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Not a Cylon — Baltaire

Mar25

Restaurant: Baltaire

Location: 11647 San Vicente Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90049. (424) 273-1660

Date: February 8, 2020

Cuisine: Steakhouse

Rating: Things I had were very good

My wife and I were looking for a fairly close place for dinner and we ended up trying out Brentwood’s newish (a year or 2) steakhouse Baltaire.

Baltaire replaces the former Cheesecake factory, and good riddance as I loath chain restaurants.

It’s a high end clubby American steakhouse, as you can tell right away from the decor.

A contemporary restaurant with classic genes, Baltaire is where to enjoy lunch in the sun and dinner under the stars. It’s the perfect place for cocktails and conversation or an intimate dinner any night of the week.

With Executive Chef Travis Strickland leading our kitchen, and our certified sommelier conceptualizing cocktails and curating the wine list, Baltaire brings the highest grade steaks, exceptional seafood, resplendent drinks, and plenty of healthy, light fare options to Brentwood.

They covered over the “Factory’s” outside patio.

Have a big bar — pretty much where the cheesecake display was.

And private rooms.

The menu.

Bread.

Roasted Baby Beet Salad. drake farms goat cheese, tarragon, pecan.

Organic Iceberg Wedge. red onion, hard boiled egg, bacon lardons blue cheese dressing. Very nice wedge, particularly with the generous real lardon chunks.

Mediterranean Branzino. cucumber tzatziki, quinoa tabbouleh.

16oz bone in ribeye with king crab oscar. If I order a whole steak I need to do something like oscar as I can’t “handle” a plain piece of meat. This was a good one — at least in combination. Meat was tender and not over cooked and the oscar was generous with both sauce and crab.

Roasted Mushrooms miso butter. Tried to get a low carb side.

The dessert menu, but we didn’t order any.

Overall, for what I could tell during this small meal, I liked Baltaire. Menu is pretty good for a steakhouse, with some interesting stuff, and the execution I had was all excellent. I’ll have to come back with a larger party for more of a blow out.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Baltaire, Brentwood, Steak, steakhouse, Wedge Salad

Sebi Mastro’s 2019

Feb17

Restaurant: Mastro’s [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

Location: 246 North Canon Dr, Beverly Hills, Ca 90210. 310-888-8782

Date: December 20, 2019

Cuisine: Steak House

Rating: A top LA Steak joint

For the fourth year (sort of) in a row, my friend Sebastian picked Mastros for his birthday dinner — no complaints here — so we all hauled out the wines and headed across town. Wine theme: First Growth Bordeaux.

We setup in the luxurious Penthouse!

The current menu upstairs (the Penthouse has a different menu).

From my cellar: 1990 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon. BH 95. This is a wine that I know extremely well from 750 ml and it’s one that is beginning to tire though I hasten to point out that it’s still enjoyable and just beginning to show signs of fatigue. However there are no such concerns with the same wine from magnum that remains magnificently fresh and while it’s clear that the aromas are mature, that’s not at all the same thing as describing the yeasty and baked apple suffused nose as tiring. There is equally good depth and vibrancy to the beautifully delineated flavors that are supported by a fine and firm mousse that allows the texture of a well-aged Dom to be easily appreciated. For my taste this has arrived at its peak though note well that it should easily be capable of effortlessly holding for years to come. (Drink starting 2015)

2008 Dom Pérignon Champagne. VM 98. The 2008 Dom Pérignon is once again stunning. More than anything else, I am surprised by how well the 2008 drinks given all the tension and energy it holds. Then again, that is precisely what makes 2008 such a unique vintage – namely that the best wines are so chiseled and yet not at all austere. Lemon peel, almond, mint, smoke and crushed rocks are all finely sculpted, but it is the wine’s textural feel, drive and persistence that elevate it into the realm of the sublime. The 2008 will be even better with time in the cellar, but it is absolutely phenomenal even today, in the early going. Three recent bottles have all been nothing short of magnificent. (Drink between 2020-2048)

1995 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut. BH 95. A knock out and still quite youthful nose that has everything that you could want in a luxury cuvée including notes of green apple, yeast, white pear and peach and very subtle spice hints merges into sophisticated and classy flavors presented on a base of firm but not aggressive effervescence and better acid support than many examples from ’95 have. A wonderful effort that is only just now beginning to unwind and for my preferences, it needs at least three more years in the cellar first before drinking well over the next two decades.

Mustard, cocktail sauce, atomic horseradish.

A seafood tower. The quality of the seafood here is impeccable! Amazing shrimp, claws, king crab (didn’t taste frozen), crab cocktail, and oysters. This year’s tower was well sized (last year was a bit skimpy).

Bluefin Tuna Carpaccio.

From my cellar: 2017 Maison Leroy Bourgogne Blanc. 91 points. A nose of stewed apple and poached pear. Sappy and full on the palate, with plenty of richness and a note of cotton candy on the finish in addition to the apple and pear.

From my cellar: 1993 Robert Ampeau & Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. BH 92. A fully mature and expressive nose of elegant secondary fruit and floral aromas introduces intensely mineral-driven, pure and beautifully well-detailed middle weight flavors that possess excellent depth and fine length. This is drinking perfectly now and should continue to do so without effort for at least another decade. Tasted only once recently. (Drink starting 2012)

2016 Bouchard Père et Fils Beaune 1er Cru Beaune du Château Blanc. BH 90. In contrast to the Pouilly-Fuissé, the reduction is sufficiently prominent that I would advise decanting this first. Otherwise there is excellent concentration to the sappy and palate coating flavors that possess a lovely texture that extends to the solidly complex and sneaky long finish. (Drink starting 2022)

Beef Carpaccio with capers, arugula, and parmesan. Awesome and a bit lighter.

Caesar salad. A bit too mild for my taste.

Spanish Octopus Carpaccio. WIth a lot of green sauce.

1983 Latour. Parker 88. Tasted from my cellar, this wine is fully mature, not terribly concentrated, and slightly herbaceous, exhibiting aromas of sweaty saddle leather, melted asphalt, tobacco, and red as well as black fruits. Notions of caramel and roasted nuts also emerge. A medium-bodied effort with soft tannin, but little persistence and length, it requires consumption over the next decade.

From my cellar: 1986 Château Margaux. Parker 98. A magnificent example of Chateau Margaux and one of the most tannic, backward Margauxs of the last 50 years, the 1986 continues to evolve at a glacial pace. The color is still a dense ruby/purple with just a hint of lightening at the rim. With several hours of aeration, the aromatics become striking, with notes of smoke, toast, creme de cassis, mineral, and white flowers. Very full-bodied, with high but sweet tannin, great purity, and a very masculine, full-bodied style, this wine should prove nearly immortal in terms of its aging potential. It is beginning to budge from its infantile stage and approach adolescence. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2050. Last tasted, 12/02.

Pretzel bread — gotta love it.

Escargot and pastry. One of my favorites of the aps.

Beef tartar.

Bone marrow and toast — have a bit of fat! Actually not my favorite as I don’t love the texture of bone marrow straight up.

1998 Mouton Rothschild. Parker 97. Composed of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, the 1998 Mouton Rothschild is deep garnet-brick in color with lovely crème de cassis, dried roses, hoisin and baking spice notes with underlying notions of dried cherries and mulberries plus touches of wood smoke, incense and forest floor. Medium to full-bodied and packed with rich fruit framed by firm, chewy tannins, it is stacked with complex, evolving flavors and finishes with incredibly long-lasting perfumed notes. According to winemaker Philippe Dhalluin, this needs about three hours of decanting at this stage. I simply love the place this wine is in right now, possessing plenty of mature, tertiary characters yet still sporting bags of fruit. It won’t be fading anytime soon either and should cellar nicely for 20-25+ more years.

1999 Lafite Rothschild. Parker 95. The 1999 Lafite Rothschild sports an engraved “1999” on the bottle along with an eclipse to mark that significant historical event of August, 1999. It is a quintessential offering from Lafite Rothschild. This prodigious wine is both elegant and intensely flavored, and almost diaphanous in its layers that unfold with no heaviness. An opaque ruby/purple color is accompanied by a complex bouquet of lead pencil, graphite, cedar, creme de cassis, toast, and vanilla. It is medium-bodied, with extravagant layers of richness yet little weight, and a finish that is all sweetness, ripeness, and harmony. This extraordinary Lafite increasingly appears to be a modern day clone of the majestic 1953. A mere one-third of the crop made it into the grand vin! Anticipated maturity: 2007-2030.

The empty plate.

Rack of lamb.

Roasted Vegetable Risotto, shaved black truffles.

Shoestring fries. I love these crispy fries.

Wild sautéed mushrooms.

2002 Latour. Parker 96-98. The wine of the vintage? There are only 10,000 cases of this extraordinarily rich, dense 2002 that is as powerful as the 2003 (even the alcohol levels are nearly the same, 12.85%) . It is dark ruby/purple to the rim, with notes of English walnuts, crushed rocks, black currants, and forest floor, dense, full-bodied, and opulent, yet classic with spectacular aromatics, marvelous purity, and a full-bodied finish that lasts just over 50+ seconds. Huge richness and the sweetness of the tannin are somewhat deceptive as this wine seems set for a long life. Administrator Frederic Engerer seems to be more pleased with what Latour achieved in 2002 than in any other recent vintage. Hats off to him for an extraordinary accomplishment in a vintage that wouldn’t have been expected to produce the raw materials to achieve something at this level of quality. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2045.

2003 Latour. Parker 100! 2003 was one of the hottest, earliest Bordeaux vintages ever. Some vines suffered from lack of moisture, but old vines and clay subsoil at Enclos saw this vineyard through. The Merlot harvest occurred between September 8 and 13, and the Cabernet Sauvignon was picked between September 22 and 30. The 2003 Latour is a blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot. Six percent of the press wine was added to the final blend. It has a medium to deep garnet-purple color, then wow—it explodes from the glass with bombastic black and blue fruits, followed up by meat, wood smoke, sandalwood and Indian spice accents with underlying floral wafts. The palate is full, rich, velvety, seductive and very long on the finish. There were only 10,800 cases made (rather than the normal 15,000-20,000).

Snake river farms American Wagyu 40oz.

Branzino.

Bone in filet — a bit overcooked.

Second one, more rare.

New York Strip.

Sautéed asparagus.

Alaskan King Crab Black Truffle Gnocchi. One of my favorites.

Creamed corn. My wife loves this (and so do I).

2002 Alois Kracher Sämling Trockenbeerenauslese Auslese.

The all important Butter Cake. This is “Mastro’s signature warm butter cake ala mode.” Basically a pound cake with an extra four sticks of butter or something. It’s really sweet and really good. Goes well with the magic whipped cream (see below).

Real whipped cream.

And fresh berries.

