My Most Memorable Menus, Part 1
As you may have read in my post detailing this blog's 20th birthday, I'm in the process of donating all the restaurant menus (and related ephemera) that I've gathered over the past two decades to the Los Angeles Public Library, as the institution maintains a special collection of such.
The effort involves going through and organizing everything that I've accumulated. I was therefore able to revisit countless menus that I hadn't laid eyes on in years, which triggered a flood of memories and waves of nostalgia. Thus, I've decided to highlight the more significant menus I've come across during this whole undertaking. I'm talking about menus that have reminded me of specific events, menus evocative of a particular time in my life, menus that detail an especially notable meal, and even menus that just caught my eye from a design perspective.
This is the first entry in the series, and covers years 2003 to 2006.
ca. 2003 | Baja Fresh | Multiple Locations
My collection actually predates the founding of this blog, and was birthed when I started a new job and began saving takeout menus so that the office could figure out what we wanted to have for lunch. Thus, shown above is the first item in my hoard, a prosaic pamphlet from a local Baja Fresh. Interestingly, I don't think I've eaten Baja Fresh since leaving that position.
2004-01-14 | Bayside | Newport Beach, CA
Having recently finished my undergrad degree, I had moved to Orange County and thus did most of my eating in the region. I was still getting my feet wet in terms of higher-end restaurants, and this is the first menu that could be considered anything remotely close to fine dining. I still remember Bayside's dining room and how the table we sat at afforded us a nice view of Newport Bay. In addition, I have to point out that the font utilized on this menu is somewhat difficult to read, and gives me a mid-century automotive sort of feel.
ca. 2004 | Jerry's Seafood | Lanham, MD
This is my first menu from outside Southern California. By early 2004, I had started a new position at work, one that would send me on semi-frequent business trips to the Washington metropolitan area. During the first of those trips, I took a detour to Lanham, Maryland to visit's Jerry's Seafood, which I had researched beforehand. My specific reason for choosing Jerry's was the restaurant's "Crab Bomb," a spherical mound of crabmeat that is, to this day, still the largest crab cake I've ever consumed.
ca. 2004 | Panera Bread | Gaithersburg, MD
Speaking of the DMV, I was sent to Gaithersburg, Maryland for work, and one morning, the colleagues I was carpooling with decided to stop by Panera for breakfast. These days, Paneras are ubiquitous, but twenty years ago, they weren't nearly as common, and this was therefore my first-ever visit to the fast casual mainstay. I still do eat at Panera occasionally these days, and it's a bit amusing to see how the menu's evolved over the past two decades.
ca. 2004 | CityZen | Washington, DC | Signed by Eric Ziebold (Executive Chef)
During another one of my 2004 business trips to the National Capital Region, I had my first "proper" fine dining tasting menu experience at CityZen, which was run by Chef Eric Ziebold (former CdC at French Laundry) and had just opened that year. This is the first signed menu I'd ever received, and even came with its own envelope.
2005-01-23 | Gary Danko | San Francisco, CA | Signed by Gary Danko (Chef/Owner)
In early 2005, I was sent up to UC Berkeley to assist with my company's campus recruiting efforts. I'd consider Gary Danko one of the classics of SF fine dining, a place that I'd been hearing about ever since my undergraduate days at Cal, though price-wise, it was always out of reach for me when I was a student. Thus, I made it a point to pay the restaurant a visit now that I was working and could afford to splurge. I remember being quite impressed by how the menu was presented to me at the end of my meal, with its sturdy folder and translucent envelope, and if I recall correctly, I didn't even have to ask for the signature.
ca. 2005 | Chipotle Mexican Grill | Multiple Locations
In the early 2000s, Chipotle was experiencing rapid expansion thanks to investments from McDonald's, and it was around 2005 when the fast casual mega-chain really jumpstarted its proliferation into the Southern California market. A friend of mine thus took me to one of the first (maybe the first) Chipotle's in OC, a visit that we were both quite excited about. I recall enjoying the food, and in the following years, Chipotle became a go-to of mine when in search of a quick, filling meal. It's certainly interesting to compare prices from back then to what they are now.
