Bottega Ristorante - My Favorite Italian Restaurant To Date (Yountville, CA)

Bottega Ristorante

When J, Umma, and I were discussing which restaurant to visit during our separate trips up to my beloved Nor Cal (Me, visiting my Alma Mater: UC Davis, and visiting the folks in Cowtown), the initial thought was TK's Ad Hoc. However, Bottega was never far off my mind, especially after watching Tyler Florence express his love for Chiarello's Egg and Pork Belly Confit on the Food Network show "The Best Thing I Ever Ate." After having issues securing a reservation for Ad Hoc, I was able to snag one at Bottega.

Bottega Ristorante

After touring the UCD Campus on its annual Picnic Day and going wine tasting (along with buying 2 cases of wine) with two of my former College roommates, we made our way to Yountville for some good eats. My friends and I met up with J & Umma and were ready to pounce on the food!

Bread w/ Salt and Olive Oil

Those were some pretty tasty bread: warm and flavorful. We must have gone through 5-6 loaves of them, as we used it to also sop up those tasty sauces ahead....

Green Eggs and Ham - Panko Crusted Soft Boiled Egg, Green Asparagus, Pecorino cheese pudding

Sadly, the Egg and Pork Belly Confit dish is seasonal and won't appear on the menu until the 2nd week of July, thus we ordered the Green Eggs and Ham instead. Honestly, definitely not a bad backup choice. Here we have a soft boiled egg, crusted in Japanese panko, and deep fried to perfection, yet the yolk remains runny. Pretty friggin amazing if you ask me. Along with egg, we have some perfectly cooked asparagus, matched with a Pecorino cheese pudding. Sprinkled on top of the dish were deep fried prosciutto bits. Fantastic!

Burrata - Creamy mozzarella burrata with artichoke two ways, lemon braised and crispy

As some of you readers know, I'm not usually interested in cheese, but burrata is one of my favorites and I enjoyed the preparation of the dish. Here you have a generous portion of burrata sandwiched between a lemon braised artichokes on the bottom, and crispy artichokes on top. I enjoyed the texture contrast from the two preparations of artichoke and the creamy finish of the burrata. Very nice.

Organic Prosciutto “house cured”, pasta fritta, Lambrusco

Usually, I'd never order this dish, as it contains fried dough, which I truly dislike. However, I admit it was quite delicious. Here we have the fried dough (pasta fritta), our wonderful server Al (Ask for Al if you ever visit Bottega, he was a blast, in addition to being knowledgeable!) told us to make a hole in the fritta, put the mango inside it, then wrap the prosciutto around the pasta fritta and finally, dip the creation into the lambrusco sauce (made with Tuscan wine grapes). The sweetness of the mango, plus the salty prosciutto really masked the pasta fritta, which for me, was a good thing. An unexpected tasty dish.

Polenta Under Glass - caramelized wild mushrooms, balsamic game sauce

Caramelized wild mushroom on top of creamy polenta, can it get any better? I just loved this dish, though the balsamic game sauce made the dish slightly on the salty side. Regardless, for me, I'd order this again! I'm a sucker for any polenta dish.

As we finished our 4 appetizers, we can move onto the pasta dishes.

Risotto del Giorno (Risotto of the Day) - Mushroom Risotto with Breaded Veal

We went with the risotto of the day, and on this particular day it was the creamy mushroom risotto with breaded veal steak. Delicious, absolutely delicious! I loved the cream mushroom risotto, but I loved the crispy veal steak even more. Just a fantastic marriage of flavors and texture. I don't think I'm quite the risotto slut like kevinEats, but I'm sure I could learn!

Garganelli - tomato braised Sonoma rabbit sugo, wild mushrooms & ricotta

First, before even getting a shot in, Al instructed us to taste the ricotta. Fresh, creamy, and damn, I was worried my pictures would be ruined! Not to worry, this dish tasted better than it looked. As mentioned in my previous post at Toque, I have a keen interest in eating our "Thumper" friend, and the rabbit was cooked wonderfully in the tomato based sauce. The pasta was cooked al dente, the sauce flavorful, the meat tender. What could be better? You can bet we used the bread to sop up the leftover sauce.

