We decided to risk it and walked up the hill, we were rewarded with two of the remaining four bar seats. I think when I go back, I will never bother with a table as we had much more fun chatting with our server, David, the sommelier, Colin, and occasionally Jeff Banker would stick his head out to say hello. While an extensive five-course prix fixe with wine pairing is available, we opted for a smaller tasting menu we which put together ourselves and the restaurant was more than accommodating in pouring us miniature carafes of wine (single pours, actually) for us to share. While waiting for our first official course, an amuse was sent out of spicy ahi tuna with Vietnamese slaw, crispy shallots, and peanuts. We were very happy a taste of this as it was high on our list of one of the courses we wanted. There was just enough light creamy dressing on the bright fresh ahi to complement the crunchy goodness of the slaw and shallots.

To accompany our first course, we ordered a 2008 Matthiasson White Wine from the Napa Valley. A blend of semillon, sauvignon blanc, and ribolla gialla, the nose provided a clean aroma of lemon peel and stone fruit. The entry was clean and engaging and was a spectacular pairing with the house smoked trout on celery root latke with horseradish crème fraîche, pickled beets, and shaved fennel. The sauce was made from concentrated beets but it was the crunchy celery root latke which marveled. This was a great combination of fresh ingredients with rich trout and horseradish cream which could have overwhelmed, but did not. The wine brought out the smokiness of the trout without being oppressive yet also heightened the collection of vegetables. A really great beginning.

Our next course was a torchon of foie gras served with pickled rhubarb, house-made brioche, and Sausalito Springs watercress which we paired with a wine recommended by Colin, a 2007 Domaine Belliviere l’Effraie chenin blanc. The wine produced a rich, tropical aroma and gave a bright entry of kumquat. The foie was simply prepared; a classic example of a properly-prepared torchon, yet heightened with large grilled slabs of the house-made brioche. The true stroke of genius was the pickled rhubarb and watercress. The tangy goodness made the foie that much creamier and also emphasized the exquisite nature of the kumquat tones in the wine. Absolutely lovely pairing with a foie offering that was both wholesome and delectable.

After our two starters, we decided to share an entrée; Black pepper pappardelle with braised shortribs, wild mushrooms, English peas, and shaved pecorino. This was paired with a 2006 Occhipinti Siccagno Nero d’Avola.  While we were pretty happy with our first two courses, here we reached a new level of richness. The pappardelle was handkerchief thin, laden with earthy mushrooms which were punctuated by the bright spurts of the English peas. Once again, we had a wine pairing that blew us out of the water; muted fruit of dark cherry and black olive on the nose opened up to earthy tastes of smoky tobacco, mushroom, and a delicate eucalyptus at the very finish. The creamy sauce in our entrée had a touch of truffle oil which provided an exciting counter-balance to the earthiness in the wine. This is a very rich dish and I could definitely see myself ordering it again on my own, but just to assure I had leftovers for breakfast. I am not sure I could see ordering and consuming an entire order in one sitting, but it could be fun to try.

Of course we ordered dessert, strawberry-filled PB&J doughnuts with peanut butter dipping sauce. And a very extensive write-up of those can be found over at Fried Dough Ho.

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The continuation of the birthday celebration occurred with darling friends, Becky and Max at Chinois on Main in Santa Monica. Beautiful, charming people — the camaraderie outshining the food, which was fabulous. We started with what was probably my favorite dish of the evening, soft shell crab with fried greens and a green sauce. Beats me what the green sauce was, but these had to be the largest, freshest, and most stunning example of a soft shell crab I have ever experienced. Perfectly fried with a nary a touch of grease, all future crabs will be compared with these. We paired this with d’Herbert Champagne, Blanc de Blanc Brut (all wines brought by the generous Max!)

Next was a sashimi of fluke and tuna tartare with sevruga caviar served with a light ponzu sauce. I am such a sucker for great crudo and the combination of fluke served alongside the tuna with its avocado smear works exceptionally well.

We next opened a 1999 Verget Puligny-Montrachet “Les Enseignères” which had a lovely creamy entry, with a touch of pear and apple in the complex, engaging mouth feel. With this we ate the tempura ahi tuna sashimi with fresh uni sauce. This is a large round of tuna which has a thin tempura coating; just enough to entice without being overbearing and the redolently rich uni sauce. The brightness of the wine was emphasized by the thick, rich texture of the uni sauce and cleanness of the tuna.

Next came a platter of sizzling calamari and rock shrimp salad served in a won ton cup with Chinese chili paste. Of the entire evening’s offerings, this was the least successful. The calamari was slightly on the chewy side and it was mostly comprised of a bunch of fried fish on plain greens. The sauce did not bring the two major components together as one would have thought.

Max then had opened a La Croix Blance Vosne-Romanée (silly me, I didn’t get the vintage). This was a rich, elegant red which we paired with the roasted Cantonese duck with fresh plum sauce and steamed bao stuffed with pickled greens and shiitake mushrooms. The duck was perfectly prepared with a delightful crispy exterior. We picked apart the duck meat to stuff in our bao, scooping up the plum sauce. Getting full, the order of fried rice was packed up to-go before it ever got to the table.

However, despite bulging bellies, a miniature dessert platter was brought out which contained some molten chocolate cake with fudge sauce, crème brûlée, chocolate pot de crème, fresh fruit, and vanilla ice cream with a single scoop of mango sorbet. A perfect amount of small sweet bites to satisfy. The service was stellar as always, despite the crowd (lots of graduation parties). Wolfgang even made a brief appearance which surprised me; I hadn’t seen him at one of his own restaurants in over a decade (not that I frequent his restaurants…) In all, a fabulous birthday meal which was only surpassed by the love and friendship of my dining companions. Thanks B&M!

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