2005-06-11 | Water Grill | Los Angeles, CA
Even though I grew up in the Southland, I rarely ventured into DTLA regularly until my mid-20s, and thus what we have here is the menu from my first dinner in Downtown. I even remember driving down Grand Avenue at night, somewhat trepidatiously, before finally arriving at the restaurant. Michael Cimarusti had already left by that point, so it was David LeFevre who was in charge.
ca. 2006 | The Cliff House | Manitou Springs, CO
Around 2006, I began being sent out to Colorado Springs for work, and my first "fancy" meal in the area was at The Cliff House, a historic hotel set in a Victorian mansion at the foot of Pikes Peak. What struck me here was the sheer physical size of the menu (12"x18"); I'm not sure if I've encountered a larger one. I quite like the artwork on the reverse to boot.
ca. 2006 | Walter's Bistro | Colorado Springs, CO | Signed by Ryan Blanchard (Executive Chef)
Outside of Comic Sans, Papyrus is perhaps the world's most despised font, largely due to its overuse. That overuse certainly extends to menus, and this is the first example I can find featuring the much-maligned typeface.
ca. 2006 | Penrose Room | Colorado Springs, CO
The Broadmoor is essentially the grande dame of Colorado Springs hotels, and perched on its top floor was The Penrose Room, an unabashedly old school spot that was clearly the schmanciest restaurant I'd ever been to up to that point. It was the first place I'd dined at where jackets were required for gentlemen, and since I wasn't wearing one, I remember having to borrow a blazer from the maître d'hôtel. The menu definitely has a classy sort of look to it, and even the feel was luxe thanks to the use of double-thickness paper. Do also note the included postcard depicting the dining room.
ca. 2006 | The Stinking Rose | Beverly Hills, CA
By the latter half of 2006, I had finished my MS degree and had commenced my MBA. One of my colleagues in the program had a friend visiting from Thailand, and we ended up taking him to dinner at The Stinking Rose (for some reason). The food at the garlic-themed eatery wasn't noteworthy, but I do quite fancy the menu, with its rather flowery, old-timey design.
2006-08-17 | Alinea | Chicago, IL | Signed by Grant Achatz (Chef/Owner)
And now we come to perhaps the most important menu of my life, as it was this dinner at Alinea in August 2006 that gave rise to this blog. All of that significance aside, it's just a neat menu from a design perspective. In particular, the indentation level of the line items corresponds to sweetness level, while the diameter of the circles corresponds to dish size. Do also take note of that vacuum-sealed rosemary sprig, which was initially part of the table centerpiece but was also used later on in one of our courses.
2006-08-19 | TRU | Chicago, IL | Signed by Rick Tramonto (Chef/Owner), Gale Gand (Pastry Chef/Owner)
A couple days after Alinea, I had another lengthy tasting menu at TRU, one that lasted past 2:00 a.m (the latest I'd ever stayed at a restaurant, I'm pretty sure). Unsurprisingly, the head chefs had already departed for the night, so I couldn't get a signed menu. However, the staff offered to send me one in the mail, and they did in fact follow through on the promise, though it took quite a bit longer than expected. This is the first, and only time that such a thing has happened to me.
2006-10-06 | Frenchy's Bistro | Long Beach, CA | Signed by André Angles (Chef/Owner)
I don't remember exactly how I ended up at Frenchy's Bistro (I think my friend wanted to go), but what we have here is the menu from the first meal in SoCal that I ever blogged about. The restaurant closed in 2011, and the building is now home to Selva, one of my most-recommended spots in LBC.
2006-10-08 | Club 33, Disneyland | Anaheim, CA
During this period, the company I was working at had a corporate membership to Club 33, the legendary "secret" restaurant at Disneyland, and employees participating in the annual CHOC Walk at the park were given the opportunity to dine there. The menu above is from the first of numerous meals I took part in at the elusive eatery.
