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Archive for Dinner

Eating Venice – Quadri

Dec31

Restaurant: Quadri

Location: za San Marco, 123, 30124 Venezia VE, Italy. +39 041 522 2105

Date: July 31, 2024

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Great meal

_

Our final meal in Venice was at Michelin 1 Star Quadri.

Quadri is actually located directly ON the Piaza san Marco. Seems like too touristy a location but it did have that Michelin star.

Interior is elegant without being stuffy. There is a decorative theme of stuffed (real) animals with angel wings.

They had lots of wine, of course.




The menu. They actually let me order the tasting menu while my wife went ala carte — only time this trip anywhere did — yay!

The amuses. Sadly I don’t remember exactly what they were, there were so many amuses this trip, and I wasn’t taking notes.

Lots of bread.

And even more bread.

Pomodoro.

AROMATIC HERB SALAD, BEET JUICE AND YELLOW DATTERINO TOMATO SORBETTO.

ITALIAN GARDEN. Red and green tomatoes, green beans, fava beans, ricotta and basil.

FRESHLY SALTED COD WITH MEDITERRANEAN SAUCE

GRILLED MACKEREL WITH GREEN TOMATO JUICE GREEN BEANS AND SEAWEED TARTAR SAUCE

ROASTED VEGETABLES WITH ZUCCHINI SORBETTO AND BASIL.

The first course of my tasting menu.

SOFT BRUSCHETTA WITH TUNA CRUDO BELUGA STURGEON SAUCE AND CAVIAR.

AROMATIC HERB SALAD, BEET JUICE AND YELLOW DATTERINO TOMATO SORBETTO. I really like these “salads with sorbetto”. Wonderful little combo.

LAGOON MURRINA CAPPUCCINO. This was awesome. Thick and creamy.

BEEF CARPACCIO DI MANZO WITH QUADRI SAUCE.


The second course.

FRIED RICE RAVIOLI WITH SMOKED EGGPLANT AND SPICY TOMATO SAUCE.

PACCHERI WITH RABBIT RAGU RICOTTA AND TARRAGON.

COLD SPAGHETTINI WITH RAW FISH AND SHELLFISH AND SEASHELL CREAM. Delicious pasta.

CUTTLEFISH INK RISOTTO WITH ITS LIVERS AND GINGER. Pasta AND risotto — living the dream.


ROASTED VEGETABLES WITH ZUCCHINI SORBETTO AND BASIL.

GRILLED MACKEREL WITH GREEN TOMATO JUICE, GREEN BEANS AND SEAWEED TARTAR SAUCE. I like mackerel.

GUINEA HEN WITH PLUM JUICE AND CHICKEN LIVER PATE WITH LARDO. Pork fat makes everything better.

VEAL SWEETBREAD WITH LIGHT SAFFRON BERNAISE SAUCE AND INCENSE RESIN SPRAY.

Chocolate Sorbetto.

DOGE’S CHOCOLATE LAYER DELIGHT.

PLUM PUREE WITH GORGONZOLA AND SESAME GELATO. Interesting.

WATERMELON WITH WHITE BALSAMIC VINEGAR HERBS AND MINT GRANITA. This was super refreshing and enjoyable.

COFFEE CANNOLO.

CHOCOLATE AND PISTACHIO PIPE. Neat format and delicious to boot.


Petite Fours.


This was a great meal, in no small part because I was allowed to get the “big” tasting menu — and because the 16 courses served as 4 courses format is a really good compromise. Serial 16 courses is too long with non food and wine people at the table. Huge kudos to the staff for being flexible. Additionally, the food was great. As usual, I particularly liked the primi, but this format helped offset the “blah Italian mains” factor that can really happen in a traditional Italian format.

For more Italian dining reviews click here.




 

Related posts:

  1. Eating Venice – La Colombina
  2. Eating Venice – Alle Corone
  3. Eating Venice – Rossopomodoro
  4. Eating Florence – La Cantinetta Antinori
  5. Eating Florence – Nove IX
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Dinner, Eating Venice, eating-italy, Italian cuisine, Michelin 1 Star, Quadri, Venice, Wine

Eating Venice – La Colombina

Dec29

Restaurant: La Colombina

Location: Sestiere Cannaregio, 1828, 30131 Venice VE, Italy. +39 041 522 2616

Date: July 30, 2024

Cuisine: Venetian Italian

Rating: Interesting, good with flaws

_

Night 2 in Venice. The name means “The Dove” — hence the iconography.

la Colombina was further up the Grand Canal and a bit more casual than the other Venice dinners.

They had a cute courtyard, although the inside was occupied by some kind of raccous birthday party.

The menu.




More menu.

Our “local” white.

Amuse of Bruschetta.

