux. The bouquet is open, very classic in style, perhaps blind more like the 1986 with scents of pine cones and undergrowth. It was always quite a backward and (for the vintage) quite surly on the nose. The palate is well balanced with cedar and truffle, firm tannins with gentle grip, maybe missing a bit of flair towards the finish. It is an enjoyable Mouton-Rothschild, though you might have wanted a little more panache. Tasted at the “Judgement of Clapham Junction” dinner in London. (Drink between 2021-2040)

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

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

1986 Château Lafite Rothschild. VM 96. The 1986 Lafite-Rothschild is a great wine although over several recent encounters it is never a convincing “perfect” wine. This mirrors the bottle I tasted at the property in 2016: blackberry and graphite on the nose, gawky at first, but coalescing with time. The palate is well balanced with firm tannins, strong graphite scents unfolding with time, superb energy if not delivering quite the finesse and precision that the very best Lafite-Rothschild will bestow. This is a wine that benefits from long decanting, say five or six hours, though it never quite reaches the ethereal heights that it could have done. Tasted at the International Business & Wine First Growth Dinner at the Four Seasons. (Drink between 2020-2050)

Italian White Truffles. Acquerello carnaroli risotto, vacche rosse parmesan. Perfect rich truffle risotto.

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

1982 Château Haut-Brion. VM 96. Good medium amber-edge red. Flamboyant aromas of smoked meat, leather, truffle and burnished oak. Intensely flavored and penetrating, with strong acids giving the flavors terrific cut and grip. I get an impression of strong cabernet tannins. Drink now through 2020. 94. My second bottle showed even more extravagantly expressive aromas of hot stones, tobacco, minerals and marzipan; a denser, silkier palate impression, with more obvious roasted Graves character; and an uncanny combination of sheer sweetness with structure and grip. I rated this wine even higher.

Liberty Farms Sonoma Duck. Satsuma mandarin, sweet potato tartlet, sauce bigarade. Perfectly cooked slice of duck breast.

2000 Château Cheval Blanc. VM 94. The 2000 Cheval Blanc is a wine that I have encountered more than a dozen times. Now at just over 20 years of age (how time flies – I remember tasting this from barrel), it has a lovely, quite beguiling bouquet of brambly red berries, iron rust, Provençal herbs and clove, powerful and somehow enveloping. The peppery palate is medium-bodied with quite firm, stocky tannins and good backbone, though coming after a vertical of recent vintages, it feels more rustic and feral. As Pierre-Olivier Clouet noted, there are fewer “pixels” in this millennial Cheval Blanc, but you can’t help falling for its charms. Ready to drink now but will age for the next 20–30 years. Tasted at Cheval Blanc. (Drink between 2021-2040)

2009 M. Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon. VM 95. Glass-staining purple. Smoky black raspberry and cherry-cola aromas display impressive clarity and alluring spiciness. Lush, creamy red and dark berry flavors possess impressive depth, with a firm mineral spine and the smoky note repeating. A sappy, sweet, extremely long finish leaves sweet berry skin and violet pastille notes behind.

Snake River Farms Wagyu Rib Eye Cap. Butterball potatoes, swiss chard, black truffle jus.

2008 Dom Pérignon Champagne Rosé. VM 97. The 2008 Dom Pérignon Rosé is magnificent. Rich and deep in the glass, the 2008 offers up an exotic mélange of aromas and flavors. Sweet red cherry, mint, orange peel and rose petal all grace this beguiling beauty. Bright acids and a little less still red Pinot (21%) than in most recent editions yields a Rosé that is delicate and light on its feet, with less of the vinous intensity that marked vintages such as 2006. There is a classic feeling of austerity in the 2018 that is mesmerizing. (Originally published in May 2021) (Drink between 2026-2048)

Brillat Savarin Cheesecake. Citrus. Seemed more like a citrus panna cotta. I was trying to avoid the desserts but this was really spectacular and refreshing.

Hot Chocolate!

Madelines.

Mignardise.

A little birthday tart for Seb.

Take home gift.

Manzke is a great addition to LA’s anemic tasting menu scene. Overall the food was extremely good, very “butter forward” in that he cooks with a lot of butter. As I mentioned before it’s somewhat similar to custom dinners Walter has cooked at Republique. I’ll be very curious to see how often the menu changes. The space itself is lovely and they even have a nice (quiet) private room with a gorgeous large table. Plus the location is good. So I look forward to returning.

It should also be noted that service was spectacular. Walter really knows how to run a very good crew. The private room rocks as well. Really great space for a great meal.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: birthday, Bordeaux, Manzke, sebastian, spp, Walter Manzke, Wine

Salon Sushi

Jul27

Restaurant: The Brothers Sushi Santa Monica [1, 2]

Location: 1008 Montana Ave #1, Santa Monica, CA 90403. (424) 330-0270

Date: December 13, 2022

Cuisine: Modern Sushi

Rating: Awesome (and close)!

Our Foodie Gang has been going to the incredible “The Brothers Sushi” in the valley for some time now, and it was with much glee that we welcomed in the brand new (and somewhat delayed) Montana Santa Monica location. Now it’s become a bit of a staple spot for us.

The space used to be the repulsive Louise’s Trattoria, serving not exactly Italian for decades. But Brother’s has given it a major new makeover.

The build out is gorgeous. Here the bar is for omakase only and the tables are for à la carte only.

More details.
Chef Mark Okuda on the left and his chef de cuisine Moriyuki Kanamaru.

The gang.

All salon!

Well, a bottle or two to warm up.

We had most of the sushi bar.

1997 Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut. BH 95. An elegant and very fresh but distinctly yeasty nose of stupendous breadth leads to incredibly intense, pure, detailed and vibrant flavors that possess superb depth and simply knockout length. This is a powerful Salon and even though it doesn’t have the solid acid spine of the very best vintages, this compensates by its approachability and terrific mouth feel. This could be drunk now or aged, depending on one’s preference. If you can find it, I would lay in a case and drink it selectively over the next 20 years.

1999 Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut. VM 94. The 1999 belongs to the family of warm, ripe vintage at Salon. An atypically big, dense wine by Salon standards, the 1999 is somewhat one-dimensional and not likely to improve considerably from here. At the same time, the 1999 has more than enough depth to drink well for a number of years. All things considered, the 1999 has held up well. Didier Depond, the house’s President, describes 1999 as a year with very hot, sunny weather during the summer and into the harvest. Late season rains were an issue for the Pinot, but not for the Chardonnay. (Drink between 2016-2031)

White shrimp from Japan, Hokkaido Sea Urchin, with shaved white truffle. Very rich and decadant.

1 week dry-aged ono from Mie prefecture, along with momotaro tomatoes and ice plant. A bit of delicious acidity in the sauce and very “edible” tomatoes (aka not a strong nightshade taste). The texture of the ice plant was fabulous.

Smokey!

1 week dry-aged cherry-wood smoked yellowtail (buri). I love the smoky flavor — makes me think of ski lodges.

Hokkaido Shirako (cod sperm sack) Chawanmushi (egg custard) with Oregon white pine mushrooms. One of the best chawanmushi I’ve had. Perfect silky texture and great flavor.

San Francisco Dungeness crab and sweet corn croquettes with wasabi aioli and caviar. Super fritter!

2006 Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut. VM 97. The 2006 Salon is a very rich wine, almost uncharacteristically so. Deep and exotic the 2006 exudes richness in all of its dimensions, with myriad inflections of sumptuous fruit that fill out its ample, large-scaled frame. Today, the 2006 is surprisingly accessible for a young Salon, but it needs time to shed some baby fat. At times, the 2006 recalls the 2002, but it appears to have more phenolic intensity and overall structure. Even with all of its flamboyance and pure volume, the 2006 retains quite a bit of energy and freshness. I imagine it will be a fascinating, utterly compelling Champagne to follow over the next several decades. (Drink between 2026-2046)

2007 Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut. VM 96. The 2007 Salon is gorgeous. Weightless, delicate and understated, the 2007 is all class. Today, the 2007 reminds me of the 2004 in its bright, citrus and floral-infused profile, but with a bit more creaminess, mid-palate depth and softer contours, all of which will make the 2007 easy to drink with minimal cellaring. Next to the 2006, the 2007 is quite a bit fresher and more delineated, with none of exuberance, power of tropically-leaning overtones found in its younger sibling. At this stage, the 2007 is a bit inward and closed in on itself. Then again, it is Salon. This is another terrific showing from Salon and the team headed by President Didier Depond. Dosage is 5 grams per liter. (Drink between 2020-2047)

2012 Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut. VM 97. The 2012 Salon is absolutely gorgeous. It offers a beguiling mix of radiance and energy that seems to capture a little bit of elements of some of its older siblings. The expression of fruit is radiant and quite overt, but without reaching the tropical exuberance of the 2006. In shape, the 2012 recalls the mid-weight style of 2007 with the freshness of 2008, but not quite the youthful austerity of that wine. If that sounds like an appealing combination, well it is. The 2012 Salon is all harmony and class. (Drink between 2022-2043)

Ready for nigiri.

And so is the chef.

Baby sea bream. Cured in salt and pickled in vinegar.

Cured Sardines from Japan (Ishikawa prefecture). One of our favorites — gotta love that vinegar.

Goldeneye snapper. Charred with Binchō-tan charcoal. Lots of char flavor and a firmer, drier, texture than some fish.

Shima-aji (Striped Jack Mackerel), Ponzu jelly, chive, and shiso flower. Scrumptious.

Fan clam with shiso. Slightly heavy.

Another view.

