Bastide

[touaregsand]

LA Weekly review of Bastide.

I always read the restaurant reviews in the LA Weekly. The paper is free and it's available allover LA. Strange thing is I normally have a strong ability to retain most of what I read, but I never seem to remember anything Jonathon Gold writes. Seriously, I cannot remember a single thing the man has ever said about food.

[greensNbeans]

Is there a website available?

[robert40]

Is there a website available?

←

No

[greensNbeans]

Is there a website available?

←

No

←

Strange, I wonder why not?

[robert40]

I am not sure. I recently have been hearing great things about it and also searched for a site with no luck. Frustrated I gave up and called the restaurant and was told they don't have a site.

[greensNbeans]

I am not sure. I recently have been hearing great things about it and also searched for a site with no luck. Frustrated I gave up and called the restaurant and was told they don't have a site.

←

I have been reading about it for some time now but I wanted to see menu or possibly a few pictures. I saw a program on public acces and Chef Ludavic made a frozen lime mousse with liquid nitrogen, and I would love to hear more about items like that!

[molto e]

greensNbeans,

I had the "Surprise Menu" in April and I really should have ordered a la carte, because there were many things that I did not get to try. The service was flawless, but some of the dishes were not really to my taste.

The window behind the curtain was actually into the kitchen which I thought was cool

Amuses of goat cheese and blood orange slurp in the first picture and the second was chicken popsickles(not frozen), goat cheese and macaroni and Foie Kisses

Deconstruction of Bloody Mary-this was the best "dish" of the night very good

Chorizo Cream, Balsamsic, Macadamia, Ice Onions, Ice Cornichons

I liked this soup, but I could have done without the Ice Cornichons

White Asparagus, Brown Butter Yogurt, Black Olive, Morel, Bread Foam

This was delicious-the morels were sublime

Foie Gras "Poele", Apricot, Amaretto, Bitter Almond Ice Cream, Black Tea

I really am not that big on apricots and there was a big vein running through my foie

Caramelized Scallop and Boudin Noir, Apple Granny Smith, Walnut, Nitro Arbois Wine

I did not like the raw cauliflower under the scallop, but the boudin noir with the granny smith apple was great

Cap'N Crunch Sole, Smoked Mashed Potato, Pickled Banana, Red Bell Pepper Oil

I did not like the Captain Crunch on the sole. He serves chicken that way and I would have liked to try that. The pickled banana was not to my taste and the mashed were very smoked.

Seared Duck Breast with Vadouvan, Wasabi Consumme, Udon with Pink Grapefruit, Toast Skin Oil and Soy Sauce Tube

My menu says Bailey's Spoon but I remeber it as a frozen Pina Colada

Lychee Rose Water Gelee, Candied Ginger Ice Cream

Chocolate Roquefort Fondant, Green Cardamon, Ganache Crumble

This was an interesting dish-I liked the idea of cheese in the molten cake, but I thought that the roquefort was a little too strong

Petit Fours

I could definitely see Pierre Gagnaire's influence in Chef Ludovic Lefebvre's cooking and I would try Bastide again

Molto E

[chefseanbrock]

would love to see the bastide website, any info??

[Gifted Gourmet]

more on Chef Ludovic Lefevbre

marvelous review of Bastide and their chef

Bastide in Los Angeles

chef Ludovic is a chemist, juxtaposing the delicate with dashes of familiar pop cultural icons. Witness the foie gras lollipop that comes as an amuse bouche, the Fruit Loop panna cotta, escargot oatmeal and even a hen prepared in Pepsi cola. And where else can you get a deconstructed Bloody Mary palate cleanser in the shape of sherbert? Anything but stuffy, Bastide's creative menu has a whimsical, what-will-the-chef-think-of next quality -- and that goes for the pastry chef too, who does a cupcake soup "pre-dessert" in an espresso cup, rich, fresh and gooey.

Is this the place, Chef Brock?

more on the Los Angeles Bastide .. alas no actual website shown ...

more but no website ...

[rjwong]

Apparently, that question was asked last month in this discussion thread.

Basically, someone called the restaurant and the answer was "no."

So, Bastide has not have a website, at this time ...

[rjwong]

In the 12 January 2006 edition of the LA Times Food Section Digest, there's a link to an article about the closing of Bastide:

Restaurateur Joe Pytka plans to open a new restaurant this spring that will be, well, less French and more 'provocative.'

That's "provocative," as in experimental and avant-garde. Mind you, it will still be French, I suppose.

Lefebvre is excited to have a sous-vide machine ....

[mcattaneo23]

Anyone know anyhting about the closing of Bastide? any update is appreciated

[xdrixn]

I've been hesitant to write about my Bastide experience because, and this is a really sore subject for me, but I forgot my camera. In the past 6 months I'ce eaten at Alinea 2x, wd50, Bastide, Providence, Thor...I might be forgetting someone. Anyway, I'd really like to contribute with some photos because dammit, I really appreciate it when other people do.

