Archive for Restaurant

Enter the Mandarin

Apr03

Restaurant: Mandarin

Location: Saigon

Date: March 23, 2014

Cuisine: Vietnamese / Cantonese

Rating: solid

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Our second night in Saigon lead us to this upscale Vietnamese / Cantonese placed called “Mandarin” (like the lame fake villain in Iron Man III).


The dining room is lovely. And another menu the size of Texas:






Fresh spring rolls with shrimp and pork. Not as good as some, these had a slight medicinal taste (some herb?).


Or maybe it was the slightly strange plum sauce.


Pan fried rice pancakes with shrimp mouse. The mouse was the standard Chinese (and Vietnamese shrimp ball material). Fairly mild.


Slightly spicy fish sauce.

Fried soft-shell crabs with da lat lemon sauce. Good and crunchy.


Special king prawn. This guy was huge, and pretty, but a bit of a disappointment as the meat was bland.


Tea to clean the fingers.


Salty beef in bamboo. It was on fire, which is always cool.


And tasted pretty good.


Sticky rice in lotus leaf. Certainly lovely presentation. The rice itself was good, pretty typical.


Roasted duck Mandarin style. We had thought this might be Peking duck, but no, it was this boneless duck in a sweet lemony sauce. Like lemon chicken but duck. Still tasty.


Grilled eggplant with onion.

Mandarin was solid, but nothing amazing. And it was considerably more expensive than most Vietnamese places. Certainly it was interesting, offering a lovely setting and serving up a hybrid Vietnamese and Cantonese cuisine.

For more Vietnam dining reviews, click here.

Related posts:

  1. Eating Saigon – Hoa Tuc
  2. Christmas is for Dim Sum
  3. Taking back Little Saigon
  4. Food as Art: Ping Pong
  5. More Modern Dim Sum
By: agavin
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Saddle Peak Peaks

Dec13

Restaurant: Saddle Peak Lodge [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Location: 419 Cold Canyon Rd, Calabasas, CA 91302 (818) 222-3888

Date: December 12, 2013

Cuisine: Modern American

Rating: Great ambiance and terrific game oriented food.

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For one (and just one) of our Hedonistic Holiday Feasts, we Hedonists return to Saddle Peak Lodge. It’s pretty much the perfect venue for both a winter wine blast, with gorgeous lodge patio, cozy lodge, game driven food, and awesome wine service. For those of you who don’t know, Hedonist events have amazing wines (each diner brings at least one bottle) and this event has several 100 point blow out wines.


Saddle Peak Ranch used to be a game lodge back in the early part of the 20th century. The rich and famous used to come up and hunt Malibu’s finest, such as this poor fellow. Now the deer are just served up on the menu. I like how his hoofs hold the gun that killed him.

The restaurant is located in the middle of gorgeous Malibu Canyon and tonight we are set up in the “library”, complete with holiday decorations (and Jingle Bells playing on endless loop).


Tonight’s menu.


We begin with some champagne.


Pretzel bread.


Several kinds of butter (and salt).


2000 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Coeur de Cuvée. Burghound 94. A moderately yeasty yet elegant nose that is fresh, complex and carries touches of both pain grillé and citrus blossom while leading to intense, pure and gorgeously deep flavors that possess first class breadth and genuinely excellent length. While still on the way up, after 30 to 45 minutes it began to display notably deeper and broader flavors that are at once powerful yet refined. A terrific effort that is absolutely worth your attention.


Cream of celery soup.


2004 Bouchard Aîné et Fils Corton-Charlemagne. 92 points. Lemony nose. Gives a sense of extremely concentrated but unyielding fruits, lemons,apples – and minerals. A long intense aftertaste. With no experience with aged white burgundy but having read a lot about them, I think I can sense what this would have become with age. We had another bottle of this about a year ago and it was much lighter and ready to go. Wondering about the first bottle caused this one to be opened and checked out. I’m going to assume our remaining two are like this one, hope to not read about premox issues – and let them age for many years and we’ll then experience a great white burgundy.


A bit of salmon on blini with creme fraiche and caviar.


2002 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Blanchot. Burghound 94. Astounding purity of expression here with hints of gunflint, oyster shell, minerals and that gorgeous green fruit that is uniquely Chablis in style, followed by silky, ultra fine, linear and almost delicate yet with considerable power, precision and length. More importantly, there is another dimension here relative to the 1ers and this delivers simply stunning quality with a classic bone dry finish. This is an extremely impressive wine that has everything it needs for a very long life.


Bosc pear salad with red oak and baby gem lettuce, Laurel Chenel goat cheese, shaved red onion, toasted walnuts, blueberry and fig vinaigrette.


From my cellar, 1970 Domaine Drouhin-Laroze Bonnes Mares. 95 points. Deep Burgundy color. It may be mature, but there is tons of earthy red fruits left in this lovely wine.


Roasted pumpkin-parmesan soup with basil oil, sage creme, brown butter croutons and Terre Bormaine olive oil.


Yukon potato gnocchi with shaved black Periguex truffles, glazed with parmesan cheese.


1983 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único. Parker 90-95. The 1983 Unico Reserva is another stunning example of Spain’s greatest red wine. A sweet, penetrating fragrance of nearly over-ripe black fruits, intermingled with lavish quantities of vanillin and smoke is a knock-out. Forward, with massive, highly extracted, jammy fruit presented in a full-bodied, remarkably well-balanced format, this huge, rich, concentrated wine is already multi-dimensional and complex, as well as unbelievably delicious. However, do not be fooled by its precociousness. There is so much exquisite extract and richness that this wine should age effortlessly for 20-25 years.


Butternut squash agnolotti glazed in truffle buerre monte with sauteed shimeji mushrooms and parmesan foam.


Caesar Salad with garlic croutons and Parmigiano-Reggiano.


Ahi tuna sashimi with Hawaiian papaya, cilantro, red onion, avocado, orange-ginger and pea tendrils.


From my cellar, 1995 Chapoutier Ermitage le Pavillon. Parker 99. The 1995 Ermitage Le Pavillon is magnificent. The wine is more accessible than the 1996 (due to lower acidity and more immediately accessible glycerin and fruit), with a magnificent black/purple color, and layers of cassis fruit, smoky, roasted meat, and mineral characteristics that are the result of barrel fermentation and high extraction of fruit. It is huge, but not heavy, gorgeously proportioned, and dazzlingly well-defined. A monster Hermitage of immense proportions, it somehow manages to keep everything in balance. This backward Pavillon will require 10-12 years of cellaring. It should age well through the first half of the next century.


Seared venison Carpaccio with horseradish aioli, avocado mousse, herb vinaigrette, parmesan crisps, mizuna, fried capers, tomato seeds and grilled ciabbata bread.


Pan seared Maine scallops with saffron soffrito, mustard greens, chorizo and Carlsbad mussels.


1976 Coutet. Parker 86. One of the best Coutets of the seventies, the 1976 is a relatively big Coutet, with a surprising amount of alcohol (15pc), a ripe apricot, spicy, floral, lemon-scented bouquet, full body, fat, succulent flavors, and Coutet’s trademark — crisp, fresh acidity.


Fatted liver of a certain fowl, rumored to be on the endangered list. With brioche and black cherry reduction. Yum!


1996 Shafer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select. Parker 98. Since 1991, Shafer’s Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon has unquestionably been one of the top dozen or so California Cabernets. Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and aged 32 months in 100% French oak casks (the majority Taransaud), it possesses the elegance and finesse one would expect from the Stags Leap area, but also monumental power, richness, and intensity. The 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select is one of the vintage’s super-stars. Its opaque purple color is accompanied by super aromatics, immense body, great fruit extraction, superb purity and overall symmetry, as well as a 40+ second finish. Revealing exceptional intensity (but no heaviness) as well as perfectly integrated acidity, tannin, and alcohol, this fabulous Cabernet will drink wonderfully for three decades.


Sweet potato fries.


Mac & Cheese.


Asparagus.


Spinach.


By some magical symbiosis of thought, four different Hedonists brought different vintages of the ultra-rare cult Shiraz: Chris Ringland / Three Rivers. So we were treated to an amazing mini-vertical including 96, 98, 99, and 2000!

1996 Chris Ringland (formerly Three Rivers) Shiraz. Parker 98-100. The 1996 Chris Ringland (formerly Three Rivers) Shiraz (now known as ‘Chris Ringland Shiraz’ due to a name dispute), has a very deep garnet-black color with intensely spicy aromas – plenty of vanilla, cinnamon and licorice – over a core of chocolate, kirsch, prunes and a whiff of dusty earth. Bacon fat and coffee notes emerge after a few minutes. Big, rich and buxom (15.3% alcohol) in the mouth with plenty of crisp acid and firm very fine tannins to support, it finishes long with layers of spice, dried plums and mocha. It’s still very youthful with many innings left.


Idaho rainbow trout pan roasted in lemon, garlic, red onion and brown butter served with grilled Japanese eggplant, salt-roasted purple carrots, grilled summer squash, fire-roasted red bell pepper and baked fingerling potatoes.


They all came in these individual boxes.


1998 Chris Ringland (formerly Three Rivers) Shiraz. 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.


Mesquite grilled filet mignon with glazed heirloom carrots, sautéed Bloomsdale spinach, brown butter potato puree and mushroom bordelaise sauce.


Grilled New Zealand lamb racks with braised eggplant, pine nuts, curry cauliflower, piquillo yogurt and pomegranate reduction.


1999 Chris Ringland (formerly Three Rivers) 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.


Grilled buffalo New York with creamed kale vol a vent, bacon-gruyere-potato terrine and horseradish crème.


2000 Chris Ringland (formerly Three Rivers) Shiraz. Parker 96-97. This is a re-review of the 2000 Shiraz since I significantly underrated it previously. 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.


A whole herd of game .


Wild Game Trio – the Chef’s sampling of three different game meats with individual accompaniments.


Elk.


Wild boar.


Antelope.


And the complete set!


I had just a few glasses going.


