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Archive for Seafood

Eating Porto Cervo – Clipper

Jan24

Restaurant: Clipper Ristorante

Location: Via della Marina, 10, 07021 Porto Cervo SS, Italy. +39 0789 91644

Date: July 1, 2022

Cuisine: Seafood Italian

Rating: Solid (this is Italy) but nothing amazing

_

Online various people seemed to insist that Clipper was the best restaurant in Porto Cervo and “quite a scene.” Not sure I trust “those people” too much anymore.
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The outside was cute enough.
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They specialize in fresh seafood like many restaurants all over the coast of the Mediterranean basin.
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Inside is cute but casual. They had a fairly bustling bar.
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The menu.
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Something fishy about these plates.
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2020 Capichera Isola dei Nuraghi IGT. We ordered it again. After I tried some other Vermentinos I went back to ordering Capichera!
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Crispy Sardinian bread.
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They had gluten free bread (and crackers) but it was all packaged. A far cry from Confusion, but still they had it.
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DOP Buffalo Mozzarella, tomatoes, basil and EVOO.
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Plate of Sardinian cheeses.
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Antipasto of fresh seafood, including various shrimp-like creatures, clams, oysters, etc.
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Sauces for the crudo.
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Simple Spaghetti pomodoro.
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Linguine all’astice with half a live local lobster. Very fresh tomato sauce. I was to have this basic dish a bunch of times in Sardinia and it was delicious every time. Really nice straightforward Italian pasta.
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Spaghetti with tomatoes, fior di latte.
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The other half of the lobster grilled with potatoes and beans.
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Random packed cookies and candies.
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A free degistivo.
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Confusion was a much better “deal” at 2x the price of Clipper. But Clipper was enjoyable enough. Just basic good local Sardinian food done for the higher end tourist audience. Not fancy exactly, but perhaps a bit International. Like most decent kitchens in Italy it was totally enjoyable, if not exactly exciting. Not totally sure why this place was considered by so many online as “the best” though.

For more Italian dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Eating Porto Cervo – ConFusion
  2. Eating Senigallia – Taverna Porto
  3. Eating Santa Margherita – Antonios
  4. Eating Cinque Terre – Gianni Franzi
  5. Eating Senigallia – Niko Cucina
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Eating Porto Cervo, Eating Sardinia, eating-italy, Italian cuisine, Italy, pasta, Porto Cervo, Sardinia, Seafood, Wine

Eating Orange – Tram Chim

Jan02

Restaurant: Tram Chim Fresh Seafood

Location: 9455 Bolsa Ave, Westminster, CA 92683. (714) 717-6885

Date: June 22, 2022

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Rating: Swimming in tanks!

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No parental visit would be complete without a trip down to the OC for some awesome Vietnamese.
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Tram Chim has a typical looking frontage.

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Big “pseudo fancy” room.
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Creatures in the tanks.

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They sell all sorts of stuff too.
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Phonebook sized menu. Check!
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Sauces. It should be noted that the room “reeked” of shrimp paste. Very funky smell.
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Vietnamese snails with garlic and butter. Pretty tasty, if chewy.
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Large grilled scallops with flying fish eggs. Solid.
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Live Santa Barbara Spot Prawns with Tamarind Sauce. Goopy and sweet, but a decent balance of acidity, so a pretty tasty sauce. Possibly the prawns were a tiny bit over cooked.
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Free exotic fruit.
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Tram Chim was way too hardcore for some of our party. The fermented shrimp paste factor alone — not to mention the whole in-shell creatures — was too much. The food was tasty though as I’m a fermented fan. So I’d rate it as “authentic good.”

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Orange Afternoon — Garlic & Chives
  2. Orange Afternoon — Tai Buu
  3. Eating Saigon – Hoa Tuc
  4. Eating Hanoi – Club Opera
  5. Orange is the New Black
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: OC, Orange County, Seafood, Tram Chim Fresh Seafood, Vietnamese cuisine

Amazing Angler

Oct16

Restaurant: Angler

Location: 8500 Beverly Blvd Suite 117, Los Angeles, CA 90048. (424) 332-4082

Date: March 1, 2022

Cuisine: American Asador

Rating: Very pricey, very good

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Angler is a sea-life focused restaurant from Chef Joshua Skenes and Saison Hospitality located in the heart of Los Angeles. However, in 2019 Skenes seems to have “stepped back” from daily operation of his restaurants. Not sure what that means.

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The location is — really oddly — in the bottom of the Beverly Center. I loathe malls and nearly everything about them, and they rarely have any kind of decent restaurant.

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Angler is basically wood fired “stuff” aka an Asador (Spanish word for a wood fire grill).
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The interior is like an updated version of that SF Seafood “ship’s cabin” feel.

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They have live creatures. Some are staggeringly expensive like the crab who was over $2000!
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From my cellar: 1992 Coche-Dury Meursault Les Rougeots. JG 93. The ’92 Coche Rougeots is totally into its apogee of maturity, and towers above ninety percent of the wines of this vintage. It has retained a degree of freshness and snap that is fairly uncommon these days with many of the 1992s, which have aged at rather surprisingly brisk paces. The bouquet is classic Coche: ripe apples, passion fruit, a touch of grapefruit, almonds, iodine and a fine framing of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, deep and refined, with sound underlying acids, excellent focus, and great length and complexity on the finish. At age ten it is drinking beautifully, with no signs that it will have any difficulty cruising another decade or more. (Drink between 2002-2010)

agavin: our bottle was like a 98, just amazing.
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1999 Coche-Dury Puligny-Montrachet Les Enseignères. VM 96. This 1999 Puligny-Montrachet Les Ensegnières perhaps sums up why Coche-Dury is so revered. How did Jean-François extract such a stupendous wine from a Village Cru? It exhibits breathtaking precision on a nose that is actually reminiscent of one of Lalou Bize-Leroy’s wines from d’Auvenay. Both the nose and the palate effortlessly convey so much energy and tension. There is the depth and length of a Grand Cru with a tangy, spicy finish that urges you back for another sip. Magus Jean-François in full effect! (Drink between 2021-2032)

agavin: our bottle drank great, but it wasn’t in the same league as the Rougeots.
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2011 Coche-Dury Bourgogne-Aligoté. 90 points. Well developed, floral and perfumed aromas in the direction of Sauvignon Blanc. Some toast comes in addition. Light, tight and quite tart for an Aligoté. High class, though.

agavin: this came from the restaurant. They only had one bottle left though.
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2007 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos. VM 96+. Bright yellow. Subtly complex nose melds Asian pear, violet, lavender, ginger, iodine and powdered stone. Tactile and dense on entry, then creamy in the middle, conveying an impression of great volume without weight. This extremely backward, youthfully understated Clos firms up dramatically on the back end, finishing with palate-saturating citrus and talc flavors that refuse to fade. One of the longest Chablis bottlings I tasted for this issue, this truly transcends chardonnay.
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2011 Domaine Roulot Meursault Les Narvaux. 93 points. Punchy and broad. With most vivid palate among all village-level wine tonight. Hint of Santalum toward the end.

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The menu.
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Ice Cold Bivalves (aka oysters and clams). Very clean and delicious.
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Tai Bream Ceviche. Unusual look with the crispy plantain on top, but extremely acidic and delicious.
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Lobster Toast, Coconut, Gluten-Free While Grain Toast.
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Bluefin Tuna with Tomato Jelly and Shiso. Looks weird but tasted great.
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Parker House Rolls and Cultured Seaweed Butter. Lovely looking rolls. Very soft and tender.
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Dungeness Crab with Garlic Aioli. This crab came from the tanks of course.
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Here is the garlic aioli and drawn butter.
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Whole Main Lobster. “Only” $100/lb! Simply done but gorgeous.
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Spot Prawns with Harissa Butter. Small but delicious.
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In case you need a weapon to slay your meat.

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Here is the charcoal factory.

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And the bed of charcoals they cook over.

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2006 Tenuta dell’Ornellaia Masseto Toscana IGT. VM 99. I remember the first time I tasted the 2006 Masseto. It’s that kind of wine. The 2006 is every bit as magnificent today. Dense, richly-textured and potent to its core, the 2006 is a wine for readers who can be patient. I love the brooding intensity and sense of gravitas the 2006 conveys. Tonight, it is stellar, but still so young. (Drink between 2020-2036)

agavin: brooding monster

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Baby Artichoke with Miso and Spiced Butter. Delicious.

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Angler Potato with Sauce from Sonoma Cheeses. Like everything else it was cooked on the grill. It was sliced into sheets and nice and crispy with the rich sauce to offset.

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28 Day Dry Aged Prime NY Strip. NOT overcooked.
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Whole Pastured Chicken Roasted in the Wood Oven. This was actually one of the best roast chicken I’ve ever had. The skin was crispy in a sort of Chinese style. The meat was incredibly juicy.
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“Buffalo” type sauce for the chicken.

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The dessert menu.
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Chocolate Bar. Ganache mostly.
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Soft Serve Sundae.
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Caramel sauce was added. It was pretty delicious.

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Overall, a stunning meal. I’d heard Angler was expensive, and it was, but the food was very very good. Simple ingredients but the charcoal cooking is precise and lends a ton of subtle flavor.

Our wines were stunning. hehe. And it was just a very fun night.

For more LA dining reviews click here.
Or for epic Foodie Club meals, here.

Related posts:

  1. Amazing Akbar
  2. Major Coche to the Dome-O
  3. Power Providence
  4. The Amazing Spider-Man
  5. Great Whites at Napa Rose
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Angler, Beverly Hills, Chicken, coche, Foodie Club, Seafood, White Burgundy

Quicker Crustacean

Sep20

Restaurant: Crustacean Beverly Hills [1, 2, 3, 4]

Location: 468 N Bedford Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. (310) 205-8990

Date: January 11, 2022

Cuisine: Vietnamese Fusion

Rating: Awesome as always

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Crustacean is one of our regular haunts and features a great patio in these “outside is better” days. Tonight’s meal was a Hedonist wine dinner — but for some completely inexplicable reason I totally forgot to photo all of the wine. I have no idea why and I’ve never done that before. Wine was good though.
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We’ve had a couple awesome meals here in the last couple of years.

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For extra caution in these uncertain times we ate on one of their fabulous patios.

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Our menu tonight.

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Diver Scallop & Green Apple Sashimi. Earl Grey, Thom Yum Calamansi, Kaffir Lime, Ancient Grains. This looks like a bit of fruit or cucumber or something but was a mix of scallop and apple. It was actually incredibly delicious with a briny, sweet, spicy vibe and a contrast of soft and crunchy. Very bright too and unique.

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A5 Wagyu Tartare. Rau Rum Salsa Verde, L’Amuse Gouda, Quail Egg. Another great dish. In fact, one of the best tartare’s I’ve had, but very unusual.

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Roasted Bone Marrow. Escargot Brunois, Garlic Baguette, Rau Ram. I don’t normally like Bone Marrow (and it’s a total Yarom pick) but this was an amazing dish. It didn’t really come off as that bone marrow-like, but more like escargot with the snails and all that garlic butter.
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Asparagus Soup with Langoustine and Black Truffle. Another unexpectedly excellent dish.
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Smoked Pork Belly with Roasted Acorn Squash, Hazelnut and Vietnamese Caramel with Winter Truffle. Sounds too sweet and heavy but it was great.
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Rib Eye Salt Block Steak.
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With An’s Famous Garlic Noodles — can never have too many of these!
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And Kung Pao Eggplant. Thai Basil, Thai Red Chili Gastrique. Pretty much just great friend eggplant.
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Raspberry Sorbetto — French Raspberries, a touch of lime juice, and a splash of Amaro — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — I had to add a bit of Amaro for my “art” otherwise it would have been too simple — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #sorbetto #raspberry #amaro
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Hazelnut at the Ritz Gelato — Nocciola (hazelnut) custard base made with Pure PGI Piedmont hazelnut paste then mixed with house-made caramel and crushed Ritz Crackers (for that salty offset) — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #hazelnut #nocciola #caramel #caramello #ritz #crackers

Overall, this was an awesome evening. Boy did the Ans treat us right and we had an incredible menu, amazing service, and great wines. A was initially skeptical of tonight’s particularly menu, as it had less dishes than usual and none of the “favorites” (except the noodles) but they turned out to be home run unique dishes that really knocked it out of the park.

Wines were great — if only I had taken pictures of them.

Discussing the food analytically. Very good, and most dishes varied from good to great. The Vietnamese influence is far more subtle, less heavy handed, then at most newer fusion places like Little Sister / LXSO or the more contemporary small plates style Khong Ten. Definitely more roughly 2000 in formal fine dining style — which I don’t mind at all. In some ways it feels like a millennium event fine dining place with Vietnamese — and to a lesser extent Thai and Chinese — notes. It’s a pretty fancy place, and priced accordingly — but they do knock it out of the park.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

Related posts:

  1. Crustacean Cru
  2. Kings at Crustacean
  3. Dirty Dozen Crustacean
  4. Chengdu Impression
  5. Szechuan Impression Tustin
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Beverly Hills, BYOG, Crustacean, Gelato, hedonists, Seafood, Wine

Power Providence

Oct15

Restaurant: Providence [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]

Location: 5955 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038. (323) 460-4170

Date: June 15, 2021

Cuisine: Cal French

Rating: Best meal I’ve had at Providence

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I usually make it to Providence about once a year, and so we return with the Foodie Club for a small, epic main dining room. After a long time off (for the pandemic) the core gang of myself, Erick, and Fred met up, joined by Michael Z wanted to really up the game and we focused on the awesome white Burgundy wines from d’Auvenay and Coche-Dury.

