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Quick Eats – Big Boi

Mar21

Restaurant: Big Boi

Location:2027 Sawtelle Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025. (424) 832-7199

Date: January 26, 2018

Cuisine: Filipino

Rating: Quick and tasty

I’ve periodically been going to B-Sweet on Sawtelle, which despite it’s very odd hours (closed Mondays and Tuesdays), is a really tasty Filipino-esque dessert place.

The owners are branching out down the block with this savory Filipino comfort food spot.

It’s super fast casual. Order at the counter, get your food in a plastic container.

Take out (which I hate) or sit in the cut but tiny space with self serve silverware.
Basically you build a bowl or plate of Filipino stuff. You can pick which starches go underneath too like rice, garlic rice, pancit noodles.

This two protein plate is Longanisa, house-made pork sausage links known for its distinctively sweet taste and Pork Sisig, tasty crispy chopped pork belly with a little lick, drizzled with a spicy mayo. Underneath was a hella-of-a-lot of garlic rice. Both mains were tasty and rich, with grease oozing into the rice (yum).

This second plate was garlic rice and noodles. On top was BBQ Skewers, thin marinated top sirloin steak, and Pork Tocino, thinly sliced pork shoulder cured in soy, salt, sugar, and garlic. The sweet red BBQ was particularly tasty. Surprisingly, the roll was very good too, a bit sweet. I can see that there is a sugar factor here. Hey, B-Sweet.

Overall, this is a funny little place, but tasty and very reasonable. Plus it’s EXTREMELY Fast. So if you just want to grab some fast yummy grub, not bad. I wish the limpia came in smaller batches so you could realistically have it as one person (13 egg rolls!). Also, one of my serious foodie Filipino friends thinks it isn’t terribly “authentic.” I would have no idea.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Big Boi, Filipino Cuisine, lunch, pork, Sawtelle Little Tokyo

Midweek at Mizlala

Mar19

Restaurant: Mizlala

Location: 4515 Sepulveda Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 91403. (818) 783-6698

Date: February 22 & March 29 & Sept 8 , 2018

Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Rating: Really bright and tasty

Several people told us that Mizlala in Sherman Oaks was really good, and so a small group of us Hedonists decided to give it a try.

The interior is cute and modern Middle Eastern.

The menu.

NV Christophe Mignon Champagne Brut Rosé. VM 90. The Brut Rosé Pur Meunier is a rosé done with a blend of mostly Meunier vinified in white, off the skins, with the addition of still red Meunier for color and texture. Bright, red-tone fruit, tobacco and dried flowers give the wine striking aromatic depth to play off and contrast the fruit. The 6 grams of dosage feels just a touch sweet for this wine. Otherwise, the Pur Meunier is very nicely done. The current release is a blend of equal parts 2014 and 2013. Disgorged: February 2017. Dosage is 6 grams per liter.

Salatim. Four “salads” (3 pictured above).

With awesome house-made pita bread.

Eggplant babaganoush.

Lebane with Zaatar. I LOVE this stiff Middle Eastern yoghurt/cheese — so much that we ordered 3 plates of it for 5 people!

Creamy Beet salad. Also really good.

Smoked spicy eggplant (9/8/18).

Spicy Moroccan carrots. Love these too.

From my cellar: 2011 Raul Pérez Rías Baixas Muti. 90 points. With shrimp diablo, rice and black beans. Saline, lime, mineral crispness. Very lithe mouthfeel. Would have liked to see if it would have evolved, but too many eager sippers for it to last that long.

Jerusalem Salad. Cucumber, tomato, freekeh, lemon vinaigrette.

Mushrooms (3/29/18). Dates, hazelnuts, fig balsamic, puffed rice.

Potato Latkes (3/29/18). Horseradish creme fraiche, apple sauce, pecorino.

Bourekas (3/29/18). Cheese, truffled mushroom, spinach and feta. Unusual takes on these fried pastries.

Flaming cheese!

Haloumi Saganaki (3/29/18). Orange, honey, walnut chimichurri. The fruit really added a lot of sweetness to this which made me think of Hawaiian Pizza. I prefer it more tangy.

Hummus with crispy artichokes (3/29/18). Gremolata, cured lemon emulsion, aleppo pepper.

Moroccan Fried Chicken. Really moist and crispy.

smoked paprika aioli, Spiced duck fat.

World’s Best Greek Salad. Campari tomato, persian cucumber, feta, kalamata olive, oregano.

Garlic shrimp. White wine, preserved lemon, butter bean puree. I always love these garlicky shrimp. Like the Spanish Gambas Pil Pil.

Greek Octopus. Smoked paprika, grilled potato, celery, lebaneh.

Falafels (9/8/18).

1993 Faiveley Echezeaux. 95 points. Deep ruby, dense but bright. A touch of VA initially but this blows off quite quickly to reveal dark red fruit and a hint of the autumnal. Somewhere between silk and velvet on the palate, very cosseting and very drink…

1995 Daniel Moine-Hudelot Chambolle-Musigny. 91 points.

1970 Bodegas Olarra Rioja Cerro Anon Gran Reserva. Awesome!

Lamb Tagine. Colorado lamb shoulder slow braised with apples, dried fruit and silan, topped with sesame, served with saffron rice.

Shortrib Tagine. Slow braised with picholine olives, san marzano tomato and fennel.

Lemon Saffron Chicken. Brined airline chicken breast grilled over coals accompanied by baby artichokes, green olives, cherry tomato, and saffron rice.

Moussaka. Lamb Bolognese, bechamel sauce, gruyere cheese.

Moussaka, when done right, is such an awesome dish.

2007 Hundred Acre Vineyard Shiraz Summer’s Block Ancient Way. VM 93. Inky purple. Superripe aromas of cassis, cherry preserves and dark chocolate, with complicating notes of licorice and mint. Densely packed and chewy, offering palate-coating black and blue fruit flavors that show serious depth and building sweetness. A hint of smoked meat comes up on the long, clinging finish, which is framed by broad, pliant tannins. I’m not exactly sure what I’d serve with this but it would definitely have to be part of a dead mammal and it would be roasted, braised or grilled.

1994 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. VM 92. Medium red. Aromatic nose combines plum, redcurrant and cedary spices. Very suave, fine-grained, plummy wine with captivating saline minerality. Lovely balance and subtle sweetness of fruit here, not to mention suave, ripe tannins. Finishes firm and clean, with terrific subtle length. À point but will hold for a while.

Branzino (3/29/18). Cauliflower cous cous, lebaneh, currants, pine nuts.

Kefta and chicken kabob.

Grilled Merguez Sausage. Yum!

Fillet Mignon Kabob, Skirt Steak, and Lamb Leg. Really good, very tender kabobs.

Kefta and lamb kabobs (9/8/18).

French Fries!

