Older review:
Okay, so last weekend I went to Vegas with my sister. It was awesome. We flew and stayed at the Luxor for $200 pp. :-) The best part though, was my Dad gave me the thumbs up to use the Amex at Valentino to treat ourselves to a delicious dinner sans parents. I was super excited to go, bc my parents said the food was even better than the Valentino in Santa Monica (as if that's even possible), and the chef won a James Beard Award. So, it was a bit of an adventure getting there. I thought it was at the Bellagio (all those WOP names sound the same) but it was in fact at the Venetian. So we had to huff it, and Sis was in hot shoes (I of course, was not) so her feet were on fire, and we were late, and apparently Daddy didn't make the reservation. Whatev, it was Monday night (albeit Memorial Day) and there was plenty of room. Now, I saved the menu (okay, STOLE the menu) but now I can't find it, so you'll all have to rely on my memory of this delicious meal.
It was surreal actually looking at the menu, since I've never seen one (Piero, the owner, just brings out lots of plates). Sis and I decided to get the tasting menu that didn't have escargot (gross!) and fois gras (Sis likes it, but I don't think it's worth the calories).
So, first course was 3 tastes of appetizers. One was this shrimp on top of shredded marinated asparagus. Ohmigod. It was the perfect shrimp. The outside was crispy, but the inside was plump and juicy. Then there was duck, which was OK, but Sis didn't like it. It had some demiglace sauce. Then there was a lobster morsel on some beet salad. Ohhhh... this lobster was tender succulent juciness. I wish I got to eat the whole thing, not just a morsel.
Next was pasta course. Sis liked this course the best. There was a lobster cannelloni. The filling was good, but the stripped (black and white fresh pasta) outer wrapping was a little too firm. Then there was fresh garganelli (weird homemade pasta things) with a fresh tomato sauce, and some delicious cheese which I can't remember the name of. Must have been French. ;-) Then, we had the best gnocchi EVER. (Even better than Trilussa back in the day). It was stuffed with quail sausage, and was AMAZING. Sis doesn't even dig sausage and she was slobbering over it. I love sausage, and I love gnocchi done right, so this was perfect. The gnocchi was tender, the sausage juicy... MMMM.
Then, the meat course. There was this nasy kobe beef roll with pinenuts and pancetta. It was gross. The kobe beef was tough and stringy, and kind of looked like shaved roast beef. The pancetta was overcooked, and with the pinenuts it was just gross. (And kobe is normally AMAZING!) But then there was this piece of pork in a simple demiglace, and I don't know what part of the pig this little slice of heaven came from, but it was delish. Kind of fatty, but tender, juicy, and flavorful. Then, we had the most delicious piece of squab I have ever had. In fact, it was one of the best peices of meat I've ever had (almost as good as the kobe beef I had at Rocca delle Macie in 96). The squab just melted in my mouth, and had the outside was perfectly seared so it was crispy but retained all the juices. It was topped with fois gras, and Sis refuses to eat squab, because it's really pigeon (and as I was eating mine, she was making cooing noises. Quite amusing acutally. It did not deter me from my pigeon feast. I told her if sewer rat tasted like lobster I'd eat it too.) So we did a little trade, squab for fois gras. I think I got the better deal. She of course made me take a bite of the fois gras. It just tasted like pureed liver. Oh yeah, that's what it is. And for $100 and 1000 calories, it's NOT WORTH IT. And don't you feel bad for the little force-fed goosies? Nah, me neither.
