#27 - P.Y.T.

My best friend since 9th grade was visiting for the weekend so I gave her the 101 List and asked her to let me know where she wanted to eat. PYT was at the top of her list specifically for the menu item: hand torn pasta with shishito peppers, cilantro, mint, and poblano cream. Which we ordered. And it was freaking delicious.

We had an 8:45 reservation and spent the evening chatting, drinking wine, and sharing some amazing dishes. We closed the place out. Such a cute little place it is too. And the super vegetable forward menu has me dying to go back for more.

Potato Chapati Bread with Argental-berbere cheese, turmeric yuzu butter, and Rancho Gordo bean hummus.

Roasted cauliflower (sorry, no longer on the menu online, so I can't remember all the ingredients.)

Hand torn pasta with shishito peppers, cilantro, mint, and poblano cream.

Gianduja mousse & rice pudding with chocolate shavings and hazelnut

#65 - A.O.C.

The first restaurant I'll be writing about that opened well before I moved to LA (opened in 2002) and that's been on my radar/list since I moved into town (2009) but I didn't make it here until starting this JGold 101 challenge. So thanks, Jonathan!

I really enjoyed A.O.C. For many reasons, but one in particular was that it lacked pretension. Our server Alex started off by asking if we wanted sparkling water or "LA's finest" I really liked that he made the regular free water sound fancy and normal. Throughout the entire meal he was great about coming at just the right moment, not ever interrupting us, and being overall delightful and funny.

The inside to (covered) outside transition is really beautiful, with tables of two sitting in the open doors. Fireplace burning next to running old-style fountain, vines growing on the walls. Good vibes abound.

Oh, and the food is fantastic!  All sharing style. We did one DineLA menu which was four courses and added on a few other dishes. I would come back here for sure. Loved everything!

Three cheese plate. I let our server choose the cheeses. Top is a goat cheese which was very sweet and delicious. Middle cheese was a VERY stank sheep's milk cheese, but it grows on you and pairs really well with the dried apricot. The bottom cheese was a triple cream brie, super buttery.

Chicory focaccia. Was tasty, the only problem being that the chicory should be cut up into smaller bites so this dish would be easier to eat.

Black (squid ink) rice with squid. Much tastier than I imagined. I'm generally not a huge paella fan nor do I usually like squid ink. BUT this dish was made perfectly - not too salty - and the squid wasn't fishy. I barely noticed any flavor from the aioli though.

Seabees with beets. So many different kinds of beets, this dish was beautifully plated. The seabass had some of the best crisp to the skin and flakiness from the flesh that I have ever experienced. Fantastic flavor and probably my favorite dish of the night. I sort of wish we'd each ordered one since it was a very small fillet and we shared it.

The cauliflower was sauteed and quite oily - but I loved it!

Ahh, dessert. It was a toss-up between the chocolate torte and the butterscotch pot de creme. I now wish we'd had both (possible if each of us would have ordered from the DineLA menu instead of only one of us. But, we are trying for low sugar intake this year, so just one dessert is fine. The cake was super dense and a bit too much once I had finished off the coffee cream, hazelnut praline, and caramel. But those bites which had all of the elements were beyond pleasurable!

#9 - Mozzaplex

I probably haven't been to Osteria Mozza since 2012. I think what originally brought me was something I saw on Food Network, which I used to watch religiously when I had cable. Now, not so much.

Anyway, it was delicious and I actually think about the food and ambiance of Mozza quite a lot. Not sure why I haven't made it back in so long, but I'm probably due a visit.

Not to miss:

Anything from the mozzarella bar

Ricotta & Egg Raviolo

Pappardelle

Bambolini

Also, I swear when I went before, they also served pizza in the Osteria Mozza? But maybe I've also been to Pizzeria Mozza on separate occasions. I can't remember what I got, but trust me when I say you can't go wrong.

#17 - Bestia

When I first heard of Bestia back in 2012, I knew I had to get a reservation for Danny's birthday because he loves Italian food and I had been depriving him of it, as I hadn't yet discovered good Italian food. It took a lot to secure the reservation, but I got it. We were both pleasantly surprised at our first meal and went there countless times after. It's currently been a year or two since we've been back, as we no longer live in the neighborhood, but I'm sure we will return soon!

