Plate by Plate 2015 (Los Angeles, CA)

July 25, 2015, 6:00 pm

≫ Next: Madcapra (Los Angeles, CA)

≪ Previous: San Diego Breweries Part 2

$

0

0

Plate by Plate 2015 at California Market Center
110 E 9th St, Los Angeles, CA 90079
www.platebyplate.org/la/
Sat 07/25/2015, 06:00p-10:00p





Over the weekend, Project by Project hosted its 13th annual Plate by Plate tasting benefit at the California Market Center. For the uninitiated, Project by Project is a nationwide non-profit focused on issues relating to the Asian-American community. Each year, the group chooses a particular theme to concentrate on--health, education, the arts, and so on--and partners with a charitable organization in that space. With 2015's theme of housing, the partner chosen was Center for the Pacific Asian Family, a local non-profit dedicated to providing shelter and support to victims of domestic violence. As in years past, Plate by Plate showcased the culinary talents of some of the City's most popular and up-and-coming eateries, all washed down by free-flowing beverages of various varieties.


L: Director of Finance Alek Tan and Marketing Team Member Kelly Li with the signed "Golden Goblet" award for best drink of the night (which went to 1886 at The Raymond). Members were advised not to drink out of said goblet.
R: Former PbP teammates Becky Chou and Victoria Lee were in attendance.


Hamasaku Sushi Chef Yoya Takahashi was on hand with colorful cups of Bara Chirashi.


Philip Pretty of Fundamental LA lived up to his name with his comely plates of Grilled Lamb Belly | corn grits, watermelon, shishito.



An ambitious Nishiki Rice | bottarga, salmon chicharrón, beurre de baratte was the contribution from Patina's new toque Paul Lee. Next door was an impressive selection of sweets from Patina Catering Pastry Chef Frania Mendivil, her headlining Chocolate Cake Rochers | coffee whipped ganache, chicory pavlova, hazelnut crémeux, chocolate cake tuile joined by Mini Pushpops | exotic passion coconut crémeux, white chocolate, chocolate pop rocks and the ever-popular Nitro Cotton Candy Dragon Breaths.


L: Bill Chait and company were in the house to support a record eight restaurants from the Sprout LA family.
R: Marketing Team Member Allan Su was one of the first to experience the ethereal delights of Patina's liquid nitrogen-laced candies.


Event sponsor Whole Foods Market served up a trio of toasts: Crispy Prosciutto with Grilled Sweet Onion Crostini, Bay Shrimp with Spicy Mango Slaw Crostini, and Kite Hill Ricotta with Pickled Strawberries Crostini.


Steven Fretz and Ian Opina from The Church Key had Ricotta Gnudi and Milk Chocolate Smores going, while Beverage Director Devon Espinosa concocted a creative baijiu cocktail as a nod to the event sponsor: U So Lucky | baijiu, strawberry, lemon, Chinese 5-spice, suze, orange peel. Fretz, of course, is working on seafooder Fin and Fire in the Arts District, so we'll see if that place drops in time for PbP next year.


Over at the Barrel & Ashes table, CdC Michael Kahikina offered up Pulled Pork Sliders | coleslaw, Carolina Gold, poppy seed bun and a refreshing Watermelon Salad | jicama, jalapeño, cilantro, radish, watermelon vinaigrette.


L: President Yulree Chun giving her introductory remarks.
R: A word from Dora Quach, Employment and Housing Resource Manager at CPAF.


Chef de Cuisine Fabian Gallardo from Petty Cash did good with his Ceviche Negro | local white sea bass, squid ink, mango, chile de arbol, peanuts. Meanwhile, keep an eye out for Petty Cash v2.0 to debut in the old Fifty Seven spot sooner rather than later.


Short Cake's Ivan Marquez had an impressive spread of the sweet stuff: Pecan, Whiskey and Chocolate Bars, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Seasonal Stone Fruit Crisps, Strawberry Shortcakes, and Seasonal Berry Tarlets. He was also relieved not to be outdoors this year.


The team at The District by Hannah An had a crowd pleaser in the form of their eponymous Hannah's Handmade Noodles.


L: The vantage point from the DJ station (pre-bass drop).
R: A family affair: Manager of Event Production Tuyet Nguyen with mom Sunny and uncle James.


Andre Guerrero and Clinton Dunn from Maximiliano had one of the heartier plates of the night with their Mushroom Risotto with Braised Short Ribs.


One of newest concepts tonight, David Rosoff and Chris Feldmeier's skewer-centric eatery Moruno brought both Chicken and Pork Morunos. Look for the restaurant to debut in the former home of Short Order in the coming months (with a take-out window opening on the 31st), and don't forget about their forthcoming outpost at Grand Central Market either.


Plate by Plate's Platinum-level sponsor this year was CNS Imports, a local distributor/importer specializing in Asian spirits (e.g. baijiu). Their bevy of cheongsam-clad models added a nice pop of color to the space.


Moving from the Atrium to the Fashion Theater now, up first was Terrine, where Chef Kris Morningstar and Christina Lee doled out bowls of Coconut Curry Mussels.


Though Chef Michael Hung will be departing Faith & Flower in the coming days, he still put forth a worthy effort with his NY Steak Tartare | miso aioli, whole grain crackers. As for his next move, I wouldn't be surprised if he stuck by Stephane's side.


L: Coffee duties tonight were the charge of Cognoscenti.
R: Speaking of non-alcoholic beverages, there was also tea from pun-y purveyor Honest Tea.


L: Upstart dining app Reserve represent!
R: Manager of Team and Leadership Development Stella Yuen, Volunteer Team Member Calvin Kwan, and Director of Volunteer Management Marilyn Tran stalking the silent auction items.


Peking Tavern co-founders Andrew Chiu and Andrew Wong may have served Peking Pork | pork belly on top of hand made scallion pancake with a drizzle of garlic oyster sauce, but also created their own Andrew sandwich for one lucky lady.


L:Bird Pick Tea & Herb had three varieties on tap: Chrysanthemum Orangeade | chrysanthemum tea with oranges, lemon, lightly sweetened with sugar, Ginger Tea | ginger tea with honey & sugar, and Tropical Sunrise | white tea, lemon, orange, mint, hibiscus, lightly sweetened with sugar. Diggin' the beret on Ryan Trinh.
R: Also slanging tea was Desiree Chesler's Teaonic, which produces a line of oddly-specific teas specifically targeted toward improving particular areas of the body (e.g. Skin, Liver, Adrenals).


Saint Martha's Nick Erven was looking more hipster than ever, churning out a dish of Shucked Oyster | apple, celery, kimchi mignonette. Was the descriptor of "shucked" really necessary though? I can't imagine guests having to pry off the shells themselves.


L: Power couple Elizabeth Yang and Phil Cheng marked their second visit to Plate by Plate.
R: Manager of Event Production Tuyet Nguyen and a double dose of Cherisse Cleofes (Cherisse Cleofe-squared) (yes, they have the same name).


Little Sister represented Blackhouse's first foray into PbP, and on deck was Chef de Cuisine Michael Segerstrom with a damn impressive-looking presentation of noodles. Watch out for another outpost of Little Sister to drop in Downtown in the coming months (Littler Sister?).


L: The Bundaberg rep was smoldering, especially with his Oz accent.
R:Boba 7's #Bobagasm came fortified with Moutai tonight. Now, if only there was a way to infuse the boba pearls themselves with booze...



Naima Wilson and the Scopa Italian Roots team put on a strong show with their Mini Riceballs | meat sauce, peas, ricotta, mozzarella, tomato sauce, parmesan, parsley, Italian Cookies, and specialty libation.


L: President Yulree Chun with sundry VIPs, including Dan Matthews from Wong Fu Productions and Phil Yu of Angry Asian Man.
R: Yulree again, this time with actor Aaron Takahashi (whom you may recognize from that commercial).


L:Pacific International Liquor offered up a number of different sakes as well as Kawaba beer.
R:Asahi's Taichi Seki was in the hizzy tonight, accompanied as always by Events Team Member Billy Wing.


Chef Gavin Mills and wife Jessica showed off some sharp charcuterie skills via their Chicken Liver Mousse | raspberry jam, Country Pate | mustard, and Bresaola | Parmesan, lemon, arugula. Look out for Mills to take over the old Cucina Rustica spot with a new joint called Miro.


The winners of last year's "Golden Plate" award (not the plate pictured--that's this year's award, being passed around for signatures), Phillip Lee and wife-slash-model-slash-Pastry Chef Margarita Kallas served up both Sea Urchin Sake Shooters and Vegetarian Sake Shooters to promote Scratch Bar and The Gadarene Swine, respectively. Keep an eye out for a new incarnation of the former restaurant to drop in the Valley in the coming weeks--should be good, especially with how things are going at Gadarene.


L: President Yulree Chun and Outreach Team Member John Wirfs with Kerry Moy of M2K Group (the company behind the likes of Spear, EMC, and Triple 8).
R: Events Team Member Cathy Hong with perennial PbP fixture Sherwin Goo (whom I believe I first encountered all the way back at 2010's event).


L:101 Cider House is the first cidery to be represented at Plate by Plate. About damn time, as their flagship, funky SoCal Scrumpy was particularly worth trying.
R: PbP's water supplier is always key, and tonight's duties were handled by Icelandic Glacial.


One of the schmancier desserts this evening was undoubtedly the Chocolate Mousse Cake | cherries, Jordan almond ice cream from Quenelle's John Park.


L: Orange County's most celebrated brewery The Bruery was repped tonight by Manager of Sales and Marketing Benjamin Weiss, who marks his return to the event after an absence last year.
R: Another beacon of the Southern California beer scene, Firestone Walker made their first appearance (hopefully not their last) at Plate by Plate this evening.


(Ex-)Faith & Flower's Michael Hung reels from the full force of Patina's Dragon's Breath.


Given the crowd tonight, I'm pretty sure that Bernhard Mairinger from the new BierBeisl Imbiss was the tallest person in the building. Food-wise, he had Leberkas Semmerl with Spicy Brown Mustard, a sort of veal meatloaf, as well as Linzer Kipferl, shortbread cookies with apricot jam and dark chocolate glaze. The Chef is also working on a larger version of BierBeisl proper on the Westside, so definitely look out for that in the coming year.


Headed by Kevin Bergschneider, KazuNori had the longest line for sure, not surprising given their vast menu of Tuna Sashimi, Halibut Sashimi, Toro Hand Roll, Crab Hand Roll, Yellowtail Hand Roll, Salmon Hand Roll, Scallop Hand Roll, and Cucumber Hand Roll, all made to order.


L: Newbie brewer Phantom Carriage made a good showing for itself with a duo of sour, funky beers. That fine fellow is Bar Manager Jairo Bogarin, by the way.
R: For those of hoppier disposition, Lagunitas Brewing Company had plenty of their signature IPA.


L: Events Team Members Denise Chang and Kristen Chang, looking floral.
R: CNS marketing rep Amy Hsu with one of her many, many models.


Picca's Ceviche Kokoda and Peruvian Alfajores with Cajeta seemed to go over well with the crowd. Note Josh Drew (who's moving on to a different role at Sprout) as well as GM Lauren Smith and new Chef de Cuisine Tomas (only the first name is given, à la Madonna).


L:Stone's rep certainly looked the part of the Arrogant Bastard ale he was plying.
R:Palmina's Chrystal Seals Clifton looked as refined as her wine in that little white number.


Unsurprisingly, Bestia's Pan Fried Ciccioli | pickled fennel, candied kumquats, creme fraiche, pea tendrils was an early favorite. Needless to say, we'll all be looking forward to Ori Menashe's upcoming Middle Eastern place on Mateo.


L: Former PbP team member Kristy Lu returned to the event with a friend. I can't say the same about Eric Tung.
R: Events Team Member Tiffany Kuo and Operations Team Member Laura Higashi.


Pine & Crane's Moonlynn Tsai offered up the restaurant's delightful Woodear Salad, as well as Cucumber Salad, Passion Fruit Green Tea, and a superb Passion Fruit Shandy.


L: Winemaker Norm Yost was on deck for Pinot Noir-specialist Flying Goat Cellars.
R:Beekeeper Cellars founder and Kevin Spacey lookalike Ian Blackburn poured one of his limited production Zinfandels, the 2012 Howell Mountain "Black Sears Vineyard".


The Park's Finest had Chef Johneric Concordia and GM Ricky Bautista plating up some San Pablo Pulled Pork and Ann's Cornbread Bibinka.


L: Former OCA head and Yulree roommate Lisa Thong (now with edgier haircut) joins ex-PbP'er and noted Hello Kitty enthusiast Kayla Vu.
R: Events Team Member Patrick Lee and accomplices.


L:1886 at The Raymond ended up winning the award for best beverage thanks to their Monte Carlo | a delicious Old-Fashioned variation using Benedictine instead of sugar & Rittenhouse Rye whiskey.
R: Last up on the beverage docket was Ventura Limoncello and effervescent founder James Carling.


A-Frame's new Executive Chef Johnny Yoo and Yoshi served up a nod to the current poke craze with their Sweet Chili Shrimp Poke | sweet chili sauce, haricot vert, yellow corn, crispy tempura, cilantro. Reiss Company marketing head Andrea Sun, meanwhile, was fetching as well in her tropical number.


The award for most cheese-centric dish of the night has to go to Drago Centro with their Garganelli | pork sauage, Parmesan cheese, fennel pollen. I could smell the Parm from ten feet away.


L: National Treasurer Eden Tol and Events Team Member Ginny Chan.
R: It just wouldn't be a complete Plate by Plate without Starry Kitchen frontman Nguyen Tran and his signature banana suit. In a throwback move, he served SK's iconic Crispy Tofu Balls with Spicy Sriracha Aioli once more, and even rocked the exact same sandwich board he did back when I first encountered him at Plate by Plate 2010.



This year, we decided to really step up the VIP area and offer two seated dining experiences. Staffed this evening by Executive Chef Walter Manzke, Pastry Chef Margarita Manzke, GM/Beverage Director Taylor Parsons, and Director of Culinary Operations Rory Herrmann, Republique certainly had the most complex kitchen setup ever to grace Plate by Plate. The restaurant also had the lengthiest menu ever, a mini tasting comprising: Taylor Bay Kumamoto Oyster | heirloom tomato, jalapeño, lime; Celery Cocktail | serrano, pineapple, tequila; Golden Corn Soup | green Thai curry; Cook Ranch Pork Belly | Black River osetra caviar; and Crème Caramel | Australian black winter truffles for dessert. It's no surprise that they ended up taking home the prize for best dish.


The action on the VIP stage.


The Moutai VIP Lounge offered up something scarce: actual seating.


VIP bar duties were the charge of Pour Vous, helmed tonight by Bar Manager François Vera and sponsored by CNS. Vera created an inventive twosome of baijiu-focused cocktails: the Chocolat Chinoise | Moutain Yingbin, yellow Chartreuse, China-China amaro, chocolate bitters, flaming absinthe and the China Car | Moutain Yingbin, Mandarine Napoléon, fresh lemon juice, simple syrup, orange blossom. Damn he looks good here.



Not to be outdone, Steve Samson and Sotto presented a refreshing crudo bar concept, with a three-course menu of Albacore Conserva | heirloom beans, pickled mustard seeds; Big-Eye Tuna Crudo | smoked eggplant puree, sweet onion, marinated zucchini, breadcrumbs; and Scallop Crudo | hazelnuts, market peaches, black summer truffles. Another crowd-pleaser to be sure. Initially, there was actually a plan to have seated stations in the general admission area too, but space limitations prevented such a setup. Perhaps next year...



Previous Plate by Plate posts: 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010

---

Madcapra (Los Angeles, CA)

August 2, 2015, 2:55 pm

≫ Next: Belly & Snout (Los Angeles, CA)

≪ Previous: Plate by Plate 2015 (Los Angeles, CA)

$

0

0

Madcapra Falafel at Grand Central Market
317 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90013
www.madcapra.com
Sat 06/06/2015, 02:55p-05:00p



The hits just keep on coming at GCM. The latest new school place to drop is Madcapra (ostensibly a portmanteau of madcap and capra), which grand opened on May 6th after a series of F&F meals and a one-night-only pop-up at Animal back in February. The stall sits just across the way from DTLA Cheese, and is a falafel- and veggie-centric joint by Brooklyn expats Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson.

About the Chefs: Born in New York, Kramer was raised in Upper Nyack, the daughter of a Peruvian-Israeli mom and an Ashkenazi dad from the Bronx. She grew up in a food-focused household, with both her mother and grandmother being handy in the kitchen, and ate her fair share of Middle Eastern growing up. However, in her younger years, Kramer followed in the footsteps of older sister Dana and centered her life around musical theater, spending summers at Stagedoor Manor and Northwestern's National High School Institute and starring in productions of Into the Woods, Les Miserables, and Phantom at the Helen Hayes Youth Theater. After finishing high school in 2003, she landed a role in a touring production of Mamma Mia!, serving as a Sophie Sheridan understudy and later replacement before moving to the Broadway show in 2004 at the age of 18, superseding Jenny Fellner.

Interestingly, her interest in food was rekindled by the rigors of the performing arts, and in 2005, she enrolled at NYU, where she took classes in Food Studies. This was followed by a year at the Natural Gourmet Institute, an alternative culinary school. During her tenure at the NGI, Kramer externed at Blue Hill at Stone Barns, and eventually scored a permanent position there. After almost two years with Dan Barber (including time at Blue Hill in Manhattan), she went to work for Andrew Tarlow. She cooked at both Diner and Marlow & Sons, and even took time to stage at Els Casals in Spain during this period. In May 2012, Tarlow made Kramer executive sous at Reynard, but not too long after, she met restaurateur Sara Conklin through a friend. The two quickly hit it off, and by June 2013, had debuted Glasserie in Greenpoint. The restaurant was well-received, but tensions between the partners eventually led to Kramer's resignation in February 2014. She was joined in her departure by sous Sarah Hymanson.

Hymanson, for her part, hails from Chicago. She attended the Francis W. Parker School before enrolling at Oberlin College in 2004, majoring in South Asian Studies and Studio Art. During her time in Ohio, she was the head cook at Pyle Inn, one of the school's co-ops. Hymanson graduated in 2008, and after moving to Brooklyn, eventually landed at Park Slope's Applewood in April 2009. She stayed there for a bit over a year, then moved to Blue Hill in Manhattan in September 2010. In 2012, she left the restaurant and cooked briefly at the NYC outpost of Mission Chinese before rejoining Dan Barber at Blue Hill at Stone Barns in 2013. This was followed by five months of traveling and eating in Asia, and then the sous chef position at Glasserie.

Before moving out to California in August 2014, Kramer and Hymanson traveled to Israel and Turkey to really soak in the food culture there. As for why the pair chose LA for Madcapra, they cite the more reasonable rents, the chance to make a lasting impact on a more nascent food scene, and the fact that Kramer's boyfriend is from here. Also joining them is Brenna White, another NGI grad and the former Pastry Chef at The Smile in New York, who also worked at Mile End, M. Wells, and Diner.


Madcapra's veggie-focused menu is certainly compact, headlined by two colors of falafel. Click for a larger version.


After you order, you're instructed to head to the back of the stall, where you can take in a view of the kitchen.


While waiting for our food, we enjoyed a couple of Madcapra's specialty drinks. The Sumac Beet Soda [$4.00] was certainly visually arresting with its magenta hue, and taste-wise, it was almost as bracing, with a bevy of sweet, tart, lemon-y flavors that really captured the essence of beet.


I preferred the Iced Cardamom Coffee [$4.00] though, with its cool, creamy coffee notes and delightful sweet spice on the finish.


Green/Falafel (Sandwich) [$10.00] | cauliflower, fennel, labneh & cilantro
We started with my favorite item of the meal, and one of the best preparations of falafel I've encountered. The actual falafels were crunchy, but not dry as they often are, and were imbued with a nutty sort of savor and accented by a great touch of spice. They worked hand-in-hand with the bright, acidic crunch of the veggies here, and I appreciated how the labneh functioned to bring it all together.


Given that it was GCM, we BYOB'd it of course. First up was the 2015 Almanac Farmer's Reserve Pluot, a sour ale brewed with pluots and aged in wine barrels. Not too much in terms of a bouquet here, while on the palate, I got bracingly tart flavors at first, joined by citrus, yeast, oak, and just a trace of stone fruit coming in toward the end.


Cabbage, Yogurt & Seeds [$6.00] | with yogurt, seeds, & marjoram
A cabbage salad was surprisingly tasty, the bitter crunch of the vegetable working great alongside the zip of marjoram while sesame added a fantastic nuttiness on the close.


Next to drink was the Prairie Funky Gold Amarillo, a dry-hopped sour. I found this super acidic on the nose, with forceful notes of lemon and barnyard, while taste-wise, I got lots of really dank, grassy flavors, transitioning to more tartness on the mid palate.