Chocolate nut crunch dessert (3/29/18). Can’t remember what exactly was in it, but it was quite good.

I brought some more of my house-made gelatti. Ube Gelato. I roasted the Japanese Purple Yams from scratch and made them into this Filipino classic for Erick’s birthday.

And in Filipino tradition, Macapuno Coconut Sport.

You top the Ube with the coconut.

And one of my most unique creations: Gorgonzola Fig Walnut Gelato – a gorgonzola dolce gelato base with fig jam and candied walnuts.

You can see the candied walnuts and fig jam streaked through it. This gelato turned out perfectly. Super creamy, with a very distinct real Gorgonzola Dulce texture. Several at the table thought it was one of my best.

Overall, Mizlala was really good. It’s very bright modern Israeli, Moroccan, Lebanese flavors, much in the Yotam Ottolenghi style. Some of the best Middle Eastern I’ve had in a while. The second time I went (3/29/18) the food was just as good but the service was annoying. The girl was very slow to take our order, over-worked (or busy elsewhere), and said she was going to spread out our food but brought the entire dinner, 8 items, appetizers and mains all within a 7 minute spread (looked at the photo timestamps to verify!). Not even 2 courses really but 2 trips from the back. I hate that. Made for a super rushed meal. She felt totally checked out.

For more LA dining reviews click here,

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BYOG, Gelato, hedonists, Middle Eastern, Mizlala, Tapas, Wine

World Seafood is Elite

Mar16

Restaurant: World Seafood Restaurant [1, 2, 3]

Location: 1412 S Garfield Ave. Alhambra, CA 91801. (626) 282-3888

Date: January 27, 2018 and February 7, 2020

Cuisine: Cantonese Chinese

Rating: Elite Dimsum

I last went to World Seafood almost 2 years ago for dim sum but recently one of the Elite managers, Derek, came over to World Seafood and brought with him one of the Elite chefs. Because of the new kitchen and management I’ve decided to write a new from scratch review. Then about 2 years later Yarom, my brother and I hit it up again and it’s still great.

Typical big Cantonese house outside.
Inside a touch of new color encircles the giant Chinese-style banquet hall.

They have a much bigger space than Elite and gave us an elaborate private room.

The menu (1/7/20).

Sauces, including XO sauce on the right.

Spicy crunchy cold cucumbers.

Pork Shui-Mai. Great versions of the classic.

Chicken feet in house sauce. Not my thing, but some like it.

Shrimp and Chinese Chive Dumpling. What’s better than shrimp dumpling? Shrimp with Chive!

Fun guo, or Chaozhou fun guo sometimes spelled fun quor, fun gor, fen guo, Chiu Chow dumpling, Teochew dumpling, or fun kor is a variety of steamed dumpling from the Chaoshan area of coastal eastern Guangdong, a province in Southern China.

Shanghai Style Steamed Bun. We love XLB, and these particular examples were awesome. Nice and delicate and easy to slurp out of the little tins.

Har Gow (Crystal shrimp). Excellent versions of the standard.

Special dumplings with meat, shrimp, and vegetables.

Scallop and shrimp dumplings.

Sea Cucumber Roll. Lettuce leaves filled with pork, shrimp, sea cucumber and topped with masago.

Beef balls. A touch dense.

Tofu wrap. Mostly vegetables and some pork? wrapped in bean curd. Hot and soft and delicious.

Sautéed pea tendrils with garlic. A nice version because lots of garlic.

Sautéd string beans with minced pork. A touch bland, or under salted.

Special shrimp. A lot of good flavor with peanuts and a bit of spice.

Baked chicken bun. Delicious slightly sweet crunchy exterior top filled with chopped seasoned chicken meat.

BBQ Pork Bun. Like a jelly donut, just filled instead with porky goodness!

Fried Meat Dumpling. This was the chewy fried rice coating with sweet ground meat paste inside. I’ve had better versions of these, the filling here was a bit boring.

Crab cream roll. Some bits of crab and maybe cream-cheese deep fried. Much like a crab rangoon. Mayo sauce. Pretty tasty if very fried.

Flakey baked pork bun. The buttery flakey batter around sweet BBQ pork. Really delicious.

Peking duck! We asked and he had — even at lunch! Very nice duck too.

Pan fried shrimp and scallion cake. I had these in Fuijian province. Really delicious and very greasy (in a good way).

Preserved meat crepe. Chewy and bland.

Green onion rice noodle. Bland.

Fried shrimp rice noodle. Excellent.

Sticky rice with chicken in lotus leaf. Pretty good.

White boy shrimp (aka walnut shrimp). Nice version.

Macau pork. Pan fried roast pork. Tasty!

Macau Style Roast Pork Belly (2/7/20). Delicious. Different than it was a few years ago.

Fried Chicken Cartilage with Garlic. Crunchy and the garlic was great. Chewy insides.

Roast Duck. Nice and juicy. Served with sweet sauce.

House special fried rice. Nice kitchen sink rice.

Seafood Chow Mein. Those crispy little noodles I love soaked in a seafood sauce. Great noodle dish.

Coconut buns. Delicious!

Milk buns with custard. Also good. They have a lot of interesting Chinese desserts here but we were full.
Plus I had brought my own homemade dessert: PeaNutella & Jelly Frenzy Gelato – Peanut Butter base layered with everyone’s mob crazy spread and strawberry jelly. Plus bonus peanut butter cookies!

Overall, World Seafood has now leapt into the top SGV dimsum houses. It’s very much like Elite (wonder why) and super yummy. Big menu of with all sorts of Cantonese treats. Their banquet is great too.

As of 2/7/20 I still thought World Seafood was very good, in the “A level” of SGV dimsum. Big menu, interesting stuff, fresh, piping hot, and all that goodness.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BYOG, Cantonese cuisine, Chinese cuisine, Dim sum, dimsum, Gelato, hedonists, Lunch Quest, SGV, World Seafood, World Seafood Restaurant

Bangaichi Ramen

Mar15

Restaurant: Bangaichi Ramen

Location: 9810 Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232. (424) 603-4341

Date: January 22, 2018

Cuisine: Japanese Ramen

Rating: Meh

The former location of East Borough has been empty for over a year and finally in comes…

Ramen — and right next to the former Ramen Roll location. Good thing we aren’t still open, more competition. hehe.

It was always a pretty space but on the odd side of the street.

Big menu.

They have a modern fixed build out and TVs.

A ramen bar and a full liquor licensee (EB must have had it).

Decent array of condiments.

Cold Tufu w/ Onion Slices. Tofu, white onion, dried bonito, sesame oil. I love this kind of soft Japanese/Korean tofu. This was a typical, but very oniony prep.

Gyoza. Decent classic pan fried gyoza.Bangaichi Ramen. Char-siu pork, bamboo shoots, green onions, bean sprouts, butter, corn, seaweed, nori, seasoned egg. I didn’t really like this ramen at all. The broth was like miso soup and had very little richness and flavor. The toppings were fine for what they were, but it was just uninspired. I had to dump a ton of vinegar in to make it palatable.

