No. 165: Petrossian (West Hollywood)

Having been on my to-try for a while, I finally bit the bullet and headed to Petrossian after seeing many, many consistently positive reviews of the place (and because of the 30 percent off BlackboardEats coupon.) Even though the limelight's on their assorted caviar dishes, I heard they do an equally stellar job with their other Cali-French offerings too -- so I was definitely excited to check it out!

Joining me on this excursion was ConBon of Hey Hey Scenesters and self-proclaimed Jewtina Carina Ost (formerly of Uncouth Gourmands, but now with her own Mission:Fruition blog and moving to San Francisco!) Due to parking difficulties, my two dining compadres arrived 30 minutes late for our 11 a.m. brunch (we originally had a fourth too, but he bowed out entirely by text @ 11:15) but the server was most accomodating during my half-hour wait, even offering to refrigerate the slice of Sweet Lady Jane cake I got for Carina's going away.

After a quick scan through the menu (though I had plenty of time to peruse it,) we made our order. ConBon opted for the $69 caviar brunch, while Carina and I a la carted. Unfortunately, one of Carina's orders -- the caviar surprise -- fell through because Chef Benjamin Bailly isn't in yet, so she wound up swapping it for the steak frites upon the manager's recommendation.

To start, I got their Wild Mushroom Cappuccino ($10), which was quite a textural surprise with a frothy lightness I wouldn't expect from a soup, even a pureéd one. Equally unexpected was the flavor, which was pretty rich and deep with mushroom's woodsy-meatiness despite the airy feel.

Meanwhile, ConBon was having trouble with her 1925 caviar-egg salad sandwich, which was quickly becoming a "too much of a good thing" dish (especially so for a first course.) The four triple-decked half-sandwiches was brimming with egg salad, creme fraiche and caviar. She thought it was delicious at first, but it soon became overkill -- and she gave Carina a half-sandwich.

For part of my main, I got a Belgian Endive Salad w Fuji apples, cheddar cheese, candied pecans and a mignonette dressing ($14). Flavorwise this was spot-on, the slight bitterness of the endives were delectably balanced with the pecan's sweetness, the salty cheese and the tart dressing! My only grievance would be the size of the leaves... since I have a pet peeve against salads I have to use a knife on (thus you'll NEVER see me ordering a wedge salad,) and the endives were just slightly too big -- resulting in me trying to rapidly chomp them down to size while it's still partially sticking out of my mouth. As beautiful as whole Belgian endive leaves are, in a salad I wouldn't mind if they got a quick chopping to make them bite-sized for humans.

The salad wound up to be more than filling for me, so when my order of black truffle "mac 'n cheese" - sans the bacon - ($18) arrived, I was more than eager to share with ConBon and Carina. The bouncy, firm texture of the orrechiette was interesting initially and I definitely love the subtly noticeable aroma of the truffle pieces, but as the dish cooled it became significantly less appetizing, with the sauce congealing into a cheesy mealiness and the pasta becoming borderline gummy. Combined with our pretty full tummies, we left half the mac on the table and decided to spend our calories on other things. Though for the future, I make note that this "first course" is filling as an entree, and that I only have minutes to eat this while it's good and piping hot!

Meanwhile, ConBon barely finished half her caviar & smoked salmon bagel (and that's after giving half a bagel's worth to Carina) and couldn't even doggy bag the leftovers since we have a full day out and about town. Sadness for her indeed . . . (likewise, Carina didn't finish her steak frites -- again, what's with the crazy portions?)

Thankfully, the brunch ended on a pleasant final note with ConBon's exotic panna cotta w passion fruit and pop rocks, which she was more than happy to share. Having experienced this dessert with Caroline on Crack, it was just as fun the second time around. The sweet, creamy custard against the bright and tangy fruit and the fizzy and exploding candy pieces, like a champagne of desserts!

Despite the over-the-top portions and the occasional minor misses, brunch here was a delightful experience -- very conducive to relaxing and drawn-out conversations thanks to the attentive but not rushy service and the minimalistic black-and-white atmosphere with lots of softened sunlighting pouring through the windows and translucent curtains. It's definitely place worth re-visiting, though I'll definitely be more mindful about how much food to order (and that some dishes, such as the caviar sandwich and mac 'n cheese, are definitely meant for sharing only.) And hopefully Chef Bailly will be around next time too, since I heard he makes some pretty amazing impromptu tasting menus . . . and oh yeah, when I resume omnivorism.