Red/Falafel (Salad) [$12.00] | tomato, cabbage, pickles, tahini & basil
We opted for a salad preparation for our "red" falafel. Lots of light, crisp notes going on here, with the falafels themselves as good as ever. It was tasty; however, the dish as a whole wasn't as well-integrated, and I didn't get much from the tahini nor the basil. I'd have to conclude that flatbread is the superior vessel for falafel at Madcapra.


The 2015 Bottle Logic Ideation was one of the heftier beers we had, a hopped wheat wine aged in bourbon barrels. It smelled of sweet, caramel-y malt commingled with a hop bitterness, and tasted much the same, with lots of sugary malt and toffee over a base of boozy bourbon.


Pickles [$3.00]
I love me some pickles, and they were about what you'd expect here, crunchy and acidic.


And now for something different, the 2015 101 Cider House India Pale Cider was quite unlike other ciders I've had. Think super dry, super crisp, with a slight sweetness cut by a very noticeable hop character.


Broccoli, Beet, Feta (Sandwich) [$10.00] | beet, feta, pickled peppers & pumpkin seed
Our next wrap turned out better than I thought it would. Nice bitterness and crunch from the broccoli here, and I liked how that worked with the sugariness of the beets while feta added a richness and lactic tartness to the fold.


Stout duties were handled by the Amager / Mikkeller Hr. Frederiksens Væsel Brunch, an imperial oatmeal stout brewed with coffee and aged in bourbon barrels. As expected, lots of strong, astringent, aromatic coffee nuances here, all over a base of chocolate, malt, and roast. Smooth overall, but without too much barrel character unfortunately.



Organic, whole wheat Laffa flatbread grilled to order and served with grilled eggplant salad, sunflower & cherries
The first-ever Los Angeles Bread Festival happened to be going on during our visit, and given the occasion, Madcapra was offering a special housemade laffa, paired with their eggplant salad. The actual flatbread was well-textured and well-spiced, but was really taken up a notch by the inclusion of that salad, which offered up a rich, sweet, nutty counterpoint.


Our final bottle was the 2015 Smog City Cuddle Bug, a sour with peaches and apricots. On the nose, think super juicy stone fruit, perhaps the most I've encountered in a beer. That lushness continued on to the palate, where it was joined by an offsetting tartness that really worked flawlessly with the fruit. My favorite beer of the bunch for sure.


Soft Egg & Grain Bowl [$12.00] | with white bean, spiced summer squash & watercress
The bowl was another highlight for me. Lovely textures here, and I was quite a fan of the spiced squash, which had an aromatic, almost curry-like quality to it that paired swimmingly with the zesty cress. Can't go wrong with a runny egg, either.

Madcapra looks to be yet another feather in Grand Central Market's cap, delivering some Middle Eastern flair to the food hall. The actual falafel's certainly worthwhile, and I'd actually like to see the chefs expanded the menu to feature some more preparations (different colors, if you will). This is not the end for the two Sara(h)s though. They're still scouting locations for a second restaurant, a sit down Middle Eastern eatery, so I'll certainly be looking out for that one as well.

Belly & Snout (Los Angeles, CA)

August 4, 2015, 7:15 pm

≫ Next: Cassia (Santa Monica, CA)

≪ Previous: Madcapra (Los Angeles, CA)

$

0

0

Belly and Snout Restaurant
974 S Western Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90006
323.643.4170
www.bellyandsnout.com
Fri 06/12/2015, 07:15p-09:55p





Filipino cuisine is still in its nascent stages in LA, but one of the places that's helping the cause is the new-ish Belly & Snout in Koreatown. Named after the primary parts of the pig used in their sisig, the restaurant aims to mesh Filipino flavors with staples of American fast food, and is the work of former Discussion Truck operator Warren Almeda.

About the Chef: Almeda underwent his training at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. After graduating, he worked briefly in the City before taking on a line cook gig at the W Hotel in Westwood. Next were positions at Roy's in both Woodland Hills and Las Vegas, followed by a stint at Asian fusion eatery Social House, also in Vegas. In mid-2008, Almeda moved to San Diego and started working at the Roy's in La Jolla, and after two years there, became executive sushi chef at the nearby Roppongi. However, he ended up relocating to Long Beach in February 2012, and subsequently teamed up with brother Bryan to launch The Discussion Truck that April. The food truck served as a test bed for the Belly & Snout menu, and lasted for about a year before closing in March 2013. After the shutter, Almeda worked at Blue C Sushi in Hollywood (where he met his current sous chef Ian Aquino), and apparently spent time with Ludo Lefebvre and Danny Elmaleh as well before debuting Belly & Snout in September last year.



Belly & Snout takes over the space previously home to Singaporean joint Grainivore and Venezuelan eatery Amazonas. Ordering is done at the counter in front, while food is delivered through a small window to the dining area out back.


The menu's simple enough: a set of core proteins (oxtail, sisig, adobo) offered in grilled cheese, hot dog, fries, or Tot formats. And to drink? Not much. Click for a larger version.


Sisig Tater Tots [$8.25] | Pork Belly, Pork Snout, Red Onion, Garlic Crema, Chicharron
Sisig demonstrated a mix of crispy and supple textures, along with a heady, porky savor that was evened out by the brightness of the veggies up top. The crema did a nice job bringing it all together, and the Tots didn't let me down either with their simple, satisfying nature. Yum.


The layout of the place makes it easy to slip in your own bottles for BYOB purposes. Our first beer was the 2015 Jester King Ol' Oi, an oak barrel-aged sour brown. I rather liked this one, with its tart, vinous, oaky qualities making for a good impression of an old school Flanders ale.


Belly & Snout Hot Dog [$8.25] | Beef Hot Dog, Bacon, Pork Adobo, House Pickles, Green Onion, Chicharron, Garlic Aioli, Fried Egg
The signature hot dog hit the mark, the classic flavors of the beef link augmented by the combo of bacon and adobo while egg and aioli added further richness to the mix. Given the heft of the various elements, the zip of the accompanying pickles, cilantro, and scallion was certainly appreciated.


Released recently on June 6th, the 2015 Beachwood System of a Stout is arguably the brewery's most well-regarded beer, an imperial stout aged on oak with Portola coffee, cardamom, and molasses. The beer is meant to evoke an Armenian-style coffee, and it did a wonderful job at it. In fact, it was one of the most coffee-forward beers I've had, with massive quantities of super roasty, bitter coffee set against an undercurrent of aromatic spice.


Longanisa Grilled Cheese [$6.25] | White Bread, Cilantro, American Cheese, Garlic Crema
Almeda's longanisa features pork shoulder, pork fat, smoked paprika, sea salt, sugar, and garlic, and made for one of the highlights of the meal. I was a big fan of the sausage's savory, yet slightly sweet flavor profile, and how that worked with the cilantro, the cheese adding a salty, creamy, gooey finish to it all. Certainly, one of the best grilled cheese sandwiches I've had.


Next to imbibe was the 2014 De Garde Deux Tetes, a wild ale fermented with apples that was made in collaboration with Reverend Nat's Hard Cider from Portland. On the nose I got the funky, tart, earthy, spicy notes that you'd expect. The taste, however, was much more unexpected, with a "toasted sesame seed"-esque nuttiness overarching the otherwise sour, subtly apple-y nuances present.


Pork Adobo Fries [$7.25] | Pork, Garlic Crema, Green Onion, Red Radish
The adobo was richly flavored, the tender shards of pork enrobed by the lushness of crema while onions and radish imparted the necessary lightness. Nice texture on those fries as well, which served as a fitting base to the dish.


Moving away from beer for a moment, the Troy MMXIV was an apple and pineapple quince cider, aged in oak barrels for nine months. Weak nose on this one, though the palate definitely veered dry, acerbic, and tart, with the aromatics of the quince peeking through.


Oxtail Hot Dog [$8.25] | Peanut Braised Oxtail, Cotija Cheese, Red Beans, Crema, Cilantro
Belly & Snout's take on the chili dog was as good as any I've had, the snappy, savory frank taken up a notch by the deep, beefy flavors of kare kare-inspired oxtail.


I was pleasantly surprised with the 2015 Mikkeller Spontanchokeberry. Tart, fruity, a bit metallic to the smell; tastes of tart, jammy berry commingled with a bright acidity and hint of wood. Not bad.


Chicken Adobo Grilled Cheese [$6.25] | White Bread, Garlic Crema, American Cheese
The chicken adobo conveyed a straightforward savor that wasn't quite as interesting as the other proteins here, though it did work well enough when paired with the lusciousness of crema and cheese.


After consuming the coffee and coconut/cacao variants recently, we finished off the set with the 2015 Modern Times Monsters' Park Aged in Bourbon Barrels. Surprisingly, I didn't get that much in terms of aroma here, with a slight barrel character from the five-plus months spent in Heaven Hill casks. However, in terms of taste, this was one of the best BA stouts I've had in a while, with a huge chocolate-y presence and lots of sweet vanilla-laced malt and roast, underpinned by booze, making for a super well-integrated set of flavors that left we wanting more.


Complementary pickles were sweeter than expected.


Our final bottle was the 2013 The Bruery Melange No. 8, a blend of BBA Anniversary ale, BBA White Oak Sap, and Portola coffee that I believe was one of the original Hoarders-exclusive beers. I got a lot of that rich, boozy dark fruit and brown sugar character that you'd expect from a Bruery old ale here, with the coffee providing an astringency and bitterness that enrobed the entire beer.


Chef Almeda was kind enough to provide us with an off-menu dish of arroz caldo. An adaptation of Chinese congee, it was a deeply comforting, deeply satisfying soup, with a cozy sort of savor to it joined by a delightful backbone of spice and heat. Definitely good enough to go on the menu.


Finishing things off was a bottle of Mostra Coffee Cold Brew Ohhh F*dge. I'm not a huge coffee drinker, but quite liked this. You got the expected bitterness, the aromatics up front, but the close was all about a chocolate-y goodness that really did recall fudge.

Belly & Snout delivered pretty much exactly what it advertised: a mash-up of Filipino classics and fast food that hit the spot. Next, I'd like to see Almeda get a little more refined, a little more traditional with his cooking, to bring us O.G. food with a modern edge, a Filipino version of Night+Market if you will. I think we're all waiting for someone to bring Filipino cuisine to the forefront of the LA dining scene, so why not him?

---

Given that Belly & Snout doesn't do the sweet stuff, we headed over to Carmela Ice Cream Co to satisfy our dessert fix.


Items sampled included scoops of Lemon Verbena Vanilla Bean and Rosemary with Toasted Pine Nuts, as well as a Chocolate Chip Cookie Brown Sugar Vanilla Bean ice cream sandwich.

Cassia (Santa Monica, CA)

August 6, 2015, 8:00 pm

≫ Next: Colonia Publica (Whittier, CA)

≪ Previous: Belly & Snout (Los Angeles, CA)

$

0

0

Cassia Restaurant
1314 7th St, Santa Monica, CA 90401
310.393.6699
www.cassiala.com
Wed 07/01/2015, 08:00p-11:40p





One of the biggest Santa Monica debuts of 2015 has got to be Cassia, a modern Southeast Asian eatery from Bryant Ng/Kim Luu-Ng and Josh Loeb/Zoe Nathan. If you recall, Ng opened The Spice Table back in March 2011. He made quite a name for himself there, even securing Food & Wine's "Best New Chef" award in April 2012. However, by the end of that year, it was almost certain that the place would have to shutter in order to make way for Metro's Regional Connector. The restaurant ended up closing at the end of 2013, but the Ngs had already partnered up with the Rustic Canyon/Huckleberry/Milo & Olive/Sweet Rose duo that October.

With the deal in place, work on Cassia began in earnest, but construction delays pushed the grand opening to June 13th this year. Ng has brought on a familiar cast to join him, including Chef Consultant Joseph Marcos (Ugly Drum Catering, Olive & Thyme, Mendocino Farms, Pizzeria Mozza), Chef de Cuisine Matt Armistead (Gjusta, Soho House), and Sous Chef John Stenbakken (Pizzeria Mozza San Diego). Meanwhile, the FOH is led by Leah Haimowitz (The Spice Table, Mendocino Farms, Mozza) and hospitality veteran Ralph Waxman (The Spice Table, Mozza, Opus, Dakota, Whist at the Viceroy, Mako, Jimmy's, George's at the Cove).


Cassia occupies the ground floor of a 1937 Maurice Sasso-designed Art Deco building that previously housed switchboard operations for Verizon. The 5,000-plus square-foot space was redone by Montalba Architects, the local firm responsible for Huckleberry, Milo, Sweet Rose, as well as Nobu Malibu. The high-ceilinged main dining area seats about 140 in a varied setup. You'll find the bar and the raw bar in the front, surrounding an open, bistro-like area, while there's a more sedate "wine room" further in the back, alongside "Baby Spice," a portion of the restaurant housing the old Spice Table bird cages, the old wood grill, and a chef's counter. There's room for an additional 60 on the patio, while the private dining room handles 20 more.


It is important to note that Cassia's large, multifaceted menu isn't just a reworking of what Ng was putting out over at The Spice Table. There are a few O.G. items to be sure, but for the most part, the idea here is to blend the Chef's Singaporean-slash-Vietnamese stylings with a French brasserie bent. Drink-wise, you get a handful of beers from eight taps, a reasonably-priced, international wine list compiled by Kathryn Coker, as well as appealing-sounding, market-driven cocktails from barman Kenneth Arbuckle (Bestia, La Descarga, The Doheny). Click for larger versions.


Blackberry Sherry Cobbler [$13.00] | Manzanilla sherry, ume plum infused orange liqueur, blackberries, pink lemon
We got off to a lighter start with the cocktails, this sherry-based specimen bringing forth a bitter, astringent flavor profile intertwined with fruit, the back end imbued with a distinct medicinal tinge.


Vietnamese "Sunbathing" Prawns [$19.00] | Fresno chiles, garlic, Vietnamese hot sauce
Our first dish is quickly becoming one of the favorites at Cassia. Prawns came out chilled and lightly cooked, their ocean-y flavors complemented but not overwhelmed by the earthy spice present. Like peel-and-eat shrimp, but thankfully without all the work.


Chopped Escargot [$18.00] | Lemongrass butter, herbs
The escargot was a standout, arriving as garlicky and as herby as you'd want, and even better with a squirt of citrus. I'd never seen snails used as a spread before, but they worked beautifully here with the buttery, blistered shards of naan (made in-house on a tandoor).


Piña Colada [$14.00] | Rum, housemade coconut liqueur, pineapple, coconut cream
The piña colada was a legit example, with its soft, smooth, just-sweet-enough coconut notes accented just a smidge by the tartness of pineapple, the rum barely peeking through it all.


Charcuterie Platter (Sm) [$18.00] | Salted Pork With Grilled Bread, Smoked Red Sausage, Sichuan Lamb Ham, Singaporean Grilled Candied Pork, Vietnamese Meatloaf, Cabbage Relish
Asian-inspired charcuterie was housemade and came with a sweet-spicy cabbage relish. Clockwise from the top, we had:

• Salted Pork With Grilled Bread: This almost lardo-like preparation showed off a boatload of porkiness and salt, yet was tempered by the application of scallion--a fitting accoutrement to the thick cuts of toast.
• Sichuan Lamb Ham: Hammy, but with a delightful, almost botanical spice to it.
• Vietnamese Meatloaf: Soft, almost creamy in consistency, with a savory, herby quality and lingering heat.
• Smoked Red Sausage: Gritty in body, with a straightforward savoriness.
• Singaporean Grilled Candied Pork: Chewy little bites loaded with sugar, smoke, and spice.

Chino Valley Egg Custard [$15.00] | Sea urchin roe, braised mushrooms
Some of my dining companions described this as "Korean-ish" (think gyeran jjim), and indeed, it conveyed a lovely depth and sesame oil-esque savor. I loved the earthiness of the mushrooms here, as well as the moderating effect of green onion, and though the urchin added further luxuriousness and brine, it wasn't strictly necessary for me. A very cozy sort of dish.


Sunny Place [$12.00] | Tequila, mezcal, china china, sambal bitters, kaffir lime leaf tincture
Next was another standout cocktail, this one deftly blending boozy and dark fruit at its core, with contrasting bitter and smoky notes coming through later. Superbly well balanced and integrated.


Jellyfish Salad [$15.00] | Shredded chicken, crispy rice, green leaf, sesame-bacon dressing
I don't usually do salads, but couldn't resist one with jellyfish in it. The star ingredient worked as a textural element here, adding a gorgeous crunch to a perfectly good, nutty chicken salad.


Fried Cauliflower [$9.00] | Fish sauce
This dish was a favorite of mine back at Spice Table. It didn't quite hit such lofty heights tonight, but was still a strong effort, a balance of crisp and supple textures with the fish sauce once again imparting that beautiful funk, spice, and zip to the mix.


One of my dining companions brought a couple of food-appropriate wines with him, the first of which was the 2011 Suavia Soave Classico Monte Carbonare, made from the Garganega grape. I really enjoyed this one: complex on the nose, with a deep, almost funky quality, while on the palate, I got soft, round, grassy nuances and a touch of tropical fruit, all backed by a great touch of minerality.


Kaya Toast [$9.00] | Coconut jam, butter, slow cooked egg
The kaya toast was another holdover from the Spice Table days, and didn't disappoint. I was a big fan of the sweet, coconut-infused flavors of the toast, as well as how that all played with the salty savor of that runny egg.


Spicy Wontons [$12.00] | Cod, shrimp, country ham, napa cabbage, roasted chile oil
Wontons were rather tasty: umami-rich at first, but with a fantastic hit of numbing spice on the close. Comforting overall, though I wanted a bit more firmness on the actual skins.


Red wine duties were handled by the 1998 Tertre Rôteboeuf, an unclassified Grand Cru Bordeaux hailing from St. Émilion. I found it classic in essence: peppery and smoky to the smell, with lots of berry; the taste, meanwhile, went tannic, mineral-y, and earthy, with more of that dark fruit showing up.


Vietnamese Pâté [$12.00] | Pickled chiles
Ng's take on gan xay didn't shy away from the liveriness one would expect from the dish. Its earthy flavors were on proud display here, tempered just a bit by the application of mint while the chilies added a hit of piquancy to the fold.


Kim's Chicken Congee [$12.00] | Savory rice porridge, smoked chicken-herb salad
The cháo gà-inspired congee was another standout for me. I loved the depth of flavor here, along with its accompanying smoky, herby elements, the whole thing perked up by a distinct vinegar-y character.


Rock Melon Fizz [$13.00] | Mezcal, semillon, Munak Farms rock sweet melon, lime, egg white
Getting back to cocktails, this next one was to my liking, eggy and frothy at first, with the smoke of the mezcal coming in later, the whole thing finishing with the juicy, aromatic sweetness of melon.


Koda Farms Chickpea Curry [$11.00] | Coconut milk, cilantro
A curry of garbanzo was fragrant and sweet, with the coconut milk really making itself known. Delicious and comforting all at the same time.


Coleman Farms Swiss Chard [$10.00] | Spices, sheep cheese
Chard saw its bitterness robustly conveyed in this dish, blended with a bevy of spices while the cheese added a weightiness to it all. Interestingly, I found it somewhat reminiscent of the Indian staple saag paneer.


Smoked Cocktail [$12.00] | Scotch, cassia infused cardamaro, bitters, apple wood smoke
Our final cocktail was a winner as well: boozy and citrus-y, with a wonderful touch of sweet spice and a finish imbued with a subtle smoke.


Laksa [$18.00] | Rice noodles, spicy coconut-seafood soup
Rice noodles were slippery and satisfying to the bite, with the addition of fish cake adding even more textural play to the soup. I enjoyed the broth here as well, which was simultaneously sweet, spicy, and teeming with a palpable brine.


Vietnamese Pot Au Feu [$28.00] | Creekstone Farms short rib stew, potatoes, cabbage, carrots, bone marrow, grilled bread, two sauces
We ended, fittingly, with Cassia's version of pot-au-feu. The short rib was the hero here, arriving near falling-apart tender and loaded with all the bovine flavors that you'd want, the spicy pho-like broth adding additional richness and depth to the dish. Root veggies imparted a lovely heft and hominess, while cabbage gave up a touch of lightness, as did the trio of accoutrements: bird's eye chili sauce, Dijon mustard with walnut oil, and pickled shallot. The bone marrow wasn't even needed.


The dessert menu's apropos given the theme here, and is crafted by Zoe Nathan as well as Laurel Almerinda (Rustic Canyon, Huckleberry) and Charlotte Doimo-Mueller. Click for a larger version.


Deep Fried Paris-Brest [$10.00] | Housemade lemongrass ice cream, candied lemon
I think this was my first time actually having a Paris-Brest, and I was a fan. It was profiterole-like in nature, with its tart, creamy filling doing a wonderful job alongside that delightfully flaky choux pastry.


