amour for le saint amour (culver city)

as my black board eats discount for le saint amour descended into its eleventh hour, a sense of urgency filled my belly. 30% off?! do i allow this percentage to go down the drain or do i contact every single hungry person i know in my hungry people rolodex in hopes of connecting with another starving soul? alas, i was successful and off my sis and i went to culver city for a little french dining.

tools for our night of ravenous eating.

the first item up for consumption was the foie gras terrine ($15) with a side of mesclun salad. my tongue was mesmerized with the decadently smooth, well seasoned, foie gras which paired quite nicely with the sweetness from the apricot jam. the crostinis were superbly buttery and provided a wonderful platform for this fatty goose liver. a must order for me.

the escargots de bourgogne ($12 for 6) burgundy snails, garlic, parsley, with a puff pasty cap was delightfully buttery and garlicky. might i recommend drowning, and i mean DROWNING your already dead snails in the sauce before delivering it to your mouf? please do.

i enjoyed resting my escargot on the puff pastry cap before taking my swift bites.

the truffle mac and cheese ($10) was somewhat disappointing. it was rather watery with just a faint hint of truffle. although pretty to look at and priced decently, it would not be worth the extra dimple that will surely surface on your buttocks from the extra calories after consuming it.

i was rather excited to try their moules marinières ($18) mussels, white wine, shallots, and french fries which came with glowing reviews from justin and misty....until our server approached us with this question in his thick french accent, "do you want the good news or the bad news?" bad news first of course. "the bad news is that our french fry machine broke." WHUT?! OH HELL NO! I WAS TOLD THEY WERE AWESOME! :'( "the good news is that this is good for your body" and he said this while waving his arms up and down his slender frame. UGH. instead, we had to replace the unavailable fries with haricot verts. but luckily, the mussels were delicious and the creamy pool they rested upon was a perfectly delectable sauce for us to dip our bread in. drool. i almost forgot we were missing the fries.....

tasty, buttery, and garlicky green beans...but nowhere near a french fry. oh dear. oh sadness.

chef bruno's housemade sausages; lyonnais, toulouse, boudin noir ($20) was one huge sausage party on my plate. my favorite from the trio was the blood sausage while the other two fell limp in flavor. overall, not my favorite dish of the night.

we only briefly contemplated dessert before we decided to head home. my belly was freakin' full with french food and even a 30% discount wasn't going to expand it anymore than it already did. anyways, au revoir! till we meet again.

Le Saint Amour
9725 Culver Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 842-8155
http://www.lesaintamour.com/

price: $$$
verdict: tasty, try it!

go to fraiche for the fraichest happy hour in culver city

did your boss bitch you out? did you miss a deadline? did you get into a gnarly confrontation with a client? or did you forget to kiss the right ass to move yourself up the corporate ladder...again? yup, the minute your work clock hits "GO HOME," go find yourself a fine happy hour to drown your sorrows in and to reboost your spirits. trust me, you will need it to survive the following work day. and if you are lucky enough to be in culver city, might i suggest happy hour at fraiche. with 7 days a week happy hours running from 3-7 pm, specialty cocktails, well drinks, and wine for $5 and draft beer for $3, you will SURELY drown your sorrows. man i dig this place.

the grape ($5). pumped with vodka, elderflower syrup, crushed grapes, and lime, this sweet cocktail will take you to a better place. i promise.

the good apple ($5) with granny smith infused vodka was fragrant to the nose but the addition of star anise was off putting to drink. my least favorite of the three drinks that night.

the st. tropez ($5) was another winner. the gin, lime, and cucumber ice cube reminded me of boozy spa water. i love, loved the cucumber ice cube and had a ball gnawing at it.

the berkshire pork rillettes ($5) with pickled radish and violet mustard were savory and delicious when spreaded on bread.

the ghetto fabulous nacho cheese tasting jar of classy piquillo cheese spread ($5) with manchego cheese and chorizo. i guarantee endless smearings of this cheesy delight on your bread as you drown your sorrows. a definite crowd favorite.

the pate de campagne ($5) with country mustard and cornichons. oh man i love pate and this one did not disappoint.

truffle fries ($5) with parsley and parmesan. truffle odor, fried tubers...need i say more?

and a truffle burger ($12) with onion fondue, truffle aioli, and boschetto. meaty, filling, infused with savory accoutrements that will make your toes wiggle. this truffle burger was muy delicioso and at that price? NICE.

so whether you have a bad day at work or just need a drink, fraiche culver city is THE PLACE to be. love their happy hour...love, love...and i have a feeling you will love it, too.

