Tasting Menu at Tagine

 Amuse bouche: roasted pepper cigar; almond, pistachio and lemon soup; spoonful of goat cheese with fig

Hummus, Babagaouj (eggplan purée), berber bread, marinated olives, tomato and cucumber tartar, palate cleanser: orange and shaved carrot salad 

Babaganouj, tomato and cucumber tartar [diced Israeli cucumber, tomatoes and shallots in house vinaigrette, lemon sorbet and a rasberry], palate cleanser, hummus, berber bread, marinated olives

Roasted vegetables in olive oil and lemon 

 Bastilla: phyllo dough, brussel sprouts, asparagus cinnamon, powdered sugar, rasberries and almonds

 Bastilla

Sea Bass Tagine: Roasted pan sea bass served with fingerling potatoes, cauliflower and broccoli, topped with a lemon sauce 

Vegetable couscous 

Dessert: "chocolate soup" [chocolate soup, a lot like hot chocolate but thicker, over caramelized peanuts, vanilla ice cream and mini marshmallows] and freshly made baklava

Place: Tagine
          132 North Robertson Boulevard
          Beverly Hills, CA

Genre: Moroccan

$$$

Hit or miss? Hit!

My opinion:
I have a 'thing' for Middle Eastern culture: music, food, art, you name it, but food in particular. I'll admit that Tagine isn't the perfect "authentic moroccan" restaurant, but it is certainly a phenomenal "nouveau morocain" restaurant. When I say "nouveau marocain" I mean the 'americanized-gourmet' spin on traditional cuisine: ie. Nouvelle Cuisine (French). Anyway, any review will never do justice to my dining experience at Tagine. Though I was disappointed that they didn't play moroccan music [initially I was rather angry], the quality of the food, its presentation, the flavors and the service were exceptional. You can order à la carte, but for the ultimate experience, I recommend the tasting menu. Here's the line up: the amuse bouche, hummus, babaganouj, marinated olives, berber bread, cucumber tartar, palate cleanser, Bastilla, Sea Bass Tagine, Vegetable couscous and finally the chocolate soup. The original tasting menu includes Lamb, which, according to my omnivorous friends, was excellent, but the menu is very flexible if you're a vegetarian or a pescetarian, like myself. This review would be too long and boring if I were to do my usual description on each dish, so I'll keep it short and highlight my favorites. The vegetarian Bastilla was absolutely delicious. I like the fact that rather than wrapping the vegetables in phyllo, they layered the phyllo dough. It brought out a the flavors from the asparagus and brussels sprouts. Bastilla is often a pillow of phyllo dough stuffed with rice, egg, chicken, powdered sugar and cinnamon, but since the insides are shrouded with phyllo dough, you get the sense that the dough is overpowering. Tagine did an excellent job in minting the integrity of each ingredient as well as complementing all of the distinctive flavors of Bastilla: ie. the raspberries on the top, though small, added to and brought out the sweetness in the phyllo dough, which balanced the savory flavors of the vegetables. Should you decide not to try the tasting menu, you must try the Bastilla. Secondly, the Sea Bass Tagine was probably the best restaurant-prepared sea bass I've ever had, yes even better than the sea bass at Fig and Olive. I don't even know how to describe it. You'll just have to trust me and try for yourself. Lastly, our waiter told us the chocolate soup was the 'best dessert' we will have ever had, and of course I'm thinking in my head, "ok...sure," but boy was he right. Think of hot chocolate with a thicker consistency, not too thick though, poured over caramelized peanuts, vanilla ice cream and marshmallows in a cup...does that not sound amazing? Well if you have doubts, you just have to have some. I'd have to say that Tagine is one of my all-time favorite restaurants.

Quick Trip to New York!

"Crack Pie" [a sweet and salty center, sort of like the flavor of toffee, and an oat cookie crust] and Hot chocolate form Momofuku Milkbar

Ravioli di funghi with truffle butter sauce from "La Pasta" at Eataly

 Frozen Hot Cocoa from Serendipity3

 "Cereal Milk" soft-serve [the flavor of the milk you get once you've finished a bowl of cereal] and a "Compost cookie"[chocolate chips, preztle bits, potato chip, peanut butter, carmel...the list goes on. hence the name "compost"]  from Momofuku Milkbar

I won't spend time doing an individual review on everything I ate since my blog focuses things to eat in Los Angeles, but I will say that the dishes/treats that I posted are simply delicious and deserve 5 stars! I just wanted to share some of the things I enjoyed on my brief trip.

Dinner at Angelini Osteria

Caprese: heirloom tomatoes with burrata

 Linguine with sea urchin, olive oil and chives

Place: Angelini Osteria

          7313 Beverly Boulevard

          Los Angeles, CA 90036

Genre: Italian

$$$

Hit or miss?  Hit!!

