February 22, 2012

Don Julio Margarita Dinner at Border Grill

Posted by the minty under alcohol education, cocktalian, dessert, events, food, foodie alert, great cocktails, hot bartenders, restaurant reviews, tasting menu | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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Mexican 75

Happy National Margarita Day! A few weeks ago, I was invited to Don Julio‘s Margarita Dinner at Border Grill in Santa Monica.The four courses were paired with Don Julio cocktails and spirits. We started with the Mexican 75 (Don Julio blanco, persimmon orange puree, cava) with the lobster ceviche. All the cocktails are the creation of head cantinero (bartender) Alexander Fazio of Border Grill.

lobster ceviche with Seville orange

We started with the lobster ceviche with Seville orange, grilled persimmon, fresh ginger and crispy plantain chips. I used the chip to scoop up the chunks of lobster. Although I knew it was an appetizer, I knew I wanted more!

Jalisco Slip

The next cocktail, the Jalisco Slip, was my favorite. Made with Don Julio reposado, chai tea and honey, it was a bit sweet but mostly I liked the spicy tones to it. Later I found out it’s not actually tea but a spice mix the Chefs Susan and Mary Sue came up at their original City restaurant (which by the way, they’re doing a City Night at Border Grill Downtown on February 29– more info here). The spice mix has cardamon which makes sense since that’s the main component that makes chai so tasty.

roasted beets with greens and grains

The next course was the favorite of the night. The roasted beets was tossed with toasted Israeli couscous, black kale and a whole grain mustard vinaigrette. Chef Susan talked about putting this dish on the brunch menu with a fried egg. Yes, please. It was a gorgeous dish and mentally I wondered if I could ask for me. How embarrassing, another dish I wanted more of!

Anejo Viejo

 

The next cocktail was the Anejo Viejo (Don Julio anejo, fennel, blood orange). I found this too sweet for me so I would adjust something (or more tequila, please!).  I’m wondering if there was simple syrup in this.

Don Julio braised pork belly

 

The fennel in the cocktail was picked up by the pickled fennel salad in the Don Julio braised pork belly. The portion was enormous with an artichoke and sunchoke ragout. I actually had to take some of this home. I suppose it was a good thing the lobster ceviche was on the smaller side but I still wanted more couscous!

arroz con leche

 

For dessert, we got a shot of the Don Julio 1942 to go with the arroz con leche (rice pudding). The sipping tequila was the perfect thing for this smooth sweet dessert with crispy phyloo, dulce de leche and crema sabayon. The tequila was probably closer to an aged bourbon. And most people will tell you if you like bourbon, you’ll like the aged tequilas with its caramel and vanilla notes.

Don Julio tasting

 

You may be wondering where are the margaritas for this margarita dinner. Here are a couple of recipes from Border Grill from a few years ago. But may I suggest Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s margaritas by the gallon recipe if you’re prepping for a party to celebrate National Margarita day.

 

Don Julio

Border Grill

Los Angeles – 445 S Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA 90071 – (213) 486-5171

Santa Monica – 1445 4th St., Santa Monica, CA 90401 – (310) 451-1655

Las Vegas – at Mandalay Bay 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Las Vegas, NV 89119 – (702) 632-7403

 

February 15, 2012

Seattle: Mistral Kitchen

Posted by the minty under cocktalian, dessert, food, food crawls, foodie alert, great cocktails, hot bartenders, minty life, restaurant reviews, tasting menu, travel | Tags: , , , , , , , , |
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Bobby Burns

My 24 hours in Seattle was coming to a close. Before heading out to the airport, we had lunch at Mistral Kitchen, just a couple blocks away from our hotel. Just about everybody told me it was fabulous and after surplus of calories (mostly empty in the form of cocktails), a light meal was just what I wanted.

hamachi crudo

Bobby from 100 Eats 100 Days ordered the Bobby Burns cocktail (Famous Grouse Scotch, Laphroig 10, Dolin sweet vermouth, Benedictine, Peychaud’s bitters) and the hamachi crudo for the table to share. I’m pretty sure everyone was impressed by the barman wrapping the long peel around the round ball of ice. I do have to say I usually have seen this cocktail served up. Still, love that ice ball.

