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Kato DTLA

Jun02

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

Location: 777 S Alameda St Building 1, Suite 114, Los Angeles, CA 90021. (213) 797-5770

Date: October 13, 2022

Cuisine: Omakase Asian

Rating: Even better, but too far

In late 2021 Kato, a longstanding modern Asian omakase/kaiseki in Santa Monica shut up shop and moved downtown to a larger, far more glamorous space. Erick and I were bummed because there are so few unique places on the westside — and well the Row is FAR!

The nominal excuse for tonight’s dinner was the rare appearance of Reisa back in LA, so Eve organized this dinner. She’s an investor (and caviar supplier) for Kato.

Kato is right around the corner from Hayato.

The interior is sleek.

We had this nice large sized table.

Most of the gang.

The minimalist menu (not much in the way of descriptors).

I think we bought this off the list. Despite Eve being very tight with Kato, no one senior was in and she had forgotten to arrange something with regard to the corkage — and they have that idiotic 2 bottle limit. What sense does it make that a 2 person table and an 8 person table can open the same number of wines? The Kato list is decent, but it’s young, small, and pretty marked up. Plus we just have way too much wine to be buying off LA lists. After a while they forgot about us and our wine hijinks and we manged well enough.
Chicken Liver, genmaicha, date. Super yummy “liver macaron” style bite.

Sweet Shrimp, seaweed, shaoxing wine. Very interesting blend of flavors being part Japanese and part Chinese. The Shaoxing wine is very distinct.

Scallop, soy preserves, doubanjiang. Yummy little scallop tart with nice textures and a bit of heat to finish.

More champgane.

Sea urchin, Iberico ham, brown butter. Basically a puff pastry/donut hole stuffed with uni and wrapped in ham.

2017 Dr. Loosen Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Großes Gewächs. Probably. Loosen has so many cuvees it was hard to tell which dry Ürziger Würzgarten this was. I picked it off the list.

Black throat sea perch, Tomato and tomato water jelly, shiso. Awesome dish with very pleasant tomato flavors and a bright acidity. I don’t even like (raw) tomatoes and I loved it.

Caviar, dungeness crab, garlic. This is more or less a Kato classic and I’ve had it a bunch of times but it’s still creamy and delicious.

Milk bread. Awesome sweet and fluffy bread. Addictive in fact.

Normandy style butter. Bread was even better with this nice butter.

From my cellar: 2009 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre. BH 93. Subtle wood sets off aromas of flowers, oyster shell and tidal pool that complement perfectly the racy, pure and strikingly well-detailed medium plus weight flavors that brim with minerality on the delicious, mouth coating and impressively long finish. This beautifully vibrant and concentrated effort should drink well young and age well too plus it’s more classic in style than many wines from this vintage. (Drink starting 2016)

Tilefish, fish fragrant sauce, Szechuan peppercorn. This is like that French seabass dish with the crispy scales but with a sticky numbing sauce!

1985 Faiveley Latricières-Chambertin. BH 92. Some bricking. The nose is a complex mixture of Gevrey earth, spice, game, underbrush and an evident nose of minerality followed by powerful, intense and still moderately structured flavors with plenty of punch and length. The finish is still firm though by no means hard and while this is certainly approachable now, I would give it 45 minutes or so of air. Note: another recent bottle was similar in character but did not possess the same degree of freshness and in particular, the finish seemed somewhat light and diffuse.

Duck, menegi, duck sausage. Great duck. Super tender, a bit sweet and delicious. The spring rolls off to the side with the sausage were even better.

1999 Domaine Marquis d’Angerville Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Ducs. VM 96. Good dark red. Seriously rich, deep aromas of black cherry, currant, tobacco, chocolate and sexy soil tones, plus a whiff of leather that adds complexity. Wonderfully rich, deep, tactile Volnay with a remarkably chewy texture and outstanding dimension to its flavors of strawberry, redcurrant, mocha, tobacco and cocoa powder. The salty, monumental finish features huge, mouthcoating tannins and outstanding rising length. This very complete wine boasts uncanny depth of flavor, particularly in light of the vintage’s healthy yields. By far the best bottle of this wine that I have tasted to date. (13.45% alcohol; September 24 harvest; 41 h/h; 3.37 pH) (Drink between 2019-2039)

A5 Wagyu, beef tendon, sour Chinese mustard. Super tender and rich. Quite nice.

2011 Jean-Claude Boisset Echezeaux. BH91. A ripe, spicy and violet-inflected nose of primarily plum and cassis gives way to opulent, rich and pliant medium-bodied flavors that possess very good depth on the attractively well-balanced finish where a touch of wood can be discerned. In much the same fashion as several other wines in the range this isn’t a great 2011 but it manages to avoid any shortcomings of the vintage and indeed about the only nit is a slight touch of warmth. Note that this could easily be enjoyed now if desired though it should also be capable of rewarding up to a decade of cellar time. (Drink starting 2018)
Freshwater eel, rice, cucumber. More or less like a Japanese rice, but without that Japanese flavor.

Cucumber with a bit of Szechuan peppercorn. I really liked the pickles and was munching them for a while.

Off the list grappa.

Passionfruit, buttermilk, guava. I love passionfruit and I love custard, so this “pot ‘o creme” with passionfruit was an easy sell.

Creme Puff, salted egg. Fine.

Hazelnut, caramelized white chocolate. Like a sweet spaghetti with a white chocolate meatball hiding inside.

Double Mint Oreo — Base made with Fresh Spring Mint infused milk and then laced with Crushed Mint Oreo Thins and Chopped Valrhona 70% Chocolate! — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — lovely strong mint flavor and color is all natural — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #dessertgasm #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #mint #valrhona #chocolate #oreo ///// Triple Chocolate Cruch Gelato – The base is made with Valrhona 62% Satilla Chocolate and then layered with Dark Chocolate Cream Cheese Ganache and chopped Nestlé Crunch! — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #Valrhona #chocolate #creamcheese #ganache #icing #NestléCrunch

Eve brought several tubs of bonus Astrea Caviar! Yummy!

Take home gift.

Almond sesame “cookies.”

Emotional damage!

The wine lineup.

Food at Kato is better than ever. It’s just as cryptic, but there are perhaps slightly more courses and a few of them are slightly larger. The net effect is that it’s not completely necessary anymore to go for second dinner. Back in Santa Monica, even with all the supplements, it always required something else. Now it’s a full meal, and surprising and delicious at that. But it’s also a trek to downtown. And that whole wine thing dragged out what was like a 8:30pm start into a 9:30pm start and we got home at about 2am.

Still, awesome and unique food, and highly worth checking out if you haven’t been.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (0)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Astrea Caviar, BYOG, Eve, Foodie Club, Gelato, Kato, Reisa, Taiwanese Cuisine, Wine

Back to the Borgese’s

May30

Restaurant: Dinner at the Borgese’s [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]

Location: Santa Monica

Date: October 11, 2022

Cuisine: Italian influenced gourmet home cooking

Rating: Awesome

Dinner at the Borgese’s is a special house dinner in Santa Monica cooked by the stunning pro-level home chef Borgese couple. Tonight’s dinner follows hot on the heels of a Billecart dinner I did here a few weeks before. It’s so close that the Halloween decorations were even more opulent.

The Borgese’s LOVE Halloween and so their house was already decorated for the spook season in epic style!

The dynamic Borgese team consists of Rocco, his lovely wife (and the main kitchen chef), and his daughter (helping out with service).

Plus all this incredible wood fired oven set up.The wine lineup. Not too shabby.

NV Moussé Fils Champagne l’Or d’Eugène Blanc de Noirs Brut.

Tonight’s menu.

From my cellar: 2005 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut. JG 95+. The 2005 Comtes de Champagne is a stunning young wine. The bouquet is deep, pure and youthfully complex, as it offers up a very classy blend of pear, delicious apple, fresh almond, incipient notes of crème patissière, chalky minerality, brioche and just a whisper of vanillin oak in the upper register. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, focused and rock solid at the core, with exquisite balance, refined mousse, crisp acids and simply superb length and grip on the seamless, youthful and oh, so promising finish. The style of the 2005 vintage gives this some early accessibility that was not evident with the more tightly-knit 2004 out of the blocks, but this wine has the structure to also age long and very, very gracefully. It has been a year since I last tasted this wine and it has started to show more precision to go along with its early generosity and is a classic in the making. My gut feeling today is that it will be superior to the 1989 version, to which I compared it to a year ago. Brilliant wine. (Drink between 2015-2045)

Ricciola Sashimi Cucchiai. Yellowtail Sashimi Spoons.

2018 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Bougros Côte Bouguerots. VM 94. The 2018 Chablis Bougros Côte de Bouguerots Grand Cru is well-defined on the nose. Quite stony and terse at first, it opens with orange rind and crushed pebble scents. The palate is well balanced with fine acidity, tight and energetic with a zesty, minerally finish. This meliorates in the glass, ending up quite nuanced and tensile. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 white tasting. (Drink between 2024-2040)

From my cellar: 2005 Mongeard-Mugneret Grands-Echezeaux. JG 96+. The 2005 Grands Echézeaux from Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret is going to be a great, great wine, but it is still a puppy and needs at least another decade in the cellar. The bouquet is young, but stunning, as it soars from the glass in a blaze of red plums, red and black cherries, a hint of blood orange, a gorgeously complex base of soil, cocoa powder, gamebirds, woodsmoke and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and still quite primary , with great depth of sappy fruit at the core, seamless, ripe tannins, outstanding soil signature and a very, very long, tangy and laser-like finish. This is an utterly brilliant bottle in the making. (Drink between 2025-2100)

Cozze con Guanciale. Mussels with Pork Cheek. The sauce on this mussel dish was essentially like a all’amatriciana except that it was also saturated with mussel-juice. Pretty awesome actually, particularly the crispy little guanciale chunks.

1989 Château Latour Grand Vin. JG 95. The 1989 vintage of Château Latour was not considered a great year for this superb property, which was purported to have started a mini-slump after the release of the brilliant 1982 vintage at the estate. However, though I did not buy this wine on release (believing the critics of the time and their assessment of its relative inferiority), on the couple of occasions where I have been lucky enough to drink it again in recent times, it has been clear that this wine was underrated at the outset and really is an excellent vintage of Latour. The most recent bottle was getting close to full bloom, but not quite there yet, offering up a deep and complex bouquet of cassis, sweet dark berries, cigar ash, Latour’s classic gravelly, dark soil signature, cedary oak and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and plenty deep at the core, with firm, well-integrated tannins, excellent mineral drive, very good acids for the vintage and a very long, balanced and complex finish. This is getting close to really drinking well as it closes in on its thirtieth birthday, but it is an old school Latour and will still be an even better drink at age forty than it is today. (Drink between 2018-2085)

1990 Château Latour Grand Vin. VM 98. Tasting the 1990 Latour is like running into a long-lost friend. Still dark, deep and spectacularly flamboyant, the 1990 possesses remarkable textural richness from the very first taste. Time in the glass brings out a whole range of pencil shaving, dark fruit, chocolate, licorice and spice flavors, but more than anything else, the 1990 is a wine of pure and total voluptuousness. While I never think of wine as a competition, the 1990 is quite a bit more complex, layered and intriguing than the 1982 served alongside it at the same charity dinner. Its longevity will ultimately be determined by the quality of the cork and storage conditions, as the wine has several decades of truly exceptional drinking still to offer. In a word: magnificent! (Drink between 2019-2039)

1995 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque. VM 96. Griotte and kirsch complicated by roast coffee, smoke, mocha and a whiff of game; complex and ineffable. Lush, sweet and very intensely flavored; sappy cherry flavor complicated by a peppery quality. Seems a bit higher in acidity than Guigal’s ’95 La Mouline, and the tannins are distinctly firmer. Again, quite explosive on the aftertaste.

Pasta Fresca di Tonna. A fresh spaghetti with tuna and olives. This lent it a slightly “Spaghetti alla puttanesca” vibe, although not as pungent as that dish. Quite delicious and perfectly textured.

1996 Château Haut-Brion. JG 94. The 1996 Haut Brion is less hermetically sealed than the 1998, and is beginning to hint a bit at its secondary layers of aromatic complexity, though it still remains a very young wine. The bouquet is deep and classic, as it jumps from the glass in a mélange of black cherries, dark berries, Cuban tobacco, incipient notes of the black truffles to come, and a fine base of Graves earth. I assume that the 1996 saw the same amount of new oak as the 1998, but there is little sign of the wood at the present time. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, deep and very intense, with a quite powerful profile for Haut Brion. The wine is rock solid at the core and very tannic, though the tannins are ripe and well-integrated into the wine. The finish is very, very long and soil-driven, and this will clearly be one of the most powerful vintages of Haut Brion to emerge since the 1959. It will be superb, but one will require plenty of patience. (Drink between 2025-2075)

1996 Château Latour Grand Vin. VM 94. The 1996 Latour is a wine that I often find overrated and did not achieve everything that might have been possible in this favourable growing season. That said, this might well be the best of around two dozen bottles I have encountered over the years. As usual, the 1996 is decidedly austere at first, standoffish, looks down its nose at you. Yet it coalesces with time and develops engaging cedar-scented black fruit tinged with pencil box and a touch of iris with time. The palate (again) is a little muted at first but it soon found its voice and evolved very fine tannin allied with a crisp line of acidity. It is not quite as demonstrative as it was even just a couple of years ago, gained some detail and perhaps it will continue to meliorate. Very fine, very fine indeed – but not a patch of say, the Château Margaux or perhaps even Léoville Las Cases. Tasted at the International Business & Wine Latour dinner at Ten Trinity. (Drink between 2018-2040)

1997 Château Mouton Rothschild. VM 90-91. Very good red-ruby color. Currant, cassis, roasted nuts, gunsmoke, chocolate and a note of surmaturite Fat, sweet and expansive, but with sound underlying structure. Lowish acids and a confit note (due at least partly to passerillage, or drying of the grapes by the wind and sun) contribute to the wine almost voluptuous texture.

Quaglie Ripiene. Stuffed Quail. Stuffed with sausage (and some veggies) on a bed of polenta. We’ve had this several times before and it’s a fabulous dish.

1998 Penfolds Grange. VM 97. Very deep red-ruby. Smoky, deeply concentrated fruit bomb of a nose: blackberry, dark plum, cassis; creamy vanilla and lightly toasty coconutty oak; and ethereal background notes of white pepper, smoked meats, musky spices, tar and licorice. Profoundly concentrated but velvety-smooth and seamless; impressively muscular and thickly coated with oak, and bound by drying, astringent tannins. Without question the most concentrated Grange of all time, utterly steeped in blackberry flavors; a real show pony. It’s also the most alcoholic Grange ever made, and at a declared 14.5% does taste warm and spirity – the first Grange to do so. It also ventures to some degree into the realm of currant and prune. No doubt a brilliant wine, but only time will tell if, with its elevated alcohol and its superripe flavors, this 1998 version ranks with the very best Grange vintages.

1999 Penfolds Grange. VM 91+. Full ruby-red. Sexy aromas of raspberry, cola, root beer and coconut. Thick, dense and concentrated, with exotic, slightly candied dark fruit, caramel, toasted coconut and mineral flavors nicely shaped by firm acids. Shows strong fruit and a major dose of oak on the powerful, backward finish. This can’t quite match the 1998 for sheer depth of fruit, but it’s built to age.

2003 Penfolds Grange. VM 93. Inky purple. Seductively perfumed nose offers cassis, blueberry, cherry-cola, violet and dried fig scents, with a suave undercurrent of smoky minerals. Deep, finely etched cherry and dark berry flavors are complicated by mocha and candied licorice, becoming riper with air. Cured meat and black cardamom notes arrive with air, adding further interest. Full, fleshy and sweet on the impressively long finish, which is nicely braced by dusty tannins. This is more energetic than most wines from this vintage.

