April Bloomfield Dinner at Melisse

Although this year there has been no news on the 5x5 Dinner series, Angelenos can still indulge in guest chef dinners at Melisse. This summer, Chef Josiah Citrin welcomes Chef Christopher Kostow of Restaurant at Meadowood, Chef April Bloomfield of The Spotted Pig and The Breslin in NYC, and Chef David Kinch of Manresa.

I was able to go to the Bloomfield dinner and enjoyed a six (more like seven) course meal prepared by Chef Bloomfield, Chef Citrin and Takayama of Melisse, and Chef Ray Garcia of FIG. Chef April Bloomfield opened The Spotted Pig, New York's first gastropub, in 2004. It was a huge hit and the restaurant with its seasonal British-pub/Italian has maintained its one Michelin star since then.

This dinner is a collaboration hosted by Melisse, so naturally the amuse bouche and bread come from Melisse.

The meal started with Foie gras with yuzu and Melon, mint, pistachio.

Bread service: Basil brioche, bacon focaccia

Since it's Monday and I didn't want to spend even more money, I opted for a glass of wine instead of doing the wine pairing (an extra $75). I ordered the 2008 Chateauneuf du Pape, Domaine de La Solitude which was meant to be paired with the Boudin Blanc course. Despite being a fairly young wine, I found it pretty smooth.

Wild Japanese Kanpachi
Sorrel, cucumber, passionfruit-espellete // Josiah Citrin and Ken Takayama
The richness from the sorrel nicely highlighted the kanpachi.

Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho
Crisp olives // April Bloomfield
This gazpacho turns out to be a good introduction to the food of Chef April Bloomfield: bold flavors and strong on the spice. The crisp olives were a nice textural touch and were something I could munch on all day.

Squid Basquaise
Nduja, forbidden rice, piment d'anglet, prosciutto // Ray Garcia
Part of the squid was stuffed with nduja, a spicy pork sausage which originated from Calabria, and forbidden rice (a type of black rice). The dish was finished with chorizo romesco sauce. This dish is a good followup to Bloomfield's gazpacho with its equally strong flavors. The squid had a great texture although there were a little too much nduja in the pieces that were stuffed.

Boudin Blanc
Sauteed market potatoes, basil & pickled mustard seed // April Bloomfield
This boudin blanc was made with pork and veal. The potatoes were flavorful and moist although I preferred eating them separately from the sausage.
Interestingly, I didn't think the Chateauneuf du Pape actually paired that well with this dish. The boudin blanc brought out the tartness and acidity in what was before a rich and smooth wine and unfortunately this tartness overwhelmed the food.

Arctic Char
Spiced lentils, anchovy-pine nut bread crumb //April Bloomfield
The fish was cooked perfectly and had a nice skin but the lentil and anchovy-pine nut crumb were a little too salty and strong in flavors. Fortunately the tomatoes really helped cut this saltiness. I enjoyed the flavors but the salt could be toned down - or add more tomatoes.

Snake River Farms Wagyu Beef
Chanterelle mushrooms, Brentwood corn, summer truffles, "jus de boeuf acidule"
// Josiah Citrin and Ken Takayama
In the back were braised short ribs and potato galette. Even without reading the menu, upon looking at and tasting this dish you should know that this was not April Bloomfield. The dish had more subtle and balanced flavors. Yes, this was very much a Melisse dish. My only complaint was that the wagyu was tougher than I would've liked.

Strawberry, Basil, and Pistachio //Josiah Citrin and Ken Takayama
Berry sabayon, brown butter ice cream over pistachio vacherin, finished with basil emulsion. A solid and refreshing dessert from Melisse (although my heart still lies with their Passionfruit Parfait with lemongrass soup).

Persian mulberries, apricot, creme fraiche, canele, and a housemade raspberry chocolate truffle
The Persian mulberries were the juiciest and sweetest mulberries we've ever had while the delightful truffles melted in our mouths.

The three dishes by Chef Bloomfield gave a pretty good idea of her style. Each dish was excellent with strong and bold flavors which no doubt would work wonderfully at a casual gastro-pub but in my opinion as part of a tasting menu where progression of the meal itself is important, their flavors are too strong. They lack the restraint that Chef Josiah Citrin showcases in his dishes.

Next up: Chef David Kinch of Manresa on Monday, August 23rd!

Get Iced this Summer: The Shaved Ice Roundup

What's colder than ice cream? Why, ice. So what better way to cool down this summer than some shaved ice (or shaved "snow")? Los Angeles, being as diverse as it is, offers many ethnic options for shaved ice, from Korean to Oaxacan to Indonesian.

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Hawaiian Shaved Ice

Perhaps one of the simplest, Hawaiian shaved ice is typically topped only with flavored syrup (though of course what's to stop you from adding more toppings?). Unlike most others which actually use crushed ice, this style of shaved ice uses a machine which literally shaves the ice, generating a much smoother texture. The most popular spot right now is probably Get Shaved, which has a storefront in Northridge and a truck that roams around the greater LA area. You can find syrup flavored with mango, lychee, passionfruit, all the way to bubblegum here and you can also add a scoop of ice cream below your shaved ice and top it all with red beans, condensed milk, and mochi balls.

Get Shaved
http://www.getshavedice.com
@getshaved

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Korean Shaved Ice/ Pat Bing Su

One of the best pat bing su in town can be found at Chego, although it is a rotating menu item so you may not necessarily find it when you go there. Here the shaved ice is topped with chewy mochi, red bean, mangoes, kiwi, and a red syrup. The flavors of all the ingredients here work better than many pat bing su concoctions. If you see it on the menu this summer, you might want to give it a try.

