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Marche Modern Madness

Jun21

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

Date: May 16, 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. Fred was buying up old Coche, Roulot, and Leroy for us in anticipation.

Due to group constraints, we had to meet deep in the OC at 6:15 — but before that, we caught a late, HUGE, amazing wine lunch at the LSXO — even my hollow leg was full before we got started on dinner.

Because we were down in the OC for hours and hours I packed my gelato cooler full of dry ice, worried that my normal cooling packs wouldn’t keep it cold enough. Boy did the dry ice keep it cold enough — so much that it was like a block of diamond ice at the end of the evening!

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.

And our perfect corner table.

Bread to start.

We had four epic bottles we were all sharing, all mature super producer White Burgundy. We pretty much opened all four at the start and drank them through the night. These were crazy good wines!

1986 Domaine Roulot Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. Fred writes: A beautiful medium gold color similar to the 86 Coche CC to indicate this was indeed a properly stored bottle. Again, the 86 botrytis is apparent. On the palate the fruit is rich and ripe and there is incredible length and power. The wine continues to improve over the next 3 hours picking up more acidity and precision. A rare rare treat and I doubt I will see this beautiful wine ever again.

1989 Coche-Dury Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. Fred writes: Wow from beginning to finish. This started off with the classic Coche aroma of flint that was less prominent on the 86 CC. On initial sip it was perfect in every way: the fruit, the acid, the precision. Everything was perfectly integrated, extremely elegant, and nuanced. A wine that makes you vow not to open any more Coche MP prior to its 30th birthday (knowing that you will fail miserably and happily). The greatness of it is only highlighted by drinking it next to other great wines. Not much else to say except that it’s a 100 point wine if there ever was one.

First course was an uni parfait with I think tomato jelly underneath. The whole menu was designed by Fred (and the chef) to perfectly pair with our epic whites.

Next up real caviar with blini and a version of the traditional accompaniments suspended in a vanilla lemon foam. Quite awesome, actually.

Here you can see the below foam strata a bit better.

1986 Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne. Fred writes: The honey and botrytis of 86 was apparent as was with the 86 Roulot MP. There is that long elegant floral finish that you get with Coche Corton Charlemagne. Initially a little behind the 89 Coche MP due to the weight and slight lack of acidity and focus. However, over the next 3 hours it continued to improve becoming more refined and elegant with each repour. By the end of the night, it was as good and maybe even better than the 89. Hard to say as both wines were flawless tonight and showcasing their vintage and vineyard perfectly.

1996 Domaine Leroy Corton-Charlemagne. Fred writes: This is a powerful Corton Charlemagne. The 96 acidity is very prominent. There is not as much fruit or depth as the 04 that we had a few months ago. However the oak on this was far more integrated and not noticeable. There is a fine mineral streak through this great wine. On any other night this has a shot at WOTN. Tonight it lacked the complexity and nuances of the Coche and even the Roulot. Still, a great drink.

Lightly poached or raw salmon with baby asparagus and beurre blanc. Another lovely dish.

Fried soft-shell crab with ginger. In season too. This was a good bit of food and we finished a massive lunch just an hour or so before this dinner!

Scallops with saffron, artichoke heart, and puff pastry.

Lobster with risotto. Awesome courses, but not light — I would have been full without the huge lunch!

Turbot with some kind of broth. Feeling really full!

Tarte Aux Fraises – Strawberry Tart Harry’s Berries Strawberries – Crème d’amande. Strawberry Compote – Crème Fraiche Chantilly – Lemon Confit Gelato. Really lovely intense berry flavor and nice textural interplay. Harry’s Berries are fabulous when in season.

Fondant Au Chocolat Amer 64%. Apricot Stracciatella Gelato – Cashew Praline Crème Monté. Bring the wafer thin mint!

Plus, I had 4 flavors of gelato! Yeah, 4. But they were so frozen rock solid by the dry ice that I couldn’t even chip into them. They were still rock solid when I got home hours later and had to “thaw” in the freezer. But will return for tomorrow night’s Fred dinner.

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 four incredible. Fantastic and very lucky that we had no flaws. Probably the 89 Coche MP was the “best” — but all 4 were amazing. Legendary wines and we may never see their like again.

Food was amazing too. Certainly the best non-Asian I’ve had in Orange County. Very good by any standards. And our custom meal was stunning. TONS of food too — it would have been a lot even if I arrived starved, and I’m a big eater — but after being stuffed at LSXO an hour or two before, it was a serious struggle to find the room. I mean, I pretty much finished every plate — that’s what I do — but I was in some serious overstuffed discomfort! Ah, first world problems.

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, Coche Dury, Foodie Club, French Cuisine, Gelato, Legendary, Leroy, Marche Moderne, Orange County, Roulot, White Burgundy

Perfect Atmosphere – LSXO

Jun17

Restaurant: LSXO

Location: 21022-21148 Pacific Coast Hwy, Huntington Beach, CA 92648. (714) 374-0083

Date: May 16, 2019 and January 30 & February 19, 2020

Cuisine: Vietnamese Fusion

Rating: Awesome flavors

LSXO, a concept-within-a-concept, inside Bluegold at Pacific City, is the brainchild of Chef Tin Vuong of Blackhouse Hospitality. Cuisine is inspired by District 1 in Saigon (where Tin’s family hails from) and dishes range from more traditional to innovative amongst a stunning hideaway overlooking the Huntington Beach pier. Behind an unmarked door adjacent to the wine room, guests are transported to District 1 (China Town) in Saigon via Blackhouse’s 28-seat restaurant-within-a-restaurant, LSXO. A spinoff of the Little Sister brand (Manhattan Beach and Downtown Angeles), LSXO is love letter to the culture, heritage, and lineage of Vietnam (Vuong’s relatives hail from the region). While Little Sister is known for its French Vietnamese menu, LSXO follows the same Southeast Asian inspiration with a more refined, expat feel.

LSXO draws inspiration from Southern Vietnam with a number of Chinese influences. While the menu is 90% different from Little Sister, a handful of signature dishes are offered, such as the Beef Tar Tare, Imperial Rolls, and Salt & Pepper Lobster. Lunch & Dinner items range from cold plates from the garde manger to salads, rice paper rolls, fish & shellfish, meat & poultry, both dry and soupy noodles, and banh mi (lunch only). A unique addition, LSXO debuts Afternoon Tea, featuring a selection of open-faced finger sandwiches, French pastries, and specialty sweets to complement an array of international tea blends

Bluegold is located on the top level of Pacific City at 21010 Pacific Coast Hwy., Huntington Beach, CA 92648. The restaurant serves California coastal cuisine alongside craft wines, beers, and inventive cocktails. Bluegold is open Monday-Sunday for breakfast, lunch, “in between,” and dinner (9am to close). For more information please call (714) 374-0038 or visit website, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

LSXO draws inspiration from Southern Vietnam with a number of Chinese influences. Check out the cool Indochina-style room with it’s ocean views.

The view.

So OC too, as the big table had a huge part of OC moms and their babies living it up — must have been a Mommy & Me group or something.

On my first visit, in May of 2019, our threesome was Foodie Core members Erick, Fred and myself, kicking back ocean-side to enjoy some Champagne and White Burg just hours BEFORE our epic and crazy evening white burg dinner.

Elegant touch.

Hot sauce! They have two different kinds of house-made hot sauce and a “sweet” fish sauce. All are fabulous.

The menu.

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

Red curry spiced pork rinds, chili oil & scallions. Nice crispy shrimp chip textured pork rinds. A touch of heat. I expected more curry flavor.

Pickled cabbage, crushed peanut, chili. Light little snack/side.

Goi du du. Green papaya salad, Viet beef jerky, peanuts, chili lime vinaigrette. Awesome bright salad.

Beef tartare, Viet herbs, fried aromatics, quail egg, lobster rice crackers. Pretty decent meaty tartare.

Grilled pork spring roll. Nem Nuong red leaf lettuce, mint, carrot, cucumber, house sauce.

Autumn roll, sweet potato, jicama, egg, herbs, Chinese sausage, candied shrimp, coconut peanut sauce. Incredible take on the classic Vietnamese sausage roll. So much flavor.

Pork, shrimp & crab dumplings. Spicy black vinegar dressing, chives, spinach, peanuts. Very tasty. Lots of complex herby flavor.

“Ga xao xa ot” spicy lemongrass chicken. Fried garlic & dried chilies. This was the most incredible “fried chicken”. It had this sweet and tangy and crunchy thing going on and a really bright complex savory flavor.

Pho banh cuon with beef and tendon, herbs, lettuce, pickled onion. These can basically be seen as either deconstructed pho or pho flavored soft rice rolls. It’s a rice crepe roll, with the pho components, and a bit of a sweet and sour sauce. Great texture and flavor.

Vietnamese crepe. Bánh xèo. Sizzling pancake. PRawns, pork belly, bean sprout, herbs and greens, house dressing.

Here are the herbs. This is actually a very traditional Vietnamese dish. You take some of the omelet and add herbs and sauce and eat. Delicious.

“Bun Rieu” omelet, soft shell crab & tomato chili sate, Viet herbs and condiments. Delicious, with a good amount of crab.

XO sticky rice, lap cheung pork flass, crispy shallots, slow egg, roasted chili vinegar. I’m all over anything with pork floss — and this had incredible flavor and texture.

Pork floss zoom! Gotta love the pork floss. It looks like insulation but tastes incredible.

Lamb belly with shrimp chips and herbs.

2001 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux. BH 89. A trace of wood spice frames expressive aromas of limestone, white flowers and obvious Chablis fruit that lead to bigger, richer, firmer and more penetrating flavors plus a finish that is both persistent and very dry. I like this very much as it offers a bit more precision than the Forêts.

agavin: reviewers were crazy because this is an amazing wine.

Fred: A bit of honey and ripe fruit on the nose. Almost like botrytis. However, on the palate there is good acidity with some waxy round texture. Very full but not flabby. A wonderful wine to start the day.

Lamb satay, egg noodle, mustard greens, long beans, fried garlic.

You mix this up. This dish was an 11. Now, I’m a noodle fiend, but it was amazing — rich with TONS of flavor — like a lamb satay.

Noodles with coconut and seafood. Delicious with light vermicelli noodles.

Black duck egg, chilies, sesame rau ram. Chili sauce was great but the egg itself didn’t have enough of that salty flavor.

1996 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clavoillon. 92 points. Fred writes: Excellent wine. Still incredibly youthful with a strong classic Leflaive flint signature. A bit more acidic and than than the 01 Raveneau Butteaux but both wines are just drinking superb right now. Plenty of lemon acidity and an awesome long finish.

Tom rang thit ba chi caramelized prawns with pork spare ribs and lardons. Awesome!

Salt and Pepper lobster, butter fried shallots, fried chilies and garlic. Tasty, but not worth the big markup.

Viet braised Salmon in a claypot. This is a take on the tradition caramelized catfish (or whatever fish they use in Vietnam). I didn’t particularly love substituting the salmon. All those heavy oils settle with salmon.

Pan fried eggplant & basil. Sausage, scallions, satay sauce. Very nice eggplant. Super temperature hot on arrival.

A kind of beef tomato stew that was delicious.

The stew above came with this perfect baguette roll, chili butter, chicken liver paste, limes, and tangy pepper sauce. The combination of all of these on the rolls was a fatty foodgasm.

Crab salted cod chao, white fish and egg white. A mild salty congee — savory and delicious.

Carb on carb. The chao (congee) comes with these Chinese savory doughnuts — unsweetened crullers.

Chao. Confit duck & bamboo with aromatics, herbs. Served with cilantro, scallions, fried shallots & Chinese style savory crullers.

Toppings for the congree/chao. The congee (rice porridge) itself is very mild, but when you throw this stuff and both some of the sweet fish sauce and the house-made chili goo in — delicious!

Pork. Absolutely amazing grilled meat with stunning flavors.

Shaky Shaky Beef. Watercress, baby tomatoes, burnt butter soy with tomato garlic fried rice. A very nice version of the classic shaking beef, but not the most exciting of LSXO’s dishes — mostly because the others were so amazing.

Pork belly with a sweet and tangy sauce. Very tender and nice.

Birthday cake for my brother on 2/19/20. Awesome day piggybacked with a lunch “snack” at Oc & Lau.

Now, I do love Asian food of almost all varieties, and adore Vietnamese food, but LSXO is stunning in every way. Hard to imagine this is in a mall. The ocean views and light are spectacular as is the intimate room. And the food. For the most part it’s better than anything I had in Vietnam — even though some of that was amazing — because the ingredient quality and execution is so good. Basically it’s Vietnamese classics, but really elevated way above street food (with its fly infested meat and little plastic chairs). Of course you pay about 30X (compared to Saigon street food).

Also, Fred, Erick and I had a blast as we always do — and our wines didn’t suck.

I returned with my family in January of 2020. It was just as good and might possibly be the best Vietnamese restaurant I’ve been to — including Vietnam. It’s different than in Vietnam, and more “modernized”, but has incredibly good bright flavors and great ingredients. We also came back 2/19/20 for dinner — where there is a very slightly different menu — and had another fabulous meal.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or for epic Foodie Club meals, here.

Wines from 2/19/20:

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Champagne, Foodie Club, LXSO, Orange County, Pacific Ocean, Vietnamese cuisine, Vietnamese Fusion, White Burgundy, Wine

Matsumoto Maxsumoto

Jun05

Restaurant: Matsumoto

Location: 8385 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048. 323) 653-0470

Date: May 10, 2019

Cuisine: Japanese

Rating: Very good, and interesting, but expensive

Erick, Larry, and I kept hearing through the rumor mill that Matsumoto in Beverly Hills had one of the best Japanese Omakases in town so of course the Foodie Club had to saddle up and go.

They are located on Beverly in a busy strip mall — like most other good LA Sushi joints. The “Beverly Hills” location is more like West Hollywood.

It’s non-assuming for sure.

The interior is pretty typical Japanese restaurant.

We had prearranged this giant special menu! It was so long, they refused to start dinner later than 6:30!

From my cellar: 2006 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon. VM 94+. The 2006 Rosé Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon is powerful, intense and also classically austere in its make up. Crushed flowers, mint, red berries and cranberries are all finely sketched. The 2006 finishes with striking mineral-driven precision, and while it doesn’t have the opulence or exuberance of the 2002, it is still a very pretty and appealing Champagne. The Elisabeth Salmon is 50% Pinot Noir and 50% Chardonnay, with about 8% still Pinot Noir. Dosage is 6 grams per liter.

1995 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut. VM 94. The 1995 Krug is gorgeous. I chose it because one of my guests loves Krug and I thought the 1995 would have the right amount of complexity to pair beautifully with the smokiness in Saison’s caviar. Although the 1995 Krug is not a truly epic wine, it is in a sweet spot right now. (Drink between 2018-2023)

Appetizer plate:

Uguisu Tofu (back left). Sugar snap pea tofu.

Hotaru Ika Sumiso (lower right). Cooked firefly Squid (seasonal) with miso vinegar.

Nasu Agebitashi (back right). Eggplant cooked in sweet soy and dashi.

Wagyu Miso Zuke Negi Maki (left). White green onions wrapped with miso marinated wagyu beef.

Hotate Ebi Satsuma Age (front). Light fried fish cake made of scallop and shrimp.

Ama Ebi Ceviche (center). Diced Sweet Shrimp with home-made yuzu salsa.

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

2015 Bret Brothers Viré-Clessé La Verchère. VM 88. Pale, bright straw-yellow. Ripe peach, orange zest and passion fruit on the nose, with a touch of leesy complexity. More exotic than the Les Crays but less harmonious today, showing a more glyceral texture, then surprising acidity. The stone fruit flavors convey very good depth, plus a slight mineral edge.

Soup (Suimono). Hama Sui. Cherry stone clam in clear soup.

Kim brought this great unfiltered sake.

Sashimi (Otsukuri). Hon maguro (blue fin tuna), shima aji (striped jack), aji (Japanese grunt), sakura masu (wild cherry salmon), hotate (scallop).

Notice the fin beneath the fish.
Grilled (Yakimono). Hokke Matsumae Yaki. Grilled atka macherel marinated with kelp (overnight).

Fried (Agemono). Chi-ayu tempura & Soramame Kakiage. Deep fried young sweetfish w/ Sansho Pepper sea salt & depp fried fava beans with sea salt.

Side Dish (Naka-Zara). Kani Miso Cheese Koura Yaki. Hairy crab innards (mixed with crab meat, egg & scallions) grilled with cheese in the shell. This was a unique prep of crab guts — awesome and slightly like a Japanese crabby tuna melt.

Uni Flight. Three kinds of uni. I think all Japanese.

1987 Cellier des Samsons Fleurie!

Small Dish (kobachi). Mushi awabi. Tender cooked abalone with okra.

1978 Joseph Drouhin Beaune 1er Cru Grèves. BH 89. Mostly bricked through. The expressive and attractively layered nose is composed of full-on sous bois, earth and herbal tea scents. I very much like the complexity to the well-delineated and punch middle weight flavors that exhibit a subtle minerality on the linear finish that displays an acid-tang that is enough to mildly dry the finish. This is pretty and very ’78 in character though the balance isn’t quite perfect. Drink up.

We added a wagyu sushi flight.

Pretty bowl for:

Steamed (mushimono). Kinki and kabu nibitashi. Rockfish steamed with sake and turnip cooked in light soy and dashi.

And because that giant menu wasn’t enough we added some more meat — I think this was duck.

Then the sushi (shokuji) started to come:

Sumi ika (squid) and kegani (hairy crab).
Nodoguro (seared black throat perch) and toro (supreme toro).

Kuruma ebi (prawn).

Hokkaido uni (sea urchin).

Plus we wanted MORE. A final flight of sashimi!

2005 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Clos Häuserer. VM 90. Pale straw-gold color. Aromas of orange liqueur, white flowers and minerals. Vibrant and clean, with ginger and nutmeg spice notes contributing energy to the peachy fruit. I find this brighter and more precise than the Clos Windsbuhl. It’s sweeter but also livelier, thanks to a juicy sugar/acid balance.

Bessert (mizugashi). Baked sweet potato cake and fruits.