2012 Louis Jadot Montrachet. BH 91-94. Mild sulfur detracts only faintly from the ultra-elegant white flower, pear, citrus, spice and wet stone nuances. There is outstanding volume and concentration to the attractively well-detailed and imposingly-scaled flavors that display borderline painful intensity on the driving and linear if very compact finish. Even by the usual outsized standards of Montrachet this is a big though not massive example. (Drink starting 2022)

Monkfish liver from the East Coast, Crème brûlée style. Sweet and tangy sauce. Very interesting prep.

Clam miso. Lovely and balanced.

Hokkaido Hairy crab with crab guts (kani miso). Great crabby bite.

Spanish O-Toro (fatty tuna belly), dry-aged 1 week. I could have eaten 10 of these!

Sea perch nigiri.

The sardine returns for an encore.

And Jeffrey brought a red, because while he agreed to go to a Salon dinner, he doesn’t really like champagne :-P.

Jeffrey was obsessed prior to the dinner with ordering the “hot courses” (which aren’t on the normal omakase). So we ordered them off the menu after the main progression. Obsessed. You’d think he doesn’t like “actual sushi.”
Miso Seabass wraps. Butter lettuce, miso marinated seabags, crispy sweet potato. Plebeian, but very pleasant. The crispy potato offered a very nice textural crunch.

Crispy Lobster Tempura. Icimi aioli sauce. Pretty. I didn’t try because of the carbs.

Deep Fried Fresh Soft Shell Crab. Pickled cucumber, creamy citrus soy, chive. I did have to try this as the fry was “lighter”. really quite lovely with a nice crunchy from the “soft” shell and good citrus notes pairing well with the sweetness of the crab.

Yamaimo Fries. Japanese mountain potato, truffle salt.

Tamago.

Green Tea Cheesecake. I had a little taste as it is (mostly) fat — albeit with quite a bit of sugar.

Roasted Green Tea finished the evening nicely.

Overall, another perfect night of sushi and champagne!

Instantly Brother’s Santa Monica has leapt into the top tier of westside sushi bars along with Miyagi and Shunji. It’s combination of perfect nigri and very refined “other dishes” are really great. It’s slightly different from woodland hills in personality, with some dishes in common and some specific to each — just enough to keep things interesting.

For more Sushi dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Brothers Sushi, Champagne, Foodie Club, Mark Okuda, Moriyuki Kanamaru, Salon, Santa Monica, Sushi

Orange Opulence – Chang’an

Jul24

Restaurant: Chang’an

Location: 13051 Newport Ave, Tustin, CA 92780. (949) 324-5558

Date: December 10, 2022 and February 23, 2023

Cuisine: Chinese

Rating: Best Chinese in the Southland

Among my friends Chang’an is a highly controversial Chinese restaurant. Personally, I think it has hands down the highest quality Chinese food in California, really the best I’ve had outside of China. But it’s high end, and in Tustin, and very expensive. There is a certain contingent who likes their Chinese grungier and at a better QPR feeling this is “more authentic.” The reality is that both are different aspects of modern China. Chang’an is extremely “authentic,” just to the style of recent high end eatery cropping up in China’s major cities. A good example would be Shanghai Tang.

They are also known for their elaborate table-side Peking Duck and are the winner of my in depth Ultimate LA Peking Duck Guide.

It’s located in this “French Chateau” like structure way down in Tustin. The drive is a real pain.

The decor is at a different level.

Details.

The have a dedicated peking duck oven!

One of their several bars.

The menu.

For our first meal we ate out on the “floor” near the giant screen (oddly playing Christmas videos). For the second, we had the awesome private room.

Gotta have champagne for:

Bovon brought 16oz of caviar!

Fist bump time!
And in a new first new BYOU (bring your own uni) — two trays of fresh Santa Barbara Uni!

They serve a Shaanxi bread and this spicy bean sauce.

Some Dec 22 wine.

Out comes the “main event” – LA’s best Peking duck.

Close up.

The table-side Peking Duck Show really gets underway!

The duck was covered in Baijiu and lit on fire to crisp (and flavor) the skin.

Carved table-side.

Skin was thin and mildly crispy, aged ducky flavor, served with traditional brown sugar. But still this way of doing the duck, better for the meat, compromises the skin ever-so-slightly = 6.

Natural cane sugar for dipping the skin into.

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

Accoutrements were scallion and cucumbers as usual plus pear = 9. Hoisin was good to great. Slightly thin maybe, sweet and savory, quite pungent = 8.

Meat was served 2 ways, both with some skin on the white meat, straight up = 10 where it was really juicy and full of flavor.

The burrito/bing together was a 7/10 or perhaps 8/10 as I didn’t pack it right. I should have made a second but I didn’t want the extra carbs.

The smoke machine was used to smoke this second batch of duck meat.

Watch it in action.

A second half of the meat was served smoked which was very different, a bit more like ham, and quite lovely = 9.

Dec 22 wine. It takes something racy like this to pair with numbing clam.

Spicy Arctic Surf Clam with Green Sichuan pepper 青花椒炝北极贝. Fabulous dish with chewy clam and pungent citrus-tinged peppercorns and a slightly sweet soy base. Underneath were unwraveled green onions. We ordered two of these they were so good.

And Bovon just had to “do his thing” to the dish for the photo. The combo certainly didn’t clash with the clam and even the peppercorn, but it did mute the peppercorn, which to me was a slight distraction.

Crispy Beef Tongue 脆皮牛舌. Fried, rich, but very delicious. The center was dense and chewy and the fry nice and light. The sweet and “spicy” sauce livened it up a bit.

A touch thin and oxidative.

Tons of lovely chevy minerality.

Lovely.

Cold Crispy Jellyfish With Hot and Sour Sauce 浆水海蜇. Incredible texture and a refreshing taste. Great jellyfish. The jellyfish itself was exceedingly firm with a great bite.

Taking it up to the next level we “decorated” with uni and caviar! Actually the caviar really helped the dish.

Tossed Cilantro, Scallion & Red Peanut Salad sweet & sour vinaigrette 陕西大拌菜. Extremely elegant salad. I could have eaten 2 all by myself. Very tangy with great texture, crunch, and tangy flavor.

Cucumber & Cold Noodles in chili sesame or hot and sour sauce 老陕凉皮 (麻酱/ 酸辣). There were two variants here, the spicy bean sprout noodles and a less spicy sesame cold noodles. They were fairly good, and better than last time as they started the meal. Texture was great on both. I particularly liked adding some of the even spicer “bread sauce” to the spicy noodles.

48-Hour Braised Sea Cucumber (per person) twenty-two different herbs and spices 招牌葱烧海参佐黑松露饭(每位). Wow! This was hands down the best sea cucumber I’ve had. They make a supreme stock and then slowly rehydrate the dried sea cucumber in it so that it absorbs the lovely and complex flavor. The rice is special Japanese snow rice with a very aromatic sauce. Really special.

Stir- Fired Lychee Prawns with Sweet Sour and Spicy Sauce 贵妃荔枝虾球. Very sweet. The cashews were candied. The sauce was sweet. The shrimp were perfectly cooked and quite nice. The fried balls were lychee deep deep fried covered in caramelized sugar.

Snow Crab with Egg pancake 风花雪蟹配鸡蛋煎饼. Eggy versions of the spring pancake with a very salty and delicious crab and seafood mix. Almost like a dry XO sauce it had little dried shrimps and scallops in there. Insanely savory.

The ultimate umami salt pancake with the crab mix and a huge blob of caviar!

Dec 22 wine.

Live Fish (Seasonal/Reserve only) Market Price 时价. In this particular case Turbot. Steamed with scallion and soy. I usually find this a bland dish but the succulent quality of this lovely fish and the perfect sauce made this dish insanely good. It was even better topped with lots of caviar!

Turbot in action.

On our second visit we decided to prep the Turbo a different way: Live Turbot Soup. I’m not sure what this was called, but this soup prep of the Turbot was incredible. The broth was mixed fish and chicken and seasoned liberally with white pepper. It was stunning. The chunks of fish were melt in your mouth and filled with that gelatinous softness that great turbot has. Amazing!

Out comes our friend, the soon to be dinner, his highness, King Crab.

Live King Crab “ginger and scallion.” I’ve never had this particular variant on the ginger and scallion. Instead of being a wet wok version, this was deep fried and then stir-fried with ginger and scallions in a spectacularly effective manner than leant it amazing Wok Xi (aka char flavor). Really delicious.

Live King Crab legs steamed with garlic and vermicelli. Perfect light and sweet version of the leg meat.

Jeff just had to Uni and Caviar this up too!

The crab shell returned with steamed “tofu egg.” Very loose light version of this dish. It was good but I actually prefer it as a more “solid” mass of custard.

Very nice, bright and deep. Not showing at that amazing level though.

Dusty at first, but it blew off. More berries than the 2001 and also not amazing.

Chang’an Squab 长安乳鸽脆皮/椒麻两种口味 Crispy/Peppercorn chili. Very nice classic Cantonese squab. Maybe a touch drier than the best ever, but really still quite lovely and amoung the better ones I’ve had.

Spicy Stir-Fried Wild Mushroom Morels with Shanghai Bok-Choy 辣炒羊肚菌配小棠菜. Delightful veggies. I just love morels.

Cucumber & Cold Noodles in chili sesame or hot and sour sauce 老陕凉皮 (麻酱/ 酸辣). I didn’t see any cucumber. These noodles were just spicy. They were fairly good, but the monotone of flavor made them one of the “worst” dishes of the night (given that every thing was great).

For his birthday Erick was given a special Xi’an style soup with long knife cut noodles (for long life) and a fried egg (for good fortune).

