Honkman

Full review with photos: Lucques Suzanne Goin has left quite an impact in the dining scene of Los Angeles over the last decade with the opening of several well respected restaurants such as A.O.C., Hungry Cat, Tavern and most prominently Lucques. Her talent is widely recognized and represented in six nomination for James Beard awards including one for her cookbooks, “Sunday Suppers at Lucques”. As much as we like especially Hungry Cat (we have visited both places in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara), our visits so far to Lucques always left us with mixed feelings. The food and service were mostly good but never really outstanding, and we always felt like that the restaurant had much more potential but for different reasons was never able to fully utilize it. On a recent trip to Los Angeles we thought it was perhaps a good time to try out Lucques again for one of their well-known Sunday Suppers. Lucques is kind of hidden on Melrose Ave, and if you don’t really know where it is it you can easily miss it. It’s a small building with ivy on the front wall, and once you step inside you feel like entering somebody’s living room. The main dining room has a very comfy but elegant feeling with brick stone walls, a fireplace in the middle of the room and large mirrors on the walls that make the room appear much larger than it is. There is also a beautiful patio in the back which is a nice option especially in the summer. Unfortunately our evening didn’t start without problems. We had asked for a place in the dining room when making the reservation since we anticipated cold weather for that weekend, but were initially guided to the patio. After a short discussion we were then shown a table in the dining room which was clearly one of the worst in the house (directly at a pass where most of the guests and servers are walking by all the time) even though there were several other tables available. After another discussion we were given a much better table. Interestingly, we saw the same behavior also later in the evening when the restaurant was nearly empty and a new group of guests arrived; they had a very long discussion to get one of the booths (instead of the table they were first offered) even though none of the booths were occupied. It’s surprising that the staff isn’t more interested to let the guest feel more welcome especially if the requests are so easy to accommodate. The service throughout the evening was professional but at the same time inattentive - we had to ask for the cocktail menu and later for the dessert wine list, dishes were brought out too fast, we asked for coffee after the dessert but were given just the bill and had to remind our server. We started the evening with two cocktails: A Temple Black (Miller’s Gin and house-made grenadine with orange, Seven-up and a hint of anise) which was nice and mellow but had also a nice kick from the gin. And we also asked the bartender to mix us one non-alcoholic cocktail which was very good, it had different fruit juices and a nice tartness by some lemon juice. The bread service at Lucques is always very good, and we love their Lucques olives and almonds. Arugula and blood orange salad with roasted dates, Marcona almonds and Parmesan. The roasted dates and the almonds were the highlights of the salad. The vinaigrette had a little bit too much vinegar. Braised veal cheeks with soft polenta, cavolo nero, turnips and Pecorino salsa. This dish was surprisingly bland, and it doesn’t happen very often that we have to add salt in a restaurant. We liked the sides (polenta and vegetables) more than the veal. Greek yogurt tart with honey, Schaner farm’s citrus and pistachios Good but somehow unremarkable tart Overall this dinner at Lucques was far from really disappointing, but at the same time service and food wasn’t at that level you would expect from a restaurant with such a reputation. We will be back in the future but it will take awhile as there are so many other good options close by.

They are very busy on the weekends but they mentioned that during the week buidness can be quite slow but I seems to pick up a bit over the last few weeks. It would be very sad if they can't survive.