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The space used to be Patina in the 90s.

While the colors are different, Providence still looks a lot like Patina to me — as the layout is basically the same.

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This is the view from the chef’s special tasting room — adjacent to the kitchen in it’s own little nook.

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Our special menu tonight.
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One of the few places in town that still has elegant table wares.

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2000 Domaine d’Auvenay (Lalou Bize-Leroy) Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières. BH 95. Very Puligny in style with discreet white flower, pear and apple aromas with flavors that are so powerful that the palate experiences them in waves as they roll from the mid-palate to a thundering, top grand cru finish. Yet this is by no means monolithic as there is detail and subtle gradations of wet rocks, minerals, earth and an indefinable crystalline essence. I literally had to pause for a minute due to palate fatigue as this both stains and saturates the palate yet it remains perfectly balanced. For a premier cru, this is a veritable tour de force! A brilliant wine. (Drink between 2008-2020)
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2000 Coche-Dury Meursault 1er Cru Caillerets. BH 93. This has now peaked and is drinking beautifully with a fully mature nose of honeysuckle, peach, apricot and very subtle spice notes that can also be found on the enveloping flavors that possess a wonderfully seductive mouth feel and ample dry extract that both completely buffers the still firm acid spine and coats the palate on the long, lingering and strikingly perfumed if ever-so-slightly warm finish. One character that Coche seems to consistently be able to achieve is how his wines are at once generous yet retain a fine sense of focus and precision and this wine certainly displays this. Lovely stuff that is perfect now. Tasted thrice with consistent notes. (Drink starting 2016)
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1999 Domaine d’Auvenay (Lalou Bize-Leroy) Meursault Les Narvaux. VM 92. At nearly twenty years of age the 1999 Meursault Les Narvaux is just starting to enter its early plateau of maturity now! Exuberant and powerful, the 1999 possesses off the charts intensity and a level of pure class that is far beyond the realm of most village crus. Time in bottle has started to bring out slightly tropical overtones that add complexity to the yellow orchard fruit character. Readers lucky enough to own it can look forward to another 20 years of exceptional drinking. (Drink between 2018-2038)
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2005 Domaine d’Auvenay (Lalou Bize-Leroy) Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières. VM 96. The 2005 Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatières 1er Cru has a multidimensional bouquet that delivers intense honeycomb and brioche intertwined through the mineral-rich citrus fruit. The palate displays a perfect line of acidity, a brilliantly poised and tensile Folatières from Lalou Bize-Leroy that unlike the 1999 just builds and builds towards a focused and electrifying finish that shimmers with energy. Frankly, I cannot think of many Puligny Premier Crus that have surpassed this astonishing wine. 897 bottles produced. Tasted at Carré des Feuillants restaurant in Paris. (Drink between 2018-2038)
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From my cellar: 2009 Domaine d’Auvenay (Lalou Bize-Leroy) Meursault Les Narvaux. 95 points. Rich quince, citrus, popcorn, crème brûlée, and minerals galore backed by abundant acidity. Fantastic wine, and will last a long time.
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An amuse of crisp with seafood.
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And amuse of toro tartare.
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A third amuse of shellfish “tart”.
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The final amuse of scallop with contrasting fruit.

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With a bit of sauce. Super zingy and delicious.
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Bald Point Oyster. Gently warmed, with golden kaluga caviar.
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Tai Sashimi. Seville sour orange, rosemary, ogo.
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Uni Egg. Sea urchin, champagne beurre blanc, brioche croutons.1A4A7851
Maine Lobster. Favas, daikon, ramps.
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Special bread.
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And French butter with salt.

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Farfalle. Box and dungeness crab, uni, geoduck, basil. Amazing flavors with a strong Thai basil character.
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Black Cod. Black truffle, dutch white and green asparagus.
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Australian Black Winter Truffle. Porcini Cannelloni.
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Australian Black Winter Truffle.
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All put together it was spectacular.
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A5 Wagyu. Potato, morel, watercress, bordelaise.
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Fried Wagyu lump, amazing.
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Rhubarb, citrus, almond.1A4A7931
With sauce and very refreshing.
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House-made Hawaiian Chocolate. Chocolate gelato, whiskey.

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Sauce for the chocolate.
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Tea.

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Petite Fours. I love some good fancy candies.

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This was by far the best main dining room and probably the best Providence meal I’ve ever had. They had just recently reopened post-lockdown and had clearly spent the time well retooling the menu. Service was exceptional as well which was very nice, particularly in contrast with so many “middle end” places that are short staffed right now.

There was a little take home goodie too, but I forgot to photo it.

For more LA dining reviews click here,

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Related posts:

  1. Big Guns at Providence
  2. The Power of Providence
  3. Providence Chef’s Table
  4. Persistent Providence
  5. Burgundy at Providence
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Burgundy, coche, Coche Dury, d'Auvenay, Foodie Club, Providence, Seafood, White Burgundy, Wine

Tong Tak – Epic Cantonese

Mar27

Restaurant: Tong Tak House Seafood Restaurant

Location: 1265 S Baldwin Ave, Arcadia, CA 91007. (626) 638-3388

Date: February 9, 2020

Cuisine: Cantonese Chinese

Rating: Really great execution

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Our friend Tony Lau organizes the best Cantonese banquets.
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He always manages to find new places that surprise. Tong Tak isn’t exactly new, but it’s new to most of us.
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Classic “palace” interior. It was pretty empty too. Sure it was Academy Awards night, but hard to say.
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After an initial foray into a private room that was way too small they set us up downstairs at this huge table with the awesome blue thrones.
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The whole gang.
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Salted peanuts.
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Spicy cold marinated cucumbers. Pretty good version of this typical Chinese starter. Nice crunch, garlic, and a bit of spice.

I ate a lot of these because oddly, they didn’t serve any real dishes for 45 minutes despite the place being deserted! Then the dishes came on like a storm.
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Chinese Mountain Yams with Raspberry Sauce. Crunchy yam, not slimey (sometimes it is). The yam itself doesn’t have a lot of flavor. Raspberry sauce is a bit odd..
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Beancurd wrapped mushroom rolls. Interesting texture.
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Marinated wood ear mushrooms. I love the rubbery texture.
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Beans. Not sure what kind. Very mild and I don’t love the pastey bean thing.
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Hot sauce.
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XO sauce.
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Spicy clam with vegetables. Very interesting spongy/chewy texture on the clam and very nice crunchy vegetables.
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Fried oysters typhoon style. Really delicious. Probably the best fried oyster’s I’ve ever had with the crispy fry and lots of garlic.
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Cheesy lobster. Nice tender lobster with a cheesy sauce. Very interesting combo.
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Condiments for the duck and pig.
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Suckling pig with buns. Nice small pig, actually a suckling. Nice crunchy skin and good flavor.
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The pig head returns after a discombobulating encounter with the cleaver.
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Beef with asparagus. Tony always orders a straight up beef dish like this. It was fatty and pretty tender with nicely cut asparagus.
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Crispy roast pigeon. Very nice hot juicy pigeon. Not too dark, not overcooked at all.
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Peking Duck (Cantonese style) with buns. Very tasty as always, but is of course much better with pancakes and cut a bit differently.
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Duck part 2: Lettuce cup duck. The meat from the duck mixed with water chestnuts and celery.
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Lettuce cups to go with the duck.
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Packed lettuce cup ready to eat. These were good.
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100 Flower Chicken. 2 ways. Pressed chicken with shrimp paste. This version was mostly shrimp paste. Almost no chicken meat under the skin. Still it was delicious.
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Wok cooked vegetables and oyster mushrooms. I like the double texture thing.
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Yin Yang Fried Rice. Two types of sauce covering fried rice. The lighter one was asparagus stalks and shrimp in a light sauce. Very savory and delicious. The red one was with chicken and a tomato based sweet sauce. A bit too sweet for my taste.
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Dessert Buns. The yellow topped ones were filled with pineapple and egg custard.
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Crackerjack Gelato – Smooth Peanut Base with homemade Dulce de Leche Ribbon, Toffee Peanuts, and Caramel Popcorn! — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — oh my! — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #peanut #caramel #DulceDeLeche #Popcorn #CaramelCorn

Raspberry Sorbetto — French Raspberries and a touch of lime juice — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — Unusual for me to go so “straight” with my flavors but I wanted a complement to a complex flavor — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #sorbetto #raspberry
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Overall, another great night. Really, these Tony Lau dinners are always great. Despite the slow start to the food, service was very good and the execution of the dishes was excellent. Very nice plating and on point flavors. The kitchen’s command of vegetables was particularly impressive. They know how to cut them into the proper shapes and to wok them quickly so they are still crunchy and tender.

It just goes to show that just because a Cantonese place has that “dated” palace look, doesn’t mean the kitchen isn’t first rate. Somehow they have 3 stars on Yelp. I wonder if we just got the royal treatment of if it’s just Yelp haters.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

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Related posts:

  1. Cantonese Pig Out!
  2. 888 Seafood – Banquet
  3. SGV Nights – Seafood Palace
  4. Tang Gong at Night
  5. Shanghailander Arcadia
By: agavin
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Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Arcadia, BYOG, Cantonese cuisine, Chinese cuisine, Gelato, hedonists, Peking Duck, Seafood, SGV, suckling pig, Tong Tak, Tony Lau, Wine

White Glove Dining – Get Bbul

Dec04

Restaurant: Get Bbul BBQ

Location: 3189 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90006. (213) 380-7070

Date: October 21, 2019

Cuisine: Korean Seafood BBQ

Rating: First time and I liked it

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On reading this, you must recognize that this is “Second Dinner.” After a special Krug Champagne dinner event — with 5 or so courses of modern cuisine — four of us just didn’t feel full enough so headed out to Korea Town to “snack.”
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Never been to this kind of Korean Seafood BBQ so I was excited to try.

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The interior — hoods as usual.
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The menu. We ordered most of it of course.

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This plate has seen some heat. Anyway, we ordered the works.
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Various condiments for wrapped up one’s BBQ. Radishes, sauce, egg (both yolk and white), carrots, peppers, cabbage etc.
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More fixings.
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Leaves and oniony stuff.
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Salad.
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Soy and garlic.
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Hot sauce. It is a Korean restaurant after all.
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Coming off our Champagne tasting we decided to go with Solju / Beer shots. Sort of like a sake bomb. You fill a glass about 3/4 with beer.
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Then drop a shot-glass of solju (Korean vodka) in to make sure it’s extra strong. Tastes great too!
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Crispy fritters with mayo. Great drinking food.
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Seafood pancake. This was a delicious one too.
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Corn “pudding” with dynamite or whatever on top and baked.
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Cold sliced pig foot salad. Yum (really was good).
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Korean fluffy egg.
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Our modest seafood plate arrives.
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The BBQ is real coals.
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Eel (left) and hagfish (right). Not sure I’ve had hagfish before. It looks like snack. Abalone was on the far right.
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They cut up the chunks as it BBQs. Hagfish had a delightful chewy texture white the eel was nice and rich.
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Dinner comes with special Korean Michael Jackson “white gloves” so that you don’t burn your hand while working the hot grill. They really helped actually.
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Clams. When they open you eat them.
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Spicy Soft Tofu Soup with Seafood. Delicious and a bit spicy.
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Spicy noodle and tofu soup. Because when it’s time for second dinner, you need a second stew too!
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Cheesy clams and scallops on the BBQ. The cheese melts into a yummy mess.
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Some kind of conch or clam back there.
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Giant oyster!
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Grilled shrimp.
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The four of us actually managed to eat most of this feast — pretty impressive after having this dinner right before!

I’d like to come back to Get Bbul a bit hungrier and get even more, but what I had was very good and quite interesting. I’ve never had this kind of grilled seafood with these exact trappings and it was quite interesting.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Tasty Dining – Wuhan Dry Hot Pot
  2. Big Bottle Madness at Kali Dining
  3. Quick Eats: Tofu Ya
  4. 8 (Million) Ways to BBQ in LA
  5. Eating Boston – Shaking Crab
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: beer, Foodie Club, Get Bbul BBQ, Korea-town, Korean BBQ, Korean cuisine, Ktown, Seafood, Second Dinner, solju

Providence Chef’s Table

Sep27

Restaurant: Providence [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

Location: 5955 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038. (323) 460-4170

Date: August 12, 2019

Cuisine: Cal French

Rating: Awesome food, awesome night

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I usually make it to Providence about once a year, and so we return with the Foodie Club for a small, epic Chef’s Table night.



While the colors are different, Providence still looks a lot like Patina to me — as the layout is basically the same.

