Author Archive for agavin – Page 42

Quick Eats – Tumbi

Jun18

Restaurant: Tumbi

Location: 115 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401. (310) 829-7200

Date: May 14 & 31, 2018

Cuisine: Indian

Rating: Casual modern Indian

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The Santa Monica Promenade is a weird food place. I lived and worked there for decades and have always lived nearby, and some terrible places have lasted for 25 years and good ones fail all the time.

So “interesting” that a modernized craft Indian opened nearby, as that’s a tough sell — even though I love Indian food, it seems that only cheap “buffet driven” Indian places survive, and not in this kind of high rent area.

Attractive frontage.

Modern hipster interior.

The menu.

It has a nice look.

Avocado Bhel Puri. Farmer’s market citrus, rice puff, Indian vermicelli, mint tamarind chili, garlic chutney. This was very tasty, nice textures, although a little carby for me and missing a protein. The avocado helped.

Afghani Seekh Kabob Frankie. Ground lamb, fennel-star anise-ginger rub, tomatillo chutney. This is sort of a contained “plate” with the very mustardy/Indian salad, a touch of raita (yogurt) and what amounts to an Indian burrito or wrap. The lamb was good and the flavors inside, particularly with the raita. I don’t love the wrap format. I hate wraps and consider them a cheapo American sandwich with horrible tortilla instead of bread.

Butter Chicken Tiffin (“full” plate). Boneless leg meat, butter tomato curry, aged safrani basmati rice, dal bhukara, papadum, house salad, achaar. Butter chicken, a close cousin of Chicken Tikka Masala and rice were quite good. But I’ve always hated these Indian “meals” with the tiny little baby metallic containers because you get very little curry. I don’t eat Dal, as it destroys my GI, and the weird fibrous pickles are a favorite of no one who didn’t grow up in India.

A close up of the business end.

And the actual curry.

In the lower right are the pickles (the second time I ordered there was an anemic single chunk). These taste weird and medicinal, although that’s typical of this kind of pickles, but still not welcome. Not sure what you do with them as they are so fibrous you can barely eat them.

The salad has nice greens and a very black mustardy/cumin dusty dry kind of Indian flavored dressing. I liked it, but probably not to most people’s tastes.

Overall, I like the cooking at Tumbi and the flavors, but I don’t like the menu at all. A couple beefs (or lack thereof):

  1. There is NO meat (or fish) on the appetizers, and they are kinda expensive to supplement the mains. The supposed minced lamb on the menu actually has no lamb in it — they have told me twice it’s a miss print!
  2. The “mains” are in the form of 3 form factors: frankie, uttapam, and tiffin. All have a bunch of accompaniments I often don’t want. I don’t really like any of the form factors. I’d much prefer to order decent sized portions of actual dishes/curries. They could easily have both on the menu. I’ll ask them next time if I can, but I bet they refuse. All the form factors have the same basic ingredients and they work passably for lunch for one but would be terrible for multiple people eating as they don’t really share. The actual substance of the tiffin is miniscule.

It was an incredibly gorgeous day and I happened to have my big camera so it deserved some epic 500megapixel panos.

And this even better one.

Looking back at the promenade.
Recently these Bird scooters have taken over Santa Monica so I tried one out for a while after lunch.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Quick Eats – Mondo Taco
  2. Quick Eats – Obica SM
  3. Quick Eats – Orto
  4. Quick Eats: Caffe Delfini
  5. Quick Eats: Chan Dara
By: agavin
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Cui Hua Lou – Szechuan Shed

Jun16

Restaurant: Cui Hua Lou [1, 2, 3, 4]

Location: 920 E Garvey Ave. Monterey Park, CA 91755. 626-288-2218

Date: May 13, 2018

Cuisine: Szechuan Chinese

Rating: Awesome!

ANY CHARACTER HERE

Chinese food is incredible regional, and we are blessed in SoCal with a lot of very specific restaurants (mostly in the San Gabriel Valley). My Hedonist group has returned to this little known spicy Szechuan in the corner of an undiscovered Monterey Park strip mall. We love Szechuan for its spicy/smoky flavors. This is a cuisine that packs a real punch and is one of my favorites in China and CHL is seriously “local.”


The storefront, as usual, isn’t much to look at.


A menu with fairly literal translations.


And the usual minimalist decor.

But we weren’t even in the restaurant proper, but across the parking lot in “the shed.”

Inside they’ve actually cleaned it up (significantly) since last time we were here (2 years ago) — back then there was a bunch of junk in the room including a band saw!

Szechuan pickles. Lots of garlic and some chili oil. Great stuff.

Cold beef tendon with chili. Nice and chewy with that hot chili oil flavor.

Vegetables. For plain steamed veggies these were actually excellent. Mildly pickled.

Cumin mushroom and snausage skewers. The mushrooms are pleasantly chewy and the little dogs delicious and a touch sweet.

Spicy Turtle Hot Pot. This Szechuan stew of turtle, chicken, tofu, and veggies was quite good. Though I’ve had better broth here (with the lame stew) and the turtle meat itself wasn’t doing it for me. I mostly ate tofu, veggies, and the sauce.

Turtle foot!

Lamb and gizzard skewers. Both good.

Szechuan chicken wings!

Sweet and sour pork ribs. Super yummy intense sauced pork niblets (with the bones).

Another view of the lovely room. Again, it’s much nicer now!

MaPo Tofu. A very good rendition of this classic dish.

Shredded potatoes.

Lobster. Not usual at Szechuan places.

Beef with green onions. Very tasty.

Fish filet boiled in chili sauce. The sauce for this dish was much hotter, more numbing, and better than the turtle broth.

Kung pao chicken.

Mixed noodles. We sorta wanted dan dan mein and they brought these, saying they were better. I’m not saying they were better but they were actually really good for this sort of simple fried noodle dish. Really good.

But we got the dan dan mein anyway. Very vinegary version, different, not so nutty, but delicious.

Noodle pull!

Three flavors of gelato by Sweet Milk Gelato (me):

White Chocolate Lime-Berry – lime infused milk blended with Valrhona Ivoire white chocolate and laced with frutto di bosco coulis.

Gianduja – Valrhona chocolate with Hazelnut Regina (the queen) from Turin

Black Madeira – Blackberry Madeira sorbetto

I have to regale you with the lovely bathroom!
Check out the mirror!

In conclusion, Cui Hua Lou, while apparently totally undiscovered, offers up some fabulous traditional Szechuan fare. Yarom thinks this is the best Szechuan in the SGV. I’m not sure I’d go that far, as it’s a little too home-style, but it’s certainly one of my favorites. They don’t use MSG. The flavors are great. It has a slightly different mix of dishes than some. But I like a lot of the top Szechuan places, and they are each a bit different.

The service is really friendly, particularly as Chinese restaurants go. Our hostess really took care of us, spacing out the dishes, bringing us whatever we needed.

We went crazy overboard and ordered up about 50% more food than we needed, still this feast, including tax and tip, only set us back $25 a person! If you like spicy, you should try this place. It’s not big, but it was still busy at 10pm!

For more LA Chinese reviews click here.

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

Wines pictured below:





Related posts:

  1. Serious Szechuan
  2. Spice Up Your Life Szechuan Style
  3. Szechuan Everywhere
  4. Hunan Mao
  5. SGV Nights – Seafood Palace
By: agavin
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CR8 – el Jardin de Frida Kahlo

Jun14

Restaurant: CR8 by Roberto Cortez [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Location: East Los Angeles

Date: May 9, 2018

Cuisine: Modern Art

Rating: Absolutely Amazing

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Roberto Cortez’s CR8 is one of the most stunning dining experiences I’ve been too, and so when after years away from Los Angeles he returned to the city for a 3 night engagement I had to take out a whole night.

Roberto is certainly the most creative and artistic chef I’ve ever had cook for me, which alone would be stunning, but after attending four of his events his food continues to be stunning. Dishes impress for both artistry, complexity, and flavor.

For his latest CR8, Roberto Cortez (left) has teamed up with Matthew Biancaniello (right), a master mixologist, to add a set of elaborate cocktail pairings to Roberto’s stunning cooking.

Tonight’s dinner is themed after Frida Kahlo, the famous Mexican artist (married to fellow artist Diego Rivera). Roberto loves to theme his dinners broadening them from “mere” hedonistic fare into artistic and cultural experiences.

The location is at this old social hall in far east LA, known as the York Manor, a newly renovated historical landmark in Highland Park, California — it was brutally far in traffic (just for the record).

Kinda an interesting building. In maybe not the loveliest neighborhood.

On the left is maestro Roberto Cortez and on the right his cocktail partner in crime, Matthew Biancaniello.

Our evening begins in the garden behind the building.
 With Matthew’s first creation: Stinging Nettle/Bergamot Pimms Cup with stained cucumber slices, beet and tumeric.
This was one of my favorite cocktails of the night as it was a bit sweeter than most (and I have a sweet tooth). Like many, and like many recent dishes and drinks, it features lots of flowers. The color contrasts were stunning and I enjoyed the crunchy cucumbers.


Roberto printed up this stunning — and I really mean stunning — art and information book for the evening.

A little bit about the theme.

Mixing wine and the dizzying array of cocktails isn’t the easiest. I’d pretty much call the evening a wine fail even though the actual wines were great. They blend fine with the food, but just not the bitter notes in the cocktails (which themselves pair with the food).

From my cellar: 1996 Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne. VM 97. Taittinger’s 1996 Comtes de Champagne is another highlight. The flavors are only now beginning to show elements of complexity, a great sign for aging. Gently spiced and buttery notes suggest the 1996 is about to enter the early part of its maturity, where it is likely to stay for another decade or so.

The table setup is lovely – an almost literal garden.

Look at the vaulted space.

Each dish has a lovely conceptual page in the book. Roberto probably shot the photos himself. He’s a fabulous photographer.

Flor de la Vida – White asparagus flower pozole, gelee de maon, pina, jalapeno, bergamot, huacatay.

The first pairing cocktail: Roasted lobster shell infused Aquavit with goat milk, morels, goose barnacles, onion and gruere served warm. Yeah, those are actual ingredients in the drink! It was strong, with a slight sour milkiness. Matthew’s flavors are very complex and it’s sometimes hard to pick out individual elements.

The “soup” for this dish was actually served in this separate “spoon/glass” then merged in:

Like many of Roberto’s dishes the whole was greater than the parts. It was a bit spicy, floral, with strong asparagus and ham notes and even a touch of sweetness. Really fabulous.

The blood symbolizes some of the physical (and spiritual) pain and trauma in Frida’s life, like I imagine her impaling in a 1925 bus accident — very much a bummer, but certainly fuel on her artistic fire!
 Sangre – Red clay beets, beet panna cotta, blood dressing, pickled mustard, raspberry, apple, yogurt, bulls blood. This ain’t your typical beet (I almost typed blood) salad. It was very bright flavored and the mustard seeds were amazing.

Wild bay leaf, Mezcal, papaya, wild juniper infused white balsamic, blended with cacao nibs on top. Potently mezcal!

The cocktails are super interesting but I like the fruit and acid tones of wine — Champagne pairs with everything!

Left some art of my own on the plate.

From my cellar: 2010 Do Ferreiro Albariño Rías Baixas Cepas Vellas. 91 points. Figured I’d need a flexible pairing wine. Dense and buttery nose initially with a hint of boiled eggs (not in a bad way). Complex, salty nose with pronounced minerality, like air by the sea – damp iodine. Also fennel, florals rather than fruits. Concentrated palate with high accidity, also very chalky. There’s tannin of the skin contact and certain filling from it. With time in the glass it develops a very beautiful floral aromatics.

And the pages turn. Sol y Vida – Yeast fermented rice, ember charred liquid mushroom, cepa, coffee, red wine, leek ash. If you look back at previous CR8 dinners you will see variants of this dish, and as always it’s a favorite. The crunch and softness of the rice is wonderful with the coffee/sweet sauce tones.

Four part Caesar Salad with Dolin Blanc Vermouth, Romaine, Parmesan Rind, Anchovy juice and Crouton. Hmmm.

Seb brought (because he only has one white wine): 2013 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis 1er Cru La Forest. VM 91-94. Bright, subdued aromas of pear drop and citrus fruit. Densely packed and saline in the mouth, offering terrific stony energy and depth along with a sexy impression of sucrosite . Still tight, austere and uncompromisingly dry for all its richness. More obviously soil-driven than the foregoing samples–really classic stony Chablis premier cru.

Roberto loves candles. The first dinner I did of his they were popping in the salt all night.

The artist at work.
 Paleta de Colores – Salmon Belly Pop, calamansi miso, chive blossom, chicken skin, XO butter.

I’ve never had salmon in lollipop form before — it ruled. Very soft, but firm enough to pick up, with sweet and tangy and rich notes. The XO butter was amazing.

Sea bean bourbon old fashioned with almond liquer and candy cap angostura bitters and viola ice cube. I like old fashioned’s.

Chastity belt? (couldn’t help myself)
El Secreto – Crab Salpicon, kale, sourdough broth, pumpkin seed, woodruff, poblano. Delicious inside the slightly bitter leaf burrito.

Homemade Mole Liqueur. He infused the Liqueur with dozens of things. Very complex.

1997 M. Chapoutier Côte-Rôtie La Mordorée. VM 90+. Full ruby-red. Black raspberry, black cherry, licorice, mocha and woodsmoke aromas; some high tones. Very rich but currently rather unforthcoming in the middle. Flavors of black cherry and shoe polish. In an awkward stage today, with a bit of edgy acidity.
Best dish coming?

