Going Greek on Mardi Gras

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For many years, I stared at an abandoned store space when I walked out of my parking lot everyday. Then rumors emerged that a Greek restaurant was going in…I still stared at the empty space everyday. Many months later, construction permits appeared but nothing was happening. Many more months later, a plywood wall went up outside the space but nobody knew what was going on, not even my friends who own the bars on either side of the space. It was like watching a movie on pause but advancing it one frame at a time.

Then one day suddenly, it opened for business.

Looking for a place for dinner on Mardi Gras, we decided to celebrate the day our way, by doing Greek.

Opa is a beautiful restaurant dominated by its bar in the center of the dining room. One side of the exposed wall is accented with a full length metal and stained glass trellis of circles that extends up to the ceiling and transforms into a wood overhang overlooking the dining room.

Antho

Feeling like something different, we started with this $10 cocktail made with cucumber vodka, lemon, and dill. The Antho was refreshingly and sour with a good dose of dill flavor. It certainly stood out from the usual sweeter and fruiter cocktails favored by the popular demands.

Grilled Octopus

The octopus was absolutely tender (supposedly braised for 4 hours) with a nice hint of grill flavor. There were some crispiness on certain pieces but unfortunately it was overshadowed by a slight heavy hand of salting. The chickpea fondue was done without any dairy product. It resembled very much like a dryer but tasty version of chickpea and tomato stew. The sauce on the plate was supposed to be chili oil but somehow we couldn’t detect any spice from the oil. $12

Kokorestsi

Not sure if this was done in the traditional way of roasting over a pit. This $10 plate of lamb sweetbreads, liver, and heart arrived in the form of a nicely packed ball with pieces of intestine on top. The sweetbread was a bit elastic however the flavor was excellent. Being a muscle, the heart was very tender and could have passed for being a piece of veal. The intestines on top supposedly bind everything together; they were flavorful but chewy. Taken as a whole, this was a very interesting and flavorful dish with each component having its unique texture and flavor. There was a lot of grizzle in the sweetbread which the kitchen should have taken better care in the preparation.  I though the fries were an odd complement for the kokoretsi but their crispiness and seasoning did a good job in cutting the heaviness of the dish.

Toourlou

A savory dish of stewed zucchini, greens, gigante beans, okra with a poached egg on top.  This is a vegetarian’s delight at $11. The vegetables were delightfully prepared with the right crispiness and yet allowing its flavor to come thought. And…everything tastes so much better with a runny egg on top.

Rabbit

The meat was braised in wine, then shredded and mixed with the house-made pasta, olives, capers, carrot and topped with keafalotiri cheese shaving. This was a very satisfying comfort food dish with a well balance of flavors. The meat was absolutely tender. It tangoed so well with the delicately soft pasta and the sauce that it made me forget the pasta was more done than I prefer. When I placed the order, I was wondering how much meat I would get for this $16 dish. I found my answer as I kept digging into the dish and rewarded with fork full after fork full of meat. I definitely had gotten my USDA recommended dose of daily of protein.

Baklava

For $8.00, you do get a large piece of layered phyllo with chopped walnuts, honey and spices folded inside. It did not have that hit-you-in-the-face sweetness, the walnuts still had a nice snap to the bite and the filling was not gooey. There were some nice pieces of fig in the fig ice cream on the side. It was very nice on its own as well as quite delightful as a pairing with the baklava. Although neither the baklava nor the ice cream was over the top sweet, there was sufficient sugariness in the dish to stop me from finishing the dessert without going into a diabetic coma.

Greek coffee

That was one of the more interesting serving vessels we have seen for Greek coffee. Unfortunately, the coffee was not as interesting as the vessel it was served in. It lacked the intensity that we were expecting and it also wasn’t the most flavorful rendition, but the serving vessel was worth the price of the admission.