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This is the view from the chef’s special tasting room — adjacent to the kitchen in it’s own little nook.7U1A5887
Our special menu tonight.
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One of the few places in town that still has elegant table wares.
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Ron brought: NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée Edition 167eme. JG 96. The new release of Krug Grande Cuvée “167eme Édition” is stellar. The wine is from the base year of 2011 and utterly transcends that vintage, but, of course, it includes nearly two hundred different wines in the blend, with the oldest reserves dating all the way back to the 1995 vintage. Fully forty-two percent of the cuvée this year is made up of reserve wines. The cépages for the 167eme Édition is forty-seven percent pinot noir, thirty-six percent chardonnay and seventeen percent pinot meunier. The wine shows its lovely preponderance of pinot noir on the nose, wafting from the glass in a beautifully complex blend of apple, white peach, a touch of patissière, very complex soil tones, caraway seed and a gently floral contribution in the upper register from the pinot meunier in the blend. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, complex and nicely broad-shouldered, with great depth at the core, refined mousse, bright, seamless acids and outstanding focus and grip on the very long, complex and beautifully balanced finish. This is simply outstanding and should age effortlessly for fifty to seventy-five years!
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Yellow tomato soup shot. Bright like a gazpacho (but not so vinegary).
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Rolled salmon with salmon roe on crisps — delicious!
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Mussels with curry sauce. A sort of deconstructed Moules Frites dish.
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Crispy seafood taco in shiso (relative). Scrumptious.
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Crab tartlet.
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Cucumber wrapped oyster.
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Wagyu “cigar.” Like a super taquito — crispy and amazing.
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From my cellar: 1993 Robert Ampeau & Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. 93 points. From a late Domaine release. Golden color. A lot of Wows on the table from the first smells. This bouquet had it all. Orange peel, flint, lemon curd, grass, flowers, very deep and complex. The palate was crisp as well with excellent freshness and length.
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Kanpachi. Nasturtium, espelette, lime. Very bright flavors, soft textures, with a creaminess. Absolutely delicious.

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Bread and (fancy) butter and salt.
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The bread even comes with its own “about the bread” sheet!

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Coleman farms celtuce, geoduck clam, box crab, osetra caviar — amazing! One of the best dishes of the night.
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Erick brought: 2006 Domaine Leflaive Meursault 1er Cru Sous le Dos d’Âne. JG 91. The 2006 Meursault here is a bit cooler than the previous two wines, and shows no signs of alcohol poking through on the finish. The nose is very lovely, as it offers up notes of pear, apple, almond paste, flowers and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, fine and focused, with a lovely base of soil, crisp acids and an almost crystalline profile, with good length and grip on the finish. This is a very good bottle that is rather atypical in the context of this vintage chez Leflaive in its more classic profile, though the wine is still quite forward stylistically. This will make a great restaurant wine list option.

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Prawns live in this tank.
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Peel ‘n’ eat spot prawn, shiso, basil, nuoc cham. You just eat this with your hands, wrapped in the herbs. Gave it a slightly Vietnamese vibe. Great prawn, perfectly fresh and cooked.
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Aori ika, haricots, hazelnut, ogo. Vaguely Japanese and very pleasant “salad.”
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Ron brought: 2013 Paul Pernot et ses Fils Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet. VM 93. Pale yellow. Lovely purity to the aromas of nectarine and flowers. Sweet and fine-grained, showing a compellingly silky texture to its stone fruit and nutty oak flavors. Finishes sedate and long, with lovely balance. Really seamless for the vintage.
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Black cod, artichoke, mint. Nice buttery white fish. Very “new French.”
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Salmon belly, porcini, zucchini.
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With the sauce. This cut of salmon is particularly rich and tender, very nice seared like this.
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From my cellar: 2001 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Bonnes Mares. VM 94. The 2001 De Vogüé Bonnes Mares exhibited uncommon depth and richness in the luxuriousness of its vibrant fruit, with a personality that was delicate yet powerful. Still very much an infant, it was a privilege to catch this gorgeous wine in its youth.
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Ron brought: 2003 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Bonnes Mares. VM 91. Medium red-ruby. Blackberry, violet, mocha and bitter chocolate on the slightly roasted nose. Huge, sweet and expressive, with extravagantly rich flavors of currant, blueberry, chocolate and spices. Quite velvety and sensual for this wine, thanks to its unusually fat, broad texture. Finishes with suave but serious tannins.

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Duck — we added this as a supplement.
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Larry brought: 1999 Tenuta dell’Ornellaia Masseto Toscana IGT. VM 95. The 1999 Masseto is a cool, inward wine graced with exquisite finesse, but it still needs a few years in bottle to show its potential. That said, it is pretty spectacular even today. This is a vintage that will appeal to readers who enjoy firm, structured wines. (Drink between 2013-2024)
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A5 Wagyu, magic myrrna potato, nori. Meat hidden under leaves.
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And another supplement, because we had so much big red wine left, we got a second (different) A5!
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Cheese cart. Love me the cart and you so rarely see it now.
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My prep of gooey strong cheeses.
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Bread for the cheese.
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And a second cheese course!
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Mango, makrut, finger lime. Really interesting texture, partially frozen (beneath). Delicious.
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Peach, jam mousse, lemon verbena. This was my favorite of the desserts, extremely fruity and refreshing.
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Ban this dessert. Harry’s berries strawberries, pistachio.
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With the strawberry sauce. The pistachio was formed into a kind of mousse and felt like, and even almost tasted like, foie gras. Superb.
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Crunchy pastry.
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Bon bons. Chocolates, meringues, and jellies.
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Parting gift of a bit of Zucchini cake or something for the next morning.
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This was a great night and tons of fun. The chef’s table is by far the best way to do Providence, and the total tab wasn’t even that bad as it was no corkage monday — even with our Chef’s Tasting Menu and a bunch of supplements. With Melisse gone, this is now the only remaining 90s/00s style elegant white table Cal French spot left in LA. Good thing it’s great!

Service was (as usual) superb too tonight — as were our bevy of wines. 7 for 4 people. Didn’t feel the fastest in the morning!

For more LA dining reviews click here,

Related posts:

  1. The Power of Providence
  2. Big Guns at Providence
  3. Krug Providence
  4. Burgundy at Providence
  5. Persistent Providence
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Burgundy, California French, Chef's Table, Foodie Club, Providence, Seafood, Wine

Eating Tel Aviv – Manta Ray

Aug28

Restaurant: Manta Ray

Location: Promenade | 7 Koifman St, Tel Aviv 63305, Israel. +972 3-424-7717

Date: July 6, 2019

Cuisine: Israeli

Rating: seafood!

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Our final night in Israel — just hours before heading to the airport for a very long series of flights home.
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Some friends had recommended this.
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And it’s right on the beach.
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With a straight on view (and the typical glass barrier beach restaurants often have).
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The menu.
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Plain pasta.
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Pasta sauce.
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Here they bring this slate of mezze and you can choose whichever ones you like. Pretty good stuff.
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And served with fresh bread.
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Filleted Blue Bream served on red rice, pineapple & chili butter.
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Chunks of Filet of Grouper on mashed blue potato and shallot flakes.
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Mixed seafood in a black cast-iron pot. This had a slightly sweet sauce.
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Sharing Seafood: mussels, shrimp, and crabs, sweet potato and grilled pineapple in a coconut milk sauce with lemon grass, ginger and curry paste. This broth was better (although the seafood quality was good for both). Really nice vaguely Thai flavors. Lots and lots of crab! Probably 4-5 whole ones.

Overall, a fairly simple menu, but I liked the Mezze and the seafood was delicious.

Click here to see more Eating Israel posts.

Related posts:

  1. Eating Tel Aviv – Shila
  2. Eating Tel Aviv – Onza
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  4. Eating Tel Aviv – Claro
  5. Eating Jerusalem – Dolphin Yam
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Beach, Easting Tel Aviv, Eating Israel, Manta Ray, Seafood

Eating Hawaii – KPC

Apr24

Restaurant: Kamuela Provision Company

Location: 69-425 Waikoloa Beach Dr, Waikoloa Village, HI 96738. (808) 886-1234

Date: April 3, 2019

Cuisine: Hawaiian American

Rating: Solid, great view

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Our third night in Hawaii we headed over to the Hilton to check out KPC (Kamuela Provision Company).
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This place is huge!
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So huge, they even have a train on the grounds!
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Following it along.
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We get to the crazy pool complex and the floating oceanside restaurant of…
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KPC (aka Kamuela Provision Company).

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The menu.
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This is one big and ugly fish!

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Terrible view, too! And our son had wanted to sit inside!
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Bread.
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Mai Tai.
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Frozen strawberry drink — no sugar here.
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Caesar salad with avocado. hirabara farms baby romaine, garlic patis aioli, taro sticks, hamakua medley tomato, avocado, grana padana.
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Seafood tower for 2 — all for me! Pretty typical (except for poke) and pretty good. I always like good raw bar. Keahole Lobster, Tiger Prawns, Ahi Poke, Pacific Oysters, King Crab.

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Plain cheesy pasta for the boy.
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Miso Marinated Seabass. waimea sweet corn, ali’i oyster mushrooms, yuzu carrot puree, broccolini.
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Ginger Monchong. cilantro, carrot, green onion, kabayaki, peanut oil, sushi rice cake.
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A giant serving of cookies and cream ice cream.

This place was solid for a Hawaiian resort hotel restaurant. I’m never that impressed by food in Hawaii. Service was good. Location was great. Prices were hotel prices. Execution was good but not great. So good for what it was, but not exactly break through cuisine or really on point.

For more Hawaii dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Eating Hawaii – Brown’s Beach House
  2. Eating NY – Eat
  3. Eating Majorca – Flanigan
  4. Eating Milano Marittima – Palace Hotel Breakfast
  5. Eating Positano – il Tridente
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Big Island, Hawaii, Hilton, Kona, KPC, Seafood, Tropical Drinks

Isole e Olena il Pastaio

Feb19

Restaurant: Il Pastaio [1, 2]

Location: 400 N.Canon Drive. Bevery Hills, CA 90210. Phone: 310.205.5444

Date: January 24, 2019

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: Superb

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Liz Lee of Sage Society always puts on fabulous winemaker dinners. She focuses on making every element perfect from the location, food, wines and has some of the best winemakers in the world.
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For Isole e Olena — one of Tuscany’s greatest producers — she selected il Pastaio, one of the many Drago restaurants. Normally, Giacomino Drago (one of the several chef brothers) helms il Pastaio — a Beverly Hills mainstay — but tonight Celestino was supervising this special dinner. Celestino and I have been friends for nearly twenty years since we met when he catered the dinner the night before our wedding!
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Il Pastaio has a nice private room — or maybe it was a section of the restaurant that can be closed off for special events.
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But it was decorated with illuminated trees and ceramics from Caltagirone Sicily (the Drago’s are Sicilian).

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There is a cute wine room too.

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NV Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru. 92 points.
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Crispy Shrimps, Fennel Marmalade. Like a little spring spring roll, but the combination with the fennel jelly was fabulous. Sweet and interesting.
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Foie Gras Crostino, Caramelized Onions, Aged Balsamic. Great combination of rich foie, sweet onions, and savory crostino.
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Scrambled Eggs and Truffles. Simple but perfect.
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Close up of the table.
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And my spot.
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Liz Lee introduces our winemaking guests.

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In the center is Paolo De Marchi, legendary owner and winemaker of Isole e Olena. His family originally hails from Northern Italy but in the 1950s they bought the Isole e Olena and through lots of hard work and innovation brought it to the peak of Tuscan wineries.

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The lady in red is the highly selective importer.

