Wolvesmouth @ Beer Belly - Pop Up! (Los Angeles)

Wolvesmouth @ Beer Belly

After trying Chef Craig Thornton's (aka Wolvesmouth) cooking on two previous occasions, I jumped at the chance when I heard there was going to be a special one night pop-up dinner at Beer Belly, a newly opened Beer House in the Koreatown district of Los Angeles. Although getting a reservation was tough, I managed to snag two seats at the 9pm seating that night. Since beer was available during dinner, I bypassed the wine option and went with various selection of beer offered at Beer Belly.

Top: Bread from Bread Lounge. Bottom: Barley Malt Butter

I thought the bread at bread lounge was pretty standard fare, but the barley malt butter made it shine. I really loved the flavors of this butter, but I limited myself to the 2 pieces of bread given. I had to make sure I had room for the rest of the meal.

Corn Soup - crab, corn fritter, jalapeno, cilantro, buttermilk, lime

I've had a corn soup made by Craig before and loved it, so I eagerly awaited for this course to start. I mean, as a lover of corn and soup, this dish was calling my name. I loved the sweet flavors from the crab, the tart flavors from the lime, the slight heat from the jalapeno, and that fried corn fritter was very nice. Underneath all of that was the creamy corn soup, which was really good. I'd have to say, if I had 6 bowls of this corn soup, I'd leave a very happy man (Panda).

Black Truffle Risotto - chive, parmesan

Although there wasn't an abundant of truffles as I had hoped (Though the meal was $50 for 6 courses, I was surprised we even had truffles on the menu), this was quite tasty. The truffle flavor was subtle, but the rice was cooked perfectly, with a nice bite, and the dish as a whole was creamy and flavorful.

Blue Lake Beans - yellow wax beans, summer squash, peach, cider, salted yogurt, granola

When I saw the menu, this dish was probably the least interesting to me, though that's probably because I rarely would find vegetarian dishes to be of any interest. This dish however, was surprisingly memorable for me. I enjoyed the vegetables, but that peach to me was the star of the dish. The fruit itself was compressed and the flavor of it was just fantastic. The vegetables and the peach worked quite well together.

Lamb - potato puree, dill, horseradish, lingonberry

Now, lamb was the promised protein we've been told of prior to booking the meal and as a fan of lamb, I was definitely happy with the selection. Although my piece was fattier than I would have liked, I still cleaned my plate. The lamb was cooked just the way I like it, rare and bloody. The potato puree reminded me of sour cream and chives potato chips, which I liked. I thought the lingonberry was an important element of this dish as it helped cut down on the fattier parts of the lamb. I wish I had seconds of this one.

Corn Bread Ice Cream - fig, brown butter short bread

One thing I've realized about eating a meal cooked by Craig was that his ice cream and desserts are really good. In fact, I think he should do a dessert tasting one of these days. I was really looking forward to the corn bread ice cream, which definitely did not disappoint. I was happy with the flavors of the ice cream and the addition of the brown butter short bread added a nice flavor and texture to this dish. This was my favorite dessert of the night.

Creme Fraiche Vanilla Panna Cotta - strawberry, vanilla pound cake

Panna cotta was a great way to end of the meal. It's refreshing, light, and the accompanied strawberries and pound cake added nice flavors to the dessert. I really like the addition of the pop rocks as well, though when can you have too much pop rocks?

I would say the first Wolvesmouth pop up was a success. The food was great, and was probably even better than I had expected going in, and I have pretty high expectations. I was slightly worried that there wouldn't be enough food, since this was more of an abbreviated Wolvesmouth dinner, but I left stuffed and happy. As a fan of both Beer Belly and Wolvemouth, I'm glad this was the location chosen for this dinner, and I hope if Wolvesmouth decides to do this pop up again, Beer Belly would still be the location of choice. After going through the pictures and this post, I'm ready for a return trip to Wolvesmouth Dining!

Beer Belly
532 S. Western Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90020

Wolvesmouth Underground Dining Experience - The Titles Says It All (Los Angeles)

Dinner Table at the Wolvesmouth Den

In the past few months, the underground supper club scene has become increasingly popular here in Los Angeles, though this is not a new concept. Prior to my dinner at the Wolves' Den, I was actually familiar with Chef Craig Thornton's cooking (aka Wolvesmouth) as I had another private dinner cooked by him and it was fantastic. Since I was on a Panda hibernation at that time and didn't take any pictures, please read up on that dinner via djjewelz. Let's continue, shall we?

Pre-Dinner Activies

We were all gathered there that particular night for a Birthday celebration for our friends Matt and Remil, the famous Pinoy Panda. Knowing Craig, he'll have something special planned and I was eagerly awaiting this dinner for over a week.

Menu for 11/20/10

Now, if you want your menu printed and signed, this might not be the place for you. If you want to be surprised, don't even bother looking at the fridge and just enjoy what's coming. And. Here. We. Go!

