Bin 8945

[Carolyn Tillie]

I was going to continue my mini-blog on Southern California with an entry about Bin 8945, but thought it deserved its own entry as I'm sure discussion of this landmark restaurant will continue. I had the distinct pleasure of dining with a Southern California food critic "R" and bantering on the culinary onslaught that was to come. We arrived promptly at 6:00 and were shown a prime corner seat which gave a vantage of the entire restaurant:

While perusing the menu, an amuse of tomato consomme was served paired with some sparkling Gruet from New Mexico:

We ordered the Bin tasting - something in the neighborhood of 12 courses - for $100, with appropriate pairings for another $100.

While various waiters provided the food throughout the evening, David the owner provided the sommelier service for the evening:

The first official course was poppyseed-crusted hamachi with soy pate, orange gastrique, and micro-greens. This was served atop a Himalayan salt block with a wine pairing of Masaumi Arabashiri sake. An exciting start:

The next course, served with a 2005 Tement Berghauser Weiss-Burgunder, was Tasmanian trout skin topped with a Chilean fruit, charica, and a Pinot Gris gastrique. The interest was in the unusual fruit but beyond that, this dish didn't do much as a collective whole:

The next course was a bit more successful - red snapper ceviche. The simple combination of onions, cucumber, avocado, a the light crunch of blue corn chips paired very well with a sparkling 2001 Gruet Rose:

We were next served Bin's version of a Chawan-Mushi - this made with shrimp dumplings, veal jus and quail egg. It was not a classic Chawan-Mushi in that there was no custard to speak of. "R" queried David about it and it was suggested that Angelenos wouldn't understand real Chawan-Mushi. This turned the conversation a bit towards classic Japanese food and through our recommendations, David indicated he'd be heading to Shin-Sen-Gumi in a week or so!

An interesting pairing for the Chawan-Mushi was Hitachino, a white ale made entirely from rice:

Our next offering was a butter-poached lobster with sturgeon caviar, a Gruyere crisp, and cilantro oil all paired with a 2004 Bret Brothers Macon-Cruzille Clos des Vignes de Maynes. The slight tragedy of this course is that the lobster was an amazing quality but was entirely overshadowed by the butter emulsion. I would have never thought I could ever say there is too much of a butter flavor in anything, but sadly here it is so. I would have liked to taste the lobster and the caviar but all we tasted was butter; albeit really good butter.

The much-anticipated foie gras course was next. Served with a 2004 Steininger Gruner Veltliner was Bin's "L'eggo my eggo" waffle (really!) topped with seared foie and served aside maple-syrup braised bacon bits and topped with ice cream. It is hard for me to not love foie gras and I enjoy eating it in any form but both "R" and I thought this dish a bit ill-conceived and too kitschy. The maple syrup and vanilla ice cream was overpoweringly sweet for a mid-course. I think serving on a supermarket-purchased frozen waffle is a mistake. The kitchen is producing amazing dishes and lowering their standards to this form of novelty somewhat sad - they are better than this. "R" suggested changing the maple syrup to a fruit-flavored one; huckleberry or something. And the ice cream needs to go:

Sensing our love of fine wine, David pulled out something special for our next pairing - a 1982 Henri Tayer Bourgogne which was served with a molasses-glazed monkfish atop a celeriac with with pickled fennel and arugula oil. Wine and dish were both show-stoppers for me. The monkfish had the perfect crispy sear with tender interior. The juxtaposition of the creamy, rich celeriac was highlighted against the brightness of the fennel. Fabulous dish and I am saddened that my adoration with smelling the wild strawberry in the wine made me completely forget to turn my camera on for the dish.

I didn't think the last dish could be topped but another show-stopper appeared. Cod with veal jus, sun chokes, and Maitake mushrooms. This was served with Senoris de Sarria Vinedo #7 Navarro. Absolutely stunning dish:

The meat dishes were next. Served with a 2003 Rosso Conero Vigneli del Coppo was seared duck breast with duck rillette, abalone mushrooms, fava beans, and jus. Lovely, rich, and very decadent:

Some beef was next in Bin's version of a surf-and-turf; Kobe with lobster and a potato gratin. The wine pairing was a 2000 Chateau Yon-Figneac Saint-Emillion. This dish was not as fabulous as we thought it could have been -- the previous dish's duck was so tender and rich that it was surprising that the Kobe beef was not as exciting.

