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Mister Bossam & Cheese Pork Ribs

Mar11

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

Date: January 26, 2020

Cuisine: Korean Ribs

Rating: Awesome, but heart burn central

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

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

The interior is very small and casual.

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

Banchan.

pickled spicy raddish or turnip.

kimchee.

macaroni salad — our least favorite.

pickled cabbage.

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

marinated daikon.

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

Lettuce wraps.

The burner.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Karaoke Night – Chosun Galbee

Dec11

Restaurant: Chosun Galbee

Location: 3330 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90019. (323) 734-3330

Date: November 2, 2019

Cuisine: Korean BBQ

Rating: Solid KBBQ fun

Instead of a wine dinner night, this dinner is a big school parent KBBQ and Karaoke night.

We had two huge tables at K-Town classic, Chosun Galbee — above is the ladies table (guys table behind the camera).

We drank beer and solju — together in my case as I learned from some of my Korean friends 2 weeks before.

Salad.

Glass noodles with beef. Slightly sweet and tasty.

Banchan.

Love the potato salad with the raisins.

But my favorite is the chewy spicy squid (orange shredded carrot looking stuff).

Kimchee and pickles.

Seafood pancake. Delicious.

Shrimp and veggies on the grill.

Almost done.

The beef comes out.

Various condiments.

Like this lettuce wrap with included beef and sauce.

Chicken.

More meats.

Fried Rice with stuff.

Interesting fermented tofu soup — quite nice.

More beef.

And even more.

This was an enjoyable dinner — of course they only ordered about half the beef rounds I would have (it was a group set menu) but it was delicious regardless. Very classic K-Town style.

Then off to Pharaoh for some private room Karaoke.

Walk like an Egyptian.

But sing like a bunch of LA school parents!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: bbq, Chosun Galbee, Karaoke, KBBQ, Korea-town, Korean cuisine, Ktown

Hedonistic Majordomo

Sep23

Restaurant: Majordomo [1, 2, 3, 4]

Location: 1725 Naud St, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (323) 545-4880

Date: August 8, 2019

Cuisine: Korean Fusion

Rating: Big dishes amazing

It’s with gigantic expectation that NY restaurateur David Chang opened his first LA outpost last year and since then it’s become a regular foodie and wine destination among my friends. Tonight is my fourth visit, but my first time with the Hedonists — not that I don’t see them several times a week elsewhere. We also had along Elisabeth An from Crustacean.

Looking on the map, I was pretty skeptical of the weird between Chinatown and Dodger’s Stadium location — a totally annoying spot for me to get to during traffic! Two brutal hours!

The area is extremely warehousey, much like the “Arts District” but even newer. This particular time, dropping off at night, we joked about our life expectancy.

The have a sort of hipster city built down here out of old warehouses.

With lots of bespoke graffiti.

And Majordomo, of course.

Which has a pretty big enclosed and outside space (which we ate in this third time). Have to say, the outside space was actually preferable. Less crowded and quieter.

As you can see.

Inside is one of those cavernous loud warehouse spaces.

High naked ceilings. Don’t come here when it’s raining! They also have the currently hip bathroom setup with the coed shared sinks exposed out in the main room. Not my thing. What if you want to clean up in private?

The current menu.

Larry brought: 1995 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut. JG 95. The 1995 Krug in magnum is really starting to drink with style and grace, but it remains a wine that has just reached its plateau of maturity and has years and years of life still ahead of it. The lovely and quite classic nose wafts from the glass in a constellation of apple, peach, caraway seed, a lovely base of minerality, a touch of walnut, rye bread and a gently smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, crisp and complex, with a wide open attack, a fine core, elegant mousse and really lovely length and grip on the focused and classy finish. Fine juice.

Baja California Uni. Broken tofu, avocado, yuzu. The tofu was what the Koreans (I think) call Soon Tofu, the soft silky tofu — and probably my favorite type. It went very well with the uni, rich avocado and the tangy yuzu.

From my cellar: 2006 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Blanchot. JG 95. The 2006 Blanchots is also profound. The magical bouquet jumps from the glass in a blend of mineral, apple, lemon, grapefruit,, more mineral, a hint of anise and floral tones. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, deep and very pure, with brilliant transparency, great cut and focus, and a magnificent long finish. Not much to say about this wine except wait for it to apogee before drinking it, as I have to imagine it will shut down for several years after bottling. But it will be humbling at its peak.

Bing is this Korean bread thing. Pretty much like a thick crepe or pita bread. They have various “toppings” you can get with the bing.

We got some free shaved chilled poultry liver.

Pork and Spicy Pineapple. I guess vaguely Hawaiian, but more or less like Char sui — and tasty at that — with pineapple and some spicy sauce.

Spicy Lamb. The lamb was vaguely Greek/Turkish or something with the yogurt and the stewed meat quality. Yummy though. The eggs were more complex and pretty excellent. You mash it up a bit to get the roe, egg, chips etc on the bing. I put the ham on at the same time for max effect and it was very good.

Marinated Mushrooms. Pistachio, radish. The pistachio turns out to be a paste underneath.

Stuffed Peppers. Benton’s sack sausage, buttermilk ranch. Hehe, I said sack. These are like Jalepeno poppers — sort of. Shishito poppers.

1995 Giorgio Pelissero Barbaresco. VM 88. Good medium red. Warm, smoky aromas of red and blackcurrants and earth. Lush, sweet and palate caressing; an easygoing, forward style of Barbaresco that could use more clarity and grip. The tannins are slightly dry but even, and there is good lingering sweet fruit. Drink over the next three or four years.

Crispy Butterball Potatoes, salsa seca, chili, peanuts. Sort of like a spicy potato granola mix? Tasty, and very seedy with a lot of crunch.

Fried Cauliflower. Fish sauce vinaigrette, red onion, cilantro. Cauliflower is the new Brussels Sprout. But I actually love the vegetable and particularly when paired with acid like this.

Marinated Black Cod. Hozon, bok choy, nectarine. A bit of a polarizing dish. I and several others thought it very moist and well cooked. Some thought it dull.

Jefferey brought: 2009 Château Beausejour (Duffau Lagarrosse). RP 100. This big wine (nearly 15% natural alcohol) is a blend of 77% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Franc and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon. It boasts an opaque blue/purple color along with a gorgeous bouquet of charcoal, incense, truffles, blackberry jam, black currants, raspberries and flowers. While enormous in the mouth, the limestone soils in which the grapes are grown give the wine good freshness as well as laser-like clarity and precision. Amazing to taste, this massive, super-concentrated powerhouse comes across as ethereal and almost feminine despite its extravagant fruit, density and richness. It is a modern day legend for sure! Anticipated maturity: 2025-2050+

Whole Steamed Rockfish. Sichuan black bean, herbs. Tasted good, but lots of bones.

White rice.

Macaroni & Chickpea. Hozon, black truffle.

And here’s the truffle. This was delicious, like cacio e pepe with black truffles. I ate a ton, despite the carbs and the fact that I can’t really digest chickpeas effectively.

Arnie brought: 2011 Sine Qua Non Syrah Patine Eleven Confessions Vineyard. VM 96. The 2011 Syrah Patine is deep, powerful and intense, with huge fruit and texture, especially within the context of the year. Mocha, plums, violets, bittersweet chocolate and dark spice meld into the deep, voluptuous finish. As good as the 2011 is, it could use another few years to fully meld together. The 2011 is 97% Syrah, 2% Roussanne and 1% Viognier, all from Eleven Confessions, done with 22% whole clusters and aged for 39 months in French oak barrels, 63% new. (Drink between 2018-2026)

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We also pre ordered Boiled Whole Chicken (2-3 people) rice, morels, hand torn noodles.

The hand torn noodle soup was like some of the best (Chinese) mushroom noodle soup you’ll ever have, and they have amped it up with not only truffle butter.

Yarom brought: 2014 Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon CCS Beckstoffer To-Kalon Vineyard. RP 98. Another one of my favorites is the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon CCS, which is clone 4 from the To Kalon Vineyard in Oakville. This is aged in 100% new Darnajou and is one of the larger cuvées at 510 cases. Wonderfully sweet, velvety tannins, a big sweet nose of white flowers, blackberry and cassis along with cedar wood, charcoal and graphite are all present in this full-bodied opulent wine that also retains wonderful elegance. It finished at 14.6% alcohol and will drink beautifully now as well as over the next 15-20 years.

agavin: And a giant fruit and alchohol bomb like this finally has a food to go with it (see below).
If you go, you must order this even though it’s very expensive! Whole Plate Short Rib (4-6 people). Smoked bone-in APL-style ribs. Served with beef rice, shiso rice paper, ssämjang & condiments. Lettuce wraps — yay, no carbs. Kimchee, pickled daikon, and a spicy Korean paste that is delicious and salty.

The huge chunk of Texas style cow comes out on the cart with the stuff.

The carver not only did an awesome job carving, but later called me a “gelato god” so I’m a fan of hers forever :-).

The “thin sliced” mode, which was amazingly flavorful. The fattier end cap slices which were to die for tender.

And the knaw on the bone for extra flavor bones.

And some of it goes back into the kitchen and emerges as beef fried rice — crazy good.

Mixed up.

I brought gelato again. The staff remembered me (or more precisely the gelato) and were very excited. I live for the positive feedback.

Hpnotiq Blue Hawaiian Sorbetto — like a frozen cocktail — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — Thai Coconut Milk, Pineapple, Lime, and Hpnotiq liqueur –#SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #sorbetto #Hpnotiq #BlueHawaiian #pineapple #coconut #lime

White Chocolate Peanut Gelato — I hadn’t made a White Chocolate base in a while so in light of my rent “experiments” in chocolate took another pass at it — came out awesome, using all Valrhona Ivoire chocolate layered with house-made Peanut Dulcey Ganache — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #peanut #WhiteChocolate #valrhona #ganache

Tonight’s wine lineup.

On the right is Catherine An, owner of Crustacean. We (as a group) have become friendly with her and she’s going to do a special meal for a return visit to her place in November.

Overall, we had a great time at Majordomo. You do need a decent sized party for the awesome large dishes and you need to preorder. One time, even when we got there at 6:45pm there were only 1 each of the beef and pork left! Tonight we had 8, which is perfect as the big dishes easily go around 8 ways and the smaller ones you can order two of.

The service and wine service were both spectacular. I was really surprised as these loud hipster places often don’t have good wine service but we were really taken care of and this added a lot to the evening. We had a great (large) table in the back corner of the patio and a huge unused table next to it for our gear, wines, etc. They were super attentive. Really unusually good service for this level.

The larger pre-order dishes like the rib and chicken are amazing and insane. Tonight the food seemed even better than the first time, even if we did have a lot of (delicious) carbs. Pastas and the fried rice were amazing too. Really liking everything about Majordomo other than the distance to get there.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or for epic Foodie Club meals, here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: bbq, BYOG, David Chang, DTLA, Gelato, hedonists, Korean Fusion, Majordomo, meet

Thirds at Majordomo

Mar22

Restaurant: Majordomo [1, 2, 3]

Location: 1725 Naud St, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (323) 545-4880

Date: February 28, 2019

Cuisine: Korean Fusion

Rating: Big dishes amazing

It’s with gigantic expectation that NY restaurateur David Chang opened his first LA outpost last year and since then it’s become a regular foodie and wine destination among my friends. Tonight 6 of us core Foodie Club guys head on out for another great evening.

Looking on the map, I was pretty skeptical of the weird between Chinatown and Dodger’s Stadium location — a totally annoying spot for me to get to during traffic! Two brutal hours!

The area is extremely warehousey, much like the “Arts District” but even newer. This particular time, dropping off at night, we joked about our life expectancy.

The have a sort of hipster city built down here out of old warehouses.

With lots of bespoke graffiti.

And Majordomo, of course.

Which has a pretty big enclosed and outside space (which we ate in this third time). Have to say, the outside space was actually preferable. Less crowded and quieter.

As you can see.

Inside is one of those cavernous loud warehouse spaces.

Tonight’s menu.

From my cellar: 2007 Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne. VM 96. Taittinger’s 2007 Comtes de Champagne will be nearly impossible to resist upon release. Soaring aromatics, mid-weight structure and soft contours give the 2007 its alluring personality. Lemon oil, white flowers, mint, chamomile and green pear add brightness and freshness throughout, with a persistent, clean finish that makes it impossible to resist a second taste. Today, the 2007 comes across as a slightly more open version of the 2004, with freshness that makes that wine so appealing, and a touch of textural richness that recalls the 2002. Although the 2007 does not have the explosive energy or verticality of the profound 2006, it will drink better earlier. The 2007 has been positively brilliant on the three occasions I have tasted it so far.

Bing is this Korean bread thing. Pretty much like a thick crepe or pita bread. They have various “toppings” you can get with the bing.

We got some free shaved chilled poultry liver.

Spicy Lamb. The lamb was vaguely Greek/Turkish or something with the yogurt and the stewed meat quality. Yummy though. The eggs were more complex and pretty excellent. You mash it up a bit to get the roe, egg, chips etc on the bing. I put the ham on at the same time for max effect and it was very good.

Eggs & Smoked Roe bing. This was pretty excellent. You mash it up a bit to get the roe, egg, chips etc on the bing. I actually skipped the bing itself this time in a vain effort to avoid some carbs.

Jacob brought: 1996 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne. BH 93. A stunning nose that offer simply wonderful complexity leads to racy, pure, intense and mineral-laden flavors of real length. This is an elegant wine that will require many years to come together completely even from a regular 750 ml bottle. An extremely pretty wine and one of Latour’s best recent efforts with this wine. Mostly consistent notes though I should point out that another recent magnum seemed a bit thin on the mid-palate and while the essential character remained the same, it didn’t have the same buffering material that the wine described above did.

Fried Cauliflower. Fish sauce vinaigrette, red onion, cilantro. Cauliflower is the new Brussels Sprout. But I actually love the vegetable and particularly when paired with acid like this.

Stuffed Peppers. Benton’s sack sausage, buttermilk ranch. Hehe, I said sack. These are like Jalepeno poppers — sort of. Shishito poppers.

Fried Oxtail. Salsa seca, chili, peanuts. Very interesting and different dish. You gnaw the bone for the meat. Then it was covered with the breakfast granola-textured but vaguely Chinese flavored pile of goodness. Great texture too. Like spicy trail-mix.

Kirk brought: 2011 Sine Qua Non The Moment. VM 93. Bright yellow-gold. Ripe pear, creme brulee and candied ginger on the powerfully scented nose, with notes of anise and smoky lees adding complexity. Pliant but focused candied citrus and orchard fruit flavors gain weight with air, picking up a dried fig nuance. The pear and smoke notes carry through a smooth, palate-staining and strikingly long finish that shows surprising vivacity. This wine was raised in a combination of concrete eggs, new French oak, used barrels and stainless steel tanks.

agavin: Rhone style. Kirk likes to bring these.

