5.11.2009

foodie heaven

i've found foodie heaven, here in la~ most of my friends know that i dog on the la [fine] dining scene and gripe about how there is nothing worth trying here a second time. last friday, a friend took me to the bazaar .. the jose andres restaurant inside the SLS hotel, beverly hills. before we get to the good stuff [the food!!] let's take a look at what the hotel lobby looks like:

WAIT .. i can't even find decent pictures of the lounge and bar centro. the pics from the site are so tiny. i don't think you will be able to get a proper feel of the space with those things. my take on the interior design: a study into the mind of a deranged genius. i am not the biggest fan of phillipe starck .. but the man is a crazy sort of genius, i will admit. none of the chairs matched. there were long cabinets of oddities projecting diagonally across a room, with another table running cross-wise beneath it. the whole place was covered in mirrors .. i actually felt like i was in a house of mirrors. the store/shopping area to me was off-putting .. on the way to the bathroom of all places. maybe a bit too much sensory stimulation for someone like me. but i can see how many might be taken with it and find things interesting. it seemed as though everything was well-thought out, as can be expected from a world-renown designer. still, too over the top for my taste.

now .. let's get to the good stuff. the food. simply amazing experience. it wasn't that each and every dish was something to die over. it was the overall experience. the order in which the foods were served, the building up of the tastes, leading up to the meat entree near the end of the meal and then ending with a trio of desserts. the cotton candy foie gras. the perfect little bubble of mozzarella balls in the caprese salad. just a delightgful adventure for the tastebuds, the eyes, the nose .. sensory stimulation done RIGHT .. not OVER the top, like the lounge. here are pics.

[cotton candy wrapped around foie gras, rolled in corn nuts]
[american caviar cone with salmon and dill creme]

[jamon iberico and tomato toast]

[tuna sashimi rolled in avocado, topped with corn nuts and olive oil]

[mini foie gras burgers topped with apple honey jam]

[sea salt rolled baby potatoes served with cilantro? parsley? pesto]

[round two of the cotton candy foie gras]

[philly cheese steak]

[cous cous with pomegranate and pine nuts]

[caprese salad with peeled baby tomatoes, micro basil and tiny mozzarella balls]

[langostino served with toasted baguette crisp,
served over bed of seaweed and broth of langostino]

i don't have the pictures of the lamb, the crab with strawberries, raspberries and edible flowers, nor any of the desserts. darn.

i am getting hungry again, needless to say.

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