Venetian Tapas. Salmon with a mango sauce.

Eggplant and pesto.


Fennel and Cheese.

Zucchini and Humus.

Yellowtail and veggie puree.

Artichoke.

Cheese and fruit.

Ravioli.

Il nostro “cassopipa”: spaghetti alla chitarra con veraci, cozze, fasolari, cape longhe e calamari. Our style: square-cut spaghetti served with clams, mussels, smooth clams, razor clams, and calamari. Very much tasted of the sea in a good way.

Raviolotti alla ricotta di bufala, spinacine, pomodoro e basilico e mousse di melanzane. Ravioli filled with buffalo’s ricotta cheese, spinach, tomatoes, basil, and eggplant mousse.

Penne Pomodoro for the boy.

Side salad.

Filetto di branzino, in crosta di zucchine su vellutata di crostacei e insalatina di rinforzo. Sea Bass fillet, in zucchini crust served on a crustacean sauce and served with side salad.

Stinco di agnello fondente con patata schiacciata al vapore al profumo di limone. Lamb shank “fondant” served with steamed mashed potato with lemon scent.

Food was pretty bright and tasty here. The tapas were interesting and I particularly liked the seafood pasta. Atmosphere was a bit “tepid” with the party noise and a lot of mosquitos (a Venitian peril).

For more Italian dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Eating Venice – Alle Corone
  2. Eating Venice – Rossopomodoro
  3. Eating Positano – La Cambusa
  4. Eating Positano – da Gabrisa
  5. Eating Florence – Nove IX
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Dinner, Eating Venice, eating-italy, Italian Cusiine, Venice, Wine

Orsa & Winston

Sep25

Restaurant: Orsa & Winston

Location: FARMERS AND MERCHANTS BANK BUILDING, 122 4th St, Los Angeles, CA 90013. (213) 687-0300

Date: February 16, 2023

Cuisine: Modern American Italian Japanese

Rating: light and very interesting

_

Orsa & Winston is inspired by Italian and Japanese flavors, connected by the creativity of chef Josef Centeno. They were awarded a Michelin star in 2019 & 2021 and chosen as L.A. Times restaurant of the year in 2020.1A4A4656-Pano
Interior is small and intimate.
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Open kitchen (of course).
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Tasting menu only.
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Amuse. Chawanmushi with ice plant. Very much the classic “egg tofu” texture. Slightly bitter flavors and a bit of a black pepper kick.
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They don’t allow corkage! Boo! But they did have an interesting wine pairing.
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Crudo of Hamachi, fava beans, some kind of citrus. Very pleasant and light.
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Mushrooms.
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Saffron Scallop with a bit of green. Very classic combination, creamy, and quite nice. Not very big of course.
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More paired wines.
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Bitter greens salad. Maybe endive. Interesting crunch, a bit of salinity from the salmon roe, and a quite bitter lettuce profile. Interesting pairing with the oddball white Bordeaux.
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Wine.
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Sphagetti with Tomato Sauce and Truffle. Like a high end Spaghetti Pomodoro. Pretty darn tasty. Pasta had some chew, but seemed overcooked compared to a true Italian al dente.
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Seafood Satsuki Rice Porridge (supplement). This was my favorite dish (even if it was a carb cheat). Basically a buttery seafood risotto with uni, abalone, etc. I guess technically it’s also like a congee, but such a heavy butter and cream emulsion made it feel far closer to risotto. Either way it was delicious.
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Gift of polenta and cheese. Mild and pleasant although fairly bland. I’m never a huge polenta fan.

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Wine.
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Hamachi Collar with greens and black truffle. Pretty yummy and an interesting Italian/Japanese fusion.

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Honey Cornbread. I really enjoyed this — cheat that it was.
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Wine.
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Mixed Berry Panna Cotta.
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Chocolate Coconut Cookies. Yummy.
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Overall, a light and very interesting meal. Unique dishes for the most part, but a slightly complex and bitter tonal profile and the only thing that stood out as out and out DELICIOUS was the seafood porridge. Pretty small tasting menu, however, even with the supplement I was exactly stuffed. Plus there is the annoying no corkage factor.
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For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Persistent Providence
By: agavin
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Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Dinner, DTLA, fusion, italian, Japanese, Josef Centeno, no corkage, Orsa & Winston, Wine

A Taste of Taos

Nov16

Recently, a friend invited me over to his house for a chef dinner featuring Southwestern American Cuisine. Of course, I brought the wine.