Uni pasta special. Always amazing and a good pairing with the Rhone style wine.

Walker brought: 1998 Prunotto Barolo. VM 89. Moderately saturated medium red. Flinty aromas of marzipan, underbrush and violet. Fat, sweet and smooth; this is quite accessible already. Solidly structured wine with nicely buffered tannins. Still a bit youthfully aggressive but tasty right now.

agavin: sadly our bottle was gone.

Walker brought: 1971 Fratelli Revello Barolo. Nice and still in good shape.

Mafaldine. Dungeness crab, bread crumbs, lemon. Mafaldine twice in a week or two! This one had a less tripe-like texture. Blew my “no carbs” thing for the night (along with the uni and several other dishes).

Warm Raclette cheese. This was for some other dish but they just gave us some on the house!

Erick brought: 1996 Sylvain Cathiard Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts. BH 88. There is still enough wood to notice on the attractively spicy dark berry fruit nose that reflects moderate secondary development. There is good detail and vibrancy to the middle weight flavors that suffer from a slightly hole on the mid-palate before culminating in a mildly edgy if persistent finish. The edge to which I am referring is not astringent or excessively acidic yet there is clearly an element that is not as well-integrated as it might be. In sum, this is pretty enough but it lacks the concentration it needs to avoid its shortcomings.

agavin: sometimes Allen Meadows is insane. This wine was much better than 88, maybe like 93 (Burg 93).

From my cellar: 2003 Gros Frère et Sœur Grands-Echezeaux. BH 89-92. This too is very toasty but the spicy black fruit nose manages to transcend the wood and complements powerful, dense, borderline massive flavors of superb depth, all wrapped in dusty, firm and ripe tannins. This is a big wine and while it’s no model of elegance, one has to admire the muscle and sheer concentration. This will take its time coming around.

Roasted Duck Crispy Rice. Citrus, dates, turnips.

There was a kind of “jus” that was poured in.

Then it was all mixed up — amazing fried rice. Loved the egg in it too.

Smoked Cabbage. Brown butter, macadamia. We would have sworn that this excellent cabbage dish had bacon in it — but no, it was just the smoked factor — awesome!

Kirk brought: 1999 Cavallotto Barolo Riserva Bricco Boschis Vigna San Giuseppe. VM 95. A powerful, imposing brute, the 1999 Barolo Riserva Bricco Boschis Vigna San Giuseppe blasts across the palate with serious intensity. Next to the Vignolo, the San Giuseppe comes across as lacking finesse, but it is still super-impressive. Melted road tar, smoke, licorice, plums and black cherries race across the palate in a pulsating, tense Barolo that is all about structure. Readers who like virile, imposing Barolos will flip out over the 1999. Today, the only real competition comes from the Vignolo, Cavallotto’s other Riserva.

If you go, you must order this even though it’s very expensive! Whole Plate Short Rib (4-6 people). Smoked bone-in APL-style ribs. Served with beef rice, shiso rice paper, ssämjang & condiments.

The huge chunk of Texas style cow comes out on the cart with the stuff.

Lettuce wraps — yay, no carbs.

Rice paper for those who don’t mind.

Kimchee, pickled daikon, and a spicy Korean paste that is delicious and salty.

The “thin sliced” mode, which was amazingly flavorful. The fattier end cap slices which were to die for tender.

And the knaw on the bone for extra flavor bones.

And some of it goes back into the kitchen and emerges as beef fried rice — crazy good.

Jacob brought: NV Gosset Champagne Grand Rosé Brut.

They always have a shave ice (modernized Korean). This one had various exotic fruits and was light and delicious. Very refreshing.

A banana chocolate pudding. Not bad, even though I hate banana.

This time, no cake cutting fee for my BYOG. The staff loved it too!

Apricot Aperol Sorbetto – This is an old RnR favorite but I haven’t made it a while. Apricots from Avignon — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #sorbetto #apricot #aperol

Noce e Heath Gelato – trying out my new Northern Italian Walnut I decided it needed something else, and something sweet, so Heath bar seemed to fit the bill — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #walnut #noce #HeathBar #heath #toffee

Danish Lakrids Licorice Gelato – I haven’t made this in 2 years and wanted to update the recipe. Polarizing, but surprisingly addictive — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #lakrids licorice #LoveItOrHateIt

and a tiny bit of:

Strawberry Basil Hendrick’s Sorbetto – Strawberry and Hendrick’s Gin Sorbetto laced with Fresh Basil. Strawberries from Avignon — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #sorbetto #strawberry #basil #Hendricks #Gin #cocktail

The wine lineup.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or for epic Foodie Club meals, here.

By: agavin
Comments (1)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: bbq, BYOG, David Chang, DTLA, Foodie Club, Gelato, Majordomo, ribs, Wine

8 (Million) Ways to BBQ in LA

Feb01

Restaurant: 8 BBQ

Location: 863 S Western Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90005. (213) 365-1750

Date: December 24, 2018 & March 17, 2019

Cuisine: Korean Pork BBQ

Rating: Tasty Stuff

Christmas Eve (and day) are great excuses to go eat Asian food because — l it’s just tradition — and they’re open.

I was sorta hankering for SGV Chinese but Yarom wanted to keep it “local” and head to KTown.

The debate as to which place to grace with our rambunctiousness eventually settled on 8 BBQ — which was good by me because I’d never been and it was on my list.

8 BBQ, which used to have some other name, is a KBBQ place that specializes in pork belly BBQ — specifically 8 different flavored variants!

It was packed (we had to wait a bit) and was equipped with the usual Korean ventilation.

The table was preset with banchan and these interesting looking perched grills — which struct me as a burn/spill waiting to happen.

The banchan parade included spicy pickled bamboo or radish (hard to tell).

Noodle salad.

This awesome spiced cold tofu.

These pickles.

And this incredibly addictive but simple salad — Yarom and I ate two bowls of it ourselves (there was another bowl on the other side of the table and like most banchan it was “infinite refills”).

Pineapple on the grill?

Oh, and these marinated daikon are less for munching but for wrapping meat in.

We ordered combo A to start which included 8 flavors of pork belly, seafood soybean stew, banchan, salad, and mozzarella kimchi fried rice on 12/24/19. On 3/17/19 we ordered combo A and a beef combo.

And they immediately start grilling up an infinite supply of kimchee and spicy bean sprouts.

This is the seafood soybean stew, which was pretty tasty — although it’s always hard to eat those crab claws.

I think some kimchee went in here to “spice it up.”

A different kind of kimchee soup — no seafood.

Here is the 8 ways of pork belly. From left to right: wine, original, black sesame, garlic, herb, curry, miso, and red pepper paste.

They start grilling up the first 4. Look like bacon — I wonder why?

And a bit like fish when half cooked.

Then it gets cut up. The waiter does most of the grilling. Of this set, I probably liked sesame and garlic best. Wine was kinda weird.

The second set starting off.

And done. This whole set was really yummy. Loved curry, miso, and red pepper.

Then we ordered some steak’ums — I mean Prime Beef Brisket.

Grilling. They keep replacing the kimche etc.

Finished beef. Nice, but not a TON of flavor.

Prime Korean Style Boneless Rib.

On the grill. This was meatier with a good steaky flavor.

Marinated Galbi Bulgogi.

On the grill. This was my favorite beef as the marinate gave it a ton of sweet/soy flavor.

A chunk of the beef plate.

Grilling.

The whole rib eye.

Grilling

And cut. Super juicy. Delicious. We ordered 2!

Thick cut pork belly.

Grills up nice and juicy.

Starting our mozzarella kimchi fried rice by throwing some of the already grilled kimchee in the pot.

Then here is the rice, seaweed, greens.

That goes in too.

And the mozzarella on top.

I snapped a picture of it all melted and while it’s hard to see the cheese it was insanely good. I always like kimchee fried rice but the mozzarella really takes it up a bunch of notches.

I convinced people to try this Spicy Buckwheat Noodle and it was also insanely good. The slippery noodles had great texture and there was a good bit of kick and a really nice tangy/spicy vibe to the sauce.

There was some vinegar and Korean mustard in case you wanted to have even more tang and (mustardy) spice.

Here are the noodles all mixed up.

Then we ordered the secret “9th pork belly” the Bulgogi style marinate.

On the grill. This was a great pork too as it had that signature Korean sweet/soy thing going on.

And to finish a steamed egg which was soft and pleasant.

On 12/24/19 I wasn’t drinking this evening and there were only 5 of us be here were the wines:

Piggy!

Overall, I was really impressed with 8 BBQ. The menu isn’t gigantic but it has just enough variety to make a really interesting meal and the food quality and taste was really good. You wouldn’t go every week because there isn’t a ton of variance here, but I’ll certainly be back as it was really delicious. Pretty “low carb” friendly too (except for the fried rice and noodles).

Afterward we wandered out into the cool misty Christmas Eve night in sear of Boba Tea — brining us to the Kung Fu Tea House!

Amusing snacks.

And the usual assortment of bobas and slushies.

A constant stream of old kung fu movies were playing on the TV!

Weird shrimp and squid chips.

And our quintet of teas. I got a passionfruit slush (40% sugar) with a bunch of bobas and jellies. They have a lot of jelly options here. Awesome night!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: 8 BBQ, bbq, boba, Christmas Eve, hedonists, Korean BBQ, Korean cuisine, Korean food, Ktown, Pork Belly, spicy, Tea

Hamji Park

Sep12

Restaurant: Hamji Park

Location: 4135 Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90019. (323) 733-8333

Date: July 10, 2018

Cuisine: Korean Pork BBQ

Rating: Great ribs and pork

K-Town adventure time, with LA’s awesome Korean food scene.

Hamji Park has a couple outputs, but we go to the Pico one. The small chain specializes in Pork BBQ Ribs (Korean style, of course) and various other pork products.

The interior is pretty much all K-Town — down to the ceiling hoods.

This is a surprisingly short menu for a Korean place.

Ron brought some of the insanely good: 2006 Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne. VM 97. The 2006 Comtes de Champagne is striking, especially in the way it brings together elements of ripeness and freshness in a hypothetical blend of the 2002 and 2004. Smooth and creamy on the palate, the 2006 is all about texture. There is a real feeling of density and weight in the 2006, qualities I expect to see grow with time in the bottle. All the elements fall into place effortlessly. The 2006 has been nothing short of magnificent both times I have tasted it. Comtes de Champagne remains the single best value (in relative terms) in tête de cuvée Champagne. I suggest buying a case and following it over the next 20-30 years, which is exactly what I intend to do. There is little doubt the 2006 Comtes de Champagne is a magical Champagne in the making.

Hamji Park is fairly old school so they have a minimalist array of banchan.

Cabbage with miso dressing.

Broccoli.

Marinated cabbage.

Marinated spicy something? A bit chewy, this was one of my favorites.

Bean sprouts.

Sweet potato.

Albert brought: 2015 Domaine Tempier Bandol Rosé. VM 93. Pale orange. Lively, expansive citrus pith and red currant aromas are complemented by suggestions of chalky minerals and white flowers. Sappy, concentrated and precise, offering palate-staining red berry and blood orange flavors and a hint of spicy white pepper. Shows excellent thrust and persistence on the mineral-driven finish, which emphatically echoes the floral and citrus fruit qualities. I’m impressed by the way this wine balances the opulence of the vintage with vivacity and I suspect it will reward at least another eight or so years of patience — standard behavior for this bottling, which ages more like a red wine than a pink one.

Stir Fried Octopus with Noodles. This is some great octopus. Nice and tender with a great Korean spicy sauce and sleek rice noodles.

From my cellar: 1990 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste. RP95-96. The 1990 Grand-Puy-Lacoste is a wine that I had not tasted for a number of years. For a long time it was stubborn and tannic, uncommon attributes in what was such a comely vintage. Now at 26 years of age, this bottle served by Xavier Borie suggests that finally the 1990 has come round. Deep in color, it has a gorgeous bouquet of black fruit, potpourri, graphite and melted tar. There is warmth here, but it does not impede upon the articulation of its origins in Pauillac. The palate has clearly melted in recent years, and maintains superb balance and weight. Sure, as Robert Parker himself remarked, it is evolving at a glacial pace—slower than the 1998 tasted alongside. That means its pleasure is going to be prolonged over many, many years.

Ron brought: 1973 Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Monte Bello. JG 94. The 1973 Monte Bello was another wine that I had two bottles of from an auction purchase, and so when the first bottle did not show brilliantly well, I was able to let the second bottle rest and additional nine months, which seemed to settle the wine back down nicely. The second bottle was a glorious example of Monte Bello that very much showed the more “Graves-like” personality of this wine in many vintages, as it offers up a superb, “cool” fruit-toned bouquet of cassis, leather, cigar ash, a hint of eucalyptus and petroleum jelly, and a complex base of gravelly soil tones. On the palate the wine is fullish, deep and very complex, with beautiful focus, fine mid-palate depth and a very refined, poised and meltingly tannic finish of great length and dimension. The ’73 Monte Bello has retained excellent acidity (perhaps due to it only weighing in at 12.8% alcohol), which has kept the wine fresh, vibrant and showing great grip on the backend. A very finesseful and elegant vintage of Monte Bello, which is not short on either depth or power.

Pork Spare Ribs. A bit sweet and sour, tons and tons of porky meat. Really great ribs.

From my cellar: 1995 Robert Ampeau & Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. 94 points. Opulent but balanced, dignified without slathered oak or exagerrated maloloactic fermentation. Good show.

Salad. Nice acidic dressing, and really good.

Ron brought (but we didn’t open): 1990 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape. JG92+. The 1990 Château Beaucastel is a lovely wine and is just about ready for primetime drinking, but will continue to improve over the coming five or six years and then cruise along for decades from that point forward. The bouquet offers up a fine blend of dried raspberries and red currants, roasted game, incipient autumnal tones (fallen leaves) and a potpourri of spice tones in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and a touch leathery in personality, with a good core, melting tannins and fine length and grip on the complex finish. Having had the good fortune to drink several older vintages of Beaucastel at peak maturity, my gut instinct with the 1990 would be to let it rest in the cellar for just a few more years and allow the last layer of aromatic complexity to emerge here, though it must be said that the wine is really lovely on the palate right now.

Albert brought: 1995 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape. 93 points. Lovely, complex farmyard, truffles, undergrowth, ripe damson fruit mellow leather and spices. Beautiful wine drunk with five spice duck fried rice and was perfect.

Pork Neck Stew with Potato. This was the surprise of the evening for me. Super delicious Korean stew. Rich savory broth, succulent pork meat, hefty potato. Just all good if not much of a looker. 3 or so times they “added broth” to it too which rejuvenated the whole dish. This could feed a family of 4!