On to dessert. MMMM. I am a big dessert person. Unfortunately most places don't have a pastry chef, and just order their stuff from Bindi. Just bc something has a lot of sugar and fat in it doesn't mean it tastes good. Okay, it tastes GOOD, but it could be amazing with just a little more effort. So I love dessert, but I'm picky. I'm also a bit of a baker myself, so I am entitled to a bit of snobbery. So I was not dissappointed when we got our dessert course. There was this praline semifreddo croccante (which frankly I think was hazlenut, but whatev) which was amazing. It was ice-cream esque, flavorful, creamy without being too rich, crunchy... mmmm. Then there was this orange muffin thing which was kind of weird, but it rocked when I dipped it in some vanilla sauce. Then there was this panna cotta. O. M. G. I love panna cotta. (It's sort of like a custard, but it's made with gelatin so it's not as high in fat). Mmm.... it had shaved vanilla particles, and it was CREAMY, and cool melty goodness in my mouth. Then there was pricky pear sorbet (wtf?) which was good, but I'm not into sorbet. Not caloric enough probably.
Then I finished off our bottle of Masi Campofiorin, and proceeded to make bank playing Pai Gao.
LOL, there was this old white dude sitting next to me at the table, who said to me, "I think Pai Gao means screwed in Japanese." I said, "it's Chinese, asshole." Okay, I didn't call him an asshole. But still.
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Brunch at the Ritz
Oysters. Caviar. Omelet Bar. Sushi bar. Lobster claws already shucked. Seared ahi with more caivar. Crab cakes. Lemon custard tart. Sausage. Stinky cheeses. Jumbo shrimp. Cheese blintz. Chocolate croissant (not worth it). Prime rib. Champagne. MMMMM. It's not every day my Gma turns 88. I thought it was a much deserved study break. Would... write... more... but... too ... full.
Osteria Latini
Yes, more food blogging. I really can't get inspired about anything else. So last night I went to Osteria Latini with my parents (the truth is, my current budget only accommodates Del Taco, so if I want to eat well, gotta go with the parents). It's this small restaurant in Brentwood on San Vicente, not too far from SorTino. (Mmm. Best tiramisu there. And wild boar... but that's for another post.) SO GOOD! I have only been there once before because it's always full. (They have like, 12 tables or something ridiculous like that.) The owner/chef is from Fruili, the region north of the Veneto (where my Dad's from.) Wow. Lots of parenthesis. If my current parenthetical mood bothers you, suck it up.
Anyway, Paolo (chef/owner) starts us off with some mashed potatoes on spoons topped with Sevruga caviar. He set the dish down at our table, and told us it was baby chicken eggs. (Ha!) Apparently this is the correct way to serve certain types of caviar. I, sadly, know jack shit about caviar, except that I like it (although only when I don't have to pay for it). Ohmigod. The potato/caviar combo was soooo good. The salty creamy goodness just melted in my mouth. I savored it for 5 minutes while my parents wolfed theirs down.
Next course was lobster salad with cantaloupe (interesting choice, but it worked) hearts of palm, and arugola, in a balsamic vinaigrette. It was a delightful sweet/sour combo. Plus it had a whole lobster in it. Mmm. This was also served with a delicious cold meat plate, with speck, mortadella (which I didn't eat. It's Italian bologna. Gross) shaved parmesan and goat cheese. The speck was sliced so thin it melted in my mouth. More melty salty goodness.
Then we had these tiny fresh pastas (not quite mini ravioli. I think they are called capucetti or something) with veal in a delicious butter sage sauce. But, I am really a brown butter sage sauce fan. So this non-browned butter sauce was thick. It must have cream in it. While the ravioli/capuwhatevers were deliciously fresh, the sauce just made me fantasize about how good it would be if it was a browed butter sauce. When I told my dad this, he said brown butter is bad for your liver because it's burned, or some other Italian old-wives' tale such bullshit. He's obsessed with the fact that burned food can give you cancer. Too much "carbon." Yet he takes meds for BP, cholesterol etc. Whatever!!
Onto the main course! I had pan seared John Dory (fish) on a bed of course ground polenta (which was good, but lacking in salt) and spinach. It was very tasty, and had a crispy crust which I couldn't quite identify. My dad had venison in a balsamic reduction with cranberries. Really tender for venison. My mom had wild salmon, which I forgot to taste because I'm not a huge salmon fan. All this was accompanied with a Poliziano Rosso di Montalcino (a light alternative to Vino Nobile). We ended the meal with some passably good biscotti. At least they were made with real butter. But ever since I had the biscotti at Pane Vino in Santa Barbara, all others are flavorless.
