A spicy tuna night at Take Sushi

So the thing is, I don't particularly like fish (unless it's cod or Chilean sea bass) let alone raw fish. Perhaps I haven't acquired the taste for sashimi but it's not from a lack of trying. Growing up, my dad would occasionally purchase a sashimi boat and I've attempted a couple times but didn't like the raw fish flavor, even if the fish was fresh and no one else could taste any fishiness. BUT I still love going to sushi bars because there are sushi that I DO like to eat specifically uni, unagi, masago/smelt eggs, spicy tuna and spicy scallops. Yes, odd I know. I don't like raw fish but I'll eat uni which is bright orange gonads with that sharp taste and creamy texture.

Located on Sunset strip by Viper Room is a tiny sushi joint called Ta-ke Sushi. It's an authentic, no frills, intimate sushi joint that kind of doesn't fit in with the Hollywood trendy sushi scene i.e. Sushi Roku and Katsuya. But it's right by my friend J's place and is one of his favorites. Like at most sushi joints, the prime seating is at the bar. It's a great spot to sit and watch the chef whip up all kinds of interesting rolls.

Bottle of cold Sake. We polished off two of these by the end of the night.

Spicy tuna on crispy rice
This is a staple at most Japanese restaurants these days. I never get sick of it. I loved the cold, semi-creamy spicy tuna (which thankfully wasn't doused with too much mayonnaise) on top of the warm, crunchy rice.

Fried jalapeno and spicy tuna

The jalapeno was halved, then filled with spicy tuna, breaded with tempura batter then deep fried. I loved loved loved this dish because of the heat that the jalapeno packed and I've never met a tempura that I didn't like. Which segues to our next dish...

Tempura Scallops
Sounds simple but this was absolutely heavenly. The scallops were huge pieces and were cooked perfectly. They were sweet and tender. I also liked that the breading wasn't too heavy.

Miso Cod
This is one of my must-get dishes at any Japanese restaurant. The cod was buttery and sweet, but perhaps a tab bit sweeter than the ones that I've tried and liked. Still a good piece of fish which was simple in preparation but very flavorful.

OK, obviously I like spicy tuna and tempura. So to end the meal, we ordered the perfect marriage of the two. Shrimp tempura topped with spicy tuna. Shrimp tempura and avocado was wrapped up like a California Roll, topped with spicy tuna and dollops of hot sauce. The portion was pretty large.

Ta-ke Sushi isn't that top notch sushi bar that serves expensive and rare fish, nor is it that trendy Hollywood spot with it's fancy, sexy rolls. Ta-ke is really just a neighborhood spot that offers good, affordable sushi where you can get your spicy tuna fix. And it's prime location allows you to walk over to Red Rock bar for more drinks and a couple game of darts. Yes, I'm hurting a little today...

Hits: scallop tempura, spicy tuna, jalapeno
Misses: located on the traffic-heavy Sunset Strip
Rating: ***

Ta-ke Sushi
8866 W. Sunset Blvd.,
West Hollywood, CA 90069

(310) 659-6580

Looking back at 2009: The Best Of

OK, so I know I am way behind on this entry. Yes, it's already almost a week past New Years but I have my reasons. Been a bit jet lagged and also have been working late. Excuses aside, that's sooooo 2009. Reflecting on the past year, it's truly been a culinary feast. This was the year that I went crazy for tasting menus. You know, those five to nine course dinners, sometimes with wine pairing. As a result, I've probably packed on a couple pounds but the memories I've captured were priceless. While everyone is reflecting on all the events in the past year, I too shall do so and reminisce about my favorites of the year.

Top meals of 2009

1. The Bazaar
Most people will have The Bazaar on their top list. After all, dining there is not only an amazing and unique food experience but the setting is visually captivating. You'll be impressed not only by the quality, preparation, textures and presentation of the food, but also with the Alice in Wonderland feel of the hotel itself. Unfortunately this was PBD (i.e. pre blog days) so I don't have an amazing writeup to link to, but I do have some memorable photos.

Foie lollipops, a cube of foie gras coated with crunch and wrapped with cotton candy/fairy floss. This was the perfect bite of rich foie, coated with corn chips for that little crunch, and finally that sweet floss that dissolved upon touching your tongue. This was probably the first time that I realized the beauty of contrasting textures in a single bite.

