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Soulmate Study

Dec31

Restaurant: Soulmate

Location: 631 N Robertson Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069. (310) 734-7764

Date: June 16 & September 15, 2022

Cuisine: Spanish Tapa Fusion

Rating: Hit and miss

I adore Spanish food in general and Tapas in particular so I was excited to hear about a new “modern tapas” place in Hollywood. This report combines a normal 6/16/22 dinner with friends and a big set menu Chateauneuf du Pape dinner partially hosted by LVHM. It represents most of the menu and most of the key dishes sampled twice so I consider it a pretty solid review of the kitchen.

Soulmate has a lovely — but loud — build out with a very open feel. In fact the sky may actually be open.

The normal menu and specials on 6/16/22.

Our special menu on 9/15/22.

Jeridan brought this huge bottle of 08 Dom courtesy of LVHM to start.

HALF DOZEN OYSTERS / PINEAPPLE CAVIAR, TAMARIND FOAM. Nice bright flavors, particularly the pineapple. Offset the briney oyster flavor.

EGGPLANT HUMMUS / SESAME SEEDS, CILANTRO OIL , MARKET VEGETABLE CRUDITÉ (6/16/22). Nice crunchy veggies, but a touch boring. The ladies however loved it and ordered a second one!

HOUSEMADE FLATBREAD for the dip.

SALMON CRUDO / AJI AMARILLO, PINEAPPLE PONZU, BROWN BUTTER, JALAPEÑO (6/16/22). A tiny bit of spice. Lots of flavor. Not really too Spanish — more modern Japanese Peruvian influenced — but hey!

JAMÓN IBÉRICO DE BELLOTA & PAN CON TOMATE / MONTARAZ, AGED 48 MONTHS (6/16/22). Really nice balance.

2008 Dom Pérignon Champagne. VM 98. The 2008 Dom Pérignon is a huge, powerful Champagne and also clearly one of the wines of the vintage. This is one of the most reticent bottles I have tasted. So much so that I am thinking about holding off opening any more bottles! The 2008 has always offered a striking interplay of fruit and structure. Today, the richness of the fruit is especially evident. Readers who own the 2008 should be thrilled, but patience is a must. (Originally published in May 2021) (Drink between 2028-2058)

Bonus from my cellar: 2008 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne. BH 94. An upper register and highly complex nose of green apples, white pear and citrus notes introduces almost painfully intense, pure and impressively powerful big-bodied and overtly muscular flavors that possess an almost aggressive minerality on the palate staining, tension-filled and driving finish. This is really a striking wine that is built to age as there is an abundance of dry extract. Gorgeous. (Drink starting 2016)

agavin: I brought this because having ALL CDP for a Spanish dinner is a little crazy.

SPICY PAELLA BITES / BIG EYE TUNA , CRISPY SEAFOOD RICE, CHILI AIOLI. Weird. A bit spicy and basically just tuna toast like you get at “trendy” Japanese places. Not sure what in the world is paella about them (I guess the type of rice?).

SANTA BARBARA UNI TOAST. ROCK SHRIMP, BUTIFARA SAUSAGE, CHILI HONEY, PIQUILLO PEPPER AIOLI. Tasty, but also a bit spicy and strong pepper flavors. Can’t really tell what is going on with the different elements.

LOBSTER ROLLS / MAINE LOBSTER TAIL , BRIOCHE BUNS, CELERY, CRÈME FRAÎCHE, GARLIC & CHILI AIOLI. These mini versions were “bun forward.” Fairly yummy although not Spanish at all.

BUŇUELOS DE PATATA / POTATO FRITTERS, QUINCE, PARMESAN CHEESE, BLACK TRUFFLE SAUCE. These were gross, like potato hush puppies. Worst item we had.

CROQUETAS DE POLLO / GARLIC AIOLI, BRAVA SAUCE. Way too temperature hot, but otherwise ok.

FIRE ROASTED SHISHITO AND SWEET PEPPERS / CILANTRO, LIME, GREEN ONION. Just peppers.

CRISPY EGGPLANT / QUINOA SALAD, CHARRED EGGPLANT PURÈE (6/16/22). Hehe, look at that “eggplant,” Beavis.

WOOD FIRED OCTOPUS / CHARRED ROMESCO SAUCE, NEW POTATO, PICKLED FRESNO CHILE. Ok, but not that crispy.

OVEN ROASTED STRIPED BASS / SWISS CHARD, TABBOULEH, AVOCADO PURÈE, HERB BUTTER (6/16/22). Very much a parsley/mint type flavor.

GAMBAS AL AJILLO / WILD BLUE SHRIMP, ROASTED GARLIC PUREE, CHILE DE ARBOL (6/16/22 and 9/15/22). This was one of the best dishes, maybe because how wrong can you go with melted fat and garlic?

HOUSEMADE FLATBREAD.

ROASTED PORK BELLY / BRIOCHE BUNS, MOJO VERDE, GARLIC AIOLI, CHICHARRON. Another pretty yummy dish, but lots of bun. Not exactly something I’ve seen in Spain either.

SOULMATE PAELLA / SHRIMP, CALAMARI, CLAMS, BOMBA RICE, SAFFRON, CHORIZO, AIOLI, MARKET VEGETABLES (6/16/22 and 9/15/22). Very middling paella. Or more precisely a bad paella, but a middling pan of rice with stuff. Also, I chocked on one of those watermelon radishes thrown in there for effect and it was stuck in my throat for 5 minutes. I eventually hacked it out.

Here is the offending radish. This was actually moderately traumatic. It’s the closest I’ve ever come to “choking” — except maybe that time in Sicily when a fish bone stuck in my throat. I wasn’t actually in any danger of not breathing, but it was just stuck there for a long time and by the time I coughed it out my throat was sore for 24 hours.

LOBSTER ROSSEJAT / VERMICELLI PASTA , SQUID INK & SEA URCHIN SAUCE, MAINE LOBSTER, SEPIA , GARLIC AIOLI (6/16/22 and 9/15/22). This was better with the little briney/sweet pasta. The tiny lobster tails were overcooked though and so stuck in the shells.

16OZ AMERICAN WAGYU NY STRIP, TRUFFLE JUS. Just some steak. A bit overcooked. This sent Albert into a frenzy and he almost got into a fist fight with the server.

SPINACH SALAD. Boring.

SUMMER SALAD / BABY ARUGULA , BING CHERRIES, ASIAN PEAR, MANCHEGO CHEESE, ALMONDS, DATE VINAIGRETTE (6/16/22).

WHIPPED POTATOES. These were ok with the garlic butter from the shrimp poured on top.

CHURROS. SPANISH DARK CHOCOLATE SAUCE. These were actually pretty good, mostly because of the sauce.

CHOCOLATE ESPRESSO TART. COCOA NIB ICE CREAM, ESPRESSO CURD, CARAMEL CREAM, CHOCOLATE SHAVINGS. This was delicious. But I’m also a sucker for cream, custard, and coffee.

After dinner LVHM pimped out this elite super mega expensive cognac but one sip of it on my injured throat was like fire and I passed it off. I don’t really do the whole high alcohol drink thing anyway.

Now this dinner had a bit of a CF of great wine. We had the following big verticals of cuvee de capo and beaucastel hommage but they were served rapidly, willy nilly, in a random order. Total chaos. But all the wines were nice — but mostly way too big and way too young.

