Restaurant Week: Los Angeles

So much for that diet.
Dieting is a little like slow suicide, and dying depressed and hungry. Steady and systematic self-torture, to say it slightly more gingerly. And I know we've all been victim to the DIETMONSTER. I remember in the fourth grade, I thought myself fatter than the other girls and in the sixth, I begged my mother to let me try the new and improved herbal diet advertised in the magazines. One that eventually killed 2 women, might I add. I took this as a tell-tale sign that dieting was positively and preposterously evil.

All you ladies out there, you've heard this time and time again, but really, the key to healthiness and a healthy body is exercise, and, everything in moderation unless it's irresistibly delicious, then you should shove that baby in your mouth in mass quantities.

Now, what did I lose my diet to? Thanks to DineLA's Restaurant Week, a whole lot of damn good food. I had never heard of Restaurant Week prior to, well, the week it began, and I had only heard about it within g-mail passing. However, once my curiosity (and appetite) got the best of me, I learned that it was only the single most fantastic idea that had ever sprung up in the Los Angeles area. (That's saying a lot.)

"dineLA Restaurant Week is a two-week dining event established to introduce diners to the vast array of restaurants in neighborhoods throughout LA County. Local foodies and visitors to LA will have the opportunity to enjoy a selection of specially priced three-course meals from some of LA’s best restaurants during this dining event."

Prices ranged from $30 - $45 for award-winning restaurants and 3 course meals in fine dining establishments. You can imagine my unmanageable excitement upon this discovery. Following this, was a series of frenzied e-mails to Courtney and other food-aholics. Within the span of 2 weeks I managed to eat through The Dining Room (this was not part of Restaurant Week), Campanile, Craft Los Angeles, and XIV by Michael Mina.

While I would like to say that DineLA Restaurant Week was a success, my most pleasurable experiences were those that did not participate in restaurant week. At most, restaurant week only motivated us to make the reservations (which, I guess, is their ultimate goal), but it did not motivate us to order more, that's for sure.

The Dining Room at the Langham Hotel, Pasadena
Executive Chef: Michael Voltaggio (a.k.a. Top Chef Season 6 winner)
The only hotel restaurant in Los Angeles to garner a Michelin star.

I had my reservations (ha. pun) about The Dining Room when I first read about it. I did not know what to expect and frankly, did not expect much.
But little did I know that fateful Friday night, that I would be dining at one of the most heartwrenchingly delicious places this side of the western hemisphere.
I mean, simply put, I loved it.
The decor was a little shabby, and it was peculiar how eerily empty the hotel was, but the food was excellent, and that's all that really matters.
That, & the service was superb as well.

It is important to always inspect the bathrooms. Towel vs. Paper towel will distinguish class from trash.

amuse-bouche: Asian pear, caviar, and bleu cheese foam
Texturally rich with an interesting flavor profile.

Appetizer: Langoustine
Young fennel, porcini mushroom lasagna

I adore langoustines and their delicate sweetness. The sauce of this dish was marvelous. My only problem with it was that I would have preferred it a little hotter (temperature-wise, not spice-wise)

Appetizer 2: Fois Gras
Apple, saffron, marcona almond, aerated brioche

If you took the clouds of the heavens and combined it with a big dollop of AMAZING, you would get fois gras. The waiter recommended the turnip soup appetizer over this one, which also contained fois, but slightly caramelized. I think in this instance, I should have followed his advice, because I felt as though there was a little too much on this plate in proportion to the brioche, which was moist and a perfect compliment. The fois gras became overpowering and too rich -- even though it was beautiful, I would have either preferred a relief from the creamy texture or else a little more brioche to compliment it.
Also, I think Michael has some obsession with linear presentation. I think he could have done something a lot more creative with these components.

Mediterranean Sea Bass
Mussels billi-bi, Fennel, Quinoa

Um. Let me just wipe the prolific drool off of my face. This dish was perfection. No, I mean pure perfection. Jesus Christ himself probably ate this at the last supper. Screw the bread and wine. It was the Sea bass.
The fish was showcased incredibly with it's crisp skin. The toasted quinoa and the vegetables were flavorful and delightful to eat, I was licking the plate when all was said and done.

Fools Gold
Chocolate, salty hazelnut praline, milk sorbet

The dessert would have been just as successful if the portion was cut in half and replaced by more of the milk sorbet, which was the best part, for me.

