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CR8 – el Jardin de Frida Kahlo

Jun14

Restaurant: CR8 by Roberto Cortez [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Location: East Los Angeles

Date: May 9, 2018

Cuisine: Modern Art

Rating: Absolutely Amazing

Roberto Cortez’s CR8 is one of the most stunning dining experiences I’ve been too, and so when after years away from Los Angeles he returned to the city for a 3 night engagement I had to take out a whole night.

Roberto is certainly the most creative and artistic chef I’ve ever had cook for me, which alone would be stunning, but after attending four of his events his food continues to be stunning. Dishes impress for both artistry, complexity, and flavor.

For his latest CR8, Roberto Cortez (left) has teamed up with Matthew Biancaniello (right), a master mixologist, to add a set of elaborate cocktail pairings to Roberto’s stunning cooking.

Tonight’s dinner is themed after Frida Kahlo, the famous Mexican artist (married to fellow artist Diego Rivera). Roberto loves to theme his dinners broadening them from “mere” hedonistic fare into artistic and cultural experiences.

The location is at this old social hall in far east LA, known as the York Manor, a newly renovated historical landmark in Highland Park, California — it was brutally far in traffic (just for the record).

Kinda an interesting building.In maybe not the loveliest neighborhood.

On the left is maestro Roberto Cortez and on the right his cocktail partner in crime, Matthew Biancaniello.

Our evening begins in the garden behind the building.
With Matthew’s first creation: Stinging Nettle/Bergamot Pimms Cup with stained cucumber slices, beet and tumeric.
This was one of my favorite cocktails of the night as it was a bit sweeter than most (and I have a sweet tooth). Like many, and like many recent dishes and drinks, it features lots of flowers. The color contrasts were stunning and I enjoyed the crunchy cucumbers.

Roberto printed up this stunning — and I really mean stunning — art and information book for the evening.

A little bit about the theme.

Mixing wine and the dizzying array of cocktails isn’t the easiest. I’d pretty much call the evening a wine fail even though the actual wines were great. They blend fine with the food, but just not the bitter notes in the cocktails (which themselves pair with the food).

From my cellar: 1996 Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne. VM 97. Taittinger’s 1996 Comtes de Champagne is another highlight. The flavors are only now beginning to show elements of complexity, a great sign for aging. Gently spiced and buttery notes suggest the 1996 is about to enter the early part of its maturity, where it is likely to stay for another decade or so.

The table setup is lovely – an almost literal garden.

Look at the vaulted space.

Each dish has a lovely conceptual page in the book. Roberto probably shot the photos himself. He’s a fabulous photographer.

Flor de la Vida – White asparagus flower pozole, gelee de maon, pina, jalapeno, bergamot, huacatay.

The first pairing cocktail: Roasted lobster shell infused Aquavit with goat milk, morels, goose barnacles, onion and gruere served warm. Yeah, those are actual ingredients in the drink! It was strong, with a slight sour milkiness. Matthew’s flavors are very complex and it’s sometimes hard to pick out individual elements.

The “soup” for this dish was actually served in this separate “spoon/glass” then merged in:

Like many of Roberto’s dishes the whole was greater than the parts. It was a bit spicy, floral, with strong asparagus and ham notes and even a touch of sweetness. Really fabulous.

The blood symbolizes some of the physical (and spiritual) pain and trauma in Frida’s life, like I imagine her impaling in a 1925 bus accident — very much a bummer, but certainly fuel on her artistic fire!
Sangre – Red clay beets, beet panna cotta, blood dressing, pickled mustard, raspberry, apple, yogurt, bulls blood. This ain’t your typical beet (I almost typed blood) salad. It was very bright flavored and the mustard seeds were amazing.

Wild bay leaf, Mezcal, papaya, wild juniper infused white balsamic, blended with cacao nibs on top. Potently mezcal!

The cocktails are super interesting but I like the fruit and acid tones of wine — Champagne pairs with everything!

Left some art of my own on the plate.

From my cellar: 2010 Do Ferreiro Albariño Rías Baixas Cepas Vellas. 91 points. Figured I’d need a flexible pairing wine. Dense and buttery nose initially with a hint of boiled eggs (not in a bad way). Complex, salty nose with pronounced minerality, like air by the sea – damp iodine. Also fennel, florals rather than fruits. Concentrated palate with high accidity, also very chalky. There’s tannin of the skin contact and certain filling from it. With time in the glass it develops a very beautiful floral aromatics.

And the pages turn.Sol y Vida – Yeast fermented rice, ember charred liquid mushroom, cepa, coffee, red wine, leek ash. If you look back at previous CR8 dinners you will see variants of this dish, and as always it’s a favorite. The crunch and softness of the rice is wonderful with the coffee/sweet sauce tones.

Four part Caesar Salad with Dolin Blanc Vermouth, Romaine, Parmesan Rind, Anchovy juice and Crouton. Hmmm.

Seb brought (because he only has one white wine): 2013 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis 1er Cru La Forest. VM 91-94. Bright, subdued aromas of pear drop and citrus fruit. Densely packed and saline in the mouth, offering terrific stony energy and depth along with a sexy impression of sucrosite . Still tight, austere and uncompromisingly dry for all its richness. More obviously soil-driven than the foregoing samples–really classic stony Chablis premier cru.

Roberto loves candles. The first dinner I did of his they were popping in the salt all night.

The artist at work.
Paleta de Colores – Salmon Belly Pop, calamansi miso, chive blossom, chicken skin, XO butter.

I’ve never had salmon in lollipop form before — it ruled. Very soft, but firm enough to pick up, with sweet and tangy and rich notes. The XO butter was amazing.

