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Food as Art – The Brothers Sushi

Jan23

Location: 21418 Ventura Blvd, Woodland Hills, CA 91364. (818) 456-4509

Date: August 13, 2021

Cuisine: Japanese Sushi Kaiseki

Rating: Really wonderful modern style Kaiseki

This dinner is the third in (the others being here) in a vast series of epic Japanese sushi and/or Kaiseki dinners post lockdowns that all included myself, Erick, Joe and Bonnie — and often Larry, as is the case tonight. Herein we “endeavor” to visit or revisit most of the top sushi spots in LA.

Larry has been coming to Brothers for years, but in 2018 recently Chef Mark Okuda took over and totally transformed the place into one of the Valley’s — and LA in general’s — top omakase destinations. Larry took us on this particular foray for a “regular” jumbo omakase, but we immediately set up a giant even longer one for more people a few weeks later.

The outside shows off this ugly 1940s or 50s valley building.

But the inside is attractive and there is a large patio and this interior with an extensive sushi bar and a few tables.

On the right is Chef Mark.

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

2011 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault Clos de la Barre. VM 90+. Good bright yellow. Deeply pitched aromas of ripe peach, pineapple, hazelnut, smoke and vanilla, plus a hint of orange blossom (Lafon used no new oak for this wine). Then firmer and less round on the palate than the basic village wine, with an edge of acidity giving the finish a leaner, slightly boney impression. This needs at least a couple years of cellaring.

2015 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons. VM 90. Pale, bright yellow. Very ripe but slightly muted aromas of citrus fruits, white pepper, honey and oatmeal. Quite concentrated but comes across as a bit youthfully aggressive and dry following the set of 2016s here, offering flavors of grapefruit, lemon drop and minerals. Offers noteworthy inner-mouth tension and dusty minerality but this citrussy premier cru will need time to harmonize in bottle. Didier Séguier bottled the 2015 crus in December of 2016 and January of this year. (A second bottle of similar quality was a bit sweeter and more pliant in the middle palate.) (Drink between 2019-2025)

From my cellar: 1996 Robert Ampeau & Fils Meursault 1er Cru Charmes. 93 points. Dark yellow, straw. Honey, toasted grain, flowers, straw nose. Lemony acidity, some caramel, baked apples, rich texture. A singular and beautiful bottle.

Seaweed, cucumber, jellyfish. Bright vinegar flavors.

Sweet Corn Chawanmushi.

Smoked Amberjack (dry aged 10 day).

Hudson Valley Foie Gras (Jeff Bovon), ikura, takuan, rice crisp “sandwich”

The outside is a crispy rice disk and the inside was fantastic.

3 weeks dry aged salmon. Summer truffle, pickled tomato, arugula. Very balanced.

Tuna. River crab. Caviar. Tuna is almost sweet.

Abalone from Japan. Tender. Wasabi. Truffle.

Monkfish liver marinated with mirin and brown sugar. Seared. Super tender and sweet.

Soft shell crab miso sauce.

Ginger.

Kohada gizzard shad.

East coast 1 week dry aged snapper.

Seafood chowder.

Washington jumbo clam.

Sweet shrimp.

Shrimp heads return fried.

Spanish toro.

Japanese sea perch.

Toro, uni (stored in sea water and steamed), shiso, takuan hand roll.

White shrimp shiro ebo Japan.

A5 Miyazaki nigri, seared.

Japanese green onion. Never had this nigri before!

Miyagi uni (not from either Hokaido or Santa Barbara).

Golden eye snapper.

Green tea cheesecake.

Tonight’s wines.

The fish locker.

The knives did in this tired staff member.

I was really impressed by Brothers. Not only was the fish superlative and the dishes every inventive, but Mark has a really refined sense of balance to his flavors. Nothing was overly sweet, or overly salty, or overly tangy — but instead hovered in that lovely space where all of the flavors hang in proper harmony.

Bravo!

We immediately setup another even bigger omakase for just a couple weeks later!

For more LA dining reviews click here.
Or for epic Foodie Club meals, here.
Or for more Sushi Series dinners, click here.

By: agavin
Comments (1)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Brothers Sushi, Champage, Foodie Club, Kaiseki, Mark Okuda, Omakase, Sashimi, Sushi, Sushi Series, White Burgundy, woodland hills

Go Go Gozen

Jan19

Restaurant: Gozen Sake Bistro

Location: 521 N La Cienega Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90048. (213) 308-9393

Date: July 30, 2021

Cuisine: Japanese Kaiseki

Rating: Very good, but not mind blowing

This dinner is arguably the second in (the first being here) in a vast series of epic Japanese sushi and/or Kaiseki dinners post lockdowns that all included myself, Erick, Joe and Bonnie — and often Larry, as is the case tonight. Herein we “endeavor” to visit or revisit most of the top sushi spots in LA.

Gozen bistro.

A cozy looking spot for being right on La Cienega.

Fairly large and stylish interior.

We had a private room with a cool dragon decor.

The menu — lots of options.

Larry brought: NV Krug Champagne Brut Rosé Edition 21eme. JG 95+. The Krug Brut Rosé “21ème Édition” is from the beautiful base year of 2008, with the oldest reserve wine in the blend going back to 2000. The wine was disgorged in the spring of 2015 and is a blend of fifty-one percent pinot noir, forty-one percent chardonnay and eight percent pinot meunier. Ten percent of the pinot noir in the blend is still red wine from Krug’s own parcels of vines in the village of Aÿ. The blend is a slight departure from many releases of Krug Rosé, as hail in the village of Ste. Ghemme in 2008 dramatically cut back the quality of pinot meunier from this vintage, so that Chef de Caves Eric Lebel opted to use all reserve wines for the pinot meunier portion of the blend. The very complex wine offers up the characteristically refined and gently exotic bouquet that this cuvée is cherished for, wafting from the glass in a blend of cherries, a touch of pomegranate, orange peel, beautiful, savory spice elements, rye bread, a complex base of soil tones , dried rose petals and incipient smokiness. On the palate the wine is full, complex and still quite youthful in terms of structure, with vibrant acids, a lovely core, elegant mousse and a very long, perfectly balanced and seamless finish. This is already beautifully complex, but I would love to revisit it five to ten years down the road and see what the passage of time does to this beautiful constellation of aromas and flavors. (Drink between 2018-2050)

5 Good Things.

Marinated fish and onions.

Taco (octopus).

Monkfish Liver with Caviar.

Seaweed salad.

Steamed sesame tofu with uni.

Marinated tomato.

Dashi-maki Tamago (Japanese egg omelet) with Mountain Vegetables.

Salmon roe in a lemon.

Young Peach with Wine Jelly. Sure looks pretty.

2007 Domaine Ramonet Bâtard-Montrachet. VM 94+. Bright, pale yellow. Rich aromas of stone fruits, yellow currant, lees and iodine, plus a complicating whiff of rye bread. Dense and powerful but not at all heavy. Quite youthfully closed but aeration brings up captivating inner-mouth floral character and penetrating talc-y minerality. Wonderfully precise, classy Batard with uncommon complexity.

2007 Domaine Ramonet Chevalier-Montrachet. BH 96. Given the almost extreme reticence of the Bâtard, I was moderately surprised to see how wonderfully expressive this positively brilliant wine is already. The nose is simply stunning with a supremely elegant and kaleidoscopic range of spice, floral, citrus, stone and pain grillé notes that is the perfect complement to the racy, detailed and equally complex middle weight flavors brimming with the underlying minerality advertised by the nose, all wrapped in a driving, delineated and explosive finish. As good as the Ramonet Chevalier is, in the 10 vintages that it has been made, I can’t think of one where it’s the equal of the Montrachet. However, 2007 just might be that vintage. (Drink starting 2015)

From my cellar: 2008 Domaine Ramonet Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet. BH 94. Soft if not invisible wood sets off strikingly pretty and solidly complex honeysuckle, white peach and spiced pear aromas that give way to intense, delicious and equally complex middle weight flavors that possess ample concentration and outstanding balance and length on the palate staining finish. This is really classy juice and quite stylish as well. (Drink starting 2016)

Sashimi “plate”.

Chawanmushi Steamed Egg Custard with Japanese Sea Urchin.

Softshell Crab Tempura.

Three kinds of nigiri sushi. Toro on the left.

Uni, Ikura, and rice.

2001 Alain Hudelot-Noellat Richebourg. BH 94. While this has certainly matured since I first saw it from bottle in 2004, the original note still largely captures the wine with its deep, complex and spicy old vine aromas that are slightly floral in character. This brilliant introduction is followed by wonderfully harmonious and quite powerful middle weight flavors that are beautifully delineated and perfectly balanced while delivering superb length. In sum, this ultra-pure effort offers reference standard quality with more refinement than young Richebourg usually displays – plus it’s approaching readiness for prime time and could easily be enjoyed now though for my taste another 3 to 5 years would serve it well. Tasted twice in the last few months. (Drink starting 2015)

A smoked dish.

Roast Duck with Mashed Potatoes.

Raspberry Granita.

Red miso soup.

The grilled meat dish.

Yogan-Yaki A5 Japanese Kobe Beef.

Condiments for the beef.

Kamameshi (Japanese seasoned rice in a small pot) with Tuffles.

We had several bowls each (I love good fried rice).

Black sesame ice cream. Looks almost like a B&W photo!

Matcha Tiramisu. Delicious.

Our wines for the night.

Gozen was quite good. It’s tonally very Japanese and quite reserved. I probably prefer a slightly flashier style. Not all the way to Nobu style mind you, that’s too disconnected from the Japanese sense of balance, but maybe I like a touch more acidity and punch. And Gozen is expensive (as all top kaiseki and sushi places are). It does give you a lot of variety in flavors, ingredients, and style, but not very much actual nigiri (which I do love).

The wines were really singing too, particularly the Ramonets. Overall, a great evening.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or for epic Foodie Club meals, here.
Or for more Sushi Series dinners, click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Champagne, Foodie Club, Gozen, Japanese cuisine, Sashimi, Sushi, Sushi Series, White Burgundy

Cache of La Tâche

Oct27

Restaurant: Montage Loft

Location: 30801 Coast Hwy, Laguna Beach, CA 92651. (949) 715-6080

Date: June 17, 2021

Cuisine: California Cuisine

Rating: Great food but incredible wine

This epic wine week in June 2021 culminates down in the OC — so Kent can join — in an incredible and special La Tâche dinner.

It’s always a little bit of a challenge to find a location for these dinners as we need a spot in the OC willing to accommodate our wines and “relaxed” pacing. This time around we settled on a custom dinner at the Montage Laguna Beach — a lovely hotel I’ve stayed at a couple of times. We basically had a whole room in the dining room to ourselves. Inside dining was minimal because of the pandemic.

Our custom menu.

Fred brought: 1976 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut. VM 94. Krug’s 1976 Vintage, tasted from magnum, is rich, deep and powerful, with Riesling-inflected veins of minerality that run through a core of orange peel, ash and dried flowers. A deeply Pinot leaning wine, the 1976 offers notable richness and breadth throughout. The 1976 vintage in Champagne is remembered for a hot, dry growing season with an early harvest that produced intense powerful wines. Krug’s 1976 Vintage is now fully mature. Well-stored examples should continue to drink well for a number of years, although there is no upside from cellaring bottles further. Interestingly, this 1976 magnum was aged on cork, rather than crown capsule, like the 1979 tasted alongside it. (Drink between 2015-2018)

Bread.

Butter.

MZ brought: 1993 Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne. BH 95. A softly perfumed and now fully mature nose that still possesses plenty of youthful vibrancy leads to elegant, precise, chiseled and seductive flavors of superb elegance and plenty of power before culminating in a superbly long and mineral-infused finish. The ’93 remains extremely impressive and delivers everything that one expects from a great Corton-Charlemagne. Perhaps even more remarkable is just how youthful this still is because even though there is no further positive development in the offing, it should be capable of holding at this plateau for years to come. In a word, marvelous. Multiple, and consistent, notes.

agavin: one of the best white wines I’ve ever had — just stunning

Kushi Oyster. Pernod, Smoked Trout Roe, Fennel.

Hawaiian Kona Kampachi. Santa Barbara Sea Urchin, Kaluga Caviar, Sudachi Gelee, White Miso.

Hudon Valley Foie Gras. Toasted Almond Milk, Almond Torte, Summer Grape, Minus 8 Vinegar.

2005 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche. VM 100. The 2005 La Tâche is simply magnificent. There is not too much I can add. Deep, powerful and richly textured, the 2005 simply has it all. Time in the glass releases the aromatics, but it is the wine’s pure sensuality I find most enticing. A host of dark red and blue stone fruits, hard candy and wild flowers take center stage. Even with all of its intensity, the 2005 retains striking freshness and purity. Can it get better than this? (Drink between 2020-2055)

agavin: stunning, but very young still. Not sure I’ve had a Burgundy who’s paper scores are this high (99-100).

1999 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche. VM 100. The 1999 La Tâche Grand Cru can be a perfect wine. This was very similar to the bottle opened in 2015. The bouquet sends you straight to heaven with so much purity and detail that frankly it is difficult to put into words. Fleeting glimpses of redcurrant, then pomegranate, broom and wilted rose petals, later more earthy scents, autumnal. The palate is perfectly balanced with filigree tannin, a symmetry that is utterly entrancing and precision second to none. Hints of black plum and blood orange, that mineralité returning towards a finish so tensile you risk cutting yourself. I would have given this my second score had the 1999 Romanée-Conti been in the next glass. Tasted at the 1999 DRC dinner. (Drink between 2020-2065)

agavin: sadly this bottle was a little weird. Hard to tell if it was very slightly corked, just in an odd spot, or had some other flaw.

House-made Agnolotti. Awesome!

Maine Lobster. California Citrus Butter, Sicilian Pistachio, Farmer’s Market Beets, Potato-fennel Tuile.

A bit of fruit sorbetto.

1990 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche. BH 99. A stunning, massive, full-on and completely classic La Tâche nose that displays almost unbelievable complexity so with many different elements that it is impossible to even begin to describe them all; the primary components include ethereal and still fresh pinot fruit, clove, knock out spiciness, anise, hoisin, soy and a trace of earth but these elements only hint at the sheer depth. The flavors are big, rich, refined, classy, penetrating and superbly powerful yet everything is in perfect balance and there is more than sufficient sève to balance off the still considerable tannins. The finish is intense, pure and so long that it is haunting; I could literally still taste this wine days later after I had it because it had such a dramatic and emotional impact. In its youth, this was one of the finest young Burgundies that I have ever been privileged to try and it only seems to get better with each passing year. For my taste, this is getting close to arriving at its peak but it’s not quite there though again, I stress that this is to my taste and some may find it to already be in its sweet spot of maturation. In short, this is absolutely brilliant. Note that while I have had relatively consistent notes, I have had two bottles that were a bit astringent on the finish and not in the class of what I describe above. (Drink starting 2015)

agavin: incredible wine. Big, complex, oppulent.