Opa is a beautifully built restaurant with intricate finishing touches. The service was attentive with our waitress kept checking up on us and our water glasses were never less than half-filled. It was also a very slow night. As any newly opened restaurants, the kitchen has its ups and downs. The food was well thought out with its execution almost there. There was grizzle in sweetbread and tiny bones in the rabbit meat that could be easily taken care of with a little more attention paid to the prep processes. We have subsequently returned to Opa and enjoyed a few cocktails at the bar while watching “beautiful”

Samson Street

and the cars going in and out of my garage across the street through the huge opened windows on a Spring night. An interesting conversation with the bartender over beer led to his creation of an interestingly made beer cocktail for us with Victory Prima, vodka, and a Greek liquor with a name that I couldn’t pronounce.

The Urban Dictionary defines “opa” as “A word that Greek people use for no apparent reason at all” but I find it plenty of reasons to visit this place.

Opa!

http://opaphiladelphia.com/

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The Lazy Meal

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At the fringe of Little Tokyo, across the street from the gift shops and restaurants selling run of the mill tourist-trap Japanese buys and eats sits a very unconventional restaurant. The Lazy Ox Canteen can easily be missed as a neighborhood bar serving Coronas and cheap nachos with its non-descript exterior. Yet, the slightly industrial and rustic interior reveals a place ready to put out edgy cooking with quality ingredients and a drink list to match.

The restaurants in Little Tokyo have full size plastic mock-ups of the entire menu on display neatly arranged in the window. A world away across the street, Lazy Ox has its nightly special menu of locovore farm fresh cuisine on chalk board overlooking the bar.

I started with a refreshing California brewed 4.4% North Coast Scrimshaw pilsner while the Tourist Tree sipped a more serious 10% Port Brewing 4^th Anniversary. We then moved to the 8.7% Gordon IPA from Colorado and the Jolly Pumpkin Oro de Calabaza, a refreshing 8% strong golden ale from Michigan which got our appetites going.

There was a 5 for 5 happy hour special with 5 small plates for $5.00 each but we were attracted to the unique specials on the chalk board and some of the interesting items on the regular dinner menu.

Squash Blossom with Ricotta, Prosciutto

Squash is a vegetable. Squash blossom is the flower from the plant that produces the squash. I can’t imagine what drug made the first person decide to make this flower a food and how high the rest of the people were when first served this.

These blossoms were stuffed with ricotta and prosciutto, fried, then drizzled with honey. The crunch of the batter followed by the softness of the warm cheese and accented by the saltiness of the meat and the sweetness from the honey made this a very nice textural and taste experience.

Pig Ear “Chicharon” with radish salad and lime

One word: “Awesome”. My taste buds were dancing in joy with these crispy goodness full of gelatin softness inside. They were nicely seasoned with a light sprinkle of salt on top. Not so much a chicharons in the traditional sense but they were definitely in the spirit with the preparation. This dish met all the qualifications to be a great snack for drinking.

Beef Tartar with Tarragon Aioli

Light and refreshing are not the two words that are used regularly to describe a beef tartar but somehow there were the words that I was thinking when we were enjoying this dish. The freshness in the raw beef, the spice, and the slight vinegar note from the mustard just made everything feel so right. The mustard note was carried along to the toast with a light spreading of the substance which also carried a little spice kick.

Dashi Marinated Yellowtail with Avocado, Hash Browns & Tonburi

Freshness, along with a delicious marinade. It is similar to a cheviche but more or less as a “lite” version. The hash browns were an interesting companion for the fish but they stood out on their own with their lightness and crispiness. They were very appetizing and we liked this dish very much.

Ox Heart a la Planchu with prawn

Plancha is a Spanish method of grilling food on a metal plate. Tourist Tree made a face when I wanted to order the ox heart. However, the inviting aroma got her curiosity when it arrived in front of us. The ox heart was tender, cooked perfectly, and tasted just like a slight gamely version of beef. It worked very well with the green tomato and red onion on the plate with its vinger’ish, lime’ish seasoning. This dish won the Tourist Tree’s approval.

Blistered Shihito Peppers

It sounded good. It looked good. But we were not impressed. It was just peppers done in a deep fryer. We were expecting some spicy peppers with crunchy on the skins but it didn’t happen.

Grilled Octopus and Squid with Zhoug

They were grilled perfectly, tender and full of sweetness. I expected some heat from the zhoug which was famous for its fiery spice in its native Yemen but I guess the chef had dumb it down for the LA crowd. The dish also had a sweet fruity dimension from the red grapes on the plate.

