agavin

Author Archive for agavin – Page 18

Indian, The Tavern – Confusion

Apr22

Location: 633 S San Gabriel Blvd #105, San Gabriel, CA 91776. (626) 287-0688

Date: September 11, 2022

Cuisine: Chinese

Rating: Solid, if odd

It’s hard to describe this particular SGV restaurant.

From the outside it looks like most of them.

But then inside it has this weird western saloon theme. Presumably it was some kind of “Indian bar” back in the 50s. The decor has partially stuck, but the menu is almost all Chinese.

We had this rustic table in the “party room.”

Not so PC!

Shrimp Egg Roll. Very hot and crispy, moist interior. The sweet sauce was also a bit spicy which was kinda nice.

Grilled Taiwanese Sausage. Sweet and salty sausage, always great.

Scallop in “lobster sauce” (egg white). Surprisingly good.

Sliced pork belly w/ minced Garlic. Dark garlic sauce on the side. Not bad but not the best dish of the night.

Salty dark garlic sauce.

French Steak medium rare on rare side. Best “Chinese” steak I’ve had. Pretty much a regular steak, medium rare with black pepper.

Tea Smoked Duck. Very nice. Smokey and pretty moist.

Preserved pork belly w/ garlic sprouts. Great dish. Smokey pork with leaks and garlic coated in all that smokey pork fat.

Lobster with XO sauce. Weakest dish of the night perhaps? Slightly over-cooked but still enjoyable.

Smashed Cucumbers. Out of order but a great version of this dish. Lots of garlic flavor.

Fish filet in green vine pepper soup. A bit of numbing flavor but not that hot or numbing. I’ve had better versions of this dish but it was still decent.

Stir Fried Double Fried Eggs W. Napa Cabbage. Excellent cabbage with that awesome greasy/salty flavor.

Tofu with house sauce. Very nice tofu with a lovely deep ginger flavored brown sauce.

Shrimp and Taiwanese Sausage Fried Rice. Excellent fried rice.

Vanilla White Gelato — a very simple and elegant Tahitian Vanilla Bean White Base (no egg) — 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

Cinnamon Caramel Sauce.

Overall, the place was surprisingly excellent. There were long gaps between dishes (particularly at the beginning) and the order was kind of Chinese random, but the dish quality was very good. There were some slightly weird dishes too, but they tasted good, so nothing to complain about. I’m not exactly sure what region of China the kitchen represents. And then there is the unique and peculiar “decor.” Certainly interesting.

Jennifer had a bit of an accident during her recent trip to tour the Chernobyl basement.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (1)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BYOG, Chinese cuisine, Gelato, Indian Tavern, SGV, Wine

Throwback Sauvages

Apr20

Restaurant: Kali / Kevin Meehan

Location: Bel Air

Date: September 9, 2022

Cuisine: Modern Californian

Rating: Great as always

Sauvages has been doing more “house party” lunches since the pandemic and so this week’s lunch was hosted by John G in his lovely backyard.

Our table was situated in the succulent garden, poolside.

At the ready.

Food today was provided by Kevin Meehan of Kali. He’s been cooking for Sauvages since before he even opened Kali (now on about 7 years)!

2006 Champagne Millesime Rare.

NV Henriot Champagne Brut Souverain.

2014 Pierre Gimonnet & Fils Champagne Premier Cru Brut Nature Blanc de Blancs Oenophile Non-Dosé. VM 93. The 2014 Brut Nature Blanc de Blancs Cuvée Oenophile is all energy, tension and cut. White flowers, mint, crushed rocks pear and lemon confit race across the palate. Readers who enjoy taut, linear Champagnes will adore the 2014. Bright saline notes infuse the finish with tons of character. This is classic 2014, with the non-dosé style further accentuating the wine’s stark lines. Disgorged: December, 2020. (Drink between 2023-2034)

2008 Veuve Clicquot Champagne Brut Vintage. JG94+. The 2008 Veuve Clicquot Brut Millésime is the first bottling here to include five percent barrel-fermented vins clairs since the estate transitioned away from foudres for stainless steel tanks all the way back in the 1960s. The blend on the ’08 is sixty-one percent pinot noir, thirty-four percent chardonnay and five percent pinot meunier. The wine is pure, youthful and stunningly precise on the nose, offering up scents of tart apple, bread dough, complex minerality, gentle smokiness and a lovely saline element in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and very racy, with a great core, zesty acids, refined mousse and outstanding length and grip on the very long and still quite youthful finish. This is approachable today, but will be even better with five or six years in the cellar. This is Chef de Cave Dominique Demarville’s first vintage bottling since his arrival here in 2006. Impressive! (Drink between 2016-2040)

Trout Roe and Sourdough Blini. The blini was too dense and strong flavored. After 2 I took to sucking off the toppings which were good.

Beef Tartar Cigar with Aoili. Nice texture and great flavor.

Morro Bay Oyster on the Half Shell. Both briny and tangy.

Our special menu today.

2007 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc. VM 92. Light, bright gold. Ripe pear and white peach aromas are complemented by marzipan, honey and dried flowers. Sappy pit fruit flavors stain the palate and are firmed by juicy minerals, picking up subtle herbal and mineral notes on the back end. Finishes with excellent clarity and cling, the honey note repeating. This could handle the richest fish preparations.

2006 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc. VM 91. ale yellow. Ripe peach and yellow plum on the nose, with sexy floral and honey character building with air. Taut citrus and orchard fruit flavors are refreshingly bitter, gaining depth on the close. Leaves a trail of stony white fruit flavors on the long, sappy finish.

From my cellar: 2011 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Cuvée Roussanne Vieilles Vignes. 95 points.

2005 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Cuvée Roussanne Vieilles Vignes. VM 95. Yellow-gold. Intensely floral aromas of jasmine, beeswax and coconut-accented orange and pear. Lush and weighty, with powerful pear, tangerine and nougat flavors accompanied by exotic oak notes. This reminds me of high-end white Bordeaux. Tightens up on the back, where bright mineral and citrus pith notes give shape and grip to the intensely sweet fruit. The finish of this wine is endless.

Local Yellow Tail. Melon, Tomato Gel, Avocado. This was a lovely crudo.

2001 Domaine de la Solitude (Lançon Père et Fils) Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve Secrète. 92 points. Pale-rusty color w/dark core; spices, some animale, very hot, glycerin smooth from alcohol, a bit burned/roasted aspect with some complexity.

Henri Bonneau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve des Célestins. Can’t remember the vintage.

1998 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape. VM 90. Saturated ruby-red. Superripe but reticent, grenache-dominated aromas of roasted plum, cherry jam, tar and humus. Fat, lush and stuffed with fruit; almost heavy today compared to the ’99. But this is utterly silky and its firm underlying structure is buried by fruit and baby fat. Intriguing meat and licorice notes. A wine of superb finesse and superfine tannins.

Black Barley Risotto. Fiscalini Cheddar, Koji Butter, Black Garlic. The base is a bit bland by itself and needs the cheesy/garlic “crisp” on top. This is a Kevin classic and we’ve all had it a lot of times.

2004 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape. VM 94. Dark violet with a bright rim. Powerful, intensely floral aromas of kirsch, candied licorice and rose oil, plus a sweet damp earth quality that reminded me of a great young vintage port. But this is by no means porty in the mouth, as the vivid strawberry and raspberry flavors are streamlined and nervy, showing excellent lift. Finishes with fine, dusty tannins, very firm structure and outstanding length.

2005 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape. VM 94. Deep ruby. Intense dark berry scents expand and deepen with air, picking up dusky espresso and licorice tones. Lush, powerful and sweet, with impressively concentrated, pure dark berry flavors and supple, finely integrated tannins. There’s a great fruit/tannin balance here, and the supple finish boasts impressively concentrated and remarkably persistent cherry and blackberry fruit.

2003 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau. VM 89. Dark red. Understated aromas of dried strawberry, redcurrant and garrigue complicated by a whiff of black tea. A fairly restrained midweight, atypical in this vintage, with dried red berry and mocha flavors. Finishes focused and taut, with dusty tannins and hints of red plum and licorice. Those who fear the 2003 bogeyman can safely give this one a try. (Kermit Lynch, Berkeley, CA)

Braised Short Ribs. This was the better of the beefs and was quite nice.

2007 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape. VM 95+. Foudre #12: Smoky, wild and meaty, with powerful raspberry and licorice qualities. Tannin-free, sweet and long. Foudre #9: Deep, inky dark fruit aromas, with hints of licorice and smoky minerals. Pliant blackberry and kirsch on the palate, with dusty tannins adding grip. Foudre #8: Intense mineral and cherry aromas, with a subtle note of cola. Rich, sappy and gently sweet, with powerful red berry and cherry flavors. Really long. Foudre #7: Deep cherry and blackcurrant on the nose. Spicy red berry flavors gain weight with air, taking a turn to cassis and bitter cherry. Foudre #2, all grenache: Fresh red berries and garrigue on the nose. Fresh, sharply defined raspberry and cherry flavors, with silky tannins and great mineral snap. Foudre #30: Explosively perfumed red fruit aromas with strong incense and floral qualities. Very sweet, palate-staining raspberry and cassis flavors. Exceptionally long. Foudre #25: Vibrant strawberry and raspberry aromas, with hits of anise and potpourri. Pliant and sweet, with palate-staining red fruit and candied floral flavors. This is all finesse. An approximation of the final blend: Bright ruby-red. Strongly perfumed bouquet of spicy red and dark berries, licorice, pungent herbs and graphite. Saturates the palate with deep, sweet black raspberry, cherry and blackcurrant flavors. Turns spicier on the back end, finishing with outstanding clarity, lift and persistence.

2007 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau. VM 93. Saturated ruby. Youthfully brooding nose displays dark berries, tobacco and licorice, plus an undercurrent of smoky minerals. More powerful than what I expect from this estate, boasting deep, chewy cassis and bitter cherry flavors and a late note of bitter chocolate. Impressive for its richness and size, but will it gain the finesse that I associate with this domain?