diver sea scallops

hearty winter greens, bacon lardons, parmasan

I love Seattle and how fresh the seafood is. The hamachi crudo was great as were the scallops though I preferred the oysters I ordered best. I also was dying for some fresh veg and the hearty winter greens fit the bill.

oysters

I ordered three each of the available Kushi and North Shore oysters. I liked the North Shore ones a bit more with the more traditional mignonette. The smaller Kushi oysters were just fine on their own.

proscuitto and arugula pizza

cutting and serving ourselves pizza

When our server dropped off a pair of scissors, we knew we were in for a DIY adventure. The tomato, Proscuitto di San Daniele and arugula pizza was not sliced. As shown in the picture, you cut yourself slices to eat.

pork belly, escarole, turnips, sultanas

The only dish we were meh about was the pork belly. It just seemed piddly. I wished we used the $12 to buy more oysters.

pork terrine, fermented pickles, dijon, micro greens

On the other hand, the pork terrine was very nice. We had to ask for more bread (which was wonderful) to go with the perfectly made potted meat.

wood fired hanger steak, potato, trumpet mushrooms, cipollini onions

I had a lot of steak recently the week before with dineLA (LA’s Restaurant Week) so I didn’t particularly find the steak riveting but it was well-cooked. I probably would have gone for the half chicken only because I wanted something comforting. Although we were thwarted from having daurade from the evening before at How to Cook a Wolf, we decided to keep it light because we were heading to lunch #2. Yep, back to Salumi to split the porchetta sandwich.

chocolate feuilletine torte, banana egg nog ice cream, hazelnut praline

Holly wanted something light for dessert. She chose the chocolate feuilletine. I told her it hardly sounded light with the banana egg nog ice cream! Then again, our other two options weren’t light either. The sticky toffee pudding with blood orange, pomegranate and Earl Grey creme fraiche would have been my choice but I was abstaining. The chocolate pretzel bread pudding with Pike XXX stout ice cream and barley malt syrup also sounded amazing.

It’s a good thing we walked around the near-empty Seattle Center after this so-called “light” meal.

Mistral Kitchen

2020 Westlake Ave., Seattle, WA 98121 — (206) 623-1922
 
Seattle Adventures in 24 Hours
 
Part 1
Pike Brewing Company
Barhopping in Seattle
Dinner at How to Cook a Wolf
Cocktails at Knee High Stocking Company
 
Other Seattle posts
 
Restaurants
Bars
 

February 10, 2012

SLS Hotel: Cocktails and Dessert at the Bazaar

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piggy at your service at the SLS

 

After dinner at Tres by Jose Andres, we hopped over to his other restaurant at the SLS Hotel, the Bazaar, for after-dinner cocktails and a second dessert. This was my fourth Jose Andres experience and although the chef is the common factor, none have been similar. I’ve also been to China Poblano and Jaleo in Las Vegas.

Magic Mojito

Cocktails are divided into several categories including specialty drinks, Jose’s Staff Libation Selections, SLS Classics and New Classics.

I was interested in the New Classics like the Liquid Cherry Manhattan with the cherry spherification. It reminded me of the Manhattan I had by Devon Espinosa at Marcel’s Hatchi pop-up but that wouldn’t be such a stretch considering Marcel used to work at the Bazaar.

olive oil ice cream

I was quite full so I only took a bite of the olive oil ice cream. The texture was akin to a brownie and not silky smooth. It wasn’t bad but not quite what I was expecting. I liked the fresh grapefruit that came with the dish.

Oakason and the Little Peach

One of my friends wanted something with vodka and the server pushed the peach drink on her. Oakason and the Little Peach (Oakason Japanese peach, pear vodka, St. Germain) was surprisingly not as sweet as I expected it to be but still not the sort of thing I like. Later we saw people with martini glasses of cotton candy. I wasn’t interested in the cotton candy but still, it was interesting to see the Magic Mojito cocktail poured onto it and the cotton candy instantly melt. We had to order a side of cotton candy for the photo and snackers.