2007 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée da Capo. VM 96. Inky ruby. Pungent, exotically perfumed aromas of dark berry compote, Asian spices and garrigue, with bright minerality adding vivacity. Powerful and deeply concentrated but also shockingly fresh and lithe, offering sweet red and dark berry flavors and notes of candied flowers and licorice. The finish is smooth, sappy and extremely persistent, with echoing floral and herb notes.

2010 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée da Capo. VM 95-96. Inky purple. Heady, explosive aromas of black raspberry and blueberry preserves, garrigue and incense, with smoky mineral and anise accents. Lush and palate-coating, offering deeply concentrated black and blue fruit flavors that are enlivened by juicy acidity. Ridiculously rich but animated wine, with excellent finishing thrust and lingering spiciness. This wine had still not been bottled when I tasted it in mid-November.

From my cellar (only thing I had on hand): 2015 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée da Capo. VM 97. Opaque ruby. A hugely perfumed bouquet evokes ripe red/blue fruits, pungent flowers, garrigue, licorice and exotic spices. Stains the palate with deeply concentrated, spice-laced black raspberry, boysenberry, fruitcake and floral pastille flavors underscored by a vein of juicy acidity. Shows superb clarity and floral lift on a strikingly persistent finish that features reverberating florality and building tannins. (Drink between 2025-2035)

1998 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée da Capo. VM 95. Saturated dark ruby. Nose like a fruit essence: blackberry and blueberry liqueur, licorice, pepper, Provencal herbs, and hints of more exotic fruits. A wine of extreme unctuousity, virtually too large for the mouth. Suggestion of marc, but with sappy fruits and great solid underlying structure. The tannins saturate the palate on the peppery finish. Very much in the style of Bonneau rarely made Cuvee Speciale. This wine took nearly two years to finish fermenting. Paul Feraud told me he feared that the alcohol would burn, that there would be too much residual sugar, and that the wine would show signs of premature oxidation. But in fact this headspinner (and I mean that in the purest, Linda Blair sense) boasts great surmaturite without quite descending into madness.

2007 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Hommage à Jacques Perrin. VM 97. Opaque ruby color. Remarkably complex bouquet of dark berry compote, potpourri, sandalwood, smoked meat and licorice, complemented by a smoky mineral overtone. Broad, palate-coating dark fruit flavors pick up notes of candied flowers and licorice with air and show a pungent Indian spice character. Becomes more floral with air and leaves sweet cherry and floral pastille notes behind. I’d buy all of this that I could afford.

2003 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Hommage à Jacques Perrin. JG92+. Given the mantra at the domaine that the Hommage à Jacques Perrin is only made in the finest vintages, I hardly expected to encounter a 2003 version, but the wine is really not bad at all and is now into its apogee. This is surprisingly low in octane for the vintage, coming in at the same 13.5 percent as the 2001 and 2004 iterations. The bouquet is really quite fine, wafting from the glass in a classy blend of dark berries, new leather, tree bark, woodsmoke, espresso and a lovely base of dark soil tones. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and wide open on the attack, with a good core, impressive soil signature and just a bit of backend tannin perking up the long and complex finish. A very pleasant surprise! (Drink between 2016-2025)

2010 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Hommage à Jacques Perrin. VM 97. Bright ruby. A drop-dead, room-filling bouquet evokes black raspberry liqueur, incense, anise and lavender, with smoke and herb overtones. Sappy and penetrating, offering deeply pitched but lively dark berry and cherry flavors and an exotic touch of candied flowers. Fine-grained tannins come up with air and give grip to an endless, fruit- and mineral-dominated finish. This remarkable wine would be at the top of my Chateauneuf to-buy list this vintage if I had the resources to swim in such waters.

2009 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Hommage à Jacques Perrin. VM 96. Glass-staining purple. Hypnotic bouquet of black and blue fruits, potpourri and exotic spices. Broad, sappy and strikingly pure, with intense blackberry and boysenberry flavors that reach ever corner of the palate. Rich but lithe wine with a seamless texture and superb finishing clarity. This wine’s marriage of power and vivacity is something else.

1999 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Hommage à Jacques Perrin. VM 96+. Full ruby. Knockout nose of black raspberry, roasted nuts, road tar, licorice, leather and game; comes across as riper and more roasted than the regular cuvee Fat, dense and superconcentrated, with extraordinary precision of flavor and tactile strength. Has the firm backbone to support its compelling flesh. Very long, slow-mounting finish throws off notes of licorice, game, tar and brown spices. This will go on for decades. I may have marginally underrated this wine a year ago. This is consistently one of the great wines of Southern France: it will be a fascinating experience to taste the ’99 and ’98 side by side ten years from now.

Albert brought: 1975 Château Latour Grand Vin. JG 94. The 1975 Latour is a very good example of the vintage, which was nowhere near as successful in the Médoc as it was in the Right Bank and Graves. But, in this era, Latour always seemed to rise above the general level of the vintage in more difficult years, and this was certainly the case in 1975. The wine offers up a fine, classic bouquet of sweet cassis, cherries, Cuban cigar wrapper, black truffle, dark soil tones, cigar ash and just a hint of petroleum jelly in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, pure and now very elegant in profile, with a solid core, excellent acids and still a bit of tannin perking up the long and complex finish. The 1975 vintage was the highest ever measured for tannins and acidity on the Left Bank, up until the 2010 vintage came along, so for the Latour ’75 to be so beautifully balanced forty years down the road is no small achievement! Fine juice and a sleeper vintage of Latour. (Drink between 2015-2050)

This was very contentious because it was totally off theme. Some people loved it and some people hated it.

Soulmate is a great concept with a great build out but the details of the menu and the execution are a little hit and miss. It’s also much better as a 2-4 person casual dinner spot than as a venue for larger wine dinners like or CDP dinner. It has no private space, is very loud, and they aren’t setup at all for large table service.

Food wise the menu is a list of classic Spanish dishes, somewhat faithfully executed, and vaguely Spanish “riffs” on popular dish types (like the Lobster Rolls), and “healthier” options like the eggplant on cous cous. A number of times there are too many ingredients. They are a bit stronger at the classic items or maybe it’s just that some dishes are much better than others. Like very nice gambas and lousy BUŇUELOS. Paella wasn’t that great. The black (squid ink) one was much better than the “Valencia”.

Our large event was a whole lot of fun, but it was also a total CF. The food service was a bit confused (polite for SS) because they aren’t used to large tables and the order was very weird, not following their menu at all. I fixed the order in post, but we had appetizers landing way late, one end of the table getting things and the other not and all that sort of stuff. But the staff did try hard. They just weren’t prepared for this.

The wines were really great, no flawed bottles, but too young and big as a general rule. But the “wine service” (done by us, not the staff) was a total zoo. There was some mystery order blending wines from both winemakers and new glasses were constantly being poured into our 2 glasses. It was so loud and dark that I never even heard what the wines were nor could I remember what was in the glasses. So it was just one random great gigantic CDP after another. Large red verticals suck anyway because they never pair with a meal but this was especially chaotic.

Plus I almost choked on a radish!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Chateauneuf du Pape, Paella, Soulmate, Spanish, Spanish Cuisine, Tapas, Wine

Tiempo de Tatel

Jul02

Restaurant: Tatel

Location: 453 N Canon Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. (310) 651-8553

Date: October 26, 2021

Cuisine: About half Spanish

Rating: Tasty, great service, loud

This Vega Sicilia Unico dinner moved around a little bit but eventually settled on the new (for LA) Tatel in Beverly Hills.

Tatel is a Spanish restaurant with locations in Madrid and Ibiza that recently opened here in Beverly Hills in the classic Nic’s Martini bar in Beverly Hills.

