Top Meals In 2010 - A Quick Look Back

It looks like quite a few bloggers are reliving some of their best eats in 2010, and while I have done the same back in 2009, I'm going to take a real concise approach this year. Let's look back at my top 5 meals of 2010.

*Note: It's sad that only 1 of the meal actually made it on my blog thus far

5) 七十二牛肉麵 aka 72 Beef Noodle Soup (or NRM for short) - Taipei, Taiwan

In all reality, any of the NRM I've tried and consumed over the years here in the United States are forgettable, if we're comparing to the bowls of noodles I tried on my recent trip back to Taiwan. The beef broth are cooked for 72 hours (thus, the name 72 NRM) creating a rich, white, an almost milky color to the NRM broth. It's simply wonderful bowl of beef noodle soup. It was so good, I had to get back for a second helping the day before my flight back to Los Angeles.

七十二牛肉麵
72 Beef Noodle Soup
台北市大安區建國南路一段188號‎
Taipei City, Da An District, Jin Guo S. Rd, 1st Section #188

4) Per Se - NYC

The famous blue doors. Wait, are we in the countryside of Napa Valley? No, instead we're on the 4th floor of the Time Warner Center, home of 3 Michelin Star restaurants Masa and Per Se. While the scenery may not be as majestic as the famous French Laundry in the Napa Valley, the food on the other hand was truly amazing. While I was able to secure two separate tasting menus that night (one of the standard tasting, while the other was an winter offal selection), each dish tasted amazing. While the room and service was slightly stuffy for my tastes, the meal was truly a spectacular 3 Michelin Star affair.

10 Columbus Circle
New York, NY 10023

3) Le Bernardin - NYC

Ah, the legendary Le Bernardin headed by the famous Silver Fox himself, Chef Eric Ripert. My final meal of my NYC trip in 2010 and it finished off with a bang. Memorable would be an understatement. Every dish was presented with care, thought, and cooked to perfection. I don't think I've tasted better seafood than dishes that came out of the kitchen of Le Bernardin that night. Truly, it deserves all the acclamation it has received over the years.

155 West 51st Street
New York, NY 10020

2) Eleven Madison Park - NYC

Wow, a place I actually blogged about this past year. And did I really just put Eleven Madison Park ahead of Per Se and Le Bernardin? The answer to that is YES! While I don't need to go into detail about the food since my views are already on the blogged post, the meal was fun and memorable. Though not casual, the attire was slightly less formal, creating a non-stuffy environment. The servers were friendly and most importantly, the food was amazing. Chef Daniel Humm and team has created a new menu concept late into 2010 and I'm looking forward to trying it for myself in February of 2011. From what I've seen and heard, I shouldn't be disappointed.

11 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10010

1) Alinea - Chicago

This is the post I really want to blog about, but yet I've been procrastinating on. The meal of the year for me without a doubt was my meal at Alinea, during my trip to Chicago this past July. The 26 course tasting menu offered all kinds of surprises, tricks, and most importantly delicious concoctions along the way. The only thing I could say about Chef Grant Achatz is that he's a genius. The trip itself was planned solely for Alinea and the meal was truly beyond my expectations. While the food scene in Chicago is extraordinary, Alinea is truly the pinnacle of a fine meal. I can't wait to get back to Chicago and eat at Alinea and Achatz's other two restaurant concepts!

1723 North Halsted Street
Chicago, IL 60614

There you have it, a brief look back at my favorite meals of 2010. While I do plan on blogging these places more thoroughly, it was good to look back at some of those fine meals. I don't know what places would make the list in 2011, but I'm ready for them!

Best of 2009 Part 2

To continue my previous post about the highlights from 2009, I'm going to go over the best, the most delicious 10 dishes I've eaten in the past year. Again, these dishes varies in price, type, and location. Like with the top restaurant list I posted earlier, these are just based on my taste, but I'm sure most of you guys would agree, to some extent!

10) Brodard's Nem Nuong Cuon: This wonderful mix of grilled pork, vegetables, mint, all wrapped in rice paper with a special house dipping sauce. At $1.50/roll, it's friggin fantastic, albeit affordable!

Nem Nuong Cuon @ Brodard

9) Ricky's Fish Tacos: For what else, their famous fish tacos. The little fish taco cart in Silver Lake that could! At the beginning, Ricky was only able to sell 10-20 tacos a day, but now, with a legend of followers via Twitter and other media sources, Ricky can't go a day without being sold out amongst the long lines of patrons. After coming here, through the introduction of Will of FoodDigger, I can definitely see the hype. I'm DEFINITELY a fan!

