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Quick Eats – Orto

Apr02

Restaurant: Orto

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

Date: February 4, 2018

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: A bit oddball

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

LA loves Italian.

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

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

Il Menu.

A glass of Italian white to start.

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

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

Glass of amarone.

Cavatelli with pomodoro sauce. My son loved it.

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

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

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

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

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

Kato

Oct23

Restaurant: Kato

Location: 11925 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025. (424) 535-3041

Date: September 15, 2017

Cuisine: Omakase Asian

Rating: Really interesting and different

It’s hard to describe Kato. Located in one of the ubiquitous Santa Monica Blvd mini-malls it serves a sort of modern Asian omakase/kaiseki.

Fit in there with the Mexican places, the cheap sushi, the massage joints.

The decor is minimalist but attractive. The crowd is young and predominantly Asian.

There are only 2 choices, $55 and $80 tasting menus. We went for the larger of course which includes beef and the foie gras and an extra dessert.

Cheap, minimalist, but attractive wares.

There is NO LIQUOR LICENSE, not even a 41 (beer/wine) so it’s tea only.

Stuffed shisito peppers. There was something sweet and savory inside. It was delicious actually, with just the right amount of salt.

Hamachi, cucumber, scallion, black squid sauce. Bright flavors, mixture of textures, some crunch. Very interesting — and attractive.

I love to make abstract squid ink art.

Cold Noodle. Apparently vaguely inspired by a Korean dish. Very thin white cold noodles in an almost clear vinegar sugar broth with bits of clam and greens. Bright and light. Quite lovely actually and very different.

Octopus, Doubanjiang. Crispy fried octopus with spicy sauce and some greens.Quite “crispy” and more than a little kick.

Ocean trout, ikura. Very soft, nearly rare ocean trout (aka salmon) with a light ponzu/dashi like sauce and a crispy bit of skin (or was it skin)? Regardless a nice fish dish.

Wagyu beef, ramp, seaweed. The seaweed was crispy fried. There was some ginger-like stuff on the meat. Also tasty and interesting.

Foie, strawberry, milk bread.

Basically a foie / strawberry uncrustable “peanut-butter” sandwich. Delicious and the light fluffy quality of the milk bread balanced nicely with the sweet/rich innards.

Buttermilk & yuzu. Very fresh and light citrus crumble.

Strawberry semifreddo and cream. Absolutely delicious. Great cold texture and intense strawberry flavor on the pink part, nice sweet cream on the rest.

Wasabi, matcha, lime. Interesting. Wasabi ice cream! And it tasted like it. A sort of tangy caramel below. Very different.

Corn & Hojicha. Fluffy bun of corn with corn filling. Tasted like corn bun.

Ginger gels.

Overall, a very interesting and different meal. Very light, bright flavors and the whole thing tasted great but left one feeling not in the least “bombed out” which is actually kinda nice. Extremely modern too and straight up ready for instagram!

Service was good. I’d like to see them get a liquor license and allow corkage. The manager told us they were working on it but there were zoning issues. I know all about those!

For more New York dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Japanese, Kato, Omakase, Santa Monica, Taiwanese Cuisine

Uovo – Italian Sugarfish

Aug26

Restaurant: Uovo

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

Date: August 26, 2017

Cuisine: Italian Pasta

Rating: Very good classic Italian pastas

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

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

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

Lots of pasta bar.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

There was already a line by 5:30pm.

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

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

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

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

Toppers!

Jul30

Restaurant: The Penthouse

Location: 1111 2nd St, Santa Monica, CA 90403. (310) 394-5454

Date: June 17, 2017

Cuisine: American

Rating: Quite good, Greek influences

It’s date night again with my wife and we decided to try the Penthouse (atop the Huntley Hotel) after a long absence.

This space has always had a great view of Santa Monica and the bay — it was a cheesy Mexican joint in the 90s called Toppers but got a “Stark-style” white redo around the Millennium which has been kept up.

They have a new chef – places like this always do.

From my cellar: 2002 Faiveley Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Clos de la Maréchale. 91 points. Ruby red. A nose that screams Pinot, sous Bois, Earth, plums, raspberries, strawberries and a light cinnamon dusting. Medium body with more velvet than silky mouthfeel. Fruit purity on the palate with a sour cherry midpalate. Medium plus acidity and fine tannins. At peak.

Yummy looking bread.

Beets & Goat Cheese. Pistachio, mustard frill, arugula.

Wagyu steak tartare. Bone marrow, black truffles, foie gras, quinoa. Super rich, but totally delicious. Different than a normal tartar. Fattier, lots of pepper. Good stuff.

Wild King Salmon. Artichokes, fingerling potatoes, piquillo peppers, cerignola olives.

Shrimp Saganaki. Ouzo, San Marzano Tomato Sauce, Baby Fennel, Feta. Tasty, although not as cheesy as a traditional Saganaki.

Mac & cheese. Solid. There is a truffle/lobster one too, but this was the “normal.”

The dessert menu, but we were too full.

I was pleasantly surprised by The Penthouse. The view and atmosphere has always been great but the new chef is doing nice things. This is a slick menu, and execution was pretty on point.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Santa Monica, The Penthouse

Finding the One at One Pico

Jul12

Restaurant: One Pico

Location: 1 Pico Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90405. (310) 587-1717 (inside Shutters Hotel)

Date: June 10, 2017

Cuisine: American

Rating: Solid food, great setting

I don’t go to One Pico very often but I have a soft spot for it in my heart because it was here that my wife and I went on our first date.

So when our anniversary rolled around we decided to head back to the lovely white paneled room by the beach.

Tonight’s menu. I’m sure they’ve had several chefs since our first meal here!

When celebrating, you can never go wrong with Champagne:

From my cellar: 2006 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut. VM 97. Broad, ample and resonant on the palate, the 2006 Cristal dazzles with its pure richness and volume. Readers need to give the 2006 another 4-5 years in bottle, perhaps longer, as the wine appears to be shutting down a bit. Tasted next to the 2002, today the 2006 is a bit less opulent but just as intense, layered and deep. This is a fabulous showing.

Little gem caesar. parmesan croutons, red endive, white anchovies.

Rainbow cauliflower soup. apple curry madras. A little bit of heat and a distinct curry tone.

grilled country bread. Always good with soup!

Corn ravioli. piquillo pepper, lime yellow corn shoots, pecorino romano. Not a tomato sauce but a very Spanish tasting pepper puree.

Bucatini. Maine lobster, roasted tomatoes, capers, spicy Calabrian chili peppers. A touch of heat, plenty of meat.

Sea bass with a pesto puree. A nice crispy-skinned fish.

The dessert menu.

Bonus mini-tiramisu with a candle.

Salted Caramel Sundae. Candy Popcorn, chocolate brownie, and caramel ice cream. I should make a gelato with salted caramel, chocolate, and popcorn. This was a nice confection. Sweet, and good textural contrasts. Not sophisticated in flavor, but good.

Overall a very tasty meal at One Pico. It’s a great room too. Sure the prices are nice hotel prices, but they do a very good job.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Champagne, One Pico, Santa Monica, Shutters

Valentino – 2009 White Burgundy part 1

May19

Restaurant: Valentino Santa Monica [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]

Location: 3115 Pico Blvd Santa Monica, CA 90405. (310) 829-4313

Date: March 1, 2017

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Fun and educational!

This dinner is the first part of the annual White Burgundy Premox test series, hosted by Burg-meister Don Cornwell. Tonight’s particular dinner covers 2009 Chablis, Meursault, and Corton Charlemagne. Other dinners in the series are listed at the bottom of the post.

As usual, the dinner was at Valentino, which has been a mainstay of the LA fine dining scene for decades. I first started coming here in about 1995 and it was a mind blowing change from the usual trattoria and red-sauce style Italians. Valentino is much closer to Michelin 2 star restaurant in Italy, although not as modernist as some of those are in recent years. If food in Italy turns you on, check out my Eating Italy segment.

