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Monthly Archives: January 2014

Fig and Olive – Fantastic!

23 Thursday Jan 2014

Posted by yummcha in American Food, Food, Lifestyle

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Tags

Bread, carpaccio, figs, Los Angeles, olives, Restaurant, Shopping, truffles

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Finally,  I was able to try Fig and Olive. I don’t recall how I first heard of this restaurant, but I was immediately fascinated because I love figs, and somehow I imagined there to be lots of figs in all the dishes. Well, there was no figs in the dishes that I ordered. I saw one fig on my friend’s plate, but I had enough self control not to ask for it.

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Even without the figs, the food was incredibly luscious and amazing, with some of the dishes having great textures and very distinct flavors. The mostly white and brownish modern decor felt clean, cool and harmonious.

Our waitress was spot-on with her prompt, yet attentive service. Everything seemed to flow flawlessly from beginning to the end. Even the lady’s room felt uncommonly comfortable, warm, with such perfectly adjusted water temperature that it did not even feel like water flowing through my fingers. Even the texture of the paper towels right next to the sink felt so unusually crisp and soft at the same time.

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The appetizer, Truffle Mushroom Croquette, was absolutely perfect in texture and taste. The outer crust had just the right amount of crunchiness without being hard, while the middle was an oozing, warm, delicate, luxurious, soft, and amazingly mixture of béchamel, mushroom, and parmesan! My companion’s Beef Carpaccio was the best I have tasted, with a slightly sweet flavor that I had never encountered before, perhaps it was from the 18 year Balsamic.

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My Primavera Risotto with Lobster was exceptionally rich, I found myself quite full even though the portion size was not that big. The only complaint would be that the serving of lobster was a bit too small to adequately share with my eating companion. The grilled lamb from the Lamb Skewers was delightfully tender, and the side of couscous mixed with onion, scallion and tomatoes was truly refreshing.

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The Chocolate Pot de Crème was fabulously rich and smooth, with just the appropriate amount of sweetness. I loved the cherries from the Dessert “Crostini” – a fun treat with Amarena cherry, mascarpone on pistachio shortbread.

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Even the complimentary focaccia bread that came with 3 types of olive oil was excellent – lightly dense yet soft, truly satisfying.

There were ample meter parking spaces outside the restaurant. If money was no object, one can venture into the many high-priced boutiques on the surrounding streets, or simply take a leisure stroll and window shop.

Fig and Olive Melrose Place: 8490 Melrose Place, Los Angeles, CA 90069  Phone: 310-360-9100

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Culina at the Four Seasons Hotel

15 Wednesday Jan 2014

Posted by yummcha in American Food, Food, Italian Food

≈ 1 Comment

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Delicious and  comfortable – that is how I would describe the food and the experience at the Culina Restaurant at Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles.

My friend bought a “Travelzoo” voucher a couple months ago for a Five Course Dinner for this restaurant. We decided to give it a try this past Sunday. We were fortunate enough to find street parking nearby and avoided the $8 valet parking fees.

Culina is located right on the ground level next to the hotel entrance, so it was very convenient and easy to find. I was pleasantly surprised by how elegant, yet modern, and nicely decorated the interior was, even though this is the Four Seasons Hotel. The ambience was warm, inviting and extremely comfortable.

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The service was excellent and attentive, the waitress was sincerely genuine, friendly and helpful, traits that I find to be rare sometimes in this type of upscale restaurant.

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The meal came with a glass of Prosecco, an Italian sparkling wine that I was trying for the first time. The bubbly had just the right amount of sweetness that I liked. My first course started with Prosciutto and an Italian semi-soft cheese, along with some not-overly-salty olives and walnuts, all presented on a small wooden charcuterie board. The prosciutto was paper thin, tasty and went well with the cheese and wine.

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The second course was Polpette, an American Wagyu Meatball that was slightly larger than the size of a ping pong ball, and sat in a tangy tomato sauce. it was so good that I finished every bit of the meatball and sauce.