Next was wine-poached venison served with plantains, mole, and a folded crepe. The wine pairing was a stunning 2005 Chateau de la Liquiere Faugerels. This was an odd dish -- the crepe was entirely unnecessary as the mole overwhelmed whatever delicate flavor may have existed in the crepe. In retrospect, the fact that it was venison was hardly memorable either; any hunk of meat could have been a vehicle for the sauce.

Next was lamb with chorizo froth served with a duck fat-fried onion ring. Playing around a little, David paired this with a 15-year old Madeira by Bual Cossart Gordon. The peppery spiceness of the chorizo foam was perfection next to the sweetness of the Madeira. Just great fun:

Finally, we got into a cheese course - Lialendo, Gruyere, and an Epoisses. Being playful again, David paired his cheeses with a Chambly Noir dark ale. I like the idea of a beer with cheese and this was quite interesting - however the plain, overly dry bread slices were on the mediocre side.

The dessert course, served with Sailor & Terry spiced rum (92 proof), was Napolean Bins S'more with a strawberry milkshake. All house-made marshmallows on thin tuilles, both "R" and I wanted a bittersweet chocolate to counter the overly-sweet sandwich; either as a sauce to dip or as some additional component. The rum, however, was fabulous with nutty, caramel flavors of spice.

Almost four hours later, Michael the chef came out and hearty congratulations were offered at the success. David was hanging out in the front with a great cigar (thanks for the puff!) and he indicated there is hope to grow into a larger space. I have read CH reports of the restaurant being crowded and long waits. We were very fortunate and because of some daily weather mis-haps (high winds, local fires, and a few power outages), at 7:00 "R" were still the only ones sitting in the restaurant. It filled up quickly after that and the table of four sitting next to us enjoyed their full courses immensely (I had a bite of their frittes which were fabulous). The waitstaff were more than on top of our water needs and explanations of every dish.

Here, the next morning, I am suffering a bit of a hang-over but that was due to the combination of sake, wine, beer, AND rum <ouch>. In retrospect, it was the fish dishes that stand out the most for me. David is brilliant at wine pairings and apparently some of the courses we tried are new to the menu. Despite our assessment of a few minor errors of judgement in some of the ingredient choices, the execution is flawless and the presentation and intent stunning. The successes in our dinner far out-weighed the mis-steps. So glad I got the opportunity during my stay to experience this rising star in the Los Angeles culinary scene.

[SiseFromm]

I'm about to read through the rest of the review, but this caught my eye and I had to stop:

An interesting pairing for the Chawan-Mushi was Hitachino, a white ale made entirely from rice:

We found three different varities of beer from this producer at Hi-Time Cellars in Costa Mesa. We were heading to a Japanese restaurant and thought we'd have an "apperitif" before we all headed out. I wanted a rare Japanese beer and we found these adorable bottles and couldn't pass them up. They're really all quite interesting! My favorite actually was the traditional Japanese Ale from the same producer in a bottle with a similar graphic (they all looked similar with the change in colors on the graphics). If you're still around, you should DEFINITELY make a trip to Hi-Time. That store is amazing and we know pretty much all of the wine buyers there. I'd love to give you a tour.

[Carolyn Tillie]

I'm about to read through the rest of the review, but this caught my eye and I had to stop:

An interesting pairing for the Chawan-Mushi was Hitachino, a white ale made entirely from rice:

We found three different varities of beer from this producer at Hi-Time Cellars in Costa Mesa. We were heading to a Japanese restaurant and thought we'd have an "apperitif" before we all headed out. I wanted a rare Japanese beer and we found these adorable bottles and couldn't pass them up. They're really all quite interesting! My favorite actually was the traditional Japanese Ale from the same producer in a bottle with a similar graphic (they all looked similar with the change in colors on the graphics). If you're still around, you should DEFINITELY make a trip to Hi-Time. That store is amazing and we know pretty much all of the wine buyers there. I'd love to give you a tour.

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I remember Hi-Time! Sadly, the rest of my stay is relegated to packing boxes in the armpit of Los Angeles: Sherman Oaks. I got my lovely visit to Newport Beach on Tuesday and will be returning for a week during the Arts Festivals in August (can I have a rain-check?)