The interior is updated a bit but still filled with gorgeous booths.

Sebastian with the chef.

The menu.

From my cellar: NV Pierre Péters Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut Cuvée de Réserve. VM 92. The NV Brut Cuvée de Réserve Grand Cru is fabulous. A Champagne of tension and energy, the Cuvée de Réserve has real presence, not to mention tons of class. Citrus, jasmine, mint and crushed rocks are some of the many nuances that race out of the glass. In this release, the Cuvée de Réserve has a light tropical quality that is both exotic and hugely appealing. Dosage is 7 grams per liter. Disgorged: March, 2021. (Drink between 2021-2028)

Burrata Salad. Tomato, basil. Pretty modern salad, not particularly Spanish.

Bluefin Tuna Tartar. Avocado, Fresno chili, chive. Kind of a nod to modern dining.

Spanish Carabineros Prawn. Avocado escabeche. Not exactly gambas pil pil.

1989 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único. AG 95+. Saturated dark, fresh red. Exotic dried fruits complicated by minerals, cedar, cigar box and nuts on the nose. Huge, dense and solid, with great sappy redcurrant and wild strawberry sweetness buffered by powerful acids. With its huge concentration and extraordinarily chewy extract, this has fruit of steel. The wine’s explosive, extremely long finish and great thrust go beyond 99.99% of the world’s wines. (Europvin/Christopher Cannan Selections; importers include Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY and Diamond Wine Merchants, Oakland, CA)

1994 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único. VM 95+. Full ruby-red. Knockout nose combines roasted blackberry, minerals, cedar, graphite and flowers; reminded me of a very ripe vintage of Chateau Lafite. Creamy and sweet, but with penetrating, perfectly integrated acids and a structure of steel. Powerful yet wonderfully elegant wine, with flavors of crushed redcurrant, minerals, flowers, chocolate and truffle. Finishes with great length and grip. An outstanding vintage for Unico, with the sheer acid structure and flavor intensity to go on in bottle for at least another two decades. . (Europvin/Christopher Cannan Selections; importers include Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY and Diamond Wine Merchants, Oakland, CA)

Steak Tartar. Dijon, chives, shallots, sourdough. Pretty classic but very nice tartar.

Jamon de bellota 100%, COVAP D.O. The real deal ham.

Bread with tomato and garlic. This is a fairly deconstructed version of the pan con tomate. You rub the garlic on the bread. However usually they pre-chop the tomatoes for you. Personally I think the best combo is the ham ON the tomato bread.

Ham Croquette. Tomato Sugo, parsley. Solid version of the classic.

1996 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único. VM 94. Deep ruby. Complex, heady bouquet of kirsch, candied plum, cured tobacco, licorice, dried rose and cedar. Pungent herbal notes build with aeration and repeat on the palate, adding complexity to the deep, ripe cherry and dark berry liqueur flavors. Remarkably elegant wine with precise cherry/berry flavors and a slow-mounting mocha quality on the long, sappy finish. There’s a very impressive interplay of fruit and tannins here. (Europvin USA, Oakland, CA)

1999 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único. AG 96. Ruby-red. Shockingly deep in color for a ten-year-old wine. Explosive aromas of cherry compote, black raspberry, blood orange, Asian spices and smoky minerals. Pure, vibrant and sweet, offering intense cherry and red berry flavors, with tangy mineral spine and an exotic smokiness. Extremely deep but energetic, with a powerful echo of minerals and singed orange on the endless finish. This is remarkably youthful but highly alluring already. (Europvin USA, Van Nuys, CA)

They have a couple different types of “rice” (risotto and paella). We ordered this and two paellas.

Tatel Risotto. Semolina Orzo, parmesan cheese, truffle. Nice risotto, even if that form of rice isn’t old school Spanish.

Roasted Cornish Hen Paella. Porcini Mushrooms, thyme.

Individually plated.

Carabineros Paella. Carabineros prawn.

A more seafood variant. Nicely cooked and good flavor.

Grilled Colorado lamb rack. Very well executed, but pretty “international.”

Tatel Veal Milanese. Soft poached egg, Black truffle. Rich and bit mild in flavor.

Boomsdale Spinach. Garlic.

1989 Château Suduiraut. VM 90. The 1989 Suduiraut has always shown better than the 1990. The bouquet is quite vivacious with quince and frangipane, hints of pear and crème brûlée, certainly responding to aeration. The palate has similar weight and texture to the 1990 although, there is slightly more tension here with orange rind and marmalade imparting Barsac-like notes towards the finish. It lacks the sophistication of 21st century vintages but there is joie-de-vivre here. 89gm/L residual sugar. Tasted at a private dinner in Switzerland. (Drink between 2019-2029)

Dessert menu.

Apple Tart. Good, but grainy mild ice cream.

Tatel World Famous Cheese Cake (Basque Cheese Cake, but not burnt). Perfect creamy light texture on the cake. Ice cream mediocre. The interior was stellar actually, and on point for Basque cheese cake, but the top wasn’t really burnt.
This was a great evening. Wines ruled, of course — Unico duh!

The build out and and service at Tatel was top notch for modern high end restaurants. Additionally, given that we were a 4 person “wine group” at a trendy Beverly Hills restaurant I was surprised how nice and accommodating they were. None of that trendy place BS. Food was very high quality. I was skeptical going in as it looked pretty international, and it was in its way, but the kitchen is good and dishes were generally well executed. I’m slightly weirded out by the mix of classic Spanish dishes (again, well done) and what I think of as “boring BH staples” like Burrata Salad or Tomahawk Steaks. Half the restaurants in 1st tier cities has devolved into the Tomahawk. It’s like the goat cheese and beet salad, burrata, or hamachi with jalapeño and ponzu. So personally I would have preferred an updated (and Tatel is updated) take on roast lamb shoulder, suckling pig, etc. Or better yet LA desperately needs anything good smacking of the kind of modern Basque restaurants to be found in… well the actual Basque region. So Tatel feels like a Basque Mom who married Arnie Morton.

It should be noted that La Paella is the old school 1970s variant of this kind of place (minus any of the trendy). It’s a good place too and quite Spanish, but it’s also very dated and “old fashioned.” It’d be nice to get more modern Spanish in LA.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Foodie Club, Paella, Spanish Cuisine, Tatel, Unico, Vega Sicilia, Wine

Pig Ear is Here – Taberna Arros y Vi

Aug23

Restaurant: Taberna Arros y Vi

Location:1403 2nd Street. Santa Monica, CA 90401. 310.393.3663

Date: August 21, 2013

Cuisine: Spanish

Rating: Good food, amazing service

Michael Cardenas, co-founder of Lazy Ox Canteen, has recently opened a new Spanish “tavern” right off the Promenade in Santa Monica. Given our great nights at the Ox, it’s only natural that we Hedonists should test Arros out with a big wine blowout.

The menu.

From my cellar: 2009 Raul Pérez Rías Baixas Muti. IWC 91. Bright yellow-gold. Deeply pitched aromas of smoky lees, bergamot, apricot pit and salty minerals. Viscous, palate-coating orchard and pit fruit flavors are enlivened by juicy acidity and complemented by honeysuckle and a hint of spun sugar. Wild, complex and singular wine with strong finishing cut and sappy persistence. This is far removed from your classic albarino.

Roasted Garlic (Ajo Asado) w/ crisps. Just bread and roasted garlic. Great on date night.

