Izakaya Zero (Huntington Beach, CA)

Izakaya Zero
412 Walnut Ave, Huntington Beach, CA 92648
714.960.1278
www.izakayazero.com
Tue 08/21/2007, 07:05p-09:30p



Izakaya Zero is the newest creation of Takashi Abe, of Bluefin Newport Beach fame, and partner Ted Lee. Their aim, at the site of the old Red Pearl Kitchen, was to create an izakaya, or Japanese neighborhood pub, serving tapas-style small plates. I've been a fan of Abe ever since eating at his eponymous restaurant on the Newport peninsula (which has since been sold), so trying out this latest venture was a no-brainer.


Izakaya Zero is located in downtown Huntington Beach, which means parking is horrendous. I think we ended up three or four blocks away. Note the red and black sign, a reference to the practice of hanging red lanterns outside izakayas in Japan.



Half of the restaurant is dedicated to the bar, while the other half contains a small sushi bar and some cramped booths and tables. The decor is nice enough, though I'm not sure how much they changed from the old tenants.



The menu lists a small selection of beer, sake, and wine before moving on to the myriad of food selections. The sheer number of items is a bit overwhelming, and I'd like to see some rationalization of the menu. I'd also prefer some more typical izakaya dishes instead of the many Bluefin-lite entries (such as the halibut carpaccio and scallop/uni ravioli). Note the signature of Abe-san on the front cover. He and Ted were actually sitting at the bar when we were leaving and we got to chat with them a while. They informed us that they were opening up a new family-oriented Japanese restaurant called Sea Smoke in San Clemente. I gave Abe my card, saving that we'd love to come on opening night.


We started out with some of Izakaya Zero's special mixed drinks (first photo, left to right):

• Sake Spark / Stoli peach, Midori, splash sweet and sour, sparkling sake float
• Lychee Margarita / salt rim, tequila, lychee liquor, lime, and sweet and sour
• Tuaca Drop / Tuaca, triple sec, Grand Marnier, sweet and sour, splash 7-Up, splash orange juice, and squeeze of lemon

We then had a sake flight (just like at Bluefin) in the middle of the meal (second photo, right to left):

• Junmai: Akitabare "Koshiki Junzukuri" - from Akita / pleasingly dry and quite mild, a well-crafted traditional sake
• Ginjo: Dewazakura "Oka" - from Yamagata / delightful, flowery bouquet with a touch of pear and melon (the card was incorrect)
• Daiginjo: Hoyo "Kura no Hana" - from Miyagi / a truly light sake with sweetness, delicacy and finesse

We also had bottles of Kirin Light and Sapporo Reserve (not pictured).


Mixed Sashimi Ceviche
Assorted seafood sashimi, tossed with red onions, tomatoes, and with yuzu-citrus dressing. If I recall correctly, this had salmon, yellowtail, and octopus. Very nice and fresh, with the sashimi playing well with the tart yuzu sauce. A great way to start the meal.


Albacore (shiro maguro) Tataki
Lightly seared albacore topped with our roasted herbs and vegetable sauce. Seared albacore is nearly omnipresent on menus these days, but the dollops of vegetable sauce added a great twist to this old standard.


Yellowtail (hamachi) Jalapeño
Yellowtail sashimi topped with jalapeño slices, cilantro, goji berries and yuzu sauce. I liked how the mildness of the sashimi was augmented by the spice of the peppers and the acidity of the yuzu. Reminds me of a dish I had at Matsuhisa, but not quite as good.


Zero Stuffed Quail
Deep-fried quail, stuffed with seasoned chicken and topped with star anise sauce. This was a very "Asian-style" preparation compared to some of the other birds I've had. The quail meat itself was quite tasty, but I wasn't a huge fan of the stuffing.


Mexican Style Crab & Lobster Gratin
Stuffed lobster with avocado and tomato salsa, topped with crab and melted mozzarella cheese. This dish was a bit of a mess. There was precious little lobster meat to go around, the cheese didn't fit well with the other flavors, and the stuffing was rather nondescript.