So, happy reading. And invite me the next time you go someplace fancy shmancy to eat. :-)
Anyway, Paolo (chef/owner) starts us off with some mashed potatoes on spoons topped with Sevruga caviar. He set the dish down at our table, and told us it was baby chicken eggs. (Ha!) Apparently this is the correct way to serve certain types of caviar. I, sadly, know jack shit about caviar, except that I like it (although only when I don't have to pay for it). Ohmigod. The potato/caviar combo was soooo good. The salty creamy goodness just melted in my mouth. I savored it for 5 minutes while my parents wolfed theirs down.
Next course was lobster salad with cantaloupe (interesting choice, but it worked) hearts of palm, and arugola, in a balsamic vinaigrette. It was a delightful sweet/sour combo. Plus it had a whole lobster in it. Mmm. This was also served with a delicious cold meat plate, with speck, mortadella (which I didn't eat. It's Italian bologna. Gross) shaved parmesan and goat cheese. The speck was sliced so thin it melted in my mouth. More melty salty goodness.
Then we had these tiny fresh pastas (not quite mini ravioli. I think they are called capucetti or something) with veal in a delicious butter sage sauce. But, I am really a brown butter sage sauce fan. So this non-browned butter sauce was thick. It must have cream in it. While the ravioli/capuwhatevers were deliciously fresh, the sauce just made me fantasize about how good it would be if it was a browed butter sauce. When I told my dad this, he said brown butter is bad for your liver because it's burned, or some other Italian old-wives' tale such bullshit. He's obsessed with the fact that burned food can give you cancer. Too much "carbon." Yet he takes meds for BP, cholesterol etc. Whatever!!
Onto the main course! I had pan seared John Dory (fish) on a bed of course ground polenta (which was good, but lacking in salt) and spinach. It was very tasty, and had a crispy crust which I couldn't quite identify. My dad had venison in a balsamic reduction with cranberries. Really tender for venison. My mom had wild salmon, which I forgot to taste because I'm not a huge salmon fan. All this was accompanied with a Poliziano Rosso di Montalcino (a light alternative to Vino Nobile). We ended the meal with some passably good biscotti. At least they were made with real butter. But ever since I had the biscotti at Pane Vino in Santa Barbara, all others are flavorless.
So, happy reading. And invite me the next time you go someplace fancy shmancy to eat. :-)
Il Fornaio Beverly Hills
Okay, some of you might think Il Fornaio is just a chain. But it's really not. Each one has their own chef who has menu control. I've been to the ones in Del Mar (OK) Coronado (nice view, OK food) and Pasadena (good bakery, OK food), so when I went the one in Beverly Hills last weekend I was expecting more of the same, OK food, good bread, whatever. OhmiGOD I was wrong. It was AMAZING. I'm not sure if it was so good because I didn't have high expecations or what, but it was the bomb!
We started with a focaccia (mmm wood burning oven), fresh polenta with various savory toppings, and calamari fritti. I admit, it's hard to screw up calamari fritti, but this was one of the best I've had. Very lightly breaded, crispy, and too chewy. Then, my sister ordered this simple pasta, penne with a burrata (stuffed fresh mozzarella) and a light tomato sauce. The past was ACTUALLY AL DENTE! Which I have not encountered in any restaurant in recent years (it's always parboiled). Then I had fresh spinach fettuccine with black truffles (always yummy!). My parents both ordered the rabbit wrapped in pancetta (which was tasty, but not extraordinary), but the mashed potatoes that accompanied the rabbit were PERFECT. I am not exaggerating. They were light and smooth, but not at all gluteny. They just melted in my mouth. MMMM.