Sea bean bourbon old fashioned with almond liquer and candy cap angostura bitters and viola ice cube. I like old fashioned’s.

Chastity belt? (couldn’t help myself)
El Secreto – Crab Salpicon, kale, sourdough broth, pumpkin seed, woodruff, poblano. Delicious inside the slightly bitter leaf burrito.

Homemade Mole Liqueur. He infused the Liqueur with dozens of things. Very complex.

1997 M. Chapoutier Côte-Rôtie La Mordorée. VM 90+. Full ruby-red. Black raspberry, black cherry, licorice, mocha and woodsmoke aromas; some high tones. Very rich but currently rather unforthcoming in the middle. Flavors of black cherry and shoe polish. In an awkward stage today, with a bit of edgy acidity.
Best dish coming?

Cocinera Artista – Rose petal mole, lobster, wild scallion root, soft pecan, bound coconut (with the drink in the background).

A close up on the food because this lobster mole was just awesome. Truly stunning flavors, with more than a bit of rose.

Ogo seaweed infused gin smoked garlic, Surinam cherries, parsley. Strong!

Next.
Suenos Liquidos – Barbacoa Liquido, barbacoa bouillon, pinon cream, black salt, tomatoes, brussel sprout leaves, mustard, dill, arugula. This was a reconfigured version of one of my favorite dishes in Liquid Forms, and it was even better here. Very meaty “soup” although fairly salty.

A pretty top view.

Shot of Pechuga Mezcal with Blood Orange reduction , chia, turmeric, wheat grass foam sangrita. So a shot and chaser. Quite strong flavors and high alcohol on the palate.

This Frida painting clearly represents her terrible spinal surgery. Ick.Espinas y Cenizas – Burnt sugarcane duck, sesame prailine, fennel, morel, ginger, coffee, hibiscus, ash, garlic. This dish had a very interesting format where you were supposed to try bites of the duck with each of the “condiments”, each symbolizing an element of Frida’s pain. Quite lovely actually.

Cold Hot Chocolate with tequila, wild black sage, chipotle and rose geranium roasted marshmallows with ash from the Thomas fire and pine pollen. Very strong alcohol flavors.

And finally we reach the dessert stage, which begins with:

Tangerine Lip Balm. Yes, you put on a lip flavor first.
Mi Bebe – Arroz con leche crema, lavender, almond, canela, aloe vera, tangerine lip balm and lace. An absolutely fabulous creme and fruit type dessert. Very Mexican too.

Aquavit, lavender, calamansi-served warm.

Getting there.
Raices – Porcelana Underground, Chocolate, spruce oil, mushroom flan, malt, pine syrup, nuts. Porcelana is one of the world’s best chocolates. I looked at using some for gelato. It’s 40X as expensive as Valrhona and would require about $440 of chocolate for one batch of gelato — won’t be going there.

Triple Pine Cone Eggnog with Greek Coffee. Wowzer!

Three flavors of gelato by Sweet Milk Gelato (me):

White Chocolate Lime-Berry – lime infused milk blended with Valrhona Ivoire white chocolate and laced with frutto di bosco coulis.

Gianduja – Valrhona chocolate with Hazelnut Regina (the queen) from Turin

Black Madeira – Blackberry Madeira sorbetto

Special coffee cocktail Matthew “whipped up.” Paired very nicely.

Roberto and Larry.

Again Roberto shows off his unique mastery of the culinary arts. His number one strength (and he has many) is his uncanny sense of food harmony. This isn’t laser focused ingredient expression style food like Saison, it’s symphony of flavors. I’d liken it to Mozart too, as it has that rococo lightness, where the complex elements blend together into a lovely whole. This is not easy. Other hyper-intellectual chefs often have discordant notes, like at Maude or Twist or Mugaritz. Nothing stands out of place with Roberto’s cooking. The flavors and textures blend seamlessly.

Matthew Biancaniello’s beverage pairings were really interesting. The man is like Roberto’s liquid twin stylistically. As my wife put it at a previous CR8, “I never imagined drinks could be so creative.”

The whole Frida thematic was as elaborate as Roberto has ever been.

I should also note that because of the cocktails my wine pairing efforts were (way) less successful than at Roberto’s previous meals (Dark Illuminated Forest, Purotekuta, and Savage Romanticism). The strong herbal, alcoholic, and citrus notes in Matt’s drinks, while lovely and evocative themselves, knocked out the fruit sensitivity on my palette. This had the effect of suppressing the sweetness or fruit from the wines and rendering them overly acidic. I don’t think you can easily mix these two beverage profiles at the same time. Personally, although the cocktails are interesting, I’d just go with the wine — I find it more “even” (and less bitter).

Overall, I really adore this sophisticated cooking as its a synergy of the creative, intellectual, and hedonistic!

It’s also worth noting that I had recruited a couple foodie friends who were new to CR8 and they pretty much all declared this one of the best meal experiences of their lives!

A couple of us felt like second dinner — not that we were hungry at all — in fact I was full enough to be nauseous (plus the combo of LOTS of different alcohols) but we wanted to hang out so we went to this Little Tokyo Mall.

Very typical old school LA Japanese Izakaya.

Beef Tataki.

A couple rolls. I really wanted some rolls (for the rice) to settle my stomach. Vegetable roll.

Salmon skin roll or something like that.

Agadashi tofu (fried tofu with ponzu). I always like this dish.

Mushroom tempura.

Some kind of dynamite. Can’t remember.

Check out more of my grand Foodie Club meals.