[SiseFromm]

Absolutely. Just PM me when you get closer to your Summer trip.

[Swicks]

Great report!

I had the Hitachino Red Rice Ale at Momofuku Ssam Bar in NYC about a month back and it was very interesting and very delicious.

Nice shout outs on Hi-Time, such a wonderful place. I buy pretty much all of my wine and beer there if I can, save for an occasional trip to BevMo down the road. I love it there, such helpful and knowledgeable staff, I only try and go when I have a few hours to spare because I could browse there for ages!

[molto e]

This is a foodie / wine-lover restaurant, no doubt about it. They started as a winebar with well conceived food, but they have now evolved to a much higher level of execution. The old chef from Norman's came over when Norman's closed and the level of dining went up with it. The wine list is filled with gems on it at a resonable price...a definite must when in LA!

[tupac17616]

Great report!

I had the Hitachino Red Rice Ale at Momofuku Ssam Bar in NYC about a month back and it was very interesting and very delicious.

Funny that you mention that. I've had both the red ale and the white ale at Momofuku Ssam very recently and absolutely HATED both. Different strokes...

[Swicks]

Great report!

I had the Hitachino Red Rice Ale at Momofuku Ssam Bar in NYC about a month back and it was very interesting and very delicious.

Funny that you mention that. I've had both the red ale and the white ale at Momofuku Ssam very recently and absolutely HATED both. Different strokes...

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Interesting indeed...I can't speak about the White Ale obviously but what didn't you like about it?

[jsmeeker]

Thanks for the review.

I'd really like to try this place out during one of my frequent L.A. visits.

[Carolyn Tillie]

Here is my return visit to Bin, a restaurant that is continually astonishing me in its innovation.

Amuse of Vichyssoise with chive oil and bits of bacon - a creamy, subtle start with a nice punctuation of salty bacon bits.

Oyster Rockefeller – Prince Edward Oysters with Herb Crema, Gruyere, Uni foam and American Caviar. This was paired with Nagarawaga sparkling Nigori sake. It is combinations like this that impresses me so much about the restaurant. There is a great juxtaposition between the saltiness of the foam and caviar which is tamed with the sweetness of the sake.

Heirloom Tomato Tart, Gruyere, Lomo, Cucumber, Basil, Thyme, Oregano, and Sherry Vinaigrette accompanied with Egly ouriet-"Vignes de Vrigny," NV, Pinot Meunier from Ambonnay, France. Knowing how much food was coming our way, when I saw the size of this tart I immediately thought I would only eat half to save room. After one bite, I realized that was not possible. The "crust" of the tart was melted cheese and while I thought the combination would be sharp-tasting, it was rich. The complement of a 100% Pinot Meunier sparkling brought out the elegance of the tomatoes.

On the far left, crispy plaintain, in the center shrimp ceviche with pickeled habanero chile and on the far right, bacon and coconut foam served with 2005 Emrich Schonleber Halbtrocken Riesling Nahe, Germany. The idea here is to bring all these flavors together so a bit of the creamy foam was spread on the plantain and then a few bites of shrimp were added so that the plantain could be lifted to the mouth... I was concerned about the habanero chile being too spicy for me and realized the sweetness of the riesling was served to counter the chile's bite. I had little reason to be worried as the overwhelming spice I was anticipated did not exist. It was a stunning combination.

Pacific Striped Sea Bass with asparagus, fried egg and summer black truffles from Italy. David cooked the bass tableside on a 500 million year old salt block that had been heated for 45 minutes in a 700 degree oven. The plates with the egg and asparagus were then presented and David plated the bass and then shaved the truffles on top of the egg. There is something supremely satisfying about runny eggs with truffles and the addition of the freshly grilled sea bass and asparagus was oddly wholesome. The brilliance of this dish was the pairing of a show-stopper wine, 1999 Maion Lucien Le Moine "Valmur," Chablis, France. Tasted blind, NO ONE would know this wine was a Chablis - it was so intensely rich and elegant, I was SURE it was a classic Montrachet...