And with regard to the wines. The relatively low acidities in 2009, especially low malic-acid levels which accelerated the malolactic fermentations, mean that many white 2009s are relatively soft and rich. Ripe grapes meant no added sugar to boost alcohol levels but yields were relatively high. This suggests they will make satisfying early drinking but should probably be consumed long before the more structured and long-term 2008s. This applies particularly in Chablis to the north of the Côte d’Or.

Our private room. Notice the large table with a lot of space. This is important when you have 30+ glasses a person!

Notice the awesome array of glasses in the background. Only about half of them are visible. Few restaurants can handle this sort of thing, as they need over 400 stems of the same type and a dedicated Sommelier with sufficient experience and skill. Ours tonight handled the whole wine service with extreme professionalism and personality.

Tonight’s special menu.

Flight 0: Champagne

2004 Vilmart Coeur de Cuvee. 94 points. Light gold color; citrus, biscuit and lemon zest aromas; bright citrusy flavors with a lightly toasty element which adds complexity; a very long citrus and minerals finish. Very nice champagne.

Parmiggiano Schegge.

Bruschetta with wild arugula.

Shrimp Milanese.

Oysters.

Grilled flat bed pizza.

A word about tonight’s format. Every bottle was served blind, except we were aware of what flight it was and what was in the flight, just not of which wine was which. The reveal was held until the end of the entire evening so that we could vote on favorite wines without bias.

Personally, I’d prefer a reveal halfway through each flight for a number of reasons. True, this would compromise the voting a bit, but that’s not super important to me. I’d prefer to be able to taste the wines both not knowing which was which and knowing, so that I can continue to build up my subjective memory for each house style. I also find it very difficult to remember back across multiple flights for “best” comparisons. I took notes and marked my favorites of each flight and compared those, but I’m not even really sure it’s fare to compare a Chablis to a Corton.

The tasting notes below are cribbed from Don C who organized the dinner.

Flight 1: Chablis

2009 Raveneau Chablis Montee de Tonnerre. 90 points. Light gold color; sweet lemon (Meyer lemon) aromas; very light lemon flavors, and a mid-palate which is mostly some glyceryl effect and some modest minerals; this is a fairly thin wine. Group Rank: Tied for 17th, 1 points (0/0/0/0/1)

2009 Dauvissat Chablis Preuses. 91 points. Color between light and medium gold; distinct honeysuckle aromas that remind me much more of BBM than Chablis; light green apple and citrus flavors; this has better acidity than #1, but less minerality; a light mineral finish. Four tasters thought this was advanced. Group Rank: Tied for 20th (last), 0 points (0/0/0/0/0)

2009 Fevre Chablis Preuses. 90 points. Light yellow gold color; very light green apple and lime aromas; on the palate this is thin with a little green apple but not much other discernable character on the palate My score in retrospect is probably generous. This got one vote for best in flight. Group Rank: Tied for 20th (last), 0 points (0/0/0/0/0)

2009 Raveneau Chablis Valmur. 91 points. Medium gold color; light green apple and some very faint anise aromas; very light bodied wine with mostly minerals and glyceryl elements; the finish is very light but minerally and fairly long (best feature). This got five votes for best in flight and our Somm. Paul Sherman had it in his top 5 for the night. Group Rank: Tied for 17th, 1 points (0/0/0/0/1)

2009 Dauvissat Chablis Clos. 87 advanced. Medium gold color; Lychee fruit and faintly oaky aromas – but as this sat the aromas started to get more like apricot; this has some odd, sour apple juice flavors; there is notable acidity, but the acidity reminds me more of “end acidity” when the wine is oxidizing rather than natural malic or lactic acid. This is definitely advanced. That is also the group consensus. Tied for 20th (last), 0 points (0/0/0/0/0)

2009 Faiveley Chablis Clos. 86 advanced. Medium gold color; light green apple aromas; modestly rich green apple flavors and seemed to be more like a Cote de Beaune wine than a Chablis to me; not all that much to be excited about in the finish though. After some air there were some pineapple notes in the aromas on the second pass. Hard to see this as Chablis and I’m almost suspicious of what’s in the bottle. Three votes for best in flight. Group Rank: Tied for 20th (last), 0 points (0/0/0/0/0)

2009 Fevre Chablis Clos. 86 advanced. This between medium and full gold color – definitely the darkest of the first flight; forward apple cider aromas with slightly oaky/toasty note – definitely advanced; advanced red apple fruit flavors. This was definitely advanced and the group all agreed. Group Rank: Tied for 20th (last), 0 points (0/0/0/0/0)

2009 Raveneau Chablis Clos. 90 points. Medium gold color; aromas of oyster shell and light lime – finally a Chablis aroma set; on the palate, this had richer fruit than the other wines in the flight, but it was still in a lighter and softer style. Some fairly light minerality and a short finish. While the aromas were definitely Chablis, the palate wasn’t and this wine didn’t seem to have anywhere left to go. Five votes for best in flight. Group Rank: Tied for 17th, 1 points (0/0/0/0/1)

Crab cake with white wine caper sauce.

Flight 2: Meursault part 1

2009 Roulot Meursault Charmes. 91 points. Medium gold color; overly sweet lemon/lime aromas – I immediately said “7-Up” with agreement from several in the room; on the palate, it had similar, overly sweet, almost syrupy lemon-lime flavors, but it had very good acidity and a decent finish. This wine strongly reminded me of what I didn’t like when I first tasted the 2009 vintage on release. [NB Retasting this after the reveal, it was impossible to identify this wine as either Roulot or Meursault Charmes] Group Rank: Tied for 20th (last), 0 points (0/0/0/0/0)

2009 Henri Boillot Meursault Charmes. 90 points. Medium gold color; white flowers and pear aromas; lightly sweet citrus fruit on the palate but with some grilled nut background character; this reminds me more of a Meursault than #9; but this one is a bit harsh and almost phenolic on the finish. Group Rank: Tied for 20th (last), 0 points (0/0/0/0/0)

2009 Colin-Morey Meursault Charmes. 93+ points. Medikum plus gold color; light white flowers and some lemon – lime fruit aromas; very bright, medium bodied and charming lemon citrus and light pain grille flavors; a very long subtle fruit finish with a minor degree of acidity in the finish. Real Meursault with just a hint of upside. Four votes for best in flight. Group Rank: Tied for 20th (last), 0 points (0/0/0/0/0)

Andre Jobard Meursault Charmes. 89 advanced. Between medium gold and full gold color; aromas of cheerios with sweetness (an aroma Ron Movich has traditionally flagged as outright oxidiation); on the palate, the wine is very fat, buttery, and has a sweet caramel flavor. This is exceedingly advanced and the group unanimously concurs. In hindsight my score seems too generous. Group Rank: Tied for 20th (last), 0 points (0/0/0/0/0)

2009 Latour-Giraud Meursault Genevrieres. 94 points. Very light gold color; aromas of green fruit (like Midiori liquer) and oysters; on the palate, intense, bright citrus flavors with excellent acidity and a good dollop of minerality; this also had a very long minerals and citrus finish that just kept improviing as the night went on. A genuinely impressive Meursault. One vote for best in flight. Group Rank: Tied for 15th, 3 points (0/0/0/1/1)

2009 Latour-Giraud Meursault Genevrieres Cuvee des Pierre. 94+ points. Light gold color; bright lemon citrus aromas with a hint of grilled nuts; very bright lemon-lime flavors with lots of minerality and noticeable acidity; some powerful citrus fruit and abundant minerality on the finish – excellent; this has a bit more fat on the finish than #13. Five votes for wine of the flight. My number four wine of the night. Group Rank: Fifth , 13 points (1/0/1/2/1)

2009 Roulot Meursault Porusots. 93 points. Light gold color; aromas of lemon citrus and hints of green midori liquer; very bright wine with good acidity, moderate intensity lemony fruit and intensely minerally mid-palate; nice components but there seem to be mismatches in intensity levels here; fairly long sweet finish. This got two votes for favorite of the flight, but five people thought it was advanced. On my second pass through it definitely seemed to have lost something. Group Rank: Tied for 20th (last), 0 points (0/0/0/0/0)

Risotto al frutti di mare. Some years we have had seconds of this — could have used it tonight.

