agavin

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Spicy Moment V2.0

Apr17

Location: 1015 S Nogales St, Rowland Heights, CA 91748. (626) 581-4966

Date: March 1, 2020

Cuisine: Szechuan Chinese

Rating: check: Terrible menu, surprisingly good home-style food

Back in August we did a 6 restaurant crawl in and around the Mandarin Plaza. One of the places we visited was Spicy Moment and we agreed to come back for a full dinner, or maybe a 2-fer combined with Hunan next door.

In the meantime Spicy Moment “rebooted” with a new owner, new menu, new concept — but they kept the name, build out and sign. However, despite what the sign says, it’s no longer “modern Chinese cuisine” and is a much much smaller menu Chongqing place.

The decor is pretty much unchanged. They still have the ugly drop ceiling, but they have made a tiny effort at decorating.

My wine.

This menu set me up with low expectations. It’s basically cold apps and noodle soups. Noodle soups don’t share well and I’m not that into them anyway. There is nothing here. But Yarom never likes to give up on a plan so we went anyway — and were in for a super pleasant surprise.

They have Chongqing crispy duck — we’ll come back to that later.

And an array of “attractive” cold apps. But we love cold apps. Serious, they maybe a touch scary but we love them.

Smashed garlic cucumbers. Nice and crunchy, but could have used a stronger garlic flavor.

Cold marinated pig ear and sliced pork or beef parts.

Savory sweet peanuts with little fish (delicious), pulled spicy pork, and crunchy celery with tofu.

Chongqing special tofu pudding. Soft homestyle tofu.

Spicy sauce for the tofu.

You take a scoop of tofu and add sauce — we also added peanuts. The tofu had a fascinating smokey wood-fire flavor. The chili sauce was salty and had a ton of flavor. Really interesting and great combination.

Chongqing crispy smoked duck. Very crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Tons of flavor.

I have a feeling this duck is made more or less in this manner. Check out this video — and the cook’s adorable dog!

Noodles with beans and pork and egg and veggies.

You mix it all up with the sauce and it was quite delicious.

Chicken cold dry noodles.

These had a thinner noodle. You mix it all up and it had a great texture and a wonderful slightly tangy texture.

Overall, we were blown away considering the expectations from the limited menu. Just a terrible menu that looks like all of one thing. But this was some delicious stuff and really different. Hadn’t had this exact sort of duck before and everything we tried was pretty delicious. Plus that tofu pudding was totally unique and I could just imagine eating it in some dirt floor ancient Chinese farm hut! That dish has to be like 1,000 years old!

This place was like teleporting to China. Super interesting and a whole lot of fun. Very nice people too with great hospitality.

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: Chongqing, duck, Mandarin Plaza, Rowland Heights, SGV, Sichuan, spicy, Spicy Moment, Szechuan cuisine, Tofu, Wine

Kang Ho-dong Baekjeong

Apr15

Restaurant: Kang Ho-dong Baekjeong

Location: 3465 W 6th St. Los Angeles, CA 90020, Wilshire Center, Koreatown

Date: February 27, 2020

Cuisine: Korean BBQ

Rating: Very solid KBBQ

This dinner was several months in the planning — mostly because it got moved around once or twice.

But in any case I always like to try new KBBQ places. This one is in busy Wilshire Center which is a cool bustling courtyard in the heart of Koreatown. There’s also a Quarters here, which people also say is good.

The interior is the usual smoke infested den. The hoods don’t do much. Afterward one reeks of char.

This is the first of 3 tables. We kept moving to find one which fit the ever shifting count of people.

Banchan here are good but way too limited. They have good “condiments” but not so much in the munching department. The kimchee, however, is excellent. I’m not so into the pumpkin/squash. There are marinated daikon for the meat, which is excellent.

Seaweed wraps.

This salad is one of the more boring Korean salads. Sometimes I love them. All depends on the dressing.

This spicy green onion and bean sprout salad was better.

Kimchee pancake! This and the kimchee are their best (only?) real banchan.

Slightly sweet and spicy dipping sauce.

Cheesy corn and egg around the grill.

Cold “soup.” Very odd. Basically a lemon or lime half-frozen slushy with marinated daikon and pepper! Weird, but kinda tasty.

Kimchee stew.

Beef brisket stew.

Spicy pork with green onions. Slightly sweet and spicy. Great dish. Maybe one of the best of the evening.

Thin beef (brisket).

On the BBQ. Pretty mild. They cook everything and she loaded this all up too fast and at first had it cooked in that middle range which is bland. We had to put it back on and crisp it up.

Short rib.

On the grill, a bit more flavor than the brisket.

Our friendly server.

Steamed egg. Good with the spicy sauce.

Skirt steak. Definitely more flavor than the other beefs.

Marinated beef short rib. The best of the BBQ beefs.

Pork belly and jowl.

The jowl has an interesting chew.

Beef tongue. Nice texture and flavor.

Getting crazy with an innovative new flavor: Oaxacan Choco-Mole – 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

This is a signature Sweet Milk flavor — Italian Lemon Cookie Meringue Pie — Limoncello Zabaione base with lemon cookie flavor mixed with Italian Lemon Creme Cookies and Sicilian Candied Lemon and topped with house-made toasted 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 #lemon #LemonCookie #cookie #Sicily #Sorento #Limoncello #Meringue #LemonMeringuePie

Overall, this is a very good (non AYCE — I prefer non) KBBQ. Meat quality is excellent but they could use more variety. I think Park’s BBQ is better for sure. Service is friendly, but they don’t take any kind of reservations. The banchan quality is excellent but they need more of them. I particularly like the spicy/chewy ones like squid or fish cakes. None of that here. We maybe didn’t order the best — I was actually kinda distracted with the table moves and never looked at the menu, so maybe there are some other interesting things. Best things were the pork with green onions and the marinated short rib.

For more LA dining reviews click here,

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: beef, BYOG, Gelato, hedonists, Kang Ho-dong Baekjeong, KBBQ, Korea-town, Korean BBQ, Korean cuisine, Koreatown, pork, Wine

Too Tony at Chef Tony

Apr13

Restaurant: Chef Tony

Location: 2 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91105. (626) 803-0028

Date: February 26, 2020

Cuisine: Cantonese Dim Sum

Rating: Dumplings good, but portions tiny

The Lunch Quest gang is always keen to try a new Chinese spot.
So we trekked out to Pasadena once we heard that the original chef from Sea Harbor was opening up a new “fancy” dim sum spot in Pasadena.

This is in the old 800 degrees space and nicely built out… up stairs at least.

There is an attractive bar.

But our six person party was banished to the “dungeon.” The basement was claustrophobic and smelled of “potty.” Ick. It was pretty off-putting.

The Menu.

Sauces in the usual microscopic dishes.

XO sauce.

Lobster Salad. This is a “whole” order ($28.80). It was tasty, but very small.

Steamed chicken feet in brown sauce.

Shrimp dumpling with gold leaf. These are basically har gow (below) but with a black dough and gold leaf. They don’t taste too different. One of the nice things about Chef Tony is that almost all the dumplings can be ordered by the piece as well as by the order. This really helps when you have a person count that isn’t divisible by 3 or 4.

Har Gow. Very nice classic shrimp dumplings — except they are $2 each and at many places they are $2-3 an order!

Shrimp and Pork dumpling with Black Truffle. Pretty much your usual shu mai but with truffle. They were good, but I’m not sure the truffle actually improves anything.

Baked BBQ Pork Bun. Excellent version with the usual sweet interior.

Shrimp wonton with house spicy sauce. Very nice and delicate with quite a bit of salty flavor.

Shrimp, crab meat, and matsutake dumplings. Nice delicate dumplings.

Juicy Pork dumplings (XLB). Very good example of the Cantonese variant of these.

Pan-fried shrimp & pork pandan bun. Doughy, but with a very nice flavor. Quite tasty.

Deep fried pork dumpling. Just an ok version of this chewy fried type.

Deep fried tofu in Thai sauce. Nice tender tofu. Quite good.

Pan-fried radish cake with XO sauce. I really liked this dish. It had the soft/starchy daikon texture with lots of umami XO flavor.

Squid ink pasta with crab meat and gold leaf. This was a total disappointment. It was just vaguely fishy with a strong red pepper flavor. Not terribly good at all.

Stir-fried rice noodle with beef. This was much better. Like Chinese beef Pad Thai.

Deep fried crispy king prawn. Tasty and super crispy but also super fried.

BBQ Pork. Delicious and pretty much coated in syrup.

Braised eggplant with minced pork on rice noodle casserole. Not a ton of eggplant but I enjoyed the chewy “rice noodle” with the sauce.

Sliced Chinese broccoli with black truffle sauce. Now this was only $6.80, but it was embarrassingly tiny. We are talking 2 inches across!

Sautéed string beans with minced pork. Decent tasting but also about 1/3 the size of a typical version of this dish. It was hard to split 6 ways.

Coconut pudding. These were super cute, but very bland. Basically nearly flavorless coconut jelly (vaguely sweet) pressed into bunny moulds.

Overall, Chef Tony is not a phenomenal experience. The dumplings were actually pretty good, being a bit fancier and smaller and more delicate like they are in Hong Kong. But many of the other dishes were a bit limp. It’s still in soft opening and a few things on the menu (like Chow Fun) weren’t available. Service was fine. QPR isn’t great. Some dishes are laughably small. Some are way more expensive than at a larger “Cantonese Palace.” Some are both. I’d certainly rather go to a place like World Seafood, Elite, or Grand Harbor. For me, Pasadena is also further away than the SGV and more difficult to park in.

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: Cantonese cuisine, Chef Tony, Chinese cuisine, Dim sum, dumplings, Lunch Quest, noodles, Pasadena, Truffle

Penfolds Marino

Apr10

Restaurant: Marino Ristorante [1, 2, 3, 4]

Location: 6001 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038. (323) 466-8812

Date: February 25, 2020

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Superb

Tonight I return to a favorite haunt for a special Penfolds dinner featuring one of Penfolds own, organized by my good friend John.

The amazing chef/owner Sal Marino cooks at his original family haunt, venerable Marino Ristorante on Melrose and continues to whip up his unique blend of amazing modern Italian. And if anything, he’s gotten even better.

Penfolds is an Australian wine producer that was founded in Adelaide in 1844 by Christopher Rawson Penfold, an English physician who emigrated to Australia, and his wife Mary Penfold. It is one of Australia’s oldest wineries, and is currently part of Treasury Wine Estates.

Our special menu tonight.

Wines at the ready.

And just chilling.

2012 Penfolds x Thienot Champagne Lot. 1-175. Pale yellow. Some mousse on the pour. Medium sized persistent bubbles.
Chalky nose. Pears, apples, chalky with a hint of tobacco. Very astringent and aggressive on first sip. Some nuttiness. No brioche and very little mousse on sipping. Well structured. An excellent bottle without a doubt. It should age well, but it’s approachable now. Good stuff. QPR a tad low.

Tuna and caviar with olive oil. Nice bite. Flavors soft and subtle.

Razor clams. Very Vietnamese but super delicious.

Rock cod with Japanese Sea Urchin. Delicious, but I might have liked a more intense uni flavor.

The gang at the big table in the back of the main dining room.

Sal introduces the food.

2016 Penfolds Chardonnay Yattarna. 95 points. White Peach, nectarine, meyer lemons, lemon meringue pie along with a nutty profile and great acidity, this is wine is painfully young, wait 10 years to fully enjoy this masterpiece. Multi-regional blend. From Tasmania, Henty, Adelaide Hills and Tumbarumba aged in french oak barrels (35% new) for 8 months.

agavin: this was a great “fake” chard (as I call any non white Burgundy chard). But it is expensive considering it’s “fake.”

Wild Japanese Snapper Crudo with Radish Mosaic. Very nice soft flavors.

2016 Penfolds Shiraz St. Henri. 94 points. Clear deep ruby; clean medium plus nose of cassis, blueberries, black pepper, toast and vanilla; dry; medium plus acidity; medium plus tannins; high alcohol; medium plus body; pronounced flavor intensity; pfn with addition of cocoa and black licorice; long finish; outstanding quality; from the bottle, it wasn’t as pronounced as we remember from the Penfolds dinner; we decanted and it was infinitely better

Prime Filet Tartare, black truffle. Tons of strong truffle aromatics.

2017 Penfolds Shiraz RWT Bin 798. 94 points. Clear deep ruby; clean medium nose of fresh cassis yogurt, vanilla, blueberry and toast; dry; medium plus acidity; medium plus tannins; high alcohol; medium plus body; medium plus flavour intensity; pfn with addition of cocoa; long finish; outstanding quality; big ass wine

Rhode Island Black Bass with black tuscan kale and sweet onions. This was paired (controversially) with a massive Austrialian red but due to the sweet onions and the awesome rich sauce it actually worked spectacularly.

2016 Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 707. A touch “dusty” in style.

Maccheroncini with Jimenez farm lamb ragout. Very nice meaty pasta.