Moose Avenue Gelato — Ice cream fans should get the joke — pure Tahitian Vanilla gelato base layered with Valrhona Milk Chocolate Ganache and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups –created 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 #vanilla #valrhona #chocolate #ganache #Reeses #PeanutButterCups

Mango Coconut Cheesecake Gelato — this one is serious — Mango Cheesecake base layered with house-made Graham Crackers and house-made Coconut Cream- Ceese Icing and sprinkled with Candied Mango –created 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 #mango #cheesecake #creamcheese #coconut #icing #GrahamCracker #CandiedFruit

Seb’s girlfriend brought a special wine themed birthday cake.

The wine lineup.

The birthday boy and his girl.

Mary and Chevy.

Shirley and Will.

My wife and I.

Mastro’s, while a zoo, and expensive, is a spectacular steak house experience. You can really feel your heart palpitating as you roll out of here! Food is very good, but the steaks themselves are the weakest point — particularly as they seem to have a consistent problem cooking them right. This doesn’t bother me hugely, as I don’t actually really like steak, and steakhouses are always about the other for me, but Mastro’s best dishes are things like the seafood tower, buttercake, and starchy sides. Service is good, but we encountered some slightly funny interactions between the staff and our quirky party members — haha — it happens.

Overall, another great steakhouse birthday!

In terms of organizing for the “steakhouse wine problem” for this dinner I came into it with the same kind of plan I used the week before at BOA, with a seafood course, white apps, red wine apps, then three sets of steak/side courses. This worked out much better than the “all at once” style we used recently at The Royce but was a bit subverted mid dinner when the the birthday boy merged my 2nd and 3rd meat courses — this would have been better as separate courses. But he also (correctly) tamed down my admittedly overzealous carby side and dessert plan into a more manageable (but still totally gluttonous) volume. I had planned 4 butter cakes! We barely managed to kill 2 (because we also had gelato and the giant wine cake. haha).

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Beverly Hills, birthday, BYOG, Gelato, Mastros, steakhouse

Harlan at BOA

Feb10

Restaurant: BOA Steakhouse

Location: 9200 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069. (310) 278-2050

Date: December 13, 2019

Cuisine: Steakhouse

Rating: Pretty good food, mediocre service

Continuing my December run of Steakhouse dinners is a huge Harlan vertical.

This was originally intended to happen at Arthur J Steakhouse in Manhattan beach, but was redirected to BOA Sunset. Now BOA has decent food, but it’s run by Innovative Dining, which has a style-over-substance approach and medium service. On the plus side they do waive corkage, but this has some costs (more on that later) and they are huge, mobbed, and not super attentive.

We had a nice outside table, but it wasn’t a private room and was quite loud.

The menu.

In order to better organize the food/wine progression I formed a 6 course “plan” with Yarom and Larry. This consisted of seafood/salad, red apps, steak 1, steak 2, steak 3, desserts.

Course 0: Aperitifs

From my cellar: 2007 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Rosé Brut. VM 97. The 2007 Comtes de Champagne Rosé is a total knock-out. Racy and exuberant in the glass, the 2007 wraps around the palate with stunning textural depth and resonance. The 15% still Pinot adds structure and persistence to a creamy, inviting Rosé Champagne that will leave readers weak at the knees. Hints of rose petal, dried cherry, cinnamon and dried flowers meld into the sublime finish. This is about as good as it gets. Wow! (Drink between 2018-2038)

Salted butter.

Passable bread, but nowhere near as good as The Royce, Mastros, or many other steakhouses.

Course 1: Seafood / Champ

2002 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut. 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. (Drink between 2017-2037)

COLOSSAL BLUE CRAB COCKTAIL. Nice chunks of crab meat.

Course 2: Salads / Whites

2012 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis 1er Cru Séchet. VM 92+. Stony aromas of white pepper, biscuit and white truffle. Dense and energetic, with a distinctly savory saline quality leavening the intense lemon and mineral flavors. Finishes stony and very long, with terrific energy and grip. Very youthful in the early going.

From my cellar: 1996 Robert Ampeau & Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières. 94 points. Golden yellow, big, reductive so we decanted it for an hour, more accessible & opened up to reveal a rich, relatively full bodied wine, not at its peak.

BLT WEDGE. applewood smoked bacon, crisp iceberg, tomato, avocado, creamy bacon dressing.

TABLE-SIDE CLASSIC CAESAR. This is just the romaine waiting to be prepped.

The empty bowl.

Mustard.

Condiments.

Whipping up the dressing.

The Caesar itself. Very peppery and tangy. Nice. One of the best restaurant caesars. Not quite as good as my own homemade one, but very good.

Course 3: Red Apps

1993 Harlan Estate. VM 97. What a joy it is to taste the 1993 Harlan Estate. The aromatics alone are captivating. Wonderfully nuanced and expressive, the 1993 is peaking today. Time has softened the tannins, yet there is plenty of depth, especially for a wine of this age. Readers can look forward to another 5-10 years of exceptional drinking. Although the vines were naturally younger when the 1993 was made than they are today, and winemaking has evolved, the reality is that the 1993, like many of these wines, really needed quite a bit of time to be at its very best. (Drink between 2017-2023)

1993 Harlan Estate. VM 96. It is fascinating to taste the 1996 Harlan Estate after the 1999. Tightly wound and almost Old World in spirit, the 1996 is compelling from the first taste. Although the 1996 doesnâ’t have the natural Napa Valley opulence that runs through so many other wines in this tasting, itâ’s balance is simply impeccable. Scents of tobacco, leather, cedar and spice add aromatic intensity. For a 21 year-old wine, the 1996 is still quite powerful. As good as the 1996 is, there is a perceptible aggressiveness in the tannins that are hardly, if ever, seen in todayâ’s wines. (Drink between 2017-2027)

TABLE-SIDE PRIME STEAK TARTARE. quail egg, house-made pickles, grilled toast.

All mixed up. This was a decent tartare, but not as good as at the Royce. Maybe too much in the pickle department.

Toasts and extra pickles.

ROASTED BONE MARROW. red onion jam, kimchee, micro herbs, grilled bread. Not that huge a marrow fan.

GOAT CHEESE BAKLAVA. pistachios, black truffles, frisee. This was awesome. Sweet and cheesy with great texture. A savory dessert hybrid.

Course 4: Lamb and Fries

1998 Harlan Estate. VM 92. Good full red-ruby. Coolish but attractive nose combines blueberry, violet, licorice and lavender; still quite primary. Then juicy and intense if on the lean side, with a captivating floral freshness, brisk acidity and surprising succulent persistence. This will never be an expansive style of Harlan Estate but I like its intensity and verve and give it the edge today over the 2000. The high quality, and satisfying ripeness, of this wine is no doubt largely due to the fact that only a tiny quantity of juice was bottled under the flagship label.

1998 Harlan Estate. VM 95+. Good medium ruby-red. Slightly high-toned aromas of dark raspberry, spicecake, licorice and minerals. Densely packed, ripe and savory, with its very ripe, slightly inky flavors of dark berries and licorice extended on the back end by strong saline minerality. This highly concentrated, powerfully structured wine boasts excellent acidity and the ripe tannic spine for further positive development in bottle. Finishes with a repeating licorice quality and outstanding palate-staining length. (14.5% alcohol) (Drink between 2019-2039)

sonoma lamb t-bones. Okay, but not like the amazing ones at The Royce.

TRUFFLED CHEESE FRIES. Gluttonous, but yummy.

HAND CUT CRISPY FRIES. Why bother when there are cheesy ones?

CRAB & BLACK TRUFFLE GNOCCHI. Excellent.

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon.

My “civilized” first meat course plate.

Course 5: Ribeye

2000 Harlan Estate. VM 93. The 2000 Harlan Estate is in a beautiful place today. Soft, open-knit and nicely mellowed by age, the 2000 is absolutely gorgeous, with soft contours to match is engaging personality. Mocha, black cherries, leather and spice are all quite forward in this succulent Harlan Estate. The 2000 might not be a profound Harlan Estate, but it is a striking wine that is peaking today and that should continue to drink well for at least another few years. (Drink between 2015-2020)

From my cellar: 2000 Harlan Estate. VM 95. Good deep ruby-red. Blackcurrant, minerals, graphite, mocha and leather on the nose. Sweet and tightly wound, with a violet topnote and terrific depth of flavor. This powerfully structured wine has plenty of meat on its bones. The tannins are huge but refined. This must be among the three or four longest wines of the vintage, with the violet quality persisting on the aftertaste. (I retasted the 2002 on this occasion, and this elixir of a wine continues to be one of the greatest California cabernets of my experience, with a knockout nose of black raspberry, minerals, tobacco and crushed stone; a superconcentrated essence of cabernet on the palate; and an almost confectionery finish of incredible persistence. My latest sample merited a solid 98.)

2000 Harlan Estate. VM 95. Open-knit, sensual and perfumed, the 2005 Harlan Estate is super-expressive today. Like so many 2005s, the Harlan is a bit lacking in intensity and overall structure relative to the very best years. The 2005 is a terrific choice for drinking now and over the next 15-20 years. At some point during that arc of time, the 2005 is likely to become a bit frail, but that does not appear to be imminent. Even after thinning to a cluster per shoot, the clusters and berries were large, which required some bleeding in the tanks, a technique that is not often used at Harlan Estate. (Drink between 2017-2027)

21 day dry aged bone-in ribeye.

With garlic.

MAC N CHEESE. Ok, but I’ve had better.

SEASONAL MUSHROOMS.

LOBSTER MASHED POTATOES.

Course 6: Tomahawk

2006 Harlan Estate. VM 95+. Deep ruby-red. Captivating aromas of redcurrant, sage, leather and game, lifted by a floral note. A sweet, juicy midweight, quite primary and closed today but with lovely inner-mouth floral lift apparent already. This is about sweetness more than sheer opulence. Most impressive today on the very long, building finish, which features suave but firm tannins and excellent lift to its lingering flavors of red fruits, forest floor and tobacco. A great performance for the year and sure to be long-lived.

2009 Harlan Estate. VM 97. Bright, saturated ruby. Alluring aromas of blueberry, cassis, licorice, minerals, mocha and nutty oak. At once thick and lively on entry, then densely packed and compellingly deep in in the middle palate, with its dark fruit, smoke and graphite flavors conveying a subtle savory quality that nicely buffers the wine’s sweetness and alcohol. At once harmonious and gripping for the year, this reverberating, palate-staining wine spreads out on the back end without losing its verticality–if that’s possible! Impeccable tannin management here. (Drink between 2020-2040)

2010 Harlan Estate. VM 100. The 2010 Harlan Estate is a total head-turner. Powerful, dense and exotically ripe â€“ as so many wines are in this vintage â€“ the 2010 dazzles with magnificent intensity. Baritone inflections run through the black cherry, graphite, smoke, tar and licorice flavors. Heat spikes at the end of what was generally a cold growing season yielded wines that bring together structure and fruit density. (Drink between 2018-2037)

Tomahawk.

Sautéed Broccoli Rabe.

Course 7: My Gelato

“Plated.”

The pre Harlans.

And the Harlan lineup.

Food was pretty solid. It’s not nearly as good as The Royce, but it’s better than more hack steakhouses like Del Friscos or terrible ones like Taylor’s. The place is gigantic and a bit of a factory. It was very crowded with holiday parties and the like. Service was okay but a bit distant.

