Nina and I went to check out Juliano’s Raw recently. Now, I have never been a big fan of raw foods, but wanted to try it based on the recommendation of a few people. Nina is probably as hardcore a foodie as you’re going to get, so she was pretty excited to check it out.

We started out with some Kale Chips…described on the menu as “Oniony Green cotton candy”. Sounded great to me…unfortunately what arrived was a green, sort of gelatinous leafy substance that was probably one of the more unappetizing looking things I had ever seen. And that was the the high point. One taste, and I had discovered one of the most horrifying tastes to ever pass through my lips. Now, like I said, I am not the biggest fan of raw foods, so I delayed any reaction until Nina had her taste. When I saw the mile-wide grimace and unnaturally distorted eyebrows (a highly rare occurance for anything I’ve ever seen her eat), I knew she agreed. We passed the dish off to the couple sitting next to us, who was monitoring our reactions since we had gotten into a conversation and let them know it was our first time.

For the main entree, i went with the Bacon Western Double burger: Mushroom nut burger w/ macadamia cheese on a sprouted buckwheat bun w/ pickles, tomato, onion, guacamole, heirloom ketchup, mustard & French fries. Sounded pretty tasty….but I’m wary at this point. Again, disappointment at what arrived on the plate: a small meatball sized blob of a burger which didn’t look anything like what was on the menu, on top of some assorted strewn veggies. One bite of the “burger” and I had had enough.

Nina went with the Tom Gyi (Spicy coconut cream in a brew of lemongrass, lime leaf, galangal, mango, chives, mushrooms, chopped almonds.) and the Blood drink. I’ve seen Nina eat things like balut, instestine, and various other things that scared me, but she also found it impossible to finish her meal.

There were a lot fo words floating around my mind at this point…ridiculous, overpriced, pretentious were a few. Tiny, tiny portions for an over-inflated price for food we couldn’t stand. We couldn’t wait for our waitress to bring our check and get out. As soon as we stepped one foot outside the door, we both shot each other a look, and took of running for the car, headed for some real food. While we were discussing our expereince, Nina came out with the line to sum it all up:

“I’d rather live happy than die miserable”.

A bunch of us (finally) got to try the dim sum at Ocean Seafood in Chinatown here in Los Angeles. We’d read all the great reviews and were ready to be blown away. I should preface that I’m from San Francisco, so I’ve had my share of dim sum—both mediocre and great. I was hoping for the later since I don’t make it home as much as I’d like.

There were hits and misses. Let’s start with the hits: the Har Gow (shrimp dumpling) and Char Siu Bao (BBQ pork bun) were both great. The Dow Sa Bow (sweet bean paste bun) and braised duck, not so much. In fact, the duck was served cold and was real fatty. I tried the Dow Sa Bow twice, neither had any bean paste in it.

The selection was kinda bleak too. Generally a steady stream of carts come by with a tempting array of goodies, not here. The same dishes came by again and again, and many never appeared (taro root anyone?) And the service…

Probably the worst service I’ve had in Los Angeles. Trying to end on a high note we asked for more BBQ Pork Buns not once, not twice, not three times—four times! Our party waited an extra 30 minutes. Nada. I finally had to go up to the register to pay the check, no one would come back to our table.

Proceed with caution.

Ocean Seafood
747 N Broadway Los Angeles, CA 90012-2819

WOW, Finally! Small plates, big food. Now this is the kind of place I’ve been waiting for! I was a bit trepidatious when I first saw the location for BIN 8945. Being the third point in a triangle consisting of West Hollywood’s arguable epicenter “the Abbey” and the equally infamous “Hamburger Haven” on the corner of Santa Monica Blvd and Roberston (not exactly known for its fine cuisine.)

The space BIN 8945 now occupies seemed to be cursed. Over the years it’s been home to many mediocre establishments involving incredibly average food, and I’m being kind. The thought proccess I suppose being that in that location, you’ve already got the foot traffic so why bother working so hard to make great food? How wrong these silly predecessor’s were to underestimate the neighborhoods desperate need for a culinary ray of light—something that was not lost on wine guru David Haskell (Le Cirque, Aquavit). David is passionate about wine and it shows. Expect to learn, and hopefully drink, something new; and if you forget the name of that fabulous bottle? Don’t worry, he’ll remember and email it you the next day. Just don’t forget to get his card on your way out. On his reccomendation we tried a fantastic wine from Isreal…who knew?

So yeah, yeah, all this talk of wine, what about the food? One word, YUM! Lots and lots of little plates to try and discuss amongst ourselves. My favorite way to eat. All kinds of flavors and textures from a range of cuisines. One of the highlights was the coconut curry mussles with spicy sausage. OMG! These were so good they defy words. The beef cheeks were another table favorite as were the fried oysters. Is it possible not to love a fried oyster? I think not. We ordered them twice.