1999 Peju Province Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Rutherford. 92 points. Wonderful and full of flavor on the start all the way to the finish. The wine looks Garnet colored. The legs are Medium. It smells like Blackberry, Mushroom, Coffee, Smokey Bacon, Chocolate, Tobacco, and Bell Pepper.


Birthday ice cream for Erik.


Banana cake and caramelized bananas.


Farmer’s market caramelized pear beignets with crème anglaise.


Chocolate molten whiskey cake with Guinness ice cream and Bailey’s whipped cream.


Daily selection of house-made sorbets served on ice. Blackberry, guava, and coconut.


Apple cinnamon bread pudding served with salted caramel ice cream.


Caramelized white chocolate pot de crème with blackberries, white chocolate pistachio fudge and pistachio sorbet.

This was a total blow out event. The food was impeccable and the service fantastic. Plus we had a really great mix of people and some of the most awesome wines, the Chris Ringland being particularly notable. Our private floor with the roaring fire and dead bovines made for a fabulous atmosphere.

Click here for more LA restaurant reviews,

Or for Hedonist extravaganzas.

Related posts:

  1. Hedonism at Saddle Peak Lodge
  2. Food as Art: Saddle Peak Lodge
  3. Hedonists climb the Peak
  4. Summertime Peak
  5. Hedonists at STK
By: agavin
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No Drone in the Zone – Azeen’s Afghani

Aug12

Restaurant: Azeen’s Afghani [1, 2, 3]

Location: 110 East Union Street, Pasadena, Ca, 911103. 626-683-3310

Date: August 8, 2013

Cuisine: Afghan

Rating: Awesome again!

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Another week and another Hedonist dinner. We braved 2.25 hours in traffic to take on Azeen’s Afghani in Pasadena, dominating the restaurant as usual with a giant table. Pictures of the room are available at a previous meal here.


We aren’t the only ones who love Azeen’s.


The menu. This place is amazing AND will not break the bank.


From my cellar, 2006 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis. Burghound 88. A very clean, fresh, bright and airy nose that offers good Chablis character on the white flower and green fruit nose that introduces energetic and mineral-infused flavors that are both delicious and deliver fine finishing volume. Good quality at this level.

This was my “bonus” wine, I brought it just because I wanted a white.


Pakawra-e-badenjan. Batter dipped, sautéed slices of eggplant topped with yogurt and meat sauce.


This green chimichuri-like chili sauce is a classic of Afghan cuisine. It goes with everything.


1996 Joseph Drouhin Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots. 93 points. Just entering it’s mature period this exhibited classic vosne romanee nose and body. Drinking very nicely.


Aushak. Leek and scallion filled dumplings, topped with yogurt and meat sauce, sprinkled with mint.


1993 Louis Jadot Chambertin-Clos de Bèze. Burghound 92. In stark contrast to the Chambertin, this is wonderfully expressive and complex with abundant earth and spice notes followed by big, structured, still sappy if slightly austere flavors that offer excellent density and plenty of character. Impressively scaled and finishes with striking length. A clear step up from the Chambertin.

There was a touch of bret and the beginning, but it blew off in a few minutes and we were left with a wonderful expression of Beze.


A special turnover with cheese and potato (I think) and a yogurt sauce.


Bulanee-e-katchalu. Turnover filled with potatoes, ground beef and herbs.


2008 Flowers Pinot Noir Andreen-Gale Cuvée Sonoma Coast. New world pinot. Well made, but too young (for my Burgundian taste).


Aush. Vegetable, noodle and yogurt soup sprinkled with dill topped with meat sauce. Aush has many of the same ingredients as some of the other dishes, but the soup factor really  works. Great stuff.


2010 Big Basin Vineyards Grenache/Syrah/Mourvedre Paderewski Vineyard. Rhone Rangers 95. This has a ton of layers and subtle power. I would say this transcends the GSM concept and goes into just classic big New World wines. Drinks like a Cab/Syrah blend from Napa or a huge Malbec. The finish is spectacular.


The simple salad with yogurt dressing and zatar.


1995 Sociando-Mallet. Parker 90. This accessible, yet tannic example of Sociando-Mallet possesses a deep ruby/purple color, and excellent aromatics consisting of jammy black cherries, blackberries, and cassis, as well as subtle notes of minerals, earth, and new oak. This is a deep, long, muscular, tannic wine that is structurally similar to the 1996. Patience will be required from purchasers of this high class wine.

This was drinking very nicely, mature.


On the left, Kabob-e-gousfand. Tender cubes of lamb. On the right, Kabob-e-murgh. Tender chunks of breast of chicken.


2005 Château Giscours. Parker 91. This forward-styled 2005 possesses a dense ruby/purple color in addition to a big, sweet bouquet of roasted herbs, fudge, espresso, figs, and cherry jam. Opulent, even decadent, with low acidity, but high glycerin and fruit extract as well as a flamboyant fleshiness, this is a stunningly impressive, hedonistic, savory Margaux to enjoy.


Challaw. Seasoned rice.


2006 SCEA Armenier Châteauneuf-du-Pape.


A special lamb and eggplant stew. Delicious over rice.


From my cellar, 2000 Les Cailloux (Lucien et Andre Brunel) Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Centenaire. Parker 96. The heady 2000 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Centenaire is more evolved than either the 2001 or 1998. Extremely full-bodied, with low acidity, and a knock-out bouquet of blackberry and cherry jam intermixed with licorice, pepper, and dried Provencal herbs, this sexy, voluptuous, enormously concentrated 2000 possesses a huge, silky, seamless finish. Drink this irresistible effort now and over the next 12-15 years.


Another stew, this time with peppers and beef.


2007 Prunotto Barbaresco. IWC 89. Medium red. Enticing aromas of strawberry, cherry and shoe polish. Clean, bright and fruity but youthfully restrained, with bright acidity and a firm tannic spine calling for patience. Nicely balanced Barbaresco with very good length. “My style of nebbiolo,” says Torrengo, adding that this wine always begins its life less open and perfumed than the Occhetti nebbiolo, because that wine is from sandier soil. “The Barbaresco starts with a better balance between the nose and the palate,” notes Torrengo.


Sabsi. Sautéed spinach cooked with onions and garlic.


Kadu. Sautéed butternut squash topped with yogurt and meat sauce. Incredibly succulent.


The flat bread goes great dipped in the green sauce – or the Aush!


1995 Amberley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Margaret River. Big!


Mantu. Steamed dumplings filled with chopped beef, onions and herbs topped with yogurt and sautéed Mixed vegetables. These have been a favorite of mine for 30 years!


2000 D’Arenberg The Dead Arm Shiraz. Parker 94. This estate’s most renowned offering is their old vine (90+ years) Shiraz called The Dead Arm. The unfined/unfiltered 2000 The Dead Arm Shiraz is one of South Australia’s finest wines of the vintage. A perfume of grilled steak intermixed with blackberries, new saddle leather, earth, pepper, and melted licorice rises from this awesome red. With great power, richness, and no hard edges, it is still young and primary, but should hit its peak in 3-7 years, and last for two decades or more.


This special is seasoned rice with succulent chunks of lamb (not visible) topped with raisons and carrots. Really lovely sweet and savory combo.


Naughty us, smoking inside!


1976 Doisy-Vedrines. Parker 84. In many respects a typically chunky, fat, corpulent Doisy-Vedrines, the 1976 reveals plenty of ripe, viscous, honeyed fruit, good botrytis, full body, and enough acidity to keep the wine from tasting cloyingly sweet or heavy.

Unfortunately, this was a few years past its prime.


Firnee. A light pudding with almonds and pistachios served chilled. Yum, yum! This was creamy and saturated with rose water, which I love.


Baghlava. hin layers of pastry with walnuts and pistachios, syrup soaked.


Gelabee. Fried Pastry Dipped in Sugar Syrup.


This is apparently a super rare cult wine.

This was another amazing Hedonist blow out. The food is so tasty here. Afghan is a really delectable cuisine. Middle eastern with a hint of China, Persia, and India. It’s not spicy but is packed with flavor. Growing up, we used to frequently enjoy this cuisine in the Washington suburbs. You can check that out here.

The service at Azeen’s is fantastic. Abdul really makes you feel welcome. And Azeen’s is probably the best kitchen execution I’ve experienced in an Afghan restaurant  I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s better than 99% of the places in Kabul.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or for Hedonist extravaganzas.


Bernard shows Yarom pictures of his girlfriend in a bikini.

Related posts:

  1. Hedonism in the Desert – Azeen’s Afghani
  2. Foreign Flavors: Panjshir
  3. Hedonists at Jitlada
  4. Hedonists at La Paella
  5. Food as Art: Ortolan
By: agavin
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Sotto – Sicilian & Sardinian Scents

Sep24

Restaurant: Sotto [1, 2, 3]

Location:  9575 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90035  310.277.0210

Date: September 13 26, 2012

Cuisine: Sicilian and Sardinian Italian

Rating: Bold flavors, off to a great start!

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While LA is packed with Italian restaurants, Sotto is fairly unique in embracing a rustic southern Italian style. This isn’t your old school Sicilian or Neapolitan American either, but the hearty traditional fare of Italy’s Spanish and Moorish influenced regions. I’ve been here a number of times before, but it’d been a while, and the place is good, so it was time to return.


The loud but chummy interior.


The menu.


Parker 91, “The 2004 Brunello di Montalcino is a fresh, vibrant offering bursting with dark cherries, violets, underbrush, minerals and sweet toasted oak on a medium-bodied frame. The wine reveals terrific balance in an energetic, focused style, with firm yet ripe tannins. The finish is long, clean and refreshing. This is a gorgeous effort from Loacker.”


“Marinated sardine crostini {English pea macco, pickled onions, mint}.” Really tasty mix: a sort of caprese with fish and it works perfectly.


“Mixed greens and shaved beet salad {wheatberries, lemon vinaigrette, Fiore Sardo}.”


“Grilled mackerel in scapece {cauliflower, cured lemons, crispy buckwheat, pesto pantesca}” This was a delicious fish dish.


