The Bazzar & La Descarga

To avoid the crowds on Valentine's Day, J and I decided to have our Valentine's day dinner early on Friday, 2/12. I made reservations for The Bazaar at the SLS Hotel on La Cienega since he has never been there. I always love coming here so I was excited when J gladly agreed on the restaurant choice.

 

ultimate gin & tonic

liquid nitrogen caiprinha

J got the ultimate gin & tonic and I got the liquid nitrogen caiprinha. The tableside preparation for my caiprinha was impressive and the slushee-like drink was delicious and strong. J's gin & tonic was extremely strong! He wasn't up for drinking so I ended up finishing his drink for him after I was done with mine and by dinner's end I was drunk!

mussels, olive oil, vinegar, pimenton

We started off with the mussels and what a great way to start. I've never had mussels prepared this way and was pleasantly surprised. I loved the vinegar in this dish - it created another dimension for me. J, being a mussels lover, really enjoyed this dish.  

 

norwegian lobster, seaweed salad, lobster essence

 The lobster was tender and the seaweed salad underneath provided a nice texture. But the star of the dish was the lobster essence broth. We were instructed to take a bite of the lobster and sip the broth and honestly, I could have just had a whole bowl of the broth by itself! As a seafood fanatic, I absolutely loved the strong aroma and taste of the ocean in the broth.

sea scallops, romesco sauce

 The scallops were perfectly cooked and the romesco sauce was full of flavor. It was a good dish, but didn't really stand up to the wonder that was the lobster essence in the previous dish.

philly cheesesteak, air bread, cheddar, wagyu beef

I always order the philly cheesesteak when I dine here. The thin crust of the "air bread" which houses the cheesy goodness topped with thinly sliced Wagyu beef on top is a wonderful and delicious take on the philly cheesesteak classic. This time around the cheese was a bit salty and overwhelmed the dish.

sauteed wild mushrooms, almond praline

 The mushrooms were perfectly seasoned and really delicious. I know sauteed mushrooms is a simple dish, but I always enjoy really well seasoned vegetables.

foie gras, quince, toasted brioche sandwich

 The foie gras mini burger is another staple of mine. (I just sang the "foie garas mini burger" in the Jack in the Box "mini sirloin burger" melody...) I love the combination of the foie gras and the brioche bread together. The quince provided a nice sweetness that balanced out the richness of the foie gras.

king crab steamed buns, pickled cucumbers

I was really looking forward to this dish, but unfortunately it did not live up to y expectation. The sweetness in the crab mixture was overwhelming which masked the crab flavor. The pickled cucumber was also lost in the dish. Maybe a few more slices would have helped match up to the sweetness of the crab. The dish was good, but I may have expected great.

beef hanger steak, piquillo pepper confit, natural jus

The hangar steak itself was a big tough and chewey for me. But, when eaten with the pepper, it took the piece of meat to another level - very good.

Instead of heading over to the Patisserie for dessert, we decided to leave and arrive early at our reservations for La Descarga. La Descarga is a new rum-based bar/lounge located just off the 101N on Western and Santa Monica in Koreatown. We arrived around 10:30ish p.m. to a line outside the door. They were at max capacity already and so, there was about a 20-30 minute wait. Luckily after 10 minutes or so, I checked in with the very cool doorman and he let me and my BF right in since there was only 2 of us.

rum bar

Once you go through the front door, you are led up a narrow flight of stairs into a small room where a hostess greets you. She explains briefly on what you should expect and then turns to what looks like doors to a big dresser. Much like how the other reviewers have mentioned, it is like stepping inside the closet and over to Narnia. Instead of snow and a faun by the lamppost, you step into Havana circa 1920s. You are led down a flight of winding stairs to the main room. There is also a second room in the back reserved for cigars and rum cocktails. It was pretty packed when I went in, but it was a great experience.

I ordered their mojito, which was delicious by the way, and sat down in the cigar room since it was a lot less packed than the main room. I must warn you that if you sit in the cigar room for a while, your clothes will reek of cigar smoke. But, still, I had a great time here drinking my mojito and people-watching - it really is hilarious watching drunk guys hit on sober girls... haha!

Overall, a wonderful early Valentine's Day date!




The Bazaar by Jose Andres
SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills

465 S La Cienega Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(310) 246-5567
http://www.thebazaar.com/

Hatfield's

Okay, so I admit it... I have been pretty lazy about updating my blog. While I've been diligent with my Yelp reviews, I am so far behind with my blog posts. But, the good news is that I am back and hopefully will keep this up... In celebration of my return, my first post goes to my fabulous meal at Hatfield's. I have been waiting a long time for Hatfield's to open at their new and much larger space on Melrose and Citrus, right across the street from the Mozzas. And when they finally announced their opening date, I was counting down the days until they started taking reservations.