Fried Rabbit Liver with Cucumber and Salmorejo

Salmorejo is a soup/sauce originated from Southern Spain. It is made with pureed tomato, bread, herb, garlic and vinegar. The rabbit liver was crispy crisply fried and served with a cucumber salad with the salmorego used as a sauce on this dish. The liver was very mild tasting and would be a great introduction for those who would usually say “Ew” with organ food. The frying did not make this dish feel heavy since the vinegar in the cucumber salad balanced out the flavor quite well. The salmorego was also less heavy then expected. I guess not too much bread was used in this particular rendition which worked very well as a tasty companion to the fried rabbit liver.

Lamb Neck Hash with Fried Jidori Egg & Pickled Mint Onions

Anything tastes good with a runny egg on top. The lamb neck hash certainly did not need the runny egg to taste good. It’s tender. It’s savory It’s delicious. It sat on top of a bed of tiny zucchini, spring onion, pea, and pickled mint. The pickled mint was interesting. It had the consistency of chard but tasted minty. Jidori is the rave in LA. It is a free roaming, all organic Japanese chicken known for its freshness since it is delivered to the chef commonly within 12 hours of leaving the farm.

The “Egg”

 

This item did not spike our interest on the menu but it got our attention when the chef delivered one to his friend sitting next to us. It is a breakfast in a shell consisting of the egg, very finely diced panchatta, crème fraiche, maple syrup, cream of wheat, and garnish. It was an unbelievable delicious comfort food intermingling with each other in harmony. A bite size meal in an egg!

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We walked into the Lazy Ox Canteen for drinks and a few bites for happy hour figuring we would have plenty of time to catch the plane home. Somewhere along the timeline, we decided to leisurely order more food, one course at a time. Our lazy meal at the Lazy Ox turned into a 2 ½ hour of very enjoyable culinary eye-opening adventure. We did make our plane on time and slept very well all the way home.

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 http://www.lazyoxcanteen.com

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Glenlivet Dinner

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I am not a big scotch drinker. I claim ignorance on this holy water from Scotland but I do know enough to stay away from the lesser quality and appreciate the finer single malts. I have never seen the Tourist Tree doing scotch even though she claims that she has done a sip here and there out of friends’ glasses (whatever that means?). An e-mail flashed in front of my computer screen announcing a scotch dinner featuring a Glenlivet whisky lineup at the Swann. It looked intriguing. I have had scotch before and after meals but never with a meal. I said to Tourist Tree, “We’re going!”

Duck Fat French Fries, Lavender Salt, Malt Vinegar, Roasted Garlic Aioli. Glenlivet 12

We started the dinner with this canapé and the 12 year Glenlivet whisky. A small carafe of water was placed on the table so we could add a splash of water to the glass in our pleasure to open up the whisky. The fries were soft and mushy with a nice crispy snap on the outside. I liked the garlic aioli which was flavored with herbs and garlic but I liked the lavender salt even better due to its taste and granular texture. I have eaten fries many times with beer and even wine. My first experience with this odd couple of fries and Scotch whisky was…unexpectedly pleasant.

The restaurants at the Four Seasons have always been very accommodating with Tourist Tree’s food allergies. Besides modifying all the dishes for her, they also have warmed gluten free bread which tastes closer to regular bread than a chemical experiment. 

“Oysters on the Rocks” Applewood Bacon, Spinach, Scotch Cream. Glenlivet 15 French Oak Reserve

The fat from the bacon mixing with the juice from the oyster and the scotch cream was intoxicating. I loved the play between the textures of all the ingredients. Definitely could use a dozen or so more of this playful take off of Clams Casino which happened to pair quite well with the in depth flavor of the 15.

Vanilla Maple Glazed Muscovy Duck Breast, Red Cabbage Slaw, Apple Salad, Cumin Dressing. Glenlivet 16 Nàdurra   

This was a non-attention grabbing breast. Nothing outrageous. Nothing erroneous.  What grabbed my attention was the apple salad. Besides being delicious with its crisp texture and refreshing tart flavor, the apple salad also showed good knife work from the chef with each tiny piece perfectly cut into a symmetrical cube. It worked very well in tandem with the slight spice kick from the slaw and the sweeter, fruiter flavor of the cask strength, non-filtered 16 Nàdurra.