Risotto a Costine. Short Rib Risotto. Chef Jen made a 2 day short rib ragu and then it was integrated into this fresh risotto. Yum, now that’s my kind of risotto! Actually I love most good risottos but this one is particularly great.

2005 Sine Qua Non Grenache Atlantis Fe2O3~2a, b & c. VM 100. The 2005 Grenache Atlantis Fe203-2a has been absolutely thrilling both times I have tasted it within the last year. A huge, vertical wine, Atlantis graces the palate with deep, voluptuous red fruit, crushed rocks, smoke, tobacco and mint. Even with all of its intensity and explosiveness, the wine remains light on its feet, with great balance and class to burn. The inclusion of whole clusters adds gorgeous lift and perfume, especially on the finish. At nearly ten years of age, the 2005 Grenache Atlantis is in a perfect spot right now and should continue to drink well for another 5-10 years, perhaps longer. (Drink between 2014-2024)

2013 Sine Qua Non Grenache Jusqu’à l’os Eleven Confessions Vineyard. VM 96+. A darker, more potent side of Grenache comes through in the 2013 Grenache Jusqu’a’ l’Os. This powerhouse wine is nowhere near ready to drink. Swaths of tannin enshroud a core of plum, dark fruit in this muscular, brooding Grenache from Sine Qua Non. Readers will have to be patient. The 2013 is 79% Grenache, 18% Syrah and 3% Petite Sirah, all from Eleven Confessions, done with 89% whole clusters. (Drink between 2023-2033)

Braciola di Vitella Ripiena. Stuffed Veal Chop. Perfectly cooked and super juicy. The white meat was similar to a great pork chop, but milder. It was stuffed with provolone, prosciutto, and tomatoe.

With veggies.

You can see the stuffing here.

Funghi. Wood fire grilled 3 mushroom medley.

Melanzane. Grilled eggplant.

The return of the polenta, this time with the shortrib ragu on top — insanely good.

Hazelnut Hojicha Gelato – Nocciola (hazelnut) base made with Pure PGI Piedmont hazelnut paste and infused with Ceremonial Hojicha Roasted Green Tea — 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 #matcha #Hojicha #GreenTea #hazelnut #Piedmont

Chocolate Nutter Butter Gelato – a base made from 100% Valrhona Chocolate and South American Peanuts layered with chopped “Nutter-Butter” cookies — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #chocolate #valrhona #peanuts #PeanutButter #reeses #NutterButter #cookies

The wine lineup.

The gang.

The lovely ladies of the house.

Overall, this was another amazing dinner, and the Borgese’s just keep amping up the quality.

First of all, the Borgese hospitality was awesome, the house lovely, and the food absolutely incredible. One of the best “home cooked” meals I’ve had. Maybe ever if you restrict it to chefs cooking in their own home kitchen. Just amazing. Every dish was great. Rustic but extremely delicious style. Superb homemade pastas.

Service was handled by the youngest Borgese (teen daughter) and was better than most restaurant staff. Super friendly and you can tell they do this a lot.

Wines have crept up in “biggness” here — and I don’t mean their caliber (which is fine) but too many big reds. This food has a bit of a ramp and there were two seafood dishes and then a quail, so we could have ramped through Champs, 2 flights of whites, and then red Burgundy before getting to a few bigger wines. Not everything needs to be gigantic — or SQN (at least there were only 2).

This meal was a slew of Rocco staples, like the quail, but it also featured the unique veal chop.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: bbq, Bordeaux, BYOG, Dinner at the Borgese's, Gelato, Grange, Grill, Italian Cusine, Lala, Wine

Big at Bistro Na

May26

Restaurant: Bistro Na’s [1, 2, 3]

Location: 9055 E Las Tunas Dr #105, Temple City, CA 91780. (626) 286-1999

Date: October 9, 2022 and January 7, 2023

Cuisine: Chinese

Rating: Upscale Chinese, solid kitchen

Chinese Restaurants in the SGV are slowly going more upscale in a way that’s different than the Cantonese palaces of Monterey Park of yesterday. I’ve been here several times before, even celebrating a birthday, but Jeffrey wanted to go, and we figured we’d check it out post pandemic (10/9/22) and then not long after Arnie wanted to try it too, so we went back (1/7/23).

And one of the latest is Bistro Na’s located on Las Tunas near this cool:

Teapot fountain!

The interior is very elegant Chinese, almost traditional but in a new way typical in China today. Ornate wood carvings, lanterns and antique music instruments abound. Technically it bills itself as “Imperial Cuisine”. Maybe there is some of that, but it’s also a bit of Chinese greatest hits. Still, it’s a different cuisine than nearly every other place in the SGV with more ornate plating.

The menu is a hardcover thick paged photo tome!

We reserved the private room again. You basically HAVE to do this at Na if you want a great experience. The regular area is just too cramped and restrictive. Food somehow seems better in here too. But they have annoying policies with the regular room. It has a minimum, which isn’t THAT high, so it’s okay, EXCEPT for the fact that you can only reserve at either 5 or 7:30pm and you only get 2 hours. So if you want a different time, say 6:30pm, you need to PAY for both blocks!

In contrast on 1/7/23 about 10 of us were smushed into this booth out in the main dining room as that was the largest table they had. Yarom hovered as usual.
The menu. A lot of dishes at Na are bland so Jeffrey and I spent hours in advance plotting the best things to order.

Chili Tofu Skin Salad (10/9/22). Very nice texture and a little bit of heat.

Na’s Spicy Chicken (10/9/22 and 1/7/23). The classic Sichuan cold dish. Super tasty with a nice balance of salt, tang, and heat. Some numbing as well. Very tender chicken.

Celtuce Jellyfish Salad (10/9/22). A combo dish of smashed cucumbers and jellyfish. Now while it’s expensive ($42!) it was a fabulous jellyfish (and cucumber) dish with a great tangy/sweet soy.

Jellyfish Salad (1/7/23). Not bad, although not much jellyfish — and it replaces the now discountined Jellyfish with Cucumbers (above) that was amazing. Poor direction to go in.

Chef Su’s Pork Feet Jelly (1/7/23). Kind of bland, although the pork meat part was okay.

Smoked Pork Ribs (1/7/23). Bleh. Kind of like lame ribs at a lamb American BBQ joint.

Beijing Zhajian Noodles (10/9/22). They are served all mixed up. It’s very mild but plesant. The meat and mushrooms add some heartiness. The bean sauce is subdued.

Mixed up.

Alaskan King Crab Typhoon Style (10/9/22). Spectacular version using the crab body. Shell was cooked down to be very tender and the crispy garlic was awesome.

Alaskan King Crab Legs, Steamed. Simple but delicious.

Alaskan King Crab Egg Custard. Pleasant texture and mild flavor.

Crispy Shrimp (10/9/22 and 1/7/23). This is Na’s signature dish and for a reason. The shrimp were perfectly cooked and the shells completely candied and edible. Delicious, if a touch sweet. They remind me somehow of cicadas escaping their shells.

3-4 lb Lobster “Typhoon Style” (1/7/23). Lobster itself was a little over cooked and the Typhoon was oddly soggy without the crisp and stong garlic flavor. A bit meh.

2.5lb Turbo steamed with Ginger and Soy (1/7/23). Okay but a bit bland. Nowhere near as good as the Chang’An version.

Braised Abalone and Sea Cucumber (10/9/21). Pleasant brown sauce. This dish is all about the texture. The Sea Cucumber had a nice mouth feel.

Black Pepper Lamb Chops (1/7/23). We asked for rare and got medium plus. Okay, but a bit too overcooked. These also replace the crispy lamb which was great.

Na’s Braised Pork Belly (10/9/22 and 1/7/23). Great version of this classic Shanghai dish. The pork was super succulent and the sweet brown sauce had a nice depth of star anise.

Crispy Pigeon (10/9/22). Fine, but actually one of the weaker dishes tonight as these were slightly dry.

Stir Fried Angus Beef with Garlic (10/9/22 and 1/7/23). Really interesting. The beef itself was tender and good, even if the piece size felt a little bit thick, but the real killer was the crispy candied chilies. These were incredible! Actually fairly spicy.

Braised Brisket with Quail Egg (1/7/23). Kind of sweet and savory, more or less a beef stew. Not bad though.

Stir Fried Pea Sprouts with Mushrooms (1/7/23). Excellently cooked. Could have used a touch more salt (or “flavor”) but otherwise nice.

Chili Pork with Cauliflower (10/9/22). Very tasty vegetable with nice crunch and a good porky flavor.

Stir Fried Cabbage with Dried Shrimp (10/9/22). The dried shrimp give this version of the dish a quite significant pungency. Weirdly they removed it from the menu by our return in January!

Fried Mixed Mushrooms with Rice Cracker Bites (10/9/22 and 1/7/23). OMG these were like potato-stick crack. They felt “hollow”, crispy, and coated in an almost candied shell. So good!

Shrimp Fried Rice with Bonito (10/9/22). Nice complex fried rice with a distinct bonito flake flavor.

Pan Fried Beef Buns (10/9/22). Very nicely flavored beef and chive filling. Pretty temperature hot at the start and could have used a little vinegar/dumpling sauce to balance the hot fat.

Fruit (10/9/22). I guess you only get this in the private room!

Key Lime Pie Gelato — base is a key lime egg custard, layered with house-made Graham Cracker and covered with house-made Torched Meringue — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #KeyLime #lime #custard #meringue #GrahamCracker #cookie

The emotional damage!

Overall, a complicated place (for the SGV) to review.

Service on 10/9/22 was good, better than before. They brought us wine glasses (not great ones, but they have them). We handled the wine service. There was a good amount of plate changing. Took a while to get going even though we had the pre-ordered menu. They seat all the private rooms in two seatings at 5pm and 7:30pm so all 5 of them were sitting at once (not to mention the limited time thing and the minimums). That doesn’t make it easy on the server. All in all it’s excellent service for SGV Chinese.

On 1/7/23 service was fine, but a bit different as we were smushed in outside. I was also annoyed with them because they had removed several of their best dishes from the menu and replaced them with even blander alternatives.

Food is interesting. Beautiful plating. Not the most flavor forward of the Chinese cuisines. Pretty good if you order very very carefully, but also expensive in a relative fashion. Ended up over $200 a person all in with a good tip because of the King Crab. If you go to a Top Island or the like you can get that much cheaper too. Still a novel and fun experience. Gorgeous room.

While a bit pricey for the SGV, the atmosphere is lovely and the plating much more elegant. Some dishes were excellent, some just pretty good, and some outright bland. I’m not really sure what regionality of Chinese it is. Sort of Beijing/Shanghai maybe? They say “Imperial.” It does feel very contemporary Chinese and is certainly not aimed at white folk. I have a general problem here with their “under-seasoning.” A lot of dishes just seem too sweet or too bland. On Oct 9, 2022 meal we ordered really carefully and leaned toward their more spicy (not actually spicy) dishes. This helped a great deal. On 1/7/23 the meal was considerably inferior. We weren’t in the private room and the “crowd” I was with wanted to order some of their meatier dishes that just fall a bit flat.

Hangry Rider made this excellent video summary of our 10/9/22 meal.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Bistro Na, BYOG, Chinese cuisine, Foodie Club, Gelato, hedonists, Private Room, SGV, Wine

This Location Again?

May16

Restaurant: Lady Yan’s

Location: 203 W Valley Blvd, Alhambra, CA 91801. (626) 872-6677

Date: October 2, 2022

Cuisine: (Mostly) Szechuan Chinese

Rating: Medium level Szechuan

I’ve eaten at this location as at least 5 restaurants.

It’s the familiar spot that once housed Sham Tsem (Alahambra), New Bay, and Happy Table, and GV Yummy. That’s a lot of restaurant churn — probably the most different restaurants I’ve eaten at in a single location in the SGV. The current name seems to be Lady Yan’s, but the old signs are still up there. New Qing Dao seemed to have been the same as GV Yummy. Not totally sure. It was very confusing.

The menu. This time around I think it’s Szechuan, more or less.

Cucumber Salad. The typical smashed cucumber dish, but an excellent version being smashed, very garlic forward, and well sauced.

Jelly in spicy savory sauce. The Chengdu street mung bean jelly. Not a bad version at all. I would have preferred a slight extra bit of tanginess in the sauce, but it was good.

Sliced beef and ox tongue in chili sauce. Nice version of this dish with the appropriate cilatro and peanut vibe. Regular meat and what is probably tripe or lung. Not as good as at GuYi, but very good.

Spicy wonton “soup.” Nice, although as usual for this dish the wonton’s seemed a bit under-seasoned (maybe just overwhelmed by the chili) and the “soup” is slightly watery.

Our one claw 4lb live lobster.

Lobster with ginger scallion. This was by accident as it was supposed to by Tyhoon style. I think the chef just didn’t want to. The lobster meat itself was fine but the prep was meh. Heavy. One of the worst Chinese lobsters I’ve had in a while.

Live fish kung fu style. Very nice fish with plenty of meat, chilis, veggies, tofu, potato etc. Overall lovely.

Tea Smoked Duck. Excellent pastrami duck. Very juice and delicious.

Sichuan spicy chicken nuggets. Very nice salty/numbing version of this iconic dish. Quite enjoyable.

Double cooked pork belly. Twice cooked pork. Awesome version with a really nice smoke and black bean flavor.

Sichuan signature mixed meats in chili sauce. Pretty much the same chili “broth” as the fish etc. Included all sorts of weird parts. The spam and liver/blood type stuff was good. There was also the chewy tripe.

BBQ Lamb Ribs. Served piping hot. Very fatty and full of sizzling flavor. Nice. The sauces didn’t totally work.

Eggplant with spicy garlic sauce. A 7/10 version of this dish. Pretty nice.

Green beans with garlic. Fine but nothing special.

Shredded cabbage. This had the obligatory pork belly and was generally fairly delicious.

Dan dan mein. Pretty typical Chengdu version. No peanut or sesame but a fairly addictive flavor all the same.

Seasoned peanuts. Nice, although not like the crack peanuts at Haige Star.

MaPo Tofu. Surprisingly delicious. Solid 8/10 version of this dish.

Chengdu style fried rice. Not exactly sure what was in here (other than the obvious peas) but it was very tasty.

Free totally weird Chinese dessert. Pretty terrible.

Citron au Courant Sorbetto – Fresh squeezed Lemons blended with French Currants (Cassis) — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #sorbetto #lemon #cassis #currents #lemonade #citron

Overall, this place was solid, but slightly “uninspired” SGV Chinese. Now for outside the SGV it would be excellent, as it’s way better than somewhere like Szechuan Place. Lady Yan’s has a wide range of dishes and they do “pretty well” with most of them, very good with a few. The service was nice and MUCH better than at Happy Table or GV Yummy. The build out was identical. It’s fairly low rent and not super crowded. The space must be cursed. There are better Szechuan places, several, but I’d go back to Lady Yans happily enough. And they do have some lingering dishes from other regions (like the BBQ lamb ribs).

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: BYOG, Chinese cuisine, fish, Gelato, offal, SGV, spicy, Szechuan, Szechuan Chinese

Borgese’s go Bille Boo

May14

Restaurant: Dinner at the Borgese’s [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]

Location: Santa Monica

Date: September 30, 2022

Cuisine: Italian influenced gourmet home cooking

Rating: Awesome

Dinner at the Borgese’s is a special house dinner in Santa Monica cooked by the stunning pro-level home chef Borgese couple. Tonight’s dinner is a “Double Team” as it’s not only at Rocco’s, but is a Billecart-Salmon winemaker dinner hosted by Liz Lee of Sage Society. This is actually the second Billecart dinner I’ve been to, the previous being at Republique some years back.