Flight 3: Meursault part 2

2009 Lafon Meursault Charmes. 92 points. Between light and medium yellow gold color; light lemon citrus and minerals aromas; not much fruit here, but some intense minerality on the mid-palate and finsih; this is classic but dry; nice minerality on the finish. Tied for 20th (last), 0 points (0/0/0/0/0)

2009 Roulot Meursault Perrieres. 94 points. Between light and medium gold color; fresh peach and hazelnut aromas; some lemon citrus, with stony, ground rock mid-palate and great acidity; a very long, mostly mineral and light lemon finish. I love this wine for the stoniness and mineral intensity, though some could find it too austere in the fruit department. Group Rank: Fourteenth , 6 points (1/0/0//1)

2009 H. Boillot Meursault Perrieres. 94 points. Between light and medium gold color; again peach and hazelnut aromas; unlike #17, this has some fat and richness on the mid-palate, the biggest wine of the flight; a nice minerally finish too. One vote for best in flight. Group Rank: Tied for 12th, 8 points (0/1/1/0/1)

2009 Bouchard Meursault Perrieres DIAM. 94+ points. Light yellow gold color; light green apple aromas; clean and bright citrusy flavors; very good acidity here; a very long minerals and fruit finish. There is some upside here. Four votes for best in flight. My No. 6 ranked wine of the night. Group Rank: Tenth, 10 points (1/1/0/0/1)

2009 Coiin-Morey Meursault Perrieres. 94+ points. Light plus gold color; very subtle white flowers and lemon pastry aromas; on the palate this had some more dense lemon fruit character and minerality; decent acidity; very long minerals and citrus finish. Impressive with some upside. Three votes for best in flight. My No. 3 ranked wine of the night. Group Rank: Tied for sixth, 12 points (0/1/2/1/0)

2009 Drouhin Meursault Perrieres. 94+ points. Between light and medium gold color; light green apple aromas that don’t really seem open or developed yet; on the palate this was backward, with very good acidity and had intense mineral-saline character over some light citrus fruit. This one needs time to open, but seems very impressive. Four votes for best in flight. My No. 2 ranked wine of the night. Group Rank: Tied for sixth, 12 points (0/1/1/2/1)

2009 Lafon Meursault Perrieres. 94+ points. Between light and medium gold color; very light white flowers aromas; this wine has very bright acidity, light citrus and intense minerality; a long minerally finish too. Two votes for best in flight. This was my No. 5 ranked wine of the night. Group Rank: Tied for 8th, 11 points (0/0/2/2/1)

Pan roasted Napa quail stuffed with wild mushrooms on soft polenta. Not a bad quail.

Flight 4: Corton Charlemagne

2009 Faiveley Corton Charlemagne. 92 points. Light plus gold color; aromas of pears and white flowers; nice medium density pear flavors, nice depth; it didn’t seem to follow through on the finish though. Group Rank: Tied for 8th, 11 points (0/2/0/1/1)

2009 Javillier Corton Charlemagne DIAM. 93 points. Just short of medium gold color; this had pear and green apple aromas; also similar flavors; this has an elegant and long finish which distinguishes it from #23. Group Rank: Tied for 15th, 3 points (0/0/1/0/0)

2009 Montille Corton Charlemagne DIAM. 93 points. Between light and medium gold color; white flowers and pear aromas; this has some greater richness and depth on the mid-palate with good acidity; minerality isn’t obvious here; fruity finish with some acidity. Group Rank: Tied for 20th (last), 0 points (0/0/0/0/0)

2009 Vougeraie Corton Charlemagne. 94 points. Between light and medium gold color; sweet white flowers aromas; intense pear flavors; this has more power and depth and more minerality than the preceding wines in this flight; it also has brilliant acidity, and very nice minerality; a very long minerally finish.. Two votes for best in flight. Group Rank: 11th, 9 points (1/0/0/2/0)

2009 Henri Boillot Corton Charlemagne. 93+ points. Between light and medium gold color; light white flowers and sweet citrus aromas; less depth of fruit than the others, and more citrus here, good acidity, but I found this somewhat dry, almost phenolic on the back of the palate; nice minerals on the finish. May round out with more time. Two votes for best in flight. Group Rank: Third, 22 points (2/2/1/0/1)

2009 Bonneau du Martray Corton Charlemagne. 93+ points. Between light and medium gold color; aromas of white flowers and lemon blossoms; on the palate this had some sweet citrus and a long dry minerally finish. Needs more time. This got five votes for best in flight. Group Rank: Fourth, 15 points (/3/0/0/0/0)

2009 Bouchard Corton Charlemagne DIAM. 93 points. Light yellow gold color, the lightest of the flight; light white flowers and green apple aromas; this had relatively simple green apple flavors but an incredibly long structured minerally finish. At first I thought this wine had good development potential, but by the end of the night, I just wasn’t sure. Group Rank: Twelfth, 9 points (0/1/1/0/1)

Coche-Dury Corton Charlemagne. 94 points. Just short of medium gold color; light white flowers and green apple aromas; the most complex mix of fruit flavors of the flight – lemon, lime and green apple, with very nice depth and length; a very pretty wine though not as much minerality as some of the others. I liked this even a little more on my second pass. Five votes for best in flight. Group Rank: Second, 30 points (3/2/2/0/1)

Colin-Morey Corton Charlemagne. 95 points. Light gold color; very light white flowers aromas with some green apple undertones; very bright green apple flavors which are intense and snappy; this wine is extremely long on the palate and has amazingly good minerality on the finish. A wow wine. Three votes for best in flight (including mine). My number one wine of the night. Group Rank: First, 34 points (2/3/2/3/0)

Sicilian boneless rabbit with prosciutto, caciocavallo, a hint of chocolate. Not sure we needed TWO meat in brown sauce dishes.

Flight 5: dessert

Fight the hangover!

1976 Schloss Eltz Auslese. Deep brown color; some burnt sugar and apricot aromas; from a personal perspective I had a real problem getting past the strong burned toast and earthy character on this wine that made the sweetness unreachable for me. Not my cup of tea, but I’ve never been a fan of the 1976 German vintage.

Cassatina di rocotta with pistachio gelato. My gelato is much better but the cassata tasted about 80% like a real Sicilian Cassata, which in my books makes it awesome as that dessert is almost impossible to find properly done outside of Sicily.

Conclusions

No glasses to be found anywhere (else).
Have a few white burgs!

There is a lot to say about this tasting. First of all, Valentino did a good job as usual. The wine service was impeccable, and this is a difficult task (pouring lots of big blind flights). Overall service is absolutely first rate. It’s a large quiet room, and the staff was highly attentive. The food was solid, although not as bright or modern as some places. The decor and food are a tad dated now, very very 90s — and not even as good as I remember back in the 90s. But memory is a funny thing.

There wasn’t quite enough food and the flights were WAY too large. Really this dinner could use 6 flights, no bigger than 5 wines each and about 6 savory dishes. This was more a planning/budget issue than anything under the restaurant’s control.

Thanks to Don C again as always for organizing a super fun and education event! It’s an enormous amount of organization and we all really appreciate it.

Speaking of Don, his compiled results and comments from this dinner are as follows. The top five ranked wines of the evening were:

The group’s top five ranked wines of the evening were:

1. 2009 Colin-Morey Corton Charlemagne.
2. 2009 Coche-Dury Corton Charlemagne
3. 2009 Henri Boillot Corton Charlemagne
4. 2009 Bonneau du Martray Corton Charlemagne
5. 2009 Latour-Giraud Meursault Genevrieres Cuvee Pierre

The details are all in the attached spreadsheet along with my ratings on the wines.

