Lemon Meringue Clouds

I went to tea at the Deb's house recently, bringing these airy treats with me. He and the Duchess enjoyed them and asked for the recipe. For you, my darlings...
(Yield: dependent on size of spoonfuls)

4 egg whites
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
3/4 cup sugar
Dash of salt
1/2 tsp. lemon extract
1/4 tsp. lemon zest

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. In a large, stainless steel or glass bowl, whip together egg whites and cream of tartar into a light froth.
3. Add sugar and salt, then whip until soft peaks form.
4. Add lemon extract, then whip until stiff peaks form.
5. Fold in lemon zest, then whip again for a few seconds to bring back stiff peaks if they have deflated in folding.
6. Drop by spoofuls onto parchment paper or silicon baking pad.
7. Place in oven, then TURN OVEN OFF.
8. DO NOT open oven for at least 8 hours, or overnight.

The result should be smooth, shiny, white puffs with a crispy exterior and a slightly chewy interior.

These will keep for one week in an airtight container. Don't refrigerate, but rather, keep at room temp.

Mea culpa

Hello, all. It's been ages since my last post. SORRY! I've been busy with my normal career--you know, writing and TV and stuff :)

But keep an eye out on this blog. I'll put together a mishmash of my foodie experiences over the last couple months to make a mega-post full of info and pics. Maybe a recipe or two, too!

xoxo
The Amateur Chef

Under the weather? Feel better...with noodles!

I remember being young, barely able to see the top of the table at family parties. There were big coolers of sodas and juices, groups of aunties chatting about their kids, uncles huddled outside in the cold keeping watch over a roasting pig as it turned on a spit. There wasn’t much else I was aware of—playing with my cousins and godsisters was my main focus back then. But the one thing we all remember is the food.

There was always a huge platter of pancit, stir-fried noodles tossed with vegetables, meat, and a patis-soy sauce-pepper mixture that changed with every new hand that adjusted the seasoning. Sometimes, when I’m homesick or feeling ill, I make up a big batch of pancit canton. It always makes me feel better.


Spicy Pancit Canton
I tend to blanch my noodles in boiling ginger water to not only remove any excess salt and oil, but also to impart a faint scent of ginger directly into the noodles before seasoning with the rest of the dish. Mise en place is vital in the preparation of this dish, as it will help you preserve the color and texture of the vegetables. Eight servings.

1 lb. Chinese noodles (the yellow kind, like in lo mein)
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 large onion, medium dice
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
1 cup Napa cabbage, shredded
½ cup carrots, julienned
2 cups bok choy, shredded
1 cup cooked protein (thinly sliced pork, chicken, tofu strips, shredded beef)
1 cup raw shrimp
1 ½ tbsp. sesame oil
2 tbsp. soy sauce (or half soy sauce and half toyomansi)
1 tsp. patis (or to taste)
2 tsp. chili garlic sauce (or to taste)
2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1 lemon cut in wedges
minced scallions for garnish

1. Blanch noodles in ginger water for 1 minute. Remove from water and drain.
2. In a large pan, heat vegetable oil on medium. Sweat onions until they start to soften slightly. Add garlic and minced ginger. Continue cooking for 1 minute.
3. Turn heat up to medium high and add cabbage and carrots. Cook for 2 minutes. Add bok choy and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Add cooked protein, sautéing until warmed through. Add raw shrimp, cook for 1 minute (or until shrimp starts to turn opaque).
5. Push the vegetable and protein mixture to the sides of the pan, then pour in sesame oil. Make sure the bottom of the pan is evenly coated with oil, then add drained noodles. Toss in oil, then incorporate the vegetable and protein mixture into the noodles.
6. Add sauces and black pepper, toss to coat.
7. Serve with lemon wedges. Garnish with scallions.

Spicy Noodle Soup
Sometimes, the best things are made from leftovers. I didn’t want to eat the same thing the next day, so I made soup. It was almost better than the original dish! Four to six servings (depending on how much pancit you have leftover).

