Monday’s adventure was (finally) experiencing Zare’s Monday Meatball Madness with the Divine Miss Spieler. We got to experience a variety of tastes before the meatball arrived, including several appetizers;

Smoked trout on cucumber “linguini’ with dilled creme fraiche. This was an early favorite, both Miss S and I adoring the coolness of the dressing with the smoked fish and lovely cucumber strips (we are both cucumber fans).

The “pistachio meatball” is a small appetizer but with a huge taste; a harrisa/honey/pomegranate glaze which is just divine in its sticky sweet-spiceness.

The cinnamon-braised lamb’s tongue with apple chutney and chestnuts. God, I love this dish…. Perfectly tender tongue and the flavors of fruit and spice juxtaposes what becomes umami in the chestnuts. Lovely.

Spice-roasted marrow bones served with bergamot preserves, Persian baby pickles, fresh greens and toast. You know, Bix’s marrow bones used to be my favorite, but these have surpassed that. The spice is very subtle and the bergamot preserves, which could be sickly sweet is just a great, clean taste that helps cleanse the palate to the Persian pickle which has quite a bite.

One entrée we shared was the Moroccan-spiced Salmon with toasted fregola, seasonal vegetables, and cucumber raita. Again, the brightness of cucumber and dill complemented the ras al hanout compote with some of the best Salmon I’ve had in ages. I admit to saving a rather large portion of this to have for breakfast the next day and was not disappointed.

Then there was The Meatball. Six- or eight-inches in diameter, ours was stuffed with two small lamb chops. Barely swimming in a light broth, the meatball was surrounded with a few slices of oven-roasted tomatoes and wild mushrooms. The Meatball had pinenuts, spices, and was so tender and flavorful. There was obviously going to be leftovers and the neighboring table advised eating it cold, on a sandwich. They were right.

Two desserts were shared; a goat-cheese cheesecake and ….. wait for it ….. Fried Dough! Hoorah! Sing praises to the heavens…. What are called “fried milk torrijas” these long, rectangle delights might be the second best hunk of fried dough I’ve found in the city (Piperade’s is a nudge higher on my Fried Dough Scale of ecstasy, but not by much).

What a grand night — and what encouragement for me to get there more often.

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It isn’t difficult to find a good restaurant in Los Angeles and through a recommendation, I headed to Drago with another old Angeleno friend. I was very glad we arrived early (before 7:00) because by 8:00 on a Saturday night, the restaurant was packed and the volume definitely made it hard to hear the person sitting across from me. There was a special prix fixe menu available but we were apprised that we could mix and match from that menu and their standard menu.

The amuse of bruschetta with an olive and bit of cheese was rather forgettable. I took one bite and let it alone; the tomatoes were very under-ripe and bitter. I started with an arugula salad which was topped with some truffled cheese. This offering was quite excellent; not too over-dressed and very fresh. My friend Robert started with a pasta; large penne with a veal ragu. For the life of me, neither of us new what the shredded stuff topping the dish was. It was chewy and tasteless and had no point on the dish which was otherwise just fine.

For entrées, I chose the Pappardelle with roasted pheasant and morel mushrooms. Here the pasta was paper thin, handkerchief-sized, and quite well suited to the rich pheasant and creamy mushroom sauce. The good doctor had fresh veal with artichoke hearts and asparagus, a special of the evening. I hadn’t eaten veal in some time and somehow I always envision veal as being more tender than this was. It was a very good piece of meat and well-prepared, but it didn’t blow me away. The whole presentation seemed rather pedestrian and I can’t put my finger on exactly why.

We finished up with two desserts, a classic tiramisu and a lemon, poppy seed cake topped with a rich sabayon and under-ripe strawberries. Both were good, but not great. We had shared a $44 bottle of wine and when all was said and done, this was the most expensive meal during my most recent Los Angeles trip at roughly $85 a person and probably the most forgettable. Overall, the service was exemplary and the food satisfactory, but there was nothing to make it shine or especially memorable. The majority of the diners seemed to be movie industry types (I saw many one-sheets and scripts being discussed) and perhaps it is a place for deals to be made. I would return if someone else invited me, but believe there are far better choices in the neighborhood.

