Remember that awesome tasting menu Mondays that BottleRock Downtown let me check out last month? It’s where I ate a fried prawn head. Yeah, that one. Well, here’s tonight’s tasting menu courtesy of the bar/restaurant’s beer sommelier Alex Macy. For this one Chef Jared Levy has created five courses, not including amuse bouche and dessert. All for $50. Those bone marrow sliders sound intriguing.
1st Course: Boudin Noir Risotto — Head Cheese, Preserved Lemon and Fenugreek
2nd Course: Branzino en Papiotte — Local Squid, English Peas, King Trumpet Mushrooms, Negi and Pearl Onions
3rd Course: Crispy Chicken Tails — Brown Butter Pomme Puree and Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
4th Course: Bone Marrow Sliders — Brioche, Béarnaise, Oven Dried Tomatoes, Pickled Onions, Cornichon, Romaine Lettuce, Crispy Capers with Chips and Ranch
5th Course: Beer Glazed Pork Belly — Kabocha Squash, Shishito Pepper and Sauce Duchesse de Bourgogne
Dessert: Housemade Chocolate Dipped Pretzels
And if you want, you can pair your dinner with either wine (additional $20) or beer (additional $10).
BottleRock Downtown
1050 S Flower Street
Los Angeles, California 90015 (map)
Reservations: (213) 747-1100
Twitter: @BottleRock
I was sitting at my desk minding my own business when Compartes Chocolatier Twittered about its new Guinness Stout beer truffle and sake truffle. “I’m on my way,” I tweeted back. I jumped on my Vespa and headed to Brentwood right quick.
When I got there, the store was empty save for a young man who was sitting in the corner in front of a laptop. He came over to greet me when I walked in. “I heard you have beer and sake truffles,” I said. He seemed pleasantly surprised that I showed up so soon after replying to his tweet.
Actually Jonathan Grahm, owner of Compartes Chocolatier, and I have run into each other at numerous food events, the American Wine and Food Festival among them. His beautiful chocolates (some hand-painted!) are something really special as Oprah, Speidi of The Hills and Food Network can all attest to. Speaking of which, Jonathan will be appearing tonight at 10pm on Food Network’s Chefs vs. City where he will be a guest judge in a tasting challenge! The store will also show up on an episode of The Hills on September 28. Kristin (“very nice in person” according to Jonathan) and Stephanie (“a bit of a snob”) enjoy gelato and chocolates on its outdoor patio. So L.A. but Jonathan seems to take that stuff with a grain of fleur de sel.
Awesomeness! And FINALLY! A dinner that pairs food with not wine or beer but cocktails! I’m so excited! Chef Akasha Richmond of Culver City’s Akasha Restaurant, along with Litty Mathews and Melkon Khosrovian — the owners/creators of Tru Organic Spirits — is behind this very special and rarely seen food event.
Chef Akasha, a fan of Eastern cuisine, will present four Indian courses which are then paired with a Tru Organic cocktail that complements its bold spices and strong flavors. Nommy!
The menu:
Reception Cocktail: Spicy Mixed Nuts with Chat Masala Passion Fruit Martini with Chile, Candied Ginger Vodka & Hibiscus
Snacks:Farmer’s Market Vegetable & Paneer Pakoras, Yellow Mung Bean & Spinach Croquettes, Mint & Green Chile Chutney / Roasted Coconut Chutney / Tomato-Apple Chutney, Scallion & Ginger Raita Malabar Gin & Tonic with Litty’s Home Grown Curry Leaves
Salad: Garbanzo Chat Salad with Tomato, Cucumber & Pomegranate Ginger Martini with Lime, Cilantro & Agave
Mains – Served Family Style: Kerala Chicken Curry with Balinese Pepper & Yogurt on Spicy Weiser Pumpkin Puree, Okra Curry with Mango Powder & Pear Tomatoes, Yard-Long Beans with Ginger & Garam Masala, Yellow Lentil Dal with Curry Leaves & Mustard Seed, Pink Burmese Rice Pilaf with Himalayan Raisins, Almonds & Pistachios, Smokey Eggplant Raita & Local Mango Chutney Malabar Mary with Tomato Water & Pickled Cucumber
Tru Spirits Infused Desserts: Mango Lassi Sherbet / Vanilla Tru & Lime Sorbet / Ginger Tru & Jasmine Ice Cream, Pistachio & Goji Berry Biscotti, Cardamom Shortbread or Akasha’s Homemade Ginger & Black Pepper Chai
The best part is that you get all that for only $45, plus gratuity and tax! A deal considering cocktails are usually $10-plus and you get four of them here plus yummy food.