By: agavin
Comments (0)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BYOG, Cocktails, CR8, Gelato, Matthew Biancaniello, Modern Cuisine, Molecular Gastronomy, pop-up, Roberto Cortez, Wine

CR8 – Liquid Forms

Mar02

Restaurant: CR8 by Roberto Cortez [1, 2, 3, 4]

Location: Seattle

Date: February 25, 2015

Cuisine: Modern Art

Rating: Absolutely Amazing

Roberto Cortez’s CR8 is one of the most stunning dining experiences I’ve been too, and so when he invited me to a new one this year some friends and I flew up to Seattle just for this dinner!

“When it comes to taste, liquid acts differently on the palate than solid food. Chewing food becomes a process by which flavors are expelled and discovered in stages as they ar2e released by the teeth. Liquids immediately cover the entire tongue, which in turn activates all taste buds and it’s crevices giving instantaneous flavor delivery. This seems to be a more powerful way to taste as it requires less use of facial muscles, And with this, additional brain activity which stays in a state of “waiting” to see what the food tastes like. This also brings in a subconscious element of expectation and wonder, which deters from the purity of taste and experiencing flavor”.

Roberto Cortez

For his latest CR8, Roberto Cortez (left) has teamed up with Matthew Biancaniello (right), a master mixologist, to add a set of elaborate cocktail pairings to Roberto’s stunning cooking.

Opening cocktail. Stinging nettle and Cuban oregano infused gin with satsuma and dill.

agavin: this starter had 2 ounces of gin, but you couldn’t taste it at all! The dominant flavor was satsuma (a form of citrus).

For his events, Roberto always creates a unique dining space. This one was located in a 100+ year old Seattle warehouse.

The table itself was “dangerously” elevated. It was on a platform!

And there was even this cool homemade cloud created by artist Yuri Kinoshita. You can see some of her other woven works of luminosity on her website.

At Roberto’s previous dinners I always brought the wine and that was more or less the only drinks, so I didn’t fully understand in advance that Matthew Biancaniello was going to be creating this incredible cocktail pairing. So I brought the wine anyway. Therefore, we only went through three bottles at the table. The wines paired well with the food, but the incredible herbal complexities of the cocktails knocked out the fruit part of my palette, rendering them more acidic.

From my cellar: 2000 Prager Riesling Smaragd Dürnsteiner Hollerin. 91 points. Massive reductive funk on first opening. Blew off in a matter of a few minutes. Mature riesling nose of apricot, salt, slight petrol. Rich, heavy mid palate. Loads of heavy extract on the finish.

Roberto has thematic ideas for each dish which flow from the liquid forms concept, so I’m going to include them here to introduce the dish, then follow with my comments.

Mellifluous. Having a smooth rich flow, filled with something that sweetens This word is incredible because it particularly describes the viscosity of a liquid that has been thickened with a sweeteners. I want to pay homage to the Tree and its natural sweeteners from sap and rare honey.

Sapling. Steelhead Caviar, PX sherry hen egg sabayon, black oak maple, pecan oil, tangerine lace crumbled hen yolk.

agavin: This dish had a goopy texture interwoven with the popper-like caviar. The flavor was predominantly sweet with bursts of savory/salty. None of that explains how incredibly successful it was. Like most Roberto dishes it just really worked.

Gin, cucumber, beet and horseradish.

agavin: It was also noticeable how this “oddball” cocktail with its Passover horseradish vibe cut the sweetness of the dish and really took both to the next level. Incredibly refreshing.

Pellucid. Translucently Clear. Elaborating on and expressing the concept of Clear and Transparent in liquid form. I want to use the elements of the corn for this dish in unorthodox ways. I chewed on popcorn recently for a while and discovered the flavors of charcoal, truffle, and lavender. I want to stress the clarity and transparency of the definition.

Maize. Black truffle tamal, charcoal, Incan corn mole, canela Red strawberry popcorn Red amaranth.

agavin: At its core a fabulous tamale. The other elements didn’t compete at all with the warm comforting quality of the tamale itself.

Wild juniper infused Mezcal, Krogstad Aquavit, fresh kiwi and wild mustard flowers.

This was a virgin version whipped up specially.

Vaporious. A substance in the gaseous state as distinguished from the liquid or solid state.

Vaporious. Ember beets, wild juniper, foie gras, sunchoke cream, akamiso, blood orange, scallions, pomegranate, Micro chive.

agavin: I love a good foie “mouse” and that was taken up a notch by the beets and the like.

Bergamot and Yuzu infused tequila, guava infused tequila , bergamot juice and dehydrated bergamot peel with home made caramel on top.

agavin: the caramel coated bergamot slice on top was incredible! Also impressive was listening to Matt and how he started infusing all these things months ago just for this dinner.

From my cellar: 1993 Robert Ampeau & Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. Burghound 92. A fully mature and expressive nose of elegant secondary fruit and floral aromas introduces intensely mineral-driven, pure and beautifully well-detailed middle weight flavors that possess excellent depth and fine length. This is drinking perfectly now and should continue to do so without effort for at least another decade. Tasted only once recently.

Liquescent. Origins in 18th century Latin. Becoming liquid Monsoon. This dish is the ultimate expression of becoming liquid. I am starting to collect rain water in a special glass vessel so that the water never touches the ground. I will then filter it to become a pristine base of this dish. I was inspired by two things; the Monsoon’s of Asia to bring focus to the rain water and by one of my favorite artists, Shinichi Maruyama, a Liquid artist.

The broth was poured in.

Monsoon. Crab Tonkotsu (poured tableside). Poached crab roots, soft tofu, liquid nahm prik pao curry cucumber noodles hibiscus daikon, black sesame Hearts on Fire Radish flowers Cucumber flowers.

agavin: Hard to explain all the good stuff going on here. There was a bit of heat in the broth, slightly akin to one of those Thai coconut soups. But there was also this serious Tonkotsu pork broth vibe. Plus all the textures and the wonderfully soft crab. Even the smear of black sesame complimented fully.