The post Drago first appeared on Feast Blog.

One of the things I love about living in the Fillmore Jazz District of San Francisco is the bounty of really fabulous restaurants within walking distance. I have often lamented the lack of a really good Indian restaurants (as well as the lack of a good Middle Eastern restaurant, so if anyone is listening…)  Several months ago, the well-known Mission-based Dosa restaurant took over the vacated Goodwill store on Fillmore and Post and having walked past it on an almost daily basis, like many locals, we have had the great anticipation of the transformation of that elegant, old building.  So it was with anxious anticipation that I was one of the first standing out front, waiting to get in on opening night. (Okay, I confess; I *was* the first customer and will gloat about that for a short while).

Dining solo, I headed straight to the bar. Putting myself in the capable hands of a bartender named Kevin, I asked for his favorite Gin drink and a tasting menu comprised of his favorite dishes. My first cocktail was called the Bengal Gimlet, with Tanqueray Rangpur, Kaffir lime juice, and I believe, some muddled curried-scented fruit. It was fabulous and while waiting, I was incredibly impressed to count 26 varieties of Gin. I will definitely be back on that regard…

The first course to come out was a salad of mung sprouts with chopped tomatoes, ginger, coconut, a bit of chili and a very light dressing of mustard seeds and cumin. I was slightly foolish in cleaning my plate as I didn’t realize how much more food was coming, but the salad was so bright and refreshing with an enticing, spicy bite.

The second course was a serving of two Samosas; one from the North and one from the South; the Southern version was filled with an enticing compote of caramelized onions and vegetables while the Northern Samosas was the one I am more familiar with, stuffed with spiced potatoes. Both were perfectly fried and two sauces were offered; my favored tamarind and a green, cilantro-based that I’ve never cared for (not being a cilantro lover).

Finishing up my first cocktail, I asked for a different Gin-based drink and again, the server offered up a lighter, more refreshing offering of gin. I’m sorry I don’t remember the exact ingredients, but it was served in tall glass with a bit of spritzer, ginger beer, and tea. This is a drink I could see consuming a lot of on a hot, summer afternoon.

The third course was a giant Masala Uttapam, the thicker, pancake-like dosa stuffed with spinach, potatoes, and fresh herbs. This was served with two chutneys, tomato and coconut. There was also a side bowl of sambar, a spicy vegetable stew. I loved the richness of the Uttapam and being a bit of an admitted spice wimp, preferred the cooler coconut chutney to either the tomato or sambar.

I asked my server if I had any more savory courses coming as I wanted to make sure that in spite of his dinner suggestions, that I wanted to specify my dessert choice. However, either through a mix-up or mis-order, an additional course arrived consisting of vegetable curry. Tender potatoes, cauliflower, and fresh tomatoes were served in a creamy — almost hedonistic — sauce alongside aromatic jasmine rice and a small bowl of raita. Being quite done in, I only had a single bite, knowing it would make a great lunch tomorrow.

The dessert of choice for me is Gulab Jamin. I love a good Gulab Jamin and these did not disappoint. More dense than some I’ve had in the past, they were obviously fresh and perfectly warm.

For a first night, the staff was a bit shaky in the first half hour but it quickly dissipated as the restaurant filled up quickly. The décor is inviting and elegantly edgy with Chihuly-like chandeliers in the windows, a giant multi-armed golden Buddha seemingly holding up the back wall, and dark wood juxtaposed against the rich, rust-colored walls. My biggest problem with the new Dosa? The fact that I don’t make enough money to eat there every day. My tasting menu with two cocktails and tip (for one!) ran $80.00. But I hope to treat myself frequently on a single cocktail and single course now and then — or at least until I have had the opportunity to eat through the entire menu…

I have since returned to the restaurant several times and while the food is quite decent, it is horrifically over-priced for what is offered and served. I can appreciate good Indian food, but not at $50+ per person.

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