Cocinera Artista – Rose petal mole, lobster, wild scallion root, soft pecan, bound coconut (with the drink in the background).

A close up on the food because this lobster mole was just awesome. Truly stunning flavors, with more than a bit of rose.

Ogo seaweed infused gin smoked garlic, Surinam cherries, parsley. Strong!

Next.
Suenos Liquidos – Barbacoa Liquido, barbacoa bouillon, pinon cream, black salt, tomatoes, brussel sprout leaves, mustard, dill, arugula. This was a reconfigured version of one of my favorite dishes in Liquid Forms, and it was even better here. Very meaty “soup” although fairly salty.

A pretty top view.

Shot of Pechuga Mezcal with Blood Orange reduction , chia, turmeric, wheat grass foam sangrita. So a shot and chaser. Quite strong flavors and high alcohol on the palate.

This Frida painting clearly represents her terrible spinal surgery. Ick. Espinas y Cenizas – Burnt sugarcane duck, sesame prailine, fennel, morel, ginger, coffee, hibiscus, ash, garlic. This dish had a very interesting format where you were supposed to try bites of the duck with each of the “condiments”, each symbolizing an element of Frida’s pain. Quite lovely actually.

Cold Hot Chocolate with tequila, wild black sage, chipotle and rose geranium roasted marshmallows with ash from the Thomas fire and pine pollen. Very strong alcohol flavors.

And finally we reach the dessert stage, which begins with:

Tangerine Lip Balm. Yes, you put on a lip flavor first.
 Mi Bebe – Arroz con leche crema, lavender, almond, canela, aloe vera, tangerine lip balm and lace. An absolutely fabulous creme and fruit type dessert. Very Mexican too.

Aquavit, lavender, calamansi-served warm.

Getting there.
Raices – Porcelana Underground, Chocolate, spruce oil, mushroom flan, malt, pine syrup, nuts. Porcelana is one of the world’s best chocolates. I looked at using some for gelato. It’s 40X as expensive as Valrhona and would require about $440 of chocolate for one batch of gelato — won’t be going there.

Triple Pine Cone Eggnog with Greek Coffee. Wowzer!

Three flavors of gelato by Sweet Milk Gelato (me):

White Chocolate Lime-Berry – lime infused milk blended with Valrhona Ivoire white chocolate and laced with frutto di bosco coulis.

Gianduja – Valrhona chocolate with Hazelnut Regina (the queen) from Turin

Black Madeira – Blackberry Madeira sorbetto

Special coffee cocktail Matthew “whipped up.” Paired very nicely.

Roberto and Larry.

Again Roberto shows off his unique mastery of the culinary arts. His number one strength (and he has many) is his uncanny sense of food harmony. This isn’t laser focused ingredient expression style food like Saison, it’s symphony of flavors. I’d liken it to Mozart too, as it has that rococo lightness, where the complex elements blend together into a lovely whole. This is not easy. Other hyper-intellectual chefs often have discordant notes, like at Maude or Twist or Mugaritz. Nothing stands out of place with Roberto’s cooking. The flavors and textures blend seamlessly.

Matthew Biancaniello’s beverage pairings were really interesting. The man is like Roberto’s liquid twin stylistically. As my wife put it at a previous CR8, “I never imagined drinks could be so creative.”

The whole Frida thematic was as elaborate as Roberto has ever been.

I should also note that because of the cocktails my wine pairing efforts were (way) less successful than at Roberto’s previous meals (Dark Illuminated Forest, Purotekuta, and Savage Romanticism). The strong herbal, alcoholic, and citrus notes in Matt’s drinks, while lovely and evocative themselves, knocked out the fruit sensitivity on my palette. This had the effect of suppressing the sweetness or fruit from the wines and rendering them overly acidic. I don’t think you can easily mix these two beverage profiles at the same time. Personally, although the cocktails are interesting, I’d just go with the wine — I find it more “even” (and less bitter).

Overall, I really adore this sophisticated cooking as its a synergy of the creative, intellectual, and hedonistic!

It’s also worth noting that I had recruited a couple foodie friends who were new to CR8 and they pretty much all declared this one of the best meal experiences of their lives!

A couple of us felt like second dinner — not that we were hungry at all — in fact I was full enough to be nauseous (plus the combo of LOTS of different alcohols) but we wanted to hang out so we went to this Little Tokyo Mall.

Very typical old school LA Japanese Izakaya.

Beef Tataki.

A couple rolls. I really wanted some rolls (for the rice) to settle my stomach. Vegetable roll.

Salmon skin roll or something like that.

Agadashi tofu (fried tofu with ponzu). I always like this dish.

Mushroom tempura.

Some kind of dynamite. Can’t remember.

Check out more of my grand Foodie Club meals.

Related posts:

  1. CR8 – Liquid Forms
  2. CR8 – Savage Romanticism
  3. Bourbon Birthday
  4. Brandon DiFiglio – Post-Maudern
  5. Italian House Party
By: agavin
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The Last of Us II – E3 Gameplay

Jun11

E3 — and my birthday — of courses brings us more The Last of Us part II footage:

The whole boxed by lesbian kiss at a dance aspect is quite interesting, and perhaps new territory for video games. I mean, my all time favorite show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer was the first lesbian kiss on TV (back in S5’s 2001 episode, “The Body”), but I can’t think of a video game treading in this area. The subject convergence of media is here!

And while the small amount of gameplay we do see looks classically TLOU, the melee combat — which by all reports is influenced by some of my all time favorites (Dark Souls & Bloodbourne) — looks a LOT more intense and detailed. I’ll be interested to see how much of that is scripted and how much is under player control. I happen to be about halfway through replaying Dark Souls (I) in it’s remastered form so I’m deeply steeped in some of the best melee combat ever.

Also, as good at TLOU looks, even in remastered, it’ll be exciting to see the made for the PS4 from scratch, particularly given that it’ll take advantage of the extra PS4 Pro horsepower for sure.

Any which way – can’t wait!

TLOU being hands down the best story based video game of all time and a personal favorite of mine means this is right up there as my most eagerly awaited announced game (also pretty psyched for Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, but that will only have cryptic and nonsensical story. haha.)

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Related posts:

  1. The Last of Us – E3 Gameplay Coverage
  2. The Last of Us – 15 min of Gameplay
  3. Naughty Dog News
  4. Dark Souls
  5. Bloodborne – Early Impressions
By: agavin
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Posted in: Games
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Bourbon Birthday

Jun11

Restaurant: Bourbon Steak

Location: 237 S Brand Blvd, Glendale, CA 91210.  (818) 839-4130

Date: May 7, 2018

Cuisine: Steakhouse

Rating: Very good, but perhaps a touch pricey

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Another year, another Chevy birthday dinner!

To celebrate, Seb finally got me to drive all the way across town to Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak — and because of excessive back to back dinners I even had to skip out on Chinese the night before!

Bourbon is right underneath Seb’s condo at the Brand. A great spot — but very far (in rush hour traffic).

The bar area.

And the main dining room.

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.

The amuse here is 3 kinds of fries: cheese, basil, and bbq with respective sauces.

Muffin-like buns.

From my cellar: 2011 Prager Grüner Veltliner Stockkultur Achleiten. AG 92. Luscious aromas of quince, cardamom and pepper are layered over a background of dried pineapple. Rather broad-shouldered in its attack, this veltliner is enormously rich but at the same time complex, juicy and tightly wound, in an unusually refreshing style. Subtle citrus flavors carry well on the finish.

Fresh oysters on the half shell. Champagne Mignonette.

Fresh Alaskan king crab legs. Good, but a small portion for the price.
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Shrimp cocktail. Gin cocktail sauce, dijonnaise (aka mustard and mayo whipped together).

From my cellar: 1995 Robert Ampeau & Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. 92 points. Good again.

From my cellar (somehow I’m always bringing all the white!): 1985 Nicolas Potel Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes. 95 points. Great bottle.

Every Michael Mina place has to have a Lobster Pot Pie!

They cut it open.

And plate the guts, the top, covered in sauce. Delicious, but very pricey at $85 a pie.

2010 Rene Rostaing Côte-Rôtie La Landonne. VM 94.  Inky ruby. Aromas and flavors of dark fruit preserves, candied flowers and smoky herbs, with a bright mineral nuance adding lift. Deeply pitched black and blue fruit flavors show serious depth and structure, picking up spiciness and an exotic floral quality on the back half. Chewy tannins give shape and grip to a strikingly long, powerful and spice-driven finish. Rostaing thinks that it would be a “grave mistake” to broach this wine in its youth and believes that it’s “for the most patient people, not those in a hurry.”

Kagoshima A5 Rib Eye. Real superior wagyu from Japan (the Japanese stuff is by far the best). Nicely seared.

This was a delectable chunk of buttery meat.

2006 Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon RBS Beckstoffer To-Kalon Vineyard. 97 points. Simply singing with wonderful nose and complexity on the palate. Incredible with steak!

2010 Rudd Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Oakville. 97 points.

Austrailan Wagyu tomahawk rib eye.

Another great steak, really perfectly seared.

Grilled broccoli, chili & parmesan.

Crispy Brussels sprout, honey palm syrup.

Black truffle mac & cheese. M&C is always one of my favorite sides.

2013 Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon RBS Beckstoffer To-Kalon Vineyard. 96 points. Clear, deep ruby. Fat legs, suggesting high-alcohol, high-glycerol wine. Clean, pronounced nose of primary and secondary nature, highly complex. Primary notes include black and red super-ripe to jammy fruits: blackberry, prunes, black raspberry, boysonberry, raspberry, red currant, black currant. Eucalyptus, anise, licorice, wet slate. Secondary notes: baking spices, nutmeg, coconut, milk chocolate, high quality coconut powder. On the palate: dry, high acidity, high tannin, high alcohol, full body. The tannins are high, mouth-coating, fine-grained and ripe. The flavors are very pronounced and highly-complex. Primary flavors: jammy boysonberry, cassis, black cherries, ripe raspberry, black mulberry, figs, eucalyptus, mentol and licorice. Secondary flavors: nutmeg, some chocolate and cocoa. Long finish.

2009 Hundred Acre Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Few and Far Between. VM 94. The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Few and Far Between Vineyard has developed beautifully since I last tasted it from barrel. Mocha, espresso, exotic spices and orange peel all come together in this inviting, multi-dimensional Cabernet Sauvignon. Totally alive in the glass, the wine is constantly changing, and reveals different sides of its personality with each taste. Hints of sweet red berries and cloves add complexity on the long, polished finish.

More steak? Maybe a cowboy rib eye?

Brie & Honey. Honey, bee pollen, date, grape, hazelnut.

From my cellar: 1946 Bodegas Toro Albala Don PX Convento Selección. 100 points. So remarkable I give it 101 points. I can’t begin to enumerate the flavors except to say it is a dark peacock’s tail that shimmers and unfurls for minutes. I pity those who give it less than 100 points. What will they ever taste in their lives that is better? Nothing. They are doomed, never to recognize perfection. If you haven’t tried a glass, you must. Nothing more satisfying, saturated, or complex has ever before been bottled.

Root-beer float and cookie.

The bourbon white chocolate sundae. White devil’s food cake, espresso ice cream, bourbon fudge.

Sweet Milk Gelato (made by me). On the left, Pistachio Gelato with pistachios from Bronte Sicily and on the right, Almond Ricotta Gelato, pure ricotta base with sliced almonds.

In the bowl……………..

Above is birthday boy Chevy and his lovely wife Mary.

Bourbon did a great job for the most part. Seb goes there all the time and they really take care of him. They were a bit strapped for stems — which is silly — but that was my only complaint. The food was excellent. Appetizers good but not super unique. Lobster Pot Pie awesome. Steaks absolutely first rate. It did feel a bit pricey on a per dish basis, although splitting steaks like this is always WAY better than the traditional “everyone orders their own steak.” Steak quality was up there with Alexanders.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. 71Above Birthday
  2. BOA Birthday Blitz
  3. Babykiller Birthday
  4. Mary’s Birthday at Mama Lion
  5. Ultimate Pizza – The Birthday
By: agavin
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Valley High

Jun08

Restaurant: OOToro [1, 2, 3, 4]

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

Date: May 5, 2018

Cuisine: Japanese Sushi (with slight nod to China)

Rating: Ends of the earth, but very good

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Chef Kaz of Totoraku, an occasional hedonist, sent us far east to this Sushi restaurant last year and it was such a fun time that we had to return again for a fourth visit.
And by far east I mean REALLY REALLY far east — to Walnut California. 40+ miles from my house. 20 miles past Alhambra (which most people consider to far to drive for food). It took an hour and twenty minutes on a Saturday night!

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

The menu.

For the second time we have the private room which is really the only way to go at oo-toro!

Ron brought: 2006 Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne. VM 97.5. The 2006 Comtes de Champagne is striking, especially in the way it brings together elements of ripeness and freshness in a hypothetical blend of the 2002 and 2004. Smooth and creamy on the palate, the 2006 is all about texture. There is a real feeling of density and weight in the 2006, qualities I expect to see grow with time in the bottle. All the elements fall into place effortlessly. The 2006 has been nothing short of magnificent both times I have tasted it. Comtes de Champagne remains the single best value (in relative terms) in tête de cuvée Champagne. I suggest buying a case and following it over the next 20-30 years, which is exactly what I intend to do. There is little doubt the 2006 Comtes de Champagne is a magical Champagne in the making.

agavin: this wine is sick good, I just ordered another 12-pack.

