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Quick Eats – Popcorn Chicken

Jul21

Restaurant: Popcorn Chicken

Location: 2224 Sawtelle Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064. (424) 832-3076

Date: June 21, 2017

Cuisine: Taiwanese

Rating: Taiwanese fast casual

More Chinese on Sawtelle – yay!

It’s in the row of fast casual joints by Daikokuya.

And it’s sort of a hybrid boba tea shop fast casual Taiwanese place.

Pictures on the menu.
Passionfruit green tea with boba. There is the usual vast array of such drinks.
Grapefruit green tea with boba.

Popcorn chicken. Tasty. Very fried.

Fried squid balls. Yep. If you’ve got the balls, eat ’em.

“lunch’s” come with this microscopic egg drop soup. It wasn’t bad.

Szechuan fish filet noodle soup. The fish itself wasn’t the most amazing and it wasn’t seething in peppers like at a real Szechuan place but it had some mala (numb taste) and a whole bunch of noodles. Not bad.

Scrambled eggs with shrimp over rice. Weird as these egg, sauce, rice dishes are — I kinda love them.

House fried rice. Always tasty.

Sesame Balls. 2 balls in one day! Filled with red bean paste.

Popcorn Chicken is sort of like a low end version of Little Fatty. Or Little Fatty is like a high end artsy Popcorn Chicken. Nothing wrong with that. Good extra option to have on Sawtelle.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Chinese cuisine, Popcorn Chicken, Sawtelle Blvd, Taiwanese Cuisine

Republique 2017

Jul19

Restaurant: Republique [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]

Location: 624 S La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036. (310) 362-6115

Date: June 23, 2017

Cuisine: Modern Bistro French

Rating: Nice (loud) space, tasty hip food, great service

This is my 10th time writing up Republique! Woah. This time for a Sauvages lunch (White Burgundy). It’s even the second Sauvages lunch I’ve done here.

We were up in the private room with a custom menu — really the only way to do Republique. I’ve learn too that breakfast lunch is now sort of fast casual (you order then sit). Ick for this sort of restaurant. But up in the room is great.

Our special menu.

3L bottle of 2006 Bouchard Père et Fils Chevalier-Montrachet. BH 96. Prost was, justifiably, extremely proud of this wine and observed that it may be the best “straight” Chevalier that he’s ever made. Not surprisingly, this is a good deal more elegant than the Bâtard with gorgeously pure floral and white fruit, stone and subtle spice aromas that seamlessly merge into the almost painfully intense and vibrant flavors that, like the Perrières, possess crystalline purity and huge length. This is a knockout Chevy and if you can find it, don’t miss it.

agavin: Stunningly fresh in the big format. Fabulous.

The famous bread and Normandy Butter. We ate about 9-10 loaves of this. Not kidding. Plus I bought some to take home.

2011 Lucien Le Moine Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Caillerets. BH 91-93. This is presently very leesy and while there are background notes of citrus and dried flowers, this is hard to read today. By contrast the concentrated flavors pack plenty of punch and an abundance of both minerality and palate coating dry extract, all wrapped in an attractively textured, austere, serious and austere finish. This is a brooding and quite serious wine seemingly extracted from liquid rock that will require plenty of time to mature.

agavin: our bottle stank. Thin with no fruit!

2010 Vincent Dancer Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Tete du Clos. BH 91-93. The fresh, cool and beautifully well-layered nose exhibits white flower and lemon zest scents that give way to restrained, refined and energetic flavors that possess plenty of underlying tension on the balanced and ever-so-mildly austere finish. Like the La Romanée there is a distinct salinity to the finish and this should age well.

agavin: not drinking too well either, but way better than the Le Moine.

2009 Louis Jadot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Le Cailleret. agavin 91. Nice wine. Young, but tasted like it should have.

2004 Domaine Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru La Boudriotte. BH 89. A deft touch of wood frames citrus and earth infused ripe chardonnay fruit aromas that lead to rich, full and fleshy flavors that are robust if not especially structured, all wrapped in a delicious and easy to like finish. There is good freshness here if not great underlying tension with fine overall balance and fine length. In sum, this is a generous and easy to like effort that should repay a few years in the cellar.

agavin: Meadows is being a hardass because this was the best wine of the flight by far.

Spot Prawns. Corn puree. Hazelnuts. Corn. Nice dish. I like sucking the heads.

2003 Henri Boillot Corton-Charlemagne. BH 93. A gentle touch of wood frames explosive and very ripe green apple fruit aromas that despite the ripeness remain stunningly pure and elegant with dense, hyper-intense and powerful flavors of serious intensity and persistence. All I could say was “wow” and it’s the rare Corton-Charlemagne that can not only follow a terrific Montrachet but not be found wanting in the offing. Great juice.

2001 Henri Boillot Chevalier-Montrachet. BH 94. The purity here is mind bending and this is perhaps the most transparent wine in this entire group. Elegant, fine and crystalline with superbly detailed fruit and flavors with a positively brilliant, almost painfully intense finish that is astonishingly long. Classy and altogether imposing with its unmatched combination of complexity, depth and focus. While I cannot argue that this has better material than either the Montrachet or the incredible Corton-Charlemagne, I can say that stylistically, the Chevalier is my personal favorite. This is unquestionably a great wine.

2004 Henri Boillot Bâtard-Montrachet. BH 95. Perhaps the most backward and reserved wine to this point as the nose reveals only hints of white flower and green fruit aromas that are framed in a subtle touch of pain grillé but the flavors explode on the palate as there is a chewy texture to them yet there is ample minerality present, particularly for Bâtard. This too is blessed with abundant dry extract and a finish that won’t quit but for all of the size and weight, this is impeccably balanced. This has that “wow” factor and in terms of style, it’s almost like a muscular Chevalier.

agavin: drinking nicely

From my cellar: 2005 Henri Boillot Bâtard-Montrachet. BH 95. An intensely floral and still exceptionally fresh nose is nuanced with hints of spice and citrus where the latter can also be found on the textured and borderline massive flavors that display absolutely no sense of heaviness on the exceptionally rich finish that drenches and stains the palate. This is a big wine yet there is a firm acid backbone that keeps everything in ideal balance and overall, it’s an extremely impressive effort. While the abundant dry extract enables this, like many ’05s, to drink with pleasure now, in magnum format I personally would allow for at least another 4 to 5 years of bottle age.

agavin: our bottle was a little advanced. Improved in the glass.

Halibut. Chanterelle mushroom pea and pork cheeks. The sauce was all about the butter and pork.

2004 Bouchard Père et Fils Chevalier-Montrachet. BH 92. This is presently quite reticent and it requires considerable aeration to coax aromas of airy white flowers, spice and limestone that precede textured, pure and defined energy-filled flavors that possess a linear mouth feel, all wrapped in a focused and mouth coating finish of impressive length. Perhaps this is just going through a phase but it seems a bit awkward at present, and while all the component pieces appear to be in place, I wasn’t knocked out despite the length of the finish. One thing that is clear though is that this definitely needs more bottle age before it’s ready for prime time. Tasted only once in bottle.

2004 Antonin Guyon Corton-Charlemagne. BH 92. A complex and perfumed nose featuring subtle wood spice and elegant, pure and layered green apple and white orchard fruit aromas, particularly pear. The powerful, intense and mouth coating flavors are sleekly muscled with a fresh, forward and wonderfully textured finish that goes on and on. This is structured yet there is so much mid-palate fat that it should be approachable after 5 years or so in bottle.

agavin: advanced

Spinach Cavatelli with morels, another mushroom, cheese, butter, and more butter and then a butter sauce. Fabulous texture to the pasta and the butter was great. They don’t go so far as to use the Normandy butter here, Strauss butter actually, but it’s still great.

2009 Remoissenet Père et Fils Montrachet Le Montrachet. VM 96. The 2009 Le Montrachet, from a parcel on the Chassagne side, is fabulous. Layers of exotic, tropical fruit flow effortlessly from this broad-shouldered, kaleidoscopic wine. There is plenty of freshness in the glass to support the fruit in this magical, captivating wine. I especially like the way this turns delicate, subtle and refined on the finish.

2009 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Corton-Charlemagne Quintessence. VM 95+. Bright pale yellow. Sexy smoky oak and strong minerally silex on the nose, lifted by a violet high note. A densely packed wine with terrific force, offering outstanding cut to its citrus, apple, floral and mineral flavors. At once laid-back and powerful, and extremely unevolved. This really titillates the taste buds on the long, rising, lemon-and-stone finish. Wow! Girardin purchased a bit more Corton-Charlemagne in Aloxe-Corton this year but it’s unlikely to find its way into this special <i>cuvee</i>: he wants the Quintessence bottling, which is always from the same 80-year-old vines in the heart of the hillside on the Pernand side, to remain rare.

2010 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet. BH 93-95. In relatively stark contrast to the expressiveness of the prior wine, this is distinctly restrained if not out and out mute as the nose only grudgingly allows glimpses of the lemon grass, honeysuckle and lemon/lime aromas. There is outstanding intensity to the round, generous and quite seductively textured medium-bodied flavors that possess that wonderful quality of underlying tension which adds a real sense of lift and vitality to the spherical and harmonious Zen-like finish.

Pork belly on risotto. This was a weaker dish. The pork was very fatty.

Chef Walter Manzke.

Our Somm did an awesome job. She replaces Taylor (who was awesome before her).

Les vins.

Cryptic notes.

The giant box for the 3L Bouchard.

1976 Zach. Bergweiler-Prüm Erben Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese. 93 points. Deep uric color, orange golden hues; golden raisin, Pledge, orange, lemon custard, still very fresh; delicious palate, has lost some sweetness, honey, apple, persistent; could easily have gone another 20+ years; everyone amazed at age.

agavin: he said uric!

Les fromages. The soft one (probably a Camembert) was slightly better, but both great.

Overall, a great lunnch – Savauges lunches always are.

Wines were for the most part fabulous. 3 of us sat at the bar downstairs afterward and drank another of my bottles over the next couple hours too.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (1)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: République, Sauvages, Walter Manzke, White Burgundy, Wine

Dragged out for Duck

Jul17

Restaurant: Duck House [1, 2]

Location: 501 S Atlantic Blvd, Monterey Park, CA 91754. (626) 284-3227

Date: June 11, 2017

Cuisine: Chinese

Rating: Interesting stuff

Big surprise that for my birthday dinner I chose — you guessed it — Chinese food! And because it was my birthday I managed to drag the rest of my family all the way out to the SGV. I went for a return to Duck House (previous recent visit here), as they have Peking Duck (no duh), it’s on the west side of Alhambra, and because it isn’t spicy or too weird. But I did pre-order a bunch of interesting dishes.

From my cellar: NV Demière-Ansiot Champagne Grand Cru Brut Blanc de Blancs. VM 91. Vivid yellow. Bright, mineral-accented aromas of orange, pear, anise and white flowers are lifted by a gingery topnote. Lively and precise, offering intense orchard and citrus fruit flavors and a hint of buttered toast. Shows impressive clarity and mineral cut on the finish, with the pear and floral notes echoing. This elegant Champagne should age well on its balance.

Slightly sweet soy marinated chicken wings. Always on the table here to start. Boney and cold, but nice taste.

My 8 year-old tried these fried buns. Basically the soft bao dough fried with sweetened condensed milk on the side.

2005 Seigneurie de Posanges Savigny-lès-Beaune. Not a bad young village.

Peking Duck. Served here with the meat and skin. We had it only 1 way, but two ducks. This is solid, but Tasty Duck and a few others have slightly better duck. Mostly I think they just need better Hoisin.

Egg with tofu. My wife liked this. Steamed egg with tofu and a vegetarian brown sauce.

Eggplant with garlic. A little mushy, and not as spicy/garlicky as the best Szechuan versions, but certainly nice.

Sweet and Pungent shrimp. Basically fried shrimp in sweet and sour sauce. Love it!

Vegetable crispy lo mein. With the sauce on the side.

Here is the sauce. Lots of ginger.

