Restaurant Review: Addison

The journey to our special first anniversary dinner began when our Uber turned onto the long, winding road that leads to the Fairmont Grand Del Mar hotel and then a bit further, Addison. We watched in awe as we traveled down this enchanting road and passed what looked like a palace. Once we pulled up to the restaurant, there was someone waiting for us outside that greeted us by name (how did they know it was us?!). Not two steps inside, we were greeted again by name with wishes for a happy anniversary from the hostess. We were led through the most stunning restaurant venue I've ever seen. Every detail brought out its true elegance - high dark wood ceilings, marble finishes, large tables with arm chairs and large dark leather booths. We were seated at an oversized booth with no more than 5 other tables seated around us. There was soft music in the background, but you could more or less hear a pin drop (until the table next to us got rowdy as they got deep into their wine pairing). We knew this place had received 5 diamond/5 star ratings for food & service (the highest possible), and they very much lived up to it. Every dish arrived swiftly from a synchronized team of servers and were described to us in great detail. Any drop of food or drink that fell on the stark white table cloth was immediately covered by a white napkin and our water glasses never fell below half full. Upon being seated, they offered us a hand written card again wishing us a happy anniversary, which was the ultimate touch.

The funny thing about the evening was that it was election night, so we were slightly distracted following updates from my NYT app between every course, but trust me we savored every minute.

We started with a few cocktails that were made from fresh ingredients and perfectly balanced- not too sweet or tart. Just right.

We then were offered either the 10-course Chef's Tasting Menu (curated by the chef) or a four course menu of your own choosing (one dish from the options within each course). We went with the four course menu which was great because we each got different things, so really we got to try 8 different dishes.

First to arrive was the amuse bouche to "awaken the palate" - Bosc pear gazpacho with rosemary yogurt. The pear was reduced and puréed into an applesauce-like texture and then topped with a creamy, rich yogurt with subtle notes of rosemary.

Bosc pear gazpacho with rosemary yogurt

Next we were informed that course one of the bread selection was arriving. Yes, there was a multi-course bread selection and it was as spectacular as it sounds. First was gougere bread with mascarpone cheese in the center. We were instructed to eat in one bite, and it essentially tasted like a croissant cream puff from heaven. Jeremy described it as a butter encrusted butter puff. Divine.

Gougere bread with mascarpone cheese

Our second bread selection was a crunchy, thin flat bread intensely seasoned with fennel pollen, garlic and sea salt. It came along side our first official course - oysters for me and mussels for Jeremy.

Thin flat bread with fennel pollen, garlic and sea salt

Unbelievably fresh oysters sat in their shell alongside pickled cucumbers which added a lovely crunch. They were finished with Blanc de Blanc champagne and the bubbles really popped in your mouth.

Kumamoto Oysters

A bowl of shelled mussels arrived in a foamy nage of green curry, coriander, coconut and cilantro that was so decadent and savory. There were also squares of celtuse (Asian vegetable) and broccoli. The cilantro was a bit over powering for me, so it was a good thing Jer got this and I was just tasting his.

Mussels a la Nage

A Parker House roll with silky and smooth house-made Straus Creamery butter arrived as our third and final course of the bread selection. The rolls themselves were buttery, flaky, and had a golden brown top sprinkled with large chunks of salt. If I wasn't saving room for the rest of the meal, I could have eaten five of these.

Parker House roll with Straus Creamery butter

The second course came out shortly after - pork for me and bouillabaisse for Jeremy.

The Porc Presse was an unbelievably tender piece of pork with a super crispy piece of bacon that was pressed on top. This made it a little hard to cut through, but once you got through the rest of the meat was soft like butter. It sat on top of a decadent pool of pork jus. There were a few pieces of crispy fried Brussels sprouts leaves on top, which lent it self nicely to the side dish of caramelized Brussels sprouts, candied quince, St. Agur (super subtle blue cheese) and some pistachio.