2003 R. López de Heredia Rioja Blanco Crianza Viña Gravonia. IWC 91. Full gold. A perfumed, complex bouquet evokes dried pit fruits, honey and toasted nuts, with floral and beeswax accents adding complexity. Deep, fleshy and broad, offering chewy peach, pear skin and candied almond flavors lifted by gentle acidity. Closes with firm grip and very good persistence, leaving floral and honey notes behind.

Spicy Potato Skins (Pieles de Patata Picante), harissa aioli, crema de queso. Kind of like a crunchy potatoes bravos.

2000 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre. Burghound 90. Interesting notes of fennel¡ green Chablis fruit and straw introduce medium weight¡ slightly austere¡ understated¡ precise flavors that deliver plenty of complexity and length but lack the same density as the 2001 version. To be sure¡ this is an excellent wine and Raveneau may have been a bit too modest in his comments about the vintage as this is really lovely if not genuinely incredible. As to maturity¡ for my taste this has reached a point where it can be enjoyed now though it will certainly hold for years to come. The question is whether the finishing austerity will soften as the finish is definitely reticent. Multiple and pretty much consistent notes though I have had at least three bottles that displayed mild pre-mox issues.

Sardines in a Can (Sardina en Lata). Rocket arugula, pickled vegetables, lemon, grilled bread. Good if you make a little open-faced sandwich out of all three elements. This is a repeat off the Lazy Ox menu.

2011 Foradori Nosiola Fontanasanta Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT. An unusual northern Italian white with a lot of minerality and strong floral tones.

Crispy Pig Ears (Orejas Crujientes de Cerdo). Salsa verde, harissa aioli. We also had these at Lazy Ox. This particular batch had the texture of fried leather. Ick. They reminded me too much of rawhide pig ears I used to give my dog.

2010 Clos du Moulin aux Moines Auxey-Duresses Vieilles Vignes. Very young, but well made.

Shrimp Gambas (Gambas al Ajillo). Garlic paprika shrimp, grilled bread. Gambas of this sort in Spain seem to come in two varieties: with the paprika and without. I actually prefer the without, but these were quite tasty.

1994 Bodegas Ramon Bilbao Rioja Viña Turzaballa Gran Reserva. Very smooth mature Tempranillo.

Mussels (Mejillones al Vino Blanco). Spicy butter, spanish queso, chorizo. Everyone agreed that the sauce under these puppies was totally badass.

From my cellar: 1985 C.V.N.E. (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España) Rioja Viña Real Gran Reserva. Drinking nicely. Opened up after a few minutes in the glass, lots of complexity.

Tuna stuffed peppers, fried artichokes, and salsa verde.

From my cellar: 1994 Bodegas Alejandro Fernández Ribera del Duero Janus Gran Reserva Pesquera. 93 points. Most of us thought this the wine of the night. Very complex and fruity. Cassis.

Jamon Iberico de Belota Charcuteria. marcona almonds, quince paste. Two types of Spanish cheese. Fancy ham and cheese!

2003 Domaine Pierre Usseglio & Fils Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de mon Aïeul. Parker 97. Deep, layered and rich, the 2003 Domaine Pierre Usseglio & Fils Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee de mon Aieul is comprised almost all of Grenache and always comes from three lieux-dits: La Crau, Guigasse and Les Serres. Aged all in tank and showing none of the negative traits of the vintage, it has a rich, meaty bouquet of semi-mature red and black fruits, wild herbs, melted licorice, dusty minerality and roasted beef. Full-bodied, gorgeously pure and seamless, with solid underlying structure and a core of sweet fruit, it is a brilliant wine. I don’t see any upside to holding bottles, yet given the balance, richness and mid-palate depth, it should continue to hold for another 5-8 years and certainly drink nicely well past that.

Croquettes (Croquetas). Folded mashed potatoes with chorizo, harissa aioli. These were tasty, but so temperature hot that I had to rush them on down.

2006 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Napa. Parker 90. Slightly superior to the 2005, the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa possesses a dark ruby/purple color as well as a creme de cassis, spice box, and floral-scented bouquet, and a medium to full-bodied finish.

Heirloom Tomato Salad (Tomate de la Herencia). Shallot vinaigrette, fresh mache.

2002 Dominio de Atauta Ribera del Duero LLanos del Almendro.

Braised Baby Octopus (Pulpitos). Tomato salsa, mojo. Tasty.

2006 Artadi Rioja Viña el Pisón. IWC 95. Glass-staining purple. Darker fruits on the nose than the Pagos Viejos, offering a heady bouquet of blackberry, mulberry, smoky bacon, anise and mocha. Explodes on the palate, showing sweet, concentrated cherry and dark berry flavors and exotic Asian spice and candied floral qualities. The tannins are completely absorbed by the fruit, which is enlivened by slow-mounting minerals. Finishes on an expansive dark fruit liqueur note, with excellent clarity and persistence. I couldn’t get this off my palate, not that I tried very hard.

Paella Valenciana (bomba rice). Chorizo, chicken, lima beans, saffron, lemon. A solid paella attempt.

2001 Vincent Arroyo Petite Sirah Rattlesnake Acres. This was the first release from this vineyard for Vincent Arroyo. The color is dark an brooding, the fruit like a bowl of blueberries. The tannins have softened, giving firm structure without any hints of oak. Ample acids keep the bottle lively, coating the palate to deliver a great mouthfeel and long finish. Many PS have a hollow mid palate; this one delivers the full package. This is a food wine, best paired with grilled meats. THere’s plenty of depth and complexity in this bottle, with lots of life left.

Blood sausage, rice, salsa. Not bad for congealed blood.

Cured fish, tomato, salad, and cheese.

Tuna Crudo (Atun Crudo). Olive relish, cucumber, peppers, dill infused oil.

2005 Bodegas Alto Moncayo Aquilon. IWC 94. Dark purple. The nose offers surreal, room-filling perfume of ripe raspberry, blackberry, incense, vanilla and dried flowers. Shockingly understated on the palate, with vibrant red berry, smoked meat and baking spice flavors, silky tannins and crisp mineral bite. There’s no excess fat or sweetness here. Finishes with palate-staining intensity and superb focus. I’d love to see this lined up with some mega-bucks Napa cult wines costing twice the price of this admittedly luxe-priced bottle. If you play in this sandbox, you’ll flip.

Rack of Lamb (Carré de Cordero). Garlic pea tendrils, black beans, rice. Tender.

Chocolate Torte. Pine nuts, market strawberries.

Almond Torte. With Amaretto Syrup, Caramel Sauce. Nice refreshing taste.

Overall, this was a super fun night. The service was A+++. They really went all out to take care of us. And the food was very tasty. It’s a bit similar to Lazy Ox, and not nearly as old school Spanish as La Paella, but it’s also super local! I’ll be back soon.

They do need to add anchovies in vinegar and flan to the menu. No self respecting Spanish restaurant should be without them.

After dinner we retired to Michael’s nearby house to raid his gigantic wine cellar. It’s not that much physically larger than mine, but by stacking cases and cases of wine to the ceiling he probably has at least 5x as much wine as me :-). And I thought I had a lot at roughly 2,000 bottles!

1988 Paul Jaboulet Aine Hermitage la Chapelle. Parker 92-93. This was the first vintage in the vertical tasting of La Chapelle that is beginning to reveal considerable secondary nuances and color development. Opaque purple/garnet with a touch of amber at the edge, this sexy, rich effort is more pleasurable aromatically than on the palate. However, it possesses multiple dimensions as well as abundant aromas of cedar, damp forest, spice box, and Asian spices.