Ricky's Fish Taco, with its abundance of pico de gallo, crema, salsa, and cabbage on top of wonderfully fried fish. Fantastic!

8) Torihei's half cooked egg with salmon roe. Wow, what else can I say about this dish? The egg, delicately cooked, with runny yolks, and a generous scoop of salmon roe (ikura) on top. The egg is then put into a bowl of dashi broth. Simply fantastic!

半熟たまご

7) Melisse's Cornish Game Hen "Jambonette." I, having a self professed dislike of most poultry dishes due to the dry texture when it's overcooked, was pleasantly surprised with the cornish game hen dish I had at Melisse. The palenta and mushrooms added a nice touch to the dish, but the game hen was so wonderfully cooked, I really just wanted to devour that dish on the spot! Delicious!

Cornish Game Hen "Jambonette"

6) Ludobites' Foie Gras Black Croque Monsieur with Ham Cherry Amaretto. The "only" disappointment during Ludobites' return at Royal T in December was the croque monsieur not making a return on the menu. The Foie Gras Black Croque Monsieur was fucking fantastic! On the surface, it looked like a simple sandwich on some sort of black rye/wheat bread, but in reality, it's much more than that. The black bread was actually a squid ink brioche. Sandwiched between the brioche were sheep milk cheese, foie gras, and ham. There is a cherry amaretto on the side, but the croque monsieur itself was delicious.

Foie Gras Black Croque Monsieur with Ham Cherry Amaretto

5) Nota Bene's Pulled Suckling Pig Boudin Noir Tart almost saved my trip to Toronto. I do have to say, boudin noir is definitely not for everyone, but I'm definitely a fan. The crunchy tart, served on a bed of arugula was simply delicious. Juicy pulled pork, crunchy pig skin, smoky bacon, and slices of boudin noir layered onto of the top. The ingredients by itself were great, but combined together, added an extra element. I truly enjoyed the crunchy pig skin in this dish. I loved the texture and the taste of it. If I ever make a return to Toronto, Nota Bene will definitely be on the list!

Pulled Suckling Pig & Boudin Noir Tart

4. Petrossian's Truffle Mac 'N Cheese. A dish I've been raving since my review earlier last month. I don't really have anything more to add to my previous review other than I'll let my picture do the talking. Petrossian West Hollywood is a must visit for me after my New York trip!

Truffle Mac 'N Cheese

3) Toque! Restaurant in Montreal, the 7 course tasting menu was fantastic, and it was hard to single out one particular dish. However, the one dish that stood out for me was the "Râble de lapin confit, feuille d’ail verte asperge, morille et purée d’ail noir." Or in other words, rabbit confit with garlic leaf, green asparagus, and a black garlic mashed potatoes. The rabbit confit was pure magical. The meat remained tender and flavorful, and even though it was the first time I've had a taste of "Thumper" (rabbit in Bambi), it was magical. The garlic leaf and the potato added a nice touch to the dish. Simply, fantastic!

Râble de lapin confit, feuille d’ail verte asperge, morille et purée d’ail noir

2) Au Pied de Cochon's Duck in a Can was a dish that pushed for the best dish in 2009. Even so, I was also tempted to pick the foie gras poutine, as that was also an awesome dish. Duck in a can, as decribed by Anthony Bourdain, "Martin Picard uses like a pound of foie gras and a pound of duck, some vegetables, all cooked inside a can." Sounds simple, sounds strange, but the final result is just fantastic. Fatty, yes. Artery clogging, yes. Yet, I wouldn't hesitate to go back for another can of Duck!

Duck in a Can

1) Urasawa's entire meal was memorable, and probably will put all of my future sushi endeavor to shame. However, although many dishes stood out, the one that will forever be memorable was the Kani Miso Kora-Yaki. As mentioned in my Urasawa post, it was a mix of kani miso (crab brain), meat from the hairy crab, and uni. Can that NOT be delicious??

Kani Miso Kora-Yaki

In retrospect, 2009 was a fantastic year. Filled with great meals, met some great individuals, and all in all, I had a blast. I hope 2010 will hold more interesting meals and travels for me. I guess I'll be off to a good start with 2 weeks of meals in Philadelphia and New York City! I can't wait for more adventures ahead.....

