Traxx

The words "fine dining" and "train station" aren't normally something you'd associate with each other, but for the past 11 years, Traxx Restaurant, appropriately named, has found its home inside the historic Union Station in Los Angeles. On the oft times I've found myself inside the Union Station and walking by Traxx, there's been a bubbling curiosity as to what dining at Traxx would be like. One day, that curiosity finally boiled over and I joined members of my dining group there for dinner. Wanting to do some people watching that included checking out the filming of an episode of the tv show, Monk, we dined in the indoor patio outside the restaurant.

Having heard raves about their Louisiana Jumbo Crab Cake, that became my starter. Sitting on Chipotle Chile Remoulade, the crab cake looked fairly substantial for just an appetizer, which made me even more than ready to dig in. After my first bite, I definitely felt those raves were substantiated. What I enjoyed about this dish was that it was packed to the gills with crab and they used just enough batter so that the crab cake had a crispy outside texture. All you have to do is look at the picture I took of it to see what I mean. I also appreciated the smokiness and the heat coming from the Chipotle sauce. This meal was definitely off to a good start.

I continued my seafood theme by ordering the Pacific Roasted Pacific Red Snapper Fillet which came with black rice and topped with a Charred Jalapeno Vinaigrette. Other than some oiliness that pooled to the bottom of the plate, the fish was wonderful. I really liked how the skin and outer part of the red snapper was crisped and golden brown, but that the fish meat itself was moist and delicate. The jalapeno vinaigrette also added a nice kick in flavor. Unfortunately, although the flavor of the black rice was really good, it soaked in too much of that oiliness I mentioned earlier, so points were definitely taken away because of that.

As for dessert, if I had just stopped at the red snapper, it would have been a pretty good meal. Unfortunately, my Orange Blossom Panna Cotta with Muscat Infused Citrus Segments was just awful. Unless I missed something, a panna cotta is made by simmering together cream, milk and sugar, mixing this with gelatin, and letting it cool until set. Even if there wasn't cream, milk or sugar, at the very least, I expected something more gelatin-like. What I got was basically citrus soup. The "panna cotta" was liquidy. Again, maybe, there's something I'm missing and if so, I'd love to hear some input because I was just plain confused.

At least, some of the other desserts that the group ordered looked and apparently tasted pretty good, so it's not as if I can say that desserts are something that should be passed over at Traxx, but if you happen to see that Orange Blossom Panna Cotta on the dessert menu, you might want to pass on it.

Overall, I'd say that my meal was pretty good. I certainly enjoyed the ambiance and hustle and bustle of people walking through the station and the added bonus of watching a tv show being filmed certainly added to the atmosphere. I would go back to Traxx, although with the many hundreds of restaurants out there that I still want to try, it wouldn't be anytime soon.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157603910137721/

Traxx Restaurant
800 N Alameda St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 625-1999
www.traxxrestaurant.com

Osteria Mozza

Having had a couple wonderfully tasty dining experiences at Pizzeria Mozza, I had been waiting in anticipation for months for Osteria Mozza to open its doors. Thankfully, they finally did and with my taste buds ready for action, I went in one night with friends for a meal.

My first impression was that it was very loud. It was so loud that it was difficult to talk to my dinner companions without practically shouting. By the time I left, my voice was hoarse and my head was pounding. Luckily, the restaurant's decibel level didn't detract from the good food.

Our meal started with our waiter offering 3 different types of breads. Soon, our amuse bouche arrived and it was a Mozzarella Involtini stuffed with fresh basil, roasted tomato, and olives. The combined flavors were wonderful.

For our starters, my party shared 4 different appetizers and one pasta dish. Of the 4 appetizers, there were two standouts. First, there were the Grilled Figs wrapped in Pancetta with Wilted Dandelion Greens. It's hard to go wrong when your taste buds get a tasty combination of a sweet and salty, paired with a hint of bitterness from the dandelion greens.

Second, I also really enjoyed the Burrata with Bacon, Marinated Escarole and Caramelized Shallots, for almost the same reasons I loved the figs, although the figs' sweetness were replaced by the bacon's smokiness. As for our pasta dish, the Orecchiette with Sausage and Swiss Chard was a definite hit.