My sister and I were fighting over who got to eat our parents' mashed potatotes, and she started scraping the potatotes off a carrot. The chef saw this and sent a huge side of mashed potatoes to our table. (LOL! She blushed to her hairline!)
For dessert we had bread pudding (with their tasty bread they really can't go wrong with that one) and chocolate mouse cake with creme anglais. So good! All of this was accompanied by a bottle of Nozzole Chianti Classico which really completed the meal.
We started with a focaccia (mmm wood burning oven), fresh polenta with various savory toppings, and calamari fritti. I admit, it's hard to screw up calamari fritti, but this was one of the best I've had. Very lightly breaded, crispy, and too chewy. Then, my sister ordered this simple pasta, penne with a burrata (stuffed fresh mozzarella) and a light tomato sauce. The past was ACTUALLY AL DENTE! Which I have not encountered in any restaurant in recent years (it's always parboiled). Then I had fresh spinach fettuccine with black truffles (always yummy!). My parents both ordered the rabbit wrapped in pancetta (which was tasty, but not extraordinary), but the mashed potatoes that accompanied the rabbit were PERFECT. I am not exaggerating. They were light and smooth, but not at all gluteny. They just melted in my mouth. MMMM.
My sister and I were fighting over who got to eat our parents' mashed potatotes, and she started scraping the potatotes off a carrot. The chef saw this and sent a huge side of mashed potatoes to our table. (LOL! She blushed to her hairline!)
For dessert we had bread pudding (with their tasty bread they really can't go wrong with that one) and chocolate mouse cake with creme anglais. So good! All of this was accompanied by a bottle of Nozzole Chianti Classico which really completed the meal.
Valentino Santa Monica
This is an older review:
For those of you who know me, you know I have a HORRIBLE memory. For those of you who know me really well, you know that the only way I can remember events are by what I happened to be eating at those events. For example, I remember the first time I ever had truffles (the fungus kind). It was Christmas Eve '94 at Toscana. Mmm. Black truffle ravioli in a brown butter sauce with shaved parmesan. (Yeah, if this law school thing doesn't work out, I'm going to work the food critic angle.)
What is the point of all this rambling, you ask? Well, last week I ate at Valentino, arguably the best Italian restaurant in LA. [Osteria Latini in Brentwood is a close second.] And I felt I should write about it not only because it was so good, but because I tend to actually forget what I ate at Valentino because I've never seen the menu and debated over choices. (The owner just keeps bringing out courses for us.) So, we started with an anitpasto plate with "parmesan chips" which are really delicate sheets of shredded parmesan, Italian olives (I forget what kind), and whitefish carpaccio. Then there was cured venison (I think like a bresaola.) Then we had jumbo grilled prawns wrapped with swordfish, the shrimp was cooked just right, not too tough or stringy. Then there was a trio of ravioli (TO DIE FOR) with prosciutto, squash, and I think the third was wild boar. Then we had venison risotto (it was okay, but I'm super picky about risotto.) Then we had this AMAZING filet mignon. I was really impressed with the perfect grill marks. For desert we had assorted gelati and pretty good homemade cannoli (but I'm not really into cannoli).
So anyway, I guess I was just wishing I was at some really expensive restaurant instead of sitting here attempting to write my legal memo. And if any of you have any restaurant recommendations (outside of Italian) I'd love to hear them. I'm always looking for my next favorite place.
For those of you who know me, you know I have a HORRIBLE memory. For those of you who know me really well, you know that the only way I can remember events are by what I happened to be eating at those events. For example, I remember the first time I ever had truffles (the fungus kind). It was Christmas Eve '94 at Toscana. Mmm. Black truffle ravioli in a brown butter sauce with shaved parmesan. (Yeah, if this law school thing doesn't work out, I'm going to work the food critic angle.)
