The Three Amigos

Trois Mec is the hottest restaurant in Los Angeles right now based on every article you read.  The LA Times calls it "The Golden Ticket."  Esquire Magazine listed it in its Best New Restaurants list for 2013.  Eater includes it in its 38 Essential Los Angeles Restaurants.  LA Weekly named it the best new restaurant of 2013.  And the accolades go on and on.  So I obviously had to try it, so I went to their website to look into how to make reservations and that is where the adventure began.

There is no phone number to make reservations as there are no reservations.  Trois Mec sells tickets to eat at their restaurant.  Yes, tickets.  See the restaurant is in a converted pizzeria so they only have 26 seats and instead of following in big brother Animal's footsteps, the founders of Trois Mec must have decided that if people really wanted to eat there, then they would be willing to pay for their meal upfront - and that's currently $75 per person, plus tax and 18% gratuity.  Tickets go on sale every other Friday morning at 8am for an upcoming two week period, so I marked the date on my calendar thinking this would be like buying concert tickets and I would have this in the bag.

The ticket buying experience was the single worst "entertainment" experience of my life.  I think it literally took years off of my life.  The website is not designed for the level of traffic involved with a ticket on-sale so only the truly dedicated, or those who are willing to pay people to do this for them, will successfully get tickets.  Long story short, after 45 minutes of trying during which I argued with my husband and drove to work, I finally got tickets and completed the transaction on my tiny iPhone screen.  Since the restaurant has three tables for a party of four, one table for a party of six and a counter that holds four parties of two, I ended up with tickets for a party of four.

My husband and I then had to decide who to bring.  It was like a Sophie's Choice between our friends and ultimately we chose a couple who are foodies like us.  We explained to them all of the technicalities: meal is prepaid, restaurant is in a crappy strip center bearing the name of a pizzeria, and I have no idea what could be on the menu.  They were in!  At least until the day before when their children got sick and then shared their germs with their parents.  So in spite of Trois Mec being "The Golden Ticket" we couldn't pay anyone to go with us.  And if the reservations had been like a traditional restaurant I would have been able to either change the date or reduce the number in my party.  Instead, my husband and I reached out to practically every friend we have in both LA and Orange counties which basically highlighted to all of them that they weren't our first choice.

So after pulling into the Yum Yum Donuts parking lot and finding a spot, we walked down to the Raffalo's Pizza where the front door has no sign at all, but you know you're there because there are space heaters hanging from the rafters.  You see, if you don't have the first seating of the night you are forced to stand outside until your table becomes available.  We walked in curious as ever as what to expect since even Google maps says the restaurant is a "compact spot with global tasting menu."  Thankfully the mystery was quickly over as our menus where waiting for us at the table.  Beverage choices: water, sparkling water, Coke, Diet Coke, wine.

First up: snacks. The first snack was buckwheat popcorn which had a flavor similar to salt and vinegar potato chips. They were one if those things that you ate because it was in front of you and not because you enjoyed them.

Buckwheat Popcorn

Our second snack was a sunchoke chip.  Our server made a point of stressing that it was chip singular.  I can't recall how else it was described, but there was definitely something creamy inside. It was a tasty bite.

Sunchoke Chip

No one at my table caught the name/description of the third snack because all we heard was O Nigiri Sushi Rice Ball and to the best of my knowledge there is no such thing as "O".  That said, it was enjoyable. Even if I didn't know what it was.

Nigiri Sushi Rice Ball

Our fourth snack might have been my favorite dish of the night. Garlic Bread. Oh my gosh. Buttery. Garlicky. Heavenly. Literally dripping with butter. I so badly wanted more than just one bite. 

Garlic Bread

Our first plate was a crab ceviche with radish flower. It was very limey and delicious and the buckwheat popcorn gave it a needed crunch.  While we were given both a spoon and fork to eat it with, I found that the spoon was the only utensils needed..

Avocado, citrus, crab ceviche, buckwheat popcorn

We decided to go with the optional meal supplement of the scallops.  When in Rome....  The dish was interesting and was not a favorite of anyone at my table. The scallops were served on top of a cauliflower purée with some yummy sesame chips and some powder that tasted like a radish. We asked our server when he came to collect the plates what the powder was and he said it was cauliflower. Huh. Good but I wouldn't order it again. 

Nantucket Bay Scallops, tandoori, sesame, cauliflower

Our third dish was probably the most interesting of the night. Miso flan served with brined and grilled cabbage and a horseradish condiment.  We weren't sure how to eat it and one of my friend's said "I'm Armenian, we roll everything up" and with that he made his own burrito of the dish.  I chose a more conservative eating approach of just cutting things into small bites and eating them together.  The dish was very umami and unique,

Grilled cabbage, smoked almond milk anglaise, miso flan, fennel pollen

Next up came the starch course.  I mean, what else do you call a course dedicated to potatoes?  To quote Jonathan Gold of the LA Times "slightly undercooked Weiser Family Farms potatoes passed through a ricer directly onto a plate of brown butter, onion soubise and Salers cheese from the Auvergne, then sprinkled with dried Japanese bonito flakes. The texture is not cloudlike but substantial, not just grainy but super-grainy — the onion sweetness, the funk of the cheese and the smokiness of the bonito not overpowering but enhancing the mildly acerbic sharpness of real potato flavor. If ever there was an anti-Robuchon potato dish, it is this one, constructed by a chef who knows the rules all too well … a potato actually served by itself as a main dish."  Couldn't have said it better myself.

