Special Foodventures #146: Thankful for Preview at Ludobites In Bed Together w Royal/T (Culver City)

Continuing on my thankful streak from November, December began with another event I'm humbled and honored to be invited to the preview dinner of Ludobites' new pop-up restaurant at Royal/T, courtesy of review site FoodDigger - which also provided some amazing wines for the occasion. I'm no stranger to the cafe-meets-art space-meets-nifty gift store and their constantly changing exhibitions with artists locally and globally, but I think this is the first time they let another chef take helm of the kitchen. Given his successes from the Breadbar stints earlier this year and last, I'm definitely curious to see what he got up his sleeves this time around.

Being no strangers to their numerous blogger fans, Krissy invested in a lightbox for all of us to use for the dishes (thankfully I sat underneath pretty good lighting, and I preferred the warmer tone at my seat. And I'm lazy.)

The nine course affair was overall very playful, with a lot of modern, East-meets-West elements reflective of Ludo's French technique and the Japanesey atmosphere of the space. Since numerous others already gave a rundown of the entire menu that night, I'll avoid a re-hash of the nitty-gritty (I probably won't be as succinct as the aforementioned posts anyways) and highlight some of my favorite items of the night.

Scallop, brown butter, pineapple & black powder - actually no stranger to this dish, since Ludo prepared this for guests at the debut of the "In Bed Together..." exhibition. And I enjoyed it every bit as much the second time around, the combo of nearly-raw scallops and pineapple with brown butter evokes a unique texture flavor that I can best describe as somewhere between a cole slaw (minus the veggie notes, obviously) and a fruity, less acidic ceviche. The touch of toasty-nuttiness from the browned butter adds a delightful depth to this starter.

Foie gras beignet w celery remoulade - a guilty pleasure, given my semi-conscientious stance on eating. But the tasty beignet, stuffed with two ounces of the fattened liver, managed to shut the trap of my higher morals. Crispy on the outside with a sweet glaze, upon biting it bursts into hot, fluffy dough and a flood of near-liquid richness. I also appreciated the accompanying remoulade and would've liked even more, it was a bright, refreshing contrast to the fattiness of the foie and was great for resetting the palate, like the ginger slices between sushi.

Marinated hangar steak with crunchy escargot, baby corn, bok choy and black olive mole - while most fusion fare typically blend influences from two disparate styles of cooking, the ever adventurous Ludo took it one extra step further with this dish and worked with three -- with French (escargot), Asian (the vegetables) and Latin-American (the mole) elements all on one plate. Being finicky with olives, I wasn't sure if I'd like the mole - but it turned out amazingly well, the olives themselves a pleasant surprise for the tastebuds, complementing the smoky, earthy and slightly sweet mole. Props for this dish also goes to Javier, a.k.a. Glutster, and his mom, who taught Ludo the art of mole making.

Chocolate cake, coconut sorbet, caramel coffee - what really made this dish for me was the addition of the pink peppercorns that went unlisted on the menu. Chocolate and peppercorn is one of my favorite eccentric pairings - offering a mild, snappy bite of vegetal spiciness as opposed to the lingering heat and smoke of the chocolate and chili combo (which I enjoy too, but that coupling has gotten a lot more play lately.) I'm also surprise by the intensity of coconut flavor in that sorbet soup, nicely holding its own against the richer, more intense chocolate and coffee caramel.

The other dishes featured that night were delightful as well; even if the flavors didn't work for me, I definitely appreciated the complexity and the creativity in their construction, forcing me to pause in-between bites to think about what's going on in my mouth--even inspiring me to be a bit more adventurous in my own cooking. A little aioli with my steamed/poached bass? maybe veal with my udon noodle soup? Sure, why not.

Now, before you fret about missing your chance to reserve at Ludobites (since it got booked up pretty much the moment it was announced a month ago,) I was told that there has been some substantial last-minute cancellations -- so you can always trying calling in and seeing if you can squeeze yourself in. It's definitely worth a try, especially after you check out the everchanging menu. And while you're at it, the wine list too - put together by Domaine LA

And of course, I can't wait to see where Chef Ludo will pop up, or settle into, next...

Finally, goes without saying, another big thank you to Ludovic&Krissy Lefebvre (and the staff) for putting up with us, cameras, notebooks and all, FoodDigger for hosting yet another wonderful dinner and, of course, all the attendees for the wonderful company and conversation.