2007 Cuvée du Vatican Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve Sixtine. VM 92. Inky ruby. Vibrant red berry and floral scents. Tightly focused red fruit flavors are deepened by anise and brown spice qualities, picking up a tangy blood orange note with air. All red berry preserves on the smooth, strikingly long finish.

2006 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape. VM 95. Bright red. Intense strawberry and raspberry on the nose, with subtle garrigue and minerals adding complexity. Silky red fruit flavors show seductive spice and floral pastille qualities. Finishes with great persistence. Foudre #2 (“the tannic one”): Ruby-red. Bright red fruit aromas, with a deep undercurrent of licorice adding seriousness. The palate shows very spicy bitter cherry and dark berry liqueur flavors, chewy tannic grip and a long, vibrant finish. If this is Avril’s idea of tannic in 2006, the final wine should be a supple beauty. Foudre #3 (“the concentrated one,” from 80-year-old vines cropped at15 hl/ha): Inky ruby. Rich cherry and cassis aromas, with a deep tapenade quality adding complexity. Sappy, sweet and packing major dark berry punch, this clocks in at 16.5% alcohol, but there’s no obvious heat. An approximate blend: “I hate doing this, but why not,” said Avril, who doesn’t believe that on-the-spot blends are accurate reflections of what winds up in the bottle. But this was his idea, not mine! Dark ruby. Powerful kirsch and blackcurrant aromas, with exotic licorice and fresh floral character expanding with air. Pliant dark berry and bitter cherry flavors carry through the long, sappy finish. A balanced, sweet powerhouse from this vantage point, with the concentration to age for at least a decade or two.

Dry Aged Ribeye. Potato Pave, Black Garlic Jam, Mushrooms. Very dry aged so the meat was a touch gamey and cured. Potatoes were great.

1990 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape. VM 93. The 1990 Châteauneuf-du-Pape has a compelling bouquet of plump red fruit, oxtail, leather and morels, all well defined and full of chutzpah. The palate is smooth in texture and, at 29 years old, has certainly mellowed. There is a core of sweet fruit here, but it has softened with age and delivers a smorgasbord of second flavors: meat juices, clove and touches of fennel. It does not possess the audacity of the Hommage à Jacques Perrin, yet it has retained effortless charm. (Drink between 2019-2036)

Whipped Goat Cheese. Peach Compote, Drake Farms. The cheesy tube was a bit like a Canonoli and was delicious.

2007 Von Hövel Scharzhofberger Riesling Auslese.

Oaxacan Choco-Mole Gelato – The base is made with Valrhona 100% Cacao and intense Oaxacan Mole Negro from Guelaguetza restaurant — 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 #cocao #oaxaca #mole #molenegro

Vanilla White Gelato — a very simple and elegant Tahitian Vanilla Bean White Base (no egg) — 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

Plus some of my house made cinnamon caramel.

My bad notes.

Some bonus wines.

Overall, this lunch was a whole lotta fun. We had the usual great food — even if I’ve had that barely risotto many times before — and an awesome array of CDP. Plus the awesome company.

For more Italian dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (0)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: backyard, Bel Air, BYOG, Château de Beaucastel, Chateauneuf du Pape, Gelato, John Gordon, Kali, Kevin Meehan, Sauvages

Pine & Crane – WTF

Apr18

Restaurant: Pine & Crane

Location: 1521 Griffith Park Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026. (323) 668-1128

Date: September 8, 2022

Cuisine: Taiwanese Chinese

Rating: Blech! So bland

PINE & CRANE is a fast-casual Taiwanese restaurant located in the heart of Silver Lake. Their goal is to bring authentic, delicious Taiwanese fare in a comfortable, modern setting. They say they are passionate about what they do, and take pride in preparing their food using simple, fresh ingredients. In addition to Taiwanese staples like Three Cup Chicken 三杯鷄 and Beef Noodle Soup 牛肉麵, they offer a variety of small plates, traditional cold appetizers, and vegetarian/vegan options. Their beverage list includes a “curated” selection of premium loose-leaf teas sourced from Taiwan and a rotating craft beer, wine, and sake list.
I’ve been wanting to try Pine & Crane since it opened, being the Chinese Food fiend that I am. It’s location in annoying (aka far) Silverlake and its casual nature prevented me. It’s not worth driving to the ends of the earth and fighting for parking for something too casual. But when we finished up a dinner at Causita next door I figured we should hit it for Second Dinner.

Outside tables.

A cute enough fast casual interior.

The very short menu.

Chilled Garlic Pork Belly. Salmon creek pork belly, garlic soy sauce, chili crisp. Very soy sauce and garlic forward. No spice. WTF is up with this dish? It looks like Sichuan Garlic Chili cold pork belly, but it tasted like cold raw bacon with soy sauce.

Pork Potstickers. Kurobuta pork, Taiwanese cabbage. One of the better dishes. Very crispy with nice pork center. Just good gyoza.

Basic but important sauce components.

Shrimp Wontons. Filling was good but the sauce was just salty, not much else going on. The stuff that looks like it might be chili oil — no heat.

Dan dan noodles. Sesame-peanut sauce, chili oil, cucumbers, cilantro, crumbled peanuts. Very mild and sesame forward. No spice or vinegar at all. Tasty, but basically sesame noodles. I always find these Taiwanese “watered down” variations on Sichuan dishes to be a total disappointment.

Mapo Tofu. Organic Silken Tofu, Kurobuta Pork, Spicy Doubanjiang. I couldn’t taste ANY spicy or any Doubanjiang (which is spicy). It was basically very nice tofu in salty brown sauce. It looks good. The texture was good. But it’s fake Mapo. No spice, no Ma!

White rice.

Pine & Crane is a waste of space for a Chinese Food fan like myself. I’d just go to the SGV, which is quicker to get to and much better. There are tastier places on the Westside. I guess I have a bit of a problem with Taiwanese versions of mainland Chinese food — I find them bland and unbalanced. They lean heavily on salt without spicy, numbing, or sour. This is my problem with DTF too. But DTF is much better than Pine & Crane. Maybe Pine & Crane is also watered down for the whiteness that is Silverlake. Hard to say.

I also don’t like fast casual unless I’m alone. Annoying and stressful format. I’m very glad I hit this as a Second Dinner (first one is here at Causita). If I had come out here for lunch just for this I would have been really pissed.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

Or for epic Foodie Club meals, here.

By: agavin
Comments (0)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Chinese cuisine, Dan Dan Mein, Double Dinner, Foodie Club, mapo tofu, Pine & Crane, Second Dinner, Silverlake, Taiwanese Cuisine

Causita just ’cause

Apr16

Restaurant: Causita [ CLOSED ]

Location: 3709 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026.

Date: September 8, 2022

Cuisine: Peruvian

Rating: Tasty, but issues — and out of biz

I’ve really enjoyed a long string of Ricardo Zarate restaurants, all the way back to Picca and Paiche etc. Others followed like a stint at SOS, Rosaline and Pikoh. Sadly, while the food is always really good, they do not last long. Not exactly sure why. But the Foodie Club and I were excited to try Causita, his latest in Silverlake. The past proved true of the present and it closed not too long after we went (despite very tasty food).

Located in that busy stretch of Sunset in Silverlake — hate that area because it’s just so far from my house and a real pain to park in. Maybe I’m also jealous that trendy new places open here where they are super inconvenient.

Interior is modern.

Initial champagne. We had to negotiate with them to allow any kind of corkage at all. They did yield fortunately.

The menu.

kanpachi & uni tiradito. yellow tail, coconut leche de tigre, rocoto pitaya dressing. The white sauce was basically coconut milk with lime juice and chili. Incredibly zingy almost pucker inducing, but good.

chocolatas clams. chalaca style, charapita, leche de tigre, apple criolla. The chocolate bit is just because of the color of the clam shell (milk chocolate brown). The cerviche style mix inside was also super acid forward. Pucker up baby!

Mostly we brought Spanish wine.

summer gazpacho. heirloom tomato, peach, aji limo. Almost like a salsa. Very good though with a touch of sweetness. Super refreshing.

bluefin otoro. tamari, fresh wasabi, leche de tigre, black truffle. I didn’t like this as much as I expected to. It was good, but maybe a bit too much truffle flavor. At least it was decent truffle though, not rancid.

charred snap pea. charred jalapeno oil, labneh, mint, garlic chip. Very nice with a bit of creaminess and a great snap (bite) to the peas.

lobster dumpling. charred jalapeno oil, ceviche aioli. Strong flavor from the squid ink actually. Inside was a tiny bit dry.

Always a great Spanish red.

Pan con Chicharron. Crispy Pork, sweet potato, salsa criollo. Like a pork belly slider. Bread was nice for mopping up sauce on other dishes. I enjoyed this “burger.”

lamb ragu. fromage blanc dumpling, szechuan peppercorn. Soft with a nice meaty and creamy texture. Quite nice.

octopus. octopus, goat cheese-chorizo mousse, gotija olive, ceviche aioli. The peppers had great flavors and the octopus was very crispy.

Grilled Artichoke Hearts. avocado mousse, jalapeno, popped quinoa, charapita glaze. The texture and flavor of the artichoke was great.

udon noodles. shiitake, peruvian pesto, wasabi tobiko, roasted onion jus. Pesto flavor was awesome. Noodles were thick, and maybe a touch soft, and there was a very “leafy” basil quality offset nicely by the cheese. Overall a fabulous dish.

Oh, and a Bordeaux slipped in.

crispy rice. seared steak tartare, egg, parmesan sauce. Interesting and I liked it.

The egg and soy and beef tartare was mixed in. The parmesan sauce (which was a bit punchy) was left on the side.

Mixed up.

Lomo Saltado. Steak Filet. Onion Confit. Potato Petals. Fine, but less interesting.

The dessert menu.

Churros Bomboncito. Caramel, berry sauce. These were great with caramel centers. And on the left, Tres Leches Sorbettto, which really tasted like Uni Leche Sorbetto.

The damage wasn’t so bad.

