Petrossian: Make Way for Benjamin Bailly

Ah, after a bit of a hiatus we're back and just in time! dinaLA 2010 is just around the corner and I'd [Wesley] like to share my favorite dineLA 2009 experience at Petrossian in West Hollywood. This will be primarily a photo post because it has been a while and the notes I have are vague.

I joined a group at Petrossian gathered by Jo of MyLastBite, which included Danny of KungFoodPanda, Kate of FollowPK, and several of Jo's friends. My party decided to run the gamut of the dineLA menu with pre-game courses.

Chef Benjamin Bailly has been with Petrossian since May 2009. Before that he was a sous chef at L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon in Vegas and Chef de Partie at Joël Robuchon in Paris. With his extensive past at top rated restaurants, I was optimistic and set high standards for the meal to come.

Caviar, Trout, and Salmon Roe served with Blinis and Créme fraiche

Cantaloupe and Beet Soup

Crispy Shrimp "Papillotte" - Passion Fruit, Sweet Chili Ginger Sauce

Seared scallops with a butternut squash and bacon emulsion

Foie Gras Creme Brulée

Note on the Foie Gras Creme Brulée: This was a first for me and the flavors were awkward at first - think of a creamy and sweet Creme Brulée mixed in with a buttery meaty undertone. As I continued to take few more bites, I began to realize the delicate balance between the contrasting flavors. A very intriguing dish.

This is where our courses from the Dine LA Restaurant Week begins:

Foie Gras Salad - Haricot verts, toasted walnut, black truffle vinaigrette.

For the record: Petrossian isn't stingy with their foie gras. With that said, the foie gras was huge! For me, the foie gras is too rich on its own, so the green bean salad is a nice complement.

Hand Sliced Smoked Salmon - Toast points, créme fraiche

Black Truffle "Mac n' Cheese" - Orrenchiette, bacon, parmesan

This was my favorite dish of the night and possibly the best mac n' cheese I've ever had. The orrenchiette is thicker than regular macaroni and offered a nice chewy texture. Smothered in Parmesan cheese and bacon, I savored every bite. On top, a black truffle slice which added a great earthy flavor. This is one dish that everyone needs to order at Petrossian.

Napoléon Tartare - Hand sliced steak tartare with a layer of caviar

Again with the generous portions! The amount of caviar stuffed in the tartare amazes me. The steak was fresh and the small explosions of caviar offered a nice salty ocean-like taste.

Carnaroli Risotto - Sautéed wild mushrooms, artichokes, toasted pine nuts

This is no little kid's risotto. This risotto was chunky, rich, and full of heartiness unlike the many mundane variations I've had in the past. The risotto was a tad salty but that could be easily adjusted.

Braised Short Ribs - Yukon Gold mash potatoes, braising jus

Chef Bailly prepping our brulée.

Petrossian Chocolate Moelleux

Sicilian Pistachio Créme Brulée

Vanilla Panna Cotta - white peach espuma

Chef Bailly didn't disappoint. This is the one of the my favorite meals of 2009, so there's no doubt that I have plans to revisit it this year. The food was excellent and offered a comfortable homelike feeling. During dinner I couldn't help but to think of how creative and on-point Chef Bailly was and, the bright future he has ahead of him.

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Grub'bin in a Hollywood Oasis

After meeting Season 2 Top Chef contestant Betty Fraser at the Food Event, we were convinced we had to have some California comfort at Grub--ASAP. She is doing great PR! At the event, Betty warmly approached us and urged us to try her restaurant, Grub, which she informed us had just been voted #1 brunch and lunch by Citysearch. We exchanged cards and she followed up with an email after. Finally having a free Sunday, the Pandas headed for Hollywood.

Located in the middle of the Hollywood's grimy, old post-production district, Grub is an oasis. The metal fence and garden surrounding the little house on Seward Street. shines with yellow and green accents. The bush archway entrance led us to something like an adult version of Pooh's Hundred Acre Woods. We were having brunch on the patio of the most darling little house in the country.
After we ordered from Grub's extensive brunch menu, some of which includes omelets, sandwiches, scrambles, and pancakes, our waiter brought us a bowl of mixed cereal to munch on. For us, it was all about those little marshmallow Lucky Charms!

San Francisco Roasted Coffee. Nice and dark. We had the "Wicked Weekend Appetizer" for starts. The Spicy Crab and Artichoke Dip ($9.95) had a crusty pepperjack cheese top, which we broke through with the limey, Coriander-dusted tortilla chips. The proportion of crab pieces was very generous and the dip itself was just spicy enough (from the jalapenos) to wake us up that morning.

We each ordered two different Grub Signature Mix-It Up Scrambles. Wes had the Chicken Pesto Sausage, Roasted Onion, Red Pepper and Mozzarella Cheese (13.95).A colorful scramble with a meaty heart of deliciously seasoned chicken. The potatoes were crispy on the outside and so soft and warm on the inside.

Evelina had the Corn, Tomatoes, Fresh Basil and Pepperjack Cheese (10.95). The corn added a sweetness to the runny combination of scramble eggs and pepper jack cheese. The star of this dish was the melted cheese complemented by the basil. Again, potatoes were crispy and well-seasoned.

