Schaner Farms Duck Egg at Sadie

The menu at Sadie, the newish restaurant that took over the old Les Deux space in Hollywood, has been revamped by consulting chef Mark Gold. The food was good to begin with, as I’ve already told you, but it’s been taken up a notch by Gold, who has a loyal following at his own restaurant, Eva.

If you’re going to check out the new menu, make sure to start with the Schaner Farms duck egg, which is prepared sous vide and served with spring garlic, English peas and radish. The dish is a revelation. I would go back just for that egg. The pork belly, with yuzu kosho, soy and green garlic, is another good starter option. You should definitely share this dish, as it is a substantial piece of fatty pork (in the best way possible, of course).

As for the mains, the linguini and clams, with littleneck clams, lemon and tons of garlic, should satisfy you, as should the Wild Alaskan Halibut served with artichoke, smoked bacon and onion relish. My only real complaint is the disappearance of Chef Dave Schmidt’s original Sadie chicken dish, which was nicely roasted and came with a delicious mustard-y concoction of spaetzle, Brussels sprouts and tomatoes. The chicken dish that Gold served at my tasting didn’t hit the mark for me, but it seems to have been replaced on the menu by a fried version, which should be much better if it’s anything like his fried chicken at Eva.

Peychaud's Ice Cream and Sanbitter Float (left), Fernet and Chip Ice Cream and Mexican Coke Float

The cocktails remain largely the same, though some tasty additions have been made, including the Fernet and Chip Ice Cream and Mexican Coke Float, which I prefer to the more bitter Peychaud’s Ice Cream and Sanbitter Float, though I know lots of people who like the Peychaud’s Bitters version better. In any case, whatever you order from mixologist Giovanni Martinez’s bar is sure to be good. Trust.

Further reading:

Spring at Sadie: New Chef, New Menu, New Cocktails by Gourmet Pigs

When Bitter is Sweet by Tasting Table

Spring Into Sadie by The Fussy One

Note: This meal was hosted.

Gonpachi's courtyard

Restaurant Row on La Cienega Boulevard has been long known for its large, overly expensive eateries — Lawry’s The Prime Rib, Benihana, Woo Lae Oak, The Stinking Rose. But the Row’s Gonpachi Beverly Hills, though large, is one of the best values on that strip with its incredibly fresh-tasting sushi-grade fish and satisfying hot dishes, including robata.

I was recently invited to dinner at Gonpachi to try out its new menu. I hadn’t been to the restaurant for years, and only for happy hour, so I was excited to go back. The courtyard is lush with foliage and a koi pond, and the interior is reminiscent of the film Kill Bill (which was filmed at the Tokyo location of Gonpachi). All this really sets the scene for the fine meals served here.

Gonpachi Beverly Hills

I took Rory along as my dining companion (naturally), and we started our meal with the garlic soy edamame, which was a tasty twist on the usual edamame appetizer.

Garlic soy edamame at Gonpachi

One of my favorite dishes of the night was the Smoky Yellowtail Jalapeno crudo, which came with a dome of apple wood smoke over the yellowtail sashimi, avocado, jalapeno and citrus soy vinaigrette. A little flashy, yes, but oh-so tasty. The dish was creamy, spicy, smoky and citrusy — a great combination.

Smoky Yellowtail Jalapeno

Smoky Yellowtail Jalapeno

From the robata menu, we tried a bunch of items. I liked the scallops in soy butter, though it was rich! The presentation was nice, too.

Scallops in soy butter

My favorite robata item was the kakuni skewer made with braised Niman Ranch pork belly and karashi. The pork belly literally melted in my mouth — I was in heaven! The tsukune ground chicken skewer also had nice flavor, but the poached egg it came with was strange to me because it was cold. The negima crispy chicken skewer and the Brussels sprouts skewer weren’t stand outs.

(From left to right) tsukune, negima, kakuni and Brussels sprouts

The sushi roll we had, the Geisha made with a spicy tuna roll topped with assorted fish and avocado, was also a good choice. The fish was nice and fresh, though there was a lot of mayonnaise-based sauce going on.

Geisha roll

For dessert, we had the Pumpkin Zensai with sweet azuki beans, mochi balls and vanilla ice cream in a pumpkin soup topped with almonds. I liked this a lot because it was creamy but not too sweet, and I always like those red azuki beans and mochi.