Sautéed Pea-Tips with Garlic 蒜蓉豆苗. Excellent version. Very delicate.

Dec 22 wine.

Extremely clean and concentrated.

Qin Style Roast Lamb Leg 秦味烤羊腿. This dish was insane. I didn’t deal with the buns but the lamb was super hot and intensely flavorful. It just melted off the bone and had this sizzling fat and intense smoked and crunchy chili flavor. Insane!

Close up of this perfect spicy meat.

Buns for the lamb.

Bovon caviared the buns!

Braised Abalone and Pork Belly with hand made steambuns 一品鲍鱼红烧肉. Not the strongest dish. The pork was very good with that braised star anise flavor and tons of fat.

Peppercorn Ice Cream 花椒冰淇淋 (每位). Very mild peppercorn flavors and very cold (and hard). But still good.

Tangerine Ice cream was hard but had a delightful flavor.

Strawbaccio Gelato — an awesome dairly Strawberry base with house-made Bronte Pistacchio DOCG “Fudge” — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — whacky combo day — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #strawberry #pistachio #pistacchio #fudge

Dec 2022 wine.

Feb 2023 Wines (up a notch!)
In one of the main dining rooms.

Private room gang.

Overall, I think this is some insanely good Chinese food. It’s not just great for Chinese, it’s really up there in terms of meals available in Southern California. The downside is the distance — easily over 2 hours in traffic — and the price (can be several hundred $$ a person if you are getting King Crab, etc.). I feel it’s worth it, and so do all the people I went with, but some of my other friends do not like the QPR. It’s definitely not a “value.”

Decor is great too. The atmosphere is “interesting.” Service is earnest and quite excellent for Chinese but still fighting its own instincts. They want to serve in Chinese order and they want to serve FAST! (almost everything at the same time). We have our own preferences for order, designed to match the wines. Many items here are pre-order only, like the duck and crab. The duck in particular is a bit odd. The very strangely limit you to one a table. Really two would be good with a large party. And they have an extremely specific pre-arranged time where they are GOING to serve the duck. By default this is the minute of your reservation — like start milling around the table discussing seating and here comes the duck! So it’s very important to arrange this specific time some distance (perhaps at least 30 minutes) AFTER your reservation time. And it’s then difficult to arrange for it to be after all the seafood (because you don’t know how long that will take). But these little idiosyncrasies are well worth putting up with (IMHO).

Chang’an also blends a number of Chinese regional styles. It’s nominally celebrating the city of Xi’an and so has significant Shaanxi influence, but certainly isn’t a classic Shaanxi place. It has Beijing dishes (like Peking duck) and some somewhat Cantonese dishes. All are filtered through both a higher end and slightly western Chinese lens.

Highly, highly recommended — but know what you are getting into.

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: BYOC, BYOG, BYOU, Caviar, Chang'An, Chinese cuisine, Fancy Chinese, Gelato, Orange County, Peking Duck, Shaanxi, Tustin, Uni, Wine, Xi'an

Lunch Quest – Spicy Impression

Jul22

Restaurant: Spicy Impression

Location: 17110 Colima Rd B, Hacienda Heights, CA 91745. (626) 363-4948

Date: December 20, 2022

Cuisine: Sichuan Chinese

Rating: Mostly for takeout

For today’s Lunch Quest Yarom, Chevy, and I hiked out to one of our favorite “corners” in the Far SGV, close to Shanghailander, Spicy Home, and others — all to try out this casual new Sichuan place.

Typical box store.

Casual interior. There was only one other table, although lots of takeout in progress.

The menu.

“Stir-fried” cucumber. I don’t think that word means what they think it means, as this was smashed cucumbers (with garlic and peanuts). It was actually an absolutely first rate version with a nice crunch and GREAT garlic flavor. The peanuts were a nice addition as well.

Stir-fried clams with Chinese pepper. Now this is actually stir fried. The flavor on this dish was awesome. The crispy green pepper corns were delicious and the flavor from the chopped chilis intense. Eating them was eye watering and they were the only genuinely spicy element at this lunch.

Spicy Soup with Sneakhead Fish Filet and Pork Intestine. Very nice flavors in this dish. The fish was oily and almost eel-like and very tasty. There was also “douchi” (fermented salted black beans) and a very flavorful broth, although it had a strong undertaste of “pig poo.” Yeah, and that was a deliberate (pig) intestinal funk. Oh yeah baby!

Stir-fried lamb belly with Chinese spices. Not sure how the belly was different from the lamb in the next dish, but the stir fry mix was a bit different. It had celery and the hot peppers again (as opposed to dried) and no cumin.

Cumin Lamb. Classic cumin lamb. Fairly “intense” lamb flavor with quite a bit of cumin. I would have liked slightly more “Wok Hei” as I’m not sure they charred the lamb on the hyper hot wok first.

Spicy Pork Feet. Pig’s feet that were braised in an interesting star anise and black cardamom broth, then stir fried with chili oil, onions, garlic etc. I don’t like flabby pig skin but the gelatinous and fatty meat below the skin was good.

Mapo Eggplant. I’ve never had this dish, basically Mapo Tofu with eggplant instead. It was delicious with a very strong flavor of Sichuan Peppercorn. It wasn’t actually that numbing as perhaps that was cooked out, but it was strongly flavored with the complex herbal-citrus notes of the peppercorn.

Chinese Spicy & Sour Cabbage. The cabbage had a nice crunch and was very enjoyable. It didn’t have that totally addictive “pork fat” flavor but I still ate at least half of this dish.

Overall, this place was tasty, but is really just a Sichuan takeout shack. Clearly people aren’t eating in here as there were stacks and stacks of takeout containers at the ready. As such, they don’t have much variety of prep. Nearly everything on the menu is wokked and most dishes are just different proteins stir-fried in a set number of preps. There are no different cooking styles like “Tea Smoked Duck” or even many cold dishes.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Chinese cuisine, Chinese Food, lunch, Lunch Quest, SGV, Sichuan Cuisine, spicy, Spicy Impression, Szechuan cuisine

Big Citrin Birthday!

Jul20

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

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

Date: January 29, 2020

Cuisine: California French

Rating: Rebooted

Iconic Santa Monica Melisse has rebooted as 2 restaurants in the same space. In the front, Citrin, in a (slightly) more casual (slightly) more shared format, and a small room in the back with Melisse 2.0 — as a $300+ a head tasting menu only spot.

For Jeffrey’s bday we covered on Citrin for an epic birthday blowout.

The front has been opened up and now has a bar.

The main dining room is similar, but with the finishes redone.

The menu.

8 of us plus about a trillion unwelcome microbial visitors.

1982 Château Haut-Brion. VM 96. Good medium amber-edge red. Flamboyant aromas of smoked meat, leather, truffle and burnished oak. Intensely flavored and penetrating, with strong acids giving the flavors terrific cut and grip. I get an impression of strong cabernet tannins. Drink now through 2020. 94. My second bottle showed even more extravagantly expressive aromas of hot stones, tobacco, minerals and marzipan; a denser, silkier palate impression, with more obvious roasted Graves character; and an uncanny combination of sheer sweetness with structure and grip. I rated this wine even higher.

Beggar’s Purse. A mini crepe filled with caviar and Crème fraîche. Delicious, tastes just like a crepe with caviar and Crème fraîche but in a very cool dumpling shape.

Oyster with Crème fraîche. Bright and delicious.

From my cellar: 1995 Robert Ampeau & Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. 93 points.

From my cellar: 2014 Jean-Claude Ramonet Saint-Aubin 1er Cru En Remilly Blanc. BH 90. A soft trace of wood frames pretty and cool but ripe yeast, apple and pear scents that slide gracefully into the nicely detail, rich and relatively generously proportioned middle weight flavors that possess a lovely salinity that surfaces on the focused and persistent finale where a touch of bitter lemon appears. This is already sufficiently forward that it could be enjoyed now but I would be inclined to allow it at least 2 to 3 years of cellar time and 5 will probably prove to be ideal. (Drink starting 2019)

2002 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre. VM 94. Healthy bright yellow. Classic brothy, crushed-stone Chablis nose, with lively hints of ripe citrus fruits and flowers. Wonderfully dense and tactile yet weightless, showing a sexy creaminess in the mid-palate for such a mineral-driven wine. An element of candied yellow fruits emerged with air, with a repeating floral note providing lift. Beautifully balanced, vibrant and long, finishing tactile and classically dry but not at all austere. A bit like the 2010 in style. (Drink between 2019-2033)

COUNTRY ROLL, BASIL BRIOCHE. The bread at Citrin/Melisse has always been great. I didn’t eat it tonight for diet reasons. Sigh.

Beurre de Baratte.

EGG CAVIAR. Soft Poached Egg, Cauliflower Mousseline, Lemon Chive Créme Fraiche. Total Melisse classic and always great.

CRUDO OF JAPANESE HAMACHI. Yuzu Compressed Apples, Vierge. The fish was perfect and the sweet and tangy marinate gorgeous.

HOKKAIDO SCALLOP. Sunchokes, Salsify, and Root Vegetable Consumme.

2008 Dom Pérignon Champagne Rosé. VM 97. The 2008 Dom Pérignon Rosé is magnificent. Rich and deep in the glass, the 2008 offers up an exotic mélange of aromas and flavors. Sweet red cherry, mint, orange peel and rose petal all grace this beguiling beauty. Bright acids and a little less still red Pinot (21%) than in most recent editions yields a Rosé that is delicate and light on its feet, with less of the vinous intensity that marked vintages such as 2006. There is a classic feeling of austerity in the 2018 that is mesmerizing. (Originally published in May 2021) (Drink between 2026-2048)

WILD MUSHROOM SOUP. Whipped Black Truffle Mousse. This is basically mushroom cream soup but as such is incredibly delicious.

