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Fiorita Centro

Dec06

Restaurant: Drago Centro [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Location: 525 S Flower St, Los Angeles, CA 90071. (213) 228-8998

Date: October 29, 2019

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Great high end Italian

Back to Drago Centro for “another” Brunnello dinner, featuring the wines of La Fiorita. Liz Lee of Sage Society kinda co-hosted, but this wasn’t a full on Sage dinner (hey, only 4 courses — Liz would have had 10!). But any trip to Drago is good anyway, as Celestino and I have been friends for 20 years!

Located on busy Flower in DTLA.

La Fiorita is a new and up and coming Brunello producer — more on it in a sec.

But first a bunch of us including Erick and Liz snacked on the patio with:

Arrancini “rice balls”.

Fried zucchini. About the only good zucchini is a fried zucchini!

Crab toasts.

Then we moved inside to this large central table.

A bit about the winemaker.

On the left is Natalie Oliveros, owner of La Fiorita. She’s a NY native with a love of wine and all things Italian. In the back is Chef Celestino Drago.

Photos are a bit rough tonight as I was evacuated from my home because of the California wildfires and had to use the cel phone camera!

2015 La Fiorita Brunello di Montalcino.

2014 La Fiorita Brunello di Montalcino. VM 89. Medium red. Clean, fresh aromas of cranberry cocktail and spicy herbs. Then spicy in the mouth too, with savory herbs and red cherry flavors offering good intensity. Starts very savory and broad, then nicely integrated acidity gives the wine a more buoyant and linear mouthfeel while providing good grip. Finishes long and clean. A much less fleshy, tactile and musky Brunello from La Fiorita than the wines typically made here over the past decade, and I have to say I like this style better. (Drink between 2020-2027)

agavin: drinking great right now

Tonight’s menu — short by my standards.

Australian A5 wagyu steak tartare, shallots, chives, parmesan cream, truffle tuile. Nice dish, but if it’s Australian, it’s not “really” A5 — at least not the way the Japanese do it. No way are the Aussies — as wonderful as they are — going to massage the cows like the obsessive Japanese.

2011 La Fiorita Brunello di Montalcino. 90 points. A bit more sour.

2008 La Fiorita Brunello di Montalcino. VM 88. Bright red-ruby. Subdued but precise aromas of strawberry, cassis and licorice. Nicely layered and rich, displaying an enticing sweetness to its red berry and red cherry flavors. Finishes a bit simple and only moderately persistent, but with fine-grained, pliant tannins and a strong note of violet. This attractive Brunello is ideal for early drinking.
Fresh fettucuni, shaved black truffle. Very nice simple pasta emphasizing the truffles.

2012 La Fiorita Brunello di Montalcino Riserva. VM 88. Good bright ruby-red. Aromas of blackberry and violet, plus a whiff of smoked meat. Big, deep and rich on entry, with black pepper and spice notes complicating savory dark berry and licorice flavors, but turns mountingly astringent in the middle and on the long, mouth-puckering finish. This broad, structured but ultimately only moderately complex wine could use a touch more grace and charm. (Drink between 2024-2029)

Braised ossobuco, broccolini, cipollini, creamy poleanta, salsa verde. Modern form factor on the ossobuco, and I actually prefer the classic messier one — particularly with a great risotto! Still this was good and one could scoop out the marrow!

NV Vigna Dorata Franciacorta Brut Saten. Nice inexpensive bubbly.

Chef’s selection of assorted cheeses.

The wine lineup.

Overall another fine evening at Drago Centro. The wines were great, Natalie Oliveros a lot of fun, and the food and company fabulous as well.

Still, as it was only 3 savory courses (plus our warm up) it was off to Korea Town for second dinner for us — Korean Army Stew!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (1)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Brunello, Celestino Drago, Drago Centro, DTLA, Italian cuisine, Wine

Vino Capo

Oct18

Restaurant: Capo [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

Location: 1810 Ocean Ave, Santa Monica, Ca. 310-394-5550

Date: September 4, 2019

Cuisine: Italian with Cal influences

Rating: The food here is really very very good.

The Foodie Club comes to Capo fairly often as it’s close and really good. Atmosphere is great. Service is excellent. Only problem is a somewhat draconian wine policy. Yeah, they have a great wine list — but we have even biggest “lists” at home.

The gang at the table.

The current menu.

I did all the ordering tonight — with consultation — piecing dishes together from the menu into a series of share plate courses for the 6 of us. I prefer this style SO much to ordering individually. Who needs an entire steak? And who can resist 6 pastas?

Bread here is usually very good.

Tuscan white bean paste and some other kind of paste (maybe eggplant).

Trish brought: 1993 Dom Pérignon Champagne P2. 94 points. Nice!

Maryland crab torta. This really is Crab Norfolk, and it’s probably the best one I’ve ever had, and I spent summers as a boy in Oxford Maryland, land of the blue crab. This is a big juicy pile of delicious blue crab, drenched in butter, and their special touch is a little Meyer lemon in the mix. Bellissimo!

Michel Blanchet smoked salmon. With more white asparagus.

Burrata Caprese. Because burrata always makes everything better.

MZ brought: 2004 Domaine Roulot Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. BH 93. As it almost always is, this is the class of the cellar with more discreet wood framing a reserved but ultra elegant white flower and pungent limestone nose that merges seamlessly into fine, precise and intensely stony flavors that finish bone dry and with a vaguely saline quality. This is built to age and should provide at least 7 to 10 years of upside development. As with the Bouchères, there is a trace of reduction but not really enough to detract from the overall sense of outstanding quality though if you were going to try one young, I would suggest decanting it for 20 minutes first. (Drink starting 2012)

MZ brought: 2014 Château de Puligny-Montrachet Chevalier-Montrachet. BH 92-95. Equally discreet wood sets off the beautifully layered nose that blends together notes of citrus, wet stone, rose petal and subtle spice hints. There is excellent verve to the delineated and overtly muscular yet refined big-bodied flavors that possess an abundance of acid-buffering dry extract before terminating in a moderately austere and explicitly saline-infused finish that is like rolling rocks around in your mouth. This is very clearly built-to-age and is going to require at least 5 years to unwind and develop more depth. (Drink starting 2024)

Baja Sardines ‘al Forno.” Sardines salted and cooked on the wood fire grill. Pretty much Spanish style and delicious!

Foie Gras on toast. Big portion, but the sauce overwhelmed.

Toro Tartar. Like Nobu’s, but no wasabi ponzu. Really excellent actually.

From my cellar: 1969 Tenuta Greppo (Biondi-Santi) Brunello di Montalcino Riserva. VM 93. Biondi-Santi’s 1969 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva has aged gracefully. Dried flowers, mint, licorice, molasses, anise, brown spices, iron, game and tobacco grace the palate in a delicate, feminine Brunello that impresses for its overall balance and harmony. All the elements come together beautifully in the glass. The 1969 is now fully mature, although it has more than enough texture and Sangiovese acidity to hold on for another 5-10 years, perhaps a bit longer. The 1969 will always be more of a delicate Brunello with haunting, nuanced Sangiovese overtones and tons of personality. (Drink between 2015-2020)

Larry brought: 2000 Tua Rita Redigaffi Toscana IGT. Parker 96-100. Tua Rita’s 2000 Redigaffi has taken a big leap forward in its evolution. The wine is infused with black fruit, prune and blackberry preserves that come together to form an inky appearance and chewy consistency. Beyond those fruit tones are equally robust aromas of Teriyaki sauce, barbecue smoke and exotic spice. Redigaffi is a pure expression of Merlot and it delivers condensed, thickly extracted and syrupy aromas some 15 years after the harvest. The wine is like a time capsule that takes us back to a time when this richer and more opulent style was so enthusiastically embraced. My feeling is that the wine has not aged as steadily as was once predicted. Upon initial release, Robert Parker had given this wine 100 points, and if I’m not mistaken I believe it was the second Italian wine to earn such an honor after the 1985 Sassicaia. Since then, it has shed much of its fruit and has become more defined by its oak spice and tangy cedar. In the mouth, the wine shows abundant texture with integrated tannins.

Yeah, I’m kinda insane and I did the ordering, so I got us 6 pastas — yep, 6 pastas. And we each got a plate like this (followed by a second round below).

White Corn Ravioli with Black Truffles. This is always to die for.

Pasta with uni, squid, and shrimp. Really nice bright seafood pasta.

Herb Gnocchi, lardo, peas and black truffle.

Round 2: Flight!

Bucatini with lamb ragu. This is one of my favorite pastas. I love the bucatini, I love the gamey ragu.

Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe. Yum.

Risotto with Lobster. Excellent!
Erick brought: 2002 Domaine Xavier Liger-Belair Richebourg. 95 points. Great.

Steak Fiorentina. A giant “black and blue” piece of cow.

Colorado rack of lamb.

Beans!

The dessert menu.

The amazing classic chocolate soufflé.

Made even better with some slightly orange cream.

Tiramisu. Good, but not as good as mine.

Petit fours.

Great night. I just love Capo’s pastas. They do them in this correctly cooked, Italian but not Italian hearty style that is just filled with flavor punch. Balance is superb.

Our wines were fabulous too, if varied and perhaps not always perfectly paired.

Capo isn’t great value — it’s pricey — but they do make really really good food and have for 20 years. Every dish is excellent and it’s a pretty varied menu. They were way ahead of the curve too on the whole wood fired trend.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (1)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Capo, Foodie Club, Italian cuisine, Santa Monica, Wine

Dinner at the Borgese’s

Oct16

Restaurant: Dinner at the Borgese’s

Location: Santa Monica

Date: August 29, 2019

Cuisine: Italian influenced gourmet home cooking

Rating: Dinner of the year?

Dinner at the Borgese’s is a special backyard house dinner in Santa Monica cooked by the stunning pro-level home chef Borgese couple. The evening was set up by Michael K and because of the epic nature of the food we all pulled out some amazing wines to match.

The dynamic Borgese duo.

Their house has not only a wine cellar, but a cheese and meat larder!

Awesome backyard.

And lovely outside dining room.

Plus all this incredible wood fired oven set up.

Michael started us off with this actually fairly lovely bottled bellini.

2008 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut. VM 98+. The 2008 Cristal is a wine that takes over all the senses and never lets up. The brilliance and cut of the Chardonnay finds an extra kick of resonance from the Pinot Noir to carry the mid palate and finish in this stunningly beautiful, chiseled Champagne. Lemon oil, almond, flowers, dried herbs and Mirabelle plum are some of the many aromas and flavors that develop as the 2008 shows off its pedigree. The 2008 is a regal, towering Champagne from Roederer. That’s all there is to it. (Drink between 2023-2058)

Pretty place setting.

Our special menu.

2005 Domaine Ramonet Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet. BH 93. A fantastic nose of spice, wood toast, brioche, white flower, honeysuckle and citrus hints lead to rich, full, big and sappy flavors that really coat the mouth on the broad and palate staining finish. This is a big Bienvenues and while perhaps not as graceful as the 2000 or 2002, this is certainly stylish and deep. Like many of the wines in the range, it is also relatively forward by the usual standards of this wine yet it will certainly reward mid-term cellaring. (Drink starting 2012)

2013 Paul Pernot et ses Fils Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet. BH 93. A wonderfully complex and slightly riper nose offers up notes of honeysuckle, jasmine tea, peach and spiced pear. The superbly rich, classy and pure medium-bodied flavors possess impressive size, weight and mid-palate concentration while coating the mouth on the strikingly long, serious and energetic finish where a hint of bitter lemon appears. This is a relatively big and powerful BBM that will definitely need at least 5 to 6 years of bottle age before it begins to display glimpses of its full potential. (Drink starting 2023)

2014 Aubert Chardonnay Sonoma Coast. 92 points. This one does not fit with the others! Plus — fake chard!

Octopus on the grill.

Insalata di Posilipo. Octopus Salad. Tender octopus with citrus. Very tender and lovely.

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

Jeff brought — thanks: 1996 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin. VM 97. A Burgundy of tension and bracing energy, the 1996 Rousseau Chambertin is simply magnificent on this night. Time in the glass brings out the wine’s stunning inner sweetness and perfume in what is an utterly glorious expression of Pinot Noir and Chambertin. I imagine the 1996 will still be compelling in 30 years’ time. Today is transcendental and deeply beautiful. (Drink between 2019-2046)

Tartare de Manzo. Beef tartare with truffle. Excellent tartare, perfect bread, and lots of truffle.