Erick brought: 2004 Bond Vecina. VM 95. A very pretty and expressive Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2004 Vecina is also the first wine in this tasting that shows some degree of aromatic development. Even so, the 2004 is huge on the palate, with a bold, exotic expression of very ripe fruit. Scorched earth, smoke, tobacco and leather give the wine its distinctive, brooding personality. This is impressive stuff.

Yarom brought: 1998 Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Upper Block Gaudeamus Vineyard. 94 points. Have always loved this wine…and have purchased and drunk my fair share of it. Lot of people panned it, so that’s why I was able to buy a bunch at crazy good prices over the last 10yrs! Well, last bottle I had was 6 yrs ago, which was another great bottle, but starting to show some age and sourness. In my best Mark Twain voice….”The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” THIS bottle tonight is spectacular! Starts off with a little funky barnyard brett, the good kind! Dark silky berry fruits…perfectly ripe and liqueured…with the slightest green streak of tobacco, sage and herbs, which I find fascinating in this wine…like you would Heitz Martha’s. Full bodied and rich with mocha oak barrel, cedar spice, cocoa powder…but NOT over the top sweet like you see in most Cabs now. Youthful, plush full mouth feel, complexities all over the map….and plenty left in the tank. I’ve only had a couple Schrader Cabs other than this one…but I can say that this 98 is still my fav!

Seb brought: 2014 Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon LPV Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard. RP 99. The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon LPV is from clone 337 from the Las Piedras Vineyard in St. Helena. This shows Mission Haut-Brion-like characteristics as it has in the past, with crushed rock, wet gravel, scorched earth, blackberry and blueberry fruit. It is clearly one of my favorites of this entire tasting. It has 14.5% natural alcohol and was aged in 90% new Darnajou and 10% new Taransaud barrels. This is a killer effort.

The pork cooker — actually used (by us) for beef.

Marinated Beef Sirloin.

Very tough, not too much flavor. Actually the only disappointing dish of the night.

This was great fun. Good food, particularly the ribs, neck soup, and octopus. The wines were awesome too and we brought both too many and way overkill stuff for KBBQ — but that’s how we roll!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

By: agavin
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Tagged as: bbq, Hamji Park, hedonists, Korean cuisine, Ktown, Pork Ribs, Wine

Is Majordomo a Major Deal?

Jun20

Restaurant: Majordomo

Location: 1725 Naud St, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (323) 545-4880

Date: May 16, 2018

Cuisine: Korean Fusion

Rating: Big dishes amazing

It’s with gigantic expectation that NY restaurateur David Chang opens his first LA outpost.

Looking on the map, I was pretty skeptical of the weird between Chinatown and Dodger’s Stadium location — a totally annoying spot for me to get to during traffic!

The area is extremely warehousey, much like the “Arts District” but even newer.

The have a sort of hipster city built down here out of old warehouses.

With lots of bespoke graffiti.

And Majordomo, of course.

Which has a pretty big enclosed and outside space.

As you can see.

Inside is one of those cavernous loud warehouse spaces.

The menu.

As always, Fred wanted to go all out so this is our modest wine lineup for 4.

Fred brought: 2010 Coche-Dury Puligny-Montrachet Les Enseignères. VM 92+. Reticent, pure aromas of white peach, hazelnut and minerals. Densely packed and urgent but youthfully tight, showing outstanding intensity and energy for village wine. The resounding, palate-staining finish displays outstanding structure and life. From a tiny crop, this almost painfully young wine should benefit from seven or eight years in the cellar.

agavin: I never understand how the pro reviewers will give a wine like this, which just sings, a lower score than some random Chablis.

There is a Korean fusion amuse cart.

Serving pickles.

Kombu Cured Diver Scallop, Pink Lady apple dashi. Very sweet.
Bing is this Korean bread thing. Pretty much like a thick crepe or pita bread. They have various “toppings” you can get with the bing.

Benton’s reserve ham bing. Put the ham on the pita.

Eggs & Smoked Roe bing. This was pretty excellent. You mash it up a bit to get the roe, egg, chips etc on the bing. I put the ham on at the same time for max effect and it was very good.

Marinated Mushroom, pistachio, radish, pea tendrils. Awesome mushroom dish. Nice flavors and textures. Good fiber too.

Special Foodie Club guest Andrew enjoys his wine.

Erick brought: 1999 Château Latour Grand Vin. Parker 93-95. A terrific effort, this sexy, open-knit, opulent effort possesses plenty of tannin, but it is largely concealed by the wine’s wealth of fruit, high extraction level, and noticeable glycerin as well as unctuosity. Dense ruby/purple-colored, with a sweet, evolved nose of black fruits (cassis, leather, and blackberries), cedar, spice box, and liquid minerals, this powerful yet seamless Latour will be surprisingly accessible at an unusually young age. Long and full-bodied, with the acidity, tannin, alcohol, and wood all beautifully integrated, it will be at its finest between 2007-2030. A classic!

Andrew brought: 2003 Haut-Brion. Parker 95. Clearly the best wine made in the Haut-Brion stable in 2003 (the last vintage of the great Jean-Bernard Delmas as administrator), the 2003 Haut-Brion is a blend of 58% Merlot, 31% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Cabernet Franc that hit 13% natural alcohol, which seemed high at the time, but given more recent vintages is modest. Dark ruby/plum in color, with no amber or orange at the edge, the wine exhibits an abundance of roasted herbs, hot rocks, black currants, plum, and balsamic notes. Quite rich, medium to full-bodied and more complete, with sweeter tannins than La Mission Haut-Brion, this full-bodied Haut-Brion has hit full maturity, where it should stay for at least a decade. Bravo!

If you go, you must order this even though it’s $190! Whole Plate Short Rib (4-6 people). Smoked bone-in APL-style ribs. Served with beef rice, shiso rice paper, ssämjang & condiments.

The huge chunk of Texas style cow comes out on the cart with the stuff.
They carve it up into various modalities.

The “thin sliced” mode, which was amazingly flavorful.

The fattier end cap slices which were to die for tender.

And the knaw on the bone for extra flavor bones.

And some of it goes back into the kitchen and emerges as beef fried rice — crazy good.

From my cellar: 1999 Gros Frère et Sœur Richebourg. 95 points. Bright, deep ruby-red. Complex nose melds violet, bitter chocolate, earth, meat and a hint of medicinal austerity. Dense, rich and thick; a wine of compelling richness and sweetness, but also solidly structured despite its accessibility today. Finishes with lush but firm tannins and exhilarating notes of cassis and violet. Lovely pinot noir.

We also pre ordered Boiled Whole Chicken (2-3 people) rice, morels, hand torn noodles. This amazing dish has apparently changed and no longer has the fabulous noodles.

This was some absolutely first rate chicken. Pretty much Hainan chicken with the spice already rubbed on, much more Chinese than anything else.

The hand torn noodle soup was like some of the best (Chinese) mushroom noodle soup you’ll ever (not) have (as they discontinued it :-().

The dessert menu. I didn’t have the guts to BYOG (Bring Your Own Gelato) on our first trip to Majordomo.
Strawberry Trifle. Buttermilk panna cotta, chiffon cake.
Horchata Kakigori. Coffee, riche, dulce de leche. This was basically a good shaved ice.

Overall, we had a great time at Majordomo. They have some annoyances, like the custom website reservations a month or so ahead of time that book up instantly. We ignored those and scored a late (9pm ish) reservation 2 days out. I don’t do that long advance planning thing.

The larger pre-order dishes like the rib and chicken were amazing and insane. The other dishes were good but not as memorable. But I’d totally go back for either ribs or chicken, and I hope they keep mixing up the menu too.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or for epic Foodie Club meals, here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: 1st growth, bbq, Burgundy, Chicken, Chinatown, coche, David Chang, Dessert, DTLA, Foodie Club, haut brion, latour, Majordomo, ribs, Richebourg, warehouse, Wine

Odys + Penelope

Dec16

Restaurant: Odys + Penelope

Location:127 S La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036. (323) 939-1033

Date: December 8, 2016

Cuisine: churrasco or asador?

Rating: Nice smoky flavors

Odys + Penelope has been on my list for over a year.

Located on La Brea, it’s not far from Republique and the like.

The interior has a great build out. Old brick walls, steel, wood, and this huge kitchen structure in the middle.

Odys + Penelope describes itself as a churrasco and grill (which is more or less what churrasco means). It’s certainly a grill, but also doesn’t really feel that South American to me. Anyway, they have a ton of wood fired stuff.

Here is some of the dancing flame — and a big smoker.

The menu.

Adam brought: 2006 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre. VM 93+. Bright yellow with a green tinge. Cool aromas of crushed stone, citrus peel and white flowers. Dense, sweet and minerally, but quite youthfully closed and strict today, showing none of the honeyed character of the 2006 vintage. In fact, this broad, rich wine boasts terrific verve and finishes with palate-staining citrus and stone flavors. This is 13% natural alcohol with four grams per liter of acidity. It will be fascinating to compare this and the more austere 2005 a decade or so down the road.

Fried wild mushrooms, Persian garlic sauce. Nice fry.

Smoked lamb lettuce cups, green hummus, pickled onions, yogurt, mint. Savory.

Ginger chicken sausage, fresno chili-apple jam. Very soft, sweet sausage.

Grilled acorn squash salad, creamy parmesan slaw, pepitas. Very light, white and cheesy.

Bacon wrapped chicken thigh, lemon date sauce. This was one of the least successful dishes for me.

Smoked + grilled Mary’s chicken. Awesome for BBQ chicken, particularly given that it was minimal on the sauce. Super moist and tons of flavor.

Dry rubbed rotisserie pork, cherry mostarda, fingerling potatoes in grainy mustard butter, apple salad. AKA porcetta. Melt in your mouth perfect smoky pork belly. Wow!

Maple rosemary glazed beef ribs. Dish of the night. The fat was so integrated through the entire body of the meat, like Wagyu or as if they had massaged it — and the smoky deep flavor. This was some serious rib.

Charred broccolini salad, roasted beet hummus, hazelnut dukkah.

Creamy cauliflower + millet, walnut pesto. Another stand out. Hard to believe it was cauliflower. In combination with the beef this was like osso bucco over polenta.

From their list: 2006 Cecile Tremblay Echezeaux. BH 91. The best wine in the range, which is not completely a surprise given how many excellent to genuinely superb examples of Echézeaux were produced in 2006. A pretty red berry fruit that is highly spiced with hints of animale, mocha, plum and warm earth, all of which can be found on the rich, full and dense flavors that display chocolate and dry port nuances while finishing with a mouth coating, powerful and seductively sappy finish. I noted last year that this lacked a bit of freshness but that is not the case from bottle as there is actually good vibrancy present.

agavin: mature for it’s age. Very junior producer, but drinking nicely now.
The pastry menu.

Gingerbread copetta, mascarpone mousse, ginger-beer granita, butterscotch ice cream.
Warm caramel cake, poached pear, almond toffee, vanilla-almond ice milk.
Chocolate rye pie, peanut crumble, vanilla malted ice cream.

Overall, this was a great meal at Odys (my one and only so far) and I really enjoyed it for it’s unique “grill style”. Sort of like a BBQ crossed with a small plates place. Very old school and very modern at the same time. It bills itself as a churrasco, and there are certainly South American flavors here, but they don’t predominate. Certainly when I was last in South America (some time ago) the places were much more limited and old fashioned, not so far off from Fogo. Odys reminds me more of a Basque Asador — where all sorts of things are grilled up.

Doesn’t really matter because it’s good — as long as you like the taste of fire!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: bbq, churrasco, Grill, Odys + Penelope

Yazawa – Marble or Meat?

Jul25

Restaurant: Yazawa

Location: 9669 S Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. (310) 275-2914

Date: July 12, 2016 & April 25, 2019

Cuisine: Wagyu Yakiniku

Rating: Like eating silk and gold

Totoraku, the ultimate Japanese Korean BBQ place evidently has a new challenger in town.

Yazawa is branch of a Japanese restaurant spun out from a super high end butcher. They serve up a variety of Yakiniku (Japanese take on KBBQ) done primarily with genuine A-5 Black Wagyu cows from Japan. The frontage is located on tony Little Santa Monica deep in Beverly Hills.

The interior soars upward with high ceilings, but doesn’t offer very many tables.
In fact, they all conform to this standard fairly small 4 top configuration.

The menu, which takes a bit of time to explain the cow.

For wine tonight, as there were four of us, and the corkage steps up after 4 bottles, we just opened one each — but they were good ones:

Larry brought: 1996 Lynch Bages. Parker 90-93. The 1996 exhibits a dark plum/ruby/purple color that is just beginning to lighten at the edge, surprisingly velvety tannins and a classic Pauillac bouquet of lead pencil shavings, cedarwood, black currants, sweet cherries and spice box. This medium to full-bodied, elegant, savory, broad wine is still five years away from full maturity. It should continue to drink well for another 10-15 years.

From my cellar: 1996 Mouton-Rothschild. Parker 94-96. This estate’s staff believes that the 1996 Mouton-Rothschild is very complex. I agree that among the first-growths, this wine is showing surprising forwardness and complexity in its aromatics. It possesses an exuberant, flamboyant bouquet of roasted coffee, cassis, smoky oak, and soy sauce. The impressive 1996 Mouton-Rothschild offers impressive aromas of black currants, framboise, coffee, and new saddle leather. This full-bodied, ripe, rich, concentrated, superbly balanced wine is paradoxical in the sense that the aromatics suggest a far more evolved wine than the flavors reveal. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2030. By the way, the 1996 blend consists of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, and 8% Cabernet Franc.

Erick brought: 1989 Mouton-Rothschild. Parker 90-92. Considering the vintages and the estate, Mouton’s performances in 1989 and 1990 are puzzling. I have tasted these wines multiple times since my last reviews appeared in print. The 1989 Mouton-Rothschild is the superior wine, but in no sense is this a compelling wine if compared to the Moutons produced in 1995, 1986, and 1982. The 1989 displays a dark ruby color that is already beginning to reveal significant lightening at the edge. The bouquet is surprisingly evolved, offering up scents of cedar, sweet black fruits, lead pencil, and toasty oak. This elegant, medium-bodied restrained wine is beautifully made, stylish, and not dissimilar to the 1985. It is an excellent to outstanding Mouton that should be close to full maturity in 4-5 years; it will drink well for 15-20.