The effort involves going through and organizing everything that I've accumulated. I was therefore able to revisit countless menus that I hadn't laid eyes on in years, which triggered a flood of memories and waves of nostalgia. Thus, I've decided to highlight the more significant menus I've come across during this whole undertaking. I'm talking about menus that have reminded me of specific events, menus evocative of a particular time in my life, menus that detail an especially notable meal, and even menus that just caught my eye from a design perspective.
This is the first entry in the series, and covers years 2003 to 2006.
ca. 2003 | Baja Fresh | Multiple Locations
My collection actually predates the founding of this blog, and was birthed when I started a new job and began saving takeout menus so that the office could figure out what we wanted to have for lunch. Thus, shown above is the first item in my hoard, a prosaic pamphlet from a local Baja Fresh. Interestingly, I don't think I've eaten Baja Fresh since leaving that position.
2004-01-14 | Bayside | Newport Beach, CA
Having recently finished my undergrad degree, I had moved to Orange County and thus did most of my eating in the region. I was still getting my feet wet in terms of higher-end restaurants, and this is the first menu that could be considered anything remotely close to fine dining. I still remember Bayside's dining room and how the table we sat at afforded us a nice view of Newport Bay. In addition, I have to point out that the font utilized on this menu is somewhat difficult to read, and gives me a mid-century automotive sort of feel.
ca. 2004 | Jerry's Seafood | Lanham, MD
This is my first menu from outside Southern California. By early 2004, I had started a new position at work, one that would send me on semi-frequent business trips to the Washington metropolitan area. During the first of those trips, I took a detour to Lanham, Maryland to visit's Jerry's Seafood, which I had researched beforehand. My specific reason for choosing Jerry's was the restaurant's "Crab Bomb," a spherical mound of crabmeat that is, to this day, still the largest crab cake I've ever consumed.
ca. 2004 | Panera Bread | Gaithersburg, MD
Speaking of the DMV, I was sent to Gaithersburg, Maryland for work, and one morning, the colleagues I was carpooling with decided to stop by Panera for breakfast. These days, Paneras are ubiquitous, but twenty years ago, they weren't nearly as common, and this was therefore my first-ever visit to the fast casual mainstay. I still do eat at Panera occasionally these days, and it's a bit amusing to see how the menu's evolved over the past two decades.
ca. 2004 | CityZen | Washington, DC | Signed by Eric Ziebold (Executive Chef)
During another one of my 2004 business trips to the National Capital Region, I had my first "proper" fine dining tasting menu experience at CityZen, which was run by Chef Eric Ziebold (former CdC at French Laundry) and had just opened that year. This is the first signed menu I'd ever received, and even came with its own envelope.
2005-01-23 | Gary Danko | San Francisco, CA | Signed by Gary Danko (Chef/Owner)
In early 2005, I was sent up to UC Berkeley to assist with my company's campus recruiting efforts. I'd consider Gary Danko one of the classics of SF fine dining, a place that I'd been hearing about ever since my undergraduate days at Cal, though price-wise, it was always out of reach for me when I was a student. Thus, I made it a point to pay the restaurant a visit now that I was working and could afford to splurge. I remember being quite impressed by how the menu was presented to me at the end of my meal, with its sturdy folder and translucent envelope, and if I recall correctly, I didn't even have to ask for the signature.
ca. 2005 | Chipotle Mexican Grill | Multiple Locations
In the early 2000s, Chipotle was experiencing rapid expansion thanks to investments from McDonald's, and it was around 2005 when the fast casual mega-chain really jumpstarted its proliferation into the Southern California market. A friend of mine thus took me to one of the first (maybe the first) Chipotle's in OC, a visit that we were both quite excited about. I recall enjoying the food, and in the following years, Chipotle became a go-to of mine when in search of a quick, filling meal. It's certainly interesting to compare prices from back then to what they are now.