Scallop & Uni Ravioli
Thinly sliced scallop sashimi stuffed with sea urchin and garnished with caviar and goji berries. This was almost an exact copy of a dish I had at Bluefin (minus the gold leaf). The scallop and uni make for an interesting pair.


Spanish Mackerel (aji) Tataki
Spanish mackerel diced and tossed with shiso, caper, and onion, served with baguettes. The natural fishiness of the mackerel here was tempered a bit by a very tart sauce. Nice, though the baguettes were a bit redundant.


Sizzling Mixed Mushroom - "Toban Yaki"
Sizzling shinoki, enoki, and shiitaki mushrooms on hotplate with sake, soy, yuzu-butter sauce. I've never had a bad mushroom tobanyaki, and this was no exception. However, it wasn't up to the level of the tobanyaki at the original Abe.


Grilled Jumo Black Tiger Shrimp
Jumbo black tiger shrimp halved, grilled and seasoned with spicy lemon garlic sauce. Excellent texture and expertly flavored. One of my favorites of the night.


Filet Mignon Cube Steak - "Koro Koro"
Filet mignon cubes, sautéed in cognac and served on a bed of sautéed sweet onion. A waste of filet mignon in my opinion. This was cooked too well though and lacked any type of flavor; the only thing I tasted was sweet onion.


Kobe Carpaccio
Japanese kobe beef thinly sliced with yuzu-soy sauce and truffle oil. The sauce wasn't nearly as overpowering here as with the Bluefin version. Good enough, but I doubt this was Kobe beef.


Marinated Lamb Chop Sumiyaki
Japanese marinated lamb chop served with tomato purée and basil sauce. These "lollipops" were nicely done and tender, though I've had many better preparations.


Zero Style Beef Cheek Cabbage Wrap
Braised beef cheek wrapped in cabbage topped with Port wine sauce. I liked the super-tender and flavorful braised beef but didn't care for the odd cabbage wrapper or the Port sauce.


Duck Leg Confit
Duck leg confit finished with star anise sauce accompanied with pan-seared crispy boc choy. I enjoyed the duck (confit is hard to mess up for me), but the boc choy was unnecessary.


Crunchy Roll
Tempura shrimp and asparagus, topped with tempura flakes and tobiko. Unfortunately, this couldn't hold a candle to the crunchy roll at Sushi Wave; the various components just did mesh well with me. Sushi Wave is where I first discovered my love of sushi and I've yet to find a place that matches its crunchy roll.


Crab Cigar
Crab, shrimp and scallop hand rolled and deep-fried served with spicy mango salsa. It was too bad this came deep-fried. I'm sure the flavors would have been much sharper and less muddled had the ingredients came simply chilled.


Popcorn Shrimp
Fried shrimp with truffle-butter ponzu sauce. I usually expect "popcorn" shrimp to be small little things, but these were quality pieces of shrimp expertly fried and accompanied by a perfect dipping sauce. Very nice.


Salmon (sake) Ponzu
Thinly sliced salmon with diced white onions, ponzu sauce, bonito flakes and drizzled with basil-chive oil. The salmon was fresh, and I liked the sauce and various accoutrements, but could've done without the bonito here.


Coconut Orange Crème Brûlée
Crème brûlée flavored with a hint of orange zest and a caramelized sugar crust. For me, the orange notes overpowered an otherwise classic preparation of crème brûlée.


Chocolate Soufflé
Bitter sweet molten chocolate cake with crème anglaise. A fairly standard molten cake, it's hard to go wrong with this.

Izakaya Zero didn't quite live up to the high expectations I had come to expect from Abe and company. There is definitely potential here however, I just think that they need to focus their menu a bit more, and try to incorporate more authentic izakaya-style dishes. Bluefin had similar teething problems, so I'm confident things will work out here given time.

Shiro (Pasadena, CA)

Restaurant Shiro
1505 Mission St, South Pasadena, CA 91030
626.799.4774
www.restaurantshiro.com
Sat 08/18/2007, 05:55p-08:10p



I had actually known about Shiro for many years, ever since I was a foodie-in-training actually. A few people I knew spoke pretty highly of it, but we never got around to going. However, a couple years ago, we did go to Shiro's other restaurant, Orris, in Santa Monica (on trendy Sawtelle Blvd, in the midst of a row of Japanese eateries). We thought it was quite good, especially for a new restaurant (we went shortly after it opened). Would the same sentiment hold for the original?


