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Michael’s on Naples

Jun24

Location: 5620 E 2nd St. Long Beach, CA 90803. (562) 439-7080

Date: January 30, 2013

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: A top LA Italian

I rarely get down this close to the Orange County border, but I had to meet a friend near Long Beach and chose this restaurant because it was top rated. On the way in, I chatted with the owner (Michael) for a few minutes. He told me how they use all locally (or at least California) sourced ingredients, mostly organic. They make their own mozzarella and sausages on premises, as well as the pasta. Many years, they’ve been top rated Italian in Zagats.

This is a cute roof deck upstairs which was closed off and heated because of the time of year.

From my cellar, Parker 96. “The 1996, one of the estate’s best, takes things to another level. It shows an outrageous, well-delineated nose of fresh roses, minerals and menthol followed waves of dark fruit and licorice flavors that are just beginning to show the signs of early maturity, with exceptional freshness, length, and harmony. This opens beautifully in the glass, taking on an almost Burgundian elegance. A wine to marvel over. It is hard to resist this now, but it will be even better in another 3-5 years, and age gracefully for another decade, and probably more.”

The amuse, crostini with a leek and garlic paste.

The regular menu.

A special menu for dine LA week/month/whatever.

Insalata di Spinaci. Spinach salad with warm pancetta dressing, poached duck egg, red wine marinated red onions and Pecorino cheese.

Spaghetti con Aragosta. Hand-rolled pasta with Maine lobster tail, San Marzano tomatoes, roasted garlic, white wine and spicy Calabrian peperoncino. Lots of tender lobster. Great pasta. The sauce was very tasty, but perhaps overpowered the lobster a bit. I still crave this lighter wine, garlic, and tomato sauce I once had in Naples.

Hated it! Not.

Ossobuco Di Maiale. Braised Kurobuta pork shank with saffron risotto and pistachio gremolata. I’m always a big Ossobuco fan and this was a really fantastic one.

Torta Di Cioccolato. Flourless chocolate cake with salted caramel and crispy prosciutto.

Cremino Di Zucca. Pumpkin mousse with salted caramel and cream with gingerbread. Very nice “holiday” flavored pot-a-creme. Tasted like pumpkin pie.

Overall, Michaels we had a really great meal. I’d need to go back to really assess, but this was certainly one of the top traditional style Italians I’ve eaten at in quite a while. Excellent!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (2)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Dessert, Italian cuisine, Lobster, Michael's on Naples, Naples, Wine, Zagat

San Fran – Kokkari

Feb21

Restaurant: Kokkari

Location: 200 Jackson Street (at Front) San Francisco, CA 94111. 415.981.0983

Date: February 9, 2012

Cuisine: Greek

Rating: Really fresh – transported me back to Greece

Yelp pointed me to this excellent San Francisco Greek place — that and I recognized it from the Zagat guide.

Close to Embarcadero.

Inside this is the modern Greek equivalent of a classy reinterpreted Mexican space like Las Ventanas in Cabo. Things don’t really look like this in Greece, but maybe they ought too.

Case in point.

The menu. It’s mostly traditional fare, but the Greek names have been dropped.

Pretty plates that match the decor conceptually.

“Cheese Pies – traditional feta cheese filo pies.” SPANAKOPETA, but particularly artisanal versions.

And same goes for this “Tzatziki.” Not only was it great, tasting of fresh dill and garlic, but the bread was superb and very very Greek. The marinated vegetables were also a nice touch.

“Saghanaki- pan fried Kefalograviera with lemon & oregano.” Melted cheese! I was just bummed it didn’t come out on fire!

“Kokkari Salad – mixed baby lettuces with shaved apples, beets & candied walnuts.”

“Moussaka – traditional casserole of spiced lamb, eggplant, potato & yogurt béchamel.” I love this traditional dish.

And this was easily the best I’ve had in the states (I’ve spent months in Greece). You can see the meat there and it had that lovely cinnamon / nutmeg thing going on which pairs with the rich béchamel.

And on the plate.

Kokkari was a great “find.” In truth flavors are rarely even this pure in Greece, although there was this one restaurant I ate at on Rhodos that was very similar.

For more San Francisco dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (1)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: Greece, Greek, Jackson Street, Kokkari, San Francisco, Tzatziki, Zagat

Food as Art: Saddle Peak Lodge

Nov12

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

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

Date: May 27, 2010

Cuisine: Modern American

Rating: Great ambiance and terrific game oriented food.

A couple of months ago we went to Saddle Peak for a special Zagat sponsored diner. This place is always fun, in some ways because of its unusual location and vibe. The food is always very good too.

The cool sky made one speculate on the possibility of werewolf invasion.

The menu for the night. But we we went for a longer form menu instead that included all this and more.

The Amuse. Some kind of “meaty” cappuccino. I’m always partial to these creamy little soups. Perhaps because I love cream.

“Fijian Albacore Sashimi with crispy rice, ramp vinaigrette, avocado and pea greens.”

The game tonight was meat. So I went Bordeaux (from my cellar). Parker gives it 94 points and says, “This wine is of first-growth quality, not only from an intellectual perspective, but in its hedonistic characteristics. More open-knit and accessible than the extraordinary 1996, Ducru’s 1995 exhibits a saturated ruby/purple color, followed by a knock-out nose of blueberry and black raspberry/cassis fruit intertwined with minerals, flowers, and subtle toasty new oak. Like its younger sibling, the wine possesses a sweet, rich mid-palate (from extract and ripeness, not sugar), layers of flavor, good delineation and grip, but generally unobtrusive tannin and acidity. It is a classic, compelling example of Ducru-Beaucaillou that should not be missed. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2025.”

“Scallop, english peas, garlic.” The sauce was nice and buttery rich.

“Wild mushroom agnolotti with roasted mushrooms, parmesan, herbs, and ricotta salata.” This was the highlight of the meal — but I love pasta.

Let’s see it again from a different angle.

“Crispy berkshire pork belly sherry agri-doux frisee and tomato pepadew confiture.”

“Seared La belle farms foie gras study of Philen Farms organic apples, chips, gastrique, fondant, brioche and sherry maple sauce.” Yummy!

“Wood grilled California squab, warm truffled wild mushroom salad, pea tendrils and sun-choke puree.” I’m not usually a poultry fan, but this was very good.

“New Zealand Elk tenderloin with sweet potato-celery root puree, currants, bacon, wilted arugula and sauce chasseur.” The Elk was awesome.

“Deconstructed lemon meringue pie!” Regular lemon meringue is one of my favorites. This did capture the flavors, although call me old fashioned, but I’d probably go for a great example in the traditional form.