1978 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche. VM 98. The 1978 La Tâche Grand Cru is a wine that it took me almost 20 years to taste and then two came along within the space of a few months. This example was almost identical to the bottle previously tasted in Hong Kong in 2016. Again, it delivers a bewitching bouquet with traits of undergrowth and fern that intertwine with the precisely defined red fruit. It takes a little time for the subtle ferrous note to emerge. The palate is medium-bodied, multi-dimensional and conveys presence rather than mass or density, which I suspect it did in its youth. Symmetrical with disarming focus, you are taken aback by the way it fans out and persists in the mouth. It is a ballet dancer performing a perfect Swan Lake. Stunning. Tasted at the La Paulée in Beaune. (Drink between 2018-2035)

agavin: red wine perfection. Just so perfect!

American Wagyu Beef Loin. Sunchoke Two Ways, Veal Sweet Bread, Mustard Seed, Mosel Mushroom, Sauce Perigourdine.

Kent brought a bonus: 1990 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques. BH 91. Rich, ripe but not roasted with elegant, full-bodied flavors that display good density, power and outstanding length. Lovely, complex and still quite young.

agavin: very good, so good it was dancing not far off from the 90 LT!

Cheese plate.

Salted Caramel Coffee Sphere. Hot Cognac Chocolate & Madagascar Vanilla. Really excellent dessert.

Vietnamese Hazelnut Coffee Gelato — Cafe du Monde coffee milk with Piedmontese Hazelnut Paste swirled with Sweetened Condensed Milk — 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 #vietnameseCoffee #coffee #CafeduMonde #SweetenedCondensedMilk #hazelnut

Matchacchio Latte Gelato — Ceremonial Matcha Green Tea and Sicilian Pistacchio di Bronte DOP gelato base. I was skeptical the first time I made it, but it turned out to be a lovely flavor. And the green is all natural! — 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 #pistacchio #bronte #matcha #GreenTea #Sicily

Burnt Basque Cheesecake Gelato — Milk steeped with Tahitian Vanilla Beans and Valencia Orange Peels and then blended with Cream-cheese and Egg Yolks, layered with house made “burnt” Caramel and topped with house-made Caramel Brittle, finished with the torch! — created by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #basque #cheesecake #caramel #brittle #orange

This was an incredible evening. I was very pleasantly surprised how good the food was. Not mind blowing, but Fred did an excellent job producing the menu and we had a lot of good sized and delicious dishes shooting way over the level of typical hotel fare. The “we have half the dining room to ourselves” vibe was amazing.

But what really stood out were the wines. It’s a bit of a shame that the 99 was weird, and the 05 was too young, but wow wow with regard to the 90 and 78 LT and the 93 Coche!

Previous diners in this week included Providence and N/Naka.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

For more Foodie Club meals, see here.

By: agavin
Comments (0)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BYOG, Foodie Club, Gelato, La Tache, Laguna Beach, Orange County, Red Burgundy, Vosne-Romanée

J Zhou Prequel

Oct22

Restaurant: J Zhou

Location: 2601 Park Ave, Tustin, CA 92782. (714) 258-8833

Date: June 17, 2021

Cuisine: Cantonese Chinese

Rating: Amazing (if pricey) crab

Today is the third day of our epic Foodie Club June mega week, and tonight is a special La Tâche dinner deep in the OC, so we wanted to “warm up” (sans wine) with a bit of Orange County Chinese food.

J Zhou is the fanciest of the OC’s big Cantonese palaces and I’ve heard good things about it for a long time.

There were 3 of us, but we had our own private room as Fred is friends with the manager.

The daytime dim sum menu.

Seafood dumpling in egg wrapper. These were delicate and delicious!

XLB. A decent, but not amazing version of this classic.

Roast Squabs or Quail. I thought these were some of the crispiest and meatiest little roast birds I’ve had in a long time. Delicious!

We pre-ordered a huge king crab and they prepared it 3 days. This first way was just simply steamed with a bit of vermicelli underneath soaked in crab juices and soy. Incredibly fresh and sweet — hey they did bring in the live crab a few minutes before!

King crab typhoon style. Crispy and amazing.

King Crab Brûlée. Egg custard in the crab shell was also silky smooth.

We didn’t sample that many dishes because we had an epic wine dinner just a few hours later, but what I had was all excellent. The crab in particular was amazing, but it was full premium price per pound — no super steal discount at all. I would like to come back and try a full dim sum spread.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (0)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Cantonese cuisine, Chinese cuisine, Dim sum, Foodie Club, J Zhou, King Crab, Orange County, Tustin

N/Naka on the Nose

Oct18

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

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

Date: June 16, 2021

Cuisine: Modern Kaiseki

Rating: Awesome

ANY CHARACTER HERE

N/Naka served as the host location for the second of our 3 epic June “Fred” dinners, this one being themed around Coche-Dury Les Rougeots.

The empty interior. This was actually the first night that N/Naka reopened after the long lockdown closure.

Our table — before we got to it.

1996 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon. BH 97. A distinctly reticent but elegant nose with a purity of expression that is truly impressive to experience as it’s relatively high-toned and while the yeast comes up with air, it’s relatively muted at presence, combining with intense, precise and superbly detailed and complex flavors that culminate in an explosive and wonderfully long finish. This may very well rival the sublime ’90 in time even if it’s not quite as concentrated. This is still a baby so there is absolutely no rush whatsoever.

2015 Hubert Lamy Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet Cuvée Haute Densité. A rare bird!

2005 Domaine Roulot Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. BH 94. A strikingly pure nose of white flower and spice aromas complements perfectly the delicious, intense and stony flavors that are wonderfully vibrant and gorgeously detailed on the transparent and equally pure finish that explodes with more minerality. This is beautifully balanced and understated with a Zen-like sense of calm. I very much like this and it’s very Perrières in character. In a word, brilliant. (Drink starting 2013)

2007 Domaine Roulot Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. VM 94+. Bright pale yellow. Soft citrus fruits and crushed rock on the musky, slightly reduced nose. Rich, perfumed and tightly coiled, with a terrific core of acidity intensifying the orange, floral and mineral flavors. Offers compelling cut and concentration but this infant will require several years of aging. Wonderfully refined Perrieres of grand cru class.

1993 Coche-Dury Meursault Les Rougeots. 94 points. Signature coche gunflint, popcorn, dried extract, and smoked yellow fruit on the nose and palate. While the mid-palate did not have lots of substance, the flinty and popcorn-ish palate more than offset that shortfall. With the fresh acidity in the backdrop, the wine stayed energetic and interesting throughout dinner.

1996 Coche-Dury Meursault Les Rougeots. VM 94+. Complex, lively aromas of lime, minerals and vanilla. Structured and almost shockingly intense; great material here. A step up from the ’97 in density. Extremely fresh and vibrant. A tactile, mouthfilling wine to drink and to eat. Palate-staining finish. I kept raising my score as I came back for more.

2000 Coche-Dury Meursault Les Rougeots. BH 93. A completely different expression than any of the foregoing wines, which is interesting since the vineyard abuts Chevalières. This is classic Meursault in style with round, rich, generous, “warm” fruit and flavors, offering toasted nut and butter aromas plus fresh sliced peach, apricot and apple scents but gorgeously complex, intense, refined and beautifully precise flavors of terrific focus and cut. But it is the superb depth on the finish that really set this apart and this delivers such quality that it is almost a match for the Perrières, a compliment in anyone’s book. Simply beautiful wine that has just now arrived at its apogee though it should be capable of holding here for at least a decade. Tasted several times with consistent notes. (Drink between 2008-2010)

2008 Coche-Dury Meursault Les Rougeots. VM 92+. Classic aromas of lemon, lime, minerals, hazelnut and grilled almond; smells rich in dry extract. Then dense and superconcentrated, with terrific inner-mouth energy to the flavors of peach, orange blossom, lemon and crushed stone. Time-capsule Meursault, finishing with superb length. This too should age very well.

1972 Domaine Roulot Meursault 1er Cru Charmes!

Our menu.

Starter Tea.

Sakizuke. Uni, Cauliflower Puree, Carrot Coconut Ice, Trout Roe, Nori Sable.

Zensai. Uni, Eggplant Dashi, Kabocha Roll, Oyster Lime, Flounder Hasamiage, Wagyu Beef Roll, Cucumber, Cauliflower, Carrot, Burnt Chickepea and Miso Puree.

Uni.

Wagyu Beef Roll.

Cucumber, Cauliflower, Carrot, Burnt Chickepea and Miso Puree.

Eggplant Dashi.

Oyster Lime.

Kabocha Roll.

Flounder Hasamiage.

Modern Zukuri. Japanese Fluke, California Nori, Pistachio.

Owan. Hope Ranch Mussel, Summer Squash, Citrus Fern.

Otsukuri. Traditional Sashimi.

Yakimono. Tasmanian Sea Trout, Artichoke, Preserved Meyer Lemon.

Mushimono. Tomato, Lobster Shinjo, Tomato and Fennel Mochi.

Shiizakana. Spaghetti, Abalone, Picked Cod Roe, Truffles.

Niku. A5 Miyazaki Wagyu Beef, Baby Corn.

Sunomono. Nopales, Golden Kiwi, Cucumber, Aloe, Chia Seeds.

Yuzu juice intermezzo.

Pickled Ginger.

Miso soup with shrimp heads.

Nigiri sushi flight 1.

Nigiri sushi flight 2.

Blue crab handroll.

Mizumono. Lychee Sorbet, Shiso Lime Granita. Super bright and delicious flavors with a really nice textural contrast.

Mizumono. Peaches, Caramelized Pastry, Lavender Honey Ice-Cream, Hojicha Jelly.

Petite Fours.

So pretty!

Roasted green tea.

Burnt Basque Cheesecake Gelato — Milk steeped with Tahitian Vanilla Beans and Valencia Orange Peels and then blended with Cream-cheese and Egg Yolks, layered with house made “burnt” Caramel and topped with house-made Caramel Brittle, finished with the torch! — created by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #lemongrass #ginger #CremeBrûlée #basque #cheesecake #caramel #brittle #orange

Vietnamese Hazelnut Coffee Gelato — Cafe du Monde coffee milk with Piedmontese Hazelnut Paste swirled with Sweetened Condensed Milk — 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 #vietnameseCoffee #coffee #CafeduMonde #SweetenedCondensedMilk #hazelnut

A little take home snack for the morning.

Post dinner lethargy.

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

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

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

And what can we say about the wines? Awesome labels, awesome wines. All the coches were flawless, although the 93 was my favorite. So good!

Click here to other LA Japanese restaurants.

Or other Foodie Club extravaganzas.

By: agavin
Comments (1)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BYOG, Champagne, Coche Dury, Foodie Club, Gelato, Japanese cuisine, Les Rougeots, N/Naka, Niki Nakayama, Sushi, Wine

Power Providence

Oct15

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

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

Date: June 15, 2021

Cuisine: Cal French

Rating: Best meal I’ve had at Providence

I usually make it to Providence about once a year, and so we return with the Foodie Club for a small, epic main dining room. After a long time off (for the pandemic) the core gang of myself, Erick, and Fred met up, joined by Michael Z wanted to really up the game and we focused on the awesome white Burgundy wines from d’Auvenay and Coche-Dury.

The space used to be Patina in the 90s.

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

This is the view from the chef’s special tasting room — adjacent to the kitchen in it’s own little nook.

Our special menu tonight.

One of the few places in town that still has elegant table wares.

2000 Domaine d’Auvenay (Lalou Bize-Leroy) Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières. BH 95. Very Puligny in style with discreet white flower, pear and apple aromas with flavors that are so powerful that the palate experiences them in waves as they roll from the mid-palate to a thundering, top grand cru finish. Yet this is by no means monolithic as there is detail and subtle gradations of wet rocks, minerals, earth and an indefinable crystalline essence. I literally had to pause for a minute due to palate fatigue as this both stains and saturates the palate yet it remains perfectly balanced. For a premier cru, this is a veritable tour de force! A brilliant wine. (Drink between 2008-2020)

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

1999 Domaine d’Auvenay (Lalou Bize-Leroy) Meursault Les Narvaux. VM 92. At nearly twenty years of age the 1999 Meursault Les Narvaux is just starting to enter its early plateau of maturity now! Exuberant and powerful, the 1999 possesses off the charts intensity and a level of pure class that is far beyond the realm of most village crus. Time in bottle has started to bring out slightly tropical overtones that add complexity to the yellow orchard fruit character. Readers lucky enough to own it can look forward to another 20 years of exceptional drinking. (Drink between 2018-2038)

2005 Domaine d’Auvenay (Lalou Bize-Leroy) Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières. VM 96. The 2005 Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatières 1er Cru has a multidimensional bouquet that delivers intense honeycomb and brioche intertwined through the mineral-rich citrus fruit. The palate displays a perfect line of acidity, a brilliantly poised and tensile Folatières from Lalou Bize-Leroy that unlike the 1999 just builds and builds towards a focused and electrifying finish that shimmers with energy. Frankly, I cannot think of many Puligny Premier Crus that have surpassed this astonishing wine. 897 bottles produced. Tasted at Carré des Feuillants restaurant in Paris. (Drink between 2018-2038)

From my cellar: 2009 Domaine d’Auvenay (Lalou Bize-Leroy) Meursault Les Narvaux. 95 points. Rich quince, citrus, popcorn, crème brûlée, and minerals galore backed by abundant acidity. Fantastic wine, and will last a long time.

An amuse of crisp with seafood.

And amuse of toro tartare.

A third amuse of shellfish “tart”.

The final amuse of scallop with contrasting fruit.

With a bit of sauce. Super zingy and delicious.

Bald Point Oyster. Gently warmed, with golden kaluga caviar.

Tai Sashimi. Seville sour orange, rosemary, ogo.

Uni Egg. Sea urchin, champagne beurre blanc, brioche croutons.
Maine Lobster. Favas, daikon, ramps.

Special bread.

And French butter with salt.

Farfalle. Box and dungeness crab, uni, geoduck, basil. Amazing flavors with a strong Thai basil character.

Black Cod. Black truffle, dutch white and green asparagus.

Australian Black Winter Truffle. Porcini Cannelloni.

Australian Black Winter Truffle.

All put together it was spectacular.

A5 Wagyu. Potato, morel, watercress, bordelaise.

Fried Wagyu lump, amazing.

Rhubarb, citrus, almond.
With sauce and very refreshing.

House-made Hawaiian Chocolate. Chocolate gelato, whiskey.

Sauce for the chocolate.

Tea.

Petite Fours. I love some good fancy candies.

This was by far the best main dining room and probably the best Providence meal I’ve ever had. They had just recently reopened post-lockdown and had clearly spent the time well retooling the menu. Service was exceptional as well which was very nice, particularly in contrast with so many “middle end” places that are short staffed right now.

There was a little take home goodie too, but I forgot to photo it.

For more LA dining reviews click here,

By: agavin
Comments (2)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Burgundy, coche, Coche Dury, d'Auvenay, Foodie Club, Providence, Seafood, White Burgundy, Wine

Yasu a Year Yater

Sep24

Restaurant: Yasu [1, 2]

Location: 265 S Robertson Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90211. (424) 355-0257

Date: May 27, 2021

Cuisine: Japanese Sushi

Rating: Awesome ingredients and technique. One of the best sushi places we’ve found in a while

Back right before lockdown Foodie Club co-founder Erick and I — along with last minute addition Jeffrey — hit up Yasu, a then new sushi bar.