I was there at a weird (late) lunch hour but I was the only customer. It screams Japanese ramen chain, but I don’t really get this type of Hokaido miso ramen. They are very Japanese in style and probably not that likely to appeal to a general American audience. And Culver City is a seriously white bread general American audience (as I learned first hand).

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Bangaichi, Culver City, Japanese cuisine, ramen

Taittinger in Bel Air

Mar13

Restaurant: Hotel Bel-Air

Location: 701 Stone Canyon Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90077

Date: January 19, 2018

Cuisine: Continental

Rating: Great food, great wine

Liz Lee of Sage Society puts on some of the best Winemaker dinners in town and tonight was no exception. An all Taittinger dinner featuring Vitalie Taittinger, lots of great Champagne, and located at the unique…

Hotel Bel-Air.

We considered this place for our wedding and it’s always been gorgeous.

Almost park like.
Wolfgang Puck runs the restaurant at the hotel.

Here is the main dining room but we had a private room off to the side.

Our special menu for tonight.

Here is our spacious room.

NV Taittinger Champagne Brut Réserve / La Française (magnum). BH 89. Notes of yeast, baked bread, petrol and citrus serve as a slightly muted introduction to the rounded, delicious and reasonably complex flavors where the citrus elements telegraphed by the nose reappear on the moderately dry finish. This is perfectly good but it lacks a bit of overall complexity; that said, it is certainly inviting and easy-to-like.

Blini with caviar and creme fraiche.

Truffle bone marrow puff pastries.

Artsy butter photo.

Sitting down to dinner.

Vitalie Taittinger is in the shiny blue in the center.

Yummy bread.

Flight 1.

NV Taittinger Champagne Brut Réserve / La Française. BH 89. Notes of yeast, baked bread, petrol and citrus serve as a slightly muted introduction to the rounded, delicious and reasonably complex flavors where the citrus elements telegraphed by the nose reappear on the moderately dry finish. This is perfectly good but it lacks a bit of overall complexity; that said, it is certainly inviting and easy-to-like.

NV Taittinger Prelude. VM 91. Pale gold. Vibrant, mineral-laced citrus and orchard fruit aromas are complemented by suggestions of buttered toast and honey. Toasty orange and pear flavors are braced by juicy acidity, picking up a suggestion of chamomile with air. Finishes dry and precise, with repeating mineral and toast notes.

NV Taittinger Champagne Les Folies de la Marquetterie. VM 92. Pale gold. Red berries, rose and orange peel on the fragrant, floral-accented nose and in the mouth. Sappy and broad, with very good depth and an energizing note of chalky minerals. Gains weight with air and finishes with excellent breadth, clarity and lingering mineral and honeysuckle notes.

Sashimi of Big Eye Tuna, Hamachi & Alaskan King Salmon. Very nice, if salty and a bit heavy on the yuzu-kushu.

Flight 2.

2012 Taittinger Champagne Brut Millésimé. BH 92. The understated nose is presently quite discreet though not completely inexpressive with its array of floral, brioche, Meyer lemon and plenty of yeast influence. The clean and very crisp medium weight flavors possess excellent punch thanks to the very firm and relatively fine supporting mousse, all wrapped in a markedly dry but not really austere finale. This is a wine of refinement yet it doesn’t lack for verve and even power though it does need some bottle age to better develop the level of overall depth.

2009 Taittinger Champagne Brut Millésimé. BH 89. A ripe but fresh nose is comprised by notes of baked apple, yeast, brioche and a hint of rose petal. The round, rich, pliant and quite forward medium-bodied flavors are almost soft because while the supporting effervescence is relatively fine it’s not particularly dense and as such I found the overall effect to lack a touch of vibrancy on the otherwise reasonably dry and clean finish. This would better suit those who prefer less aggressive examples of Champagne when it comes to the mousse. In sum, this is perfectly good but I much preferred its 2008 counterpart.

Seared Main Diver Scallops “In the Shell.” Well scallop anyway. Lovely dish and a great pairing with the Champy.

Flight 3 — getting into the Comtes.

2004 Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne. VM 96. I am thrilled with the way the 2004 Comtes de Champagne continues to evolve in bottle. A few years ago, the 2004 was quite focused and linear, in the style of the vintage, but more recently, the wine has begun to fill out beautifully. The 2004 remains bright, with a full range of citrus, white flower and mineral nuances that dance on the palate. A brisk, saline-infused finish rounds things out beautifully in a Comtes that impresses for its crystalline purity. I expect the 2004 will always remain a bit cool next to the more opulent 2002, but it is still drop-dead gorgeous.

2005 Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne. VM 94. Bright yellow. Vibrant pear and melon aromas are complicated by suggestions of ginger, brioche and smoky minerals. Dry, smoky and precise, offering intense orchard and pit fruit flavors that gain weight with aeration. A dusty mineral quality adds focus and lift to the long, penetrating, floral finish. There’s a Burgundian thing going on here that’s quite intriguing.

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.

Main Lobster & Black Truffle Garganelli Pasta. Great pasta.

The big Flight 4.

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.

1995 Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne. VM 96. A total turn-on, the 1995 Comtes de Champagne is utterly magnificent. Orange marmalade, mint, smoke, hazelnuts, white truffles and honey blossom come to life in an exquisite, resonant Champagne that delivers the goods, big time. Opulent and exotic yet miraculously fresh for a 20 year-old wine, the 1995 Comtes is in a beautiful spot to deliver maximum drinking pleasure. With time in the glass, the 1995 becomes even more finessed. Readers who own the 1995 or can find it are in for a real treat. Let’s leave it at that.

Bonus! 1990 Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne. VM 96. The 1990 Comtes de Champagne captures a stylistic middle ground between the 1988 and 1990. Slightly advancing tones of orange peel and roasted nuts are beautifully contrasted by a streak of minerality that gives the wine its freshness and verve. Bright floral and mineral notes reappear on the finish, adding focus. Rich in its texture yet effortless, the 1990 offers exceptional balance and tons of class. It should continue to drink well for another 15 years.

1990 Taittinger Champagne Artist Collection. Over the hills sadly.

1989 Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne. VM 91. The 1989 Comtes de Champagne is darker in color than the 1988 and also quite a bit more forward. Candied orange peel, spices and caramel suggest it is on a fairly quick path. Today the 1989 is most impressive for its generous texture and complete, developed personality. This won’t make old bones, but it is delicious today.

