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
No comments:
Post a Comment