la.foodblogging

I am a huge fan of Christophe Émé. For the past couple of years, Ortolan has been at the top of the list of restaurants I want to go to. Now that my two-year sabbatical to the frozen tundra is over, I finally made my way out there. I will probably wax poetic about the meal, so for those who do not have the patience to read on, let me give you the verdict right now: this was an absolutely magnificent experience. I loved everything I had to eat! Readers, you must go to Ortolan ASAP!

First of all, the restaurant is separated into three parts. In the back, there is a cool and cozy dark room. It seems the majority of customers were seated in the front of the room, which is full of white booths. My group was seated immediately left of the entrance, a little dining area with blue drapes that’s perfect for guests who may want some privacy. We really felt like we had our own personal dining room. This was absolutely perfect because I was able to take a good number of photos since we were so secluded from the other patrons. I typically do enjoy fine dining experiences, but this was the first time I ever felt this relaxed at such a fancy restaurant. The lighting was comfortably dim – not too dark, not too bright. It is dark enough, however, to make reading the menu a bit difficult, so as menus were distributed to us, each of us were also handed a micro flashlight. I have to confess, I was able to read the menu without the flashlight, but it was just so much more fun to use it.

Now for what you’ve all been waiting for… the start of the food details. Shortly after ordering, the amuse bouche arrived. The white test tube was cream of cauliflower topped with a citrus foam. I never would have imagined this combination, but it worked beautifully. It was a lovely balance of slightly salty with slightly sweet and tart. The other test tube had a very rich and flavorful cream of mushroom. In the little dish was eggplant caviar, and I suspect the green in this dish was basil oil. This went very well with the crispy lavash (wafer thin flatbread) and the ciabatta bread that were served. The eggplant was a hit around the table, but it’s not for anyone who can’t handle garlic.

The appetizers came next. I ordered the signature dish – Crispy Langoustines ($24). This dish was 3 large prawns wrapped in phyllo dough, served on top of hummus, pine nuts, and olives. On the side are two shots of minestrone soup, topped with foam and mushroom. Here, again, was a great combination of flavors. Others in my party tried the Ceviche of Baby Scallop with Osetra Caviar ($23) and Heirloom Tomato in Five Ways ($19). I was permitted to sample a bite of the ceviche, and it was delicious. The scallop had a splash of lemon and complemented the sweetness of the red bell pepper. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to try any of the heirloom tomato. I assume that since the person who ordered it left barely a trace anything had been on his plate that he enjoyed his appetizer considerably.

While I enjoyed my langoustines very much, there was one more appetizer that was right up there. The Chestnut Crème with Hazelnut Emulsion ($19) was truly wonderful. The soup alone would have been a fantastic starter alone, but there was something more… small and delicate raviolis. The wrapper was very thin but held something special – foie gras. I definitely wished there were more foie gras ravioli, as one was just not enough for me, but it had to do because the person who actually ordered this dish deserved to have the other two.

While all the entrees were excellent, two of us believe that the Pork Confit in Three Ways ($34) was the best (picture above). The pork was crispy outside and moist inside. The perfect bite was a fork of pork topped with a bit of bell pepper, Swiss chard, and a piece of shaved parmesan. The last piece of pork (furthest right) was actually a pork sausage. If only all sausages could be this good. In case you’re wondering, to the left of the sausage was some spaghetti.

The other entrees ordered were Roast Duck Suprème with Cherry Tomato ($36) pictured on the left, Roast Rack of Lamb with Orange Reduction ($38) pictured above, and the John Dory (also $38). I sampled the duck, and although it was quite good, it could not compare to the pork I ordered. The duck was served with fava beans, cherry tomatoes, and risotto. The lamb was cooked very well. I enjoy lamb but am often disappointed with how it retains a gamey taste. This was so not the case last night. This is how lamb should be cooked. (By the way, the person who ordered the lamb voted for this to be the winner of the entrees.) It was served with a vegetable terrine and potatoes. The John Dory was a special not on the menu. Ortolan’s John Dory is a whitefish from New Zealand, served with little white tapioca balls and a tube of pureed truffles. The fish was firm and excellent, but I kind of question the presence of the tapioca. We hypothesize that they were there as decorations to look like pearls, but taste-wise, it didn’t quite fit with everything else on the plate. That minor detail aside, this was an enjoyable dish.

After a lovely palette cleanser, we settled in for dessert. We chose to split a cheese plate, the Pear / Chocolate ($12), and Apple / Quince ($12). First, the cheese plate… We were pretty full already, so we opted for the small plate, which allows us to choose 3 cheeses for $18. (5 slices of cheese cost $23 and 8 slices cost $32.) We picked two sheep cheeses - the Brin D’ Amour “Fleur du Maquis’ (Corsica, France) and Onetik Bleu (Basque, France) - and one cow cheese - Morbier (Morez, France). The Bleu was actually mild for a bleu. I enjoyed this with some of the blueberry currant and a slice of the sweet toast. The Fleur du Maquis was very mild and smooth. It had some rosemary on the side. I was surprised how such a tiny bit of rosemary could be so overwhelming. In my last couple of bites of the cheese, it overpowered the cheese’s flavor, but I still enjoyed this cheese a lot. The Morbier was very lovely, and I had that with some apricot and nuts. As you can see in the photo above, mixed greens and grapes were also provided.

The Pear / Chocolate is a must for any chocolate lover. On the left is dark chocolate sorbet. In the middle is basically a chocolate cannoli. The right one is a bit more complicated to explain. It’s like pear meets chocolate wafer meets brownie meets granola bar. I could taste the pear, but the chocolate was definitely the dominant flavor here. The texture was a great juxtaposition of soft and crunchy. In other words, this dessert is a taste of chocolate heaven.

This was basically an apple tart served with hazelnut ice cream on side. Underneath the hazelnut ice cream was a bit of raspberry. One of the things I liked about the tart was that the apple was firm and not overly sweet. In addition, while it was meant as a decoration piece, the thin apple crisp on top of the tart was fun munch. The tart was a pleasant dessert, but since I had the Pear / Chocolate first, this paled in comparison for me.

As if all this extravagance wasn’t enough to make my visit to Ortolan a memorable meal, there was one more event to report. Chef Émé did personally make the rounds to tables to speak to customers. I was ecstatic when he came to my table and kindly agreed to pose for a photo with me.

Ortolan
8338 W. Third St.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
Phone: (323) 653-3300
Mon–Thurs 6–10 pm, Fri–Sat 6–10:30 pm

By Pauline (see more of her posts).