Overall, Matsumoto was really good and we had an epic meal — their super sized omakase + a bunch of extras. Certainly we were full. The courses were all extremely well prepared, but it is a very pricey place and leans toward a highly traditional Japanese taste tonality that isn’t that splashy. Newer style places like ootoro are more flashy and crave-worthy — and Hayato, which is also very traditional, is somehow more refined and modern at the same time. So Matsumoto ends up being a lot of money and very good, but you can get more bang for your buck elsewhere. Certainly glad I tried it though.

1959 Franchino Marco Gattinara Lo Spanna. Old, old Gattinara (which is like baraolo, being a Nebbiolo, but made up in the far north of the Piedmont).

Afterward, we stopped by Kim’s resteraunt, Khong Ten and kept drinking — combining with the sake to make me very slugging in the morning.

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: Beverly Hills, Burgundy, Foodie Club, Japanese cuisine, kanimiso, Matsumoto, sake, Sashimi, Sushi, tempura, West Hollywood, Wine

Chinese Fusion – Nightshade

Apr12

Restaurant: Nightshade

Location: 923 E 3rd St #109, Los Angeles, CA 90013. (213) 626-8888

Date: March 23, 2019

Cuisine: Chinese Fusion

Rating: Really tasty, imperfect service

Tonight was a a smaller Foodie Club dinner with core members Erick and Larry and newcomer Kim (owner of Khong Ten in Santa Monica).

Nightshade, located in the Arts District in Los Angeles, is a flagship concept and first restaurant for chef Mei Lin along with partners Francis Miranda and Cyrus Batchan of No.8. The highly anticipated project will draw from the culmination of Lin’s personal culinary history – from helping her parents and extended families in their Chinese restaurants as a child in Detroit.

The sure have jazzed up the formerly hideous neighborhood a bit with street art.

Sort of gilding the turd, but it (mostly) works.

And while Nightshade has the standard arts district brick front.

The inside though is elegant instead of the usual industrial look.
The menu is small, so even with four people we just ordered the entire menu. Turns out they also have a bunch of great looking secret larger pre-order dishes like a duck and a big steak — wish we had known.

NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée Edition 164eme. VM 97. Krug’s NV Grand Cuvée 164 Edition is a total knockout. Based on the 2008 vintage, the 164th Edition shows all the crystalline tension and energy that is such a signature of the year. At times, the 164 reminds me of the 2008 vins clairs I tasted after harvest. The flavors are brisk, delineated and pulsing with energy, while the more oxidative notes that are such a signature of Krug Champagnes are not especially evident. A wine of total pedigree and class, the 164 reminds me of some of the great Grand Cuvées of the 1960s and 1970s I have been lucky to taste over the years. No Champagne lover will want to be without this spectacular, captivating wine. All that said, readers should be patient, as the 164 is painfully young, austere and in need of serious cellaring. (Drink between 2027-2047)

oysters on the half shell, passionfruit emulsion. These were nice. Bright flavors from the sauce. It pretty much hid the oyster flavor (retaining the texture) but was still good.

hokkaido scallops, coconut vinaigrette, crispy ginger, coriander. Sauce was great. Bright flavors here.

baja kanpachi, radish kimchi, shiso, kohlrabi. This dish missed a little. It wasn’t bad in any way, but was mild flavored and the sauce VERY mild. I couldn’t really taste that much shiso (which I love).

NV Krug Champagne Brut Rosé Edition 21eme. JG95+. 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)

beef tartare, sesame, egg yolk jam, kochukaru. Very nice beef tartar. Interesting “thick textured” shrimp toast. Went well though as it’s mild, and added some good crunch.

tom yum onion, coconut dip. Like an awesome blossom with a kind of Thai-flavored coconut dip.

tamarind glazed carrots, toasted coconut, carrot top emulsion. Good for carrots.

sunchokes, strawberry molé, seeded granola. Can’t really remember very well.

1995 Domaine Anne Gros Clos Vougeot Le Grand Maupertui. VM 92. Deep red-ruby. Extravagantly rich aromas of blackcurrant, pepper, smoke and tar. Large-scaled, deep and very sweet; explosively fruity and impressively tactile. Chewy tannins are buried under a wave of finishing fruit. A knockout Clos Vougeot truly worthy of its grand cru status.

koshihikari rice congee, xo, pork floss, onsen egg. We mixed this all up. It was one of the best dishes with both a homey carby quality and a delicious umami flavor from all that goodness including the XO sauce.

squid ink bucatini, cuttlefish bolognese, gochujang. Always love this kind of seafood / ragu type pasta.

lasagna, pork ragu, tofu cream, prickly ash. Very interesting light delicate texture made from many layers of wonton wrapper pastry! Quite nice, but we needed two of them and they closed the kitchen on us early and wouldn’t give us any more (more on that later).

Erick brought: 1996 Domaine Robert Groffier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses. VM 93+. Saturated ruby-red. Supersweet aromas of raspberry, currant, graphite and sweet oak, plus an exotic suggestion of citrus fruit. Silky and sweet, if rather unforthcoming in the middle palate; offers great concentration and a near perfect sugar/acid balance. Firm tannins are covered by fruit. Great whiplash of a finish. This has considerable early appeal but will be even better after seven or eight years of additional bottle aging.

prawn toast, cantonese curry. Really good. Nice firm texture to the “toast” and great curry sauce.

szechuan hot quail, japanese milk bread, house pickles. This is a variant of the fried chicken bits in piles of aromatic chilies — the classic Szechuan dish that I order all the time. Nice, with moist larger meat and a good bit of heat. Although I would have liked the giant chili pile. I probably enjoy a great version of the classic slightly better — partially because it’s bigger!

coconut mousse, lime coconut granita, pineapple, nata de coco.

Check out inside. The faint white cubes were coconut jelly. The mouse is the white, the green the lime, and the pineapple inside. Weirdly deconstructed but absolutely fabulous flavors. Great, great dessert. Refreshing too.

guava, cream cheese, white chocolate. You break the (white chocolate) top. The guava and cream-cheese are below. Nice too.

almond sorbet, tangerine ice. Also really nice and refreshing. Interesting textures with the soft chocolate-textured sorbet rings and then the ice underneath.

silkened tofu, rhubarb, shiso, basil seeds. The weirdest of the 4 weird desserts, but tasty too.

I have to say that the desserts were excellent. But they aren’t a balanced set as all 4 were frozen, and sort of light fruits. All very refreshing but nothing in the cakey/bready or chocolate families. All technically very interesting though, and individually delicious with great texture factor.

Tonight’s crew, minus me.

Overall, this was a great meal. Often these small Foodie Club affairs are more enjoyable than large format dinners. We had a good little crew, ordered everything at the restaurant (minus the pre-orders, more on that below), brought excellent wines, and had a fabulous time.

Food was very good. I like that it’s upscale fusion with Chinese (and some other Asian) influences but not just special plated forms of Chinese dishes. Many dishes were very good: onion, scallops, tartare, congee, shrimp toast, pasta, lasagna, quail. That’s a high percentage! They weren’t super big and even with all that (the complete menu) for 4 people we could have eaten a couple more (more on that below).

Desserts were EXCELLENT. Really good. But not a wide ranging set. All too similar in form and profile. They need some chocolate etc.

Which brings me to a couple service points: Server was friendly, but there was some confusion going on (they are very new) and they weren’t super attentive. They did (mostly) follow my instructions of bringing the dishes one at a time. We also asked about 2/3 through to double up some of the courses that were ALREADY COMING (some time away, not anywhere near done) and they told us the kitchen was closed. But they never warned us about “last call”, and we could see the guys working in the kitchen making dishes. There was no cleaning up going on. And our remaining savory dishes kept on coming for 20-30 more minutes. So they easily could have done it. They hadn’t closed up. This is an example of not putting the customer first. Not that we went hungry, but we were peeved. Not a good thing for a restaurant. I’m still a bit peeved 3 weeks later!

Also, we kept seeing these really awesome looking big duck and steak dishes. We asked before we ordered and were told they are pre-order. But it’s not even mentioned on the menu (and we looked online) so how were we to know? They ought to list them like Majordomo does. We would have liked the larger dishes and they were needed on this menu that barely has formal mains — and no red meats (other than the tartare).

We handled the wine service (opening and pouring) but they let us open four bottles (and they pocketed the corkage, good deal by them but as long as there isn’t an enforced bottle limit I’m fine with it).

For more LA dining reviews click here.

For more crazy Foodie Club dinners, click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Arts District, Asian Fusion, Chinese cuisine, Chinese Fusion, DTLA, Foodie Club, Nightshade, Wine

Thirds at Majordomo

Mar22

Restaurant: Majordomo [1, 2, 3]

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

Date: February 28, 2019

Cuisine: Korean Fusion

Rating: Big dishes amazing

It’s with gigantic expectation that NY restaurateur David Chang opened his first LA outpost last year and since then it’s become a regular foodie and wine destination among my friends. Tonight 6 of us core Foodie Club guys head on out for another great evening.

Looking on the map, I was pretty skeptical of the weird between Chinatown and Dodger’s Stadium location — a totally annoying spot for me to get to during traffic! Two brutal hours!

The area is extremely warehousey, much like the “Arts District” but even newer. This particular time, dropping off at night, we joked about our life expectancy.

The have a sort of hipster city built down here out of old warehouses.

With lots of bespoke graffiti.

And Majordomo, of course.

Which has a pretty big enclosed and outside space (which we ate in this third time). Have to say, the outside space was actually preferable. Less crowded and quieter.

As you can see.

Inside is one of those cavernous loud warehouse spaces.

Tonight’s menu.

From my cellar: 2007 Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne. VM 96. Taittinger’s 2007 Comtes de Champagne will be nearly impossible to resist upon release. Soaring aromatics, mid-weight structure and soft contours give the 2007 its alluring personality. Lemon oil, white flowers, mint, chamomile and green pear add brightness and freshness throughout, with a persistent, clean finish that makes it impossible to resist a second taste. Today, the 2007 comes across as a slightly more open version of the 2004, with freshness that makes that wine so appealing, and a touch of textural richness that recalls the 2002. Although the 2007 does not have the explosive energy or verticality of the profound 2006, it will drink better earlier. The 2007 has been positively brilliant on the three occasions I have tasted it so far.

Bing is this Korean bread thing. Pretty much like a thick crepe or pita bread. They have various “toppings” you can get with the bing.

We got some free shaved chilled poultry liver.

Spicy Lamb. The lamb was vaguely Greek/Turkish or something with the yogurt and the stewed meat quality. Yummy though. The eggs were more complex and pretty excellent. You mash it up a bit to get the roe, egg, chips etc on the bing. I put the ham on at the same time for max effect and it was very good.

Eggs & Smoked Roe bing. This was pretty excellent. You mash it up a bit to get the roe, egg, chips etc on the bing. I actually skipped the bing itself this time in a vain effort to avoid some carbs.

Jacob brought: 1996 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne. BH 93. A stunning nose that offer simply wonderful complexity leads to racy, pure, intense and mineral-laden flavors of real length. This is an elegant wine that will require many years to come together completely even from a regular 750 ml bottle. An extremely pretty wine and one of Latour’s best recent efforts with this wine. Mostly consistent notes though I should point out that another recent magnum seemed a bit thin on the mid-palate and while the essential character remained the same, it didn’t have the same buffering material that the wine described above did.

Fried Cauliflower. Fish sauce vinaigrette, red onion, cilantro. Cauliflower is the new Brussels Sprout. But I actually love the vegetable and particularly when paired with acid like this.

Stuffed Peppers. Benton’s sack sausage, buttermilk ranch. Hehe, I said sack. These are like Jalepeno poppers — sort of. Shishito poppers.

Fried Oxtail. Salsa seca, chili, peanuts. Very interesting and different dish. You gnaw the bone for the meat. Then it was covered with the breakfast granola-textured but vaguely Chinese flavored pile of goodness. Great texture too. Like spicy trail-mix.

Kirk brought: 2011 Sine Qua Non The Moment. VM 93. Bright yellow-gold. Ripe pear, creme brulee and candied ginger on the powerfully scented nose, with notes of anise and smoky lees adding complexity. Pliant but focused candied citrus and orchard fruit flavors gain weight with air, picking up a dried fig nuance. The pear and smoke notes carry through a smooth, palate-staining and strikingly long finish that shows surprising vivacity. This wine was raised in a combination of concrete eggs, new French oak, used barrels and stainless steel tanks.

agavin: Rhone style. Kirk likes to bring these.

Uni pasta special. Always amazing and a good pairing with the Rhone style wine.

Walker brought: 1998 Prunotto Barolo. VM 89. Moderately saturated medium red. Flinty aromas of marzipan, underbrush and violet. Fat, sweet and smooth; this is quite accessible already. Solidly structured wine with nicely buffered tannins. Still a bit youthfully aggressive but tasty right now.

agavin: sadly our bottle was gone.

Walker brought: 1971 Fratelli Revello Barolo. Nice and still in good shape.

Mafaldine. Dungeness crab, bread crumbs, lemon. Mafaldine twice in a week or two! This one had a less tripe-like texture. Blew my “no carbs” thing for the night (along with the uni and several other dishes).

Warm Raclette cheese. This was for some other dish but they just gave us some on the house!

Erick brought: 1996 Sylvain Cathiard Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts. BH 88. There is still enough wood to notice on the attractively spicy dark berry fruit nose that reflects moderate secondary development. There is good detail and vibrancy to the middle weight flavors that suffer from a slightly hole on the mid-palate before culminating in a mildly edgy if persistent finish. The edge to which I am referring is not astringent or excessively acidic yet there is clearly an element that is not as well-integrated as it might be. In sum, this is pretty enough but it lacks the concentration it needs to avoid its shortcomings.

agavin: sometimes Allen Meadows is insane. This wine was much better than 88, maybe like 93 (Burg 93).

From my cellar: 2003 Gros Frère et Sœur Grands-Echezeaux. BH 89-92. This too is very toasty but the spicy black fruit nose manages to transcend the wood and complements powerful, dense, borderline massive flavors of superb depth, all wrapped in dusty, firm and ripe tannins. This is a big wine and while it’s no model of elegance, one has to admire the muscle and sheer concentration. This will take its time coming around.

Roasted Duck Crispy Rice. Citrus, dates, turnips.

There was a kind of “jus” that was poured in.

Then it was all mixed up — amazing fried rice. Loved the egg in it too.

Smoked Cabbage. Brown butter, macadamia. We would have sworn that this excellent cabbage dish had bacon in it — but no, it was just the smoked factor — awesome!

Kirk brought: 1999 Cavallotto Barolo Riserva Bricco Boschis Vigna San Giuseppe. VM 95. A powerful, imposing brute, the 1999 Barolo Riserva Bricco Boschis Vigna San Giuseppe blasts across the palate with serious intensity. Next to the Vignolo, the San Giuseppe comes across as lacking finesse, but it is still super-impressive. Melted road tar, smoke, licorice, plums and black cherries race across the palate in a pulsating, tense Barolo that is all about structure. Readers who like virile, imposing Barolos will flip out over the 1999. Today, the only real competition comes from the Vignolo, Cavallotto’s other Riserva.

If you go, you must order this even though it’s very expensive! Whole Plate Short Rib (4-6 people). Smoked bone-in APL-style ribs. Served with beef rice, shiso rice paper, ssämjang & condiments.

The huge chunk of Texas style cow comes out on the cart with the stuff.

Lettuce wraps — yay, no carbs.

Rice paper for those who don’t mind.

Kimchee, pickled daikon, and a spicy Korean paste that is delicious and salty.

The “thin sliced” mode, which was amazingly flavorful. The fattier end cap slices which were to die for tender.

And the knaw on the bone for extra flavor bones.

And some of it goes back into the kitchen and emerges as beef fried rice — crazy good.

Jacob brought: NV Gosset Champagne Grand Rosé Brut.

They always have a shave ice (modernized Korean). This one had various exotic fruits and was light and delicious. Very refreshing.

A banana chocolate pudding. Not bad, even though I hate banana.

This time, no cake cutting fee for my BYOG. The staff loved it too!

Apricot Aperol Sorbetto – This is an old RnR favorite but I haven’t made it a while. Apricots from Avignon — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #sorbetto #apricot #aperol

Noce e Heath Gelato – trying out my new Northern Italian Walnut I decided it needed something else, and something sweet, so Heath bar seemed to fit the bill — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #walnut #noce #HeathBar #heath #toffee

Danish Lakrids Licorice Gelato – I haven’t made this in 2 years and wanted to update the recipe. Polarizing, but surprisingly addictive — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #lakrids licorice #LoveItOrHateIt

and a tiny bit of:

Strawberry Basil Hendrick’s Sorbetto – Strawberry and Hendrick’s Gin Sorbetto laced with Fresh Basil. Strawberries from Avignon — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #sorbetto #strawberry #basil #Hendricks #Gin #cocktail

The wine lineup.

Overall, we had a great time at Majordomo. You do need a decent sized party for the awesome large dishes and you need to preorder. One time, even when we got there at 6:45pm there were only 1 each of the beef and pork left!

The service and wine service were both spectacular. I was really surprised as these loud hipster places often don’t have good wine service but we were really taken care of and this added a lot to the evening. We had a great (large) table in the back corner of the patio and a huge unused table next to it for our gear, wines, etc. They were super attentive. Really unusually good service for this level.

The larger pre-order dishes like the rib and chicken are amazing and insane. Tonight the food seemed even better than the first time, even if we did have a lot of (delicious) carbs. Pastas and the fried rice were amazing too. Really liking everything about Majordomo other than the distance to get there.

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: bbq, BYOG, David Chang, DTLA, Foodie Club, Gelato, Majordomo, ribs, Wine

Bad Boys at Michael’s

Mar18

Restaurant: Michael’s on Naples [1, 2, 3, 4]

Location: 5620 E 2nd St. Long Beach, CA 90803. (562) 439-7080

Date: February 21, 2019

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: A top LA Italian

A couple years ago, we organized some Hedonist outings to Michael’s on Naples, rated on the Zagat list as #2 best restaurant in all Los Angeles. I co-organized this one with our fearless leader Yarom, myself, coordinating and designing the menu as well as ordering the wines. So many things sounded good that I came up with a 14 course extravaganza. The resulting Hedonistic Italian blowout ended up (with some alternates) as a total feast of great wine and food.

