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Isole e Olena il Pastaio

Feb19

Restaurant: Il Pastaio [1, 2]

Location: 400 N.Canon Drive. Bevery Hills, CA 90210. Phone: 310.205.5444

Date: January 24, 2019

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Superb

Liz Lee of Sage Society always puts on fabulous winemaker dinners. She focuses on making every element perfect from the location, food, wines and has some of the best winemakers in the world.

For Isole e Olena — one of Tuscany’s greatest producers — she selected il Pastaio, one of the many Drago restaurants. Normally, Giacomino Drago (one of the several chef brothers) helms il Pastaio — a Beverly Hills mainstay — but tonight Celestino was supervising this special dinner. Celestino and I have been friends for nearly twenty years since we met when he catered the dinner the night before our wedding!

Il Pastaio has a nice private room — or maybe it was a section of the restaurant that can be closed off for special events.

But it was decorated with illuminated trees and ceramics from Caltagirone Sicily (the Drago’s are Sicilian).

There is a cute wine room too.

NV Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru. 92 points.

Crispy Shrimps, Fennel Marmalade. Like a little spring spring roll, but the combination with the fennel jelly was fabulous. Sweet and interesting.

Foie Gras Crostino, Caramelized Onions, Aged Balsamic. Great combination of rich foie, sweet onions, and savory crostino.

Scrambled Eggs and Truffles. Simple but perfect.

Close up of the table.

And my spot.

Liz Lee introduces our winemaking guests.

In the center is Paolo De Marchi, legendary owner and winemaker of Isole e Olena. His family originally hails from Northern Italy but in the 1950s they bought the Isole e Olena and through lots of hard work and innovation brought it to the peak of Tuscan wineries.

The lady in red is the highly selective importer.

Our special menu.

Drago bakery bread.

2016 Isole e Olena Chardonnay Collezione Privata Toscana IGT. 90 points. Very well made Chardonnay in a modern style, ripe fruit, rich but fresh, lovely complexity, lots of savoury oak, especially on the slightly resinous finish, very good length.

2012 Isole e Olena Chardonnay Collezione Privata Toscana IGT. VM 93. Another super-impressive wine, the 2012 Chardonnay Collezione Privata races across the palate with gorgeous nuance and pure texture. Apricot, white flowers, spices, butter and French oak all meld together in a Chardonnay that stands out for its texture and balance. Today, the French oak is quite evident, but that should be less of an issue over time. I have seen Isole’s Chardonnay age well in the past, and expect to see the same here. The textured, impeccable finish makes it impossible to resist a second taste. I am typically not a fan of Italian Chardonnay. This is about as good as it gets.

2011 Isole e Olena Chardonnay Collezione Privata Toscana IGT. VM 89. Almonds, butter, pastry and juicy yellow stone fruits emerge from Isole e Olena’s 2011 Chardonnay. Paolo De Marchi has done a remarkable job with this wine considering how difficult the vintage was for whites. The 2011 shows the ripeness and breadth of the year in its volume, yet all the elements are beautifully balanced. This is about as good as it gets in 2011.

Sea Food, Sea Urchin Panna Cotta. This is the second sea urchin custard I’ve had recently! There was a lot of it too, and it had that interesting sweet/rich/briny quality. The seafood was impeccable as well. Lovely dish, and actually a great pairing with the more mature Chardonnays.

2015 Isole e Olena Chianti Classico. VM 87-89. Tasted from tank just prior to bottling, the 2015 Chianti Classico is very pretty. Surprisingly medium in body, especially for the year, it is a model of total sophistication. It will be interesting to see if the 2015 gains a bit more flesh. Today, it is on the lighter side, even by the estate’s historical standards.

agavin: this is IEO’s basic Chianti. It’s a pretty blend, very much a great Italian table wine.

Scallops Saltimbocca, Cream of Forbidden Black Rice. I’ve never had the forbidden cream before! Great scallop nicely offset with the pancetta.

2016 Isole e Olena Cepparello Toscana IGT. no reviews at all.

agavin: Cepparello is IEO’s “Super Tuscan” being basically a pure Sangiovese.

2015 Isole e Olena Cepparello Toscana IGT. 93 points. dark red, dark ripe cherries, masculine, lovely style of Sangiovese, rich & round
2014 Isole e Olena Cepparello Toscana IGT. VM 97. The 2014 Cepparello is one of the truly great wines of the vintage. Vivid and intense in all of its dimensions, it exudes purity from start to finish. Silky tannins, expressive aromatics and beautifully delineated, bright, layered Sangiovese fruit are some of the signatures. In 2014, Paolo De Marchi produced an epic Cepparello for the ages. Don’t miss it.

2013 Isole e Olena Cepparello Toscana IGT. VM 96. The 2013 Cepparello is superb. Polished, silky nuanced and exceptionally beautiful, the 2013 exudes freshness and energy from start to finish. Succulent red cherry, plum, lavender and rose petal are some of the signatures. Aging in French oak shapes the wine nicely without marking it excessively. The purity of the flavors is striking. This is an especially cool, savory Cepparello built on finesse and persistence rather than power. Rain during harvest robbed the wine of some of its breadth. Otherwise, this is a striking Cepparello. I can’t wait to see how it ages.

Wagyu Beef Carpaccio, Pickle Mushrooms, Truffle Pecorino, Truffles. Fabulous Carpaccio. In fact, probably one of the best I’ve ever had. Great beefiness, olive oil, and truffle notes.

2013 Isole e Olena Chianti Classico Gran Selezione. 95-96+ points. Tasted after the outstanding 2015 Cepparello, this also is an absolutely stunning wine. A little more restrained on the nose maybe showing dark fruit, spices, tobacco, floral notes. Lots of fruit, powerful tannins, wonderful acidity in near perfect balance on the palate. Big, dense and concentrated, but not heavy. Like Cepparello, quite elegant in fact with lots of finesse. Super persistence to the finish. Keep. 95-96+.

agavin: Gran Selezione is even pricer (and rarer) than the Cepparello and is like the ultimate Chianti. Generally Paolo blends the Sangiovese with a bit of French wine like Syrah or Cabernet depending on the year. Selection is fierce and he uses only the best sections of the vineyards meticulously sorted.

2010 Isole e Olena Chianti Classico Gran Selezione. VM 98-99. The 2010 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione is extraordinary. A wine of pedigree and class, the 2010 boasts magnificent intensity and depth yet never comes across as heavy. The flavors are layered, nuanced and beautifully delineated in the glass. Plum, black cherry, spice, menthol and sweet spices are laced into the exquisite finish. The 2010 is a stunner today, but also has plenty of upside for the future. A reduction of time in barrel vis-a-vis the 2006 has paid off handsomely. The 2010 is going to be expensive, but it is worth every penny. Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot round out the blend.

Cavatelli Wild Boar Ragout. I couldn’t help think of how Paolo told us that he hates the cinghiale (the Tuscan white boar) because they mess with the vines — so he enjoys the revenge of eating them. This pasta was amazing, as Celestino’s hearty ragus always are. It was rich and porky. The cavatelli had that awesome thick chew.

2006 Isole e Olena Chianti Classico Gran Selezione. VM 93. Isole e Olena’s 2006 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione, a wine that was originally produced for home consumption, turned out to be the drawing board for the Gran Selezione. Cherry jam, earthiness, spices, mocha, sweet herbs and French oak all meld together in the glass. The 2006 is marked by a slightly oxidative note in its aromatics it has always shown – the result of having spent three and a half years in oak. Otherwise, the 2006 is exceptional.

agavin: interesting that this was my favorite and the professional reviewers liked the younger wines.

2006 Isole e Olena Cepparello Toscana IGT. VM 96. The 2006 Cepparello is a super classic wine. It brings together the best elements of the house style in its breathtaking aromatics, delineated fruit and striking overall balance. All of the elements are in the right place for the 2006 to develop into a spectacular wine. The 2006 stands apart for its nuance, depth and overall detail. Juicy red cherries, raspberries, rose petals and licorice build to the huge, dramatic finish. The 2006 is one of the all-time great Cepparellos. It bears more than a passing resemblance to the stunning 1988. The 2006 has blossomed beautifully in bottle over the last few years, and it is now clear I underestimated its potential.

2005 Isole e Olena Cepparello Toscana IGT. VM 94. The 2005 Cepparello is glorious. A dark, mysterious wine, the 2005 has put on considerable weight in bottle, while the flavors have turned quite somber, with plenty of espresso, dried flowers, mocha, tar and licorice overtones woven throughout. The 2005 can be enjoyed today, but it also has more than enough stuffing to last for another 10-15 years. It is one of the real triumphs of the vintage. Specifically, the 2005 exudes a strong, assertive personality that simply can’t be denied. In 2005, proprietor Paolo De Marchi blended in a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon to add structure.

agavin: again I liked this less structured, less “big” wine.

2004 Isole e Olena Cepparello Toscana IGT. VM 95. The 2004 Cepparello has fleshed out beautifully since I last tasted it. Dark raspberries, flowers, licorice and spices blossom from the glass as the wine opens up over time. When it was young the 2004 was a much more linear wine, but since then it has put on a lot of weight. Today, the 2004 comes across as a modern day 1982 because of its balance of aromatics, fruit and structure.

Rabbit Cannellone, Squash Puree. This was a novel (and very Italian) dish. The rabbit was like a pink meat filling — not unlike dumpling filling. It was rolled into the pasta and than the unusual sweet squash sauce.

2014 Isole e Olena Cabernet Sauvignon Collezione Privata Toscana IGT. 92 points. Paolo has some pure Cab and Syrah cuvees too.

2013 Isole e Olena Cabernet Sauvignon Collezione Privata Toscana IGT. VM 96. The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Collezione Privata is superb. A delicate, nuanced wine in this vintage, the Cabernet Sauvignon speaks in hushed tones. Silky tannins and highly expressive aromatics add to an impression of total finesse. In many vintages, the Cabernet can be quite big, but not in 2013. This is a brilliant showing from Isole and proprietor Paolo De Marchi.

2015 Isole e Olena Syrah Collezione Privata Toscana IGT. 92 points.

2011 Isole e Olena Syrah Collezione Privata Toscana IGT. VM 94. The 2011 Syrah Collezione Privata is a big, powerful wine. Dark cherry, smoke, plum, pipe tobacco, cedar, leather and menthol notes make a strong opening statement. Plush and deep on the palate, the 2011 is super-inviting. A dollop of Viognier rounds out the blend. This is one of the most intriguing Syrahs being made in Italy today.

Pan Roasted Lamb Loin, Eggplant, Apple Fritters. Yum, lamb.

2000 Isole e Olena Cepparello Toscana IGT. 91 points. Red berries and rose hip tea in the nose, all a bit high toned. Much personality, elegance, consistence right from the start but playing all cards only for so. with some patience: clearly best sip on day 3 from remaining small tasting glas. Good length, great robustness, sweet fruit expression. Great wine.

1998 Isole e Olena Cabernet Sauvignon Collezione Privata Toscana IGT.

1997 Isole e Olena Syrah Collezione Privata Toscana IGT. 90 points.

Wagyu New York Steak, Potato Gnocchi, Parmesan Cheese Cream, Pea Tendrils, Balsamic Sabayon. Boy was I getting full — and this was some great beef!

2008 Isole e Olena Vin Santo del Chianti Classico. Sticky!

Italian Cheeses. Liz normally doesn’t like sweets at the end of red wine meals as to not conflict with the wines but I twisted her arm and brought some of this:

Another new flavor — Orange Cinnamon Gelato — I steeped the milk with blood orange rind, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg! — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — oh my! — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #IceCream #NomNom #dessert #orange #cinnamon #vanilla #nutmeg

Have a few wines!

My cryptic notes.

And some glasses.

As always from Liz and Sage Society an impeccable dinner. Lovely setting, Drago food at its best (and a rare and excellent showing these days with Celistino helming the kitchen), individual labeled stems for every wine (and there were A LOT) and perfect wine service!

Plus Paolo talked and was available all night we really got an insight into the creativity and energy that has made him one of Tuscany’s best winemakers. He engaged in all sorts of experiments with various clones, sites, variants, and techniques in the vineyard, individually pressing and separating small batches of differing grapes. In this way he was able to isolate his best plots and some variations and techniques that really enabled him to push his winemaking forward.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Chef Celestino won the left and Paolo De Marchi in the middle.

By: agavin
Comments (1)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BYOG, Celestino Drago, Chianti, Chianti Classico, Drago, Gelato, Il Pastaio, Italian Cusine, Liz Lee, Paolo De Marchi, pasta, Sage Society, Seafood, Tuscany, Uni, Wine

Sauvages Chinois

Feb11

Restaurant: Chinois On Main [1, 2]

Location: 2709 Main St, Santa Monica, CA 90405. (310) 392-9025

Date: January 11, 2019

Cuisine: Asian Fusion

Rating: Still good decades later

When I first moved to LA 25 years ago, Chinois was already a vibrant pillar of LA’s hot high end dining scene. It represented the kind of cool “fusion” of east/west cuisines that was so novel at the time, and almost never seen (by me) back on the East Coast.

The interior has been kept up, and still has that funky late 80s hip modern style. And while this is a long way from the starker more “rustic/urban” decor that is popular now, I still think it looks good.

For today’s Sauvages lunch — which is the annual Tête de cuvée Champagne lunch — we set up “next door” in the private room. I’d no idea this was even here, but it’s huge.

This is a newer Chablis producer I’m very fond of:

2012 Christophe et Fils Chablis 1er Cru Mont de Milieu. 92 points. Medium yellow. Quite ripe fruit but a whiff of seashell behind this. Pretty plush feel-you definitely sense the wood influence. More pear and yellow apple than citrus fruit character, some spice (unusual for Chablis), late iodine and limestone, lowish acidity. The wood plus ripe fruit plus low acidity make it veer in the direction of more southerly climats, but there is just enough Chablis character to identify it as such. To be drunk over the short term, that’s for sure.

2017 Domaine Huet Vouvray Sec Le Mont. JG 94. The 2017 Sec bottling from the Le Mont vineyard is another gem from Domaine Huët. The bouquet is bright, pure and nascently complex, offering up scents of lemon, apple, quince, bee pollen, chalky soil tones and a topnote of spring flowers. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and more closed in personality than the Le Haut Lieu Sec, with a bit of the backend dustiness of shutdown young Vouvray already starting to throw its weight around, but with excellent depth at the core and impressive focus. The finish is long, beautifully balanced and intensely flavored, with great energy and grip. This is dynamite wine in the making but unlike the Le Haut Lieu Sec, I would be tempted to tuck this away in the cellar right away and not drink any bottles during its first couple of years, as I have the sense that this is going to shut down quite briskly and it will be pointless to waste bottles early on, particularly given how much potential there is here for down the road! (Drink between 2028-2060)

Champagne chilling.

Today’s special menu.

Passing appetizers:

Slightly spicy/sweet toro cones. This has been a puck staple for decades and it’s still fabulous.

Same with the Jewish Pizza, which is creme fraiche and lox. Delicious!

Sweet and sour scallops. Very nice.

Wagyu with asparagus. An amped up version of the cocktail classic.

