la.foodblogging

I have heard plenty about Literati 2. It seems to be universally loved on Chowhound and we have been planning to go there for years. Unfortunately, we had a 50-50 experience when we finally made it for dinner.

I will start with the bad, because I really do want to end on a high note. The food and menu were excellent, the service… not so much. There were a couple of stand out incidents, which sway me to call this place Literati 2-Slow.

First, we sit down and are almost immediately greeted by the busser who is holding two bottles of water, one sparkling, one flat. We opt for tap. The bread comes shortly after that, a mixed basket of baked bread and large crackers. We munch and sip our water. I pick a wine from the wine list. And munch and sip and wait and look around a bit. I wouldn’t mind ordering a glass. We finish round one of our waters and still haven’t seen our waiter. The busser comes by to refill our empty glasses and I ask him to send the waiter by so that we can order drinks.

Our waited does finally amble over. I ask for a glass of red (Grenache, I believe) and my not-drinking wife orders the house made blueberry lemonade.

Second example of Literati 2-Slow. We finish our appetizer and sit and chat. And chat, and sit and munch a little more of that bread. Sip our wine and lemonade. And wait. Apparently the manager notices that we are sitting for a while. She comes over and kindly offers us dessert menus — when I explain that we haven’t had our entrees yet, she looks a bit surprised and says “oh, I just saw you sitting here without anything in front of you for a while. I thought you had already eaten…” And she walks away.

I hope that she will go goose the kitchen, track down our waiter, help move things along somehow. Apparently not. We still wait and wait for our meal…

Now, on to the good stuff. The food!

We split an artichoke appetizer. It’s a huge farmer’s market fresh thistle, served with a nice aioli and mini salad. The leaves are meaty and flavorful. We’re glad we are splitting, it is a big one.

~~ Insert Pause ~~

Dinner arrives. I am having the duck special, my wife has the steak frites. The chef is willing to substitute sweet potato fries for the normal order. (Maybe this is the root of our delay). My duck is cooked on the rare side of medium-rare. It’s a high quality cut and it nearly melts in my mouth. I am a sucker for duck and this is a delicious presentation. The steak, too, is a nice preparation, tender and flavorful. The sweet potato fries are terrific.

We had budgeted our stomach space to save room for dessert. We are both full, though, and can’t quite commit to something sweet. Literati 2 is a bit famous for their churros, which may be good, but will forever mean Disneyland to me.

We’re sort of worn out from our experience too, and can’t make the possible time commitment it will take to get dessert.

Overall, the food and the menu at Literati is great. And that’s the problem; our service experience is so bad that the entire experience is tainted. Literati 2 is not cheap either. Our meal, with two entrees, an appetizer, a glass of wine and lemonade is a bit above $100 with tax and tip. For that much, it would be nice to have somewhat decent service.

A couple cappers on our way out. The gentleman at the host station stares us down while on his cell phone. I say goodnight without getting a response or an offer to get the door. The valet gets out of our car and it smells like he finished his last three cigarettes while sitting in the driver’s seat.

I would be willing to give Literati 2 another try. The food really was good, no complaints in that department. Although The Nook is right down the street and is consistently serving excellent food at a comfortable pace.

Literati 2
At the corner of Bundy and Wilshire
phone: (310) 479-3400

By Jonah (see more of his posts). Jonah is the founder of la.foodblogging and also created Digesty, a food blog aggregator and Cheww.com, a spam free foodblog search engine.

I’m not completely wowed by the menus offered during DineLA Restaurant Week. Browsing the list of participating restaurants, I’m not totally convinced that you’re getting much of a deal at a lot of places.