Walker brought: 1989 Penfolds Grange. Parker 93. A very hedonistic, almost decadent style of Grange, this blend of 91% Shiraz and 9% Cabernet Sauvignon from three grape sources – Kalimna in the Barossa, Penfolds’ other sources in the Barossa, and McLaren Vale – is a gorgeously opulent, almost Pomerol-like Grange with an over-ripe characteristic to the fruit. Cherry liqueur intermixed with cranberry and cassis presented in a seductive, full-bodied, very soft, forward style is truly not the classic Grange in the sense of having huge structure and massive concentration, but this wine is loaded, very corpulent, and fleshy. The wine is going to last for up to two decades, but it will be uncommonly succulent and delicious to drink young, as it was several months ago. Among the young vintages of Grange, this is perhaps the most flattering wine that they have produced over the last 20 years, at least for such a relatively young wine. Anticipated maturity: now-2018.

Wagyu toro sushi. This is raw beef nigiri style. And because of the vinegared sushi rice it pretty much tasted like toro!

After the above ala carte item, we ordered the $200 a person “level 4” Omakase, then followed with some more ala carte in the form of carbs.

Trio of wagyu apps.

Tataki “Ponzu Sauce.” Thin sliced seared wagyu with onion slice. Tender little beef bits.

Wagyu Bresola. Dry aged and salted. With the truffle salt this was bright, salty, and had a bit of an “Italian” flavor.

Uni Wagyu Tartar / Truffles. Raw wagyu topped with uni and truffle.

Mix this puppy up and the uni stands in the same way that the raw egg usually would. Certainly a rich little concoction.

In April of 2019, the trio was slightly different.

Wagyu on a toast.

The tartare with uni, pretty much the same as before.

And Wagyu short rib with polenta.

Yazawa Garden Salad (4/26/19). Red Lettuce, Sweet Snap Pea, Bell Peppers, Broccoli and Yazawa dressing. This was a nice salad, probably mostly because of the zesty Japanese dressing.

Meat plate 1. And so begin the cuts of wagyu, ready to grill up. There is one piece each, served in pairs with a light sweet sauce, a “bbq” sauce that is pretty standard for yakaniku (slightly sweet soy), and a egg sauce (more on that later).

First up is the Ranboso (round) from the cow’s rump.

This is then cooked (very fast, just seconds a side) on the very smooth gas BBQ.

Flipped about 4-5 seconds later — then another 4 seconds then into the sauce. So soft and tender!

Next cut is the Jyo-Kalbi (chuckeye/rib eye). Notice how the fat runs in a different direction. A little more beefy and intense. Some really great beef.

Out comes this whipped egg/milk sweet sauce.

And Yazawa’s signature cut, the Yazawa-yaki! It’s a super thin cut sirloin, marinated.

The staff are required to cook this one (other cuts you can do it, or they can). The cutis so thin that we would probably just turn it into beef scraps.

It is then rolled and dropped into the egg sauce. Pretty amazing, with a sukiyaki-like flavor and tons of rich beefiness.

Plate 3.

Maki-loin (rib eye). A very evenly marbled cut.
Nakaniku (rump). This is down below the tail, sort of cow ass. Look at that fat striping! And cooked it was ridiculously soft and unctuous. I actually preferred the leaner cuts.

Plate 4.

Misuji (brisket). Not like Mom’s BBQ brisket!

Zabujan (chuck eye). Up under the shoulders with a heavy diagonal marbling. Nice and tender and a bit more beefy.

Then another signature cut, the Chateau Briand (center cut filet).

Look at that candy-striping.

And from the front.

On the grill. This was one incredible piece of “steak.”

We placed an ala carte order of tongue too.

On the grill. Good stuff, but this cut wasn’t super different than other good tongue I’ve had.

After all that meat we decided to “fill up” on some carb dishes.

Japanese Wagyu curry rice. Minced Japanese wagyu curry rice with an egg. This was certainly the best curry rice I’ve had — and I love curry rice. The egg upped the richness but it was the depth of flavor of the curry itself that won out. I just missed the red pickles.

Uni Gyu Toro Don Bowl. Minced raw Japanese Wagyu on rice with uni and pickles.

A very interesting umami taste. Great stuff.

Yazawa special rice. Umami rice topped with ginger and Japanese Wagyu, served in a very hot clay pot.

They mix it up for us.
This is a teapot filled with dashi and some wasabi.
Tons of garlic in there. Optionally, you pour some dashi in to up the umami factor. Pretty incredible like that.

Cold Tan Tan Noodle. Sesame and chile ramen. Since I’m such a dan dan fiend, I figured I’d try this. Not like Chinese dan dan at al. Pleasant enough, with a touch of heat and a cool sesame vibe, but not the hot nutty intensity I was looking for. Still, that would have been weird.

White chocolate semi-freddo with berries. My favorite, light and fluffy and delicious.

Macha green tea ice cream with crunchies.

Almond panna cotta.
Special tea at the end.

The service at Yazawa was absolutely first rate. Not only did they explain the menu in detail, and cook some of the meat (they will cook however much or little as you like), but they were highly attentive, changing out the grill after every course and the like. Colin, who helped us, was highly knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and like a wagyu evangelist.

The food itself was uniformly excellent. All the meat was super fresh and “clean” (if super rich as well). The taste was lovely, although different, richer, and less beefy than Totoraku. Is it better? Just different, as this is just such a different type of meat. Both are fabulous.

The atmosphere was nice, but the format is a bit rigid with their fixed 4 person tables. And those tables don’t have much extra space at that. I had to keep my wines on a seat, my camera between me and the next guy, and constantly juggle around my (only) two wine glasses and other stuff. They need larger tables for our kinds of groups and they need MUCH larger tables with multiple grills for parties larger than 4. It’s also a general restaurant, and therefore doesn’t offer the “taking over the house” factor that is one of Totoraku’s many charms.

The wine thing at Yazawa is weird. There are nice beers and sake, but the red wine selection is tiny. Not too great too. And oddly, looking around, we saw only one other table with any red wine at all — and just one glass! Most of the tables were Asian women, which is a bit odd for such a meat focused place. This combines with a very rigid corkage policy. Thankfully they don’t limit the number of bottles brought in, but they have an escalating corkage of $35/$35/$50/$50/$70/$80 and then maybe even more. I’m not one of those that argues for no corkage at fine restaurants. The $35×2/$50 would be steep but fine, but going above $50 is always insulting. And to boot, they don’t have anything on their list! A $50 corkage is a flat $50 of profit to the restaurant. It’s way more lucrative than any wine on the list under a $100. Why complain? Why try to massage the system to irritate or exclude “wine guys”? It just doesn’t make sense. And for a restaurant that specializes in high end meat? What better excuse to drink first growths and the like?

Overall, Yazawa was so tasty that I’d certainly go back. It’s expensive but way more repeatable than the high end tempura. But we are limited to 4 people by the tables and the wine rules, so it only fits certain circumstances.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: bbq, beef, Foodie Club, Wine, Yakiniku, Yazawa

Time again for Totoraku

May20

Restaurant: Totoraku [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]

Location: 10610 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064.

Date: May 18, 2016

Cuisine: Japanese Yakiniku

Rating: Best beef in town!

About twice a year my Hedonist group makes a regular pilgrimage to Totoraku, LA’s “secret beef” restaurant. Toto (as its affectionately known) serves a refined version of Japanese Yakiniku, which is Beef BBQ originally from Korea but filtered through Japanese sensibility.

We often oscillate between 30 person mega dinners — quite the madness — and more intimate 10-15 person affairs. This was the later, with 12 drinkers, and I much prefer this size. You can talk to everyone, bottles go all the way around, and the quality of the wines is generally more consistently higher.

The outside is basically a shell. The “Teriyaki House” has nothing to do with the food within, and the phone number is incorrect. The place is like a beef speakeasy!

The interior is a tad “minimalist.”

Here, chef Kaz Oyama, himself a part time Hedonist, sharpens his knives. Uh oh!

Stewart brought bonus: 1996 Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Champagne Brut La Grande Dame. VM 95+. Deep, highly complex aromas of citrus skin, nutmeg, porcini mushroom, toasted almond and clove. Rich, dry and impressively deep; superconcentrated and oily. A chewy, spicy Champagne that seemed to grow fresher as it opened in the glass. Really explosive on the aftertaste, finishing with a clinging quality and powerful spicy, nutty flavors. A major mouthful of Champagne, at its best at the dinner table. Displays the combination of high ripeness and high acidity of this vintage at its best. This thick, rich, very powerful wine is still a bit youthfully disorganized and will be even better for a few years of additional aging. One of the standouts of my recent tastings.

The appetizer plate. Lots of yummy little tidbits.

Scallops and/or clam bits.
Sesame tofu with pea.

Kirk brought bonus: 2004 Marcassin Chardonnay Marcassin Vineyard. VM 97. Pale yellow-green. Knockout nose combines stone fruits, minerals, fresh herbs, honey, flowers, grilled nuts and earth. Round and lush yet racy and light on its feet, with compelling flavors of pineapple, grapefruit and crushed stone. A huge but classy wine with considerable finesse. Wonderfully rich yet subtle on the back end, where it stains the palate with fruits, minerals and soil tones.

Some seared and marinated fish on seaweed.

Salmon wrapped in daikon, stuffed with avocado and other vegetables. On the right Egg with pear, potato, and some kind of crisp.

Shrimp with caviar.

I brought as bonus: 1993 Georges Noellat Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts. 91 points. A bit tart at first, but some air helped the flavors flesh out a bit. Earthy, meaty, spicy, and floral, this had all the components of great Burgundy. The flavors seemed to be a bit muted, though, so the wine had a dulled sense to it…the intensity wasn’t there I guess. Certainly improved with more air, but I’ve had better bottles of this.

Foie gras, some kind of fruit. On the right a vegetable jelly.

Uni risotto balls.

Larry brought: 1998 Château Mouton Rothschild. Parker 89-96. Like many of its peers, the 1998 has filled out spectacularly. Now in the bottle, this opaque black/purple-colored offering has increased in stature, richness, and size. A blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc (57% of the production was utilized), it is an extremely powerful, super-concentrated wine offering notes of roasted espresso, creme de cassis, smoke, new saddle leather, graphite, and licorice. It is massive, with awesome concentration, mouth-searing tannin levels, and a saturated flavor profile that grips the mouth with considerable intensity. This is a 50-year Mouton, but patience will be required as it will not be close to drinkability for at least a decade. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2050.

Danny brought: 1999 Mouton-Rothschild. Parker 93-94. Made in a soft style, many readers will prefer this “friendlier” blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, and 4% Cabernet Franc. A very sexy Mouton, it exhibits a dense ruby/purple color, sweet cassis fruit, coffee, and smoke. Long and lush, with low acidity, ripe tannin, and medium to full body, it should be reasonably approachable upon release, yet evolve nicely for 20-25 years.
Beef carpaccio with special salt, flowers, and some onion family derivative. Very yummy. This is eaten raw.

Two kinds of beef sashimi, eaten nearly raw. From the same cow! On the left beef tataki (rib eye) and on the right (in the cup) beef throat sashimi. Also on the plate is a bit of Korean style hot sauce (the red stuff), some intensely strong garlic (yum) and micro julienned ginger.

The throat was very chewy, more about texture. The rib eye soft and more flavorful. All went well with the garlic and ginger — I particularly liked the garlic.

A raw beef dish. Marinated raw beef is seen here with ginger, raw egg, cucumber, daikon, pine nuts, and something orange. Apparently, this is a Korean dish called Yukhoe. Actually, I’ve had it at Korean places, but in any case it’s delicious.

The elements are mixed together and then eaten. It’s hard to describe why it’s so good, but it is, with a very complex flavor and texture interplay.

The tabletop grill we cook the rest of the dishes on.

Stewart brought: 1983 L’Evangile. Parker 88-91. A gorgeous bouquet of black-raspberries, minerals, spices, and cedar is an immediate turn-on. The deep ruby color is followed by medium-bodied, beautifully concentrated, well-focused flavors. The exotic side of l’Evangile so noticeable in its top vintages comes across in this plummy, rich, viscous, medium to full-bodied, fleshy wine. More tannin was evident in this tasting than in the past, which makes me think the wine might be starting to display more structure. One of the best right bank wines of the vintage, it should be drunk over the next 12-15 years.

Larry brought: 1989 Palmer. Parker 96. Deep garnet-brick. Dark chocolate covered cherries, espresso, cinnamon, rose petals, tree bark and loam. Medium to full body with layers of concentrated fruit and spice flavours supported by crisp acidity and a medium+ level of fine tannins. Very long finish.

agavin: most of us thought this was Wine of the Night!
Beef tongue with salt. After cooking, you dip it in lemon juice.

Do put your tongue on the grill!

Filet Mignon with bell peppers, onions, and sisho pepper.

Filet on the grill.

The “salad.” Cucumbers, carrots, daikon. The vegetables do help to move along the fat and protein heavy meat.

They are served with this spicy sweet miso dip.

Momotaro tomatoes with a vinaigrette. These are supposedly incredibly good tomatoes, as a hater, I didn’t try them. I think Oyama-san gets them from some special place in Orange Country.

From my cellar: 2001 Chateau Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage A Jacques Perrin. Parker 99. The 2001 Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage a Jacques Perrin is a blend of 60% Mourvedre, 20% Grenache, 10% Counoise, and 10% Syrah. Full-bodied, excruciatingly backward, and nearly impenetrable, it boasts an inky/blue/purple color in addition to a promising nose of new saddle leather, melted asphalt, camphor, blackberries, smoky, roasted herbs, and Asian spices. A huge lashing of tannin as well as a formidable structure result in the antithesis of its more flattering, forward, and voluptuous sibling, the classic Beaucastel. Readers lucky enough to come across this cuvee should plan on waiting at least a decade before it begins to approach adolescence. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2040.

agavin: also stunning

1989 Guigal Cote Rotie la Turque. Parker 99-100. The precocious, sweet, jammy 1989 La Turque’s smoky, licorice, and black-raspberry aromas, as well as its phenomenal richness, make for another extraordinary tasting experience. Full-bodied, dense, and thick, this wine possesses the essence of black cherries. Still youthful, it is already gorgeous to drink. Anticipated maturity: now-2012.

agavin: another amazing wine

Outside rib eye with special salt and garlic. After being flipped, green onion is added.

Inside rib eye.

Looking serious about the meat!

You have to special order the lamb, which like all of Kaz’s meats, is pretty wonderful.

On the grill. One hell of a chop.

Ron brought: 1981 Penfolds Grange. Parker 97. The 1981 stood out as slightly superior. Winemaker John Duval always felt this was a tannic style of Grange, but the wine has shed its tannins, and this is one of the few vintages where the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon was above 10%. Sweet notes of creme de cassis, cedarwood, charcoal, and barbecue spices are followed by a full-bodied, opulent wine displaying heady amounts of alcohol, glycerin, and density in its full-bodied, skyscraper-like texture. I was drinking this wine with great pleasure in the mid-nineties, yet here it is nearly 15 years later, and the wine does not appear to have budged much from its evolutionary state. This is a testament to how remarkably well these wines hold up, and age at such a glacial pace.

