Laurent Quenioux Cooks at Home: You Will Eat Cardoons and Fiddleheads and You Will Love Them

Mezcal cured wild salmon with horseradish espuma

Chef Laurent Quenioux can be hard to pin down, but once you find him and buckle in for his Ma Maison tasting menu, you will not be sorry. After his elegant and imaginative Bistro LQ closed on Beverly, he cooked at Vertical Wine Bistro off and on for several years while doing a series of over-the-top dinners involving marijuana, massive quantities of white truffle and pretty much the most impressive cheese cart in town. He still does pop-up dinners in restaurants like Sangers & Joe in Pasadena, but the real action these days is in his Garvanza living room (or on his patio), depending on the season. Hence the Ma Maison name -- there's no relation to the 1980s L.A. restaurant.

Artichokes Barigoule with bottarga crumbs & bone marrow, & a genius wine pairing with Chateau de Trinquvedel's Tavel Rose

We were invited to try the "First Spring Series" dinner heralding the products of the season, sharing a 10 course tasting menu with 10 other people and one adorable and exceedingly well-behaved toddler. The menus change radically from season to season, with very few dishes repeating. His style is heavily informed by his classic French training, but he's been in L.A. for decades now, delving into the local Latin American and Asian food scenes. It's not unusual to find ingredients like masa or pandan in his dishes, though the Ma Maison dinners skew a little more French than some of his other gigs.

Free range hen, wild spring onions

Around the dinner table was a great mix of people -- including an extremely knowledgeable San Marino woman who has been following Quenioux since his days at pioneering hidden foodie temple Bistro K, the baby's parents and their friend who were all well-versed on every morsel of the L.A. dining scene, and a couple from Brentwood who were bemused but impressed to find themselves in deepest Highland Park after randomly Googling "cheese dinner."

Alaskan king crab waits for clam chowder to be added

Quenioux is meticulous about sourcing, looking for local products like Chino's Label Rouge hen and polenta from Grist and Toll. He forages some ingredients, uses arugula from his garden and even shot two ducks in Paso Robles for a wild duck ballotine whose earthiness was tempered by tart pickled kumquats. Here are five of my favorite things from the indulgent dinner.

Octopus with cardoons & lemon air

 1) Cardoons. For some reason I'm not sure I've ever tried the celery-like vegetable that is said to have a hint of artichoke flavor. But cooked as a base for supple Spanish octopus with plenty of lemon butter, its flesh became soft, creamy and altogether captivating.

Fiddlehead ferns, morels, polenta

2) Fiddlehead ferns. Combined with the first morel mushrooms of the season and coarsely-textured polenta, the dish was like the first trip to a warm spring forest after the winter chill.

Quenioux explains the cheeses, including "social cheeses"

3) The cheese cart, of course. Many unpasteurized varieties, some of them smuggled into the country, make this a spectacular finish to an already-elaborate dinner. One of my favorites was the bright orange Mimolette, a French cheese similar to aged gouda. Various fruity condiments and homemade truffle honey put this cheese cart up there with the best.

foie gras with rye bread poridge and civet jus

4) Foie gras with with a savory, not sweet, orientation: Frankly, coming at the end of the meal and wanting to save room for the cheese course, the foie risked being de trop. But cooked rare, the Hudson Valley liver quivered under a warm blanket of rye bread porridge in a pool of wild-tasting civet jus (no, not the ringtailed racoon-like animal, but the rabbit stew). Without the usual fruity accompaniment, it was another foray into the spring wilderness that paid off with big flavor.

coconut cheesecake, green tea tuile, pandan ice cream, pineapple with galabe sugar

5) The pandan ice cream -- How many French dinners have you been to where most of the guests were already familiar with pandan? This was one food-friendly crowd. But we all loved the pale green delicately-scented ice cream with coconut cheesecake and pineapple candied with fancy Galabe raw sugar.

The wine pairings were all terrific, with an all-French list befitting the Sologne-born chef. A great mix of china, friendly, expert service and a fascinating mix of diners in addition to the imaginative and expertly-executed menu make this one of the most compelling dining experiences in town at the moment. Even without the ant eggs, cockscomb or 420, Quenioux is cooking up some beautiful modern French tastes. The suggested price for the underground Ma Maison dinners is $120 with $45 for wine pairing; make reservations on Resy.com.

