Image
  • Writing
    • Andy Gavin: Author
    • About my Novels & Writing
    • All Writing Posts
    • The Darkening Dream
      • Buy the Book Online
      • Sample Chapters
      • Reviews
      • Info for Reviewers
      • Press Coverage
      • Awards
      • Cast of Characters
    • Untimed
      • Buy Untimed Online
      • Book Trailer
      • Sample Chapters
      • Reviews
      • Info for Reviewers
      • Press Coverage
      • Awards
      • Cast of Characters
    • Scrivener – Writer’s Word Processor
    • iPad for Writers
    • Naughty Dark Contest
  • Books
    • Book Review Index
    • Favorite Fantasy Novels
    • Andy Gavin: Author
    • The Darkening Dream
      • Buy the Book Online
      • Sample Chapters
      • Short Story: Harvard Divinity
      • Reviews
      • Info for Reviewers
      • Press Coverage
      • Awards
      • Cast of Characters
    • Untimed
      • About the Book
      • Buy Untimed Online
      • Book Trailer
      • Sample Chapters
      • Reviews
      • Info for Reviewers
      • Press Coverage
      • Awards
      • Cast of Characters
    • Naughty Dark Contest
  • Games
    • My Video Game Career
    • Post Archive by Series
    • All Games Posts Inline
    • Making Crash Bandicoot
    • Crash 15th Anniversary Memories
    • World of Warcraft Endgames
    • Getting a Job Designing Video Games
    • Getting a Job Programming Video Games
    • Naughty Dark Contest
  • Movies
    • Movie Review Index
  • Television
    • TV Review Index
    • Buffy the Vampire Slayer
    • A Game of Thrones
  • Food
    • Food Review Index
    • Foodie Club
    • Hedonists
    • LA Sushi Index
    • Chinese Food Index
    • LA Peking Duck Guide
    • Eating Italy
    • Eating France
    • Eating Spain
    • Eating Türkiye
    • Eating Dutch
    • Eating Croatia
    • Eating Vietnam
    • Eating Australia
    • Eating Israel
    • Ultimate Pizza
    • ThanksGavin
    • Margarita Mix
    • Foodie Photography
    • Burgundy Vintage Chart
  • Other
    • All Posts, Magazine Style
    • Archive of all Posts
    • Fiction
    • Technology
    • History
    • Anything Else
  • Gallery
  • Bio
  • About
    • About me
    • About my Writing
    • About my Video Games
    • Ask Me Anything
  • Contact

Archive for lamb

Living Large with Lamb

Nov15

Restaurant: Dolan’s Uyghur Cuisine [1, 2]

Location: 742 W Valley Blvd, Alhambra, CA 91803. (626) 782-7555

Date: April 14, 2024

Cuisine: Uyghur Chinese

Rating: Excellent execution, and closer to Afghan than Chinese

_

It took Yarom and I about 4-5 years to manage to come back here for dinner with a large enough group to order the whole roast lamb!
7U1A4728
Dolan’s, which is a new Uyghur place celebrating the cuisine of Western China — the part above Tibet known as Jing Jiang. Perfect for lunch to as they are Halal and don’t allow alcohol.
7U1A4729-Pano
The interior has a distinctly “western” style — and considerably more style than most Chinese places. While the building was probably some mid-century family restaurant they have added the Islamic style “windows” and tile.
7U1A4744
Copper tea pots.
7U1A4745
7U1A4746
7U1A4747
7U1A4748
7U1A4749
A big menu featuring lamb, lamb, and more lamb! Good thing we love lamb!

Naan stir-fried with Beef. Mostly fried bread. What beef there was had a lovely cumin flavor.

Garlic cucumbers. Nice and tangy.

Salad. Strong tangy dressing.

Beef Pie.

The shell was kinda greasy but addictive.

Another salad, mostly onions, peppers, and tomatoes. But the tart and quick spicy sauce was amazing.

Another stuffed pastry. I liked this one better and it had a strong beef and onions flavor.

Flakey pastry with beef. Very nice texture. Kind of Samosa-like.

Eggs and Tomatoes. Yarom can never resist ordering this one.

The whole lamb.

Revealed.

Super rich, tender, and delicious. Tremendous flavor.

We polished off that baby!

Big Plate Chicken with Wide Noodles. Star anise flavor.

Beef with the special round noodles. These were better noodles.


Lemon Cookie Gelato.

They fight over the leftovers.

Overall, not only was Dolan’s super interesting, but they were delicious as well. It’s related most closely to Western Chinese, but not totally Chinese in style (food-wise, decor isn’t Chinese at all). The kitchen was excellent though, and everything was extremely tasty — you better like lamb though!

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

7U1A4750

Related posts:

  1. Tiffany had a Little Lamb
  2. Dolan’s Uyghur Cuisine
  3. Tai Siu is New
  4. Skaf’s Lebanese Cuisine
  5. Cui Hua Lou – Szechuan Shed
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: BYOG, Dolan's Uyghur Cuisine, Gelato, hedonists, lamb, whole lamb, Wine

Eating Tel Aviv – Claro

Aug26

Restaurant: Claro

Location: Rehov Ha’Arba’a 23 | Corner of David Elazar 30, Tel Aviv 6107450, Israel. +972 3-601-7777
Website

Date: July 5, 2019

Cuisine: Israeli

Rating: Surprisingly delicious — incredible lamb

_

Our penultimate night in Israel led us to this totally different much more modern area of Tel Aviv.

1A0A2091
Like a Jinga building, lightweight edition.
1A0A2098
And to Claro, which I was worried (from the online reviews) would be overly “international.” Turned out to be great.
1A0A2100-Pano
Interior is the Israeli version of one of those DTLA converted warehouse restaurants. Older warehouse building with hip new decor. Large.
1A0A2108
The menu.
1A0A2130
Some more bubbly.
1A0A2114
Puffy zatar bread with olives, yogurt, cucumbers, etc.
1A0A2117
Asparagus, asparagus cream, butter, chili sheep cheese.
1A0A2120
Beef tartare, spinach, mustard-labaneh, seasonal vegetable, Kodosh cheese, bruschetta. Great tartare.
1A0A2123
Leaves salad, herbs vinaigrette, pickled onion, sheep cheese.
1A0A2126
Mediterranean fish confit brushetta, tomatoes, spinach-labeneh, olives, capers.
1A0A2132
Seared sea fish, mustard horseradish puree, garlic aioli, red chili.
1A0A2134
Asparagus gnocchi, cherry tomato, spinach, butter, white wine.
1A0A2138
Family style lamb platter, tzatziki, matbucha, pickled vegetables, pita bread. This was one of the best dishes I had in Israel. My father and I split the whole thing too! Let’s take a closer look.
1A0A2140
Various sides and toppings, almost like a Korean meat or Vietnamese fish dish: tzatziki (garlicky yogurt), spicy red stuff, herbs, pickled veggies, lettuce.
1A0A2146
Then this huge hunk of incredibly tender lamb and the really nice fresh thick pita breads.
1A0A2149
The dessert menu.
1A0A2150
King size truffle. Milk chocolate mousse, caramelized hazelnuts, creme anglaise.
1A0A2153
Sticky toffee pudding. Dates, coconut sorbet, toffee sauce.

Overall, Claro turned out to be lovely. In it’s way, it is an international restaurant. It would be at home in LA. But the ingredients are Israeli centric. The room, service, and food quality were, however, excellent.

Click here to see more Eating Israel posts.

1A0A2065

Related posts:

  1. Eating Tel Aviv – Onza
  2. Eating Tel Aviv – a Place for Meat
  3. Eating Tel Aviv – Shila
  4. Eating Israel – Aroma Cafe
  5. Eating Jerusalem – Mona
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Claro, Eating Israel, Eating Tel Aviv, lamb

On Fire at Charcoal

Apr05

Restaurant: Charcoal Venice [1, 2]

Location: 425 Washington Blvd, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292. (310) 751-6794

Date: March 3, 2019

Cuisine: New American Grill

Rating: Some great meats

_

Josiah Citrin’s (owner/chef of Melisse) newish more casual eatery has been open for a while — and although I bike past it weekly and went once for brunch, this is my first official dinner visit — and it’s a doozy having been invited by one of the owners for a blow out wine fest.

It’s located on Washington Blvd about 2 blocks in from the ocean.
7U1A6612-Pano
Inside at night. By the middle of dinner service it was hopping.
7U1A6459
2007 Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne. VM 96. Taittinger’s 2007 Comtes de Champagne will be nearly impossible to resist upon release. Soaring aromatics, mid-weight structure and soft contours give the 2007 its alluring personality. Lemon oil, white flowers, mint, chamomile and green pear add brightness and freshness throughout, with a persistent, clean finish that makes it impossible to resist a second taste. Today, the 2007 comes across as a slightly more open version of the 2004, with freshness that makes that wine so appealing, and a touch of textural richness that recalls the 2002. Although the 2007 does not have the explosive energy or verticality of the profound 2006, it will drink better earlier. The 2007 has been positively brilliant on the three occasions I have tasted it so far.
7U1A6471
7U1A6475
The menus.
7U1A6461
From my cellar: 1985 Nicolas Potel Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes. BH 91. A very fresh yet mature nose of citrus, white flower and lightly toasted nut aromas combines with round and vibrant middle weight flavors that possess a seductive and rich mouth feel, all wrapped in a sappy and mouth coating finish. This is really a lovely effort with complexity and ample finishing punch and is a wine that will continue to hold well if not improve.
7U1A6466
2014 Hubert Lamy Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Clos de la Chateniere. JG 91. The 2014 Clos de la Chatenière from Domaine Lamy is another really lovely bottle in the making, wafting from the glass in a blend of apple, a touch of grapefruit, pastry cream, chalky soil tones and a topnote of orange blossoms. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and nicely complex, with a good core, fine focus and grip and a long, nicely reserved finish that closes with a youthful note of citrus peel. Olivier Lamy noted “that we picked this on the earlier side to maintain freshness, as the exposition is plain sud.” A lovely wine.
7U1A6488
Sandy, who was with us, is a very “narrow” eater so she added this item, which we otherwise wouldn’t have. Chopped Salad. Tomato, Havarti, Bacon, Grilled Onion, Kalamata Olives, and Jo-Jo’s Vinaigrette. It was fine, but I’m not a chopped salad fan — at least there were no beans.
7U1A6489
Oysters on the Half Shell garnished Traditionally and Creatively. I’m not sure what the creative was — or maybe we didn’t have it — but they were good oysters.
7U1A6496
Big Eye Tuna Tartare, Avocado, Yuzu vinaigrette.
7U1A6507
This is a classic with 25 years of omnipresence on menus in some form or another. Maybe a little too much avocado for my taste (hiding the tuna).
7U1A6505
It came with sweet potato chips.
7U1A6484
1994 Joseph Phelps Insignia. Parker 98. The 1994 boasts an inky/purple color along with a glorious nose of black raspberries, blackberries and black currants that is still somewhat primary despite nearly 18 years in bottle. The Phelps team kept this cuvee in 100% new French oak for 28 months. Its magnificent structure, intensity and purity of fruit, ripeness, balance combined with authoritative power and the magnetic appeal of this full-bodied, Bordeaux-styled wine are extraordinary. This amazing effort is just coming into its best years, and should drink well for at least another 15-20 years.

VM 93. Healthy bright, dark red. Captivating aromas of raspberry, tobacco, truffle and smoke are distinctly darker than those of the 1990. Wonderfully suave, fine-grained wine with superb intensity and retention of dark fruit flavors. Harmonious acidity and a firm tannic spine give this wine noteworthy thrust and extend the finish. The wine’s 10% Merlot component was partly from the cooler Hudson and Hyde vineyards in Carneros. This impeccably balanced wine remains remarkably fresh.
7U1A6481
Yarom brought: 1995 Colgin Cabernet Sauvignon Herb Lamb. VM 97. The 1995 Cabernet Sauvignon Herb Lamb is a bit juicier and more overt than the 1997 tasted alongside it in this flight. Forward, juicy and supple, but not at all over the top, the 1995 is a gorgeous wine from this late-ripening site on Howell Mountain. At twenty years of age, the 1995 Herb Lamb is fabulous. Its only real fault is following the 1997 in this tasting.
7U1A6509
Smoky Grilled Chicken Wings. Oregano, Chili, and Vinegar. Nice wings. Lots of good meaty flavor.
7U1A6517

Smoked Lamb Ribs. These were AWESOME. I don’t have lamb ribs that often but these were some of the best ribs period I’ve had. Tons of savory flavor.
7U1A6478
Ron brought: 1995 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Landonne. Parker 99+. One of the treats when tasting through the profound Côte Rôties made by Marcel Guigal was the opportunity to taste all of the bottled 1995’s. Reviewed in previous issues, they are even better from bottle than they were during their upbringing (a characteristic of many Guigal wines). The 1995 Côte Rôtie la Landonne is the stuff of legends and is every bit as compelling as readers might expect. This single vineyard wine will have at least 2 decades of longevity.

M 97+. Deep ruby-red. More sauvage aromas of black raspberry, blueberry, tar, mocha, minerals, mace and roasted game. Superconcentrated and powerful, with a near-solid texture. One of those rare wines that seems almost too big for the mouth. Finishes with huge, toothfurring-but-ripe tannins and great persistence.
7U1A6463
From my cellar: 2003 E. Guigal Ermitage Ex-Voto. Parker 100! Another perfect wine is the 2003 Hermitage Ex Voto and it’s the most over-the-top, decadent and hedonistic Ex Voto ever produced. From Les Bessards, l’Hermite, Greffieux and les Murets and aged 4 years in 100% new French oak, it offers off-the-charts concentration and texture as well as layers of creme de cassis, smoke meats, licorice, spice-box and spring flowers. Voluptuous, sweetly fruited and yet, like all great wines, still lively, fresh and graceful. It will have half a century or more of life.

VM 96-97. Bright, full, saturated ruby. Explosive aromas of black raspberry, blackberry and licorice, with a suggestion of medicinal austerity. Then raw and primary but incredibly thick, with a richness verging on port-like. Almost too big for the mouth. Actually more of a fruit bomb on the nose today and altogether more serious on the palate. If the 2003 La Landonne is an essence of syrah, this is an essence of Hermitage. Truly a black hole of a wine: there’s virtually no sign of the new oak, and the wine has a sappiness that belies its pH of close to 4. 0. Philippe says the Guigals were the first to harvest Hermitage in 2003, and yet this wine is a whopping 15. 5% alcohol!
7U1A6482
2003 M. Chapoutier Ermitage l’Ermite. Parker 100! More youthful and backwards, the 2003 Ermitage L’Ermite has additional minerality, as well as the focus and purity that’s always imparted by this tiny lieu-dit. Inky purple in color, it offers up spectacular creme de cassis, blackberry, charred meats, graphite and toast as well as a full-bodied, massively concentrated profile on the palate. It’s a prodigious, insanely good wine that should be given another 2-3 years in the cellar, and enjoyed over the following two to three decades.

VM 97. Medium ruby. Dense, powerful, imploded aromas of blackberry, creme de cassis, coffee liqueur, pipe tobacco and smoked meat. The texture of this wine is impossibly lush and velvety, and the superconcentrated, sweet essence-of-dark-berry flavors are also incredibly lively. Wonderfully sweet, lush and endless on the finish. You’d need a squeegee to remove this from your palate.
7U1A6533
Special Quail. I don’t think this was on a menu. Everything was in this incredible (and rich) reduction sauce. There were potatoes and root vegetables too. Delicious!
7U1A6542
Coal Roasted Carrots. Sheep’s Milk Ricotta, Herbs, Honey and Black Pepper. Very nice carrots and I liked the cheese too.
7U1A6467
2002 Abreu Cabernet Sauvignon Madrona Ranch. Parker 96. The 2003 Madrona Ranch, which is largely Cabernet Sauvignon, possesses a freshness that almost belies the vintage character. Its dense purple color is just beginning to reveal some garnet. The nose exhibits abundant floral notes intermixed with notions of blueberries, black raspberries and licorice-infused cassis. Graceful, elegant, and close to full maturity, it is drinking beautifully, displaying secondary nuances, a supple, full-bodied texture and a lush, layered mouthfeel. There is not a bit of aggressiveness, and the tannins, wood and alcohol (14.5%) are all beautifully integrated. As one might expect, this is one of the vintage’s superstars. Drink it over the next 10-15 years.

96 points. Deep ruby, dark fruit, med. tannins, long finish; delicious, but out shone by the 05 Spottswoode, possibly related to a longer decant. I suspect this wine is still evolving & it needs more time or a longer decant; delicious!
7U1A6485
2002 Hundred Acre Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Kayli Morgan Vineyard. Parker 100! The 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Kayli Morgan Vineyard is medium to deep garnet colored with Black Forest cake, plums preserves and crème de cassis bursting forth from the glass with hints of blueberry compote, hoisin, espresso and star anise with wafts of potpourri and oolong tea. The palate is full-bodied, rich and beautifully plush, with tons of spicy fireworks lifting the sexy black fruit, finishing with amazing length and depth.

VM 94. Bright red-ruby. Very ripe aromas of chocolate, saddle leather, cigar tobacco, earth, truffle and tomato. Fat and warm but with a solid mineral underpinning to the flavors of plum, mocha and spices. Large-scaled, plush and seamless but not heavy, this deep wine finishes with substantial dusty tannins. For all its ripeness, there’s sound acidity here. Still, this huge wine would be best paired with winter fare. The brooding finish features lingering notes of cherry and cooked meat and building tannins.
7U1A6465
2002 Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To-Kalon Vineyard. Parker 100! One of the greatest young Cabernet Sauvignons I have ever tasted is the 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To-Kalon Vineyard (which I also rated 100 when it was first bottled). This wine has hardly changed since its release. Still incredibly youthful, it reveals a blue/black color along with notes of black currants, camphor, graphite, high quality unsmoked cigar tobacco, blackberries and a touch of oak. Full-bodied and multilayered with terrific texture and richness as well as a 60-second finish, this young, exuberant, slightly flamboyant classic offers an interesting contrast in style with other top producers (such as Schrader Cellars) that also farm parcels of the Beckstoffer To-Kalon Vineyard. Like most young Cabernets, this wine can be drunk now because of the sweetness of its tannins, but it is a good decade away from full maturity. It should last until 2040-2050. Bravo!

VM 93. Good saturated ruby. Superripe aromas of cassis, black raspberry, bitter chocolate and licorice; less herbal than this producer’s other cabernets from this vintage. A fine-grained fruit bomb, with a captivating sweetness. This really expands on the back half yet dances on the palate. The lush tannins reach the incisors.
7U1A6557
21 Day Aged Half Liberty Duck. This was insanely good. Probably the best non-Chinese duck I’ve had. Crispy skin, but a tangy/sweet flavor too.
7U1A6565
Cabbage Baked in the Embers. Yogurt, Sumac, and Lemon Zest. Great cabbage. Nice char flavor and interesting texture. Paired perfectly with the yogurt.
7U1A6468
This giant (very young) Salt also doesn’t get a write up because it again lamely omits the year.
7U1A6479
2015 Sine Qua Non Syrah Trouver l’Arene. VM 97. A real head-turner, the 2015 Syrah Trouver l’Arène is every bit as compelling from bottle as it was from barrel. Rich, sumptuous and exquisitely layered, the 2015 possesses magnificent concentration as it builds in the glass. Inky dark blue/purplish berry fruit, graphite, smoke, licorice and spice are some of the many nuances that develop in an arrestingly beautiful, vivid Syrah that will thrill those fortunate enough to find it. The blend is 80.5% Syrah, 7% Petite Sirah, 7% Mourvedre, 2% Grenache and 3.5% Viognier, done with 34% whole clusters and aged for 22 months in 48% new oak.

I have learned to photo the back of SQN — even though, again, it’s totally lame of them not to put the vintage on the front.

7U1A6595
Giant bone in rib eye. This was good, but not as good as most of the other meat dishes.
7U1A6572
Steak Fries with Ketchup, Mustard.
7U1A6581
Charred Brussels Sprouts. Wheat Berries, Portobello, Calabrian Chili, Duck Egg. Nice sprouts, particularly for not having bacon.
7U1A6586
Roasted Wild Mushrooms. Parsley Bread Crumbs, Fermented Garlic Dressing.
7U1A6601
The dessert menu.
7U1A6625
Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Cake. McConnell’s Double Peanut Butter Chip Ice Cream. The cake was awesome. Really nice moist cake. I’m just so spoiled with ice cream (it’s not gelato) that this would have been incredible with a straight up “salty peanut gelato” from Sweet Milk.
7U1A6630
Lemon Meringue Tart. Awesome. I love LMT and this one was great.
7U1A6633
Apple Crumble, McConnell’s Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. Don’t love oats.
7U1A6636
Apple Turnovers. Like Strudel.
7U1A6603
The wines tonight were big, but incredible. For what it’s worth, we had five Parker 100s!
7U1A6526
Our host on the left with Sandy.