Potato pulp, brown butter, bonito, onion soubise, salers

The fifth dish was the rib cap which has become a very popular cut of meat in high end restaurants of late. The meat was served medium rare, thinly sliced, and was very tender.  Even my friend who prefers her meat well done appreciated how good the not horrifically overcooked meat was.  We were all curious (nervous!) about the smoked peanut butter, but it was actually really tasty. Probably because it was fresh peanut butter and not from a jar. 

Beef rib cap, charred broccoli, smoked peanut butter, crispy shallot

I was admittedly nervous about the dessert and asked what "creme de brie" was in hopes that it wasn't what it most obviously was. But, it was exactly that - creamed brie cheese. See, I like brie, but brie does not like me.  So I approached this dish very cautiously in hopes of eating as little brie as possible.  The dish was served in layers with the toasted barley on top, then some cream, the apple butter, and finally the brie.  I think I would have enjoyed the dessert more had I been able to just "dive in".

Apple butter, creme de brie, toasted barley, hay

Mignardises finished our meal.  Mignardises are simply small desserts and tonight we were given two: a black sage marshmallow and a sunchoke ice cream choux.  Neither was a hit with our party.  Upon tasting the marshmallow my friend cried out "Tastes like mouthwash."  And it kinda did.  I mean, it was blue green, and once you got past the extremely strong sage flavor, it left a mouthwashy flavor in your mouth.  As for the choux, she proclaimed "Tastes like artichoke!"  And I was pretty sure that wasn't a compliment.  To me it was just bitter and not worth the calories.

Sunchoke ice cream choux and Black sage marshmallow

The whole experience just seemed like a restaurant with too much hype to live up to.  I mean, maybe I was there on an off night, but seeing as how I'll never go through the ticket buying experience again, the odds of my going back are slim to none.  Well, until I make my millions off this blog and can hire someone to face the on-sale on my behalf.  Until then, time to floss after my mouthwash.

Pot of Gold Inside the Rainbow

Two years ago my husband and I embarked on our own version of Iron Chef America during a two day stay in New York City.  During that visit we ate at restaurants (or Italian mega marts) of as many Iron Chefs as we could including Geoffrey Zakarian, Alexandra Guarnaschelli, Bobby Flay, Masaharu Morimoto, and Mario Batali.  And during our recent Cleveland trip we got our Michael Symon card.  And I've also been to the restaurants of honorary Iron Chef's Wolfgang Puck and Emeril Lagasse, so it was a matter of time before we would get our Jose Garces card since he has a restaurant only two hours away, and I'm glad we finally did.

Chef Garces has two restaurants located within the Saguaro Hotel in Palm Springs and for this trip we chose the fine dining spot, Tinto.  If you're not familiar with Palm Springs let me tell you that this hotel is one that you can't miss.  The architecture is from the 1950's, but its bee updated with all of the colors of the rainbow - literally.  In front of the hotel is the hotel van which may as well be a Volkswagen van from the 1960's with its rainbow color scheme.  Lets just say that the decor fits the area.  The interior of the hotel is just a kitschy with a display of Barbie-type dolls in multiple dioramas showcasing all that the hotel has to offer.  Makes me wonder what about this hotel made Chef Garces say "There!  My restaurants must be there!"

You'll be relieved to know that the hotel's decor did not rub off on Chef Garces as he built a classic looking restaurant.  We were given the opportunity to sit outside, and since it was a warm day in January, we took advantage of it.  Space heaters are placed in the rafters above the seating, and they also have fire pits set up in more casual seating areas.

Exterior patio seating

Once seated outside we were handed our menus and our server explained that the food is from the Basque region: Southern France, Northern Spain.  She then recommended that we try the Chef's Tasting Menu of four courses including 11 dishes if we really wanted to get a variety of the menu. She also mentioned that the wine list is mostly from Spain as well as the beer, but since I was eating Spanish food, I was drinking Sangria.  One thing to note, with as many Iron Chef restaurants as I have been to, this was the first restaurant where they made a point of referring the chef proprietor as "Iron Chef Garces."  Kinda like how now he's not Paul McCartney, but Sir Paul McCartney.

Back of the menu explaining the name/inspiration

First up was the Pan de Majorca bread (yes, redundant, but that's what they said when they put it on the table) with smoked tomato goat cheese.  This is their house bread and I found it heavenly.  It was buttery like a croissant. Cheesy. Decadent.  Mmmm was my first reaction. The spread to me was just Eh, but my husband preferred it over the bread. Thankfully the bread was tasty enough to not need an accompaniment.