1999 Penfolds Grange. VM 91+. Full ruby-red. Sexy aromas of raspberry, cola, root beer and coconut. Thick, dense and concentrated, with exotic, slightly candied dark fruit, caramel, toasted coconut and mineral flavors nicely shaped by firm acids. Shows strong fruit and a major dose of oak on the powerful, backward finish. This can’t quite match the 1998 for sheer depth of fruit, but it’s built to age.

Kirk brought this rare: 1990 Penfolds Shiraz Coonawarra.

30 day dry aged ribeye with salt and porcini mushroom sauce. Great meat, perfectly cooked and seasoned, with the stunning rich sauce.

NV Penfolds Grandfather Rare Tawny. 94 points. This is undoubtedly one of the best bottles of port I have ever had at any price. Pecans and fruitcake on the nose. Thick and luxurious with a burnt sugar, nutty palate that even seemed to have a touch of peppermint in the background. Great finish and mouthfeel with no hint of heat or alcohol. I though my impression of this may have been overblown when I drank my first bottle several months ago, due to the amount of wine consumed, but this 2nd bottle also knocked it out of the park.

Ricotta cheesecake. Very Sicilian in flavor, like a fluffy cannoli interior. Loved it.

From my cellar: 2008 Paolo Bea Sagrantino di Montefalco Passito. 94 points. Tasted at the winery: Prune-like, candied plum, cherry, siky, lush, intnse tangy aspect; not heavy, slightly sweet with good lift, medium long finish. Very nice classic passito.

This is a signature Sweet Milk flavor — Italian Lemon Cookie Meringue Pie — Limoncello Zabaione base with lemon cookie flavor mixed with Italian Lemon Creme Cookies and Sicilian Candied Lemon and topped with house-made toasted 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 #lemon #LemonCookie #cookie #Sicily #Sorento #Limoncello #Meringue #LemonMeringuePie

Getting crazy with an innovative new flavor: Oaxacan Choco-Mole – 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

Sal was totally on point today and we had a perfect meal. Service was great too. Really nice dinner that went extremely smoothly. The wines were lovely, but BIG for the most part. Grange needs a lot of time and even the 99 was a baby. The 16s and 17s — woah.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or experience my gluttonous month-long food trips through Italy.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BYOG, Gelato, Grange, Italian cuisine, Marino Ristorante, pasta, Penfolds, red wine, Sal Marino, Truffle

Malubianbian Spicy Stick Pot

Apr08

Restaurant: MaLu Bian Bian Hot Pot

Location: 18194 Colima Rd Ste A, Rowland Heights, CA 91748. (626) 820-9206

Date: February 23, 2020

Cuisine: Chengdu Szechuan Chinese Hot Pot

Rating: 12/10 for experience

I’ve been on a bit of a Szechuan style hot pot kick for the last year. For those of you know don’t know, “hot pot” is the classic Chinese homestyle food which is super popular as a restaurant type in recent years. The most “classic” form is “Mongolian” like Hot Pot Hot Pot or Little Sheep. Then there are hybrid more modern joints like Hai Di Lao. And even the cheap student pre-prepped version like Boiling Point or Flaming Pot. But my favorite is the ultra spicy Chengdu or Chongqing style. I’ve had this in Chengdu and last year several opened in the SGV including Chun La Hao and Shancheng Lameizi.

So bringing us to tonight, Malubianbian represents a new style of skewer oriented Chengdu street hot pot. This is one crazy experience so I’ll detail it.

This is in the “Yes Plaza” in Rowland Heights. It’s like teleporting to China because everyone here is Chinese and at the restaurant everyone is about 23.

If you can see, there are about 20-30 people waiting outside.

Inside it’s sort of industrial new Chinese style. Small tables. Uncomfortable chairs. Ineffective hoods. As part of the “experience” a few minutes after we entered I started to cough uncontrollably. Something was just making my throat and eyes itch. I thought something was wrong with me until I noticed everyone else doing it. The server came by to apologize as the chef had just fried up a new batch of chili oil. Lol. I should have known. The place already smelled like chilis, so you couldn’t really smell it, but when you make Szechuan style chili oil (which I do myself) you have to dump 350deg oil over chilies and it releases a ton of pepper compounds into the air which are very “irritating.”

In any case, we didn’t have to wait too long (only 20 minutes) as we had a “reservation” for the “private room” which was this super cute painted closet with a two burner little table. Supposedly it sat up to 12 — but really 8 max. I mean max.

Very cute though.

Wine was a whole saga too. Only Jefferey brought some, but no one, including the restaurant had a corkscrew. He wandered the mall but no restaurant was willing to help him open his bottle (and walk out with it). Eventually we managed.

Like many new hot pot places Malu has a “sauce bar.” This isn’t as extensive as at Chun La Hao or Shancheng Lameizi but was sufficient. It was, however, pretty messy.

This was one of the main sauces I made. They didn’t have the sesame paste or all the fermented stuff I really love at Shancheng Lameizi.

They do have these traditional dry “powdered” sauces. You grab one and then add some broth from your pot to make up a sauce. It congealed very easily and didn’t really work for me, but the sauce bar version was decent.

We got all the broths. On top here is the lame tomato broth and below is the series traditional super-spicy ox fat (those big rectangles that haven’t melted yet) and blend of peppers and 18 spices.

Below is the other lame broth, the “mild” mushroom broth. Above that is the “classic” spicy Szechuan broth that doesn’t use the heavy ox fat.

I exclusively used the fully leaded traditional gut cleansing medicinal purgative spicy ox fat broth — as should anyone who isn’t a wuss.

But what, you say, does one do with these punishing broths? You cook stuff in them. But the format at Malu is interesting. Out in the dining room are about 10 refrigerators filled with skewers and boxes of food. You just wander over and grab the stuff (which seems a touch “unsanitary” but never mind). The staff count your skewers and containers at the end to calculate your bill.

Malu’s particularly unique bit is the whole skewer thing. These cost about $0.35 each and you just shove them in your pot and easily withdraw them. But for some reason I found this a bit awkward and preferred the plates of stuff.

There are a lot of skewer types including nearly all the vegetables, tons of marinated meats, the usual meat/fish etc balls and whatnot. Each bit on a skewer is pretty tiny. Often even half a meatball or the like.

They also have a bunch of plates with more meats and various other “exotic” stuff like duck blood or duck intestine (anyone want a whole bowl of raw duck intestine? we did!). I mostly ate off these because I found it easier.

Fried pork. This is a menu order item. It was just okay.

Spicy beef stomach. This was quite delicious — and chewy.

Special house spicy beef. This was amazing. Tons of flavor (and heat).

Spicy glass noodle. Really mung bean jelly. It was actually warm, which is unusual for this type of typical Szechuan street food.

Crab sticks. Imitation crab. Tasty, but they come apart in the pot.

Luncheon meat. This is always one of my hotpot favorites. Pure pork and fatty goodness. We went through at least 3 orders of this!

Beef. A Staple.

Lamb.

Weird spongy shrimp rolls. I don’t know what to call these, but they actually cooked up as delicious things.

Shrimp balls with actual shrimp and row. These also cooked up great.

Skinned frog. This was just too sad.

Noodles, lotus root, and strange veggie cake.

Pig ear on a stick.

Plus tons of things I forgot to photo.

Odd rice jelly. This was like water jelly. It had a jello texture and was totally clear and absolutely zero flavor. The brown stuff was some kind of syrup and very mildly sweet. You could barely taste it. I suppose it was meant to cool the palette after the inferno.

Fried rice cakes. Another typical Szechuan dessert.

Overall, this was a great experience and TONS OF FUN. The broth is awesome. The format is weird, but fun and flexible because you can get your own stuff. The problem is that the ingredient quality isn’t quite as good as at Hai Di Lao, Chun La Hao and Shancheng Lameizi. Also the sauce bar is only adequate.

Service was fabulous though. Usually hot pot service isn’t the greatest, but it was here. They kept checking on us and the owner came over and was super nice, the manager was super nice. Really friendly and helpful.

It’s very inexpensive too. A skewer is only $0.35!

So I highly recommend if you are adventurous and into new things. Mind your bottom.

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: Chengdu, Chinese cuisine, hedonists, hot pot, Rowland Heights, SGV, Sichuan, spicy, Szechuan cuisine

Dirty Dozen Prime

Apr06

Restaurant: Lawry’s The Prime Rib

Location: 100 La Cienega Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90211. (310) 652-2827

Date: February 20, 2020

Cuisine: Steakhouse

Rating: Surprisingly excellent — great service too

The blind tasting sub group of the hedonists, the Dirty Dozen, moves around. Tonight’s theme was Bordeaux 2000 and older and we chose:

Lawry’s The Prime Rib. Look at this “they don’t make ’em like they used to” dining room. I hadn’t been to Lawry’s in at least 20+ years. I think it might even have been at their previous location.

The menu.

NV Delamotte Champagne Brut. VM 92. Light yellow. Mineral-tinged peach, melon and pear aromas display excellent clarity, picking up a subtle floral quality with aeration. Supple and seamless on the palate, offering vivid honeydew and pit fruit flavors accented by a vibrant lemon zest quality. Finishes very long, silky and precise, with an echo of juicy melon and strong mineral lift.

2017 Paul Pernot et ses Fils Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos de la Garenne. BH 90. A more elegant and slightly fresher nose exhibits notes of citrus, quinine and green fruit nuances. The tighter and better focused flavors exude a subtle minerality that adds the impression of lift to the sappy and dry finish that offers reasonable but not special depth. Once again, this could be drunk young with pleasure.

2017 Domaine Tempier Bandol Rosé. VM 93. Pale peach skin color. Intensely perfumed, mineral- and spice-accented aromas of fresh red berries and citrus fruits are complemented by building peach and floral qualities. Silky, focused and dry, offering concentrated yet lithe pit fruit, strawberry and blood orange flavors that show outstanding clarity and tension. Expands steadily on a very long, focused finish that leaves a sexy floral note behind.

Bread.

Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail. Classic cocktail sauce.

2000 Château Péby Faugères. VM 90-91. Impressive saturated ruby. Roasted black cherry, dark chocolate, mocha and espresso on the nose. Lush and silky on the palate, with intense, nicely delineated dark berry and torrefaction flavors. Impressively concentrated and rich. Dense, vinous and solidly structured wine, with plenty of extract to support the firm tannins. Finishes with excellent length.
1998 Pavie Decesse. Parker 96. The 1998 Pavie Decesse is medium to deep garnet-brick in color and explodes with fabulous plum pudding, prunes, blackberry preserves and blueberry pie notes with hints of smoked meats, garrigue, dusty soil, cast iron pan and star anise with dried roses and cinnamon stick wafts. Full-bodied, concentrated and packed with rich exotic spice and black fruit preserves layers, it has loads of mineral and meat sparks and a very, very long, layered finish. Incredible! For cellaring potential, I give it 20+ more years.

2015 La Conseillante. Parker 96+. Composed of 81% Merlot and 19% Cabernet Franc and aged for 18 months in 70% new and 30% one-year-old French oak, the medium garnet-purple colored 2015 La Conseillante opens with reticent, earthy notes of dusty soil, garrigue, forest floor and iron ore with a core of warm plums, cassis, cigar boxes, star anise and dark chocolate plus a hint of violets. Medium to full-bodied with decadent fruit and a gorgeous plushness to the texture, the palate features impeccable poise and compelling depth, finishing on a lingering mineral note.

agavin: “someone” (not me :-)) “cheated” the rules as this clearly is younger than 2000

Cheesy Onion Fondue. Gruyere, Sherry Wine, Sourdough Toast. This was some delicious cheesy goo with just enough onion to add a bit of texture. I couldn’t stop myself from eating it.

Crab Cakes. Arugula Salad, Lemon. Not bad.

From my cellar: 1989 Troplong Mondot. Parker 95-96. A very youthful wine that probably will never hit the heights of the 1990 (but how many wines do?), this dense ruby/purple-colored wine has a very pure nose of roasted espresso, black cherry jam, blackberry, mineral, and even a hint of blueberry. Some smoke and high-quality toasty new oak are there, but now that seems to be fading into the background. Quite full-bodied, powerful, and concentrated, yet at the same time elegant, this wine still seems very young and unevolved. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2025. Last tasted, 11/02.

agavin: slightly weird bottle, and placed with the salad, so it didn’t test well

1990 La Conseillante. Parker 94-98. This deep ruby/garnet-hued 1990 reveals considerable amber at the edge as well as a knock-out bouquet of cedar, kirsch, licorice, roasted herbs, and spice box. An exuberant, atypically flamboyant effort, it possesses supple texture, medium to full body, sweet fruit, plenty of glycerin, and attractive melted tannin. This wine has been delicious since birth, but additional nuances continue to develop in the bottle. Drink it over the next decade.

Caesar salad with anchovies. An decent but not great caesar.