Foie gras and quince jam sliders
You see the trend here? I'm a foie lover. The sliders were heavenly. I had rarely seen foie sliders before Bazaar and I don't understand why it's not more common on menus. It's a perfect conception. Rich but tiny portion of foie on a bun is parallel to a charcuterie plate of a piece of foie and toast.

Philly cheese steak
Kobe beef atop an airy bread injected with cheddar cheese. Smart and upscale interpretation of the original. I much prefer this version of course!

I also enjoyed the paella on another visit. It wasn't paella as you know it; it was fideua or rossejat which is made with noodles instead of rice. The fideua was excellent as it was rich with seafood essence yet lacked the starchiness (in a good way) of a rice-based paella.

2. Church & State
Really one of the best meals I've had. The place that inspired my search for pigs ear. Church and State's version was top notch. Crispy pieces filled with soft and gooey rendered cartilage. Pied de Cochon comprised of pork cheek, shoulder and feet, breaded then fried was also a winner of the night. That fig tart was delicious as well and is something that I still think about often.

3. 5x5 Collaborative at Water Grill
Everything from the food to the service was impeccable. Think it was also memorable because all the chefs came by to our table to chat with us.

4. Le Bernardin
If you had told me I would be eating a four course seafood meal, I'd cringe at the thought of a meal comprised mainly of fish. But Le Bernardin showed me that fish doesn't have to mean salmon (yuck) or halibut. It can be lightly marinated fluke, or tuna wrapped over foie gras en croute. And all the ingredients in the langoustine dish worked harmoniously. Finally, a restaurant that serves uni risotto wins high marks.

5. Ortolan
One of the most filling and longest meals I've had, the Menu Plasir at Ortolan was 11 courses not including amuse bouche, palate cleanser and petit fours. The duck laque was my favorite as it was perfectly cooked with a crispy, caramelized skin. I would say that dinner at Ortolan was definitely one of the most decadent and luxurious meals I've had to date.

2009 also marked the year of trying new things and there were some obvious trends. The following are some of my high points of 2009.

Highlights of 2009

1. Home cooking
It's a recession, kids! We all can't afford to drop the benjamins for a five course meal at a Michelin starred restaurant. During 2009, I've experienced more home cooking and dinner parties. I'm growing up after all. Parties no longer mean burgers and a keg. I was nervous initially to host an actual sit down dinner party but have found that it's actually a lot of fun and will prepare you for those lavish dinner parties you'll have to throw when you're married to that dashing attorney and have to entertain his equally dashing and witty colleagues.

Our first home cooking trial started off with a Spanish tapas dinner where everyone pitched in to cook dishes on site such as paella, bacon wrapped dates with almonds and Spanish tortilla. Next, my friend LB bravely took on the feat of cooking us a Jose Andres inspired Spanish dinner which included sauteed squid, scrumptious rossejat and refreshing sangria. Finally we pushed our fears aside to prepare a five course Singaporean feast, utilizing many recipes that we had learnt at a cooking class at Rocksugar restaurant.

2. Offal
It's popping up everywhere at restaurants. In fact, it's becoming more acceptable that I now don't have to blush when I'm purchasing chicken hearts and gizzards at my neighborhood Ralph's. I still don't like the fact that restaurants charge such a premium for their offal dishes when it used to be their scraps. But kudos to them for being able to capitalize on that.

Pigs Ear at Church and State: I would say affirmatively this was actually the best dish I had in 2009. How do I know it's the best? Because I still dream about it. And every time I ordered pigs ear at another restaurant, it could never compare to that at Church and State.

Pigs Snout at Le Bistro Paul Bert: The only other dish I've eaten that reminded me of Church and State's pigs ear because it was soft and gelatinous in the center and crispy on the outside.

Sweetbreads at Animal: Perfectly executed, served with mushrooms and paired well with capers and Myer lemon slices.

Sweetbreads at Fleur de Lys: Breaded perfectly and silky in the inside, served with poached egg and leeks.

Sam Woo: Where you can buy intestines and stomach for a nominal fee. The best part is you can take it to-go and eat it in the privacy of your own home, without friends glaring at and judging you.

3. Fall/Winter Soup
Soups have never interest me. It's usually the typical minestrone or vegetable soup. But thankfully, it's Winter season and with that comes the arrival of homey, comforting soups made with Fall/Winter seasonal products such as squash and pumpkin.

