Saturday, March 31, 2012

Il Grano (Los Angeles, CA)

Il Grano Restaurant
11359 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025
310.477.7886
www.ilgrano.com
Sat 03/31/2012, 07:15p-11:35p




Il Grano Exterior

Quick: What's the best Italian restaurant in LA? Angelini Osteria? Scarpetta? Sotto? It's a tough question, given the breadth of Italian cuisine, but according to the newly released Opinionated About Dining survey, it's none other than Il Grano, which also happens to be the 86th best restaurant in the country. Though the name translates to "wheat," Il Grano is best known for Chef Salvatore "Sal" Marino's contemporary presentations of seafood and his reverence for light, bright, ingredient-centric cooking. The place had been on my dining bucket list for a long while, and the arrival of new Chef de Cuisine Walter el Nagar presented a great opportunity for me to finally dine here.

Marino Family History: The story of Il Grano stretches way back in time, beginning with Sal's father Ciro Marino. Ciro had moved to Los Angeles in 1952, finding employment at Chianti and Villa Capri, two old-school Italian joints popular with the Hollywood set. With that experience under his belt, he opened Via Veneto in 1957, Martoni's in 1960, and Martoni Marquis on the Sunset Strip in 1970, all of which were hits with the City's diners. Salvatore was born in 1966 and raised in LA for several years, but Ciro didn't want Sal and his siblings Mario and Rosanna growing up in the midst of the many vices of Southern California. As such, he sold his restaurants and moved the kids and wife Maria back to Napoli in 1976. Their stint in Italy didn't last long, however, as Ciro soon relocated the family back to the US in 1980.

He opened the eponymous Marino Ristorante on Melrose Avenue in 1983 (which is still around), with Maria and Rosanna working the front-of-the-house and the men working the line. Sal eventually attended USC, where he studied business. An academic project on the restaurant industry reignited his love of cooking, and he soon decided that he wanted to follow in his father's footsteps. In pursuit of that goal, Sal moved back to Italy, working at a number of eateries through the years, including the Michelin three-star Ristorante Gualtiero Marchesi and the two-star La Ciau del Tornavento. He discovered what "true" Italian cooking was, and how it was different from the red sauce fare that was being served up at Marino. With that knowledge, Salvatore launched La Bottega Marino in 1993 with brother Mario at the intersection of Santa Monica and Sweetzer in West Hollywood. The success of La Bottega allowed the debut of the flagship Il Grano at the old Gianfranco's space in 1997, again with family members in tow. Mario, who inherited Ciro's enviable social graces, was actually in charge of the FOH for a period before returning to run Marino.

The modern, seafood-centric menu was quite a change from the typical pasta dishes that people of the era typically associated with Italian food, and wasn't an immediate hit. Sal was perhaps ahead of his time, as the crudo trend really caught on starting with the debut of Mario Batali's Esca three years later. Nevertheless, Il Grano soon found its footing, as did the adjacent outpost of La Bottega, which opened around the same time as the restaurant. The original Bottega in WeHo shuttered soon thereafter, but another location popped up in Larchmont Village in 2000, also opened in concert with brother Mario. Sister Rosanna, meanwhile, married Il Grano's maître d' Stefano Ongaro and the two opened All' Angelo in January of 2007 with Chef Mirko Paderno from Valentino, and later Chef Roberto Franzoni. 2009, unfortunately, saw the passing of patriarch Ciro, who had died of lung cancer at the age of 76, as well as the closing of All' Angelo in August. The third La Bottega Marino, however, bowed in November that year on a busy stretch of Santa Monica Blvd in Beverly Hills, helmed by Chef Enzio Puccini. It would only last until the end of 2011.

These days, with Sal busy running the various businesses and tending to his family, the man largely in charge of day-to-day operations in the kitchens at Il Grano is the 31-year-old Walter el Nagar. A native of Italy who was raised in Roccamonfina and Milano, he grew up surrounded by food. His father was a chef, and he spent considerable time cooking with his grandmother Rosa as well. When it came time for college, el Nagar majored in classical studies, but the allure of cooking quickly beckoned. He started out working in kitchens in Italy, then moved to France, England, Norway, and then all the way to California in 2008, where he cooked at Giacomino and Tanino Drago's Via Alloro, as well as Piccolo Paradiso.