Shiro is located in a quaint section of South Pasadena, near the terminal point of the 110 freeway and not too far from the Rose Bowl. Self-parking is available in the adjacent bank parking lot.


Awash in soft shades of color, Shiro's main dining room holds about two dozen tables. We were the first diners in the restaurant.


The menu is brief, a lot shorter than you'd expect given the vast listing of dishes on the website. Always present is Shiro's signature sizzling catfish. The dessert menu is fairly pedestrian, with only the wonton skins really catching my eye. We tried to get Shiro to sign the menus, but alas, he wasn't there. We were told that he only cooks on Thursdays, preferring to spend the rest of the week at Orris. Click for larger versions.



The cocktail, beer, and spirits list was rather ordinary. Naturally, I ordered my signature mojito, which was quite decent. Click for larger versions.



The California-centric wine list contains some interesting selections. Prices are reasonable. Click for larger versions.


The bread was rather nondescript.


Chinese Ravioli
Filled with Shrimp Mousse & served with Shiitake Mushroom Sauce. This is one of Shiro's signature appetizers. I didn't think the dumplings were very ravioli-like or very Chinese, though they were pretty tasty. Came out a bit too hot though.


Springroll
Filled with Sea Bass, Scallops, Lobster, with Spicy Yuzu Sauce. I didn't think this would come deep-fried. As a result, the rolls were very heavy and the flavors of the various filling just blended together and became muddled. I couldn't discern the scallops from the sea bass.


Special: Squash Blossom
Filled with Shrimp Mousse in a Light Herb Sauce. My first experience with squash blossom. The stems were similar to asparagus in texture and taste while the bulbs were filled with a light, subtle mousse. Better than I thought they'd be.


Whole Sizzling Catfish
With Ponzu Sauce and Fresh Cilantro. This is the signature dish at Shiro, something that seems to be present at nearly every table in the restaurant. I'm not a big fan of catfish, but enjoyed this. I liked the contrast of the crispy outer with the soft inner, and how the ginger complemented the cilantro.


Alaskan King Crab Legs
Charbroiled with Garlic and Olive Oil. Good texture, nice flavor, but far too salty.


Veal Sweetbreads
With Shimeji Mushrooms and Pearl Onions. Compared to the other preparations of sweetbread I've had, this was very strongly flavored and very heavy. I gave the bulk of the dish away, since most of the other members of my party hadn't tried it before. It was a good thing, since I don't think I could've finished the whole dish.


Special: Ceviche
With Octopus, Shrimp, and Scallops. Can't go too wrong with ceviche. This was a decent example, with good interplay between the seafood and the accoutrements, though the individual components lacked the crispness and freshness that a really great ceviche has.


New Zealand Venison Chops
With Red Wine Sauce. I only got to try a small piece of this (right). I found it fairly tender, flavorful, and not particular gamy.


Chocolate Tart Souffle
With Coffee Ice Cream. Good, though probably not made in-house.


Crispy Wonton Skins
With Orange Custard, Strawberries, and Caramelized Poached Pear. Shiro's signature dessert. I've never had anything quite like it. The menu said "strawberries" but these were most definitely blueberries.


Crème Brûlée
With Assorted Fresh Fruit. A classic interpretation of crème brûlée in my opinion, though others said it was too sweet.

One of my fellow diners summed up Shiro succinctly: a bit disappointing. The menu reads very well, but execution was flawed in many cases. With all the apparent emphasis placed on quality ingredients, I found many of them to lack the freshness, crispness, and boldness that I look for. Perhaps Shiro has shifted his attention toward Orris. If that's the case, then perhaps we should pay another visit to Santa Monica.

CUT (Beverly Hills, CA)

CUT
9500 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90212
310.276.8500
www.wolfgangpuck.com/restaurants/finedining/cut/beverlyhills/
Sat 08/11/2007, 05:40p-07:55p



CUT is a place that I've wanted to try ever since it opened last year. Steak and Wolfgang Puck - how could you not love it? I'm not sure what took us so long. Perhaps it was that reservations are fairly difficult to secure, hence the 5:40 start to the meal. Actually, we could only get a 5:30 seating, which we almost missed due to traffic since CUT only holds reservations for 15 minutes.