All photos at: http://twofoodiesonejourney.blogspot.com/2010/02/gjelina-los-angeles.html On our increasingly frequent weekend trips to Los Angeles (we have to confess that over the last few years we have started to discover LA’s great food scene and are hooked by now…) we usually arrive late on Friday night, and are always looking for restaurants which are open after 10pm and serve good food. In the past, Pizzeria Mozza and Animal have been our favorites on those nights, but since we are always interested to find new places we decided this time to check out a new one: over the last year Gjelina on Abbott Kinney in Venice Beach got many good reviews and is currently one of the up and coming restaurants in LA. The kitchen under the helm of Travis Lett (opening chef of NineThirty in the W hotel) has a strong focus on local and seasonal food with a Mediterranean influence. The interior of the restaurant is similar to the food: very rustic and simple, but at the same time inviting and somewhat hip and modern. The main dining room has brick walls and floors and wood plank ceiling. Upon entering the restaurant you immediately feel the energy in this room, and two communal tables close to the bar give the opportunity to meet new people for dinner. The restaurant is relatively dark and has its signature, several electrical lamps in all sorts of shapes and sizes, mounted over the bar. In addition to the main dining room the restaurant also has a quieter patio surrounded by high walls which especially during warmer weather might be a very nice place to dine. The menu consists of different small plates including salads and vegetables, entree plates and pizzas from a wood-burning oven. For this visit we decided to choose a few small plates and pizza. Selection of Charcuterie with toasts, mustard, preserves & pickles Salami, Sopressata, Prosciutto with red beets, pickled cucumber and onions, two types of mustard and toasted bread. Overall it was a good start of the night but compared to all the other dishes it was nothing special. Unfortunately we didn’t have the chance to ask if they make their charcuterie in-house. Grilled local squid with a warm lentil salad and Salsa Verde Great combination of very tender squid and an excellent lentil salad. The Salsa Verde gave the dish a nice kick. PEI mussels with homemade chorizo, confit tomato, white wine and grilled bread Large and extremely tender mussels, but the real star of the dish was the sauce which got its taste from the mussels, white wine and tomato confit and had large chunks of chorizo in it. The bread was great for dipping the sauce. We didn’t leave a drop of it on the plate and it would have been a great soup even without the mussels. Crispy Niman Ranch pork belly with soft polenta, bitter greens and apple cider It’s hard for us to see pork belly on any menu and not order it. This version was good but not outstanding. It was a little bit dry, but the bitter greens were a nice contrast and helped to balance the richness of the pork belly. Charred Brussel sprouts with dates, bacon and vinegar Such a simple dish but so good. The Brussel sprouts were tender but still had a nice bite. The sauce had a slight sweetness from the dates which balanced the bitterness of the sprouts and vinegar. And which dish isn’t brought to perfection by bacon ? Pizza with shaved asparagus, confit shallot, farm egg, Sottocenere and parmesan One of our favorite pizza places in LA is Pizzeria Mozza. We love their high quality toppings and even their dough is becoming thinner over the years, but especially the crust still resembles bread more than pizza. We are always on the lookout for real thin pizza (but not too cross) and we might have found it at Gjelina - Very thin pizza with a great thin crust made in a wood-fired oven – our new favorite in LA. And the quality of the toppings at Gjelina didn’t disappoint either. Banana chocolate bread pudding with fresh cream & caramel and outstanding espresso The bread pudding was unusually soft and nearly liquid, and had a great banana taste. Also, it’s quite an advantage to have one of the best coffee shops of LA almost next to the restaurant – Intelligentsia. So it didn’t come as a surprise that the espresso was one of the best we had in any restaurant. Similar to Intelligentsia, the espresso was served with a glass of sparkling water. Service throughout the night was very professional and efficient. We never felt rushed even though we were at the end some of the last guests in the restaurant. We also liked that our waitress mentioned that she will ask the kitchen to pace our dishes slowly. She also made sure that dishes did arrive in the best possible order to combine the best flavors – both seafood dishes at the same time as well as the pork belly together with the sprouts. Overall we went to Gjelina without any high expectations besides reading some good reviews beforehand, but were very impressed by the quality of both food and service. Gjelina will definitely become a part of our regular LA rotation list.