Billecart-Salmon is a highly respected Champagne house that was founded in 1818 in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, France, by Nicolas François Billecart and his wife Elisabeth Salmon. Over the course of two centuries, the family-owned and managed company has stayed true to its roots, maintaining its dedication to quality and tradition. Billecart-Salmon is famous for its refined and elegant style, characterized by its finesse, complexity, and consistency. The house has achieved worldwide acclaim for its remarkable Brut Rosé, but also produces a variety of other styles, including Brut Reserve, Brut Sous Bois, and various vintage and cuvée champagnes. Through its commitment to excellence, Billecart-Salmon has secured its reputation as one of the most prestigious brands in the Champagne region.

The Borgese’s LOVE Halloween and so their house was already decorated for the spook season in epic style!

The dynamic Borgese team consists of Rocco, his lovely wife (and the main kitchen chef), and his daughter (helping out with service).

Plus all this incredible wood fired oven set up.The wine lineup. Not too shabby.

Our lovely patio table.

Tonight’s menu and wine list.

NV Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut Réserve. JG 92. Drinking very well when opened this past spring. The excellent nose wafts from the glass in a mélange of apple, peach, warm bread, a touch of ginger, a lovely base of soil and plenty of upper register smokiness. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bdoied, complex and still rock solid at the core, with fine mousse, bright acids and lovely length and grip on the wide open, complex and classy finish.

Fresh Oysters with Caviar.

Caviar on Toasted Brioche with Bordier Butter. You can really taste the great and distinctive butter.

NV Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut Nature. 90 points. Rich for the style. Lemon tinges, biscuit, mild but not without intensity .

NV Billecart-Salmon Champagne Grand Cru Brut Blanc de Blancs. JG 92+. The non-vintage Blanc de Blancs is not a large production item for Billecart-Salmon, and one does not cross paths with it regularly. The current release is all 2007 vintage and was aged nearly five years on the lees prior to disgorgement. Billecart produces their Blanc de Blancs bottlings from fruit sourced in only three villages in the Côte des Blancs- Chouilly, Mesnil-sur-Oger and Cramant. The new release offers up a deep and lovely aromatic blend of pear, apple, stony minerality, bread dough, a hint of the pastry cream to come with bottle age and orange zest. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and very elegant, with a lovely core of fruit, refined mousse and excellent length and grip on the well-balanced, youthful and classy finish. This is a very fine bottle of Blanc de Blancs that will only improve as it blossoms a bit more structurally with further bottle age. (Drink between 2013-2025)

NV Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut Sous Bois. VM 92. Bright yellow. Pungent orchard fruit and lemon curd scents are complemented by suggestions of vanilla, anise and smoky minerals. Toasty and silky in texture, offering juicy pear and tangerine flavors plus a deeper suggestion of candied fig on the back half. Closes sappy, focused and long, with repeating smokiness and strong mineral cut.

Hokaido Scallops with Caviar. Maybe could have used a bit of lemon/lime/yuzu juice.

2009 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut Millésimé. VM 93. The 2009 Vintage is another stellar wine in this range from Billecart-Salmon. This is the first time the Vintage includes Meunier in the blend. That approach has worked out so well here. Resonant and generous, the 2009 is so expressive today. The low dosage of two grams per liter is expertly judged. The 2009 is rich, but not heavy, while offering all of the natural generosity of the year. (Originally published in May 2021) (Drink between 2022-2034)

2008 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Cuvée Louis Salmon Brut Blanc de Blancs. VM 95. The 2008 Brut Blanc de Blancs Louis Salmon (formerly the vintage Blanc de Blancs) and named after the maison’s first cellar master, is fabulous. Rich and ample, the 2008 is beautifully resonant in the glass. It offers up an enticing mélange of lemon confit, marzipan, dried flowers and spice. It’s a terrific 2008, especially for readers looking for a relatively affordable option to some of the super high-flyers in this celebrated vintage. The blend is 40% Chouilly, 33% Cramant, 20% Mesnil and 7% Avize, done 1/3rd in oak and 2/3rds in steel. Dosage is 7 grams per liter. Disgorged: October, 2020. (Drink between 2024-2038)

Grilled Spot Prawns with Caviar. Great dish. Chewed it up at the expense of my flesh like Daryl Hannah in Splash. With the caviar two kinds of eggs! Nice char flavor.

2007 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Cuvée Nicolas-François. VM 97. The 2007 Brut Cuvée Nicolas François Billecart is positively stellar. Elegant, polished and sophisticated, the 2007 dazzles with effusive aromatics and gorgeous balance. It”s not an obvious wine, though, but rather a Champagne built for long, patient cellaring. The 2007 is 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay taken from Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, Ambonnay, Verzenay and Verzy for the Pinots and Chouilly, Avize, Cramant and Mesnil for the Chardonnays. In other words, as good as it gets for villages. The wine was done mostly in tank with about 15% of the lots vinified in oak. Dosage is 6 grams per liter. (Originally published in May 2021) (Drink between 2027-2047)

2002 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Cuvée Nicolas-François Billecart. VM 96. The 2002 Cuvée Nicolas François Billecart is outrageously beautiful. The ripeness of the Chardonnay is front and center in a Champagne that delivers the goods, big-time. An infusion of apricot, orange peel, crème brûlée, chamomile, hazelnut and honey give the 2002 its racy, exotic personality. I enjoy it most with bottle age, but the 2002 is undeniably beautiful right now. The 2002 is a stunning NFB. The blend is 60% Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims and the Vallée de la Marne and 40% Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs, done partially in oak (20%). Dosage is 4 grams per liter. (Drink between 2020-2030)

1996 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Cuvée Nicolas-François Billecart. VM 96. Fabulous nose combines lemon, orange zest, quinine and steely minerality with suggestions of toffee and brown spices. Wonderfully precise and vivid on the palate, delivering an impression of outstanding concentration and grip with a light touch. Extremely fine-grained Champagne with strong but integrated acidity. As young as this is, it’s harmonious from the outset. The building finish is pristine, chewy and extremely long. (Robert Chadderdon Selections, New York NY

Crab and Caviar Linguine. Very light and salty (and delicious) pasta.

NV Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut Rosé. VM 92. We started with a demi-bouteille of Billecart-Salmon Rosé: a safe option, but it does the job, even though I would say that a full bottle is better. (Drink between 2018-2025)

2008 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon. VM 97+. The 2008 Brut Rosé Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon explodes from the glass with a mesmerizing array of aromas, flavors and textures. Blood orange, cinnamon, mint and dried flowers. The 2008 is incredibly young, but it is also incredibly tempting. Patience will be rewarded. In the meantime, readers might enjoy adding a few bottles of the stellar 2007 to their cellars, as the nervy, taut 2008 needs time. The 2008 is 55% Pinot Noir (from Aÿ, Verzy, Verzenay and Mareuil) and 45% Chardonnay (from Chouilly, Avize and Cramant), with 9% still wine from Mareuil. It is the first vintage that includes a portion of wines (17%) done in barrel and the first vintage in which the magnums were aged on the cork rather than on crown seal. Dosage is 7 grams per liter. (Originally published in May 2021) (Drink between 2028-2043)

Branzino and Clams. Perfectly cooked juicy branzino and lovely clam flavor. The broth was fabulous (could have used some bread for it) and there was a distinct parsely flavor.

2006 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Les Clos Saint-Hilaire. VM 98. The 2006 Le Clos Saint-Hilaire is fabulous. In this radiant year, the Clos Saint-Hilaire has a touch more mid-palate sweetness and generosity, but that’s a good thing, as it balances some of the more austere leanings that can make young vintages hard to appreciate upon release. Apricot, lemon confit, ginger, graphite, spice and crushed rocks are strands in a gorgeous, captivating tapestry that dazzles right out of the gate. The precision here is just mind-blowing. Billecart’s 2006 Clos Saint-Hilaire is a very special Champagne, that much is very clear. (Drink between 2024-2036)

Fried Rosemary Quail. Perfect “fried chicken”. Super savory and delicious with a great crispy texture.

Roast carrots.

Roast eggplant.

Cheeses (all Italian). The truffle one was particularly tangy and delicious.

Truffle cheese.

The wine lineup.

Overall, this was an amazing dinner, and the Borgese’s just keep amping up the quality.

Service was handled by the youngest Borgese (teen daughter) and was better than most restaurant staff. Super friendly and you can tell they do this a lot.

Wines were, as you can, pretty darn impressive! Billecart is a fabulous champagne house with both great whites and reds. I buy a range of their wines all the time as they have both reasonable NVs and fabulous Tete de Cuvees — in both colors.

This meal has a different skew, being customized for Champagne, so there was more seafood and no big steaks — this is fine with me, I’ve had plenty of steaks. They did a wonderful job with the grilled prawns too. The quail is a classic of theirs but never grows old.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Billecart-Salmon, BYOG, Gelato, hedonists, Italian Cusine, Liz Lee, Rocco Borgese, Sage Society, Santa Monica, Steak, Tomohawk, Wine

Fallen (Haige) Star

Apr29

Restaurant: Haige Star / Tianfu Cuisine [ CLOSED ]

Location: 18438 Colima Rd Unit 105, Rowland Heights, CA 91748. (626) 820-9638

Date: September 18, 2022

Cuisine: Sichuan Chinese

Rating: Awesome

This amazing (and now sadly closed) Sichuan joint in Rowland Heights has an amusing tale.

So, sometime in the spring of 2022, Jeffrey and Yarom went here went I was out of town. Of course this annoyed me to no end because so many times I’m dragged to repeat Cantonese or Hong Kong places and certain parties complain about the difficulty of recruiting for spicy Chinese (my favorite obviously) — and then they go on one of the rare weekends when I have a conflict. Anyway, it was “clearly” labeled “Haige Star Boulevard” at this time, and while the hardcore crew loved it, many of the newbies that Yarom unwisely dragged here wouldn’t touch anything. With this description in mind I was eager to go again, and so was Jeffrey.

Now this time, 9/18/22 when I returned it had a different name. On Yelp it seemed like it had a skewer hot pot phase at some point, which wasn’t the case tonight. Jeffrey’s memory is so bad he couldn’t remember if it was exactly the same either. It was certainly Sichuan and certainly great. Unfortunately when we tried to return on 1/22/23 for a third visit they were totally boarded up and closed. We heard through the rumor mill that the owner had passed away, which is very sad for his family and a great loss for us lovers of Sichuan cuisine.

The interior is basic.

We had the place mostly to ourselves and this great table in the back.

Oh boy. I hope you read Chinese because none of us did. The staff didn’t speak any English either. None. Basically zero. Fortunately between google translate and my knowledge of Sichuan dishes I was able to order successfully.

Smashed Cucumbers. Very good version. Nicely smashed, lots of garlic, and a tasty “flavor” sauce.

Been Jelly Noodles. Nice version too. Not super spicy, but some good mala and an interesting smokey quality. Very good “noodle” texture.

Century Egg with Chilies. I haven’t had this exact century egg variation (aka without tofu) but these were really good with a great savory flavor without being mega-salty.

Cured Sausage. Very fatty, dry, and with a great slightly funky flavor.

Cold Dry Spicy Beef. Beef jerky like texture with a fabulous deep layered spicy sauce. The sauce was incredible with the sausage as well.

Couples sliced Beef/Offal. Dry pastrami like poached beef with chili sauce, Chinese celery, and peanuts. Lovely, although not quite as good as Gu Yi’s.

Tea Smoked Duck. Moist and juicy with a ton of smokey flavor. Fabulous duck.

Boiled “Meats” in Chili Oil. Includes liver (very mild and succulent), spam (delicious), tripe, and pig intenstine (funky). Good spicy/mala sauce.

Spicy Bamboo Shoots with Peanuts and Cilantro. Spectactular texture and flavor.

Twice Cooked Pork. Nice version of this dish. Not obscenely salty.

Dan Dan Mein.

Mixed up. This was enjoyable, but wasn’t very hot or nutty. It was more a broth with a bit of chili and some meat. It was helped by adding a bit of the crack peanuts.

Crack Peanuts. A bit sweet and salty with some kind of “spice” flavorant. Totally addictive.

Double Mint Oreo — Base made with Fresh Spring Mint infused milk and then laced with Crushed Mint Oreo Thins and Chopped Valrhona 70% Chocolate! — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — lovely strong mint flavor and color is all natural — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #dessertgasm #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #mint #valrhona #chocolate #oreo

Chocolate Butterfinger Crunch Gelato – The base is made with Valrhona 62% Satilla Chocolate and then layered with Dark Chocolate Peanutbutter Cream Cheese Ganache and chopped Butterfingers! — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #Valrhona #chocolate #creamcheese #ganache #icing #peanut #butterfinger

Overall, the experience here was super fun. Our ordering was helped about 2/3 through by a nice couple where the guy spoke both English and the Chengdu dialect of Chinese. He recommended a few dishes — but I’m proud that I picked 75% of these out with my “skillz.”

It was incredibly delicious, some of the best Sichuan I’ve had in America and actually on par with places I visited in Chengdu. This place is/was fairly rustic, but the balance of the dishes was spectacular. Just the right combinations of textures and different flavors (aka spice, sour, salty etc). This type of food is actually all about balance. Jeffrey and I went into mourning when we found out they closed because we had been plotting a return here for months. Sigh.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BYOG, Gelato, Haige Star, Rowland Heights, SGV, Sichuan Cuisine, spicy, Tianfu Cuisine, Wine

Indian, The Tavern – Confusion

Apr22

Restaurant: Indian, The Tavern

Location: 633 S San Gabriel Blvd #105, San Gabriel, CA 91776. (626) 287-0688

Date: September 11, 2022

Cuisine: Chinese

Rating: Solid, if odd

It’s hard to describe this particular SGV restaurant.

From the outside it looks like most of them.

But then inside it has this weird western saloon theme. Presumably it was some kind of “Indian bar” back in the 50s. The decor has partially stuck, but the menu is almost all Chinese.

We had this rustic table in the “party room.”

Not so PC!

Shrimp Egg Roll. Very hot and crispy, moist interior. The sweet sauce was also a bit spicy which was kinda nice.

Grilled Taiwanese Sausage. Sweet and salty sausage, always great.

Scallop in “lobster sauce” (egg white). Surprisingly good.

Sliced pork belly w/ minced Garlic. Dark garlic sauce on the side. Not bad but not the best dish of the night.

Salty dark garlic sauce.

French Steak medium rare on rare side. Best “Chinese” steak I’ve had. Pretty much a regular steak, medium rare with black pepper.

Tea Smoked Duck. Very nice. Smokey and pretty moist.

Preserved pork belly w/ garlic sprouts. Great dish. Smokey pork with leaks and garlic coated in all that smokey pork fat.

Lobster with XO sauce. Weakest dish of the night perhaps? Slightly over-cooked but still enjoyable.

Smashed Cucumbers. Out of order but a great version of this dish. Lots of garlic flavor.

Fish filet in green vine pepper soup. A bit of numbing flavor but not that hot or numbing. I’ve had better versions of this dish but it was still decent.

Stir Fried Double Fried Eggs W. Napa Cabbage. Excellent cabbage with that awesome greasy/salty flavor.

Tofu with house sauce. Very nice tofu with a lovely deep ginger flavored brown sauce.

Shrimp and Taiwanese Sausage Fried Rice. Excellent fried rice.

