Dinner at Red Medicine

 

I made it back to Red Medicine after about a 9-month hiatus. We wanted to try out Savored, a discount site and much to our surprise, it worked out rather well. We feared having to tell them we used Savored but the site promises you don’t need to pull out any paper work or use pass codes.

My friend and I ordered cocktails and 6 dishes from the expansive menu that covers hot, cold, large format, entrees and small dishes to share. The server makes it a point to mention the dishes come out when they’re ready. We picked the chicken dumplings that are cooked with pork fat. It comes with an assortment of things to wrap with lettuce. I liked these but probably wouldn’t order again since I would want to order something new. I am glad they are greatly improved over the time I had them at Test Kitchen.

I got there earlier than my friend so I had ordered a cocktail to start. I got the #3 which is Redemption rye, pickled peaches, lime, mint and ginger beer. It was all right. The bartender actually forgot the booze the first time and had to add it in after she shook it. I did like the pickled peaches.

 

The Ocean trout is cured with sugar cane and comes with grapefruit and trout roe. We really liked this dish but I am very fond of grapefruit.

Also under the cold dishes, we ordered the soft rice paper rolls with rock shrimp and jackfruit. Black garlic, bean sprouts and green chili flavored these rolls. We couldn’t stop “mmm, mmming” over these.

Another dish from the Test Kitchen days, the Brussels sprouts were really tasty. We loved the shrimp chips and my friend commented she had never had Brussels Sprouts with this sort of flavor profile- shallots, fish sauce and vermouth.

For my next cocktail, I decided to branch out from my usual whiskeys and get the absinthe cocktail, the #35. It was wonderfully silky smooth.

We thought about getting the one of the large format plates but decided to share two hot plates; the duck and the pork. While we liked the duck with the interesting addition of banana, my preference was with the pork. It was really gorgeous plating as well. We talked about getting just a couple of meat dishes and one or two sides next time. We were definitely really full at this point.

But not full enough to refuse dessert apparently. While my first inclination is to get the lovely coconut bavarois (I am not int coconut but I love, love this dessert) but I wanted to try something new. We decided to get the plum based on our server’s recommendation. It was delicious, floral and so delicate.

I felt much better about this meal than my other experiences and want to come back more. I still loved the cocktails and dessert best but am interested in more of the dishes as well.

Red Medicine

8400 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90211 – 323-651-5500