Crispy Potato Gnocchi - English pea & tallegio fonduta, early spring vegetables, prosciutto crisp

I heard some good things about the crispy potato gnocchi going in and it certainly didn't disappoint. However, the thing that made this particular dish shine was the English pea sauce. If I had my way, I'd get a bowl of the sauce with a loaf of the warm bread. I'd be content! I loved the texture of the gnocci itself, one of the best preparation of gnocchi I've ever had!

Now, onto 5 different main courses!

Adriatic Seafood Brodetto - monkfish, mussels, rock cod fresh Monterey calamari, forno-confit tomato broth, olive oil-crouton, paprika-saffron rouille

We first started off with the seafood stew, which were filled with wonderful pieces of monkfish, rock cod, etc. I enjoyed this dish, and in the end, we all went to town using the bread to soak up the wonderful seafood broth.

Crispy Pork Osso Buco Confit with Grape Mosto Cotto & a jar of Heirloom applesauce

The pork osso buco was fried to a perfect crisp and paired beautifully with the jar of heirloom applesauce. Did the osso buco taste better than it looks? I'm not sure, but I'm pretty sure my buddy Morgan would agree with that, as I'm pretty sure it was his favorite dish of the night.

Piedmontese Beef Rib-Eye sherry vinegar-honey glazed shallots with truffle-parmiggiano fries

Perfectly cooked rib eye (we went with rare plus) with some damn tasty truffle parmiggiano fries, do I really need to explain how good it tasted? No, I didn't think so. Get it! Or heck, if you don't eat meat, then just order a side of truffle parmiggiano fries for $6. Trust me.

"Crazy Chicken" with a side of Arugula and Tomato Salad.

Honestly, for the life of me, I cannot remember what was so "crazy" about the crazy chicken. I remember Al was saying something wrapped this and that, but I have no idea what it was other than the fact this dish was quite pedestrian compared to everything else we had during the night. Was it bad? No. Was it tasty? Ya, it was good. Was it memorable? Definitely not.

Confit of Half Duck - mostarda di frutta, wild arugula, pomegranate salad, red wine duck jus

I'll save the best for last. I don't want to overhype Bottega or their duck confit, and pardon my French, but FUCK this was good. That is all.

Finally, onto my favorite part of this meal the dessert. Also, it was around this time when David Beckham, his wife Posh Spice, and their 3 kids showed up to the restaurant and had a seat close to us. First thing on my mind, "dammit, can I shoot the food?" Thankfully, our awesome server Al used himself as a shield and that minor crisis was averted.

Zeppole - meyer lemon curd, black and blueberry earl grey fruit conserva

As mentioned above, I don't like fried dough or fried desserts. Churros, donuts, etc, eh..I'm just not a fan, sorry. In fact, the only donut that has won over my heart was the creme brulee donut at Doughnut Plant in NYC. While I didn't love the zeppole, it was damn tasty with the meyer lemon curd. The zeppole was fried, yet not too oily, and the tartness from the meyer lemon sauce knocked out some of the oily texture that I usually despise. I could eat this again....

Carnaroli Riso Budino - forno roasted strawberries, sweet crostini, basil vanilla anglaise

I'll admit, like the crazy chicken, I've forgotten about this dish other than loving the strawberries with the basil vanilla combination. The flavor reminded me of the basil strawberry dessert I had at Toque in Montreal. I never knew basil and strawberry are so compatible!

Chocolate Bourbon Tortino - banana brulee, roasted banana gelato, milk chocolate peanut butter bar

Best dessert of the night! I loved the banana brulee. I really enjoyed the banana gelato and chocolate tart combination. And yes, I even liked the milk chocolate peanut butter bar (not a fan of peanut butter usually)! Definitely one of the bigger hits of the table as we all enjoyed this one the most!

Patio at Bottega Ristorante

All in all, what a fantastic dinner experience at Bottega. I had high hopes going in and it exceeded what I had imagined. The food was fantastic, the service was top notch, the prices were fair, and hell, we saw David Beckham. I can't wait to go back and try the Egg and Pork Belly Confit in July while I load up on some more wine down the street. Michael Chiarello definitely impressed me with his cooking and the fact he's at his restaurant 6 nights a week. I'm trying to decide if Bottega topped my epic meal at Eleven Madison Park, but it's definitely up there. Try it out when you're up in Yountville. I don't think you'll be disappointed!

