Honestly, these seem like pretty fair prices for this kind of restaurant.
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Thank you!
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The crab curry is one of the most delicious things I’ve ever had, but it’s TOO spicy for me. I can only stand a few bites b/f I cry for mercy and b/f it totally blows out my palate. Partner (who can tolerate far spicier than can I) and I aren’t chiliheads, so… A less spicy one sounds like nirvana to me. 
And, yes, I know that there are posters who have insane tolerance to spicy hot who don’t find it challenging. 
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You’ve got to get it at Noree then. Just confirmed last week. It can be quite mild there if you ask. Very good
(Sorry for the topic derail)
Thanks for the suggestion.
Have you tried it at Noree? I just worry that the underlying flavor might not be the same. One of the chefs (I don’t know which is which!) at Luv2Eat said that the same level can’t be taken down beyond a certain (and still excruiatingly high) point but, not knowing at all how curry is made, I’m not sure if an alteration is spice level will throw the whole thing off.
3 times at noree. It’s mild, I’m adding chili to it. I’d love to try nightshade version too
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Third time back to complete the OOE tasting #forresearch
green jade tomatoes, persian cucumber, gwaimei vinaigrette
I don’t think I’ve ever had a green jade tomato and I still don’t know what a gwaimei is, but the dish was very good. The tomatoes were plump, sweet, and juicy and the dressing had acid, heat, and a sesame/peanut butter flavor.
(new) foie gras mousse, calamansi and squash jam, zucchini madeleines
Highlight of the night. The slightly citrusy/sweet jam on top went great with the foie gras and the crisp, savory zucchini madeleines were the perfect complement. This was an off-menu special that needs to be on-menu.
(new) kimchi marinated kanpachi, kohlrabi, dongchimi broth
The only miss for me on the menu. Surprisingly bland with not much acid or heat.
koshihikari rice congee, xo, crispy shallots, pork floss, egg
Probably the most traditional thing on the menu, and perfect for the subarctic temperatures in la right now. The only thing missing was a side of youtiao.
After-dinner bang @ Superfine Pizza
This place should be named super-great.
salami honey - spicy salami, provolone, grana padano, buckwheat honey
Not as spicy and a little sweeter than roberta’s bee sting, but still a great slice. Love the thin, crisp crust.
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Google doesn’t either. If “gwai” is something, it could be Mei’s version.
If it’s some made-up name, gwai could be chinese for ugly / strange, and mei could be beautiful / delicious. Both words are commonly used for both appearance or taste. Which seems appropriate given @PorkyBelly’s photo and description. That mei is pretty common in names as well, so could also be read as Mei’s weird vinaigrette … or weird Mei’s vinaigrette.
If you’re googling, this would usually be spelled guaimei in pinyin.
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Gwaimei is just the phonetic pronunciation of the Chinese phrase 怪美, which is meant to be an oxymoron meaning “ugly beauty” or “strange beauty”.
Within the context of Nightshade, gwaimei may be a play on DC’s Ugly Delicious concept, while cleverly incorporating the chef’s name.
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I emailed Nightshade because I was curious. Response:
Gwaimei translates to “strange flavor” in Cantonese. It refers to sweet, salty, sour, numbing, spicy.
Regards,
Nightshade
923 E. 3rd St #109
Los Angeles, CA 90019
nightshadela.com
Any Cantonese speakers here?
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Thanks - multi-lingual FTCer.
BTW, I reread that 4 times trying to figure out where David Chang’s name was “cleverly incorporated.”
. I’m going to adopt this trick of using foreign words to make things sounds more exotic!
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I would figure it was more of a mandarin translation, I don’t think cantonese people use 美 that much in every day speech.
I didn’t think Chef Mei’s family is of Cantonese origin…
Went to Nightshade today. Been really looking forward to what Mei Lin (top chef season 12 winner - head sous previously at Ink) was going to put together when she announced a restaurant in LA. Beautiful space, great service and really great innovative food. I don’t think I’ve ever had Western style high cuisine with such strong classic chinese flavors. The dishes are gorgeous and presently beautifully.
New dish today was Nori Spagatelli - seaweed dashi butter broth is heaven. The flavors so pure and umamamamamamamai.
They are still experimenting with the quail spice level. Today was a howlin rays HOT level. My wife took one bite and gave the rest to me. I was having a coughing fit, but it was worth it. The shrimp toast curry had almost no spice, but was still delicious.
Anyone know why they are serving Aqua Panna as their free still water? Seems costly unless it’s a sponsorship? I probably drank 8 glasses of water myself just from the quail.
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A freebie for all lucky diners in the first week of service at Nightshade, I was told.
Lord knows Aqua Panna needs the publicity, after the brilliant Fiji marketing at The Golden Globes last weekend…
Then there seems to be some type of miscommunication with PR at least according to @Bookwich’s email from Nightshade
the translation provided is correct