They did waive corkage. But on the minus side, and perhaps because of this, they didn’t touch the bottles (maybe a good thing), so we did everything. AND they very strictly limited us to TWO glasses each. At first they blamed this on being crowded and said “we can get you more later” but the manager had informed the service not to. We asked repeatedly and were denied. When two of us went up to the bar and got a single extra glass each the manager tracked down a third person and TOOK THE GLASS. And he told the staff not to give us any more. This is pretty unforgivable and violates the rules of hospitality. It’s one thing to not bring a whole extra set, but it’s totally different to circumvent active efforts on the part of a guest to get a glass. Whoever had this idea should just be tossed out of the restaurant business. Two stems was just not sufficient to work through our wine. 3 barely was. Even with breaking up the food into so many flights, several of the courses needed three stems.

My plan to break up the courses — despite a tiny bit of grumbling — worked much much better than the single wave of steaks and sides. If we had tried that here we would have had to get through 8 Harlans in about 10 minutes! Gulp!

The wines were excellent. I liked the 90s ones best myself as I like a bit of age on my wine. The 2010 was so young and hot (alcoholic) and slutty, although it had a certain hedonistic pleasure to it.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

By: agavin
Comments (1)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BOA, BYOG, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gelato, harlan, hedonists, Hollywood, steakhouse

The Royce

Feb07

Restaurant: The Royce Wood Fired Steakhouse

Location: 1401 S Oak Knoll Ave, Pasadena, CA 91106. (626) 585-6410

Date: December 10, 2019

Cuisine: Steakhouse

Rating: One of LA’s best

For years some of the guys have been talking about how good the Pasadena steakhouse, The Royce is…

So I figured I’d give it a try — particularly given that we were doing (mostly) Grange night.

It’s located inside the Langham hotel in Pasadena — which is right by the Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens. I hadn’t even known this was here but it’s a lovely “old LA” hotel — really a rare vestige of the classic era of our city.

The Royce itself is a high-end classic (modern) steakhouse.

We had a great (if chilly) private room inside one of the wine cellars.

The menu.

1998 Dom Pérignon Champagne P2. VM 94. The 1998 Dom Pérignon P2 is clearly heading into its next plateau of maturity, as evidenced by a host of coffee, roasted almond, butter, brioche, caramel, lemon confit and pastry notes. Even so, there is a good bit of freshness to play off a generally mature set of aromas and flavors. Readers who enjoy mature Champagne will find quite a bit to like in the 1998. Today, it is especially open-knit and giving. Two recent bottles have been terrific. (Drink between 2019-2039)

Stellar bread.

1988 Penfolds Grange. 94 points. Magnificent despite probably being several years past it’s peak. Still overpriced but the reason the demand is so high is due to this being the worthy benchmark for all Aussie Shiraz to aspire to. Supremely complex.

PRIME STEAK TARTARE. tabasco vinaigrette, house-made potato chips. Amazing tartare.

House-made potato chips to go with the tartare.

ROASTED BONE MARROW ‘GRATINEE’. wood-grilled bread, friseé salad. Nice bread. Was so hungry was eating frisee.

JUMBO SHRIMP COCKTAIL. cocktail sauce, yuzu aioli. Very good for being a “dull” dish.

Cocktail and tartar sauce.

GRILLED PORTOBELLO CARPACCIO. miso, arugula, citrus. Amazing bright citrus flavors and nice texture.

1981 Penfolds Grange. 95 points. Dark as night. Dill, and some coconut on the nose along with a black wall of dark fruit, asphalt, olive, and meaty notes. It just seems a little muted. The palate was more impressive than the nose, but the reason became clear by the end of the night. Viscous texture, but not fat, just very extracted. Meaty, and dark fruited, with iodine, anise, more meat, and dark syrah fruit. Very large scaled, and dare I day drinking youthfully.

Oysters on the half-shell.

Sauces.

ROYCE WEDGE. baby iceberg, pancetta, blue cheese crumble. Very solid wedge. Not as much dressing as I like.

MAINE LOBSTER BISQUE. sherry vinegar. Super rich classic bisque.

1998 Penfolds Grange. VM 97. Very deep red-ruby. Smoky, deeply concentrated fruit bomb of a nose: blackberry, dark plum, cassis; creamy vanilla and lightly toasty coconutty oak; and ethereal background notes of white pepper, smoked meats, musky spices, tar and licorice. Profoundly concentrated but velvety-smooth and seamless; impressively muscular and thickly coated with oak, and bound by drying, astringent tannins. Without question the most concentrated Grange of all time, utterly steeped in blackberry flavors; a real show pony. It’s also the most alcoholic Grange ever made, and at a declared 14.5% does taste warm and spirity – the first Grange to do so. It also ventures to some degree into the realm of currant and prune. No doubt a brilliant wine, but only time will tell if, with its elevated alcohol and its superripe flavors, this 1998 version ranks with the very best Grange vintages.

HAND CUT FRENCH FRIES. garlic. Tasted good, a bit soft, but lots of flavor.

1999 Penfolds Grange. VM 91+. Full ruby-red. Sexy aromas of raspberry, cola, root beer and coconut. Thick, dense and concentrated, with exotic, slightly candied dark fruit, caramel, toasted coconut and mineral flavors nicely shaped by firm acids. Shows strong fruit and a major dose of oak on the powerful, backward finish. This can’t quite match the 1998 for sheer depth of fruit, but it’s built to age.

AUSTRALIAN WAGYU TOMAHAWK. Rich.

Chopped up.

From my cellar: 2001 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Hommage à Jacques Perrin. VM 95+. Saturated ruby-red. Highly complex, very primary, inky nose hints at blackberry, black cherry, licorice, spicecake and tree bark; dominated by the mourvedre. Then dense, thick and sappy in the mouth, with brooding black fruit and mineral flavors and superb precision. Hints of meat and leather lurk, but, like the regular release, this is extremely backward and dominated by dark fruits. Offers superb thickness without any excess weight, and a wonderfully seamless, elegant texture. Finishes extremely long, with very fine tannins. A unique critter: a Chateauneuf du Pape with just 20% grenache. Likely to develop in bottle for two decades or more. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL)

3oz MIYAZAKI, JAPAN. WAGYU TENDERLOIN. Very salty. First came too cooked. Soft and WAY over salted, so not the best use of A5.

Petite Filet.

2005 Dalla Valle Maya. VM 93. The 2005 Maya is gorgeous, layered and beautifully expressive in the glass. Overall, the 2005 is a relatively mid-weight Maya that impresses for its balance and overall sense of harmony. Still quite vibrant, the 2005 will drink well for at least a handful of years to come. Hints of spice, tobacco and new leather flesh out on the finish, adding further dimensions of complexity. (Drink between 2014-2025)

COLORADO RACK OF LAMB. israeli couscous, boursin. Amazing. tender, fatty, flavorful, crunchy

GRILLED SHISHITO PEPPERS.

SAUTÉED BRUSSELS SPROUTS. bacon vinaigrette.

BUTTON MUSHROOMS.

MAC & CHEESE.

POTATO PUREÉ. horseradish. Very soft. nice.

MAPLE BRIOCHE BREAD PUDDING. candy cap mushroom ice cream. Amazing. Super decadent.

FRIED CINNAMON BEIGNETS. chocolate frangelico sauce. Huge and warm.

The stellar wine lineup.

Overall, this was a great meal. Many of the guys feel that this is the best steakhouse in town. I’m no total expert, but I’ve been to plenty and it’s certainly in the top few. I think at a similar level to Alexander’s and Cut, but probably a touch more classic — i.e. Cut and Alexander’s have edged a touch more off the traditional steakhouse playbook into newer territory. The Royce is pretty straight up. But then again they are contemporary and upscale unlike terrible fossils like Taylor’s — and at The Royce the execution and attention to detail is top notch. Definitely also much better than “middling” steak places like BOA or Del Friscos. Service was great too and the Langham is a really lovely space.

But the drive is long. Sigh.

Also, a slight note on steakhouses and the wines. As this is one of a series of 3-4 steakhouse dinners I did within a few weeks, and they all faced slight variants of the wine problem. Basically, the appetizers need champs and whites and then the “natural” thing for steakhouses to do is bring you all the steaks and all the sides in one giant wave of food. This works very poorly for wine dinners as about 2 minutes after this massive course hits I’m stuffed to the gills and there just isn’t enough time to enjoy more than one flight of reds. Tonight’s dinner suffered badly from this, as we did “individual ordering” of mains — which I don’t like at steakhouses. Along came the giant food wave and it was paired with 2 Grange, the Hommage, and the Maya. We needed to break the meats and sides into 2 waves, which as we will see from later dinners works much better.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: fries, hedonists, steakhouse, tartare, The Royce, Wine

Double Eagle is Pretty Standard

May13

Restaurant: Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse

Location: 10250 Santa Monica Blvd Suite 1700, Los Angeles, CA 90067. (323) 784-0473

Date: April 15, 2019

Cuisine: Steakhouse

Rating: Middling

Some of our core gang members decided to try out the new Del Frisco’s Double Eagle.

It’s a monster of a steakhouse in Century City — 15,000 square feet of restaurant — and represents Del Frisco’s attempt to go more upscale. Their regular place is like this.

It’s all those levels on the right.

The build out is very extensive/expensive — in a kind of corporate fake way.

From my cellar: 2004 Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne. VM 96. I am thrilled with the way the 2004 Comtes de Champagne continues to evolve in bottle. A few years ago, the 2004 was quite focused and linear, in the style of the vintage, but more recently, the wine has begun to fill out beautifully. The 2004 remains bright, with a full range of citrus, white flower and mineral nuances that dance on the palate. A brisk, saline-infused finish rounds things out beautifully in a Comtes that impresses for its crystalline purity. I expect the 2004 will always remain a bit cool next to the more opulent 2002, but it is still drop-dead gorgeous.

Bread.

Menu.

2014 La Chablisienne Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses. BH 94. Moderate wood frames the green fruit, floral, citrus and mineral reduction scents. The highly energetic and beautifully well-detailed middle weight flavors possess excellent minerality on the balanced, saline and Zen-like finale. This is quite simply terrific.

Stone Crab Claws with mustard. This was amazingly, I think, two portions. They were fairly flat and bland. And certainly small.

Chilled Shrimp “tasting”. Traditional Cocktail Sauce, Remoulade & Garlic Marinade. Nothing to write home about. And $4.33 a shrimp.

Shanghai-style Fried Calamari. Sweet Chili Glaze, Bean Sprouts, Cherry Peppers, Crushed Peanuts & Scallions. About as Shanghai as Shanghai McNuggets — but this was actually the first tasty dish as fried squid with sweet chili sauce is hard to get wrong.

1976 Château La Mission Haut-Brion. Another aged winner, this had a huge spicy aroma with hints of leather, cedar and cigar box complimenting the black currant fruit in the taste; it held up and finished as it started; a mild bit of sweetness came in late; enjoyable mature Bordeaux.