Food was actually great at Causita, some of Ricardo’s best since Paiche. It was very bright. Not every dish was perfect, and there were relatively few things that were incredibly memorable, but it was very tasty — and zesty. Corkage issues were a bit of a thing. Somehow his restaurants never last. There also seems to be a curse on this strip of Silverlake. New things open constantly, but they shuffle and close rapidly too.

Because we were right next door we decided to try out Pine and Crane for second dinner as I have been wanting to for years.

For more Italian dining reviews click here.

Or for epic Foodie Club meals, here.

By: agavin
Comments (2)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Causita, Double Dinner, Foodie Club, Peruvian cuisine, Ricardo M. Zarate, Ricardo Zarate, Silverlake, Wine

Lunch Quest – Lotus

Apr14

Restaurant: Lotus Dim Sum Dumpling House

Location: 326 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401. (424) 380-5500

Date: September 9, 2022

Cuisine: Bad Dim Sum

Rating: Blech. Sad. Almost a disaster.

I was actually excited to see that the PF Changs in Santa Monica had “rebooted” as a theoretically real Chinese restaurant, a dim sum house even.

And why the hell is there sushi on the menu?

As is typical for independent Chinese operators they didn’t spend much at all on remodeling, it still looks like a PF Changs. The menu is a mix of typical dim sum and random other Chinese dishes.

Oh yes, let’s not forget the SUSHI! Why is there sushi? This is an immediate sign of a terrible restaurant as no self respecting Chinese establishment can make good sushi, they make good Chinese food.

Smashed cucumbers. Decent, but under marinated and under sauced.

Crispy Bun with Minced Pork. Actually not a bad version of this chewy/sweet thing (often called Fried Glutinous Meat Dumplings).

Shrimp Chow Fun. Decent version. The sauce wasn’t quite sweet enough and the shrimp had a slightly “fishy” taste but was still a 7/10.

Har Gow. Wrapper ok and the shrimp a little “fishy.”

Chicken Chow Fun. The soft kind of noodles. They don’t have the crispy ones. But it was pretty tasty in a cheapy Chinese sort of way.

XLB. The filling was ok but there was no juice and the wrapper was pathetic and soggy and solid. Had to eat the meat out of the middle.

Shu Mai. Smelled a bit odd. Pork tasted okay, wrapper a bit soggy. 3/10.

Black Pepper and Black Bean Beef. Basically “French Style” beef. Really tender and smoothered in “flavor” (aka MSG). Pretty tasty actually.

Szechuan Fish Filets boiled in Chili Sauce. It’s not by any means the best version of this generally awesome dish, but it was actually pretty tasty. Probably a 5/10 but with some numbing. Fish was tender. The biggest problem was that they put corn starch in the sauce so it was too thick (for this dish).

Overall, dim sum was TERRIBLE, some of the worst I have ever had. They are sort of trying, but it’s just bad. The non dim sum dishes were tolerable. Not good. Certainly not great. But okay in that way that Panda Express is sort of okay. And this is much better than Panda, if that’s a 1/10 this is like a 3/10. But it’s certainly not going to compete with the best dim sum west of the 405, the Palace, which isn’t itself even that good (maybe 5/10). But as bad as Lotus is, it’s still better than PF Changs (2/10).

It should be noted that Jeffrey actually half likes the non dim sum dishes here. He’s been a number of times. I think it’s just because it was a block or two from his house and work and that the non dim sum dishes aren’t TERRIBLE, only very very meh.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (0)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Chinese cuisine, Dim sum, dumplings, Lunch Quest, Santa Monica

Lunch Quest – Simpang Asia

Apr11

Restaurant: Simpang Asia

Location: 10433 National Blvd #2, Los Angeles, CA 90034. (310) 815-9075

Date: September 2, 2022

Cuisine: Indonesian

Rating: Super tasty!

A quick lunch with Oliver at a flavorful favorite of his.

I’ve actually driven past this a million times. Plus the original Yamakase was across the street.

The interior is cute, minimal, and contemporary.

A good sized list of Indonesian staples.

Risoles. Indonesian crepes fried pocket with chicken, carrots in cream sauce with peanut sauce on the side. Delicious, like an Indonesian Mozz stick, but better.

Grilled Fish (Ikan Bakar). Flash fried prior grilling whole tilapia with special soy garlic sauce. Very sweet, tangy and crispy.

Turmeric Chicken (Ayam Goreng Kuning). Turmeric fried chicken, tasty w/ hint of garlic. Light and delicious.

Laksa. Seafood curry noodle soup; Yellow noodles, shrimp, squid, fish ball, tofu, green mussel, bean sprout, cucumber, & cilantro. The weakest dish, but we ordered it mild. In general I love Laksa, and this certainly wasn’t bad, but it also didn’t have the depth of curry punch I was looking for.

Cah Kangkung. Stir fry water spinach with garlic belacan. Available in spicy level (not spicy, lite heat, medium, spicy.) Very tasty and savory (salty).

The #8 Nasi Bungkus. Experience tradition in one wrap. Chicken curry, coconut beef steak (rendang), sambal egg, vegetable curry (contains shrimp paste) and rice wrapped in banana leaves. Spicy level: regular, medium, spicy. This was really awesome, like a rice already drenched in yellow curry.

Very spicy sambal and curry sauce.

Overall, I really enjoyed Simpang. I fact, I’ve ordered Postmates from here (usually the Venice Blvd branch) several times since. Indonesian isn’t as common in LA as Thai or other more “mainstreamed” Asian cuisines, and it is carb forward, but it’s also totally delicious.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (1)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Indonesian Cuisine, Lunch Quest, Simpang Asia, spicy

Boston Lobster New Digs

Apr09

Restaurant: Boston Lobster Seafood Restaurant

Location: 4501 Rosemead Blvd, Rosemead, CA 91770. (626) 288-4388

Date: September 4, 2022

Cuisine: Cambodian Cantonese Chinese

Rating: Huge, Great Deal, Solid

This Sunday’s Chinese is a return to Boston Lobster. It’s been awhile, like 7 years. They have new digs, having moved from a small shop on Valley Blvd to this huge location on Rosemead.

The new spot must have been some kind of “Seafood House” in the kitchy 50s style and it even includes an old (WWII?) antiaircraft gun.

The place is enormous with multiple wings and a very current (if a little cheesy by western standards) Chinese build out inside.

Lobster tanks.

And a big menu of southern Chinese and Cantonese Chinese dishes.

We had a jumbo — and I do mean jumbo — private room where our table took up just a corner.

Boston House Special Lobster with Garlic Noodles. We actually had two of these huge plates for our table of 14. Lobster itself was excellent. Not the best “house special lobster” I’ve ever had, and I didn’t see any roe (which I like), but good. And pretty well cooked and tender. Noodles were a touch bland.

Geoduck Clam Sashimi Style. Served with soy sauce and wasabi. Decent, but chewier and fishier than at Longo, and not in that same delicate awesome way.

Geoduck Clam Neck Fried Salt and Pepper Style. Tasty with a nice chew but not as awesome as at Longo.

Clam with Basil Sauce. Tender clams but the basil sauce (as usual) gives an interesting medicinal note to the dish.

Shrimp with Walnut. Middling version of the classic.

Steamed Whole Fish. This was basically soy sauce fish with scallions. Nicely cooked and tender, but not super exciting.

Kung Pao Pork Chop. I’m not sure I’ve had this (Cantonese) cut of meat as Kung Pao. It was a very Southern Kung Pao with no spice, no Szechuan Broad Bean Chili Paste. More a salty sour brown sauce, but pretty tasty regardless.

Special Off Menu Smoked Duck. Very interesting flavor and super tender. This was one of the best dishes.

It was served with a soy gravy.

And a And a sweet and sour sauce (which was better than the gravy). (which was better than the gravy).

Sliced Beef with Pea Sprouts. Beef was super tender and soft and packed with “flavor” (MSG). The pea sprouts were great too with that salt and garlic yum factor. I actually liked this dish a lot.

Chicken with Curry Sauce. Not very Chinese, but kinda delicious. Very tender and “flavorful” with a nice mild yellow curry.

One of the standard Chinese greens with garlic. Not bad at all.

Oyster on Hot Sizzling Plate. Very “fried” (not deep fried but cooked) oysters. Pretty good flavor but I don’t love my oysters cooked.

Yang Chow Fried Rice. Classic.

Oranges.

Double Mint Oreo — Base made with Fresh Spring Mint infused milk and then laced with Crushed Mint Oreo Thins and Chopped Valrhona 70% Chocolate! — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — lovely strong mint flavor and color is all natural — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #dessertgasm #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #mint #valrhona #chocolate #oreo

The gang.

Overall, Boston Lobster was good but not great. It’s huge. And it’s well priced. And the lobster is good. Dishes are fairly typical for Southern/Cantonese Chinese. I actually think it’s quite a bit better than the way over-rated Newport Seafood. But there are plenty of “meh” dishes (still tasty, don’t get me wrong, this is solid Chinese) that aren’t nearly as good as at a better Cantonese restaurant. For example, Longo and Monterey Palace Geoduck is WAY better. But if you have a big party and/or want this kind of Chinese on a bit of a budget than there is certainly not much to complain about with Boston Lobster. It’s just not best in class.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (0)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Boston Lobster, BYOG, Cambodian Cuisine, Cantonese Chinese, Gelato, geoduck, Lobster, Seafood

Round 2 – Hanchic

Apr07

Restaurant: Hanchic

Location: 2500 W 8th St #103, Los Angeles, CA 90057. (213) 375-7095

Date: September 1, 2022

Cuisine: Korean Fusion

Rating: Delicious!

Do for “Round 2” of tonight’s Double Dinner, after Kinn, Erick picked Hanchic which is a more casual (Izakaya style) Modern/Fusion Korean eatery.

This is a hipster mini-mall installation if I ever saw one.

The theme continues inside. Very casual, oriented toward 2 and 4 tops.

The menu is short and covers sharable comfort items.

An amuse of Korean vegetable pancake with tangy sauce.

Yukhwe with rice cracker. A kind of spicy, sweet and sour beef tartare you mixed up with the egg and ate with the seaweed crusted rice cracker. Delicious.