CUT is housed in the Beverly Wilshire hotel, which is now run by the Four Seasons. I would like to say that we arrived in the Rolls (the third we saw that day, along with four Astons, three Bentleys, three Ferraris, and a horde of new S-Classes), but then I'd be lying. Actually, we may have been in the least expensive car there; that's how you know you're in Beverly Hills.


The dining room is bright, airy, and modern. A glass divider separates two rows of extremely spacious booths, while the rest of the room contains a couple dozen tables.


The open kitchen runs almost the entire length of the dining room.


I loved the pomp and circumstance surrounding the presentation of the meat. Here, our server Dan shows us Japanese cuts of filet, rib eye, and New York, along with a Snake River Farms New York (in white). Note how much more marbling the Japanese New York has compared to its American counterpart.


The dinner menu is fairly straightforward but presents the diner with a myriad of options (steaks, sauces, add-ons, sides). Note the signature of Executive Chef Lee Hefter. Hefter is also the head chef at Spago, and often travels in between the two on a given night (they're only 0.2 miles apart). We didn't see him at our last trip to Spago (he was at CUT tending to S. Irene Virbila apparently), but were lucky enough to catch him this time right as he was heading out the door. We also got the signatures of Chef de Cuisine Ari Rosenson and Pastry Chef Ian Flores. Click for larger versions.


My signature mojito was well prepared, though not quite as good as I had at Spago. Click for a larger version of the drinks and wine by the glass menu.


We started with some very tasty bread sticks and even tastier cheesy puffs.


Five varieties of bread were offered: focaccia (my favorite), pretzel, pumpernickel, hazelnut, and sourdough.


Prime Sirloin "Steak Tartare"
Herb Aioli, Mustard. A slightly contemporized version of a classic, with traditional accoutrements of onion, mustard, and egg. Probably the second best beef tartare I've had, behind Kevin Taylor. I kept going back and forth as to whether I liked this or the tuna tartare better.


Big Eye Tuna Tartare
Wasabi Aioli, Ginger, Togarashi Crisps, Tosa Soy. I've had so many tuna tartares that the dish has become almost a bit clichéd. Fortunately, I'm happy to report that, quite surprisingly, this was an excellent preparation, very nicely flavored and augmented by the avocado and onion.


Kobe Steak Sashimi
Spicy Radishes. My favorite appetizer of the night, with rich, tender, beef foiled by slightly bitter greens and radishes. Superb.


Maryland Blue Crab & Louisiana Shrimp "Louis" Cocktail
Spicy Tomato-Horseradish. This was probably the weakest of the appetizers, but was by no means bad. I can't fault the quality of the ingredients, but the flavors just seemed a tad muddled to me.


2002 Beringer Private Reserve Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. I thought this was a well-balanced wine that exhibited classic cabernet notes and stood up well to the profound richness of the meats. To quote eminent wine critic Robert Parker:

"94 points: The 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve may not equal the fabulous concentration and intensity of the 2001, but it's not far off the mark. It is a fruit-forward, softer, more flamboyant, already seductive effort displaying gorgeous notes of chocolaty creme de cassis, some spicy, high-quality, toasty oak, a rich, plush, savory, expansive mid-palate, and a long, heady finish with elevated glycerin and plenty of sweet tannin and fruit. This wine is delicious yet promises to age gorgeously for 15-20 years. Ed Sbragia compares it to the 1992 which, by the way, is drinking superbly in 2005, but is one of those rare vintages that has never gone through a closed period. It's always a fascinating education to taste through these component parts, but the resulting blend that Ed Sbragia puts together, the extraordinary Private Reserve, is one of the great Cabernet Sauvignons of California and he has fashioned a succession of beauties since 1991. In fact, there are two gorgeous ones in the market, the profound 2001 and the flamboyant, exotic 2002."