Vietnamese Coffee Pudding [$10.00] | Coconut shortbread
The pudding was super coffee forward, really showing off the bittersweet nature of ca phe sua da. Excellent shortbread cookies to boot, which went perfectly with the dessert.


Strawberry, Cherry Napoleon [$10.00] | Green tea Bavarian cream
We closed with a spot on rendition of mille-feuille, one with a great balance between the deep, fruity notes present and the contrasting lightness of the cream, all while puff pastry provided a fantastic textural component.

With the Ngs and the Rustic crew on board here, you'd expect Cassia to be good, and it was. The food presents the core of the Singaporean- and Vietnamese-inspired cooking that the Chef was putting out at Spice Table, but with a decidedly Cal-French slant that looks to be hitting all the right marks. Cocktails, meanwhile, were on point as well, though some felt that the service could use a bit more polish (something that I'm sure they'll work out in due time). Overall, a lovely experience.

Colonia Publica (Whittier, CA)

August 9, 2015, 8:05 pm

≫ Next: Broken Spanish (Los Angeles, CA)

≪ Previous: Cassia (Santa Monica, CA)

$

0

0

Colonia Publica Restaurant
6717 Greenleaf Ave, Whittier, CA 90601
562.693.2621
www.coloniagroupinc.com
Sun 06/14/2015, 08:05p-10:05p





Tonight we pay a visit to the latest venture from Chef Ricardo Diaz (Colonia Taco Lounge, Bizarra Capital, and formerly of Guisados and Tacoteca): Colonia Publica. The place soft-opened at the start of the year as a weekends-only pop-up serving nothing but fideo, a sort of Mexican noodle soup. Back in March, however, Colonia became a full-fledged "gastro-canita," adding an array of accompanying dishes and new-wave micheladas to the mix.


Colonia Publica takes over the space previously held by Italian eateries Franco Trattoria, Zi Teresa, and Ambrose Pizzeria. Perhaps that explains the intriguing building-within-a-building setup here, sort of reminiscent of a downmarket Blue Bayou.


The main draw is of course the fideo, ordered via checklist. The soups are joined by a number of small plates and a whole section devoted to mulitas, which are akin to miniature quesadillas. To drink, beer is the way to go, especially in michelada form, as you probably don't want the wine here. Click for larger versions.


IPAlada [$9.00] | grapefruit, lime, IPA, bitters, salt
Speaking of micheladas, we got started with my favorite of the bunch. Think super refreshing, crisp, and subtly bitter, with the juicy grapefruit notes doing a fantastic job accentuating the inherent citrus character of the beer.


Grilled Octopus [$9.00] | chorizo-fried spinach, oregano vinaigrette, pickled onions, avocado
The octopus was definitely a standout, coming out well-charred, tender, and delightfully savory. The combo of spicy chorizo and astringent spinach was surprisingly, but effective, and I appreciated the balance from the avocado and pickled onion as well.


Mexi-Dogs [$5.00] | crispy fried tortilla dogs, classic mustard, salsa guisada
This seemingly pocho-inspired mash-up was satisfying in a trashy sort of way, the classic, snappy goodness of the franks working as good as ever with the mustard while the tortillas added a fantastic crunch, and the salsa an enveloping richness.


Cocochelada [$9.00] | coconut, pineapple, negra modelo
I found the coconut michelada toasty and borderline tropical, with tart accents from the pineapple and the Modelo peeking through nicely.


Ceviche Verde Tostada [$5.00] | bassa fillet, aguachile, pepitas, lime mayo
The requisite ceviche tostada delivered, a fresh, acidic preparation with the well-textured fish working as the star of the show.


Campeon Mulitas [$6.00] | bacon, pickled jalapeno, spicy aioli, beans, cheese
Our first mulita balanced the salt of bacon against a base of beans, all while cheese and aioli brought it all together.


Smokey Brown [$9.00] | tamarindo, agave wine, cayenne
This next cocktail showed off all the sweet, sour, spicy nuances that you'd expect from tamarindo, with the agave imparting an unexpected heft to the drink.


Regular Fideo [$10.00] | braised pork, cotija cheese, spinach, roasted corn, chopped serrano, chicharron
Our first fideo was a homey, comforting potage, with a permeating heat and slow burn that worked hand-in-hand with the depth of the broth and richness of braised pork. Nice creaminess from the cotija here, and great texture from the chicharrones to boot.


Mole Tostada [$6.00] | chicken, mole poblano, onion cream, greens, rosemary oil
The smoky, sweet savor of mole was proudly display over a base of chicken, the veggies imparting an offsetting brightness to the tostada.


Cider Spider [$9.00] | apple cider, cayenne, lime, cinnamon
This cider-based michelada certainly met the mark, delivering a boatload of sweet spice over a base of classic apple-y goodness. One of my dining companions even likened the concoction to a "Mexican apple pie."


Choriqueso Tacos [$6.00] | pork chorizo & cheese melt, avocado salsa, pico de gallo
The combo of chorizo and cheese almost never disappoints, and this was no exception. Smart use of the salsa to provide some lightness and acidity to the tacos.


Salmon Tostada [$6.00] | smoked salmon, crispy fried egg, avocado, pico de gallo, Salvadorean cream
Salmon was appropriately smoky, and matched well with the lushness of that avocado and fried egg while the crema helped tie it all together.


La Morena [$9.00] | stout-horchata black & tan
Colonia's take on the traditional Black and Tan did a good job blending the flavors of a roasty stout with the sweet spice of horchata. However, there was some curdling action going on here, which was disconcerting.


Chipotle Asparagus Mulitas [$6.00] | cheese, sautéed asparagus, chipotle-orange cream salsa
The bitterness of asparagus made perfect sense with the queso here, while the chipotle salsa gave up just a smidge of creamy heat to the dish.


Veggie Fideo [$9.00] | beans, monterey jack, chorizo, tortilla chips, sour cream, hard boiled egg, avocado
For our second fideo, we opted for the vegetarian broth. As expected, it didn't possess quite the depth and richness of the regular version, but still made for a tasty soup, one inspired by the contents of a breakfast burrito. Great crunch from the tortilla strips, too.

We left Colonia Publica stuffed and satisfied. The place is another notable addition to Diaz's portfolio, the most casual of the bunch, but still with its own unique menu and character. I'll be looking forward to seeing what the Chef comes up with next.

---

After dinner, we wandered over to The Cellar Bottle Shop & Tasting Room down the street, which happens to be run by the guys behind Ramirez Liquor, that East LA mecca of beer and tequila. I opted for a tasting flight comprising (right to left): Dogfish Head Festina Peche Berliner Weisse, Cisco Brewers Reserve: Double India Pale Ale, Sudwerk Citrus Gose, and Left Hand Milk Stout Nitro.

Broken Spanish (Los Angeles, CA)

August 11, 2015, 8:00 pm

≫ Next: Pueblo (Costa Mesa, CA)

≪ Previous: Colonia Publica (Whittier, CA)

$

0

0

Broken Spanish Restaurant
1050 S Flower St, Los Angeles, CA 90015
213.749.1460
www.brokenspanish.com
Thu 07/16/2015, 08:00p-10:20p





A couple months back I enjoyed a promising meal at B.S. Taqueria, so it was sort of a foregone conclusion that I'd be checking out Ray Garcia's follow-up. Broken Spanish debuted on June 22nd, and is the Taqueria's bigger, schmancier sibling, a place that's meant to showcase the Chef's culinary journey thus far via cuisine that combines Garcia's Latino upbringing with his classical training and time spent in LA. The restaurant represents a partnership with Bill Chait's Sprout LA, with Garcia Hospitality partner Jacob Shure manning the FOH and Geter Atienza (FIG, SHO Shaun Hergatt) in place as CdC.



The old Rivera space has been revamped by local firm Bells & Whistles. It's a much lighter, lighthearted affair now (especially in the old "Sangre" room), exuding a bit of homey charm.


As for Broken Spanish's menu, it features Garcia's new-wave Mexi-LA cooking in the tried-and-true cadence of snackier bites, small plates, and larger dishes. The drink program's also notable, yielding a conceptually-appropriate cocktail list from barman Michael Lay (Brilliantshine, Faith & Flower), as well as a handful of beers and a compact-but-varied wine list. Click for larger versions.


Rebanada [$13.00] | Pan Dulce, Foie Gras-Butter, Piloncillo
The meal got off to a strong start with this take on pan dulce. You got the refined, liver-y essence of the foie, intertwined with the sugariness of piloncillo, with the sweetness of the bread further enhancing the interaction. A big fan of the restraint here.


Molletes [$7.00] | Smashed Pea, Yierba Buena, Pecan, Panela
Next was Garcia's rendition of a mollete, traditionally a sort of baguette stuffed with refried beans and cheese. Here, it was reminiscent of the "toasts" that seem to be all the rage these days, the peas doing an admirable job grounding the dish while the cheese imparted the necessary luxuriousness. Key was the yerba buena, which gave a well-placed zippiness to things.


Paloma Phosphate [$12.00] | Blanco Tequila, Grapefruit Gomme Syrup, Citrus Oil, Acid Phosphate, Grapefruit Soda, Sea Salt. Served tall over ice.
Lay's version of the Paloma was a winner, a super refreshing cocktail with a delightful bittersweet citrus edge and an element that one of my dining companions likened to grass jelly.


Esquites [$8.00] | Corn, Kewpie, Manzana, Parmesan
The ezquites was one of the tastiest presentations of corn that I've had in recent times. The kernels' inherent sweetness was beautifully conveyed, augmented by the richness of Parm and Kewpie while the finish showed off a wonderful lingering spice.


Queso Fundido [$13.00] | Bacalao, Quesillo, Roasted Tomato
We couldn't resist this thanks to the presence of salt cod, and indeed, the dish played the subtle salinity of the fish against the tartness of the tomato, all while garlic chips added a delightful crunch to the mix. I wanted more actual cheesiness to it though.


Tortillas--to pair with the queso above--were thick, supple, with a strongly nutty, maize-y character.


Mariachigroni [$14.00] | Mezcal, Hibiscus-infused Aperitivo, Bitter Truth EXR. Served over a large ice cube.
Our next cocktail was definitely boozier, but definitely hit the mark as well with its masterful interplay of smoky and bittersweet-floral flavors, all finished with notes of juicy citrus.


Corazon Asado [$12.00] | Duck Hearts, Orange, Torpedo Onion
I wanted a tad more char on the hearts, though they were certainly still enjoyable: tender, savory, well-spiced, with an earthy finish.


Chile Relleno [$15.00] | Poblano, Potato, Kale, Lemon, Soubise
The stuffed chile was another standout for me, coming in with a lovely heartiness from the potato that did a nice job standing up to the kale and poblano while the soubise helped bring all the elements together. Comforting overall, with a great crunch from the chips up top too.


Cazuela [$20.00] | Mezcal, Blanco Tequila, Mandarin Napoleon, Lime, Fresh Jicama, Pineapple, Fresno Chili. Served in an earthen "Cazuela" dish with some pretty flowers.
Though ostensibly meant for two, we found that a single person could polish this off no problem, especially since it went down rather easily, its light, bright fruit flavors evening out the tartness and booziness in the drink.


Quesadilla [$14.00] | Oxtail, Plantain, Habanero, Salsa Quemada
Garcia's quesadilla did a commendable job displaying the deep, dark flavors of oxtail, pairing it with a very apparent cheesiness and a touch of heat. I especially appreciated how the thick, substantial tortillas helped temper things as well.


Moronga [$14.00] | Blood Sausage, Peach, Arugula
Blood sausage was as potent as you'd expect, but its heft was countered beautifully by the peaches, which lent a juicy, sweet, refreshing accent to the moronga that really lifted the dish.


Surfer Rosa [$12.00] | Pimm's No. 1, Ancho Reyes, Lemon, Strawberry Shrub, Basil Flower. Served over tiny ice.
This next cocktail was a fun one: tart at first, but with its base of jammy, sweet, floral flavors set off by just a smidge of spice.


Tamales [$15.00] | Lamb Neck, King Oyster Mushroom, Queso Oaxaca
Tamales were tasty as well, the masa making perfect sense with the supple, well-spiced shards of lamb.


Enchiladas [$16.00] | Squash, Rajas, Quesillo, Charred Eggplant Sauce
The enchiladas were another favorite. I was a fan of the light, crunchy veggies here, and how they played against the deep, smoky, spicy eggplant-based sauce.


Green Garden [$14.00] | Blanco Tequila, Belle de Brillet, Lemon, Ginger, Green Juice Medley, Fennel Flower. Served over ice.
Up next was the brightest cocktail of the bunch, one loaded with lots of almost vegetal, herby nuances over a sweet 'n' sour base. Pretty neat.


Our next set of tortillas was advertised as being done in the Oaxacan style. I found them a bit less weighty than the blue incarnations above, and a fitting pairing to the chicken below.


Pollo Prensado [$11.00] | Chicken Thigh, Chicken Skin, Cock's Comb, Guajillo
The pressed chicken was definitely a highlight for me. There was just a great depth of flavor to the bird, enriched by the heady, sweet spice of guajillo and accented by the brightness of the herbs.


Shrimp [$19.00] | Cascabel, Pequin, Guajes, Pineapple
Our final savory brought us a singular shrimp, a large specimen with a fantastic snappiness and a sweetness that was well-accompanied by the heat of the chiles.


Señor Ted Mosbley [$14.00] | Bourbon, Fernet Vallet, Oro Blanco Cordial, Damiana, Tea Pot Bitters. Served over a large ice cube.
Despite its name, I'm told that this cocktail hasn't anything to do with HIMYM. That being said, it was still pretty damn tasty, citrusy at first, with a body loaded with more citrus, booze, and a delightful sweet spice.


Desserts at Broken Spanish are contemporary yet theme-proper, the work of Pastry Chef Luis Ayala. Click for a larger version.


Paleta [$10.00] | Coconut Sorbet, Dulce de Leche, Canela Graham Cracker, Avocado Mousse, Cilantro
Up first was this ice pop-inspired number, one that nicely captured the essence of a coconut paleta in a modern package. I was especially fond of the spicy graham cracker and creamy avocado here.


Flan [$11.00] | Goat's Milk Flan, Cajeta, Roasted Apricot, Pistachio
Flan was sugary and rich, well-complemented by the sweetness of apricot while pistachio crumbles provided a superb nutty, crunchy component.


Cafe de Olla [$12.00] | Cognac, Demerara Rum, Piloncillo, Verve Coffee, Cinnamon. Served hot.
Our final cocktail was appropriate for after dinner, a hot, boozy concoction with a bevy of coffee and sugary, spicy flavors.


Tres Leches [$11.00] | Milk Sponge, Dulce Cream, Strawberries, Crema Sorbet
The tres leches was one of the best I've had, coming out rich and utterly saturated, an unabashedly satisfying sort of cake that went gorgeously with the tartness of the accompanying fruit. Great texture on the dehydrated berries as well.


Ice Cream/Sorbet [$10.00] | Goat's Milk Ice Cream, Horchata Ice Cream, Poblano Sorbet
Housemade ice creams included a tangy, earthy goat's milk variety; an horchata version that didn't quite taste horchata-like (not enough cinnamon); and my favorite, a sweet, peppery poblano sorbet that was wonderfully true-to-life.


Ice Cream/Sorbet [$3.00] | Strawberry Gazpacho
Last up was a strawberry gazpacho ice cream that really did show off the fruit, while the finish on this one was all about a tingling touch of spice.

I'd had a lovely meal at B.S. Taqueria, and Broken Spanish takes things to an even higher level, which is exactly what I expected. Garcia's cooking is rooted in the classics, but the food has a modernistic edge to it that works to help further the conversation of Mexican cuisine (and cuisine in general) in LA. A worthy replacement for Rivera, to be sure.

Pueblo (Costa Mesa, CA)

August 14, 2015, 7:30 pm

≫ Next: BierBeisl Imbiss (Los Angeles, CA)

≪ Previous: Broken Spanish (Los Angeles, CA)

$

0

0

Pueblo Tapas Restaurant
3321 Hyland Ave, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
714.340.5775
www.pueblotapas.com
Wed 06/17/2015, 07:30p-09:50p





Pueblo's one of the latest dining additions to the South Coast Collection, an unconventional shopping center that's home to the likes of ARC, Shuck, and Taco Maria. The place debuted last November, and is a Spanish-influenced tapas/raciones joint by THR Hospitality. "The Hard Right" is headed by Adam Go and John Kim (Pueblo's GM), both veterans of the ubiquitous Hillstone Restaurant Group, and they've brought in Executive Chef Michael Campbell to helm the kitchen.

About the Chef: Campbell started his culinary career at age 15 at a barbeque restaurant in Roanoke, Virginia. He eventually found himself working under Philippe Boulot, longtime chef of The Heathman in Portland, and would spend some time in France and Barcelona in 2005. Back Stateside, Campbell cooked at Dan Barber's Blue Hill, then with Michael Canora at New York's Hearth before becoming Exec Chef at Harvest Supper in New Canaan, Connecticut. He subsequently moved back to the West Coast, landing at Michael Mina's RN74 in San Francisco and the Ace Hotel in Portland before moving down to the Southland for Pueblo.


Pueblo spans roughly 1,300 square-feet in a long, rectangular space, with seating on one side and the other holding the bar and kitchen.


For the menu, it's divided simply into hot and cold sections. To imbibe, we get a trio of low ABV cocktails, a few beers, and a list of Spanish and Californian wine put together by Lindsey Go (Adam's wife). Click for larger versions.


The complementary bread came out crisp and buttery, while the accompanying tomato relish, when applied, made for a pan con tomate-esque sensation.


Clara con Limón [$7.00] | Hefeweizen & house lemonade
This shandy of sorts really hit the spot, a fun, fruity, floral, and delightfully refreshing drink with just a hint of bitterness toward the end.


Piquillo Relleno [$10.00] | stuffed peppers, salt cod, tetilla, lemon relish
Piquillos arrived over-stuffed, though said stuffing was to my liking, the salt cod imparting a brine that was well matched to the smoky-sweet qualities of the peppers, all while lemon added a hit of acid to the mix.


Ceviche de Camarones [$12.00] | shrimp, red onion, seasonal citrus, cilantro
Ceviche was a must-try given my penchant for the stuff. The shrimp were well-textured, though the dish seemed heavy on the olive oil. I wanted more brightness, more acidity.


El Viejo [$10.00] | Alvear sherry, pear, orange bitters
This sherry-based cocktail was to my liking, showing off loads of sweet spice and dark fruit on the nose, while the palate went boozy and oxidative, with more fruit near the close.


Bocadito de Foie [$18.00] | foie gras torchon, smoked duck, rhubarb jam
The foie gras was one of the highlights for me, a creamy, delicate, subtly sweet preparation that was smartly matched to the saltiness of the duck while frisée imparted some lightness to things.


Montadito de Costilla [$14.00] | shortrib confit & crudo, mustard seed, toast
Conveyed in two forms, the beef was clearly the star, showcased in two different forms over a buttery base with the mustard giving off a much needed piquancy. This seems to be one of the more popular dishes at Pueblo, and I guess I can see why.


Tinto de Verano [$9.00] | Refreshing red wine gaseosa
A blend of tempranillo, spices, and soda, this was a perfect summer quaffer, grape-y and sweet at first, with the tinto coming through later.


Mar y Montaña [$14.00] | seared pork belly, sea scallops, cauliflower crema
This Spanish-inspired surf 'n' turf featured tasty, though somewhat tough cuts of pork belly paired with some well-caramelized scallops. A creamy cauliflower purée worked to even out the strong flavors at play, though the actual florets seemed underseasoned.


Pulpo a la Gallega [$12.00] | grilled octopus, fennel, fingerlings, olive, bacon
Octopus was another favorite of mine. The actual pulpo displayed a delightful smoke and char, while its supple, delicately-flavored flesh went superbly with the tanginess of the potatoes.


We opted for a lightweight wine to close out our meal, the Txomin Etxaniz, Rosé Txakolina, Getaria, Basque 2013 [$40]. Think dry notes of strawberry in the aroma, while taste-wise, I got more dryness, acidity, and tartness, backed by a nice minerality. Pretty easy-drinking.


Pollo Repollo [$10.00] | crispy chicken, pickled kale, onion agridulce
Crisp-skinned chicken arrived pretty juicy, its straightforward flavors tarted up by the agrodolce while kale gave up an acerbic earthiness that went a touch overwhelming. Some nice textures here.


Tortilla Española [$8.00] | traditional potato omelette, manchego, sweet onion
I'm quite the fan of the classic Spanish omelet, though this one seemed to have too much going on. There was a nice savoriness and egginess present, but the potato was a bit lost, and the Manchego overpowering. I didn't think all the greenery was necessary, either.


Croquetas de Paella [$9.00] | shellfish, bomba rice, squid ink, saffron alioli
Next were what basically amounted to arancini, the rice balls conveying a palpable brine from the squid ink while the alioli and sweet corn offered up some contrast. A hefty dish.