Thick-Cut Nueske’s Bacon au Poivre. Bourbon Molasses Glaze. Now this was tasty. Fatty, of course. And Sweet, and not really innovative or anything — but tasty.

Erick brought: 1985 Domaine de Chevalier. JG 93. It has been several years since I last saw a bottle of the 1985 DDC, but when last tasted in 2007, it was showing outstanding potential. The deep, pure and beautifully refined nose wafts from the glass in a blend of red plums, cherries, tobacco leaf, black truffles, cocoa powder, beautifully complex soil tones and a deft touch of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and velvety on the attack, with a fine core of sappy fruit, modest tannins, sound acids and outstanding length and grip on the really intense finish. This is a beautiful vintage of DDC that was just entering its plateau of peak maturity in 2006 and should continue to drink well for many decades to come.

Classic Caesar. Crisp Romaine Leaves, Shaved Parmesan, Croutons & Caesar Dressing. Anchovies.

Blue Cheese Lettuce Wedge. Iceberg, Cherry Tomatoes, Crisp Bacon & Danish Blue Cheese Dressing. Okay enough wedge.

Kirk brought: 1990 Château Trotanoy. VM 91. Bright red with an amber rim. Gamey aromas of black cherry, fig, leather, ink and spices; conveys an impression of rusticity. Fresh and lively on entry, then earthy and supple in the middle, with ripe acidity framing the black fruit and licorice pastille flavors. At once densely packed and lively, with a very long finish featuring substantial but smooth tannins and a trace of bitterness. This delicious, silky, open-knit Trotanoy is currently drinking well.

A dry aged cut. Maybe ?

Lobster Macaroni & Cheese. Certainly good. Not the best I’ve ever had. But I’ll give it some props.

Sautéed wild mushrooms & pearl onions.

1996 Château La Mission Haut-Brion. VM 91. Full ruby-red. Very reticent aromas of plum, black cherry, leather, dark chocolate and flowers; faint suggestion of surmaturite. Fat with sweet fruit; lush and voluminous for the vintage. Finishes with big but very even tannins that spread out on the palate.

From my cellar: 1996 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande. VM 97+. What a treat it is to taste these two Pichon Lalandes straight from the chateau’s cellar. The 1996 Pichon Lalande is stratospheric from the very first taste. The deep, layered bouquet alone is deeply transfixing. Smoke, mocha, dark spices, lavender, crème de cassis, a host of dark-fleshed fruits and a touch of warm, resonant sweetness from the French oak draw me in. All of those sensations follow through to the palate, where the wine is massive, intense and totally enveloping. Time has softened the tannins to the point the 1996 is ready to drink, but there is enough sheer concentration here to support another 20-30 years of exceptional drinking. I am not sure I possess the vocabulary to describe just how captivating the 1996 is, but I do know this: If I had an opportunity to pick up a few well-stored bottles I would take it in a nanosecond. Readers holding the 1996 should be thrilled. The 1996 Pichon Lalande is a magnificent wine with plenty of upside. In word: fabulous.

Larry brought: 1996 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron. VM 94. The 1996 Pichon-Baron now has a superior bouquet to the 1995. There is much better definition here, and the scents of blackberry, graphite, smoke and a touch of gravel are all very harmonious and focused – quintessential Pauillac. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin and very fresh in the mouth. Hints of blood orange suffuse vivid black fruit tinged with a core of mineralité toward the finish. This is a seriously fine Pichon-Baron that seems to be pulling away from the 1995. Easily the peak of the nineties. Superb. Tasted at the Pichon-Baron vertical at the château.

Fancy salt tasting.

This premium steak came out to be cut table-side. The “Double Eagle” 45 day dry-aged double bone prime ribeye.

Let the carving begin.

Chop chop.

Slice slice.

Plate plate.

Thick-cut onion rings. Nice staking method.

Creamed corn. Blistered shishito peppers. This was pretty delicious.

I brought some gelato as usual, as I had a motherlode from my 6 batch set the other day.

Testing out a new Italian nut source — Salty Pistachio Gelato – using my new egg yolk based nut formulation with the new Sicilian Pistachio to produce a pistachio base with a slight saltiness — 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 #salty #pistachio #sicily #nuts

Testing out a new Italian nut source — Caramel Nocciola Gelato – using my new egg yolk based nut formulation with the new Piedmontese hazelnut to produce a hazelnut base, then adding in house-made caramel and chopped up hazelnuts — 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 #nuts

Traditional Cassata di Siciliana Gelato — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — Sicilian Christmas cake as a gelato, with a ricotta almond base mixed with candied fruit and dark Valrhona chocolate chunks — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #Cassata #Valrhona #CandiedFruit #fruit #chocolate #ricotta #almond #RicottaCheese #cheese #CassataSiciliana

Testing out a new Italian nut source — Salty Pistachio Gelato – using my new egg yolk based nut formulation with the new Almond to produce the base, then weaving in Italian apricot variegate — 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 #nuts #almond #apricot

Very Cherry Gelato – a super intense amarena cherry gelato topped with candied amarena cherries — 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 #amarena #cherry

Overall, while we had a fun time this particular night, there were some issues.

First of all, the menu is a bit boring. It’s just slightly up scaled Del Friscos. There is no unique signature to anything. The food execution reflected that. It wasn’t bad. Many dishes were certainly tasty. I liked the meats themselves. The sides. Appetizers were pretty uninspired.

They have a big wine-list. Fairly impressive. But I don’t see who will be ordering the expensive stuff. It just doesn’t feel exclusive or really upscale enough for a serious baller work steakhouse dinner.

They had a TON of staff, and service was okay, but not amazing. Lots of people running around or not doing anything. Wine service was very NICE, but not actually that great. The Somm, while extremely friendly and personable, and extremely accommodating, didn’t anticipate the needs of moving through 8 bottles of wine with 6 people. You have to get it IN THE GLASS for a flight BEFORE the food arrives. If you are opening bottles, fetching stems, etc after or when the food arrives, the wine will all pile up at the end. We had to keep prompting him about this, and we had nearly half of it left at dessert. It takes real anticipation to get the wine shoved through one of these multi-course dinners.

The rent has to be crazy. Now, I’m sure Westfield (the mall owners) gave them huge TIs for the build out. But I can’t possible see this place full any percentage of the time. It’s not a bad steakhouse at all, but it’s not really inspired either. And there are a lot of steakhouses in Los Angeles. So why would you come to this one unless you were just at the mall? And then it makes one hell of an expensive mall dinner.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Bordeaux, BYOG, Century City, Del Frisco's, Double Eagle, Gelato, hedonists, onion rings, Steak, steakhouse, Wine

Still Cuts It

Mar01

Restaurant: Wolfgang Puck’s Cut [1, 2]

Location: 9500 Wilshire Blvd. Beverly Hills, California 90212. P: 310-276-8500

Date: February 1, 2019

Cuisine: Steak House

Rating: Top quality

It’s been since 2012 that the Foodie Club has been to Cut and so this year for Erick’s birthday we decided to hit it up again.

Cut is located inside the Beverly Wilshire Hotel (think Pretty Woman) and is Wolfgang Puck’s take on redefining the American Steak House. In this, it succeeds very well. While it adheres to the Steak House basics: slabs of beef served plain on the plate, Cut upgrades things in a number of ways. But we’ll get to this in good time.

Fancy cars in the causeway.

They don’t build ’em like they used to!

We were early and had this view for half an hour while waiting to sit.

The dining room looks light in this photograph but it wasn’t! And they didn’t allow flash, so the photography was challenging to say the least. I had to shoot mostly wide open at 1.8 and so depth of field is tiny.

The current menu.

Erick brought as bonus: 2012 Georges Laval Champagne Les Hautes Chevres. VM 94. Laval’s 2012 Brut Nature Les Hautes-Chèvres, 100% Pinot Meunier, is a dense, powerful wine. The old-vine gravitas of this site, planted between 1930 and 1971, comes through loud and clear in the wine’s ample frame. Dense, powerful and broad on the palate, the 2012 is all class. Dried pear, hazelnut, smoke and dried herbs add tons of complexity. The finish is substantial and intense in all of its dimensions.

Cheesy puffs as an amuse.

Smoked Burrata Cheese. Oro Blanco, Cara Cara Oranges, Tangerines, Charred Fennel. Everyone has a burrata salad but this was a good one — what you can see if it in focus. Colorful, and the combination of greens, cheese, and citrus was nice.

Sea Urchin. Horseradish custard, dungeness crab, bergamont vinegar, avocado. This was more crab than uni by a long shot but was delicious.

And sadly you really can’t see much at this depth of field.

Bread sticks and pretzel bread. I love good pretzel bread.

Wine service started off a touch slow, but was very good, and they have us our own sidecar table and multiple decanters.

Speaking of the wine, Seb convinced us beforehand to coordinate a 4 bottle mini vertical of Château Léoville Las Cases. He, Erick, and I brought them and I swapped an extra one with Erick’s friend Sijie Xiang — who brought me an excellent non-LLC bottle of Bordeaux in exchange.

From my cellar: 1985 Château Léoville Las Cases. VM 96. The 1985 Léoville Las-Cases is quite simply one of the finest Saint-Julien wines of the decade and over a dozen encounters have reaffirmed this as the most pleasurable Las-Cases ever made. This is a stupendous bottle, perhaps the best that I have ever encountered. It has a brilliantly defined bouquet that soars from the glass: red berry fruit, crushed stone, pressed flower, a hint of blood orange and woodland aromas. You could nose this all day. The palate is medium-bodied with the depth and structure one expects from this Second Growth. But what the 1985 has in spades, a virtue not always found at this address, is charm. Silky smooth in texture, the pure red fruit seduces the sense with a shimmering sense of energy on the finish. It is drinking now after three decades and based on this showing could give another three before it declines.

agavin: awesome bottle and WOTN

From my cellar (for Sijie Xiang): 1989 Château Léoville Las Cases. JK 93. A gorgeous, perfectly mature LB Bordeaux. Concentrated with mature, complex fruit and loaded with secondary and tertiary notes of aged cedar, dried tobacco leafs and bell pepper. Elegant with a leanness that doesn’t compromise forward, fleshy fruit. Can hold but really no reason to hold — drink now and enjoy a great, mature Bordeaux.

agavin: very good too, and smooth, but not as powerful or complex as the 1985.

Bluefin Tuna Toro. Smoked Soy Sauce, pickled daikon radish, apple sorrel. We didn’t get much each, but what we did was a lovely sashimi-like bite.

Prime Sirloin Steak Tartare. Herb aioli, grilled sourdough, shallots, dijon mustard. We mixed it all up, including the quail egg. Delicious tartar — really good. Right balance of tangy, meat, pepper etc.

Erick brought: 1995 Château Léoville Las Cases. VM 94+. Deep ruby-red. Deep, lively aromas of red- and blackcurrants, licorice, tobacco and grilled nuts. Great sweetness and silky texture in the mouth currently overshadows the wine strong supporting acidity and tight core of spice and minerals. The toothcoating tannins don’t cover as much of the mouth as those of the ’96 do, but this wine offers uncanny length.