House Wedge. Nueske’s Bacon, Point Reyes Blue, Cherry Tomatoes, Scallions, Baby Iceberg, Egg, Blue Cheese, and Vintage Dressings. Very nice wedge actually as there was lots of good chunky bacon (lardons).

Lawry’s Famous Spinning Bowl Salad. Spinach, Romaine, Iceberg, Shoestring Beets, Croutons, Egg, Vintage Dressing, Prepared Table-side. The dressing is a sort of sherry vinaigrette.

The “spinning” part is just how they apply the dressing.

Prep for the lobster bisque.

Lobster Bisque. Lobster Meat, Chives.

1985 Ducru-Beaucaillou. Parker 92. A wine of extraordinary charm and elegance, the dark garnet-colored 1985 Ducru-Beaucaillou has a floral, cedary nose intermixed with red and black currants as well as flowers. The wine is fully mature and soft, with beautiful concentration and purity. It is not a blockbuster, and certainly not nearly as powerful and massive as the 1986, but it is certainly much more seductive. This wine should continue to drink well for at least another 10-15 years. Anticipated maturity: Now-2012. Last tasted, 5/02.

1994 Léoville Las Cases. Parker 92-94. Michel Delon, a great man, is the consummate proprietor, meticulously administering this vast estate spread out along the St.-Julien/Pauillac border, separated from Latour’s finest vineyard by a mere ten feet. The 1993-95 vintages from Delon are brilliant wines. Leoville-Las-Cases remains one of the irrefutable reference points for high class Bordeaux. One of the more massive Medocs of the vintage, this opaque purple-colored wine exhibits fabulous richness and volume in the mouth. Layers of pure black-cherry and cassis fruit are intermixed with stony, mineral-like scents, as well as high quality toasty oak. Medium to full-bodied, with a sweet, rich entry, this wine possesses plenty of tannin, yet fabulous extract and length. Leoville-Las-Cases is one of the half-dozen great wines of the Medoc in 1994. Anticipated maturity: 2002-2025. This lion never falls asleep on the job!

1999 Léoville Las Cases. Parker 90-92. The 1999 Leoville Las Cases possesses a dense purple color as well as classic aromas of vanilla, black cherries, and currants mixed with subtle toasty oak. The wine is medium-bodied with sweet tannin, yet it remains young, backward, and unevolved (unusual for a 1999). Its extraordinary purity and overall harmony give it a character all its own. This excellent Las Cases will be at its finest between 2006-2022.

Prime Porterhouse. 32oz.

Iron Skillet Mushrooms. Seasonal Mushrooms, Garlic, Fresh Herbs.

Truffled Mac & Cheese. Very “light” as it was heavier on the mac than the cheese. But tasty.

1989 Pichon-Longueville Baron. Parker 96. Both the 1989 and 1990 vintages exhibit opaque, dense purple colors that suggest massive wines of considerable extraction and richness. The dense, full-bodied 1989 is brilliantly made with huge, smoky, chocolatey, cassis aromas intermingled with scents of toasty oak. Well-layered, with a sweet inner-core of fruit, this awesomely endowed, backward, tannic, prodigious 1989 needs another 5-6 years of cellaring; it should last for three decades or more. It is unquestionably a great Pichon-Longueville-Baron.

1986 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande. Parker 94-96. Now at 30 years of age, there is a gulf between the two Pichons in this vintage that no longer exists. The 1986 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande has long been one of the best wines from the estate alongside the 1982 (even if the first bottle was a little oxidized). The second bottle was representative. It has a classic pencil-lead, cedar-infused nose that rockets from the glass, a subtle floral note developing with time. The palate is medium-bodied with supple red berry fruit, a pinch of white pepper and cedar, structured compared to coeval vintages and perhaps further along its drinking plateau than previous examples. Certainly à point, I would be reaching for bottles of this now if you cannot locate those 1982s, or alternatively seek out the superlative 1996. This still remains a fine, rather regal Pichon-Lalande. Tasted July 2016.

1970 Latour. Parker 89-98. One of the top two or three wines of the vintage (Petrus and Trotanoy are noteworthy rivals), this young, magnificent Latour is still 5-10 years away from full maturity. The opaque garnet color is followed by a huge, emerging nose of black fruits, truffles, walnuts, and subtle tobacco/Graves-like scents. Full-bodied, fabulously concentrated and intense, with a sweet inner-core of fruit (a rarity in most 1970 Medocs), and high but well-integrated tannin, this enormously endowed, massive Latour should hit its prime by the end of the century and last for 2-3 decades thereafter. This is will be the longest-lived and potentially most classic wine of the vintage. Cream always comes to the top.

The Lawry’s Prime Ribeye. 22oz bone in. Really great steak and way better than the porterhouse — not because that wasn’t a nice porterhouse but the ribeye is a tastier cut.

Brussels Sprouts. Brown butter, garlic, almonds. Quite good. They should have thrown some of those lardons in for good measure too!

The toppings for the baked potato.

Lawry’s Classic Baked Potato. Nueske’s Bacon, butter, chives, sour cream. I don’t like baked potatoes but this was damn good — all the sour cream, chives, and lardon factor.

1985 Palmer. Parker 90. Tasted at the Château Palmer vertical in London, the 1985 Château Palmer was clearly a favourite amongst the participants in the tasting, although here I actually concur with Robert Parker – it’s a pleasant Margaux, but not the most complex wine of the vintage. You get the feeling that it doesn’t fire on all cylinders. It has an appealing bacon fact and savory bouquet – a little smudged, but full of charm. The palate is fleshy on the entry, perhaps here with a touch of brettanomyces, the acidity nicely judged with expressive Merlot defining the finish. It does not “take off” as the greatest 1985s are wont to do, yet you would contentedly polish off a bottle, seduced by its easy-going nature. Tasted May 2015.

2000 La Mission Haut-Brion. Parker 100! One of the wines of the vintage, the 2000 has barely budged in its evolution since it was bottled and released in 2002. After ten years in bottle, it still reveals a dense opaque purple color along with a potentially sensational bouquet of blueberries, black currants, graphite, asphalt and background oak. Extremely powerful, full-bodied and superbly concentrated with good acidity and high but round tannins, this massive La Mission-Haut-Brion should take its place among this estate’s most hallowed vintages when it hits full maturity in another one to two decades. I was surprised by just how youthful this wine tasted at age 12. If tasted blind, I would have guessed it to be around 4 to 5 years old. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2050.

This deco style cart has apparently been in use for over 80 years! Wow!

Toppings for the Prime Rib — namely horseradish and Yorkshire Pudding.

Prime Rib inside the cart.

Close up.

Cutting the rib.

Plating the rib.

Beef Bowl Double Cut Prime Rib. Celebratory Rose Bowl Cut. I’m not sure I “get” prime rib. This was a nice hunk of meat, but the slow cooking method leaves it moist but not very flavorful.

Regular Horseradish and Lawry’s Whipped Cream Horseradish.

Yorkshire Pudding. Basically a brioche like thing. I can’t say this did anything for me.

Cauliflower Gratin. Gruyere, Herb Brioche, Crumbs. This was pretty good.

They keep the mashed potatoes in the cart.

Buttery Mashed Potatoes with Gravy.

Cart Side: Creamed Corn.

Cart Side: Creamed Spinach. Served with bacon.

The dessert menu.

1998 Raymond-Lafon. Parker 93. Medium gold colored, the 1998 Raymond-Lafon has a very pretty, lifted citrus nose of candied orange peel, lime cordial and preserved kumquat plus wafts of lanolin and fungi. Rich, full-on decadent and seductive in the mouth, it has plenty of allspice and honeyed characters coming through on the long finish.

Snickerdoodle Snickerdoodle Gelato — An eggy cinnamon vanilla custard base with my house-made Snickerdoodle Cookie bits mixed in — 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 #snickerdoodle #cookie #cinnamon #vanilla

Warm Chocolate Fantasy Cake. Served with Fosselman’s Vanilla Ice Cream. The cake itself was too dry and there wasn’t enough icing.

Coconut Banana Cream Pie. Good except for the banana (which I hate).

Creme Brûlée. Served with fresh fruit. The custard was a bit soft.

The lineup.

Various scores.

The gang — plus a photobomb by Ron Jermey (who just happened to be eating at Lawry’s at the same time).

Overall, this was one of the best Dirty Dozen’s in a long while — if not the best Dirty Dozen Red. I was pleasantly surprised by Lawry’s. Nice atmosphere, and while we should have been in the private room (someone, not going to name any names, didn’t want to commit to the minimum), the service was impeccable. Our server was pretty incredible. This is a big group (14) and a complex 5-6 course order and she got it down absolutely perfectly. She checked on everything too. Really really professional. The food was generally great too. Not perfect, but most things were very good. I’m not sure I “get” Prime Rib, but I have the feeling it’s a great PR they serve here. Wines showed pretty well (except mine and one other) but it was a very fun night.

For more LA dining reviews click here,

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Beverly Hills, blind tasting, Bordeaux, Dirty Dozen, Gelato, GYOG, hedonists, Lawry's, Meat, Prime Rib, Steak

Oc and Lau

Apr03

Restaurant: Oc & Lau Restaurant [1, 2, 3]

Location: 10130 Garden Grove Blvd, Garden Grove, CA 92843. (714) 636-2000 and 9892 Westminster Blvd Unit R, Garden Grove, CA 92844. (714) 583-8100

Date: July 31 & September 29, 2019 & February 19, 2020 & July 20, 2021 & February 15, 2022

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Rating: Great

I had high expectations for Oc & Lau too, as it was purported to be in the league of Garlic and Chives. I’ve visited 3 times now, twice during a various Oc Viet crawls, here and here. Then again for a pre-Birthday Dinner “snack lunch“. This post combines all the dishes.

The exterior of location 1, just down the block from Garlic and Chives — there are two locations — the other is right behind G&C in the same minimall.

Interior of location 1.

Interior of location 2 — much bigger than 1.

Big menu.

Ruinart never sucks.

Pineapple Smoothie (2/15/22).

Tiny oysters on the half-shell with fish eggs and Vietnamese cocktail sauce (2/20). Very bright and tasty. Tiny bites though.

Raw Beef Salad (2/15/22).

Crispy Spring Rolls (2/15/22).

Frog legs (Ech Chien Bo) (7/19). Fried frog legs. Excellent!

Fried quail (Chim Cut Rotti) (7/19 & 9/19 & 2/20). Much like the Chinese style quail. Great!

Garlic butter queen clams (Nghieu Hoang Hau Chay Toi) (7/19 & 2/20). Super delicious hot, buttery clam bits.

Gratuitous zoom!

Scallop with Roe.

Creamy coconut periwinkle escargot (Oc Gao Dua) (7/19). This sauce was a 10, rich with curry coconut flavor, but I messed up and got the tiny winkle snails which are impossible to eat. About 1 in 3 times you can pry one out (with some challenge) using the toothpick. Bummer. I just sucked the sauce.

Coconut Swirly Escargot (Oc Len Xao Dua) (9/19). After ordering the wrong snails last time I got it right this time — with the conical Vietnamese kind and the slightly sweet curry sauce. This sauce is amazing.

You have to suck the meat out of these little cones.

Empty shells.

Tamarind Lobster (Tom Hum Range Me) (7/19). The sauce was too sweet — tangy sweet — but very sweet. Nice lobster though. We would have ordered with a different sauce.

Shrimp. Sauce was kinda rich.

Fried Soft-shell Crab with Tamarind Sauce. A bit too goopy and sweet.

Singapore Chili Crab (7/20/21). Not 100% Singapore in style, but this was still one of the best Chili crabs I’ve had in LA. This is an incredible but very hard to find dish. There was a ton of crabmeat in the sauce — none left in the crab.

French bread to dip in the crab sauce.
Filet Mignon with udon (Bo Filet Xao Udon) (7/19). Very tasty beef with onions and great thick udon noodles.

Shaking Beef (2/15/22).

Rice for the Beef.

Weird purple yam and sticky milk free dessert. Oddly addictive.

The check on the 9/20 visit.

Overall, I’ve been to Oc & Lau three times and it’s always been great. They seem to really rock the fresh seafood with “seasonings” like the clams and oysters above. The coconut snails were great and the quail is amazing. It’s totally worthy of a dedicated dinner but so far I’ve only been there for crawl mini-visits.

In 2021 I tried to arrange a dinner here but they have certain issues which make it impossible. They REFUSE to take any kind of reservation, so the wait required to get a large party at dinner time would be unacceptable, they don’t reliably allow corkage, and they also refuse to reserve crabs etc and frequently run out. It’s just not practical to wing a dinner down to Orange County.

