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Girl & the Goat

Jul11

Location: 555-3 Mateo St, Los Angeles, CA 90013. (213) 799-4628

Date: November 2, 2021

Cuisine: Modern American

Rating: Very tasty, 2 bottle limit

Last fall (yes I’m very behind in my posts), “people” kept going on about how great this new Chicago transplant by Chef Stephanie Izard was. So off we went.

They are located in a fairly cute offshoot area of downtown I don’t think I have been to.

Swank build out, although we (fortunately) sat outside.

The menu.

Marked up with our orders.

One disadvantage to GATG is that they have one of those new terrible wine lists with most domestic weird cheap wines at inflated prices, COUPLED WITH (and they usually go together), a nominal 2 bottle corkage limit. I’m not going to rant again too long about the 2 bottle limit but… places should just charge a fair (unlimited) corkage that approximates their profit.

We did buy 2 bottles off the list. As usual there were basically no reds I would want to drink on the list, most are grapes I would never drink or way too young. There were 1-2 pleasant whites. Not sure there even was a white Burg, and if there was it would have been some off location village wine.

Agro de Bazan Albariño Rías Baixas Granbazán Etiqueta Ambar. This was a fine wine. Of course it was like $80 for a $20 bottle.

NV Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut Rosé. Always great, but like 4X what I’d normally pay for it.

Roasted Oysters. Clam baguette, sausage butter, oyster sauce mayo, finger limes.

The guts slid out onto a toast (which is how you are supposed to eat it).

Hamachi crudo. Browned goat butter, goat crema, pickled apple, tempura crunch, sesame seed.

Shrimp and crispy greens. Avocado, tangerine, pickled veggies, pepita crunch, limey-herby dressing.

Pan-roasted scallops. Chili relish, peanut-popiah crunch.

From my cellar: 1990 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape. VM 93. The 1990 Châteauneuf-du-Pape has a compelling bouquet of plump red fruit, oxtail, leather and morels, all well defined and full of chutzpah. The palate is smooth in texture and, at 29 years old, has certainly mellowed. There is a core of sweet fruit here, but it has softened with age and delivers a smorgasbord of second flavors: meat juices, clove and touches of fennel. It does not possess the audacity of the Hommage à Jacques Perrin, yet it has retained effortless charm. (Drink between 2019-2036)

1972 Xavier Vignon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Xavier 1972. This is not really a 1972. It’s blended or reconditioned.

Pork liver mousse. Crumpets, biscuit crackers, pickle persimmon, blueberry mostarda.

Duck tartare. Gochujang mayo, sesame, plums, fried brussels.

1989 Château Rausan-Ségla. VM 94. The 1989 Rauzan-Ségla is a vintage that to my surprise, I had not tasted since September 2007. Just like then it represents the high point of the decade and augured a much brighter future in terms of quality. At three decades old it has a beautiful bouquet, so elegant with brambly red fruit, cedar and rose petals, very Barolo in style and less exotic than previous bottles. The palate remains youthful and like the aromatics, comes across so finessed with superb delineation and natural balance. There is even a dab of honey on the sensual finish. Certainly à point, this Margaux is highly recommended. Tasted at the 1989 Bordeaux dinner at Hatched restaurant. (Drink between 2019-2035)

Roasted shishitos. Harissa-tahini yogurt, parmesan, garlic crunch.

Confit Goat Belly. Tasty broth, plum pickle relish, spiced pecan crunch.

Grilled corn. Spiced coconut caramel, cotija, tajin.

Beef short rib. Gochujang, apple-cucumber salad.

1999 Tenuta dell’Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia. VM 95. The 1999 Ornellaia (magnum) does not disappoint. This vivid, energetic wine emerges from the glass with a myriad of graphite, menthol, licorice, leather and dark fruit wrapped around a powerful core. The bouquet alone is worth the price of admission. Though not as opulent as the 1997, the 1999 offers exceptional length and a finessed, regal close. The 1999 Ornellaia is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. The wine spent 18 months in French oak (60% new) prior to being bottled. (Drink between 2009-2021)

Special pre-reserved giant goat back with all sorts of salad, sauces and breads. Meat was actually a little bit dry but all the condiments juiced it right up. A LOT of food.

Pickled salad (and sauces).

A mushroom salad.

Breads.

Goat Curry. Masa chips, radish, pickled vegetables. Yummy! Getting very full.

A sort of butterscotch type thing. Descriptions are vague because they just brought and comped the desserts and I didn’t see any menu.

Chocolate.

Chocolate and orange or something.

Fruity.

Food here is really good. Almost all of the dishes were really tasty. Very savory, fatty, salty and all that, but full of zest and punch. Chef Izzard was in the house on the night we went.

Service was also quite excellent. Very nice, attentive, and all that. The patio location outside was fabulous.

I’ll try to go back again this year and try more dishes (even if we did a pretty good job on the menu). It was really delicious.