Mini crab cakes.

Flight 1:

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

1988 Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut. VM 97. After the lackluster 1990, things get back on track quickly with the 1988 Salon, a wine that is absolutely peaking today. From one of the all-time great vintages in Champagne the 1988 Salon exudes power and explosive intensity, with superb balance and pulsating acidity that gives the wine its drive. A host of candied lemon peel, hazelnut, smoke, licorice and anise overtones meld into the super-expressive finish. Disgorged à la volée, with no dosage.

1996 Ployez-Jacquemart Champagne Liesse d’Harbonville. JG 95. The Réserve Liesse d’Harbonville is Ployez-Jacquemart’s Tête de Cuvée and it is a fantastic example of the 1996 vintage. The wine is barrel fermented four to five year-old Burgundy barrels and does not go through malolactic fermentation. It is made from a blend of seventy percent chardonnay and thirty percent red grapes, and then is aged a minimum of ten years in the cellar prior to disgorgement and release. The bouquet on the 1996 is deep, complex and truly stunning, as it soars from the glass in a blaze of apple, nutskin, tangerine, brioche, beautifully complex minerality and a topnote of citrus zest. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and quite intensely flavored, with a great core of fruit, refined mousse, snappy acids and great length and grip on the complex and very intense finish. A terrific bottle of bubbly that is still on its way up and should prove to be one of the reference point wines of this great Champagne vintage.

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

Potato and leek soup with crostini topped with black caviar. Really nice rich (creamy) soup that paired perfectly with the champagnes.

Flight 2:

2002 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut. VM 96. The 2002 Cristal (Re-Release) is just as arrestingly beautiful as it has always been. Exotic, powerful and sensual, the 2002 is just starting to show all of its cards. The 2002 was magnificent when it was first released. Since then, it has only grown in breeding. In this vintage, Cristal is silky, sensual and open-knit, with enveloping fruit and striking textural resonance. It’s great to see the 2002 showing so well. I had high expectations when it was first released, and those expectations now appear to have been more than justified.

1999 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Cuvée Nicolas-François Billecart. VM 93. Bright yellow-gold. An exotically perfumed bouquet evokes fresh pear, iodine, white flowers and toasted brioche, with gingery spice and mineral notes adding vibrancy. Rich and weighty but quite lithe and focused, offering sappy orchard and citrus fruit flavors and a chalky mineral nuance on the back half. Closes on a smoky note, with excellent focus and lingering floral character.

2000 Philipponnat Champagne Brut Clos des Goisses. BH 95. This is more mature than the 2001 with a beautifully layered nose of yeast, lemon rind, brioche, dried flowers and spice hints. There is excellent volume and superb intensity to the firm mousse that despite the firmness exhibits a very fine bead. This is exceptionally impressive in the mouth with the same striking complexity of the nose coupled with positively gorgeous length. A knockout that could be drunk now with pleasure or held for a few more years first; personally I would opt for the latter but either way, this is a classic Clos des Goisses.

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

Seared Blue Fin Tuna with fresh Santa Barbara Uni. This was an insanely delicious dish — it was all about that uni sauce.

Flight 3:

2004 Dom Perignon Champagne. VM 97. A wine of nuance, precision and understatement, the 2004 remains all grace. Time has softened some of the contours, but the flavors remain fresh and vibrant. Medium in body, the 2004 can be enjoyed now or cellared for several decades. This is a gorgeous showing from the 2004, a wine that has been captivatingly beautiful from the first time I tasted it years ago. There is something effortless about the 2004 that is hard to capture with words. The 2004 doesn’t quite have the obvious breeding of the 2008 and 2002, nor the obvious power of the 2003 or 2006, and yet it is harmonious, sublime and totally sensual.

2006 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut. VM 97. Broad, ample and resonant on the palate, the 2006 Cristal dazzles with its pure richness and volume. Readers need to give the 2006 another 4-5 years in bottle, perhaps longer, as the wine appears to be shutting down a bit. Tasted next to the 2002, today the 2006 is a bit less opulent but just as intense, layered and deep. This is a fabulous showing. 10,000 cases imported in the US.

2006 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Cuvée Nicolas-François Billecart. 93 points. nother great 2006 Tete’ level champagne. I’ve drank other people’s btls of this from prior vintages but this was the first plunge on my own with the 2006. Good idea! Specifically bought this with our 40th Anni in mind but was tempted by a Tait Comte & Dom P too. Said to be 60% Pinot Noir mix of Premier & Grand Crus from Montagne de Reims / Grande Vallée de la Marne along with 40% Chardonnay from Côte des Blancs. This was killer tonight and uniquely different from the more feminine Comte I often go to for special occasions. This showed tremendous power and intensity while still delivering refined elegance. The palate is a zesty, bright & driven mix of; mineral dominated citrus, trace stone fruit, spice and brioche. Racy & intense and at the same time richness and expansive fruit. And,not remotely oxidative, yea! Ultra fresh and alive. Just fantastic!

2002 Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Cuvée Rare. BH 91. The very fresh and nicely complex nose reflects notes of green apple, yeast, pain grillé and plenty of citrus characters. The clean, succulent and fleshy medium-bodied flavors are shaped by a moderately firm effervescence while offering good depth and length on the vaguely sweet finish that some may find more than they prefer as I did. To be sure this is a lovely wine with fine depth but I prefer a drier style.

Loup de mer wrapped in won ton skin atop sauteed vegetables in Riesling sauce. Really nice textural play with the soft fish and the crispy wonton.
Our hostess presides.

Flight 4:

2008 Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Champagne Brut La Grande Dame. 93 points. Pale straw color.pastry dough aromas. Notes of fresh lemons and limes with a fine minerality. Solid bead. Give this plenty of time. 92-93+ points.

2008 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Coeur de Cuvée. VM 96. The 2008 Coeur de Cuvée (magnum) is positively brilliant. It is also likely to require quite a bit of time to be at its very best. Even so, the 2008 shimmers with tension, energy and polish. Lemon confit, chalk, chamomile and white flowers are all finely cut in this chiseled, super-expressive edition of the Coeur de Cuvée. The 2008 boasts incredible fruit density and structure, with distinctly mineral and graphite notes that develop in the glass. In a word: dazzling! Unfortunately, there are just 395 magnums to go around. Disgorged November 2016. Dosage is 7 grams per liter. (Drink between 2018-2028)

2008 Dom Perignon Champagne. VM 98+. The 2008 Dom Pérignon is fabulous, but quite remarkably, it was even more open when I tasted it a year ago. Bright, focused and crystalline in its precision, the 2008 is going to need a number of years before it is at its best. Lemon peel, white flowers, mint and white pepper give the 2008 its chiseled, bright profile. Several recent bottles have all been magnificent. What I admire most about the 2008 is the way it shows all the focus, translucence and energy that is such a signature of the year, and yet it is also remarkably deep and vertical. In other words, the 2008 is a Champagne that plays in three dimensions. (Drink between 2020-2058)

2009 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut. VM 96. Rich, creamy and radiant, the 2009 Cristal captures all of the natural generosity of the vintage while also retaining a good bit of freshness and aromatic intensity. Immediate and totally sensual in its allure, the 2009 will drink well with minimal cellaring. All things considered, at this stage, the 2009 comes across as relatively restrained for a wine from a warm year.

Stuart felt he needed a red:

2003 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée. VM 94. Deep red. Strikingly complex nose offers powerful scents of red berries, spicecake, cured meat and potpourri. Velvety red berry and kirsch flavors stain the palate, picking pick up candied lavender and fruitcake nuances with air. The spiciness builds on the finish, which echoes the cherry note. This wine was most noteworthy for its power in the early going (I rated it 92-94 shortly before it was bottled) but has become more graceful and now conveys a stronger impressive of pure, spicy fruit.

Braised short ribs sake soy glaze, truffle oil drizzle and potato puree. A big chunk of nice soft osso-bucco-like beef.

My cryptic notes.

Dessert

From my cellar: NV Drappier Champagne Rosé Brut Nature Dosage Zero. VM 90. Pale orange. Mineral-accented red berries and citrus fruits on the nose, complemented by hints of candied rose and white pepper. Stony and precise, offering lively strawberry and orange zest flavors that expand slowly with air. Closes spicy, stony and tight, with very good clarity and floral persistence.

A simple dessert by the house with a bit of cake, whipped cream, (boring) ice cream, and fruit sauce.

Torta di Frutta alla Mandorla Siciliana Gelato (Sicilian Fruit & Almond Tart) made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — toasted Sicilian almond base with Homemade Sicilian Marzipan Cake and Candied Sicilian Lemons & Oranges — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #almond #ToastedAlmond #Mandorla #lemon #orange #cake #AlmondCake #CandiedFruit

Blackberry Passionfruit Amaro Sorbetto! — like a frozen aperitivo — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #blackberry #passionfruit #amaro #cocktail #sorbet #sorbetto

My BYOG streak continues!

Overall, Chinois still has a sharp kitchen and great service. This was an atypical meal for Chinois in that everything was custom, nothing off the menu. It was less “fusion” or less “Chinese” than the menu food with more subdued flavors (to pair with the Champagne). But I think they did a bang up job and every dish was delicious.

The Champagnes were amazing. Not a bad bottle in the group and both the older and younger ones were delicious in their own rights.

I think the decor has aged great and is actually more unique now.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

To see all the Sauvages posts, click here.

By: agavin
Comments (1)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BYOG, Champagne, Chinois, Gelato, lunch, Santa Monica, Sauvages, Wolfgang Puck

Sebi Mastro’s 2018

Jan30

Restaurant: Mastro’s [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Location: 246 North Canon Dr, Beverly Hills, Ca 90210. 310-888-8782

Date: December 23, 2018

Cuisine: Steak House

Rating: My favorite LA Steak joint

For the third year (sort of) in a row, my friend Sebastian picked Mastros for his birthday dinner — no complaints here — so we all hauled out the wines and headed across town.

We setup in the luxurious Penthouse!

Chevy even printed up a flyer.

Wine service tonight was extra good — way better than on some previous visits.

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.

Pretzel bread — gotta love it.

From my cellar: NV Philipponnat Champagne Royale Réserve Rosé Brut. BH 92. A moderately fruity nose reflects notes of cherry, strawberry, raspberry, yeast and a subtle citrus nuance. There is a really lovely sense of energy to the delicious, round and nicely voluminous flavors that are shaped by a moderately fine effervescence that carries over to a lingering and solidly complex finish that is drier than the 9 g/L of dosage would suggest. One of the aspects that I particularly like here is that unlike many examples of rosé that tend to be prettier than they are deep, there has very good depth. Like the Royale Réserve, this could easily be held for further aging but it is so attractive now that there is no particular reason to do so. This bottle was unfortunately a touch corked.

Beef Carpaccio with capers, arugula, and parmesan. Awesome and a bit lighter.

2009 Dom Perignon Champagne. VM 94+. The 2009 Dom Pérignon is open, seductive and radiant, as it has always been. Soft curves, mid-weight structure and tons of plain allure make the 2009 impossible to resist in its youth. This bottle, the best I have tasted so far, offers a distinc citrus and floral-driven profile that adds a good deal of brightness. Above all else, the 2009 is a gorgeous Champagne to drink now and over then next few decades. This is the first time in the house’s history that a vintage was not released sequentially.

A seafood tower. The quality of the seafood here is impeccable and the only thing we had to complain about was that there wasn’t enough! Really for five we would have expected the two or three story version Still there were amazing shrimp, claws, king crab (didn’t taste frozen), and oysters. We should have gotten the Dungeness chunks — this year our tower was a bit skimpy.

Zoom in on the tower.

Mustard, cocktail sauce, atomic horseradish.

From my cellar: 2001 Gros Frère et Sœur Richebourg. VM 92. Good full red. Superripe but sappy aromas of red cherry, sassafras and bitter chocolate. Penetrating and highly aromatic in the mouth, with raspberry, spice, mineral and floral flavors. At once dense and pretty, finishing with firm-edged tannins, lively acidity and an explosion of sappy red fruits and minerals.

Bone marrow and toast — have a bit of fat! Actually not my favorite as I don’t love the texture of bone marrow straight up.

Foie Gras. Awesome as you would expect!

Escargot and pastry. One of my favorites of the aps.

I can never read the vintages on these fake pinots.

Beef tartar.

Chevy likes a “fry course.”

With peppercorn and Béarnaise sauce.

1999 Château Mouton Rothschild. VM 90. Full medium ruby. Currant, meat, mocha and grilled nuts on the nose. Lush, sweet and smooth, with just enough vinosity to maintain its balance. A vin de plaisir whose lovely fruit and sweet, harmonious tannins make it very easy to taste today (the chateau carried out a gentler, shorter extraction in ’99). But doesn’t have quite the length or grip of a top year.

1999 Château Margaux. VM 93. Medium ruby. Expressive aromas of black raspberry, Cuban tobacco and grilled nuts; a bit more red fruit in character than either the 2000 or the 2001. Silky, seamless and enveloping, but the wine’s excellent vinosity gives its creamy fruit very good definition. Consistent from start to finish. Tannins are substantial but fine, allowing the fruit and floral flavors to linger impressively. Along with Latour, an early candidate for the wine of the vintage.

Wagyu tomahawk steak.

Bone in rib eye. Awesome piece of beef, but theoretically about the same cut as the tomahawk.

Steamed broccoli for Seb.

Lobster mashed potatoes. Lots of lobster this time.

1999 Château Mouton Rothschild. VM 90. Full medium ruby. Currant, meat, mocha and grilled nuts on the nose. Lush, sweet and smooth, with just enough vinosity to maintain its balance. A vin de plaisir whose lovely fruit and sweet, harmonious tannins make it very easy to taste today (the chateau carried out a gentler, shorter extraction in ’99). But doesn’t have quite the length or grip of a top year.

1990 Château Mouton Rothschild. VM 94. Bright red with a pale rim. Knockout nose of aromatic herbs, strawberry, sweet spices and acacia flower; yet another wine strongly marked by its cabernet franc presence. Fresh and vibrant, this absolutely dances on the palate with strawberry, sour red cherry and raspberry flavors complicated by gunflint and herbs. High acidity provides great clarity and cut to the long, floral, smoothly tannic finish. This has improved considerably with bottle age. Harvested from September 18 through October 3, this Mouton offers amazing balance and fragrance. In 1990 Mouton was still using a heavy toast for its barriques, which resulted in a smoky quality in the wines that was considered by many to be just as typical of Mouton as its opulence. “But we began turning things back in 1993, as we saw that our 1992 was a little unbalanced from the use of heavily toasted barrels,” said Tourbier remarks.

2003 Château Mouton Rothschild. VM 95. A heady, exotic wine, the 2003 Mouton Rothschild takes hold of all the senses. The ripeness and exuberance of the year comes through in spades as this dramatic, opulent wine shows off its radiant personality. The 2003 can be enjoyed now, but it could also use another few years for the tannins to soften. Still, the 2003 is pretty hard to resist today. This is an exceptional, deeply satisfying Mouton endowed with notable richness but also exceptional balance. Hints of toffee, torrefaction and dark spices are laced into the finish. In 2003 the blend is 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, all brought in between a fairly narrow window of ten days between September 15 and 25.