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By: agavin
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Tagged as: crawl, Garden Grove, hedonists, Oc & Lau, Orange County, Vietnamese cuisine

NC Peking Duck – Double Duck part 2

Apr01

Restaurant: NC Peking Duck 老北方烤鸭店

Location: 17515 Colima Rd A, City of Industry, CA 91748. (626) 839-0000

Date: February 16, 2020 & May 2, 2021 and April 24 & October 27, 2022 & January 14, 2024

Cuisine: Northern / Beijing Chinese

Rating: Awesome duck and great flavors

Tonight is “Double Duck” night and while we had a “Peking Duck Appetizer” at Happy Duck, afterward the main event was at:

NC Peking Duck — which is a Northern and Beijing style place that is quite new and seemed a bit closer in style to real Beijing offerings.

In case you wondered if they have duck.

The Menu 4/24/22 (reduced from how it was before the pandemic).

Cold plater with Pig Ears, Cloud Ear Mushroom, Peanuts, and Seaweed. Mostly nice and spicy with good crunch, mala, and heat.

Smashed Garlic Cucumber (older & 10/27/22). Nice version of the garlic cucumber. Extra good with the spicy sauce from the other dishes.

Tofu with Century Egg. Awesome dish. Nice firm silky tofu with the incredible umami and jelly-like texture of the Century Egg. All doused in spicy sauce. Totally to die for.

Century Egg with Chilis (4/24/22 & 10/27/22). Fabulous savory egg with very strong pickled Hunan style chilis.

Szechuan Glass Noodles (2020 and 4/24/22 and 10/27/22). Actually a kind of mung bean noodle, here with a spicy sauce, peanuts, and a super umami mushroom paste or sauce. Nice, but I prefer them in the tangy/spicy sauce.

Cold Spicy Chicken. Awesome tender chicken in this fabulous hot, spicy, and a touch sweet sauce. Tons of flavor.

Child Chili Chicken (4/24/22). Great bang bang sauce with a bit of peanut butter in it.

Garlic Pork. Fatty delicious.

Fried fish with seaweed (5/2/21). Pretty much a Shanghai dish, but still good here.

Chili Fish with Glass Noodles. Now these were actual glass noodles. Nice tender fish too and lots of flavor.

Turbot, simple prep. Solid. Lots of meat (and bones).

Spicy Garlic Shrimp. A bit mushy.

Peking Duck with pancakes (everytime). This is just one duck (we ordered 2 for 8 people). This meat had the skin more integrated and was very juicy and full of flavor. It was some of the best Peking Duck I’ve had in LA.

Close up on the duck meat.

Duck presentation on 5/2/21.

Duck presentation (4/24/22).

Duck presentation (10/27/22).

The typical duck toppings, scallions, cucumber, and really really good thick hoisin.

Ultimate Condiment Box. Tons of interesting things to put in the duck pancake, including sweet and spicy sauces, sugar, candied fruits, melon, etc. They haven’t had this since the first time I went in 2020.

Pancake all done up.

The full DuQuest duck analysis (based on 10/27/22) is:

NC skin was ultra-thin and crispy, and gets an extra point for some of the pieces having some meat/fat on them = 9 for fatty pieces and 7 for regular ones.
Meat was juicy and flavorful with skin on = 8
Pancake was thin and resilient = 9
Hoisin was tasty but “goopy”, extra thick, and with a bit too much medicinal tone = 5
Accoutrements were scallion and cucumbers as usual = 7
The “burrito” together was a 6/10, dinged mostly by the hoisin.

Duck Bones. Pretty juicy.

Stir fried duck bones (5/2/21 and looked similar 4/24/22 and 10/27/22). Very nice version of “duck #2.”

Cumin fried duck bones. Good, although not nearly as good as the Duck House variant.

Duck Soup (4/24/22). Very mild.

Crispy chicken (5/2/21). Great version.

Fragrant Spiced Lamb. Not their best dish. Sauce/soup was very watery and tasted mostly of mala. Not bad or anything, just the weakest dish out of a lot of great dishes.

Delicious “bacon” (aka preserved pork) with garlic and leeks (5/2/21 and 4/24/22).

Beijing Style Pork (5/2/21). With the fermented bean sauce, slightly sweet.

Big Pot Cauliflower (2020 and 4/24/22). With a bit of pork. Nice and crunchy.

Garlic Shoots and Smoked Pork — awesome!

Smashed garlic eggplant (5/2/21 and 4/24/21).

Bok choy (5/2/21). Simple but delicious.

Jiggly Pork Elbow (4/24/22). Certainly not a lean cut!

Seasoned Rack of Lamb (4/24/22). Nice lamby flavor and good “hot fat” factor. Serious fat later. Seasoned western style with cumin.

Sauces for the lamb.

Scallion Pancake. Nice and flakey.

XLB (5/2/21). Always a favorite.

Pork and Chive Dumplings. Tons of chive, delicious with vinegar.

House Tianjin Pork Baos. Awesome. Really nice thick skins with a huge lump of very flavorful pork.

Lo-mein. I didn’t order this, one of the people who weren’t expecting interesting food did. Annoying as it filled people up with empty carbs.

Chinese Sweet Bean Roll with peanut dust.

Chinese pounded Rice dessert.

My wife’s Valentine’s Day pick: Dulcey Chocolate Cloud – The base is made with Valrhona 62% Satilla Chocolate and then layered with Dark Chocolate Cream Cheese Ganache and the rotating ingredient is house-made Vanilla Dulce de Leche — 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 #DulceDeLeche #caramel

Last gelato of the year! — Eggnog Gelato — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — pure traditional eggnog made as a gelato with a real rum/sugar/egg zabaglione core — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #IceCream #eggnog #rum #nutmeg #cinnamon #egg #zabaglione

Overall, I really liked NC Peking Duck. First of all, the duck was some of the best I’ve had in the states, and even beyond that, they had a really interesting menu with lots of standout dishes. Almost everything we had tonight was great, particularly the tofu with century egg, cold chicken, fish, and the pork baos.

Returning here on 5/2/21 the food was still very good but the restaurant was suffering from immediate post pandemic operational changes. They had clearly been doing takeout for the previous year (good for them and I even had it once and it was very good), but hadn’t yet switched back over to normal service. I think we were the only dine in party and the menu had been pared back substantially. Hopefully soon they’ll be back to 100%.

Returning again on 4/24/22 the food was pretty much back up to the level of 2020 although the menu was still a bit reduced and they were missing some “fancier” items like the 9 condiment container.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

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By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: beijing Cuisine, BYOG, Chinese cuisine, dumplings, Duquest, Gelato, hedonists, Peking Duck, SGV, spicy, Wine

Happy Duck – Double Duck part 1

Mar30

Restaurant: Happy Duck House 金鼎轩

Location: 18210 Gale Ave, City of Industry, CA 91748. (626) 581-4747

Date: February 16, 2020 & May 2, 2021

Cuisine: Beijing Chinese

Rating: Great duck and lobster

On 2/16/20 we decided to try some new Peking Duck places in the “Far East” SGV (Rowland Heights, Hacienda Heights, City of Industry). We thought to put two of them together with a quick stop here at Happy Duck. After this we moved on to NC Peking Duck House. On 5/2/21 as things were opening back up we again went out there and repeated the mini crawl!

Typical strip mall for the area.

Slightly more modern than not decor. One of our fellow diners recommended strongly that we try the lobster, so we did.

Weird duck parts on the table as an “amuse.”

Cold meat platter (5/2/21).

Peking duck. The pancakes were great, very thin. The hoisin was good, although not as thick as I like. Scallions and cucumbers added nice crunch. The meat itself was good but a touch bland. The skin though was awesome. Super fried and crispy. Overall quite good.

Duck 2nd way, with bean sprouts. Very bland and dry. Barely any duck meat.

DL really wanted the duck bones and so after a bunch of asking we got them (5/2/21).

House Special Lobster. With garlic, onions, and jalapeño. A bit of heat. Very nicely cooked and tons of flavor. Several people thought this was “the best lobster they’ve had in the SGV.” Now, I thought it was really good, but just put it in the camp of “lobsters about two standard deviations above average” — i.e. I’ve had many good lobsters.

Scary carcasses in the kitchen.

Overall, this seemed a good kitchen. Duck was excellent for America. Lobster was great. We will have to return to try more.

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By: agavin
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Tagged as: City of Industry, Far East, Happy Duck, hedonists, Lobster, Peking Duck, SGV, Wine

Tong Tak – Epic Cantonese

Mar27

Restaurant: Tong Tak House Seafood Restaurant

Location: 1265 S Baldwin Ave, Arcadia, CA 91007. (626) 638-3388

Date: February 9, 2020

Cuisine: Cantonese Chinese

Rating: Really great execution

Our friend Tony Lau organizes the best Cantonese banquets.

He always manages to find new places that surprise. Tong Tak isn’t exactly new, but it’s new to most of us.

Classic “palace” interior. It was pretty empty too. Sure it was Academy Awards night, but hard to say.

After an initial foray into a private room that was way too small they set us up downstairs at this huge table with the awesome blue thrones.

The whole gang.

Salted peanuts.

Spicy cold marinated cucumbers. Pretty good version of this typical Chinese starter. Nice crunch, garlic, and a bit of spice.

I ate a lot of these because oddly, they didn’t serve any real dishes for 45 minutes despite the place being deserted! Then the dishes came on like a storm.

Chinese Mountain Yams with Raspberry Sauce. Crunchy yam, not slimey (sometimes it is). The yam itself doesn’t have a lot of flavor. Raspberry sauce is a bit odd..

Beancurd wrapped mushroom rolls. Interesting texture.

Marinated wood ear mushrooms. I love the rubbery texture.

Beans. Not sure what kind. Very mild and I don’t love the pastey bean thing.

Hot sauce.

XO sauce.

Spicy clam with vegetables. Very interesting spongy/chewy texture on the clam and very nice crunchy vegetables.

Fried oysters typhoon style. Really delicious. Probably the best fried oyster’s I’ve ever had with the crispy fry and lots of garlic.

Cheesy lobster. Nice tender lobster with a cheesy sauce. Very interesting combo.

Condiments for the duck and pig.

Suckling pig with buns. Nice small pig, actually a suckling. Nice crunchy skin and good flavor.

The pig head returns after a discombobulating encounter with the cleaver.

Beef with asparagus. Tony always orders a straight up beef dish like this. It was fatty and pretty tender with nicely cut asparagus.

Crispy roast pigeon. Very nice hot juicy pigeon. Not too dark, not overcooked at all.

Peking Duck (Cantonese style) with buns. Very tasty as always, but is of course much better with pancakes and cut a bit differently.

Duck part 2: Lettuce cup duck. The meat from the duck mixed with water chestnuts and celery.

Lettuce cups to go with the duck.

Packed lettuce cup ready to eat. These were good.

100 Flower Chicken. 2 ways. Pressed chicken with shrimp paste. This version was mostly shrimp paste. Almost no chicken meat under the skin. Still it was delicious.

Wok cooked vegetables and oyster mushrooms. I like the double texture thing.

Yin Yang Fried Rice. Two types of sauce covering fried rice. The lighter one was asparagus stalks and shrimp in a light sauce. Very savory and delicious. The red one was with chicken and a tomato based sweet sauce. A bit too sweet for my taste.

Dessert Buns. The yellow topped ones were filled with pineapple and egg custard.

Crackerjack Gelato – Smooth Peanut Base with homemade Dulce de Leche Ribbon, Toffee Peanuts, and Caramel Popcorn! — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — oh my! — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #peanut #caramel #DulceDeLeche #Popcorn #CaramelCorn

Raspberry Sorbetto — French Raspberries and a touch of lime juice — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — Unusual for me to go so “straight” with my flavors but I wanted a complement to a complex flavor — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #sorbetto #raspberry

Overall, another great night. Really, these Tony Lau dinners are always great. Despite the slow start to the food, service was very good and the execution of the dishes was excellent. Very nice plating and on point flavors. The kitchen’s command of vegetables was particularly impressive. They know how to cut them into the proper shapes and to wok them quickly so they are still crunchy and tender.

It just goes to show that just because a Cantonese place has that “dated” palace look, doesn’t mean the kitchen isn’t first rate. Somehow they have 3 stars on Yelp. I wonder if we just got the royal treatment of if it’s just Yelp haters.

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By: agavin
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Tagged as: Arcadia, BYOG, Cantonese cuisine, Chinese cuisine, Gelato, hedonists, Peking Duck, Seafood, SGV, suckling pig, Tong Tak, Tony Lau, Wine

Not a Cylon — Baltaire

Mar25

Restaurant: Baltaire

Location: 11647 San Vicente Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90049. (424) 273-1660

Date: February 8, 2020

Cuisine: Steakhouse

Rating: Things I had were very good

My wife and I were looking for a fairly close place for dinner and we ended up trying out Brentwood’s newish (a year or 2) steakhouse Baltaire.

Baltaire replaces the former Cheesecake factory, and good riddance as I loath chain restaurants.

It’s a high end clubby American steakhouse, as you can tell right away from the decor.

A contemporary restaurant with classic genes, Baltaire is where to enjoy lunch in the sun and dinner under the stars. It’s the perfect place for cocktails and conversation or an intimate dinner any night of the week.