Plus we got direct to the mouth truffle shaving — like the truffle equivalent of an upside down tequila shot.

2011 Bruno Paillard Chardonnay Champagne Blanc de Blancs Réserve Privée.

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.

Calamarata Pasta con Branzino. Pasta with Branzino. A light Southern Italian style pasta. House made and really great texture and bright flavors.

The no carb guy got a pile of tuna or beef or something.

1989 Château Margaux. Parker 90. Dwarfed by its younger sibling, the 1990, the 1989 Chateau Margaux has a dark plum/garnet color and a big, sweet nose of new saddle leather, toasty oak, and weedy black cherry and cassis fruit. The wine is medium-bodied, with relatively elevated tannins, outstanding concentration and purity, but a somewhat clipped as well as compressed finish. This certainly outstanding wine has put on a bit of weight in its evolution in the bottle, but it is hardly one of the most profound efforts from Chateau Margaux. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2025. Last tasted, 10/02.

1995 Château Margaux. Parker 95. Bottled very late (November, 1997), the 1995 has continued to flesh out, developing into one of the great classics made under the Mentzelopoulos regime. The color is opaque ruby/purple. The nose offers aromas of licorice and sweet smoky new oak intermixed with jammy black fruits, licorice, and minerals. The wine is medium to full-bodied, with extraordinary richness, fabulous equilibrium, and hefty tannin in the finish. In spite of its large size and youthfulness, this wine is user-friendly and accessible. This is a thrilling Margaux that will always be softer and more evolved than its broader-shouldered sibling, the 1996. How fascinating it will be to follow the evolution of both of these vintages over the next half century. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2040.

1996 Château Margaux. Parker 100! The 1996 Chateau Margaux, a blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc, must be a strong contender for wine of the vintage. It offers everything you desire from this First Growth. It is blessed with breathtaking delineation and freshness on the nose, understated at first and then blossoming with mineral-infused black fruit, hints of blueberry, crushed stone and violet. The palate is perfectly balanced with filigree tannin, perfect acidity, a wine where everything seems to be in its right place. Blackberry, crushed stone at the front of the mouth, just a touch of spice towards the finish that shows supreme control. This is a Margaux that seems to light up the senses. It was outstanding in its youth…something that has not changed one bit over the intervening two decades. This may well turn out to be the Left Bank pinnacle of the 1990s. Tasted July 2016.

Quaglia Fritta. Fried Quail. Scrumptious bird and batter. Some of the best fried fowl I’ve had.

1998 Tua Rita Redigaffi Toscana IGT. Parker 96. The 1998 Redigaffi (2,000+ bottles produced) is profound. I do not normally quote dry extract numbers, because taste is more important than the numbers. However, I could not help but notice one of the highest measured dry extract numbers I have ever seen in a wine with the 1998 Redigaffi — 39 grams per liter! Made from 100% Merlot, aged in 100% new Allier and Troncais French barrels, it is bottled without fining or filtration. An opaque purple-colored, powerful, enormously-endowed effort, it offers gorgeous black currant, plum, and blackberry fruit characteristics infused with spice box, chocolate, and vanilla. This harmonious wine oozes with extract and glycerin. Extraordinarily pure and impressive, with copious tannin nearly hidden beneath the wine’s superb richness, this beauty should be at its apogee between 2004-2020.

1999 Tua Rita Redigaffi Toscana IGT. Parker 99. The 250-case cuvee of 100% Merlot, the 1999 Redigaffi has an astonishing 36 grams per liter of dry extract, which exceeds most top Pomerols in a great vintage! Unfined and unfiltered, it is as close to perfection as a wine can get. The color is a deep saturated blue/purple. The powerful, pure nose offers smoke, licorice, black cherry, and blackberries. It boasts awesome concentration, a fabulously dense, viscous mid-section, and a finish that lasts for nearly a minute. This is riveting juice. Anticipated maturity: now-2015.

Homemade pasta at the ready.

Ravioli de Melanzana. Eggplant ravioli with a simple butter save sauce. Totally classic and absolutely amazing. Very simple authentic ravioli.

1990 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle. 98 points. An extraordinary wine in fabulous shape. Still needs 90-120 mins in the decanter and can then be drunk over the course of 2 hours or more. Relish how every moment of it – it gets better as time passes but you need to go through all of those moments.

1996 Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve. VM 90+. Good deep red. Deeper aromas of black cherry, raspberry, pepper and licorice. Broad-shouldered but very closed, showing less sweetness today than the ’96 Pignan. Red fruit flavors complicated by notes of leather, licorice and herbs. Strong acid/tannin backbone for aging. But tough going today.

2003 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage. VM 98. “Now we take the monster out of his cage,” Jean-Louis warned me before pouring this. Inky, almost black in color. Elemental, hugely concentrated and powerful on the nose, which slowly unveils aromas of dark cherry liqueur, blackberry, cassis, espresso and a deep note of sweet tobacco. Impossibly rich and dense on the palate (the yields in 2003 were off by two-thirds), showing myriad dark fruit and bitter chocolate flavors, with a suggestion of tapenade and an intense licorice quality. Remarkably, this takes on a mineral tone on the finish, which has the effect of further drawing out the amazingly powerful finish.

Agnello alla Legna. Wood fired lamb chop. Great tender lamb.

2009 Tenuta dell’Ornellaia Masseto Toscana IGT. VM 96. Good full ruby. Superripe, pure aromas of blackberry, cassis, violet, minerals, milk chocolate and exotic spices. Superconcentrated, rich and seamless, offering explosive sweetness but also great verve, thanks to bright acidity that provides wonderful lift and clarity to the blackberry, blueberry and black cherry flavors. Finishes with ultra-suave tannins and a kaleidoscope of violet and Oriental spice flavors. A very great Masseto from a hot year, when I would have expected the merlot to suffer a bit. But unlike in 2003, when it wasn’t just hot but dry as well, Masseto’s unique microclimate allowed the merlot to avoid major stress in 2009. As good and refined as the Ornellaia is in 2009, I think the Masseto has an extra layer of complexity and depth.

2005 Harlan Estate. VM 95. Open-knit, sensual and perfumed, the 2005 Harlan Estate is super-expressive today. Like so many 2005s, the Harlan is a bit lacking in intensity and overall structure relative to the very best years. The 2005 is a terrific choice for drinking now and over the next 15-20 years. At some point during that arc of time, the 2005 is likely to become a bit frail, but that does not appear to be imminent. Even after thinning to a cluster per shoot, the clusters and berries were large, which required some bleeding in the tanks, a technique that is not often used at Harlan Estate. (Drink between 2017-2027)

Steaks on the grill.

Resting.

Bistecca Fiorentina. Giant slabs of rare beef. Nicely salted and bloody delicious.

Veggies at the ready.

Roasted carrots.

The chef Rocco Borgese (right) his cheffing partner and wife (left back) along with their daughter (center standing).

1986 Château d’Yquem. Parker 98. There is no other wine in the world like it, and there is no other luxury wine that can possibly justify its price as much as Yquem. The remarkable amount of painstaking labor necessary to produce the nectar known as Yquem is almost impossible to comprehend. This is a fascinating effort. With greater evidence of botrytis than the colossal 1983, but less power and alcohol, the 1986 Yquem tastes reminiscent of the 1975, only more precocious, as well as more concentrated. Several highly respected Bordeaux negociants who are Yquem enthusiasts claim the 1986 Yquem is the greatest wine produced at the property since the legendary 1937. Its enthralling bouquet of pineapples, sauteed hazelnuts, vanillin, and ripe apricots is breathtaking. Compellingly concentrated, the breadth as well as depth of flavor seemingly know no limits. This full-bodied, powerful, yet impeccably balanced Yquem should provide memorable drinking for 40-55 more years. Like the 1983, this is another winemaking tour de force. Anticipated maturity: 2000-2040. Last tasted, 4/91.

Mocha Bourbon Butterscotch Gelato — expresso infused milk, Valrhona cocoa, Knob Creek Bourbon, and a house-made Butterscotch Sauce — 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 #mocha #expresso #coffee #chocolate #Valrhona #butterscotch #bourbon #KnobCreek

Slightly tweaked second pass at — Almond Amaretto Truffle Gelato — 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

Tingly Passion Gelato — dairy passionfruit striped with blackberry coulis and steeped with Chengdu Street Market Szechuan Green Peppercorns — 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 #passionfruit #blackberry #coulis #SzechuanPepper #SpicySweet #passion

Banana Caramel Gelato — I hate bananas but I was convinced to make this, fresh banana base with house-made caramel — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #caramel #banana

NV Domaine Borgnat Ratafia de Bourgogne. Red dessert wine.

These will take the hair off your everything.

Calvados and even more crazy, chartreux — which I had never had before but is very green and interesting — herbal.

Most of the lineup. I think the dessert wines were off being consumed when I shot this.

Overall, this was an amazing dinner, arguably the best of the year so far.

First of all, the Borgese hospitality was awesome, the house lovely, and the food absolutely incredible. Best “home cooked” meal I’ve had. Maybe ever if you restrict it to chefs cooking in their own home kitchen. Just amazing. Every dish was great. Rustic but extremely delicious style. Superb homemade pastas. My gelato was darn good too :-).

Service was handled by the youngest Borgese (teen daughter) and her friend and was better than most restaurant staff. Super friendly and you can tell they do this a lot.

Wines were out of this world too. I like this kind of array of different wines covering a range of foods. I did the pairings (flighting out what we had with the menu). But everything rocked except the Aubert — I just can’t give fake chard any props. Really an embarrassment of riches.

We are heading back during the winter — can’t wait!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BYOG, Dinner at the Borgese's, Gelato, hedonists, Italian cuisine, pasta, Rocco Borgese, Santa Monica, Wine

Heroic Wine Bar

Oct04

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

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

Date: August 17 and September 27, 2019

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Pretty awesome, actually

Heroic Deli and Wine Bar is a double concept run by my friend Jeffrey Merrihue (we share an ex-partner in common). By day, it puts the modern spin on the Italian American “hoagie” concept, by night it serves as a wine bar with exceptionally fresh take on modern Roman (the city, not the empire) cuisine.

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

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

Here’s the main side loft.

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

Hand painted Zodiac ceiling.

The back space is much more dinner-like.

They have this gorgeous table in the center. For the 8/17/19 meal my wife and I came during the evening and sampled the wine bar fare. For the 9/27/19 meal a large 9 person family group of ours took the private room updates over this area.

Up the stairs in the back half (there are 4 areas!) is the private room.

The evening menu (in August 2019). There are also happy hour snacks — fairly extensive.

Prosecco.

From my cellar: NV Pierre Péters Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut Cuvée de Réserve. VC 91+. As is customary with this bottling from Rodolphe Péters, the wine is a blend of fifty percent of its base year of 2014 and fifty percent from last year’s blend, which had gone into the family solera of reserve wines that dates back to 1988. The vins clairs here do not entirely go through malo as fifteen percent are non-malo wines, with the range raised in a variety of vessels, including barrels, stainless steel tanks and cement vats and the wine spend two years aging sur latte. The new release is very good indeed, offering up a youthful blend of apple, pear, hazelnut, chalky minerality, incipient pastry cream and spring flowers. On the palate the wine is crisp, focused and full-bodied, with a good core, still pretty brisk acidity, frothy mousse and very good backend mineral drive on the long and nascently complex finish. This is very good today and will be even better with a couple of years in the cellar. (Disgorged March 2017). (Drink between 2017-2030)

A glass of nice Italian rose.

Amuse from the chef of Risotto cacio e pepe with truffle. Super creamy.

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

A lovely glass of white.

ITALIAN CORN SOUFFLE. Corn, eggs, cream, caramelized onions, roast pepper. This is fine, but not my favorite dish here. Very mild.

Crispy fried artichokes with aioli. These were fabulous. First of all, it appears to be all heart, second it was super crispy and the aioli nice and tangy. Very addictive.

INSALATA DI GRANCHIO. Pacific crab, lemon zest and vinaigrette. Lovely light and bright crab salad in this adorable crab bowl!