1985 Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne. JG 95. I reviewed this wine in the last article on Champagne, but having just had a stupendous bottle that was even better than my review in Issue 3, I felt it was necessary to include this note in the current report. The bouquet on this particular bottle is stellar, as it offers up beautiful mélange of pear, wheat toast, almond skins, a touch of custard, chalky soil tones and a quite pronounced note of orange zest. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, pure and racy, with pinpoint bubbles, great acids, beautiful resolution, and a very, very long, focused and snappy finish. Much like the 1990, the 1985 Comtes de Champagne has years and years of life ahead of it, but is fully at its apogee. Glorious juice.

Whole Roasted Carpenter Ranch Squab.

Flight 5.

NV Taittinger Champagne Brut Prestige Rosé. VM 90. Light orange-pink. Cherry, orange zest and fresh rose aromas show very good clarity and energy. Sappy red fruit flavors display a spicy quality, picking up energy and a floral nuance with air. Concentrated, vibrant and precise, finishing on a zesty mineral note, with lingering spiciness and firm grip.

2006 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Rosé Brut. VM 95. Taittinger’s 2006 Comtes de Champagne Rosé has come along nicely over the last six months. Intensely perfumed, Pinot-inflected aromatics carry through the mid-palate and finish as the 2006 shows off its depth and pure energy. Veins of chalky minerality give the red berry and cranberry flavors an extra kick of energy. The 2006 is both powerful and delicate at the same, with crystalline precision and fabulous depth. Hints of orange peel, mint, cinnamon and cranberry add further shades of nuance on the complete, beautifully articulated finish.

2004 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Rosé Brut. VM 94. Vivid pink. Red berries, orange peel, cinnamon and fresh flowers on the high-pitched nose. Juicy, precise and very pure, offering intense, spice-accented red fruit flavors with hints of exotic spices and candied rose. Aeration brings out notes of cherry and rhubarb, which add depth and a bitter touch to the very long, juicy, fruit-dominated finish. Looks to be built for a graceful evolution but this Champagne is delicious now.

Out comes the rack of pork!

Whole Roasted Rack of Kurabuta Pork Chop.

Stems for everything!

Flight 6 – slightly sweet.

NV Taittinger Champagne Nocturne Rosé Sec. VM 89. Dark orange-pink. Pungent red berry and cherry pit aromas are enlivened by suggestions of white pepper and ginger. Surprisingly taut and linear given its level of residual sugar, offering juicy raspberry and tangerine flavors that pick up a toasty nuance on the back half. Finishes with repeating spiciness as well as a hint of bitterness, leaving a sweet berry note behind.

NV Taittinger Champagne Nocturne Sec. VM 90. Bright yellow. Deeply perfumed aromas of poached pear, melon, nectarine and lemon curd are complemented by suggestions of buttered toast, anise and chamomile. Plush and broad on the palate, offering ripe citrus and pit fruit flavors with a touch of chalky minerality adding cut and lift. A floral quality builds slowly with air and carries through the spicy, sappy, gently sweet finish. I like this Champagne’s balance of fruitiness and vivacity and there’s no way that I’d have guessed that its <em>dosage</em> was so high.

Brillat Savarin, Robiola Cheese, Aged Comte.

The whole wine lineup.

Have a few glasses.

Liz Lee on the left, Vitalie Taittinger on the right.

Another stellar dinner from Liz and Sage Society! Very educational with Vitalie Taittinger there and the way in which Liz has arranged the wines. Different flights explored different aspects of the Taittinger style. We wandered across the decades as well and the older vintage wines showed particularly well.

Plus Liz does an absolutely amazing job with the food pairings. The food here reminds me a lot of that at Spago — I wonder why?

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Bel Air, Champagne, Liz Lee, Sage Society, Taittinger, Wolfgang Puck

I-Driva to I-Naba

Mar11

Restaurant: I-Naba

Location: 20920 Hawthorne Blvd, Torrance, CA 90503. (310) 371-6675

Date: January 18, 2018

Cuisine: Japanese Tempura

Rating: Solid but not amazing Tempura

Various people in my foodie circles had been floating the idea of a wine dinner to old school Torrance tempura joint, I-naba.

I ended up going with the Baby Killers (what I call one of my food groups). The reservation was for a blisteringly early — thanks Charlie! — 6:30pm which resulted in hideous traffic to it’s undistinguished mini-mall location.

The inside is seriously old school Japanese restaurant.

The even have a tempura bar — which is cool.

Cured duck with mustard. Nice, like a pastrami.

Amuse of marinated onions and some fish.

Sashimi plate with salmon, yellowtail, and another fish.

Fermented squid guts. A winter special — very briny and not to everyone’s taste — I actually like it.

Simmered chicken with taro. Chunks of taro and chicken soup. Pretty good.

Fried tofu in dashi soup. Very mild flavor but I love the texture of the fried tofu and the mild dashi flavor.

Pressed mackerel sushi. Very old fashioned — like 19th century!

Chawanmushi – Simmered egg custard dish. Always love these.

Stew of egg and some other stuff.

Deep fried pork cutlets.

Various tempura.

Even more tempura.

And more.

And my favorite tempura, the mixed everything (Kakiage).

Cold buckwheat soba noodles.

Soy sauce like dipping sauce and the traditional condiments of wasabi, green onion, and daikon radish. You dump them in the sauce and dip. Very nice soba.

So-so Japanese ice cream. (Overly grainy and frozen).

Red bean flavor.

Green tea.

Real genuine Sweet Milk Gelato that I made (and brought)! Meyer Lemon French Vanilla Gelato — looks simple, but the milk was steeped with Tahitian Vanilla beans and Meyer Lemon peel. I pair it in the bowl with Amareno cherry syrup too!

Here it is with the cherries!

And me serving.

Instagram fodder!

The dump included ice cream!

Tonight’s wines were great, but a total free-for-all as Charlie likes to do it. Because I’m lazy, I’ll just post the pictures.

As you can see, mostly Champ and Burgundy of both flavors.

More instagram posing.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable evening (except for the traffic), and the wines and company were fabulous, but I was a bit underwhelmed by the food. It was good traditional Japanese, and some dishes were very good like the tofu and soba, but the tempura in particular sat too long (possibly due to our large party) and was only good, not great. In fact, I like the tempura better at super casual Hannosuke. I had hoped for mind blowing tempura. That being said, the whole meal was tasty and a great deal.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Babykillers, BYOG, Gelato, i naba, Japanese cuisine, Sashimi, tempura, Tofu, Wine

Eating Melbourne – Sarti

Mar09

Restaurant: Sarti

Location: 6 Russell Pl, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia

Date: December 31, 2017

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Very good Italian

Our final dinner in Australia was New Years Eve and we went to this excellent Italian restaurant…

Pretty front hidden on a side street.

Inside, bar, etc.

Outside patio currently hosting a private party.

Italian all the way.

The special New Year’s menu.

I ordered this nice Australian chard.

Trota Marinata. Semi cured ocean trout, white radish, grapefruit, salmon roe.