Seb brought (decanted way in advance): 2005 Château Léoville Las Cases. VM 98. A wine for the ages, the 2005 Léoville Las Cases is slow to come out of the gate, but its beauty and pedigree are evident. The 2005 Las Cases is one of the only wines in this tasting that still needs time in bottle, something that won’t come as a surprise to fans of this St. Julien estate. The 2005 offers plenty of the typical Las Cases power, but it is also remarkably nuanced and translucent for a wine of its sheer size. When all is said and done, it is in my top three or four wines of the night.

agavin: the powerhouse monster of the night. Amazing wine and good thing Seb decanted it early that day.

A duo of Snake River Farms Filet Mignon and Nebraska Dry Aged 36 Day Petite Cut New York.

On the side there was some Cavatappi Pasta “Mac & Cheese” with Quebec cheddar. We also ordered Soft Polenta with Parmigiano Reggiano but it was gone faster than I could photo it (given the low light and the fact that I was using a tripod).

A set of sauces including Red Wine Bordelaise, House Made Steak Sauce, and a couple others. I like extra flavor so I’m a sauce guy.

Cauliflower, vadouvan, coconut, curry leaves. Nice interesting veggie.

Celery Root, salsify, carrots, wildflower honey.

Wild Field Mushrooms, shishito peppers, mirin, yuzu. Loves this version of the sautéed mushrooms. The shishitos were great.

The dessert menu.

Baked Alaska. Tangerine Sherbet, Vanilla Gelato, Buttermilk White Chocolate Cake, Candied Kumquats.

They light it on fire in the traditional manner.

Wow this was a great dessert, one of the best baked alaska versions I’ve tasted. Nice hot and cold and texture variance going on.

Orange Honey Nougat Glace. Passion Fruit Granita, lemon yuzu curd, winter citrus. Another dessert winner as it had all those tart flavors.

And for Erick’s birthday: BCP. Caramelized banana, tahitian vanilla custard, puff pastry, banana sorbet, salted caramel sauce. I assume BCP stands for Banana Custard Pastry. It was enough in control banana-wise that I could try it.

The full wine lineup.

Overall, Cut is very very good, if a little expensive. It does succeed in taking the Steak House format and shaking it up a bit, elevating the ingredients and presentation, etc. Partly by offering unusual cuts of beef, partly by having newer more modern appetizers and sides. Execution is very good. Service is very good. It isn’t as over the top as Mastro’s. Not that Cut is lightest meal ever, but I definitely felt less “bombed” than at some other steakhouses, which was nice. Maybe they use less butter. Cut is probably the best Steakhouse in LA, maybe tied with Alexanders on a good night.

More Foodie Club extravaganzas here.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Beverly Hills, Bordeaux, Château Léoville Las Cases, Cut, Dessert, Foodie Club, Leoville Las Cases, Steak, steakhouse, Uni, Wagyū, Wine, Wolfgang Puck

Charcoal – First Foray

Sep16

Restaurant: Charcoal Venice

Location: 425 Washington Blvd, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292. (310) 751-6794

Date: July 21, 2018

Cuisine: New American Grill

Rating: Interesting so far

We were out on a family bike ride and decided to stop at Josiah Citrin’s (owner/chef of Melisse) newish more casual eatery for brunch.

It’s located on Washington Blvd about 2 blocks in from the ocean.

The space is contemporary and attractive.

Maybe about 3000 square feet.

Grilled Cucumber Gazpacho. Persian Cucumber, Calabrian Chili. I’m not sure what else was in this, other than certainly a lot of olive oil — but it was delicious. Roasted vegetable flavors, very roasted, lots of vinegar tang.

Cheddar Buttermilk Biscuits. Pepper Honey. Being moved by a 9 year-old, hence the motion blur. Nice and cheesy. Excellent biscuits.

Hanger Steak Salad. Chopped Salad, Tomato, Havarti, Bacon, Grilled Onion, Kalamata Olives, and Jo-Jo’s Vinaigrette.

Fries. My 9 year-old didn’t like the spicy ketchup, I did.

Charcoal Benedict. Grilled Ham, Tomato Compote, Poached Egg, Charcoal-Infused Jet Black Hollandaise. Never had black hollandaise sauce before. The color made my mind think it should taste like squid ink. I can’t actually say that I tasted the charcoal at all, although clearly you can see it. Tasty classic Benedict either way.

Three Egg Omelette. Wilted Spinach, Avocado, Aged Cheddar, Grilled Spring Onion and Tomato.

Kitchen and interesting menu seemed promising, and several friends like it for dinner, so I’ll have to give that a try one of these days.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Tagged as: Charcoal, Charcoal Venice, Chef Josiah Citrin, Grill, Josiah Citrin, steakhouse, Washington Blvd

Alexanders the Great

Oct09

Restaurant: Alexander’s Steakhouse

Location: 111 N Los Robles Ave, Pasadena, CA 91101. (626) 486-1111

Date: August 28, 2017

Cuisine: Steakhouse

Rating: Asian fusion & some of the best steakhouse I’ve had

People have been saying that Alexander’s is the best steakhouse in the city and so the Foodie Club braves the most hideous traffic to cross town on a weeknight to…

Old Town Pasadena.

Here is the imposing entrance, right there next to the California Pizza Kitchen… lol.

The menu.

The manager set us up spectacularly in the private dining room at this awesome 12 person square table. SO SO much better than a long table.

Right next to the wine cellar too, which we didn’t sample from, but certainly revealed some great bottles peeking out.

Charlie brought: NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée Edition 164eme. JG 95. The 164th Edition of Krug “Grande Cuvée is absolutely brilliant and one of the best iterations of this iconic wine that I have ever had the pleasure to taste. This is not surprising, as it is from the base year of 2008, though the team at Krug utilized reserve wines all the way back to 1990 in this version. The final cépages is forty-eight percent pinot noir, thirty-five percent chardonnay and seventeen percent pinot meunier, with the wine spending eight years in the Krug cellars sur latte. The beautiful bouquet wafts from the glass in a blend of apple, white peach, fresh-baked bread, very complex soil tones, white flowers, incipient smokiness and just a hint of the caraway seed to come with bottle age. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and seamlessly balanced, with a great core, utterly refined mousse, superb focus and grip and a very, very long, complex and zesty finish. The vibrancy of the exceptional base year of 2008 is very much in evidence here and this is destined to be one of the all-time great Grande Cuvées.

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.

An amuse of tater tot with a bit of cheese and whipped something.

Charlie also brought (blind): 2000 Arcadian Chardonnay Sleepy Hollow Vineyard. JG 92. This was my first introduction to the wines from Joe Davis at Arcadian and I was very, very impressed with what I tasted. While the 2000 Sleepy Hollow chardonnay is not the current release from the winery, the estate’s philosophy of holding back their wines several years prior to release obviously is a testament to their commitment to producing truly cellar-worthy wines. This 2000 chardonnay is drinking beautifully and is at its apogee of peak maturity, offering up a deep and complex nose of pears, acacia blossoms, a touch of beeswax, lemon curd, a very pretty base of soil, citrus oils and buttery oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and still quite zesty, with a great core of fruit, excellent focus and balance, fine structure and a long, complex and tangy finish that closes with a bit of citrus peel. This is a lovely bottle at its apogee, but still with plenty of life ahead of it. Impressive juice.

agavin: our bottle was premoxed and tasted like an 80s white burg. I actually enjoyed its nutty tones as it wasn’t very hot like some premoxed bottles.

Emil brought: 2009 Bouchard Père et Fils Corton-Charlemagne. BH 93-96. A cool, fresh and densely fruited nose of crushed citrus, green apple and mineral reduction gives way to seriously concentrated and overtly muscular flavors that possess a suave and silky mouth feel yet do not lack for an underlying reserve of power. This isn’t as fine as the Montrachet but it’s even longer, at least at present with a chewy character that provides evidence of the massive levels of extract. Even so, don’t buy this with the intention of drinking it young as it will require plenty of cellar time, at least if you want to see its full potential realized.

Ron Brought: 2009 Philippe Colin Chevalier-Montrachet. BH 90. This is aromatically quite similar to the Demoiselles though the medium weight plus flavors are bigger, richer and more powerful with even more dry extract that are given lift by the solid minerality though again, the finish is distinctly sweet. To be sure, there will be some who appreciate that sweetness but it’s too much for me.

HAMACHI SHOTS 3.0. dashi / avocado / fresno / ponzu / negi / arare. Very bright flavors and mixed textures.

DRY AGED TATAKI. wasabi mustard / charred ginger ponzu / crispy yuba. Strong ponzu tastes but it left much of the beefy flavors intact.

UNI TAMAGO. egg salad / potato chip / celery. The omelet (tamago) made a nice bed for the uni, a Japanese take on the uni egg toast thing.

GRILLED OCTOPUS. calabrian chili / honeynut squash / pickled onion / ink crumble. Tender with a nice char.

GRILLED PORK BELLY. golden beet miso puree / fennel / truffle balsamic. Lol, fried pork belly.

CHILLED FOIE GRAS. kaya toast / pandan gel / soy egg yolk emulsion. This was an amazing foie terrine formulation. We started with 3 of them and ordered 3-4 more extra. It was crazy!

From my cellar: 1985 Domaine Jean Grivot Echezeaux. 95 points. Lots of bright red fruits and good penetrating acid. In fabulous shape.

Erick brought: 1991 Gros Frère et Sœur Grands-Echezeaux. 94 points. Deep and still youthful, although fully integrated.

(blind): 1996 Domaine Heresztyn/Heresztyn-Mazzini Clos St. Denis. 94 points. Beautiful and perfumed: spicy and sweet, baking spices, nutmeg, cinnamon, some meaty and savory. Somewhat similar to the nose on the palate – savory, meat, sweet spice, lots of 96 acid: tart but still enough perfume and depth. Finish is tart cherry and spice.

Vahan brought: 2000 Emmanuel Rouget Echezeaux. BH 92. A gorgeously scented and wonderfully complex nose of black fruit, spice and warm earth aromas introduce forward, complex, intense and seductive medium-bodied flavors that display excellent power, all wrapped in a sappy and largely, if not completely, resolved finish of excellent length. This is lovely juice that is could either be approached now with pleasure or held for a few more years in the cellar first as it has only just arrived at the front edge of its drinkability. Tasted several times with consistent notes.

agavin: most people here thought this was the best red burg of the night. It certainly had the most intense finish with a ton of fruit, just entering maturity.

The bread was amazing. The dark one was squid ink, then there was a cheese and a milk bread.

Plus some fabulous butters, Strauss Creamery butter, bone marrow butter with honey, and a rendered beef tallow!

KOSHIHIKARI RISOTTO. squid ink / shrimp / uni / braised celery. Great congee-like texture, really nice blend of fresh ingredients.

CRISPY PATA. pork shank / achara / vinegar soy / creamed taro. A whole crazy pig leg deep fried. Super crispy and succulent inside. Yum! Filipino style!