When it came to the entrees, 4 of us opted to share ours. My particular order was the Roasted Pork Arista with Sweet Corn and Chanterelles. After one bite, I almost didn't want to give it up to the next person. I loved the pork's juiciness and fattiness and if you take a good look, you can see the wonderful spices that were encrusted around the meat. Peppery met sweet and woodsy from the corn and chanterelles for a wonderful melding of flavors.

I also sampled the Grilled Quail wrapped in Pancetta with Radicchio and Honey, which I found blah. While I loved the fattiness of the roasted pork, the fattiness of the quail turned me off. The Beef Brasato with Polenta and Horseradish Gremolata was meltingly tender, but the sauce left a tangy after taste that wasn't appealing. The only other entrée I enjoyed as much as the roasted pork was the Monkfish Alla Diavollo. The fish was cooked perfectly and the sauce packed some heat that I found surprising. I don't associate spicy flavors with Italian foods at all, but boy, that monkfish dish was outstanding.

We also ordered veggie side dishes. I think that we could have easily done without them. They lacked punch. One of the sides we ordered was the Spaghetti Squash, Chiles, Mint and Bottarga. You'd think with ingredients like mint and chiles, you'd get a little bit of zing to your palate, but the dish was quite bland and while I liked the beet portion of the Marinated Beets with Walnut Salsa Verde, the salsa verde didn't add much and as such, was superfluous.

With all the food that was consumed, we were able to fit in one dessert, the Rosemary Olive Oil Cakes with olive oil gelato and rosemary brittle. While placing our order, our waiter instructed us on the best way to eat it. Simply, try to get the cake, brittle and gelato in one bite, because the olive oil gelato on its own is quite strongly flavored.

Once our dessert arrived, spoon in hand, I did as our waiter taught us. Yum! I don't know how to describe how all three components tasted together. All I know is that I definitely loved how the flavors blended together in my mouth and I also really enjoyed the textures. You get creamy, cakey and hard in one mouthful. By the way, out of curiosity, I did try each item separately. That olive oil gelato definitely is not something to be eaten on its own, but that rosemary brittle was outstanding. I wouldn't mind having a tin to bring home.

In general, other than the noise level, the food was pretty good. Unfortunately, with such expectations, "pretty good" was a bit of let down when I was expecting "fantastic", maybe, even "mind-blowing". I did go back a second time and sampled other menu items to see if my feelings would change.

The conclusions I got from that second visit was that almost any appetizer you ordered, especially from the Mozzarella bar was going to be a real treat and I felt that same way about any of the desserts. The pastas and entrees were a real hit and miss. Either they succeeded beyond compare or they left you wondering why you spent the money in the first place. As for the veggie side dishes, why even bother?

Overall, when you take away all the hype, I think Osteria Mozza is definitely a destination restaurant. The food is well crafted and quite tasty, but for me, the next time I get a hankering for Italian food, I'm heading back to All'Angelo.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157602547420857/

Osteria Mozza
6602 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA
(323) 297-0100
http://www.mozza-la.com/

All'Angelo - CLOSED

While I like Italian cuisine, I don’t generally go out of my way to choose it for a restaurant outing, but when I do, the food has to be really outstanding for me to want to return. There’s been a couple that I liked and would go back if I was in the mood, but so far, there’s only been one that has made me a repeat customer for over 3 years. With my recent dinner at All’Angelo, my short list of favorite Italian restaurants definitely increased by one and rightly so.

Our evening started with our group ordering a record 8 appetizers. Suffice to say that everything was described so deliciously on the menu that the orders couldn't stop coming out of our mouths once our waiter showed up, pen in hand. Of all the appetizers that graced our table, I sampled three of them and Mama Mia, they were absolutely wonderful.

First, there was the Octopus Carpaccio with Tomatoes in Pizzaiola. The presentation alone was very eye-catching with a beautiful geometric pattern of thinly sliced octopus lying delicately across the plate. After taking a bite, I was happily surprised at how tender and moist the meat was. My previous experience with octopus was eating it as part of a Korean casserole and at that time, I found it to be a tasty, but very chewy experience.

Second, I delighted over the creaminess of the Timbale of Cauliflower with Mascarpone Sauce and I really enjoyed the Grilled Radicchio, which was both slightly bitter, but also had a hint of sweetness from the caramelization that occurred from the grilling.