El Nagar then relocated out to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico in late 2009, where he opened Nonna Rosa Pasta Factory, and also worked at Jackie's San Antonio. Following, the Chef took up residence in Dallas, where he worked for the Lombardi group for a bit, then served as Sous for Sardinian eatery Arcodoro & Pomodoro. Texas lasted for about a year, and el Nagar soon moved back out to LA, landing at Locanda del Lago in Santa Monica in 2010. The following year, he would become Executive Chef, replacing Roberto Maggioni, who had left to open Il Covo. Due to concerns about the direction of the restaurant, he left Locanda and became a consulting chef for La Botte (along with Angelini Osteria's Ori Menashe) before teaming up with Sal Marino at Il Grano.

Il Grano Menu
Diners can chose form both à la carte and tasting menu options at Il Grano, but for tonight, the kitchen prepared a special menu for us priced at $100 per head. Click for a larger version.

Il Benvenuto
Ostrica, gorgonzola e arance | oyster, gorgonzola, orange
La cozza ripiena e la sua maionese | ricotta stuffed mussels, mussel mayo
Tartare di filetto alla colatura e caviale di tartufo | beef tartare, anchovy juice, truffle caviar
Zuppetta alle ortiche e burrata | stinging nettle shot, burrata
Ca' del Bosco Brut 2003
"Il Benvenuto" comprised four little bites to kick off the meal with. Working my way from left to right, I began with a shigoku oyster paired with Gorgonzola, which showed off a deft interplay between the brine of the oyster and the pungency of the cheese. I was afraid that the Gorgonzola would totally overwhelm the shigoku, but it really held its own; I didn't get much from the orange, however. The cheese and bivalve pairing didn't end there. A mussel-ricotta combo came out looking like a black truffle, and was pretty fantastic, with a great balance of flavors from the salty mussel and light, subtly sweet curds. Moving on, a beef tartar arrived teeming with anchovy jus and topped with truffle spherifications. It was wonderful, with the salinity of the anchovy and earthy, lingering zing of the "caviar" playing off the heft of the meat beautifully. We concluded with a shot of nettle soup: hot and hearty with a marked astringency, and an almost green tea-like character thanks to the soup's bitterness.

Il Grano Bread Basket
Bread on offer tonight included olive, dinner roll, focaccia, lengthy grissini, and baguette varieties.

Crudo
1: Crudo | Flash smoked Japanese red snapper, thyme, garlic, sea urchin sauce, cilantro blossom
Albariño Etiqueta Verde Granbazan 2010, Spain
Not surprisingly, our first course proper brought us a sampling of Il Grano's famed crudo. It was excellent, one of the tastiest presentations of raw fish that I'd had in a while. The snapper itself was the hero in the dish: delicate, mild, and snappy in bite, with lovely tinges of smoke interjected by pricks of saltiness and the creamy, subtle weight of the uni sauce. My favorite element here, though, was the cilantro, which added a wonderful zestiness to the course that just tied everything together and lingered long on the palate.

Crudo Plate
With the first course gone, the kitchen brought out an extra plate of "house" crudo for us to sample. Going from right to left, we had shigoku oyster, yellowtail, octopus, snapper, Hokkaido scallop and three types of tuna (akami, toro, and o-toro). Everything that I tried was clean, fresh, and on point, tasty alone and even better with the brush strokes of accompanying condiments. Il Grano made a name for itself with its crudo, and for good reason it seems.

Vitello tonnato
2: Vitello tonnato | Veal eye of round sousvide for 12h@51°c, salsa tonnata and celery
Roucaillat Coteaux de Languedoc (roussanne/vermentino/grenache blanc) 2007
Here, we see Il Grano's version of vitello tonnato, a traditional cold course of veal dressed in a tuna-based sauce. It was simply superb, with a base of elegant, tender, perfectly cooked veal augmented by the tangy, mouth-watering salsa tonnata, all while the cilantro and celery provided enough light, bright flavors to balance out the course. Easily the best preparation of the dish that I've had.

Torcione di fegato grasso all'emiliana
3: Torcione di fegato grasso all'emiliana | Foie gras au torchon, mostarda di Cremona, amaretti, butter nut squash foam
JJ Prum Riesling Wehlener Sonnenuhr 2003, Rheingau
A stout cylinder of foie gras torchon was up next. It showed off the classic, earthy essence of the liver that I was expecting, deftly set off by the fruity, sweet 'n' sour tang of the mostarda and punctuated by pinpoints of salt. However, I wanted the foie to be creamier, richer, and silkier in consistency. The biscotti, meanwhile, provided a superb complement to the course, with its delightful, in-your-face crunch.