Mixed up and enjoyed.

Raw shrimp cured in a seasoned ‘Jang’ 간장soy sauce over “purple (bean) rice.” The marinate is similar to that used in Korean raw crab.

Chamchi toast with sweet and sour gouchujang. Really delicious. Hard to even tell it was toast, just seemed like some crispy fried shrimp + sweet and sour thing.

Risotto with bulgogi and cheese. Yummy, like a comforting beef/cheese rice.

Galbi Jjim with assorted Ssam. Super tender and smokey meat with lettuce wraps and ultra-flavorful sauces of ascending spice level. The serrano based max was VERY hot.

The sauces.

Jjapaguri with pork belly and egg. You mix it all up. “Creamy” and delicious sticky noodles with a rich quality offset slightly by the spicy/sweet pickles.

Overall, a great “second dinner” at Hanchic (first dinner was at Kinn). I really enjoyed the playful and creative take on Korean “snack” items. Between the casual atmosphere, late hours, and carby/fat forward sharable foods, this is a perfect post drinking spot. Great way to finish out a great evening.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or for epic Foodie Club meals, here.

By: agavin
Comments (1)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Double Dinner, Foodie Club, Hanchic, Korean Fusion, Ktown, Second Dinner

Round 1 – Kinn

Apr05

Restaurant: Kinn

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

Date: September 1, 2022

Cuisine: Korean Fusion

Rating: Really tasty & a great deal

Erick and I decided to visit some of LA’s top “Korean Fusion” places as just a small (the two of us) Foodie Club dinner. Since these spots are aimed at young Asian-American millennials they tend to have serve tiny tasting menus (by our gluttonous standards) and so we just booked a straight up Double Dinner (two dinners in one night)! Second Dinner was at Hanchic.

The Michelin Guide (which lists Kinn) describes it as follows:

Chef Ki Kim delivers something special with Kinn. Tucked along a main artery of K-town, the slim, modern space is fitted with a blonde wood counter and tables. Whether preparing dishes or presenting them, the chef and his team deliver an exclusive experience. Chef Kim’s experience in upscale restaurants informs his menu which features dishes retooled with a Korean bent. Case in point? The K-corn dog, made here with Dungeness crab and a bechamel filling. Confit hen of the woods mushroom conceals a briny and sweet surprise of uni, along with Asian pear. Pyongyang naengmyeon is a delightful combination that embodies the art of simplicity with beefy and savory broth filled with buckwheat noodles, paper-thin slices of brisket, cucumbers, Asian pears and radish kimchi.

We got there early (Double Dinner, round 1!) and it were the first in the door. The space is very narrow, with tables along one side and a “sushi-like” bar on the other.

Tonight’s menu. We got all the supplements, Double Dinner be damned.

2010 Domaine Guiberteau Saumur Blanc Clos des Carmes Brézé. 93 points.

Raul Pérez Rías Baixas Sketch.

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.

Perilla Salad. Tomatoes, Ikura, burrata, Perilla Sorbetto, Jelly. This was an amazing salad with a fantastic balance of sweet, herby, and tangy elements. The centerpeice was the Perilla (shiso) Sorbetto which seemed to be a properly formulated intensely shiso-flavored sweet sorbetto balanced with a bit of lemon juice.

Supplement of Confit Hen of the Woods Mushrooms and Uni. The mushrooms had a nice smokey “charcoal grilled” flavor and great texture.

Supplement of 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.

Rock Cod 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.

Charcoal Grilled Wagyu Shortrib. The succulent beef was topped with kimchi spicy greens, a bit of potato puree and a dust made from sweet potato skins. Really lovely beef dish and I very much enjoyed the contrast with the spicy and bracing greens.

Pyongyang Naengmyeon. An iced buckwheat noodle with beef, pickles, and radish.

It’s deconstructed and you combine the elements like these toppings.

And the noodles.

To get the whole. Very refreshing, mild, and clean. Noodles had a great snappy texture. This was an “extremely” calm take showcasing the noodles unlike some of the more bracing chili paste, mustard, and vinegar Korean noodle dishes.

Corn Bingsoo with cheese. Corn and cheese in a dessert? Well this totally worked. Basically it was a shave ice with mild sweet corn flavors. It wasn’t massively sweet either but was cool, refreshing, and quite lovely.

The bill wasn’t bad at all, even with all the supplements.

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.

We immediately discussed setting up a larger format special dinner with the chef for later in the fall.

On to second dinner!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or for epic Foodie Club meals, here.

By: agavin
Comments (3)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Double Dinner, Foodie Club, Kinn

Robo Eats – Agra Tandoori

Apr03

Restaurant: Agra Tandoori

Location: 19560 Ventura Blvd, Tarzana, CA 91356. (818) 342-2290

Date: August 26, 2022

Cuisine: Indian

Rating: Fine, but old school

Continuing my explorations of random valley ethnic places during my son’s robotics classes…

Located in a typical Ventura Blvd strip mall.

Classic interior — but at least it’s not a drop ceiling.

Big menu.

Papadum to start.

Chicken Tikka Masala. Pretty good, but still a bit too sweet and tomato sauce like.

Coconut Lamb Curry. Not bad, but slightly sweet.

Saag Shrimp. Good.

Paratha. I intended to order Bhartha but they heard me wrong. Ended up working.

Overall, an old school “fine” Indian, and slightly better than Anarbagh, but certainly no Akbar.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (0)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Agra, Robo Eats

Robo Eats – Khaosan

Apr01

Restaurant: Khaosan Thai Street Food

Location: 19801 Ventura Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 91364. (818) 932-9845

Date: August 8, 2022 and many times after

Cuisine: Thai Street Food

Rating: Very good small dish Thai place

This was actually the first — and most frequent — restaurant I visited while waiting for my son at robotics in the valley.

It’s located right on Ventura in Tarzana / Woodland Hills. They have a mostly digital menu (which I’m not a fan of).

Fried fish balls with sweet sauce. Delicious.

Papaya Salad. Very good

Thom Yom. Nice version of the tangy soup. I almost always get this.

Khao Soi chicken. Excellent version. I really love the strong coconut curry flavor and the mixture of textures.

Stir fry curry with fish. Relatively light, but creamy. Nice.

Marinated Beef Salad. A bit salty but nice chili lime thing.

Beef Prik King.

Chicken Laarb. Solid.

Khaosan has a smallish menu and certainly isn’t up there with Jitlada, Pailin and the like, but what they do do, they do very well and it’s certainly great for a quick one person meal or takeout (if you like takeout, which I don’t). This is really way better than most of the Americanized Thais in the city. Lots of flavor and I’ve been here at least half a dozen times.

Service is very efficient and friendly. The space itself is small with only a couple of tables. Most of their business is takeout.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (0)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Khaosan, Robo Eats, SFV, Thai cuisine, Thai Street Food

Mes Ami – C’est Mort

Mar28

Restaurant: Mes Ami [ CHEF LEFT SUBSEQUENTLY ]

Location: 561541 Wilcox Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90028. (323) 410-6200

Date: August 25, 2022

Cuisine: French Bistro

Rating: Excellent — but closed

This summer a couple trendy new Hollywood places opened and of course the Foodie Club had to go try them out, tonight consisting of Erick, Jeridan, and myself.

Quoting from Eater:

There seems to be renewed optimism around Los Angeles’s robust restaurant scene, particularly as the state prepares to open up more broadly next week. The latest bit of promise for LA comes out of Hollywood, as chef Lincoln Carson makes his long-hoped-for return to the city with a brand new project called Mes Amis.

As the name implies, Carson’s newest restaurant will lean into French flavors by way of Paris and Lyon’s many cafes and brasseries — though Carson says his menu will be a more California “reinterpretation” of the classics, using Southern California produce from the nearby Hollywood Farmer’s Market. While specific dishes are still being worked out for the menu, expect Mes Amis to exude an upscale casual elegance and offer a strong dessert program, in addition to cocktails and wine.

It has a gorgeous new interior in a classic building.

Bread and butter. Bread was nice and crunchy, butter was fine, but no Normandy butter (at least as far as I could tell).

The menu is small and focused, quite French in its way.

Our wines tonight, plus the Grande Dame we bought off the list.

2008 Veuve Clicquot Champagne Brut La Grande Dame.

PETITE SHELLFISH PLATEAU. 6 east and west coast oysters, 4 littleneck clams, 4 new caledonian prawns, 1 maine scallop crudo. The shrimp and oysters were great. The clams were a bit fishy and the scallop lacked the acidity I was looking for.

A zoom.

NV Krug Champagne Brut Rosé Edition 26eme. JG 95 The soon to be released Krug Rosé “26ème Édition” is from the base year of 2014. Given the long history of Maison Krug, sometimes it seems impossible that this beautiful bottling of Rosé has only seen twenty-six renditions. The blend this year includes one-third of reserve wines, running back to the 2005 vintage. The cépages is forty-four percent pinot noir, thirty percent chardonnay and twenty-six percent pinot meunier and the wine is once again its very pale, salmon color. It offers up a beautifully refined nose of tangerine, white cherries, wheat bread, chalky soil tones, a touch of citrus peel, gentle notes of brown spices and a discreetly smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is young, full-bodied and displays excellent depth in the mid-palate, with elegant mousse, lovely focus and grip, bright acids and a long, complex and very well balanced finish. Fine, fine juice, but this is still a puppy and deserves at least a few years in the cellar to blossom. (Drink between 2027-2060)

CHICKEN LIVER MOUSSE NAPOLEON. puff pastry, prune gastrique. This was really lovely. It actually looked, felt, and tasted like a dessert. The pastry was a dessert mille-feuille with the foie acting more or less like a pastry cream.

DUCK PÂTÉ EN CROÛTE. black truffle, frisée, pickled rhubarb. Very nice decadant French pate.

“Everything” lavash for the pate and tartare.

PRIME CREEKSTONE STEAK TARTARE. egg yolk jam, crispy shallot, “everything” lavash. Very nice tartare with great texture.

BLACK TRUFFLE RISOTTO. ibérico ham, black trumpets, preserved truffle. Rich and subtle. Quite enjoyable.