From my cellar: 2013 Giovanni Almondo Roero Arneis Vigne Sparse. AG 88. The 2013 Roero Arneis Vigne Sparse comes across as green and grassy in this vintage, with distinct Sauvignon-like inflections. Lemon peel, grapefruit, lemongrass and flowers are all expressive in the glass, but the overall impression is of an overly vegetal, aggressive wine that is best enjoyed sooner rather than later. The Vigne Sparse is always on the leaner side of Arneis. In 2013, that aspect of its personality is especially prominent. (Drink between 2015-2016)

HAIL CAESAR. A classic parmesan, imported anchovy, garlic, dijon mustard, red romaine lettuce, crostini.

CALIFORNIA CAPRESE. Imported bufala mozzarella, avocado, house roasted tomatoes, pesto, avocado, balsamic glaze. Basically a caprese with guacamole. Very nice though, great ingredients.

ARABIATA MEATBALLS. Tangy tomato sauce. Full of flavor.

CRISPY LAMB RIBS. These were salty, meaty, and very tasty.

Spicy Salami Pizza. Pizza is super new here at Heroic, just having been added in September. A bit of heat. Nice. Basically a “fancy” pepperoni. Crust is super thin, almost like a cracker — I happen to like it that way. Nice and cheesy. It doesn’t have that stretchy doughy quality that many pizzas have. Overall, based on this one pizza, it was pretty good, but not blowing away the best pizza places in town.

White Mushroom Pizza. I didn’t get to try this one.

Margarita Pizza. Or this one.

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

Rigatoni Pomodoro. My son found the sauce had too much tomato flavor (he likes it bland).

TRIOFE AL PESTO. Organic basil, Parmigiano Reggiano, pecorino Romano, pine nuts. This is as good a pesto pasta as I’ve had in America. The Triofe — which is a classic shape for Ligurian pesto dishes — had a great bite to it and lots of surface area to pick up the very strong and oily — in that great Olive Oil way — pesto. Delicious!

BUCATINI ALL’ AMATRICIANA. Slow roasted tomato sauce, house made guanciale. This was my least favorite of the pastas as the guanciale this night was a bit soft and fatty (rather than crispy). It did have that tomato/pork flavor going on big time, but the porcine quality was a touch overwhelming.

RIGATONI AL SUGO DI AGNELLO. Braised Superior Farms lamb shoulder, crispy artichokes, house made n’duja. Mild and meaty but very delicious.

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

An Italian Cabernet — better than most California ones — if big.

CAVOLFIORE. Whole cauliflower, crispy garbanzos, roasted tomatoes, olives, Sicilian capers, garlic (vegan). I really liked the textural play and particularly the stunning olives.

POLPO CROCCANTE. Crispy octopus with Russet potatoes, garlic and parsley. Really crispy and quite lovely.

THE SANTA BARBARA. Fresh sea urchin (live) spot prawn (live) blue ocean spaghetti, caviar – crispy fried prawn head. Oh god, love uni and caviar. This was fabulous too.

So good it’s worth another picture. Notice the blue Spirulina pasta.

BRANZINO ALL’ ACQUA PAZZA. Italian Branzino with fennel, leeks, saffron broth.

MERLUZZO PUTTANESCA. Santa Barbara Black Cod, tomato, capers, garlic and anchovies.

SALTIMBOCCA ALLA ROMANA. California veal, sage, prosciutto di Parma, wine. Like a fancy, slightly porky old-fashioned veal salimbocca. Plus some truffle. Meat was very tender and soft, with that particular texture of pounded veal.

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

TORTE DE MELE. Deconstructed apple pie with salt caramel. Also quite lovely.

TIPSY TIRAMISU WITH BRANDY SHOT. A very solid tiramisu with a nice zabaglione note.

PANNA COTTA. Amarena cherries, crumbled biscotti, Barolo sauce. Very nice with a great creamy texture.

I’ve been meaning to come by and try the night time food for months now and finally managed to do it (twice) — and boy was I impressed. So different from the lunch — which is also good — but this is actually some really serious Italian and in a style that is very unusual for LA. Ingredients are all either top flight Italian or really good fresh local California. It’s an interesting hybrid, but Chef Barbara’s flavors are great and really taste very Italian Italian (as opposed to Italian American) in flavor. As a night time restaurant the physical layout is a little odd (although attractive), and it’s not cheap, but all the dishes I tried were delicious. Particularly the pastas. Woah some of those are good (particularly the pesto, carbonara etc).

Stylistically this is a hybrid of very authentic Roman (the city) food with ingredients either being top-shelf imported Italian or really good local California-sourced. This later, however, is still filtered through the stricter sensibilities of Chef Barbara and so is more Italian style with California ingredients. Places like Bestia or Felix on the other hand are more Italian cooking philosophies with punched up California sensibilities. Quite different, actually.

I would say that because Heroic started as a sandwich shop (which of course it still is during the day) and has such an unusual multi-part space that it’s a sleeper for really good LA Westside dining. So consider it placed on your dining radar.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Barbara Pollastrini, Heroic Deli, Italian cuisine, Jeffrey Merrihue, pasta, Wine, Wine bar

Angelini Osteria

Sep04

Restaurant: Angelini Osteria

Location: 7313 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036. (323) 297-0070

Date: July 12, 2019

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: An LA classic

It’s been years, maybe even 10 years, since I was at LA classic Italian Angelini Osteria. Foodie Club member Larry goes all the time so he organized this dinner.

The frontage is located on busy Beverly Blvd in West Hollywood.

The menu.

Erick brought: 1985 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon. JG 96. The 1985 Dom Pérignon is still several years away from its peak of drinkability, and while it is certainly quite approachable at this stage in its evolution, this wine will continue to improve with further bottle age. The bouquet is deep, complex and still a tad adolescent, as it offers up scents of tart apples, pink grapefruit, gentle herbal tones, a touch of limepeel, stony minerality and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and still quite young, with a rock solid core of fruit, bright acids, fine focus and balance, tiny bubbles and superb length and grip on the racy finish. While some tasters around the table thought this wine was drinking beautifully, for my palate it remains still a bit bound up in its minerally adolescence and will offer up significantly more opulence and toasty charm with another five to ten years of bottle age. It should prove to be an absolutely classic vintage of Dom Pérignon.

Pizza bread.

A kind of free amuse in the form of some kind of grain and veggies.

Salumi Board. Prosciutto di Parma, mortadella, salmi, fresh burrata, mixed baby greens. I wouldn’t really call this a board, as it’s a pile of meat and cheese on a bit of salad — but it was delicious.

From my cellar: 2012 Azienda Agricola Valentini Trebbiano d’Abruzzo. VM 93+. Light orange-yellow. Forward but racy aromas of tangerine, ginger, white flowers, sweet spices and medicinal herbs on the complex nose. Rich and round, but with lovely acid lift and energy to the concentrated flavors of apricot, pear and botanical herbs. Finishes long and pure. Not the most concentrated young Trebbiano d’Abruzzo from Valentini, but has a rich, ripe seamless personality that is hard to resist. Good to go right now but ought to age for 15 years at least. Really lovely wine.

Maryland Soft Shell Crab, rice flour deep fried, arugula, capers, lemon cream sauce.

White Marinated Anchovies, red beets, mixed baby greens, red onions, balsamic. I love white marinated anchovies. I touch odd paired with beets though.

Polipo, Warm Mediterranean Octopus. Arugula, cherry tomatoes.

From my cellar: 2004 Valdicava Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Madonna del Piano. VM 95+. The 2004 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Madonna del Piano is powerful, deeply colored and still carrying a considerable amount of tannic heft for a twelve year old wine. Dark cherry, plum, smoke, tobacco, scorched earth and licorice give the wine much of its distinctive virile personality. The Madonna del Piano is one of the bigger, brawnier 2004s readers will come across. As such, it needs to be served alongside similarly rich, hearty cuisines.

Pizza Margherita, ‘nduja, cherry tomatoes, olives, burrata. Sligtly odd pairing of meaty Margherita with the olives. Maybe I just don’t like black olives on my pizza.

Tagliatelle, duck ragout. Solid duck pasta, much like the classic with pheasant.

Homemade Spaghetti Chitarra alla Norcina, summer black truffles, sausage, parmigiana reggiano. Pasta Norcina is one of my utter favorite pastas, but this didn’t feel like a classic Italian Norcina. Now it was good, and very truffled, but the sausage (and cheese) were a bit subdued.

Veal Shank Agnolotti, parmigiana reggiano sauce. Awesome meat agnolotti. Sumptuous, soft, delicious.

Linguine, Santa Barbara Sea Urchin, garlic, chives. Very solid uni pasta. Not the best I’ve ever had, but very good.

Trish brought: 2004 Gaja Langhe Nebbiolo Sperss. VM 97. The 2004 Sperss is one of the most finessed wines I have tasted from Angelo Gaja’s property in Serralunga. The darkness and gravitas of Serralunga are tempered by the supreme elegance of the year. Dark red and black cherries, smoke, tobacco, menthol and licorice flow through on the deep, resonant finish. This is another powerhouse wine that has been given an extra level of refinement in 2004.

Risotto al Frutti di Mare. Risotto Acquerello, cuttlefish, lobster, calamari, shrimp, mussels, clams. Excellent seafood risotto.

Whole Mediterranean Branzino roasted in sea salt, aromatic herbs, sautéed mixed vegetables.

Comes with these classic vegetables.

They do the filleting fortunately.

The finished plate. Very moist delicate white fish.

Larry brought: 2004 Tua Rita Redigaffi Toscana IGT. VM 93. The inky-colored 2004 Redigaffi, 100% Merlot aged for 16 months in new oak, offers expressive, nuanced aromatics along with sensations of richly-textured blue and black jammy fruit, minerals, mint, chocolate, spices and sweet toasted oak on big, powerful frame with notable underlying structure and a warm, resonating finish. Although it has enough structure and acidity to drink well for another decade or so, I enjoy Redigaffi most in its youth.

Lamb Chops Scottadito. Grilled Colorado lamb chops, arugula.

Mixed Italian Cheeses.

The dessert menu.

Cassata Italiana. Semifreddo, carmelized hazelnuts, pistachios. Half frozen ice cream with Italian nuts.

Panna Cotta, vaniglia bean, raspberry sauce.

Budino di Cioccolato, vaniglia gelato, chocolate sauce.

Chocolate Peanut Pretzel Gelato — testing a new 80% chocolate fondant base made with Valrhona and Callebaut Chocolates — then layered that with a house made salty peanut pretzel ganache — you can’t see the base, it’s under the 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 #peanut #chocolate #valrhona #Callebaut #ganache #pretzel

Bellini Sorbetto! — French White Peaches and Prosecco — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — I love the Pozzetti (round tubs), but I do need to figure out how to decorate the small batches in an attractive way — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #sorbetto #Bellini #peach #Prosecco

Overall, a very nice meal. Angelini Osteria hasn’t slipped at all and remains a great example of 90s/00s LA Italian. The kitchen is still very on point and the dishes are a mix of old 90s favorites, LA favorites (lots of burrata), and pretty solid contemporary Italian dishes not too different than you might find in Italy. Execution is spot on and service excellent.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: BYOG, Foodie Club, Gelato, Hollywood, Italian cuisine, Osteria Angelini, pasta, Pasta Norcina, Pizza, Risotto, Wine

Quick Eats – Jon & Vinny’s

May30

Restaurant: Jon & Vinny’s Brentwood

Location: 11938 San Vicente Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90049. (310) 442-2733

Date: April 24, 2019

Cuisine: Italian American

Rating: Food was excellent

Despite the fact that Brentwood is already full of Italians, I was excited to hear that Jon & Vinny’s was opening on San Vicente as I’d been meaning to go and never make it out to Fairfax for someplace so casual.

Clean looking frontage.

And similar interior. Sometime by myself I’ll have to try the bar. Today I was meeting an old friend for lunch — but it was passover AND both of us are eating low carb, so despite the killer looking pastas and pizza we only ordered veggies and meat balls!

The breakfast and lunch menus.

Cappuccino.

Marinara braised meatballs, ricotta, garlic bread. These were really good.

Gem lettuce, calabrian chili dressng, parmesan, bread crumbs. Good and zesty/mildly spicy caesar clone.

Tuna brentwood, tuna conserva, heirloom tomato, gem lettuce.

Grilled broccolini, golden raisin, almond, chili vinaigrette. The chili etc made these excellent for veggies.

Grilled asparagus, lemon, parmesan. Same with the asparagus.