From my cellar: 2004 Pol Roger Champagne Brut Rosé. VM 93.  Light, bright orange. Intense, spice-accented aromas of candied orange, redcurrant and fresh flowers, with sneaky mineral and leesy notes. Supple and expansive, offering vibrant citrus fruit and red berry flavors with complicating notes of cinnamon and pear skin. Finishes silky and long, with resonating spiciness and excellent clarity.

Edamame.

Akayagara (red cornetfish), which is generally considered distinct from needlefish like sayori

Akayagara sashimi. Nice and light and delectable.

Various sashimi. The Santa Barbara spot prawn was so fresh the head was still squirming! There was oyster, clam, and scallop as well.

White fish flight. Right to left: Golden eye snapper, red snapper, sea bass, and halibut.

2010 Kapcsándy Family Winery Grand Vin Rosé State Lane Vineyard. VM 90. The 2010 Grand Vin Rose is all about texture. A refined, expressive wine, the 2010 stands out for its depth and pure volume. Tobacco, licorice, crushed flowers and spices are some of the many notes that flesh out on the inviting finish. The 2010 is 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot.

Right to left: Shima aji, yellowtail, and kanpachi (wild yellowtail).

Yarom and the waitress.

Showing off the the tuna collar!

1998 Jean Boillot & Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières. VM 89-92. Pungent, bright aromas of lime, apple, nut skin and minerals. Spicy and penetrating; more withdrawn than, and not as rich as, the Clos de la Mouchere and Pucelles but still offers terrific sweetness and fat for the cru. Solidly structured and quite fine.

agavin: a little tired maybe

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

Toro flight! Right to left: blue fin sushi, chu toro, o-toro. All melt in your mouth.

And the crazy good kami-toro (collar). The best toro ever.

2014 Domaine Dublère Chablis Grand Cru Bougros. BH 90-93. This too possesses ample Chablis character with its array of green fruit, tidal pool, citrus and wet stone notes. There is more size, weight and power to the big-bodied flavors that deliver excellent depth and length on the saline-inflected finale. This delicious effort is muscular but stops short of actually being rustic.

Scallops.

2007 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne. BH 93. A toasty, expressive and highly complex nose of pain grillé, green fruit and dried rose petal leads to rich, full, well-muscled and impressively intense full-bodied flavors that possess plenty of dry extract that really coats the mouth on the long and serious finish. This is very Corton-Charlemagne in character and one that should reward mid-term cellaring.

Fried monk fish.

1994 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Clos Windsbuhl Vendange Tardive. 94 points. Excellent VT. Some bottle variation so far, depending on the bottle I would rate this anywhere from 89-94 out of the 4 tried so far, with 93 being a fair mean. Rich gold color, not too sweet, lots of lychee and nectarine on both nose and palate. Weaker bottles have a short finish, but better bottles have full finish. Popular even with those who aren’t familiar with Alsatian VT wines.

Yamakase-style mashup of toro, avocado, uni, and black truffle.

Foie gras and more on a spoon. Rich and delicious.

Fake pinot.

Doesn’t go with sushi.

A5 wagyu from Japan as sushi — amazing too.

The individual cow’s pedigree.

Spot prawn heads (from the sashimi) come back as both prawn miso soup.

And fried prawn head.

This was the last savory course in the medium sized omakase but some of us kept on ordering.

Seafood tempura. They really make a great mixed tempura here with lobster, eel, and more.

Seared toro. Yummy hot fat.

A second — pricey but amazing — wave of all four toro sushis.

2003 Sine Qua Non Chardonnay Mr. K The Noble Man. VM 95-96. Medium gold. Knockout nose offers pure botrytis aromas oforange oil, apricot, clove, marzipan, chocolate and mocha. Extraordinarily thick and honeyed but with bracing acids leavening the flavors of marzipan, coconut, brown sugar andorange rind. Higher-toned than the gewurztraminer, with a spirity suggestion of Gran Marnier. Krankl was about to bottle this. I have rarely tasted such thoroughly botrytized chardonnay. This was picked in three passes in late November. Check out these numbers: 321 grams per liter of sugar, 10.25 grams of acidity, and 10.1% alcohol.

Matcha green tea tiramisu. Nice texture.

Sweet Milk Gelato made by me.

The white one is Almond Ricotta Gelato – pure ricotta base with sliced almonds. Beneath that is Pistachio with pistachios from Bronte Sicily.

The chef came over at the end and tried some of our wines.

Ron also had an open bottle of 1931 Bodegas Toro Albala Don PX Convento Selección — keeps forever and is always amazing.

Overall, OOToro — while always good — showed for the second time that the private room is really the way to go. This was a great meal and much more subtle and sophisticated than some of the previous fare. Really great stuff — although we should have gotten the larger omakase as we were “corralled” into a smaller one and then ended up adding more stuff. The larger one (which I think we had the previous time) would have been more interesting.

After dinner we retreated up the hill to the Courtyard Marriot to drink above the valley. It was a balmy night and this was great fun reminding me of high school.

On the way we grabbed some pastries and salted caramel coffee’s at 85 degrees!

It’s great fun up here, but that drive! It was so far that most of the party slept at the Marriot and turned it into a bunch of meals, massages, and other decadences. I drove home to my lovely wife.

For more LA dining reviews click here,

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

Related posts:

  1. Valley Heat
  2. The High Life – 71Above
  3. Collar the Market — OOToro
  4. Cheeks & Things – OOToro
  5. Why Walnut? — OOToro
By: agavin
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Sage Champagne Nomad

Jun06

Restaurant: NoMad Mezzanine

Location: 11712 San Vicente Blvd.Brentwood, CA 90049 310.826.9222

Date: May 5, 2018

Cuisine: Modern American

Rating: Solid, but Champagne pairings made it tricky

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It was just then days ago that we had the last Sage Society Champagne dinner and here we are at the next one for a combined Vilmart / Pierre Péters dinner! With Rodolphe Péters from Pierre Péters.

The location is the Nomad Mezzanine at the brand (newly renovated) Nomad hotel in DTLA.

And we enter.

The lobby is gorgeous (and expensive). The building was built in the 1920s.

But has been entirely renovated.

There is a hot bar.

And the fancier sit down restaurant upstairs (the Mezzanine).

We had the private room up there.

And this is just a few of our stems.

Cocktail hour wines:

NV Pierre Péters Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut Cuvée de Réserve. BH 91. A discreet nose is almost mute and it requires a certain amount of concentration to discern the cool, airy and ultra-elegant wisps of grapefruit, green apple, yeast and hints of brioche. The clean and sleek flavors are supported by an impressively refined effervescence that adds considerably to the sense of elegance on the agreeably dry but not austere finish. As much as I like the style this is not especially complex (though it’s by no means simple) though it would appear to have the ability to age and thus for those who have the patience, this may be more interesting after a few years of cellar time.

NV Vilmart & Cie Champagne Grand Cellier Brut. BH 91. The current release of Grand Cellier from Vilmart et Cie is comprised of a blend of seventy percent chardonnay and thirty percent pinot noir and is from the base year of 2010, with wines from 2009 and 2008 blended in as reserves. The vins clairs here do not go through malo and the wine spends ten months aging in barrel prior to bottling for extended aging on its lees, which was two and a half years prior to this disgorgement. The wine offers up a superb and very refined nose of apple, white peach, a fine base of soil, gentle smokiness, pastry and a touch of fresh almond in the upper register. On the palate the wine is far less polite than the nose suggests today, with its full-bodied format still a bit youthfully brusque with bracing acids and a bit of non-integrated oak elements, but with a good core and impressive length and grip. The mousse here is very elegant and this wine could seemingly come together seamlessly on the palate with some bottle age, in which case the enormous promise of the nose will be realized on the palate. On the other hand, it has a way to go right now and it is no certainty that the palate will eventually catch up with the superb bouquet. Faith is required, as well as bottle age. This wine has a 93 point nose- let’s hope the palate can play catch up with bottle age!

The table is set.

Our special menu for the evening.

Liz Lee gives the introductions…

To the gang.

Executive Chef Chris Flint.

Rodolphe Péters.

The flights begin.

2013 Pierre Péters Champagne Grand Cru l’Esprit.

2012 Pierre Péters Champagne Grand Cru l’Esprit. VM 92. The 2012 Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Lâ’Esprit is shaping up to be a jewel of a wine. Creamy, ample and expressive on the palate, the 2012 possesses notable breath and immediacy. Hazelnut, dried fruit, spice and toasty notes add to the wineâ’s considerable appeal. The Esprit is a terrific example of the vintage. Dosage is 4 grams per liter. Disgorged December 2016.

2010 Pierre Péters Champagne Grand Cru l’Esprit. VM 91. The 2010 Brut Millésime L’Esprit emerges from parcels Le Mesnil sur Oger, Avize and Cramant. A wine of real depth and density, the 2010 is endowed with explosive energy. The purity and tension of Cotes des Blancs Chardonnay comes through loud and clear. Dosage is 4.2 grams per liter.

Trout with celtuce and lemon vinaigrette. Is that Celtic lettuce? or a hybrid of celery and lettuce? Either way, the smoked trout was great.

2013 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Grand Cellier d’Or. 93 points. White stone fruit, citrus fruit, green apple, almonds, brioche, crushed stones. Well structured and precise on the palate, mineral, vibrant, with good richness of fruit and excellent length.

2012 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Grand Cellier d’Or. VM 91+. Vilmartâ’s 2012 Grand Cellier d’Or is bold, racy and seductive, with all of the radiance of the vintage very much in evidence. Lemon confit, jasmine, vanillin, herbs and dried flowers are all pushed forward. Expressive and inviting, the 2012 will drink well with minimal cellaring. Even so, my impression is that the 2012 will be a bit more giving with further time in bottle. Dosage is 8 grams per liter.

2011 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Grand Cellier d’Or. BH 93. A strikingly elegant and pure if restrained nose combines high-toned wisps of yeast, plenty of citrus elements, green apple and a touch of brioche. The elegance of the nose continues on the beautifully refined flavors that possess a lilting mouth feel thanks to the super-fine mousse, all wrapped in an impressively complex, balanced and harmonious finale that is notably dry but not austere. If your taste runs to sophisticated Champagnes, this would make an excellent choice though I do underscore that this could use a few more years of bottle age.

Foie Gras Terrine. Torchon with strawberry & mustard. Very pretty. The strawberry sauce was maybe a bit tart (IMHO) as a pairing with the ultra-smooth foie.

Great brioche, we have some toast.

2011 Pierre Péters Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée Speciale Blanc de Blancs Les Chetillons.

2010 Pierre Péters Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée Speciale Blanc de Blancs Les Chetillons. VM 93. 2010 Brut Cuvée Spéciale Les Chétillons looks to be a relatively easygoing, approachable version of this reference-point Mesnil Champagne. There is good depth and purity to the flavors, but the 2010 is decidedly delicate and airy in the glass, with mid-weight structure and more openness than is typically the case. Scents of yellow orchard fruit, honey, chamomile and white flowers open up nicely. I donâ’t find the dimension or energy of the finest years. In exchange, though, the 2010 should drink well with minimal cellaring.

2008 Pierre Péters Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée Speciale Blanc de Blancs Les Chetillons. VM 95. The 2008 Les Chétillons seems to slowly be coming out of a period during which is has not been very expressive at all. In the last few months however, the 2008 is showing like it did about two years ago, when it positively sizzled with vintage 2008 cut and tension. Citrus, floral and mineral-drenched notes abound in this captivating Champagne endowed with real Mesnil character.

2006 Pierre Péters Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée Speciale Blanc de Blancs Les Chetillons. VM 95. The 2006 Brut Cuvée Spéciale Les Chétillons wraps around the palate and never lets up. Apricot, peaches, wild flowers, butter and spices all flesh out in a dramatic, structured Champagne endowed with tons of pure energy and volume. Stylistically the 2006 brings together the opulence of the 2002 with the minerality and cut of 2004, a great combination in my book. This bottle was disgorged in March 2013. Dosage was 4.7 grams/liter.

NV Pierre Péters Champagne Grand Cru L’Etonnant Monsieur Victor.

Carrot roasted with wheat-berries. Excellent for carrot. Not the most exciting dish ever created.

2010 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Coeur de Cuvée. 93 points. A little more generous and rounder in comparison, still great structure and freshness. Lots of minerality on nose and palate. The finish is outstanding, very intense and persistent.

2009 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Coeur de Cuvée. VM 94. A racy, exuberant wine, the 2009 Coeur de Cuvée offers up a super-appealing mélange of apricot, butter, baked apple tart and vanillin. The combination of the ripe, warm vintage along with fermentation and aging in small French oak barrels yielded an especially opulent Coeur de Cuvée with plenty of exotic and tropical overtones. The 2009 will be ready to drink with minimal cellaring. Disgorged March 2016. Dosage is 8 grams per liter.

2008 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Coeur de Cuvée. VM 95. A wine of crystalline energy and tension, the 2008 Brut Coeur de Cuvée is utterly captivating from the first taste. The flavors are bright, lifted and finely sculpted throughout. White peach, mint, flowers and white pepper add intriguing aromatic top notes, but it is the wine’s salivating focus and cut that elevate it. The Brut Coeur de Cuvée emerges from old vines in the Blanches Voies Hautes lieu-dit in Rilly-la-Montagne. The 2008 is going to need at least a few years to come into its own, but it is a real beauty, even at this early stage. Dosage is 8 grams per liter.