Sonny's Hideaway: Finally the Right Mix for York Blvd.

Manila clams at Sonny's Hideaway

It can be hard figuring out what a certain location needs. In the case of Sonny's Hideaway in Highland Park, none of the earlier restaurants on York Blvd. quite clicked, but Sonny's already seems more lively than the others.

the bar got a more clubby makeover

With a well-executed gastropub-style menu, a full list of imaginative cocktails, craft beers and wines and an even a rear patio, Sonny's is a handy place for either a full dinner or drinks and appetizers -- all with a lower price point than the same place would be outside of the neighborhood.

andouille-stuffed squid

Most traces of the previous cottage-style cafe are gone, and the room is less open to the street, but cozy and dimmer with oxblood leatherette semi-circle booths and a long dark wood bar. Gone too, thankfully, are the overly-friendly servers and roaming magicians of the previous spot. The cocktail menu thoughtfully includes several refreshing virgin cocktails as well as a "low ABV" section of presumably less damaging drinks. More serious drinkers shouldn't miss the Bourbon Fig Punch -- its citrusy notes work well with some of the rich, bacon-intensive dishes on the menu. Although both cocktails and menu items include all sorts of trendy ingredients from lime oil to wormwood in the drinks to bone marrow and cocoa "soil," somehow Sonny's isn't pretentious or even particularly hipsterish. It's more like a homey bar and grill that happens to have a modern and accessible menu.
A hamburger is a good test of a gastropub, and Sonny's juicy bacon burger with pickled green tomatoes ($14 with fries) doesn't hold together for long but packs a smoky jolt of flavor. No entrees top $20, and sea bass a la plancha is a good value at $19 for a nice piece of fish with cauliflower puree. Vegetarians can try ricotta dumplings with stewed tomatoes and chard, but other than soup or salad, there's not much else that's completely meatless.
Even green vegetables like Brussels sprouts or collard greens get a heavy-duty dose of applewood-smoked bacon.Manila clams with toast ($16) come in a good-sized bowl, while meatier choices include shortribs and pork shoulder with potatoes and hominy. A tender coffee-braised pork cheek appetizer with cool apple relish and honeycomb also makes a terrific petite entree, though the andouille-stuffed squid starter goes heavy on the salt.
As usual, the server recommends the bread pudding (do people really love bread pudding that much?) but a chocolate sorbet with orange custard is a lighter finish to a dinner that can tilt to the rich side, especially if you order the bone marrow hash -- and really, why wouldn't you? Sonny's may not quite be a destination spot, but it's a useful and grown-up choice in an area that's rapidly gaining a diverse selection of restaurants.

 Three forks out of four

Fusion Burgers: Highland Park gets a familiar burger menu with a local twist

Mexican BBQ burger at Fusion Burgers

Drive down York Blvd. in Highland Park and it's hard to resist stopping for a $1 taco at one of the smoky open air taco tables dotting the street between Figueroa and Ave. 50. The tables doling out the best pastor tacos are distinguished by the pineapple speared at the top of the spit; the juices drip onto the rotating pork as it acquires the all-important crispy bits. The menu at the recently-opened Fusion Burgers, located in a former York Blvd. mini-mall taqueria, owes quite a bit to Umami Burger.
But there's at least one departure from the now-familiar burger selection: the Mexican BBQ burger, a nod to the excellent taco tables down the block.
Fusion's Mexican BBQ burger does a credible job of combining these hyper-local flavors in burger form, with a hefty charred slice of pineapple, a sweet Hawaiian-type bun slicked with aioli and coarsely-ground pork.

Very cheese and bacon burger: crispy onions are a nice touch

Aside from the Mexican BBQ burger ($8.50) and something involving house-processed chorizo cheese, whatever that is, there's the burger with parmesan crisp, oven-dried tomato and shitake ($8.50); the green chile burger; the triple pork; the lamb burger. There are some ambitious ideas going on here, ingredient-wise, as well as the inevitable homemade pickles, cane-sugar sweetened sodas and sweet potato fries.