There are a few joints that seem to be offering deep discounts. This is assuming that the dishes served during restaurant week are IDENTICAL to the ones they serve during normal weeks. From a quick look through the three courses (listed at the DineLA Site), so far the best deal I can find is at Abode, where if you order right, you could save $37. Here’s how it stacks up:

Appetizer - Roasted Baby Beet Salad, Horseradish Goat Cheese Mousse ($14)
Entree - Duo of Lamb, Pea and Saffron Puree, Tapenade ($39 based on Duo of Duck)
Dessert - Chef’s Selection of Cheeses ($18)

Total if you ordered off the normal menu: $71
Total During Restaurant Week: $34
Savings: $37!

That’s pretty good. I haven’t called, but looking on Open Table there aren’t any are tables available during Restaurant Week (which is actually two weeks, starting next Monday, Jan 28th, but excluding Saturday).

Are there any other great deal out there? You can save about $12 at Beacon, $15 at 3 on Fourth, I would be interested which restaurant is offering the steepest discounts. Which are offering their top dishes and which are just serving up their pastas and castoffs? Please let me know in the comments if you go somewhere and they are not serving the same dishes they normally offer. Let me know where you go and get a great deal.

Are you planning on trying out any spots just because they are on the DineLA list?

Update:
I called for a Table8 reservation, I got a rather curt host who responded to my reservation request with “is this for DineLA?”. Stupidly, I said yes, and he said “I think that all we have left is 10:00 PM”. I asked him if he could make sure and he instantly said “Yeah, 10:00 PM is all we have”.

Maybe I’m cynical, but I strongly suspect that these DineLA meals are like frequent flyer flights — limited seats for the times you would want to use them.

By Jonah (see more of his posts). Jonah is the founder of la.foodblogging and also created Digesty, a food blog aggregator and Cheww.com, a spam free foodblog search engine.

Maybe Michelin is relevant in Los Angeles. Maybe. Truth be told, we probably wouldn’t have tried La Botte in Santa Monica if it hadn’t received a Michelin star. It’s not that we trust Michelin, it’s more that we were a bit surprised that La Botte made the list so we decided to go taste for ourselves. Our verdict? Devastatingly divine.

This was also mile one of the pre-infant dining marathon.

How tough is it for a restaurant to open the door and greet its customers? How much more welcome to I feel when a host/hostess actually greets me before I have to chase them down? I’ll answer that: it’s not tough, and I very much appreciate feeling welcome — particularly at a place where I am about to spend the next couple of hours eating in.

Our La Botte batism starts with doors opened wide for us and a cheerful “Buna Sera” which could have come off like a line from an Olive Garden commercial, but in this case is genuine.

The owner offers us a larger table so that we would have some extra room to accommodate my wife’s baby bump. The two of us sit down at a four top and almost immediately, a busser brings bread. Our Sicilian waiter, Antonio, pops in to greet us and give us the specials. One sounds particularly enticing - home made papparrdel with rabbit ragout.

I browse the wine list, and settle on a half bottle of 2004 Terrabianca Campaccio ($30). The wine comes out quickly, and we are still doing some heavy debate on the menu so our server gives us a few more minutes. The Campaccio is a
70/30 Sangiovese/Cabernet blend and is a very smooth and enjoyable Tuscan. The wine is a friendly companion throughout the meal. (yes, I can make it through a whole meal on just a half bottle of wine, I’m no chugger).

As we are reviewing the menu options, we decide on a game plan. Two appetizers, share two pastas and split a meat dish. We also want to save room for dessert.

Antonio returns, all smiles and full of Italian gusto. As we rattle off each order, he has one compliment after another. “Perfecto”, “It’s amazing, I just had a bite in the kitchen”, “That is my favorite salad”… This could come off as terribly insincere, but we are caught up in his enthusiasm.

Before too long, our appetizers come out. I have a large plate of Prosciutto D’Anatra ($17), which is a house cured duck breast, sliced very thin and drizzled with a Gorgonzola dressing, then highlighted with a top shelf olive oil. It’s no secret that I love duck and that given the choice, I order duck about 75% of the time when it’s offered. This is an entirely new duck presentation for me and it comes off perfectly. I feel a bit ignorant as I take bites of the prosciutto by itself and atop bread. Which is the proper method? Antonio tells me that as an Italian, he eats everything with bread. I like it both ways. By itself, I can really appreciate the duck and the olive oil, the flavor of the meat is much milder and not as salty as prosciutto of the pork variety.

