Tesse

Since I knew I was going to be out of town for my dad's birthday this year I invited him out to dinner in LA. He agreed, so long as I took him somewhere that "kicked it up a notch". Bold request, if you ask me! I chose Tesse as the restaurant of choice and it did not disappoint as the new West Hollywood hot spot. On a Saturday night, the restaurant on Sunset Boulevard was bustling. We sat in a nice corner table in the main dining room. My dad brought a magnificent bottle of Cabernet, which caught the attention of one of the restaurant's partners, Jordan Ogron, who was kind enough to come over to our table and chat with us as he decanted the bottle. The food menu is quite extensive, with a ton of small-plate style dishes meant to be shared. I would say every dish we ordered was really tasty, which is rare for a new restaurant. The highlights were the octopus with chorizo and black squid ink rice as well as the artichoke toast. The only thing that was sub-par was the dessert unfortunately!

The most unique part of Tesse is the name-your-own-price port wine tasting. You choose a price for the table, and the sommelier (who happened to be partner Ogron on said night) develops a unique flight of port wines. It is an extremely fun and unique experience I haven't seen replicated elsewhere. The restaurant is also in the process of opening up a wine shop next door, where diners are welcome to purchase a bottle for just $15 corkage at the restaurant. All in all, I absolutely loved both the food and the experience at Tesse. And, with the volume of options on the menu, I can go back and have a completely different meal. Pretty amazing if you ask me!

Beef Tartare "A l'huile d'olive"

with caper berries, shallots, Grana Padano, chive aioli

Artichoke Country Toast (on gluten free bread)

with ricotta, Sarawak peppercorn, barigoule

Asparagus with Bayonne prosciutto, fricassee, hollondaise, chanterelles 

Octopus with chorizo, aquarello rice, squid ink and lemon

Saucisson sec Rhone - aged pork and beef with red wine

Scallops & Black Truffle with leeks

Maine Lobster sausage with duck fat fries and beurre blanc

Marjolaine - Hazelnut nougatine, chocolate cremeux, espresso glace

Awesome port wine tasting

Majordomo

Oh David Chang. He made all my dreams come true with his stuffed rotisserie duck at Momofuku Ssam Bar in NYC. His opening of Majordomo in LA has definitely been the talk of the town for the last few months. Getting these reservations required some persistence but I am happy I finally made it! Fortunately, a friend had given me the heads up to pre-order the Smoked Bone-In Short Rib as they only make a few every night. I thought all the dishes were quite interesting. The flavors have an Asian influence but was much different than any other Asian or Asian Fusion restaurant I have been to. The short rib was definitely the highlight. It was brought to our table whole, on a large wooden cart. They slice it table-side and serve it with several sides. They then take the ribs back and peel off the tiny bits of meat left on the rib and make an amazing fried rice to bring back to the table. And last but not least, they deep fry the rest of the ribs! The ribs come with a few sauces, rice paper and greens to make little wraps with the rib meat. It is a fun, interactive, and tasty dish with many layers to it. I really enjoyed the experience!

Bing: Eggs & Smoked Roe

Marinated Mushrooms with pistachio, radish and pea shoots

Stuffed Peppers with sausage and buttermilk

Summer Squash with spring onion, tomato, crispy shallot

Macaroni & Chickpea with Black Pepper

Smoked Bone-in APL Short rib with a stellar presentation

Short Rib sliced off the bone

Rest of the meat off the bone was chopped into a fried rice

Ribs deep fried

"Hotteok" - dates, pistachio and sesame, all fried in an asian-style doughnut

"Horchata Kakigori" - coffee, rice, dulce de leche

Felt like a deconstructed tiramisu on shaved ice

Eataly Terra

Eataly recently opened in the Century City mall, just a mile east of where I live in LA. To be honest, I was underwhelmed when it first opened. It was smaller than some of the other Eataly's I had been to and the food was good but not great. That all changed when they opened their rooftop restaurant, Terra. I don't have a photo of the restaurant itself or the view, but both set a wonderful ambience for an amazing meal. It is even a great place to grab a happy hour drink (they specialize in Italian wines and Gin & Tonics). Then there is the food. 

Terra's menu is centered around the grill. Most dishes come out with a nice charred, oaky flavor that cannot be beat. In terms of traditional Italian, there are several pasta dishes on the menu but no pizza. I really think it's their grilled appetizers (especially the artichoke and whole eggplant) and their main dishes (whole fish or lamb chops anyone?!) that steal the spotlight. I cannot get enough of this place, it has become my weekly go-to restaurant. They just started opening for lunch and you can definitely find me there on my next day off to check out the lunch menu and sip some Italian wine. Cheers!