4 cups low-sodium, fat-free chicken broth
1 tsp. minced ginger
leftover pancit
1 cup raw shrimp
minced scallions for garnish

1. Bring chicken broth and ginger to a boil.
2. Add raw shrimp. Boil for 1 minute.
3. Add pancit. Turn off heat and cover for 2 minutes.
4. Serve garnished with scallions.



I garnished both of these dishes with Salt & Pepper Shrimp. To make the shrimp, I dredged raw, tail-on shrimp in cornstarch, then deep-fried them until pink and crispy in 325F vegetable oil. Toss with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper, et voila!

Good Food, Bay Area Edition, Part I

I went home last weekend to see my parents. Our first food stop was Patio Filipino in San Bruno. An unassuming spot located on a busy street, I was pleasantly surprised when we entered and found candlelit tables, white table cloths, and tasteful decor. The menu, though hardly innovative, is full to bursting with some of the best that Filipino cuisine has to offer.

Patio Filipino serves dishes family-style, enabling diners to try many different dishes. We ordered the sinigang na Corned Beef, a beef broth-based soup made tangy with the addition of tamarind. No one seems to know for sure who invented this version of sinigang, with its overtones of Western culture evident in the corned beef, but it is a beautifully balanced dish. The sour of the soup, the saltiness of the meat, the savory creaminess of Japanese eggplant, and the clean crispness of radish slices all work together to create harmony in every bowl.

We enjoyed garlic fried rice with this and other dishes that night. One of my favorites to mix with garlic rice is the pork sisig. Traditionally, sisig is made with meat from the pig's face and bits of minced pig's ears. The Patio Filipino version thankfully reworks this classic by using crisped pork belly and minced pork chops instead. A sweet-salty-garlicky flavor combination, the pork sisig benefits from the addition of jalapeno to brighten up the overall taste.

Beef tapa, marinated and sauteed boneless steak, came with a vinegar-based sauce that cut through the soy sauce marinade of the beef. Perfect when cut into small pieces and mixed with the garlic fried rice.

I'm usually a huge fan of all things soft shell crab-related, but our order of sizzling soft shell crab failed to impress. The crabs themselves were fried in a delicate batter that ended up oily and soggy from the sauce that topped this dish. Called taba ng talangka, it is literally "fat of the small crab." Salty, fatty, and pungent, this delicacy typically makes any dish it adorns an instant winner. However, there seemed to be too much of it here. I guess one really can have too much of a good thing.

We knew we wouldn't be able to have dessert if we finished all of the food, so we packed some up for leftovers and focused on the real star of the meal: Buko con Seta, Patio Filipino's version of halo-halo. In this incarnation, a young coconut is opened, juice drained out, then filled with a layer each of sweet red beans (azuki, also used in Japanese red bean ice cream and other desserts), langka (jackfruit), coconut jelly, and coconut maja blanca (similar to a blancmange in French cuisine, but made with coconut milk), then topped with two scoops of ube (purple yam) ice cream. It tasted even better than it looks.

Patio Filipino
1770 El Camino Real
San Bruno, CA 94066
650.872.9888

A Very Special Birthday Dinner

Most of Hollywood was out Wednesday night to celebrate Halloween. The streets were swarming with revelers dressed in outlandish costumes, performers shivering their way through routines, and police keeping the crowd from turning unruly.

That’s not my idea of a good Halloween—because it’s my birthday, too!

The Dark Knight spirited me far from the West Hollywood/Santa Monica Blvd. madness and instead treated me to a wonderfully indulgent dinner at Hatfield’s. We were seated in the dining room, a compact but efficiently designed space with a spartan, but thoroughly charming, feel.