Paella [$34.00] | mussels, cod, chorizo
A special for the night, the paella certainly looked impressive, and had a salinity and spice that did a great job underpinning the dish. I definitely appreciated the lightness provided by the peas here, and though the cod and chorizo were pretty much spot on, some of the mussels veered muddy unfortunately. Also, there was virtually no socarrat present, so that was missed.

We left Pueblo reasonably content, though the experience was affected by a few missteps here and there. Pueblo's still probably the strongest Spanish option in Orange County, but I think the menu could benefit from some editing, as the kitchen may be trying to do too much at times.

BierBeisl Imbiss (Los Angeles, CA)

August 16, 2015, 5:15 pm

≫ Next: Beersnobbin Share for Rylee

≪ Previous: Pueblo (Costa Mesa, CA)

$

0

0

BierBeisl Imbiss & Bakery
541 S Spring St, Los Angeles, CA 90013
213.935.8035
www.bierbeisl-imbiss.com
Sun 07/19/2015, 05:15p-07:15p





When I last reported on Bernhard Mairinger, he was still cooking up a storm at BierBeisl, his acclaimed Austrian eatery that he opened back in February 2012. Given how well that restaurant was received, the Chef decided to close up shop in November 2013 to focus on building a bigger version of BierBeisl, as well as a more casual concept, which we see here. Since the shutter, Mairinger's been back to Austria for research and recruitment purposes and has also cooked two pop-ups: the first in April 2014 at MessHall, and the second in September last year at Si Laa Thai.

BierBeisl Imbiss (imbiss roughly translates to "snack," and refers to casual take-out joints found in Austria), meanwhile, dropped at the start of July after being pushed back a few months due to construction issues. It's located in Downtown's burgeoning Spring Arcade Building, and serves up the Chef's version of updated, street food-inspired Austrian cooking.


Inside, things have a sort of Old World charm to them, with plenty of wood (some of it reclaimed, natch) and arches across the ceiling. There's also seating outside in the form of a long, skinny wood counter. Total capacity is 55.


BierBeisl Imbiss is an all-day affair, though we were clearly here for their dinnertime offerings. Sausages--commissioned from Glendale's Continental Gourmet Sausage--are the star, unsurprisingly, but they're joined by sandwiches, sides, soups, salads, and a wide array of baked goods. To drink, Germanic beer (including Mairinger's own house brew) is the focus here, available from 10 taps and also by the bottle, and if that's not your jam, there's also a reasonably-priced wine list featuring all Austrian selections. Click for a larger version.


Curiously, we were provided poker chips upon arrival, which you receive after purchasing draft beer. Turn the chips over at the bar area to get your pour. Using this method, it's possible to purchase beer at a bulk discount and save the chips for use later.


We got three beers to sample (left to right):

• Rieder Dunkle Weisse [$6]: Sweet and fruit and yeasty on the nose; the taste follows, with a pleasant malty, banana-esque character at the forefront.
• Rieder Helle Weisse [$6]: Weak spicy aroma; more tanginess and spice on the palate intertwined with light citrus and wheat.
• BierBeisl House Bier [$6]: A special dark lager; sweet and roasty, with a nice malt-forward, dark fruit quality.

Käsekrainer | Swiss cheese infused Polish (pork, beef)
Turkey Bratwurst | Bratwurst made from turkey meat (turkey)
Turkey Franks | Turkey hot dogs (turkey, pork)
We made it a point to sample all the sausages, and wound up getting three of Imbiss' $15 samplers, which come with horseradish, ketchup, a trio of mustards, and bread. First up was the Käsekrainer, arguably my favorite sausage of the night, combining meat and cheese into one snappy, immensely savory, satisfying package with a lingering finish of Emmental. Of course, the turkey brat wasn't nearly as decadent, but was still delicious, with a great herby quality to it that paired well with the subtle character of the bird. Last up was a turkey hot dog: snappy, fine-grained, classic in essence.


Next door to Imbiss, Mairinger has a full-scale, wholesale bakery supplying breads and pastries, helmed by two bakers straight from Austria: Rene Felbermayer and Michael Hanl. Three of their creations came with our first order of sausage: a delightfully sweet, nutty Apple Spelt with flax and caraway; a prototypical Pretzel; and the signature, warmly-spiced BierBeisl bread made with Grist & Toll rye flour, pork lard, caraway, and coriander.


Leberkas' semmerl [$6.00] | Veal loaf served on a semmerl (regular)
The Chef then sent out three varieties of leberkäse, or veal loaf, served on semmel (Vienna roll). I found the veal supple, almost bologna-like, with a delicate savor that made total sense alongside its traditional accoutrement of mustard. A snacky little sandwich, with nice peppers on the side, too.


Potato Salad [$5.00]
Potato salad arrived warm and creamy, with a vinegar-y tang to it.


Schnitzel [$12.00] | (semmerl) Turkey, butter lettuce, tomato, cucumbers and lingonberries spread
The schnitzel was pretty prototypical at its core, a satisfying escalope of turkey that paired surprisingly well with the sweetness of lingonberry while the veggies gave things a crunchy balance.


On the lighter side, we also had the Trumer Pils [$6], an expectedly crisp, fizzy, refreshing beer with a subtle bitterness and grain.



Debreziner | Spicy coarse, cayenne, paprika (pork, beef)
Hungarian Andouille | Hungarian paprika, chili (pork, beef)
Weisswurst | Smooth texture, poached in milk (all veal, pork casing)
Time for more sausage. Up first was the Debreziner, the most subtle of the bunch with a light savor and seasoning to it. On the other hand, the andouille was much more in-your-face, with boatloads of savory spice in a snappy wrapper. Finally, the Weisswurst was the most refined, the most elegant of the group, soft in consistency, with a delicate herb quality.


BierBeisl House Salad [$13.00] | Butter lettuce, crispy pork belly, corn, parmesan, BierBeisl dressing, radish, pumpkin seed oil
The house salad was surprisingly satisfying, the velvety lettuce serving as a fitting base to the crunchy, salty bits of pork and weight of the Parm.


Leberkas' semmerl [$6.00] | Veal loaf served on a semmerl (spicy)
The second incarnation of the Leberkäsesemmel was our favorite, with a lovely spicing to it that really highlighted the delicate nature of the veal.


Curry Fries [$5.00]
Fries were perfectly textured, with an apparent, but not overwhelming curry presence.


Bosna [$7.00] | (Homemade Bosna roll) Pork and veal sausage(s), thinly sliced red onions, ketchup, brown mustard and BierBeisl curry mix
Here we had the street food staple of Bosna, comprising a snappy pork-veal sausage spiced with curry, turmeric, and garlic. I was afraid that the curry would be over-the-top, but it actually made great sense here, especially when taken with the combo of ketchup and mustard, the onions adding an astringency to the mix.



Nürnberger | Classic German bratwurst (pork, veal)
Frankfurter "Franks" | Austrian style hot dogs (pork, beef, veal)
Grillwurst | Peppery, coarse, crispy seared (pork, veal)
The last of the sausages started with a brat, a pretty O.G. presentation with a surprisingly refined herbiness to it that I quite enjoyed. Next was the traditional frank, a smooth, fine-textured example with a classic flavor profile. The grillwurst, meanwhile, was almost breakfast-y in nature, and one of my favorites with its somewhat gritty consistency and savory, peppery flair.


Organic Mixed Greens [$11.00] | Organic greens, picked herbs, frisée and shaved market vegetables and sherry-hazelnut vinaigrette
Mixed greens were nice enough, light and bright and crunchy, with the nutty, tangy vinaigrette tying it all together.


Leberkas' semmerl [$6.00] | Veal loaf served on a semmerl (cheese)
The last veal loaf featured the incorporation of Emmental, which provided a much-appreciated cheesiness to the whole experience.


Speck-Cabbage Salad [$5.00]
Cabbage salad made for a fitting alternative to your ubiquitous sauerkraut, with the depth of the ham giving a boost to the greens.


"Bratl" [$12.00] | Crispy pork belly on a pretzel roll with horseradish-cabbage slaw and mustard-pickled cucumbers
The so-called "Bratl" was another favorite of mine, the delightfully crisp, savory belly perfectly countered by the tangy slaw and tart pickles.


I don't think BierBeisl has a formal dessert menu. Instead, diners are free to browse the restaurant's considerable selection of baked goods, including various tarts, cakes, and sweet rolls.


We opted for this combination: banana Schnitten with its delicious mix of chocolate and banana flavors (my favorite); two nutty, crumbly Linzertorten; a superb Mozart bun with marzipan; a flaky, creamy Schaumrolle; a delightful Esterházy torte; and one more item that I was unfamiliar with.

We definitely enjoyed ourselves at Imbiss, with its cozy, comforting, classic cooking elevated with just enough of a cheffy bent. It all makes me even more excited about the return of BierBeisl proper, Mairinger's larger, fancier restaurant-slash-patisserie-slash-Biergarten that will hopefully debut on the Westside within the next year.

---

Beersnobbin Share for Rylee

August 19, 2015, 3:00 pm

≫ Next: Manhattan House (Manhattan Beach, CA)

≪ Previous: BierBeisl Imbiss (Los Angeles, CA)

$

0

0

Beer Angel Share for Rylee at Sophie's Place
1708 S Catalina Ave, Redondo Beach, CA 90277
310.540.8484
www.sophiesplacerb.com
Sat 06/20/2015, 03:00p-06:40p





I recently took part in a bottle share organized by Instagram's Beersnobbin, a.k.a. Beer Angel or Scott G. The event was held to raise funds for the leukemia treatment of local girl Rylee Totman, and to attend, one simply had to donate $25 to the cause. The headliner was the 2004 Cantillon Cuvée des Champions, and Scott also brought a number of de Garde bottles as well. In addition, each guest was asked to provide a bottle to share.

The tasting was held at Riviera Village's Sophie's Place, which was opened in 2010 by Sahar Sanjar, co-founder of PR firm la Chambre. In 2011, the restaurant was purchased by the Nayebdadash brothers: Ali (a real estate guy), Amir (employment attorney), Keon (works for Sophie's full time), and Bobak or "Bobby," who was on hand this afternoon and also moonlights in estate planning law. Their father owned The Edge on Redondo Beach pier back in the 1980s, and the brothers also operate Pierside Kitchen and Bar in San Clemente.

Scott dictated the pacing and the pours, and beers are listed here in the order that they were served, starting with Scott's bottles and then moving on to ours:


2015 de Garde Bière Rose: A wild ale aged in French oak puncheons with tart Montmorency cherries; I loved the dusty peach-rose color of the beer, which I don't encounter too often.
S: Tart, with a great floral component and an underpinning of stone fruit.
T: Puckering, acidic, lactic, with more cherry notes and a light funkiness.


2015 de Garde Bière Noir: A wild ale aged in French oak puncheons with black raspberries; so the same beer as above, but with different fruit.
S: Jammier and juicier, with a sour backing.
T: Tart, yet a bit vinous/tannic, and less carbed; like a "sour Hawaiian Punch" according to another taster.


2013 OWA Ume Lambic: A Belgian lambic with Japanese plum, made by former Kirin employee Leo Imai (I'd had the yuzu version of the beer back at Kinjiro).
S: Acidic, sour plum notes joined by light barnyard.
T: Dusty, a bit musty, with a mild tartness and great depth, augmented by an earthy, grassy quality.


2004 Cantillon Cuvée des Champions: Two year old lambic, dry-hopped with Styrian Golding for three weeks, first bottled in 2004 (making this Batch 1) to celebrate the Royale Union Saint-Gilloise football club's winning 2003-2004 season.
S: A refined, acerbic tartness, with notes of stone fruit creeping in and out.
T: Wonderfully balanced, soft, yet complex and mildly hoppy, with a lingering zip; the beer showcased a palpable maturity, but still had plenty of life left even after all these years.


2015 de Garde Imperial Marion Bu: A Berliner Weisse style ale aged in oak barrels with Marionberries.
S: Utterly jammy, but with finesse; one of the best smelling beers of the event.
T: Again, massive amounts of dark berry fruit, countered by a base of tartness; delish, and one of my fellow tasters commented that she "almost expected to taste seeds" given how fruit-forward this was.


2015 de Garde Fauxder: A wild rye ale aged in Chardonnay barrels.
S: Tart, but fruity, without much discernible rye spice.
T: Puckering with a nice acidity, the vinous notes coming through on the finish.


2015 de Garde Imperial Orchard Bu: A Berliner Weisse style ale aged in oak barrels with apricots, nectarines, and peaches.
S: Sour, but also super, super juicy, like a "cut open peach" according to another taster.
T: Again, more of that ridiculously true-to-life stone fruit at first, but with a wonderfully dry finish.


2015 The Rare Barrel Home, Sour Home: Golden sour aged in oak barrels with peaches, cinnamon, and vanilla bean.
S: Tart and bracing, with the peaches transitioning to notes of cinnamon.
T: Again, more of that cinnamon, joined by vanilla over a base of fruit; someone remarked that it was "peach cobbler"-like.


2015 The Bruery Mélange No. 12: Ale aged in bourbon barrels with vanilla beans, cacao nibs, and hazelnuts added; the first of the guest-provided bottles I believe.
S: Dark fruit and brown sugar, with the hazelnuts peeking through.
T: Again, huge amount of dark fruit, malt, and molasses, with an overarching whisper of vanilla and very little heat.


2015 Sante Adairius/Triple Rock Cellarman: A French oak-fermented saison (I'd had the previous batch not long ago at Butcher's Dog).
S: Super light, bright lemon commingled with barnyard.
T: Grainy and tart, with more citrus and a not-unpleasant metallic character; very refreshing.


2015 Casey Oak Theory: Belgian-style sour ale aged for 10 months in oak barrels.
S: Not much of a nose on this one, surprisingly, just some faintly tart notes.
T: On the palate, vinegar-y and acidic, with an earthy wood presence and slight Band-Aid on the close.


2015 de Garde The Duo: A blend of golden wild ales aged for 18 and 24 months in oak gin barrels.
S: Expectedly tart, but with an earthiness to it that I enjoyed.
T: Puckering, but complemented by the astringency of gin botanicals, the whole thing finishing dry.


2013 The Bruery Griffon Bruxellois: Sour brown ale aged in oak with cherries.
S: Deep, dark cherry nuances intermingled with funk.
T: More cherry, but now with an oxidative bent and oak; under carbonated.


2013 The Lost Abbey Duck Duck Gooze: Ale aged in red wine barrels, which I'd had not long ago at the Elite tasting.
S: Light and delicate, with wispy citrus aromas.
T: Literally nose-tingling, a balanced presentation of sour, yeasty, lemon, grain, and barnyard nuances.


Upland Dantalion Dark Wild Ale: Dark wild beer with Brettanomyces and Lactobacillus aged over a year in red wine barrels (tasted recently at Del Rey Kitchen).
S: Dark and tart, with hints of spice and brown sugar.
T: Again, more dark fruit, malt, and grain, underscored by a backbone of sourness and spice.


2014 Cigar City Bourbon Barrel Aged Big Sound Scotch Ale: The bottle that I brought, thinking that it'd be nice to have something other than a sour.
S: Huge amounts of malty goodness, dark fruit, and bourbon.
T: More raisin-y character and malt sweetness, along with booze, vanilla, and an intriguing nuttiness.


de Garde Peach Bu: A Berliner Weisse style ale aged in oak barrels with peaches.
S: Really juicy notes of peach commingled with some Brett.
T: Tart at first, then focused, true-to-life flavors of the stone fruit that lingered long.


2013 Cascade Figaro: Northwest style sour ale aged in oak Chardonnay barrels with white figs and lemon peel.
S: Tart, but deeper, maltier than most of the beers here, with a metallic tinge.
T: Oaky and tart again, with funk and lemon over a boozy presentation of fig.


Bend Brewing Ching Ching: Berliner Weisse with pomegranate and hibiscus.
S: Highly carbonated, with ridiculous head and a subtle floral aroma.
T: Tart, and more floral character, with the pomegranate coming in mixed with grain and a mild funk.


Odell Friek: Ale with cherries and raspberries added, aged in oak barrels.
S: Super funky, yet tart, with some in-your-face notes of lacto/cheese.
T: Again, very earthy, musty, with some of that Band-Aid character--Odell's version of Hommage apparently.


2015 Jester King Reposé: Ale brewed with hay and refermented in brandy barrels.
S: Tart, slight wood, with the hay imparting an intriguing quality to the nose.
T: Again, very different, but enjoyable, with an oaky-malty bent and some earth.


2015 The Bruery L'deracola: Dark ale brewed with an assortment of spices meant to mimic the flavors of cola (first tasted at Lunchbox a while back).
S: Light cola spices, spiked with lime.
T: Think Diet Lime Coke, with a body that really did recall that of soda.


2015 Council Deadlock: The brewery's seventh and most recent BA release, a barrel-fermented dark sour ale aged on raspberries.
S: Tart and Brett-y, without much fruit surprisingly.
T: Dark berry fruit (there it is) commingled with malt and subtle barrel character.


2015 The Rare Barrel Forces Unseen: A blend of three golden sour beers aged in oak barrels.
S: A bit nondescript, a blend of acid, funk, and fruit.
T: The taste follows, joined by some oaky, barnyard components.


The requisite beer bottle graveyard shot. In chronological order, my favorites were the Bière Rose, Ume Lambic, Cuvée des Champions, Imperial Marion Bu, Imperial Orchard Bu, Home Sour Home, Duck Duck Gooze, and Friek. Thanks again to Scott for organizing, and to Bobby and the Sophie's Place team for hosting!

Manhattan House (Manhattan Beach, CA)

August 21, 2015, 8:15 pm

≫ Next: Belcampo Meat Co. (Santa Monica, CA)

≪ Previous: Beersnobbin Share for Rylee

$

0

0

Manhattan House Restaurant
1019 Manhattan Beach Blvd, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
310.574.2277
www.manhattanhouse.pub
Sun 07/05/2015, 08:15p-10:30p





While doing research for this report, the thing that surprised me the most was that Manhattan House isn't, in fact, named for its location in Manhattan Beach. Rather, the moniker's a nod to that other Manhattan, as partners Adam Hersh, Jeffrey Kirshenbaum, Brett Schwartz (who serves as General Manager), and David Topkins all hail from New York. Given their relative inexperience, the foursome teamed up with longtime LA restaurateur Richard Drapkin, who's also been involved with the likes of Duff Goldman's Duff's Cakemix, Wally's Wines & Spirits, Bruce Marder's FoodCo West (Capo, the new Marvin), and Neal Fraser's Grace and BLD. It was in fact Drapkin who brought on Chef Diana Stavaridis to this "everyday" gastropub, which soft-opened at the end of May (the grand opening followed at the start of July).

About the Chef: Stavaridis comes from Boston, and got interested in cooking at age six, helping her British-Irish grandparents in the kitchen. Her first job in the biz was at Domino's Pizza in high school, and she continued to work various unglamorous culinary jobs through college. After graduating from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1998 with a degree in Marketing and Advertising, she worked in the financial software industry, but eventually came back to cooking. Stavaridis entered the culinary arts program at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College, and during her time there, worked at Joe's in Venice as well as at Grace. She finished in 2006, and was able to return to Grace as a line cook. Neal Fraser quickly put her on the line at his newest place BLD, and she moved up the ranks to sous and eventually CdC in August 2008, replacing Mike Garber.

The Chef started making a name for herself at BLD, and stayed there for four years (a period that included stages at Sotto and Ocean Jewels seafood) before decamping in November 2012. Stavaridis subsequently went to France, staging at Gilles Epie's Citrus Etoile and Gregory Marchand's Frenchie's in Paris and immersing herself in French food culture. She returned Stateside in mid-2013, settling in Northern California, and spent time consulting and collaborating with Jose Luis Ugalde of Half Moon Bay's Cafe Gibraltar (which, coincidentally, just closed at the start of May). In December that year, she returned to LA and reworked the menu at Back on the Beach in Santa Monica, and in May 2014, helped open BLD at LAX. This was followed by a stint again at Sotto (filling in while Steve Samson was away) and a stage in England at Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's River Cottage HQ cooking school in the fall.


Manhattan House takes over the building that previously held the likes of all-you-can-eat sushi slanger Aji, Kah Asian Restaurant & Lounge, Tapameze, and Chicago for Ribs. The place has been stripped down, and redone with lots of wood, including some reclaimed from the Hollywood Bowl.


The Manhattan House menu features elevated pubby fare, divided simply into sections for smaller and larger plates and sides. To wash it all down, you get classically-leaning cocktails by barman Kerry Donnelly, beer on draft and bottled, as well as a small yet international wine list. Corkage is $19 a pop. Click for larger versions.


Street Corn on the Cob [$4.00] | aioli, pickled red chili, parmesan, chives
We began with Stavaridis' take on street corn, an aromatic, sparingly spiced presentation underpinned by the inherent sweetness of the kernels.


