la.foodblogging

One of my friends is a huge fan of Kiefer Sutherland’s. She heard that he has frequented Vermont, which happened to be one of the restaurants participating in DineLA week. (For those who are not familiar with DineLA, it’s a two-week period where some restaurants offer a prix fixe menu at a lower rate than their standard menu.) So when she proposed we try our luck in a Kiefer sighting there, I was all for it, especially when we’re talking about a 3-course meal for $34 at a restaurant of Vermont’s status.

I entered Vermont from the back entrance, where the valet parking ($5.60) is. When I drove by the restaurant, I saw the front door with the red gates. It made sense to go through a red door in the back. Once I got in, however, I wasn’t sure exactly where I should be going. I found the separated bar area first but eventually got to the dining area, only to find that our table wasn’t ready, and I was the first of my party to arrive. The hostess asked me if I wanted to wait at the bar, which made me rather happy. The bar looked like a nice area, and I definitely was in need of a cocktail. The cocktail list had about a dozen choices, each priced at $11. The bartender helped me determine what I needed was a French au Pear. I don’t recall everything that went into this drink, but I remember there was pear vodka, and the key ingredient was St. Germain, which is edelflower liquor made in France. Prior to this drink, I had no clue what edelflower liquor was. I truly enjoyed this drink, and if every anyone is ever stuck on what to buy me as a gift, a bottle of St. Germain will do nicely. It is, as the bottle says, tres curieux, as it was a little fruity but not citrusy with vanilla-like undertones. Its role in the drink is a bit of a paradox - it really blended in with the pear vodka, but its presence also really stood out. My friends showed up after I was about half way finished with the drink. I passed it around, and the consensus was that the French au Pear was delicious.

After hanging out at the bar for a while, we went back to see if our table was ready. Our table was right next to their indoor white tree covered with candles. It’s a really interesting center piece to the room. For better and for worse, where we were seated, we could still hear some of the performers for open mic night over at the bar. Let me just say, it would take a whole world of French of Pears to get me to go up to do open mic to torture an audience. Fortunately for everyone at Vermont that night, I had just the one drink and was more interested in the menu. From the DineLA menu, I chose the mushroom and leek tart for my appetizer, pork for my entree, and apple tart for dessert. I’m not usually one who orders items with mushroom. (I love the flavor of mushrooms, but something about the mushiness in texture has always turned me off of them.) I ordered this one on a whim, plus our server said it was good. He was right. I enjoyed the flakiness of the tart, the mushrooms’ texture were not an issue, the flavor of the mushrooms with the leek was delightful. The more interesting presentation of the first course was the charcuterie plate. This was basically a plate of various meats, including some excellent pate. I still preferred the mushroom and leek tart, but the charcuterie plate is a must for meat lovers.

The entree choices from the DineLA menu were pork, salmon, butternut squash ravioli, and short ribs. What really caught my attention about the pork was the way it was described on the menu, stating that it was marinated in cocoa and honey. I was so curious that I had to try it. The result was something kind of like pork with chocolate mole sauce (but not exactly). I wasn’t overly-impressed with the sauce, but it worked. I would still recommend this dish though because of how tender the pork was. It just fell apart in my mouth. I tried a taste of my friend’s short ribs, and while it had good flavor, I still felt the pork was cooked better. The mashed sweet potatoes that came on my plate were also excellent.

The dessert choices were apple tart, flourless chocolate cake, and panna cotta. They were all good, but a little plain for my taste. One of my friends passed on the DineLA menu so she ordered a separate dessert, which was the chocolate chip bread pudding. This was my favorite dessert of the evening. A couple of my friends at the table don’t like bread pudding, and even they enjoyed this dessert when they sampled it. It was very eggy, making this dish more pudding than bread. Perhaps this was why my friends enjoyed the dessert. I liked how the chocolate chips had mostly melted, making it seem the inside was filled with chocolate swirls.

Now I know what you’re thinking. That’s nice, Pauline… tell us about the great menu after DineLA week is over. Well, I’m pleased to inform you that Vermont is keeping the DineLA $34 dinner menu for the month of February (except for Valentine’s Day). That’s right - it’s no longer DineLA week but DineLA month at participating restaurants. So there is still time to get in to Vermont for the 3-course menu. Who knows? My friends and I might stop by again this month to find Kiefer.

Vermont
1714 N Vermont Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 661-6163

By Pauline (see more of her posts).