From my cellar: 2008 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Bougros Cote de Bouguerots. BH 96. An exceptionally elegant high-toned and strikingly layered nose of oyster shell, mineral reduction and perfumed cool green fruit is extremely seductive and serves as a fascinating introduction to the concentrated, serious and powerful yet refined flavors that ooze a fine minerality on the mouth coating and hugely long finish. This is blessed with buckets of sap that completely buffer the firm acid spine. This is a flat out great effort that is indisputably a “wow” wine.

Treasure Island, which somehow I keep mis-remembering as “buried treasure.” This was a special pre-order dish and I’ve never had its like before. Napa cabbage smothered (it’s huge) in egg yolk and crab meat sauce. Topped with goji berries. Unusual. Very mild and pleasant, but certainly a LOT of cabbage.

Steamed black cod. For the healthy folk.

2004 Domaine de la Janasse Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes. VM 95. Opaque ruby. Incredibly powerful bouquet encompasses cherry, blackberry, cassis, candied plum, dark chocolate, licorice and garrigue Positively mouthfilling, with potent, liqueur-like dark fruit, licorice and mocha flavors, but also with surprising freshness and cut. As weighty as this is, there’s a sense of elegance, too. Finishes juicy, sweet and impressively long, with persistent cassis and blackberry flavors. Wow!

Jan, your ass is big!

Buddah’s chicken. Another special order dish. Whole roast chicken stuffed with seafood, taro, and I don’t know what and smothered in brown sauce.

Inside it’s like Chinese Thanksgiving! Cool texture.

2014 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon. Can we say vanilla?

Sticky rice with BBQ eel. I don’t know why they always have this dish at duck houses, but they do.

Truffle Lobster. Can’t go wrong with a giant fried lobster in truffle sauce!

I was far too stuffed for cake, so had to have my candle in some eel rice!

Overall, a fun night and great to share it with the family and friends. Not sure I need to order the Treasure Island again, but it was very interesting. The sauce was actually great over rice, but there was so much of it!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Chinese cuisine, Duck House, Peking Duck, SGV, Wine

Wolf

Jul14

Restaurant: Wolf

Location: 7661 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046. (323) 424-7735

Date: June 11, 2017

Cuisine: Contemporary

Rating: Nice brunch

Meeting friends for brunch on my birthday!

We decided to venture east to Wolf, a casual new place by my fried, Chef Marcel Vigneron (check out a meal he cooked at our house here). Off the bat it gets cool points for the uni-wolf.

Inside is casual and funky. They share a kitchen with Beefsteak his adjoining vegetarian restaurant.

The brunch menu.

Bloody Mary. It had some other name and was very smoked.

Turmeric Latte. Turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, honey, almond milk. Tasted great. Very earthy. No caffeine though.
Matcha Latte. Matcha, spirulina, maca, vanilla, coconut oil, almond milk. Very creamy and nutty. The almond milk offset the bitter matcha qualities nicely.

Hibiscus Latte. Hibiscus, almond milk. Not as popular with those that tried it.

The fat stack. Pancakes (minus the strawberry/rhubarb sauce).

Chicken and waffle. Buttermilk, maple whip, hot sauce. This was a great chicken and waffle. The combo of sweet, salty and hot was perfect. Nice fried chicken, very sweet maple whip, and a good bit of heat from the chili oil like sauce.

Waffle. Maple syrup, berries, whipped cream, powdered sugar.

Herb omelet. Mushrooms, goat cheese, side salad. The omelet eater didn’t love this dish.

Eggs Benedict. Hollandaise, coddled egg, spinach, smoked pork.

$10k Burger. avocado, sunnyside egg, muenster, watercress, potato roll. Most of the stuff was on the side here by request.

Bacon.

Avocado.

Sunnyside egg.

Crispy Potatoes. Aji amarillo aioli, lime, cilantro, serrano. Very crispy with a nice soft center. I really liked the potato texture. It came off like an excellent potatoes bravos.

This is just brunch of course, but overall the food at Wolf seemed both interesting, hip, and for the most part on point. I’ll have to try it for dinner.

Service was fabulous. Our waiter really knew what he was doing and handled our giant picky table with ease.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Brunch, Marcel Vigneron, Wolf

Finding the One at One Pico

Jul12

Restaurant: One Pico

Location: 1 Pico Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90405. (310) 587-1717 (inside Shutters Hotel)

Date: June 10, 2017

Cuisine: American

Rating: Solid food, great setting

I don’t go to One Pico very often but I have a soft spot for it in my heart because it was here that my wife and I went on our first date.

So when our anniversary rolled around we decided to head back to the lovely white paneled room by the beach.

Tonight’s menu. I’m sure they’ve had several chefs since our first meal here!

When celebrating, you can never go wrong with Champagne:

From my cellar: 2006 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut. VM 97. Broad, ample and resonant on the palate, the 2006 Cristal dazzles with its pure richness and volume. Readers need to give the 2006 another 4-5 years in bottle, perhaps longer, as the wine appears to be shutting down a bit. Tasted next to the 2002, today the 2006 is a bit less opulent but just as intense, layered and deep. This is a fabulous showing.

Little gem caesar. parmesan croutons, red endive, white anchovies.

Rainbow cauliflower soup. apple curry madras. A little bit of heat and a distinct curry tone.

grilled country bread. Always good with soup!

Corn ravioli. piquillo pepper, lime yellow corn shoots, pecorino romano. Not a tomato sauce but a very Spanish tasting pepper puree.

Bucatini. Maine lobster, roasted tomatoes, capers, spicy Calabrian chili peppers. A touch of heat, plenty of meat.

Sea bass with a pesto puree. A nice crispy-skinned fish.

The dessert menu.

Bonus mini-tiramisu with a candle.

Salted Caramel Sundae. Candy Popcorn, chocolate brownie, and caramel ice cream. I should make a gelato with salted caramel, chocolate, and popcorn. This was a nice confection. Sweet, and good textural contrasts. Not sophisticated in flavor, but good.

Overall a very tasty meal at One Pico. It’s a great room too. Sure the prices are nice hotel prices, but they do a very good job.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Champagne, One Pico, Santa Monica, Shutters

Summer at 71Above

Jul10

Restaurant: 71Above [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Location: 633 W 5th St., Los Angeles, CA 90071

Date: June 6, 2017

Cuisine: New American

Rating: Awesome in all ways

This is my fifth visit to one of LA’s latest and hottest event restaurants, 71Above. The first can be found here. Tonight is my wife and her sister’s birthday so we slogged through nearly 2 hours of traffic to downtown.

Besides being located on the 71st floor (950 feet up!) of the US Bank building, being the highest restaurant west of the Mississippi, and showcasing the food of Chef Vartan Abgaryan, it’s owned and operated by my friend Emil Eyvazoff!

This is no casual opening, but a massive (and gorgeous) multipart buildout that encompasses the entire floor. Above is part of the lounge/bar.

And behind that is the stunning dining room with its computer controlled auto tinting windows. Beyond that the view continues all the way around with the chef’s table and several more intimate private dining areas.

The view alone is worth the price of admission, and offers varied sights depending on your 360 degree angle. Notice how even the second tallest building downtown (seen under construction here) is below eye level! On a clear day you can easily see the vast sweep of the Pacific and several mountain ranges.

The current menu.

Some bonus rose champagne from our host Emil.

Plus we opened both these bottles side by side:

From my cellar (and the restaurant has it on its list): NV Savart Champagne Bulle de Rosé. JG 93. The Savart “Bulles de Rosé” is excellent wine. The cépages is seventy percent pinot noir, twenty-two percent chardonnay and eight percent still red wine (also pinot noir). The wine was finished off with a dosage of six grams per liter and offers up a very complex and still fairly youthful nose of strawberries, blood orange, chalky soil tones, fresh baked bread, caraway seed, orange zest and a gently smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, complex and beautifully balanced, with a fine core, lovely soil signature, refined mousse and a long, crisp and complex finish. This is superb juice.

From my cellar: 2005 Morey-Blanc Corton-Charlemagne. BH 94. More evident wood with hints of spice and vanilla frames the green fruit and spiced apple aromas and a trace of it can also be found on the full-bore, rich and intense big-bodied flavors blessed with excellent concentration and muscle, all wrapped in a minerally, delicious and serious finish of superb length.

Butter and cheese pasta. For my son. Haha.

Gem Lettuce. Lemon, caper, parmesan, chervil, anchovy, garlic breadcrumbs.

Beets. Chocolate wheat berries, blood orange, kumquat, cocoa nib.

Hamachi. Crudo, matcha, tofu, mulberry, masago, fresno chile, basils.

English Pea. Chilled soup, shiso, hazelnut, mint, buttermilk. Really yummy soup. Gazpacho-like.

Carrot. Pickled raisin, kefir, chermoula, sunflower seed, mint.

White asparagus. XO sauce, uni aioli, basil, sea bean.

Morels. Cavatelli, english peas, pistachio, pecorino cream, mint, lemon.

Foie gras. Mousse, strawberry, rhubarb, black pepper crumble, wild fennel, cashew. Soft and sweet with interesting textures.

Halibut. Fava, sugar snap peas, asparagus, carrots, lemon verbena.

Young chicken breast. Swiss chard, beets, black truffle, buttermilk, dried cherry, jus gras.

Spring Lamb. Loin, crepinette, ramp panisse, fava, plum, pickled mustard.

The dessert menu.

I brought some gelato I had made for my wife’s birthday: Amareno on the left (white base with cherry’s I picked myself) and Stracciatella on the right (white base with chocolate drizzled in).

Creme Faiche Mousse. Cassis Lemon Curd, Creme Anglaise, Dill Kefir-Cassis Foam, Creme Fraiche Ice cream.

Caramelia Custard. Laproaig 10yr Scotch Caramel. Coconut sorbet, smoked pork powder, praline hazelnuts, Himalayan pink salt. Amazing flavor combo and texture. Really good. Particularly the pork powder really brought it up.

Chocolate. Cremeux, gel, ganache, smoked yogurt sorbet.

The group of us.

Heading down!

Overall, 71Above is just a seriously well conceived and executed one-of-a-kind restaurant. Really, it’s more like a NY, Singapore, or Tokyo kind of concept. First of all, the view is just awesome. I can’t wait to come back on a really clear day. Particularly once they begin brunch service, a nice winter day will offer an observation deck like panorama.

But then Emil and crew built out such a lovely space to capture the drama. It’s modern, but welcoming. Not too loud, you can here the conversation and the music both. And from when you enter off the double elevator ascent it folds from one experience to another: lounge, dining room, more intimate corridors, chef table, quiet and romantic view areas in the back, and a series of two adjustable private dining rooms. The attention to architectural detail is amazing.

Then the menu has a creative format with a fixed price (currently $70) and three savory courses. You can pick from six options per category. If you are a glutton like me, you can add extra courses – and of course dessert. At the chef’s table one gets a 6 course (+ a few bonuses) for a very reasonable (considering what you get) $110 a person!

It should also be noted that an interesting menu wouldn’t be anything without great execution. As you can see in this post, the plating is modern but approachable and highly attractive. But the flavor on the dishes is paramount, and really quite excellent, particularly considering their complexity and textural variation. There is a balanced quality between opposite forces in Chef Abgaryan’s cooking that pulls from Chinese culinary theory, while that specific flavors and combinations are largely American/European. It’s both approachable and sophisticated. Bravo!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: 71above, birthday, BYOG, DTLA, Emil Eyvazoff, Gelato, Vartan Abgaryan

Drappier at Petrossian

Jul07

Restaurant: Petrossian Beverly Hills

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

Date: June 3, 2017

Cuisine: Caviar +

Rating: Perfect food for Champagne!

Liz Lee of Sage Society organizes some of the best wine maker dinners. Tonight’s showcases Drappier Champagne, a house in Southern Champagne near Chablis that splits the line between House and Grower.

And what goes better with Champagne than caviar? Not much.So she hosted it with a special meal in the private room at Petrossian Beverly Hills.

Before we step into our room I’ll show the front area which splits caviar bar and restaurant.
All sorts of high end delectables like macarons.