This is the vegetarian version.

Sage and Surinam cherry infused gin, wild horehound infused maraschino liqueur, lemon and green chartreuse with dehydrated banana flowers on top.

Melting. To become liquefied by warmth or heat.

Terre Fondu. Yeast fermented rice Coffee pork jowl butter date consomee in poultry broth Kishibori shoyu, Nordi beer pickled shallot.

With this dish we got little pistol lighters and had the opportunity to melt the butter on that fig bit into the dish. Interactive cuisine! Essentially though this was like a risotto soup combo and was really quite spectacular and rich.

Gin, 25 year old balsamic, strawberries with a bergamot and Tahitian vanilla infused saint Germain foam.

From my cellar: 1993 Louis Jadot Chambertin-Clos de Bèze. Burghound 92. In stark contrast to the Chambertin, this is wonderfully expressive and complex with abundant earth and spice notes followed by big, structured, still sappy if slightly austere flavors that offer excellent density and plenty of character. Impressively scaled and finishes with striking length. A clear step up from the Chambertin.

Succulent. Full of juice, juicy, rich in desirable qualities. The word succulent is incredibly descriptive of what is to come.

Texas Brisket Float. Brisket syrup Smoked cream, chile salt preserved smoked tomato bbq vinegar caramelized brussel sprouts broth, grain mustard coriander seeds,dill seed oil arugula blossoms.

agavin: Brisket float? Who would have thought that would work. Well it does. The man that brought us soup masquerading as beer can also imbue a beverage with the qualities of a heavy BBQ dish. Yeah, it totally worked.

The vegetarian version. No brisket. Sorry.

Wild toyon berry infused Pisco, kaffir lime, egg whites with rosemary flowers on top.

Brisket part deux:

Forest Brisket. Elderberry glazed brisket, parsnip, douglas fir, yogurt, pumpkin greens.

agavin: There was some real chew to the meat, and it was fabulous. As usual, all the elements totally sung together in harmony too.

The vegetarian version was a kind of BBQ parsnip!

Wild white fir infused tequila, pine sap infused saint Germain, cinnamon infused wild flower honey, fresh turmeric and persimmon juice.

agavin: This was consumed in one quick jolt.

Crystalline. Having the structure and form of a crystal. I was inspired by two things for this concept. I recently cut some limes and smelled so many layers of other scents that I want to express it. Using kaffir is an amazing extension of that.

Frost Bite. Brazil nut panna cotta disk coconut mousse kaffir leaves frozen sour apple frozen cinnamon toast crepe frozen.

agavin: hard to describe how good this dessert was. I love coconut. And I love coconut and citrus even more. But the creamy panna cotta was totally to die for.

Benedictine, roasted almond oil, lemon and cacao nibs.

agavin: the pairing was amazing

Imbue. To saturate or impregnate with moisture, color, feelings, etc. To permeate, infuse, or soak.

Cacao Imbue. Amedei Blanco de Criollo 70% Chocolate, red plums & beets licorice and dandelion root, wild cherry bark Duchilly hazelnut oil raspberry powder, micro mint licorice.

agavin: One of the world’s most exclusive chocolates blended together with hazelnut and other goodness? What’s not to love? This was incredibly creamy.

Cynar, cassis, espresso with a blood orange air.

agavin: This cocktail rolled up together a complement, a third dessert, and the post dinner expresso. It really worked.

Again Roberto shows off his unique mastery of the culinary arts. His number one strength (and he has many) is his uncanny sense of food harmony. This isn’t laser focused ingredient expression style food like Saison, it’s symphony of flavors. I’d liken it to Mozart too, as it has that rococo lightness, where the complex elements blend together into a lovely whole. This is not easy. Other hyper-intellectual chefs often have discordant notes, like at Maude or Twist. Nothing stands out of place with Roberto’s cooking. The flavors and textures blend seamlessly.

Matthew Biancaniello’s beverage pairings really notched it up too. The man is like Roberto’s liquid twin stylistically. As my wife put it, “I never imagined drinks could be so creative.” They also showed uncanny synergy with the food, particularly impressive for having mostly been worked out over the phone and email! (Matt lives in LA, and Roberto is currently in Seattle).

Plus, for a four person event (Roberto, Matt, and two servers) they really manage to put on a great show with ambiance, music, food, drink, etc.

I should also note that because of the cocktails my wine pairing efforts were less successful than at Roberto’s previous meals (Dark Illuminated Forest, Purotekuta, and Savage Romanticism). The strong herbal, alcoholic, and citrus notes in Matt’s drinks, while lovely and evocative themselves, knocked out the fruit sensitivity on my palette. This had the effect of suppressing the sweetness or fruit from the wines and rendering them overly acidic. I don’t think you can easily mix these two beverage profiles at the same time.

Overall, I really adore this sophisticated cooking as its a synergy of the creative, intellectual, and hedonistic!

Check out more of my grand Foodie Club meals.

By: agavin
Comments (2)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Cocktails, CR8, Foodie Club, Matthew Biancaniello, Molecular Gastronomy, Roberto Cortez, Wine

CR8 – Savage Romanticism

Oct26

Restaurant: CR8 by Roberto Cortez [1, 2, 3, 4]

Location: LA

Date: October 24, 2012

Cuisine: Modern Art

Rating: Absolutely Amazing

When I received a last minute invite to the latest Roberto Cortez dinner, I immediately jumped on it. I won’t miss one of these unless I’m dying or otherwise seriously incapacitated. I even went to one ten days after breaking my arm in seven places! For those of you who don’t know, Roberto is a world class modernist chef and overall artist of many things.

