I wish I could cook the books.
The Dining Room – 7.17.10 – Let the Pictures Speak for Themselves
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m always behind on my fine dining reviews. ALWAYS. My stomach is more ambitious than my mind – More often than not, I end up ordering the most extravagant tasting menu at a restaurant, go home, look at my pictures, realize I have to write a review individually addressing 10+ dishes, and then get completely overwhelmed. I tell myself I’ll do it tomorrow…Or the day after…Or the day after…
…2+ months later, I finally get to writing it. I mean, I always get to it sooner or later. Most of the time, it’s just later. Much later.
This meal, however, I can’t even PRETEND I’m going to write a review.
I just can’t.
I think it’s physically impossible.
(Well, impossible for me. Not impossible for kevinEats, but that’s another story.)
There’s just too much to squeeze into one post. If I tried, I would consider the resulting review to be an insult to the food and the experience, both of which were incomparable. So I’m just going to write a quick intro and let the pictures speak for themselves.
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(Picture taken by Kevin of kevinEats.)
When Kevin of kevinEats invited me to join him, Ryan of Epicuryan and some of their friends to dine at at The Dining Room at the Langham in Pasadena on Michael Voltaggio’s last night, I didn’t have to think twice – I immediately said yes. I had tasted Voltaggio’s food before – his sampling at Breadbar’s Hatchi was one of my top 3 meals in 2009 – and I was not going to miss this opportunity.
With the night of the dinner being Voltaggio’s last night there and with The Dining Room itself under renovation until October 2010, my first meal at The Dining Room was to be my last there. Thus, it only made sense to go big: In honor of Voltaggio’s last night, we ate the entire menu.
All 22 courses of it.
Amuse Bouche: Gougère with Caviar Cream, Tomato Pâte De Fruit With Basil and Sea Salt
Course 1: Octopus, Buttered Popcorn, Piquillo Confetti, Cilantro
Course 2: Soft Shell Crab, Scrambled Corn, Old Bay, Vanilla-Crab Jus
Course 3: Japanese Kampachi, Jamon Iberico, Sea Sponge, Grapefruit, Crispy Rice
Course 4: Vegetables of the Season, Burrata, Nori Butter, Coffee-Cardamom “Soil”
Course 5: Foie Gras Frito, Black Sesame, Pickled Blueberries, Basil
Course 6: Foie Gras Terrine, Strawberry-Yuzu, Arugula Cake, Minus 8 Vinegar
Course 7: Halibut Cheeks, Red Curry, Coconut Rice, Baby Leeks
Course 8: Pacific Cod, Asparagus, Bonito, Marcona Almond Milk
Course 9: Arctic Char, Green Pea Tapioca, Black Olive, Porcini Chicharrón
Course 10: Salt Baked Turbot, a Jus of Itself, Summer Vegetables Roasted in Hay
Course 11: Veal Sweetbreads Tempura, Kale, Buttermilk, Mustard, Potato Puree
Course 12: Pastrami Pigeon, Swiss Cheese, Sauerkraut, Rye
Course 13: Kurobuta Pork Belly, Bok Choy “Kim Chi”, Sweet Potato Preserves, Peanut Butter Powder
Course 14: Jameson Farm Lamb, Fresh Chickpeas, Flavors of Hummus, Yogurt
Course 15: Four Story Hills Farm Suckling Pig, Banana Polenta, Chanterelles, Cipollini, Red Onion
Course 16: Beef Cheeks, Porcini Mushroom, Cannelé, Garlic Froth
Course 17: Wagyu Short Rib, Potato Confit, Nantes Carrot, Bone Marrow, Coconut Soubise
Course 18: Japanese Kuroge Rib Cap, Fried Béarnaise, Young Turnips, Bordelaise
Pre-Dessert: Peach and Yogurt “Dippin’ Dots”
Course 19: Baba Au Rhum, Textures of Coconut and Pineapple, Compressed Mango
Course 20: Chocolate Caramel Ganache, Chocolate Sorbet, Salty Hazelnut Praline, Cocoa Tuile
Course 21: Lavender Flower Macaroon, Crème Fraiche Panna Cotta, Vanilla-Passion Sorbet, Floral Cotton Candy
Course 22: Carrot Cake, Carrot Sorbet, Yuzu Curd, Cream Cheese Snow
The Dining Room (at the Langham)
1401 S Oak Knoll Ave
Pasadena, CA 91106
(626) 568-3900
Website: http://pasadena.langhamhotels.com
Twitter: @TheDiningRoom
No Reservations: An Evening w/ Anthony Bourdain – 6.16.10 – *SWOON!*
Sometimes I refer to Anthony Bourdain as “King of my Heart” but jokes aside and speaking honestly now: Bourdain is king of my heart.
