Drago – Santa Monica

Drago in Santa Monica is one of my favorite restaurants, particularly for lunch. The food is always well executed, the service couldn’t be better and the ambiance is soothing and calm.

BYO Wine

No photo – Arancini amuse

Beef Carpaccio, Arugula, Parmesan Cheese, Truffles – we tend to order this alot – excellent beginning

Polenta, Mushrooms, Fontina Cheese, Summer Truffles – very rich and very delicious

Grilled Marinated Quail, Gorgonzola, Walnut Salad – we haven’t ordered this before and we should have this on our most haves.

BYO Red Wine

Small Rigatoni, Kobe beef meatballs, Tomato and Romano cheese – another first for us – excellent at Drago and excellent as leftovers at home.

Flannery Standing Rib Roast

Why oh why would someone buy a 7 1/2 pound rib roast for 3 people? Well, Flannery beef was a definite must and why not have too much of a good thing?

Flannery roast packaged

Flannery beef ready for roasting

Flannery beef roasted – used the high temp method -

Recipe here:

http://lizziee.wordpress.com/category/recipe/roast-beef-dinner/

Flannery beef, creamed spinach, potato gratin, yorkshire pudding popovers

Leftover beef

Saturday night – a rerun of the Xmas meal

Sunday – Football and Beef sandwiches with leftover popovers, leftover gratin and epoisse cheese from Bryan with old Madeira

Monday Night: Flannery Roast Beef Hash with freshly made Popovers

Cheated on the eggs and used an egg poacher

Tuesday Morning – a rerun of the hash – my photos in the morning are lousy

Bottom line – 7 1/2 pounds of Flannery beef gone.

Bouchon- Beverly Hills

Even though we had just returned from Yountville, we decided to try Bouchon Beverly Hills again. Yes, the ambiance is different, but the food is spot on.

White wine – bought

Bagaduce Oysters from Maine, Fanny Sweet Carraquette Oysters from New Brunswick, Canada and Golden Mantle and Fanny Bay Oysters from British Columbia – great slurping oysters

Tuna Tartar – cubes of tuna not diced, with pickled fennel, orange segments, arugula, mango sauce – I have never had this preparation at Bouchon in Yountville. I really liked the citrus component.

BYO Red Wine

Country pate – chicken, veal and turkey wrapped in bacon, cornichons, thinly sliced radish and Dijon mustard – excellent

Boudin Noir – blood sausage with potato puree and caramelized apples – as good as in Yountville

Perfect Christmas Eve lunch.

Redd – Yountville

After a very extravagant lunch at Etoile, we decided on a “lighter” 3 course dinner at Redd.

BYO White Wine

Sashimi of hamachi, sticky rice, edamame, lime ginger sauce – this is one of my favorite appetizers and seems to be always on the menu

Fried Tomales Bay oysters, fingerling potato salad, frissee, hard boiled egg dressing – the oysters were cornmeal encrusted and were in a word fantastic – I felt as if I was in New Orleans.

Tasting of  foie gras preparations – seared foie gras, Fuyu persimmon, house-made English muffin, cold foie gras mousse with pear compote  and puff pastry, cold foie gras torchon encrusted with huckleberries and pistachio served with brioche, foie gras terrine, frisee salad – another favorite. This was served with a glass of Coassart Gordon 15 year old Bual Madeira – perfect.

Palate cleanser of pearl tapioca, pomegranate, yuzu granite – a present from Karen, our excellent server.

A perfect day of food – 3 courses at Etoile and 3 courses at Redd – what more can one ask for?

French Laundry – Yountville

In an earlier post I explained the transition from Corey to Tim. Basically I am going to let the photos tell the story.

No photo, but champagne to start.

Gougeres

Salmon Cornets —  a special comment to Michael Bauer, SF Chronicle restaurant critic – this has never been nor will it ever be ahi – his latest review of a similar type of meal did in fact state ahi cornets.

Warm Stinging Nettle Soup with Hen-of-the-Woods Mushrooms and Frog’s Legs

California White Sturgeon Caviar, Raw Island Creek Oysters, Applewood smoked bacon, fried sunchokes, finely diced, Romaine lettuce

First wine

Penobscot Sea Urchin. The sea urchin is from the famous lobster supplier Ingrid of Maine. The sea urchins are sent live!