Best of 2009 Part 1

After reading Diana's Best of 2009, I started to looked back at some of my pictures of the food I've consumed in the previous year and figured it's a good idea to put together a list of my own. As with everything in life, everyone has different taste buds, thus this list may vary from person to person. However, these are the food I've thought about often over time. I guess this is food porn at its best!

I'll start off Kung Food Panda's Top 5 restaurants of 2009:

1) Urasawa, "the very best sushi in Los Angeles." " The sushi mecca,""the best money you could spend outside of Masa in New York City." Those were some of the words I've heard before actually trying out "The U" back in March of 2009. Outside of saying the meal was a life altering experience, I could safely say, it was the BEST sushi I've ever had in my life, and probably the BEST meal I've ever had, regardless of the type of cuisine.

Chef Hiro Urasawa, truly, an artist at work

2) Restaurant Toque!, one of the best rated restaurant in Montreal, and I could see why they earned the acclaim. Upon trying their 7 course degustation, the impeccable service, the food, the atmosphere, it definitely gave Urasawa a run for their money. Toque! was one reason I'm definitely going back to Montreal in the future. The rabbit confit was definitely a hit for me and my dining companions that night! Bravo Toque!

Restaurant Toque!

3) Au Pied de Cochon, another restaurant I tried during my trip to Montreal. I could go further with my take on Au Pied de Cochon, but why not hear from Anthony Bourdain on his Quebec episode for No Reservations?



Simple thing, do you like foie gras? If you do, don't EVER miss out on Au Pied de Cochon!

Au Pied de Cochon's famous Duck in a Can

4) Melisse, headed by owner and executive chef Josiah Citrin, offers his exceptional take on French style cooking. I had two meals here in 2009 and was impressed with both. Another restaurant I seriously need to finish blogging, Chef Citrin was able to take one ingredient I've never been enamored with (poultry), and made it one of the best dishes I've had in 2009. One of the most complete meals I've had in Los Angeles in 2009, I'm definitely looking forward to return to Melisse sometime in 2010 (especially due to the fact I received a $50 GC for attending their 10 course tasting menu).

Exterior shot of Melisse

5) Petrossian/Ludobites (tie): I might be taking the easy way out here, but it was hard to really drop one of the above referenced restaurants. I'm truly amazed at Chef Ludo Lefebvre's innovative style of cooking and his willingness to learn and adapt to various styles of cuisine. The finished results were usually fantastic. Even as of last night, Wesley of twohungrypandas and I were still discussing the lychee creme brulee we had as the last Ludobites meal. Simply amazing!

"Deconstruction of Bloody Mary" at Ludobites

For Petrossian West Hollywood, Chef Benjamin Bailly has taken what was supposed to be a specialty caviar and smoked salmon shop into one of the better finds in 2009. The previous I had there was utterly fantastic, highlighted by the truffles mac 'n cheese amongst many of the dishes that night. I'm really looking forward to my return visits there. Bravo monsieur Bailly!

Truffle Mac 'N Cheese @ Petrossian WeHo

I'm looking forward to many more fine eats in 2010, but those above 6 restaurants offered me the most memorable experiences and I'll never turn down a return visits there. I am though, a bit surprised 5 of the restaurants were French influenced meals, as prior to last year, I've rarely had French style cuisine, as I tended to coil around the food around the San Gabriel Valley. Regardless, I'm looking forward to part 2 of my best of 2009, as I'll go over my top 10 favorite dishes I've had in the previous year. Until then, bon Appétit!

December Update

Howdy ya'll! As we approach the holiday season and onward towards 2010, here's what we have to look forward to in the greater Los Angeles area, along with the sin city of Las Vegas:

Eat My Blog (From Gastronomyblog)

An idea generated by Cathy of Gastronomyblog, Eat My Blog will be a bake sale located at Zeke's Smokehouse in West Hollywood. Baked goods from the various recipe, restaurant bloggers in the Los Angeles will be on full display. To those of us, like myself that lack talent behind a stove and oven, get your butt to the event this upcoming Saturday and support the bloggers and their baked good. The most important thing I should note, all the proceeds will benefit the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. During this holiday season, let's help out fellow men and women in need!