Bastide:

I ate at the chef's table with 4 others. For our amuse we had a foie lollipop that was rolled in almond and drizzled with balsamic. This was excellent. I wanted another and I do hope to have it again. Also on the plate was a cube of bacon that was cooked ous vide for 6 hours with a small dallop of creme fraiche and caviar, also excellent. A chicken croquette with some sort of liquid center, very good, but outshined by the others.

tuna sashimi with a subtle citrus ice cream, fried green onions and soy gelee. We are off to a very good start and I am very happy. The added texture of the onions, salt of the gelee, cream and too acidic ice cream. A perfect dish and beautifully presented on a charcoal marble slab.

Now, we had the wine pairings so these might be out of order.

the popular deconstructed bloody mari on a spoon with a spicy tomato sorbet, perfectly salted foam and vodka gelee. Did I mention how good things are going!

seared foie with deconstructed pina colada. rum gelee, coconut sorbet and pineapple foam...I might have those reversed. Nice, a bit on the sweet side and I do wosh foie dishes would go back to being savory but very good.

Lobster done tableside with udon noodles and I'm sorry I don't remember what else and I think I tossed mynotes. This was also a bit on the sweet side.

A white fish with bacon braised endive (loved the endive!) and cabbage. very good.

Now one of my favorite dishes but everyone elses least. Peking duck with chorizo lentils, squid ink foam and orange peel puree. The peel was a bit bitter, naturally but it worked. I loved the salt and the richness of this dish and I particulary fond of lentils. My dining companions just weren;t wowed by this dish like I was. pinions differed about the orange peel and the purpose of the squid ink which I thought was there largely for contrast in color again the quenelle of orange that was resting on the rim of the bowl. Awesome.

triple cream bleu cheese ice cream with burnt brioche. good, My fav cheese dish has to be the walnut cream filled roquefort ball at alinea, I guess that's what I base cheese compositions this evening.

a limeade with a marshmallow. cute & cleansing.

next we had a creme fraiche panna cotta that lacked creme favor to me and could have used some lemon juice. It was served with caramel sauce that was a little dark to me and caviar, and not the alginate kind. While I did eat the whole thing I was a little put off by this dish because of the shock factor. Bacon in dessert I get. Olive I've done and I liked it. If I was of the mindset "this is not dessert" I think I could live with it.

next, a lovely chocolate fondant cake with grapefruit and black olive ice cream.

I didn;t agree with the combination of this course. Chocolate lemon, passion ok, but not grapefruit. Also, I felt that if the olives had been blanched once it would have not been so overpowering and maybe it would have worked, maybe.

excellent mignardies of a beet pate de fruit and some chocolates. service was great, loved the room and am envious if the kitchen.

I guess they're closing for some remodelling, I'll be back.

Edited January 25, 2006 by xdrixn (log)

[bvus]

Anyone know anyhting about the closing of Bastide?  any update is appreciated

←

The link to this information is in the message above yours. This is the direct link to the article with at least some of your answers:

Link to L.A. Times article on closing of Bastide restaurant

[kai-m]

The link doesn't work anymore.

Can anyone tell me, if the new place has opened yet (and where it is located)?

I'll be in L.A. mid-may and would like to go there...

Thanks!

kai

[molto e]

The link doesn't work anymore.

Can anyone tell me, if the new place has opened yet (and where it is located)?

I'll be in L.A. mid-may and would like to go there...

Thanks!

kai

←

I do not think Bastide will be open then.

[Bradley Gene Smith]

I dined at Bastide in January. I sat at the Chef's table with two other friends and had an amazing time. They mentioned that they would be closing for a short while to do some remodeling and retooling of the menu. I haven't heard much since then.

Does anyone know if they reopened? They mentioned they might have a name change as well.

Thanks,

bgs

[rjwong]

Bradley Gene Smith,

Welcome to eGullet, California forum!

Yes, Bastide is closed for now. From that LA Times article back in Jan. 2006, the restaurant will change its name, its decor, its menu, etc. I'm guessing the dishes will be more avant-garde, more reflective of Ludo's cooking, complete with his sous vide machine.

I'm keeping an eye on that place. Mind you, Los Angeles bureaucracy can be quite bureaucratic.

This might be the next new restaurant to go to in LA.

[BigboyDan]

...will be more avant-garde, more reflective of Ludo's cooking...

←

More avant-garde? Freak show as it was...

[xdrixn]

did you ever eat there or are you just by the review of others because let me to you, keanu reeves is a great actor.

[BigboyDan]

did you ever eat there or are you just by the review of others because let me to you, keanu reeves is a great actor.

←

Uh... what?

[SiseFromm]

Yeah, I had to read that one about six times myself before I got the jist, which as far as I can tell is some sort of angered poke at your previous post. Fun times.

[BigboyDan]

I ate at Bastide three times - it seemed that the kitchen tried so hard to be tricky, for tricky's sake, that it lost sight of what was supposed to be their mandate, make food edible. Now, I have ridiculed those whack-jobs in Spain for their attemps at the same thing... so... good luck with what comes next.

[bunny]

is there any updates

[bunny]

nothing

no one knows anything