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Eating Mammoth – Morrison’s

Apr15

Location: 3516 Main St, Mammoth Lakes, CA 93514. (760) 934-7427

Date: March 24, 2019

Cuisine: American

Rating: Good for Mammoth

Somehow, in all my trips to Mammoth (probably at least 30) I never noticed Morrison’s.

But always trying to mix things up I figured to try it once I did. Looks pretty much like a typical Mammoth Lakes place.

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

The menu (forgot to photo the appetizer page apparently).

Shrimp and guac. Sort of a strange combo (guacamole in underneath) but worked out well enough.

SMOKED CRISPY CHICKEN WINGS. Hot buffalo or original matsu sauce with ranch dressing. Dressing was on the side because my brother doesn’t like sauce.

CAESAR SALAD. Spanish anchovies, sourdough croutons, parmesan cheese with homemade dressing.

WHOLE BRANZINO PAN FRIED. European sea bass in fine herb marinate, kalamata olives with cherry heirloom tomatoes and capers, served with basmati rice and seasonal vegetables.

Simple pasta for my son.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH RAVIOLI. Sauted in butter, fresh basil, toasted pine nuts with parmigiano-reggiano.

DUCK MOLE. Sauted breast, leg confit with a chocolate pecan mole sauce, roasted gold fingerling potatoes and seasonal vegetables. I would have liked a more pronounced mole flavor, but it was decent.

SCOTTISH SALMON. Crispy skin scottish salmon, served with a lobster and citrus bur blanc sauce with capers, chive mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables.

The dessert menu.

Belgian Chocolate Ganache. Raspberry coulis, amaretto creme anglaise and fresh berries. Very dark and dense!

Vanilla ice cream.

For Mammoth, Morrison’s was pretty good. It would be old fashioned in LA, but here it’s competent. Way better than something like Rafters.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: American Food, Mammoth, Mammoth Lakes, Morrison's

Eating Mammoth – Jimmy’s

Feb15

Restaurant: Jimmy’s Taverna

Location: 248 Old Mammoth Rd, Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546. (760) 934-2515

Date: January 3, 2018

Cuisine: Vaguely Greek

Rating: Nice decor, middling execution

I’ve been to Jimmy’s once before and found it middling, as it “seems” like a Greek Taverna but doesn’t really satisfy with the hearty classic food like the real versions (I’ve spent 4 summers in Greece). They do have a nice build out and friendly service, however. Plus when I had a reservation screw up (on my part) they were extremely accommodating.

The menu reads ok.

From my cellar: 2007 Domaine Robert Chevillon Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Pruliers. BH 91-93. A distinctly animale note characterizes the more deeply pitched nose that is very Nuits in character with pungent earth notes suffusing the red and blue pinot fruit aromas that introduce rich, full and seductive medium plus weight flavors as the dry extract confers a velvety quality to the wonderfully complex finish that delivers outstanding length. The rounded tannins are moderately firm and this will require 8 to 10 years in the cellar first before it will really blossom. Highly recommended.

HUMMUS. chickpea, tahini, roasted garlic, lemon.

DUNGENESS CRAB STACK. mango, papaya, avocado, spicy passionfruit puree. Not bad.

Flaming cheese! (classic)

SAGANAKI. Ouzo-flamed kefalotyri cheese “Opa!”.

KING CRAB RISOTTO. saffron, asparagus, parmesan, mascarpone, blood orange broth. They don’t know how to make risotto — the texture was horrible on this, very over cooked and pasty. Now I know risotto is hard, but if you can’t do it, don’t do it.

WILD MUSHROOM RISOTTO. mascarpone, chevre, wild mushroom ragout, parmesan crisp. Same terrible texture. Maybe they aren’t using the right rice, maybe they just don’t know how to do it.

CIOPPINO ~ FISHERMAN’S STEW. shrimp, mussels, oyster, salmon, potato, tomato broth.

MOUSSAKA. ground lamb, tomato, herbs, eggplant, mushrooms, cheese sauce. The taste of this moussaka was okay, not amazing, but fine, but the portion size was a bit laughable for an entree. It’s like the size of a (small) creme brule!