Make your reservations asap as these things book up fast. And I’m thinking especially this one because it’s so special. Food and cocktail pairing, come on! Call (310) 845-1700.
I went to the last event which paired Unibroue beer with food and it was not only a tasty good time but so much fun.
EVENT: THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 at 7:30pm
Akasha Restaurant
9543 Culver Boulevard
Culver City, California 90232 (map)
Reservations: (310) 845-1700
Twitter: @AkashaRichmond
This past Wednesday, foodie Web site FoodDigger invited me and nine other lucky bloggers to BondSt in the Thompson Hotel Beverly Hills to not only discuss the site’s new and evolving FlavorMatch feature (think Match.com dating survey for foodies; more later) but to experience an ambitious 11-course dinner created by BondSt Executive Chef Brian Redzikowski.
The epic three-hour dinner, presented in a tasting room on the hotel’s beautiful rooftop bar patio, featured an array of ethnic dishes cooked in the classic French style with each item plated like little pieces of edible artwork. Redzikowski, who previously worked at the Bellagio in Vegas before arriving here last November, shrugs off any comparison of his style to molecular gastronomy, saying that he doesn’t feel he’s sophisticated enough to call it that. In any case, yes, there were still some taste explosions, a bit of foam and food spheres involved.
Of course since this was a dinner with bloggers, the cameras were always out. So many food porntastic shots to be taken! Unfortunately since the room was “romantically lit” we took to using tea lights and mini flashlights to light up the shots. Yes, thankfully it seems most food bloggers don’t use flash anymore. But every now and then our cameras’ preflashes would cockblock each other’s shots. Oh well.
The following is the night’s menu in addition to its pairings and some of my notes, most of which were illegible. I’m not used to handwriting anymore! Prices aren’t listed since a majority of the dishes aren’t available on the restaurant’s regular menu.
Edible Prosecco Sangria: A sphere that was like a hard sorbet. This one was very tart and pucker-inducing. Made with Bing cherries and Rainier cherries. A nice palate cleanser at least.
Quail Egg, Canadian chanterelles, parsley, proscuitto paired with Theo Minges 2007 Riesling Germany: Yum! Savory. Saltiness paired well with sweetness of Riesling. Spoon down to the bottom of the glass and sip it all to get the parsley.
Foie Gras, spiced rice crispy treats, yogurt in three forms paired with Palari Faro 2003 Spain: Liked the texture of the rice crispy treat juxtaposed to the creaminess of the foie gras. The yogurt is presented here in powder, chip and pudding.
Alaskan King Crab in its butter, preserved Meyer lemon paired with Zuiyo Junmai Sake: This was my favorite and I totally could have polished off a big bowl of this. Mmm. Can’t go wrong with fresh crab meat, lemon and butter.
Santa Barbara Spot Prawn Ravioli, beets, ultra mini onion, red pepper jus paired with Le Grand Vallon Condrieu 2007 France
Halibut, parsley, garlic chip, “compressed egg,” beurre rouge (Cabernet sauce) paired with Louis Latour 2006 Montagny Premier Cru France
Japanese Bouillabaisse with lobster squid, uni rouille (flour butter?) and paired with Le Galantin Rose Bandol 2008: Beautiful presentation. Tasty with a nice kick from the pepper.