Yarom brought: 1997 Penfolds Grange. Parker 94. The 1997 Grange (a blend of 96% Shiraz and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon) looks to be a classic Grange, although slightly softer and more forward than the backward 1996. The saturated purple-colored 1997 offers a gorgeously sweet nose of blackberry liqueur, cherries, camphor, chocolate, plums, and mocha. The wine is opulently-textured, extremely soft, layered, and seductive, with Grange’s tell-tale personality well-displayed, but in a seamless, seductive style. This is a superb Grange that can hold its own against the more heralded 1996.

A kind of short rib.

On the grill.

Light it up!

Ilana & Ron brought: 1999 Latour. Parker 93-95. Deep garnet colored with a touch of brick, the nose offers notes of cassis, tobacco leaf and tar with hints of tree bark and earth. The palate is taut and savory / minerally with very firm chewy tannins somewhat dominating the restrained fruit at this stage.

Some other kind of short rib.

Cooking.

Arnie brought: 2002 Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard. Parker 100! One of the greatest young Cabernet Sauvignons I have ever tasted is the 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To-Kalon Vineyard (which I also rated 100 when it was first bottled). This wine has hardly changed since its release. Still incredibly youthful, it reveals a blue/black color along with notes of black currants, camphor, graphite, high quality unsmoked cigar tobacco, blackberries and a touch of oak. Full-bodied and multilayered with terrific texture and richness as well as a 60-second finish, this young, exuberant, slightly flamboyant classic offers an interesting contrast in style with other top producers (such as Schrader Cellars) that also farm parcels of the Beckstoffer To-Kalon Vineyard. Like most young Cabernets, this wine can be drunk now because of the sweetness of its tannins, but it is a good decade away from full maturity. It should last until 2040-2050. Bravo!

Mark brought: 2007 Kapcsandy Family Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Vin State Lane Vineyard. Parker 100! Absolutely riveting, and even better than I predicted last year is the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon – Grand Vin State Lane Vineyard. Made from 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, and the rest tiny dollops of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot (400 cases produced), in two weeks of tastings, this wine stood out as one of those singular efforts that it is impossible to get out of your mind and off of your palate. A flawless, seamless, profound example of Napa Cabernet, it exhibits an opaque purple color along with a gorgeous perfume of lead pencil shavings, cedar, creme de cassis, ink, flowers, and espresso roast. With phenomenal depth, a multidimensional personality, unbelievable length, and an impeccable integration of all its component parts, this stunning wine lasts and lasts, with a finish approaching a full minute. Give this profound wine 3-5 years of cellaring, and drink it over the following 25-30 years.

A new one tonight, house special pork.

Cooked very well. Super super tasty.

Toto veterans

Stewart brought: 1964 Miguel Torres Cabernet Sauvignon Penedès Gran Coronas Reserva. 89 points. In quite good shape for its age.

Skirt steak.

Phil brought: 1928 Izidro Gonsalves Madeira. Pretty yummy!

Mark brought bonus. 1990 Graham Porto Centenary Malvedos. 90 points. Very good port. Lot’s of dark fruit and some chocolate flavours at the end. Very hot.

Toto serves homemade ice creams and sorbets as dessert. So chaotic was this giant night that they brought out all five flavors on each plate and just placed them about the tables. I like the ice creams better than the sorbets here. The white chocolate was fantastic. Still, it’s all great. So great we ordered 3 plates for 4 of us!

1990 Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey. VM 93. Wonderfully complex, quintessential Sauternes aromas of apricot, smoke, truffle, game and licorice. Thick and mouthfilling, but kept fresh by strong, harmonious acidity. Conveys a tactile, layered texture and strong noble rot character. Really lovely balance. Finishes with powerful fruit and great persistence. Stunning wine.

Mark brought bonus this cognac — in tiny little airplane bottles! 🙂

This place is all about the beef, which is arguably some of the best I’ve ever had. Certainly the best yakiniku/Korean BBQ I’ve ever had. There is a perfect tenderness to every cut that’s fairly transcendant. I’m not even that much of a steak fan — but I’d take this stuff any time over even a spectacular cut from Mastros or Cut. The food here does not vary much from visit to visit. There is no menu. The quality however is utterly consistant. So while it isn’t an everyday sort of dining experience, perhaps once every 6-9 months, I love to return for my fix.

This evening was quite awesome. We had a smaller party (12). Thus every wine easily made it all the way around. Additionally, everyone really stepped up and we had some pretty epic grapes. Every wine was drinking well and some were just total stunners!

More crazy Hedonist adventures or

LA dining reviews click here.

First time at Toto can be A LOT to take in!

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Barbecue, bbq, beef, hedonists, Japanese cuisine, Kaz Oyama, Totoraku, Wine, Yakiniku

Park’s Finest BBQ

Nov04

Restaurant: Park’s Finest BBQ

Location: 1267 W Temple St, Los Angeles, CA 90026. (213) 481-2800

Date: October 13, 2015

Cuisine: Filipino BBQ

Rating: Rich & tasty

Park’s Finest BBQ is a sort of Filipino / American BBQ hybrid located over in the North corner of Downtown.

The location isn’t much to look at, nor is the back of the building which literally abuts on the 101 freeway!

The menu.

Elote. Corn off the cob served with mayo, freshly grated parmesean cheese, topped with cayenne pepper. Delicious stuff. The cheese knocked up the corn.

Ann’s Cornbread Bibingka. A special take on cornbread – cornmeal is combined with rice flour, baked on a banana leaf bringing elements of a traditional filipino dessert. Wow was this tasty! Like cornbread with a bit of a sugar glaze.

Mt. Taal chicken. seasoned and smoke-roasted chicken. Pretty straight up.

Beef tri tip. tender season-crusted sirloin beef, cut deli thin and paired with home made horseradish sauce. Good, and lean as it goes for today’s fare.

Mt. Mayon hot link medley. smoked, sliced spicy sausages with sweet filipino longanisa. Awesomely tender, flavorful, and fatty.

Mt. Malindang pork ribs & riblets. seasoned, slow-smoked st. louis pork ribs and rib tips. Rich, fatty, and very smoky tasting.

Mama Leah’s coconut beef. smoked chuck roll, cubed, and stewed in a coconut cream. Awesome creamy beef — a must over rice.

Steamed white rice. a warm bowl of long grain jasmine rice.

Coconut banana leaf flan. Incredibly soft, rich, and delicious flan.

This wasn’t light fare by any means, but it sure was tasty. Definitely some of the most flavorful BBQ I’ve had in LA.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: bbq, Filipino Cuisine, Park's Finest BBQ

More Meat at Totoraku

Oct16

Restaurant: Totoraku [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]

Location: 10610 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064.

Date: October 14, 2015

Cuisine: Japanese Yakiniku

Rating: Best beef in town!

We often oscillate between 30 person mega dinners — quite the madness — and more intimate 10-15 person affairs. This was the later, with about 10-12 drinkers, and I much prefer this size. You can talk to everyone, bottles go all the way around, and the quality of the wines is generally more consistently higher.

The outside is basically a shell. The “Teriyaki House” has nothing to do with the food within, and the phone number is incorrect. The place is like a beef speakeasy!

The interior is a tad “minimalist.”

Here, chef Kaz Oyama, himself a part time Hedonist, sharpens his knives. Uh oh!

Bonus from my cellar: NV Vilmart & Cie Champagne Grand Cellier Brut. VM 92. Lemon peel, white flowers, mint, crushed rocks and almonds are some of the notes that meld together in the NV Cuvée Grand Cellier. The flavors are brisk, nuanced and pure in this refreshing, saline-inflected Champagne. Chardonnay plays the leading role in the Grand Cellier, and that comes through in the bright flavor profile. This release is 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir, 50% vintage 2010 and 25% each 2011 and 2012.

The appetizer plate. Lots of yummy little tidbits.

Uni risotto balls.

Salmon wrapped in daikon, stuffed with avocado and other vegetables.

A very soft gelatinous thing that probably had some crab in it, certainly veggies.

Fish with tomatoes.

2005 Aubert Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard. VM 95. It’s interesting to taste the 2005 Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard next to the Lauren. Here the flavors are quite a bit more mineral-driven, with plenty of graphite and crushed notes. Hints of orange peel and white truffles add the final layers of nuance. The 2005 Ritchie is a bit more forward than the Lauren, and has also aged with a bit less overall finesse, but that is a pretty small critique at this level.

Egg with pear, potato, and some kind of crisp.

Foie gras, some kind of fruit.

A white fish sashimi.

Shrimp with caviar.

Sesame tofu with pea.

Scott brought: 1977 Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia Vino da Tavola. 91 points. I’ve never had a Sassicaia this old and at first it was a touch thin, but it really opened up and was quiet nice and interesting.

Beef carpaccio with special salt, flowers, and some onion family derivative. Very yummy. This is eaten raw.

1988 Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia Vino da Tavola. 90 points. Perfectly matured yet fresh Cab nose, lovely red fruits, mineral, also cassis, lead pencil, strong presence of iron which is different than the last bottle, a hint of ash and tar and flower. Medium concentration, silky palate, strong presence of iron/mineral, nicely integrated tannins and seamless long finish. Other than a hint of tar, I would guess it as a perfectly mature classic cab if served blind. Lovely.

agavin: consensus at our dinner was that the 77 was a bit better than the 88

Two kinds of beef sashimi, eaten nearly raw. On the left beef tataki (rib eye) and on the right (in the cup) beef throat sashimi. Also on the plate is a bit of Korean style hot sauce (the red stuff), some intensely strong garlic (yum) and micro julienned ginger.

The throat was very chewy, more about texture. The rib eye soft and more flavorful. All went well with the garlic and ginger — I particularly liked the garlic.

From my cellar: 1986 Leoville-Las Cases. Parker 100! The late Michel Delon always thought that this was the greatest vintage he had produced. We often tasted it side by side with the 1982, because I always preferred the latter vintage. Of course, the two vintages are quite different in style, with the 1986 a monument to classicism, with great tannin, extraordinary delineation, and a huge, full-bodied nose of sweet, ripe cassis fruit intermixed with vanilla, melon, fruitcake, and a multitude of spices. The wine has always been phenomenally concentrated, yet wonderfully fresh and vigorous. The wine still seems young, yet it is hard to believe it is not close to full maturity. It is a great example of Leoville Las Cases, and another compelling reason to take a serious look at the top Cabernet Sauvignon-based Medocs of 1986. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2035.

agavin: really fabulous. Super smooth and balanced, mature with a youthful power. Long way to go here.

A raw beef dish. Marinated raw beef is seen here with ginger, raw egg, cucumber, daikon, pine nuts, and something orange. Apparently, this is a Korean dish called Yukhoe. Actually, I’ve had it at Korean places, but in any case it’s delicious.

The elements are mixed together and then eaten. It’s hard to describe why it’s so good, but it is, with a very complex flavor and texture interplay.

The tabletop grill we cook the rest of the dishes on.

Mark brought: 2000 Vega Sicilia Unico. Parker 93-98. In the absence of a 2001 Unico, Vega Sicilia has re-released the 2000 Unico which I reviewed in Issue 189. The 2000 Unico is deep crimson-colored with an ethereal perfume aided by its extended upbringing. Aromas of Asian spices, lavender, incense, truffle, and confiture of black fruits are compelling. Sweet, forward, rich, and hedonistic, it nevertheless has the balance and structure to continue evolving for another 5-10 years. In strong vintages Vega Sicilia drinks well at age 50 and I would expect the same of the 2000.

Beef tongue with salt. After cooking, you dip it in lemon juice.

Don’t put your tongue on the grill!

Larry brought: 2001 Penfolds Grange. Parker 98+. It is always a treat to taste Australia’s most famous wine, Penfolds’ Grange cuvee (the word Hermitage has been dropped because of legal issues). The 2001 Grange is one of the few vintages of this cuvee to be composed of 100% Shiraz (the others being 1951, 1952, 1963, 1999, and 2000). Aged 17 months in 100% American oak, and tipping the scales at 14.5% alcohol, the 2001 is undeniably one of the top examples of this wine. At this stage, it appears to eclipse the 1998 and 1996. Inky/blue/purple to the rim, with a stunning perfume of blueberries, blackberries, chocolate, graphite, and earth, it boasts good acidity, huge tannins, magnificent concentration, and a multilayered, textured mouthfeel. It is a big, but impeccably well-balanced Shiraz that should shed some of its structure and tannin over the next 4-5 years, and be at its best between 2010-2030+.

agavin: regarded by most at our dinner as the WOTN!

Filet Mignon with bell peppers, onions, and sisho pepper.

Filet on the grill.

2008 Penfolds Grange. Parker 100! Very deep garnet-purple in color the 2008 Grange reveals a truly decadent nose with tons of spices, fruit cake and black & blue fruit compote notes along with nuances of chocolate and potpourri. The full and rich, multi-layered palate has a little oak still showing, it is going through a little bit of a structural stand-out stage, but it doesn’t detract on the long and complex finish. It still needs a good few years to develop, though this very opulent, expressive Grange shows the very best of this vintage and the vineyards it hails from.

The “salad.” Cucumbers, carrots, daikon. The vegetables do help to move along the fat and protein heavy meat.

They are served with this spicy sweet miso dip.

Momotaro tomatoes with a vinaigrette. These are supposedly incredibly good tomatoes, as a hater, I didn’t try them. I think Oyama-san gets them from some special place in Orange Country.

Brock brought for Crystal: 2007 Vietti Barolo Riserva Villero. VM 96+. Vietti’s 2007 Barolo Riserva Villero is a flat out stunner. Dark red fruit, Villero spices, leather, tobacco, smoke and menthol come alive in a rich, sensual Barolo that captures the essence of this site. Rose petals, mint and sweet red berries flesh out on an inviting wine loaded with class and personality. Over time, the powerful, explosive style of the year becomes more evident. The fruit turns darker, more balsamic and also more intensely mineral.

agavin: too young, but you can tell it was an enormous and balanced wine.

Outside rib eye with special salt and garlic.

The outside rib eye on the grill.

After being flipped, green onion is added.

Yarom brought: 2001 Hundred Acre Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Kayli Morgan Vineyard. Parker 98. Having performed spectacularly well last year in the retrospective of ten-year old Napa Cabernets, this 2001 remains incredibly young, with all of its potential waiting to burst forth. Its dense purple color is followed by notes of mulberries, creme de cassis, blackberries, licorice, graphite and subtle smoke. The wine reveals fabulous fruit along with full-bodied power and a seamless integration of acidity, tannin, alcohol and wood. Forget it for another 4-5 years and drink it over the following 25-30 years.

agavin: really nice “for a California.” Very balanced and smooth.