Down to Earth

 

In the end, I decided on Down to Earth (Del Maguey mezcal, Cynar, lime, orange, agave-truffle bed). I was extremely curious to know what this agave-truffle bed was but turned out it was ice. I got the essence every time I moved the straw around. It was actually a fairly amazing cocktail.

By far this restaurant had the worst service. My friends were unhappy with our server and she could sense it. Before we knew it, we were left to practically fend for ourselves. I am usually inclined to sit at the bar for cocktails but my friends wanted that second dessert. If I do come back for a meal or dessert, I will stick to the appropriate meal hour. The Bazaar is cool to show your out-of-town guests to but for a watering hole, I rather go up the street to the Roger Room.

 

The Bazaar at the SLS Hotel

465 S La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048 — (310) 246-5567
 

February 9, 2012

Bell: La Casita Mexicana

Posted by the minty under brunch, dessert, food, foodie alert, restaurant reviews | Tags: , , , , , |
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La Casita Mexicana

 

I’ve wanted to try La Casita Mexicana for a long time. It’s been on my list forever and this year, I was determined to tackle it. I had heard of La Casita Mexicana as being some of the best Mexican food in Los Angeles. And that it was also in Bell. Where’s Bell? Well, after I got off the freeway, I realized I’ve been in this area maybe twice before and I got pretty close with the Latin sweets crawl Street Gourmet LA led almost 2 years ago.

lemonade with chia seeds

I hit up La Casita with Valentina of Eastside Food Bites. She wanted to try their brunch and I was more than happy to try it as well.

soup

We started with a tomato soup with noodles. Traditional Mexican? Not quite but homey and filling.

chilaquiles

I am actually familiar with some of La Casita‘s food, having had a taste of it at Guelaguetza over a year ago when it hosted a Taste of Mexico dinner. I had enjoyed the mole then and as I did this brunch. Chilaquiles is a traditional breakfast of chips and salsa, drizzled with cheese and accompanied with beans. These were pretty fancy with dual colored chips and fresh white cheese.

poached eggs

Valentina also got poached eggs which she promptly piled on top and broke the yolk all over the chips, lending an even richer quality to the meal.

fish with squash blossoms

 

After a long week of eating steak, I wanted to go pescatarian. I opted for the fish with squash blossoms. There were hardly any squash blossoms but plenty of chopped up zucchini. It was a bit on the salty side. Fortunately, I ate this with plain white rice which helped. I started regretting not getting pork or a mole dish.

churros

 

I hadn’t intended to get dessert but I couldn’t resist the lure of fresh churros stuffed with cajeta (caramel).

Next time I’m sticking to the carne y mole entrees!

La Casita Mexicana

4030 Gage Ave., Bell, CA 90201 – (323) 773-1898
 

February 8, 2012

DTLA: Return to LQ at SK

Posted by the minty under dessert, food, foodie alert, restaurant reviews, tasting menu, wine tasting | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |
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BYOB - no corkage

 

LQ at SK or Laurent Quenioux at Starry Kitchen is still going strong after 6 months. I took my fine dining partner to the Downtown Los Angeles pop-up a couple of weeks ago.

 

Amuse - Dolmas, Sujuk, Tongue Pastrami

 

We started with an amuse bouche of dolmas, sujuk (ground meat) and tongue pastrami. I was looking forward to this dish as dolmas are some of my favorite things. And tongue pastrami? Get out of here! Amazing.

Congee, Confit Pork Shoulder, Blackberry Molasses & Maple Syrup Glaze, Poached Yolk

 

My fave dish of the night was the congee (rice porridge). Growing up, congee was a staple at dim sum and both my grandmothers’ houses. It was the thing we got after coming home from a vacation. I love the Chinese pork and the 1000 Year Old version but Chef Laurent’s made this upscale and at the same time really accessible. My friend who is allergic to pork and hates eggs loved this dish as well. Darn, I thought I could steal her portion!

Haddock Potato Fritters, Fava Beans

I also enjoyed the haddock potato fritters. Loved how crazy the “tentacles” of potato look after being fried. There was also a bit of a pistachio paste on the plate which was sweet and helped cut the unctuousness of the fritter.

