The Color Redd

Since this trip to Napa was longer than out traditional two-day tip, we were able to branch out and try new restaurants instead of our usual offerings.  A friend of mine recently traveled here and recommended Redd.  And as luck would have it, it's located directly across the street from our hotel.  While I always prefer to try a restaurant such as Redd for dinner as that is when they really get an opportunity to put their best menu-foot forward, our schedule only allowed for lunch.

The menu is simple, broken into appetizers (3 ounce servings of protein) and entrees (6 ounce servings of proteins), but they also have a five course tasting menu for $60, with an optional wine pairing for an additional $35, provided the entire table participates.  Since we have dinner plans, and since our trips here are all about eating, we passed on the tasting menu.

Our shared appetizer was the yellow fin tuna and hamachi tartare.  The presentation was simple and pretty, and was served with a large serving spoon and fork, but that was it.  It was awkward spooning the tartare onto our plates to then be eaten with a fork.  In our opinion, the fried rice should have been thin rice cakes that the tartare could be spooned onto.  The other thing I noted about the dish was how large the cubes the fish was cut into, rather than a fine tartare.  Now, admittedly, I was not expecting the superfine texture of a Morimoto tartare, but I also wasn't expecting pieces that were 1/2 inch thick.  The flavor of the fish was excellent, and the fried rice made a nice crispy compliment.  It was just awkward to eat.

Yellowfin tuna and hamachi tartare, avocado, chili oil, fried rice, cilantro

My husband selected the lamb meatballs for his entree.  I had been considering them as well, but since I know we have a heavy dinner planned for this evening, I wanted to go for something lighter.  The presentation of the dish was simply gorgeous and redd.  I was able to snag a taste of the meatball (yummy), the tomato broth (tasty) and the mint yogurt (minty).  I also snagged a tomato, which was fresh from a garden.  That is one great thing about Yountville, I don't know if its because of the the French Laundry garden or what, but the produce is all fresh and amazing.  This is what the so-called farm-to-table restaurants in Los Angeles are attempting to achieve.

Lamb meatballs, summer squash, couscous, spiced tomato broth, mint yogurt

I decided to go with smoked trout salad with the hope that it would not be slathered in mayonnaise, and I was not disappointed.  The salad is served with a slice of brioche toast sliced in half.  The baby beets were cooked perfectly and were the right amount of sweet to go with the smoky fish.  The top half of the fish was sprinkled with egg white and the bottom with egg yolk.  The trout was smoked just the right amount, so that it had the flavor and texture of smoke, but without the "barbecue" flavor.  And the horseradish creme fraiche only slightly dressed the fish.  My only complaint with the dish was that the lemon vinaigrette was a little too pungent, but thankfully it was only tossed with the frisee.

Smoked trout salad, beets, lemon vinaigrette, horseradish crème fraiche

We decided to pass on dessert, though all of the selections were extremely tempting.  All in this was a great, California lunch in a great atmosphere.  Next time, though, I'm coming back for dinner to see what they really have to offer.

Hey Lucy!

First night in Yountville and we actually don't have reservations anywhere.  Mostly because we were wait-listed at The French Laundry, but also because with our having such a late lunch at Morimoto I wasn't sure what we would be up for.  As the night went on, the hunger pangs began to develop and I pulled open my Open Table app.  I had already identified the casual dining, no reservations needed restaurants, but my husband heard there was antelope on the menu, and off to Lucy at Bardessono we went.

The Bardessono hotel is located just off Washington Street behind Bouchon.  It was a nice night, so all of the diners (what few there were) were out on the patio.  The two-top tables are set up in such a way that the two diners sit next to each other facing the backs of the diners at the two-top in front of them.  The menu is simple and easy to read, but they hand you an iPad to select your cocktail and that was the biggest disappointment (or, only, to be frank) as it worked very slowly and delayed the ordering process.  I've seen this work at other restaurants, so perhaps they just need to work on their app.

Drink and food orders were placed and we were asked if we wanted bread service.  I appreciated the question, as sometimes I don't and feel bad for the wasted bread that could have gone to needy people.  The bread was very good, probably from Bouchon, served with a room temperature butter sprinkled with black sea salt.  Then out came an amuse bouche fresh from their garden.  A simple spring roll with fresh vegetables in a ponzu sauce.  The ponzu must be made in house as it was very citrusy.  The spring roll was good, but even though it was small, the rice paper to vegetable ratio seemed a little off.