Gin & Tonic with grilled Pineapple

Whole Roasted Eggplant with Raisins, Celery, Pomegranate and Capers

Grilled Artichoke with egg yolk emulsion - my fave!

Calamari

Chitarra con Pomodoro

Overview of all our wonderful dishes

Lamb Chops with mint and a pomegranate reduction

Whole Wild Snapper

Tiramisu in a Jar (someone may have snuck in a bite pre-photo)

Awesome Gelato Cart!

Morocco

Hi all! In February I had the absolute pleasure of visiting the country of Morocco with my mother. And I have to say, I was blown away. It is a beautiful country, and really has something to offer for everyone. It has a ton of old world culture (especially in the medinas of Fez and Marrakesh), the beach and partying (Casablanca), and the desert (we even took camel rides and went glamping!). This being a blog based on food, I am of course highlighting some of the absolute amazing cuisine. We had some wonderful local wine but I unfortunately didn't take any pictures of the bottles. We are already planning our next trip back to take the rest of our family to Morocco, and definitely want to make a stop in their wine country (Meknes). 

Ever since we have been back home, my mom and I have been trying to recreate some of the flavorful and fresh ingredients we ate there. We were fortunate enough to take a cooking class with chef Najat Kanache at her restaurant Nur, that I had heard about in the New York Times article - 36 hours in Fez. She has trained at some of the best restaurants in the world (including French Laundry and Alinea) and wanted to go back to her home country of Morocco and elevate their cuisine. She is truly so bubbly that it was impossible not to become fast friends! 

If you are thinking of traveling to Morocco, DO IT! Feel free to contact me for more information as well. I also want to refer you to my mother's cooking blog, Thyme to. Here she highlights some of the non-food aspects of the trip we enjoyed. Until next time!

A selection of moroccan "salads" - a massive order for one!

Another version of Moroccan "salads", lots of zuchinni, pumpkin, carrots 

and a variety of other veggies

An example of their unique tagines

Tagines arrived to our table - what a presentation

Delicious pastries being sold in their local markets

And more pastries...

A ridiculous selection of local olives

This is how their spices and herbs are sold, sort of like an apothecary

On the street they sold caramelized nuts and sesame seeds in bars. So yummy!

A selection of Moroccan rugs

Some of their beautiful handmade ceramic work

Starting from left, clockwise, me, my mom, Chef Najat, one of her helpers

Prepping food in the kitchen

Dinner is served! The fruits of our labor were flavorful and divine

189 by Dominique Ansel

James-Beard award winning chef Dominique Ansel became famous for his innovative creation, The Cronut. His pastry shops have lines that wrap around corners and The Cronut sells out within hours everyday. 189 is his first full-service restaurant, and his first location in Los Angeles. Located in the Grove, the downstairs is the pastry shop that still had a line when I showed up for our dinner reservations at 8PM. The restaurant is above the pastry shop. I really liked the decor of the restaurant but unfortunately forgot to snap any pictures.

Their menu for dinner (unlike their brunch) is small plates style. We tasted a good variety of dishes. I would say everything was good, but overall nothing absolutely amazing. The most interesting dish was surprisingly the roasted radicchio and endive salad with fresh honeycomb. The short rib was tasty also but tasted much more like a steak than a short rib. The chicken had some hype but the accompaniments that came with the chicken were better than the chicken itself. In reading the descriptions of the dishes, garlic was all over the menu! This made me a little nervous given I am not a huge garlic lover but I never felt the garlic over-powered the dishes. 

The dessert we settled on had a really interesting presentation. It was a milk granita that came out looking like a sunny side up egg. Next time I want to taste some things from the pastry shop and also stop by for brunch, which is served with different food carts stopping by the table.

Mussels with Spicy Chorizo, Rice Vermicelli and a Ton of Garlic

Roasted Radicchio with Fresh Honeycomb, Endive and Hazelnut - amazing!

Dirty Potatoes - Smashed and Crispy, with Mustard and Whole-roasted Head of Garlic

Seared Hen of the Woods with egg and shaved parmesan

7 Hour Slow-roasted Lamb Shoulder with Apple Cider and Roasted Persimmons

Grilled Fruit Marinated Short Rib, Deep Balsamic Reduction, Winter Squash

Half Rotisserie Baby Chicken with Black Garlic Rice Stuffing and Chilled Spicy Scallion Salad

Served with a side of Chicken Jus (not pictured)

"The Well" - Milk Granita, Wildflower Honey, Passion Fruit Gelée, Fennel

Clearly made to look like a sunny side up egg