2007 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Coeur de Cuvée. VM 95. Interestingly, the 2007 Coeur de Cuvée comes across as a bit more youthful than the 2008 tasted alongside it. Another year in bottle seems to have only brought out the wine’s freshness and energy. Freshly cut flowers, pears, mint and almonds are some of the signatures, but it is the wine’s vivacity that I find most striking today. The 2007 is a bit less creamy and multi-dimensional than the 2008, but it is impressive just the same.

Seared Striped bass with hen of the woods, amaranth & sorrel. Interesting sauce flavor but very nice piece of fish.

The glasses keep growing!

2002 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Coeur de Cuvée. VM 94. The exuberance of the year comes through in the 2002 Brut Premier Cru Coeur de Cuvee. Explosive and gloriously ripe, the 2002 walks the razors edge of power and subtlety with a level of grace that is utterly remarkable. At the same time, the style is unmistakably Vilmart.

1998 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Coeur de Cuvée. VM 93. Vivid gold. Exotic, intensely perfumed scents of peach, mirabelle, magnolia and cinnamon, with a smoky minerality that gains strength with aeration. The smokiness carries onto the palate, which features gently sweet pit fruit flavors and firm mineral backbone. Very rich but surprisingly weightless, finishing with good snap and spicy persistence.

1995 Pierre Péters Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée Reserve Familiale Blanc de Blancs Les Chetillons — so rare you can’t even find anything about it online!

1985 Pierre Péters Champagne Blanc de Blancs Reserve Familiale — you don’t see this every day!

Seared Poularde with turnips & sesame. This was the best dish (or maybe the trout), a very nice chicken.

NV Pierre Péters Champagne Brut Rosé for Albane. VM 92. The 2014 Rosé Albane is a big step up from the 2013 in terms of richness and overall intensity. There is a real sense of breath to the 2014, and yet the wine has plenty of brightness and tension as well. This is the first vintage made with the addition of saignée of Meunier vinified by Jean-Baptiste Geoffroy.

2011 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Grand Cellier Rubis. 91 points.

Cheese. Moser screamer, cinderella, & pecorino (with more brioche). Very nice hunks of cheese.

And even more glasses!

Have a few champs. I think a bottle or 2 even got left out!

I wasn’t blown away by the Nomad Mezzanine food at this meal. It’s tricky, because they were struggling to find the intersection between their menu and the all Champagne pairing — leaving the “proteins” a bit bland. I’ll have to try the normal menu.

The wine was awesome, of course. I actually found that I liked the Vilmart slightly better (not that the Pierre Péters wasn’t fabulous also). But the Pierre Péters is all Chardonnay and very linear — which I normally like. But my taste buds were in a weird spot due to allergies and I liked the broader Chardonnay / Pinot blend of the Vilmarts.

The organization, service, company and all that for the evening was spectacular. Liz always throws an amazing event and this was no exception. There were all sorts of interesting technical tidbits from the winemaker and other professionals in the house. Great fun.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Elite Champagne Brunch
  2. Sage at Oliverio
  3. Sage at Rossoblu
  4. Art and Ruinart
  5. Taittinger in Bel Air
By: agavin
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Hunan Mao

Jun04

Restaurant: Hunan Mao

Location: 8728 Valley Blvd, Rosemead, CA 91770. (626) 280-0588

Date: April 29, 2018

Cuisine: Hunan Chinese

Rating: Good, but not super super spicy

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My wife and son were out of town this Sunday in a school trip so of course I had to organize a bunch of dads (and others) to head out to the SGV for some “real Chinese (food).”

Hunan Mao is probably the second best known SGV Hunan restaurant and somehow I’d never been, so we decided to rectify that.

Crunchy pickled radish with chili on the table.

The giant Menu

I needed a crib sheet to organize the ordering!

Giant Steamed Fish Head Casserole w/ Special Hot Pepper and Tofu.This is a Hunan classic, with the pickled chili peppers, and the tofu takes it to the next level (I like this kind of soft tofu).

Beef served cold with special spicy sauce. Everything seems to be “special” but this is the relatively usual beef/beef tendon with chili oil. Like spicy corned beef!

Cold noodles. With special chili sauce, of course. Very nice tangy/spicy noodles.

XLB. These aren’t Hunan, but I had to order them anyway. They were pretty decent XLB too.

Smoked Hunan ham with bamboo and hot pepper. Really good, really aromatic dish. The bacon-like ham, the crunchy bamboo, the pickled chilies. Yum! All bound together by a deep heat.

House Special Chicken with hot sauce. This is the Hunan Mao version of the “most typical” Hunan Chili dish. Not as crazy red/green chili as at Hunan Chili King.

Eggplant with preserved egg. This unusual dish (which I’ve had once before at China Tasty) has spectacular umami. Everyone loved it.

Mao’s Special Braised Pork Belly. So good we ordered another round of it!

Cumin Lamb. More peppers — plus cumin and lamb.

 

These black plates make for nice photography.

Hunan style bullfrog with chilies. Same chilies as the chicken — different “white meat.” The frog actually had a better flavor. More little bones.

MaPo Tofu (pocked marked old lady face tofu). One of my favorites, and technically Szechuan, but this was a very good version with lots of salty/numbing/spicy goodness. And a MaPo zoom.

A trio of gelato flavors made by me (in my alto ego as the Sweet Milk Gelato chef). Lavender Blueberry Gelato, Pineapple Rosemary Sorbetto, and Brillat-Savarin Gelato with Sicilian Candied Orange.

Overall, Hunan Mao is very good and they really treated us well. We had a nice big table, great service, and no corkage. The price was ludicrously low considering how much food we had. Food is very good. Certainly quite Hunan, and medium spicy (very spicy for the neophyte). They aren’t as “serious” about their chilies as Hunan Chili King, which is still the SGV Hunan gold standard. HCK is hotter, and the chilies have both brighter red/green/orange color and a more serious pickled quality. But Hunan Mao (the former chairman came from Hunan province) has a lot of good variety and some really tasty dishes.

It wasn’t a serious wine night, but I photoed most of them the same:







For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Hunan Chili Madness
  2. Hedonists Hunan Style
  3. SGV Nights – Seafood Palace
  4. Shaanxi Garden
  5. Fancy Feast – Bistro Na
By: agavin
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LQ Seafood Tower

Jun02

Restaurant: Laurent Quenioux [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

Location: Near Pasadena

Date: April 25, 2018

Cuisine: Modern French

Rating: Truffles!

_

Six and a half years ago Foodie Club co-organizer Erick and I put together one of our more legendary dinners, the Bistro LQ Trufflumpagus. Ever since then we periodically trek out to visit our friend Chef Laurent for some kind of extravaganza — and tonight it’s his legendary seafood tower — plus tons of other goodies.

Chef Laurent Quenioux grew up in Sologne, France, where he developed a passion for food. As a young boy, Quenioux and his father would hunt duck, partridge, and rabbit. Then, he and his mother would prepare her favorite recipes in the kitchen. Eventually, Quenioux left home to embark on an apprenticeship where he trained in some of Europe’s finest kitchens. Quenioux spent time at Maxim’s, Bistro De Paris and La Ciboulette in Paris, before moving on to Negresco in Nice and LaBonne Auberge in Antibe.

In the early 1980s, Quenioux made a move to the United States with a team from L‘Oasis at La Napoule to open The Regency Club in Los Angeles. In 1985, he introduced the celebrated and award-winning 7th Street Bistro in downtown Los Angeles. In the early 2000s, Quenioux debuted the cozy Bistro K in Pasadena and in 2009, Bistro LQ in Beverly Hills. At Bistro LQ, Quenioux set new standards for cuisine in Southern California with his Farmer’s Market-driven kitchen and an emphasis on value and fun.

These days Laurent mostly hosts popups in his own backyard! We took the whole evening for some epic craziness. Some of my friends visiting from the Netherlands are pictured above.

A serene environment.

From my cellar: 2015 Jacques Perritaz Cidrerie du Vulcain Apple Transparente.

Erick designed our special menu.

Erick brought: 1996 de Venoge Champagne Brut Louis XV. 91 points. A bit over the hill.

Bread with flavored Normandy butters.

From my cellar (to pair with Foie): 1990 Royal Tokaji Wine Co. Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos Betsek. RJ 93.  From 500 ml – light medium orange brown color with dark orange lights; very aromatic, mature, orange marmalade, baked apricot, light mushroom, light tobacco, smoky orange syrup nose; mature, tasty, orange marmalade, baked apricot, light mushroom, light tobacco, smoky orange syrup, blood orange, orange honey palate with medium-plus acidity; very long finish 93+ points

Sautéed Foie Gras. Mangoes, ginger, Green bar distillery Vodka jus. An incredible (and huge) chunk of the decadent liver.

From my cellar: NV Drappier Champagne Rosé Brut Nature Dosage Zero. BH 90. The color is paler than that of the regular brut rosé. A pretty and slightly more elegant nose features a similar aromatic profile but with more evident yeast character. There is fine intensity to the delicious and vibrant flavors that are supported by a firm and definitely finer mousse, all wrapped in a bone dry and youthfully austere finish where a hint of bitter cherry pit appears. This won’t be for everyone as the dryness is pronounced; I happen to like it but it would be fair to say that this is not a charmer. With that said, a few years of bottle age should serve to round off the austerity and add a bit of depth as well.

From my cellar: 2012 Prager Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Achleiten. AG 90. The restrained nose slowly reveals apple, orange zest, white pepper and wet slate. A taut spine gives lift to the rich texture, but the melon fruit and dried spice flavors are still tightly sealed. Well-balanced and showing noteworthy depth and structure, this veltliner is only just beginning to show its refreshing drinkability.

Toast with Dungeness Crab Rouille and avocado. Super crab salad avocado toast!

Haddock Branade. I love smoked haddock.

Main Lobster brioche. Like a lobster roll in a (big) bite.

From my cellar: 2012 Prager Riesling Federspiel Steinriegl. 95 points.

Scallops Ceviche Tostada.

Spot prawns. Would you believe that everything you just say was all part of the FIRST (of 9!) courses? These were sort of like the sweet shrimp sushi with fried head — but all on one plate. Delicious.

From my cellar: 2014 Királyudvar Furmint Tokaji Sec. 90 points. Dried apple, and then some fruit, and kinda delicious.

Someone else brought this funny cloudy California white.

Puff pastry with wild mushroom, dill, and seafood mixto. Awesome! Like a mini lobster pot pie.

Clam nage with sorrel. Amazing clammy broth.

Soft shell crab (fried of course).

Grilled Monterey Bay Squid with green garlic. This dish I didn’t love as it with very briny.

Manilla Clams with Chorizo and Epazote. Amazing clam and sausage. Laurent’s clams are great.

1990 Domaine Fabien Coche Meursault 1er Cru Charmes. 93 points. Coche from another mother.

From my cellar: 1985 Nicolas Potel Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes. 88 points. Not the best of my bottles from this batch. This one not dead yet but it had lost most of that zippiness. All fatness, honeycomb and butterscotch. For those who like really mature white burg this may still be ok but if you are sensitive to oxidation then it really is time to drink up unless you lucked out with some very pristine bottles.

Now comes the main event, the incomparable seafood tower

But first the sauces: mustard, aioli, horseradish, spicy mayo, mignonette.

The top level with crabs, lobster, clams, prawns, crayfish and more.

And we continue down to the bottle level with abalone, clams, oysters, winkles, and more.


And we had one for two people!

There was fresh uni too. And at this point, my flash batteries went out (eek) and I stupidly had no backups in my bag, so the photos are much higher ISO. This is how I left MY tower.

This is how everyone else left theirs. Wimps!

From my cellar: 2009 Chapelle St. Theodoric Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Sablons. AG 91. Deep ruby. Redcurrant and cherry scents are complemented by dried rose and garrigue A juicy, red-fruited midweight, accented by a slightly tart edge to its tangy cherry and floral pastille flavors. The brisk finish offers good clarity and cut, with silky tannins arriving late.

Apricot Lane Farms Spring Lamb 3 Ways. Braised lamb neck spring roll, lamb “noisette”, roasted lamb shoulder, preserved lemon emulsion, ras el hanout scented cordycep, dates puree with cumin. The spring roll was the best part.

Someone brought this Spanish.

Braised Wagyu Miyazake Short Rib. Bourguignon Style. Pasta Handkerchief, confit cipollini onions & green garlic, black chanterelles.

I think Larry brought the Penfolds Pinot Noir Bin 23.

Mini Cassoulet. Tarbais Beans slow cooked for 7 hours, Toulouse Sausage, garlic sausage, duck leg confit, smoked pork belly bacon style, confit duck gizzard. This dish is also a stunner. One of Laurent’s specialties and well worth it for the sausage alone!

Les Fromages.

Trio of Sweet Milk Gelato (made by me) plated by Laurent. Flavors are: Pineapple Rosemary Sorbetto, Lavender Blueberry Gelato, and Brillat-Savarin Gelato with Sicilian Candied Orange

Chocolate Cremeux. White chocolate coconut cheese cake, coconut ice cream, matcha meringue, chocolat chips. Laurent is amazing with these kind of desserts — basically a chocolate coconut cheesecake, but deconstructed into many textures.
 On the right is Chef Laurent and behind him his busy crew.

This was another seriously epic night. We didn’t go too crazy with the wines since there were a lot of non wine people — there were plenty bottles, but more “normal” wines for us — but the food was absolutely over the top both in quantity and quality. Bravo Laurent.