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: 2 bottle limit, Chef Stephanie Izard, Girl & the Goat, goat, Wine

Black Goat at Mirak

May06

Restaurant: Mirak

Location: 1134 S Western Ave A2, Los Angeles, CA 90006. (323) 732-7577

Date: April 11, 2019

Cuisine: Korean Goat

Rating: Solid, but small menu focused on goat

Mirak’s is a Korea Town place specializing in Black Goat. Gotta try the exotics, right? Plus, goat is the most popular meat in the world!

It’s that barely-labeled place with the yellow sign in the back corner of this Western Ave minimall.

The interior is well… typical.

This sauce was interesting. Mustard, mustard seed, chili, sesame oil. What’s not to like?

Cooking is partially done table-side on the little burners. Truth is, I’m not sure these are even legal, but who cares.

Every Korean place has banchan. This salad was okay.

And the spicy daikon.

Don’t really need the bean sprouts.

Eggplant and kimchee are good though.

And the cabbage in vaguely sweet water is a bit of a mystery.

This is the main signature item — the black goat stew.

Eventually it gets roiling and is actually quite good. Meat is very cooked, which for goat is a good thing.

This was a kind of sizzling duck with garlic and onions dish. Excellent.

Then pork belly.

They do most of the cooking.

It’s pretty good, if a bit piggy, when finished.

Bulgolgi. This was a winner, tender, sweet, and full of flavor.

Goat ribs. They tasted okay, if a bit gamey. The rubbery texture of the skin I could do without.

Rice to go into kimchee fried rice.

Seaweed and seasonings.

Combine it all in the bottom of the goat soup.

And fry it up to make the kimchee fried rice — which is pretty excellent.

This one was done in a different base and so was slightly different.

Kimchee, chewy pork, and tofu. Awesome dish actually. Lots of flavor and heat.

Chicken and potato red pot. Pretty good too.

Chewy spicy squid. Excellent, actually.

As usual I BYOG (brought my own gelato):

New flavor — Limoncello Biscotti — Limoncello Zabaione base with lemon cookie flavor and Lemon Oreos — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — Tastes just like lemon cookie! — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #IceCream #NomNom #dessert #lemon #limoncello #Zabaione #LemonCookie #Oreo #LemonOreos

Fresh back from Hawaii I created this new flavor with things I dragged home — Big Island — Coconut dairy base, Macadamia Nuts, and Fresh Mango — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — Island Fever! — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #IceCream #NomNom #dessert #Hawaii #MacadamiaNuts #nuts #mango #coconut #tropical

The gang.

Yarom and the owner (with someone else’s banchan).

Overall, Mirak is tasty, but it’s a very small, focused menu with mostly goat. We pretty much ordered everything. The goat stew is very good. As was the bulgolgi and a couple other dishes. Ambiance is vintage k-town but they are very nice and let us bring our wine too. This is not entry level Korean, but more a place you go if you are exploring “the real Korea town.”

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BYOG, Gelato, goat, hedonists, Korea-town, Korean cuisine, LA, Mirak, Wine

Driving to Daw Yee

Nov14

Restaurant: Daw Yee Myanmar Corner

Location: 2837 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026. (213) 413-0568

Date: September 26, 2018

Cuisine: Myanmar Cuisine

Rating: a touch bland and hence disappointing

I braved the deadly rush hour traffic to the ass’s end of LA (from a Westsider’s perspective) — Silverlake!

Mostly because I wasn’t sure if I’d ever had genuine Myanmar food before. This is a relatively new branch of an SGV place. It’s located right next to Silverlake Ramen, Pho Cafe, and down the street from Ma’am Sir.

The interior is small and cute.

The menu.

Fish curry. Rakhine style tilapia fish fillet, tomatoes, lemongrass, shallots, cayenne pepper, and paprika. Served with coconut rice. Odd way to start off!

Laphet Thoke (Tea Leaf Salad). Myanmar imported fermented tea leaves, tomatoes, roasted peanuts, fried yellow lentils, fried garlic, toasted sesame, diced tomatoes, shredded cabbage, dried shrimps, and fish sauce.

All mixed up. Interesting.

Gin Thoke. Pickled ginger, roasted butter beans, roasted lentils, toasted sesame, peanut butter, and shredded cabbage. Nice crunch to it.

Samosas. Fried pastry filled with poatoes and onions seasoned with masala curry. Can’t go to wrong with fried.

Kima Platha. Platha sutffed with masala seasoned chicken, beef, or lamb. A bit like a Beijing meat pie.

Potato pancakes. Pan fried mashed potatoes stuffed with ground lamb, mint, and Thai chili.

Kachin Style Salmon Belly. With cilantro, lemongrass, and spicy chili steamed in banana leaves.

Inside view. Not sure they had Salmon in Myanmar back in the day.

Mohinga. Myanmar’s national dish. Round rice noodles and hard-boiled egg in catfish chowder.