Chocolates.

Tons of caviar of course.

Fancy salts, etc.

And Louis XIII.

The private room is lovely.

NV Drappier Champagne Carte d’Or Brut. VM 89. Light yellow-gold. Pungent aromas of orange pith, dried apple and toasty lees, with a hint of chamomile in the background. Fleshy and broad on entry, then tighter in the middle, offering bitter pear skin and quinine flavors and a touch of blood orange. Finishes with good grip and cut, leaving a subtle smoky note behind.

While we sip champagne some foie gras gougers.

And buckwheat blini with with creme fraiche and caviar.

The first round of “official” Champy (more details later).

Tonight’s special menu, so long it ran to both sides of the paper!

And a special kosher-style variant for my wife!

Here is Liz introducing our guest:

On the left: Charline Drappier of Drappier Champagne! Charline is 8th generation (I think) owning and operating Drappier.

This flight is all zero dosage offerings:

NV Drappier Champagne Brut Nature Dosage Zero. VM 91. Light yellow. Vibrant quince, orange zest and green apple aromas are complemented by smoky minerals and honeysuckle. Stony, sharply focused citrus and orchard fruit flavors show very good energy, turning juicier and deeper with air and picking up a melony quality and a hint of anise. Finishes on intense notes of dusty minerals and ginger, with very good clarity and persistence.

NV Drappier Champagne Brut Nature Zero Dosage Sans Ajout de Soufre. VM 89. The NV Brut Nature Pinot Noir Zero Dosage André et Michel Sans Ajout de Souffre is the same wine as the Brut Nature Pinot Noir Zero Dosage (although from different base vintages) vinified and aged with no sulfur. This is a relatively soft, caressing zero dosage Champagne with a relatively round, open core of candied, perfumed fruit. Tasting the two NV Brut Natures together it is hard to say with precision how much of the wines’ characters are due to the sulfur treatments versus the underlying vintages themselves. Sweet, earthy tones add a touch of complexity to a very Aube-like expression of Pinot.

NV Drappier Champagne Rose Brut Nature. VM 90. Pale orange. Mineral-accented red berries and citrus fruits on the nose, complemented by hints of candied rose and white pepper. Stony and precise, offering lively strawberry and orange zest flavors that expand slowly with air. Closes spicy, stony and tight, with very good clarity and floral persistence.

Chilled Shellfish.

Oyster with Ponzu.
Blue Crab with Green Apple & Avocado.

Maine Lobster with Creme Fraiche. Perfect with the rose! Really nice and meaty lobster.

Quinoa Salad, smoked almonds.

This flight is all blended Champagne with different grapes and styles:

NV Drappier Champagne Charles de Gaulle Brut. VM 91. Light yellow-gold. Potent, mineral-tinged Meyer lemon, pear and buttered toast aromas show very good clarity and a hint of anise. Sappy and focused on the palate, offering bitter pear skin and blood orange flavors that deepen and expand with air. Rich yet lithe Champagne with strong finishing cut, lift and stony persistence.

NV Drappier Champagne Blanc de Blancs “Signature”. VM 91. Pale gold. Candied lemon, lime pith and white flowers on the fragrant nose, with deeper orange and buttered toast qualities emerging with air. Juicy flavors of pear and Meyer lemon show impressive depth and cut, with a gingery nuance adding energy. Bright, focused and mineral-driven on the clinging finish, which leaves behind notes of honeysuckle and brioche.

NV Drappier Champagne Quattuor IV – Blanc de Quatre Blancs. VM 91. The NV Brut Blanc de Quatre Blancs Quattuor is laced with hazlenuts, almonds, orange peel and dried pears. There is an attractive, oxidative quality that mkes the the NV Quatre Blancs quite appealing. A gracious, crystalline finish adds considerable finesse and weightlessness in this expressive, layered Champagn., The wine keeps getting better and better with time in the glass, so some advance aeration is probably a good idea.

Cool knife.

Toasted Brioche.

Smoked Fish Plate. Tsar Cut Natural Salmon, Smoked Sturgeon, Cold Smoked Trout, Creme Fraiche.

Smoked Fish Plate, Tsar Cut Natural Salmon, Smoked Black Cod, Cold Smoked Trout, Creme Fraiche.

2006 Drappier Champagne Grande Sendrée. VM 92. Vivid yellow. Potent citrus pith, poached pear and floral scents are underscored by a smoky mineral quality and pick up a buttery nuance with air. Fleshy and dry on the palate, offering ripe orchard and citrus fruit flavors and a deeper suggestion of buttered toast. Shows very good energy and thrust on an extremely long finish of building florality and spiciness.

2008 Drappier Champagne Grande Sendrée. 91 points. Big bodied, lots of newly baked bread, yellow apples, slightly nutty, softish – yet decent acidity.

Caviar Egg Royale. Soft Scrambled Egg, Caviar, Chive. A purer version than the richer Melisse take (with creme fraiche). This tastes like omelet with caviar — lots of caviar.

Celery Root Soup, candied chestnuts, croutons, chives. Really nice veggie soup, very creamy.

NV Drappier Champagne Brut Rosé. VM 89. Dark orange-pink. Exotically perfumed scents of raspberry, pungent herbs, candied rose and smoky minerals. Fleshy and supple in texture, showing a floral accent to its red berry compote and tangerine flavors. Lush and broad but lively too, finishing with a hint of spiciness and good floral persistence.

2008 Drappier Champagne Grande Sendrée Rosé. JG 94. The 2008 Drappier “Grande Sendrée” Brut Rosé is composed of a blend of ninety percent pinot noir and ten percent chardonnay. The wine is produced using only first pressing juice, with the saignée method utilized with a three day maceration for the pinot noir, before the chardonnay is added. The 2008 was finished with a dosage of six grams per liter and was aged six years sur latte. The bouquet is outstanding, offering up a superb synthesis of delicacy and complexity in its constellation of wild strawberries, white cherries, wheat toast, dried rose petals, a lovely base of chalky soil and gentle smokiness in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, crisp and complex, with a fine core, elegant mousse, brisk acids and excellent focus and grip on the very, very long and youthfully zesty finish. Very refined juice that will only improve with further bottle age.

1996 Drappier Champagne Grande Sendrée Rosé. 92 points. Very full, rich, and vibrant… many years left on this great grower champagne and a historic year.

Beef Tartare. Prime Flat Iron Steak, Capers, shallots, chives, crostini. Very nice tartar.

Beet Tartare, red beets, crostini.

2002 Drappier Champagne Carte d’Or Brut.

1995 Drappier Champagne Carte d’Or Brut. VM 93. The 1995 Brut Carte d’Or, tasted from magnum, is gorgeous today. Light honey, smoke, dried pears, spices and toasted almonds are some of the many nuances found in this rich, textured wine. This magnum was disgorged in December 2008, which has allowed the wine to develop gorgeous tertiary complexity. The 1995 is in a gorgeous place. It can be enjoyed today, or cellared for another decade-plus, especially of readers want to experience more tertiary nuance. This big, broad-shouldered Champagne captures the essence of the Drappier style to the fullest.
Grilled Octopus. Beurre Blanc, Leek Fondue. Super tender.Truffles Risotto. Very mild and spring-like.

1990 Drappier Champagne Grande Sendrée. VM 93. The 1990 Brut Grande Sendrée shows the warmth of the vintage in its dried apricots, flowers and honey, with pretty suggestions of mint on the finish that add an element of freshness. Soft and enveloping throughout, the 1990 Grande Sendrée impresses for its overall balance, restraint and enveloping sense of harmony.

1989 Drappier Champagne Carte d’Or Brut. 91 points.

Seared Foie Gras & Yellowfin Tuna. Ginger Ponzu, Cilantro, Sesame, Nori. Really nice combo of bright acidic fish (because of the ponzu) and the foie.

Yellowfin tuna, ginger ponzu, cilantro, sesame, nori.

1979 Drappier Champagne Carte d’Or Brut. VM 87. Pale copper color. Mature, enticing aromas of meal, toffee, brioche and melted butter. Creamy, toasty and soft on the palate; completely resolved and best suited for near-term drinking. Lacks real grip and verve but offers lovely ripeness and good depth of flavor. A bottle of 1969 Carte d’Or Brut was well past its best days.

agavin: under rated, really very very good

1976 Drappier Champagne Carte d’Or Brut. 92 points. Rather youthful, minty, ripe, honeyed nose – honey on a piece of rye bread. Very friendly and likeable.

1959 Drappier Champagne Carte d’Or Brut. 95 points. Super youthful. Very lively beautiful old moose. Long Carmelly finish.

Cheese from the Beverly Hills Cheese Shop. St Angel triple creme, cow’s milk. Le Secrete de Compostelle, raw sheep’s milk from Basque. Comte, 36-month aged raw cow’s milk from France.

The lineup.

And the water lineup.

Another stellar dinner from Liz and Sage Society! Very educational with Charline Drappier there and the way in which Liz has arranged the wines. Different flights explored different aspects of the Drappier style: like zero dosage, the broader blended style, or the more focused vintage styles. 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. There was plenty of food, and lots of different items, not the anemic 3-4 courses some people do with giant flights. Petrossian’s food was very good too. I’ll have to go back with a smaller group but it certainly won’t be this epic if I do!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Beverly Hills, Caviar, Champagne, Charline Drappier, Drappier, Liz Lee, Petrossian, Sage Society, Wine

Big Ride to Big Oaks

Jul05

Restaurant: Big Oaks Lodge

Location: 33101 Bouquet Canyon Rd, Santa Clarita, CA 91390. (661) 296-5656

Date: June 3, 2017

Cuisine: Roadhouse

Rating: Terrible, but pretty location

After doing some seasonal cherry picking we took a deserted California road and ended up at this biker bar.

Like a set out of Sons of Anarchy ! This is barely a restaurant, but a total pub/roadhouse/biker bar with food. It’s apparently for sale too! The location is gorgeous in a Southern California Hills sort of way.

Lemon Slushy. Tasted like frozen Country Time.

Fries. Not too bad.

Italian Sausage and peppers with onion rings. The “sausage” was a desiccated and dry thing on an over toasted bun. The onion rings were lousy onion rings, but still half decent because how bad can onion rings get.

Hot dog. A picture is worth a 1000 words.

Tri tip sandwich. Barely qualifies for the label.

Cheese pizza. Straight outta the box and into the oven.

Pepperoni Pizza. Same.
BBQ Chicken Pizza. Did they actually have this as a boxed option or is it a modified cheese? Hard to tell.

Great location, and on this perfect SoCal day the breeze was great — food was what you expect. Odd that so many people were drinking. The idea of driving a motorcycle through those hills after a couple whiskies is more than a little terrifying.

Service was slow, but extremely friendly. Food came out at a glacial serial pace. Clearly the “pizza oven” can only handle one at a time.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Big Oaks Lodge, Biker Bar, Roadhouse, Santa Clarita

Belle Vie

Jul03

Restaurant: Belle Vie

Location: 11916 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025. (424) 832-7375

Date: June 2, 2017

Cuisine: French

Rating: Cute French Bistro

French restaurants used to be everywhere, but in recent years they have faded more into the Los Angeles background.

Belle Vie seems to be a relatively new one, a neighborhood bistro up in the not-so-neighborhoodly area of mid Santa Monica.

The interior is cute with a large selection of mysterious black & white photos of a mustachioed gentleman.

The menu.

And specials on the chalkboard.

From my cellar: NV Drappier Champagne Rose Brut Nature. VM 90. Pale orange. Mineral-accented red berries and citrus fruits on the nose, complemented by hints of candied rose and white pepper. Stony and precise, offering lively strawberry and orange zest flavors that expand slowly with air. Closes spicy, stony and tight, with very good clarity and floral persistence.

Beef Burgundy Tacos. Beef Bourguignon on a corn tortilla, raw mushrooms, pickled carrots and onions, crispy bacon, spring onions and Dijon mustard. Interesting taco and very tasty.

Petit Mesclun. Mix green salad.