A highlight of the evening was the salumi plate filled with delicious meats freshly cut from their vintage slicing machine displayed proudly next to the bar. By the way, we had to order this off the menu and at $25, it was worth it.

For my entrée, I had the Crusted Venison Loin, Wild Mushroom Ragout & Gnocchetti and it was wonderful. The venison was cooked perfectly. It was tender, moist and didn't have a strong gamey taste to it and was complemented by the lovely "woodsy" flavor of the wild mushroom sauce.

I also had a bite of the Calmaro Stuffed with Shrimp & Eggplant in Tomato Stew. Once you get over the shock of being presented with "stuffed torpedoes", it was quite tasty and thankfully, the squid was prepared just right without any chewiness to the meat in evidence.

There's always room for dessert and my meal ended with the Caramelized Meyer Lemon & Polenta Pudding with Lemon Sabayon. I've done my share of dessert eating over the years, but this sweet offering is decidedly one of my favorites so far. Its nutty, tart-sweet flavors combined with a textured-creamy consistency really made my taste buds sing and while I never like to order the same thing twice when I re-visit a restaurant, I may have to make an exception in this case.

Overall, the food was absolutely wonderful as was our service, which was both prompt and friendly. Like I said earlier, All'Angelo certainly won me over and is one Italian restaurant that I will be visiting on a more regular basis, or at least, as much as my pocket book will allow.

All'Angelo
7166 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90046
(323) 933-9540

Dinner at Maison Akira

It's amazing to me how sometimes the restaurants closest to you are the ones you take the longest to try. In the past few months, I've driven into Gardena, Hollywood, Downtown, Silver Lake, etc., etc. to check out new restaurants but having lived just 15 minutes away from Pasadena for the past 20+ years, it was only a few weeks ago that I finally had dinner at Maison Akira, a Japanese-French fusion restaurant.

What the heck was I waiting for all this time? So far I've been to over 100 new (new for me) restaurants just this year and I can tell you right now that Maison Akira is definitely one of my favorites.

The restaurant itself was quite a study in contrast. The front dining room was more simple in its look and design while the back dining rooms had rich colors and beautifully patterened drapes separating a couple of the rooms from each other.

Upon looking at the menu, the majority of my dining group opted for the pre-fixed menu, a five course meal for $50. What a great price and believe me, you got your money's worth.

While I enjoyed every single bite from the amuse bouche all the way to dessert, the two highlights of my meal were actually Chef Akira Hirose's signature dishes.

First there was the Grilled Miso Marinated Chilean Sea Bass in a Honey Lemon Jus on Roasted Provencal Vegetables. Wow! Can I say that again? Wow! That Chilean sea bass was the best I've ever had. The fish was delicate, moist and practically melted in my mouth. I can tell you right now that every Chilean Sea Bass I have in the future will definitely be compared to the one I had that night.

Then there was my dessert, which was called the Timbal Elysee "Laserre". The presentation was so beautiful that I almost didn't want to eat it. Almost. This dessert had pure vanilla bean ice cream in a cookie tuile with fresh berries, a caramel dome and was served with a raspberry and vanilla sauce.

According to our waitress, the best way to eat this dessert is to take your spoon and press down so that it breaks and that way, you'll be able to eat some of the components at the same time.

This signature dessert had lots of textures. Between the "crunch" aspect of the cookie, the creaminess of the ice cream, the juicy berries and everything else, this is definitely one of the best desserts that I've ever had.

Overall, I had a really lovely experience at Maison Akira. The service was excellent. Our waitress was knowledgeable and of course, the food was delectable. I definitely am looking forward to a return visit sometime soon.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157594395249133/detail/

Maison Akira
713 East Green Street
Pasadena, CA 91101
(626) 796-9501
http://www.maisonakira.com/

Patina & Blair's

Patina (located at Walt Disney Concert Hall)

After hearing mixed reviews about Patina, I wasn't sure what to expect, but thankfully, from start to finish, it was a great experience, at least food-wise. Service was a bit spotty sometimes, but it could have been worse.

In regards to food, I have to say that the appetizers were superb. The majority of the group ordered the Quartet of the Sea, which consists of 4 different seafood appetizers served all on one plate. It's a dish that changes depending on the seasonality of the seafood ingredients.