Eat My Blog Held @ Zeke's Smokehouse
December 5th, 2009 10AM - 4PM
7100 Santa Monica Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA

For more information, visit the Official Website

Ludobites @ Royal T

Another event I'm pretty stoked about is the return of Ludobites, this time at Royal T in Culver City. I was first WOWed by Chef Ludo Lefebvre during my first dinner hosted by FoodDigger earlier this summer located at the Bread Bar. Since then, and 5-6 visits later (I'll eventually compile the various pictures for one big Ludobites post), the only thing I hope will be for Ludo to find a permanent location for his restaurant. Until then, for the next 13 days, go out and try what Ludo has in store for you. There is a complete revamp of the old menu, and after experiencing the new menu tonight, hosted by FoodDigger, I have nothing but great things to say about the new menu. I'll have a full report in my blog tomorrow of the pre-Grand opening dinner. Until then, for more information:

Official Website

8910 Washington Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232

Bon Appetit



Finally, located at the new City Center in Las Vegas, the famed French Chef Pierre Gagnaire will be opening his restaurant Twist at the new Mandarin Oriental Hotel. This upcoming weekend is the opening weekend and Kevin of kevinEats will be hitting up the famed French chef's first restaurant in the United States. In addition, two weeks from now, Kevin will also be trying out the new Bar Masa, owned by the famous Chef Masayoshi Takayama. Looking forward to these upcoming reviews Kevin!

Update for TGIF!

Before I jet *ahem* drive up to San Francisco for the FoodBuzz Festival at various locations and sampling various cuisines from Nor Cal, I want to spread the word about an event to those that are staying local (aka Los Angeles area).

From Pleasure Palate's blog:

Heritage Square Museum -
40 Years of Preservation Celebrated at the Historic San Antonio Winery

On Saturday, November 7, the Heritage Square Museum will host a very special 40th Anniversary Fundraiser and Luncheon at the historic San Antonio Winery. This event will help raise critical funds for Heritage Square Museum to continue for another 40 years. The Fundraiser begins at 1:30 p.m. and ends at 4:30 p.m. Honorary Event Chair, Councilman Ed Reyes, District One, will be in attendance and making a special presentation.

For more information:

Heritage Square Museum 40th Anniversary Fundraiser
Saturday, November 7, 2009 from 1:30 pm - 4:30 pm
San Antonio Winery
737 Lamar Street
Los Angeles, CA 90031
Tickets are $125.00

Until then, to all the bloggers that are going to the FoodBuzz event in San Franscisco, I'll see you all there!

As a sidenote, recently I guest blogged a review on Gourmet Pig's website, feel free to read it here if you have not. Until then, have a good weekend everyone!

Upcoming Events

As many of you know, dineLA has been going on at over 200 different restaurants in the greater Los Angeles area. One of the better news of the day was the fact dineLA will be extended to Oct. 18th to 23rd for some of the participating restaurants. As of right now, the last available date will be Friday, the 16th. I've heard many good things about some of the restaurants during this yearly event, and I personally had a great time at Petrossian in West Hollywood. Check it out and support the business of some of your favorite restaurants in Los Angeles!

Another event that I'm pretty excited about is the Tequila Expo 2009 in Tijuana. Our group will be lead by Bill of Street Gourmet LA and I'm sure we'll be in good hands. I'm excited about the food and tequila that I'll consume this upcoming weekend, I've already started to eat light in preparation! The Tequila Expo starts on Oct. 15th and last until the 18th. Visit the official website or simply call 619.232.5040 for more information.

Finally, but not least, on October 25th from 1-4PM, Los Angeles Magazine is hosting The Food Event: From the Vine at the Saddlerock Ranch in Malibu. This event will be filled with some of the best wineries around California along with celebrity chefs like David Myers of Comme Ca and Sona, Ludo Lefebvre of Ludobites fame, John Sedlar of Rivera, and many others. Located in beautiful Malibu, this event is poised to be a lot of fun for the attendees. The best part of the event is due to the fact that a portion of the proceeds will be donated to benefit the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association and Kids Courage. For tickets and other information, please visit the official website. I'll see you there!

Quick Update

Hey everyone,

No, I'm not dead and this blog is still going to be updated with food reviews. Lately a few things have kept me from blogging.

1) work (can't blog at work, system blocks off blogspot)
2) dead internet at home (big reason)
3) planning my Canada (Toronto/Montreal) trip
4) eating out with fellow foodies around town

Now, what's in store if/when my internet is back to good order?

1) Fooddigger Church & State Dinner
2) 7 course Goat @ Binh Dan
3) STK & One Sunset
4) Providence
5) Seattle & Canada (Toronto/Montreal)

Ya...as you can imagine, I'm backlogged like mad. For the time being, please enjoy one of my favorite tunes for the past 3-4 months and I promise I'll update with some reviews when I'm back from Canada after Memorial day weekend!

Cheers,

Danny