Spaghetti con funghi, piselli e fave
4: Spaghetti con funghi, piselli e fave | Fresh egg pasta with our pancetta, chanterelle, black trumpet, English pea and fava beans
Chardonnay Vine Cliff 2009, Carneros
The pasta section of the meal began with a housemade spaghetti, cooked to a delightfully firm, al dente consistency. The noodles served as fitting base for the dark, heady, umami-laden flavors of the pancetta and mushrooms, while the peas and favas (from Sal's own garden) provided a bright touch of levity to the mix. Very nice.

Fregolata
5: Fregolata | Sardinian fregola with squid ink, canocchie reduction and seafood texture and temperature
Sylvaner Strasserhof 2010, Alto Adige
Up next was a real celebration of frutti di mare. We were greeted with lobster, squid, and Santa Barbara prawn, all topped with bottarga. Everything was cooked separately and combined on the plate, so it was great to experience the unique identity of each item: the sweet, snappy lobster; the supple calamari; and of course, the beautifully prepared amaebi, which wouldn't look out of place at the top sushi bars in the City. The seafood was placed atop a bed of fregula, a type of semolina-based pasta similar to cous cous, and it worked well to moderate the dish.

Raviolini del plin ai tre arrosti e tartufo
6: Raviolini del plin ai tre arrosti e tartufo | Roasted beef, veal and pork stuffed plin ravioli, mirepoix, parmigiano reggiano, roasted meat air
Barbera d'Asti Fiulot 2010, Piemonte
Miniature "pinched" ravioli came stuffed with a meat threesome, and showed off a classic, savory flair countervailed by the veggie-laden essence of the mirepoix. At the same time, I appreciated the additional heft imparted by the foam here, as well as the overarching earthiness offered by the truffle. Tasty and comforting, though lacking in the panache of the other pastas.

Pappardelle al cacao con sugo di capra
7: Pappardelle al cacao con sugo di capra | Fresh egg and cocoa pasta with hand cut goat ragout and pecorino fiore sardo
Nebbiolo d'Alba Damilano 2009, Piemonte
The last pasta course was something you don't see all that often: a cocoa-based pasta, which happens to be a traditional food from the Tuscany region. It was lovely, especially when paired with the deep, dark, caprine flavors of the Jimenez Family Farm goat and the salty overtones of the pecorino.

Dry Ice Profumo di Mare
At this point in the meal, plates of dry ice were brought out to the table, then doused with a briny seafood broth, resulting in the release of a "perfume of the sea" to go along with the next course. A nod to Alinea, surely.

Ippoglosso al profumo di mare Ippoglosso al profumo di mare
8: Ippoglosso al profumo di mare | Sousvide halibut with cabbage, cauliflower cous cous and salicornia
Verdicchio di Castello di Jesi Podium Garofoli, Marche 2007
Halibut came sous vide'd to a moist, tender consistency, with a subtle brine that was duly augmented by the salt and crunch of the glasswort. Meanwhile, the cauliflower "grits" did a great job mixing things up texturally, and also served to ground the strong saline flavors at play. I also loved the blue color in the dish (I mean, how often do you see blue food?), courtesy of the anthocyanins from boiled red cabbage.

Lingua di manzo al barbaforte
9: Lingua di manzo al barbaforte | Beef tongue, sousvide 72h@57°c, smoked potato cream, horseradish air
Barbaresco Pelissero Vanotu 2001
Beef tongue was also treated to a sous vide bath, and as a result, arrived at the table gloriously supple, fatty, and gelatinous, just teeming with bovine sapor. Given the weight of the meat, the sting of heat from the horseradish foam was well-placed, and the potato formed a suitable temper as well.

Piccione e fegato grasso
10: Piccione e fegato grasso | Two way sousvide squab, seared foie gras, butternut squash and mustard
Barbaresco Pelissero Vanotu 2001
Squab was done sous vide as well, then seared, and the result was delicious: savory and succulent, with a great depth and body, and a nicely crisp skin to boot. I also appreciated the mustard here, though the butternut squash was a touch sweet. The foie was also consummately cooked, but wasn't even necessary given the already considerable gravity of the bird.