2001 Domaine de Marcoux Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes. Parker 96-100. A singular, profound offering, the 2001 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes is a tour de force in purity, concentration, and balance. Its dense ruby/purple color is not dissimilar from the traditional cuvee. A sweet nose of acacias, violets, blackberry liqueur, Asian spices, and licorice soars from the glass of this unctuously-textured, full-bodied, majestically concentrated wine. This exuberant, expressionistic effort coats the palate with glycerin, flavor, and character. A stunning, potentially perfect wine, it should drink well young yet age gracefully for 15+ years.

2002 Joseph Drouhin Griotte-Chambertin. Burghound 94. The nose here is completely different after the fireworks delivered by the Grands Ech with its reserved, backward, discreet red fruit aromas framed by a subtle touch of oak spice. Intriguing notes of game, leather and earth nuances can be found on the sappy, long, precise and focused flavors of indescribable complexity and what is perhaps the best acid/fruit balance of these ’02s. Understated and supremely classy juice that is indisputably of reference standard quality. A simply gorgeous Drouhin Griotte and worth a special search to find.

2008 tahiti dessert wine.

2003 Domaine Méo-Camuzet Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Boudots. Burghound 92. Reductive notes and exuberant black pinot fruit aromas nuanced with background notes of earth, coffee and cassis lead to sweet, intense and mouth coating full-bodied flavors that offer excellent power and plenty of extract. It’s interesting because despite the firm, almost muscular character, this is actually more a wine of finesse in ’03 than it usually is.

This is one of those cases where the review is off, as this wine was pretty stunning. It was a touch young, but full of power with a long long lovely finish. Really a hedonistic wine.

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By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Burgundy, Dessert, hedonists, Paella, rioja, Santa Monica California, Spanish Food, Taberna Arros y Vi, Wine

More Hedonism at La Paella

Jun11

Restaurant: La Paella

Location: 476 South San Vicente Boulevard. Los Angeles, CA 90048. (323) 951-0745

Date: June 1, 2013

Cuisine: Spanish

Rating: Really tasty traditional Spanish

Since spending a month in Spain in 2010, I’ve been addicted to Spanish cooking, so when the Hedonists decided to return to this Hollywood staple I jumped on board for another evening packed with great wine and great food.

NV Billecart-Salmon Rose. Parker 90. The NV Brut Rose is a pretty, gracious wine. Freshly cut roses, red berries and spices take shape nicely in the glass as the wine shows off its understated, timeless personality. Billecart-Salmon’s NV Brut Rose is a reliably tasty wine.

Bread with olive tapenade and garlic butter.

“Patatas Bravas. Fried potatoes tossed with spicy tomato sauce.” In Spain, these would usually be coated in a spicy mayo. I liked these better, as the sauce was more like that used on hot wings and had a nice spicy vinegar tang.

“Boquerones en Vinagre.” Marinated small silvery fish fillets.

“Pulpo a la Gallega. Cooked octopus served with olive oil and paprika.” Incredibly tender!

2004 Bouchard Aîné et Fils Corton-Charlemagne. Burgound 93. I have not had this since cask and the bottle in question had a tattered label though no apparent seepage. As such, it’s difficult to know whether this bottle was indeed representative as it seemed relatively supple and forward, indeed more or less ready to drink. To be sure, there was no obvious secondary nuances in evidence and still good freshness to the rich, intense and vibrant flavors brimming with minerality on the impressively long finish. Impeccably stored bottles might need another few years to arrive at their peak but absent this bottle being an aberration, I don’t think that opening one today would be infanticide.

“Gambas al Ajillo.” Shrimp sauteed with garlic and chili pod.

“Pan con Tomate.” A country bread slice spread with tomato, garlic and olive oil.

“Espinacas con Piñones y Pasas.” Spinach sauteed with pine nuts and raisins.

2011 Emilio Rojo Ribeiro. 90 points. Weighty. Good acidity. Complex. Citrus, pear, minerality.

“Ensaladilla Rusa.” Tuna, potato and mayonnaise salad. The funny thing is calling this a salad.

“Tortilla Española. A wedge of a traditionally Spanish potato and onion omelette.”

A choice of condiments of the gazpacho.

“Gazpacho Andaluz. Tomato, garlic, bread, cucumber, celery, pepper, olive oil.” A nice gazpacho. I’m rather the gazpacho whore and I make it myself using Jose Andres’ recipe (modified by me). This one was tasty, but was a little thin textured for my taste.

1978 Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial. IWC 93. Medium red with an amber rim. Highly complex bouquet of fresh and dried red fruits, cherry skin, pipe tobacco, smoky minerals, cigar box and potpourri. Sweet strawberry and cherry flavors stain the palate but are strikingly lithe. Cured tobacco and candied rose flavors emerge with aeration, and the fruit takes a darker turn toward cherry. The tannins have been completely absorbed, allowing the wine’s almost decadent sweetness to come through. Expensive, yes, but this would offer newly minted wine lovers an insight into the personality of aged wine from a great region and a very good vintage for the same price as many newly released Napa or Bordeaux wines.

Sautéed peppers, yum!

“Champiñones con Chorizo.” Mushrooms with Spanish red sausage.

“Jamón Serrano.” I wasn’t sure which Spanish ham this was. It was certainly good with the garlic spread!

From my cellar: 1978 C.V.N.E. (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España) Rioja Viña Real Gran Reserva. 95 points. Pretty tight at the onset and only started to get going after an hour or so. It definitely would’ve benefited from decanting. Heavy swirling and the passage of time eventually saw fresh dark cherry flavors and aromas come up with a bit of beef blood, old wood and spice. Nicely balanced with solid acid levels. It would absolutely benefit from more time in the cellar, though it’s certainly tasty now, but, again, decant.

“Paella Fideuà.” Shrimp, mussels, calamari, clams, etc. cooked with saffron and “fideo” noodles.

“Arròs Négre. Cuttlefish, calamari, baby shrimp and mussels cooked with rice and squid’s ink.” Oh I love me the black rice!

Together on the plate.

1995 R. López de Heredia Rioja Rosado Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia. 90-94 points. An alluring leather, dried orange peel and strawberry leaf scented bouquet that blossoms beautifully in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine, elegant tannins. It is both precise and exquisitely defined with hints of cured meat and leather towards the graceful finish.

“Paella de Verduras.” Rice cooked with saffron and assorted vegetables.

1999 Peter Lehmann Shiraz Stonewell. 91 points.

Oxtail over mashed potatoes.

From my cellar: 2008 Pingus Flor de Pingus. Parker 96. The 2008 Flor de Pingus had been in bottle for 2 weeks when I tasted it. It offers up an enticing nose of smoke, Asian spices, incense, espresso, black cherry, and blackberry. On the palate it displays outstanding volume, intensity, and balance. Rich, dense, and succulent.

“Chuletas de Cordero al Romero.” Lamb chops grilled with rosemary and served with vegetables. Apparently in Spain, potatoes classify as “vegetables” :-).

1999 Château Guiraud. IWC 90. Pale yellow-gold. Lower-toned aromas of orange zest, herbs, spices, earth and vanillin oak. Textured, rich and sweetly oaky, with notes of vanilla and creme caramel Showing plenty of personality today. Ripe and rich for young Guiraud. Big but essentially gentle, with an impressive, slow-building finish.

The dessert spread.

“Pera al Vino. Pear cooked with red wine.”

“Mousse de Chocolate. Chocolate mousse.” One of the best chocolate mousses I can remember.