Four types of sauces were brought out with the steaks: fleur de sel, spicy mustard, violet mustard, and Dijon mustard. In additional, we added a Whole Grain Mustard sauce for $2 (not pictured). I'm not a fan of saucing steaks, so they were used very carefully. The pairings were good enough but the steaks easily stood on their own.


CUT offers four grades of beef: Japanese, Snake River, dry aged, and wet aged (in decreasing order of price and richness, and as shown above). This being our first trip to the restaurant, we wanted to try all of them, so we ordered New York cuts of all the types (since it was the only cut available in all four grades). Our server suggested that the beef be cut and served as a tasting of sorts. We then added a Japanese rib eye for good measure at the end. All steaks were cooked medium rare as per Dan's recommendation (which was spot on in my opinion). I included the prices per ounce below as an interesting point of reference.


U.S.D.A. PRIME, Illinois Corn Fed, Aged 21 Days
Bone In New York Sirloin 20 Oz ($2.55/oz). This is your standard wet-aged steak that you'd find at your typical high-end steakhouse (e.g. Morton's). Nothing wrong with it (in fact it was very good and only suffered in comparison), but it was outshone by its peers this night.


U.S.D.A. PRIME, Nebraska Corn Fed, Dry Aged 35 Days
New York Sirloin 14 Oz ($4.14/oz). Dry aging results in large amounts of meat being thrown away, hence the increased price. It's basically a process of controlled rotting that concentrates the meat's flavor. The result is a bolder, beefier taste that we all preferred to the wet-aged. I didn't note any huge differences in texture or mouthfeel however.


American Wagyu / Angus "Kobe Style" Beef From Snake River Farm, Idaho
New York Sirloin 8 Oz ($8.75/oz). Stepping up to the Snake River results in a big jump in price as well as richness, tenderness, and fattiness. This is a nice medium between your standard steak and your Japanese variety. If I had to eat a large amount of meat, I'd probably go with either this or the dry aged.


True Japanese 100% Wagyu Beef from Kagoshima Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan
New York Sirloin 6 Oz ($20/oz). Now we get to the real deal. Marbling is kicked up a notch, which is evident in the photo above. The beef is almost gelatinous in nature, and bounces and jiggles when tapped with a fork. To me, there's a night and day difference between a standard steak and this. The one downside is that the meat's richness means that it's extremely heavy and filling. I'd probably want to limit myself to about 5 ounces.



True Japanese 100% Wagyu Beef from Kagoshima Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan
Rib Eye Steak 8 oz ($17.5/oz). We had the rib eye after having a bit of all the New Yorks. It was actually quite similar to the Japanese New York, but perhaps even a bit fattier. I'm not usually a fan of rib eyes, but this (along with it's New York counterpart) was probably the best piece of steak I've ever had. They were both simply wonderful.


2001 Château d'Yquem Sauternes. Ah finally, a chance to try the legendary 2001 d'Yquem. We've worked our way through the Guirauds, the Rieussecs, even the Suduirauts, but now it was time for the grand daddy of them all, the one and only Premier Cru Supérieur. This was a great Sauternes, perhaps even the best I've had. However, I did not think it was head and shoulders above the rest of the field. Yes, maybe we drank it too young; your cries of infanticide are heard. But in any case, Mr. Parker states:

"100 points: There are 10,000 cases of this perfect sweet white Bordeaux. The 2001 Yquem reveals a hint of green in its light gold color. While somewhat reticent aromatically, with airing, it offers up honeyed tropical fruit, orange marmalade, pineapple, sweet creme brulee, and buttered nut-like scents. In the mouth, it is full-bodied with gorgeously refreshing acidity as well as massive concentration and unctuosity. Everything is uplifted and given laser-like focus by refreshing acidity. This large-scaled, youthful Yquem appears set to take its place among the most legendary vintages of the past, and will age effortlessly for 75+ years. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2100+."


Nougat Semifreddo
Apricot Sorbet, Persian Mulberries. Done up in full birthday regalia, this was probably my favorite dessert. The semifreddo was quite rich and heavy, but was complemented nicely by the crunchy nougat and apricot sorbet.