Fraiche
9411 Culver Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 839-6800

www.fraicherestaurantla.com

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

a breath of fraiche air

i am a belly of many, many words, but for this one, i want to shut my pie hole and share my pictures instead. thank you danny, aka kungfoodpanda for organizing yet another delicious meal for jackie, kate, remil, fiona, d, and moi to enjoy. but most importantly, thank you chef benjamin bailly for hitting another feast out of the ball park. it was truly delicious and i can't wait to come back to fraiche for more!

smoked trout rillettes ($8) and pate on bread to tease the tastebuds.

baby beets ($13). baby let me beat you into a delicious pulp in my mouf.

frisee aux lardons with oeuf pane ($14). do not be intimidated by the deep fried hard boiled egg. this salad is rather delicious and i remember you fondly since our first meeting at petrossian. hello love. did you miss me?

belgian endives ($14). i would ABSOLUTELY get this again. crispy and savory. almost perfect.

crispy loup de mer ($28). perfectly cooked and crispy in all the right places.

seared daurade royale ($28) on a lovely bed of farro. if i was a dead fish, i would choose a farro death bed as well.

pan roasted scallops ($26) on smooth cauliflower puree. it's so smooth, it's criminal.

kobe beef cheeks with celery root puree ($28). tender are thy cheeks. i want to pinch thee with the tines of my shiny fork.

moulard duck confit ($26). i loosened my belt buckle for this one. absolutely satisfying and the creamy fregola sarda was 100% ooh la la addictive.

truffle spaghetti (off menu item). effin' brilliant. this dish will drive your nose into a tizzy. the smell of truffles was truly intoxicating and left my head spinning in a lovely way.

sunchokes risotto ($18) with an off menu serving of truffles. omfg. there goes the truffles again. i was under a truffle voodoo and i didn't care one bit to break the spell.

green peas ravioli (off menu item). sweet little pockets for my big mouth.


rabbit garganelli ($22). yes, those really cute, fuzzy wabbits make a good dish.

hand cut maltagliati ($19) with pork ragu.

by the time dessert came out, i was already rolling about from an overly satisfied belly. the desserts were lovely indeed.

chestnut tiramisu ($9) and manjari chocolate pot de creme ($8)

meyer lemon ($8) and caramel pot de creme ($8)

pistachio creme brulee with apricot sorbet ($9). the sorbet was out of control. might i suggest apricot sorbet with a fresh heaping of fruit and make it its own dessert? soooo good.

panettone bread pudding ($9)

chocolate tart with tres leches gelato ($10)

chocolate coulant with peanut butter ice-cream ($12)

apple and pear clafoutis ($9)

*burp*

Fraiche
9411 Culver Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 839-6800

www.fraicherestaurantla.com

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

furballs and ludo truck balls...it's getting rolly-poly up in here

i'm a dog lova, but i recalled a time when i was a cat lova too. in particular, with a white cat that wore a red bow and a frog that had too many syllables to its name, seven syllables in fact. i just counted.

when the opportunity arose for me to check out the sanrio small gift pop-up shop on its last day in l.a., i was stoked...i mean, i was meowed. talk about a walk down memory lane. *sigh*

hardcore fans lined up to do mucho cutsey things. hello, hello kitty! and hello to you too badtz-maru!

after winding ourselves in and around the small space that housed this hello kitty clusterfuck, we promptly headed out to the back where the food trucks were located. low and behold, i spy with my little eye a big red coq. kitties and coqs...this is getting unreal folks. seriously.

although other food trucks were present; manila machine, ahn joo truck, che truck, etc...we were drawn to ludo's bold red truck and the images of crispy chicken balls in our mouths. if it wasn't for the impending gorge fest that involves a turkey, this tale may have a different ending...one that involves lots of truckin' good food and one ginormous belly.

we started off with the refreshing basil blood orange drink ($2.28). lovely and refreshing. the hint of basil and the blood orange juice was a perfect compliment to each other. i think they need to start thinking about selling them in big gulp sizes.

the infamous ludo balls, the balls that compell most women AND men to clamor after them. this two piece provencal pepitte combo ($7.52) came with ludo slaw, fries, and a choice of dipping sauce.

as expected, the chicken balls were tender and juicy in the middle. the herbaceous fragrance that were infused into these balls tingled my nose hairs and added an exceptional sophistication to otherwise, err...well executed fried chicken. the bearnaise dipping sauce which i chose was a limey and creamy compliment. for an EXTRA $0.68 (boo), we got the piquillo pepper dipping sauce as well. it reminded me of sriracha....

we also got the two-piece honey glazed garlic wings combo ($7.52) which also came with fries and ludo slaw. they were delicious and sticky and will definitely appeal to those that love the savory/sweet food profile. man they would make terrific snacks during a l.a. kings hockey game!

the entire meal was $19.76 (tax included). although my post may sound riddled with conflicting messages, i would have to concur with other diners that the value was just not there...YES they were tasty, but these were definitely appetizers and not a meal. and peoples, i was looking to eat.

so after the chicken balls and kitty love, we finally left. thank god we came at the time we did because a long line had already formed to get in. bye bye kitties and coq!

Sanrio Pop-Up Tour

Ludo Truck
(213) 973-8839

mobimunch.com/ludotruck

price: $
verdict: tasty, try it