All photos at: http://twofoodiesonejourney.blogspot.com/2010/02/bistro-lq-los-angeles_07.html Bistro LQ opened less than a year ago but is more and more becoming one of our favorite restaurants in LA. Chef Laurent Quenioux has an interesting and impressive background with a start in France and beginning his apprenticeship with 14 and working in numerous restaurants before he came to LA and was involved in several restaurants/positions (including executive chef of the Dodgers). One of his last restaurants was Bistro K in Pasadena which got very good reviews but we unfortunately never had the chance to visit. So we were very excited when Bistro LQ opened end of July 2009 and have since then visited several times and were never disappointed by the food and creativity of Chef Quenioux. It is not only the kitchen at Bistro LQ which delivers, but also the team in the front of the house under the guidance of Eric Bouty is doing a similar outstanding job to let every customer feel welcomed. Our last visit was no exception when he greeted us and mentioned that he saw our names and discussed with the chef that we could get a completely new 9-course tasting menu since we had the last one just a few weeks before. This was of course an offer we couldn’t reject. Amuse-Bouche: Mussel with red beet and salmon caviar. Very tender mussel and a nice contrast by the earthy red beet 1st Course: Dungeness crab with fennel apple slaw Good balance between the sweetness of the crab and the slight sourness of the apple and fennel 2nd Course: Foie Gras (Torchon style) with black truffles, oxtail pastry and frisee. The foie gras worked nicely with the braised oxtail and flaky pastry. 3rd Course: Miso Soup with scallop, Foie Gras and shrimp One of the highlights of the evening – the Foie Gras gave the miso soup a great depth and richness. 4th Course: Sea urchin tapioca pudding with yuzu and oyster in yuzu martini gelee This was the only course we had in a previous tasting menu but we weren’t disappointed to have it again. The tapioca pudding with the uni gave a very smooth taste of the sea which is amplified by the oyster/gelee. (And as chemists we also like the presentation in small beakers… ) 5th Course: Smoked haddock with blini pancake, ricotta lemon mousse and Sevruga caviar Another strong seafood course with a nice variation to the standard smoked salmon with blini. 6th Course: Skate with cippolini, fava beans and raspberry sauce The skate and cippolini were both very tender but the fruity sauce brought the whole dish together by providing an interesting sweet contrast. Intermezzo: Lychee Sorbet Very refreshing sorbet as a palate cleanser before the meat courses 7th Course: Squab with pistachio flan and blueberry sauce Meat was very tender with crispy skin and had a nice gamey flavor. And again it was a great dish were many different flavors worked well together. 8th Course: “Mixed Grill Plate” – hanger steak, heart, kidney, sweetbreads and sunchoke puree Not your standard mixed grill plate but great presentation of different meat flavors and textures 9th Course: Cheeses The cheese cart at Bistro LQ is well known for its large variety and we always let Eric arrange a selection with only the Epoisses as our favorite constant. The condiments are always very impressive and range from truffle honey to red paprika mustard to sweet onion jam to cranberries. 10. Course: Several fruit based sweets – unfortunately forgot the details… Good contrast to the next dessert course but most of these were quite sour and could have been a little bit more balanced 11. Course: Chocolate cake with crème anglaise and whipped cream Good finish of the tasting menu with a light chocolate cake. Mignardises So far we haven’t had any disappointments at Bistro LQ and this visit was no exception. Together with the excellent wine pairing which always supports each dish without overwhelming it this restaurant also presents a real bargain with the 9-course tasting menu and wine pairing for $125/person. The name Bistro LQ doesn’t really cover the food at this restaurant since Chef Quenioux cooks food which goes far beyond “conventional” bistro food. The techniques and the “heart” of the restaurant might be French, but the ideas one finds in the dishes combine influences from all over the world and won’t disappoint anybody interested in creative and innovative food.

I guess we have to agree to disagree. I wasn't talking about the tacos at Superrica (which are really disappointing ) but some of their other menu items like the chorizo special which are OK but nothing special.(But I agree that their fresh tortillas are great). So far I had excellent experiences with their seafood and liked also their cocktails (which are often unusual takes on well-known classics which I often like more than standard cocktails). Dutch Gardens has the advantage of having a beer garden if you want to sit outside but only underwhelming food.

Hungry Cat and Bouchon are two very good options. I know that a lot of people like Superrica but I think it is overrated. It's not horrible food but also nothing special. Something more unusual - Coming myself from Germany I am always surprised how limited German food is the US. You mainly get food which is typical tourist food in German but nothing what really resembles the many different regions in Germany. Unfortunately even this tourist food you get in the US is often of very low quality (I haven't yet found a decent German restaurant in Southern California). The only exception I recently discovered is in Santa Barbara - Brummis. A small family-owned restaurant on upper State Street which serves manyn of the "classical" German dishes but on very high quality level.