Roberto disdains the idea of opening a restaurant and cooking the same thing everyday, so his food is performed (and that is the right word) at randomly located three day installations. In this case, as with last July, it was at the Redd Collection, a wine store and bar that I separately frequent. Redd has a really great space in Culver city, simultaneously cool and comfortable.

Some prep.

The drinks begin with a bit of Roederer Estate in the big bottle. It’s worth a few words about the format (and specifically the wine format) of these dinners. Twelve people attend, in small groups of friends. Everyone eats together at one table. Technically, everyone is just supposed to bring wine and figure it out. Pot luck wine can have mixed results. It works out fine at my Hedonist dinners as there is a high bar (maintained by the organizers) plus some recommendation and coordination of the types. Overall timing and pairing, even then, is a little off, but the stellar quality of the wine makes up for it.

So instead of bringing 2 bottles like a normal person, I brought 7, and I chose them ahead of time with the ingredients (supplied by Roberto) in mind. Michael Carpenter, one of the owners of Redd, helped fill in the gaps, then I organized these plus a couple of the random (but good) stuff brought by others into proper flights. I had correctly guessed that people would bring big reds so I made mine the more unusual pairings that Roberto’s cuisine really deserves. I’ll comments on the success (and minor mismatches) below. As a sommelier, wine nut, frequent organizer, and devotee of Dionysus, I take this stuff very seriously. I take a rather paternalistic “hard line” as well. It doesn’t bother me to leave someone’s wine under the table unopened if it doesn’t match or is subpar and I hate to waste good wine. I think that the net enjoyment of everyone at the table is enhanced by some organization and discipline, and that while most diners don’t necessarily know enough wines to pair them, appreciate it when the effort is made.

After the sparkling, we enjoyed this special rum cocktail made by Roberto. It was fruity with a bit of spicy heat. I unfortunately was too busy organizing my wine to get the details. One server was out sick and this time around, I ended up opening the bottles and pouring myself. I don’t mind, actually, as I’m a control freak :-).

Roberto and crew always create an interesting space. Here is the single table. They enclosed a smaller area in the middle of the warehouse-like zone to make a more intimate “room.”

“Ceremonial: A consume of five mushrooms, maple, lovage, sherry vinegar and wine, farro, garlic.” The spoon is hollow and serves as the bowl. The dish showed off nice earthy notes and more than a little acidic tang.

Below (as with all the courses) you can hear Roberto discuss them in his own words. This first one is a little hard to hear, but the others are better.

Roussane is a white Rhone grape and this new world example was very much in that mode. This bottle came from Michael, one of the Redd owners.

“Chanterrelles, egg, raspberries, leeks, forest.” Sort of like fancy scrambled eggs, but much better. Light and fluffy with interesting forest notes. There is enough richness to the eggs that the meaty (for a white) Roussane paired perfectly.

Forest oil, homemade by Roberto. You were supposed to drizzle this on the dish of the person to your left as an aromatic.

From my cellar: Parker 90, “2009 Sancerre Cuvee GM (don’t ask me why he doesn’t simply write out its name) offers cooling, soothing honeydew melon and mint with hints of sage, chalk, lime zest, and white pepper. Vintage-typical in its lushness, it nevertheless doesn’t stint on minerality or refreshment, and is blessedly free of the alcoholic heat, roughness, or ungainliness that plagues many wines of its appellation in this warm and hail-challenged vintage. Impressively persistent and practically sumptuous rendition of Sancerre.”

“Diver’s Scallop tartar, dill oil, frozen avocado, sudachi, pomegranate, coconut butter, quinoa.” Scrumptious dish, but I adore raw scallop. As usual with Roberto, the seemingly chaotic ingredients gelled perfectly. Cool textures too, literally so with the frozen avocado!

Based on the ingredient guesswork (Roberto improvises so heavily that pairing from his notes takes some interpretation), I paired the above Sancerre with the scallops. Michael, who is after all a wine pro, was initially a skeptic, as he thought the dish would be too rich. In the end, I think it was a (lucky but) sensational pairing. The scallops came off much like scallop sashimi and as such, the bright citrus notes from the wine did what I hoped, add the same zing that yuzu does on the best Japanese preparations.

From my cellar: Parker 96, “After a performance like this for a Spatlese, the warning was hardly necessary! Donnhoff’s 2009 Niederhauser Hermannshohle Riesling Spatlese offers a riot of herbal aromas reminiscent of but far more intense and diverse than that of the corresponding Grosses Gewachs, and here, too, accompanied by grapefruit and passion fruit in a manner that calls to mind Sauvignon. Horehound, licorice, sage, mint, black tea, nut oils, candied grapefruit rind, and crushed stone inform a silken-textured palate. As with the corresponding Brucke, there is a remarkable interactivity on display, and a depth of mineral and animal savor that goes beyond crustacean shell reduction or veal demi-glace, leaving me salivating helplessly. This should be worth following for 20-25 years.”

“Romance X: Whisked ham, Honey caramelized pineapple, curry, horseradish, fried leeks, shaved ham.” Awesome, awesome dish. Intensely hammy and light (surprising when a whipped white ham product is involved).

The Riesling Spatlese made for a stunning pairing, but not for the reason I chose. First of all, it is a great wine, a really great wine. Second the sweetness and pineapple notes matched the real fruit and just perfectly counterpointed the salty ham vibe. I’d actually chosen the wine because of the curry. That ingredient (if it was even still there after Roberto’s beta modifications) was muted to the point of nothing, but the pairing worked out anyway.

From my cellar: 1990 Robert Ampeau & Fils Volnay 1er Cru Santenots. Variously 90-95 points. Started off with a bit of funky nose but quickly blew off and opened up gorgeously. This was one of those burgundies that makes you want to come back for more; cork was in good shape; a nose of cherries mushrooms and earth; fruit on the palate that softened with time; long finish that changed in a positive way with each sip.