Overall, I got a similar feeling from Jimmy’s that I did a couple of years ago. Build out is great (for Mammoth), service is good, and they have a nice looking menu for the most part, but they don’t executive super well on everything. I’d prefer just hearty well done classic Taverna food like at Tony’s.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Greek cuisine, Jimmy's Taverna, Mammoth, Mammoth Lakes

Eating Mammoth – Skadi

Feb06

Restaurant: Skadi

Location: 94 Berner St a, Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546. (760) 914-0962

Date: January 2, 2019

Cuisine: Nordic

Rating: Excellent kitchen for Mammoth

Skadi is Mammoth’s one “hate cuisine” (by my definition) restaurant. It’s relatively recent and I’ve been meaning to go for a while.

Named for the Viking goddess of hunting and skiing, Restaurant Skadi opened on the winter solstice of 1995. The restaurant moved to its new location in the summer of 2015. The ten-table restaurant is intimate and inviting. Hand-carved Norse dragons adorn the ceiling beams. Art and photography from Northern Europe and the Eastern Sierra hang on the walls. Scandinavian light fixtures cast a warm glow over the open-kitchen.

Chef Ian Algerøen’s menu is carefully crafted to reflect his Norwegian heritage and his time working in the Swiss Alps. Featured menu items include a house-cured Gravlax, house-smoked trout, Canadian duck breast with spatzli and lingnonberries, and crispy skin salmon. The staff at Skadi is as passionate about food and wine as we are about the region. We look forward to serving you and sharing our mutual love for dining and the great outdoors.

From my cellar: 1993 Robert Ampeau & Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. 95 points. Perfect bottle, very golden.

The menu.

Savory Crepes layered with Wild Mushroom Duxelle & Jarlsberg Cheese. Porcini mushroom and amontilado sherry coulis.

Special lobster salad with green beans. Bright fresh flavors.

Tartar of Japanese Hamachi & Scallops with Tamaki Rice. Ponzu, wasabi aioli, furikake, sricacha and tobiko. I tasted a bit of this. Strong Japanese influences of course and interesting textures.

Smoked Red Deer Heart with Cloudberries & Spruce Salt. Brunost goat cheese and knekkebrod seed cracker. Sounds scary but it tasted great. The meat and bread were quite dry, but the unusual umami cheese and the sweet jelly really complemented.

Pan Roasted Crispy Skin Salmon with Brown Butter & Lemon. Butternut squash puree with sage, spinach, fried capers and toasted pine nuts.

Special seared tuna.

Grilled Choice New York Steak with Cafe de Paris Butter. Dauphinoise potatoes, caramelized onions and haricot vert.

Pork Belly Confit & Roast Spiced Tenderloin & Smoked Sausage. Brussel sprouts, ciponlini onion, fingerling potato and cinnamon peach puree. Nice mix of flavors, particularly the tender confit and the very flavorful sausage.

Canadian Duck Breast with Arctic Lingonberries, Juniper & Aquavit. Spatli, haricot vert and rodkal.

The dessert menu.

Gateau Financier with Lychee Sorbet. Compressed Pineapple and Coconut meringues. Deconstructed, but nice flavors.

Tasting of Skadi’s Chocolate Desserts. Gateau Opera, wild honey dark chocolate mousse and chocolate meringues.

Frozen Caramelized Macadamia Nut & Vanilla Parfait. Dark Chocolate Sorbet, bittersweet chocolate & caramel. Basically a semifreddo, and I do love those.

Petite fours. In Mammoth!

Overall, we had a very nice time at Skadi. It was quiet, even during this busy weeks when lousy places like Campo have 3 hour waits — Mammoth folk don’t know fine dining. The service was comfortable and very friendly. I liked the food. It was interesting and Nordic. It might even be good enough to compete in LA — not that it would be pushing out Bestia or anything, but it was solid and had a distinct style. Most stuff in Mammoth is just lousy except as measured against the most casual pub fare.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Ian Algerøen, Mammoth Lakes, Nordic Cuisine, Skadi

Mountain Hot Pot

Mar05

On one of my 2018 trips to Mammoth for skiing some friends hosted us (two nights in a row) at their condo for homemade Chinese Hot Pot. Yay!

