Author Archive for agavin – Page 52

Italian House Party

Sep19

The Hedonist gang periodically converges for a some house party goodness, this time for a home cooked Italian meal by Linda di Franco.

Elisabeth and Jake were very generous to host us at their lovely 20s Hacienda.

This setting always shows off some interesting views, in this case a cool orange reflection off some far off buildings.

NV Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut Rosé. VM 92. Light orange. Vibrant strawberry and orange zest aromas are complicated by notes of tea rose, smoky lees and chalky minerals. Bright, incisive red fruit flavors pick up a toasty nuance with air. Fresh, incisive and refreshingly tangy, with impressive finishing clarity and stony persistence.

From my cellar: 2011 Villa Diamante Fiano di Avellino Vigna della Congregazione. 92 points. Excellent, one of the best white wines I’ve had in some time. Beautiful golden color, with delicious fruit but not too fruity. It has the composed, focused quality of a Jobard from Burgundy. I can imagine that this wine would age nicely, but it is awfully good right now.

2013 Bruno Giacosa Roero Arneis. 93 points. It’s late summer, we were dining outside. So we brought this. Fabulous.

Cheese.

Crackers.

2008 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Bougros. BH 92-95. A classic Chablis nose of mineral reduction, oyster shell and green fruit aromas merges into sappy, rich and powerful flavors that possess more refinement than usual on the long, sappy and beautifully detailed finish. I’m impressed that this seems to have to rusticity and in this sense, it’s a bit atypical.

Gorgonzola stuffed figs wrapped in prosciutto. Very nice soft fresh sweet figs and paired very well with the salty ham and gorgonzola.

2014 Bouchard Père et Fils Corton-Charlemagne. BH 94. Mild notes of wood and reduction mask the underlying fruit though I can say that it appears to be ripe. Otherwise there is outstanding volume and concentration to the big-bodied and openly muscular flavors that exhibit evident power and punch on the hugely long finale. This is presently very compact and like the Perrières very clearly built to age. I should note that while this is certainly going to need time it is not especially austere and I suspect that it will begin to drink well after only 5-ish years or so if that’s your preference.

Younger than my fiano!

Zucchini mint onion frittata on a bed of baby greens.

2011 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne. VH 90-93. A restrained, indeed almost mute nose of Granny Smith apples and citrus aromas is in keeping with the rich and full-bodied but reserve flavors that possess very good size and weight, all wrapped in an intense, deep and sneaky long finish where noticeable wood surfaces. I like the concentration and this should be a rare Corton-Charlemagne that will be approachable in its youth.

Cannellini and Italian Salsiccia Crostini. A classic dish of central Italy, certainly including Tuscany and Umbria.

2014 Liquid Farm Chardonnay White Hill. 91 points. light-to-medium deep yellow core with nice viscosity. As others have noted, nose is quite reminiscent of a very good PC Chablis (or better?). Lemon zest, apple, pear, wet stone/minerality and a deft touch of oak; quite pretty. Palate of white flowers, apple pie, peach pit and minerals. Lovely, balanced, medium-bodied wine with no sharp edges that should pair nicely with most foods, unlike many of its Cali counterparts. Good acidity, as it should have, along with a nice midpalate and reasonably long finish. With the acid and minerality and balance I wonder if this would age like a good Chablis? Hmmmm . . . .

Bresaola with Parmiggiano. The dog liked it so much he licked the edge of it (dangerously close to the table edge). Rolled up with the cheese was a great meaty/cheesy snack boosted up by the olive oil drizzle.

Linda (right) making pasta with some “help” from Jennifer.

From my cellar: 2004 Podere Il Cocco Brunello di Montalcino. 94 points. I love this rare bio-dynamic Brunello.

2010 Valdicava Brunello di Montalcino. VM 94. The 2010 Brunello di Montalcino is one of the very best wines I have tasted here in recent years. Dark red cherries, mint, game, smoke, tobacco and licorice are all deeply expressive in a mid-weight, very classic feeling Brunello long on class and personality. Big yet silky tannins frame the dramatic, intense finish. The Valdicava wines are always big, but the 2010 is a bit pulled back, and striking.

2006 Le Presi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva. 93 points. Nice!

Lasagne with Besciamella.

2008 Tantara Pinot Noir Le Colline Vineyard.

Pizza with prosciutto.

Cheese pizza.

2009 Rocca di Frassinello Maremma Toscana Baffonero. VM 91+. Full ruby-red. Cool, brooding aromas of cassis, blackberry, violet and minerals. Concentrated, densely packed, minerally and brisk, with ripe black fruit and coffee flavors carrying through to the creamy, ripe, very long finish. This is an important wine for this estate, and one that it would like to become one of Italy’s most important merlots in the future, in the mold of Masseto or Messorio.

agavin: very nice giant ripe merlot

1997 Bava Barbera d’Asti Superiore Stradivario. 91 points.

2003 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate. VM 91. Bright ruby-red. Sweet aromas of black cherry, flowers, menthol and creosote. Supple, sweet and fine-grained, though not especially nuanced for this wine. Strong note of chocolate. Finishes with a fairly fine dusting of tannins and lingering notes of cherry and licorice. This seems a bit less vibrant than it was from barrel a year ago. Barrett noted that the December 2005 bottling date was quite late for this wine, and my sample had not yet recovered.

2012 Chris Ringland Shiraz. BIG!

Balsamic beef rags with arugula. Very thin tender meat, a little like Korean BBQ.

Roasted red potatoes with rosemary and garlic.

2003 Château Duhart-Milon. VM 88-91. Bright ruby-red. Blackcurrant, blueberry, black cherry, violet, tobacco, fresh herbs and currant leaf on the slightly medicinal, quintessential cabernet nose. Then broad, fat and rich, with a layered texture and enticing sweetness. Showing its cabernet side today, but this is thoroughly ripe, seamless cabernet.

Hand made mushroom agnolotti with butter and sage. I love these classic butter and sage pastas. There wasn’t a lot, so we each got about two.

2003 Château Gravas. 87 points. pale golden yellow; honey, apricot, dried pineapple and mango aroma; full-bodied; a relatively unimpressive palate as a Sauternais; short finish.

Tiramisu.

I brought this in my new Gelato cooler, made by moi: Gianduia Gelato – not only is this from a hardcore Italian recipe, properly stabilized for that gooey texture, but I used all Valrhona chocolate and Piedmontese hazelnut paste. Seriously it’s like frozen Nutella! A huge hit if I do say so myself — and I do!

A lovely group of ladies!
This one is a little less dignified.

Related posts:

  1. House Party from Laos
  2. Piccolo – A little Italian
  3. Epic Ocean Party 2015
  4. Birthday Party, Hedonist Style
  5. Is that a Pistola in your pocket?
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: , , , , , ,

The High Life – 71Above

Sep16

Restaurant: 71Above [1, 2, 3]

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

Date: September 12, 2016

Cuisine: New American

Rating: Awesome in all ways

_

This is my second visit to one of LA’s latest and hottest event restaurants, 71Above. The first can be found here.

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.

1996 Philipponnat Champagne Brut Clos des Goisses. BH 97. One of the greatest examples of the ’96 vintage, this wine has it all with elegance, intensity, subtlety and grace, not to mention buckets of unrealized potential that will enable this beauty to improve for at least another decade and perhaps longer. I can only imagine just how good this would be from magnum format! The nose is discreet, reserved and pure with lemon, green apple and layers upon layers of fruit framed by just the right amount of yeast influence that continues onto the exceptionally dry and tight flavors that are crisp and refined as well as superbly intense yet through it all there is this underlying sense of harmony, as though all of the elements are working in concert. The greatest wines, at least those cut from classical cloth, persuade through the subtlest means and so it is with the ’96 Goisses, which is indeed a great wine by any measure. While it is drinkable now, for my taste preferences a lot of potential would be left in the glass and I wouldn’t start in earnest on this for another 5+ years.

Tease, we didn’t open this bottle.

1992 Louis Latour Montrachet. BH 93.  exotic aromas merge into powerful, intense and long medium-bodied flavors that offer excellent length and vibrancy, especially in the context of the vintage. This is really quite good with ample density and plenty of refinement. Moreover, it exhibits no signs of fatigue, at least when the bottles have been impeccably stored.

agavin: In pretty great shape. Not a ton of fruit, but a lot of body and complexity.

Savory Canelé. Looks just like the not so savory kind, and has the same wonderful texture, but instead offered an evocative warm taste of rosemary and maybe cheese.

2008 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis 1er Cru La Forest. VM 93+. Bright, pale golden-yellow. Sexy aromas of orange, honeysuckle, hazelnut and toast. Big, silky, rich and deep but not especially showy today as its stony minerality currently dominates the palate. A downright profound premier cru with outstanding persistence. It will be interesting to taste this next to the superb ’07 in about eight years.

2003 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Bourgogne Blanc. 90 points. Very pale gold in appearance. The nose was very pure, clean, elegant and full of white flowers. On the palate, minerally with good acidity. Peach, yellow fruits like kiwi and a hint of rocks and stone. This was definitely a Puligny wasnt it? Table was torn between Meursault and Puligny, some were on a 1er or Grand. When Wayne revealed it was a Bourgogne, it could only be Vogue, and what an experience. The only discouraging note was that the wine lacked the structure and also had a tad of bitterness and roughness at the end. Nevertheless, it was extremely enojoyable and in a good drinking window.

From my cellar: 2011 Prager Riesling Smaragd Wachstum Bodenstein. VM 92. Initially reminiscent of slate and fresh rain, the nose evolves toward apricot and peach fruit along with caraway seed and lemongrass. Bracing lively acidity gives a weightless quality to the intense flavors of yellow plum, wild spice and abundant minerals. Seductive and stylish, with noteworthy grip and persistence, this is an excellent 2011. Some may prefer it, but the lower alcohol and marvelous freshness speak for 2012 as the slightly better of these two excellent rieslings.

Oyster. Poached, Uni, Caviar, Tarragon, Champagne. A super yummy bite of umami goodness. Very bright with strong flavors from the tartar-like sauce.

2014 Albert Grivault Meursault Clos du Murger.

1999 Henri Boillot Chevalier-Montrachet. 90 points. Had a steeliness on the palate that seems typical of 99. As the night went on, I felt like the power that H. Boillot is known for was trying to peek out as you can start to taste that density of fruit but the wine just needed time. There was a zest in the background, but still needing more time. I was actually very surprised how little it was giving up as the 00/02/04 chevs have been drinking wonderful in the past year or so.

1990 Pierre Bitouzet Corton-Charlemagne. JG 93.

Shrimp. Mango, Avocado, Fresno Chile, Sorrel, Chicharrón. Also extremely bright. A little heat, and very tangy. Loved this slightly Vietnamese-inspired sauce.

1976 Mayacamas Vineyards Chardonnay. 88 points. Dark yellow. Some peaches underlying moderate oxidative aromas. Actually on the palate, the wine was not bad. Amazing that a California chard could show this well at 35 years.

1998 Sine Qua Non Backward & Forward. VM 93. Pale peach skin color. Deep, complex nose of apple, nut skin, apricot and minerals; this somewhat resembled a bottle of 1990 Pol Roger Winston Churchill I had tasted 15 minutes earlier. Thick, penetrating and solidly structured; rich, nuanced flavors of vanilla, minerals, apricot and superripe peach. Wonderful sweetness and chewy texture more akin to the Southern Rhone than to Southern California. Great building length on the finish. Close in quality to the extraordinary ’95 Sine Qua Non white blend labelled The Bride.

2014 Donelan Vénus. VM 91. The 2014 Venus is lovely, soft and understated. Apricot pit, mint, chamomile and dried flowers flesh out nicely in this very pretty, expressive Roussanne/Viognier blend. Veins of supporting acidity give the wine its freshness and sense of overall proportion. There is plenty to like here.

