Beachfan

Being in Southern California without a car is like being in Paris without a mouth.

Two key exceptions to that generalization. 1) Me 2) Max MacCalman Wine and Cheese *Sorry that I didn't wait for the new thread Cabby)

Your sport jacket looked a lot like something El Jeffe would wear, perhaps you reminded him of someone in his past.

They were sad. As for my food: 1) Pasta with truffles. I thought the truffles were a dud although Wilfrid said they weren't devoid of aroma. Very disappointing. The opposite of "redolent of truffles". 2) Crispy shrimp salad- This was a nice dish. I ordered it as a consolation prize to myself. Sorry I can't offer more details. 3) Scallops in an Asian (peanut like) sauce with noodles. This was tasty, but the balance between scallops and noodles and sauce was way off. Pretty soon it was just noodles. Also, the scallops were sliced into disks. I was wondering whether this is an unusual (and substandard) preparation; I certainly prefer whole scallops. 4) Meyer lemon soufflee with Grape Granita. This was the one inspired dish (the grape ice being a very nice contrast to the perfect souflee-like tart). Us Californians revere the Meyer lemon, I hope Winfrid is now a convert.

A likely sign they were not celebrities. I thought it was Barbara Lazarus (sp?), Wolfgangs ex.

It was a very fun evening. As for the food, Spago is, was, or should have been, more than we experienced. It was hearty, but not inspired. First time in many that it hasn't been. After checking around, other subpar experiences have recently been reported. A little more on the wine. The 1999 Pinot Noir was a William Selyem Mendocino county. WS fans were worried that with the sale of the winery, and new winemaker Bob Cabral, things would slide. This is a particularly happy wine for WS fans, since it's newly sourced grapes and made entirely under the new winemaker and quite tasty for those of us who like the fruit forward California berry/cherry style (without annoying oak). As well as being pretty reasonably priced (per the mailing list). The cabernet was a 1995 LaJota 13th (?) Anniversary. Wilfrid is right, it tasted more Bordeaux like than I expected (or than the 1994 12th Anniversary). Finally, the Yquem was the fabulous 1990, sold by the ounce. That's civilization at it's best! They couldn't be friendlier towards BYOers than they were to us.

I would have said "Georges at the Cove", but I just got back from a meal where my vegetarian wife was done wrong. After speaking to the sous chef two days before saying we didn't want a "vegetable plate", she got one that was boring as anything. I really enjoyed Pamplemousse yesterday, but that's about 20 minutes north of the north part of San Diego (in Solana Beach). I haven't been to WineSellar Brasserie, but wish I had. They have a wine store attached to them, and sell the wine in the restaurant for 20% more. They actually have an excellent $12 bottle on the list! (It's online). And of course, many other, more pricey excellent bottles.

Glad to here you enjoyed Farrollon. I really enjoy the place and the seafood is as fresh as you can get outside a Japanese restaurant. A restaurant that doesn't get it's "propers" (at least, until now).

Thanks for a wonderful post! I loved Daniel the last two times I was there, and this helps me relive it.

Kudos, DS!! Fabulously written chronicle, full service (i.e., pictures and links) to boot. I think this and the FL post (with an assist from Cabby) have brought the California board into it's own!! Nice value on the Cos D'Estournel. I cut my French wine teeth at the Wine Clubs tastings. What was the other bottle?

Is 2 oz. standard for a tastevin fill? I would have thought 1 oz was more common (and I am happy for my sommelier to check it out).

I've been to the Cheesecake factory a few times. I prefer a bakery.

Our stay and meal there was the highlight of a highlight studded trip through the Pacific Northwest a few years ago. The view, the food, the grounds, did I mention the food? Mmmmmmm!

As I have mentioned repeatedly, there are good values for lunch at three-star levels (Lucas-Carton, Pierre Gagnaire and Grand Vefour). Consider L'Astrance, if you are booking at least a month ahead and can comply with stringent reservations procedures (see applicable old threads on this board). As a value guy, especially with the museums open late these days, I heartily endorse Cabrale's comments. Cabby, I didn't know that Pierre Gagnaire did a value lunch but if it's on the order of Le Grand Vefour, I'll have to check it out next time.

Yes, it vacillated between excellent and absent-minded within one meal. But mostly wonderful throughout, one of my top dining experiences. Note for vegetarians: In France, only Beurheisel did as many creative things for 7 courses as they did at Les Loges. (Beurheisel has it as part of the regular menu, request in advance for Les Loges).

The Cheese Board may be the best cheese shop in the U.S. It's variety may not be quite as high as Dean and DeLucca, but the prices more than make up for it. Once I wanted an assortment of goat cheeses for 1, and they cut the little rounds into quarters for me! I had 5 types for about 3/4 of a lb or less.

I love just about every preparation of eggplant. In my mind, the only problem is undercooking. It's very, very hard to overcook it (unless it becomes dried out somehow). So be generous with cooking times.

Very nice post, Stone. (what happened to the "D"?). You described my take on oysters and pearls to a T. A great concept that by the time I had my third mouthful, I was thinking "Polar Bear in a Snowstorm". I'd be interesting if you found "butter" as thematic through the meal as I did.

Senor Shaw: Have any new research as fuel for the fire? I haven't eaten out in LA enough recently to notice a change. The only time was when I called Campanille and asked how they felt about it, got a cheery "oh it's fine!" response, and then got the artic reception from the waiter, as if I had brought Gallo (it was a very nice William Selyem). The food was quite mediocre, so I guess they don't want me and I don't want them. (Corkage was $20). Picholine was very gracious and excellent service. I was happy to pay the corkage ($50 for one bottle; I bought another off their list - Kunin Viognier, excelletn, only double retail when most of their list is triple). The meal was off the charts good.

For Wine: The Wine Exchange and the Wine Club, in or near Anaheim, have some of the best prices nationwide. Red Carpet Wine in Glendale is a good shop with some of the best tastings around.

That's it. (My post was November 14).

My approach is fairly sensual, and not intellectual 1) Have fun 2) Pay attention to your senses 3) If you like cheese, by all means eat the cheese. A lot of people don't agree with the red wine is hurt by cheese theory. Decide for yourself. 4) Have fun 5) Eat beforehand 6) If the hors d'ouerves are good, eat them before they're gone. 7) Get a ride home

I've always wanted to go here: museum of questionable medical devices

If you are choosing one, let it be Spago!

The best 3 minutes (my maximum single dose) of reality tv I saw this year is Man vs. Beast. The Japanese fellow whose the two time Coney Island hot dog eating champion represented humans in a interspecies hot dog eating contest. He represented our species admirabley. His opponent was ..... .......................... a big, brown bear. 800 lbs. at least. Guess who won? The bear lapped up the dogs like a dog lapping water. Each flick of the tongue was a dog or two. The human might as well been trying to outrun a race horse.