The chef in question was Chris Maher (above). Christopher recently owned and directed Momentitos de la VIDA, a fine dining establishment in Taos, New Mexico. He functioned as the executive chef and received excellent reviews since opening the doors in 1999 through selling it in 2006. Gourmet and Bon Appetit have both named VIDA as “one of the most notable restaurants in the Southwest” and Maher earned the prestigious AAA Four Diamond Award six consecutive years in a row from 2000 – 2006. In 2005, he was invited to cook at the prestigious James Beard House in New York, New York, to a sold out event. Chris currently heads Cooking Studio TAOS – a teaching and food consortium – where people are encouraged to play with their food!


Progress in the kitchen.


For the pre-dinner loitering period. Parker 95, “This saturated and dark colored wine, with its extraordinarily spicy nose of sweet red and black fruits, sent me soaring. This massive, intense, broad-shouldered, masculine, structured, and chewy wine is crammed with super-ripe, rich, and layered blackberries, cassis, licorice, earth, and Asian spices. As if that were not enough, its dense fruit comes roaring back after expectoration, lingering on the palate for nearly a minute. This is an extraordinary Clos Vougeot!”


Chips and two kinds of homemade bean dips. On the left, “Tuscan white bean spread” and on the right “Black bean dip.” Both had just a little heat.

Because there is a lot of chile in Southwestern Cuisine, I brought a pair of rieslings. This one is close to dry.

Parker 92, “The detail, refinement, and lift that characterize the best of 2007 were reason enough, Rebholz said, for him to essay some residually sweet Riesling, otherwise, I’d rather leave that to the Mosel vintners. The 7.5% alcohol of his 2007 Riesling Spatlese Vom Buntsandstein indeed puts one in mind of the Mosel, as well as on notice that this will be wine of delicacy and very high residual sugar. It is also impressively endowed with ripe quince and wafting lily and gardenia perfume, and manages to keep its sweetness balanced so as not to tip into sheer confection, but instead to exhibit seamless purity and nectar-like lusciousness. It should be worth watching for a dozen or more years, and in fact I would personally not even care to revisit it for 6-8 years.”


Green Chile Stew with potatoes and chicken. This was a very flavorful dish with a strong gentle heat. It paired very nicely with the rieslings, particularly the one below.

Then a sweeter effort. Parker 97, “White peach preserves, luscious Persian melon, fresh red raspberry, cooling lime, green tea, iris and gentian are all projected on the nose of Donnhoff’s 2009 Oberhauser Brucke Riesling Spatlese, then take on a fleshy, silken, yet svelte form that combines infectious juiciness, invigorating salinity, uncanny buoyancy, and vibratory interactive complexity, leaving my tongue tingling and my head buzzing. The depth of savor here is such that to speak of nut oils or of shrimp or lobster shell reduction merely points in the correct, otherwise ineffable general direction. “Creamy, dreamy, transparent” were the last words I could pronounce in the presence of this natural wonder that will certainly be capable of spreading joy for at least the next quarter century. “There was a tiny bit of perfectly dry botrytis here,” notes Donnhoff, “and to get much over 90 Oechsle you usually need that.” Needless to say, its presence has in no way precluded the utmost purity of fruit, clarity, or subtly electrical energy of which Riesling is capable in this amazing site. “I’m warning you, they’re not necessarily better,” said Helmut Donnhoff with a grin when serving me his two 2009 vintage Auslesen.”


Frisee & Green salad, cilantro jalepeno vinaigrette.

For reds, I had to bring something up to this much spice.

2008 Camerlengo “Antelio” Aglianico del Vulture Basilicata. An extraordinary rendition of this ancient grape that constantly evolves organically in the glass with unfiltered language. The flavors dance across meaty and inky depths, almost Mouvedre here, reminds me of an older Bandol I had the other night, but with more suede.


Poblano Farsi Rellenos stuffed with beef, potato, and cheese. Not your typical relleno, it was relatively light. The red sauce underneath was quite delicious with a good bit of heat.


Parker 96, “The 1998 Chateauneuf du Pape is the greatest effort produced since Beaucastel’s 1989 and 1990. It reveals more accessibility, no doubt because the final blend included more Grenache than normal. Its dense purple color is followed by sweet aromas of blackberries, licorice, new saddle leather, and earth. There is superb concentration, full body, low acidity, and high tannin, but it is surprisingly drinkable for such a young Beaucastel.”


Chris’s Biscochitos, vanilla ice cream with a chocolate, chile sauce. Simple, but delicious, with a bit of cinnamon chile going on.

Overall, a delicious an enjoyable evening!

Related posts:

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By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Chris Maher, Dessert, Dinner, Donnhoff, Riesling, Southwestern Cuisine, Taos, Wine, Wine tasting descriptors

Maison Giraud

Dec15

Restaurant: Maison Giraud [1, 2, 3]

Location: 1032 Swarthmore Ave, Pacific Palisades, Ca 90272. 310-459-7562

Date: December 5 & 10, 2011

Cuisine: French

Rating: French “home” cooking at it’s best

_

I’ve been waiting for Maison Giraud, the new local (just blocks away!) Pacific Palisades restaurant/bakery from acclaimed LA French chef Alain Giraud to open for what seems like forever. The day it did I was there for some pastries. Then we kept trying to get in for dinner. We had to come on a monday at like 5:30!