Octopus. Grilled, Peach, Lemon, Mustards, Pickled Pearl Onion, Herbs. A great piece of octopus. Tender inside and a little crispy on the outside. Nice bits of mustards.

From my cellar: 1991 Domaine Georges Mugneret/Mugneret-Gibourg Echezeaux. BH 94. This possesses perhaps the most complex nose of any of these “youngsters” as there is a potent mix of spice, game, herb, leather, earth and smoke nuances that seems to signal the remarkably dense, sweet and intense flavors of near perfect balance and stunning length. While this is sublime now there is sufficient structure to carry it another 10 to 15 years with no problem, perhaps longer. In a word, astonishing and highly recommended.

agavin: I may have brought it, but for me, it was also (red) WOTN. Really expressive.

1990 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Volnay 1er Cru Santenots-Du-Milieu. BH 87. Rich, fragrant and complex black fruit aromas explode from the glass and lead to very rich, robust, indeed almost massive flavors underpinned by chunky tannins and good length if not much finesse or elegance. This is not a typical Volnay and will appeal more to those who enjoy Rhone-style Burgundies as it’s a powerful Volnay.

1990 Domaine Rossignol Trapet Chapelle-Chambertin. 96 points. Considerable bricking and somewhat opaque; knew from the outset it was at least fifteen years old. The luxurious bouquet sings with the finest elements of great Burgundy! Sous-bois, earth, rose petals, charred cork, and hints of smoke, etc. The wine features brilliantly focused acidity, all the elements on the bouquet, and a mind-bending textural mouthfeel! Lasting finish marked by tremendous acidity and unbridled deliciousness!

2009 Domaine Joseph Voillot Volnay 1er Cru Les Fremiets. BH 91. A deft touch of wood sets off an attractive mix of violets, wet stone and ripe red cherry aromas. The rich, full and seductively textured flavors possess excellent delineation and fine length. This is on the awkward side today as it hasn’t fully harmonized but the underlying material is of sufficiently high quality that it should do so in time.

1990 Bouchard Père et Fils Corton-Le Corton. BH 92. A complex nose of earth, leather, game and very ripe, in fact hints of over ripe pinot fruit leading to still firmly structured flavors are underpinned by curiously dusty, chalky tannins with outstanding length. In many ’90s, the fruit will never outlast the fruit but here the structure is completely integrated with the sappy and mouth coating flavors and finish. The only nit is that the wood is not subtle and while not dominant, if it hasn’t melted into the essence of the wine by now, it probably will always display a trace of it. Still, this is a most impressive effort in every respect and certainly built for the long haul as this is no where near its apogee in this format.

1994 Prince Florent de Merode Corton-Clos du Roi.

Suckling pig. Loin, Belly, Confit Pressé, Young Lettuces, Cherry, Mustard. An awesome trio of pig. The rich pork belly, the succulent loin, moist and with delicious herbal notes, and the confit fritter. Wow! A bit of chorizo juice on top too.

1990 Lynch Bages. Parker 99. This magnificent Lynch Bages has been drinking well since the day it was released and it continues to go from strength to strength. The biggest, richest, fullest-bodied Lynch Bages until the 2000, the fully mature 1990 exhibits an unbelievably explosive nose of black currants, cedarwood, herbs and spice. The majestic, classically Bordeaux aromatics are followed by a full-bodied, voluptuously textured, rich, intense wine with superb purity as well as thrilling levels of fruit, glycerin and sweetness. This beauty should continue to provide immense pleasure over the next 15+ years.

1978 Leoville-Las Cases. Parker 90-93. The 1978 Las Cases has taken on a garnet hue with some dark ruby tints. The nose is more complex and penetrating than the flavors. The wine offers classic, mineral, lead pencil, smoky, earthy scents, with plenty of ripe fruit, and none of the vegetal herbaceousness that many 1978s have begun to exhibit. The attack offers good ripeness, medium to full body, higher acidity than many more recent vintages, and considerable tannin in the hard finish. Although this wine possesses outstanding complexity, the high tannin level may never fully melt away. While it will last another 15-20 years, the 1978 is at its apogee and will slowly dry out over the next two decades.

1973 Rothschild Brothers of California Cabernet Sauvignon. 84 points. The nose speaks of old, maderized, gone wine. The palate initially also seems tired, but bottle after bottle, they wake up after an hour. Dried cherries and some woody notes on the palate; silky; some worcestershire. Unsure how this was 20 years ago (probably just okay) but surprising that this has any character left at this point.

1995 Bryant Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. Parker 99-100. The 1995 Cabernet Sauvignon is cut from the same mold as the profound 1996, displaying astonishing levels of black fruits (the usual suspects – blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and cassis), phenomenal concentration, and virtually perfect balance and equilibrium.

1982 Laurel Glen Cabernet Sauvignon. Parker 73. Me 93. Tasted like a nice 82 Bordeaux!

2009 Donelan Syrah Obsidian Vineyard. VM 95. Another stellar wine, 2009 Syrah Obsidian Vineyard is fabulous today. In 2009, the Obsidian has a little more fruit, richness and sheer volume, all of which serve to balance some of the wilder notes of this cool-climate, marginal site. Dark, sensual and alluring, the 2009 Obsidian is firing on all cylinders today. This full-throttle Syrah should drink well for another decade, perhaps beyond.

Prime Ribeye. Dry-Aged, Eggplant, Black Garlic Miso, Onion, Cipollini Jus. A fabulous hunk of rich meat. Super tender and marbled with a very intense (good for me) sauce.

The dessert menu.

1997 Domaine Robert Groffier Bonnes Mares. VM 94+. Knockout aromas of black and red fruits, flowers, mocha and game. Great freshness and grip on the palate; at once thick and penetrating. Superripe flavors of framboise and blackberry. This powerfully structured wine quickly closed up in the glass. Very subtle and very long on the aftertaste. Another remarkable ’97: the crop level here was just 22 hectoliters per hectare, according to Serge Groffier.

Caramel Custard. Truffle-Praline Almonds, young coconut sorbet, vanilla white soy gelee, pork & maple powder. Awesome dessert. Very soft, almost sweet-soup-like, broken up by the almond crunch.

Lemon Curd. Sparkling goat’s milk ice, vanilla rhubarb, sweet basil oil, wild bay leaf ice cream, cherry blossom gelee. Really interesting flavors and textures. Barely a dessert actually as it was more like an herb/lemon ice — extremely savory and refreshing.

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

The wine lineup.

Emil Eyvazoff on the left and Chef Vartan Abgaryan on the right.

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.

But an interesting menu wouldn’t be anything without great execution. As you can see above 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.

More Foodie Club outings here.

Related posts:

  1. Wine in the Sky – 71Above
  2. Sauvage Spago
  3. Sauvages at Upstairs 2
  4. Spice Up Your Life Szechuan Style
  5. Babykiller Birthday
By: agavin
Comments (5)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: , , , , , ,

Newport Seafood is Special

Sep14

Many people consider Newport Seafood one of the best Chinese restaurants in SoCal. Essentially, it’s Southern Chinese, with some Cambodian and Vietnamese influences (the owners are Cambodian). I’ve been a couple of times, and this latest September 11, 2016 visit has been added into the grand pile to give some scope on this enormous menu.

Click through here to see all the details.

 

i-knwr22c-x2

Related posts:

  1. Newport Seafood Again
  2. Newport Special Seafood
  3. Newport goes Westside
  4. New Bay Seafood
  5. Shanghai #1 Seafood Village
By: agavin
Comments (4)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: , ,

Sauvages at Upstairs 2

Sep12

Restaurant: Upstairs 2 [1, 2]

Location:  2311 Cotner Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90064 Tel. 310-231-0316

Date: September 9, 2016

Cuisine: Modern Tapas

Rating: Bright flavors and a lot of options.

ANY CHARACTER HERE

Upstairs 2 is located just above the Wine House on Cotner. The main room serves an eclectic tapas menu, but as this was a special Sauvages du Vin lunch (always a lunch, always Friday) we gathered upstairs in the private room for a special menu and flights of themed wine. This time around Grand and 1re cru Red Burgundy from the village of Gevrey-Chambertin, vintages older than 2004.

Today’s special menu.

Flight 0

The whites are bonuses that various people brought – like me.

From my cellar: 2008 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Bougros. BH 92-95. A classic Chablis nose of mineral reduction, oyster shell and green fruit aromas merges into sappy, rich and powerful flavors that possess more refinement than usual on the long, sappy and beautifully detailed finish. I’m impressed that this seems to have to rusticity and in this sense, it’s a bit atypical.

1999 Louis Latour Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Caillerets. 83 points. Our bottle was “very” advanced. Golden and oxidative.

2005 Brewer-Clifton Chardonnay Mount Carmel. VM 91. Light yellow. Rich pineapple and lichee on the nose, with fresh melon and fig adding complexity. A real fruit basket on the palate, displaying peach, honeydew, tropical fruits and an exotic licorice quality. Picks up sexy baking spices on the long, juicy finish. I prefer the finesse of this to the power of the Seasmoke today.

The gang gathers in the private room. Amusingly, this was the very same room in which I took my Italian Sommelier mastery class
4.5 years ago!

Flight 1

1999 Domaine Rene Leclerc Griotte-Chambertin. 92 points. Bright ruby. Very seductive and perfumed nose of first roses, then cherry, raspberry and a touch of roast. Somewhat tight on the palate, yielding some cherry and flowers. Gritty tannins with medium acidity and body. Sappy finish with medium to long persistence. Needs at least another 3-5 years to come together.

1990 Serafin Père et Fils Charmes-Chambertin. 90 points. Black fruit with earthy hints, overall a bit firm and rustic. Nice fruit, length and balance, but I was surprised this was from 1990 given the wine’s firm structure and seemingly modest ripeness.

1996 Geantet-Pansiot Charmes-Chambertin. VM 94. Saturated deep ruby; one of the darkest ’96s I saw in November. Multifaceted nose combines black fruits, violet, licorice, espresso, smoke, gibier and sweet butter. The class of the cellar in terms of concentration, sweetness, finesse and length; in fact, today this wine makes Geantet’s ’95 seem almost heavy in comparison. Lovely roundness and clarity of flavor. Really explodes on the palate-staining finish.

1996 Dominique Laurent Chambertin. VM 92-95. Much deeper red-ruby color. Brilliant sauvage perfume of dark fruits, mocha and Chambertin earth. Very intensely flavored but folded in on itself; currently showing less texture and volume than the Clos de Beze. But explodes and expands on the finish, which features powerful, chewy tannins. A musclebound wine that will need at least seven or eight years of bottle aging.

Foie Gras Terrine. Burgundy-Pomegranate Reduction. Pretty straight up duck liver goodness!

Flight 2

From my cellar: 1998 Domaine Bruno Clair Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Petite Chapelle. 93 points. Lots of cherry fruit and good structure. Quite delicious.

1998 Claude Dugat Chapelle-Chambertin. VM 89-92. Dugat vinifies two barrels of Chapelle-Chambertin juice owned by Philippe Livera and Butterfield & Robinson, keeping one barrel for himself.<BR> Higher-toned aromas of iron, earth and game. Penetrating and rather powerful, but a less fruit-driven style than the wines from Dugat’s own vines. Not quite as much material or nuance here. Soaking up the oak more quickly, and thus a bit drier on the finish. But still impressive.

1997 Domaine Joseph Roty Charmes-Chambertin Très Vieilles Vignes. VM 93. Deep red. Perfumed, nuanced aromas of cherry, faded rose, woodsmoke and bacon fat. Tighter and less showy than the last two bottles, but displayed sappy, intense red fruit flavors with aeration. A rarity: a ’97 with real finesse. Finishes very long and juicy, with unusually supple tannins for this wine, from some of the oldest vines on the Cote de Nuits.

agavin: voted WOTD (wine of the day)

1998 Hospices de Beaune Mazis-Chambertin Cuvée Madeleine Collignon Louis Jadot.

Flight 3

Pan Seared Quail. Roasted grapes, poltry reduction, celeriac choucroute. A nice small game bird dish.