“Eggplant involtini al forno {tomato passata, burrata, breadcrumbs}” It’s hard to ever go wrong with baked eggplant, cheese, and tomatos, and this was no exception. Yum!


Parker 94, “The 2005 Shardana is an awesome Carignano endowed with exuberant dark fruit, smoke, licorice, sage, rosemary and tar. This is a fairly big, masculine wine with great intensity, depth and roundness. It needs another year or two in bottle for the tannins to settle down. The Shardana is formidable, though, and a terrific choice for hearty cuisines.”


“Casarecce {braised lamb ragu, egg, pecorino}” The pastas here are fantastic with a really chewy homemade mouth feel.


“Fileja calabresi {nero di seppia, cherry tomatoes, peperoncino}” This seppia pasta was terrific, sweet, briny, and really chewy.


“Margherita {tomato, mozzarella, basil, EVOO}” Classic woodfire pizza.


“Salsiccia e friarielli {sausage, rapini, mozzarella, chilies}” Even better, with meat!


“Grilled lamb blade steak {white beans, calabrian chilies, almond salmoriglio}” The lamb was good, but the beans underneath were even better!


“Whole-grilled orata {braised artichoke acquasale, olive-pistachio vinaigrette}” A really nice fresh grilled fish.


The dessert menu.


“Cannoli Siciliani. ricotta, orange marmalade, pistachios, chocolate.”


“Bittersweet chocolate crostata. hazelnuts, salted rosemary caramel.”

The menu is fairly consistent here, with perhaps only 10-15% turnover in the year since I last visited. The food is hearty and delicious, with bright seafood Mediterranean flavors. A LOT of flavor! The only place I’ve been in LA that is similar is Hostaria del Piccolo.

For my first review of Sotto, click here.For my another of my reviews of Sotto, click here.

Or for a review of Drago, another Sicilian restaurant.

Related posts:

  1. Sotto – Sicily con Sardo
  2. Seconds at Sotto
  3. Sicilian Style – Drago
  4. Upstairs 2 – Modern Tapas, Lots of Wine
  5. Fraiche Santa Monica
By: agavin
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N/Naka – Farewell to Foie

Jul01

Restaurant: N/Naka [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Location: 3455 S. Overland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90034. 310.836.6252

Date: June 22, 2012

Cuisine: Modern Kaiseki

Rating: Awesome

ANY CHARACTER HERE

It’s been an N/Naka couple of weeks. I was just there three weeks ago for an amazing Omakase. Now the Foodie Club returns for the “Farewell to Foie” dinner. For those of you that live in caves, California is on the verge of banning that most delectable of duck livers due to debatable animal rights issues. Chef Ms. Niki Nakayama has whipped up an entirely foie meal to celebrate the last month of foie!


The setting is elegant, minimalist, and very Japanese.


From my cellar: “The Pinson 2008 Chablis Les Clos displays somewhat detached lanolin, resin, and vanilla from barrel, but also generous citrus tinged with chalk dust and white pepper typical for this site. With a sense of substantiality shared with other wines in its collection as well as a silken texture – yet with plenty of energy and saliva-inducement.” This wine is textbook white burgundy and Chardonnay at its best, flowery and rich in a way that new world Chards almost never achieve. But, as I was to observe, Chardonnay makes a really poor pairing with foie gras. The richness of the foie begs for something sweet like a Riesling Spatlese.


Saki Zuke (A pairing of something common and something unique) – Custard of Organic Farm-fresh Jidori Chicken Egg and Hudson Valley Foie Gras topped with Seared Foie Gras on a Bed of Shredded Foie Gras, a Sauce of Balsamic Foie Gras Jus and a Flower of Pansy, Gold Leaf.


“Zensai (Main seasonal ingrediant presented as an appetizer) – Torchon of Hudson Valley Foie Gras served with Seared Unagi (Freshwater Eel), Brûléed Black Mission Figs, Roasted Bing Cherries, a Sweep of Bittersweet Chocolate and a Sauce of Cabernet Sauvignon and Bing Cherries and Gelée of Sanbaizu.”


“Modern Zakuri (A modern interpretation of sashimi) – Hokkaido scallops with Hudson Valley Foie Gras Crumbles, Shaved Zest of Fresh Yuzu, garnished with leaves of Baby Red-veined Sorrel from Niki’s Garden and Sprouts of Daikon and Drops of Ponzu Reduction.”


“Otsukuri (Traditional Sashimi) – Live Hirame (Halibut) from Jeju, Korea, thinly sliced with a Flower of Pansy from Niki’s Garden and a Sauce of Foie Gras Ponzu.” The foie in the ponzu added a lovely touch of richness to this otherwise simple sashimi.


“Palate Cleanser – On the Half Shelll, Kumamoto Oyster with Fresh Uni (Sea Urchiin) from Santa Barbara with Ponzu.”


The 2000 Domaine Ponsot Chapelle Chambertin Grand Cru was a spectacular example of grand cru red Burgundy brought by Foodie co-chair EP. Every time I taste a very good burgundy with a little age on it I remember why I love burgs so much. Just spectacular.


“Mushimono (Steamed dish) – Black Abalone from Monterey and Hudson Valley Foie Gras poached in Dashi and served with the Poaching Liquid and Scallions.” This sure is a lot of foie!  The combination was incredible, and the broth even better. Notice that the bowl has a little “spigot” on the right for pouring it out onto a spoon. I spilled some and debated licking it off the table — not kidding.


“Shiizakana (Not bound by tradition, the Chef’s choice dish) – Ravioli stuffed with Diver Scallops from Hokkaido, Japan, Maine Lobster Tail and Hudson Valley Foie Gras with a Sauce of Yuzu Brown Butter.” Absolutely to die for ravioli with a dough much like that of a Har Gow.


“Niku (Meat Course) – Beef Houbayaki – American Wagyu Beef Ribeye Steak topped with Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras, Scallions on a Sauce of Sweet Red Miso, on a Magnolia Leaf that sits on top of Charcoal.” Rich enough? Wagyu AND foie?


The Magnolia leaf creates a wonderful odor as it smokes too.


For the sushi flights we ordered this ultra premium sake. I’ve had both this semi-sweet version and the same maker’s dry. The semi-sweet is worlds better in my opinion, perhaps the best sake I’ve ever had.

“Palate Cleanser – some marinated fish bit with tomato from Niki’s garden.”


“Shokuji One & Two (Rice dish –Sushi) – Tai (Japanese Snapper), Chu-toro of Big Eye Tuna”


“Aji (Spanish Mackrel), Amaebi (Sweet Shrimp)”


“Seared Toro of Spanish Baby Blue Fin Tuna, Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras topped with a Balsamic Foie Gras Jus Reduction.”


“Shiizakana 2 – Risotto of Unagi (Freshwater Ell) with Unagi Sauce and topped seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras.” Another incredible dish, although just loaded with foie. I love rice with Unagi sauce all by itself and the foie drippings made it 10x better!


“Soba – Buckwheat Noodles in Traditional Soba Broth with Scallions and Jus of Foie Gras.”


“Salmon and seared American Wagyu.” Beef sushi!


“Additional Shokuji/Additional Shokuji/Ochazuke (Rice Dish) – a porridge of .fish, rice, and green tea.” Very mild, pleasant, and settling after all that foie.

“Palate Cleanser – Sorbet of Yuzu”

“Dessert – Crème Brûlée of Black Sesame Seed.” Rich and creamy.

Artisan Hojicha tea.

N/Naka really is a very special place. All the meals I had here were spectacular (here for the first, here for the second, here for the third). But this last was just crazy out of this world. I was actually a little worried before hand that it would be too much foie (like our crazy 27 course truffle dinner), but despite the length (6 hours!), and the insane amount of foie it was actually manageable. And beyond all that, Chef Niki managed to actually enhance every single dish with all that richness. Foie isn’t a typical Japanese ingredient, but it didn’t throw any dish for a loop. Most were extremely memorable and all were fantastic.

Click here to other LA Japanese restaurants.

Or other Foodie Club extravaganzas.

Related posts:

  1. N/Naka Reprise
  2. Food as Art – N/Naka
  3. Knocked out by N/Naka
  4. Matsuhisa – The Private Room
  5. Food as Art – Nobu
By: agavin
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N/Naka Reprise

Jun27

Restaurant: N/Naka [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Location: 3455 S. Overland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90034. 310.836.6252

Date: May 31, 2012

Cuisine: Modern Kaiseki

Rating: Awesome

ANY CHARACTER HERE

I first went to the amazing Omakase only N/Naka last summer. After a bit of a hiatus the Foodie Club returns. Now bear in mind that this lovely restaurant has only a set menu (they offer it in two sizes, plus vegetarian) but the talented young chef Ms. Niki Nakayama has whipped up an entirely different meal (with similar structure) every time we’ve gone!


The setting is elegant, minimalist, and very Japanese.


This unusual Spanish white earn 92 from Parker, “The 2007 Gorvia Blanco was sourced from a single 3 acre vineyard planted exclusively to the indigenous variety Dona Blanca (used in the past mostly for grappa production or as a table grape). Medium straw-colored, it reveals aromas of apple, pear, slate/mineral, citrus, and acacia. Crisp, concentrated, and intense (in the style of top-level unoaked Chablis), in the mouth it is vibrant, complex, and impeccably balanced. It should provide both intellectual and sensual pleasure for another 5-6 years.”


“Saki Zuke (A pairing of something common and something unique) – Goma Dofu – Fresh Tofu of Sesame and Green Tea topped with a Knuckle of Maine Lobster, Uni from Santa Barbara, a Flower of Pansy from Niki’s Garden, Gold Leaf and a Smokey Dashi.”


After the dashi (fish broth) is added. I love these opening dishes of Niki’s as they are intensely subtle and Japanese. There was a very fresh summer feel to it.


“Sakizuke (A pairing of something common and something unique) – Goma Dofu – Sesame and Green Tea Tofu topped with a Tie of Green Asparagus, Leaf of Red-veined Sorrel, Gold Flake and a Flower of Pansy from Niki’s Garden and Dashi.” This is the vegetarian version of the above lobster dish. In general, two or three variants of each dish will be represented. First the “normal” version, then vegetarian, and then sometimes followed by a special diet version.