Ponzu spring roll from the garden

Now I am not the biggest carrot fan on the earth, especially not cooked carrots (nightmares of Hanukkahs past continue to haunt me of my mother's previously-frozen crinkle cut sweetened carrot "dish"), so I let the husband order the carrot salad.  Of course when it arrived there were jokes like "Would you like some carrots with your carrots?" and also, "You're going to start resembling Susan Dey from the Partridge Family."  The husband was quick to point out that some of the carrots were white (or yellow depending on your vision).  I believe those were the ones that were confited.  He said that it was the carrot chips that really made the dish as they added a much needed texture.

Freshly Dug Carrot Salad (confit carrots, carrot chips, curry shallot dressing, carrot fronds)

I, on the other hand, went for the "It's not a caprese" salad.  When you hear that the salad includes house-pulled mozzarella its natural to get excited.  Well, don't bother.  The mozzarella was dry and dense, and had a grainy texture to it.  When I have tomato and mozzarella salads I expect my mozzarella to be soft, to be what the markets call "fresh mozzarella."  This might have been fresh, but it simply wasn't good.  The tomatoes were fresh and tasted like garden grown tomatoes.  The basil had a very faint basil flavor and the balsamic was the perfect acidic bite, not too acidic and not too sweet.  I would have liked a little more salt on the dish, but that is a personal preference.

Ginaquinta tomatoes, house pulled mozzarella, basil, apple balsamic

Well, it started to get dark out before the entrees arrived and since I don't want to be one of those diners whose flash disrupts the entire restaurant, you'll need to forgive the next few photos.  Time for the antelope dish that brought us here.  I had a quick bite of the antelope, and it seemed okay to me.  The husband really enjoyed and wanted to gnaw on the bone right there in the restaurant.

Broken Arrow antelope chop, ratatouille,   tomato-ancho jus

I went for the lighter scallops.  It should be noted that the menu offers two sizes for their entrees: a 3-ounce and a 6-ounce depending on your hunger.  I ordered the 3-ounce, but I think I may have ended up with the 6 as that's what the bill said, and it looked like more scallop than I was expecting.  No real complaints here though.  The scallops were amazing.  Perfectly cooked.  Soft, yet warm centers.  Only downside was the dish came with more fresh tomatoes.  Don't get me wrong, I love fresh tomatoes, but I just had a whole plate of them as a salad.  I feel like I should have been told about this when I said I wanted to start with the tomato salad.  The corn pudding was good though I didn't want to combine it with the sherry reduction, as is what ended up happening.  But the scallops were truly the star of the plate.

Diver scallops, corn pudding, mustard  greens, pineapple tomatillo salad, spanish sherry reduction

The end of the night came and we decided to pass on dessert as we do have a lot of eating to do while we are here.  Thankfully right before the check came they brought us two small bites that perfectly capped the meal.  They were rocky road bars made with dark chocolate, so not too sweet.  The host told us that these are his favorite and the reason for his very slight belly.

Rocky road bars

The night was over and we walked back to our hotel pleased.  Was this the best meal I've ever had in Yountville?  No.  But it was a good meal and I would definitely recommend it.

Beef, and nothing but beef

A few weeks back some friends of our tagged themselves at a restaurant that looked intriguing.  I think I might be using the term restaurant loosely with Top Round as they probably belong on Diners, Drive-ins, & Dives.  So an opportunity presented itself and we took a trip down there for lunch.  The restaurant is located on the southeast corner of a busy intersection, so making a left into the establishment was no easy task, but we were pleasantly surprised to find ample parking.

Ordering is pretty simple.  Outside is where you order your meal based off of the menu posted to the wall, and then inside is where you order your dessert.  There is covered seating outside, and ample seating inside as well.

First up were the dirty fries.  It should be noted that their fries are hand cut in their kitchen and cooked in 100% beef fat.  I can't say I noticed the difference with the cooking liquid, but maybe its because my fries with smothered with so much yummy stuff.  Provel cheese is created through a combination of cheddar, Swiss, and provolone cheeses and has a low melting point.  According to Wikipedia you don't see it outside of St. Louis, but I guess they are wrong.  Anyway, back to the fries covered in a hearty gravy full of beef bites and glazed with their in-house Round Sauce, which is similar to Arby Sauce, but yet, not the same at all.  I actually found myself going up to their condiment bar to get more Round Sauce.

Dirty Fries (curly fried cooked in beef fat with gravy, provel cheese, caramelized onions & round sauce)

The sandwiches come simply wrapped with identifying stickers on top.  My husband and I couldn't decide between two sandwiches, so we got both and shared.

Our sandwiches

First up was the Horse & Hole.  An interesting name, but perfectly describes the simplicity of the sandwich: horseradish and mushrooms.  I loved this sandwich.  Everything was in the right proportion and the roast beef was freshly cooked to perfection.

