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Sauvages Carousel

Oct24

Restaurant: Carousel Restaurant Glendale

Location: 304 N Brand Blvd, Glendale, CA 91203. (818) 246-7775

Date: March 25, 2022

Cuisine: Lebanese

Rating: Best Lebanese in the city

The March 2022 Sauvages lunch was at Carousel, a classic (for good reason) Glendale Lebanese banquet restaurant. The wine theme was originally supposed to be Northern Rhone but mysteriously allowed in a bunch of Cabs at some point.

The hall is big and very themed.

2008 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut Millésimé. 92 points.

Bonus from me: NV Henriot Champagne Brut Souverain. VM 90. Light gold. Lees-accented orchard and citrus fruit aromas are complicated by sweet butter, iodine and smoky minerals. Dry and expansive on the palate, offering lively pear and melon flavors and a refreshingly bitter touch of orange pith. Ample but lithe brut, with very good finishing punch and repeating smoke and pear qualities.

2001 Château de Fieuzal Blanc. RJ 93. Light medium yellow color; aromatic, deep lemon, lemon peel nose; oily textured, mature, tart lemon, preserved lemon, saffron, mineral palate; medium-plus finish

Our menu today.

1996 M. Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon. VM 92-94. Saturated ruby. Deep aromas of cassis, blueberry, game, woodsmoke and iron. Thick, powerful and gamey in the mouth; has the texture and thickness not yet shown by Chapoutier’s ’96 Hermitage Méal. Primal dark berry and violet notes. Explosive fruit on the very long aftertaste, which features huge, chewy tannins. Neither particularly <I>sauvage</I> nor especially austere. Should be a beauty with seven or eight years of bottle aging. A great performance for the vintage.

1999 M. Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon. VM 93+. Full medium ruby. Classic Hermitage aromas of dark berries and gunflint, with a suggestion of bitter chocolate. Concentrated, sweet and expansive, with inky and minerally components suggestive of the granite soil. Finishes with impressively ripe fruit flavor and huge, spreading tannins that take over the palate. From a crop level just under 30 hectoliters per hectare.

2000 M. Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon. VM 92+. Saturated ruby-red. More reserved aromas of blackberry, cassis, licorice, minerals, cinders and spices. Juicy and tight, with a varietally accurate raw currant character. Fresh, intense and structured for the year. Finishes very long, with firm tannins and strong spice character.

From my cellar: 2001 M. Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon. VM 95. Saturated red-ruby. Explosive, superripe aromas of black raspberry, boysenberry, black olive tapenade, licorice, coffee and smoked meat. Wonderfully opulent and voluptuous in the mouth, with a texture like liquid silk. Coats your mouth, cheeks and whatever other surfaces it can find. Finishes with extraordinarily fine tannins and great sweetness and persistence. The best bottle of Pavillon I’ve tasted in at least a decade.

Hummus. Garbanzo with sesame seed oil, tahini, lemon juice and garlic. Great version of the classic.

Moutabel. Roasted eggplant with garlic, sesame seed oil, tahini & lemon juice.

Sarma. Fresno grape leaves, stuffed with rice and vegetables. This was hands down some of the best stuffed grape leaves I’ve ever had. They were very soft and very tangy (sumac I think).

Beef Tartare. Filet Mignon with Olive Oil. This Lebanese/Armenian version is blended into a pasty texture and very soft.

Fatayer. Turnovers stuffed with shite cheese and pan fried. These were scrumptious, particularly when used like bread to scoop up other mezze.

Fattoush Salad. Cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, spices, toasted pita bread in a sumac-citrus vinaigrette. Very tangy.

2000 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District.

1999 Merus Cabernet Sauvignon. VM 90+. Deep medium ruby. Sexy nose of roasted black raspberry, cassis, root beer, meat and spicy, toasty oak. Lush, dense, sweet and powerful; an outsized wine with rich flavors of black fruits and spices. Still, I’d like to have found a bit more verve and finesse. Decant this wine well in advance if you plan to try it now.