Rotolo di Coniglio. Rolled rabbit, quinoa salad, walnuts, baby carrots.

Fiori di Zucca. Zucchini flowers filled with goat’s cheese and chives.

Insalata di Polipo. Octopus salad, avocado puree, pomegranate.

Zucchini and goat cheese foam.

Il Pesce. Pan seared Barramundi, baby cucumber, orange, caramelized witlof.

Risotto alle Verdure. Pea pisotto, sugar snap peas, mascarpone, mint.

Green salad with nuts.

Fries.

Spaghetti alla Chitarra. Black ink pasta, WA blue swimmer crab, fresh tomato, garlic, chili.

Chocolate ice cream.

Pietre di Frutta della Passione. Passion fruit stones, what chocolate sponge, basil.

The crew at the table.

Downtown Melbourne

Overall, a very nice Italian meal. Australia has a lot of Italians and quite good Italian food. This was in that modern Italian style.

For more Australia dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Australia, eating-australia, Italian Cusine, Melbourne, Sarti

Eating Tasmania – Tasman

Mar08

Restaurant: Restaurant Tasman

Location: 1 Davey St, Hobart TAS 7000, Australia. +61 3 6235 4547

Date: December 29, 2017

Cuisine: Austalian

Rating: pretty good

Our last night in Tasmania we ate at the slight “fancy” hotel restaurant because it was convenient and looked pretty good.

Sadly, I didn’t really chronicle some of the more casual local fare that really stood out like the fresh oysters and scallops, or even better the scallop curry “pie” (I had at least 3 of these).

The menu.

Squash soup with a bit of curry and some considerable spice (cayenne?). I liked it. My wife did not because she doesn’t like spicy.

Rocket and parmesan salad with aged balsamic.

Curried scallops with date and tamarind chutney, hung yoghurt and coriander. Not bad but I preferred the aforementioned scallop curry pies.

Cheese pasta for the boy. He ordered 2 of them!

Pan roasted salmon fillet with beetroot gnocchi, golden beets, goat’s curd and baby chard leaves.

Roasted lamb rump with cannelloni beans, zucchini, asparagus, pistou and pickled white anchovies. The anchovies gave it a bit of an umami vibe.

Dessert menu.
Vanilla creme brulee with biscotti.

Overall, not a bad meal at all for upscale modern Australian.

For more Australia dining reviews click here.

Tasmania is a dismal and unattractive place — nothing to look at here! (JK)

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Australia, eating-australia, Hobart, Tasman, Tasmania

Eating Tasmania – Cargo

Mar06

Restaurant: Cargo Bar Pizza Lounge

Location: 51 Salamanca Pl, Battery Point TAS 7004, Australia

Date: December 27, 2017

Cuisine: Pizza

Rating: Ok

Our first night in the Tasmanian city of Hobart was the same night as the end of the big Sydney to Hobart sailing race so the city was packed.

Wandering around we found this pizza bar and lounge.

Odd format where you order food at one counter, drinks inside, then wait at a table for it.

So sort of fast casual bar.

The menu.

Garlic bread.

Lame caesar salad.

A sort of weird salad with various Italian deli meats in it. Described as Bresola, rocket, Spanish onion, cherry tomato, parmesan, fetta (spelled that way) & white truffle oil. This isn’t any bresola I’ve ever seen.

Kid’s cheese pizza.

Pizza with cherry tomatoes.
Hoi Sin Duck Pizza. Roasted duck, peanuts, cheese, hoi sin sauce, chili, spring onions & stir fry vegetables. Dough wasn’t the best but the toppings were actually pretty good. I love hoisin sauce.

Overall, a nice enough atmosphere, but a so-so dinner.

For more Australia dining reviews click here.

People waiting on the harbor for the sailboats to head across the finish line

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Australia, Cargo, eating-australia, Hobart, Pizza, Tasmania

Mountain Hot Pot

Mar05

On one of my 2018 trips to Mammoth for skiing some friends hosted us (two nights in a row) at their condo for homemade Chinese Hot Pot. Yay!

And we returned on New Year’s Eve for even more great hot pot.

I was in charge of the libations. From my cellar: 2011 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Saint-Aubin 1er Cru En Remilly Cuvée Nicholas et Mathis. 93 points.

Our hosts Wendy and Alex pulled out all the stops, cutting up all the additives like the above tofu and veggies.

Beef — higher quality than at most hot pot places.

Beef, pork, squid, and fish balls. I love these.

Shrimp.

Mushrooms.

Glass noodles.

From my cellar: 2004 Domaine Michel Gros Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Brulées. BH 89. Deep ruby. Distinctly ripe and perfumed aromas of warm earth, underbrush, spice, dark berry fruit and a subtle smokiness complement perfectly the supple, sweet but robust medium full flavors that finish with impressive complexity and solid power. This is firmly structured but not hard or aggressive and the natural ripeness of Brulées comes through here.

The broth by itself. It was a pork broth.

Some of the ultra-tender pork meat that came out of the broth.

Condiments to use in constructing dipping sauce. This was also my job.

Our hosts, Wendy left and Alex right. Chopping away!

The loaded hot pot!

So on 12/31/18 we returned for another round of even more over the top hot pot.

This is one serious home hot pot spread!

Three types of mushrooms, tofu and bean curd.

On the right 3-4 flavors of “meatballs.”

Fish cakes!

From my cellar: 1997 Maison Roche de Bellene Chambertin Collection Bellenum. 96 points. This wine was drinking superbly tonight.

Four kinds of meat including pork belly, lamb, and two awesome types of beef!

Veggies.

Marinated tofu.

And an array of sauce components.

As New Year approached we, of course, cracked the Krug.

Our host additionally made this amazing Apple Pie.

And homemade mochi / red bean “brownies”.
Wendy takes her Ice Cream seriously. Look at the freezer drawer!!!

Overall, a fabulous and fun meal. Better than at some of the hot pot restaurants I’ve been too and loads of fun.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Chinese cuisine, home cooking, hot pot, Mammoth Lakes

Eating Adelaide – 48 Flavors

Mar02

Restaurant: 48 Flavors

Location: 78 Gouger St, Adelaide SA 5000, Australia. +61 8 8211 6180

Date: December 20, 2017

Cuisine: Gelato

Rating: Awesome gelato, if a tad brightly colored and stabilized

Right next to the Chinese restaurants and the Central Market is this award winning gelato place.

48 Flavors!

They have a lot of flavors, both fairly classic Italian and some more Asian slanted ones.
These brightly colored ones are mostly fruit flavors.

Over here are the more chocolate/vanilla type “heavier” flavors.

And a final shot.

This is Turkish Delight, a rosewater based flavor.