“Forbidden: foie gras, maple, chive, ginger, mushroom rye, PX sour, coriander, rose, green apple tonka bean, corn cinnamon.” Very interesting dish. You pour the below “secret sauce” on top and then eat like a salad.

Corn cinnamon “secret #13 sauce” to add on top. Lovely sauce. The whole thing was great. Another example of Roberto’s savant-like ability to combine seemingly random flavors into a uniform whole.

The Burgundy was great by itself, and paired fine with the dish. Because of the foie, one could have gone sweet, but the whole salad like vibe (not that I knew about that from the notes) wasn’t traditional.

From my cellar: Parker 94, “I under-rated this medium-to-dark ruby/purple-colored wine (91-93 in Issue #111). This wine’s lively nose presents candied orange peels, black cherries, and Asian spices. It is powerful, layered, intensely complex, full-bodied, and ripe. Densely packed blackberries, cherries, and cassis are intertwined with minerals and hints of earth in this highly-impressive offering. As is spelled out in the margin of my notebook, Super! Bravo!”

“kabocha nimono: Red kabocha, caramelized shallot, parmesan sabayon, gelle of smoked dashi.”

With a puree of the squash poured in. Very lovely dish, appropriate for the season too. The smoked dashi cubes were hands down amazing.

Pairing-wise, this dish was my biggest failure. The wine was great, and not a mismatch or anything, but heck if I know what would be perfect here. I’d give the wine 95/100 and the pairing 60/100. Maybe something spicier. Looking it up, I even find “squash soup” listed under “impossible food wine pairings!” People generally go with an Alsatian wine like a Pinot Gris, which would certainly work. I was trying to get some more reds in because most diners don’t like a pairing dominated by whites.

From my cellar: Parker 92, “The 2003 Boca Il Rosso delle Donne shimmers on the palate with layers of fruit, mineral, and herbs. This fresh, vibrant and impeccably pure wine is a jewel.”

Parker 93, “An impressive performance by Lagrange, the 2000 possesses a saturated ruby/purple color with obvious notes of melted licorice, creme de cassis, and toasty new oak. This ripe, dense, full-bodied St.-Julien is chewy, thick, high in tannin, large-bodied, and impressively long and dense. As always, it is less expressive than some of its peers, but it is loaded as well as reasonably priced.”

For this next dish we each had to blindfold ourselves and then pick an “ingredient” by shaking two containers. No senses other than sound and weight were allowed. Listen to Roberto introduce this concept:

“Carnaoli Risotto with custard of black truffle, syrah reduction with honey and coffee, fig, plus special ingredient.” Wow, wow! Similar to a risotto he made for me at Dark Illuminated Forest, this is just so sumptuous.

The pair of above wines both paired very nicely as they offered up mushroom, forest, and cherry (the Boca) and earth tones (the Bordeaux).

Parker 90, “Performing better than it did eight years ago, the 2001 Opus One reveals a classic, French-like style with notes of cedar wood, melted licorice, black currants, roasted herbs and tobacco leaf. While not one of the stars of the vintage, it is a medium to full-bodied, outstanding effort that has reached full maturity. It should continue to drink well for another decade or more. This was a reassuring showing, although vintages over the last five years have been stronger and more powerful, with greater aging potential than the 2001.”

Parker 90, “The 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon is uncommonly approachable. Its dark ruby color is accompanied by sweet aromas of plums, black cherries, and currants. With soft, silky tannin, medium body, and a Bordeaux-like weight, this Cabernet was clearly inspired by Bordeaux clarets.”

“Wagyu brisket sous vide cooked for eight hours. Glaze of fermented black bean and thyme. Pear and kale chip with smoked bone marrow.” Fantastic piece of meat. Soft, with a marinated tone not unlike North Carolina BBQ.

Smoked alder-wood butter brioche is added to the plate.

The above “beefy” wines had enough grape to them to match very well.

From my cellar: Parker 96, “A totally compelling Climens and to my mind, every bit as good as the 1988, the 1986 is probably the best Climens made since their spectacular 1971. It is still light gold in color, with an expansive bouquet of new oak, oranges, pineapples, and other tropical fruits. In the mouth, the great richness seems all the more impressive because of the wine’s remarkable clarity and definition. There is as much botrytis in the 1986 as in the 1988. Despite the intensity and extract levels, this sweet wine comes across as crisp and relatively light. The 1986 is a stunning example of Climens at its very best.”

Really great Sauterne and at its peak maturity. Like rich honeyed nectar.

“Chocolate Drug: Armedei Chuao chocolate in the syringe, single original coffee gelee, Ethiopian cappuccino gel, tarragon hoja santa absinthe, caramelized brioche and creme whipped with salted butter and caramelized blood orange peel.”

After I pumped out the chocolate. Yummy stuff. A little bit of licorice flavor to it made the sauce one of those addictive ones. Great chocolate. Just so good.

Main line this puppy!

Our host and chef, the incomparable Roberto Cortez.

Overall, this was a spectacular dining experience, as good as my first Roberto meal, Dark Illuminated Forest. Sometimes there is a “chasing the dragon” effect to repeated events, but on all levels tonight was truly outstanding. The most similar (non-Roberto) meal I’ve had was this one at 2-star Calima in Spain — but this overall experience took everything to the next level. I think my wine-Nazism payed off to good effect too, helping elevate the whole sensory experience.

Roberto is like a Toscanini of food. It’s mind-boggling. Every single dish worked. Some were a bit better of course, but all were great. They show technical virtuosity, but more importantly, they show his incredible talent for predicting the nature of sensory experience. Like a Mozart symphony, the notes were all harmonious. Really, Food as Art.