Special with asparagus, thyme, ricotta, hazelnut and croquant lemon.
Gratin de Coquillettes. French mac and cheese with truffle cream, Compte APO and bread crumbs. On the dryer side for M&C.

7 Hours Lamb Leg. Braised with garlic thyme and rosemary, served with spring vegetables, Harissa. Not bad. Very tender and a good bit of flavor.

FFF (Fresh French Fries). 100% homemade with Kennebec potatoes, fried with beef tallow, seasoned with parsley, garlic and Porcinni mushrooms. Too thick for my taste. I prefer the classic thin French Fries.

Overall Belle Vie was okay. Nice in that it modernized bistro food a bit, a little medium in that execution wasn’t perfect and no dishes stood out as amazing. Some were good, and some just okay.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Belle Vie, French Cuisine

Tallulas – Segundo Mexicano

Jul01

Restaurant: Tallulah’s

Location: 118 Entrada Dr, Santa Monica, CA 90402. (310) 526-0027

Date: May 28 & September 9, 2017

Cuisine: Contemporary Mexican

Rating: Tasty flavors, tiny portions, awkward service

Tallulah’s is a new “updated” Mexican spot in the same location as the old Marix – a kid oriented old school Mexican joint. I had high hopes as the new place is run by the group that brings us Rustic Canyon, Cassia, Sweet Rose, Milo & Olive, and Huckleberry.

They haven’t changed much since the Marix days except for opening the windows and getting rid of the koi pond in the middle. The building is a bit odd anyway as on the exterior it is Japanese (must have been a Japanese restaurant in the 80s or something) but rustic and beach like in the middle. The space was loud before and somehow even louder.

The bar has been repainted and switched over from old school Margarita’s to “mixologist” cocktails.

Strawberry Margarita. Tapatio Blanco Tequila, Fresh Lime, Strawberry Puree, Agave. This was an insipid and totally awful take on a non-frozen Strawberry Margarita. It just tasted like mild strawberry water. It was so disappointing I went out to the store afterward and bought ingredients to make a proper Strawberry Margarita the new day for Memorial Day.

Paloma. Tapatio Blanco Tequila, Aperol, Housemade Grapefruit Syrup, Steigl Grapefruit Raddler, Peychauds Bitters. Much better than the Margarita, but very light. Tasted like grapefruit soda and I finished it in about 2 seconds.

A Cadillac margarita (9/17). Pretty good, but at least $18 (might have been more).

(9/17) A smokey slushy drink that was pretty tasty too.

The menu. One of those menus were I had absolutely no idea what would actually come for anything I ordered. Yeah I saw the ingredients but I had no way to imagine how they were prepped. Things were even more different (and smaller) than I expected.

chile fundido. panela & oaxaca cheeses, blue corn tortillas. $12. I basically wanted chili con queso. This tiny dish had some cheese in it, but I hadn’t expected it to be fundamentally “red” (tomato? pepper?). It was fine, but as I expected, not what I expected.

Nachos “sencillo” (9/17). The “other” cheese snack, very similar to the first one, but with fried chips. Neither is actually as good as a great chili con queso.

Guacamole, salsa, & chips. Pretty good quac, but you do have to pay $11 for it.

Grilled baja halibut tacos. mexican sauerkraut. malt aioli, epazote. I don’t normally complain about prices, but this was $18! Lol. And where is the halibut? They tasted fine, like nice coleslaw tacos.

mexican white shrimp. rancho gordo hominy polenta, anahein chile, leek, salsa de madre. Shrimp and grits! Again not exactly what I expected. I thought maybe bigger prawns. I think there were 3 regular cocktail shrimp in here for $18. Decently tasty but swamped out by the grits.

duck cilaquiles. duck confit, cracklings, beans, queso fresco & jack, sauce colorado and organic egg. $19! Mostly it was chips soaked in a duck ragu. It was the best dish, and quite tasty, but so chip heavy it felt like eating matza brie.
arroz poblano. Green rice, spring vegetables, saffron aioli. $17. A sort of green light risotto. Not creamy at all (not that it needed to be, but to distinguish it from real risotto). Not bad, but kinda pricey for rice.

Organic turkey enchiladas (9/17). black recado sauce, quinoa, shaved cabbage, cotija. Pretty good enchiladas, entirely because of the sauce (which was a bit like a mole). Not sure the quinoa added.

Monterey squid (9/17). spicy eggplant, kohlrabi, peaches, purple basil.

Grassfed hanger steak carne asada (9/17). shaved onion, padron peppers, chipotle, tortillas. Tasty meat with a bit of a kick. $33 though.

Dessert menu.

Vanilla rum flan (9/17). poached pears. Solid flan.

Service was pretty lousy on my first visit. They are a brand new restaurant, and having done it, I know organizing good service is hard. But they are a very experienced group. We were seated fairly quickly (in the bar) but they took 20-30 minutes to come by. Then took only the drink order. That took another 20+ minutes to come. Had to almost grab their hand to put int he food order. That came quickly, but all brought by different people. Hard to find the server. Mandatory 19% auto-grat.

Drinks need serious work. Bartenders are very slow. There were several of them and both my drink orders took more than 20 minutes each.

On my second visit drink service was much swifter, although they still took a mysteriously long time between taking the drink order (and bringing them) and taking our food order. The waiter himself was absent for a good stretch. Once we ordered it came fast.

Food was fairly tasty but portions were way smaller than I expected using the price as a guide. Good thing I always over order. Menu needs a serious rewrite because without even the slightest suggestion of prep method you can’t imagine what you are going to get. Also, like many of the restaurants in this group, there is nothing even vaguely kid focused. The flavor combinations are such that most kids wouldn’t touch a thing on here — yet the basic concept, the previous restaurant, and the location are all highly child focused. So parents will bring them (saw it in action) and be disappointed. Of course, as I know from experience, they probably don’t want kids because their cover average is so much lower. sigh. But I’d have to see the cheese quesadilla from their kids menu to know if it was plain enough that I could come here with mine.

Only way to park is $9 valet.

I’ll try it again, as it’s close and this is a very good group and they just opened, but management needs to tune things up even more, and I’d like some more things on the menu without tortilla, and some playful takes on favorites (like a real chili con queso).

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (1)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Margarita, Mexican cuisine, Tallulas

Great Grenache

Jun28

Restaurant: John Gerber [1, 2, 3]

Location: Flintridge

Date: May 26, 2017

Cuisine: New American

Today’s Sauvages lunch is a lunch in honor of late Co-Poobah Steve Levin. It’s graciously hosted by Paul at at his beautiful home in Flintridge. This event is held outdoors in memory of the Zinfandel barbecues that Steve would hold for our group every summer at his home (it being Paul’s idea to maintain this fine tradition). To that end, we always enjoy a few Zinfandels at this lunch in addition to the theme wines for the lunch. The annual lunches at Paul’s home always rate very high on the scales for ambiance, camaraderie and food quality.

The main wine theme: This year, as it has been the past few years for our lunch at Paul’s, our primary wine theme will be “Grenaches of the World”, in this case from the 2007 and older vintages (the older the better). Just to be clear, “Grenaches of the World” means any Grenache or Grenache-based blend (at least 60-70% Grenache), as long as it is rated 93+ by a reputable critic, and is from the 2007 or older vintage. Grenache-based wines from Australia, California, Washington, Priorat, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Sardinia (called Cannonau) or any other parts of the world are fair game as long as the wine has a qualifying score.

This California style building isn’t the house itself, but the amazing top of the integrated cellar.

Inside the upper level of the cellar where staging occurred.
The backyard.

We gather at one multi-wing table.

Today’s special menu.

From my cellar: 2009 Domaine Bruno Clair Marsannay Rosé. VM 88. The 2009 Marsannay Rose is a serious wine. It shows plenty of intensity and generosity, I only wish the aromatics were a little more focused.

2011 Merry Edwards Sauvignon Blanc. VM 88. Pale, bright yellow. Candied lemon peel, bracing grapefruit pith and a hint of flowers on the nose, plus a smoky note that reminded me of chardonnay. Rich, silky and slightly sweet; and more fruity than some Carneros chardonnays I tasted on the same day. This easygoing and attractive wine is perked up by a piquant grapefruit quality on the back end.

2000 La Granja Nuestra Señora de Remelluri Rioja Blanco. 89 points. Mineral notes with an apple/pear fruit; balanced acidity.

2014 Domaine Tempier Bandol Rosé. VM 92. Light orange. Intensely perfumed citrus fruit and white cherry scents are complemented by suggestions of dried flowers, honey and dusty minerals. Chewy, tightly focused blood orange and lavender pastille flavors show very good depth and clarity, with a spine of minerality adding support. Finishes sappy and very long, leaving dusty mineral and floral notes behind.

Poke bites.

Lobster roll.

2009 Clos Mogador Priorat Nelin. VM 91. Light yellow-gold. Intense aromas of dried pear, lemon curd, white flowers and candied ginger, with subtle vanilla and beeswax qualities adding depth. Fleshy, deeply pitched orchard and pit fruit flavors are lifted and braced by a tangy mineral quality and pick up spiciness with air. Finishes broad and ripe, with very good persistence and resonating floral and spice notes. This is showing very well now; I’d err on the side of youth here and drink it over the next few years.

2013 Domaine Morey-Coffinet Meursault. BH 88. A more restrained and very pretty nose offers up hazelnut, acacia blossom and pear aromas. The cool, sleek and delicious middle weight flavors also exude a very subtle minerality on the slightly austere finish that delivers good if not truly distinguished depth and persistence.

Fruits de Mer. Razor clam, sea scallop, spot prawn, fava beans, and fennel. Amazingly fresh and tender — all of it.

1995 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape. 91 points. This was ok but really did not ring my bell. 1995 is a not so thrilling vintage with Rayas towering above everything. Very rustic with some serious austerity on the palate and a burnt-ashen character and loads of red fruit. Acidity was average and the wine came across as boring.

1998 Alban Vineyards Grenache HdR Selection Seymour’s Vineyard. Someone gave it 96 points online :-).

1998 Domaine du Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée. VM 92. Good medium red. High-toned aromas of dried cherry, redcurrant, wilted rose, roasted herbs and spices. Sweet, silky, sexy and decadent yet with a penetrating quality thanks to vibrant mint and spice elements. Finishes with big, broad, sweet tannins that come from fruit, not oak. Classic fully ripe southern Rhone grenache.

2000 Les Cailloux (Lucien et André Brunel) Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Centenaire. VM 94+. Full deep red. Tangy nose combines red fruits, roast coffee, pepper and spices. Very rich, dense and full, with considerable power (the wine features 15% alcohol) and a strong element of spice cake. Less obviously creamy than the 2001, but equally powerful and extremely long on the aftertaste. The tannins show a chewy quality and a dustiness that no doubt reflect the wine’s 12% mourvedre component.
1997 Clos Mogador Priorat. VM 89. Medium ruby-red. Aromas of currant, plum, licorice and uncured tobacco. Lush but bright, with a firm edge of acidity and hints of exotic fruits and wild herbs. Finishes with dusty, even tannins and good length.

From my cellar: 2000 Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve. VM 93. Rather pale red (Reynaud says the color will deepen as the wine ages). Smoke and pepper dominate the nose. Thick and sappy; round and seamless. Offers very good depth of flavor but today I don’t find the excitement of the vintage’s top examples. Best today on the peppery, long finish, which features thoroughly ripe tannins. There weren’t a lot of bunches in 2000, says Reynaud, but the grapes were large.

agavin: my WOTD — although I’m clearly biased

Grilled sweetbreads, morels, and blood sausage. Pea mash and carrot romesco. Amazing and rich dish with a lot of gaminess and weight. I loved the blood sausage and theromesco combo in particular.

2001 Mas Doix Priorat Costers de Vinyes Velles. RR 97. Great Priorat from traditional local grapes Garnacha and Carinena. Dark red cherries, cocoa, nice acidic backbone, small pepper note, medium to full body, soft tannines, in a great place right now, powerful yet elegant, smooth aftertaste.