2005-06-11 | Water Grill | Los Angeles, CA
Even though I grew up in the Southland, I rarely ventured into DTLA regularly until my mid-20s, and thus what we have here is the menu from my first dinner in Downtown. I even remember driving down Grand Avenue at night, somewhat trepidatiously, before finally arriving at the restaurant. Michael Cimarusti had already left by that point, so it was David LeFevre who was in charge.
ca. 2006 | The Cliff House | Manitou Springs, CO
Around 2006, I began being sent out to Colorado Springs for work, and my first "fancy" meal in the area was at The Cliff House, a historic hotel set in a Victorian mansion at the foot of Pikes Peak. What struck me here was the sheer physical size of the menu (12"x18"); I'm not sure if I've encountered a larger one. I quite like the artwork on the reverse to boot.
ca. 2006 | Walter's Bistro | Colorado Springs, CO | Signed by Ryan Blanchard (Executive Chef)
Outside of Comic Sans, Papyrus is perhaps the world's most despised font, largely due to its overuse. That overuse certainly extends to menus, and this is the first example I can find featuring the much-maligned typeface.
ca. 2006 | Penrose Room | Colorado Springs, CO
The Broadmoor is essentially the grande dame of Colorado Springs hotels, and perched on its top floor was The Penrose Room, an unabashedly old school spot that was clearly the schmanciest restaurant I'd ever been to up to that point. It was the first place I'd dined at where jackets were required for gentlemen, and since I wasn't wearing one, I remember having to borrow a blazer from the maître d'hôtel. The menu definitely has a classy sort of look to it, and even the feel was luxe thanks to the use of double-thickness paper. Do also note the included postcard depicting the dining room.
ca. 2006 | The Stinking Rose | Beverly Hills, CA
By the latter half of 2006, I had finished my MS degree and had commenced my MBA. One of my colleagues in the program had a friend visiting from Thailand, and we ended up taking him to dinner at The Stinking Rose (for some reason). The food at the garlic-themed eatery wasn't noteworthy, but I do quite fancy the menu, with its rather flowery, old-timey design.
2006-08-17 | Alinea | Chicago, IL | Signed by Grant Achatz (Chef/Owner)
And now we come to perhaps the most important menu of my life, as it was this dinner at Alinea in August 2006 that gave rise to this blog. All of that significance aside, it's just a neat menu from a design perspective. In particular, the indentation level of the line items corresponds to sweetness level, while the diameter of the circles corresponds to dish size. Do also take note of that vacuum-sealed rosemary sprig, which was initially part of the table centerpiece but was also used later on in one of our courses.
2006-08-19 | TRU | Chicago, IL | Signed by Rick Tramonto (Chef/Owner), Gale Gand (Pastry Chef/Owner)
A couple days after Alinea, I had another lengthy tasting menu at TRU, one that lasted past 2:00 a.m (the latest I'd ever stayed at a restaurant, I'm pretty sure). Unsurprisingly, the head chefs had already departed for the night, so I couldn't get a signed menu. However, the staff offered to send me one in the mail, and they did in fact follow through on the promise, though it took quite a bit longer than expected. This is the first, and only time that such a thing has happened to me.
2006-10-06 | Frenchy's Bistro | Long Beach, CA | Signed by André Angles (Chef/Owner)
I don't remember exactly how I ended up at Frenchy's Bistro (I think my friend wanted to go), but what we have here is the menu from the first meal in SoCal that I ever blogged about. The restaurant closed in 2011, and the building is now home to Selva, one of my most-recommended spots in LBC.
2006-10-08 | Club 33, Disneyland | Anaheim, CA
During this period, the company I was working at had a corporate membership to Club 33, the legendary "secret" restaurant at Disneyland, and employees participating in the annual CHOC Walk at the park were given the opportunity to dine there. The menu above is from the first of numerous meals I took part in at the elusive eatery.
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