Bistro LQ: New Winter Menu Sneak Peek

As mentioned, one of my top posts last year was my Bistro LQ post introducing the new Fall menu. I went back last week to discover Chef Laurent was hard at work on his Winter menu. He said if we ordered the degustation menu, we could have a sneak peak. Well, how could we resist? We chose the 7-course tasting menu which is a reasonable $70. The 10-course at $90 may seem like a better deal but we didn’t think we had that much time. Plus, we said we just wanted a quick bite before a birthday party we were heading to. Ha! Only I could turn a quick bite into a 3-hour dinner.

The foie gras tostada and venison tartare were not new but very delicious. I hope he keeps some version of them on the new menu. The amount of foie gras was more than generous and I liked the little spikes of sweet-tartness the pomegranate seeds provided. I loved the presentation of the venison tartare. When I first went in September, it was served with a little gelee. This time around, the gelee was white wine and off to the side while a tiny quail egg topped off the mound of venison. And yes, still wonderful fries.

The dining room was busier than I had ever seen. Bistro LQ just threw a successful 19-course truffle dinner the week before and was gearing up for another. We just missed cassoulet night the evening before. I have to keep an eye on their calendar so I don’t miss out on other special events.The cod’s flavoring reminded me of cassoulet though. It was wonderfully savory and just the perfect amount of lentils. I also found the lobster oatmeal with the seared scallop to be very interesting. The juxtaposition of the slightly spicy shishito peppers and a bite of oatmeal was a really nice accompaniment to the scallop.

I’ve been to a few meals where they serve palate cleansers in between courses. This was the first time I had something that was so decadent. Our server said this terrine of truffle, quail egg and foie gras had been part of the truffle menu. Lucky us!

I learned to eat uni in 2010. I also learned to eat sweetbreads. It was quite the experimental year. While uni can still be hit or miss with me, I found sweetbreads enjoyable with every meal I’ve done. This dish was no exception. It was such a pretty dish. Pretty soon my small bowl was all gone. I believe this will be on the new Winter menu. I hope so!

I’m almost certain this was rabbit. It didn’t taste like veal to me. It was one of the most colorful dishes of the night. By this time I was pretty much full and couldn’t finish my bite.

If you’ve been counting along, we’ve had the amuse, an intermezzo, 6 courses and now cheese. With this plate, we realized we still had dessert to go. I’m kind of a funny chick. I am not much into stinky cheeses. I know, I know. But with enough honey and a variety of condiments, I will try the cheese. Actually, I’ll try the cheese anyway. My favorite turned out to be the soft cheese in the middle and one of the stinkiest of the bunch. Go figure.

The desserts were the same as I had last time but I have to show the spice cake that came with the coffee. It was delicately spiced and my favorite of all the things we tried. We also were given mignardises.

7 courses? More like 15! Chef Laurent said the new menu should be up very soon. Check back to his website. In the meantime, I love these pages:

Laurent’s Favorite Things

Tools– Getting an idea how a restaurant works

The Senses

 

Bistro LQ

8009 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90048-4503
(323) 951-1088