1999 Louis Jadot Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques. BH 91-93. Roasted ripe fruit that has a mix of red and black fruits, especially black cherry with wonderfully spicy, complex flavors that are both rich and dense. This is very ripe but the acidity is more pronounced which does a better job of balancing off the richness. Clos St. Jacques is almost always the finest Gevrey 1er chez Jadot and 99 is no exception. Grand cru quality and because of the richness, this will be approachable young but drink well for a long time.

1999 Domaine Joseph Roty Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Fontenys. VM 91. Full red. Expressive aromas of raspberry, woodsmoke, tobacco and game. Sweet and pliant, with very ripe flavors of meat and tobacco. Showing more personality today than the Brunelle or Clos Prieur. Lovely ripe, harmonious acidity. Finishes very long, with fine tannins. This was delicious since the beginning.

2000 Domaine Joseph Roty Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Fontenys. VM 90+. Red-ruby. Floral aromas of red cherry, licorice and tarry oak. More perfumed than the foregoing wines; tightly wound but very aromatic in the mouth, with dark fruit and licorice notes. Pure and fresh for the year but in need of aging.

2001 Domaine Joseph Roty Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Fontenys. VM 91+. Full ruby-red. Pure, vibrant aromas of berries, cherry, minerals and flowers. Sweet, stony, minerally and quite firm, with refreshing framing acidity. ?A mix of old vines and very old vines from a very hot part of this vineyard,? says Philippe, adding that the fruit here came in with a relatively high 12.5% potential alcohol in 2001. Structured finish features firm acids and serious but supple tannins.

agavin: our bottle was slightly tainted

Pan roasted Duck Breast. Cauliflower Puree. Duck Demi-Glace. Some perfect bits of medium rare duck breast. Very juicy.

Flight 4

The partial flight lineup.

2002 Claude Dugat Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux St. Jacques. VM 94+. right ruby-red. Deeply smoky aromas and flavors of black and red cherry and violet. Less nuanced and expressive today than the 1er cru, but also boasts terrific freshness of fruit. Brilliantly primary wine, finishing with slow-building, extremely persistent flavor and superb grip. Give the 1er cru six years in the bottle, but hold off on this one for seven or eight. (Incidentally, Dugat opened a bottle of the ’92 Lavaux, no doubt to make the point that his wines age better than some critics believe. It was a knockout: at its peak right now, and more stylish and complex than 99% of Burgundies from this relatively early-maturing vintage.)

2001 Domaine Perrot-Minot Mazoyères-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes. BH 93. This is much like the ’02 in style with a sterner and less elegant character but a good deal more power and the same masculine quality. Earthy, robust and slightly austere minerality and a mix of red and black fruit aromas introduce precise and brilliantly intense flavors that deliver outstanding length and simply incredible complexity. I rarely prefer big over fine but the additional complexity and depth of material make this a better wine and this is just flat out wonderful.

2002 Domaine Perrot-Minot Mazoyères-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes. VM 92. Good deep ruby-red. Knockout nose combines black fruits, minerals and coffee. Richer and more tactile than the Charmes but not sweeter; more massive and powerful. This boasts very strong fruit without coming across as overly sweet or heavy. A wine of compelling length, with the well-buffered tannins coating the entire palate.

2002 Louis Jadot Chapelle-Chambertin. VM 90-93. Good bright ruby-red. High-toned roasted fruits, licorice, violet and sweet oak on the nose. Sweet, supple and creamy, with fruit currently dominated by an exotic coconutty oak quality. A second barrel showed even riper aromas and superb richness.

2002 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Chambertin-Clos de Bèze. VM 92. Ruby-red. Wild, musky aromas of strawberry, minerals and smoky oak. Wonderfully silky on entry, then suave and aristocratic in the middle palate. Very subtle flavors build impressively on the sweet finish, which features very fine tannins.

Grilled Alpine NY Strip. Gratin of Root Vegetables. Haricot Verts. Truffle Jus. I loved the meat and “potatoes” quality of this dish — particularly that the potatoes were rich and cheesy.

Expresso Ice Cream. A nice creamy bit of ice cream clearly made with real expresso beans.

The lineup.

Overall Upstairs 2 did an awesome job with this dinner. Wine service was good and the food was a fowl collection of tasty morsels. Sorry, couldn’t resist. We had only 1-2 flawed wines and a lot of great showings from Gevrey, particularly the 90s wines. Sauvages is always a great time.

Related posts:

  1. Sauvages at Drago
  2. Sauvages at Oliverio
  3. Sauvages in the Forest
  4. Sauvages – East Borough
  5. Sauvage Spago
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: , , , , ,

Jitlada – 9 is Nice

Sep09

Restaurant: Jitlada [1, 2, 3, 4]

Location: 5233 W Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90027. (323) 663-3104

Date: September 6, 2016

Cuisine: Thai

Rating: Gut burning great

_

Tonight’s outing is a Hedonist return to Jitlada, an outrageously authentic Southern Thai place deep in Thai-town. The joint gets 27 in Zagat! It’s run by Jazz Singsanong with Chef Tui in the kitchen. The menu can be found here.

You know it’s real because they don’t skimp on either the chilies OR the fish sauce.

NV Herbert Beaufort Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée Marcellin Extra-Brut. 88 points. Lemony nose and citrusy palate. Small bubbles, but loses it’s fizziness quickly. Tasty.

Larb. Ground pork with spices, fish sauce, etc. Pretty hot too and very salty, but tasty.

Honey duck. This was pretty awesome, and we should have ordered more. The skin was crispy and sweet, the meat succulent.

Bone in!

2011 Dönnhoff Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling Spätlese. VM 92. Delicately refined aromas of pineapple, quince and herbs. The refreshing palate offers a subtle interplay of ripe citrus fruits and salty minerality. A pure and expressive finish provides stature. I may be underrating this, but it’s certainly one of the great spatleses of the vintage.

Pumpkin frog legs. A pumpkin curry basically with frog’s legs. Poor kermit.

2011 Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Spätlese. 92 points. This wine has come together in a beautiful manner. Its sweet but with bright acidity and good minerality.

Papaya salad. Solid, but not as yummy as the fried one.

From my cellar: 2002 Dr. Loosen Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Spätlese Goldkapsel Auction. 96 points. Balanced in all ways. Medium old. Medium sweetness. Medium yellow gold color. A really fine Spätlese.

Coco lotus soup. This was a mild red coconut curry soup with chicken. It was amazing! Really fabulous curry flavor. Tons of tamarind giving it a really balanced sour tone.

2012 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Clos Windsbuhl. VM 93. Pale straw-gold color. Deep aromas of white peach, white truffle and pear nectar. Wonderfully juicy and light on its feet, conveying a distinctly perfumed quality to its very pure citrus zest and floral flavors. The finish offers very good juicy grip, with lingering notes of orange and sweet spices. Delicious.

Jungle curry with lamb chops. Exotic thai curry with god knows what in it. This stuff was HOT and pretty fabulous. This is a brown curry. I actually like their super hot green curry better, but this is good too.

Garlic frog’s legs. Deep fried turmeric marinated frog legs with garlic.

Flambe Prawns. Grilled giant prawns topped with our house curry sauce. These are amazing. The sweet curry sauce is just full of curry flavor goodness.

1997 René Renou Bonnezeaux Cuvée Zenith. 97 Parker. Tasted four times over the last six months, the show-stopping 1997 Bonnezeaux Cuvee Zenith has gone from being massive, disjointed and difficult to assess, to being harmonious, intense, and sublime. Aromatically revealing spicy yellow fruits of exquisite ripeness, this is a medium-to-full-bodied, powerful, and explosive wine. Copious quantities of spicy bergamots, flowers, almonds, perfume, caramelized minerals, and tropical fruits can be found in its layered, velvety texture. Renou was somehow able to marry 1997’s awesome density and depth of fruit with virtually perfect levels of acidity, creating a blockbuster-sized wine of great equilibrium and freshness. Bravo! Projected maturity: now-2050+.

agavin: Our bottle was a tiny bit corked. Sad, because you could tell it was a great sweet wine under there.

Crispy Morning Glory Salad. This salad of shrimp and fried morning glory is just plain glorious. Sorry, couldn’t resist. Basically tempura flowers and it’s really the tangy, slightly sweet sauce/dressing that really makes it. Very similar to many of the salads I had in Vietnam.

Adrian Fog Pinot Noir Alexander Valley. Wines that don’t put their vintage on the front don’t get reviews.

Red Snapper Salad. deep fried snapper filets topped with cucumber and tomatoes in a spicy lime sauce. Super fried and super tasty. One of the yummiest fries ever. We ate all the crispy stuff at the bottom of the plate.

2003 Turley Petite Syrah Rattlesnake Ridge. VM 89. Potent, biting, but very good. Definitely mellowed by the second day. What I would expect from a PS but maybe not one 13 years old!

agavin: our bottle was badly corked.

Jazz burger. A big beef patty covered in onions, peppers, and dressing. The flavors were fabulous.

Mango sticky rice with coconut ice cream. Awesome dessert, even though I was so full, I shoved three helpings down the gullet. This was as good a sticky rice as I’ve had. The rice is warm and the mango cool.

I love Jitlada, and it’s hands down the best Thai I’ve had in LA. The menu is enormous and full of goodies. Tonight’s meal redeemed the disaster we had last time (where we had way too many people and and some late comers that botched the whole progression).

Tonight we ordered very well. Every dish was very good, most great. We had a pretty nice progression. Sure, there are favorites we missed, and some types I would have liked more of (like a good green curry or something like the “sweet” lamb curry) but it was a great meal. Jazz hung out with us for a chunk of it and helped us order. The kitchen was really on point too with some dishes that have a little variability all coming down on the awesome side tonight.

Not super spicy either, only the jungle curry busting the 5 or 6 line (on the weighted Jitlada scale of blistering heat). Part of me would have liked some of the killer heat (like that amazing green curry) but this morning, writing this up with only very mild gut pain I’m thinking we made a sane choice.

All in all, if you like Thai food and live (or visit) in LA you must try Jitlada.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or for more crazy Hedonist meals.

T

Related posts:

  1. Jitlada – Fire in the Hole
  2. Jitlada Overkill
  3. Hedonists at Jitlada
  4. Renu Nakorn
  5. Hedonists Noodle over Hoy-Ka
By: agavin
Comments (2)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: , ,

Hanjip Korean BBQ

Sep07

Restaurant: Hanjip

Location: 3829 Main St, Culver City, CA 90232. (323) 720-8804

Date: August 31 & September 15 & 19, 2016

Cuisine: Korean BBQ

Rating: Fabulous value at lunch, good food

_

Culver City doesn’t have too many great ethnic joints, and we are a bit “far” from KTown here, but there is Hanjip, an upscale  KBBQ joint.

The cow says it all.

Hard looking seats and no grills at the otherwise nice outside patio.

Crazy black and white interior.

The menu.

The tables have gas grills.

And like all good Korean joints there are the banchan. Like this cabbage salad.

Chewy squid with black sesame were awesome. I ate two entire bowls (not kidding).

Pickled onions.

Kimchee of course.

And cauliflower.
Plus, the all important potato salad (which I liked a lot).

Macaroni salad.

Onion.

Kimchee fried riche with soft egg. Pretty awesome stuff.

Egg custard with uni and ikura.

Seafood pancake. Nice example of this type with lots of seafood inside.

And a Dolsot Bibimbap bowl which comes with the lunch special. This was my favorite. Nice soft egg and all those goodies. I tend to love this dish.

This was the beef brisket lunch special.

Cooking the brisket.

And cooked. Tasty enough, but not as yummy as with the rice.

Spicy miso for whatever you like.
And chilies.