With the broth.

“White Asparagus Tofu topped with Ikura, Baby White Asparagus, Red-veined Sorrel, a Flower of Pansy from Niki’s Garden, Butter.”


“Zensai (Main seasonal ingrediant presented as an appetizer) – Pan-seared Tasmanian Sea Trout, Roasted Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes, Meyer Lemon with a Green Asparagus Butter, Ponzu Reduction and a Chip of Bull Blood Beet.”


“Zensai (Main seasonal ingrediant presented as an appetizer) – A Roll of Shiitake Mushrooms, Haricot Verts wrapped in Leaves of Kale and served with a Sauce of Sesame Seeds.” Vegetarian substitute for the salmon.


“Modern Zakuri (A modern interpretation of sashimi) – Diver Scallop from Hokkaido, Japan topped with shaved Italian Summer Truffles, Drops of Ponzu Reduction, Fresh Lemon, Dusting of Parmigiano Reggiano and Zest of Yuzu and garnished with Daikon Radish Sprouts and a Flower of Borage from Niki’s Garden.” Hokkaido scallops are divine.


“Modern Zakuri (A modern interpretation of sashimi) – Roasted Bull’s Blood Beets with Roasted Nasu (Baby Japanese Eggplant), Leaves of Cress, Shaved Parmesean Reggiano and a Vinaigrette of Balsamic and Hazelnut.”

The vegetarians get this instead of the scallops, with a drizzled sauce.


“Tartare of O-toro of Baby Spanish Blue Fin Tuna, White Scallions, Caviar of American White Sturgeon, Chives, Soy Reduction and Dashi.”


2007 Montenidoli “Carato” Vernaccia di San Gimignano. The current release is, yes, five years old from the first Vernaccia to be aged in Barrique from a fine selection of free run grape musts, one can taste and feel the Leroy influence here. Deep minerality floated in creamy clouds. Grandiose, wild, and important. Here’s a pic of where this wine comes from. I discovered it last summer while Eating Italy.


“Otsukuri (Sashimi) –  Maguro (Tuna) of Spanish Baby Blue Fin Tuna, Hirame (Live Halibut from Jeju, Korea), Kumamoto Oyster and Ponzu, Kanpachi (Amber Jack) with Freshly Grated Wasabi and Niki’s Special Soy Sauce.”


“Otsukuri (Sashimi) –  Roasted Kabocha Squash, Black Konnyaku, Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes, White Asparagus Tofu, Nanohana.” Vegetarian sub.


Uni instead of oyster for a special diet person.


“Agemono (Deep fried dish) – Fried Pompano along with the Crispy Bones with Multi-colored Peppers, Scallions and a Sauce of Sweet and Sour Dashi, Butter Lettuce Leaves.” The fish is cooked in the thick sweet sauce until the bones grow soft, then wrapped in the lettuce and eaten like a taco.

“Mushimono (Steamed dish) / Agemono (Fried dish) – Chawanmushi – A traditional Egg Custard with Shiitake Mushrooms and Shaved Italian Summer Truffles; Tempura of Yamaimo, Carrot and Shiitake Mushroom with accoupaments of Fresh Lemon and Okanawan Finishing Salt.”


The vegetarians had this custard (pictured here in more clarity) and the carrot/mushroom fritter.


Parker 98! “Unquestionably one of the vintage’s finest wines, Jadot’s 2003 Bonnes Mares bursts with roses, violets, cassis liqueur, and black cherries. Armed with magnificent depth, concentration, and extraction, this full-bodied beauty expands on the palate to reveal oodles of black cherries slathered in chocolate. Its finish, which lasts for a minute, reveals additional layers of jammy fruit as well as loads of sweet, round tannin. Though immensely ripe and low in acidity, this gem has the profundity of fruit and structure for considerable cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2022+.”


“Shiizakana (Not bound by tradition, the Chef’s choice dish) – Spaghettini Vongole ala Niki – Fresh Manila Clams sauteed in a Sauce of Roasted Garlic and Campari Tomato Cream.” A different, but exceptional, take on spaghetti with clam sauce.


“Shiizakana (Not bound by tradition, the Chef’s choice dish) – Spaghettini with Shaved Italian Summer Truffles in a Roasted Garlic Cream Sauce, Daikon Radish Sprouts.” Vegetarian sub.


“Spaghettini with Meintako (Pickled Cod Roe) and Italian Summer Truffles.”


“Niku (Meat Course) – American Natural Angus Beef Rib Eye served along side a canele of Russet Potato and Leek Mashed, Roasted Carrots and a Ponzu Demi-jus.”


“Roasted Vegetable Course– Roasted Loaf of Tofu and Mochi with a Spicy Ponzu Sauce.” Vegetarian sub.


Sake- shichida, sago  japan. This is an ultra-ultra rare sake. It comes in various types. I’ve had the sweeter type before, but this is the dry one. The previous one was one of the best sakes I’ve ever had. This was merely good.


Fresh ginger.


“Shokuji One & Two (Rice dish –Sushi) – Tai (left), O-toro (Fatty Tuna) of Spanish Baby Blue Fin (right).”


” Shokuji One & Two (Rice dish –Sushi) – Baby Cucumber with a Plum Sauce (left); Avocado; Okra, Roasted Nasu (right).”


“Amaebi (Sweet Raw Shrimp, right), Aji (Spanish Mackrel, left).”


“Roasted Shiitake Mushroom (right); Roasted Kabocha Squash (left).”


“Uni (Sea Urchin) from Santa Barbara, Seared Toro (Fatty Tuna).”


A fried something handroll.


“Miso Soup with Head of Amaebi.” It’s traditional to recycle the shrimp head in miso soup. This makes for a more briny oceanic miso.


” Soba – Traditional Buckwheat Noodles in a Vegetarian Broth with Shaved Scallions.”


“Dessert – On a sweep of a Sauce of Dark Caramel sits a Cheesecake of Kabocha Squash rolled in Graham Cracker Crumbles, Whipped Cream, Fresh Organic Fruits of Blueberry, Strawberry and Kiwi; Crème Brulee of Sesame Seeds.” Both were great, particularly the Crème Brulee.


Artisan tea.

N/Naka really is a very special place. All the meals I had here were spectacular (here for the first, here for the second). This third was, if possible, slightly more refined, which was always wonderful because often one finds a slight bloom to come off a place on repeat meals. I’ve recently eaten at two Jose Andres set menu restaurants where the menu barely changed in eight months, but at N/Naka everything is seasonal and constantly rotating.

Try it!

Click here to other LA Japanese restaurants.

Or other Foodie Club extravaganzas.

Related posts:

  1. Food as Art – N/Naka
  2. Knocked out by N/Naka
  3. Mori Sushi – A Top Contender
  4. Takao Top Omakase
  5. Uh no, Takao again!
By: agavin
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Tar & Roses

May26

Restaurant: Tar & Roses [1, 2]

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

Date: April 27, 2012

Cuisine: American Tapas

Rating: Tasty and good value

_

Tar & Roses is a new American tapas-style place in Santa Monica, loosely in the vein of Rustic Canyon or Gjelina. Despite the relative crowding of this market, it’s a welcome addition in my book because it breaks up the Italian Domination (a crazy large percentage of westside restaurants are from the boot).

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


The space is airy and pleasant.


Albiet a little loud.


The menu.


Lubricant. Nebbiolo d’alba.


Trio of bruschetta, left to right: “roasted cherry tomato, burrata, basil” then “braised leek, marinated white anchovy” and “wood roasted eggplant, feta, pickled tomato, mint.”


“roasted beets / feta  /  tarragon  / horseradish.”


“italian egg drop soup/ prosciutto / croutons / grana  / paprika.” The flavor of this was mild, like a minestrone, definitely in the Italian palate.


“ricotta gnocchi / asparagus / ramps / breadcrumbs.” These were yummy, with a strong cream component.


“balsamic glazed ribs / chili /  fried basil.” My favorite dish of the night.


“baby broccoli / parmesan pudding / breadcrumbs.” A tasty implementation of the vegetable.


“braised lamb belly / minted apple chutney.”


Cute check package.

Overall, Tar & Roses was quite good and I plan to try it again. It was very similar in style to Rustic Canyon, but the portions were larger and the prices cheaper. I wasn’t totally blown away by all the dishes, but they were solid and the restaurant is new. If they tune things up a little I think it could be great.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Rustic Canyon 3D
  2. Rustic Canyon 4
  3. The New Cal Cuisine: Rustic Canyon
  4. JiRaffe is no Joke
  5. Figs are in Season
By: agavin
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Cocoa Island – Decadent Dinner

Apr24

Restaurant: Cocoa Island

Location: Maldives. Tel +960 6641818 Fax +960 6641919 Email res@cocoaisland.como.bz

Date: March 16-22, 2012

Cuisine: International

Rating: International Flair

_

We head back to Cocoa Island (and its single restaurant) to cover the last meal of the day. If you missed the endless breakfast, find it here or the spectacular Languorous Lunch.


Usually we ate on the beach. Even at night the temperature hovered around 80.


This is our jumbo long table.


For dinner, the restaurant has two common configurations. Seafood BBQ and ala carte. The BBQ isn’t available every night but the menu is.


The BBQ consists of a number of stations plus the above grilling station. You can order up as much of whatever variety of sea creatures you can stomach.


There is also a “salad” table.


This includes basic sushi. The variety might not be up to LA sushi standards, but the quality of the fish was very high.


Oysters on the half shell.


Various oyster sauces and little shooters of ceviche.


Crab shooters.


A seafood salad.


Papaya and mussel salad.


Another seafood salad. In general these were very light.


Broccoli and almonds.


Potatos.


Grilled vegetables.


Greek salad.


A grain salad.


Raddichio salad.


Classic prosciutto and melon — and this in a country that is supposed to have no ham.


Cheese and fruit.


Crackers.