HAMACHI COLLAR. Carrot Escabeche, Yuzu Mayo, Puffed Grains. Very nice.

Lettuce wraps for the collar.

LOBSTER BOLOGNESE. Maine Lobster, Fresh Capellini, Brown Butter Truffle Froth. Another original Melisse classic. Always fabulous with great texture and a savory lobster flavor.

Ocean Trout. Kabocha, Winter Citrus, Persimmon. Probably poached in the classic French style the fish was superbly soft.

SALADE MELISSE. Shaved Vegetables, Parmesan, Truffle Vinaigrette. This simple salad had great textures and a really appealing vinaigrette.

2005 Camille Giroud Chambertin. BH 93-96. There are actually several different cuvées of this wine and at the time of my tasting, Croix had not decided what he was going to use for the final blend. The best of them featured a reserved and very backward, indeed almost brooding nose of ripe and distinctly earth red pinot fruit plus a touch of animale that merges seamlessly into textured, powerful and pure big-bodied flavors that despite the size, richness and raw muscle are harmonious and perfectly balanced. A monument in the making but I reemphasize that this review may or may not reflect the final blend. (Drink starting 2018)

From my cellar: 1947 Moillard-Grivot Chambolle-Musigny. 90 points.

2003 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée da Capo. VM 95-97. Deep, dark red. Multidimensional bouquet of kirsch, cassis, red plum, pipe tobacco, grilled meat, licorice pastille and roasted coffee; this has nearly all of the Chateauneuf food groups. Utterly mouthfilling in its richness, with tremendous concentration of red and dark berries, garrigue, bittersweet chocolate and aged beef. Finishes with a velvety lushness, round tannins and palate-staining persistence. A simply remarkable wine: it finished at 16.2% but the alcohol only shows in the wine’s unctuous, almost oily palate feel.

DIRTY CHICKEN FOR TWO. Roasted Carrots, Potato Mousseline, Roasted Chicken Jus. Some of the best chicken I’ve had, perfectly juicy, with a nice crunchy texture to the skin, and the “jus” (gravy) really took it to the next level.

Potato Mousseline.

Roasted Carrots. Nice for roasted veggies.

Arugula and Radish salad. I loved the bracing acidity and texture of this simple salad.

16oz PRIME RIB EYE. Lemony Potato, Yu-Choi, Pepper Condiment. Steak!

Morels and other mushrooms in butter. These were incredible. I think I ate two entire containers of them. So buttery. So mushroomy.

1982 Château Mouton Rothschild. VM 99. This is one of the best bottles of 1982 Mouton-Rothschild that I have drunk. Intense and lavish on the nose, this bursts with blackberries, raspberry confit, wild mint and graphite aromas, yet there is a sense of calm and refinement, perhaps less VA than some examples. The palate is medium-bodied and beautifully balanced, with some of the finest tannins that I have noticed on this Mouton Rothschild. Slightly tertiary on the finish, it builds and builds and leaves you utterly smitten. My God, dare I say it almost reminds me of L* ***r? Tasted at La Trompette in London. (Drink between 2023-2050)

1982 Château Cheval Blanc. VM 96. Saturated deep red, with a hint of development at the rim. Roasted nose dominated by toffee and tobacco. Wonderfully silky but without quite the exotic ripeness of the ’90. Still, this offers uncanny retention of primary fruit. Expands inexorably on the finish and goes on and on. A wonderful bottle that still improving. (The bottle in the blind flight was slightly less impressive: Good full red, with a hint of amber at the rim. Slightly medicinal aromas of red fruits, cedar and tobacco leaf; comes across as distinctly cooler than the ’90. Dense but penetrating and still a bit closed in on itself. Less sweet and generous today than the ’90, less exotic. But finishes firm and long, with a hint of dryness. I rated this bottle 93(+?).) Drink now through 2020.

2007 Domaine de la Janasse Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée XXL. VM 93-94. Jeffrey style (big and round!)

Snake River Farms Beef Sirloin and Braised Cheeks. Cone Cabbage, Pommes Fondant, Horseradish Jus. A very nice steak and the jus was awesome but the cabbage (with jus) was really the champion here — amazing!

Braised Beef Cheeks.

Millbrook Farms Venison. Butternut Squash, Chanterelles, Black Walnut Condiment.

Michael breathing on the chef.

16oz PRIME RIB EYE. Lemony Potato, Yu-Choi, Pepper Condiment.

Cheese Plate.

Crisps.

1989 Château d’Yquem. VM 99. The 1989 Yquem is my favourite of the triumvirate and this bottle was stellar. It explodes from the glass with scents of quince, acacia, honeysuckle, saffron and wild heather (a trait that I have observed previously). What marks this out is the stunning delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with tangerine, fig, marmalade and quince. A livewire Yquem with enormous depth and intensity, a bit more swagger than the 1988, a bit more precision-tooled than the 1990. Fabulous. Tasted blind at a private dinner in Bordeaux. (Drink between 2022-2050)

CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE. Cocoa Nibs, Dulce de Leche.

VALRHONA CHOCOLATE TART. Coffee, Caramel.

ORANGE SOUFFLE. Ice Cream.

STICKY TOFFEE. Cream Cheese Mouse, Pomegranate Sorbet.

Various coffees.

Passion fruit mini dessert for everyone. I nibbled this and it was so up my alley. Too bad I’m avoiding the carbs.

Chocolate bon bons.

Tropical fruit jellies. I nibbled one of these too and it was insanely good.

The lineup.

1982 Château d’Yquem. VM 95. The 1982 Yquem reached physiological ripeness on 16 September, though rain interrupted harvest that only really commenced on 2 November for just four days. My third encounter with this off-vintage blew me away and frankly, I was not prepared for the quality given the previous showings. Limpid gold in hue, this has a brilliantly-defined bouquet with shimmering scents of quince, saffron and honeysuckle, one of the most citrus that I can recall. The palate is built around its livewire acidity, taut and finely detailed with orange zest, quince and white peach. The 1982s focus and energy is irresistible. I suspect that I will never encounter a bottle as good as this. Tasted at the 1982 Bordeaux dinner at Hatched in London. (Drink between 2022-2045)

—

Overall, another epic epic night. Wow, that was a lot of food!

Service at Citrin is first class. Wine service is very good. As good as it gets in LA. There is no bottle limit too, although corkage is a bit steep.

Food was quite good. Similar to Melisse, but formatted differently. We sort of did the “fixed” menu plus a LOT of add ons and share plates here. Worked out well with the add ons. Just the normal fixed menu would be a bit light for us gluttons and a dinner like this.

Great evening. Don’t miss my coverage of the more modernist (and Asian influenced) New Melisse.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: birthday, Chef Josiah Citrin, Citrin, covid, French Cuisine, Wine

Arcadian Pastures

Jul18

Restaurant: Meizhou Dongpo

Location: 400 S Baldwin Ave #2045, Arcadia, CA 91007. (626) 538-4136

Date: December 4, 2022

Cuisine: Beijing/Szechuan Chinese

Rating: A bit better than its Century City brother

I’ve been to the Century City Meizhou many times, and I’ve even been to this Arcadia branch (which oddly opened LATER) for lunch, but I was always skeptical of going out here for dinner as there are so many other places in the SGV (and after all, we have one close by).

But off I went anyway.

They do have EPIC private rooms. This one is huge, decorated, and has a nice “sitting area.”

Sichuan Dumplings. Pork dumplings with chili oil. Pretty nice version with soft skins, good filling, and a tangy/spicy sauce.

Spicy cucumber salad. Very solid version. A touch spicy, nice sweet and tangy sauce.

Dongpo sausage. Two types. Actually a touch spicy/sweet. The light colored one was incredibly delicious in a sweet pork sort of way.

Cold mung bean noodles with chili. This was a spectacular version of this Chengdu street dish. Tons of flavor and a hot of heat.

Cold noodles with chicken and spicy sauce (not pictured). You mix it up and douse in the sauce. Quite nice cold noodle dish with good texture and flavor.

Sole Filet with green onions. Very lovely as well with nice thick filets. Super silky texture.

Lobster with Ginger and Scallions. The meat was tender and the sauce flavor was great.

Meizhou Special Fried Rice.

Condiments for the peking duck.

Out comes the peking duck!

For more detail on the whole duck thing in LA, check out my Ultimate Peking Duck Guide.
The do it table side, which is sadly rare here.

MDP skin was very thin and crispy but there was less of it because of the split skin cut = 6

Carving away.

The meat is served with legs in a separate dish. Each duck turns into two of these plates. We had three whole ducks this time around!

Meat was super juicy, even a touch pink, with real jus. Excellent. Some was served with the skin on = 9

Great thin pancakes. Pancake was thin and resilient = 9

The condiments. They include sugar for dipping the skin.

Hoisin was very good, but a touch savory = 7

Accoutrements were scallion and cucumbers as usual, but extra point for sugar = 8

The “burrito/bing” together was a 7/10 because the pancake/hoisin is the most important component of that.

Cumin Duck Bones. A bit boney and dry, but great flavor.

Duck Soup. They gave us this for free. Actually very pleasant, with a flavor like a great chicken soup.

Eggplant in chili garlic sauce. Nice but a little sweet. Texture was very good though. Very temperature hot as is typical with this dish.

Wok-Fried String Beans. Nice version of the dish.

Beef Filet with Black Pepper. A bit boring, but nice enough.

Steamed lobster with garlic and vermicelli. As good as the first lobster was (we actually had two of each!) this one was even better. Super moist and tender, just great lobster meat with garlic flavor!