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Our special menu.
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Drago bakery bread.
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2016 Isole e Olena Chardonnay Collezione Privata Toscana IGT. 90 points. Very well made Chardonnay in a modern style, ripe fruit, rich but fresh, lovely complexity, lots of savoury oak, especially on the slightly resinous finish, very good length.
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2012 Isole e Olena Chardonnay Collezione Privata Toscana IGT. VM 93. Another super-impressive wine, the 2012 Chardonnay Collezione Privata races across the palate with gorgeous nuance and pure texture. Apricot, white flowers, spices, butter and French oak all meld together in a Chardonnay that stands out for its texture and balance. Today, the French oak is quite evident, but that should be less of an issue over time. I have seen Isole’s Chardonnay age well in the past, and expect to see the same here. The textured, impeccable finish makes it impossible to resist a second taste. I am typically not a fan of Italian Chardonnay. This is about as good as it gets.
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2011 Isole e Olena Chardonnay Collezione Privata Toscana IGT. VM 89. Almonds, butter, pastry and juicy yellow stone fruits emerge from Isole e Olena’s 2011 Chardonnay. Paolo De Marchi has done a remarkable job with this wine considering how difficult the vintage was for whites. The 2011 shows the ripeness and breadth of the year in its volume, yet all the elements are beautifully balanced. This is about as good as it gets in 2011.
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Sea Food, Sea Urchin Panna Cotta. This is the second sea urchin custard I’ve had recently! There was a lot of it too, and it had that interesting sweet/rich/briny quality. The seafood was impeccable as well. Lovely dish, and actually a great pairing with the more mature Chardonnays.
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2015 Isole e Olena Chianti Classico. VM 87-89. Tasted from tank just prior to bottling, the 2015 Chianti Classico is very pretty. Surprisingly medium in body, especially for the year, it is a model of total sophistication. It will be interesting to see if the 2015 gains a bit more flesh. Today, it is on the lighter side, even by the estate’s historical standards.

agavin: this is IEO’s basic Chianti. It’s a pretty blend, very much a great Italian table wine.
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Scallops Saltimbocca, Cream of Forbidden Black Rice. I’ve never had the forbidden cream before! Great scallop nicely offset with the pancetta.
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2016 Isole e Olena Cepparello Toscana IGT. no reviews at all.

agavin: Cepparello is IEO’s “Super Tuscan” being basically a pure Sangiovese.
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2015 Isole e Olena Cepparello Toscana IGT. 93 points. dark red, dark ripe cherries, masculine, lovely style of Sangiovese, rich & round7U1A4217
2014 Isole e Olena Cepparello Toscana IGT. VM 97. The 2014 Cepparello is one of the truly great wines of the vintage. Vivid and intense in all of its dimensions, it exudes purity from start to finish. Silky tannins, expressive aromatics and beautifully delineated, bright, layered Sangiovese fruit are some of the signatures. In 2014, Paolo De Marchi produced an epic Cepparello for the ages. Don’t miss it.
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2013 Isole e Olena Cepparello Toscana IGT. VM 96. The 2013 Cepparello is superb. Polished, silky nuanced and exceptionally beautiful, the 2013 exudes freshness and energy from start to finish. Succulent red cherry, plum, lavender and rose petal are some of the signatures. Aging in French oak shapes the wine nicely without marking it excessively. The purity of the flavors is striking. This is an especially cool, savory Cepparello built on finesse and persistence rather than power. Rain during harvest robbed the wine of some of its breadth. Otherwise, this is a striking Cepparello. I can’t wait to see how it ages.
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Wagyu Beef Carpaccio, Pickle Mushrooms, Truffle Pecorino, Truffles. Fabulous Carpaccio. In fact, probably one of the best I’ve ever had. Great beefiness, olive oil, and truffle notes.
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2013 Isole e Olena Chianti Classico Gran Selezione. 95-96+ points. Tasted after the outstanding 2015 Cepparello, this also is an absolutely stunning wine. A little more restrained on the nose maybe showing dark fruit, spices, tobacco, floral notes. Lots of fruit, powerful tannins, wonderful acidity in near perfect balance on the palate. Big, dense and concentrated, but not heavy. Like Cepparello, quite elegant in fact with lots of finesse. Super persistence to the finish. Keep. 95-96+.

agavin: Gran Selezione is even pricer (and rarer) than the Cepparello and is like the ultimate Chianti. Generally Paolo blends the Sangiovese with a bit of French wine like Syrah or Cabernet depending on the year. Selection is fierce and he uses only the best sections of the vineyards meticulously sorted.
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2010 Isole e Olena Chianti Classico Gran Selezione. VM 98-99. The 2010 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione is extraordinary. A wine of pedigree and class, the 2010 boasts magnificent intensity and depth yet never comes across as heavy. The flavors are layered, nuanced and beautifully delineated in the glass. Plum, black cherry, spice, menthol and sweet spices are laced into the exquisite finish. The 2010 is a stunner today, but also has plenty of upside for the future. A reduction of time in barrel vis-a-vis the 2006 has paid off handsomely. The 2010 is going to be expensive, but it is worth every penny. Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot round out the blend.
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Cavatelli Wild Boar Ragout. I couldn’t help think of how Paolo told us that he hates the cinghiale (the Tuscan white boar) because they mess with the vines — so he enjoys the revenge of eating them. This pasta was amazing, as Celestino’s hearty ragus always are. It was rich and porky. The cavatelli had that awesome thick chew.
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2006 Isole e Olena Chianti Classico Gran Selezione. VM 93. Isole e Olena’s 2006 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione, a wine that was originally produced for home consumption, turned out to be the drawing board for the Gran Selezione. Cherry jam, earthiness, spices, mocha, sweet herbs and French oak all meld together in the glass. The 2006 is marked by a slightly oxidative note in its aromatics it has always shown – the result of having spent three and a half years in oak. Otherwise, the 2006 is exceptional.

agavin: interesting that this was my favorite and the professional reviewers liked the younger wines.
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2006 Isole e Olena Cepparello Toscana IGT. VM 96. The 2006 Cepparello is a super classic wine. It brings together the best elements of the house style in its breathtaking aromatics, delineated fruit and striking overall balance. All of the elements are in the right place for the 2006 to develop into a spectacular wine. The 2006 stands apart for its nuance, depth and overall detail. Juicy red cherries, raspberries, rose petals and licorice build to the huge, dramatic finish. The 2006 is one of the all-time great Cepparellos. It bears more than a passing resemblance to the stunning 1988. The 2006 has blossomed beautifully in bottle over the last few years, and it is now clear I underestimated its potential.
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2005 Isole e Olena Cepparello Toscana IGT. VM 94. The 2005 Cepparello is glorious. A dark, mysterious wine, the 2005 has put on considerable weight in bottle, while the flavors have turned quite somber, with plenty of espresso, dried flowers, mocha, tar and licorice overtones woven throughout. The 2005 can be enjoyed today, but it also has more than enough stuffing to last for another 10-15 years. It is one of the real triumphs of the vintage. Specifically, the 2005 exudes a strong, assertive personality that simply can’t be denied. In 2005, proprietor Paolo De Marchi blended in a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon to add structure.

agavin: again I liked this less structured, less “big” wine.
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2004 Isole e Olena Cepparello Toscana IGT. VM 95.  The 2004 Cepparello has fleshed out beautifully since I last tasted it. Dark raspberries, flowers, licorice and spices blossom from the glass as the wine opens up over time. When it was young the 2004 was a much more linear wine, but since then it has put on a lot of weight. Today, the 2004 comes across as a modern day 1982 because of its balance of aromatics, fruit and structure.
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Rabbit Cannellone, Squash Puree. This was a novel (and very Italian) dish. The rabbit was like a pink meat filling — not unlike dumpling filling. It was rolled into the pasta and than the unusual sweet squash sauce.
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2014 Isole e Olena Cabernet Sauvignon Collezione Privata Toscana IGT. 92 points. Paolo has some pure Cab and Syrah cuvees too.
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2013 Isole e Olena Cabernet Sauvignon Collezione Privata Toscana IGT. VM 96.  The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Collezione Privata is superb. A delicate, nuanced wine in this vintage, the Cabernet Sauvignon speaks in hushed tones. Silky tannins and highly expressive aromatics add to an impression of total finesse. In many vintages, the Cabernet can be quite big, but not in 2013. This is a brilliant showing from Isole and proprietor Paolo De Marchi.
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2015 Isole e Olena Syrah Collezione Privata Toscana IGT. 92 points.
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2011 Isole e Olena Syrah Collezione Privata Toscana IGT. VM 94.  The 2011 Syrah Collezione Privata is a big, powerful wine. Dark cherry, smoke, plum, pipe tobacco, cedar, leather and menthol notes make a strong opening statement. Plush and deep on the palate, the 2011 is super-inviting. A dollop of Viognier rounds out the blend. This is one of the most intriguing Syrahs being made in Italy today.
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Pan Roasted Lamb Loin, Eggplant, Apple Fritters. Yum, lamb.
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2000 Isole e Olena Cepparello Toscana IGT. 91 points. Red berries and rose hip tea in the nose, all a bit high toned. Much personality, elegance, consistence right from the start but playing all cards only for so. with some patience: clearly best sip on day 3 from remaining small tasting glas. Good length, great robustness, sweet fruit expression. Great wine.
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1998 Isole e Olena Cabernet Sauvignon Collezione Privata Toscana IGT.
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1997 Isole e Olena Syrah Collezione Privata Toscana IGT. 90 points.
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Wagyu New York Steak, Potato Gnocchi, Parmesan Cheese Cream, Pea Tendrils, Balsamic Sabayon. Boy was I getting full — and this was some great beef!
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2008 Isole e Olena Vin Santo del Chianti Classico. Sticky!
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Italian Cheeses. Liz normally doesn’t like sweets at the end of red wine meals as to not conflict with the wines but I twisted her arm and brought some of this:

Another new flavor — Orange Cinnamon Gelato — I steeped the milk with blood orange rind, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg! — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — oh my! — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #IceCream #NomNom #dessert #orange #cinnamon #vanilla #nutmeg
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Have a few wines!
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My cryptic notes.
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And some glasses.

As always from Liz and Sage Society an impeccable dinner. Lovely setting, Drago food at its best (and a rare and excellent showing these days with Celistino helming the kitchen), individual labeled stems for every wine (and there were A LOT) and perfect wine service!

Plus Paolo talked and was available all night we really got an insight into the creativity and energy that has made him one of Tuscany’s best winemakers. He engaged in all sorts of experiments with various clones, sites, variants, and techniques in the vineyard, individually pressing and separating small batches of differing grapes. In this way he was able to isolate his best plots and some variations and techniques that really enabled him to push his winemaking forward.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

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Chef Celestino won the left and Paolo De Marchi in the middle.

Related posts:

  1. Eating Castellina – Albergaccio di Castellina
  2. Eating Gaiole – Lo Sfizio di Bianchi
  3. Eating Tuscany – Villa Dinner
  4. Quick Eats – Il Pastaio
  5. Sage at Rossoblu
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: BYOG, Celestino Drago, Chianti, Chianti Classico, Drago, Gelato, Il Pastaio, Italian Cusine, Liz Lee, Paolo De Marchi, pasta, Sage Society, Seafood, Tuscany, Uni, Wine

LQ Truffles 2018

Dec28

Restaurant: Laurent Quenioux [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]

Location: Near Pasadena

Date: November 15, 2018

Cuisine: Modern French

Rating: Truffles!

_

Six and a half years ago Foodie Club co-organizer Erick and I put together one of our more legendary dinners, the Bistro LQ Trufflumpagus. Ever since then we periodically trek out to visit our friend Chef Laurent for some kind of extravaganza — and tonight we repeat (with changes) for our now more or less anual Trufflefest 2018 edition — plus tons of other goodies.

Chef Laurent Quenioux grew up in Sologne, France, where he developed a passion for food. As a young boy, Quenioux and his father would hunt duck, partridge, and rabbit. Then, he and his mother would prepare her favorite recipes in the kitchen. Eventually, Quenioux left home to embark on an apprenticeship where he trained in some of Europe’s finest kitchens. Quenioux spent time at Maxim’s, Bistro De Paris and La Ciboulette in Paris, before moving on to Negresco in Nice and LaBonne Auberge in Antibe.

In the early 1980s, Quenioux made a move to the United States with a team from L‘Oasis at La Napoule to open The Regency Club in Los Angeles. In 1985, he introduced the celebrated and award-winning 7th Street Bistro in downtown Los Angeles. In the early 2000s, Quenioux debuted the cozy Bistro K in Pasadena and in 2009, Bistro LQ in Beverly Hills. At Bistro LQ, Quenioux set new standards for cuisine in Southern California with his Farmer’s Market-driven kitchen and an emphasis on value and fun.
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Tonight, as it’s “winter” (what passes for winter here in LA), we are back in Laurent’s lovely front room.
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Big gang of 15 or so.
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Tonight’s special menu, produced by Foodie Club co-chair Erick.
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From my cellar: 2007 Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne. VM 96. Taittinger’s 2007 Comtes de Champagne will be nearly impossible to resist upon release. Soaring aromatics, mid-weight structure and soft contours give the 2007 its alluring personality. Lemon oil, white flowers, mint, chamomile and green pear add brightness and freshness throughout, with a persistent, clean finish that makes it impossible to resist a second taste. Today, the 2007 comes across as a slightly more open version of the 2004, with freshness that makes that wine so appealing, and a touch of textural richness that recalls the 2002. Although the 2007 does not have the explosive energy or verticality of the profound 2006, it will drink better earlier. The 2007 has been positively brilliant on the three occasions I have tasted it so far.
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Bread with little butters, one “plain” salted and the other truffle.