With Executive Chef Travis Strickland leading our kitchen, and our certified sommelier conceptualizing cocktails and curating the wine list, Baltaire brings the highest grade steaks, exceptional seafood, resplendent drinks, and plenty of healthy, light fare options to Brentwood.

They covered over the “Factory’s” outside patio.

Have a big bar — pretty much where the cheesecake display was.

And private rooms.

The menu.

Bread.

Roasted Baby Beet Salad. drake farms goat cheese, tarragon, pecan.

Organic Iceberg Wedge. red onion, hard boiled egg, bacon lardons blue cheese dressing. Very nice wedge, particularly with the generous real lardon chunks.

Mediterranean Branzino. cucumber tzatziki, quinoa tabbouleh.

16oz bone in ribeye with king crab oscar. If I order a whole steak I need to do something like oscar as I can’t “handle” a plain piece of meat. This was a good one — at least in combination. Meat was tender and not over cooked and the oscar was generous with both sauce and crab.

Roasted Mushrooms miso butter. Tried to get a low carb side.

The dessert menu, but we didn’t order any.

Overall, for what I could tell during this small meal, I liked Baltaire. Menu is pretty good for a steakhouse, with some interesting stuff, and the execution I had was all excellent. I’ll have to come back with a larger party for more of a blow out.

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By: agavin
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Tagged as: Baltaire, Brentwood, Steak, steakhouse, Wedge Salad

Uni at the Borgese’s

Mar23

Restaurant: Dinner at the Borgese’s [1, 2, 3]

Location: Santa Monica

Date: February 6, 2020

Cuisine: Italian influenced gourmet home cooking

Rating: Awesome

Dinner at the Borgese’s is a special house dinner in Santa Monica cooked by the stunning pro-level home chef Borgese couple. Tonight’s theme is UNI!

The dynamic Borgese team. Rocco in the center, his lovely wife (and the main kitchen chef on the left), his daughter (helping out with service) on the right of her and our Somm on the far right.

Their house has not only a wine cellar, but a cheese and meat larder!

Plus all this incredible wood fired oven set up.

Rocco apparently shucked 20-30 fresh Santa Barbara Unis in preparation for this dinner.

Some live lobsters twitch in the bowl too.

Steaks ready for the cooking.

Since it was a “wintery” Febuary evening, we ate inside in the dining room as opposed to out on the lovely patio.

Our special Uni menu.

NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée Edition 163eme. VM 95. The NV Grand Cuvée 163 Edition is wonderfully open-knit and giving, qualities that make it a terrific choice for drinking now and over the next 30 or so years. Pastry, apricot, lemon confit, chamomile and white flowers, along with soft contours, give the wine its inviting, alluring personality. There is more than enough energy and overall freshness to support several decades of fine drinking. Even so, the 163 is virtually impossible to resist at this early stage. (Drink between 2017-2037)

Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée Edition — unknown edition.

Riccio di Mare con Tartufo. Sea urchin with truffle. Two ways, one close to plain with sea-salt and the other with truffles. I think I actually like the plain more, but both were great.

2009 Dom Pérignon Champagne Luminous. 94 points. We are not sure if they play with the dosage on the Luminus given its designed for Party time but this felt softer than the usual 2009 (Papies 93) more approachable and lusher in a way. The fact that we had this in a club does not qualify for a full TN and hence no score but we do have to say that for party purposes the Luminous reigns supreme and definitely has a start & wow factor like no other.

Trish brought (thanks!): 1993 Dom Pérignon Champagne P2. 95 points. Light Amber color, good nose, nice palate feel, good bubbles and good finish.

Crostini con Burro al Riccio di Mare. Sea urchin butter crostini. Really nice crostini with a good bit of acidity to balance it out. This was even yummier than the bites.

2007 Ruinart Champagne Dom Ruinart Brut Rosé. VM 96. The 2007 Dom Ruinart Rosé is another brilliant wine from Chef de Caves Frédéric Panaiotis in his first vintage at the house. Delicate, nuanced and wonderfully polished, the 2007 is airy and gracious in feel, with superb aromatic intensity and exceptional balance. Sweet floral notes, mint, spice and crushed red berries are all laced together in this very pretty, gracious Rosé. More finesse than power, the 2007 is positively sublime. (Drink between 2019-2037)

From my cellar: 2007 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Rosé Brut. VM 97. The 2007 Comtes de Champagne Rosé is a total knock-out. Racy and exuberant in the glass, the 2007 wraps around the palate with stunning textural depth and resonance. The 15% still Pinot adds structure and persistence to a creamy, inviting Rosé Champagne that will leave readers weak at the knees. Hints of rose petal, dried cherry, cinnamon and dried flowers meld into the sublime finish. This is about as good as it gets. Wow! (Drink between 2018-2038)

2006 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Rosé Brut. VM 96. The 2006 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Rosé is at once rich and refined, a simply fabulous Champagne Rosè I won’t soon forget. Intensely perfumed, with the Pinot Noir-derived red berry and cranberry flavors that are not just concentrated, but also remarkably pure. It is one of the better Rosé bubbles I have had in the last year. (Drink between 2018-2036)

Brodo al Riccio di Mare. Sea urchin bisque with spiny lobster. This was incredible. Lovely presentation in the shell too and featuring a super rich sea urchin bisque — much like a lobster bisque — with lots of lobster.

2012 Louis Jadot Bâtard-Montrachet. BH 93. There is a hint of menthol sitting atop pretty aromas of acacia blossom, spiced pear and white peach scents. The delicious, muscular and pure broad-shouldered and powerful flavors possess fine size and weight that continues onto the concentrated and impressively persistent if presently compact finish. Those who enjoy their white burgs young should note that while this is very promising there isn’t great complexity at this early stage so I would very much be inclined to allow this to age for at least 8 to 10 years first. (Drink starting 2020)
By Allen Meadows

2013 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Meursault 1er Cru Charmes. BH 91-94. A background whiff of SO2 is barely noticeable and does not compromise the attractiveness of the layered and intensely floral nose of almond, white peach, pear and softly spice-infused aromas. There is good volume and richness to the appealingly crisp, stony and energetic medium-bodied flavors that possess a clean, focused and beautifully textured finish. (Drink starting 2021)

2006 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne. VM 95. Bonneau du Martray’s 2006 Corton-Charlemagne (magnum) opens with a super-classic bouquet of slate, crushed rocks and hints of reduction. Bracing and intense and energetic, the 2006 flows with superb focus and pure mineral-drenched cut. From magnum, the 2006 is simply dazzling and appears to have many years of fine drinking ahead of it. 95 (Drink starting 2014)

Rocco shows off the live lobsters.

Aragosta con Crema al Riccio di Mare. California Spiny Lobster with Sea Urchin Cream. Delicious “lobster salad.” Really a fabulous dish.

2017 Sine Qua Non Tectumque. VM 93. Just bottled, the 2017 White Wine The Tectumque is rich, unctuous and full of character. Dried pear, almond, honey and wild flowers all infuse this rich, flamboyant wine. The 2017 is built on a core of co-fermented Roussanne and Petit Manseng, which yields a white with intriguing layers of savory complexity. I find that the Sine Qua Non whites need time to come together in the cellar and show their best with at least a few years of bottle age. I suspect that will be the case here as well. (Drink between 2021-2029)

From my cellar: 2012 Paolo Bea Arboreus. 94 points. Complex and unique, but also, like, whatever. It is basically watered down sherry. Quite honeyed nose. Dry. Oily. Seaside wax texture. Etc. Oxidized in the manner of the style. Gained weight with time open. Perfect pairing for uni.

Pasta al Riccio di Mare. Sea urchin pasta. Scrumptious creamy pasta. Not super urchiny, but amazing all the same. A bit reminiscent of this one.

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)

agavin: Lovely. Also a good uni pairing due to its maturity.

Risotto al Riccio di Mare con Halibut. Sea Urchin Risotto with Halibut. The risotto was delicious, maybe just a hair thick or “dry” (just a bit shy of perfect), but delicious. Halibut is a plain fish, but the risotto offset this nicely.

Marcassin Fake pinot (can’t read the vintage).

2005 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou. VM 94. Good deep ruby-red. Wonderfully sweet, aromatic nose combines currant, chocolate and cedary oak. Fat, lush and silky, with atypical volume to the flavors of plum, tobacco and chocolate. Wonderfully supple, plump wine with layers of flavor, thoroughly sweet tannins and compelling aromatic persistence. Today the wine’s substantial baby fat is masking its impressive underlying power. According to Borie, this 2005 combines the best traits of the chateau’s 2003 and 2000.

2007 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape. VM 95+. Deep ruby. Powerful, pungent aromas of kirsch, dark berries, smoky herbs and spicecake, with notes of black olive and tobacco coming on with air. Chewy, palate-staining dark fruit flavors are complicated by bitter chocolate, licorice and black cardamom. Acts like a 2005 today, with serious structure but also superb depth of powerful, densely packed fruit. A hint of cherry skin adds grip and refreshing bitterness to the long, smoky, focused finish. Not an easy read right now: this demands cellaring. (Wines of France , Mountainside, NJ)

Bistecca Fiorentina. Giant slabs of rare beef. Nicely salted and bloody delicious.

Optionally, we gussied the steak up with more truffle!

Roasted eggplant with olive oil and salt. I loved these.

Roasted carrots.

My first gelato as an intermezzo.

Coconut Lime Sorbetto — bright lime flavors — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — Thai Coconut, Lime Juice, and a touch of Dark Vanilla Rum — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #sorbetto #coconut #lime #rum

Almond cake by the Borgese’s.

By coincidence, my second gelato was a perfect pairing.

Almond Amaretto Truffle Gelato — Amaretto Zabaglione (egg yolk, amaretto, and sugar custard) Sicilian Almond gelato base with stacked layers of house-made Valrhona Almond Amaretti Ganache — 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 #almond #amaretto #amaretti #cookie #ganache #ChocolateTruffle

So we plated the almond truffle and the cake together. Match made in heaven.

The wine lineup. Not too shabby.

On the left our too awesome young servers, in the center our somm, and to the right the real chef, Lady Borgese.

Overall, this was an amazing dinner, probably my favorite of the three Borgese dinners — mostly because I love uni and seafood.

First of all, the Borgese hospitality was awesome, the house lovely, and the food absolutely incredible. Best “home cooked” meal I’ve had. Maybe ever if you restrict it to chefs cooking in their own home kitchen. Just amazing. Every dish was great. Rustic but extremely delicious style. Superb homemade pastas. My gelato was darn good too :-).

Service was handled by the youngest Borgese (teen daughter) and her friend (both pictured above) and was better than most restaurant staff. Super friendly and you can tell they do this a lot.

Wines were good. Not AS good as at the previous two events. Mostly whites and champagnes, which I love, but not everyone else has as deep a cellar in this department. My favorite was my whacky Umbrian white, the BEA Arboreus because being partially oxidized it’s an amazing uni pairing.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (1)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BYOG, Dinner at the Borgese's, Gelato, hedonists, Italian Cusine, pasta, Rocco Borgese, Uni, Wine

Jadot at Petrossian

Mar20

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

Location: 321 Robertson Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90048. (310) 271-6300

Date: February 4, 2020

Cuisine: Caviar +

Rating: Amazing night!

Tonight’s dinner chronicles yet another masterly winemaker dinner hosted by Liz Lee of Sage Society. This time around it celebrates the diverse and excellent wines of Louis Jadot with winemaker Frédéric Barnier. This is actually at least the third time I’ve dined with Frédéric, the first being years ago at Bouchon and the second (also a Sage event) at Republique.

This time around we are back at another favorite Liz haunt, the awesome Petrossian Beverly Hills.

Petrossian has been importing caviar for a long time and has a high end restaurant — surprisingly excellent — tucked away inside their Beverly Hills location.

They are located on Robertson.

We begin with a Champagne I have been opening a lot of myself:

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)

Caviar with crème fraiche on blinis — had about 5 of these.

Smoked salmon and tuna with crème fraiche on toast.

Our hostess Liz Lee in the center and Jadot master winemaker Frédéric Barnier on the left.

Flight 0a: 2018 Barrel Whites

2018 J.A. Ferret Pouilly-Fuissé Clos des Prouges Tête de Cru. BH 90-92. Subtle wood influence frames pungent citrus and petrol-suffused aromas. The dense, powerful and palate coating broad-shouldered flavors possess impressive volume on the more complex and persistent if slightly warm finish. (Drink starting 2024)

2018 Louis Jadot Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume. 89 points. From barrel sample that was assembled in the fall and shipped to the US then. Ripe and fleshy for Chablis. Plenty of apple character start-to-finish. Good density for its level. Should drink well young. 88-89 point potential.

2018 Louis Jadot Chablis Grand Cru Blanchot. 89 points. From barrel sample that was assembled in the fall and shipped to the US then. Also lots of ripe orchard fruit, less classic start, then firmer and more tart middle through finish. Very good length. Needs time to fully harmonize. 89-92 point potential.