Porc Presse

The bouillabaisse was served deconstructed between a plate and bowl. The plate had a light piece of fish with dots of a black olive sauce and piment d'espelette (type of chili) sauce, baby fennel and a really cool looking squid ink crisp speckled with gold leaf. The bowl had rock shrimp and octopus in a saffron uni butter sauce. This sauce was one of the highlights of the evening. Incredibly decadent and flavorful.

Bouillabaisse

The third course included the fish for me and the duck for Jeremy.

The Alaskan black cod came caramelized and miso-glazed tented by crispy toasted kale (with speckled with gold leaf), and accompanied by bok choi, trumpet mushrooms, and scallion. The waiter poured a hot, savory dashi broth around the ingredients. The miso created a wonderful glaze on top of the flaky cod and all of the vegetables were fresh, adding a lovely crunch.

Caramelized sablefish

Two pieces of duck breast came pink, tender and with the crispy roasted coffee skin. There was peanut sauce and a dot of candied peanut paste that added a nice salty contrast. There was a side of koshihkari rice with duck confit, scallions, peanuts, and sesame seeds mixed in. The rice had a strong punch of flavor and a bit of a kick. This dish was quite memorable and another highlight of the meal.

Coffee roasted canard

In preparation for our final course - dessert, they brought out a palate cleanser consisting of Concord grape sorbet, candied orange peel, and an orange wedge that was compressed with some type of syrup. It was very grape-y and refreshing.

Palate cleanser

The final course came with vacherin for me and Mille-feuille (aka Napoleon) for Jeremy.

The vacherin was a meringue cylinder filled with banana bread, banana cream and peanut butter caramel sauce. There was a scoop of plantain ice cream on top of another small piece of meringue. I have never seen anything like this dish before and it was wonderful. Once I cracked the meringue shell, I got to the moist banana bread. Overall the dish was not overly sweet and I enjoyed it very much.

Vacherin

Jeremy's dessert was essentially a layered pastry made with espresso and dark chocolate, and topped with dots of hazelnut and peanut butter cream. Of course there was a touch of edible gold leaf too! This dish was sweet, flaky, and decadent. A fantastic way to top off the entire meal.

Mille-Fueille

It wouldn't be five-star dining without one final bite for good measure - a graham cracker crusted cup of chocolate ganache and toasted meringue- an homage to a s'more. Yum!

Graham cracker, ganache, toasted meringue

On our way out, the impeccable service didn't end just yet. They gave us a lovely take home of their house-made chocolate covered toffee topped with various nuts and seeds. Being that toffee is one of my favorite sweets, I was very excited to have this bite to enjoy later and reminisce in our unforgettable experience!

Restaurant Review: Juniper & Ivy

Our first stop in San Diego was to Juniper & Ivy in the Little Italy neighborhood. It came recommended by many people and I saw it on almost all of the top San Diego restaurant lists. There were a few misses, but generally it was a cool spot with a trendy vibe. The space was huge and they had a lot of different table options - would be great for big groups or a date. I liked how the menu changes slightly daily because they only use fresh and seasonal ingredients. Our waiter was also great. He was super helpful and friendly and made the meal really enjoyable for us.

The menu is pretty extensive which made it really hard to pick what to get! We ended up with a combination of snacks, raw, pasta, toast and small plates instead of an official entree. 

Also, they brought out a delicious amuse bouche to start- a cheesy mini biscuit that really set the tone for the meal.

Amuse bouche - cheesy biscuit

First out was the carne cruda asada toast. I loved that they had individual quail eggs per piece. The meat was tender, but probably could have used a little more flavor. There was cotija cheese and jalapeno that helped add a punch and of course the egg. The bread pieces were a nice size and had a soft center with a crispy crust.

Carne cruda asada toast

Next up was the raw "baja yellowtail." The fish was generously portioned atop a crispy tostada with "shark sauce" (unknown spicy creamy sauce) drizzled on. There was also fresh cilantro, but obviously I picked that off. The fish was super fresh and overall this dish had a great blend of flavors and textures.