48 Flavors tasted great, has nice texture, and a lot of interesting and delicious flavors. The colors are pretty intense though and I asked them if they added coloring. The guy behind the counter said no, but I read the ingredients on their website and well… yes they do. My own Sweet Milk gelato style is pretty technical (2-3 sugars) but these are way more so with a host of stabilizers, emulsifiers, colors, oils, starches, etc in every flavor. It does help with the color, texture, and shelf life, but it’s well… more processed. I don’t really feel I need the artificial flavors or colors. Not sure why they need the oils either. Probably helps with the emulsification (and hence the texture) but dilutes the natural taste a bit.

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Toy factory in the Barossa Valley

By: agavin
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Tagged as: 48 Flavors, Adelaide, Australia, Dessert, eating-australia, Gelato

Eating Adelaide – Coopers

Mar01

Restaurant: Coopers Alehouse

Location: 316 Pulteney St, Adelaide SA 5000, Australia. +61 8 8223 6433

Date: December 26, 2017

Cuisine: Australian

Rating: Decent pizza

Just a super simple pizza dinner at a local pub.

Cute old style Adelaide building. A lot of older Australia has a sort of “old west” style because it was built in a similar time period.

I love cider on tap. Local too.

Kid’s pizza.

Margarita pizza.

My weird pork, BBQ, and pita chip pizza. Not bad, if a little odd.

A pub with pizza, but decent pizza.

For more Australia dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Adelaide, Australia, beer, cider, Coopers Alehouse, eating-australia, Pizza

Eating Barossa – Artisans

Feb26

Restaurant: Artisans of Barossa

Location: Light Pass Rd & Magnolia Rd, Vine Vale SA 5352, Australia. +61 8 8563 3935

Date: December 26, 2017

Cuisine: Australian

Rating: One of the best kitchens of the trip

On Boxing Day (the 26th of December) we traveled around the Barossa valley sampling giant Australian wines.

Our tour guide set us up at Artisans of Barossa and it turned out to be a lovely spot with great contemporary food.

The view in the middle of the vineyards with casual outside dining as well.

The menu.

The porch has a great view too.

As does the bustling modern interior.

Harvest sourdough with butter. Basic, but excellent!

Glass of Shiraz, of course.

Section 28 Monforte cheese and flat bread.

Fava and herb falafel with shanklish and roast pumpkin.

16 hour slow braised pork empanadas with house made relish. Meat in pastry is a classic and these were delicious!

Local heirloom tomato salad, Barossa Cheese Co feta and fresh herbs.

Fries.

Slow cooked pulled lamb with millet salad, yoghurt and barberries. Yum! Lamb is best this way, slow cooked, and with yougurt!
Salted caramel sundae with toffee popcorn. Several times in Australia I had a caramel ice cream thing with popcorn. Kinda works as this was excellent.

Overall, a great meal from a great kitchen. Unfortunately, we were in a bit of a rush, but we slammed it in.

For more Australia dining reviews click here.

Take in the local sites

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Artisans, Artisans of Barossa, Australia, Barossa, eating-australia

Eating Adelaide – Skyline

Feb24

Restaurant: Skyline

Location: 1 South Terrace, Adelaide SA 5000, Australia. +61 8 8216 0388

Date: December 25, 2017

Cuisine: Australian Cuisine

Rating: Nice view

It was kinda hard to fine somewhere that was open on Christmas day (evening of the 25th). Most of the top places in Australia close for the holidays.
We settled on Skyline which did have a lovely view off the edge of the city. Funny too as it’s atop a tall building for Adelaide — but is perhaps only 5 or 6 stories!

The Christmas menu.The gang in the dining room.

And even a shot of me.

During dinner the sun went down right in front of us.

Goats Cheese Tart. Beetroot meringue, succulent salsa.

Seared Scallops. Coral emulsion, chorizo crumb.

Salad.

Side vegetables (kinda like the Nicoise minus the tuna).

Simple pasta for the boy.

Fish & chips.

SA Kingfish Nicoise Salad. Green beans, kipfler potatoes, heirloom tomatoes, sous vide egg.

Lamb Backstrap – Hay Valley Farms. Beetroot leather, burnt butter beans, roasted beets, goats cheese.

Ice cream.

Chocolate brownie. Honey caramel, toasted macadamia, burnt honey ice cream, egg nog foam, puffed black rice, candied muntries.
Vanilla Panna Cotta. Rosemary short bread, confit rhubarb, balsamic jelly, strawberry jell, native mint.

A fun enough meal — although the kitchen was more clued in than the servers. They had that super friendly Australian thing going, but they were pretty clueless and made a bunch of mistakes.

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By: agavin
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Tagged as: Adelaide, Australia, Christmas, eating-australia, Skyline

Eating Adelaide – Ding Hao

Feb22

Restaurant: Ding Hao

Location: 26 Gouger St, Adelaide SA 5000, Australia. +61 8 8211 7036

Date: December 25, 2017

Cuisine: Cantonese Dim Sum

Rating: Not bad

Christmas Day in Adelaide and what do you do, even when on the other side of the world? Eat Chinese Food!

Adelaide’s chinatown was just around the corner from our hotel so I picked the busiest looking dim sum parlor.

Inside it doesn’t look much — if any — different than it might in the states.

Chili sauce.

Sadly, since the rest of my party doesn’t like Chinese food I was ordering just for myself and so couldn’t get that much. Had to try the classics though.

Shu Mai. Fine version. Not too gigantic (I don’t like them huge).

Steamed pork bun. I would rather have had the baked type with the sweet glaze but the filling was very good.

Scallop and shrimp dumplings. Nice. Very fresh too.
I was full but I saw XLB (xao lao bao) pork soup dumplings on the menu and had to order some up. Took 20 minutes to steam too but totally worth it.

Not bad at all from the couple dishes I had. Considerably better than the place I ate at in New York’s Chinatown last summer.

For more Australia dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Australia, Chinese cuisine, Dim sum, dimsum, Ding Hao, eating-australia

Saddle Up Again

Feb20

Restaurant: Saddle Peak Lodge [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]

Location: 419 Cold Canyon Rd, Calabasas, CA 91302 (818) 222-3888

Date: January 11, 2018

Cuisine: Modern American

Rating: Great ambiance and terrific game oriented food.

Ever year, both in the summer and winter, we Hedonists return to Saddle Peak Lodge. It’s pretty much the perfect venue for both a winter or summer food and wine blast, with gorgeous lodge patio, game driven food, and awesome wine service. For those of you who don’t know, Hedonist events have amazing wines (each diner brings at least one bottle).

Saddle Peak Ranch used to be a game lodge back in the early part of the 20th century. The rich and famous used to come up and hunt Malibu’s finest, such as this poor fellow. Now the deer are just served up on the menu.

The private room.

They offer a tasting menu, but our party likes to order ala carte. I’d actually like to build our own custom tasting menu which we sort of half managed to do tonight.

The regular menu. They have confusingly moved a bunch of the sides into starters — even though they make no sense as starters.