A write up of this event can be found on Roberto’s own blog here.

Check out more of my grand Foodie Club meals.

By: agavin
Comments (8)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: CR8, Dessert, Food, Foodie Club, Roberto Cortez, Roederer Estate, Wine, Wine and food matching, Wine pairing, Wine tasting descriptors

Food as Art – CR8: Purotekuta

Apr28

Restaurant: CR8 by Roberto Cortez [1, 2, 3, 4]

Location: LA

Date: April 25, 2012

Cuisine: Modern Art

Rating: Storybook

About a year ago I came across online a chef named Roberto Cortez who hosts periodic themed modernist dinners. Looking at Roberto’s work (visible on his blog) it was instantly obvious that his visual style and presentation were out of this world. They exhibit a standout playfulness and creativity well in advance of even top restaurants. On March 5 I went to his Dark Illuminated Forest and experienced one of the best meals I’ve ever had.

So I was extremely excited to find another invite to a new concept in my inbox this April. The current event/meal is called Purotekuta and you can see the thematic poster to the right.

This time, all the founding Foodie Club partners were available and we set off in mass for the event.

As a prelude, Roberto sent us the above gorgeous East/West fusion “story” in the mail. This contains a bit of Sci-Fi Manga style story set in future Spain. We will see later how this unfolds into a meal.

We gather in the outdoor space to enjoy a homemade cocktail.

Roberto whips them up. Below he explains the ingredients, be sure to listen in order to appreciate all the elements that go into this.

He calls this the kama sutra. At the core it’s mango (like a mango lassi).

The finished product has a delicious mouthfeel.

Above are the ingredients for tonight’s menu along with some of my wine notes.

And Roberto whips it all up in this tiny kitchen.

Roberto did me the favor of sending me the list of rough ingredients for each dish in tonight’s meal so that I could do a proper wine pairing. This is something I rarely have the opportunity to do because it requires a pretty big table. Tonight is elven people and so I figured we could handle almost one bottle per course. I doubled up the wine on one of the nine and settled on eight bottles. The two dessert wines are half bottles. This left three whites, three reds, and two dessert wines. Many drinkers prefer reds but Roberto uses a lot of complex and Asian flavors in his cooking that favored whites and reds with more finesse. I tried to mirror the dishes spiritually by choosing unusual varietals with local and offbeat qualities, avoiding anything international in style (although all are European).

We then move into the interior of the gallery and our dinner space. It’s been completely custom decorated for the event including two mural-sized paintings illustrating the dinner story.

Above Roberto explains the unique story concept for tonight’s dinner. Each course has a story card we must read. I apologize for the terrible video quality of this and later explanations by Roberto. The room was nearly lightless. In any case, it’s the audio that matters.

The first card.

And the first wine. All wines were selected by me from my cellar to match individual dishes.

“The king of Sancerres: a gorgeously, complete triumph from Jean-Max’s oldest vines. These deep roots provide concentration, structure and power. A combination of stainless steel and aging in large oak barrels combines vim with elegance. The VV is round and full-bodied with hints of crystalline honey and fresh mint.”

Roberto explains the first dish.

“Enchanted Paella. Saffron Bomba rice cream, dehydrated tomato confit, red pepper pudding, pea puree-shoots, crunchy chorizo, fire roasted shrimp/mussel consomee, soccarat crisp.”

Roberto loves to play with traditional dishes, mixing them up into entirely new forms and textures. This did in fact taste like a shrimp paella. Texturally, the saffron cream in the consomee was reminiscent of the garlic aioli often served with boulibase.

A semi-close up of one of the wall murals.

The second story card.

And second wine:

Robert Parker 95. “The 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape blanc is even better. Meriting the same rating as I gave it last year, it is a delicious, beautifully textured, light gold-colored white revealing plenty of white peach, apricot, nectarine, and honeysuckle notes as well as a distinctive florality and minerality. More honeyed and fuller-bodied than its 2008 counterpart, it should drink beautifully for 7-8 years, then go into an oxidative state. It is somewhat of a gamble as to what will happen thereafter. Beaucastel’s limited production luxury cuvee first produced in 1986 is their 100% Roussanne Vieilles Vignes offering. Fifty percent is barrel-fermented in one-year-old barrels, but no new oak is utilized.”

“Emperior’s Uni. Avocado tartare, uni sabayon, frozen jalapeno, shinseiki pear gelee, Blis sake cure steelhead caviar, pickled grapes, lime leaf, chive oil.”

You wouldn’t think all those things would go together, but they do!

The third card.

Because of the white asparagus I chose this gorgeous Mosel valley riesling, located just an hour or two from the heart of white asparagus country. Wine often has an affinity to the nearby agricultural products.

“The Weins-Prum 2009 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese smells of dried apples and white raisin accompanied by wafting honeysuckle and heliotrope perfume; comes to the palate creamy and with remarkable lift, delicacy, and purity; and finishes with an unctuous sense of botrytis ennoblement allied to a remarkable degree of residual refreshment and even an uncanny hint of Mosel-typical wet stone. As Bert Selbach points out, in the 1990s, he would have bottled material of this sort as a gold capsule Auslese. He picked this beauty in the last week of October, about which decision he notes “here we had probably barely 20% botrytis. I’m not a fan of letting the grapes hang too long and letting too much botrytis develop. I maintain that an Auslese has to retain Spiel.” Try playing around with this one for the next 35 years or so.”

“Spring White. White asparagus textures, mint, dungeness crab, grapefruit curd, dill sponge.”