What I had was all very well prepared, giving me the sense that this is a good kitchen. Very bright flavors and on point. I also kept seeing all these incredible looking pastas and pizzas. When I’m either off my diet or being bad I will definitely have to come back. Sigh. It’s very convenient, being on the close side of Brentwood and only 10-15 minutes from my house.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Brentwood, cappuccino, coffee, Italian cuisine, Jon & Vinny's, Salad

Eating Hawaii – Macaroni Grill

Apr29

Restaurant: Macaroni Grill

Location: 201 Waikoloa Beach Dr #1010, Waikoloa Village, HI 96738. (808) 443-5515

Date: April 6, 2019

Cuisine: Italian American

Rating: Corporate

This write up is from our five day early April 2019 visit to the Big Island of Hawaii.

On our way back home we wanted a quick place, not in the hotel, and Italian, so this was about all we could find.

It’s in a mall near the Hilton, right next to where I rented my road bike a couple days before.

Very corporate style interior — like many mid market chains, but not typical of the type of restaurant I go to in LA (at all).

The menu is generic Italian American, a bit like Olive Garden.

Rosa’s Signature Caesar. Romaine, romano, creamy caesar dressing, rustic croutons. Looks pretty generic.

Bibb + Bleu. Bibb leaves, gorgonzola, walnuts, crispy prosciutto, crispy onions, pickled red onions, buttermilk ranch. This was okay though. I would have preferred bleu cheese dressing, but it was still decent.

Spicy Ricotta Meatballs. House-made beef, veal, pork + ricotta meatballs. Caramelized onions, red chili, arrabbiata. Exactly what you’d expect looking at them — but tasty enough.

Grilled Salmon. Grilled salmon filet, Calabrian honey pepper glaze, spinach sun-dried tomato orzo. Sauce was on the side but it looks a tad boring.

Osso Bucco. Tender braised beef, Italian brown onion gravy. This really was gravy. Not by any means my favorite osso bucco.

Vanilla Ice Cream. Extremely freezer burned. Had clearly melted completely and been refrozen and then half melted again. If I had gelato like this I would have tossed it in the garbage.

Macaroni was about what I expected. It’s not really too bad for this sort of Olive Garden – esque kind of place. Probably even a little up market. It’s not good Italian though.

For more Hawaii dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Big Island, Hawaii, Italian cuisine, Macaroni Grill

Bad Boys at Michael’s

Mar18

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

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

Date: February 21, 2019

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: A top LA Italian

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

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

Our special menu.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Umbrian black truffles!

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

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

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

Anatra (duck).

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

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

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

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

Our amazing lineup.

Fred and Kent’s friend.

Kent and Erick.

Me.

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

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

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

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

But it is FAR AWAY. haha.

For more LA dining reviews click here,

or more crazy Foodie Club dinners here!

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

Quick Eats – Tratto

Dec12

Restaurant: Tratto

Location: 15306 Sunset Blvd, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272. (424) 581-4000

Date: October 21, 2018

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Good for the palisades

The Village development isn’t the only thing opening recent in Pacific Palisades, we have a new Italian — in a town that is over-swamped (percentage wise) with (mediocre) Italian offerings.

It’s located in the old Tivioli space right across from the village.

Has a large outside patio.

The menu has lots of tasty sounding options.

Interior has been nicely redone.

They have grisini — although not the best brand ever.

Insalatina. Mixed greens, arugula, hearts of palm, cherry tomatoes, avocado, toasted almonds, balsamic.

Penne pomodoro.

Special pumpkin ravioli in a butter sage sauce. Classic.

Boscaiola. Rigatoni, Italian sausage, mushrooms, peas, tomatoes, cream. An unusual slightly red Boscaiola.

Overall, while the menu looked good, this was a slightly disappointing meal. Mostly because the service was abysmal. We had a reservation, but had to wait 30-40 minutes. Then were ignored and spent an easy extra 40 minutes more at the table than we really needed to. Even at the end I had to go inside and force the bill out of them — in response to which they were defensive.

Food itself was ok. Good for the Palisades — where food quality is horrible on average — but not that great by city-wide standards.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Italian cuisine, Pacific Palisades, pasta, Tratto

Luigi al Teatro

Oct31

Restaurant: Luigi al Teatro

Location: 5406, 3116 2nd St, Santa Monica, CA 90405

Date: September 14, 2018

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Excellent neighborhood Italian

Luigi al Teatro is an upscale Italian seafood restaurant by Michelin Star Chef Luigi Fineo. Located in a 100-year-old historic Santa Monica building, the menu features contemporary seafood dishes reminiscent of southern Italy’s coastal cuisine.

It’s located in a Venice theater which is weird (no front door) but kinda cool. It’s located in a weird spot BEHIND Main street (in the Venice/Santa Monica border).

They have a lovely back patio.

The interior is very spacious and painted too.

From my cellar: NV Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut Rosé. VM 92. Pale orange. High-pitched red berry, orange zest and jasmine aromas, with suave mineral and smoky lees notes adding complexity. Spicy and precise on the palate, showing very good punch to its strawberry and bitter cherry flavors. Opens up smoothly with air and picks up a bitter rhubarb quality that lingers onto the long, tightly focused finish. This bottling showed more brawny character than many past renditions of this cuvée, but with no lack of vivacity.

The menu.

Carpaccio di Orata. Sea Bream, orange, basil seeds, lemon, olive oil. These seafood carpaccios actually remind me more of North Eastern Coastal Italian along the Adriatic.

Ricciola Marinata. Amberjack, espelette pepper, smoked trout roe, egg yolk.

Foie Gras. Hudson Valley Foie Gras, figs, sea urchin, pickled mushrooms. Very nice juicy foie chunks.

From my cellar: 2006 il Cocco Brunello di Montalcino. 94 points. good, young and clean.

Simple pasta for the boy.

Pasta con le Sarde. Spaghetti, Sardines, pine nuts, fennel, raisins, bread crumbs. Pretty close to straight on medieval pasta con sarde (minus the saffron). This is a strong flavored dish and they did it well.

Lasagna di Mare. Handkerchief spinach pasta, seafood ragout, sage. The “lasagna” is very deconstructed, but it was overall delicious.

Salmone in Padella. Ora King Salmon, yellow beets tzatziki, black garlic, bloomsdale spinach.

Filleto di Ippoglosso. Olive oil poached halibut, radish, onions, broccoli.

The dessert menu, but we had gelato at home.

Overall, Luigi al Teatro was quite, I’m not sure people know about it yet, but the build out was lovely, service was good, and the food very tasty and interesting. Not your typical LA Italian, but very good chef.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Champagne, family dinner, Italian cuisine, Luigi al Teatro, pasta, Wine

n10 with the Gang

Jun27

Restaurant: n10 restaurant

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

Date: May 21, 2018

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Great pastas and hospitality

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

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

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

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

The menu.

And an insert.

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

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

Puffy Emilia-Romagna style breads.

Another view with the wine bucket.

And a different bread type, plus Grissini.

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

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

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

And bread for both tartars.

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

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

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

Now we get into my favorites, the pastas:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

With the chocolate sauce.

CREPE CAKE. poppy seeds, pastry cream, strawberries.

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

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

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

Pistachio Gelato. A bit mild, but nice texture.

Caramel Gelato.

Chocolate Gelato.

Stracciatella Gelato.

Raspberry Sorbetto.

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

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

For more LA dining reviews click here.

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

(Not) Trimming Capo

May18

Restaurant: Capo [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Location: 1810 Ocean Ave, Santa Monica, Ca. 310-394-5550

Date: April 11, 2018

Cuisine: Italian with Cal influences

Rating: The food here is really very very good.

Tonight’s two part extravaganza begins with a stop off at Sage Society for a “pre-dinner” Trimbach tasting!

This takes place in sage’s cellar “social hall.”

With plenty of snacks. Liz carefully pairs even these amuses with the wines so the little tags are wine numbers so you can match them up.

And lots and lots of Trimbach, mostly riesling, of course. This includes several vintages of the incomparable Clos st Hune and a couple of super sweet VT and SGN wines.

In the house was Anne Trimbach (on the right).

In any case, on to Capo and the main event. Capo is a favorite of mine and I’ve reviewed it before HERE and HERE. They have a particular high end (but not formal) blend of California style (Farmer’s Market ingredients) and Italian tradition. But it’s not a strictly traditional Italian, more interpreted through a vaguely Tuscan / California vibe.

But today, the Foodie Club decides to brace their strict 2 bottle corkage policy and head on in with a small crew of four of us.

Bread and Tuscan white bean paste.

We found this 1976 Chassagne Montrachet on Capo’s wine list and it was actually in pretty good shape for a 42 year-old village!

Maryland crab torta. This really is Crab Norfolk, and it’s probably the best one I’ve ever had, and I spent summers as a boy in Oxford Maryland, land of the blue crab. This is a big juicy pile of delicious blue crab, drenched in butter, and their special touch is a little Meyer lemon in the mix. Bellissimo!

Toro Tartar. Like Nobu’s, but no wasabi ponzu. Really excellent actually.

Dutch White Asparagus with prosciutto.

Foie Gras on toast. Big portion, but the sauce overwhelmed.

Fred brought: 2004 Château Margaux. VM 94. Bright red-ruby. Knockout nose features boysenberry, currant, cedar, graphite and mocha. Suave, gentle and sweet, already displaying ineffable inner-mouth perfume. The 17% merlot component injects a silky component, and the oak element adds a complementary sweetness. Complex, lush, horizontal finish saturates the mouth with flavor. It was not clear to me in April that the 2006 would exceed this-and it will certainly take longer to reach full maturity in bottle.

Dungeness Crab Risotto. Pretty awesome and a California take on the Italian dish.

Pasta with uni, squid, and shrimp. Really nice bright seafood pasta.

Tortelli di Zucca. Not exactly the classic pasta, although it might have had a touch of Amaretto cookie in it — great nonetheless.

Rigatoni, truffle meat sauce. Capo is amazing at these meaty pastas. Perfect chew to the pasta itself, incredibly savory sauce.

Bucatini with lamb ragu. This is one of my favorite pastas. I love the bucatini, I love the gamey ragu. A tough call which is better with the rigatoni.

Larry brought: 1999 Tua Rita Redigaffi Toscana IGT. 95 points. It needed time to open up, had a dense garnet color, with a fading garnet rim, on the nose had some ripe cherry, chocolate, earth, floral, slight herb, a hint of VA. The palate had very ripe fruit, was slightly out of balance with more fruit than acidity (whereas the Masseto was very balanced here). Food worked great with this wine, bringing out plum and cherry flavors through to an excellent finish. Blueberry, brown sugar, stewed/baked blueberry flavors also noted. “Massive, beautiful now, will last ten more years,” but the wine had a few detractors: “very American, pales in comparison with the Italian acidities, unfocused. Overall, probably averaged a 95-96 score for the scorers.

Colorado rack of lamb.

Strauss Osso Buco.

I can’t remember what came in this.

The amazing classic chocolate soufflé.

Made even better with some slightly orange cream.

Berry crumble.

Petit fours.

This was a relatively simple evening for the Foodie Club, but great fun and the quality level was superlative. I just love Capo’s pastas. They do them in this correctly cooked, Italian but not Italian hearty style that is just filled with flavor punch. Balance is superb.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: asgavin, Capo, Foodie Club, Italian cuisine, pasta, Sage Society, Wine

Quick Eats – Orto

Apr02

Restaurant: Orto

Location: 502 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401. (424) 433-8100

Date: February 4, 2018

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: A bit oddball

Back in December I was walking along Santa Monica Blvd when a restaurant manager I knew from Locanda Portafino grabbed me off the street and told me about his new place, Orto.

LA loves Italian.

And Orto takes over the Jiraffe space after that restaurant’s 19 year run. Pretty two level space with a minibar.

Well located just off the 3rd Street Promenade. It was Superbowl Sunday and the place was EMPTY. We were the only customers at 7pm!

Il Menu.

A glass of Italian white to start.

Insalata di barbatietole. rainbow beets carpaccio, micro-greens and goat cheese. Pretty upscale beet salad.

Burrata a piacere. Italian Burrata with your choice of 24 months San Daniele prosciutto. Nice version of this classic.

Glass of amarone.

Cavatelli with pomodoro sauce. My son loved it.

