Crepes And Corks: June 2016

Brian Malarkey is well known in San Diego for creating the "fabric restaurants" such as Herringbone and Searsucker. In his latest creation, he has taken over a huge art warehouse in Little Italy to bring Herb & Wood to life. The decor is minimalist, with very high ceilings, black furniture and chic chandeliers. It is an inside-outside concept, with a cozy, heated patio. I really loved the dining space, and it was complemented by glass walls looking into the kitchen at the far end of the dining room. I believe next door they are creating a cafe-type space, which is still under construction.

There is a huge wood-fired oven and grill in the kitchen, around which the menu was created. Apart from wonderful pizzas, there is a variety of roasted items including seafood and vegetables. They have also incorporated some Mediterranean influences and raw dishes. I loved every dish we had here, including our cocktails. The standout was the branzino. They filleted the fish, stuffed it and rolled it with Serrano ham. The ham made the dish a bit salty but the presentation was beautiful and the fish perfectly cooked(see below for a better idea). The grand opening is coming up soon so I highly recommend stopping in ASAP.

Roasted Baby Carrots, Cashew Sesame Dukkah, Esplette Yogurt & Carrot Top Pesto

Grilled Eggplant, Mojo de Ajo & Basil Salsa Verdi with Tahini

Rum & Mint Cocktail

Tequila & Grapefruit cocktail

Seared Scallops, Sea Bean Gremolata, Orange & Olive Oil

Roasted Branzino, Lemon Herb Stuffing, Olive & Chili Tapenade, & Serrano Ham

Grilled King Trumpet Mushrooms & Taragon Butter

Trois Mec had been high on my "restaurants to visit" list since its opening. Ludo Lefebvre is one of my favorite chef personalities and I have been paying attention to him in LA since the conception of his pop-up restaurant, LudoBites. He created Trois Mec with Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo of Animal, another LA favorite. Trois Mec doesn't accept reservations but rather diners must go on their site to buy "tickets" to dinner. It is a set menu and the $75 price of your ticket includes the base meal of 5 courses. Additional food and beverages will be paid for at the end of the meal. They have two seatings a night and tickets are notoriously hard to get. Trois Mec is located in the back of a gas station and mini-mall parking lot in Hollywood. Nowhere does the name of the restaurant appear. Instead, there is a brightly lit green sign for the last inhabitants of the space, "Raffalo's Pizza" above the whited out door that says "No longer serving pizza". The biggest clue to the restaurant's location might be it's sister restaurant, Petite Trois, next door.

Upon settling into our table, we were quickly brought 5 small snacks, all with different textures and flavors. My favorites were the socca and the egg chaud-froid. We decided to forego the wine pairing, instead ordering a French Pinot Noir as we settled in. Our first course was tuna with beets. I would have never put those two together but the marriage of the two flavors was wonderful. Next was asparagus with sauce gribiche, followed by black cod. Those two were the highlight of the entire meal in my opinion. Around this time we ordered a second bottle of wine, one I really loved. It was an Olga Raffault Chinon from 2006. Our fourth course was an aged, grilled short rib. This was surprisingly my least favorite dish but the friends I dined with said this was their highlight, especially paired with the sourdough bread! We had the option to add a truffle grilled cheese and unfortunately due to my gluten allergy, I had to forego this. But I did sneak a bite of a friend's and it was absolutely amazing. Our last course was a very interesting dessert - ice cream and avocado topped with meringue. I liked the different textures and temperatures, and it had a little kick in the ice cream that rounded out the flavors. The meal was topped off with small sweet bites, as we finally got to look over the menu which we weren't allowed to see before.

Overall, I enjoyed the experience. The wait staff was excellent, recommending wines and looking after our table consistently. I liked the food I was eating but I didn't feel the wow factor. I would still go back, as the menu is always changing and may include flavors I might enjoy even more. Regardless, next up on my list is Petite Trois, right next door. I've heard amazing things about the burger and the omelette there!