If you haven’t yet been to Culina at the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, stop what you’re doing, go to Opentable and make a reservation now.  You will not regret it.  The newly remodeled restaurant bears little resemblance to the previous one.  The interior space is beautifully decorated, bright, and modern.  But I recommend asking for a patio seat.  You’ll be swept past the crudo bar and onto one of the loveliest spaces for al fresco dining in LA right now.  This is what you want Beverly Hills to feel like; comfortable and welcoming yet refined and elegant with a slight clubby feel.  I was instantly at home when I took my place on an overstuffed banquette on a recent visit, the balmy evening air heavy with the perfume of orange blossom and night blooming jasmine.  John, our server, was friendly and helpful as we studied the menu.  The chef is Victor Casanova who has previously worked in Scottsdale, Las Vegas, and San Francisco.   I decided on the ‘piccoli piatti’, in which one chooses three of many small plates as a starter.  My piati consisted of  fava beans with mint and pecorino, artichoke with lemon and rosemary, and eggplant with pesto and caprino (an Italian fresh goat cheese).  All three were thoroughly delicious, but it was the fava beans which made me melt.  Likewise the ‘mista’ salad consisting of ribbons of asparagus, raw artichoke, mushrooms, arugula, and lemon vinaigrette balanced the flavors perfectly and rivals the best carciofi salads in town (Toscana and Ago).  We went straight for the pizzas.  The  charming manager, Kelly, came around to check on our dinner (a nice touch).  With tongue in cheek, she told us that they were going to push Mozza’s pizzas out of the limelight.  While I love Mozza, personally I prefer a thinner crust like Gjelina.  Here they get it right; crisp, thinner than Mozza but still substantial, charred in places, and wonderfully flavorful.  The tartufo (truffle) pizza was remarkable.  Other menu items looked impressive as well; a tableside panzanella for two, arancini with truffle oil, spaghetti alla chitarra, a balsamic potato carpaccio pizza.  The  entire experience was wonderful.  I can’t wait to return.

Those of you who have been following know that I felt that Bouchon hadn’t lived up to its standards on a recent visit.  You’ll be happy to know that we returned last night and everything was perfect.  Service by Kyle was attentive and careful.  Our first waiter Krzysztof dropped by our table a number of times to make certain we were well taken care of.  Now, in addition to the crispy epi, one is greeted with a white bean puree topped with a glistening layer of olive oil and small toasts.  I am absolutely addicted to the leeks vinaigrette with its cottony blanket of sieved egg.  The butternut squash soup was creamy and satisfying.  I tried the daily quiche, which was florentine.  Thomas Keller’s quiches are masterpieces of egg and cream.  I’ve tried with varying degrees of success to recreate them.  He layers the ingredients inside a sturdy (not flakey) crust made with quantities of butter that defy physics laws and baked in a spring-form pan.   The quiche florentine was rich and moist, tempered by the earthiness of the spinach.  I ordered it with brussels sprouts, sauteed until darkened on the edges in beurre noisette and capers until they were as sweet as candy.  The gnocchi with seasonal vegetables was even more delicious that I remember with the addition of smokey black olives.  And as always, the setting was wonderful.   The entire dinner was a great success.  I’m glad we went back. 

This past Saturday, a myriad of food trucks parked at TLofts in West LA for a benefit for the Red Cross to assist Haiti.  We had to check it out.  Competition was stiff as the breeze brought sweet scents from the likes of Buttermilk Truck, The Grilled Cheese Truck, Sweets Truck, and others.  But as we only had a few minutes, we headed straight for Dosa Truck.  I love innovative Indian food and have often been disappointed in LA.  (Tanzore has great ambiance but ok food, and Bombay Cafe hasn’t changed its menu in how many years?)  It would make us very happy to see an Indian resto the likes of which you see in London such as Amaya.  Until that day, one may have to look for little glimmers of hope in the smallest places.  Dosa Truck’s Mong was very sweet to accomidate our lack of time.  We had the Goa Goodness, which is spinach, cheese, and mushroom with bright and cheery coconut and tomato chutneys all wrapped in the perfectly crispy dosa (a rice/lentil pancake).  It was washed down by a bitingly refreshing ginger/limeade.  It made us very happy.  (One piece of advice, eat the dosa horizontally.  I tipped it upright and a waterfall of chutney flowed into my lap.)

dosatruck.com

S. Irene Virbila’s lovesong  in the LA Times notwithstanding (she gave it three stars), here’s what we think of Bouchon.

After a few visits to Bouchon, Thomas Keller’s latest outpost next to the Montage hotel, we were able to formulate some impressions.  Having eaten at Per Se in New York, the French Laundry in Yountville, and Bouchon Las Vegas, and Bouchon Yountville, we had a certain expectation for food, ambience, and service.  While at the French Laundry and Per Se, a vegetarian is spoiled for choice with luxurious garden tasting menus, Bouchon is a bit more limited.  Our first foray into BBH was spectacular.  We didn’t have a reservation and were seated outside on the patio.  Thankfully it was one of those Southern California winter evenings in the 70s and the view was fantastic.  Within minutes a warm sourdough epi served was placed directly on the tablecloth (as in France).  Accompanied by cultured butter, the loaf was delightfully crispy outside and moist and delicious inside.  It was irresistible as we contemplated the folded paper menu.  Our waiter, Krzysztof expertly and efficiently guided us through the wine list and the choices with just enough Polish humor to make the evening completely enjoyable.  (We were all hysterical as he carefully corrected the Polish swearwords I vaguely recalled from childhood.)  We started with the poireaux en vinaigrette et oeufs mimosa (leeks vinaigrette with sieved egg) and salade maraichere au chevre chaud (mixed green salad with warm goat cheese).  The salad was very good, but the leeks vinaigrette was spectacular.  Perfectly poached and chilled leeks (not slimy as they sometimes can be) with the vinaigrette, little piles of minced piquillo pepper, and a cumulus cloud of sieved egg made for a wonderfully balanced and completely delectable first course.  My main was the gnocchi a la Parisienne, various fricasseed vegetables in a beurre noisette with the most addictive gnocchi, shaped like Vienna sausages that had been sautéed to create a ‘skin’ that upon being bitten into, gave way to creamy, fluffy interior.  We also sampled the macaroni au gratin, excellently executed with crispy breadcrumbs on top, and of course  pommes frites.  The evening was so perfect we couldn’t wait to return.

With such high expectation, we were a little surprised by our next visit.  We were sat in the grand dining room resembling a salon in Paris.  Surely this must be the loveliest dining room in Los Angeles right now.  The scene was convivial and loud.  But interestingly, the service was slow and inattentive.  The server barely made an appearance at our table, glasses went unfilled, and empty plates sat in front of us an unusually long time.  When we finally were able to flag someone down to order wine, the man sent to our table (whom I assumed to be the sommelier) acted confused and insulted when asked if he could describe the characteristics of a particular Marsanne.  “I’ve never tasted it,” was his indignant reply which confused us all.  Since he offered no other suggestions, we ordered it anyway.  Happily the food was just as good.  The salade de betteraves et poires was perfect, as was the laitue, bibb lettuce salad.  The leeks were just as delicious but curiously diminutive compared to last time.  I again ordered the gnocchi to find the dish was even better with the addition of quince.  And the profiteroles were as good as any I’d ever had.  The impersonal service notwithstanding, the evening was still a success.  We are most definitely looking forward to our next visit, only we’ll ask for Krysztoff to be our server.

Bouchon Beverly Hills, 235 N. Canon Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90210

310.281.5680  bouchonbistro.com