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Paul likes to serve his wines blind.
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2010 Henri Boillot Corton-Charlemagne. VM 96+. Bright pale yellow. Extremely closed nose hints at gunflint and menthol. Dense and pure on entry, then as powerful as a solid in the middle, with explosive lift to the flavors of white pepper, mint and dusty stone. Expands with air to fill the mouth without giving any impression of weight. Finishes with a convincing saline tang and outstanding persistence. This has the structure of a top red Burgundy: I’d forget about it for at least eight years.
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Chigoku, caviar de sologne. Radish, Fresh Yuzu, fingerling in duck fat, quail egg. This was a fabulous dish with Champagne. The caviar/oyster thing went together in a way that it doesn’t always — driven by the yuzu.
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2002 Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne. VM 97. Taittinger’s 2002 Comtes de Champagne is a great way to kick things off. Rich, radiant and lush, with all of the exotic ripeness of the year in evidence, the 2002 Comtes delivers the goods. This bottle is perhaps a bit more forward than others have been, but it is nevertheless very fine.
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Spiny Lobster, Dungeness Crab. Green apple, black olive, pinenuts pistachio vinaigrette, apple vinegar, finger lime. Another really good dish, if not quite as good as the oyster one.
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2007 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. BH 95. Despite several years of bottle age, this remains backward, tight and not revealing much aromatically beyond wonderfully pure white flower, pear and spice aromas. The rich, full and strikingly powerful flavors possess superb depth of dry extract and huge length on the detailed, focused, beautifully balanced and penetrating finish that seems to be extracted directly from liquid rock. This very classy effort is a potentially great Perrières as everything necessary is here and this should age extremely well. The word Zen comes to mind.
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2011 Domaine Roulot Meursault Les Tessons Clos de Mon Plaisir. VM 92. A statuesque Burgundy, the 2011 Meursault Les Tessons Clos de Mon Plaisir is all class. Nothing in particular stands out, so impeccable is the wine’s balance. The depth and intensity of the fruit is apparent, but readers will have to give the 2011 at least another year or two before the elements start to truly come together. The 2011 is impressive for its depth and stuffing.
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Live Spot Prawn. Corn pancake, Vacherin cheese, walnuts, chanterelles, endives.
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From my cellar: 1985 Nicolas Potel Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes. BH 91. A very fresh yet mature nose of citrus, white flower and lightly toasted nut aromas combines with round and vibrant middle weight flavors that possess a seductive and rich mouth feel, all wrapped in a sappy and mouth coating finish. This is really a lovely effort with complexity and ample finishing punch and is a wine that will continue to hold well if not improve.
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Ron brought: NV Krug Champagne Brut Rosé. BH 94. Medium rosé hue. A cool, restrained and highly complex nose that is not especially fruity displays a moderate yeast character along with slightly exotic aromas of mandarin orange and Asian tea, all wrapped in an enveloping array of beguiling rose petal scents. There is very good richness with a relatively firm supporting mousse that adds to the impression of richness to the superbly complex and highly textured flavors, indeed one could aptly describe this as more wine that Champagne. As such this is indeed a sumptuous Krug rosé that is difficult to resist already though it should reward extended keeping if desired. As I noted in the original 750 ml review, that while I am not always wowed by the Krug Rosé, this latest incarnation in magnum is strikingly good.
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Uni. Sea Urcin Creme Brulee. This was a controversial dish. The lower custard layer was actually a creme brulee custard made from uni. I loved it, and the texture was perfect, but some people thought it was a bit sweet — it was — but this doesn’t bother me and in fact I enjoyed the sweet and briney thing.
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Wild Turbot. Squid ink tuille, truffle sabayon, fennel. LQ always does a great job with turbot.
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2008 Marquis de Laguiche (Joseph Drouhin) Montrachet. BH 93-96. A perfumed and simply knock-out nose features highly perfumed notes of honeysuckle, acacia blossom, sandalwood and yellow orchard fruit aromas that give way to powerful, rich and dense full-bodied flavors that possess obvious muscle and simply huge length on the overtly austere, deep and palate staining finish. This is a dazzling effort that will only add to the already immense reputation this wine enjoys but note that patience will be required.
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2009 Remoissenet Père et Fils Montrachet Le Montrachet. VM 96. The 2009 Le Montrachet, from a parcel on the Chassagne side, is fabulous. Layers of exotic, tropical fruit flow effortlessly from this broad-shouldered, kaleidoscopic wine. There is plenty of freshness in the glass to support the fruit in this magical, captivating wine. I especially like the way this turns delicate, subtle and refined on the finish.
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Monk Fish Cheeks. Pied de veau, ginger, water cress, ALF Tokyo turnips.
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2013 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Corton-Charlemagne. BH 92-94. A shy, indeed almost mute nose only grudgingly liberates its cool aromas of green apple, white fruit, spiced pear and wet stone. The intensely saline and stony big-bodied flavors are supported by a firm spine of citrus-inflected acidity that shapes the powerful finish that delivers outstanding complexity and persistence. I very much like the balance and this will need plenty of time to realize its full, and considerable, potential.
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2004 Morey-Blanc Corton-Charlemagne. BH 90-93. A reserved, indeed backward spicy green apple and white pear nose complements delineated but very rich flavors that display moderate wood on the big and weighty if not necessarily super dense finish that packs a serious punch and intensity. The length here is really impressive and the balance is such that this should age for 15 to possibly 20 years.
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Petit gris Snails. ALF “Petit Gris.” Delicata Squash, parsley, garlic, tapioca, pomme paille. This was “interesting.” Some of the other stuff swamped the snails out.
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1996 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques. VM 92. Good red-ruby. Altogether more vibrant, sexy nose combines cherry, plum, smoke, coffee, game and Cuban tobacco. Fleshy, round and elegant; a distinct step up in extract and volume. Really compelling sweetness of fruit. Very suave and very long on the finish, which features extremely fine tannins. A superb showing today.
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Foie Gras lentil ragu. Sprouted lentils, pumpernickel croutons, quince. An amazing slab of foie.
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1998 Alain Hudelot-Noellat Romanée St. Vivant. BH 94. Deep ruby. This is extremely floral with dried rose petal and violet notes that highlight the Oriental spice character of the nose that serves as a dramatic introduction to the sappy, delicious, extraordinarily complex and deep middle weight flavors that culminate in huge length. This is stylish, sexy and classy with superb finishing power and impeccable balance. A terrific effort and a consistent one as I have had no disappointing bottles.
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2006 Domaine Anne Gros Richebourg. VM 94.  Deep red, a bit less saturated than the Clos Vougeot. Sappy dark fruits, flowers and spices on the nose, complemented by an exotic suggestion of white peach. Suave and supple, seemingly more open-knit and easier to taste today than the Clos Vougeot, with exotic floral lift adding to its early appeal. As sappy as this is, it’s also quite sweet and pliant today. Broader than its stablemate but is it as fine?
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Wood Pigeon. Date cumin puree, salsify, crosnes, parsnip, last of the season figs.
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2005 Domaine Pierre Gelin Chambertin-Clos de Bèze. BH 93. Here the breed of a great grand cru shows as the nose is sheer class with an airy array of spice and layered aromas of red and blue fruit trimmed in a very gentle touch of oak. The supple, stylish and detailed flavors offer good depth and fine length, all supported by dense but fine tannins and really lovely depth. In a word, terrific.
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2005 Bouchard Père et Fils Chambertin. VM 91-94. (this is the only Bouchard Gevrey grand cru from estate fruit?; 100% vendange entier Full ruby-red. Wild, complex aromas of red cherry liqueur, smoked meat, licorice and shoe polish, with a cool veggie nuance. Sweet and stylish but still quite reserved, even cool, with intriguing suggestions of gibiers and toasty oak. Still quite clenched on the back, finishing with building tannins. Classic austere Chambertin.
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Lamb neck. Tarbais beans, Toulouse sausage, “Cassoulet Style”, duck confit. This was amazing!
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1971 Cordero di Montezemolo Barolo Monfalletto.
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Larry and a rare Trish sighting.
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Scottish Pheasant. Confit leg stuffed cabbage, sautéed breast, Bourguignon, lardons.
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1999 Soldera (Az. Agr. Case Basse) Brunello di Montalcino. VM 93. Today, the 1999 Brunello di Montalcino is simply gorgeous. Frankly, I am amazed (and delighted) at how it has come together. Sweet, floral and perfumed, the 1999 remains a relatively mid-weight wine by Soldera standards, but that just adds to immediacy and appeal. Stylistically, the 1999 is a delicate wine, but it has turned out far better than I ever thought it would.
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1989 Château Montrose. JG 94. The 1989 Montrose may not be quite as deep as the 1990, but it is a purer wine of precise definition and classic proportions. The superb nose offers up a refined mélange of cassis, dark berries, cigar ash, gravelly soil tones, espresso, fresh herbs and cedar. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and shows off excellent mid-palate depth, with firm tannins, tangy acids and outstanding focus and grip on the very young, pristine and old school finish. Some may prefer the more overtly powerful style of the 1990 Montrose, but for me, though the two vintages are qualitatively equivalent, I prefer the superior transparency of the 1989.
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From my cellar: 1989 Domenico Clerico Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra. VM 97. One of Domenico Clerico’s early masterpieces, 1989 Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra opens with a gorgeous, captivating bouquet of soy sauce, smoke, tobacco and cedar. The wine possesses sumptuous richness and beguiling inner perfume in an intensely powerful, mineral-driven style that coasts the palate in stunning style. I am not sure the tannins will fully soften here, but readers lucky enough to own this wine are in for a thrilling ride. This is stunning juice!
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1989 Dante Rivetti Barbaresco Emprimer N.11.12.1 Cru Katia.
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Flannery Beef Wagyu Rib Eye Cap. Confit onion jam, sweet potato mouseline, bourbon, porcini, colman mustard. Awesome meat!
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We used an entire box!
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2003 Château Rieussec. VM 92-95. Medium yellow-gold. Reticent but pure aromas of fruit salad, spices and vanilla, lifted by floral and mineral nuances. Wonderfully honeyed, fat fruit flavors are complemented by cinnamon, clove and nutmeg. The sexy oak treatment gives lift to the wine. A bit youthfully aggressive but very long on the back end, showing vanillin oak and a bit of warmth. But this one offers superb potential.
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Pinku no Yuzu Sorbetto – Yuzu & Meyer Lemon Sorbetto with a touch of blood orange! — the ultimate adult pink lemonade flavor — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #SummerTime #yuzu #MeyerLemon #lemon #lemonade #BloodOrange
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Pina Colada Sorbetto — just like the cocktail with Thai coconut milk, pineapple, a touch of lime and dark rum — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #PinaColada #CocktailIceCream #pineapple #coconut #lime #rum
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The full wine lineup (+ truffles) in horrible iphone pano.
 On the right is Chef Laurent and behind him his busy crew.

This was another seriously epic night. We didn’t go too crazy with the wines since there were a lot of non wine people — there were plenty bottles — but the food was absolutely over the top both in quantity and quality. Bravo Laurent.

The atmosphere was great. A nice private room — truly private and actually quiet (except for us). LQ’s team provided great service (we mostly did the wine service but we are used to that). Walker was busy acting as sommelier — thanks Walker!. Wines were great, as were our hangovers. I prefer these full arrangement of wines where we have a broad range of types across the meal.

For more LA Foodie Club dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Bistro LQ – Truffles 2017
  2. Day of the Truffles
  3. LQ Seafood Tower
  4. Great Grenache 2018
  5. Truffles at Saam – I am
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: bistro lq, BYOG, cassoulet, Champagne, Foodie Club, Gelato, Laurent Quenioux, Pasadena, Seafood, Truffle, Wine

Quick Eats – Maradentro

Oct15

Restaurant: Maradentro

Location: 1168 S. Barrington Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90049. (424) 273-1377

Date: July 20, 2018

Cuisine: Mexican (seafood focus)

Rating: Very similar to Mercado

_

My never-ending quest to try all the new restaurants brings us to…

Maradentro, which I only realized on arrival is owned by the same group as fellow Mexican Mercado.

The menu is short and basically similar to the Mercado menu, but with a slight seafood shift.

Passionfruit Margarita. Inexplicably blue. Tasted ok, but as usual for a drink of this sort, with all that packed ice very small.

CRABIQUESO. melted cotija, parmesan, oaxaca cheese, house chorizo, poblanos, mushrooms, lump crab, fresh chips.

GUACAMOLE. hass avocados, serranos, red onions, cilantro, spicy pepitas, fresh chips.

Both quite good. I liked the chunky avocado and its interesting textures, the smoked salsas, and particularly the cheesy queso. Pretty similar to the Mercado queso except crab instead of Chorizo! Although, I actually make a better chili con queso myself, but that’s no surprise (it is a good amount of work roasting the peppers and all).

Chips.

TACOS DE PESCADO. grilled white fish, Mexican slaw, avocado salsa, chile de arbol aioli.

Dos Gringas de Camaron. Chili morita marinated shrimp, oxaca cheese, pineapple, yxta salsa brava, avocado salsa, red onions, cilantro, flour tortillas, cilantro lime rice, market vegetables. Not bad. Bright flavors. Small, which was okay today because I had a big BBQ lunch.

Maradentro is basically Mercado. It’s sort of modern Mexican without any surprises, for a reasonably sophisticated crowd not ready to venture into LA’s more ethnic South of the Border spaces. I actually like the (bright) flavors here, but they have a certain workman-like quality.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Quick Eats: Brentwood
  2. Quick Eats – Mondo Taco
  3. San Fran – Nopalito
  4. Quick Eats – Bru’s Wiffle
  5. Quick Eats: La Serenata
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Brentwood, Maradentro, Margarita, Mexican, Seafood

LQ Seafood Tower

Jun02

Restaurant: Laurent Quenioux [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

Location: Near Pasadena

Date: April 25, 2018

Cuisine: Modern French

Rating: Truffles!