I guess it's a matter of opinion as to what is funny and what is not. Really? Taking money from an advertiser that has nothing to do with food is a selling out? The show still works the same way on screen as far as I can tell. I do not see them "toning it down" to appeal to a mass audience and the content is still as varied as it always has been (to kick it off we get a non-food focused Panama and then Turkey with almost nothing but food!). As far as influencing the show, like I said, it is not evident. Now, you can be all conspiracy theory and say it was all a plot by big bad Chase to send him to Turkey so he can eat at this place that they own and hang out with the cute chick who in reality works for Chase PR. I don't buy that because the show would've worked exactly the same with or without Chase and a 2.5 second plug for them helped pay the bill. With DVR and TiVo most advertiser are resorting to one trick or another to get you to see their products. That's all there is to it. Again, when he starts shilling for a food-related company/product that I am pretty sure he does not believe in, I'll be the first to bash him as a sellout. When on Top Chef, the contestants are asked to improvise a meal using nothing but "Product X", that's how you know advertisers, in this case whoever makes "Product X", ARE influencing content and script. Figured and example might help. I am not saying that Chase is influencing the program but how do you know that not other (travel-related) companies are trying to influence for example where he is going or what places he is visiting during a show ? And I am not saying that there is so far any clear evidence that this is happening but just seeing in what stupid way they advertise Chase during the show gives me at least less convidence that this might not happen in the future.

"Sure, the Chase thing was blatant and bit annoying, but kinda funny" - I don't see where it was in any way funny. It was only annoying. "Why is this "selling out"? - For somebody who always tried to portrait himself as "different", "outsider, not following the mainstream" and making jokes about the mainstream this is a sell out. "It does not matter and has no real impact on the content of the show!" - How do you know ? How do you know that other companies / tourist organizations don't influence the content of the show ?

I like Anthony Bourdain and what he is doing a lot but I am really surprised how much people are willing to overlook just because he is Anthony Bourdain. If any other person on TV would do such product placement everybody on this (and other) boards would be disappointed and would call it a sell-out. For some reason people tend to be very uncritical about Bourdain which I think is unjustified. Bourdain as somebody who is never shy of making comments about other people and what kind of losers they are loses a lot of credibility by doing this kind of product placement.

A few restaurants you might look into: Terra (flies under the radar but good, affordable food) Bite (Tapas style restaurant) Kous Kous (good Maroccan restaurant) Pappalecco (Very good gelato) Extraordinairy Dessert (for very good, rich desserts) And I know some people like Hash House A Go Go but we haven't good experiences with it. Only obscenely large portions of mediocre food.

Actually it is the other way around. The big difference between cookbooks in Germany and US is the low number of photos in US cookbooks (I have quite a lot of them which hardly have any) and the large number of photos in German cookbooks. Even my older German cookbooks have often photos of nearly every dish etc. Also the quality of paper in the US us rather disappointing compared to Germany. I don't know in which bookshops you have looked in Germany but there are many "coffee table" style book available.

You might look into Baking from James Peterson: http://www.amazon.com/Baking-James-Peterson/dp/1580089917

Here are a few suggestions (even though I don't think any of them can replace Better Half which for us was by far the best and most creative restaurant in San Diego. Hopefully Chef John Kennedy will reappear on ther culinary scene soon): The Linkery (farm to table restaurant. The last few dinners were very, very good and service has improved a lot over the last few months) Jayne's Gastropub (very solid food, nice service) Restaurant at the Hotel Pearl (surprisingly creative food. Not your typical hotel restaurant) Wine Vault (fantastic $30 5-course dinners on Saturdays but also a lot other good wine dinners throughout the week) Alchemy (new restaurant in South Park with good food, Service can be mixed depending who is in) Cowboy Star (very good steak/meat focus restaurant) Terra (flies under the radar but has very good food)

What was the price for the tasting menu ?

Market Restaurant in Del Mar is a must. Check it out at its website: www.marketdelmar.com You will not be disappointed. However, they are always full so make sure you have your reservation before you go and they are not cheap - starter around $10-15 and entre $28-40. ← Place looks great, and $68 for a 10 course tasting is actually a great price! thanks for the tip ← $68 is for a 4-course tasting menu. Market is overall a good but not outstanding restaurant.