Baja yellowtail

The next dish was one of our favorites - the short rib arancini with a dashi aoili sauce. The four balls were extra crispy, but not greasy, and the dashi sauce was incredibly savory. I think this sauce really made the dish stand out.

Short rib arancini

The next dish was very tasty - just not what we had expected. It was the buttermilk biscuit with foie gras butter. The biscuit was delicious, just not the flaky consistency you would normally experience. It was actually super fluffy, so it felt more cake-like and I would have even considered it for dessert. We had a choice to add the foie gras butter, which was a no-brainer, and it really rounded it out by adding salty and savory flavors.

Buttermilk biscuit with foie gras butter

The next dish was duck breast with bolted cauliflower, yuzu syrup, aioli, and dates. The cauliflower was very buttery, but unique as I've never had it bolted before (basically means that it flowered prematurely). The duck was cooked beautifully, but I felt like it was missing something with the flavor. The dates were gooey and sweet and the dots of yuzu syrup were amazing and both really complimented the meat. The aioli sauce was also very flavorful and there was a scoop of yummy crispy quinoa. I think all of these elements saved the dish overall.

Duck with bolted cauliflower

Last up was the squid ink linguine topped with uni (sea urchin). The linguine was delicious and cooked well, and it was coated with garlic bread crumbs which added a wonderful texture.  Usually I get excited by uni, but rarely do I have it as one big piece (versus being mixed into something) and I found the flavor to be quite strong. Once I cut it up and ate only a small piece at a time with each forkful did I find it to be an enjoyable element of the dish. The Calabrian chilies made it pretty spicy, so this was helpful in balancing out the punch from the uni.

Squid ink linguine with uni

I would definitely recommend this spot for anyone visiting because it has a fun atmosphere, great service, and so many options on the menu. We may not have 100% loved everything we got, but I would most certainly go back and try a whole other slew of dishes that had caught my eye.

Restaurant Review: Animal

While on vacation in LA, Jeremy and I were able to score a reservation at long-time hotspot, Animal. The restaurant had a cool vibe and we got lucky with a very personable and fun waiter. You could tell he is passionate about the restaurant and the food they serve. He helped us curate a fantastic meal that we thoroughly enjoyed. I definitely recommend hitting this place up if you are ever in town.

We started with one of Jeremy's favorites - chicken liver. The whipped chicken liver mousse was incredibly smooth and airy and generously topped on a crunchy, thick piece of baguette. The rich spread was accompanied by a line of caramelized onion and chimichuri down the middle. This is a must-order to start - a close second to Charlie Bird's chicken liver, very close.

Chicken liver toast

Next was the heirloom tomato salad with blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries mixed in a creamy lemon preserve (almost yogurty) sauce. It was topped with black sesame seeds and shiso. Shiso is the shredded green garnish in the picture, but I found it to have a sort of bitter after taste. We were surprised to find how much we loved the unusual combination of tomato and berries, but I think the sweetness of the perfectly ripe tomato is what created the balance. I love real lemon flavor, so I was a huge fan of the sauce. I probably could have done without the shiso though.

Heirloom tomato salad

Next came the yellowtail collar. Jeremy likes to go for anything from the collar area because it's always so tender and flavorful- and this was definitely no exception. The outer layer was slightly crispy with the perfect amount of jerk seasoning and just the right kick. The fish inside flaked off with ease and was honestly some of the best fish I've ever had. I also thought the citrus and palm sugar sauce was out of this world, so I crushed this plate mostly for an excuse to eat as much of this sauce as possible. There were a few pieces of orange and jicama which were nice for freshness- and to scoop up more sauce with.

Yellowtail collar

Next out were the pig ears. While this dish sounds like it's on the more adventurous side, we have had pig ears before and really liked the super crunchy bacon flavor. This was a solid version, with the addition of a fried egg and red chili sauce poured over the top. We were instructed to crack the yolk and stir it all together. The sauce was definitely spicy, but not overpowering. I liked the overall flavor combination of the ingredients.