Chocolate Pudding Cake
Salted Caramel Sauce, Coffee Ice Cream. The description of this seemed a bit boring to me but this dessert was surprisingly good. The ice cream provided a sharp contrast to the dense, rich cake.


Valrhona Chocolate Soufflé
Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Glacé. I'm not a huge fan of soufflés; but with that said, this was a pretty good example, not too heavy, a bit fluffy, and served with some nice accompaniments.


Gaviota Strawberry Shortcake
Crème Fraiche Gelato, Berry Sorbet. I really enjoyed this modern take on a classic dessert. Amazing texture with the shortcake, and the interplay between the mild gelato and tart sorbet really worked.


The meal ended with three mignardises: chocolate & Jack Daniels, yuzu, and caramel nut.

I can unequivocally say that this is the best steakhouse I've ever been to. If you're a steak lover like me, CUT is a place that you can't afford to miss (even if you can't afford the Japanese Wagyu).

Patina (Los Angeles, CA)

Patina
141 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90012
213.972.3331
www.patinagroup.com/patina/
Fri 08/10/2007, 08:50p-12:20a



Patina is the flagship restaurant in Joachim Splichal's sprawling culinary empire. It is the second of Splichal's restaurants I've sampled (the first was Catal at Downtown Disney), but the first fine dining establishment. I had known of the restaurant for a long time, but just never got around to trying it. However, based on our experience, there looks to be a good chance we'll be dining at another Patina Group establishment, Leatherby's Cafe Rouge, which is, interesting enough, also located in a performing arts venue: the Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa.


Patina is located on Grand Avenue, in the heart of Downtown LA, in the Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall.



The interior is clean, contemporary, and awash in soft yellow light (which made for difficult photo-taking). The main dining holds about two dozen tables and booths, while a private dining room and chef's table are also available.


We enjoyed both the Chef's Menu and the Ocean Menu (we added on a halibut course to balance the number of courses). Note the signature of Executive Chef Theo Schoenegger. We also requested that the wine pairings be written down. Unfortunately, the pairings for the third course were left out. I've since sent an email to sommelier Eric Espuny but have yet to hear back. Click for larger versions.


Four types of bread were offered: potato leek, ciabatta, walnut, and sesame.


After being denied my signature mojito, I chose instead a Cuba Libre (rum, cola, lime juice), which proved to be noticeably better than your standard rum & coke. One of my dining companions ordered a Metropolitan (a cosmo with pomegranate vodka, pomegranate juice, and triple sec).


Amuse Bouche: Tuna Tartare
With soy, pickled onion tempura, and balsamic vinegar. Tuna tartare almost seems clichéd to me these days, but this was a genuinely good example, especially for an amuse. A good start.




1a: Quartet of the Sea
Sauvignon Blanc, Daniel Schuster, Marlborough, New Zealand
The quartet consisted of (clockwise from top-left): crabcake (too much breading, weak mustard), salmon tartare (my favorite, fairly complex, with a resilient texture and a little spice), lobster salad (a bit too much cucumber, but otherwise quite good), and uni/hamachi sashimi (over avocado, with very fresh tasting uni). The paired Sauvignon Blanc was typical of the New Zealand style, with a noticeable dryness, restrained fruit, and good structure.



1b: Foie Gras and Summer Truffle Terrine
Unknown wine from Coteaux du Layon, Loire Valley, France
Mission Figs, Aged Balsamic Vinegar, Black Pepper Brioche. A very nice terrine of foie gras (though not up to French Laundry levels), I especially enjoyed the layers of truffle. The wine was also quite good: a sweet Chenin Blanc with heavy notes of Sauternes, it provided a classic foil to the foie.


2a: Butter Poached Maine Lobster
Gewurztraminer, Domaine Bott-Geyl, Furstentum, Alsace Grand Cru, France
Creamy Risotto Topped with Shaved Summer Truffles. I used to scoff at risotto; "It's just rice, big deal!" I'd think. Well, this was a revelation. Creamy, flavorful, with huge chunks of lobster, the risotto stole the show. Note the liberal application of black truffle!