I was impressed by our meal here. Not everything was perfect, but some of the dishes: duck, cabbage, lamb ribs, and quail were exceptional and most of the rest really good. A couple were a bit flat (like the chopped salad or tuna, but how exciting is a chopped salad anyway?). The name, Charcoal, implies wood cooked, and they deliver on that promise with an experience that has a bit of a non-Spanish Asador feel.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Totoraku – Hedonists Beef Up
  2. Totoraku Double Meat Madness
  3. Chance Meating
  4. Return to Esso
  5. Hedonists at STK
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: beef, Charcoal, Dessert, hedonists, lamb, Rhone, Venice, Wine

Dolan’s Uyghur Cuisine

Mar04

Restaurant: Dolan’s Uyghur Cuisine

Location: 742 W Valley Blvd, Alhambra, CA 91803. (626) 782-7555

Date: February 5, 2019

Cuisine: Uyghur Chinese

Rating: Excellent execution, and closer to Afghan than Chinese

_

There are a bunch of new SGV places that Yarom and I have been wanting to try so we’re making a point of heading out for some small lunches to do forward recognizance as we just don’t have enough dinner slots available.
7U1A4728
Dolan’s, which is a new Uyghur place celebrating the cuisine of Western China — the part above Tibet known as Jing Jiang. Perfect for lunch to as they are Halal and don’t allow alcohol.
7U1A4729-Pano
The interior has a distinctly “western” style — and considerably more style than most Chinese places. While the building was probably some mid-century family restaurant they have added the Islamic style “windows” and tile.
7U1A4744
Copper tea pots.
7U1A4745
7U1A4746
7U1A4747
7U1A4748
7U1A4749
A big menu featuring lamb, lamb, and more lamb! Good thing we love lamb!
7U1A4764
Cucumber with garlic. Cucumber salad with garlic dressing. Pretty typical Chinese appetizer but this was a great one with really crunchy cucumbers and nice tangy (garlicky) dressing.
7U1A4755
Cold Beef Salad. Sliced cold beef with chili sauce. Not sure what is salad about it — except maybe the green onion — but this was also a great dish. The beef was dense, almost like tongue, but thinly sliced and the tangy/spicy sauce was excellent.
7U1A4768
Fried Tomato with Egg. Scrambled egg with stir-fried tomato. Yarom ordered this Chinese comfort food and it turned out to be a nice rendition of the dish.
7U1A4773
Uyghur Goshnaan. Uyghur style hame-made Naan filled with lamb, onion, and green pepper. This is a specialty of the house, although it was one of our least favorite dishes. The meat inside was delicious, and the outside nicely made, but there was so much breading that it drowned out the meat.
7U1A4793
Manti. Uyghur style dumpling filled with ground beef. These are stylistically close to XLB (but with beef) and also to Afghan Manti. I love both of those and I loved these. The skins were delicate and the filling really flavorful. I started using some of the chili sauce as a dip, but the waiter told us that Uyghur do not eat them with sauce. Still, I think they would be best with the yogurt, tomato, and green chili Afghan sauce.
7U1A4797
Laghman. Traditional hand pulled noodle served with stir fried veggies and lamb. We think it was lamb. The meat was very flavorful and this dish overall was like an Uyghur Jewish “beef stew.” The carrots were cooked really well too. The noodles (you can glimpse them underneath) were tasty but a bit heavy.
7U1A4800
Braised Lamb. Lamb stewed with wolfberry, chili sauce, and pepper over round noodles. This lamb was also very good and the round noodles were even better — fabulous actually.
7U1A4810
Roasted Mutton Leg. Marinated mutton leg made with family recipe. Just lamb meat — but tender and delicious.
7U1A4825
Lamb kebabs. Sheep must be very scared when they cross into Uyghur territory! But these were some of the best lamb kebab I have had — hot off the grill and super tender and with just the right amount of cumin and spice.
7U1A4820
Fried cabbage. Stir-fried cabbage with chili dressing. Nice and crunchy and really delicious! Loved this dish.
7U1A4836
We didn’t have this baklava, but they had it on the counter.

Overall, not only was Dolan’s super interesting, but they were delicious as well. It’s related most closely to Western Chinese, but not totally Chinese in style (food-wise, decor isn’t Chinese at all). The kitchen was excellent though, and everything was extremely tasty — you better like lamb though!

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

7U1A4750

Related posts:

  1. Hong Kong Style – Henry’s Cuisine
  2. Deep South – Mandovi Goan Cuisine
  3. Mosaic of Food – Byzantine Cuisine
  4. The New Cal Cuisine: Rustic Canyon
  5. Shaanxi Garden
By: agavin
Comments (2)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Chinese cuisine, Dolan's, Dolan's Uyghur Cuisine, lamb, Lunch Quest, SGV, Uyghur Cuisine, Western Chinese

Nothing Boring about Bavel

Jan21

Restaurant: Bavel

Location: 500 Mateo St, Los Angeles, CA 90013. (213) 232-4966

Date: November 26, 2018

Cuisine: Modern Middle Eastern

Rating: One of the best tasting new places in town

_

Bavel is a new Modern Middle Eastern place from the Bestia people — and like that place it’s hip and crowded. It’s own webpage describes it as a Middle Eastern restaurant from Chefs Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis. With family roots in Israel, Morocco, Turkey, and Egypt, Ori and Genevieve have always wanted to open a restaurant that showcases the cuisines of their family lineages, bringing together the flavors and dishes they grew up with.

Ori and Genevieve were both born in the Los Angeles area – Genevieve was raised in Southern California, while Ori and his family moved to Israel where he spent his formative years.

Ori grew up traveling with his family and was exposed to fine dining across the globe, but it wasn’t until his year-long stay in South America, where he realized his passion for cooking. Genevieve is a self-taught pastry chef who started baking out of necessity to satisfy her sweet tooth. At the time, she was studying to be a classical French horn player.

In 2001, Ori returned to Los Angeles. He landed his first kitchen job at an Israeli cafe, before working at La Terza—the restaurant where Ori and Genevieve, who was a hostess, met for the first time. From there, Ori spent time in the kitchens of Pizzeria Mozza, All’ Angelo, and under chef Gino Angelini at Angelini Osteria, where he worked for four years as chef de cuisine.

In 2012, Ori and Genevieve pursued their dream of opening their first restaurant, Bestia and in 2018 their second restaurant, Bavel. With a background in the field of interior design, Genevieve played a key role in the design of both restaurants. When not in the kitchen, Ori and Genevieve can be found spending time with their daughter, Saffron.

7U1A2207
It’s also located in the DTLA Arts District, which would be cool except for being so darn far for me.

7U1A2221-Pano
The interior is large, stylish, not particularly Middle Eastern (on purpose) and very very loud (unfortunately).
7U1A2208
We ate out on the patio — which wasn’t nearly as attractive and had worse chairs but was much much quieter (which is actually more important). I wish restauranteurs would get off their louder is better horse. It’s really annoying.

7U1A2210

The menu — we ordered most of it.
7U1A2216
Kirk brought some fake Chard. 2015 Alheit Vineyards Chenin Blanc Magnetic North Mountain Makstok Skurfberg. VM 91. Restrained aromas of citrus fruits and flowers, plus a whiff of crushed stone. Offers noteworthy texture and sweetness in a still-reserved package. There’s minerality here and a positive dryness to the wine’s stone fruit and citrus flavors. The firm, spicy finish is not at all harsh. Quite strong on the back end. I suspect this will blossom in bottle.
7U1A2237
FARM CHEESE. rose petal za’atar, olive oil, maldon, buckwheat loaf. This was standing in for Lebneh — or is a lebneh variant. The bread was amazing. Tons of flavor and nicely grilled. Loved the yogurt-like cheese and olive oil too — I always do.
7U1A2242
Close up of the cheese.
7U1A2248
FOIE GRAS HALVA. creamy paté, date puree, black sesame, buckwheat loaf. Same bread. Kind of sweet. One of those foie and sweet preps. I liked it a lot though.

7U1A2259
DUCK ‘NDUJA HUMMUS. creamy garbanzo beans, jerusalem mix spice, herbs, pita. This might be the bavel signature dish. The “original” in Lebanon would be beef, pine nuts, and onions on top of the hummus. This variant was superb and the pita was also top notch.

7U1A2258
A close up of the hummus, of course.
7U1A2211
Two vintages of the same fake pinot. One was okay, the other kind of middling.
7U1A2212
I wish these American winemakers wouldn’t stick the vineyard and vintage info in such small type on the side, but they do. Better than the ones that put it on the back (hate that) but still couldn’t read it. I think one was 09, the other very recent. Can’t remember. I don’t buy fake pinot.
7U1A2266
GRILLED PRAWNS. harissa marinade, cured zucchini tzatziki, herbs, lime. These were superb. Really really great. The prawns were juicy, full of briney flavor, and a certain sweet char. It paired perfectly with the tangy tzatziki.
7U1A2272
GREEN LIP MUSSELS. makrut lime, coconut milk, ginger sofrito, white wine, citrus, serrano chile. This didn’t feel Middle Eastern at all (more Thai) but it did taste amazing. Really fabulous mussel prep. Coconut curry-like.
7U1A2278
ROASTED CAULIFLOWER. hawaij chile sauce, lime leaf, crème fraiche serrano dip, pistachios, dried flowers. I’m not a vegetable person but this was one of the best dishes of the night! A more fried variant is a Lebanese staple but this was just incredible cauliflower packed with flavor.
7U1A2282
And the creamy dip really knocked it up.
7U1A2218
7U1A2219
Kirk also brought this overpriced fake pinot. 2005 Sine Qua Non Pinot Noir Over & Out. VM 92. Ruby-red. Exotically perfumed nose features energetic raspberry and blackberry scents complicated by cinnamon, mace and fresh rose. Plush and sweet, offering powerful red and dark berry flavors, suave tannins and impressively chewy finishing grip. Less a pinot than a Sine Qua Non wine, and that’s not a bad thing.

agavin: I didn’t like it at all. Doesn’t taste like pinot at all, more like Syrah.

7U1A2293
LAMB TARTARE. burnt onion crème fraiche, pickled chive blossom, mint, cinnamon, toasted sesame, laffa. Good stuff, very tangy.
7U1A2294
The laffa? Not to be confused with luffa?
7U1A2295
FRIED QUAIL. cardamom date sauce, pickled celery, smoked yogurt, fresh herbs. Awesome. The sauce was quiet sweet. Like fried chicken with some interesting Middle Eastern dessert reduction.
7U1A2215
David brought: 1989 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape. 93+ points. I have always been a fan of the 1989 Château Beaucastel, which I rank just behind the superb 1981 at this fine estate. The most recent bottle I tasted of this wine was still just a touch youthful, but offered up fine complexity on both the nose and palate and shows excellent promise. The bouquet is a blend of roasted fruitcake, cherries, new leather, venison, incipient notes of sous bois, woodsmoke and hot stones. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and rock solid at the core, with a bit of tannin still to resolve, fine focus and grip and a very long, classy and slightly chewy finish. I would be tempted to give this wine a few more years to really resolve, as it will be a superb wine and it would be most enjoyable to drink it at the same plateau that the 1981 has been enjoying for a good decade already.
7U1A2309
LAMB FLATBREAD. Spicy fermented sausage, grated tomato, red onion, parsley, pine nuts, nigella seed, mint, sumac.

7U1A2314
Marinated Tomato. Whipped feta, smoked eggplant powder, savory, sea salt, olive oil. People didn’t love this dish. The feta was very salty and I think people expected a sweet/creamy vibe like with burrata. I’m not a tomato fan, so it was hard for me to tell.

7U1A2320
GRILLED DORADE. herb-stuffed, red chermoula, preserved orange, smoked anchovy. For a fish, it was very good as the paste on top was spicy and had a lot of flavor.

7U1A2214
From my cellar: 2006 Tenuta San Guido Bolgheri Sassicaia Sassicaia. VM 95.  Bright red-ruby. Complex nose melds red cherry, blackcurrant, minerals, dried herbs and a delicate oaky vanillin nuance; the fruit aromas show an almost roasted quality without going over the top. Sweet, concentrated and nicely fresh, with an impression of strong extract and a hint of exotic fruits to the flavors of ripe red and dark berries, chocolate, plum and wild herbs. The candied fruit quality carries through on the long, smooth finish, where there’s a trace of heat and hints of menthol and minerals. A very successful Sassicaia but, in my notebook, just a little below the lofty heights of the 2001 or 2004. But given the quality of this wine, that’s quibbling.
7U1A2331
AGED HALF DUCK. breast kebab, confit leg, duck bone broth, green amba, chicory salad. If this was half a duck, it was a VERY small duck! It did taste good, a bit like peking duck.

7U1A2332
duck bone broth.
7U1A2217
2002 Tua Rita Redigaffi Toscana IGT. 93 points. Such a great wine. Italian merlot. Loads of blueberries, black cherries and such a rich and voluptuous wine. Awesome texture. Supple and generous. But balanced and so well made. Plenty of life left in this bottle. Really enjoyable.
7U1A2334
SLOW ROASTED LAMB NECK SHAWARMA. tahini, amba, pickled vegetables, laffa. Yum!
7U1A2339
tahini, amba, pickled vegetables.
7U1A2346
The tagine before opening.
7U1A2340
BRAISED PORK TAGINE. prunes, serrano chile, cous cous, cashews.
7U1A2345
cous cous, cashews and the usual tagine “sauce.”
7U1A2354
The dessert menu — oops I mean dessert menu.
7U1A2361
Yarom had this ice wine in his bag.
7U1A2363
LICORICE ROOT ICE CREAM BON BON. sour licorice caramel, muscovado cake, caramelized white chocolate, maldon.
7U1A2365

CARDAMOM APPLE PRUNE CAKE. date toffee sauce, cream

7U1A2367

STRAWBERRY SUMAC & SWEET CHEESE PASTRY. pistachio ice cream, labneh cream, cured sumac

7U1A2369

PAGLAVA. rolled walnut & apricot filled pastry, farm cheese, honey, dried borage flower

7U1A2372

COCONUT TAPIOCA. passion fruit, basil syrup, lime zest, coconut tuile
Desserts were excellent too!

7U1A2235
The red wine lineup.
7U1A2355
We also ran into Liz Lee and a friend — what a coincidence!

Bavel is a really great new addition to the LA scene. The only similar spot food-wise I’ve been to in LA is Mizlala — which is also fabulous (if more casual). While LA has lots of Israeli, Lebanese, and Moroccan places, Bavel (and Mizlala) really notch the cuisine up with their bright flavors, fun fusions, and attractive plating. Service was fine. The place is too loud. The food is amazing. Unlike Bestia, Bavel is fairly liberal in allowing you to open wine bottles — but they do charge a medium-high corkage. It’s tres LA and would be great for out of town guests if it weren’t so far and hard to get into.

For more LA dining reviews click here,

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

Related posts:

  1. Midweek at Mizlala
  2. Little Sheep Hot Pot
  3. Lucky Ducky
  4. Hot Pot Hot Pot
  5. Stick It – Feng Mao
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Bavel, hedonists, Hummus, Italian wine, lamb, Liz Lee, Middle Eastern, Wine

London in the Palisades

Dec31

Restaurant: The Draycott

Location: 15255 Palisades Village Lane, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272.  (310) 573-8938

Date: November 28, 2018

Cuisine: British?

Rating: Nice decor, menu too small

_

The Draycott is the last of the four “sit down” Palisades Village restaurants I’ve tried.

The Draycott is a California-inspired family-friendly Brasserie, created by Matt and Marissa Hermer. Named as an homage to London’s Draycott Avenue, where the husband-and-wife restaurateur duo first met, The Draycott features wholesome and classic dishes using locally sourced ingredients.

The restaurant-café melds the ambiance of Europe with a convivial all-day environment, featuring seasonal lunch and dinner menus served with a British twist, along with extensive breakfast and brunch menus and a daily afternoon tea service.

After moving from London – where Matt and Marissa own and operate award- winning bars and restaurants – to Pacific Palisades, they wanted to create a place that married all the things they love about Southern California and all the things they miss about London.1A0A7806
The build out is lovely with a big patio and a gorgeous clubby interior (I’ll have to photo it next time I go, forgot last time).

The have a big cocktail program and attractive bar — too bad I don’t really drink cocktails.
IMG_0293
The menu is the biggest problem. It’s tiny. Very few items, and most are boring. There are no mains that I would generally be excited about. They are all just too boring. Moules Frites are okay, but I think of that more as an appetizer.
IMG_0295
Kabocha Squash. Market Squash, sauteed forbidden rice, hearty greens, harissa vinaigrette, pomegranate seeds, torn mint.
IMG_0296
Winter squash soup. Marcona almond, pomegranate seeds, baharat.
IMG_0300
This was a special. Burrata, prosciutto, and pear salad. Decent although needed more burrata.
IMG_0302
French fries.
IMG_0303
Pan roasted trout. Fishmonger’s trout, sprouted almond, charred lemon, crispy capers, rice pilaf.
IMG_0307
Another special — and actually gave me an entree to order. Lamb chops. Solid, but very expensive.
IMG_0305
The lamb chops came with two sides of your choice so fries and Brussels sprouts. The sprouts were good, salty and cooked with bacon.

Service here was confused. They brought both our courses simultaneously! The execution on the food was decent. Was better than Porta Via. Problem is the menu is so boring and so small. Particularly on the main side, they seemed to want to keep it small, yet to appeal broadly across all demographics: vegetarian, fish, different proteins, burger etc. The net net is that when you like one thing or another you only have one or two choices. And nothing has any style or innovation to it.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Hank’s Palisades
  2. Palisades Yogurt Shoppe
  3. Blue Ribbon Sushi
  4. Quick Eats – Porta Via
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: British Food, lamb, London, Pacific Palisades, Palisades Village, The Draycott

Eating Xi’an – Jia San Soup Pau

Sep03

Restaurant: Jia San Soup Pau

Location: 93 Bei Yuan Men, Xi’an, China. +86 29 8725 7507

Date: August 1, 2018

Cuisine: Halal Chinese

Rating: Tasty!

_

After Beijing we move on to Xi’an, the oldest of China’s great capitals and the eastern terminus of the silk road. Xi’an, now a city of roughly 15 million, has been an important city for perhaps 5000 years! It’s the capital of Shaanxi province and of course home to Shaanxi cuisine.
1A0A3173
In it’s western position in China it’s home to many Chinese muslims and a vibrant “muslim street” filled with restaurants and snacks.
1A0A3179
Like random kabobs!
1A0A3180
Or what the Chinese call “naan breads” (puffier muslim breads).
1A0A3189
Somewhat afraid of the street meats we decided to have dinner here at this recommended, popular, and very colorful spot.
1A0A3194
As far as I can tell, it’s name is Jia San Soup Pau.
1A0A3200-Pano
It was so popular we had to go up to the 3rd floor to get a table.
1A0A3201
Lazy susan etc.

1A0A3196
They specialize in these western XLB, which are somewhat more akin to Afghan Muntoo. These were vegetable filled muntoo.
1A0A3198
And mutton muntoo — no pork at this place, it’s halal. The lamb ones were delicious with a very delicate pasta, a nice pronounced lamb-quality, and tons of juice.
1A0A3203
Sesame noodles. Had a bit of mustardy punch too.
1A0A3205
Spicy Tripe. I’m not sure which animal’s stomach we ate here. Lamb? Maybe ox? It had that tripe texture and was a bit firm and not crazy chewy. The sauce was STRONG. An intense smack in the face of chili and sesame. Really good sauce. I could only eat so much tripe but I would love this sauce on noodles.
1A0A3206
Ox tail soup muntoo. Amazingly good juice meat dumplings.
1A0A3209
Steamed greens with a bit of soy and ginger flavor. Quite nice.
1A0A3213
Fried chicken. With a bit of spicy powder.
1A0A3216
Lamb, garlic, celery, poatoes, and pepper hand pulled noodles. Underneath this very homestyle dish was a pile of excellent hand pulled noodles. This is a very Shaanxi style dish.

Jia San Soup Pau was an excellent place. Good rustic food and hearty flavors.