Of 31 wines, we had 0 corked, 0 oxidized but 3 were advanced (9.7%). In the four months leading up to this dinner I opened 11 different 2009 whites and didn’t experience a single bottle that was either advanced or oxidized. We had four bottles with DIAM cork closures at the dinner and none of them were advanced or oxidized.

Some general comments –

This was the fourth consecutive dinner where a Colin-Morey wine finished either the number one or number two ranked wine by the group (and all of the voting has been totally blind.) BDM Corton made the top five for the first time ever. Vougeraie made a very impressive first time appearance.

Except for the Chablis, the wines from 2009 far exceeded my initial expectations. When the Cote de Beaune wines were released, I thought most of them were excessively sweet (I frequently used the descriptor of “7-Up”). As a result, I cellared very few 2009s. But the Cote de Beaune wines today, for the most part, far exceed my initial expectation. The level of improvement was even more profound than what we experienced with the 2006 vintage.

The bad news for 2009 is that, in my judgment, 2009 is the least impressive vintage of Chablis that I’ve ever tasted – far worse than the 2007s or the 2005s. The Chablis were extremely thin and mostly lacking in Chablis character. The three best wines of the flight, all from Raveneau, were very light bodied wines with some minerality but very little else to commend them. In my opinion, it’s a vintage of Chablis to avoid.

But in contrast to the disappointing Chablis, the flight of Meursault Perrieres was, when considered as a whole, the most consistent flight of Meursault Perrieres, from one wine to the next, that we’ve ever had. Excluding the Lafon Charmes, (which I usually include with the MPs because of those vines’ immediate proximity to Perrieres and the fact that the Lafon Charmes usually tastes more like MP than Charmes), the wines were uniformly very impressive. They were fairly light in color and had varying pleasant fruit esters (mostly citrus, but in two cases green apple and two with some peach) along with grilled hazelnut in a couple of them. They also all had surprisingly good acidity and strong minerality. After writing my notes and provisionally scoring the wines I was astonished to realize that I’d rated every MP at 94 points and it was very hard to pick a favorite in this flight. Four of the wines are likely to improve a little more with additional bottle age (which to me was unexpected for the 2009 vintage.)

The Corton flight, while it had a greater range of variation, was also quite good. The aromas were mostly white flowers and green apple or pear (though a couple had some light citrus elements). The wines were bigger bodied and richer than the MPs, as you would expect. They were surprisingly classic in style compared to how sweet and 7-Up like many of the wines tasted like at the time of release.

Other big tasting dinners from this dinner series:

2008 White Burgundy part 1

2008 White Burgundy part 2

2008 White Burgundy part 3

2007 White Burgundy part 1

2007 White Burgundy part 2

2007 White Burgundy part 3

2006 White Burgundy

2004 Red Burgundy

2005 White Burgundy part 1

2005 White Burgundy part 2

2005 White Burgundy part 3

By: agavin
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Tagged as: 2009 White Burgundy, Chablis, Corton-Charlemagne, Don Cornwell, Italian cuisine, Meursault, Santa Monica, Valentino, Wine

Michael’s Rebooted

Mar31

Restaurant: Michael’s Santa Monica

Location: 1147 Third Street, Santa Monica, CA 90403. 310-451-0843

Date: February 14, 2013

Cuisine: New American

Rating: Great job with a tough night

Michael’s is a Santa Monica classic, having been at heart of the birth of “California Cuisine” back in the 80’s, but things have been a bit staid for a long time. Now with a new chef shaking things up the food is bright and modern again.

The bar doesn’t look much different.

More lounge-like interior.

But it’s the garden that has always rocked. They don’t make spaces like this anymore!

From my cellar: 2006 Pierre Morey Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. BH 93. Again, as one would reasonably expect, this is more elegant still with a pure and refined nose of white flower, wet stone, fennel and a hint of honeysuckle that is also picked up by the citrusy, sweet and marvelously intense flavors that possess a bit more volume than usual. A very classy effort that will age well.

The menu.

Whole wheat sourdough.

Dungeness crab chawanmushi. uni, ginger sprout, Japanese sesame. I always love these light egg custards.

Yellowfin tuna tartare. Flax sseeds, kanzuri, yerba mate creme fraiche.

Spaghetti a la chitarra. Lamb sausage bolognese, garlic confit, smoked ricotta.

Potatoes a la plancha. Parmigiano reggiano, bonito flakes, furikake aioli.

Mixed baby lettuces. market vegetables, herbs & seeds, red wine vinaigrette.

From my cellar: 1993 Domaine Marquis d’Angerville Volnay 1er Cru Champans. 92 points. Dry game and cinnamon; not quite as vibrant but still fine. Volnay is so elegant and has such legs to age. Perfect with roasted marrow.

Grilled branzino. Black carrot puree, winter citrus, calabrian chile.

Black garlic rice. vinegar roasted turnips, sumac yogurt, pickled wasabi leaf.

Duck breast. Huckleberry juniper pickle, chrysanthemum, delicata squash.

Denver steak. Porcini bordelaise, Russian kale, hedgehog mushrooms.

Ricotta Gnudi. Black trumpet sugo, green garlic, frill mustard.

Whipped cheesecake. Walnut, sour cream curd, graham cracker sable.

Hazelnut chocolate ganache. Pistachio pound cake, rice syrup, orange.

The menu at Michael’s is radically updated. Gone is the sort of 80s/90s larger plates with more French influence and in its place the newer, brighter style of vaguely fusion share plates. But the flavors were very good and execution spot on. Plus the garden is still a lovely spot. Compare to this meal from a few years ago.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: California Cuisine, garden, Michael's Santa Monica, Santa Monica

R.I.P. Typhoon

Oct28

Restaurant: Typhoon

Location: 3221 Donald Douglas Loop S, Santa Monica, CA 90405. (310) 390-6565

Date: October 18, 2016

Cuisine: Pan Asian

Rating: Out with a whimper

I first started coming to Typhoon in 1996 or 1997. At the time I thought it was amazing and for years after I would take out of town guests there.

The location in Santa Monica Airport was super cool — and well they had insects on the menu (always good for a scare). Plus, upstairs was one of my favorite sushi spots the amazing Hump — shuttered some years ago.

But finally, after a long long run the city is raising the rent and things are winding down.

Today for a final visit before they close we actually ate upstairs in the Hump space. Nothing has changed. In fact, the whole building and complex has a “seen better days feel.”

The decor is still cool, and doesn’t in of itself look dated, but things are a little worn.

The menu seems to have been simplified.

Ma La Dumplings. Szechuan-style steamed ground pork dumplings. No ma la here. No heat at all and certainly no Szechuan peppercorn. They weren’t that bad, they just weren’t spicy at all.

Taiwanese Sausage. with garlic slivers. Seemed like Thai sausage. Not too bad either, if a bit chewy.

Filipino Grilled Pork bowl. Pretty tasty. Certainly better than the below:

Kung Pao Shrimp. scallions, peanuts, red chile. Pretty much like a PF Changs kung pao — no heat at all, just salty. Yuck.

Not super impressive. I remember loving this place a long time ago, but I haven’t been for a serious meal here in almost 10 years. 20 years ago it was one of the only places (particularly on the westside) doing all these different Asian cuisines and it did them fairly well. But the world has moved on and we have the likes of Cassia. Sigh.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: pan Asian cuisine, Santa Monica, Santa Monica Airport, The Hump, Typhoon

Mangement Problems – Herringbone

Oct19

Restaurant: Herringbone

Location: 1755 Ocean Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90401. (310) 971-4460

Date: October 4, 2016

Cuisine: Seafooder

Rating: Ok food, terrible management

I keep being reminded of Herringbone — partially because of its large signage on prominent Ocean Ave, partially because it always comes up in OpenTable.

To be honest the reviews and my sense that this really isn’t a chef driven restaurant really gave me pause.

The interior is huge and the build out lovely. They must have spent a lot of money.

Fugu tree! Never seen one of those before.

A nice patio.

Even more interior.

Anyway the menu is straight up seafooder. Not super exciting but they have some lunch deals.

But after you read about the food make sure to check out my “experience” issues.