Then we come back to the seafood grill. There are fish, lobsters, big prawns, tuna slabs, etc.


Any of them could be grilled up on command served with various sauces.


 Then there was the regular menu.


This was a gazpacho.


Served with avocado.


“Cold smoked yellowfin tuna, oyster cream, apple & mint.” Lovely presentation.


“Duck liver parfait, spiced oranges & toasted brioche.” This was as good as any chicken liver I’ve had. Yum.


They had lovely breads here, particularly the naan.


“Black ink noodles with sautéed squid, chorizo & chili ink sauce.” Good stuff!


“Roast tomato, buffalo mozzarella & basil risotto with lemon & shaved fennel.”


“Baby chicken Biriyani with mint raita, tomato & red onion salad.” Chicken pot pie, Indian style. Inside, under the crust, was a a mixture of rice and chicken. It was pretty delicious.


“Basil oil poached snapper, bean, olive, caper, lemon & dill salsa with Jerusalem artichokes.”

The dessert menu.


This is actually a kind of flan with spiced pears and a homemade ice cream. It was darn good.


Homemade ice cream, always good.


One of us wanted some whipped creme, so they whipped it up to order.

It’s pretty amazing that a restaurant can do this breath of styles with such excellent execution, but they did. Everything I had was great, and the same 2-3 guys in the kitchen did it all (even the breakfast, lunch, desserts, and baking!).

For more dining reviews click here.


dec

Related posts:

  1. Cocoa Island – Languorous Lunch
  2. Cocoa Island – Endless Breakfast
  3. Dinner and Drinks at Tavern
  4. Fraiche – Ultimo Wine Dinner
  5. Friday Night Heights – Shabbat Dinner
By: agavin
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Trio of Eats

Jan21

I updated three of my regular restaurants with additional meals, dishes, and photos. These are all great places. Click each photo for the detailed reviews.

Rustic Canyon

La Cachette Bistro

Josie Restaurant

Related posts:

  1. Quick Eats: La Cachette Bistro
  2. Quick Eats: Brunch at Tavern
  3. Quick Eats: Mon Ami Gabi
  4. Quick Eats: Pizzeria Mozza
  5. Quick Eats: Chan Dara
By: agavin
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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

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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.

For more ThanksGavin meals, click here.

Related posts:

  1. Jaleo by José Andrés
  2. Quick Eats – Bar Pinxto
  3. Zaytinya – East made Easy
  4. é by José Andrés
  5. Saam – José Andrés Squared
By: agavin
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2Amys Neapolitan Pizzeria

Dec02

Restaurant: 2Amys Neapolitan Pizzeria

Location: 3715 Macomb St NW. Washington, DC 20016. (202) 885-5700

Date: November 29, 2011

Cuisine: Neapolitan Pizzeria

Rating: Really authentic Neapolitan Pizza

_

My brother spent the whole week talking up this Neapolitan style pizza joint just over the border into DC.


They have a classic big wood fired pizza oven.


A sleek front room.


And a backroom bar.


The menu.


A delicious but simple arugula salad.


Fried salt cod fritters. Vaguely like crab cakes, but fishier. Still, very good examples of these.


The classic cheese pizza. The dough here was really really good. Neapolitan flour and slow fermentation for sure. This was a pizza dough good enough to munch through all the remaining crust.


“Santa Brigida Tomato, fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, arugula.”


“Calabrese Tomato, onions, anchovy, fresh mozzarella, parsley, olives.” A classic anchovy pizza. Strong salty flavors, but still really good.


The margarita plus pepperoni.


“Ripieno Extra Ricotta, grana, salami, prosciutto, pancetta, tomato.” Full of cheesy meaty goodness inside.


In the front is the “Puttanesca Tomato sauce, rapini, fresh mozzarella, garlic, anchovy, hot pepper.” An interesting combination of bitter and salty.


Fresh ground pepper.


Dessert, although we were too stuffed to order any.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

For 50+ meals in Italy.

Or to see my own Ultimate Pizzas, click here!

Related posts:

  1. Quick Eats: Pizzeria Mozza
  2. Eating San Donato – Pizzeria Pretorio
  3. Eating Santa Margherita – Pizzeria Santa Lucia
  4. Gjelina Scores Again
  5. Ultimate Pizza – Day 3
By: agavin
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Zaytinya – East made Easy

Dec01

Restaurant: Zaytinya

Location: 701 9th Street NW, Washington, DC 20001. 202.638.0800

Date: November 27, 2011

Cuisine: Greek/Turkish/Lebanese

Rating: Great flavors!

_

Zaytinya, which means “olive oil” in Turkish is part of José Andrés’ little culinary empire — which started first here in Washington D.C. and then spread to various other outpsts in the country including LA and vegas.

I’m a bit of a Jose Andres groupie as not only have I reviewed 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.

For those who don’t know, José Andrés is perhaps America’s leading practitioner of  my favorite culinary style: Spanish Molecular Gastronomy. This school of cooking, a radical interpretation of the preparation of food, was begun at El Bulli outside of Barcellona. Andrés cooked and studied there with master chef Ferran Adrià. I first encountered Andrés’s cooking in Washington DC at Cafe Atlantico, and it’s own restaurant within a restaurant, Minibar.

Zaytinya, however, is neither Spanish or particularly molecular. It focuses on the Eastern Mediterranean cuisine of Greece, Turkey, and Lebanon. These are all former Ottoman zones and despite their political animosity toward each other share much in common — foodwise.


The modern frontage on 9th street in Washington.


The space inside is clean and white.


The geometric white shapes are reminiscent of Greek architecture.


The menu.


We ordered this “ASHTA. traditional Lebanese-style French toast, bananas, orange blossom honey” for our son. It was more like Pane Dulce I’ve had at other Andres restaurants crossed with Tres Leches cake. He devoured it.


They have this light poofy bread.


The classic roasted eggplant dish: “BABA GHANNOUGE. fire-roasted eggplant, tahini, lemon, garlic.” This was a very bright tasty variant with pomegranate seeds.


And one of my all time favorites: “TZATZIKI. Greek yogurt with diced cucumbers, dill.” This wasn’t nearly as garlicky as in Greece and Turkey, but was more akin to the Lebanese variant. It did have a nice thick Greek yoghurt consistency and a pleasant crunch from the cucumber.


“BEET SALATA. crimson and yellow beets, shaved fennel, upland cress, spiced walnuts.” I doubt this was exactly a traditional dish (even if the ingredients are) but it’s pretty much obligatory on modern menus.

“BANTIJAN BIL LABAN. crispy eggplant, roasted garlic-yogurt sauce.” This was a nice treatment of eggplant — in no small part because it was seriously fried! This was a very crispy coating with hot eggplant inside.

“SPANAKOPITA. house-made phyllo, spinach, feta cheese.” Not your typical version of this dish which is usually triangular in shape. The insides were similar enough though, so more a cheese and spinach taquito than a puff pastry!

“ROASTED CAULIFLOWER. sultans, caper berries, pine nuts.” This is a brighter less fried version of this traditional Lebanese dish (you can see the original here). Good stuff though.


My son got his second order of “French toast.”


Which he polished off in about two minutes.

“GARIDES ME ANITHO. sautéed shrimp, dill, shallots, mustard, lemon juice.” This was a pretty awesome variant on Andres’ normal “Gambas Pil Pil” (photos here in this Jaleo review).

FRIED SQUID. crispy squid, garlic-yogurt sauce.” Nicely done classic calimari.


And a zesty garlic sauce for dipping.

“STRIPED BASS PLAKI. tomato, fresh chickpeas, onion, mint.” This is a local fish, but the prep is very Eastern med. Strong flavors of tomato.

“AGLAIA KREMEZI STYLE CRAB CAKES. mini jumbo lump crab cakes, roasted garlic yogurt.” They can pretend this is Eastern Med — but no, it’s all Eastern Shore. Still, no one was complaining. These little patties were essentially crab imperial balls lightly fried on the griddle. There was a light taragon flavor too.

“KEFTEDES KAPAMA. beef and lamb meatballs, feta cheese, rustic tomato sauce, cinnamon, allspice.” Tasty meatballs in classic Eastern style. Similar to typical “spicy kefta” preparations.

“ADANA KEBAB. skewered ground lamb, house-made harissa, grilled tomatoes, sumac, onions.” Typical ground lamb kabob. This wasn’t my absolute favorite dish here. It was a bit salty and the grill flavor too strong. Not that it was bad by any means.

“URFA BIFTEK. grilled sirloin, Urfa pepper, cumin, heirloom lettuces, caramelized sesame.” And this was even saltier, although the meat did have a lot of flavor.

“LOUKANIKO ME AGINARES. grilled Greek pork sausage, marinated artichokes.” The sausage was good and I liked the onion and pepper (pimento in Spanish) salad on top.


The dessert menu.

A nice chewy cup of Turkish coffee, semi-sweet.


“Turkish delight. Walnut Ice Cream, yogurt mousse, orange caramel sauce.” This was very yummy, but from the name I hoped for something closer to real Turkish delight — which is a favorite of mine, particularly the rosewater flavor.


A trio of very good homemade ice creams (my three year-old loved them). Walnut, apple, and pear. The fruit flavors were very bright and pure.


“Greek yogurt and apricots.” Very yummy. The thick yogurt paired very nicely with the sweet fruit. In Greece they eat the purest variant of this: very very sour and thick goat yogurt with drizzled honey.


Another fruit and yogurt/ice cream blend. Can’t go wrong with berries and cream.


More of the large and modern space.

Overall, Zaytinya was pretty fantastic. It’s neither totally traditional or ultra modern, but instead what one might call a modernized or modestly updated classic. Most of the dishes have their roots in traditional Eastern Med dishes, and they retain — even emphasize — those bright flavors. The form of them is a lighter and slightly more playful, adapted to American tastes. In any case, highly successful.

For more ThanksGavin meals, click here.

I’ve also reviewed: The Bazaar (REVIEW HERE) and the high end Saam, brunch at Trés, lunch at Trés, and to é by José Andrés and Jaleo in Vegas.