Crispy Frogs Legs with Vandouvan and Oranges. Vandouvan generally consists of a blend of curry leaves, fenugreek, mustard seeds, and garlic served with 2005 Deus "Brut de Flanders" Beer Flanders/Champagne. This was my show-stopper for the evening. I'm not sure if it was the crispiness of the frogs legs, the spicy blend of flavors, or how the beer/champagne brought it all together, but there was this sense of comfort food in handling the legs and tearing the meat off with my teeth. I could have -- and should have! -- licked the plate.

La Belle Farms foie gras, caramelized plaintains, house-cured duck prosciutto, red plum gastric with a touch of watercress for spice served with a Calem 20 year old Port, Portugal. As was discussed during dining, this dish was a tad too sweet for me. I could completely understand what David was trying to do in moving us towards the heftier dishes, but the sweetness of the plaintains, the plum sauce, AND the port made for a bit of sugar shock. Some tang of contrast was needed - in a slice of sour apple, or shred of shiso leaf... I'm not sure what. Actually, I would have loved this dish at the end of the meal AS a dessert. Perfectly grilled foie.

Pork Roulade. The pork had been stuffed with a mixture of chopped scallops and shrimp. It was served with herb spaetzle and bing cherry demi glace, 1985 "Les Cazeetiers", Pierre Bouree Gevery Chambertin, France. This was a near-perfect course. The pork was fork tender. The stuffing was not overly rich. The demi glace had the right amount of sweetness. My only suggestion came with my second-to-last bite when a mouthful of spaetzle that had a bit more herbs than the previous bites and I realized I loved how the flavor of the herbs highlighted the entire dish and accentuated the wine.

Wild boar sausage with boar jus, caramelized onions and crispy garlic chips served with a 2002 Marques del Puerto, Gran Riserva, Tempranillo, Mazuelo, Graciano; Rioja, Spain. This dish was a show-stopper for the men as both raved enthusiastically over the taste of the sausage. Yes, I was enamored, but preferred the pork a bit more... Amazing wine pairing. Again.

Filet with English peas, applewood smoked bacon and a duck fat onion ring served with a 2004 "Agno Tinto", Vignalta Petite Syrah; Veneto, Italy. I'm not sure why I love this course so much - the contrast of the fresh peas against the onion ring and tender meat just seems almost Elizabethan in sentiments. The Petite Syrah was a surprise and inspiration.

Cheese – Pont le Vec, Lavender and Epoisse served with a 2000 "St. Hippolyte" Marcel Deiss Gewurztraminer, Bergheim, France. I like a simple cheese plate and get annoyed with too much "stuff" - I don't need fresh fruit or dried fruit or compotes or nuts. I just like the cheese. The lavender was definitely the strongest and for it alone, I would have preferred a Tokaj but in conjunction with the other cheeses, this Gewurz was fine.

Crème Fraiche Panna Cotta ~ market berries with 1993 Chateau Pajzos "5 Puttonyos," Furmint Hungary. Creamy, simple, and perfect with the wine. But for me, it was about the OTHER dessert...

Churros with a Chocolate sauce. Seriously - how can anyone go wrong with fried dough? It is comfort food to its core and is so hard to screw up. Good thing for me there were only a few on the plate; I could have eaten a dozen.

I thought I had reached Nirvana with the churros, but a mignardise of sorts followed - miniature chocolate cupcakes. That did it for me. Or, I should say, the cupcakes and the fact that I got the waitress to bring me a glass of cold milk as the pairing. Seriously, is there anything better than a perfect bite of chocolate cake followed with a splash of cold milk? Not in my book...

A perfect ending to a perfect dinner!

[Rail Paul]

Thanks for this delicious writeup, Carolyn.

Your description of the meal flowed wonderfully, and I could almost taste Lizziee's desserts. Your photos and words propelled them off the screen.

[Swicks]

Wow! Great report, sounds like an incredible meal and pairings. Looks like this place just rocketed up my to-do list in LA.

[Carolyn Tillie]

Wow!  Great report, sounds like an incredible meal and pairings.  Looks like this place just rocketed up my to-do list in LA.

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It is interesting for me to think back and compare Bin 8945 with Stonehill Tavern. Yes, the Stonehill staff are obviously more polished and the plating is more symmetrical and precious in their perfection, but there is considerably more bang-for-the buck at Bin.