Vanilla White Gelato — a very simple and elegant Tahitian Vanilla Bean White Base (no egg) — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #vanilla

Cinnamon Caramel Sauce.

Overall, the place was surprisingly excellent. There were long gaps between dishes (particularly at the beginning) and the order was kind of Chinese random, but the dish quality was very good. There were some slightly weird dishes too, but they tasted good, so nothing to complain about. I’m not exactly sure what region of China the kitchen represents. And then there is the unique and peculiar “decor.” Certainly interesting.

Jennifer had a bit of an accident during her recent trip to tour the Chernobyl basement.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BYOG, Chinese cuisine, Gelato, Indian Tavern, SGV, Wine

Throwback Sauvages

Apr20

Restaurant: Kali / Kevin Meehan

Location: Bel Air

Date: September 9, 2022

Cuisine: Modern Californian

Rating: Great as always

Sauvages has been doing more “house party” lunches since the pandemic and so this week’s lunch was hosted by John G in his lovely backyard.

Our table was situated in the succulent garden, poolside.

At the ready.

Food today was provided by Kevin Meehan of Kali. He’s been cooking for Sauvages since before he even opened Kali (now on about 7 years)!

2006 Champagne Millesime Rare.

NV Henriot Champagne Brut Souverain.

2014 Pierre Gimonnet & Fils Champagne Premier Cru Brut Nature Blanc de Blancs Oenophile Non-Dosé. VM 93. The 2014 Brut Nature Blanc de Blancs Cuvée Oenophile is all energy, tension and cut. White flowers, mint, crushed rocks pear and lemon confit race across the palate. Readers who enjoy taut, linear Champagnes will adore the 2014. Bright saline notes infuse the finish with tons of character. This is classic 2014, with the non-dosé style further accentuating the wine’s stark lines. Disgorged: December, 2020. (Drink between 2023-2034)

2008 Veuve Clicquot Champagne Brut Vintage. JG94+. The 2008 Veuve Clicquot Brut Millésime is the first bottling here to include five percent barrel-fermented vins clairs since the estate transitioned away from foudres for stainless steel tanks all the way back in the 1960s. The blend on the ’08 is sixty-one percent pinot noir, thirty-four percent chardonnay and five percent pinot meunier. The wine is pure, youthful and stunningly precise on the nose, offering up scents of tart apple, bread dough, complex minerality, gentle smokiness and a lovely saline element in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and very racy, with a great core, zesty acids, refined mousse and outstanding length and grip on the very long and still quite youthful finish. This is approachable today, but will be even better with five or six years in the cellar. This is Chef de Cave Dominique Demarville’s first vintage bottling since his arrival here in 2006. Impressive! (Drink between 2016-2040)

Trout Roe and Sourdough Blini. The blini was too dense and strong flavored. After 2 I took to sucking off the toppings which were good.

Beef Tartar Cigar with Aoili. Nice texture and great flavor.

Morro Bay Oyster on the Half Shell. Both briny and tangy.

Our special menu today.

2007 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc. VM 92. Light, bright gold. Ripe pear and white peach aromas are complemented by marzipan, honey and dried flowers. Sappy pit fruit flavors stain the palate and are firmed by juicy minerals, picking up subtle herbal and mineral notes on the back end. Finishes with excellent clarity and cling, the honey note repeating. This could handle the richest fish preparations.

2006 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc. VM 91. ale yellow. Ripe peach and yellow plum on the nose, with sexy floral and honey character building with air. Taut citrus and orchard fruit flavors are refreshingly bitter, gaining depth on the close. Leaves a trail of stony white fruit flavors on the long, sappy finish.

From my cellar: 2011 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Cuvée Roussanne Vieilles Vignes. 95 points.

2005 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Cuvée Roussanne Vieilles Vignes. VM 95. Yellow-gold. Intensely floral aromas of jasmine, beeswax and coconut-accented orange and pear. Lush and weighty, with powerful pear, tangerine and nougat flavors accompanied by exotic oak notes. This reminds me of high-end white Bordeaux. Tightens up on the back, where bright mineral and citrus pith notes give shape and grip to the intensely sweet fruit. The finish of this wine is endless.

Local Yellow Tail. Melon, Tomato Gel, Avocado. This was a lovely crudo.

2001 Domaine de la Solitude (Lançon Père et Fils) Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve Secrète. 92 points. Pale-rusty color w/dark core; spices, some animale, very hot, glycerin smooth from alcohol, a bit burned/roasted aspect with some complexity.

Henri Bonneau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve des Célestins. Can’t remember the vintage.

1998 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape. VM 90. Saturated ruby-red. Superripe but reticent, grenache-dominated aromas of roasted plum, cherry jam, tar and humus. Fat, lush and stuffed with fruit; almost heavy today compared to the ’99. But this is utterly silky and its firm underlying structure is buried by fruit and baby fat. Intriguing meat and licorice notes. A wine of superb finesse and superfine tannins.

Black Barley Risotto. Fiscalini Cheddar, Koji Butter, Black Garlic. The base is a bit bland by itself and needs the cheesy/garlic “crisp” on top. This is a Kevin classic and we’ve all had it a lot of times.

2004 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape. VM 94. Dark violet with a bright rim. Powerful, intensely floral aromas of kirsch, candied licorice and rose oil, plus a sweet damp earth quality that reminded me of a great young vintage port. But this is by no means porty in the mouth, as the vivid strawberry and raspberry flavors are streamlined and nervy, showing excellent lift. Finishes with fine, dusty tannins, very firm structure and outstanding length.

2005 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape. VM 94. Deep ruby. Intense dark berry scents expand and deepen with air, picking up dusky espresso and licorice tones. Lush, powerful and sweet, with impressively concentrated, pure dark berry flavors and supple, finely integrated tannins. There’s a great fruit/tannin balance here, and the supple finish boasts impressively concentrated and remarkably persistent cherry and blackberry fruit.

2003 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau. VM 89. Dark red. Understated aromas of dried strawberry, redcurrant and garrigue complicated by a whiff of black tea. A fairly restrained midweight, atypical in this vintage, with dried red berry and mocha flavors. Finishes focused and taut, with dusty tannins and hints of red plum and licorice. Those who fear the 2003 bogeyman can safely give this one a try. (Kermit Lynch, Berkeley, CA)

Braised Short Ribs. This was the better of the beefs and was quite nice.

2007 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape. VM 95+. Foudre #12: Smoky, wild and meaty, with powerful raspberry and licorice qualities. Tannin-free, sweet and long. Foudre #9: Deep, inky dark fruit aromas, with hints of licorice and smoky minerals. Pliant blackberry and kirsch on the palate, with dusty tannins adding grip. Foudre #8: Intense mineral and cherry aromas, with a subtle note of cola. Rich, sappy and gently sweet, with powerful red berry and cherry flavors. Really long. Foudre #7: Deep cherry and blackcurrant on the nose. Spicy red berry flavors gain weight with air, taking a turn to cassis and bitter cherry. Foudre #2, all grenache: Fresh red berries and garrigue on the nose. Fresh, sharply defined raspberry and cherry flavors, with silky tannins and great mineral snap. Foudre #30: Explosively perfumed red fruit aromas with strong incense and floral qualities. Very sweet, palate-staining raspberry and cassis flavors. Exceptionally long. Foudre #25: Vibrant strawberry and raspberry aromas, with hits of anise and potpourri. Pliant and sweet, with palate-staining red fruit and candied floral flavors. This is all finesse. An approximation of the final blend: Bright ruby-red. Strongly perfumed bouquet of spicy red and dark berries, licorice, pungent herbs and graphite. Saturates the palate with deep, sweet black raspberry, cherry and blackcurrant flavors. Turns spicier on the back end, finishing with outstanding clarity, lift and persistence.

2007 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau. VM 93. Saturated ruby. Youthfully brooding nose displays dark berries, tobacco and licorice, plus an undercurrent of smoky minerals. More powerful than what I expect from this estate, boasting deep, chewy cassis and bitter cherry flavors and a late note of bitter chocolate. Impressive for its richness and size, but will it gain the finesse that I associate with this domain?

2007 Cuvée du Vatican Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve Sixtine. VM 92. Inky ruby. Vibrant red berry and floral scents. Tightly focused red fruit flavors are deepened by anise and brown spice qualities, picking up a tangy blood orange note with air. All red berry preserves on the smooth, strikingly long finish.

2006 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape. VM 95. Bright red. Intense strawberry and raspberry on the nose, with subtle garrigue and minerals adding complexity. Silky red fruit flavors show seductive spice and floral pastille qualities. Finishes with great persistence. Foudre #2 (“the tannic one”): Ruby-red. Bright red fruit aromas, with a deep undercurrent of licorice adding seriousness. The palate shows very spicy bitter cherry and dark berry liqueur flavors, chewy tannic grip and a long, vibrant finish. If this is Avril’s idea of tannic in 2006, the final wine should be a supple beauty. Foudre #3 (“the concentrated one,” from 80-year-old vines cropped at15 hl/ha): Inky ruby. Rich cherry and cassis aromas, with a deep tapenade quality adding complexity. Sappy, sweet and packing major dark berry punch, this clocks in at 16.5% alcohol, but there’s no obvious heat. An approximate blend: “I hate doing this, but why not,” said Avril, who doesn’t believe that on-the-spot blends are accurate reflections of what winds up in the bottle. But this was his idea, not mine! Dark ruby. Powerful kirsch and blackcurrant aromas, with exotic licorice and fresh floral character expanding with air. Pliant dark berry and bitter cherry flavors carry through the long, sappy finish. A balanced, sweet powerhouse from this vantage point, with the concentration to age for at least a decade or two.

Dry Aged Ribeye. Potato Pave, Black Garlic Jam, Mushrooms. Very dry aged so the meat was a touch gamey and cured. Potatoes were great.

1990 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape. VM 93. The 1990 Châteauneuf-du-Pape has a compelling bouquet of plump red fruit, oxtail, leather and morels, all well defined and full of chutzpah. The palate is smooth in texture and, at 29 years old, has certainly mellowed. There is a core of sweet fruit here, but it has softened with age and delivers a smorgasbord of second flavors: meat juices, clove and touches of fennel. It does not possess the audacity of the Hommage à Jacques Perrin, yet it has retained effortless charm. (Drink between 2019-2036)

Whipped Goat Cheese. Peach Compote, Drake Farms. The cheesy tube was a bit like a Canonoli and was delicious.

2007 Von Hövel Scharzhofberger Riesling Auslese.

Oaxacan Choco-Mole Gelato – The base is made with Valrhona 100% Cacao and intense Oaxacan Mole Negro from Guelaguetza restaurant — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #Valrhona #chocolate #cocao #oaxaca #mole #molenegro

Vanilla White Gelato — a very simple and elegant Tahitian Vanilla Bean White Base (no egg) — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #vanilla

Plus some of my house made cinnamon caramel.

My bad notes.

Some bonus wines.

Overall, this lunch was a whole lotta fun. We had the usual great food — even if I’ve had that barely risotto many times before — and an awesome array of CDP. Plus the awesome company.

For more Italian dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: backyard, Bel Air, BYOG, Château de Beaucastel, Chateauneuf du Pape, Gelato, John Gordon, Kali, Kevin Meehan, Sauvages

Boston Lobster New Digs

Apr09

Restaurant: Boston Lobster Seafood Restaurant

Location: 4501 Rosemead Blvd, Rosemead, CA 91770. (626) 288-4388

Date: September 4, 2022

Cuisine: Cambodian Cantonese Chinese

Rating: Huge, Great Deal, Solid

This Sunday’s Chinese is a return to Boston Lobster. It’s been awhile, like 7 years. They have new digs, having moved from a small shop on Valley Blvd to this huge location on Rosemead.

The new spot must have been some kind of “Seafood House” in the kitchy 50s style and it even includes an old (WWII?) antiaircraft gun.

The place is enormous with multiple wings and a very current (if a little cheesy by western standards) Chinese build out inside.

Lobster tanks.

And a big menu of southern Chinese and Cantonese Chinese dishes.

We had a jumbo — and I do mean jumbo — private room where our table took up just a corner.

Boston House Special Lobster with Garlic Noodles. We actually had two of these huge plates for our table of 14. Lobster itself was excellent. Not the best “house special lobster” I’ve ever had, and I didn’t see any roe (which I like), but good. And pretty well cooked and tender. Noodles were a touch bland.

Geoduck Clam Sashimi Style. Served with soy sauce and wasabi. Decent, but chewier and fishier than at Longo, and not in that same delicate awesome way.

Geoduck Clam Neck Fried Salt and Pepper Style. Tasty with a nice chew but not as awesome as at Longo.

Clam with Basil Sauce. Tender clams but the basil sauce (as usual) gives an interesting medicinal note to the dish.

Shrimp with Walnut. Middling version of the classic.

Steamed Whole Fish. This was basically soy sauce fish with scallions. Nicely cooked and tender, but not super exciting.

Kung Pao Pork Chop. I’m not sure I’ve had this (Cantonese) cut of meat as Kung Pao. It was a very Southern Kung Pao with no spice, no Szechuan Broad Bean Chili Paste. More a salty sour brown sauce, but pretty tasty regardless.

Special Off Menu Smoked Duck. Very interesting flavor and super tender. This was one of the best dishes.

It was served with a soy gravy.

And a And a sweet and sour sauce (which was better than the gravy). (which was better than the gravy).

Sliced Beef with Pea Sprouts. Beef was super tender and soft and packed with “flavor” (MSG). The pea sprouts were great too with that salt and garlic yum factor. I actually liked this dish a lot.

Chicken with Curry Sauce. Not very Chinese, but kinda delicious. Very tender and “flavorful” with a nice mild yellow curry.

One of the standard Chinese greens with garlic. Not bad at all.

Oyster on Hot Sizzling Plate. Very “fried” (not deep fried but cooked) oysters. Pretty good flavor but I don’t love my oysters cooked.

Yang Chow Fried Rice. Classic.

Oranges.

Double Mint Oreo — Base made with Fresh Spring Mint infused milk and then laced with Crushed Mint Oreo Thins and Chopped Valrhona 70% Chocolate! — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — lovely strong mint flavor and color is all natural — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #dessertgasm #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #mint #valrhona #chocolate #oreo

The gang.

Overall, Boston Lobster was good but not great. It’s huge. And it’s well priced. And the lobster is good. Dishes are fairly typical for Southern/Cantonese Chinese. I actually think it’s quite a bit better than the way over-rated Newport Seafood. But there are plenty of “meh” dishes (still tasty, don’t get me wrong, this is solid Chinese) that aren’t nearly as good as at a better Cantonese restaurant. For example, Longo and Monterey Palace Geoduck is WAY better. But if you have a big party and/or want this kind of Chinese on a bit of a budget than there is certainly not much to complain about with Boston Lobster. It’s just not best in class.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Boston Lobster, BYOG, Cambodian Cuisine, Cantonese Chinese, Gelato, geoduck, Lobster, Seafood

Fred loves N/Naka

Mar16

Restaurant: N/Naka [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]

Location: 3455 S. Overland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90034. 310.836.6252

Date: August 12, 2022

Cuisine: Modern Kaiseki

Rating: Awesome

ANY CHARACTER HERE

The Foodie Club returned to N/Naka (again) with the (brief) return of remote member Fred. This meal is part 1 of a 3 big wine meals in 24 hour extravaganza. Woah!

The busy street corner on National.

The empty interior.
Our table — before we got to it.

Tonight’s menu.

Welcome drink. Sake mixed with juices.

Sakizuke. Hokkaido Scallop, oyster aioli, fermented asparagus gelee, scallop roe “dust”, beets, carrots, caviar, sunchoke chips.