We had a great time and meal and so eagerly decided to return once it was viable again. And with dinner we begin a new dinner series, one I’ve nicknamed Sushi Series, that explores some of the best sushi and kaiseki places in LA.
This photo shows our 2020 visit, but in early summer 2021 no one was allowed to sit at the sushi bar and so we were seated at a table instead (to the left, against the wall).

The restaurant “raison d’etre.”

Paul brought: 1996 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut. JG 98. I had not drunk a bottle of the 1996 Krug in several years, as I had deemed the wine still in climbing mode and I am not generally in the business of drinking Krug before its time. But, a friend recently opened a bottle and I was very impressed with how the wine is evolving in the bottle since its release. The bouquet is now starting to show some lovely secondary layering of complexity in its blend of apple, peach, a touch of sweet walnut, patissière, a refined base of minerality, caraway seed and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine flavors on the attack echo the nose nicely, with the wine’s full-bodied format sporting excellent depth at the core, still plenty of the vintage’s snappy acidity, great focus and grip and a very, very long and utterly refined finish. Though this remains quite racy structurally, I really like the point it has reached in terms of aromatic and flavor complexity and it is really not a crime to be opening bottles up at this point in its evolution, though it still has room to grow with further bottle age. A great, great vintage of Krug. (Drink between 2019-2060)

2001 Domaine Ramonet Bâtard-Montrachet. BH 95. Incredibly beautiful and elegant aromas of white flower and citrus softly introduce steely, gorgeously pure and delineated medium full flavors that seem as though they’re chiseled directly from solid rock. This is much more mineral driven than the typical Bâtard, and blind I would have mistaken it for a classically styled Chevalier. There is plenty of punch and racy supporting acidity plus simply knockout length. Of all these impressive attributes though, it’s the stunning purity and overall harmony of expression that make this one of the wines of the vintage. Interestingly, this is not a dramatic wine in terms of sheer size and weight but the focus and sneaky length make this a wine that is impossible not to be struck by its intensity. In short, this is one of the best examples of young Bâtard that I have ever had and one that will age for at least a decade. Don’t miss it! (Drink starting 2009)

From my cellar: 2016 Domaine Roulot Meursault 1er Cru Clos des Bouchères. VM 92. (Roulot picked these hillside vines on the first day of his harvest; aged in one-third new, one-third once-used and one-third twice-used barrels): Bright, light yellow. Inviting musky aromas of yellow peach and hazelnut. Intensely flavored and sweet, with harmonious acidity energizing the flavors of lemon, orange oil and spices. Finishes suave, savory and aromatic, with surprising energy. The Charmes possesses more grip but this wine is more charming today. A very good choice of harvest date here! The first vintage for this wine was 2011, and since 2015 the estate has begun to reap the benefits of the work it has done in these vines, which were planted in the 1950s, the 1980s and around 2000, according to Eric Baudin. (Drink between 2021-2029)

2010 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. VM 96. Lafon’s 2010 Meursault Perrières 1er Cru is simply breathtaking, the sort of wine we all dream of when we put a few bottles away in the cellar. I bought the 2010s on release in Burgundy and have tasted them together only once since then, when a friend opened the Goutte d’Or, Charmes, Perrières and Genevrières about five years ago. The wines were spectacular on that night. The 2010 Charmes was fabulous last fall, so I had high hopes. Upon first opening, the 2010 is very tight. The color is perfect, though. Two thousand ten is a vintage with lower-than-average yields, but relatively high levels of both ripeness and acidity. There is obviously a lot of wine here. I have never been a huge fan of decanting reds, except to remove sediment, but as I have gotten older, my preference is to nearly always decant whites. Time in the decanter releases a whole range of Perrières signatures – lemon confit, orchard fruit, mint, white pepper, flowers and a hint of reduction – all gently softened by the slow passage of time. More than anything else, though, I love the wine’s energy and tension. This is classic Perrières. There were a lot of wines on the table, so we did not finish the 2010. I poured the rest of the wine back in the bottle and tasted it the next day. There was no degradation at all of color, while the wine itself was even better. More aromatic, more vibrant, more finely cut and more Perrières. This is why we buy and cellar wines…for moments like these. Readers who own well-stored bottles of the 2010 are in for a spectacular drinking experience. I can’t wait to taste the 2010 again in another few years’ time. Bravo! (Drink between 2020-2030)

2010 Domaine Jacques Prieur Montrachet. BH 94-96. This is ever-so-slightly riper than the Chevalier and a bit more aromatically complex as well if not more elegant. There is outstanding richness, volume, muscle and unconcealed power to the large-scaled heavy-weight flavors that somehow manage to avoid any sense of undue ponderousness before culminating in a massively long finish that is almost chewy and tannic. This will require plenty of bottle age but it should be great in time. (Drink starting 2022)

From my cellar: 2009 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Valmur. BH 94. A much more reserved nose of fresh, cool and restrained green fruit, sea breeze and wet stone aromas precedes detailed, minerally and impeccably well-balanced and gorgeously persistent flavors that are Zen-like in their sense of harmony. There is a real sense of energy and flat out terrific length. (Drink starting 2016)

Sashimi. “Spanish” Mackerel (from Japan), Hokkaido Scallop and Uni, Snow Crab.

Because we were at the table, we received our sushi in pairs (two types) each, which isn’t bad for sushi at the table — although at the bar is always preferable for that minimum time form hand clap to mouth.

Shima Aji.

Goldeneye snapper. A touch of char.

Pair 2.

Firefly squid with a touch of miso paste.

Baby sea bream.

Pair 3.

Japanese Taco (octopus).

Skipjack, seared.

Pair 4.

Hokkaido Uni.

Sea perch.

Red miso with fish bone dashi.

A trio of tuna, all from the same fish.

Lean part of the tuna from near the backbone.

chu toro.

o toro!

Another pair.

Baby aiyu.

River trout (fresh water).

Toro and Ikura.

Anago Japanese Sea Eel and Tamago with fish dashi.

Another pair.

Hokkaido Scallop.

Amberjack.

Seared otoro with uni.

Final pair.

Aji (horse mackerel).

striped jack.

Yuzu sorbetto. Very refreshing, with that slightly icy Japanese sorbetto texture.

Overall, this was some absolutely first rate sushi. I’d call it modern traditional in style. It’s not “newfangled” at all with ponzu or very many toppings. Instead it showcases first rate seafood from all around the world, each treated delicately but with great respect in a way that really brings out the flavors. This is my favorite type of sushi as it’s very Japanese and extremely “pure” in its expression of the seafood. Besides the awesome eats, the service was really really nice and friendly. The chef was very chatty and our young (to me) server was fabulous as well. Of course our Champ and Burgundy went great too. We will try to go back, although there is a rumor that he doesn’t want outside wine anymore — which will of course knock this out of our rotation.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or for more Sushi Series dinners, click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Champagne, Foodie Club, Sushi Series, White Burgundy, Wine, Yasu

Reaching New Heights at 71Above

Aug16

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

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

Date: May 4, 2021

Cuisine: New American

Rating: Awesome in all ways

71Above is one of my favorite LA restaurants and I’ve been many times. In fact there are 9 previous write ups! Chef Vartan Abgaryan has moved on to his own new place, Yours Truly (which the pandemic has sadly done in), and 71Above is now seamlessly helmed by his disciple, Chef Javier Lopez.

Our return here is in fact the day of their reopening after 15+ months shuttered and for a special dinner arranged by own Emil Eyvazoff.

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

Before starting our dinner Emil gave me a quick tour of their new “patio” on the 70th floor below where they are serving up Mezzes and drinks.

Gorgeous build out upstairs for the main event.

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

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

Our menu for the night.

NV Taittinger Champagne Brut Réserve / La Française. VM 89. Light gold. Poached pear, peach, orange and honey on the fruity nose. Broad and fleshy on entry, then tighter and more tangy in the mid-palate, offering juicy citrus and orchard fruit flavors with subtle ginger and toasted grain nuances. Shows a supple, round character on the finish, with the ginger and peach notes repeating. Note that this bottling is labelled as “Reserve” for every country aside from the United States. In fact, I tasted a bottle labeled as such here in New York this fall, from Lot L3348NA9200. How it wound up here, I’ve no idea.

2000 Dom Pérignon Champagne P2. VM 96. The 2000 Dom Pérignon P2 is striking. More importantly, it is absolutely delicious right now. Baked apple tart, brioche, spice, vanillin, ripe pear and crushed rocks all flesh out. Creamy, layered and inviting, with soft, voluptuous curves, the 2000 offers a lot of sheer pleasure. Although, perhaps not quite as complex or structured as the very best P2s, the 2000 is wonderfully alluring. Interestingly, in 2000, the Blanc and P2 are not as different as they typically are. The P2 has a bit more volume and freshness than the Blanc, but both wines share a distinct toasty, slightly reductive character. (Drink between 2019-2040)

NV Krug Champagne Brut Rosé Edition 23eme. VM 94. The NV Rosé 23ème Edition is wonderfully nuanced and layered, with lovely richness to play off a core of bright red berry fruit. Although not especially complex in this release, the Rosé offers lovely immediacy and tons of pure pleasure. Crushed berries, chalk, mint and white flowers are nicely softened in this super-expressive, beautifully persistent Rosé. A few more years in bottle will only help. The 23ème is a Champagne of pure and total pleasure. This release is based on 2011, with reserve wines back to 2000. (Drink between 2021-2041)

Bread and butter.

From my cellar: 1996 Robert Ampeau & Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. 94 points. Golden hue, good lustre. Fresh, fruit and spice, soft aged characters, honey and grilled nuts. Fleshy, full flavoured, long smooth palate. Fruit, cream, toast and honey, nothing oxidative. Very clean finish, pure and fruit driven, gentle acidity, carries its sweet aged fruit very well.

2014 Domaine Billaud-Simon Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons. BH 92. This too is distinctly cool and reserved with its pretty, spicy and airy array of citrus, iodine and ocean breeze scents. There is beautiful intensity and delineation to the delicious and energetic medium-bodied flavors that deliver solid richness and persistence on the well-balanced finish. This excellent effort should amply reward 6 to 8 years of cellaring. (Drink starting 2021)

2010 Joseph Drouhin Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. VM 93+. Pale bright yellow. Very stony aromas of peach, apricot and grilled nuts. At once thoroughly ripe and quite dry, with its primary fruit flavors currently dominated by a strong dusty stone element. This very backward but scented Perrieres saturates the palate with spices and minerals.

Yellowfin Crudo. Jicama, Avocado, Lemongrass, Charred Serrano Oil, Lime, Mint. Super zingy flavors. Really awesome.

2009 Louis Jadot Corton-Charlemagne Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot. VM 96. Another vibrant, precise wine from this often misunderstood vintage, the 2009 Corton-Charlemagne boasts stunning precision and class from start to finish. Citrus, pears, white flowers and crushed rocks are some of the many nuances that vibrate on the bright, crystalline finish. In this tasting, the 2009 Corton tastes like it has barely budged over the last year. It is far too young to even consider opening. (Drink starting 2015)

2013 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Corton-Charlemagne. BH 92-94. A shy, indeed almost mute nose only grudgingly liberates its cool aromas of green apple, white fruit, spiced pear and wet stone. The intensely saline and stony big-bodied flavors are supported by a firm spine of citrus-inflected acidity that shapes the powerful finish that delivers outstanding complexity and persistence. I very much like the balance and this will need plenty of time to realize its full, and considerable, potential. (Drink starting 2025)

2018 Joseph Drouhin Corton-Charlemagne. VM 92-94. The 2018 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru comes from east-facing vineyards within the Les Languettes, a small production of six barrels. It has a closed and stubbornly backward bouquet that is outflanked by the Clos des Mouches Blanc. The tensile palate delivers good acidity and notes of orange zest and light peach notes, quite pure, and a spicy stem ginger and salty peanut finish. Very fine. (Drink between 2022-2040)

Farm Salad. Lettuces, Market Vegetables, Labne, Meyer Lemon, Parmigiano-Reggiano. To be honest this was one of the best salads I’ve ever had. Super herby with a really strong (and wine marginal) vinaigrette. Great texture and incredibly refreshing.

1996 Serafin Père et Fils Charmes-Chambertin. VM 94. Good full ruby color. Perfumed, highly expressive black cherry, currant and licorice aromas. Great sweetness in the mouth; thick and layered yet beautifully detailed. Finishing fruit really stains the palate, overwhelming the ripe tannins. Very primary and likely to age slowly. An impeccably proportioned wine that shows none of the acid edge that characterizes many ’96s. Serafin’s late harvesting strategy in ’96 paid major dividends.

1996 Jean-Jacques Confuron Romanée St. Vivant. VM 93. Saturated ruby. Multidimensional nose of black raspberry, cocoa, minerals and subtle, smoky oak. Reticent but very deep on the palate; in comparison to this wine, the Clos Vougeot is much more open today, not to mention fruitier. But this is more complex. Really seamless and impeccably balanced. Finishes with suave, evenly distributed tannins and great subtle persistence.

1997 Domaine Francois Lamarche La Grande Rue. BH 88. The initial hints of secondary aromas, including a somewhat surprising trace of sous bois, combine with pretty red and black fruit aromas that are notably ripe and framed in obvious wood are followed by moderately austere flavors (particularly so for the vintage) that offer better than average precision while being supported by medium firm finishing tannins that display just a touch of the greenness that many ’97s do at this point in their evolution. This is a bit one-dimensional relative to the best here and I would suggest drinking it over the next 5 years or so as the fruit risks drying out before the structure resolves itself.

1998 Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes. BH 91. Exquisitely complex yet rather reserved fruit with medium weight, very earthy flavors of excellent depth and outstanding length. There is plenty of structure here and superb balance overall and I very much like the overall combination of density, purity, elegance and impressive length. While this is certainly approachable now with food, it will be best with another 3 to 5 years of cellar time, perhaps a bit longer. (Drink starting 2008)

Steak Tartare. Onion Vinaigrette, Bulgur, Parsley, Shallot, Turnip, Lavash Crisp. There is a clear “origin” here with the classic Lebanese/Armenian raw beef with bulgur.

Lavash crisp.

From my cellar: 1999 Denis Mugneret Père et Fils Richebourg. BH 92. Fascinating interplay of black fruit, earth, tobacco and Vosne spice framed by discreet hints of oak toast followed by sweet, supple and very intense flavors that last for minutes. This is not quite as ripe or opulent as most of the wines in this group though it sports excellent acid/fruit balance as a result. I like the more reserved style of this.

agavin: a touch bretty at first, but opened and was then stunning. My WOTN (of course I’m biased).

2002 Gros Frère et Sœur Richebourg. VM 95. Medium red. Highly perfumed, ineffably complex aromas of strawberry, currant, bacon fat, cocoa powder, gunflint, coffee and smoked meat. Dense, sappy and wonderfully intense, with exhilarating flavors of smoked meat, spices, minerals and underbrush. Conveys a powerful impression of soil tones. Builds almost freakishly on the back end, finishing with a kick of spice and a flavor of pink peppercorn. A wonderfully suave, extremely long Richebourg that offers great early appeal but has the spine to develop in bottle for 10 or 15 years. (A Patrick Lesec Selection; importers include Classic Wine Imports, Boston, MA; Fine Vines LLC, Melrose Park, IL; The Wine Warehouse, Commerce, CA; Domaine Select Wine Estates, New York, NY )

2001 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Echezeaux. VM 90. Medium red-ruby. Cool aromas of cassis, black plum and minerals, lifted by a peppery nuance. Supple, minerally and sweet, though still youthfully closed; slightly medicinal fruit is not yet expressing itself. Finishes with nicely ripe tannins and very good length.