Trofie al pesto, gagiolini e patate. Traditional pesto, string beans and potatoes. Extremely extremely traditional pesto style from Portafino area. Very authentic as you can see from my Italian meals in that area.

Cavatelli tartufati alla Norcina. Very creamy version of this classic Umbrian dish. Norcina is one of my favorite pastas and I very rarely see it outside of Italy. This version had great fresh truffles and was very creamy. The sausage was a bit downplayed. Delicious, if not quite the same balance as the Umbrian version.
Chocolate gelato. My son devoured it but not even close to as good as mine!

Overall, Orto’s food was quite good and quite authentic for LA. The space is nice but on our (Superbowl) night it was dead. Felt very upscale and almost dated despite being brand new because it isn’t hip and in the vibe of the newer LA Italian places like Sotto or Bestia or Officine. I hope they have some business, but there are very few recent Yelp reviews so I wonder. Might not last at all. Despite the quite good food, I just don’t think people are looking for this style of more “formal” Italian. They seem to like the newer louder places with more rustic cooking.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Italian cuisine, Orto, pasta, Santa Monica

Eating Sydney – Salt Meats Cheese

Jan31

Restaurant: Salt Meats Cheese

Location: Gateway Sydney, L201 Alfred St, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia. +61 2 9247 6446

Date: December 19, 2017

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Solid causual Italian

There was a fairly extensive food mall right next to our hotel in Sydney.

And this was the Italian option — after I was outvoted on the Thai!

The menu.

A nice glass of rose for a late afternoon pizza.

Fig salad. Fresh figs, rocket, mozzarella, balsamic. Australians LOVE rocket (arugula).

Beef crudo. Chopped wagyu, truffle pecorino, fried crumbled egg. The fried (soft boiled) egg was a unique and excellent touch.

Pizza Margherita.
Pizza Fresh Fig. Pancetta, tomato, mozzarella, gorgonzola, fresh fig, balsamic. Nice enough pizza.

View of Sydney from the harbor

Simple neo-Italian (aka pizza, apps, and pasta), but not bad at all.

For more Australia dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Australia, eating-australia, Italian cuisine, Salts Meats Cheese, Sydney

Dirty Dozen Cabernet

Oct02

Restaurant: Doma [1, 2]

Location: 362 N Camden Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. (310) 277-7346

Date: August 16, 2017

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Good food, big “formal” space

The Dirty Dozen is a sub group of the Hedonists that does themed blind tasting meals a couple times a year.

Tonight’s was again at Doma, a newish (2012) Beverly Hills Italian very much in a 90s (high end) vibe. The theme — again oddly for Italian — is California Cabernet. And even more oddly, Doma is “closed” supposedly for a month, but a skeleton crew came in and cooked our dinner. The manager pretty much served us. lol.

The Doma interior is large, formal, very white tablecloth and so different than more hip Italians like Bestia.

The white wines tonight were not blind and were served before dinner proper.

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

A bonus from my cellar: 2015 Vietti Roero Arneis. 90 points. Light, fresh, bright. Lemon meringue and green apples. Some mineral notes.

Flight 1:

Onion, balsamic, fontina cheese flatbread. Delicious. I could have eaten a whole pizza of these.

Warren brought: 2002 Blank Cabernet Sauvignon. RP 98. VM 88. This beautiful hillside vineyard is situated behind the Dominus Estate in Yountville. The 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Paradise Hills Vineyard (100% Cabernet Sauvignon) has turned out even better than I predicted seven years ago. Made by Helen Turley when she was the consultant at Blankiet from tightly spaced, steep hillside vineyards planted by her husband, John Wetlaufer, it exhibits a beautiful nose of flowers, high quality unsmoked cigar tobacco, creme de cassis, chocolate, espresso and blueberries. Extraordinarily young, fresh and fabulously concentrated, this wine still impresses with its intensity, complexity and youthfulness. It will probably not peak in quality for a decade, and has 20-30 years of further aging potential.

agavin: eucalyptus, hot. 8 votes.

Dave brought: 2002 Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve. RP 95. Put them all together and you have the 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve, a sensational 14,000-case cuvee that is one of the benchmarks for what Napa Valley is capable of achieving. Its dense purple color is followed by copious notes of smoky barbecue, creme de cassis, white chocolate, blackberries, charcoal and truffles. Full-bodied, fleshy and succulent, with sweet tannins in the finish, this 2002 has not yet hit full maturity. Give it another 2-4 years of cellaring, and drink it over the following two decades. I asked the winemaking team what the final blend was for the 2002 Private Reserve, and to the best of their recollection, the largest component was from Steinhauer Ranch (50%), followed by St. Helena Home Ranch (23%) and tiny percentages of Bancroft, Rancho del Oso, Chabot, Marston, and some Cabernet Franc from Howell Mountain.

agavin: oak, hot. 7 votes.

Yarom brought: 1999 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon. RP 91. I was never as enthusiastic about the 1999 vintage for Napa Cabernet as some of my colleagues, and the late-released 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate displays the green, herbaceous element that was one of my disquieting observations about this vintage when it was first reviewed. Still very young, with a deeper color than the 2007 with just a touch of lightening at the edge, it reveals notes of forest floor, roasted herbs, black currants, and a hint of mint. Medium to full-bodied, pure, and extremely youthful, it has another 20 years ahead of it.

agavin: corked in my opinion. 0 votes.

Flight 2:

Tartar with egg. Solid.

LEC brought: 1994 Mayacamas Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon. JG 92+. The 1994 Mayacamas cabernet sauvignon is another stellar bottle in the making, that offers up a classic aromatic mélange of black cherries, dark berries, chipotle peppers, a fine, complex base of soil, cigar ash and woodsmoke in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and rock solid at the core, with impeccable focus and balance, bright acids and plenty of ripe, perfectly-integrated tannin on the long, complex and youthful finish. This superb bottle will need at least another six of seven years in the cellar to fully blossom, and over time should prove to be one of the very best vintages of Mayacamas cabernet from the decade of the nineties. If only all of the top wineries in California were still making wines with this sort of pedigree and cellaring potential! Fine juice.

agavin: bright and fruity. 2 votes.

From my cellar: 1998 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Martha’s Vineyard. JG 94+. This was the first time that I had the pleasure to taste the 1998 vintage of Martha’s Vineyard and the wine is excellent. The bouquet wafts from the glass in a ripe and classic constellation of sappy cherries, blood orange, a touch of red currant, eucalyptus, a fine base of soil, cedar and fine spicy complexity in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and now nicely open for business as it closes in on its twentieth birthday, with a superb core, impeccable balance and a very long, complex and moderately tannic finish. A classic in the making.

agavin: nice, drier, long finish, eucalyptus. 10 votes. 3rd place overall. One of my better rankings.

Erick brought: 1995 Colgin Cabernet Sauvignon Herb Lamb Vineyard. RP 98. I realize perfection in wine, like perfection in anything, is in the eyes of the beholder, and there are those who believe perfection is simply unobtainable. But in my mind, the 1996 and 1995 come close to perfection. Why? First of all, these extraordinary expressions of Cabernet Sauvignon are awesomely concentrated and endowed, while at the same time elegant and amazingly harmonious. The equilibrium between the wines’ component parts – new oak, alcohol, tannin, acidity, and extract – is right on, with nothing out of place. The 1996 and 1995 could be mistaken for identical twins, although close examination reveals that the 1995 has a slightly firmer tannic edge, and the 1996 slightly lower acidity. However, both possess Colgin’s tell-tale opaque black/purple color, phenomenal aromatics consisting of blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, cassis, subtle new oak, and a notion of floral scents (is it acacia or lilac?). In the mouth, both wines are full-bodied, remarkably supple and opulent, with a purity and presence of fruit that must be tasted to be believed. Their finishes last for 45+ seconds. I suspect each of these wines will get even better over the next 5-10 years before reaching their full plateau of maturity, where they should remain for two decades or more. They are the quintessential examples of Cabernet Sauvignons that marry power with elegance. As a friend said after tasting a Colgin Cabernet Sauvignon, “they float like a butterfly, but sting like a bee.” I am not sure Mohammad Ali or Ann Colgin would agree with that, but it paints another picture of these extraordinary wines. These wines are made by Helen Turley, the prodigiously talented winemaker/consultant.

agavin: herby, tart, menthol. 11 votes. 2nd place overall.

Flight 2:

Walnut and radicchio risotto. I love risotto, and this was well cooked, but the walnuts could have been better and the radicchio gave it a touch of bitterness.

Avi brought: 1997 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon. RP 98. A blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc, the 1997 is just short of perfection from this great vintage in Napa Valley. A spectacular wine, it was the first made by Rosemary Cakebread. Production was quite high, as the new plantings started to fully produce, with 4,800+ cases declared. This is wine that fills the olfactory senses with gorgeous ripeness, blueberries, black raspberries, blackberries and cassis, while spring flowers and a touch of oak still lingers in the aromatics. When the wine hits the palate, the extraordinary intensity, purity and multi-dimensional complexity all seem to converge with a cascade of fruit, glycerin and richness. Like most Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignons, it is only 13.8% alcohol. This is a magnificent wine, a young adolescent in the scheme of its potentially fascinating evolution and should have a good 25-30+ years left in it – although it’s strutting its stuff at present. Certainly in the first two decades of Spottswoode wines this is clearly one of the most compelling efforts.

agavin: deep purple, rhone-like. 4 votes.

Robin brought: 2001 Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignon. RP 91-94. The 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa has hit its plateau of maturity where it should rest for another decade. Sweet, juicy, sexy black and red currant fruit intertwined with licorice, earth and subtle oak aromas jump from the glass of this dense plum/purple-colored wine. Attractive, round, fleshy and voluptuously textured, this fully mature, loaded 2001 can be drunk now and over the next ten years.

agavin: deep. 4 votes.
Larry brought: 2001 Dominus. RP 98. A brilliant showing for Christian Moueix’s well-known Napanook Vineyard, the 2001 Dominus is a blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 10% Petit Verdot. A classic in the making, this is a flawless, seamless example of elegant, complex Napa Cabernet Sauvignon that possesses a Bordeaux-like personality. This gorgeous, sexy, opulent, dense ruby/purple-colored wine reveals sweet caramel, mocha, creme de cassis and kirsch notes intermixed with a hint of espresso roast as well as underbrush. Ripe, long and full-bodied with well-integrated tannin, acidity, alcohol and wood, this prodigious 2001 is drinkable now and over the next 25+ years given this estate’s longevity track record. A virtually perfect wine, it is one of the most complex 2001s at present.

Flight 3:

Parpadelle with ragu Bolognese. Very good, although not quite as good as Felix.

John brought: 2005 Colgin Cariad Proprietary Red Wine. RP 100. The blend that Colgin fashions from three vineyards owned by David Abreu (Madrona, Thorevilos and Howell Mountain) is called Cariad. The 2005 Proprietary Red Cariad consists of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc and 9% Petit Verdot. Offering up spring flowers and garden aromas, sweet blueberry and black raspberry fruit, a touch of charcoal embers, graphite and background toast, it is fleshy and full-bodied, and again, meriting a three-digit score. This is absolutely remarkable wine. As it sat in the glass, it developed some rather compelling chocolaty, licorice undertones. This is a great classic to drink over the next 20-25 years. By the way, for those interested, the cooperage generally chosen is dominated by Taransaud barrels, but there are at least four different coopers.

agavin: hot. 5 votes.

Brian brought: 2006 Shafer Hillside Select. RP 92-94. A slightly more compact version of the great Hillside, but nevertheless youthful, the 2006 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select has a dense purple color, some notes of damp earth, cedar wood, forest floor, red and black currants, and toast. Some austere tannins kick in in the finish, but the wine is full-bodied, ripe and rich. An outstanding effort, but not one of the monumental vintages for Hillside Select, it should be drunk over the next 20 years.

agavin: rich, hot, long finish, tropical skittles. 32 votes. First place of the night. Brian gets the free dinner!

