wolvesmouth makes me howl

kids in school call cutting in line "front cuts," but when i was able to bypass the 2,500+ people on the wolvesmouth waitlist by being kung food panda's plus one, i called that move "booyah!"

so here's the deal. check out wolvesmouth's website, get intrigued, and then submit an email to them saying that you're interested in attending while simultaneously praying to the lord hoping that you do get picked. then you wait for a loooooong time (don't hold your breath) and perhaps you will be one of those lucky 12 diners that month to get THE email for a night of wolvesmouth grubbing...kinda like this:

bring lots of wine. the more the better.

then meet craig thornton, the wolf, and watch him work his magic.

butter, lova.

slightly crispy pan-fried brioche. time to loosen the belt. it will be a long night.

corn soup with cotija, aleppo gelee, lime, and a corn fritter. a bowl of sublimely sweet and smooth corn soup with the corniest fritter accompaniment ever. i wished i stole a few when i saw them sitting there looking lonely and delicious.

corn fritters.

a BEAUTIFUL peach, nectarine, chorizo piquillo puree, almond, basque cheese, chorizo, and sherry gastrique on a bleach white plate. one of my faves of the night. deceptively simple, but oh so complex in flavor. a harmony of sweet, salty, and spicy flavor profiles.

Smelt, fried green tomato, buttermilk ranch.

a bowl of squash blossom, marscapone zucchini duxelles, melon, baby squash, and balsamic. a sophisticated reminder of summer's offerings.

tuna, tomato, basil buds, uliva olive oil, wasabi peas, with white soy. the fragrance emitted from this dish was truly intoxicating and i discovered a newfound love for basil buds.

potato, chive, crème fraîche with sneaky lobster pieces hidden underneath the creamy mound. the consistency reminded me of poi due to its viscous nature and the taste was strangely familiar...cuz it really reminded me of lay's sour cream and onion potato chips! no seriously. one word: mutherfuckindelicious. we had to take a break after that one.

next up was the pork cheek, baby cabbage, caramelized onion, dill, pretzel pieces, and mustard.

an electric green cucumber slush to cleanse my palate. how fun considering how a normal palate cleansing routine generally calls for a toothbrush.

lamb, turkish eggplant, watermelon cucumber, watermelon tartare, yogurt, and rosemary. we were all smitten by the cute little watermelon cucumbers and i almost expected a little smurf to strut across my plate and climb over my lamb to grab the watermelon cucumber for their picnic.

mulberry, elderberry, fig, salted brown butta la creme, and croquant. i was officially enamored with the wolf after this one. kung food panda RAVES about wolvesmouth's desserts and i was not disappointed. the sweetness of the dish was tempered by the sour flavors of the berries and the crunch you expect from the bottom of your ice cream cone was nicely represented by the croquant.

cherry sherbet, almond cake, cherry pop rocks, almond cream will send any fruit lover into a dessert high. if not, the cherry pop rocks will at least set your mouth a poppin'.

alas, the dinner concluded with satiated round bellies and a donation of what you feel the meal was "worth" using red envelopes that they provide. but in all seriousness, the amazing meal was worth every bit of the wolvesmouth hype that was fed to me. thank you kung food panda for the invite, and remil, weezermonkey, eleana, and alex for providing the verbal entertainment of the night. and of course, thank you craig for being uh-mazing!

Wolvesmouth
http://wolvesmouth.com/

price: $$$$
verdict: omg, i love it

the magical number that brought me to providence

here's a few facts about the number 40. it's an even number. if you double 20 then you will see 40 again. if you get your speedometer up to 40 on a residential street, then a speeding ticket you will make. and lastly, if you're my dear friend eric, turning 40 will get you to....

if done right, turning 40 can be an elegant celebration indeed. one willed into reality by celebratory thoughts and a unanimous love for great food and great company. as i sat there peering at all the folks that came to celebrate our friend eric's 40th birthday, i thought, "you really picked a good one my friend. providence is infamous for its divine intervention to the tongue."

then i sat back, mesmerized by the tea light nestled in the beaded sea anemone and waited for the rebirth of my taste buds a la providence style.

the celebratory night started off with an asian pear cocktail. fruity, sweet, and smooth, i felt the spiked pear juice wiggle itself down to the core of my belly and subsequently warmed me through and through.

the bread basket that was then circulated amongst us was overfloweth with all manners of carbs. though challenging to narrow down the options, it really wasn't.

you ALWAYS pick bacon, and bacon it was. tiny flecks of porky bits dotted this rather delicious bacon roll that went straight into my mouth.

the amuse-bouches of the night included a yummy foursome; a petite rectangle of icy mojito, spherified greyhound, a cheesy gougere, and last but not least, a shot glass of cured trout with lemon jelly.

edible gold flecks dotted the cured trout for a decadent touch.

the first course of the night was the japanese kanpachi. crispy rice crackers gave each bite texture while the soy creme fraiche with pickled endives added tartness to the fish. delicious, fresh, and craveable.