Food items not to miss:

Genevieve's Little Gems salad
Farro Salad
Burrata Salad
Any of the pizzas
Casarecce al Pomodoro
Agnolotti all'Agnello - Danny eats this every time and thinks it is the best thing in the world
Whole Branzino
Chocolate Budino Tart - I get this without fail every time

#47 - SQIRL

Before ever stepping foot inside the small, Silver Lake adjacent cafe, I already knew everything about it. I could almost taste the dishes, basically had the menu memorized, and should have already attempted some of the recipes on my own, since I own Jessica Koslow's book. But alas, I'm sad to say that it took me until the first week of 2018 to have my first bite of SQIRL's toast.

After my visit around 9 am on Saturday, January 6th, I began wishing I too was an East Sider, living close enough that SQIRL could be "my place" that I could be friends with Jessica and all the other cooks in the kitchen. I imagine myself strolling in there multiple times a week, sometimes just for a drink (and ok, probably a biscuit with jam), waving to the busboy; the girl working behind the counter cheerfully greeting me by name - but never assuming she knows what I want, because I never get the same order twice.

But that's not my life. Yet. This year is about getting as far through Jonathan Gold's 101 list, so it's unlikely I'll return to SQIRL as often as I dream. But enough about my silly dreams, here's what I ate.

For my drink, I would normally go for the house coffee, but I felt compelled to ask the guy taking my order what he recommended to drink. He said his go-to is the almond cappuccino. "A cappuccino?!" I thought to myself before immediately agreeing with him that I would take one. Of course they make their own almond milk. And of course this cute little drink was delicious. The top was more foamy than I'd before encountered in an almond milk latte. Danny went with the coffee which they fill into a small cup and little glass carafe. It's cute and the coffee is solid. Definitely worth an order, and also goes perfect with the famed Ricotta Toast, below.

I'm glad we decided not to order a third dish. This toast is a beast! Yes, it's big, but it's also rich. The light creaminess of the ricotta is equally balanced by the sweetness and acidity in the Blackberry Meyer Lemon jam and the Brioche toast is perfectly buttered and toasted so as to add the salt that's required to balance it all out while maintaining the perfect level of sweetness you might expect from a brioche. Jessica Koslow really shows off her knowledge of Salt, Fat, Acid, & Heat. (Shout out to the book by Samin Rosnat that I'm currently reading!)

Ah, the Sorrel Rice Bowl with avocado. I loved everything about this. It was incredibly complex, with ingredients ranging from the Sorrel (where the heck can you find that stuff anyway?!) to the lacto-fermented hot sauce (what does that mean?!) The egg was poached to perfection, I am at a loss for words to further describe how this dish makes me feel. I need this in my life at least once a week. SQIRL, until we meet again.

#7 - Trois Mec

This is the meal that started me on this journey of trying to make it through Jonathan Gold's 101 List, thus it will be the first post in this series.

If you don't know who Chef Ludo Lefevbre is, read his wikipedia. Or better yet, go back and watch him on Top Chef. He's a riot. He's also become somewhat of an LA institution. With multiple restaurants under his tutelage and more on the way, he's spearheaded the Los Angeles Modern Fine Dining Movement.
I hadn't been to any of his locations until I came across his 2 Chef's in Conversation Series. I was smitten over the reviews of Chef Enrique Olverez so I knew I had to get tickets to that. When the time came, I wasn't fast enough, but luckily they had just released notice that Chef Martha Ortiz was going to be doing a night, and I was able to score tickets to that.

Enough of the words. Take a look at the photos in order of this menu. Two dishes were made with vegetables to accommodate my pescetarian diet.

My taco was made with potatoes in place of pork.

That small piece of cabbage in the center? The single best bite of this whole meal!

My mole was made of celery root in lieu of duck. 

I'm Back - Jonathan Gold's 101 Challenge

If you've been with me since I started this blog in 2011 and are still here, thanks so much!
If you are new, you haven't really missed anything, and thanks so much for joining me now!

This seems new to me again. Upon deciding to bring the blog back to life for a new personal challenge, I began looking back on my (mostly) random posts from the past. The posts made me laugh, cringe, and wonder "am I really such a terrible writer?!"

Yes. Yes I think I am. But no worries, this new project will be meant to be more of a checklist and less verbose (I hope!)

