The Tasting Kitchen

I was doing SO well and totally getting caught up on my blogging and THEN...I moved into a black frickin' hole for a solid 2 weeks.  Some people say it's totally refreshing to be off the grid for a while.  Those people are not just crazy, they are CUR-RAZY!  I burned through my month's data plan in 4 days because all I had was my phone tethering me to the REAL world.  But not to worry dear readers, just because I lived in an internet dead zone doesn't mean I my appetite died off too.  I have the food baby to prove it!

Dinner with the Bear crew is turning out to be great fun these days.  We're all slowing making that transition from overworked and underfed to underworked and overfed.  Buff Bear, Panda Bear, and Luau Bear are soon approaching the end to their terms of indentured servitude.  They will soon join the ranks of Farm Bear, Little Bear, and myself as gainfully employed citizens who get raped in taxes every year by good old Uncle Sam.  Welcome to adulthood!  I recommend easing the sting of reality with a tall glass of wine and new and delicious foods.

Gnocco Fritto salumi, burrata

I recently had a version of fried dough + cheese + cured meats at The Factory Kitchen.  I guess this was a do-it-yourself version.  I liked that the dough wasn't sweet, like it was at The Factory Kitchen.  It was fun to have the meat and cheese this way, but honestly some crusty chewy bread is always a great option too.

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Jöel Robuchon

A new era in my life has started.  I no longer look forward to the wild partying, excessive drinking, and artery clogging buffet eating in Vegas.  Now when I think about Vegas, I get excited by the thought of eating something fancy and delicious.  Welcome to old age, right?  So the real reason behind my summer Vegas trip, aside from enjoying the company of my wonderful friends The Pouter, Teety, and Soprano Man, who shall now be renamed Yums (because that's what he always says when he eats something tasty), was to finally eat at the world famous Jöel Robuchon.  We planned our trip around this very meal.  Yums was such a good sport because he actually ate there a few weeks ago, but knew all of us wanted to go there so just shelled out another $$$$ to eat there again with us.  We love you Yums!  Jöel Robuchon is actually the only 3 star Michelin restaurant in the Los Angeles area.  However, the Michelin guide has not revisited Los Angeles since 2009 so how relevant are those 3 stars now 5 years later?

Bread Cart
The French people love their bread.  While a selection like this is almost like an adult version of a "kid in a candy store," I would opt for fewer breads that are warm.  Nothing beats warm bread.

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Bistrot L'Ancienne Auberge 1900

After some heavy hitting (stomach and wallet wise), meals in France, it was nice to have something casual.  It seems like every country has their special prized chickens.  Jidori chickens of Japan, and Bresse chickens of France, or "poulet de Bresse."  The high quality reputation of "poulet de Bresse" has been longstanding, maybe as far back as 1800s.  A chicken can only earn the labeling of "poulet de Bresse" if it is from the Bresse breed of chickens and if it has been bred in the Bresse region of eastern France.  "Poulet de Bresse" is actually an AOC designation, similar to how a Bordeux wine can only be called Bordeux if it meets certain quality measures.  Lucky for us, Vonnas, was sort of on the way back from the south of France back to Paris.





Crème Brûlée de Foie Gras
We had really great whether on our vacation.  The sun was shining, but it was RAINING foie gras.  I loved the salty sweetness here.  It tasted desserty but it had a familiar and savory essence.  Yums!

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Paul Bocuse, L'Auberge du Pont de Collognes

There are certain names in the food world that set off bells in one's head, James Beard, Julia Child.  Some names are certainly more main stream than others.  Paul Bocuse is probably a bit less mainstream.  He's no Wolfgang Puck, who has his name on frozen pizza boxes and his mug on iced coffee drinks.  I first heard the name in relation to the international cooking contest, Bocuse d'Or, a competition akin to the Olympics for the culinary world.  But I eventually learned that Paul Bocuse is a famous and legendary French chef with a long list of culinary achievements.  I don't want to bore you with his resume, but for the purposes of this entry, he is the mastermind behind this 3 star Michelin restaurant in Lyon, France.  Anthony Bourdain called Paul Bocuse "the great chef, a public figure, a hero, an institution."  Dining with Paul Bocuse at his own restaurant was "the meal of [his] lifetime."  I, of course, watched that episode of No Reservations, so I was totally excited to be eating here.