And we returned on New Year’s Eve for even more great hot pot.

I was in charge of the libations. From my cellar: 2011 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Saint-Aubin 1er Cru En Remilly Cuvée Nicholas et Mathis. 93 points.

Our hosts Wendy and Alex pulled out all the stops, cutting up all the additives like the above tofu and veggies.

Beef — higher quality than at most hot pot places.

Beef, pork, squid, and fish balls. I love these.

Shrimp.

Mushrooms.

Glass noodles.

From my cellar: 2004 Domaine Michel Gros Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Brulées. BH 89. Deep ruby. Distinctly ripe and perfumed aromas of warm earth, underbrush, spice, dark berry fruit and a subtle smokiness complement perfectly the supple, sweet but robust medium full flavors that finish with impressive complexity and solid power. This is firmly structured but not hard or aggressive and the natural ripeness of Brulées comes through here.

The broth by itself. It was a pork broth.

Some of the ultra-tender pork meat that came out of the broth.

Condiments to use in constructing dipping sauce. This was also my job.

Our hosts, Wendy left and Alex right. Chopping away!

The loaded hot pot!

So on 12/31/18 we returned for another round of even more over the top hot pot.

This is one serious home hot pot spread!

Three types of mushrooms, tofu and bean curd.

On the right 3-4 flavors of “meatballs.”

Fish cakes!

From my cellar: 1997 Maison Roche de Bellene Chambertin Collection Bellenum. 96 points. This wine was drinking superbly tonight.

Four kinds of meat including pork belly, lamb, and two awesome types of beef!

Veggies.

Marinated tofu.

And an array of sauce components.

As New Year approached we, of course, cracked the Krug.

Our host additionally made this amazing Apple Pie.

And homemade mochi / red bean “brownies”.
Wendy takes her Ice Cream seriously. Look at the freezer drawer!!!

Overall, a fabulous and fun meal. Better than at some of the hot pot restaurants I’ve been too and loads of fun.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Chinese cuisine, home cooking, hot pot, Mammoth Lakes

Mountain Eats – Brasserie

Apr11

Restaurant: Mammoth Rock Brasserie

Location: 3029 Chateau Rd, Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546. (760) 934-4200

Date: December 27, 2015 & March 24, 2016 & Dec 28, 2018 & March 23, 2019

Cuisine: French / American

Rating: excellent, for Mammoth

Mammoth Lakes isn’t exactly a culinary capital, but the Brasserie is one of the better places I’ve found:

Mysteriously, it’s located above — and owned by — the bowling alley!

Yep, downstairs is the Rock & Bowl!

Some nice views though.

And the upstairs is classy and surprisingly contemporary for Mammoth.

On our second visit we had this huge private room!

The menu.

From my cellar: 2000 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis 1er Cru La Forest. VM 93+. Pale green-tinged straw. Reticent but ripe and highly nuanced nose combines peach, nectarine, lime, lemon skin, nuts and an intriguing, soil-inflected vegetal/smoky quality. Very dry, taut and reserved yet already rich and mouthfilling, with the ripe fruit notes perfectly supported by a flavor of liquid stone. A wine of great energy, finishing with explosive length and powerful minerality. Grand cru size and cut.

Bread & butter.

Butternut squash soup (12/28/19). Very tasty dairy based soup, tasted like corn soup.

House Green Salad. Tomatoes, Cucumber, Carrots, Rice Wine Vinaigrette. One of our party really likes green salads!

And even more feel the same about caesars. Classic Caesar. Romaine, Parmesan, Croutons, Caesar Dressing.

French Onion Soup. Nice broth, solid soup. My version didn’t have enough cheese though.

Beef Carpaccio (12/28/18). Very nice carpaccio.

Special Fois Gras Torchon with toast. Can’t go wrong with foie!

Mary’s Free Range Airline Chicken Breast. Roasted Garlic Cream, Root Vegetable Julienne.

Simple pasta for my son (12/28/18). My son loved this particular pasta.

Grilled Vegetable Wellington. Puff Pastry, Parmesan, Gruyere, Ricotta, Tomato Basil Coulis.