1998 Dalla Valle Maya. VM 93. One of the biggest revelations in this tasting, the 1998 Maya is drop-dead gorgeous. Expressive aromatics lift from the glass, followed by small red berries, pine, menthol and leather. The 1998 is all about detail. What a wonderful surprise the 1998 Maya has turned out to be. There is also little doubt the 1998, from a poorly regarded vintage, has handled time with far more grace than the 1997. (Drink between 2014-2020)

Muhammarra. Crushed walnuts, red pepper paste and pomegranate. I love this stuff.

Kbbeh. Spheres (bullets) of beef and cracked wheat, stuffed with minced beef, onion and pine nuts. Also awesome.

Soujuk Flambe. House-made Armenian beef sausage flame broiled at the table.

Frog Legs Provencal. Pan-fried frog legs with lemon juice, garlic, and cilantro. So addictive!

Lamb Kastaleta. Prime Australian lamb chops, seasoned and charbroiled. Nice char and well cooked.

Mantee (Shish Barak). Mini meat pies, oven baked and topped with a tomato yogurt sauce. I love these. This has derived both in name and style from dumplings brought west by the Mongols. It’s clearly closely related to the Afghan version.

1997 Beringer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve. VM 93. Bright medium ruby. Sexy aromas of dark berries and earth complemented by mellow mocha and coffee tones; inviting and mature but not at all old. Wonderfully suave, silky dark berry, spice and floral flavors are framed and extended by harmonious acidity. The tannins are serious but less dusty than those of the special Anniversary bottling and the juicy, subtle, rising finish avoids tartness. Showing beautifully today–and more refined than a bottle, rated 92 points, that was part of my big Beringer vertical tasting in 2015. (Drink between 2017-2028)

1993 Bryant Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Proprietor Grown Pritchard Hill. VM 92. One of the most surprising wines of the night is Don Bryant’s 1993 Cabernet Sauvignon. The 1993 won’t last forever, but it is in a gorgeous place right now. The brightness and purity of the fruit remain alluring. This is one of the all-around favorites at the table, and it is easy to see why.

1995 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon. VM 96+. Togni’s 1995 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is simply dazzling. Deep, unctuous and explosive, this Cabernet Sauvignon screams with the essence of exotic spices, iron, graphite, leather, smoke, game and dark fruit. The 1995 gets better and better with time in the glass, revealing myriad shades of dimension and extraordinary balance. Although stunning today, the 1995 has at least another decade ahead of it. The 1995 was made from the original vines that were ten years old at the time. (Drink between 2015-2025)

1992 Dalla Valle Cabernet Sauvignon. 93 points. Another superb bottle of this. Popped and poured. The nose is just gorgoeous. Cherry, flowers, herbs and truffles. The wine is beautifully integrated with black currant, cherry, earth and lead pencil. Well balanced and long on the finish. Excellent. Too bad this is my last bottle of this.

Chicken Breast Kebab (Shish Tawook). Boneless and skinless chicken breast, marinated and charbroiled.

Beef Shish Kebab (Lahem Meshwey). Cubed beef filet mignon, marinated and charbroiled.

Lula Kebab (Beef Kafta). Minced lean beef mixed with fine chopped onions, parsley, seasoning and spices.

Frri (quail). Pan-fried quail sautéed with sumac pepper and citrus sauce. Sauce was very tangy with a hint of spice and delicious.

Veal Liver Kebab. Fresh veal liver cubed and marinated with special spices, broiled tomatoes topped with cumin.

French fries.

Toum (garlic aioli).

2004 Dolce Winery Late Harvest. 92 points. Extra sticky, mostly honey flavored, good dessert wine if you like this style of late harvest.

Passion for Pistachio Gelato — Sicilian Pistacchio di Bronte DOP custard gelato base with just a touch of Grand Mariner, ribboned with bits of Valrhona Dark Chocolate Passionfruit Ganache — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #pistacchio #bronte #Sicily #Valrhona #Chocolate #Passionfruit #GrandMariner #Ganache

Peach Rose Sorbetto — A blend of White and Blood Peaches from Avignon with a bit of Persian Rosewater! — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — I’ve tried variants of this flavor several times and am at 1/8 the rosewater I started with, still titrating down! — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #sorbetto #BloodPeach #rose #rosewater #peach

Plated (by me).

