CiCi's Cafe: My First Breakfast in the Valley

Valley seems like another world to me. I used to hang out in the valley during high school which seems like a lifetime ago. But since then, my memories of the valley have faded and replaced with drunken, blurry ones from college. Now, I only head out to the valley to see my lovely man who lives and works out in the not-so-lovely valley. Our dining options in this area are greatly limited and that frustrates me. Some say spoiled, some say it's understandable. Guess which one J says I am? Regardless of what I am, I was determined to find some decent food that wasn't a chain restaurant. And I did.

I researched and found Cici's Cafe in Tarzana widely known for their vast breakfast menu. Perfect! Since J loves breakfast, I knew it wouldn't take that much to wake him up in the morning. We arrived around 10 AM and luckily there was a two-seater that just opened up. We quickly grabbed that and beat the rush.

orange juice

House Benedict, two poached eggs, tomatoes, asparagus, avocado on English muffin with cheddar & hollandaise sauce

two eggs, bacon, hash browns (use ketchup at own discretion)

Hungover but ready to eat, I ordered the house benedict as J gave me that "Are you sure you want to order that?" look. He knows that whenever I eat anything with hollandaise sauce, I have a stomachache the entire day. He also knows that even though this always happens, I will always order that item with the hollandaise. Something about poached eggs and that buttery hollandaise gets me every time. Cici's house version was even better because it came with tomatoes, aspargus and avocado. The first bite of egg yolk with the creamy avocado, crunchy aspargus and sweet tomatoes topped with cheese was amazing! Think about it... (Pause) Amazing, right? I knew I was going to pay for it later, so I indulged right then and there. J ordered his usual two eggs and bacon with a side of hash browns. He enjoyed his crispy bacon and his over-easy eggs. Hash browns, we both enjoyed. =) I never say no to potatoes!

Cici's Cafe

18912 Ventura Blvd

Tarzana, CA 91356
(818) 881-6704
http://www.ciciscafe.com/

Hatfield's Restaurant: A Special Occasion Kinda Place...

Yes, it was a special occasion.

It was our beloved friend Francine's birthday and after discussing the best dining option for her birthday dinner she decided on Hatfield's. Fran and I first fell in love with Hatfield's at their original location, now home to Eva Restaurant. While we do miss the days of the unassuming and cozy atmosphere of their previous home, we still very much enjoy the fabulous food Chef Quinn continuously puts out night after night at their beautiful and not-so-new location. 

There were six of that night and we had an early reservation. Newly made parents, F & T, left their adorable baby daughter with F's mom, so early dinner reservations was a must.

amuse bouche

I sipped on a cocktail (can't remember which one), while we nibbled on warm sourdough-like bread and bread and waited for the rest of our party to show up. Once they did, the amuse bouche of smoked salmon came out to tease our appetites.

course 1a: chilled poached Maine scallop, toasted bulgur salad, horseradish creme fraiche, muddled citrus

course 1b: warm creamy crab buckwheat crepe, pickled beets, marinated radish, fine herbs

All of us decided to go with the seasonal prix fixe ($59) which comes with four courses you get to pick from the prix fixe menu. Since there were two options for each course, J and I decided to order each item for variety. For the first course, there were two options: poached scallop or crab buckwheat crepe. I really liked the texture of the scallop dish and the fact that it was chilled, but I enjoyed the flavor combination of the crap crepe with pickled beets a bit more. The sweetness of the creamy crab with the pickled beets, my favorite part of the dish, worked well together in balancing out the flavors.

supplement: croque madame, yellowtail sashimi, prosciutto, sunny side up quail egg, brioche

supplement: bobo farms foie gras, sauteed king trumpet mushrooms, red flame grapes, golden lentils

In addition to the prix fixe courses, we added on two courses that we couldn't ignore. First off, we knew couldn't dine at Hatfield's without ordering Quinn's signature dish, the croque madame. Unfortunately, the usually fantastic croque madame wasn't as great as our previous experiences. The bottom brioche on mine was a bit burnt and tough to eat. Other than that, the flavors were still wonderful and delicious. The other dish we couldn't pass up on was the foie gras. The tartness of the grapes did a lovely job of cutting the fattiness of the liver, while the mushrooms and lentils provided a heartiness to the dish.

course 2a: charred octopus, caramelized fennel, saffron vanilla braised hearts of palm, red wine olive puree

course 2b: Atlantic cod with curry toast crust, soy long beans, eggplant puree

By the time our second course came out, I was already getting full. But still determined to eat everything, I dove into my octopus dish. The octopus was beautifully cooked and the smokiness from the char with the sweetness of the caramelized fennel provided a very balanced dish. The slight sour and tart flavor to the olive puree added a brightness as well. J's cod was also fork tender and delicious. I thought the curry flavor overwhelmed the fish slightly, but I really enjoyed the eggplant puree with it.