There is only one word to describe the food and the restaurant.  Classic and old school.  The food here is prepared and served the same way it has been for decades.  Many chefs, who have gone on to run their own celebrated kitchens, have spent time in Bocuse's kitchen.  The restaurant is bright, colorful, and bordering on gaudy.  It harks back to an era in time when gold equated to opulence.  Everything just seemed to shine.  You have your choice of menus: grand traditional (6 courses, 250€), bourgeois (5 courses, 210€), traditional (4 courses, 160€).  Keep in mind these are not tasting menus, but rather multi course dinners.  The portions are quite large and we were all overwhelming stuffed at the end.  

Potato Leek Soup

Celery Cream with Shrimp

Roquefort with Apple Gelee

The amuse bouche trio was a delightful little start to the evening.  It always seems you can never go wrong with a small bite of anything.

Lobster Bisque

Very likely the best lobster bisque I have tasted.  Seriously the French make everything taste magical when cream is added to anything.

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Lèon de Bruxelles

Moule-frites is a very simple and classic Belgian dish that's popular throughout France.  In fact, Leon de Bruxelles is actually a large chain restaurant in France.  Your thinking, "Overworked Underfed, how could you dine at a chain restaurant??"  Dear readers, some chain restaurants are awesome!  First off, everything at Lèon de Bruxelles is fresh, never frozen and always made to order.  That is saying a lot for affordable seafood.  Their menu is quite extensive.  Who knew you could make mussels so many different way.

La Plancha de Moules aux Gambas et Calamars des moules, des gambas sauvages, des anneaux de calamar, de la tomate, de l'ail, des herbes de provence

Being grilled as opposed to steamed made the flavors much more concentrated and punchy. One might criticize this as being salty but I liked it. The calamari was extremely tender, while the shrimp was sweet and juicy. They don't lie about the freshness here. 

Les Moules à la Provençale la tomate, l'ail, les herbes de provence, les olives noires, l'huile d'olive, vin blanc, crème fraîche

I opted for this version because I love tomatoes and herbs de Provence. The crème fraîche actually did not overwhelm the dish with creaminess. It was just right.

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Auberge Etchegorry

Etchegorry is quaint little local restaurant specializing in Basque cuisine.  Mama H.o.P's Parisian friend, who I guess I'll call Parisian Friend, has been a patron of this restaurant for years and years and she had nothing but high praise for this place.  The restaurant itself felt pretty homey, no frills.  I can't say our welcome was as warm.  I think we sat at our table for a good 10 minutes before anybody decided to give us menus or drinks.  It's not like the place was busy.  We were the first ones to show up for our reservations.  Slowly the restaurant become packed.  Parisian Friend says it is always like that, and you have to have a reservation or it's a no go.

Terrine de Foie Gras Parfumée au Jurançon toast de pain au mais maison

This is probably the cleanest tasting foie gras I've had.  It's not that I mind the livery-ness of foie, but the smooth buttery light offal taste to this very notable.  Jurançon is a type of wine which lightly scented the foie adding to delicate fragrance.  And of course, they never serve enough house toast to eat with with foie.  Why is it like that everywhere??

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Michel Rostang

I had a whole list of restaurants I wanted to try while in Paris.  I tend to lean toward the new and contemporary.  But while in Paris, Mama H.o.P. and I were the guests of her Parisian friend who had her own restaurant recommendations.  Who am I to tell a Parisian where to eat in her own city?  So I basically tossed my list out the window and just came along for the ride.  It seems like Michel Rostang is one of those restaurants that have been around for awhile.  It has 2 Michelin stars, and lucky for us they had a tasting menu for 175 euros, inconclusive of tax and wine.  In France, you are not required to tip.  That's kind of a bargain when you think how wine pairings can run as much as the price of your meal.  

Amuse Bouche

foam pigeon, beet, parmesan chip

smoked white fish, goat cheese, macaron

wasabi, peas

It was a nice start with this little trio of bites.  My favorite was the peas and wasabi.  A smooth delicate vegetal sweet with a little bit of kick.  I think the smoked white fish was a bit strong on its own, and the goat cheese just took it over the top.

