Potential Gold

Champagne Salon and Delamotte Tasting at Wally's

The other night Limor and I enjoyed a wine tasting at Wally's Wine & Spirits in Los Angeles. The tasting was in collaboration with Champagne Salon as well as Delamotte.

We arrived around 7 pm to find the tasting room packed to the max. A few days ago Wally's sent out an email stating that the tasting was sold out. We made the best of it and received our tasting glass from the person who checked us in at the front.

From there we began with the Delamotte Non-Vintage Brut. For Limor who isn't a wine:o I enjoyed seeing her reactions and comments to the Champagne. The Brut was very traditional. We picked up a nose of toast, some tart green apple and Limor really thought the nose resembled the smell of something 'salty'.

From there we went onto the Delamotte Rosé. The Rosé was elegant and tasty. The blend of primarily Pinot Noir grapes really stood out. Unlike the cheaper wines, this Rosé was made by letting the skins stay in contact with the wine, releasing the color and flavor that we see and taste.

Unfortunately, the ONE Champagne I built up all my expectation towards was nowhere to be found. I bought my ticket to this tasting not for the Salon but for the 1985 Delamotte Blanc de Blancs. Unfortunately, we were scammed as that bottle wasn't poured at the tasting.

From the Rosé we moved onto the 1999 Delamotte Blanc de Blancs. The Blanc de Blancs was awesome. Although the pour was very skimpy, my one sip was really refined and the sharp difference from the first two wines was pretty outstanding.

Lastly was the Champagne Salon. The 1997 Salon Le Mesnil is what I think everyone else was there for. The bottle is extremely expensive - somewhere in the $400/btl area. I found the Salon very, very good but I am glad to say that I am not an extreme Champagne fan yet as that hobby could get really really expensive.

I want to really point out that it is not OK to say that a specific bottle will be poured and then NOT pour that bottle. I went to Wally's to taste a quarter century old Champagne and that didn't happen. Although it was my first tasting at Wally's, I do hope to come to another event there where I will expect more than this tasting.

 

 

Mastro's Steakhouse - Beverly Hills

I finally made it to another steakhouse.  This opportunity was a gift from a family friend for our recent engagement.  Fun...

Our friend ordered wine and an appetizer and we chose our protein of choice.  Limor ordered the petite filet and I had the bone-in rib eye.

Our appetizer was a shrimp cocktail which was incredible.  These shrimp were so large that it was more like biting on lobster tail.  I highly recommend this as an appetizer as it's not everyday you stumble across these huge creatures.

The presentation of the shrimp rocked - as the plate approached our table, some water was poured into the bowl holding dry ice, which oozed CO2 across our table - cool!

Our meat was next up, along with our second bottle of Franciscan Cabernet Sauvignon.

Our side dishes were sauteed spinach and sauteed mushrooms.  Both were nothing special - just run-of-the-house side dishes as expected of any steakhouse these days.

Some Notes:

Primo Cafe on Sunset Blvd.

A couple of nights ago we took our parents out to Primo on Sunset.  This cafe is the most European style cafe I have seen here in the states.  The food isn't great and is very far from anything European but the openness and the way the food was ordered was very much so Europe.

The chalkboard menu has what's available for food and a quick glance at the offerings through the glass windows will show you that as well.

We chose a random mixture of plates and tastings including chicken parmigian, a cheese pizza with mushrooms, a tuna sandwich, and a grilled vegetable salad.

YELLOW

Bossa Nova

One of our all time favorite restaurants in the LA area, Bossa Nova is a must try if you've never been.

 

Now - don't expect fine dining at this place but do know that until 4 AM they crank out delicious pizzas, pastas, sandwiches and Brazilian favorites.

Tonight we were at the Bossa Nova off of Pico Blvd. There is also one on Sunset Blvd. right next door to Falcon.  If you are local to the establishments, they offer a delivery service too.

I 

These little yummy morsels are resemble gougieres and are delicious - I think they're called "cheese bread" on the menu.

One of the tastiest treats was this delicious soft drink called Guarana Antarctica.  This one was a diet offering as that is all they had available and it was delicious.  Served with an orange slice, I could easily be a fan of this drink for a long, long time.  I wonder what kind of cocktails are made with this drink?