“Flan de Naranja.” Creme caramel with a light touch of fresh orange.

“Crema Catalana. Custard topped with caramelized sugar done to order.”

“Arroz con Leche.” Rice cooked with milk, lemon, cinnamon – served cold.

I love Spanish cooking, and La Paella has a really nice traditional kitchen. It reminds me of Botin in Madrid at the opposite end of the Spanish culinary spectrum from modernist Calima and the ElBuli school. Personally, I love both and I need to head back to La Paella to sample even more of their menu. Some of my favorites are Gambas Pil Pil, Anchovies en Boccerones, seafood paella, and, of course, the flan.

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By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Fish and Seafood, hedonists, La Paella, Olive oil, Paella, Spain, Spanish Food

Hedonists at La Paella

Oct01

Restaurant: La Paella

Location: 476 South San Vicente Boulevard. Los Angeles, CA 90048. (323) 951-0745

Date: September 27, 2012

Cuisine: Spanish

Rating: Really tasty traditional Spanish

Since spending a month in Spain in 2010, I’ve been addicted to Spanish cooking, so when the hedonists decided to head on over to this Hollywood staple I jumped on board for another evening packed with great wine and great food.

This “bonus wine” (thrown in by Lana at the last minute) was drinking beautifully. “The Grande Cuvee is scented of croissant, buttered cinnamon toast and warm strawberries with a hint of smoky bacon. Muscular and still very taut in the mouth, the densely packed flavors are refreshed with a pure, crisp acid line. It finishes long with plenty of toast and nut layers.”

I brought this boutique Spanish white. Parker 96. “The 2009 Sketch, an Albarino sourced from a parcel harvested 1-2 weeks later than all the other vineyards. It was fermented and aged (without malolactic) in two 700-liter barrels for 12 months followed by 60 days of aging in the bottle at 30 meters under the sea. It offers up an enthralling bouquet of mineral, saline, floral, tropical, and marzipan elements. Intense, complex, impeccably balanced, and remarkably lengthy, this is as good as Albarino gets. Bodegas y Vinedos Raul Perez is the hangout of Spain’s most visionary vigneron, Raul Perez. These latest releases only reinforce the legend.”

“Jamón Serrano.” I wasn’t sure which Spanish ham this was. It was certainly good with the garlic spread!

Sautéed peppers, yum!

“Tortilla Española. A wedge of a traditionally Spanish potato and onion omelette.”

Parker 95+, “The 2006 Brunello di Montalcino flows with gorgeous layers of dark red fruit. This is one of the more muscular, virile wines of the vintage. Slow to reveal its character, the Valdicava Brunello will require significant patience, but I have seen the wine blossom beautifully, even in the smallest of vintages. A blast of iron, smoke, tar, licorice and new leather inform the deep, intense finish. This is a hugely promising, brilliant Brunello from proprietor Vincenzo Abbruzzese, but it needs to be buried in the cellar for at least a few years. Readers who can’t wait should open the wine a few hours in advance, which will allow the fruit to emerge.”

This was incredibly smooth and seductive. Parker 92, “Dense plum/ruby/purple-colored, with a sweet perfume of earth, herbs, jammy black fruits, and oak in the background, the opulently textured, round, fleshy 1994 Gran Reserva possesses full body, moderate tannin, and an accessible yet structured personality. It should drink well for 12-15 years.”

“Pulpo a la Gallega. Cooked octopus served with olive oil and paprika.” Incredibly tender!

The front was a little flat on this ancient Rioja, but the middle and finish were very interesting, almost like a Madeira. “The 1948 Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial from a great Rioja vintage spent a mind-boggling 40 years in American oak barriques before it was bottled. Dark cherry red in color with a garnet rim, it offers up a splendid perfume of earth, mineral, lavender, incense, and black cherry. The wine’s vibrant acidity has kept it youthful and complete.”

“Caracoles al Ajillo. Snails sauteed with garlic and a touch of chili.” Succulent little fellows. The sauce is not unlike that used for Gambas Pil Pil which I adore.

Parker 91, “The dense ruby/purple-colored 1997 Valbuena reveals a deep, sweet nose of black fruits intermixed with earth, leather, smoke, and fruit cake. There is sensational texture on the palate, seamlessly integrated tannin and acidity, and moderate quantities of oak. While young, it is already showing exceptionally well.”

“Champiñones con Chorizo. Mushrooms with Spanish red sausage.” These were pretty awesome.

“Paella Valenciana Mixta. Rice, saffron, meat, vegetables and seafood with a touch of red peppers and rosemary.”

1964 Federico Paternina Rioja Gran Reserva. A bit past its prime, but drinkable :-).

Yarom and owner Pascal. They really treated us right!

Gorgeous! Parker 97, “Aged 18 months in 100% new French oak from 75-year old Tempranillo vines, the 2001 Pagos Viejos is one of Spain’s greatest wines. A singular red of extraordinary stature and intensity, it exhibits an inky/ruby/purple color as well as a luxurious bouquet of lead pencil shavings, black and blue fruits, espresso roast, and floral notes. This full-bodied, dense 2001 possesses layers of flavor, a sweet integration of tannin and wood, and a finish that lasts for nearly a minute.”

“Paella de Montaña con Chorizo. Rice, saffron, chicken, pork, green beans, lima beans and sliced Spanish red sausage.”

“Arròs Négre. Cuttlefish, calamari, baby shrimp and mussels cooked with rice and squid’s ink.” Oh I love me the black rice!

From my cellar. Young, but a total fruit bomb. Parker 96, “The 2008 Flor de Pingus had been in bottle for 2 weeks when I tasted it. It offers up an enticing nose of smoke, Asian spices, incense, espresso, black cherry, and blackberry. On the palate it displays outstanding volume, intensity, and balance. Rich, dense, and succulent, it has enough structure to evolve for 4-5 years.”

“Oxtail on the left, suckling pig on the right. Grilled with rosemary.” Both were fantastic. The oxtail is a lot like osso bucco, the pig crispy and full of flavor.

“Patatas Fritas. fried potatoes.”

Another youthful fruit bomb from my cellar. Parker 96, “The flagship, the 2007 Clos Mogador is made up of 40% Garnacha, 20% Carinena, 20% Syrah, and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. It is purple/black-colored with a sensational bouquet of mineral, truffle, espresso, black cherry, blueberry, and licorice. Dense and Reubenesque on the palate, it has great concentration, loads of savory fruit, impeccable balance, and several years of aging potential. Accessible now, this lengthy offering will be at its best from 2013 to 2027. It is one of the stars of the vintage in Priorat.”

This stone ground chocolate and hazelnut stuff was brought by Lana, it was incredible. I have to get some.

This Sauterne isn’t textbook, but it was drinking very nicely as a dessert wine, almost like a honey mead. Parker 84, “Nairac’s 1980 is a well-balanced, light golden-colored wine that displays a good level of botrytis, a spicy, tropical fruit, oaky bouquet, medium body, soft acidity, and a fat, tasty finish. It is fully mature.”

“Mousse de Chocolate. Chocolate mousse.” One of the best chocolate mousses I can remember.

“Crema Catalana. Custard topped with caramelized sugar done to order.”

“Pera al Vino. Pear cooked with red wine.”

There was also “Arroz con Leche” (rice pudding) that I missed a photo of. I’ll have to try their flan too, because I’m such a flan fiend.