The Swathmore Ave frontage has been revealing itself in stages since at least the 4th of July.


Inside the chef peers down at your from the French-style board.


Today’s menu.


A pair of nice French whites, one a Sancerre, the other a Viognier.


House baked bread.


They call this a tart, but it’s really a flatbread (aka pizza). “Camille’s Potato and Rosemary Flat Tart. Creme Fraiche, Gruyere.” Pretty yummy.


And another. “Crispy Tomato and Basil Flat Tart. Roasted onions, parmesan.”


“Seared Scallops, leek fondue, meyer lemon & pistachio sauce.” This was one of the best seared scallop appetizers I’ve had — and I normally prefer my scallops raw.


“Arborio Risotto, mushrooms, aged parmesan, fresh herbs.” A lovely mushroom risotto. The weather was cold and dreary (in relative LA terms), so this was perfect.


“Seared Atlantic Salmon. Garlic potatoes, cipollini, bacon, red onion sauce.”


“Cocotte. Beef Bourguignon.” Basically beef stew with the classic additives: potato, carrots, onions, etc. But this was one damn fine beef stew.


Bread dipping good!


We had to get back in a hurry, so we didn’t have time for dessert, but I had that Vacherin Glace one time when the chef was cooking at Bastide (in 2004) and it was one of the best desserts of my life.


I liked the Maison so much that I brought my son back for breakfast on Saturday. This is from the bakery, a fresh apple turnover. Yum!


And fresh OJ.

A decent, if slightly foamy cappuccino.


French toast. Very nice typical variant. My favorite part was the fresh Chantilly cream which was incredible. I’m a big sucker for whipped cream.


Classic Eggs Benedict.


Some more baked goods. Muffins.


And the ultimate pain aux chocolate. This is the only place in LA I’ve tasted where the croissant type pastry actually tastes like it does in France.

So far, I’m very pleased with Maison Giraud. The food is essentially French comfort food with a bit of international adaption, but everything has been spot on fresh and well done so far, and the bakery is outrageously good. Given how incredibly lame most of the Pacific Palisades food offerings are this is all incredibly welcome.

For my early preview, see here.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Maison Giraud at Last
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Atlantic Salmon, Beef Bourguignon, Brunch, Creme Fraiche, dessert menu, Dinner, Eggs Benedict, French Toast, Maison Giraud, Pacific Palisades, Potato, Restaraunt, Restaurant Review, Sancerre, Stew, Viognier

New Year’s Feast

Oct04

Since 2005 we’ve been hosting the family feast for Rosh Hashanah. And what is a traditional holiday dinner without an excuse to do some cooking.


Rosh Hashanah occurs in September or October and so it’s traditional to include fall produce, particularly fruits which symbolize the hoped for sweetness of the new year. To this effect we made a huge run on the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market and picked up nearly all of the fruits and vegetables for the meal, including this apples.


When you have to slice two dozen of them, the slicer helps. These are served with honey (also from the market).


A traditional first course is the chicken McNugget of the fish world, Gefilte Fish. We made ours from scratch using this recipe.


As we have a beet dish, we used the beet greens as garnish.


You can see some of the appetizer plates prepped and ready to go.


And the fish plated with the greens and horseradish sauce (using Atomic Horseradish naturally).


Second course was a dish we’ve been working on this fall. Jose Andres‘ Gazpacho (recipe here). This is the garnish of homemade croutons and various vegetables from the farmer’s market.


And with the soup added, dressed with a bit of olive oil and toasted pinenuts. You can see the chef’s own version at my recent é outing.


Then the main course is served buffet style. Here is the finished spread.


It includes farmer’s market mixed potatoes in olive oil, salt, and garlic.


Roasted.


And in their final form.


This beet salad (recipe here). We adapted it for buffet style serving (chopped everything finer).


Here with dressing.


My brother’s homemade couscous with various farmer’s market vegetables, mint, etc.


Brisket is one of the traditional meats for the dinner. This is one of two giant slabs of beef we cook up.


We used this recipe (more or less). Which involves slow cooking (for a long time) with carrots and various fruits.


And here is the finished and dressed version. At some point in the middle the brisket is pulled out, sliced, and put back into the stew.


A more conventional “autumn salad.”


The bottom of “Wendy’s Kugel.”


And extracted. I’m not generally a big kugel fan, but this one tastes like a cinnamon, so I’m very partial to it.


And my gluttonous plate.