2018 Louis Jadot Meursault 1er Cru Charmes. agavin 91. Very tropical and different. Lovely right now, but wonder how it will age.

2018 Louis Jadot Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot Clos de la Chapelle Domaine du Duc de Magenta. 91 points. From barrel sample that was assembled in the fall and shipped to the US then. Lots of apple throughout, some lemon and lemon curd. Intriguing combination of ripe and tart, with a long, leaner, minerally finish. Very good length. 89-91 point potential.

2018 Louis Jadot Corton-Charlemagne Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot. 92 points. Walk around tasting. From barrel sample that was assembled in the fall and shipped to the US then. Dense and rich but with so much coiled energy in reserve. Very good density and length. 92-93 point potential.

Flight 0b: 2018 Barrel Reds

2018 Louis Jadot Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Ursules Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot. 91 points. Walk around tasting. From barrel sample that was assembled in the fall and shipped to the US then. More red vs black fruit coming across as ripe, but with just enough elegant tannins and acidity in the background for harmony already. Another very successful vintage for this cuvee, with 91-93 point potential.

2018 Louis Jadot Volnay 1er Cru Clos de la Barre. agavin 93. Very elegant and ripe.

2018 Louis Jadot Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques. 95 points. Year in, year out, a favourite from the Jadot stable. This seems to be the hypothetical blend of the Estournelles and Lavaux but by only taking the good elements of each. There’s a balance of rich fruit and tart-red-fruited-acidity here, as well as a convincing dose of rusty earthiness. The palate is more layered, silky, and complex. Very delicious already.

2018 Louis Jadot Corton-Pougets Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot. 93 points. From barrel sample that was assembled in the fall and shipped to the US then. Lots here with combination of ripe red and black cherry and a meatiness that I enjoy, but makes it seem background. But that’s young Corton.

2018 Louis Jadot Clos Vougeot. 92 points. From barrel sample that was assembled in the fall and shipped to the US then. Lots here but very tannic and angular, so impossible to fairly assess this young, this quickly.

2018 Louis Jadot Echezeaux. 91-94 points. From barrel sample that was assembled in the fall and shipped to the US then. A complex array of red cherry and berry on nose and palate with good power, but elegant textures already emerging. Good+ length. 91-94 point potential.

The lineup of 2018s.

Then we moved over into the dining room.

Liz likes to make sure there is a unique (labeled) glass for every wine.

The gang of us around the table.

Our special menu.

Flight 1: 2017 whites

2017 Louis Jadot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières. BH 90-93. An expressive, ripe and fresh nose of white peach, pear and lavender displays discreet hints of wood and a trace of the exotic. There is good richness to the delicious and generously proportioned middle weight flavors that possess plenty of palate coating dry extract before terminating in a saline and mineral-suffused finish. This is really quite good and more classic than it usually is. (Drink starting 2025)

2017 Louis Jadot Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières. VM 90-92. The 2017 Meursault Les Genevrières 1er Cru comes from a single parcel of 50-year-old vines that tends to suffer a lot of millerandage and is often one of the first plots picked. It has quite a powerful bouquet of citrus fruit infused with touches of licorice, maybe just missing the precision of the best wines that I have tasted from this vineyard by Jadot in the past. The voluminous palate is well balanced with crisp acidity and touches of tropical fruit such as passion fruit and guava, and creamy-textured toward the finish. There is a lot of pleasure to be found in this Meursault, if not the intellect of the Charmes this year. (DIAM GC closure) (Drink between 2020-2030)

2017 Louis Jadot Bâtard-Montrachet. BH 92-95. A less elegant and slightly more wood-influenced nose offers up restrained aromas of essence of white flowers that includes rose petal, lavender and acacia blossom as well as discreet citrus nuances. There is both more volume and richness to the large-scaled, intense and powerful flavors that evidence seriously good punch and power on the muscular and wonderfully long finish. This is an impressive built-to-age Bâtard. (Drink starting 2029)

Lobster Salad w/ Truffle Mache. Lots of lobster. Nice bright flavors and interesting textural components. We had crunch from the crisp like thing (texture similar to a spring-roll shell), differing crunch from the radish, soft lobster and stringy greens.

Flight 2: Old Whites

1990 Louis Jadot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières.

1991 Louis Jadot Meursault 1er Cru Gouttes d’Or. JG 90. It has been quite a while since I last tasted a 1991 white Burgundy, but the ’91 Goutte d’Or from Maison Jadot was drinking very well indeed and was impressive enough that I may keep an eye out for other white options from this vintage. The deep, complex and mature nose offers up scents of almond, citrus blossoms, apple, passion fruit, a touch of honey, incipient notes of nutskin and a beautifully complex base of soil. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and still beautifully balanced, with a fine core of fruit, gentle, framing acids, superb soil signature and lovely length and grip on the complex and classy finish. Fine juice and a total surprise for a 1991 Meursault! (Drink between 2012-2020)

1994 Louis Jadot Corton-Charlemagne Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot. VM 96. The 1994 Corton-Charlemagne surprises for its richness, density and power. Butter, dried apricots, tangerine and mango are alive in the glass. The presence of botrytis, which is high in 1994, is very much felt in the wine’s viscosity and pure textural richness. With time in the glass, though, the wine freshens up considerably as mineral notes become vivid. The 1994 remains bright, focused and quite youthful. Today, it is simply magnificent. Frankly, the 1994 is simply magnificent. (Drink between 2013-2024)

1986 Louis Jadot Bâtard-Montrachet. 95 points. This bottle was in pristine condition and the color was spot on deep yellow (not deep gold). The nose offered apples, hazelnuts, and macaroons.

Scallop w/ Trout Roe & Pine Nuts

Flight 3: 2012-2014 Reds

2014 Louis Jadot Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots. BH 92. A highly restrained if not mute nose grudgingly displays notes of spice and brooding dark berries, earth and floral hints. There is by contrast excellent richness and volume to the velvety and supple yet serious middle weight plus flavors that display strikingly good persistence on the sappy and beautifully well-balanced if moderately austere finish. This has tightened up considerably since I last reviewed it from barrel and it seems relatively clear that this is going to require at least a modicum of patience but when it arrives at its peak, it should be lovely. Recommended. (Drink starting 2026)

2014 Louis Jadot Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques. VM 93.5. Good bright medium red Aromas of raspberry, rose petal, minerals and crushed stone convey a very sexy, slightly high-toned liqueur-like quality Dense, fine-grained and taut, displaying piquant mineral energy and mouthwatering acidity to its flavors of raspberry, cherry and blood orange Really compelling inner-mouth tension here This firmly tannic, classic 2014 finishes with lovely rising floral length I would not be at all surprised if a decade of cellaring brought an even higher score (Drink between 2025-2037)

2014 Louis Jadot Chapelle-Chambertin. VM 95. Bright, dark red Ineffable floral and pepper topnotes to the aromas of black raspberry, tart cherry, licorice, menthol and spices At once savory and sweet; incredibly dense, refined wine with uncommon creaminess and concentration to its flavors of red and black fruits, minerals and herbs Superb old-vines thickness and silky depth here, but also with terrific definition, spine and energy Finishes with outstanding rising length A treat to taste today but this almost liqueur-like wine should go on for 20+ years A great performance in this cooler vintage (Drink between 2025-2040)

2012 Louis Jadot Clos St. Denis. BH 93-95. Here the nose is quite similar to that of the Clos de la Roche save for the fact that it’s spicier. There is a silky texture to the detailed and sleekly muscular medium-bodied flavors that are not as powerful though the refinement of a classic Clos St. Denis is explicitly in evidence on the hugely long finish. In a word, this is terrific. (Drink starting 2030)

Black Truffle Pasta with Parmesan Foam. Amazing dish. I could have eaten several of these. Just a really lovely creamy truffle pasta.

The glasses multiply like bunnies.

Flight 4: 80s Reds

1985 Louis Jadot Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Ursules Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot. BH 90. Just a bit of bricking in evidence. The expressive, pretty and solidly complex nose has now gone completely secondary (though not tertiary as there is no sous bois) and complements the precise, intense and lightly mineral-suffused middle weight flavors that possess good length and depth. This is drinking perfectly now and about the only nit is a touch of gas so be sure to decant for 15 minutes or so to allow it to dissipate. (Drink starting 2009)

1989 Louis Jadot Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots.

1985 Louis Jadot Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques. JG 94. The 1985 Clos St. Jacques from Maison Jadot is a beautiful example of the vintage that has just now begun to truly blossom and is drinking very well indeed. The deep and beautiful nose offers up scents of cherries, red plums, woodsmoke, summer truffles, a beautifully complex base of soil, fresh herbs, a touch of sweet nutskin and just a bit of cedar. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and beautifully delineated, with a fine core of fruit, lovely complexity and very good acidity for the vintage. The finish is very long, shows just a bit of melting tannin and is beautifully balanced and classy. It is interesting to see how this wine has evolved, as it was quite black fruity for much of the first twenty-odd years of its life, but is now blossoming into a beautifully red fruity example of Clos St. Jacques. Lovely juice. (Drink between 2012-2050)

Quail w/ Potato Nest. I was initially skeptical about this dish. Not as to pairing, Liz always gets that perfect, but to the the idea of this “ball of quail.” It turned out to be amazing. Sort of like a western shrimp ball, but with quail, sauce, and offset by the nice crunchy nest.

Flight 5: Special Old Reds

1988 Louis Jadot Chambertin-Clos de Bèze. BH 91. Mix of primary and secondary fruit aromas plus strong notes of earth and underbrush are followed by nicely complex, slightly edgy, medium weight flavors that offer good length. This is still firm on the backend but not hard and it’s drinking very well now though it will easily hold for another decade or more.

agavin: this bottle was fabulous, more like 96 points.

1978 Louis Jadot Bonnes Mares. agavin 94. Very nice as well.

Duck Consomme w/ Duck Confit. Okay, I didn’t know what to expect. But here we have a lovely pressed square of duck with a consommé added tableside.

The finished dish. Lovely and delicious.

Drinking Continues

Cheeses. Papillon Basque & Beaufort.

The white lineup.

The red lineup.

When Liz sets up a dinner, she really endeavors to get everything right.

Food was some of the best in town for wine tastings. Really light, fresh, and delectable.

Wines were just off the chart good at this dinner. Just blockbusters and nothing flawed at all. This offered a great perspective on Jadot as it traveled the gamut of ages, giving a glimpse of 2018, showing off recent vintages like 2017 and 2014, and then delving into mature wines of both colors.

Service was great. Having our own Somm ensured that — and we had unique stems for everything. Petrossian really took care of us too.

Amazing night.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (0)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Caviar, Frédéric Barnier, Frederick Barnier, Jadot, Liz Lee, Maison Louis Jadot, Red Burgundy, Sage Society, White Burgundy, winemaker dinner

Going to Guelaguetza

Mar18

Restaurant: Guelaguetza

Location: 3014 W. Olympic Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90006. (213) 427-0608

Date: February 2, 2020 & February 17, 2023

Cuisine: Oaxacan Mexican

Rating: Best black mole I’ve ever had

My brother got a couple recommendations recently as to good Mexican places in the city and so me and the family decided to try out this famed Oazacan joint:

Guelaguetza first opened its doors in 1994 by immigrant husband and wife Fernando Lopez and Maria Monterrubio. Since then, our goal at Guelaguetza has been to showcase the best of our family recipes and stay true to authentic Oaxacan ingredients. Guelaguetza’s mission is for all of its patrons to live and experience Oaxaca through all of its dishes.

Today, Mr. and Mrs. Lopez are retired and have paved the way for their children, Paulina, Fernando Jr, Elizabeth and Bricia Lopez. This new generation of Oaxaqueños has taken upon themselves the responsibility of not only continuing their family’s restaurant success but also expanding its legacy. Recently they launched their online retail store where fans can purchase Guelaguetza’s famous mole and signature Michelada mix. The Lopez’s have undoubtedly become ambassadors to Oaxacan cuisine in Los Angeles.

Their hard work, dedication and love for their culture have earned them features and mentions in publications such as Los Angeles Times, Jonathan Gold’s 101 essential restaurants, The New York Times, GQ Magazine, Esquire, Los Angeles Magazine, Oprah Magazine, The New Yorker, Travel and Leisure, Sunset Magazine and others. Most recently, Guelaguetza was awarded The James Beard Award for the American Classics category, the most prestigious award in the culinary industry.

The interior is a mashup of modern (ductwork) and classic Mexican restaurant.

They have an extensive bar too.

The menu.

Cadillac margarita. Tasty!

Nachos with red mole and cheese. Delicious, sweet, a touch spicy and oh so heavy!

A selection of 5 moles.

MOLE NEGRO. This is the mother of all moles, smoky, sweet, with just the right amount of spice.

MOLE ROJO. This mole is on the smoky and spicier side with hints of chocolate and spice.

COLORADITO. This mole is on the sweeter side with a well rounded finish.