the second course was bobby's block island sea scallops with buckwheat, dashi, and nappa cabbage. the perfectly cooked, sweet centered scallop was deliciously bathed in a savory dashi foam bubble bath.

the third course was the wild alaskan halibut with fresh cranberry beans, meyer lemon, red pepper, and mussels. i really enjoyed the burst of acid from the meyer lemon as the flavors interplayed with the subdued flaky fleshed fish.

the fourth course was the sous-vide veal tenderloin with tahitian squash and broccolini. the veal was wonderfully tender and melted in your mouth as one would expect from meat prepared in this manner. the crispy veggies were addictive as well.

the night could not end without a cheese plate which was an addition to our five course tasting menu. we had a compilation of muenster reserve cheese, an award winning blue cheese, black truffle cheese, artisanal goat cheese amongst many others. take that lactose intolerance! who says asian folks can't eat dairy?!

my belly was stuffed at this point...but a plate of well crafted cheeses i cannot resist....

the fifth and last course was the banana bread pudding and barley ice cream. i really enjoyed the tart coating over the banana and the bread pudding was the perfect size to indulge your sweet tooth.

the mignardises of the night included cubes of elderflower jelly, chocolate macarons, and hand crafted chocolate marshmellows. i.was.stuffed.

and that concluded our two michelin star rated gustatory experience with our three michelin star rated friend. happy slappy birthday eric! here's to many, many more!

-five course tasting menu is $65/$100 with wine pairing (october deal. follow them on twitter for updates)
-full tasting menu is $110/$165 with wine pairing
-chef's menu is $160/$245 with wine pairing

Providence
5955 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 460-4170

www.providencela.com

price: $$$$
verdict: omg, i love it!

um, no.

Valentino Italian Restaurant
3115 Pico Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310) 829-4313
www.pieroselvaggio.com

price: $$$$
verdict: it's aight

i took advantage of restaurant week and had dinner here the other night. it's a really gorgeous place, uber snooty, and slightly makes you feel retarded for spending that kind of money on food during these hard economic times...until you realize, HOLY SHIT, it's a dineLA deal and that's OK.

i started my meal off with a drink. OF COURSE! they had a nice reisling by the glass for $12 that i couldn't resist. having a good meal without wine is like eating an ice-cream sunday without a cherry on top. i then moved on to my appetizer of two jumbo shrimps in a diced tomato sauce. it was tasty, but i wasn't blown away by it. as the meal progressed, i discovered that this would be the theme for the night,"yummy, but nothing special." my entree was lamb ossobuco which was really tender and fell off the bone as you forked it. there was a slight sweetness to this dish though which seemed strange to my palate. the meal then culminated with a chocolate mousse dome for dessert which was their rendition of the tiramisu. little unidentifiable crackly pieces were imbedded in the mousse which gave the dessert good texture with every bite. nice!

but alas, the portion they gave for each course was way too small! i'm not sure if it's the consequence of eating dinner for $44 bucks so portion size was restricted to the smaller end. in any case, my eating buddy and i left valentino slightly hungry and unimpressed. perhaps if i win a million dollars, i would come back. otherwise, there are a gazillion other snooty eateries to conquer before i feel valentino's call once again. i require that i be seduced by my tastebuds first, and not just by ambience. valentino didn't do it for me this time.

my garlic noodles addiction

Crustacean

9646 Santa Monica Blvd

Beverly Hills, CA 90210

(310) 205-8990

http://www.houseofan.com/

price: $$$$

verdict: omg, i love it!

i've been here several times and i NEVER leave disappointed. the ambience is great, has the asian decor going on and the see through floor in the bar area so you can look at all the beautiful kois swimming by. the bar is a nice place to sit and get a drink or two if you have to wait for a table.

during my past few visits, we would order appetizers, salad, and what not, but once i realized that all i really needed from crustacean was their cracked roasted crab (which they use to call their garlic crab) and their super delicious, absolutely addicting garlic noodles, i realized to eat anything before these two dishes would just be filler. pair all that with a glass of reisling....boy, my stomach gets happy and my taste buds do the happy dance. yum!

i have yet to find a place that serves a replica of the garlic noodles that's found here. come on, i know it's "an's secret" and whatevers, but one thing asian people know how to do best is to duplicate things....so where's the garlic noodle duplications?! great place to eat anything oily, buttery, and garlic infused. seriously, go, go, go!

valentine's dessert. mmmm....coconut ice cream with banana wontons.

a rosy dinner

Rosewood Grille
3763 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 792-9099

price: $$$$
verdict: omg, i love it!

don't let the poster of some guy holding a humungous lobster put you off. i know that poster reeks of cheese, but the food served at this restaurant is suprisingly yummy.

i've been here a few times now and the food has been really awesome. of course you're suppose to go there for their lobster, but their steaks are well executed and is of good quality, too...just in case you prefer to eat a land animal as oppose to a seafaring one. i also like their scallops and crab cakes. they have a good wine selection and at the end of your meal, every lady at your table will get a red rose. cute touch. good eats.