The seven-course tasting menu beckoned us to order drinks that were light and fresh in flavor: the house special cucumber-mint gimlet for him, and a small (375 ml) bottle of the 2004 Vouvray from Champalou for me. The gimlet had a nice sweetness to it that married well with the green taste of the cucumber and brightness of the mint. I loved my Vouvray, with its crisp flavors of green pear, watercress, and green grapes that proved a perfect match to the dishes that comprised our meal.

Before ordering, we received an amuse bouche plate of deviled quail eggs with a hint of smoked salmon and a shot of creamy cauliflower soup, both of which were perfect little tastes. Then came warm cheese gougères—addictive and amazing, buttery and light in texture. It took a lot of self-control for the Dark Knight and I not to gorge ourselves on these little bits of goodness throughout the meal.

Luckily, the first course arrived shortly after ordering, and it set the tone for the rest of our wondrous ride. We received dishes tailored, it seemed, to our drink choices. Incredibly lovely and considerate, no? The Dark Knight’s cuttlefish atop celery root puree and maitake mushrooms dressed in a lemongrass and galanga root-scented dressing was exquisite. I was very impressed by the croque madame that the waiter placed before me: grilled, buttered brioche rounds housing slices of hamachi and a bit of prosciutto and topped with a sunny-side up quail egg. I was pleasantly surprised by how well hamachi and prosciutto go together. If I could have that dish every day, I would. Though the same could be said about the rest of our dishes, too…

Up next was seared octopus over marinated hearts of palm for the Dark Knight, the Asian-tinged flavors of which tied in nicely with the minty fresh flavors of his gimlet. My warm crab and trumpet mushroom-stuffed buckwheat crepe with beets and marinated radish accented with a smear of fines herbs was ethereal. Sweet crabmeat wins me over every time, especially when accompanied by components that create such harmony on my palate.

Just when we thought the seafood portion of our meal had reached its peak, Chef Quinn’s kitchen proved us wrong. The Dark Knight practically inhaled his poached ocean trout over ruby red grapefruit salad and smoked potato puree. The buttery, bright orange fish was so good, he almost forgot to share with me. No matter, though, because I was engrossed in my hempseed-crusted hamachi collar with creamed chard and Manila clam with cauliflower puree and garlic/pea sprout oil. The hamachi collar was tender and flavorful. Divine.

Three courses down, four to go, and the Dark Knight and I were starting to feel full. We couldn’t help but perk up, though, when we saw our next courses. The Dark Knight’s boneless chicken leg and seared foie gras over black eyed peas looked delicious, but my duck breast and seared foie gras with a whiskey-prune glaze was the only thing I would even consider eating at that point. The flavors, though rich and decadent, were so pleasing that I almost wish my serving had been larger. But then I wouldn’t have had space for the next course, which was quite delicious.

The Dark Knight was served slow-cooked beef rib supported by Chinese broccoli and a garnet yam puree, accompanied by a small handful of fried spätzle. He barely looked up as he dug in to the succulent and tender beef. I enjoyed the lamb, crusted with a date-pistachio-panko mixture and sitting on a potato and garlic chive puree with roasted heirloom carrots and supplemented by a smattering of fresh chickpeas. I’m not generally a fan of chickpeas, but I had already been so bowled over by everything else that I decided to take the plunge. So worth it. Fresh chickpeas are green, both in appearance and taste. They’re sweet and soft and juicy, a more substantial version of spring peas. This dish certainly broadened my culinary horizons in the very best way.

At this point, the Dark Knight had to drink some ice water and take some deep breaths. After such a long and exciting gastronomic adventure, he was experiencing food vertigo. The room started to spin, his breath came in short bursts, and his palms became sweaty. “Too much food, eaten too quickly,” I told him. Upon hearing that the remainder of our meal was all about sweets, the tension faded and the Dark Knight perked up. I guess the mere promise of dessert erased any heaviness he was feeling. I know it worked for me.