2001 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape. VM 94. Red-ruby. Flamboyant, wild Chateauneuf du Pape aromas of raspberry, pepper, leather, Cuban cigar tobacco, fruitcake, game and truffle. Explosive, layered and deep, with captivating flavors of game, leather, melting chocolate cake, leather, incense and black pepper. Wonderfully suave and silky but with terrific verve and grip. Finishes with fine, palate-coating tannins and sneaky length. If someone sticks a glass of this in your face and you don’t say Chateauneuf du Pape, you should give up wine drinking.

2001 Rotllan Torra Priorat Tirant. VM 91+. Deep red. Exotic coconutty oak on the rather port-like nose. At once sweeter and more primary than the Amadis, with a penetrating minerality. Also quite oaky, but has more jammy plum and blackberry fruit to stand up to the wood. Still, it’s hard to predict whether this slightly pruney wine will reward more time in bottle. Finishes with sweet tannins and good length.

2002 Torbreck Grenache Les Amis. 95 points. The nose had a latex paint like aroma from the over-ripe fruit in this wine. There was a lot of dried/over-ripe character to the nose of this wine. With some time it also took on a coconut-like note over the muddled red fruit aromas. The palate had loads of jammy fruit and a chocolate like note, but it was just hard for me to get past the nose of this wine to really enjoy the richness that the palate had to offer.

2002 Bodegas Alto Moncayo Garnacha Campo de Borja. VM 90. Medium ruby-red. Sappy black cherry and black raspberry aromas complicated by chocolate, minerals and tar. Sweet, lush and seamless, with a pinot-like silkiness of texture. Still a bit shy following the recent bottling but large-scaled and mouthfilling, with sound balancing acidity. Distinctly exotic in its flavors but not yet complex. A wine to follow.

2003 Bodegas Alto Moncayo Garnacha Campo de Borja. VM 89. Bright red. Powerful, oak-laced raspberry, strawberry and cherry preserves on the nose, plus a hint of candied licorice. Deep and sweet, the red berry flavors strongly accented by oak notes of coconut, vanilla and clove. Finishes sweet, deep and long. This is clearly made from strong material, but I’d love to have seen it without so much oak.

2003 Domaine du Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée. VM 94. Deep red. Strikingly complex nose offers powerful scents of red berries, spicecake, cured meat and potpourri. Velvety red berry and kirsch flavors stain the palate, picking pick up candied lavender and fruitcake nuances with air. The spiciness builds on the finish, which echoes the cherry note. This wine was most noteworthy for its power in the early going (I rated it 92-94 shortly before it was bottled) but has become more graceful and now conveys a stronger impressive of pure, spicy fruit.

2004 De Lisio Grenache. 90 points. Dark ruby colour. Nose of raisins and some flowery notes. Bursting with ripe fruits on the palate. Blackberry jam. Spicy towards the long finish. Concentrated and flavourful, but still velvety in the mouth. Fruit bomb lovers will like this, with bonus points for the smoothness with age.

Game bird stuffed quail. Black lentils, purple radish and pickled rhubarb. Nice tasty bird. Very moist.

2001 Domaine Pierre Usseglio & Fils Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve des Deux Frères. VM 91. Bright ruby-red. Superripe, roasted aromas of singed red fruits, carob, marzipan and walnut. A huge, roasted wine showing strong evidence of surmaturite; flavors of dried fruits and walnut. With alcohol in the 16% range this is undeniably massive, but I found myself wishing it had more primary fruit and verve. Quite different in style from the Cuvee de Mon Aieul. A rare and expensive bottling, recommended for fans of the type.

2001 Cuvée du Vatican Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve Sixtine. VM 91. Bright ruby-red. Blackberry, bitter chocolate, violet, mint and spicy oak on the nose; intriguing suggestions of mourvedre. At once dense and penetrating, with rather oaky flavors of blackberry, violet and eucalyptus. Finishes with a hint of leather, but also a slight dryness from the wood element.

2004 Clos Mogador Priorat. VM 94. Deep purple. Powerful, sexy aromas of blackberry, boysenberry, fruitcake, cigar box, graphite and violet, with suave oak spice adding even more interest. Sweet, silky and deep, with wonderfully pure dark berry flavors complemented by cinnamon, smoked bacon and red licorice. Utterly delicious if very young, with great vibrancy, clarity and even elegance. This compellingly sweet and very long wine is the best bottling of Clos Mogador I’ve had to date.

2005 Linne Calodo Sticks and Stones. VM 93. Bright ruby. Explosively perfumed nose offers fresh strawberry, raspberry and rose aromas, with an exotic lashing of baking spices. Fine-grained and silky, with deep but focused red fruit flavors and Asian spices. Lots going on here. Clings impressively on the long, juicy finish. A very impressive blend.

Cheese plate. Midnight moon from California. Schnebelhorn from Switzerland. Campo de Montalban from Spain. Beemster from Holland.

2005 Sine Qua Non Grenache Atlantis Fe2O3~2a. VM 100. The 2005 Grenache Atlantis Fe203-2a has been absolutely thrilling both times I have tasted it within the last year. A huge, vertical wine, Atlantis graces the palate with deep, voluptuous red fruit, crushed rocks, smoke, tobacco and mint. Even with all of its intensity and explosiveness, the wine remains light on its feet, with great balance and class to burn. The inclusion of whole clusters adds gorgeous lift and perfume, especially on the finish. At nearly ten years of age, the 2005 Grenache Atlantis is in a perfect spot right now and should continue to drink well for another 5-10 years, perhaps longer.

2005 Sine Qua Non Grenache Atlantis Fe2O3~2c. ?

2007 Domaine la Barroche Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Pure. VM 96. Inky purple. Huge, expressive bouquet shows dark berry, floral and fruitcake qualities, along with a smoky mineral note. Lush and creamy, with deep boysenberry and blueberry flavors and velvety tannins. Turns spicier on the back half and finishes with outstanding clarity and juicy persistence. As massive as this is, there’s no sense of overripeness or excess weight.

2007 Domaine de la Solitude (Lançon Père et Fils) Châteauneuf-du-Pape. VM 90. Inky purple. Sexy, perfumed scents of black raspberry, cherry compote and potpourri. Broad, fleshy and sweet, offering lush, edge-free black and blue fruit flavors. This upfront, creamy wine is delicious right now.

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

2013 Progeny Winery Trinity Rouge.

Planet Zin

1996 Limerick Lane Zinfandel Collins Vineyard.

2009 Robert Biale Zinfandel Black Chicken. VM 90. The 2009 Zinfandel Black Chicken shows off gorgeous mid-palate richness in its black cherries, menthol, licorice and sweet spices. There is more than enough vibrancy and depth to allow the wine to drink beautifully for at least a handful of years.

2006 Turley Zinfandel Dragon Vineyard. VM 92. Good medium ruby. Black raspberry, spices and fruity pepper on the slightly medicinal nose. Ripe, lush and mouthfilling but quite dry; a big, chewy wine with a deep pepper-and-spice character. Finishes with very suave, pliant tannins.

2008 Brian Benson Cellars The Wince. VM 90. Inky ruby. Powerful, highly aromatic scents of dark fruit liqueur, lavender and licorice, with vanilla and mocha accents gaining power with air. Fleshy and appealingly sweet black and blue fruit flavors stain the palate and show a touch of back-end warmth. Velvety tannins give shape and gentle grip to a long, spicy finish that echoes the blue fruit and vanilla notes. Nothing shy about this one.

In the center is our chef, John Gerber, formerly of the French Laundry! On the right our host Paul.

Extras!

Art of the day.

Cryptic notes.

The list de vin.
And the full lineup!

Overall, a delicious afternoon — food and wine both! As a Burgundy nut, a often forget all the Châteauneuf-du-Pape in my cellar, but it’s really great stuff — and so consistent. Grenache is a nice grape, if a powerhouse. Even the Zins were (relatively) enjoyable.

We did have WAY too much wine for the number of courses. We could have used an easy 2 or 3 more courses to stage it out.

The setting really is magnificent. The weather was perfect, and just an ideal afternoon in the yard!

By: agavin
Comments (4)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Grenache, John Gerber, lunch, Sauvages, Wine, Zinfandel

Lum Ka Naad

Jun26

Restaurant: Lum Ka Naad

Location: 17644 Ventura Blvd, Encino, CA 91316. (818) 616-2338

Date: May 22, 2017 and January 20, 2019 and various

Cuisine: Thai

Rating: Very good authentic Thai with a large menu

My friend Larry and I were going to try some hole-in-the-wall highly rated Thai place deep in the valley but they were closed so we ended up here at this larger more established Ventura Blvd spot.

The have Thai iced tea of course.

Beef Satay. Nice.

Duck Salad. Very salty, but tasty.

Pork salad. Kind of just a regular salad with spicy pork. Not exactly what I was looking for.

Tom Yum noodle soup. A noodle version of the classic sweet and sour Thai soup. Except the broth didn’t have the right flavor tone. I really like a good Tom Yum.

Tom Kha Soup. Coconut milk and tamarind. Delicious. Way better than the no coconut version.

Pickled bamboo with vermicelli noodles and vegetables. Very unusual flavor.

Crying tiger beef. This beef dish was great though. Very tender. Lots of flavor, particularly with the fish sauce.

Red curry with mixed seafood. The typical coconut curry. But it was very good. Nice and rich. Not particularly spicy but not overly sweet.
A kind of special chicken curry. This was a little hot and had a nice complex flavor.

Wrapped BBQ fish and sticky rice.

Unusual flavor to the fish as well. Lots of char taste.

Coconut sticky rice with mango. Delicious.

Overall, this was solid Thai. I’ve been around 10 times (often getting the same dishes though) and while it isn’t as good as the best Thai in LA like Jitlada or Pailin or Renu Nakorn this place has a big menu with both some Americanized stuff and a ton of authentic “unusual flavored” dishes. It’s way better than the generic lousy Americanized Thai places and is a solid B+ or A- (which is pretty good).

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Lum Ka Naad, Thai cuisine

Yunnan Garden

Jun23

Restaurant: Yunnan Garden

Location: 545 W Las Tunas Dr, San Gabriel, CA 91776. (626) 308-1896

Date: May 21, 2017

Cuisine: Yunnan Chinese

Rating: Solid!

Apparently there aren’t many Yunnan restaurants in American — most people don’t even know it’s a separate Chinese province and assume the speaker means Hunan (different province).

Anyway the SGV has got one of the few.

But they don’t have a liquor license yet and we had to settle for a Hedonist Tailgate Party instead!

The interior clearly used to be a coffee shop in the 60s. Look at that soffit and the old hanging lights!

Cold starts of pickles, lima beans, and shredded potatoes. The last of these needs chili oil and vinegar!

Spicy tendon and pig ear. Everyone’s favorite meats! The tendon was very good actually.

I’m not a huge pig ear fan though.

Dan dan mien. It wasn’t that spicy, and didn’t have the ultimate nutty complexity, but the noodles were excellent and perfectly cooked. Certainly tasty and satisfying.

Pea tendrils or whatever. A solid garlicky colon sweeper.

Brian has occasionally been known to try a vegetable.

Kung Pao Shrimp. Decent, if a little “typical.”

Smoked chicken and a kind of fried tofu. I liked both. Loved the tofu and the chicken had a nice pastrami-like tone.

Same chicken but with peanuts and pig knuckles. Ick!

Spicy Fish with French Fries. Excellent sauce filled with lotus root, fries, etc. I like real mountain potatoes but the fries did work.

Lamb “ribs.” Very very fried. With some cumin. Similar dish to the fried Szechuan chicken tossed in aromatic chilies. Not much meat on those bones though!

Goat in spicy sauce. Pretty tasty.

Spare ribs with chilies. Excellent!

Fried rice with preserved vegetables. Fine, not the best FR I’ve had by any means, but who’s counting?

Fried chicken with chilies. I think it was chicken. Hard to tell. haha. The batter was that yolk and salt very heavy kind, but it was delicious.