“Vietnamese Sandwich,” handmade sourdough baguette, pork, pickled carrots paired with Singha Beer: This you can actually get at BondSt and it’s $5 for this teeny tiny sandwich. Twas all right. Def fun and tasty with the beer.
Sonoma Lamb Shoulder, potato puree, carrot-ginger “cappuccino” paired with Txakoli Xarmant Spain: Nice subtle hit from the cappuccino. Potato puree was my favorite part; so buttery and creamy.
Mochi Donuts, candied rhubarb, yogurt, coconut ice cream: Fried mochi! Frickin awesome. The flavor of this reminded me of a Filipino dessert, can’t put my finger on it but I loved it.
“Mango Lassi”: Mango gelee, mint oil and mango chip. Redzikowski said he created this because he loves mango lassis. I do, too, but was disappointed to find that this wasn’t as sweet as a nice ripe mango. Another blogger said, “I would have liked this better if they gave this to us before the donuts.” Totally agree. Would have been nice to finish on a sweet note.
“Bazooka Joe” on the rocks: A strawberry, rhubarb, Veev shot based on the bar’s newly launched Bazooka Joe cocktail. Very sweet, syrupy and fruity. Tasted more of strawberry than bubblegum. Fun idea but was just OK in the tasting. This was accompanied by a tiny bag of curry popcorn which disappointingly didn’t taste as curry-ish as I thought. A creamy, rich chocolate truffle was presented alongside in a colorful origami box.
I was able to sample some of BondSt’s cocktails as well thanks to our generous FoodDigger hosts. The light and refreshing saketini we had before dinner was made with Belvedere vodka, sake and lemon sour thankfully tasted more like the sake than anything.
Curious about how BondSt does Manhattans, I ordered one first making sure to ask for it stirred not shaken. “Hardly anyone ever asks for something to be stirred,” the bartender said, not snobby but just surprised. I only had a couple sips of this but fellow blogger H.C. noted, “I think they forgot the bitters.” I was just glad to taste bourbon again after a self-imposed several-week hiatus so hadn’t noticed.
H.C. had ordered the bar’s specialty cocktail, Smoke & Mirrors ($14), which consisted of Ardbeg Scotch, ginger elixir and lime juice. Blech! I wasn’t a fan of the earthy flavor of the scotch mixed with the astringent ginger. Blogger Christine let us sample her off-the-menu Cactus Cooler cocktail which, although not pink and thick, was a dead ringer flavorwise of Pepto Bismol. Not good.
Since BondSt had been on my list of bars to check out, I was glad that I didn’t have to spend my own money to find out that the cocktails here weren’t all that impressive. Although, I did enjoy the sip I had of someone’s Cartel cocktail ($14). Made with Belvedere Orange, orange juice, cranberry juice, muddled jalapeno and sugar rim. Loved the kick of the jalapeno paired with the sweetness of the OJ and sugar rim.
In any case, I think this was one of the best dinners I’ve ever been to. Loved the food, the company and all those pairings! It was also cool to learn more about FoodDigger, a restaurant guide site that provides reviews as well as blog links from people whose taste you trust, be they bloggers or people who just like to eat out a lot.
When I had first heard about FD a year ago, they were still developing their new site and welcoming the feedback from bloggers. Revisiting their site now, I see that they’ve made it really easy for us to develop a profile as well as add our blog post to the site and link back to our FD profile.
And that new feature FlavorMatch is a fun way to see which FD reviewer best matches our taste. I asked the FoodDigger guys whether they considered making this a dating feature in light of the fact that it’s a great way to match up single foodies, but they just pshaw’d me. Still, I think it’s something worth considering. “Hey, you’re a Fried Food Digger who loves Japanese and Mexican food, too? Let’s get married!”
Los Feliz Back Alley Hangout Rockwell’s Soft Opening
New Los Feliz hang soft opens tonight in the 6,000-square-foot outdoor lounge behind Vermont Restaurant. Sip on Sazerac Vermonts (Rittenhouse rye whiskey, Peychaud’s bitters and absinthe) and boutique beers whilst in the company of a beautiful 30-foot-tall coral tree, the space’s centerpiece. Or grab a granite table and enjoy bar food like burgers and flat bread pizza.