Not pictured here: Chamomile ice cream. Yum.
Chocolate "surprise" sucettes, lemongrass macarons, and passionfruit candies with ricepaper wrapping

Wine: 2008 Beaujolais Jean-Paul Brun Chardonnay

Mr. Voltaggio really delivered.
Bravo.
Keep surprising us.


Campanile
Disappointing, uninspired, and mediocre.
I will probably never return here.

Craft Los Angeles
Chef/Owner: Tom Colicchio
Chef de Cuisine: Anthony Zappola

After having dined at CraftSteak in Las Vegas, the bar was set high for its' preceding counterpart, Craft LA. Courtney had been gushing over this restaurant for months and unfortunately, the dineLA fixed menu did not live up to Crafts' original standards.
While I had enjoyed my meal due to the vast improvement after the horrid unmentionable experience at Campanile, Courtney had known more and in turn, missed more.

Restaurants in odd locations always confuse me. Corporate plaza?

House-made charcuterie, baby lettuce (pecorino & hazelnuts), & smoked salmon with fennel
Fois gras was, of course, excellent. It was layered with a paté. The smoked salmon & fennel was greased in olive oil, the baby lettuce was hard to eat, and the charcuterie was, mm... okay.

Hawaiian Blue Prawns

Torpedo Onion & Anson Mills Grits

Prawns were overcooked slightly. Grits were. . . well, I don't really enjoy grits, but the onion was sweet and roasted to perfection. The side of roasted vegetables was actually the best.

Niman Ranch Pork Shoulder
Molasses & La Ratte Potato Salad

Huckleberry crisp with Mexican vanilla ice cream & a chocolate torte.

The Mexican vanilla (vanilla three-ways) ice cream was fantastic.

A complimentary banana-nut muffin.

Wine: Kenneth Volk Santa Maria Cuvée 2006 Pinot Noir



XIV A Michael Mina Restaurant
Chef/Owner: Michael Mina
Chef de Cuisine: Steven Fretz

Wa-freakin'OW.
Décor, secret doors, elegant seating, mind-blowingly fabulous food. . .
in the heart of L.A. on Sunset Blvd,
I not only had a blast in my mouth, but this restaurant was just enjoyable to eat at.
The social elite of Los Angeles and wonderful food collide here.

Exterior.

Naan bread. Touch of sweetness.

Interior.

We decided to skip out on the boring 3 course menu of dineLA (due to previous experiences) and opted for the 8 course tasting menu for just 20 dollars more. Best decision we ever made.
I have a theory that tasting menus were just made for me.
Miniature versions of large things?
Sampling a bit of everything?
Yes, please.

Ahi Tuna Tartare
Ancho chile, pears, mint, pine nuts, sesame oil.

I could see why this was a starter, however it was not my favorite. There was not enough flavor and certainly no "wow" factor.

Lobster with pomegranate fricassee

This was my favorite, I believe. Unfortunately it's not listed in their online menu and I can't for the life of me remember what exactly was in it.

Beef Shabu Shabu
Matsutake mushroom dashi, fois gras, radish, carrot, and cilantro

Striped Bass
artichoke, la ratté potatoes, black truffle, amaretto onions

I would order this dish again in a millisecond. The elements of the dish worked together so beautifully that they almost recounted a sort of narrative. I know it's a strange element to point out, but that roasted onion was superb.

Kobe Burger
French fries, farmhouse cheddar, "secret sauce"

Secret sauce scares me. Fries are crisp and indulgent. Burger was, well, repulsive to me, 1 or 2 bites did me in, if not simply out of unfamiliarity. But if I was a meat eater, I think it would have been delicious.

Heirloom Beets
Burrata, Wild Arugala, Aged Balsamic, Olive Oil

So simple, but so delicious.
The mini morsels of sea salt, especially.

Chocolate Crumble
Pear sorbet, caramel, chocolate

Pear sorbet.....PEAR SORBET.

That's it for this edition. Now to recharge my ever slimming wallet and repress that ever-burgeoning belly. I feel as though my ideal career would be a food critic. You have the privilege of dining at fine establishments with respect and best of all upheld powerful fear, and secondly, probably most enviably, get to b*tch at peoples' edible works of art with impunity -- because that's your job.

I'll work on it.