_

Six and a half years ago Foodie Club co-organizer Erick and I put together one of our more legendary dinners, the Bistro LQ Trufflumpagus. Ever since then we periodically trek out to visit our friend Chef Laurent for some kind of extravaganza — and tonight it’s his legendary seafood tower — plus tons of other goodies.

Chef Laurent Quenioux grew up in Sologne, France, where he developed a passion for food. As a young boy, Quenioux and his father would hunt duck, partridge, and rabbit. Then, he and his mother would prepare her favorite recipes in the kitchen. Eventually, Quenioux left home to embark on an apprenticeship where he trained in some of Europe’s finest kitchens. Quenioux spent time at Maxim’s, Bistro De Paris and La Ciboulette in Paris, before moving on to Negresco in Nice and LaBonne Auberge in Antibe.

In the early 1980s, Quenioux made a move to the United States with a team from L‘Oasis at La Napoule to open The Regency Club in Los Angeles. In 1985, he introduced the celebrated and award-winning 7th Street Bistro in downtown Los Angeles. In the early 2000s, Quenioux debuted the cozy Bistro K in Pasadena and in 2009, Bistro LQ in Beverly Hills. At Bistro LQ, Quenioux set new standards for cuisine in Southern California with his Farmer’s Market-driven kitchen and an emphasis on value and fun.

These days Laurent mostly hosts popups in his own backyard! We took the whole evening for some epic craziness. Some of my friends visiting from the Netherlands are pictured above.

A serene environment.

From my cellar: 2015 Jacques Perritaz Cidrerie du Vulcain Apple Transparente.

Erick designed our special menu.

Erick brought: 1996 de Venoge Champagne Brut Louis XV. 91 points. A bit over the hill.

Bread with flavored Normandy butters.

From my cellar (to pair with Foie): 1990 Royal Tokaji Wine Co. Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos Betsek. RJ 93.  From 500 ml – light medium orange brown color with dark orange lights; very aromatic, mature, orange marmalade, baked apricot, light mushroom, light tobacco, smoky orange syrup nose; mature, tasty, orange marmalade, baked apricot, light mushroom, light tobacco, smoky orange syrup, blood orange, orange honey palate with medium-plus acidity; very long finish 93+ points

Sautéed Foie Gras. Mangoes, ginger, Green bar distillery Vodka jus. An incredible (and huge) chunk of the decadent liver.

From my cellar: NV Drappier Champagne Rosé Brut Nature Dosage Zero. BH 90. The color is paler than that of the regular brut rosé. A pretty and slightly more elegant nose features a similar aromatic profile but with more evident yeast character. There is fine intensity to the delicious and vibrant flavors that are supported by a firm and definitely finer mousse, all wrapped in a bone dry and youthfully austere finish where a hint of bitter cherry pit appears. This won’t be for everyone as the dryness is pronounced; I happen to like it but it would be fair to say that this is not a charmer. With that said, a few years of bottle age should serve to round off the austerity and add a bit of depth as well.

From my cellar: 2012 Prager Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Achleiten. AG 90. The restrained nose slowly reveals apple, orange zest, white pepper and wet slate. A taut spine gives lift to the rich texture, but the melon fruit and dried spice flavors are still tightly sealed. Well-balanced and showing noteworthy depth and structure, this veltliner is only just beginning to show its refreshing drinkability.

Toast with Dungeness Crab Rouille and avocado. Super crab salad avocado toast!

Haddock Branade. I love smoked haddock.

Main Lobster brioche. Like a lobster roll in a (big) bite.

From my cellar: 2012 Prager Riesling Federspiel Steinriegl. 95 points.

Scallops Ceviche Tostada.

Spot prawns. Would you believe that everything you just say was all part of the FIRST (of 9!) courses? These were sort of like the sweet shrimp sushi with fried head — but all on one plate. Delicious.

From my cellar: 2014 Királyudvar Furmint Tokaji Sec. 90 points. Dried apple, and then some fruit, and kinda delicious.

Someone else brought this funny cloudy California white.

Puff pastry with wild mushroom, dill, and seafood mixto. Awesome! Like a mini lobster pot pie.

Clam nage with sorrel. Amazing clammy broth.

Soft shell crab (fried of course).

Grilled Monterey Bay Squid with green garlic. This dish I didn’t love as it with very briny.

Manilla Clams with Chorizo and Epazote. Amazing clam and sausage. Laurent’s clams are great.

1990 Domaine Fabien Coche Meursault 1er Cru Charmes. 93 points. Coche from another mother.

From my cellar: 1985 Nicolas Potel Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes. 88 points. Not the best of my bottles from this batch. This one not dead yet but it had lost most of that zippiness. All fatness, honeycomb and butterscotch. For those who like really mature white burg this may still be ok but if you are sensitive to oxidation then it really is time to drink up unless you lucked out with some very pristine bottles.

Now comes the main event, the incomparable seafood tower

But first the sauces: mustard, aioli, horseradish, spicy mayo, mignonette.

The top level with crabs, lobster, clams, prawns, crayfish and more.

And we continue down to the bottle level with abalone, clams, oysters, winkles, and more.


And we had one for two people!

There was fresh uni too. And at this point, my flash batteries went out (eek) and I stupidly had no backups in my bag, so the photos are much higher ISO. This is how I left MY tower.

This is how everyone else left theirs. Wimps!

From my cellar: 2009 Chapelle St. Theodoric Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Sablons. AG 91. Deep ruby. Redcurrant and cherry scents are complemented by dried rose and garrigue A juicy, red-fruited midweight, accented by a slightly tart edge to its tangy cherry and floral pastille flavors. The brisk finish offers good clarity and cut, with silky tannins arriving late.

Apricot Lane Farms Spring Lamb 3 Ways. Braised lamb neck spring roll, lamb “noisette”, roasted lamb shoulder, preserved lemon emulsion, ras el hanout scented cordycep, dates puree with cumin. The spring roll was the best part.

Someone brought this Spanish.

Braised Wagyu Miyazake Short Rib. Bourguignon Style. Pasta Handkerchief, confit cipollini onions & green garlic, black chanterelles.

I think Larry brought the Penfolds Pinot Noir Bin 23.

Mini Cassoulet. Tarbais Beans slow cooked for 7 hours, Toulouse Sausage, garlic sausage, duck leg confit, smoked pork belly bacon style, confit duck gizzard. This dish is also a stunner. One of Laurent’s specialties and well worth it for the sausage alone!

Les Fromages.

Trio of Sweet Milk Gelato (made by me) plated by Laurent. Flavors are: Pineapple Rosemary Sorbetto, Lavender Blueberry Gelato, and Brillat-Savarin Gelato with Sicilian Candied Orange

Chocolate Cremeux. White chocolate coconut cheese cake, coconut ice cream, matcha meringue, chocolat chips. Laurent is amazing with these kind of desserts — basically a chocolate coconut cheesecake, but deconstructed into many textures.
 On the right is Chef Laurent and behind him his busy crew.

This was another seriously epic night. We didn’t go too crazy with the wines since there were a lot of non wine people — there were plenty bottles, but more “normal” wines for us — but the food was absolutely over the top both in quantity and quality. Bravo Laurent.

For more LA Foodie Club dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. SGV Nights – Seafood Palace
  2. Top Island Seafood
  3. New Bay Seafood
  4. Lincoln Seafood Restaurant
  5. Shanghai #1 Seafood Village
By: agavin
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Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Avocado Toast, bistro lq, BYOG, crab, Foodie Club, Gelato, Laurent Quenioux, Lobster, Pasadena, Seafood, Seafood Tower, shrimp, Sweet Milk, Uni, Wine

Eating Maryland – Tidewater Grille

Jan01

Restaurant: Tidewater Grille [1, 2]

Location: 300 Franklin St, Havre De Grace, MD 21078. (410) 939-3313

Date: November 22, 2017 & November 21, 2018

Cuisine: Coastal American

Rating: Fun spot on the shore

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When our family drives from Washington to Philadelphia, which is generally part of the ThanksGavin tradition, we often stop at this old school Eastern Shore seafood place in Havre de Grace.

It sits right on the river, right by the train bridge.

The menu.
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Even in the winter, it’s a pretty nice view.

A lot of seating is on the porch.
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Maryland Crab soup is a must. Slightly spicy tomato broth with vegetables and crab. Think minestrone with crab.

Cream of crab soup. It’s more fatty cousin is clam chowder, but with crab instead.

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And kids love spaghetti.

Veggie sandwich with cheese.

Fried local fish with tartar sauce.
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The fried fish sandwich.

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And the all important crab cake sandwich, one of the great American sandwiches. Available here with slaw, potato chips, etc.

This is a simple place, but it serves up some good road stop lunch — certainly way better than McDonalds!

For more local dining reviews click here.

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  4. Blue Plate Oysterette
  5. Ocean Avenue Seafood
By: agavin
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Posted in: Food
Tagged as: crab, Havre de Grace, Maryland, Seafood, Tidewater Grill

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

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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.

Related posts:

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  4. Viet Noodle Bar
  5. Ocean Avenue Seafood
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: bad service, Herringbone, Santa Monica, Seafood

Sometimes You Want to Get Crabs

Sep18

Restaurant: Seafood Village

Location: 684 W Garvey Ave. Monterey Park, CA 91754. (626) 289-0088

Date: September 15, 2013

Cuisine: Chiu Chow Chinese

Rating: quite tasty!

ANY CHARACTER HERE

Chinese food is incredible regional, and we are blessed in SoCal with a lot of very specific resteraunts (mostly in the San Gabriel Valley). This time, my Hedonist group has head out for some Chiu Chow (also Chaozhou) which is a Southern Chinese style originating in Eastern Guangdong province. This is a fairly ingredient driven Chinese regional cuisine that often features seafood. It has a relationship to Cantonese and is often found in Singaporean cooking (as many Teochew people settled there).

Seafood Village is regarded as one of the best Chiu Chow places in California. It has the usual glamorous SGV exterior.


And interior. But hardly the PF Chang tourist crowd!


Starting off with a little champagne.


Peanuts are traditional on the table in China. I suppose that the allergic are just put out of their misery quickly.


1998 Château Monbousquet Blanc. 91 points. Straw, lemon grass, mineral nose; earthy, lemon grass, mineral palate; medium finish. A very pleasant white Bordeaux with mineral flavors.


A typical cold appetizer platter. In the center, jellyfish. Starting with the top and heading clockwise: roast duck, cuttlefish, pork gut, fried tofu (yummy), pork stomach, and pork knuckle.


In case you want to spice it up!


2008 Cold Heaven Viognier. 90 points.


And it’s worth noting this interesting feature of authentic Chinese restaurants. After you eat a lot of some dish, they will “replate” or “consolidate” it into a smaller dish to preserve premium table space.


2005 Wittmann Westhofener Morstein Riesling Trocken. This was a more or less dry riesling, and quite nice.


This is what most people come here for, the house special Chiu Chow Style Crab (Dungeness). This is basically battered crab, fried with chilies and lots of garlic. I’ve also heard this called “Causeway Style.” Good stuff with lots of flavor. You end up sucking out the meat mostly.


2012 Recuerdo Torrontés. 88 Points. A very floral light white made by Jose, one our very own Hedonists!


One of are party wasn’t into “weird stuff” and ordered themselves some orange chicken. Go figure. It was fine, but nothing special.


From my cellar, 1970 Gros Frère et Sœur Vosne-Romanée. 92 points. It was still very much alive and drinking quite beautifully. A veritable chameleon in the glass, the aromas kept changing every time I brought the glass to my nose. First sour cherries, then papaya, then raspberries, then red clay, then lemon rind, then caramel — it was intoxicating. The palate, on the other hand, was a bit simple and one-dimensional, but I thought the nose more than made up for it. A lovely wine! My favorite of the night — being a Burghound!


Special Turtle Soup. This is a very pleasant broth with lots of umani flavor.


And in case you wondered f it was authentic enough, check out the chicken foot!


2000 Araujo Estate Syrah Eisele Vineyard. IWC 89. Full ruby-red. Rich, smoky aromas of plum, blackberry, bitter chocolate, smoked meat, minerals, tobacco and licorice. Sweet, lush, chocolatey and seamless; a distinctly warm-climate syrah with exotic notes of roasted berries. But there’s also lovely lift from the blackberry and violet notes. Finishes firmly tannic, oaky and long, with notes of spice and bitter chocolate.


Chilies with ground pork. I’ve never seen Jalepenos per se in China, but they do have lots of peppers. Regardless, this was a fabulous dish as the pork was cooked in a great black bean sauce and the combination of the mild heat and the slightly sweet meat was wonderful.


2009 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave St. Joseph. IWC 93. Opaque ruby. Expansive, seductive aromas of blackberry and blueberry preserves, cherry pit and fresh flowers, plus a sexy incense note and a touch of licorice. Stains the palate with dark berry and spicecake flavors, with smoky minerality adding cut to the back end. Blends depth and vivacity smoothly, finishing with outstanding clarity and lingering sweetness.


Sautéed jellyfish heads with asparagus. Not bad — for jellyfish.


2011 Luisi Barbera d’Asti. 82 points. I didn’t try it, as I’m not much of a Barbera fan. Works occasionally with pizza.


Rock fish steamed with ginger and garlic. This was a lovely fish and the meat was perfectly done and very succulent.