Rockwell, 1714 N. Vermont Avenue (enter through the alley), Los Feliz (map). (323) 669-1550.
The Next Food Network Star‘s Debbie Lee’s New “Seoul-ful” Menu at Gyenari
Culver City Korean BBQ restaurant Gyenari launches a menu of regionally inspired “Seoulful” dishes created by The Next Food Network Star finalist, Debbie Lee. Items range from lunchtime special, the Bibim Box ($9.95) — a Korean version of the bento box — to a dinner entree of galbi pot pie ($15). Or you can enjoy beef lotus patties and Seoul-style sliders at the bar with a Korean Malt cocktail of soju, Scotch and Coca-Cola.
Gyenari, 9540 Washington Boulevard, Culver City (map). (310) 838-3131.
Friday, September 11
Wally’s Wine Tent Sale
Three days of saving big on booze! With select wines, spirits and even food items marked up to 80% off, Wally’s Wine Tent Sale is the perfect time to restock your liquor cabinet, gift closet and pantry. Oooh! 20-40% off single malts and bourbon! I got my eye on that $37.99 Macallan 12-year-old.
Devil’s Drive-In: Clue
OMG I love this movie and still like to quote Madeleine Kahn’s Mrs. White whenever describing something I hate. “Flames, on the side of my face, breathing, heaving…” Enjoy the movie whilst in your car and Angel City Derby Girls deliver food to your window or lie back on some astroturf and break out that wine at this BYOB outdoor cinema.
Gates 6:30pm, show 8pm. $10. 240 W. 4th Street 2nd Floor, Downtown (map).
Modernist Garage Sale
I’m still on the hunt for the perfect midcentury desk lamp and chair to match my awesome newish midcentury desk. Fortunately the tri-yearly Modernist Garage Sale this weekend in Hancock Park promises retro furnishings, decor items, vintage clothing, artwork and more at 35%-80% below retail.
Saturday 9am-3pm, Sunday 11am-3pm. 300 S Rossmore Avenue, Los Angeles (map).
It’s a two-hour Belgium-loving fest and all for $50 a person. To make your reservation, either call (310) 278-2855 or email info[at]CheeseStoreBH.com with your name, number of guests including you, which date you’d like to go and your daytime number. No credit card info necessary.
EVENT: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 or WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 from 7 to 9pm
Venue location: The Patio at Sharky’s Mexican Grill 435 N Beverly Drive (use alley entrance)
Beverly Hills, California 90210 (map)
You may not know it but there are a couple of newish gastropubs that are duking it out in Santa Monica. They themselves probably don’t know about this feud but after visiting both over the weekend, one is already my favorite over the other. In one corner we have West 4th/Jane, in the former 3rd on Fourth space, which opened several months ago and boasts 100-plus bottled beers, spontaneous Connect 4 tournaments as well as bacon crusted French toast and crawfish boil nights. In the other corner, there’s the week-old 5th Amendment Alehauswhich is so new that it doesn’t even have the correct name on its sign (still says “Evergreen”) or a credit card machine yet but it does have 20 beers on tap as well as 30-plus bottled beers and weird Wurstkuche-like artisanal sausages.
I’ve been to West 4th several times but have decided that it’s more the place you’d go with a group of friends, as everyone else there appeared to be in groups. Loudly playing Connect 4, loudly cheering for their favorite team on one of the TVs and loudly having drunken conversations at the next table. The acoustics in this bar/restaurant amplify all such behavior. And if you seek respite from the crowd, sure, you can go upstairs to the second level where there are some nice couches to cozy up on and a nice view of the bar, but unfortunately you won’t escape the noise which just seems louder up there. So if you’re looking for a quiet night with your honey or a place to ruminate over your beer, this ain’t the place for it. Grab a bunch of your friends after work or come here after a heated game of hoops and whoop it up with everyone else.