In September Hanjip started an all you can eat lunch program that has an interesting format. There are 3 tiers ($18, $25, $30ish) with each tier having increasing meat types. They are all good deals, but the best meats are at the higher levels.

Tongue!

Spicy chicken. Not the most exciting.

Garlic chicken.

More brisket.

Cheese fondue. This is an optional item included in the AYCE. It’s pretty awesome to dip the meat in the gooey cheese!

Marinated pork shoulder. By far the best of the 1st tier meats. Tons of flavor.

Pork belly. Also a good one from the basic set. Like bacon!

Garlic pork belly. Even better! (2nd tier)

Garlic beef (2nd tier). Also really flavorful.

Short rib (2nd tier). Awesome and steaky.

IMG_5978

Bulgolgi (3rd tier). Really tasty.
 Spicy squid (2nd tier). Doesn’t cook as well as the meats.

Veggies (1st tier). Are what they are. Pretty good with the fondue.

I’ll have to come back to Hanjip for dinner (with some wine) and try a wider selection. But what I has was very good. And wow do you get a lot of food for $15-18! A great option for Culver City dwellers.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Homestyle Korean Double Dinner
  2. Ford’s Filling Station
  3. Holy Cow!
  4. Fogo de Chao – Beef!
  5. Sambar – Briefly Modern Indian
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: , , , ,

Wadatsumi – Where Dat Beef

Sep05

Restaurant: Wadatsumi

Location: 10914 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064. (310) 470-0014

Date: August 24, 2016

Cuisine: Japanese Wagyu

Rating: Tasty

_

After our crazy Yazawa dinner a couple weeks ago my friend Erick recommended I step “downscale” and try the wagyu at Wadatsumi.

Again, this is a small international “steakhouse” chain.
The frontage is on Pico just blocks away from meat palace Totoraku!

Beef in the house.

The open kitchen.

And the rather huge interior (this photo only shows part of it).

The menu.

Typical tasty Japanese salad.

Red miso soup.

Homemade tofu with wasabi and soy glaze. Super soft texture and mild creamy flavor.

Wagyu beef croquette. Pretty mild, with lots of potato.

A sushi lunch special.

Wagyu beef curry. Tasty enough and my favorite dish, but nowhere near as good as the Yazawa wagyu curry. Truth is I like a more straight up curry better.

Filet mignon special with mashed potatoes. Tasty beef nuggets.

Sauces for the beef. Soy, yuzu mustard, and yuzu juice.

Rice was on hand too.

Overall this was an okay lunch and I’ll have to return to try some other things, namely a dinner set. But I wasn’t that impressed by this format. I like regular Yakiniku better — or the crazy Yazawa type.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Manpuku – Not so Secret Beef
  2. Totoraku – Secret Beef!
  3. Totoraku – Hedonists Beef Up
  4. Madang 621- Beef++
  5. Fogo de Chao – Beef!
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: , , , ,

Westwood Chinese – Northern Cafe

Sep02

Restaurant: Northern Cafe

Location: 1064 Gayley Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90024. (310) 208-8830

Date: August 4 & 29, 2016

Cuisine: Northern Chinese

Rating: Small menu (for Chinese), but great to have on the Westside

_

My quest for decent Chinese food on the west side of town continues unabated.

Northern Cafe joins Qin as one of Westwood’s two most recent fairly authentic Chinese openings. Here they serve northwestern Chinese type food, sort of quick Beijing favorites.

It’s located right in the heart of Westwood, on Gayley, far from the SGV!

The interior is simple but pretty updated. The clientele was almost all Chinese.

The format is fast casual. You order and pay at the counter and then get a number. They bring the food to the table.

The menu.

Some cold appetizers. Cold beef and cilantro.

Pickled cucumber and chili.

Cold noodles w/ Shredded Chicken. Chicken white meat, sesame peanut sauce, cucumber, chili oil. A bit western-a-fied (chicken?) and pleasant, but pretty mild.

Dan Dan Noodles. Sesame peanut sauce, chili oil, cucumber, peanuts.

The dan dan in a bowl. Lots of sesame flavor, but almost no heat and no meat! This is a far cry from the rich, spicy, umami flavor of the real deal.

Zha Jiang Noodles. Kurubuta pork, black bean sauce, cucumber.

Mixed up. Ok, but not as much flavor as I would have liked.

Vegetable pie. Like a tortilla pie filled with garlic greens!

XLB. Juicy Pork Dumplings. These are good as always. A little thicker dough than Din Tai Fung (which I had the day before!). But the inside was very tasty.

Pork & Celery Dumplings. Classic steamed dumplings. The celery flavor came through loud and clear and I always like this kind of textured dumpling. Pretty good actually.

Lamb dumplings. Not the perfect incarnation of this kind of simple dumplings, but maybe an 8/10, very enjoyable. Strong lamby flavor too.

Pan fried shrimp and egg dumplings. Excellent too, hard to tell what is inside these puppies, but it’s good.

Spicy wontons. Nice. Again they just tasted pretty good. A medium heat.

Beef rolls. Tasty enough. Not amazing, but certainly a decent version and not too huge.

Kung Pao Chicken. A decent version. Not amazing, and a little fried, and not too hot, but a good amount of flavor.
IMG_5686
Orange Chicken. The American Chinese classic. More like sweet and sour spare ribs, the ultra-fried orange version. That being said, I like this homey dish and this was a very good version of the goopy sweet “type.”

House Special Cumin lamb. Onion, cilantro, cumin, chili oil. Not a bad version of this staple dish. Not super spicy but good lamb flavor.
IMG_5882
Mapo tofu. (10/1/16). This mapo had nice soft silky tofu and a thin looking sauce — but there was a decent amount of mala numbing flavor from the Szechuan peppercorns. No meat however, I much prefer it with some ground pork, but this wasn’t a wussy Americanized version either. Sort of a 6/10.

Shrimp fried rice. A passable version. You can’t really go to wrong with fried rice. This version was actually very lightly fried.

Overall, Northern Cafe has some pretty authentic stuff on the menu, it’s not American Chinese exactly — nor is it as good as so many places in the SGV. But it is close, quick, cheap and pretty tasty, so I will go by again soon enough.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Eating Hoi An – Brothers Cafe
  2. Hip Hot
  3. XLB – Soup Dumplings!
  4. Eating San Francisco – Zuni Cafe
  5. White Guys Can Cook Noodles
By: agavin
Comments (2)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: , , , , , ,

Chicken or Egg? – Tentenyu Ramen

Aug31

Restaurant: Tentenyu Ramen

Location: 2012 Sawtelle Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025.

Date: August 9 & 23, 2016

Cuisine: Japanese Ramen

Rating: Rich!

_

Sawtelle seems to know no bounds with regard to Ramen! Already there is Tsujita, Tatsu, Daikokuya, and Shin Sen Gumi.

And now there is Kyoto chain Tentenyu! They have a nice patio very close to Tsujita Sushi and Miso 2012.

Tentenyu specializes in super thick chicken ramen. They don’t have a big menu, but offer up the basic version in both thin noodle classic ramen format and Tsukemen (which is my favorite at Tsujita).

There are even instructions on how to eat your Tsukemen (like at Tsujita).

The interior.

The small but steaming kitchen. Notice those crazy pressure cookers to the left for the broth.

Here is the fully loaded (with pork slices) version of the Tsukemen. Note too that this isn’t the super dense pork version at Tsujita, but a (mostly) chicken Tsukemen.

But it’s plenty dense. In fact, somehow, it might even be richer than the Tsujita pork version. The broth, like the densest chicken soup you never even thought existed also felt like about 8 egg yolks had been cracked into this tiny bowl.

The noodles too were thick, with a nice bite, and very very eggy. Good thing the meat wasn’t too fatty because the overall combination was insanely heavy. It did taste great though. Different than the pork type, but really quite good.

The “straight up” noodles in the broth (smaller noodles) version. Same basic chicken broth, same meat. Pickled vegetables on top.

Extra green onions.
There weren’t a lot of condiment options — like none, but there was the usual red pickles I love. And ramen sauce.

Overall I’ve only had these two very similar dishes — but they were good — Just so rich. Not a very big menu either. So I’ll have to come back occasionally. Too much good ramen to try!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Ramen is all the Rage
  2. Jinya Ramen Bar
  3. Tatsu – Ramen with a Soul
  4. Far Eastern Ramen
  5. Tsujita LA – Artisan Noodles
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: , , ,

Hatchet Hall

Aug29

Restaurant: Hatchet Hall

Location: 12517 W Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90066. (310) 391-4222

Date: August 27, 2016

Cuisine: New American

Rating: Interesting flavors and presentation

_

Hatchet Hall takes over the “old” Waterloo & City space in Culver City.

The logo hangs over the street in cryptic glory.

The frontage isn’t so different.

But inside they have this whacky new game and “period” decor.

And a great patio.

The menu is organized into dishes by vague progression and features a lot of meat and vaguely North African and middle eastern flavors in a very Modern American presentation.

From my cellar: 2005 Simon Bize Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru La Garenne. BH 92. A deft touch of pain grillé highlights the airy, clean, pure and elegant white flower and green fruit aromas that serve as the apt introduction for the textured, concentrated and mouth coating flavors blessed with abundant dry extract levels and an intense stoniness on the wonderfully complex, vibrant, dry and penetrating finish. This is a very classy effort and recommended. (Drink starting 2010)

stone fruit. country ham (we left the ham out), farmer’s cheese, date vinegar, mint. A very nice combo of simple cheese, herbs, and fruit.

watermelon. cucumber, vinegar dressing, cilantro, mint, peanut. Quite a bit of chili kick! Nice crunchy texture.

chop steak. fried oysters, watercress, horseradish. Interesting combo of steak tartar and fried oysters!

cornbread. shishito, cheddar, good butter, honey. Some super buttery cornbread goodness!

chicken liver. onion jam, grilled bread, pickles, apple vinegar. Like Jewish liver toast! Pretty yummy too.

sea bream. bagna cauda, soft herbs, lemon.
lamb porterhouse. mint salsa verde, lemon. Have a bit of lamb! Nice tender medium rare meat. Not the cheapest slab of meat on the block.

Sweet peppers, muhammara, walnut, raisin, mint. That whole muhammara and mint thing is so Middle Eastern.

carrots. charmoula, labneh, honey, benne. Great texture and Moroccan flavors.

The dessert menu.
Icebox cake. Vietnamese coffee bavarian, caramelized milk jam, chocolate crunchies. Like a sort of more solid tiramisu.

Overall, Hatchet Hall had some really great flavors going on. The plating and presentation was fabulous, and the melding of North African/Middle Eastern flavors into the modern American was quite on point. Lots of flavor and interesting. Also fascinating how the Middle Eastern thing is downplayed in everything but the actual flavors. Vibe and build out are great too. Service was slow and a little weird. They got the job done, but the crew helping us out was a tad confused.

I’ll definitely return, as food is more important to me than service.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Book Review: Hex Hall
  2. Holy Cow!
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: , ,

Wine Guys at Capo

Aug26

Restaurant: Capo [1, 2, 3, 4]

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

Date: August 5, 2011

Cuisine: Italian with Cal influences

Rating: The food here is really very very good.

_

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


The intimate dining room.

They have very good bread at Capo, particularly the crispy things.


Capo always puts out this little humus-like spread. I suspect it’s fava beans. It’s addictive though.

We settle down to examine the MENU, which is big, and always a difficult decision because there is so much great stuff on it. They have an odd menu format, in which each item is identified by only it’s principle ingredient, forcing you to guess or ask how it’s actually prepared. Plus they have “fill in the blanks” on the menu which are filled in by a separate sheet of daily specials. No big deal, but it’s kind of bizare. Doesn’t matter though, as the food is great.