Michael’s is located on Naples Island, a bridge-connected island in Longbeach that looks so much like Florida they use it to film much of Dexter‘s Miami. During Fred’s recent visit the Foodie Club wanted to get together again with Orange County member, Kent — so we chose Michael’s this time as our southern destination.

Our special menu.

Fred brought (from Walker’s collection): 1959 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon. JK 96. Stunning, just stunning.

Stuzzichino. Pizzette. Grilled flat bread with mortadella, burrata, pistachios. This wasn’t my favorite. Maybe the texture of the dough.

Risotto. Carnaroli rice, Dungeness crab, lobster, bottarga, meyer lemon. I thought I’d absolutely love this, as I generally adore seafood risotto. It was good, with nice lobster/crab flavor, but was maybe a little mild. Maybe it needed to be creamier?

From my cellar: 1997 Domaine Leroy Corton-Renardes. VM 91-94. Deep ruby-red. Wild, superripe aromas of liqueur-like cherry, smoke and game. Very concentrated, ripe and smoky in the mouth; a voluminous wine that’s supersweet without being overripe. Real grand cru size and power. Intriguing torrefaction notes of mocha and coffee. Finishes extremely long, with firm tannins and a late burst of cherry. Wow!

Fred says: The wonderful Leroy spice nose just stuns. So perfect that the only critique is that it is too perfect and too Leroy. Easily the best Corton Renards I have had. In a really nice drink window right now. The plate is very dense and long but accessible. There is a hint if heat and volitility if you look hard enough and if you are comparing to Rousseau Chambertin. A stunner.

agavin: loved this wine, with tons of dried fruit.

Erick brought: 2000 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin. JG 96. The 2000 Rousseau Chambertin another majestic example of the vintage, and there cannot be too many 2000 reds that are in this same league. The deep and utterly classic nose soars from the glass in a blend of raspberries, cherries, clove-like spice tones, coffee, a touch of venison, cedary wood and that magically complex signature of Chambertin soil tones. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very complex, with a great, great core of fruit, exquisite focus and balance, seamless tannins and exceptional length and grip on the poised, elegant and powerful finish. A great example of Chambertin.

Fred says: Gosh these are drinking well now. Decanted for sediment this was initially a little too young next to the 97 Chambertin. However it also had more length and weight. With time that youthful awkwardness resolves and again becomes a delicious and caressing Chambertin. Just starting to enter it’s drinking window. Give this a good decant or 1-2 hours in the glass. Excellent.

agavin: this was great, but I thought the 97 slight more approachable right now.

Fred brought: 1997 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin. BH 91. Dense and richly fruited with copious black fruits trimmed in a deft touch of wood followed by round, intense, full-bodied flavors and fine persistence. This is not a great Chambertin by the lofty Rousseau standards but there is plenty of wine here, not to mention excellent richness and length. It is approaching peaking drinkability though it should hold here for at least a decade. Consistent notes.

Fred says: Very much Chambertin in the nose with earth and meat aromas. On the palate dried cranberry and tart cherry fruit with a hint of sous bois. This started out wonderful then went into an awkward acidic inbalanced phase only to emerge balanced with those harsh edges disappearing 2 hours later. A wonderful wine up against some tough competition in field of Jayer, Truchot, and 00 Rousseau Chambertin.

Agnolotti. Pasta filled with braised beef cheeks, veal reduction, sage bread crumbs. Excellent and meaty. Could have maybe used more butter flavor — and more agnolotti!

Kent brought: 1987 Henri Jayer Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaumonts. Fred says: Served double blind. The weightlessness and purity was apparent and striking. A very classy wine with just a little spice and hint of meat aromas. The hint was that it was a lighter vintage. I guess 88. Having only had Jayer one other time I dare not be so bold to think it could be another. But it was. A wonderful treat. Not as clean as the 88 Jayer Beaumonts that I had a few months ago but the weightlessness and purity of that rises above a field of Rousseau Chambertin is quite remarkable. These wines are really about length and complexity without weight. WOTN tonight.

agavin: probably my favorite wine was well. Fully mature, tons of dried fruits, great depth.

Kent brought: 2000 Domaine Truchot-Martin Clos de la Roche. JG 95. I had not tasted the 2000 Truchot Clos de la Roche in several years, as I bought more Charmes for my own cellar, and I was quite surprised to see how beautifully the Clos de la Roche is drinking today, as my bottles of Charmes (after a long and glorious period of generosity) have currently closed down again for a bit of hibernation. However, this is not the case with the 2000 Clos de la Roche, which is at its zenith and offers up a stunningly expressive nose of cherries, beetroot, mustard seed, roasted venison, a beautifully complex base of soil, woodsmoke and just a touch of new wood. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, complex and in full bloom, with a gorgeous core of fruit, glorious soil inflection, modest tannins and a very, very long, focused and tangy finish. Just a great bottle of Clos de la Roche that should continue to cruise along for decades, but is now fully into its plateau of peak maturity. A stunning wine.

Fred says: Served blind. Intense spice and sweetness on the nose. So much so I thought it must be a producer that included stems. Dusty in color, the palate was sweet and silky but with plenty of length. Truchot critics need not worry about this being too light. A wonderful wine and second only to the Jayer tonight.

Umbrian black truffles!

Malfaldine con funghi e tartufo nero. I hadn’t had this tripe-textured pasta shape before, or at least not by name and now I’ve had it twice recently.

Really great texture though and amazing pasta with the truffles. Cream and truffles, yum!

Quaglie. California quail, black lentils, heirloom carrots, apple salad.

Anatra (duck).

Anatra. Whole liberty farm duck, farrotto, butternut squash, baby broccoli. Excellent duck. Farro was pleasant and grainy.

Panforte. Chocolate cake, candied citrus, honey mascarpone whip. Dry (and very Italian) but quite delicious.
Butterscotch Butterscotch Caramel Popcorn Gelato – I made my rediculously decadant homemade butterscotch, crafted a gelato from it, layered it in, and added caramel popcornjust because I could! — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — oh my! — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #IceCream #NomNom #dessert #butterscotch #vanilla #popcorn #CaramelCorn #sauce #sweet!

Salty Peanut Fudge Reese’s Gelato – Salty Chunky Peanut Base with homemade Valrhona Chocolate Fudge Ribbon and mini Reese’s Peanutbutter Cups! — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — oh my! — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #IceCream #NomNom #dessert #peanut #salty #reeses #peanutbuttercup #fudge #Valrhona

Food: Execution was excellent with some dishes being stellar: duck, pastas, and the rest being just “very good.” This is very interesting modern “fancy Italian”. Some of the best in the city, but a few dishes could use more “yum.”

Wine: We had an incredible array of wines. We had incredible luck as every wine was in great shape — even the 1959 Champagne! The reds were just amazing, particular for me the 87 Jayer, 97 Leroy and 97 Rousseau.

Service: The staff did a fabulous job. At first we had a chilly table on the roof deck, but they were very nice about relocating us downstairs to a great table with tons of room. The owner came by at the end and we were chatty and sharing some wines. Plus, he loved my gelatti.

Value: Tremendous. This was just fabulous value — partially for not being in LA proper — particularly given the level of service and the lack of corkage. Bravo!

But it is FAR AWAY. haha.

For more LA dining reviews click here,

or more crazy Foodie Club dinners here!

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BYOG, Foodie Club, Gelato, Italian cuisine, Leroy, Michael's on Naples, pasta, Red Burgundy, Rousseau, Truffle

Coche vs d’Auvenay at Melisse

Mar13

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

Location: 1104 Wilshire Blvd.Santa Monica, CA 90401. (310) 395-0881

Date: February 20, 2019

Cuisine: California French

Rating: Great finish

With Foodie Club champ Fred in town the core gang of Erick, myself, Fred got together with Liz for a final meal at Melisse, one of LA’s too remaining Michelin type restaurants — closing any day now sadly and reinventing itself. Liz “twisted our arms” to step up to the rather heroic standard of Coche and d’Auvenay 1re crus. woah!

Not only is the food at Melisse great but I always enjoyed the super close Santa Monica location.

Tonight we got the “10” menu plus the truffle pasta + the special preorder chicken.

2005 Jacques Selosse Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Millésimé. 94 points. Jumping right out of the glass with notes of top quality vanilla bean, chalk, white flowers, citrus, honey, and many other things. It’s super tense, high-toned, explosive, with razor-sharp acidity and perfect mousse. EXcellent length. A superb combination of richness, excellent tension and mineral salinity. There is a certain sweetness of fruit too. I really love this.

agavin: we bought this lovely champagne off the list to save on a corkage — although it was pricey enough that I’m not sure it was a save, even if great.

Melisse always has great bread.

Erick brought: 2003 Domaine d’Auvenay (Lalou Bize-Leroy) Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières. 96 Points. Fred’s notes: Coche vs d’Auvenay night. Tasted single blind. This was beautiful from the beginning. Very light in color and wonderfully floral. No hint of heaviness or heat. I thought it could have been the 04. The fruit is ripe but not heavy. This was unchanged in its beauty for the entire 4 hours. The floral perfume is just intoxicating. Remarkable for the vintage and tied with the 95 Coche MP and the 00 Coche Caillerets for my WOTN.

agavin: This and the 95 (below) were my favorites.

Fred brought: 2004 Domaine d’Auvenay (Lalou Bize-Leroy) Meursault 1er Cru Gouttes d’Or. BH 93. Like the 2005 version (see herein) this is relatively strongly reduced though in this case it’s possible to see some maturing notes underneath the reductive funk. There is a good deal of petrol character on the impressively dense and intense flavors that possess a seductively textured mid-palate before culminating in a citrusy and ever-so-slightly dry finish that doesn’t really affect the persistence as much as it slightly compromises the overall sense of balance. While this could certainly be drunk now for my taste I would advise holding it for a few more years first. Note too that I would strongly advise decanting this first as help alleviate the reduction.

Fred’s Notes: Very rich and honeyed. There is some lemon acidity but this is more advanced than it should have been. Followed it through for 4 hours in the hopes it would improve but it did not. Drinkable but not what it should have been. Possibly heat damaged.

agavin: Fred, always the mensch, opened his backup

Liz, generous as always brought: 1995 Coche-Dury Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. BH 94. A killer nose of absolutely stunning complexity and incredible elegance, especially for the vintage is followed by precise, pure and delineated middle weight flavors that offer plenty of sappy and generous Meursault character and a crisp, intense and utterly mineral-driven finish. This is impressively harmonious, strikingly long and while there is a trace of finishing warmth, this remains a marvelous effort. I have tasted this wine many times over the years and the last few bottles are starting to lose a bit of freshness and thus I would be drinking up over the next few years. To be sure, there is no rush but unless you like very well-aged aromas and flavors, there is no reason to wait any longer.

Fred’s notes: Coche vs d’Auvenay night. Tasted single blind it had so much reduction and richness I was sure it was a d’Auvenay. It then when through a grumpy phase where it was not giving up much. After 2 hours it really blossomed and the richness was replaced by floral perfume and a wonderful ethereal quality. This needed time to unfurl and when it did it became one of my favorites of the night.

agavin: loved it. a little closed at first, but opened to be gorgeous after some time.

Fred’s backup: 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.

Fred’s notes: Coche vs d’Auvenay night. This was wicked good right out of the gate. Much lighter weight than the others and in consummate balance between fruit, acid, and the Coche profile. A long finish. Some thought it was better than the 95 Coche MP and 03 d’Auvenay Folatieres. For me it was too close to call with each wine showing a little something different.

agavin: very good, and really singing.

From my cellar: 2002 Coche-Dury Meursault 1er Cru Caillerets. BH 93. There is a hint of mineral reduction on the otherwise wonderfully fresh, complex and cool nose of mostly acacia blossom and pear scents. I very much like the detail and sense of underlying tension to the mineral-driven middle weight flavors that possess a lightly saline character on the balanced, long and strikingly harmonious finish. While this is sufficiently close to its peak that it could certainly be enjoyed now with much pleasure, I would suggest holding it for another 2 to 4 years first if you want to try the ’02 Caillerets at its apogee.

Fred’s notes: Similar to the note below from Burgundy Al this was muted. With time a faint hint of cork emerged not enough to be obvious on the nose but enough to render it flat

agavin: very flat. I really couldn’t smell/taste the cork, but it was certainly flat, and much much lamer than the other two Caillerets. Sad. Very sad. Opened my backup (the 11).

Backup from my cellar: 2011 Coche-Dury Meursault 1er Cru Caillerets. 94 points. Pale, bright yellow. Peach and spicy oak on the nose. Sweet, fleshy and rather opulent, with a fine-grained texture and superb concentration. Very ripe but refined wine. Coche told me these vines suffered in the late June heat spike, but I don’t find the wine obviously marked by heat. Aged in 30% new oak.

Fred’s notes: Some lime and sweet tart notes to start. That profile starts to blow off to reveal a remarkable wine of elegance and acidity. Very young and give these another 10 years.

agavin: very tart, sweet tarts ground in, but lovely. Young!

An opening cocktail? Or juice. Hard to tell.

Some kind of very bright punchy fruit flavor.

Hawaiian Kanpachi. Sorrel panna cotta, hass avocado, radish and yuzu. Very nice bright starter. A unique take on the “tuna and avocado” thing. Loved the panna cotta and the yuzu.

Potato Leek Soup. Crisp Oyster, Preserved red onion. Fine and creamy, if not the most exciting dish of the night.

Egg Caviar. Soft poached egg, smoked lemon creme fraiche, golden ostera caviar. I’ve had this nearly every time I’ve been to Melisse. Still love it. Hard to eat neatly though.

Wagyu Beef Tartare. Charred leek, sunflower, capers and black garlic. Really great tartare with interesting crispy and leafy texture and great flavor.

Toast and chicharrones for the tartare. Chicharrones are perfect for me, less carbs, more fat and flavor!

Dungeness Crab and Geoduck Clam. Sisho and kefir lime infused custard, nori dashi. Very light Chawanmushi-style dish with extremely Japanese flavors. There has been strong Japanese influence at Melisse for some time.

Stonington Maine Diver Scallop. Diver Tim Robbins, FV Nilly Willy, Blue Hill Me. Young leeks, Brussels sprouts, fermented black beans, pomelo and mussel jus. A fine dish, but I don’t adore scallops in this kind of prep. I prefer them raw with yuzu!

Wild mushroom risotto. Aged acquerello rice, shaved perigord truffles.

Here with the truffles. Fabulous dish. Expensive supplement (maybe $85) but fabulous.

Black Bass “En Ecailles”. Salsify, fava beans, morel mushrooms, parsely and green garlic. Tasty white fish, but the scales give me the willies as always. Trypophobia!

21 Day Aged Liberty Duck. Salsify, bloomsdale spinach and procini. Very aged — tasty meat though.

We ordered special the Poulet Roti. It comes table-side like this.

Poulet Roti. Potato Mousseline, sunchocke, chanterelle, black truffle. Really nice chicken. Maybe not as great as the chicken baked with straw I had here once or twice, but great.

And bonus legs.

And they served this chicken and truffle salad. Best “chicken salad” I’ve ever had by an order of magnitude.

Camembert. Perigord truffles. We screwed up and forgot to tell them we wanted the cheese cart and not a fixed “cheese course” like this. It was fine, but nowhere near as good as the cart — and you can barely find the cart anywhere nowadays.

Red Velvet. Cream cheese tres leches, red beet and rose geranium.

With the sauce. Beautiful and tasty. Reminds me I have to make red velvet gelato again — been two years!

Lisa Cherimoya. Cara cara, passion fruit, lemongrass and coconut. For me, this was like a perfect dessert. I love this kind of bright creamy passionfruit / coconut kind of thing.

Petit fours. The usual, cannelles, chocolates, pate de fruits, macarons.

Mint tea. Unusual, but nice.

Erick.

Fred (He and Sebastian keep in the best shape of any Foodie Club guys).

Liz.

And me.

The full wine lineup.

Overall, another epic epic night.

Service at Melisse is first class. As is the food. Plenty of it, delicious, if rich. The price tag is a bit high and it’s not that surprising that they are transforming into something more casual and modern. Our dinner was about $800 a person! The set menu itself isn’t so bad, maybe $210, but add the truffle supplement, the chicken, the hefty corkage, the champagne and all the tax and tip and it really gets up there!

The somm is a friend and really on it. One of the best in town. Our wines were great, but our luck wasn’t as we had to open two backup with only 4 people and these aren’t exactly bargain basement vino. The 02 d’auvenay and 95 MP were the wines of the night — but everything (not flawed) was quite lovely. Paired perfectly with the food and we skipped the red meat (replaced it with the chicken) to highlight the white burg more.

The no flash thing (like many fine dining places) makes photography hard, but I was set with two tripods and my new 35mm 1.8 macro lens. A big improvement in quality but fussing with the tripod constantly makes it a lot more work.

Very fun evening.

For more LA dining reviews click here,

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

I brought some gelato for a bit of a parking lot tailgate (didn’t bring it into the restaurant).

Another new flavor, but continuing my Sicilian theme — Pistachio Almond Lemon Gelato — base made with a 50/50 blend of Pistachios from Bronte Sicily and Noto Almonds, plus Sicilian candied lemon! — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — oh my! — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #IceCream #NomNom #dessert #Pistachio #Almond #lemon #sicily

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Chef Josiah Citrin, Chicken, Coche Dury, d'Auvenay, Foodie Club, French Cuisine, Gelato, Melisse, Truffles, White Burgundy

Petrossian Party

Mar06

Restaurant: Petrossian Beverly Hills [1, 2, 3]

Location: 321 Robertson Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90048. (310) 271-6300

Date: February 8, 2019

Cuisine: Caviar +

Rating: Amazing night!

The birthdays of my good friends Erick and Liz fall on the same day, and so have seen some seriously epic dinners over the years like this and this.

For this year’s extravaganza, Liz organized things at Petrossian, which has incredible food, and very wine friendly. She’s friends with the manager.

Petrossian has been importing caviar for a long time.

They are located on Robertson.

And they gave us a good chunk of the dining room to ourselves.

We got a special menu, of course. Ordering off the menu here just isn’t the same, particularly with wines of THIS quality.

Liz even brought in our own Somm (standing at the far end of the table).