There's a sudden rush in Highland Park of Salvadoran bakeries turning into Proof Coffee-pouring cafes and perfectly good carne asada joints turning into gourmet burger shops. It's true that a person can only eat so much carne asada. But there's something overly formal and awkward about these places, where the servers call you "madame" while you're ordering a burger or use the royal "we" when taking your order. Anyway, Fusion Burger, madames aside, is a welcome addition to York, since it fills a need for casual places where you won't end up dropping $60-$80 for two, as you're likely to do at the York, Ba or Maxmiliano. And the burgers are darn good.
Maybe every neighborhood could use a place that takes a hit concept, then makes it a little bit all its own.

Fusion Burgers
5933 York Blvd.
Highland Park
(323) 257-8705


 

La Cuevita opens Friday: More mescal, but the bats remain

for now, the sign remains the same

The Little Cave on Figueroa was aways a low-key place to grab a beer, with adorable Bettie Page-esque dj's spinning PIL and heavily-tattooed bartenders who invited you to the premiere of their horror movie at the bar. But despite the charm of the pitch-black interior and spooky clientele, all things must evolve. This is especially true in Highland Park, home to increasing hordes of newcomers who don't really have that many bars to choose from, compared to say, Echo Park and Silver Lake. 

A freshened-up interior has Mexican flavor

So the Little Cave is now La Cuevita, turning from goth bar for Latinos to hip Mexican bar for those who don't flinch at $12 cocktails. The interior has been spiffed up with bare rafters and touches of Mexican decor, as well as more tasteful artsy bats than the previous mascots. Who knew there were windows in the crepuscular space?

taps and tequila at La Cuevita

We tried several cocktails created by Thirsty Crow's Cooper Gillespie and Jared Mort of Oldfield's, including the namesake La Cuevita with smoky mescal and ginger beer, the jalapeno margarita with grapefruit juice, the unusual mole Manhattan with a slight chocolate taste and the refreshing Mezcalada with Clamato, Corona and mescal. There's a solid selection of tequila and mescal, the same beer taps as before, and the same two outdoor drinking areas.
On Taco Tuesday, $1 tacos and $5 margaritas help keep drinking costs down. And conveniently for the olds, there's now a highly generous happy hour that stretches from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Now if they can just bring back that dj once in a while...
La Cuevita
5922 N. Figueroa
Highland Park
(323) 255-6871

Highland Park is changing fast: Highland Cafe is the latest

Highland Cafe is just a few doors down from Cafe de Leche

The former El Chapin market and bakery, which had breakfast, pupusas, tacos, Mexican pastries and burritos, has become Highland Cafe, which will have Handsome Coffee, pastries, breakfast and sandwiches. It looks to be the same owners since the sidewalk tables and pastry case are the same, but with a new vintage-y look and less-Salvadoran menu.
It's hard to go wrong with more good coffee, but this changeover is another sign that Highland Park (or at least York Blvd.) is really changing fast. Someday I'd like to see another breakfast spot like Cacao that combines great coffee with creative Mexican/South American breakfast dishes -- maybe French toast with goat cajeta?

 The opening of Maxmiliano kicked the Highland Park restaurant scene into high gear. Now French bistro Ba is nearly open down the street and Garvanza's just might open one of these days. We tried Highland Park Kitchen, the much-needed makeover of Marty's, the other night. The window along York is indeed a big improvement. But the roaming magician and air-headed waitress who kept asking "Did we save room for dessert?" and "Are we going to order drinks"? were a little too intrusive for a relaxing evening, and the food wasn't anything we would rush back for.
Is anyone getting nostalgic already for the old Highland Park, or do more restaurant choices make up for losing some of the neighborhood's character?

Maxmiliano does brunch, for your next Highland Park bacchanal

smoked salmon eggs Benedict

In retrospect, we should have walked both to Maxmiliano and back for brunch, although that would have come to four miles. But we had certainly worked up an appetite after walking the two miles there, so I didn't hesitate to immediately order a breakfast pizza, with potatoes, two baked eggs, bacon, pancetta, and sausage. It's not as overwhelming as it sounds -- the crust is thin and the toppings are judicious.

breakfast pizza

The pizza could maybe use a few herbs or chiles to give it some pop, but the combination of breakfasty toppings was just right.