Pumpkin soup at Bashan: I hadn't had much of hearty soups all year and Bashan was the 1st in 2009 that left an impression because it was so satisfying. It was also our second amuse bouche which was such a pleasant surprise.

Tahitian Squash Soup at Sona: The eel at the bottom of the dish was delicious and added saltiness to the soup.

Poisson Soup at Chez Michel: The fact that they left that jug of additional broth on the table was a plus. Fish pieces at the bottom of the plate was flooded with flavorful fish broth.

4. Sliders
These days, everyone seems to have a slider dish on their menu. Personally, I like it. I'm all about sampling small dishes and prefer not to commit to a giant burger. Besides, these little things are so adorably compact, how can you not like them? The best ones are served on homemade brioche buns (that really makes a BIG difference) and is usually sandwiching a nice petite patty or something yummier like pork belly.

Pork Belly sliders at Animal: Brioche bun with fatty juicy BIG hunk of pork belly. Creamy slaw was a nice addition.

Gyenari: You get a choice from 3 types of sliders which is a nice selection, and sometimes it's refreshing to have flavorful Korean BBQ marinated bulgogi in your sliders instead of those all-American patties.

Pulled Pork Sliders at The Yard: Juicy and sauced up pork on brioche bun, and $6 for a trio during Happy Hour.

5. Bar bites

Yes I said it earlier, I'm all about the little bites. It's not because I am a grazer (because I'm NOT), but rather I'm a bit of a greedy pig and want a taste of everything. However there are times when the wallet and scale prefer a less expensive and filling meal. Those are the days when I head over to my favorite watering holes to grab a light dinner and drinks.

Viceroy: For now, they have happy hour from 5-9pm (no need to drive like a maniac to catch last call!) and all night on Thursdays. The shrimp tempura and sliders were good. Free popcorn ended the night on a sweet note.

Bar food: The steak and kidney pie with that lovely buttery, flaky crust was amazing. Love their Thai Bangers & Mash as well. The sausage has Thai spices and is so much more interesting than your regular wiener. They have Happy Hour all night now so take advantage! I know I will.

Gyenari: Happy hour ends at 8pm, $3 wine, $3-5 food that doesn't include crappy wings and potato skins. Need I say more?

Breadbar Hatchi with Marcel Vigneron: not a Restaurant Wars winner

One Thursday each month for a limited time only, Breadbar hosts the Hatchi series which features a guest chef for one night only, who creates a menu of eight small courses at $8 per plate. Previous chefs included Remi Lauvand (Citrus at Social), Debbie Lee (Gyenari and from the Next FoodNetwork Star series) and Michael Voltaggio (brooding sexy Top Chef winner). We signed up for the Hatchi series featuring Marcel Vigneron, Top Chef finalist from Season Two who is known as much for his molecular gastronomy techniques and foams, as for his argumentative attitude and confidence in the kitchen. The big haired, wolverine-looking Vigneron is currently sous chef over at Jose Andre's highly acclaimed The Bazaar restaurant.

It sounded to be a great night, eh? Talented rising star chef, strong resume, affordable courses, westside location. Unfortunately I left Breadbar Hatchi last night a bit disappointed. My dining experience was tainted significantly by the service, or lack thereof. I try to take into account many variables when I am writing a post. Yes, the quality of food is important, but I think the service is equally important. I felt that at Hatchi, the food was good (there were some good dishes, some average) but the service left a bad taste in my mouth. In order to determine if the good outweighed the bad, I am going to start a point system for this review and we'll tally them up at the end.

Breadbar is located at the Century City Mall. We walked into the warm restaurant, passing the outside patio and display of fresh baked good and into the small dining area. The menu is pretty simple. You may each choose all eight dishes as a tasting menu (which is what we decided on) or you could select a couple to share at the table. I flagged down a waiter for the wine list and he never came back. In fact, I waited over 10 minutes before anyone would even bring by a wine list or a glass of water. Mind you, it was only 7pm and the restaurant was half empty at the time. (-1)

Cheese bread was kind of dry which was ironic for a place called Breadbar that prides itself on making fresh bread! (-1)

We decided on a Spanish white wine. When we asked if the wine was sweet, our waitress was nice enough to let us sample it. (+1)

Amuse Bouche
Pomegranate blueberry sphearification
This tasted like jello on the outside with a blueberry in the center. It was an interesting sweet bite but it kind of really didn't do anything for me. It really didn't "wake up" my senses. But still, it was a fun, textural bite.

