Posterous theme by Cory Watilo

SF: Gary Danko

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amuse-bouche: sweet corn soup

lobster risotto. this is legitimately phenomenal. i thought i didn't like risotto, but i was clearly mistaken. i just never had risotto that was prepared this well. and the lobster was amazing.

seared sonoma foie gras with poached pear and caramelized red onions. AMAZING. LOVED this. why is california banning foie gras?! so sad.

seared scallops with butternut squash puree. cooked on the outside, relatively uncooked but warm through the middle. perfect. 

roast maine lobster with potato puree. really quite amazing. the texture of the lobster is really different from any lobster i've had before. i don't know how to describe it, but it's very, very good.

quail stuffed with foie gras and lots of other stuff. the quail was incredibly flavorful and the cooked perfectly, but all the different ingredients stuffed inside were so mixed in, i couldn't really tell what was what.

duck breast with celery root puree. also very flavorful and well-prepared, but not nearly mind-blowing like the earlier dishes. i wasn't a huge fan of the celery puree because i think celery tastes like chinese medicine, but my friend really enjoyed the celery puree.

chocolate soufflé with chocolate and vanilla sauces. arguably the one of the best soufflés i've ever had. very airy, rich chocolate flavor but not too sweet.

lemon soufflé cake with crème fraîche panna. incredibly light and cakey on the outside. the center was more solid, almost like a sorbet. really quite refreshing and delightful.

wrapped: pumpkin breads to take home for tomorrow's breakfast.

their service was really wonderful. a fruit fly landed in my friend's glass and they immediately came over to apologize and comped her a new glass. we were almost completely done with the chocolate soufflé when we found some soufflé baking brush hairs in the dessert. three different people came over to apologize. each apologized profusely and they repeatedly offered to give us a new soufflé, which we declined because we ate the whole thing anyway. they insisted on giving us another dessert: lemon soufflé cake with crème fraîche panna, which we reluctantly accepted (rough life, i know). finally, they also discounted the final course for both of us so we had an awesome 4 course meal for the price of 3 courses. value: 5/5.

SF: Zuni Cafe

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kumamoto oysters. always a great decision. delicious. plus, we got a mutant shell that had two oysters. win!!!

scrambled eggs with fennel sausage. you can taste the freshness of all the ingredients. if you're craving the basics for breakfast, this is a solid choice. otherwise, it's not mind-boggling.

wild arugula salad with pomegranate seeds, mint, and sheep's milk ricotta. alex and i are not particularly big fans of salad, but we ordered this as we were waiting out the 1-hour wait. it was a nice, light, refreshing filler.

pasta vongole. pretty solid, nothing to write home about.

pizza was meh.

roasted chicken for two with warm tuscan-style bread salad. OMG SO FREAKING DELICIOUS. the warm bread salad under the chicken soaked up all the flavors of the juice from the chicken. the chicken was tender and juicy. perfectly cooked. totally worth the 1-hour wait and $48. next time i might skip all the other food that came before the chicken. instead i'll just order oysters and sip on cocktails before the chicken is prepared. it's a shame you can't call ahead to have them prepare the chicken ahead of time. oh well.

 

SF: Bourbon Steak

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complimentary trio of duck fat fries: tasty delight.

braised short ribs: so tender and fatty. must try.

medium rare porterhouse: very well prepared steak, but not mind-boggling

sides: yukon golden potato puree, onion straws, spinach, and black truffle mac n cheese. i could smell the truffle as it sat in the middle of the table. very nice.

signature root beer float and chocolate cookies

cinnamon beignets and macallan caramel custard: pretty good, but i probably liked the custard more than the beignets

 

SF: Skool

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starter 1: 1/2 kumamoto oysters (so creamy/so good) and 1/2 oysters-i-forgot-the-name-of-but-also-tasted-pretty-good

starter 2: ara-dashi soup with a popover -- nice and light

small plate: sashimi bouquet (yellowtail with ravigote sauce, cinnamon mushrooms and yuzu-mustard) -- pretty good

main: squid ink spaghettina (garlic tomato compote, japanese red curry, lemon grass dashi-broth, squid and shrimp) -- the soup is fantastic.

