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Archive for California French

Date Night at Addison

Feb18

Restaurant: Addison

Location: 5200 Grand Del Mar Way, San Diego, CA 92130. (858) 314-1900

Date: July 18, 2022

Cuisine: California Japanese Fusion French

Rating: Best meal I’ve had in California in a while

_

My wife and I snuck away during July 2022 for a romantic getaway to San Diego and managed to snag (thanks Jeffrey!) a reservation at San Diego’s best restaurant, Addison — then 2 Michelin stars, now recently promoted to three!
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Addison is a renowned fine-dining restaurant located in the Fairmont Grand Del Mar, a luxury resort in San Diego, California. The restaurant is named after Addison Mizner, a famed architect from the 1920s who specialized in Mediterranean-style architecture.

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It’s located at the glamorous and woodsy Fairmont Grand Del Mar.
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The outside patios are very 2000.
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The restaurant has a sophisticated and elegant — if slightly overdone — ambiance, with a modern European design that includes chandeliers, high ceilings, and polished marble floors. The dining room has an open floor plan with tables set with white linens and comfortable chairs. The restaurant also has a private dining room that can seat up to 20 guests for more intimate gatherings.

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Regular menu.
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Pescatarian menu.

Addison’s cuisine is described as contemporary French with a California twist, and the menu changes frequently to highlight the freshest seasonal ingredients. The restaurant has a strong emphasis on fine dining techniques and presentation, with each dish carefully crafted to provide a feast for the eyes and the palate.

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Welcome drink of fermented pineapple with a bit of a funky quality.
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Wagyu tartar with a squid ink cracker.
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Chicken Liver Churry. Soft and crispy textures.
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Chili Churro. The vegetarian variant.
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Sake Cured Kanpachi “Nigiri” with shiso leaf. Very nice crunch paired with the softness of the fish and an shiso finish.
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Iberian Ham, Crispy Potato, Black Truffles. Decadent little bite.
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A glass of rose to start.
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Kanpachi Sashimi, Salted Kiwi, Shiso, Melon. Formed into a floral shape each piece of fish could be dipped into the citrus and shiso sauce.
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Shellfish Chawanmushi with scallops and Haikkado Uni, Broccoli, Bok Choy, and Daikon.
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Vegetable Chawanmushi Broccoli, Bok Choy, and Daikon.
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Even though I brought wine, the $100+ (maybe even $150) a bottle corkage drove me to the not-too-badly-priced wine list. 2019 Bouchard Père et Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières Domaine. BH 91-93. Moderately firm reduction overshadows the underlying fruit at present. Otherwise there is very good volume to the nicely concentrated and more finely textured middle weight flavors that brim with minerality on the youthfully austere and lemon zest-inflected finale that isn’t quite as structured. (Drink starting 2027 — oops we started a bit early — that’s restaurant wine lists for you)

The wine is made from 100% Chardonnay grapes, which are hand-picked and carefully sorted to ensure only the highest quality fruit is used. After pressing, the juice is fermented in French oak barrels, 25% of which are new, where it undergoes a malolactic fermentation, which adds richness and creaminess to the wine.

The resulting wine is a brilliant golden color with aromas of lemon, pear, and white flowers. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied and complex, with flavors of citrus, vanilla, and a hint of minerality. The wine has a long, elegant finish that lingers on the palate.1A4A1540
Regiis Ova Reserve Caviar, Koshihikari Rice, Smoked Sabayon, Sesame. Very soft rice texture, rich and creamy with a nutty quality but not overwelmingly sesame. Quite lovely.
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Salt and Vinegar Chips, Toasted Dill, Burnt Onion Dip. Basically fancy “sour cream and oil chips” — delicious.
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The dip.
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Golden Eye Snapper, Flavors of summer. Very moist and subtle and pleasant.
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Truffle Tamale, Squash Blossoms, Quesillo, Pork.
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Can hardly see it under all that truffle!
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Tom Kha Gai Goong, Thai Basil, Coriander, Coconut. Very authentic but extra smooth and clean.
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Lime to add into the soup.
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Crispy vegetable fritter.
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Sourdough Bread, Goat’s Milk, Browned Honey Butter.
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Browned Honey Butter.
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Goat’s Milk.
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2013 Domaine Perrot-Minot Chambolle-Musigny. VM 90-92. Bright, dark red. Aromas of cherry, spices, rose petal and menthol are accented by a piquant suggestion of blood orange. Distinctly brambly aromas of berries, rose and menthol. At once lush and bright, with a firm tannic spine giving the wine structure and grip. A very serious village wine in the making. (Drink between 2020-2027)
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A5 Wagyu, Black Garlic, Maitake Broth, Negi. Super buttery/tender beef very much in the true wagyu vibe. Scrumptious.
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Maaitake Broth, Negi. Very pleasant and extremley Japanese.
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Wild Mushrooms, Black Garlic, Crispy Kombu.
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This (vegetarian) dish also came with a broth.
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Chef William Bradley in the kitchen. He’s the executive chef of Addison. He joined the restaurant in 2006 and has since become known for his contemporary French cuisine with a California twist, showcasing the finest seasonal ingredients.