From my cellar: 2010 Borgo del Tiglio (Nicola Manferrari) Collio Friulano Ronco della Chiesa. VM 94. Borgo del Tiglio’s 2010 Ronco della Chiesa shows what this hillside site in Cormons can do in cooler vintages. Still bright, focused and intensely saline, the 2010 bursts from the glass with grapefruit, lime, mint and crushed rocks. The 2010 will probably be appreciated most by readers who like tense, vibrant whites. Next to some of the other vintages, the 2010 lacks a little mid-palate pliancy, but it is quite beautiful just the same. I especially like the way the 2010 opens up nicely in the glass over time.

An amuse of tomato covered bread with salami. Yum!

English split pea soup.

Burrata black truffle bruschetta. Besides the shaved vegetables and the bread underneath this is a big blob of burrata, fresh truffles, and a whole poached egg! It was pretty good, but decidedly rich. In some ways similar to my special eggs, in some ways like the famous Melisse truffle egg.

Woodfire grilled octopus. Nice octopus. I think Brera’s was better, but this was very good. Strong char flavor from the grill.

Sweet corn and white truffle ravioli. Can we say buttery awesome? Nice truffle/butter/corn flavor. Super soft pasta. What’s not to love? (perhaps the price)

Dungeness crab risotto. A very nice mildly crabby risotto. Good texture.

Grilled branzino. Cooked on the wood fire. Strong char flavors but the meat inside was very moist and flavorful.

From my cellar: 1997 Gaja Langhe Nebbiolo Conteisa. VM 92-94. Good full ruby. Deeply pitched aromas of plum, currant, espresso, bitter chocolate and mint. Very intensely flavored and firmly built; not as dense as the Sori Tildin or San Lorenzo but sweet, vibrant and sharply delineated. Quite penetrating and solidly structured. Finishes very long, with rich but firm tannins.

Spaghetti Carbonara. Egg, cheese, pork cheeks, peas. A very nice (and rich) pasta.
This is buccatini with lamb ragu, and it’s one of the best pastas I’ve ever had. I’ve come back a dozen times for it. I love a good ragu, and the buccatini (spagetti with a tiny hole in the middle) is perfect. The dish is rich and meaty, divine. I always order it.

Aspen NY steak, medium rare. I’m not a steak guy, but this was some fine beef, seared black on the outside and red/pink on the inside.

Bread pudding. With a creme brûlée caramelized top! Oh boy!

And this. This was to die for. Meyer lemon semifreddo, with a blueberry or blackberry sauce. Everything about this was spectacular, one of my all time favorite deserts. The cold-soft texture, the bright lemon flavor, and the tart sweetness of the berries. OMFG!

A nice plate of little petit fours, not so usual at American Italians, more french. In Italy sometimes you’ll get treated to little almond cookies and shots of grappa or sambuca.

So to conclude, Capo is hands down delicious. The food is VERY VERY GOOD, and the service is top notch. The intimate little atmosphere is great also. It’s just very expensive — definitely not a good value — perfect if someone else is paying :-).

Three other Capo meals HERE and HERE and HERE.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or for a legion of great eating in Italy itself, here.

Related posts:

  1. Capo Hits a Triple
  2. Capo Valentines
  3. Food as Art: Capo
  4. Upstairs 2 – Modern Tapas, Lots of Wine
  5. Wine in the Sky – 71Above
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: , ,

Eating Majorca – Flanigan

Aug24

Restaurant: Flanigan

Location:Puerto Portals, local 16, 07181 Calvià, Illes Balears, Spain

Date: June 28, 2016

Cuisine: International Seafood

Rating: Good

_

Puerto Portals is one of those “high end” marina developments that seem to populate certain areas of Europe.
I quote the “high end” because I’ve seen way swankier. This isn’t Super exclusive boutique territory.

Flanigan is a large restaurant with an international manu. Prices are high because of the location. But it was close to the hotel and had pretty decent reviews.

The menu.

Two kinds of olive tapenade.

The view is great.

A light but very pleasant rose. We actually tried this at the vineyard the previous week.

Fruit cocktail in a glass.

Hake bites. What’s not to like about fried fish?

Fish soup. This is the rich shellfish stock fish soup, but this one had so much seafood in it it was like a bouillabaisse in that regard.

Very rich, but really quite excellent!

Caprese.

Simple pasta.

Their “star dish”, Lobster “pelao” potatoes and eggs. Basically shelled lobster on top of scalloped potatoes with a fried egg in there. Pretty excellent actually.

Apple with vanilla ice cream. More of a very thin tart tartine actually.

The aforementioned vanilla.

And a scoop of chocolate.

Creme catalana.

Flanigan isn’t anything avant garde, and it is most definitely overpriced for Spain, but it turned out to be very good food — and huge portions too. All in all a very nice meal.

Click here to see more Eating Spain posts.

Related posts:

  1. Eating Majorca – Casa Michaela
  2. Eating Majorca – Forn De Sant Joan
  3. Eating Majorca – BonSol
  4. Eating San Sebastian – Abakando
  5. Eating San Sebastian – Baztán
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: , , , , ,

Eating Majorca – Casa Michaela

Aug22

Restaurant: Casa Michaela

Location: Carrer d’Anníbal, 15, 07013 Palma, Illes Balears, Spain

Date: June 27, 2016

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Mixed (A taste of Brentwood in Palma)

_

We ended up at Casa Michaela by fairly random means — using the TripAdvisor app to find an Italian restaurant that was open, well rated, available, and nearby.

The decor is pleasant and contemporary. Despite being very well rated, there was no one else eating.

These cornbread-like breads were nice.

And the little taste of gazpacho.

Then basil bread.

Ensalada de rucola y pistachos con pera y parmesano. Salad with pears, parmesan, etc.

Langostinos en crusta de sésamo con mayonesa de wasabi. This was an interesting one. It looked like a salad, but the shrimp felt more like fried — even if they were only coated in sesame. And there was a good kick to the wasabi.

Simple pasta for my son.

Pasta alla Norma “berenjenas ricotta ahumada y tomates secos”.

Risotto with lobster and pistachios. A very good risotto, particularly as I like white seafood risotto, and the pistachios added a nice crunch.

Potatoes and asparagus.

Fresh sea bass filleted table-side.
Simple white wine sauce. The usual kind of nice filet.

Overall, Casa Michaela was a bit more mixed. My dishes were pretty good, particularly the lobster risotto. Some of the others in my party weren’t as thrilled. The menu is pretty similar to many contemporary LA Italian restaurants. Majorca is a weird place (for being in Spain) as it’s so British. There are a lot of Italian restaurants. I guess the British like Italian. Why wouldn’t they? Italian is a great, but Spanish food is also fabulous — and Majorca is supposed to be Spain.

Click here to see more Eating Spain posts.

Related posts:

  1. Eating Majorca – BonSol
  2. Eating Majorca – Forn De Sant Joan
  3. Eating San Sebastian – Fuego Negro
  4. Eating San Sebastian – Borda Berri
  5. Eating San Sebastian – Abakando
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: , , , ,

Eating Majorca – Forn De Sant Joan

Aug19

Restaurant: Forn De Sant Joan

Location: Calle Sant Joan, 4, 07012 Palma, Illes Balears, Spain

Date: June 26, 2016

Cuisine: Spanish Tapas

Rating: Tasty kitchen

_

Forn De Sant Joan represents our first foray into Palma.

The location is on a pedestrian street not far from the water and the big Cathedral.

The interior is an attractive modern with traditional materials.

The menu. Unfortunately there were only 3 real eaters, and 2 were vegetarians, so I didn’t get to photo a lot of dishes.

These toasts came with a kind of olive butter.

Albarino again, always a great food wine.

Toasted crispy bread with tomato and olive oil.

Cold tomato and cherry gazpacho with cheese ice cream and confited cherries. A really lovely non-tomato gazpacho. Sort of like a vinegary tomato borsch.

Oyster, galangai emulsion, avocado and prawn powder. A slightly weird mix with the oyster.

Mini cornet filled with ceviche of sea bass and langoustines and coconut foam. This was really tasty with a mix of flavors and textures.
Battered langoustines with parmesan cream. The fry itself was pretty light, and what not to like about parmesan cream sauce?
Grilled Sea Bass, sautéed spinach with garlic and creamy parmesan sauce.

Beef cannelloni with parmesan-truffle sauce and shimeji. Rich, creamy, and delicious.

Vanilla and chocolate ice cream.

Overall, we didn’t really get to test out enough of the cuisine at Forn De Sant Joan, but they have a good kitchen doing innovative (for Majorca) dishes. Moving in the direction of San Sebastian at least.

Click here to see more Eating Spain posts.

Related posts:

  1. Eating Majorca – BonSol
  2. Eating San Sebastian – Borda Berri
  3. Joan’s on Third for Breakfast
  4. Eating Barcelona – Paco Meralgo
  5. Eating Barcelona – Ca l’Isidre
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: , , ,

The Evolution of the Platform Game

Aug18

I made this little video for a presentation and it was kinda cute, so I figured I’d post it here. I tried to chronicle both the changing graphics and the consistencies in gameplay across the sweep of 35+ years.

Most of my lifetime and platform game protagonists are still swinging from ropes — not that that’s such a bad thing!

Related posts:

  1. Game Shop Crash
  2. The Last of Us – E3 Gameplay Coverage
  3. More Game of Thrones CGI
  4. Game of Thrones – Iceland
  5. Game of Thrones – Renly’s Armor
By: agavin
Comments (13)
Posted in: Games
Tagged as: , ,

Sambar – Briefly Modern Indian

Aug17

Restaurant: Sambar

Location: 9531 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232. 310-558-8800

Date: July 19, 2016

Cuisine: Modern Indian

Rating: Tasty, adapted, and slightly toned down

_

The site of the former Ford’s Filling Station in Culver city is a redefined Indian place called Sambar that’s been open for about a year.
They have a nice mix of inside and outside dining.

A cool looking full bar.

And a big bright space.

This is the lunch menu.

Some sāmbār snack mix. puffed rice, sev, cashews, peanuts, raisins, sunflower seeds, curry leaves, teff crisps, taro root, toasted dal.

Ice tea.

sevpuri chaat (gf cracker). avocado, mango, red onion, pomegranate-mint chutney, tamarind chutney, sev (crispy chickpea noodles). This version of the classic Indian street food with bright and full of flavor, but also felt a bit “California” with the guacamole-like avocado.

The fisherman: fish curry bowl. Trout, coconut broth, cherry tomatoes, curry leaves. Fairly mild in flavor, and very much a southern Indian dish with that coconut and curry leaf flavor.

Masala roasted chicken kati roll. Yogurt marinated chicken & pomegranate-mint chutney. Crunchy fried something. The roll itself was like a lightly Indian chicken wrap. Tasty, but not with the awesome strong curry flavors of an Akbar kati roll.
Pork shoulder vindaloo kati roll. South Indian spices. Hot sauce and mango chutney. Salad. Tasty too, but fairly dry meat, not a curry or anything inside.

This was just a small lunch sampling, and I didn’t have any real curry (which seems to be on the dinner menu). Sambar offered up some definite Indian flavors, but in a much more California form factor, and without the heavy curry vehicle. But while I appreciate that they want to make it more approachable to westerners, I love curry and intense flavors. So jury is still out. I’ll have to try again at dinner and report back.

But alas, I have learned that as of August 27, 2016, the owners are shutting down Sambar and rebooting it as an Italian restaurant — it being too “niche” (i.e. ethnic) for the neighborhood. I’m glad I got to try it. And good thing for them the decor is pretty flexible!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Indian by the Beach
  2. Akbar – Curry not so Hurry
  3. Saint Martha Modern
  4. Upstairs 2 – Modern Tapas, Lots of Wine
  5. Inotheke – Modern Greek
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: , ,

Kali-fornia Dreaming

Aug15

Restaurant: Kali [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

Location: 5722 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038. (323) 871-4160

Date: August 1, 2016

Cuisine: New American French

Rating: Better every time!