SF: The Dining Room at The Ritz Carlton

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amuse-bouche #1: mini fried dumplings

amuse-bouche #2: dungeness crab cake

amuse-bouche #3: smoked oyster and gelatin of some sort

1st course (part a): live spot prawn sashimi on top of ryuhi seaweed with green tea gelee

1st course (part b): fried prawn heads with two types of salt

2nd course: abalone with shiitake mushrooms, miso gelatin, dashi broth

3rd course: king salmon with bok choy, porcini mushroom, mirin reduction

4th course: lobster with english peas, white corn, white chocolate

5th course: hot foie gras on top of yellow peach with ginger, butter croutons, and bing cherry reduction

6th course: cornish game hen with truffles, english pea ravioli, lemon pepper sauce

7th course: slow-cooked suckling pig with chanterelle mushrooms, miner's lettuce, grilled asparagus

8th course: mishima beef ribeye with artichokes, mushrooms, sancho pepper reduction

palette cleanser: pineapple sorbet in rose water

chef's dessert selection: basil sorbet and chocolate cake, ginger cookie and hazelnut cream, some sort of custard

 

highlights:

- the foie gras was AWESOME. it was seared to perfection and the butter croutons were phenomenal

- the slow-cooked suckling pig's skin was really flavorful and super crispy

- the ribeye was also quite awesome -- too bad there was an excess of salt

 

great food, great service, great value

overall: 4.5/5

docking 0.5 for being way too liberal with the salt on a few dishes -- including the dessert.

Urusawa- Does it compare with Ginza sushi?

Grub meter: 4 out of 5

When you walk into Urusawa, there’s a sushi bar made of huge cuts of Hinoki, a giant iceberg cooling the fresh fish and a humongous slab of wood Urusawa uses to prepare his sushi. Urusawa also has a humungous reputation to live up to. People on yelp have praised this place and billed it as the best sushi in LA and possibly the US.  So I had to give this place a try.

First off, expect a 4 hour dinner.  Secondly, do not order wine at this place. We ordered a Chardonnay and when the waitress gave us the wine to taste, it tasted like sour grapes, we smelled the cork and it was moldy.   So we naturally turned the wine down.  But to our dismay, Urusawa went to back, tried the wine, came out and said “I think its good!”  We told him we didn’t want it, and the rest of the night Urusawa put on an attitude and pouted as he prepared some of our dishes. There was obvious tension, as he didn’t speak to us until he got drunk from drinking 7 glasses of alcohol given to him by other customers.   So his attitude totally killed what was supposed to be an epic meal. 

Now for the food.  The first dish of Hokkaido crab meat was really good and the shabu shabu with fois gras was epic, but the nigiri sushi was a step below the Michelin rated sushi bars in Tokyo.  Some of the best sushi in LA,  yes but not worth it.  For 3 people our bill not including tip was more than $1500.  For that price, I’m flying to Tokyo and getting the real deal.  In LA,  I’d rather go to Sushi Nozawa , skip the high end ambiance and grub down on some salmon skin rolls. If you are in search of the greatest Sushi, don’t waste your time in America, go straight to Ginza.

-Posted by E

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Fook Lam moon, the Cantonese king in shanghai

Fook Lam Moon

Shangri-La Hotel
33 Fu Cheng Road, Pudong
Shanghai 200120
China

T: (86 21) 6882 8888


Grub meter- 5 out of 5

While living in China, I’ve developed a few cravings and Fuk Lam moon happens to be one of them.  The Cantonese King in Shanghai, serves up fresh, well executed dishes at prices only king’s can afford.  For lunch the Dim sum is the best in Shanghai and everytime I want Beijing Duck, this place tops the list.  FLM is hands down the best Cantonese restaurant in Shanghai.  The  Crispy roasted pork is meticulously cut into perfect squares and the skin is crispy enough to be a cracker bursting with pork fat and flavor.  When you go here, come with at least 4-6 people and order Beijing Duck.  Most of the time, you’ll have to make a reservation and reserve the Duck ahead of time.  This is Cantonese style duck where the skin is the main attraction.  The skins are cut into squares and the fat is skimmed  away by the carver.  Small pancakes, slices of cucumber and onions are placed on the table along with some of the best plum sauce I have ever tasted.  This stuff is peking candy.   I have to say, I have not ordered a dish here and didn’t like it.  In fact, dishes disappear faster than I can take a photo.  See the bamboo shoots and fresh vegetable shot.  Go here, be satisfied and turn a blind eye to the check. It’ll be soo much more enjoyable.

Posted by E



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Joel Robuchon at the Mansions in Las Vegas, truffles, Foam and truffled Foam!

Joel Robuchon Restaurant

MGM Grand

Las Vegas NV

(702) 891-7925


Grub meter- 5 out of 5

Joel Robuchon has the most Michelin stars of any Chef.  He has restaurants all over the world and this one is one of his 3 star earners.  I’ve tried several of his restaurants in asia and have been to this restaurant twice.  This Joel Robuchon is definitely a cut above the others. 

If you can stand a 4 hour dinner and tons of rich artsy food, this is your mecca.  Come here and bow down cuz you will be praying to the truffle, foam and gold flake guru.

-posted by E

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