Asterid - Disney Concert Hall

Lol my review forthcoming. Nice to see you there as well.

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#imheretohelp

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opening night impressions:
service has room for improvement
the seemingly “global” flavors on the menu reminded me of girl and the goat
caviar with squash tamal is :fire:
dining room is a bit plain
soundtrack includes everything from the boss to the beatles

great to see fellow intrepid opening night diner @J_L
shout out to @hungry.md

here now are @rlw and my initial :roll_eyes: and :peacock: ratings

caviar - grand selection schrenckii, 898 squash tamal, beurre de baratte, crema
:peacock: :peacock: :peacock: :peacock: :peacock:
:roll_eyes: :roll_eyes: :roll_eyes: :roll_eyes: :roll_eyes:

different prep than what @Clayfu got, no more whole tin.

a perfectly composed and balanced dish that rivals angler’s banana pancake and caviar.
shout out to the crispy rice puffs like things.

beef tartare - beef tenderloin, black truffle, creme fraiche, focaccia
:peacock: :peacock: :peacock: :peacock:
:roll_eyes: :roll_eyes: :roll_eyes: :roll_eyes: :roll_eyes:

truffle flavor really came through, bread was a bit too thick.
paging truffle and beef fanboi @moonboy403

chicken liver mousse - mandarin, pickled pearl onions, sourdough, nasturtium
:peacock: :peacock: :peacock: :peacock:
:roll_eyes: :roll_eyes: :roll_eyes: :roll_eyes: :roll_eyes:

sunchoke rösti - sunflower creme fraiche, strawberry pepper jam
:peacock: :peacock: :peacock: :peacock:
:roll_eyes: :roll_eyes: :roll_eyes:

reminded me of crispy crunchy hash browns

cauliflower - romanesco, vadouvan, sultanas, chile morita
:peacock: :peacock: :peacock:
:roll_eyes: :roll_eyes: :roll_eyes:

maitake mushrooms - turmeric aioli, lemon, parsley
:peacock: :peacock: :peacock:
:roll_eyes: :roll_eyes: :roll_eyes:

biting into this I was expecting a piping hot, crispy crunchy bite of umami, instead I got a piping room temp, crispy crunchy bite of umami. potential 4 :peacock:

octopus roll - new england style roll, aleppo yogurt, pickled cabbage slaw
:peacock: :peacock:
:roll_eyes: :roll_eyes:

I liked the concept but the execution needs work. when I think of a lobster roll I think of a hot dog bun overflowing with lobster meat. this was more overflowing with cabbage than anything else. there was only one tiny tentacle in the roll, my first bite of was all bread and cabbage. need more :octopus:

orecchiette - lamb sausage, kale sugo, preserved lemon
:peacock: :peacock: :peacock:
:roll_eyes: :roll_eyes: :roll_eyes:

half chicken, magic myrna potatoes, tokyo negi, salsa verde
:peacock: :peacock: :peacock: :peacock:
:roll_eyes: :roll_eyes: :roll_eyes: :roll_eyes:
chicken was excellent, tender and very juicy. would have liked some more crispy skin.
was hoping for some smashed potatoes, the mashed potatoes were fine.

shortcake - harry’s berries, hibiscus angel food cake, vanilla cream
:peacock: :peacock: :peacock: :peacock: :peacock:
:roll_eyes: :roll_eyes: :roll_eyes: :roll_eyes:

reminded me of the hibiscus, meringue and strawberry dessert at damian.

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I think they are putting a full tin on the tamale (based on the pictures and the videos I’ve seen of them prepping). My comment to them during the friends and family is that it’s better combined than separate - otherwise people might end up eating tamale sans caviar and vice versa and the experience is lesser for it.

I think the crispies are some heirloom corn nut or something.

Either way - that dish smashes.

Glad you enjoyed it.

I told Hungry.MD our friendship is over cause he didn’t order the caviar dish. But he’s too used to eating free caviar CRY

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+more thoughts and pics :sunglasses:

Caviar

I don’t think I’ve had a single dish in the last couple years that melted my brain more than this. Last I was at Angler (a couple months ago) it was clear that the caviar and banana pancake held the caviar championship belt. With Asterid’s counter of tamal, butter, and caviar to Angler’s banana pancake, banana butter, and caviar, it’s definitely a fight. I still have Angler as 1A but Asterid is the clear 1B (Kato is at 2 rounding out a top 3).