Sal Marino Salvatore Marino
With the savories all taken care of, Chef Marino came out to chat with us and show off a pea plant from his home garden (he personally grows a portion of the produce used by the restaurant).

Il sorbetto
11: Il sorbetto | almond sorbet, green almond
Pre-dessert comprised a scoop of almond sorbet, with green almond and lemon blossoms. This was a perfect palate cleanser after the sheer gravity of the preceding course: light, bright, and refreshing, with a delectable mix of sweet, nutty, and aromatic flavors. Yum.

Pastiera napoletana
12: Pastiera napoletana | Ricotta and grain easter pie, pink lady apple, vanilla gelato
Privilegio Feudi di San Gregorio (Passito) 500ml 2002
We ended with pastiera napoletana, a traditional Easter cake from Marino's ancestral home of Naples. Though relatively simple in appearance, its flavors were outstanding and beautifully integrated: a flawless blend of moist, creamy ricotta and sugary, candied fruit, all under an overarching floral component courtesy of orange blossom water. At the same time, the vanilla gelato added a wonderfully sweet counterpoint to the dish that paired with the cake in stellar fashion.

Cappuccino and Cookies
To close out the meal: cappuccino and cookies.

Without a doubt, this was one of the strongest Italian meals that I've had. Marino's commitment to top-notch ingredients is obvious, the flavors and presentations are interesting, and I love how the food strikes a balance between the traditional and the modern. Especially with the advent of Chef el Nagar, the kitchen's clearly adept with using techniques such as sous vide, and they're not afraid to bust out some foam either, in moderation and when called for, of course. It's definitely not your typical, everyday Italian, and for that we should be thankful.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Le Comptoir at Tiara Cafe (Los Angeles, CA)

Le Comptoir at Tiara Cafe
127 E 9th St, Los Angeles, CA 90015
213.290.0750
www.lecomptoirla.com
Thu 03/29/2012, 08:00p-11:25p




Tiara Cafe @ The New Mart

Believe it or not, LudoBites isn't the only pop-up to appear on Jonathan Gold's list of 99 Essential Restaurants. No, it's joined by Le Comptoir ("the counter" in French), Chef Gary Menes' ephemeral eatery taking place Thursdays through Saturdays at Downtown's Tiara Café. Though originally slated to end last November, the restaurant has been so well received that the series will continue until at least the end of May.

About the Chef: Menes was raised in Long Beach, CA, and after graduating from a local college with a business degree, he quickly caught the cooking bug. Joachim Splichal hired him to work the line at Patina in 1995, and over the course of a few years, he learned nearly aspect of running that restaurant. He then transitioned to Tim Goodell's Aubergine and Troquet in Orange County, and later returned to Patina. From there, Menes worked stints at The Dining Room at The Ritz-Carlton San Francisco and at Josiah Citrin's Melisse, followed by a year-long stage at The French Laundry (where he was chef de partie poissonnier). After TFL, Menes came back home to LA at the end of 2002, and secured a job running the kitchens at Firefly in Studio City. Then, he teamed back up with the Patina Restaurant Group and opened Eat on Sunset in the former Pinot Hollywood space at the beginning of 2006. The Chef eventually left, and partnered with former PRG compatriot Octavio Becerra to open (the recently departed) Palate Food + Wine in Glendale in the middle of 2008, earning rave reviews in the process.

Menes then hooked up with long-time friend Andre Guerrero, and the two debuted Marché in Sherman Oaks in September 2009. Unfortunately, though Marché was largely a critical success, it just wasn't viable from an economic perspective, so the restaurant shuttered the following May. After that painful setback, Menes landed at The Hall Courtyard Brasserie at West Hollywood's Palihouse Holloway hotel, replacing Chef Brendan Collins (who'd left to open Waterloo & City), but he would stay there only until the end of 2010, when he decamped to open his own spot with business partner and Palate colleague François Renaud. The twosome launched a pop-up called Quartier, which started in May 2011 and ran for four weekends at Olive & Thyme in Toluca Lake (the owners, Melina and Christian Davies, were fans of Marché). When that ended, Menes worked briefly at Culture 22 in Pasadena before laying the groundwork for Le Comptoir, his latest pop-up that debuted on October 13th last year at Fred Eric's Tiara Café.

Le Comptoir at Tiara Cafe
Le Comptoir at Tiara Cafe
The Tiara Café space borders on cavernous, but Le Comptoir diners occupy only a small sliver of the room, huddled around the 12-seater counter surrounding the restaurant's open kitchen.