Amanda brought: 2007 Bond Vecina Proprietary Red Wine. RP 100. A perfect wine, the 2007 Vecina provides a prodigious display of blackberries, charcoal, black currants, burning embers and a La Mission-Haut-Brion-like hot rock/gravelly character. The most tannic as well as most concentrated and layered of the 2007s, this is a long-term, but utterly brilliant wine. In many ways it reminds me of the Harlan Estate itself given its prodigious build and potential for extended longevity. It merits 4-5 years of bottle age and should drink well for three decades thereafter.

agavin: super dense, eucalyptus, coconut. 8 votes.
Mark brought: 2007 Maybach Materium. RP 99. The prodigious 2007 Materium exhibits an even more opaque purple color, and ratchets up the level of intensity and aromatic complexity. Blackberry, black raspberry, blueberry, and cassis aromas intermixed with notes of crushed rocks, spring flowers, and toasty new oak are found in this beauty. Outstanding intensity along with full-bodied power and beautifully integrated acids, tannins, alcohol, and wood suggest this 2007 should hit its peak in 5-7 years, and evolve for three decades or more.

agavin: dense & hot. 9 votes.

Only here did I start to get full. Veal with potatoes. Fine, but not exciting.

Dave was getting hungry also before this course and ran down the block and brought back parmesan truffle fries!

Flight D for Dessert:

2003 Château La Tour Blanche La Tour Blanche. RP 92-96. The La Tour Blanche ‘03 offers yellow flowers, melted candle wax and honey on the nose with Muscat-like aromas developing in the glass. The palate is well-balanced on the entry with lemon curd and honey notes, though it needs just a little more acidity to give it tension and freshness. The finish is quite linear, springs no surprises, and just drifts a little when you seek more tautness and race. Still, this is a pleasurable, if not profound La Tour Blanche. Drink now-2020+ Tasted April 2013.

Apple bread with ice cream. Tasted like French Toast.

My cryptic notes.

The lineupThe gang.

Overall the food was pretty good. Not as good as last time — noting that they are technically closed. Service was slow despite the place being empty, as the manager pretty much did it himself, but they were extremely nice and accommodating.

Wines were solid for the Dirty Dozen and being Cabernet (which I don’t really like). Only one “bad” or spoiled and a whole mess that were great.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Beverly Hills, Cabernet Sauvignon, California Cabernet, Dirty Dozen, Doma, formal, hedonists, Italian cuisine, Wine

Pasta makes me Felix

Sep22

Restaurant: Felix

Location: 1023 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice, CA 90291. (424) 387-8622

Date: August 8 & September 10, 2017 and October 1 & 22, 2019

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Some of the best pasta I’ve had in LA

Felix is Latin for happy — and indeed, pasta makes me happy. Chef Evan Funke takes the whole pasta thing VERY seriously. Funke’s singular passion as a pasta maker and chef was solidified in Bologna, under the mentorship of Alessandra Spisni at La Vecchia Scuola Bolognese.

The space was formally occupied by LA classic, Joe’s.

There is still the cute bar area, which is mobbed. Felix is one of the hardest reservations to get in town right now.

The dining room doesn’t look too different. They built a giant temperature controlled pasta room though — maybe it was the wine cellar before, hard to remember.

I believe in doing it right, and this is “the plan” hatched by Emil and myself for our night’s eating. We broke things down into about 6 courses and are ordering 9 out of the 11 pastas!

The slightly different change on the second visit.

The 10/1/19 menu.

And the 10/22/19 menu. Surprisingly, they change up the specific pizza and pastas all the time.

Regular bread on request.

Emil brought: 2013 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Corton-Charlemagne. BH 91-93. Reduction flattens the underlying fruit but there is fine freshness, intensity and detail to the muscular and concentrated big-bodied flavors that possess excellent depth on the stony, lingering and austere finish that is dry but not hard to aggressive. This will definitely require a few years of bottle age to become more civilized as it’s quite firm today.

SFINCIONE. Focaccia siciliana, sea salt & rosemary. A poofy bread. People rave about this, it was a nice bread, but I was more into the dishes that followed.

Burrata Pugliese. Adriatic figs, basil & balsamico, sette anni. A really nice little burrata, basil, and fig salad.

Burrata Pugliese (9/10/17). Heirloom tomatoes, basil & balsamico sette anni. The second time we came the burrata was tomato based.

Cicoria, honey dates, bagna cauda, capers, pine nuts & pecorino. Awesome salad. The dressing was very sharp and contrasted nicely with the salty cheese and the sweet dates.

TREVISO (10/22/19). salsa di acciughe, lemon, pangrattato & pecorino romano. Another nice salad. Less bitey than the one above.

Cavolfiori Fritti (9/10/17). Bagna cauda, capers, lemon, & bread crumbs. A very nice fried cauliflower, not unlike the classic Lebanese sort.

Fiori di Zucca. Squash blossoms & fior di latte. I would assume that in this case the fior di latte is ricotta or similar. Very nice fried squash blossoms.

Crudo di Gamberi. ridgeback prawns and umbrian black truffles. Nice. Salty. Truffle wasn’t that strong.

Polipo alle Brace. Grilled octopus, salmorligio & insalta di ceci. Very nicely cooked and tender octopus.

Cozze alla Marinara (9/10/17). Hope ranch mussels, garlic, peperocino, pomodoro & scarpetta. Great guazetto based sauce. Perfect with bread.

Polpette della maestra alessandra (9/10/17). Pork meatballs, salsa verde, & parmigiano reggiano. Slightly salty pork meatballs with a very nice pesto-like sauce.

Yarom and the manager.

Pougs brought: 1996 Domaine Robert Groffier Bonnes Mares. VM 93+. Ruby-red. Intensely spicy aromas of blueberry, blackberry and licorice. Almost painfully sweet and powerful in the mouth, with a muscular backbone and compelling finishing flavors of sappy berries. A penetrating floral quality emerged with aeration. Really amazing fruit here, and quite explosive on the aftertaste. The ’97 Bonnes-Mares has even more structure and guts, claims Serge.

agavin: hard as nails even after being open awhile, needs 10 more years!

Viadante. Mortadella, ricotta & Sicilian pistachio. Really nice and quite different pizza — with Bologna

Pizza Funghi (9/10/17). Porcini, parmigiano, asiago, & mozzarella di bufala.

DIAVOLA Pomodoro, smoked for di latte & salame napoletano. Basically a spicy pepperoni pizza — delicious though! Crust is great here too.

Fichi e Prosciutto pizza (10/1/19). Late summer figs, prosciutto di parma, mozzarella di bufalo & robiola. A love prosciutto on pizza.

Quattro Pizza (10/22/19). Taleggio, mozzarella di bufalo, robiola & parmigiano reggiano. Nice and cheesy!

Erick brought: 1996 Domaine A.-F. Gros Richebourg. VM 96. Similar red-ruby color. Fabulous, noble aromas of black cherry, black raspberry, flowers, minerals and sappy oak. Juicy black fruit flavors of extraordinary intensity and sweetness. Uncanny inner-mouth perfume. The explosive finish builds and builds. One of the high points of the vintage.

agavin: drinking great

Gnocchetti Sardi. Guanciale, artichoke, & botarga. That salty/fish umami texture blended with the unctuous pork fat. Great chewy pasta.

Spaghetti al Nero di Seppia. Sugo alla puttanesca. Squid ink pasta. Again texture was great. This was basically a guazzetto sauce (garlic, tomatoes, olive oil, seafood). It was good, but I liked some of the others better. It could maybe have used some more seafood, maybe even uni — but then it wouldn’t be traditional.

Spaghettone alla Norma. Eggplant, pomodorini, basil & ricotta salata. I would have thought this would be boring but it was actually very well balanced. Not fancy, really just a great spaghetti with pomodoro sauce (and eggplant).

Yarom brought: 1999 Tua Rita Redigaffi Toscana IGT. RP 99. The 250-case cuvee of 100% Merlot, the 1999 Redigaffi has an astonishing 36 grams per liter of dry extract, which exceeds most top Pomerols in a great vintage! Unfined and unfiltered, it is as close to perfection as a wine can get. The color is a deep saturated blue/purple. The powerful, pure nose offers smoke, licorice, black cherry, and blackberries. It boasts awesome concentration, a fabulously dense, viscous mid-section, and a finish that lasts for nearly a minute. This is riveting juice. Anticipated maturity: now-2015.

Trofie. Pesto Genovese & pecorino stagionato. This is an incredibly classic Ligurian dish. Check out the original, the only thing missing was the sliced potato and green beans. The Felix version was dead on and the trofie texture, perfect for the pesto, was fabulous.

Pisarei. Ragu di cutello & parmigiano reggiano. Amazing green larva-like chewy pasta, rice northern sausage, and a very complementary cheese. A super fabulous pasta.

Pappardelle. Ragu bolognese “vecchia scuola” & parmigiano reggiano 60 months. Classic, classic bolognese. Again perfect pasta and some really fabulous meaty ragu.

On our second visit (9/10/17) we got some additional pastas. One we missed the first time, the others were just changes on the menu.

Tonnarelli cacio e pepe (9/10/17 & 10/22/19). black pepper & pecorino fruili. cacio e pepe (cheese & pepper) is all the rage these days — funny how you never saw it until about 5-6 years ago. Very easy to make at home too if you get the right ingredients.

Chitarra (9/10/17). Ragu abruzzese & pecorino stagionato.

Busiate (9/10/17). Pesto trapanese & pecorino siciliano. Interesting corkscrews with a squash sauce.

Third visit (in October 2019) had these new pastas (and some repeats):

BUSIATI (10/1/19 & 10/22/19). pesto trapanese, pomodorini & pecorino siciliano. This had incredible bright tomato acidic flavors. Lots and lots of flavor and these thick rope-like pasta tendrils.

Tagliatelle (10/1/19). ragù bolognese“vecchia scuola” & parmigiano reggiano 24 mo. Different shaped pasta than it was a couple years ago. Good, but not my favorite.

MEZZE MANICHE ALLA GRICIA (10/1/19). guanciale, black pepper & pecorino romano DOP. A lot like a Carbonara, but maybe even porkier.

ORECCHIETTE (10/1/19 & 10/22/19). sausage sugo, spigarello, peperoncino & canestrato. Awesome bursts of flavor and really chewy have sphere pastas.

Fourth visit had yet more new pastas:

Special spinach and cheese stuffed pasta (10/22/19) with…

Expensive but delicious white truffles.

And cheese. Awesome, awesome dish.

STRANGOLAPRETI (10/22/19). heirloom spinach, ricotta & burro fuso e salvia. Really nice burnt butter balls.

Loads of flour.

Chef Evan Funke in his special pasta chamber.

Emil brought: 1989 Giovanni Corino Barolo Vigna Giachini. VM 91. Corino’s 1989 Barolo Vigna Giachini offers up cedar, mushrooms and a host of mostly mature aromas and flavors on a delicate, elegant frame. The tannins remain a touch firm, but there doesn’t appear to be much upside in holding bottles too much longer.

agavin: young still, but reaching maturity. Great Barolo!

Mezze Maniche all Gricia. Guanciale, black pepper & pecorino romano DOP. Pork fat, pepper, pecorino, flavors much like a cacio e pepe (leaning heavier on the pork) or carbonara (minus the egg). Super chew pasty, bright fatty flavors. Very Roman.

Rigatoni All’Amatricina. Guanciale, pomodoro & peccorino romano DOP. Classic version of this dish with extremely al dente pasta tubs and an excellent salty pork cheek fat flavor to the sauce (as it should).

Orecchiette. Susage sugo, broccoli di cicco, peperoncini & provola. Great texture to the pasta, this one had a “sausage” and “bitter green” vibe. It was really bracing and surprisingly delicious.

From my cellar: 2000 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Riserva Le Rocche del Falletto di Serralunga d’Alba. VM 97. I have had mixed experiences with Bruno Giacosa’s 2000 Barolo Riserva Le Rocche del Falletto, but this bottle, from a case I purchased on release, is absolutely stellar. Intensely sweet, floral aromas soar from the glass. Radiant, open-knit and super-expressive, the Riserva captures all the best qualities of the vintage. It has been a few years since I last tasted the 2000. In that time, the wine appears to have barely budged at all, which will come as welcome news to readers who own it. The 2000 Riserva doesn’t quite reach the heights of the truly epic Giacosa wines of the era, but it comes close, especially on this night. I can only hope that future bottles show this well.

agavin: I should have listened to my instincts. This was a fabulous wine, but I had brought 97 and 98 Gaja Barbaresco too and Yarom convinced me to open the red label. Even after 1.5 hours in the decanter this wasn’t even close to ready. Needs at least 10 more years.