Grilled Octopus. Almond Gastrique, Chile de Arbol, Castelvetrano Olive, Fennel. Jokes about the Netflix film were lighting up the table.
2001 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Mouline. VM 96. Dark red color. Pungently floral aromas meld smoky red berries, exotic rose petal, dried lavender and magnolia blossom. Dense and extremely sweet, showing an explosive array of red fruit flavors along with exotic floral and sweet tobacco tones and an overlay of smoky bacon and bonfires. A bright mineral tone sharpens the fruit, adding focus and precision to the flavors. The finish builds and deepens but maintains superb elegance and silkiness of texture, finishing on notes of wild red berries and rose oil.

1994 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque. 94 points. Gorgeous nose. Blueberry, mulberry, cigar, tobacco. Moderate structure, medium body – think this would have been bigger and better a few years ago. Fruit fading now, with a dry finish. Long and complex.

1997 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque. VM 92-95. Good red-ruby. Perfumed aromas of cassis, violet, lilac and brown spices. Lush and aromatic in the mouth; the combination of a bit more acidity than the Mouline and its mineral and gunflint elements gives this wine noteworthy elegance and firm shape. Tannins are quite fine.

Spring Lamb. Charred Broccolini, Yellow Beet, Rhubarb Mostarda, Green Garlic, Jus. The lamb and the room have been silenced. This went perfect with the LaLa’s!

2005 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage. VM 97+. Inky ruby. Hugely aromatic bouquet of red and dark berries, cherry, Asian spices, fresh flowers, minerals and cured meat; smells like a great grand cru from Vosne-Romanee but with a wilder side. Flat-out gorgeous wine, with remarkably deep but fresh red berry and cherry flavors that stain the palate. Seems to actually expand on the finish, picking up exotic spicecake and rose pastille character and leaving a sweet trail of smoky red fruits behind. “If you insist on drinking this young, do it now,” says Chave, “because it will close up in about two or three years and not be open again for a long time.” You’ve been warned.

1989 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle. JG90+. After a few absolutely desultory bottles of the ’89 La Chapelle, I was very pleasantly surprised to hit a very good bottle of this wine. My last several examples prior to this bottle had been overripe prune juice that was already getting quite oxidative, but this bottle was very good and a far cry from those previous examples. As readers may know, there were multiple bottlings of La Chapelle back in this era, so there are some distinctly different wines out there under the same label and vintage banner. In any event, after several very disappointing bottles, I finally got a good one this last time around. The deep, complex and meaty nose offers up scents of ripe cassis, black pepper, grilled meats, smoky overtones, a touch of balsam bough and incipient notes of chipotle peppers. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and fairly roasted in personality, but, with a good core of fruit, moderate tannins and good focus and grip on the complex and gently tangy finish. I imagine that this is what sound examples of the better cuvées of this wine have shown consistently, and why folks with these bottles in the cellar thought I was completely off my rocker with my notes on less enjoyable bottles. This example is a good, solid Hermitage at its apogee, but with still a couple of decades of life ahead of it- though not quite in the league of the 1988 La Chapelle in terms of complexity and elegance. (Drink between 2012-2030)

Wagyu Short Ribs. Pea Tendril Salsa Verde, Potato Espuma, Carrot, Spring Onion, Jus.

Cheese Plate. Julianna, 1655 Gruyere, Ameribella, Accompaniments.

And a second cheese round with the special shaved cheese.

Chocolate Cherry Bite – The base is made with Valrhona 62% Satilla Chocolate with a pinch of Malabar Black Pepper and then layered with Cherry Coconut Vanilla Cream! — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #Valrhona #chocolate #creamcheese #ganache #icing #pepper #cherry

Our epic lineup.

Some of the carnage.

The lovely ladies of the evening.

Heading down!

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

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

Today’s dinner excelled on all counts. Service, food, company, and of course the wines. Post pandemic as it is everyone really stepped up big time!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: 71above, BYOG, DTLA, Emil Eyvazoff, Foodie Club, Gelato, hedonists, Wine

Heroic Bordeaux

Aug06

Restaurant: Heroic Deli and Wine Bar [1, 2, 3, 4]

Location: 516 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401. (310) 490-0202

Date: April 28, 2021

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: 1982 is still going strong

My friend Jeffrey, owner of Heroic Italian, was trying to set up this 1982 Bordeaux dinner before the pandemic, but it ended up getting “postponed” for over a year!

We situated ourselves in their upstairs private room — where all three light bulbs again function.

a “measly” rose to start things out: 1996 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon Rosé. 94 points. Another example of this era, the 1996 Dom Pérignon Rosé offers plenty of energy and tension, both signatures of the vintage. At the same time, though, the fruit never fills out, which tilts the balance to acidity and austerity. Frankly, I liked the 1996 more when it was younger. Today, the fruit has either begun to drop out or is simply less expressive. I look forward to checking in on the 1996 soon to see if this may have been a less than perfect example. Disgorged 2004. (Drink between 2015-2022)

Amuses.

Pig and Caviar Blini.

And a less porky version.

2015 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux. VM 93. Pale yellow. Subtly complex aromas of quinine, lemon, mint and crushed stone; even more minerally than the Monteé de Tonnerre. Offers the most inner-mouth tension by far to this point, showing a sharply chiseled quality to its grapefruit and mineral flavors. (“This site does great in warm years,” noted Raveneau, as the portion of the vineyard at the rather flat top of the lieu-dit faces slightly northeast.) Fined-grained, dry and classic, but with the richness of the vintage.

Frittata with Toum. The frittata was nice, but the toum (garlic paste) really took it up about 10 notches.

Grilled Roman artichokes with confit tomatoes. Really spectacular actual Roman artichokes pair very nicely with the sweet and tangy tomatoes.

1982 Haut-Brion. RP 95. Though having tasted the Haut-Brion 1982 on numerous occasions, it is still a divine Pessac-Léognan to cherish. Here at The Glasshouse restaurant, it has that lovely warm gravel on a summer’s day bouquet, brown autumn leaves, bay leaf and here= a slightly more conspicuous note of black olive than I have noticed in the past. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, again a little more diffuse than its fellow 1982 First Growths, but with just as much charm. If anything, it feels a little tighter and more backward than previous examples, perhaps suggesting that bottles of excellent provenance will last many years. It is a wonderful 1982 First Growth, not a pinnacle of the vintage, but disarmingly and utterly charming.

1982 Lafite Rothschild. RP 75-100. The 1982 Lafite possesses a dark, dense ruby/purple color with only a subtle lightening at the rim. Spectacular aromatics offer jammy cherry and black fruits intertwined with lead pencil, mineral, and smoky wood scents. Powerful for a Lafite, this wine unfolds to reveal extraordinary richness, purity, and overall symmetry in addition to stunning flavor depth and persistence. The finish lasts for nearly a minute. Plenty of tannin remains, and the wine displays a vibrancy and youthfulness that belie its 18 years of age. The modern day equivalent of Lafite-Rothschild’s immortal 1959, the 1982 will enjoy another 30-70 years of life! An amazing achievement! Anticipated maturity: 2007-2070.

Morel mushrooms and Polenta.

And then slices of black truffles.

From my cellar: 1982 Latour. RP 100. 1982 was a great vintage—relatively warm and prolific, producing wines of richness and depth. The 1982 Latour has a medium garnet-brick color and then pow!—it belts out powerful notes of star anise, dried roses, sandalwood and new leather with a core of kirsch, blackberry tart, dried mulberries and blackcurrant pastilles. Full-bodied, rich and spicy with bags of fruit and tons of savory fireworks, it finishes with epic persistence.

agavin: my wine of the night

1982 Château Margaux. RP 97-98. Consistently scoring between 98-100, the superb 1982 Margaux may be slightly bigger, bolder, and more masculine than vintages produced over the last 15-20 years. Its dark plum/purple color is followed by notes of melted tar intermixed with sweet cassis and floral underpinnings. Very full-bodied and dense for a Chateau Margaux, with a slight rusticity to the tannins, it boasts blockbuster power, richness, and impressive aromatics. It appears set for another 30-40 years of life.

agavin: sadly a bit flawed

Mushroom, foie gras and black truffle pasta. A light — but delicious — pasta.

1982 Ausone. RP 90-93. A pleasant surprise when I think of what proprietor Alain Vauthier has done over the last decade, the outstanding 1982 Ausone exhibits plenty of licorice, fruitcake, mineral, kirsch, and black fruit characteristics. Medium-bodied and elegant with a touch of austerity at the finish, it should be consumed over the next 10 years.

1982 L’Evangile. RP 98. A blockbuster, dark plum/garnet-colored wine, the 1982 L’Evangile reveals a decadent, extravagantly rich nose of caramelized fruit, plum, licorice, smoked meats, and toffee. This opulent, full-bodied Pomerol caresses the palate with layers and layers of glycerin and fruit. The tannin is barely noticeable in this massive, rich, gorgeous effort. The complexity of the nose alone is worth a special admission price. It is close to full maturity, and is capable of lasting another 20-25 years.

Cioppino. Delicious rich tomato and garlic broth with various fresh seafood.

Garlic bread.

And then more toum, which when smeared on the bread and soaked in the sauce was incredible. Perhaps some might consider it a bit much for wine, but I enjoyed.

Toum and another tangy herby sauce.

1982 Mouton Rothschild. RP 100. Medium brick in color, the nose of the 1982 Mouton Rothschild is a little closed and sluggish to begin, offering earthy, cigar box, iron ore, star anise and dusty soil notes with a fruit core of kirsch, dried mulberries, blackcurrant pastilles, figs and prunes emerging after a few minutes. The palate remains a blockbuster—full-bodied, rich, opulently accented and unquestionably hedonic, possessing a mid-palate that is jam-packed with notions of red and black fruit preserves. The satiny texture/ripeness of tannins is simply incredible! It delivers a very long licorice-laced finish.

1982 Trotanoy. RP 96. Tasted at the Trotanoy dinner at Sketch in London. This bottle of 1982 Trotanoy repeats the performance of the one served at Zachys 1982 dinner in Hong Kong. It has a wonderful Merlot-scented bouquet that is floral and exuberant, though intriguingly it develops more Cabernet Franc/meaty aromas with continued aeration. It becomes rounded and sensual with roasted chestnuts emerging with time. The palate has a sweet entry, as one would expect for this vintage. It is plush, smooth and rounded in the mouth with dark plum and mulberry notes, a saline tincture and that chestnut motif continuing right to the youthful finish. After 30 years, this still has many years ahead. Tasted September 2012.

Meat feast platter (caveman mode). A pile of various meats, sausages, and a few veggies.

Showing the bone who’s boss.

Heroic Deli carries my own line of world class artistinal gelato.

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

Cioccolato Fondente Ruby Stracciatella Gelato — My most advanced super-dark chocolate formulation, squeezing the most chocolate humanly possible into a dairy gelato with a blend of 70% Cocoa Valrhona and 100% Callebaut Cocoa Mass — Then I melted Callebaut Ruby Chocolate stripes throughout — 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 #chocolate #valrhona #Callebaut #Ruby

An awesome dinner indeed. Most of the wines showed great, particularly the Latour, alas the Margaux was flawed. Still, when in good condition the 1982 Bordeaux are drinking impeccably.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

For more Foodie Club dining, click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: 1982, Bordeaux, Foodie Club, Gelato, Heroic Italian

Sushi Miyagi Apres

Jun29

Restaurant: Sushi Miyagi [ 1, 2 ]

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

Date: Spring 2021

Cuisine: Japanese Sushi

Rating: Top Shelf Omakase Sushi

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

I went a bunch of times before lockdowns to this awesome high end place in Brentwood, and ordered takeout a couple times during, now since Erick and I have both passed our “two weeks” we decided to celebrate with that most elusive of creatures at home: freshly packed nigiri.

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

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

Chef Shinichi Miyagi says about himself on his website:

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

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

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

Erick brought: 1975 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon. VM 97. The 1975 Dom Pérignon (Original Release) is fabulous. Rich, explosive and incredibly inviting, the 1975 possesses magnificent depth and pedigree to burn. The very first hints of aromatic nuance are starting to develop in a wine that comes across as remarkably youthful. Over the course of several hours, the 1975 loses some of its intensity, but it remains superb. This is a tremendous showing. (Drink between 2017-2027)

From my cellar: 1985 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon. BH 95. At 30 years of age many ’85s in fifth are now tiring but the same wines in magnum are often still singing beautifully and the ’85 Dom is just one of those beauties with its elegant and highly complex nose that displays mature aromas of yeast, toast, baked apples, citrus, spice and soft floral nuances. The delicious and equally complex middle weight flavors are still supported by a firm but balanced mousse where the mouth feel is quite fine before culminating in a long, toasty and regal finale. This has arrived at its peak and should probably be drunk up over the next decade or so absent one having a preference for post-mature aromas and flavors. That said, anyone lucky enough to have this in magnum is in for a real treat! (Drink starting 2015)

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

“starter plate” with Monkfish liver, Sawagani crab, oyster with caviar, firefly squid. All awesome.

Flash fried Sawagani crab from Miyazaki Japan. You pop these whole guys into your mouth and crunch. Incredible. We got more later (see below).

Trigger fish. With liver of same. Chive and roe.

Ayu fish grilled. Vinegar. Classic Japanese dish.

The special vinegar.

Red snapper shirako with truffles. The ever “popular” sperm sacks. Incredible!

Minuchi from Hokkaido. Lemon and salt.

Red snapper.

Hokkaido scallop. salt.

Shimaji. Stripped jack.

Clam.

Norwegian Salmon. There is this urban legend that the Norwegian trade board convinced the Japanese to start eating salmon. It’s not entirely true or untrue.

Spanish mackerel from Japan.

Taco (octopus) suckers, grilled.

Orange clam.

Blue fin tuna. 5 days aged. Incredible.

O Toro. Melts in your mouth.

Kohada.

Bonito. Garlic.

Seared Baby barracuda.

Sea cucumber with ponzu. Jellyfish like texture. Excellent.

Sweet shrimp from Santa Barbara.

Sword fish.

Santa Barbara uni.

Buterfish.

Crab hand roll. I think this is where our mega omakase ended, but we weren’t even close to done after such a long time away from such great sushi, so we told him to just go nuts.

Second round of the shirako.

Black cod. Yuzu. Baby peach.

Fried smelt.

Anago liver. Shirako. Very interesting “deep” Japanese omega 3 flavor.

Marinated Sardine. Incredible.

Kanpachi.

Kinchi. Japanese rock fish.

Another sardine.

Negi toro cut rolls (chopped toro and scallions).

Firefly squid with miso paste.

The bowl of live little crabs.

We eat went for 3 more Sawagani crab.

And another blue fin tuna.

Second o toro.

Eel.

And finally some truffle ice cream, made by Miyagi (not me this time).

