la.foodblogging

After touring the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market with Mark Gold, I definitely wanted to see what he did with all that produce he bought during our shopping visit. As it just so happens, last night I had tickets to the Los Angeles Opera’s production of Falstaff. I hadn’t made any plans for dinner, so Mark suggested I dine at his restaurant, Café Pinot. On top of that, he offered to make the dinner reservations for me. How can a girl pass up this invitation?

When I arrived, the rest of my party had already arrived and were seated comfortably at the patio. The patio is beautifully situated in front of the Los Angeles Library. It was very easy to feel relaxed sitting there. This was crucial for me after a rough drive into Downtown dodging crazy people, including a guy who kept trying to follow me on foot screaming “I LOVE YOU!!!� Only in LA…

We started our dinner off with a few appetizers: Caesar salad ($9), green salad ($8), and the appetizer special, tempura fried soft shell crab ($14). The soft shell crab was quite good – not very greasy, just crunchy enough. I didn’t think too much of this dish until I bit into the center, where the flavor of the crab suddenly filled my taste buds. I dipped every bite in the sauce, which I’m guessing was arugala puree. The plate was decorated with some very sweet cherries and the delicious Shasta gold tangerines I mentioned in the previous post. The guest who ordered the green salad was unable to finish it… much to my delight because this meant I got to sample it. The green salad is made up of three different types of lettuces: eruption, freckle, and I believe little gem. The little gem is a typical green lettuce except the texture is almost buttery. The freckle (called so because the dark leaves are “freckled� with purple) has a pleasant bitterness to contrast. The eruption is a beautiful dark purple lettuce with a very strong taste. Café Pinot did an excellent job at mixing these three different types of lettuces to make one great salad, accompanied by a crouton slice topped with tomato, caramelized onions, and soft cheese.

My main entrée was the lobster linguini ($23), which when initially served, I have to admit I was a bit disappointed. Although the menu said Bolognese style, I had envisioned at least a few big chunks of lobster to be in the dish. I was shocked to see mixed into the linguine were minced pieced of lobster, carrots, and onions. When I actually took a bite of the linguine, however, I was pleasantly surprised to find there was a good lobster flavor to the dish. It only goes to show the old adage of “can’t judge a book by its cover� holds true. While I wound up enjoying my linguine quite a bit, the winner of the night was the Maine scallops ($34).

I tried just a bit of it, but it was more than enough to know that everything about this dish was PERFECT. First, the scallops were very tender and absolutely delicious. The porcini mushrooms that rested on top of the scallops just melted in my mouth. The baby broccoli (I think also known as sprouted broccoli?) was slightly chewy in the good way that allows one to enjoy the flavor of the vegetable and its preparation. So you must be wondering what does that mean? I can’t quite put it to words, but it was like the broccoli had been cooked directly on flames (like grilled) but the broccoli showed no signs of such treatment. I think maybe the broccoli was prepared in the cast iron pan, which Mark will talk about on tomorrow’s edition of Good Food.

I also feel it necessary to point out the portions given were very generous. I was actually unable to finish my linguine and had to ask for a box, and Café Pinot offered more scallops on the plate than most other restaurants. The other guest in my party had the mustard chicken ($17.95), which I did not sample, so I don’t think it’s fair for me to provide a critique of it. I will say the chicken was also a substantial amount of food.

After all that, I still had just enough room for a crème brulêe. I had my heart set on a dessert that used some of the fruit Mark had purchased the day before at the Santa Monica Farmers’ Market, but we were cutting it close on time for the opera. Crème brulêe seemed quick and easy. Served with an almond biscotti, the crème brulêe seemed plain on the surface, but after a couple of bites, the rich, vanilla flavor goes from subtle to obvious.

Additional Tips:
1) If you’re going to a show at the music center and don’t know what to do for dinner, consider Café Pinot because in addition to a delicious meal, you will get free shuttle service to the music center. A complimentary shuttle will provide you with roundtrip transportation between the US Bank building (directly across the street from the restaurant) and the music center. This saves you a bit of cash, as parking at the music center costs at least $7. Valet parking at Café Pinot is $4.50 (plus tip), and free parking (for 4 hours) with validation at the public library parking lot on Flower. I parked in the parking lot, and after 2-and-a-half-hour dinner and a 3-hour opera, my parking fee was a mere $5.25.

2) Unless you’re mapquesting, the address won’t help you too much because addresses are not blatantly marked on buildings in Downtown. Just find your way to Fifth and Flower. The restaurant is right on the corner on your left hand side. (Fifth is a one way street, so no matter where you’re coming from, Café Pinot will have to be on your left.)

I also want to add that as busy as Mark was, he found time to step out of the kitchen (which you can peek into through the glass window at the entrance of the restaurant) to come say hello to me and my guests. The experiences from these past couple days truly meant a lot to me.

700 W. 5th St
Los Angeles, CA 90071
(213) 239-6500

By Pauline (see more of her posts).