Pig ears, before

Pig ears, after

Next was their special for the evening (which apparently is available often) - a 6oz burger made with short rib and bone marrow served on marble rye toast. 

It. Was. Devine. 

One of the best burgers I've ever had. Not sure if it was THE best, but it was pretty memorable. It had chilis and sautéed onions and the patty was topped with jack cheese. There was this rich, decadent sauce on top, but not sure what actually made up this goodness. They only serve it rare and that's because it is perfect that way. Juicy, drippy, and decadent. If it's ever available, this is a must-order.

Short rib and bone marrow burger

Last to come out was unfortunately the least. It was the pork toro (comes from the jowl). We asked about it before ordering and the waiter did caveat that it's a fattier piece of meat, but that intrigued Jeremy, so we went for it. It was in fact fatty, but also super chewy and honestly hard to eat. We took one bite and decided it wasn't worth it. We ate a few layers of the surprisingly delicious cooked cabbage (because who ever finds cabbage delicious?) with crispy edges. We left the rest, and when the waiter came by to ask about why most of the plate was left, I told him honestly that we really just didn't like it. To my pleasant surprise, he ended up taking it off the bill which was super nice and really appreciated.

Pork toro

Overall, this spot had excellent menu options with a little adventure and sometimes unusual offerings. We had a really excellent experience and would recommend it to anyone that is willing to eat outside the box.

Restaurant Review: Momofuku Nishi

After randomly checking the Momofuku reservations website every single day, I finally snagged a normal dinner time reservation at Nishi for 4! Generally, you are lucky to get the 10:30pm Monday night spot, so I considered this a big win. I had read mixed reviews - mainly saying that the food is great, but the restaurant needed work from an operations and business stand point. I don’t know about the inner workings of a restaurant or how to run a kitchen, but I can say that I only had a pleasant experience from a service perspective. It is also important to note that this was my first restaurant (in America) that had gratuity included, and I was happy to see it did not impact the server’s attitude or dedication to our table.

One critic was confused by the atmosphere and layout of the space considering the menu and elevated offerings (aka expensive dishes). This I will have to agree with. It was very loud and it struck me as a bit odd to see long, communal-esk tables paired with backless chairs. It looked like a ramen place rather than an upscale Asian-inspired Italian restaurant. The vibe is certainly not stiff and I appreciated the playfulness of the menu. Not just in the creative dishes, but also the footnotes on the menu adding suggestions and additional info.

Ok, so now let’s focus on the good stuff – the food! Based on reviews, we chose a number of dishes to share in an attempt to create a well-rounded meal.

First up was the beef crudo. This arrived as a bright pink plate of thinly sliced beef (basically carpaccio) laid out with watermelon radish and dashi ponzu. There were scallions and tiny onion crisps scattered on top. The beef was tender and the additional ingredients added that necessary crunch. We all enjoyed this one, and it was a decent portion.

Beef Crudo

Next was the shaved winter vegetable. Green apple and radish were sliced paper thin and folded into a flower-like display sitting in a pickled beef broth with horseradish. This was ordered last, purely as an attempt to add some greens and health to the table. Not worth it. It wasn’t bad, in fact it was crisp and refreshing, but it just did not hit the spot nor add anything to the meal.

Shaved Winter Vegetable

Next came the diver scallops. The menu says this is served with tiger’s milk and shio kombu. Since I had to look up what both of those things are, I will describe this dish as 10 small, tender scallops topped with salted seaweed and served in a bright green bath of acidic citrus goodness. This is a light dish and a great inclusion when building a multi-course meal.

Diver Scallops

Now for the heartier dishes. The chicken and dumplings were the ultimate comfort food. It reminded us of a deconstructed chicken pot pie but with flat, square noodles (“dumplings”) instead of crust. The sauce was creamy and savory and filled with the noodles, chicken, smoked shiitake mushrooms (that even Jeremy ate), and some other vegetables. The chili oil on top added the perfect amount of kick and flavor.

