April 2017 Weekend Rundown

"“Music first and foremost! "
Well that seems to be the case at Verlaine. The food was certainly not first or foremost. And the Jonas brothers were holding court. How Bill E can say the ceviche is “excellent” is beyond me. The one I had was not.

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Saw Bill E. the day I was eating at Holbox. I don’t follow his blog or whatever but I’m guessing he’s posted about his visit there. I know he’s been already - he comes up if you google Holbox.

Something smells fishy…

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I mean this piece is entirely in response to his article suggesting Gold and Rodell don’t understand/know how to review modern Mexican. Here Esparza is basically saying: this is how you should review modern mexican, and how dare you say a dish isn’t bold enough when this is exactly like they eat it in wherever.

Ugh this act just feels tired. Based on Gold’s and Rodell’s and other posters on this board, I believe Maestro isn’t a great restaurant. And I’m certain that what was served to @Chowseeker1999 at Verlaine was not good food.

I get championing modern Mexican food but perhaps the chef should be there for more than a week.

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Esparza is not a credible source on reviewing restaurants objectively. He has a wealth of knowledge about Mexican food, but appears incapable of listening to any criticism of his chef-friends.

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He was posting on chowhound quite a bit for a while there. Initially I really appreciated the information that he could give. But after awhile, I just got the feeling that he was beating his chest a lot. I also felt that he went too far when he insulted at least one poster.

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The weekend starts on Thursday night.

Bestia, near “closing” time, was still bustling…

“Bestia Cola” - rosso vermouth & aperitivo, lemon, aged balsamic, cherry-honey syrup, seltzer, served over long ice… Nicely poured!

Homemade country bread - wood grilled, olive oil, garlic, salt… Satisfying.

Roasted marrow bone - spinach gnochetti, crispy bread crumbs, aged balsamic… Still a great dish after many years! In fact, the sheer quality of preparation of this marrow tells me that Chef Ori’s kitchen is really hitting full stride. Tonight’s version was beautifully executed in all aspects.

Agnolotti all Vaccinara - saffron pasta parcel, braised oxtail, brown butter, rosemary, pistachio, currants… Daring flavor combinations, with silky yet toothsome bite on the pasta. The oxtail’s richness was just strong enough to play with the currants. Really enjoyable.

Crème Fraîche Panna Cotta - viva elisa strawberries, blood orange honey syrup, meyer lemon butter cookies… WOW! Get this. Those strawberries are at the height of their season right now.

Wonderful late-evening (for L.A., at least) supping… Bravo! To Chef Ori & his team.

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Great review. Love oxtail pasta (or even oxtail without pasta).

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Jade noodles at Luv2eat (ordered spicy). Picture is post-mixing. This was seriously great, and reminded me why I loved the place. The portions are smaller than they once were, but this was plenty for one person at lunch. Just the perfect melange of sweet, heat, and the textural contrast of toothsome noodles vs. different kinds of meat and crunch. There’s no bowl of noodles I’d rather eat.

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That looks like an appetizer portion.

Based on what I was served at dinner, it’s a decent portion for dinner, too. :wink: (JMO, of course)

March for Science DTLA…

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It’s a scientific fact that that photo looks great.

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Weekend at Huntington Beach


Golden Olive. At Bolsa Chica across from Jack n Crack. Thanks to @Aesthete for name dropping this place.

Fresh Pita!!!

For

$1!!!


Add a Garlic Sauce for another $1!

Dangerous. I could probably crush multiple pitas in a day.

This has to be one of OC’s tastiest bargain eats.


Huckleberry Sandwiches. Close to Bella Terra (REI! Whole Foods-Paycheck!Barnes!).
This place is run by the sweetest Korean couple. The club is the most popular but this Cashew Chicken Salad on Squaw is dope. Not overly mayo. Some crunch from cashews and onion. I also added sprouts and avocado. Peppercinis on the side, very sweet and mild, should have asked for extra.

@OCSteve, you probably know these places huh?

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Man, you missed a much better bang bang; my fault for not mentioned in conjunction, but The Secret Spot right next to Golden Olive has some rather unique HB Surfer fare. The HB surround Sound Burrito with BBQ sauce, grilled veggie turkey, cheese, potatoes, avocado, and salsa is kind of bizarre and awesome.

Glad you liked the Golden Olive though :slight_smile: Guess I’m not entirely full of shit eh? :stuck_out_tongue:

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I’m ashamed to say I haven’t been to either one, but they’re on my to-do list now. Thanks for the recs!

Takeout from Pollo A La Brasa Western rules…

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Is that a whole chicken meal?

Half order of sides?

I love putting the chicken over the rice and let all that goodness soak in.

I am hungry for some smokey chicken now.

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last time I got my half chicken order to go, they packed the rice separately vs putting the chicken on top of the rice (as they have always done in the past). I was not happy. I’m in agreement w/ you that the rice needs the chicken drippings to kick it up to another level!

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Yes. The meat juice is at the bottom of my chicken box, and I poured that bad boy all over the rice. That’s some fine local eating right there…

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