Braised pork hock with special sauce. Super delicious umami/msg/savory sauce. Rocked.

Kung Pao Shrimp. It’s supposed to be a touch spicy — it wasn’t — it was sweet with nice crunchy peanuts. Despite the sweetness, it was delicious and addictive. Maybe a little too addictive. Texture was great.

Chocolate Butterfinger Crunch Gelato – The base is made with Valrhona 62% Satilla Chocolate and then layered with Peanutbutter Cream Cheese Ganache and chopped Butterfingers! — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #Valrhona #chocolate #creamcheese #ganache #icing #peanut #butterfinger

A rarity with our Asian dinners, people under 30! (some adult children of some of the other guests).

The wine lineup.

Overall this was actually an excellent Chinese meal. Not only do they have the great private rooms (which really elevate Chinese dinners and make them a lot more fun) but MDP Arcadia is a touch more precise than the Century City version. Service is good at both, and the menus are almost the same, but there seems to be an extra level of consistency here that takes it up a notch.

I just wish they would balance a little bit less “sweet” and a little bit more sour/spicy. That would take it up from an 8 to a 10!

For more LA Chinese reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Arcadia, BYOG, Chinese cuisine, Gelato, Lobster, Meizhou Dongpo, Peking Duck, SGV, Wine

Back to Babita

Jul16

Restaurant: Babita Mexicuisine [1, 2]

Location: 1823 S San Gabriel Blvd, San Gabriel, CA 91776. (626) 288-7265

Date: December 3, 2022

Cuisine: Modern Mexican

Rating: A rare find

Chef Roberto and his wife Elba run this unique gem in the San Gabriel Valley. It’s family owned, upscale, tiny, chef driven and elaborate. And it’s Mexican food! Los Angeles has no shortage of Mexican restaurants, both of the classic and modernized formats, but we don’t have a lot (if any others?) that strive for an upscale ingredient focused style.

I was last here back in 2014 — for what turned out to be a VERY LONG, but excellent, dinner. Finally we have returned!

The tiny room is wood paneled (70s style) and lined with tequila bottles.

Our huge table.

Spanish whites.

The chef announces the food.

Chips with a nice medium spicy salsa.

Tequila cured salmon with salmon caviar a la newton style on a toast with amazing guacamole.

Las sopas. A “two tone” soup with the green being a very spicy Cilantro-spicy jalapeño and the yellow a sweet guava flavor. Very interesting sweet and spicy contrast.

Chiles en Nogada. Meat stuffed poblano chiles bathed in nogada, a walnut cream sauce and garnished with pomegranate seeds and parsley. This dish was a revelation. It was medium spicy and quite sweet, the chili being stuffed with pork and various fruits like apples and candied cactus. The sauce was creamy, lightly spiced, and full of flavor. Really interesting and delicious.

House-made tortillas.

Seared colossal scallop with squidink risotto (made from Mexican rice). The squid ink added a lovely salty/sweet flavor to the dish. Excellent.

Rib eye covered in mole negro sauce and topped with a lovely tamale and garnished with potatoes. The steak was perfectly cooked (medium rare) and was fully of flavor even if it was a farely tough cut. The mole sauce was sweet but full of intense depth. Really delicious. Loved the tamale too.

Yarom and Chef Roberto (from 2014)

This was just an amazing evening and quite different. I’m not sure what I expected (of a “fancy” Mexican in the SGV) but I was certainly blown away. Babita is just a unique gem of a place. And the chiles en Nogada — one of the best Mexican dishes I’ve ever had. wow!

For more LA dining reviews click here,

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Babita, Chef Roberto, Chiles en Nogada, Mexican cuisine, SGV

Totally Takeda

Jul14

Restaurant: Takeda Sushi

Location: 123 Astronaut Ellison S Onizuka St #307, Los Angeles, CA 90012. (213) 613-0083

Date: December 2, 2022

Cuisine: Japanese Sushi

Rating: Could be the best sushi I’ve had in LA

For penultimate sushi blowout of the year we decided to head downtown and tryout the relatively new Sushi Takeda, which are the new digs for our old friend Chef Hide Takeda who sliced up some awesome fish at Tsujita Sushi for years. He’s recently earned a Michelin star here at Takeda too.

It’s located on top of one of those very little Tokyo (and also SGV) vertical maxi-malls.

Classic frontage.

The gang at the bar. There are two nightly seatings for omakase.

Jeffrey, of course, was pushing for his one favorite white burgundy love: Coche.

From my cellar: 1993 Coche-Dury Meursault Les Rougeots. BH 90. A slightly reductive and fully mature nose features hints of exotic fruit and subtle earth notes that can also be found on the generous yet detailed medium weight plus flavors that are both delicious and impressively complex on the sappy and mouth coating finish. Lovely and drinking perfectly now. Consistent notes.

This was another of those bottles that Fred “didn’t trust” (because of their color) but which turned out to be absolutely amazing!

1996 Coche-Dury Meursault 1er Cru Caillerets. BH 91. Exquisite nose of hazelnut and ripe melon with flavors that are not particularly dense but very fine, tight and beautifully detailed with plenty of minerality and outstanding acid/fruit balance. Even though this is young vine fruit, it shows excellent intensity on the long finish.

2006 Coche-Dury Meursault Les Rougeots. VM 91. The 2006 Meursault Les Rougeots has a thrilling bouquet with a ton of reduction, yet somehow there is marvellous delineation and penetration. The palate is powerful, spicy and dense with a waxy mouthfeel and impressive density. It feels tangy in the mouth and yet it does not convey the same detail as the 1999 tasted alongside, on the finish. Still, this is a fine Meursault considering the vintage. Tasted at La Paulée in Beaune. (Drink between 2019-2030)

These professional scores are always way too low for these wines.

Giant octopus from Hokkaido with Abalone and bonito dashi soup. On the side was a small container of special sour plum sake for dipping the octopus into. A lovely subtle soup with smokey dashi notes.

Steamed female snow crab from Hokkaido. Two kinds of egg, the outer and inner eggs plus meat. Other non yuzu citrus to squeeze on top plus shiso flowers. Really fabulous bit of shellfish.

Ginger, of course.

Marinated bluefin tuna. Amazing and soft and a cloud.

Young red snapper. Salty notes.

Pike mackerel from Hokkaido topped with ginger scallion seaweed. This has a very short season and was insanely good.

Toro takuan nigiri. The radish had a sweet mirin flavor. Overall an incredible bite.

King mackerel with salt. Smoked like a deli fish.

Intermezzo. Seaweed with mountain yam in vinegar. Really great.

The shape…

Hawaii abalone with abalone liver sauce. Cleanest version of this I’ve had.

Shima-aji. Yellowtail amberjack. Tea like finish.

2004 Domaine Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet. BH 95. This is almost as backward as the Bienvenues though supremely elegant white flower and subtle spice aromas peek through the moderate reduction yet the piercingly mineral flavors display a beguiling sweetness on the crystalline and incredibly precise finish that seems to have no end. This will be a great wine in time as it’s clear that there is another dimension here compared to all of the previous wines. (Drink starting 2015)

2010 Domaine Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet. VM 97+. Bright pale yellow. Very pure, chalky aromas of lemon, lime, white flowers and iodine. Boasts outstanding tension and building intensity to its powerful lemon peel, pineapple and crushed stone flavors. Rare precision and inner-mouth perfume here. Saturates every square millimeter of the palate yet finishes with an impression of weightlessness. A wine of great finesse, this should go on for two decades or more. “The Batard is for the body while this is for the spirit,” notes winemaker Eric Remy. One of my favorite wines of the vintage.

Ika squid with salty fermented snapper tripe on top. Best squid I’ve probably had.

My 10th ginger.

Golden eye snapper.

2012 Louis Jadot Montrachet. BH 91-94. Mild sulfur detracts only faintly from the ultra-elegant white flower, pear, citrus, spice and wet stone nuances. There is outstanding volume and concentration to the attractively well-detailed and imposingly-scaled flavors that display borderline painful intensity on the driving and linear if very compact finish. Even by the usual outsized standards of Montrachet this is a big though not massive example. (Drink starting 2022)

This was actually drinking like a 99 point WB right now!

Saber fish, deep fried with shiso. Popcorn like fry.

Goldeneye snapper cheek. Awesome sweet broth.

Otoro. Sublime.

Sardine roll.

Surf clam from Hokaido.

Chawanmushi (Japanese savory egg custard) with surf clam skirt and monkfish liver. Super rich and unctuous.

Sea bream Salt and yuzu.

Santa Barbara spot prawn cured with kelp. Cured for 4-6 hours. Really incredible.

Sea perch. Super savory Tiny bit smoked.

Shrimp miso soup.

Uni, wasabi, and ikura (salmon roe). Classic combo that was scrumptuous.

Toro Sardine. A bit of shiso. Awesome.

Scallop smashed habdroll. No rice.

Jeffrey’s negi tori handroll Nori from Kyushu.

Barracuda. Wonderful char.

Santa barbara uni. Spectacular.

Braided Kohada.

Tamago. Very sweet and nice.

Erick’s repeat sardine.

Sweet effervescent Yuzu juice. He used to do this at Tsujita too.

OMG!

This was one incredible lineup of sushi and wine. Wow!

This was totally my style of omakase. It was mostly nigri, with each piece being both distinct and and memorable, almost sublime. The subtle curing, the deft but restrained use of “toppings”, and the assertive rice are all out of this world. It’s expensive. It’s a bit high maintenance. It’s for purists. But it is incredible!