Lamb chops.

And even better, the evil “king crab truffle gnocchi.” Yes that’s right. Cream, cheese, truffles, crab, potato. What could be better?

Zoom!

Sautéed mushrooms (type 1).

Sautéed mushrooms (type 2).

Larry brought: 1976 Domaine de Caplane.

Compared to regular nocciola this is like a 6ft vertical flame monster vs a Ferrari F1 — it’s Caramel Toffee Chocolate Pretzel Hazelnut Gelato — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — Hazelnuts from Torino Italy, layered with homemade toffee Valrhona chocolate pretzels and homemade caramel — oh my #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #IceCream #Caramel #Valrhona #hazelnut #nocciola #pretzel #ChocolatePretzel #toffee

Blueberry Blackberry Cheesecake Gelato — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — blackberry/blueberry cream-cheese base with get this: homemade graham cracker frozen butter — oh my #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #IceCream #blackberry #blueberry #cheesecake #GrahamCracker #creamcheese

Plated (by me).

The all important Butter Cake. This is “Mastro’s signature warm butter cake ala mode.” Basically a pound cake with an extra four sticks of butter or something. It’s really sweet and really good. Goes well with the magic whipped cream (see below).

With berries.

The full wine lineup.

Chevy and Mary.

Michelle and Seb.

Mastro’s, while a zoo, and expensive, is a spectacular steak house experience. You can really feel your heart palpitating as you roll out of here!

Overall, another perfect steakhouse birthday!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: birthday, BYOG, Gelato, Mastros, sebastian, Steak, Wine

Goodbye Valentino

Jan28

Restaurant: Valentino Santa Monica [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13]

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

Date: December 14, 2018

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: My last meal here!

It is with great sadness that we mark the passing of the venerable and classic Valentino in Santa Monica. It’s been around for nearly 40 years and was at one time (in the 90s) the best Italian Restaurant in LA, if not the country, being one of the first American Italian places to offer extremely Italian, highly refined, ingredient focused food. Now it’s been a bit long in the tooth for some time now, and the cheffing not what it once was, but I’ve been there for so many wine dinners it’s like a second home.

So for our final Sauvages lunch of the year — oddly Bordeaux themed rather than Italian — we celebrate the legacy of the grand dame of LA Italian Fine dining.

Starting with some Champagnes.

There were so many wines this afternoon that I’m feeling too lazy to write them all up.

Now the passed appetizers:

Crocchette of polenta stuffed with egg and cheese?

Crostini with burrata.

Shrimp wrapped in bacon.

Arancini cheese balls.

Pizza Bianca.

Decorated for the holidays.

Or special menu today.

Whole Calamari Stuffed with Lobster and Braised in Light Tomato Broth and Oregano. I didn’t love this dish. A touch fishy.

I Tortini Gemelli di Melanzana e Fungi. Twin flans of eggplant and wild mushroom. These I liked because I’m partial to the soft baked texture of flans.

Spaghetti al Cipollotto with pancetta, mild onions, cherry tomatoes, parmesan & buffalo blue. Nice pasta. I always love some good pancetta with my pasta.
Duet of Stuffed Rabbit and Quail. Very meaty.

I forgot to take the picture of their dessert which was Budino alla Vaniglia e Croccante and Italian Praline-Caramel Pudding. My gelato (below) was plated next to it and was better, of course :-).

Excellent dessert wine.

The holiday flavors continue — Traditional Cassata di Siciliana Gelato — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — Sicilian Christmas cake as a gelato, with a ricotta almond base mixed with candied fruit and dark Valrhona chocolate chunks — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #IceCream #Cassata #Valrhona #CandiedFruit #fruit #chocolate #ricotta #almond #RicottaCheese #cheese CassataSiciliana

The holiday flavors continue — Eggnog Gelato — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — pure traditional eggnog made as a gelato with a real rum/sugar/egg zabaglione core — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #IceCream #eggnog #rum #nutmeg #cinnamon #egg #zabaglione

Macchiato.

The filled room.

The afternoon served as a sort of parting function for owner, host and restaurant luminary Piero Selvaggio — and somewhat by coincidence Wolfgang Puck was there and joined in.

Everyone cheers Stuart on as he toasts his friend Piero.

The whole lineup of Bordeaux.

There was a ladies table at this event. Kinda a bit funny with its own wines, and they ordered off the menu rather than having or set lunch.

Piero and Wolfgang taste and drink.

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. Sommlier/wine director Paul was in the house and handled all the wines to perfection.

The food itself was fairly typical of recent Valentino set menus with some nice dishes and a few more ho-hum ones. Piero is such a fine host that I really wish he had kept both the food and decor a bit more up to date. Spago has actually done a much better job of this and is still quite busy (and expensive).

To see more Sauvages lunches, click here.

Below is the long parade of Bordeaux. There were some seriously excellent wines in the bunch including the 1990 Margaux and 1982 Haut Brion!

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Bordeaux, BYOG, Dessert, Gelato, lunch, Piero Selvaggio, Santa Monica, Sauvages, Valentino, Wine

Molto Miro

Jan25

Restaurant: Miro

Location: 888 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90017. (213) 988-8880

Date: December 13, 2018

Cuisine: Contemporary American Italian (not fully Italian)

Rating: Not super Italian. Some dishes great, some just good

After the Dama dinner, most of us in attendance decided to visit Sandi on her home turf (she’s the head sommelier at Miro).

Bracing the traffic, Erick and ventured downtown.

It’s a short building on a taller block…

But inside has a very attractive, if loud and cold, build out and a whisky bar downstairs.

The menu is sort of Italian — or Contemporary American Italian. It doesn’t feel like an Italian owned place and there are numerous dishes that have no analogue on the boot.

Before Sandi could enjoy herself she had lots of work taking care of all the bottles!

2012 Domaine Michel Voarick Corton-Charlemagne. 89 points. I’ve never heard of this CC producer! Most of these notes were by Peter at this dinner. Darker gold; muted nose, slight walnut, hazelnut, touch caramel, not pre-mox but seemed to have poor storage and prematurely aged aspect; pretty high acid, decent, but should have more going on IMHO.

Bonus from my cellar: 2011 Villa Diamante Fiano di Avellino Vigna della Congregazione. 92 points. Darker gold, almond color; Earthy note, walnut, almond nuttiness with sour fruit, ample bod, long, good acidity, slight bitter finish; really cool, good age now, excellent with a variety of the Italian dishes, esp. the grilled octupus.

2002 Domaine Roulot Meursault Les Luchets. RJ 92. Slightly dark, in good shape premox wise but had a band-aidy rubber reduction thing going on that was distracting. good medium mouthfeel, acidity, but didn’t excite.

ROASTED BEET SALAD. avocado, castelvetrano olives, orange segments, sumac vinaigrette, pistachio crumble. Good salad with a nice crunch.

CAPRESE SALAD. heirloom tomato, basil, mozzarella, balsamic reduction, olive oil. Not my thing as I don’t love (raw) tomatoes.

GRILLED PEACH. burrata, prosciutto, basil, honey.

WOOD-GRILLED OCTOPUS. chorizo, fingerling potatoes, pickled tomato, achiote paste. Really tasty but surprisingly VERY spicy (and I love spicy but it killed the wines except the fiano).

From my cellar: 1998 Gaja Barbaresco. 93 points. Dark ruby-purple, good depth of color for this age especially; blackberry and savory notes, showing a little brown sauce age, oak showing a bit compared to the Mascarello ’08; rich, softer tannins starting to resolve, more of a Brunello character to me, or even a Cali Pinot with a rich mouth, oak, and sauce thing. Not too complex, better with meats than pasta. Preferred the Mascarello for its elegance. Showing a little age, in a good place now, will hold for a long while.

2008 Giuseppe E Figlio Mascarello Barolo Monprivato. 93 points. Red cherry, dried cherry, lightly savory, elegant, just ripe, tannins starting to resolve, in a really good place, even if quite young. My WOTN, classy, pure, true.

SQUID INK CORZETTI. lobster, tarragon, cherry tomato, saffron. Very interesting shape, texture and color.

HAND-CUT SPAGHETTI. pork bolognese, gremolata, parmesan. Nice meaty bolognese.

UNI TAGLIATELLE. sun-dried tomato, braised leeks, gremolata, lemon. I thought I’d like this more than I did — not bad, but I expected to love it.

1999 Clos Erasmus Priorat. 93 points. Good dark purple, cloudy; rubbery aspect, reduction with age? 75 % Grenache but quite dark in character (5% CS and 20% Syrah), still a little Black cherry syrup thing going on, tannic still, a bit one dimensional, I little off on this bottle.

2011 Tua Rita Redigaffi Toscana IGT. Vinuous 95+. Nice dark berries with a hint of red cherry, some good lift, good balance, the youngest red of the night and pretty refreshing actually, oak showing up front but not obnoxious, good softer mouthfeel, balanced, delish, good with meats.

LASAGNA. pork Bolognese, spinach egg noodles, béchamel, fontina, parmesan. VERY GOOD classic lasagna. Lots of strong red sauce flavor.

1994 Dominus Estate. 95 points. Great dark berry notes, dried cassis, tootsie rool; cool complex stuff going on, tannins almost all resolved, really good right now, won’t get better, drink up, why wait. Actually worked with Uni pasta as I found older Bordeaux seems to as well. But the Fiano was best with the uni.

2004 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha’s Vineyard. 89 points. This had a strange rubber thing going on as seemed to be the case with a couple other wines tonight as well; just wasn’t firing on all cylinders.

TRUFFLE MUSHROOM. fontina, mozzarella, artichoke, green olive, avocado, chives. Did not particularly like at all. Weird.

SPICY ITALIAN SAUSAGE. fontina, mozzarella, Calabrian chili, pickled onion, oregano. I expected to like this but the dough was all wrong. Ruined both pizzas.

2002 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Spottswoode Estate Vineyard. 93 points. Earthy, dark leather, underbrush serious cab, still in its youth, structured, cigar tobacco, feeling quite youthful.

2007 Larkmead Vineyards LMV Salon. 92 points. Good Bordeaux blend softness to this as opposed to the more structured Spottswood Cab, and seemd a little more aged maybe b/c of this, despite the fact it was 5 years younger! nice, smooth, good cab blend, with the prime rib-eye.

BRAISED BEEF SHORTRIBS. wild rice pilaf, roasted young carrots, natural jus. A touch dry.

16oz. PRIME RIBEYE. roasted asparagus & rainbow carrots, pickled cherry tomatoes, garlic potato puree.

PISTACHIO CRUSTED LAMB CHOPS. grilled shishito, sweet corn, gremolata. These were very good.

Fries were just ok.

The first of many large batch holiday flavors — Peppermint Gelato — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — peppermint candy base laced with peppermint bark! — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #IceCream #peppermint #candy #holiday #winter

Overall we had a great time at Miro. We had the private room to ourselves — thank the big guy as the main room was so concrete clad and loud. Sandi did a great job taking care of us and service was excellent — particularly the wine service. And speaking of wine, we had a wide selection of really nice juice tonight.

Food had me slightly perplexed. The place is like part Italian / part steak house. The pizzas weren’t good at all, but most of the pastas were solid, some like the ragu and lasagna excellent. The apps were generally good too and the mains not really Italian at all, and not so much my personal style, but certainly tasty enough.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

By: agavin
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Tagged as: BYOG, DTLA, Gelato, hedonists, Italian Cusine, Miro, Sandi, Wine

Rooftop Umeda

Jan23

Restaurant: Umeda

Location: 6623 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038. (323) 965-8010

Date: December 12, 2018

Cuisine: Modern Japanese

Rating: Pretty good Matsuhisa style Japanese

Tonight’s dinner is an interesting mash up gang containing about half people from the old Foodie Club dinners of the 2015-2016 time frame (helmed tonight by Walker) and a whole bunch of Will’s friends (previously unknown to me but very cool).

For me this was the start of a bruising 5 night out holiday run.

It takes place at Umeda, a modern Japanese restaurant. But firstly…
Walker is also friendly with the building owner and designer and so we went upstairs before the meal to his private rooftop deck.

A rather awesome little Hollywood lookout.

Chef Takuya Umeda who started his culinary career in Sapporo, Japan in a sushi restaurant between 1981 to 1987. He fell in love with the art of sushi. With his heart and passion set on becoming the best sushi chef, he started working in London at Saga Japanese Restaurant between 1987 to 1995.

Clean light wood interiors.

The kitchen is very organized.

The wine theme was Champagne!

2007 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Coeur de Cuvée. VM 95. Interestingly, the 2007 Coeur de Cuvée comes across as a bit more youthful than the 2008 tasted alongside it. Another year in bottle seems to have only brought out the wine’s freshness and energy. Freshly cut flowers, pears, mint and almonds are some of the signatures, but it is the wine’s vivacity that I find most striking today. The 2007 is a bit less creamy and multi-dimensional than the 2008, but it is impressive just the same.

1969 Perrier-Jouët Champagne Réserve Cuvée Rosé!

Oyster with caviar and miso sauce. A touch sweet, but great.

1995 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut. VM 96. The 1995 Cristal (Late Disgorged) is fascinating to taste, as it is quite different in style from the original release. Because of the extra three years or so on the lees, the 1995 Cristal (Late Disgorged) has picked up a reductive note that is not typical of Cristal. Scents of lime, crushed rock, lemon and slate gradually open up in the glass. The 1995 remains taut and chiseled, with crystalline purity and exceptional overall balance. The wine feels wonderfully alive as it tempts all of the senses with its compelling personality. This is a superb showing from Roederer.

2006 Dom Perignon Champagne. VM 96. Powerful, dense and tightly wound, the 2006 Dom Pérignon is fabulous today. To be sure, the 2006 is a broad, virile Champagne, but I find it compelling because of its phenolic depth and overall intensity. Chef de Caves Richard Geoffroy adds that August was quite cold and wet, and that ripening only happened at the very end of the growing season. Although numbers alone can never explain a wine, I find it interesting that the 2006 has more phenolics than the 2003. Readers will have to be patient, as the 2006 is easily the most reticent Dom Pérignon in the years spanning 2002 and 2009. I am confident the 2006 will have its day, but in its youth, it is not especially charming or easy to drink.

A first little round of sushi:

White fish (maybe snapper) with shiso, toro, uni, mackerel, and hand pickled ginger.

2004 Ruinart Champagne Dom Ruinart Brut Rosé. VM 95. A wine of exquisite beauty, the 2004 Dom Ruinart Brut Rosé has the pedigree to drink well for several decades. The 2004 is an especially vinous, textured Rosé. The berry, floral, spice and mineral-drenched flavors are finely sketched in this dramatic, strikingly beautiful Rosé from Ruinart.

The next round was Nobu style sashimi (I think the chef worked for Nobu at some point, maybe at Matsuhisa).

New Style Salmon Sashimi. With olive oil, sesame, chives. This dish (popularized by Nobu) hides the fish, but it is tasty.

Oyster with ponzu. Love these.

Snapper with garlic.