1971 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon Oenothèque. VM 97. One of the most pleasant surprises of the evening the 1971 Dom Pérignon Œnothèque (disgorged 2006) is superb. Powerful and vibrant on the palate, with tremendous freshness, the 1971 Œno exudes class. Lemon oil, almond and wild flowers give the wine its bright flavor profile, but it is the wine’s tension, energy and balance that are most remarkable on this evening.

agavin: OMG!

1988 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut (special 2016 release). VM 97. The 1988 Krug makes for a fabulous start. Tasted from a perfect bottle, the 1988 remains bright and focused, with all of the energy of this great vintage very much on display. Time has naturally softened some of the contours and added a good bit of nuance, but the 1988 Krug remains a Champagne of crystalline precision. I loved it.

1996 Dom Pérignon Champagne Oenothèque. BH 97. This remains one of my favorite all-time vintages of the Oenothèque series. An elegant if highly restrained nose displays cool nuances of green apple, a variety of citrus elements and discreet floral hints along with plenty of yeast character. There is superb precision to the equally cool and restrained middle weight flavors that dance across the palate thanks to the incredibly fine mousse that is at once firm but not aggressive on the notably dry but not really austere finale. I very much like the ’96 Oenothèque as it’s a wonderfully graceful effort that possesses impeccable balance and a refinement that it doesn’t always achieve. In terms of where it is in its evolution, ’96 is going to be one of those timeless vintages that will still be with us 30 years hence as I believe that it will continue to age effortlessly. For my taste this gorgeous effort has arrived at its peak though it should continue to hold here for years to come. In sum, this is flat out great and one of the greatest Champagnes of the modern era.

Caviar flight. To go with the Champagne, 10 different ultra premium caviars! An incomparable tasting.

Here is the list of caviars in case you are curious.

In the back, standing, Chris the manager explains the caviars.

I could have eaten about 6 “flights” :-).

2008 Domaine Michel Niellon Chevalier-Montrachet. BH 96. A strikingly complex nose that is ripe, pure and airy speaks elegantly of white flower, spice and subtle pear aromas that complement to perfection the rich and mouth coating flavors built on a base of fine minerality, all wrapped in a sappy and explosive finish that oozes dry extract. This is really a stunning effort in what has become a very long line of them for the 76 year old Michel Niellon.

2008 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Corton-Charlemagne Quintessence. Rare and delicious.

2000 Domaine Ramonet Chevalier-Montrachet. BH 95. Surprisingly, this is much more open, expressive and accessible than the Bienvenues and the sheer scale and wet mineral quality is dramatic and imposing. The focused, detailed, almost razor-sharp flavors possess astonishing levels of sappy extract and this both coats and stains the palate and the intensity is borderline painful. This is reference standard quality.

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.

agavin: OMG this was killer. Blasted out of the glass. MZ had brought this to Maude years ago and we couldn’t open it so he promised to bring it back another time — this was the time.

Langoustine Carpaccio. Blood orange, hazelnut, caviar. Another lovely dish — lobster AND caviar!

1996 Dom Pérignon Champagne Rosé P2. 95 points. Mostly berry, some apple and pear with textures that demand attention. Nuanced spice and energy on very long finish. So great now, with upside.

1993 Dom Pérignon Champagne Rosé Oenothèque. VM 96. One of the many surprises in this tasting, the 1993 Dom Pérignon Œnothèque Rosé is truly spectacular. Explosive, voluptuous and also quite tannic on the palate, the 1993 boasts superb density to match its powerful personality. Readers lucky enough to own the 1993 are in for a real treat. Unlike the 1995 or 1996 – both far more celebrated vintages – the 1993 has the balance to continue to improve in bottle. What a gorgeous wine this is. Disgorged 2011.

For the rose, Diver scallop en Croute. Bernaise, asparagus, black truffle. Sort of like lobster Wellington!

From my cellar: 1993 Domaine Jean Gros Richebourg. 95 points. I had always been under the impression that the 1987 vintage was the last truly great vintage for Jean Gros’ Richebourg, but the 1991, 1992 and 1993 all showed magnificently well (in the context of their respective vintages) at this tasting. The nose on the 1993 is delightful, and classic Jean Gros, soaring from the glass in a mélange of bacon fat, ripe plums, raspberry, grilled nuts, some meaty tones, earth and toasty new oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, urgent and focused, with outstanding intensity of flavor, a fine core of fruit, and a long, complex peacock’s tail of a finish. The tannins are ripe and well-integrated here, and the vintage’s tangy acids beautifully frame the wine. This is eminently drinkable already, but clearly more nuance and complexity will emerge as the wine ages further. This is a dynamite Richebourg in the making.

1971 Camille Giroud Charmes-Chambertin. BH 92. Warm, rich, complex and fully mature aromas lead to big, dense, still firmly tannic flavors that display incredible vibrancy and vigor for a 30+ year old Burgundy and the finish is long a satisfying. This is a very impressive effort and while it is no model of finesse, the density and freshness this exhibits is nothing short of remarkable. First rate and this has another 20 years of life, even though I would not expect it to improve from here. Consistent notes.

1990 Domaine Leroy Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Aux Combottes. 94 points. Leroy spice superimposed on Gevrey earth and mineral tones. This is a spectacular bottle. The fruit from the 90 vintage is still deep and persistent. Secondary notes of leather, smoke and salted plum is present. A bit of black tea and menthol notes. Pairs shockingly well with smoked pork shoulder. Still quite young and still improving.

Black truffle pasta. Parmesan, mushroom jus. Small but amazing. Perfect with red burg.

1996 Maison Leroy Charmes-Chambertin. 94 points. The aromas were very tight at first, with some reductive notes, but this opened up and got quite fresh. Some asperagus stems and slightly herbal. After two hours I swear I briefly smelled hamburger. Overall though, the aromas were elegant and soft, with all I can describe as an impressive presence in the glass. Very exuberant fruit on the palate! Impressive, really amazing and lushously fresh. Grippy tannins begin after 10 seconds in the mouth and it couldn’t be held on the tongue for much longer. This really does have a WOW palate that’s very pretty and so herbal. Really impressive fruit on the finish as well, with incredible length. Even a minute later I’m getting more evolving red berry fruits that are different. So sexy on the finish. Acid, minerality, bright and very grippy and tart. I think this was drinking nearly as good, if quite a bit differently, from the Latricières. This is an overall prettier wine, if not quite as deep. After two hours this thing got so grippy and tight, losing the fruit and becoming all structure.

1996 Domaine Leroy Clos Vougeot. 94 points. Red-ruby color. Highly aromatic nose of black cherry, herbs and licorice. Wonderful sweetness for young Clos Vougeot, and not at all hard. As expressive in the mouth as on the nose. Offers terrific snap and a firm structure; currently hiding considerable power under its fruit. Finishes with firm but ripe tannins. Much easier to taste than the ’95 was a year ago.

1996 Domaine Jacques Prieur Musigny. BH 94. This is quite deeply colored for a ’96 and evidences no bricking after 13 years. Perhaps the best part of this wine is the nose, which is warm, inviting, seductive and gorgeously complex with abundant spice notes and really lovely elegance though there is also much to be said for the rich and phenolically ripe flavors that coat the palate with velvet on the broad and surprisingly round finish. I say surprisingly because there was none of the typical ’96 edginess or green acidity and while this will certainly continue to hold, I would be drinking this now and over the next ten years. An excellent wine in the context of a variable vintage.

A5 Wagyu Tenderloin. Bone marrow, charred pickled onion, beef tendon croquette.

From my cellar: 1989 Château d’Yquem. VM 97. Laid-back, extremely young aromas of honey, creme caramel, smoke and earth; essence of semillon. Rich, large-scaled and powerful; really expands in the mouth. Lovely harmonious acidity and bright notes of orange peel and minerals give this very youthful wine great clarity of flavor. Classy and impeccably balanced. The subtle, oak-spicy, nutty finish goes on and on. Conveys an almost saline impression of extract. This should approach peak drinkability within the next eight to ten years and last for decades.

agavin: perfect paring with…

Seared Foie Gras. Kumquat, st Germain Gastrique. The forbidden fruit is twice as sweet! This was one of my favorite foie preps as of late. Really great textural interplay.

Cheese selection with nut brittle.

Bread and crackers for the cheese.

Another new flavor, but continuing my Sicilian theme — Pistachio Almond Lemon Gelato — base made with a 50/50 blend of Pistachios from Bronte Sicily and Noto Almonds, plus Sicilian candied lemon! — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — oh my! — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #IceCream #NomNom #dessert #Pistachio #Almond #lemon #sicily

By special Liz’s birthday request — Gorgonzola Fig Walnut Gelato — Gorgonzola Dulce base with Fig Jam and Candied Walnuts! — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — oh my! — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #IceCream #NomNom #dessert #gorgonzola #fig #walnut #SavorySweet

The wine lineup.

Dressed to impress and below a rare MZ sighting!

When Liz sets up a dinner, she really endeavors to get everything right.

Food was some of the best in town for wine tastings. Really light, fresh, and delectable.

Wines were just off the chart good at this dinner. Just blockbusters and nothing really flawed. For a moment, Kirk thought his 2008 Chevy was, but it blew off. Winners for me were the ’71 Dom ,the 2000 d’auvennary, the 93 Riche, and the 89 Y’quem (sweet tooth!). But so many great wines.

Service was great. Having our own Somm ensured that — and we had unique stems for everything. Petrossian really took care of us too.

Plus, this being a friends only dinner, as opposed to a winemaker dinner with a broader attendance base, meant the company was extra extra fun.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

For more Foodie Club dinners, click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BYOG, Caviar, Champagne, Foodie Club, Gelato, Liz Lee, Petrossian, Red Burgundy, Sage Society, White Burgundy

Still Cuts It

Mar01

Restaurant: Wolfgang Puck’s Cut [1, 2]

Location: 9500 Wilshire Blvd. Beverly Hills, California 90212. P: 310-276-8500

Date: February 1, 2019

Cuisine: Steak House

Rating: Top quality

It’s been since 2012 that the Foodie Club has been to Cut and so this year for Erick’s birthday we decided to hit it up again.

Cut is located inside the Beverly Wilshire Hotel (think Pretty Woman) and is Wolfgang Puck’s take on redefining the American Steak House. In this, it succeeds very well. While it adheres to the Steak House basics: slabs of beef served plain on the plate, Cut upgrades things in a number of ways. But we’ll get to this in good time.

Fancy cars in the causeway.

They don’t build ’em like they used to!

We were early and had this view for half an hour while waiting to sit.

The dining room looks light in this photograph but it wasn’t! And they didn’t allow flash, so the photography was challenging to say the least. I had to shoot mostly wide open at 1.8 and so depth of field is tiny.

The current menu.

Erick brought as bonus: 2012 Georges Laval Champagne Les Hautes Chevres. VM 94. Laval’s 2012 Brut Nature Les Hautes-Chèvres, 100% Pinot Meunier, is a dense, powerful wine. The old-vine gravitas of this site, planted between 1930 and 1971, comes through loud and clear in the wine’s ample frame. Dense, powerful and broad on the palate, the 2012 is all class. Dried pear, hazelnut, smoke and dried herbs add tons of complexity. The finish is substantial and intense in all of its dimensions.

Cheesy puffs as an amuse.

Smoked Burrata Cheese. Oro Blanco, Cara Cara Oranges, Tangerines, Charred Fennel. Everyone has a burrata salad but this was a good one — what you can see if it in focus. Colorful, and the combination of greens, cheese, and citrus was nice.

Sea Urchin. Horseradish custard, dungeness crab, bergamont vinegar, avocado. This was more crab than uni by a long shot but was delicious.

And sadly you really can’t see much at this depth of field.

Bread sticks and pretzel bread. I love good pretzel bread.

Wine service started off a touch slow, but was very good, and they have us our own sidecar table and multiple decanters.

Speaking of the wine, Seb convinced us beforehand to coordinate a 4 bottle mini vertical of Château Léoville Las Cases. He, Erick, and I brought them and I swapped an extra one with Erick’s friend Sijie Xiang — who brought me an excellent non-LLC bottle of Bordeaux in exchange.

From my cellar: 1985 Château Léoville Las Cases. VM 96. The 1985 Léoville Las-Cases is quite simply one of the finest Saint-Julien wines of the decade and over a dozen encounters have reaffirmed this as the most pleasurable Las-Cases ever made. This is a stupendous bottle, perhaps the best that I have ever encountered. It has a brilliantly defined bouquet that soars from the glass: red berry fruit, crushed stone, pressed flower, a hint of blood orange and woodland aromas. You could nose this all day. The palate is medium-bodied with the depth and structure one expects from this Second Growth. But what the 1985 has in spades, a virtue not always found at this address, is charm. Silky smooth in texture, the pure red fruit seduces the sense with a shimmering sense of energy on the finish. It is drinking now after three decades and based on this showing could give another three before it declines.

agavin: awesome bottle and WOTN

From my cellar (for Sijie Xiang): 1989 Château Léoville Las Cases. JK 93. A gorgeous, perfectly mature LB Bordeaux. Concentrated with mature, complex fruit and loaded with secondary and tertiary notes of aged cedar, dried tobacco leafs and bell pepper. Elegant with a leanness that doesn’t compromise forward, fleshy fruit. Can hold but really no reason to hold — drink now and enjoy a great, mature Bordeaux.

agavin: very good too, and smooth, but not as powerful or complex as the 1985.

Bluefin Tuna Toro. Smoked Soy Sauce, pickled daikon radish, apple sorrel. We didn’t get much each, but what we did was a lovely sashimi-like bite.

Prime Sirloin Steak Tartare. Herb aioli, grilled sourdough, shallots, dijon mustard. We mixed it all up, including the quail egg. Delicious tartar — really good. Right balance of tangy, meat, pepper etc.

Erick brought: 1995 Château Léoville Las Cases. VM 94+. Deep ruby-red. Deep, lively aromas of red- and blackcurrants, licorice, tobacco and grilled nuts. Great sweetness and silky texture in the mouth currently overshadows the wine strong supporting acidity and tight core of spice and minerals. The toothcoating tannins don’t cover as much of the mouth as those of the ’96 do, but this wine offers uncanny length.

Seb brought (decanted way in advance): 2005 Château Léoville Las Cases. VM 98. A wine for the ages, the 2005 Léoville Las Cases is slow to come out of the gate, but its beauty and pedigree are evident. The 2005 Las Cases is one of the only wines in this tasting that still needs time in bottle, something that won’t come as a surprise to fans of this St. Julien estate. The 2005 offers plenty of the typical Las Cases power, but it is also remarkably nuanced and translucent for a wine of its sheer size. When all is said and done, it is in my top three or four wines of the night.

agavin: the powerhouse monster of the night. Amazing wine and good thing Seb decanted it early that day.

A duo of Snake River Farms Filet Mignon and Nebraska Dry Aged 36 Day Petite Cut New York.

On the side there was some Cavatappi Pasta “Mac & Cheese” with Quebec cheddar. We also ordered Soft Polenta with Parmigiano Reggiano but it was gone faster than I could photo it (given the low light and the fact that I was using a tripod).

A set of sauces including Red Wine Bordelaise, House Made Steak Sauce, and a couple others. I like extra flavor so I’m a sauce guy.

Cauliflower, vadouvan, coconut, curry leaves. Nice interesting veggie.

Celery Root, salsify, carrots, wildflower honey.

Wild Field Mushrooms, shishito peppers, mirin, yuzu. Loves this version of the sautéed mushrooms. The shishitos were great.

The dessert menu.

Baked Alaska. Tangerine Sherbet, Vanilla Gelato, Buttermilk White Chocolate Cake, Candied Kumquats.

They light it on fire in the traditional manner.

Wow this was a great dessert, one of the best baked alaska versions I’ve tasted. Nice hot and cold and texture variance going on.

Orange Honey Nougat Glace. Passion Fruit Granita, lemon yuzu curd, winter citrus. Another dessert winner as it had all those tart flavors.

And for Erick’s birthday: BCP. Caramelized banana, tahitian vanilla custard, puff pastry, banana sorbet, salted caramel sauce. I assume BCP stands for Banana Custard Pastry. It was enough in control banana-wise that I could try it.

The full wine lineup.

Overall, Cut is very very good, if a little expensive. It does succeed in taking the Steak House format and shaking it up a bit, elevating the ingredients and presentation, etc. Partly by offering unusual cuts of beef, partly by having newer more modern appetizers and sides. Execution is very good. Service is very good. It isn’t as over the top as Mastro’s. Not that Cut is lightest meal ever, but I definitely felt less “bombed” than at some other steakhouses, which was nice. Maybe they use less butter. Cut is probably the best Steakhouse in LA, maybe tied with Alexanders on a good night.

More Foodie Club extravaganzas here.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Beverly Hills, Bordeaux, Château Léoville Las Cases, Cut, Dessert, Foodie Club, Leoville Las Cases, Steak, steakhouse, Uni, Wagyū, Wine, Wolfgang Puck

LQ Truffles 2018

Dec28

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

Location: Near Pasadena

Date: November 15, 2018

Cuisine: Modern French

Rating: Truffles!

Six and a half years ago Foodie Club co-organizer Erick and I put together one of our more legendary dinners, the Bistro LQ Trufflumpagus. Ever since then we periodically trek out to visit our friend Chef Laurent for some kind of extravaganza — and tonight we repeat (with changes) for our now more or less anual Trufflefest 2018 edition — plus tons of other goodies.

Chef Laurent Quenioux grew up in Sologne, France, where he developed a passion for food. As a young boy, Quenioux and his father would hunt duck, partridge, and rabbit. Then, he and his mother would prepare her favorite recipes in the kitchen. Eventually, Quenioux left home to embark on an apprenticeship where he trained in some of Europe’s finest kitchens. Quenioux spent time at Maxim’s, Bistro De Paris and La Ciboulette in Paris, before moving on to Negresco in Nice and LaBonne Auberge in Antibe.

In the early 1980s, Quenioux made a move to the United States with a team from L‘Oasis at La Napoule to open The Regency Club in Los Angeles. In 1985, he introduced the celebrated and award-winning 7th Street Bistro in downtown Los Angeles. In the early 2000s, Quenioux debuted the cozy Bistro K in Pasadena and in 2009, Bistro LQ in Beverly Hills. At Bistro LQ, Quenioux set new standards for cuisine in Southern California with his Farmer’s Market-driven kitchen and an emphasis on value and fun.