Shan noodles. Rich stick noodles served with coconut chicken, roasted peanuts, toasted sesame, chili oil, and Shan pickles. This was tasty.

Vegan bowl. Curried potatoes, seasonal vegetables, Myanmar tofu, several kinds of noodles, and coconut rice. Not bad at all for vegan.

Garlic noodles. Wheat flour flat noodles tossed in garlic oil, soy sauce, and shredded duck. Chinese in style, but good.

Goat Curry. Naah! Pretty mild though.

Platha. Daw Yee special homemade platha served with mashed garbanzo beans. Dips well in curry, otherwise greasy.

Beef Curry. Beef shank in onion, lemongrass masala curry, served with coconut rice. On of the stronger (and therefore better) curries.

Lamb Curry. Lamb with potato in onion and garam masala. Served with coconut rice.

Steak Bowl. Tri tip steak, shallots in spiced rum, seasonal vegetables, brown rice, and topped with a fried egg. Interesting mix.

Pumpkin curry. Pumpkin, potatoes, mustard seeds, and curry leaves. Served with coconut rice.

Lemongrass chicken. Ground chicken wrapped in lemongrass stick, seasonal vegetables, and brown rice.

Spicy Prawns. Prawns, seasonal vegetables, and coconut rice.

Tapioca Cake. Tapioca, coconut milk, and white rice flour. I loved these actually. Gummy with a mild coconut flavor.

Shew Kyi Cake. Semolina wheat cake with poppy seeds. Hmmm. Dry.

Cassava flour and egg. A bit like a dry custard/flan cake.

Overall, Daw Yew was good, and interesting, but the flavors were kind of muted. The dishes visually look like they would be strong in flavor, but the intensity, fish sauce, spice, etc were all toned down. The owner told us that he “did it because of the neighborhood.” I like strong flavors though so I was a bit disappointed. Fun evening though. And they treated us really well.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Random wines from the evening:

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: beans, curry, Daw Yee, Egg, goat, hedonists, lentils, Myanmar Cuisine, noodles, Rice, Silverlake, Wine

Goat Herding at Tar & Roses

May27

Restaurant: Tar & Roses [1, 2, 3]

Location: 602 Santa Monica Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90401. (310) 587-0700

Date: May 19, 2015

Cuisine: American Tapas

Rating: The goat itself was good

Tar & Roses is a relatively new American tapas-style place in Santa Monica, loosely in the vein of Rustic Canyon or Gjelina. Despite the relative crowding of this market, it’s an extremely popular addition.

The Chef & Owner is Andrew Kirschner, a Santa Monica-native who grew up in a family with a strong appreciation for travel, food and wine, Chef Andrew Kirschner initiated his cooking education at the age of fifteen with a summer job in the kitchen of a local restaurant. Like many great chefs, his culinary journey started as a job, but quickly turned into a passion. After Kirschner became the sous chef for Chadwick in Beverly Hills, and then a chef/partner at the popular neighborhood spot Table 8 in West Hollywood, where he met and bonded with his Tar & Roses sous chef, Jacob Wildman.

One of our Hedonist founders is a part owner, and he secured us a big table for the special goat dinner.

The space is airy and pleasant.

Albiet a little loud.

Okay, and before we get into the food and wine like me discuss the menu. In order to get the “goat” you have to order the “goat dinner” with all its “accompaniments.” That is fine, but technically they don’t allow you to order anything else with it! And the dinner was totally insufficient in terms of course numbers (it’s a reasonable amount of food, but not balanced) for our wine consumption. We had to beg them to sell us some extra courses, to which they reluctantly agreed. The goat dinner is just 3 courses: salad, goat, and dessert.

2005 Pierre Péters Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée Speciale Blanc de Blancs Les Chetillons. VM 93. The 2005 Brut Cuvée Speciale Blanc de Blancs Les Chetillons from Pierre Peters is beautifully open and expressive, which is quite unusual in young Chetillons. That is good news for those who want to catch a glimpse of one of Champagne’s most exciting wines. This is about as good as it gets in what turned out to be a very challenging vintage in Champagne.

From my cellar: 1999 Louis Jadot Bâtard-Montrachet. Burghound 91. Big, powerful and rich aromatics of honey, oak spice and limestone merging into intense, medium weight flavors and a penetrating, relatively fine finish. While not especially big or complex by the standards of classic Bâtard, it is quite intense with beautifully textured, luxuriant, almost opulent flavors.

agavin 94: Our bottle was drinking fabulously tonight. Fresh, but mature, and in a perfect rounded spot. Wine wine of the night for sure.

Charred gem lettuce/ dates / pancetta / gorgonzola / balsamic. We all hated this salad. It was warm, which I don’t liked, limp, and had very little flavor. Even the bacon didn’t save it. Two other tables we talked to had the same reaction.