Jonathan Gold's 101 list:

What is it?
Jonathan Gold is the Pulitzer Prize winning food critic for the LA Times. He gained publicity in the 80's when he ate at every restaurant along Pico Boulevard. You can read his story about it here. A documentary about him called "City of Gold" came out in 2016 - I highly recommend that you watch it. He is known for effecting some small, hole in the wall restaurants with his blessed, glowing reviews and each year, he releases his new 101 top restaurants in LA list.

Why am I doing it?
The past few years I've been bad about not getting out to more restaurants. I began to get into a routine and tend to frequent neighborhood spots instead of doing more exploring throughout the city. On December 9, 2017, I had the pleasure of eating at Chef Ludo's restaurant, Trois Mec, for the first time during a 2 Chef's Series with Chef Martha Ortiz. This came a few months after a life changing lunch at Chef Diego Guerrero's DSTAgE in Madrid. A 2 Michelin Star experience that completely knocked my socks off and literally brought me to tears a few times during the 12 course meal. After my Trois Mec experience this past December, I posted many photos to Instagram and one was "liked" by @trailofgold who I immediately looked into only to discover that he was working his way "to eat all of Jonathan Gold's 101 list." Genius. Also, he is not alone. Turns out there are many who do this, including Kaitlin Orr, otherwise known as @carnivorr who attempted (and probably has since completed) the 101 list in 101 days. My. How Ambitious!
Me? I just want to eat as much as I can make it to for the experience of eating amazing food, meeting phenomenal chefs, and spending good, quality time with my husband, Danny and occasionally, our friends who wish to join us on the journey.

Isn't it expensive?
Yes. Why? Would you like to give me some money to help me eat through this list? Go for it. I won't argue. I accept paypal and venmo.

What's the timeline? Rules? Plan?
There isn't one. I'm doing this completely for myself, for fun. This blog is just a way for me to keep track and for anyone who cares to follow along. I'll also be posting photos and stories on my Instagram @tarynbone so feel free to follow along there as well.

Finally, I should mention that when Jonathan's 2017 list came out, I counted it up and had already been to 14 of the restaurants on the list. And since planning this, I've eaten at a few more. So I will post about those in retrospect as I doubt I'll have time to get back to them in the coming year. So as of this post, 18 down, 83 to go.

Bon Appetite!

04_tasting notes: Chocovivo

I first discovered Chocovivo in the same way that I discover most everything in life: Yelp.
I couldn't believe that such a place should exist in my old stomping grounds of Culver City.  It really makes me wish I had never left.  I also couldn't believe I hadn't been yet!

Danny took me here for the first time for my birthday weekend.  The set up is great, it's meant for you taste the chocolates in sets of 3, 6, or all 13.  (do the full thing, for only $10, this is a steal, and is easily shared between 2 people)  While I enjoyed the tasting and am happy to share my tasting notes with you, at first I didn't know how to talk about the chocolate in comparison to the other bean to bars I have already talked about on the blog (Askinosie and Garden Island Chocolate)  Chocovivo's chocolate is gritty, more Mexican style and their varying percentages are no comparison in taste to Askinosie's single origin bars.  I have to be honest and say that my palate prefers the flavors of Askinosie and Garden Island.  What sets Chocovivo apart from the other two for me are their flavors, particularly that they have a new seasonal flavor every month.  For my birthday month (June) it was blood orange+EVOO+sea salt, and it was great!  This month it is Meyer Lemon and Rosemary, which is such a lovely, subtle, but delicious combination.

The other thing which makes me love Chocovivo are their drinking chocolates and the variety which they allow.  Today I tried their new vegan frozen hot chocolate.  They use coconut ice cream and the milk is their house-made hazelnut milk.  Of course, like all the other drinks on their menu, you get to choose your chocolate that you want in it: 100%, 85%, 65%, Mayan Traditional (spicy), or Coffee+vanilla.  I went with the 65%.  This is phenomenal.  Typically $7, the vegan one is $10 because of the substitutions of milk and ice cream, but I don't care.  I would gladly get this drink every time, no question about it.  The four others who I brought with me today agreed.  They talked about coming to Chocovivo for the frozen hot chocolate over going to bars and drinking alcohol.  Yes, please!  This should totally be a thing.