2006 Ruinart Champagne Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs. VM 96+. One of the highlights among this year’s new tête de cuvée releases, 2006 the Brut Blanc de Blancs Dom Ruinart is a powerful, almost tannic Champagne built on structure and intensity. Then again, much of the Chardonnay here comes from the Montagne de Reims, where wines tend to naturally be quite broad. Even though it’s now ten years old, the 2006 is much less expressive than either the 2002 or 2004 at a similar stage. I expect it will be quite a few years before the 2006 is truly ready to drink. Over the years I have been fortunate to taste Dom Ruinart back to the 1970s, and while I don’t think the 2006 will need decades to be at its best, it certainly does look like a long distance runner. There is plenty of citrus and floral driven intensity, although the bouquet is less toasty and open than it often is. In short, the 2006 Dom Ruinart is a wine for those who can be patient. It will be a fine investment for those looking for a wine to cellar to commemorate special occasions. Lot L AJSXAC.

More sushi.

Kanpachi (probably) with chili, a silver skinned fish, eel, and ikura (salmon roe).

2011 Pessac-Léognan de Chevalier Blanc. 90 points.

More sashimi, often called taradito in this context owing to its Peruvian influences.

The classic yellowtail jalepeno.

Scallop with yuzu and chili.

A light fish with a tangy sauce.

Tuna in a lettuce wrap.

J.M. Labruyère Champagne Grand Cru Prologue. BH 90. A discreet if mildly fruity nose consists of citrus, white peach, yeast and a whiff of brioche. The juicy and attractively vibrant middle weight flavors are shaped by a moderately firm if not especially fine mousse, all wrapped in very dry and crisp finish that offers reasonably good depth and persistence. This is appealing in its fashion even if it is less distinguished than its two stable mates.

1995 Charles Heidsieck Champagne Blanc des Millénaires. VM 95. The 1995 Brut Blanc des Millenaires shows just how compelling this often overlooked vintage can be. Layers of lemon, pastry spices, crushed rocks and savory herbs literally jump from the glass in this exquisite, perfumed, beautifully delineated Champagne. The 1995 shows lovely flavor complexity and nuance from its extended time in bottle, yet it also retains plenty of freshness, verve and acidity. This is a great showing from Charles Heidsieck. The 1995 was made before the tenure of the house’s current team, headed by CEO Cécile Bonnefond. It will be very interesting to see what develops at this historic property over the coming years.

Persimmon with mushrooms and cheesy cream sauce. This was the most unique dish of the night. I don’t usually like persimmon but this was pretty good. Weird though with the sweet and creamy.

Mysterious underwater champagne.

2015 Samuel Billaud Chablis Grand Cru Blanchot. VM 91+. Bright yellow. Ripe peach and ripe pear aromas are enlivened by flowers and white pepper, with the spicy oak element complementing rather than overwhelming the nose. Tight and strict in the mouth, with its lemon and softer citrus flavors framed by an edge of acidity and a peppery accent that I did not find in the Vaudésir, Preuses or Bougros. Conveys a slightly astringent stoniness but this wine is ripe enough to expand in bottle and absorb some of its acidity (4.3 grams per liter) with four or five years in the cellar. Perhaps it was not a bad idea to pick this fruit earlier than anticipated.

Old style sushi. I like these pressed heavily marinated old school sushis. Although these aren’t SUPER old school or anything. And the roll in the back with the rice paper is decidedly “LA”. For some reason, LA ladies decided that rice paper was healthier than seaweed — which I’m sure it’s not since seaweed has about zero calories and lots of nutrients.

2014 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne. BH 92-95. Moderate reduction presently renders the nose difficult to evaluate but there is lovely intensity to the strongly mineral-inflected and muscular big-bodied flavors that display fine cut and plenty of punch on the pure and relatively refined finish that delivers flat out superb length. This is potentially excellent though note well that it’s going to require plenty of bottle age to realize its full potential.

2008 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos. BH 96. Here too the elegance of the nose is simply stunning with a layered and perfumed aromatic profile trimmed in an almost invisible touch of oak that allows it to ooze Chablis character and in particular, a fine minerality that continues onto the impressively concentrated and palate staining flavors that possess striking precision on the explosively long and bone dry finish. This is a great Les Clos that will make old bones.

Kobe beef skewers. Not, I think, serious A5. But tasty.

From my cellar: 2006 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Rosé Brut. VM 96. The 2006 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Rosé is at once rich and refined, a simply fabulous Champagne Rosè I won’t soon forget. Intensely perfumed, with the Pinot Noir-derived red berry and cranberry flavors that are not just concentrated, but also remarkably pure. It is one of the better Rosé bubbles I have had in the last year.

I also opened but forgot to photo:

1979 Drappier Champagne Carte d’Or Brut. 94 points.

2014 Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc. VM 93. The 2014 Smith Haut-Lafitte Blanc has a lively, crisp bouquet with mineral-driven citrus fruit, fine chalk and flint-like scents, dare I say almost Chablis-cum-Bordeaux! The palate is well balanced with crisp acidity, quite vibrant with good depth although the second half is missing the tension that I hope for, certainly what those splendid aromatics deserve. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.

More rolls. Interesting stuff in them and sweet sauces. Yummy though. I was still hungry and had to eat other people’s rolls. lol.

2014 Jean-Michel Stephan Côte-Rôtie Côteaux de Tupin. VM 91. Bright violet. Smoke- and spice-tinged blue fruit and violet aromas show excellent clarity and a hint of cured meat. Sweet and sappy on the palate, offering concentrated dark berry, floral pastille and allspice flavors plus a subtle suggestion of gaminess. The very long, lively finish features firm, minerally cut, an echo of juicy blue fruit and dusty tannins that add shape and gentle grip.

Meatball ramen soup?

The gang pretty much took over the restaurant.

1989 Zind-Humbrecht Tokay Pinot Gris Clos Jebsal Vendange Tardive. 95 points. Brilliant. A wow from the first sip; deep gold in colour with stunning aromatics – an array of honey, florality, light botrytis spice, apricots, and peach compote all coming together, and a palate that’s also tremendously complex and very light on its feet with bright acids cutting through the copious sweetness here. It’s a fantastic dessert wine, and I’m glad I have a bunch more – this seems to be at peak right now.

Like Matsuhisa, Umeda forgoes the whacky Japanese desserts in favor of Japanese influenced modern desserts like this red bean green tea parfait.

The first of many large batch holiday flavors — Peppermint Gelato — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — peppermint candy base laced with peppermint bark! — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #IceCream #peppermint #candy #holiday #winter

A new variant on an old flavor — Cold Pressed Expresso Gelato — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — cold pressed expresso base (usually I hot brew it) with Valrhona Dulcey Stracciatella! — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #IceCream #expresso #Dulcey #Valrhona #Stracciatella #ColdPressed #ColdPressedCoffee #coffee

The full wine lineup!!

After dinner it was back up to the roof for more drinking.

And a deadly Scotch!

Overall, a blast of a time, if a tad exhausting (got home at 2am which is rare for me).

Food at Umeda was quite good. I had low expectations actually coming in as the website pictures looked all LA ponzu style Japanese. Probably most people who come here eat that but his Omakase was certainly more interesting. Part Nobu-style, part his own thing. A bit Hollywood but always tasty. Building is lovely too. Great Champagnes and crew as well.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: BYOG, Champagne, Gelato, Japanese cuisine, late night, rooftop, Sashimi, Sushi, Takuya Umeda, Umeda, Walker

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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Posted in: Food

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

So Many Palaces, So Few Sundays

Dec24

Restaurant: Monterey Palace Restaurant

Location: 1001 E Garvey Ave. Monterey Park, CA 91755. Phone number (626) 571-0888

Date: November 11, 2018

Cuisine: Cantonese Chinese

Rating: Tony always gets great stuff out of the kitchen

Tony Lau’s Cantonese dinners are some of the best Chinese dinners of the year. He always manages to get the best out of these old school Cantonese kitchens.

Monterey Palace is definitely one of these old school 80s Cantonese Palaces on Garvey.

The interior is the usual somewhat overdone, slightly Chinese wide space.

We had a nice private room.

They specialize in roasting so there were pigs and ducks in the window.

Peanuts on the table to begin with.

Suckling Pig. Of course we had to. This was pretty typical of good SGV suckling pigs. Crisp skin, nice porky meat and the light hoisin sauce.

Garlic shrimp. Crispy fried/baked. Not sure how they get them exactly like this.

With roe too and WAY better than the similar steamed “bug” dish at Newport Seafood. This had a lot of flavor. You could munch on the shells if you like too.

Scallops, pea pods, and sea cucumber. Very light sauce. A totally different sea cucumber prep than I had in China. But good. The scallops and pea pod part of the dish reminded me of velvety dishes I’d get at Chinese places in my youth (early 80s).

Beef with mushrooms. Simple, but nice tasty beef actually.

Sizzling pork. It came first in a bowl.

Then they transferred to the hot skillet to finish it off. Much like the old “sizzling war bar.”

Cantonese roast duck. This is close to Peking Duck, but not as crispy. Basically roast duck. Served with the heavier buns.

And the usual condiments. Not nearly as good as a great Peking Duck, but still excellent.

Lobster steamed with garlic. This simple prep is often one I get for crab. Just steamed, over glass noodles, and with lots and lots of garlic. Actually turned out to be excellent with lobster as it played up the moist and tender meat.

Mushrooms, veggies, and pan fried meat (can’t remember which type). This was a slightly different dish and nice.

Some ancient dessert wine for my gelato.

My son’s favorite and his birthday pick: Triple Chocolate Cloud Gelato – the base made with Valrhona 63% Satilla Chocolate and then layered with Dark Chocolate Creamcheese Ganache and house-made Valrhona brownie cubes — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #SummerTime #TripleChocolate #chocolate #valrhona #javara #brownies #icecream #dessert #FrozenDessert

There was also a tiny bit of Saffron Pistachio Gelato – Persian Saffron infused milk and Pistachios from Bronte Sicily — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #saffron #pistachio #nuts #sicily

The restaurant brought fruit.

Overall, this was a great meal. Monterey Palace is a pretty dated old school Cantonese place and I bet that if you just went and ate dinner it would be fairly middling (although enjoyable enough). However, Tony Lau always manages to get the very best out of them. This meal wasn’t my favorite Chinese style, I like a somewhat more varied, spicier, and more “Chinese” Chinese food style personally. In some ways it actually reminded me of what we had in Guilin China (which isn’t that far from Canton). You can see a lot of examples from China itself below in my Chinese dining guide.

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

Wines jumbled below:

By: agavin
Comments (2)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BYOG, Cantonese Chinese, Chinese Food, Gelato, hedonists, Monterey Palace, Monterey Palace Restaurant, Monterey Park, SGV, Tony Lau

Hayato Highs

Dec14

Restaurant: Hayato [1, 2]

Location: 1320 E 7th St #126, Los Angeles, CA 90021. (213) 395-0607

Date: October 23, 2018

Cuisine: Japanese Kaiseki

Rating: Amazing

For Fred’s final diner we again traveled east to DTLA Japanese newcomer, Hayato.

It’s located in Downtown’s fancy new “ROW” complex — and quite hard to find (use the guide on the website).

It’s tiny, only 8 seats, and helmed entirely by chef Brandon Go. As he says, Hayato is the culmination of a twenty year journey he has taken as an American-born chef learning about Japanese cuisine.

Brandon says himself:

My Japanese father owns a sushi restaurant in the Los Angeles area, and I began working in his restaurant when I was fifteen years old. As with most Americans, sushi was the gateway through which I became seriously interested in Japanese food. During my teenage years, I made sushi. Throughout college, I made more sushi. After graduating from college, I went to live in Tokyo for a short time, I got a job in an izakaya, and I started to realize that sushi is a very tiny part of Japanese culinary tradition. I have spent rest of my life trying to learn the rest of it.

I dreamt of having my own restaurant since I began making sushi. But the type of restaurant I wanted to open has evolved since then. For my entire life, I have heard Japanese chefs talk of how good the cooking is in Japan, but how it would be impossible to garner support for truly authentic Japanese cooking in the U.S. because of how different American tastes are. I heard this constantly from chefs both in Japan and at home. I have even read it in cookbooks. Because of this, I always envisioned my restaurant being mostly authentic but having to play to the American tastes in order to ensure survival.

Like at many good Japanese places, the service is very elegant.

Look at these cute gold sake bowls with a complementary shot of sake.

Here is the chef, Brandon Go.

Fred brought: some older NV Krug Champagne Brut Rosé. VM 94. The NV Brut Rosé is brilliant and finely-sculpted in the glass, with floral aromatics, pulsating minerality and chiseled fruit. Less austere than it can be, the Rosé impresses for its combination of tension and textured, phenolic weight. There is so much to like. This release (ID 213027) is based on the 2006 vintage. The blend is 59% Pinot Noir, 33% Chardonnay and 8% Pinot Meunier.

Abalone with okra, fava beans and broth made from simmered fish bone. This had that dashi taste and slightly goopy “slimy” Japanese texture. Delicious!

More prep right in front of you.

Paul served his wine blind.

Paul brought: 2007 Domaine Leflaive Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet. VM 95. A huge, almost overpowering Burgundy, the 2007 Bienvenues Bâtard-Montrachet possesses towering structure and imposing depth, with seemingly endless layers of texture that fill out its broad, ample frame. The flavors are naturally unevolved at this stage; instead what stands out is the wine’s explosive personality and overall intensity. This is a very strong showing from a wine that sometimes gets lost in the Leflaive range.

Tempura anago with Oregon chestnut. The anago is larger so the bones are bigger. He cut he anago honekiri style which is the same technique used for hamo (conger eel). It is the very fine slicing of the eel and bones to make the bones edible, leaving the skin portion intact. The chestnuts had a lovely chewy texture.

Marinated Japanese mackerel with sushi rice, sesame, and seaweed. Mackerel is medium fatty. Very very old fashioned sushi! Delicious.

Elegant lacquer bowls.

Boston lobster dumpling with Oregon matsutake broth. The broth had this amazing dashi/mushroom flavor and the dumpling was a burst of lobster-ness. Stunning.

From my cellar: 2002 Domaine Ramonet Bâtard-Montrachet. BH 94. Beautifully elegant and spicy aromas of obvious class introduce massive, sappy and notably concentrated flavors that are sweet and pure with buckets of dry extract that cause the palate impression to seem quite texturally dense, even chewy. This is an opulent wine of immense potential with plenty of muscle, weight and power. Extremely impressive.

Tai sashimi with spot prawns. Delicious fresh sashimi.

More gorgeous prep.

Katsuo grilled over bincho charcoal and topped with grated ginger, daikon radish, and ginger flower. Some amazing fish.

Fred brought: 2001 Coche-Dury Meursault. VM 91. Pure, discreet aromas of candied fruits and minerals. Juicy, taut and minerally, with terrific precision and grip. Long and stony on the back end. Serious juice, and precise for the vintage.

Seared wild Hokkaido scallop (sweeter and more firm) and topped with fried seaweed.

The crab prep.