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

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

This was the perfect place to return to sushi post lockdown!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Champagne, Chef Shinichi Miyagi, cod sperm, crab, Dom Pérignon (wine), Eel, Foodie Club, Nigiri, shirako, Sushi, Sushi Miyagi, Sushi Series, Truffle, Uni

Vespertine does Alinea

Dec18

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

Location: 3599 Hayden Ave, Culver City, CA 90232. (323) 320-4023

Date: November 11, 2020

Cuisine: Jordan gets back to his roots

Rating: Top flight takeout

Boy it’s been a long time since I made a food post. Sigh, quarantine life. I still haven’t been in a restaurant since March 11, 2020. Total record for my life as I’m sure that from my birth 4-5 weeks was the record (during summer camp in the early 80s!). Now, that being said I have been cooking up a storm but they aren’t elaborate enough to write up unless I start cooking posts.

Vespertine is a very unusual confluence of all sorts of artsy weirdness. It’s helmed by Jordan Kahn formerly of Red Medicine and currently of Destroyer across the street. I’ve generally been fond of Jordan’s unique culinary style. Since the pandemic started he’s been doing “out of the box” fancy takeout meals, and this one is an Alinea retrospective from Jordan’s time there. As I’ve always wanted to go to Alinea but rarely make it to Chicago, this seemed a perfect opportunity to dabble in that direction from the safety of the patio.

Above is the building where the restaurant is located, but I wasn’t there, Erick picked up the food and we ate elsewhere socially distanced.

The survey of a two person meal. Because Erick and I are gluttons (and wanted to social distance) we each had a set just like this.
The printed “links” to the virtual menu.

And the virtual menu.

Pear. Celery leaf & branch, curry.

A top down view. This was light with a vague pear finish to the “water.”

Oyster Cream. Lychee, horseradish, chervil. This could dish had great texture (slippery and soft) and a very nice oyster / horseradish flavor. Refreshing and herbal.

Duck. Pumpkin, banana, Thai Aromatics. Following the instructions, first you ate the bite to the right which was quite lovely with the Thai bit infused into the pine-nuts. Then we drank the rather lovely pumpkin/banana soup. One of the best pumpkin or squash soups I have had.

Halibut. Shellfish custard, hyacinth vapor. There were some complicated instructions about boiling water and pouring it into the outer container in order to release the “vapor” components. We didn’t bother with that but the fish (and particularly the thick which custard) were moist and quite lovely.

Beef. Elements of root beer. The beef itself was pretty good, and the mashed potatoes I think were trying to serve as the cream part of a root beer float. There was this weird root bear tone to the sauce which made it overall too sweet for my taste. One of those whacky ideas that wasn’t entirely successful. Jordan has also been putting too much sweet in his savory in recent years.

Idiazabal. Maple, smoked salt. This cheese “chip” had the texture of a shrimp chip, which was quite nice. It had a sweet and cheesy flavor and was overall very pleasant.

Bacon. Butterscotch, apple, thyme. Here in this odd presentation the sweet and savory thing worked perfectly. Lots of interesting smokey depth.

Black Truffle Explosion. This optional dish require that I actually cook. I had to boil water and cook the pasta and then melt the truffle butter.

Finally it was topped with truffle, the greens (warmed in the melted butter) and parmesan. The whole thing was eaten in one bite and was a nice bit of truffle/umami exploision.

Chocolate. Avocado, lime, licorice. The Chocolate and lime parts were great, particularly the fluffy lime mousse. The avocado was fine but I’m not sure how I feel about avocado in desserts.

Our wine lineup.

From my cellar: 2007 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Chevalier-Montrachet. VM94+. Bright medium yellow. Very ripe, expressive nose offers yellow peach and white flowers. Opulent, shapely and very ripe, in a distinctly sweeter style than the Batard. Gives an impression of lower acidity too, but there’s plenty of acid here. I suspect this one will shut down in bottle. Girardin, who bottled most of his crus in April and May of this year, noted that the 2007s really only started to express themselves in February, and that many of his fellow producers bottled this vintage too early.

Erick brought: 2008 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Chevalier-Montrachet. VM94. Reticent but pure aromas of apple, clove and crushed stone. Powerful, tactile and rich, with a sweet impression leavened by a strong crushed stone component. (A retaste of the 2007 Chevalier-Montrachet, which I predicted a year ago would shut down in the bottle, was indeed tightly wound, but its apple and mineral flavors showed outstanding verve and purity; it would be a treat to taste these two vintages side by side in six or seven years.) Incidentally, Girardin gives his grand crus a slow fining but does not filter them.
Erick also brought (open from the night before): 2010 Jean Noel Gagnard Bâtard-Montrachet. BH 94. A discreetly exotic nose combines notes of wood toast, acacia blossom, pear, peach and apricot along with hints of mango and papaya. The powerful and admirably concentrated broad-shouldered flavors possess a very round, suave and succulent texture where all of the dry extract really coats the mouth on the explosively long, complex and driving finish. This should be a knockout in 8 to 10 years.

Overall, we had a great evening. Great company, great wines, and great takeout.

Now in absolute terms the meal was only medium epic by my standards, but it was one of the best “fancy takeouts” I’ve ever had. They really do a great job packaging it and things survived the transit and the considerable length of our leisurely evening quite well. Really, actually bordering on amazing how this elaborate plating “travels” and clearly because of considerable effort on the restaurant’s part, including the very elaborate plastic containers. Yeah, the meal would have been better on premises, but considering, it was about as good as you get. Trying to imagine how it would have been on site, and therefore forgiving temperature issues and the takeout plating (which as I said is at the very pinnacle of takeout plating). Tonight was even better than our previous Vespertine menu (which was good) and all the dishes were tasty. The beef with root beer was a touch weird — in that very special Jordan Kahn way — but all the others were actually excellent.

Portions were also larger than the previous Vespertine take out meals I have had. Just one of my two meals was plenty. And as I had two, I ate the second the next day and it also held up quite well.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Alinea, Corona Dining, Foodie Club, Jordan Kahn, Modern Cuisine, Vespertine, White Burgundy, Wine

Vespertine at Home

Sep22

Restaurant: Vespertine [1, 2, 3]

Location: 3599 Hayden Ave, Culver City, CA 90232. (323) 320-4023

Date: September 11, 2020

Cuisine: Modern chef’s take on Japanese

Rating: Top flight takeout

Above is the building where the restaurant is located, but I wasn’t there, Erick picked up the food and we ate elsewhere socially distanced.

Vague intro.

The instructions and menu were irritatingly available only online and referenced via QR code — true this saves on paper — but it did require me to squint at them on my phone all night.
Japanese style hand towels!

And a nice chopstick box.

Paul brought: 2011 Domaine Matrot Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. VM 94+. One of the brighter wines in the range, the 2011 Meursault Les Perrières bristles with pure energy and pedigree. White flowers, crushed rocks, white peaches and graphite all take shape in the glass. Elements of razor-sharp minerality support the vivid, crystalline finish. Today, the Perrières is pretty buttoned up, but it should open up with further time in bottle.

agavin: clean and nice

The menu for the night.

Along with reheating instructions. The problem here is that while these would work okay for a couple sharing the meal by themselves it doesn’t work so great with a couple of us social distanced (in far corners of the patio not physically interacting). There is no easy way to get it heated so we just dealt with the luke-warm temp.

From my cellar: 2011 Joseph Drouhin Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. JG 94+. The 2011 Meursault “Perrières” from Maison Joseph Drouhin is also outstanding, offering up a deep and very classic bouquet of apple, passion fruit, iodine, hazelnuts, chalky minerality and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, crisp and very minerally in personality, with a rock solid core, excellent focus and balance and a very long, pure and laser-like finish. This is a stunning example of Perrières, and like the Laguiche Morgeot, it will only need a handful of years in the cellar to start drinking at its peak.

agavin: lovely

Setup for the tofu dish.

Fresh silken Tofu “Kingugoshi”. Fresh silken tofu made to order. Inspired by Tousuiro, served with a variety of Shojin Ryori accompaniments.

This was one of the less successful dishes. The tofu itself had a very nice texture but a slightly bitter taste, probably from the base used to set the tofu (sometimes ash or calcium sulfate). The vegetables were better, with that definite Japanese vegetable taste and some good textures.

It should be noted that the dish shown here, and all the dishes, were intended for two people to split. We gluttons got a “pair” each because even if we had wanted to share it would have been unsafe and complicated.

Vegetables to top the tofu with.

A salt that’s probably basically natural MSG.

Erick brought: 2007 Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes. JG 95. The Sauzet parcel in Combettes were planted in 1950, and these old vines have produced a magical wine in this great vintage. In fact, premier cru Puligny simply does not get any better than this! The bouquet is a beautiful and classic mélange of lemon oil, peach apple, crystalline minerality of enormous complexity, spring flowers and a gentle framing of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very pure and racy, with a rock solid core, brilliant focus and balance and a very, very, very long and racy finish. Pure liquid beauty.

agavin: sadly a bit advanced

Handmade Soba “Hourai.” Cold buckwheat noodles cooked and chilled to order. Served with traditional accompaniments inspired by Honke Owariya.

The toppings.

What’s most likely a dashi (and shiyo) broth.

This dish was much more successful than the tofu. Pretty excellent anyway. And it was cold, so the lack of heating didn’t matter. Basically it’s just good soba. Maybe not as good as at a top flight soba spot, but very impressive for a non-Japanese chef.

From my cellar: 1996 Alain Hudelot-Noellat Clos Vougeot. JG 93+. I am a very big fan of the Clos Vougeot at Domaine Hudelot-Noëllat, which I find consistently to be one of the best examples in the Côte d’Or. The 1996 is a lovely example of the vintage that hails from the plus and buffered camp, with a lovely core of pure fruit fully carrying the structure of the vintage. The bouquet is deep, complex and quite sappy in its blend of plums, black cherries, woodsmoke, a touch of venison, coffee, a great base of soil and a stylish framing of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and impressively pure on the attack, with a fine core, ripe tannins and a long, focused and tangy finish. This is certainly approachable today, but in terms of complexity, it is still a tad on the primary side and a few more years of bottle age should be rewarded with even greater aromatic and flavor complexity. A lovely 1996.

agavin: pretty excellent.

Black Cod “Hitsumabushi”. Black cod grilled over Japanese Charcoal, charred and lacquered with kabayaki glaze. Prepared in the style of Atsuta Houraiken Honten.

The toppings and some green tea to turn it into tea rice later.

Instructions.

More or less assembled. This is basically like BBQ eel, but black cod. Now he did a good job, but it would’ve been much better with the eel. It was pretty good with cod, but a touch blander (aka less fatty). The sauce wasn’t as sweet as usual either.

Erick brought: 1996 Camille Giroud Pommard 1er Cru Clos des Epeneaux. The nose is slightly fuller than the 2000 but stylistically similar. The palate has a little extra dimension, but there is an amazing family resemblance to the 2000 – amazing considering the different vintages and elevages. I’d say they need a similar time to maturity too. Would be a great buy.

agavin: nice

Kurobuta “Tonkatsu.” Breaded Japanese cutlet with accompaniments. Prepared in the style of butagumi.

Some miso soup, tomatoes, tonkatsu sauce, ginger, and cabbage.

This was a good dish, but the batter was excellent, but it suffered from being too “cold” (reheating was hard). Additionally I wasn’t sure what to do with the cabbage as it normal tonkatsu places I always eat it with a vinegary dressing which wasn’t here. Actually love the stuff with the dressing.

Sashimi. Inspired by the preparations of Takayoshi Yamaguchi. This was very solid sashimi. Nothing complicated but very good.

Toppings.

Matcha Cream Puff. Crispy choux pastry filled with matcha cream. Inspired by the “yatsuhashi” cream puffs of Kiyomizu Kyoami. Very nice cream puffs. There was a very strong green tea note to the cream which was bracing but nice.

Fruit Sando. Japanese milk bread filled with whipped cream and fresh fruits. Inspired by the beautiful fruit sandos of Coffee Nikki. These are VERY Japanese, and I’ve had them and similar many times in Japan, but I can’t say that I love them. Like white bread with whipped cream and fruit. haha.

Taiyaki. A warm crispy waffle, shaped like a fish, filled with sweet vanilla custard. Inspired by the epic “Magikarp fluffy custard taiyaki”.

Actually kind excellent. Would have been better warm and fresh from the oven, but still good.

Our wine lineup.

Overall, we had a great evening. Great company, great wines, and great takeout.

Now in absolute terms the meal wasn’t totally epic by my standards, but it was one of the best “fancy takeouts” I’ve ever had. They really do a good job packaging it and things survived the transit and the considerable length of our leisurely evening quite well. Yeah, it would have been better there, but considering, it was about as good as you get. Trying to imagine how it would have been on site, and therefore forgiving temperature issues and the takeout plating (which is awesome for takeout plating) I’d say that some dishes would even there have some of the same issues, like the cod not being as “rich” as a great piece of Japanese BBQ eel. But it would have been even better. Still this was an incredible job for a non-Japanese chef stepping out of his comfort zone. Strongest savory dish was the soba which was excellent.

I do have a minor beef with the enforced “2 person” sizing as it only really works for close couples. These things as plated don’t split well. Given that we are huge eaters (at least Erick and I) it was okay to have 2 full meals each, but that’s not cheap.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Burgundy, Champagne, Foodie Club, Japanese Food, Jordan Kahn, Sashimi, Sushi, Vespertine, Wine

Yasu = Yummy

Apr22

Restaurant: Yasu

Location: 265 S Robertson Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90211. (424) 355-0257

Date: March 5, 2020

Cuisine: Japanese Sushi

Rating: Awesome ingredients and technique. One of the best sushi places we’ve found in a while

With Foodie Club co-founder Erick back from several months in Asia, we decided to hit up a new place.

After some debate we ended up at a new sushi bar we found on one of our news feeds. This time around, new Foodie Club member Jeffrey joined us as well. Yasu is located just a few stores down from the very mediocre Summer Fish.

The decor is clean and modern, and somehow, despite the fact that they “only” had a 8:15 reservation, we had the restaurant all to ourselves. No matter, the food and service turned out to be amazing.

Jeffrey brought: 2008 Dom Pérignon Champagne. VM 98. The 2008 Dom Pérignon is once again stunning. More than anything else, I am surprised by how well the 2008 drinks given all the tension and energy it holds. Then again, that is precisely what makes 2008 such a unique vintage – namely that the best wines are so chiseled and yet not at all austere. Lemon peel, almond, mint, smoke and crushed rocks are all finely sculpted, but it is the wine’s textural feel, drive and persistence that elevate it into the realm of the sublime. The 2008 will be even better with time in the cellar, but it is absolutely phenomenal even today, in the early going. Three recent bottles have all been nothing short of magnificent.

Sashimi plate: Japanese Amberjack (kanpachi). New Zealand Scampi. Hokkaido Uni.

Japanese Amberjack (kanpachi) sashimi. Had a nice bite to it.

New Zealand Scampi. Element of brine “sea” taste and a great chewy texture.

Hokkaido Uni. Soft and delicate.

From my cellar: 2008 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clavoillon. BH 92. A highly expressive, even exuberant nose of white peach, pear and acacia blossom aromas nuanced with citrus hints that are also reflected by the rich, full and nicely concentrated medium-bodied flavors that possess ample mid-palate fat that buffers the moderately firm acid spine. This is really quite stylish and crafted in a more generous fashion than the upper level 1ers. (Drink starting 2015)

agavin: our bottle was almost premoxed, so golden and rich, but totally delciious.