Roasted Baby Squid mango, galangal

The flavors here were surprising.  I pegged Rostang as a classically French, but the wasabi from the prior dish and galangal here really brought the East to the West.

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Per Se

Dining at The French Laundry has always been a dream of mine.  I know that sounds so cheesy and melodramatic, but these are the fantasies of food people.   Unfortunately, reservations are DAMN hard to nab.  So even though I live a heck of a lot closer to The French Laundry, I had to trek cross country to have my first Thomas Keller dining experience at Per Se.

We had amazing seats that looked out onto Columbus Circle and the southern edge of Central Park.  Too bad it was on the gloomy side.  Don't be fooled, gray does NOT equal cold like it does in Portland.  It was hot and muggy, but still a great view.  I'm a city girl, and this is the kinda view that takes my breath away.  I think The Pouter and her 2 fellow New Yorker foodie friends were equally impressed.

Amuse Bouche gruyère gougères
Our meal started off with the famous gougères, which I have seen many times in pictures.  They were A LOT smaller than I had imagined or even had before at other restaurants.  Usually, they have been the size of a cream puff, but these were the size of a large marble.  They were still pretty darn good, but I wanted more!

Amuse Bouche salmon coronets
Deliciously smoked salmon served like a mini ice cream cone.  Cute and tastey.

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Le Pigeon

So Dumpling Man and I have tried almost all the big name fancy restaurants in Portland, but there was just one left, Le Pigeon.  I can't say I had high expectations because it's more casual sister restaurant, Little Bird, was just ok and Dumpling Man had already tried Le Pigeon and was not impressed.  However, the executive chef/owner, Gabriel Rucker was awarded the 2011 James Beard Rising Star Chef award for his work at Le Pigeon so that's saying something.

Despite being on their "I'm a Skinny Bitch" diet, Zhu Zhu Hamster and Little Pet happily joined us here for another birthday celebration dinner in my honor.  They stayed true to their diet and only ordered 1 appetizer and 1 entree TO SHARE.  I felt like a fat ass for just 2 seconds when I ordered my appetizer and entree and eagerly approved of Dumpling Man's 2 choices too.

Pigeon fava beans, spicy garlic, pecorino broth
Our dining companions seemed to enjoy this.

Beets mache, feta, peppers
Dumpling Man cannot help himself when it comes to beets.  He just has to have them, no questions asked.

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Cocotte

Portland is replete with food just like what I'm about to show you: farm to table, seasonal, made to order, small batches, comforting, simple.  Cocotte takes that and just puts a French spin on it all.  Zhu Zhu Hamster and Little Pet, who are becoming quite our favorite duo to hang out with, joined us to try out some delicious French delights.

Roasted Beets pistou, blue cheese, pea shoots, honey mustard vinaigrette

More beets!  This was better than the version at Drago Centro.  Maybe the French do it better than the Italians??  It just tasted fresher, crisper, sweeter?

Chicken Liver Mouse house pickles, whole grain mustard, port plumped cherries, baguette
I love me a big hunk of animal liver.  Classical accoutrements with the mustard, baguette, pickled veggies, and some fruity bits with the cherries.  I could have used some more baguette slices.

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Noisette

After only a short time in Portland, I feel like I've eaten at most of the big name restaurants, Beast, Andina, Paley's Place, etc.  With Valentine's Day approaching, I was worried there wasn't going to be a restaurant special or fancy enough to truly celebrate the occasion.  Dumpling Man and I don't like to repeat restaurants.  We always like new stuff, new house, new furniture, new food.  It's amazing we haven't ditched each other for new significant others.  My first choice, Le Pigeon, was all booked up.  So I went with Noisette which is a relatively new restaurant in the Portland dining scene.  It's only been open for 2 years or so and only has about 7 reviews on Yelp.  So it was definitely a gamble, but their menu looked appetizing and after my good luck with Blue Hour, I was hopeful.

It's not a great way to start off your Valentine's day being 45 minutes late, so you can't blame me for being a bit miffed when Dumpling Man asked if we could move the reservation back a bit since he was "overworked" and running late.  Fortunately, the restaurant was totally accommodating.  I can see why, because as a restaurant with only 30-40 seats, we were really part of the last seating.  So it really made no difference if we showed up at 7:45 or 8:30pm.  Once the food starting rolling in, my unhappiness quickly evaporated.  I don't think Dumpling Man could be any luckier being with someone who's mood can be so easily brightened just with good food.