Full flickr set here

Petrossian West Hollywood Boutique
321 North Robertson Boulevard
West Hollywood, CA 90048-2415
(310) 271-6300
Twitter for Petrossian
Twitter for Ben Bailly

No. 164: Sips, Snacks and Shots at Hatfield's (Mid-City)

Having a little time to kill in Mid-City around 5 p.m. but not wanting to spoil my dinner appetite, I decided to check out Hatfield's for a drink and a light bite . . . remembering that Mattatouille had recently tweeted that its bar is a surprisingly pleasant space to sit, sip and snack (of course, he also finds it a great place for a full-meal too!)

Arriving right when it opened at 5:30 p.m., I was easily at least a decade younger than the other early bird diners that came in at the time, not to mention the only one sitting at the bar instead of the dining area. The bartenders were still busy doing prep work, but was pretty friendly in making cocktail and food recommendations.

After soaking up their three menus (one for drinks, one for bar food and one for their regular dinner service,) I opted to start off with a Ginger Grant ($11), a seasonal specialty with Alma reposado tequila, lime & grapefruit juices, housemade fresh ginger syrup and a float of Bundaberg ginger beer in a salted rim glass. It was a pretty light and mellow drink, being only mildly fizzy, spicy, sweet and tart (reminds me of a margarita with a spritz of ginger ale to lighten and spice things up) -- not a bad beverage to sip on for a warm-weather late afternoon/early evening.

I'm more impressed by their complimentary bar snack -- fresh popcorn tossed with garlic-shallot oil and rosemary sprigs. So decadently aromatic with the herbs and just buttery enough on the palate -- despite what I said about not wanting to ruin my appetite, I easily chowed down on a whole bowl's worth (and had to muster some willpower to avoid finishing a 2nd bowl when the bartender refilled it!)

Off their bar snacks menu, I was intrigued by their Soup (of the day) Shots for $5, which turned out to be Fennel - which was a nicely portion serving (the two shots combined was equivalent of a cup of soup at most restaurants.) The flavor was pretty straightforward and clean, the occasionally anise-y spiciness balanced by a root vegetably body & texture. It's squarely solid soup, though personally I would have preferred a little more pizazz (even if it's purely for show -- an herb sprig or a dollop of cream would've given it a nice visual appeal.)

Alas, my brief bar time ended on a bummer note when I ordered their Manhattan ($15 made w Michter's Rye). First, my specification of Michter's Rye got misinterpreted as "Maker's [and] Dry [vermouth]" so I corrected the bartender midway through making the drink after I saw him pouring from that bottle of bourbon. Then I got distracted, so didn't notice that the Manhattan was shaken until it's been presented to me with its telltale microbubbles and ice shards. Ah well, while it was passable -- and I didn't feel like sending it back for a 2nd correction -- I kept thinking how much better it could've been, like the one at Bazaar's Bar Centro (which uses Michter's as their standard rye but is wonderfully stirred -- that magical spherified liquid cherry is just, well, the cherry on top.) However, I do give props for the trio of delightful Maraska cherries to nibble on, worlds above those bright-neon-red, overly sugary "Maraschinos."

Despite the less-than-stellar final impression, I'm intrigued enough by the rest of their menu to make a return trip, try a few more things and form a more definitive opinion. At the very least, there's always some delicious gussied up popcorn waiting for me . . . I just gotta keep a better eye on how the drinks are made.

Hatfield's
6703 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, California 90038
(323) 935-2977

No. 163: The Restaurant at the Getty Center (Brentwood)

It's been years since I've been to the Getty Center; shameful for a near-LA native, I know. But since my original Sunday plan of playing Accomplice got rescheduled, my friends and I decided to make the better of this sunny day and took a brisk, breezy roadtrip to the Westside to take in some culture and brunch in their artsy restaurant.