Grilled eggplant topped with Dungeness crab. This dashi was super thick and goopy with lots of starch. The crabbiness was absolutely amazing too.

Grilled blackthroat sea bream (nodogoro) and grilled lotus root. Nodogoro is very expensive, more than toro. Usually $12-$20 a slice for sushi. He served us a huge piece so we could taste the oil and texture on the fish. Wouldn’t have thought I’d enjoy a piece of whitefish this much. The lotus was also fabulous.

Erick brought: 1999 Domaine Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet. VM 94. Three wines from Domaine Leflaive are all in terrific shape. The 1999 Chevalier-Montrachet has an almost phenolic intensity to it, with plenty of almond and honey notes woven throughout. This is an especially powerful Chevalier, but I also get an impression that the freshness is starting to fade, so the 1999 is probably best enjoyed sooner rather than later.

More cooking in front of us.

Grilled snapper in dashi broth with mushrooms and greens. (Only dish I’m not 100% sure on fish). More good whitefish.

Grilled kinmedai rice. Kinmedai is also a highly prized sushi ingredient. Expensive and really delicious.

Special roasted tea.

Prepping pickles to go with the rice.

The rice with tea, pickles, and some miso soup. Classic rice and pickles.

A close up of this stunning rice. We got 2-3 helpings to to “fill us up.”

Lovely pickles.

Special miso soup — really nice.

A second kind of tea.

Nice little dessert fork.

Jelly of plums and other fruit. Nice and light.

Salted Caramel Hazelnut Gelato – the unholy love child of my Salted Caramel and Nocciola flavors, literally the recipe is an on paper merger of both base flavors. The salted caramel was made in house and the hazelnuts are from Torino (best in the world) — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #SaltedCaramel #Caramel #Hazelnut #Nocciola #nuts

The room — lived in.

And our wine line up.

Overall, stunning evening.

Hayato was some of the best food I had in 2018 and really reminded me why classic Japanese cooking can be so fabulous. It focuses on the ingredients and bringing forth this very natural expression of nature’s bounty. Every dish just tasted great.

Plus there was the intimacy of being right there with the chef — and our great crew — and our great wines.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

More Foodie Club meals. Or a second meal at Hayato.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BYOG, Gelato, Hayato, Japanese cuisine, Kaiseki

Dirty Dozen Grand

Dec07

Restaurant: Grand Harbor [1, 2, 3]

Location: 5733 Rosemead Blvd, Temple City, CA 91780. (626) 280-2998

Date: October 14, 2018 and June 27, 2021

Cuisine: Cantonese Chinese

Rating: Very good Cantonese

It has become traditional for the Dirty Dozen (our blind tasting group within a group) to do white wine lunches over dim sum — but this time we mixed it up slightly and combined with Sunday night dinner into a Cantonese banquet Dirty Dozen White dinner. I think this was originally white Burgundy themed, then opened up lightly to some “other” (aka lessor) Chardonnay. Mostly it was White Burg.

Grand Harbor is a relatively new Hong Kong place in Temple City from Jackie Zhou.

The dining room is huge and opulent in that chintzy Chinese way. I would have thought from all the overzealous cove lighting that the space was built out in the 80s, but apparently it’s only a year or two old!

Real marble blends non-so-seemlessly with faux-alabaster. They have wine too like many of the new high end places. Mostly big young red wine like Bordeaux which totally fails to pair with Cantonese Chinese, but it’s the thought that counts.

We had a private room — pretty much a necessity given the crowded main room.

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.

Crispy taro chips. Like crunchy French Fries.

Marinated cucumbers. Very good, nice crunch and a bit of heat. These were so good we ordered them again.

Peanuts.

2008 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos. VM 95+. Pale yellow-green color. Manages to be both explosive and reduced on the nose, offering strong notes of lime peel, seashell, spices, mint oil, white flowers and smoky, flinty minerality. Extremely backward on the palate, showing hints of smoked ham and dusty stone. Less silky and tactile today than the C o te Bouguerots but this will ultimately be the more complex wine. The extraordinary palate-saturating finish is like chewing on rocks today.

2004 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos. BH 95. Stylistically, this closely resembles the Valmur with its ultra elegant and pure aromas featuring white flowers, oyster shell and subtle spice notes that perfectly complement the round, powerful, rich and full-bodied flavors that coating the mouth and culminate in a saliva-inducing, incredibly intense finish that reminded me more than a little of a great Corton-Charlemagne. This just oozes minerality and the texture is minerally to the point of this resembling a block of stone. A great Les Clos.

Suckling pig. Really nice one with crunchy skin and great piggy flavor.

Sandi, Stefano, and the manager.

Cantonese style peking duck (with the buns). We’ve had a rash lately of these Cantonese ducks. Good, although not as crispy and delightful as the real Beijing style.

Scallions and hoisin for the duck.

2014 Marc Colin et Fils Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru La Garenne. BH 92. Discreet touches of reduction and wood still allow the ultra-fresh pear, white peach and lilac-inflected aromas to shine. There is both good volume and richness to the solidly well-concentrated medium-bodied flavors that possess a textured mouth feel before terminating in an energetic, balanced and mouth coating finish that exhibits a bit of youthful austerity. This chiseled and citrusy effort is definitely in need of at least a few years of bottle age first as it’s presently quite tight.

2002 Jean Boillot & Fils Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos de la Mouchère. VM 94+. Lemon, lime, spring flowers, nut oil and minerals on the vibrant nose. Dense and sweet, with penetrating flavors of peach, spice and minerals lifted by a captivating floral character. Broad, classy and extremely long on the back end. Already showing terrific personality, but this will be even better for five to seven years of cellaring.

Roast pigeon.

Duck, second way, chopped up with veggies.

With the lettuce cups.

And nestled inside one. Way better than PF Changs!

2011 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières. VM 97. The 2011 Meursault Genevrieres is emotionally moving. Deep, layered and explosive, the Genevrieres bursts from the glass with an utterly beguiling combination of fruit, minerality and structure. Layers of rich, vivid fruit flow to an effortless, kaleidoscopic finish of exceptional grace. Pierre-Yves Colin makes a number of fabulous wines, but none goes straight to the heart like the Genevrieres does. The 2011 is another spectacular version. Readers who can find the 2011 should absolutely not hesitate.

From my cellar: 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.

agavin: a bit corked. sigh. Second time I’ve tried to use Roulot to just power through to the win and had a corked bottle. sigh.

Salt and pepper shrimp. Eat the shells!

Garlic lobster.

2014 Kongsgaard Chardonnay. VM 94. Kongsgaard’s 2014 Chardonnay is a crescendo of aromas, flavors and textures. Expansive, rich and super-expressive, the 2014 is surprisingly accessible at such a young age. I am not sure how well the 2014 will age, but it is exceptionally beautiful and inviting today. Slate, candied lemon, vanillin and a hint of reduction infuse the striking finish. This is a terrific vintage for the Napa Valley Chardonnay.

agavin: Grr. fake chard!

2015 Raymond Vineyard & Cellar Chardonnay Generations.

agavin: two of them in fact!

Chicken Knees — yeah little cartilage bombs. Really yummy.

Ultimately fried fish. All crispy and delicious.

Greens. Colon sweeper.

2008 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Pruliers. VM 91. Good bright medium red. Enticing, very pure aromas of cherry, raspberry and flowers. Quite juicy and precise; not a fleshy wine but intensely fruity, taut and pure. Impressively long, rising finish. Gregory Gouges told me he finds most of the family’s 2008s to be agreeable now and probably best drunk early for their youthful fruit. He’s not convinced that the wines have enough dry extract for extended aging.

2006 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape. VM 93. Vivid ruby. Spicy, finely etched red berry and cherry aromas are complicated by fresh lavender, herbs and minerals. The palate offers tangy raspberry and cherry skin flavors, with gentle tannins adding shape. Impressively pure, even delicate, with outstanding finishing clarity and length. This beguiles rather than brutalizes; I underestimated it last year.

Fried sweet and sour pork chops. All sticky and chewy and delicious.

Shrimp fried rice. Bits of pork in there too.

Compressed noodles with beef — looks like barf but tasted great! Really interesting chewy texture to the noodles too.

Sweet mysterious Chinese dessert soup.

Sweet buns. From the dim sum collection and pretty good.

Pecan Pie Gelato – Tahitian Vanilla Bean Base with Mom’s recipe Pecan Pie Filling layered in — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato.

In the bowl.

My lousy notes.

Overall, Grand Harbor had really nice Cantonese banquet — color me impressed. Lots of fabulous dishes.

Service here was amazing too. This time we had the private room and they really took care of us. They kept trying to bring us more stuff, all of which was delicious.

Very fun night as always.

June 27, 2021, right after the lockdowns

So we came back to Grand Harbor again in June of 2021 and they were still — as many places are — in a weird transitional state after the disruptions of 2020 and 2021.

They have this much reduced menu which we had to order from, and even to get the live seafood we had to call way ahead.

Pork belly and Jellyfish — Jellyfish was spicy, pork salty but good.

Here’s our reserved live seafood, squirming in the bucket.

Live Crab Typhoon Style.

Lobster w/ Ginger and Scallion and noodles — noodles were fabulous.

“Flounder” Sichuan Hot Pot style — not really spicy, maybe not our flounder. Really wouldn’t matter what kind of fish you spiced up this way.

Roast Quails — good.

Scallops with Snow Peas — great texture.

Cantonese Roast Duck.

Walnut Shrimp — Delicious.

Stir Fried Beef with Egg and Tomato.

Salt and Spicy Pork Chop.

Yangchow Fried Rice.

Bok Choy with Garlic.

Buko Pandan Gelato — Infused the milk with fresh Pandan Leaves and then crafted it into a dairy coconut base as my take on the Filipino favorite. Unusual and soothing. — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #buko #pandan #coconut

Thai Red Curry Sorbetto — I made a version of this in 2017 and it was a dismal failure, but haunted me since and so this one is redemptive. Made a (no salt) red curry paste from scratch (chilies, lemongrass, galangal, cilantro roots, kaffir lime leaves, garlic, Asian shallots etc) and then cooked it into a pure Thai Coconut Milk base. Sweet and Spicy! — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #sorbetto#Thai #red #curry #spicy

Honey and Almond Sponge Cake.

Today’s meal was not Grand Harbor at its best. Although execution on the dishes they did have was pretty good, and service was excellent, the limited menu and near empty dining room was a touch sad. Still and great kitchen and hopefully they bounce back quickly.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Cantonese, Cantonese cuisine, Dirty Dozen, Gelato, Grand Harbor, GYOG, SGV, White Burgundy

Szechuan Impression West

Dec01

Restaurant: Sichuan Impression

Location: 11057 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025. (310) 444-7171

Date: October 10 and November 6 & 30th and December 17 & 19, 2018 and Jan 9 & 30 and April 21, 2019 and July 16, 2019

Cuisine: Szechuan Chinese

Rating: SGV on the Westside

I’ve been waiting all summer for Sichuan Impression — one of my favorite SGV haunts — westside branch to open up and so it was that Yarom, Keong, and I descended on them at 11am opening day! Plus returned twice a month later for more updates.

They took up residence in the old Jin Jiang which I used to eat at all the time in the old Flektor days. Right above Hamasaku. Only problem with this location is the lousy parking (the lot’s always full).

The interior is newly redone — except the icky bathrooms.

Crowded on a Friday night.

There is some patio space too. Never see that at Chinese!

The menu is posh.

Yarom with the chef from Chengdu and the owner Kelly (on the right).

For my 11/6/18 lunch Liz brought this perfect light (low alcohol) Riesling. 2016 Peter Lauer Ayler Kupp Riesling Spätlese Faß 23. VM 93. This “two-star” auction lot is more northerly in fruit personality than the corresponding Fass 7, prominently featuring grapefruit and white peach laced with fresh lime and garlanded in apple blossom and honeysuckle. The lusciously fruited palate is buoyant, glossy and subtly creamy, but at the same time almost electrocharged in its expression of brightly juicy citrus. The vibrantly sustained finish gains mouthwatering appeal from a suffusion of mineral salts and invigorates with an impingement of grapefruit zest, peach fuzz and stone.

Juicy Steamed Chicken in Chili Sauce (10/10/18). This classic cold appetizer was excellent here. Not absolutely perfect. The sauce was great, but the chicken maybe could have been slightly better. But still very strong.

Impressive Bean Jelly (10/10/18). Green bean jelly, crushed peanuts, scallion. This actually was impressive. First of all, it’s cut in Chengdu street style instead of the longer noodles (which I also like). It’s cold, with the jello-like texture and the awesome tangy/spicy chili sauce. 10 out of 10 for this fabulous dish.

On our second and third visit (11/6/18 & 11/30/18) the dish was cut more like noodles. I actually preferred the slab version slightly although it was still great.

Bamboo shoots in chili sauce (1/30/19). This is a simple dish, possibly just steamed bamboo shoots with chili oil on top, but I liked it a lot. Nice crunch. Some real heat — and kinda healthy!

On 2/10/19 a version of the bamboo shoots with sauce on the side.

Cold Noodles (11/30/18). This is the worst dish I’ve had here. Cold, chewy, an not much flavor.

Szechuan French Fries (11/30/18). A little soggy but great flavor.

Eggs and tomatoes (2/10/19). A Chinese home classic.

Wonton’s in chili oil (11/6/18). Could have used a bit more chili oil, but the wontons were delicious. I just dipped it in the noodle sauce.

Impressive Sausages (4/21/19). Very good cold Chinese Sausages. Spicy and Sweet and Salty at the same time.

Shredded Pork with Garlic (11/6/18). Cold bacon-like pork with garlic and cilantro. I was actually expecting the pork in fish sauce but this was a great dish too. Not as hot as at Gu Yi.

Twice Cooked Pork (7/16/19). An excellent example of the classic Szechuan Dish. Tender meat, lots of salty/pork flavor, offset by the big strips of green onion.

Steamed Pork with Rice Flour (10/10/18). Marbled pork, pumpkin, scallion. I’ve never had this dish before. The meat was very fatty and very soft and had a moist texture from the rice flour — not to mention an interesting almost almond-like taste. Quite comforting and nice, if a touch “weird” to American standards.

MaPo Tofu (10/10/18). 10 out of 10 version of this classic dish. Salty, but not too salty, with lots of mala.

Everything hot pot (11/30/18). This had tripe, spam, shrimp, veggies, and some kind of scary dark organ meat. It was delicious though, particularly the spam.

Fish filet with green chilies (11/30/18). Really nice version of this dish. Thick soft fish and lots of green heat. Very delicate and flavorful.

Fish filet in golden sour soup (11/30/18). Photo is after it was mostly eaten. Awesome fish dish. The soft fish complemented perfectly with the mild tangy soup/sauce.

Tea Smoked Pork Rib (10/10/18 & 11/30/18). Pork rib, dry chili, scallion, minced peanuts. This was a moderately contentious dish in the group, but I loved it as always. The meat is super tender, melt from the bone, with a dry and nutty heat.

Sweet and Sour Shrimp (10/10/18). Super garlicky, spicy, tangy. Really like this dish too.