I love Spanish cooking, and La Paella has a really nice traditional kitchen. It reminds me of Botin in Madrid at the opposite end of the Spanish culinary spectrum from modernist Calima and the ElBuli school. Personally, I love both and I need to head back to La Paella to sample even more of their menu. Some of my favorites I must try are Gambas Pil Pil, Anchovies en Boccerones, seafood paella, and, of course, the flan.

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By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Albariño, Brunello di Montalcino, Dessert, Foodie Club, hedonists, Jamón Serrano, La Paella, Paella, San Vicente Boulevard, Spain, Spanish Food, Wine

Jaleo Bethesda

Dec07

Restaurant: Jaleo [1, 2]

Location: 7271 Woodmont Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20814. 301.913-0003

Date: November 29, 2011

Cuisine: Spanish Tapas

Rating: Fun Tapas Bar

I’ve reviewed a lot of José Andrés restaurants on the blog, seven I think. This is een the second Jaleo. The Bazaar (REVIEW HERE) and his high end Saam, but also brunch at Trés, lunch at Trés, and to é by José Andrés and Jaleo in Vegas and Zaytinya also in Washington. Back to Jaleo, the restaurant at hand. It’s basically a straight up Spanish Tapas place but with a slightly modernized and enlarged menu.

The menu.

One annoyance of this particular branch — and not the restaurant’s fault — is the Maryland law against corkage. They have a fine list, but I had brought an amazing Spanish wine 3,000 miles! Parker gives it 91 points. “The 2008 Termes offers up a sexy perfume of cedar, spice box, violets, incense, espresso, and blackberry. Savory, concentrated, and well-balanced, this flavorful effort will benefit from several years of additional cellaring but can be approached now.”

“Gazpacho de remolacha con queso de cabra y naranjas. Chilled red beet soup with goat cheese and oranges.” I’m a total José Andrés gazpacho whore. I even make it at home home.

This is a different variant, kind of gazpacho meets borsch. It was fantastic. Beety, with that vinegary tang. Delicious.

“Dátiles con tocino ‘como hace todo el mundo. Fried dates wrapped in bacon.” Really how can you beat fried dates wrapped in bacon? Yum yum.

“Ensalada rusa. The ultimate Spanish tapa, a salad of potatoes, imported conserved tuna and mayonnaise.” The Spanish love potato salad.

“Aceitunas rellenas de anchoas y pimientos del piquillo. House-made stuffed olives with anchovies and roasted piquillo peppers.” This is another classic, and these are a really good implementation.

“Jamón Ibérico de bellota Fermin. Cured ham from the legendary, acorn-fed, black-footed Ibérico pigs of Spain and miscellaneous other Spanish meats like chorizo.”

“Pan con tomate. Toasted slices of rustic bread brushed with fresh tomato with Pasamontes farmhouse Manchego.” Basically Spanish bruschetta.

“Salpicón de cangrejo. Jumbo lump crabmeat with cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, cauliflower and Sherry dressing.” While Spanish in flavors I suspect this a bit of a nod to the Eastern shore. Big lumps of crabmeat too.

“Pan de recapte con anchoa. Traditional Catalan bread with peppers, tomatoes and salt-cured Spanish anchovies.” I really wanted Fresh Spanish anchovies, marinated (Anchovies en Boccerones) but they didn’t have them. These weren’t a bad substitute.

“Espinacas a la catalana. Sautéed spinach, pine nuts, raisins and apples.”

“Vieiras con romesco y mojo verde. Seared scallops with romesco sauce and mojo verde.”

“Lomo de buey. Grilled hanger steak with piquillo peppers.”

“Arroz con costillas de cerdo Ibérico de bellota. Made with the famous Ibérico de bellota pork ribs.”

“Arroz Mediterraneo. Made with porcini mushrooms, mixed vegetables, green and black olives and thyme.”

The dessert menu.

“A classic Spanish custard with creme and oranges.”

“Dark chocolate mousse with sponge cake and hazzelnut ice cream.”

“Various fruit sorbets.”

“Vanilla ice cream and grapefruit sorbet.”

“Chocolate ice cream.”

Jaleo is like a good Tapas place in Spain but a little slicker, with perhaps more consistant quality. And they don’t have fresh anchovies! It is also a little (actually more than a little) more expensive than a typical Spanish tapas place in Spain. But considering the scarcity of good tapas places in America… worth it.

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By: agavin
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Tagged as: Bazaar, Bethesda, Dessert, Gazpacho, Jaleo, José Andrés, Maryland, Paella, Restaurant, Restaurant Review, Spanish Food, Tapas, ThanksGavin, Washington DC, Wine, Zaytinya

Jaleo by José Andrés

Sep29

Restaurant: Jaleo [1, 2]

Location: 3708 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV 89109. 702.698.7000 (Cosmopolitan)

Date: September 24, 2011

Cuisine: Spanish Tapas

Rating: Fun Tapas Bar

So what does a true Foodie Club member do after eating a 22 course tasting dinner at é by José Andrés? Why have a second dinner of course!

This is the final part of my mini-Vegas series. Be sure to check out the opulent Twist and é reviews.

é is the “secret” 8 seat restaurant located within the more mainstream Jaleo, a small chain venture of José Andrés’ bringing moderately authentic Spanish tapas and paella with a modern bent to America.

Certainly the build out in the swank new Cosmopolitan hotel in Vegas is well… swank.

Tapas bar — literally.

Seems pretty Spanish.

They have an elaborate paella station. Racks are situated here where the traditional big pans can brew up this good stuff over wood fires.

Oooh, and the wine list is an iPad app. Which is a cool idea but at current is slightly slower and more awkward than a traditional paper list.

One of the staff from é (who secured us our no wait table) recommended this excellent and approachable Spanish red. “The 2000 Dehesa la Granja Seleccion received malolactic in French oak barrels followed by an additional 2 years in the oak. It offers more complex aromatics (mineral, cedar, spice box, smoke, leather, and black fruits) but is compact, a bit too structured in the mouth, and the finish is somewhat abrupt. If time pulls this wine together, my score will look conservative.”

The menu. Many of the dishes are variants of Spanish classics.

“Endives, goat cheese, oranges, and almond.” Bear in mind that we did JUST EAT a huge four hour tasting menu — and there are only two of us eating this “post dinner snack.” So we started light. These were very tasty, with bright bright flavors.

“Gambas al ajillo.” In Spain usually called Gambas pilpil. Basically shrimp boiled (fried?) in olive oil and garlic. These were very typical of what I must have had 30 times in southern Spain. The quality of the shrimp here was higher than is often the case at cheap places in Spain.

Here is photo of a typical example of this I got one afternoon in Cordoba. At Jaleo, they plated them out of the crock, but in spain it’s always served sizzling right off the stove.

Now on to the paella. Which, like rissoto, is all about the rice. In this case Bomba. This rice absorbs a lot more liquid than lamer rices.

The only problem with the Jaleo implementation is that in the interest of expediency they don’t cook the paella as long as they should (at least 45 minutes). Instead they force it at a little higher temperature. This doesn’t allow for the maximum paella effect.

“Arroz a banda con bogavante.” Rice apart from the lobster. The lobster was excellent. The paella itself a tiny bit bitter from the saffron. Still, a very enjoyable dish.

“Arroz con cosillas de cerdo iberico de bollota.” Made with the famous black-footed iberico de bellota pig. Ribs in particular. This was an amazing paella, and the sweetness of the pork leant the rice a sweet meaty goodness. Yum!

The dessert menu. Even “after dinner snacks” need three courses.

“Helado de aceite de oliva con cítricos texturados. Olive oil ice cream with grapefruit.” Two flavors of ice cream, a bit of grapefruit.

