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Archive for woodland hills

Food as Art – The Brothers Sushi

Jan23

Restaurant: The Brothers Sushi [1, 2]

Location: 21418 Ventura Blvd, Woodland Hills, CA 91364. (818) 456-4509

Date: August 13, 2021

Cuisine: Japanese Sushi Kaiseki

Rating: Really wonderful modern style Kaiseki

_

This dinner is the third in (the others being here) in a vast series of epic Japanese sushi and/or Kaiseki dinners post lockdowns that all included myself, Erick, Joe and Bonnie — and often Larry, as is the case tonight. Herein we “endeavor” to visit or revisit most of the top sushi spots in LA.1A4A1564-Pano

Larry has been coming to Brothers for years, but in 2018 recently Chef Mark Okuda took over and totally transformed the place into one of the Valley’s — and LA in general’s — top omakase destinations. Larry took us on this particular foray for a “regular” jumbo omakase, but we immediately set up a giant even longer one for more people a few weeks later.

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The outside shows off this ugly 1940s or 50s valley building.
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But the inside is attractive and there is a large patio and this interior with an extensive sushi bar and a few tables.
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On the right is Chef Mark.
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2002 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Cuvée Nicolas-François Billecart. 96 points. The 2002 Cuvée Nicolas François Billecart is outrageously beautiful. The ripeness of the Chardonnay is front and center in a Champagne that delivers the goods, big-time. An infusion of apricot, orange peel, crème brûlée, chamomile, hazelnut and honey give the 2002 its racy, exotic personality. I enjoy it most with bottle age, but the 2002 is undeniably beautiful right now. The 2002 is a stunning NFB. The blend is 60% Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims and the Vallée de la Marne and 40% Chardonnay from the Côte des Blancs, done partially in oak (20%). Dosage is 4 grams per liter. (Drink between 2020-2030)
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2011 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault Clos de la Barre. VM 90+. Good bright yellow. Deeply pitched aromas of ripe peach, pineapple, hazelnut, smoke and vanilla, plus a hint of orange blossom (Lafon used no new oak for this wine). Then firmer and less round on the palate than the basic village wine, with an edge of acidity giving the finish a leaner, slightly boney impression. This needs at least a couple years of cellaring.
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2015 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons. VM 90. Pale, bright yellow. Very ripe but slightly muted aromas of citrus fruits, white pepper, honey and oatmeal. Quite concentrated but comes across as a bit youthfully aggressive and dry following the set of 2016s here, offering flavors of grapefruit, lemon drop and minerals. Offers noteworthy inner-mouth tension and dusty minerality but this citrussy premier cru will need time to harmonize in bottle. Didier Séguier bottled the 2015 crus in December of 2016 and January of this year. (A second bottle of similar quality was a bit sweeter and more pliant in the middle palate.) (Drink between 2019-2025)
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From my cellar: 1996 Robert Ampeau & Fils Meursault 1er Cru Charmes. 93 points. Dark yellow, straw. Honey, toasted grain, flowers, straw nose. Lemony acidity, some caramel, baked apples, rich texture. A singular and beautiful bottle.
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Seaweed, cucumber, jellyfish. Bright vinegar flavors.
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Sweet Corn Chawanmushi.
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Smoked Amberjack (dry aged 10 day).
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Hudson Valley Foie Gras (Jeff Bovon), ikura, takuan, rice crisp “sandwich”
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The outside is a crispy rice disk and the inside was fantastic.
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3 weeks dry aged salmon. Summer truffle, pickled tomato, arugula. Very balanced.
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Tuna. River crab. Caviar. Tuna is almost sweet.
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Abalone from Japan. Tender. Wasabi. Truffle.
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Monkfish liver marinated with mirin and brown sugar. Seared. Super tender and sweet.
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Soft shell crab miso sauce.
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Ginger.
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Kohada gizzard shad.
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East coast 1 week dry aged snapper.
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Seafood chowder.
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Washington jumbo clam.
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Sweet shrimp.
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Shrimp heads return fried.
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Spanish toro.
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Japanese sea perch.
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Toro, uni (stored in sea water and steamed), shiso, takuan hand roll.
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White shrimp shiro ebo Japan.
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A5 Miyazaki nigri, seared.
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Japanese green onion. Never had this nigri before!
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Miyagi uni (not from either Hokaido or Santa Barbara).
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Golden eye snapper.
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Green tea cheesecake.
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Tonight’s wines.
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The fish locker.

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The knives did in this tired staff member.

I was really impressed by Brothers. Not only was the fish superlative and the dishes every inventive, but Mark has a really refined sense of balance to his flavors. Nothing was overly sweet, or overly salty, or overly tangy — but instead hovered in that lovely space where all of the flavors hang in proper harmony.

Bravo!

We immediately setup another even bigger omakase for just a couple weeks later!