_

I’ve known Kevin Meehan for years as a private and popup chef and have had the pleasure to enjoy many a fine meal he’s put together. But this year he transitioned into the more stationary, and possibly more hectic restaurant world by opening up his own Melrose Ave restaurant! This is our second Foodie Club visit.

With the opening of Kali Restaurant, Chef Kevin Meehan’s broad 23-year culinary career reaches its apex. At Kali, Meehan, whose deft hand was cultivated in Los Angeles’ most prestigious kitchens, joins forces with long-time friend and professional colleague, Drew Langley, previously the wine director at the iconic, Michelin-starred Providence.
For the 39-year-old Meehan, Kali represents the evolution of not just Kali Dining, his roving private dinner pop-up, but the rigorous years he spent refining his craft. The contemporary California restaurant blends the precision and hospitality of the white tablecloth kitchens where Meehan developed his culinary acumen, with the accessibility and ease of a local’s favorite neighborhood haunt.
Born and raised in Long Island, New York, Meehan’s initial foray in the industry was at a fried chicken joint when he was a teenager. While most would be turned off by working the fryer, Meehan was feeding an innate attraction to food, and, in the process, unearthing what would become a life-long love affair with the restaurant world. After graduating high school, Meehan enrolled in the esteemed Culinary Arts program at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island, an education that he would test and sharpen on-the-line during an apprenticeship at the Michelin-starred L’alban Chambon under French Master Chef Dominique Michou, and, later, alongside Los Angeles’ finest chefs.
In 2000, Meehan drove cross country to assume a post at the celebrated L’Orangerie, then helmed by Chef Ludo Lefebvre. It was there that Meehan met Langley, who he would subsequently work with at the now late Bastide, where Meehan served as Chef de Cuisine, and, later, at Citrine. After Citrine’s closure in 2005, Meehan joined Patina Restaurant Group as Chef de Cuisine at Joachim Spichal’s seminal Patina restaurant in Downtown. During his three-year tenure, the restaurant received a Michelin Star for its fresh interpretation of French cuisine informed by seasonality, and Meehan was consequently promoted to Executive Chef of Café Pinot.
In 2012, Meehan parted ways with the prolific restaurant group to launch his passion project, Kali Dining. The underground operation quickly garnered critical attention for Meehan’s assertive, yet nuanced tasting menus that he prepared, dinner party-style, for Los Angeles top tastemakers, luminaries, and food enthusiasts. Kali the restaurant was birthed from the success of Kali Dining, and the passion that Meehan and co-owner Langley share for pushing the boundaries of the typical fine dining experience.

For Kali, Kevin partnered with Drew Langley.
While most known for his esteemed tenure as the Wine Director at the Michelin-starred Providence in Los Angeles, Drew Langley brings an extensive resume of experience to Kali Restaurant, a passion project born out of his 15-year friendship with Chef Kevin Meehan.
As Co-owner and Wine Director of the contemporary California restaurant near Hollywood’s iconic Paramount Pictures Studios, the 39-year-old’s near life-long matriculation in the food & beverage industry is fully realized. Kali blends the haute cuisine and hospitality of a fine dining destination with the accessibility of an everyday neighborhood haunt, and Langley’s concise, intelligent wine program is a reflection of the core philosophy that defines the restaurant.
Born and raised in a small town in south Maryland, Langley’s initial introduction to the industry was as a dishwasher at a local pizzeria at the age of 13. While his contemporaries found inspiration in the classroom, Langley was drawn to the rhythm and intensity of the restaurant world, acquiring a vast understanding of its inner workings through odd jobs that ran the gamut from line cook at regional chain Perkin’s to corporate trainer for Applebee’s openings to bar back at Solomon’s Pier, a seafood restaurant and nightclub.
In 1997, the then 20-year-old Langley leapt at an opportunity to relocate to Los Angeles, and stumbled into a position at Greenblatt’s, a beloved deli and wine shop in West Hollywood, that would ultimately pave the way for his future career. Langley furthered his three-year wine education at Greenblatt’s with a position at Dennis Overstreet’s Beverly Hills Wine Merchant, before joining the now-closed L’Orangerie in Beverly Hills as Sommelier in 2000. It was there that Langley crossed paths with Meehan, who he would subsequently work alongside at the late Bastide and Citrine.
After opening Bastide in 2002 as Commis Sommelier, and enjoying a stint as Wine Director at Citrine in 2003, Langley switched gears to lend support to entrepreneur and wine collector Jeff Smith for the launch of Carte Du Vin. His time at the local wine cellar management firm birthed and deepened relationships with prominent private collectors, relationships that inform his wine program at Kali today. In 2005, Langley joined the opening team at Providence, serving as Wine Director for Michael Cimarusti’s nationally-acclaimed seafood destination through 2015 when he left to prepare for Kali’s debut in early 2016.
An avid music enthusiast, when Langley is not refining his wine list with new finds or overseeing the day-to-day operations at Kali, the Koreatown resident can be found indulging in the local drum-and-bass culture.

This was a Foodie Club dinner, with just 6 of my regular dining intimates — and of course great wine.

1996 Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut. VM 97. The vibrancy and drive of the vintage came through in spades in the 1996 Salon, which was flat-out stunning. The 1996 remains a youngster, but is immensely beautiful, even at this stage. Several recent bottles have been just as stunning.

Marinated mussels with some kind of foam. Very nice.

The fancy Dom P Oenotheque box.

1996 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon Oenothèque. VM 97. The 1996 Dom Pérignon Oenothèque has really turned a corner over the last six months or so. When it was originally introduced the 1996 was hard as nails, today it is an exquisite Champagne that captures the essential brightness and energy of the year. Lemon, slate, oyster shells and white flowers stain the palate in an intense, beautifully sculpted Champagne of the highest level.

Polenta cube with uni.

1996 Bouchard Père et Fils Corton-Charlemagne. VM 93+. Lime, smoked meat and spicy, vanillin oak aromas. Dense but bright and juicy; sharply focused, intense flavors of lemon, lime, spiced apple and mineral dust. Penetrating acidity gives this a sinewy quality today. Finishes with a flavor and texture of pulverized stones. This grew richer and richer in the glass, showing strong soil character and powerful structure.

From my cellar: 2000 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux. BH 92. Wonderfully intense, green, slightly austere Chablis fruit aromas lead to richly detailed, mouth coating and sappy flavors of extraordinary pungency and while this doesn’t quite have the size of the ’00 Valmur, it has all of the intensity and length. In short, this is a first rate effort with plenty of classic Chablis character.

Yellowtail, radish, tomato, lemon, herbs, marinated melon cucumber pickle. A fascinating blend of textures and flavors. Very very summery, with that watermelon, herb, ceviche thing going on.

Burrata, blackberries, tomatoes, pistachios, flowers. Brilliant and extremely unusual “caprese” execution with a blend of sweet, tangy, and creamy. Great texture too with the soft burrata and the pistachios.

Rosemary bread and butter.

1991 Faiveley Clos Vougeot. 90 points.

1996 Louis Jadot Clos Vougeot. VM 92+. Deep, bright red-ruby. Complex, wild aromas of raw crushed blueberry, violet, raw meat and iron. Intense, primal flavors of crunchy berries and powdered stone. Integrated acidity gives the fruit an urgent quality. Quite powerfully structured for aging. Very long and bright on the back end, with tannins nicely supported by extract.

Black barely risotto. Black garlic, toasted cheese. A very nice whole grain with a creamy garlic herb vibe.

1993 Louis Jadot Bonnes Mares. VM 92+. Good deep youthful red. Quintessential briary Bonnes-Mares aromas of raspberry, roasted currant, mocha and menthol. Penetrating flavors of black cherry, flowers and mint; insinuating, ripe acids give the wine terrific verve and lift. Finishes long, vibrant and youthful, with firm but round tannins. Quite rich but not as concentrated or long as the ’96. “The crop size was down due to mildew. The aromas remind me of red Burgundies from 1953.

1993 Mongeard-Mugneret Grands-Echezeaux. 93 points. Great bourgogne. Classic in every respect and drinking very nicely now. Still potential for more positive evolution.

Black cod. Peas, mint, almond, white chocolate. Really a fabulous soft fish dish with crisp lovely summer peas.

Ron brought: 1999 Chateau Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage A Jacques Perrin. Parker 96. Similar to the 2004 and made from a blend of 60% Mourvedre, 20% Grenache, 10% Syrah, and 10% Counoise, the 1999 Châteauneuf du Pape Hommage À Jacques Perrin is a perfumed, gorgeously rich effort that excels on its elegance, complexity and length. From a cooler year and possessing bright acidity, full-bodied richness and building tannin, it offers up a smorgasbord of cured meats, licorice, dried flowers, spice and sweet berry fruit. Drinking nicely now, it should continue to evolve gracefully for another two decades.

Flannery beef hanger steak with “corn porn.” Leek char. Although a tiny bit overcooked this was some delicious beef and taken to the next level by the corn.

1997 Dalla Valle Maya Proprietary Red Wine. Parker 99. Close to perfection, the saturated blue/black-colored 1997 Maya exhibits complex aromatics of creme de cassis, smoke, spice box, iron, and espresso. The wine has a viscous texture, huge, concentrated, ripe fruit, remarkable body, and a seamless, multi-layered finish. The tannin, acidity, and alcohol are all beautifully integrated.
1998 Bryant Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. Parker 94-96. The 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon Pritchard Hill is a fine wine. While it does not reveal much weight, it is a dense plum/purple-colored, big, thick, concentrated effort. Evolved aromas of smoke, cedar, tapenade, blackberries, creme de cassis, and creosote are followed by a lush, full-bodied, voluptuously-textured 1998 exhibiting superb intensity as well as low acid, sweet, pure flavors. This is a dazzling example of extremely ripe Cabernet Sauvignon made under less than ideal conditions. It will drink well upon its release, and over the following two decades.

Kevin shows off the duck!

Duck breast, fruit, giant gnocchi. A really stand out juicy chunk of duck which really went well with the soft fruit.

1995 Clos des Papes Chateauneuf du Pape. Parker 93. From a hot year – with rain at harvest – that benefited later-picking estates, the 1995 Chateauneuf du Pape is still impressively young and vibrant, with a solid kick of tannin. Possessing a masculine edge to its licorice, smoked meats, peppery herbs and both red and black fruits, it’s medium to full-bodied, concentrated and a little edgy on the palate, with plenty of similarities to the 2005. It certainly has another decade of longevity, but the tannin will be something to watch. I’ve had more ready to go bottles from my cellar and certainly see no reason to hold off here.

Lamb with cranberry beans and tomato. Great jus here. Also the beans were marinated for days in tomato soup!

Toasted Meringue Gelato. grated candied yolk. This tasted like sweet cream with a dusting of salty eggy goodness. It was mild, creamy, and absolutely stunning. I ate two.

Bittersweet chocolate and orange truffles.

Overall, not only was this a great meal with great friend (and wine), but Kevin’s food was really bang up fabulous. He’s always been a very talented chef but it seems to me, and I noted how in my previous visit that he’s really polished the cooking. This trend has continued, because in a few short months things have gone from great to… well greater. I don’t know anyone else in LA that’s doing this kind of ingredient focused cooking and yet nailing it with such bright pure flavors. The dishes have this balanced tension that is very sophisticated and some of them are pretty stand out amazing like the yellowtail, burrata, cod, steak, duck, and gelato — and noticed how I named a LOT of dishes because the percentage of knock outs is very high!

Service was great. We felt like family.

Really great stuff. Bravo Kevin and Drew!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Kali on Melrose
  2. Kali Cabernet
  3. Big Bottle Madness at Kali Dining
  4. California Dreaming
  5. Uni All the Way Down
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: , , , ,

Eating Majorca – BonSol

Aug12

Restaurant: Hotel Bon Sol Resort & Spa

Location: Paseo de Illetas, 30, 07181 Illetas, Balearic Islands, Spain

Date: June 25, 2016

Cuisine: Spanish?