True to his word, our waiter brought the Dark Knight a mini lemon tart topped with a cloud of marshmallowy meringue as well as shards of melt-in-your-mouth slow-baked meringue. Yogurt sorbet and sweet grapefruit segments rounded out the plate. As much as I adore a lemon tart as lovely as this, I could not be bothered to have more than a taste once I started eating my buttermilk panna cotta with passion fruit sorbet. The panna cotta had the rich tang of buttermilk, enriched by the velvety texture achieved with the gelatin in the recipe. This course was really terrific, and a great palate-cleanser to prepare us for our “last” course.

For the grand finale, the Dark Knight had a chocolate tart with chocolate ganache shell and chocolate mousse atop the chewy caramel filling, accompanied by an extraordinarily smooth espresso gelato. My dessert of peanut butter-filled chocolate molten cake and salted caramel gelato was such perfection that I would have licked the plate if I were eating at home.

To ensure that we left with a good taste in our mouths, we were presented with dark chocolate and hazelnut petit fours sprinkled lightly with fleur de sel. Nothing could have topped off our meal better than these tiny treats, and the Dark Knight and I could not have been happier with our experience at Hatfield’s. The service was impeccable—warm and friendly but never intrusive, elevated by co-owner Karen’s warm demeanor and keen attention to detail—and the food will haunt my dreams for quite a while, I’m sure. At least until we come back to try the daily market special!

Hatfield’s
7458 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
323.935.2977

My new favorite

I picked the Dark Knight up from the airport Sunday morning. After dropping off his friend/flightmate Booker, we headed east on Pico, hungry and in desperate need of brunch. I pulled out my trusty Blackberry, scrolled through a few web pages, and ta-daa! Bloom.

Located on the not-so-genteel stretch of Pico between Fairfax and La Brea, the Dark Knight was concerned that I was leading him to an adventure in the 'hood. Not so, my dear superhero. Huge, colorful flowers are painted on the bright white walls, lit by track lighting. The warm smiles of the waitstaff welcomed us to a table for two right across from the pastry counter, beckoning us to try any of their baked goods, including the ubiquitous red velvet cupcakes.

With a breakfast menu focused mostly on magical egg dishes, the Dark Knight had little trouble choosing their chorizo omelette. "Real chorizo!" he exclaimed upon first bite. Served with a small salad of mixed baby greens and a bowl of fresh fruit (we picked out all the mango first), this breakfast was a real winner.

I had more trouble deciding on my order. With choices like Moroccan lamb pita, smoke salmon tartine, and heirloom tomato salad, it was hard to decide. I finally opted for the red curry chicken salad sandwich with fries. After one bite, I knew I had hit the jackpot--sweet bits of apple and raisin married perfectly with the creamy curry-tinged dressing and the freshly-baked whole wheat seeded bread.

I also had to try their much-lauded crushed mint lemonade, which was refreshing and not at all sweet. It was perfect for our warm Sunday brunch.

One of these days, the Dark Knight and I will be back to try their dinner menu, served from 5:00-10:00pm. Until then, I will refer to this neighborhood joint as my new favorite brunch place.

Rising above the rest

The Dark Knight and I are used to trying out the latest menus, chefs, or restaurants. But I’m not used to going back to an old haunt from years past and finding it thriving in a new incarnation. I shouldn’t have been surprised, though, that after years of culinary stagnation, the Highlands entertainment venue decided to revamp their VIP lounge/restaurant. How could I turn down the offer to try their new menu? After all, I had spent a few months in that lounge promoting a night and had sampled the old menu. The Dark Knight assured me I was qualified to judge their progress.

Lucky me! The space itself has been done in a clean, modern theme. Spartan décor draws the eye to a gorgeous new bar with plasma display, outdoor fireplace, and breathtaking city view. Dark woods and leather act as strong accents to the pale walls and cool ambient lighting. Strong drinks and friendly service make this restaurant/lounge the perfect place for a night out.

