ShopEatSleep

Little Next Door’s peach Country Crouton

Though we’re nearing the end of summer, it doesn’t mean summer menus are done just yet. French brasserie Little Next Door on West Third Street is still serving peaches, corn, eggplant and other warm-weather foods on its current dinner menu.

Here are my favorite dishes from Little Next Door’s summer menu.

The Country Crouton with burrata cheese, white balsamic vinegar, grilled peaches and candied walnuts on crusty bread. The delicate smoothness of the burrata and peaches pairs nicely with the tangy balsamic and crunchy nuts.

The Summer Ravioli made with corn pudding, chanterelle mushrooms, chive blossoms and butter nage is summer personified. Sure, you can find a corn ravioli on lots of summer menus across Los Angeles, but that’s because corn is delicious and should be consumed whenever possible, especially when it’s in season.

Summer corn ravioli

Spring for the classic Steak Frites, a large portion of marinated skirt steak with a green peppercorn reduction and shoestring French fries on the side.

Steak Frites

For dessert, I’d recommend two options: the lemon tart if you want something light, and the chocolate and salted caramel pot de creme if you want something rich.

Macarons, lemon tarts and pot de cremes

Summer ends in just a couple of weeks, so head over to the Little Next Door before fall arrives, when stone fruit and corn are nowhere to be found only to be replaced by sadness. (That’s not true; I love persimmons and Brussels sprouts!)

Note: This meal was hosted.

Tuna nicoise salad

I’ve never given Kendall’s Brasserie much thought — I believe most people think of it only when they need a place to eat before a show at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion or Disney Concert Hall — but after having a special Provencal dinner there from the very French Executive Chef Jean Pierre Bosc, I’ve come to know Kendall’s as a place to get a solid meal, no matter the occasion.

As part of the Passport to France dinner series, May is Spring in Provence month. Using Mediterranean ingredients, such as olive oil, fresh vegetables, garlic, seafood and herbs, Chef Bosc has crafted six dishes that can be ordered a la carte or in a three-course prix fixe menu.

If you’re going to choose, I’d start with the niçoise salad made with house-made albacore tuna confit, green beans, tomatoes, potatoes, chopped eggs, olives and a shallot vinaigrette. I’m not usually a niçoise fan, but this version’s house-made tuna confit makes this dish special. It’s delicate yet flavorful.

For your entree, I’d go with the bouillabaisse made with rock snapper, shrimp, scallops, mussels and saffron potatoes served Provencal style with croutons and rouille, a sauce made from olive oil, breadcrumbs, garlic, saffron and chili peppers that’s like a lighter aioli. The croutons and rouille make this seafood soup special.

Bouillabaisse

To end, choose the Nougat Glacé Maxim made with candied fruit and nuts, frozen meringue, and a raspberry coulis. It took a deft hand to make this light-as-air nougat, which had just the right amount of bite.

Nougat Glace Maxim

The three-course prix fixe ($40) is available from 7:30 p.m. to close.

Next up in the Passport to France series at Kendall’s Brasserie is Fall in Lyon from Oct 1-31. I can’t wait to see what Bosc has up his sleeve for that meal.

Note: This meal was hosted.

Raw shaved carrot salad

Chef David Feau (Patina, The Royce, Le Ka)’s Coin de Rue pop-up restaurant has made its way to Chinatown and has an Asian-inspired menu to match. Now dubbed Coin de Rue 13eme, after Paris’ predominately Chinese 13th arrondissement, Feau is serving a French-Chinese menu at Michael J’s Pizzeria & Bar after his stint serving classic French bistro dishes in the old Red Medicine space.

The three-course dinner menu, with optional supplements, is small but varied. If you want to go with lighter fare, start with the tempura asparagus with truffle honey and sea salt or the raw shaved carrot salad. Then move on to the clay pot-baked Alaskan halibut with mushrooms.

Clay pot halibut

If you want a more flavorful experience, start with the soft scrambled eggs with cabbage, sea urchin and crab bisque (this dish reminds me of the Chinese scrambled egg with shrimp and scallions). For your main, choose the chicken oyster and scallops with leeks, fava beans and poached egg.

Sea urchin scrambled eggs

Chicken oysters and scallops

For dessert, go with the brown butter caramel ice cream and pretzel crumble. It’s more salty than sweet, allowing your taste buds to end on a clean note.

Brown butter caramel ice cream

As for supplements, Feau offered two this past weekend: a spring roll with seared foie gras, forbidden rice, lettuce, toasted shallots and duck sauce, as well as pan-roasted frog legs with parsley root juice, bone marrow and spring garlic. Neither dish is overpowering but both are interesting, so getting either one would make a nice complement.

Seared foie gras roll

Pan-roasted frog legs

Coin de Rue 13eme is taking place again this weekend and next, April 23-25 and April 30-May 1. The prix fixe menu is $49 for three courses, with supplemental entrees for an additional $18 each. Wine pairings are available for an additional $20. First seatings start at 7 p.m., and last seatings start at 10:30 p.m.

But wait, there’s more. From 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. each night of the pop up, enjoy special bar bites ($10-$12) from Feau and a cocktail menu ($12-$15) from mixologist Garrett McKechnie (The Raymond, 1886). The peppercorn croquembouche with chicken liver and foie gras mousse is my personal favorite, with the rabbit rillette on country toast served with peach mustard another good choice. When it comes to cocktails, go with the light and sweet Countryside, a combination of Calvados apple brandy, honey, kumquat and tarragon, or the dark and bitter An American in Paris, with rye, byrrh, amargo Angostura bitters and a cherry.

Peppercorn croquembouche

Rabbit rillette

Countryside

An American in Paris

Coin de Rue 13eme at Michael J’s Pizzeria & Bar
643 N. Spring St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Reservations 213.604.3421

Note: This meal was hosted. 

Further reading:

David Feau’s Coin de Rue Pop-Up Goes to Chinatown by Eater L.A.

David Feau’s Coin de Rue French bistro pop-up heads to Chinatown by Los Angeles Times

Coin de Rue Pop-Up by kevinEats

View from the upstairs bar at Fig & Olive

A week ago (I know, I know — I’m behind!), the New York-based, olive oil-centric restaurant Fig & Olive opened its flagship West Coast location at the trendy corner of La Cienega Boulevard and Melrose Place. It was a scene, my friends: three nights of people in cocktail attire walking a red carpet complete with a step and repeat, as well as fashion presentations by Cholé and Fendi. All that for a restaurant opening!

To be fair, the restaurant is housed in a pretty awesome space: it’s huge, and features rosemary bushes and an olive tree in the main dining room. There’s even an upstairs space, which houses the Fig Champagne & Cocktail Bar, unique to the L.A. location.

Fig & Olive’s thing is olive oil, which it uses in place of butter in nearly all its dishes. You can even buy bottles of its special infused versions at the restaurant (blood orange-infused olive oil, anyone?). The cuisine is inspired by the Mediterranean, and that means the entire region, including France, Italy and Spain.

Keep Reading