Uni, crème fraiche panna cotta, grapefruit, leeks, hazelnuts, garden mezuna, black truffle puree

Atlantic Cod “Shirako”, nicoise olive crumb, San Marzano tomato compote, crispy Shirako (cod semen sack coated with panko), gratin of cardoons

Japanese BigFin Squid, Piquillo peppers, garlic sitting on a fried cylindar of panisse, arugula

Chawan Mushi with Dungeness Crab, Monterey Bay Abalone, Brioche crumb

Sauce Grenobloise

Blurry picture of the Sauce Grenobloise added to the dish

Butter

Adante

Animal Farm – last cow is now named Keller

Garden heirloom beets, celery branch, petite lettuce, Fuyu persimmon, crème fraiche, tarragon

White wine

Black Truffle Lasagna, Mendocino uni, wilted spinach, hazelnut foam

Lasagna plated and uni plated

Nantucket bay scallops “poelees”, cauliflower, pomegranate, pumpkin seed, butternut squash puree

Red Wine

Risotto dish presented

Alba white truffles presented

Carnaroli risotto, Castelmagno cheese from Italy, brown butter

Thomas Farms Squab presented

Thomas Farm Squab “en cocotte”, stuffed with Moulard Duck foie gras wrapped in Savoy cabbage, pear-roasted chestnuts, black truffle, watercress and sauce Perigourdine – for me this was THE dish of the night.

Bouchon- Yountville

Bouchon in Yountville has basically the same menu as Bouchon in Beverly Hills, but the atmosphere is very different.

Beverly Hills is much much larger and more formal.

The Yountville Bouchon is much smaller with tables close to each other, much like a bouchon in Lyon. The atmosphere is bustling and informal.

Going to Bouchon before a French Laundry meal is always a challenge – I keep saying to myself don’t eat too much and share everything.

Sancerre for our wine

My photo guy was way too slow – ate 2 of my oysters before he remembered to snap the picture.

Kusshi oysters from Washington State, Wellfleet Oysters from Mass, Shiny Sea Oysters from Prince Edward Island

Incredible uni from Ingrid of Maine. Not only does she now supply Bouchon, but she also supplies French Laundry with their lobsters and now some of their uni – live in the shells- perfect. I had to restrain myself and not order some more.

Boudin Noir – blood sausage with potato puree and caramelized apples – we shared this

Half eaten boudin noir

Black Truffle Fries – I couldn’t resist, but ended up giving most to the nice foursome from Dallas next to us.

Bouchon is a bouchon. It is NOT the French Laundry and doesn’t pretend to be. People understand that in Yountville, but so far some of the Beverly Hills Bouchon diners seems to have a hard time accepting the concept.

Etoile- Yountville

Someone whose opinion we trust suggested that we try Etoile, Domaine Chandon’s fine dining restaurant. We had been there years ago when Phillipe Jeanty was the chef de cuisine, but after he left the restaurant, it just wasn’t very good – think overwrought “continental” cuisine. Well, we decided to give it another try as the new chef, Perry Hoffman was suppose to be very good.

The chef- Perry Hoffman

From their website:

http://www.chandon.com/etoile-restaurant.html

“Born and raised in the Napa Valley, Perry Hoffman literally grew up in fine-dining kitchens. His grandparents, Sally and Don Schmitt, were the original owners of The French Laundry, the Yountville restaurant made famous by its present owner Thomas Keller. In the 1980s, Perry would help his grandmother in the kitchen making croutons, roasting bell peppers and chopping parsley. This early experience sparked Perry’s passion for cooking, which ultimately shaped his chosen career.”

“Perry started working as a pantry chef at a local neighborhood restaurant at age 15. And after stops at the Boonville Hotel in the Anderson Valley, the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn, the Mauna Lani in Hawaii and two years as sous chef under Robert Curry at Auberge du Soleil, Perry came to étoile in July, 2007. He leads the multidimensional team that involves winemakers, sommeliers and chefs working together to bring the food and wine experience to a world-class level. Perry enjoys creating wine-inspired food, drawing on étoile’s extensive gardens, located just steps from the kitchen door, and his daily interaction with the winemakers. This unique position helps him create fresh, seasonal dishes with the wines in mind. And he’s located less than a mile from where he first started “working” in another Yountville kitchen over 20 years ago.”

The room

Another view of the room

Ryan, our excellent server, helping another patron

The orchid on the table

The wine, especially made for Donna Karan – we liked it so much we bought a case

Miyagi Oysters with bitter orange and shallot mignonette, chive garnish

We decided to be VERY extravagant and order the caviar tasting – serving dish for the caviar

chopped egg whites, capers, chopped egg yolks, diced shallots, chopped chives, creme fraiche with chives – You add the accompaniments to your particular tastes.