Comfort food inside a comfortable environment. Grub looks almost to be a mirage amongst the other old, colorless buildings. It's definitely hidden away in Hollywood, but we promise that the search for their brunch is well-worth it.

Grub
911 Seward Street
Los Angeles, CA 90038 

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Ludo Bites Again!

Shortly after hosting the celebration of Hello Kitty's 35th birthday, Royal/T Cafe is yet again the place to be with "In Bed Together," a collaborative event featuring not only the innovative art of 50 different artists but the innovative food of Ludo Lefebvre. Yes, Chef Ludo Lefebvre is back with the third installment of his guerilla style pop-up restaurant; this time at Royal/T. Upon hearing the news last month of his 13-day engagement at the Japanese cosplay cafe, we were beyond excited and hopped on Choisauce 's reservations for the first night, December 2.

Unsurprisingly, when we arrived at Royal/T that night all the tables were full (the people who had our table hadn't left yet), so Krissy, our darling hostess and Ludo's other half, set up a special table for us between the exhibits. Bright lights and intriguing art surrounded us as we decided to run the gamut and order all the dishes art on the menu.

The first of our nine savory dishes were the Scallops ($12). Slightly cooked in brown butter, the soft scallops were complemented by small chucks of pineapple and a mysterious black powder that turned out to be squid ink. The pineapple added both a tangy and sweet flavor to the scallops. A complex and pleasing dish.

Before getting to the squid dish, we had some tasty Caramelized Peanuts ($5) kicked with curry.

The seared Monterey Squid ($12) featured chorizo oil, red onions, and a Korean twist of Kimchi Puree. Our very own Choisauce actually taught Ludo the makings behind kimchi. With this and the upcoming udon dish, it's quite obvious that Ludo is no stranger to Asian flavors, and he shows it through the subtle incorporation of Asian ingredients.

A warm bowl of Bread Soup ($9). The white poached egg and gruyere popped up beautifully amongst the bread soup.

Ludo's lobster udon was voted LA Weekly's Top 10 Dishes of 2007, a feat probably unexpected since Ludo is a French cook. But, again, there's no denying that Ludo knows his Asian flavors and how to incorporate it in his French style dishes. This was reflected in Evelina's favorite dish of the menu, the Veal Udon ($13). The broth, made of Kombu Dashi and sesame seed miso, is so savory and hearty, especially with the mushrooms, scallions, lemon grass, tender pulled veal, and of course the soft udon.  Our mouths are watering as we write about it.


The Foie Gras Beignet ($16) was a very popular dish amongst our group of 7. We ordered three initially and then at the end ordered TWO more! Hidden inside the brown butter glazed beignet are two ounces of scrumptious, rich foie gras. A yellow celery root remoulade seasoned with tumeric also accompanied the dish.

The Confit Pork Belly ($12) atop a soft and crunchy baguette reminded us of a Vietnamese sandwich with its addition of cucumber and frisee. Fitting because the menu actually identified it as a mustard pickle tartine, which is a French open-faced sandwich. The pork belly was moist and crunchy, but we have to agree with Ryan, who we shared the dish with, that the bread was a little over charred.

Fish can so easily be over cooked, but Ludo's Striped Sea Bass ($18) shows us how delicately flavorful fish can be when cooked correctly. The bass, which had a slightly firm center and crispy skin, also came with an yuzu aioli and a very popular garden salad of brussel sprouts and cauliflower.

It's rare to find hanger steak on a menu and it's even rarer to find it well cooked. Ludo's Marinated Hanger Steak ($22) was cooked medium rare with a gorgeous char. The fried escargot added a nice contrast to the soft steak. The dish also came with a mole sauce, which Ludo actually learned to make from Gluster's mother (check out Gluster's extremely entertaining and interesting documentation of the lesson). A baby corn, which we wish was sweeter, also came with the dish.

We almost thought the Fourme d' Ambert Tourte ($10) was dessert when it arrived. The tourte, French for tart, was layered with Fourme d' Ambert, a French blue cheese. Some people at the table thought the tart itself was a bit overwhelming but we thought the poached pear in beet juice balanced the flavors. 

After the 9 courses of savory dishes came our two desserts. First we had the fudge-like, rich Chocolate Cake, Coconut Sorbet Soup, Pink Pepper Meringue ($12).

The second dessert was the Pistachio Rice Milk with Pound Cake ($10) topped with what we think was a horseradish or wasabi whipped. While Wes thought the horseradish was overwhelming, Evelina thought the whip gave it the kick the pudding needed. Unfortunately, we didn't even notice the pound cake until we finished half of the dish (probably because we were so awed by the whip).

Ludo with Choisauce. Priceless reaction.

Signing a copy of his cook book, Crave, for the Two Hungry Pandas

Phew, that was a long write up, but well worth it since we're backing up some delicious food. We love that Chef Ludo incorporates other cuisines into his dishes because it adds a much-appreciated familiarity to his food. Raised in the San Gabriel Valley, we don't see a lot of French joints around town. French flavors are not what we grew up learning to appreciate and understand. So when the kimchi appeared in the Monterey Squid or when the udon was served, a sense of comfort came in flavors. We understood the dish and had a big appreciation for its uniqueness. Thanks Ludo for that experience.

Ludo Bites @ Royal/T Cafe
8910 Washington Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232


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