For Valentine's Day, Noisette was offering a special 8 course pre fixe menu for the whopping price of $125!  Uh, yeah that's what I said, but the life we live before we have kids is too short, so better live it to the fullest before it's overrun with drooling screaming rug rats.  I'm gonna be an auntie soon, and a great one to boot, can't you tell?!  


Housemade Brioche
These were quite dry and disappointing.  Not a good start.

Shigoku Oyster sautéed sweet pea tendrils, warm lobster creme
It's rare to have cooked oysters, but these were quite delicate and still maintained the sweet brine you get when it's raw.  The lobster creme was a bit salty but it packed a ton of lobster flavor, which was wonderful.  I soaked up the creme with the dry brioche and I loved it.

Dungeness Crab avocado salad, shallots, assorted radishes, frisee, citrus vinaigrette, extra virgin olive oil
This was a wonderful next starter.  Every element was bright and refreshing.  The radishes were crunchy.  The avocado was smooth and buttery.  The crab was light but meaty.  It was all so simple but delicious.

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Papa Haydn

Papa Haydn is a restaurant that falls on the many different lists of "Top Portland Restaurants."  It's probably misleading because the food really isn't all that good.  I think the "must-try" eats at this restaurants is the desserts, which unfortunately isn't all that good either, unless you like cake.  I have a sweet tooth, but when it comes to cake, you'll get a *shrug* and an "eh" out of me.  I'll eat it, I'll probably enjoy it, but it's not something I usually seek out.


French Onion Soup herbed cruton cap, gratinee of asiago, parmesan, gruyere cheeses
I needed something hot and warm on this blustery gloomy Portland afternoon.  I've never really had an onion soup that I loved, but I went for it anyways.  The soup itself was pretty light despite all the caramelized onions.  The cheesy crouton baked on top wasn't too overwhelming.  Sadly, my soup was kind of lukewarm and somehow didn't all come together.

Croque Monsieur Black forest ham, imported Gruyere cheese and mustard-mayonnaise grilled on Parmesan coated bread, cucumber salad
Our waiter recommended this as one of their signature and most popular dishes.  It was just as described, a cheesy crispy mess of salty ham and cheese.  The bread was a bit too crispy.  The cucumber salad was in need of dressing.  Overall, I wasn't too impressed.

Chicken Sandwich poached breast, cherry preserves, smoked mozzarella, crispy Walla Walla 
onions, arugula, bacon aioli, rustic bun
Leave it to Dumpling Man to order something so ordinary as a chicken sandwich.  When asked how his sandwich was, he just shrugged.  Enough said.

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Little Bird

It's always nice to already have some friends when you move to a new city.  Big Spoon and The Gunner are just a few of my fellow Portlandians.  We kicked off my first weekend in the new city at Little Bird, a relatively new French restaurant in Portland.  Ordering wine turned out to be a huge ordeal after the waiter, out of obligation, halfheartedly asked if we were above 21.  Of course we all said yes, but The Gunner and Dumpling Man had to make some jokes which resulted in the waiter actually carding us.  Dumpling Man being the genius he is did not bring his wallet that night.  So after some crafty use of the internet with multiple iPhones, he was able to prove that he was in fact who he said he was, and as old as he said he was.  The manager for the evening had to approve such non traditional identification before we were served.  I can't even remember if the wine was worth all that.


Oysters daily selection
 I've really grown to appreciate the taste of these briny little fellas.  I used to think these tasted like one big fishy gulp of the ocean, but now I taste salinity tempered by fleshy sweetness.  A squeeze of lemon seems to cut any fishiness while adding another dimension of brightness to an already fresh bite.

Roasted Bone Marrow black olive & citrus tapenade
I think Cut ruined bone marrow for me.  Everywhere I go, the bone marrow simply cannot compare.  The bone marrow here was good, but not the best.  I'm not a huge fan of olive tapenade, but they made good use of it here to jazz up the fattiness of the bone marrow.  My other complaint, which applies to most bone marrow dishes, is that they never give you enough of the toasted baguette.  They expect you to consume ALL that fat with just 3 measly slices of bread.