Toast for the caviar

Caviar

We ate every single drop

Beef Tartar- Prime New York steak,  young ginger, allspice, Dijon, shallots, gribiche and the yolk was cooked sous vide

Since we were on extravagant “roll”, we had Alba white truffles shaved tableside

Yes, it was a very expensive lunch and I wouldn’t do the caviar tasting again, given the cost. But there was plenty on the menu to choose from and I would definitely have the beef tartar again.

French Laundry- Yountville

Corey Lee is no longer the chef de cuisine at French Laundry. Tim Hollingsworth who was the sous is now the chef de cuisine. Tim is no stranger to the French Laundry; he has spent many years in that kitchen and has risen through the ranks. It is a testament to his skill and passion that he is now in the number one spot. Tim has remained faithful to the French Laundry motto of the law of diminishing returns and less is more. This was our second meal at French Laundry during the weekend. Stay tuned for the first meal.

I must add that we don’t get the “normal” tasting menu. We have been going to the French Laundry for years. They know our tastes, our preference for beginning canapes, small bites and my love of uni.

Champagne to start

The same two amuses as always.

Gougeres

Salmon Cornets

Soup dish presented

Cepe mushroom panna cotta, navel orange segments, diced sunchoke, nicoise olive slices

Cepe and sunchoke broth added tableside – a rich, welcoming soup on a very cold evening

Hang-town fry – Tim’s version. Jidori Hen Egg Omelet filled with Hobbs Smoked Bacon, Deep-Fried Island Creek Oysters, Oyster Foam, White Sturgeon Caviar – this was absolutely sensational – the perfect blend of textures and flavors. I felt as if I had died and gone to foodie heaven.

Later Shannon, our server explained that Tim likes taking familiar/classic dishes and fitting them into the French Laundry environment.

This was a multi-layered dish. On the bottom was pearl tapioca with ginger creme fraiche, then a layer of Champagne granite, topped with lightly torched Santa Barbara Uni and finally a scallion “salad” on top – another winner and evidence of a true understanding of flavors, textures and temperature contrasts.

White wine for the next dishes

Stir-fry of big fin squid from Japan, julienne of Spanish Iberico ham, black truffle, broccolini, radish, Japonaise sauce (soy sauce, mirin, sake, ginger, garlic, shallots) This had a definite Asian feel, almost like a Corey Lee dish.

A word about our wonderful servers- Michaella and Shannon. The dining room was full, but in spite of that they gave me detailed descriptions of each and every dish. We aren’t given menus so everything is communicated verbally – they are very patient!

Japanese Blue Fin Toro presented

Grilled Japanese bluefin toro, Tokyo turnips, Tatsoi greens, Kanzuri puree (Kanzuri is a type of Japanese pepper- almost like chili) – the toro was lightly grilled so you still had that feeling of rare, fatty, meatiness.

Portuguese Rouget, beech mushrooms a la greque, Meyer lemon, cutting celery – I am a fish lover and this rouget was cooked to perfection.

Serving dish for the gratin

Gratin of braised cardoons, confit of chicken wing, Jacobson Farms escargot, San Marzano compote, parsley shoots – another dish of contrasting texture and flavors that on paper you might ask why, but worked as a harmonious whole.

Next white wine

Hawaiian Hearts of Peach Palm, grapefruit segments, grapefruit gelee, marcona almonds, charred scallions, mizuna – light, refreshing and a perfect placement in this tasting menu

Tartare of Kuroge beef from the Shiga prefecture, fuyu persimmon, pinenuts, nicoise olive “paint”, oxyalis – an interesting version of tartare in that the beef were tiny chunks, not diced finely and each element was presented separately. As the diner, it was important to incorporate each ingredient in every bite.

Wine for the foie

Salt for the foie gras – black ash from Hawaii, Jurassic, Japanese salt, Fleur de Sel, Sel Gris, Red salt from Hawaii

Terrine of Foie Gras, hazelnut genoise cake, tiny dice of orange with Belgian endive, hazelnuts, honey poached cranberries, 100 year old balsamic. One of the things I notice about Tim’s cuisine is the addition of a citrus component in an unexpected way. It adds a brightness to the food, almost like adding a splash of vinegar to a sauce – a trick I learned from Michel Richard. This was a new preparation of foie gras. Normally the foie torchon is served with toasted brioche. The layering of genoise and foie was delicious.

White truffles presented

Russet potato gnocchi, butternut squash, shaved chestnuts, beurre noisette

White truffles were then shaved over the gnocci – the gnocchi were as light as air – no gluey, pasty stuff

Presentation of the next dish

The dish uncovered with applewood smoke escaping.