Belize Shrimp, Morcella, Endive, Kimchi Sabayon with Soju

My next favorite dish was the Belize shrimp and the blood sausage (morcella). My friend hadn’t had blood sausage before and I had great fun describing how it’s made to her. I liked the kimchi sabayon accent. It didn’t seem too out of place or “fusion-y.”

Brussels Sprout "Casserole", Cauliflower Emulsion, Onion Jam, Scottish Partridge

Our main course was the Scottish Patridge. I haven’t had this poultry (avian?) before. It’s not quite as tender as say quail but it has more meat! Great cauliflower emulsion and onion jam.

French Toast, Candied Foie Gras, Elderflower Syrup, Huckleberry Ice Cream

Chef Laurent said it took some time to get the foie gras to marry the caramel (shown as dots on the plate). I’m just glad to have a hunk of it on top of the French toast! I can get used to this savory dessert trend.

I’m looking forward to going back more often. At $45, it’s really the best tasting menu pop-up deal in town.

LQ @ SK

Starry Kitchen

350 S Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90071

get on the list

 

 

January 30, 2012

dineLA dinner at Josie Restaurant

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Last week was quite the busy week for me. I met with a friend I hadn’t seen in a while at Josie in Santa Monica for a dineLA dinner. It’s been on my list forever.  I started off with a classic cocktail, The Martinez (gin, Carpano Antica, Luxardo Maraschino, twist of lemon). It was very, very good and probably worth the $15 I shelled out for it.

amuse bouche- cheese quiche

Next we were given a cheese quiche as an amuse bouche. I was still feeling full from lunch so I ate a couple of bites of this rich dish.

cauliflower soup

oxtail ragu

I opted for the cauliflower soup with braised short ribs. I was torn between that and a salad. I was starting to feel the effects of multiple dineLA meals in a day but of course I went with the soup because it’s more interesting. It was an ideal starter, light and hearty at the same time with the addition of the short ribs. My dining companion had the oxtail ragu which she found a bit salty and thought the polenta was on the thin side.

Brittany salt-crusted Jidori chicken

I didn’t really get a good shot of the Brittany salt-crusted Jidori chicken. The round thing in front is the savory sausage bread pudding. I had a bite of the chicken and it’s fine. Probably not as juicy as other roast chicken dishes I’ve had before. I thought the Brussels sprouts that came with it tasted boiled and watery.

campfire trout

The Campfire trout on the other hand was great. I loved that they deboned the fish and I didn’t really have to mess around with it other than to take off the skin.

The other entree choice would be the short ribs but since I had short ribs with my soup, I thought it’d be an overkill.

hand-pulled apple strudel

chocolate bread pudding

I told my friend I didn’t care what we got for dessert and she ultimately picked the apple strudel and chocolate bread pudding. She really wanted to try the white chocolate puff too but I’m glad she got the apple strudel because it turned out to be my favorite dessert of the week. The light pastry had the perfect amount of butter and sugar to balance the “healthy” apples. And the warm chocolate bread pudding was delectable as well.

It’s just too bad I didn’t care for the service at Josie. I left the restaurant feeling like I was a second class citizen. Our server didn’t even look at us when he dropped off the check and rarely checked on us. I realize restaurants have a love/hate relationship with dineLA customers. We are not your regular guests but we can be. Treat us well if not better because you don’t know if you’re going to retain our patronage.

I eyed Josie Next Door and felt a bit sad I didn’t get to have as much fun as the people dining there. They were happy and it was an entirely different atmosphere than Josie. The average age of the guests were probably a good 20 years older than my friend and I. The food is good but not good enough for me to return. I can get great cocktails for $15 or less somewhere else. Maybe even Next Door.