For more LA Foodie Club dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. SGV Nights – Seafood Palace
  2. Top Island Seafood
  3. New Bay Seafood
  4. Lincoln Seafood Restaurant
  5. Shanghai #1 Seafood Village
By: agavin
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Art and Ruinart

May31

Food: Petrossian Beverly Hills

Location: Gallery on Robertson Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90048.

Date: April 23, 2018

Cuisine: Caviar +

Rating: Great food

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Liz Lee of Sage Society organizes some of the best wine maker dinners. Tonight’s showcases Ruinart Champagne.

While the food is from Petroissian down the street (yay caviar), the actually event location is actually at LeClaireur, a private gallery space.

We wind upstairs through the chic and elegant gallery to find this lovely spot.

And the impeccably set table.

A wider view.
It’s about 2 seconds before our first glass of Ruinart — poor us.

Photos so well in these surrounds.

And whoever uses these artsy glasses must have a very careful dishwasher — we didn’t dare.

Love the colors.

The evening even included some lovely modern violin.

Our menu for tonight.

Reception was covered by NV Ruinart Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut (which I subsequently bought a bunch of). VM 92. Pale yellow. Complex, high-pitched aromas of orange zest, lemon pith, iodine, smoky minerals, anise and jasmine. Sappy and tactile on the palate, offering impressive volume to its ripe citrus and orchard fruit flavors accented by smoke and minerals. Finishes tangy and long, with lingering smokiness and an echo of anise.

Smoked salmon with crème fraiche on cucumber.

Caviar with crème fraiche on blinis — had about 10 of these.

Read to sit.

Even smells great.

The incomparable Liz Lee, owner of Sage Society gives a bit of an introduction. She really knows how to put together an event where all the details are perfect.

This lovely woman is Julia Fitzroy, Western Regional Director of Ruinart/Dom Perignon.

And here is Ruinart Chef de Cave, Frédéric Panaiotis. He filled us in on all sorts of interesting details about Ruinart winemaking. I find these dinners are a great opportunity to explore the diverse individual house styles in Champagne.

And organizing the wine service is my friend Jeridan, who is now the brand ambassador for Ruinart!

The crew at the table.

Can’t resist another flower photo.

2006 Ruinart Champagne Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs. VM 96+. One of the highlights among this year’s new tête de cuvée releases, 2006 the Brut Blanc de Blancs Dom Ruinart is a powerful, almost tannic Champagne built on structure and intensity. Then again, much of the Chardonnay here comes from the Montagne de Reims, where wines tend to naturally be quite broad. Even though it’s now ten years old, the 2006 is much less expressive than either the 2002 or 2004 at a similar stage. I expect it will be quite a few years before the 2006 is truly ready to drink. Over the years I have been fortunate to taste Dom Ruinart back to the 1970s, and while I don’t think the 2006 will need decades to be at its best, it certainly does look like a long distance runner. There is plenty of citrus and floral driven intensity, although the bouquet is less toasty and open than it often is. In short, the 2006 Dom Ruinart is a wine for those who can be patient. It will be a fine investment for those looking for a wine to cellar to commemorate special occasions.

Petrossian Caviar Tasting Flight!

I wish I had written down the 6 varieties of caviar. The strongest, briniest was my favorite — but I like full flavor.

All were great though, and of course a perfect pairing with the champagne.

2004 Ruinart Champagne Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs. VM 94. Vivid yellow. Pungent, heady aromas of ripe pear, orange pith, brioche and toasty lees, with a stony nuance adding lift and urgency. Smooth and expansive on the palate, offering intense citrus and orchard fruit flavors that pick up minerality and smokiness with air. Finishes sappy, penetrating and very long, with slow-building sweetness and a note of buttered toast.

Blue Crab, avocado, grapefruit, tarragon. Wow, what a dish. Look at that giant pile of the best Petrossian caviar.

And a bunch of blue crab below. This was killer!

2004 Ruinart Champagne Dom Ruinart Brut Rosé. VM 95. A wine of exquisite beauty, the 2004 Dom Ruinart Brut Rosé has the pedigree to drink well for several decades. The 2004 is an especially vinous, textured Rosé. The berry, floral, spice and mineral-drenched flavors are finely sketched in this dramatic, strikingly beautiful Rosé from Ruinart.

Raviolo. Morels, English Pea Puree, Parmesan. The only bad thing about this dish was that there was only one raviolo! Otherwise, it was pretty much perfect.

NV Ruinart Champagne Brut Rosé. VM 92. Light orange. Sharply focused red berry and tangerine scents are complicated by suggestions of allspice and cinnamon, with a hint of smokiness in the background. Sappy and minerally on the palate, offering fresh strawberry and blood orange flavors lifted by juicy acidity. Packs a serious punch but carries no excess weight and finishes stony and very long, with echoing red berry character.

Scallops, lobster sauce, roasted fennel. Another amazing dish.

1998 Ruinart Champagne Dom Ruinart Brut Rosé. VM 94. (85% chardonnay from grand crus in the Cotes des Blancs and Montagne de Reims and 15% grand cru pinot noir from Sillery and Verzenay that was made as still wine and blended into the final cuvee ; Lot AGBEA0): Orange-pink. Pungent aromas of dried red berries, orange zest and buttered toast, with a suave floral overtone. The palate offers smoky, expansive strawberry and candied citrus fruit flavors, plus suggestions of rose pastille, brioche and iodine. Finishes smoky, spicy and very long, with excellent clarity and an echo of juicy red berries.

So good I actually bought a magnum!

1988 Ruinart Champagne Dom Ruinart Brut Rosé. VM 91. The 1988 Dom Ruinart Rosé is totally surprising,. Sweet tobacco, worn-in leather, earthiness, bramble and dried cherries meld together in the glass. The aromas and flavors are fully developed, yet the wine retains incredible density and pure power. Readers who enjoy fully mature Champagnes will adore the 1988 Dom Ruinart Rosé. The 1988 needs to be drunk sooner rather than later, as there is no upside from keeping bottles further. This is a rare vintage in which acidity was higher than alcohol!

Salmon, roasted rainbow carrots, carrot orange beurre blanc. A lovely butter poached salmon.

Speaking of salmon, look at the color of these champagnes.

Tete de Moine. Special “head of the monk” cheese. I’d never had this particular one of France’s 500+ cheeses. I liked it a lot and the texture was very interesting.


I even got a second chunk by having Frédéric show me “how” the flower-like shape is made.

Running out of steam and a lot of Champagne later.

The full lineup.

Another stellar dinner from Liz and Sage Society! Very educational with Frédéric Panaiotis there and the way in which Liz has arranged the wines. The gallery setting tonight was extra lovely and really took the whole event to the next level.

And Liz does an absolutely amazing job with the food pairings. Petrossian’s food was amazing tonigt. Particularly the crab dish which was incredible. I’ll have to go back with a smaller group to Petrossian proper.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Drappier at Petrossian
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  4. Newest Oldest Sushi
  5. Salt’s Cure
By: agavin
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Night + Market + Sahm

May28

Restaurant: NIGHT + MARKET Sahm

Location: 2533 Lincoln Blvd, Venice, CA 90291. (310) 301-0333

Date: April 21 & November 8, 2018

Cuisine: Thai

Rating: Good food, long lines, hipster clientelle

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I’ve been meaning to try Night + Market for years — since they opened — but I never made it out to the Hollywood location.

So it’s great they opened one here in Venice, just a block from my friend Avi’s awesome Indian restaurant, Akbar.

The interior is like the fantasy of a kitchy beach Thai restaurant in Thailand. And in fact it is a beach Thai restaurant, just not in Thailand. But they certainly didn’t pull out the big bucks for all the plastic beads and Christmas lights. We waited about 45-50 minutes and we were fairly lucky, it looked like some people would be waiting easily over an hour.

The seating is very casual as well.

The menu is also formatted like a real Thai place, although the specific dishes are definitely California interesting.

There is only one beer on the menu, and they seem to be pushing wine — unusual for Thai.

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Papaya salad. A bit spicy. Light and delicious.
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World famous fried chicken sandwich. Chiengrai-style fried chicken thigh, papaya slaw, home-made ranch dressing, jalapeno, cilantro, tomato. Like a high(er) end Thai McDonald’s fried chicken sandwich! Haha.

Larb gai. Minced chicken, lime, fish sauce, rice powder, chili, cilantro, onion, spicy!

Classic spicy, salty, tangy, larb.

Coconut sticky rice. I love this

P.D.P. Peking Duck Pizza. Roast duck, garlic ginger hoisin, marinated shitake mushrooms, and mozzarella on grilled roti bread topped with green onion, sambal, and wonton chips.

Pork toro. Grilled fatty pig neck, salty like bacon, served with spicy ‘jaew’ northeastern chili dip. Chewy pork meat with that fat and tendon thing. Very tasty though.

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Pastrami pad kee mao. Spicy drunken noodles with decadent Langer’s pastrami. Spicy! This was a fabulous combo of the pan fried rice noodles and the pastrami. Those green round things are pepper corns and VERY spicy. Great dish.

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Khao soi rib. Mae sai curried noodles with pork spare ribs. I love Khao soi as it combines two of my favorite things: noodles and curry. This one was late (I think the server forgot it) but worth it. Nicely spicy, with lots of flavor. More a yellow curry than a red one.

Overall, I very much enjoyed Night + Market. Maybe not the wait out front, which was, for what it was, handled excellently, but certainly the food. It was pretty loud in there with lots of young Venice hipsters. Food was really tasty. Quite spicy. Certainly the best Thai I’ve had on the westside. I wish they were open at lunch. Might not be too bad on a weekday night though, hard to tell. But they don’t take reservations and it’s so loud, so would be hard to do a wine dinner there.

They are now open for lunch — which is great. I’ll have to go more often. Could even do at the end of one of my bike rides.

Also as a side note, testing out the iPhone X using Lightroom Mobile and raw to try to get better photos out of it — of course not nearly as good as my big Canon. Some of the daytime photos (from November) were on the iPhone XS (considerably better camera).

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

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By: agavin
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Big Guns at Providence

May26

Restaurant: Providence [1, 2, 3, 4]

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

Date: April 21, 2018

Cuisine: Cal French

Rating: Awesome food

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Foodie Club core members Fred and Erick wanted an excuse to open some of our really serious whites and so we set up another Providence meal.



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

The bar has this blue and gold thing going on.

Tonight Erick, Fred, and I decided to go with “big gun” white Burgs.

From my cellar: 2009 Coche-Dury Meursault Les Rougeots. VM 94. Deep but bright aromas of crushed stone and cherry-almond. Fat and opulent; stuffed with soft citrus, spice and stone flavors. A wine of impressive volume, power and fullness but rather backward today. Finishes with lovely balance and superb length. Despite the wine’s sheer size and ripeness, the <em>terroir</em> of Rougeots dominates the vintage.

Erick brought: 2002 Domaine d’Auvenay (Lalou Bize-Leroy) Meursault Les Narvaux. VM 92+. Pale yellow. Perfumed nose combines minerals, flint, smoke and a roasted nuance. Superconcentrated yet downright elegant, with strongly mineral flavors of lemon and liquid stone. Finishes with superb length and lemony cut.

agavin: these official scores do not reflect the (superlative) quality of these serious whites from one of Burgundy’s best producers.

Fred brought: 1999 Domaine d’Auvenay (Lalou Bize-Leroy) Auxey-Duresses Les Boutonniers. sadly, this bottle was corked 🙁

The white lineup.

We bought this off the list because it was below retail (due to recent inflation of Liger).

2015 Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair Vosne-Romanée La Colombiere. VM 91. Healthy red-ruby. Blackberry and black raspberry aromas are complicated by a gamey nuance. Plush and classically dry, with smoky and saline qualities and a touch of animal fur reduction that currently blocks the wine’s fruit. This, too, will be racked soon.

Fred’s backup: 1985 Maison Leroy Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru La Richemone. BH 91. A highly expressive and nicely airy nose offers up notes of sous bois, spice and warm earth that merge seamlessly into delicious, round and impressively complex medium full flavors that are still underpinned by noticeable if integrated tannins that are mildly rustic on the focused and persistent finish. This is a most satisfying if not especially elegant wine that should continue to drink well for years to come. In a word, lovely. Note that this bottle was definitely fresher than another that I tried in four years ago.

The menu we ordered tonight.

Amuse of crudites. Mussels and various root vegetables (like radishes) along with a bit of dipping sauce.

A dash of soup.

Crab tarts — delicious.

Oyster bites.

Wagyu “cigars.” Amazing.

Scallop, geoduck, sea beans, caviar.

A bit of a zoom in so you can see it better. Notice the generous blob of caviar. And I guess those little green things are the sea beans. This was certainly a nice bite with real brine and interesting textures.

Providence has nice house-made bread.

And Normandy Butter, although it was a bit cold.

I took all the bread types.

Spider crab, truffle butter, crab-infused soy milk. This looks like a ravioli, but the pasta is actually a bean curd made from soy milk. The whole thing was delicious.

Spot prawn with xo. The head was good for sucking out the juices.

But the caviar studded body was the real winner. Absolutely delicious, particularly with the salty, umami-laden xo sauce.

Black mouth chinook salmon, shunkyo radish, nasturtium, vadouvan. Everyone loves nasturtium these days. Very nice delicate salmon.

Black cod, Japanese turnip, clam, ginger. Straight fish dishes like cod are sometimes boring, but the clam brought out some complexity.