Maybe it’s his iconic Kitchen Confidential bad boy persona. Maybe there’s something in the fluidity of his speech or in his distinct choice in words. Maybe it’s that he just doesn’t give a shit about what other people say. Honestly, I don’t know…all I know is that man is so charismatic I can’t help but swoon.
When I heard that Bourdain was going to be plugging his new book, “Medium Raw”, by speaking at Royce Hall at my alma mater, there was no doubt in my mind that I would be going. My heart wanted to get the $175 meet and greet tickets but decided to be cheap and admire him from afar instead. (Hey, I was looking out for his well-being! What if I suddenly transformed into the Bourdain equivalent of a Beliber?! I might have bum-rushed the stage!)
(I wasn’t kidding with the “admiring from afar” – I was siting so far away, I couldn’t get a picture of king of my heart on stage! I photoshopped him in instead.)
Sitting in Royce, listening to Anthony Bourdain made me feel like a girl on her first date with that cute boy she’s been eyeing in class – I sat there, enthralled at everything that came out of the man’s mouth. I laughed excessively at his jokes, made mental notes about his favorite things and ran the night over and over in my head. (A disclaimer: For those that haven’t figured it out, I’m exaggerating for literary effect. I love the man but don’t worry, I’m not really stalking him…and if I were, I wouldn’t be telling you…)
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Anyway, a recap of that glorious night:
- The night began with a loving bash on Food Network personalities. The winners? Ina Garten and Giada De Laurentiis made it through the battle, unmarred (although I was ecstatic to hear he also thinks that Giada has an unusually large head). The losers? Rachel Ray (of course), Sandra Lee (meeting her has the honor of being his most terrifying moment in life) and Guy Fieri. Bobby Flay made it through, but just barely.
- Onto TV shows: He likes Iron Chef but not Iron Chef America. He likes Top Chef but not Hell’s Kitchen. He has respect for Andrew Zimmern of Bizaree Foods because Zimmern eats the weird and disgusting, but doesn’t drink (whereas Bourdain drinks the horrors away). He thinks that his network is trying to kill the man in Man v. Food.
- He has a 3-year old daughter and is terrified of her falling into the fast food trap. His solution? “Ronald McDonald has COOTIES.” “Ronald SMELLS BAD.” “Did you hear about little Timmy? He went missing…” “…Was it Ronald again?” (Note: I laughed SO HARD at this one. I’m totally raising my kids this way.)
- Words of advice when traveling and eating: 1) Make the most of it. 2) Don’t worry about dirt; eat where the locals eat. 3) Follow local traditions. Be polite.
- Taping in Russia is dangerous. When he’s there, he drinks 3 shots of vodka for breakfast, 7 for lunch and 17 for dinner.
- Best kid story ever: He took his daughter to a restaurant, ordered the seafood tower. She looked at the top of the tower and saw a crab and screamed, “Sebastian!” (i.e. from The Little Mermaid)…then proceeded to tear “Sebastian” down and eat him.
And a couple good ones from the Q&A session:
- “Nigella or Giada in a knife fight?” (His response.)
- His last meal? The sea urchin and lardo from Marea.
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Oh Anthony, I’ll be counting down the months, weeks, days, minutes until I have the chance to see you again…
DineLA Chef Roundtable – 6.8.10 – Of Puck, Preparation and Produce
(Click for a larger picture.)
Mark Peel of Campanile, The Point and The Tar Pit.
Josiah Citrin of Melisse.
Susan Feniger of Street, Ciudad and Border Grill.
Joachim Splichal of the Patina Group.