Like hotels and airports, I'm usually skeptical of museum restaurants... being the only game in town, there's really no incentive to prepare food beyond passable, right? And I'd say even more so with the Getty, where it takes at least a 15 minute tram ride, 10 minute parking lot navigation and another 10 minute drive down the 405 (in "good" traffic) to get to the next eatery. But after reading S. Irene's fairly positive review (along with others,) I decided to give their only restaurant a go for brunch... at the very least, I get to soak in some nice scenery -- and reinforce my notion to avoid airport/hotel/museum sitdown fare.

Our original foursome for the trip shrank to a trio, so instead of splitting a bottle of sparkly as planned we each wound up getting our own cocktail. I got a Pimm's Cup ($11), a classic with Pimm's No. 1, muddled citrus and cucumber plus ginger ale. A well-balanced mix of fruity, vegetal, herbal and spicy notes, it's the perfect refresher for a hot day!

Keeping with the cool and refreshing theme, my two friends W. and H. ordered the Citrus-Ginger Cooler ($10) made with vodka, citrus juices (including grapefuit, as one can tell from color,) ginger syrup and some fizz. It was more robust than the Pimm's Cup in flavor, size and alcohol content, but a bit more one-dimensional overall--blasting the palate with spicy ginger and sweet citrus, rather than the more complex, nuanced hints and notes of my cocktail. Still, a decent brunch-time quaffer (and that zippy ginger syrup at the bottom, which I tasted before it got stirred in, was amazing!).

After placing our orders, the chef sent out an amuse of kumamoto oyster-gazpacho shooters ~ which W. and H. loved while I contemplated falling off the vegetarian wagon. Alas, with some hesitation I passed mine to W. to finish.

We started our brunch by splitting an order of their wild mushroom soup with chive cream, puff pastry and microgreens ($9). We asked for 3 spoons when we placed the order, but it was sent it out in 3 coffee cups--how lovely of the kitchen to do that! And the soup itself was pretty good too, having a light body and a pronounced woodsy-earth mushroom flavor, with the chive cream adding just extra notch of richness. For me, the puff pastry was nice but extraneous, though I'm usually not one to break crackers or dip bread into my soup to begin with (grilled cheese and tomato soup being the key exception!)

For our brunch entrees, I got their risotto with English peas, wild mushrooms, cauliflower and Parmigiano Reggiano* ($16) topped with pea tendrils that turned out heavenly, a divine melange of toothsome rice, creamy-cheesy sauce, woodsy shrooms and sweet vegetables. And I was definitely deceived by its seemingly small size, as this primi portion was more than enough to fill me up.

W. got the server's recommendation: crab cake benedict with bacon, wilted spinach and Maltaise sauce on a toasted croissant w greens on the side ($20.) I only got a few forkfuls of her salad (fresh, crisp and nicely dressed with a sweet vinaigrette) but W. and H. splitted this hearty sandwich and loved the combination of flavors, from the above-average crab cake with hearty lumps of meat, to the thick-sliced bacon, flaky croissant and the tender spinach binded with the runny poached egg and the buttery sauce. And despite their collective complaints of the many pounds this will slap onto the scale, there wasn't a bite left at the end of the meal!

H. got the apricot Panettone French toast with mixed berry compote, vanilla cream and Vermont maple syrup ($14): again, more filling than it looked--especially the three of us essentially split this as our brunch dessert. In contrast to the benedict, this French toast was surprisingly mild in a good way. It wasn't too heavy or greasy from the pan-frying, and the sauces had just a dab of sweetness; in fact, the sugar is almost a hindsight here, with the fragrant vanilla and juicy berry notes being pleasantly prominent. Again, there were more calorie-related groans, but hardly a crumb remained...

And as tempting as their dessert and post-meal drinks menu looked, we were beyond stuffed so we opted for more water and coffee. And after a satisfied sigh, we made our way onward to check out the rest of the Getty Center, from their vibrant, lush gardens and gorgeous permanent collection artwork to their special exhibits including Leonardo da Vinci's sculptural works and influences and an educational gallery of how a sculpture is cast in the foundry back in the days. Of course, we stopped by their food-related Tasteful Pictures exhibit, though the still life in that gallery paled in comparison to what we had just consumed.