Beyond all that, though, the Wolfgang Puck-designed menu is a real treat. Most Hollywood/LA restaurants focus on Asian tastes, Mediterranean or French methods, and a rather haute mentality. Rise shines among the newest restaurants with its Southern-inspired cuisine and playful sense of plating. Taking advantage of all five senses, the eight-course tasting menu ($35/pp—a great deal!) was quite a ride.

Our first course was a dainty half head of butter lettuce still intact, dressed with a sherry-bacon vinaigrette. Accompanied by Point Reyes blue cheese, sliced hard-boiled egg, and sweet tomatoes, this updated classic was a lovely start.

Next up was a jumbo prawn, peel-n-eat style with a Tabasco-cocktail sauce. I love a good shrimp cocktail, and I rather enjoyed this take on it. However, I would have liked my piece a little less cooked. The prawn was slightly tougher than I’m accustomed to, but I’m picky about my shellfish (a childhood spent eating out at the best seafood restaurants in the state has spoiled me!).

Speaking of seafood, the following course was wonderful in its innovation. A single, plump crab cake sat nestled in sweet corn bisque, looking almost like a crouton in its placement. What a tasty surprise, then, when I cut it open and found deliciously fresh, creamy lump crab meat comprising almost all of the crab cake. So little filler was there, I could not decipher what exactly held the cake together. All I could taste was sweet, sweet crab. The bisque was a yummy, but unnecessary, addition. The only thing I needed on that plate was the crab cake. It was as close to perfect as I’ve found in LA.

Smoked swordfish came next, a petite taste of fish sauced with a peach beurre blanc and sitting atop red beans and rice. The swordfish and sauce were quite complimentary to each other, with the fruity sauce acting as a nice foil to the smoky, slightly salty fish. While I’m usually a fan of red beans and rice, I didn’t think this dish needed a starch component. If any starch were to be used, perhaps a teaspoon of sweet potato hash might have worked better.

As a fan of all fried foods, this next course piqued my interest. Fresh biscuits and a single piece of fried boneless chicken combined with a cider-dressed coleslaw to make six savory mouthfuls. Yes, I counted each bite because I wanted to prolong this course—it was that good. The mini-sandwich was held together by an unusually aromatic sprig of rosemary, adding to my enjoyment.

By the time we got to the next course, my dining companions and I were feeling full. I tried to finish the polenta that acted as a base for the pulled pork and collard greens, but it was simply too much. The pork itself was flavorful, and the greens were nicely seasoned.

Just when we thought we wouldn’t make it through the night, the last savory course came to our table. Slow-braised short ribs, served with crispy shallots and stone-ground wheat, rejuvenated our appetites. The short ribs were tender, juicy, succulent, and expertly cooked. The shallots made for a nice textural contrast, and the stone-ground wheat (somewhat akin to Cream of Wheat, in the best possible sense) soothed the palate after a night of luscious, salty, spicy, sweet, sour goodness. I might have wished for the wheat to be a little thinner, less homogenous, but perhaps I was just feeling starch overload from the beans-rice-biscuit-polenta onslaught.

If I thought I had already OD’d on carbs, I was wrong. Dessert came and blew us away: tiny apple pies topped with haystacks of sugar threads, paper-thin sheets of chocolate forming Kit-Kat flavored Napoleons, miniaturized dark chocolate truffle cakes with unsweetened whipped cream clouds, and the best itty-bitty banana cream pies ever. Yeah, you read that right. Ever. The piecrust was flaky, not at all sweet, a perfect balance for the creamy custard and banana. As for the caramel sauce drizzled around it…well, let’s just say it hit the spot.

Tourist trap or not, the Hollywood and Highland complex is getting it right when it comes to food, and Rise is the latest piece of evidence for this fact.