1998 Domaine des Lambrays Clos des Lambrays. VM 92. Good bright red-ruby color. Knockout nose combines cherry, raspberry, redcurrant, underbrush, licorice, flowers and earth. Penetrating and quite fine; offers a three-dimensional texture but is not really showing its underlying fat today. Intriguing note of cinnamon in the mouth. Finishes very long and complex, with dusty tannins and compelling sweetness. This should be superb with eight to ten years of bottle aging.

STEAK AU POIVRE. potato millefeuille, prime shortrib, peppercorn jus. This was a great steak. It was salty (in a good way) and very tender. The pepper was subdued but present and the crispy potatoes were awesome.

SMOKED LIBERTY DUCK BREAST. swiss chard, parsnip, wild huckleberry jus. Really fabulous duck breast. Extremely tender and full of flavor without being either chewy or gamey. The berry sauce complemented perfectly.

ROASTED LAMB WELLINGTON. pastry crusted lamb loin, thumbelina carrots, shell bean ragoût.

Quite lovely looking and tasted nice as well. Certainly not the lightest dish.

The jus.

SHELL BEAN RAGOÛT.

thumbelina carrots.

POMMES FRITES. Excellent, albiet salty. Perhaps the two are related.

Our awesome server Christian

2005 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre. BH 94. This is a mild step up in overall class and elegance with a gorgeously perfumed white flower fruit nose introducing linear, precise, intense and powerful medium full flavors that remain splendidly focused on the stunningly long finish that drenches the palate in dry extract. This is a striking 1er and one to buy as it easily delivers grand cru quality. (Drink starting 2012)

The gang.

The dessert menu.

PEACH PAVLOVA. rose geranium, yellow peaches, blackberry, white verjus. Bright enjoyable peach and merignue combo.

ST. HONORÉ. pecan mousseline, pâte feuilletée, caramel. I love a good proper St Honore and this was a somewhat modernized or deconstructed variant. It did fortuantly retain the basic elements and flavors of the original. I liked it a lot, although I’m not sure it was actually “better” than the classic form.

CHOCOLATE SOUFFLÉ. valrhona chocolate, green chartreuse, génépy gelato. Pretty classic and lovely.

The chef, Lincoln Carson.

Overall, the food at Mes Amis was fabulous. It was sophisticated, a bit different, quite French, and delicious. Most of our foodie friends went — often several times — during the restaurant’s brief tenure. One of my friends even tried to go weekly. But it was indeed a brief tenure, maybe 6 months. The chef left and they are rebooting with a new concept and chef. At the moment they are only open for breakfast and lunch.

Even when we went there was a bit of a mismatch between the location and crowd and the kitchen. This was good cooking. But outside the restaurant was one of those “Hollywood crowds” of very young people undressed to kill. The music was loud. The default service seemed to revolve around the idea of bringing you a small number of dishes all at once — which is sort of a Hollywood mode for non-serious eaters nibbling while taking in the scene. We had to carefully produce the timing of our meal (aka slow it down and stage it). Anyway, it was an opportunity and a fine chef wasted, but I’m glad we got to go during the brief glory days.

For more Italian dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (0)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Dessert, Foodie Club, French Cuisine, Hollywood, Lincoln Carson, Mes Ami, pate, scene, tartare

Robo Eats – Szechuan Place

Mar25

Restaurant: Szechuan Place

Location: 9250 Reseda Blvd, Northridge, CA 91324. (818) 280-5355

Date: August 17, 2022

Cuisine: Szechuan Chinese

Rating: Just okay

I was excited to find a “real” Szechuan restaurant not too far from my son’s robotics.

Typical mini-mall location.

They made some effort to decorate.

Chongqing Cold Flat Noodle. Unfortunately fairly bland.

Spicy Wonton Soup. Dumplings were good but the broth needed more flavor.

Special Chinese Lettuce in casserole. This can be a great dish but this version was a little soggy.

Twice Cooked Potato Slice. I really wanted twice cooked pork. This actually tasted great — it was the best dish — but potato is so carby.

Pickled Chinese Cabbage & Riby Beef in Special Szechuan Chili. This was a bit sour and the meat is certainly “fatty.”

Overall, Szechuan Place had a menu with all the regular goodies but the flavors were a bit bland and flat. I was hoping for more GuYi type quality. One of these days I’ll have to go back and try it again.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (0)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Robo Eats, SGV, Sichuan Cuisine, spicy, Szechuan Place

Providence Chef’s Table 2022

Mar23

Restaurant: Providence [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]

Location: 5955 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038. (323) 460-4170

Date: August 16, 2022

Cuisine: Cal French

Rating: Best meal I’ve had at Providence

I usually make it to Providence about once a year, and so we return with the Foodie Club for another Chef’s table dinner in the little back room.

The space used to be Patina in the 90s.

While the colors are different, Providence still looks a lot like Patina to me — as the layout is basically the same.

This is the view from the chef’s special tasting room — adjacent to the kitchen in it’s own little nook.

The Chef’s table has its own little room by the kitchen.

Le menu.

1982 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon. VM 97. Both 1982 Champagnes are utterly spellbinding. It is amazing to taste these wines at 30 years of age and see that their signatures are all very much intact. Of course, the magnum format is so ideal for Champagne. The 1982 Krug Vintage is warm, toasty and totally expressive, with gorgeous exotic orange peel and white truffle overtones. This is one of my very favorite Krug vintages. Although fully mature, the 1982 is going to continue to develop at a glacial pace. The 1982 Dom Pérignon is just a little more focused and vibrant in style. Here it is the wine’s salivating minerality that really sings. It, too, is quite youthful and vibrant for its age. What a flight.

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

Showing off the Australian Winter Black Truffles.

House cured king salmon with horseradish cream, dill, and pickled red onion on a rye toast. This was an incredible bite. It had great textures between the soft but stretchy fish and the crispy cracker. And the flavor was much like a Wolfgang Puck “Jewish Pizza.”

Hiramasa with rhubarb and avocado. This had the appearence of a crystaline tart. The falvor was mild and fruity with really interesting textures.

Super fatty Wagyu Tartare with oyster aioli and lime puree all nestled in a minature tart. Very rich but balanced by the punchy notes of the aioli. The softness of the beef was equally contrasted with the crispy/flaky tart.

A warm lobster mousse with a disc of Austrailian Winter Black Truffle a sliver of chive, and a palette shapped cracker. Another great bite!

MACADAMIA, golden kaluga caviar, caramelized shallot, nori. Very rich and mellow.

SASHIMI, heirloom tomato, shiso. The tomato made me wince a bit (raw tomato hater) but the combo was delicious. Everyone has these strong Japanese influences these days.

SALT-ROASTED SANTA BARBARA SPOT PRAWNS, rosemary, lemon, extra-virgin olive oil. Superbly cooked (and salty) prawn with a bit of roe as seasoning.

Gratuitous zoom.

2014 Jean-Claude Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Ruchottes. BH 93. The wood treatment isn’t shy, indeed today it fights somewhat with the otherwise cool and very pretty floral, pear, apple and soft petrol nuances. There is fine density to the sleek, sophisticated and utterly delicious medium-bodied flavors that possess good punch while offering excellent length on the balanced finish where the only nit is an unexpected touch of warmth. It’s sufficiently slight however and I suspect few readers would find it off-putting and with age, it may actually become less noticeable. Ramonet rarely misses with this wine and they certainly didn’t in 2014 though I would point out that this is going to need time in bottle to develop further depth. (Drink starting 2024)

From my cellar: 1985 Nicolas Potel Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes. BH 91. A very fresh yet mature nose of citrus, white flower and lightly toasted nut aromas combines with round and vibrant middle weight flavors that possess a seductive and rich mouth feel, all wrapped in a sappy and mouth coating finish. This is really a lovely effort with complexity and ample finishing punch and is a wine that will continue to hold well if not improve. (Drink between 2007-2009)

Supplement of UNI EGG, sea urchin, champagne beurre blanc, brioche croutons. This is a Providence classic and for good reason. Absolutely delicious.

Cheesy Omelette with Austrailian Winter Black Truffles. Nice fluffy texture to the eggs.

NORWEGIAN KING CRAB. dwelley farms sweet corn, fermented radish. This was a stunningly good dish. Very moist bit of giant king crab.

Red fife sourdough. Great chewy bread. Particularly good with the butter.

Normandy Butter.

HOKKAIDO SEA SCALLOP, chanterelle, toro de oro pepper. Lovely scallop and I liked the texture on the mushrooms.

2008 Gaja Langhe Chardonnay Gaia & Rey. VM 91. One of the very few Italian Chardonnays that can be considered world class. The 2008 vintage, famous for very classic Barolos, has also delivered a taut, varietally accurate white that is more Chablis than Meursault in its definition, with a laser beam of mineral-inflected green banana and vanilla tones. It matched heavenly with the cotechino, by the way, and it didn’t overpower the delicate, heavenly soft carne cruda that followed my amuse-bouches.

agavin: Jeffrey swore by this Italian Chard — I wasn’t that impressed.

GOLDEN EYE SNAPPER (Kinmedai) with GEODUCK in Beurre Blanc. Fabulous fish prep. The snapper was perfectly cooked and classic with the butter sauce and the geoduck had a good bit of awesome chew.

Fresh Porcinis.

PORCINI RISOTTO, Sierra Porcini, Black Truffle. Extremely buttery in the best way.

From my cellar: 2003 Gros Frère et Sœur Grands-Echezeaux. BH 92. This too is very toasty but the spicy black fruit nose manages to transcend the wood and complements powerful, dense, borderline massive flavors of superb depth, all wrapped in dusty, firm and ripe tannins. This is a big wine and while it’s no model of elegance, one has to admire the muscle and sheer concentration. This will take its time coming around. (Drink starting 2011)

CALIFORNIA KING SALMON, black truffle, pommes allumettes, pickled ramp. Soft and delicate “rare” salmon.

LIBERTY FARMS DUCK BREAST, poached fig, fig compote, fig leaf oil. Classic and perfectly cooked. The fried confit thing on the right was of course the best.