2004 Sine Qua Non The Rejuvenators. VM 93. Pale yellow-straw color. Aromas of apricot nectar, nuts, exotic herbs and dried fruits. Dense, rich and oily, but with plenty of verve for a wine with such volume. Dominant flavors of apricot and peach nectar, complicated by talc and minerals. Wonderfully consistent, ripe, thick wine from start to palate-staining finish.

agavin 92: Very interesting and complex Rhone style white.

This is the first of the four extra courses we squeezed in between the salad and the main course.

Softshell crab. A very nice lightly battered take on the thin shelled crustacean. One of the two very good appetizers.

From my cellar: 1993 Domaine Bruno Clair Vosne-Romanée Champs Perdrix. agavin 88. I was a bit disappointed. This wine wasn’t fully balanced, with a bit of an earthy/bretty tone, although it had lots of bright red fruits still.

lamb tartar / banana raita / grilled naan / za’atar. Okay, but lacked a bit of umph.

1988 Camille Giroud Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots. Burghound 90. This too is very fresh, in fact fresher than the Clos de Vougeot with a beguiling mix of spice and secondary aromas that lead to big, intense, firmly structured flavors that have plenty of sweet pinot sap to buffer the solid tannins. This is quite long, in fact the longest of these bottled wines and delivers unmistakable Vosne character. It remains a creature of its vintage and the finish is austere and masculine in style but there is plenty of volume and flavor authority. This will live for years.

agavin 93: Drinking very nice. Balanced without that austerity a lot of 88s have.

oxtail dumplings / san bai su / chili / green onion. These were great and we ordered an extra round (1 per person). Very succulent and full of flavor.

1982 Château Brane-Cantenac. VM 85. Full red-ruby. Slightly funky aromas of baked plum, cedar, meat and leather. Rich and layered in the mouth, with exotic, slightly candied red fruit and leather flavors. Finishes a bit hard-edged and green.

agavin 90: drinking pretty well right now, I wouldn’t hold though.

1998 Tertre Rôteboeuf. VM 94. Deep, bright ruby. Wild, highly nuanced nose combines black cherry, raspberry, roast coffee, smoked meat, exotic spices and pepper notes. Incredibly sweet and rich in the mouth; creamy, confectionery fruit caresses the palate. Finishes with lush, completely ripe tannins and explosive fruit flavors. One of the superstars of the vintage; a wine that will give pleasure early and age well.

agavin: seriously Bordy

1989 Château Palmer. Parker 96. One of the superstars of the vintage, Palmer’s 1989 retains a dark plum/purple color with some pink and a hint of amber creeping in at the rim. A big nose of charcoal, white flowers (acacia?), licorice, plums, and black currants comes from the glass of this elegant, medium to full-bodied, very concentrated, seamlessly made wine. Gorgeous and seemingly fully mature yet brilliantly balanced, this wine may well turn out to be a modern-day clone of the glorious 1953.

agavin: drinking well enough, young if anything.

braised lamb belly / minted apple chutney. Lot bad, but not standout either.

2002 Clarendon Hills Astralis (Shiraz). Parker 99. The 2002 Syrah Astralis Vineyard rivals the greatest wines Roman Bratasiuk has made in his 15-year career. This compelling, black/blue-hued offering from 75-year-old Syrah vines tastes like blood of the vine. An extraordinary perfume of flowers, creme de cassis, blackberries, roasted meat, new saddle leather, and earth is followed by a wine with sweet tannin, sensational concentration, full body, an unctuous texture, and a full-throttle, tannic finish. Yet it reveals unbelievable elegance and finesse. Too many Euro-centric elitists argue that Australian wines are too rich and over the top, but all of these offerings have been made by someone with great talent and vision who takes the extraordinary ripeness and purity of fruit available from these old vine vineyards and crafts them into wines that are quite European in style … just richer and denser. The 2002 Astralis is a tour de force. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2025+.

agavin: vanilla grape juice and hot hot hot.

2006 Shafer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select. Parker 92-97. The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select, which was just released, is a stunningly rich effort displaying notes of licorice, cassis, camphor and subtle toast along with a full-bodied, powerful texture and richness. Very pure with surprisingly sweet tannins for a 2006, it’s long finish lasts over 40 seconds. It should drink well for 25+ years.

2007 Shafer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select. Parker 100. One of the perfect wines from Shafer is the 2007 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select. Think it over – in the first decade of the 21st century, Shafer scored three perfect scores and two 99s – that’s about as high a praise as I can give any producer in the world. Opaque purple in color, the 2007 has a stunning nose of sweet crème de cassis, black cherries, licorice, and toasty oak, a multilayered, full-throttle personality, and a texture that builds and builds. Great purity, fabulous fruit intensity and a richness without heaviness characterize this massive, prodigious effort from Shafer. It’s still very young, despite this vintage, which seems to be maturing precociously. I don’t believe this wine will hit its stride for at least another 5-10 years and drink well for at least 2-3 decades.