2009 Orma Toscana IGT. IWC 92. Fully saturated ruby-purple. Sexy aromas of ripe dark plum, Asian spices, licorice and cocoa powder, with a floral quality adding lift and freshness. At once suave and penetrating, with very good energy and definition to the flavors of sweet red cherry, dark plum, mocha and fresh herbs. In a distinctly ripe style, but with a vibrant, long finish thanks to harmonious acidity. The sweet, broad tannins show a distinct chocolatey ripeness.


Duck with mushrooms. It’s hard to tell them apart (the duck has bones) as the heavy gravy gives it all a brown sheen. This dish might look a bit sketchy, but it tastes great with a rich heady earthiness to the sauce and a pleasant spongey texture to the woody mushrooms.


2011 Vigilance Petite Sirah. I didn’t try this either.


Special Chiu Chow Style “lettuce”. Evidently a classic. It head a bit of a porky taste so there must have been something in there with the veggies. Not bad.


2008 chin chin syrah. Another wine by Jose.


Beans, lotus root, and oxtail. Interesting mix of flavors and textures. The meat was fatty of  course, but full of flavor.


Clearly someone had too much pork gut.


2007 Lillian Winery Syrah. IWC 94. Opaque purple. A kaleidoscopic bouquet evokes black raspberry, cola, incense and olive tapenade, with a sexy floral quality that gains power with aeration. Lush, palate-staining dark berry preserve flavors are complemented by exotic spice and violet pastille qualities and are lifted by zesty minerality. Gains weight with air but retains its energy, finishing spicy, smoky and with outstanding persistence. Readers should also seek out Maggie Harrison’s excellent Antica Terra pinot noirs from Oregon.


House Special Chiu Chow Style Pan Fried Noodles. There are also shrimp, pork, mushrooms, and sprouts in here.


This might not seem like the most sophisticated dish, but the sauce was really really good with the tender noodles. I used to get a similar dish as a kid and found not not only delicious, but deeply nostalgic.


This Vin Santo was a rather wonderful sticky of the passito/Sherry PX variety. Oddly, it’s from Greece (Santorini) — doesn’t matter, as it’s very good.


Taro with Ginko dessert. God only knows what the white stuff was. There were grapes and ginko nuts, blobs of taro, and a gelatinous mass that that was supposedly snow fungus. The net effect was sweet and vaguely chewy. I think it’s a Chiu Chow speciality.


Jose brought some (apparently) 19th century Madeira in this little flask. It was good. Caramelized, complex, and well… like good Maderia.


Almost mochi filled with red bean, mung bean, egg custard, and taro. Not as good as true ice cream mochi, but enjoyable the same.

Overall, an incredibly fun evening as usual. We even went next door afterward to overwhelm the minimall’s $15 an hour foot massage place, which is always great except that Yarom got screwed since we had one person more than they had masseuses. These Chinese outings are great fun with really interesting, tasty, and reasonable food.

The Seafood Village staff treated us great, bringing the dishes one at a time, and being extremely friendly and helpful — if occasionally confounded by our lack of Mandarin (or perhaps they spoke the Chiu Chow dialect, I wouldn’t know). Great fun.

We were also joined (see below) by Chef Kaz Oyama of the amazing Totoraku, who is now an honorary Hedonist, and he took it seriously by consuming his fair share of libations.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

This dinner included Chef Kaz from the the amazing beef joint, Totoraku! (right)

Related posts:

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  5. Hedonists Hunan Style
By: agavin
Comments (2)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Chaozhou, China, Chui Chow, crab, hedonists, san Gabriel valley, Seafood, Shellfish, Singapore

Shanghai #1 Seafood Village

Apr18

Restaurant: Shanghai #1 Seafood Village [1, 2, 3]

Location: 250 W Valley Blvd. San Gabriel, CA 91776. (626) 282-1777

Date: April 13, 2013

Cuisine: Chinese

Rating: Very authentic Shanghai style

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The San Gabriel Valley is a veritable treasure trove of Asian dining, particularly regional Chinese. Shanghai #1 Seafood Village is the LA branch of a high end Shanghai chain specializing in banquet dining.


The decor is Stark meets Chinatown. Interestingly, as cheesy as it is, it’s fairly authentic.


As this is a Hedonist/Foodie Club wine diner, we prearranged a banquet and reserved the usual giant table.


The menu is like a giant full color fashion catalog for food, but I thought I’d show a couple pages by way of example.


2011 Domaine Collotte Bourgogne Rosé Marsannay. This is one of my go-to roses, as it’s all Pinot Noir from Burgundy. A wonderful sunny weather wine, it paired very nicely with the sweet and sour tones of the Chinese. There were a few rose-haters as usual, but this really is a great wine, bright and full of strawberry flavors.


Our “appetizer” spread.


Marinated legumes (lima beans?). A very mellow sophisticated taste, and some of the best lima beans I’ve had.


Squid with a sauce not unlike eel BBQ sauce. Very tender and tasty.


Lotus root stuffed with sweet rice in a tea marinate. Very interesting texture and a lovely tea flavor.


2011 Chateau Ste. Michelle & Dr. Loosen Riesling Eroica. IWC 88. Pale yellow-straw. Sexy aromas of nectarine, ginger and nutmeg. Moderately sweet but not at all cloying, with nectarine, apple, pear and brown spice flavors complicated by a saline quality and perked up by white flowers and CO2. Not particularly gripping and very easy to drink. Finishes just off-dry, with a menthol nuance and a suggestion of crab apple that brought my score down.


Marinated cucumbers (pickles) in a sweet soy vinegar.


Marinated turnips in a tangy chili oil. Really nice crunch.


Some kind of marinated mushrooms. Very earthly and delicate.


Classic smoked Shanghai fish. Smokey and crunchy.


Roast duck in a heavy sweet soy. Bony, but very tasty.


2004 Albert Mann Riesling Schlossberg. IWC 90. Very pale color. Highly aromatic nose offers underripe pineapple, flowers, mint, stone and flint, along with a leesy nuance that reminded me of Champagne. Juicy and moderately sweet (12.5 g/l. r.s.), with pure peach and nectarine flavors firmed by a stony underpinning. This is precise and detailed, and long on the finish-and not nearly as austere as some past vintages of this consistently excellent bottling. But it still calls for at least five years in the cellar.


Shrimp two ways. On the left, salt and pepper fried shrimp (extremely tasty) and on the right, white sauce popcorn shrimp (pleasant but mild).


Chili fried scallops, with a little heat.


2000 Denis Mugneret Père et Fils Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru. BH 88-91. Black fruit and spice just explode from the glass. This is Boudots at its best with abundant Vosne spice and solid Nuits character in a classy, medium weight package that offers good power, density and quality length. While it doesn’t offer the size of the grands crus and it’s not classically structured, it is deliciously complex and fine. I like this a lot.


Special Shanghai BBQ red pork. Oh so fatty and oh so tasty!


Chicken with scallions and soy sauce. It looked a little scary, but it tasted great (except for the requisite bone).


1995 C.V.N.E. (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España) Rioja. IWC 90. Good full red. Deeply pitched aromas of smoke, minerals, leather and truffle. Supple and silky but nicely penetrating, with ripe, intense flavors of cherry, minerals and oak perfectly framed by harmonious acids. Subtle, textured Rioja finishing with good grip and thrust.


Crab dry cooked with coconut? Hard to say, but it tasted great. A dry, slightly spicy crab that emphasized the flavor of the crab itself.


Chicken soup. Pretty much like moms’.


It came in this pot.


1985 Tenute Cisa Asinari dei Marchesi di Grésy Dolcetto d’Alba. I’ve never had an old Dolcetto, and wouldn’t have assumed they lasted, but this was brilliant. It tasted very much of Dolcetto, grapey and all, but had a real depth to it.


Shanghai style sweet and sour fried fish. This was one of those goopy straight up orange sweet and sour sauces, but it was awesome. Particularly dripped over rice. And the method of flaying the meat out and frying it created a much crisper effect, even if the appearance is a bit horror movie.


Fried rice. Simply one of the best fried rices I’ve ever had.


2007 Tenute Niccolai Rosso Di San Gimignano Uno di quattro. A very nice Italian Syrah. Yeah, odd, but it is.


Shanghai noodles. These are pan fried rice cake with scallions and sweet soy. Odd soft texture, but delicious.


Crispy meat buns. A really great film skinned take on the soup dumpling.


The inside. These were great with vinegar poured in.


2010 Montirius Gigondas Terres des Aines. IWC 91-93. Bright ruby. Spicy cherry and blueberry aromas lifted by mineral cut and a floral overtone. Nicely focused and pure, with very good energy to its dark berry flavors and seductive lavender and spice accents. Finishes spicy and long, with a late note of anise hanging behind.


Beef ribs (short ribs?), with garlic, green and red peppers, etc. Tasty, but certainly not the best dish of the might.


2003 Maculan Acininobili. Parker 96. The 2003 Acininobili is utterly mind-blowing in its expression of candied apricots, orange peel and cinnamon. Constantly changing in the glass, it reveals superb intensity and a stunningly gorgeous purity, with superb length and phenomenal poise. Acininobili is a selection made from botrytised Torcolato fruit. It is aged for two years in new French oak.


Mango or some other fruit in a coconut yogurt like sauce. Nice and refreshing, and and absolotely brilliant pairing (not by any foresight) with the Passito above. Really first rate combo.


Our menu for the staff!

Overall, this was a really great meal. First rate Chinese and quite authentic and typical of high end banquet meals in China. We didn’t have the totally tricked out menu with all the sea cucumber, shark fin, and the like, but I don’t love that stuff anyway. Nearly every dish was wonderful. Service was fine (for Chinese). They brought things a little rapidly, but it was fine. Great experience.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

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By: agavin
Comments (3)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: China, Chinese cuisine, Chinese Food, Foodie Club, hedonists, Seafood, Shanghai #1 Seafood Village, Wine

Hedonists at STK again!

Feb27

Restaurant: STK [1, 2, 3]

Location: 755 North La Cienega. Los Angeles, CA 90069. 310.659.3900

Date: February 25, 2013

Cuisine: Steakhouse

Rating: Gluttonous fun!

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It’s been six months since we Hedonists last hit STK and so it was time for a return. Being a steakhouse, STK is a great place to pull out all those beefy reds!

The space is chic and modern. Above is the La Cienega entrance.

These look like Glazed Pop’ems, but they’re savory. And that sauce is pretty much a under-spiced chimichurri.

Arnaud Margaine’s NV Brut Premier Cru is gorgeous. White flowers, crushed rocks and green pears literally jump from the glass in this beautifully delineated, energetic Champagne. Vivid, crystalline and beautifully layered, the Premier Cru impresses for its balance and exceptional overall harmony. This is a great effort in its peer group. The Premier Cru is 90% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Noir, 50% vintage 2009 and the remainder reserve wines back to 2002. I would give the Premier Cru another 6-12 months to be fully expressive post-disgorgement.

“DIVER SCALLOPS.” coriander crust – young coconut – textures of corn.

Burghound 94, “2005 Domaine Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru White. A ripe and classic nose of distinctly discreet and reserved green fruit and floral aromas that are airy, pure and lightly spiced merge into intense, precise and penetrating medium full flavors blessed with terrific acid/fruit balance and huge length. This is really a lovely wine that is presently a tightly coiled spring and in need of extended bottle aging to really put on display the superb potential here. An understated stunner of a wine as well as ultra refined and one of the best examples of this appellation in 2005.”

“Seafood tower, medium.” While this was good, it wasn’t exactly towering.

Parker 93, “1996 Domaine Tollot-Beaut et Fils Corton Bressandes. This estate’s Corton-Bressandes is a wine I search out in vintages with good ripeness. It is never huge, muscular, or a blockbuster but can often be sultry, seductive, detailed, and simply lovely. A recently tasted 1990, while at least three years from maturity, was fabulous. The 1996 displays sweet red cherry and Asian spice aromatics as well as a gorgeously refined character filled with candied and delineated cherries. This elegant, sexy, and feminine offering is medium-to-full-bodied, silky-textured, and possesses a long and refreshing finish.”

“BLUE ICEBERG.” smoked bacon – blue cheese – pickled tomato.

Parker 86, “The 1997 VINHA BARROSA VINHA VELHA is a single vineyard wine (hence, says the winery, the “vinha velha” rather than plural for old vines, “vinhas velhas”) maturing, showing a little oxidation, and seems a bit older than it is. That said, and despite some astringency still on the finish, there are some things to like here, as the fruit has opened up. There is a distinctive touch of mint on the finish. The wine’s structure is outliving its fruit, so this seems to me to be a good time to drink it, although it has both the tannin and acidity to hold a good, long while. Drink now-2017.”

From the getgo, this wine had a barnyard funk, which at the beginning was actually pleasant, if rustic. As it sat in the glass the barn intensified in a very horse manure direction until it overwhelmed. Just smelling it made me smile — and called to mind visions of sweaty horses packed into the stables.