Grilled Lamb Meatballs [$15.00] | Sonoma lamb, buckwheat tabbouleh, baby radish pickles, mint yogurt cheese
Meatballs were dry, though well-spiced and with tons of heady lamb flavors. I appreciated the creamy counter of the yogurt here, and was a big fan of the zesty tabbouleh as well.


Thriller [$12.00] | El Charro Reposado tequila, kumquat, serrano chili, lime
Our first cocktail brought a commixture of tart, sweet, and spicy flavors, all set over a base of woody tequila. Pretty tasty, though not particularly memorable.


Big Fat Summer Sausage [$15.00] | pork, fennel, aleppo pepper, creamed corn
The sausage was indeed pretty big and pretty fat, a supple, juicy, savory example nicely set off by the zippiness of fennel. However, the creamed corn threw me off, coming in overly sweet. I wanted something with more acid, more texture.


MH Smoked Ribs [$17.76] | pork baby back 1/2 rack, white peach BBQ sauce
Baby back ribs were a standout for me, arriving tender, yet with some fun, chewy, charred bits. Taste-wise, the pork was on point as well, with a touch of smoke and not too much sweetness from the accompanying sauce.


Stuffed Squash Blossom [$14.00] | ricotta, cranberry beans, Fresno chili, lemon herb butter
The blossoms didn't quite hit the mark. The lushness of the ricotta wasn't really showcased, and I found the crunchiness of the batter here distracting, though I did enjoy the use of beans as a base to the dish.


Hollywood Bowl [$12.00] | Remy V. Cointreau, blackberries, strawberries, sparkling wine
Our next cocktail was a lightweight, fruity at the front, then bitter, then a bit boozy. I could totally imagine quaffing this at a summer concert at the Bowl.


Foie Gras Royal [$15.00] | MH brioche, drunken cherries
The foie was a classic example, with its silky, smooth, liver-y notes tempered by the application of tart fruit, the soft toast serving as a very appropriate base.


Carrotology v1.0 [$13.00] | baby rainbow carrots, carrot hummus, pistachio dukkah, roasted lemon puree
Here we come upon the most ambitious plate of the night, and also my favorite. Carrots were prepared seven ways, making for a fun, multifaceted exploration of the vegetable. I found it a great commixture of tastes and textures, dutifully accented by that wonderfully nutty chip in the middle. Smart use of buckwheat, too.


Brown Derby [$11.00] | Four Roses bourbon, grapefruit, honey, grapefruit bitters
One of the boozier drinks this evening, this next concoction definitely veered more bitter, more medicinal, with contrasting notes of citrus and a curious, almost ginger-y slant.


Beignets [$12.00] | MH smoked Cajun cheddar
Beignets arrived creamy on the inside, with a cheesy, salty flavor profile that was certainly satisfying. Yum.


Black Eyed Pea Fritters [$17.00] | African yellow curry, baby carrots, peanut chili relish
These falafel-esque spheres were super dense, with a hearty, savory flavor profile that made sense with the sweetness of the accompanying curry. I really I could've used fewer peanuts here however.


The Botanist [$13.00] | Botanist gin, lemon, St. Germain egg white foam
Here we have our most bracing cocktail of the meal, a refreshing drink that really highlighted the bright botanicals in the gin, augmented by the incorporation of lemon.


Polenta [$6.00] | Grana Padano
The polenta managed to be one of the heaviest preparations I've had: very rich, very gritty, very cheesy.


Pork Chop [$39.00] | Cook Pigs Ranch, herb salad, lemon mustard vinaigrette
The pork chop was more cooked than I wanted it to be, though that wasn't too distracting. Great char to go along with the unabashedly salty, savory flavors at play, with the greens adding a much-needed moderating note.


The Tree House [$18.00] | Blanton's Bourbon, Antica sweet vermouth, bitters, Luxardo cherry
Our final drink definitely leaned classic, with its bittersweet, astringent notes balanced by a seemingly citric component, the bourbon imparting a requisite heft to it all.


Flourless Chocolate Cake | bourbon, dates, salted caramel sauce, crumbled almond brittle, drunken cherries
Time for dessert. The chocolate cake was pretty textbook, so what made this work was the nutty crunch imparted by the brittle, as well as the deep flavors from the cherry.


Lemon Custard | coconut whipped cream, toasted coconut, candied lemon
The custard ate creamy and citrusy, with a lovely toasted coconut accent.


Bourbon-Cherry Granita
My favorite of the desserts was actually this sort of boozy popsicle. Super strong, jammy notes of berry up front, with the bourbon peeking through later on. Fun.

Manhattan House looks to be a reasonable attempt at a neighborhood-y type of restaurant. There were some hits, but also misses, and dishes that just needed a bit of tweaking. The place had grand-opened just four days prior to this, so I imagine that some of the plates will be tightened up as things fall into place.

Belcampo Meat Co. (Santa Monica, CA)

August 23, 2015, 8:00 pm

≫ Next: Taqueria Los Anaya (Los Angeles, CA)

≪ Previous: Manhattan House (Manhattan Beach, CA)

$

0

0

Belcampo Meat Co.
1026 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401
424.744.8008
www.belcampomeatco.com/restaurant/santa-monica
Wed 07/29/2015, 08:00p-11:15p





Last March, we saw the debut of Belcampo at Grand Central Market. The opening marked the humane/sustainable/organic butchery operation's first foray into the Los Angeles area, but that was just the beginning. A much larger location dropped in Santa Monica in April, the SoCal flagship for Belcampo that brings together butcher shop, retail, bar, and full-fledged restaurant under the watch of Chef Maiki Le.

About the Chef: Mai-Khanh Le grew up in the OC, graduating from Orange's El Modena High in 2000 as salutatorian. She began working as a server at Norms her senior year, and also took classes at the Orange County School of Culinary Arts. She ended up attending Brown, achieving a Bachelor's degree in Human Biology in 2004, and during her time there, worked as Assistant Manager for the school's food services division. Following graduation, Le moved to New York and briefly studied pastry arts at the French Culinary Institute. In December 2004, she became a tournant at Patricia Yeo's Sapa, and stayed there until March 2007, when she opened Yeo's Monkey Bar as sous. That September, she went to work for Jehangir Mehta, helping him debut Graffiti, and also assisted him on The Next Iron Chef before departing NYC in August 2009.

Le moved to Southern California the following month and found a position under Josie LeBalch at her eponymous Josie in Santa Monica. For five months starting in April 2010, she helped open Momed, where LeBalch was consulting, and also oversaw the launch of Next Door by Josie in August 2011. During her stint here, Le achieved victories on Food Network's 24 Hour Restaurant Battle (for her Vietnamese-Indian comfort food concept) as well as Chopped (an Aussie-themed battle where she beat out Michael Bryant, who was CdC at Eva at the time). However, she was out the door by February 2014, leaving to start work at Belcampo (Palo Alto, GCM, and here).

In Santa Monica, Le is joined by Pastry Chef Courtney Reed (Patina, The Standard, Joe's in Venice with Kris Tominaga, The Beverly Hills Hotel) as well as General Manager Chrissy Anderson, an alum of Dinner Lab, Salt Air, and A-Frame. Meanwhile, Head Butcher duties are handled by Alex Jermasek. He started off at Lindy & Grundy before moving to Ink, Short Order, and Chi Spacca prior to joining Belcampo at the company's Marin location.


Belcampo takes over the old home of Dakota Lounge, and Temple Bar before that. The somewhat ole-timey butcher shop's out front, while the 86-seater dining room is a bit hidden in the back. Penned by SF-based BCV Architects and OC-based Uchizono Design Development, the space shows off an updated-pubby sort of vibe.



As for Le's food at Belcampo, it's a rustic, meat-centric Cal cuisine menu separated into snacks, small plates, larger ones, and sides. Lunch and brunch are also options. To imbibe, there's a New World-Old World wine list (mostly reds, natch), as well as a smattering of beer. The main draw for me, though, was clearly the market-driven cocktail program, designed by none other than Josh Goldman of Soigné Group. Click for larger versions.


Meatballs [$13.00] | Pickled fresno chiles & Vietnamese coriander
I can't not order meatballs on a menu, so we started with these somewhat oblong versions. They were tasty indeed, and a bit of a departure from the norm, coming out juicy and savory sure, but also imbued with an Asian-y spice and sweetness that was nicely set off by the zesty herbs up top.


Cobbler [$12.00] | Alexander-Jules Oloroso sherry, Aberlour a'bunadh, Alvear Pedro Ximenez 1927, Solera Sherry
In terms of cocktails, an early favorite is Goldman's take on the cobbler, which combines multiple sherries with scotch. The result is a wonderfully aromatic drink that veers boozy and brimming with dark fruit at first, but with the delightfully nutty, oxidative notes of the sherry coming in through the finish.


French Dip Eclair [$8.00]
Here we see the most whimsical item on the menu: a French dip sandwich, rendered in éclair form. It was also one of the best, coming out properly focused in its beefiness, the au jus only intensifying the dish's depth. The sheer creaminess of the accompanying sauce gave up an additional level of luxuriousness, but my favorite part was the subtle sweetness of the pastry.


Goat Tartare [$17.00] | Ancho chile, lime, hoja santa & mizuna
No fewer than three tartars were on offer here, and we ended up going with the most interesting preparation, featuring goat. I found the meat quite restrained, actually, soft and springy in consistency with a subtle savoriness deftly accented by the zip of its various accoutrements. Great over the included toast.


Zombie [$14.00] | Denizen 8 year, Ron del Barrilito 2-star, Hamilton 151, lime, falernum, house made Don's mix, absinthe
I'd tasted Goldman's take on the iconic Zombie at both Acabar and Brilliantshine, so trying it tonight was a must. This just might've been the best version yet, boozy at its core indeed, but also balanced, with a superb commingling of sour, sweet, and spicy flavors shining through and doing justice to the Tiki classic.


Grilled Beef Heart [$12.00] | Roasted fennel & peppers, mizuna & salsa verde
Beef heart came out lightly cooked, with a springy, supple, almost elastic texture to it and a flavor profile that leaned earthy, austere. The greenery up top did a nice job imparting the necessary brightness and tang to the course, though I would've liked a harder sear on the meat.


Shasta Valley Smash [$12.00] | Breaker's Bourbon, mint, lemon, seasonal berries & fruits harvested at Belcampo Farms in the Shasta Valley
This version of the Smash managed to be one of the lighter-hearted drinks we had. Think refreshing overall, with a strong citrus, fruit, and spice component augmented by an omnipresent layer of bourbon-y booze.


Cauliflower [$9.00] | Watercress pesto, anchovy breadcrumbs & Parmigiano
Le's veggie preps are worthwhile as well. Her cauliflower was one of the more interesting iterations I've encountered in recent times, lively from the pesto, yet loaded with the funky depth of anchovy while the breadcrumbs gave up a delightful crunch.


Snap Peas & Dukkah [$7.00]
The peas were even better. Light, bright, and snappy to the bite, their delicate flavors made for a perfect complement to the nutty, spicy heft of the accompanying duqqa.


Saved by the Basil [$10.00] | Valdespino "Inocente" fino sherry, Basil cordial, lemon, French vermouth, Dimi, strawberry
Our next cocktail was also a winner, demonstrating that classic pairing of basil and strawberry in an elegant manner, perked up by hits of citrus while the combination of fortified wines provided the necessary gravity.


Sweet & Sour Pork Ribs [$11.00] | Aprincot, mustard glaze with jicama slaw
I have a hard time resisting ribs, and the ones tonight were as tender as you'd want, falling off the bone pretty much, but with just enough resistance. I definitely appreciated the crunch and countering effect of the slaw, though the meat itself I wanted more explicitly porky, less sweet.


Artist's Special [$16.00] | Harry McElhone's 1927 Barflies and Cocktails, Sheep Dip blended scotch, Emilio Lustau "Don Nuno" dry oloroso sherry, Lemon, raspberry & cassis cordial
Here we come to what just might be my favorite cocktail of the evening. I loved how well-integrated this was, its initial kick of citrus and fruit transitioning seamlessly to a rich, concentrated sweet-spice from the oloroso while the scotch provided the requisite heft.


Roasted Brussels Sprouts [$9.00] | House chorizo, tequila & apple cider vinegar
Brussels were well-textured and just bitter enough, with the spicy depth of chorizo coming unexpectedly, but effectively.


Lamb Porterhouse [$14.00] | English peas, pomegranate molasses, & mint chutney
Lamb came out well-charred, tender, and deeply savory, its explosion of ovine flavors smartly matched to the brightness of the accompanying mint and peas.


Bartender's Choice [$12.00] | We choose, you booze
One of my dining companions requested a whiskey-centric concoction, and was provided a straightforward commingling of bourbon, honey, and fresh squeezed lemon juice. Think simple but successful, with its nose of honeyed citrus leading to the potency of the spirit on the tongue, the finish coming in smooth and soft with more of that honey.


Cowboy Steak [$134.00] | 27oz
At this point, we arrived at our sole large format course, one of three available options tonight (the others were a 27oz strip and a 36oz porterhouse). It was a beautiful cut of meat, cooked med-rare on the bone and served sliced. It displayed a commendable bit of charring that I appreciated, while coming out expectedly leaner than your typical rib eye. Flavors were clean, subtle, beefy, but not in an in-your-face sort of way. Definitely a different stylistic presentation than what most people are used to.


Tom & Berries [$16.00] | Tomcat gin, Medlock Ames verjus, Bianco vermouth, rhubarb bitters, lacto-fermented strawberry soda, aceto balsamico di Modena
This pun-y cocktail was certainly to my liking, with a classic interplay of sweet-tart flavors beautifully tempered by a smooth, creamy, pleasantly tangy lactic component.


Bacon & Cherry Tomato Salad
The steak came with a duo of sides. First was this straightforward salad, which had the salt and fat of the bacon behind it to make things just interesting enough.


Potato Gratin
The gratin, meanwhile, was a laudable rendition, the satisfyingly textured potatoes tied together by a the cheesiness of it all. Super comforting.


Chi Chi for 2 [$30.00] | Absolut Elyx, house-made coconut cream, fresh pineapple & lime
Our final cocktail was a doozy, both in terms of taste and presentation. Basically a vodka-based piña colada, it was a blast of tropical nuances, a viscous concoction teeming with sweet, true-to-life coconut flavors cut by the tartness of lime and pineapple.


Of course, we made room for Reed's desserts. Click for a larger version.


Banana Cream Pie [$12.00] | spiced pecan shortbread, butterscotch Bavarian, bruleed bananas, butterscotch sauce
Her banana cream pie was a crowd pleaser, arriving light and creamy, with a boatload of focused banana flavors amped up by the richness of butterscotch while the shortbread offered up a spicy counterpoint.


Dark Chocolate Cremeaux [$12.00] | brown butter crumble crust, cardamom chocolate sauce, Turkish coffee ice cream
The essential chocolate dessert delivered a jolt of strong coffee flavors from the ice cream while the cremeaux gave up all the bittersweet notes that you'd want, the crumble crust imparting a great textural element to the mix.


Dinosaur Egg Tart [$13.00] | vanilla pastry cream
My favorite was a special this evening, ostensibly an improved version of Reed's dessert that I'd had nearly four years ago at Joe's. It was the consummate stone fruit tart, showing off the fruity, tangy flavors of the pluot against a wonderfully flaky crust, the vanilla-tinged ice cream doing a great job just bringing it all together.


A duet of Hello Kitty Yan Yans that we had on us sufficed as our mignardises course.

We didn't really get to explore the butchery aspect of this place, but the food component here is certainly a step up from what we experienced over at Belcampo's Grand Central Market location, which is to be expected given the much larger scale. Le's cooking does an admirable job showcasing the quality of the various meats while at the same time presenting complete, cohesive plates, and the cocktail program is unquestionably one of the best I've encountered in a while. It all makes for yet another superb addition to the SaMo dining scene.

Taqueria Los Anaya (Los Angeles, CA)

August 26, 2015, 7:55 pm

≫ Next: Osso (Los Angeles, CA)

≪ Previous: Belcampo Meat Co. (Santa Monica, CA)

$

0

0

Taqueria Los Anaya
4651 W Adams Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90016
323.731.4070
www.taquerialosanaya.com
Sat 06/20/2015, 07:55p-09:45p





Following that Beersnobbin tasting in Redondo, we were in search of some eats en route to Little Tokyo and landed at Los Anaya, situated in a sleepy section of West Adams. The restaurant opened in March 2012, and comes to us courtesy of the Anaya brothers: Jose Manuel, Gerardo, and Juan Carlos. The hermanos represent three of the seven children of Don Guadalupe Anaya, who opened the first family restaurant in Guadalajara back in 1983 (hence the "est 1983" in the logo).



Inside, things are festive, and yellow. The restaurant is separated into a brighter front area and a slightly more formal dining room to the side. Note, also, that this is a table-service type of joint (a pleasant surprise to us).


You'll find a large menu of all your Mexican standbys in various incarnations. Click for larger versions.


Chips were legit, wonderfully textured examples that paired swimmingly with the bright, slightly sweet salsa on the side.


Taquitos de Potato & Manchego Cheese [$4.25] | 3 Per Order with Lettuce, Oaxacan Cheese, Mexican Cream, Salsa & Guacamole
Grounded by a smooth filling of potato, taquitos arrived crispy and conveyed a subtle smokiness, the guacamole imparting a welcomed lushness to the dish.


Machaca con Huevo [$9.50] | Sauteed Shredded Beef with Eggs, Peppers, Onion, Tomatoes & Rice and Beans
Machaca was satisfyingly-textured, with some bite to it, and came well-seasoned and appropriately beefy, a perfect match to the eggs. Lovely underpinning of spice here, and I definitely appreciated the brightness provided by the onions and cilantro too. I do love me some breakfast-y food at night.


The Agua Fresca de Sandia [$2.50] was sweet and thick, doing a pretty good job conveying the summer-y essence of watermelon.


Our four-taco plate (each ordered à la carte).


Taco de Lengua [$1.95]
Tongue arrived in oversized chunks. Meaty, tender, and mildly-spiced, they really called for the cilantro-onion and the acidic zip of that salsa verde.


Taco de Camaron [$1.95]
Shrimp tacos conveyed a nice brine to 'em, the accompanying salsa giving up a well-placed bit of heat.


Normally, we'd be BYOB'ing all over the place here, but given that we'd just tasted no less than two dozen beers, all we could stand was a single bottle of Prairie Somewhere. A blend of farmhouse and sour ales with citrus added, this one displayed super juicy notes of sweet lychee, countered by a base of citric tartness.


Taco de Pescado [$1.95]
The fish taco, meanwhile, was more restrained compared to the shrimp above, with a softer, more supple consistency and a nice crunch from the lettuce.


Taco de Pollo a la Parrilla [$1.75]
Chicken showed off a delightfully smoky depth that was evened out by the generous helping of cilantro piled up top.


Camarones a la Diabla [$14.50] | Shrimp Sauteed with Bell Pepper, Red Onions, Wine & Spicy Tomato Sauce; served with Mexican Salad, Rice, Beans and Home Made Tortillas
Shrimp were slightly overdone, but not distractingly so. Taste-wise, they were spot on though, imbued with a mouth-watering smoky spice that just made sense with the veggies in the sauté. The rice and beans--usually throwaway at places like this--were on point as well, and enjoyable even just by themselves. Great salad, too.

Los Anaya was sort of a random visit, but we rather liked our meal here. The food was better than you'd probably expect, and I appreciated the comfortable vibe and friendly service as well. Overall, the sort of place I could see myself coming back to time and time again if I lived in the area.

Osso (Los Angeles, CA)

August 28, 2015, 8:00 pm

≫ Next: Esters (Santa Monica, CA)

≪ Previous: Taqueria Los Anaya (Los Angeles, CA)

$

0

0

Osso Restaurant
901 E 1st St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
213.880.5999
www.ossodtla.com
Thu 06/25/2015, 08:00p-10:55p





Dana Hollister's Arts District bar One-Eyed Gypsy closed back in April of last year, and in its place comes Osso (Italian for "bone"), a much more food-focused place that opened at the end of May. Hollister's still on board though, and she's brought on her Cliff's Edge partner Pierre Casanova as well as two ex-New Yorkers to run the day-to-day.

The FOH is handled by Ami Lourie, a former GM at Cliff's Edge who previously worked for Mario Batali in NYC. He also served as General Manager at David Chang's Momofuku Noodle Bar, and met Chef Nick Montgomery while the two were at Momofuku Ssam Bar. Alabama native Montgomery, for his part, cooked at Montmartre, The Brooklyn Star, and Momofuku in New York, and also worked a stint at Paul Kahan's Blackbird in Chicago.


The old home of The One-Eyed Gypsy (and before that, Bordello) has been stripped down to the basics, allowing for an open, very dimly-lit 45-seat dining room.