#1. Hamachi Sashimi~Espelette~momo chan~kumquat~ iceplant
Good first course which was delicious and simple. The pieces of fish were quite substantial. Initially, I thought it needed some acid but it worked well when paired with some momo chan, kumquat and a light dusting of espelette. (+1)

#2. Dayboat Scallop~cauliflower cous cous~seaweed
The scallop was cooked well and was plump and soft in the center. I loved the cauliflower puree dollops in pastel colors and the texture of the couscous and seaweed combination. The couscous was crumbly and the seaweed was stringy and chewy. The presentation was lovely as well. The dish looked like an easter egg where the scallop was the egg and the seaweed was the fake grass that it sat on. (+1)

The scallops were served literally a couple minutes after the hamachi was served. I thought it was silly of the waiter to even drop the plates off at our table. Come on, there were already two plates on a tiny wooden table. If you brought out dishes and noticed that the table was full and the diners had JUST received their previous plates, then bring it back to the kitchen! Don't just drop it off and walk away. This isn't Chinese family-style dining where there are five plates going on at the same time. This is a tasting menu for pete's sake! (-1)

#3. Langoustine Ravioli~Thom khai~avocado wrapped mango~petite basil~coconut milk powder I liked the ravioli with the big chunk of langoustine and a slightly thick wrapping. The foam of thom khai was intense and flavorful. (+1) Our waitress was able to tell us that the toppings were basil seeds when we asked. (+1)

The avocado encapsulated the diced mangoes.

#4. Lyonaise Salad~frisee~”nesting” egg~bacon~sherry vinaigrette~endive
This was visually eye catching. I loved the deep fried crunchy potato flakes that wrapped around a large poached egg. The bacon was thin and not too fatty and the frisee with simply dressed with a light vinaigrette. (+1)

Running egg yolk really elevates a salad.

#5. Misohoney black cod~nasturtium textures~broth~sesame oil powder
Broth was poured tableside. Asked we asked what the broth and white specks on the fish were, the waitress (not ours) confidently said it was Thom Khai and coconut powder respectively. We were thinking "Really?? They use the same base for both dishes? That seems quite unoriginal." Lady, those ingredients were from a prior dish! We soon found out that it was actually a seafood broth and sesame oil powder. She was obviously clueless. I hate it when I'm given incorrect information because I'll end up passing wrong information on my blog. (-1)

Thankfully the dish made up for it. The cod was buttery and sweet. There was a spicy green puree (of shiso leaf perhaps?) which complimented the sweet fish and salty broth. (+1)

#6. Vadouvan Lamb~Flavors of tzatziki~lavosh~pickled onion~sumac
The lamb was absolutely amazing. It looked really red which would scare off most people, but it was incredibly tender and did not have an overpowering lamb taste (+1). The lamb was flavorful and rubbed with Middle Eastern spices. Tzatziki is made primarily with yoghurt and cucumbers. It was surprisingly very good as it was slightly mild but you could still taste the garlic and salt. Even the lavosh was good; it was homemade, not dry and was seasoned well.

While we were halfway through our lamb dish, a waiter hovered around us for a couple minutes with our next course in hand. Are you kidding me?? We were already having two plates of heavy game meat and you wanted to set down two more of plates of heavier short ribs and corned beef dishes? It wasn't as though we were eating slowly and had messed up the timing in the kitchen. In fact, we didn't even pause at all while eating the lamb dish. And please don't hover around me, you know I can still see you, right? (-1)

#7. Grass fed "corned beef"~sous vide short rib~Saul’s pastrami~textures of corn~black trumpets
Loved the vibrant colors. The corned beef was paper thin and tender to a point that it reminded me of slightly thicker Serrano ham. The short ribs looked tough but weren't too bad although they weren't one of the most tender short ribs I have had and they most certainly did not melt in your mouth. The mushrooms were deep fried and I really enjoyed the corn puree and the grilled sweet baby corn. (+1)

Palate cleanser
While we were halfway through our beef dish, a waitress dropped off a palate cleanser. Should we wait till we are done with the beef to eat it? No, she said, you have to eat it now. Errrr... OK.. but it ain't gonna clean my palate after I return to my beef dish. This horrendous timing was getting REALLY old. Gordon Ramsey would not approve and would be shouting out obscenities and throwing kitchen supplies by now. (-1)