Pan de Majorca with smoked tomato goat cheese

Next up was the Marcona almonds and mixed olives.  Getting these two dishes alone proved what a deal the Tasting Menu was as individually they are $5 each.  The almonds are smoked on site and served with olive oil and salt resulting in a subtle flavor.

Marcona almonds and mixed olives

The next cold tapas, or pintxo, was the Jamon Iberico de Bellota which is cured acorn fed Spanish ham.  Texture-wise it reminded me of prosciutto, but it tasted sweet, yet salty.  The fatty ends were creamy in my mouth, but still a little too fatty for my taste.  The ham is aged for two years and is served with bread that my husband preferred.  

Jamon Iberico de Bellota

Next up was the cheese plate which included three cheese including manchego.  Admittedly I didn't catch the names of the other two cheeses.  Also served on the plate was sliced apples and something that I originally noted to be "jellied goo," but later learned was dulce de membrillo or quince paste which is commonly served with manchego.  I was actually quite fond of the dulce de membrillo and was pleased when it appeared again later in our meal.  Considering that it was part of a rather large tasting menu the platter was a bit much for just two people.  I actually left most of it for my husband to enjoy.

Cheese plate

So I think I accidentally ordered the bean salad. When our server was explaining the Tasting Menu she wasn't clear as to which dishes were to be included, so I simply asked if the bean salad was on the menu as it included quail eggs and I don't eat quail.  Her answering wasn't clear as to whether it was or whether it would be as a result of my question, but either way, we were served it.  And I'm glad we were as I think it may have been our only vegetables of the night.  The beans were perfectly al dente and the tuna didn't have strong canned-tuna flavor to overpower the dish.  Overall it was a very flavorful salad.

Chilled Bean Salad (ventresca tuna, toasted hazelnuts, buttermilk lemon vinaigrette, sans quail egg)

Bacon Wrapped Dates.  Mmmm.

Coachella Dates (bacon, almonds, pearl onions, valdeon fondue)

The menu says Lamb Brochette.  And yes, it mentions bacon. What it really was was bacon wrapped lamb brochette.  It's served in a shot glass with an eggplant puree and sherry jus.  Just dip and stir. Eat the lamb and when done with the brochette, drink the remainder as a soup. Ah-mazing. It wasn't gamey, but it was still lamby nonetheless.  My husband told me he would leave me for it.

Lamb Brochette (lamb loin, eggplant, bacon, sherry jus)

The one dish I most excited for was the Spanish Tortilla. I've seen Chef Garces prepare it on TV before, so I had high expectations.  I can say that it was light and fluffy, but I'm honestly not sure if I liked it. It was the most subdued dish yet.  Our server noticed that we barely ate it and assumed it was because we were saving it to eat with the steak as is customary, but seeing as how we had no idea what we were being served, I'm not sure where she came to that conclusion.  Some foreshadowing here: I tried it with the steak and it still wasn't good.

Spanish Tortilla (Weiser Farms potatoes, saffron aioli, red watercress)

After five cold tapas and three hot tapas, we finally were served large plates or raciones.  First up was the halibut. I actually like fishy fish, so the salsa verde was a much needed burst of flavor for the bland fish. I definitely preferred the cockles and the sauce on them was extremely tasty. 

Halibut (cockles, roasted spring onion, salsa verde)

Our second entree was the Wagyu Culotte Steak. Culotte is the cap of the top sirloin.  Caps seem to be the in thing lately, though usually its the cap of the rib eye.  The steak was perfectly chewy and full of flavor, but the accompanying potatoes only had subtle flavor. And as I mentioned earlier, the steak did not improve the taste of the tortilla.  My one complaint about the steak was that the sauce was a little too sweet. 

Wagyu Culotte Steak (roasted fingerlings, Idiazabal cream, membrillo)

We were allowed to choose our own dessert to finish our meal.  My husband surprisingly selected the donuts.  The donuts were a perfect blend of dense and airy, if that's at all possible, but that side of date ice cream is what made the dish.  It was amazing and not too sweet. The honey was a great compliment to the donuts. 

Buñuelos (doughnuts, date jam, spiced honey, date & olive oil ice cream)

As we were enjoying our coffee and rubbing our extremely full bellies, suddenly a second dessert appears.  Without any explanation, our server presents us with a second dessert.  She says something about how it was unexpected and she understands if we need to take it to go, but that we need to eat the sorbet before it melts. So suddenly now we have the tarta. It was the perfect texture, airy and yet dense just like the donuts. I was wary of the blood orange sorbet after my experience at Hatfields, but thankfully it was not too tart and very enjoyable.  And somehow, we mostly finished the second dessert.  I just wish I knew why we were served it. 

Tarta (cheese tart, blood orange, meyer lemon sorbet)

The saddest part of our meal was that with as full as our tummies were after 12, yes 12, courses, we had to sit in our car for the long two hour ride home instead of going on a nice walk to aid in the digestion.  My husband asked if we could come back again, and I said we could as long as we didn't order the Tasting Menu.  No one needs to eat that much food.  But perhaps next time we can try Chef Garces's other restaurant at the Saguaro.  There were a couple of misses, but overall this was a great dining experience.