Pear and burrata salad. Grilled persimmon, mizuna, sunflower seeds, poached pear, oregano vinaigrette. Tasty enough salad if highly derivative.

Kale Salad. La Quercia Prosciutto, baby heirloom tomatoes, avocado, pine nuts, pecorino, lemon vinaigrette. Also a solid salad.

Lobster roll and fries. The lobster itself was decent, although there wasn’t enough of it. The bun was too solid and the lobster just sort of piled on top (there was a little slit/hole). Overall the sandwich half worked. The fries were fine. Not amazing, not bad at all.

The location is great. The build out nice. The food not super inspired but okay. However, the service and experience kinda sucked. First of all, they sat us then basically ignored us for like 30 minutes. We barely got drinks (these took awhile). Eventually we managed to get an order in. And this was lunch. Who wants to sit around forever with a one page menu at lunch? Then there were a few minor goofs with the order, but it took forever. The place was huge but seemed short staffed both on service and behind the line. The servers appeared to spend far long tapping on the POS system than interacting with customers. The gap between our order and the first course was like another 30 minutes. Then after the mains were plopped down and no apology was proffered, we mentioned something and the server became instantly defensive and blamed it on the (lack of) cooks. Now that may (or may not) have been true, but it was graceless. And he didn’t even begin to offer anything up (like a free dessert or even an apology). Another member of our party complained to the front and got the manager — who was also defensive and didn’t offer much else other than saying we should “call ahead” and come in and he would make sure the experience went smoother.

But it was clear watching the room that there was a process problem. Everyone was waiting a long time (and there were only a couple tables in the big room) and there was no manager visible. In fact there were long periods where no servers were visible (just busboys). Clearly this is a corporate place and everyone was just phoning it in. I don’t know if I’ll ever go back, which is a shame because it’s close and has a nice space. Maybe, and it’s a big maybe, I’ll give it one more try at dinner (but reviews online indicate our problem was not isolated).

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: bad service, Herringbone, Santa Monica, Seafood

Belcampo Meat Co.

Sep23

Restaurant: Belcampo Restaurant and Butcher Shop

Location: 1026 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401. (424) 744-8008

Date: September 2, 2016

Cuisine: American

Rating: A little flat

Apparently, opening a restaurant/butcher shop is all the rage recently. Seems everyone is doing it.

Belcampo has half a dozen or so locations, but I can’t attest to the butcher shop itself, having merely poked in.

The restaurant, despite a hidden entrance, has a nice clubby build out.

And a bar with lots of booze.

The menu.

And the cocktail menu.

Cherry Phosphate. The waiter claimed this was a real phosphate. I can’t be sure, but I’ve wanted to try one for a while. They’re a late 19th century / early 20th century thing where phosphoric acid was used instead of carbonic acid to add taste and fizz. It tasted pretty good either way.

“Free” crispy bread and pepper/olive spread.

Roasted red & gold beets. Burrata, kale, & balsamic reduction.

Veggie Burger. Avocado, lettuce, tomato, onion, & house sauce with fries.

Lamb burger. Romaine lettuce, roasted pobano chilies, & tourm, on Bread Bar brioche with fries and chipotle-tomato jam. The meat was tender and lamby but it was pretty much just meat on a bun. Yeah there was some chilies, but it didn’t have that much umph. Frankly, I prefer an Umami Burger (by a lot).

I didn’t try too many things, but what I did was just “fine.” Pretty typical modern American without much pizzaz. Call me jaded.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Belcampo, butcher shop, Meat, Santa Monica

Wine Guys at Capo

Aug26

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

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

Date: August 5, 2011

Cuisine: Italian with Cal influences

Rating: The food here is really very very good.

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

The intimate dining room.

They have very good bread at Capo, particularly the crispy things.

Capo always puts out this little humus-like spread. I suspect it’s fava beans. It’s addictive though.

We settle down to examine the MENU, which is big, and always a difficult decision because there is so much great stuff on it. They have an odd menu format, in which each item is identified by only it’s principle ingredient, forcing you to guess or ask how it’s actually prepared. Plus they have “fill in the blanks” on the menu which are filled in by a separate sheet of daily specials. No big deal, but it’s kind of bizare. Doesn’t matter though, as the food is great.

From my cellar: 2010 Borgo del Tiglio (Nicola Manferrari) Collio Friulano Ronco della Chiesa. VM 94. Borgo del Tiglio’s 2010 Ronco della Chiesa shows what this hillside site in Cormons can do in cooler vintages. Still bright, focused and intensely saline, the 2010 bursts from the glass with grapefruit, lime, mint and crushed rocks. The 2010 will probably be appreciated most by readers who like tense, vibrant whites. Next to some of the other vintages, the 2010 lacks a little mid-palate pliancy, but it is quite beautiful just the same. I especially like the way the 2010 opens up nicely in the glass over time.

An amuse of tomato covered bread with salami. Yum!

English split pea soup.

Burrata black truffle bruschetta. Besides the shaved vegetables and the bread underneath this is a big blob of burrata, fresh truffles, and a whole poached egg! It was pretty good, but decidedly rich. In some ways similar to my special eggs, in some ways like the famous Melisse truffle egg.

Woodfire grilled octopus. Nice octopus. I think Brera’s was better, but this was very good. Strong char flavor from the grill.

Sweet corn and white truffle ravioli. Can we say buttery awesome? Nice truffle/butter/corn flavor. Super soft pasta. What’s not to love? (perhaps the price)

Dungeness crab risotto. A very nice mildly crabby risotto. Good texture.

Grilled branzino. Cooked on the wood fire. Strong char flavors but the meat inside was very moist and flavorful.

From my cellar: 1997 Gaja Langhe Nebbiolo Conteisa. VM 92-94. Good full ruby. Deeply pitched aromas of plum, currant, espresso, bitter chocolate and mint. Very intensely flavored and firmly built; not as dense as the Sori Tildin or San Lorenzo but sweet, vibrant and sharply delineated. Quite penetrating and solidly structured. Finishes very long, with rich but firm tannins.

Spaghetti Carbonara. Egg, cheese, pork cheeks, peas. A very nice (and rich) pasta.
This is buccatini with lamb ragu, and it’s one of the best pastas I’ve ever had. I’ve come back a dozen times for it. I love a good ragu, and the buccatini (spagetti with a tiny hole in the middle) is perfect. The dish is rich and meaty, divine. I always order it.

Aspen NY steak, medium rare. I’m not a steak guy, but this was some fine beef, seared black on the outside and red/pink on the inside.

Bread pudding. With a creme brûlée caramelized top! Oh boy!

And this. This was to die for. Meyer lemon semifreddo, with a blueberry or blackberry sauce. Everything about this was spectacular, one of my all time favorite deserts. The cold-soft texture, the bright lemon flavor, and the tart sweetness of the berries. OMFG!

A nice plate of little petit fours, not so usual at American Italians, more french. In Italy sometimes you’ll get treated to little almond cookies and shots of grappa or sambuca.

So to conclude, Capo is hands down delicious. The food is VERY VERY GOOD, and the service is top notch. The intimate little atmosphere is great also. It’s just very expensive — definitely not a good value — perfect if someone else is paying :-).

Three other Capo meals HERE and HERE and HERE.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or for a legion of great eating in Italy itself, here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Capo, Italian Cusine, Santa Monica

Quick Eats – Obica SM

May13

Restaurant: Obica Santa Monica

Location: 606 Broadway, Santa Monica, CA 90401. (310) 393-6633

Date: April 10, 2016

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Solid (modern) neighborhood Italian

Obica is a new casual addition to the Santa Monica downtown, replacing Hostaria del Piccolo, right next to the (also new) Inotheke. I went once to the Century City version with my Italian wine class and found it quite good.

I swear that when I went the Century City one was spelled Obika with a K and this one with a C. Go figure, it actually changed — I’m not going crazy.

The space is sleek and modern, avec bar.
And the hard surfaces + nice wood decor style.