Osso's menu is refreshingly compact, featuring a small selection of cheffy American classics with a Southern edge. To drink, you get a reasonable beer list and a handful of wines chosen by Lourie and John Koehnen of Revel Wines. However, the main draw is the cocktail program, crafted here by Darwin Manahan, the current GM/Beverage Director at Cliff's Edge whom many of us likely know from his work at Eduardo Ruiz's Corazon y Miel/Picnik/Punch. Click for larger versions.


Hola Chingon [$12.00] | cimarron tequila blanco, lime, blueberry cordial, bubbly wine
We ended up getting all of the cocktails tonight, and started with Manahan's ode to the Adios Motherfucker. It was of course more refined than its inspiration, the fruitiness of blueberry front and center, balanced by the tartness of lime while Angostura gave the drink a bitterness toward the middle. Underpinning it all was a subtle agave-laced booziness from the tequila.


Beef Biltong Jerky [$7.00]
Our first snack was this take on South African-style biltong cured-dried meat. Resembling slivers of steak, its showed off a super-concentrated beefiness and spice, along with a relatively moist, chewy consistency with a distinct fattiness. Very cool.


Lil' Jon's Sausage [$6.00]
Speaking of jerky, an homage to the ubiquitous Slim Jim was up next. It was a worthy approximation of the original, a little less snappy, but with a deeper savor and an appropriate amount of spicing.


East 180 [$12.00] | benesin mezcal, honey, mandarin, lime, bee pollen
Every craft cocktail list seems to have a mezcal option these days, and Osso's was a good example of such. Aromatics of honey commingled with smoke on the nose, while on the palate, you had the sweetness of mandarin and the woodiness of mezcal, the pollen adding a great finish to the drink.


Onion Rings [$6.00]
Onion rings were lightly battered and crisp, with the sweetness of the veggie really shining through. Tasty alone, and even better with a dab of that creamy, spicy sauce on the side.


Hamachi Crudo [$13.00] | pho broth, thai basil, crispy shallots
The yellowtail was a standout, the clean cuts of fish beautifully matched with the pho-inspired broth and its considerable depth and bright, herby aromatics. Nice crunch and savor from the shallots, too.


Padre [$12.00] | ford's gin, kalamansi fruit and leaf, lemon
Here, Manahan referenced his Filipino heritage, giving us a cocktail that really showcased the nature of calamansi. I found it super refreshing, with boatloads of sweet citrus fruit in-yo-face, tempered by the sourness of lemon.


Foie Gras Torchon [$17.00] | Soo_n Food's peach and thyme jam
Foie gras did a nice job conveying its delicate, earthy essence, with subdued notes of liver complemented by the sugariness of the jam while toast offered up a crunchy, moderating counterpoint. However, I would've liked a smoother, creamier texture on the torchon.


Patty Melt [$13.00] | rye-bread, caramelized onions, swiss, cheddar
The patty melt was on point, and certainly one of the best I've had, its massive amounts of deep, bovine savor matched with the heady sweetness of caramelized onion while the duo of cheeses worked to tie it all together.


Corrador [$12.00] | claro rum, cynar, campari, saffron bitters
Our next cocktail definitely veered toward the boozier side. Think bittersweet on the nose, with the Campari really making itself known on the palate, joined by the vegetal notes of Cynar while saffron gave things a nice close.




Fried Chicken (half) [$18.00] | potato salad
The fried chicken was a must-try of course, and came out super crispy and super moist, with a slight spice to it. Interestingly, I think I actually preferred the breast portion, which managed to be one of the juiciest I've had. The bird came with your choice of hot sauce to further enhance the experience (we opted for sambal and Frank's), while the accompanying potato salad was spot on in its tanginess as well.


Pork & Chicken Liver Paté [$10.00] | bacon, pecan, mustard
A sort of pâté de campagne delivered, a gritty, rustic preparation with its pork-y and liver-y flavors accented by the nuttiness of pecan while the mustard added the requisite amount of zip.


Portola [$12.00] | bourbon, castor sugar, honey candle wax, angostura bitters, orange bitters
I don't think I'd ever encountered candle wax in a cocktail before, but the ingredient was certainly put to good use here. It lent a honeyed, almost candied bouquet to the drink, which worked swimmingly with the sweet, boozy, citrusy base of Old Fashioned flavors.


Chilled Wax Beans [$10.00] | dill kefir, candid almond, smoked-cured yolk
My favorite course of the night was likely the string beans. You got all the crunchy, waxy textures and bright flavors that you'd expect, tied together by the creaminess of dill-infused kefir while the egg yolk imparted a wonderful smoke to the dish. Nice nuttiness from almonds to boot, and very thoughtful overall.


Smoked Yellowtail Toast [$9.00] | miso, togarashi, pickled turnip
Yellowtail made another appearance, this time warm, with its fishy, briny qualities commixed with a lovely touch of smoke and a spicy accent from the togarashi.


Beaverdusa Punch [$12.00] | bourbon, scotch, rye, gold sencha tea, st. germain, lemon, oleo-saccharum
The last cocktail on the list was probably my favorite of the bunch. I loved its tea-like qualities and multifaceted presentation of sweet, floral nuances, matched by the sharp spice of peppercorn, clove, and allspice.


Cavatelli [$13.00] | chicken jus, fermented garlic, oyster mushroom
Cavatelli arrived well-textured, a fitting base for the salty, earthy qualities of the mushrooms, though I didn't get much from the black garlic. Nice textural component from what I believe were breadcrumbs too.


Pork Chop [$17.00] | wheat berries, nectarine, summer squash
Our final savory, the pork chop arrived tender and toothsome, teeming with massive amounts of salt, savor, and smoke. I definitely appreciated the balance and texture provided by the wheatberries and squash here, but the crux for me was that stone fruit, which gave up a juicy sweetness that really evened out the meat.


Thrilla from Manila | rum, honey infusion, pink peppercorn and pineapple simple syrup, mandarin, mint
Cocktails tonight were executed by bartender Jodi Mae Calderon, and she ended up crafting this off-menu special at our request. Likened to an Asian-inflected Smash, the drink seriously recalled the light, fruity sweetness of Capri Sun initially, but this then gave way to the booziness of rum and a wonderful spice from the peppercorn on the close.



Osso, unfortunately, doesn't do dessert currently, so we ended up busting out some sweets that we happened to have handy from San Diego's Extraordinary Desserts.


Chicha Niña
We closed with another off-menu drink, a more dessert-y concoction based off the Peruvian beverage chicha morada. It hit the mark as well, with a sweet-tart, floral, fruity character to it moderated by a bitter spice and the lushness of that froth.


Accompanying the bill was some delightfully nutty-sweet brittle.

I left pleasantly surprised with Osso. The food's basically modernized, elevated comfort fare, but there's a palpable finesse at work here that I definitely appreciated. The cocktail program, meanwhile, was pretty much spot on to boot, so I hope to see this place stick around, and see Montgomery keeping pushing with the menu.

Esters (Santa Monica, CA)

August 31, 2015, 7:30 pm

≫ Next: Barrel Down (Los Angeles, CA)

≪ Previous: Osso (Los Angeles, CA)

$

0

0

Esters Wine Shop & Bar
1314 7th St, Santa Monica, CA 90401
310.899.6900
www.esterswineshop.com
Thu 08/06/2015, 07:30p-10:10p





Josh Loeb and Zoe Nathan's Rustic Canyon family of restaurants just keeps on growing. Hot on the heels of the Bryant Ng-helmed Cassia is Esters, which opened at the end of July. Named after the chemical components responsible for some of the aromas in wine, the place is mainly the work of Kathryn Coker (née Weil) and her husband Tug Coker. Kathryn's been a longtime part of the RC family, and currently runs the wine program at both Rustic and Cassia in addition to her role here; she also helped open Milo & Olive a few years back. Esters functions as a wine shop-slash-wine bar-slash-fancy market, with the food program designed by Jeremy Fox and executed by CdC Jun Tan, former Pastry Chef at Rustic Canyon and Cube.


As was the case with Cassia, Esters is situated on the ground floor of a 1937-era Art Deco building. The high-ceilinged, 1,600 square-foot space was designed by LA-based Oonagh Ryan Architects and has an old-is-new-again sort of aesthetic going on. Inside, there's room for 50, including 20 at the three-sided bar in the center of the room, while more casual patio seating outside adds room for 40 more.


As far as wine goes, Coker's put together a diverse array of 200-plus bottles at various retail price points ($15 corkage to open), with at least 15 by the glass selections on offer at a given time. There's also the option of a few craft beers, as well as spirits, while Rustic Canyon Bar Manager Aaron Ranf has got a handful of classically-leaning cocktails available to boot. Food-wise, the menu is centered on cheese/charcuterie and cheese-centric small plates. Click for larger versions.


We had bubbles to start, specifically the J. Lassalle Brut Rosé Premier Cru [$71.00]. It was a bright, breezy sort of wine, with some light fruit up front leading to a more pronounced base of minerality and yeast later on.


lavender almonds [$7.00]
Our meal commenced with a small serving of Jeremy Fox's signature nuts, which I'd first tasted years ago at the now-shuttered Ubuntu. They were as appealing as ever, their salty qualities well balanced by the floral notes of lavender.


the baller board: all of the meats, ciabatta, butter, & cornichon [$79.00]
Given our large party, we felt compelled to get the "baller" charcuterie board, which supposedly has all the meats, though it was seemingly lacking 'nduja tonight. Clock-wise from bottom-right, we had (mouseover for secondary photo):

• wagyu bresaola - west loop salumi, IL: Perhaps the most deeply-flavored on the bunch, with a particular sweetness to it.
• calabrese - salumi beddu, MO: Classic flavors with a lingering heat that packed quite a punch.
• smoked salami cotto - electric city butcher, CA: Soft and subtly smoky, with a pleasant herby quality.
• cabecero iberico de bellota - covap, Spain: Slick, fatty, and richly-flavored, just as you'd expect from ibérico.
• finocchiona - salumi beddu, MO: Very nice, with a great zestiness to the salami.
• cooks pigs ranch pork terrine, grape mustard, & cornichon: As porky and salty as you'd want; satisfying.
• chicken liver in a jar, crabapple mostarda, & pistachio: This one showed off nutty and sweet nuances that were well-matched to the earthiness of the liver.

Along with the charcuterie came a loaf of classically-textured, somewhat rustic-tasting ciabatta, along with a delightfully sweet butter.


House-bottled Manhattan [$15.00]
Our first of two cocktails was Esters' take on the classic Manhattan, one that was super aromatic on the nose, while the taste veered boozy but balanced, with a lovely sugariness on the end courtesy of the maraschino.


kouign amann cheese twists [$5.00]
My favorite of the snackier items was this play on a kouign-amann. I loved the initial savoriness of the cheese here, and how that played with the dish's sweet edge. Excellent textures from the crackly, caramelized layers of pastry too.


corn nuts [$6.00]
Esters' take on my favorite childhood treat also hit the mark, a corn-forward presentation that conveyed that classic CornNuts flavor profile. I also appreciated the larger kernels used here, perhaps a nod to the Peruvian style choclo found decades ago in the commercial product. Now if only these came in Ranch...


smoked local sablefish in a jar with pickled ramps [$14.00]
The potted fish was another highlight, coming out suitably briny, but with the ramps imparting a tempering brightness. Great over the included toast.


benton's 14-month country ham, figs, & beet molasses [$13.00]
I was a proponent of the ham as well, which presented the salty, rustic flavor of the Benton's succinctly, beautifully paired with the countering sweetness of figs and beets. A very well-integrated dish overall, with further notes of cheese, basil, and nuts rounding things out.


House-bottled Old Fashioned [$12.00]
The Old Fashioned followed in the same vein as the Manhattan, a spirit-forward preparation with a pleasing bitter component and a super aromatic nose loaded with fresh citrus.


cheeses: served with sunflower rugbrod & green tomato chutney [$24.00]
We couldn't leave without getting some sort of cheese plate right? Clock-wise from bottom-right, we had:

• bayley hazen blue, cow - jasper hill, VT: Richly-textured, with classic earthy and spicy notes joined by a marked sweetness.
• piper's pyramid, goat - capriole, IN: Creamy and sticky, with a mild, slightly sweet flavor profile.
• kunik, mixed - nettle meadow, NY: A luscious triple creme, mushroom-y and loaded with lactic tang.
• ewephoria, sheep - holland, NL: Crumbly and crunchy to the bite, with a nutty-sweet taste that I liked.

heirloom tomatoes, burrata, basil & saba [$13.00]
Done in the style of an insalata Caprese, this one showed off the super juicy, dense tomato against the luxuriousness of the cheese, all while basil and saba added your requisite piquancy to the dish.


melted raclette with weiser potatoes, ham, cornichon, & mustard [$16.00]
The raclette may have been the heftiest course of the night, teeming with herby, pickle-y, and hammy flavors over a base of hearty potato, all tied together by the gooey cheese.


We stuck with the pink stuff for our next wine, the 2014 Domaine Tempier Bandol Rosé. I found this quite perfume-y on the nose, with lots of strawberry coming in, while on the palate, think crisp, mineral-laced, with a palpable tartness.


summer panzanella, house-cultured yogurt, dill, & sunflower [$13.00]
The panzanella did a good job working itself out, the spicy, hearty chunks of bread serving as a base for all the bright, acidic, lactic flavors at play, the whole thing overarched by the herbiness of dill.


anchovy, celery, & olive tartine [$12.00]
Another standout for me was the tartine, which did a superb job matching the fishiness of anchovy against the moderating astringency and zip of celery.


grilled cheese: reading, provolone DOP, reggiano, & bechamel + add ham [$16.00 + $4.00]
Our final savory brought out one of the more refined grilled cheese sandwiches I've had, one that displayed the satisfying saltiness of the ham against a varied presentation of fromage.


TCHO chocolate and champagne truffles [$7.00]
Truffles represented the lone dessert item at Esters, and the ones tonight were super rich, so dense and so dark that you get the feeling like they might collapse under their own weight.

Esters made a strong showing this evening, proving itself as a worthy neighbor to Cassia and an even worthier addition to the Rustic Canyon family. It's a multifaceted affair, one that combines a cozy wine shop-wine bar concept with a theme-appropriate menu that's far more finessed than most. I see this place doing quite well.

Barrel Down (Los Angeles, CA)

September 3, 2015, 8:00 pm

≫ Next: The Hermosillo / Highland Park Brewery (Los Angeles, CA)

≪ Previous: Esters (Santa Monica, CA)

$

0

0

Barrel Down Restaurant
525 W 7th St, Los Angeles, CA 90014
213.232.8657
www.barreldownla.com
Sun 06/28/2015, 08:00p-12:10a



[9/4 Update: Derrick de Jesus is no longer with the restaurant, having decamped toward the end of July, replaced by Jimmy Bustillos.]

Craft beer continues to rise in prominence here in LA, and one of the latest efforts in that arena has to be Barrel Down, an "American beer hall" concept that debuted at the end of May. The bar is the brainchild of a group of investors known as MBBC (Money Back Brewing Company), headed by President Michael Winn and VP Jordan Chiu. To run the day-to-day here, MBBC has brought on Andrea Comegys (Public School) as General Manager, while kitchen duties are the realm of Executive Chef Derrick de Jesus.

About the Chef: The son of a Filipino father and American mother, de Jesus moved around frequently after his parents divorced when he was four. He eventually settled in Alhambra in the sixth grade, and soon discovered the Asian eateries of the SGV. This drove a keen interest in food, and after culinary school, he spent nearly eight years with the Ritz-Carlton group. During this period (2007), de Jesus also competed in the Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie in Lyon. He later moved to Patina Group, and then staged for six months at Enrique Olvera's iconic Pujol in Mexico City.

After returning to the US, de Jesus helped open Lukshon with Jacob Kear and Johnny Yoo in February 2011. By October that year, he had joined Saluté Wine Bar, where he would meet Ari Taymor, the head chef there at the time. Taymor ended up starting the pop-up version of Alma in February 2012, and brought de Jesus along with him as CdC. Alma proper dropped at the end of June, but he was out by October to pursue his own ventures, stopping briefly at Amalur Project. De Jesus launched his Asian-inflected MSG pop-up series in January 2013 at the City Sip wine bar in Echo Park, and later brought it to Brick House in Venice in March.

Toward the middle of 2013, he cooked at Scratch Bar as well as at Miles Thompson's dearly-departed Allumette. That fall, de Jesus went to Europe to stage at In De Wulf in Belgium and Relae in Denmark. Upon return at the start of 2014, he was tapped by Linda Shin to helm her modern Asian eatery Gaji, but that deal fell through and he was replaced by Minh Phan (Gaji ended up folding quickly and is being replaced by an outpost of Little Sister). De Jesus went to Goldie's next, then launched another iteration of MSG at Doughroom in Palms before taking a position at Bruce Kalman's Union.



Barrel Down was penned by LA-based designer Ricki Kline. It's a fairly spare space, high-ceilinged, light-toned, with plenty of wood. A long bar takes up a good portion of the room, while the rest of the restaurant features various types of seating arrangements. Apparently, there's even a private loft space upstairs.


As for Barrel Down's menu, you get casual-yet-refined, bar-appropriate eats from de Jesus. Drink-wise, there's an American wine list by Chiu (who worked for the likes of Soho House, Saluté, and Hillstone), a smattering of cocktails, and of course beer, lots of it. 40 taps are on offer, divided into a list of 20 core brews and 20 rotating selections (all domestic), and there are a number of large format bottles available as well. The beer program was initially designed by Dylan Snyder and Steven Zakarian of home brew consultancy firm Beertender Los Angeles, and apparently they're sticking around and have plans to operate the Downtown LA Homebrewers Club out of Barrel Down. Click for larger versions.


Cauliflower Popcorn [$7.00] | crispy cauliflower, ginger aioli & chili lime vinaigrette
Up first was a dish that's sort of becoming Barrel Down's signature. There was a balance here between the crispiness of the batter and the cauliflower's tender insides, with the vinaigrette imparting a much-appreciated tanginess and funk to things.


Naturally, we had to start with a selection of beer of draft, which are all available in half-portions. Left to right, we have:

• Alpine Hoppy Birthday [$4]: An American pale ale, and my favorite of the quartet, with loads of bright, juicy citrus on the nose, while on the palate, we got more of the same, but with a soft hoppiness overarching everything. Really well-balanced.
• Abbey Monk's Tripel Reserve [$5]: Spicy and sweet aromas here, leading to a body of malt, more fruit, and slight hop bitterness.
• Bell's Brewing Quinannan Falls Special Lager [$4]: Weak bouquet of hops, tropical fruit, and floral notes on this American lager; taste follows.
• 21st Amendment Hell or High Watermelon [$4]: A light, refreshing beer with subtle notes of watermelon intermingled with a slight graininess.

Sweet & Sticky Ribs [$14.00] | pork spare ribs, crushed peanut, cilantro, Thai BBQ
The ribs were as sticky and sweet as advertised, with a subdued Thai-like quality to 'em.


The Lagunitas Citrusinensis [$6] was nice, a Sanguinello blood orange-enriched pale ale that did a great job playing the sweetness of the citrus against a balanced hop profile.


Next was a complementary amuse bouche of sorts. The oysters came out creamy, sweet, and saline, with a strong, lingering brine. I wanted some more acidity, more punch to really perk these up though.


Up the Ancho [$12.00] | Montelobos mezcal, Ancho Reyes, grapefruit, cilantro
At this point, we moved on to Barrel Down's cocktails. The first was my favorite of the three we tried, its light mezcal nuances paired with sweet pricks of spice and a lingering heat.


Apple Cider Sprouts [$9.00] | warm brussels, diced apple, watercress & cider vinaigrette
Brussels came out appropriately bitter and satisfyingly-textured, with a sweet 'n' sour counter and an additional point of interest from the watercress. A bit too many apples here though.


Bankrobber [$11.00] | Banknote scotch, ginger gomme, pineapple, lime, Angostura
The next cocktail wasn't quite as successful. I got the booziness of the scotch along with the sweet gomme, but there was something missing: more acidity, more aromatics perhaps.


Buttermilk Fried Chicken [$13.00] | spicy fried chicken, zucchini pickles, kaleslaw, bleu cheese vinaigrette, sourdough
The requisite chicken sandwich worked it out, the bird displaying a delightful bit of spice to it while the veggies helped even things out.


Peaches & Rye [$12.00] | Goldminer rum, Wild Turkey Rye, honey wheat syrup, peach preserves
Our last cocktail definitely showed off the sticky, honeyed sugariness of peach, the backbone of booziness from the rum/rye offering up a bit of a counterpoint.


BBQ Carrots [$9.00] | honey chili glazed heirloom carrots & whipped yogurt
The carrots were perhaps my favorite course of the night, roasted in their own juice, turmeric, galangal, and lemongrass, then charred and glazed with honey vinegar and fermented chile. There was a very nice balance of sweet, bitter, and spicy going on here, and I really appreciated the finishing touch from the whipped yogurt.