The sunchoke chip is presented a minute after. I accidentally stuck it on “backward” so as to not maximize the sunflower and leaf motif they intended.

Zensai.

Tomato Okra Salad.

Abalone, uni, tosazu gelee, shiso.

Unagi, duck liver terrine. This had that PB&J quality that certain foie terrine creations do.

Watermelon lime “mojito”.

Shisito, minced wagyu. Very savory.

Corn, squash, yuzu ponzu, thai basil.

Homemade tofu, edamame, ginger soy. Very mild.

Modern Zukuri. Summer Tuna, pickled fennel, yamaimo, uni shoyu.

Uni shoyu for dipping. The instructions were to take some fish, a bit of pickled fennel and dip it. This was quite good. The Yamaimo yam was a bit slimy.

Owan. Shiromi, eggplant, junsai, hasu imo, ume. Very mild dashi-type soup.

Otsukuri. Traditional Sashimi. Ocean trout (looks like salmon), toro, and a white fish.

Yakimono. Binchotan Roasted Unagi, sudachi butter vinaigrette, yuzu pepper, lotus root “kabayaki.” This was actually quite “spicy” with the hefty amount of yuzu-combined pepper. This gave it an almost green coconut curry-like vibe.

Mushimono. Kegani, California Box Crab, egg (tamago), sakura mochi rice, dashi ankake.

Shiizakana. Spaghetti, abalone, pickled cod rod, truffles. The classic N/Naka pasta, double size. Awesome as always, but still small (even doubled).

Niku. A5 Miyazaki Wagyu Beef, arugula, baby corn, roasted peach, citrus fern, onion crumble. Very melt in your mouth beef.

Sunomono. Cucumber, grapes, tomato, shiso cucumber ice. Shot of yuzu juice.

While it tasted like sunomono, the ice gave it a very interesting texture and temperature factor.

Shokuji. Traditional Sushi.

Miso soup.

Blue Crab Handroll (as bonus to “fill us up”).

Mizumono. Watermelon Lime Sorbet, compressed watermelon. Very watermelony.

Peach Panna Cotta, peach sorbet, nata de coco, red beans, shiratama, anmitsu. Had that mild, soft, and sweet thing like a Filipino dessert.

Hojicha Latte Gelato – Ceremonial Hojicha Roasted Green Tea base, topped with 70% Valrhona and house-made Hazelnut Brittle — 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 #matcha #Hojicha #GreenTea

Matcha.

Passionfruit yellow bean paste “candy“.

Take home blueberry muffin and tea. Muffin was very gooey and mild — not my taste.

Old Grand Cuvee.

2000 Coche-Dury Meursault 1er Cru Caillerets. BH 93. Awesome and bright. This has now peaked and is drinking beautifully with a fully mature nose of honeysuckle, peach, apricot and very subtle spice notes that can also be found on the enveloping flavors that possess a wonderfully seductive mouth feel and ample dry extract that both completely buffers the still firm acid spine and coats the palate on the long, lingering and strikingly perfumed if ever-so-slightly warm finish. One character that Coche seems to consistently be able to achieve is how his wines are at once generous yet retain a fine sense of focus and precision and this wine certainly displays this. Lovely stuff that is perfect now. Tasted thrice with consistent notes. (Drink starting 2016)

agavin: Nice nose even.

From my cellar: 2001 Coche-Dury Meursault 1er Cru Caillerets. VM 90. High-pitched, high-toned aromas of peach and minerals. Quite dry following the Rougeots, with less texture and pliancy. This is very closed today (my sample from barrel a year ago was far more accessible and giving), but does not seem to have the depth of the Rougeots. Perhaps a bit rigid. This needs at least a few years in the bottle.

A touch closed and “bitter” at first, but opened up to become lovely.

1990 Coche-Dury Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. BH 93. An utterly beguiling nose of smoke, minerals and crushed herbs leads to big, muscular, rich and gorgeously nuanced palate staining flavors that offer huge length and real power plus class and breed to burn. I have had wonderful luck with this wine and while it is now fully mature and, it must be said, no longer what it used to be, it should still continue to drink well for another 5 to 10 years, perhaps even a bit longer.

Amazing!

1992 Coche-Dury Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. VM 98. The 1992 Meursault Les Perrières 1er Cru from Coche-Dury is a brilliant wine – period. It has a refulgent silvery hue that belies its age. The aromatics are perhaps more Puligny-like than Meursault in style: taut at first with subtle melted butter and yellow flower aromas. It is blessed with astonishing delineation and returning to my glass after 90 minutes…wow…popcorn, roasted almond, beeswax, linseed, certainly more Meursault-like in character. The palate is crisp, fresh and tensile at first, with wonderful salinity. This just gets the taste-buds going and there is tangible mineralité. Like the aromatics, it becomes more Meursault-like with aeration, gaining complexity with rondeur, hazelnut and smoke towards the mercurial finish. This is utterly sublime. Two bottles tasted at Tour d’Argent with consistent notes. (Drink between 2018-2035)

Also very fresh and nice.

2000 Domaine G. Roumier / Christophe Roumier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses. VM 90+. Good medium red. Complex, very floral aromas of strawberry, cinnamon and rose petal. Sweet but also juicy and precise, with the strong floral character following through on the palate. A precise, perfumed wine with lovely cut but no shortage of texture. Stylish, flavorful and quite long.

Some great juice tonight!

Chef Niki comes out to say hi.

Fred and his lovely fiancé (now wife) Maria.

The setting is elegant, minimalist, and very Japanese. N/Naka really is a very special place. All the meals I had here were spectacular. Plus we even did an amazing all foie gras meal here once. The place keeps getting better and better. This is thrice wonderful because often one finds a slight bloom to come off a place on repeat meals. At N/Naka everything is seasonal and constantly rotating.

Coming back to N/Naka after the pandemic I thought they were really firing on all cylinders. This was the best meal I’ve had there since the incredible Foie meal. I think her sushi has gone from “okay” to “great” and with regard to other dishes she has toned down a bit of the “theatrics” slightly but really upped the flavor balance and intensity. There weren’t some of the more interactive dishes of years past, like cooking your own item on hot stones, but the cooking was even more on point.

Service is also spectacular, highlighted all the more by the extremely low understaffed standard currently found in LA.

Click here to other LA Japanese restaurants.

Or other Foodie Club extravaganzas.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BYOG, coche, Foodie Club, Fred, Gelato, N/Naka, Niki Nakayama, White Burgundy, Wine

Major Major Major

Mar13

Restaurant: Majordomo [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

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

Date: August 4, 2022

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 fifth visit, and my second time with the Hedonists.

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?

But we setup outside on the patio at a large table.

The current menu.

From my cellar: 2007 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut. 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. (Drink between 2018-2047)

Kanpachi – kombu, wasabi, lemon. This had a very nice, very zesty whallop of flavor.

Somewhat annoyingly, the wine “theme” at this dinner turned into SQN. I just don’t get this stuff as all the reds taste the same (overwhelmingly big). The whites and pinot are ok.

2006 Sine Qua Non The Hoodoo Man. VM 94. Sine Qua Non’s 2006 White Wine The Hoodoo Man is insanely beautiful. Remarkably fresh for a nine year old white, the 2006 The Hoodoo Man will change readers’ perceptions about what California white wines are and can be. A rich mélange of apricot, peach, honey and exotic white flowers graces the palate as this voluptuous, intense, yet remarkably vibrant wine shows off its utterly compelling personality. Slightly reductive, the 2006 needs a good bit of air. Today, the 2006 shows no signs whatsoever of fading. It should continue to drink well for another 5-10 years. The Hoodoo Man can only be called an absolute triumph in viticulture and winemaking. Time and again, I thought I had mixed up my glasses and that this was 2013 White Wine Résisté. The Hoodoo Man is 39% Roussanne, 31% Viognier and 30% Chardonnay; 75% from John Alban’s vineyard and 25% from Eleven Confessions. The wine was aged in 58% new oak, the rest 1-2 year-old barrels and a dollop of stainless steel. (Drink between 2015-2020)

Tuna special with lettuce wrap, tuna tartare, habanero, and rice crisps. Quite delicious and slightly different take on the tuna tartare. Good texture and quite a bit of heat actually.

Wrap in progress.

2008 Sine Qua Non Kolibri. VM 93. Deep yellow-gold. Ripe pit and exotic fruits on the nose, with complicating notes of honey, sweet butter and green almond. Becomes more floral with air, picking up suggestions of jasmine and chamomile. Lush but focused, with a spine of acidity adding structure and carrying through a very long, sappy and gently sweet finish. Krankl said that he’d serve this with a rich shellfish dish.

Benton’s Country Ham.

Cave Aged Butter & Caviar.

Bing bread. This pita-like bread is spread as desired with the ordered condiments (in our case the hame, butter, and caviar).

Combined the lot of them Jose Andres style.

Stuffed Peppers – benton’s sack sausage, buttermilk ranch. Very crispy, but delicious with the ranch sauce.

Little Gem Salad – anchovy, miso, smoked trout roe. Not your typical salad. Far saltier than most, but delicious.

From my cellar: 2008 Domaine Denis Bachelet Charmes-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes. BH 91-94. A very ripe plum and floral nose also reflects notes of warm earth and minerality that slides into very fresh, rich, round and forward medium plus weight flavors that are quite generous, even fleshy yet there is good delineation on the serious, delicious, powerful and persistent finish that is supported by fine tannins. This is a lovely wine of distinction balance and harmony that is built to age over the next decade or so as the underlying material is superb. (Drink starting 2018)

WOTN, of course.

2003 Sine Qua Non Pinot Noir Omega. VM 91. Dark red.Deep, very ripe aromas of blackberry and chocolatey torrefaction. Large-scaled and deep, with the blackberry, black cherry and black raspberry flavors carrying a strong load of chocolate, not to mention 15.5% alcohol. Finishes impressively broad and uncompromisingly dry, with very good length and decent grip. A big fellow.

Macaroni & Chickpea – miso, black pepper. The texture isn’t typically Italian (a bit softer with a bit more sauce) but this did have a lovely cacio e pepe flavor.

Spicy Fusilli – pork jowl, kimchi, garlic. This was a bit polarizing. Very saucy and with a good amount of heat. Some people didn’t like it but I enjoyed the quite piggy tone, the crunchy pork jowl, and the moderate spice. Wine killer for sure though.

Shrimp Crispy Rice – Thai chili, corn, sun gold tomatoes. Disc of crispy rice that is then mixed up with all that stuff.

All mixed up it was delicious.

Grilled Gai Lan – xo sauce, mint. A jazzed up take on a classic veggie.

2016 Sine Qua Non Grenache Dirt Vernacular. VM 98. Sine Qua Non’s 2016 Grenache The Vernacular is a classic Sine Qua Non wine. Rich, powerful and aromatically deep, the 2016 has so much to offer. A rush of sweet dark cherry, plum, mocha, licorice, lavender and spice builds in an opulent, flamboyant wine that hits all the right notes. Mourvèdre, Touriga Nacional and Petite Sirah add striking sepia tones throughout. This is a stunning showing. (Drink between 2022-2031)

2013 Sine Qua Non Grenache ♀. VM 96+. Huge tannins wrap around a core of voluptuous fruit in the 2013 Grenache Female. Dark-fleshed fruit, graphite, spices, savory herbs and lavender are some of the signatures. Today, the 2013 is quite imposing and shut down, so readers will have to be patient. The blend is 78% Grenache, 19% Syrah and 3% Mourvèdre, done with 88% whole clusters, which is high for Sine Qua Non. (Drink between 2017-2028)

2010 Sine Qua Non Syrah Stockholm Syndrome Eleven Confessions Vineyard. VM 97.5. Lavender, violets, smoke, menthol and new leather are some of the many notes that inform the 2010 Syrah Stockholm Syndrome. A huge, seamless wine, the 2010 boasts magnificent richness and a totally voluptuous personality. The powerful finish dazzles with its combination of fruit, acidity and minerality. (Drink between 2016-2025)

2007 Sine Qua Non Syrah Labels. VM 94. Opaque purple. Sexy, expansive aromas of blackberry, kirsch, potpourri, sandalwood and black pepper. Sweet and rich, but juicy, with superb floral lift to the flavors of bitter cherry, dark berries and fruity pepper. A real essence of syrah: this is all dark berries, flowers and spice, but no game, with plenty of fruit to support the oak (64% new) element. Harmonious, ripe acidity and velvety tannins give shape to a long, sweet finish.

2004 Sine Qua Non Syrah Poker Face. VM 96. The 2004 Syrah Poker Face remains deep, inky and powerful, even at eleven years of age. A host of black cherry, chocolate, licorice and smoke meld together in this dark, voluptuous Syrah. As good as the 2004 is, it’s also quite clear just how far Sine Qua Non has come since the Poker Face was made. The blend is 96% Syrah, with drops of Mourvèdre and Viognier. Vineyard sources are 33% Eleven Confessions, 27% White Hawk, 22% Alban, 16% Bien Nacido and 3% Alta Mesa. (Drink between 2015-2022)

Grilled Wagyu Zabuton – maitake, koji, egg yolk.

The sauce and yolk were to be mixed, then one was supposed to dip the meat in the sauce. Not a bad dish, but not the best of the night by any means. Certainly our weakest main.

Crispy Potatoes – garlic, chili, lemon mayo. These were awesome. The potatoes were incredibly crispy and coated in a very “Buffalo Wing” style sauce. The sea of lemon mayo was extremely ranch-like and so the overall vibe was like a much better, much crispier, “Buffalo Wing” kind of thing.

Smoked Half Bo Ssam – ssam, condiments, rice.

Comes with white rice.

Greens and lettuce.

Hoisin and pickles. You make a lettuce wrap (I didn’t use the rice). Some argued that the pork was a little dry, but I didn’t think so if you loaded enough moist pickles etc in there. Very rich and satisfying.

Whole Plate Short Rib with Beef Rice – ssam, condiments, beef rice.

Various condiments for the beef. Pickles, spicy Korean chili paste etc

The huge short rib.

Our server sets to work carving the rib.

Most of it is arrayed in a flower pattern.

Then the ribs themselves are added on. Overall this is scrumptious meat, particularly when wrapped in lettuce with all the condiments. Like a great BBQ Brisket.

This is the special beef rice that comes a bit later. It’s delicious but we were crazy full.

2013 Bouchard Père et Fils Chevalier-Montrachet Domaine. BH 93. Here the wood treatment is well-integrated though not invisible as it combines with elegant, pure and cool aromas of white orchard fruit, acacia blossom and plenty of citrus character. There is good size, weight and punch to the delicious, tangy and energetic middle weight plus flavors that offer a lovely sense of precision and excellent length. While this classy and stylish effort should reward at least a decade of bottle age it should also be approachable after only 6 to 8. (Drink starting 2023)

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

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. 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 pork and chicken are amazing and insane. We planned on also getting the chicken, but we were so stuffed we had to cancel it. Tonight the food seemed the best yet, 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 — well and maybe how I felt trying to sleep later after all that fat, salt, and massive red wine.

I’ll make an interesting observation about the SQNs in this kind of dinner format. Despite the massive wines and massive ratings, we had about 40% of each of the big reds left at the end of the night. My Champagne, my Red Burg, the SQN pinot, and the Chevalier (opened at the end too!) were the only bottles that were empty — and quickly at that. The massive reds are just so punishingly rich — not to mention completely interchangeable — that I just poured a couple at random and sipped lightly.