Santa Barbara uni, candy cap mushrooms, cippolini onions, foam of Blis maple syrup. An absolutely Oh My dish. I looked up Blis maple syrup and discovered the following:

“Blis Bourbon Barrel Maple Syrup is aged in specially selected twelve to eighteen year old single barrel bourbon casks. The intense flavors of butterscotch, vanilla, charred oak and the seductive bourbon take maple syrup to new heights.” For the record, I tried to buy it, but they are sold out.

Wine for the next courses

Whole Turbot presented

Black truffle encrusted turbot, stinging nettles, crispy bone marrow, French laundry baby carrots, bordelaise reduction – an absolute winner – the black truffles were perfect, the turbot was cooked perfectly, the bone marrow an ingenious addition and the bordelaise sauce a perfect rendition of a French classical sauce. Do you notice the overuse of the word perfect.

Eden’s Farm Pork Chop and Shoulder, roasted artichoke hearts, confit of garlic, piquillo peppers, garlic pudding, veal demi glace with pork jus – I was getting very full so I honestly didn’t do justice to this dish. I did the absolute no-no and asked for a doggie bag.

The next day at home we had

I didn’t have anything in the house except potatoes, butter, garlic, cream, foie gras pate, bacon and of course wine. So I improvised and made a “sauce” of foie gras by rendering the fat from the bacon (the dogs got the bacon), mashing the foie and briefly cooking it in the bacon fat, adding red wine and reducing that and then a nob of butter at the end to enrich. I made Michel Richard’s garlic mashed potatoes. Voila! Not as good as FL’s version, but it worked.

We were suppose to have another meat course plus a cheese course. We just couldn’t do it.

They had made a birthday cake for John – most of which we took home

Cake plated

Tim did a superior job. We are so pleased that the French Laundry is our “home away from home.” What a home! Between Manresa and French Laundry we consider ourselves very lucky people.

Manresa

Manresa was absolutely spectacular Wednesday night. There was not one misstep and my general feeling was who needs to go to France for a 3 star meal. One of the joys of dining with Chef Kinch over the years is to revel in his evolution as a chef. Not that he wasn’t terrific years ago, but the subtly, the layering of flavors, the seemingly simple that I know is complex is just wondrous now. There were sublime elements Wednesday night and it just reinforces my feeling that he is a great chef.

I apologize in advance for some very blurry photos. Blurry, though they are, sometimes I will just let the pictures tell the story as words seem unnecessary – how many ways can you say extraordinary?

Dana – an extraordinary server with our BYO Champagne

Chef David Kinch

Petit Fours “red pepper-black olive”

Chef Kinch had just returned from a trip to Kyoto at the invitation of the Japanese Culinary Academy. A little souvenir  from the trip – a box from Japan

Garden Beignets (beignet filled with vegetables), Kale leaf, Vinegar Powder

Pear sorbet with Avocado Mousse, Nasturtium leaf, Yeast Crumble –  this almost functioned as a palate cleanser or a precursor of things to come

Seaweed  tartine, house-cured lardo, walnut infused honey, seaweed, marjoram garnish – what an extraordinary blend of flavors

Fork Crushed Fingerling Potatoes with Purple Cabbage from the Garden, Dill Ice Cream – a simple sounding dish that elevated each element to a wondrous blend of flavors

Persimmon, Apple, Green Tomato, Garden herbs and flowers, urchins in seawater

The sea water added  was actually made from three types of seaweed.  Uni – I love it!

Pim’s hand-churned butter

BYO White Wine

Assorted Shellfish in tuna broth gelee, toasted seeds – the shellfish included crab, octopus, littlenecks, mirugai – how many ways can I say this was unbelievable

Nantucket Bay Scallops in brown butter, Pomegranate seeds, sliced Persimmon, Yellow Foot Mushrooms, Salsify – too many chefs overcook scallops and that is why my husband has an aversion to them.  However, in Chef Kinch’s hands the scallops are meltingly tender

Scallop dish deconstructed by me

John doesn’t like scallops so Chef Kinch substituted a mushroom dish.

Raw and cooked mushrooms (Yellow foot)  bonito butter with toasted Furikake seeds from Japan, Black trumpet tapenade, Yellow Foot Mushroom Tempura – John wouldn’t share one bite – he loved it.

Into the Vegetable Garden – Mizuna, arugula, mustard leaves, bordeaux spinach, white carrot, amareth, fingerling potato, red pepper puree, “dirt”, peonies – this really is like walking through the garden; I really can imagine myself wandering through Cynthia’s Sandberg’s Love Apple Farm in the Santa cruz mountains, stooping to nibble on all the “goodies.”

BYO Red Wine

Black Cod, Cippolini onions, chervil cream

Sweet onion broth with beef bone marrow added tableside to the black cod – I can honestly say that few chefs handle fish as well as Chef Kinch plus the addition of the bone marrow to the broth gives new meaning to surf and turf – what a depth of flavor.