Tonight, as it’s “winter” (what passes for winter here in LA), we are back in Laurent’s lovely front room.

Big gang of 15 or so.

Tonight’s special menu, produced by Foodie Club co-chair Erick.

From my cellar: 2007 Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne. VM 96. Taittinger’s 2007 Comtes de Champagne will be nearly impossible to resist upon release. Soaring aromatics, mid-weight structure and soft contours give the 2007 its alluring personality. Lemon oil, white flowers, mint, chamomile and green pear add brightness and freshness throughout, with a persistent, clean finish that makes it impossible to resist a second taste. Today, the 2007 comes across as a slightly more open version of the 2004, with freshness that makes that wine so appealing, and a touch of textural richness that recalls the 2002. Although the 2007 does not have the explosive energy or verticality of the profound 2006, it will drink better earlier. The 2007 has been positively brilliant on the three occasions I have tasted it so far.

Bread with little butters, one “plain” salted and the other truffle.

Paul likes to serve his wines blind.

2010 Henri Boillot Corton-Charlemagne. VM 96+. Bright pale yellow. Extremely closed nose hints at gunflint and menthol. Dense and pure on entry, then as powerful as a solid in the middle, with explosive lift to the flavors of white pepper, mint and dusty stone. Expands with air to fill the mouth without giving any impression of weight. Finishes with a convincing saline tang and outstanding persistence. This has the structure of a top red Burgundy: I’d forget about it for at least eight years.

Chigoku, caviar de sologne. Radish, Fresh Yuzu, fingerling in duck fat, quail egg. This was a fabulous dish with Champagne. The caviar/oyster thing went together in a way that it doesn’t always — driven by the yuzu.

2002 Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne. VM 97. Taittinger’s 2002 Comtes de Champagne is a great way to kick things off. Rich, radiant and lush, with all of the exotic ripeness of the year in evidence, the 2002 Comtes delivers the goods. This bottle is perhaps a bit more forward than others have been, but it is nevertheless very fine.

Spiny Lobster, Dungeness Crab. Green apple, black olive, pinenuts pistachio vinaigrette, apple vinegar, finger lime. Another really good dish, if not quite as good as the oyster one.

2007 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. BH 95. Despite several years of bottle age, this remains backward, tight and not revealing much aromatically beyond wonderfully pure white flower, pear and spice aromas. The rich, full and strikingly powerful flavors possess superb depth of dry extract and huge length on the detailed, focused, beautifully balanced and penetrating finish that seems to be extracted directly from liquid rock. This very classy effort is a potentially great Perrières as everything necessary is here and this should age extremely well. The word Zen comes to mind.

2011 Domaine Roulot Meursault Les Tessons Clos de Mon Plaisir. VM 92. A statuesque Burgundy, the 2011 Meursault Les Tessons Clos de Mon Plaisir is all class. Nothing in particular stands out, so impeccable is the wine’s balance. The depth and intensity of the fruit is apparent, but readers will have to give the 2011 at least another year or two before the elements start to truly come together. The 2011 is impressive for its depth and stuffing.

Live Spot Prawn. Corn pancake, Vacherin cheese, walnuts, chanterelles, endives.

From my cellar: 1985 Nicolas Potel Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes. BH 91. A very fresh yet mature nose of citrus, white flower and lightly toasted nut aromas combines with round and vibrant middle weight flavors that possess a seductive and rich mouth feel, all wrapped in a sappy and mouth coating finish. This is really a lovely effort with complexity and ample finishing punch and is a wine that will continue to hold well if not improve.

Ron brought: NV Krug Champagne Brut Rosé. BH 94. Medium rosé hue. A cool, restrained and highly complex nose that is not especially fruity displays a moderate yeast character along with slightly exotic aromas of mandarin orange and Asian tea, all wrapped in an enveloping array of beguiling rose petal scents. There is very good richness with a relatively firm supporting mousse that adds to the impression of richness to the superbly complex and highly textured flavors, indeed one could aptly describe this as more wine that Champagne. As such this is indeed a sumptuous Krug rosé that is difficult to resist already though it should reward extended keeping if desired. As I noted in the original 750 ml review, that while I am not always wowed by the Krug Rosé, this latest incarnation in magnum is strikingly good.

Uni. Sea Urcin Creme Brulee. This was a controversial dish. The lower custard layer was actually a creme brulee custard made from uni. I loved it, and the texture was perfect, but some people thought it was a bit sweet — it was — but this doesn’t bother me and in fact I enjoyed the sweet and briney thing.

Wild Turbot. Squid ink tuille, truffle sabayon, fennel. LQ always does a great job with turbot.

2008 Marquis de Laguiche (Joseph Drouhin) Montrachet. BH 93-96. A perfumed and simply knock-out nose features highly perfumed notes of honeysuckle, acacia blossom, sandalwood and yellow orchard fruit aromas that give way to powerful, rich and dense full-bodied flavors that possess obvious muscle and simply huge length on the overtly austere, deep and palate staining finish. This is a dazzling effort that will only add to the already immense reputation this wine enjoys but note that patience will be required.

2009 Remoissenet Père et Fils Montrachet Le Montrachet. VM 96. The 2009 Le Montrachet, from a parcel on the Chassagne side, is fabulous. Layers of exotic, tropical fruit flow effortlessly from this broad-shouldered, kaleidoscopic wine. There is plenty of freshness in the glass to support the fruit in this magical, captivating wine. I especially like the way this turns delicate, subtle and refined on the finish.

Monk Fish Cheeks. Pied de veau, ginger, water cress, ALF Tokyo turnips.

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.

2004 Morey-Blanc Corton-Charlemagne. BH 90-93. A reserved, indeed backward spicy green apple and white pear nose complements delineated but very rich flavors that display moderate wood on the big and weighty if not necessarily super dense finish that packs a serious punch and intensity. The length here is really impressive and the balance is such that this should age for 15 to possibly 20 years.

Petit gris Snails. ALF “Petit Gris.” Delicata Squash, parsley, garlic, tapioca, pomme paille. This was “interesting.” Some of the other stuff swamped the snails out.

1996 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques. VM 92. Good red-ruby. Altogether more vibrant, sexy nose combines cherry, plum, smoke, coffee, game and Cuban tobacco. Fleshy, round and elegant; a distinct step up in extract and volume. Really compelling sweetness of fruit. Very suave and very long on the finish, which features extremely fine tannins. A superb showing today.

Foie Gras lentil ragu. Sprouted lentils, pumpernickel croutons, quince. An amazing slab of foie.

1998 Alain Hudelot-Noellat Romanée St. Vivant. BH 94. Deep ruby. This is extremely floral with dried rose petal and violet notes that highlight the Oriental spice character of the nose that serves as a dramatic introduction to the sappy, delicious, extraordinarily complex and deep middle weight flavors that culminate in huge length. This is stylish, sexy and classy with superb finishing power and impeccable balance. A terrific effort and a consistent one as I have had no disappointing bottles.

2006 Domaine Anne Gros Richebourg. VM 94. Deep red, a bit less saturated than the Clos Vougeot. Sappy dark fruits, flowers and spices on the nose, complemented by an exotic suggestion of white peach. Suave and supple, seemingly more open-knit and easier to taste today than the Clos Vougeot, with exotic floral lift adding to its early appeal. As sappy as this is, it’s also quite sweet and pliant today. Broader than its stablemate but is it as fine?

Wood Pigeon. Date cumin puree, salsify, crosnes, parsnip, last of the season figs.

2005 Domaine Pierre Gelin Chambertin-Clos de Bèze. BH 93. Here the breed of a great grand cru shows as the nose is sheer class with an airy array of spice and layered aromas of red and blue fruit trimmed in a very gentle touch of oak. The supple, stylish and detailed flavors offer good depth and fine length, all supported by dense but fine tannins and really lovely depth. In a word, terrific.

2005 Bouchard Père et Fils Chambertin. VM 91-94. (this is the only Bouchard Gevrey grand cru from estate fruit?; 100% vendange entier Full ruby-red. Wild, complex aromas of red cherry liqueur, smoked meat, licorice and shoe polish, with a cool veggie nuance. Sweet and stylish but still quite reserved, even cool, with intriguing suggestions of gibiers and toasty oak. Still quite clenched on the back, finishing with building tannins. Classic austere Chambertin.

Lamb neck. Tarbais beans, Toulouse sausage, “Cassoulet Style”, duck confit. This was amazing!

1971 Cordero di Montezemolo Barolo Monfalletto.

Larry and a rare Trish sighting.

Scottish Pheasant. Confit leg stuffed cabbage, sautéed breast, Bourguignon, lardons.

1999 Soldera (Az. Agr. Case Basse) Brunello di Montalcino. VM 93. Today, the 1999 Brunello di Montalcino is simply gorgeous. Frankly, I am amazed (and delighted) at how it has come together. Sweet, floral and perfumed, the 1999 remains a relatively mid-weight wine by Soldera standards, but that just adds to immediacy and appeal. Stylistically, the 1999 is a delicate wine, but it has turned out far better than I ever thought it would.

1989 Château Montrose. JG 94. The 1989 Montrose may not be quite as deep as the 1990, but it is a purer wine of precise definition and classic proportions. The superb nose offers up a refined mélange of cassis, dark berries, cigar ash, gravelly soil tones, espresso, fresh herbs and cedar. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and shows off excellent mid-palate depth, with firm tannins, tangy acids and outstanding focus and grip on the very young, pristine and old school finish. Some may prefer the more overtly powerful style of the 1990 Montrose, but for me, though the two vintages are qualitatively equivalent, I prefer the superior transparency of the 1989.

From my cellar: 1989 Domenico Clerico Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra. VM 97. One of Domenico Clerico’s early masterpieces, 1989 Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra opens with a gorgeous, captivating bouquet of soy sauce, smoke, tobacco and cedar. The wine possesses sumptuous richness and beguiling inner perfume in an intensely powerful, mineral-driven style that coasts the palate in stunning style. I am not sure the tannins will fully soften here, but readers lucky enough to own this wine are in for a thrilling ride. This is stunning juice!

1989 Dante Rivetti Barbaresco Emprimer N.11.12.1 Cru Katia.

Flannery Beef Wagyu Rib Eye Cap. Confit onion jam, sweet potato mouseline, bourbon, porcini, colman mustard. Awesome meat!

We used an entire box!

2003 Château Rieussec. VM 92-95. Medium yellow-gold. Reticent but pure aromas of fruit salad, spices and vanilla, lifted by floral and mineral nuances. Wonderfully honeyed, fat fruit flavors are complemented by cinnamon, clove and nutmeg. The sexy oak treatment gives lift to the wine. A bit youthfully aggressive but very long on the back end, showing vanillin oak and a bit of warmth. But this one offers superb potential.

Pinku no Yuzu Sorbetto – Yuzu & Meyer Lemon Sorbetto with a touch of blood orange! — the ultimate adult pink lemonade flavor — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #SummerTime #yuzu #MeyerLemon #lemon #lemonade #BloodOrange

Pina Colada Sorbetto — just like the cocktail with Thai coconut milk, pineapple, a touch of lime and dark rum — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #PinaColada #CocktailIceCream #pineapple #coconut #lime #rum

The full wine lineup (+ truffles) in horrible iphone pano.
On the right is Chef Laurent and behind him his busy crew.

This was another seriously epic night. We didn’t go too crazy with the wines since there were a lot of non wine people — there were plenty bottles — but the food was absolutely over the top both in quantity and quality. Bravo Laurent.

The atmosphere was great. A nice private room — truly private and actually quiet (except for us). LQ’s team provided great service (we mostly did the wine service but we are used to that). Walker was busy acting as sommelier — thanks Walker!. Wines were great, as were our hangovers. I prefer these full arrangement of wines where we have a broad range of types across the meal.

For more LA Foodie Club dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: bistro lq, BYOG, cassoulet, Champagne, Foodie Club, Gelato, Laurent Quenioux, Pasadena, Seafood, Truffle, Wine

More Monty with the Mouse

Nov26

Restaurant: Napa Rose [1, 2]

Location: 1313 Disneyland Dr, Anaheim, CA 92802 (714) 635-2300

Date: October 3, 2018

Cuisine: Californian

Rating: Unimaginative but solid

After our last visit here in August, we discovered all sorts of under market goodies on the extensive wine list and so the same gang returned for more Montrachet and other greats. Plus some stuff we brought.

The “iconic” flagship restaurant of the Disney empire set in the Grand Californian.

They have a lot of wine.

And an elaborate Disney-style build out.

Really elaborate. Strange place too. Expensive. Middle America Disney crowd in shorts. High end wines. Flat (contemporary) Americana food. Excellent service.

The menu is slightly updated from August.

1996 Domaine d’Auvenay (Lalou Bize-Leroy) Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières. Fred says: When this was opened prior to a dinner of 97 DRC Montrachet, 99 Jayer Echezeaux, and 09 Liger Belair La Romanee I joked this this could very well be WOTN… and for 3 out of 4 tonight it was. The D’auvenay richness was impressive but the high toned acid from the vintage and the floral Puligny character is what makes it unforgettable and so special. It is so thrilling it literally gave me shivers when drinking it.
1997 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Montrachet. 94 points. Fred says: Almost the polar opposite of the 99 version tasted a month ago. This 97 was rich and honeyed with plenty of acidic lift and a tremendous oily persistent length. There was an interesting hint of almond and lightly toasted nut quality. Good right out of the gate but it did not develop much more. It held its plateau of deliciousness for the full 3 hours. In contrast the 99 was shy until 2 hours later when it became more elegant and charming. I finally understand DRC Monty with this wine.

2009 Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair La Romanée. BH 97. Fred says: Classic Liger Belair style. Ample spice and red fruit on the nose with a hint of reduction. The palate was soft and velvety. A slight hint of orange rim and discernibly lighter and more advanced in color and taste than the 99 Jayer Echezeaux. This was a solid #3 tonight until the Jayer softened and opened up. We could see this improving for another 5 years but in contrast we could see the Jayer go for another 10-30 years. A great wine in perfect harmony.

agavin: I think this is overrated. A nice wine to be sure, but certainly not maximally enjoyable at this young age and maybe not designed to age.

1999 Henri Jayer Echezeaux. 95 points. Fred says: Initially very closed and shut down. It started with a good amount of oak and tannins but none of the pretty spice and red fruit like the 88 Beaumonts a few months ago. After 3 hours in the decanter the palate really softened and developed a tremendous density and velevet texture. The nose remained unyielding. Probably has another 10-20 years to go.

1985 Georges Lignier et Fils Clos de la Roche. 94 points. Last minute pop and pour. Good to go from the beginning. Tertiary and fully resolved with sous bois, earth, savory salted plum, and just enough sweetness left on the palate. A great drink as we waited for the 99 to come around. And as the 99 came around this got just a bit more acidic and unbalanced. Good stuff and drink up!

agavin: I loved this wine — as I like them older

Sautéed Pacific Oysters. Kona Kampachi Ceviche and spicy relish.

Sautéed diver scallop on braised oxtail ragu with harvest pumpkin nage. Everyone needs a good nage!

Buffalo Meatball. Pumpkin Tagliatelle pasta with cranberry jus.

Handcrafted Rabbit Bratwurst. Local Figs, Hazelnuts, Grilled Endive, and Saba Vinaigrette.

t

Zee breads.

Special Pizzetta with Shrimp, Cauliflower, Grapes, and some other stuff. Tasty, but a bit weird.

Foodie Club co-founder, Erick.

Foodie Club VP (and sadly just moved to South Florida), Fred.

Kent — a very generous man indeed.

Because this was our second time (recently) and because we are ballers, they made (on advance order) this special roast chicken for us.

Here it is carved. It was pretty delicious and super tender.

And this big special rib eye. Nice steak.

Mac & cheese too!

Charred Broccoli.

I hauled down a special gelato I made for the occasion.

Strawberry Mint Chardonnay Sorbetto – Strawberry Chardonnay Sorbetto with Fresh Mint Whipped Cream. Strawberries from Avignon — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #strawberry #sorbetto #chardonnay #mint #WhippedCream

We had enough to give the staff and chefs a bit and they loved it too.

Excellent, excellent service. Overall, I had low expectations the first time for Napa Rose and it far surpassed them. The build out reminded me of the Disney cruise, but the service was really top notch, if resort-like (duh). The menu was “boring” but execution turned out to be quite good so most of the dishes — particularly the appetizers and these special entrees they made for us — were very tasty.

But really it was the wines that stood out. These were crazy good Burgundies and really interesting. We will have to head back at some point and rendezvous with Kent (who can’t easily get up to LA). These evenings are worth the punishing drive!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or for epic Foodie Club meals, here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Chicken, Disneyland, Foodie Club, Napa Rose, Red Burgundy, Roast Chicken, White Burgundy

Great Whites at Napa Rose

Oct24

Restaurant: Napa Rose

Location: 1313 Disneyland Dr, Anaheim, CA 92802 (714) 635-2300

Date: August 30, 2018

Cuisine: Californian

Rating: Unimaginative but solid

With Foodie Club key member Fred moving to Florida soon he’s been pulling out all the wine stops. So, given that he lives in OC and so does another guy, we decided to bring some crazy wines all the way down through 2-3 hours of traffic to:

The “iconic” flagship restaurant of the Disney empire set in the Grand Californian.

They have a lot of wine.

And an elaborate Disney-style build out.

Really elaborate. Strange place too. Expensive. Middle America Disney crowd in shorts. High end wines. Flat (contemporary) Americana food. Excellent service.

We brought some serious stuff:

Kent brought: 1991 Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne. VM 96. Coche’s 1991 Corton-Charlemagne is a wine of extraordinary precision and weightless elegance. Orchard fruit, white flowers, slate and white peppers are all beautifully delineated throughout. Striking in its perfume and transparency, the 1991 is simply magnificent today. Time in bottle has given the 1991 its unctuous texture, yet the wine remains remarkably fresh and capable of drinking well for another decade, perhaps more. What a gorgeous wine this is. (Drink between 2016-2026)

agavin: one of the best white wines I’ve ever had. Just amazing, floral, complex.