Ashta B’aasal. Authentically prepared ashta (condensed milk) layered over french banana with honey and pistachio. This was awesome… except for the banana (which I had to pick around).

Basma.

Baklava.

Lebanese coffee. Good for knocking all the alcohol out of one’s system.

Food was amazing. So much of it and nearly every dish was incredible. Really really tasty. Much fresher, better cooked, and zestier than almost any other Lebanese/Armenian place I’ve been too. For sure the best I’ve had in LA.

Hermitages were nice, but the new world wines were… well new world. At least they had some age on them.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BYOG, Carousel, Gelato, Glendale, kabobs, Lebanese cuisine, lunch, Mezze, Sauvages, Wine

Quick Eats – Lola’s

Aug30

Restaurant: Lola’s Peruvian Restaurant

Location: 2610, 230 N Brand Blvd, Glendale, CA 91203. (818) 956-5888

Date: July 18, 2019

Cuisine: Peruvian

Rating: Excellent Old School Peruvian

Seb and I and another friend were wandering around Glendale for lunch and ended up at Lola’s Peruvian after I rejected a couple unappealing chain-type restaurants.

This is an old school, classic Peruvian place.

Baggette-like bread.

Zesty sauces.

Delicias Del Mar. Ceviche, tiradito, yellow and red chili peppers, mussels, fried calamari, fried yucca, peruvian corn (choclo), toasted corn (cancha).

Saltado de Vegetales. Vegetables stir fries, onion, tomatoes, soy sauce over French fries. Served with rice.

Pescado Sudado – PeruvianSteam Fish. Juicy sole steamed fish, sauce of onion and tomatoes, bell peppers and potatoes. Served with side of rice.

Roast pork. Very tender and great with the sauces — needs them though to give it some more complex flavor.

Arroz con Mariscos – Seafood Rice. Considered to be an adaptation of spanish paella with shrimp, octopus, squid and mussels.

Lola’s isn’t a fancy place, but it is tasty and if you want to experience that sort of classic, heavily Spanish influenced type of Peruvian, quite good. Now this is very different from the more modern Picca style of Peruvian with its strong Japanese and Chinese influences, and is more typical of South American food in general before the modern culinary revolution, but this is well made traditional food with plenty of flavor.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: cerviche, Glendale, Peruvian cuisine, pork, Rice

Bourbon Birthday

Jun11

Restaurant: Bourbon Steak

Location: 237 S Brand Blvd, Glendale, CA 91210. (818) 839-4130

Date: May 7, 2018

Cuisine: Steakhouse

Rating: Very good, but perhaps a touch pricey

Another year, another Chevy birthday dinner!

To celebrate, Seb finally got me to drive all the way across town to Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak — and because of excessive back to back dinners I even had to skip out on Chinese the night before!

Bourbon is right underneath Seb’s condo at the Brand. A great spot — but very far (in rush hour traffic).

The bar area.

And the main dining room.

NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée Edition 163eme. VM 95. The NV Grand Cuvée 163 Edition is wonderfully open-knit and giving, qualities that make it a terrific choice for drinking now and over the next 30 or so years. Pastry, apricot, lemon confit, chamomile and white flowers, along with soft contours, give the wine its inviting, alluring personality. There is more than enough energy and overall freshness to support several decades of fine drinking. Even so, the 163 is virtually impossible to resist at this early stage.

The amuse here is 3 kinds of fries: cheese, basil, and bbq with respective sauces.

Muffin-like buns.

From my cellar: 2011 Prager Grüner Veltliner Stockkultur Achleiten. AG 92. Luscious aromas of quince, cardamom and pepper are layered over a background of dried pineapple. Rather broad-shouldered in its attack, this veltliner is enormously rich but at the same time complex, juicy and tightly wound, in an unusually refreshing style. Subtle citrus flavors carry well on the finish.

Fresh oysters on the half shell. Champagne Mignonette.

Fresh Alaskan king crab legs. Good, but a small portion for the price.

Shrimp cocktail. Gin cocktail sauce, dijonnaise (aka mustard and mayo whipped together).

From my cellar: 1995 Robert Ampeau & Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. 92 points. Good again.

From my cellar (somehow I’m always bringing all the white!): 1985 Nicolas Potel Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes. 95 points. Great bottle.