Il menu.

Acciughe di Sciacca. Sciacca Anchovies and Sundried Tomatoes. Salty but good. Particularly with…

Burrata al Tartufo. With Black Truffle. Putting this and the anchovies together on bread was excellent.

Pici pomodoro. One of my favorite pasta shapes, little hand made twists.
Schiaffoni di Gragnano. Paccheri Pasta with tomato sauce. Basil. Mozzarella di Bufala.
Pappardelle al Ragu di Anatra e Arancia. Homemade rosemary pasta with Tuscan style duck ragu. Orange Zest. A nice interesting pasta.

The dessert menu.

Chocolate gelato.
Semifreddo al Croccante Salato. Salted Caramel Brittle, Zabaglione gelato. I love semifredo. Although the Zabaglione didn’t have that Masala/citrus flavor that I like.

Overall, Obica is a solid casual Italian and a nice edition. I have to try more menu items but it’s closer to what you’d get at a mid level place in Italy than all the Italian American places.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Dessert, Italian cuisine, Obica, Obika, pasta, Santa Monica

Mexican Swanky – Red O

May06

Restaurant: Red O

Location: 1541 Ocean Ave #120, Santa Monica, CA 90401. (310) 458-1600

Date: April 30 & November 23, 2016

Cuisine: Mexican / Steakhouse

Rating: Tasty, but expensive

Red O is a new (small chain) entry to the crowded, high turnover Ocean Ave dining scene. I knew nothing about it prior, and am judging it purely from the experience. It seems a pricey upscale take on straight up Mexican food combined with some modernization and a pretty full steak menu.
The space, which I forgot to photo is large and very attractive with a big bar. I’ve eaten here when it was at least 4-5 other restaurants, including most recently 41 Ocean. It’s a great looking space, but obviously the rent is high and there has been a lot of turnover. 20 years ago it was the (then) ultra trendy Zen Zero!
Great view of the total mob scene that is always Ocean Blvd in decent weather. A pain to drive too (I’ve lived/worked near here for 22+ years). You can hardly turn for all the pedestrians, bicyclists, and cars.

This is a (sorta) Mexican restaurant, so I had to order a serious Margarita. They had 5 on the menu. This was the Signature Red O Margarita. Cabo Wabo blanco tequila, jdk & sons o3 orange liqueur, house-made Limonada. Served over ice with salt rim.

It’s closest to my own Margarita style. Not bad at all except for the $16 for a smallish ice packed drink (I easily went through 3).

Chip. Normal enough. I’d except the thicker hand cut ones here.

Salsa.

Classic Guacamole. Chunky avocado, tomatoes, onions, fresh lime juice, cilantro, serrano Chile. A well made Guac. Not exactly gigantic for $11.

Cheese quesadilla.

Queso Fundido. Melted Monterey jack, mezzaluna fontina and beehive white cheddar cheeses with caramelized onion, roasted poblano Chile and choice of homemade chorizo. Super tasty, particularly with the chorizo, but I think I like the gooey slightly orange classic queso.

homemade chorizo.

or the fully leaded chorizo version.

Ahi Tuna Tostadita. Sushi grade yellowfin ahi tuna, Chile-cumin oil, avocado, napa cabbage, harissa aioli, pickled red onion, habanero. A little bit of a kick.

Yellowtail Aguachile. Hamachi yellowtail sashimi, spicy lime broth, avocado, knob onion, cucumber and orange. very zesty!

Fish special, halibut I think.

Salmon with a similar prep.

Lobster tail.

Lamb in Mole Negro. Roasted brussels sprouts, organic baby kale, caramelized onion and nut crunch. Basically rack of lamb with mole. Tasty, but maybe a bit expensive.

Chicken enchilada and taco combo.

Wild White Mexican Shrimp Enchiladas Suizas. Creamy tomatillo sauce, melted Monterey jack cheese, lime-garlic dressed arugula, Mexican red rice and beans. These were tasty. The green sauce was very tangy. My mouth was buzzing from citrus too from the Margaritas.
Passion Fruit Butter Cake. Baked to order and served with grilled strawberries, passion fruit custard, coconut crumble, coconut ice cream. This was certainly a 9.5/10 dessert. Common, butter cake, passion fruit, coconut ice cream? How could it not be.

Service was great the first time. They even called the next day to see how I enjoyed it — not sure I’ve ever had that happen before! The space is beautiful, although too loud (as usual – boo). Food was quite tasty. Everything I tried was on point. It didn’t blow me away or anything (except maybe the butter cake), as they were fairly typical items, but they were extremely well executed. But the prices are very high for what it is, at least double what a similar (likely less well executed) version might be at some medium-high-end Mexican restaurant. Portion sizes aren’t huge (but were certainly fine). It’s new, but it was easy to book on a Saturday night, so given the obviously high rent, I wonder if it will last. Truth is, almost nothing does on Ocean Blvd. Perhaps only Ivy by the Shore and Ocean Ave Seafood (now Water Grill) has been there for more than 10 years.

On my second visit, very similar experience, except that the service while nice, was oddly a bit slow and disjointed. They confused a couple orders (but made it right) and mysteriously didn’t refill our water for what seemed like forever. Food is still tasty but expensive.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Mexican, Ocean Blvd, Red O, Santa Monica

2005 Burgundy at Water Grill

Apr29

Restaurant: Water Grill Santa Monica [1, 2]

Location: 1401 Ocean Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90401. (310) 394-5669

Date: April 27, 2016

Cuisine: American Seafood

Rating: Solid coastal seafooder

Tonight’s outing to Water Grill Santa Monica is with a friend’s wine group. Some of the regulars I’ve known for some time and a bunch of the others I can’t believe I haven’t “met” as we clearly have been at the same events together.

The primary wine theme is 2005 Red Burgundy. A little young, but beginning to come around.

The ocean sunset throws some awesome color on the facade.

1990 Henri Goutorbe Champagne Collection René.

2010 Domaine Billaud-Simon Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir. Burghound 95. There is a lovely mineral reduction to the pure aromas of citrus, ripe orchard fruit, dried rose petal and sea breeze that marry into full-bodied and overtly muscular flavors that possess seemingly endless reserves of acid-buffering extract on the mouth coating, long and almost painfully intense finish. This bone dry effort will require plenty of cellar time but it will be more than worth the wait as it’s a knockout.

2004 Hospices de Beaune Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières Cuvée Baudot Louis Jadot. Good stuff, very “round” and tres meursault.

The King Iced Shellfish Tower. Love me some raw sea creatures.

Downstairs are oysters, clams, shrimps (with and without heads), mussels, and snails.

Upstairs is uni, lobster, crab, and Peruvian bay scallops with salsa.

From my cellar: 2005 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Pucelles. Burghound 93. A very discreet touch of brioche highlights the much more reserved honeysuckle, anise, honeysuckle and apricot aromas that are elegant, pure and wonderfully refined and dissolve into sweet, intense and unusually precise flavors that also reflect more minerality than I typically find in this wine as well, culminating in superb punch and energy. A terrific vintage for Pucelles and one to consider closely.

agavin: sadly our bottle was (mildly) corked 🙁

2013 Francois Carillon Chevalier-Montrachet. Burghound 91-94. A beautifully expressive nose of notably ripe yellow fruit, acacia blossom, spiced pear and hints of lemon are trimmed in enough wood to notice. The detailed, concentrated, layered and intense middle weight plus flavors are unusually powerful before culminating in a stony, persistent and palate staining finish. This is dense to the point of being luscious and while this is certainly a lovely effort, I wouldn’t call it typical in the context of a classic Chevalier.

agavin: crazy young but still fabulous, particularly at the end of the evening once it got some air. Super long finish.
Crudo Sampler. Wild tahitian bigeye tuna, wild eastern sea scallops, farmed faroe islands atlantic salmon.
Farmed Manila clams with Chorizo. Steamed in saffron broth with crispy french baquette.
Jump lump blue crab cake. celery root remoulade.