Then the dessert spread.


My mom generally makes a fruit crumble out of whatever is in season. This year we picked up at the farmer’s market these lovely nectarines.


And added some fresh blackberries.


Here dabbed in flour to prevent them getting too damp.


The crumble itself is a mixture of crisco, nuts, flour, cinnamon, and sugar.


You just sprinkle it on top of the fruit.


And bake.

We also made a traditional seven layer cake. You bake seven very thin cakes.


Make butter-creme icing.


And then layer them up one by one.


And add some finishing touches!

There were snacks and a lot of wine too, but I’m too full to get into it.

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By: agavin
Comments (5)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Beet, Cooking, Dessert, Dinner, Farmer's Market, Gazpacho, Gefilte Fish, New Year, party, Rosh Hashanah

Friday Night Heights – Shabbat Dinner

Sep06

On Friday, September 2, we hosted a small Shabbat dinner party. This was a non-dairy (meat) kosher meal, which can be well done if you care (and most kosher restaurants don’t). As usual with our events everything was homemade. Almost all produce came from the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market.


For appetizers we served fruits and nuts. There was also some homemade humus and eggplant dip (that one of our guests generously brought), but I forgot to snap a photo.


Wine is one area where we go normal. Kosher wines are uniformly awful. Hideous. Wretched.

Parker gives this silky Rosso 90. “The 2009 Rosso di Montalcino is totally beautiful and elegant in its expressive bouquet, silky fruit and understated, harmonious personality. This is a wonderful, impeccable Rosso from Le Potazzine. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2017.” I’d rate it perhaps 91-92, with a little boost for understated style.


And the sweet option. Parker 91. “Donnhoff‘s 2009 Oberhauser Leistenberg Riesling Kabinett – ultra-delicate at only 9% alcohol and with considerably more overt sweetness than its Krotenpfuhl counterpart – is scented with buddleia, white peach, toasted almond, and a fusil note of crushed stone, and offers subtle creaminess, lusciously juicy refreshment, and minerally interactive persistence. This illustrates slate as a sort of sounding board as well as support structure for fruit such as one also encounters in the best residually sweet Mosel Rieslings. Donnhoff routinely expresses acute awareness of a duty to make something truly special out of the cooler ‘wrong-side-of-the-river’ Oberhauser vineyards that until the latter part of his father’s era constituted almost the entirety of his family’s acreage. That duty has here once again been deliciously discharged.”


What would Shabbat be without Challah. Raison Challah to be exact.

After going to Spain last year I’ve been on a bit of a Gazpacho kick, despite my general aversion to raw tomatoes (which I’ve been overcoming). And then about 5-6 weeks ago we went to Jose Andres’ Tres for brunch where they have a wonderful Gazpacho bar. So afterward I dug up his recipe on the internet and we tried it.

When I get into cooking certain dishes I like to perfect them. I’ve been working on this with my Ultimate Pizzas, my Spanish Eggs, and my Margaritas. This is our second stab at Gazpacho. It tasted great the first time but the texture was too chunky, so in this instance we whipped the living bleep out of it in the ever-reliable Blendtec. This batch is made with heirloom tomatoes and cucumbers from the SMFM and premium Spanish extra-virgin olive oil.


But first the garnish. This is a bowl prepped. The basic approach is to do this, and then to ladle in the soup itself table side, then dress it with a bit of premium Spanish olive oil. This garnish is croutons, cucumbers, heirloom tomatoes, spring onions, and chives.


The olive oil is on the left. On the right are homemade croutons. These are rustic bread fried (by hand) in olive oil and garlic, and seasoned with a bit of parsley.


Some of the gorgeous tomatoes used as garnish. Other cool looking ones are in the soup itself.


Chopped chives.


I’m kicking myself, but I forgot to photo a finished bowl with the soup. This one is three-quarters eaten 🙁 It was darn good though.


For the main course we made a homemade Morrocan Basteeya. This is prior to baking. This is a savory pie of chicken and spices, slightly sweet.


Out of the oven.


You can see into it here.


One of our guests brought this lovely salad.


We also made this baked Israeli-style eggplant, with tomatoes, onions, garlic, and peppers (all from the SMFM too).


Here it is baked.


And my mother’s amazing fruit crumble. This one had SMFM peaches, blackberries, and apples. With a sweet crust and pecan topping. Due to the fact that my mother was on the other side of the country, and the written recipe a tad cryptic, the crust turned out a bit “different” than her more crumbly variant.


Still, it tasted great after baking!


And some farmer’s market fruit to finish.

For more home cooked meals look at the bottom of the food page.