Pumpkin Zenzai

All in all, Gonpachi offers great value — quality food in a pretty setting. Prices are moderate, especially for the type of cuisine. The most expensive item on the menu is the chef’s sushi omakase at $70, but most items fall under the $20 mark. It’s the best deal on the block.

Note: This meal was hosted.

Vu (pronounced “view”), which just opened this month, turned out to be a pleasant surprise for me, despite some hiccups at the bar (make sure head mixologist Jolie Klein makes your drinks, and you’ll be golden). The food’s origins are all over the map, literally — there’s Asian, Italian and good old American, among others — and even some molecular gastronomy thrown in. A bit confusing, but somehow it works. Here are some of the highlights from my dinner there last week.

The pork belly sitting on a crispy cake of grits and topped with root beer gelée was my favorite bite of the night. As Lindsay William-Ross, editor of LAist, noted, the flavors were reminiscent of chicken and waffles. I liked this because the root beer wasn’t overpowering but lent just the right amount of subtle sweetness to complement the dish.

Pork belly on crispy grits topped with root beer gelée

My second-favorite dish of the night was the chicken-fried watermelon. This worked because the watermelon was pickled, making it more vegetable-like. The crispiness of the outside went well with the softness of the inside, too.

Chicken-fried watermelon

This amuse bouche, dubbed the Reconstructed Caprese Salad, intrigued me right away. It’s a balsamic vinegar-injected cherry tomato wrapped in basil-infused mozzarella and topped with micro basil. It’s such a cute interpretation of the traditional caprese salad.

Reconstructed Caprese Salad

Another appetizer that I enjoyed were the Thai mussels served in a green curry broth with a hamachi salad, coconut gelée, scallion and micro cilantro. A wonderful combination of flavors. I only wish there were more of it.

Thai mussel

Chef Kyle Schutte is from Atlanta, so that explains the presence of Southern comfort food on the menu. But Schutte has managed to elevate this food to make it pair nicely with wine and the delectable concoctions from mixologist Klein, who made some really awesome drinks, including dessert and digestif cocktails. So next time you’re in MDR, stop in and check out the chicken-fried items (there’s also chicken-fried calamari) and grab a glass of anything Klein feels like making you that day. You may just be tempted to go back some time.

Note: This meal was hosted.

Petrossian in West Hollywood recently held a special event dubbed an industry night for those in the food business to meet and mingle, and that included food bloggers — oh, how far we’ve come, huh?

The restaurant/marketplace (very trendy these days, though to be fair, Petrossian was a market first) is planning on holding these industry nights about once every couple of months, according to Chef Benjamin Bailly. If this recent event is any indication of what these nights will be like, we’re all in for some great food and drink. It’s a great deal, too: Drinks range from $2 to $8, and the plentiful appetizer-size food is free!

I had a pumpkin ale, but I tasted the hibiscus champagne, and it was nice — not too sweet. I thought the sangria was too sweet, but that might have been because I was eating a lot of savory foods.

Hibiscus champagne with an edible flower in the bottom of the glass

The food ranged from hummus and sweet potato chips to pork belly sliders, and it was all really good. I haven’t had a sit-down meal here, but I figure it they can make great appetizers — which I’ve found a lot of places can’t do, despite having a good regular menu — that the meals should be good, too. For a rundown on the restaurant’s regular menu, check out My Last Bite.

Borscht (left) and gazpacho (right)

Crab and salmon (I think?) crostini

Butternut squash soup

The items below were my favorites of the night: Bacon-wrapped dates and apricots, pork belly sliders and panna cotta. I found the bacon and pork belly to be amazingly light, considering the amount of fat they surely had — a great way to trick yourself into thinking that it’s not bad for you! And the panna cotta had tons of vanilla bean specks; it was very tasty.

Bacon-wrapped dates

Bacon-wrapped apricot

Pork belly slider with caramelized onion

Panna cotta with strawberries

Like I mentioned before, Petrossian is also a market selling high-end food like caviar, smoked salmon and artisan chocolates.

Sweets counter

I’ll definitely be back and hope to try a proper meal here some time (the menu is on the pricey side, though), especially since Bailly was so nice to us, making the rounds to ensure everyone was having a good time. And he’s pretty involved in the local food scene, a la Chef Ludo Lefebvre, with tweeting and eating out around town.

Chef Benjamin Bailly