Ordering our other dish was harder, because unlike many breakfast spots, there were several things I wanted to try. Matt voted for baked cinnamon raisin French toast or pastrami hash, and I would have been happy with the ricotta pancake with lemon curd and blueberries, the quinoa with kale and eggs, or pretty much everything else. But I can never pass up eggs Benedict, so we went with the smoked salmon version since we already had three kinds of pork on the pizza.

applewood-smoked bacon

 Oh, and a side of thick-cut applewood-smoked bacon, just because. Maxmiliano makes all its baked goods on the premises (a freestanding bakery is coming next door later on) and we sampled the lemon-rosemary bread. More like a dense, rich bundt cake than a bread, I was scraping every lemony crumb off my plate.Pastry-lovers can order a basket of assorted baked goods for $8, and after tasting the lemon bread, I think it would be worth a try.

Lemon-rosemary bread

 Eggs Benedict came with country potatoes, and the high point was the homemade English muffins. Charred a bit on the grill, they elevated the familiar dish which went well with the house-smoked salmon for a slightly lighter touch.
I'm kind of embarrassed to say that Maxmiliano hosted us once again. But I really do think the restaurant is a big asset to the neighborhood, and I'm glad to have such interesting brunch selections right down the street. Once the patio is opened, it will be the perfect summer boozy brunch spot.
Here's most of the brunch menu; there's also bottomless Intelligentsia, natch, and the possibility of Mimosas or craft beer, yay!
Maxmiliano is at 5930 York Blvd. in Highland Park and brunch is from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

Maxmiliano brunch
Vanilla-Fig Yogurt with granola and berries  Small 5 Large 8
Baker's Bread Box 8 -  selection of breakfast pastries
Breakfast pizza: Fingerling potatoes, applewood bacon confit, fennel sausage, mozzarella,
Baked Eggs, pancetta, fingerling potatoes, spinach, breadcrumbs 12
Crab Cakes with spinach, poached eggs, sauce Chicoron 16
Ricotta Pancake with lemon curd, blueberries 8
Baked Cinnamon Raisin French Toast with maple syrup 8
Florentine (choice of eggs or tofu scramble) with country potatoes & sautéed spinach 10
Eggs Benedict with country potatoes - choice of applewood bacon confit 12 or house smoked salmon 14
Pulled Pork, Asiago biscuit, poached eggs, country gravy 11
Quinoa with Tuscan kale, butternut squash, eggs 9
Carbonara Pasta, bacon confit, poached egg 12
Fennel Sausage Crumble with sautéed peppers, onion, fingerling potatoes & eggs 12
House Smoked Salmon with a toasted bagel, cream cheese, red onion, capers 14

Maxmiliano: Brunch and patio coming soon to Highland Park's new Italian hideout

Herbs for the cooks are grown on the patio, which will soon be open for diners

Highland Park residents were long overdue for an alternative to Good Girl Dinette, the York and the old-school Mexican choices, and with the arrival of Andre Guerrero's casual, lively Maxmiliano, the restaurant scene has taken a huge step forward. It can be hard to find an Italian restaurant that doesn't have the same menu as every other one, but Guerrero is keeping things interesting with a large selection of appetizers and salads, several creative pizzas, a clutch of excellent homemade pastas and a handful of carefully-wrought mains. The Oinkster and former Max owner treated us to a tasting of all these dishes but we would have been happy to pay, since everything far exceeded expectations.

The room is casual with a green-lit wall above the open kitchen, a tiled pizza oven, a communal table in the middle and abstract strands of spaghetti on a red wall.