Crispy Chicken Confit, Slow Egg (one hour), Crispy Garden greens – fennel, purple mustard, celery and chicken broth to finish – I kept thinking what comes first the chicken or the egg – in this case both!

Duck Roasted in Chestnut leaves and salt

Duck plated with Black Trumpet Mushroom Tapenade, jus – I will just let the photo tell  the story

Gouda from Switzerland – “five years”

Gouda plated

Lemon Meringue, Lemon Curd, Meringue Ice Cream, Hazelnut Crumble – lousy photo, but  delicious

What a spectacular meal.

Vertical Wine Bistro – Pasadena

http://www.verticalwinebistro.com/

From Eater LA:

“Where o’ where has David Haskell been hiding? Word on the street was Pasadena, now here are the details. Haskell has teamed up with producer Gale Anne Hurd to spiffy up her 3-year old Raymond Ave. wine bar/restaurant Vertical. Haskell has signed on as director of operations and “wine pimp” and will introduce new California-inspired menus for both the wine bar/lounge and the dining room. Naturally, the wine bar area will feature a selection of smaller plates, cheeses and charcuterie, with the full monty (multi-courses) available in the main dining room. In addition to a menu revamp, the restaurant itself will get a makeover. The interior of the bar/lounge and dining room is getting a wardrobe change to create a warmer, sexier atmosphere, and the open air courtyard on the ground level will be re-outfitted to look like an English garden (soon open for lunch and champagne brunch). No shocker, there have also been tweaks to the 400+ wine list and Haskell has expanded the by the glass offerings to nearly 80 selections.”

“Also coming into play are the wine flights. Haskell plans to offer five flights nightly with the option of a personally customized tasting experience based on one’s personal vino preferences. And if that wasn’t wine-centric enough, Vertical will introduce a series of weekly and monthly wine events begining in November with Wine Wednesdays (tasting/pairing class headed by Haskell) and monthly wine dinner beginning soon there after. [EaterWire]“

Doug Weston is the executive chef who after culinary school went first to Coffee Table Bistro, then as sous at Raymond’s, next at Joe’s in Venice, then NeoMeze and Oceanview Bistro. As executive chef at Vertical, he has found his “voice.”

I am not exactly an unknown to David Haskell as I am his mother. Obviously we just let David do his thing – he chose the menu and the wine pairings.

I didn’t see the space before the remodel, but the “after” is terrific.

The bar area:

The Dining Room

The skylight ceiling

Gruet Champagne to start

Not pictured – an amuse of roasted red peppers, walnuts, olive oil and lemon juice – a Harousse spread

All courses were splits – one for two

First Course – Rib Eye Carpaccio with orange segments, French breakfast radish, shallot, baby field greens, Lea and Perrins vinaigrette – the layering of flavors is a testament to Doug’s skill as a chef and what I meant when I said he has found his “voice.”

Wine for the second course

Tomato Fennel Soup – a cream based soup with shaved fennel, tomato concasse and seasoned with fines herbs (tarragon, parsley and cilantro) – Again it was the depth of flavor that elevated this dish from mundane to sublime.

Wine for the third course

Crab Cake, Cilantro puree, Chanterelles, Pickled Fennel Old Bay Cream  - The crab was Blue Crab from Maine. Instead of using either bread crumbs or Mayonnaise as a binder, Doug used baby shrimp – clever and delicious. For those who forget what is in Old Bay it is celery salt, mustard, red pepper, black pepper, bay leaves, cloves, allspice (pimento), ginger, mace, cardamon, cinnamon and paprika. The surface of the crab cake had been lightly coated with bread crumbs for crunch. Without the heavy binding, this was light and delicious.

Beer for the Fourth Course

Niman Ranch Chorizo “pizza” – actually this was on flat bread with chorizo slices, Gryuere cheese, basil and tomato sauce – another winner

Wine for the fifth course

Escolar, Spinach pesto, Black-eyed peas, fin herb veloute – an interesting pairing of the black eye peas with the “meaty” escolar

Wine for 6th course

We next had a Cote de Beouf prepared tableside by David. The next series of photos shows the step by step preparation including the sides of potato puree and creamed mushrooms.

Cheese course – from left to right – Delices de Crerniers, Red cloud, Epoisse, Blue Vein Gamonedo – perfect cheese at the proper temperature

BYO Krug

Creme Brulee – photo taken after we had eaten half

Obviously, I can’t be completely unbiased about this restaurant. Hopefully the photos tell the story. I know David would love to have you go to Vertical and spoil you.