APC_1139
Back out on the street time for snacks and dessert like this “spicy lamb burger” which in Chinese might be 肉夹馍, a name that sounds like “Rodger Moore” (maybe Rho jaa mo or something like that). This one was lamby, very salty, and liberally greased with chili oil.
1A0A3219
My eye was drawn to this very interesting looking dry ice dessert steaming in the cauldron. I called them dragon balls.
1A0A3221
It’s handed to you steaming too. Turns out they are just puffed rice balls, with no flavor, frozen in liquid nitrogen. You crunch on the ball, trying vainly not to freezer burn your mouth and exhale like this:

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

Related posts:

  1. Eating Beijing – Xian Lao Man
  2. XLB – Soup Dumplings!
  3. Eating Beijing – 3.3 Noodles
  4. Forget the Duck Soup, More Meat!
  5. Eating Beijing – Xiao Long Pu
By: agavin
Comments (2)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: dumplings, Eating China, Eating Xi'an, Halal, Jia San Soup Pau, lamb, Shaanxi, spicy, tripe, Xi'an

Chance Meating

Nov03

Restaurant: Meat on Ocean

Location: 1501 Ocean Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90401. (310) 773-3366

Date: September 26, 2017

Cuisine: Steakhouse

Rating: Solid fare, good service

_

Meat on Ocean replaces the old i. Cugini on Ocean Ave. That storied Italian place was around for 20+ years (I even went on an early date there with my wife). It was (and still is) owned by the Watergrill group but has rebooted as a mid/high-end steakhouse. Tonight is a special small informal dinner featuring GIANT and RARE Australian Shiraz.

They have opened up the patio space which is great to see as this is one of the most appealing outside strips in the city, almost reminiscent of Miami’s South Beach.

The build out was extensive and looks great.

And it continues inside.

One of their “things” is that they age their own beef and make the cuts in the morning. To that effect they have this serious aging room.

Check out the old cow.



The menu.

The festivities begin with our old favorite, courtesy of Ron: NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée. VM 94. The NV Grande Cuvée is absolutely stellar. This is one of the very best Grande Cuvées I can remember tasting. The flavors are bright, focused and beautifully delineated throughout, all of which make me think the wine will age well for many, many years. Lemon peel, white flowers, crisp pears, smoke and crushed rocks race across the palate in a vibrant, tense Champagne that epitomizes finesse.

Tasty milk buns.

A round of oysters. Meat is owned and operated by the Watergrill group so the seafood comes from there.

From my cellar: 2010 Domaine Henri Boillot Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières. VM 94. Knockout perfume of soft citrus fruits, menthol, wet stone and white truffle. Densely packed, saline and seamless; deceptively approachable today owing to its sheer richness and depth of flavor and its very long, sweet aftertaste. But this utterly primary wine has the stuffing for aging. Boillot recommends drinking it in the next year or so or holding it for seven or eight years; he’s convinced the wine will be totally closed in two years.

Maryland Blue Crab Cocktail. Crushed avocado, roasted tomatoes, lemon mayo. The saltines (and very few at that) are in interesting touch. The meat itself was very good, if a bit mayo-infused.

Wild Jump Mexican Shrimp. Good shrimp but pretty much what you expect looking at it.

Duck Rillettes. Fig jam and goat cheese. A great pate, particularly with both the jam and cheese.

From my cellar (I didn’t have big Aussies): 1998 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny Cuvée Vieilles Vignes. VM 95. Bright red-ruby. Brilliant aromas of strawberry, raspberry, cherry and bitter chocolate. Wonderfully intense, sharply delineated flavors of red berries, spices and mint; a wine of great density and verve, not to mention powerful structure for long life. A rare combination of silky texture and lightness of touch. Fabulous back end features utterly suave tannins and resounding, vibrant fruit.

agavin: spectacular

Charcuterie plate with Chorizo soria, mortadella, prosciutto di parma, lomo and speck. Plus various pickles and mustards etc.

Crunchy Iceberg Wedge. Bacon and blue cheese dressing. A decent wedge. Nice strong creamy dressing and a virtual slab bacon.

 We asked for and received some bonus blue cheese.

Little gem. Grilled per, avocado, buttermilk dressing. Some might call this overdressed.

Baby romaine caesar. grana padano and house crutons. Ron didn’t like this at all. They aren’t using real Parmagiano, instead a grana (similar type of cheese from a slightly different region).

The parade of super rare Chris Ringland Shiraz begins.

1998 Chris Ringland Shiraz. VM 96+. Saturated purple-ruby to the rim. Perfumed, exotic aromas of darkest berries, graphite, sandalwood, mace, nutmeg and roasted herbs. A wine of incredible verve and spicy intensity; like a fruit essence today, with literally painful concentration. Conveys a saline impression of pure extract. A remarkable combination of sweetness and vibrancy. Palate-staining finish features great persistence and snap. Already brilliant but capable of a long and glorious evolution in bottle. Alas, there are only four barrels of this elixir.

Parker 100. The Chris Ringland (formerly known as Three Rivers Shiraz), which is aged 42 months in 100% new French oak, and is rarely racked until bottling, represents an extraordinary expression of Barossa Shiraz. The perfect 1998, made from a single, 88-year-old vineyard cropped at one ton of fruit per acre, soaked up its wood component as if it is not even present. It boasts a sumptuous texture, great delineation, and a huge fragrance of bacon fat, blackberry liqueur, creme de cassis, toast, espresso roast, and hints of chocolate as well as pepper. Full-bodied yet remarkably well-delineated and fresh, this stunning wine is still a baby, but it promises to evolve for two decades or more.

More fancy boxes.

1999 Chris Ringland Shiraz. Parker 98. The Chris Ringland (formerly known as Three Rivers Shiraz), is aged 42 months in 100% new French oak, and is rarely racked until bottling, represents an extraordinary expression of Barossa Shiraz. The intense 1999, released in 2004, demonstrates that this vintage is somewhat underrated after all the hype over 1998. From a vineyard planted in 1910, its inky/purple color is accompanied by aromas of lavender, lard, smoke, licorice, blackberries, cassis, espresso roast, chocolate, and pepper. Full-bodied, slightly less voluminous than the perfect 1998, with an unctuous texture, sweet tannin, and a 70+ second finish, this magnificent, still young Shiraz should be accessible in 3-5 years, and last for two decades.

And more

2000 Chris Ringland (formerly Three Rivers) Shiraz. Parker 97. It is clearly the Barossa wine of the vintage, and has put on considerable weight since it was bottled. This stunning cuvee, which used to be known as the Three Rivers Shiraz, was aged 33 months in new French 300 liter hogsheads. A beautiful bouquet of crushed rocks, white flowers, blueberries, blackberries, incense, and subtle pain grille is followed by a rich, full-bodied red revealing supple tannin as well as tremendous texture and richness, and more depth and intensity than it did last year. By Chris Ringland’s standards, it is quite approachable, and should age beautifully for 10-15 years.

Packed in straw.

2001 Chris Ringland (formerly Three Rivers) Shiraz. Parker 100. The monumental 2001 Shiraz, from a 91-year old vineyard, spent 43 months in new French 300-liter hogsheads. The result is a compelling wine of great richness, flavor breadth, and length. An inky/blue/purple color is accompanied by extraordinary scents of flowers, blackberries, blueberries, and cassis as well as hints of espresso roast, truffles, roasted meats, and incense. This sexy, beautifully balanced, loaded Shiraz should keep for three decades or more.

agavin: an absolute monster, so big that a WEEK LATER we tried a bit of it left over (and in Yarom’s fridge) and it was still great! (although not as integrated). The alcohol is almost 17%.

Larry brought: 2006 Torbreck The Laird. Parker 99. Deep garnet colored, the 2006 The Laird offers a multi-faceted nose of ripe black berries, blueberry preserves and kirsch aromas with an underlying perfume of baking spices, lavender, cinnamon stick and cloves plus some savory / earthy nuances, including bacon, black tea, tobacco and forest floor. The palate is full bodied and densely packed with fruit, savory and earth flavors while supported by a firm level of very fine-grained tannins and refreshing acidity. It finishes very long and while already incredibly complex, promises a lot more to come. Consider drinking it 2014 to 2026+.

Specially selected cut of aged (30 or 45 day, not sure) Bone-in Ribeye.

Some sauces.

Full rack of sugar cured Baby Back Pork Ribs. Great ribs actually.

Grilled Maitake Mushroom. Balsamic soy glaze and shaved parmesan. To help mobilize things.

Colorado rack of lamb. Very salty and seasoned but absolutely delicious.

House made French Fries.

Moo.

Some info on the cow.

The dessert menu.

2000 Árvay János Tokaji Aszú 6 Puttonyos. 93 points. Wow! This is (finally) really coming into its own. Big juicy apricot & marmelade notes supported by strong acidity that manages to balance the sweetness Outstanding dessert wine!

1998 Müller-Catoir Mußbacher Eselshaut Riesling Eiswein. 92 points. I had expected just a touch more from this Müller-Catoir Eiswein, but the wine’s more powerfully built personality seems to have taken just a bit of elegance and vibrancy out of the customary Eiswein equation. This is still a very good bottle by any stretch of the imagination, but I simply was hoping for a bit more. The bouquet is a powerful blend of pineapple, sweet grapefruit, papaya, Pfalz soil tones and a bit of straw in the upper register. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, deep and impeccably balanced in its muscular style, with brisk acids and fine length and grip on the finish. The wine at age eleven is complex, well-balanced and drinking well, and others may find this a hair better than I did, but for my palate, a bit more elegance and refinement would have been nice additions.

Peanut Butter & Jelly Sundae. Peanut butter ice cream. Fresh raspberries. Good stuff. Reminds me of my even better peanut butter and jelly gelato.

Pistachio Creme Brulee. Bitter chocolate, candied pistachios.

Rotisserie Pineapple. Vanilla and red chili caramel, sweet cream ice cream.

Overall, a very nice dinner. Food was very solid. Not super innovative for a steakhouse like Alexander’s or anything, but quite good. Wines were AMAZING and I don’t even like giant extracted wines (but these were just over the top good). Service was fabulous. No corkage at Meat and they really took great care of us.

Yarom with the manager, Veronica!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

Related posts:

  1. Winter at the Peak
  2. Saddle Peak Peaks
  3. Totoraku – Hedonists Beef Up
  4. Totoraku Double Meat Madness
  5. Mercado Madness
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: beef, Chris Ringland, Dessert, hedonists, lamb, Meat, Meat on Ocean, Wine

Eating Rioja – Terete

Jul15

Restaurant: Terete

Location: Calle Lucrecia Arana, 17, 26200 Haro, La Rioja, Spain

Date: June 21, 2016

Cuisine: Spanish

Rating: Great traditional lamb

_

We drove up to Rioja for a day to tour some of the wineries (of course), namely López de Heredia and CVNE, and happened to ask the marketing director at López for a lunch recommendation.

She sent us to Terete for the roast lamb.

The menu.

They have one of those wood fired ovens like at Botin.

And the place is huge!

Of course, having just come from López I had to order some of their wine.

2002 R. López de Heredia Rioja Blanco Reserva Viña Tondonia. 93 points. First whiff is of honey, candlewax, bruised apples.
On the palate, apples, honey, chamomile tea, and that amazing thick, waxy texture that is just to die for. Finish is loooong, with a mouthwatering acidity that makes the oxidized notes be in balance. Really a lovely wine.

The bread.

A typical Spanish salad, with eggs, asparagus and the like.

Marinated red peppers.

Tortilla Espanola.

White asparagus. Big fellows.

Greens.

What we came for, the roast lamb. I’m not sure there were any other ingredients. Maybe some salt. Basically lamb slow roasted in its own juices. But this was same damn fine lamb, cooked up the way its been cooked for thousands of years! Super tender and moist and full of flavor.

Whiskey cake.

You got to pout this on.

Cafe bonbon. Expresso and chocolate and sweetened condensed milk.

Overall this was a fun little lunch. The lamb was spectacular and that’s what we came for.

Click here to see more Eating Spain posts.

Related posts:

  1. Eating San Sebastian – Baztán
  2. Eating Barcelona – Catalana
  3. Eating San Sebastian – Zuberoa
  4. Eating Barcelona – Montiel
  5. Eating San Sebastian – Atari
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: eating-spain, haro, lamb, rioja, Spanish Cuisine, Terete

Inotheke – Modern Greek

Mar23

Restaurant: Inotheke

Location: 606 Broadway #101, Santa Monica, CA 90401. 310) 458-3366

Date: March 19 & November 11, 2016

Cuisine: Modern Greek

Rating: Good flavors

_

I’m always on the lookup for new local restaurants, plus I like Greek food, so I as excited to hear about modern Greek eatery Inotheke.

 Located right near the promenade on Broadway.

The menu is full of reinvented classics, but tuned toward sharing and small plates.

Likewise the interior is modern and clean, with only a touch of blue and white to remind us of the “theme.”

Tzatziki. I never eat Greek without ordering my favorite tangy yogurt. This version was pretty good. Tangy, garlicky, but not as thick as I like it.

The pita was grilled, soft, and greek style.

Oven Roasted Beet salad. Arugula, goat cheese, red onion, dill, lemon vinaigrette. Fairly typical, but still a tasty salad.

Spanakopitakia. Feta, kaseri, spinach, red pepper. Got to love fried pastry encrusted cheese!

Scallop tartare. Cucumber, lemon, olive, chili flakes. This had a good bit of dill too and was quite “Greek” in flavor. The scallops were nicely firm. Good stuff overall.

IMG_6194
Salmon “Exohiko”. (11/5/16) Filo Pastry, Eggplant, Zucchini, Capers. Basically salmon baked in a pastry!

Shrimp Saganaki. Tomato Sauce, feta, ouzo. A version of the classic greek dish. Sometimes in Greece it was cheesier and creamier, but this was solid. Lots of acid.

IMG_6197
Scallop Saganaki (11/5/16). Tomato, Feta, Ouzo, Scallions, Rice. On our second visit, Inotheke mixed up their Saganaki, venturing away from the classic shrimp to scallop (never seen that in Greece) and adding in some lovely rice underneath. The rice alone made this version better.
 Lamb & Orzo. Tomato, Parmesan. My favorite dish of the night. Basically like a lamb risotto or pasta. Nice texture from the orzo and appropriate lambiness from the soft meat, plus the cheese really worked.

IMG_6196
Moussaka. (11/5/16) Ground Beef, Eggplant, Zucchini, “Bechamel”. A nice version of one of my favorite Greek dishes. Lots of goopy Béchamel!

Overall I liked Inotheke and I’ll be back. Sometimes I like my Greek pretty “traditional” but this split a nice balance as they had many of traditional dishes, merely with updated plating (that’s a plus). Flavors were good and bright and I like the sharing format — plus it’s very convenient.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Petros Greek Feast
  2. Aestus – And the Modern Plate
  3. Parlez Vu Modern?
  4. Quick Eats: Taverna Tony
  5. More Modern Dim Sum
By: agavin
Comments (2)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: California, Greek cuisine, lamb, Moussaka, Santa Monica, Small Plates, Tzatziki

Stick It – Feng Mao

Oct30

Restaurant: Feng Mao Lamb Kebab

Location1: 3901 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90019. (323) 935-1099

Location2: 414 S Western Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90020. (213) 388-9299

Date: October 26, 2015 & April 25, 2016 & October 14, 2019

Cuisine: Korean

Rating: Really tasty

_

Los Angeles is blessed with America’s largest Korea-town, and as such we have so many fabulous Korean dining options.

Feng Mao has a tremendous menu of Korean and Korean/Chinese items, including a vast array of things available for grilling.


Notice the built in ducts! (Olympic location).

And the pop up wood charcoal grills.

7U1A9680-Pano

The private (side?) room at the Western location.
7U1A9691
7U1A9692
7U1A9693
7U1A9694
7U1A9695
7U1A9696
7U1A9697
7U1A9698
7U1A9699
7U1A9700
7U1A9701

The vast menu.

2010 Kistler Pinot Noir Kistler Vineyard. VM 93. Ash, game, tar licorice, incense and dark cherries are some of the notes that emerge from the 2010 Pinot Noir Kistler Vineyard. A pretty soft, understated wine, the 2010 also has a hint of wildness running through it. Today, the 2010 is a bit compact, but I very much like the sense of grace here. Sweet floral notes reappear on the finish, adding a burst of freshness and vivacity to a finish underpinned by lovely streaks of saline minerality. In 2010 yields were too low for Kistler to bottle the Cuvee Elizabeth Pinot. The little fruit that came in was blended into the Kistler Vineyard Pinot.

agavin: not bad for a “fake” pinot

Some flavored salt for dipping and a little mini salad.

And various other banchan. Broccoli and garlic.

Bean sprouts.

Shredded pickled spicy radish.

Peanuts.
1A0A5243
More banchan.

1A0A5245
Garlic cucumber. Marinated and with a nice texture.
7U1A9703
Beef and cucumber.
7U1A9715
Numbing stew. Very good with mala.
7U1A9717
And looking close, pig’s blood!
7U1A9725
Spicy beef tendon, but we wondered if tripe, too chewy.


From my cellar: 2000 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage. VM 94+. Saturated ruby. Superripe aromas of blackberry, blueberry, clove, minerals and black licorice. Very ripe but precise and penetrating. At once lush and powerful; seamless but with terrific thrust. Black fruit, flint, spice and dark chocolate flavors offer considerable density and verve. Finishes with substantial noble tannins that arrive very late. Has all the elements for longevity. Give this 10 to 12 years before pulling the cork. This comes across as a bit denser than the young 2001 but not finer. The Chaves clearly did a superb job of harvesting in 2000.

agavin: WOTN for most of us, although the competition wasn’t fierce.

Plate of raw stuff ready for grilling.


And more skewers.

Beef on the left, lamb on the right. The beef was a bit sweet and fabulous. The lamb full of flavor.

2012 Alain Voge Cornas Les Chailles. VM 91. Deep ruby. Smoky, oak-spiced blackberry, licorice pastille and olive paste on the nose, with subtle floral and mineral nuances adding complexity. Velvety, sweet and nicely concentrated, offering dark berry liqueur and fruitcake flavors that slowly tighten up with air. Supple tannins come on late, giving shape to a long smoke- and spice-tinged finish. As approachable as this wine is today, I think that it has the material for cellaring.

They do most of the grilling here, which makes it easy.

Pork belly. Eventually this chars down to carbonized bacon.

7U1A9734
Pork belly and lamb spareribs. Both good.

Squab or some other small bird.

Getting there.
1A0A5252
Pork belly wrapped around enoki mushroom.
1A0A5253
More meat and sausages.

7U1A9737
Sausages were great. Squid was icky.

1A0A5254
Sardines!

7U1A9739
Condiments for the skewers.


Steamed egg. I love this kind of simple dish.

2009 Bibi Graetz Testamatta Toscana IGT. VM 91. Deep red with ruby highlights. Reticent aromas of raspberry, red cherry and chocolate. Then large-scaled, fat and chunky on the palate, with highly concentrated red fruit and herbal flavors showing creamy depth and noteworthy persistence. This rather powerful wine stains the palate on the long, ripely tannic finish. I would have liked a bit more finesse, but many drinkers will love this.

Jellyfish salad with meat, veggies etc.

The mustard sauce is mixed in. Great stuff.

2004 Torbreck Descendant. Parker 98. The 2004 Descendant, an old oak-aged blend of 92% Shiraz and 8% Viognier from a 12-year old vineyard, offers up notes of blackberries, ink, sweet truffles, and acacia flowers. There are 1,000 cases of this full-bodied, intense, rich blockbuster. It will drink well for 10-15 years.

Bean curd “pasta” with chili. Delicious.

Stir fried mushrooms.

Steamed pork dumplings. Good, although I’ve certainly had better.

Sauce for the dumplings.

2005 Favia Cerro Sur. 93 points. Cherry, bell pepper, cedar, and licorice on the nose. Lot’s of strawberry and cherry jam on the palate which heat/spice from the alcohol. Beware, this is a fruit bomb.

Fried sweet and sour pork. Almost certainly the best sweet and sour pork I’ve had. We got 2-3 orders. Super scalding and delicious.

Purple rice.

Eggs and zucchini. Light and mild.

2004 Sean Thackrey Petite Sirah Sirius Eaglepoint Ranch. 92 points. Color is very dark. Medium legs with a silky mouthfeel. This is the oldest Sirius in my cellar and is drinking really well right now. A classic Thackrey version of petite sirah. Always one of my favorites.

agavin: more balanced and not as overwhelming, good.

Spicy fried eggplant. Yum!

Pan fried pork dumplings. Doughy, but I liked them even better than the steamed.

2010 Saxum Terry Hoage Vineyard. Parker 95+. The 2010 Terry Hoage Vineyard is a blend of 46% Syrah, 33% Grenache, and 21% Mourvedre that comes from Jennifer and Terry Hoage’s west side Paso vineyard. Less gamey than when tasted from barrel, it offers up a pure, beautifully fresh bouquet of red and black fruits, spring flowers, ground pepper, leather, and wet stone-like minerality that flows to a rich, fabulously concentrated, and textured palate. Showing the savory, mineral characteristics of the vintage, as well as noticeable underlying tannin, this gorgeous effort needs short-term cellaring, and will thrill for over a decade.

agavin: needed about a decade more time!

Fish filets boiled in chili oil. Feng Mao’s take on this classic Szechuan dish was awesome.