Rating: Straight Outta 1975

_

When picking hotels by internet review I’m often tortured by the fact that most reviewers don’t share my taste. In addition, nearly every hotel, no matter how good, has its shares of negative reviews. Along these lines, Majorca turned out to be particularly problematic as I wanted a place near Palma with a beach — and the larger hotels were plagued by reviews lambasting customer service.

Not so with the Hotel BonSol, which has some really lovely on presence owners and a very loyal clientele. So loyal, I suspect many have been coming for decades and decades…

And they are British. And they eat in. There is some ridiculously cheap rate for full/half board at the hotel restaurant and it’s pretty much mobbed with the shall we say… senior… patrons. This is one of the strangest restaurants I’ve been too in years because it’s crowded, extremely “formal” (for a beach resort), with white tablecloths etc., yet sort of wham bang thank you ma’am.

The normal menu is one of those chose from the categories prix fix that used to be very common at European hotels in the 1970s and 1980s.

There is even this “fancier” version. And it doesn’t even cost more. The whole meal is always the same price (or included for most of the hotel guests). Notice the “gourmet” menu is in “French” (we are in Spain).

Frankly, looking at these menus, at the clientele, and at the food on the table I was terrified — sure I was in for an almost airplane level of food misery.

Even the Albarino was a bit different. Sweet. Still acidic, but with quite a bit more residual sugar than I was used to.

Brits on vacay!

Gazpacho Andaluz (cold vegetable soup). Things didn’t start off well. This was the most boring Gazpacho I had on the trip. It wasn’t miserable, but it wasn’t great either.

Fries.

Rice cubana (fried egg and banana). Huh? What’s this doing on the menu. Kinda odd.

Coquilles St Jacques en corbeille brick au whisky (scallops in brick pastry with whisky sauce). Looks a little fancier. Actually tasted pretty decent. Not amazing or anything, but surprising.

Pizza.

Filet of Hake a la Mallorquina. Hake in some sauce.

Carre d’agneau en croute d’olives sur gratin de pomes de terre et petits legumes (carre of lamb with olive crust. potato gratin and vegetables). Interesting. I haven’t had something exactly like this before, and it isn’t much of a looker, but it actually tasted pretty good. The sauce was very sweet, but I kinda liked it.

Stracciatella ice cream. Definitely from a very frozen tub.
Chocolate cake.
Flan and hazelnut ice cream. A tolerable middle grade flan is still pretty good.

I was actually surprised that the food here actually tasted pretty good. It’s kinda weird, and there are so many English targeted menu items that don’t even belong in Spain – plus the whole 30+ year-old vibe and the fact that the kitchen CHURNS it out (the place is huge). Still, it was kinda decent taste wise if not much to look at.

I just wonder if it was actually “fancy” by the standards of the day in the 70s or 80s, and it’s just remained as a sort of odd throwback with an increasingly budget focused approach appealing to an increasingly aged population — or was it just always exactly like this?

Click here to see more Eating Spain posts.

Related posts:

  1. Eating San Sebastian – Abakando
  2. Eating Modena – Real Fini Breakfast
  3. Eating San Sebastian – Baztán
  4. Eating San Sebastian – Atari
  5. Eating Senigallia – Taverna Porto
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: , , , ,

Wine in the Sky – 71Above

Aug09

Restaurant: 71Above [1, 2, 3]

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

Date: August 8, 2016

Cuisine: New American

Rating: Awesome in all ways

_

It is with no small bit of anticipation that I went for the first time to one of LA’s latest and hottest event restaurants, 71Above.

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 surprisingly small open kitchen is a bustling hive of activity. You can see Chef Abgaryan to the left supervising.

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

House roasted and spiced bar nuts.

Savory Canelé. Looks just like the not so savory kind, and has the same wonderful texture, but instead offered an evocative warm taste of rosemary and maybe cheese.

Brian and Jennifer brought: 2007 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru La Perrière. 91 points. Nice open white burg.

Strawberry Gazpacho. Strawberry Ice, Pickled Green Strawberries, Black Pepper, Shiso. Really lovely blend of tangy and sweet with a gorgeous strawberry finish.

Fig. Purslane, Red Onion, Goat Feta, Honey Vinegar, Lemon, Sumac Crisp.

From my cellar: 2008 Henri Boillot Meursault 1er Cru Charmes. VM 91-94. Musky, highly complex aromas of lemon, lime and hazelnut. Sweet on entry, then impressively tensile in the middle palate, offering superb intensity to its citrus, spice and mineral flavors. This tactile, penetrating wine builds impressively toward the back end and finishes with outstanding lift and persistence. Rigorous, almost painful, wine, but wonderfully rich for chardonnay with barely 13% alcohol. These vines are in the upper portion of Charmes, next to the top of Puligny-Montrachet Combettes.

agavin: nice and round and enjoyable right now

Amanda brought: 2013 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Chevalier-Montrachet. BH 92-94. There is enough wood to remark upon to the spicy nose of citrus peel, acacia blossom and plenty of wet stone nuances. The rich, powerful, vibrant, fresh and beautifully detailed middle weight plus flavors brim with an intense minerality on the firm and hugely long and saline-inflected finish that is almost painfully intense. This is clearly built to age and will need at least 5 years to harmonize and will reward at least 10.

agavin: awesome!

Ron brought: 2012 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Corton-Charlemagne. VM 93+. Ineffable perfume to the aromas of lemon, lime, lavender and crushed stone. Juicy, tangy and youthfully tight, with a distinctly dusty, extract-rich texture to the flavors of citrus peel, flowers, fleur de sel and minerals. A classic Corton-Charlemagne from vines harvested late (Colin has two sources, one in Aloxe and the other in Pernand; the two vignerons harvested on the same day and Colin carried out a single vinification). The crop level was normal as there was no hail here.

agavin: another awesome wine. Super reductive, but after 2 hours amazing.

Hamachi. Crudo, Asian Pear, Cucumber, White Soy, Cherry Blossom, Sesame.

With a tangy green sauce. Not only is this dish gorgeous, but it had a really bright quality and a great interplay of textures. Isn’t it interesting to note how the humble radish has become such a staple part of recent dishes? Mostly I assume because of it’s striking color contrast and crunchy texture.

Chevy brought: 2007 Marcassin Chardonnay Three Sisters Vineyard. 94 points. Delicious and elegant chard with tasty fruit, mineral notes, and oak on a silky palate and long finish.

agavin: too “cal chard” for my taste, not enough acid.

Larry brought: 2010 Sine Qua Non The Monkey. VM 91. Bright gold. Deeply pitched aromas of pit fruit nectar, orange marmalade and coconut, with a smoky topnote. Lush and expansive, offering palate-staining peach, melon and honey flavors and a late jolt of spiciness that adds lift. Shows a wild blend of richness and energy that will allow it to work with a wide range of foods. A weighty yet lively white blend with impressive finishing energy and refreshing bitterness.

Tomato Tart. Heirloom Tomato, Burrata, 25-Year Balsamic, Basil, Parmesan. Chef Abgaryan really likes to play with texture and tangy/sweet combinations. The play here between the peeled tomatoes, marinated and acidic, and the sweet buttery crunchy pastry and the soft burrata and chewy parm — awesome!

Summer Squash. Basil, Garlic, Pine Nuts, Pumpernickel, Sumac, Grana.

Agnolotti. Corn, Black Truffle, Lime, Sheep’s Milk Ricotta, Parmesan. Wow!

From my cellar: 1978 Camille Giroud Pommard 1er Cru. 93 points. Vibrant cherry, with truffle, tobacco and chocolate. Very expressive in all regards. It came across as, possibly, a Barolo at first due to the strong cherry and earthy charateristics. Sustained power balanced by elegance and smooth tannins with a very long finish. In the end, undenyably Brugandy.

agavin: Ex-chateau. Definitely reconditioned because it was way too young.

Brian and Jennifer brought: 1996 Camus Pere & Fils Charmes-Chambertin. 90 points. Lot’s of animal notes – some smoked game or bacon. Long and complex in the mouth.

From my cellar: 1998 Domaine Joseph Roty Charmes-Chambertin Très Vieilles Vignes. VM 95+. Saturated ruby. Knockout nose combines dark berries, violets, spices and smoked meat. A ’98 of remarkable sweetness and depth. Huge but broad tannins are completely buffered by the wine’s sheer concentration. Resounding, utterly fresh finish. This comes across as more accessible today than the Mazis or Griottes due to its sheer volume and sweetness, but it should age well for two decades.

agavin: roar! A kind of sauvages stewy bestial quality.

Brian and Jennifer brought: 2005 Faiveley Clos Vougeot. BH 92-95. This too is very deftly oaked with an earthy and very ripe mix of briar, dark berry fruit and pungent underbrush aromas leading to muscled, energetic and sappy flavors where the mid-palate fat almost completely buffers the firm though not aggressive tannins that add a chewy texture to the gorgeously long finish. There is a really attractive underlying tension here but like most of these grands crus, this is a wine for the patient that will last for decades.

Steak Tartar. Farm Yolk, Mustard, Truffle, Chives, Pommes Maxim. Very eggy and fabulous with that truffle mustard.

Particularly on this grilled bread.

Chevy brought: 1975 Château Montrose. JK 92. opens with aromas of cherries and red berry fruit, with a pretty floral quality too. plum and herbal qualities on the palate with a nice herbal undertone.

Amanda brought: 1990 Château Léoville Las Cases. JK 96+. Deep, dense ruby. Lovely nose, dense with blackcurrant, a little graphite and the faintest hint of cigar box. Rich and plush on the palate, fine grained and pretty much fully resolved tannins, densely velvety.

Ron brought: 1985 Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial. 94 points. Clear medium blood-ruby-brick red. Lovely complex mature bouquet of red currant paste, cranberries, rose petals, cedar, orange peel, black tea, old leather and stony red soil. Oh so smooth and mellow on the palate, with balanced acidity and fully resolved tannins. Not big or bold enough for some people, but I could cozy up with this all night.

agavin: striking Tempranillo strength and tannins without the barnyard funk.

Larry brought: 2007 Domaine Grand Veneur Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes. RR 96+. Bright purple. Exotically perfumed bouquet of ripe raspberry, boysenberry and cherry, with complicating notes of cola, sassafras and star anise. Deep, juicy dark fruit flavors provide impressive palate coverage and are braced by zesty minerality. The dark berry and cola notes resonate on the long, focused finish. This is already appealing but seems built to age.

Line-Caught Halibut. Shelling Beans, Wax Beans, Tomatillo, Plum, Verjus.

Suckling pig. Loin, Belly, Confit Pressé, Young Lettuces, Cherry, Mustard. An awesome trio of pig. The rich pork belly, the succulent loin, moist and with delicious herbal notes, and the confit fritter. Wow! A bit of chorizo juice on top too.

Larry brought: 1978 Château Rieussec. 92 points.With more than enough acid to make Timothy Leary happy, the fruit is really fading. If you have bottle, pop it!

Foie Gras. Terrine, Beets, Pistachio, Tonka Bean, Rustic Bread. Awesome. Like super duck butter on toast. The beets were tangy with pickling.

Chocolate dessert.

Pineapple gelee.

And an Armenian shot of caviar to finish, slurped off the hand!

Emil told us this was the most glasses on a table yet (in just 3 weeks)!

The wine enjoys the view. #WineInTheSky

Emil Eyvazoff on the left and Chef Vartan Abgaryan on the right.

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.

But an interesting menu wouldn’t be anything without great execution. As you can see above 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.

More Foodie Club outings here.