And I can't wait for the next set of installations to come on display here, if only give myself a reason to swing back to the Restaurant to try their next round of seasonally-rotating dishes!

The Restaurant At The Getty Center
1200 Getty Center Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90049
(310) 440-6810



Full flickr set of our meal and Getty trip here.

*P.S.: Yes, Parmigiano-Reggiano is technically not a vegetarian-friendly cheese (being made with animal rennet) but I'm not that strict a vegetarian and gave myself carte blanche with dairy products, though I try to avoid animal rennet cheeses where possible (and it looks like I'm not the only vegetarian to cut myself some slack in this department)

No. 162: Old Vine Cafe (Costa Mesa)

After running a half-marathon in Laguna Hills, it's no big surprise that my stomach growled and roared like a king of the jungle. Since I haven't had many O.C. dining opportunities recently, it's good a time as any to check out what delectable goodies they've got on the vegetarian front.

At first, I planned to check out one of O.C. Register's favorite vegetarian eateries, but as usual, I had a quick change of heart and steered myself towards Old Vine Cafe, a comfy-casual, breezy indoor-outdoor restaurant in Costa Mesa's The Camp Site plaza. Having garnered mostly good reviews recently from numerous folks, it's been on my to-try list for some time. And being a Cal-Euro-Fusion bistro, I'm sure they'll have something tasty for (still) non-meat-eating me.

With an "Old Vine" in the name, it's hard to resist getting a glass of vino -- so I did. But instead of Zinfandel (the varietal most commonly associated with old vines) I opted for the Pinot Noir, which is easier to pair with lighter and veggie-based dishes. The one they have by glass is 2006 Frogmore Creek 42 Degree South ($12) from Tasmania. I was skeptical at first, since Australia is more well known for heavier reds of Cabernet Sauvignons, Merlots and, of course, Shiraz/Syrah -- but since Tasmania is an island to the South, the presumably cooler climate would make for a decent (and finicky) pinot noir--and it did. The wine was very straightforward, bursting with berry notes and a smidgen of black peppers and nutmeg, a light body, comparatively low acidity and a silky texture. Delightfully easy-to-drink and a great red for a lighter lunch.

Foodwise, I was intrigued by their veggie & quinoa jambalaya ($10), since jambalaya tends to entail a lot of meats. Upon its arrival, I was a bit taken aback, since I was expecting a saucy-stewy dish instead of a composed tower of spiced grains. Nonetheless, I love the flavor profile... with the sufficiently-fiery Cajun spices melding nicely with the quinoa's nuttiness and the assorted vegetables' earthy and leafy flavors. It made for an interesting pairing with the pinot noir, with the spices of each building upon each other while accentuating a puckery-cherry zing in the wine.

The "jambalaya" left me feeling satisfied, but not quite full, so I seized the opportunity to getting a sweet dish as well. After a few minutes of mental deliberation (caramel apple brioche french toast? Spanish crema catalana with cinnamon and citrus?) I opted for their mixed berry crepes with sweet artisanal ricotta cheese mousse ($11), which turned out to be a great meal finish. The soft, pillow blankets of crepe are filled with a light as a cloud mousse that's ever-so-daintly sweetened, serving as a wonderful backdrop to the ripe, flavorful whole berries and pureéd sauce. And I absolutely love that there were oodles of berries instead of a few token, chopped up pieces here and there.

Overall, the lunch left me happily full, surprisingly guilt-free and wonderfully relaxed (esp. by the serene setting of the plaza, whose shops and eateries caters to more eco-conscious, outdoors-adventurous shoppers,) I'm once again glad for my spontaneous dining nature and already looking forward to another trip (planned or impulsive) back here... that quattro formaggio panini (four cheeses, mushrooms, arugula and a pomodoro dip) has been calling my name like a siren of the sea!

Old Vine Cafe
2937 Bristol Street
Costa Mesa, CA 92626-7993
(714) 545-1411
Twitter

Recipe 21: Worldly Chili Sin Carne

With three and a half years of blogging under my (ever expanding) belt, I've seen pretty much all types of PR pitches and announcements. But it's not everyday the words "Kikko de Mayo" pop up in an e-mail. Intrigued, I clicked on and corresponded . . . and found out that Kikkoman folks are trying to tie-in to the festive Cinco de Mayo with recipes using their product, particularly their new Lime Ponzu sauce, for truly worldly fusion dishes by putting a Japanese spin on Mexican dishes.