Ludobites In Bed Together w Royal/T
8910 Washington Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232

more photos from flickr here

Special Foodventures #145: Thankful November Diary Pt 1

Pera Cocktail, made with pear-infused cognac, from Drago Centro

With 2009 coming to an end, I have definitely been thinking about the 11 months that already passed. If I had to distill all those experiences into a single word, it would probably be Thankfulness. I suppose that's not a rare emotion to have this time of year, with Thanksgiving memories still lingering and all the anticipation of the holiday celebrations with close ones afoot. But it is very much a genuine feeling; thus, I dedicate December's posts to all the things I am thankful for in 2009. Starting off the dedication, I'll commemorate last month -- where, despite my announced blog hiatus, I've still been invited to numerous events, meeting wonderful new folks while reconnecting with friends I already know, all over many great meals, snacks and drinks.

November began as a total trip, literally! Thanks to winning PhishFest tickets from a LAist contest, e*starLA and I embarked on a trip to Indio over Halloween weekend for the three-day, eight-set performance by the jammin' rock band.

Not only do I have a whole new sense of appreciation for their music (really only having listened to them in passing before,) I also discovered some tasty treats out in the Inland Empire, including the Beer Hunter Sports Pub & Grill (boasting over 250 beers by the bottle and a sizable tap of ~30 brews.) And, since an A&W was within reach, we got fried cheese curds and root beer floats too (with some fried chicken, since this fast food stop was a hybrid with KFC!) Oh did I mention I got a brownie sundae that wound up pwning my butt? Even with Esther's help we left about half of it untouched!

Immediately following PhishFest (literally - we drove direct from Indio to Venice Beach to make the event), Esther and I headed to a Zeno Supper Club with fellow bloggers Caroline on Crack and Gourmet Pigs. We were invited by Citysearch but there was a $20 suggested donation at the door, but I thought what the hey -- there's an open bar and the foods served looked promising. And grub was certainly worthwhile, a delightful mishmash of gussied-up comfort foods (cassoulet, a "Thanksgiving" sandwich with turkey, cranberry sauce and gravy within and fire-roasted oysters from Carlsbad Aqua Farms!) and nice sips (namely, beers from Stone Brewing Company.) Who would've thought that this food-packed weekend is merely a preview of many more to follow in November?

Two days following, I met up with almost-common-law-spouse Esther again to taste cocktails from the new menu at Drago Centro, followed by the Secret Whisky Society at 7 Grand, which was highlighting Irish whiskys from Cooley Distillery, and then snacks and ANOTHER cocktail from Bottega Louie across the street. Obviously my memories of that night is a bit blurry, but I was definitely in bliss and can ID some of my favorites of the night: the Fumo e Fuoco ("Smoke and Fire") at Drago Centro, the silky-sweet-smelling Port barrel-aged Tyrconnell and Bottega's Manhattan, echoing Caroline's sentiment.

A few days later, I packed my bags and drove up to San Francisco for the first annual Foodbuzz Blogger Festival, celebrating - obviously - foodblogging! The three days were jam-packed with lots of eats and drinks, from casual SF street food to a chic farm-to-table five-course affair inside a produce warehouse, not to mention the numerous "samplings" we had along the way. And once again, I'm just floored by the fresh, seasonally-driven fare that's the soul of SF cuisine.

Of course, I squeezed in a little extra time too between events and took an extra day off to enjoy some of my favorite NorCal food and drinks and to discover new ones too. Of course, the likes of Alembic Bar (chocolate-bourbon pudding OMG!) and Tartine was in the itinerary, but I was also thrilled to discover new places such as Rickhouse and their crazy punch bowls (~$30 and it can easily serve six w refills too), Anchor Oyster Bar's succulent and sweet shucked shellfish and shooters and Ad Hoc's casual but well-prepared four-course meal.

And on the way back, I swung by the Chez Panisse Upstairs Café for simple, sinful farewell-to-NorCal lunch. Their green goddess dressing for the gem lettuce & beet salad was divine, as was the pink lady apple and sour cherry tart with clove ice cream. Finally, the autumn vegetable couscous was just as tasty the day after returning to LA.

Speaking of bringing stuff down, no surprise to anyone who knows me, I brought back a lot of edible (and mostly sweet) souvenirs, along with all the Foodbuzzy schwag!

I also had my share of fun outings with other actively writing blogger pals too, such as a long-anticipated trip with Gourmet Pigs to JTYH (which I'll call Justin Timberlake's forever and ever thanks to Cathy) for their knife-cut noodles, moo shu "cat's ears" and dumplings. It was solid stuff, but I think all the recent blog raves are a tad overhyped. But a great, affordable lunch/dinner option in the SGV.

The following weekend, I met up with some of my Blogger Prom committee pals over a beachside brunch at Casa del Mar, taking advantage of their $29.95 for a three-course brunch with a dessert buffet, and bottomless brunch cocktails if you text them. While the brunch and the service was lackluster, the company was definitely great! You can read Maya's ShopEatSleep blog report for the mishaps, I won't say much asides from the fact that we had to hail the manager at least three times to our table.