My wife starts with the Insalata Di Crescione ($16), a watercress salad with avocado, hearts of palm, roasted pine nuts, shaved parmesan in a balsamic dressing. She had hesitated going for the salad, but watercress is one of her favorite greens and the salad comes out as a terrific starter for the meal. If the duck was treasured for the time and preparation that went into it, the salad was notable for it’s simplicity and the freshness of its ingredients.

With our first course cleared by efficient and friendly bus staff, we chat for a bit before our pasta course arrives. Good thing, because when the two plates do arrive, it’s difficult to concentrate on anything except the food.

We are sharing the two dishes, it starts with the Pappardel Ragu’ Di Conigl ($22) in front of me and the Cassunziei All’ Ampezzana ($18) in front of my wife.

The Pappardel is the pasta specialfor the night. Wide, home made flat noodles topped with a rabbit ragout. The rabbit is lean, but flavorful, the pasta itself seasoned with some herbs in the dough. If I was in a less gluttonist mood, I might have been satisfied with just this dish for dinner.

The Cassunziei All’ Ampezzana may have been the superstar of the evening. Traditional Cortinese red beet stuffed pasta with brown butter, Parmesan cheese and poppy seeds, it’s something that I have not seen on a menu before. If you’re going to order just one dish at La Botte, make it this one. Another example of a few choice ingredients coming together to form a perfect harmony. The sweetness of the beets, the tang of the Parmesan cheese, the decadence of the brown butter and the subtle pop of the mini poppy seeds is magic.

At this point, we look at each other. Is that enough? Should we throw in the towel and go home? It couldn’t get a whole lot better.

Then the Agnello Alla Senape ($38) touches down. The Roasted Colorado lamb chops with corn pudding, black Tuscan kale and rosemary in cherry sauce has been split in the kitchen. The casual observer, however, would probably think that we each had a full order of the dish.

Again, top notch ingredients arranged with creative simplicity. The smells and sight were our first treat. I literally sit with my nose hovering above the plate, just taking in the bouquet of the fragrant lamb and cherry sauce. That doesn’t last too long, however. I dive into the rare-medium/rare lamb chop. Lightly crispy on the outside, succulent and juicy on the inside. Plump cherries dancing on top (and in my mouth), the perfect combo. The meat is fatty in parts, in a good way, the flavor spilling into the meat.

The kale and corn pudding are excellent accompaniments. The corn pudding is something like a smooth polenta with pieces of whole corn mixed in. It is a great treat, on the sweet edge of savory.

And so again, we sit satisfied, but still curious about dessert. My wife is hoping for a pannacotta, I am hoping for some Italian coffee or espresso.

Antonio comes back. By this time he is incredibly busy, literally running around the restaurant. Not so much in frantic way, because as he moves, he is directing bussers and expediters, observing what his customers need. He launches into a description of the desserts, peppered with his commentaries (”It’s very sweet… like me”). There is no panacotta, per se, but there is a vanilla creme topped with caramel and fresh berries.

I get my espresso (hellloooo bitter) and we chat for a bit while waiting for dessert. The restaurant is packed by this time, completely full. It’s noisy, but not too loud, more lively than anything. We watch the owner wheel over a wine barrel to serve one of the fish dishes. It’s a table service where he shows the fish, removes the bones delicately and precisely, then replates and serves. It’s a bit ceremonious, but is a nice touch, I think.

The Crema Di Vaniglia ($8) arrives. A deep ramekin of vanilla creme, topped with a hefty layer of home made caramel. Fresh blueberries and a raspberry are embedded in the top of the caramel. I’m not a huge fan of pots of creme, but the caramel makes this dessert for me.

