cheesecake
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try nari in sf
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Justin was arriving back from Chicago and was coming to the alley to celebrate a little with friends and family.
My partner at Astrea LOVES Basque Cheesecake with Caviar so she had Intercrew make a huge one for the celebration and we put 200grams of Schrenckii caviar on it and then zested it with lime.
Iāll tell ya, before I had it, I always thought it seemed like an odd combination. She kept telling me to try it for the past year or so but I just never paid attention to it. But man it was good. That slight hint of savory in the Basque Cheesecake and the richness of a cake that large intermingled with the savory fish oil of the caviar was delicious.
Iām not trying to advertise, but I really feel our caviar does a great job enhancing well done dishes, especially enhancing savoriness in dishes. Something about the intensity of the fish oil really pulls thing along the finish.
Also we can spend days arguing about what āBest Chef: IN X REGIONā means and who deserves it the most but Thereās an honesty to who he is and diners gravitate toward what he makes and the environment he cultivates. Iāll leave it to everyone to decide amongst themselves who is the best chef, but Justin is one of my favorite people in the industry (and not just because heās an Astrea client) and to me one of the best representations of what LA dining is all about.
This picture I took last night encapsulates why so many people love what Justin does.
The pride and love the team has for each other at the restaurant is genuine.
Pre covid the restaurant was 1-2 servers, a very small kitchen staff. Now in the same space he has 7 cooks, 3 somms, a whole host of servers, and his mom and aunt still working the floor. And that only happened because of all the accolades he received.
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Canāt argue with any of what you said. A chefās role is much more than someone who cooks, and to that end, Justinās role in transforming Anajak is nothing short of extraordinary.
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Eleven Madison Park did a version about 6 years ago of New York cheesecake (bagel base) layered with smoked sturgeon, caviar, and white asparagus cream or sometimes smoked sturgeon hollandaise.
Sorrel in SF does a Basque cheesecake with caviar, roasted sunchokes, alliums, and herb cream.
The combination of caviar and cheesecake really makes sense. Especially in the context of New York (like salty, smoked fish on a bagel) or with the herb cream, in my opinion. I think dill could be fantastic here. All about proportions so the caviarās texture isnāt lost.
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Animo in sonoma has been doing it since they opened as well.
we do it with citrus zest to give it a real contrast
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so how is food on non winning James beard days?
Delicious
Anajak is basically 3 restaurants in one.
Thai Taco Tuesday - lots of grilled protein, veggies, raw fish tostadas, fried chicken and grilled fish tacos and simple noodle/rice dishes on paper plates. Lots of wine flowing, music pumping.
Tasting menu weekend - it changes each month but itās always the end of the month. Last month was everything cooked on the grill outdoors. Each table had their own grill and they cooked a parade of proteins and veggies tableside. The two months before that were 24-25 small bites of different food. The months before that, we more stylized tasting menu that youād expect in a fine dining restaurant.
Ala Carte - all other days. Well done, ingredient focused thai food. Might not feel āas specialā but itās still really good. If you go in expecting to hit the same way as restaurants in Thai Town it wonāt be it. Itās less funk, a little less spice, but plenty of complexity.
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is taco Tuesday better than Ala carte significantly?
different. Worth experiencing both. Taco Tuesday is SUPER casual tho and youāll have to wait in line.But you can drink wine in line soā¦
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I live super far so which would you get more signature items on? im assuming a lot carte?
If you can only go once and you want to have some idea of why they got so much acclaim, you should commit and get the tasting menu. IMO
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This 
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I like going with a party of 6 and ordering almost the whole menu if you canāt get the tasting rez
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Iād reckon taco tuesday over the regular menu.
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Tasting menu ā-> TTT āā-> ala carte
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My bet is that if it werenāt for the tasting menu he wouldnāt have gotten the James Beard award.
The regular menu - which is all iāve tried - is nowhere near James Beard / Michelin level, in my opinion obviously.
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