Black Truffle Brie, rodolphe le meunier brie, black truffle, salty herb salad. The brie was very nice but I particularly liked the bright salad. Sadly the grand cheese cart is a covid casualty 🙁

Aged Comte Cheese with fresh shaved black truffles. Nice grainy texture to the cheese.

Crispy bread for the cheese.

MANGO, MINT, THAI BASIL, mango sorbet dusted with Espelette pepper, dried mango, and mango nectar. Bright and refreshing.

HOUSE-MADE HAWAIIAN CHOCOLATE, banana, barley, okinawan black sugar. Chocolate ganache inside a flourless chocolate cake with chocolate merignue, rum raisins, banana, a cacao tuile and barley gelato. Fortuantly I couldn’t detect the banana. The ice cream had nice texture. It’s probably from a pacojet.

Cacao husk tea. Bitter. There was a syrup which helped.

Peaches poached in rosé wine with lemon verbena and thyme. Like a fancy awesome version of canned peaches.

Mignardises. chocolate ganache bonbons, vanilla caramel tarts, chocolate panels with pistachio. My favorite was the caramel tart which was much like the awesome caramel tarts I found recently in Paris.

Macarons.

Jellies.

The wines. I don’t think we opened the Rhone. Can’t remember.

Granola “take home gift.”

This was probably the best Providence meal I’ve ever had, maybe even better than the one last year in the main dining room (which did have better white burg). They had just recently reopened post-lockdown and had clearly spent the time well retooling the menu. Service was exceptional as well which was very nice, particularly in contrast with so many “middle end” places that are short staffed right now. We had a ton of food tonight too with a lot of variation and many memorable dishes. The Chef’s Table is the best as it’s cozy, quiet, and we can get up to our antics (including flash photography) without interruption.

For more LA dining reviews click here,

By: agavin
Comments (0)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Chef's Table, Foodie Club, Hollywood, Providence, Truffle, Wine

OOToro Double

Mar21

Restaurant: OOToro [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]

Location: 1569 Fairway Dr, Walnut, CA 91789. (909) 598-8299

Date: August 13, 2022

Cuisine: Japanese Sushi (with slight nod to China)

Rating: Ends of the earth, but very good

Chef Kaz of Totoraku, an occasional hedonist, sent us far east to this Sushi restaurant in 2016 and it was such a fun time that we had to return again for a sixth visit — it’s now become a twice a year thing. This is my second return since the pandemic — although some in the group went once in the middle for a meal that was supposedly not quite up to snuff. Because a bunch of us have engaged in a special Sushi Series this fall (tasting all the best LA sushi places) I figured I’d include OOToro in the mix.

And by far east I mean REALLY REALLY far east — to Walnut California. 40+ miles from my house. 20 miles past Alhambra (which most people consider to far to drive for food). It took an hour and twenty minutes on a Saturday night!

The slick looking location is in the heart of the affluent Chinese American San Gabriel Valley. But yes, it’s Japan, if perhaps catering to Chinese taste. This photo was shot at about 10pm after everyone else had left.

Here is the private room — the only way to go.

Edamame.

Mango, Avocado, Hairy crab, Some kind of Jelly (ponzu?). This was a new dish, and quite refreshing. Many in the party loved it. I thought the mango and crab bit was a touch too sweet, but was pretty good.

On the right Octopus with Caviar and Yuzu. On the left Scallop with Uni. The yuzu part was great. This was a lovely dish, although they don’t use the best quality caviar here and there is an overreliance on uni.

White fish tempura. The name sounded like “pea soup.” The tempura was dusted with wasabi salt which is traditional. Nice, but slightly dull tempura.

Abalone, jellyfish, shrimp tempura (wrapped in potato), sea snail and “katsuloco” (the yellow sponge). The abalone was great for that creature. The jellyfish was a bit bland. The shrimp great, the snail nice, and the sponge a fishy spongey texture I really enjoyed.

Sashimi of toro, ikura, uni, and a white fish. A bit of rice was hidden underneath. This was a lovely (and rich) dish.

Oysters 3 ways: with black tobiko, ikura, and uni.

Wagyu toast with caviar and balsamic. This used a “truffle oil caviar” that was kind of gross. Otherwise it would have been a nice dish but the truffle oil only detracted.

The stain!

Kumadai and another snapper with yuzu and wasabi. Lovely bright fish.

Kama-toro. The ultra rich tuna collar. Always an awesome bite.

Seared Ruby Snapper. Very sauced and lovely.

Crab, Red Snapper, Truffle Oil Caviar and Yuzu miso sauce. The dish was nice except for that truffle oil in the caviar which was a minor negative. It basically should never be used.

Kimchi uni noodles. Great. Kinda spicy.

Ron’s “non spicy” creamy version.

A5 Wagyu. Simple but delicious.

Clam miso. Lovely.

Green Tea Cheesecake. Very straightforward, basically just cheesecake with matcha powder in it.

I jazzed ours up with my own private stock of Valrhona 70% and house-made Hazelnut Brittle.

The room.

This group of “kids” (20s) were celebrating a birthday and we toasted them with some extra Krug.

Wines for tonight:

Overall, OOToro — while always good — showed again that the private room is really the way to go. This was a great meal and much more subtle and sophisticated than some of the front room fare. Really great stuff — although we should have gotten the largest omakase for max variety. Tonight I felt was the weakest OOToro in a while — although it was still very good — but somehow there were a few dishes that I didn’t love. Maybe it was the truffle caviar. Maybe it was the fact that I had a massive Longo Dim Sum Lunch only a few hours before.

For more LA dining reviews click here,

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

Also, after dinner, instead of the surprisingly fun Courtyard Marriott view parking lot, we ended up at this terrible picnic table at some even cheaper dive hotel Ron was staying at. Kinda dingy and depressing. Never again.

By: agavin
Comments (1)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Champagne, hedonists, Japanese cuisine, Omakase, ootoro, SGV, Sushi, Wine

Robo Eats – Anarbagh

Mar19

Restaurant: Anarbagh

Location: 22721 Ventura Blvd, Woodland Hills, CA 91364. (818) 224-3929

Date: September 20, 2022

Cuisine: Indian

Rating: Ok old fashioned Indian

During my son’s robotics team meetings I have a chance to explore random spots in the Western San Fernando Valley, so I’m nicking naming this the “Robo Eats” series.

Anarbagh is a well rated Indian with several branches.

Obviously this location was once some kind of mid century restaurant.

Inside it has that drop ceiling and booth “classic” Indian restaurant vibe. Part of the classic style has always seemed a near absence of customers. I guess most people order takeout.

Papadam and chutney’s to start.

Chicken Tikka Masala. A little heat, fairly sweet. Decent, but not savory enough. Nowhere near as good as at Akbar.

Lamb Korma. Decent, but still not enough flavor.

Shrimp Sag. Pretty good.

Eggplant Bharta. Also pretty good, but not the best I’ve had.

Free bit of Persian-style sweet.

Anarbagh is fine, but it’s that kind of old school Indian where all the curries are vaguely similar, vaguely sweet, and pretty thin. They don’t have a lot of personality. They are heavy, and it’s still enjoyable, but it’s so hard to find really good Indian restaurants in LA. Akbar is my favorite and a few others — like Mandovi — are at least much more interesting.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (1)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: curry, Indian cuisine, Robo Eats, SFV

Fred loves N/Naka

Mar16

Restaurant: N/Naka [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]

Location: 3455 S. Overland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90034. 310.836.6252

Date: August 12, 2022

Cuisine: Modern Kaiseki

Rating: Awesome

ANY CHARACTER HERE

The Foodie Club returned to N/Naka (again) with the (brief) return of remote member Fred. This meal is part 1 of a 3 big wine meals in 24 hour extravaganza. Woah!

The busy street corner on National.

The empty interior.
Our table — before we got to it.

Tonight’s menu.

Welcome drink. Sake mixed with juices.

Sakizuke. Hokkaido Scallop, oyster aioli, fermented asparagus gelee, scallop roe “dust”, beets, carrots, caviar, sunchoke chips.

The sunchoke chip is presented a minute after. I accidentally stuck it on “backward” so as to not maximize the sunflower and leaf motif they intended.

Zensai.

Tomato Okra Salad.

Abalone, uni, tosazu gelee, shiso.

Unagi, duck liver terrine. This had that PB&J quality that certain foie terrine creations do.

Watermelon lime “mojito”.

Shisito, minced wagyu. Very savory.

Corn, squash, yuzu ponzu, thai basil.

Homemade tofu, edamame, ginger soy. Very mild.

Modern Zukuri. Summer Tuna, pickled fennel, yamaimo, uni shoyu.

Uni shoyu for dipping. The instructions were to take some fish, a bit of pickled fennel and dip it. This was quite good. The Yamaimo yam was a bit slimy.

Owan. Shiromi, eggplant, junsai, hasu imo, ume. Very mild dashi-type soup.

Otsukuri. Traditional Sashimi. Ocean trout (looks like salmon), toro, and a white fish.

Yakimono. Binchotan Roasted Unagi, sudachi butter vinaigrette, yuzu pepper, lotus root “kabayaki.” This was actually quite “spicy” with the hefty amount of yuzu-combined pepper. This gave it an almost green coconut curry-like vibe.

Mushimono. Kegani, California Box Crab, egg (tamago), sakura mochi rice, dashi ankake.

Shiizakana. Spaghetti, abalone, pickled cod rod, truffles. The classic N/Naka pasta, double size. Awesome as always, but still small (even doubled).

Niku. A5 Miyazaki Wagyu Beef, arugula, baby corn, roasted peach, citrus fern, onion crumble. Very melt in your mouth beef.

Sunomono. Cucumber, grapes, tomato, shiso cucumber ice. Shot of yuzu juice.

While it tasted like sunomono, the ice gave it a very interesting texture and temperature factor.

Shokuji. Traditional Sushi.

Miso soup.

Blue Crab Handroll (as bonus to “fill us up”).

Mizumono. Watermelon Lime Sorbet, compressed watermelon. Very watermelony.