2004 Domaine Leroy Corton-Charlemagne. BH 95. A positively gorgeous and impressively refined nose of green apple fruit, pear and a distinct floral note complements perfectly the unbelievably complex and hugely powerful flavors that seem to be carved out of a solid block of stone. This is a massive wine that is textured, concentrated and muscular yet it remains precise, pure and balanced with a finale that seems to go on and on without end. One of the great wines of the vintage and one that will live for years. Don’t touch it for at least five years and it will easily improve for ten.

agavin: nice, but a touch of the meany greenies.

2006 Domaine d’Auvenay (Lalou Bize-Leroy) Puligny-Montrachet en la Richarde. VM 94. Pale yellow color. Rather austere but complex nose offers stone fruits, fenugreek and a peppery nuance. Intensely flavored and fine-grained, with wonderfully high-pitched flavors of citrus fruits, crystallized pineapple, white pepper, flowers and minerals. Classy, weightless wine with a very long, brisk, mineral-tinged finish. Much more austere than the Meursaults that preceded it.

agavin: really nice, super young too

We bought off the list! 1999 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Montrachet. VM 97. A big, rich, almost tannic wine, the 1999 Montrachet exudes raw power. Layers of deeply spiced stone fruits, almonds, smoke, chamomile and orange peel fill out the wine’s large, ample frame. This bold, structured Montrachet has enough depth to drink well for another 10-15 years. Although a wine of brawn more than finesse, the 1999 is super-impressive today. (Drink between 2015-2025)

again: it’s been forever since I had DRC Monty and this one was thin at first, but really opened up after a while.

From my cellar: 2009 Coche-Dury Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières. VM 96. The 2009 Meursault Genevrières is similar in style to the Rougeots, which is to say quite big and rich, but here I find endless layers of minerality that frame the huge, building finish. The purity of the fruit is truly dazzling.

agavin: amazing but so young and taught. Tons of sweet tarts.

The menu.

Awesome bread.

Zucchini Tart with Stuffed Squash Blossom and Summer Squash Sauce.

Barbequed Bristol Bay Diver Scallop with Forager Mushrooms, Apple Bacon and Summer Peaches.

Handcrafted Rabbit Bratwurst. Local Figs, Hazelnuts, Grilled Endive, and Saba Vinaigrette.

Roasted Golden Chanterelle Mushrooms, Brentwood corn, fava beans and sage tossed with housemade pappardelle pasta.

Signature Pizzetta of “La Quercia” smoked Prosciutto, black mission figs, caramelized onions and cambazola cheese.

Roasted Roulade of Rocky Free Range Chicken. English Peas, tender Parisian Gnocchi and Morel Mushrooms.

Grilled Sustainable Fish. Shrimp, Summer Squash Caponata and Charred Tomato Eggplant Purée.

Grilled “Maple Leaf Farms” Duck Breast. Summer Peach and White Radicchio Salad with Prosciutto and Almonds.

Roasted Double Lamb Chop with lemon oregano braised lamb shoulder ragu of snap peas and fingerling potatoes.

The dessert menu.

Valrhona Dolce Crunch covered in Dark Chocolate Ganache, caramelized bananas and honey sauce.

Celebration of Summer Blackberries with a delicate lemon posset.

Manjari Chocolate Decadent. Macadamia nuts, mango passion fruit sorbet.

Old Fashioned Pecan Crumble Cake. Really good cherries and Creme Fraiche Ice Cream.

Overall, I had low expectations for Napa Rose and it far surpassed them. The build out reminded me of the Disney cruise, but the service was really top notch, if resort-like (duh). The menu was “boring” but execution turned out to be quite good so most of the dishes — particularly the appetizers and desserts — were very tasty.

But really it was the wines that stood out. These were crazy good White Burgundies and really interesting. We are even planning on returning for a repeat event.

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: Disneyland, Foodie Club, Napa Rose, White Burgundy

Burg at Kagura

Oct19

Restaurant: Kagura

Location: 652 Cabrillo Ave, Torrance, CA 90501. (310) 787-0227

Date: August 24, 2018

Cuisine: Japanese

Rating: Really awesome place with many great hearty dishes

Foodie Club key member Fred is moving to Florida. Cry 🙁 So we’ve been doing a lot of dinners in preparation of his departure.

This was almost a baller white dinner which instead happened the following week, but instead was just Fred, Erick, and I having an awesome time in Torrance. Fred suggested this Japanese place specializing in Katsu (pork cutlet).

Cool wooden interior with semi-private rooms. All their waitresses are pretty young Japanese girls too — for what it’s worth for you single guys.

We don’t know which year of older Krug Rose Fred brought, but it was awesome. NV Krug Champagne Brut Rosé. BH 94. Medium rosé hue. A cool, restrained and highly complex nose that is not especially fruity displays a moderate yeast character along with slightly exotic aromas of mandarin orange and Asian tea, all wrapped in an enveloping array of beguiling rose petal scents. There is very good richness with a relatively firm supporting mousse that adds to the impression of richness to the superbly complex and highly textured flavors, indeed one could aptly describe this as more wine that Champagne. As such this is indeed a sumptuous Krug rosé that is difficult to resist already though it should reward extended keeping if desired. As I noted in the original 750 ml review, that while I am not always wowed by the Krug Rosé, this latest incarnation in magnum is strikingly good.

From my cellar: 2004 Domaine Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet. BH 95. This is almost as backward as the Bienvenues though supremely elegant white flower and subtle spice aromas peek through the moderate reduction yet the piercingly mineral flavors display a beguiling sweetness on the crystalline and incredibly precise finish that seems to have no end. This will be a great wine in time as it’s clear that there is another dimension here compared to all of the previous wines.

Erick brought: 1999 Domaine Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet. BH 94. Almost always my favorite wine chez Leflaive and so it is again in ’99. Tight, reserved and impressively detailed nose of citrus and wet stones followed by vivid, palate staining flavors of limestone, pear and spicy oak. This has a curiously silky yet surprisingly powerful and muscular palate impression and a racy intensity that just oozes class topped off by a finish that goes on and on. Drop dead gorgeous and fans of this wine will not want to miss it. Tasted four times, consistent notes.

Fred also brought: 2007 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Bâtard-Montrachet. VM 96. Pale yellow. Very sexy aromas of orange blossom, oily peach, pineapple and smoky lees. At once thick and bracing, with outstanding concentration and layered texture. This huge wine shows strong vanillin oak and outstanding sucrosite that no doubt had a lot to do with the fact that it only finished fermenting its sugars in December of 2008. The parcel is in Chassagne-Montrachet, but at the border with Puligny. Incidentally, Colin sealed his 2007s with soft wax capsules in an attempt to give his bottles additional protection against oxidation.

Monkfish liver with caviar. Nice prep with the ponzu jelly and the caviar.

Dashimaki Tamago. Pan-fried egg with special fish broth and soy sauce. Really awesome fried tofu with a nice chewy texture and great flavor.

Asari Kama-meshi. Rice cooked and served in an individual sized pot with clam, kombu seaweed and with our special soy sauce flavor. Nice!

Kani Kama-meshi. Rice cooked and served in an individual sized pot with snow crab and with our special soy sauce flavor. Even better as it was lots of fresh crab! I’m a carb fiend, what can I say?

Double rice! (and we ordered more later).

Grilled pork. Very succulent and full of pork flavor.

Gobo snack. Fried burdock roots. Crunchy and addictive.

Uni pasta. So good we had to get the uni pasta AND the uni risotto (below). This had nice texture with the al dente noodles and the bits of nori. Light and creamy with that briny flavor.

Uni risotto. Even better with a super soft thick texture and tons of uni/cream goodness. Not so far off from a more briny “Risotto in Crema di Gamberi.”

Gindara Saikoyoyaki Gozen. Grilled black cod marinated in saikyo miso sauce. The classic popularized at Matsuhisa in the day. This was a nice flakey version.

Cha Soba. Cold green tea flavor soba noodle served with fish broth soy sauce soup. So good we got 2 orders — and this dinner was only 3 guys! Nice macha flavor plus the cold slippery noodles are delicious in the broth.

Noodle porn closeup.

Millefeuille Shiso Cheese Katsu Gozen. Deep fried multi-layered sliced black pork loin cutlet with shiso leaf and cheese.

Fred was a little skeptical about the cheese version but it was gooey and delicious. Really moist and rich.

Premium Loin Katsu Gozen. Deep fried premium black pork loin cutlet. A more solid version emphasizing the “pure” (except fried) pork meat. Delicious with the strong mustard.

Spicy pork noodles. Basically a Japanese dan dan mein with noodles, green onions, scallions, spicy pork, egg, and lots of garlic.

You stir up and it was a gorgeous and harmonious balance of goodness. Every bit as good as a really good dan dan, but a bit different and more Japanese. Decent amount of heat too.

Two flavors of gelato brought by me:

Coffee Toffee Bourbon Butterscotch – the base made with a homemade coffee toffe and Knob Creek bourbon and then striped with homemade butterscotch (which is insane) — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato

Very Cherry – a super intense amarena cherry gelato topped with candied amarena cherries — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato

We had a lot and so shared with the staff.

Roasted brown tea.

I always enjoy solid Japanese restaurants, but I was fairly blown away by Kagura. Not only did they have a wide variety of flavorful (and slightly less typical) dishes, but everything was really well executed. Lots of carbs. Lots of fat. But scrumptious. And very good pairings with our superlative wines. These small Foodie Club events are some of the best. We will miss Fred while he sweats it on in Florida with only Cubano sandwiches to keep him company.

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

Or for epic Foodie Club meals, here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: BYOG, Foodie Club, Gelato, Japanese cuisine, Kagura, pork, Rice, Torrance, Uni, White Burgundy

Major Coche to the Dome-O

Sep21

Restaurant: Majordomo [1, 2]

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

Date: July 26, 2018

Cuisine: Korean Fusion

Rating: Big dishes amazing

It’s with gigantic expectation that NY restaurateur David Chang opens his first LA outpost.

Looking on the map, I was pretty skeptical of the weird between Chinatown and Dodger’s Stadium location — a totally annoying spot for me to get to during traffic! Two brutal hours! It took Fred much less time to get here from the OC!

The area is extremely warehousey, much like the “Arts District” but even newer.

The have a sort of hipster city built down here out of old warehouses.

With lots of bespoke graffiti.

And Majordomo, of course.

Which has a pretty big enclosed and outside space.

As you can see.

Inside is one of those cavernous loud warehouse spaces.

High naked ceilings. Don’t come here when it’s raining! They also have the currently hip bathroom setup with the coed shared sinks exposed out in the main room. Not my thing. What if you want to clean up in private?

From my cellar: NV Pierre Gerbais Champagne Extra Brut Grains de Celles Rose. 90 points. Tastes like a fruity young dry rose still but with bubbles.

Today’s menu.

Chilled Shrimp summer melon, cucumber, fish sauce vinaigrette. Really nice interesting dish. Vaguely Vietnamese with one of those sweet/tangy/fishy light sauces. The combo of fruit, crunchy cucumber, and shrimp though was really interesting and partially Vietnamese, partially Shirazi salad, and partially all it’s own.

Our main event, wine wise, tonight was a blind flight of 5 Meursaults, 4 Coche, one ringer. Larry was supposed to bring the 09, but he ended up in the hospital. Poor Larry.

1998 Coche-Dury Meursault. 95 points. The regular Meursault but an aged one at least, a special wine. It is a classy Burgundy with a lot of roasted almonds and nuts, but still a refreshing acidity. It shows some aging signs I would say at his peak, great company for food. Getting better with time and air. Missing a little bit more complexity in the finish. Anyway nicely balanced.

agavin: tied with the 2011 for white of the night

2004 Coche-Dury Meursault. BH 91. Soft mineral reduction does not materially detract from the green fruit, citrus, stone and slightly smoky nose that introduces detailed, pure and attractively intense middle weight flavors that possess excellent vibrancy on the taut, linear and refined finish. This isn’t quite as complex or concentrated as the ’02 version (see herein) but the sheer persistence is most impressive. And in the same fashion as the 2002, this has reached an inflection point of maturity where it could be enjoyed now or held for a few more years depending on how one prefers aged white burgs. For my taste, I would hold this for another 2 to 4 years but many people will find the current state of maturity to be perfect now.

agavin: nice out of the gate and for a long while.

2006 Coche-Dury Meursault. BH 89. An expressive and attractively layered nose of citrus, yellow orchard fruits and a hint of roasted nuts trimmed in a note of subtle wood toast that is also picked up by the rich, full and generous flavors that possess a seductively textured and balanced finish that delivers fine intensity and impressive persistence for a villages level wine. Recommended.

agavin: flabby out of the gate (we thought it was the non-coche) but really opened up and grew.

From my cellar: 2011 Coche-Dury Meursault. 94 points. An elegant, pure and very pretty nose is now displaying just touches of both wood and some secondary development though it’s clear that the ripe orchard fruit and citrus-infused aromas are still developing. There is a lovely sense of energy to the delicious, round and caressing middle weight flavors that exhibit a subtle mineralitly that continues onto the nicely intense and sappy finale that delivers excellent persistence and particularly so for a villages level wine. This is really lovely stuff and while it could easily be enjoyed now, I’d be inclined to allow it another 5 to 7 years of bottle age first.

agavin: big, long and full of acid to start and just kept getting better.

2013 Bernard Boisson-Vadot Meursault Les Chevalières. 93 points. This was served single blind. The Coche flint and acid was obvious. Except this for was Boisson Vadot. Started off a dead ringer for Coche but as the Coche all picked up complexity with air this b came a little one dimensional. Certainly held its own as a Coche ringer.

Bings (flat breads) with Spicy Lamb and Eggs & Smoked Roe.

A close up fo the stuff you put on the pita. The lamb was vaguely Greek/Turkish or something with the yogurt and the stewed meat quality. Yummy though. The eggs were more complex and pretty excellent. You mash it up a bit to get the roe, egg, chips etc on the bing. I put the ham on at the same time for max effect and it was very good.

Hiding behind the coche!

A gift of the house: Macaroni & Chickpea black truffle, black pepper. Really good. Like a cacio e pepe, but with an interesting cheesy/sweetness and that fabulous truffle flavor.

More carbs! Crispy Rice shrimp, corn, bacon. Form favor is Korean, but the flavors were different and the crispy rice reminded me of those Persian dishes.

You mix it up and it was bright and delicious.

Crispy Pork Belly kohlrabi, Bibb lettuce, Domojang. The pork was very crispy, really nice, but it was all about the XO-like Domojang sauce.

Fred brought: 2002 Domaine G. Roumier / Christophe Roumier Chambolle-Musigny. VM 88. Moderately saturated medium red. Lively, pure aromas of raspberry and flowers; I had the impression of getting back to my preferred style of Burgundy Supple and round, but juicy thanks to an edge of acidity. Subtle notes of red fruits, flowers and minerals. Finishes with dusty tannins.

agavin: reviewers way under rated this fresh lovely young village wine.

We also pre ordered Boiled Whole Chicken (2-3 people) rice, morels, hand torn noodles.

This was some absolutely first rate chicken. Pretty much Hainan chicken with the spice already rubbed on, much more Chinese than anything else.

The hand torn noodle soup was like some of the best (Chinese) mushroom noodle soup you’ll ever have, and they have amped it up with not only truffle butter.

But a pile of real truffles too (replacing the morels from before).

Our wine lineup.

Which Eve shows off for Instagram.

We also happened to be “crashed” by Charlie Fu and friends at the next table over.

Wine service is so good here they also brought some lousy juice.

The dessert menu.

Strawberry Kakigoro. Shiso, burrata. Strawberry and shiso shaved ice with burrata sauce and dehydrated strawberries. It was mild in flavor, but very intriguing and refreshing. Plus it was amazing paired with the coche. Made it taste like strawberry coche. I think a nice high acid White Burg would be great with a little Boiron Strawberry Puree!

Mandorla Tostata Stroopwafel Gelato (Toasted Almond) made by me for Sweet Milk Gelato — toasted Sicilian almonds and Dutch Stroopwafel, because, why not? Some of Charlie’s guys declared it the best gelato they have ever had — makes a dad proud!

Overall, we had a great time at Majordomo. You do need a decent sized party for the awesome large dishes and you need to preorder. When we got there at 6:45pm there were only 1 each of the beef and pork left!

The larger pre-order dishes like the rib and chicken are amazing and insane. Tonight the food seemed even better than the first time, even if we did have a lot of (delicious) carbs. Maybe it was the Coche. Coche makes everything taste better.

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, Chicken, Coche Dury, Dessert, Foodie Club, Gelato, Majordomo, White Burgundy

Burgundy at Maude

Aug02

Restaurant: Maude [1, 2]

Location: 212 South Beverly Drive. Beverly Hills, CA. (310) 859-3418

Date: June 20, 2018

Cuisine: French Californian

Rating: Great Theme

When it opened several years ago, Maude was a big deal on the LA restaurant scene. For quite some time they had a unique “one ingredient, one month” theme. I had gone 4 years ago in late 2014. But that was back several chefs ago, and now-a-days they have a “season” (of 3 months I think) with a wine theme and food to match. Reversing their early hesitation about corkage, if you bring on theme — you now get free corkage. yay! And when we went it was Burgundy!

It’s still located on Beverly in Beverly Hills.

It’s still cute inside.

Quite small with an open kitchen.

Here is the Burgundy menu.

Some Bruno Paillard Champagne Rosé Brut Première Cuvée off their list.
And a plate of canapes.

An asparagus tart, some kind of foie crisp. A delicious savory macaron, and gougers. All very lovely.

2004 Henri Boillot Chevalier-Montrachet. BH 96. This is gorgeously pure and incredibly focused aromatically with an incredible breadth of aromas, from white flower to ripe orchard fruits nuanced by a panoply of spice notes. The unbelievably intense flavors are deep and strikingly transparent yet the level of dry extract this enjoys is nothing short of remarkable. The crystalline finish doesn’t just end but rather its ends with one complex wave after another and the sense of energy and drive here is palpable. Flat out terrific.

Vegetables warmed with goat’s butter. Not the kind of dish I would ordinarily order, but these were lovely vegetables, blanched probably, crunchy, and made better by the light butter sauce.

From my cellar: 1995 Robert Ampeau & Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. 94 points. A good bottle, with lots of creme brûlée.