The well paced meal allows us to have room enough to finish the dessert. There wasn’t a plate in our meal that didn’t leave completely cleaned. We are both more than satisfied, probably unable to eat another bite, but not feeling stuffed or like we overate.

Dining at La Botte does not come cheap, but at no time do we feel overcharged. It’s a great feeling to eat fresh, high end ingredients prepared with great care and attention to flavor. We leave the restaurant with smiles on our faces, through the door which has been opened by the owner. I shake his hand and thank him for a wonderful evening. Buna Sera indeed.

La Botte Ristorante
620 Santa Monica Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Ph: 310 576 3072

By Jonah (see more of his posts). Jonah is the founder of la.foodblogging and also created Digesty, a food blog aggregator and Cheww.com, a spam free foodblog search engine.

If you haven’t heard, Pinkberry is serving a new flavor of “chilly delight” — coffee. I wont go so far to call it brown berry or dingle berry, but it’s not my favorite combo.

The other night I went into the Sawtelle location (no line BTW) with full intentions of ordering a whole cup of coffee yogurt. When I walked up to the counter, the friendly folks offered a sample of their new flavor. I said sure, and ended up with a heaping taster cup, probably about 1/4 of a small sized order.

I took a first bite — hmmm, not a whole lot of coffee flavor there. Oh, there it is, is this Sanka? Oh, it’s probably Starbucks…

Next bite — This just is not my thing. I love coffee, I love coffee ice cream. This taste sort of like very weak coffee with a little sour milk in it. My mouth is trained to automatically reject coffee with spoiled milk, a reaction learned from eating at cheap diners who leave their little metal creamers in the sun all morning.

Third bite — Ok, that’s enough, I’m not even going to finish this sample, glad they gave it to me though.

So I didn’t go through with it, I ended up ordering a small original with blueberries and Fruity Pebbles.

Does anyone sell Sanka anymore? I read a rumor that the reason why decaf coffee pots are often orange in restaurants is because of the association with the orange Sanka label and decaf. I drank a lot of Sanka on a high school trip back east. I have no idea why. It definitely wasn’t cool and did nothing to keep me awake.

Back to the topic at hand. It seems like Pinkberry is offering big sized samples to whoever asks for one, so taste for your self. Me? I’m getting my coffee frozen delights at Bennett’s.

Pinkberry
Address: All over.

(Picture via Pinkberry.com)

By Jonah (see more of his posts). Jonah is the founder of la.foodblogging and also created Digesty, a food blog aggregator and Cheww.com, a spam free foodblog search engine.

A few months ago, B.L.D. was having poaching problems of a different kind.

The Finicky Lawyer recounts his experience of arriving late for his reservation at Hatfield’s, only to wander into B.L.D. next door. Seems like an honest mistake, we were a bit turned around ourselves when we went to Hatfield’s. Both spots could use better signage.

The plot thickens though, when F.L. finishes his meal, realizes he is at the wrong spot and goes next door to Hatfield’s:

I sheepishly walked into Hatfield’s afterward to apologize for inadvertently skipping out on my reservation. The person at Hatfield’s was livid. Apparently, I was not the first victim of this scam, and BLD had “stolen” customers from Hatfield’s before. It was then that I learned that BLD does not even take reservations.

Hatfield’s was one of my favorite meals last year. I would definitely be disappointed if I ended up in the wrong spot! I have a hard time accepting that B.L.D. would willfully deceive customers, but it does seem that both the Finicky Lawyer and the folks at B.L.D. share some responsibility here.

Has anyone else heard of this happening?

By Jonah (see more of his posts). Jonah is the founder of la.foodblogging and also created Digesty, a food blog aggregator and Cheww.com, a spam free foodblog search engine.

On just the second LA Times Food section since I declared 2008 The Year Of The Soupâ„¢, Betty Hallock highlights velouté which are “velvety, creamy soups”.

Three recipes included as well for Mushroom, Kabocha and White Bean veloutés.

Welcome to The Year Of The Soup LATimes, the more the merrier!