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By: agavin
Comments (3)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Blendtec, Cooking, Dessert, Dinner, Donnhoff, Food, Friday Night, Gazpacho, Home, Judaism, Kashrut, Kosher, Olive oil, Shabbat, Wine

Eating the Skys – Continental

Aug03

Restaurant: Continental Airlines

Location: Somewhere above the Atlantic

Date: June 30, 2011

Cuisine: Inedible

Rating: Barftastic

ANY CHARACTER HERE

So after an epic four weeks of eating in Italy — where the worst meal was merely mediocre — we boarded the first of our planes for home, specifically the Milan to Newark flight on Continental. And so, our final meal of the trip:


A lovely 2011 Ginger Ale, Seagrams.


Bread with softener and additives, served with pastic wrap.


A fine salad of wilted iceberg lettuces.


Soaked in packaged milk and emmulsifiers, it becomes… slightly more edible — and sadly the best item on the menu.


Chicken Parmesan with scalloped potatoes, mushy peas, and nitrate sausage. This was actually a kid’s meal (served to my son). As it was considerably more edible than mine (below) I picked at it.


Dry frozen rock hard chicken “breast” with teeth breaking noodles, soggy asparagus and canned tomato sauce.

Seriously Continental (and sadly they aren’t alone, really all the American airlines are just as bad) you ought to be ashamed of yourselves. This stuff is completely pathetic and was actually literaly inedible. You would have had to pay me more than $100 to try a second bite of that rock hard chicken. It’s not just a matter of cost, it’s a matter of giving a shit about all aspects of the product you offer. I think airline executives ought to be required to eat coach airline meals 100% of the time while on the job! That’d shake things up fast.

Click here to see more Eating Italy posts.

Related posts:

  1. Eating Poggibonsi – Osteria da Camillo
  2. Eating Santa Marghertia – Da Michele
  3. Eating Modena – Osteria del Pozzo
  4. Eating Florence – Nove IX
  5. Eating Cinque Terre – Gianni Franzi
By: agavin
Comments (2)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Airline, bad food, Chicken, Continental Airlines, Dinner, eating-italy, Ginger Ale, Italy, Milan, Newark New Jersey, Parmigiana, pasta, Seagram

Passover Seder 2011 – day 2

Apr22

This year we hosted the first seder (SEE HERE), but my Mom cooked the second. That means a very high bar of quality.


Parker 91 for the 2001 Opus One. “Tasted twice Deep garnet-black colour. Still a lot of primary fruit with dark cherry and blackberry aromas complimented by cloves, cardamom and a hint of mint. The medium to full bodied palate provides a medium+ level of very finely grained tannins and medium+ acidity. Long finish with lingering earthy / mineral flavours. Drink now to 2019. Tasted April 2009.”

The 1998 Haut Maillet was a typical mature pomerol. Tasty, but a bit sour.


The seder plate.


The ubiquitous matzah.


Horoset, a mixture of apples, nuts, cinnamon and other spices.


Mom’s homemade horseradish, sweetened and colored with beet juice.


The fully set table.


The components of the Hillel sandwich, a combination of matzah, horoset, and horseradish.


A sample Hillel sandwich. For more details, see here.


The salad.


Plated, endives, other greens, and smoked kosher trout. Very refreshing, and tasty.


Homemade matzah ball soup. The classic chicken broth and light fluffy balls.


Broccoli Rabe.


Sauteed with pine-nuts and currents


Brisket braised in sweet and sour sauce. Cooked to extreme tenderness.


Extra gravy.


On the plate.

To see the first night of passover, click here.

For the Hillel Sandwich, here.

Related posts:

  1. Passover Seder 2011 – day 1
  2. The Hillel Sandwich
  3. Brunch at Tavern 3D
  4. Food as Art: Chanukah in Style
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Brisket, Cooking, Dinner, Hillel the Elder, Home, home cooking, Horseradish, Jews, Matzah ball, Matzo, opus one, Passover, Passover Seder, Passover Seder Plate, Pomerol, Salad, Wine

Not so Glad about Gladstones

Mar21

Restaurant: Gladstones Malibu [1, 2]

Location: 17300 Pacific Coast HwyPacific Palisades, CA 90272. (310) 454-3474

Date: March 18, 2011

Cuisine: American Seafood

Summary: Fast bordering on brusque

 

Two months to the day after I tried the slightly revamped Gladstones (REVIEW HERE), we decided to go back for a dinner. The two of us walked in the door at 6:30. They had us walking out at 6:55. A new record in whirlwind service. So fast that I was in physical pain, my stomach in spasm from having wolfed down the food.

“Dragonfruit mojito.” This concoction was disgustingly sweet, tasting of artificial strawberry and whatever weird kind of fruit is baked into “dragonfruit bacardi.” I dislike this trend of overzealous corporate marketing and lazy bartenders in which drinks are made with “flavored” alcohols instead of actual mixers. There is really no circumstance where this kind of factory flavored drink tastes better than just mixing. It is “easier.” Like pre-mixed Chernobyl green margarita mix. As the rest of the cocktails were this sort, I moved on to a glass of wine.

