February 19, 2012
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YAY! – it’s the time of the year again. Dine LA week is here! Eat up! Chow down! Here we come!Bouchon Bistro – in Beverly Hills is the most recent establishment opened by Michelin star Chef Thomas Keller, the other two Bouchon Bistros are in Napa Valley and Las Vegas. An interesting bio about Mr. Keller – he is the only American chef to have been awarded simultaneous three star Michelin ratings for two different restaurants, French Laundry (Napa Valley) and Per Se (New York City). Last fall, we had Sunday brunch at Bouchon Beverly Hills, and the pleasure of having the largest breakfast sausage. (see entry)
Short rib rillettes with tomato fondue, pickled forest mushrooms and watercress…..
Pan-seared prime flatiron served with maître d’hôtel butter & French fries…..
Vanilla scented custard with orange gelée & shortbread cookies…..
Valrhona chocolate brownies with chocolate sauce & vanilla ice cream…..
Craft LA – opened in 2007, following the success of Chef Tom Colicchio in Bravo’s “Top Chef” (2006), making him one of the most recognizable chefs in the country. Chef Colicchio also opened the original Craft Restaurant in New York’s Gramercy district in spring 2001. Aside from DineLA Week, the menu is printed every day, sometimes with big changes, sometimes with relatively few. The names of the farmers who supply the restaurant run in a column on the left, a nice touch. Dishes are listed by main ingredient (veal sweetbreads, pork loin and belly, skirt steak, diver sea scallops) and technique (raw, braised, roasted, sautéed) without adjectives or description, which means consulting your server for any details. Vegetables and sides need to be ordered separately. Everything is served family-style, often delivered in gleaming copper serving pans. Fortunately, the handsome wood tables are wide enough to accommodate everything, just one of many details that make the restaurant so comfortable. Tip: You probably won’t need an appetizer and a main course for each person at the table.
Gin tonic with lime juice…..
Amuse bouche – cream of mushroom…..
LAUGHING BIRD SHRIMP with Blood Orange & Arugula…..
WINTER GREENS – Gorgonzola & Walnuts…..
CHICKEN LIVER MOUSSE with Farm Egg & Crispy Shallot…..
RIVER SALMOM, Ruby Fingerling Potatoes & Leeks….
LIBERTY FARMS DUCK CONFIT, Market Onions & Cranberries…..
Roasted organic market vegetables…..
Chocolate peanut butter & Salted Caramel ice cream…..
Meyer lemon pudding cake, Tangerine Marmallata & Rosemary Almonds…..
All of the set dinners above are $44 per person, plus gratuity. This year, booking a dinner is getting tougher since it took us four tries to get a table, maybe the LA economy is getting better. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the dinner very much!
BOUCHON | 235 N Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 | Tel. (310) 271-9910 | www.bouchonbistro.com
CRAFT | 10100 Constellation Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90067 | Tel. (310) 279-4180 | www.craftrestaurantsinc.com/craft-los-angeles
(Last bite – thank you W for taking the above fabulously huge food porn photos, you make them come alive!)
Comments (19)
this all looks amazing
W is definitely great photographer, all look so yummy, and amazing. Please ask if W interested in a side-job?
. Gary, i also noticed lately that more people are going out for meal recently, often we have to stand in line. Some have two or three hours wait.
When I hear LA = Hollywood, Traffic. But cos of Xanga I am adding = FOOD!
@LKJSlain - Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed the food porn!
@stevew918 - Thank you for the encouragement, W is very happy to hear that, Steve. But two to three hours of wait time, where is this place?
@oxyGENE_08 - Gene, you know LA quite well indeed! LOL
Food porn overload! Thanks for sharing such awesome pics! Everything looks so good.
@making_a_comeback_05 - Thank you very much, I’m glad you like the food!
Oh wow… I cannot decide what to eat first. They all look so good. Does W have a food blog?
@ElusiveWords - W posts his food porn on Facebook. There are so many restaurants taking part in this foodie event, but only a handful have interesting items on the menu. The most common items are grilled/roast steak and chicken.
I’M HUNGRY!! damn, i’m craving for those salted caramel icecream and meyer lemon cake. 2005 was the last time i had tasted meyer lemon. love them!
Laughing Bird Shrimp the name just reminds me of the character from a TVB drama ” Laughing Gor”
The pics are gorgeous! and the food is stunning!
@rudyhou - 2005!! That seems like a long while ago, Rudy. I don’t get that often too, usually a popular item during the summer.
@agmhkg - Yes, that’s an interesting name for the dish! LOL That actor got so famous from playing that character, though I have yet to catch up on the movie!
The whole post is fabulous Gary. I love the food and the pictures of the food.
@ZSA_MD - Thank you, Zakiah. I’m glad the food porn photos came out better than expected. The lighting in these restaurants are not ideally suited for photography.
@CurryPuffy - yeah they are in abundance during summer, but california with its mild weather allows meyer lemon to be available almost all year long. back in 2005 when i worked in LA during winter, my employer and i visited santa monica food market on weekend basis and we almost always got ourselves some meyer lemon.
wow awesome blog~~ i loved Crafts when I went last year for DineLA too! great pictures
wow very nice.
is it just me or does the laughing bird shrimp dish look a little off-color?
what’s laughing bird anyway?! company?