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: BYOG, Gelato, hedonists, Korean Fusion, Majordomo, Meat, SGN, Short rib, Wine

Far East – Beijing Tasty House

Mar10

Restaurant: Beijing Tasty House [Crawl: MK BBQ, Peking, Bafang, Spicy Home, Beijing Tasty ]

Location: 1380 Fullerton Rd Ste 105 Rowland Heights, CA 91748. (626) 573-8518

Date: July 31, 2022

Cuisine: Beijing Chinese

Rating: Okay, but not as good as Alhambra branch

Crawls generally need a good “closer” meal at the end where the group can mop up to a satisfying level. In this case, we chose the newish Hacienda Heights location of Beijing Tasty House.

I’ve eaten at the Alhambra branch at least half a dozen times and always enjoyed it, even if their service is a bit “unrefined” and their execution at times uneven. This one is way out east in a typical strip mall.

The interior is nice enough but much smaller and more cramped than the Alhambra branch.

The menu. Very small writing.

Hot and Sour Soup with Rice Noodles. Name was weird but this is exactly the dish I hoped it was. The “soup” is very tangy with a bit of spice and numbing. It’s warm and the noodles provide interesting texture.

Smashed Cucumbers with Garlic. Properly done.

Fire Exploded Kidneys. For the water sports enthusiast.

A-Choy with sesame sauce. A bit weird, bits of lettuce with a sesame sugar paste.

Peking Duck. Very solid spring pancakes and hoisin. Skin was good and crispy but the meat was very dry and low fat. Not bad, but probably a B+ Peking Duck, even by LA standards. I really should put this place in my Ultimate Peking Duck guide as they do serve proper Beijing Peking Duck, it’s just not the best in town by any means.

The meat with skin on top.

The usual condiments.

Real spring pancakes (certainly NOT tortillas).

The contents of the “bing” or “burrito.”

Duck Bones with Cumin. Not a bad version of this dish, quite spicy too.

Beef (and pork belly) Dry Pot. Quite tasty with very tender beef. Extremely spicy.

Lamb Ribs and cumin. Also similar, but the ribs were awesome and tender.

Strawberry Cheesecake Gelato — strawberry cream-cheese base with strawberry ripple and house-made graham cracker crumble — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #cheesecake #strawberry #GrahamCracker #ripple #creamcheese

Overall, food is very similar to the Alhambra outlet, but it’s further, smaller, and has no liquor license (although they let us use tea cups with the bottles hidden). So no reason to go this far, just visit the closer one for a better experience.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Beijing Tasty House, BYOG, crawl, Gelato, hedonists, Peking Duck, Rowland Heights

Wolfing it Down

Feb27

Restaurant: Wolvesmouth [1, 2, 3]

Location: Los Angeles

Date: July 30, 2022

Cuisine: Modernist

Rating: Very tasty and great night

Second July in a row I went to a Wolvesmouth dinner. My previous visit was great fun, but it was for a long time a complicated “application based” dinner and I’m kinda lazy about such things. So when some of my friends decided to buy out the night and invited me I jumped at the chance to return.

In these uncertain times, albeit in the relatively optimistic early/mid summer window, this dinner was held in the Chef Craig Thornton’s home.

The dining table is right in front of the open kitchen.

Ribeye cap. Roman gnocchi. cherry onion jam. fermented tokyo turnip. salsa verde. al taglio. An odd first dish, but delicious. The salsa verde was very chimichuri like and gave the whole thing a sweet and salty succulence.

Scallop. corn. tomato. sungold. chorizo. melon. Bright flavors and very strong corn flavor. Quite lovely.

melon gazpacho. mascarpone. melon. marcona almond. This was quite sweet and summer-like.

Halibut. grilled asparagus. poblano. pickled radish. beet. sopes. garlic labneh. My least favorite dish, fairly heavy, probably from the poblano and beet.

Albacore. cauliflower. charcoal chili broth. freeze dried thai basil. mint. coconut curry. coconut arancini. kaffir lime. green papaya. thai chili. galangal. chive. Extremely intense “Thai” flavor. The base liquid pretty much tasted like the most extreme Thai salad dressing ever, albiet less salty. Delicious but a wine killer.

Pork belly. japanese sweet potato. yuzu. black plum. shiso. Super delicious. Sweet and savory with Chasui like quality.

Cornbread blini. togarashi honey butter.

Quail. white bbq. pinquinto beans. blueberry. dill. cheddar biscuit. hatch chili cheddar. Awesome. Deep fry like a corndog with a scrumptuous tangy white sauce. The bisquit was amazing too.

Financier. butterscotch mousse. nectarine. chewy nectarine. apricot ice. burnt meringue.

Buttermilk vanilla panna cotta. strawberry. concentrated strawberry. strawberry vanilla crumble. strawberry ice. Strawberries and cream.

Feeling creative — Pistachio Basil Gelato – Milk blitzed with fresh Italian Basil leaves and melted together with Pistacchi di Bronte DOP from Bronte Sicly (duh) — 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 #basil #pistachio #sicily

Matcha Almond Latte Gelato – Ceremonial Matcha Green Tea and Sicilian Noto Romano Almond gelato base — 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 #almond #matcha #GreenTea #Sicily

Le chef.

This was a fabulous night. Great wines and atmosphere, but most importantly wonderful company and some really tasty food. I was very impressed. There was no obvious “theme” to the menu, but each dish was very strongly executed with bold and powerful — and tasty — flavors.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: BYOG, Craig Thornton, Gelato, Hollywood, Skylar, Wine, Wolvesmouth

Big Night at Capital

Feb25

Restaurant: Capital Seafood Beverly Hills [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Location: 50 N La Cienega Blvd #130, Beverly Hills, CA 90211. (310) 855-1234

Date: July 29, 2022

Cuisine: Cantonese Chinese

Rating: Great again

Sometimes (particularly during a week day) people don’t want to drive all the way to the SGV — and when that happens there is always Capital Seafood Beverly Hills. Tonight a bunch of us gathered for a big wine night.

Capital is the latest SGV place to move west, occupying the Newport Seafood Beverly Hills location that failed to work out. Not that I love even the original Newport, but Capital is fairly straight up banquet / dimsum Cantonese.

The space looks pretty Chinese, even in Beverly Hills.

Coves. Gotta have the coves!

Candied Walnuts.

Peanuts.

It’s alive!

Jellyfish. Nice texture and a good slightly tangy sauce.

Shrimp Egg Rolls. Nice and crunchy.

Har Gow. Well made with a great filling, although they had sat on this plate for a bit too long and so were starting to sag.

Live prawns.

Boiled Live Spot Prawns. Normally I don’t love these sea bugs, but with the sauce they were quite nicely cooked, sweet and delicious.

Sauce for the prawns.

Live lobster!

Typhoon Style Lobster. Great with a nice garlic flavor.

Live crab!

King Crab Body with Basil. Lovely basil flavor and well cooked crab.

King Crab legs steamed with garlic. Juicy, fresh, and delicious.

Pseudo Peking Duck. Not bad, but no pancakes, which makes it more or less Pseudo Peking Duck (see my Ultimate Peking Duck Guild for details).

Buns instead of pancakes.

Wines chilling!

Duck bones with cumin. Actually one of the best duck bone preps I’ve had. Really nice “cumin lamb” style prep. Lots of meat and a bit crunchy.

French style Filet Mignon. Sweet and a bit of black pepper. Boring dish but this was a nice version of it.

Salt and pepper Pork Ribs. Excellent version of this dish. Very fried but not too salty.

Beef rib with Garlic XO sauce. Very savory garlic/MSG sauce. Meat was a touch over cooked, but it was delicious.

King Crab Shell Fried Rice.

Pea Tendrils steamed with Garlic. Nice for a green.

Stir fried fungus with fresh lily and asparagus. Not bad at all for straight vegetables.

Macau Tarts.

Peach shaped buns with bean paste.

Raspberry Lemon Curd Gelato — an awesome dairy Raspberry base swirled with house-made Lemon Curd — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — tangy and sweet! — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #raspberry #jam #lemoncurd #curd

Gift from the kitchen: pork buns.

Overall, this was one of our best Capital Seafood (BH) meals ever — and I’ve been a lot! Really fabulous food — partially as we had some really regular customers. Wines were incredible too.

For my catalog of Chinese restaurant reviews in China, click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Beverly Hills, BYOG, Cantonese cuisine, Capital Seafood, Chinese Food, Gelato, hedonists

Coche In at Brothers Santa Monica

Feb23

Restaurant: The Brothers Sushi Santa Monica

Location: 1008 Montana Ave #1, Santa Monica, CA 90403. (424) 330-0270

Date: July 28, 2022

Cuisine: Modern Sushi

Rating: Awesome (and close)!

Our Foodie Gang has been going to the incredible “The Brothers Sushi” in the valley for some time now, and it was with much glee that we welcomed in the brand new (and somewhat delayed) Montana Santa Monica location.

The space used to be the repulsive Louise’s Trattoria, serving not exactly Italian for decades. But Brother’s has given it a major new makeover.

This particular visit was during their soft opening and Chef Mark Okuda was there to personally handle our omakase.

The build out is gorgeous. Here the bar is for omakase only and the tables are for à la carte only.

More details.

Chef Mark Okuda on the left and his chef de cuisine Moriyuki Kanamaru.

2014 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Saint-Aubin 1er Cru En Remilly Cuvée Nicholas et Mathis. 93 points. Flinty nose, but not very giving. Lemon infused palate, crisp and acidic with lemon rind elements and a chalky texture. Much more closed than the very open 2013.

What better way to inaugurate a new sushi bar than with coche night!

2008 Coche-Dury Meursault. VM 91. Peach and white flowers on the nose; a real essence of Meursault perfume. Then creamy-rich and sweet, with soft citrus flavors dominating. Finishes with lovely lingering sweetness of fruit. Ridiculously sexy village wine.

2011 Domaine & Selection Meursault Coche-Dury. 92 points.

2012 Coche-Dury Meursault. 94 points. Sexy aromas of orange oil and brown spices. Bright and penetrating, with peach and soft citrus flavors firmed on the tactile back end by saline minerality. Really excellent texture and length for village wine. (Incidentally, don’t hesitate to snap up Coche’s 2012 Bourgogne Blanc if you can find it. This ripe, fruit-driven wine, from rocky soil around Coche’s house, is as good as most Meursault village wines. The very rich, tactile, classic Meursault Narvaux, which is usually sent to the U.S., was just at the beginning of its malo, and the Rougeot hadn’t even started at the end of May.)

2013 Coche-Dury Meursault. 93 points. Pale, bright yellow. Stone fruits and a honeyed nuance on the inviting nose. Concentrated, ripe and dry, conveying a musky complexity to the flavors of peach, pear and minerals. Finishes with excellent energy and a positive phenolic edge. (Burgundy lovers who routinely snap up the Coche-Dury Bourgogne Blanc when they’re lucky enough to spot it in a retail shop or on a restaurant wine list will love the very sexy 2013 version, which offers intense white peach and lime flavors framed by lemony acidity and finishes with noteworthy refinement for its humble appellation.) (Drink between 2017-2023)

2016 Coche-Dury Meursault. 93 points. A cooler and more restrained nose features notes of spicy green apple, acacia blossom and the hallmark hazelnut wisps. There is excellent density to the finer and more mineral-inflected flavors that possess almost painful intensity on the focused, powerful and strikingly persistent finish. This too is a seriously good performance for a villages level wine that should age effortlessly for at least a decade. (Drink starting 2026)

Marinated Seaweed, Scallop, and Okra. Sunomono sweet and tangy quality with beautiful textures.

2 week aged King Salmon, Marinated Momotaro Tomato, Ponzu Jelly, and Ice Plant. Delicious.

Smoke infused dry aged medium Chu Toro with wasabi. The smokey flavor is lovely.

Chawanmushi with Dungeness Crab and Santa Barbara Uni. A very lovely sweet and briny custard.

Maryland softshell Blue Crab, lightly fried and marinated with pickles. The acidity served as a nice offset to the grease of the fry.

Spring snapper.

5 day dry aged Amberjack.

Shima Aji from Kushu Japan.

Golden eye snapper. Had a touch of char as he blow torches some charcoal over it.

Marinated Maguro (blue eye toro).

Sweet Ebi from Japan.

Special brined Ikura over rice and topped with wasabi.

Sea Perch.

O Toro. Some of the softest, fatiest otoro I have yet had.

Anago Sea Eel from Kushu. Lovely soft texture.

Another round of chu and o toro

Clam miso. Lovely briny flavor. Very satisifying.

Tamago.

Hokkaido uni “wrap”.

A5 Wagyu nigiri.

Hokkaido scallop.

Toro Takuan Handroll.

Hamachi.

Ikura.

Ngawa. Haven’t heard of this fish but it was super tender and delicious, almost unctuous.

Seared Chu Toro “Zule” with homemade soy sauce.

Matcha Cheesecake.

Leche Quemada Gelato — “burnt” some milk with Cinnamon and Vanilla and then cooked into the mix a light Water Caramel. I didn’t have any Animal Crackers so I decorated with Stroopwafel — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato –#SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #cookie #cinnamon #vanilla #BurntMilk #stroopwafel #caramel

Chef enjoying some gelato.

Bonus!

Overall, another perfect night of sushi and white burgundy!

Instantly Brother’s Santa Monica has leapt into the top tier of westside sushi bars along with Miyagi and Shunji. It’s combination of perfect nigri and very refined “other dishes” are really great. It’s slightly different from woodland hills in personality, with some dishes in common and some specific to each — just enough to keep things interesting.

For more Italian dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Brothers Sushi, BYOG, Foodie Club, Gelato, Mark Okuda, Moriyuki Kanamaru, Omakase, Sushi, Wine

Dirty Dozen semi Grand

Feb21

Restaurant: Grand Harbor [1, 2, 3, 4]

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

Date: July 24, 2022

Cuisine: Cantonese Chinese

Rating: Solid Cantonese

It has become traditional for the Dirty Dozen (our blind tasting group within a group) to do white wine lunches over dim sum — but this time we mixed it up slightly and combined with Sunday night dinner into a Cantonese banquet Dirty Dozen White dinner. I think this was originally white Burgundy themed, then opened up to Rose Champagne for this event.

Grand Harbor is a relatively new Hong Kong place in Temple City from Jackie Zhou, having opened in 2012. It is part of the NBC Seafood Restaurant group, which has several other locations throughout the Los Angeles area.

The restaurant was designed to provide an elegant and upscale dining experience, with a focus on fresh seafood and high-quality ingredients. The owners of the restaurant were inspired by the traditional seafood restaurants of Hong Kong and wanted to bring a similar experience to the United States.

Since its opening, Grand Harbor has become a popular destination for diners seeking delicious seafood dishes and a luxurious dining experience. The restaurant has received numerous accolades and positive reviews from food critics and diners alike, and has become a go-to spot for special occasions and celebrations.

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

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

We had a private room — pretty much a necessity given the crowded main room.

Peanuts.

Smashed cucumbers. Slightly spicy sweet sauce. Not sure what the deal with dumping this kind of spring roll sauce on top of the cucumbers is.

We had the champagnes in flights but I’m too lazy to do anything more than present the photos of them in the order they were served.

And thus ends the champs.
Cold appetizers. Jellyfish, roast pork, pork belly, roast duck. Roast pork and duck were good.

Sauces for the cold apps. The hoison like one and sweet duck sauce.

Walnut shrimp. Lightly fried, very mayo, a bit sweet, and quite delicious.

“Peking Duck.” Skin is a bit soft and mushy and there are buns, but still tasty. This is “pseudo peking duck” like most of the Cantonese restaurants server. For more legit versions, check out my Peking Duck Guide.
Condiments.