Escargot in herb butter. I love snails, and particularly the classic presentation with lots of garlic (and butter). These were excellent.

Brioche to complement.

Fred brought (blind): 1979 Domaine Roulot Bourgogne-Aligoté. 96 points. Fred served this blind and we thought it was old chard — amazingly it was Aligote! And Roulot. Totally gorgeous even at almost 40 years! None of us had ever had an aligote this old.

1987 Louis Jadot Montrachet. Past it’s prime (by a lot).

Prawn Bisque. Gorgeous bisque. Rich and delightful.

1955 Jacques Arnoul Freres Clos Vougeot. 93 points. Still in really good shape. Tertiary, but delicious.

Turbot, ham, parsley. Interesting prep with the ham broth and parsley pesto.

1990 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Chambolle-Musigny. 93 points. Bright disc with medium red/orange robe and orange rim. Absolutely beautiful nose of ripe plum, cherry, Asian spices and light cedar. Soft tannins, good acidity, medium-bodied on palate. Similar flavors as nose, essentially exploding at the mid-palate. Long, slightly acidic finish. This wine has evolved beautifully.

Charcuterie of Rabbit. And they REALLy mean rabbit — all of the rabbit!

Fred brought: 1992 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Bonnes Mares. 90 points. In a really nice spot right now. Nice spice and earth and bright cherry aromas. A little savory. Nicely resolved and no danger of decline.

From my cellar: 1998 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Bonnes Mares. BH 93. This may be one of the finest Bonnes-Mares I have ever tasted from de Vogüé and it’s as dense as the 1991. Packed with kirsch-laced fruit and possessing an intense sappiness with an almost painfully intense flavor precision and a forceful, not to be denied, persistence on the finish. I literally asked to pause a few minutes before proceeding to the Musigny, as the finish would not stop. Positively serene in its power and quiet understatement. In short, for all its greatness, it doesn’t shout at you, it just quietly and confidently delivers a remarkable performance. While the fruit and tannins have evolved somewhat, this still remains a baby and it’s quite possible that another 5 or so years will not be enough to really see this close to its peak.

Roasted Foie Gras with Peas and Morels. Excellent dish.

1996 Domaine Dujac Charmes-Chambertin. BH 91. An almost fully mature nose of earth and now mostly secondary red berry fruit aromas is followed by refined, succulent and balanced medium-bodied flavors of superior length. This is a successful ’96 that has aged well and has entered its prime drinking period which should last for the next decade, perhaps a bit longer. Consistent notes. One nit: the last 3 bottles that I have had were slightly cloudy and while it did not affect the nose or the texture, it could be a source of concern going forward.

Roast Lamb. Buttered Potatoes, spinach.

The lineup for the first part of the evening…

Then we moved upstairs. This is a new thing for Maude post format change and is really great. For cheese and dessert you move upstairs to the lounge.

Cheese board.

2011 Domaine Dujac Bonnes Mares. BH 94. This is highly expressive, indeed unusually so for very young Bonnes Mares, and offers up nothing short of a kaleidoscopic array of scents that include a wide range of floral, earth, stone and mostly red berry fruit aromas. There is fine if not special density and focused power to the big-bodied flavors that are overtly powerful and quite muscular yet there is no trace of rusticity or absence of refinement to the hugely long finish. This is a succulent yet formidable Bonnes Mares that should amply reward those who have the (considerable) patience to wait for its full maturity.

agavin: babykill, but we opened it anyway

Here was my cheese plate (part 1), we all got seconds!

We bought this unusual german pinot off the list — well right out of the cellar: 2007 Weingut Keller Spätburgunder Trocken ‘S’. 90 points. Could be 93 in a few years. Light red colour, cherry and rose petal nose, surprisingly strong and bold on the palate, again cherry notes and a little bit blueberry. Long finish of almost 50 seconds. Next one next year.

And we bought this too! 2002 Domaine Dujac Clos St. Denis. BH 93. A very floral and high-toned nose combines with aromas of earth, underbrush and a certain animale quality followed by rich, full-bodied, refined and notably elegant flavors that possess a subtle and understated complexity plus considerable grace. I very much like the balance here and this too is remarkably seductive yet sufficiently well structured to suggest up to a decade of potential improvement.

Now on to dessert. They have this gorgeous pastry buffet that you can help yourself too, repeatedly. Not that you paw over it. You point at stuff and the nice lady makes you a plate (or 2 or 3)!

Chocolate and hazelnut cakes.

Apple thingies.

Chocolate Tart — awesome.

A Vienna style torte.

A berry pastry thing.

Chocolate dipped Madeline’s.

Lemon Meringue Pie!

Mini macarons.

This was my first plate. I’ll be ashamed to admit it wasn’t my last!

Oh, and they have little “presents” for the morning.

I found this new format for Maude much more pleasant. The food was good. Some dishes were excellent, really good, and some just solid. The service was fabulous. We had incredible wine, a few from the list, most we brought. The whole no corkage thing is a welcome relief. I loved the 2 locations thing and the loungey location upstairs. All in all a super fun evening!

This was the first time in a while we had a near full complement of the Foodie Club, including regular members myself, Erick, Larry, and Fred but also with longtime core members like Walker and Amanda who always take it up a notch.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Beverly Hills, Burgundy, Curtis Stone, Foodie Club, Maude

Racy Rosaline

Jul15

Restaurant: Rosaline

Location: 8479 Melrose Ave, West Hollywood, CA 90069. (323) 297-9500

Date: June 6, 2018

Cuisine: Modern Peruvian

Rating: Good, but I liked his punchier places better

I’ve very much enjoyed chef Ricardo Zarate’s previous offerings, notably Picca and Paiche — unfortunately now closed. So I was excited to good with the Foodie Club guys to his latest, Rosaline on Melrose.

His own website says of Ricardo:

Born in Lima, Peru, ‘the godfather of Peruvian cuisine’ Ricardo Zarate is synonymous with indigenous South American foods. Immaculately executed and fused with his underlying passion, drive and kitchen ingenuity, Zarate’s cuisine has earned him widespread critical acclaim and praise from media and consumers alike.

The newest is in a hip section of the Melrose drag, in the space previously occupied by Comme Ca, Chef David Myer’s bistro concept.

The menu is MUCH shorter than at his old places.

The build out, however is the best yet. Really pretty space. Foodie member Larry is friends with the architect, you joined us for dinner — stunning makeover.

Lots of seating with a chic look.

And a cool “garden” space.

Paul brought: 2002 Dom Perignon Champagne. VM 98. The 2002 Dom Pérignon speaks to opulence and intensity. Rich, layered and voluptuous in the glass, the 2002 shows off its flamboyant personality with flair. Butter, cooked apple and tropically-leaning fruits mesh together effortlessly. Interestingly, with time in the glass the 2002 gains in freshness and energy without losing its essential opulence. The elevated ripeness of the year gives the 2002 Dom Pérignon distinctly Puligny-Montrachet leaning inflections. Chef de Caves Richard Geoffroy adds that August that year was hot and very dry. Rain towards the end of the month and into early September freshened the vines and accelerated the final phase of ripening. This is yet another fabulous showing from the 2002, which continues to cement its reputation as a truly epic Dom Pérignon.

agavin: 2002 champs rule, this was a sexy beast.

ensalada de beterraga. beets 3-ways, ricotta spread, burrata, candied pecans, blood orange vinaigrette. Richardo’s take on the classic beet salad.

pimentones. padron peppers, ciruela amarillo miso, bonito flakes.

ceviche crocante. halibut, crispy baby calamari, yuzu kosho marinated, aji amarillo leche de tigre. Fried calamari and super zesty sauce.

tiradito de concha con erizo. live scallops, sea urchin, uni leche de tigre, crispy garlic. Love me some uni!

kampachi ceviche. baja california amberjack, aji pesto, charcoal oven roasted sweet potato, aji limo lime dressing.

From my cellar: 2010 Raul Pérez Bierzo Ultreia La Claudina. VM 93. Light, bright gold. Assertive aromas of fresh pear, iodine, marzipan and chamomile, with a suggestion of dried fig. Big, palate-staining and densely packed but energetic too, showing intense orchard and citrus fruit flavors and notes of smoky minerals and anise. Displays outstanding intensity on the smoky finish, which leaves zesty mineral and bitter quinine notes behind.

agavin: great food wine

chicharron de paiche. popped kiwicha, fried amazonian paiche, yuzu aioli sauce. Not as exciting as the BBQ versions of this fish we used to get at Paiche.

causa jar. eggplant terrine, potato mousse, avocado, botija olive aioli.

corazon anticucho. beef heart skewers, rustic rocoto pepper, feta cheese, walnut sauce. Loved these. Chewy, but great flavor. Feed your inner Khaleesi.

Fred brought: 2004 Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling Auslese. VM 92. Aromas of baked apple, cinnamon and vanilla. The creamy, rich papaya fruit is still covered in baby fat, with the result that the wine’s underlying acidity is still almost completely masked. A full-blown auslese that is not yet showing the elegant spiciness that Muller’s wines generally develop.

arroz con mariscos. sea urchin, diver scallops, tiger prawns, manila clams, seafood rice. I’m such a rice fiend — and an uni fiend.

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

Larry brought: 2003 Louis Jadot Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Domaine Louis Jadot. VM 94+. Bright, deep red. Superripe yet vibrant and perfumed aromas of black raspberry, rose petal and minerals. Very ripe and highly concentrated; creamy yet firm, thanks to powerful underlying structure. A wine of great energy, density and soil character, and an infant today. Finishes with outstanding palate-staining persistence and a slightly saline quality. This should evolve spectacularly for at least 15 to 20 years. A great wine in the making.

arroz con pollo. mary’s organic chicken breast, cilantro beer rice, huancaina feta sauce.

chaufa paella. peruvian fried rice paella-style, pancetta, la chang sausage, bagoong, prawns.

Mixed up. This was probably my favorite dish — a bit like Peruvian Chinese fried rice.

juane de chancho. pork ossobuco, adobo, garbanzo soft tamale, hardboiled egg, wrapped in banana leaf.

costillas. slow-cooked barbecue short ribs, grilled figs, apple coleslaw.

anticucho bife ancho. 28 day dry-aged wood-grilled ribeye, sesame huacatay saucee.

The dessert menu.

From the owner, on the house! 1912 D’Oliveiras Madeira Verdelho.

My BYOG adventures continue. Made by me, some fresh Sweet Milk Gelato.

On the left: Limoncello Zabaione Gelato, an eggy frozen zabaione made with Sorento Limoncello

On the right: Gluten Free Triple Chocolate Cloud, Valrhona chocolate base, Valrhona cream cheese fudge, and gluten free oreo substitutes

Plated (by me).

coffee flan // custard. pisco, banana creme fraiche cream, chocolate sauce, candied hazelnuts, banana chips. Other than the banana chips — amazing.

chancay con leche // peruvian cake. goat’s milk manjar blanco, coconut milk, maracuya guava frozen yogurt, torched meringue, harry’s berries strawberries.

bon bon bons! // ice cream. lucuma ice cream, lucuma, waffle crunch, popped quinoa // all dipped in peruvian illanka chocolate.

Overall, it was a great evening with great company, amazing service, and really good food — but somehow I found things a bit less adventurous than at either Picca or Paiche, like he had cherry picked the most approachable dishes for a tamer hipster American audience. Now, given that he’s had a string of GOOD restaurants go under, that might be a good business move, but to a more out-there eater like myself it felt a little dialed back. Execution itself was spot on though and the whole thing did feel “easier”, slightly less Peruvian. I had really enjoyed Paiche, partially because it was fairly convenient and one of the only new style restaurants (briefly) in the Marina. But as there isn’t much of this style of food in LA, and it’s very tasty, it’s good to have him back on the scene doing great stuff.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BYOG, Foodie Club, Gelato, Peruvian cuisine, Ricardo Zarate, Rosaline, Wine

Valentino Rayas

Jul09

Restaurant: Valentino Santa Monica [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12]

Location: 3115 Pico Blvd Santa Monica, CA 90405. (310) 829-4313

Date: May 29, 2018

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Fun and educational!

Valentino is one of my most reviewed restaurants, particularly because Don Cornwell always uses it as a site for his Burgundy dinners. And when Ron suggested we do our Rayas dinner here I was skeptical, because it’s a bit staid, and when he suggested we order off the menu, I was even more skeptical — but this time Valentino proved me wrong.

The menu, which a certainly haven’t seen in a while.

Ron brought: 2006 Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne. VM 97.5. The 2006 Comtes de Champagne is striking, especially in the way it brings together elements of ripeness and freshness in a hypothetical blend of the 2002 and 2004. Smooth and creamy on the palate, the 2006 is all about texture. There is a real feeling of density and weight in the 2006, qualities I expect to see grow with time in the bottle. All the elements fall into place effortlessly. The 2006 has been nothing short of magnificent both times I have tasted it. Comtes de Champagne remains the single best value (in relative terms) in tête de cuvée Champagne. I suggest buying a case and following it over the next 20-30 years, which is exactly what I intend to do. There is little doubt the 2006 Comtes de Champagne is a magical Champagne in the making.

Tomato Bruschetta. Classic.

Various bread sticks.

The have very good single source olive oil.

Pougs brought: 2015 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Saint-Aubin 1er Cru En Remilly. VM 91. Pale, bright yellow. Precise but subdued scents of lemon and wet stone. Very pure but closed, conveying lovely energy and juicy, citrussy cut to its concentrated lemon zest, mandarin orange and stone flavors. Colin’s Chatenière may be richer than this wine but it doesn’t not have the same degree of energy. Finishes very smooth, seamless and long. Last year, Colin told me that this wine has only 12.3% alcohol.

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

Scallops with asparagus puree, asparagus, and mashed potatoes.

Tartara di Tonno e Burrata. Tuna tartare with orange flavor burrata sauce. Possibly a slightly waste of burrata (which I discovered here at Valentino 23 years ago), but really nice combo.

Polpo alla Brace e Fregula. Grilled octopus with squid ink infused Sardinian cous cous. A touch ugly but delicious.

Smoked Quail, rolle on potato and asparagus salad with blueberry sauce. Not what I expected, but delicious.

Larry brought: 1986 Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve. RP 86. This wine has been fully mature since its release and continues to drink well, although owners are advised to consume it before the turn of the century. Not one of the most successful 1986s (a difficult as well as irregular vintage in Chateauneuf du Pape), it displays a medium ruby color with no signs of amber or orange. A peppery, herbaceous, celery-scented note competes with ripe cherry/kirsch aromas. Although medium- to full-bodied, with good glycerin and a velvety texture, the wine lacks the sweet mid-palate and inner core of extraction and depth found in the greatest Rayas vintages.

Ron brought: 1989 Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve. RP 98. The 1989 Rayas is finally beginning to live up to its immense potential. The color is a dense ruby/purple. The aromatics, which have consistently been tight and reserved, are beginning to reveal some of the framboise and black cherry liqueur-like scents for which this hallowed estate is known. Extremely full-bodied, powerful, and rich, with lots of tannin, muscle, and extract, the colossal-sized, tightly-knit 1989 is bursting at its seams. It requires another 3-5 years of cellaring. This is a prodigious Rayas that is just beginning to strut its stuff. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2025.

agavin: great!!

Jeff brought: 1997 Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve. RP 90. It appears I may have seriously underestimated the quality of the 1997 Rayas when tasted from barrel. Tasted twice from bottle, it unquestionably merits a 90-point score. It is rich, deep, and intense. It is an elegant, ripe, evolved, forward, medium-weight Rayas with copious raspberry and cherry fruit. It should drink well young and last for 10-15 years.

agavin: a touch corked? or too much bret?

From my cellar: 2000 Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve. RP 93. The 2000 Rayas Chateauneuf du Pape, which Emmanuel Reynaud believes is better than 1998, came in at a whopping 15.2% alcohol. It is reminiscent of a hypothetical blend of the 1998 and 1999, with a medium to light ruby color, and a sumptuous bouquet of kirsch liqueur, spice box, and licorice. Full-bodied and fleshy, with low acidity, it is a sweet (from high glycerin and alcohol), seductive, intoxicating offering with no hard edges and a rich, fleshy mouthfeel. While it will be hard to resist, I feel the 1998 still has more structure. Anticipated maturity for the 2000: 2005-2016.

agavin: drinking amazingly, young even

Erick brought: 2001 Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve. RP 92. The 2001 Rayas Chateauneuf du Pape is more structured and slightly deeper ruby-colored than the light-colored 2000. It also possesses more acidity as well as depth. This terroir-driven effort reveals aromas of raspberries and sweet kirsch as well as a medium-bodied, vigorously fresh, lively style. There is also good flavor authority. Give it 3-4 years of cellaring and consume it over the following 15. Like most Chateauneuf du Pape domaines, I did not see anything while tasting through the 2002 reds that would suggest they could be recommended in this publication.
Pougs brought: 2003 Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve. RP 95. The 2003 Rayas Chateauneuf du Pape has gone from strength to strength and now looks to be the finest vintage since the monumental 1995. Deep ruby to the rim with that classic Rayas nose of flowers, kirsch liqueur, black raspberries, crushed rocks, and minerals, the wine is dense and concentrated, with a broad, savory mouthfeel, sweet yet silky tannin, fabulous persistence, and a blockbuster finish that just goes on and on. This is a reassuringly profound Rayas that seems to suggest that Emmanuel Reynaud has finally figured out this cold-climate terroir in a warm climate appellation. This wine should be given 3-4 years of bottle age, and drunk over the following 20+ years.

A special pasta with ham.

Gnocchi Patate e Rapini. Potoato and rapini dumpling sateed with cherry tomatoes and jalapeno and creamy ricotta.
Risotto with fresh porcini.

Lasagnetta con ragu d’anatra e porcini. Lasagna with bechamel, duck ragu, and porcini.

All four pastas were great. They might not look the most modern, but they tasted amazing.

Sea bass in Sicilian sauce.

Costolette d’agnello. Grilled lamb chops over fava beans with roasted tomato and olive tapenade.

l‘Ossobuco with risotto al parmigiano. Old school but awesome.

Larry brought this sticky.

A mixed plate of desserts. Their gelato isn’t the greatest, but the cannoli was very good.

The wines were amazing (as they should be). The whites were great and the Rayas was stellar, particularly the 1989 and 2000. All were great though (the 01 and 03 just being young) except for maybe the 97 with its light corking.

