We were suppose to have dinner at Comme Ca, but without going into detail, we left. Now it is Saturday night in Los Angeles and we have no reservations. We called Mako and Lisa couldn’t have been nicer or more accommodating. “Come on over; I can’t give you your favorite table by the window, but you are always welcome.”
We have known Mako and Lisa for years – Lisa was front of the house at Chinois and Mako was chef de cuisine.
Mako has since opened two new restaurants – Luau in Beverly Hills and Robata-Ya on Sawtelle. He starts off at Mako and then checks in at Luau and sometimes finishes the evening at Robata-Ya.
We BYO’d our own wine.
Always nice to start off with Krug Champagne.
Crispy Oysters, minced tomatoes, black olives, basil – the oysters were deep-fried, light as air and delicious.
Yellowtail sashimi, yuzu sesame dressing – I really liked the addition of the vegetable rice roll with the sashimi. The sauce was delicious and the yellowtail as good as it gets.
The Chateau Guiraud white with the above course was a match made in heaven.
Diver Scallops and Baked Uni, Sea Urchin sauce – absolutely perfect
At this point Mako made the rounds of the dining room and left to go to Luau. Unfortunately, the next dish was a disaster.
Peking Duck, Crepes, Julienne Vegetables, Homemade Miso – the duck was so dry that it was inedible. The crepes were cold.
The accompaniments to the duck – the nuts were perfect.
As a comparison the first photo is the Peking duck we had at Bernard’s in Chestnut Hill, Mass and the second photo is Chinois’s Peking duck.
Chinois serves their duck with a bao that I prefer over the crepes, although the crepes at Bernard’s were fine as they were hot.
Red wine with the duck
When Mako is expediting, the kitchen is faultless. To Lisa’s credit we were not charged for the duck, but I have to wonder if Mako’s cuisine suffers when he is not there.
Refined Palate 