Lots of numbing chili oil heat! Great with rice.

Glass noodles. Mild and good.

Crispy potato pancake. Like a Korean latke.
1A0A5256
Seafood pancake. Yummy!

7U1A9752
Egg with chives. Awesome. Seems so simple, but tons of flavor.
7U1A9757
Cumin chicken bones. Just ok.

7U1A9767
Shredded pork with cilantro. pretty good.
7U1A9769
Clams with brown sauce.

1A0A5255
Spicy noodle soup. Very nice, with a pleasant, medium spicy broth and nice thin egg noodles.

Fried chicken. This was actually from next door at Da Jeong. Many in our party claim this is the best fried chicken ever.

Overall, this was a great meal. Really tasty and nearly every dish was good. The price was right too, as it was $30 each all in (including tax and tip). Service was great and they have a big menu, so I’ll have to return to sample even more goodies.

The food is partially Korean, partially Chinese — or at least from the border realms between the two areas. Since I love both, that’s all good!

After all, we didn’t even order the bull penis (it’s on the menu).

For more LA dining reviews click here.

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!
7U1A9690

Related posts:

  1. Nanbankan – Stick with It
  2. Shin Beijing Cubed
  3. Gwang Yang – Beeftastic
  4. San Fran – Feng Nian
  5. Little Sheep Hot Pot
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Feng Mao, hedonists, Korean Chinese, Korean cuisine, lamb, Wine

Little Sheep Hot Pot

Oct21

Restaurant: Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot

Location: 140 W Valley Blvd #213, San Gabriel, CA 91776. (626) 307-1901

Date: October 18, 2015

Cuisine: Mongolian Hot Pot

Rating: Middling quality hot pot

_

Hot Pot is an ever popular style of Northern Chinese / Mongolian food. Basically a pot of boiling broth is used tableside to cook various foods.

Little Sheep is a small chain, the name refers to the prevalence of lamb in Mongolian cooking. Fortunately it’s not, “Little Marmot,” as the squirrel-like rodent is common on the Mongolian steppes and has been known to end up on the cook fire.

The interior is fairly modern.

The menu, somewhere in the middle of our markup process. You have to understand that you basically order plates of stuff, which you add to your hot pot.

Little Sheep does have a sauce bar. It’s not nearly as extensive as the one at Hai di Lao, particularly as the left and right halves are the same, but it’s still more than sufficient to make a great sauce.


These are my sauces. On the left is a richer sesame paste one, on the right a lighter ponzu style.

There are two broth types here, “plain” and “spicy.” This is spicy, which isn’t actually that spicy unless you eat the chilies — but good luck avoiding them all!

2009 Sea Smoke Pinot Noir Ten. VM 89. One of the Sea Smoke flagships, the 2009 Pinot Noir Ten impresses for its depth and sheer power. Layers of flavor flow through to the huge, dramatic finish in a full-bodied, intense Pinot. Once the intensity of the fruit fades, there is not much development in the glass, which results in an overall impression of one dimensionality. The Ten is one of Sea Smoke’s flagships. It is made from all ten Pinot clones planted on the property. While a solid effort, I expected more from this offering, which also happens to be the wine through which I discovered Sea Smoke years ago.


Supreme lamb shoulder.


Premium Lamb leg.


Supreme angus beef.

USDA Choice rib eye.


Beef of an indeterminate nature.

Pork belly. Look at all that fat.

Free range chicken. Surprisingly good, for chicken.

2009 Aubert Pinot Noir UV Vineyard. VM 93. The 2009 Pinot Noir UV Vineyard once again shows the richness and heft of the clay-rich soils in this site. This is an especially dense Pinot, even by Aubert’s standards, that needs another year or so in bottle to start shedding some of its baby fat. Despite the wine’s richness, there is more than enough underlying minerality to give the wine a sense of proportion and harmony.

Lamb meat balls.

Beef meat balls.

Pork meat balls.

Luncheon meat. A.k.a. spam. Delicious.

Pork sausages. Little wieners.

From my cellar: 2004 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese. 92 points. #1; COLOR-nice golden; NOSE-burnt BMX tires meets peaches, apricots & pears; spritzy; TASTE-beautiful bluestone; gorgeous dried Apricots; viscous & oily; gorgeous peach juice; very polished; great, great wine; very delicate; nice floral aspects; subtle cactus juice & on the finish; a concoction of Cantaloupe & dandelion dancing on the back-end; very complex; great balance of acidity & fruit; great structure; absolute elegance at it’s finest; DS-92; GV-92.

Scallops. Total fail here, these were not fresh.

Shrimp. These were fine.

Calamari (squid).

Crab legs. Got a bit mushy in the pot.

Fried fish cakes. Pretty tasty, with an interesting chewy texture.

2010 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Meursault Les Narvaux. Burghound 89-91. An elegant, pure and cool nose of white flower and citrus leads to minerally and well-concentrated middle weight flavors that possess a racy, intense and well-balanced finish. This dry and relatively forward effort should offer 2 to 3 years of upside development if desired.

Miscellaneous vegetable plate.

Miscellaneous mushroom plate.

Soft tofu. I love it, but hard to get out of the pot.

Hot Pot Dumplings. Chewy, tasty. Not sure what if anything was actually inside.

Udon noodles. Again hard to get out of the pot.

Fresh egg noodles. I loved these. Mixed with the sauce they made one of those tangy/spicy Chinese noodle dishes.

Glass noodles. Also great.

Chinese donut. Not actually sweet at all, but with a very nice crunch.

Mongolian bread. Hot from the oven and nice. Who says Chinese don’t make bread?

Mongolian beef pie. This one was delicious. We had a second that was a bit overdone and wasn’t so great.

2010 Copain P2. 89 points. Neither red, white nor rose. Slight tannins from red give body and structure while the pinot gris gives a fragrant juciness that allows it to go with so many modern foods, especially on a warm day with a slight chill.

Lamb dumplings. A little weak.

Pork dumplings. Same. Just kinda soft without too much flavor.

Lamb skewers. With the usual cumin.

Beef skewers.

Chicken skewers.

At the end, the cooling sauce is starting to congeal.

Overall, Little Sheep is a decent hot pot place. The broth was good, the sauces good, and many of the ingredients like the meat and breads quite good. The seafood was fairly lousy, and the dumplings weak. They also don’t have a ton of broth choices and you have to share the pot with about 4-5 people.

Now I’d place it about Hot Pot Hot Pot (with a 8+ person per pot and no sauce bar), but below Hai di Lao. However both of the first two have a bit more variety of non hot pot ingredients than Hai di Lao.

After, we wandered downstairs in this monster Maxi-mall (which also includes Spicy City) and checked out this bakery.

A couple of us got this layered Crepe Cake. It’s just crepes and custard, chilled. Mild, sweet, milky and delicious — like a sort of crepey tres leches cake.

Another mild cakey thing.

And they also have various teas and slushies. On the left a milk tea, on the right a mango slushie.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

Related posts:

  1. Pecorino – No Sheep is Safe
  2. Hot Pot Hot Pot
  3. Happy Table – New Bay is Old Bay
  4. Heavy Noodling at JTYH
  5. New Bay Seafood
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Bake Code, Bakery, Chinese cuisine, Dessert, hedonists, hot pot, lamb, Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot, Mongolian cuisine, Riesling, Wine

Hot Pot Hot Pot

Apr08

Restaurant: Hot Pot Hot Pot

Location: 120 S Atlantic Blvd, Monterey Park, CA 91754. (626) 282-1089

Date: June 20, 2015

Cuisine: Mongolian Hot Pot

Rating: Shabu Shabu’s evil good cousin!

_

Hot Pot is one of those Chinese comfort foods that American’s usually know nothing about.


These places are mobbed, and there are a lot of them. Basically, it’s throw lots of things in a pot of boiling broth and cook it table side. Similar to Shabu Shabu — and this is hardly a surprise as the Japanese got the idea from the Chinese during WWII (when they occupied big chunks of China).








The menu is enormous and full of pictures.


Each table has a hot pot burner.


Our half and half with house original broth and house spicy broth. All sorts of stuff is floating and in the broth, but everyone decided they liked the spicy a lot better.

While we wait for this to heat, we sample a few appetizers.


Seasoned jellyfish.


Scallion Crispy Pancake. Good stuff.


Lamb dumplings. Awesome, if a touch mushy and very (temperature) hot.


Pork dumplings. Oink!


Lamb fried rice. We loved this enough to order 3-4 orders.


Shrimp fried rice. Good too.


The hot pot ingredients come on these cute little trays. This is about half of what we ordered! As you can see from the menu there are a lot of choices. All of these items are eaten by cooking them to the desired amount in the boiling broth of your choice.

l

They have four sauces you can combine to make up your sauce. A sesame one, a darker more punchy one, a hot one, and a tangy plum type one. No one in our group was a skilled sauce maker, which is a kind of black art.


First up are the meats.

Pork belly. Pretty much bacon. You start with the meats to fatten up the broth.


Sliced beef.


USDA Prime Angus beef. A ricer cut.


Sliced lamb. The Mongolian classic.


Pork skin. Really sucked up the juices, but an odd texture.


Beef meatball. Great. The other table also had the lamb meatball which was even better.


Spam. Yeah, sounds kinda crazy but it was awesome.


Shrimp. Sort of a waste all boiled up.


Squid. A giant cuttlefish or squid.


Jumbo Scallop. These were good.


Fish dumpling. Good but a bit fishy.


Two kinds of fish ball.


Soft tofu. I love this stuff. Hard to get out of the pot though.


Fried tofu and a glimpse of the lamb meatball.


Melon?


Water chestnuts or bamboo.


Enoki mushrooms.


Oyster mushrooms.


Maitake Mushroom.


Squash.


Cabbage and corn.


Some kind of green.


Pea tips.


A-Choy.


Udon noodles.


Mongolian Noodle.


The pot in full action. Bear in mind that 8 or so people are sharing this — quite the chaotic endeavor.


Chicken fried noodle. In case the rice wasn’t enough carbs.


The aftermath.

The wine situation was so fluid that I made no attempt to pair it with anything in this report. It’s all just listed here.


2001 Château Monbousquet Blanc. VM 90. Aromas of grapefruit and spicy, vanillin oak. Chewy and bright, with peach, grapefruit, mint and floral flavors enlivened by fresh acidity. Finishes lively and long, with subtle notes of lime and honeysuckle and a tactile, saline quality. Shows no sign of the 13.7% alcohol. Much higher in acidity than the 2000 version, a year when acid levels were compromised by rain two days prior to the harvest. This was bottled in January of this year, eight months later than previous vintages owing to the stronger structure of the wine.


2006 Chateau St. Jean Chardonnay Sonoma County. 86 points. I get bananas and tropical fruit on the nose. Maybe pineapple. A bit of pear on the palate.


2011 Bedrock Wine Co. Chardonnay.


From my cellar: 1994 Ulrich Langguth Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Auslese. 85 points. This bottle was very bretty and not the best I’ve opened.


2011 Sea Smoke Pinot Noir Southing. 91 points. Nose is all candied red fruit. Ripe cherries and a little bit of cola, with zippy acidity and a bit of new oak across the finish. Good concentration, so will go strong for a while. I expect that this will be doing just fine in 5-6 years, but it’s a fantastic bottle worth drinking right now.


2009 Domaine Denis Mortet Gevrey-Chambertin. BH 89-90. An earthy and very ripe nose of extract of black berry fruit aromas merges into very suave, rich and opulently textured medium-bodied flavors that brim with dry extract that easily buffers the relatively fine tannins, indeed this is much finer than most Gevrey villages wines.


2011 Sine Qua Non Syrah Dark Blossom. VM 96. The 2011 Syrah Dark Blossom is dark, mysterious and wonderfully inviting. Black fruit, savory herbs, leather and spice meld together in a deep, dense wine that is constantly changing in the glass. Savory overtones add intrigue. The firm, muscular 2011 tannins are going to need time to soften. Readers lucky enough to find the 2011 can look forward to years of thrilling drinking.


2002 Bond Matriarch. VM 92. Good full medium ruby. Dark plum, truffle and buttery oak on the nose. Suave and fine-grained, with enticing flavors of plum and black raspberry. A plump, sexy wine with a long, slow-building finish featuring very fine tannins. This shows a firmer structure than the very good 2001. In fact, this seems more refined, as well as more of a real wine rather than simply a blend made up of declassified fruit, than previous vintages of The Matriarch.



2012 Dark Hundred.


2010 Les Vins de Vienne (Cuilleron Gaillard Villard) Cornas Les Barcillants. VM 90. Inky ruby. Sexy aromas of dark fruit compote and vanilla, with complicating notes of smoked meat, olive and floral oil. Creamy, palate-staining black and blue fruit flavors show very good depth and pick up spiciness with air. Dusty tannins come on late and give grip to a spicy, focused finish that repeats the smoky note.


2012 Bedrock Wine Co. Zinfandel Old Vine. VM 90. Vivid ruby. Pungent, high-pitched aromas of cherry skin, raspberry, licorice and lavender, with a bright mineral topnote. Juicy and incisive, with sappy dark berry and bitter cherry flavors. Supple tannins add grip to the spicy, floral finish.


2012 Bodegas Los Toneles Cabernet Sauvignon Export Selection La Pradera.


2010 Tenuta Valdipiatta Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.


2008 Sine Qua Non Roussanne Jinete Bajo Vin de Paille. VM 95. Deep gold. A highly aromatic, pungent bouquet of orange marmalade, apricot nectar and yellow plum, with exotic honey and spice notes. Lush and creamy in texture, with deeply concentrated, sweet pit and tropical fruit flavors and a strong note of candied citrus. There’s surprising energy and lift to the finish, which leaves juicy peach and orange notes behind. I’d serve this as a dessert, by itself. This clocks in at 11.8% alcohol, with 240 g/l of residual sugar.


From my cellar: 1989 Chateau Gilette Creme de Tete. Parker 93+. I actually prefer the aromas of the 1989 Chateau Gilette Creme de Tete to those of the 1990. The nose is initially taciturn but then it unfurls with engaging scents of aniseed, beeswax, smoke and lychee. The palate has a spicy entry, almost Alsace-like in style, with light honeyed notes, curry powder and cumin. The finish feels dry, although in fact there would be around 110 grams per liter of sugar. This has great potential, although personally I would suggest it needs at least another 5 to 6 years in bottle.


2012 Inniskillin Vidal Icewine Niagara Peninsula VQA. 92 points.

Overall, this was cheap, yummy, and fun eats. Like a more flavorful giant group shabu shabu with lots and lots of options. Totally Chinese!

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

Related posts:

  1. Palace of Pepper
  2. Spice Up Your Life Szechuan Style
  3. Forget the Duck Soup, More Meat!
  4. Cantonese Pig Out!
  5. Shin Beijing Cubed
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Chinese cuisine, hedonists, hot pot, lamb, mushrooms, Wine

Via Veneto

Oct08

Restaurant: Via Veneto

Location: 3009 Main St. Santa Monica, CA 90405. (310) 399-1843

Date: April 13, 2014

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Excellent contemporary Italian

_

LA is overflowing with Italian restaurants, but there is tremendous range in quality (and price). From old fashioned “red sauce” places to modernist takes like Il Grano. Via Veneto is in that high middle ground were it serves Italian (not exactly Italian American) up with panache.


2011 Bruno Giacosa Roero Arneis. 89 points. White peach, white flowers and minerals. Fresh with a hint of effervescence. Straightforward but enjoyable.

They do get a strike for having not only a $30 corkage (which I can stomach) but a 1 bottle policy. This forced me to buy this decent bottle from the list — but I had to pay a $60 markup for it!


Bread and olives.

CAPRESE CON BUFALA LAZIALE. buffalo mozzarella from “Lazio”, heirloom tomatoes, basil, olive oil.


Caprese with Burrata. Because Burrata always makes everything better!

TARTARA DI MANZO AL COLTELLO. knife cut prime beef filet tartare prepared to order, Pantelleria caper, house special dressing.

MELANZANE ALLA PARMIGIANA. farmers market eggplant, parmigiana style. Not exactly a traditional shape, more like involtini.

INSALATINA DI ARAGOSTA E QUINOA CON MENTA E LIMONE. lobster and quinoa salad, min and citrus vinaigrette. They do love this cylindrical shape. This was a pleasant salad, but the quinoa dominated (i.e. it was hard to really taste the lobster).

RUCOLA SELVATICA, RADICCHIO TREVIGIANO E REGGIANO. wild arugula, treviso radicchio, parmigiano reggiano.


From my cellar: 1990 Poderi Aldo Conterno Barolo Vigna Cicala. 94 points. Such a beautiful intense nose of tar, rose petals, leather…wow. Medium structured with great balance. Long and delish.

RAVIOLI DI VITELLO AI PORCINI. home made veal ravioli, porcini mushroom tomato sauce.

FETTUCCINE AL SUGO DI COSTINE DI MAIALE DELLA MONNA. home made fettuccine with slowly braised baby back pork ribs ragout, tomato sauce. Basically a porky Bolognese.


Pumpkin Ravioli. In butter and sage. Apparently very good, but no amareto cookie inside (that’s traditional).

RISOTTO AL ROSMARINO CON SPEZZATINO DI CINGLIALE. rosemary risotto with braised wild boar. It’s hard to pass up cingliale (boar), and this is a good reason why!

AGNELLO IN CROSTA. pan roasted rack of Sonoma lamb in a crust of fine herbs. Nice!


Mediterranean sea bass, simply grilled.


Some sides: beats and broccolini.


More sides: spinach and roasted potatoes.


The dessert menu.


Chocolate tart.


Profiteroles, stuffed with pastry cream.


Panna cotta with nutella. The hazelnut aspect was subtle, but this was delicious.


Crema di amaretto. A layered thing with lady fingers, this had that delicious complex secondary vibe going that I love from good Italian desserts. That’s why I occasionally make my own uber Tiramisu.

Overall, Via Veneto has a great kitchen. As this category of high end Italian Italians in LA goes, this is a very good one. All the food is extremely tasty. Service was good. It’s dark (not a problem) and a little loud. My biggest ding goes for a strict corkage policy of $30 and one bottle. That’s pretty steep, they could do without the bottle limit for those of us who want to work to empty our cellars.

Oh, and if you’re curious how this compares to the “real thing” I have about 50 write ups from Northern and Central Italy here!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Quick Eats: Piccolo
  2. Piccolo – A little Italian
  3. Eating Monteriggioni – Il Pozzo
  4. Eating Tuscany – Boar at Home
  5. Food as Art: Capo
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Italian cuisine, Italy, lamb, pasta, Risotto, Veneto, Venice, Wine

Totorakuly Epic!

Mar13

Restaurant: Totoraku [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Location: 10610 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064.

Date: March 12, 2014

Cuisine: Japanese Yakiniku

Rating: Best beef in town!

_

About twice a year my Hedonist group makes a regular pilgrimage to Totoraku, LA’s “secret beef” restaurant.  Toto (as its affectionatly known ) serves a refined version of Japanese Yakiniku, which is Beef BBQ originally from Korea but filtered through Japanese sensibility.

This time, after some of our 30 person mega dinners, we kept it to just 11 people and vetted the wines to an even higher standard, basically close to 100 points, high pedigree, age, or some combination thereof. As you’ll see, we really tore it up and in terms of pure pleasure this was the most epic Hedonist event yet.

The outside is basically a shell. The “Teriyaki House” has nothing to do with the food within, and the phone number is incorrect. The place is like a beef speakeasy!


NV Billecart-Salmon Rose. Parker 90. The NV Brut Rose emerges from the glass with the essence of freshly cut flowers, berries and minerals in a mid-weight, gracious style. It shows gorgeous inner perfume, along with persistent notes of chalkiness that frame the long, sublime finish. Year in, year out, this estate’s NV Brut Rose is one of the most consistently outstanding wines in the region.


The appetizer plate.


Jellyfish sunomono.


House made black sesame tofu.


Octopus and tomatoes.


On the left abalone (very tender), special marinated okra, and in the middle a yellowtail avocado roll.


2006 Agrapart & Fils Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Venus. Parker 95. The 2006 Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Venus brings together the best qualities of the house style. Rich yet weightless, the Venus impresses for its refined, layered personality. Sweet floral notes, Chamomile, spices and citrus resonate with tons of class and sheer personality. This is yet another great showing from Agrapart. The Venus is made from a tiny parcel in Avize measuring just 0.3 hectares and is farmed entirely by the horse for whom the wine is named.


Uni risotto balls on the right.


Shrimp with endive and caviar.


Mozzarella (or burrata?) with a bit of fruit and fish. On the right a very soft gelatinous thing that probably had some crab in it.