agavin: brooding monster fruit bomb

2001 Abreu Cabernet Sauvignon Madrona Ranch. Parker 100. While I am not surprised that the 2001 Thorevilos turned out to be perfect, the 2001 Madrona Ranch was more of an eye-opener in that it has become even more extraordinary than I predicted eight years ago. A prodigious wine, with complex notes of subtle barbecue smoke intermixed with blueberry pie, black currant liqueur, acacia flowers, lead pencil shavings, and sweet foresty floor notes, this wine builds incrementally with layer upon layer of fruit, glycerin and concentration. The finish goes well past a minute, and the wine is full-bodied and deep, with wonderfully sweet tannin. It is still an adolescent in terms of its total evolution, but it is irresistible simply because of the flawless nature of the wine and incredible perfume and flavor intensity. Simply amazing! Both of these wines are adolescents, and probably won’t peak for another 5-8 years and keep for 30-40.

agavin: This was an awesome monster. Certainly BWOTN (big wine of the night), although I actually found the 88 vosne more drinkable (my taste).

Roasted goat. This was hands down the best goat meat I’ve ever had! Soft, juicy, tender, and full of flavor. Like a good roast lamb, but not as “spicy” (in that lamb way). This is a special advance order. Apparently, the goat is prepped with Moroccan spices and then slow cooked overnight using Controlled Vapor Technology, before being transferred to the wood burning oven.

This isn’t tired and chewy like so many goats.

Cous cous with pine-nuts and vegetables. It is what it is.

Sauces (presumably for the goat): banana raita. Would have been far better as NOT BANANA raita.

Romesco / Harissa (aren’t they really almost the same thing?). This was the best of the lot.

Tomatoes. Personal yuck.

Carrots with yogurt tzatziki and currents. Really tasty combo with a bit of a Moroccan flair to it. Not bad, but not super exciting either.

Bones!

Tar bar. Hazelnuts / Salted Caramel Ice Cream. Yum!

Strawberry ricotta crostata / honeycomb ice cream. Very tasty.

Overall, this was an okay meal. The food was uneven, with certain dishes being very good (goat, crab, pasta) and some being mediocre, and the salad lousy. Service was not great, particularly given that we were a big party containing an owner. It took some pushing to get extra dishes, and when we asked for fries or potatoes later in the meal they “were out of them.” Potatoes being a rather basic kitchen ingredient, we were a little suspicious. We also had a number of fights over the heaters on the patio (which were numerous and turned up to broil). They just didn’t want to turn them off.

We can’t help but have the feeling that Tar & Roses is coasting on its momentum and success. Restaurants should never grow complacent — far far too much competition.

The wines were good though!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

For more crazy Hedonist meals, click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: goat, hedonists, Tar & Roses

Tai Sui – Froggy Goats

Mar27

Restaurant: Tai Sui

Location: 3219 North San Gabriel Boulevard, Rosemead, CA. (626) 307-0203

Date: March 22, 2015

Cuisine: Cambodian

Rating: Awesome meats!

We Hedonists are never ones to shy away from the exotic, and Tai Sui, a Cambodian hole in the wall in the San Gabriel Valley surely fits the bill.

NV Egly-Ouriet Champagne Brut Tradition Grand Cru. Burgound 91. The last time this cuvée was reviewed (disgorgement in 2006) it was noticeably toastier and a bit less elegant than this version, if a bit more complex. The hallmark toastiness of the Egly house style is certainly present though as I note, to a lesser extent. The pinot fruit is evident on both the nose and the palate with good effervescence to the attractively intense, crisp and vibrant flavors that possess fine finishing punch on the moderately dry finish. This could be enjoyed now though I would personally opt to hold it for 2 to 3 years first.

The decor is oh so sophisticated, but the food is fabulous.

From my cellar: 2004 Morey-Blanc Meursault 1er Cru Bouchères. Burgound 92. This is a good deal riper with exotic aromas of mango, melon and dried apricots that lead to textured, dense and mouth coating full-bodied flavors that are beautifully complex and despite the weight, the marked acidity keeps everything focused and well-balanced. An impressive showing for a wine that I often find to be a bit top-heavy.

agavin: lots of reduction, and still a good bit of vanilla oak. Nice acidity though and a quite nice 1re.

Spring rolls. Not sure what was in these, but they were yummy.

2012 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Pucelles. Burghound 93. A ripe but airy and beautifully well-layered nose features notes of honeysuckle, citrus, apricot and soft spice nuances. The palate feel of the medium-bodied flavors is also highly seductive and opulent as the abundant dry extract confers an almost oily texture to the powerful finish. This could easily be an overly heavy wine yet the bright citrus-infused acidity saves the balance and I would make the same observation here in that this is far from a classic Pucelles yet it manages to work all the same. Note that this should drink well almost immediately.

agavin: bright, acidic, and drinking very nicely for such a young big White Burg

You wrap them with noodles, herbs, and some fish sauce. It’s all about the sauce.