Chicken and Dumplings

The ceci e pepe seems to be the poster dish of Nishi, and I can see why. This was by far our favorite dish of the evening and we even contemplated ordering another one. The dish is not huge, but it is super rich, creamy, and absolutely divine. Noodles come in a small pile smothered in a creamy chickpea hozon sauce and seasoned generously with black pepper. Apparently there is NO dairy in this sauce, which is crazy yet fascinating. A must try!

Ceci e Pepe

The chitarra squid dish was not as we expected it. I wouldn’t say it was bad, but the squid rings were a bit fishy for my liking and the pasta sauce was extremely spicy. It contained XO sauce (spicy seafood sauce) and fresh and fermented chili. I couldn’t eat more than a few bites of this, and it was our least favorite of the evening.

Chitarra

Lastly, we ordered the roast pork entrée. It came as 2 large pieces covered with about a dozen roasted asparagus spears. Once you cut away the massive layer of fat, the pork was super tasty. I was disappointed though by how much of it I had to cut away. I would probably skip this next time and focus on more appetizers or pasta dishes.

Roast Pork

Unfortunately, we did not have any room for dessert. Maybe next time! I would definitely recommend Nishi to any foodie or Momofuku fan, but I wouldn’t send a picky eater. It was a good experience overall and we enjoyed our meal, but the menu is unique and there isn’t quite “something for everyone.”

Restaurant Review: Dirty French

Only after diligently signing in to OpenTable exactly 1 month out from my birthday was I able to score a prime time (read: normal dinner time) table to celebrate with my husband at Dirty French in the Ludlow Hotel. The restaurant opened over a year ago, but it was added to my never ending hit list and I decided now would be a good time to try this place out. Knowing it is part of Major Food Group (Torrisi/Carbone), I had high expectations for an overall top notch experience. I would say that mostly happened, but not completely. Here is why…

We arrived early on purpose so we could get a drink at the bar. We both really enjoyed our cocktails from a high-end cocktail menu with all fresh ingredients.

Left: Pigalle - bourbon, ancho chile, bitter aperitif, fresh orange and lemon juices
Right: Belmondo - blanco tequila pear eau de vie, ginger, gentian, fresh lemon juice

The entire atmosphere is really cool with unique/interesting décor and dim lighting to really set that trendy mood. [DISCLAIMER – this is why my pictures are so awful! Sorry!] The bar is no exception and would recommend it even if you are in the area and just wanted a fancy drink. All of the staff was super nice, accommodating, and not stuffy in the slightest. My only complaint, and I would say it is a pretty big deal, is that the music was SO incredibly loud. I could barely hear my husband across the tiny 2 top or the waitress standing directly next to the table answering our questions on the menu. The music was all 80s – on theme with their Dirty Dancing-inspired logo – so that was cool and even a refreshing change in playlist choice... I just didn’t need Bruce screaming in my ear while I enjoyed my (mostly) delicious meal.

We tried to structure a well-rounded meal with some help from the waitress. We started with 2 items from the “hors d’oeuvres” section – and only realized once they arrived that we actually ordered 2 different types of thinly sliced, cured meats. Both were light to start, yet offered significant portions.

The first one, Carpaccio, was thinly sliced lamb covering the plate and topped with shishito peppers and dollops of labneh. The lamb was so tender and flavorful and the toppings added extra flavor and some creaminess.

Carpaccio

The second one was the Salmon Maison – thinly sliced cured lox spread out across a layer of creamy pommes chemel and then topped with crisp and fresh chives and fermented radish. The dish had great textural balance and the salmon was unreal.