Rise
The Highlands Hollywood
6801 Hollywood Blvd.
Hollywood, CA 90028

Comfort food, luxe edition

I’ve always loved mashed potatoes. My first cooking memory as a child is making instant mashed potatoes—standing on a stool to reach the stove, my mom next to me at the counter, the aroma of herbed pork chops mingling with the scent of melting butter as I stirred contentedly, imagining that I was a chef.

We don’t do instant mashed potatoes anymore, but I remember that feeling of warmth and comfort every time I make my favorite truffled mashers.

Truffled Mashed Potatoes
For a smoother consistency, peel potatoes before boiling, then beat on medium after mashing. Truffle mince is available at most specialty food stores, and sometimes contains wild mushrooms. Yields 4 servings.

3 large red potatoes, cut into large cubes
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 quarts cold water
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
½ cup low-fat cream cheese
¼ cup skim milk
1 ½ tsp. truffle mince
Fresh ground pepper and kosher or truffle salt to taste
Minced parsley or chives for garnish

1. Start potatoes in a medium-sized covered pot with cold water and kosher salt. Bring potatoes to a boil, remove cover, and continue boiling for 10 minutes, or until potatoes are fork-tender.
2. Drain potatoes thoroughly.
3. Place butter, cream cheese, and half of the milk in the pot. Cook, stirring, on low heat for 1 minute, or until cream cheese softens.
4. Turn off heat, and return potatoes to pot. Mash until ingredients start to come together. Add truffle mince and pepper, continue mashing. Stir in more milk to reach desired consistency. Finish with a very light sprinkle of kosher or truffle salt on each serving. Garnish with minced parsley or chives.

Late nights, long dinners, lovely times

The Dark Knight knows me so well. He went to a farewell party earlier in the week at Chef Simon’s Sofitel restaurant and saw something he knew I would love. Being a smart superhero, he did the one thing that he knew must be done: he made reservations.

Simon:LA isn’t your typical celebrity restaurant. Even though the chef is best known for the rockin’ Vegas joint and his appearance on Iron Chef America, the food isn’t pretentious or overly fancy. Chef Simon takes comfort food—my kind of comfort food, homey American cuisine, some Cal-Asian goodies, and junk food—to a dressier level.


Popcorn shrimp? How about baby Gulf shrimp, deep-fried in a tangy Cajun batter, with a kicky remoulade for dipping? Yes, please. The Dark Knight practically inhaled this entire appetizer, leaving me just a few pieces of shrimp. What can I say? He’s a hungry man.


I was in no danger of going hungry, though. The grilled vegetable gazpacho was all mine, since the Dark Knight isn’t much for cold soups, even one as chunky and flavorful as this. It tasted a lot like a slightly pureed salsa made with fire-roasted veggies, accented with a cannelle of jalapeno-accented guacamole and drizzled with cilantro oil. Perfect for dipping the garlic crostini that accompanied this summery soup.

As much as I love things with the word “dynamite” in them (Napoleon, anyone?), I was not incredibly impressed with the tuna dynamite that reviews usually speak so highly of. Sandwiched between inch-thick slabs of sushi rice sat coarsely chopped ahi, a tuna cube instead of a tuna roll. The cube sat atop lightly sweet “eel” sauce (this was closer to teriayaki), and was topped with chunks of sweet lump crab that had been dressed with red chili aioli to mimic the spicy mayonnaise used in spicy tuna rolls. There was a whole lot of rice here. Too much. Too, too much.

But the reputation of this famous chef was saved by the surprisingly aromatic carpaccio pizza: super thin oval-shaped pizza crust baked off with bleu cheese and fresh tomato chunks, then topped with lightly seasoned arugula. Delicate, barely seared, paper-thin slices of beef tenderloin rested atop the greens. Granted, this isn’t traditional carpaccio, but this isn’t a traditional pizza. While I would have loved a bit more acid in this dish (a squeeze of lemon never hurt anyone), I adored the salty cheese against the peppery greens.