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: coche, DTLA, Foodie Club, Hide Takeda, Japanese cuisine, Little Tokyo, Michelin 1 Star, Sushi

Haunting Hansei

Jul11

Restaurant: Hansei

Location: 244 San Pedro St, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Date: December 1, 2022

Cuisine: Japanese

Rating: Serene

Hansei is Chris Ono’s debut concept presented by the historic Japanese American Cultural & Community Center (JACCC). Hansei, meaning self-reflection, Ono explores his roots as a fourth generation Japanese American to champion the cuisine and culture of Los Angeles’ Nikkei community. At Hansei, Ono brings years of kitchen experience from Michelin starred restaurants across the globe with each dish constructed on a Japanese philosophy adding a personal and contemporary touch that reflects growing up in Los Angeles. A beverage program centers around premium sake with wines from California-based Japanese American winemakers, and locally-crafted beer. Hansei’s three-part dining experience transitions courses throughout the center’s breathtaking new Toshizo Watanabe Culinary Center and historic James Irvine Japanese Garden, a tranquil oasis hidden in the middle of Little Tokyo.

You enter through the tranquil Japanese garden downtown at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center.

Finally, arriving here:

First we began in this lounge area.

The sake menu.

We all brought Champagne.

Mushroom dashi with a bit of yuzu. Warm and very pleasant on this cold evening.

Oysters with ponzu jelly. Tasty.

A selection of squashes. Not really my thing as I don’t like squash.

Foie gras balls. Really tasty lumps of foie with some crunchy coating.

Then we moved into the sushi bar area.

Totally coincidentally we ran into Kirk and Edith!

A modern California Role. Crispy nori with crab, cucumber, and uni. I put the lemon on top right away and this overpowered the very lovely mix.

Buri sashimi with ponzu and grated daikon. Fish was great. Didn’t absolutely love the daikon.

The main course spread.

A bracing herb salad. Pretty nice.

Teriyaki beef with cabbage with miso. The meat was fine and the sauce a bit sweet but yummy, but the real winner was the cabbage. Awesome baked or roasted cabbage-crunch.

Rice. I love good Japanese rice, but I didn’t really like this one. And it was totally cold.

Pickles and radish. The radish was raw and unaltered and quite nice. The cucumbers were great.

Coconut Pana Cotta with Passionfruit. Not very sweet. Lovely though with a very dense coconut cream with tangy passionfruit.

Apple Cobbler. Pretty sweet. I just had a little because of the sugar.

Green tea crisps. Not my thing.

Green Tea. Very nice.

With the chef

Hansei was a unique and enjoyable experience. The food was quite good, but subtle. It wasn’t huge. If it was the old days (before my diet) Erick and I would have gone for second dinner, but I restrained myself. The whole garden thing was very interesting.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Champagne, Chris Ono, DTLA, Foodie Club, garden, Hansei, Japanese cuisine

Salty Saturday 2022

Jul09

Salty Saturday is the traditional family bagel and lox brunch we do on the Saturday after ThanksGavin.

For the last couple of years it’s been hosted at my cousin Matt’s house. This year (2022), it’s a touch more subdued than usual due to cooking fatigue, the pandemic, etc.

In his sunny dining room.

Across the way is the kids table.

The deli spread.

Bagels of course. Although I didn’t eat any this year (avoiding the carbs).

Classic Cream Cheese.

Whipped Cream Cheese.

Chive Cream Cheese.

Lox.

Smoked Trout. Same as was used in the Trout Dip the night before.

Pickled Herring. Not for everyone but I sort of like it.

Smoked Whitefish Salad. So much better than what we get here.

Tomatoes and Cucumbers.

Red Onions.

Capers.

Medium Boiled Eggs.

So good, so salty!

See here for more ThanksGavin posts.

By: agavin
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Fatty Friday 2022

Jul07

It’s tradition at ThanksGavin (the 4 day feasting our family engages in each November) for one of my cousins to host the Friday Night dinner, which is like thanksgiving night all over again (but with different food). This year, Matt and his wife Andrea handled BOTH nights!

Shrimp Cocktail with home-made Cocktail Sauce.

Home-made Trout Dip. Very lovely smoked trout flavor and great creamy texture.

Toasts for the trout dip.

A pile of Snake River Farms beef.

Tomohawk steaks.

New York Steaks.

Sliced steak.

Salmon.

Home-made Béarnaise sauce for both the steaks and salmon.

Cauliflower Gratin. Covered in a Béchamel sauce that was infused with cheese then baked.

Crispy sliced potatoes.

Sautéed Mushrooms. Just like a steakhouse.

Sautéed Spinach.

Caesar salad made with my “famous” classic Caesar Dressing (includes anchoives and raw egg yolks of course).

My personal plate, avoiding the carbs.

The dessert spread returns the leftovers from Thanksgiving the night before.

Satisfaction!

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Dessert, Fat Friday, Meat, ThanksGavin, ThanksGavin 2022, thanksgiving, Wine

ThanksGavin 2022 – The Feast Itself

Jul05

And so we come to the traditional ThanksGavin Feast in its 2022 incarnation.

The main and kid’s tables.

Cute decorations this year.

And cute name tags.

The turkey straight out of the Green Egg.

Two turkey’s actually.

Mozzerella and Pepperdew appetizer.

The main spread of vegetables.

Salad dressing.

Kale Salad with a nutty dressing. With a meal like this a little fiber is always welcome!

Home-made cranberry jelly.

My mom’s home-made Cranberry Chutney.

Braised Leeks with Cheese. I’m really quite fond of leeks and probably ate at least 25% of this.

Roasted Beets.

Baked Sweet Potatoes.

Mashed Potatoes.

Brussels Sprouts with Walnuts.

Breads.

The “Turkey Station.”

Turkey. This is only part of the two birds, but you can see how well cooked it is with juicy smoked meat and a nice skin.

Just a portion of the delicious Challah Stuffing.

Vegan Gravy.

Regular gravy made from browned turkey wings.

Flounder Cakes that tasted exactly like crab cakes.

My 2022 Thanksgiving Dinner Plate. This year I was on a serious diet and so avoiding the carbs. I did have to cave in and pile a little bit of stuffing in the middle, but otherwise I avoided all the potatoes, beets, bread, etc and just piled on the meat and veggies. #thanksgiving

My brother’s plate, which had a different selection.

The main dessert spread.

The hot dessert spread.

Pecan Pie. My mom bakes the best pecan pie. I use part of the recipe (minus the crust) in my pecan pie gelato.

Filo Dough and custard.

Pumpkin Pie.

Grandmom’s brownies — they live on decades after her passing.

Grandmom’s blondies. I actually like these even better than the brownies.

Whipped Cream. I made whipped cream again. Just cream, vanilla, and a bit of powdered sugar.

Sweet Milk Gelato’s amazing Butterscotch Sauce. For the third year “running” (2019, 2021, and 2022 as 2020 was canceled) I whipped this up. Overcooked it slightly this year and it was a touch chewy. Still tasted amazing though.

My dessert plate. Sadly, the wine weakened my resolve and I broke down and had a little dessert. I didn’t finish the plate though and took about 1/3 of what I’d normally take.

Buster had Pig Ear for dessert.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Philadelphia, ThanksGavin, ThanksGavin 2022, turkey, Wine

China Gourmet – Wednesday 2022

Jul02

Restaurant: China Gourmet [1, 2]

Location: 2842 St Vincent St, Philadelphia, PA 19149. (215) 941-1898

Date: November 23, 2022

Cuisine: Cantonese Chinese

Rating: Pretty decent Cantonese

As part of the traditional ThanksGavin progression of meals we go out on Wednesday before Thanksgiving and this year we returned to China Gourmet, which we’d visited on Friday night the year before.

Cantonese banquet hall — Philly style.

Fairly typical interior that is pretty much straight out of the SGV. It sure was quiet on this wed night.

The menu. Clearly they do a lot of takeout.
Peanuts on the table.

Vegetarian Spring Rolls. Nice and crispy.

Hot and Sour Soup. Not a bad version with a good texture. A bit goopy (corn starch). Could have used slightly more white pepper and black vinegar. They had red vinegar on the table but that was too sweet.

Shrimp with lobster sauce. The goopy lobster sauce was actually pretty tasty and the shrimp texture was great. There weren’t ENOUGH shrimp, but hey.

Lobster with ginger and scallion. This was two tiny lobsters. The meat was succulent and the sauce very silky so a nice version of the wet lobster type.

Whole flounder steamed with soy and scallions. Very light moist fish with lots of meat. Quite nice.

See all that meat?

“Peking duck.” Cantonese Roast Duck with the buns but still quite nice (and quite fatty). Not that crispy but delicious.

Stir-fried snow pea leaves with garlic. Very solid garlic green.

Steamed broccoli.

Stir fried mushrooms with tofu and snap peas. The tofu was delectably soft and the veggies firm and delicious. Very nice dish.

Sliced Pork with Okra. I haven’t had this exact combo but this was a very nice pork dish with tender and flavorful meat and crunchy veggies.

Cumin lamb. This certainly wan’t the typical cumin lamb — in fact I could barely taste any cumin. The meat was very tender with some good “moutony” flavor.

Plain Lo Mein.

Veggie Fried Rice. A bit too charred for my taste.

Fruit.

Really a pretty good place, on par with a medium level SGV Cantonese. Not the best ever, but not Chinese American either (at least the way I ordered). Everyone enjoyed it too so my “something for everyone” ordering seemed to have worked out.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

To see more ThanksGavin meals check here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Cantonese cuisine, China Gourmet, Chinese cuisine, ThanksGavin, ThanksGavin 2022

Vietnamese Maximus

Jun30

Another holiday return to this awesome SGV Vietnamese for a serious feast (again)!