Group Shot (From Top Left: Morgan, Me, Chef Chiarello, Benny, Julian, Christine) Courtesy of djjewelz

Bottega Ristorante
6525 Washington Street
Yountville, CA 94599-1300
(707) 945-1050
Official Website

Nakkara On Beverly - Thai, Made Right (Los Angeles)

Nakkara on Beverly

A Thai blogger dinner on a Wednesday night on Beverly? Coming from Pasadena, I always dread hitting traffic on the 110 or the 101, but since I haven't sat down with a group of bloggers for dinner in awhile, Thai sounded great! Joining me at Nakkara were: Kevin of kevinEats who received the invitation from the owners of Nakkara, Diana of DianaTakesaBite, Felicia of TheFoodLedger, Amy of The Roaming Belly, and Christina of Food, Je T'Aime.

Nakkara Mieng Kham

We first started off with an "amuse buche" of sort, and in this case, you have toasted coconut, cashew, dried shrimp, lime, ginger, Thai chili, and red onions wrapped in a leaf of lettuce, finished off in a flavorful sweet mieng sauce. You take this dish down in one bite and the complex of flavors hits your mouth, but in a good way. Quite a nice start to the dinner.

Spicy Filet Mignon Skewer

Here, we're presented with a simple skewer of wonderfully cooked filet mignon and bell pepper dunked in a green curry sauce. I heard the word "one bite" so I took the whole thing down again. Worried about being tough? Worry not. The meat was juicy and tender, and I loved the green curry sauce. I loved it enough to shoot the rest of the sauce and finish this dish clean. Yum!

Garlic Lamb Chop

Next, we have one of my favorite animals....to eat, lamb. I started to eat this with a knife and fork, but ended up gnawing the bones with my hands in the end. I probably didn't need the accompanied bell peppers and fried garlic bits and it'll still be good. For those afraid of the lamb's unique flavors, it wasn't that strong, so try it out.

Peking Duck Rolls

I think most in my group agreed, we weren't sure what part of this dish was "Peking." It was similar to a Vietnamese Goi Cuon, but with duck instead of shrimp and grilled pork. The dish itself was fine, as I enjoy the duck within the dish, but I probably would have preferred a more peanut based sauce instead of the hoisin & Sriracha sauce provided.

Big Surprise!

Here, we have one of my favorites of the night, the Big Surprise. In the metal cookware we have a mix of crab, calamari, and some other seafood I can't quite recall cooked in a red coconut based curry broth. The result? Fantastic! I probably could have ate the whole thing by myself. It's no wonder the Big Surprise is one of Nakkara's most ordered items. Just as a side note, the metal cookware was meant to be used for a Thai dessert, but Chef Kevin changed it up and start using it for the Big Surprise.

Shrimp Tom Yum

Chicken Tom Kha

Next we had the choice of either a Shrimp Tom Yum or a Chicken Tom Kha, so I paired up with D Takes a B and shared the two choices. The former, we have a hot and sour broth made from herbs, lemon grass, chili, and other Thai herbs, and the flavor of the soup was great. The latter, we have a similar base broth, but the addition of coconut milk made it much creamier and heavier. Which one did I prefer? Normally I'd prefer a cream based broth, but surprisingly, I'd go with the lighter Shrimp Tom Yum if I had to choose.

Green Papaya Salad

Here, we have a palate cleanser and one of the most famous Thai dish out there, the green papaya salad. Found almost at every Thai Restaurant to even the night markets in Taiwan, it's one dish I'm quite familiar with. Maybe I'm being slightly picky about this one since being a lover of spicy food, I'd prefer a spicy version, though I can see why they limited the use of spice. It's all about the client base, and I'm not sure if the normal diners there would appreciate "Thai Spice" like me. Other than that, a very well made version of the papaya salad!