Thankfully, proportion is key in masterful preparation of dishes such as these, and we weren’t full yet. After dining on appetizers all night, we were ready for the pièce de résistance: the Simon Junk Food Sampler. The Dark Knight and I sighed happily when the waiter brought this work of art to the table. A cone of house-made cotton candy sat in a bowl full of fresh caramel corn. A small paper bag of warm cookies shared platter space with a tiny peanut butter and chocolate sundae (peanut butter gelato topped with hot fudge and whipped cream), a scoop of mango sorbet, two mini-sized chocolate cupcakes and pink sno-balls (both a la Hostess), three rice krispie squares, three cocoa krispie squares, and a small vanilla bean milkshake.



Damn.

The Dark Knight and I polished off the cotton candy first. Sugar high. I attacked the mango sorbet while the Dark Knight spooned in the peanut butter sundae. We each grabbed a handful of caramel corn as we drank down the silky, smooth milkshake…and then stopped. We may be sugar-holics, but we have our limits.

All packed up—half of the pizza and most of the sweets tucked neatly into plastic containers and nestled securely in a big Simon:LA shopping bag—the Dark Knight and I downed the last of our espressos and headed home. I still want to try the beef tartare and carpaccio duo, the short rib entrée, and a couple specialty cocktails. After all, who could possibly resist the lure of updated comfort food?

Simon:LA
Sofitel Hotel
8555 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
310.278.5444

Getting Saucy at the W

Ninethirty at the W Hotel in Brentwood is a calm dinner spot, with impeccable service and strong drinks. A muted atmosphere, with equally muted décor, is punctuated subtly with huge, unframed black and white photos of music legends like Elvis Costello and Diana Krall.

A fairly comprehensive wine list complements a menu whose starters are heavy on the seafood and veg, with mains tending more towards meats. The Dark Knight and I visited this restaurant last night before heading to a party at the hotel lounge. We enjoyed the warm bread selection (cheese bread for him, olive bread for me) as we contemplated the menu. Everything looked appealing, but we decided against an opening course.



The Dark Knight adored his Sonoma lamb chops, cooked perfectly and seasoned delicately. Their subtly gamey flavor was not overwhelmed by the blue cheese gnocchi (“Pillows of love!” exclaimed the Dark Knight upon first bite) and caramelized cipollini onions.

My smoked duck leg confit was tender and falling off the bone, as confit should be. Beautifully crisped skin added a nice textural contrast, though I found it a bit salty. This was easily rectified with a bit of the sweet sherry BBQ sauce that surrounded the dish. The warm mushroom and frisee salad balanced the flavors as well, with a nice bite coming from the greens. Try as I might to control myself, I couldn’t help but also take a few bites of the sweet potato mash resting beneath the salad. It was almost too good—I had to stop myself from finishing this creamy mound of goodness.



The Tantara Shiraz (2004) that I paired with my entrée was a lovely counterpoint to the strong flavors of my food. Heady and robust, this wine’s hearty mouthfeel and slightly strong tannins cut through the oiliness inherent in duck confit. A successful pairing, though not one I would have thought of without a recommendation towards an Australian wine from our server.

For dessert, the Dark Knight and I shared the black and white “banana” cream pie. The bananas were served to the side of the pie, their tops crisply bruleed. The chocolate mousse layer atop this creamy confection was rich and a little too stiff. It crushed the lower layer, a light and fluffy banana mousse that sat on a disc of soft chocolate cookie crumbs. Drizzled with a rum gastrique reminiscent of bananas Foster sauce, this made for a satisfyingly sweet end to our meal.



I’m not sure if the Dark Knight and I will venture to this restaurant again, unless there’s yet another party for us to attend in the area. It was delicious, certainly, but tasty enough to warrant the trek from the Eastside? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Maybe we’ll try again next season to see what the chef has up his sleeves for the winter.

Ninethirty
W Hotel Los Angeles - Brentwood
930 Hilgard Ave.
LA, CA 90024