Horse & Hole (provel cheese, horseradish cream, roasted mushrooms, sesame bun)

I was a little nervous about ordering the Beef on Weck because I wasn't exactly sure what Atomic Horseradish was.  Ironically, I think they forgot to put it on our sandwich because I didn't notice any horseradish at all.  My husband actually had to go up to the condiment bar to serve himself some of their freshly grated horseradish for the sandwich.  Yes, I said freshly grated.  No horseradish cream at the condiment bar, Hooray!  I found the caraway seeds and salt a little overwhelming for the roast beef, personally, so I spent more of my time on the Horse & Hole.

Beef on Weck (atomic horseradish, caraway & sea salt bun)

We passed on any dessert this trip, though I am curious to try their frozen custard.  All in, this was a good meal.  We thought it was more out of the way then it ended up being, so our likelihood of returning is high.  Its a great place to go if you want a simple, good roast beef sandwich without all the fuss.

Country food in the desert?

For years I have driven past a restaurant along the 10 between Los Angeles and Palm Springs thinking that someday I gotta go there and try the food.  Well, that day finally arrived.  If you're familiar with the interstate route, then you know that in the city of Banning they have a KFC Buffet and a Starbucks drive-thru, but they also are home to Gramma's Country Kitchen.

If you read the Yelp reviews you think you are walking into a Cracker Barrel, but I wouldn't agree. I felt more like I was walking into a grandmother's home with all of the knick knacks on the wall, and the brick fireplace in the middle of one of the dining rooms.  They also have a display case showing off their homemade pies and cakes which I so desperately wanted to try, but my diet wouldn't allow.  Instead I was excited to see what was on the menu.

The general look and feel of Gramma's

I ordered the open faced meatloaf sandwich for my dinner.  It automatically came with mashed potatoes, but I had a choice for my other side and surprisingly chose carrots.  I say surprisingly because I really don't like cooked carrots, but these were extremely tasty.  They weren't overcooked and they weren't sickenly sweet, two of the things I hate most about cooked carrots.  Should I mention that I like baked carrots, as in carrot cake?  I digress.  The mashed potatoes were made from scratch and you could tell because they had whole potato chunks in them.  The meatloaf itself was thinly sliced (not sure how one does that) and sat on top of two slices of white bread and smothered in gravy.  It was exactly what I needed, though I realized on the car ride back to LA that the meal had been very salty and that I needed fluid and/or something sweet to take the salty flavor from my mouth.

Open Faced Meatloaf Sandwich with carrots and mashed potatoes.

 

My husband, on the other hand, decided to go with breakfast.  He selected an omelette with his two sides being hash browns and biscuits and gravy.  I snagged a bite of the biscuit and it seemed more cakelike than flaky, but I'm not complaining.  The gravy didn't seem to have much flavor though, and there weren't any sausage nuggets inside.

 

Biscuit with country gravy

 

 

As for the omelette, my husband told me it seemed more like a scramble than an omelette, but that it was still really good.

The Kitchen Sink Omelette (country ham, crispy bacon, tender beef, sausage, green onions & cheese)

If you want a simple, good meal and are driving on the 10 near Cabazon, I recommend pulling over at Gramma's.  I personally can't wait to go back once I'm off this diet and really get to enjoy the menu.  I'll be sure to post a new story when I do.

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.

Don't Tell The McCoys

Nothing could be worse then having a birthday on New Years Day.  I could bore you with a lengthy list of reasons, but I think you should just trust me.  Or, how about this nibble as an excuse: nothing is open.  That's right, since all of the restaurants stay open late the night before and often have special menus, they decide to give their staff the day off and are closed on New Years Day.  So my choices are often limited.  This year my husband selected Hatfield's from the list of limited restaurant options.  Thankfully it was actually on the list of restaurants I wanted to try, so its not like we were stuck going to Outback Steakhouse.  The one bummer from the evening is that I lost all of my notes from the night, so this review will be based on memory.  Wish me luck!

The restaurant is on the northwest corner of Melrose Boulevard and Citrus Avenue, two blocks west of Highland, so you would think you would find the valet on Melrose right?  Nope, its on Citrus next to the restaurant, so if you're heading west on Melrose after turning off of Highland, be prepared to do a u-turn to get to the valet.

The interior of the restaurant is simple in neutral colors with the main pop of color coming from the pots and pans hanging over the kitchen.  Also the bar has a bright wall of color to contrast with the dining room's neutrality, but you have to be facing that direction to notice it.