Josie Restaurant

2424 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90405 – (310) 581-9888

 

January 30, 2012

dineLA lunch at Drago Centro

Posted by the minty under cocktalian, dessert, dtla lunch, food, foodie alert, restaurant reviews, tasting menu | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |
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steamed mussels

Rounding out my dineLA lunches, I headed over to Drago Centro. Since it was lunch, I didn’t partake in any of the fab new cocktails but their iced tea is wonderful on a sunny day.

soft boiled egg salad

yolk revealed

 

I drove the bus on this dineLA meal and picked out the steamed mussels and soft-boiled egg salad for our appetizers. The egg was perfectly done and when split, revealed a beautiful golden runny yolk. We greedily gobbled the mussels (always the best value) and even soaked some of the croutons from the salad in the mussels broth for added oomph.

mid-course ravioli

We had cheese ravioli with mushrooms as a mid-course that is not part of dineLA. I highly recommend any of their pastas as it’s some of the best in town.

grilled quail

wild mushroom and artichoke risotto

 

For one of our mains, I picked the grilled quail which sounded amazing when Chef Ian Gresik tweeted about it. I enjoyed the parsnips in the dish in particular. And the quails were practically boneless. They were stuffed and this made me think this would be a great idea for mini Thanksgiving treats.

We also got the wild mushroom and artichoke risotto which I happily ate despite the onslaught of carbs. It’s probably a good thing I didn’t ask for bread for the table because otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to get to dessert!

cheesecake glace

brown sugar cake

 

When I ordered the cheesecake, I didn’t realize cheesecake “glace” would mean the cheesecake would be semi-frozen. The texture was very different and refreshing for the sunny day. Did I mention we were sitting near the window which looked out to bustling Downtown?

However, the brown sugar cake with espresso crumble and pear sorbet was my favorite. I like spice cakes of all sorts and this hit the spot.

There are a few days left for dineLA so get to it! I’m curious about the beef tongue potato salad and braised beef cheeks on the dinner menu for dineLA.

 

Drago Centro

525 South Flower Street, Los Angeles, CA 90071 – (213) 228-8998

 

 

January 27, 2012

dineLA lunch at Cafe Pinot & The Mystery of Chicken Oysters

Posted by the minty under dessert, dtla lunch, food, foodie alert, restaurant reviews, tasting menu | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |
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fried chicken oysters

It’s that time of year again. As part of my whirlwind tour of dineLA restaurants around town, I landed at Cafe Pinot for lunch.

What are chicken oysters, you might ask? Apparently it’s a nub of meat near chicken thighs. When I saw Cafe Pinot was offering fried chicken oysters as part of their dineLA menu, I was intrigued but didn’t know exactly what it was. The word “oysters” made me think of some other kinds of oysters. But happily it wasn’t those er, delicate parts.

There’s something about fried chicken that’s always good but eating the fried chicken oysters made the adventurous foodie in me very happy.

lobster bisque

tuna tonnato

The other choices are the lobster bisque and tuna tonnato for the first course. The lobster bisque was a work of art. It was almost too pretty to disrupt the Jackson Pollack-looking surface.

And the tuna was very fresh. I liked the capers and aioli it was served with.

flat iron steak

The steak looked so prominent and was quite perfect for the business lunch crowd at Cafe Pinot. It was jazzed up with candied Moroccan olives and a vadouvan goat cheese mousse. It was perfectly cooked at medium rare.

Japanese Hokkaido scallops

I chose the Japanese Hokkaido scallops. And like classic Japanese block prints, this was a work of art. The thinly shaved mushrooms, the sprinkle of spice, the garlic veloute worked wonderfully with the delicate scallops.

The other choice is the carrot braised pork. We were told it is a shredded pork with lentils and a ginger emulsion.

creme fraiche panna cotta

red currant brioche bread pudding

For dessert, I nabbed the red currant brioche bread pudding. The pudding was very light and flaky and came with vanilla whipped creme fraiche. I liked that it came with salted caramel as well. I also had a taste of the creme fraiche panna cotta. Loved the thinly sliced crab apples on top.

The other dessert choice is ricotta fritters which sounded awesome with a tangerine sauce. The ricotta is even house made.

I was trying to decide which was the best seat at Cafe Pinot. The patio overlooks the Central Library and you see all walks of life. There is another outdoors patio that is more intimate off to the side. It’s almost like a balcony and seemed really romantic and secluded.