Chef Bradley began his culinary career in his native Florida, where he attended culinary school and worked in various restaurants. He then moved to California to work for the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in San Francisco and later the St. Regis Hotel in Los Angeles, where he earned a Michelin star.

In 2006, Chef Bradley joined the team at Addison as the executive chef, where he has continued to elevate the restaurant’s reputation for exceptional cuisine. Under his leadership, Addison has been awarded multiple accolades, including five stars from Forbes Travel Guide, five diamonds from AAA, and a spot on the list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.

Chef Bradley is known for his attention to detail and his innovative approach to cooking. He draws inspiration from both classic French techniques and local California ingredients, combining them in unexpected ways to create dishes that are both elegant and inventive.

Overall, Chef William Bradley’s career has been marked by a dedication to excellence in the culinary arts, and his contributions to Addison have solidified the restaurant’s reputation as one of the best fine-dining destinations in the United States.

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Harry’s Berries Strawberries, Cucumber Jelly, Whipped Orange Blossom. Super intense berries, fabulous “strawberry and zabione” style dish.
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The Sweet Treats.
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Praline and Cocoa Crunch, Passion Fruit, Toasted Fluff. Lovely crunchy texture and rich chocolate flavor.
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Yuzu Custard, Green Tea. Lite and bright.
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Chocolate Wafer, Pistachio, Sour Cherry Jam.
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Berry-Beet Tartelette, Verjus, Vanilla. Very intense berry flavor.
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Wildflower Honeycomb. Glucose spike!
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“Gift” of granola.

Addison was flat out great. First of all, it’s a lovely setting, really quite magnificent. Then the atmosphere and service are absolutely at the level of a European Michelin 2 star, which is so rare in America. The food also feels like 2 star food — and now that it has a US 3 star that puts it where it should be because the best US 3 stars match up with European 2 stars. There just aren’t places at the Euro 3 star level in the states, not really.

Anyway, on to the food. It’s very refined, beautifully plated and artfully presented. Every dish tasted bright and delicious. Overall, there is a very pronounced Japanese influence, which is typical these days for high end California restaurants. The techniques are largely modern French, although there are dishes like the Chawanmushi which are pretty straight up Japanese. Otherwise, even with the French techniques the ingredients are at least half Japanese, so it has the feeling of a great Japanese omakase.

As a “date night” it turned out to be one of those perfect romantic evenings — spectacular even.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Date Night at AR Valentien
  2. Date Night at Madeo
  3. Thai Tour – Night+Market Song
  4. Night of the Whirling Noodles
  5. Late Night Medicine
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Addison, California French, Chef William Bradley, Date Night, Del Mar, Golf Course, Japanese Fusion, Michelin 2 Star, Michelin 3 Star, Romantic Dinner

Providence Chef’s Table

Sep27

Restaurant: Providence [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

Location: 5955 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038. (323) 460-4170

Date: August 12, 2019

Cuisine: Cal French

Rating: Awesome food, awesome night

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I usually make it to Providence about once a year, and so we return with the Foodie Club for a small, epic Chef’s Table night.



While the colors are different, Providence still looks a lot like Patina to me — as the layout is basically the same.