Peach Panna Cotta, peach sorbet, nata de coco, red beans, shiratama, anmitsu. Had that mild, soft, and sweet thing like a Filipino dessert.

Hojicha Latte Gelato – Ceremonial Hojicha Roasted Green Tea base, topped with 70% Valrhona and house-made Hazelnut Brittle — 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 #matcha #Hojicha #GreenTea

Matcha.

Passionfruit yellow bean paste “candy“.

Take home blueberry muffin and tea. Muffin was very gooey and mild — not my taste.

Old Grand Cuvee.

2000 Coche-Dury Meursault 1er Cru Caillerets. BH 93. Awesome and bright. This has now peaked and is drinking beautifully with a fully mature nose of honeysuckle, peach, apricot and very subtle spice notes that can also be found on the enveloping flavors that possess a wonderfully seductive mouth feel and ample dry extract that both completely buffers the still firm acid spine and coats the palate on the long, lingering and strikingly perfumed if ever-so-slightly warm finish. One character that Coche seems to consistently be able to achieve is how his wines are at once generous yet retain a fine sense of focus and precision and this wine certainly displays this. Lovely stuff that is perfect now. Tasted thrice with consistent notes. (Drink starting 2016)

agavin: Nice nose even.

From my cellar: 2001 Coche-Dury Meursault 1er Cru Caillerets. VM 90. High-pitched, high-toned aromas of peach and minerals. Quite dry following the Rougeots, with less texture and pliancy. This is very closed today (my sample from barrel a year ago was far more accessible and giving), but does not seem to have the depth of the Rougeots. Perhaps a bit rigid. This needs at least a few years in the bottle.

A touch closed and “bitter” at first, but opened up to become lovely.

1990 Coche-Dury Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. BH 93. An utterly beguiling nose of smoke, minerals and crushed herbs leads to big, muscular, rich and gorgeously nuanced palate staining flavors that offer huge length and real power plus class and breed to burn. I have had wonderful luck with this wine and while it is now fully mature and, it must be said, no longer what it used to be, it should still continue to drink well for another 5 to 10 years, perhaps even a bit longer.

Amazing!

1992 Coche-Dury Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. VM 98. The 1992 Meursault Les Perrières 1er Cru from Coche-Dury is a brilliant wine – period. It has a refulgent silvery hue that belies its age. The aromatics are perhaps more Puligny-like than Meursault in style: taut at first with subtle melted butter and yellow flower aromas. It is blessed with astonishing delineation and returning to my glass after 90 minutes…wow…popcorn, roasted almond, beeswax, linseed, certainly more Meursault-like in character. The palate is crisp, fresh and tensile at first, with wonderful salinity. This just gets the taste-buds going and there is tangible mineralité. Like the aromatics, it becomes more Meursault-like with aeration, gaining complexity with rondeur, hazelnut and smoke towards the mercurial finish. This is utterly sublime. Two bottles tasted at Tour d’Argent with consistent notes. (Drink between 2018-2035)

Also very fresh and nice.

2000 Domaine G. Roumier / Christophe Roumier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses. VM 90+. Good medium red. Complex, very floral aromas of strawberry, cinnamon and rose petal. Sweet but also juicy and precise, with the strong floral character following through on the palate. A precise, perfumed wine with lovely cut but no shortage of texture. Stylish, flavorful and quite long.

Some great juice tonight!

Chef Niki comes out to say hi.

Fred and his lovely fiancé (now wife) Maria.

The setting is elegant, minimalist, and very Japanese. N/Naka really is a very special place. All the meals I had here were spectacular. Plus we even did an amazing all foie gras meal here once. The place keeps getting better and better. This is thrice wonderful because often one finds a slight bloom to come off a place on repeat meals. At N/Naka everything is seasonal and constantly rotating.

Coming back to N/Naka after the pandemic I thought they were really firing on all cylinders. This was the best meal I’ve had there since the incredible Foie meal. I think her sushi has gone from “okay” to “great” and with regard to other dishes she has toned down a bit of the “theatrics” slightly but really upped the flavor balance and intensity. There weren’t some of the more interactive dishes of years past, like cooking your own item on hot stones, but the cooking was even more on point.

Service is also spectacular, highlighted all the more by the extremely low understaffed standard currently found in LA.

Click here to other LA Japanese restaurants.

Or other Foodie Club extravaganzas.

By: agavin
Comments (0)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BYOG, coche, Foodie Club, Fred, Gelato, N/Naka, Niki Nakayama, White Burgundy, Wine

Major Major Major

Mar13

Restaurant: Majordomo [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Location: 1725 Naud St, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (323) 545-4880

Date: August 4, 2022

Cuisine: Korean Fusion

Rating: Big dishes amazing

It’s with gigantic expectation that NY restaurateur David Chang opened his first LA outpost last year and since then it’s become a regular foodie and wine destination among my friends. Tonight is my fifth visit, and my second time with the Hedonists.

Looking on the map, I was pretty skeptical of the weird between Chinatown and Dodger’s Stadium location — a totally annoying spot for me to get to during traffic! Two brutal hours!

The area is extremely warehousey, much like the “Arts District” but even newer. This particular time, dropping off at night, we joked about our life expectancy.

The have a sort of hipster city built down here out of old warehouses.

With lots of bespoke graffiti.

And Majordomo, of course.

Which has a pretty big enclosed and outside space (which we ate in this third time). Have to say, the outside space was actually preferable. Less crowded and quieter.

As you can see.

Inside is one of those cavernous loud warehouse spaces.

High naked ceilings. Don’t come here when it’s raining! They also have the currently hip bathroom setup with the coed shared sinks exposed out in the main room. Not my thing. What if you want to clean up in private?

But we setup outside on the patio at a large table.

The current menu.

From my cellar: 2007 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut. VM 96. Taittinger’s 2007 Comtes de Champagne will be nearly impossible to resist upon release. Soaring aromatics, mid-weight structure and soft contours give the 2007 its alluring personality. Lemon oil, white flowers, mint, chamomile and green pear add brightness and freshness throughout, with a persistent, clean finish that makes it impossible to resist a second taste. Today, the 2007 comes across as a slightly more open version of the 2004, with freshness that makes that wine so appealing, and a touch of textural richness that recalls the 2002. Although the 2007 does not have the explosive energy or verticality of the profound 2006, it will drink better earlier. The 2007 has been positively brilliant on the three occasions I have tasted it so far. (Drink between 2018-2047)

Kanpachi – kombu, wasabi, lemon. This had a very nice, very zesty whallop of flavor.

Somewhat annoyingly, the wine “theme” at this dinner turned into SQN. I just don’t get this stuff as all the reds taste the same (overwhelmingly big). The whites and pinot are ok.

2006 Sine Qua Non The Hoodoo Man. VM 94. Sine Qua Non’s 2006 White Wine The Hoodoo Man is insanely beautiful. Remarkably fresh for a nine year old white, the 2006 The Hoodoo Man will change readers’ perceptions about what California white wines are and can be. A rich mélange of apricot, peach, honey and exotic white flowers graces the palate as this voluptuous, intense, yet remarkably vibrant wine shows off its utterly compelling personality. Slightly reductive, the 2006 needs a good bit of air. Today, the 2006 shows no signs whatsoever of fading. It should continue to drink well for another 5-10 years. The Hoodoo Man can only be called an absolute triumph in viticulture and winemaking. Time and again, I thought I had mixed up my glasses and that this was 2013 White Wine Résisté. The Hoodoo Man is 39% Roussanne, 31% Viognier and 30% Chardonnay; 75% from John Alban’s vineyard and 25% from Eleven Confessions. The wine was aged in 58% new oak, the rest 1-2 year-old barrels and a dollop of stainless steel. (Drink between 2015-2020)

Tuna special with lettuce wrap, tuna tartare, habanero, and rice crisps. Quite delicious and slightly different take on the tuna tartare. Good texture and quite a bit of heat actually.

Wrap in progress.

2008 Sine Qua Non Kolibri. VM 93. Deep yellow-gold. Ripe pit and exotic fruits on the nose, with complicating notes of honey, sweet butter and green almond. Becomes more floral with air, picking up suggestions of jasmine and chamomile. Lush but focused, with a spine of acidity adding structure and carrying through a very long, sappy and gently sweet finish. Krankl said that he’d serve this with a rich shellfish dish.

Benton’s Country Ham.

Cave Aged Butter & Caviar.

Bing bread. This pita-like bread is spread as desired with the ordered condiments (in our case the hame, butter, and caviar).

Combined the lot of them Jose Andres style.

Stuffed Peppers – benton’s sack sausage, buttermilk ranch. Very crispy, but delicious with the ranch sauce.

Little Gem Salad – anchovy, miso, smoked trout roe. Not your typical salad. Far saltier than most, but delicious.

From my cellar: 2008 Domaine Denis Bachelet Charmes-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes. BH 91-94. A very ripe plum and floral nose also reflects notes of warm earth and minerality that slides into very fresh, rich, round and forward medium plus weight flavors that are quite generous, even fleshy yet there is good delineation on the serious, delicious, powerful and persistent finish that is supported by fine tannins. This is a lovely wine of distinction balance and harmony that is built to age over the next decade or so as the underlying material is superb. (Drink starting 2018)

WOTN, of course.

2003 Sine Qua Non Pinot Noir Omega. VM 91. Dark red.Deep, very ripe aromas of blackberry and chocolatey torrefaction. Large-scaled and deep, with the blackberry, black cherry and black raspberry flavors carrying a strong load of chocolate, not to mention 15.5% alcohol. Finishes impressively broad and uncompromisingly dry, with very good length and decent grip. A big fellow.

Macaroni & Chickpea – miso, black pepper. The texture isn’t typically Italian (a bit softer with a bit more sauce) but this did have a lovely cacio e pepe flavor.

Spicy Fusilli – pork jowl, kimchi, garlic. This was a bit polarizing. Very saucy and with a good amount of heat. Some people didn’t like it but I enjoyed the quite piggy tone, the crunchy pork jowl, and the moderate spice. Wine killer for sure though.