Sizzling chicken with chilies (11/6/18). Nice version of this dish. Not as heavy on the peppers and aromatics but I liked the celery (coated in chili bits).

Pig trotters (11/30/18). Chewy, but lots and lots of flavor.

Kung Pao Chicken (11/30/18). Fabulous. Very much Chengdu style with the heat, sweetness, and tangy quality.

Kung Pao Shrimp (12/19/18). Not only did it have the same goodness (and lots of ginger) but there were tons of succulent shrimp!

Griddle Style Shrimp (11/30/18). Really nice flavor.

Frog hot pot (11/30/18). Not our favorite. The frog meat was good, if boney but it was a bit overcooked and the sauce more flat.

Ginger Rabbit (4/21/19). Rabbit was meaty and had minimal bone for rabbit. The sauce had a nice ginger flavor and was HOT — very hot for mortals.

Spicy Hot Free Range Chicken (1/9/19). This dish was one of the hottest dishes I’ve had here, with a searing green/red almost Hunan style heat. Nice flavor and a lot of good garlicky burn.

Griddle Cooked Squid (4/21/19). Great griddle cooked flavor. Hot but not too hot. Nice chewy squid. Crunchy vegetables. Excellent dish.

Cumin mutton (11/6/18). Super tender. Awesome version of this Szechuan classic.

Mustard Greens (11/30/18). Really delicious. Crunchy with lots of garlic.

Lettuce (11/30/18). Also very good.

Crunchy veggies and egg with tomato (11/30/18). Boring stuff for vegetarians.

Rice cake with syrup and peanut dust (11/30/18). Interesting gooey/chewy texture and pleasant flavor. Mild though like most Chinese desserts.

Natural Bubblegum Gelato made by me for @sweetmilkgelato (11/30/18) — turns out you can simulate bubblegum with a bunch of fruits and vanilla! — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #bubblegum #weirdflavors #natural

Pina Colada Sorbetto — just like the cocktail with Thai coconut milk, pineapple, a touch of lime and dark rum — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato (11/30/18) — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #PinaColada #CocktailIceCream #pineapple #coconut #lime #rum

Service was nice but very slightly confused as this was the opening hour for the entire restaurant. The owner Kelly was super nice. They have one of their chefs in from Chengdu for the opening, and the food was extremely tight, extremely authentic, and as good as the SGV branch. He will head home at some point, and so it will be interesting to see where it goes. The menu is big and interesting with all sorts of non-American favorites like intestines and kidneys and rabbit. Yum!

Super excited to have this on the westside — and they have a liquor license too so we will be coming back for a wine dinner in November.

I have heard that the lines are quite bad at dinner time and the staff hasn’t totally figured out how to service the demand yet — but they seem committed to figuring it out. I’m happy it’s busy too because that means it will do better and last longer! Because this is real Szechuan food (or as close as we come in America).

My second lunch on 11/6/18 was medium crowded. They took a bit of time to take our order but it came fast and everything was still delicious. It maybe was 5% less on point than the first time, probably because the Chengdu chef returned home, but it was still really really solid and about the same as the SGV version.

Third dinner on 11/30/18 was very good. A few dishes were off like the cold noodles but most were great. They had a bit of a tough time (although they tried) with the complex two table ordering and were bringing things out a bit fast. But they also had the best bus boy ever!

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

Papa Limor 83rd bday!

High acid, fruit hiding a bit, but very nice.

Tasted like a pinot. VERY fruit forward.

Great with the spice.
Nice and dry.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BYOG, chili, Chinese Food, Gelato, hedonists, mala, mapo tofu, opening day, Sichuan, Sichuan Impression, Skylar, spicy, Szechuan Impression, West LA

NBC Seafood – Best Ever?

Oct22

Restaurant: NBC Seafood

Location: 404 S Atlantic Blvd, Monterey Park, CA 91754. (626) 282-2323

Date: August 26, 2018

Cuisine: Cantonese Chinese

Rating: Really excellent

Tony Lau’s Cantonese dinners are some of the best Chinese dinners of the year. He always manages to get the best out of these old school Cantonese kitchens.

And check out this vintage 90s giant dining room at NBC!

We had the world’s largest single table private room. Quiet, cushy, and tons of space.

Sauces on the table.

As well as peanuts and candied walnuts.

I didn’t grab the photo of our King Crab when he was alive, but he was about 10 minutes before this photo and his return with glass noodles and lots of garlic.

Steamed king crab with glass noodles. Classic. Perfectly moist and garlicky. One of the best simple crab prep’s I’ve had. Really emphasized the delectable sweet meat. Tony likes to have the restaurants individual plate all the dishes and here is an example. Normally I don’t love this as it negates my ability for portion control. This time, the plates were large enough that it worked out well.

Scallops. Lightly fried in a brown sauce. This may be a Shandong dish in original. They were really good. Very soft and delicate.

Shrimp two (heavy) ways. Both mayo walnut shrimp and the heavy salty egg yolk fried shrimp. Both very moist and tasty, particularly the walnut one, but heavy!

Pepper fish. Delicious juicy fish with a nice medium black pepper bite.

Suckling pig. Excellent boneless rendition of this classic dish. Really nice with the bones and other stiff bits. Great crispy and piggy flavor.

Cashew Beef. Kind of a Chinese American dish, but very tasty filet mignon which was elevated by the crunch of the nuts.

Mushrooms and greens. Good for what it was. I don’t love this kind of mushroom.

Lotus wrapped sticky rice.

The contents were a kind of taro/red bean sticky rice. It had that weird sweet/starchy thing that isn’t to my taste. I’m sure it was good for this dish.

Roast pigeon. Excellent, crispy and meaty.

Mango pudding. I always love this.

Sweet cakes. These were kinda nice too.

A pair of gelati by me:

Peanut Butter Tagalong Gelato – Peanut Butter base with house-made chocolate caramel and Girlscout Tagalong Cookies — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato

Not all my creations turn out as good as I hope — Watermelon Mint Sorbetto – watermelon sorbet with a hint of fresh mint — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato. Texture was too icy though.

Overall, this was a fabulous meal. Several people, the ones that seem to always prefer Cantonese, thought it was the “best ever” (Chinese). I certainly wouldn’t say that, but it was very very good and on the top end for SGV Cantonese banquet. As I said, Tony always gets the best out of every kitchen he takes us to. Many of the dishes were fabulous and the rest were just good. Now, I like a somewhat more varied, spicier, and more “Chinese” Chinese food style personally. You can see a lot of examples from China itself below in my Chinese dining guide.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

For more Chinese dining reviews click here.

Wines:

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BYOG, Cantonese cuisine, Gelato, hedonists, NBC Seafood, suckling pig, Tony Lau

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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Posted in: Food

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 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.

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

Ride the Banana Boat

Sep05

Restaurant: Banana Leaf

Location: 5835 Temple City Blvd, Temple City, CA 91780. (626) 309-0209

Date: July 8, 2018

Cuisine: Indonesian

Rating: The real deal, but we could have ordered a bit more varied stuff

Sunday is SGV Chinese night, but tonight, while we did venture east to the SGV, we mixed it up a little with Indonesian! Of course we still got in the requisite 90 minute foot massage and a quick visit to the crack house.

Banana leaf is in Temple City very close to Bistro Na and Grand Harbor.

The interior is a touch updated.

The green menu!

Egg and Tofu Salad. Fried tofu and egg served with bean sprout and peanut dressing. Good peanut sauce but it’s very strong and pretty much swamped out the egg and tofu part.

Siomay Bandung. Bandung style chicken and fish cakes served with a peanut dressing — again, so much peanut it was hard to tell what was under there. Some lettuce and cucumber too.

Crunchy fried chicken. Fried chicken smothered in some kind of crispies, Jakarta style.

Traditional Smashed Combination Platter. Marinated beef, fried chicken, fried egg, fried tofu, soy bean and fresh salad served with fresh shrimp paste chili. Very fried. But tasty. I liked the tofu and egg particularly.

Pork Satay with more peanut sauce. This was the best of the satays, very tender and full of flavor.

Lamb satay. A touch tough.

Chicken satay.

Yellow chicken curry with egg and rice. Not a bad curry, but mild and kinda thin.

Garlic rice. Like the kind that goes with Hainan chicken.

Beef Rendang. Good stuff, but we had (at first) only one of these for 13 people!

Indonesian Fried Rice. Fried egg on top. Great fried rice.

Chicken Noodle. Steamed egg noodle with ground chicken, fried wonton. Really nice lo mein.

Traditional Smashed Fish. Java style whole fried tilapia fish served with fresh shrimp paste chili.

Indonesian stir fried meat with soy sauce. Sort of like 3 cup chicken.

Stir fried chili shrimp with sator and fresh shrimp paste chili (we keep seeing this sauce!)

Greens with garlic in “gravy.”

Indonesian Marinated Beef. Lots of flavor.

The Pastry Patriot (me) delivers on the 4th of Julato!

Red = Summer Strawcherry Gelato

White = Vanilla Custard Stracciatella

Blue = Old Black & Blue Sorbetto (blackberry, blueberry, and elderflower) with homemade white chocolate stars
Nice place, and solid homestyle Indonesian food. Quite tasty and a fun evening. We could have ordered a bit better as we did that thing where we had a round of stuff, it wasn’t quite enough to get around, and then we reordered. That rarely works out as the second round overwhelms. Particularly we reordered BOTH peanut sauce salads and it was just way too much peanut sauce. We needed more curries and maybe some banana leaf dishes. But we can just come back and try again. They were super friendly and really treated us right.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

The wines at these dinners aren’t worth writing up, but I’ll show them below:

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Banana Leaf, BYOG, Gelato, hedonists, Indonesian Cuisine, SGV

Sauvages Amarone but Not

Aug22

Restaurant: Amarone Kitchen & Wine

Location: 8868 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069. (310) 652-2233

Date: FRIDAY July 13, 2018

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Great cute little place

Sauvages is a really fun group but the Friday Lunch time slot makes it sometimes a challenge to attend. Still, when Sauvages buddy John Gordon told me he was organizing this one and it was going to feature Grand Cru Red Burgundy — I had to go.

John chose Amarone on Sunset as his location. I’ve been a couple times before years ago and always enjoyed this small intimate Italian.

We had the whole upstairs to ourselves — in fact the whole restaurant because he usually isn’t open for lunch.

Amuse Course:

agavin: I love this light dry rose champ.

2004 Domaine Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru La Boudriotte. BH 89. A deft touch of wood frames citrus and earth infused ripe chardonnay fruit aromas that lead to rich, full and fleshy flavors that are robust if not especially structured, all wrapped in a delicious and easy to like finish. There is good freshness here if not great underlying tension with fine overall balance and fine length. In sum, this is a generous and easy to like effort that should repay a few years in the cellar.

Swordfish carpaccio on toast with EVOO, orange zest, and red peppercorns. Very bright and lovely.

On the left (standing) is John G or group organizer and on the right (in blue) is Amarone’s owner Sandro Oliverio who it turns out I was friendly with when he ran Palmeri, a Brentwood Italian my wife and I used to frequent.

Flight 0 (white et rose):

This flight was cobbled together out of the contents of our bags (extras) in order to make a white flight when we realized that there was a salad course — which would not work particularly well with grand cru reds.

2014 La Chablisienne Chablis Grand Cru Blanchot. BH 89-92. A wonderfully elegant nose that is cool, pure and airy with its array of essence of white flowers, citrus peel and iodine nuances, all of which is trimmed in just enough wood to notice. Once again there is good volume and concentration to the round and textured medium weight flavors that brim with minerality on the dry and citrusy finish that has a surprisingly clipped finale. This may round out but it is decidedly edgy at present and my projected range offers the benefit of the doubt.

2010 Vincent Dancer Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Tete du Clos. BH 91-93. The fresh, cool and beautifully well-layered nose exhibits white flower and lemon zest scents that give way to restrained, refined and energetic flavors that possess plenty of underlying tension on the balanced and ever-so-mildly austere finish. Like the La Romanée there is a distinct salinity to the finish and this should age well.

From my cellar: 2013 Chêne Bleu Rosé. VM 91. Bright orange-pink. Powerful, mineral-laced aromas of ripe citrus fruits, redcurrant and cherry, with a suave lavender overtone. Fleshy, seamless and broad on entry, then tighter in the middle, offering bitter cherry and berry skin flavors that gain sweetness and energy with air. Blood orange and raspberry notes cling tenaciously on the lucid, mineral-driven finish. This concentrated wine really outperforms its appellation.

Radicchio salad with Parmesan and asparagus with a balsamic must dressing. Bitter and refreshing. A great salad, but not a red wine pairing.

Flight 1:

From my cellar: 1996 Jean Raphet et Fils Charmes-Chambertin. 93 points. deeply colored; red cherry and cloves; balanced and mellow with good acidity adding freshness (and giving away the vintage). A really nice bottle!

1996 Dominique Laurent Bonnes Mares. VM 94-97. Press wine from Morey-Saint-Denis: Sappy, iron-scented nose of great verve. Supersweet and smoky in the mouth; offers great tensile strength and terrific length. A blend of Morey and Chambolle: Highly complex aromas of raspberry, game, coffee, clove and exotic spices. Fat and sweet, but with a firm mineral underpinning. Very young and powerful. Fine tannins expand with aeration. The Chambolle character dominates today. Approximation of the final blend: Very deep red-ruby. Nuanced but reticent aromas of raspberry, smoke and coffee. Dense, large-scaled and sweet, with flavors of iron, earth and brown spices. Superbly textured fruit and sophisticated, rich tannins. Very firm but harmonious acidity. Extremely long, shapely finish.

1998 Domaine Robert Arnoux / Arnoux-Lachaux Clos Vougeot. VM 90. Good red-ruby. Lively, nuanced nose combines black raspberry, black cherry, violet, licorice and herbs. Fat, sweet and pliant; surprisingly easygoing and plump for the cru and the vintage. Finishes with dusty, fine tannins and very good persistence.

1996 Domaine Rene Leclerc Griotte-Chambertin. VM 91-94. Good deep red. Extravagant aromas of redcurrant, raspberry, tobacco and spice. Downright unctuous in the mouth, like liquid silk. Confectionary but not heavy. Distinctly sensual texture. Finishes very, very long, with suave tannins buried in fruit. If Leclerc can get 90% of this wine quality into the bottle, it will be a head-turner.

Mushroom risotto with truffles. A very simple but delicious dish. The EVOO on top really brought out the truffle too.

Flight 2:

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.

agavin: in great shape

1973 Philippe Remy Clos de la Roche. 87 points. Getting a bit on, but still decent.

1992 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Echezeaux. 91 points. The DRC Echezeaux was a nice trip back to Burgundy. A lighter DRC with some strawberries and steminess to give away its identity, this bottle seemed as good as it was going to get, a good dinner wine with enough complexity to keep it interesting.

Italian Seabass, simply grilled with spinach. Well done bass, but nothing radical.

An intermezzo by moi (in my alter ego as Sweet Milk Gelato). Blackberry Meyer Lemon Gelato — milk infused with meyer lemon peels, pure French blackberries, and a touch of lemon juice.