Every Michael Mina place has to have a Lobster Pot Pie!

They cut it open.

And plate the guts, the top, covered in sauce. Delicious, but very pricey at $85 a pie.

2010 Rene Rostaing Côte-Rôtie La Landonne. VM 94. Inky ruby. Aromas and flavors of dark fruit preserves, candied flowers and smoky herbs, with a bright mineral nuance adding lift. Deeply pitched black and blue fruit flavors show serious depth and structure, picking up spiciness and an exotic floral quality on the back half. Chewy tannins give shape and grip to a strikingly long, powerful and spice-driven finish. Rostaing thinks that it would be a “grave mistake” to broach this wine in its youth and believes that it’s “for the most patient people, not those in a hurry.”

Kagoshima A5 Rib Eye. Real superior wagyu from Japan (the Japanese stuff is by far the best). Nicely seared.

This was a delectable chunk of buttery meat.

2006 Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon RBS Beckstoffer To-Kalon Vineyard. 97 points. Simply singing with wonderful nose and complexity on the palate. Incredible with steak!

2010 Rudd Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Oakville. 97 points.

Austrailan Wagyu tomahawk rib eye.

Another great steak, really perfectly seared.

Grilled broccoli, chili & parmesan.

Crispy Brussels sprout, honey palm syrup.

Black truffle mac & cheese. M&C is always one of my favorite sides.

2013 Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon RBS Beckstoffer To-Kalon Vineyard. 96 points. Clear, deep ruby. Fat legs, suggesting high-alcohol, high-glycerol wine. Clean, pronounced nose of primary and secondary nature, highly complex. Primary notes include black and red super-ripe to jammy fruits: blackberry, prunes, black raspberry, boysonberry, raspberry, red currant, black currant. Eucalyptus, anise, licorice, wet slate. Secondary notes: baking spices, nutmeg, coconut, milk chocolate, high quality coconut powder. On the palate: dry, high acidity, high tannin, high alcohol, full body. The tannins are high, mouth-coating, fine-grained and ripe. The flavors are very pronounced and highly-complex. Primary flavors: jammy boysonberry, cassis, black cherries, ripe raspberry, black mulberry, figs, eucalyptus, mentol and licorice. Secondary flavors: nutmeg, some chocolate and cocoa. Long finish.

2009 Hundred Acre Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Few and Far Between. VM 94. The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Few and Far Between Vineyard has developed beautifully since I last tasted it from barrel. Mocha, espresso, exotic spices and orange peel all come together in this inviting, multi-dimensional Cabernet Sauvignon. Totally alive in the glass, the wine is constantly changing, and reveals different sides of its personality with each taste. Hints of sweet red berries and cloves add complexity on the long, polished finish.

More steak? Maybe a cowboy rib eye?

Brie & Honey. Honey, bee pollen, date, grape, hazelnut.

From my cellar: 1946 Bodegas Toro Albala Don PX Convento Selección. 100 points. So remarkable I give it 101 points. I can’t begin to enumerate the flavors except to say it is a dark peacock’s tail that shimmers and unfurls for minutes. I pity those who give it less than 100 points. What will they ever taste in their lives that is better? Nothing. They are doomed, never to recognize perfection. If you haven’t tried a glass, you must. Nothing more satisfying, saturated, or complex has ever before been bottled.

Root-beer float and cookie.

The bourbon white chocolate sundae. White devil’s food cake, espresso ice cream, bourbon fudge.

Sweet Milk Gelato (made by me). On the left, Pistachio Gelato with pistachios from Bronte Sicily and on the right, Almond Ricotta Gelato, pure ricotta base with sliced almonds.

In the bowl……………..

Above is birthday boy Chevy and his lovely wife Mary.

Bourbon did a great job for the most part. Seb goes there all the time and they really take care of him. They were a bit strapped for stems — which is silly — but that was my only complaint. The food was excellent. Appetizers good but not super unique. Lobster Pot Pie awesome. Steaks absolutely first rate. It did feel a bit pricey on a per dish basis, although splitting steaks like this is always WAY better than the traditional “everyone orders their own steak.” Steak quality was up there with Alexanders.

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