Duck & sweet pea tortellini, duck heart, mushroom consommé. A very lovely “French” take on tortellini en brodo.

Foie gras supplement, with olives and almonds. One wouldn’t have thought that olives and almonds was a good foie pairing but this was a first rate dish.

A5 Wagyu, delta asparagus, coastal onion, lime. A nice hearty rich slab of beef.

Providence has a real cheese cart.

And a more frontal look.

Bread for the cheese.

Our custom cheese plate of strong and gooey (for the most part) cheeses with some scrumptious condiments.

Ginger, tomato, soy. An unusual dessert flavor pairing but totally worked.

Rhubarb, creme fraiche, meringue. A bit like strawberry rhubarb and cream. Very tart and a lovely combo.

Bergamot, assam, alpaco. These “rocks” were ice cream and absolutely delicious — although very unique and herbal in flavor.

Petit fours of macarons, gels, and chocolates. All unusual.

A little breakfast cake to go.

This was a great night and lots of fun. It was also the best meal I’ve ever had at Providence and really first rate. Tonight’s dishes were delicious and memorable. Maybe not as memorable as dishes at the very best restaurants, but way more so than I usually find Providence dishes. Plus our service was impeccable and our wines amazing — if we do say so ourselves.

After growing used to the more rustic and less buttery more casual places that dominate LA these days Providence does feel a bit old school. But I still like the tasting format, particularly in Europe at playful top places like Azurmendi and they are clearly still changing things up on a continual basis.

For more LA dining reviews click here,

Related posts:

  1. The Power of Providence
  2. Persistent Providence
  3. Burgundy at Providence
  4. Mega Melisse
  5. Last Minute Shunji
By: agavin
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K-Zo Long Later

May23

Restaurant: K-Zo Sushi

Location:9240 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232. (310) 202-8890

Date: April 18, 2018

Cuisine: Japanese Sushi

Rating: Solid mid end sushi

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Back in the Flektor days (2007 and 2008) I used to go to K-Zo as it was the only sushi place in Culver City (where our offices were). At the time I thought it was fine, if not particularly memorable. I hadn’t been in 10 years, but a friend of mine wanted to go so let’s look at it with fresh eyes.

The chef himself. We ordered the omakase — as that’s the only way to go.

First trio.

Japanese scallop.

Red Snapper.

Mackerel.

A bit of cooked mushrooms.

Second trio.

Bonito maybe, or another meaty fish.

Salmon.

Baby squid.

Sweet shrimp with the head fried. All at the same time, which is convenient.

Toro. Always great.

Another set.

Some charred white fish.

And a different one.

Kohada or something in that family.

A pair of uni.

Santa barbara uni.

Japanese Hokkaido uni.

Toro taku handroll. Always love these.

Blue crab handroll.
A bit of fruit.

Overall, K-Zo was quite solid. Pretty straightforward real LA style sushi (i.e. a good bit of ponzu) with high quality fish and a solid nigiri presentation. Maybe a hair better than Sasebune and not quite as good as, but more reasonably priced, than nearby Zo. I’d certainly dig into this fish again and I’m a big fan of straight nigiri like this.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

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  4. Shunji Sushi – Nonstop Nigiri
  5. Let’s Go Again
By: agavin
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Day of the Dumplings

May21

Restaurant: Long Xing Juicy Dumpling

Location: 140 W Valley Blvd, San Gabriel, CA 91776.  (626) 307-1188

Date: April 14 and June 22, 2018 and January 27 & March 30, 2019 and July 15, 2023

Cuisine: Northern Chinese Dumplings

Rating: Great dumplings and tons of variety

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As any loyal reader knows, the SGV is my favorite dining zone. It’s amazing how many Los Angelenos aren’t aware of the mecca for Chinese Food and culture. The SGV has a feel and style that is entirely unique, entirely Southern California, but very different and quite Chinese. Today we head out for a multi-stop lunch extravaganza. Many of the participants were doing a 48 hour “staycation” out here. I just went out for a couple hours.

Welcome to the Maxi-Mall. The California Mini-Mall’s GIANT SGV cousin.

Entering the 2 level maxi.

A view of part of it from upstairs.

Juicy Dumpling is upstairs. You could spend all day in this mall, there are so many restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries, and massage places.

Juicy is home to the jumbo dumpling with a straw, which is a bit of a gimmick.


The big menu.

You order by sheet. I filled out 4 sheets for waves of orders in advance, as I am a pro Chinese Food orderer.

The nice but typical room.

Our big table.

And the glassed in dumpling workshop!

Just like the pasta room at Felix!

We had to sneak the wine under the table — literally.

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Smashed Cucumber Salad. Very tasty version. Tons of garlic and an almost sunomono-like sweet vinegar marinate.
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Cold Beef Shank. Pretty much as you’d expect.

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Deep Fried Crispy Eel. I liked this dish a lot, but it was many people’s least favorite as it was oily, fishy, very crispy, and sweet. Unusual combos for “white folk.” An advanced dish.

As was Preserved Egg with Tofu. But the pros like Yarom and I agreed this was a great dish. Really interesting and fabulous combination of soft cool tofu with salty umami 1000 year-old egg and what’s probably taro powder. Sort of a salty/sweet and smooth/dry soft/firm poles of taste experience.

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Smoked Fish. Sweet, crispy, dry/wet, and delicious. Like the Shanghai version.

House Cold Spare Ribs. The delicious sweet red Chinese pork.

Giant Crabmeat Juicy Dumpling (6/22/18). You eat this with a straw! People said this was a gimmick, but the slurry of crab and pork inside this thing was to die for. And after you burn your tongue slurping it out you can cut it up and eat the shell like pasta.
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Straw baby!


Me slurping!

Sweet Pork XLB (xao lao bao). Also known as Juicy Pork Dumpling. Really nice version of the classic. Soft skin. Juicy. Good filling. Maybe not as good as a Din Tai Fun, but great still. We actually ordered two types — savory and sweet. Never had the sweet before (pictured above).
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Savory pork XLB. The classic every other place with XLB has.

Pork and Crab Dumpling. Great version of the pork and crab, with delicate but pronounced flavors. I think better than the DTF version.
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Pork and Shrimp Dumpling. Whole good sized shrimp in each — delicious!

Fish Dumpling. Surprisingly excellent. Maybe even my favorite of the set.

Vegetable Dumpling.

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XLB in the bath.

Boiled Pork Dumplings. I love these homestyle variants.

Crispy Onion Pancake. Not the most exciting dish, but people wanted it.

Fried meat wonton. Very nice texture and flavor. Who doesn’t love dumplings.

Fried fish wonton. Again I was surprised how good the fish ones were.
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Beef rolls. Good version of this.

Salt and Pepper Crispy Cake. Buttery dough stuffed with pork and rolled in sesames.

Rich but delicious.

House Golden Crispy Cake.

Fried chewy mochi with amazing pork. Too bad I was getting very full. I still ate a couple.

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Giant vegetable buns ordered by a vegetarian.

Hot and Sour Shredded Potatoes. I always love these as they are hardly a vegetable, more like Chinese French Fries.

Stir Fried Bean Seedlings with Garlic. Not bad for greens.
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String beans. Good.

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Garlic Eggplant. One of those perfect sweet, slightly spicy, and very garlicky eggplants.
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A kind of boring noodle dish ordered by a lightweight.

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Shanghai Shrimp in “supreme” sauce. Very succulent.
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Hot Spare Ribs. Delicious sweet red ribs — hot.
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Cumin Beef. Nice. Tender too.
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Yangchow fried rice. The classic everything fried rice.

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Kung Pao Chicken. Not your typical Szechuan prep, but more a pretty spicy brown sauce prep. Good though.
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Shrimp with crab roe and peas. Scrumptious. Loved this dish.
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Fish filets boiled in chili. Lots of mala surprisingly — very good. Hot hot.
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Garlic Shredded pork. Fish flavor pork. A bit of heat. Pretty nice actually.

Red Bean Puff Pastry. What passes for dessert in China — not bad actually, I like the texture.

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Chinese sesame ball soup. Eye balls in goo! Actually kind of enjoyable.

Since red bean isn’t my thing, I brought gelato on 6/22/18 when I returned. Made by me, of course: Almond Boba Tea Gelato — Oolong tea steeped milk, Romano Almonds from Noto Sicily, and topped with Boba!  Here I discovered that boba get really really hard in the freezer. Next time I will have to keep them separate and add them.
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On 3/30/19 I brought these:

Nocciola, Espresso e Bacio Gelato – using my new egg yolk based nut formulation with Piedmontese hazelnut to produce a stunning hazelnut base, then adding in house-made espresso caramel and chopped up bacio — 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 #Espresso #coffee #cafe #hazelnut #Nocciola #caramel #bacio

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Gelato – the base is a Fior di Latte but I made it with brown sugar instead of white so it matched the cookies better. Inclusions are cubes of house-made gluten-free (almond flour) artisinal chocolate chip cookie dough with Valrhona chocolate chunks! — 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 #CookieDough #ChocolateChipCookie #Cookie #chocolate #valrhona #BrownSugar #GlutenFree


Overall, I loved Juicy Dumpling, every time I’ve come, and will certainly return many more times in the future. I even chose this place to bring my friend Brent for our crawl. Sometimes I like this kind of northern more casual dumpling style over the more ornate Cantonese Dimsum. Just a different vibe. They also had a huge menu of other dishes. On my March 30, 2019 visit we finally ordered a bunch of the other dishes and they were quite good. They allowed us to open and drink our wines too.

Because we are hedonists, and despite being full (on 4/14/18), we had to go next door for “lunch 2.0” at Spicy City — just had to be done.

Lucky they have a red interior.

The dishes bar. Despite being super full, Yarom and I both ordered for a crazy over-eating-fest.

Cold dishes of soy beans and more pickled cucumbers.

And more cold dishes of smoked chicken and spicy pig ear.

Had to get some MaPo Tofu (pocked marked old lady face tofu). One of my favorite dishes and this version was at least a 9.

Best eaten over rice.

Then dan dan mein. Another of my favorite dishes. The spicy city version tastes great but is a little too soupy without as much nutty flavor as I like.

You mix it up.

This version has no pork — boring!

Tea Smoked Duck. Another great Szechuan dish. Like duck pastrami chunks.

Outside you can check out the size difference between a Hedonist and the typical youthful SGV denizen. And observe the whacky Chinese youth fashion. The photo doesn’t really do the outfits justice.

For part 3.0, had to get some Boba Tea.

Almond Milk Boba Tea. Good tea, but unfortunately hidden by the opaque glass.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. XLB – Soup Dumplings!
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  5. World Seafood is Elite
By: agavin
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(Not) Trimming Capo

May18

Restaurant: Capo [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Location: 1810 Ocean Ave, Santa Monica, Ca. 310-394-5550

Date: April 11, 2018

Cuisine: Italian with Cal influences

Rating: The food here is really very very good.

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Tonight’s two part extravaganza begins with a stop off at Sage Society for a “pre-dinner” Trimbach tasting!

This takes place in sage’s cellar “social hall.”

With plenty of snacks. Liz carefully pairs even these amuses with the wines so the little tags are wine numbers so you can match them up.

And lots and lots of Trimbach, mostly riesling, of course. This includes several vintages of the incomparable Clos st Hune and a couple of super sweet VT and SGN wines.

In the house was Anne Trimbach (on the right).

In any case, on to Capo and the main event. Capo is a favorite of mine and I’ve reviewed it before HERE and HERE. They have a particular high end (but not formal) blend of California style (Farmer’s Market ingredients) and Italian tradition. But it’s not a strictly traditional Italian, more interpreted through a vaguely Tuscan / California vibe.

But today, the Foodie Club decides to brace their strict 2 bottle corkage policy and head on in with a small crew of four of us.

Bread and Tuscan white bean paste.

We found this 1976 Chassagne Montrachet on Capo’s wine list and it was actually in pretty good shape for a 42 year-old village!

Maryland crab torta. This really is Crab Norfolk, and it’s probably the best one I’ve ever had, and I spent summers as a boy in Oxford Maryland, land of the blue crab. This is a big juicy pile of delicious blue crab, drenched in butter, and their special touch is a little Meyer lemon in the mix. Bellissimo!

Toro Tartar. Like Nobu’s, but no wasabi ponzu. Really excellent actually.

Dutch White Asparagus with prosciutto.

Foie Gras on toast. Big portion, but the sauce overwhelmed.

Fred brought: 2004 Château Margaux. VM 94. Bright red-ruby. Knockout nose features boysenberry, currant, cedar, graphite and mocha. Suave, gentle and sweet, already displaying ineffable inner-mouth perfume. The 17% merlot component injects a silky component, and the oak element adds a complementary sweetness. Complex, lush, horizontal finish saturates the mouth with flavor. It was not clear to me in April that the 2006 would exceed this-and it will certainly take longer to reach full maturity in bottle.

Dungeness Crab Risotto. Pretty awesome and a California take on the Italian dish.

Pasta with uni, squid, and shrimp. Really nice bright seafood pasta.

Tortelli di Zucca. Not exactly the classic pasta, although it might have had a touch of Amaretto cookie in it — great nonetheless.

Rigatoni, truffle meat sauce. Capo is amazing at these meaty pastas. Perfect chew to the pasta itself, incredibly savory sauce.

Bucatini with lamb ragu. This is one of my favorite pastas. I love the bucatini, I love the gamey ragu. A tough call which is better with the rigatoni.