The little caramel corn cake tasted great and was filled with liquid nitrogen which led to us "blowing smoke" into the air. BTW this is very Bazaar-esque. The caramel corn was seasoned with truffle salt which was delicious because it added a fragrance and a sweet and sour combination. (+1)

Guess what? They tried to bring out dessert while we were finishing up our beef dish. I wouldn't have expected anything less. Because we were still on our savory course, we said we weren't ready. As a result, we had to wait another 20 minutes before the next wave of desserts came out. At least our waitress came by to let us know it would take some time. By that time, I was already agitated. They eventually brought out one, not two desserts. They didn't even know we had ordered two until we were halfway through the first one and we reminded them that there should have been a second one. (-1) I just have to say, our assigned waitress wasn't too bad (she was sweet, apologetic and knowledgeable) but most of the other waiters were pretty dense. They kept bringing by the wrong dishes. I would venture a guess that they probably brought by wrong dishes to my table at least 4 times, and I saw them bring by wrong dishes to the tables surrounding me at least 4-5 times as well. After a while, the diners just looked at each other and shook our heads. We were exhausted from saying "No, not ours". (-1)

#8. Souffle with green chartreuse
The souffle was good; hot out of the oven, very airy, eggy and puffy. The ice cream was flavored with orange zest and almond. (+1)

When our hot souffle came out, we didn't have utensils AGAIN. Eventually, a waiter brought by coffee spoons (sorry, they ran out of regular spoons). It was quite ridiculous to scope souffle with that petit spoon. (-1)

Petit fours of marshmallows and macaroon

It was definitely a full house last night. Chef Vigneron came out on multiple occasions to mingle with his favorite guests. We even got to meet Ricardo Zarate (of Mo Chica and who is hosting the next Breadbar Hatchi series) who came by our table. He's so soft spoken and humble.

So to round up the night, yes I enjoyed the food. Some were delicious (the lamb, the cod, the Thom Khai) but not that amazing to forgive the bad service. I just can't believe the level of service at this restaurant. This isn't a bakery or a takeout joint. And this isn't the 1st time that they have done the eight course Hatchi series. Breadbar, you should know better.

I just cannot believe the multiple occasions (around 10 times) when they brought over the wrong dishes to my table or the next table, and we were missing utensils (which happened at least 3 times). I honestly believe we were a little luckier because the tables beside us suffered worse service. Our reservations were earlier so the f* ups didn't happen until mid course. I felt bad for the party sitting beside us who had to wait 20 minutes between their amuse bouche and first course. Then the sole lady at the table did not receive her lamb course while everyone else got theirs. She finally got hers when the rest were done and were on to their next course. Worse still was the poor young couple on the other side of us. The minute they sat down and even before ordering (deciding between the tasting or just selecting a few dishes), they were immediately served the beef dish. Err... no amuse bouche first?? Shortly after, three other plates came by so they had four plates at their tiny table. It was quite laughable that the kitchen was forcing the heavy meat dishes on them right away. There was no sequence in serving their plates (at least ours was served in the right order). The menu listed the dishes in sequence and I am sure the Chef went to great lengths planning the menu so that it would flow seamlessly from dish to dish, so it was unfortunate that they were like an assembly line, churning out plates without factoring pacing or timing, and not even apologizing for forcing multiple course on diners all at once. (-3 because it's an annoying problem and it's one negative point for each of us three tables). I also don't like it when waiters don't present the dishes (-1). I feel that when you are participating in a tasting menu and the ingredients are so intricate and interesting, the waiters should at least tell you what you are eating. Maybe I've had one too many "nicer" dinners, but I suppose that's what I expect when I am having a several course menu crafted by the kitchen.

The service missteps were a big mistake by both the kitchen and the front of the house. I just don't understand what happened here. We both spent about $100 each and given that this is a fairly high profile event, I would expect service to be better (and not rushed) than a regular joint.

How fitting it was when I went home and watched the Top Chef Season 6 reunion. Cheftestant Laurine felt that she should not have been sent home because her food didn't suck as bad as Jen's. That's when Top Chef judge Gail explained that service at the front of the house was crucial and that's what customers are left with when they leave the restaurant. Laurine failed at the service portion of the challenge and was sent packing. I wonder who I would send home from Breadbar Hatchi...