Late April and early may is white asparagus season. It’s also traditional in Holland and Germany to make them into a soup. The crab provided perfect sweetness and the foam, although texturally odd, paired nicely as well.

The table is actually a giant door and the we have a sword!

The fourth card.

This dish wins in terms of presentation.

“The Seed. 64C egg expression, toasted seed merinque, thai basil velote, buttermilk.”

Essentially this is a sous-vide poached egg. The toasted seed merinque was really yummy and could be dipped in the egg.

But key was to pour in this basil puree (basically pesto). I’ve always liked egg and pesto. At home I often sunnyside up eggs, sprinkle parmesan on them, and add pesto (and Tabasco). I love the mix of Tabasco and pesto.

The fifth card.

I paired this wine because of its foresty mushroom vibe.

“The 2004 Boca Il Rosso delle Donne shimmers on the palate with layers of fruit, mineral, and herbs. Stylistically the 2004 is a much more expansive, generous wine than the 2005, with layers of fruit that radiate with notable energy through to the mineral-laced finish. This fresh, vibrant and impeccably pure wine is a jewel. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2024.

The reds of Northern Piedmont remain insiders’ wines, but the finest bottles from these tiny appellations merit considerable attention. I came away very impressed with the wines I tasted from Conti. I also sampled a number of older vintages, the best of which are reviewed here. All of these wines are 70% Nebbiolo, 20% Vespolina and 10% Uva Rara, the traditional blend in these parts.”

“Trapped Funghi. Morels, sesame praline, spring alliums, mushroom sabayon, cardamon, homemade coffee oil, ginger.” The sabayon was to die for in this dish. We craved bread to mop it up.

The sixth card.

Parker 93. “One of the three batches that will be blended to make up d ‘Angerville’s 2005 Volnay Champans was still in malo, so I base my assessment on the other two. Scented with cherry and cassis, flowers and fungus, smoke and chalk dust, this displays richness and depth, fine tannins and emerging silkiness, and a youthfully firm but long finish loaded with savory subtleties. Just give it 6-8 years before revisiting. (The outstanding d’Angerville 2004s were also very late to finish malo, and the Champans is especially memorable for its vivid sauteed champignons, alluring ginger spice, marrowy richness, and flattering mouth feel, indeed comparable in quality though lacking the developmental potential of this 2005.”

“Glacial Brine. Halibut confit, white miso champagne risotto, fennel, gellied ham.” This was a pretty incredible fish dish. The miso was very sweet, almost mango like. Then the ham jelly just added an awesome bit of hamminess to the whole thing.

The seventh card.

Parker 93. “The estate’s top of the line 2001 Amarone Classico Riserva Sergio Zenato is superb. A blend of Corvina, Rondinella and Sangiovese, it reveals expressive aromatics followed by a compelling array of raisins, tar, chocolate and sweet fruit. It, too, comes across as powerful and brawny in style, but it is also a much more complete, rich wine than the 2003 Amarone tasted alongside it. This beautiful Amarone offers terrific length and a long, resonating finish. It spent three years in large oak barrels. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2011.”

“El Itimo. Black vinegar Iberico Carrilleras, wheatberry, foie gras emulsion, beet puree, brussel sprouts, maple consomee.” This was pretty awesome too. The texture was more like beef short ribs than pork.

Roberto filling us in on what’s coming.

The eighth card.

Parker 99! “The unreleased 1994 Tokay-Pinot Gris Clos Jebsal (Selection de Grains Nobles) Trie Speciale is the sweetest and densest wine Olivier Humbrecht has ever fashioned. It has 540 grams of residual sugar per liter and 12 grams of acid. As Humbrecht noted, “it makes no noise when poured into a glass, it is completely silent!” He has not yet presented it for certification as an SGN, which is why that moniker is in parentheses. Needless to say, this puree of fruit-flavored syrup sets new standards in power, concentration, and length.”

A shotglass of this unctuous nectar.

“Dragon Flower. Lychee tapioca, mascarpone elderflower ice cream, compressed liquid strawberry.” This doesn’t look like much but it was wonderful. Soft and refreshing with fantastic subtle flavors.

The ninth and final card.

Parker 94. “The 2003 Sagrantino di Montefalco Passito tastes just like the harvested grapes prior to fermentation. Deceptively understated at first glance, the wine offers up a compelling array of dark plums, prunes and spices, with a long, elegant finish and lingering notes of perfumed fruit that reappear on the close. Bea’s Sagrantino di Montefalco Passito is one of Italy’s great dessert wines, and the 2003 is a splendid vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2019.”

“Phantom Porcelana. Amedei Porcelana (55C), banana, herb salad, oak wood ice cream, roasted malt, red wine, olive oil, tonka bean.” This is some kind of special uber single vineyard chocolate. It was pretty incredible. I’m not much of a banana fan (bad banana whiskey experiment in college) but even that worked for me. The “wood” ice cream was very subtle but added a nice whipped cream-like thing to the intense chocolate.

Overall, this was a spectacular dining experience. I wasn’t quite as wowed as I was during my first Roberto meal, Dark Illuminated Forest, as there is always a novelty factor with first time things. But on all levels the results tonight were truly outstanding. The most similar (non-Roberto) meal I’ve had was this one at 2-star Calima in Spain — but this overall experience took everything to the next level. This is the most complex and ambitious “meal” I’ve yet had. It combines location, music, story, food, and even my wine pairings.

The man is like a Toscanini of food. It’s mind-boggling. Every single dish worked. Some were a bit better of course, but all were great. They show technical virtuosity, but more importantly, they show his incredible talent for predicting the nature of sensory experience. Like a Mozart symphony, the notes were all harmonious. Really, Food as Art.

Roberto details this meal on his own blog.

Check out more of my grand Foodie Club meals.