Larry brought: 1999 Tua Rita Redigaffi Toscana IGT. 95 points. It needed time to open up, had a dense garnet color, with a fading garnet rim, on the nose had some ripe cherry, chocolate, earth, floral, slight herb, a hint of VA. The palate had very ripe fruit, was slightly out of balance with more fruit than acidity (whereas the Masseto was very balanced here). Food worked great with this wine, bringing out plum and cherry flavors through to an excellent finish. Blueberry, brown sugar, stewed/baked blueberry flavors also noted. “Massive, beautiful now, will last ten more years,” but the wine had a few detractors: “very American, pales in comparison with the Italian acidities, unfocused. Overall, probably averaged a 95-96 score for the scorers.

Colorado rack of lamb.

Strauss Osso Buco.

I can’t remember what came in this.

The amazing classic chocolate soufflé.

Made even better with some slightly orange cream.

Berry crumble.

Petit fours.

This was a relatively simple evening for the Foodie Club, but great fun and the quality level was superlative. I just love Capo’s pastas. They do them in this correctly cooked, Italian but not Italian hearty style that is just filled with flavor punch. Balance is superb.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Capo Hits a Triple
  2. Food as Art: Capo
  3. Capo Valentines
  4. Wine Guys at Capo
  5. Seconds at Sotto
By: agavin
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Long Lunch at Longo

May16

Restaurant: Longo Seafood Restaurant [1, 2]

Location: 7540 Garvey Ave, Rosemead, CA 91770.  (626) 280-8188

Date: April 10, 2018 and August 13, 2022

Cuisine: Cantonese Chinese

Rating: Amazing Lunch

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A couple weeks ago I had dinner at a new Cantonese place in the SGV. Jonathan Gold wrote it up and our dinner was great. So I jumped on the opportunity to meet a few Babykillers and some Instagram wine folks out there again for lunch — really as part of a SGV double header (I had dinner later at Newport Seafood).

Oddly too, the next time I returned serious for dim sum was again with the Babykillers, and again was part of a “2 in one day” SGV face-stuffer (this time with ootoro). These are painful! Even though I got 4 hours of massage in between! Plus the night before was a big Fred dinner at N/Naka.


Longo is on Garvey right next to the Longo Toyota. Lol.

It’s one of these big formal Cantonese places.

But we had the generously sized private room.

A nice side table for getting the wines ready.

This was lunch, and dimsum time, but we ordered some regular banquet food too. Including the incredibly priced $25ish a pound live King Crab! This one was smaller, because we weren’t a huge group.
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Crab in 2022.

They brought out all the sauces. Love the XO!

1993 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon. VM 91. Understated, pure aromas of musky stone, orange, smoke and truffle. Full, ripe and harmonious; not a huge or superconcentrated wine but quite subtle and fine, with brisk, juicy flavors of orange and minerals. Lingering, ripe finish.

NV Jérôme Prévost La Closerie Fac-Simile. VM 94. Jérôme Prévost’s NV (2012) Rosé Fac-simile is flat-out delicious. In this vintage, the Fac-simile is decidedly lifted and understated in style, with gorgeous aromatics and lovely overall balance. The Pinot fruit is incredibly expressive, but the 2012 is not a wine of impact, rather it is a Champagne that draws the taster in with its allure. Prévost only makes his 100% Pinot Meunier Rosé Fac-simile in top vintages, which makes it one of Champagne’s rare birds. After the disappointing 2011, the 2012 put things back on track.

agavin: really tremendous, on the dry side, rose.

1996 Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Brut Millésimé. 90 points. Not a lot of bubbles left in this one – has become quite a mature champagne. It’s good drinking at the moment, but nothing in the glass wowed me. An enjoyable drink nevertheless and still some nice acidity/lemon/sherbert at the end of the palate. I would drink these up now.

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

NV Laurent-Perrier Champagne Grand Siècle Grande Cuvée. 93 points. from the latest lot, mostly 2002 and a bit of ’99 and ’98. Took a bit of time to open out completely; honeyed flowers mixed with bits of toffee, caramel and almond shadings. Poached yellow orchard fruits, apple and pear, long line of acidity, shows more width and concentration with air time. This bottle was tighter than others I have had recently. 93-94 points.

NV Emmanuel Brochet Champagne Le Mont Benoit Extra Brut. VM 93. The NV Extra Brut Le Mont Benoit 1er Cru is terrific. Dried flowers, almonds, dried pears and chamomile are some of the many notes that flesh out. Ample, broad and creamy, with plenty of depth from the red grapes that make up most of the blend, the Mont Benoit is terrific today. Specifically, the Mont Benoit is rich and vinous on the palate, yet also remains wonderfully light on its feet. Don’t miss it. Disgorged April 2016. Dosage 4 grams per liter.

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Cucumbers with a spicy bean paste.
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Jellyfish. Kinda bland actually.

Great Macau style roast pork.

Perfect with rose Champagne!
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Geoduck sashimi. Lovely again with a very briney quality.
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Fried geoduck and octopus. The fried clam was amazing. Delicious “fry”.

The crab came back in stages, first stir fried with salty egg yolk. Pipping hot.

And so delicious it warranted a close up.

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Typhoon style crab body meat. Perhaps a bit too much bread crumbs, but very tasty.

Then a bit of dimsum, their specialty lobster har gow. These were great, with a nice strong lobster flavor and light shell.

1999 Dominique Laurent Clos Vougeot. BH 88-91. Austere and regal in its reserve yet the density is breathtaking. A good deal more structured than the Clos de la Roche and not nearly as forward yet there is more finesse here than most young Clos de Vougeots offer. Solid in every respect.

On the house, roast duck. Very succulent, juicy, and delicious. Perfect with Red Burgundy.

2011 Domaine Roulot Meursault Les Narvaux. 92 points. Another cracking bottle from Roulot. He just keeps hitting them out of the park it seems.

2014 Domaine de Montille Corton-Charlemagne. VM 94. Bright yellow. Very ripe aromas of lemon oil, grilled nuts, toasted bread and brown spices. Fat, rich and very ripe, with mineral and spice flavors accented by lemon zest, lime and lavender. This initially struck me as weightier and less classic than the 2015, but the wine’s strong spine of stony acidity gives it terrific penetration and really frames and extends the fruit on the long finish. Still, this big, smooth wine is showing beautifully today. Winemaker Sieve notes that the south/southeast exposition of the vines gives this wine a crunchy fruit character along with considerable weight.

2016 Walter Scott Chardonnay Cuvée Anne. 92 points. Nice for a fake chard. The wine paired pretty well thanks to its terrific acidity. Loads of crisp yellow apple. I’m going to try to give this wine at least a year before opening another bottle. Delicious!

Crab round 2: King crab legs with garlic and rice noodles. Amazing!

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Steamed then chilled crab legs. Cool, sweet, and delicious.

And Crab Brûlée, what I call the crab meat egg custard in the crab shell.

From the dim sum menu, chicken feet in sweet soy.

Shrimp chow fun (rice crepe) with the new “twisted” style.

Fried chicken feet in red sauce.

Spare rib nibbles.

2016 The Standish Wine Company The Relic. 93 points. Some monster Syrah, but pretty good after 2+ hours in the decanter.

Chewy meat stuffed fried rice buns. These were nice versions.

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BBQ pork buns. A little soggy.
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Steamed pork buns.

Fried chicken cartilage. Chewy and delicious.

Truffle siu mai. The dumplings were good, but this canned truffle “relish” (more olive probably than truffle) actually diminished them. Might have been better with real truffle. As it was, just get the sui mai.

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Shrimp and chive dumplings. Very nice.
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Crab and tobiko dumplings.
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Har gow. Very nice with real shrimp inside.

Spare rib and pumpkin chow fun. More twisted rice crepes, some made with special red rice!

Roast duck chow fun. Never had this combo. Also good, and I like the interesting “twisted” texture.
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Seafood chow mein (crispy).

Seafood chow mein. The classic crispy egg noodles with seafood in a light sauce.
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Tofu and veggies.

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Garlic greens.

They plated this table-side.
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Fried rice.
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Yolk buns and tea jelly. Interesting.
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Almond Chocolate Cloud Gelato – The base is made with Valrhona 62% Satilla Chocolate and then layered with Toasted Sicilian Almond Cream and chopped Classic Toblerone! — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #Valrhona #chocolate #creamcheese #ganache #icing #almond #Toblerone

English Breakfast Garden Gelato — this is a creative new flavor of mine: milk steeped with Orange Peels and Rosemary with just a touch of Orange Marmalade worked in — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — very subtle and lovely flavor — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #orange #rosemary #Marmalade
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The gang in 2022.

The service was absolutely first rate. The manager above really took care of us. The food was great too. The pig and crab were as good as it gets and the crab was a total deal at only $25/lb (in 2018 — in 2022 it was a lot more). The duck was very good too as were a number of the other dishes. I would like to order more dimsum on a return to get a real feel for it, and we just had a few dumplings (all good) and the chow funs.

Reflecting in 2022, just a few months before we tried out a vast host of dim sum places, Longo is one of the top couple dim sum places in the SGV, probably in the top 5. It’s not as “typical” as some, belonging a bit to the new school, and their dim sum menu is smaller than the big Cantonese palaces, but the ingredients and execution are first rate.

But the lunch itself was tremendous fun. The wines, particularly the champagnes were stellar and a great crew of people.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

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Just a few of the champagnes in 2022.

Related posts:

  1. Late Night Longo
  2. Ultimate New Bay Lunch
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  4. World Seafood is Elite
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By: agavin
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Northern Chinese

May14

Restaurant: Northern Chinese

Location: 8450 Valley Blvd, Rosemead, CA 91770.  (626) 288-9299

Date: April 8, 2018

Cuisine: Northern Chinese

Rating: tasty, interesting, and very inexpensive

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Another Sunday, another fun trip to San Gabriel for more awesome Chinese!

This time to Northern Chinese, which specializes in you guessed it, Northern Chinese. Totally typical strip mall on Valley, walking distance from the previous place I went to, New Century Lobster.

Inside has that low decor drop-ceiling style we know and love.

Decent amount of space, and packed by the middle of our meal.

Meat pies. These might not look like much but they were (hot) and amazing. Very tasty ground pork.

Chinese sausage. Salty and kinda mild.

Cucumbers with chilies and cilantro. Good version of this dish with nice crunch.

Spicy sliced potatoes. I loved these with the spice already on.

Scallion pancakes. Hot but just tasted like oil. Not my thing.

Boiled dumplings. Solid versions of these, but no obvious sauce in the offering. I had to scrounge up some ingredients and mix my own.

Twice cooked special house sliced pork. Super crispy, super sweet, and amazing. Really good ultra fried pork slices.

Cumin lamb. Another great dish.

Cornbread. Looks like pancakes and who knew the Chinese made cornbread?

Chinese greens. Very nice crunchy greens actually.

Steamed fish. Boring, but decently cooked.

Spicy beef. Not a great dish. Tough beef and the sauce didn’t have any mala.

Fried chicken cartilage. Sounds gross, and the texture takes some getting used to, but actually pretty awesome.

Lamb bone soup. Bland with chunks of boney mutton. Not my favorite.
Sweet corn. Very sweet.

Overall, a tasty meal with some interesting stuff. Dishes varied in quality, but the better half were really good. Service was very “overworked” but extremely friendly. Super cheap too. We will be back.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

Love that drop ceiling.

I just gathered up the wines.



Related posts:

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  5. World Seafood is Elite
By: agavin
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Rogue Reunion

May11

Restaurant: The Rogue Experience

Location: 8687 Melrose Ave, West Hollywood, CA 90069. (800) 275-8273

Date: April 4, 2018

Cuisine: Modern International

Rating: Awesome food and experience

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Wolfgang Puck, consulate LA chef and restauranteur opened a kinda of crazy experimental kitchen lab to the public last year. Basically they have new chefs every week and work on highly technical high end experimental dishes — and fold it all together into a nice “experience.”

It’s located INSIDE the Pacific Design Center — that cold blue/purple whale of a building on Melrose. After hours, it’s not the easiest to find buried upstairs.


The experience begins in this library filled with culinary and cocktail books.

The mixologist whips up a highly technical cocktail, all the while chatting with us about the nature of the place.

He made sort of adult (alcoholic) fruit leather, centrifuged fruit pulp, and purified high proof basil gin.

Fruity super strong gin drink. Delicious and potent drink using 110 proof gin! I can’t remember exactly which fruits were in here.
Cheers!

The books are out on display.

Cocktail hour.

Next some chefs arrive and they serve a couple of snacks while we mingle. Rogue only seats about 8 people!

The weekly menu.

Passion fruit, chervil, salmon roe. The spikey stuff is the pulp, which was delicious. This was not very sweet, and while the pairing of roe and passionfruit worked, it was pretty intensely sour and I like a little more sugar with my passionfruit.

Anchovy, salsa verde, huazontle. Very bright green taste and marinated anchovy — delicious!

Salsify, uni, creme fraiche.

These easily breakable crisps were used to scoop up the succulent uni.

Now we move on to other areas of the compound, including this hallway littered with cooking gear.

This prep kitchen with a lot of facilities.

And tons of fancy technical food toys.

Like a rotary dehydrator! This allowed the mixologist to distill the basil infused gin (at negative atmospheric pressure) and condense it into a super strong clear gin that retains the basil element.

We finally settle in the Rogue “dining room” where the chefs plate behind the counter.

Some of this week’s chefs.

And more.

And more.

And more.