Culatello Tasting at BLD

Friends from Italy brought over a Culatello for me.  Below are some shots of a dinner we had at BLD to celebrate the arrival of Culatello to Los Angeles!  I believe that Tad and Russell had a good time and I am looking forward to the next Culatello festival!

Along with Culatello, we had some salads and a nice fish tasting that night.  It was a lot of fun.

Fried Chicken at BLD

Every Tuesday night at BLD in Los Angeles you can try some of the best Fried Chicken.  Mike and the rest of the chefs at BLD make one of the best Fried Chicken dinners I have ever had.  It will cost you about $25 for the meal + bev, tax and tip but it is WELL WORTH IT.

I can't say how long the special Tuesday Night fried chicken will last and I'm not sure if it's permanent, so try it while its still there.

BLD for Brunch - Los Angeles

Another stop on Justinians quick weekend tour was Sunday Brunch - actually - it may have been Saturday Breakfast at BLD on Beverly Boulevard near Fairfax.

We arrived at BLD around noon and found a nice table ready for us on the sidewalk, just what we wanted.  The restaurant was busy as all the tables in the dining room were full of people devouring their salads, pancakes and egg dishes.

(Wow...look at all those Fra' Mani offerings - I really had such a great experience there...)

Another look at the menu and I decided on the Huevos Rancheros.  Limor chose a Frittata and Justin, the poach.

Justin is a true fan of poached eggs and a true fan of pork and luckily for him they put it together on a menu!

These eggs were really good but the only shitty thing about this dish was that the bread or brioche used was days old and hard as a rock.  Not something I would expect and not something of the norm for BLD so it may have just been Justin's bad luck.  The Pork was braised very well and the Potatoes BLD does with the Spanish Chorizo is simply amazing.

Father's Office - Los Angeles - Best Burger & Sweet Potato Fries

Father's Office!

My friend Justin was in town the other week - he was visiting from Minneapolis and needed to get some real, good food into him FAST.  One of our stops on that weekend was to Father's Office in Santa Monica.  After hearing all the hype and rave reviews, we had to try it for ourselves.

To the bar we went because there aren't any servers to take your order.  After a short line, we were helped by one of the friendly bartenders.  For a beverage, Justin was ok with water as the night before we visited Tokyo Delves and anyone who is familiar with Tokyo Delves knows that you can't leave that place sober unless you're the DD.

The bartender helped me choose a glass of Great White from Lost Coast Brewery.  This beer resembled the Hoegaarden which I like so much.

For a snack we ordered the amazing sweet potato fries which are served in a mini shopping cart with a small side of strong blue cheese dipping sauce.  My beer went really well with this.  As we waited for our burger, we took in the atmosphere and had a few laughs.

We arrived at Father's Office at around 5 PM on a Saturday so in my opinion there weren't too many people there, and it wasn't a problem to order and get your food.  It's pretty simple - you order at the bar and get a plastic number - your food magically appears at your seat in a few minutes.

I didn't get the vibe that they don't want you there or that it's a foodie only type of place.  Its much more of a neighborhood bar type of place.  Simple and easy.  If we had bigger appetites, we would have ordered much more food.  Although the prices or above market average, it seems like you really get quality stuff.

Our burger arrived and it looked so good.  It was not what I was expecting.  The oval shaped burger was already cut in half which made it much easier to share.  The meat was cooked medium just the way we ordered it and after the first bite, it was very very good.

I can see how people say that this is the most amazing burger and bla bla bla but in my opinion, the burger was very very good - executed to the dot and I'm sure its exactly what the chef is trying to put out.  The bun was fresh and tasty - it was more bread then a bun - the meat was juicy and well seasoned.  The arugula was tatsty and added the right flavors that worked overall.  The blue cheese was on the money - not too much or overbearing and not too little - all of it was just right.

I can't wait to get back to Father's Office.  I want to go more hungry, and with more friends as it seems like a really fun place to let loose and have a good time with great beers and very tasty food.

Testing the new Compose Screen

We were recently given a chance to work with a new 'Compose' screen on the TypePad blogging system.  I am using this post to test it out.