The new book from Thomas Keller "Ad Hoc at Home" will come out this fall. Will be interesting to see what level of cooking it will include

I am still puzzled how Cyrus was able to get two stars. We had an average (food quality) to lousy (service) dinner there beginning of January. In the weeks before and after we had great meals at Providence, Spago, Hatfields, Aureole, Picasso and all of them were much, much better than what we got at Cyrus. (with Providence as the highlight. Outstannding 15 course meal with service you would expect at a two star restaurant but at the same time not to formal ot unfriendly)

Do you have a car ? It will give you many more options. One restaurant I like in Culver City is Fraiche: http://www.fraicherestaurantla.com/

I haven't looked into the Flavor Bible but other books from Dornenburg/Page might cover what you are looking for. I would start by looking through Culinary Artistry.

At home or in restaurant not participating in the restaurant week. I always feel that exploring a restaurant in the restaurant week is a bad thing to do. The special menu often doesn't reflect the "real" quality of a restaurant, service is often lousy etc.

The Better Half has a webpage now. http://www.thebetterhalfbistro.com/ I can highly recommend to go there. Another good french-influenced restaurant in SD is Cafe Chloe Bob, I know it's now past Valentine's Day and this recommendation isn't exactly French, but it is in Hillcrest and why wait for Valentine's Day to roll around again for a date with your wife Try The Better Half (no web page as of now). It's been open for a couple of months in the space that was formerly occupied by The Abbey, on University between 1st St. and Front, next to Ortega's and across the street from Chilango's. The chef John Robert Kennedy was cooking at Cafe One-Three on Park Ave. until just recently. His cooking pedigree is pretty impressive for a chef in SD...CCA for culinary school in SF, then on to The French Laundry, Charlie Trotter, Daniel Boulard, back to SF to work at Gary Danko and now SD. The food is interesting, creative, almost all of it made in house (including some really good whole grain mustard), and well priced. The bread pudding is probably the best version in the city right now; it's light, almost souffle-like, flavorful and completely seductive. Service was warm, friendly, sincere and some of the best I've seen in San Diego over the last few years. The owner was recently affiliated with the very upscale Blanca in Solana Beach. The whole premise is built around 1/2 bottles of wine rather than full bottles. I dine a lot during the week and sometimes only want a glass or so of wine, not a whole bottle. I'm also not infrequently a solo diner and the half bottle appeals to me on that level too. Their wine list is extensive for half bottles (it includes champagne splits too) and we were very pleasantly surprised at how knowledgable our server was about the different wines. We basically told her what we liked to drink and she made a suggestion that turned out to be perfect for us. They don't sell full bottles of wine, but diners are more than welcome to bring full bottles with them, corkage is a very reasonable $5. Appetizers are $7 - 14, entrees $15 - 25, I thought the prices were quite reasonable, plus they do an amuse and intermettzzo gratis. Don't wait for Valentine's Day, grab your wife and go check out The Better Half. ←

If you look for very good (not outstanding) Italian food in Newport Beach I would highly recommedn Il Farro: http://www.ilfarro.com/restaurant.htm

As a German I can only say that I haven't seen a reasonable good German cookbook here in the US. If you want to read good German recepies I recommend buying a German cookbook written in German. It is not that difficult to understand German recipes especially if you use one of the German online dictionaries (e.g. www.leo.org is one of the best). A good German cookbook would be then "Die echte deutsche Kueche" http://www.amazon.com/echte-deutsche-K%C3%...9972505&sr=11-1 (I always have problems to get the links correct in eG). It covers a lot of recipes from the different regions in Germany and is pretty authentic. In addition the publisher Graeve & Unzer puts a lot of thoughts in their cookbook and has also very good pictures for each dish (something I really miss with American cookbook which often look very cheap).

This is unfortunate. Riko is a good friend of mine and I know how much he put into this business. I hope he stays in SD. ← Riko will open a restaurant in Kapalua, Maui.

The Cookbook Store in SD is nice but very small, unorganized and very crowded.