Karen Hatfield of Hatfield’s.
Wolfgang Puck.
To listen to any of these chefs would be a pleasure. To hear all six of them speak at the same event? That’s a privilege.
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This post was originally going to recap the roundtable and the conversations that took place there – I even took mental notes on specific things each chef mentioned that I wanted to address. However, as you’re probably familiar with my typical lag period, you shouldn’t be surprised that, by the time I got around to actually writing this post, the fine people at DineLA had already posted a video of the entire event online. (Oops.)
Well, since the job of recapper is no longer necessary (*whew!*), I’m going quickly cover the parts I enjoyed most about this whole roundtable.
- I’ve always loved listening to successful people tell the story about their life. There’s something so intriguing about hearing about them before they made it big, whatever trials or tribulations they may have gone through, and seeing where they are now. Wolfgang Puck is no exception – he could have been on that stage by himself, speaking for the entire hour and I would have been perfectly happy.
My favorite Wolfgang story of the night was the one about how he got started in the restaurant business. (Start at 14:10 in the video. Watch it – I’m not gonna recap it for you!) Imagining little 14-year old Wolfgang being told he was good for nothing and then seeing him in person on stage now, governing his empire…It’s surreal to hear him tell his story (and probably even more surreal for him to live it).
- As an accountant, I have a rather practical view on life. Thus, I appreciated the concrete advice Joachim gave when asked about starting a new restaurant (at 27:43 in the video). While the chefs prior (Susan, in particular) spoke of passion for their craft, Joachim asked them to think and prepare and…well, basically be a businessman. I may not know much about running a restaurant but I’ve seen this much from my accounting gigs over the years – you can’t run a business on passion alone.
- I found it interesting that, throughout the roundtable, the chefs repeatedly touched upon the abundance of fresh produce in Los Angeles and the appreciation for food. It was especially interesting because, about 2 years prior, I attended a similar event moderated by Jonathan Gold on the topic of California cuisine and remember taking away one thing from that event: California cuisine is the abundance of produce matched with our variety of ethnic influences. At the time, I almost thought that was almost a cop-out answer – “Yes, I know we have great produce but…what else??”, says the girl who has only lived in California and has been surrounded by fresh produce her entire life – but to hear the same talking points two years later made me re-evaluate my original reaction and how I may take California’s strongest assets for granted.
Anyway, as you can tell, the roundtable was a great experience. I had the opportunity to listen to some of my favorite chefs in person and the stories of their lives. Plus, after it was all over, I gorged myself on Starry Kitchen‘s tofu balls and got to take a picture with Susan Feniger! (Woot woot!)
(Picture taken by Julian of Jewelz, What Are We Doing Today?)
TED2010 with Jamie Oliver – It’s About Food.
“I wish for your help to create a strong, sustainable movement to educate every child about food, inspire families to cook again and empower people everywhere to fight obesity.”
It’s amazing watching Jamie Oliver give this speech at TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) 2010. I remember being drawn to the man years ago when he was just a TV chef. To see him now, to hear his passion towards education about food and diet…
This video moved me.
Food is something that everyone battles and the winners are based on cost and convenience. Eating should be a conscious choice. I’m lucky in that I was taught about healthy eating; when I don’t eat the best things, at least I recognize I’m making a poor choice. I know some may not be so lucky.
Spread the word. Let’s educate people about food.
Petrossian – 1.29.10 – Full of <3s and Truffle Mac & Cheese
(Picture taken by Austin of Living to Eat.)
Yes, it’s true – I *heart* Chef Ben Bailly. Not quite love – it’s going to take another serving or two of his famous black truffle mac and cheese for me to get to that level – but definitely *heart*. I fall into *heart* rather quickly; I just can’t help myself.
Take Petrossian for example – I’ve been *heart*ing it for a while now, ever since the words “truffle mac and cheese” fell upon my ears. Thus, when this current Winter 2010 DineLA Restaurant Week came rolling around, I knew – If I only had one restaurant to go to this season, it would be Petrossian.