1986 Ritche Creek Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. All of our old Cabs were in great shape!

1973 Mount Eden Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Estate. JG 93. The 1973 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon was the second vintage crafted by the Richard and Peter Graff here at Mount Eden, and the wine is really very lovely and still right in its prime fully forty-three years out from the vintage. This was a small crop that was picked between October 7th and 12th and the wine was fined, but not filtered prior to bottling. The wine is showing beautifully today, offering up a deep and tertiary bouquet of cassis, cigar ash, complex, dark soil tones, menthol, woodsmoke and a touch of red curry in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and at its absolute apogee, with a good core, a wide open and inviting personality, lovely focus and balance and a long, velvety and very pure finish. Just a lovely vintage of Mount Eden cabernet in its prime.
The next bottle Vahan brought blind:

Vahan brought (blind): 1970 Cheval Blanc. 90 points. The ’70 Cheval Blanc has moved into the latter stages of its useful life, and while it remains a reasonable mouthful of wine, it has begun to drop a bit of its fruit and is more defined by its smoky and earthy characteristics today. The nose offers up a rather flat blend of anonymous black fruit, menthol, charred wood, tobacco smoke and damp earth. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, smoky and earthy, with solid mid-palate depth, but a rather flat personality that could do with a bit more acidity, but solid length on the rather tobaccoey finish. Flavor-wise, there is not much fruit left here, but the wine is not fraying or collapsing as of yet, but simply dominated by its smoky and damp earth character.

CAB PRIME RIB. until it’s gone / horseradish duo / natural jus. Soft and meaty.

With the jus.

And two types of horseradish.

AURORA ANGUS FILET MIGNON 8OZ. illinois black angus / negi salad. A nice filet. Filet is contentious among the carnivores. I have always liked it, but I’m not a steak guy. Some others prefer a gamier bit of meat.

MACARONI AND CHEESE. udon / caramelized mornay / truffle panko. This Japanese variant of Mac & Cheese was pretty fabulous actually. I liked the use of the udon.

ERYNGI MUSHROOMS. roasted garlic / thyme / lemon vinaigrette. Solid buttery mushrooms.

A selection of gourmet salts, mostly intended for the wagyu (below).

From my cellar: 1985 Leoville-Las Cases. RP 94. The 1985 is a gorgeously open-knit Las Cases with a sweet nose of lead pencil, sweet black cherries and currants, and a hint of underbrush and new oak. Medium to full-bodied with expansiveness, supple tannins, and outstanding concentration, this is a beautifully made wine that still tastes like it is an adolescent and may even have an even greater upside as it continues to age in bottle. The low acidity and sweet tannin, however, suggest it has entered its plateau of maturity. Anticipated maturity: Now-2018.

Michael brought: 2002 Palmer. RP 93-95. A successful wine for the vintage, this blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 8% Petit Verdot boasts complex notes of menthol, black currants, plums, licorice, and a hint of cappuccino in its stunning aromatics. Dense, medium to full-bodied, with high levels of tannin in a big, full-bodied style (much in the spirit of such classic Bordeaux vintages as 1966, 1986, and 1996), this wine possesses superb purity and serious length, but should be purchased only by those with considerable patience and a good, cold cellar, since it will need plenty of time.

agavin: the baby of the night, but a great wine.

T-BONE 18OZ. grilled sudachi / chive butter / chives.

AURORA ANGUS RIBEYE CHOP 20OZ. illinois raised prime black angus / grilled lemon

BLUE LAKE BEANS. flash fried / garlic / sansyo. Awesome beans, like Szechuan green beans, but no pork. Reduced soy.

TRUFFLE FRIED POTATOES. truffle butter / togarashi / furikake. Solid potatoes too.

2000 Chapoutier • Chateauneuf du Pape Barbe Rac. RP 95. There are approximately 500 cases of this wine. It is a large-scaled Chateauneuf du Pape that represents the antithesis of La Bernardine. This wine has been spectacular, and I have been a frequent buyer and consumer of this wine since the first vintage Michel Chapoutier made, 1989.

2000 Domaine du Pegau • Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reservee. RP 92. Fully mature, with a ruby/amber color that shows some lightening at the rim, it offers classic Pegau garrigue, olive tapenade, beef blood and wild herbs to go with a medium to full-bodied, seamless and resolved profile on the palate. It still has a core of sweet fruit and is drinking nicely now, so don’t make the mistake of waiting too long on this. It should be consumed over the coming couple of years.

Larry brought: 1998 Domaine de la Janasse • Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Vieilles Vignes. RP 96. A bigger, richer wine than the Cuvee Chaupin, the 1998 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes is full-bodied, rich and silky on the palate, with classic Janasse notes of barbecue smoke, licorice, peppery herbs and smoked black fruits. I’ve been lucky enough to have multiple bottles of this recently, all of which have shown beautifully. There’s no upside, but it will continue drinking nicely through 2023.

Chris brought: 2004 Henri Bonneau • Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve des Celestins. RP 95. Classic Bonneau with its knockout perfume of sweet kirsch, blackberry, saddle leather and roasted herbs, the 2004 Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve des Celestins is medium to full-bodied, supple and elegant, with fine, sweet tannin on the finish. Showing more depth and richness than just about any other wine in the vintage, with a fantastic mix of aromatic complexity and textural richness on the palate, it’s drinking beautifully now, and should continue to shine for another decade.

滋賀県 SHIGA OHMI JAPAN A5. extremely rare / complex flavor / prized in japan. The first of the super marbled A5 wagyu monsters!

北海道 HOKKAIDO JAPAN A5. château uenae / farmed in below freezing temperatures. And even more amazing!

KING CRAB FRIED RICE. lap xuong / egg white / chive. Really great fried rice. Better than almost all the ones I’ve had at Chinese restaurants (and that’s a lot).

Special medal for the Hokkaido snow beef — only sold into 2-3 places in the US!

And look how marbled it is!

We were too full to order much dessert.

This intermezzo of tangy and sweet fruit and various textures was awesome.

Trio of sorbetti. Watermelon, strawberry balsamic, peach. All were way too sweet. Way too sweet. Texture was good though.

Various Petite Fours. Can we say wafer thin mint?

And a parting biscotti.

Refuse. Probably not even all of them.

And the lineup. They had a lot of stems too. Not all the same type, but even some Riedel Somms.

Overall, an amazing meal.

Service was knock down, drag out awesome. The manager and the maitre d’ took care of us personally, they helped design the meal, and really made sure we had an incredible time.

Food was really fabulous. I can’t really evaluate steak vs other good steakhouses as I’m not a steak guy, but they seemed up there with the best, but the appetizers and sides were both different and interesting (with their Japanese fusion) and extremely well executed. Every dish was pretty much awesome. Not all your typical American steakhouse stuff either.

Wines were great. Only major flaw was the premoxed Cali Chard (which I still enjoyed), and maybe a little bret on 1-2 of the Rhones. I like that we had old stuff. I’ve had too many of the giant young cabs recently. Nice progression too and well timed with our 6-7 waves of food.

Ordering (Emil and I did it) was spot on if very slightly too much. We reordered foie (even if it was great), ate a bit too much awesome bread, and maybe had 1-2 too many steaks — so there was no room for dessert. But better a bit too much than going out for ramen later! Price was even quite reasonable considering what we had, the service, and all that A5 (which has a steep premium).

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By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: A5, Alexander's, beef, Foodie Club, Pasadena, Steak, Steak House, steakhouse, Wagyū, Wine

Mastro’s Ocean Club Malibu

Feb23

Restaurant: Mastro’s Ocean Club Malibu

Location: 18412 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu, CA 90265. (310) 454-4357

Date: February 19, 2015

Cuisine: Steakhouse

Rating: Exactly like the other Mastro’s, but closer and with a better view!

I’ve been meaning to try the new Mastro’s Ocean Club since it opened as it’s all of about 10 minutes from my house. My brother’s birthday provided an excellent opportunity!

As you can see, the view is awesome — and despite Charthouse deja vu, it’s a lovely location. As usual, it’s pretty sealed up, which seems to be oddly typical on the Pacific coast (probably because of the chilly afternoon/evening breezes).

1983 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande. Parker 94. A stunning wine, Pichon-Lalande’s 1983 has been gorgeous to drink for a number of years. It is one of the finest 1983s, especially for a northern Medoc. The color remains a dark ruby/purple, with slight lightening at the edge. The knock-out nose of roasted herbs, sweet, jammy black currants, and pain grille is followed by a full-bodied, gorgeously concentrated and well-proportioned wine with low acidity, plenty of glycerin, and a savory, highly extracted, fleshy mouthfeel. This has always been one of the stars of the vintage.

The yummy breads.

Three of us ordered the seafood tower. The quality of the seafood here is impeccable. There were amazing shrimp, lobsters, claws, dungeness crab (in the top, shelled), and oysters.

One of the things that really makes the Mastro’s seafood tower are the sauces. We have cocktail, a spicy mustard, and the Atomic Horseradish. They use this particular magic brand (you can buy it here). The stuff is — pardon my French — fucking awesomely potent. I’ve taken to buying it myself for home. No other horseradish is this punishing. It has a nice flavor too. I particularly like it mixed in with the cocktail sauce. It can have you literally pounding the table in pain — ahem pleasure.

Caesar salad.

1978 Château Mont-Redon Châteauneuf-du-Pape. VC 95. Gorgeous brick red with tawny rim. Sweet rich fruit, plummy, earthy, rich blackberry compote, tar and licorice spice, but fruit dominant.
Fresh and smooth, superb balance and length, finishing with a deep long resonating kiss. Loving this. Hints of sherbet zest but mostly a rich earthy compote of plummy fruit with a lightly spicy edge. Amazingly fresh and crisp for its considerable age, better than many 15 years it’s junior. I have another and will happily lay to rest for another 5-10. Drinking beautifully.

Chilean sea bass, looking forlorn by itself on the plate.

Grilled salmon.

8 oz filet.

8 oz filet oscar style. Yeah, it’s obscene. I know.

Grilled brussels sprouts. Not as good as Gjelina (with the pancetta).

Creamed corn.

This is “Gorgonzola mac & cheese!” Oh so light, oh so yummy.

And even better, the evil “king crab truffle gnocchi.” Yes that’s right. Cream, cheese, truffles, crab, potato. What could be better?

See the evil damage.

For dessert, birthday profiteroles with ice cream and whipped cream.

Chocolate covered strawberries with whipped cream.

And the super evil butter cake. About 3 sticks of butter in this baby.

Amazingly, there was still room for dessert

Overall, a great experience. I’m not sure what is Ocean Club about the ocean part other than actually being BY the ocean. Which makes it all the odder that there is an Ocean Club in Scottsdale (no ocean there). This place is pretty much a clone of the other Mastro’s foodwise, which isn’t exactly a bad thing.