Erick brought: 2008 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Corton-Charlemagne. VM 93. Pale green-tinged color. Lemon icing and minerals on the reticent, pure nose. Densely packed but with a light touch, combining vibrant elements of flowers, minerals and crushed stone. This may be better than the Combettes owing to its stony minerality-or at least it will outlast it.

agavin: Really nice wine with a lot of legs.

Boston Scallop nigiri. Lovely bite of scallop with lots of scallop flavor.

Remaining muscles of the scallop returned cooked in a bit of soy sauce. Also quite delicious and chewy.

Japanese horse mackerel (aji) with wasabi.

Baby sea bream. Much smaller more tender version of the fish.

Boston monkfish liver (Ankimo). I’m not sure I’ve had it very often as nigiri, but this was a stunning example. He apparently braises it instead of steaming it like most chefs do.

Striped jack (Shima aji).

Baby squid with miso paste. Super tender.

Hokkaido freshwater “cherry salmon” (a kind of trout) being cured on fermented rice.

Hokkaido freshwater “cherry salmon” as nigiri. Very soft and lovely.

Fresh Fanny Bay Canadian oyster from Vancouver. I’m not sure I’ve had an oyster as nigiri, but it was delicious.

Octopus (tako). From miyagi Japan. The chef massages it for 1 hour. With a bit of BBQ sauce. This was super tender and one of the best cooked octopus bites I’ve had.

Mix of chu and otoro with caviar. No sauce. The lack of sauce brought out the briney caviar flavor. Quite lovely.

Fish broth soup with snapper. Rich and savory.

Trio of blue fin tuna all from the same fish. Right to left: tuna marinated with soy sauce, chu-toro, and o-toro. All to die for. The tuna had the strongest taste but the o-toro totally melted in your mouth.

Map of the tuna belly.

Live Santa Barbara Spot Prawns dance about the table.

Hey there!

Chef takes charge. Chef Yasu Kusano was born in Fukushima in Japan, where his parents owned a small fish store. When he was a young boy, his father took him to an upscale authentic Japanese restaurant, and after that experience he decided to become a chef.

His first cooking job in 2000 was at the landmark Gonpachi Restaurant, a Japanese Izakaya, in Tokyo, Japan. In 2007, Kusano moved to the United States for a sous chef position at Gonpachi in Beverly Hills, Calif., and one year later became their executive chef.

In 2013, he moved to Seattle to join I Love Sushi in Bellevue, before heading to Shiro’s Sushi in 2014.

After moving back to Los Angeles he worked at Sushi Zo. Now he has his own place.

Live Santa Barbara Spot Prawn, lightly blanched. A stunning bit of ebi.

Santa Barbara Uni melts in your mouth.

And the chef put a piece of Hokkaido uni to the right of it. Also delicious, but I liked the Santa Barbara a touch better.

Buri shabu shabu with dashi and micro chive. Lovely too.

Erick brought: 2001 Joseph Drouhin Echezeaux. VM 87-90. Dark red. Smoky aromas of redcurrant and tobacco. Sweet, round and fruity, but with less density than a few of Drouhin’s better premier crus. Rather accessible today, but the finish shows a faint dryness.

agavin: drinking very nicely

Pickled saba with pickled daikon. Nice vinegar flavor.

Sea eel. Delicious and very soft.

Snow crab. Lots of nice crab flavor.

Silver fish steamed with cherry blossom leaf. This gave it an unusual bitter herbal tone.

Black cod with marinated and grated daikon.

Toro Takuan hand-roll — to die for. We made these at Ramen Roll too — and they were good — but this one was better.

The contents of the roll.

Kyoto unagi nigiri done two ways: with salt and lemon juice (pictured) and with sweet sauce (not pictured).

Seared toro. Insanely rich bite. He sears stuff on a little charcoal hibachi — none of that blow torch nonsense.

Dashi tamago. Not very sweet with a light bonito tone.

Yuzu sorbet. Very rough granita texture was quite pleasant and with an intense and very fresh yuzu flavor.

Overall, this was some absolutely first rate sushi. I’d call it modern traditional in style. It’s not “newfangled” at all with ponzu or very many toppings. Instead it showcases first rate seafood from all around the world, each treated delicately but with great respect in a way that really brings out the flavors. This is my favorite type of sushi as it’s very Japanese and extremely “pure” in its expression of the seafood. Besides the awesome eats, the service was really really nice and friendly. The chef was very chatty and our young (to me) server was fabulous as well. Of course our Champ and Burgundy went great too. We will be back!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Beverly Hills, Champagne, Foodie Club, Japanese cuisine, Sushi, White Burgundy, Wine, Yasu, Yasu Kusano

More Pasta at Antico

Feb26

Restaurant: Antico

Location: 4653 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90004. (323) 510-3093

Date: January 8, 2020

Cuisine: Italian(ish)

Rating: Very good pastas

Our Foodie Club (+ Yarom) has been trying to get to Antico — the new solo place by Chi Spacca chef Chad Colby for several months and finally we did.

The frontage looks normal enough but when you…

Zoom out: Antico is located, oddly, in a run-of-the-mill KTown strip mall.

The inside is all contemporary upscale dining.

The menu.

Erick brought: 2008 Philipponnat Champagne Extra Brut Clos des Goisses. VM 98. The 2008 Clos des Goisses is just as impressive today as it has always been. Rich, dense and explosive, the 2008 exists in three dimensions, with remarkable textural depth and vertical intensity to burn. Clos des Goisses is notoriously slow to develop. Readers who can be patient will be treated to a spectacular Champagne. The blend is 55% Chardonnay and 45% Pinot Noir, which makes the 2008 a rare Clos des Goisses that favors Chardonnay. About 75% of the lots were fermented in oak. Disgorged April 2017. Dosage is 4.25 grams per liter. (Drink between 2023-2058)

Part of the “Chef’s Pantry”. Ricotta on toast. Good cheese.

Salami.

Squash. Quite good, actually.

Grapefruit with pepper. Odd, like one of my gelati.

Sardines. Very crispy.

Puntarelle – pea tendrils, meyer lemon, Cetara anchovy. Very nice savory dressing.

Burrata — autumn squash, pumpkin seeds. Burrata is always good.

From my cellar: 2003 Valdicava Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Madonna del Piano. VM 93. The 2003 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Madonna del Piano is a super-ripe, opulent wine that resembles the 1997 in its generous, full-bodied personality. The tannins are surprisingly well-balanced within the context of this challenging vintage. The 2003 should drink well relatively early for this Riserva. All things considered, this is a superb effort. Production was down sharply in 2003. The estate bottled just 13,000 bottles of this wine compared to the typical 23,000 bottles. (Drink between 2013-2023)

Capelinni — “al limone” Cetara anchovy, colatura. Very nice bright pasta.

Cavateappi — lamb, gaeta olive, pecorino. Good tomato and acidic flavors. Great texture.

Bread for mopping up sauce.

1996 Tua Rita Redigaffi Toscana IGT. 94 points. This just kept getting better and better with time in the glass. Dark blackberry fruit and licorice with some nice spicy notes on the finish. Awesome complexity. Good structure. This will last another 10 years.

Tajarin — porcini. Yum.

Fazzoletti — beef check & veal tongue bolognese. Fabulous bolognese. Very rich.

A “carb free” (aka no pasta) version of above.

Left over from Roccos.

Chicken — focaccia crostone. It’s chicken.

Swordfish belly — olive, lemon, caper. This was rich and flavorful.

Larry brought: 1997 Masi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Costasera. 93 points. Deep red coulour with a typical nose of Amarone showing raisings, wet leafs and a hint of vanilla fudge. Palate shows a lovely acidity that is just perfect together with the sweet cherry and raisin fruitiness and is in perfect maturity right now.

Lamb shoulder chop – pistachio, mint. Nice texture and flavor.

Antico steak — salsa verde. I liked the brightness of the “salsa.”

Mashed potatoes with olive oil.

Polenta.

The dessert menus.

Chocolate budino.

Antico is supposed to be known for their ice cream. Like me, they make it with a Carpigiani. It’s basically gelato. Perhaps a touch more custardy than a traditional gelato, and they either serve it right out of the batch freezer (tricky) or make it right before shift and keep it in a warm freezer (or just warm it up). Maybe even at 10-12F. It’s very soft then, like softserve, and given that gelato is always best right out of the batch freezer, before any crystallization has set in, it’s pretty darn good.

Chocolate ice cream. This one had intense chocolaty flavors. They mix up the texture nicely with the chunks.

Meyer lemon ice cream. The meyer lemon curd made it, but the ice cream (gelato) was nice too.

Honeycomb ice cream. Pretty much fior di latte with honeycomb, but given the textural quality of the base, very good.

Overall, I liked Antico a lot. Everything was good, but I particularly liked the pastas — I always do. They aren’t as good as Felix pastas perhaps, but they are very good. It’s not a big or varied menu though, nor super unique, but it is extremely well executed. Service was great too and they really treated us right.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or for epic Foodie Club meals, here.Chad Colby

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Antico, Carpigiani, Chad Colby, Dessert, Foodie Club, Ice cream, pasta

Astrea Caviar + Heroic Wine Bar

Jan27

Restaurant: Heroic Deli and Wine Bar [1, 2, 3]

Location: 516 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401. (310) 490-0202

Date: December 3, 2019

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Pretty awesome, actually

Our friends Eve and Riesa, who own Astrea Caviar wanted to do a dinner with Erick and I so we enlisted Jeffrey Merrihue and his chef Barbara Pollastrini to make a custom caviar menu at Heroic Wine Bar.

They took over the old Real Food Daily / Erven space on Santa Monica Blvd.

This is an unusual space, divided into two halves, each of which has a separate loft. The build out is attractive though.

Here’s the main side loft.

Here’s Jeffrey, who like me at Ramen Roll is very hands on operationally.

Hand painted Zodiac ceiling.

The back space is much more dinner-like. But we were upstairs above this in the very dimly lit (but large) private room.

Our special menu.

Erick brought this “rare” Piper and it comes in a special case. Champagne houses love their gimmicks.

1988 Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Cuvée Rare. JG 94. I love the 1988 vintage of Rare, which is a very, very fine example of this underrated, but excellent year in Champagne. The wine is now fully mature, but still bright and zesty, as it delivers a fine aromatic constellation of pear, peach, a nice dollop of honeycomb, toasted almonds, plenty of smokiness, brioche and plenty of smokiness in the upper register. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and shows off lovely mid-palate depth, with frothy mousse, fine focus and soil signature, excellent focus and grip and a very long, utterly classic and beautifully balanced finish. A superb vintage of Rare with years and years still ahead of it. (Drink between 2014-2030)

From my cellar to match: 1988 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut. VM 97. I am blown away by the 1988 Comtes de Champagne. Still incredibly fresh, the 1988 Comtes flows with intense mineral notes that frame a vibrant core of Chardonnay fruit. The color, aromatics and flavors are all remarkably youthful, while the crystalline purity of the finish suggests the 1988 will drink well for another two decades, if not longer. Readers who enjoy mature Champagne will need to be patient. Still, I see no reason to deny gratification; this is a rock star wine! (Drink between 2013-2030)

Just some of the caviar that Astrea brought for the dinner.

This one, a new “breed” was just for munching on.

Here it is open.

Amuse of NONNA’S GNUDI. Ricotta & spinach, sage infused housemade brown butter, fluffy Parmigiano Reggiano. This is basically a ball of soft spinach and cheese, topped with cheese, and soaked in perfect butter sauce. It’s richly cheesy — and buttery — very rich actually. Quite yummy. But you gotta like butter and cheese at its best!

Strange Bedfellows. Live oyster with Live Santa Barbara Uni and caviar. A delicious paring of raw — caviar, oyster, and uni — with the champagne.

Mad Hatter. Crispy fried egg yolk topped with caviar and house made creme fraiche. The fried egg was delicious, but tasted strongly of both “fry” and egg yolk — big surprise — so it wasn’t quite as good a caviar showcase (although it was great).

Night and Day. Squid ink spaghetti with live Santa Barbara Stone Crab and caviar. This was a “too die for” pasta. Fabulous by itself and even better with all that caviar and even better with old champagne.

From my cellar: 2011 Coche-Dury Meursault Les Vireuils Domaine et Selection. 94 points. Wow, even the “negotiant” Coche doesn’t disappoint. The intensity of this wine was unreal. Blazing. Struck like lightening both deep into the palate and broadly across at the same time. Just unreal that this is a village wine.

Erick brought: 2005 Domaine Ramonet Chevalier-Montrachet. BH 93. This continues to show somewhat oddly because while it now appears to be much more backward than it did when I originally tasted it for review in 2007, there still isn’t the elegance or refinement that I’m used to seeing chez Ramonet with this wine. Ripe and airy white flower and citrus blossom aromas offer excellent complexity if less elegance than I’m used to seeing are followed by still tight full-bodied flavors that possess impressive volume and concentration, all wrapped in a nicely long finish that displays less depth than promised by the nose. One change that is evident though is that if this is going to come together, it will take longer than I initially imagined and thus I have extended my initial drinking window by several years. (Drink starting 2015)

Red Planet. Poached live Santa Barbara lobster with champagne and caviar and beurre blanc. Another great dish. Perfectly cooked Pacific lobster is always great with beurre blanc — then add the caviar!

Secret Garden. It’s a (healthy) secret. Zucchini with vegetables, cured egg, and crab. This was a fine dish, but not nearly as good as the other (maybe because it wasn’t nearly as rich).

Castaway. Marinated Japanese A5 Wagyu tartare with live uni, thin scallop and caviar. Again — didn’t suck. Haha. Great, although not quite as good a pairing as the all seafood dishes.

Reisa brought: 1999 Domaine G. Roumier / Christophe Roumier Chambolle-Musigny. JG 90+. The 1999 Chambolle villages is deep, lush and powerful, with a style not dissimilar from a hypothetical blend of the 1990 and the 1995. The bouquet is quite primary, delivering notes of black cherries, herb tones, a bit of smoke, minerals, chocolate and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is quite full-bodied (the biggest Chambolle since the 1990), with lovely freshness and shape, plenty of tannin buried in the wine’s formidable fruit, and fine length on the complex finish. Like so many Roumier village Chambolles, it deserves, nay demands, cellaring time. (Drink between 2009-2020)

Adding an item “from the regular menu”: PASTA CARBONARA. Mezzemaniche, house made guanciale, pecorino Romano. Chef Barbara shows off her Roman chops with this scrumptious carbonara. The Mezzemaniche also has a really nice bite, and the pork cheeks the perfect crunch and porcine flavor. Very roman and again maybe the best Carbonara I’ve had in a long time. It maybe could have been a touch creamier — as this is an pork and cheese forward prep, but the guanciale alone is worth the price of admission.

Bacon & Eggs. Pork belly confit and caviar and truffle. Inspired by the Republique dish this wasn’t quite as good — but was still really great — and opulent.

Again from the regular menu: TOURNEDOS ROSSINI. Central Valley Rib cap, chicken liver parfait, King Oyster mushroom, Italian summer truffles. This was rich, but boy was it good! How can you go wrong with those ingredients?