BIN 8945 has quickly become a favorite late night spot for LA chefs, and once you’ve eaten here you’ll see why. They’ve even begun doing guest chef dinners. On March 25, chef Ludovic Lefebvre of Bastide fame will be there.

Bin 8945 is a breath of fresh air for a homesick San Franciscan. We had a life affirming meal and left totally energized. I can’t wait to go back and try their menu by new chef Michael Bryant who worked with mentor Norman Van Aken as his executive sous chef at both Coral Gables and Norman’s…mmmmmmmm…sounds like another delicious adventure to look forward too. Amen.

BIN 8945
8945 Santa Monica Blvd.
310-550-8945

Okay, so I went to Palm Springs this weekend and had brunch at NORMA’s at the Parker—what an experience!! If you go, you HAVE to get the Brioche French Toast—it’s a THICK slice of brioche topped with asparagus, shitake mushrooms and a healthy helping of fois gras—GENIUS! I would suggest splitting it cause its pretty heavy… the other dish was a corn-cake toped with BAKED eggs served with Chorizo. YUM! If you are feeling crazy you can order the $1000 omelette made with 12 oz. of caviar.

x

Ok so hear me out - LALA’s Argentinian Grill on melrose has some really nice hidden little treasures on its menu - working in the bleeding heart of hollywooops the takeout can suck but not anymore! Lalas offers their signature melrose salad :: a blend of shredded romaine lettuce, spanice rice, diced chicken breast, ortega chilis and tomatoes smothered with a light honey mustard dressing - what a yum-fest! let me tell you !!! - its a substantial salad that will fill you up … other highlights on the menu inlcudle the garlic beef that is insane & the empenadas — address and phone # below …

7229 Melrose Ave (Cross Street: Alta Vista Boulevard)
Los Angeles, CA 90046
(323) 934-6838

Nina and I took my Mom out to eat at a the recently opened Hatfiled’s as part of her 60th birthday celebration the other night. It was our first time there but we had heard some good things about it.

The first thing we noticed was the vibe of the place. The servers were relaxed and congenial, and the decor suggested a sophisticated yet relaxed atmosphere. The restaurant’s eating areas are divided up into indoor and an outdoor deck/patio type area, which is where we sat. Unless you sit right up at the front of the patio, where you can see 3rd street, don’t expect a view though.

To start it off we ordered a few glasses of wine which were good but not outstanding…not anything we’d go and write up a separate post about here anyway. Their wine list is less extensive than other places, but since the corkage fee there is $25 (which I personally don’t appreciate), I’ll guess we’ll just go with the flow. Luckily, the food far outshined anything going on with the wines.

Ah, the food, here we go…

Along with the wine we were also presented with a serving of quail eggs and smoked trout with a small ’shot’ of cold creamed corn soup. The quail eggs and smoked trout were FANTASTIC, and that was unanimous among the three of us. I didnt care for the creamed corn soup…especially partnered with the quail eggs, I found it a little too jarring to the palate, but both Nina and Mom loved it.

Next came the bread…warm lightly baked cheddar rolls. Spectacular. We were pretty much caught in a space between wanting to savor it and wanting to devour it. When we inquired about it, we were told that it actually came from the Bread Bar! Oh well, they still get points for choosing awesome bread to serve with the dinner.

For the main courses, I ordered the hangar steak and short ribs plate, and Nina and Mom both ordered the duck breast. medium done, with japanese barley pearls and duck chicharon. My hangar steak was excellent, perfectly medium done with caramelized onions. The short ribs don’t get a fair shake from me…I personally dont like short ribs as a meat in general (I really just wanted to get my hands on the hangar steak), thought they were relatively tasty. They got two big thumbs up from the other two though, so take it for what you will.

The duck went over with flying colors with Mom and Nina. Served up medium rare done, the taste wwas right on the money, not gamey at all. The proportions were a decent size…not too big, but good enough to satisfy.

Next up…dessert.

Oh…my…God…
When I saw it on the menu, I knew it was love at first sight. Chocolate peanut butter truffle cake. Nina and Mom again both ordered the same thing…caramel and chocalate ganache tart with sea salt and blue label chimay ice cream. When the desserts arrived, that first bite not only lived up to my expectations, but far exceeded them. As much as I wanted to gulp it down to get to the next forkfull, I slowed the pace and enjoyed every second of the heavenly taste. Had I stopped there, I would have been so much more than satsfied. But I was in for a surprise.

Nina offered up a bite of her dessert, and I was completely thrown for a loop. Their caramel and chocolate ganache tart might be the best dessert of any kind that I’ve had at any restaurant in L.A.

Then, just for kicks, I went for the double wammy. Caramel and chocolate ganache tart with chocolate peanut butter truffle cake. I felt like I had just uncovered some Davinci Code-style secret from the dessert world.

After we enjoyed every last bit of our meal and my mom finished up her coffee (French Press — nice touch), we headed on our way, already talking about the next time we’d be back at Hatfields.

Hatfield’s
7458 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 935-2977