At this point, we broke out some of our BYOB bottles. We shared everything with the staff of course, and were able to get corkage comped. Up first was something lighter, the 2015 Perennial Hopfentea, a Berliner Weisse infused with a housemade tea blend. I enjoyed it, finding its juicy notes of stone fruit a good match to the tart, refreshing nature of the beer.


Southern Shrimp [$14.00] | cornmeal crusted shrimp, coleslaw, fried green tomato, remoulade, brioche bun
This po' boy-like sandwich delivered, with the brine of the crispy shrimp really working well alongside the tangy slaw, all while remoulade helped tie it all together.


From a sour we went to a stout, the 2015 Modern Times Monsters' Park aged in Nicaraguan Rum Barrels with Coconut & Cocoa Nibs, a recent brewery-only release of a mere 800 bottles. The smell on this one wowed us all with its ridiculous amount of coconut-y sweetness--easily the most coconut-forward nose I've encountered. The taste, meanwhile, brought more coconut of course, joined by notes of chocolate to make for a Mounds bar-esque flavor profile, the spice from the rum barrel coming through toward the midpalate. I'd had the bourbon barrel-aged version of this not long ago at Butcher's Dog, and compared to that, this had quite a bit more coconut, but was also thinner in terms of body. Pretty amazing.


Build Your Own Fish Tacos [$19.00] | local yellowtail al pastor, sweet pea guacamole, roasted pineapple, pickled radish & corn tortillas
An interesting concept here, though the yellowtail was lacking in your typical al pastor spices. I wanted to taste more of that savory, spicy depth on the fish, though when everything was assembled and taken together, the tacos were pretty tasty.


Another standout was the 2014 De Garde Herbes Houblon, a sour farmhouse ale aged in oak gin and vermouth barrels. I loved the balance of tart and fruity flavors here, but the key was the spicy, botanical, almost celery-like edge from the gin-aging that really took this up a notch. Superb.


Heritage Pork [$24.00] | pork shoulder, peaches, plums, sauteéd mushroom & English peas
An impressive looking dish, the pork, sadly, didn't deliver on its promises. Quite simply, the shoulder came out overdone, dry, tough, and couldn't really be saved by its various accompaniments.


Next to drink was the 2015 Cigar City / Hardywood Park Milk Maid, a collaboratively-brewed white milk stout made with coffee and cocoa nibs that was released in January. The color of the beer really belied its stout-y qualities, with notes of roast and malt commingling nicely with the soft chocolate and coffee present.


Avocado Grilled Cheese [$10.00] | smoked cheddar & bellwether cheese, sliced avocado, basil, toasted Texas toast
The grilled cheese showed off all the classic tastes and textures that you'd expect, but with the avocado adding an additional layer of lushness to the mix.


Our last sour was the 2015 Toolbox The Carlton, a 500-bottle brewery-only release from late June. The beer was a sour blonde ale fermented with blackberries and Brettanomyces. I quite liked it: funky and tart to the smell, with a puckering, nose-tingling palate backed by berry fruit and Brett, a hint of Band-Aid coming through on the back end.


Grain Bowl [$14.00] | Grist & Toll barley, wild rice, beans, wheat berries, fried sweet potato & soft egg
The grain bowl displayed a bevy of textures and flavors, an amalgam of bitter, sweet, and tart brought together by the luxuriousness of that runny egg.


Our final drink brought out the 2015 Pizza Port Beeramisu, an imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels with chocolate, vanilla bean, and coffee brewed in celebration of Bottlecraft's fourth anniversary. Huge amounts of coffee in the aroma here, and on the tongue, I got more strong coffee, joined by chocolate but unfortunately not too much vanilla.


Bourbon Street [$6.00] | bread pudding, bourbon, chocolate, banana & brown sugar pecans
Moving on to dessert now, the bread pudding came out teeming with notes of dark fruit and booze, with a countering lactic tanginess to even it out.


Blueberry Meringue Tart
We concluded with a dessert special, a sort of blueberry meringue tart that did a good job playing the tartness of the berry against the richness of meringue, all while the crust made for a fitting contrast to it all.

Barrel Down looks to be a notable new addition to LA's beer scene. The tap list is worth checking out, and the food program delivers for the most part too--minus a few missteps here and there (hopefully those will get tightened up). A pretty neat place to hang out overall.

---

The Hermosillo / Highland Park Brewery (Los Angeles, CA)

September 6, 2015, 2:20 pm

≫ Next: Eagle Rock Brewery Public House (Los Angeles, CA)

≪ Previous: Barrel Down (Los Angeles, CA)

$

0

0

The Hermosillo Bar / Highland Park Brewery
5125 York Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90042
323.739.6459
www.thehermosillo.com / www.hpb.la
Sat 07/11/2015, 02:20p-03:30p





My latest beer adventure brought me to The Hermosillo, a neighborhood-y type bar that debuted in June 2012. It's the work of partners Michael Blackman, Ross Stephenson, as well as Dustin Lancaster, who's known around these parts for his efforts at Bar Covell, L&E Oyster Bar, and El Condor. The draw here for me was Highland Park Brewery, a 7-bbl brewhouse located in a 500-square-foot space in the back of the building. The brewery started operations in June 2014, with Bob Kunz (former GM at Father's Office and brewer at Craftsman) at the helm.


The Hermosillo occupies the site of the old, dive-y Hermosillo Club. The space has been spruced up no doubt, but still retains a bit of grit.


Beer-wise, we have 16 taps, mostly Highland Park naturally, but with a few guest selections as well. They're joined by a handful of bottled beers (some for on-premise consumption only, some for to-go only) and 30 wines by the glass. Meanwhile, the food menu (implemented back in December 2012) features reworked bar snacks, larger mains, and cheese & charcuterie options. Click for larger versions.


Banh Mi Sliders (3) [$8.00] | pork belly, sriracha aioli, cilantro, pickled watermelon, ginger soy
A special this afternoon, these ostensibly bánh mì-inspired sliders were tasty enough, but didn't effectively capture the essence of the ubiquitous Vietnamese sandwich for me.


Fried Chicken Sandwich [$10.00] | achiote-marinated chicken, avocado, house coleslaw, chipotle mayo, brioche bun
The requisite chicken sandwich, on the other hand, was much more successful, with the crunchy, well-spiced bird pairing swimmingly with the acid and crunch from the coleslaw while the chipotle-spiked mayo helped bring it all together.


To drink, I started with a sampler of the first four Highland Park beers on the list:

• Refresh / House Beer / Light & Crisp: Lightly sweet tropical fruit, grain, slight hops in a crisp, refreshing, easy-drinking package.
• Vacation with Brett / Belgian-Style Single / with Brettanomyces: My favorite of the foursome--a delicate tartness and funk on the nose, with the taste bringing a well balanced presentation of fruit and earth.
• Raised Eyebrows / Sour Ale / with Guava & Passionfruit: Big hit of juicy tropical fruit in the smell, while the palate followed with more funk, fruit, tartness, and grain. Nice!
• Wake Up / Session Coffee Beer / with Trystero Coffee (nitro): True-to-life coffee in considerable amounts, with the roast and bitterness at the forefront.

Parmesan Polenta Bites [$6.00] | polenta, sharp cheddar, creamy sriracha sauce
Nice crunch on these, though I wanted 'em creamier, cheesier. The sauce on the side did help with that, though.


Cheese & Charcuterie [$15.00] | the following 3 cheeses and 3 meats served with honeycomb, pecans, and toasted bread
Unfortunately I didn't get a crack at the board before it got eaten up, but people seemed to be pretty content with it:

• Cana de Cabra (goat) | creamy, mild, tangy citrus notes
• Reading Raclette (cow) | raw milk Vermont alpine cheese, semi-firm, fruity, funky
• Bianco Sardo (sheep) | Sardinian hard cheese, sweet, hazelnutty, salt backbone
• Chorizo Navarre | smoked and spicy paprika, clove, garlic, oregano
• Loukanika | Greek salami, garlic, cumin, orange zest
• Pork Pistachio Pate | fresh herbs, rich and balanced

Papas Nachos [$7.00] | fingerling potatoes, cheddar, jalapeno, avocado, bacon, pico de gallo
Nachos came out looking more like a loaded baked potato. It was pretty satisfying though, with the hot 'n' hearty taters pairing swell with the cool, creamy guac while the pico and onions imparted a nice zippiness to it all. I would've liked a touch more cheese however.


My second round brought the next four Highland Park beers:

• Red Tick / Red Ale / made for Oinkster's Burger Week: Smells of malt and more hops than I was anticipating; taste is soft, nutty, almost floral. Goes down easy.
• McDonnell's / Irish Red Ale / served on Nitro: Weak nose; palate is smooth, mild, with notes of caramel-y malt and light hops.
• Vizor Time / Hoppy Pale Ale / with Nelson Huell Melon Hops: Very nice. Juicy and hoppy aromas; more tropical nuances on the tongue evened out by a persistent bitterness.
• Bonkers / West Coast IPA / with Simcoe Hops: Tasty bouquet of juicy citrus fruit and hops; the palate, though, went dank, very bitter, and not as enjoyable.

Crispy Brussels Sprouts [$6.00] | farmhouse white cheddar, lemon
Brussels were classic, well-textured examples with their char and bitterness proudly conveyed.


Avocado Toast [$5.00] | smashed avocado, cracked pepper, cayenne
Avocado toasts were larger than I expected, though quite good, with the lushness of the fruit transitioning well to a lingering spice on the close.


Pork Belly Tacos (3) [$8.00] | IPA pork belly, guacamole, pico de gallo
Last up were the tacos, an adequate presentation incorporating juicy shards of pork belly. Nice tanginess from the red onion here.

We had a decent meal at The Hermosillo. The food's good enough for the space and the concept, though there's certainly room for improvement. As for the beer, it was solid all 'round. The selection was varied enough, but I would like to see more of the funky/sour stuff from HPB (that is where my tastes tend to lie these days).

---

Given the lack of dessert, we wandered over to Donut Friend next door and sampled the following:

• S'Morrissey [$3.50] - A chocolate cake donut filled with toasted marshmallows and topped with chocolate glaze and graham cracker crumbs.
• Mint Town [$3.50] - A chocolate cake donut filled with mint cream and topped with chocolate glaze.
• Poppygandhi [$2.50] - Lemon glaze and poppy seeds on top of a vanilla cake donut.
• Small Brown Bites [$3.00] - Donut holes, sold individually or in a bundle of 9 with a free dipping sauce.
• Drive Like Jelly [$4.00] - Peanut butter and strawberry jam inside our traditional donut, topped with a light glaze.
• Srirachosin [$5.00] - While you're translating the name, we’re stuffing peanut butter, strawberry jam, regular or coconut bacon, and a bit of sriracha sauce inside our traditional donut.
• Polar Berry Club [$2.50] - Lemon glaze, fresh mixed berries, and mint on top of a traditional donut.

The doughnuts were fairly enjoyable, though overall they veered overwrought. Less truly is more sometimes.

---

Our third stop was Verdugo Bar, where we got a sampler of four:

• Ruin Ten IPA - Stone / Escondido, CA / Imperial IPA: Quite hoppy, just as you'd expect, also pine-y, with some citrus; malt provides balance.
• Roth IRA - Deschutes / Bend, OR / India Red Ale: Malty at its core, and spicy, with slight fruit and a countervailing hop presence.
• Luxardo Cherry Ale - Anchor / San Francisco, CA / Fruited Brown Ale: I'm a fan of Luxardo cherries, and this did a nice job incorporating it. Typical malty, nutty brown ale character, with the cherry coming in toward the midsection.
• Pablo Escobeer (Nitro) - Beachwood / Long Beach, CA / American Porter: Smooth, with the Portola Columbian coffee really making itself known over a base of nuttiness and sweetness. Loved the pun-y name too.

Eagle Rock Brewery Public House (Los Angeles, CA)

September 8, 2015, 6:00 pm

≫ Next: A-Frame (Culver City, CA) [2]

≪ Previous: The Hermosillo / Highland Park Brewery (Los Angeles, CA)

$

0

0

Eagle Rock Public House Restaurant
1627 Colorado Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90041
323.739.0081
www.eaglerockpublichouse.com
Sat 07/11/2015, 06:00p-08:40p





From The Hermosillo, we continued on our beer trek to Eagle Rock Brewery Public House. Not surprisingly given the name, the restaurant is an offshoot of Eagle Rock Brewery, which is located just a few miles down the street. The Brewery was started in December 2009 by the father-and-son team of Jeremy Raub and Steven Raub, both New York natives, as well as Jeremy's wife Yuan Ting Su. It was ostensibly the first microbrewery to open in LA in over five decades, and certainly helped establish the City's craft beer scene. Eagle Rock never had a proper food program, however, so to remedy that, they launched the Public House in December last year. The restaurant aims to provide an elevated beer-food experience, and is helmed by none other than Ting's brother, Jerry Su, who's also a co-owner here.

About the Chef: Su grew up in a Taiwanese household in southwest Florida, spending time working in his family's restaurants as a youngster. After finishing up high school, he enrolled in Boston University's Questrom School of Business, but ended up transferring to UC Santa Barbara in fall 2005. He received his Bachelor's degree in Communications in 2007, and quickly secured an internship at local firm Epic Ad Group before moving on to a temp production assistant role at Happy World Wide that autumn. Su joined marketing agency M80 in November 2007 as an office manager-slash-social media marketing manager, and would later take on a research coordination role there.

However, he left the company in April 2009 and started his studies at the Culinary Institute of America's Greystone campus. While there, he worked as an event chef for Del Dotto Vineyards, cooked at Bouchon as a commis, and externed at David Chang's Momofuku Ssam Bar in NYC. Following graduation at the end of 2011, Su took on a taproom manager gig at Eagle Rock Brewery, and in March 2012, started working as a line cook at Son of a Gun. He made sous chef a year later, but would leave in February 2014 to start work on the Public House.


Eagle Rock takes over the 4,500-square-foot former home of vegetarian joint Fatty's. The room has been redone by firms Wick and LAND, and is an open, spread-out affair, comprising two large communal tables joined by a handful of two-tops and bar seating, natch.


Public House's menu is much more progressive than you'd expect, comprised not of your typical gastropubby tropes, but rather more refined fare in snack, medium composed plate, and large format presentations. In addition to the dinner menu we see here, there are also full brunch and lunch options. Meanwhile, on the drink side we have eight taps of Eagle Rock brews, a couple bottled beers, some wines, ciders, and Intelligentsia coffee too. Click for larger versions.


The tap list tonight wasn't terribly interesting, so we opted for bottles, and up first was the Tarte Noir barrel aged sour black ale [$13]. It was a nice way to start, a softly tart beer with lots of dark fruit, chocolate, and oak, along with a lovely bit of vinous character to round things out.


Potted Pig [$9.00] | sourdough toast, mostarda
Our first course was basically a pork rillettes. I appreciated the super porky qualities of the pâté, and how the tanginess of the mostarda worked as a counterpoint. It really could've stood to be softer, creamier in consistency though.


Smoked Fish Dip [$9.00] | pickled red onion, Ritz
This was a favorite of mine, and strangely reminded me of the big tubs of seafood salad from Costco that I used to consume during my undergraduate years, but with more brine and more zing from the onion. The Ritz crackers were a throwback as well, their buttery goodness working hand-in-hand with the dip.


The Ginger Saison farmhouse ale w/ginger [$12] was refreshing, with a good amount of ginger-y zest and lemon on the nose. On the palate, more of the same, along with a pleasant spiciness, herbiness, and graininess.


Farro & Beets [$10.00] | fennel, grapefruit, amaranth
Beets worked out quite well here, their earthy sweetness well-matched with the nutty base of farro while fennel imparted the right amount of moderating spice to the mix.


Fried Cod Sandwich [$13.00] | Manifesto batter, slaw, malt vinegar aioli
The cod sandwich was sort of a beautiful sight, and rather tasty as well, the delicate saline character of the fish pairing beautifully with the crunchy coleslaw while the spicy aioli helped bring it all together. I wanted a thinner batter on the cod, though.


Salmon [$10.00] | jerk cure, white nectarine, green plum, habanero oil
Salmon made for a pretty plate, though I found it overly saccharine, with the inherent, savory goodness of the fish somewhat masked.


Taking a break from the beer, we had a cider, the Riestra, 2013, Asturias Spain [$14]. I wasn't too fond of this one. I got light funk, slight sweetness, and subtle apple, but overall I found the drink thin, lacking in depth and that barnyard-y earthiness that I like in a cider.


Chicken Leg [$16.00] | potato, radish, chimichurri
The chicken was another winner, a brined-smoked-fried preparation that was both super crunchy and teeming with loads of smoky depth. I was also a big fan of the bitter root veggies here, not to mention the piquancy of the accompanying chimichurri.


Asparagus [$11.00] | house ricotta, country ham, egg
This dish made sense, with the astringency of the asparagus serving as a foil to the lushness of egg and the saltiness of ham, but I wanted the bitterness of the vegetable to be more apparent.


Smoked Beef Rib [$37.00] | galbi, Carolina rice grits, kimchee puree, greens
Tonight's pièce de résistance made for an impressive plate. The ribs came out tender enough, and satisfyingly smoky, the sheer savoriness of the beef nicely offset by the kimchi (or gochujang?) smear on the side. I was especially fond of the grits here, which had a brightness to them that really worked alongside the meat.


Our final bottle brought out the Equinox barrel-aged sour blonde [$23]. I found it expectedly tart, yet balanced, with a tasty citrus-y quality, funk, minerality, and hoppiness all coming together.


Churrones [$8.00] | mexican hot chocolate
We had churrones as our first dessert, which as far as I can tell is a portmanteau of "churros" and "chicharrones." And indeed, what we had was deep-fried sugar-coated beef tendon. I found it slightly disconcerting, though better than I had imagined, with a sweet 'n' savory bent that seemed to pair fittingly with its dip of spicy hot chocolate.


Strawberries [$8.00] | almond streusel, cheesecake ice cream
Last up was a more conventional dessert, one that did an admirable job playing the tart berries against the tangy ice cream while streusel imparted a very elegant crunchiness to it all.

Despite a couple missteps here and there, this was still the most ambitious cooking that I've encountered in a brewery/brewpub sort of setup. I have to give Chef Su props for having the gall to serve some of his more atypical fare here, and I hope he continues to push in that direction. The food does pair pretty well with beer, though in that regard, I would like to see some more farmhouse/sour stuff on tap, which I think could really complement the cooking. I've heard that they're installing a 15-barrel brewing system in an adjacent space, so hopefully we'll see some interesting concoctions come out of that.

A-Frame (Culver City, CA) [2]

September 10, 2015, 8:15 pm

≫ Next: Ohana Poké Co. (Los Angeles, CA)

≪ Previous: Eagle Rock Brewery Public House (Los Angeles, CA)

$

0

0

A-Frame Restaurant
12565 Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90066
310.398.7700
www.aframela.com
Tue 08/04/2015, 08:15p-11:00p



[9/11 Update: Johnny Yoo is no longer working at the restaurant, having decamped ostensibly to spend more time with his family. Turns out that this was actually his penultimate night on the job.]



Gracing us well before the likes of POT or Commissary was Roy Choi's former flagship, A-Frame. The restaurant debuted way back in November 2010, serving up "modern picnic food" in a converted IHOP on a sleepy stretch of Washington across from Brendan Collins' game-changing Waterloo & City. After the initial buzz wore off, the place was apparently sustained pretty much by locals, so Choi and business partner David Reiss decided to mix things up earlier this year, swapping out the menu for one featuring Hawaiian fare. It's actually not much of a stretch given what they were serving before, with the driving force behind the switcheroo being newly installed Executive Chef Johnny Yoo.

About the Chef: Yoo was born in South Korea, and after stops in Saudi Arabia, Houston, and Hawaii, his family eventually settled in LA. After finishing up a business degree at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, he spent time in Hawaii, working at places like Duke's Waikiki and eating at local staples Side Street Inn and Zippy's. Back on the Mainland at the end of 2001, Yoo enrolled at Pasadena's California School of Culinary Arts, and during his tenure there, worked under Rodelio Aglibot at Koi in WeHo. After graduating in 2003, he cooked at David Myers'Sona and Josiah Citrin's longstanding Melisse.

Next were stints at Ortolan (I wonder what Christophe Émé's up to these days), the Restaurant at the Getty Center, and sushi spot Kanzen in Redondo Beach (where he was part owner). In 2007, Yoo became opening sous at Alain Giraud's Anisette, and in 2008, he reprised the role at Drago Centro. He and Jacob Kear opened Sang Yoon's Lukshon as co-Chef de Cuisines at the beginning of 2011, but were out the door just months later, replaced by Ted Hopson (who decamped himself last March to work on The Bellwether in Studio City). Yoo then took a job at the Panorama City-based Bruce's Gourmet Catering (specializing in motion picture catering), where he stayed until joining the A-Frame team in 2014.