Inside rib eye.

The inside rib eye on the grill. Probably my favorite cut.

Another bonus from my cellar: 2010 Dominique Lafon Meursault. 92 points. The 2010 Meursault emerges from the glass with notable elegance and class. This is a slightly more restrained, nervous style than fans of Comtes Lafon have become used to over the years. The 2010 is made from parcels in Petit Montagne, Charmes and Narvaux that belong to Dominique Lafon and that were once used in the Comtes Lafon Meursault.

As any regular Totoraku goer knows, any new dish is a big deal here, as the menu is very consistent. This is one of TWO new specials chef Kaz whipped up for us tonight, Sawara, a kind of Spanish Mackerel. It is considered the best kind of Mackerel in Japan. Not only it is a big variety, but its comparatively white flesh is succulent in almost any kind of cooking! Here we have it miso marinated and raw. We lightly seared it on the grill and enjoyed!

Awesome and very rich! One hell of a piece of grilled fish.

Kirk brought: 2002 Abreu Cabernet Sauvignon Madrona Ranch. Parker 100! The 2002 Madrona Ranch possesses an opaque blue/purple color as well as an extraordinary, enveloping, massive aromatic profile consisting of spring flowers, charcoal, lead pencil shavings, blueberries, raspberries and blackberry liqueur. In the mouth, there is sensational texture, full-bodied intensity, and terrific freshness, precision and vibrancy, despite what is undeniably a massive, rich, intense wine that should age well for another 25-35 years. The 2001s were about as profound as I have ever tasted from Abreu, but the 2002s may be even sexier since they are slightly more evolved.

“Special” beef. I think it was a form of sirloin. It was certainly good, very salted.

Grilling.

Brock brought: 2003 Chateau Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage A Jacques Perrin. Parker 95-98. The 2003 Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage a Jacques Perrin is a blend of 40% Mourvedre, 40% Grenache, 10% Syrah, and 10% Counoise (normally this cuvee includes 60% Mourvedre and 20% Grenache). A 50-year effort, it is closed, backward, and formidably tannic at present, but the color is a deep ruby/blue/purple, and the nose offers up scents of graphite, blueberries, black truffles, earth, smoke, and licorice. Ripe, full-bodied, and powerful, but searingly tannic, it will need at least a decade of cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2050. The irony is that in spite of the much higher percentage of Grenache, it is still extremely tannic and backward, even more so than the 2001, 2000, 1999, or 1998.

You have to special order the lamb, which like all of Kaz’s meats, is pretty wonderful.

On the grill.

One hell of a chop.

We char broiled it.

So much so that ash rained down from our efforts.

Brian brought: 2012 Sine Qua Non Grenache Stein. Parker 97-66. Starting with the Grenache release, the 2012 Grenache Stein is a blend of 76% Grenache, 16% Syrah and 8% Mourvedre, aged in 14% new French oak (15% was in concrete), that comes mostly from the estate’s Eleven Confessions Vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills, but also includes grapes from the Cumulus, Third Twin (Syrah) and Bien Nacido vineyards. Checking in at 15.7% alcohol, it’s no lightweight, yet it has considerable elegance in its sweet blackcurrants, white pepper, licorice, baking spices and hints of violet-like aromas and flavors. Possessing the hallmark purity of the estate, it’s full-bodied, concentrated, rich and textured, with sweet tannin barely noticeable on the finish. I don’t think it’s one of the greatest Grenaches from the estate, yet it’s still an incredible effort that will benefit from short-term cellaring and have 15-20 years or more of overall longevity.

Skirt steak.

On the grill.

Toto serves homemade ice creams and sorbets as dessert.

So chaotic was this giant night that they brought out all five flavors on each plate and just placed them about the tables. I like the ice creams better than the sorbets here. The white chocolate was fantastic. Still, it’s all great.

To show the epic white chocolate raspberry, I had to turn around the plate.

This evening was quite awesome. We had a smaller party (12-15), with a few non drinkers. Thus every wine easily made it all the way around. Additionally, everyone really stepped up and we had some pretty epic grapes. At least 3 official Parker 100s!

More crazy Hedonist adventures or

LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Barbecue, bbq, hedonists, Japanese cuisine, Kaz Oyama, Totoraku, Wine, Yakinaku

Barrel & Ashes – BBQ Go Big

Mar20

Restaurant: Barrel & Ashes

Location: 11801 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, CA 91604. (818) 623-8883

Date: March 16, 2015

Cuisine: American BBQ

Rating: Amazing Meats

My Hedonist group will eat anything — well anything good. It can be fancy or casual, but there’s (almost) always wine.

Barrel and Ashes is a collaboration between restaurateur Bill Chait, Chef Timothy Hollingsworth, Chef Rory Hermann and mixologist Julian Cox riffing on the classical pairing of bourbon and barbecue.

The menu focuses on family style service with daily specials from both executive chefs Timothy and Rory, and Chef de Cuisine, Michael Kahikina.

Barrel and Ashes features picnic style seating on the front patio, communal and traditional seating inside, and additional seating on the rear patio that showcases a Texas style food trailer.

The menu.

2005 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Coeur de Cuvée. Vinous 93. Bright yellow. Sexy, smoke-tinged aromas of ripe citrus fruits, poached pear and candied ginger. Spicy, penetrating and pure, offering intense Meyer lemon and bitter pear skin flavors plus hints of honeysuckle and chamomile. Shows impressive urgency and focus on the finish, with the floral note echoing.

agavin: awesome champy

Pear & Endive Salad. Goat Cheese, Walnut, Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette.

2010 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc. VM 94. Pale straw-yellow. Lemon, chamomile, vanilla, ginger and a faint lactic nuance on the restrained, minerally nose. Pliant and sweet in the mouth, offering good concentration and fat to the vinous lemon, guava and grapefruit flavors. Very minerally on the long finish, showing lingering notes of peach, vanilla and coconut. This should age splendidly and will probably be at its best between 2020 and 2035.

agavin: Dave had opened this a couple days before to get it to open up. Quite nice with a lot of minerality.

Caesar Salad. Tuscan Kale, Romaine, Crouton. A nice cheesy salad.

From my cellar: 1998 Domaine du Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée. Parker 95. The 1998 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reserve showed the warmth and richness of the vintage, with knockout kirsch and blackberry fruit, garrigue, game and leather aromas and flavors that literally come jumping from the glass. Full-bodied, rich, textured and beautifully focused, if not still structured, it’s a rock-star to drink through 2020 or so.

Frito pie. Fritos smothered in chili, beans, cheese, sour cream etc.

agavin: This is oh so easy to digest! (but tasty)

1994 Bodegas Alejandro Fernández Ribera del Duero Tinto Pesquera Reserva Especial. 93 points. Fabulous, mature tempranillo from a top estate in Ribero. This was packed with red cherry flavours, gentle tannins and perfect acidic balance.

Spicy Pork rinds. Malt Vinegar Mayonnaise.

agavin: actually, some of the best pork rinds I’ve had.

2001 Joseph Phelps Insignia Proprietary Red Wine. Parker 98-99. Still a young wine at age 12, the 2001 Insignia exhibits a dense purple color along with a sweet bouquet of camphor, blackberries, cassis, incense and spring flowers. Full-bodied, rich and heady with sweet tannin, stunning concentration and a fabulous finish, this remarkable Insignia has 25 or more years of life ahead of it.

Smoked Chicken Wings. Shaved vegetables, blue cheese sauce.

agavin: really great wings, although hardly good wine pairing with that blue cheese sauce!

Grilled Blue Prawns. Chili, cilantro, lime.

agavin: These were actually a freebee, given to us at the end of the dinner, but properly they are an appetizer.

Boning it again.

2006 Booker Vineyard Fracture. Parker 91. The 2006 Fracture is the most backward of the 2006s, yet it is well-endowed, muscular, and dense as well as promising. Forget it for several years, and drink it over the next decade.

Mary’s Free Range Chicken.

agavin: soft and tender.

2005 Saxum Rocket Block James Berry Vineyard. Parker 96. Another superb southern Rhone-like blend (Chateauneuf du Pape-like actually) that comes from a single block of James Berry Vineyard, the 2005 Rocket Block James Berry Vineyard offers off-the-hook levels of sweet blackcurrants, black raspberries, exotic spices, crushed flowers and hints of incense on the nose. Full-bodied, super-concentrated and sweetly fruited, with a voluptuous and rounded texture, this beauty is drinking perfectly now, and should continue to thrill for another 4-5 years.

Sausage – Electric City Butchers. O.G. and Jalapeno cheddar.

agavin: the cheesy ones were insane!

2004 Alban Vineyards Pandora. Parker 96-97. The 2004 Pandora (80% Grenache and 20% Syrah), is deeper in color and completely opaque. Slightly more voluptuous and rich, with the Syrah giving some heft to the mid-palate, it offers up layers of black raspberry, black currants, cured meats, iodine and crushed rock-like minerality on the nose. This flows to a full-bodied, beautifully textured and seamless wine that has no hard edges, thrilling richness and a blockbuster finish. Gaining a tad more richness with time in the glass, it still has only hints of maturity and has a long life ahead of it. Enjoy bottles anytime over the coming decade (or more).

Spare Ribs – Salmon Creek Farms.

agavin: really great tender ribs with lots of flavor.

2006 Pax Cellars Syrah Kobler Family Vineyard. Parker 91. From a cool Green Valley site, the deep ruby/purple-tinged 2006 Syrah Kobler Family Vineyard exhibits hints of lard, blackberries, asphalt, and smoke, medium to full body, sweet tannin, and a spicy finish. Drink it over the next 5-7 years.

Pork Short Rib. Heritage Berkshire Pork.

agavin: a table favorite, totally fell off the bone.

2004 Hundred Acre Vineyard Shiraz Summer’s Block Ancient Way. VM 92. Dark ruby. Deeply pitched aromas of cassis, dried cherry and singed plum, with a smoky overtone and a suggestion of cured tobacco. Lush, sweet and smoky on the palate, offering superripe dark fruit flavors with suggestions of cola, chewing tobacco and mocha. Extremely rich and verging on thick, in the style of this bottling, but showing surprising vivacity, especially at a decade of age. A peppery note adds lift and bite to the long, smoky, gently tannic finish.

Brisket – Greater Omaha C.A.B.

agavin: the #1 favorite at the table. Hands down the best brisket I’ve had. If only I knew how to make it like this at home!

2007 Sine Qua Non Grenache Pictures. VM 95. Deep, bright ruby. Wild aromas of black raspberry compote, mocha, Asian spices and incense. Expansive and deeply concentrated, with obvious sweetness to its very intense red fruit, floral and spicecake flavors. Shows real spine and outstanding finesse for a rich wine. Finishes vibrant and extremely long, with great spicy perfume.

Parker 97. 2007 Pictures Grenache: A blend of 87% Grenache, 11.5% Syrah, and 1.5% Viognier, this wine has wonderful floral notes intermixed with black raspberries, black cherries, licorice, graphite and some camphor. In the mouth, more white chocolate notes appear, along with meatiness and some silky tannins. Its great purity, density and richness make me think this wine could even improve a few points and flirt with perfection. This stunning wine should drink nicely for another 10-15 years.

Miner’s Potatoes.

agavin: I’m not that into this kind of potato.

Coleslaw.

agavin: nice to have some “greens.” haha

Hoe Cake.

agavin: insanely good too, like cornbread deep fried in butter.

Shells and Cheese.

agavin: mac and cheese, but a good one.

Pork n’ Beans.

agavin: I love baked beans, even if they don’t love me, and this was a fabulous one with tones of bacony pork.

Hush Puppies.

agavin: not bad for fried corn balls.

Braised Greens.

agavin: I skipped this. Too healthy!

Turtle Ice Cream Cake. Pecans, Salted Caramel, Chocolate.

With the caramel. Awesome stuff. Nice textural play between the cold, warm, crunchy, and soft.

Cobbler. Spiced apples, Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream.

agavin: great apple cobbler.

Banana Pudding. Toasted meringue and ‘nilla wafers.

agavin: I don’t like bananas but this had a nice texture and slightly “spicy” (nutmeg?) flavor.

Lemon Pudding Cake. Thyme, White Chocolate.

agavin: yum.

Barrel & Ashes was some pretty awesome BBQ. First of all, we sat outside on this lovely warm night. Second, the service was first rate. As usual, they weren’t really equipped to deal with our kind of group (not very many wine glasses etc), but they really went out of their way to pull it off. The pacing started out great with slow apps, then we got all the entrees in one giant wave. Our fault, as we didn’t specify. Next time we need to stage out the entrees two at a time or something to give us more runway on the wine. Didn’t matter though, because it was awesome fun and totally delicious.

The meats and sides were pretty off the chart delicious — particularly the meats. The brisket, links, pork short rib. Wow!

The giant wines worked for once too 🙂

For more LA dining reviews click here.

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

The back seat of Dr. Dave’s car as he pulled up — ready to go obviously!

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Barrel & Ashes, bbq, Bill Chait, Meat, Rory Hermann, Tim Hollingsworth, Ventura Boulevard, Wine

Holy Cow!

Mar16

Restaurant: Holy Cow

Location: 264 26th Street. Santa Monica, CA 90402. 310-883-6COW

Date: November 24 and December 1, 2014

Cuisine: American BBQ

Rating: Great meats

I’m always excited about anything new this close to my house (15 minutes), and seeing as we have absolutely no good BBQ closer than maybe Culver City, the opening of an up-to-date smoked meat place at the Brentwood Country Mart is great news.

The frontage is right next to The Little Door and across from Sweet Rose.

The interior is fast casual, you order at the counter. While I hate that for dinner places, I’m a big fan for lunch joints like this that one might tend to visit alone.

The menu.

I ordered a three meat combo.

BBQ Brisket. Dense, but tender. Delicious with the sauces too.

Pulled pork. This is where it’s really at. Great stuff, with a soft texture and nice smokey flavor.

Hot links. Spicy porky fatty goodness. Can’t complain.

Tri tip. Tasty and tender. I have mixed opinion about those fatty bits at the end, but hey, that’s just me.

THE HOG. Smoked pulled pork, Carolina sauce, slaw, crispy onion, B&B pickles, brioche bun. Pretty superb sandwich. Like a great slight update to the Carolina classic.

Mac & Cheese. Vermont white & yellow cheddar, munster, gruyere, béchamel. This was okay, but could have been more intensely cheesy.

Fried cornbread. This was the only disappointing dish I ordered. Basically these are hushpuppies. They had a chewy texture but didn’t give me that soft cornbread goodness that I was looking for.