Hits: lamb, langoustine ravioli, corn beef,
Misses: service!
Rating: *** for food, ** for service
Tally: -2

Hatchi at Breadbar
10250 Santa Monica Blvd.,
Los Angeles, CA 90067
(310) 277-3770
http://www.breadbar.net/

A Mammoth Primer and dinner at Nevados

Winter season = snowboarding = no weekend restaurant dining in LA.
I'll typically MIA most weekends in the winter because I like to spend it up in Mammoth. Mammoth Mountain is a ski resort located in the Sierras, about 4.5 hours drive from LA. It's peak is over 11,000 feet and when the whole mountain is open, there are about 28 lifts and 150 trails.

After a long day on the mountain (both snowboarding and hanging out at the resort bar), there are days when you'll want to stay in and cook pasta at the condo and other times, it's fun to dine out. Since it was our first trip of the season, we decided to eat out. I've been going to Mammoth for about a decade and have seen it expand from a small, local town to a large, upscale (with a Westin and Ritz Carlton in the Village) resort. With the real estate expansion comes increase in dining establishments. Apart from the town pizzeria and brewing company, Mammoth Village now boasts wine bars and many fine dining options.

Nevados is a local favorite restaurant that serves contemporary American cuisine and is known for its game dishes. They offer a three course prix fixe menu for $48 which is a rather good deal since appetizers are priced in the teens and many entrees are in the 30s.

Usually reservations on a weekend book up quickly but because it was still early in the season, we were able to secure 7.30pm Saturday reservations by calling a couple hours earlier. When we arrived, more than half of the tables in the restaurant were filled and through the course of dinner, there was no table left empty. They have a bar area and dining room with mural covered walls. It got a bit drafty in the dining room because the restaurant is lined with many windows and it was extremely windy outside. Wish they had turned up the heater because it was a bit unbearable.

Since we knew we were going to order meats for our entrees, we started with the Morgan 2007 Pinot noir.

A basket of warm bread with a choice of rustic and sourdough and served with whipped butter. It was just what we needed to keep warm. Appetizers came out shortly and boy were they huge portions.

Trio of shellfish of tiger shrimp, sea scallops and crab merus with ginger soy dressing

The dish smelt great when it was served. I liked the scallops and shrimp but was surprised that the crab leg was not cracked. It took some finesse to pull the meat out of the shell. The shellfish was cooked well although I felt that there was too much dressing on the plate; the excess dressing made the dish look sloppy and the arugula was soaked in sauce. I did like the fried spinach which reminded me of a garnish in Chinese dishes.

Albacore tuna sashimi and tartare, layered with won ton, avocado, tobiko caviar and cucumber with wasabi aioli

This came highly recommended so we ordered two of these. Again, the portion was huge. In most restaurants in LA, you would only get a couple minced pieces of fish in your tartare. But once again, the seafood was doused in dressing which was unnecessary because the fish was actually fresh and of good quality, and really didn't need to be overpowered with sauce. Otherwise, it was a good starter.

Grilled duck breast and confit of duck leg

Another dish that sounded so good that we ordered two. There was a generous serving of the duck breast however I thought the confit was better as it was tender, flavorful, fatty and topped with a crispy skin. Although the duck breast was pink in the middle, it wasn't as buttery as I had hoped. In fact, I think it would have been better a bit more rare. The duck was served with a peppercorn sauce which was rather bland with no spice at all. The mashed potatoes were good but the asparagus was not seasoned. The portion was so huge that I barely touched the potatoes even though I liked them, and I had a couple duck breast slices left on the plate.

Pistachio crusted New Zealand lamb chop

The lamb was cooked medium rare and much more tender than the grilled duck breast. I liked the crunch from the pistachio crust. The two entrees were served with the same sides of mash, asparagus and beets.

We also ordered another bottle of red, the Stags Leap 2005 Petit syrah.

Frangelico creme brulee

This sounded good but you could not taste the frangelico. Honestly, I was wondering if they even included it in the creme brulee. The custard was also runny and undercooked. I always clean up every last bite of a creme brulee but we did not finish over half of this dessert. It really is a pity because a couple more minutes in the oven and a couple drops of frangelico (as promised) would have made my night.