From my cellar: 2005 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Fuées. Burghound 94. Here the aromas are slightly riper than those of the villages with a positively sublime elegant dark berry fruit and violet-infused nose that complements the seductive yet notably powerful plum and mineral-inflected medium full flavors that are firmly structured yet velvety with excellent depth of material on the driving, complex and stunningly long finish. The mid-palate sap completely buffers the dusty tannins and this should be capable of at least a decade of improvement but it’s a 25 year wine, perhaps longer. This delivers grand cru quality and should absolutely be on your shopping list.

agavin: lots of promise, but needs more time.

2005 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru. Burghound 93. A strikingly complex nose offers up notes of dried rose petal, exotic spices, tea, earth and very ripe red pinot fruit that merges into rich, full and wonderfully precise medium full-bodied flavors that possess impeccable balance and length that goes on and on. A smaller version of the Musigny and built to age almost as well.

agavin: forward enough to be really yummy, but pretty young
Fritto misto. mixed fried seafood with smokey marinara and tzatziki.

Seafood fritters. crab, shrimp and atlantic cod, with romesco sauce and pickled peppers.

2005 Domaine Xavier Liger-Belair Clos Vougeot. 94 points. Drinking great, with lots of umph. Big wine too.

2005 Domaine de la Vougeraie Clos Vougeot. Burghound 92. Moderate wood spice and a pretty if serious mix of red berry, black pinot and plenty of earth influence can be found on the round, rich and very suave full-bodied flavors that possess ample volume and excellent underlying material though the finish is perhaps not quite as precise and delineated as the very best in the range. Still, this offers plenty of character and superb length plus it’s less youthfully austere than most examples at this very early stage.

agavin: this is a very new world producer. Wine was pleasant, but a little short.

WILD ALASKAN RED KING CRAB LEGS. steamed with our homemade coleslaw and drawn butter.

LIVE WILD NORTH AMERICAN HARD SHELL LOBSTER. steamed with our homemade coleslaw and drawn butter.

2005 Domaine Drouhin-Laroze Chambertin-Clos de Bèze. Burghound 93-95. A pungent mix of wood spice, earth, red berry fruit, game, smoke and natural spice highlights the moderately sauvage character of the rich, full, refined and pure flavors underpinned by ripe and very firm tannins that culminate in an austere and very backward finish. This will require lots of cellar time to be at its best and like the Clos de Vougeot, this will be a long-distance runner.

2005 Camille Giroud Chambertin. Burghound 93-96. There are actually several different cuvées of this wine and at the time of my tasting, Croix had not decided what he was going to use for the final blend. The best of them featured a reserved and very backward, indeed almost brooding nose of ripe and distinctly earth red pinot fruit plus a touch of animale that merges seamlessly into textured, powerful and pure big-bodied flavors that despite the size, richness and raw muscle are harmonious and perfectly balanced. A monument in the making but I reemphasize that this review may or may not reflect the final blend.

agavin: massive but very good

PRIME DRY AGED SPLIT-BONE “COWBOY” RIBEYE 20 oz.

PRIME NATURAL “NEVER EVER” NEW YORK STRIP STEAK 16 oz.

FILET MIGNON “double r ranch” 12 oz.

French fries.
Yukon gold mashed potatoes.

Overall, a super fun evening. The wines were a bit young but fun — plus I never mind a surplus of Burgundy. Food was tasty and fresh. The restaurant did a good job by us, even if they didn’t totally get our “wine guy” thing (they never do). Seafood and apps more exciting than mains. The company was awesome though, and that’s what really matters!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: 2005 Red Burgundy, Burgundy, Santa Monica, Water Grill, watergrill, Wine

Inotheke – Modern Greek

Mar23

Restaurant: Inotheke

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

Date: March 19 & November 11, 2016

Cuisine: Modern Greek

Rating: Good flavors

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

Located right near the promenade on Broadway.

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

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

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

The pita was grilled, soft, and greek style.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: California, Greek cuisine, lamb, Moussaka, Santa Monica, Small Plates, Tzatziki

Sidecar Donuts

Mar04

Restaurant: Sidecar Donuts & Coffee

Location: 631 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401. (310) 587-0022

Date: March 1, 2016

Cuisine: Donuts

Rating: Best (but pricey) donuts I’ve had

There has been a lot of buzz about sidecar donuts, a super trendy artisanal donut shop in Santa Monica. Truth is, I adore a good donut, so I figured I’d give it a try.

The interior is very slick and clean. Not exactly Dunkin’ Donuts.

The donuts are baked every hour! And they sure look decadent.

Plus there are very creative flavors, although far less flavors than a typical shop. Here some flavors rotate daily and some weekly or monthly.

I got a cappuccino too. Solid.

These are pricey donuts. They vary from $3-4 each! Normal donut shops sell donuts for slightly less than $1! But they do come in a fancy box. haha.

Here are the four I tried.

Maple Bacon! Raised doughnut topped with pure Vermont maple syrup glaze and crisp Niman Ranch bacon. Oh yes, I love a good maple bacon anything. This soft and sweet confection didn’t disappoint.

Huckleberry. Oregon huckleberry cake doughnut with huckleberry glaze.
Super soft and caky with a nice tangy berry glaze.

Saigon Cinnamon Crumb. Slightly sweet, slightly spicy Saigon cinnamon cake doughnut, topped with sweet glaze and a house made cinnamon crumble. Great cinnamon flavor and nice texture.

Coconut Cream. Our signature brioche raised doughnut topped with housemate coconut milk custard & cream, toasted coconut shards, and pie crust crumble. Arousingly good.

Overall, These were some seriously good donuts. You pay for it with a 4-5X multiple, so I wouldn’t be ordering them up en-mass for a party, but as I’m more calorie limited than worrying about a couple of bucks, definitely a treat!

The Mendocino Farms next door seems to be doing a healthy business too. Look at the line at 11:30am on a random Tuesday! I’ll have to try it out.

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By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: coffee, Donuts, Santa Monica, Sidecar Donuts

Quick Eats – Mondo Taco

Nov20

Restaurant: Mondo Taco

Location: 2200 Colorado Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90404. (310) 310-8922

Date: October 20 & November 30, 2015

Cuisine: Nuevo Taco

Rating: Tasty

There seems to be a bit of a new trend to apply “Californication” to just about any food type. By this I mean the process that transformed the humble Pizza 30 years ago into the now passe “California Pizza.”

Mondo Taco is one of several places trying this on the taco. Nothing wrong with that, as the taco is just a form of open faced sandwich. The shopfront is located right next to the Naughty Dog office (which I no longer work at), but is certainly a busy lunch zone.

Decor is cute and cozy.

The menu.

They have nice unlimited refills on drinks, so I hooked myself up with some pineapple juice.

Taj Mahal. Coconut shrimp, curry sauce, diced red bell pepper. This was one of my favorites. It had bright fresh tastes and packed a good dose of flavor. Plus I liked the crunch of the fried shrimp.

Thailicious. Grilled chicken, chipotle peanut sauce, cilantro, onions. This was actually my least favorite, even though I expected to like it. The flavors were too muddled, with the peanut being too muted by the chipotle. I think it would be better with a sauce closer to Thai classic peanut sauce.

El Greco. Grilled lamb, tzatzikki, diced tomato. In the middle. Certainly tasty, and much like the gyro it is modeled on.

A special: Southern Decadence. Super delicious. Fried chicken, bacon, a kind of ranch dressing, and some kind of sweet dressing. Full of fat and flavor.

Car-Neato. Pulled pork, salsa verde, cilantro. This was fine for what it was, but not my favorite.

Tokyo Shrimp. Tempura shrimp, avocado, spicy mayo. The combo worked, but was a tad mild for my taste.
Overall, these were promising. This isn’t the usual laser-focused Asian fare I lunch at, or even single cuisine fusion, but a sort of “anything can become a taco.” Still, I’ll go back and try some more.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Mondo Taco, Santa Monica, Taco

Viet Noodle Bar

Oct07

Restaurant: Viet Noodle Bar

Location: 3221 Pico Blvd, Santa Monica, CA90405. (424) 299 6360

Date: August 18, 2015

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Rating: Good, but not typical

Santa Monica has had a lot of openings recently, and in multiple classes of restaurants. Viet Noodle Bar is a lunch focused (at least to my mind) casual Vietnamese “Pho” place. Except not exactly.