“HEARTS OF ROMAINE.” garlic crouton – parmesan lemon dressing.

 

92-94 points, “13.1% ALC, 96% Cabernet, 4% Merlot, 1% Cab Franc – Again this was much like the 1975 and 1979 on the nose with the pungent, sweaty, locker room nose. I knew again that this was the same producer and close in age. This had some notes of sweet fruit on the nose like boysenberry with good viscosity and good balance. The tannins were seamless but the finish brief keeping this my #2 of the night.”

There was a bit of funk, but it was still a very pleasant wine.

“TUNA TARTARE. soy emulsion – avocado – taro chips.”

Parker 95, “When I think back to the top California Cabernet Sauvignon wineries twenty-two years ago (1973), it is shocking to see how many of the finest wineries in 1973 have fallen behind today’s leading Cabernet producers. For example, Beaulieu, Heitz, Inglenook, Mayacamas, and Freemark Abby were undisputed leaders in the early seventies, but in 1995, they have been surpassed by thirty or forty other producers. I can think of only three wineries that were making fabulous Cabernet Sauvignons in 1973 that have continued to produce great wines, with no qualitative slumps through 1995 – Caymus Vineyard, Ridge, and Chateau Montelena. Because Chateau Montelena is “old” by California standards, it is easy to overlook the extraordinary wines produced by Jim Barrett and his son, Bo. Remarkably, there is not a bad vintage of Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon to be found. While hitting the peaks in top years, this winery makes fine Cabernets in vintages where other producers flounder. A recent example of this is the 1989 Estate Cabernet, a superb wine that continues to languish on the shelves of retailers. For that reason, an invitation to a vertical tasting of Chateau Montelena’s estate Cabernet is one of the most exciting tickets in town.”

For a 20 year old Cab, this was very youthful!

“BEEF TARTAR. black truffle – sliced radish – soy caramel.”

Parker 93, “1999 Barolo Brunate/Le Coste—Medium red. As is usually the case, the Brunate/Le Coste takes things up a notch. It presents a deeply mentholated, balsamic nose along with layers of dark fruit, licorice and tar flavors that develop in the glass in a potent style that captures the essence of the vintage. The Brunate/Le Coste is the richer and bigger of the two Barolos here, yet it also shows more elegance in its finer tannins. Still reasonably priced, Rinaldi’s Brunate/Le Coste remains the best traditional Barolo most people have never tasted.”

“Shrimp cocktail.” Classic.

Fresh green tomatoes.

Some oysters on the halfshell.

Just a bit of the chaos.

Probably around 90 points, a pleasant mature shiraz.

Probably a porterhouse or ribeye.

“Bone-in porterhouse.” Have a little beef!

From my cellar, Parker 95, “The great glories of this house are its Cote Roties, of which there are now five separate offerings. The single-vineyard 1994s were singing loudly when I saw them in July. All of them scored significantly higher than they did during the two previous years, which is not unusual as Guigal’s upbringing (elevage) of the wines results in better examples in the bottle than in cask. All three wines flirt with a perfect score. At this tasting, they reminded me of Guigal’s 1982s – opulent, sumptuously-textured, forward, rich, precocious, flattering wines that will drink well throughout their lives. The 1994 Cote Rotie La Mouline possesses extraordinary intensity. A dark ruby/purple color is followed by a penetrating nose of sweet black raspberry fruit intertwined with aromas of coconut and apricots. Jammy black fruits continue on the palate of this full-bodied, silky-textured, sumptuously-styled wine that is glorious to drink – even from barrel. It is an amazing La Mouline that offers all the elegance, suppleness, and sexiness this cru merits. It should drink well upon its release in 1998, and last for 15 more years. Guigal is one of the cellars where the wines always taste better after they are bottled than they do from cask, although as the scores in this segment indicate, some profound wines can be found in the 1994, 1995, and 1996 vintages Chez Guigal.”

A regular filet.

Parker 96, “More European in style than some of its siblings, the 2008 exhibits good acidity, more noticeable tannin (but it is extremely young), and plenty of crushed rock, espresso roast and licorice characteristics intermixed with a volcanic minerality. Full-bodied, ripe and opulent, with a closed, formidable personality.”

This was a pretty fabulous, albeit young, Cab.

A different looking filet.

“Bone-in porterhouse.” Have a little beef!

Parker 98, “From a single 9-acre parcel, the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon True Vineyard exhibits extraordinary aromas of acacia flowers and violets along with an irrefutable minerality, an abundance of blueberry and blackberry fruit, outstanding texture, full-bodied richness, great depth, and ripe tannin. This Cabernet will benefit from 4-6 years of cellaring, and should evolve for 40 years.”

Powerful and delicious!

“Bone-in filet with lobster and bordelaise.” Certainly a great steak, and bordelaise makes EVERYTHING better.

“Bone-in filet” naked.

“New York strip with salt.”

Parker 93+, “A hundred percent Cabernet Sauvignon (800 cases), this is still an outstanding wine, with classic graphite, creme de cassis, blueberry and floral notes all well-presented in the perfumed aromatics of this full-bodied, rich, concentrated wine. It has some noticeable tannins to be resolved and is not as seamless and flawless as the monumental 2007”

I thought this was better than a 93.

Just some of our sides!

“Creamed spinach.”

“Sweet corn pudding.” We took to calling this stuff “corn porn” it was so good. We ordered 5 of them too!

Mushrooms and brussel sprouts.

Some stellar mac & cheese.

“Parmesan truffle fries.”

This is my own personal stem collection!  I don’t like to be rushed. The more I do these wine diners the more I take things into my own hands, like:

1. Bringing my own stems (I didn’t need to here, but I often do).

2. Stealing stems off other tables or from behind the bar. Tonight I looted stems from half the tables in the room. 🙂

3. Opening my own bottles (I travel with several openers). In the bar, I asked for stems and then just opened a bottle and poured.

4. Pouring – of course!

Some very old Sauternes. This was very interesting stuff. A bit flawed perhaps, but entirely, totally, and extremely enjoyable. Like honey wine.

“Sticky bread pudding.” The sauce on this was to die for.

“Banana chocolate torte.”

“CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE. warm baked cookie – vanilla ice cream.” Also pretty spectacular.

The overall evening was spectacular. The place treated us really well with swift and friendly service you hardly noticed. Plus, there was the excellent company and all our amazing wines! As a steakhouse, I find it much like Mastro’s but about 5% worse on average — although there are some different starters and sides, many of which are excellent. It’s also quite a bit cheaper than Mastro’s, and lets us skip the corkage, which is huge! We were out of here for $110 a person, including tax and tip, which is pretty amazing for such an enormous feast at a high end steakhouse.

Our previous STK outing.

For more crazy Foodie Club meals, click.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Hedonists at STK
  2. Hedonists Boil Up Some Crab
  3. Hedonists at Dahab
  4. Hedonists Cook the Goose
  5. Hedonists climb the Peak
By: agavin
Comments (3)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Champagne, Corton-Charlemagne, Dessert, hedonists, Hollywood, Los Angeles, Pinot noir, Premier Cru, Seafood, Steak, Steak House, steak tartare, STK, Wine, Wine tasting descriptors

Hedonists Boil Up Some Crab

Nov19

Restaurant: The Boiling Crab

Location: 3377 Wilshire Blvd. Ste 115, Los Angeles, CA 90010

Date: November 15, 2012

Cuisine: Cajun Seafood

Rating: Negative frills, but really tasty

_

Good food doesn’t always have to be fancy. My most recent Hedonist adventure was to The Boiling Crab, the Korea-Town outpost of a cajun seafood joint.


The place is located in a built up K-Town food oriented minimall.


And, boy, is it popular. This was a random Thursday and the wait was over an hour. I’ve heard that on weekends it can be 2-4!


Hedonists events require that everyone bring a bottle of wine. I brought three! Just in case. On this particular night, we had eleven people, but only a few wine drinkers. Boiling Crab doesn’t even serve wine, so I’ve learned to bring my own glasses (Riedel restaurant grade) in my rolling wine carrier. The wines are shoved in the back along with some icepacks (whites) and a bunch of cork screws and the like.


Le menu. Simple, and pretty much all market price. The market price was damn reasonable too, for example, just $17/lb for main lobster and $8/lb for blue crab!


And this is because TBC does not spend any money on extras. There are no plates. No glasses. No utensils. Food is served in plastic bags. Yes, that’s right, plastic bags. I’ve never even seen this before!

Given that this place serves seafood covered in spice, butter, and garlic, two of us brought good German Rieslings.

Parker 93, “The complex 2003 Riesling Auslese Erdener Treppchen boasts a nose of honeysuckle blossoms. Medium-bodied, supple, and silky-textured, it exhibits an expressive flavor profile composed of red fruits, pears, and spices. In addition, this luscious, pure wine possesses a long, fruit-filled finish.”

This one had a little age and a hint of classic Riesling petrol.


TBC is bib worthy. In fact, it’s the messiest restaurant I can remember eating at.


This is Dungeness Crab with Sha-Bang sauce (cajun, lemon pepper, and garlic butter). It comes just like that, crab in a bag with sauce. No utensils, you just reach in and crab the hot crab.


Then you pull it apart with your hands. They throw a couple lousy nut crackers on the table. Again, no forks. No plates! But it was delicious!


We also had a bag of king crab legs. Here’s one that escaped.


From my cellar: Parker 96, “After a performance like this for a Spatlese, the warning was hardly necessary! Donnhoff’s 2009 Niederhauser Hermannshohle Riesling Spatlese offers a riot of herbal aromas reminiscent of but far more intense and diverse than that of the corresponding Grosses Gewachs, and here, too, accompanied by grapefruit and passion fruit in a manner that calls to mind Sauvignon. Horehound, licorice, sage, mint, black tea, nut oils, candied grapefruit rind, and crushed stone inform a silken-textured palate. As with the corresponding Brucke, there is a remarkable interactivity on display, and a depth of mineral and animal savor that goes beyond crustacean shell reduction or veal demi-glace, leaving me salivating helplessly.”

This was my Riesling, and it was considerably sweeter than the first one. In my opinion, both paired fantastically with the spicy garlic seafood.


Some really yummy cajun sausage. It didn’t even come by itself but was “in the bag” (literally) with the shrimp.


Here are the shrimp (and some refuse). Again, bag of shrimp. You have to reach in and grab them. By the time you do, your entire hand is coated to the wrist with spicy garlic butter!


Parker 93, “David Powell consistently excels with The Steading, an 8,000 case blend of Grenache, Mourvedre, and Shiraz. Aged 22 months in 300 liter hogsheads (foudres), it represents Australia’s version of Chateauneuf du Pape. The 2002 The Steading’s big, spicy, earthy nose reveals notions of cherry liqueur, licorice, pepper, dried Provencal herbs, raspberries, and leather. Ripe, medium to full-bodied, chewy, and heady, it is best drunk during its first 7-8 years of life, although it will last a lot longer.”

This was a nice wine, but I thought it clashed pretty badly with the food. Really any red would.


Cajun fried catfish over cajun fries. Pretty delectable, hot as Bejesus, and had a nice earthy catfish taste. Eaten with your hands, of course.


Some of the shrimp on the table. The cost savings here is passed onto the consumer: you have to de-head and de-leg and de-vein your own shrimp. They were, however, awesome, and probably even better than the crab. The sauce was literally finger licking good.


And we also had a bag of corn. It was a little mushy, but very sweet and I loved it with the salty garlic sauce.

Sweet potato fries.


Parker 94, “The 2009 Chateauneuf du Pape is dominated by Grenache with major amounts of Mourvedre, Syrah and other authorized varietals. Its dense ruby/plum color is followed by aromas of smoked meats, roasted Provencal herbs, a gamy character and lots of kirsch, black currant and blue fruits. Rich and full-bodied, it is softer than most young vintages of Vieux Donjon tend to be.”

Very nice, smooth wine, but too strong for the food.


We ordered up a lobster. $42 for a 2.5 pounder!


Quite the fellow, and delicious.


Here is his tail, sitting in a bloody pool of cajun juice.


And a bit of repulsive leftovers. We had to periodically venture forth, grab some plastic bags from the counter, and then return and sweet this crap away. It’s very self serve.


But I doubt they’ve ever had a party that brings 4-5 of their own wine glasses each!

Despite the mess, this place was pretty fantastic. And what a deal, $39 all in for each person (including tax and tip). The above was food for five too! You’re paying entirely for the seafood, and nothing extra. I don’t mind the atmosphere or mess (it is what it is), but I wish there wasn’t such a long line :-). I guess nothing is too good to be true.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Or for more crazy Foodie Club meals.

At The Boiling Crab, even girls get their hands dirty (this is some random adjacent table).

Related posts:

  1. Hedonists at Dahab
  2. Tidewater Crab
  3. Hedonists at La Paella
  4. Totoraku – Hedonists Beef Up
  5. Hedonists at STK
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Boiling Crab, Cajun, Chateauneuf du Pape, corn, crab, Donnhoff, Foodie Club, hedonists, Lobster, Los Angeles, Riesling, Sausage, Seafood, shrimp, Spätlese, Wine, Wine tasting descriptors
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