Salmon Maison

The second course was the endive salad which had 5 Cajun shrimp on top. The Dijon vinaigrette that topped the endive salad was good and balanced the usual bitterness, but those shrimp were just terrible. I’m sorry, but there was something just off-putting about the flavor from the shrimp. They looked appetizing with a blackened exterior, but the seasoning was just way off and the shrimp itself had a weird metallic taste. We did not get very far on this dish and I would NOT recommend it.

Endive salad

Next came the main course and a side dish we threw in last minute. For our entrée, we split the Duck a l’Orange (I believe it is their signature dish). A decent piece of breast came on top of a flavorful sauce and seasoned with a ras el hanout spice blend and then garnished with preserved oranges. The duck itself was very decadent and really showcased the French inspiration of the restaurant. I often find that duck is fatty, but this piece featured a beautifully cooked section of meat that was super tender and extremely enjoyable.

Duck a l'Orange

Our side dish was the pommes frites, of course, because I am obsessed with French fries. However, these were not French fries, rather very large, thick, and deep fried slices of potato. There was so much salt on it, which was amazing at first and then you realized you had to drink 3 glasses of water to counter it. There was also a creamy dipping sauce that paired nicely with the extremely crispy potatoes.

Pommes Frites

We couldn’t end a birthday meal without dessert, so we decided to cap off dinner with their most popular dish - beignets. Now, I was recently in New Orleans enjoying the famous and official Café Du Monde beignets, so I was worried these might not hold up. However, they were pretty damn good and served with chicory caramel sauce (which was the biggest selling point for me). A basket of 3 airy, fluffy, crispy-not-greasy fritters showed up, and we devoured them while dodging falling powdered sugar left and right.

Beignets

Overall, I was happy to have celebrated my special evening at Dirty French. Aside from the sound issues and the endive/shrimp salad, we had a really nice experience. I would recommend it to anyone that can withstand conversation for 2 hours with a raised voice, or that wants a great meal in a sceney spot. 

Bangkok, Thailand: 11/20

The final day of our honeymoon was spent in Bangkok. After our dinner at Gaggan, we stayed at the Riva Surya hotel right on the Chao Phraya River that runs through the middle of Bangkok. The hotel was nice and conveniently located by all of the touristy stuff we did.

Our day was off to a bit of a rough start because we overslept our meeting time with our guide, but since it was a private tour we were able to just push everything back a little bit. After breakfast at the hotel, we took a super long boat - for just the 4 of us (Jeremy, me, guide, and boat driver) - on a ride around the river and canals. We saw the drastic difference between some of the nice houses and totally decrepit ones, some side by side. We also saw a nice view of some of the city's major buildings and bridges. 

We took the boat to see Wat Arun, or Temple of the Dawn, right on the river and explored there a bit.

We then crossed the river on a ferry to go see Wat Pho, famous for the 46m long reclining buddha covered in gold leaf.

(the green cover up is courtesy of the temple to ensure all guests are dressed appropriately before entering)

We were about to head over to the Grand Palace for our final stop of the day when our tour guide had a minor medical emergency (he was fine, previously broken nose = bloody nose). So, he ended up taking us in a tuk tuk (3-wheel taxi) to the temple and handing us off to a guide that actually worked there. 

At first we were a little concerned about the sudden change in plans, but we ended up spending a few hours with the best tour guide we have ever had. Her name was "Jackie" and she knew every nook and cranny of this place. She was a photographer, so after seeing my camera she told me she had me covered on getting the best photos. She pointed out every ideal photo opp and knew exactly where to stand and how to frame it up to get the best possible shot. Also, she spoke enough languages that she was able to yell at other tourists to get of the way of our pictures. We had such a nice time learning about the history of all of the structures, statues, and buildings and really appreciated the intricate beauty of it all. 

One thing to note is that you must be dressed appropriately to get into the Palace grounds. This means no shorts and covered shoulders. I was able to rent a sarong (you will see in the below pictures) which was ideal since it was SO hot. This way I could wear shorts all day and just cover up my legs for the time I was there.

After our amazing tour, we went back to the hotel for lunch and then made our way to the Bangkok airport for our long journey home!