Check out all the details here.

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

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Sau can tho, Vietnamese cuisine

Kinn Again

Jun28

Restaurant: Kinn [1, 2]

Location: 3905 W 6th St, Los Angeles, CA 90020. (213) 291-0888

Date: November 15, 2022

Cuisine: Korean Fusion

Rating: Really tasty & a great deal

After Erick and I had such a great “Round 1” of our double dinner at Kinn a few months back we decided to return with the whole gang for a “real” Foodie Club dinner.

It was way more crowded this time around.

We had a mega table which took up about 1/3 of the restaurant.

Our special expanded menu. The normal menu is about half this size.

NV Jacques Selosse Initial. 95 points.

Steamed Abalone. Potatoes, squid ink. You slurp the contents out of the shell. Essentially it’s like a “abalone chowder.” Quite nice if a bit potato focused.

Bluefin Tuna Collar Tartare. These seaweed cigars were very crispy and filled with an unctuous tuna filling.

Caviar, Squash Ice Cream, and Chungju. The caviar is astrea which Eve brought. I wasn’t that big a fan of the squash ice cream, but it was mild and creamy and so went well enough with the caviar. Still, caviar this good is best by itself. The white creamy stuff must be the Chungju, which is a sake-like rice wine (in this case I guess whipped?).

2007 Domaine Roulot Meursault Les Luchets. VM 90. Ripe but reduced aromas of vineyard peach and spices. Ripe but quite dry and stony, with orange and mineral flavors dominating. I find this a bit less vibrant than the Meix Chavaux.

2010 Domaine Roulot Meursault 1er Cru Les Poruzots. VM 92. The 2010 Meursault Porusot shows the distinctive richness of the vintage. Juicy yellow stone fruits, flowers and mint flesh out in this radiant, expressive Meursault. Although quite extroverted, there is a centeredness and poise to the Porusot that is striking. (Drink starting 2014)

2017 Domaine Roulot Meursault Les Vireuils. BH 90-92. Notes of matchstick, petrol, white flower and discreet citrus zest nuances comprise the cool and restrained nose. As is usually the case, the medium-bodied flavors are not as rich as those of the straight Meursault but there is noticeably more minerality and cut and particularly so on the sappy, long and bone dry finish. This offers excellent quality for a villages level wine. (Drink starting 2025)

Truffled Egg. These were excellent white truffles with a very lovely eggy base beneath.

Steamed Shirako. The cod sperm sakes were perfectly delicate and coated in a butter caviar sauce with parsnips. Great butter sauce and shirako texture, but there was a slight bitter tone.

Non shirako fish substitute. Someone couldn’t “handle the cream.”

Spanish-Style Crispy Octopus. The sauce is a creamy aioli with Korean Chili Paste. Perfectly cooked octopus with a crispy outside and tender inside, I was able to cut it easily with a spoon. The aioli, basically a Korean inspired take on Bravos Sauce, was very thick and “creamy” with an egg, oil emulsion. Lovely take on this classic Spanish dish.

2001 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Bonnes Mares. VM 94. The 2001 De Vogüé Bonnes Mares exhibited uncommon depth and richness in the luxuriousness of its vibrant fruit, with a personality that was delicate yet powerful. Still very much an infant, it was a privilege to catch this gorgeous wine in its youth.

2002 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Bonnes Mares. VM 93. Bright medium red. Explosive aromas of cherry and iron lifted by high-toned exotic spices. Hugely rich and fleshy, plush and full, with the powerful spice character following through on the palate. Finishes with terrific breadth and substantial dusty tannins. Millet finds the 2002s less subtle than the 2014s. The wines are a bit sweeter as well as higher in alcohol, he added. I should note that this sample came from a 375-milliliter bottle, so the same wine in a 750 almost certainly has a lot more life ahead of it. (Drink between 2016-2025)

Dry aged duck.

The chef reveal.

Dry aged duck. Awesome chewy rare duck with a rich buttery sauce and a meaty reduction. Delicious.

Crispy Tilefish with a Fish Broth. The Crispy Topped fish was perfectly cooked, served with a Fennel Salad, and underlayed with a delicious Korean Fish Bone Broth spiked with Serrano Chili and Tarragon Oil. Really lovely.

1998 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Landonne. VM 97+. Full dark ruby. Sauvage, multidimensional aromas of dark berries, leather, meat, pepper, gunflint, fresh blood and brown spices, along with torrefaction notes of mocha and smoke. Hugely rich, dense and sweet; a wine of great volume and suavity. Finishes with big, ripe tannins and great persistence. Even the empty glass boasted extraordinary aromatic complexity.

Colorado Lamb Chop. Very nice rare chop with another delicious reduction and delicious onion.

Blackthroat seaperch rice. Very lovely Japanese/Korean style fish on rice.

Lime to squeeze on the fish.

Truffle Ice Cream with Chocolate Cake. Great truffles but this only confirms my longheld belief that truffles do not belong in dessert.

An old Ramen Roll classic — Matcha White Gelato – Ceremonial Matcha Green Tea base mixed with White Chocolate Chunks — 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 #WhiteChocolate #matcha #GreenTea

Chocolate Raspberry Pie Gelato – The base is made with Valrhona 62% Satilla Chocolate and then layered with Raspberry Jam, Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Raspberry Squares, and house-made Gluten Free Graham Cracker “crust” — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #Valrhona #chocolate #raspberry #Ghirardelli #GrahamCracker #GF

The lineup.

Kinn was awesome. Not only was it intimate and the chef extremely friendly and interesting, but these were big bold flavors and quite novel. The cooking techniques are heavily “modern French” or “modern European” (some dishes like the Octopus are pretty Spanish) but a lot of Korean ingredients and flavors have been melded in. It’s simultaneously comforting and novel.

This larger dinner was more “filling” and we certainly didn’t need second dinner. Great stuff and great wines. I did miss the shiso sorbetto though — loved that the first time.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or for epic Foodie Club meals, here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BYOG, Foodie Club, Gelato, Kinn, Korean Fusion, Wine

Sham Tseng Double Cluster

Jun26

An update after returning to the 1940s hooker motel for more awesome Chinese BBQ.

Click here to find out what it’s all about.

Jeff ordered a Pig Head for the fun of it.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: bbq, Chinese BBQ, SGV, Sham Tseng

Sauvages Bordeaux

Jun24

Restaurant: Private Chef, David Slatkin

Location: Pasadena

Date: November 11, 2022

Cuisine: American

This particular entry in my series of Friday afternoon wine themed Sauvages lunches was set at a member’s lovely Pasadena house with a Bordeaux wine theme. Food was by frequent Sauvages chef David Slatkin.

Champagnes at the ready.

Tuna Salad on Wonton Crisps. Lots of mayo.

Pigs in a Preztel Blanket.

Korean Short Rib Mini Tacos. Sweet and salty.

Table A.

Table B. I’m not a fan of the two (guys) table setup, actually. It’s just not as fun as a single table.

The Lady’s Table.

Because of the double table thing and the confusion and too many bottles I’m not going to write up the wines, just picture them. I can’t keep this kind of two table thing straight. I think this lineup of wines were ours at Table B.

Wines on the sideboard.

Brioche French Toast with Pan Seared Foie Gras and Sweet Apple Sauce. Pretty darn sweet!

What’s left after I ate just the foie.

Cavatelli with Meat Ragu and Ricotta Stuffed Squash Blossom. I have to say, putting a fried item on pasta is an interesting twist.

Stuffed Quail on Mashed Parsnip with Crispy Sweet Breads. Very nice dish. Quail was juciy and the parsnips (tasted a little) were delicious.

New York Steak with Crispy Cauliflower and Mashed Potatoes. The cauliflower was very good. The steak was medium well and a bit chewy.

Cheese Plate with pan baked buns.

For some reason I make this flavor in October — Key Lime Pie Gelato — base is a key lime egg custard, layered with house-made Graham Cracker and covered with house-made Torched Meringue — 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 #KeyLime #lime #custard #meringue #GrahamCracker #cookie

Citron au Courant Sorbetto – Fresh squeezed Lemons blended with French Currants (Cassis) — 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 #sorbetto #lemon #cassis #currents #lemonade #citron

Chocolate Souffle with Whipped Cream and Berries. The cream was not sweetened (good) and the souffle had a great texture but was only mildly chocolately.

Chocolate Chip Cookies. Fresh baked and very soft.

Party gifts. This were fabulous for packaged cookies.

The table split.

My notes.

Lineup.

Debauchery.

And more.

The sane table.

Overall, this was a fun lunch, but the two (three with the ladies) format kinda bites. It’s way too confusing, too competitive, less social, and generally less fun than a bigger single table. You can’t try all the wines either. I find this true at lunch or dinner, regardless of the group. So I think Sauvages needs to be capped at about 16 and even then only when the table and wine service supports such a careful pour.

Food was some of the best we’ve had from Slatkin, if a touch on the heavy side. He paired it extremely well with the wines — which given the Bordeaux thing worked.

The setting was lovely.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Lots more wines. Probably a mess of duplicate photos.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Bordeaux, BYOG, David Slatkin, Gelato, lunch, Sauvages

Petrified Peppone

Jun22

Restaurant: Peppone Restaurant

Location: 11628 Barrington Ct, Los Angeles, CA 90049. (310) 476-7379

Date: November 11, 2022

Cuisine: 1970s Italian American

Rating: Saucy!

Jeffrey was clamoring for months to visit Peppone in Brentwood for Old School Italian eats.

I, myself, hadn’t been in 15 or 20 years!