Soft Shell Crab Panaeng

Soft shell crab? Yum! Soft shell crab in a Panaeng curry sauce? It sounded like double trouble to me since I love both. Though I really liked the dish, part of me thought the curry sauce was slightly strong to be use as a compliment to the deep fried soft shell crabs. I do enjoy the crispy basil leaves, as it reminds me of some of my favorite Taiwanese dishes.

Crying Tiger

What can beat tender, well cooked rib eye steak in a tangy and spicy sauce? Well, I think this was our table favorite (along with Big Surprise!) of the night. Not much to add other than saying it's delicious!

911 Catfish

Fried catfish, one of the fishes I rarely consume these days, flavored with a sauce made from young peppercorn, and red chili paste. Despite its name, it wasn't too spicy, though it had great flavors. This would be a perfect pairing with some jasmine rice! Like with a well prepared steak, it's hard to go wrong with fried fish.

Seafood Pad Thai

Another one of the more known Thai dishes, the Pad Thai. Even though it's well known, it's something I'd rarely order at a Thai restaurant. Chef Sukcharoen definitely didn't skimp on the ingredients, as our dish was filled with shrimp, calamari, mussels, etc in a "chow fun" like noodles. I'm didn't enjoy the texture of the noodles, as it's quite mushy, but the flavors are definitely there, albeit sweeter than I'd normally like.

Surf & Turf Fried Rice

Between the two carb component part of our meal, I much preferred the fried rice, though I normally love a good bowl of fried rice. The ginger based fried rice was topped with succulent filet mignon and shrimp. A very nice ending to our savory portion of the menu.

Mango & Sweet Sticky Rice

Last, but not least, my favorite part of any meal: dessert. In this case, one of my favorite desserts out there, the mango and sweet sticky rice. A few years back, at the much hyped, yet pretty disappointing Lotus of Siam in Las Vegas, their mango and sweet coconut rice dessert was the ONLY reason that dinner was deemed a failure (though the place still sucks. Don't go!). So I digress.....sticky rice flavored with coconut milk and mango, accompanied by some awesome ripened mangos. I might be biased, but it was probably my favorite dish of the night! What a way to close out the meal for me!

All in all, what a fun night! Thanks again for inviting us: Paul Burachati, Toon and Amy Vinyuwonge, and Chef Kevin Sukcharoen, it was truly a wonderful meal! Again, thanks for the invite Kevin, and great meeting and seeing the fellow bloggers that night. The meal was honestly better than I had expected and it's a place I'd definitely return to eat (Maybe with D Takes a B? Since it's in her neck of the woods). Worthy of a drive from Pasadena or West LA, and just a few steps away from the famed Animal and Angelini Osteria, it's nice to know there are more dinner options in the area.

7669 Beverly Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 937-3100
Official Website

Minetta Tavern - Black Label Burger, The Experience (New York City)

Minetta Tavern

Burgers, whether it's from In N Out (My HS job, wh00t wh00t!!) or La Grande Orange here in Pasadena, I'll always love eating it. When Sam Kim raved about Minetta Tavern and its $26 Black Label Burger, I knew it was a place I had to visit.

A few things to note. To get a reservation here was hard as hell. Think Per Se, but harder (at least for us) and Le Bernardin, so my expectation ran high as the visit approached. Also, don't expect ANY lighting in the dining room, or anywhere in the restaurant. It's probably the worst lit dining experience I had, thus I wasn't too pleased with how the pictures turned out. Hey, at the end, it's all about the food, right? Let's go to that!

Bread Service

As we ordered, bread service with a slab of salted butter was given to our table. The bread was warm and tasty, though I was saving room for the main event.

Roasted Bone Marrow - with baguette soldiers and shallot confit

In addition to the burgers, my friends Dan, Wendy and I decided to share an order of roasted bone marrow. Who could say no to rich fatty goodness?? The rich marrow complimented the baguette served, and the shallot confit added a nice sharpness to the flavor. A wonderful start to our meal!

Minetta Burger - with cheddar and caramelized onions

First, we started with the Minetta Burger, which at $16 is not a cheap burger itself. The meat was juicy and flavorful, and the cheddar added a nice creamy texture to the burger. However, as Dan summed it up, "the meat was juicy and the burger was as good as any of those in that price range, but the black label puts it to shame..." So, really, if you visit Minetta Tavern, you should look into getting.....