Related posts:

  1. Peace in the Middle East? – Mezze
  2. Saam – José Andrés Squared
  3. Son of Saam – Actually more Bazaar
  4. Trés – Brunché Fantastique
  5. Trés – Lunch Fantastique
By: agavin
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Ocean Avenue Seafood

Nov08

Restaurant: Ocean Avenue Seafood

Location: 1401 Ocean Avenue. Santa Monica, CA 90401. 310-394-5669

Date: November 5, 2011

Cuisine: Seafood

Rating: Good, but overpriced

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I’ve been going to Ocean Avenue Seafood for probably fifteen years, but while it was once a staple in our rotation it’s been a few years. OAS offers classic American seafood right above the bluffs overlooking the Pacific.


The have both an extensive ocean view covered patio and a clubby inside.


The menu.


Fresh baked sour dough bread.


A green salad.


A sampler of six various Pacific oysters with cocktail sauce, horseradish, and mignonette sauce. Each of these six were different, but all were good.


Their clam chowder. It’s not as goopy creamy thick as I ideally love, but it did have a nice bacony flavor.


Grilled salmon with mash potatoes and asparagus. Pinot noir reduction. My wife is a connoisseur of salmon, and she likes this one.


Lobster roll. The fries and slaw were good. And while this roll had lots of lobster it was somehow lacking in flavor.


Expresso so I can stay up through the movie we are going to see.

Overall Ocean Avenue Seafood has a lot of competition. Both the Blue Plate Oysterette and the Hungry Cat have very similar cuisine and are located nearby (the Blue Plate about a block away). Both are a little less expensive than OAS and a little more “modern.” OAS does have more different types of fresh fish if that’s your thing, they have 7-10 grilled fish at all times. Just depends what you want.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Blue Plate Oysterette
  2. The Lobster claws at the pier
  3. The Hungry Cat chows Santa Monica
  4. Picca Potency
  5. Villetta – More Italian in Brentwood?
By: agavin
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Trés – Lunch Fantastique

Nov05

Restaurant: Trés [1, 2]

Location: 465 S La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048. 310.246.5555

Date: October 31, 2011

Cuisine: Modern Spanish

Rating: Fantastique

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My brother and I were in midtown and decided to check out Trésfor lunch. I’d already hit it for weekend brunch a couple months ago, and figuring as I’ve recently hit everything else Jose Andres (é by José Andrés and Jaleo in Vegas and a recent Saam meal), stopped in.


The room was dead at 11:45am, but the food wasn’t.


The lunch menu.


“Octopus tacos. Hydroponic bib lettuce, maggie’s farm baby greens, smoked heirloom cherry tomatoes.” Very nice octopus treatment. Succulent grilled meat and a zesty limey vinaigrette on the whole thing.


“Hawaiian bigeye tuna ceviche. Coconut ginger soy, plantain chips.” Not your typical cerviche as the lime flavors weren’t that blast you Peruvian type. But that meant you could taste the fish, and it was good. The plantain chips were tasty too.


I’m nuts over Jose’s Gazpacho. I’ve even made it from his recipe a number of times at home.


And with the soup itself. Yum yum!


“Herb roasted ham and cheese. Tomme de savoie cheese, carmelized onions, herbs.” This was like a Spanish Croque Monsieur. I love this kind of grilled ham and cheese.


Some good fries too with a spicy ketchup.


“The SLS Burger. House made brioche bun, lettuce, tomatoes, onions with cheddar.”


“Lemon tart. Raspberry sorbet.” Not your typical version, but really good. Bright bright flavors and some pate de fruits thrown in there too.


“Hazelnut pear clafoutis. Coffee ice cream.” Like a bread pudding. The ice cream was really good too.

And this crazy zesty lemonade, which served nicely as an aperitif.

Overall, this was a very tasty lunch. It was a little expensive — as you’d expect from a hotel restaurant — but it was very good, which I’ve come to expect from the SLS offerings.

A review of Trés for brunch can be found here.

Click here to see more LA dining, or reviews of The Bazaar and Saam (also at the SLS).

Related posts:

  1. Trés – Brunché Fantastique
  2. Crafty Little Lunch
  3. Saam – José Andrés Squared
  4. Brunch at Tavern 3D
  5. Quick Eats – Bar Pinxto
By: agavin
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Jer-ne to the center of the Marina

Oct31

Restaurant: Jer-ne

Location: Ritz-Carlton. 4375 Admiralty Way. Marina del Rey, California 90292 USA. (310) 823-1700

Date: October 29, 2011

Cuisine: Californian

Rating: Solid

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When the Ritz-Carlton Marina Del Rey renovated and opened its new restaurant in the early 2000s the naming committee was obviously inspired by Steve Martin‘s classic LA Story (and its 80s restaurant, lee-dee-oh — spelled l’idiot). In any case, the original Jer-ne actually served up top notch California Asian Fusion when it opened. Like most hotel restaurants, there has been chef turnover — who knows how many times in the last decade. I hadn’t been in a few years (except for the pretty amazing Sunday brunch) and when an old friend from High School Facebook IMed me that he was in town, we headed on over.


The menu is mean and lean, all streamlined modern Californian.


From my cellar. Parker 96 points. “The 2008 Flor de Pingus 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 and will offer prime drinking from 2015 to 2028.”


The Ritz always had good cheesy cracker things.


“caesar. organic romaine, santa barbara olives, tomatoes, crouton.”


“oyster. pacific oysters, crispy potato, spanish ham, sambuca hollandaise.” The sauces were really good, but the oysters had that bitter note that fried oysters often have. Every time I have them I’m reminded that I like my oysters raw.


“halibut. sautéed leek, double smoked bacon, corn, potato, clam chowder sauce.”


“salmon. green bean, glazed carrots, potato puree, parsley butter.”


“lamb. sirloin, heirloom tomato, organic ratatouille, tomato mustard chutney.” Some very tasty and relatively lean lamb. The sauce was one of those meaty jus reductions that I love.


The dessert menu.


“greek yogurt panna cotta. slow roasted market stonefruit, corn praline, thymje.”


“spiced peanut butter mousse. crunchy peanut butter chocolate, candied ginger ice cream, spicy caramelized honey.” This was a nice dessert. A good interplay between the fluffy peanut butter, crunch, and the ginger ice cream.

Overall the food at this new Jer-ne was good. It didn’t blow me away or anything, and it’s very different than it used to be 8 or so years ago (full of Japanese influenced dishes), but it was a very solid take on conservative but well executed the New American. Even the desserts show plating influences that are very contemporary — what I think of as geometric and dust — the use of cubes, spheres, and ovals in a sort of post war art kind of arrangement, often dusted with granular flavor components. Red Medicine’s desserts are typical examples, but I suspect it’s really a Ferran Adrià thing.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Dinner and Drinks at Tavern
  2. Brunch at Tavern 3D
  3. The Lobster claws at the pier
  4. Matsuhisa – The Private Room
  5. Parlez Vu Modern?
By: agavin
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Echigo Sushi

Oct28

Restaurant: Echigo

Location: 12217 Santa Monica Blvd. Suite 201. Los Angeles, CA 90025. (310) 820-9787

Date: October 27, 2011

Cuisine: Japanese Sushi

Rating: Very good warm-rice style sushi

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Back when my office was at the Watergarden in Santa Monica Echigo was one of my regular lunch haunts. The chef studied under Nozawa and is stylistically related to nearby Sasabune. They both follow the “warm rice” school of sushi (which I believe originates in Osaka prefecture. The rice is warmer and less sticky than Tokyo-style sushi. It tastes really good this way, but has some tendency to fall apart on the way to the mouth.


The lunch menu has two choices, the lunch special for $14 and the omakase. Below is the union (both) of each. The lunch special is by far the best deal (6-7 years ago it was even $9!).


Fresh ground wasabi and pickled ginger. These photos were taken on the iPhone 4S which does pretty well in good light. A few missed photos were purloined from the web.


Skipjack tuna with a bit of sauce.


Medium (chu) toro.


Hamachi (yellowtail).


Halibut, which itself doesn’t have much flavor, but the vinegary sauce does.


Tai (red snapper).


Scallop. One of my favorites.


Salmon with a bit of kelp and sesame.


Bonito, also delicious.


Albacore.


Kanpachi (young yellowtail). With a bright vinegary sauce.


Ono.


Shimaji (stripped jack).


Butterfish. This is an Echigo specialty. A firm fish with miso based sauce.


Uni (sea urchin).


And the now classic Nozawa blue crab hand roll (I ate two and could have had more).

Echigo is a hair below a few of the very top lunch LA sushi places (Sushi Sushi, Mori, Go, Kiriko etc), but it offers pretty good relative value, and on the absolute scale top sushi, far above the generic touristy sushi joint. Getting the Omakase at dinner at the sushi bar is an even higher caliber experience.

For more LA area sushi, see here.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Sushi Zo
  2. Takao Sushi Taking Off!
  3. Sushi Sushi = Yummy Yummy
  4. Mori Sushi – A Top Contender
  5. Food as Art – Sushi Sushi
By: agavin
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Saam – José Andrés Squared

Oct08

Restaurant: Saam [1, 2, 3]

Location: 465 S La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048. 310.246.5555

Date: October 1, 2011

Cuisine: Spanish influenced Molecular Gastronomy

Rating: Awesome, even better than The Bazaar.

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I’m a bit of a Jose Andres groupie as not only have I been many times to the The Bazaar (REVIEW HERE), but also to brunch at Trés, and just last week to é by José Andrés and Jaleo in Vegas.

For those who don’t know, José Andrés is perhaps America’s leading practitioner of  my favorite culinary style: Spanish Molecular Gastronomy. This school of cooking, a radical interpretation of the preparation of food, was begun at El Bulli outside of Barcellona. Andrés cooked and studied there with master chef Ferran Adrià. I first encountered Andrés’s cooking in Washington DC at Cafe Atlantico, and it’s own restaurant within a restaurant, Minibar.