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The Rigantoni with wild mushroom was extremely rich and creamy with the white wine, garlic and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

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The main course of Branzino, a Mediterranean Sea Bass, with tomatoes, capers, and lemon was perfectly cooked – tender, flaky, moist with a slightly crispy thin layer of skin. My friend’s Tagliata, New York Strip, was very flavorful and tender as well.

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The Tiramisu was probably one of the best that I have tried, light, not too sweet, with a strong coffee flavor. The Nuvola di Riso, a rice pudding mousse was smooth and mild, though my friend said the flavor was not quite strong.

The server was telling us that there is a Sunday Brunch at the restaurant that is spectacular for $68, hope to be able to try it one day.

Culina:  300 South Doheny Dr. Los Angeles, CA 90048  Phone: 310-860-4000

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A Wonderful New Year’s Day Buffet – Catalina Kitchen at La Terranea

02 Thursday Jan 2014

Posted by yummcha in American Food, Food, Lifestyle

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Food, New Year, New Year's Day, New Year's Day Brunch, New Years Eve, Palos Verdes, Sunday, Sunday Brunch

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It was around this time last year that I had first tried the Sunday Brunch at this beautiful resort in the hills of Palos Verdes. I had wanted to come back here sooner, but never did have a chance.

When I found out they were having a special New Year’s Day Brunch buffet, I was quite excited and thought it would be a great way to start the New Year.

I thought people would be sleeping in and recovering from the New Year’s Eve partying, and the brunch would be a quiet one. Was I wrong, the place was already more than 1/2 full by the time I got there before 11am. There was a small line at the reception area. It was a good thing that I made reservations.

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We were seated next to the windows by the patio, and it was a gorgeous day. I waited a while for the server to come take my drink order, but no one came for quite a while. I got impatient and decided to grab a bus boy and told him that I wanted to order a grapefruit juice and a cappuccino. He looked a bit surprised and uncomfortable. He proceeded to tell me that the cappuccino machine was not working, and upon seeing how disappointed I must have looked, he said he should be able to find me a cappuccino from somewhere else. I said “fine”.

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Meanwhile, I decided to check out all the sumptuous offerings, and by the time I got back, there was a glass of grapefruit juice and a to-go cup with a lid on the table. I opened the lid and realized that it was a foamy and delicious looking cappuccino that he must have gotten me from another restaurant inside the resort. I was so amazed at how quick thinking and resourceful he was, and how this was the perfect example of what good service meant. I was impressed. He walked by, and I thanked him sincerely and expressed my utmost appreciation for his extra effort. It was a great beginning to a most enjoyable and wonderful brunch.

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The food selection was similar to what I remembered from last year. The cheese station looked even better with more varieties this time. The smoked salmon was moist, thick and delicious. I decided to try the cook-to-order omelet/egg station this year, and was I glad that I did.

I ordered the an egg white omelet with asparagus, onions, spinach, green onions, mushroom and it was the best omelet – fluffy. tasty and incredibly light. The guacamole I put on top was not salty, fresh and absolutely fantastic.

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The pizza was extremely thin crusted and probably the best pizza I had ever had with the thick, melty, hot and chewy mozzarella cheese. I enjoyed all the fresh mussels and clams from the hot food station. The french toast was so good that I had three slices of them.

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While the selections were not huge at the sushi/sashimi station, they were what I really liked. There was the lobster roll with large chunks of lobster inside – simple and wonderfully great. Being that I love asparagus, the vegetable roll was exactly what I wanted.

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I waited for the nice lady from the waffle station to make me a hot, fresh off the griddle waffle. It was worth it, crunchy, light, and so satisfying with the freshest whipped cream on top. I also added blueberries, raspberries and blackberries to almost everything that I was eating.

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The cheeses, being my favorite, were numerous and top quality. It was hard to refrained from eating too much.

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My friend commented that the prime rib was the best, even better than that of Lawry’s. I feel that everything in the buffet was so good because of the quality of ingredients. It was probably one of the best buffet ever. One must also go outside and walk around the luscious, beautiful garden after the meal for the most complete, awe-inspiring and memorable experience.

I am looking forward to coming back again, hopefully I do not need to wait another year to do so.

Catalina Kitchen, La Terranea Resort: 100 Terranea Way, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275  Phone: 310-265-2704

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