Scallops in XO sauce. Very nice, not super strong.

Lobster steamed with garlic. Nice light prep.

Duck meat as lettuce cups. Good texture.

Pork belly with preserved vegetables. Mild and very fatty but very good. Mild is a theme tonight.

Fried pork chops. Very fried but not super salty.

French style beef with mushrooms. Super tender but why, why do we keep ordering this dish?

Bok Choy. Lightly flavored.

Everything fried rice.

Plated.

Truffle chicken. Chicken itself was very tender but the truffle was canned truffle with rancid truffle oil. I could only handle one bite.

Pan fried noodles with beef and egg whites. Topping was pretty good but noodles had a slightly odd flavor. Overall pretty mild (aka under seasoned).

Double Mint Oreo — Base made with Fresh Spring Mint infused milk and then laced with Crushed Mint Oreo Thins and Chopped Valrhona 70% Chocolate! — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — lovely strong mint flavor and color is all natural — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #dessertgasm #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #mint #valrhona #chocolate #oreo

My gelato is DOTN (dessert of the night) by about 5 orders of magnitude.

Light honey and plain sponge cakes.

Sweet soup with sesame mochi. Sweet egg drop anyone?

The gang.

The results.

By July of 2022, Grand Harbor had come most of the way back since it’s immediate post pandemic low, but it’s still not quite as good as it was before 2020. The dishes look good, but there was a slight but consistent under seasoning that made a little one dimensional — except for the truffle chicken which was disgusting. Say no to truffle oil! Still, one could always bring some a shaker of “flavor” (MSG) and Grand Harbor a very solid Cantonese with top notch rooms and service. From those who have visited more recently I’ve heard they have rebounded even further.

And I do like Rose Champ with Chinese food.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: blind tasting, BYOG, Cantonese Chinese, Champagne, Dirty Dozen, Gelato, Grand Harbor, hedonists, SGV, Wine

Charcoal Checkin

Dec29

Restaurant: Charcoal Venice [1, 2, 3]

Location: 425 Washington Blvd, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292. (310) 751-6794

Date: June 14, 2022

Cuisine: New American Grill

Rating: Some great meats

Josiah Citrin’s (owner/chef of Melisse) newish more casual eatery has been open for a while — and although I bike past it weekly and went once for brunch, this is my second official dinner visit — and we are enjoying the lovely back patio.

It’s located on Washington Blvd about 2 blocks in from the ocean.

Inside at night. By the middle of dinner service it was hopping.

This is one of those pandemic “parking lot” patios. Not sure it’s actually the parking lot, but it has that informal look but I love al fresco, so totally works for me.

The menu.

NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée Edition 168eme. JG 96+. The new release of Krug Grande Cuvée “168ème Édition” is from the base year of 2012, with the reserve wines in the blend stretching all the way back to 1996. The final cépages has ended up as fifty-two percent pinot noir, thirty-five percent chardonnay and thirteen percent pinot meunier. Forty-two percent of the blend is made up of reserve wines in this beautiful iteration of Grande Cuvée. The bouquet is superb, wafting from the glass in a mosaic of apple, white peach, a touch of Clos du Mesnil-like fresh apricot, almond, a beautifully complex base of soil tones, fresh-baked bread, hints of the caraway seed to come and a whisper of buttery oak (which is particularly evident when the wine is first poured, but quickly is subsumed in the other elements on the nose). On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, focused and very complex, with a lovely core of fruit, fine soil signature, utterly refined mousse and a long, perfectly balanced and very energetic finish. This is one of the most effortless and seamlessly balanced young releases of Grande Cuvée in several years and is utterly brilliant wine. (Drink between 2020-2080)

2014 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Cuvée A Tempo. VM 95. Vivid yellow. Mineral-tinged citrus and orchard fruit aromas show excellent clarity and pick up a suave floral accent with air. Silky and precise on the palate, offering bitter lemon pith and pear skin flavors that show fantastic power and a subtle, slow-building suggestion of iodine. A distinctly mineral, Chablis-like quality characterizes the remarkably long, penetrating finish, which strongly echoes the floral and citrus fruit notes. This deeply concentrated yet vibrant wine is one the most mesmerizing versions of white Châteauneuf that I have ever tried and, in fact, it measures up to some of the best white Rhônes, period. (Drink between 2018-2025)

Oysters on the Half Shell, Garnished Traditionally and Creatively.

Bread with Beurre De Baratte.

Yellowfin Tuna, Pickled Cucumber, Avocado, Citrus Vinaigrette. Classic, but good.

Crisps for the tuna tower.

Smoked Mushroom and Beet, Crème Fraiche, Currants. Tastes like liquid smoke, but really nice actually.

2000 Domaine de la Vieille Julienne Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve. 95 points. Unique and fantastic Pape! nose with remarkable note of Grappa as well as roses, tar, asphalt, wild raspberries, raisins. Extremely concentrated, lush, silky and sensuous on the palate. Character as a mature Barolo, long lingering on. At peak now.

2001 Le Clos du Caillou Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve le Clos du Caillou. VM 96. Saturated, bright ruby-red. Knockout nose of black raspberry, meat, minerals, spices, chicory and espresso. Like liquid silk in the mouth; an incredibly concentrated, nearly confectionery wine, with compelling flavors of blackberry, violet and game. As creamy as a molten Valrhona chocolate cake. The oak component serves to frame and intensify the flavors, enabling this wonderfully thick wine to retain a sappy character. Finishes with intriguing garrigue notes and a repeating espresso element.

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

Smoky Grilled Chicken Wings, Oregano, Chili, Vinegar. Good, but I like Vietnamese wings better.

Smoked Lamb Ribs. Fatty, smokey, awesome.

California Avocado Pesto, Cherry Tomatoes,Fresh Tagliatelle. Really nice “green” minty flavor.

Oxtail Bolognese, Gremolata, Horseradish, Cavatelli Pasta. First class meaty pasta.

21 Day Aged Half Liberty Duck, Honey, Coriander. Amazballs. Sweet but very ducky and delicious.

Little Gems, Shaved Market Vegetables, Bread Crumbs, Grilled Scallion Vinaigrette.

2007 Domaine de la Janasse Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée XXL. VM 94. Inky purple. Wild, highly expressive aromas of kirsch, blackberry and fruitcake, with complementary notes of anise and violet. Broad dark fruit flavors show exotic spice and herb nuances, with velvety tannins providing support. Finishes sweet, sappy and long, with smoke and spice notes lingering. This wine, which fermented its sugars for two years, will be bottled in March of 2010.

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

16 oz Prime Ribeye. Nice meat.

Cabbage Baked in the Embers, Yogurt, Sumac, Lemon Zest. Really great veggie. This is actually one of my favorite dishes here.

Grilled Vermillion Rock Cod, California Citrus, Port Wine, Brown Butter, Mint. I didn’t try.

Steak Fries with Ketchup, Mustard.

Roasted Wild Mushrooms, Parsley Breadcrumbs, Fermented Garlic Dressing.

Coal Roasted Carrots, Sheep’s Milk Ricotta, Herbs, Honey, Black Pepper. Bad photo, I know, people were “Langing” it.

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

Hazelnut at the Ritz Gelato — Nocciola (hazelnut) custard base made with Pure PGI Piedmont hazelnut paste then mixed with house-made caramel and crushed Ritz Crackers (for that salty offset) — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #hazelnut #nocciola #caramel #caramello #ritz #crackers

Apple Crumble, McConnell’s Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Cake, McConnell’s Double Peanut Butter Chip Ice Cream. Really nice.

I was impressed by our meal here. Not everything was perfect, but some of the dishes: duck, cabbage, lamb ribs were exceptional and most of the rest really good. A couple were a bit flat (like maybe the salads). The name, Charcoal, implies wood cooked, and they deliver on that promise with an experience that has a bit of a non-Spanish Asador feel.

Tonight we had a great evening out on the patio. BIG wines for pretty big food! These were some serious Chateauneufs!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: bbq, BYOG, CDP, Charcoal Venice, Chateauneuf du Pape, Gelato, Wine

Summer Miyagi

Dec21

Restaurant: Sushi Miyagi [ 1, 2, 3 ]

Location: 150 S Barrington Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90049. (323) 382-5635

Date: June 2022

Cuisine: Japanese Sushi

Rating: Top Shelf Omakase Sushi

Great sushi is always a good excuse to pull out the beloved Champagnes and White Burgundies.

The unassuming storefront on the largely ignored side street that is S Barrington Ave.

The space is small but attractive (these are pre covid pics).

This is chef focused serious sushi, and so we pre-ordered the largest omakase possible — Erick even egged them on to a larger than offered menu. This picture is also pre-covid, post there is a plexiglass barrier across the bar and no bar seating.

Chef Shinichi Miyagi says about himself on his website:

Born in Osaka, the art of sushi mesmerized the chef at an early age and decided to devote his life as a “Decchi” (apprentice) under Master Higuchi at the age of 16. He opened his first “Kappo” (traditional style of cooking in front of a crowd) restaurant at the age of 25, and moved to LA at 29, working in numerous well known Sushi restaurants in West LA, Beverly Hills, and San Diego.

Through managing a Sushi restaurant in Manhattan Beach (i-naba), now in present day, he found an opportunity to try his skills as an executive chef in Brentwood/Los Angeles. The chefs many years of experience in choosing the freshest fish, will surprise even the most sophisticated pallets of this beautiful city.

His methods and techniques in preparation follows the traditional Japanese style, bringing out the true flavors of the fish. The chef also prepares two styles of rice, AKAZU SHARI (Red vinegar sushi rice), and SHIROZU SHARI (White vinegar rice). The SHARI (Sushi rice) will alternate depending on the fish being prepared, and we hope you enjoy the eclectic flavors of the different vinegars being used.

2008 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut. VM 98+. Taittinger’s 2008 Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne is simply breathtaking. I have tasted it many times over the years in various trial disgorgements and it has never been anything less than compelling. The final, finished wine captures all of that potential. Bright, focused and wonderfully deep, Comtes is a fabulous example of a vintage that expresses so much energy but with real fruit intensity, the signatures that distinguish it from other vintages (1996 comes to mind) that were similarly taut, but more austere in the early going. Although the 2008 impresses right out of the gate, it only really starts to open up with several hours of air. The 2008 Comtes represents the purest essence of the Côtes des Blancs in a great, historic vintage. Readers who can find the 2008 should not hesitate, as it is a truly brilliant epic Champagne that no one who loves the very best in Champagne will want to be without. (Drink between 2023-2048)

Amuses. Oyster with caviar. Monkfish Liver with ponzu jelly. Deep fried River Crab. Steamed Conch in the back. The monkfish liver was particularly good for its type, super tender and not a hint of bitterness.

Sashimi. Japanese Bonito with ginger on top. Japanese Halibut. Toro from Spain.

Japanese hairy crab. Both some meat and a bit of leg. Very sweet and tender.

Octopus egg in soy sauce with wasabi. I’m not sure I’ve ever had this. It was a texture a bit like a chewy rice, quite delicious.

2007 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chenevottes. VM 91+. Deep aromas of pear, white flowers and clove. Sweet and lush but with ripe harmonious acidity keeping the flavors under wraps today. Best now on the long, vibrant finish, which offers a lovely combination of ripeness and energy. But distinctly firm-edged at present. Colin told me he thought that pHs levels in his 2007s were in the range of 3.2 but noted that he doesn’t pay attention to technical parameters as much as to the taste of the wine.

Japanese red snapper.

Hokkaido Scallop.

Triggerfish with fresh liver from the same fish. Never had this particular variant. Lovely.

Striped Jack from Japan.

Oregon Giant Clam.

Amberjack that was 10 days aged topped with Yuzu koshu.

Japanese Sweet Shrimp.

Norwegian Salmon.

2007 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Charmes. BH 94. This is more expressive and a bit riper with ultra pure aromas of peach, apricot, pear and spiced white peach leading to ripe, concentrated and superbly precise flavors that display plenty of mid-palate fat and ample minerality that this part of Charmes always seems to impart to the wines and overall, this is a stunningly harmonious wine of finesse. (Drink starting 2017)

Bluefin Tuna that was 19 day aged.

Almost O-toro.

Spanish Mackerel from Japan.

Japanese Baby Barracuda.

Black throat from Nigata prefecture.

Goldeneye Snapper with Summer Truffle.

Hokkaido Uni.

Japanese Beef nigiri.

2007 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos. VM 96+. Bright yellow. Subtly complex nose melds Asian pear, violet, lavender, ginger, iodine and powdered stone. Tactile and dense on entry, then creamy in the middle, conveying an impression of great volume without weight. This extremely backward, youthfully understated Clos firms up dramatically on the back end, finishing with palate-saturating citrus and talc flavors that refuse to fade. One of the longest Chablis bottlings I tasted for this issue, this truly transcends chardonnay.

Chawanmushi with Uni, Mushroom, and Tofu. Very soft.

Crab Hand-roll.

Anago Eel.

Kohada.

2005 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut. VM 93. Taittinger’s 2005 Comtes de Champagne was a perfect way to commence proceedings. Orchard fruit and hints of brioche on the seductive nose are joined by a hint of lemon verbena filtering through with time. The palate is beautifully balanced, perhaps not as riveting as a recently tasted 2008, yet underpinned by a fine bead of acidity and exuding harmony on the apricot-tinged finish. This is drinking perfectly now but should give 15-20 years of drinking pleasure. (Drink between 2022-2042)

Vanilla and Truffle ice cream. Not actually that big a fan of truffle in my ice cream.

Cherry Gelato – a blend of Morello Cherry and intense Amarena Cherry fruit make this dairy gelato really pop — topped with Candied Amarena Cherries — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #amarena #morello #cherry

Matcha Almond Latte Gelato – Ceremonial Matcha Green Tea and Sicilian Noto Romano Almond gelato base — 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 #almond #matcha #GreenTea #Sicily

Sushi Miyagi is exactly the kind of sushi place I like best — all omakase and very traditional. This is some seriously good fish. Mostly just straight nigiri and a bit of spectacular sashimi and a handful of cooked dishes. This is really really good and instantly catapulted into the top westside sushi joints. Very friendly too. Intimate as well. Sushi at this level is all about the chef and Shinichi Miyagi is very talented.

Not for the sushi neophytes and roll loves, but fabulous for those of us who really enjoy great fish being showcased in a straightforward and delicious manner.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (1)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BYOG, Champage, Gelato, Japanese cuisine, Miyagi, Sashimi, Sushi, White Burgundy, Wine

More Old California (take 3)

Dec13

Restaurant: 71Above [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12]

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

Date: May 31, 2022

Cuisine: New American

Rating: Awesome in all ways

71Above is one of my favorite LA restaurants and I’ve been many times. In fact there are 10 previous write ups! Original Chef Vartan Abgaryan has moved on to his own new place, Yours Truly (which the pandemic has sadly done in), and 71Above is now seamlessly helmed by his disciple, Chef Javier Lopez. Today the location plays host to a special old California dinner owner Emil Eyvazoff organized with an equally special menu. This dinner is the spiritual sequel to a much older Old California dinner back in 2015 and one from 2021.

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

On one of these visits, Emil gave me a quick tour of their new “patio” on the 70th floor below where they are serving up Mezzes and drinks.

Gorgeous build out upstairs for the main event.

Look at the crazy view and the crazy fog on this weird spring night.

We set up shop for this evening in the private room.

Just a few glasses at the ready.

Our special menu for the night.