Chego
3300 Overland Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90034
www.eatchego.com

Ice Kiss is a popular cafe in Koreatown for their shaved ice. Size and visual matters here where you can get the largest serving served to you in a dogbowl. All the fruit and red bean are further topped with ice cream and whipped cream, which can be overkill, but they're open late and you can be sure there'll be enough for everyone.

Ice Kiss
3407 W 6th St, Los Angeles, CA 90020
(213) 382-4776

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Taiwanese Shaved Ice

While the Koreans put all the toppings on top of their shaved ice, the Taiwanese style covers the bottom of the bowl with items of your choice including lychee, pudding, peanuts, red bean, etc and then top it with a tall pile of ice and condensed milk. Two popular places are Kang Kang food court where you can choose your toppings from the deli case, and Sin Ba La, a popular Taiwanese joint.

Kang Kang Food Court
27 E Valley Blvd, Alhambra, CA 91801

Sinbala
651 W Duarte Rd Ste F, Arcadia, CA 91007

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Taiwanese Shaved Snow

Shaved snow is pretty rare even in the San Gabriel Valley and the reputed best version outside of Taiwan is the one at Class 302 in Rowland Heights. The difference? The "snow" is flavored and milk is added prior to shaving and (according to Kung Food Panda) it is shaved with a special machine, generating smooth ribbons of creamy "ice". I suspect this special machine is similar to the one used for Hawaiian shaved ice. The texture is closer to an ice cream and chunks of crushed ice. Their most popular is the mango but it tends to run out, so either try to go early or just order one of their other flavors such as green tea topped with red bean and mochi balls, or the caramel pudding. And yes, the milk-added-shaved snow is still topped with condensed milk.

Class 302 三年2班
1015 Nogales St #125, Rowland Heights, CA 91748

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Mexican Shaved Ice / Raspado

At the newly opened Natura Bar, you can get Oaxacan-style shaved ice, raspado, with exotic flavors such as tamarind, guayabana to more familiar flavors such as walnut and eggnog. A small raspado is a big cup filled with the syrup and chunks of fruits/nuts of your flavor both at the bottom and the top for uniform flavoring.

Natura Bar
3335 1/4 W 8th St, Los Angeles, CA 90005
(213) 784-0943

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Indonesian Shaved Ice: Es Teler

In Indonesia even shaved ice can be considered a mid-meal drink. "Es Teler" (semi-literally, drunken ice) is a popular drink in Indonesia that utilizes tropical fruits and topping. Lucky for Angelenos, a version of it can be found at Simpang Asia. The shaved ice is topped with condensed milk and slices of coconut, jackfruit, and avocado. You can either eat it with a spoon or mix everything and drink it through the big straw!

Simpang Asia

10433 National Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90034
(310) 815-9075

Intelligentsia Pasadena: Preview Lunch, a First Look

Knowing Pasadena residents have been looking forward to the opening of Intelligentsia Coffee's Pasadena outpost for a while now, but few may have known just how special the 3rd SoCal location would be. The space in Old Town comes with a kitchen and will soon have a liquor license. That's right, it will be a full-on restaurant with about 73 seats serving market-fresh menu and a nightly farmer's market prix-fixe dinners.
The food at Intelli-Pasadena is prepared by Matthew Poley, whose partnership with Intelligentsia started when his catering company Heirloom LA catered Intelligentsia's Christmas party. The result of Poley's experience at Angelini Osteria, La Terza, All' Angelo and Barbrix can be seen in the housemade cheese (e.g. goat's milk ricotta and sheep's milk ricotta drizzled with chestnut honey) and charcuterie platters, his specialty mushroom-ricotta and shortrib raviolis, crispy flatbreads, rib-cap lettuce tacos, and an incredible salad of fresh peeled asparagus and fennel. You can also find his famed (super cute and good) lasagna cupcakes a.k.a "lasagnettes" in various flavors, vegetarian or otherwise.

"lasagnette"

This is a definite upgrade in the space that used to be Wok 'n Roll and if Poley can maintain this quality food, Intelligentsia can easily be the best restaurant in Old Town, or at least on that part of Colorado Blvd. This style of eatery, while not new in general (pioneered long ago by Chez Panisse), is a first in Pasadena.

Intelligentsia's pastry case will feature scones, muffins, and cookies from Cake Monkey, as well as lychee tarts and other pastries from Bottega Louie, but if you're dining in might as well indulge in special treats from Cake Monkey: an unbelievably moist chocolate bread pudding and seasonal fruit crisp.

Bread pudding, Fruit Crisp (Cake Monkey)

Lychee tart (Bottega Louie)

Wash everything down with the slightly sweet and caramel-y black cat espresso, or the SCAA "best of origin" prize winner La Isabella coffee. If tea is more your speed, try their staple Iron Goddess of Mercy tea or the sweet and earthy Golden Needle cold brew.

La Tortuga cappuccino

More photos (of the charcuterie and cheese platters, ravioli, flatbread, etc) in this slideshow:

Intelligentsia Pasadena opens tomorrow and will be open for short days (10-4) for the first week but soon you will be able to get a grab-n-go lunch bag and coffee starting at 6 am and stay late for a prix fixe dinner (beer and wine involved).


Intelligentsia - Pasadena
55 E. Colorado Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91105
626.578.1270
@IntelliPasadena







Disclaimer: This preview lunch was hosted by Intelligentsia (i.e. gratis)