However, I ordered the Maryland lump crab cannelloni and melon appetizer and it was a big hit for me. The sweetness of the crab and the refreshing melon merged together in perfect harmony.

Everyone also enjoyed their entrees and desserts. Unfortuantely, my pictures of the entrees came out too blurry, so you won't see them in the photoset below. While everyone went for the lamb or the seafood dishes, I opted for the Crispy Jidori Chicken Breast with Lavendar. While I can't say that I tasted much Lavendar, the chicken skin was crispy and delicious and the breast skin was moist and tender, which is always a welcome thing.

For dessert, I went for the sorbet ice cream which included tahitian vanilla, a rich dark chocolate, chamomille lemon and unfortunately, I don't remember the 4th flavor. I really enjoyed the chamomille lemon and would have been happy with just that being the only sorbet in my dish. Unfortuantely, I didn't keep any notes on the desserts, so I don't remember the names of some of the other dishes, but you can at least see pictures of two of them below.


Blair's (Silverlake)

I've been hearing about Blair's for a while now, but it wasn't until last month that I finally got to experience it for myself. For those of you who don't know, Blair's positions itself as a bistro that serves New American Cuisine. If you want to know more about New American Cuisine, you can find out more on their website because here I'm just going to concentrate on the food.

Blair's menu is seasonal which is nice because they take advantage of what the best ingredients are for that time of year. For my dinner there, I went all the way from appetizer to dessert and what a treat my meal was. I started with the roasted beets, avocado and goat cheese on mixed greens with a beet vinaigrette.

This was a great salad with a lot of great textures and flavors: the creaminess of the avocado, the saltiness of the goat cheese and the weediness, slightly bitterness of the greens combined with the beets for great eating. My entree was the risotto with the butternut squash and also had unusual ingredients. How often do you see collard greens with butternut squash? At first, I wasn't sure about this combo, but the greens actually cut down the sweetness of the squash and actually balanced the dish really well.

Dessert was the caramel pudding trifle with strawberries, whipped cream and buttermilk cake. What I liked about this dessert is that it wasn't overly sweet and I don't think I've ever had a dessert that was made up of pudding and fruit before, so that made this dessert a little more different for me anyway.

Overall, both Patina's and Blair's were great restaurant experiences for me and I would definitely be more than happy to return to either of them in the future.

Patina
141 S Grand Ave (Cross Street: West Third Street)
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213) 972-3331
www.patinagroup.com/patina/

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157594305212808/

Blair's Restaurant
2903 Rowena Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90039 (323) 660-1882
http://www.blairsrestaurant.com/

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157594305236882/

"The Great Steakhouse Challenge" - Dinner at Jar

Third up in this series was Jar in Los Angeles, CA. After my heavenly experience at Dal Rae, Jar definitely had a lot to live up to in my books.

Unfortunately, my tale is part woe and part bliss. Before we get to the woe part, I want to mention that everything started off on a high note for me when I had my salad. That salad, which consisted of roasted beets, arugula, sweet roquefort and balsamic vinaigrette, was absolutely delicious. Considering that I work for a produce company that makes bagged salads, I'm extremely picky about my salads and I finished everything on my plate to the last beet.

Following the fantastic salad came the woe. :( I ordered the skirt steak and was extremely disappointed. First off, I expected the meat to be more marbelized, just a little bit fatty to allow for flavor in the meat. Also with that little bit of fat, the outside of the steak would have also been more caramelized, which again would have again contributed better to its flavor. The meat was also chewy-soft, if that makes sense. After the high of the Petite Filet Pepper Steak I had at Dal Rae, this skirt steak was a real downer.

In retrospect, the waiter did say that the dishes that Jar is known for are the items listed under the Braises and Sautes section of the menu and lo and behold, some in the group ordered the lamb shank with star anise, coriander and garlic as well as the Jar's signature pot roast and were quite happy with their meal, so on a return visit, I probably would make different choices.

However, it should be noted that two people in our group split the Prime Porterhouse and raved about the tenderness of the meat, the flavor and the juiciness of the meat, which is another reason to avoid the skirt steak altogether next time.

But along with the woe was bliss and that bliss for me in the form of the french fries with garlic and parsley that I ordered as a side. Crunchy and with a flavor zing...those fries made me a happy camper. Also, the dessert special that I shared with a friend was awesome, a rich butterscotch pudding that almost made me weep with joy. I also had a taste of Jar's signature chocolate pudding and oh my gosh, it was creamy dark chocolate perfection!