1970 Latour. Parker 98-85. The aromas suggest this wine has peaked with dusty notes of old leather, dried figs and grandma’s room. The tannins have gone a little powdery with the medium+ level of acidity taking centre stage in front of the remaining bits of fruit. Medium to long finish. Perhaps slightly past it but still provides an interesting glass.

agavin: I put in the unusual reverse order because this is a wine in decline, and even Parker has noted it. Our bottle tasted like chocolate coffee syrup. It was interesting, but pretty far gone.


Beef carpaccio with special salt, flowers, and some onion family derivative. Very yummy. This is eaten raw.


1985 Mouton-Rothschild. Parker 90. The rich, complex, well-developed bouquet of oriental spices, toasty oak, herbs, and ripe fruit is wonderful. On the palate, the wine is also rich, forward, long, and sexy. It ranks behind both Haut-Brion and Chateau Margaux in 1985. I am surprised by how evolved and ready to drink this wine is. Readers looking for a big, boldly constructed Mouton should search out other vintages, as this is a tame, forward, medium-weight wine that is close to full maturity. It is capable of lasting another 15+ years. This estate compares their 1985 to their 1959, but to me it is more akin to their 1962 or 1953.

agavin: Our bottle was in great shape and drinking very nicely. Still, this won’t be getting any better.

Two kinds of beef sashimi, eaten nearly raw. On the left beef tataki (rib eye) and on the right (in the cup) beef throat sashimi. Also on the plate is a bit of Korean style hot sauce (the red stuff), some intensely strong garlic (yum) and micro julienned ginger.

The throat was very chewy, more about texture. The rib eye soft and more flavorful. All went well with the garlic and ginger — I particularly liked the garlic.


1988 Lafleur. Parker 93. Consistently one of the strongest candidates for the wine of the vintage, Lafleur’s 1988 has a dark plum/ruby color and a gorgeous nose of white flowers intermixed with kirsch liqueur and raspberries. The wine is full-bodied, sweet, round, and beautifully pure, with moderate tannin, medium to full body, and great elegance and complexity. This wine has come around faster than I would have thought.

agavin: Still needs some time, but was pretty darn nice!


A raw beef dish. Marinated raw beef is seen here with ginger, raw egg, cucumber, daikon, pine nuts, and something orange. Apparently, this is a Korean dish called Yukhoe. Actually, I’ve had it at Korean places, but in any case it’s delicious.


The elements are mixed together and then eaten. It’s hard to describe why it’s so good, but it is, with a very complex flavor and texture interplay.


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

agavin: Burghound must hold Coche up to some very high magical standard, because even though this is a village wine it was fabulous, reduced, and just plain hedonistic.


As any regular Totoraku goer knows, any new dish is a big deal here, as the menu is very consistent. This is one of TWO new specials chef Kaz whipped up for us tonight, Sawara, a kind of Spanish Mackerel. It is considered  the best kind of Mackerel in Japan. Not only it is a big variety, but its comparatively white flesh is succulent in almost any kind of cooking! Here we have it miso marinated and raw. We lightly seared it on the grill and enjoyed!

Awesome and very rich!


2004 Chave Hermitage Blanc. Parker 95. The 2004 Hermitage blanc, which hit 15% natural alcohol, is another superb effort, continuing a succession of totally profound white Hermitages from 2003, 2004, and 2005. As many readers know, this small family producer has been making wine in Hermitage since 1481! The 2004 (about 1000 cases) reveals a light gold color, terrific finesse and elegance in spite of its enormous power, unctuosity, and richness. Of course, it is not as honeyed as the otherworldly 2003 (which hit 16% natural alcohol) but it is an amazingly full-bodied, powerful wine with pervasive honeysuckle, peach liqueur, and nectarine notes intermixed with licorice, quince, and acacia flowers. This is gorgeous wine which should evolve for 20-25 years.

agavin: Unfortunately our bottle was a little corked or oxidized.


Beef tongue with salt. After cooking, you dip it in lemon juice.


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.

agavin: Best Lynch ever, and still an awesome monster.


Filet Mignon with bell peppers, onions, and sisho pepper.


Filet on the grill.


1989 Latour. Parker 89. Neither the 1989 or 1990 wines has budged in quality or development since I first tasted them in cask. I am still disappointed by the 1989, wondering how this chateau produced an elegant, medium-weight wine that seems atypically restrained for Latour. The deep ruby color is followed by a wine with surprisingly high acidity and hard tannin, but not the depth, richness, and power expected from this great estate. This closed wine is admittedly in need of 5-6 years of cellaring, but what is so alarming is its lack of weight, ripeness, and intensity, particularly when compared to the 1990. I suspect there is more than what has been revealed in recent tastings, but this looks to be an excellent as opposed to outstanding wine. In the context of the vintage, it is a disappointment.

agavin: I’d certainly give our bottle better than an 89, but I’d probably agree that Lynch made a better wine in 89!


Outside rib eye with special salt and garlic.


On the grill.


Inside rib eye.


The inside rib eye on the grill.


1998 Lafite-Rothschild. Parker 98. A blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19% Merlot, this wine represents only 34% of Lafite’s total harvest. In a less than perfect Medoc vintage, it has been spectacular since birth, putting on more weight and flesh over the last year. This opaque purple-colored 1998 is close to perfection. The spectacular nose of lead pencil, smoky, mineral, and black currant fruit soars majestically from the glass. The wine is elegant yet profoundly rich, revealing the essence of Lafite’s character. The tannin is sweet, and the wine is spectacularly layered yet never heavy. The finish is sweet, super-rich, yet impeccably balanced and long (50+ seconds).

agavin: This was a contentious wine at our table. I loved it, thinking it had tons of complex character. Some thought it was corked (there was a hint on the nose but I didn’t taste it).


Short rib. It was certainly good, very salted.


The “salad.” Cucumbers, carrots, daikon. They are served with this spicy sweet miso dip. The vegetables do help to move along the fat and protein heavy meat.


Momotaro tomatoes with a vinaigrette. These are supposedly incredibly good tomatoes, as a hater, I didn’t try them. I think Oyama-san gets them from some special place in Orange Country.


From my cellar: 2000 Chateau Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage A Jacques Perrin. Parker 97. The 2000 Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage a Jacques Perrin is a blend of 60% Mourvedre, 20% Grenache, 10% Counoise, and 10% Syrah, the standard blend for this cuvee except for the 1998, which had 60% Grenache and only 20% Mourvedre. The 2000 possesses an impenetrable black/purple color as well as a sumptuous bouquet of melted licorice, creosote, new saddle leather, blackberry and cherry fruit as well as roasted meats. Sweet and full-bodied, with great intensity, huge power, and a finish that lasts for 67 seconds by my watch, this is an amazing tour de force in winemaking. Even in a flattering, forward-styled vintage such as 2000, it will need 7-8 years of cellaring.

agavin: I’m biased, but this was my favorite wine of the night. It was just staggering.


1982 Penfolds Grange. Parker 97. The 1982 is another superb example of that. One of the jammiest, most precocious Granges when it was released, it has never gone through a closed stage and continues to drink beautifully. A full-bodied, opulent Grange, it reveals an inky/purple color to the rim as well as a beautiful nose of crushed blueberries, blackberries, smoke, toast, roasted herbs, and road tar. This dense, plush, expansive, seamless, seductive 1982 has not changed much since I had it nearly a decade ago.

agavin: Also fab, but amazingly (for a 32 year old), it could go for decades more.


You have to special order the lamb, which like all of Kaz’s meats, is pretty wonderful.


Grilling up the chops.


One hell of a chop.

2004 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Falletto. Parker 96. Giacosa’s 2004 Barolo Falletto is so compelling it will be hard not to drink it in its youth. This gorgeous Barolo reveals a deeply structured frame layered with sweet dark fruit, mint, spice and pine. At once delicate and powerful, it is a beautifully finessed wine that is sure to provide much pleasure. A recent bottle of the 1982 is a testament to the virtues of this great site as interpreted by Bruno Giacosa.

agavin: too young.


Skirt steak.


Grilling.

2002 Torbreck Run Rig. Parker 99. The 2002 Run Rig (97% Shiraz and 3% Viognier aged in 100% new French oak) represents the essence of old vine Barossa fruit. Extraordinarily opulent and rich, but playing it closer to the vest than the 2001, it gets my nod as one of the most remarkable wines made in either the Southern or Northern Hemisphere. An inky/purple color is accompanied by a sumptuous bouquet of apricots, honeysuckle, black raspberries, blackberries, licorice, and a hint of roasted meats. The wood has been soaked up by the wine’s extraordinary concentration. Fashioned from four sectors of Barossa (Maranaga, Koonunga Hill, Moppa, and Greenock), it spent 30 months in primarily new oak, and was bottled without fining or filtration.

agavin: also massive and delicious.


Here is our second “newcommer” for tonight. Bacon!!!!! Specially marinated.


And grilled up. Amazing!

2001 Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard. Parker 99. More mature and evolved (or maybe it just has more to it), the 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To-Kalon Vineyard tastes like a great vintage of Pontet-Canet or Mouton Rothschild. This profound Napa Cabernet Sauvignon reveals gorgeous notes of creme de cassis, a celestial floral and espresso character, an inky/purple color, a dense full-bodied mouthfeel and hints of wood smoke and a volcanic/burning ember note. Quite intense with a prodigious mouthfeel and a nearly 60-second finish, this wine can be drunk now or cellared for another quarter of a century. Bravo!

agavin: Massive!


Hmm, can’t remember which meat this was. Too much wine!


Or this one.

1978 Rieussec. Parker 82. The 1978 Rieussec just missed the mark. While quite good, it is not special. Too alcoholic, and a trifle too heavy and overblown, this wine has a nice honeyed character and rich, unctuous flavors, but evidences little botrytis.

agavin: Parker didn’t love it. It certainly isn’t perfect, but we sure enjoyed it!

There was also a 1903 port that I forgot to photo! The bottle was two thirds empty from evaporation but the wine was amazing.


Toto serves homemade ice creams and sorbets as dessert.


So chaotic was this giant night that they brought out all five flavors on each  plate and just placed them about the tables. I like the ice creams better than the sorbets here. The white chocolate was fantastic. Still, it’s all great.

Notice the smokey haze

And this place IS all about the beef, which is arguably some of the best I’ve ever had. Certainly the best yakiniku/Korean BBQ I’ve ever had. There is a perfect tenderness to every cut that’s fairly transcendant. I’m not even that much of a steak fan — but I’d take this stuff any time over even a spectacular cut from Mastros or Cut. The food here does not vary much from visit to visit. There is no menu. The quality however is utterly consistant. So while it isn’t an everyday sort of dining experience, perhaps once every 6-9 months, I love to return for my fix.

This evening was our best time yet. The limited number of people (11), the quality of the wines, and our discipline in pouring them in order really upped the ante. Toto is always fun, but when we have 25-30 people it’s so crazy you can’t even keep track of the wines (let alone the conversation). In that circumstance if someone grabs a bottle away it’s gone forever. Here, it will go around easily and still have a couple inches left for seconds.

We also struck up a couple conversations at adjacent tables and swapped some wines (scoring an 89 Mouton and something else great).

A spectacular evening — really, truly, deeply epic. It was about 5 hours of mind boggling wines and crazy beef.

Me with chef/owner Kaz Oyama. Obviously, he was sharing in the wine!

More crazy Hedonist adventures or

LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Epic Hedonism at Totoraku
  2. Totoraku Double Meat Madness
  3. Totoraku – Hedonists Beef Up
  4. Hedonists at STK
  5. First Growths First
By: agavin
Comments (6)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: beef, hedonists, Japanese cuisine, lamb, Meat, Parker, pork, sawara, secret beef, Totoraku, Yakiniku

Tiffany had a Little Lamb

Feb24

Restaurant: Old Sasoon Bakery

Date: February 21, 2014

Cuisine: Armenian

Rating: Great meat!

_

My Hedonist group periodically does big cookouts at member’s homes. Tonight’s theme is Whole Stuffed Lamb, catered by Old Sassoon Bakery, a Glendale Armenian place.


The romantic little courtyard is packed with 25 or 30 of us gluttons.

Such is our wonderful weather in LA that even in February it’s possible to have an enjoyable dinner on the patio!


The spread.


Some French bread and cheese (not from Sassoon).


Cheese.


And more cheese.


Various pickled vegetables.


Lahmajoune. An Armenian Pizza made with USDA Choice ground beef, fresh tomato, parsley, onion and garlic.


Mohammera. A spicy mix of walnuts, bread crumbs, paprika, pepper paste, and pomegranate juice. I love mohammera, and have even made it. This was (by my taste) a fairly mild version of this dish, but as usual, I loved it.

Hummos. Chickpeas, tahini, garlic, lemon juice and spices. Topped with extra virgin olive oil and a bit of sumac. This was some great hummos, and very fresh.


Pita bread, of course.


A kind of zatar, olive, sandwich. Not my favorite as I don’t like green olives that much.


Stuffed grape leaves. Grape leaves, rice, hint of lemon, oil, spices. Yummy.


Cheese beoregs. Pastry with white simple cheese (and some zatar). I really liked these cheese turnovers. Basically cheesy bread.


Pastry with swiss chard or similar. Not as good as the cheesy ones as the greens had a slightly sour flavor (which is typical of many middle eastern greens).


Kibbe Balls (5 pieces). Lean beef balls mixed with bulghur (cracked wheat), stuffed with ground beef, and onions. Meat torpedo, and not the Spinal Tap version. These were amazing.


A big salad with falafel like crumbs.


Rice mixed with pine-nuts  and ground meat. Goes great with everything.


The whole roast lamb, stuffed with savory rice pilaf, ground beef, nuts, and spices. The meat here was dark, full of flavor, and fell right off the bones. The only thing missing was some yogurt sauce.


My plate (before I went back for the meat).


Various Baklavah. A mix of different pastries. These were fine, with quite a bit of syrup. There were walnut based ones, pine-nut, and pistachio.


Some other more unusual pastries. Some were pressed sesame, others more like slightly sweetened bread.


Just a fraction of the chaos.

Tonight we had a lot of people and a lot of wines. It would be too difficult to mix the wines in with the food so I’ll just picture and list them below. The guests spanned some of us serious collectors to the mere wine appreciators, so the bottles form a mix from the sublime to the ordinary (by our standards).


2005 Pierre Péters Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée Speciale Blanc de Blancs Les Chetillons. IWC 93. Bright yellow-gold. Heady aromas of fresh nectarine, lemon, honeysuckle and ginger are complemented by deeper notes of smoky lees and brioche. Bright citrus zest and quince flavors give way to richer melon and pit fruits with air while maintaining impressive verve and cut. Shows a chewy, dense character without coming off as heavy. Really clings to the palate on the back end, finishing spicy and quite long. I’d have no guilt about polishing off a bottle right now.


2002 Joseph Drouhin Bâtard-Montrachet. Burghound 93. The toast hints this displayed early on have been completely integrated and now the nose is a mix of pure and seductively attractive honeysuckle and white flower aromas that merge seamlessly with gorgeous, round, strikingly powerful and wonderfully textured flavors that offer a fantastic combination of muscle, sweet extract, superb focus and outstanding length. This is exceptionally good Bâtard with simply amazing fruit/acid balance and the still moderately structured finish suggests that this will require a few more years in the cellar to really unwind. An excellent Bâtard.

I agree with Meadows: an excellent Bâtard.


2004 Aubert Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard. IWC 95. Slightly hazy appearance. Musky, highly complex aromas of crystallized lemon peel, pineapple and smoke. Fat and sweet but shapely, with wonderfully tactile flavors of pineapple, grapefruit and minerals. As round and seamlessly sweet as this is, there’s a restraint to the fruit thanks to its terrific acid/alcohol balance. Finishes chewy and gripping, with powerful ripe fruit flavors. This is from a ’71 planting; perhaps due to the age of the vines, the crop level here was a fairly normal 2.5 tons per acre, while Aubert’s other three chardonnays, from younger vines, were in the 1 to 1.5 ton range. This vineyard was harvested last, in mid-September, after the extended heat wave subsided.

I liked the Batard more, but this was a very nice new world Chardonnay.


2010 Henri Boillot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos de la Mouchère. Burghound 93. This is slightly riper and notably more complex than the straight Puligny villages but the aromatic composition is similar save for the trace of mineral reduction that is present here. The racy, intense and strikingly well-delineated flavors possess that really lovely sense of underlying tension that adds lift to the stony, linear and bone dry finish. This is a knockout.

Very young, and a total acid bomb, but highly seductive.


2010 Domaine du Chalet Pouilly Pouilly-Fuissé Leger Plumet. 88 points.



2009 Sine Qua Non On The Lam. IWC 94. (48% roussanne, 34% chardonnay and 18% viognier) Vivid gold. Intense, floral-accented scents of orange zest, pit fruit and candied ginger. Powerful and broad but surprisingly energetic, offering sappy, palate-staining citrus marmalade and peach flavors lifted by tangy acidity. A suave honey note comes up with air and carries through the long, spicy finish.

Extremely perfumed. An unusual and complex white.


From my cellar: 1998 Domaine Anne Gros Clos Vougeot Le Grand Maupertui. Burghound 91. This has finally begun to turn secondary with a soaring nose of spicy plum and moderately earthy aromas that are trimmed in a bit of wood while introducing intense, austere and equally earthy full-bodied flavors that buffer the softening if slightly astringent tannins with impressive sève, all wrapped in a long and strikingly complex finish. At 14 years of age, this is at the inflexion point where it could be drunk by those who like still powerful flavors or, for those who prefer more mature nuances, this could easily be held for another five years or so. Aside from the small amount of residual wood, this has aged beautifully and is just now coming into its own.

Sadly this bottle had a little brett on it, reducing the pleasure.


1978 Château Mont-Redon Châteauneuf-du-Pape. View From the Cellar 95. Medium garnet colour, very bright and clear. Mature nose of medium intensity, with dried fruit, wet cedar wood and earthy forest floor, incense and sweet spice. Palate is medium bodied, elegant and velvety with dried plummy fruit, notes of chocolate, some floral nuances and sweet spice. Finish is medium with just a hint of tannins. Acidity is medium and mouthfell is velvety. Complete mature and complex wine, lovely.

One of my favorite wines of the night. Still a tone of grapey fruit.


1983 Penfolds Cabernet Sauvignon Bin 707. The nose offered a faint hint of blackberry, overlaid with wonderful cedary cigar-box aromas. This smelt uncannily like fine Bordeaux! The palate is now about silky textures, not fruit. ThereÂ’s a velvety sheen to the wine, tannins fully resolved into the gentlest of astringencies – no volatility to speak of but still wonderfully fresh. Medium–bodied in weight, but with exquisite length, this wine is just so beautifully balanced.


1997 Guigal Cote Rotie la Turque. Parker 96. The dense purple-colored, profound 1997 Cote Rotie La Turque (5-7% Viognier added to the blend) offers creme de cassis, licorice, and espresso aromas as well as notions of melted asphalt. Compared to La Mouline, it has additional layers as well as structure, sweet tannin, and exhilarating levels of opulence and ripe fruit.

Our bottle was a little corked.


From my cellar: 2001 Guigal Cote Rotie la Turque. Parker 95-97. Meaty and rich, with notes of Asian spices, espresso roast, creosote, blackberries, and cherries, the 2001 Cote Rotie La Turque is an earthy, powerful, tannic effort with a long, heady, rich finish, and crisper acids than the 2000. Give it 5-8 years of cellaring, and consume it over the following 20-25 years.

Drinking great.


1997 Guigal Cote Rotie la Landonne. Parker 98. The nearly perfect 1997 Cote Rotie La Landonne is an amazing achievement for the vintage. An astonishing saturated purple color is followed by scents of licorice, roasted meats, coffee, toasty oak, plums, and blackberries. The wine is extremely smoky, earthy, and terroir-driven. This 1997 offers exceptional expansiveness on the palate, sweet tannin, low acidity, and a ripe, robust finish. One to three years of cellaring is warranted, but it is capable of lasting for two decades.

Also drinking great.


1981 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection. Parker 91. 1981 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection.

I thought it was gone. Bretty and unpleasant.


1989 Calon Segur. Parker 88. This property has turned in a very good effort in 1989. It possesses a deep ruby/garnet color, a sweet, chewy, dense texture, full body, plenty of alcohol, and moderately high tannin. Quite precocious, it will have a life span of at least 15 years. It reminded me of a downsized version of the 1982, but slightly more rustic.


1995 Gruaud Larose. Parker 89. Revealing more grip and tannin since bottling, the 1995 Gruaud-Larose exhibits a dark ruby color, and a nose of sweet black cherries, licorice, earth, and spice. Rich, with medium to full body, high tannin, and subtle oak in the background, the 1995 is nearly as structured and tannic as the 1996. The two vintages are more similar than dissimilar.


2003 Pape Clement. Parker 94. Deep garnet. Some cedar is still apparent on the very youthful nose, slightly masking the otherwise attractive cranberry, plums and cassis fruit aromas with a whiff of cloves. The palate is well balanced with medium to high acidity and medium to firm, ripe, velvety tannins. Long finish.