Among the pastas we tasted were cavatelli in a creamy mushroom sauce; tagliatelle in a meaty bolognese; and chicken ravioli with mushrooms. My favorite was angel hair pasta, with a porky, spicy amatriciana sauce packed with pancetta and jalapenos. Roasted beets were simple and satisfying with crumbled ricotta, and the market salad was elevated with several varieties of peeled cherry tomatoes. In just two weeks, news of the thick, juicy pork chop has already gotten around, so it sold out early Friday before we could order one. So instead we tried the chicken entree -- the bird doesn't get much love in restaurants, since people think of it as home cooking, but I would be hard-pressed to create a breast as moist as Maximiliano's, with olive oil-slicked spinach and a savory jus and crispy skin. Guerrero thinks restaurants, especially those with wood-fired ovens, tend to overcook their pizza so Maximiliano's pizza is more supple than crispy, with browned slices of garlic and potato on one memorable version. Matt proclaimed the cannoli ideal; I'm just not enough of an East Coaster to judge. What I did like: the affordable wines available in quartinos as well as glasses and bottles, the selection of local Craftsman beers, and the fact that all dishes are under $18. In a few more weeks, Guerrero plans to put tables and more edible plantings on the large rear patio and open for brunch. I'll certainly be back to try the coconut-lavender ice cream grown from the patio box's lavender, the cavatelli with pancetta and squid, and of course the pork chop.  

Maximiliano

5930 York Blvd.

Highland Park

323-739-6125

Good Girl Dinette extends hours

Good Girl Dinette is something of a hidden gem in Highland Park, and now it's even easier to fit in a visit for the spicy jalapeno fries or curry chicken pot pie. Good Girl is now open for lunch on Fridays (yay, my day off!) and all day on Saturdays (noon to 10) and Sundays (noon to 9). Who eats at Good Girl?  Here's the perfect snapshot of modern-day Highland Park from Good Girl's blog:

lizz and isaac's wedding

i met lizz and isaac about a week or two into the dinette's opening: they were looking for fuel for their veggie oil benz and i was looking to dispose of my frying oil. lizz is the owner of the eco-clothing line, popomomo, and isaac is a sculptor. and somewhere between their regular visits to the dinette for dinner (where they would always order spicy fries) and their weekly visits to pick up the restaurant's used oil, we became friends.

Good Girl Dinette: In Highland Park, why not Vietnamese comfort food?

spicy jalapeno fries, Good Girl Dinette

I was so glad when Good Girl Dinette opened in Highland Park, because it's an up-and-coming area that really needed some variety in its restaurants. I was there for the soft opening a year ago, and it's gotten even better since then with longer hours and a few really solid dishes like the crazy good spicy fries. Here's an excerpt from my review for this month's Los Feliz Ledger.

Good Girl Dinette is a perfect snapshot of Highland Park at this moment
—incrementally gentrifying, but still a humble, unflashy place. Owner/chef Diep Tran cooked at Eagle Rock’s Blue Hen and ran a catering company before starting Good Girl a year ago. The high-ceilinged space is spare and a bit echoey; dinner here (or lunch on weekends) feels like getting invited to an impromptu dinner party at a cool loft-dwelling friend’s house.

Good Girl Dinette's famous chicken curry pot pie

The menu covers a range of familiar Vietnamese dishes with a few ventures into the diner category—from banh mi baguette sandwiches, to pho noodle soup, spring rolls and main dishes served with white or brown rice. Most order the chicken curry pot pie ($10), which takes 30 minutes to cook. It’s a good choice, with chunks of chicken in a mellow curry sauce hiding under a flaky disc of biscuit dough.
Don’t miss the spicy fries, topped with a flurry of diced jalapeno, chopped garlic and cilantro—order them with cilantro-Maggi mayo on the side. Beef stew ($10) sounds prosaic, but balanced five-spice powder seasoning, chunks of carrot and good quality beef cubes lift elevate it. Drinks include Vietnamese coffee or housemade citrus soda; and there’s free corkage.
Good Girl Dinette
110 N. Ave. 56
Highland Park
323-257-8980