And since they offered to host the cookoff (with a $25 giftcard, on top of some Kikkoman product samples -- including a half gallon jug of their lime ponzu!!) I took on the challenge of making a Kikko de Mayo recipe of my own.

I was still running strong in my vegetarian kick from Animal-Free April, so scoured the Web for some no-meat dishes to try. I contemplated the like of seitan tacos or tofu enchiladas, but decided that might be just too gnarly so I went for a dish that's more mainstream meatless to begin with: chili sin carne (literally, peppers without meat!) And while chili is more a Tex-Mex than a straight-up Mexican dish -- I figured if I'm going to be using ponzu for my recipe . . . I really don't think I need to be crossing my T's and dotting my I's for authenticity sakes.

With beans being a major protein source for vegetarians and vegans, there's no shortage of chili sin carne recipes out there, but ultimately I opted to use this one from About.com as a launching pad since it's pretty basic with lots of room for improvisation and spins -- and most of the cooking is done in a slow cooker so there's minimal fuss and cleanup.

And sure enough, the final result is something special, with a flavor profile of molé-meets-barbecue sauce -- earthy, tart, sweet, smoky and green. And best of all, satisfying without being heavy or greasy since minimal fat is used (and most of that can be easily skimmed off while it's simmering) so definitely a recipe I'll turn to time and again for big gatherings (great on top of fries and a sprinkling of cheese!) or a cooler, stay-at-home night with a hearty chunk of crumbly cornbread.

Worldly Chili Sin Carne (for six to eight servings)

Ingredients:

4 16-oz. canned beans* (I used one can each of Black, Pinto, Red Kidney and Great Northern; alternatively, the equivalent in dry beans, soaked overnight or quick-soaked, works too)
2 16-oz. canned diced tomatoes* (or approx. 8 medium fresh tomatoes, diced)
1 6-oz. canned tomato paste*
2 medium yellow/white onions, coarsely chopped
1 bell pepper, coarsely chopped into strips
8 oz. of white button mushrooms, sliced
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 cup vegetable broth*
3/4 cup brown ale (I used Mammoth's Double Nut Brown)
1/4 cup ponzu (of course, I used Kikkoman's Lime Ponzu)
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. ground ginger
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

*When buying canned veggies and broth, opt to get low-sodium or no-salt-added versions; not only is better for your sodium intake, it's also infinitely simpler to making something more salty than vice versa.

Directions:

1. Open the four cans of beans and drain them in a colander, giving them one or two rinses with cold water.
2. While the beans are draining, heat up a large skillet with the vegetable oil and sauté the onions for about three minutes (just when they start becoming translucent), then add mushrooms and peppers and sauté for another 2 minutes, and finally the garlic, and one more minute of sauté
3. Add the sautéed veggies into the slow cooker and pour the brown ale into the skillet for deglazing, using the spatula to help scrape up the caramelized bits of veggies. After a minute or two, pour the mixture into the slow cooker too.
4. Add the drained beans, canned tomatoes, tomato paste, ponzu and vegetable broth to the slow cooker, then top off with maple syrup, cocoa, cayenne, oregano, ginger, cinnamon and cumin.
5. Using a ladle or spatula, give it the mixture a quick-but-gentle stir and turnover to incorporate the ingredients.
6. Turn slow cooker on high for half an hour, afterwards, give it another stir to mix, then set the slow cooker on low and let it simmer for 6-8 hours (I did mine overnight.) This also gives you plenty of time to taste and tweak as needed.
7. Serve and enjoy (or store in fridge for approx. five days) -- on its own, the recipe is vegan, but I prefer adding a little bit of white cheddar for a gooey treat. And as my friends and I discovered last night, it's also muy excellente over In-N-Out's well-done fries.

And if chili sin carne is not necessarily your thing, here are some other easy-to-make omnivorous "Kikko de Mayo" recipes worth looking into.

Now, dare I attempt crafting a tequila cocktail with all that ponzu...?