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This is the view from the chef’s special tasting room — adjacent to the kitchen in it’s own little nook.7U1A5887
Our special menu tonight.
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One of the few places in town that still has elegant table wares.
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Ron brought: NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée Edition 167eme. JG 96. The new release of Krug Grande Cuvée “167eme Édition” is stellar. The wine is from the base year of 2011 and utterly transcends that vintage, but, of course, it includes nearly two hundred different wines in the blend, with the oldest reserves dating all the way back to the 1995 vintage. Fully forty-two percent of the cuvée this year is made up of reserve wines. The cépages for the 167eme Édition is forty-seven percent pinot noir, thirty-six percent chardonnay and seventeen percent pinot meunier. The wine shows its lovely preponderance of pinot noir on the nose, wafting from the glass in a beautifully complex blend of apple, white peach, a touch of patissière, very complex soil tones, caraway seed and a gently floral contribution in the upper register from the pinot meunier in the blend. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, complex and nicely broad-shouldered, with great depth at the core, refined mousse, bright, seamless acids and outstanding focus and grip on the very long, complex and beautifully balanced finish. This is simply outstanding and should age effortlessly for fifty to seventy-five years!
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Yellow tomato soup shot. Bright like a gazpacho (but not so vinegary).
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Rolled salmon with salmon roe on crisps — delicious!
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Mussels with curry sauce. A sort of deconstructed Moules Frites dish.
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Crispy seafood taco in shiso (relative). Scrumptious.
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Crab tartlet.
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Cucumber wrapped oyster.
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Wagyu “cigar.” Like a super taquito — crispy and amazing.
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From my cellar: 1993 Robert Ampeau & Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. 93 points. From a late Domaine release. Golden color. A lot of Wows on the table from the first smells. This bouquet had it all. Orange peel, flint, lemon curd, grass, flowers, very deep and complex. The palate was crisp as well with excellent freshness and length.
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Kanpachi. Nasturtium, espelette, lime. Very bright flavors, soft textures, with a creaminess. Absolutely delicious.

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Bread and (fancy) butter and salt.
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The bread even comes with its own “about the bread” sheet!

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Coleman farms celtuce, geoduck clam, box crab, osetra caviar — amazing! One of the best dishes of the night.
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Erick brought: 2006 Domaine Leflaive Meursault 1er Cru Sous le Dos d’Âne. JG 91. The 2006 Meursault here is a bit cooler than the previous two wines, and shows no signs of alcohol poking through on the finish. The nose is very lovely, as it offers up notes of pear, apple, almond paste, flowers and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, fine and focused, with a lovely base of soil, crisp acids and an almost crystalline profile, with good length and grip on the finish. This is a very good bottle that is rather atypical in the context of this vintage chez Leflaive in its more classic profile, though the wine is still quite forward stylistically. This will make a great restaurant wine list option.

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Prawns live in this tank.
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Peel ‘n’ eat spot prawn, shiso, basil, nuoc cham. You just eat this with your hands, wrapped in the herbs. Gave it a slightly Vietnamese vibe. Great prawn, perfectly fresh and cooked.
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Aori ika, haricots, hazelnut, ogo. Vaguely Japanese and very pleasant “salad.”
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Ron brought: 2013 Paul Pernot et ses Fils Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet. VM 93. Pale yellow. Lovely purity to the aromas of nectarine and flowers. Sweet and fine-grained, showing a compellingly silky texture to its stone fruit and nutty oak flavors. Finishes sedate and long, with lovely balance. Really seamless for the vintage.
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Black cod, artichoke, mint. Nice buttery white fish. Very “new French.”
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Salmon belly, porcini, zucchini.
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With the sauce. This cut of salmon is particularly rich and tender, very nice seared like this.
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From my cellar: 2001 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Bonnes Mares. VM 94. The 2001 De Vogüé Bonnes Mares exhibited uncommon depth and richness in the luxuriousness of its vibrant fruit, with a personality that was delicate yet powerful. Still very much an infant, it was a privilege to catch this gorgeous wine in its youth.
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Ron brought: 2003 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Bonnes Mares. VM 91. Medium red-ruby. Blackberry, violet, mocha and bitter chocolate on the slightly roasted nose. Huge, sweet and expressive, with extravagantly rich flavors of currant, blueberry, chocolate and spices. Quite velvety and sensual for this wine, thanks to its unusually fat, broad texture. Finishes with suave but serious tannins.

