The Weekend in Food
Monday, November 12, 2007
We ate this weekend. A lot. (Possibly because we'll now be eating PB & J alternating with ramen noodles until this strike is over...but we'll discuss that later.) My father looked at me at dinner at A.O.C last night and said "You keep saying there aren't good restaurants in LA but if that's the case, then how are we eating so well?"
Let me clarify. There are some great restaurants in Los Angeles. I'm just a spoiled New York foodie. I'm used to having a choice of 10 restaurants in different price ranges all within a one block radius. But whatever - you know why I miss NYC and my restaurants there...for now, let's discuss the terrific meals I had this weekend.
Friday night- 7:30 reservation at Osteria Mozza
This is Mario Batali's newest addition to the LA restaurant scene and it might be the best restaurant I've eaten at in Los Angeles. It was divine. The main dining room is definitely on the noisy side but there's great energy and a FANTASTIC bar. We sat in much smaller and intimate back room - it's significantly quieter which is nice when you're looking to have conversation. The waitress was adorable and oh, so helpful. There are definitely items on the menu that needed deciphering and she was patient and helpful as I bombarded her with questions, all the while butchering my Italian.
We started with the grilled octopus, the little gem salad, and two selections from the mozzarella bar - one was burrata with caramelized onions and bacon and the other was burricota with artichokes and mint pesto. Every single item was better than the next. The octopus was unbelievable - I'm not always a fan but it was perfectly tender and grilled just right.
We decided to have four pasta dishes and share. We ordered a butternut squash stuffed something (this is why I'm not a food critic - I can't remember the name of every pasta...but I know it wasn't ravioli) with hazelnuts in a brown butter sauce of sorts which was richly delectable. There was a ricotta and egg ravioli - a single, huge ravioli sitting in perfectly browned butter and sage and when you cracked into the ravioli, the egg oozed beautifully from the center. Divine. The table favorite was the spaghetti with sweet tomatoes and garlic breadcrumbs. The tomato sauce was so sweet and unusual and of course, the spaghetti was perfectly al dente. Lastly, we had the Garganelli w/ ragu bolognese - a proper chunky bolognese with the perfect amount of tomato.
My mother looked at me like I had ten heads when I said I was ordering dessert...but with a meal like that, most foodies would look at me with ten heads if I skipped dessert. We sadly only ordered one - the rosemary cakes with the olive oil ice cream and my dream of a dessert - the perfect blend of salty sweet.
The wine list is fantastic and extensive. We opted for quartinos (250 ml servings) rather than bottles so that we could taste different things. My father had the lighter Dolcetta and I started with a glass of Prosecco and then went for the Aglianico - a wine I'd never tried before with a lovely medium body and a rich nose.
It was a phenomenal dining experience and shockingly, one that was not outrageously priced...I can't wait to go back to try more.
Saturday evening we went more casual at Blair's in Silverlake. This was my second outing to Blair's and while the food was just as delicious the second time, I felt we were a little rushed and the waitstaff was a little frazzled. I've been told before that for some, the biggest dining discrepancy from coast to coast is the waitstaff and I have to say that our experience at Blair's backed that up. I'll chock it up to a bad night though...
The food was phenomenal both times I was there. It's a terrific new American menu that uses seasonal items. Don't miss the chopped and caesar salads or the truffled mac and cheese. And I never order chicken when I'm out to dinner, but this organic chicken is fantastic. Everything we had was delicious and they have an incredibly extensive list of beers on tap and by the bottle...I would absolutely return.
Brunch on Sunday was at Campanile. Believe it or not, this was my first foray into this fantastic restaurant in my three years in LA. I walked in and immediately felt at home. Most brunches in LA are infused with long waits and hipsters dressed down on purpose with perfectly places bra-straps hanging out and labored over bed head. Not Campanile. Campanile is classy AND delicious. I had tastes of the following:
- a pastry basked that included an apple turnover that could almost rival my grandmother's apple pie. Almost.
- eggs in a hole in rustic olive bread with potatoes and extra crispy (which we asked for and they executed perfectly) applewood smoked bacon.
- scrambled eggs (the way they do them at Pastis which are my favorite scrambled eggs in all of Manhattan) with buttered french baguette toast and creamed spinach
- sourdough french toast with real maple syrup.
Laaaaaaaastly - Sunday night was AOC. I haven't been in ages and it was just as good as I remembered. Obviously I like to "taste" and this is the perfect place to do just that. We had 2 incredible wines courtesy of their carafes which are less than a bottle but more than a glass - a Pinot Noir/Syray blend and a straight up Syrah. We started with parmesan stuffed bacon wrapped dates and a cheese plate. I like AOC's cheese plate but after BLD's, it's a little disappointing sans accoutrement like the incredible breads and fruit pastes. We had a beet salad with fried chick peas and feta that was outrageous. And I don't like smoked trout but the rest at the table agreed that it was fabulous. The arroz negro with squid was a disappointment - it was insanely fishy and the explanation was that it was made with fish stock but I can't imagine anyone enjoying a flavor that fishy. That said, the waiter was lovely and gracious and promptly removed it from both the table and the bill. The skirt steak with roquefort butter was just that...like buttah. My favorite dish of the evening. We also ordered brussel sprouts in balsamic and pancetta and chanterelles with ricotta gnocchi. Both were good, but not fantastic. We had also ordered a braised chicken with calvados and apples but about 15 minutes after our last dishes had been cleared it still wasn't at the table and we were STUFFED. I'm sure there was some mistake - we asked them to cancel it and while I'm sure it was being made, they did without question.
As an aside - we were told to order 10 plates for 4 of us...and since we only ordered 9 and sent 2 back virtually untouched, I can tell you that this was WAY excessive. They tell you to order everything at once but I'd opt for less is more and ordering more if you're still hungry. Just my two cents. I like AOC alot - but I have to say, I don't loooooooove it. I always have a couple outstanding things - and the rest are just good. I'll go back because I like the vibe and the wine and the cheese. But it's not at the top of my list. I much prefer Suzanne Goin's other restaurant, Lucques. We'll go there next time parents are here.
Obviously I'm stuffed and will be eating kale for the next week.
Osteria Mozza, 641 North Highland Avenue, 323-297-0101 www.mozza-la.com
Blair's, 2903 Rowena Avenue, 323-660-1882, www.blairsrestaurant.com
Campanile, 624 South La Brea, 323-938-2447, www.campanilerestaurant.com
AOC, 8022 West 3rd Street, 323-653-6359, www.aocwinebar.com
Posted byMeesh-elle my Belle at 4:22 PM
Labels: food and drink