I’ve eaten molecular a number of times in Spain, for example at Calima and La Terraza. The Bazaar and Saam brought molecular style to LA.

Saam is the “secret” prix fixe only room within the Bazaar, open Thurs-Sat.


This is the normal menu for the night. If you let them know they do however adapt very adeptly to dietary restrictions.


Tonight begins with a “Kaviar Kir Royale” which is a deconstructed cocktail consisting of cava.


And miniature “kaviar” (spheres of kir).


You can see them more clearly here, looking every bit like fish eggs. Basically it’s mostly cava, but at your whim you can bit into the little balls of flavor for bits of kir flavor blast.


Then “Lotus Root Chips” with anise powder, making them taste like licorice Pringles.


Then “Tuna Handroll 2009” which are crispy cones stuffed with very fresh tuna, a bit of wasabi, and a caviar ring in the middle. Nice mix of textures and flavors.


It came time to decide on the beverages. Above is the pairing menu ($100 a person). We didn’t opt for this but I’m sure it’s good. Being as we are talking beverages I’ll mention briefly the water trap. We were five people, and this is a long meal. We ordered bottled water. As usual with nice restaurants they just served it. And served it. Fine, but it added up to $180 of water! This was the only thing on the bill that offended me — but it was mighty offensive. $30-40 would have been sufficient tariff, but $36 a person for water?


We did order cocktails individually, which were both yummy and reasonable enough for such things. “Passion Fruit Up! Orange rum, passion fruit and ginger-laurel syrup, topped with passion fruit foam.” Yum!


“Oyster and Jamon.” A little spoonful of oyster with some ham powder and a crispy crouton. It tasted exactly like it sounds. Like intense oyster and a good dollop of HAM!


“Black Olives Ferran Adria.” Instructions on how to make these can be found here. The pureed juice of the olives is coated in a thin gel. They are colored black with squid ink. There is one green olive that is vegetarian. In general, the olives bursts easily in the mouth, exploding intense oliveness.


A signature “Nitro Caprina” which is the classic brazilian drink, frozen with liquid nitrogen. It tastes like a sherbet, with a highly unusual smooth texture, but it’s intensely potent (in terms of proof). Goes down all too easy.


“Jicama wrapped Guacamole.” Micro cilantro, corn chips. The vegetarian substitution for the ham.


Watermelon and tomato with a bit of a kick (some chili or another).


A traditional mojito. Even way back in the Cafe Atlantico days Andrés always served a great mojito.


“Jose’s Combination.” Jamón Ibérico de Bellota with a blob of real caviar. This ham is regarded as the best in Spain, and among the best in the world. They are fed on acorns. Salt on salt here. A very savory combination.


Deconstructed “patatas bravas.” In spain this is a common dish basically being roasted chopped potatoes with a cayenne mayo. This preserves the flavor, but changes up the texture into a little fried cigar. The inside was fluffy and soft. Quite tasty.


“Ottoman Carrot fritter.” Apricots, pistachio sauce. Vegetarian substitute for the chicken below. A deep fried ball of flavor, with a very exotic taste.


“Buffalo Wing.” Looks like fried chicken (and it is), but Wow. Boneless, with a dab of spicy sauce and a blue cheese aioli. An explosion of flavor.


“Not Your Everyday Caprese.” The mozzarella has been through the same sphere process as the olives above, then we have a peeled cherry tomato, tomato seeds, a bit of basil, sea salt, little crackers, and a very fine house made pesto genovese (with extra virgin olive oil). I’m not even a raw tomato fan and this is delectable. The pesto cheese combo really makes it. This pesto is as good as mine (recipe here).


I’m a big fan of priorat and so we chose this wine off the list. Besides the great food and crazy water prices Saam has an annoying high corkage ($50 and one bottle more or less!).


“White truffle risotto.” Instead of the normal Italian risotto rice it used a premium Spanish one, calasparra bomba, and extra virgin olive oil instead of butter. Very tasty.


A fantastic special risotto also using bomba rice, with a chunk of fresh santa barbara uni, some black garlic paste, and a bit of bbq eel. It was tremendously good.


“Crispy Nigiri.” A bit of red snapper on a blob of crispy Spanish rice.


“Chipirones en su Tinta.” More or less a classic Spanish dish, octopus in it’s own ink. Plus some squid ink chips. Very soft and tender meat, complemented by the sweetness of the ink.


A non-shellfish variant containing a bit of bbq fish.


“Banh Mi.” A brioche bun with wagyu beef, tofu, cilantro, pickles, pickled carrots, and a kind of mayo. Tasty tasty sandwich. A mix of soft and crunchy too, but the pickles give it a very distinct tang.


“Banh Mi, vegetarian.”


“Carrot gnocchi.” The broth had a vaguely thai curry flavor. The gnocchi are actually cylinders of sphereized carrots, so they burst in the mouth.


“Brussel sprouts, lemon puree, apricots, grapes, lemon air.” This was a big hit, the sprouts aren’t bitter at all, and have a light cabbage-like texture. The lemon air is the best part, adding a nice zing.


“Mirugai.” A bit of geoduck giant clam, radish, and a watercress puree. This wasn’t my favorite dish, being a bit “clammy.”


“Kurobuta Pork Belly.” Massively flavorful bacon chunk, with a spanish cheese infused turnip mouse and little carrots. Yum yum, heart stop heart stop.


Replacing the pork for the vegetarian was a pomegranate cous cous.


With a poured in broth.


“Philly Cheese Steak.” Air bread, cheddar, Wagyu beef. This is on the Bazaar menu, but it’s so damn good. The crispy bread is filled with liquid cheddar goodness.


“Hilly Cheese Steak.” Air bread, cheddar, mushrooms. The vegetarian version of above. Monkey man will get you!


For the dessert courses we ordered some classes of this fine cream sherry.


A very nice sherry, not quite as thick and syrupy as the PX by the same maker (which I love), but still very fine.


“Japanese Baby Peaches.” Burrata, hazelnuts, arugula.Really interesting. The peaches were so tart off the trees that they were soaked in simple syrup. Paired with the blobs of burrata (a favorite of mine), the nuts, and arugala it was pretty divine.


“Dragon’s breath popcorn.” The pre dessert. A gimmick, but neat.

Carmel corn “boiled” in liquid nitrogen.


Breath on a spoon.

It tastes like… carmel corn, but you can exhale it through your nose for a dragon-like effect.


Smaug, eat your scaly heart out.


They call this “saam buca.” It was apple balls with a nice soft creamy custard — good stuff.


“Chocolate rock.” A nitro frozen chocolate foam/mousse with some citrus foam. This was very reminiscent of the chocolate/cream pairings at  é by José Andrés and Jaleo.


Chamomile tea.


The usual Bazaar “sexy little sweets,” a number of flavored chocolates (flat and in domes) and very good pate de fruits. One of the great things about the brunch at Trés is that they have an all you can eat tower of containing all of these!


A little chocolate hazelnut cube and the menu as a “parting gift.”

Overall, Saam is a tremendous meal, even if not every dish is successful (geoduck!). Since I was at cousin restaurant é by José Andrés a week before I can do a head to head comparison. Saam was slightly disadvantaged by the fact that perhaps 40-50% of the dishes hadn’t changed from my previous visit (making them less novel). I’d say that the food at é is perhaps 5% better, really quite close. The format in Vegas is, however, more fun and intimate. Getting to witness the plating and creation of each and every dish is really interesting.

And the $180 for water was really offensive. I really should have taken the manager to task on it. The stuff costs less than a dollar a bottle in bulk. Pure profit center. Otherwise the meal is fairly reasonable given the extremely high level of production. And it is very very good.

For a previous Saam meal, click here.

For a meal and The Bazaar proper, click here.

Related posts:

  1. é by José Andrés
  2. Jaleo by José Andrés
  3. Son of Saam – Actually more Bazaar
  4. Trés – Brunché Fantastique
  5. Dinner and Drinks at Tavern
By: agavin
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Picca Potency

Oct03

Restaurant: Picca [1, 2]

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

Date: September 27, 2011

Cuisine: Modern Peruvian

Rating: Really interesting flavors

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My parents were in town and I wanted to take them back to Picca, which I had recently tried. Peruvian food is on fire right now in LA, and for good reason.


The Pico Blvd frontage is hard to miss.


Picca’s Peruvian cuisine has enough citrus and Asian notes that it goes best with a lighter fruiter red like this lovely Burgundy (from my cellars as usual).


The bar was hoping when we arrived and at least ten people were waiting for tables, but they honored our reservation and seated us immediately (love to see that).


The interesting handmade cocktail menu.


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


Today’s menu. There are so many dishes that I took to underlining the ones we wanted. Saved on recitation to the waitress.


“papa rellena. stuffed potato, slow cooked beef, boiled egg, rocoto aioli.” Tasted like potato and chilli (known in Texas as a super-spud).


“empanada trio. beef, chicken, eggplant, salad.” I tried the chicken one, it was good. Not too heavy (considering).


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


Parker 93 points, “The 2008 Vico made from 100% Mencia with 30% whole clusters and aged for 9 months in seasoned French oak. Opaque purple-colored, it offers up a slightly reticent bouquet of damp earth, mineral, incense, black cherry, and black raspberry. Dense and loaded on the palate, the flavors are already complex and mouth-filling. Impeccably balanced and with a 45-second finish, it has the stuffing to blossom for another 2-3 years but can be approached now. It is a great value.”


“ceviche criollo. seabass, rocoto leche de tigre, choclo, sweet potato.” The leche de tigre (vinegary lime sauce) makes all these cerviche‘s taste fairly similar, but this one had big soft chunks of seabass.


“ceviche crocante. halibut, leche de tigre, crispy calamari.” And this followup was rendered considerably different by the addition of crunchy calamari.


One of the menu’s many sections is “terceras – antichuchos” which are mostly grilled skewers, sort of Peruvian yakatori.


“tomatoes. burrata, black mint pesto.”


“beef filet. sea urchin butter, garlic chip.” Good stuff, with just a hint of the classic Uni flavor.