Black Label Burger - selection of prime dry-aged beef cuts with caramelized onions and pommes frites

.....the Black Label Burger. First of all, the Black Label is comprised of 4 different types of meats: a blend of a dry aged rib eye, NY Strip, skirt steak, and brisket. To say the Black Label was a pretty good burger is an understatement. I'm more than confident in saying it's the best burger I've EVER had to date. You don't need to add cheese (it's offered) to it. In fact, you don't need to even put the lettuce and tomatoes that accompanied the burger. Enjoy this at its pure meaty state and enjoy the flavors of the burger. The patty was simply fantastic, it's really that good! The pictures probably don't show how good the Black Label Burger really was. The pomme frites were tasty, but you order this for the burger. So go and get it!! I know I'm going to make a return visit on my next visit to New York City

A burger may just simply be a burger to most out there, as I'll agree with that statement probably 99% of the time. However, the Black Label Burger is really something. Chefs Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson really made something good at Minetta Tavern and most of New York knows about it now, as evidenced by its hard to get reservations. So if you're one of the lucky ones, check out Minetta Tavern, as there are a few other star items on the menu, including its $104 Cote de Boeuf which I heard was magnificient! But remember, get the Black Label Burger, it was a memorable experience.

Note: Check out this link for more detailed insights of the Black Label Burger.

Minetta Tavern
113 MacDougal Street
New York, NY 10012-1201
(212) 475-3850
Official Website

Marea - Worthy Of The Hype (New York City)

Marea

Late last year, while preparing my "to eat" list for New York City, I was gathering advice from fellow bloggers and websites to add onto the list. First I was told to eat at Marea by Sam Kim of the LAist, then I read the post by Gourmet Pigs, and after reading links about Marea like this this and this, my addition of Marea pretty much cemented in stone.

Dining Room

I had planned to eat at Marea with a friend from New York, but due to scheduling conflicts, I had to change it into a solo business lunch. Usually I'd hate eating solo, especially at a fine dining establishment like Marea armed with a dSLR, albeit I was on a "foodcation," so the show must go on!

"The Marea"

Even though it's midday, but since I was on vacation, I asked for the cocktail menu and ordered "The Marea." A grappa based drink with flavors of wild hibiscus and passion fruit, The Marea was quite a nice start to my meal. The recipe for "The Marea" can be found here.

Astice - nova scotia lobster, burrata, eggplant al funghetto, basil ($8 supplement)

The lunch menu at Marea was pretty straightforward. Pick any 2 courses (1 from Primo section, 1 from Secondo) for $38. For the quality and the ingredients of the food served at Marea, it's actually quite a bargain.

For my first course, I went with the ever popular Astice. Think sweet, succulent lobster (from Nova Scotia) matched up with a generous portion of burrata cheese. Despite not being a fan of cheese as a whole, I appreciated the creaminess of the burrata along with its soft texture. The marriage of the burrata and the lobster went better than I expected. Thus, I must say this is a must order dish. Get it!

Tagliata - creekstone farms prime sirloin, bone marrow panzanella, braised romaine

Even though I had planned on ordering the Fusilli, the famous dish that most critics seemed to love, I was craving beef, and the Tagliata was more appealing to me at the moment. Thus the Fusilli will have to wait for my return visit to Marea.

The two pieces of sirloin were cooked to perfection (medium rare) and the portions were quite generous. The side of bone marrow panzanella was quite divine. Think croutons cooked in bone marrow. The richness of the panzanella went quite well with the sirloin. Delicious!

Petit Fours

Since I had a tasting menu planned at Per Se later that evening, I passed on the dessert menu and was given a nice set of petit fours to munch on.

All in all, the experience at Marea was fantastic. I personally thought the meal here was actually better than at Alto, another one of Michael White's NYC Italian eateries. There were lots of menu items to choose from, from the aforementioned fusilli to Marea's crudo tasting. Will I come back? The answer is an obvious yes! Though the next visit, I plan on coming back for dinner and see what other magical dishes Michael White could dish out. Can someone say Ricci on my next visit??

Marea
240 Central Park S
New York, NY 10019-1457
(212) 582-5100
Official Website