course 3a: pan roasted duck breast, caramelized endive and cherries, pistachio pistou, celery root puree

course 3b: slow cooked beef short rib, blue lake beans, braised radish, horseradish potato puree

Moving on, I chose the duck breast for my third course while J chose the short rib. The duck was perfectly cooked and the tart cherries which were a nice complement to fatty duck. I had a few bites of J's short rib and I have to admit, while the duck was delicious, the short rib was superb. It was not only super tender, but had a lot of flavor. The key component that had me hooked was the silky horseradish potato puree. It had a subtle kick and perfect with the short ribs.

course 4a: sugar & spice beignets, Venezuelan chocolate fondue, Mexican chocolate milkshake shot

course 4b: smores (I don't remember what was in this dish)

course 4c: warm pear strudel, poached sour cherries, black walnut praline ice cream

course 4d: chocolate "nutella,"ganache cake, butterscotch rosemary ice cream, hazelnut toffee

course 4e: chocolate caramel semifreddo, salted peanut crunch, bitter chocolate sorbet

course 4f: caramelized goat's milk cheesecake, hazelnut shortbread, citrus compote, grapefruit Lillet sorbet

Since there were a total of six of us, we each gor a different dessert and shared. The beignets were good, but passable. I really enjoyed the chocolate semifreddo with the salted peanut crunch and the chocolate "nutella" ganache cake. Being a lover of chocolate and peanut butter, this was a no brainer. Another favorite of mine was the goat's milk cheesecake with the citrus compote and grapefruit Lillet sorbet. While I love sweets, I also love citrus. The grapefruit sorbet with the citrus compote was a refreshing way to end the meal.

Our meal game to an end with a petit four of some kind of berry gelee. I don't know what it was because frankly, by this point, I was in a coma.

I haven't been back to Hatfield's since their soft opening last year which was around the same time. Yes, it's been a year since my last visit and the only thing that seemed to have changed is their volume of customers. Since I went on their soft opening night, the restaurant wasn't as full and lively. But on this particular night, there were many couples and parties celebrating an early Valentine's Day dinner. You could tell which ones they were by the color of attire.. red dress, anyone? Regardless of the crowd size, there weren't any hiccups with service or the food. They have been at this location for a year so everything is pretty much nailed down. Service was attentive and friendly while the food was delicious as usual. The food being on point is expected as you can clearly see Quinn putting his hands on every dish in the kitchen through the large windows.

Hatfield's is a restaurant you would go for a special occassion, but wouldn't be limited to just that. While it is not as cozy as their previous space, the wife and husband duo did a great job of transcending the friendly and unpretentious atmosphere into a classy and elegant space. I wouldn't feel initimated to drop by for a drink or quick lunch, a key compoment to its success. Great meal with great company. Happy Birthday, Fran! <3

Hatfield's Restaurant
6703 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 935-2977
http://www.hatfieldsrestaurant.com/

New Year's Eve Dinner @ Kiyokawa

First, I would like to say that I did not jump on the Kiyokawa bandwagon after Jonathan Gold raved about it. I've been wanting to go to Kiyokawa a long time before his review, ever since a friend of mine ate there for a business dinner and couldn't stop talking about it. Finally, after years of procrastination, I made it to dinner. J is not a huge fan of multi-course meals where you stuff yourself silly for several hours, so naturally, sushi was our first choice.

Good decision.

I was wearing a dress that was so tight on top, I couldn't breathe.

Bad decision.

But, don't worry... I still ate everything. =)

It was a chilly new years eve night and we had reservations at Kiyokawa. Being excited was an understatement. Upon our arrival, we were greeted warmly by the host and quickly seated at the bar. The chef, while preparing to cut into a beautiful piece of tuna, looked up and smiled. He asked us the usual, "is there anything we can't eat or don't like?"and we gave him our usual answer of "we eat everything."

 course 1: tomato, deep fried asparagus, pickled cucumbers, spinach, mackerel, omelette

Our first course was an array of mini appetizers reminiscent of banchan. The pickled cucumbers were delicious since I love almost anything pickled. J liked the crunchy deep fried asparagus and we both really enjoyed the omelet. It was a nice introduction for the meal to come.

 course 2: sashimi course - Spanish mackerel, Santa Barbara abalone with citrus pepper, tuna, yellowtail, red snapper

The sashimi course was next. The color on the fish was beautiful and cut was generous. I really enjoyed the almost crunchy texture of the abalone and the citrus pepper on top. J, not usually being a fan of mackerel, said the Spanish mackerel was his favorite. Surprising, but then again not so much. The Spanish mackerel was wonderfully oily and melted in my mouth.