Bin's tasting is $105 for food and $100 for wine for 10+ courses. Stonehill's was $115 for food and $65 or $70 for wine but for only six courses. I paid a pretty penny to have that cheese plate (plus an ungodly amount of $47 for a glass of the d'Yquem), making Stonehill prohibitively expensive.

And Bin uses the right glassware, even down to the sake!

[Swicks]

Wow!  Great report, sounds like an incredible meal and pairings.  Looks like this place just rocketed up my to-do list in LA.

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It is interesting for me to think back and compare Bin 8945 with Stonehill Tavern. Yes, the Stonehill staff are obviously more polished and the plating is more symmetrical and precious in their perfection, but there is considerably more bang-for-the buck at Bin.

Bin's tasting is $105 for food and $100 for wine for 10+ courses. Stonehill's was $115 for food and $65 or $70 for wine but for only six courses. I paid a pretty penny to have that cheese plate (plus an ungodly amount of $47 for a glass of the d'Yquem), making Stonehill prohibitively expensive.

And Bin uses the right glassware, even down to the sake!

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Definately a great point. That stemware snafu is absolutely inexcusable in my mind, especially at fine dining destination.

[LoveToEatATL]

Carolyn, all those pics and descriptions had me swooning. It was almost like being there.

I was looking for the perfect place to take my husband for his birthday in September. Looks like I have found it.

Thanks.

P

[Carolyn Tillie]

A fortunate turn of business events brought me to Los Angeles and knowing far enough ahead of time, I booked one of the remaining seats in the guest-chef series at Bin to eat the cuisine of noted French chef, Michel Richard. I didn't mind sitting single at the bar as I got to watch a lot of the evening's action as every seat in the house was filled. What a truly astonishing meal it was...

The first course listed was Scrambled Scallops, stunningly served in an actual horizontally-cut egg shell, decoratively topped with an attached Cheerio! Surrounding the scramble was a circle of caviar and the saltiness of the fish eggs heightened the creaminess of the scramble. It was served with a 1999 Philipponnat Grand Blanc Brut which was bright and crisp with a touch of peach.

The second course was Low Carb-O-Nara. The fettuccine-like offering was, in fact, thinly sliced onions served in a cream sauce with Parmesan cheese and garnished with lardons of bacon and a vegetable concoction akin to a mille-feuille; minuscule rainbow layers of vegetables. The wine pairing was 2004 “Ried Burgberg” Hogl Gruner Veltliner. This was a stunning pairing as the back-palate taste of this wine was definitely that of cheese - an aged, hard cheese. The initial taste alone was odd but paired with the dish, was stunning.

The third course is apparently a signature dish from Citronelle, Lobster Begula Pasta. This dish was a revelation. Served in what looked like a caviar dish were rich, creamy chunks of lobster topped with Israeli couscous which had been cooked with black squid ink, giving it the appearance of Beluga caviar. Dipping down through the caviar and assembling both the couscous and the lobster in one bite, this was a show-stopper dish. The wine pairing with this course was 1999 Corton Charlemagne Marius Delarche.

Next was Foie Gras Brulée paired with a 2004 Marcel Deiss Gewurztraminer. After the "caviar," I didn't think the meal could get any better. I am usually put off by foie laden with fruit as it is often too sweet for me. The foie mousse was perfectly smooth and light and the complement of the fruits along with the wine was divine beyond comprehension. On a previous visit, I complained to David Haskell (manager/sommelier) that I thought his foie/wine pairing was too sweet and there was no mis-step here whatsoever. Neither the fruit nor the wine were on the sticky side and the light crunch of the brulée only enhanced the richness of the foie.

The meat course was entitled Figgy Piggy - a rich pork tenderloin served with fresh figs, carrots, and a sweet-spiced Port sauce. The wine accompaniment was 1996 Clos Vougeot” Anne Gros. I don't recall ever having a pork so tender that I could have mistaken it for veal. The wine was rich enough to stand up to the Port sauce without fighting it.

I have always liked the cheese course at Bin as they don't spoil the plate with unnecessaries like nuts or fruit-laden bread. Here were Queso Clara, Telaggio, and Epossies paired with 2005 Weingut Wittman Riesling “Trocken”.