2012 Henri Boillot Puligny-Montrachet. Burgound 89. Here too there is enough reduction to push what appears to be ripe fruit to the background. The pure and well-detailed middle weight flavors possess a highly seductive mouth feel along with lovely balance and excellent persistence for a villages level wine. The class of a fine Puligny is very much in evidence and this is worth your attention.

Spring rolls. The less fried variety. Not quiet as tasty.

2012 Peter Michael Chardonnay Ma Belle-Fille. VM 93. Green-tinged yellow. Vibrant aromas of lime, anise, chalky minerals and honeysuckle show impressive clarity and a hint of iodine. Firm, tightly focused and dry, offering mineral-driven citrus and orchard fruit flavors and complicating ginger and quinine nuances. Finishes racy and pure, with strong, clinging mineral and citrus zest flavors.

agavin: all oak and malo with no acid

Fried frog. This light tempura-style batter was the perfect complement to a little amphibian fun. Piping hot and full of moist flavor.

2012 Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Leistenberg Riesling Kabinett. VM 87. Nectarine, pine nuts and lemon oil on the nose. Delicate tropical fruit flavors are brightened by a salty twang. Refreshing acidity gives a feminine character to the finish. Nicely balanced.

agavin: solid easy drinking Riesling

Shrimp salad with pig ear. This dish was absolutely fabulous. Not only was there the nice textural play of soft and crunchy, but the bright citrus, sour, fish saucy flavor was amazing. And then as added zest there was a bit of shaved pig ear thrown in. Seriously, what more could you ask for?

From my cellar: 1990 Robert Ampeau & Fils Volnay 1er Cru Santenots. 92 points. An earthy medium-to-heavy weight Burgundy, with tastes packed with tar, tobacco, forest floor, mushroom and dark cherry. The fruitiness has mostly disappeared, and is replaced by a solid backbone redolent of the grape’s mother soil. Worth drinking to experience the capabilities of a well-aged burgundy. Shipped directly from Domaine Ampeau’s cellars.

agavin: a little bretty at first, then blew off and opened up to be very nice, if not fully resolved.

French style venison. Deer cooked in a sort of black pepper, wine, soy reduction. Lots of flavor. perhaps a touch chewy.

1999 Haut Bailly. Parker 88. This wine is light to medium-bodied, with sweet currant and smoke-infused flavors and some oak in the background, but plenty of red fruits, vanilla, and dried herbs. This is a soft, well-balanced wine to drink now and over the next 12-15 years.

Fried smelts. Super salty but full of umami flavor.

1995 Henschke Shiraz Hill of Grace. Parker 91. Deep garnet-brick in color, the 1995 Hill of Grace has a slightly leathered, dried fruit nose that is a little tired though highlighted by notes of sandalwood, tree bark and earth, hints of leather and meat. There’s a touch of barnyard on the palate and it is a bit past its peak, fading slightly with crisp acid and firm, chewy tannins through a long finish.

agavin: This was the best of the strong reds, particularly with the food.

Clams in spicy sauce. The sauce was amazing over rice.

2005 Saxum Syrah Broken Stones. Parker 94+. The 2005 Broken Stones, a blend of 74% Syrah, 24% Grenache, and the rest Mourvedre, is a beauty. Notes of licorice, forest floor, pepper, spice box, and loads of black and red fruits jump from the glass as well as saturate the palate. This full-bodied, opulent wine has crisp acidity, some heady alcohol, and loads of flavor, depth, and richness. It is a savory wine to drink now and over the next 7-10 years.

2008 Saxum Syrah Broken Stones. Parker 94. The 2008 Broken Stones (79% Syrah, 13% Grenache, and the rest Mourvedre) has a bluish purple color to the rim, with the classic nose of camphor, charcoal, black currant, and blackberry with hints of licorice and smoke. This intense wine displays great fruit, some structure, and a beautifully seamless texture. It is more evolved and open than the 2007 was at the same time, and just slightly less profound. It should drink nicely for at least a decade.

Mixed fried rice. This awesome rice was totally made by the bits of sweet/savory Chinese sausage.

2012 L’Aventure Optimus. 93 points. Absolutely stunning. Drank with dry aged rib eyes and seared foie gras. Dark, rich fruit. Sweet oak, hints of pepper and smoke on the nose to go with the dark fruit. Even better on day 2 poured back into bottle and gassed overnight. Such a great deal on a unique blend.

2007 Brown Estate Zinfandel Westside. 88 points. Spicy, berry nose. Jammy, full and long on the palate.

Goat stew. The gamey goat meat was super tender, and the wontons lent some nice texture, but the real winner hear was the broth which was out of this world. Very South East Asian, like a Pho broth.

Vegetable. This was intended to be briefly cooked in the soup and was very savory that way. It’s some kind of chrysanthemum. The staff only described it as “vegetable.”