Charred Ribeye, Rutabaga Purée, Crispy Onion, Smoked Butter. Glenlivet 18

We were greeted by beautiful grill marks. It looked like somebody had spent a painful amount of time painting the perfect diamond pattern on the steak. The meat was flavorful, but needed a few more sprinkles of seasoning. Overall, it was a nice piece of ribeye cooked perfectly medium-rare but just not in the same league as those from some of the more noticeable steak houses in the city.

The 18 is made from blending whisky aged in 70 % American oak and 30% French oak. Its deep intense flavor was a nice companion for the steak…and its perfectly painted charred marks.

Warm Chocolate Scotch Bread Pudding, Honey Chantilly Cream, Cherry Compote, Vanilla Tuile. Glenlivet 21 Archive 

I was expecting a strong taste of scotch in the bread pudding. What best to capture flavor from liquid than bread? However, I was a bit disappointed that the scotch fragrance was not there. May be it got baked away? Regardless, the pudding was excellent in texture, moisture, and taste (if you take the lack of scotch out of the formula). The chocolate essence was restrained and so was the sweetness. This savory pudding was nicely contrasted by the sour zing in the cherries.

The 21 Archive was sweeter than all the whiskies we have had this night. It’s “honeyer” in taste and very much in smoothness.

Instead of the Bread pudding, Tourist Tree got the healthy choice version of fresh fruits. The berries and the pineapple were excellent as usual but unfortunately, the cantaloupe and the honeydew were a bit lacking.

Petits Fours

Yes, there was a pairing with the petits fours. The Glenlivet 25 was simply a “wow!” If there were an umami for scotch, this whisky has it. The depth, the intensity, and the smoothness were powerful and unmatched. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to taint my palate sipping this 25 with the petits fours, but a piece of strong chocolate did add a new dimension to the experience. If I only could have a cigar….

Since Tourist Tree was the designated driver, she only tasted each glass of the whisky in moderation during the dinner. At the end of the meal, we lined up all her glasses for a vertical tasting. The 12 was good; 15 definitely sweeter; 16 fruiter; 18 nutty and even sweeping; 21 taking smoothness to the next level; 25 was just a “wow!” Take a sip of the 12 after the 25 showed the ordinariness (even it’s not) of the 12 and could completely drive your palette insane.

We arrived at this sold-out-in-a-matter-of-hours dinner seeing a men dominated venue with a few women sprinkled around the dining room. The question was, how many of women were dragged there by the men or vice versa? At the end of the dinner, it had become apparent that the question was irrelevant. A good scotch is enjoyed by men and women not just before or after a meal. The restaurant and its talented kitchen also showed us that it can be paired with a variety of food. Of course, nothing would work unless the whisky itself is well made with care and consideration as Glenlivet showed us. Among the good whisky and the good food, the most rewarding surprise was discovering that Tourist Tree was open to tasting the different whiskies and enjoyed them all.

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The Perfect Storm

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Bacon, mozzarella, cheddar cheese. Three ingredients that are pretty awesome on their own and can supercharge any dish into breathlessness. “You can’t go wrong putting them all together.” as Chef Brooke Higgins said to me.

That’s what she did to her biscuits at one of the Monday night BBQ buffets one night at Sweet Lucy’s. Putting the bacon, mozzarella, and cheddar cheese together in a biscuit is the perfect storm for wholesomeness.

The bacon was crisp. Chef Brooke cut them into relatively large pieces so each bite was substantial. You could really feel the bacon in your mouth. The mozzarella and the cheddar provided dueling flavors of sweetness and cheesiness to play with the salt, fat, and smoke of the bacon. This juxtaposition of flavors, taste and aroma was held together firmly by a yellow puff of golden biscuit holiness.

It is not a regular item on Chef Brooke’s buffet nor on the regular menu but I hope that this perfect storm hits more regularly.

http://www.sweetlucys.com/

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