Bread. Warm sour-dour. Nothing to complain about here.

“CRAB CAKES  Remoulade, Arugula & Fennel.” These arrived as the words of our order were hanging in the air, but they were tasty enough. Not on the level of either the Houstons or Capo crabcakes, but respectable.

“BAKED SALMON CARTOCCIO  Saffron Potato, Roast Fennel, & Olive Herb Tapenade.” Must like what we made at our own dinner party the week before. But not bad either. Too bad it arrived while I was still working on my appetizer — and I’m a fast eater.

“CURRIED COCONUT SHRIMP  Jasmine Rice, Yellow Curry, Thai Basil & Passion Fruit.” I had ordered this two months before and enjoyed it immensely. Something was really wrong with it tonight. Maybe the fact that they cooked it in 3 minutes flat? The sauce was totally out of balance. The curry flavor very muted and the lime massively dominant. It just didn’t taste good that way, being almost unpleasantly sour.

The bus boy was pulling our plates from us as I was literally forking the last couple shrimp. I mean I had to reach into the air to get them. The waitress teleported over, asked if we wanted dessert, hearing the negative, slapped the check down. They weren’t rude or unpleasant, but it was all so rushed that I felt an almost compulsive need to hurry in order to match their pace. I don’t mind a fast dinner sometimes, but this was ridiculous.

More fundamental, I also worry about quality control in the kitchen. Things just seemed much more lackluster than the previous time I was here. And it’s very expensive — overpriced in fact. So I don’t think I’ll be back for a while.

Related posts:

  1. Quick Eats – Gladstones by the Sea
  2. Red Medicine the Relapse
  3. Dinner and Drinks at Tavern
  4. Quick Eats: Brentwood
  5. Fraiche take on Franco-Italian
By: agavin
Comments (3)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Australia, Chernobyl, Cocktail, Dinner, Fish and Seafood, Gladstones, Home, Restaurant, Restaurant Review, Seafood, side dishes, Thai Basil, vegetarian

Dinner and Drinks at Tavern

Mar13

Restaurant: Tavern [1, 2, 3, 4]

Location: 11648 San Vicente Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90049. (310) 806-6464

Date: March 10, 2011

Cuisine: Market driven Californian

Rating: Good for dinner too!

 

Every couple of months I get together with a group of friends who all have kids the same age for a “Dad’s night out.” Last time we went to Father’s Office, this time we chose Tavern in Brentwood. I’m generally there either for Brunch or for an early dinner so I was pleasantly surprised to see how jammed the bar was.

The cocktail menu. The bar was hopping big time at 8-9pm on a thursday. Mostly 30 something women too. A pack of cougars were on the prowl too.

“WildRover, Jameson’s Irish Whiskey, Fresh Basil & Tangerine.” This was a hell of a good cocktail. Like a whiskey sour with basil.

We pounded through 2 bottles of this pleasant CnDP, which Parker gives a 93. “The finest tradition cuvee yet made, the 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape (70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and 10% Mourvedre aged in foudre and concrete tanks) possesses a deep ruby/purple-tinged color as well as a bouquet of black currants, black cherries, garrigue, pepper, and lavender. It is a full-bodied, ripe, exceptionally elegant, pure wine to drink now or cellar for 12-15 years.”

Tonight’s dinner menu. Never exactly the same twice.

“Salmon crudo with cerignola olives, cucumber, and meyer lemon.”

“Endive salad with Schaner farm’s citrus, green olives and fennel.”

“Cauliflower soup with truffle butter and marcona almonds.” This was a bit blander than I had hoped. Maybe it didn’t have enough creme, or salt. Still pleasant enough.

“Wild mushroom and leek tart with aged goat cheese and herb salad.”

“The devil’s chicken with braised leeks, onionsand mustard breadcrumbs.” Captain Picard, owner of L’Idiot says, “you can’t afford the duck, you’ll have the chicken!”

“Braised lamb shank with saffron rice, merguez, peppers and pinenuts.” This was a damn good dish. The meat fell off the bone (which could be gnawed viking style at leisure). The rice is Persian, and the whole dish had a vaguely Persian thing going on.

“Niman ranch rib-eye with potato-bacon gratin,red wine butter and arugula.”

The desserts du jour.

“Chocolate and coconut coupe, chocolate ice cream, coconut sherbet and graham crackers.” This tasted like its component ingredients, and that wasn’t a bad thing. Rich and refreshing at the same time.