ESTOFADO. This mole has an almond base with hints of olives and pickled jalapeños.

VERDE.

QUESILLO FUNDIDO. Melted Oaxaca cheese, grilled chorizo, mushroom and a small side of guacamole served on a hot skillet. served with kernel of truth organic corn tortillas. Vegetarian option available — we didn’t get it. This was delicious, heavy, and very hard to get out of the pan (it stretched behind the spoon).

Vegetarian Quesillo Fundido. Melted Oaxaca cheese, vegetables, mushroom and a small side of guacamole served on a hot skillet. served with kernel of truth organic corn tortillas.

Chorizo.

Corn tortillas. Probably fried in lard.

Small side of guac. A bit creamier than I like my guac.

Ensalada de Nopalitos. Tossed cactus salad with cherry tomatoes, red onions, cilantro and roasted guajillo peppers. Very interesting and pleasant flavor.

TAMAL OAXAQUEÑO DE MOLE NEGRO CON POLLO. Black mole chicken tamale + black beans and rice. It’s hard to appreciate how large this is — above the size of a Roman brick. Just as heavy too. The mole is amazing. The sweet corn paste rich and tasty, the chicken very tender. It was great and sat in my stomach like the brick it was :-).

Small salad that comes with the dinners. They had squeeze bottles of zesty Italian and ranch dressing.

COSTILLA DE PUERCO ENCHILADA. Pork Ribs seasoned in a chile arbol, chlhuacle, morita, pasilla and guajillo paste. Served with rice, black beans and green salad, grilled jalapeños and grilled onion.

CARNITAS GUELAGUETZA. Our version of pork carnitas. Served with salad, guacamole, black beans and pico de gallo + Large handmade tortilla.

Assorted meat plate including grilled tasajo, cecina, chorizo and oaxaca cheese. Served with rice, black beans, cactus salad and green salad. The chorizo was a touch dry. The flat meats were well interesting, but mole (which I added on top) is so strong it hardly mattered what was under it.

Festival de Moles. 4 individiual servings of mole negro, mole rojo, coloradito and estofado. Served with Shredded chicken on the side, rice and a large handmade tortilla.

MOLE NEGRO. This is the mother of all moles, smoky, sweet, with just the right amount of spice. Awesome smokey stuff. I bought a tub of it to turn into gelato!

Beans.

Tortilla and rice for the moles.

Botana Oaxaqueña. Assorted tasting platter of the best of our grilled Oaxacan meats. Includes chorizo, tasajo, cecina, chile relleno, carnitas, Oaxaca cheese, grilled onions and cactus. Served with guacamole, frijoles de la olla with nopalitos, and 14 memelitas. Serves 4 (this is the half size, the “full” size serves 8!).

Large guac.

Beans.

Tortillas with cheese.

Quesadillas Fritas. Quesadillas made with queso Oaxaca , epazote and our house-made masa. Fried. Two per order. Served with guacamole or refried black bean sauce.

Giant vegetarian “pizza” with crispy shell, beans, veggies etc.

Gluten free something.

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

There is a little market at the front with moles, drinks, to-go desserts etc.

In the back was a huge mural of the Oaxacan artist Francisco Toledo. I only recently discovered his work, but the late great man is recently deceased and left humanity an enormous body of fascinating, brilliant, and often disturbing works in every medium imaginable.

Overall, Guelaguetza was some of the best Oaxacan I’ve made. The mole in particular were stunning. Portions are large, prices are reasonable (considering the former), and it’s a fun place. It is heavy. The corn flour / fat combo sat in my gut for 36 hours like a giant ball. But worth it!

Hiss to anti-immigration orange authoritarians who bash on outsiders. Why would you eat overcooked steaks and burgers all day when you can have mole like this?

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Francisco Toledo, Guelaguetza, Korea-town, masa, Mexican cuisine, mole, Oaxaca, pork

The Rooster Crows

Mar16

Restaurant: The Rooster

Location: 2301 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90404. (310) 264-0999

Date: January 31, 2020

Cuisine: Wood-fire grill and California / pseudo-Italian

Rating: Tasty, but too pricey for its vibe

Continuing our streak of family dinners during my mom’s 75th birthday week, the gang of us headed off to the Rooster.

Bruce Marder, The Rooster’s chef/ restaurateur, lists Capo, The Brentwood, Cora’s Coffee Shop, and Marvin as his current successes. Renowned for his world class cuisine, his skills encompass a deep appreciation for international flavors that he unabashedly blends into an American style menu that celebrates our cultural diversity.

Bruce Marder’s latest addition to the Santa Monica scene features dishes kissed by almond-wood flames including tender, grilled meats served up family style, to pizzas and flatbreads baked in the wood fire oven.

The finest of ingredients, sourced from the farmers’ market, our personal garden, and highly regarded local ranchers, are the foundation of a cuisine that exemplifies the purity of the flavors without unnecessary adulteration.

Big, colder, more casual dining room and wood-fire grill.

Open kitchen.

I’ve always been a fan of Capo, despite a bit of attitude there, and have been at least 40 times, so I was interested to see what they did here in this larger more casual space.

The menu.

From my cellar: 2013 Chartogne-Taillet Champagne Beaux Sens. 93 points. This is 100% Pinot Meunier. One of the few vineyards where the wines have not been grafted. Mostly because it comes from a vineyard of purely sandy soil. There’s spice and sunflower seeds and a very nice balance to the wine. Soft bubbles. Very well done.

Fried bread and eggplant spread

Artichokes. Lemon, horseradish. These were nice wood-fired artichokes.

Eggplant. Rocca reggiano, tomato sauce. Basically a kind of skillet eggplant parm, this was quite delicious.

Warm seafood salad. Beurre blanc sauce. Incredible sauce. Really tender seafood. Seafood was grilled. I’m not normally a huge fan of the warm seafood salad, but this one was fantastic. Big hunks of very tender and flavorful seafood, and then the beurre blanc was perfect. Same one basically that’s on the crab torta I love at Capo. They even threw in the bread to sop it up.

From my cellar: 2004 Tenuta Corte Pavone Brunello di Montalcino. 93 points. The 2004 Brunello di Montalcino is a fresh, vibrant offering bursting with dark cherries, violets, underbrush, minerals and sweet toasted oak on a medium-bodied frame. The wine reveals terrific balance in an energetic, focused style, with firm yet ripe tannins. The finish is long, clean and refreshing. This is a gorgeous effort from Loacker. (Drink between 2013-2019)

Spicy pepperoni pizza. Solid wood-fired pizza, although nothing stunningly original.

Simple pasta.

Cacio e pepe. Nice, but a touch disappointing. Maybe not creamy enough, or peppery enough. I’m not sure.

Spaghetti Roma.

From my cellar: 1999 Paitin di Pasquero-Elia Barbaresco Vecchie Vigne Sorì Paitin. 94 points. The 1999 Barbaresco Sorì Paitin Vecchie Vigne is dark, powerful and opulent, with more than enough stuffing to age well for the better part of the next decade. Smoke, menthol, tar, black fruit and French oak blossom in the glass as this resonant, exuberant Barbaresco show off its unique, totally compelling personality. The French oak is present, but well balanced at the same time. (Drink between 2014-2022)

Loup de Mer.

Babyback ribs. Very tasty with lots of meat. Not super sauced or anything.

Lamb chops. Excellent lamb.

I don’t usually show the bill, but I thought I would tonight to make a point. We had 6 people (eating). So basically $100. Not crazy, but we didn’t order drinks or dessert. They charge for bread/butter. Corkage was a perfectly fine 3X$35. I have no problem with that. I had expected the Capo deal of high corkage, 1 or 2 bottle limits, and vetting to make sure one’s bottle was not “on their list.” I did see any of that and they just let me open my 3 bottles. This may have changed because Erick said that when he went months ago they had the limits. Limits suck, but for this 1/31/20 dinner and my experience, corkage was totally fine.

Food is actually quite good, if a bit too much emphasis on the wood-fire. Now I like wood grills, but (almost) everything is a touch much. The space feels loud, colder, and not “cozy” like Capo. Menu is more limited (but with some pizza).

Service was very friendly, but our server was a touch good-naturedly confused. 4 of us guys shared dishes and she brought them out in the weirdest order. I had to send a thing or two back (for a bit) because it made no sense. I’ve presented it here in the post in the order it SHOULD have come in. But they brought the pizza, pasta, and eggplant all right away, then thought to bring the artichokes as a “side” with the meat? Strange. The 20% service fee is also included and mandatory. I always tip 20% anyway and so this feels a bit weird.

It was Friday night and they were half empty. I don’t think the feel of the place warrants the pretty high prices. Capo is very expensive, but manages to make it feel LA swanky in this way that works. I suspect the Rooster will have trouble and at the very least change format a bit.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Grill, pasta, Pizza, Santa Monica, The Rooster, Wine, Wood-fire

Reborn as Citrin

Mar13

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

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 — as a $300ish a head tasting menu only spot.

For my Mom’s 75th bday 8 of us headed to Citrin to celebrate.

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

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

Our table of 8.

Special DineLA menu.

The menu.

Plain pasta for my son — at least they can do it!

From my cellar: 2002 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut. BH 97. There is a distinctly phenolic character to the secondary-tinged yet super-fresh nose reflects notes of bread, yeast, pear, baked apple, spice and a hint of citrus. The bold and full-bodied flavors possess superb complexity while being underpinned by a notably fine but dense mousse, all wrapped in a gorgeously persistent finish. This is a seriously impressive effort and one of the best of the Krug Brut vintage series released in many years. Note that while this should continue to age effortlessly, it could certainly be enjoyed now. (Drink starting 2017)

Basil Brioche. Beurre de Baratte. These Melisse used to have. They were great then, they are great now. But you have to order (and pay for) them separately now.

Japanese Hamachi. Citrus, Radish, Cilantro — nice and bright.

Wild Japanese Yellowtail. Grapefruit, Radish, Cilantro.

From my cellar: 2009 Bouchard Père et Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. BH 91-94. A ripe yet airy and quite cool nose of indisputable class reflects notes of citrus, stone and white flowers that serve as a graceful preface for the intensely mineral-driven, tension-filled and chiseled flavors that possess sneaky power and outstanding length. There is notably more acidity here than in the Genevrières and better persistence as well. (Drink starting 2016)

Honeynut Squash. Goat Cheese, Pinenut, Lemon-Thyme.

Seared Maine Scallops. Celeriac, Coconut, Lime. Pretty much as you would expect looking at it.

Loup de Mer “En Ecailles”. Potato, Fennel, Parsley-Miso Broth. They love Ecailles. Creeps me out a bit, actually.

From my cellar: 1947 Moillard-Grivot Chambolle-Musigny. agavin 95. Awesome.

Truffle Risotto. Aged Acquerello Rice, Mascarpone, Black White Truffles.

With the truffles. Super creamy “simple” risotto. Really, really good. Not a huge portion though.

Diamond Ranch Quail. Pear, Salsify, Walnut, Beet, Calvados. My mother didn’t love this, thought it was dry.

Lobster Bolognese. Capellini Pasta, Brown Butter Truffle Froth. This was a Melisse classic for decades.

Vermillion Rock Cod “En Ecailles”. Cauliflower, Meyer Lemon, Pichuberry. More creepy scales.

Snake River Farms Wagyu Coulotte. Carrot, Leek, Shallot, Cayenne.

With the jus. Nice beefy beef.

Miso Glazed Rapini. Turnip, Chanterelle, Yuzu, Toasted Barley.

The dessert menu.

Tea.

Chocolate, Yuzu, Passionfruit.

Grand Marnier Souffle. Winter Citrus, Vanilla Ice Cream.

Mocha Ice Cream — tasted almost like a sorbet.

Passionfruit Sorbetto.

Overall, another epic epic night. Above is the birthday girl and my son.

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 at $50 for the first 2 bottles then $70 after that.

Food was quite good. Similar to Melisse, but formatted differently. Half the table — including me — had the DineLA menu so that was like a mini old Melisse menu. I’m not sure yet what it’s like with the ala carte. Supposedly these are sharing dishes, but they don’t LOOK or sound like sharing dishes. The plating is too delicate. Look at the Lobster pasta above. It’s tiny (and delicious). Maybe you could share it with 2 people. So I don’t think the kitchen has yet “committed” in their heart of hearts to the real idea of the modern sharing format.

Great evening, and I’ll be back many more times I sure — and to the more “elite” Melisse.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: birthday, Chef Josiah Citrin, Citrin, French Cuisine, Josiah Citrin, Santa Monica

Mister Bossam & Cheese Pork Ribs

Mar11

Restaurant: Mister Bossam

Location: 338 S Western Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90020. (213) 388-5379

Date: January 26, 2020

Cuisine: Korean Ribs

Rating: Awesome, but heart burn central

On a chilly, quiet Sunday night — where in the best of worlds we should have had a Chinese dinner going — Yarom and I met up for a small Korean dinner.

Yarom saw this sign and we couldn’t resist trying it out.