Cafe Pinot hasn’t announced their new executive chef yet but if you go for dineLA or any other time, you just might see a certain quirky mustachioed chef. He comes from a fine dining background and it really shows in the artistry of the plating and elegance of the food.

Cafe Pinot

700 West 5th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90017
(213) 239-6500

** previous Cafe Pinot meal

 

January 27, 2012

dineLA: Starry Kitchen & the Beef-tacular!

Posted by the minty under dessert, dtla lunch, food, foodie alert, restaurant reviews, tasting menu | Tags: , , , , , , , , |
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Starry Kitchen

 

It’s dineLA again! Last year, I loved Starry Kitchen so much it was the only restaurant I repeated this round. There’s something to be said for great food for not a lot of money. Although it’s stated it’s $16 for lunch and $26 for dinner for the 3 courses, it’s actually $16 for both lunch and dinner so take advantage if you can.

citrus sesame silky tofu

Vietnamese egg rolls

 

I loved the egg rolls so much the last time I was in for the special pho night at Starry Kitchen, I got them as my starter. However, the thing to get is the silky tofu! The citrus was a fresh and dominant flavor for the flavor sponge tofu.

Your other choice is the savory pork wontons which I had the last run. If I were you, I’d keep the sauce just to dip something else in.

Burmese galangal chicken wings

I was talking to owner Ngyuen about his wife, Chef Thi’s wings. I’ve had quite a few versions of chicken wings now from Starry Kitchen and they’re all good. Definitely get them with plain white rice to fully enjoy the galangal (a type of ginger) flavor.

braised coco cola jackfruit

Vegetarian? VEGAN?  Not but still love culinary surprises? Get the coca cola braised jackfruit. It may look like meat and has a “chewy” meaty texture but it’s fruit! This was a tasty dish that happened to be vegan. Pictured above with the (in)famous garlic noodles.

beef-tacular

I chose the beef-tacular because the darn thing had a fried egg on it! C’mon, strong showing from the team and lots of comfort food points. I got this with fried rice and it’s served with fish sauce (a different fish sauce than the one served with egg rolls). I really admire Starry Kitchen’s attention to detail for things like that. I chose the soba noodles as my side and all the dishes came with the crunchy salad I love so much.

soba noodles

 

The soba noodles do get soggy so only add the sauce when you’re ready to eat. I was in serious carb food coma after this meal but it was so worth it.

lychee panna cotta with salted plum sauce

pandan flan

 

The edible flowers on the two desserts tasted like watermelon! Wouldn’t it be funny to eat a bag of these tiny orchids as a snack at a movie theatre? Healthy, right?

Starry Kitchen was out of the coconut pandan panna cotta with rum banana jam but we had the lychee panna cotta with salted plum sauce and pandan flan. I am into lychee so this was perfect for me. The pandan flan is classic and always solid.

You have one more week (until February 3) to get these delicious eats.

Starry Kitchen

350 S Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90071 – (213) 617-3474

 

January 23, 2012

Venice: Spotlight on Sunny Spot

Posted by the minty under booze, cocktalian, dessert, food, great cocktails, hot bartenders, restaurant reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , |
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the Birdcage booth at Sunny Spot

Chef Roy Choi decided revamping Beechwood‘s menu wasn’t enough and opted to change the concept with his partners last August.  Soon came word the food would be a West Indian/ Caribbean concept.  Those in the food scene saw Chef Roy around town at special dinners and food festivals presenting Jamaican “What a jerk” wings and other casual Island fare for the newly re-named Sunny Spot. The Venice restaurant opened in November after renovation. The result was a bright and cheerful Island roadside cafe complete with colorful oil cloth covered seating. The general format of the restaurant is the same with an airy patio, comfortable lounge but the interior seating saw the most changes. Although it was opened up (you can see into the kitchen), it was dubbed the Rum Den and felt as snug as a smuggler’s cove. The corner booth is the “birdcage” and I vowed to sit in it next time.