(…Anticipation…)
After hearing so much about it, it was surprisingly to walk into Petrossian for the first time. It was this little unassuming spot on the corner of Robertson and Rosewood, without a single valet umbrella in sight. (I got lucky and found myself a free meter on the street.) Their dining room is clean and simplistic – a combination of mirror and glass and black and white. While I first made myself comfortable there, I soon overhead the bustle of the kitchen behind the wall and relocated myself to the boutique where I could catch a glimpse of the kitchen. You can’t tell when peeking in from the outside but Petrossian’s kitchen is very small; it’s amazing Chef Ben can produce such wondrous dishes from a single stove. (Yes, a single stove. Four burners – That’s it!)
Now, onto the food…Oh, THE FOOD.
Although I went for DineLA, their regular menu was so tempting I knew I wouldn’t be satisfied with only three dishes. Thus, my three course DineLA prix fixe of shrimp papillotte, pork belly and pistachio creme brulee soon became a five course meal, with the addition of the napoleon tartare and truffle mac and cheese both ordered a la carte. Little would I know, this five course would later turn into a seven course, with the blinis and mushroom cappuccino delivered compliments of the chef. By the end of the meal, I was holding my stomach in a mix of pain and pure bliss. (So much food! Need more space!)
The night began with the trio of blinis topped with trout roe, salmon roe and caviar. I usually have roe prepared Japanese style over rice, so tasting a more traditional preparation was a nice change of pace. I particularly enjoyed the salty caviar against the creme fraiche, although the salmon and trout roes were also fantastic.
The next course was the first of the DineLA three – the shrimp “papillotte” with passion fruit and chili ginger sauce. Traditionally, to be cooked “en papillotte” means a protein (typically fish) is wrapped in parchment paper and cooked to lock in the moisture. The shrimp were not quite cooked en papillotte; instead of wrapped in parchment paper, they were wrapped in thin wonton skins and fried. When tasted with the tangy passion fruit ginger sauce, one could see a slight Asian influence in the dish.
Just as the two light starters perked my appetite, then came THE DISH: Chef Ben’s famous truffle mac and cheese.
When I had mentioned I was going to Petrossian, one dish was shouted from the heavens with foodies rallying like it was the next coming – the truffle mac and cheese. Chewy orrechiette pasta, smothered in cream, black truffles and bacon…The aroma alone made my mouth water. While the description may sound heavy, it was perfectly balanced and not at all overwhelming. The flavor caused my eyes to roll into the back of my head in delight with every bite. Absolutely amazing.
If there was a dish that could have followed up the truffle mac and cheese without disappointment, it would be the napoleon tartare. Raw steak with a layer of caviar streaked through the center – there is nothing more luxurious than that. Seasoned by Chef Ben himself, I could have eaten the whole thing with a fork – no crostinis necessary. (They have a version of the Napoleon tartare without caviar but seriously people – why would you NOT add caviar?!)
After the tartare came the mushroom cappuccino. It was a complex soup that tasted like a field of mushrooms – deep and earthy, each sip felt like it was warming my soul. The chestnuts hidden at the bottom of the cup added some texture and a bit of sweetness to that final sip.
Our last savory dish of the night was the DineLA pork belly, a glorious slab larger than the palm of my hand. Its delicious fat glistened in the candlelight, each bite melted in my mouth. Petrossian’s pork belly could arguably be the best piece of pork belly I’ve had in my life.
Finally, I arrived at dessert. By this time, I had already reached foodie delirium and only allowed myself a couple tastes of each dessert. Flavor-wise, the pistachio creme brulee was the most unique, with the roasted pistachios giving off almost a green tea/matcha taste. (Chef Ben seemed surprised by this comment – there were only pistachios in the brulee, no tricks!) I personally favored the panna cotta with strawberry jam; it was light ending to a large meal and my gorged self really couldn’t handle anything more than that.
So now you see why I say I *heart* both Chef Ben Bailly and Petrossian; the thought of this meal still causes my heart to beat faster. Now to go again to see if this is just *heart* or love… (If this is how I’m kicking off 2010, the rest of the year has some damn high expectations to live up to!)
Petrossian Paris Boutique & Cafe
321 N Robertson Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90048
(310) 271-6300
Website: http://www.petrossian.com/
Twitter: @petrossianweho