2006 Montrose. Parker 94+. The first vintage under new owner Martin Bouygues,who convinced Jean-Bernard Delmas to come out of retirement to produce this wine, the 2006 Montrose is an undeniable success. A blend of approximately two-thirds Cabernet Sauvignon, one-third Merlot, and a tiny dollop of Petit Verdot, the most dramatic difference between the 2006, and wines made by the previous administration is that Jean Delmas produces wines with sweeter, silkier tannins, although analytically, they are as high as those found in the great Montrose vintages of the past. The 2006 is extraordinarily elegant and finesse-styled, but it exhibits stunningly concentrated, sweet blackberry and cassis fruit with hints of flowers and minerals. Full-bodied with a savory, expansive mid-palate as well as sweet, noble tannins, this beauty will benefit from 3-4 years of bottle age, and should drink well for 20-25+ years.

Nice, although still young.


2009 Lynch Bages. Parker 98. Performing even better from bottle than it did from barrel, this appears to be the finest Lynch Bages since the 2000, 1990 and 1989. According to the chateau, the 2009 has the highest level of polyphenols ever measured as well as high alcohol (nearly 13.5%). A blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest largely Merlot with touches of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, it is an expressive, voluptuously textured effort with unctuosity and powerful, juicy, succulent blackberry and black currant flavors, low acids, a layered, massive mouthfeel, but no sense of heaviness or fatigue. This exquisite Lynch Bages should drink well for 30+ years.


2005 Tenuta dell’Ornellaia Masseto. Parker 94. The 2005 Masseto comes across as fresh, vibrant and beautifully delineated. It is a mid-weight wine that will most likely age along the lines of some of the more slender years from the 1980s. Today the 2005 impresses for its length and sheer energy. In this tasting the 2005 comes across as a bit out of place in a flight of wines from ‘challenging’ vintages. The 2005 is a striking Masseto.

Wound up a little tight (i.e., too young).



2002 Marquis Philips Shiraz Integrity. Parker 94-99. The virtually perfect, limited production (1,000 cases) cuvee of 2002 Shiraz Integrity is a 100% Shiraz fashioned from four specific vineyard blocks (surprisingly young vines of 4-6 years in age). It boasts terrific minerality, structure, definition, and prodigious levels of concentration as well as perfume. An inky/black color is followed by aromas of melted road tar, licorice, Asian spices, sweet creme de cassis as well as blackberries, and a hint of acacia flowers. There is compelling density, great purity, and tremendous viscosity, yet it is not over the top. There is real definition/delineation to this large-scaled Shiraz. It was aged in 100% new American oak for 13 months. A tour de force in winemaking, it stood out as one of the most singular and greatest wines I tasted for this report.

Like an explosive grape bomb.



2001 Kongsgaard Syrah Hudson Vineyard. Parker 96. The 2001 Syrah may be the finest yet produced by Kongsgaard. It is a dead ringer for a more exotic version of Chapoutier’s great Le Pavillon (from 80+ year old vines planted in granite soils on the Hermitage Hill). Aromas of white chocolate, ground pepper, blackberries, cassis liqueur, and flowers (lilacs?) is followed by a wine of great density, a certain exoticism, and powerful, thick, huge flavors oozing with extract, glycerin, and personality. There is also considerable tannin as well as decent acidity. This is about as close to a northern Rhone as Kongsgaard Syrahs get. Look for this 2001 to tighten up considerably, and be at its finest between 2007-2020.


2008 Monteverro Monteverro. Parker 93. The 2008 Monteverro is a superb wine from the Tuscan coast. Dark wild cherries, sweet herbs, mocha, espresso and spices are some of the notes that flow from this beautifully balanced, large-scaled red. This shows marvelous depth and nuance, not to mention exceptional harmony. Monteverro is Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot that spent 18 months in French oak. This is an impressive debut. Ideally the wine needs another year or two for the French oak to settle down.


2009 Scarecrow Cabernet Sauvignon Monsieur Ètain. Parker 93. The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon M. Etain is dark, rich, sumptuous and highly expressive. A totally voluptuous wine, the 2009 flows across the palate with layers of dark fruit. Stylistically, the M. Etain is very close to the Scarecrow Cabernet in this vintage, although it has less aromatic complexity and depth. Hints of smoke, tobacco, incense and licorice are layered into the juicy, mid-weight finish.



2006 Shafer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select. Parker 96-97. The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select, which was just released, is a stunningly rich effort displaying notes of licorice, cassis, camphor and subtle toast along with a full-bodied, powerful texture and richness. Very pure with surprisingly sweet tannins for a 2006, it’s long finish lasts over 40 seconds. It should drink well for 25+ years.


I can’t even tell from the front what this is!


2008 Terredora di Paolo Aglianico Campania IGT. 86 points. Nose is fairly muted, both right after opening and a day later. Good color, palate is fairly bright with acidity but that also is a bit muted. Flavor is massive sour cherries and some slight meaty component. It’s a good mid week meal wine.


2012 Cherry Pie (Hundred Acre) Pinot Noir Cherry Tart.


2003 Quinta do Noval Porto Vintage. IWC 94. Saturated deep ruby. Sweet aromas of black cherry, cassis, licorice, molasses, minerals, toffee and violet. Dense, sweet and pliant, with outstanding precision and depth of flavor. Like the Silval, this boasts a seductively creamy texture. The explosive, mounting finish offers a fine dusting of ripe, suave tannins and great breadth. Deceptively easy to taste today owing to its finesse, but it’s hard to believe that it won’t shut down in bottle in the near future. This wine features a particularly high percentage of touriga nacional.


1993 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. Burghound 94. Superb fruit that is stunningly elegant and pure with a complexity and minerality that is spellbinding, leading to finely detailed, beautifully textured flavors and superb length. There is a presence to this that great wines seem to possess and there is good upside here. Simply dazzling with certain urgency that I find riveting. A genuinely great wine.

Drinking fabulously.


1993 Royal Tokaji Wine Co. Tokaji Aszú 6 Puttonyos Mézes Maly. 91 points. Medium golden brown nectar. Powerful, penetrating bouquet of honey and brown sugar. Tremendous density and palate impact yet with a magically light, almost weightless feel to the midpalate and terrific complexity and balancing acidity. Awesome wine, super long finish.

Another stunning Hedonist dinner. These outdoor house parties are a tremendous amount of fun with great food, wine, and company. What more could you ask for?

For more LA dining reviews click here.

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

Related posts:

  1. Big Bottle Madness at Kali Dining
  2. Wine on the Beach
  3. Lazy Hed-Ox-ism
  4. Tar & Roses got your Goat?
  5. Luminous Lechon Pigout!
By: agavin
Comments (3)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: hedonists, lamb

Ultimate Akbar

Jan27

Restaurant: Akbar [1, 2, 3]

Location: 2627 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, Ca 90403. 310-586-7469

Date: January 23, 2014

Cuisine: Indian

Rating: Bold and balanced flavors

ANY CHARACTER HERE

It’s time for my my Hedonist group to return to LA’s best Indian restaurant, Akbar (Santa Monica branch). Too many Indian places focus on low cost buffets of very over cooked food, but Akbar cooks everything to order — even baking their own Naan when you place the order. They are more focused on the cuisine of the Punjab (Northern India), with very good curries and kormas. You can get anything from extremely mild to blow the top of your head off. Once I had the “pepper lamb” on 5 (max heat) and my scalp sweat for hours.

This was one of those really crazy evenings where we took over half the place with 25 people and even more wines! Yarom brought Chef Avi a bunch of his hand shot meats to add into the mix.

The Menu can be found here, although the chef designed our feast directly.


From my cellar: 2000 Chave Hermitage Blanc. Parker 95. A 1,000-case blend of 80% Marsanne and 20% Roussanne, the profound 2000 Hermitage blanc boasts a terrific perfume of honeysuckle, white flowers, peaches, citrus, and minerals. Displaying an unctuous texture along with tremendous glycerin, richness, and depth, it will undoubtedly close down after a few years in the bottle, but for now, it is a spectacularly rich, multidimensional white Hermitage to drink young, then forget about for 5-10 years, after which it will last for 15-20 years.

Good stuff, although it took a few minutes to open. Better drinking right now than my higher rated 96 Chapoutier Blanc I brought to Boa to match with the crab.


1989 Trimbach Riesling Clos Ste. Hune Vendanges Tardives. View from the cellar 96. Complex nose of honey, apricot and light kerosene, peach and orange rind. Full of flavour but there is a wonderful delicacy to the palate. Brilliant acidity that extends and lifts the fruit to another level. A superb stage between youth and maturity. Mesmerizing.

Sweet apricots and really delicious (if you like sweet wines like I do).


Fresh baked Naan, the delicious flat bread cooked in the Tandoor. They make several variants, this one being stuffed with herbs and a light cheese — delicious!


2011 Sine Qua Non The Moment. Parker 95. Starting off the tasting and a prodigious, unctuous white, the 2011 The Moment checks in as a blend of 57% Roussanne, 19% Petit Manseng, 17% Chardonnay and 7% Viognier that spent 16 months in a combination of concrete, new and used barrels, and stainless steel. Offering up notions of marzipan, citrus oil flowers, marmalade and spiced apricots, it flows onto the palate with full-bodied richness and depth that-s balanced by beautiful underlying freshness and clarity. While I would lean towards drinking bottles over the coming 2-3 years, these can absolutely age, and have upwards of 10-15+ years of longevity. Drink now-2017+.

I bet you haven’t seen this, Sine Qua Non pseudo Rhone-style white! It was somewhat similar to the Chave (Roussane) but more open, floral, and less complex.


The chutney’s and pickles. The green one is mint, the yellow-ish coconut, the one with corn spicy-pickled vegetables (yum! and oh, so gut burning) and the back corner a tangy one.


2005 Domaine Y. Clerget Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens. 93 points. Our only Burgundy (with the meal), Michael brought this to prove, “who says you can’t drink big 2005s.” Well he was right. The first few minutes were structured and closed, but it opened up nicely in the glass into a pinot with enough muscle to combat some (but not all) of the spice in the food.


Lamb samosas. Deep fried and…


1989 La Conseillante. Parker 96. Somewhat similar to the 1990, but slightly more structured, with more noticeable tannin and a meatier style, this is still a very perfumed, exotic, expansive, sensationally concentrated wine that should age effortlessly for another 10-15 years. In that sense, it might actually outlast the 1990, but what a pair these two wines make. The wine has a dark garnet/ruby color and fabulous aromatics of black raspberries, kirsch, licorice, and copious amounts of toasted new oak. Relatively full-bodied for a La Conseillante, with great purity, sweet tannin, but noticeable structure and muscle, this is a relatively large-scaled La Conseillante that has always been one of the top wines of the vintage.

Most people loved this wine, and to my taste it was very Bordeaux, with a nice nose. It was silky smooth, with a lot going on in all aspects (nose, attack, mid palette, finish). Tons of lead pencil. There was a little bit much of that Merlot bitter thing going on during the finish for my taste — but very hedonistic!


…stuffed with peas and ground lamb. The insides were scrumptious, just packed with lamby flavor.


2003 Bois de Boursan Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee des Felix. Parker 95. The 2003 Domaine Bois de Boursan Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee des Felix is superb. Showing a mature, yet still lively and fruit-driven profile of sweet currants, saddle leather, truffle, and garrigue, it stays beautifully rich and seductive on the palate, with layers of sweet fruit, no hard edges and a great finish. Certainly a ripe vintage, yet everything is perfectly proportioned, the tannins are sweet and it is a joy to drink. A blend of 65% Grenache and the balance a mix of Mourvedre and Syrah, from 90-year-old vines, it held up beautifully with air and is a raging success in the vintage. It can be consumed now or over the coming 5-8 years or more.

An extremely enjoyable Chateauneuf that had the stuffing for the food.


Tandoori grilled Chilean Sea Bass marinated in herbs. Tender and flavorful!


1985 Paul Jaboulet Aine Hermitage la Chapelle. Parker 91. A saturated dark plum/garnet color with amber at the edge is followed by an attractive smoky, underbrush, and truffle-scented wine with coffee, smoke, cedar, and jammy cassis/plum-like fruit. As the wine sits in the glass, notes of Chinese black tea, pepper, and soy emerge. There is surprising tannin and austerity in the finish, but the aromatics and attack were convincingly rich and intense.

I agree with Parker here. This was a smooth wine, still in fine shape, but a little flabby in the middle/finish. Still, extremely enjoyable.


House specialty lamb chops. Awesomely marinated and coated in cumin. Wow, these were some tasty chops. Too bad they were so small.


From my cellar: 1990 Chateau Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape. Parker 96. Beaucastel made a great Chateauneuf du Pape in 1990. In stylistic terms, it is completely different from the profound 1989. The color is opaque black/ruby/purple. The perfume of smoked meats, coffee, hickory, Asian spices, and black raspberries is sensational. While concentrated, full-bodied, and extremely rich, the wine displays slightly harder tannin, higher acidity, and comes across as a more muscular, less opulent example than the 1989. It is a profound wine, but I would rate it inferior to the 1989 and 1981, yet easily equivalent to the 1983 and 1985. Both Francois and Jean-Pierre Perrin compare their 1990 to the renowned 1967, and both prefer it to their 1989 – high praise!

When I first opened this there was enough funk on the nose that I was worried about cork, but it blew off in a couple of minutes leaving a very lovely, spicy, complex wine in the glass.


A dish of fresh vegetables with a light sauce. Peas, corn, mushrooms, celery, potato.


2004 Clos des Papes Chateauneuf du Pape. Parker 95. The 2004 Clos des Papes Chateauneuf du Pape has turned out to be one of the finest wines of the vintage, tipping the scales at just over 15% alcohol and actually coming a few tenths of a degree within the 2003 and 2005 in terms of power and alcoholic degrees. The wine displays gorgeously sweet black raspberries, kirsch liqueur, and resiny, loamy soil notes. Medium to full-bodied, this blend of 65% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah, and the rest some of the other red varietals that are permitted, is performing beautifully and is certainly one of the vintage’s superstars. The wine is full-bodied, powerful, rich, and as accessible as the 2003, but slightly fresher and not as muscular and thick. Nevertheless, this is a top effort from the father and son team of Paul and Vincent Avril. This wine can be drunk now but can be cellared for 15-20 years.

Also a lot of fun. A little closed at first (still in that phase), but it too because to crack open.


A really yummy cauliflower in a saffron sauce.


2008 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection. Parker 94. The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection is the first example of this cuvee to include Merlot (about 14%) in the blend. The Merlot component has given the wine a cocoa/chocolate nuance to its black currant, licorice-infused fruit. The tannins are velvety soft and the wine is beautifully textured and full-bodied. It is ideal for drinking now and over the next 15 years.

Tasted like Cal Cab.


Akbari Biryani. Bits of lamb, chicken, and shrimp cooked with the rice.


2008 Vineyard 29 Zinfandel Aida. Parker 93. The 2008 Zinfandel Aida Vineyard Estate comes from a vineyard made famous in the early formative years of nearby Turley Cellars. A fascinating blend of 82% Zinfandel, 10% Petite Sirah and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, it boasts a dark plum/purple color as well as a big kiss of mountain berries intermixed with garrigue, lavender, pepper and spice. Elegant yet powerful with a terrific texture, it is a sensational Zinfandel to drink over the next 7-8 years.


The first of several dishes made from Yarom’s kills: deer sausage. This was the same sausage that we had a few weeks earlier at Phong Dinh, but here cooked with onions and cilantro.


1999 Outpost Zinfandel Howell Mountain. Parker 90. An impressive offering, this 1999 Zinfandel exhibits aromas of blueberries, raspberries, minerals, and flowers. The complex aromatics are followed by deep, pure, medium to full-bodied flavors gently infused with high quality toasty oak. Drink this pure, well-balanced effort over the next 6-8 years.

I’m not normally a Zin fan, but the spicy quality here went nicely with the food.


A little curry on the plate. Not the loveliest sight, but it did taste damn good.


Rarely seen 1985 Kistler Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma Valley. Parker 86. This tough-textured, solidly made, muscular Cabernet Sauvignon still exhibits an impressive, nearly opaque, garnet/ruby/purple color, and a reticent bouquet that opens to reveal spicy oak and vague red and black fruits aromas. Tannic, astringent, and hard, with a rough finish, my instincts suggest there is not enough fruit and extract to balance out the wine’s tough tannin and acidity.


A second tandoori fish, this time haddock. This one was smokier in flavor.


2011 Mollydooker Carnival of Love. Parker 93+. Very deep green-purple in color, the 2011 Carnival of Love flaunts a very expressive and fragrant nose with floral notes, roses and potpourri intermingled with toasty black cherries, creme de cassis, chocolate, pepper and accents of cinnamon and cloves. Rich, ripe and full-bodied, this concentrated, single-vineyard 100% Shiraz retains crisp acid, has low to medium levels of soft silky tannins before finishing very harmoniously and long.

The big palette crew loved this wine. Still way too extracted and young for my taste.


I popped back in the kitchen to catch them working the tandoori.


The result, tandoori duck. Lots and lots of flavor as usual.


2010 Purple Angel. This is a Chilean Carmenere.


And more of Yarom’s dear, this time saddle meat spiced and seared. It was tough. Real tough, and this bothered some, but the flavor was delicious: gamey, with pepper and herbs. So I treated it like venison chewing gum and enjoyed.


1999 Delheim Shiraz Vera Cruz Estate. IWC 90. Bright, deep ruby-red. Superripe, exotic, Graves-y aromas of burning tobacco, smoke and road tar. Urgent, superconcentrated wine with a powerful saline quality and a chewy, dense texture buffered by strong acidity. A fascinating if somewhat extreme expression of syrah, with a strong element of baking road tar. Finishes with very suave, building tannins and superb persistence. A retaste of a wine sampled a year ago, and developing splendidly.

I rarely drink South African wines, and when I do, I’m not usually impressed. This, however, while thin, did have an interesting smokey thing going on, almost like an Aglianico. It went well with the food too.


Some of Yarom’s wild boar. This was more tender, but the  flavor wasn’t as spectacular.


2006 Cayuse Syrah en Cerise. Parker 97 . The 2006 Syrah En Cerise Vineyard is a glass-coating opaque purple color. On the nose liquid asphalt, bacon fat, olives, and garrigue-like aromas offer much to contemplate. Intense, balanced, and totally succulent, it boasts a finish that just won’t quit. It delivers impressive immediate gratification but those who can wait for 5-7 years will be well rewarded.


Plain white bismati (Indian) rice.


2002 Lancaster Estate Meritage. Too many wines, didn’t try it.


The coco lamb, one of my favorites when I come here alone. Tender chunks of lamb are drenched in this incredibly heavy, incredibly flavorful curry laced with coconut. Awesome! It’s pretty hot too.


2004 Colgin IX Syrah Estate. Parker 96. Aubert demonstrates a superb know-how with Syrah. These wines are macerated for 35-45 days, and given frequent pump-overs as well as punch-downs. They are aged completely in French oak. The floral-filled 2004 IX Syrah Estate (486 cases) offers super-pure blue and blackberries intermixed with hints of new saddle leather and meat. High but sweet tannins, powerful flavors, and an overall sense of poise characterize this stunning effort.


And the classic: Chicken Tikka Masala. I asked the chef why his is so much better than the vast number of others I’ve tried, being so creamy and aromatic. Apparently, there is a careful balance of timing to avoid burning the cream and converting too much of it into butter, so as to retain the sweet proteins in balance to the acidic tomatoes. However he does it, the results are fabulous.


This is about 1/3 of the table!


1986 Raymond-Lafon. Parker 92. It is hard to believe the 1986 will eclipse the great 1983, but the differences in the two wines are negligible. I do not believe the 1986 makes quite the impact on the palate that the huge, massive 1983 does, but there is a great deal of botrytis, and a profound, penetrating fragrance of cooked pineapple, vanillin, toast, and honeyed peaches. The wine is streamlined, yet also lusciously rich and full-bodied, with crisp, zesty acidity, and a creamy, intense finish.

Enjoyable, but past its prime.


1999 Guiraud. Parker 90. Tasted as part of a vertical held at the chateau. There is a sense of conservatism to the Guiraud 1999, but it still retains attractive scents of dried honey, marmalade and a touch of chlorine. The palate is actually better than the nose, with a lovely seam of acidity and effervescent marmalade and quince-tinged fruit that is very precise toward the long finish. The ’99 should be looked back on as a success in an oft-forgotten vintage.


Kulfi, a kind of ice cream with raisons and nuts. Very delicate and nutty.