2010 Cayuse Syrah Cailloux Vineyard. Tanzer 95. Good deep red. Raspberry, bacon fat and black olive on the nose. Silky, fleshy and sweet, with a peppery topnote to the sweet raspberry and beef jerky flavors. Finishes classically dry and extremely long, with noble, fine-grained tannins. This very concentrated and utterly captivating syrah called to mind a Cote-Rotie from the legendary Marius Gentaz.

Garlic fried squab. Small but tasty little game birds.

2005 K Vintners Charles Smith Old Bones Syrah. Parker 99. The 2005 Syrah Old Bones is a blend of The Heart and The Skull but aged in 500-liter barrels. It is more complex, opulent, and totally hedonistic. It will be at its best from 2017 to 2035.

Roast quail with rice. This bird was even better. Like Thai BBQ chicken, but more gamey.

1999 Sunstone Syrah. Parker 88. I would have guessed the 1999 Syrah was from Australia. While it sports an unjustifiable price, it is a delicious, New World Syrah with tons of oaky vanilla scents intermixed with pepper, licorice, and blackberry/cassis fruit. Medium to full-bodied and plush, with low acidity, it will drink well for 6-7 years.

2003 Mitolo Shiraz Savitar. Parker 94-7. The 2003 Shiraz Savitar is a prodigious offering. Made from 30- to 50-year-old Shiraz vines in the Willunga district of McLaren Vale, it was aged 18 months in 100% new French barrels and small foudres. This elegant Shiraz boasts an opaque purple color along with sumptuous blueberry, blackberry, and cassis notes intermixed with touches of white flowers, licorice, camphor, and graphite. A compellingly textured, rich, super-endowed red, it combines power with finesse.

Fried pork chop and egg. Seems simple, but this breakfast-like combo of fried pork chop and egg was absolutely amazing together. Super tender.

1994 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Rotenberg Vendange Tardive. Parker 98. The 1994 Tokay-Pinot Gris Rotenberg V.T. is a medium dark golden-colored wine, with high levels of botrytis and alcohol, awesome richness and thickness, and a chewy, unctuous palate that finishes with slight to moderate sweetness. It needs 4-5 years of cellaring, but it should keep for 25-30.

agavin: one of my favorites of the night, as I love a good sticky. Plus it went well with the curry.

Goat curry. A nice yellow curry with tender goat meat. Great again over rice.

But served with French Bread!

Overall, a total deal ($42 or similar all in) and some really tasty meats. Yeah, some folks were too quail to really enjoy all the slightly odd meats, but this place packs a lot of flavor.

Wine wise, it was a bit of a mixed bag. We had a whole bunch of decent Chards, then my one Pinot, and then way too many muscle wines which didn’t really complement well. Still, we made the “best” of it and had a roaring good time with a lot of drunken antics (see below).

For more LA dining reviews click here.

The famous Kaz Oyama Titty Twister!

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Cambodian Cuisine, Chardonnay, deer, frog, goat, hedonists, Tai Sui

Coconut Curried Snails?

Jan03

Restaurant: Phong Dinh [1, 2]

Location: 107 E Valley blvd, San Gabriel, Ca, 91776. (626) 307-8868

Date: December 29, 2013

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Rating: Excellent!

My Hedonist club hit up Phong Dinh earlier in the year, but they moved to a new location — albeit in a nearby San Gabriel Valley spot. This authentic Vietnamese continues to serve up interesting stuff — plus they’re happy to take some of Yarom’s “do it yourself” meats, like both boar and deer he shot recently.

NV Taittinger Champagne Brut. 88 points. It is exactly as it is advertised and as I expected; nice, average champagne at this price range. Nothing special, but more so, nothing harsh like cheaper champagne.

Shrimp and pork papaya salad.

2011 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese. IWC 90. Elegant aromas of Bing cherry, apple blossom and roasted pine nuts. Sweet and delicate but nonetheless creamy on the palate, with sweet herbs and a touch of vanilla. Lemon curd and slate animate a compelling finish.

This was about 8 years over the hill. Undrinkable vinegar.

Baked catfish.

Fish sauce. Tasty and salty.

And these rice paper “pancakes” that are softened in hot water. Not pictured are two kinds of fish sauce and thin rice noodles (you can see them below).

There are various condiments. Mint and basil.

Veggies.

Rice noodles.

You put all this together with the fish as you like and do your best to roll into a pancake. It’s scrumptious, absolutely delicious, but messy.

1998 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Heimbourg. IWC 91-93. Reticent but perfumed aromas of cured meat and grapefruit. Pure, bright and very intensely flavored, with vibrant acidity giving the wine great snap. A hint of lichee in the mouth. Very firm and long on the finish. Very elegant, rich gewürztraminer.

Snails in coconut curry. This spicy coconut curry cream sauce was amazing. You had to suck the meat out of the snails, which was cool, and there was plenty of sauce to drip over rice or noodles.

This time, the sauce was a little thiner than last time (and although it tasted about the same, the thicker was a little better). The snails themselves were pretty awesome.