1. celery root soup clams apple

I really enjoyed Craig's take on Clam Chowder. Having the cold apple in the soup was an ingenious idea. It cut down on saltiness of the clams while adding a nice crispy texture to the soup. A fantastic start to the meal!

2. scallop Korean chili pineapple persimmon basil

Here, we have a nicely seared scallop on top of a spicy pineapple and persimmon "salsa." While normally I'm not a fan of persimmon, I enjoyed the sweet and spicy balance to match with the scallops.

3. trout brown butter lemon chive

One of my favorite dishes of the night, the trout. First of all, I'm glad Craig left the skin on the fish, it adds a nice flavor to the dish. The richness of the brown butter was nicely balance by the acidity of the lemon. The fish was nice and tender, just the way it's meant to be savored.

4. sweetbread squid black sesame Asian pear

Ah sweetbread, one of my favorite things to eat! Though I would have probably preferred my sweetbread cook in a more crisp fashion, I loved the bold flavors of the black sesame and the sweetness from the asian pear. All in all, an enjoyable dish.

5. beet bone marrow creme fraiche dill

I'm no lover of beets, in fact, it's one of the things I dread eating most of the time. Though at the last dinner, Craig was able to combine bleu cheese and beet (2 things I absolutely despise),and make it quite tasty. This time around, the flavors of the creme fraiche and dill were able to mask the flavors of the beets and made it quite palatable. However, I was not able to detect the bone marrow in the creme fraiche. I was hoping for more of a fatty essence from the bone marrow.

6. lobster pimento cheese crouton chive tomato

Pimento cheese and lobster? I would have never thought of this particular combination. The savory, spicy pimento cheese actually meshed fairly well with the sweetness of the lobster. As a matter of fact, I quite enjoyed this particular dish.

7. rabbit saddle bacon mustard German butterball potatoes cabbage

As I may have mentioned in a previous post (Sorry, I'm too lazy to look for it. I think it was Toque in Montreal), I love eating "Thumper." Yes, I'm referencing Bambi. Rabbit, "thumper," or whatever nickname I decide to give it, rabbit is good! Rabbit saddle with bacon is even better. Thanks for putting this on the menu Craig!

8. celery ice

Palate cleanser. Tastes like celery. Refreshing. Much needed after 7 courses. OK, I'm ready to rock 'n roll now!

9. rabbit pot pie glazed vegetables gnocci

What's better than one rabbit dish? Two rabbit dishes of course. Craig went with a pot pie, and unlike the usual chicken or turkey, we have a rabbit pot pie. It's simple, homey, and good.

10. squab pickled berries sauerkraut pretzel sauce skin

Squab, another one of my favorites. Actually, I like most meat, especially ones not often served like the aforementioned squab. The squab, cooked though the sous vide method was cooked extremely tender and juicy. The accompanied pickled berries and sauerkraut gave this dish a nice tart flavor.

11. passion fruit

Another palate cleanser. Passion fruit is something I'm quite familiar with. Tart, slightly sweet, and incredibly tasty. It's something I eat often when I'm back in Taiwan.

12. lamb fig purée lamb belly mint chanterelle

The final savory course, the lamb. The lamb itself was also cooked via the sous vide method, and came out to a perfect medium rare. Though some might not appreciate the gamey flavors of the lamb, I find it quite delicious. The lamb belly was a nice fatty contrast to the lamb itself. The fig puree and mint definitely added an important element to the dish.

13. squash fritter maple shortbread toasted marshmallow panna cotta

I slightly dreaded this course. I don't like fried dough. I don't like doughnuts nor do I care for churros. The only doughnut I like are the doughnuts from Donut Plant in NYC. In this case, squash fritter is served onto of a toasted marshmallow panna cotta. While the panna cotta melted into a liquid base, it did mesh well nicely with the fried squash fritter. In fact, it was quite delicious. For me, I needed that toasted marshmallow base.

14. butter croissant ice cream nutella cake nitrous powder

Finally, we closed out our meal with a nutella cake with a butter croissant ice cream. Of the two dessert, this was my favorite one. I have to say from the first dinner to this one, Craig knows how to do ice cream. I enjoyed the rich flavors of the ice cream mixing with the nutella cake. I could have taken down at least another plate of this stuff. Delicious!

Now, do you want to eat here? I know you do. Want more details? If you do, follow dimsumpup on twitter or visit here for more information. What should you expect upon dining at Wolvesmouth? Get ready to have a good time, eating between 10-14 courses in a chill, relaxing environment. Craig and crew will take care of the food, music, service. All you really need to bring are your appetite, a nice bottle of wine, and your wallet. Do you need to dress up like those fine dining establishments in NYC? Definitely not. Just come, have a good time, and mingle with the fellow diners. One note, just don't be a dick. Assholes can stay outside!

Final Rating 9 out of 10

Wolvesmouth Underground Dining
Located in the Greater Los Angeles Area
Contact @dimsumpup and join the mailing list for more information