I plan on placing pictures below this section of text.  I want the pictures to be evenly spaced at maybe three or four pictures per row, with three columns and then more text below.  Let's see how it goes.



Well - in the editor it doesn't look like the pictures above will be side to side - it shows them one under the other.

Lets see what happens after I post up.

XLB - the eating guide & Mei Long Village

One of my favorite foods in the whole wide world is Xiao Long Bao aka XLB.  XLB is a dumpling which literally translates to "little basket bun". 

These are commonly found in the areas of Shanghai and Wuxi, China.  Here in the US, XLB are also referred to as Soup Dumplings. 

These little pockets of love are worldly.  A thin, slightly translucent, unleavened dough surrounds meat which has been steamed.  In preparation, the meat includes a good amount of gelatin that once steamed, turns into soup within the wrapper of the dumpling. 

Most commonly served with vinegar and slivers of ginger, I love to eat my XLB in the following way:

Il Tramezzino

Il Tramezzino - a place I first went to in Beverly Hills is now opening in Tarzana.  The photos above were taken at the location in Sherman Oaks on Ventura Boulevard just west of Coldwater Canyon.

"Il Tram," as everyone calls it, is well known for its light and quick bites and also as a place to see and be seen.  For some reason unclear to me, this place is very IN at the moment.  I remember going there late one night and enjoying a hot croissant filled with Nutella and sliced Bananas. 

Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles

(Please excuse the "red" pictures - you'll understand if you've been to Roscoe's before)

Roscoe's is a legendary establishment.  Being around for many years, they are obviously doing something right!

Yes, this was my first visit to Roscoe's in my 18+ years living in Los Angeles.  I will definitely return and I actually look forward to the next visit. 

What I really crave is the waffle.  I thought the waffle was made very well.  There was a good spiceiness to the batter made with cinnamon and a few other ingredients for sure.  The syrup seemed standard issue Sysco but that was good too. 

The chicken was fried very well and the seasoning of the fry was great.  The meat was nice and moist.  I ordered a dark meat plate with two waffles.  It was a good choice.  Omer and Limor both ordered the classic Breast and Waffle plate. 

Ethiopian Food

Ethiopian food is just outstanding.  Some of my friends took me to this great spot along Los Angeles' well known "Little Ethiopia", also known as "Ethiopian Row".

Found on Fairfax Avenue, just south of Olympic Boulevard, this area is rich with Ethiopian Restaurants in Los Angeles.  Our particular destination, Meals By Genet is a star.  From what I observed, Genet, the Chef, cooks alone in her kitchen.  There are two servers to take care of the twenty-or-so diners.

The food is great.  From what I understood, the bread is made across the street and Genet serves some stews that take longer then 24 hours to cook.

I hope to try the rest of Ethiopian Row and see which is really supreme.

Providence

It was finally time to enjoy a nice meal in my hometown, Los Angeles.  A great excuse to splurge on a fantastic meal, and take Limor out for a night on the town, Providence was a great choice.

Providence came very highly recommended by many chef friends as well as some well known professional 'eaters'.

We started our night by taking some photos.  Our back-waiter was very joyful and enjoyed having fun with us.  So much so that he actually became our front-waiter for the night.  I think the original server didn't feel up to having fun that night (he looked way to serious in the funny costumes they wear!).

We ordered the five course tasting menu which I was warned takes about three hours to enjoy (it did).  I opted for the wine pairing. 

From the kitchen we first received a great plate of fresh butter and salt to go along with a great piece of bread (unfortunately, it was the only bread they gave us all night, except for some brioche as part of a dish).

Next out as teases was a "Gin & Tonic" in gelatinous cubes and a "Mojito" in spherical form.

Porto's Bakery - Burbank

Porto's is a true phenomenon.  Upon arrival to this magical place, you get awestruck by how many people are in line and how massive of a project this really is.

How Porto's Started

It's always nice to walk into a place and watch it run, and this place sure does run like a well oiled machine.  There is plenty of staff and the long lines pass quickly - try it if you're in the area.

We often stop there on the way to the Burbank Airport (Bob Hope) as it's right on the way.

Make sure to try the Cuban influenced snacks and save room for some sweets.