Not that the interior changed. It hasn’t changed since disco was king! This place opened in around 1971 and looks it. All the hot girls were there too (later) — just the girls who were hot in the 70s!

At the bar.

The petrified menu.

From my cellar: 2012 Borgo del Tiglio (Nicola Manferrari) Collio Studio di Bianco. 95 points. Borgo del Tiglio’s flagship 2012 Studio di Bianco is the most precise, sculpted wine in the range. Lemon peel, white flowers and crushed rocks are some of the nuances that take shape in a wine that deftly balances the richness and tension. As is often the case, I expect the Studio will need a few years in bottle to truly open up and show the full breadth of its personality. (Drink between 2017-2027)

Cheesy Garlic Bread with Marinara Sauce. I didn’t try these (avoiding the carbs) but people said they were pretty good. But they do start off tonight’s “sauce” theme, even if it’s a dipping sauce in that EVERY dish served was covered in a sauce.

From my cellar: 2018 Azienda Agricola Valentini Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo. VM 92. Bright pink. Minerals, fava beans, pomegranate and violet on the bright nose. Then very harmonious in its acid-fruit-tannin profile, with lively balanced acidity nicely extending the flavors similar to the aromas on the long back end. Strikes me as a rather refined, sneakily concentrated Cerasuolo. (Drink between 2019-2025)

Jumbo Artichokes Venetian. Not only is this pretty hideous (and decidedly messy) but it was probably the worst artichoke I remember having. The sauce was just vaguely salty and the artichoke itself was very thick and heavy and it was difficult to scrape any meat off of the leaves. This is an easy dish and can be delicious steamed with butter, garlic, and a bit of salt — don’t complicate it.

Baked Zucchini Blossoms. Ugly as hell, but actually fairly tasty. The overall texture was much like an omelet as the blossoms were smashed flat and slightly soggy. A fairly tasty brown sauce of some sort was sort of drizzled over it.

Escargots. Another looker! Passible, but these shelled snails were drowned in this mysterious brown sauce. Straight French-style garlic butter escargot are much better.

Scampi Vesuvio. Nicely cooked shelled shrimp were soaked in the vesuvio sauce which seams to be butter, lemon juice, and some seafood “juice.”

From my cellar: 1965 Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico Riserva. VM 97. Garnet-tinged red. Aromas of raspberry, red cherry, dried flowers, licorice and smoky spices complicated by white pepper and herbs. Suave on entry, then sweet but gripping in the middle, with harmonious acidity giving terrific definition and lift to the multifaceted flavors of red berries, minerals, iron and spices. A wonderfully creamy, almost fleshy Chianti with utterly silky tannins. Offers amazing vibrancy while saturating the entire palate without conveying any impression of weight on the extremely long finish. A great wine from a vintage that received mixed reviews at the time, with some producers liking it a lot, and others much less so. The general consensus, though is that it was inferior to both 1964 and 1966.

Would have been home on the original opening list!

Pasta Trio with Rigatoni with Italian Sausage, Fettuccine Alfredo, and Lobster Ravioli. Three “classic” pastas. The good one was the Rigatoni which was quite al dente and had a nice Italian American Sausage sauce. The Fettuccine was mushy and just tasted like cream. The Ravioli sauce tasted mostly like salt with almost no lobster shell (aka bisque) taste.

From my cellar: 2002 Romano Dal Forno Valpolicella Superiore Vigneto di Monte Lodoletta. VM 94. Dal Forno’s 2002 Valpolicella is a massively endowed effort revealing backward dark fruit, new leather, spices, herbs, roasted coffee beans and toasted oak on an imposing, tannic frame. Made in a super-concentrated style – even by Dal Forno’s standards – it will require several years of cellaring for the tannins to soften somewhat, although it is hard to imagine that will ever completely happen. Beginning with the 2002 vintage Dal Forno’s Valpolicella is made from 100% dried fruit, whereas in previous vintages the wine had been made only partially with dried fruit. (Drink between 2013-2017)

Sweetbreads Pompei, Sandabs in Padella, and Chicken Livers Flambee. These were all actually pretty good. The Sandabs were fabulous, albiet coated in another of those salty old fashioned sauces, but they were very delicate and moist (drowned). The Sweetbreads were also good, but hard to tell under the sauce. The Liver was my least favorite but it was still solid for liver of this sort as it was soft and not chewy or heavy.

From the ancient list: 1989 Gaja Barbaresco Costa Russi. VM 97. The 1989 Barbaresco Costa Russi is a thrilling wine that literally takes my breath away – and that comes from someone who usually isn’t the hugest fan of this particular wine. In 1989 the Costa Russi offers a touch more roundness and spiciness than the Barbaresco. The fruit here is super-luxurious and silky, while the tannins possess remarkable polish. The finish remains firm and full of life. Even 20 years ago Angelo Gaja and Guido Rivella were making wines most producers would kill for today. Simply put this is a magical bottle; I only wish I owned it. Wow. (Drink between 2013-2030)

Sausages Pizzaiola. This seemed more like sausages and peppers. But regardless the sausage itself was great, classic Italian America with a nice bit of fennel. Sauce worked well making it like a good street Sausage and Peppers. The old fashioned veggies lol. Steamed with maybe a bit of butter. Drowned in the sauce they were actually fine as they were still reasonably crunchy — but so old fashioned!

Vitello Saltimbocca. Hard to find the veal under all that sauce, and it was salty, but it was also tender and pretty delicious.

Lamb Osso Buco with Gnocchi. I usually expect Osso Buco to be vertical with more fat and collogen and this is more reminiscient as a cut to a Middle Eastern lamb shank, but the meat was delicious. The Gnocchi were a bit chewy, not the light fluffy ones that are best.

Sautéed Mushrooms. Ugly delicious for sure! Looks like a bowl of dog food, but these mushrooms, nearly invisible under the thick salty brown sauce were quite delicious. Certainly it was all about the salty mushroom (and maybe beef) sauce.

Yar! Ghostly skeletal praline pirates are marauding — Pecan Pirate Praline Gelato — An eggy Texas Pecan base layered with my creepy skull-shaped New Orleans style Vanilla Bourbon Pecan Pralines and Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Pumpkins — 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 #vanilla #bourbon #pecan #praline #candy #halloween #spooky

We were joined tonight by the lovely and vivacious Lisa of LisaEatsLA. Plus her boyfriend.

Overall, the room at Peppone is gorgeous. The clientele consists of 1968 California Girls dolled up and ready to party — in 2022. The waiters have all probably worked here for decades and they were great. Very nice, very knowledgeable, efficient. Our meal did take mysteriously long. They kinda did that thing where they ignored us a bit until the bulk of the crowd (which had seated before us, even though we at at 7pm) thinned out.
Food was better than I thought, but OMG the hideous plating and all that sauce. Literally every single dish is drowned in a barely identifiable heavy sauce. The driest dish was the Garlic Bread (which also included a sauce). And it’s just poured over. And it’s all so 1970s. I love sauce but this was a bit much. And we aren’t talking a precise french Beurre Blanc or even a peerless Marinara but these heavy sloppy butter based “brownish” sauces. Plus the antiquated veggies. However, must dishes were pretty tasty in a salty buttery way. Pastas were weak. We didn’t try dessert.

They do have a pretty well priced big wine list. It’s poorly spelled and only sometimes includes vintages but we did manage to find a fantastic 1989 Gaja Russi for $349 (which is probably about retail).

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Brentwood, BYOG, Foodie Club, Gelato, Italian cuisine, Lisa Eats, Peppone, Sauce, Wine

Lunch Quest – Kinnara

Jun19

Restaurant: Kinnara Thai Restaurant

Location: 15355 Sherman Way, Van Nuys, CA 91406. (818) 988-7788

Date: November 18, 2022

Cuisine: Thai

Rating: Slightly modernist Thai

The Foodie Club lunch crew and I went out for Lunch Quest to Go’s Mart, but he was oddly closed, so we ended up here:

At this “slightly trendy” Thai place.

Interior is pleasant.

Good sized menu (as usual for Thai).

TOPAZ SHRIMP. Cooked shrimp with yellow curry and crabmeat. Interesting modern one bite format. Ultimately a yellow (turmeric) curry shrimp dish. The shrimp was very tender though and the curry nice and bright with a tiny bit of heat.

FILET MIGNON SKEWER. Grilled filet Mignon with white curry sauce. Hmm, maybe a green curry sauce? Pretty tender filet skewer doused in a very tasty spicy/sweet green curry — shot it afterward.

Pork Rib Lemongrass Soup. Pork rib soup with mushroom, mint, cilantro with spicy and sour soup. Lovely sour broth with medium tender pork chunks and button mushrooms.

Condiments.

CHAING MAI PORK BELLY. Crispy marinated pork belly with spicy chili sauce. Super addictive crunchy pork belly with a really nice green chili sauce. Delicious.

Spicy Chai-Yo. Chicken and shrimp sauteed in spicy topaz curry and finely cut green bean. The spiciest of our dishes, but not super spicy. Sort of a chichen larb in yellow curry with more tender shrimp.

Panang Soft Shell Crab. Crispy soft shell crab with panang curry sauce. Awesome crunchy soft shell with a great mild red curry. The crispy basil really took it up too. Delicious dish and not that different than the Chinois lobster.

911 Catfish. Crispy filet catfish with green peppercorn and chili garlic sauce. A bit fried but very tender with a nice (only mildly spicy) chili garlic sauce. Too much bell pepper but it was nice to see the green peppercorns.

Pretty tasty Thai with a bit of a modernist spin. Flavors are very classically Thai, however, which is a good thing. The chef apparently has gone to Vegas. Haha.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.