NV Schramsberg Vineyards Mirabelle Brut. BH 89. A notably fresh, fruity and overtly yeasty nose evidences notes of green apple, citrus and pear scents. There is good vibrancy to the delicious and equally fruity flavors that possess good if not special depth on the moderately dry but not really austere finale that is shaped by firm effervescence. This has arrived at a point where it could be held for a few more years or enjoyed now. (Drink starting 2015)

Chickpea Panisse, Truffle Aoioli.

Crispy Chicken, Mustard Emulsion.

House-made bread and butter.

1994 Stony Hill Chardonnay. JG 94. I really like the potential on display with the 1994 Stony Hill and fully expect this to be one of the reference point vintages of the 1990s. The nose is still in its youthful stage of development, but shows plenty of promise in its aromatic mélange of buttered apples, lemon, gentle leesy tones, orange peel, dusty minerality and lemon blossoms in the upper register. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, crisp and beautifully reserved, with fine acids, impeccable focus and balance and excellent length and grip on the still quite primary finish. Excellent potential. (Drink between 2014-2045)

1975 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay Napa & Alexander Valleys. JG 90. The 1975 Château Montelena chardonnay is still drinking beautifully out of magnum at age thirty-five, as the non-malo style fashioned here at this time by Mike Grgich has proven to be very ageworthy indeed. The wine is a blend of Napa Valley and Alexander Valley fruit, which a few years later would end up being bottled on their own by the winery. The bouquet is deep and quite classy in its mature, but still vibrant mélange of apple, orange, a touch of popcorn, orange peel, salty soil tones and new leather. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very, very fresh for its age, with good mid-palate depth, lovely acidity and impressive length and grip on the finish. The complexity here is in the good, but not great camp, but all other aspects of this wine are most satisfying. (served from magnum) (Drink between 2010-2020)

1987 ZD Wines Chardonnay. 89 points.

1984 Mount Eden Vineyards Chardonnay McGregor Vineyard Edna Valley. 94 points.

1973 David Bruce Chardonnay.

1984 Acacia Chardonnay.

1984 Saintsbury Chardonnay Unfiltered Carneros.

1985 Matanzas Creek Winery Chardonnay Sonoma County.

Hamachi Crudo. Mandarin, ginger, coconut, jicama, white soy, thai basil, habanero, sake. Flavor a bit like Tom Yum soup.

1968 Inglenook Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley. VM 88. A powerful yet eccentric brute, the 1968 Cabernet Sauvignon Cask H-12 is full of dark tonalities. Smoke, game, blood and molasses linger on the muscular but rustic finish.88 (Drink starting 2014)

1974 Charles Krug Winery (Peter Mondavi Family) Cabernet Sauvignon Lot F1 Vintage Selection. JG 92. After the bitter falling out of the Mondavi brothers in the mid-1960s, where Robert and Peter actually came to blows in the winery, Peter Mondavi was eventually forced to make financial arrangements to allow his older brother, Robert to receive his share of the family legacy. The history of the family’s acrimonious parting and eventual law suit is chronicled in James Conaway’s book, Napa, and also notes the falling out between Peter Mondavi and a number of the winery’s former suppliers of grapes, which included Nathan Fay. The Lot F-1 “Vintage Select” is the last Krug wine made from Fay Vineyard fruit by the winery, and may well be the last of the great Charles Krug cabernet sauvignons that had ranked right up at the very pinnacle of California cabernet during the decades of the 1940s and 1950s. The 1974 Lot F-1 has been fully mature for many years but remains in full bloom on both the nose and palate, as it offers up a superb bouquet of dark berries, chipotle peppers, woodsmoke, herb tones, lovely soil nuances, tobacco, a touch of nutskin and a fantastic spice box of Indian spices in the upper register that just become more and more complex and vibrant with extended aeration. On the palate the wine is fullish, complex and velvety, with very little remaining tannins, but such fine balance that it will have no difficulty continuing to drink at a very high level for at least another decade or more. The wine shows lovely focus and fine mid-palate depth, and is very long, elegant and complex on the finish. A delightful bottle. (Drink between 2009-2020)

1974 Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley. 90 points.

1974 Clos du Bois Cabernet Sauvignon Proprietor’s Reserve. JG 87.

1976 Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve. VM 92. Decent medium red. Ineffable high-pitched aromas of redcurrant, raspberry, tobacco, cardamom, curry powder, celery seed, dried rose and loam. Then intense and penetrating, boasting terrific inner-mouth energy and strong notes of cocoa powder, earth and resiny oak throughout. Finishes firmly tannic and long, with noteworthy lift for a drought year. The yield in 1976 was an extremely low one-and-a-half tons per acre, or roughly the same as in 2015, compared to a normal three to four for Beaulieu’s Rutherford Cabernet. Another seemingly ageless wine. (13.5% alcohol; 7 g/l acidity) (Drink between 2019-2034)

1978 Clos du Bois Cabernet Sauvignon Proprietor’s Reserve.

Crispy Octopus. Black garlic aioli, hazelnut dukkah, beets, guajillo Vinaigrette, Gremolata. Super tender and delicious.

1980 Freemark Abbey Cabernet Bosché. 93 points. Brown and bricked throughout. Bottom neck fill. Perfect cork. At first a worrying smell of lacquer. But then such an elegant wine emerges. Silky smooth mouthfeel. Smoky aroma. Plums and licorice, smooth cherry, long warm finish. Truly remarkable at 42 years. Do not decant!

1980 Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve. VM 91. Full healthy red with an amber rim. Expressive scents of redcurrant, plum and milk chocolate show some nutty oak tones but also something distinctly fresh. Silky, rich and concentrated but juicy and delineated as well, boasting building intensity on the back half. Still full of life, with some remaining tannins that may yet be resolved. I have liked this vintage of Georges de Latour since the start. According to Trevor Durling, this 1980 was still raised entirely in American barrels but he noted that this vintage may have gotten a small percentage of new barrels and a slightly shorter élevage than in earlier years. (I must note that a second bottle tasted two weeks later in New York showed a less lucid color, a stronger tobacco quality and more obvious oakiness. It was beginning to dry out on the finish and reminded me increasingly of a dry Oloroso as it opened in the glass.) (13% alcohol; 7.2 g/l acidity) (Drink between 2019-2028)

1980 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate. VM 91. Medium red with a hint of amber. Red berries, coffee and earth on the fragrant nose, lifted by a minty nuance. Lively and firmly built, with its red berry and tobacco flavors conveying an attractive sweet/savory quality. This, too, struck me as a bit Saint Julien-like. Building tannins spread out to saturate the palate. A very nice showing. This vintage had a brett bloom in the bottle, admitted Barrett, “but it ultimately went away.” (13.5% alcohol) (Drink between 2019-2028)

1983 Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard. JG 90. 1983 was a particularly difficult year for north coast cabernet sauvignon, but the ’83 Phelps Eisele has done quite well in this tough vintage and the wine was drinking beautifully when I last crossed paths with it in October of 2011. The deep, complex and quite classic nose offers up scents of cassis, eucalyptus, woodsmoke, a touch of tariness, petroleum jelly, beautiful soil tones and a nice base of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and complex, with a touch of the tariness on the nose repeated here on the palate (no doubt a reflection of the difficulties getting cabernet ripe in ’83), but also with excellent complexity and focus, and very good length and grip on the still slightly chewy finish. This is not a great vintage of Phelps Eisele, but it is a superb effort for a difficult year and a very, very tasty bottle of mature cabernet. (Drink between 2011-2030)

1984 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha’s Vineyard. JG 95. The 1984 Martha’s Vineyard is a great wine and one of the best cabernets to be found in the vintage. It is quite ripe by the standards of the day, listed at its customary 13.5 percent on the label, but probably closer to fourteen percent, as Joe Heitz did not really enjoy changing details on his labels for the vagaries of a single vintage! The wine is very deep and pure on the nose, while still retaining plenty of youthful vigor in its constellation of black cherries, petroleum jelly, eucalyptus, cigar wrapper, a beautiful base of soil tones, allspice, incipient notes of chipotles and a nice touch of cedary oak. On the palate the wine is deep, ripe and full-bodied, with a plush core of fruit, fine soil signature and focus, ripe, seamless tannins and a very, very long, complex, tangy and impeccably balanced finish. The 1984 Martha’s Vineyard is now starting to drink very well indeed, but I have the sense that it is still in climbing mode and will be even better a decade down the road. It will prove to be one of the longest-lived 1984 cabernets. (Drink between 2021-2065)

1984 Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve. 88 points.

Handkerchief Pasta. Mushroom, Brown Butter, pine nut, salsify, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Lemon. Really nice, rich, and savory, particularly given there was no meat.

1985 Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve. VM 92. Good full medium red, with faint amber at the edge. Pungent scents of raspberry, spices, cedar and eucalyptus. A distinctly penetrating, high-acid style with noteworthy clarity and energy to its floral flavors of berries, dark cherry and loam complicated by a touch of molasses and an obvious oak component. This soil-driven midweight, the product of a long, cool growing season, finishes with a sneaky building whiplash of flavor, with a slight dry edge suggesting energetic extraction. Classic older-style Georges de Latour. (13% alcohol; 6.4 g/l acidity) (Drink between 2019-2033)

1985 Beringer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve. VM 92. Medium red with some amber at the rim. Sexy aromas of redcurrant, raspberry, truffle, underbrush and flint. Sweet and a bit wild, showing terrific retention of candied raspberry and plum fruit. This concentrated wine is a step up in texture and depth of fruit from the earlier vintages. Strong but integrated acidity gives it definition and lift, with the long finish showing broad, tongue-dusting tannins. (Drink between 2015-2024)

1986 V. Sattui Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Preston Vineyard. 88 points.

1986 Fisher Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Coach Insignia. 90 points. This one was built for aging. Had a case from release and it was tannic and almost undrinkable. Finally it has reached its potential and the tannis have resolved and left a nicely aged cabernet with plenty of fruit and wonderful integrated flavors. This is an example of the old style of California wine making. The color was ruby red with very slight bricking at the edges. Old cabernet nose with fruit still showing. Blackberrys and cassis on the palate. Two bottles left and no rush to drink up.

1986 Beringer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve. VM 88. (13.9% alcohol; 14% Chabot, 23% State Lane, 42% St. Helena and 21% Bancroft Mountain Vineyard; an early budbreak was followed by a cooler growing season): Medium dullish-brown color. Aromas of cherry, orange zest and tree bark show incipient maderization. Soft but slightly tart and angular, with a flavor of dried redcurrant. This has a firm tannic structure but I think it’s beginning its decline. This was Laurie Hook’s first vintage and she believes that this wine will still open further in bottle. (Drink between 2015-2015)

1986 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain. VM 92. Full medium red with a faint hint of amber. Aromas of dark cherry, menthol and mint show a slightly medicinal cough medicine quality; very Médoc in style. Then surprisingly supple and fine-grained, offering terrific inner-mouth energy and acidity to shape and freshen its intense dark raspberry and menthol flavors. This wine is fully mature but still full of life, displaying plenty of tobacco and savory spices but also superb remaining fruit and floral lift. For a bone-dry wine, it delivers captivating fruit sweetness that perfectly supports its firm tannins. An excellent showing–and not as dry as the ’83 or ’84. (13% alcohol) (Drink between 2018-2028)

1989 Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve. 87 points.

Grilled ribeye. Charred Broccolini, crispy shallot, date puree, macadamia, jus.

1978 Ridge Late Harvest.

Cheese Plate. Sofia, red rock, Ameribella, Seasonal Accompaiments.

1978 Chateau St. Jean Johannisberg Riesling Select Late Harvest Robert Young Vineyard. JG 82. Back in the mid to late 1970s, the Château St. Jean late harvest rieslings were amongst the most renowned dessert wines produced in California. I drank many examples of these wines back in the decade of the 1980s, with great enjoyment. The winery produced two levels of late harvest riesling back then, with the wines designated as “Special Select Late Harvest” (abbreviated above as SSLH) their equivalent of Trockenbeerenauslese, and the Select Late Harvest (SLH) their version of Beerenauslese. These were wines that were delicious in their youth, but not particularly long in acidity, and it is not too surprising that they are a bit tired more than twenty years on. The 1978 Robert Young Vineyard SSLH is very dark in color, but retains an interesting nose of burnt caramel, new leather, gentle notes of orange rind and tea leaves. On the palate the wine is full-bodied and still shows a vestige of its acidity, but is not particularly complex, despite it still being impressively long. This was great in the day, but its apogee has been in the rear view mirror for many, many years now. (Drink between 2010-2020)

Strawberry Margarita Sorbetto! — like a frozen cocktail and a signature Sweet Milk favor — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — Strawberries from Avignon, blended with fresh lime juice, Reposado Tequila and Cointreau –#SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #sorbetto #strawberry #Margarita #cocktail #Tequila #Cointreau

Caramel Double Chip Gelato — Base is Salted Caramel made by replacing the sugar with house-made Water Caramel. Laced with Valrhona Chocolate Chunks and Toffee Chunks — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #caramel #SaltedCaramel #valrhona #toffee

Emil with Chef Javier Lopez.

Best Somm in the city, Catherine Morel.

The wine lineup.

The aftermath.

Heading down!

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

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

Today’s dinner excelled on all counts. Service, food, company, and of course the wines. I’m not normally a California wine guy, but these older wines are much softer, nicer, and more Bordeaux-like.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: 71above, BYOG, California Cabernet, Chef Javier Lopez, DTLA, Emil Eyvazoff, Gelato, Wine

Tai Siu is New

Dec11

Restaurant: Tai Siu [1, 2]

Location: 8728 Valley Blvd #101, Rosemead, CA 91770. (626) 307-0203

Date: May 29, 2022

Cuisine: Cambodian

Rating: Awesome meats!

We Hedonists have been going to Tai Siu for years. I think I first came here in 2015.

But they recently moved into a new Valley Blvd space.

I guess it’s lucky they did!

This is the main dining room.

But we set up in the small private room off to the side.

Herbs for the next three of dishes. Thai Basil is great.

Sweetened fish sauce.

Mega crispy deep fried wontons. Really nice crispy texture and delicious.

Super crispy deep fried spring rolls. Fabulous with the herbs etc. Very fried. Very crispy.

Omelet with shrimp, pork, and bean sprouts. Really delicious with the herbs and sauce.

Chicken and Chicken Liver Cambodian Salad. Very nice dressing but the unusual star of the show were the small chunks of liver that gave it an unusual flavor punch.

Crispy fried Garlic Quail. Extremely crispy and so delicate one could just crunch through the bones. Delicious.

Almost every dish came with this salad of greens, onions, and a pleasant dressing to help wash things down.

Dressing-like salt and pepper sauce.

French style venison. More flavor and a bit chewier than the usual beef.

Goat Curry. Delightfully balanced curry (I was drinking it) with tons of flavor. Potatoes in there with the goat to absorb the sauce.

French bread to dip in the curry.

Crispy fried garlic bait fish. Quite delicious and salty with perhaps a hint of curry flavor, or maybe because I was also eating the curry.

Spicy hot pot. This broth was actually quite spicy. The following proteins and herbs were added.

Little squids and thick cut soft beef with egg for the hot pot. First we added the squids then we mixed the egg and beef and added that with a bunch of herbs. All delicious.

Herbs for the hot pot.

Clams with a very odd white pepper and corn starch sauce. Clams themselves were good but the sauce wasn’t my favorite.

Deep fried crispy frog legs. This was some fabulous frog. Super crispy and light (but thick) batter with delicate and moist frog. Boney though as usual.

Hypnotiq blue, chocolate peanut butter, and lemon cookie from the archives. The chocolate was a bit freezer burned.

I had “forgotten” how good Tai Siu is. This was a really fabulous meal filled with bold flavors and well balanced cooking. Service was great and overall a total winner.

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