Elk Medallions. Aged Balsamic Demi Glace, Mashed Potatoes, Seasonal Vegetables.

Lamb chops (12/28/18). Not bad. Could have used a bit more gamey flavor.

Bone In Rib Eye. Roasted Garlic Beurre Blanc, Pomme Frites, Seasonal Vegetables.

Filet with sauce on the side (3/23/19). They likka the sauce here.

Beef Bourguignon with bacon (3/23/19).

Ice Cream Sundae (down at the bowling alley). This wasn’t the greatest, just regular vanilla ice cream with Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup.

MBR is quite excellent for Mammoth. Dishes are a little on the heavy side stylistically, but execution is good, which puts them radically above many places in town — and service was also quite decent.

Revisiting in Dec 2018, MBR remains perhaps the second best (after Skadi) kitchen in Mammoth. It’s actually pretty good, which is a rarity for a town not exactly known for its culinary genius.

For more dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: bowling, French Cuisine, Mammoth Lakes, Mammoth Rock Brasserie, Rock & Bowl

Mountain Eats – Petra’s

Apr06

Restaurant: Petra’s Bistro & Wine Bar

Location: 6080 Minaret Rd, Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546. (760) 934-3500

Date: March 22, 2016 & Jan 1, 2019

Cuisine: French / American

Rating: excellent, for Mammoth

Mammoth Lakes isn’t exactly a culinary capital, but my friend Liz had recommended Petra’s as among the best that it has:Located just across Minaret from the village.
The menu.

From my cellar: 1997 Louis Jadot Echezeaux. VM 91. Full deep red. Complex aromas of red berries, cassis, cocoa powder, tar, game, dark chocolate, nutmeg and roasted nuts. Concentrated, spicy, fresh and youthful. Dense and mouthfilling but not at all heavy. Structured to age. Finishes long and subtle, with ripe, dusty tannins. Even better than it appeared a year ago from barrel. Drinking great right now.

Pretty olive oil and vinegar.

Green salad.

Caesar Salad. Hearts of Romaine, Shaved Parmesan, Croutons, House Caesar Dressing, Parmesan Tuile.

Baked Brie (1/1/19). My wife liked, but didn’t love this appetizer.

Smoked Salmon Trio. Applewood Smoked Salmon Flake, Gravlax, Smoked Salmon Mousse, Dill Crème Fraiche, Fried Capers, Pickled Shallots, Cucumber, Grilled Pita Bread.

Duck Confit. Crispy Skin Duck Leg Confit, Mushroom & Leek Risotto, Fried Leeks, Whole Grain Mustard Sauce. Not bad at all.

Grilled New York. New York Strip, Gruyere Potato Au Gratin, Grilled Asparagus, Cab Demi Reduction.

A swordfish special.

Scallops. Pan Seared Sea Scallop, Turnip Puree, Sautéed Snow Peas, Brown Butter, Lemon Parsley Oil.

A different version of scallops with beans, radish, and lobster (1/1/19).

A slightly strange maple/orange ice cream float. The liqueur was very strong, giving this a pretty intense alcoholic taste.
Homemade brownie vanilla ice cream.

Not only did Petra’s have a more modern menu, but the kitchen out cooked by far most Mammoth places. Service was pretty good too. This would just be middle of the pack in LA, but it’s solid, probably the third best kitchen in this small town.

For more dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: French Cuisine, Mammoth Lakes, Petras

Mountain Eats – Campo

Mar28

Restaurant: Campo

Location:6201 Minaret Rd Suite 240, Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546. (760) 934-0669

Date: January 17 & March 20, 2016

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: decent, for Mammoth

Mammoth Lakes isn’t exactly a culinary capital, so we twice went to:

Campo, the Village’s designated Italian.

Campo calls itself Rustic Italian. Well, I guess that’s reasonable. More Rustic Contemporary Italian American, but who’s being specific.

Bread and olive oil / balsamic.

This is a composite of two dinners, both times I brought Brunello. Forgot to photo the first one.