Next we sat around drinking — for a while!

Erick brought: 1973 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon. JG 93. The 1973 Dom Pérignon is at a beautiful point in its evolution and is a great pleasure to drink. The deep and mature nose offers up a complex mélange of rye seed, oranges, fresh figs, honeycomb, a gentle touch of walnut, a beautiful base of soil that is both chalky and shows some signs of clay and a very gentle hint of DP’s signature herbal streak. On the palate the wine is fullish, very deep and utterly seamless, with impeccable balance, lovely focus and complexity, very gentle bubbles that frame the wine these days, rather than offer up youthful effervescence and a very long, refined and vibrant finish. I would opt for drinking the ’73 Dom Pérignon up over the next decade in regular-sized formats, while it remains at its apogee of peak drinkability, as there is not anything left in reserve at age thirty-five. Of course magnums (which should be absolutely brilliant right now) will cruise along significantly longer. A lovely bottle. (Drink between 2008-2018)

From my cellar: 2006 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut Rosé. VM 98. One of the highlights in this tasting, the 2006 Cristal Rosé is simply stunning. A vertical, towering wine, the 2006 Cristal Rosé is a thrill a minute, with a compelling interplay of aromatics and exquisitely layered fruit, all supported by a real feeling of phenolic intensity. While the 2007 is seductive, the 2006 is virile and imposing, with the statuesque lift of a Giacometti sculpture. All the elements meld together in a complete, alluring Champagne that will continue to drink beautifully for many decades. In 2006, the Pinot Noir was already being farmed biodynamically, while the Chardonnay was still under conversion. (Drink between 2016-2041)

Tightrope (dessert). Puff pastry with chocolate mousse and caviar. I’m not sure the caviar added here (hence the tightrope) but it was a nice dessert.

I went nuts here and brought not one, not two, not three, but four gelato flavors:

Mint Meringue Strawberry Sorbetto — An intense dairy-free base made from Avignon Strawberries and layered with house-made Spearmint Meringue — created by me for @sweetmilkgelato –#SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #strawberry #sorbetto #mint #Meringue

True Tiramisu Gelato — after long hiatus, one of my best flavors remerges for a holiday party — This is a genuine tiramisu in gelato form, with a Marsala Egg Yolk Zabaione, fresh Mascarpone Cheese, and real Espresso. Then it’s layered with Valrhona Cocoa and Lady Finger’s soaked in house-made Espresso Rum Syrup — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato –#SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #Tiramisu #Espresso #coffee #chocolate #marsala #Zabaione #Eggyolk #Rum #Mascarpone

Root Beer Float Gelato — Sarsaparilla flavored gelato base with house-made vanilla cream cheese layers — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato –#SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #RootBeer #RootBeerFlaot #Sarsaparilla #vanilla #creamcheese

Toasted Almond Truffle Gelato — My new egg yolk based nut formulation with Toasted Sicilian Noto Romano Almond makes a sublime base stacked with layers of house-made Valrhona Almond Amaretti Ganache — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato –#SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #Valrhona #almond #amaretti #cookie #ganache #ChocolateTruffle

The wine lineup.

Left to right, Reisa, Eve, and Erick.

This is actually some really serious Italian and in a style that is very unusual for LA. Ingredients are all either top flight Italian or really good fresh local California. It’s an interesting hybrid, but Chef Barbara’s flavors are great and really taste very Italian Italian (as opposed to Italian American) in flavor.

She’s quite a creative and flexible chef too and when tasked to make this special caviar menu came up with a bevy of really interesting and fabulous dishes.

Plus the wine, food, caviar, company, and gelato were all spectacular.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

For more Foodie Club dining, click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Astrea Caviar, Barbara Pollastrini, BYOG, Caviar, Champagne, Foodie Club, Gelato, Heroic Deli, Heroic Wine Bar, Italian cuisine, Jeffrey Merrihue, pasta, White Burgundy, Wine, Wine bar

Hard to Find – Inn Ann

Jan06

Restaurant: Inn Ann

Location: 6801 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028. (323) 677-5557 (inside Hollywood & Highland)

Date: November 19, 2019

Cuisine: Japanese Sushi

Rating: Great sushi, hard to find

We Foodie Club guys always like to try great sushi, so when we heard that Mori — founder of Mori Sushi — had taken up in Hollywood, off we went (took a bit of rescheduling too).

Translating to “hidden retreat,” INN ANN offers a high-end, seasonal Japanese tasting menu dining experience within JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles, evoking a serene sanctuary on the fifth floor of the bustling Hollywood & Highland. Bringing a taste of Japan to Hollywood, the innovative new dining room fosters discovery and curiosity, showcasing Japanese culture, traditions, and rich heritage through the lens of its cuisine. Rooted in the revered Japanese culinary philosophy, the menu incorporates local ingredients embracing Californian farmers’ market elements.

They weren’t kidding about the hidden retreat — Japan House is located in the deepest hardest to reach bowels of the top floor of the super annoying to reach and park at Hollywood & Highland. Past the junk shops and box stores and Forever 21, way up top, behind the elephants.

Then you must progress down a service coordidor into a realm you suspect that no one but mall staff ever go, beyond trash dumpsters to your sanctuary.

And while the build out is gorgeous, spacious, and sports a lovely Hollywood view there isn’t even a bathroom. You have to hike back through the strange Japanese library in Japan House proper. Very weird.

But it is chic (although not crowded. haha).

An esteemed sushi master, Chef Mori Onodera once told Los Angeles Magazine, “Rice is 70 percent, fish is 30 percent,” highlighting the importance he places on the quality of the rice he serves. He grows his own short grain rice in partnership with Tamaki Farms in Uruguay, further establishing his renown as a rice connoisseur. Chef Onodera also meticulously sources fresh fish for his signature sushi, placing a major emphasis on sustainable seafood. At INN ANN, Chef Onodera brings his expertise in sushi and rice to the table, as well as a singular “mobile” sushi cart of his own design.

The menu is omakase. We just told Mori to bring us everything!

Erick brought: 1993 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon. JG 92+. I have drunk a few magnums of the 1993 Dom Pérignon to start off tastings in the last handful of months and this is at a lovely place in its evolution at age twenty-five. This is not a great vintage of DP, but a very good one that has retained a nice sense of its “good green” personality, as it offers up an aromatically complex mix of green apple, menthol, stony minerality, lime peel and plenty of upper register smokiness. On the palate the wine is crisp, full-bodied and still quite steely in personality, with a good core, elegant mousse and lovely grip and cut on the long, complex and energetic finish. This was a slightly leaner vintage of Dom Pérignon in its youth and it has retained this personality as it has started to blossom, but it remains a fine drink with a long future ahead of it. (Drink between 2018-2040)

Tofu and wasabi.

Then covered in special soy sauce. Simple, but scrumptious. Gorgeous soft tofu texture.

Japanese seaweed, Japanese sunchoke, Pumpkin, Mountain peach, blanched peanut, chestnut, burdock, eggplant. The giant bowl of Japanese veggies. Kinda nice and very Japanese tasting.

Sunomono. Red clam. Cucumber. Japanese shallot. I always love marinated stuff, particularly with the sweet rice vinegar typical of sunomono.

Sashimi. Buri. Japanese mackerel. Saba. Maybe some clam thing.

Dobin mushi. Seasonal soup. Harvest season. Matsutake mushroom. Fried shrimp ball. Rock fish. Mitsuba. Ginko nuts. Slightly Smokey. This was one of those really like Japanese mushroom broths with a bit of seafood flavor (from the shrimp ball) and a good dose of Japanese citrus.

Larry brought: 2000 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut. BH 96. A wonderfully layered and nuanced nose features an intense yeasty character to the maturing fruit that displays interesting phenolic characters, in particular petrol, along with aromas of apple, pear and soft citrus hints. In contrast to the nascent maturity expressed by the nose the flavor profile is still tight and backward with a genuinely gorgeous texture, all wrapped in a strikingly persistent and highly complex finish. For my taste the 2000 Brut is at an inflection point as the nose does offer enough maturity so that it’s really quite pretty whereas the palate impression is substantially younger. As such it really just depends on how you prefer your Champagne because I suspect that the nose will be very mature by the time the still very youthful flavors attain their majority. For my taste preferences it would be no vinous crime to begin enjoying this now but be aware that this will age for a very long time. The best approach is probably to buy 6, or even 12, bottles and enjoy them over a longer period of time.

Grilled King crab. Grilled Yellowtail. Wild arugula.

Tempura. Abalone. Abalone liver. Shisito. Baby corn. Mission figs. Matcha salt. Very rich and delicious.

The Matcha salt and tempura sauce.

A5 wagyu. Wasabi. Purple Okinawa. Homemade radish pickles. 2 year old yuzu kosho. The yuzu kosho and wasabi stands in for “mustard” with the beef.

Erick brought: 2008 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes. BH 94. Readers may remember that last year the ’08 Combettes had not even started its malo at the time of my February visit (more than 16 months after the harvest!) and thus it was not rated. Well, I am very happy to report that it has turned out marvelously well with an ultra-fresh nose of mildly exotic yellow orchard fruit aromas trimmed in floral and wood components. There is excellent richness, size, weight and punch to the medium weight plus flavors that brim with dry extract that both coats the palate and buffers the very firm acidity on the driving, even explosive finish that is stunningly long. This is quite simply an extraordinary wine and it is not an exaggeration to say that the ’08 is the best young Leflaive Combettes that I have ever seen.

Really good homemade ginger.

Tai snapper. Sea bream from Japan. Wasabi.

Needle fish from Japan.

Chu-toro.

Marinated Kohada.

Aji. Spanish Mackerel.

Marinated tuna from New Jersey.

Ikura (salmon eggs).

From my cellar: 2008 Domaine Leflaive Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet. BH 91-94. A subtle touch of pain grillé highlights citrus notes that, like the Pucelles, exhibit hints of honeysuckle and fennel nuances that complement perfectly the textured, rich and sweet medium plus weight flavors that are quite supple yet remain detailed, energetic and strikingly long on the explosive finish. This is a relatively powerful Bienvenues. In a word, terrific. (Drink starting 2018)

Santa Barbara Uni (sea urchin).

Hokkaido Uni.

Golden snapper. Seared skin. Nice smoked seared taste.

Special sea eel.

Lovely bowl.

Contains miso soup. Nice dashi flavor.

Clam and Cucumber roll.

Dashi whitefish shrimp tamago. Salty version, not sweet at all.

Chu toro again. How could we not.

Buri belly from Hokkaido.

Persimmon. Fruit.

This pair of gelati I made for my son’s birthday:

House favorite and my son’s birthday pick: Triple Chocolate Cloud – As usual the base is made with Valrhona 62% Satilla Chocolate and then layered with Dark Chocolate Cream Cheese Ganache and the rotating ingredient is crushed Oreos — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #Valrhona #chocolate #creamcheese #ganache #icing #Oreos

Strawberries and Cream Gelato — A dairy strawberry base with Avignon Strawberries plus Strawberry Jam Ripples and Strawberry Wafer Cookies — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato –#SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #strawberry #cream #jam #wafer #cookies

simple but awesome.

Chef Mori.

Hard to find place, but outstanding sushi. Some of the best classic sushi in LA. Pricey, as it always is, but worth it. Mori is one of the local masters.

NOTE: apparently as of 12/31/19 Inn Ann is now closed. Perhaps the ridiculously weird location didn’t help! I’m glad we got to go!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or for epic Foodie Club meals, here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BYOG, Champagne, Dom Pérignon (wine), Foodie Club, Gelato, Hollywood, Japanese cuisine, Morihiro Onodera, Omakase, Sushi, White Burgundy

Ancient Italian (wine) at Sixth & Mill

Dec25

Restaurant: Sixth & Mill

Location: 1335 E 6th St, Los Angeles, CA 90021. (213) 629-3000

Date: November 11, 2019

Cuisine: Italian Pizza

Rating: Super Tasty Pizza, but far (for me)

This post documents an interesting combo event. My friend Walker, member of the Foodie Club, put together this event at his friend, Chef Angelo Auriana’s new pizza place downtown (located next to his other restaurant, Berea).

Chef Angelo’s pizza is his very own version of the pizza Napoletana, which was initially exported by the first waves of immigrants in the 1800s and quickly became what most people abroad identify Italian food by.

Beside the pizza, the cuisine of sixth+mill focuses on other traditional recipes that capture the uniqueness and versatility of the regional southern Italian food and include appetizers, fritters, homemade pasta, meat & poultry, seafood and desserts, keeping an eye on traditions and looking at today’s necessity of lightness, healthiness and simplicity.

The dining experience at sixth+mill evokes joyous times of travel and memories through a casual-refined atmosphere that recreates the feel of a night by the Gulf of Naples and it is the platform to celebrate and share the culture and the life style of the Italian people.

It’s in the left half of the Berea building, and is a bit of a transplant from Vegas as the chef opened this concept there first.

Inside is a mix of contemporary and “factory.”

Walker organized this HUGE (too huge) dinner with like 50-60 people to showcase the pizzas and his ancient and unusual Italian wines. The chef is in the blue in the middle of the above picture.

I also brought some wine. From my cellar: 2010 Borgo del Tiglio (Nicola Manferrari) Collio Friulano Ronco della Chiesa. AG 94. Borgo del Tiglio’s 2010 Ronco della Chiesa shows what this hillside site in Cormons can do in cooler vintages. Still bright, focused and intensely saline, the 2010 bursts from the glass with grapefruit, lime, mint and crushed rocks. The 2010 will probably be appreciated most by readers who like tense, vibrant whites. Next to some of the other vintages, the 2010 lacks a little mid-palate pliancy, but it is quite beautiful just the same. I especially like the way the 2010 opens up nicely in the glass over time. (Drink between 2013-2020)

Mozzerella from Southern Italy with peppers.

Margarita with Gorgonzola. Pretty normal Margarita, but for the strong flavor of Gorgonzola — took it up a notch for me. Very salty and strong.

Parmesan with purple cabbage and almonds. A strongly cheesy pizza with a bit of crunch and a hint of bitter from the cabbage.

From my cellar: 2007 Paolo Bea Montefalco Rosso Riserva Pipparello. 94 points. I’m a sucker for Bea and my infatuation may blur my objectivity as a result. However, it would be disingenuous of me if I were not to gush over this bottle. A tree full of ripe cherries, pie spice, asphalt, charcoal, smoke, mushrooms, damp forest floor, teriyaki…it was a feast for the senses. After 11 years of age it’s still fiercely tannic but it’s not enough to bother considering the character. The finish lasts for minutes. I realize that making wine like this is scary and the results aren’t for everyone but my God, I am thankful that the Bea’s have the guts to do it.

Mushrooms with butternut squash and arugula.

Oxtail and smoked mozzarella. Strongly meaty, probably my favorite.

Margherita fior di latte with Apulian EVOO and oregano.

Gnocchi with Alfredo sauce. Cheesy and very very soft. Perfect pillows of potato.

Much of the wine lineup.

This was Jerome and Emma’s first full evening in Los Angeles (just in from the Netherlands) and we dragged them through 2+ hours of LA traffic!

The wines are all pictured below. Far too many to write up. This was an oddball event. I’ll break it down.