From my cellar: 1996 Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne. VM 97. Taittinger’s 1996 Comtes de Champagne is another highlight. The flavors are only now beginning to show elements of complexity, a great sign for aging. Gently spiced and buttery notes suggest the 1996 is about to enter the early part of its maturity, where it is likely to stay for another decade or so.

Prawn, strawberry, fennel. Gorgeous presentation and unusual flavor pairing. Worked though!

Cabbage, crab, ramen.

I wonder if they swapped the “ramen” (on the menu) out for rice. Anyway, it was delicious.

Artichoke, parmesan, lamb. The cheese was turned into a gooey “cream.”

The lamb is dusted on top. Gorgeous again. Tasted amazing too, particularly because of the soft cheese.

Larry brought: 1982 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne. BH 90. Moderately golden. This wine always seems to age better than what tasting it young would suggest and 1982 is yet another vintage where it has lasted extremely well as the airy and fully mature nose is still vibrant and if not bright then certainly complex and there are now hints of sous bois and truffle in the mix. The nicely enveloping flavors are also punchy and offer good muscle if less complexity and depth than I would have expected. In sum, a fine example at 25+ years of age if not a truly great one. Tasted on multiple occasions with largely consistent notes.

Char, cucumber, skyr. Skyr is a kind of Icelandic yogurt. Super soft and almost sushi-like bit of fish. Quite lovely.

2004 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut. JG 97. The new release of 2004 Krug is absolutely beautiful and is already quite elegant and open on both the nose and palate and is drinking with great finesse. I had expected this wine to be a bit more steely in structure out of the blocks, but the refinement of the blend this year has produced a wine that is already a joy to drink at age thirteen, though it will continue age gracefully for many, many decades to come. The cépages in 2004 is thirty-nine percent chardonnay, thirty-seven percent pinot noir and twenty-four percent pinot meunier, with the wine having been disgorged in the winter of 2016. The bouquet jumps from the glass in a refined mix of apple, a touch of walnut, warm bread, lavender, a superb base of soil tones and a topnote of smokiness. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and utterly seamless, with vibrant acids, great focus and grip, a lovely core, refined mousse and a very long, complex, racy and energetic finish. There is marvelous precision here on both the nose and palate, not to mention a sense of harmony and grace that is fairly rare in the 2004 vintage. Chapeau!

Cilantro, prickly pear, chayote. Looks like an avocado, but it wasn’t. What it was was delicious. Really bright Mexican flavors!

Chick Pea, Tomatillo, Cotija. Another really nice dish, particularly for vegetables.

1996 Vouvray Moelleux Réserve. 92 points.

Foie, almond, jasmine. Exotic pairings but amazing.

1995 Domaine Marquis d’Angerville Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Ducs. VM 92. Harvested 26th September to 1st of October. A complex, savory nose. A bigger, masculine vintage, although the famed 1995 tannins have melted completely away. Good fruit, good balance. Drinking well now and should hold for years. A very pleasant surprise.

Mole, Bao, Pollo. Different “Mexican” bao — pretty awesome.

Beef Cheek, semolina, leeks. Soft of like a lightly Mexican short ribs and polenta, but light and way better. Great texture too.

Raspberry, ginger. Bright and amazing.

Olive oil, grapefruit, campari, pistachio, fennel. Amazing dessert. Loved the unusual combos.

Caramel, chocolate, sesame, pineapple, rosemary. More odd combos that totally worked. I made the rosemary pineapple thing into my own sorbetto a few weeks later.

Special red chocolate and other snacks.

Nice touches.

We went back to the “bar” area for after dinner drinks. Interesting stuff. I have to get some of the right hand (herbal) thing for gelato use.

Overall Rogue really was fabulous. The service and overall experience was great. Very intimate and interesting. And the food was amazing and very experimental in a good way. On this particular visit we had a lot of Mexican influences reminding me somewhat of Hoja Santa. And overall, the food felt very modernist Spanish, or maybe that’s just because it was modernist. But it was supremely well executed. And since everything changes every week, we will have to go back soon.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

For more Foodie Club reviews.

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  5. James Beard at 71Above
By: agavin
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Put a Spring in your Step

May09

Restaurant: Spring

Location: 257 S Spring St, Los Angeles, CA 90012. (213) 372-5189

Date: April 3, 2018

Cuisine: French

Rating: Gorgeous room, very polished food

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Spring was a big opening a year or two ago with a hugely expensive build out. It’s quiet French (in a lightly LA way). Somehow I never got there because of the annoying (for me) DTLA location. Known for only using fresh and local ingredients, Chef Esnault pays tribute to the season of long days and temperate nights with his full Seasonal Dinner Menu, featuring dishes that are available as each season permits.

We were roving downtown and happened to pop by for a quick post museum lunch.

Self referential.

I’m glad I visited during the day as the space is gorgeous and airy — and this is just the entrance.

The kitchen is open and of epic proportions. Chefs moved carefully and quietly about their tasks.

The main space is like a museum space with the glass ceiling and this green and cream vibe.

The lunch menu.

Seasonal pea soup. The guts in first.

Then the soup. This was an excellent soup, actually. Really fresh and lovely.

Seasonal market crudo, pear, watermelon radish, pickled mustard seeds. Nice, but not as exciting as the soup.

Branzino, red quinoa, leeks, turnip, red cabbage, sauce matelote.

Lily risotto, aged carnaroli rice, spring onion, mascarpone, pistachio, chive blossom. Lovely vegetarian risotto. Great texture and a nice creamy “green” quality.

Chocolate hazelnut tart with passionfruit meringue. We watched them assemble and cut this for an hour. I.e. the pastry chef was painstakingly working on the tart itself. Delicious too.

A different chocolate and hazelnut dessert.

Overall, Spring is unusual for LA. It feels and tasted like a high end Paris museum restaurant. Very good too and a great atmosphere if the airy quiet thing is what you are looking for. I’d like to try it at night. They do allow unlimited corkage.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

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  5. Eating NY – Laboratorio del Gelato
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MTN – Upscale Izakaya

May07

Restaurant: MTN

Location: 1305 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice, CA 90291. (424) 465-3313

Date: March 31 & June 28 & September 15, 2018

Cuisine: Japanese Izakaya

Rating: Good flavors, uncomfortable chairs

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Travis Lett has a little Venice empire helmed by Gjelina.

MTN, which is a modern, upscale, kinda westernized Izakaya (Japanese for “here, sake is served” or “stay/sit at sake shop”). The build out is cool and more than a little crazy with “burnt” or blackened wood.

And more inside. There is a weird open slot between the window going all the way up to the roof. It might even rain in when wet.

It was pretty crowded though, and there are ONLY BARSTOOLS both at a counter and at high tables. The stools suck and get really uncomfortable. Don’t come here if you are old or have a bad back.

Menu-san.

I brought this Ramen Roll remainder high end sake.
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Erika’s pickle plate (9/15/18). cucumber, lotus root, daikon, shiso burdock root wrap, sprouting cauliflower, napa cabbage, which kimchi. I love pickles.

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Tomato & okra (9/15/18). Tofu, wakame, ume, sesame salt, Japanese ginger.


Shisito pepper (6/28/18). garlic, ginger, three year aged miso, white sesame.

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Wild Japanese sea bream sashimi (9/15/18). yuzu kosho, wajima salt, finger lime, shiso bud.

Torched sawara sashimi. grated ginger, crispy garlic, scallon, yuzu ponzu. Delicious zesty fish slices.

Japanese medai sashimi. yuzu kosho, finger lime, sisho. Salty and with a very strong signature from the yuzu kosho (salt, green chili, and yuzu).

Japanese tai sashimi (6/28/18). yuzu kosho, shiso, finger lime. Straightforward by today’s standards, but really good.


Wild monterey salmon sashimi (6/28/18). shiso kosho, myoga, scallion, shoyu.


Baja kanpachi temaki handroll. avocado, cucumber, shiso yuzu kosho.

Finger stuffing good.

Santa barbara uni temaki handroll. daikon, wasabi, scallion. Yum, uni!
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Veggie temaki handroll (9/15/18), cucumber, burdock root, avocado, yama imo, kaiware, sesame, yuzu kosho.
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On the right, pork chashu temaki handroll (9/15/18). burnt ends, pickled cucumber, fermented chili sauce.

Handmade shitake gyoza. roasted kabocha, tofu, salted daikon greens, shiso, scallion. Nicely cooked. Good. Great for vegetarian gyoza. Pork would have been even better.

And on 6/28/18 when I returned, I got the handmade peads & barnetts pork belly gyoza. red kimchi, negi, ginger, black pepper.

APC_1353blue prawn simmered gyoza (9/15/18). shrimp, shitake mushroom, water spinach, market peppers, red onion, scallion, vinegar. I liked these steamed/boiled versions.

Roasted cauliflower. red miso, yuzu, tobanjan. Basically other than the sauce, a Gjelina dish!
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Sauteed sweet corn (9/15/18). shoyu butter, cherry tomato, scallion, Japanese citrus, shichimi togarashi.

Ocean Trout oyakodon. Basically a grilled salmon and salmon egg rice bowl. But the vinegar on the pickles was very nice with the rice.


A baked fish (6/28/18). I can’t remember which one.

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Grilled macherel kabayaki (9/15/18). ume, shoyu, pickled ginger, garlic, sansho, shiso, shichimi, brown rice.


Sake marinated jidori chicken wings (6/28/18). yuzu kosho, honey, goma, chive.


Mary’s duck breast skewer (6/28/18). Shio koji, japanese mustard, chive. Our waitress recommended this and it was great, to some extent because of the intense mustard.

Lone mtn wagyu beef tataki. ponzu, cucumber, crispy garlic. This tartly sauced thin sliced beef was spectacular.


Squid ink chahan (6/28/18). Koda farms white rice, lemon basil, ika, pork belly, amaranth, egg, fresno chili, pickled ginger, sudachi, fish sauce. Like a Japanese paella, sort of.

Grilled Japanese eggplant (6/28/18). Walnut miso dressing, lemon, scallion.

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Chahan (9/15/18). koda farms brown rice, squid, pork belly, water spinach, cherry tomato, egg, fresno chili, pickled ginger, Japanese citrus, fish sauce. Sort of Japanese paella.

Wagyu beef sukiyaki. lone mtn ny strip, grilled young leek, maitake, shungiku, hakusai, yam noodle, warm gone straw egg.

With the egg. Really nice fairly traditional tasting sukiyaki, but with better than average ingredients. I don’t have sukiyaki often, but every-time I do i remember how much I like it.

We ordered this sake off the list. It was good, not as good as the one I brought, but certainly nice.

Expensive ramen!

Black sesame tantanmen. ground pork, black garlic oil, green mizuna, bean sprout, nira. Hard to split and not a typical ramen with its strong roasted black sesame vibe. Good though.

Dungeness crab ramen. miso, crab broth, tosaka, confit tomato, fresno chili, chive. I didn’t actually try this as the guys next to us at the table had it and allowed me to sneak a photo. But on 6/28/18 I had it myself and it was great. Really interesting complex flavors.

Charred Japanese sweet potato. miso butter, scallion katsuobushi, shichimi. Super rich miso/buttery taste. Gorgeous soft texture. Not what I expected but delicious.

APC_1361
Asari ramen (9/15/18). cherry stone clam, shio broth, tosaka, fresno chili, scallion, ginger, kaiware. Like a ramen version of that salty Japanese Asari miso soup — salty, but very good.

Yuzu meringue pie. Not as tart and bracing as I would have hoped. Yuzu can be VERY tart and this would have been a good excuse for it.

Overall, I was impressed by MTN. The setting was gorgeous and nice atmosphere. Loud though. And I wish the seats were comfortable. Really not at all. And I hate high stools. But service was very good and friendly in that contemporary LA way — i.e. at the good end of that spectrum, but not traditional really knowledgeable service.

The food was surprisingly excellent. Yeah it’s not totally traditional in all ways, feels snazzed up and touch whitewashed, but the flavors were generally strong, very Japanese (with the weird-to-Americans edge polished off), and extremely enjoyable.

MTN has a low Yelp score (3) and this is total BS. Too much whining about the $20-24 ramen from the peanut gallery. First of all, this isn’t even a ramen place. Yeah, it has some fancy ramens, but it’s not Shin Sen Gumi where everything is dirt cheap on the menu AND in the kitchen. It’s not just “order your bowl of ramen and toppings.” It’s a full Izakaya menu that happens to have a couple ramens. They don’t even really belong because they are very hard to split. But come on, that crab ramen is full of Dungeness crab meat. It CAN’T be $8 like a bowl of over salted mediocre tonkotsu. Plus they pay an Abbot Kinney rent and have a crazy blackened wood hipster build out!

On my second visit the food was just as good. The service was excellent. The seats were even more a pain in the ass (literally) and they had a bit of a kitchen backup on the ramen which created an extra 45 minute delay before we got it (as pretty much our last course). They threw in some extras and apologized a lot which was nice but my ass was starting to go numb.

On my third visit the food was perhaps even better, or certainly as good. Service was excellent again and I met the manager who was very nice. We didn’t have any of those pacing issues this time so my ass didn’t get too sore. Overall, really awesome modern take on Izakaya and the whole gang (of 5 who went) loved it.


For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Sushi Glutton – Takao Three
  2. Ramen is all the Rage
  3. Japanese in China – Izakaya Akatora
  4. Yamashiro – Castle on the Hill
  5. Sasabune – Dueling Omakases
By: agavin
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