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Duck — we added this as a supplement.
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Larry brought: 1999 Tenuta dell’Ornellaia Masseto Toscana IGT. VM 95. The 1999 Masseto is a cool, inward wine graced with exquisite finesse, but it still needs a few years in bottle to show its potential. That said, it is pretty spectacular even today. This is a vintage that will appeal to readers who enjoy firm, structured wines. (Drink between 2013-2024)
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A5 Wagyu, magic myrrna potato, nori. Meat hidden under leaves.
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And another supplement, because we had so much big red wine left, we got a second (different) A5!
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Cheese cart. Love me the cart and you so rarely see it now.
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My prep of gooey strong cheeses.
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Bread for the cheese.
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And a second cheese course!
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Mango, makrut, finger lime. Really interesting texture, partially frozen (beneath). Delicious.
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Peach, jam mousse, lemon verbena. This was my favorite of the desserts, extremely fruity and refreshing.
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Ban this dessert. Harry’s berries strawberries, pistachio.
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With the strawberry sauce. The pistachio was formed into a kind of mousse and felt like, and even almost tasted like, foie gras. Superb.
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Crunchy pastry.
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Bon bons. Chocolates, meringues, and jellies.
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Parting gift of a bit of Zucchini cake or something for the next morning.
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This was a great night and tons of fun. The chef’s table is by far the best way to do Providence, and the total tab wasn’t even that bad as it was no corkage monday — even with our Chef’s Tasting Menu and a bunch of supplements. With Melisse gone, this is now the only remaining 90s/00s style elegant white table Cal French spot left in LA. Good thing it’s great!

Service was (as usual) superb too tonight — as were our bevy of wines. 7 for 4 people. Didn’t feel the fastest in the morning!

For more LA dining reviews click here,

Related posts:

  1. The Power of Providence
  2. Big Guns at Providence
  3. Krug Providence
  4. Burgundy at Providence
  5. Persistent Providence
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Burgundy, California French, Chef's Table, Foodie Club, Providence, Seafood, Wine

Cali Pinot Kali

Sep25

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

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

Date: August 9, 2019

Cuisine: New American French

Rating: Fake Pinot is still Fake

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It’s been a while since I made it to Kali to visit my friend Chef Kevin Meehan — doesn’t seem like so long but time flies — and so with him having earned a Michelin star and our Sauvages group heading there for gasp… fake pinot (New World Pinot Noir) I figured I’d join in.

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The interior is more or less the same, but I don’t remember the lovely bright blue — maybe because I’ve never been here during the day before.
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NV Pehu Simonet Champagne Grand Cru Face Nord Rosé. JG 90. The Pehu Simonet “Face Nord” non-vintage Brut Rosé is composed of a blend of seventy percent pinot noir, six percent still red pinot noir and twenty-four percent chardonnay. Like all of David Pehu’s wines, the vins clairs here do not go through malo, including the still red wine in the Rosé blend. As the last disgorgement (January 2016) was base year 2012, I am assuming this is base year 2013. The wine offers up a lovely nose of tangerine, discreet strawberry, the steely minerality so typical of Verzenay, rye bread and a delicate touch of spice in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and still quite racy, with a good core, pinpoint bubbles and very good length and grip on the still quite youthful finish. This is still tight on the palate and will be far more generous with another year’s worth of bottle age. Good juice that should age very well indeed.
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2016 Tablas Creek Esprit Blanc de Tablas. VM 93. Pale straw-gold. Intense, mineral-accented Meyer lemon, nectarine and pear skin aromas are complemented by a deeper honey nuance. Tightly wound citrus and orchard fruit flavors unfurl slowly with air, picking up a suave floral character and a hint of chalky minerality. The impressively long, incisive finish shows outstanding clarity and leaves behind lively citrus zest and honeysuckle notes.
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Pacific Gold Oysters. Cucumber Mignonette.
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2012 Jean Bourdy Chardonnay Côtes du Jura. 92 points.
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2016 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Saint-Aubin Le Banc. VM 88. Palish, green-tinged yellow. Aromas of pear, minerals and wild herbs reminded me a bit of Benedictine. On the lean side but boasts lovely juicy cut to its lemon and lime flavors. No shortage of acidity here.