The pizzas were very good. Not 2+ hours in traffic good — no pizza in LA is — but good. I’d happily have them if there were closer. They are about the same (good) level as Pizzana. There wasn’t enough food for my taste, mostly because of the format (more on that later), but what we got was great.

The wines were very interesting. These are unusual varietals that I, of course, know because of my Italian wine studies, but unusual. Mostly far Northern Italian wines made from Spanna (a Nebbiolo variant). But you NEVER see these wines nearly this old! They varied from a bit rustic or acidic to delicious. This is surprisingly long lived stuff. Pouring was a bit uneven due to the format.

The format problem with this dinner was the size. There were huge numbers, perhaps 50-60 people, and first of all the restaurant can’t produce pizzas THAT fast, so they would periodically drop one on our table, giving us a piece each, then we would wait for a good while as they kept dropping pizzas on the other 10 tables before switching to a new pizza type. Initially there was only the salad and 4 small (slices of) pizza(s). We begged for the 5th pizza and the gnocchi, but it still wasn’t really enough. I think the concept originally was for it to be smaller and for the chef to try the wines and improvise on pizzas, but because of the scale he couldn’t really do that. The wine also suffered in pacing because Walker was opening and pouring EVERYTHING so he was one busy bee — but he still couldn’t get around fast enough at the beginning. These are pretty hard bottles to even open as the aged corks take some time to work through.

But anyway, other than the ludicrous LA traffic getting to the Arts District fairly early, it was a lot of fun.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Angelo Auriana, Arts District, DTLA, Foodie Club, Italian wine, Pizza, Sixth & Mill, Walker Wine Co, Wine

White Glove Dining – Get Bbul

Dec04

Restaurant: Get Bbul BBQ

Location: 3189 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90006. (213) 380-7070

Date: October 21, 2019

Cuisine: Korean Seafood BBQ

Rating: First time and I liked it

On reading this, you must recognize that this is “Second Dinner.” After a special Krug Champagne dinner event — with 5 or so courses of modern cuisine — four of us just didn’t feel full enough so headed out to Korea Town to “snack.”

Never been to this kind of Korean Seafood BBQ so I was excited to try.

The interior — hoods as usual.

The menu. We ordered most of it of course.

This plate has seen some heat. Anyway, we ordered the works.

Various condiments for wrapped up one’s BBQ. Radishes, sauce, egg (both yolk and white), carrots, peppers, cabbage etc.

More fixings.

Leaves and oniony stuff.

Salad.

Soy and garlic.

Hot sauce. It is a Korean restaurant after all.

Coming off our Champagne tasting we decided to go with Solju / Beer shots. Sort of like a sake bomb. You fill a glass about 3/4 with beer.

Then drop a shot-glass of solju (Korean vodka) in to make sure it’s extra strong. Tastes great too!

Crispy fritters with mayo. Great drinking food.

Seafood pancake. This was a delicious one too.

Corn “pudding” with dynamite or whatever on top and baked.

Cold sliced pig foot salad. Yum (really was good).

Korean fluffy egg.

Our modest seafood plate arrives.

The BBQ is real coals.

Eel (left) and hagfish (right). Not sure I’ve had hagfish before. It looks like snack. Abalone was on the far right.

They cut up the chunks as it BBQs. Hagfish had a delightful chewy texture white the eel was nice and rich.

Dinner comes with special Korean Michael Jackson “white gloves” so that you don’t burn your hand while working the hot grill. They really helped actually.

Clams. When they open you eat them.

Spicy Soft Tofu Soup with Seafood. Delicious and a bit spicy.

Spicy noodle and tofu soup. Because when it’s time for second dinner, you need a second stew too!

Cheesy clams and scallops on the BBQ. The cheese melts into a yummy mess.

Some kind of conch or clam back there.

Giant oyster!

Grilled shrimp.

The four of us actually managed to eat most of this feast — pretty impressive after having this dinner right before!

I’d like to come back to Get Bbul a bit hungrier and get even more, but what I had was very good and quite interesting. I’ve never had this kind of grilled seafood with these exact trappings and it was quite interesting.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: beer, Foodie Club, Get Bbul BBQ, Korea-town, Korean BBQ, Korean cuisine, Ktown, Seafood, Second Dinner, solju

Ima Had Too Much Meat

Nov25

Restaurant: IMA

Location: 9669 S Santa Monica Blvd #1, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. (310) 734-7829

Date: October 16, 2019

Cuisine: Japanese A5 Shabu-Shabu

Rating: Rich!

For tonight’s meal the minimum Foodie Club heads out to try something few others would dare…

$400 a person Shabu-Shabu!

This is IMA, sister restaurant to Yazawa, the super A5 Yakiniku joint in Beverly Hills. They use the same meat.

And have a similar (adjacent and with connecting doors) modern Japanese vibe.

The tables have little induction burners built in and stylish hoods.

The small menu is some shabu-shabu and sukiyaki variants. We of course ordered everything!

Erick brought: 1985 Château Rausan-Ségla. VM 91. The 1985 Rauzan-Ségla is a vintage that I have tasted several times from bottles I picked up cheaply some years ago. I was particularly effusive about the 1985 although, I feel that it has decayed a little since my last note in 2010. Soft red berry fruit, hedgerow, sage and mushrooms on the loose-knit nose, very typical for a 1985 though it is less intense nowadays. The palate is very savory in style with roasted chestnut and ferrous notes infusing the finish that has an appealing rounded texture. Maybe there are better bottles out there? In any case, don’t hesitate to crack one of these open. Tasted from a bottle from my personal cellar. (Drink between 2019-2027)

agavin: really nice bottle

From my cellar: 1997 M. Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon. VM 94. Bright deep ruby. Blackberry, violet, tar, shoe polish and game on the nose, plus a light floral note; at once vibrant and surmuri. Superconcentrated, remarkably intense flavors of crystallized black cherry, cassis and licorice. An extremely persistent wine of noteworthy finesse, yet also one with a powerful structure for aging. One of the standouts of the vintage.

The appetizer flight that comes with the “Chef’s Special” set course.

Lobster with mushrooms and radish and soy sauce. Bright acid dressing. Very nice.

Hokkaido Uni Tofu with dashi jelly. White creamy quality.

Brussels sprouts with pepper and anchovies. Nice.

A5 Wagyu tartare and Russian Caviar. The caviar is Calvisius ars Italica Caviar. Delicious dish. Although I slightly miss the wasabi ponzu typical on the toro version at Nobu.

Beef Cheek stewed in Saikyo Miso, Topped with Parmesan Cheese. Rich fatty beef chew — like Japanese grandmother’s beef stew.

Grilled Beef Tongue and Vegetables. Thickest tongue I’ve ever had!

Salt and lemon for the tongue.

Toro with salt. Lightly seared. So good we ordered 2 (for the 2 of us).

Steamed Oyster Wrapped in Wagyu with Japanese Salsa. Kinda a bit odd.

The sukiyaki pan arrives.

Sukiyaki meat. Yazawa beef loin. With beef tallow for seasoning.

Sauces and tools.

Raw egg yolk for dipping.

They coat the cast iron pan with tallow then cook.

And dump in sukiyaki sauce (which is a sweet soy).

Here is the tallow and sauce deglazing.

Then you roll your barely cooked piece in the egg yolk — scrumptious. Soft velvety meat, sweet soy flavors, and the rich egg coating.

Broth for the shabu-shabu.

Dipping salt.

First meat (for the shabu): Beef Tongue.

She boiled it in the broth and served it next to the salt. You just eat it with a bit of salt. Super tender and delicious.

More meats, right to left: filet tenderloin, Ichibo, Shin-Shin, rib.

Sauces, a light dashi one and a sesame one.

Chopped mini-green onions for the sauce.

My sauce blend (lighter sauce) with some meat.

Mixing up the sesame sauce.

Veggies and tofu for the shabu (one side).

The other side with glass noodles and a carrot cow.

Pureed Corn Topped with Sea Urchin. I thought I’d love this, but too corn mushy. Cold too and a bit odd.

Noodles for the “ramen” that is coming from the broth.

Flavorant for the broth.

The ramen, brothed up, with noodles.

Special soup to finish, rice porridge.

Dessert time: Pannacotta with soy powder.

On the left, mixed fruit, on the right Passionfruit Sorbet.

Special roasted tea.

I don’t usually post the bill, but this one is useful for the discussion that follows.

Now I liked IMA a lot. The food was very good — delicious in fact — and this was the best/most elevated shabu-shabu I’ve had. And the sukiyaki even better. The meat is incredible (as it is at Yazawa). Service was awesome. Our server was incredibly nice and even helped us cook our food.

Wines were great too (pat ourselves on the back). Corkage isn’t outrageous (at least for the first 2 bottles).

But I wonder how they are going to do and who the market is for this. Only a small set of people (in America at least) even know what Shabu-Shabu is — and even less sukiyaki — and I doubt too many of them are looking for a $400/person shabu/sukiyaki experience! Some high end Asian customers will dig it for sure. I did. But the menu is very limited, so I wouldn’t come back particularly often.

So interesting.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: A5, Foodie Club, Ima, Japanese cuisine, Shabu-shabu, sukiyaki, Wagyū, Wine

Marcheing South Again

Nov20

Restaurant: Marche Modern [1, 2]

Location: 7862 Pacific Coast Hwy, Newport Beach, CA 92657. (714) 434-7900

Date: October 10, 2019

Cuisine: Modern French

Rating: Great food and service

This particular reunion of the Foodie Club: OC Edition has been in the making for months and follows the format of the previous dinner. Tonight’s them was loosely, coche vs. Domaine d’Auvenay (plus a “bit” of spectacular Champagne).

Due to group constraints, we had to meet deep in the OC at 6:00 — lots of traffic again. This time most of us didn’t do the double header (lunch + dinner) because we were so full last time (even me). Fred, however, is a beast and he met up with some other friends beforehand!

For our super duper elite Foodie Club OC dinner, we selected Marche Moderne — pretty much because it’s one of the best wine friendly restaurants in Orange County (which is a bit of a limited pool).

It’s high end modern French bistro.

Attractive modern decor.

Lots of sunset light.

Our special menu tonight.

Bread.

Butter.

Liz brought: 1969 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon Oenothèque. Vinous 98. One of the highlights in this range, the 1969 Dom Pérignon Œnothèque (Disgorged 2006) is magnificent A stunning, vibrant Champagne, the 69 Œno hits all the right notes. Lemon peel, white flowers, crushed rocks, slate and smoke all soar out of the glass. A thin veil of reduction adds character without being overpowering or dominant. Vivid in color and totally crystalline, the 1969 dazzles at every turn. What a gorgeous wine it is. (Drink between 2017-2027)

Santa Barbara Sea Urchin. Grapefruit Gelee, Fresh Oregano, Radishes, Avocado, Kosho lime vinaigrette. The uni was great, but some of the elements here didn’t quite gelee (haha). Maybe the grapefruit? Maybe the avocado. A touch weird.

From my cellar: 1998 Coche-Dury Meursault 1er Cru Caillerets. VM 92. Fred says much higher. A shockingly elegant and pretty Coche open from the beginning. The delicious Coche signature is present and try as you may you cannot detect any vintage flaws. The more I drink Coche Caillerets the more I am convinced I like it better than the Genevrieres. A wonderful wine that was in the discussion for WOTN next to 92 Coche MP, 99 d’Auvenay Puligny En la Richarde, and 00 d’Auvenay Folatieres. An impressive showing.

Fluke Crudo & Faux Gras. Burnt Shallots Creme, Thinly Sliced Maui Hearts of Palm, Yuzu Confit Marmelade, Beurre Monte Matsutake. Again a slightly bizarre combo of poultry liver and fish.

Kent brought: 1992 Coche-Dury Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. VM 98. Fred says: Darkest wine is the night next to the 98 Coche Caillerets, 99 d’Auvenay En la Richarde, and 00 d’Auvenay Folatieres. Also the most dense and ripe. The balance is there with the acidity and richness in play. There is fruit and rich honey notes but not leaning into botrytis. This continues to build throughout the entire 3 hours. Impressive power.

Egg & Caviar & Cured Scottish Ocean Trout. Kaluga Caviar, Sorrel, Beurre de Citron Confit. More uniform and successful than the previous two dishes. Hard to go too wrong with either egg and caviar or cured salmon and butter.

Fred brought: 1999 Domaine d’Auvenay (Lalou Bize-Leroy) Puligny-Montrachet en la Richarde. BH 91. Fred said: Given the comparisons to Chevalier Montrachet I was expecting power. Instead I got elegance and balance along with floral and mineral puligny character. This bottle is still young and needed 2-3 hours to slowly pick up weight and power. All the while it remains impeccably balanced, not unlike the 98 Coche Caillerets. I believe the best is yet to come and will try to wait another 5 years to open my next one. Lovely. Just lovely.

Sauteed Black Bass. Demi Jus de Bouillabaisse, Barigoule d’Artichaud, Calamari and Mussel, Olive, Basil Emulsion, Spicy Tomato Tartine. The Bouillabaisse “base” was nice. Fish maybe a touch dry.

Erick brought: 2000 Domaine d’Auvenay (Lalou Bize-Leroy) Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières. BH 95. Fred says: Wow. Now this has the power and weight of a Chevalier Montrachet. The most fruit forward of the bunch but supported by that d’Auvenay linearity. A massive and structured wine impressive richness and a hint hazelnut deliciousness. What a treat.

Civet de Homard & Dover Sole. Lobster in a Civet Style, Dover Sole, Gnudi, Chanterelle, Shallot Soubise.

With the sauce. Another slightly oddball mix. This didn’t do the lobster justice. Reduction was good though.
Premier Dessert. Rose & Lychee Sorbet, Eau d’ Hibiscus.

Close up! Nice refreshing sorbet. Texture isn’t as good as mine — of course.

Cheese — because it’s so great with wine. Nice cheeses too.

Strawberry & Pistachio Croustillant. Almond Butter Gateau, Citrus Mousseline, Pistache, Cassis Berry Sorbet. I love a good “Napoleon” although this was jazzed up a bit too much.

Because we didn’t just have 3 ice creams/sorbets from the restaurant, I brought 4 (never one to be outdone).

Nocciola Caramello Budino Gelato — Nocciola custard base made with Pure PGI Piedmont hazelnut paste, infused with house-made caramel (instead of sugar) then mixed with toffee and topped with Toffifay — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — so good it’s an instant signature flavor –#SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #hazelnut #nocciola #caramel #caramello #toffee #toffifay

Cinnamon Apple Pie Gelato — An intense cinnamon base layered with my house-made bourbon apple pie filling and house-made caramel — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato –#SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #applepie #apple #cinnamon #caramel

Blood Orange Compari Sorbetto — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #bloodorange #orange #compari #cocktail #sorbet #sorbetto

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

Overall, an incredibly epic meal.

Service was first class. We did the wine service though, which is how we wanted it with these wines. Which, by the way, were all incredible. The MP was probably in the “weakest” drinking spot — but that’s like calling Michael Jordan short because he’s not as tall as Manute Bol. Haha. Fantastic and very lucky that we had no flaws.

Food was “interesting” this time. Not as uniformly successful. It was certainly well made and executed, but the combos were a bit odd. Last time they felt much more harmonious.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or for epic Foodie Club meals, here.