The frontage on pico (right near Valentinos) is almost invisible.

The interior is minimal and as you can see in the middle of the lunch rush, not exactly crowded.

The menu.

While very Vietnamese, they seem to eschew the “classics” like regular beef Pho. They even note that they DO NOT offer the regular garnish of basil, hoisin, etc. Bizarre.

Rice Noodle Omelet. Sort of a Viet okonomiyaki. I had similar things in Vietnam. It was tasty with that slightly pickled flavor coming from the vegetables on top. Even better with hot sauce.

Spicy Sardine Banh Mi. Green onion. Cilantro. The menu doesn’t even call it Banh Mi, but it is of course. This was very tasty with a bit of mild heat and umami brine quality from the sardine.

Turmeric Fish Salad. Lettuce leaf, fish tomato, red onion, bean sprouts, daikon, carrot. Very nice turmeric flavor and soft savory fish. Nice rice noodles and interesting interplay of crunch.

Ginger fish Pho Noodle Soup. White fish, bean sprouts (I left them out), crispy shallot, green onion, cilantro. A very pleasant mild ginger broth with tender white fish. Lots of rice noodles. I asked for hoisin to jazz it up — found they didn’t have it — and got their peanut sauce instead. This version of peanut sauce turned out to be sort of hoisin-like so it worked out.

Overall, the flavors here are very Vietnamese, but the items avoid the “classics” people might expect and lean toward “California healthy” with a lot of light, vegetarian, etc. Less beef, pork, pate, and other heavy meats. Still a nice place to have around and I’ll be back — although they barely had any customers and so I hope they survive. They need much better signage and some serious word of mouth / advertising.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or my survey of real Vietnamese (in Vietnam).

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Santa Monica, Viet Noodle Bar, Vietnamese cuisine

Forma – Cheese Bowl!

Sep25

Restaurant: Forma

Location:1610 Montana Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90403

Date: August 16 & November 7, 2015 and August 12, 2016

Cuisine: Neo Italian

Rating: Interesting modern concept / great taste

Early in our marriage, my wife and I went to a little place on Montana in Santa Monica called 17th St Cafe as a go to “Saturday brunch” place.

Well sadly, it closed a few years back and was replaced by a place that was similar but not as good. Well disappeared too and it has now rebooted as a considerably more upscale Italian concept.

They opened up the middle of the old casual space with a nice and very clever (given the space) buildout very much in the 2015 vibe.

Now I said Forma is Italian, but what’s different is: 1) small plates 2) they are also a cheese bar! 3) they have this pastas churned in the cheese concept. More on that later.

The menu.

FRESH BABY KALE. red and white quinoa, fennel, heirloom cherry tomatoes, manchego.

BRUSCHELLA. grilled levain bread, heirloom tomatoes, mango, goat cheese.

FRESH MOZZARELLA KNOTS. zucchini “scapece”, heirloom cherry tomatoes, micro basil.

Burrata, cutella, white peaches and melon. Pretty awesome actually.

FILET MIGNON TARTARE. avocado, fresno chile pepper, capers, shallot, parmigiano, grilled bread.

A very nice tartare. Good flavor on the meat, and the cheese really added.

Penne pomodoro.

RAVIOLO BROCCOLINI. single raviolo, cherry tomatoes sauce, shaved raspadura cheese.

Gluten free pasta with lentils and tomatoes.

I ordered one of the “dalla forma”, which are basically pasta dishes “finished” in the giant hollowed out drum of cheese. Here the pasta is dumped in the cheese and stirred around a bit.

GRANA PADANO. garganelli pasta, speck, radicchio, peas.

This was a great pasta. Nicely al dente. It had the cheesy / meaty / creamy thing. Nice peas. My only problem was an occasional hard bit of radicchio.

PECORINO ROMANO. spaghetti cacio e pepe.

I adore this classic pasta. In fact I make it at home in an artisanal way. I didn’t try this version done in the cheese, but given that one normally mixes in a bunch of cheese in the pan, this has to be similar. My only issue might be that at $22 it’s kinda pricey for spaghetti, cheese, and black pepper!

Risotto with butternut squash. Drizzle of pomegranate glaze, sage, tossed in parmesan Reggiano. Very cheesy with a nice bit of sweetness. This is also “tossed” in the cheese.

Rigatoni white amatriciana gricia. Cured pork cheek, pepper, tossed in pecorino. Nice al dente bite to the pasta and a good crunch to the pork. Made it vaguely like a carbonara, just not quite as rich.

TROFIE AL PESTO. fresh pasta, basil pesto, vegetables, pine nuts, parmigiano cheese. Pretty authentic.

FETTUCCINE “BOLOGNESE”. beef ragu’ – tossed with butter in parmigiano reggiano cheese. Not a bad Bolognese, but the whole cheese bowl thing is totally a gimmick.

The dessert menu. But we were trying to be good. They looked yummy.

Overall, Forma has a good kitchen. Every dish was bright and tasty, and I like the small plates “updated” Italian. Not that it serves as a substitute for a more rigorously Italian place, but it’s a great option. The cheese bowl thing is more or less a gimmick, but I’m a cheese lover so I have no problem with more cheese and the one I tried was a very nice pasta, if a little pricey for simple pasta.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Forma, Italian cuisine, Santa Monica

Aestus – And the Modern Plate

Aug31

Restaurant: Aestus

Location: 507 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401. (424) 268-4433

Date: July 3, 2015

Cuisine: New American

Rating: Good Kitchen

Finally, after a long dry spell, Santa Monica is getting some new restaurants.

Aestus is a new modern American helmed by Kevin O’Connor and Alexandre Ageneau from Spago and the Royce respectively.

Interesting smart casual interior.

The current menu, which looks like it changes often enough.

Unusually, I went for a cocktail, in this case a Mezcal based lemony drink. I’m not sure the Mezcal blended perfectly with the rest — but it was strong.

Golden quinoa bowl. beets, persimmons, almonds. The “healthy dish.”

Stracciatella di burrata. shishito, thyme. No, this isn’t Burrata and chocolate strips. Evidently its the inside of the burrata, here served with toast and shishitos. Pleasant enough.

Beef tartare. smoked beets, horseradish. I love beef tartare and usually try to have it.

This was a good one, particularly with the gooey egg and the bit of kick from the horseradish (standing in for black pepper).
Ricotta agnolotti. peas, chanterelles, parmesan. This example is sans mushrooms. Pleasant and buttery. The peas had a nice crunch to them.

Red king salmon. tomatoes, fennel, basil.

Grilled lamb chops. Carrots, apricots, goat cheese. This tasted like a deconstructed Morracan lamb tangine. The lamb itself had a lot of flavor and wasn’t too fatty. The “cheese” had the texture of spray can whipped cream. Odd, but it tasted good. The vegetables had a mixed veggie/sweetness too them and Moroccan spices.

Fried fingerling potatoes. Yogurt sauce. Lots of salt. These came out about the temperature of Satan’s armpits, but they proved to be very tasty potatoes indeed, in no small part due to the salt.

Overall, while I didn’t get to try too many dishes (by my standards), what I did try was very on point. I think this is a sharp kitchen. There is a certain lightness and flavor forward manner that I really liked. It has all the hallmarks of a modern LA restaurant: the wood tables, paper menus, bar, loud surfaces, sharing friendly, and modern plating. The up to date use of textures (moused, crunchy, etc) and the artful plating is very contemporary.

I do have to say the menu isn’t too kid friendly. Our six year old had a few bites of the agnolotti, complained that he doesn’t like cheese INSIDE his pasta (only on). Then ate a lot of potatoes. There was no ketchup 🙂

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