And despite my announced hiatus, PR folks were still sending me invites to check out restaurants and events. From a lovely, casual dinner with an amazingly inexpensive wine and cocktail list at Allston Yacht Club in Echo Park (can't wait to check out again) to ten-course meal at Animal paired with assorted Samuel Adams beers along with a tasting of their 27% ABV Utopias (and they weren't skimpy with the portions, the steak was as big as Caroline on Crack's face!) Read her blog for the full lowdown on this beer and food filled fest. And somehow I still managed to talk her into going to Golden State with me to share a float made with Requiem Espresso Stout and Scoops' Salted Caramel gelato.

But Bouchon's grand opening party takes the cake as the glitziess event from that first half of November, between the celeb sightings (Julia Louis-Dreyfus! Gilles Marini and Star Jones! Ryan Seacrest, Pierce Brosnan and Fred Savage too!), the tour through their vast kitchen, and of course, plenty of tastings galore, bottomless alchy, meeting Chef Keller and of course, mingling with Eating LA's Pat, FoodGPS' Josh, Grubstreet LA's Hadley, LAT Daily Dish contributor Krista Simmons, Pleasure Palate's Abby, Juli B contributor Ket, Eater LA contributor Daniela, Tasting Table's Lesley Balla, Choisauce and numerous others. I was thrilled to have a chance to sneak peek the restaurant before opening, and looking forward to a real meal there in 2010 after the typical restaurant opening kinks and dust gets settled.

And this is only half the month of foodventures-in-blogging-absentia, more to come about the rest of November in a future post! In the meantime, enjoy the photos from my flickr!

Friday Quickies #81: Return to Blogging

My Eat My Blog contribution, sort of . . .

Wow, that monthlong hiatus pass by fast! And so I return to the blogging scene after a month of insanity (and probably another month of catching up!) But let's start off with a few cool events for this not-so-chilly winter. 

Tonight, 7-10 p.m., healthy-gourmet chef Eda Vesterman is back at Breadbar with another round of the "Four Elements" theme. Tonight her focus will be Fire, a night of cheese fondue - where for $25/person, diners can indulge in a fondue made with gourmet cheeses from The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills, a "potato martini bar" and, given its location, lots of bread to dip. A sommelier will also be on-site to make pairing recommendations with a number of wines at $5/glass. 

Tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. is Eat My Blog, a delicious baked good drive at Zeke's Smokehouse benefiting L.A. Regional Food Bank with goodies made by many of L.A's best local bloggers including Gastronomy, Diana Takes a Bite, Delicious Coma, Eating L.A., Ravenous Couple and more (including yours truly)! Over 600 baked goods at a very sensible $1-3 apiece, though it'll be hard to resist snatching them up by the truckload. For more information, check it out here!

And if you're feeling guilty from all the carbs, work it off at Edison's Repeal Day celebration at Pershing Square tomorrow from 6 to 8 p.m., where there's ice-skating galore plus hot chocolates and treats for $25/person. The ticket also earns you an entry into the Edison afterwards for a tasting of their Christmas Blend of Bourbon from 8 to 9 p.m. Can't imagine a better way to warm up, even if it isn't that cold.

Alas, not much of a reading list this time as I'm busy catching up to blog-related e-mails, but I'm definitely glad to be back in the game.

Friday Quickies #80: Another Frisco Journey Friday

Wondering if I can have a second go with my strawberry alarm clock?

Once again, as of now I'm en route to SF (and still working many many words of my NaNoWriMo novel) so keeping this quickie super short to the point of second-handed!

Today, LunaParkLA is providing half off EVERYTHING (food, yes, drinks, yes, exotic entertainment... errm, wrong place), just print out this picture, bring it in, and enjoy some goat cheese fondue, make your own s'mores and cuh-razy mac 'n cheese with half the guilt (on your wallet if not your waist)

Tomorrow, it's Speakeasy Time at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel (half priced at goldstar, $50-$75 instead of $100-$150) - with free-flowing, classic, vintage cocktails prepped by bartenders at the Edison and the Varnish ~. Here are some other preview reports.

And on Sunday, the 23rd Annual Great Chefs of L.A. benefiting the SoCal chapter of the National Kidney Foundation (also available on goldstar at $75 instead of $150) in case you missed out on all those giveaways.

And of course, for more fun local events, you can check out my favorite weekend guides. See you in a few!

Four Potlucks Chapter 1 - A Collaborative Novel

Behind the Jump to protect the innocent 
or... to learn more about the NaNoWriMo insanity itself