Have you ever had that experience where you see another waiter and wish he was yours?  Part way through our meal we had that moment as we watched another waiter explain to a neighboring table that items from the prix fixe menu can be ordered a la carte.  It would have been nice to know that before we placed our order - not that I have any complaints about what we ended up with, but I probably would't have gone with the Vegetarian Prix Fixe menu had I known I could just pick items from it.  But, when else can I have a piece of cauliflower as an entree?  For the record, the Vegetarian Prix Fixe was $56 and was comprised of the Butter Lettuce Salad, Ricotta Agnolotti, Brown Butter Roasted Cauliflower, and my choice of dessert.

The meal started off with an amuse bouche, but unfortunately all I can remember about it is that it was barely one bite, it had dungeness crab in it, and it was tasty.  Great review, eh?

Crab amuse bouche

First course for me was the Butter Lettuce Salad which was very tasty.  The lettuce required slicing which I find to be an annoyance, but I got over it.

Butter Lettuce Salad (compressed pear, manchego, roasted pecan, apple cider vinaigrette)

The husband decided to go with two appetizers for his first and second courses - we were celebrating after all.  I don't normally eat octopus after a bad sushi experience (rubbery!!!), but this was very tasty and not rubbery at all.  Still, I can't say that I'm convinced to try the cephalopod again.

Japanese Octopus a la Plancha (green garbanzo, roasted globe carrots, asparagus, ginger chermoula)

The husband's second course was the roasted carrot and sweet potato soup.  Thankfully the sweetness of the two vegetables was cut by the pork belly and the sweetbread.  Having once tried sweetbreads at Butter in NoHo in Manhattan, we still haven't been sold on the taste of this delicacy.

Roasted Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup (crispy pork belly and sweetbread, maitake mushrooms)

My second course was the ricotta agnolotti.  The pasta itself was perfect, accompanied by butternut squash cubes in a perfect sauce.  The problem was that the ricotta stuffed inside the agnolotti was bland and unseasoned.  In fact, it was bland for even being plain ricotta.  Perhaps this was a brand issue.

Ricotta Agnolotti (butternut squash, sherry brown butter, parmesan)

Time for the entrees.  Thankfully we had learned that the lamb was a small serving of only two rib chops, which prompted my husband to have ordered the second course.  I'm not sure how a restaurant can claim that two rib chops is an entree sized portion, or how they can justify charging $38 for such a small portion, but Hatfield's did both.  That said, the lamb was cooked perfectly and which the potato puree was green from the chives, it was quite creamy though it only seemed to get its color from the chives and not much flavor.

Date & Mint Crusted Lamb (roasted heirloom root vegetables, fresh chickpeas, potato chive puree)

My entree, as mentioned earlier, was a slice of cauliflower.  If I weren't dieting, I would be outraged as seriously, cauliflower as an entree?  But I'm dieting, so cauliflower was my entree.  Surprisingly the cauliflower was quite filling and perfectly complimented by the plantains and raisins.  I can't say I enjoyed the celery root puree, but my guess is its because I learned I don't like celery root and not because it was prepared poorly.

Brown Butter Roasted Cauliflower (toasted almonds, celery root puree, golden raisins, plantains)

For the dessert I selected the coconut tres leches cake as I'm quite fond of tres leches.  I'm glad it was included in my meal as it was quite small.  I loved the compressed pineapple and wanted more of it.  And the cake itself and coconut toffee was yummy as well, but all I needed was one bite of the blood orange sorbet to know that I didn't want any more of that.  It was tart and completely contrasted with the tastiness of the rest of the pastry.

Coconut Tres Leches Cake (compressed pineapple, coconut toffee, blood orange sorbet)

Coconut Tres Leches Cake, up close

My husband was inspired by my dieting and decided to go with the ice cream/sorbet trio and selected the three most unusual flavors available.  All three flavors were yummy, but I enjoyed the pineapple chili the most.

Ice Cream & Sorbet Trio: Medjool Date, Butterscotch-rosemary, Pineapple Chili

At the end of the meal they presented us with a complimentary dessert of two tiny cupcakes.  Since they were chocolate, my husband passed on his and I got both.  Yeah, so I was dieting, but it was my birthday and I had cauliflower as an entree.  Yum Yum.

Complimentary dessert: mini espresso chocolate mint cupcakes

I really wish I hadn't lost my notes as this would have probably been a better review, but c'est la vie.  My husband said he would gladly go back to Hatfield's, but I can't say that I agree with him.  While I enjoyed my meal, it didn't rock my world.  That said, I want to thank the management of Hatfield's for being open on New Years Day and recognizing that not everyone wants to stay inside all day watching football and recovering from a hangover.