My Opinion:

I have to admit that I was starting to lose interest in italian food in Los Angeles due to their omnipresence and relatively mediocre dishes. Nothing was authentic, "exceptional," or worthy of a write-up. However, I was proven completely wrong after my dining experience at Angelini Osteria. First off, the small space is actually rather nice. It makes your time there more intimate and there's a nice sense of community there. The waiters are incredibly friendly and native Italian speakers. I had heard about their superb lasagna, but it's not "pescetarian friendly" :( . So I did as I always do when I have any ethnic cuisine, I asked the waiter what his preferred "pescetarian friendly" entree was, in Italian of course. When he first said the sea urchin linguine, I was definitely surprised, but equally intrigued since I had never had sea urchin before. Why not try it here? I'm glad I took his advice. Honestly, I don't think I've ever had pasta that tasted that delicious before. [It was even better than the truffle pasta at Fig and Olive and the truffle ravioli at Scarpetta!] Their linguine with sea urchin is the perfect example for extraordinary pasta. The pasta was perfectly aldente, the unique sea urchin flavor was ever-present, but not too strong, and each bite melted in your mouth. It was rich, but the perfect type of or richness that you could actually finish the entire plate. I can't really seem to fathom the superbness of this dish. If you do decide to get it, try and go earlier in the evening because about 10 minutes after I ordered mine, the woman at the table next to me tried to order it, but they had run out! Angelini Osteria is probably one of the best Italian restaurants and restaurants in general that I have ever dined at.

The famous (and unphotogenic) banana pudding!

Pistachio cupcake: a pistachio cake with a pistachio meringue buttercream

Place: Magnolia Bakery

           8389 W 3rd Street

           Los Angeles, CA 90048

Genre: Bakery

Hit or miss? Hit!

My opinion:

I could not be happier that Magnolia has expanded to the west coast. Nothing is more comforting that a bowl of banana pudding. Seriously, it's better than the feeling you get when you eat out of the ice cream tub plus what's inside the tub is 10,000 times better (if you like banana, of course). It's perfectly fluffy, not too sweet, just the right amount of banana slices. If you go to Magnolia for the first time, or anytime in general, you need to try the banana pudding! Magnolia is also well known for their delicious cupcakes. Since I've never had a pistachio cupcake, nor had I ever seen one, I decided to try it. I definitely made the right choice in picking the pistachio flavor. The cake it self was just right: not too dense, flavorful, and not too subtle as to be overpowered by the meringue butter cream. The buttercream is probably what brought the cake together, since it wasn't a "frosting," which is typically overpowering and takes away from the flavor of the cake. The bits of pistachios just tied off the bow. Their saltiness brought out the flavor of the buttercream and was a good reminder of the natural flavor of pistachios. 

Macaron ice cream sandwiches at MILK

"Grasshopper" [mint chip] macaron ice cream sandwich 

Red velvet macaron ice cream sandwich

Place: MILK

          7290 Beverly Boulevard

          Los Angeles, CA 90036

Genre: Ice cream parlor/bakery

Hit or miss? Hit!

My opinion:

If it was not already clear, I can never get enough of macarons/ice cream...so what better way to satisfy my cravings than with a combination of the two, right? I'm going to be honest, while I was initially excited to see this ingenious creation, I was also relatively skeptical, thinking the combination would be too sweet or that the macarons wouldn't true to the classic macaron texture. I got myself the grasshopper ice cream sandwich and my friend got the red velvet one. I absolutely love the mint and chocolate paring, so I didn't even have to think twice about the other flavors. [Keep in mind that their other flavors are grasshopper, red velvet, vanilla, blueberry, thai iced tea, banana dulce de leche, salted caramel, and cookies and cream.] The macarons were perfectly soft for an ice cream sandwich; however, the ice cream was definitely overpowering in that you couldn't really tell that it was a macaron ice cream sandwich. It just tasted like a "regular"ice cream sandwich. There wasn't really a balance between the soft and crisp macaron outer shells and the smooth and creamy ice cream, nor was there a distinct flavor difference between the two. The two flavors just didn't stand out in equilibrium. The ice cream's flavor definitely overpowered that of the shells. That doesn't mean that the sandwich itself wasn't good. Don't get me wrong, it was delicious and perfect on a hot day like it was earlier. I'm just saying that it was more "ice cream-y" than it was "macaron-y" rather than being somewhere in the middle. MILK an ice cream parlor you can't miss! If you do go, you have to try one of their macaron ice cream sandwiches!!

Tartes, Tartare, Croissants and more at Chaumont

Saumon Tartare:

Salmon tartar with mango, chopped jalepeño and an avocado purée

Pain aux amandes et chocolat:

Chocolate and Almond Croissant 

(My favorite!!)