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

Related posts:

  1. Food as Art – Sushi Sushi
  2. Sushi Sushi – Small Omakase
  3. Food as Art – Shiki Sushi
  4. Sushi Sushi = Yummy Yummy
  5. Mori Sushi – A Top Contender
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Brothers Sushi, Champage, Foodie Club, Kaiseki, Mark Okuda, Omakase, Sashimi, Sushi, Sushi Series, White Burgundy, woodland hills

Quick Eats – Valley Pho

Aug18

Restaurant: Pho So 1

Location: 22902 Vanowen St, West Hills, CA 91307.  (818) 884-8356

Date: July 2, 2018

Cuisine: Vietnamese Pho

Rating: Solid Pho

_

A trip to the valley necessitated a quick lunch, which ended up being this randomly (google) selected Pho place.


Just in a Woodland Hills strip mall.


Probably was something else before it was a Vietnamese restaurant form the look of it. There was a nearby Olive Garden and Red Lobster!



The menu is mostly pho and variants.

Soft typical Vietnamese spring rolls.

The pile of “condiments” that you can throw in your Pho.

Brisket and well done flank Pho.

Brisket, flank, and meat ball Pho. The broth is the main thing at Pho and this one was pretty solid. Light in body, but with a lot of flavor and some tanginess.

Overall, not bad for a $10-12 quick noodle soup lunch spot — and the deep valley. Only come if you want Pho though as the menu is basically just variants.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Quick Eats – Pho 2000
  2. Quick Eats – Le Saigon
  3. Quick Eats – Pho Cafe
  4. Quick Eats – Little Sister
  5. Quick Eats – Sushi Burrito
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Pho, Vietnamese cuisine, woodland hills

Bad Boys at Brandywine

Jun12

Restaurant: Brandywine [1, 2]

Location: 22757 Ventura Blvd, Woodland Hills, CA 91364. (818) 225-9114

Date: May 8, 2017

Cuisine: French American

Rating: Best old school in town!

_

My second visit to the amazing Brandywine (first one is here).
 Located on Ventura in the far valley, this French American has been open and popular for roughly 30 years. Despite the “classic” decor and menu there is NOTHING dated about the execution here. This place has a 28 on Zagat, and for good reason. It’s run with serious attention to detail.

The decor is cute and romantic, and it has been run by a husband and wife team. She cooks and he runs the front room. They have recently sold the restaurant and we are making some visits during the transition to make sure we get it properly cemented in our minds.

The gang took over half the room.

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.

An amuse of grav lox with creme fraiche. Really yummy salmon. Great cure.

For the foie:

1990 Château de Rayne-Vigneau. 90 points. High-toned, expressive aromas of lime leaf and licorice. Silky and harmonious in the mouth, with impressive intensity of flavor and terrific underlying extract. Just a hint of acid and alcohol to be integrated. Finishes very subtle and long.

Seared foie gras with toast and slightly spiced jam. Super awesome classic foie. This is actually a half portion, and was super generous, plus the accompaniments were perfect.

From my cellar: 2005 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre. BH 94. This is a mild step up in overall class and elegance with a gorgeously perfumed white flower fruit nose introducing linear, precise, intense and powerful medium full flavors that remain splendidly focused on the stunningly long finish that drenches the palate in dry extract. This is a striking 1er and one to buy as it easily delivers grand cru quality.

2001 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne. BH 89. This is a good deal bigger and certainly more powerful than the Truffières though it does not offer quite the same level of finesse and detail but it is every bit as intense with even more minerality, plenty of sappy extract and dense, mouth coating flavors and fine length. This is also noticeably oaky with good if not exceptional Corton-Charlemagne character and bracing acidity. In contrast to the Referts though, there is at least a reasonable possibility that the oak will ultimately be absorbed as there is good density and the oak, while certainly prominent, does not dominate the flavors as it does in the Puligny.

agavin: our bottle was a little thin, missing the fruit.

Shrimp cocktail. Nice shrimp. The homemade cocktail sauce was pretty awesome.

2013 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru La Garenne. BH 91-93. A discreet application of wood allows the fresh, pure and expressive nose that features notes of acacia blossom, white peach and wet stone hints to shine. The attractively textured, dense and mouth coating medium-bodied flavors possess fine balance and impressive persistence on the notably dry finish where notes of lemon zest appear. This is a really lovely effort where the natural class of a fine Puligny is in evidence.

Escargots. Super buttery and garlicky. Loved them. Some of the best snails I’ve ever had. And dipping the bread in the garlick after!

2014 E. Guigal Condrieu La Doriane. VM 93. Light, bright yellow-gold. Broad, mineral-tinged orchard and pit fruit aromas show excellent clarity, and a sexy floral element emerges slowly. Sappy, palate-coating pear nectar and tangerine flavors are complicated by notes of violet, honey and candied ginger, while a minerally element adds vibrant lift. Becomes spicier on the finish, which hangs on with superb tenacity and a lingering floral quality.