I made reservations for 8 p.m. on their opening night of February 1st. My first impression of their new space was that it was very reminiscent of their previous location, but on a much larger scale. Their charm is still evident everywhere and is reflected in their elegant and modern decor.

The space is very open, and I LOVE the open kitchen (clear glass and doors separating the dining room and the kitchen). You can see all the action, which is awesome. It wasn't very crowded since it was a soft opening, but everyone seemed lively and spirits were high.

The service was very friendly and our waiter was knowledgeable about the menu. Our waters never reached past the half full line and our plates never sat in front of us more than a minute after we were finished.

Now, let's dive into the good stuff: THE FOOD!

I was disappointed that they were not offering their tasting menu last night, but our waiter informed us that they will be having the new and improved tasting menu on very soon - the tasting menu will vary from 7 - 10 courses unlike their past 7 course at their previous location.

While looking over the menu, I was sipping on a Rose Caipirinha and the BF decided to get a beer, the Weihenstephaner (you try saying it!). My Caipirinha was okay, I've had better, but the BF really enjoyed his beer. I had a sip and at first, the taste is strong but dissolves into a smooth finish. Very, very nice.

 

We started off with their usual butter with chives and bread. I was too busy sipping on my drink and forgot to ask our server what kind of bread it was. The texture was much like sou

We decided to get the seasonal prix fixe ($56), which has been bumped to a 4 course meal instead of their usual 3 course, also noted in the price. There were two options for each course so we just got everything and ordered a croque madame, as well. How could I dine at Hatfield's and NOT get the dish that I dream about all the time?

Appetizer: Croque Madame - This is still my favorite dish at Hatfield's! It is just heavenly. The brioche, yellowtail and the sauce just go so well together and is very flavorful. I can probably eat this every day...

1a: Charred Japanese Mackerel, oven dried pineapple, avocado, fried shallots, nori infused salsa verde - The mackerel was not as strong as I thought it'd be. The pineapple and avocado went well with the fish and the fried shallots added a nice crunchy texture to the whole dish. Very good.

1b: Pan Roasted Diver Scallops, braised celery, salsify, apple froth - I've never had scallops and celery. My first bite I was a bit thrown off, but my second bite was quite delicious. When eaten together, the celery and froth went really well with the perfectly seasoned scallops.

2a: Prawns a la Plancha Espellette, creamy crab rice, roasted peanuts, preserved lemon, mint - This dish was reminiscent of Thai flavors, much milder and toned-down, but very apparent with the chili, lemon and mint. The prawns were perfectly cooked and seasoned well. I didn't care much for the rice texture, as it was too mushy, but was quite flavorful.

2b: Olive Oil Poached Alaksan Halibut, orange scented beets, horseradish creme fraiche, herbed pepita crust - The halibut was so soft and moist. I, personally, love beets so the combination was good for me.

Midway, I needed to freshen up my drink and decided to go for the cucumber mint gimlet. It was as delicious as I remembered.

3a: Long Island Duck Breast, whiskey prune smear, butternut squash, porcini quinoa porridge - The duck was perfect and fatty, just the way I like it. The BF and I both preferred this dish over the short ribs/hanger steak dish.

3b: Horseradish Dusted Short Ribs and Hanger Steak, spring onion confit, smoked potato puree - The short ribs were nice and tender, but the hanger steak was kind of tough. Although they were both flavorful, the duck dish was more of a hit for me, probably because I just love the fattiness (but who doesn't?).

4a: Lime Cream "Pie," gingersnap crust, oatmeal crumble, citrus chamomile ice cream - This dessert was very "lime-y" and not in a bad way. The lime flavor was in your face, but not over powering. I loved the oatmeal crumble and provided a nice crunch when eaten with the ice cream.

4b: Chocolate "Nutella," ganache cake, butterscotch rosemary ice cream, hazlenut toffee- I love chocolate so I had to get this. My BF thought the ice cream tasted like oatmeal - haha. The cake was moist and oozing with chocolate goodness.

It was a wonderful meal and Hatfield's has become and will remain one of my favorite restaurants in the city. I'll definitely be coming back for their new tasting menu which I hope won't be too long from now.





Hatfield's
6703 Melrose Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 935-2977
http://www.hatfieldsrestaurant.com/

so behind...

i am so diligent with my yelp reviews, but when it comes to my blog i am so unmotivated and well, downright lazy.

i told myself i'm going to at least post my hatfield's review by this week....

really.
reallllllllllllllllly.
stay tuned. =)