Le Comptoir Menu
Le Comptoir's menu features an oft-changing five-course prix fixe for $52 (up from $46 originally), punctuated by a bevy of pricey supplements, TFL style. An optional wine pairing by Paul Young is listed at $24, and if you want to BYO, the corkage charge will run $16 per bottle. Click for a larger version.

something amusing...
Amuse Bouche: something amusing...
Our amuse consisted of a fried croquette of fromage over a dollop of pesto aioli. I rather enjoyed the sweet, creamy cheese here, contrasted against the fritter's crisp, savory exterior, all while the pesto provided a much appreciated touch of levity to the mix.

okinawan sweet potato velouté, yogurt, green garlic, farinette, herbs okinawan sweet potato velouté, yogurt, green garlic, farinette, herbs
1a: okinawan sweet potato velouté, yogurt, green garlic, farinette, herbs
mas bruguiere les muriers 2009; coteaux du languedoc; roussanne, marsanne
In our first course, a rich, silky, hearty velouté enveloped a small farinette, its sweetness melding with the somewhat fruity notes of the pancake. Yogurt, meanwhile, provided an overarching lightness and tangy counterpoint to the potage, but I wanted to taste more from the garlic and herbs, which would've provided more balance to the dish.

Breaking Bread Sourdough Bread
At this point, Menes served up his housemade sourdough, which is based off an 18-year-old starter that he created when he first began cooking back in the 90's. The bread was spot on, fluffy and moist on the inside, but with a crisp, bitter exterior and a marked tanginess.

roasted french foie gras, dried cherry compote, saba
1b: roasted french foie gras, dried cherry compote, saba [+$18.00]
mas bruguiere les muriers 2009; coteaux du languedoc; roussanne, marsanne
Foie gras arrived cooked to perfection, soft and decadent but topped with a delectably crisp crust, and teeming with rich, robust, yet restrained liver-y character, all punctuated by pinpoints of acute saltiness. The foie easily stood alone, but the accoutrements of saba (grape must syrup) and cherry provided a fitting tartness and sugary depth to moderate the offal.

Fresh Eggs Cutting Asparagus
Here, Menes shows off eggs from Kelli Johnson's Green Lab Urban Farm in Long Beach (laid just that afternoon), as well as thick-ass stalks of asparagus from Zuckerman's Farm in Stockton (available just six weeks of the year, apparently).

sunny side-up egg, young lettuce, herbs, jus vert sunny side-up egg, young lettuce, herbs, jus vert
2a: sunny side-up egg, young lettuce, herbs, jus vert
mas neuf paradox 2010; cote du rhone blanc; grenache blanc, roussanne
Those eggs were dutifully showcased in our next course, an interactive dish comprising a sunny side-up egg en cocotte Staub that we were instructed to mix up with compound herb butter, sorrel jus, and a variety of greenery, including miner's lettuce, lamb's lettuce, and nasturtium. The result was fantastic, with the lusciousness of the egg playing perfectly off the bright, tangy, astringent tastes of the shrubbery involved. Absolutely delightful.

'asperge vert' et oeuf sur la plat, reggiano, beurre noisette, citron
2b: "asperge vert" et oeuf sur la plat, reggiano, beurre noisette, citron [+$8.00]
mas neuf paradox 2010; cote du rhone blanc; grenache blanc, roussanne
The asparagus made its appearance here, and the spears were flawless: crisp and crunchy, and loaded with all the subtle bitterness that you'd expect from the vegetable. The combination of brown butter and egg, meanwhile, added further gravity and depth to the otherwise light asparagus, while the undercurrent of citrus gave the dish a pleasingly piquancy.

Chef Gary Menes


'veggie plate', beets, pickled onion petals, turnips, radish, kohlrabi, pears, rutabaga, grapes, scallions, fava beans, celtuce
3a: "veggie plate", beets, pickled onion petals, turnips, radish, kohlrabi, pears, rutabaga, grapes, scallions, fava beans, celtuce
domaine du fresche, alain boré; anjou rouge loire valley 2010; cabernet franc
Here, Menes presents his composed interpretation of the ubiquitous vegetable plate. For me, this was about savoring each item individually, and I appreciated how everything was unique, distinct, and true to form, coming together conceptually, though not necessarily on the palate. A real celebration of vegetables, showing off a mélange of differing tastes (sweet, sour, savory, bitter) and textures (crunchy, tender, dense).