By Jonah (see more of his posts). Jonah is the founder of la.foodblogging and also created Digesty, a food blog aggregator and Cheww.com, a spam free foodblog search engine.

I have been up to the Skirball Center twice. Once with my dad to see the Einstein Exhibit and once with my mom to see the Noah’s Ark installation. Both times, I timed the visit so that we could eat at the Zeidler’s Cafe.

I’m a sucker for museum cafes in general. Maybe they just feel a little more civilized because they are surrounded by culture. I think there is more to it than that though, most of the museum cafes in Los Angeles really do serve good food.

Zeidler’s Cafe is a relatively small space, set up in almost a triangular floor plan. Two of the walls are windows to the outside and one back towards the museum. It’s almost like outdoor dining indoors.

The menu has basic lunch sections, but each one of them is stocked with simple, delightful choices. When I first saw the menu, I immediately locked on to the Salmon Pastrami Club. In fact, both times I have eaten at Zeidler’s I had this sandwich.

Last time I went, my mom and I split the sandwich. It is huge, more like two full sized sandwiches stacked on top of each other. Even the two of us had a hard time finishing it. From the menu, the details are: Pepper Cured Salmon Pastrami, Sliced Red Onion, Tomato, Avocado and Dill Dressing on Toasted Rye Bread ($10.95).

The ingredients in the Salmon Pastrami Club play together perfectly. Fresh, soft rye bread, lightly peppered salmon sliced thin and piled just high enough, juicy tomatoes, creamy avocados, subtle red onions and when your mouth is already having a party, a touch of dill dressing to brighten all of the flavors.

As my mom commented, it’s worth stopping by the cafe just for this sandwich, even if you’re not going to the museum.

To balance the sandwich, we also split a Chopped Salad. Field Greens, Tomato, Cucumber, Roasted Peppers, Mozzarella, Green Beans and Artichoke Hearts Topped with Avocado. Served with Balsamic Vinaigrette on the Side ($9.50). It’s hard to tell from the picture above, but there is a lot of stuff packed in and around the greens. The green beans are a nice touch, blanched and chopped along with the other goodies, adding crunch and flavor. Who doesn’t love crunch and flavor? I don’t want to know.

If you already are planning on visiting the Skirball, make sure to take time to visit the cafe. If you’re driving up the 405 over the hill to the valley, take time to visit the cafe, there is free parking and you don’t need to pay museum admission to eat there. If you have kids, take them to the Noah’s Ark exhibit. You and they will have a great time. It’s a big, creative art piece that you can crawl all over and explore with all of your senses. I do recommend making reservations since there is a timed entry (and exit) to keep the crowds down.

Zeidler’s Cafe (at the Skirball)
2701 North Sepulveda Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90049
(310) 440-4515

By Jonah (see more of his posts). Jonah is the founder of la.foodblogging and also created Digesty, a food blog aggregator and Cheww.com, a spam free foodblog search engine.

image source: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2005/051128.htm

It is in Santa Barbara so this is stretching the geographical boundaries of LAFB but I figure the readership might like to know about this event.

Bedford Thompson Winery is hosting a “Wine & Mushroom Admiration Reception” on Saturday, Jan. 27th 26th (I called the winery and they confirmed the date on their web page is in error), 3-5 pm.

My experience with wild mushrooms came from a trip to Southern France to visit friends. One evening, we gathered around the table to eat wild mushrooms collected by the hosts from around the roadside of the small town they lived in. They sauteed them with a little olive oil and garlic and sprinkled a little salt, pepper and herbs de Provence. Mix those delicious fungus with some wine and company and a good time was had by all.

When I got back to Los Angeles, I looked for those mushrooms at the market and saw they cost a lot!

Anyway, for mushroom lovers or the mushroom curious, this event might be worth checking out.

Bedford Thompson Winery
448 Bell Street
Los Alamos, CA 93440
805-344-2107

By Rene (see more of his posts). You can find more of Rene's writing at his own website Rene's Ramblings