1995 Royal Tokaji Wine Co. Tokaji Aszú 6 Puttonyos Mézes Maly. This has whoppingly high (67 grams per liter) dry extract, around a percent more alcohol and correspondingly less residual sugar than its ’95 stablemates. Blueberry, blue plum and honey in the nose, with a faint whiff of burnt sugar. Blueberry, honey, apricot jam and diverse flowers in the mouth. Another case of elegance and delicacy of personality and clear, rarefied flavors, in the context of a wine that is in fact extraordinarily dense and viscous. Terrific length. 2 stars.

By far the best of tonight’s dessert wines.

Kheer. Indian rice pudding. This is always one of my favorites. This particular pudding is very subtle and almond flavored. Some have a stronger cardamon and cinnamon tone.


The chaos!

Akbar has long been my favorite LA Indian, and this meal was probably my best yet there. The balance of items was great — and very plentiful — and the flavors incredibly bright and spot on. That filet tikka masala. Wow. The brothers Kapoor (below) are also wonderful hosts. All in all an exceedingly fun evening.

After dinner, me and Michael, along with a few others, snuck across the street and cracked this Burgundy from my bag, guaranteeing my hangover. 🙂

From my cellar: 1996 Maison Roche de Bellene Chambolle-Musigny VV Collection Bellenum. 93 points. This village wine could easily go on for many years to come. There were a lot of bright red fruits and an almost searing acidity. It’s young and kinda lip smackingly tart. A few more years might round that out.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

Brothers and owners, the Kapoors. On the right chef Avi and on the left Atul.

Related posts:

  1. All Things Akbar
  2. Akbar – Curry not so Hurry
  3. Ultimate Pizza New Years 2012
  4. Ultimate Pizza – The Birthday
  5. Ultimate Pizza – New Years
By: agavin
Comments (2)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Akbar, curry, hedionists, Indian cuisine, lamb, rice pudding, Santa Monica, Wine

Totoraku Double Meat Madness

Oct25

Restaurant: Totoraku [1, 2, 3, 4]

Location: 10610 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064.

Date: October 22 & 23, 2013

Cuisine: Japanese Yakiniku

Rating: Best beef in town!

_

About twice a year my Hedonist group takes over Totoraku. It serves a very refined version of Japanese Yakiniku, which is Beef BBQ originally from Korea but filtered through Japanese sensibility.

Last spring, we took the whole restaurant with 28 people, but the evening was total chaos (albeit fun chaos), and this time we decided to split it into two nights. The first night (which I attended) was 13 people, oriented toward the heavy hitters wine wise, and the second night was about 18-19 with some non drinkers. Still, there were some pretty incredible wines that night too.

Everyone brings a wine vetted by the group and the standard is very high at this event, basically close to 100 points, high pedigree, age, or some combination thereof. As you’ll see, we really tore it up and in terms of scale and wine this was the most epic Hedonist event yet.

The outside is basically a shell. The “Teriyaki House” has nothing to do with the food within, and the phone number is incorrect. The place is like a beef speakeasy!


NV Krug Grande Cuvee. Parker 91-95. The NV Brut Grande Cuvee emerges from the glass with freshly cut flowers, almonds, pastry and spices. This is a relatively floral, bright Grande Cuvee with fewer of the oxidative qualities that are typical of the house style. According to Krug’s ID Code, this bottle is based on the 2004 vintage, which explains the wine’s tense, taut personality. Another year or two on the cork will only help the wine gain expressiveness and depth. Today, the Grande Cuvee is quite reticent and not showing the full breadth of its personality.


1987 Joseph Swan Vineyards Chardonnay Estate Bottled. A bit oxidized. Drinkable, more or less.


1970 Charles Krug Winery (Peter Mondavi Family) Zinfandel. Surprisingly fresh.


The appetizer plate.


Jellyfish!


Uni risotto balls.


Shrimp with endive and caviar. Little okra’s to the left front of them.


1970 Château Haut-Brion. Parker 85. Although surprisingly light-bodied, consistently pleasant and enjoyable, this is an undistinguished effort. The 1970 Haut-Brion has always come across as angular, and lacking the exceptional perfume and complexity this estate can achieve. In this tasting, the wine displayed vegetal, tobacco scents, good spice, some fruit, and a medium ruby color with significant amber. The tannin and acidity were too high for the amount of fruit, glycerin, and extract. Drink it up.


Salmon wrapped in daikon, stuffed with avocado and other vegetables.


Octopus and tomatoes. And in the front, black sesame tofu.


In the front, mushrooms. In the orange thing, tomato salad.


A very soft gelatinous thing that probably had some crab in it.


1983 Joseph Phelps Insignia. 94 points. Transparent ruby. Bit of Madeira on an otherwise rich and complex nose. Focused with gorgeous acidity, fruit and length. Another marvelous mature insignia!


Beef carpaccio with special salt, flowers, and some onion family derivative. Very yummy. This is eaten raw.


w

Two kinds of beef sashimi, eaten nearly raw. On the left beef tataki (rib eye) and on the right (in the cup) beef throat sashimi. Also on the plate is a bit of Korean style hot sauce (the red stuff), some intensely strong garlic (yum) and micro julienned ginger.

The throat was very chewy, more about texture. The rib eye soft and more flavorful. All went well with the garlic and ginger — I particularly liked the garlic.


From my cellar: 1991 Chapoutier Ermitage le Pavillon. Parker 100. This is a Le Pavilion of mythical proportions. Produced from extremely old vines, some dating from the mid-nineteenth century, with yields averaging under 15 hectoliters per hectare, this is the richest, most concentrated and profound wine made in Hermitage. The 1991 Ermitage Le Pavilion follows the pattern of the 1989 and 1990-it is another perfect wine. The saturated black/purple color is followed by a compelling bouquet of spices, roasted meats, and black and red fruits. Enormously concentrated yet with brilliant focus and delineation to its awesomely endowed personality, this extraordinary wine should age effortlessly for three plus decades. Very powerful and full, yet displaying silky tannin, this is a seamless beauty! Anticipated maturity: 2001-2035.


A raw beef dish. Marinated raw beef is seen here with ginger, raw egg, cucumber, daikon, pine nuts, and something orange. Apparently, this is a Korean dish called Yukhoe. Actually, I’ve had it at Korean places, but in any case it’s delicious.


The elements are mixed together and then eaten. It’s hard to describe why it’s so good, but it is, with a very complex flavor and texture interplay.


1994 Penfolds Grange. Parker 91. This is the first vintage where Grange went to a bottle with laser-etched identification numbers to preclude the possibility of fraudulent bottles. The wine, a blend of 89% Shiraz and 11% Cabernet Sauvignon, shows some toasty oak mixed with notes of root vegetables, damp earth, blackberry liqueur, prune, and licorice. The wine is dense, full-bodied, not terribly complex in the mouth, but layered and rich. I would not be surprised to see the rating on this wine improve as this youthful Grange continues to evolve.


Beef tongue with salt. After cooking, you dip it in lemon juice.


1993 Guigal Cote Rotie la Landonne. Parker 88. The great glories of this house are its Cote Roties, of which there are now five separate offerings. The 1993s, which have just come on the marketplace, are from a troublesome vintage for everyone in Cote Rotie, rivaling 1984 in difficulty. Nevertheless, the single-vineyard wines have turned out well. As for the single vineyard wines, they are all excellent in 1993, but more herbaceous and clearly marked by the green pepper smells of slightly underripe Syrah. The most tannic of the three famous single vineyards is the 1993 Cote Rotie La Landonne. It is amazingly powerful and rich for the vintage, and reveals more fruit and intensity than it did prior to bottling. It exhibits a saturated ruby color, and copious amounts of pepper, tar, olives, licorice, and black cherry fruit in the nose. It remains the most muscular and structured of the three wines, and has managed to avoid the hollowness and vegetal character that plague so many 1993 northern Rhones. This Cote Rotie should age gracefully for a decade or more.


Filet Mignon with bell peppers, onions, and sisho pepper.


Filet on the grill.


1996 Guigal Cote Rotie la Landonne. Parker 93-96. The 1996 Cote Rotie La Landonne is a wine with tremendous intensity and tannin, as well as a pronounced roasted herb, smoked meat, and Asian spice-scented nose with tell-tale black fruits, melted tar, and truffle notions in the background. Rich, powerful, and massive, this effort will require 3-4 years of cellaring, and will last for two decades.


The “salad.” Cucumbers, carrots, daikon. They are served with this spicy sweet miso dip. The vegetables do help to move along the fat and protein heavy meat.


2002 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande. Parker 94. One of the best wines of the vintage, this is a classic Pauillac that is a blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Petit Verdot. Dense ruby/purple in color with a glorious nose of melted licorice, lavender, barbecue smoke, black currants, and graphite, the wine is tannic, classically structured with an opaque ruby/purple color, beautiful definition, and a 1996-ish personality. This deep, full-bodied, elegant yet powerful 2002 should age handsomely for over two decades. Some patience will be required since this vintage exhibits more muscle and virility than normal.


Momotaro tomatoes with a vinaigrette. These are supposedly incredibly good tomatoes, as a hater, I didn’t try them. I think Oyama-san gets them from some special place in Orange Country.


2004 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Falletto. Parker 96. Giacosa’s 2004 Barolo Falletto is so compelling it will be hard not to drink it in its youth. This gorgeous Barolo reveals a deeply structured frame layered with sweet dark fruit, mint, spice and pine. At once delicate and powerful, it is a beautifully finessed wine that is sure to provide much pleasure. A recent bottle of the 1982 is a testament to the virtues of this great site as interpreted by Bruno Giacosa.


My first time having this dish. Marinated duck.


The duck grilling. This was a lovely addition to the collection of meats.


1992 Bryant Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. Parker 91. Over the next year readers should be on the lookout for some of the 1,000 case production of Don Bryant’s Cabernet Sauvignon from an old vineyard on Pritchard Hill near the Chappellet Vineyard. Bryant’s 1992 Cabernet Sauvignon offers an impressive black/purple color, rusty tannin, immense concentration, full body, and enormous richness in the finish.


Outside rib eye with special salt and garlic.


The outside rib eye on the grill.


1999 Greenock Creek Shiraz Roennfeldt Road. Parker 98. There are 236 cases of the 1999 Shiraz Roennfeldt Road (also from 65-year-old vines). Although it pushes ripeness to the limit, it does not reveal any raisiny/pruny characteristics. It offers wonderful freshness, good acidity, superb intensity, and copious quantities of blackberry, cassis, crushed rock, floral, and spicy new oak notes. Massive and concentrated with perfect equilibrium, it can be drunk now and over the next 25 years. Kudos to one of the world’s finest wine producers!


Inside rib eye.


The inside rib eye on the grill.


2002 Marquis Philips Shiraz Integrity. Parker 94-99. Deep garnet-brick colored, the 2002 Integrity is a 100% Shiraz that displays evolved leather and tobacco notes intermingled with some meaty and gamey aromas and nuances of coffee, olives and underbrush. Full bodied, it has a coffee flavors in the mouth, medium levels of velvety tannins, and a medium-high acid backbone. It finishes long with notes of eucalyptus showing through. It is drinking now.


“Special” beef. I think it was a form of sirloin. It was certainly good, very salted.


And it on the grill.


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


You have to special order the lamb, which like all of Kaz’s meats, is pretty wonderful.


Grilling up the chops.


One hell of a chop.


2009 Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon RBS To Kalon Vineyard. Parker 96. The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon RBS Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard comes across as dark, plush and inviting, but with greater inner focus and minerality than some of the other wines here. Graphite, smoke, tar and licorice are some of the notes that wrap around the intense, juicy finish. I especially admire the way the RBS grows in the glass as it turns more explosive over time, yet never loses its more refined shades of expression. The RBS is 100% clone 337 from the B1 and B2 blocks. According to winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown, it is the addition of fruit from B2 (new this year) that gives the 2009 much of its personality.


Skirt steak.


And as a final course, the rarely seen but much enjoyed slightly spicy Korean style egg drop soup.


From my cellar: 1990 Chateau d’Yquem. Parker 99. An extraordinary effort, Yquem’s 1990 is a rich and fabulously superb, sweet wine. This wine also possesses lots of elegance and finesse. The wine’s medium gold color is accompanied by an exceptionally sweet nose of honeyed tropical fruits, peaches, coconut, and apricots. High quality, subtle toasty oak is well-integrated. The wine is massive on the palate, with layers of intensely ripe botrytis-tinged, exceptionally sweet fruit. Surprisingly well-integrated acidity, and a seamless, full-bodied power and richness have created a wine of remarkable harmony and purity. Certainly it is one of the richest Yquems I have ever tasted, with 50-100 years of potential longevity. An awesome Yquem!


Toto serves homemade ice creams and sorbets as dessert.

So chaotic was this giant night that they brought out all five flavors on each  plate and just placed them about the tables. I like the ice creams better than the sorbets here. The white chocolate was fantastic. Still, it’s all great.

Chef/Owner Kaz Oyama on the right. Both parties are partaking of my D’Yquem.

And this place IS all about the beef, which is arguably some of the best I’ve ever had. Certainly the best yakiniku/Korean BBQ I’ve ever had. There is a perfect tenderness to every cut that’s fairly transcendant. I’m not even that much of a steak fan — but I’d take this stuff any time over even a spectacular cut from Mastros or Cut. The food here does not vary much from visit to visit. There is no menu. The quality however is utterly consistant. So while it isn’t an everyday sort of dining experience, perhaps once every 6-9 months, I love to return for my fix.

This was a spectacular evening — really, truly, deeply epic. It was about 5 hours of mind boggling wines and crazy beef.

The Wines of Night 2

The next day a further 18 or so Hedonists returned for the exact same meal, but as they brought their own wines (ours being liver food at that point), I light them here too. I didn’t catch 100% of the wines. Missing are the 96 Sassicia, 01 Gaja , 97 Solaia and probably more.



1986 Ducru Beaucaillou. Parker 90-92. At 16 years of age, this wine continues to taste more like a 5 to7-year-old Bordeaux. The color is a handsome dark ruby with just a bit of pink at the edge. The wine exhibits sweet red and black currant fruit intermixed with wet stones, spice, and flowers. Medium-bodied and still moderately tannic, but very concentrated, this firmly structured, slightly austere wine has tremendous upside to it. By the way, this was the first vintage where I began to notice on some bottles the wet cement/damp cardboard aromas that were far more increasingly evident in the subsequent vintages, 1987, 1988, 1989, and 1990. Interestingly, the last five times I have tasted the 1986 Ducru-Beaucaillou, they were totally pristine bottles.


1990 Figeac. Parker 91-94. One of Bordeaux’s most schizophrenic properties, as disappointing as Figeac’s 1989 has turned out, the 1990 is fabulous. This property has not made a wine as rich as the 1990 since 1982. In contrast to the 1989, the 1990 is a great Figeac, potentially a richer, more complete and complex wine than the 1982. The 1990 exhibits a saturated dark purple color (somewhat atypical for Figeac), and a gorgeous nose of olives, fruitcake, jammy black fruits, minerals, and licorice. Medium to full-bodied, with gobs of glycerin-imbued, sweet, jammy fruit, this wine is nicely buttressed by moderate tannin and adequate acidity. Fleshy and rich, as well as elegant and complex, it is approachable because of the wine’s sweet fruit, but it promises even more pleasure with 2-4 more years of bottle age; it will last for 20 years. I predict the 1990 Figeac will have one of the most exotic and compelling aromatic profiles of the 1990s. It is a terrific wine!


1982 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande. Parker 100. One of the monumental wines of the last century is the 1982 Pichon Lalande. Since bottling, it has flirted with perfection, and was a sprinter out of the gate, which gave rise to questions about how quickly it would begin its decline. However, at age 27, it retains all its glossy, rich, flamboyant cassis fruit, chocolaty, berry jam-like notes, and plenty of earthy, foresty flavors. This is a full-bodied, extravagantly rich Pichon Lalande seemingly devoid of acidity and tannin, but the wine is incredibly well-balanced and pure. It is an amazing effort!


1985 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande. Parker 90-91. Fully mature, this wine shows some pink at the edge, a sweet nose of herb-tinged cherries and black currants intermixed with dusty notes and new oak. The wine is medium-bodied, elegant, very flattering, and perfumed. It does not have the weight, depth, or dimensions of the top vintages, but is quite seductive.


1982 Certan de May. Parker 92-98. A murky, dense, opaque garnet color is followed by spectacular aromatics of roasted herbs, smoked meats, cedar, prunes, black cherries, and black currants. Rich, powerful, and full-bodied, with a thick, unctuous texture, considerable fat and glycerin, and dazzling concentration, Certan de May has not produced a wine of such intensity, thickness, and aging potential since their 1949, 1948, 1947, and 1945.


1961 Château Brane-Cantenac. RJ Wine 93. This looks fully mature. Initially there are some sandalwood notes on the nose, then some high tones. The palate is open, and nice and clean with some acidity lending a freshness, but nowhere near that of the Giscours. It’s a tiny bit dried out, but there is still some good black fruit in there on the palate. Returning to this later, it was becoming very secondary and faded on both the nose and the palate.


2000 Du Tertre. Parker 91. A dense purple color is followed by layers of concentrated blackberry fruit intertwined with damp earth, mushroom, and sweet, toasty barrique smells. With ripe tannin, medium to full body, a layered texture, and a concentrated, impressively endowed finish, this is the finest Du Tertre since their 1979. This is a property on the move … up!


1995 Chateau Rayas Fonsalette Cotes du Rhone. Parker 90. The 1995 Chateau Fonsalette Cotes du Rhone is a twenty-year wine that requires 4-5 years of cellaring. It exhibits a black/purple color, good acidity and tannin, a closed, dense, moderately tannic personality, exceptional richness, and a powerful, full-bodied finish. Yields of 30 hectoliters per hectare were slightly higher than the 15-20 achieved in 1996. This is a wine for those who cannot find or afford to purchase Rayas.


Grace family Cabernet Sauvignon (can’t read the vintage).


1996 Chapoutier Ermitage l’Ermite. Parker 99-100. One of the candidates for France’s wine of the vintage is unquestionably Chapoutier’s 1996 Hermitage l’Ermite. In October, 1997 I reported that this was a virtually perfect wine made from a small parcel of vines, believed to be over 100 years old, located close to the tiny white chapel owned by the Jaboulets on the highest part of the Hermitage Hill. Yields were a minuscule 9 hectoliters per hectare. Now that this wine is in bottle, it is unbelievable! Unfortunately, only 30 cases were exported to the United States. The wine boasts a saturated black/purple color, as well as a phenomenal nose of rose petals, violets, blackberries, cassis, and pain grille. In the mouth, it is phenomenally rich, with a viscous texture, and a multidimensional, layered finish that lasts for over a minute. Its purity, perfect equilibrium, and unbelievable volume and richness are the stuff of legends.


2010 Saxum Terry Hoage Vineyard. Parker 94+. Here in its first vintage, the 2010 Terry Hoage Vineyard bursts onto the palate with rich, dark fruit. The weight power and richness of Syrah comes through beautifully in the layered, sumptuous wine. Flowers, licorice, mint, tobacco and grilled herbs wrap around the finish. The 2010 boasts serious density and fabulous overall balance. It is terrific first effort. The blend is 46% Syrah, 33% Grenache and 21% Mourvedre.


1989 Marcel Deiss Riesling Bergheim.


1976 De Suduiraut. Parker 92. For me, the 1976 is the greatest Suduiraut of the seventies, and the only wine other than the 1989 that resembles the magnificent 1959 this property produced. Medium to dark amber/gold, this full-bodied, massive wine has a very intense bouquet of vanillin oak, ripe pineapples, and melted caramel. Very deep and viscous, this is a decadently opulent Suduiraut with enormous presence in the mouth.


Vin Santo Del Chianti. Silvio Nardi.

The madness!

More crazy Hedonist adventures or

LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Totoraku – Hedonists Beef Up
  2. Epic Hedonism at Totoraku
  3. Totoraku – Secret Beef!
  4. Big Bottle Madness at Kali Dining
  5. Hedonists at STK again!
By: agavin
Comments (4)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: beef, Chardonnay, Charles Krug Winery, Château Haut-Brion, Dessert, duck, hedonists, Ice cream, Japanese cuisine, Kaz Oyama, lamb, Los Angeles, Totoraku, Wine, Zinfandel

Spice Up Your Life Szechuan Style

Sep23

Restaurant: Cui Hua Lou [1, 2, 3]

Location: 920 E Garvey Ave. Monterey Park, CA 91755. 626-288-2218

Date: September 20, 2013

Cuisine: Szechuan Chinese

Rating: Awesome!

ANY CHARACTER HERE

Chinese food is incredible regional, and we are blessed in SoCal with a lot of very specific restaurants (mostly in the San Gabriel Valley). Yarom (the leader of my Hedonist group) invited me out to try some spicy Szechuan and a totally undiscovered place he found while wandering around. We love Szechuan for its spicy/smoky flavors. This is a cuisine that packs a real punch and is one of my favorites in China.