Cured pork with pink tomatoes. Again with the yummy pastrami thing.

Walnut shrimp. An okay version of this. Not the best.

Overall, Yunnan Garden was solid. Not my absolute favorite SGV place, but awesome compared to the lame Chinese available in most other locales. Interesting. Pretty similar to Szechuan here. Not totally sure these are all Yunnan dishes. I would have to research.

Oh, and we did go to Solju afterward. Never hurts.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Chinese cuisine, hedonists, SGV, Yunnan Garden

Grand times at Grand Harbor

Jun21

Restaurant: Grand Harbor

Location: 5733 Rosemead Blvd, Temple City, CA 91780. (626) 280-2998

Date: May 20, 2017

Cuisine: Cantonese Chinese

Rating: Solid B+ dim sum and Cantonese treats

It has become traditional for the Dirty Dozen (our blind tasting group within a group) to do white wine lunches over dim sum — which is by far my preference given some alternatives because despite the timing problems with wine tasting and Chinese Food, I just always love good Chinese food.

Grand Harbor is a relatively new Hong Kong place in Temple City from Jackie Zhou.

The dining room is huge and opulent in that chintzy Chinese way. I would have thought from all the overzealous cove lighting that the space was built out in the 80s, but apparently it’s only a year or two old!

Real marble blends non-so-seemlessly with faux-alabaster. They have wine too like many of the new high end places. Mostly big young red wine like Bordeaux which totally fails to pair with Cantonese Chinese, but it’s the thought that counts.

XO sauce on the table to start, which is a nice touch.

2007 Delamotte Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut Le Mesnil. 91 points. Good, low nose, crisp and good structure, some yeastiness, med+ length. Good, not great.

The theme today was White Burgundy served blind in flights, but this Champagne was a started (not blind).

Cold Appetizers

Seaweed salad.

Chicken feet. How do feetless chicken cross the road?

Wood ear fungus. Pretty nice.

Peanuts.

Starch sticks. Probably taro. Needed salt as they had next to no flavor.

Marinated cucumbers. Very good, nice crunch and a bit of heat.

Macau style pork belly. Great stuff. Nice balance of fat and flavor.

Flight 1:

2014 Kirkland Signature Chablis 1er Cru. 91 points. shiny pale green hints; chalky, rocky, clean, lemony, high acid, good classic chablis character; stainless steel feel to it. Very good and opened up nicely! Killer deal if you can find it.

This was a ringer that Albert sent in with someone else. It did surprisingly well (finishing 2nd or third).

NOTE: tasting notes are mostly by Peter (one of our gang).

2006 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre. BH 93. A gentle touch of wood highlights airy yet slightly riper high-toned and admirably pure aromas of white flower, pear and quinine that gives way to supple, sweet, mouth coating and impressively concentrated flavors that exude a marvelous intensity on the long, powerful and driving finish supported by a solid acid spine. Definitely worth a look if you can find it but unlike most ’06s, be prepared to have at least some patience as this is unusually firm for the vintage.

Shu Mai. Shrimp and pork dumplings. Nice version of the classic.

Shanghai style XLB. solid little bags of goodness. These are the classic soup dumplings stuffed with pork and hot broth. The garnish reminded me of gefilte fish.

Scallop dumplings.

Har gow. Crystal shrimp dumplings. Nice.

Pork rice noodle. Known in my household as “pork slime.” I usually love this dish but this particular version was heavy and short on flavor.

Flight 2:

2014 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos. Peter 90. This had bright crisp minerality with good concentration on the palate, but a very soft entry. Decent, but kind of straight forward at this point. I suspect very closed, young, and needs a year or 2 to express itself a little more.

2007 Dauvissat-Camus Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos. Peter 94. Golden color; rich, powerful nose, golden apple, bags of rocky minerals, some delightful reduction going on, super long, this has it all. My WOTN and #1 wine overall. Killer.

2006 Dauvissat-Camus Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses. 91 points. Medium yellow. As was the case a few years ago, this had a lot of sulfur to accompany ripe yellow fruit and just a bit of seashell. Lush texture but inadequate acidity and shortened by the sulfur. Hardly recognizable as Chablis at this point, and a totally disjointed wine that is going nowhere. A major disappointment as I had hoped that somehow this would be spared from the flabbiness of the vintage, but there is no escaping it, even if you tried to mitigate that characteristic with excessive manipulation.

Roast pork bun. Nice rendition of the classic baked sugary bun. Very soft breading.

Sticky rice with seafood. I had hoped for more depth of flavor as the white sauce soaked into the rice.

Fried “crab salad” roll. These have a crab and creamcheese? filling and a nice crunchy exterior. They were delicious, I ate about 8.

Tofu in tangy sauce. Nice soft fried tofu with a delicious tangy, hot, sweet sauce.

Flight 3:

2014 Louis Jadot Corton-Charlemagne Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot. BH 93-95. This is presently sufficiently reduced that it is impossible to fairly assess. The rich, powerful and beautifully delineated big-bodied flavors exhibit almost painful intensity as there is a plenitude of mouth coating extract that buffers the very firm acid spine that allows all of this size and weight to remain exquisitely well-balanced on the chiseled and moderately austere finish. This is not quite as complex or persistent as the Montrachet but it’s not far off and note well that this too is going to require extended cellaring.

2012 Louis Latour Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet. Peter 90. Kind of a disappointment, this was golden color (a bit too much gold for a 4.5 year old), had red apple, a bit loose knit but still quite powerful, medium acid, long, with what seemed like slightly elevated alcohol. Slightly disjointed. Still a good wine, but I expect a lot more from this.

2012 Paul Pernot et ses Fils Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet. Peter 91. This initially had a hint of caramel, apple skin, a little earthy, seemed just a little older than it was; tasted 1 hour later and it really showed nicely, with some of the funk blowing off–more red apple, floral, good concentration and with long finish.

2014 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Chevalier-Montrachet. Peter 93. Precise, with a touch of pineapple, pear, green and yellow apple, a hint of reduction, rocky chalky minerality, tight with plenty of zip, super long tangy finish. Killer. Girardin is making great some wines these days.

One of the managers really pushed these roast pigeons on us. I was skeptical, as I came for dim sum, but these were excellent birds. Juicy, with a lot of flavor and a nice crispy skin.

Fried fish. He pushed this too. It looks awful but it was actually delicious.

Dumplings with dried roe. Good stuff continues. All these regular steamed dumplings were quite good.

Pastry with BBQ pork. Good too. Can’t beat buttery pastry with sweet BBQ pork in it!

Flight 4:

Marcassin Chardonnay. Fake chard!

From my cellar: 2002 Louis Jadot Chevalier-Montrachet Les Demoiselles Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot. Peter 92+. gold amber color; this was somewhat earthy with a slight nuttiness, showing the most age of the group (more than the ’02 Marcassin) which gave it complexity; good lift, quite long.

2004 Jean Noel Gagnard Bâtard-Montrachet. Flawed. Our bottle was corked.

Bean curd with vegetables and pork. Yummy.

Seafood with crispy chow mein. I love this Southern Chinese dish. This was an okay version but not nearly as good as some (like Elite).

House special fried rice. With the Chinese sausage. Yum.

“Shark fin” (I hope not) dumpling or similar. Delicious. These were really good.

Floral jelly. Yeah, had to try it based on that name. Had the nice jelly texture. Tasted like… chrysanthemum tea or something!

Mango pudding. Okay, not as intense as I like.

Milk bun. Sweet and milk. Very nice though.

Macau egg custard. Solid if not exceptional.

Walnut bun. Very nice. Nutty. A touch dry.

The line up. Wines weren’t the most impressive, but were enjoyable.

My bad notes.

Yarom and the manager.

Overall, Grand Harbor had very solid dim sum, at the level just below Elite where a lot of good but not perfect places stand. I’d certainly happy chow down on it again. They did seem to use a lot of MSG because I was HAMMERED by it about 45 minutes later. Non dim sum dishes were excellent and they have a VAST menu of them. Worth coming for an evening banquet.

Service here was fabulous. We should have requested a private room as we really needed it, but we didn’t. Still, they really took care of us. They kept trying to bring us more stuff, which is how it should be in good “Chinese” service. We controlled the flights by filling out 4 different dim sum cards and handing them in one at a time. Worked well.

Wines showed decently. Most bottles were in good shape. Amusing that the Kirkland did so well blind. This group has only 1-2 other Burgundy collectors and so people have to buy and there are a lot of bottle short cuts: too young, lame producers like Latour, Chablis (which is nice but cheap). No pile of good vintage Ramonet here. Still, dim sum makes everything great.

Overall, a super fun afternoon!

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Cantonese cuisine, Chinese cuisine, Dim sum, dimsum, Dirty Dozen, Grand Harbor, hedonists, White Burgundy

Moon House

Jun19

Restaurant: Moon House

Location: 11058 California Route 2, Los Angeles, CA 90025. (310) 966-9988

Date: May 9 & June 2, 2017 and September 22, 2019 and August 29, 2021

Cuisine: Chinese

Rating: Fine “classic” Chinese

As an obsessor over Chinese food and a someone who constantly drives to the SGV for Chinese, I’m always trying to find decent places on the Westside. I can’t remember who told me to check out Moon House, but someone did, probably Sklar.

It’s on Santa Monica Boulevard and isn’t much to look at. The interior has a smidgen of decor.

So two years after my initial foray (which is documented below), I returned with a bunch of Hedonists for a last minute Sunday dinner.

Turns out they even have a private room.

The giant menu.

XLB. Decent enough and like pizza XLB are never truly bad.

Fish Maw and Crab Soup – nice texture and soft subtle flavor.

Chicken Salad – Super sweet Panda Express style dressing was pretty gross.

Chicken Lettuce Cups. Shades of PF Chang, but not bad actually. Hoisin makes everything good.

Tofu Lettuce Cups — different filling, same idea.

Salt and Pepper Fish. Very soft breading, but pretty delicious.

Sweet and Sour Fish. Same dish, but sweet goopy sauce to make it even better.

“Szechuan” Shrimp. Not actually very Szechuan, but salty and garlicky, so pretty good.

Walnut Shrimp – pretty good with hint of orange.

Chicken Egg Foo Young. This is so old school, but it was actually super delicious. Fried omelet with chicken and veggies and yummy sauce.

Pea Leaves.

Half a Peking Duck. Not bad. Not the greatest duck or anything, but it’s still Peking Duck. They do carve it table-side too.

We asked specifically for the “bones” and got a lot more meat.

And then decided we needed even more duck, so ordered another whole duck (two halves).

The skin.

The breast meat.

They have buns instead of spring pancakes.

Condiments.

Hoisin.

Tofu with Veggies. Same goopy brown sauce, but I like tofu.

Veggie Crispy Egg Noodle. Simple, and would have been better with meat (we had a bunch of kosher folk) but the noodles were good.

Cumin Lamb. Not hot, but tender and tasty.

Garlic Pork Belly. This was delicious with a nice garlic and onion flavor.

Green Beans — good but salty.

Pork Belly with Preserved Vegetables — super soft and tender meat. Good but not as much flavor as this dish should have.

French Style Beef — sweet and tender with a good amount of black pepper.

Egg Plant – Very tasty, and an attempt at “Fish Flavor” but pretty sweet as well with no chili oil.

Salt and Pepper Pork Chops – Very tasty and VERY fried.

Mutton Hot Pot. This was repulsive. EXTREMELY stinky mutton taste. Interesting vegetables — and I like mutton — but I couldn’t get over the stink.

Pistachio Stracciatella Gelato — Sicilian Pistacchio di Bronte DOP gelato base, best I’ve ever made, ribboned with bits of Valrhona Ivorie White Chocolate flavored with hints of Lemon and Orange — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #pistacchio #bronte #Sicily #Valrhona #WhiteChocolate #Stracciatella

Blue Cherry Gelato – a blend of Morello Cherry, intense Amarena Cherry, and Blueberry fruit make this dairy gelato really pop — topped with Candied Amarena Cherries — 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 #amarena #morello #cherry #blueberry

Regarding these dinner, it was pretty decent, fairly similar quality level to The Palace. And I do love Chinese food, but it’s nowhere near as good as almost any SGV place I’ve been too. Style pretty Chinese American. Although I do have to admit that the Egg Foo Young was great.