Pain aux amandes et chocolat:

Chocolate and Almond Croissant

 Chausson au pomme:

Apple turnover

Tarte aux fraises:

Strawberry tart

Place: Chaumont Bakery and Café

          143 South Beverly Drive

          Beverly Hills, CA

Genre: French - patisserie/café

Hit or miss? Hit!

$$

My opinion:

I'm a francophile, so I'm always on the look out for outstanding French cuisine or simply the most delectable croissant/pain au chocolat. Luckily, I found the place that caters to all my French cravings. Chaumont is the perfect place to have lunch with a friend/friends or quickly grab some coffee and a croissant. The ambiance is serene and beautiful. The tall ceilings, white walls and patisserie display is very reminiscent of the setting at Botegga Louie (but much smaller). It's absolutely stunning and pristine. The owners are so gracious and, my favorite part, native French speakers. So let's get to the good stuff...Saumon Tartare. The tartar was divine. The mélange of flavors was very well done: the subtle salmon, sweet mango, neutral avocado purée and the kick from the jalepeños really complimented one another. Neither ingredient over-powered the other flavors. I think that the mango gave the tartare a fresh taste. Without it, it would've been overpowered by the jalepeños. The three slices of bread were absolutely perfect and helped make a subtler flavor when it served as a vehicle for the tartar. If you like salmon, I highly recommend their Saumon Tartare. Now moving onto my absolute favorite treat...pain aux amandes ET chocolat! They really out did themselves with the almond/chocolate croissant. It's decadent, delicious, mouth-watering, flakey and moist. I think the almond paste is what really ties the bow. Each bite melts in your mouth and I love how the chocolate didn't take away from the natural almond flavor. Chocolate has a tendency to overshadow subtler flavors, like that of almonds, but Chaumont has masterfully combined the two in equilibrium in this "chef d'œuvre" of a croissant. If you get anything from behind the patisserie display, you best be getting an almond pain au chocolat! I love everything about this place. It's beautiful, calm, pristine, and serves exquisite food and pastries.

Dumplings and more at ROC Kitchen

Xiao long bao (fish)

Xiao long bao up close (fish) {a must have!}

Scallion pancakes with a ginger-soy sauce [you need to try these!]

Sautéed shrimp with shishito peppers

Glass noodles with crab 

Red Bean Dumplings (a must have...if you like red bean)

Place: ROC Kitchen (Republic of China aka Taiwan)

           2049 Sawtelle Blvd.

           Los Angeles, CA 90025

Genre: Chinese food - Dim Sum

$$

Hit or a Miss? Hit!

My opinion:

I'm pretty picky about Chinese food. It's actually quite difficult to find on the westside, well at least good authentic Chinese/Dim sum. There's Din Tai Fung, but that's all the way out in Arcadia! Look no further; you can now get your xiao-long-bao fix on Sawtelle. Quite frankly, I liked ROC more that I liked DTF. Why? Well to start they have a lot more pescetarian options. I had never seen the fish xiao long bao at DTF. They have the shrimp and melon one, but the fish xlb at ROC was way better. I mean the shrimp and melon one is fine, but you don't get to experience the broth explosion that's traditionally associated with xiao long bao. You get it all at ROC. The broth is perhaps the best part. The "skin" is a bit different form that at DTF. It's only slightly thicker, but not enough to make it too tough to eat. It actually locks in the broth and flavor, which makes the initial bite even better. Sometimes I feel deprived at DTF, meaning that I don't get the same xiao long bao experience that I used to have and that all of my "carnivorous" friends have, but that's no longer the case! The sautéed shrimp with shishito peppers dish is another great option; however, my only issue is that it's on the salty side. If you decide to get it, I'd definitely eat it over rice so that you dilute the saltiness. Another reason why I loved ROC...they had scallion pancakes! They aren't the most "well known" Chinese dish, but delicious nonetheless. It's pretty hard to find "the perfect scallion pancake" or come anywhere near it, but I may have found it at ROC. The slightly crispy outside with the soft, layered inside dipped in the ginger-soy sauce was just superb. The key to a killer scallion pancake is the perfect combination of the crispy outside and soft/chewy inside. Often times I get ones that are either too crispy, too soft or just don't have enough green onion. They're almost better than homemade ones... The glass noodles were also really well executed. Chinese food can turn out too salty or oily at times, but I didn't run into that a ROC. Let's see...they also have a great selection of sautéed vegetables (not pictured). The sautéed kale, sautéed green beans and sautéed broccoli are probably the top three on the menu. Last but not least, and this was probably my FAVORITE part about ROC, the red bean dumplings (a desert) were the perfect way to finish the meal! I absolutely love red bean buns, dumplings, pastries, you name it. It's definitely an acquired taste, same with taro. The paste was just perfect. Heads up, it's a dense dumpling, but what can you expect from a red bean paste? You can't miss out on these! I've said this before and I'll say it again because it's probably the most important tip you can get when you're going out for authentic ethnic cuisine: go with someone who truly knows the cuisine/grew up with it at home OR ask the owner (if they're there) what's traditional/their favorite. That's when you'll find the good stuff.

Amazing food is one thing, but equally good service is what makes the experience all the more memorable. The owner was so gracious and gave the best advice. So there you have it, a xiao long bao house in the heart of Los Angeles. You can't miss it!

[Note, there's no sign on the front, but it's in-between the pizzeria and SushiStop on Sawtelle]