agavin: even though the rating is lower (because of the strange new world inflation) this was by far the best white. By far.
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Uni toast — love uni!
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2008 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Keefer Ranch Vineyard. VM 92. Bright red. High-pitched aromas of raspberry, strawberry liqueur, dried flowers and Asian spices. Silky, bright and precise, but with good depth and power to its red berry and cherry flavors. Really expand with air, finishing with sweet tannins, tangy minerality and impressive length. If your impression of the K-B wines ossified around the 2004 vintage, you should check this one out.
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2007 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Keefer Ranch Vineyard. VM 93. Vivid red. Spicy black raspberry and cherry skin aromas are complicated by smoky minerals, anise and a suave blood orange quality. Fleshy, sweet red and dark berry flavors display liqueur-like depth and power, picking up candied rose on the back end. The refreshingly bitter finish leaves tangy berry skin notes behind. Along with the Kanzler, this is the most energetic of this year’s line-up.
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2007 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Amber Ridge Vineyard. VM 90. Glass-staining ruby. Powerful nose combines cassis, boysenberry, rose and smoky minerals. The deepest and most brooding of this set of releases, with palate-coating dark berry liqueur flavors and good back-end cling. Finishes with a strong echo of cassis. Fans of powerhouse pinots will go for this, and it does make an impression, but I prefer the vivacity of the other single-vineyard bottlings.
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Black barely risotto. Black garlic, Fiscalini cheese. A very nice whole grain with a creamy garlic herb vibe. This is a Kevin classic and he’s been making it as long as I’ve known him.7U1A5639
2010 Marcassin Pinot Noir Marcassin Vineyard. VM 91. Crushed flowers, herbs, dried cherries, tobacco and anise abound in the 2010 Pinot Noir Marcassin Vineyard. I am a bit surprised by how forward the flavors are. A distinctly floral/savory character dominates, while fruit expression, freshness and textural richness are much less evident. It’s hard to see the 2010 drinking well for more than a handful of years based on the bottle I tasted.
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2007 J. Rochioli Pinot Noir West Block. VM 91+. Deep red. Black raspberry and cherry on the nose, with complicating notes of potpourri and smoky minerals. Weighty dark fruit flavors coat the palate, turning more tangy with aeration. The finish is broad, sweet and impressively long but not as defined as the other pinots. This was the slowest to open of this set, and should benefit from another few years of patience.
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2008 Kistler Pinot Noir Cuvée Elizabeth Bodega Headlands. VM 95. Lurid ruby. Complex, deeply spicy aromas of raspberry, fresh flowers, white pepper and Asian spices; showing a really exotic character. Then impressively concentrated and rich, but with energetic lift to its sweet red fruit preserve and floral pastille flavors. Wonderfully suave and high-pitched pinot with a vibrant, very persistent finish that refuses to let up.