Anyway, below is also a lunch visit from 2017:

My first visit was just a quick lunch but I had to get hot and sour soup, which was fine. This Chinese American favorite is also a favorite of mine. I liked it as a kid and I still like it.
XLB. Decent enough and like pizza XLB are never truly bad.
Szechuan Pork. Shredded pork, mushroom, onions, red and green pepper stir-fried in hot spicy szechuan sauce. This is a typical (non spicy) dish at Szechuan restaurants. This version was just fine. Not bad really, although hardly great. And they did use MSG.

Spicy Garlic Shrimp. I was hoping for the more orange Szechuan version. This is the pretty much typical Chinese American brown sauce (although it did have a big of chili in the mix) with water chestnuts, green peppers, onions — definitely a “classic” blend.

As far as I could tell with this limited one person lunch sampling, Moon House is a fine Chinese American spot. It’s no SGV rival, but it isn’t the really lousy kind of place all too common in West LA either. So if you just want some cheap Chinese to remind you of your childhood it’s pretty solid.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Chinese cuisine, Moon House

Taj Tandoori

Jun16

Restaurant: Taj Tandoori

Location: 10823 Venice Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90034. (310) 204-2569

Date: May 16 & 30, 2017

Cuisine: Indian / Pakistani

Rating: Solid made to order curries

Culver City — particularly Venice Blvd — is packed with Indian restaurants.

Taj Tandoori was recommended as one of the best.

The menu.

Chicken Tikka Masala. Tender boneless chicken pieces cooked with spices in a creamy cashew and tomato sauce. I always have to try it. Sort of a reference dish. This one was very good. Not as spectacular as at Akbar, but very very good. Nice soft chicken. Curry was a touch thin, but not sweet (which is good). Made to order too, not the buffet slop.

Lamb Korma. Boneless pieces of lamb cooked with yogurt and friend onions. The description doesn’t do justice to the spicy depth of flavor. A nice dish with some broad heat.

Palak Paneer. Cottage cheese cooked with spinach and flavored with herbs and spices. Some nice heat and great cheese but the curry itself was a little thin and could have had a more complex flavor.

Bismati rice.

Garlic Naan. Fresh baked and delicious.

Taj Tandoori is a small family run place that serves up very good Northern Indian food. It isn’t fancy or modern, but they do make stuff to order and features nice flavors not those overly sweet or overly salty slops. The meats seem very good too.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Culver City, Indian cuisine, Taj Tandoori

Crash Bandicoot Reunion

Jun15

Yesterday I had the pleasure of going on stage at E3 with Jason Rubin, Bob Rafei, Mark Cerny, and Connie Booth — thanks host Geoff Keighley — to talk about the good old days of Crash Bandicoot development. Check it out for yourselves.

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Culina with Friends

Jun14

Restaurant: Culina Modern Italian [1, 2]

Location: 300 S Doheny Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90048. 310) 860-4000

Date: May 12, 2017

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Great Italian – Hotel or No

Hotel restaurants are always rebooting themselves, and so it goes with the 4 Seasons Beverly Hills. This time around they have brought in master Italian chef Mirko Paderno who just a year or two ago was cooking up amazing meals at the tiny Avalon Hotel and then had a brief stint at Downtown’s hot Officine.

Cool modern art bread.

From my cellar: 2015 Vietti Roero Arneis. 90 points. Granny Smith apples. Nice structure. Seems almost like it has tannins.

Burrata e pesche. Imported burrata cheese, fresh peach, frisee salad, garda olive oil. Nice salad. Don’t choke on the frisee.

Pie Cauliflower. Cauliflower Soufflé, Reggiano Cheese Fondue, Truffle Butter. Yum city! Cheesy truffle goodness.

Beat of Tuna in Knife. Sashimi Grade Tuna Tartare, Quail Eggs, Chives, Spicy Sauce, Lemon Fresh Shallots. Almost like a beef tartare.

Beef Carpaccio Seared. Seared Beef, Garlic Bagna Cauda, Wild Arugula, Cheese Raspadura.

From my cellar: 1996 Roagna Barbaresco Pajé. 93 points. Stunning Barbaresco – depth, layers of fruit, earth notes, with tannins and acid beautifully balanced. Takes a lot of time to come into its own. If you open one now, decant for half a day. Will be at peak in 2020-2024.

Tartufone pizza. Fior Di Latte, Parmesan Cheese, Duck Egg, Fresh Truffle. I wonder what Fior Di Latte means here — to me it means sweet milk gelato :-). Pizza was awesome though. Another rice dairy truffle eggy combo.

Special order cheese risotto in a cheese. Awesome cheesy goodness.

Ossobuco. I love this rice dish.

Sea Bass Baked. Mediterranean Sea Bass, Roasted Fennel, foraged Mushroom, Onion, Fregola, Garda Olive Oil.

Butterscotch Budino. Whipped Crème Fraiche, Sea Salt Caramel, Coconut Cookies. I adore these. Salty too.

Warm Dark Chocolate Liquid Tart. Mint Chocolate Chip Gelato. Nice combo.
Various Gelati.

Not only is Culina now one of the best hotel restaurants in town, it’s one of the best Italian restaurants. Mirko has always been an amazing chef, and particularly when he just “makes stuff for you.” His particular classic but quite contemporary Northern Italian is very much you get at a great (high end) place in Northern Italy — and totally scrumptious. He does lean toward the rich (i.e. cheese and truffles etc).

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Culina, Italian cuisine, Mirko Paderno

Bad Boys at Brandywine

Jun12

Restaurant: Brandywine [1, 2]

Location: 22757 Ventura Blvd, Woodland Hills, CA 91364. (818) 225-9114

Date: May 8, 2017

Cuisine: French American

Rating: Best old school in town!

My second visit to the amazing Brandywine (first one is here).
Located on Ventura in the far valley, this French American has been open and popular for roughly 30 years. Despite the “classic” decor and menu there is NOTHING dated about the execution here. This place has a 28 on Zagat, and for good reason. It’s run with serious attention to detail.

The decor is cute and romantic, and it has been run by a husband and wife team. She cooks and he runs the front room. They have recently sold the restaurant and we are making some visits during the transition to make sure we get it properly cemented in our minds.

The gang took over half the room.

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.

An amuse of grav lox with creme fraiche. Really yummy salmon. Great cure.

For the foie:

1990 Château de Rayne-Vigneau. 90 points. High-toned, expressive aromas of lime leaf and licorice. Silky and harmonious in the mouth, with impressive intensity of flavor and terrific underlying extract. Just a hint of acid and alcohol to be integrated. Finishes very subtle and long.

Seared foie gras with toast and slightly spiced jam. Super awesome classic foie. This is actually a half portion, and was super generous, plus the accompaniments were perfect.

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

2001 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne. BH 89. This is a good deal bigger and certainly more powerful than the Truffières though it does not offer quite the same level of finesse and detail but it is every bit as intense with even more minerality, plenty of sappy extract and dense, mouth coating flavors and fine length. This is also noticeably oaky with good if not exceptional Corton-Charlemagne character and bracing acidity. In contrast to the Referts though, there is at least a reasonable possibility that the oak will ultimately be absorbed as there is good density and the oak, while certainly prominent, does not dominate the flavors as it does in the Puligny.

agavin: our bottle was a little thin, missing the fruit.

Shrimp cocktail. Nice shrimp. The homemade cocktail sauce was pretty awesome.

2013 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru La Garenne. BH 91-93. A discreet application of wood allows the fresh, pure and expressive nose that features notes of acacia blossom, white peach and wet stone hints to shine. The attractively textured, dense and mouth coating medium-bodied flavors possess fine balance and impressive persistence on the notably dry finish where notes of lemon zest appear. This is a really lovely effort where the natural class of a fine Puligny is in evidence.

Escargots. Super buttery and garlicky. Loved them. Some of the best snails I’ve ever had. And dipping the bread in the garlick after!

2014 E. Guigal Condrieu La Doriane. VM 93. Light, bright yellow-gold. Broad, mineral-tinged orchard and pit fruit aromas show excellent clarity, and a sexy floral element emerges slowly. Sappy, palate-coating pear nectar and tangerine flavors are complicated by notes of violet, honey and candied ginger, while a minerally element adds vibrant lift. Becomes spicier on the finish, which hangs on with superb tenacity and a lingering floral quality.

Spinach and bacon salad.

They have one of the best (and totally correct) table-side caesars in town.

Tossing the Romain.

All that zesty goodness.

2006 Domaine G. Roumier / Christophe Roumier Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Clos de La Bussière. BH 90. Earthy dark berry fruit and slightly herbal aromas introduce solidly rich, punchy and vibrant medium-bodied flavors that possess excellent length and more sophisticated tannins than usual. This should be lovely in 6 to 8 years.

2000 Domaine Dujac Morey St. Denis. VM 86-89. Full red. Aromas of strawberry, raspberry, spiced plum, mocha and smoky oak. Lush and pliant in the mouth, with mineral, chocolate, smoke and menthol flavors complicated by a vegetal complexity. Finishes with ripe tannins and good length.

Ron has been raving for years about the Lobster Bouillabaisse here, so I had to order it. This HUGE portion of shellfish in broth was amazingly fresh and the broth was to die for garlicky. So good. So massive.

Garlic toasts.

From my cellar: 1998 Mongeard-Mugneret Richebourg. 94 points.

1998 Domaine Robert Groffier Bonnes Mares. VM 93+. Deep ruby-red. Sauvage, highly nuanced aromas of blackberry, black plum, raspberry, gunflint, leather and pepper. Great penetrating sweetness leavened by powerful spice and firm backbone. Very powerful wine but not at all hard today. Finishes with building tannins and outstanding power and persistence. This should reach its peak during the second decade of its life.

Abalone.

2010 Aubert Pinot Noir UV-SL Vineyard Sonoma Coast. VM 95. The 2010 Pinot Noir UV-SL Vineyard is the richest and most expressive of these 2010 Pinots. It also shoes the best balance of aromatics, fruit, acidity and tannin. Soy, mocha, the blackest of cherries and white flowers are some of the notes that flesh out in the glass. Delicately woven layers of flavor distinguish the UV-SL. This is a striking wine in every way.

2005 Marcassin Pinot Noir Three Sisters Vineyard. BH 76. Strong mercaptans (think garlic or burnt rubber) with burnt vinyl undertones lead to suave, round and impressively scaled flavors that possess no detail and the finish is hot, bitter and unpleasant. Commercially unacceptable in my view.

New York steak au poive. Classic!

Shoestring fries

NV Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único Reserva Especial 1994, 1996, 2000 (2015 Release). 95 points. Mesmerizing wine. Dark fruit on the nose, subtle balsamic character, coffee, tobacco, leather, vanilla. Smooth tannins, elegant overall feel. Not as wild as the ’09 Valbuena. More majestic than raw and charming.

1996 Penfolds Grange. VM 92. Ruby-red. Complex, high-toned, oak-driven aromas of mocha, flowers, spices, bourbon, peat, licorice, vanilla, cigar tobacco and earth. Juicy and penetrating, with strong mineral, lead pencil, espresso and tobacco flavors. Has a solid backbone and noteworthy grip, but shows no hard edges. Finishes with big, ripe tannins and excellent length.

Inside that yummy NY.

Veal chop. Modest portion.

1983 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape. In great shape.

This is two portions of lamb!

Lamb chops. Not only is it massive, but it was incredible.

2004 Merus Cabernet Sauvignon. VM 93. Bright, saturated ruby. Brooding blackberry and blueberry aromas, with notes of mocha, cola and minerals complemented by a sexy meaty nuance; slightly high-toned in a positive way. Fat, sweet and seamless; very plush wine but not over the top. Rather oaky flavors of black raspberry, mocha, oak spices, toffee and minerals. Not hugely complex but wonderfully rich and layered wine, and evolving slowly. Hedonistic and utterly satisfying. Finishes with serious but well-buffered tannins.