Flight 3:

2002 Domaine Arlaud Bonnes Mares. BH 94. Nice.

1999 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Bonnes Mares. BH 93. Massive notes of blueberry and blackberry jam yet there is a certain austerity to the nose followed by flavors that are huge, firm, reserved and extremely dense and while there is a solid underpinning of tannin, they are wrapped in sappy velvet. The length is just flat out stunning and very powerful. This remains quite closed and while it presently does not possess the refinement of either the ’02 or the ’01, with time it may catch them as the underlying material is every bit as good. Consistent notes save for this most recent bottle which exhibited just a touch of finishing dryness.

2002 Domaine de la Vougeraie Clos Vougeot. BH 92. While not invisible, much more discreet notes of toasty and spicy oak highlight pungent, high-pitched blackberry and cassis notes. The flavors though are somber, youthfully vibrant and austere with superb density. This is classic in style with a very firm finish that will require time to harmonize and soften. Still, this is an elegant, relatively refined young Clos de Vougeot with plenty of character.

Veal Scaloppine with burgundy reduction sauce. Also fairly simple, and not my favorite dish. I don’t love this kind of old school Italian main.

Flight 4:

2002 Domaine Robert Groffier Bonnes Mares. VM 94. Mellow, expressive aromas of musky strawberry and spices are a bit less sauvage than those of the Clos de Bèze. Smoother in the mouth as well, offering lovely finesse and restrained sweetness to the fine-grained raspberry and strawberry fruit flavors. The slowly building whiplash of a finish really stains the palate, with firm but ripe tannins contributing to the overall impression of freshness. Lingering saline minerality adds another dimension. (Incidentally, Nicolas Groffier seemed determined to show his two grand crus; he tried and failed to remove the corks of a first bottle of each wine but the second time was the charm.).

2002 Dominique Laurent Charmes-Chambertin. 90 points. Lovely cherry , bricking at edge but long life still ahead as it has a very long finish.

2002 Domaine Bertheau (Pierre et François) Bonnes Mares. BH 93. Interestingly, the nose is not all that dissimilar from the ’03 with very ripe black fruit and violet notes that lead to intense, huge and powerful, moderately structured full-bodied flavors that deliver stunningly good length plus a finish that is wrapped in sap that coats and stains the palate. This is forward for a young grand cru but it’s so stylish and pure that you really don’t care.

Cheese plate.

My cryptic notes.

Sandro brought up this lovely 2007 Vin Santo from Tuscany.

Toasted Almond Gelato made by me (Sweet Milk Gelato) with a gorgeous Almond Coffee Cake that Sandro added — a match made in heaven. This was a stunning gelato (if I do say so myself), to a large extent because of the amazing toasted Sicilian almond paste I got from Italy.

Sauvages lunches are always great and this was no exception. John’s planning, along with excellent flighting by him and Kirk and awesome hospitality by Sandro really helped bring the lovely food (particularly the first couple courses) and the awesome Burgundies into focus.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Burgundy, BYOG, Gelato, Italian Cusine, Red Burgundy, Risotto, Sandro Oliverio, Sauvages, Truffle

Orange Afternoon — Garlic & Chives

Aug08

Restaurant: Garlic & Chives

Location: 9892 Westminster Blvd #311, Garden Grove, CA 92844. (714) 591-5196

Date: June 23 & September 13, 2018 and October 3, 2021

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Rating: Old School Vietnamese

In June of 2018, Fred C and Andrew T convinced me to head down on a Saturday afternoon to Garden Grove for some serious Vietnamese. Now, despite the horrific traffic, they didn’t have to twist my arm too hard because I love Vietnamese food, as evidenced by my eating around that lovely country. Since then Garlic and Chives has become a favorite and this post includes multiple lunches and one wine dinner.

In June of 2018, after a “snack” (aka full lunch) at Tai Buu we secured our late afternoon reservation at the insanely popular Garlic & Chives — apparently by Kristin!

Inside is cute and more modern.

Interest ice tea with an exotic flavor.

Wines we just popped and jammed on.

1998 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon. BH 94. An elegant but austere wine that is almost as reticent as the ’96 with pure citrus and floral aromas that continue onto the crisp and still very tight medium-bodied flavors that are beautifully precise and impressively delineated on the gorgeously long finish. This is a long way from being ready and I wouldn’t touch a bottle for another 5 to 7 years.

From my cellar: 2006 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Rosé Brut. VM 95. Taittinger’s 2006 Comtes de Champagne Rosé has come along nicely over the last six months. Intensely perfumed, Pinot-inflected aromatics carry through the mid-palate and finish as the 2006 shows off its depth and pure energy. Veins of chalky minerality give the red berry and cranberry flavors an extra kick of energy. The 2006 is both powerful and delicate at the same, with crystalline precision and fabulous depth. Hints of orange peel, mint, cinnamon and cranberry add further shades of nuance on the complete, beautifully articulated finish.

2014 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons. VM 93. Very pale yellow. Lemon oil, flowers and a lightly lactic yeasty nuance on the nose. Tight, upright and penetrating, with brisk lemony acidity intensifying the dense flavors of white peach and almond flower. Shows terrific grain and palate presence and finishes with explosive mounting length. A very serious Vaillons. Dauvissat noted that as these vines have aged, they are yielding consistently more mineral wines.

Omg, more babykill! 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.

And if we thought 2013 white was young! 2015 Domaine Arlaud Charmes-Chambertin. BH 92-94. Reduction. The supple, round and strikingly refined, indeed even silky flavors possess focused power and punch while offering outstanding length on the dusty, palate coating and mildly austere finale. This is an exercise in harmony and refinement.

A REAL Vietnamese menu (gigantic).

Lime Beef Tenderloin Salad (9/13/18). Beef tenderloin marinated in lime juice, mint, onion, chili and peanuts.

Papaya salad with beef jerky (10/3/21). super savory and delicious.

Beef Salad (June 2018 and 10/3/21). Slices of beef, papaya, and all sorts of tangy, sweet, spicy Vietnamese salad goodness. Notable on 10/3/21 that it wasn’t quite as good as the beef jerky salad.

Raw Ahi Tuna Spring Rolls (9/13/18). Raw ahi tuna, fresh lettuce, avocado, pickled daikon and carrots, crispy wonton wrapper rolled up in rice paper. Served with house special soy sauce and wasabi. These were a bit different, sort of Vietnamese / Japanese. Good though.

Grilled pork sausage roll / goi con em nuong (10/3/21). Great.

Shrimp and pork mustard green roll (10/3/21). A bit boring.

Holy Crunchy Chicken Wings (9/13/18). Heavenly crispy fried chicken wings with sweet and spicy sauce topped with fried garlic chips.

holy crunchy chicken wings / canh ga chien (10/3/21). Sweet and spicy and amazing. They were much saucier (and better) this time.

Salt and pepper shrimp (10/3/21).

Stir Friend Ong Choy with Sea Snails. Yes, this is a garickly green with SNAILS. It was delicious too.

Coconut Sea Snails (many times including June 2018 and 10/3/21). Special Vietnamese Sea Snails cooked in coconut curry sauce. I LOVED this dish. I’ve had a pink version before at Phong Dinh and this green version was slightly different, spicier, and just as good. The snails are in little conical shells inside the curry. You suck out the creatures. So good. I could eat two bowls myself!

Rice for the snails.

Baked Clams with Garlic & Chives. Or maybe Chili Garlic. Nice actually. Lots of flavor.

Razor Clams (June 2018). Baked Razor Clams topped with peanuts, chili, garlic, and bell peppers. These were dry and overcooked and our least favorite dish.

Razor clams (10/3/21). Delicious this time.

House Special Lobster (every time I have been including 10/3/21). Sautéed in house special sauce with garlic, onion, jalapeños, on a bed of noodles. This was AWESOME. Tons and tons of flavor, particularly over the noodles. Way better than the Crustacean and probably 1/4 of the price.

Zoom on the lobster (from 9/13/18). So much garlic!

Spicy Crab in Tamarind Sauce (June 2018 and 10/3/21). Sort of close to Singapore Chili Crab, and certainly tangy and spicy, but a bit different. Great too. Really great with a ton of flavor. The sauce was absolutely amazing. Hard to get into the shells but a lot of the meat was out. I would still love to find some exact Singapore Chili Crab, but this variant was fabulous.

Singapore Chili Crab (10/3/21). Amazing. We added noodles into the sauce too. Better than the Tamarind crab we had the same day.

Vietnamese breads (June 2018 and 10/3/21), including the fried donut-like thing which was heavy and delicious. These come with the crabs.

Grilled Turmeric Fish with Dill served on the skillet w/ vermicelli.

Vermicelli noodles and herbs served with turmeric fish. You wrap these up with the fish. Delicious and very much like we had a couple of times in Vietnam.

Grilled Chili Lemongrass Pork Ribs (9/13/18). Crispy rice with pork ribs marinated in chili and lemongrass.

Spicy Garlic Toothpick Lamb (June 2018). Small pieces of lamb marinated in garlic and house seasonings deep fried. Basically the Szechuan dish, but with a few more aromatics.
Pork belly (10/3/21). Sweet.

Mustard greens (10/3/21).

More rice (10/3/21)

Lamb chops (10/3/21). Good.

sautéed beef vermicelli / bun bo xao (filet mignon, lemongrass etc) (10/3/21).

Grilled pork and egg roll noodle / bun thit nuong cha gio (10/3/21).

Goat curry (10/3/21).

Bread for the curry.

Oxtail hotpot (10/3/21). I was reaching painful levels of full here and not really able to try this.

The hotpot comes with lots of herbs.

Added in.

Made by me (June 2018), of course: Almond Boba Tea Gelato — Oolong tea steeped milk, Romano Almonds from Noto Sicily, and topped with Boba! Suffered slightly from the long transit and wait, but still good.

Almond Amaretto Truffle Gelato (10/3/21) — Amaretto Zabaglione (egg yolk, amaretto, and sugar custard) Sicilian Almond gelato base with stacked layers of house-made Valrhona Almond Amaretti Ganache — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato –#SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #Valrhona #almond #amaretto #amaretti #cookie #ganache #ChocolateTruffle

Cherry Cough Syrup Sorbetto (10/3/21) – Amareno Cherry, Morello Cherry, and Creme de Cassis Sorbet! — so intense, and so awesome for a red fruit lover — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato –#SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #sorbetto #amareno #morello #cherry #CremediCassis #cassis

Fred brought the whole family! (except his wife, who was out of town)

Andrew and Madison who hosted us down south that first time and treated us to this amazing fare.

This was an awesome afternoon and crazy crazy good food here at Garlic & Chives. I like this bright flavor forward style of Vietnamese (with a bit of Chinese, Singapore, and Thai influences). Just tons of… well garlic, chili, and chives. Closest in some ways to some of the really good places I went in Vietnam too. More fusion yes, but really good. Apparently they always have a huge line. Sigh. And a huge drive. But I’ll be back for sure for more good stuff and more Champagne. This is really Champagne food.

I’ve been back a whole mess of times for lunch and it’s always been good. Then we were back for a wine dinner on 10/3/21. They set up a large table outside on the sidewalk, which wasn’t bad at all as it was a nice night. They allowed the wine with no problem and had allowed us a reservation and preorders. This is unusual for Garden Grove Vietnamese restaurants which often don’t take reservation — a must for large party wine dinners involving people driving for over an hour! Food was awesome that night as well. A few people complained about my overzealous ordering (if I’m going to trek to Orange County for dinner I want to try EVERYTHING!) and the price creeping up because of the lobsters and crab. It wasn’t actually expensive, it just wasn’t “dirt cheap” the way people have come to expect from a small ethnic place like this. That’s unfair, as we had a TON of food and lots of signature ingredients.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Sea Salt Latte from next door.

By: agavin
Comments (4)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Babykillers, BYOG, Champagne, Garden Grove, Garlic & Chives, Garlic and Chives, Gelato, Orange Afternoon, Orange County, Vietnamese cuisine

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

Hop Woo is Hop New

Jul11

Restaurant: Hop Woo

Location: 11110 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064. (310) 575-3668

Date: May 30, June 3 & July 25, 2018 and January 6, 2022

Cuisine: American and Szechuan Chinese

Rating: Surprisingly excellent Szechuan!

Incredible as it sounds, just a few days after hitting up new Brentwood Szechuan GuYi Erick and I explore another new westside Szechuan. Plus, this is a composite posts with returns on my own and a Hedonist visit.

This time disguised as venerable American Chinese Hop Woo, which has been serving a big menu of Cantonese inspired classics for years — but it turns out they have a new Szechuan chef and a secret Szechuan menu!

The space is vintage LA Chinese.

At night, it’s packed with us Hedonists taking up 3 tables!

Here is the special Szechuan menu. You have to ask for it. Some of the more challenging items they didn’t even bother to translate!

The big regular menu has a few gems too, but everything here from my first two visits is from the Szechuan menu.

Cold Szechuan Noodles (June 2018). Not even on the Szechuan menu, but they can make them. Basically nice wheat noodles with a tangy/spicy Szechuan chili oil sauce.

You mix them up and they are quite addictive. But the third time I had them (7/25/18) they were different, heavier, not as much chili, and not nearly as good.

Toothpick lamb (June & July 2018). The classic cumin rubbed lamb nibblettes. Quite nice.

Griddle cooked Bullfrog (June 2018). Very nice sauce and flavor. Mind the little kermit bones.

Griddle cooked lamb (June 2018). Somewhere between a griddle and a cumin lamb.

Garlic Shredded Pork (June 2018). Big dish, full of flavor, and nice texture.

MaPo Tofu (June & July 2018). Really a 9 or 10 out of 10 version of this favorite of mine. Tons of mala (numbing Szechuan peppercorn), you can see it dusted on top. Eaten over rice this is just so good. I have had this every-time I have been.

Hop Woo Signature Fresh Rock Fish with Hot and Spicy Flavor (June & July 2018). A very nice white fish smothered in delicious chilies (and chili oil). Some good vegetables like lotus leaf are hiding in there too. Could use more veggies though.

Slightly spicy fried calamari (7/25/18). Not bad. Very fried.

Cold chicken in chili oil (7/25/18). Delicious dish of boneless white meat (and skin) with a tangy spicy Szechuan chili oil.

We liked the sauce so much we ordered some Hainan chicken (boiled chicken, ordered 7/25/18) to dump into the extra sauce. Tasted the same but had bones.

It came with this bagna caulda (aka garlic oil).

Spicy lobster (7/25/18). Salty and full of flavor. Excellent lobster actually, if perhaps very slightly over done.

Garlic greens (7/25/18). Typical greens and garlic.

Shrimp with chilies (7/25/18). This is normally chicken with chilies, but we got it with shrimp. Basically salt and pepper shrimp (you eat them whole) with dry aromatic chiles. Pretty good.

Cauliflower with bacon (7/25/18). Awesome dish. Nice crunch to the vegetables and made 10x better with the soft pancetta like ham/bacon.

Panda Express Fried Sesame Pork Balls (7/25/18). Someone wanted a “white guy dish” and this fit the bill perfectly. Tasty enough, but REALLY fried.