Shrimp Crispy Rice – Thai chili, corn, sun gold tomatoes. Disc of crispy rice that is then mixed up with all that stuff.

All mixed up it was delicious.

Grilled Gai Lan – xo sauce, mint. A jazzed up take on a classic veggie.

2016 Sine Qua Non Grenache Dirt Vernacular. VM 98. Sine Qua Non’s 2016 Grenache The Vernacular is a classic Sine Qua Non wine. Rich, powerful and aromatically deep, the 2016 has so much to offer. A rush of sweet dark cherry, plum, mocha, licorice, lavender and spice builds in an opulent, flamboyant wine that hits all the right notes. Mourvèdre, Touriga Nacional and Petite Sirah add striking sepia tones throughout. This is a stunning showing. (Drink between 2022-2031)

2013 Sine Qua Non Grenache ♀. VM 96+. Huge tannins wrap around a core of voluptuous fruit in the 2013 Grenache Female. Dark-fleshed fruit, graphite, spices, savory herbs and lavender are some of the signatures. Today, the 2013 is quite imposing and shut down, so readers will have to be patient. The blend is 78% Grenache, 19% Syrah and 3% Mourvèdre, done with 88% whole clusters, which is high for Sine Qua Non. (Drink between 2017-2028)

2010 Sine Qua Non Syrah Stockholm Syndrome Eleven Confessions Vineyard. VM 97.5. Lavender, violets, smoke, menthol and new leather are some of the many notes that inform the 2010 Syrah Stockholm Syndrome. A huge, seamless wine, the 2010 boasts magnificent richness and a totally voluptuous personality. The powerful finish dazzles with its combination of fruit, acidity and minerality. (Drink between 2016-2025)

2007 Sine Qua Non Syrah Labels. VM 94. Opaque purple. Sexy, expansive aromas of blackberry, kirsch, potpourri, sandalwood and black pepper. Sweet and rich, but juicy, with superb floral lift to the flavors of bitter cherry, dark berries and fruity pepper. A real essence of syrah: this is all dark berries, flowers and spice, but no game, with plenty of fruit to support the oak (64% new) element. Harmonious, ripe acidity and velvety tannins give shape to a long, sweet finish.

2004 Sine Qua Non Syrah Poker Face. VM 96. The 2004 Syrah Poker Face remains deep, inky and powerful, even at eleven years of age. A host of black cherry, chocolate, licorice and smoke meld together in this dark, voluptuous Syrah. As good as the 2004 is, it’s also quite clear just how far Sine Qua Non has come since the Poker Face was made. The blend is 96% Syrah, with drops of Mourvèdre and Viognier. Vineyard sources are 33% Eleven Confessions, 27% White Hawk, 22% Alban, 16% Bien Nacido and 3% Alta Mesa. (Drink between 2015-2022)

Grilled Wagyu Zabuton – maitake, koji, egg yolk.

The sauce and yolk were to be mixed, then one was supposed to dip the meat in the sauce. Not a bad dish, but not the best of the night by any means. Certainly our weakest main.

Crispy Potatoes – garlic, chili, lemon mayo. These were awesome. The potatoes were incredibly crispy and coated in a very “Buffalo Wing” style sauce. The sea of lemon mayo was extremely ranch-like and so the overall vibe was like a much better, much crispier, “Buffalo Wing” kind of thing.

Smoked Half Bo Ssam – ssam, condiments, rice.

Comes with white rice.

Greens and lettuce.

Hoisin and pickles. You make a lettuce wrap (I didn’t use the rice). Some argued that the pork was a little dry, but I didn’t think so if you loaded enough moist pickles etc in there. Very rich and satisfying.

Whole Plate Short Rib with Beef Rice – ssam, condiments, beef rice.

Various condiments for the beef. Pickles, spicy Korean chili paste etc

The huge short rib.

Our server sets to work carving the rib.

Most of it is arrayed in a flower pattern.

Then the ribs themselves are added on. Overall this is scrumptious meat, particularly when wrapped in lettuce with all the condiments. Like a great BBQ Brisket.

This is the special beef rice that comes a bit later. It’s delicious but we were crazy full.

2013 Bouchard Père et Fils Chevalier-Montrachet Domaine. BH 93. Here the wood treatment is well-integrated though not invisible as it combines with elegant, pure and cool aromas of white orchard fruit, acacia blossom and plenty of citrus character. There is good size, weight and punch to the delicious, tangy and energetic middle weight plus flavors that offer a lovely sense of precision and excellent length. While this classy and stylish effort should reward at least a decade of bottle age it should also be approachable after only 6 to 8. (Drink starting 2023)

Almond Chocolate Cloud Gelato – The base is made with Valrhona 62% Satilla Chocolate and then layered with Toasted Sicilian Almond Cream and chopped Classic Toblerone! — 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 #almond #Toblerone

Overall, we had a great time at Majordomo. You do need a decent sized party for the awesome large dishes and you need to preorder. Tonight we had 8, which is perfect as the big dishes easily go around 8 ways and the smaller ones you can order two of.

The service and wine service were both spectacular. I was really surprised as these loud hipster places often don’t have good wine service but we were really taken care of and this added a lot to the evening. We had a great (large) table in the back corner of the patio and a huge unused table next to it for our gear, wines, etc. They were super attentive. Really unusually good service for this level.

The larger pre-order dishes like the rib and pork and chicken are amazing and insane. We planned on also getting the chicken, but we were so stuffed we had to cancel it. Tonight the food seemed the best yet, even if we did have a lot of (delicious) carbs. Pastas and the fried rice were amazing too. Really liking everything about Majordomo other than the distance to get there — well and maybe how I felt trying to sleep later after all that fat, salt, and massive red wine.

I’ll make an interesting observation about the SQNs in this kind of dinner format. Despite the massive wines and massive ratings, we had about 40% of each of the big reds left at the end of the night. My Champagne, my Red Burg, the SQN pinot, and the Chevalier (opened at the end too!) were the only bottles that were empty — and quickly at that. The massive reds are just so punishingly rich — not to mention completely interchangeable — that I just poured a couple at random and sipped lightly.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or for epic Foodie Club meals, here.

By: agavin
Comments (0)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BYOG, Gelato, hedonists, Korean Fusion, Majordomo, Meat, SGN, Short rib, Wine

Far East – Beijing Tasty House

Mar10

Restaurant: Beijing Tasty House [Crawl: MK BBQ, Peking, Bafang, Spicy Home, Beijing Tasty ]

Location: 1380 Fullerton Rd Ste 105 Rowland Heights, CA 91748. (626) 573-8518

Date: July 31, 2022

Cuisine: Beijing Chinese

Rating: Okay, but not as good as Alhambra branch

Crawls generally need a good “closer” meal at the end where the group can mop up to a satisfying level. In this case, we chose the newish Hacienda Heights location of Beijing Tasty House.

I’ve eaten at the Alhambra branch at least half a dozen times and always enjoyed it, even if their service is a bit “unrefined” and their execution at times uneven. This one is way out east in a typical strip mall.

The interior is nice enough but much smaller and more cramped than the Alhambra branch.

The menu. Very small writing.

Hot and Sour Soup with Rice Noodles. Name was weird but this is exactly the dish I hoped it was. The “soup” is very tangy with a bit of spice and numbing. It’s warm and the noodles provide interesting texture.

Smashed Cucumbers with Garlic. Properly done.

Fire Exploded Kidneys. For the water sports enthusiast.

A-Choy with sesame sauce. A bit weird, bits of lettuce with a sesame sugar paste.

Peking Duck. Very solid spring pancakes and hoisin. Skin was good and crispy but the meat was very dry and low fat. Not bad, but probably a B+ Peking Duck, even by LA standards. I really should put this place in my Ultimate Peking Duck guide as they do serve proper Beijing Peking Duck, it’s just not the best in town by any means.

The meat with skin on top.

The usual condiments.

Real spring pancakes (certainly NOT tortillas).

The contents of the “bing” or “burrito.”

Duck Bones with Cumin. Not a bad version of this dish, quite spicy too.

Beef (and pork belly) Dry Pot. Quite tasty with very tender beef. Extremely spicy.

Lamb Ribs and cumin. Also similar, but the ribs were awesome and tender.

Strawberry Cheesecake Gelato — strawberry cream-cheese base with strawberry ripple and house-made graham cracker crumble — 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 #cheesecake #strawberry #GrahamCracker #ripple #creamcheese

Overall, food is very similar to the Alhambra outlet, but it’s further, smaller, and has no liquor license (although they let us use tea cups with the bottles hidden). So no reason to go this far, just visit the closer one for a better experience.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (0)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Beijing Tasty House, BYOG, crawl, Gelato, hedonists, Peking Duck, Rowland Heights

Home Sweet Spicy Home

Mar08

Restaurant: Spicy Home [Crawl: MK BBQ, Peking, Bafang, Spicy Home, Beijing Tasty ]

Location: 1635 S Azusa Ave, Hacienda Heights, CA 91745. (626) 636-1128

Date: July 31, 2022

Cuisine: Szechuan Chinese

Rating: Great kitchen

I think we inserted this fourth stop on the crawl as well because the first couple really sucked.
I’ve been to Spicy Home a number of times, usually just for a dish or three (as they don’t allow wine). It’s a great casual Sichuan place.

The menu.

Peppercorn Sauce Chicken. Sauce was great but the chicken had a very high bone percentage.

Scrambled Egg with Shrimp. Solid version of this dish with fluffy shrimp.

Sautéed Shredded Cabbage. Really great version of this dish with a nice “oily” flavor.

String beans with eggplant. Garlic eggplant into which string beans was mysteriously thrown. Not particularly great.

Tea Smoked Duck. Awesome. Very juicy with a pastrami / ham like quality.

Sliced Pork Belly with Tofu Dry Pot. Great flavor and textures. Not super spicy but nice. Best dish so far.

Spicy Home has a great kitchen and implements solid rustic Sichuan. It’s very informal though and has no liquor license so doesn’t feel like a “proper” dinner location. But for pure tastiness of the dishes it’s extremely solid, excellent even.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.