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By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: birthday, Dessert, Mastro's Ocean Club Malibu, Mastros, Steak House, steakhouse, Wine

Spear your Meat

Feb13

Restaurant: Spear Steak & Seafood House

Location:800 W 6th St, Ste 100. Los Angeles, CA 90017. (213) 688-3000

Date: February 12, 2015

Cuisine: Steakhouse

Rating: Surprisingly good

After the success of last month’s “Foodie Club instigated by Will” dinner, we wanted to do another one in February. We even selected and booked Chi Spacca, the Mozza Italian steakhouse, but at the very last minute (hours before) we tripped up on their “no more than 1 bottle per 2 people” policy. So I’m going to “dis” them here because these policies are obnoxious. They can charge corkage if they like (absolutely no more than $50 a bottle and flat per bottle), but bottle limits are offensive. We open and serve own bottles plus order and tip big too.

So screw them, their loss.

So at the last minute we relocated to Speak Steak and Seafood House downtown. Will knows the owner and THEY welcomed us in, had no bottle limit, and didn’t even charge corkage!

This is one of those sleek modern semi-corporate restaurants.

The menu is large and modern which I was happy about. I’m not a steakhouse fan and really not a fan of old school steakhouse.

Or semiprivate room. We buttoned up the wall to cut down on the noise from the big room. The service was awesome. They weren’t really set up for our type of wine dinner but they really tried. They dug up 4-5 glasses each and dragged in a little wine table for us.

I went through the menu and ordered up a storm family style in 4-5 waves. We even ordered the main meats family style getting a variety (David handled that course). Walker and I (more Walker) divided the wines (we had at least 6-10 unopened ones too as backups/options) into loose flights too.

The staff did a great job bringing out the food in waves too.

Flight 1: Whites

From my cellar: 2007 Benanti Etna Bianco Superiore Pietramarina. IWC 90. Straw-gold. Spicy minerals and apricot on the nose, with herbal and almond nuances. Rich and ripe on entry, then fresher and lighter in the middle thanks to high but harmonious acids, with intense minty white fruit flavors. Finishes long, with a strong saline note and a fusel whiff.

Erick brought: 2007 Domaine Marc Morey & Fils Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Referts. 92 points. This lovely négoce wine from Marc Morey never fails. Very fine fruit with lime, peaces and a hand full of minerals.

Larry brought: 1999 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre. AG 94. Raveneau’s 1999 Chablis Montée de Tonnerre is in a marvelous spot right now. Petrol, smoke, slate, apricot pit and wild flowers are some of the many notes that grace the palate in an utterly vivid, vibrant Chablis endowed with magnificent purity and pedigree. At fifteen years of age, the 1999 Montée de Tonnerre still has a lot to say. What a beautiful wine!

agavin: sadly our bottle was a bit premoxed.

From my cellar: 2000 Etienne Sauzet Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet. Burghound 93. Intense honeysuckle, fresh sliced peach and pear notes with flavors that are not quite as robust and powerful as the Combettes yet finer and more complex. This delivers exciting intensity and a degree of persistence that borders on the astonishing. The Combettes is perhaps grander but this is finer – it’s simply a question of preference, not quality.

Kusshi and Kumamoto oysters.

Uni Toast. roasted seaweed, triple créme, truffle salt. This was pretty awesome with both the rich Santa Barbara uni flavor and a kind of creamy underpinning from the triple créme.

Hokkaido Scallops. yuzu pepper, smoked salt, ponzu sauce, olive oil. A nice bright dish that is cousin to the proper version that sushi chefs serve.

Yellowtail Ceviche. fresno chile, cucumber, coconut-lime sauce.

I’m not actually sure this was the above dish and not one of their other sashimi-style dishes. It was just okay, the weakest of the set.

Butter Lettuce Wedge. Creamy bleu, minced herbs, bacon brittle, tomato, pickled shallot. A pretty awesome wedge, mostly because of the great dressing.

Quinoa Kale Salad. red quinoa, grilled apricot, pistachio, aged goat cheese, honey-olive oil vinaigrette. Slightly sweet and mild.

Flight 2: Italian

Walker brought: 1944 Borgogne Barolo Reserva. 95 points. Amazing. 71 years old. Mussolini was still alive when this wine was made! We decanted for an hour. The nose was incredible, and it had a soft burgundian vibe with lots of fruit.

Emil/Will brought: 1978 Castello di Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva Il Poggio. 92 points. Powerful and old-fashioned, rustic and polished at once. Complex nose of ancient fruit, tar and leather; real weight on the palate, very long and resonant finish. The nose got better and better. Tons of fruit.

Roasted Bone Marrow. smoked salt, veal jus. Bone marrow isn’t my thing, but this was a good version.

Snow Crab Beignets. bacon powder, old bay remoulade. The description is accurate, like a crab donut, awesome.

BBQ Pork Belly & Shrimp. crispy prosciutto, white bean puree, cilantro. The shrimp were tasty but the pork belly was amazing. Really tender and flavorful, not too fatty.

Flight 3: Old Bordeaux

Erick brought: 1970 Château Mouton Rothschild. IWC 94. Bright red with an amber rim. Captivating nose of dark plum, blackcurrant, oak, coffee, cocoa and flowers. Juicy, sweet and suave on entry, then brightly focused in its red fruit and black flavors complicated by cedar and citrus. Finishes with flinty, saline nuances and very suave tannins. This outstanding wine is perfectly balanced and light on its feet, still very young and capable of a very long life. It might disappoint those looking for a blockbuster, but I love its overall sense of refinement. An essence of claret.

agavin: our bottle was fabulous

Walker brought: 1982 Château Gruaud Larose. IWC 96. Bright red with a pale rim. The still-closed nose reluctantly releases aromas of red cherry, sweet spices, aromatic herbs and coffee. Dense, rich and fleshy, with ripe red cherry, tobacco and forest floor flavors given shape by harmonious acidity and smooth tannins. The very long, slightly chewy finish shows a peppery chocolatey persistence. This is developing at a snail’s space and might last another three or four decades in a cold cellar, but while its tannic structure is noble and impressive, I’d probably want to check in on it again in five years’ time to see how the fruit is holding up.

agavin: our bottle of this was fabulous too. Mature, but has decades left in it.

Char Siu Barbecue Duck Flatbread. smoked mozzarella, passion fruit emulsion, scallion sesame. Fabulous pizza with a richness and a sweet and savory vibe.

Roasted Pork Banh Mi Flatbread. pickled vegetables, jalapeño.

Whole Broiled Prawns. lobster butter, garlic. Pretty good big shrimp.

Seafood pasta. Shrimp, mussels, manilla clams, diver scallops, uni cream sauce. This was a bit controversial. The noodles were actually a ramen egg noodle. They were made very soggy by the rich dish. That being said, it tasted great and the seafood was very fresh. It also was deathly bad with the red wine, but that’s uni. Overall we enjoyed it.

Flight 4: 2000 Bordeaux

David brought: 2000 Pavie. Parker 97-100. I tasted this wine twice during the 2000 horizontals, then I actually popped the cork and drank a half-bottle of it. This wine remains, for me, one of the compelling success stories for proprietor Gerard Perse. An extraordinary effort made from a blend of 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon from the limestone soils that dominate this very distinctive terroir, the 2000 Pavie has moved out of the closed, dormant, broodingly backward stage into an adolescent period where one can see its extraordinary vibrancy, and great complexity as well as potential. It boasts an unctuous display of rich, cedar box-infused cassis fruit and liquid minerality. The tannins have sweetened, yet the wine has thirty years of longevity and potential evolution. A beautiful wine of great mass as well as elegance, it is good to see the extraordinary efforts that Gerard Perse and his team have made confirmed in this prodigious wine. A legend now … a legend for the future.

Will brought: 2000 La Mondotte. Parker 98+. In two tastings this garagiste wine performed as if it were one of the wines of the vintage. Proprietor Stefan von Neipperg continues to lavish abundant attention on La Mondotte (as he does with all his estates), and the 2000 (80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc) boasts an inky/blue/purple color in addition to gorgeous aromas of graphite, caramel, toast, blackberries, and creme de cassis. A floral component also emerges as the wine sits in the glass. Extremely dense, full-bodied, and built for another twenty years of cellaring, I thought it would be close to full maturity, but it appears to need another 4-5 years of bottle age. It should age effortlessly for 2-3 decades.

Tomahawk Pork Chop 22oz. double cut, vietnamese bbq. Really nice pork chop.

Short Rib Osso Bucco. 72 hour, roasted garlic potatoes, horseradish gremolata. Great rich meat.

Colorado Lamb Shank. 48 hour, chermoulah, heirloom carrots. A fabulous bit of lamb.

Black Garlic Spare Ribs. tobacco onions, vinegar slaw. My favorite, it was very nicely spiced and I don’t like plain meat.

Tomahawk Rib Chop. prime, dry aged 30 days. 42 ounces.

For me this is just steak, others loved it.

Flight 5: Sledgehammers

Emil brought: 2008 Oasi Degli Angeli Kurni. Parker 85. The 2008 Marche Rosso Kurni is quite unusual in this vintage. The wine comes across as rather compact in its fruit, which accentuates the sweetness of the fruit and the French oak. In a blind tasting the 2008 could easily be mistaken for a sweet red dessert wine. Let’s hope 2008 turns out be an anomaly for one of the Marche’s most famous reds.

Pork Belly Farro.

Uni Risotto. A little mild, but with so many other flavors and dishes it was under heavy competition.

Duck Confit Mac & Cheese. Nice, but could have been even cheesier!

Double Cooked Fries. Good fries and I liked the green chimichuri like sauce.

Grilled Broccolini.

Herb Roasted Cauliflower.

David brought: 2010 Sine Qua Non Syrah Five Shooter. Parker 98+. The 2010 Syrah Five Shooter is straight up gorgeous. A massive wine that somehow holds everything together, it offers a wild array of cassis, blackberry, white chocolate, underbrush and pepper that flows to a full-bodied, layered Syrah that has masses of fine tannin and enough substance to evolve for decades. A blend of 85% Syrah, 5% Grenache, 3% Petite Sirah, 5% Roussanne and 2% Viognier that was fermented with 20% whole cluster and aged 22 months in 59% new French oak, it opens up beautifully in the glass and should be decanted if drinking anytime soon.

Key lime pie. Great key lime pie.

Chocolate hazelnut mouse. Rich and tasty.

Bread pudding. Our least favorite. Nothing wrong with it, but we were very full.

Above is the damage. Seven guys too, and think about the amount of food we had — particularly given we had two of many of the dishes! Spear was incredibly reasonable too. This feast came out to only $110 a person after tax and before tip! The service was awesome too. They weren’t really trained for our kind of dinner, but they really tried and handled it with great attitude and aplomb.

Food was surprisingly excellent. Only a couple of dishes weren’t great, like the fish sashimi. I loved the breath and variety of the menu. Execution was first rate. Personally I like this place way better than almost all of the steakhouses I’ve been too because it isn’t all about just a slab of beef on your plate.

Company and wines were fabulous, this is turning into a really first rate dinner series.

For more big Foodie Club dinners, click here.