Service was great as always, as Valentino really takes care of us — we are, after all friends of the owner, some for many many years. They moved us from a smallish table into our our dining room. Not a private room per se but they built a large table for us in the middle of one of the other rooms and put no one else in there — perfecto!

I was pleasantly surprised how good the food was off the menu, particularly as compared to my many boring sets of food at Don’s dinners. I guess they do it much better off the menu. And it’s always easier to handle a 6 person dinner, which really is a great number.

Or for epic Foodie Club meals, here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Chateauneuf du Pape, Dessert, Foodie Club, Italian Cusine, Piero Selvaggio, rayas, Valentino, Valentino Santa Monica, Wine

n10 with the Gang

Jun27

Restaurant: n10 restaurant

Location:8436 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA, CA 90048. (310) 924-2011

Date: May 21, 2018

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Great pastas and hospitality

I’ve been doing a lot of Foodie Club dinners the last couple of months because they have the best overall balance between food, wine, company etc and are smaller and more intimate.

Larry has been friends for a while with the owner of the brand new n10 and so he set this one up.

It’s a new Italian place on 3rd Street, right next to the now defunct/moved Gusto. They have a large (and nice) patio.

The interior is big too with a top notch build out. At first we had the private room but an uppity chick coming for her birthday dinner threw a tantrum on the owner and we moved out to the patio — which was in many ways nicer because it was quiet and we had it all to ourselves.

The menu.

And an insert.

Erick brought: 1996 Bruno Paillard Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut. VM 94. The 1996 Brut Blanc de Blancs is a rich, explosive wine that bursts onto the palate with a blast of ripe fruit. Generous notes of toasted oak, flowers and nuts follow, but everything is woven together in a fabric of unsual brilliance. The oak remains quite prominent and borderline intrusive but stylistically everything works. The wine comes together in the glass, where it also gains additional weight and fills out nicely. This is a powerful, heady and totally opulent Champagne that calls for food. In the right context it is sure to be extraordinary. At the risk of offending the Champenoise, the 1996 Brut Blanc de Blancs seems to scream for a poached egg generously topped with white Alba truffles!

CHARCUTERIE. Prosciutto di Parma aged 24 months / prosciutto Toscano aged 20 months / finocchiona salami / speck /
nduja / bresaola / mortadella / spicy coppa / chicken liver pate / served with gnocco fritto.

Puffy Emilia-Romagna style breads.

Another view with the wine bucket.

And a different bread type, plus Grissini.

Seb is obsessed with this wine: 2014 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis 1er Cru La Forest. VM 94+. Bright, pale yellow. Lovely perfumed lift to the aromas and flavors of lemon zest, grapefruit and white flowers. Tactile and dense but very closed on the palate, combining a sexy sweetness for the year with powerful salinity and superb depth. Most impressive today on the energetic, slowly mounting, palate-staining finish, which leaves the retronasal passage quivering. Premier cru Chablis from the region’s left bank does not get much better than this.

TUNA TARTARE. capers, agrumato, espelette pepper, preserved lemon.

CARNE CRUDA. grass fed beef, whole grain mustard, lemon juice, cured egg yolk. Very nice tartar with the cured egg yolk.

And bread for both tartars.

BURRATA. pea sprouts, fennel, preserved lemon, olio verde. Imported from Italy.

From my cellar: 2007 Venica & Venica Malvasia Collio. Great northern Italian white.

PIZZA TARTUFATA. burrata, squash blossoms, black truffle. Nice pizza.

Now we get into my favorites, the pastas:

PACCHERI. Maine lobster, crustacean broth, stracciatella, pomodorini, basil pesto.

SPAGHETTI CHITARRA. Sea urchin, grey mullet, botarga, lemon zest. Another great one.

From my cellar: 1997 Gaja Barbaresco. 95 points. Good full ruby-red. Superripe aromas of black raspberry, coffee, mint and oak, plus an exotic smoky note of torrefaction. Less complex than the ’98 but very concentrated, with surprising acidity giving the wine lovely vinosity. Strong note of dark chocolate in the mouth. Finishes long and juicy, with building tannins.

BOMBOLOTTI SUGO TOSCANO. tomato, guanciale, soffritto onions, dry aged pecorino. First rate with a great bite and nice porky flavor.

RISOTTO. porcini, zucchini, red wine braised chicken oysters. Interesting.

GNOCCHI NORCINA. Sausage, porcini mushrooms, black truffle. I love Norcina and this was a fairly faithful version.

2000 Château Montrose. VM 94. Full red-ruby. Roasted, smoky aromas of blackberry, blueberry and licorice. Plush, dense and large-scaled; expands impressively in the mouth. Chocolatey-ripe but kept fresh by nicely integrated acidity. Offers lovely sweetness without going over the top. Finishes with big, dusty, horizontal tannins and lovely aromatic persistence. Offers extraordinary texture and depth of flavor for a wine with just 12.8% alcohol.

BONE-IN RIBEYE. cipolini onions, red wine sauce, rosemary roasted potatoes.

Larry brought a Mollydooker Shiraz Velvet Glove but I forgot to get a photo of the year!

COSTOLETTE D’AGNELLO. Australian lamb chops, shishito peppers, marinated cabbage, aged balsamic.

RAPINI. garlic, olive oil, chili. Like a Chinese green (almost).

CARCIOFI. roasted artichokes, guanciale, Calabrian chili. These were nice.

Our very generous host brought this Barolo out for us on the house! 1999 Gomba Boschetti Barolo Sori Boschetti

Here is the owner with Larry. Next we go into dessert overload!

SEMIFREDDO. dark, milk and white chocolate, amaretti cookies, blackberries. I love semifreddo.

With the chocolate sauce.

CREPE CAKE. poppy seeds, pastry cream, strawberries.

TIRAMISU. lady fingers, espresso, mascarpone mousse. This was a good “real” tiramisu — not as good as mine, of course, but good.

I can’t remember exactly what this was, but coconut I think.

Some nice gelatti, not made in house though, and not nearly as good as mine, but still solid.

Pistachio Gelato. A bit mild, but nice texture.

Caramel Gelato.

Chocolate Gelato.

Stracciatella Gelato.

Raspberry Sorbetto.

Oh, and some Sassicaia grappa to finish — took a couple layers off my gut! Not really a grappa fan.

But this was a great night and a lot of fun. Really good food, particularly the pastas, apps, pizzas and desserts (I rarely love the mains at Italian) and amazing service and hospitality!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Foodie Club, Italian cuisine, N10, pasta, West Hollywood, Wine

Is Majordomo a Major Deal?

Jun20

Restaurant: Majordomo

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

Date: May 16, 2018

Cuisine: Korean Fusion

Rating: Big dishes amazing

It’s with gigantic expectation that NY restaurateur David Chang opens his first LA outpost.

Looking on the map, I was pretty skeptical of the weird between Chinatown and Dodger’s Stadium location — a totally annoying spot for me to get to during traffic!

The area is extremely warehousey, much like the “Arts District” but even newer.

The have a sort of hipster city built down here out of old warehouses.

With lots of bespoke graffiti.

And Majordomo, of course.

Which has a pretty big enclosed and outside space.

As you can see.

Inside is one of those cavernous loud warehouse spaces.

The menu.

As always, Fred wanted to go all out so this is our modest wine lineup for 4.

Fred brought: 2010 Coche-Dury Puligny-Montrachet Les Enseignères. VM 92+. Reticent, pure aromas of white peach, hazelnut and minerals. Densely packed and urgent but youthfully tight, showing outstanding intensity and energy for village wine. The resounding, palate-staining finish displays outstanding structure and life. From a tiny crop, this almost painfully young wine should benefit from seven or eight years in the cellar.

agavin: I never understand how the pro reviewers will give a wine like this, which just sings, a lower score than some random Chablis.

There is a Korean fusion amuse cart.

Serving pickles.

Kombu Cured Diver Scallop, Pink Lady apple dashi. Very sweet.
Bing is this Korean bread thing. Pretty much like a thick crepe or pita bread. They have various “toppings” you can get with the bing.

Benton’s reserve ham bing. Put the ham on the pita.

Eggs & Smoked Roe bing. This was pretty excellent. You mash it up a bit to get the roe, egg, chips etc on the bing. I put the ham on at the same time for max effect and it was very good.

Marinated Mushroom, pistachio, radish, pea tendrils. Awesome mushroom dish. Nice flavors and textures. Good fiber too.

Special Foodie Club guest Andrew enjoys his wine.

Erick brought: 1999 Château Latour Grand Vin. Parker 93-95. A terrific effort, this sexy, open-knit, opulent effort possesses plenty of tannin, but it is largely concealed by the wine’s wealth of fruit, high extraction level, and noticeable glycerin as well as unctuosity. Dense ruby/purple-colored, with a sweet, evolved nose of black fruits (cassis, leather, and blackberries), cedar, spice box, and liquid minerals, this powerful yet seamless Latour will be surprisingly accessible at an unusually young age. Long and full-bodied, with the acidity, tannin, alcohol, and wood all beautifully integrated, it will be at its finest between 2007-2030. A classic!

Andrew brought: 2003 Haut-Brion. Parker 95. Clearly the best wine made in the Haut-Brion stable in 2003 (the last vintage of the great Jean-Bernard Delmas as administrator), the 2003 Haut-Brion is a blend of 58% Merlot, 31% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Cabernet Franc that hit 13% natural alcohol, which seemed high at the time, but given more recent vintages is modest. Dark ruby/plum in color, with no amber or orange at the edge, the wine exhibits an abundance of roasted herbs, hot rocks, black currants, plum, and balsamic notes. Quite rich, medium to full-bodied and more complete, with sweeter tannins than La Mission Haut-Brion, this full-bodied Haut-Brion has hit full maturity, where it should stay for at least a decade. Bravo!

If you go, you must order this even though it’s $190! Whole Plate Short Rib (4-6 people). Smoked bone-in APL-style ribs. Served with beef rice, shiso rice paper, ssämjang & condiments.

The huge chunk of Texas style cow comes out on the cart with the stuff.
They carve it up into various modalities.

The “thin sliced” mode, which was amazingly flavorful.

The fattier end cap slices which were to die for tender.

And the knaw on the bone for extra flavor bones.

And some of it goes back into the kitchen and emerges as beef fried rice — crazy good.

From my cellar: 1999 Gros Frère et Sœur Richebourg. 95 points. Bright, deep ruby-red. Complex nose melds violet, bitter chocolate, earth, meat and a hint of medicinal austerity. Dense, rich and thick; a wine of compelling richness and sweetness, but also solidly structured despite its accessibility today. Finishes with lush but firm tannins and exhilarating notes of cassis and violet. Lovely pinot noir.

We also pre ordered Boiled Whole Chicken (2-3 people) rice, morels, hand torn noodles. This amazing dish has apparently changed and no longer has the fabulous noodles.

This was some absolutely first rate chicken. Pretty much Hainan chicken with the spice already rubbed on, much more Chinese than anything else.

The hand torn noodle soup was like some of the best (Chinese) mushroom noodle soup you’ll ever (not) have (as they discontinued it :-().

The dessert menu. I didn’t have the guts to BYOG (Bring Your Own Gelato) on our first trip to Majordomo.
Strawberry Trifle. Buttermilk panna cotta, chiffon cake.
Horchata Kakigori. Coffee, riche, dulce de leche. This was basically a good shaved ice.

Overall, we had a great time at Majordomo. They have some annoyances, like the custom website reservations a month or so ahead of time that book up instantly. We ignored those and scored a late (9pm ish) reservation 2 days out. I don’t do that long advance planning thing.

The larger pre-order dishes like the rib and chicken were amazing and insane. The other dishes were good but not as memorable. But I’d totally go back for either ribs or chicken, and I hope they keep mixing up the menu too.

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: 1st growth, bbq, Burgundy, Chicken, Chinatown, coche, David Chang, Dessert, DTLA, Foodie Club, haut brion, latour, Majordomo, ribs, Richebourg, warehouse, Wine

LQ Seafood Tower

Jun02

Restaurant: Laurent Quenioux [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

Location: Near Pasadena

Date: April 25, 2018

Cuisine: Modern French

Rating: Truffles!

Six and a half years ago Foodie Club co-organizer Erick and I put together one of our more legendary dinners, the Bistro LQ Trufflumpagus. Ever since then we periodically trek out to visit our friend Chef Laurent for some kind of extravaganza — and tonight it’s his legendary seafood tower — plus tons of other goodies.

These days Laurent mostly hosts popups in his own backyard! We took the whole evening for some epic craziness. Some of my friends visiting from the Netherlands are pictured above.

A serene environment.

From my cellar: 2015 Jacques Perritaz Cidrerie du Vulcain Apple Transparente.

Erick designed our special menu.

Erick brought: 1996 de Venoge Champagne Brut Louis XV. 91 points. A bit over the hill.

Bread with flavored Normandy butters.

From my cellar (to pair with Foie): 1990 Royal Tokaji Wine Co. Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos Betsek. RJ 93. From 500 ml – light medium orange brown color with dark orange lights; very aromatic, mature, orange marmalade, baked apricot, light mushroom, light tobacco, smoky orange syrup nose; mature, tasty, orange marmalade, baked apricot, light mushroom, light tobacco, smoky orange syrup, blood orange, orange honey palate with medium-plus acidity; very long finish 93+ points

Sautéed Foie Gras. Mangoes, ginger, Green bar distillery Vodka jus. An incredible (and huge) chunk of the decadent liver.

From my cellar: NV Drappier Champagne Rosé Brut Nature Dosage Zero. BH 90. The color is paler than that of the regular brut rosé. A pretty and slightly more elegant nose features a similar aromatic profile but with more evident yeast character. There is fine intensity to the delicious and vibrant flavors that are supported by a firm and definitely finer mousse, all wrapped in a bone dry and youthfully austere finish where a hint of bitter cherry pit appears. This won’t be for everyone as the dryness is pronounced; I happen to like it but it would be fair to say that this is not a charmer. With that said, a few years of bottle age should serve to round off the austerity and add a bit of depth as well.

From my cellar: 2012 Prager Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Achleiten. AG 90. The restrained nose slowly reveals apple, orange zest, white pepper and wet slate. A taut spine gives lift to the rich texture, but the melon fruit and dried spice flavors are still tightly sealed. Well-balanced and showing noteworthy depth and structure, this veltliner is only just beginning to show its refreshing drinkability.

Toast with Dungeness Crab Rouille and avocado. Super crab salad avocado toast!

Haddock Branade. I love smoked haddock.

Main Lobster brioche. Like a lobster roll in a (big) bite.

From my cellar: 2012 Prager Riesling Federspiel Steinriegl. 95 points.

Scallops Ceviche Tostada.

Spot prawns. Would you believe that everything you just say was all part of the FIRST (of 9!) courses? These were sort of like the sweet shrimp sushi with fried head — but all on one plate. Delicious.

From my cellar: 2014 Királyudvar Furmint Tokaji Sec. 90 points. Dried apple, and then some fruit, and kinda delicious.

Someone else brought this funny cloudy California white.

Puff pastry with wild mushroom, dill, and seafood mixto. Awesome! Like a mini lobster pot pie.

Clam nage with sorrel. Amazing clammy broth.

Soft shell crab (fried of course).

Grilled Monterey Bay Squid with green garlic. This dish I didn’t love as it with very briny.

Manilla Clams with Chorizo and Epazote. Amazing clam and sausage. Laurent’s clams are great.

1990 Domaine Fabien Coche Meursault 1er Cru Charmes. 93 points. Coche from another mother.

From my cellar: 1985 Nicolas Potel Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes. 88 points. Not the best of my bottles from this batch. This one not dead yet but it had lost most of that zippiness. All fatness, honeycomb and butterscotch. For those who like really mature white burg this may still be ok but if you are sensitive to oxidation then it really is time to drink up unless you lucked out with some very pristine bottles.

Now comes the main event, the incomparable seafood tower

But first the sauces: mustard, aioli, horseradish, spicy mayo, mignonette.

The top level with crabs, lobster, clams, prawns, crayfish and more.

And we continue down to the bottle level with abalone, clams, oysters, winkles, and more.

And we had one for two people!

There was fresh uni too. And at this point, my flash batteries went out (eek) and I stupidly had no backups in my bag, so the photos are much higher ISO.This is how I left MY tower.

This is how everyone else left theirs. Wimps!

From my cellar: 2009 Chapelle St. Theodoric Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Sablons. AG 91. Deep ruby. Redcurrant and cherry scents are complemented by dried rose and garrigue A juicy, red-fruited midweight, accented by a slightly tart edge to its tangy cherry and floral pastille flavors. The brisk finish offers good clarity and cut, with silky tannins arriving late.

Apricot Lane Farms Spring Lamb 3 Ways. Braised lamb neck spring roll, lamb “noisette”, roasted lamb shoulder, preserved lemon emulsion, ras el hanout scented cordycep, dates puree with cumin. The spring roll was the best part.

Someone brought this Spanish.

Braised Wagyu Miyazake Short Rib. Bourguignon Style. Pasta Handkerchief, confit cipollini onions & green garlic, black chanterelles.

I think Larry brought the Penfolds Pinot Noir Bin 23.

Mini Cassoulet. Tarbais Beans slow cooked for 7 hours, Toulouse Sausage, garlic sausage, duck leg confit, smoked pork belly bacon style, confit duck gizzard. This dish is also a stunner. One of Laurent’s specialties and well worth it for the sausage alone!

Les Fromages.

Trio of Sweet Milk Gelato (made by me) plated by Laurent. Flavors are: Pineapple Rosemary Sorbetto, Lavender Blueberry Gelato, and Brillat-Savarin Gelato with Sicilian Candied Orange

Chocolate Cremeux. White chocolate coconut cheese cake, coconut ice cream, matcha meringue, chocolat chips. Laurent is amazing with these kind of desserts — basically a chocolate coconut cheesecake, but deconstructed into many textures.
On the right is Chef Laurent and behind him his busy crew.

This was another seriously epic night. We didn’t go too crazy with the wines since there were a lot of non wine people — there were plenty bottles, but more “normal” wines for us — but the food was absolutely over the top both in quantity and quality. Bravo Laurent.

For more LA Foodie Club dining reviews click here.