The final signature dish of this amazing evening from Chef Richard's repertoire was Le Kit Cat, a layer of a crunchy peanut butter based topped with a rich chocolate mousse and served with hazelnut sauce and vanilla ice cream. The pairing for the dessert was a classic 1994 Dow’s Port.

Despite the crowd of obviously close-knit friends and acquaintances, I was able to garner enough time with the chef to grab a photograph and a signature on his cookbook, which they were selling that evening. What a great night.

[tupac17616]

wow, carolyn. that meal looks amazing.

[Carolyn Tillie]

wow, carolyn.  that meal looks amazing.

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Knowing how small the kitchen at Bin is, I'm sure a few short cuts had to be taken to produce Chef Richard's impressive food -- not that I would know or notice, but it has certainly piqued my interest to go to D.C. and eat at Citronelle.

[Kouign Aman]

I wonder - wouldnt a chef choose a menu that he could produce to his preferences with the kitchen to hand, rather than take shortcuts and risk his reputation? I can certainly see why you'd want to check for yourself. That looks and sounds like a great evening.

[Carolyn Tillie]

I wonder - wouldn't a chef choose a menu that he could produce to his preferences with the kitchen to hand, rather than take shortcuts and risk his reputation?  I can certainly see why you'd want to check for yourself. That looks and sounds like a great evening.

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My guess is two-fold -- for starters, he was cooking at Providence on Saturday, Spago on Sunday, and at Bin on Monday so he may have been stretched a bit thin for the entire Los Angeles trip. In this case, it was at Bin that he was preparing the most extensive menu but that due to the limited size of Bin's kitchen (it is really tiny), he DID produce a menu to his preference.

Changing a "standard" recipe (my bad verbiage of calling it a shortcut) does not necessarily mean that negative connotation you are implying. The case-in-point is the Low Carb-O-Nara. From my research on the web, those mille-feuille vegetable bits are not part of the usual serving in D.C. So, okay, the dish has been changed but it is hardly a shortcut. Reading through the cookbook, the Lobster Begula Caviar would normally have a poached egg and Hollandaise sauce. It had neither which is why I am curious how the dish tastes in D.C. compared to what I was served. The L.A. version was spectacular so I tend to doubt his reputation suffered by changing that recipe.

[pierre45]

Last week 4 of us had dinner at Bin 8945. WE were looking forward to our dinner based on the enthusiastic reviews on this board.

WE opted for the 7 coarse degustation menu ($78).I will not describe the menu as it was fully covered on this thread.

We found the ingredients of good quality but the preparation very amateurish.There was no contrast in texture or flavors.It was rather simple and bland.Service was also amateurish.The white wine list was good ,but the red wine list was rather on the expensive side,many over $50 and not worth it.The restaurant decor is simple with wooden tables and chairs and close to each other.

We spent $300 per couple ,which includes wine .I beleive this is way too high for this kind of a place

[samgiovese]

We spent $300 per couple ,which includes wine .I beleive this is way too high for this kind of a place

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Not that I care, but on O/A, you said you spent $400. per couple!

Edited October 5, 2007 by samgiovese (log)

[pierre45]

We spent $300 per couple ,which includes wine .I beleive this is way too high for this kind of a place

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Not that I care, but on O/A, you said you spent $400. per couple!

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PLease ,note that i corrected the error immediately.

What amaze's me is the # of people coming to the defense of Bin 8945.

Trying to say something negative about my opinion.

I just shared my experince as i have done with many other restaurants all over the world.

[robert40]

We spent $300 per couple ,which includes wine .I beleive this is way too high for this kind of a place

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Not that I care, but on O/A, you said you spent $400. per couple!

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PLease ,note that i corrected the error immediately.

What amaze's me is the # of people coming to the defense of Bin 8945.

Trying to say something negative about my opinion.

I just shared my experince as i have done with many other restaurants all over the world.

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Am I missing something. Where?

[pierre45]

[

Not that I care, but on O/A, you said you spent $400. per couple! 

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PLease ,note that i corrected the error immediately.

What amaze's me is the # of people coming to the defense of Bin 8945.

Trying to say something negative about my opinion.

I just shared my experince as i have done with many other restaurants all over the world.

←

Am I missing something. Where?

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For the record in mouthfuls in response to MT.