Spinach and bacon salad.

They have one of the best (and totally correct) table-side caesars in town.

Tossing the Romain.

All that zesty goodness.

2006 Domaine G. Roumier / Christophe Roumier Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Clos de La Bussière. BH 90. Earthy dark berry fruit and slightly herbal aromas introduce solidly rich, punchy and vibrant medium-bodied flavors that possess excellent length and more sophisticated tannins than usual. This should be lovely in 6 to 8 years.

2000 Domaine Dujac Morey St. Denis. VM 86-89. Full red. Aromas of strawberry, raspberry, spiced plum, mocha and smoky oak. Lush and pliant in the mouth, with mineral, chocolate, smoke and menthol flavors complicated by a vegetal complexity. Finishes with ripe tannins and good length.

Ron has been raving for years about the Lobster Bouillabaisse here, so I had to order it. This HUGE portion of shellfish in broth was amazingly fresh and the broth was to die for garlicky. So good. So massive.

Garlic toasts.

From my cellar: 1998 Mongeard-Mugneret Richebourg. 94 points.

1998 Domaine Robert Groffier Bonnes Mares. VM 93+. Deep ruby-red. Sauvage, highly nuanced aromas of blackberry, black plum, raspberry, gunflint, leather and pepper. Great penetrating sweetness leavened by powerful spice and firm backbone. Very powerful wine but not at all hard today. Finishes with building tannins and outstanding power and persistence. This should reach its peak during the second decade of its life.

Abalone.

2010 Aubert Pinot Noir UV-SL Vineyard Sonoma Coast. VM 95. The 2010 Pinot Noir UV-SL Vineyard is the richest and most expressive of these 2010 Pinots. It also shoes the best balance of aromatics, fruit, acidity and tannin. Soy, mocha, the blackest of cherries and white flowers are some of the notes that flesh out in the glass. Delicately woven layers of flavor distinguish the UV-SL. This is a striking wine in every way.

2005 Marcassin Pinot Noir Three Sisters Vineyard. BH 76. Strong mercaptans (think garlic or burnt rubber) with burnt vinyl undertones lead to suave, round and impressively scaled flavors that possess no detail and the finish is hot, bitter and unpleasant. Commercially unacceptable in my view.

New York steak au poive. Classic!

Shoestring fries

NV Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único Reserva Especial 1994, 1996, 2000 (2015 Release). 95 points. Mesmerizing wine. Dark fruit on the nose, subtle balsamic character, coffee, tobacco, leather, vanilla. Smooth tannins, elegant overall feel. Not as wild as the ’09 Valbuena. More majestic than raw and charming.

1996 Penfolds Grange. VM 92. Ruby-red. Complex, high-toned, oak-driven aromas of mocha, flowers, spices, bourbon, peat, licorice, vanilla, cigar tobacco and earth. Juicy and penetrating, with strong mineral, lead pencil, espresso and tobacco flavors. Has a solid backbone and noteworthy grip, but shows no hard edges. Finishes with big, ripe tannins and excellent length.

Inside that yummy NY.

Veal chop. Modest portion.

1983 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape. In great shape.

This is two portions of lamb!

Lamb chops. Not only is it massive, but it was incredible.

2004 Merus Cabernet Sauvignon. VM 93. Bright, saturated ruby. Brooding blackberry and blueberry aromas, with notes of mocha, cola and minerals complemented by a sexy meaty nuance; slightly high-toned in a positive way. Fat, sweet and seamless; very plush wine but not over the top. Rather oaky flavors of black raspberry, mocha, oak spices, toffee and minerals. Not hugely complex but wonderfully rich and layered wine, and evolving slowly. Hedonistic and utterly satisfying. Finishes with serious but well-buffered tannins.

2004 Hundred Acre — I dunno which one because of their annoying labeling (nothing on the front).

Veal sweetbreads and some cut of steak.

Bread pudding. Awesome bread pudding.

Meyer lemon cake.

Lemon ice cream and berries. Wow!

Chocolate cake with expresso ice cream.
 The chef, Peggy, has an amazing touch.
 Chris (right), the host, is married to the chef. This place is polished with love.

The food was so spot on. I admit, I was slightly skeptical going into it despite Ron and Larry’s great reviews. The menu seemed a bit “old fashioned” for my taste. But the execution! Wow! The kitchen here is seriously on point. These are classic dishes, but most of them are among the best versions of said dishes I’ve ever had. And there is nothing wrong with the classics when you knock them out of the park. This is far easier said than done, because all over the country (and France) you can find lots of mediocre attempts. Not here. The foie, escargot, caesar salad, and bouillabaisse were all to die for.

Related posts:

  1. The Legend of Brandywine
  2. Saint Joseph at Maison G
  3. Sauvages at Upstairs 2
  4. JiRaffe Burgundy Blowout!
  5. Sauvage Spago
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Brandywine, Caesar salad, French Cuisine, woodland hills
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