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Fraiche

There's been a lot of buzz about Fraiche and its new chef Ben Bailey.  Despite the 3 star ratings on Yelp, I had it on my list of to-try places even before Ben Bailey arrived because I really enjoyed their offering at Taste of Beverly Hills.  Plus, Wontuan gave it his seal of approval.  So with their new chef acquisition and all the blogger buzz, I just had to give it a try.  Smooth Obturator and Triple T didn't have much expectations going in, so were pleasantly surprised by the solid eats.

Brussel Sprouts chorizo, manchego, dates, almonds, piquillo
Although brussel sprouts can do no wrong these days, I was underwhelmed by this salad.  Smooth Obturator kept insisting the salad was good if you ate all the components together.  Try as I may, I just didn't see the harmony in all the ingredients.  I craved a bit more dressing to just bring it all together.  I'll give the dish props for using an ingredient not usual thought of in salads!


Baby Beets house made ricotta, orange, pistachio
Triple T seemed to like her dish of beets.  I'm always a bit put off when beets are not red, but yellow or orange.  They're just not as "wow" because sometimes, like in this case, they look like sad apricots or orange slices.  They tasted fine, slight sweet with meaty texture.  Eaten with the ricotta and arrugula made for some flavorful bites.

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Paley's Place

My tour of Portland's fine dining establishments continues with Paley's Place.  It is owned by executive chef Vitaly Paley, who was awarded the 2005 James Beard Award for Best Chef Northwest.  It's located in a Victorian style house in the Northwest area of Portland.  Reviews on Yelp complained about the place being small and cramped.  I imagined the place would be quaint and full of "character." Surprisingly, it turned out to be quiet modern and decently spacious inside.

I was peeved that we had to wait an extra 30 minutes for your reservation.  Finally they gave us teeny tiny glasses of some special apple cider to sip on.  Seriously, it didn't taste any different than Treetop Apple Juice with some bubbles, but appreciated their effort to quell my brewing annoyance.

Amuse Bouche tuna salad
I was not so impressed with this little bite.  It was a bit on the fishy side using cooked tuna.  The addition of eggs and olives didn't make the bite any better.


Chilled Oysters on the Half Shell Hog Island (WA), Blue Pool (WA), Hamma Hamma (WA)
In choosing appetizers, Paley's Place has a selection of house made charcuterie and some French classics like steamed mussels, beef tartare, escargots, etc.  While I would have loved to try some of the charcuterie and mussels, I decided to step outside my comfort zone and stray away from all my usual favorites.  I'm pretty sure there would be no surprises to those usual staples.  So instead, I went with the oysters, which I really enjoyed.  Salty, sweet, briny, bright, with just a touch of lemon juice and we had us some good bites.

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Beast

Beast is a unique dining experience.  It is a restaurant composed of a staff of 5 (2 chefs, 2 servers, 1 busboy) and 2 communal tables (20-30 seats) with a large open air kitchen.  Dinner service is only offered Wednesday through Sunday with two seatings at 6:00pm and 8:45pm.  Brunch is offered only on Sundays at 10am or 12pm.

Being one of Portland's fine dining establishments, it has garnered a reputation for simply and perfectly executed food in an intimate dining experience.  The 6 course menu changes weekly depending on the availability of local seasonal ingredients.



Cream of Celery Soup meyer lemon salsa verde
I am usually not a fan of celery.  I mean I like it in stuffing and chicken salad, but as a soup?  I was really impressed with the simplicity and smooth texture of the soup.  The best part was the meyer lemon salsa verde which added some nice unexpected acidity that rounded out the creamy sweetness of the soup.  There were also some deep friend celery leaves I think? which brought a crispy earthiness.  Very well done.

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Veritable Quandry

When it comes to the food in Portland, I will have to admit, I do have a case of food "beer goggles."  I'm a little more generous on my compliments and generally hold food in a Portland to a lower standard than to food in LA.  Why that is the case? I'm not quite sure. I think I just want Portland to be a better foodie town than it already is.  I want tall, dark and handsome, when what I really have is stocky, bald and average.  Just kidding.  That is a terrible exaggeration of the truth.  Portland is your simple and interestingly attractive boy next door. 