Finally, I love Chocovivo for it's monthly events that it brings to the community.  Today I went because for the 4th of July weekend they are doing s'mores.  It is a platter of 3 s'mores, each with house-made graham crackers and marshmallows.  The chocolate was 65%, Mayan Traditional, and Coffee+Vanilla and they gave us a little table side burner over which to toast the marshmallows.  Such a cute idea and a really fun thing to do with friends.  Later this month I am excited to attend their 1 year anniversary party! (July 18th).

Basically, I am obsessed with Chocovivo.

Now for my tasting notes:
1. 100% cacao: Just too bitter and chalky to be able to eat alone, at least for my palate.
2. 85% cacao: bready, gritty, yeasty (these are good things in my book!)
3. 75% cacao: sweet, berries, sugary grit
4. 65% cacao: tangy, definite citrus flavor
5. Nibby Bar--chocolate+raw nibs: grainy, sweet, graham, nutty (one of my favorites, I hope they make this a standard bar!)
6. Almonds+Sea salt: dry roasted, I liked that the almonds were actually ground up into the chocolate instead of being whole chunks inside, that was an interesting twist on a typical almond bar
7. Hazelnuts+Sea salt: more of a heavy roasted flavor than in a typical hazelnut bar, the smoothest texture of all the bars
8. Macadamia Nut+Coconut: sweet, sour, salty, smooth
9. Blood Orange+EVOO+Sea salt: intense orange flavor, turns gritty in your mouth and the flavor gets deeper as it melts
10. Shangri-La--black sesame and goji berries: subtle sesame flavor followed by herbiness, then sweetness
11. Cherries+Almonds+Black Peppercorn: chunks of sweet and sour cherries heavily accented by the peppercorn, one of my favorites
12. Mayan Traditional: spicy, intense, tasted exactly like the sipping chocolate
13. Coffee+Vanilla Bean: intense espresso flavor, the vanilla is just a background noise to accentuate the coffee taste

Clean Eating Challenge: Day 14

Finally.  Like all good things, this too must end.  (In case you are just now joining me, I have been doing Buzzfeed's Clean Eating Challenge, and this is the final day.)

Some things about this plan overall:
1. It's not so "clean..."  Eggs?  I love them, but many people have food sensitivities to them.
2. Yogurt and Cheese?  Ever heard of lactose intolerance? Tons of people have it.  Not "clean!"
3. So much meat and fish.  Way too much if you ask me.

I get it, this was supposed to be for people who maybe have never tried to eat healthy in any way before.  This is not really for people, like myself, who have read pretty extensively about nutrition and eating right, are obsessed with their health, and have watched every single food documentary that exists.  But, this is a much healthier way to eat if you are someone who looks at the recipes and thinks "I would never think of that" or "what's bok choy/fennel/overnight oats?" or something along those lines.  It's also really handy that the plan gives you everything to eat/buy/cook daily.  That was the main reason that I did it to begin with.

Breakfast: Scallion Omelet
Same as one day last week sans goat cheese…because SOMEBODY ate all my goat cheese (Danny!)
Still good without the cheese.

Lunch: Portobello Mushrooms with Tomato and Mint
Surprisingly tasty and filling.

Snack 1: ??
I think that I had a pear with almond butter…but I can't be certain because I didn't take a picture, I am writing this two days later, and everything went downhill after this….

Dinner: Not was I was supposed to have at all
I got to the end and I just could not bring myself to finish it.  Danny asked what was for dinner.  I grumpily told him it was the last day of the eating plan.  I proceeded to pull out the snap peas, mushrooms, and tofu from the fridge.  I looked at it and it made me feel depressed.  So we went to Fickle for Happy Hour instead.  It was amazing.  I was so over this plan.

farmer's crostini

heirloom tomato salad (with burrata)

black cod with summer squash agnoloti

Snack 2: Pinkberry
Whoops.  Total fail on my final day.  Oh well.  Ce la vie.

Clean Eating Challenge: Day 13

Wow.  This Slate article is a bit intense.  I think making an analogy between people who like to eat "clean" and religious zealots who declare that promiscuous women are like a "stick of dirty gum" really misses the point entirely and just tries to incite more anger from average eating people toward people who treat food as an important aspect of life.

I do agree that the term "clean food" has no true meaning.  I was introduced to Clean Food via the Terry Walters cookbook of the same title.  Nowhere on it does it say vegan, but when you start looking through the recipes, you see that they all are.  Therefore, I always took clean eating to be plant-based and home-cooking from fresh, local, seasonal produce.  I still stick by this claim for what I consider to be "clean eating," especially the all homemade part.