Tartar

Another banger. I agree the bread was just a tad too tall, but that’s a minor quibble–overall this just melted into my mouth and I shivered in my seat.

Chicken Liver Mousse

This was another special bite and a near perfect balance of fatty/salty/sweet. There were a couple kumquats in here that provided an extra burst of flavor. The only knock I have is the bread, which was fine, but not as special as the crumpets at Girl and the Goat (the comparison came to mind because after bite one I was swooning over the mousse and just needed a point of reference), because the mousse is just that damn good.

Sunchokes

These were great too, maybe a tad greasy and could have used more condiment because they did give 6 of them.

We had also had a lot of carbs at this point so early.

Cauliflower

Honestly, yeah it’s a vegetable, but it’s up there with one of the better vegetable dishes I’ve had dining out. I was a big fan of the combination of vadouvan spice and soaked raisins that added a touch of sweetness.

Mushrooms

Hard agree. This could have been a 4 if it was piping hot.

Chicken

The chicken was very impressive–expertly cooked meat with just a small potential for improvement in the crispy skin realm–but @PorkyBelly and I had high hopes for some smashed magic myrna potatoes soaked and fried in chicken fat drippings but just got mashed potatoes :confused:

Shortcake

I great way to end the meal. Maybe doesn’t quite reach the heights of Camphor dessert, but I’d order this again on a return visit.

It’s going to be an interesting crowd that this place attracts. Asterid clearly has the dishes and cooking to appeal to a very wide range of eaters, especially those that know Chef Garcia’s history, but it’s also in a somewhat weird location, has an oddly set up dining area that feels like a hotel lobby, and is filled with guests dressed for all sorts of occasions (shlubs like @PorkyBelly and I in t-shirts to people in formal attire before a show, to kids in Stanford jackets).

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you can only blame yourself for enabling him with cheap caviar.

we told him to get the caviar but he said it’s hard for him to order it off the menu since he can get it for so cheap :sweat_smile:

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Those thin things in the strawberry dessert look like crackers. What was the texture like?

it was meringue dusted with hibiscus

Guess I know where I’m going next time I’m allowed out. Nice work, team.

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Pre-concert dinner so fewer courses than the other posters. Excellent Peruvian ceviche of Hiramasa served with plantain chips, well balanced with a bit of heat to it. The short ribs with domingo rojo beans, bacon and cactus was good but more muted and less tender than I would have preferred. The lamb shank at the next table looked terrific and is what I would order next time. The strawberry short cake was, as others have mentioned, a winner. Service was somewhat disappointing; not awful, just indifferent.

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Finally, aftering cancelling my opening weekend res due to schedule change, made it to Asterid for their first private event hosted by Aadvantage Master Card. Only got to try the Gin and Pear cocktail, which was good, but will have to go back for the Hiball which is what I was hoping for. Passed hors d’ouevres meant we got to try tartare, caviar/tamal, Sunchoke Rosti and Octopus Roll. First three were wonderful, my daughter won’t eat caviar but tried it due to the Tamal and then had a few more. Tartare was wonderful. Octopus Roll was good but outshined by the others. While everyone knows about the caviar and tartare the Strawberry Pepper jam on the Rosti is wonderful. The sit down menu was Ceviche (fantastic), Risotto (very unique and nice dish), Short Rib (not really that special, overwhelmingly chipotle/bacon), and the Strawberry Shortcake which is fun and delicious. And it does have strawberry ice cream (leaning more towards something akin to sorbet and gelato having a baby) for the poster that was looking for some. Great night. Chef Ray came by the table as well and let me know that it’s safe to eat my BS Chicharron from the beginning of the pandemic that I just found in the bottom of my freezer. LOL

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Caviar tamal alert.

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Highly recommended for your next Asterid event

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killer photo

Here’s the tartare as they were serving it. Stand up cocktails obviously.

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