What is the point of all this rambling, you ask? Well, last week I ate at Valentino, arguably the best Italian restaurant in LA. [Osteria Latini in Brentwood is a close second.] And I felt I should write about it not only because it was so good, but because I tend to actually forget what I ate at Valentino because I've never seen the menu and debated over choices. (The owner just keeps bringing out courses for us.) So, we started with an anitpasto plate with "parmesan chips" which are really delicate sheets of shredded parmesan, Italian olives (I forget what kind), and whitefish carpaccio. Then there was cured venison (I think like a bresaola.) Then we had jumbo grilled prawns wrapped with swordfish, the shrimp was cooked just right, not too tough or stringy. Then there was a trio of ravioli (TO DIE FOR) with prosciutto, squash, and I think the third was wild boar. Then we had venison risotto (it was okay, but I'm super picky about risotto.) Then we had this AMAZING filet mignon. I was really impressed with the perfect grill marks. For desert we had assorted gelati and pretty good homemade cannoli (but I'm not really into cannoli).
So anyway, I guess I was just wishing I was at some really expensive restaurant instead of sitting here attempting to write my legal memo. And if any of you have any restaurant recommendations (outside of Italian) I'd love to hear them. I'm always looking for my next favorite place.
Welcome
Hi everybody! I have been toying around with blogging on MySpace, and I finally decided to set up a real one here. This way, I have a link to give the relatives and they don't have to get all freaked out about how to use MySpace. :-)
A little bit about me:
I am half Italian, a quarter Dutch, and a quarter English/Irish blend. (Wow, I sound like something from Starbucks.) Anyway, it's from the Italian side that I get my love of food. My Dad always worked in the restaurant industry when I was growing up. More specifically, Italian fine dining. I was running around the kitchen of Perino's at 6 years old begging the pastry chef to give me some homemade ice cream, which I would then eat with grissini (small dry Italian breadsticks). I didn't know he was the best pastry chef in L.A. All I knew was his ice cream was damn good.
Now, my Dad can barely boil water. Luckily, he is a food snob and will not eat non-Italian food unless there are copius amounts of pork involved. (Long story about only eating pork once a year as a child, when they killed the pig.) So, my non-Italian mother had to learn to cook Italian cuisine. And she's good. So I was eating rabbit, lamb, and octopus in elementary school, while other kids ate macaroni and cheese. While nobody wanted to come to my house for dinner, I did develop an expansive palate. Nowadays I am sort of picky (no eggplant, etc.), but I will try anything once. Even twice. Or thrice. (Ex: escargot. It was nasty all 3 times.)
So, you want me to get to the point? Welcome to THE FOOD PAGE. My place to rave about some artisan cheese I tried, or some great meal I had. Please feel free to comment.
Your wannabe Annapurna,
Lety
A little bit about me:
I am half Italian, a quarter Dutch, and a quarter English/Irish blend. (Wow, I sound like something from Starbucks.) Anyway, it's from the Italian side that I get my love of food. My Dad always worked in the restaurant industry when I was growing up. More specifically, Italian fine dining. I was running around the kitchen of Perino's at 6 years old begging the pastry chef to give me some homemade ice cream, which I would then eat with grissini (small dry Italian breadsticks). I didn't know he was the best pastry chef in L.A. All I knew was his ice cream was damn good.
Now, my Dad can barely boil water. Luckily, he is a food snob and will not eat non-Italian food unless there are copius amounts of pork involved. (Long story about only eating pork once a year as a child, when they killed the pig.) So, my non-Italian mother had to learn to cook Italian cuisine. And she's good. So I was eating rabbit, lamb, and octopus in elementary school, while other kids ate macaroni and cheese. While nobody wanted to come to my house for dinner, I did develop an expansive palate. Nowadays I am sort of picky (no eggplant, etc.), but I will try anything once. Even twice. Or thrice. (Ex: escargot. It was nasty all 3 times.)
So, you want me to get to the point? Welcome to THE FOOD PAGE. My place to rave about some artisan cheese I tried, or some great meal I had. Please feel free to comment.
Your wannabe Annapurna,
Lety
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