Overall, this was some great BBQ. I’ll have to return and try more stuff, like the baby back ribs! BBQ is all about the meat and the main meats were all fabulous. Very modern presentation and nice selection of sauces and pickles. It all reminds me of The BBQ Joint in Easton MD, which is only a good thing.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Barbecue, Barbecue sauce, bbq, Brentwood, Holy Cow, Pulled Pork, Santa Monica

Eastern Promises – BBQ Joint

Jul15

Restaurant: BBQ Joint

Location: 216 East Dover Street, Suite 201. Easton, MD 21601. 410-690-3641

Date: May 24, 2014

Cuisine: BBQ

Rating: Some of the best BBQ I’ve had

The Eastern Shore of Maryland is usually considered a seafood zone, being known for its awesome blue crab, but local residents don’t turn their nose at any Southern American favorites.

Located in quaint old Easton.

The menu.

The house made sauces (mostly a choice of sweet or spicy).

Sawdust floors.

Some sides, like applesauce, mac & cheese, and cornbread.

A pulled chicken sandwich and collard greens.

Salad. I like the “paper” plate.

This side plate has a roll and slaw.

Part of our BBQ sampler. featuring ribs (wet), BBQ chicken, chopped beef brisket, and pulled pork.

A pulled pork sandwich (front right). The pulled pork is a Carolina style. In the back are ribs “dry” and in the front baked beans (with pork of course).

The BBQ joint is as described, pretty straight up BBQ, but wow, was it tasty. This was some darn good smoked meat!

For more Washington dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Barbecue, Barbecue chicken, bbq, BBQ Joint, Easton Maryland, Maryland, Meat, Pig, pork, Pulled Pork, ribs

Eating Saigon – Hoa Tuc

Mar26

Restaurant: Hoa Tuc

Location: 74/7 Hai Ba Trung, Dist. 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Date: March 22, 2014

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Rating: Fresh flavors

For our first real dinner in Vietnam a friend of ours sent us down the street to this upscale Vietnamese place (imagine that — in Vietnam no less!). Although, actually, there does appear to be a wide variety of Japanese, Chinese, and other cuisines in Ho Chi Minh City.

The interior is nice and there is a lovely patio outside for those willing to brave the 80 something evening.

The menus here seem to be gigantic.

Shrimp chips take the place of bread on the table.

And in true Vietnamese form every dish comes with its own sauce. Left peanut, top tamarind (with chili), right sweet, fish chili, on the bottom salt and lime.

Fresh spring rolls with pork and white rice noodle. In America, we’d call these Saigon spring rolls. Well, how apropos. Here they are delicious. An immunologist I know told me to stay away from any leafy washed vegetables — but since that would meaning eating only Pho, we throw caution to the wind and enjoy these delicious puppies (with the peanut sauce).

Fresh homemade tofu pan fried in light batter with mint, chili, and lime. Very light and fluffy.

RYO – char grilled beef in betel leaves with white noodles and rice paper. A bit of each of the wild collection of greens, some noodles, and one of the beef rolls are all assembled in a sheet of rice paper, rolled, and dipped in the fish sauce. In that pile are baby banana slices, star anise, mint, basil, cucumber and more. The combo tastes great. Very fresh and bright.

Mini rice and coconut pancakes with shrimp and spring onions. Another pile of greens! Also very soft and interesting flavors.

BBQ sea bass with avocado mango salsa. A nice light fish.

Chicken wings in a sweet chili sauce. Yummy, like Vietnamese fried chicken.

Braised duck leg in mandarin zest and ginger sauce. Tasty, but a little hard to saw the meat off the bone.

Prawns fried in “green rice” with passionfruit dipping sauce. The green rice turned out to be puffed rice, much like rice crispies!

Passion fruit custard. Yum!

Red bean and black sesame rice balls. Very asian, warm and sticky.

Banana fritter with vanilla ice cream.

Overall, a tasty meal full of bright delicious flavors.

For more Vietnam dining reviews, click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: bbq, eating-vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City, Hoa Tuc, Saigon, spring roll, Vietnam, Vietnamese cuisine

Seoul Sausage Kingdom

Sep16

Restaurant: Seoul Sausage Co.

Location: 11313 Mississippi Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90025. (310) 477-7739

Date: September 20, 2013

Cuisine: Korean… sorta

Rating: Tasty!

LA is a funny kind of foodie town, being divided into both wildly experimental cuisine, classic ethnic, and a not-so-in-the-closet love affair with fast food. And let’s not forget Asian fusion. One of the current trends seems to be updating classic American fast foods with crazy cross-cultural insertions. This is nowhere more obvious than in the rash of new gourmet food trucks that offer things like “kalbi tacos” and “Thai shrimp burgers.”

Seoul Sausage Co. has a storefront, but it’s very much in this vein, offering up a tiny menu of fat and flavor driven Korean/American hybrid dishes.

This is a tiny place affording only counter service.

The short little menu.

Some of the rice balls waiting to be re-heated.

The sandwich makes for easy take-away.

Kalbi Sausage. Handmade Korean BBQ beef sausage w/ garpic jalapeno aioli and kimchi relish. This was a pretty delicious “hot dog.” The sausage was succulent and flavorful and the aioli added a nice brightness.

A pair of balls and their sauce. These balls are like vaguely Asian Arincini (a similar Italian food consisting of deep fried rice balls — it may even date from the Roman Empire!).

On the left, the Lil’ Osaka Ball. Japanese curry rice ball w/ ground kalbi and potatoes served w/ shoga siracha mayo.

On the right, Flaming Ball. Cheesy kimchi fried rice w/ spicy pork served w/ DMZ sauce (garlic jalepeno kimchi siracha aioli).

Neither was actually hot (by my standards). Both were tasty, a bit mild, and I liked the Osaka Ball better (it tasted like Japanese brown curry).

Next door is Blockheads, a shaved ice joint.

I experimented with this classic sweet ice (shaved frozen sweetened condensed milk) and chocolate, almonds, and brownies. I should have gone with Mango or some other fruit version.

Sawtelle has morphed in recent years into a rather excellent lunch destination, offering up a bevy of yummy (and quick) eats. There is a lot of traditional Japanese and Korean, plus these newer more experimental places.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: bbq, Fast food, Japanese curry, Kalbi, Sausage, Sawtelle, Seoul Sausage Co., Spam

Hedonists Cook the Goose

Dec19

Restaurant: Sham Tseng BBQ

Location: 203 West Valley Blvd, Alhambra, CA. 626-289-4858

Date: December 17, 2012

Cuisine: Cantonese Chinese

Rating: Awesome goose!

It’s time for the next Hedonist adventure, this time out into the San Gabriel Valley for some really serious Cantonese.

The interior is typical of Inland Empire Chinese restaurants.

We had a private room and (for a Chinese restaurant) excellent service.

The menu. Haha. You can find one in English here.

Parker 90. “This 100% Semillon made from relatively young vines in the Haut-Brion vineyard is crisp, steely, with plenty of grapefruit, lemon zest, and white currants in a medium-bodied, fresh, lively style.” Very youthful for a 15 year-old white, it had plenty of mineralogy and floral components.

These peppers were on the table in case things grew too bland.

The NV Brut Rose is a pretty, gracious wine. Freshly cut roses, red berries and spices take shape nicely in the glass as the wine shows off its understated, timeless personality. Billecart-Salmon’s NV Brut Rose is a reliably tasty wine.

c

A bonus wine from my cellar, “Incorporating fruit principally from Wehlener Nonnenberg, Graacher Himmelreich, and Bernkasteler Johannisbrunnchen, the generic Prum 2010 Riesling Kabinett displays an archetypal Mosel Riesling nose of fresh apple, lemon, and clover allied to faintly cheesy, leesy youthful “stink”; and comes to the palate bright and zippy, with hints of wet stone, and prominent cyanic piquancy of apple pit invigoratingly extending its mouthwateringly juicy, if tart and relatively simple finish.”

And another lovely Riesling, this one with more age and sweetness. As I’ve said before, Riesling pairs very nicely with Asian food.

Sliced suckling pig. The layer of fat notwithstanding, this was some delectable stuff. It had the plum based duck sauce on the side too which I love.

Another white, in the Sancerre style more or less.

A vegetarian dish combining mixed Chinese vegetables and this kind of spongy stuff I’ve had lots of times but have no idea what it is. It’s one of those textural Asian ingredients that is a bit weird to the American palette.

Some more whites.

Crispy roast goose with sweet sauce. This stuff was awesome, like Peking duck, minus the pancakes, but even darker and richer. It went perfectly with the sweet sauce too.

Parker 92, “The 2002 Pinot Noir Kistler Vineyard offers wonderful sweet raspberry and cherry fruit with a hint of framboise, a deep plum/ruby/purple color, medium body, and good vibrancy in a medium to full-bodied, feminine style.”

Not bad for a new world pinot, and in the Burgundy style. Of course it’s no Burgundy.

Parker 91-93, “Following the brilliant success of Kistler’s 2007s, Steve Kistler and his sidekick, Mark Bixler, deserve kudos for what they have achieved in the more challenging 2008 vintage. This is the first vintage in which 100% of the fermentations were indigenous, and, fortunately, all their Sonoma Coast vineyards were far enough south that they were not tainted by any of the smoke from the ferocious fires that spread through Mendocino. The 2008s appear to be slightly more fruit-forward, with a touch less minerality than the 2007s.”

Duck tongue in spicy oil. These looked disgusting. The idea is repulsive, but hey, they tasted pretty damn good. Sweet and very fried.

The last of the new world pinots.

Soy sauce crispy quail. Also very good, although there is that high bone to meat ratio that is always the case with small birds.

From my cellar, the first of the “real” pinots. Burghound 95, “A perfumed, complex and mostly still primary nose offers up earthy red berry fruit, underbrush and a touch of animale that can also be found on the generous and quite fleshy flavors that possess excellent volume as well as buckets of dry extract that almost render the firm and ripe tannins invisible on the massively long finish. Wow, this is a stunner of a wine with still plenty of upside potential remaining.”

Shredded potato with dried chili. It is what it is.

This Burg was my favorite wine of the night and, alas, I didn’t bring it. It had mellowed into that wonderful brick colored secondary flavor vibe that older Burgundy gets. Lovely.

Green Mustard greens with garlic in supreme broth.

From my cellar. This puppy was still a bit closed and the fruit was hiding. Nice, but it should have been better.

Deep Fried Crispy Intestine with Fruit Nectar. Okay, this stuff LOOKS nasty. It tasted so fried that you couldn’t really tell what it was. I’m still feeling a little queazy.

Another grand cru. Parker 91-93, “The Bocquenet 2005 Echezeaux – from high up in the Rouges du Bas section, adjoining Les Beaux Monts – exhibits abundant, nose- and palate-filling black fruits, prominent sweet spiciness, formidable though fine tannins, and a long, sweet, smoky, very lightly cooked and caramelized finish that is sumptuous even with the tannins. It will take years for them to round out, but some progress may well be made in tank prior to bottling.”

Goose intestine stir fried with green onions.

Parker 93, “Based on the strength of his 1994s, proprietor Roman Bratasiuk was named one of my “Wine Producers of the Year” in issue #108. His skill in turning old head-pruned vines into majestic wines of extraordinary richness and purity has been confirmed with the release of the 1995s. These wines are massive and rich as well as extraordinarily well-balanced and pure. I have never tasted an Australian Merlot that was more concentrated than Penfold’s Grange, a Shiraz-based wine. Clarendon Hills’ 1995 Merlot (250 cases available for America) is an opaque purple-colored wine with a knock-out nose of raspberry liqueur, chocolate, smoke, and spice. The wine is enormously extracted with a density and texture reminiscent of pre-1976 vintages of Petrus. Sumptuous, and almost over the top in its richness and density, this unctuously thick, full-bodied wine is fabulous to smell, taste, and consume. This is great stuff! As youthful as this Merlot is, I have no doubt it will last for 15 or more years. These are amazing wines.”

Crispy tofu with 3 ingredient. This stuff was pretty good. Very soft and fluffy, like tofu marshmallows.

Parker 90,”The 1999 Altagracia, a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon cuvee from estate vineyards, is the debut vintage. The wine is medium to full-bodied, with low acidity, and plump, sweet, pure, black currant fruit intermixed with mineral and licorice notes. This delicious Cabernet is on a faster revolutionary track than its more profound sibling, the celebrated Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.”

Crispy fried frogs. They tasted like fry but had all sorts of little bones inside.

Parker 91, “Smoke, cedar, tobacco and earthiness are among the nuances that come to life in the estate’s 1999 Barbera d’Asti Vigna del Noce. Some of the primary fruit has melted away, resulting in a highly complex, engaging Barbera that is very rewarding to drink now.”

Honey BBQ Ribs with Black pepper. Good stuff. Another of my favorite dishes. A tad chewy, but very tasty (and fried).

Parker 93, “This is unquestionably a profound Grand-Puy-Lacoste, but it is excruciatingly backward. It reveals an essence of creme de cassis character which sets it apart from other Pauillacs. The wine is displaying plenty of tannin, huge body, and sweet black currant fruit intermixed with minerals and subtle oak. Massive, extremely structured, and with 25-30 or more years of longevity, this immensely-styled Grand-Puy-Lacoste will require 7-8 years of patience, perhaps longer. A superb, classic Pauillac.”

Goose webs (feet) in brown sauce. Ick!

Another new world red I don’t know much about.

Crispy fried fish. Good, and again, very fried.

One of those Rhone style new non-AOC French wines. Not unlike their Spanish counterparts, these are big, bold, grapey beasts.

Sweet and sour pork. Also really tasty, because of all that fry. There were little bones and gristle bits in here, so you kind of gnaw pleasantly on them.

A big, bold classic Saint-Joseph. A bit rustic, but full of flavor.

Black cod with Ginger, Green Onion & Dry Bean Stick.

This was way, way too young, but it is a raison/grape monster and actually fairly enjoyable. Imagine mixing Welches Grape Concentrate with a 1/4 the water you should.

Parker 94, “The 2009 Bone Rock is a round, enticing red laced with sweet, succulent dark cherries, plums, flowers and spices. It shows remarkable intensity and fabulous balance. Bone Rock is made from the first blocks planted in the James Berry vineyard and is predominantly Syrah, while the James Berry Vineyard (the wine) is Grenache focused. In 2009 the blend was 57% Syrah, 31% Mourvedre and 12% Grenache. The Syrah component was vinified with 100% stems and saw a maceration lasting 50 days. The wine was aged in 60% new oak. Smith bottled the 2009 in May 2011, earlier than the norm (around 30 months), as he wanted to preserve the freshness he had in the tannins.”

Red cod with soy sauce and green onion. Another fish. I think half of this one was actually our fried fish! Pretty typical Chinese whole fish in this prep.