Overall, I would make my way to Jar again, but at least this time, I know what not to order in way of a steak and if the butterscotch pudding isn't available, the chocolate pudding will do just as well.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157594345082313/

By the way, my camera settings weren't as they should be, so the pics are a bit blurry in the photoset above.

Jar
8225 Beverly Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90048
323-655-6566

Dinner at L'Orangerie - CLOSED

For the last few years, I've been meaning to dine at L'Orangerie, but have never found the occasion to do so. With this restaurant landmark finally closing its doors at the end of this year, I finally decided that now was as good a time as any to check this place out. So last Friday, I visited L'Orangerie for the first and last time.

Upon walking through the green door from the valet to the front courtyard of the restaurant, I caught my breath at the very pretty sight before me. There were tables with white linen table clothes, fresh pink and white roses, and candlelight along with sage green wrought iron chairs with a curvy pattern. There was greenery everywhere from potted miniature fruit trees to ivy along the walls. At the end of the courtyard was a beautiful creamy white fountain that had a yellow glow of light at the mouth of the lion where water would normally be streaming out of.

Even the door to the restaurant was no ordinary door. It was a dark blue with a golden knocker and with arched windows above it made it seem larger than it probably was. As you enter through the front door, you're greeted by Sphinx-like statues guarding the entrance into the middle patio of the restaurant, which is where I was guided by the Maitre'd to await the rest of my party. Inside was just as beautiful with more greenery and white tablecloths, but instead of pink roses, white roses were the choice this time and of course, candlelight and crystal stemware were on the tabletops.

Once everyone arrived, we started perusing the menu and eventually placed our orders. Many of us ordered appetizers and that included me. Before the appetizers came, we were treated to an amuse bouche. It came in a little glass cup and it was three-layered. The bottom layer was eggplant, the middle layer was yogurt and the last layer was something sweet, but I can't remember what. It was a weird mix of flavors. I didn't care for it much and neither did most of the people in my party.

As for the appetizers, I decided to share an appetizer with someone else and we ordered the zucchini flowers with basil, tomatoes and olive oil with lemon. Believe me, I'm glad I shared because there's no way I would have been able to finish all four of the zucchini flowers, which is what comprises a full order. A nice thing that the restaurant did was to split the order onto two separate plates.

In regards to the zucchini flowers, while I liked the combined flavor of the acidity of the tomatoes and the slight bite of the basil, the dish as a whole was really mushy. The only time I've ever had zucchini flowers in the past were when they had been stuffed with cheese and deep-fried and those were delicious. Not that I expected the ones I ordered to be deep fried, but just the general limpness of the flowers were quite disappointing to me. They seemed overcooked.

For my entrée, I had the roasted breast of duck with Tonka beans, grilled zucchini and potatoes. I was really disappointed with this dish as well. The duck breasts were too chewy and the bean and veggie mixture left a funny after taste in my mouth, so I took a couple of bites and that was it. So far, it's been three strikes and dessert hadn't even arrived yet. For dessert, I ordered an assortment of 4 crème brulees: vanilla, coffee, amaretto and dark chocolate. Thank goodness for these crème brulees. They were so good. Creamy with lots of flavor. I think if I didn't have at least one good course, I would have been really upset. While enjoying our desserts, we also were treated to two trays of little mini dessert trays, which included cream puffs, a guava-tasting mousse and a few others. The presentation was pretty. Unfortunately, many of us were too full to enjoy them, so I ended up taking most of them home.

While the restaurant is absolutely beautiful, there were more misses for me than hits. The service wasn't that great. It seemed like we were always having to signal our waiter or the bus boy for things we needed. I already mentioned how I wasn't very happy with my food orders, except for the crème brulees. I don't know if the fact that the restaurant is closing down at the end of the year has anything to do with my negative experience there. Whether it is or not, it's too bad that a restaurant that I've always kind of put on a pedestal would come crashing down so hard.

Anyway, regardless of my less than spectacular meal, I'm glad that I was able to say a good-bye. At the very least, I'll have pictures of what was once a beautiful restaurant space and now will be able to share them with you.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157594262567567/

L'Orangerie
903 N. La Cienega Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90069
(310) 652-9770