From my cellar: 2004 Tenuta le Potazzine Brunello di Montalcino Riserva. VM 93. Deep ruby-red. Knockout nose combines red cherry, smoky plum, minerals and licorice. Enters creamy, fleshy and smooth, with decadently rich red and black fruit flavors, but turns more austere towards the back. Finishes with above-average complexity and depth, featuring ultra-smooth tannins and an enticing mineral persistence. Lacks the length for an even higher score, but this very serious wine only needs a few years in the cellar to show all it’s got. This is the first Riserva ever made by this estate.

agavin: I got this bottle (and a couple cases of others) at the winery. It was bricking slightly but in a really good spot.

Charcuterie. Meats!

Butternut soup.

Simple Green Salad. White balsamic vinaigrette.

Kale salad. Various extras.

Wood fired cauliflower. Calabrian chilies. garlic. Not bad.
Beet Salad. roasted baby beets, butternut squash, rosemary goat cheese, chile oil. Strange neon glow to the beets!

Special with burrata and prosciutto and very salty crackers. Super yummy though.
Pizza!

Kid’s pasta.

Special Pappardelle with orange and duck. A little sweet but quite good.

TAGLIATELLE wild boar bolognese, grana padano. A decent, but slightly dry version of this classic dish. The meat needed more flavor somehow.

Special seafood risotto with shrimp and scallop.

Steak and potatoes. This is Mammoth.

A very unattractive split of a root beer float.

Caramel budino. These are always great. Love it.

Campo is great for Mammoth and sort of decent by LA Italian standards. It’s got a good menu and execution is decent. Some dishes are tasty and some are a tad flat. Service is overwhelmed. Both times we were there — granted with big parties — they couldn’t really handle it and there were issues. They were nice though. Mammoth servers usually are. They just couldn’t get it all right / timed / etc.

For more dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Campo, Italian cuisine, Mammoth Lakes, pasta, Pizza

The Not So New American

Jan06

Restaurant: Toomey’s

Location: 6085 Minaret Rd. “At The Village”. Mammoth Lakes, CA. (760)-924-4408

Date: December 30, 2015

Cuisine: American

Rating: decent, for Mammoth

Mammoth Lakes isn’t exactly a culinary capital, so another night brings us to:

A popular American joint right at the “Village.”

The inside has a “man cave” sports chic.

But like most Mammoth places they do allow corkage!

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

Baked Brie. French Brie baked in puff pastry topped with Apricot, Citrus, Berry Glaze, French Baguette & Fresh Fruit.

Humus w/Vegetables & Pita Bread. Creamy Bean Puree with Fresh Veggies and Pita Bread.

Lobster Taquitos. 3 Taquitos, Black Beans, Avacado Salsa & Salad.

From my cellar: 1993 Georges Noellat Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts. 92 points. Medium garnet-tinged ruby. Narrow paler rim showing a touch of brick, and clear at the very rim. Light, fresh nose. Spicy and floral with ripe cherry and plum fruit. Classy, but not much depth. Mouth feel is round, firm and sweetly fruited with red cherry. Mid-palate shows spicy, meaty tones. Round and pleasing, with good acidity and real flair. Lingering, spicy finish.

Fresh Organic Spring Mix Salad with Fresh Grilled Salmon. Seasonal fresh vegetables, goat Cheese, roasted garlic, balsamic, olive oil dressing.

Chicken tenders and fries.

Fish ‘n’ Chips – “Marin’ the English jealous”. Beer Battered Atlantic Cod served with Fries & Homemade Tartar Sauce.

Seafood Jambalaya “As southern as you can get in Mammoth”. Shrimp, scallops, king crab, Andouille Sausage. It wasn’t exactly real Jambalaya — the seafood was pretty good actually, but the sauce was more a ratatouille than a properly cooked down Creole dish. Still, not bad.

They have pies from Mimi’s Bakery, which is an awesome (even on the absolute non Mammoth scale) pie bakery.

Gingerbread pie.

Coconut cream pie. Amazing.
Chocolate Decadence pie.

Overall, Mimi’s was fine (for Mammoth). The service was top notch and very friendly. The food was solid, but hardly “exciting” in a foodie/culinary way. Still, their execution was decent. And it was walking distance from our condo!

For more dining reviews click here.