2b: Roasted Santa Barbara Prawns
Chenin Blanc, Millton, "Te Arai Vineyard", Gisborne, New Zealand
Toasted Pistachio Nuts and Emulsion. I liked the slight tang of the dill(?) cream, but wished that the prawns were a bit meatier. What a tease! The second Chenin Blanc of the night was completely unlike the first, with sharp acidity, slight minerality, and dry notes of stone fruit and honey.


3a: Black Olive Dusted Snapper
Unknown wine
Zucchini and Mint Puree, Vegetable Confetti. This had a texture that was quite unlike any snapper I've had before, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. The flavor was a bit too mild for me however.


3b: Pacific Black Bass "Sous Vide"
Unknown wine
Red Beet and Candy Ginger Puree. One of the better preparations of bass I've had actually, with a nice texture. I found the beet puree to be a bit overpowering however. Interestingly enough, I believe this was actually paired with a red wine.


4a: Truite de Mer "A la Plancha"
St.-Chinian, Domaine Borie La Vitarèle, Languedoc, France
Merlot Syrup, Artichoke Heart Confit, Toasted Almonds. I thought this was salmon when I first saw it, but it turns out that Truite de Mer is simply sea trout. As such, it was similar in texture and taste to salmon. Loved the crispy skin.


4b: Olive Oil Poached Squab Breast
Pinot Noir, Daniel Schuster, New Zealand
Wild Mushroom Ragout with Pomme Mousseline. Another nice preparation of squab, the bird has yet to let me down. Flavorful and tender, it went very nicely with the Pinot, which had notable hints of smoke, berries, and oak.



Special: Mushroom Risotto
Amontillado, Bodega Dios Baco, Jerez, Spain
Topped with Shaved Summer Truffles. Another fantastic course of risotto. I can't decide if I like this or the version above better. I really liked the big chunks of lobster in the first preparation, but the mushroom here perhaps pairs better with the rich, pungent earthiness of the truffle.


5a: Roasted Halibut Filet
Chardonnay-Sauvignon Blanc, Saint Elena, Venezia, Italy
Summer Corn Fondue with Saffron, Homemade Bacon, Wild Mushrooms Fricasse, Corn Bread Dust. I was actually not a fan of this dish, as I found the halibut too mild in flavor. This was helped out, however, by the mushroom and bacon, which were rather savory. The wine pairing, a mix of Chard and Sauv Blanc, was quite good.


5b: Duo of Milk Fed Veal
Pinot Noir, Merry Edwards, Russian River Valley, Sonoma, 2005
Overnight Braised Cheek, Slow Roasted Loin, Tomato Vaduvan Curry, Oven Roasted Tomatoes and Pearl Onions. I liked the super-tender, fatty, flavorful braised preparation but thought that the loin was a bit dry. Nice Pinot with this one.



Fromage
Porto, Rozès, 20 Years Old
I'm pretty sure Patina had the largest selection of cheeses I've ever encountered. I do appreciate a nice cheese cart, a sight that's sadly becoming rarer and rarer these days. We were given five selections, from hard to liquid, cow to sheep to goat. All were quite good. Unfortunately, I only recall that the first cheese was an Abbaye de Belloc; the others escape me. The cheese was served with two types of nut and fruit bread, walnuts, figs, candied peanuts, and dried apricots.


6a: Summer Peach Carpaccio
Domaine du Mas Blanc, Banyuls Blanc, Languedoc, France, 2005
Lemon Verbena Granite, Raspberry Chili Sorbet. The peach was quite sweet, especially when taken with the granite. Surprisingly, for something with chili, the sorbet wasn't particularly spicy. I did thoroughly enjoy the paired dessert wine, a sweet mix of Grenache, Muscat, and Malvoisie.


6b: White Chocolate Mousse
Domaine du Mas Blanc, Banyuls Blanc, Languedoc, France, 2005
Candied Cashews, Orange Supremes, Watermelon Gelee. This actually reminded me of the white chocolate dessert I had at Providence, though I think the execution was a bit better here.


Mignardises
Dark chocolate truffle, rhubarb gelee, white chocolate cake, praline bitter, and marshmallow vanilla puff. My favorite was the truffle, though the praline was quite interesting.


With Chef Theo and Sommelier Eric.