That said, I am more than ready to be done with this challenge.  I'm drifting away from it slowly every day.  See below for my transgressions.

(In Case you are just now joining me.  I am doing Buzzfeed's Clean Eating Challenge, and this is Day 13.

Breakfast: Strawberry Chia Overnight Oats
YUM!  This was so good, I ate it while walking to school and it was all gone before I got there (I live two blocks from school)  I did not use yogurt and prove that it is not needed. Just put 1 cup of almond milk instead.  I will be eating this again.

Lunch: Snap Pea, Mint, Arugula Salad
I didn't have any leftover quinoa since I didn't make the dinner that required it a few days ago (that was my wine tasting night on Day 9)  So in place of quinoa I used chickpeas.  Yum.

Snack 1: Half of a lavender strawberry Pocket Pie and a coffee from Pie Hole
Transgression #1.
I was sitting at my computer, hard at work, dreaming of a pocket pie and a coffee.  Moments later, with perfect timing, as usual, Danny gchats me "wanna get a snack somewhere?"  My response?  Not so responsible.  "YESSSSSSSS.  Pie Hole.  Now!!!"
I tried to eat the carrots later, but they were pretty stale anyway, so there it is.

Dinner: Tofu Lettuce "wraps"
I don't eat shrimp, so I replaced that with tofu.  These were really good, or I was really hungry.  Either way.
Transgression #2: I had a little beer with dinner

Snack 2….and 3: Apple with Honey… 
and some freaking amazing nuts from Hawaii.  Just like, 1 or 2 or 3…..

Clean Eating Challenge: Day 12

The finish line is in sight!  I am not following this thing to a tee anymore.  Truthfully, I wasn't originally going to do the second week, but I enjoyed the first one so much, I thought I would give it a try.  Plus some things carried over anyway, so why not?  In case you are just joining me, I am doing Buzzfeed's Clean Eating Challenge and this is Day 12.

Breakfast: Blueberry Oats with Cacao nibs and honey
So….This is very different from a blackberry yogurt parfait.  Well, after trying to last week, I decided that my lactose-intolerance now includes yogurt too, which sucks, but it is what it is.  So I ran 5.5 miles this morning, pre-breakfast and I knew I needed something substantial, so I went for oatmeal.  Here's there recipe:

3/4 c almond milk
1/4 c water
pinch of salt
1/2 c oats
1/2 c blueberries
1 T cacao nibs
1 t honey
dash of vanilla

1. Bring the almond milk, water, and salt to a boil in a small pot.
2. Add oats and stir, reducing heat to low and simmer, covered, for 3-4 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and place in a bowl.
4. Top with blueberries, honey, and nibs and stir before devouring.

Easy Peasy Breezy

Lunch: Reheated Veggie Stew with Avocado
This was from last week and we put half in the freezer, remember?  It was not as good this time around.  I didn't have carrot like it told me to, and I replaced the yogurt with 1/2 of an avocado.  It definitely needs something cold like this in it if you don't do the yogurt.

Snack: Pear with Almond Butter
Is there anything in the world more delicious than a perfectly ripened pear when you are starving?  Try one topped with a tablespoon of almond butter.  Oh yeah!

I also had a little cheat with a special drink from Demitasse. Salted Rosemary Maple Latte.  It was only kind of worth it.

Dinner: Not-So-Asian-Style Dover Sole with Asparagus and Zucchini
Ok, so I have changed up most everything on today's menu.  For this one, I just really really hate bok choy.  I've tried to cook it every possible way, so many times, and every time I am disappointed, so I decided not to even try.  Luckily the asparagus and zucchini were perfect with this tender, light fish.  Another mistake occurred when I saw "tamari" and thought "tahini"  I was all ready to complain on here about the buzzfeed grocery list not including tahini, etc.  I decided to use the rest of my hummus in place of what I thought was supposed to be tahini.  Makes sense, right?  About half way through dinner it occurred to me that this fish was supposed to have a very different flavor!  However, the hummus sauce I made was just fine.  It was very tasty.  And I suppose I will be using the rest of it for my not-so-lettuce-cup's tomorrow night.  Haha.  Also, parchment paper is my new best friend.

Snack 2: Hot Chocolate
Yum.