 course 3: shrimp tempura with daikon, kumamoto oyster with caviar and gold leaf, fried seaweed, snow crab, seared toro, foie gras

The next course was one of my favorite courses of the night. It had everything that I loved! I started off with the kumamoto oyster with caviar and gold leaf on top. Delicious. I then moved onto the fried seaweed and shrimp tempura, which were both nice but not as memorable. Why? Because I was saving the best for last. The foie gras and seared toro were both heavenly and wonderfully fatty. I still dream about that seared toro...

 course 4: hot pot of snow crab, carrot, green bean, daikon and tofu

Next up was a hot pot of crab and vegetables. The sweet crab was tender and the vegetables were beautifully prepared. It was simple and perfect. This dish really showed me Chef Kiyokawa's skill in practicing restraint and achieving great flavors with that restraint.

course 5: seared black cod, greens, soy bean paste dots

The flavor of the black cod was great, but the texture was a bit too mushy for me. I wanted more flakiness to the fish. The salad was also a bit overdressed, but I absolutely loved the soybean dots on the plate that added depth to the dish.

 course 6: shitake mushroom soup with white fishball

The aromatic soup of shitake mushroom was next. This bowl of soup was perfect for the chilly weather. It was earthy, warm and very comforting. It's something I wish I could eat whenever I was feeling under the weather. This and my mom's chicken-ginger soup with rice.

course 7: sushi course - Spanish super toro, yellowtail belly, halibut with citrus pepper, Hokkaido scallop with hot olive oil, Santa Barbara uni

Our omakase was coming to an end with the sushi course. The toro and yellowtail belly were fatty and buttery. Melt-in-your-mouth delicious. The halibut with the citrus pepper was nice and bright. The scallop with the hot olive oil was tender and mildly sweet. Of course, I saved my favorite for last. The generous amounts of uni were creamy and sweet. Always a great combination with the wasabi on top.

 

course 8: black sesame ice cream

We finished our dinner with black sesame ice cream, one of our favorite flavors. Just in time because we were getting pretty stuffed. Maybe it was the dress or maybe it was the fact that I knew the night ahead would be full of drinking, but I couldn't eat another bite. The ice cream was the perfect portion and perfect end to our last meal of 2010.

We wanted a simple, yet memorable meal for our last dinner of the year and we got exactly that. It was the details that really made this dinner special for me. You can see the extra care Chef Kiyokawa puts into his food by how the quality of the ingredients shines through in every dish. If you love Japanese cuisine or sushi, I highly recommend this place. I've been waiting so long to try this place and it did not disappoint. This meal was the closes thing I've experienced in the States that reminded me of the food I had in Japan.... Now back to dreaming about Japan....

Kiyokawa

265 S. Robertson Blvd.

Beverly Hills, CA 90211

(310) 358-1900

http://www.kiyokawarestaurant.com/

Quick Dinner @ Blue Plate Oysterette

I was craving oysters, like I always do... so, I convinced J to grab a quick bite in Santa Monica. Yes, dinner by the beach during this cold weather. So Californian, no? Even though it was quite cold, the place was still full with patrons getting their seafood fix. For drinks, I got a glass of white (I forget what I drank) while J got a Chimay. The one glass of white got me pretty buzzed, probably because I was drinking on an empty stomach. I didn't even touch J's beer because Chimays always get me drunk. I never knew they were so damn strong...

oysters

mussels, creamy lemon and garlic sauce

ceviche of the day

I started off with a half dozen oysters... and yes, I mean "I" and not "we." He doesn't care too much for oysters so more for me! I should've really ordered a dozen, but good thing I didn't because their oyster prices seemed a bit high. Nonetheless, the oysters were delicious. I had originally wanted Kumamotos, but unfortunately they were out.  The server suggested something similar, which were fantastic, but once again, I forgot the name. J, being a sucker for mussels, made the obvious choice. They were good, but we've had better. We also ordered the ceviche of the day as well, which I also thought was only average. I immediately wished I had orderd the lobster roll, something I had been craving all day. I guess I should always stick to my cravings.

My meal was short, but it wasn't entirely too sweet. The oysters were great, but everything else was merely okay. Maybe there is a reason why I don't remember a lot of things to this meal...Granted I only had three dishes, I had high hopes for this place. I'll probably come back for that lobster roll and well, if my wallet is fat, then the oysters as well. Let's just hope I remember to come back...

Blue Plate Oysterette

1355 Ocean Ave

Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 576-3474
http://www.blueplatesantamonica.com/