Mango pudding. These were tasty little mango cups. There was some sweetened condensed milk on the side too one could add on top. A nice finish.

Overall, this was fabulous fun, food, and wine. There were a number of really outstanding dishes (like the goose, roast pig, etc) and everything was well executed — even if a few were a little squirmy for my taste (intestines!). Things were very fried, but that’s this cuisine. I actually like many other regional cuisines in China better than Cantonese. Szechuan for example, but that didn’t stop this from being a wonderful meal.

Umm, that goose was so good!

For more crazy Hedonist and Foodie Club meals.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Yes, he’s chomping down on a goose foot!

By: agavin
Comments (9)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Barbecue, bbq, Chinese cuisine, Foodie Club, Goose, hedonists, Riesling, Roast Goose, Sham Tseng, suckling pig, Wine tasting descriptors

Totoraku – Hedonists Beef Up

Nov05

Restaurant: Totoraku [1, 2, 3]

Location: 10610 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064.

Date: November 1, 2012

Cuisine: Japanese Yakiniku

Rating: Best beef in town!

The Hedonists ride again, this time to my favorite Japanese beef joint, Totoraku. I‘ve reviewed this peculiar (but fantastic) invitation only restaurant before. It serves a very refined version of Japanese Yakiniku, which is Beef BBQ originally from Korea but filtered through Japanese sensibility.

The outside is basically a shell. The “Teriyaki House” has nothing to do with the food within, and the phone number is incorrect. The place is like a beef speakeasy!

At Hedonist events everyone brings a bottle of two of great wine. We open with this champagne. The NV Brut Rose is a pretty, gracious wine. Freshly cut roses, red berries and spices take shape nicely in the glass as the wine shows off its understated, timeless personality. Billecart-Salmon’s NV Brut Rose is a reliably tasty wine.

The only thing that really changes at Totoraku is this impressive looking appetizer spread. This is for four people. Everyone gets a bite sized bit of each.

Sockeye salmon wrapped in jicama, with avocado and a kind of soba.

Melon and salami, a different take on the classic.

Tuna sashimi in a sauce.

Little cubes of tofu.

Hard boiled qual egg stuffed with cod row and crab. Tasted like a deviled egg!

Asparagus in a butter sauce.

Really tender fresh abalone with yuzu pepper.

Shrimp on radicchio with caviar.

Chef Kaz and his assistant plating the food in the kitchen.

This older 1984 Grace Family Cab was a surprisingly fresh entrée into the world of reds.

Beef carpaccio with special salt, flowers, and some onion family derivative. Very yummy. This is eaten raw.

We moved up to a more recent vintage of the same wine. Parker 90. “The 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon (260 cases) offers plenty of up-front sweet black currant fruit mixed with toasty new oak and mineral characteristics. It is medium-bodied, plump, and accessible, revealing good fruit in its subtle, restrained personality.”

The throat was very chewy, more about texture. The rib eye soft and more flavorful. All went well with the garlic and ginger — I particularly liked the garlic.

A new release from Vega Sicilia, Spain’s most renowned winery, is the 1995 Valbuena (magnum). A plum/ruby color is followed by aromas of sweet black fruits intermixed with licorice, earth, and spicy oak. Full-bodied, with excellent concentration, a juicy, layered texture, and fine purity, it is forward and plush.

The elements are mixed together and then eaten. It’s hard to describe why it’s so good, but it is, with a very complex flavor and texture interplay.

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

Beef tongue with salt.

Don’t put your tongue on the grill!

BBQ to perfect, and add a bit of scallions, then dip in lemon juice and enjoy. This is about the most tender tongue I’ve had (and I’ve had plenty). It’s still a dense slightly rubbery texture, but delicious.

Parker 89, “The 1988 has an aroma of exotic spices, minerals, blackcurrants, and oak. In the mouth, it is a much firmer, tougher, more obviously tannic wine than the 1989. It is a beautifully made 1988 that will last 20-30 years, but the astringency of the tannins is slightly troubling. Patience will be a necessity for purchasers of this wine.”

I agree with Parker, this was full of heavy duty Bordeaux-style sour tannins. Not really a very pleasant effort.

Filet Mignon with bell peppers, onions, and sisho pepper.

93 points, “Deep garnet purple color. Aromas of chocolate malt, vanilla, berry pie, and toffee with a supple dryish medium-to-full and a craisin, pencil shaving, baked apple, brown spice, and earth with chewy tannins. Very nicely balanced and elegant.”

Filet on the grill.

Parker 91, “The medium to dark ruby-colored 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon Champoux Vineyard displays creamy, sweet, Connecticut white corn, and black cherry aromas. Medium to full-bodied and satin-textured, it is an intense, blackberry and dark cherry-flavored wine. This expressive, flavorful offering has outstanding follow-through from its attack to its long, seamless, and focused finish.”

Momotaro tomatoes with a vinaigrette. These are supposedly incredibly good tomatoes, as a hater, I didn’t try them. I think Oyama-san gets them from some special place in Orange Country.

The “salad.” Cucumbers, carrots, daikon.

They are served with this spicy sweet miso dip. The vegetables do help to move along the fat and protein heavy meat.

Parker 95, “There are 475 cases of the 2007 IX Syrah Estate, which offers up flowery, roasted meat, balsamic, tar, and blackberry characteristics in a full-bodied format. The wine reveals sweet tannin, and layers of fruit, including a note of lavender that emerges as the wine sits in the glass. It should drink well for a decade.”

We also had a Colgin Cab, but I can’t remember what year and I missed taking a picture of it.

More meat on the grill.

From my cellar: Parker 96, “The 1995 is spectacular. When Emmanuel Reynaud said it was evolving quickly, in essence repudiating this vintage, I immediately drank two bottles of this glorious elixir. It does not reveal the over-ripeness of the 1990, bringing to mind a hypothetical blend of the great 1989 and 1978. Deeply-colored and still young, with black currant/creme de cassis-like characteristics, huge body, yet great structure and delineation, this is a classic Rayas that is totally different than the 1990. It should continue to improve in the bottle and may merit an even higher score. While it can be drunk now, it will be even better with 3-4 years of cellaring.”

Outside rib eye with special salt and garlic.

Parker 94+, “A very great wine, the dark garnet-hued 1980. Still a young wine at age 29, it exhibits massive earthy, meaty, bacon fat notes intermixed with notions of scorched earth, blackberries, currants, pepper, and spice. Full and rich with slightly rustic tannins, it has a good 20 years of life ahead of it.

Grange, Penfolds’ flagship wine, is, by many accounts, the most renowned and world-famous wine produced in Australia, and these six vintages from my cellar all acquitted themselves well. These wines are almost always Shiraz, but many vintages include less than 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and there are cross-appellations blends from vineyards in the Barossa and McLaren Vale.”

Inside rib eye.

Parker 95-98, “The 1998 Syrah E-Raised is great stuff. The blended Syrah comes from different vineyard sources, primarily the Alban Vineyard in San Luis Obispo, and Bien Nacido and Stolpman Vineyards in Santa Barbara. These wines are always amusingly named (Black and Blue, Against the Wall, Imposter McCoy). All the components were tasted, and even the least impressive cuvee was tipping my olfactory and sensual charts at 93 and 94 points, with the finest cuvees ranging up near perfect 97 or 98 point totals. It is black-colored, jammy and super-intense with awesome concentration, terrific, chewy, explosive flavors of blackberries, cherries, and cassis interfused with creosote, pepper, and vanillin. All the cuvees are gorgeously pure, thick, and rich. As they sit in the glass, notes of roasted coffee, licorice, smoke, and barbecue spices emerge, giving them another dimension of complexity. It is hard to make a prediction at this point, given how sensational previous vintages have been, but it would not surprise me to see the 1998 Syrah turn out to be the finest yet from Sine Qua Non.”

I’ve been to Toto at least 10 times, but this is the first time I’ve ever had the lamb, which like all of Kaz’s meats, is pretty wonderful.

This was really a loaner from a neighboring table, but we drank some anyway. 1,000 thanks!

Parker 96-100, “During its first 10-12 years of life, this was a perfect wine, but it now seems to be in a stage where the fruit is still present, but the previous exuberance and intensity have faded slightly. There is plenty of amber at the edge, and this medium to full-bodied wine shows notes of menthol, cedar, spice box, plums, and black cherries. Owners of 750 ml bottles should plan on consuming it over the next 4-6 years. Magnums should be less evolved, and merit a score 4 to 6 points higher.”

King crab legs.

From my cellar: Parker 96, “What sumptuous pleasures await those who purchase either the 1996 or 1995 Pichon-Lalande. It is hard to choose a favorite, although the 1995 is a smoother, more immediately sexy and accessible wine. It is an exquisite example of Pichon-Lalande with the Merlot component giving the wine a coffee/chocolatey/cherry component to go along with the Cabernet Sauvignon’s and Cabernet Franc’s complex blackberry/cassis fruit. The wine possesses an opaque black/ruby/purple color, and sexy, flamboyant aromatics of pain grille, black fruits, and cedar. Exquisite on the palate, this full-bodied, layered, multidimensional wine should prove to be one of the vintage’s most extraordinary success stories.”

“Special” beef. I think it was a form of sirloin. It was certainly good, very salted.

Another loaner (they sure had great wine). Parker 98, “A magnificent example of Chateau Margaux and one of the most tannic, backward Margauxs of the last 50 years, the 1986 continues to evolve at a glacial pace. The color is still a dense ruby/purple with just a hint of lightening at the rim. With several hours of aeration, the aromatics become striking, with notes of smoke, toast, creme de cassis, mineral, and white flowers. Very full-bodied, with high but sweet tannin, great purity, and a very masculine, full-bodied style, this wine should prove nearly immortal in terms of its aging potential. It is beginning to budge from its infantile stage and approach adolescence.”

Special beef on the grill.

And the final loaner. This was a total stunner. Parker 100, “For the fourth time, the Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee da Capo has been produced, and for the fourth time, it has received a perfect score although I might back off the 2000’s perfect score based on the fact that it seems to be more of an upper-ninety point wine than pure perfection these days. The 2003 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee da Capo has distanced itself ever so slightly from the 2003 Cuvee Reservee. Before bottling and immediately after bottling, these two wines’ differences were not as evident. At present the Capo reveals that extra level of flavor, power, complexity and richness. It is a big wine (16.1% alcohol – less than in the 1998, but more than in the 2000 and 2007) boasting a dark plum/garnet color as well as a stunning bouquet of aged beef intermixed with pepper, herbes de Provence, and steak au poivre. This unctuously textured, full-bodied Chateauneuf possesses enormous body, huge flavors and sweet, velvety tannins. Still youthful, it has not yet begun to close down, and I’m not sure it ever will given this unusual vintage. It is a modern day classic that should continue to provide provocative as well as compelling drinking for 20-30+ years.”

Skirt steak.

This is a tasty but sometimes tough cut. Not here, soft as butter.

t

An unusual dessert wine from the town of Massandra in the Crimea which was an ancient Greek settlement. The Tzar had a palace here and for centuries they made special wine for the royal family. Raisin in a glass, this particular vintage must have been served up to Stalin!

Cool box.

And its own wine “passport.”

Toto serves homemade ice creams and sorbets as dessert.

Lychee and pistachio.

White chocolate and expresso. I like the ice creams better than the sorbets here. The white chocolate was fantastic.

Blueberry.

Chef/Owner Kaz Oyama on the left, Hedonist organizer Yarom on the right with the cigar.

And this place IS all about the beef, which is arguably some of the best I’ve ever had. Certainly the best yakiniku/Korean BBQ I’ve ever had. There is a perfect tenderness to every cut that’s fairly transcendant. I’m not even that much of a steak fan — but I’d take this stuff any time over even a spectacular cut from Mastros or Cut. The food here does not vary much from visit to visit. There is no menu. The quality however is utterly consistant. So while it isn’t an everyday sort of dining experience, perhaps once every 6-9 months, I love to return for my fix.

This was a spectacular evening with some really great meat, amazing wines, and good company!

For other Foodie Club meals, click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Barbecue, bbq, beef, Dessert, Foodie Club, hedonists, Japanese cuisine, lamb, Totoraku, Wine

Peking Duck at A-1 Chinese BBQ

Jun02

Restaurant: A-1 Chinese BBQ

Location: 2014 Pacific Coast Hwy. Lomita, CA 90717. (310) 325-6709

Date: May 19, 2012

Cuisine: Chinese

Rating: Great Duck

I recently joined a meetup.com foodie group and I noticed in the feed that people were talking about this place for great Peking Duck. I’ve long been a fan of the crispy foul, to the tune of eating it three nights in a row in Beijing, and it is scare represented on the Westside, so I thought a pilgrimage was in order.

If you decide to go you must call ahead to reserve/prep a duck. It takes too long for them to do to order.

This establishment is not about looks. It makes Din Tai Fung look like Cesar’s Palace.

Although, I do have to say the inside is one step up form Totoraku, and that is a high end joint!

Another great thing is: no liquor license, which means no corkage. Bring your own cork screw. This is a reliable (although not awesome) negotiant 1re cru. We had to drink it out of plastic “pizza hut style” glasses, so that didn’t help either.

NOTE: big menu, so keep scrolling for the food!

The menu is grungy and enormous.

We started with these “prawns with spicy salt, headless.” This is generally called “salt and pepper shrimp” and this particular version was one of the best I’ve had. I particularly appreciated the lack of head.

Then out rolled our feathered friend. He was carved back in the kitchen.

And served with the usual Hoisin sauce and the often seen in China but not as often here doughy buns instead of pancakes.

You put some sauce, some scallions, and some duck on the bun and enjoy. This was definitely some of the best duck I’ve had in California. The skin was perfectly crispy, and there was some, but not too much fat.

After this we switched it up to this awesome Rosso. “The 2009 Rosso di Montalcino is totally beautiful and elegant in its expressive bouquet, silky fruit and understated, harmonious personality. This is a wonderful, impeccable Rosso from Le Potazzine. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2017.”

This is “Chow Ma Mein” (I think). A spicy soup with noodles, shrimp, beef, chicken and various vegetables. It was good.

“Orange peel chicken.” Fairly typical of the type, but not bad.

“Dry braised string beans.” I like this dish when I usually have it, but this wasn’t the greatest version. It was too oily and lacking in garlicky punch.

“Sweet and sour pork.” The pork was a little tough, but flavorful. The sauce a bit goopy. Just so-so.

The check was awesome. $20 a person all in with tip.

Overall, the duck was fantastic, the shrimp and soup were very good, and the other dishes a bit mediocre. It was a very nice meal, and with a little more trial and error ordering probably could be totally first rate. I’m curious if any of you readers know any other places with great Peking Duck in LA. I’d love to find one that was 40 minutes from my house!

For more LA dining reviews click here.