Related posts:

  1. SOS – Wine Rescue
  2. Elite Wine Night
  3. Oceans of Wine
  4. Fraiche – Ultimo Wine Dinner
  5. Wine on the Beach
By: agavin
Comments (8)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: , , , ,

Weird Sausages by the Sea

Aug08

I was lucky enough to be invited again to a absolutely fabulous wine dinner hosted by my friend Eric Cotsen at his lovely Malibu pad. The group was mostly Hedonists, with a few other pals of Eric’s mixed in. Eric has these diners regularly and they feature an awesome setting, great company, wonderful food, and amazing wines provided by both him and the guests.

You can see the ocean is right there! Like under the house.

The bright and eclectic decor is so Malibu!

And the wines that everyone brought are hidden in socks and served in a giant blind free-for-all, but we start off with some whites.

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

From my cellar: 2006 Bouchard Père et Fils Corton-Charlemagne. VM 96+. A reserved, indeed even reluctant nose of fresh and stony green fruit and citrus aromas that offer real depth leads to precise, minerally and exceptionally powerful full-bodied flavors that possess huge amounts of dry extract on the hugely long finish. This is still sorting itself out but the quality of the raw materials is impeccable and it possesses impressive potential, which will require at least a decade to realize. One of the finest examples from this appellation in the 2006 vintage.

2014 Aubert Chardonnay Eastside Vineyard. 95 points. Nose of butterscotch, beeswax, glycerin, pear, minerals and a touch of honey, very aromatic, flowery nose, of rose and salvia, more of the same on the palate, still very young and slightly subdued, very tasty during the 90 minute dinner, big body, mouth filling, intense fruit, long, flavorful finish of pineapple, salvia, and sage. Better in 2 years.

agavin: lots of malo, but some acid too.

2012 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis 1er Cru La Forest. VM 94. Soil-driven aromas of apple, biscuit, chlorophyll, fern, anise and flowers. Quite rich, sappy and concentrated, conveying a strong impression of dry extract and stony minerality. Powerful, very solidly built premier cru with a very long finish tinged by licorice. I would not be surprised if this wine needs a good seven or eight years of cellaring to approach its peak.

Various cheeses.

And marcona almonds.

Eric brought out a set of his own reds to be tasted first (blind). They all shared a common “2007” theme, not that we knew that until later.

2007 Clos des Papes Chateauneuf du Pape. Parker 99-100. One of the top wines in this incredible vintage is Avril’s 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape, which is the normal blend of 65% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah and the rest of mix of permitted varieties. Brought up all in older foudre, it’s a blockbuster, almost over-the-top, effort that gives up notes of kirsch, incense, dried flowers, spice and pepper. Deep, full-bodied, massively concentrated, unctuous and downright sexy, it needs another 2-3 years of cellaring and will have 30 years or more of overall longevity.

2007 Dominus Proprietary Red Wine. Parker 98. The 2008 Dominus may eclipse the 2007, but it may just be a matter of style. The 2007 Dominus, the quintessential model of haute couture, is pure elegance exhibiting a seamless integration of wood, tannin, alcohol and acidity as well as a complex bouquet of cedar, new saddle leather, sweet kirsch, black currant and plum fruit and a notion of licorice. Both the 2007 and 2008 Dominus should drink well for 25-30 years. 
2007 Harlan Estate The Maiden. Parker 93. As outstanding as the 2008 is, it is eclipsed by the brilliant 2007 The Maiden, perhaps the finest second wine yet made here. Sweet tobacco leaf, fruitcake, creme de cassis, black currant and licorice aromas emerge from this round, opulent, voluptuously textured wine. It is very much in keeping with the 2007 vintage. Enjoy it over the next 10-15 years.

agavin: ours was corked 🙁

2007 Joseph Phelps Insignia Proprietary Red Wine. Parker 99. Aged 24 months in new French oak, this infant 2007 exhibits an inky/purple color along with notes of graphite, spring flowers and smoky oak. This full-bodied, classic Insignia reveals fabulous depth, ripeness, texture, viscosity and richness. Still young and unformed, it should evolve for 25 or more years.

Tonight had a “game” theme, so we had a whole slew of sausages from whacky animals. This first one is Alpaca Hot Italian!

Then goat garlic basil.

And camel French apple — near universal favorite. Never had camel before!

Ostrich!

Alligator bayou. A little mushy and weird.

Rattle snake with rabbit and Jalepeno. I’m sure there was more rabbit than rattlesnake.

Yak bratwurst. My second favorite after the camel.

Kangaroo bratwurst. Not bad.

Camel chipotle cheddar. Not nearly as good as the first camel.

Ostrich egg scrambled in the egg. That’s just one egg worth and it filled up two halves of the shell!

Some beef for later.
The chaos of the early tasting.

And people sampling the sausages.

Next we move outside to the fiery seaside table.

A light vegan salad with herbs. Almost Vietnamese or Thai in style.

Risotto.

Green vegetables. Nice crunch.

Roasted carrots. Great for carrots.

And this amazing filet mignon with a rich savory BBQ sauce.

For dessert this awesome salted caramel gelato with chocolate chunks.

And one of the richest brownies I’ve ever had. Amazing.

The chef plates and entertains!

Oh, and fruit. For those who eat fruit!

While eating all this we sat around drinking all these wines (blind at first):

2002 Domaine Perrot-Minot Clos Vougeot. VM 91-94. Medium ruby. Expressive, nuanced aromas of black cherry, animal fur, smoke, minerals and nutty oak. Sweet, superripe and generous, with surprisingly opulent black fruit and mineral flavors. Finishes with substantial but fine, horizontal tannins and enticing sweetness. Like so many Clos Vougeots from this vintage, the tannins seem nobler than usual.

agavin: our bottle was off. Corked?

2005 Marcassin Pinot Noir Three Sisters Vineyard. 93 points. Like a very young red burg.

2005 Domaine de la Vieille Julienne Châteauneuf-du-Pape. VM 93+. Inky ruby. Ripe, powerful boysenberry and blueberry aromas are deepened by musky tobacco and dark chocolate. Weighty dark berry flavors verge on thick; initially brooding but brightens with air, picking up an energetic, stony character. Red fruits build on a long, sappy finish. A serious style, and not for those who demand elegance.

1990 Chateau Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape. Parker 96. Two great back to back vintages are the 1990 and 1989. The more developed 1990 boasts an incredible perfume of hickory wood, coffee, smoked meat, Asian spices, black cherries, and blackberries. Lush, opulent, and full-bodied, it is a fully mature, profound Beaucastel that will last another 15-20 years.

2001 Gaja Barbaresco Riserva Che Storia. 91 points. Young, highly structured Neb.

2003 Angelo Gaja Sperss. Parker 93. Gaja’s 2003 Sperss is made from vineyards in Serralunga and offers better balance than the Conteisa. It is plump and juicy, with a generous core of dark fruit, tar and menthol supported by a massive, imposing structure. The wine offers notable length although there is a suggestion of heat on the finish. This powerful, brooding Sperss will require patience, even if today it gives the illusion of being a relatively accessible vintage for this wine. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2023.

From my cellar: 1990 Vega Sicilia Unico. Parker 96. Served from magnum, the 1990 Unico (a blend of 80% Tinto Fino and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon) possesses and extraordinarily, opulent bouquet with cassis, blood orange, Italian cured meat and crushed stone. It is extremely well defined and powerful yet succinctly focused. The palate is ripe and sweet on the entry. Vibrant red fruit, orange peel, marmalade, Asian spices all vie for attention. There is great weight and potency, building in the mouth that is rich in glycerine and climaxes with a spicy, meaty finish that tightly grips the mouth. It has a Right Bank, Cabernet Franc like persona. This is a lovely, decadent Unico that is surfeit with fresh and vitality, a Rubenesque Unico of some style. 109,548 bottles produced. Drink now-2030.

agavin: as Amanda put it, hints of saddle leather. Really delicious though, and many though the WOTN.

1970 Beychevelle. Parker 85. Fully mature with a spicy, plum-like bouquet, and some caramel aromas, the 1970 Beychevelle is round, fruity, quite silky and soft, and nicely concentrated. It lacks complexity and the depth of the best 1970s, but is still quite attractive. Anticipated maturity: Now. Last tasted, 4/88.

2003 Greenock Creek Shiraz Roennfeldt Road. Parker 96. The 2003 Shiraz Roennfeldt Road offers up an ethereal perfume of sandalwood, incense, lavender, Asian spices, and blueberry compote. Rich, dense, and very long in the finish, the wine’s 18.5% alcohol pokes through with a touch of heat. For that reason, it is likely to be controversial.

1995 Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Volcanic Hill. 92 points. A throwback. The nose was a nice mix of cassis and cedar. Over two hours, it put on weight and went from a nice but lightweight to a medium weight, concentrated but still light on its feet cab. The last sip was the best suggesting that this still has many years of positive development in front of it.

2012 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Cask 23. VM 91. The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon CASK 23 is the biggest and richest of these wines from Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars. Broad and expansive on the palate, the 2012 is quite pretty, but stops short of being truly exciting. Blue and black fruits, violets and sweet spices add nuance on the perfumed, generous finish.

2006 Colgin Cariad Proprietary Red Wine. Parker 98. Meriting the same rating I gave it at its release, the 2006 Cariad is composed of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc and 7% Petit Verdot. One of the stars of the vintage, this thrilling, opaque purple-colored wine offers up sweet espresso, jus de viande, blackberry, blueberry, flower and chocolate aromas. A fabulous texture, tremendous purity, sensational brightness and authoritative flavor intensity allied to striking complexity and elegance are the signature of this creative blend from the David Abreu vineyards of Thorevilos and Madrona Ranch. Six hundred cases were produced. Give this wine another 3-4 years of cellaring and enjoy it over the following 15+.

2010 Joseph Phelps Insignia Proprietary Red Wine. Parker 95. A gorgeously intense bouquet of lead pencil shavings, spring flowers, black currants, blackberries, and subtle smoke and foresty aromas jumps from the glass of this full-bodied, rich, concentrated wine with soft tannins, a multidimensional mouthfeel, and a long, rich finish displaying well-integrated acidity, tannin, alcohol and wood. This beauty is one of the top Insignias produced over recent years. It should age easily for 20+ years.

2007 Hundred Acre Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Ark Vineyard. Parker 100! A perfect wine, the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Ark Vineyard (1,300 – 1,400 cases) from Howell Mountain is one of the great efforts from this high elevation terroir. It offers notes of burning embers, black raspberries, blueberries and flowers, a full-bodied opulence, wonderful intensity, but the wine is not weighty or overripe. Fleshy and voluptuous with terrific floral notes, it should drink well for 15-20 years.

Arnie’s rare 2005 Levy & McClellan Red. VM 94. Deep medium ruby. Complex, expressive nose offers black raspberry, licorice, brown spices, mocha, smoke, minerals and nutty oak. Wonderfully lush and creamy-sweet for the year, with Graves-like mineral, gravel and smoky notes (from barrel this wine struck me as brooding and Latour-like but today its fruit character is more red). Ripe, harmonious acidity and broad, lush tannins make this cabernet remarkably presentable-not to mention long on personality-for a 2005, but it also has the structure for an extended evolution in bottle. Even in 2005, this young vineyard on volcanic soil produced just over two tons of fruit per acre, according to Bob Levy.

Have a few wines!

Overall, another fun evening. Lots of great wine, company, and food. What more can you ask?

For more LA dining reviews click here,

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

Toss me down another chunk of yak!

Related posts:

  1. Big and Bold on the Beach
  2. Epic Ocean Party 2015
  3. Wine on the Beach
  4. Valley Heat
  5. Cotsen’s Again!
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: , , ,
« Newer Posts
Older Posts »
Watch the Trailer or

Buy it Online!

Buy it Online!
96 of 100 tickets!

Find Andy at:

Follow Me on Pinterest

Subscribe by email:

More posts on:



Complete Archives

Categories

Favorite Posts

Archives

All Things Andy Gavin
Copyright © 2025 All Rights Reserved
Programmed by Andy Gavin