“scallops. aji amarillo aioli, wasabi peas.” Lightly cooked, very nice.


“black cod. miso anticucho, crispy sweet potato.”


Then we have a round of “causa sushi,” with yellow Peruvian potato replacing the rice. In general, as I’ve mentioned before rice is more successful, but these are still tasty.


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.


“spicy yellow tail. spicy mayo, green onions, wasabi tobiko.”


“smoked salmon. hijiki, shallots, aji amarillo yogurt.”


“shrimp. pickled cucumbers, yuzu kosho guacamole.”


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


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


“snow crab. cucumber, avocado, huancaina sauce.”


“seabass tiradito. thin slice sea bass, soy sauce, lemon dressing, sweet potato puree.” Very nice. Bright fish, even further brightened by the bold flavors.


Our server was very perky and friendly. Although she got caught up talking to lots of other guests and took a while with the check :-).


“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.


“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.


“sudado de lenguado. halibut stew, peruvian corn beer sauce, yuyo.” This really added some flavor to the nicely cooked fish.


“pollo saltado. chicken, onion, tomato, ginger, potato fritters.” This was also a tasty chicken. Like a south american stir-fry. With fries!


“chanfainita. braised oxtail, mote and potato stew.” This was our least favorite dish of the evening. There was a lot of bone on the tail, and a lot of fat. Not that it tasted bad or anything, but I think we were done for.


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.


“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.


Picca was just as good the second time. We rounded out the menu and ordered mostly new stuff. As long as you are of the “bland is banned” school like I am, there really isn’t anything not to like about their solid implementation of this bright and flavorful cuisine.

For my previous review of Picca, click here.

For more LA dining reviews, click here.

Related posts:

  1. Pleased by Picca
  2. Red Medicine the Relapse
  3. Waterloo & City
  4. Upstairs 2 – Modern Tapas, Lots of Wine
  5. Matsuhisa – The Private Room
By: agavin
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Rivera – Nuevo Nuevo Latino

Oct01

Restaurant: Rivera

Location: 1050 S Flower St, Los Angeles, CA 90015. 213.749.1460

Date: September 26, 2011

Cuisine: Neuvo Latino

Rating: Kicking out the hits for decades

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When I first came to California (in 1994) one of the earlier “fancy” restaurants I went too was Abiquiu in Santa Monica, by Chef John Sedlar. This place blew me away with its fusion take on southwest cuisine. Dishes like “flying lobster dude ranch sushi” and “chocolate chili releno” were ahead of their time — and delicious. So I was very sad when it closed down and was replaced by a series of increasingly boring joints. But a couple years ago chef Sedlar came back with a vengeance Downtown, with Rivera. Here he extends the work begun at some of his earlier restaurants into a full blown homage to all foods Latin.


The downtown frontage.


The Playa bar. Like a sushi bar — but not.


One of the other rooms.


And one of the other bars in this maze-like complex.

Even on normal nights, Rivera comes with a bewildering array of menus. Supposedly they are associated with each of its three rooms, but in practice you can order from any of the three in any of the rooms.

Above are the three normal menus.

For September of 2011 the restaurant is running a special 80s retrospective, and includes a complete menu (but only about 50% of the dishes, marked with the circular icon). These are faithful reconstructions of dishes served at Saint Estèphe (in South Bay) during that most glamourous of decades.


The cocktail menu. Rivera has really interesting molecular-style cocktails.


Like this “Barbacoa. Tequila, chipoltle, bell pepper, ginger, hickory smoked jerky!”


Parker 94. “The 2007 Laurel, a blend of 65% Garnacha and 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, is deep purple-colored with a bouquet of wet stone, Asian spices, black cherry compote, and incense. Dense and sweet on the palate with tons of spice, it is super-concentrated, rich, and smooth-textured. Give this lengthy effort 2-3 years of additional cellaring and drink it from 2013 to 2027.”


“gazpacho blanco. PRE-COLUMBIAN WHITE GAZPACHO, BLACK GARLIC, GARLIC FLOWERS, MUSCATEL GRAPES.” While not really pre-columbian, this is tasty. It has a strong garlic tang and is quite sharp.


“GÂTEAU D’AVOCAT AU TOMATE ET MAĬS, SERVI AVEC DES FLÈCHES DE MAĬS JAUNE 9.00 Cake of Avocado Mousse with Tomato and Corn, served with Gold Corn Arrows.” From the 80s menu. Ahead of it’s time, and with a little heat, this is a really fine guac!


“ecuadorian crudo. HIROMASA, KUMQUATS, FRESNO CHILIES, CHIVES.” Hiromasa is just yellowtail, which always makes a nice carpaccio.


“piquillos rellenos. STUFFED SPANISH PEPPERS, CHORIZO, GOLDEN RAISINS, GRUYERE.” A variant on the spanish classic.

“tortillas florales. HOUSEMADE NIXTAMAL TORTILLAS, INDIAN BUTTER.”


The “indian butter” is more or less, guacamole. A simple dish, but good.


Tandori-type Seabass with quinoa I think.


“ensalada semana santa. SEVILLA-STYLE SALAD OF BEETS, BLOOD ORANGE, GARBANZOS, MOORISH SPICES, PISTACHIO DUST.”


A special empanada, with mushrooms on top. Tasty.


“chile guero relleno. TEMPURA CHILE STUFFED WITH CRAB, CORN, SOY, GINGER, SCALLION.” Heavy but good.


“flan de elote. CORN CUSTARD, BLACK QUINOA, SQUASH BLOSSOM SAUCE.” Wonderful light and flavorful stuff. Perfect fluffy texture and the sweet taste of corn.


“CHILE RELLENO, FARCI AVEC UNE DUXELLE ET SERVI AVEC UNE SAUCE DE CHÈVRE ET D’AIL 11.00 Chimayo Chile Relleno stuffed with Mushroom Duxelle and served with a Garlic Chevre Sauce.”  From the 80s menu.


“TAMALE DE MOUSSE DE SAUMON, CUIT Á LA VAPEUR DANS UNE GOUSSE DE MAĬS, NIXTAMAL, BEURRE AU CILANTRO. Tamale of Salmon Mousse steamed in a Corn Husk with Ground Nixtamal with Cilantro Crème Sauce.”  From the 80s menu. This has a texture like a tamle! But tastes pleasantly of sweet salmon.


Parker 94. “The Clos Martinet, is a brilliant offering from this increasingly fashionable appellation. Fatter, fleshier, and lower in acidity than the 1999, the 2000 Clos Martinet does not have the same precision, but it does reveal a more voluminous mouthfeel with gobs of fruit, oodles of glycerin, and a long, concentrated finish. Give it several more years to evolve and reveal additional nuances. Enjoy it over the following 12-15 years.”


“choros al vapor. MUSSELS, CHORIZO, AJI AMARILLO PISCO BROTH.”


Seasame coated chicken skewers.


Rack of lamb.


“RAVIOLÍS AU STYLE DU NOUVEAU MEXIQUE, SAUCE CRÈME DE CHÈVRE ET D’AIL. New Mexican Style Raviolis stuffed with Carne Adobada (Red Chile Ragout) served with a Cream Garlic Chevre Sauce.”  From the 80s menu. Pretty yummy. It’s hard to go wrong with good ravioli.


“Frejoles negros.” Takes your basic beans up a notch.


Parker 89. “A super value, this deep ruby/purple-colored St.-Emilion offers aromas and flavors not too dissimilar from a top vintage of the famed L’Evangile. Sweet blackberry and wild mountain berry fruit is interwoven with hints of raisins, plums, and white flowers. Medium-bodied and fleshy, with excellent purity and sweet fruit, this is undoubtedly a sleeper of the vintage. As the wine sits in the glass, more black raspberries seem to emerge. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2015.”


“yucatecan puerco pibil. BANANA LEAF-WRAPPED PORK SHOULDER, BRAISED SOUS-VIDE.” Soft and flavorful.


“venezuelan arepas. TRADITIONAL FRIED CORN CAKES WITH SOFTSHELL CRAB IN THE STYLE OF CARTAGENA, COLOMBI.” Also good, but we each only got a tiny bite!

“duck enfrijolada. BLUE CORN TORTILLAS, BLACK BEAN PUREE, CHEVRE, RED WINE CHILE SAUCE.” My (and several others) favorite dish. Just rich in flavor.


“puerto rican mofongo. WHITE SEA BASS FILLET WITH PLATANOS REFRITOS, GARLIC, LARDO IBÉRICO.”


A trio of various south western classics. Corn, quinoa, black beans.


“patates xips. CAVIAR, CHIPOTLE-LIME CREMA, KENNEBEC POTATO CHIPS.”


“gitano. RIB-EYE, PIMENTÓN, JEREZ VINEGAR, PATATAS BRAVAS.”


The dessert menu.


“mil hojas. 70 PERCENT COLUMBIAN CHOCOLATE LEAVES, RIPE BANANA, CABRALES QUESO AZUL, SPANISH RED WINE REDUCTION.” Sweet and salty!


“estudio en flan. THREE MODERN VARIATIONS ON THE CLASSIC DESSERT, THREE COMPLEMENTARY SAUCES.” Some very good flans.


“torta xocolata. CHOCOLATE TORTE, PINEAPPLE BORRACHO, CARAMEL.”


More interior.

Rivera is full of bold flavors. The multiple menus can be a little confusing, but it’s hard to go wrong as nearly everything is delicious. I highly recommend.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

In case you need an audience before you conquer the lamp below.

Related posts:

  1. Villetta – More Italian in Brentwood?
  2. More Drago – Via Alloro
  3. Joe’s Restaurant – California Classic
  4. El Rincon Criollo – Cuban fun
  5. Upstairs 2 – Modern Tapas, Lots of Wine
By: agavin
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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!

For more Food Club extravaganzas.

For more Vegas dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. é by José Andrés
  2. Quick Eats – Bar Pinxto
  3. Vegas with a Twist
  4. Wynn Breakfast Buffet
  5. Here Piggy – Botin Madrid
By: agavin
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