Stuffed animals!

The place was DEAD on this particular night. I didn’t see anyone else upstairs.

A freebee from my cellar. It’s a cheap “like rose champagne” from the Jura. Many of us actually liked it better next to the Billecart!

Pretzel bread and butter.

NV Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut Rosé. VM 92. Pale orange. High-pitched red berry, orange zest and jasmine aromas, with suave mineral and smoky lees notes adding complexity. Spicy and precise on the palate, showing very good punch to its strawberry and bitter cherry flavors. Opens up smoothly with air and picks up a bitter rhubarb quality that lingers onto the long, tightly focused finish. This bottling showed more brawny character than many past renditions of this cuvée, but with no lack of vivacity.

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.

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

agavin: this bottle was more oxidized than the first I opened

2014 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Chassagne-Montrachet Les Ancegnières. BH 89-91. Mild reduction doesn’t significantly diminish the appeal of the citrus and slightly exotic fruit and petrol aromas. The solidly intense and delineated middle weight plus flavors are supported by a well-integrated acid spine and refreshing citrus nuances on the lingering finish. This is a quality Chassagne villages and worth considering.

2009 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne. BH 93. A discreet touch of wood sets off aromas of dried rose petal, lemon grass and green apple that precede rich, full and obviously well-muscled big-bodied flavors that possess an intense minerality on the powerful, driving and palate staining finish that delivers simply terrific persistence. This imposing effort is most impressive and should offer up to a decade of potential improvement.

Potato leek soup. These soup amuses are kinda boring.

1999 Château d’Yquem. JG 93. I was very surprised to like the 1999 Yquem a bit better than I liked the 2001, as the vintage in general seems to be decidedly stronger in Sauternes in 2001. The 1999 Yquem offers up a complex and classic nose of toasted coconut, oranges, honey, butter, lovely soil tones, fresh apricot and a lovely framing of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, deep and quite crisp, with lovely focus and balance, excellent mid-palate depth and a very long, bright and poised finish. A lovely bottle of Yquem.

Seared Foie gras with brioche and apples. An excellent seared prep, special ordered.

And served with the perfect pairing of d’Yquem!

1994 R. López de Heredia Rioja Viña Tondonia.

Warm Octopus “Pouche-Grille”, Chermoula, Potato, Mache, Parsley, Lemon Vinaigrette. This was the weakest dish, overly warm and tough.

1999 Delas Frères Hermitage Marquise de la Tourette. VM 90+. Moderately saturated medium ruby. Roasted berries and leather on the rather shy nose. Juicy, firm and flinty on the palate; not nearly as full or explosive as the Cote-Rotie La Landonne but very nicely delineated and subtly aromatic in the mouth. Finishes very long, with fine but serious tannins.

Bandera Quail, Charred Onions, Fingerling Potato, Sage Soubise. This was tasty enough with a very strong char flavor.

1998 Le Petit Cheval. 89 points. Deep colour. And on the nose, deep fruit, seasoned with a little fresh garden mint and green peppercorn. This is fine. Integrating tannins on the palate which still provide a good structure, flavoured with a little coffee and mint. Delightfully structured wine, very approachable now, but will do some short term development I think.

Beef Tartare, wasabi, smoked avocado, crispy rice, herbs.

1997 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon. VM 94. Bright, dark red. Wild, sexy scents of raspberry, game, olive tapenade, pepper, cedar, mocha and mountain herbs are wonderfully perfumed and subtle. This firmly built, aromatic midweight Cabernet is not especially voluptuous or generous but has the energy and definition to continue to improve for years. Savory more than sweet but still with terrific dark fruit retention. This classic ageworthy wine (Old World comes to Spring Mountain?) still shows some reserve but is impeccably balanced. Finishes with perfectly buffered tannins and subtle rising length.

Mushroom agnolotti.

2002 Lail Vineyards J. Daniel Cuvée. 92 points. Not my type of wine. Big wine, might be more approachable in 5 – 10 years, but now it was way too big a wine for my taste. palate and nose dominated by cherries and chocolate, almost sweet. Wine was huge, good balance, tannins were resolved…just not my cup of tea.

Roasted Mushrooms, bone marrow, persilade, red wine, butter pastry. This was delicious. Like a mushroom pot pie.

Spaghetti Rustichella, white shrimp, uni butter, chili flake and garlic. Solid dish. Nice and buttery. Hint of spice.

Cast Iron Johnnycake, maple butter. Awesome!

Mac & Cheese, 4 cheeses, gouda, aged cheddar, reggiano, jack. Good, but a little dry.

1989 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape. JG 93+. I have always been a fan of the 1989 Château Beaucastel, which I rank just behind the superb 1981 at this fine estate. The most recent bottle I tasted of this wine was still just a touch youthful, but offered up fine complexity on both the nose and palate and shows excellent promise. The bouquet is a blend of roasted fruitcake, cherries, new leather, venison, incipient notes of sous bois, woodsmoke and hot stones. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and rock solid at the core, with a bit of tannin still to resolve, fine focus and grip and a very long, classy and slightly chewy finish. I would be tempted to give this wine a few more years to really resolve, as it will be a superb wine and it would be most enjoyable to drink it at the same plateau that the 1981 has been enjoying for a good decade already.

From my cellar: 1990 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape. JG 92+. The 1990 Château Beaucastel is a lovely wine and is just about ready for primetime drinking, but will continue to improve over the coming five or six years and then cruise along for decades from that point forward. The bouquet offers up a fine blend of dried raspberries and red currants, roasted game, incipient autumnal tones (fallen leaves) and a potpourri of spice tones in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and a touch leathery in personality, with a good core, melting tannins and fine length and grip on the complex finish. Having had the good fortune to drink several older vintages of Beaucastel at peak maturity, my gut instinct with the 1990 would be to let it rest in the cellar for just a few more years and allow the last layer of aromatic complexity to emerge here, though it must be said that the wine is really lovely on the palate right now.

2003 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape. VM 92. Dark red. Vibrant raspberry, blackberry, floral and spice aromas convey impressive purity and freshness. Supple and sweet, with deep red fruit flavors, hints of floral pastille and baking spices and gentle tannins. This wine has more grenache than usual for the property, which makes it one of the most graceful (despite the hot vintage) wines I’ve had from the Perrins. Clean and energetic on the finish, which echoes the red fruit and floral qualities. A touch of heat takes my score down a hair, but this is Chateauneuf, after all. I scored this wine 93 points on release.

Game Trio with Emu, Elk, and Bison.

Game Quadro adding in Water Buffalo.

Braised Bison Short Rib, smoked miso-potato puree, blistered asparagus, peppery jelly.

Water Buffalo Loin, dates, brown butter, brussels sprouts, grapes, juniper, blackberry.

Amaroo Farms Emu Strip, balsamic onions, potato, spinach, red wine jus.