The storefront, as usual, isn’t much to look at.


A menu with fairly literal translations.


And the usual minimalist decor.


1999 Joseph Phelps Sauvignon Blanc. IWC 87. Expressive, floral aroma combines melon, grapefruit, mint, licorice and fresh herbs. Supple yet tangy and firm, with nicely focused flavors of lemon, grapefruit, licorice and fresh herbs. Slightly elevated alcohol leavened by brisk acidity. Nice combination of texture and brightness.


Seaweed with chilies. Very pleasant, with a firmness and just a bit of heat.


Jellyfish heads and cucumber. More a texture dish, but it had a bit of a vinegary tang.


2011 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett. IWC88. Aromas of passion fruit and nut oil. The creamy tropical fruits flavors are light, well-balanced and elegant. Certainly fun to drink.


Cured beef shank. Like Chinese pastrami, with a bit of a smokey flavor.


Shredded stomach with scallion. Pork stomach really. I’m not an offal fan, but this was as good as stomach gets.


2007 Lamborghini (La Fiorita) Era Umbria IGT. 88 points. Good dark fruit and cherries on the nose. Significant fruit in the taste along with some herbal notes and good acidity. Medium length with some good tannins at the later part. May need more time to develop.


Stewed lamb in casserole (house special #1).


Inside the hot pot. This stuff was awesome. Probably the best dish (of many). Tasty tender lamb and this amazing hot chili sauce that really had a nice flavor.


Skewers of lamb on the left and Chinese hot dog on the right. Both were rubbed with cumin, making the lamb classic cumin lamb. The sausages were amazing, like sweetish hotdogs rubbed in cumin.


Some more skewers, lamb and chicken wing.


2009 Kongsgaard Syrah. Parker 97. The 2009 Syrah Hudson Vineyard is simply breathtaking. White flowers, spices, savory herbs, licorice, graphite and new leather are some of the many nuances that add complexity to a core of deeply expressive dark fruit. The 2009 impresses for its stunning textural elegance and sheer brilliance.


Cured beef shank in sesame bun. Basically Chinese pastrami sandwich!


Sweet and sour fish. Nice tender Tilapia with a flavorful sweet sauce.


1996 Lanessan. Parker 88. A sleeper of the vintage, Lanessan’s 1996 boasts an impressively saturated dark ruby/purple color, and knock-out aromatics of melted chocolate, asphalt, and cassis. Deep, rich, and medium-bodied, with excellent concentration and purity, this impressively-endowed, flavorful, well-structured wine should be at its finest between 2004-2016.


Beef tendon Xing Ziang Style. Unusual but pleasant texture in a tasty spicy sauce.


Potato with chili. Basically shredded potato with a slight vinegar and oil tang.


2011 Joh Jos Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese. Parker 94. A yeasty, smoky prickle as well as the effect of dissolved CO2 causes the nose to wrinkle from a glass of Prum’s 2011 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese A.P. #18, but behind that are heliotrope and lily-of-the-valley along with ripe apple, pear and melons that in turn inform a delicate, subtly creamy palate of striking transparency to stony, crystalline, alkaline and smoky black tea and liquid floral nuances. This shimmers and excites even as it soothes in a lingering, uplifting, glowing finish. It will certainly merit attention for the better part of a half century.


Kung Pao Chicken. One of the best versions of this classic dish I’ve ever had. Lots of very flavorful Szechuan peppers.


1999 Guiraud. Parker 90. Tasted as part of a vertical held at the chateau. There is a sense of conservatism to the Guiraud 1999, but it still retains attractive scents of dried honey, marmalade and a touch of chlorine. The palate is actually better than the nose, with a lovely seam of acidity and effervescent marmalade and quince-tinged fruit that is very precise toward the long finish. The ’99 should be looked back on as a success in an oft-forgotten vintage.


Pork XO sauce fried noodle.


You mix it up like this and there is lots of pleasant heat to go with the al dente noodles.


Check out that chili oil left in the bowl!


Twice cooked pork. Another fabulous dish. The pork had some heat and sweetness, with a whole lot of flavor.


Ma Po Tofu. One of my favorite dishes. This classic Szechuan dish was the spiciest of the night. The pleasant soft tofu is just on fire. The name literally translated as “Pocked Marked Old Lady Face Tofu” which is quite amusing.


Fried corn. Slightly sweet and passed for a dessert. But afterward,  we went down the street to a shaved ice place, which I’ll blog about seperately.

In conclusion, Cui Hua Lou, while apparently totally undiscovered, offers up some fabulous traditional Szechuan fare. If you like spicy, this place was really very good. Cheap too as this feast, including tax and tip, set us back $21 a person!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

Related posts:

  1. Hedonists Hunan Style
  2. Birthday Party, Hedonist Style
  3. Sicilian Style – Drago
  4. Food as Art: Chanukah in Style
  5. Life of Pi – part deux
By: agavin
Comments (6)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Chinese cuisine, Cui Hua Lou, hedonists, Hot Sauce, Joh. Jos. Prüm, lamb, Ma Po Tofu, Monterey Park, san Gabriel valley, Sichuan, Szechuan, Szechuan Chinese, Szechuan Pepper

Lazy Hed-Ox-ism

Jul31

Restaurant: Lazy Ox Canteen

Location: 241 South San Pedro Street, Los Angeles, California 90012. 213-626-5299

Date: July 30, 2013

Cuisine: American

Rating: Fab Fun

_

Lazy Ox Canteen is a regular spot on the Hedonist rotation. This downtown eatery is very much in the LA Zeiltgeist, offering up drinks, hard surfaces, paper menus, and really tasty ingredient driven flavor forward food.



There is even outside dining, a downtown rarity.


But the interior is all gastro pub.

As usual with Hedonist events, we all bring lots and lots of great wine (corkage free!).

1985 Bouchard Père et Fils Bâtard-Montrachet. In great shape, honeysuckle and creme brûlée.

Pigs ear chicharrones. escabeche, tomatillo salsa, harissa.

Holy piggy, I’m eating a pig ear!


2008 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault Clos de la Barre. Burgound 90. As it almost always is, this is aromatically more refined with admirably pure and wonderfully fresh hazelnut and peach aromas laced with discreet exotic fruit and citrus hints adding pretty top notes. There is good volume to the precise and energetic middle weight flavors that possess a bit more underlying material and fine length on the bone dry finish. I particularly like the complexity and overall sense of harmony.

Chicken liver pate violet mustard, grilled bread, pickled vegetables.

Like Rosh Hashanah.

2001 Gros Frère et Sœur Clos Vougeot Musigni. Burghound 88. Less expressive than the Grand Echézeaux with the classic young Clos de Vougeot austerity and flavors that are powerful but not as big or weighty as the GE. There is lovely length, good precision and this finishes with a dusty, earthy, beautifully complex quality. In short, this is delicious and well made.

Caramelized cauliflower chili flake, lime, pine nuts.

Very similar to the Gjelina dish, but still great.


1999 Louis Jadot Echezeaux. 95 points. Wine had a beautiful, intense aroma of bark, tar and musty dark fruits. On the palatte, lots of dark fruits–blackberries, black cherries and cassis. Lots of forest floor hints, and great minerality. If I had one complaint, albeit a very minor one, this wine lacked ever-so-slightly in elegance–I guess there’s the difference between this one and a Grand Echezeaux. The wine was medium to full bodied, showing wonderfully with still a bit of soft tannins on exhibit. I think this wine is in a great spot right now. As I always say, there’s no better wine than a fine burgundy–this and the Echezeau are prime examples. An extremely enjoyable wine!

Momotaro tomato kale lollipops, cilantro basil paste, balsamic, pinenut.


1969 Gevrey-Chambertin Cave Bouvier. Not in bad shape at all for 44 year old pinot noir. Still some fruit, and not particularly oxidized. Tasted like strawberry jam!


Green salad.

1961 Beychevelle. Parker 89. An excellent, but not outstanding effort for the vintage, the 1961 Beychevelle exhibits a healthy, dark ruby/plum-like color, attractive, cedary, ripe fruit, a round, generous, expansive palate, and a lush finish.

Really in excellent shape as well, considering.


Can of sardines aged galician sardines, herb salad, butter.


1970 Haut Brion. Parker 85. Although surprisingly light-bodied, consistently pleasant and enjoyable, this is an undistinguished effort. The 1970 Haut-Brion has always come across as angular, and lacking the exceptional perfume and complexity this estate can achieve. In this tasting, the wine displayed vegetal, tobacco scents, good spice, some fruit, and a medium ruby color with significant amber. The tannin and acidity were too high for the amount of fruit, glycerin, and extract.

Our bottle was a bit oxidized. It tasted porty with strong cassis tones.

Pescatore handmade basil pasta, manila clam, pei. mussle.


1978 Château Mont-Redon Châteauneuf-du-Pape. 95 points. Medium garnet colour, very bright and clear. Mature nose of medium intensity, with dried fruit, wet cedar wood and earthy forest floor, incense and sweet spice. Palate is medium bodied, elegant and velvety with dried plummy fruit, notes of chocolate, some floral nuances and sweet spice. Finish is medium with just a hint of tannins. Acidity is medium and mouthfell is velvety. Complete mature and complex wine, lovely.

Pan fried mackerel horseradish salsa, marinated tomato, potato salad.


1994 Chapoutier Ermitage le Pavillon. Parker 96. The 1994 Le Pavilion is a blockbuster, phenomenally concentrated wine. Le Pavilion is generally among the top three or four wines of France in every vintage! The 1994’s opaque purple color, and wonderfully sweet, pure nose of cassis and other black fruits intertwined with minerals, are followed by a wine of profound richness, great complexity, and full body. It is almost the essence of blackberries and cassis. There is huge tannin in this monster Hermitage, that somehow manages to keep its balance and elegance. Made from a parcel of vines (which I have walked through), some of which predate the phylloxera epidemic, the 1994 Ermitage Le Pavilion should be purchased only by those who are willing to invest 10-12 years of cellaring. It will not reach full maturity before the end of the first decade of the next century, after which it will last for 30 + years.

Porcini risotto asparagus, parmigiano reggiano.


2006 Luciano Sandrone Barolo Cannubi Boschis. Parker 97. The 2006 Barolo Cannubi Boschis is seductive, round and sweet in its ripe dark fruit. The wine continues to gain weight in the glass, showing a level of density that nearly manages to cover the tannins. Floral notes add lift on the finish. This is a powerful, linear Cannubi Boschis with tons of energy and muscle, but it will require quite a bit of patience. Sandrone harvests his three parcels in Cannubi Boschis separately. Vinification takes place in stainless steel. The wines undergo malolactic fermentation and are aged in 500-liter barrels (roughly 20% new) for a year. Once the final blend is assembled, the wine goes back into oak for another year prior to being bottled in the spring. Sandrone is one of the earliest producers to bottle, which he does to preserve as much freshness as possible.

Way too young though. Big Barolos are best after at least 15 years in the bottle.


Southern style whole fried chicken • biscuits + honey, collard greens, coleslaw.

This was some great fried chicken. Not as good as the ad hoc, but still great.


2007 Petrolo Galatrona IGT. Parker 95+. Petrolo’s 2007 Galatrona (Merlot) is another of the successes of the vintage. It is a dark, seamless Galatrona packed with dark fruit, cassis, minerals and French oak. Despite the wine’s opulence and richness, the fruit retains considerable clarity as well as nuance. Today the French oak is a touch pronounced, but in a few years this dense, plush Merlot from impeccably-farmed hillside vineyards should be firing on all cylinders.

Lazy ox burger bravo farms white cheddar, whole grain mustard, kennebec frittes.


Kongsgaard & Hatton Merlot Arietta Hudson Vineyard.

Lamb rack curry couscous, morel gravy, kale lollipops.

Really nice lamb.


2001 Jean-Michel Gerin Côte-Rôtie La Landonne. Parker 89-92. Made from 100% Syrah, the 2001 Cote Rotie La Landonne exhibits a saturated blue/purple color in addition to pure notes of liquified minerals intermixed with creosote, blackberries, and blueberries. Dense, ripe, peppery, and rich, this is an impressive effort for the vintage, but patience is warranted.

Brussel sprout garlic, chili, lime, crispy bacon.

This too is like Gjelina.


1996 Lynch Bages. Parker 93. The 1996 exhibits a dark plum/ruby/purple color that is just beginning to lighten at the edge, surprisingly velvety tannins and a classic Pauillac bouquet of lead pencil shavings, cedarwood, black currants, sweet cherries and spice box. This medium to full-bodied, elegant, savory, broad wine is still five years away from full maturity. It should continue to drink well for another 10-15 years.

Panna cotta vanilla panna cotta, strawberry jam, mint leaf.

Very light and refreshing.


1997 Joseph Phelps Insignia Proprietary Red Wine. Parker 96. The prodigious 1997 Insignia (83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, and 3% Petit-Verdot) lives up to its pre-bottling promise. Tasted on three separate occasions, every bottle has hit the bull’s eye. The color is a saturated thick-looking blue/purple. The nose offers up explosive aromas of jammy black fruits, licorice, Asian spices, vanillin, and cedar. Full-bodied as well as exceptionally pure and impressively endowed, this blockbuster yet surprisingly elegant wine cuts a brilliant swath across the palate. A seamless effort with beautifully integrated acidity, sweet tannin, and alcohol, it is still an infant, but can be drunk with considerable pleasure.

Rice pudding caramel, cookie crumb.

I love rice pudding.


2004 Lucien Le Moine Corton-Charlemagne. Burghound 91-94. Mild reduction and pain grillé set off green apple, pear and white peach aromas that merge into rich, concentrated and very powerful full-bodied flavors that possess superb levels of dry extract and a strikingly long and driving finish that really stains the palate. This too finishes bone dry and will require extended cellar time to see its apogee.

Butterscotch pudding caramel, vanilla cookie crumb.

And I can’t say which I like better, rice pudding or butterscotch? It’s so hard to decide.

House made donut chocolate custard, caramelized apple. Who can knock a great donut?

All in all, this was another blockbuster Hedonist night. The food was awesome, tasty, and extremely wine friendly. They brought out the dishes mostly one at a time (which us photographers and drinkers love) and the wine was really to my taste tonight because there were a lot of Burgs, older stuff, and great Rhones. Yum. Good thing for the milk thistle (hangover cure).

Plus, the company as usual was awesome!

More crazy Hedonist adventures or

LA dining reviews click here.

Not all Hedonists are big middle aged guys working on their guts!

Related posts:

  1. Totoraku – Hedonists Beef Up
  2. Hedonists at STK
  3. Hedonists at STK again!
  4. Wine on the Beach
  5. Never Boaring – Il Grano
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Bâtard-Montrachet, Bouchard Père et Fils, Clos de Vougeot, Échezeaux, Grands Échezeaux, hedonists, lamb, Lazy Ox, Lazy Ox Canteen, Los Angeles, Maison Louis Jadot, Meursault, Wine
Older Posts »
Watch the Trailer or

Buy it Online!

Buy it Online!

96 of 100 tickets!

Find Andy at:

Follow Me on Pinterest

Subscribe by email:

More posts on:



Complete Archives

Categories

  • Contests (7)
  • Fiction (404)
    • Books (113)
    • Movies (77)
    • Television (123)
    • Writing (115)
      • Darkening Dream (62)
      • Untimed (37)
  • Food (1,765)
  • Games (101)
  • History (13)
  • Technology (21)
  • Uncategorized (16)

Recent Posts

  • Happy Hibi
  • Eating Naples – Palazzo Petrucci
  • Eating San Foca – Aura
  • Eating Otranto – ArborVitae
  • Eating Lecce – Gimmi
  • Eating Lecce – Varius
  • Eating Lecce – Duo
  • Eating Lecce – Doppiozero
  • Eating Torre Canne – Autentico
  • Eating Torre Canne – Beach

Favorite Posts

  • I, Author
  • My Novels
  • The Darkening Dream
  • Sample Chapters
  • Untimed
  • Making Crash Bandicoot
  • My Gaming Career
  • Getting a job designing video games
  • Getting a job programming video games
  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer
  • A Game of Thrones
  • 27 Courses of Truffles
  • Ultimate Pizza
  • Eating Italy
  • LA Sushi
  • Foodie Club

Archives

  • May 2025 (4)
  • April 2025 (4)
  • February 2025 (5)
  • January 2025 (3)
  • December 2024 (13)
  • November 2024 (14)
  • October 2024 (14)
  • September 2024 (15)
  • August 2024 (13)
  • July 2024 (15)
  • June 2024 (14)
  • May 2024 (15)
  • April 2024 (13)
  • March 2024 (9)
  • February 2024 (7)
  • January 2024 (9)
  • December 2023 (8)
  • November 2023 (14)
  • October 2023 (13)
  • September 2023 (9)
  • August 2023 (15)
  • July 2023 (13)
  • June 2023 (14)
  • May 2023 (15)
  • April 2023 (14)
  • March 2023 (12)
  • February 2023 (11)
  • January 2023 (14)
  • December 2022 (11)
  • November 2022 (13)
  • October 2022 (14)
  • September 2022 (14)
  • August 2022 (12)
  • July 2022 (9)
  • June 2022 (6)
  • May 2022 (8)
  • April 2022 (5)
  • March 2022 (4)
  • February 2022 (2)
  • January 2022 (8)
  • December 2021 (6)
  • November 2021 (6)
  • October 2021 (8)
  • September 2021 (4)
  • August 2021 (5)
  • July 2021 (2)
  • June 2021 (3)
  • January 2021 (1)
  • December 2020 (1)
  • September 2020 (1)
  • August 2020 (1)
  • April 2020 (11)
  • March 2020 (15)
  • February 2020 (13)
  • January 2020 (14)
  • December 2019 (13)
  • November 2019 (12)
  • October 2019 (14)
  • September 2019 (14)
  • August 2019 (13)
  • July 2019 (13)
  • June 2019 (14)
  • May 2019 (13)
  • April 2019 (10)
  • March 2019 (10)
  • February 2019 (11)
  • January 2019 (13)
  • December 2018 (14)
  • November 2018 (11)
  • October 2018 (15)
  • September 2018 (15)
  • August 2018 (15)
  • July 2018 (11)
  • June 2018 (14)
  • May 2018 (13)
  • April 2018 (13)
  • March 2018 (17)
  • February 2018 (12)
  • January 2018 (15)
  • December 2017 (15)
  • November 2017 (13)
  • October 2017 (16)
  • September 2017 (16)
  • August 2017 (16)
  • July 2017 (11)
  • June 2017 (13)
  • May 2017 (6)
  • March 2017 (3)
  • February 2017 (4)
  • January 2017 (7)
  • December 2016 (14)
  • November 2016 (11)
  • October 2016 (11)
  • September 2016 (12)
  • August 2016 (15)
  • July 2016 (13)
  • June 2016 (13)
  • May 2016 (13)
  • April 2016 (12)
  • March 2016 (13)
  • February 2016 (12)
  • January 2016 (13)
  • December 2015 (14)
  • November 2015 (14)
  • October 2015 (13)
  • September 2015 (13)
  • August 2015 (18)
  • July 2015 (16)
  • June 2015 (13)
  • May 2015 (13)
  • April 2015 (14)
  • March 2015 (15)
  • February 2015 (13)
  • January 2015 (13)
  • December 2014 (14)
  • November 2014 (13)
  • October 2014 (13)
  • September 2014 (12)
  • August 2014 (15)
  • July 2014 (13)
  • June 2014 (13)
  • May 2014 (14)
  • April 2014 (14)
  • March 2014 (10)
  • February 2014 (11)
  • January 2014 (13)
  • December 2013 (14)
  • November 2013 (13)
  • October 2013 (14)
  • September 2013 (12)
  • August 2013 (14)
  • July 2013 (10)
  • June 2013 (14)
  • May 2013 (14)
  • April 2013 (14)
  • March 2013 (15)
  • February 2013 (14)
  • January 2013 (13)
  • December 2012 (14)
  • November 2012 (16)
  • October 2012 (13)
  • September 2012 (14)
  • August 2012 (16)
  • July 2012 (12)
  • June 2012 (16)
  • May 2012 (21)
  • April 2012 (18)
  • March 2012 (20)
  • February 2012 (23)
  • January 2012 (31)
  • December 2011 (35)
  • November 2011 (33)
  • October 2011 (32)
  • September 2011 (29)
  • August 2011 (35)
  • July 2011 (33)
  • June 2011 (25)
  • May 2011 (31)
  • April 2011 (30)
  • March 2011 (34)
  • February 2011 (31)
  • January 2011 (33)
  • December 2010 (33)
  • November 2010 (39)
  • October 2010 (26)
All Things Andy Gavin
Copyright © 2025 All Rights Reserved
Programmed by Andy Gavin