Taco table tour continued: Nolden and York

A commentor on my last taco table post suggested the table at Nolden and York, in front of the tire shop, and tonight I needed some meat after living off of corn and veggie burgers for the past two days. The spit of pastor here looks much different from the one just down the block -- there's no pineapple, and it has a reddish hue instead of the crispy burntness of the other place. The carne asada is of the bubbling hot tub variety, rather than the freshly grilled variety. I wasn't loving the carne asada taco, as I prefer it crispier. Plus something I put on it was powerfully spicy, which basically killed my taste buds while I was prepping the two pastor tacos.
After a glass of water and just a tiny dollop of salsa, I tried the pastor. At first, the sauciness of it was too unfamiliar. The interplay of the meat and a tomatoey base was reminiscent of an Italian grandmother's ragu that had been simmering all day, or a casserole of ratatouille. Normally I like my meats all crispy around the edges, but the pastor marinara of the Nolden stand is a different animal all together, and one well worth investigating.
Tip: All these tables along York only come out after sundown, so don't go looking for them in the light of day.

The York rocks Highland Park

Eating L.A. was in Highland Park not once, but twice last week. The first time was for the preview night at The York, the new gastropub on, of course, York Blvd. where the Wild Hare used to be. They've opened up the space completely with big windows on the street, brick walls and imaginative light fixtures for a very New York feeling. There's a nice selection of beers on tap (we tried the Heavenly Hefweizen) and a good small wine list. Food seems very solid so far -- a super juicy, tasty burger; seared catfish had a clean taste with no doughy breading and a nice side of sauteed corn; fries a bit overdone like I like them and addictive fried garbanzo beans for snacking on with drinks. Only the Cuban sandwich seemed to need a little more work -- the pickle needs to go on the inside to add moisture, not on the side. I'm sure opinions will be divided over whether Highland Park wants/needs a $12 hamburger, but it seemed pretty fun to us.

Saturday night we checked out faithful reader Ellen Bloom's art opening featuring collages of historic L.A. neighborhoods, as well as the amazing pieces by Clare Graham at MorYork gallery and then stopped by Johnnie's Bar. I liked the people, the drinks and the ambiance, but I could have done without "My Super Ex-Girlfriend" playing on the large-screen TV (how about an artsy movie or something fun to look at?) and the incredibly loud music reverberating off the tiny room's vintage tin ceiling.

Highland Park heats up

Billy Boy aka Slowrider on Chowhound is keeping us updated with goings-on in Highland Park. Marty's, from Mia Sushi owner Rudy, has opened, with menu items like T-bone steak with green peppercorn sauce for $19, Kobe burger with garlic aioli (is there any other kind?) for $13 and a plank of charcuterie for $11. Valet parking is available (!) and it's on the North side of York between Ave. 51 & 52.
Down the street, Johnnie's Bar at 5006 York officially opens this Friday, he says. "It was open last Thursday as well and was giving out free beers. Nice little spot w/pool table and patio out back." And, the York is still not open, he reports.
And over on Figueroa, Dennis from Antigua Bread at Figueroa and Ave. 57 says they expect to open in July, after some of the inevitable permit problems are worked out.

Loads of news (updated at bottom)

Larchmont Grill is now open in the former House space on Melrose...we'll try to review it soon. The menu includes steamed mussels with chorizo, Belgian fries, double-cut grilled pork chop with creamed corn gratin and a children's menu.

Jay Weston's restaurant newsletter reports that the deal for Tom Colicchio's Craft in Century City has fallen through...it's too bad Jay has so many typos in his newsletter since he's such an L.A. institution. UPDATE: SEE POST ABOVE. Craft says the deal is still on.

Speaking of showbiz connections, producer Sid Krofft has turned from the Banana Splits to fine dining with Eleven. The restaurant/nightclub opens in West Hollywood in October in the historic First National Bank of Sherman space at Larrabee and Santa Monica Blvd. The very ambitious project includes 32 interconnected plasma screens over the bar, a fountain with flames encapsulated in spheres of water, a co-ed mosiac restroom and "dynamic bursts of entertainment every 15 minutes." Chef Vincent Manna has cooked at Spago, L'Orangerie and Melisse and the menu sounds fusionish.

A Chowhound poster reports that Highland Park's The Wild Hare is for sale...it seems like a nice pub, one of the few places to get a good beer and some decent food. But perhaps the concentration of gentrified folks in Eagle Rock and Highland Park isn't quite high enough to support it...unfortunately it's a little bit off the beaten path for us.