Veritable Quandry is probably my best meal to date in Portland.  Portions were more than generous.  Flavors and execution were spot on.  There were no surprises, no tricks.  I'm beginning to understand and appreciate the Portland style.

House Made Rabbit Pate with Toasted Brioche prune vinaigrette, two mustards, house pickled cranberries
I'm definitely eating a lot more charcuterie than I ever have before.  Maybe that's because I'm eating more French inspired cuisine than I ever have before.  When in LA, it's hard not to gravitate toward Asian food.  In any case, I do LOVE my charcuterie.  I grew up eating that stuff.  "What Asian kid grows up eating that stuff," says Dumpling Man.  These things remind me of the family vacations we took in Europe.  We'd stop by the local charcuterie, pick up a baguette, varying cuts of meat and spreads and hit the road.  My mom with her trusty swiss army knife, which was equally good for cutting fruit as it was for slicing baguettes and spreading pate, would hand out delicious, yet simple sandwiches.  It made a terrible mess in the car, but heck, it was a rental!  The only true Euro part missing was the cheese, but in the end, we're all still Asian, so that means no cheese for us.  Nowadays, I can't help but feel guilty spreading a chunk of pate on a little cracker, but I do LOVE the taste of that salty, fatty, mildly livery delicacy.

Sorry for the digression.  Here the house made rabbit pate had such a strong smokiness of bacon.  I thought it was a bit too overwhelming.  However, taken all together with the differing mustards (dijon and whole grain), pickled sweet cranberries, and tangy cornichons, made for a delicious and sophisticated appetizer.


Poached Egg, Smoked Bacon & Butter Lettuce on Crispy Cornbread pickled onion, buttermilk, chives, white cheddar dressing
Dumpling Man is beginning to really like poached eggs, or really anything with a runny egg yolk.  I like it, but I don't like it.  I love the added richness, but I sort of detest that egg yolk taste.   Sometimes it just works for me, and sometimes it doesn't.  Here, the yolk was not too eggy.  The salad, overall, was too rich.  I like my salads to be more refreshing, but from the yolk, to the bacon, to the cornbread, this was, no doubt, a hearty salad.  The occasional pickled onion managed to cut through some of the richness.  Nonetheless, I'd give the salad 1 1/2 thumbs up.

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Patina

What is a "shill"?  Wikipedia describes a shill as a "person who is paid to help another person or organization to sell goods or services. The shill pretends to have no association with the seller/group and gives onlookers the impression that he or she is an enthusiastic independent customer."   King Arthur (not the fabled one from the stories and movies) may be considered the king of shills with his support of many a pharmaceutical company or two.   Lucky for me, I have fallen into the good graces of His Majesty.  And when a king looks favorably upon you, you reap the rewards of his bounty.  Bounty, of course, being fine dining with free flowing libations.

Melisse was just the start of it all, with Patina being the continuation of what I hope to be a fruitful foodie harvest this year.  I dined with King Arthur and his loyal subjects, Wontuan, The Communist, Soprano Man, Tofu, and a smattering of the king's groupies from The View (not the morning television show).  

The wine was divine...

...the cocktails, ambrosial.

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Melisse

I have a special treat for all my dedicated readers!  Today's entry has been written by my foodie friend, WonTuan.   Unlike my guest writer, I'll keep it BRIEF, and let him explain the why's, who's, and what's.

****************************************************************************

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Church & State

Church & State had been on my "to try" list for some time, but after the change in chef's I heard the food was not as mind blowingly good.  In addition to that, RCM and Triple T went there and said it was just OK.  So Church & State got bumped down on the list. 

My friend, MC BowTie had been itching to try the bone marrow dish from Church & State.  So together with Mrs. BowTie and Hates Asian Food, we traveled to the far depths of Downtown LA.  When I say "far depths" I certainly mean it.  When I imagine downtown LA, I think of anything within a 1 mile radius of Little Tokyo and the Staples Center.  Church & State is just outside of this vicinity.  It's where all the strip clubs are!  You know what I'm talking about, the Play Pen, Speariment Rhino, etc.  I was worried we would get ambushed by dirtbag pervies and crack whores as we searched our way to the most random location for a nice restaurant. 



As you can see, the place is quite nice as are the surroundings.  I actually think normal people live here.





My attempt at an artistic shot.  Salt anyone?

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