The interior is very small and casual.

The menu is pretty specific with just a couple variants on two main themes (bossam and cheesy ribs).

Banchan.

pickled spicy raddish or turnip.

kimchee.

macaroni salad — our least favorite.

pickled cabbage.

fish cakes — I ate 3 bowls of this one, love the chewy texture.

marinated daikon.

Sauces. A spicy one left and a sweet one right.

Lettuce wraps.

The burner.

green onion + garlic bossam and sliced pigs feet — the luke warm pork (bossam) was much better than the feet.

Bossam is a pork dish in Korean cuisine. It usually consists of belly pork that is boiled in spices and thinly sliced. The meat is served with side dishes such as spicy radish salad, sliced raw garlic, ssamjang, saeu-jeot, kimchi, and ssam vegetables such as lettuce, kkaennip, and inner leaves of a napa cabbage.

Cheesy spicy pork ribs with cheesy eggs, corn, and hot dogs.

The cheese melts and they cut up and stir up the ribs. This part is scrumptious and very rich. At first it’s a little weird eating a Korean flavored spicy pork rib covered in cheese, but it tastes amazing. We ordered medium spice and it was actually very spicy with a long chili oil type heat. Gave me some heartburn. Cheesy eggs and hot dogs were good too.

Overall, this is a small place with a small menu. The bossam was I suspect good for bossam, but it’s not my favorite dish ever. The cheesy ribs were pretty awesome. Not a place you’d come all the time, but really interesting and tasty to try.

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By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: bbq, Korean cuisine, Ktown, Mister Bossam, pork, ribs, spicy

Back to Meizhou Dongpo

Mar10

Coming back to Meizhou Dongpo for a 6-7 person dinner on 3/8/20 I had a vastly improved experience. Almost every dish was very good, some great. The peking duck was first rate. Really really good. Many of the appetizers were awesome too like the green chili chicken and cold mung bean noodles. Flavors were far less salty and much more balanced. Service was fairly good too and we had a nice large table outside on the terrace. On this particular night at least, this was as good as many SGV places (but certainly not as good as the best). Really a great option.

Check out all the details here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Century City, Chinese cuisine, Meizhou Dongpo

Mirko at Osteria Mamma

Mar09

Restaurant: Osteria Mamma

Location: 5732 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90004. (323) 284-7060

Date: January 24, 2020

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Great meal

I’ve been eating at Mirko Paderno restaurants for years. He’s a super talented Italian chef, who’s been at a lot of places: Oliverio, the 4 Seasons, Berea (briefly), Estrella, Spring, and now Osteria Mamma.

I’m not entirely sure if Mirko is cooking here all the time or just using the kitchen for special dinners like ours — slipped in. Yarom asked him to cook up a meal including a bunch of big Y’s “fresh shot” wild boar.

The location is right next door to Kali — far far from me on a Friday night in traffic!

The interior is cutesy LA Italian.

We had a giant table in the back.

As usual at Italian (or most) “gang” dinners, people neglect to bring any whites despite the fact that half the food goes with white! So I put a couple Italian whites in my bag.

From my cellar: 2015 Vietti Roero Arneis. 91 points. Light yellow color; aromatic, lemon balm, lemon syrup, tart peach nose; tasty, medium bodied, lemon syrup, vanilla palate; medium-plus finish 90+ points.

Caprese di Bufala. fresh buffalo mozzarella DOP, tomatoes, fresh basil, olive oil, sea salt.

Calamari. grilled calamari with arugula, oranges, cherry tomatoes, lemon dressing.

From my cellar: 2010 Borgo del Tiglio (Nicola Manferrari) Collio Studio di Bianco. Vinuous 95. Weightless, crystalline and pure, the 2010 Studio di Bianco appears to float on the palate. White pear, crushed rocks, oyster shells and lime jump from the glass. A beautifully delineated, vibrant wine, the 2010 captures the best qualities of the year. Stylistically, the 2010 is brighter and more focused than the 2011, with a bit less body but more sheer drive and personality. What a gorgeous wine this is. (Drink between 2014-2025)

Burratona. fresh burrata cheese with roasted squash, aged balsamic, frisée, toasted pine nuts.

Main Lobster Catalana Style. A great lobster salad.

Linguine al Pesto di Rucola. Mamma’s arugula pesto.

From my cellar: 1966 Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico Riserva. 95 points. This took a few minutes to open up, but it had tremendous fruit and strength still when it did.

From my cellar: 1997 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Le Rocche del Falletto di Serralunga d’Alba. 97 points. Bricking medium dark red color with pale meniscus; lovely, roses, milk chocolate, leather, incense nose; delicious, gorgeous, poised, velvety, roses, spice box, tar, resin palate; medium-plus finish

Roasted Quail, cannelini bean puree, natural jus. Another stand out dish.

Focaccia bread and tomato sauce.

2001 Tua Rita Redigaffi Toscana IGT. 93 points. Elegantly light and refined, plums, licorice, cherries, well balanced deep and classy wine with clear and pure taste world, I preferred this over the Miani Merlot 2001.

Maltagliati Pasta with Wild Boar Ragu, fresh ricotta cheese. Great ragu — Yarom shot the boar!

2004 Tua Rita Redigaffi Toscana IGT. 94 points. The inky-colored 2004 Redigaffi, 100% Merlot aged for 16 months in new oak, offers expressive, nuanced aromatics along with sensations of richly-textured blue and black jammy fruit, minerals, mint, chocolate, spices and sweet toasted oak on big, powerful frame with notable underlying structure and a warm, resonating finish. Although it has enough structure and acidity to drink well for another decade or so, I enjoy Redigaffi most in its youth. (Drink between 2013-2016)

Bigoli Neri alla Bottarga. black squid ink bigoli, cherry tomatoes, shrimp and bottarga.

Branzino. Grilled Mediterranean branzino fillet, red and green bell pepper peperonata, garlic aioli.

2012 Tua Rita Redigaffi Toscana IGT. VM 92+. Bright ruby-red. Coffee and cocoa nuances almost overpower the wine’s delicate violet and dark berry aromas. Then rather graceful in the mouth, with a distinct delicacy to the dark berry, cocoa and coffee flavors. A lighter Redigaffi than usual, but harmonious and refined.

Colorado Lamb Chop, dolce latte fonduta, bagna cauda.

Arnie brought: 2007 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon. VM 95+. Dark medium ruby. Lovely vibrancy to the aromas of blackcurrant, plum, licorice and cocoa powder, with a strong impression of minerality. Like liquid silk on the palate and yet powerful at the same time, with strong minerality contributing to the impression of lift and inner-mouth perfume. The dark berry, violet and cocoa powder flavors offer compelling early sweetness, and this wine’s wonderfully lush tannins will not get in the way of early enjoyment. A great example of the new generation of Quilceda Creek cabernet. Based on its superb length and balance, I’d cellar this for even more fireworks ahead.

Roasted wild boar loin & ribs, soft polenta, pioppini mushrooms, natural roast jus — extremely gamey and salty. Very salty. Given that the boar has been dead (and in the freezer) many months, this rareness was a bit “interesting.” However, the salt must have sterilized everything as I was fine.

Bone in!

Seb brought: 2014 Sine Qua Non Syrah Piranha Waterdance. VM 95-97. A wild, exotic wine, the 2014 Syrah Piranha Waterdance hits the palate with serious richness, power and voluptuousness. This is in a decidedly lush, exotic style. A rush of super-ripe, intense fruit builds into a flamboyant finish in a heady, inviting wine that will drink well with minimal cellaring. The blend is 81% Syrah, 8% Petite Sirah, 6% Mourvèdre, 4% Touriga Nacional and 1% Graciano, done with 26% whole clusters. (Drink between 2019-2029)

Selection of fine cheese & fruit marmellata.

Peppered Lemongrass Ginger Creme Brûlée Gelato — A blended milk and Thai coconut cream base steeped with lemongrass and ginger and then juiced up with yuzu and black pepper. For sugar, I used coconut palm sugar and even torched the top! — created 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 #lemongrass #ginger #CremeBrûlée #BlackPepper #coconut #yuzu

Double Shot Gelato — Hot brewed espresso gelato with house-made dark chocolate hazelnut ganache — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — this will keep you up! — #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #chocolate #valrhona #espresso #coffee #hazelnut #ganache

Overall, this was a great meal — some even thought the best Mirko meal, but I’ve had several better, particularly this one. Still, it was a fun night with good wines (I liked mine best, of course as they were native Italian varietals), great company, and very good food. It’s unclear which dishes were Mirko’s or if some were the normal restaurants. Certainly the lobster, quail, boar dishes were Mirko. All a touch confusing. We didn’t have any of his risotto though — which is one of my favorites.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: boar, BYOG, Gelato, hedonists, Italian cuisine, Mirko Paderno, Osteria Mamma, pasta, Quail, Wild boar

Amphai – Northern Thai Food Club

Mar06

Restaurant: Northern Thai Food Club

Location: 5301 Sunset Blvd #11, Los Angeles, CA 90027. (323) 474-7212

Date: January 17, 2020

Cuisine: Northern Thai

Rating: Small Space, Big Taste

Asian Food Friday is always a good opportunity to try out some of the oddball and amazing corners of Los Angeles eating.

Which brings us to Amphai, or Northern Thai Food Club, which has been on my “to try” list for some time. Supposedly this is some of the best and most authentic Northern Thai in the country. It’s on a grungy Sunset corner in Thai Town.

And the interior is tiny. The staff appear to be family and are extremely friendly. Service is casual and all on disposable plates with the flimsiest of plasticware. On entering the thick pungent smell of fish sauce blankets the air and informs you that this is the “real deal.”

Much of the food is on display in a big deli/steam table — including the amazing Norther Thai Sausage (that looks like something a large dog might leave in the yard).

They also sell some random Thai snacks.

The menu is surprisingly long.

Som Tum Thai. Papaya Salad. Salted Crab Flavor. Green Papaya with Thai chilies, tomatoes, dried shrimp, green beans, fish sauce, lime jices and salted crab. Bright flavor with a hint of fishiness.

Spicy green laxative — I mean chili sauce — awesome complex flavor and hearty burn.

Sai Qua. Northern Spices Pork Sausage. Ground pork marinated with herbs and spices. Tons of flavor, very soft texture.

Cabbage and sticky rice.

Moo Sam Chan Tod. Fried Pork Belly. Deep fried pork belly. Tasty, particularly with the green sauce.

Larb Moo Kija. Minced pork northern spices salad. Pan-fried minced pork, liver pork, skin pork with fresh mint leaves, in Northern spices. Tons and tons of flavor. Interesting fishy and livery notes.

Gaeng Hang Lae. Northern pork curry. Stewed pork in Thai-Burmese curry powder and tamarind paste with ginger root. Very tender meat and lots and lots of flavor.

Gaeng Khanoon. Jackfruit soup. Spicy soup of young jackfruit chunks, Chaom leaves (Acacia) and pork ribs seasoned with tomato and garlic.

Yum Nor Nam Poo. Bamboo shoots with crab paste. Bamboo shoots with Thai chili, limes, fish sauce and crab paste juices. Lots of fiber and a very different funky flavor. Probably my least favorite dish, but still tasty and interesting. Plus it has “poo” in the name.

Kao Soi Gai. Curry egg noodle with chicken. Seasoned chicken drumstick curried with flat egg noodles, topped with crispy noodle and served with sour mustard green, shallot, lime, and thick red chili sauce.

Condiments for the Kao Soi.

Kao Soi Nua. Curry egg noodle with beef. Seasoned chicken curried with flat egg noodles, topped with crispy noodle and served with sour mustard green, shallot, lime, and thick red chili sauce.

More condiments for the Kao Soi.

With the toppings.

Special of vermicelli and jackfruit and I don’t know what. Mushy texture but tasty.

Sample of something with jackfruit. Sour, but tasty too.

A kind of strong pork curry. Very strong “bay leaf”? flavor sauce. Tasty.

Sour pork rib soup. I think Jor Pak Pung. Ceylon spinach in tamarind soup with cut pork ribs.

The kitchen is tiny.

The shelves on the way to the rest room are loaded with Thai products.

See!

And the bathroom includes its own glamorous strapped water heater — clearly not going anywhere!

Overall, this place is legit. Not your suburban strip-mall Thai by any means. Eating here on the tiny plastic stools makes you think of a little hangout in Chiang Mai. Nearly every dish is $7. Very unusual flavors, and quite spicy, but if you can handle all that well worth the trip.

After, we felt we needed some authentic Thai desserts to quench the burn.

Inside this crowded shop.

Pandan pudding being made fresh.

Pandan custard pudding. Super thick, creamy, mild in flavor but hit the spot.

Ultra light crispy crepes with coconut cream (crispy) and either yellow mango (sweet) or curry (orange)

Taro cakes.

Mystery in a banana leaf.

Cookies.

Delicious hot fried rice and coconut balls.

All sorts of yummy stuff.