Imperial Fizz

Chilcano Bay

We started dinner with a round of drinks. I chose the Imperial Fizz (rye, jamaican rum, angostura, egg-white, lemon), a pleasing light cocktail. I also tasted the Chilcano Bay (pisco, lime, ginger, lemongrass, Fernet Branca). My cocktail sweet spot was tickled, I liked the Chilcano Bay! But there were so many other good options. I’ll have to come back for this drink.

pirate-style fisherman's stew

I spotted the pirate-style fisherman’s stew and knew I had to have it. One of my favorite things is a bowl of seafood soup. We shared this but I suggest ordering a bowl for yourself!

Two-Fisted Burger

I ran into another food writer and we invited her to join us. She was there to check out the Two-Fisted Burger which I would not have ordered the first time at Sunny Spot– I was here for the Island food. But once I tasted it, I knew it was legit. It was a good burger. Seasoned meat, juicy, great cheese, peppery arugla, tomato ginger jam and a beautiful bun. The burger was the tallest burger I’ve seen. This burger made me wonder why doesn’t everyone make good burgers? I have never been obsessed with finding the best burger because I realized I never had the perfect burger. Sure, I like a number of spots around town but it’s not my go-to. At Sunny Spot, this burger is a go-to item.

sugar cane fried pig's feet

yucca fries

We tore into the pig trotters with ease. Nothing like fried pork! And the yucca fries were great.

diablo prawns

vinegar cole slaw

 

I love eating with people who have been to the restaurant before and have already discovered their favorites. I was told to save a bit of the spicy sauce from the prawns to eat with the cole slaw.  The result was a spicy, tart slaw that I immediately liked. We also had some “yellow salty rice” (as so named on the menu) with this dish. Rice not pictured.

Field & Stream

Dictator

After my light cocktail, I wanted something along the lines of my “usual”- I got the Dictator (Trinidad rum, Dolin blanc, Galliano, Cio Ciaro)  and also tasted the Field and Stream (Haitian rum, orgeat, lemon, Angostura). I liked both but the Dictator is a boozy and comforting drink. One I wanted considering the heavy fog outside.

Cuban torta

Next up was the Cuban torta. We also got the Black Velvet soup (not shown) to go with this. Dipping the crusty bread into the warm black bean soup was a fantastic combo. The pork was luscious and comingled beautifully.

slow roasted goat- greatest of all time

I was rapidly slowing down but we had the goat and fish to go. And dessert! And maybe one more cocktail. Let’s savor this goat though. Paired with pickled mango and lettuce, you ate it like a wrap. I loved the pickled mango and the tangy fruit went really well with the goat.

whole roasted fish

Chef Roy Choi told us when we sat down we had to get the whole roasted fish so we did. After I told everyone about how my little cousin fought us all for the fish eyeballs during Thanksgiving, we had a laugh about how kids always know about the good stuff. This fish was succulent and served in a great traditional copper pan. I would have been happy with just this and that yellow salty rice.

San Juan Sling

 

For my last drink, I had the San Juan Sling (white rum, cherry brandy, Angostura, Benedictine, lime). I was debating the Fleur de Lis (Gin, hibiscus, honey, Chartreuse, lemon) but was told it was sweeter than the Sling so that’s why I went with it. I do want to try the Fleur de Lis though since I love Chartreuse and am curious about the hibiscus. The Sling was very easy drinkin’.

We be yammin

We couldn’t leave without dessert. There are three to choose from and we opted for the “We be yammin” which is like a year-round Thanksgiving treat. The sweet potato tart with walnut crust was topped with marshmallow ice cream. And it’s petite enough that you don’t feel like a total glutton (but really, that’s like saying diet coke).

My fave Roy Choi restaurant is A-Frame but I may have a new sweet (Sunny) spot for this restaurant. Everything was fun. Eating was fun. Food should be fun and not serious sometimes. It’s more about who you’re with and getting some great food and drinks almost seems like a bonus. It’s where foodies can hang out without the oppressive need to try to one-up another. Let’s just have a burger or goat or pig trotters and grub. Ya dig?

 

Sunny Spot

822 Washington Blvd., Venice, CA 90292 – (310) 448-8884
 

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