And a drizzle of olive oil.

Interesting contrast again of the sweet and slightly oily salty. A satisfying conclusion.

Overall, Jaleo seemed good. I can’t quite judge it fully as we didn’t have a real meal, just a “snack,” but I enjoyed what we had and having spent a month recently in Spain I have a pretty good palette for the stuff. It tasted pretty Spanish — filtered through a bit of internationalization.

Click here for the 22 course meal that proceeded this — the same night!

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By: agavin
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Tagged as: Cosmopolitan, Dessert, Jaleo, José Andrés, Las Vegas, Las Vegas Nevada, Nevada, Paella, Restaurant, Restaurant Review, Spain

Quick Eats – Bar Pinxto

Aug26

Restaurant: Bar Pinxto

Location: 109 Santa Monica Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA. (310) 458-2012

Date: August 19, 2011

Cuisine: Spanish Tapas

Rating: Quick little lunch bargain

ANY CHARACTER HERE

After seeing Fright Night we shopped around Santa Monica for a lunch place and decided to revisit Bar Pinxto. This is a genuine Spanish Tapas Bar, in that it’s a bar first, restaurant second. Still they have a wide variety of traditional Spanish Tapas (as they would in Spain).

There is a small amount of outside seating.

And the cute little interior space.

Being Spanish, olives grace the table. Bar Pinxto has a $15 3 course lunch menu which is an excellent deal and a lot of food.

First course was Gazpacho. This was certainly a good implementation of the classic form of the soup. Not quite as good as the Jose Andres variety at The Bazaar/Saam/Tres, but good. I like the fine pureed texture.

Classic Paella, one of the second courses. This was pretty traditional, with muscles and chorizo. It could have benefited from a few more ingredients, but was respectable.

Squid with squid ink over Spanish rice (basically paella). The squid was soft and tasty, although the portion was smaller than the paella.

Pot du creme, chocolate. This was a damn good chocolate cream/mousse thingy. Damn good. Sort of a chocolate version of Gjelina’s butterscotch one.

Overall, the quick Pinxto $15 lunch is an excellent deal. The food was good and pretty authentically Spanish, and you certainly get a lot for your money.

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By: agavin
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Tagged as: Bar Pinxto, Bazaar, Gazpacho, Los Angeles, Paella, Restaurant, Restaurant Review, Santa Monica California, Spain, Spanish rice

Pleased by Picca

Aug23

Restaurant: Picca [1, 2]

Location: 9575 West Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90035. Tel: 310 277 0133

Date: August 15, 2011

Cuisine: Modern Peruvian

Rating: Really interesting flavors

I was really excited to try this new Modern Peruvian. As best I can tell (having never been to Peru other than an airport stop in Lima) Peru has a really interesting culinary melange going on merging Spanish, traditional South American, and Japanese influences. I’ve heard that much of the wave of innovation in American Modern Japanese started by Nobu Matsuhisa (detailed look here) is really just Peruvian. In any case, on to the food.

This space is just above what used to be Test Kitchen last year and is now the excellent Sotto. The chef is Ricardo M. Zarate, a Lima native, and as far as I can tell, he rocks.

The menu. This is all served Tapas style, which you all know is my favorite.

Burgundy! Parker gives this 92, “Bachelet’s 2005 Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes – from 60- to 70-year-old vines both below the route nationale and north of Gevrey in Brochon – offers lovely black fruit aromas with hints of anise and mint. A truly palate-staining intensity of vividly-fresh, tart but ripe black cherry and blackberry is underlain by firm, fine tannins (not precluding an emerging silkiness of texture) and augmented by bitter-herbal and stony notes. Although palpably dense and abundantly tannic, this outstanding village wine still comes off as juicy, sleek, invigorating and refined. Put it away for at least 5-7 years.”

“jalea mixta. crispy mixed seafood, tartare sauce.” Some really good fried seafood. The tartare sauce was fantastic too.

“chicharron de pollo. marinated crispy chicken, salsa criolla, rocoto sauce.” Also good fry. Like uber chicken nuggets.

“tres leches de tigre. rocoto, aji amarillo, sea urchin shooters.” Three different gazpacho-like shooters. I had the Uni one. It was very limey/vinegary which I like.

“ceviche mixto. mixed seafood, sweet potato, choclo.” Mixed fresh seafood marinated. Those things on the right are the giant peruvian corn kernels. The fish was very fresh, particularly the shrimp. The marinate was tasty, but certainly had a very strong lime/vinegar thing going on.

On the left: “santa barbara prawns. lemon grass yuzu kosho pesto.” Very tender sweet prawns, with the sauce definitely adding.

On the right: “black cod. miso anticucho, crispy sweet potato.” Tasty too. The potato chips though were even better 🙂

Apparently in Peru sushi is done with these yellow blocks instead of rice and called causa sushi. The stuff looks like polenta but is actually a mash of yellow potato with some spices.

This is the “unagi. avocado, cucumber, eel sauce” and it’s pretty much your eel sushi. Of all these causas this was my favorite as the polenta is heavier and stronger flavored than rice and the eel held up to it best.

“scallops. mentaiko.” Certainly tasty, but it would have been better with rice.

“albacore. garlic chip, ceviche sauce.” My second favorite of this set.

“spicy yellow tail. spicy mayo, green onions, wasabi tobiko.” Also good, but the fourth potato bar was beginning to feel too heavy.

“arroz chaufa de mariscos. mixed seafood, peruvian fried rice, pickled radish.” This was a nice version of paella. Brighter and more citrusy (by far) than it’s Spanish cousin. The ingredients were very fresh.

“seco de pato. duck leg confit, black beer sauce, cilantro rice.” This was a slight disappointment. It was perfectly cooked, but given the volume level of the flavors of this meal it felt a little muted, particularly the rice.

“chicharron de costillas. crispy pork ribs crostini, sweet potato puree, feta cheese sauce, salsa criolla.” This however was pretty spectacular, one of the best pork sandwiches I’ve tried.

We finished the wine and decided to explore some of the awesome cocktails as “dessert beverages.” These drinks are by mixologist Julian Cox. The cocktail menu.

This was “chilcano de anis, lime juice, ginger syrup, anise syrup, pisco, soda, mint sprig, pernod.” It was pretty damn good, tasting like sweet mint licorice.

“Sabertooth. cachaca, muddled blueberries, apricot liquor, fresh lime juice, simple syrup, shaken, lime wheel & blueberry.” Pretty great too.

“Rhubarb Sidecar.” Cognac, pisco, fresh lemon juice, rhubarb gastrique, shake violentyly (and they mean it), garnished with spiced sugar.” Also great.

“Christopher Oaxacan. Single village mezcal, passion fruit, fresh lemon juice, orgeat, lavender bitters.” The super smokey (and very good) mezcal overwhelmed everything else. It basically tasted like mezcal with lime.

“Lemon tart.” This was a pretty amazing dessert. Light and airy, almost foamy, the intense lemoness paired nicely with the sweet pineapple stuff on the side.

I love even street cart churros but these were pretty supreme. The churros were stuffed with some kind of dulce de leche custard. It kept squirting out but was intensely good. The carob sauce was surprisingly amazing. I remember carob from the 1970s as the horrible chocolate bars that weren’t. This could have been caramel.

Picca was pretty fantastic. They didn’t hit every note perfectly, but it’s a fun (and loud space), the server was very very nice and enthusiastic about the food, and the flavors were bold and powerful, the ingredients first rate. What’s not to love? Unless you prefer crap like el Torito.

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