agavin: hot, too much alcohol for my taste.
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Duck Breast. Liberty Farms/ Whole Wheat Spatzle / Black Mission Figs.7U1A5642
2008 Pisoni Pinot Noir Estate. VM 90. Vivid ruby. Lively aromas of crushed red berries, spicecake and cracked pepper. At once velvety and firm, with energetic black raspberry and cherry flavors accentuated by pepper and herbs. Smooth and sweet on the finish, which features fine-grained tannins and a kiss of candied rose.
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2007 Rhys Pinot Noir Skyline Vineyard. JG 93+. This was the first opportunity I had found to taste the 2007 Skyline pinot and it is a lovely bottle in the making. The first class nose offers up a complex mélange of cassis, cola, woodsmoke, a great base of stony soil tones and a nice touch of spicy oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full and just starting to blossom, with excellent mid-palate depth, lovely focus and balance, moderate tannins and excellent length and grip on the bouncy and beautifully poised finish. I would still try to exercise a bit of restraint and let this wine fully start showing off its secondary and tertiary layers of complexity, but would also understand those who cannot defer gratification any longer and would like to drink this lovely bottle today! But, this wine is emphatically still climbing, and as good as it is to drink right now, it will still improve if left alone in the cellar just a bit longer.
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2007 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Coastlands Vineyard. VM 94+. Inky ruby. Potent aromas of blackberry, boysenberry and dried rose, with exotic Indian spice and gingerbread nuances adding complexity. Deep, fleshy dark berry flavors show liqueur-like depth and intensity, with slow-building tannins adding grip and structure. Develops more vibrancy and red fruit character with aeration and finishes with outstanding clarity and sappy persistence. This is another ’07 from Williams-Selyem that calls for patience.
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Dry Aged Rib Eye. Potato Confit / Baby Leeks / Charred Onion. Traditionally Kevin has used Flannery beef.
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2004 Marcassin Pinot Noir Marcassin Vineyard. VM 95+. Deep red-ruby color. Initially reticent nose opened spectacularly to show raspberry, mocha, minerals and smoke, along with sexy underbrush and forest floor elements. Began broad but closed and hiding its sweetness but with aeration showed outstanding volume, a seductively spherical texture and a restrained but nonetheless compelling sweetness of raspberry and underbrush flavors. Denser and finer-grained than the Blue Slide Ridge bottling; not obviously superior today but will probably surpass it five years down the road. Finishes with outstanding length.

agavin: woah, if the online price is right, you could just swap this out for a Romanee St Vivant or something! (and have a much better wine)
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2004 Kistler Pinot Noir Cuvée Catherine. VM 93. Dark violet. Intensely aromatic nose offers powerful blackberry and plum compote aromas. Very fresh in the mouth (the pH is 3.4, Kistler says), with vibrant red and dark berry flavors and taut minerality. Dry, focused and pure on the finish, with outstanding persistence and lingering dark berry flavors. Serious pinot: a great marriage of sweet fruit and soil tones
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2006 Brewer-Clifton Pinot Noir Melville Vineyard. VM 93. Hazy, medium red. Intensely flora bouquet of dried red berries, smoked meat, minerals and musky herbs. Strawberry and cherry flavors are complemented by floral pastille and Asian spices, with silky tannins adding support. Already showing impressive complexity, not to mention excellent finishing lift and cling. The most elegant of these pinots.
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2003 Gryphon Pinot Noir Reserve. 93 points. Wow! Pinot on steroids. I don’t know what to make of this. A tannic beast of a Pinot with a nose to die for. I much preferred breathing this than drinking it. Not that it was offensive, but the fruit was muted. Beautiful nose.

agavin: apparently very rare.
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American cheese plate. Very pretty.
7U1A5625
I made and brought these of course:

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

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

As an interesting aside, after the meal John and I went over to Salt and Straw Ice Cream (just down the street) and sampled 5 flavors. Interesting just a few minutes after having my own “work.” And while S&S is some good ice cream, and despite the theoretically interesting flavors they offer, it was all so creamy and mild without the distinct intense rendition of the target flavor that my gelato has. Probably this is mostly due to the colder temp, higher fat content, lower flavoring ratio, and ingredient choices.

Anyway, just tooting my own horn.7U1A5631
Back to Kali, my wine notes.
7U1A5651
And the lineup.

Overall, this was a fun lunch, and the food was as usual extremely well executed. I was just disappointed that it was so few courses (really only 3 savory courses) and that all of them were “old favorites” I’ve had many times before. Now don’t get me wrong, they were all pretty delicious, but I crave variety and I’ve certainly had more off the beaten menu meals from Kevin.

The wines were okay. Not going to convert me away from Burgundy or anything, and in fact I don’t really “get” New World Pinot. At best, they are like juicier versions of a lesser young Red Burgundy. There just isn’t that earthy tone from the more complex soil in the grape’s native homeland. And they aren’t really cheap either. But there was some pleasant berry notes here, particularly it being a lunch and all.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Kali Cabernet
  2. Big Bottle Madness at Kali Dining
  3. Kali Live Octopus
  4. Kali-fornia Dreaming
  5. Great Grenache 2018
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: BYOG, California French, Gelato, Kevin Meehan, lunch, Melrose, Sauvages
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