From my cellar: 1972 Domaine Drouhin-Laroze Bonnes Mares. 88 points. It’s actually surprising that this is drinkable at all, but I’ve had 4 bottles like this one. The nose is barnyard, but it tastes pretty decent, with a good amount of remaining fruit and lots of acid. Actually quite pleasant.

Roast goat. This scrumptious dish was a bit chewy, but boy did it have a ton of flavor. The goat had this char broiled and spiced thing that was spectacular.

2007 Alysian Wines (Gary Farrell) Pinot Noir Floodgate Vineyard West Block. 92 points. Still a medium ruby color. I last tasted this wine about 15 months ago. Each time I get something additional in the aroma. This time I got flowers (mostly roses), raspberry, black cherry, some blackberry, RRV cola, violets, leather and more noticeable vanillin (but not overbearing). As the wine opened, it seemed as if there was something anise-like in the background. Similar flavors, along with touches of chocolate. Rich, intense and full bodied fruit. Excellent balance and structure. A long and extended finish.

Yarom’s poor deer.

On it’s way to…

Deer sausage, Vietnamese style. Salty and tasty.

2001 Cottonwood Canyon Chardonnay. 90 points. Very Burgundian in style — nice.

Chinese broccoli.

From my cellar: 1990 Faiveley Latricières-Chambertin. 91 points. A bit of brett/funk on the nose and palate. Immediately, quite open and giving, even lush, for a Faiveley! Plenty of depth to the black fruit.

Crispy squab. Very tasty, almost sweet.

2010 Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. 86 points. Dark cherry red color; appealing, tart black cherry, violets, light blueberry, tar nose; tasty, complex, tight, tart black cherry, black raspberry, cranberry palate with integrating oak and medium acidity.

Monster prawn. These enormous, almost lobster-size, prawns were delicious. That plate is about 20 inches wide!

2012 sta rita hills pinot. One of those over oaked modern pinots. Not my taste.

BBQ pigeon. Done up more or less Peking duck style.

1998 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. IWC 89 points. Ruby-red. Redcurrant, lead pencil, nuts and fresh herbs on the nose. Supple, ripe and sweet, with lovely texture and suave tannins for the vintage. Still, the licorice and herbal flavors are not as expressive as usual for this cuvee.

Crab in fermented sauce. This was a controversial dish. It was pretty fishy, as this very fermented (bean?) sauce had a lot of fish sauce in it. I happened to love it, as did many others. Those with more Americanized tastes, not as much.

2003 Romano Dal Forno Valpolicella Superiore. Parker 92. The 2003 Valpolicella Superiore comes across as shockingly primary for a five-year old wine. Masses of jammy dark fruit flow onto the palate in a concentrated, generous style. The firm tannins are those of the torrid 2003 vintage, yet this broad-shouldered, expansive wine has more than enough fruit to provide balance. Notes of chocolate, leather, coffee and sweet spices gradually emerge with air, yet this remains a backward, unyielding wine at the moment. As with the 2004, this wine needs serious bottle age, or eight to ten hours of air for those adventurous enough to take it for a test drive now.

2000 Bond Matriarch. Parker 89. Those lots deemed not quite up to the standards of the Melbury, Vecina, and St. Eden labels are blended together to form Bond’s second wine, The Matriarch. This is a second wine in name only. The 2000 The Matriarch exhibits notes of dried Provencal herbs, roasted espresso, truffles, tar, meat, berries, and black currants. While attractive, it has less flavor dimension and volume than its younger sibling.

Boar curry, made with Yarom’s boar. This had a cumin and turmeric thing going on and was delicious, even better than last time. The boar was a little tough, but full of flavor.

Sesame crisps to go with the goat.

2006 Hermann Donnhoff Niederhauser Hermannshohle Riesling Auslese. Parker 99. Donnhoff’s 2006 Niederhauser Hermannshohle Riesling Auslese introduces a caramelization of fruit and a roasted richness that represent a more obvious expression of botrytis, yet the springs of acidity are incredibly tightly-wound as well and there is absolutely no sense of heaviness. One can taste the effect of botrytis that was being constantly ventilated in the best portions of this great site, concentrating all components, including acidity, while juicy berries also still abounded. The fruitcake metaphor is overused and fails to capture the appropriate sense of levity, fluidity, and elegance. Suffice it to say that dried fruits, toasted nuts, citrus rind, honey, white raisin, baking spices, spiritous fruit essences, and singed, caramelized notes all abound, and that the less prosaic layers of this masterpiece – for lack of better words, the meat and mineral dimensions – are only revealed for now to the limited degree that time in the glass permits. The finish finds me licking my lips clean of mysteriously savory, salty residues. Voluminous and dense yet refined and elegant; baroque yet constructed like one of the great pyramids; viscously rich yet dynamic, this will stand – perhaps for half a century – as a monument to its vintner, site and vintage.