Bistecca di Maiale. Peeds & Barnett Pork shoulder steak, nectarines and basil. Our lone “entree” was this salty bit of pork steak goodness. Paired nicely with the fruit and basil.

Bistecca di Maile (9/10/17). Peads & barnett pork shoulder steak, peaches & basil. Very slightly different.

Carre di agnello (9/10/17). rack of lamb, adriatic figs and mint. Great stuff.

Coppa di Maiale (10/1/19). Pork shoulder steak, porchini & sugo di arrogato. Interesting dish, and delicious.

Potatoes.

A berry tart. Good but the weakest of the 3 desserts.

Tiramisu. I’m usually disappointed by tiramisu given how good my own is, but this one was excellent, as good as I’ve had in recent memory.

Budino. Walnuts or pecans. This was good stuff. I love adult pudding.

Chocolate Tart, figs (10/1/19).

Chocolate Tart, cherries (10/22/19).

Amaretto Gelato (10/1/19 & 10/22/19). Delicate, and not as good as mine (Sweet Milk) but nice nonetheless.

Overall, this was a pair of fabulous meals. The manager and staff took great care of us, despite being amazingly crowded (even at 5:45 on a Thursday one time, similar time on a Sunday the other). And the food was just really really good. It’s very much a hybrid of the contemporary bright flavor rustic Italian that has been so successful at places like Sotto and Bestia and an ultra traditional top notch pasta execution. Each pasta dish had it’s own pasta, each was cooked perfectly al dente, and despite many of the sauces sharing a lot of ingredients (pork jowl, here’s looking at you), they each had strong individual flavors. Really, really great pasta and overall not a single dish that missed, varying from very good to amazing.

In October of 2019 I went twice again, with smaller family groups. A bit of a pain to get into, and extremely loud, but the service is great and while expensive the dishes are really punched up. Love the salads, pizzas, and pastas. The mains and desserts are good but just fine. But the pastas, while not totally Italian authentic, are incredibly GOOD. Very punchy high acidity flavors. Lots of chewy interesting pasta shapes.

Bravo!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

Below are the 9/10/17 wines (the ones integrated above were from the 8/8/17 dinner).

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Evan Funke, felix, hedonists, Italian cuisine, pasta, Pizza, Wine

Uovo – Italian Sugarfish

Aug26

Restaurant: Uovo

Location: 1320 2nd St, Santa Monica, CA 90401. (310) 425-0064

Date: August 26, 2017

Cuisine: Italian Pasta

Rating: Very good classic Italian pastas

Uovo is an interesting new concept from at least one of the Sugarfish owners — but instead of over-ponzued sushi, it’s classic Italian pasta. Uovo means egg in Italian (used in the pasta).

Just across 2nd street from the Sugarfish in Santa Monica — 2nd street is being taken over by fast concepts.

The decor is a lot like Sugarfish, small, modern, mixing bar and tables.

Lots of pasta bar.

Look at the hyper focused menu. Just pasta. A couple veggies. No salads. Nothing else at all. No desserts even!

There is a bunch of song and dance about the pasta being made in Bologna. Truth is, they are right about the eggs for the most part. Italian eggs are fabulous and along with the flour and olive oil are key to great pasta. You can get some similar eggs here, but they are very pricy organic fertile eggs.

There are a few very simple wines and beers. All by the glass. Sugarfish has always been minimalist on the beverages.

Tortellini Crema di Parmigiano. Handmade tortellini in cream of Parmigiano-Reggiano. Butter/cream/parm sauce. Very simple but nice tortellini. There was pepper in the stuffing too as their should be. Extremely simple flavor, and rich, but very well done.

Tonnarelli al Pomodoro. Imported tomatoes & 24-month-aged Parmigiano-Reggiano. My 8 year-old loved it.

Ravioli di Ricotta. Ricotta ravioli in pomodoro sauce. Simple also, very soft ravioli — they could have been more al dente.

Tonnarelli all’Amatriciana. Imported tomatoes, pecorino, onion, guanciale & red chili pepper. I prefer the more traditional tubular pasta shape with all’Amatriciana but the sauce was excellent and the guanciale crispy.

Lasagna Verde. Meat lasagna made with green pasta. Rich creamy/nutty sauce. A nice baked lasagne.

Service was slightly confused for being a few days open, but very attentive and nice. Dishes came out one by one. 16% tip (taxed too) is included. This is hyper focused both in menu and service. It didn’t take long and it was certainly fine.

Pasta was very solid. It’s not as good as Felix, and certainly way less adult. Very “classic” Italian, like you’d get at an old fashioned Italian restaurant in Italy. Fairly limited set of noodles and flavor profiles. Not much in the the way of actual vegetables in the dishes and pretty focused on cheese and simple meats. Lots of red sauce. No sausage. No Pesto. No guazetto. No walnut sauce. All very traditional pasta types not included. They can of course add them later but these are fairly tailored to appeal to really straight up American tastes while being drawn from a classic Italian playbook.

For me, a good spot for a quick pasta lunch or a very casual family dinner with the kids. Don’t bring more than 4 people. Uovo doesn’t take reservations and you pay at the counter (after your meal, it is full service more or less).

There was already a line by 5:30pm.

There was no dessert so we walked down to the Promenade.

Ok but not great gelato at the Promenade kiosk.
Light milk chocolate and hazelnut.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Italian cuisine, pasta, Santa Monica, Uovo

Eating NY – Marea

Aug16

Restaurant: Marea

Location: 240 Central Park S, New York, NY 10019. (212) 582-5100

Date: July 2, 2017

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Great “fancy” Italian

My family loves Italian food and New York is famous for its Italian, so I figured we try a bunch at a bunch of different levels.

Marea is the modern style of fancy Italian, which some Italian-American lovers dismiss, but is actually fairly representative of high end (Michelin) restaurants in Italy. I know, I’ve eaten at plenty of them. And in fact, Marea has 2 stars itself.

The menu. We all went for the 4 course “deal.”

An amuse of sardine/anchovy and cheese on polenta.

They had a lot of very nice breads like this olive focaccia.

And since two groups ordered the whole fresh Branzino, the fish came out first to show off — just as they do in the Mediterranean.

2013 Azienda Agricola Bucci Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Riserva Villa Bucci. 91 points. I visited this winery 2 years ago. The nose was alive with saline-minerality and zesty citrus tones. On the palate, I found soft, lifted textures with tart citrus, spice and mineral tones. It finished fresh and lively.

Insalta. Sesonal greens, sherry dressing, almond, nectarine, parmigiano.

They have a lot of crudo al taglio on the menu, like this: Tonno. yellowfin tuna, oyster crema, crispy artichoke.

Scampi. Pacific Langoustine, murray river pink salt.

And my Assaggio di tre. From left to right: Scampi Pacific Langoustine, murray river pink salt. Passera. Long island fluke, stone fruit, almond, chive blossom. Dentice. Pacific snapper, lime coriander, crispy skin.

These were nice. I’ve decided that these “western sauces” are MUCH better on crudo (aka sashimi) than on sushi (like Sushi Gari). It doesn’t play well with the rice.

Polipo. grilled octopus, smoked potatoes, radish pickled red onions, chilies, tomato.

1999 Mastroberardino Taurasi Radici Riserva. VM 90-93. Good ruby-red. Red plum, sweet spices, roast coffee, flowers and a loamy nuance on the open-knit nose. Then juicy and stylish in the mouth, combining peppery and soft red fruit qualities with a subtle touch of oaky sweetness. Not a hugely concentrated wine and surprisingly forward, finishing with suave, spreading tannins and an almost sweet quality. There’s nothing wrong with this balanced wine, although I would have expected a little more complexity and depth; I wonder if the production of the 130-year anniversary bottling in the same vintage caused this Riserva to be less concentrated and deep than it might otherwise have been. Readers should take note that 1999 in Taurasi was characterized by a cool growing season, and thus was nothing like the outstanding ’99 vintage in Montalcino or Barolo. Still, I always felt that 1999 in Campania was unjustly overlooked by wine critics at the time, and I think that the wines are starting to show well now.

Twisted trofi pasta with pomodoro sauce. Great texture.

My son’s lizard toys get their own plate of parmesan.

Gnocchetti. Gulf shrimp, chillies, rosemary. First there was Gnocci, then there was gnocchetti.

Spaghetti neri. Seppia, ink, mussels, fresh chili, saffron.

Pansotti. Lamb, bagna cauda, english peas. How can you go wrong with fresh made pasta stuffed with meat and covered in butter?

Rosotto funghi. Wild mushrooms, parmigiano. Perfect creamy texture.

Branzino. Here comes the fish, perfectly filleted.

With sauces.

Brodetto di pesce. Adriatic seafood soup, clams, langoustine, scallop, prawns, bass.

With the broth. The flavor was great and the seafood fresh. It wasn’t the strongest or richest broth, channeling a lighter more delicate vibe rather than the more southern heavy garlic/tomato thing.

Tagliata. Grilled creekstone 50-day dry aged sirloin. braised romaine.

Fingerling potatoes, rosemary.

Wild arugula and lemon.

Market beans, romesco, almonds.

Wild mushrooms, savory.

Dolce.

Trio of sorbetti. Cherry amaretto, strawberry balsamic, blackberry lemon.

Chocolate gelato.

Affogato. vanilla gelato, espresso, amaro, almond sbrisolona. I haven’t seen affogato (mostly) straight up on a 2 star menu before.

Semifreddo tropicale. coconut semifreddo, passion fruit, kiwi, mango, basil.

With a gooey center! This dessert was an 11 by my standards. A perfect expression of coconut and bright tropical fruits. I will make a coconut gelato with almonds and passionfruit coulis to riff off of it.

Cioccolato. domori chocolate, white chocolate ganache, almond stracciatella gelato.

Petite fours. Raspberry pate de fruit.

Mini tiramisu.

My son likes dressing up now.

Overall, Marea was very good. Execution was top notch across the board. Pastas were amazing. Interesting that it’s Adriatic in style, most closely resembling these places I’ve eaten at on Italy’s Adriatic coast: Madonnia del Pescatore and La Frasca. The format is a bit different more American at Marea, with fewer larger courses. I, of course (pun intended), prefer the more smaller dish format. Marea plays it fairly safe too, avoiding some of the weirder (to American taste) choices you might get in Italy. But it is quite Italian.

Service was top notch. Our server was simultaneously very New York, punky, not explicitly Italian, and excellent. Very nice, knowledgable, responsive, accommodating, etc.

The wine list was good and only slightly high. Clientele was more staid and there were quite a number of wealthy Chinese.

For more New York dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: eating_new_york, Italian cuisine, marea, New York, Wine

Culina with Friends

Jun14

Restaurant: Culina Modern Italian [1, 2]

Location: 300 S Doheny Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90048. 310) 860-4000

Date: May 12, 2017

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Great Italian – Hotel or No

Hotel restaurants are always rebooting themselves, and so it goes with the 4 Seasons Beverly Hills. This time around they have brought in master Italian chef Mirko Paderno who just a year or two ago was cooking up amazing meals at the tiny Avalon Hotel and then had a brief stint at Downtown’s hot Officine.

Cool modern art bread.

From my cellar: 2015 Vietti Roero Arneis. 90 points. Granny Smith apples. Nice structure. Seems almost like it has tannins.

Burrata e pesche. Imported burrata cheese, fresh peach, frisee salad, garda olive oil. Nice salad. Don’t choke on the frisee.

Pie Cauliflower. Cauliflower Soufflé, Reggiano Cheese Fondue, Truffle Butter. Yum city! Cheesy truffle goodness.

Beat of Tuna in Knife. Sashimi Grade Tuna Tartare, Quail Eggs, Chives, Spicy Sauce, Lemon Fresh Shallots. Almost like a beef tartare.

Beef Carpaccio Seared. Seared Beef, Garlic Bagna Cauda, Wild Arugula, Cheese Raspadura.

From my cellar: 1996 Roagna Barbaresco Pajé. 93 points. Stunning Barbaresco – depth, layers of fruit, earth notes, with tannins and acid beautifully balanced. Takes a lot of time to come into its own. If you open one now, decant for half a day. Will be at peak in 2020-2024.

Tartufone pizza. Fior Di Latte, Parmesan Cheese, Duck Egg, Fresh Truffle. I wonder what Fior Di Latte means here — to me it means sweet milk gelato :-). Pizza was awesome though. Another rice dairy truffle eggy combo.