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By: agavin
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Tagged as: Corkage, Dessert, Foodie Club, Meat, Steak, Steak House, steakhouse, Will C, Wine

Steak in the Blind

Oct03

Restaurant: Taylor’s Steakhouse

Location: 3361 West 8th St., Los Angeles, CA 90005. (213) 382-8449

Date: October 1, 2014

Cuisine: Steakhouse

Rating: Old School

About a month ago my Hedonist group started up a new concept, a sort of club within a club of high end blind tasting diners. The deal is everyone brings a bottle (and backups) blind. We eat drink and try to guess at what they are. The group is know as the “Dirty Dozen” (for being 12). Oh, and we have an official Dirty Dozen T-shirt which is required attire.

Tonight is actually the second “meeting”, but I couldn’t make the first. Both time’s it’s been at Taylor’s Steakhouse, oddly located in Korea Town. Except when Taylor’s was founded in 1955, there was no K-Town!

Everything about this place is like a time warp.

Look at the interior. Notice the red leather booths. The fancy glass. The woodwork.

The leather padded bar.

From my cellar: 2007 Lur-Saluces “Y”. Parker 94. The 2007 Ygrec has a light, fragrant nose with apple-blossom, pink grapefruit, citrus lemon and just a touch of cold granite. Good definition. The palate is bright and lively, a lot of energy packed into this Ygrec, with citrus lemon, green apple, a touch of lemongrass, very harmonious and smooth towards the finish that display superb persistency, a hint of fiery lemongrass lingering in the mouth.

agavin: for those that don’t know, this is the secret dry wine of Chateau d’Yquem, world’s most renowned maker of sweet wine.

Our table and old school thrones are located in the private room.

A note about the wines before jumping in. We organized them randomly into four flights of three, all served blind. We discussed each flight and opened them at the end of the flight before moving onto the next. This worked pretty well. It eliminated the free-for-all madness and shortened the time between tasting and finding out, so you could connect the taste with the information. This is important, because it’s hard at the end of the evening to remember back to the first wines. I had labeled the bottles with people’s names so we could tell them apart. Next time, we should use numbers or letters to eliminate the “Andy likes French” type biases. But some label is needed. We also might try out having one person (maybe even a “guest”) look at the wines and organize them into coherent flights.

From my cellar: 1986 Gruaud Larose. Parker 96-97. the dense, garnet/purple-colored 1986 Gruaud-Larose is evolving at a glacier pace. The wine still has mammoth structure, tremendous reserves of fruit and concentration, and a finish that lasts close to a minute. The wine is massive, very impressively constituted, with still some mouth-searing tannin to shed. Decanting of one to two hours in advance seems to soften it a bit, but this is a wine that seems to be almost immortal in terms of its longevity. It is a great Medoc classic, and certainly one of the most magnificent Gruaud-Larose ever made.

Avi brought: 2002 D R Stephens Cabernet Sauvignon Moose Valley Vineyard. Parker 90. A sleeper of the vintage, this 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Moose Valley Vineyard appears to have reached full maturity. It offers an attractive, jammy nose of red and black currants, damp earth, roasted espresso, cedar and spice box. Medium to full-bodied, lush and seductive with low acidity, ripe tannin and a fleshy, round, opulent mouthfeel, it will offer plenty of pleasure for 6-7 more years.

Kirk brought: 1999 Miani Friuli Merlot. AG 97. The 1999 Merlot marries power to elegance in a style that foreshadows the wines of recent years. This is simply an awesome bottle of wine, that’s all there is to it. Everything is right there in the glass; inner perfume, ripeness and complexity all come together in a profound Merlot of the highest level. This three-dimensional Merlot should continue to drink beautifully for at least another decade, perhaps longer. The 1999 is the first wine that shows a more enlightened approach to vinification, and it is marvelous juice.

agavin: really a pretty profound “new Italian.”

Chilled Jumbo Prawns. Pretty typical. The shrimp were okay. They tasted a little frozen and the cocktail sauce was weak.

The Molly dinner salad. Wedge of iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, onions, blue cheese. I was pleasantly surprised by this salad. It was DROWNING in blue cheese dressing, which actually, I like. It would have been even better with bacon though.

Casear salad. House-made caesar dressing. I didn’t try it, but visually it looks like a decent caesar.

Onion rings. Classic, and fabulous.

House-made potato chips. Nice and crunchy, although maybe could have used more salt.

Stewart brought: 1982 Château Smith Haut Lafitte. Classic bordeaux nose with tons of earth in the beginning. After some decanting as the earth notes die down nice soft dark fruits emerge and provide balance. Medium body with firm acidity and mellowed tannins. Definitely has more years left. Deep purple with only light bricking. Overall very nice and enjoyable.

Yarom brought: 1984 Heitz Cabernet Sauvignon Martha’s Vineyard. Parker 92. With coaxing, a surprisingly tight bouquet offers up damp, woodsy aromas intermixed with scents of mint and ripe cassis. Full-bodied, firm, and admirably concentrated, with a wonderful layered palate, this impressively-endowed wine requires another 4-5 years of cellaring. The wine may be going through a closed stage of development as this bottle was less impressive than past tastings.

Arnie brought: 2002 Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignon. Parker 91-94. It is obvious Paul Hobbs prefers the influence of Taransaud cooperage on his Bordeaux varietals because they tend to give the wines a chocolatey character, and that is seen in the 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa (3,120 cases), a Cabernet Sauvignon with terrific concentration, remarkable opulence, and layers of cassis- and licorice-infused tobacco leaf notes that just cascade over the palate with an unctuous texture. The wealth of fruit and concentration hides some relatively serious tannin in this large-scaled wine.

Culotte. The most tender cut of top sirloin. Only two per steer. Pretty darn good straight up steak. Thick and tender like a filet. One huge block of meat too, with no gristle. The baked potato was very good too. I mean, it’s still a classic baked potato, but it was a good one.

Prime rib with mashed potatoes and creamed spinach. I heard it was great.

With baked potato.

Bone in something and spinach.

Spencer steak. Black and blue. A well-marbled cut, marinated and seasoned. With mashed potatoes and peppercorn sauce. Black and blue means raw in the center and burn on the outside.

Bone in rib-eye. That green sprig, that’s Taylor’s for salad.

John brought: 1998 La Mission Haut Brion. Parker 98. A candidate for the wine of the vintage from this somewhat forgotten year, consumers should be seeking out wines from the Right Bank and Graves as 1998 was a great vintage in those appellations. La Mission’s 1998 exhibits a healthy, opaque blue/purple color with no lightening at the edge. Thirty minutes of aeration brings forth a sensational bouquet of chocolate, cedar, truffles, graphite, blackberries, cassis and incense. La Mission’s so-called scorched earth/charcoal/hot rocks characteristic has not yet appeared. Full-bodied with superb purity, a multilayered texture, sweet tannin, good acidity and a fabulously long finish, this great, young La Mission-Haut-Brion’s finest days are yet to come.

Trish brought: 2004 Angelo Gaja Sperss. Parker 96. Gaja’s 2004 Langhe Sperss is an infant. Still incredibly primary, it exudes the essence of Serralunga black fruits, smoke and tar. The new oak is still very evident here and the wine seems to be at an awkward phase of its development. Still, it offers stunning concentration as well as length, with soft, caressing tannins that frame the fruit all the way to the long finish. This wine is in need of serious bottle age and may very well merit a higher score once it emerges from its temporary period of dormancy.

Larry brought: 1983 La Mission Haut Brion. Parker 90. This was the first vintage made under the administration of Jean Delmas. The most notable and dramatic change made at La Mission-Haut-Brion since 1983 became a more refined, polished, sophisticated style without the pure mass of older vintages, but also without the excesses of tannin and volatile acidity that sometimes plagued ancient vintages. The 1983, a very good vintage in the southern Medoc and Graves, is a relatively lightweight La Mission (particularly compared to the 1982) that is fully mature. Complex notes of smoked herbs, cigar tobacco, black currants, sweet cherries, damp earth and spice box jump from the glass of this dark garnet-colored wine. Medium-bodied with silky tannins, well-integrated, low acidity and abundant perfume, this fully mature 1983 should be consumed over the next decade.

agavin: this was voted wine of night (although close with the CNDP below)

The sides are equally old school. Fresh grilled Texas sweet onions.

Mushroom bordelaise. It was okay. Nothing like Cut’s amazing version though.

Sauteed fresh mushrooms.

Robin brought: 2003 La Mondotte. Parker 96. A killer wine (I’m so sorry I didn’t buy any), the 2003 La Mondotte is clearly one of the superstars of the vintage. An intriguing perfume of licorice, Asian soy, black currant jam, ripe cherries and subtle toast emerges from this extravagantly rich, voluptuously textured, opulent, full-bodied St.-Emilion. Just coming in to full maturity, it is pure, rich and full. Drink it over the next decade or more.

Dave brought: 2007 Robert Foley Vineyards Claret. Parker 98. The extraordinary 2007 Claret, which is a Cabernet Sauvignon-based wine, displays inky notes of lead pencil shavings, pen ink, creme de cassis, blackberry, incense, and licorice. The wine is super-pure and super-rich, an extraordinarily full-bodied powerhouse of a Cabernet Sauvignon that should evolve for 15 or more years. Its sweetness of tannin and headiness already make it accessible.

Adam brought: 1998 Les Cailloux (Lucien et Andre Brunel) Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Centenaire. Parker 97-100. The 1998 Cuvee Centenaire is an awesome Chateauneuf du Pape. Made from extremely old vines, this is the essence of both Chateauneuf du Pape and the Grenache grape. The wine boasts a deep ruby/purple color as well as an extraordinary bouquet of melted, jammy black cherry, raspberry, and currant fruit mixed with pepper and spice box. In the mouth, it is rich, full-bodied, and unctuously-textured, with extraordinary purity, and laser-like definition for a wine of such massive concentration and depth. The finish lasts for nearly a minute. This spectacular, youthful, amazingly accessible offering is a tour de force in winemaking, and a tribute to just how great Chateauneuf du Pape can be.

agavin: a really great wine, and more or less tied in my mind for WOTN.

Red velvet cake. Cream cheese icing.

Key lime pie. Actually a fabulous piece of key lime pie. As Yarom put it, “a 10!”

Chocolate cake.

Creme brule. Very nice custard.

Cheesecake. Also very straight up and very good.

Overall, this was an incredibly fun night with some really good wines. Our room and the blind format worked out great.

As to Taylor’s and the food? I was pleasantly surprised, although not blown away. The atmosphere is fun in a retro way. The service is friendly but nothing on par with a more modern higher end steakhouse. The food is really old school. The salads were pretty good and the steaks themselves actually quite fabulous. But I’m not a huge steak fan and the extras just aren’t nearly as yummy as at a place like Mastros or even Boa or STK. Because for me, it’s not all about the meat (in fact, at a place like Mastros I drown the meat Oscar style in creamed seafood), I’m not as jazzed. The desserts were first rate though. But I like those new-style over-the-top sides like “king crab truffle gnocchi”, “Gorgonzola mac & cheese” and “lobster mashers.”

Oh, but it is about 50-60% of the price. Our per person tab, including tax and tip, was $85! Mastros could be twice that.

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