Chocolate tiramisu with espresso lady finger and mascarpone

This was my favorite of the three desserts. I thought it was interesting as it was a deconstructed version of the tiramisu. The layers of mascarpone cheese and lady fingers were served on a chocolate cup which was not what I had expected. The only criticism we had was that the lady fingers were not soaked in anything (either amaretto, coffee or brandy) so they were hard and crunchy instead of soft and moist. As such, the tiramisu was missing that distinct liqueur flavor.

Passionfruit and ginger cheesecake

Once again, ingredients seemed to be missing from the desserts. We could barely taste the passionfruit and ginger. I love cheesecakes and this still tasted fine to me although it was a little bit overcooked and dry.

Overall, I thought that it was a decent prix fixe at $300 including tax and tip and two bottles of wine for the three of us. This was definitely a very filling meal for the price tag, and perfect for skiers and riders that had worked hard on the mountain. There were some good points (the starters, the duck confit and lamb) but some missteps: it seemed like in general, they messed up on the sauces by either drowning the food with sauce or serving sauce that was bland. Desserts were a bit disappointing due to "missing" ingredients and either over or under cooking. All in all though, it's not bad for mountain dining but didn't really compare to some of the "fine dining" places in LA. But for that price, I ain't complaining! Nevados also has a pretty lively bar scene. Jager is the drink of choice on the mountains and there were definitely many shots being had at the bar. When we left close to 10pm, the bar area was packed and a little rowdy.

Hits: $48 three course, bread, lamb, duck confit, fresh tuna
Misses: desserts, starters were over sauced
Rating: **

Nevados
6860 Minaret Rd.,
Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546
(760) 934-4466


Mammoth is a great getaway especially if you like snow. It was an excellent weekend with about 4.5 feet of freshies.

This was my car after only about 8 hours of new snow

This was my friends' car after not moving it for 2 days.

Boy am I glad to be back in LA where temperature isn't as low as 16 degrees and winds aren't as high as 75mph. I love Mammoth but my arms are sore from shovelling snow. Until next weekend then.

*My Rating System*

So my friend had suggested more than once (OK I get the hint!) that I start a rating system for my blog entries. Apparently he was having trouble sifting through my reviews to figure out which were the better meals that I've had. It ain't rocket science JL, but I'll make ya life a little easier. I've decided to go with the simplest rating tool: the star system.

***** Marry me (exceptional, one of my favorites)
**** I love you (totally recommend this, it was a great meal)
*** I like you (a few bumps but overall, a good meal)
** I'll give you another chance (some things fell short, but you have potential)
* We're breaking up (wasted calories, I doubt I'd be back)

Hopefully this should make things clearer.
Thanks for reading!
xoxo

Karl Strauss beers & Silversun Pickups to drown out my Live Nation rant

I don't usually pop over the hill on a weeknight but my favorite local alt rock band, the Silversun Pickups (or fondly known as SSPU) were playing at the Gibson Amphitheatre. Before I start, I have a bone to pick with large ticketing conglomerates. Silversun tickets were $50 a person including the exorbitant fees and taxes. A couple weeks later, we came to find out that Live Nation was now selling the tickets at $20. My friends ended up getting a pair at $20 a piece and the seats were comparable to mine, and even more center stage. That's BS, I tell you! Why ding the loyal fans who had committed to the concert up front and paid full price. To add salt to my wound, I found sometime later that SSPU would also be playing at the Echo, with Henry Clay People. Yes, that's a WAY smaller and intimate venue, and tickets were $9. Grreeaaat... If this was a one off situation, I could let it go. But it happened recently when I went to see Moby a couple week ago, and also with The Bravery tickets which I purchased General Admission at $141 for four tickets ($35 each) each and now, Live Nation is offering a discount at $93 if you buy a four pack ($23 each). And get this, Citi offered its customers (which I am one) two tickets for $10 total. Grrrr..... I always knew there was a strategy for purchasing clothing online (wait for online Banana Republic sale!) or airline tickets, I just didn't know that one was also required for concert tickets.