Elk Tenderloin, bacon jam, cranberry, crispy yam strings.

Left over from the night before.

8oz Filet Mignon, mushroom, potato puree, pea greens, cider glazed carrots & turnips.

New Zealand Lamb Rack, smoked miso potatoes, blistered asparagus, pepper jam.

French fries.

Dessert menu.

1971 Bodegas Toro Albala Don PX Gran Reserva. 92 points. Seb brought this and didn’t even know it was super sweet. It was great though!
Cappuccino Cream, hazelnut fudge & cocoa crumble.

Banana & huckleberry bread pudding, Tahitian Vanilla bean ice cream.

Valrhona Brownie, chocolate cremeux caramelized white chocolate, raspberry, bourbon barrel ice cream.

Sorbet. Coconut, blackberry, and I can’t remember. Nice texture but way too mild in flavor.

This night was typical of Saddlepeak in recent years. Food is good. Prices are a bit high. Service is super nice and they really try — but the format isn’t perfect for wine dinners. I’d rather do it in family style waves rather than a few huge courses.

Our wines were mixed tonight with many very good but a few flawed.

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Or for Hedonist extravaganzas.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Foie gras, Meat, Saddle Peak Lodge, Wine

Eating Sydney – Ibis Hotel

Feb18

Restaurant: Ibis Hotel Sydney Airport

Location: Sydney, Australia

Date: December 24, 2017

Cuisine: Weird blend

Rating: interesting, but not a lot of flavor

A mechanical problem with our plane caused us to spend an extra night in Sydney — at the exciting Ibis Hotel near the airport. We went down to their restaurant and discovered to my pleasure and everyone else’s that it was vaguely Asian. Sort of Indian/Indonesian maybe.

Cider.

Salt and pepper squid. Pretty tasty actually. Best thing. VERY salty though.

Creamy mushroom pasta.

Pasta pomodoro.

Steamed veggies.

Boring salmon.

Chicken curry. I wanted to like it but it was super salty without much flavor.

Ice cream with chocolate sauce.

Seeing as it was Christmas Eve they gave us some eggnog!

And I ordered this yummy-sounding caramel shake, but it basically tasted like milk and caramel not ice cream.

Not the best meal at all, but kinda interesting. The hotel had nice staff, but I can’t say I will be booking at another Ibis again soon — accommodations and service were minimal to say the least!

For more Australia dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Australia, eating-australia, Ibis, Sydney

Eating Uluru – Sails in the Desert

Feb15

Restaurant: Sails in the Desert

Location: Uluru

Date: December 23, 2017

Cuisine: Australian

Rating: Not bad for in the middle of nowhere

Sails in the Desert is a hotel (one of just a few) near Uluru.

Uluru used to be known as Ayers rock — regardless, it’s far more impressive in person than any name can do justice to!

Fruity mocktail.

Salad with grilled cheese — notice the rocket again.

Veggie Club and fries.

The ubiquitous fish and chips.

Curry in the middle of nowhere!And kangaroo — which was a little tough and not good enough to overcome the cuteness factor of the bouncy marsupials, so I feel sad.

Sails wasn’t bad for such a remote destination — and one with virtually no other choices unless you want to go all aboriginal and eat some monitor lizard.

For more Australia dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Australia, eating-australia, Sails in the Desert, Uluru

Holy Roly

Feb12

Restaurant: Holy Roly

Location: 3450 W 6th St Suite 109A, Los Angeles, CA 90020. (323) 739-8828

Date: January 2, 2018

Cuisine: Rolled Ice Cream

Rating: Tasty, but still too cold

After a tasty Korean meal we wandered around the corner to try this rolled ice cream joint.

Rolled ice cream is really a Thai thing, but this place doesn’t really seem to have any particular ethnic slant. It does bill itself on its website as healthy and organic — all the while sporting fruit loops, Oreos, and marshmallows on top — go figure!

You pick your flavor.

There are specials.

Then they (slowly) take a cup of your flavor and pour it on the frozen surface.

They then manually (and slowly) do the job of a batch freezer by mushing the mix around.

Finally spreading it out so it can freeze nice and cold with little consistency or aeration.

Then they roll it up into ho-hos and decorate.

Deep Dark Chocolate. whipped cream, pocky stick, roasted marshmallow, fruity pebbles (apparently they ran out and decided on fruit loops or are confused), rainbow sprinkles (also out), chocolate syrup. If they think THAT is deep dark they should check out a REAL chocolate ice cream (gelato):

NOT HOLY ROLY, but Chocolate Fondant Honey Nougat Gelato made by Sweet Milk (me).

Back to our featured location: Coffee, Oreo. Whipped cream, pocky stick, roasted marshmallow (sense a theme?), mini oreo, chocolate syrup. Not bad, but like all these rolled ice creams looks better than it tastes because the temperature is so cold and the texture so dense.

So like all the rolled ice cream places Holy Roly is pretty good (because how bad can house made ice cream be?) and very attractive, but suffers from being too cold and too dense. Plus the format is VERY SLOW. If it were even moderately busy you’d really be waiting a while since it takes maybe 6-8 minutes of straight labor from an employee to prepare just one of these.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Dessert, hedonists, Holy Roly, Ice cream, Korea-town

Eating Cairns – Tamarind

Feb09

Restaurant: Tamarind

Location: 35-41 Wharf St, Cairns City QLD 4870, Australia. +61 7 4030 8897

Date: December 22, 2017

Cuisine: Thai Fine Dining

Rating: Very good

Tamarind is a casino restaurant in Cairns that is high end Thai-fusion fine dining.

Only that particular combination and the fact that they also had regular pasta (for our son) convinced my family to go — lucky for me.

Long menu.

An amuse of tomato soup.

Fruity cocktail.

A kind of alcoholic “ice tea.”

Tamarind Taster Plate with, left to right:

Pan Seared Scallops. Butternut anglaise, dried wakame, bacon crumb and pickled fig.

Tempura Zucchini Flowers. Pernod gel, ricotta emulsion, macerated currents, and salsa verde.

Gin and tonic Salmon. Blueberry, cucumber gel, feta cream, squid ink glass.

Watermelon Salad. Pink-ginger, watermelon, snow pea, and ponzu dressing.

Pasta with tomato sauce and cheese.

Beetroot Risotto. Goats chese croquette, roof top greens.

Penang Duck Curry. Caramelized pumpkin, roasted peanuts, chili, coriander, with scented rice.

A close up of the curry. This was actually a fabulous curry. Sweet rather than spicy but intensely flavored, rich, and sumptuous.

Vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce.

Above the great barrier reef

I’m glad we managed to get to Tamarind. It was one of my favorite dinners, particularly because the duck curry was so good and I love even a bad Thai curry — and this was a delicious one.

For more Australia dining reviews click here.