Fish filets with green peppers (7/25/18). A savory mix of regular green chilies (Jalepenos or Serranos) and Szechuan peppercorns. Nice flavor and burn and numb.

Braised eggplant (7/25/18). This might be their take on “fish flavor eggplant.” Hard to tell, but it was tender and had lots of garlic. Not that spicy.

Below is a return post pandemic 1/6/22 meal:

BBQ Pork (1/6/22). A bit chewy and overly sweet.

Cold chicken with chili sauce (1/6/22). Great sauce. Chciken itself was a little big on the tendon factor.

Garlic cucumbers (1/6/22). Pretty good.

Jellyfish (1/6/22). A bit chewy.

Honey Walnut Shrimp (1/6/22). Very tasty. Not the best ever version of this dish, but quite good.

Sichuan Garlic Scallops (1/6/22). A bit sweet and cloying.

Clams with garlic and scallions (1/6/22). Not bad, but not amazing either. Not so much clam meat.

Whole fish with Rattan Pepper (1/6/22). Awesome broth. Fish was very tender. Lots of numbing. Bones, yes, but delicious. DOTN.

“Peking Duck” (1/6/22). Not bad, but huge chunks of Southern Chinese style roast duck.

Thin sweet hoisin.

Buns.
Salt and Pepper Pork Chops (1/6/22). Very salty, but quite tasty.

Mooshu Pork (1/6/22). Extremely mushy and not very good.

Mexican Tortillas instead of real spring pancakes. Not kidding, just el patio.

Orange Beef (1/6/22). Super sweet and fried. Kinda delicious in a dessert sort of wait.

Cumin lamb (1/6/22). Pretty decent.

Fried Rice Cake with Brown Sugar (June 2018). The owner gave these to us on the house. Very interesting Chinese dessert, all about the texture as usual. Chewy inside and dusty sweet on the outside.

Mandorla Tostata Stroopwafel Gelato (Toasted Almond) made by me for Sweet Milk Gelato (7/25/18) — toasted Sicilian almonds and Dutch Stroopwafel, because, why not?

Classic oranges and Fortune Cookies.

Overall, I was very impressed with the Szechuan items. It’s not a huge menu of them, and they aren’t quite Szechuan Impression or anything, but a few of these dishes, like the MaPo Tofu and the fish were absolutely first rate. Nice balance of tangy, hot, and numbing. It’s great to have a few real Szechuan choices on the westside!

Given my repeat and must larger visit with a lot of dishes I actually think the Szechuan here is on par with a second tier SGV Szechuan like Lucky Noodle King or maybe Spicy City. Some dishes better, some worse. It’s not the BEST Szechuan in the city by any means, but it’s the real deal and surprisingly very good for Westside. The even have really legit dishes like MaPo tofu with pig brains!

On our 1/6/22 visit a certain spice hater forced us to order about 3/4 from the regular menu. It was pretty consistent that almost everything from the regular (Chinese American) menu was very mediocre while stuff from the Szechuan menu was pretty good.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

Random wines, only a few of the ones we brought:

By: agavin
Comments (1)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BYOG, Chinese cuisine, Chinese Food, Gelato, Hop Woo, mapo tofu, Sichuan, spicy, Szechuan, Szechuan Chinese

Great Grenache 2018

Jul02

Restaurant: John Gerber [1, 2, 3, 4]

Location: Flintridge

Date: May 25, 2018

Cuisine: New American

Today’s Sauvages lunch is a lunch in honor of late Co-Poobah Steve Levin. It’s graciously hosted by Paul at at his beautiful home in Flintridge. This event is held outdoors in memory of the Zinfandel barbecues that Steve would hold for our group every summer at his home (it being Paul’s idea to maintain this fine tradition). To that end, we always enjoy a few Zinfandels at this lunch in addition to the theme wines for the lunch. The annual lunches at Paul’s home always rate very high on the scales for ambiance, camaraderie and food quality.

The main wine theme: This year, as it has been the past few years for our lunch at Paul’s, our primary wine theme will be “Grenaches of the World”, in this case from the 2007 and older vintages (the older the better). Just to be clear, “Grenaches of the World” means any Grenache or Grenache-based blend (at least 60-70% Grenache), as long as it is rated 93+ by a reputable critic, and is from the 2008 or older vintage. Grenache-based wines from Australia, California, Washington, Priorat, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Sardinia (called Cannonau) or any other parts of the world are fair game as long as the wine has a qualifying score.

This California style building isn’t the house itself, but the amazing top of the integrated cellar.

Trying to give you a sense of the mid century space.

We gather at one multi-wing table.

Today’s menu.

Snacks

NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée. Paul had a number of these in 375ml of some unspecified edition <=162?

From my cellar: 2015 Stift Göttweig Pinot Noir Messwein. 90 points. Like grapefruit soda!

2007 Lail Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc Georgia. A strangely expensive Sauv Blanc ($100!), although tasty.

2013 Bader-Mimeur Saint-Aubin 1er Cru En Remilly.

2014 Peter Michael Chardonnay Mon Plaisir. VM 92. Peter Michael’s 2014 Chardonnay Mon Plaisir wraps around the palate with gorgeous depth and textural richness, two of its principal signatures. Candied lemon, succulent apricot and spice notes meld into the creamy, voluptuous finish. This south/south-east facing site at 1,600 feet planted with old Wente clone Chardonnay yields distinctly ample wines.

agavin: Fake chard!

Tuna Poke chips. Light and delicious.

Lobster medallions. On cucumber.

Some rack of wild boar grilling up for later.

Flight 1

1996 Alvaro Palacios Priorat L’Ermita. VM 92+. Saturated ruby-red, darker than the Dofí. Blackcurrant, black cherry, clove and Mediterranean spices on the nose. Dense, sappy and sweet in the mouth; lively, harmonious acids frame the wine very youthful black fruit and spice flavors. Finishes with substantial but smooth palate-saturating tannins and superb persistence. This is harder to taste today than the ’97, but should ultimately be the stronger vintage.

Albert brought: 1989 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape. JG 95+. I have always been a fan of the 1989 Château Beaucastel, which I rank just behind the superb 1981 at this fine estate. The most recent bottle I tasted of this wine was still just a touch youthful, but offered up fine complexity on both the nose and palate and shows excellent promise. The bouquet is a blend of roasted fruitcake, cherries, new leather, venison, incipient notes of sous bois, woodsmoke and hot stones. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and rock solid at the core, with a bit of tannin still to resolve, fine focus and grip and a very long, classy and slightly chewy finish. I would be tempted to give this wine a few more years to really resolve, as it will be a superb wine and it would be most enjoyable to drink it at the same plateau that the 1981 has been enjoying for a good decade already.

agavin: this bottle was too bretty for me, although I love this wine

1989 Domaine de Marcoux Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes. 95 points. Awesome.

2000 Roger Sabon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Le Secret des Sabon. 94 points. Medium ruby. Exotic roasted aromas of surmaturite: black raspberry liqueur, dark chocolate, leather and earth. Shows a thickness and sweetness verging on porty, but the appeal of this bottle was reduced by some exotic, rather odd oak notes. Can this be right? (My sample of the 2001 was too low in SO2 and showing distinct oxidation notes.

Fruitti de Mare. Octopus carpaccio, razor clams, scallops and spot prawns. We’ve had this dish here before, but it’s always a great showcase of seafood. The only problem is the dubious “pairing” with so much (admittedly great) Grenache.

Flight 2

2001 Rotllan Torra Priorat Tirant. VM 91+. Deep red. Exotic coconutty oak on the rather port-like nose. At once sweeter and more primary than the Amadis, with a penetrating minerality. Also quite oaky, but has more jammy plum and blackberry fruit to stand up to the wood. Still, it’s hard to predict whether this slightly pruney wine will reward more time in bottle. Finishes with sweet tannins and good length.

2001 Clarendon Hills Grenache Old Vines Romas. VM 94. Bright, deep ruby-red. Captivating aromas of black cherry, violet, licorice and espresso; a rather Rayas-like style of grenache. Chewy, rich and sweet but also quite suave. A succulent, superripe basket of fruits complicated by torrefaction notes of coffee and chocolatey oak. Long, chewy, powerful finish builds impressively. The ’99 version of this wine was aged in 100% new oak; here, 30% seems perfectly appropriate.

2001 Clarendon Hills Grenache Old Vines Blewitt Springs. VM 91. Bright medium red. Very ripe, roasted flavors of raspberry and strawberry. Fat, rich, sweet and mouthfilling; offers a bit less verve than the Kangarilla but this is still shapely grenache. Finishes with big, mouthcoating tannins and impressive sweetness and volume. This is the Dolly Parton of the Clarendon grenache bottlings, notes importer John Larchet.

2004 Domaine Pierre Usseglio & Fils Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de mon Aïeul. VM 93. Explosively floral aromas of raspberry and wild strawberry complicated by mineral and lavender notes. Concentrated and deep, with sweet but nicely focused red fruit and bitter cherry flavors accompanied by exotic smoked meat and black walnut tones. An impressively rich, powerful wine, offering serious palate coverage and a long, very sweet finish.

Oxtail Consommé. Stuffed morel mushrooms and spring vegetables. This was my dish of the day, and it was just a lovely meaty/mushroomy broth. I particularly enjoy morels too.

Flight 3

2003 Clos Mogador Priorat. VM 91. Dark ruby. Superripe, potent scents of cherry liqueur, candied dates, dark chocolate and fruit cake. Fat to the point of unctuous, with a distinct sweetness to the rich dark fruit-dominated flavors; cedary oaky notes build through the finish, along with vanilla, baking spices and a suggestion of black olive. A bite of licorice root gives focus to the long aftertaste. For all the volume here, this has the balance for cellaring.

2004 Spectacle Vins Montsant Espectacle. 93 points. Purple color with fast forming legs and aromas of eucalyptus, blackberry and violet. It’s balanced and has flavours of blackberry with a full body. Bright texture with a long finish.

2003 Domaine de la Mordorée Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de la Reine des Bois. VM 93. Inky violet color. Rich, smoky and deep on the nose, with powerful scents of chocolate, creme de mure and kirsch, tinged by candied violet and cracked pepper. Concentrated and lush, with a round, velvety texture and abundant sweet plum, blackberry and mocha flavors. Finishes with ripe, round tannins, a very sweet note of cassis, and great length.

2003 Domaine du Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée da Capo. VM 95-97. Deep, dark red. Multidimensional bouquet of kirsch, cassis, red plum, pipe tobacco, grilled meat, licorice pastille and roasted coffee; this has nearly all of the Chateauneuf food groups. Utterly mouthfilling in its richness, with tremendous concentration of red and dark berries, garrigue, bittersweet chocolate and aged beef. Finishes with a velvety lushness, round tannins and palate-staining persistence. A simply remarkable wine: it finished at 16.2% but the alcohol only shows in the wine’s unctuous, almost oily palate feel.

Wood Roasted Rack of Wild Boar. Sierra porcini and sea peas. A great rack. A little lighter and with a sweeter flavor for being boar (inside of lamb or something).

On the far back left is our chef, John Gerber, formerly of the French Laundry!

The panorama of most of the crew.

Flight 4: Cheese

From my cellar: 2007 Clos Mogador Priorat. VM 93. Glass-staining purple. Explosively perfumed aromas of blackberry, cherry-cola, candied licorice and black cardamom, with a smoky mineral undertone and a hint of fruitcake. Lush, decadent dark fruit flavors show a liqueur-like density but don’t come off as heavy thanks to slow-mounting minerality and a touch of spicy black pepper. There’s nothing shy about this, and while there’s the ripeness and weight that I expect from this wine, there’s also a brightness that bodes well for aging.

agavin: very slight corked 🙁

2005 Clos Mogador Priorat. VM 93. Opaque violet. A head-spinning bouquet of ripe blackcurrant, cherry liqueur, cola, candied plum, mineral and floral scents, along with a suave undercurrent of spicy oak. Deeply concentrated dark berry and cherry preserve flavors are impressively powerful and ripe, but improbably fresh too. Chewy tannins build on the finish but are overwhelmed by the intense, powerful fruit. This is a beast right now and in need of at least seven to ten more years in a cool cellar, maybe more. Then serve it with the richest red meat dish you can come up with.

agavin: after my bottle was corked Paul generously brought out this one. I have to remember to bring backups every time. I usually do, and it’s only when I don’t that it’s corked.

2006 Sine Qua Non Grenache Raven Series. VM 95. Opaque violet. Complex bouquet of cassis, blueberry and pipe tobacco, complicated by smoky Indian spices and dried rose. Expansive and open-knit, offering sweet dark berry preserve flavors and complementary notes of candied flowers and fruitcake. The smoky element gains strength on the finish, which is long, energetic and refreshingly mineral-driven. This is remarkably lithe for such power; I underestimated its potential last year. Includes 94% estate fruit, vinified with 25% whole clusters.

2007 Clos Saint Jean Châteauneuf-du-Pape Deus-Ex Machina. VM 96. Glass-staining ruby. The nose offers a drop-dead sexy array of berry, floral and mineral scents, along with nuances of spicecake and black olive. Impressively deep and sweet but also energetic, displaying dense red and dark fruit liqueur flavors and sexy floral pastille and baking spice qualities. The mineral quality comes on strong with air and lends lift and urgency to the very long, spicy finish. This is slightly more elegant than the Comte des Fous but just as potent.

2006 Clos Erasmus Priorat. VM 95. Deep ruby. Heady, expansive aromas of raspberry, cassis, cola, star anise, smoky minerals and potpourri. Completely stains the palate with sweet red and dark berry compote flavors; a sexy floral pastille quality gains volume with air. Deep and powerful but graceful, offering a hypnotic melange of fruit, floral and mineral qualities and completely buffered tannins. This superb and very long wine will reward patient cellaring.

Cheese Plate. Camembert di Bufala, Italy (water buffalo milk). Comte Fromagerie Charles Arnaud, Jura France (cow milk). Nerina Ash Aged, Italy (sheep and goat milk).

My cryptic notes.

Flight 5: Zin

I’m just a little too lazy to lookup all the Zin’s, so they are just pictured and listed on the list below.

And this finishes the vast amount of wine.

Today I got really serious with the gelato transportation, hauling the Ifi Coolbox with 3 flavors I had made just that morning — notice my sexy custom logo!

Saffron Almond Gelato. I steeped the milk with Persian Saffron and blended in Sicilian Romano Almonds from Sicily!

Symphony in Pink – on the bottom Amarena Cherry Gelato and on the top, White Peach Rose Sorbetto.

The wine list.

Inside the upper level of the cellar where staging occurred.

And the full lineup!

Overall, a delicious afternoon — food and wine both! As a Burgundy nut, a often forget how delightful Grenache can be, but it’s really great stuff — and so consistent. Certainly a nice grape, if a powerhouse. Even the Zins were (relatively) enjoyable.

We did have WAY too much wine for the number of courses. We could have used an easy 2 or 3 more courses to stage it out. A couple years ago we had one more course and we could really use that as there is that extra Zin flight. I tried to “add” one with the gelato :-).

The setting really is magnificent. The weather was perfect, if a little cloudy. Just an ideal afternoon in the yard!