““Snickers Bar, salted peanut caramel and vanilla ice cream.” Very nice dessert. Inside the hard dark chocolate shell was a kind of peanut and carmel mouse.”

As you can see Tavern ain’t no slouch at dinner time either. The dishes are inventive, rich, made with good ingredients, and tasty. You can find some of my brunch reviews HERE, HERE, or HERE.

Related posts:

  1. Brunch at Tavern 3D
  2. Brunch at Tavern – again
  3. Quick Eats: Brunch at Tavern
  4. Bistro LQ – 27 Courses of Trufflumpagus
  5. Son of Saam – Actually more Bazaar
By: agavin
Comments (6)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Brentwood, California, Chateauneuf du Pape, Cooking, Dessert, Dinner, Father's Office, Food, Grenache, Irish Whiskey, Los Angeles, Mourvèdre, Restaurant, Restaurant Review, side dishes, Soups and Stews, Tavern, vegetarian, Wine tasting descriptors

ThanksGavin in Review

Nov29

Every year we Gavins gather in Philadelphia for four days and nights of massive gluttony. The party then moves down to Washington DC. I wanted to create a central post to document this parade of food and Thanksgiving. Also don’t miss the catalog of ThanksGavin turkey plates.

_

ThanksGavin 2023

The holy tetralogy:

Thursday night Thanksgiving Feast
Friday night feast

_
_

ThanksGavin 2022

The holy tetralogy:

Wednesday night dinner (China Gourmet)
Thursday night Thanksgiving Feast
Friday night feast
Salty Saturday

_
_

ThanksGavin 2021

The holy tetralogy:

Wednesday night dinner (Argana Tree)
Thursday night Thanksgiving Feast
Friday night feast (China Gourmet)
Salty Saturday

_
_

ThanksGavin 2019

The holy tetralogy:

Wednesday night dinner (Keep)
Thursday night Thanksgiving Feast
Friday night feast (DJ Kitchen)
Salty Saturday

Non canonical events:

White Elephant

_

ThanksGavin 2018

The holy tetralogy:

Wednesday night dinner (Georgian)
Thursday night Thanksgiving Feast
Friday night feast
Salty Saturday

Non canonical events:

Oyamel
Q by Peter Chang
Tidewater Grille
IHop
Elephant Jumps

_

ThanksGavin 2017

The holy tetralogy:

Wednesday night dinner (Uzbekistan)
Thursday night Thanksgiving Feast
Friday night feast
Salty Saturday

Non canonical events:

Oyamel
Kapnos Taverna
Tidewater Grille
Mark’s Duck House
Jackson’s

_

ThanksGavin 2016

The West Coast singleton:
Thursday night Thanksgiving Feast
_

ThanksGavin 2015

The holy tetralogy:

Wednesday night dinner (Uzbekistan)
Thursday night Thanksgiving Feast
Friday night feast
Salty Saturday

Non canonical events:

Tiffin Indian Cuisine

_

ThanksGavin 2014

The holy tetralogy:

Wednesday night dinner (Han Dynasty)
Thursday night Thanksgiving Feast
Friday night feast
Salty Saturday

_

ThanksGavin 2013

The holy tetralogy:

Wednesday night dinner (Fond)
Thursday night Thanksgiving Feast
Friday night feast
Salty Saturday

Non canonical events:

Graffiato Italian Tapas

_

ThanksGavin 2012

The holy tetralogy:

Wednesday night dinner (Han Dynasty)
Thursday night Thanksgiving Feast
Friday night feast

_

ThanksGavin 2011

The holy tetralogy:

Wednesday night dinner
Thursday night Thanksgiving Feast
Friday night Shrimp Tacos
Salty Saturday

Non canonical events:

The Italian Market
Saturday night Jackson’s
Sunday at Zaytinya
Monday Lunch at 2Amys Neapolitan Pizzeria
Tuesday at Jaleo Bethesda
Wednesday at Mark’s Duck House

_

ThanksGavin 2010

The holy tetralogy:

Wednesday night dinner
Thursday night Thanksgiving Feast
Friday night at Chez Abbe et Jon
Saturday Deli Brunch

Non canonical events:

Dinner at Little Saigon
Sunday Snack
Monday dinner at Mon Ami
Tuesday lunch at Coastal Flats
Wednesday lunch at Ping Pong
Wednesday dinner at Panjshir
Turkey sandwich for the flight home

Related posts:

  1. Thanksgiving Proper
  2. Saturday is for Salt
  3. Ghost of Thanksgivings Past
  4. Thanksgiving – Pork Insanity
  5. Thanksgiving – The Prequel
By: agavin
Comments (16)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: 2010 ThanksGavin, Cooking, Dessert, Dinner, Food, holiday, Holidays, Little Saigon, ThanksGavin, thanksgiving, turkey
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