Plating Pasta Plating Pasta Truffle Shaving
Plating the fettuccine and loading up the pasta with Oregon truffles.

house made fettuccini, black winter truffles
3b: house made fettuccini, black winter truffles [+$20.00]
domaine du fresche, alain boré; anjou rouge loire valley 2010; cabernet franc
Upon being served this course, I immediately breathed in an intense redolence of earthy truffle aroma. The fettuccine was actually dressed with very little sauce, so for me this was all about enjoying the racy, pungent smack of the truffe--a true showcase of the ingredient. Quite enjoyable, though I wanted the noodles to be a bit firmer and snappier in consistency, as to provide some more textural interest to the dish.

'flavors of tangerine beef broccoli', pea tendrils, broccoli, black forbidden rice, caramelized onion jus, tangerine
4a: "flavors of tangerine beef broccoli", pea tendrils, broccoli, black forbidden rice, caramelized onion jus, tangerine
luc lapeyre san bres 2010; minervois, coteaux de languedoc; grenache, syrah, mourvédre
Here, Menes presents a sort of reimagined version of the classic Chinese-American creation of tangerine beef & broccoli. Surprisingly, though it utilized no beef at all, it really did evoke the sensation of that dish. I think the caramelized onions were key in providing the course with a rich, savory base in the absence of meat. This was then tempered by the astringency of the pea tendrils and broccoli, which also added a wonderful texture element to things, as well as the citric tartness of the tangerine. I only wish that the fruit could've been somehow more integrated into the dish.

Plating the Pork Plating the Pork
The kitchen plates up our final savory course of the evening.

'poitrine de porc', slow braised heritage pork belly, stone ground grits, apples, greens, white wine braised leeks
4b: "poitrine de porc", slow braised heritage pork belly, stone ground grits, apples, greens, white wine braised leeks [+$8.00]
luc lapeyre san bres 2010; minervois, coteaux de languedoc; grenache, syrah, mourvédre
It's hard to go too wrong with pork belly, and indeed, it was pretty marvelous here, with the meat consummately cooked and showing off a perfect mix of lean and fat, along with a wonderfully crisp crust and a tremendous depth of flavor. The pork was certainly delicious alone, but I greatly appreciated the balance provided by the grits and crisp, refreshing veggies.

Making Dessert
Plating dessert: I loved watching the team build up the plate element by element.

chocolate, blood orange, vanilla tuile, sour cream, pistachio, graham cracker, mint
5: chocolate, blood orange, vanilla tuile, sour cream, pistachio, graham cracker, mint
Dessert comprised a block of orange pound cake and accompaniments. The cake itself I found light, bright, and fruity, not much on its own, but superb when combined with the depth and overt sugariness of the chocolate, interjected with the bracing relish of mint. I loved the pistachios as well, with their in-your-face crunch and nutty, salty savor.

Making Coffee Making Coffee Making Coffee
Single Origin Coffee Handsome Coffee Roasters
Menes is quite fanatical about his coffee, so to close out the dinner, I ordered up a cup of Los Naranjos [$5], a single origin Columbian varietal from Handsome Coffee Roasters. He prepared the brew right in front of us using the Japanese pour-over method, replete with digital scale and temperature probe. I'm not much of a coffee drinker unfortunately, but what I had was very nice indeed: fruity on the attack and very smooth, with only a restrained bitterness. Interestingly, I thought that the coffee got better as it sat, taking on some almost tea-like qualities.

Jessica Aguire, Wesley Avila, Gary Menes, Christina Gaultman
Assisting Chef Menes tonight were (left to right): Commis/Server Jessica Aguire, Sous Chef Wesley Avila, and Sous Chef Christina Gaultman.

This was my first time tasting Menes' food, and it's unfortunate that I had to wait this long. Despite painful setbacks at Palate and Marché, it looks like the Chef is finally coming into his own at Le Comptoir. It was great to really get to see him display his style of cooking, featuring hyperseasonal produce, a maniacal devotion to product, and plenty of interesting flavors and presentations, showcased in an intimate counter setting with cooks as servers--to quote the Chef, it's fine dining, distilled. As for what's next for Menes, this current pop-up will last until June-ish, maybe longer. After that, he hopes to open a permanent spot--an Urasawa-style type of place--late this year, which may or may not be named Le Comptoir. Stay tuned.