Anyway, pre-concert drinks were necessary to sedate me a little. Gibson is located at the Universal Citywalk, a massive tourist trap. Why wouldn't it be? It's the gateway to theme park Universal Studios, and the Citywalk houses restaurants, movie theatres and shops. It is really like an adult's Disneyland with the cheesy bright lights of Time Square and as I recall, a hopping date spot when I was in college

We stopped by IT'SUGAR candy store for a few pieces of chocolate. There are not that many great food options on the walk; mainly chain restaurants. There's Panda Inn, Hard Rock, (ride-the-bull-)Saddle Ranch etc. Karl Strauss Brewing Company was the lesser of the evils. Besides, there is nothing better than beer and bar food right before an awesome rock concert.

Karl Strauss has an outdoor patio area and indoor dining room. When we first got there, the hostess told us it'd be a 20 minute wait but it was empty inside. She came by after 10 minutes to say that they were ready to seat us. They have a selection of their signature beers, happy hour from 4-6.30pm on weeknights, and Cask night on Thursdays ($3.50 beers until it runs out). The food is reasonably priced; burgers/sandwiches are a tad over $10, meat entrees hover around $20. The Ahi poke, sausage sampler and the ribs all looked good to me. They also have fish and chips too but *must*resist*urge*to*order- I need to try something different.

We started with a round of drinks: 10th Tap Porter ale, Brown ale and wine.

Full rack of BBQ Ribs
St Louis Pork ribs with fries and slaw. Fries came with a choice of garlic Parmesan or Cajun spice. The Cajun spiced fries were a bit soggy and seemed like they were sitting under a heat lamp for a while. The ribs came in a huge slab although you could also order a half order. The ribs tasted good but there weren't generous chunks of meat; rather, just a thin layer of meat over the bones. So overall, not bad but for $18, I'd rather walk down the Citywalk to Tony Roma's.

Cotija Avocado Turkey burger
1/2 pound lean turkey patty with chili citrus sauce, cheese, avocado, chili mayo, lettuce and tomatoes and seasoned tortilla chips. Garlic fries were very greasy but the burger was good. It was a large portion and the Cotija cheese really added something to a normally ordinary burger.

Ancho BBQ Pork sandwich -Slow roasted Ancho Chili BBQ sauce, pasilla peppers and onions, topped with corn tortilla strips and served with french fries.
What's up with tortilla chips on the sandwich and burger? It's rather random. Pork was good but overall, the dish was very salty. The tortilla strips and the peppers/capsicum also overwhelmed the pork. I think another complaint was the bread which was generic and tasteless.

Ahi Tuna poke
So, while I was busy bossing the boys to take photos of their food, I forgot to take one of my ahi poke. Sigh. I got made fun of for ordering tuna poke at a Karl Strauss, but I really wanted something refreshing and light. Basically it was a bowl of diced fresh tuna with tomatoes, cucumber, red onion , cilantro, tossed in a spicy dressing and served with a side of deep fried wonton chips. You can add avocado for an extra buck. I actually really liked it and it was a nice sized appetizer potion. I liked the spice from the dish and it hit the spot for me. The wonton chips were crispy and a little oily but they went well with the lean fish.

So, overall, the food was good, given what it was, except for the pork sandwich. Service however, was rather slow. We waited over 15 minutes for our drinks after ordering- yes.. 15 minutes at a brewery. Water that we requested didn't arrive until our entrees were served (which was about 30 minutes after we had ordered). They also didn't bring out wet naps for the ribs. Our waiter was nice but I saw him covering the tables in the dining room and in the outside patio which seemed to point to under staffing of waiters and at the bar.

After dinner, we walked a couple steps to the Gibson. The music event was the LA Weekly 101 with The Dandy Warhols, Matt & Kim and a couple other local bands opening for SSPU. It was a poorly advertised event which was probably why Live Nation was left with excess tickets. This was LA Weekly's first stab at the "festival" and apart from the good lineup, I think the absence of a packed house meant a bit of a failure for the entertainment newspaper outfit. Personally, I like the Dandys although the boys wanted to slit their risks after being subjected to the set.

SSPU was awesome as usual, although Brian Aubert's love for heavy screeching guitar feedback was a bit unnecessary- my ears are still ringing today. Every song was jamming but I think they could have picked better songs for their encore. It's great to still see successful rock'in alternative bands in the Los Angeles music scene.

Hits: food prices, portions were big, SSPU :)
Misses: slow service, salty pork sandwich, Live Nation
Rate: **

Karl Strauss Brewing Company
100 Universal City Plaza,
Universal City, CA 91608
(818) 753-2739
http://www.karlstrauss.com/