2004 Hundred Acre — I dunno which one because of their annoying labeling (nothing on the front).

Veal sweetbreads and some cut of steak.

Bread pudding. Awesome bread pudding.

Meyer lemon cake.

Lemon ice cream and berries. Wow!

Chocolate cake with expresso ice cream.
The chef, Peggy, has an amazing touch.
Chris (right), the host, is married to the chef. This place is polished with love.

The food was so spot on. I admit, I was slightly skeptical going into it despite Ron and Larry’s great reviews. The menu seemed a bit “old fashioned” for my taste. But the execution! Wow! The kitchen here is seriously on point. These are classic dishes, but most of them are among the best versions of said dishes I’ve ever had. And there is nothing wrong with the classics when you knock them out of the park. This is far easier said than done, because all over the country (and France) you can find lots of mediocre attempts. Not here. The foie, escargot, caesar salad, and bouillabaisse were all to die for.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Brandywine, Caesar salad, French Cuisine, woodland hills

Dirty Dozen at Doma

Jun09

Restaurant: Doma

Location: 362 N Camden Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. (310) 277-7346

Date: May 4, 2017

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Good food, big “formal” space

The Dirty Dozen is a sub group of the Hedonists that does themed blind tasting meals a couple times a year.

Tonight’s was at Doma, a new Beverly Hills Italian very much in a 90s (high end) vibe. The theme — oddly for Italian — is Bordeaux.

The Doma interior is large, formal, very white tablecloth and so different than more hip Italians like Bestia.

These champs and whites were bonuses, and not served blind.

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 <em>cuvée</em>, but with no lack of vivacity.

From my cellar: 2009 Domaine Latour-Giraud Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières. BH 91-94. An airy, cool and pure nose of white flower, spiced pear, lemon and hazelnut complements the rich, full and relatively powerful flavors that possess good concentration and an explosive, mouth coating and palate staining finish. This is not quite as mineral-driven as the Perrières but this is really quite impressive and the length is genuinely outstanding.

2011 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Puligny-Montrachet Le Trézin. BH 91. Surprisingly, given how cool and elevated this terroir is, there is a trace of exotic fruit present here as well with its notes of dried peach, apricot and honeysuckle. There is fine richness to the stony middle weight flavors that are bigger than is typical, all wrapped in an exuberantly energetic, mouth coating, delicious and complex finish. A fine villages that should be approachable young if desired.

Flight 1:

The Bordeaux were all served double blind in flights.

1979 Château Margaux. Parker 93. This wine is just now reaching full maturity, much later than I initially expected. It is a classy, elegant example of Margauxpossessing a dark ruby/purple color, and a moderately intense nose of sweet black currant fruit intermixed with minerals, vanillin, and floral scents. The wine is medium-bodied, with beautifully sweet fruit. This linear, more compressed style of Margaux possesses a good inner-core of sweet fruit, and a charming, harmonious personality. Although not a blockbuster, it is aging effortlessly, and appears to take on more character with each passing year.
1975 Lynch Bages. Parker 86. After the number of disappointing tastings I have had of this wine, I was surprised that it showed reasonably well at the blind tasting in December. The color exhibits significant amber/orange at the edge, followed by a dusty, herbaceous, cedary nose with some ripe fruit. Full-bodied but slightly hollow, the wine exhibits more sweetness and expansiveness than I expected. This above average wine is beginning to reach full maturity. Given the number of washed-out, excessively tannic examples of 1975 Lynch-Bages I have tasted, I am now more optimistic about this wine.

1970 Palmer. Parker 95. Not yet fully mature, the 1970 Palmer is one of the great wines of the vintage. It exhibits a dark, opaque garnet color, and an emerging, fabulously complex, exotic nose of licorice, over-ripe plums and blackcurrants, soy, cedar, and minerals. Rich and concentrated, with medium to full body, a sweet inner-core of fruit, firm but silky tannin, and a long, rich finish, this remains a youthful, potentially superb Palmer. While approachable, it will benefit from another 3-5 years of cellaring, and will keep through the first 10-15 years of the next century.

Liver, balsamic, mushroom, pizza. Pretty rich and delicious.

Flight 2:

1981 Palmer. Parker 81. This is a relatively light, almost indifferent style of Palmer, lacking depth, and coming across as straightforward, with a simple plummy fruitiness intermingled with scents and flavors of herbs, oak, and cedar. It is medium bodied and austere for a Palmer.

1989 Palmer. Parker 96. Tasted at the Château Palmer vertical in London, the 1989 Château Palmer has always been my favourite vintage from that decade after the 1983. The first bottle was unfortunately corked. The second was as it should be: the nose tensile with red berries, sous-bois, potpourri and strawberry pastille – lively and energetic. The palate is medium-bodied and vibrant right from the start, silky in texture with plenty of citrus fruit, gently building to a harmonious and detailed finish that lingers in the mouth. This is a magnificent Château Palmer that continues to effortlessly dish out so much vinous pleasure.

1986 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande. Parker 95. Now at 30 years of age, there is a gulf between the two Pichons in this vintage that no longer exists. The 1986 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande has long been one of the best wines from the estate alongside the 1982 (even if the first bottle was a little oxidized). The second bottle was representative. It has a classic pencil-lead, cedar-infused nose that rockets from the glass, a subtle floral note developing with time. The palate is medium-bodied with supple red berry fruit, a pinch of white pepper and cedar, structured compared to coeval vintages and perhaps further along its drinking plateau than previous examples. Certainly à point, I would be reaching for bottles of this now if you cannot locate those 1982s, or alternatively seek out the superlative 1996. This still remains a fine, rather regal Pichon-Lalande.

Carpaccio with white truffles and fontina cheese. Amazing dish. Too small, but incredibly delicious.

Flight 3:

1999 Palmer. Parker 95. Though I have tasted many vintages of Palmer in recent months, it has been some time since I tasted the 1999 Palmer. Now at 17 years of age, it has a really quite splendid bouquet that is so fresh and vital, pure brambly red fruit, sloes and iodine. It has certainly lost some of the headiness that it showed over its first 10 years, but it is still a Palmer that likes to party. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin. There is good depth here, clean and fresh with wonderful poise. This is a “correct” Palmer, self-aware that it was not born in a propitious vintage, therefore it might seem a little restrained, even conservative in character. That would ignore its precision and grace, the manner in which it gently builds to the finish. You can drink this now but I would be inclined to give it another 3-4 years. There are few better Left Bank 1999s than Palmer.

1998 Angelus. Parker 96. Another great showing for a Right Bank wine, the 1998 Angelus shows a saturated opaque, plum/purple color and a beautiful fragrance of blueberry and black raspberries with licorice, asphalt, truffle and a touch of white chocolate. Beautiful texture, full-bodied opulence, striking purity and overall equilibrium make for a stunning wine that is just entering its plateau of full maturity. Drink it over the next 20 years.

1994 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande. Parker 91-93. One of the stars of the vintage, this opaque purple-colored wine possesses a gorgeously perfumed, exotic, smoky, blackcurrant, Asian spice, and sweet vanillin-scented bouquet. It is followed by thick, rich, moderately tannic flavors that exhibit medium to full body, good structure, outstanding purity, and a classically layered, long, pure finish. This terrific Pichon-Lalande should evolve effortlessly for 18-20 years.

Home Made Pappardelle Bolognese – House made Flat Ribbon Pasta Meat Ragout Sauce. Another great dish.

Flight 4:

1990 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron. VM93+. Full medium ruby. Nose at once subtle and flamboyant, with slightly roasted aromas of currant, cedar, lead pencil and minerals. Large-scaled, sweet and rich, with utterly primary fruit suggesting a long future ahead of it. Tasted next to the ’89, this was a much more massive and somewhat softer wine. Very long on the finish, with big but smooth tannins. Of more recent vintages, only the 2000 has a chance to be in the same quality class as the ’90 and ’89.

From my cellar: 1989 Lynch Bages. Parker 99+. The 1989 has taken forever to shed its formidable tannins, but what a great vintage of Lynch Bages! I would rank it at the top of the pyramid although the 1990, 2000, and down the road, some of the more recent vintages such as 2005, 2009 and 2010 should come close to matching the 1989’s extraordinary concentration and undeniable aging potential. Its dense purple color reveals a slight lightening at the edge and the stunning bouquet offers classic notes of creme de cassis, subtle smoke, oak and graphite. Powerful and rich with some tannins still to shed at age 22, it is still a young adolescent in terms of its evolution and will benefit from another 4-5 years of cellaring. It should prove to be a 50 year wine.

Mushroom risotto.

Cotsen brought: 1990 Margaux. Parker 100. The 1990 Chateau Margaux has turned into a sensational wine that eclipses both the 1988 and 1989…and then some. It has a gorgeous, ethereal bouquet with sumptuous red berry fruit, leather, camphor and licorice—it is the kind of nose in which you just immerse yourself. Is there a hint of brettanomyces here? If there is, I don’t really care. The palate is soft and sensual with incredible depth. Fleshy and corpulent for Chateau Margaux, and yet surfeit with breeding and finesse, there are layers or red fruit, kirsch, sage and fig, later tobacco and cloves. I feel that this 1990 Château Margaux is at its peak and yet the harmony, the sheer swagger of this wine just wins you over. Magnificent. Tasted May 2016.

agavin: Cotsen sweeps the win by craft and force, as the 1990 Margaux is just one of those wines that always blows everything away.

2000 Leoville-Las Cases. Parker 98. Tasted blind as a vintage comparison at the Valandraud vertical, the 2000 Leoville-Las-Cases is a quite fabulous, magisterial Saint Julien that is only just beginning to flex its muscles. It has a very intense and beautifully defined bouquet with mineral rich blackberry and bilberry scents, outstanding focus and harmony, and very well-integrated oak. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, impressive backbone and focus in situ. There is a touch of mint infusing the fruit here, superb tension with a touch of mulberry and Hoi Sin lingering on the finish that still feels backward and sinewy. What was remarkable was to observe the melioration in the glass, achieving wondrous energy and delineation with time, still improving after a couple of hours. Buy it, cellar it, drink it. Tasted December 2016.

Roast quail with polenta. Ugly, but tastes good.

My notes.

Flight D:

2007 Coutet. Parker 94. Tasted single blind against its peers. The Chateau Coutet 2007 has a very intense bouquet with lemon curd and orange blossom mixed with clear honey. There is impressive precision here, almost crystalline. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine viscous entry, great weight and intensity with racy acidity. There is also much tension cutting through the layers of viscous fruit on the sorbet-like finish. This is a typical Coutet through and through and it should age effortlessly over 20-30 years.

2011 Doisy Daene. Parker 95. Tasted blind at the Sauternes 2011 horizontal tasting. The Château Doisy-Daëne 2011 builds upon its outstanding performance from barrel. It has a powerful bouquet with seductive scents of wild honey, yellow flowers and orange blossom that are well defined, perhaps a little more extravagant then Denis Dubourdieu’s wines of yore. The palate is mellifluous on the entry with well-judged acidity, sensual and harmonious, poised on the entry and then fanning out gloriously with Clementine and honeyed notes that shimmer. This is an irresistible Barsac.

Panna Cotta Alla Vaniglia. Berry compote.

Certainly delicious.

Most of the gang. Notice our studly T-shirts. Jen, who isn’t wearing the hat, was in charge of pairing, opening, pouring etc. She rocks!

The lineup.

Overall the food was quite good. Service was pretty glacial despite the place being empty, and the waiters seemed on the verge of moving down the street to a convalescent home, but they were extremely nice and accommodating.

Wines were great for the Dirty Dozen. Nothing out and out “bad” or spoiled, 1-2 with a little bret that needed to blow off (or not), and a whole mess that were great. Particularly that 1990 Margaux. It really is a fabulous wine and Cotsen steals the wine (and the free meal) for the 3rd of 4th time. He does know how to pick them for these dinners.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!