Inside, things have largely remained the same. It's still a breezy, wood-swathed space, but with a touch more of a tropical vibe, thanks in part to murals by local artist Eric Junker. Outside, the patio remains intact, replete with those fanciful lights.


As for A-Frame's menu, it's mostly the work of Yoo, divided up into appetizer-sized pupus and more substantial grindz. Drink-wise, we have a dozen beers on tap, a small list of wines, and a revamped, tiki-influenced cocktail program by Dan McClary (Westside Tavern, The Brig). Click for larger versions.


Big John Chili Rice Cakes [$11.00] | Beef Chili, Crispy Korean Rice Cake, White Cheddar, Sour Cream, Chive, Pineapple
First up was a dish supposedly inspired by the signature chili at Zippy's. It was one of my favorites of the night, a hearty, satisfying mix of meaty, slightly spicy chili and crispy tteok, with the sour cream imparting an overarching lactic tang to it all.


O.G. Ribs [$18.00] | Baby Back Ribs, Hoisin Chili Glaze
Here was one of the holdovers from the previous menu, which returned even better than before. Texturally, the meat was tender, yet still with some bite and some crunchy bits, tearing cleanly off the bone. And taste-wise, think sweet, savory, subtly spicy, with a nutty sesame accent.


Coconut Guava Coupe [$12.00] | Koloa Coconut Rum, Guava, Pineapple, Lime
We gave a few of the cocktails a whirl as well. This particular one I found super fruity on the nose, while on the palate, more tropical fruit, joined by an underpinning of rum and pricks of tart lime.


Loco Moco [$15.00] | Hambagu Steak, Rice, Curry Gravy, Sunnyside Egg, Pickled Pearl Onion
Naturally, loco moco made an appearance on the menu. It was a homey sort of dish, with the sweet, savory, curry-infused gravy enveloping the rice and patty while the runny egg added further luxuriousness to things. My favorite part? The pickled onions, which gave up a touch of countering acidity.


Mac Salad [$5.00] | Riced Potato, Cucumber, Carrot, Roasted Garlic
Macaroni salad was a must of course, and A-Frame's was a tasty example, with a great balance between egg, potato, and veggies.


Lei Me Down [$12.00] | Cachaca, Lilikoi, Lime, Lemon, Orange
This appealing-looking cocktail conveyed an abundance of passion fruit sweetness at its core, joined by notes of citrus and a subtle backbone of booziness from the cachaça.


Pork Belly Lechon Ssam [$17.00] | Bibb Lettuce, Cucumber, Chilies, Fresh Herbs, Island Chimichurri, Green Sriracha
Yoo's take on lechon kawali hit the mark, the belly coming out delightfully crisp, with a good balance between lean and fat. The pork was tasty on its own, but even better when taken with its various accompaniments, which provided countervailing nuances of spicy, sweet, sour, and herby.


Furikake Kettle Corn [$7.00] | Furikake, Corn Pops, Chili Flakes, Chives, Butter
Another holdover from A-Frame v1.0 was the popcorn, which was just as I remember: appropriately crunchy, with a fun mix of sweet, savory, and buttery flavors.


Musubi by the Piece [$5.00 x 2] | Housemade Spam or Kalua Pork, Rice, Teriyaki Sauce, Ume Paste, Nori
The musubis were on point, the Spam variant as good or better than any I've had while the pork version came out tender and softly sweet.


Zombie Isle [$12.00] | Bourbon Barrel Rum, Hawaiian Dark Rum, Lime, Orange, Apricot, Absinthe
A-Frame's take on the iconic Zombie was nice enough, fruity at first, with the booziness and sweet spice coming in later, the drink finishing well with the zestiness of absinthe.


Heirloom Pickles [$9.00] | Creamy Dip, Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Pickles weren't nearly pickle-y enough, coming out more like crudités, though they certainly were enjoyable with a dab of that creamy, nutty, somewhat sweet dipping sauce.


Hush Poippies [$9.00] | Taro, Potato, White Cheddar, Parmesan, Sweet Chili Sauce
A play on hush puppies delivered, with the light, airy, cheesy bites well-matched to the sweetish hot sauce on the side.


Up In Smoke [$12.00] | Mezcal, Tequila, Lime, Habanero, Pineapple
The requisite mezcal cocktail worked itself out with its smart balance of smoky and citrusy flavors, accented by a touch of heat.


Cabbage Slaw [$5.00]
A cabbage slaw was a welcomed break from the heftier courses, a light, bright presentation with great textures.


Saimin Says [$14.00] | Hawaiian Style Ramen, Pork Sausage, Fresh Herbs, Soft Boiled Egg, Broiled Fish Skewer
The saimin was as satisfying as most any ramen out there, featuring some springy noodles in a well-flavored broth. I was especially fond of how juicy, tender, and savory the fish was, as well as the prickly heat on the sausage. Lovely bit of herbiness to bring it all together, too.


Backwoods [$12.00] | Bourbon, Apple Brandy, Maple, Bitters
Our last cocktail was clearly the booziest of the bunch, apple-y on nose, with a bourbon-laden base enhanced by spice and the sugariness of maple.


Huli Huli [$17.00] | Marinated Rotisserie Chicken, Cilantro, Huli Butter Sauce
Huli-huli chicken was our final savory, the bird arriving tender and flavorful, with a deep spicy-sweet quality to it that definitely made sense with the accompanying rice and cilantro.


Chocolate Butter Mochi Cake [$8.00] | Dulce De Leche, Pickled Nectarines, Coconut Glaze
Time for dessert. The mochi cake I found intriguing with its somewhat chewy consistency, its rich, dark flavors and sweet spice tempered by the crunch and juiciness of the stone fruit up top.


Chu Don't Know Mang [$10.00] | Pound Cake, Cinnamon Sugar, Malted Chocolate Milk, Vanilla Ice Cream
Pound cake churros were just as good as before, though $3 more expensive. Great texture and spice on 'em, with the chocolate milk and vanilla working as a perfect accoutrement.

We all left A-Frame pleasantly surprised. In fact, I think I may prefer this menu to the restaurant's original. Flavors were robust, comforting, yet with just enough finesse. I have to say that Yoo and company have done a nice job translating the core of Hawaiian cuisine into a more modern, cheffier presentation.

Ohana Poké Co. (Los Angeles, CA)

September 13, 2015, 6:30 pm

≫ Next: fundamental LA (Los Angeles, CA)

≪ Previous: A-Frame (Culver City, CA) [2]

$

0

0

Ohana Poke Co
130 E 6th St, Los Angeles, CA 90014
213.265.7561
www.ohanapokeco.com
Wed 07/15/2015, 06:30p-07:25p





I don't quite get it, but apparently poke is a thing now, and one of the latest entrants in an increasingly crowded field is the subject of this report. I've been staying away from the new crop of poke-centric places for the most part, but checked out Ohana since it comes to us from Chef Eric Park. Park, of course, is the man behind Black Hogg, Sopressata, and Hero Shop, which used to occupy Ohana's address. I've always had good experiences with his restaurants in the past, so I felt compelled to give this one a go too.


Inside, things look much the same as they did in the Hero Shop days. The biggest change is the removal of the large chalkboard that previously lined the right wall.


Ohana's menu features a build-your-own-poke type format, joined by a handful of drinks and extras. Click for a larger version.


Large / White Heirloom Sushi Rice / Ohana Shoyu + Spicy Tuna / Wakame (Seaweed) Salad / Avocado [$13.95]
We wanted to try all six varieties of poke, and thus ended up ordering three half-n-half servings to share amongst us. Kicking things off was the shoyu, a classic preparation that really showcased the depth of soy sauce against the backdrop of the fish. The spicy tuna version was also on point, offering up that O.G. creamy heat that never fails to satisfy. I was a big fan of the textural contrast provided by the edamame, as well as the slick bite of wakame seaweed. An additional topping of avocado for a buck more, meanwhile, gave things a very palpable lushness, but wasn't strictly necessary.


Ohana's Daily Agua Fresca [$4] was a fun, refreshing, pineapple-y concoction this evening.


Large / Brown Heirloom Sushi Rice / Sweet Unagi + Chili Mango / Kimchi Cucumbers [$12.95]
An eel sauce-marinated poke conveyed a subtle sweetness that made sense with the tuna, while the chili mango gave up a restrained, tropically-tinged heat. I got a nice crunch from the oi kimchi as well, and the bowl also featured brown rice, which I found noticeably heartier, nuttier compared to the sushi rice above.


We snuck in a couple bottles, and BYOB'd with the Siren Craft Brew Limoncello IPA, a collaborative beer from Hill Farmstead and Mikkeller that's meant to mimic its namesake Italian lemon liqueur. I think it did a pretty reasonable job, actually. I found the beer expectedly hoppy on the nose, but with a strong citric component, while on the palate, things got quite a bit boozier, with some darker notes coming in over a base of sour lemon.


Large / Olive Oil Kale / Shiso Radish + Soy Ginger Tofu / Ponzu Crunchy Noodles / Avocado [$13.95]
Our final bowl featured a base of kale, which was actually weightier and more substantial that I'd initially envisioned. As for the poke, the shiso-radish variety did a commendable job showing off the tanginess of the shiso, though I didn't get as much from the radish. Meanwhile, the tofu "poke" was a pleasant surprise, coming in as a pretty reasonable substitute for actual fish. Fantastic crunch here from the ponzu noodles to boot.


Next to drink was the Fantôme La Dalmatienne. Done in the saison style, this was light 'n' fruity to the smell, while I found it much more interesting taste-wise. Think bubble gum initially, joined by spice, hops, grass, and a distinctly weed-y characteristic.


Ice Cream Sandwich [$2.00] | Black Sesame on Hawaiian Bread
We concluded with one of the least visually-appealing ice cream sandwiches that I've encountered. It was tasty though, almost coffee-like at first, but with the nuttiness of the sesame coming through later, the whole thing well-matched to the sweetness of the bread.

I've never been a huge poke fiend, but Ohana did manage to deliver. I had no complaints about the fish itself, which came out clean, well-textured, and smartly seasoned, and I enjoyed how the various accoutrements offered up additional dimensions to the poke. I could see myself coming here regularly if I lived in the area.

---

Dark Chocolate Cream Pie [$5.01]
Given the lack of true dessert at Ohana, we set up shop outside and enjoyed some pie from Cole's next door. First up was this chocolate cream version, one that wasn't overly sweet, balancing the chocolate against the comparatively light whipped cream up top. I was a fan of the rich, crumbly crust here as well.


Some more dessert-y beers were called for, such as the 2014 Bell's Black Note Stout. An imperial stout aged in oak bourbon barrels, it had a surprisingly weak nose for me, of mostly dark fruit. On the tongue, more dark fruit, chocolate, malt, booze, and a palpable tartness. I wasn't too impressed given how much acclaim this beer gets.


Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie [$5.01]
The next pie featured the classic pairing of strawberry and rhubarb, resulting in a marriage of sweet-tart flavors along with a nicely flaky crust.


Our last drink brought out the 2014 Mikkeller Beer Geek Cocoa Shake, an oatmeal stout brewed with chocolate. This sounded like a good idea, but didn't work for me due to the overwhelming artificial cocoa powder notes present.


Banana Cream Pie [$5.01]
My favorite of the pies was definitely the banana cream version, largely thanks to its near-perfect interplay between the fruit and the drizzles of caramel present. Great crust here, too.


Big Beef Dip [$12.86]
Surprisingly, I'd actually never had the French dip from Cole's before. I don't think I was missing out though, as I found the sandwich underwhelming. The meat veered dry, one-note, and somewhat difficult to eat just by itself. The au jus was absolutely necessary to get it down, and even then, it wasn't particularly memorable.

fundamental LA (Los Angeles, CA)

September 14, 2015, 8:00 pm

≫ Next: Sambar (Culver City, CA)

≪ Previous: Ohana Poké Co. (Los Angeles, CA)

$

0

0

Fundamental Los Angeles Restaurant
1303 Westwood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90024
310.444.7581
www.fundamental-la.com
Thu 08/13/2015, 08:00p-11:20p





Tonight we pay a visit to fundamental LA, a place that's been on my to-try list for at least a couple of years now. The restaurant opened back in June 2011 in a somewhat desolate section of town as a lunch-only affair, with dinner added in February the following year. It's the work of longtime friends and SoCal natives Jeffrey Faust and Woogene Lee, who first met in second grade. Both attended and graduated from Berkeley's Haas School of Business and worked in management consulting afterward, Faust at KPMG and Lee at Bain. Prior to opening FLA, Lee also staged at Melisse, where he met David Morgan, who'd previously spent time at Sona, Coi, and Cyrus. Morgan was eventually brought on as opening chef and partner, but was out by 2012, replaced by a string of chefs including Lee himself. Currently, Executive Chef duties are handled by Philip Pretty, who took the reins in May 2014.

About the Chef: For his part, Phil Pretty was born and raised in Southern California. He eschewed culinary school, preferring the self-taught route, and first started making a name for himself in 2006, when he joined the Providence team as a line cook. After a year, he moved over to David Myers'Sona, where he cooked under Kuniko Yagi for two years. In 2009, Pretty took on the sous chef role at Joe Miller's eponymous Joe's in Venice, which was under Kris Tominaga's watch at the time. Then, in 2010, he transitioned to Gordon Ramsay at The London, where he became exec sous, under Anthony Keene. Finally, in 2012, Pretty landed his first Executive Chef position, taking the lead in the kitchen over at Axe in Venice (which closed at the end of 2014).


As for the menu, it's a seasonally-driven Californian affair at dinner (lunch comprises a much more casual selection of sandwiches and such), set in a four-course prix fixe format at $45 a head, plus $21 for wine (though all dishes are available à la carte as well). To drink, there's your requisite beer on tap and in the bottle, but the main focus here is wine, a small but well-curated list of mostly Old World selections chosen by General Manager and Wine Director Alicia Kemper. Kemper took over from Faust (also trained in wine) in March 2012, and also worked at Melisse under Brian Kalliel and at the vaunted Restaurant at Meadowood in Napa. In addition to the wine list, she also manages FLA's Tippler Club, a monthly-delivering wine club. Click for larger versions.


The bread 'n' butter was some of the more satisfying I've had, comprising thick-cut slices of crisp, buttery toast that were even better when slathered with a generous helping of that salty-smooth butter.


blue crab [$12.00] | apple, green strawberry, creme fraiche
Our first round started with a beautiful dish of crab, one that really highlighted the sweet brine of the crustacean, offset by tart strawberry and herbs while the crème fraîche help tie everything together. Lovely textures and crunch, too.


hamachi belly [$13.00] | sour plum, shiso, ginger granite
Yellowtail was well presented, an appropriately fishy, fatty preparation that balanced the richness of the hamachi against the sweet, tangy, herby overtones in the dish.


roasted beets [$12.00] | nasturtium goddess, shallot soil, rhubarb vin
Beets, meanwhile, turned out much better than I thought they would. The key was the zippiness of the nasturtium dressing, and how that combined with the nuttiness of the "soil" to really even out the earthy sweetness of the root vegetable.


To drink, we opted for a lightweight sparkler to start, the Johan, Pinot Noir, Petillant Naturel 2014 (Willamette Valley, OR) [$48]. Done in the pet-nat style favored by the likes of Night + Market, this was a fun, food-friendly wine, one loaded with tons of juicy red fruit counteracted by tempering notes of acid and minerality.


venison carpaccio [$13.00] | horseradish, pickled onion, pecorino, garlic aioli
I'm oft disappointed by carpaccios, but Pretty's tonight was one of the best I've had. The venison itself came out tender and delicate, but the crux was the complexity, brightness, and heft imparted by all the various accoutrements. I especially appreciated the crunchy, salty kick of the potato chip-like pieces here.


roasted celery root [$10.00] | beluga lentils, celery root puree, parsley
Next up was clearly the most celeriac-forward dish I've had, one that truly highlighted the bitterness of the root veggie, a sensation further augmented by the zesty shards of parsley strewn about. The lentils were crucial as well, providing an earthiness that added the necessary bulk to the dish.


barbecue octopus [$15.00] | stone fruit, pistachio, creme fraiche, pomegranate relish
Octopus was a winner as well, arriving tender to the bite, but with just enough char to it. I was concerned that the BBQ element would be overwhelming here, but it worked out swimmingly, imparting just the right amount of sweetness to the mix. Also appreciated were the juicy cuts of stone fruit, light frisée, and crème fraîche, which helped integrate all the various pieces.


In terms of non-alcoholic beverages, the one to get seems to be the real vanilla cream soda [$3]. It was quite unlike any I've had before, a long ways away from the likes of A&W and the sort. Think super thick, super creamy, and basically almost ice cream-like in nature. The word "decadent" comes to mind.


goat leg confit [$16.00] | whole wheat garganelli, preserved lemon, goat cheese
Goat arrived well-prepared, making for a rich, hearty, homey dish that paired well with the pasta. Loved those crunchy bits thrown in, too.


heirloom carrots [$13.00] | almond mole, yogurt, meringue
Plating-wise, the carrots reminded me of something I might've encountered at Red Medicine, while idea-wise, Trois Mec was what came to mind. Possible influences aside, it was a successful dish, the dense, sticky carrots veering sweet, yet well-charred, perked up by the lightness of yogurt and meringue while the mole imparted a Mexican-tinged gravitas.


diver scallops [$23.00] | torpedo onion, beech, sunflower seed, chorizo
Scallops came out well-caramelized, well-textured, and appropriate briny. I appreciate the onion and mushrooms here, but the sunflower seeds went a bit too bitter for our tastes. Great chorizo spice on the back end though.


p&t [$10.00] | niepoort white port, fever tree tonic, lime
Next to imbibe were Fundamental's two wine cocktails. The first was a play on the Gin & Tonic, a reasonable approximation of the classic drink with bright notes of lime and tonic finished with a distinct port-y presence.


braised short rib [$22.00] | potato, holland leek, sauce escargot
The short rib was another standout, and definitely one of the stronger preparations of the cut that I've had. The meat itself I found tender, but with just enough of a chew, and an immensely satisfying flavor profile that was further augmented by the escargots. Excellent saltiness and heft from the potatoes as well, and a great leek astringency too to balance it all out.


pork belly & sword squid [$21.00] | apple, broccolini, cashew, shelling bean
The belly was as fatty and as rich as you'd want, with a fantastic crispiness to it and boatloads of porkiness that really went well with the broccolini. Squid, meanwhile, came soft and springy, with a delicate taste that served as a base to the smoky, spicy elements at play. Very tasty overall, but I just wasn't sure about the linkage between the two proteins here.


potato gnocchi [$18.00] | poached egg, rapini, fontina
For our last savory, we had a potato three-way, with potato gnocchi, roasted potato, and potato chips coming together nicely, enriched by that runny egg while the bitter broccoli raab help balance it all out.


cucumber fizz [$10.00] | pear cider, cucumber, fresh lime, mint
The second cocktail was refreshing, blending a juicy pear sweetness with the coolness of cucumber, the lime and mint making themselves known toward the back end.


angel food [$8.00] | strawberries, basil, buttermilk creme
Time for dessert. A play on the iconic angel food cake was successful. The "cake" portion arrived light, airy, and sponge-y (think "aerated brioche"), with a subtle sweetness that made for a natural pairing with the bright berry notes present.


churros [$8.00] | butterscotch
Churros were beautifully spiced, wonderfully creamy on the inside, but a bit softer than I'd prefer on the outside. Still very tasty though, especially when kicked up a notch by the butterscotch.


We were then provided a tasting of madeiras, comprising the Rare Wine Company "Savannah" Verdelho, "Boston" Bual, and "New York" Malmsey. It was great to be able to compare and contrast the three, to be able to see the progression of sweetness and intensity in moving up from Verdelho to Bual to Malmsey.


olive oil cake [$8.00] | burrata panna cotta, chia, yuzu sherbert
This next cake was a table favorite, and did a great job conveying the aromatics of olive oil, the lactic punch of burrata making for a perfect accompaniment. Lovely tanginess from the yuzu and herbs too, and I was a fan of the textural element provided by the chia seeds as well.


white pepper sponge cake [$8.00] | sweet potato sorbet, chocolate mousse, molasses
We closed confidently: rich notes of chocolate at first, smartly finished with a lingering kick of white pepper; excellent use of the sweet potato as well.

My colleagues and I walked out of Fundamental suitably impressed by what the kitchen was turning out, which incorporated technique, finesse, robust flavors, and artful plating (they're not shy about using negative space) to make for some of the most venturesome cooking I've encountered in recent times. And at $45 a head, we're talking about a good value to boot. Fundamental has sort of flown under the radar ever since it opened, and perhaps rightfully so at first. But with Pretty at the helm now, the cooking certainly deserves more attention than it's been getting.