Special order cheese risotto in a cheese. Awesome cheesy goodness.

Ossobuco. I love this rice dish.

Sea Bass Baked. Mediterranean Sea Bass, Roasted Fennel, foraged Mushroom, Onion, Fregola, Garda Olive Oil.

Butterscotch Budino. Whipped Crème Fraiche, Sea Salt Caramel, Coconut Cookies. I adore these. Salty too.

Warm Dark Chocolate Liquid Tart. Mint Chocolate Chip Gelato. Nice combo.
Various Gelati.

Not only is Culina now one of the best hotel restaurants in town, it’s one of the best Italian restaurants. Mirko has always been an amazing chef, and particularly when he just “makes stuff for you.” His particular classic but quite contemporary Northern Italian is very much you get at a great (high end) place in Northern Italy — and totally scrumptious. He does lean toward the rich (i.e. cheese and truffles etc).

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Culina, Italian cuisine, Mirko Paderno

Dirty Dozen at Doma

Jun09

Restaurant: Doma

Location: 362 N Camden Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. (310) 277-7346

Date: May 4, 2017

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Good food, big “formal” space

The Dirty Dozen is a sub group of the Hedonists that does themed blind tasting meals a couple times a year.

Tonight’s was at Doma, a new Beverly Hills Italian very much in a 90s (high end) vibe. The theme — oddly for Italian — is Bordeaux.

The Doma interior is large, formal, very white tablecloth and so different than more hip Italians like Bestia.

These champs and whites were bonuses, and not served blind.

NV Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut Rosé. VM 92. Pale orange. High-pitched red berry, orange zest and jasmine aromas, with suave mineral and smoky lees notes adding complexity. Spicy and precise on the palate, showing very good punch to its strawberry and bitter cherry flavors. Opens up smoothly with air and picks up a bitter rhubarb quality that lingers onto the long, tightly focused finish. This bottling showed more brawny character than many past renditions of this <em>cuvée</em>, but with no lack of vivacity.

From my cellar: 2009 Domaine Latour-Giraud Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières. BH 91-94. An airy, cool and pure nose of white flower, spiced pear, lemon and hazelnut complements the rich, full and relatively powerful flavors that possess good concentration and an explosive, mouth coating and palate staining finish. This is not quite as mineral-driven as the Perrières but this is really quite impressive and the length is genuinely outstanding.

2011 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Puligny-Montrachet Le Trézin. BH 91. Surprisingly, given how cool and elevated this terroir is, there is a trace of exotic fruit present here as well with its notes of dried peach, apricot and honeysuckle. There is fine richness to the stony middle weight flavors that are bigger than is typical, all wrapped in an exuberantly energetic, mouth coating, delicious and complex finish. A fine villages that should be approachable young if desired.

Flight 1:

The Bordeaux were all served double blind in flights.

1979 Château Margaux. Parker 93. This wine is just now reaching full maturity, much later than I initially expected. It is a classy, elegant example of Margauxpossessing a dark ruby/purple color, and a moderately intense nose of sweet black currant fruit intermixed with minerals, vanillin, and floral scents. The wine is medium-bodied, with beautifully sweet fruit. This linear, more compressed style of Margaux possesses a good inner-core of sweet fruit, and a charming, harmonious personality. Although not a blockbuster, it is aging effortlessly, and appears to take on more character with each passing year.
1975 Lynch Bages. Parker 86. After the number of disappointing tastings I have had of this wine, I was surprised that it showed reasonably well at the blind tasting in December. The color exhibits significant amber/orange at the edge, followed by a dusty, herbaceous, cedary nose with some ripe fruit. Full-bodied but slightly hollow, the wine exhibits more sweetness and expansiveness than I expected. This above average wine is beginning to reach full maturity. Given the number of washed-out, excessively tannic examples of 1975 Lynch-Bages I have tasted, I am now more optimistic about this wine.

1970 Palmer. Parker 95. Not yet fully mature, the 1970 Palmer is one of the great wines of the vintage. It exhibits a dark, opaque garnet color, and an emerging, fabulously complex, exotic nose of licorice, over-ripe plums and blackcurrants, soy, cedar, and minerals. Rich and concentrated, with medium to full body, a sweet inner-core of fruit, firm but silky tannin, and a long, rich finish, this remains a youthful, potentially superb Palmer. While approachable, it will benefit from another 3-5 years of cellaring, and will keep through the first 10-15 years of the next century.

Liver, balsamic, mushroom, pizza. Pretty rich and delicious.

Flight 2:

1981 Palmer. Parker 81. This is a relatively light, almost indifferent style of Palmer, lacking depth, and coming across as straightforward, with a simple plummy fruitiness intermingled with scents and flavors of herbs, oak, and cedar. It is medium bodied and austere for a Palmer.

1989 Palmer. Parker 96. Tasted at the Château Palmer vertical in London, the 1989 Château Palmer has always been my favourite vintage from that decade after the 1983. The first bottle was unfortunately corked. The second was as it should be: the nose tensile with red berries, sous-bois, potpourri and strawberry pastille – lively and energetic. The palate is medium-bodied and vibrant right from the start, silky in texture with plenty of citrus fruit, gently building to a harmonious and detailed finish that lingers in the mouth. This is a magnificent Château Palmer that continues to effortlessly dish out so much vinous pleasure.

1986 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande. Parker 95. Now at 30 years of age, there is a gulf between the two Pichons in this vintage that no longer exists. The 1986 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande has long been one of the best wines from the estate alongside the 1982 (even if the first bottle was a little oxidized). The second bottle was representative. It has a classic pencil-lead, cedar-infused nose that rockets from the glass, a subtle floral note developing with time. The palate is medium-bodied with supple red berry fruit, a pinch of white pepper and cedar, structured compared to coeval vintages and perhaps further along its drinking plateau than previous examples. Certainly à point, I would be reaching for bottles of this now if you cannot locate those 1982s, or alternatively seek out the superlative 1996. This still remains a fine, rather regal Pichon-Lalande.

Carpaccio with white truffles and fontina cheese. Amazing dish. Too small, but incredibly delicious.

Flight 3:

1999 Palmer. Parker 95. Though I have tasted many vintages of Palmer in recent months, it has been some time since I tasted the 1999 Palmer. Now at 17 years of age, it has a really quite splendid bouquet that is so fresh and vital, pure brambly red fruit, sloes and iodine. It has certainly lost some of the headiness that it showed over its first 10 years, but it is still a Palmer that likes to party. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin. There is good depth here, clean and fresh with wonderful poise. This is a “correct” Palmer, self-aware that it was not born in a propitious vintage, therefore it might seem a little restrained, even conservative in character. That would ignore its precision and grace, the manner in which it gently builds to the finish. You can drink this now but I would be inclined to give it another 3-4 years. There are few better Left Bank 1999s than Palmer.

1998 Angelus. Parker 96. Another great showing for a Right Bank wine, the 1998 Angelus shows a saturated opaque, plum/purple color and a beautiful fragrance of blueberry and black raspberries with licorice, asphalt, truffle and a touch of white chocolate. Beautiful texture, full-bodied opulence, striking purity and overall equilibrium make for a stunning wine that is just entering its plateau of full maturity. Drink it over the next 20 years.

1994 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande. Parker 91-93. One of the stars of the vintage, this opaque purple-colored wine possesses a gorgeously perfumed, exotic, smoky, blackcurrant, Asian spice, and sweet vanillin-scented bouquet. It is followed by thick, rich, moderately tannic flavors that exhibit medium to full body, good structure, outstanding purity, and a classically layered, long, pure finish. This terrific Pichon-Lalande should evolve effortlessly for 18-20 years.

Home Made Pappardelle Bolognese – House made Flat Ribbon Pasta Meat Ragout Sauce. Another great dish.

Flight 4:

1990 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron. VM93+. Full medium ruby. Nose at once subtle and flamboyant, with slightly roasted aromas of currant, cedar, lead pencil and minerals. Large-scaled, sweet and rich, with utterly primary fruit suggesting a long future ahead of it. Tasted next to the ’89, this was a much more massive and somewhat softer wine. Very long on the finish, with big but smooth tannins. Of more recent vintages, only the 2000 has a chance to be in the same quality class as the ’90 and ’89.

From my cellar: 1989 Lynch Bages. Parker 99+. The 1989 has taken forever to shed its formidable tannins, but what a great vintage of Lynch Bages! I would rank it at the top of the pyramid although the 1990, 2000, and down the road, some of the more recent vintages such as 2005, 2009 and 2010 should come close to matching the 1989’s extraordinary concentration and undeniable aging potential. Its dense purple color reveals a slight lightening at the edge and the stunning bouquet offers classic notes of creme de cassis, subtle smoke, oak and graphite. Powerful and rich with some tannins still to shed at age 22, it is still a young adolescent in terms of its evolution and will benefit from another 4-5 years of cellaring. It should prove to be a 50 year wine.

Mushroom risotto.

Cotsen brought: 1990 Margaux. Parker 100. The 1990 Chateau Margaux has turned into a sensational wine that eclipses both the 1988 and 1989…and then some. It has a gorgeous, ethereal bouquet with sumptuous red berry fruit, leather, camphor and licorice—it is the kind of nose in which you just immerse yourself. Is there a hint of brettanomyces here? If there is, I don’t really care. The palate is soft and sensual with incredible depth. Fleshy and corpulent for Chateau Margaux, and yet surfeit with breeding and finesse, there are layers or red fruit, kirsch, sage and fig, later tobacco and cloves. I feel that this 1990 Château Margaux is at its peak and yet the harmony, the sheer swagger of this wine just wins you over. Magnificent. Tasted May 2016.

agavin: Cotsen sweeps the win by craft and force, as the 1990 Margaux is just one of those wines that always blows everything away.

2000 Leoville-Las Cases. Parker 98. Tasted blind as a vintage comparison at the Valandraud vertical, the 2000 Leoville-Las-Cases is a quite fabulous, magisterial Saint Julien that is only just beginning to flex its muscles. It has a very intense and beautifully defined bouquet with mineral rich blackberry and bilberry scents, outstanding focus and harmony, and very well-integrated oak. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, impressive backbone and focus in situ. There is a touch of mint infusing the fruit here, superb tension with a touch of mulberry and Hoi Sin lingering on the finish that still feels backward and sinewy. What was remarkable was to observe the melioration in the glass, achieving wondrous energy and delineation with time, still improving after a couple of hours. Buy it, cellar it, drink it. Tasted December 2016.

Roast quail with polenta. Ugly, but tastes good.

My notes.

Flight D:

2007 Coutet. Parker 94. Tasted single blind against its peers. The Chateau Coutet 2007 has a very intense bouquet with lemon curd and orange blossom mixed with clear honey. There is impressive precision here, almost crystalline. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine viscous entry, great weight and intensity with racy acidity. There is also much tension cutting through the layers of viscous fruit on the sorbet-like finish. This is a typical Coutet through and through and it should age effortlessly over 20-30 years.

2011 Doisy Daene. Parker 95. Tasted blind at the Sauternes 2011 horizontal tasting. The Château Doisy-Daëne 2011 builds upon its outstanding performance from barrel. It has a powerful bouquet with seductive scents of wild honey, yellow flowers and orange blossom that are well defined, perhaps a little more extravagant then Denis Dubourdieu’s wines of yore. The palate is mellifluous on the entry with well-judged acidity, sensual and harmonious, poised on the entry and then fanning out gloriously with Clementine and honeyed notes that shimmer. This is an irresistible Barsac.

Panna Cotta Alla Vaniglia. Berry compote.

Certainly delicious.

Most of the gang. Notice our studly T-shirts. Jen, who isn’t wearing the hat, was in charge of pairing, opening, pouring etc. She rocks!

The lineup.

Overall the food was quite good. Service was pretty glacial despite the place being empty, and the waiters seemed on the verge of moving down the street to a convalescent home, but they were extremely nice and accommodating.

Wines were great for the Dirty Dozen. Nothing out and out “bad” or spoiled, 1-2 with a little bret that needed to blow off (or not), and a whole mess that were great. Particularly that 1990 Margaux. It really is a fabulous wine and Cotsen steals the wine (and the free meal) for the 3rd of 4th time. He does know how to pick them for these dinners.

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