Celebrate 90 Years of Taix French Restaurant With a 90 Cent Chicken Dinner

Taix in 1956 (Courtesy LAPL)

It's not quite L.A.'s oldest restaurant, but Taix French Restaurant is certainly one of the city's most beloved. The venerable old-school French dinner house, which moved to Sunset Blvd. from downtown in 1962, celebrates its 90th birthday this month with a traditional roast chicken dinner for 90 cents.

On Sunday, Oct. 8 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Taix will serve soup de jour, salad, and Taix Roast Chicken with au jus. Of course there will be a big line, so consider celebrating this long-lived institution at another time when the full menu is available.

At a recent anniversary reception, owner Michael Taix, grandson of founder Marius Taix Jr., said he would recommend diners try the trout almondine, the frog legs, the boeuf Bourgignon when it's offere as a special, and of course the roast chicken.

Taix also reminded us that chef Laurent Quenioux continues to consult on the menu a few days a week, making sure the cooking is more authentically French than it has been probably for decades.

Taix opened at 321 Commercial Street downtown in 1927, serving chicken dinners for 50 cents. After the Hollywood Freeway was built, it moved to Echo Park where it has been ever since.

I love the slogan on one of the original menus that the family preserved: "Save time, no worry, no thinking. Leave that to us."

So what are L.A.'s very oldest restaurants? Philippe the Original and Cole's were both established in 1908, while Musso and Frank came along in 1919. After that, Barney's Beanery, Pacific Dining Car, Original Pantry, La Golondrina and El Cholo came along during the 1920s. Make it a point to try all these places while they're still going strong!

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.

Cliff's Edge: A menu makeover courtesy chef Ben Bailly

sea  bream en papillote

chickpea fritters

Cliff's Edge has always been one of those slightly disappointing Silver Lake restaurants -- great atmosphere, but if only the food were a few notches better. Locals were thrilled to hear recently that Ben Bailly would be taking over the kitchen, and I was invited last night to try a few items from the vastly improved and updated menu.

whipped ricotta/honey/lavender

When EatingLA last encountered young Ducasse and Robuchon-trained chef Bailly, he was constructing delicate fish-egg topped custards and such at Beverly Hills' Petrossian Caviar.  A few stops later, he's settled at Cliff's Edge, where it was a shame to waste such a killer patio on the former humdrum French bistro fare and gluey, overpriced pastas.

scallops with salsa verde

lemon brulee tart

The menu has been smartly retooled with a variety of small plates at reasonable prices -- a stack of chickpea fritters were a fun take on socca cakes, and whipped ricotta with lavender and honey also evoked the south of France. Hope you weren't too attached to the French fries with blue cheese sauce, the Caesar salad or the pumpkin ravioli, because they're all gone. In their place are rustic yet contemporary dishes like sea bream en papillote -- not often seen in L.A. -- lamb cheeks and skate wing. Desserts have also been upgraded from the former tired tiramisu -- pistachio creme brulee, lemon brulee tarte and Gianduja budino all showed more spark than the last bland cobbler I had there.
Cliff's Edge is one of the few places in the area for a boozy brunch with full bar, so I might have to return for dishes like Nutella French toast and a blood orange Margarita. And soon, chef Bailly will be cooking with fresh vegetables and herbs from just up the hill at owner Dana Hollister's Paramour garden, keeping things as local as possible.
The restaurant plans to keep diners focused on the food, as well as the patio, with upcoming events like winemaker dinners and guest stints featuring some well-known local chefs.
Now, if they could just take over the Edendale Grill...

Six delicieux ways to get a taste of Paris

Au Vieux Saumur is part of the booming Belleville cafe culture

So, I've been working in France for the past two weeks -- mostly sequestered in an office working on Variety's daily Cannes Film Festival issues, with an endless supply of pre-packaged madeleines and the occasional publicist gift of macarons from Cannes' wonderful Jean-Luc Pelé.
Before the festival, I spent a weekend in Paris. I hadn't been to Cannes in 10 years, or to Paris in more than 15, so I had never experienced France with Euros, automatic metro and train ticket machines,
Starbucks or Ben and Jerry's. Another surprise was my formerly sleepy old neighborhood, the 11th arrondissement, which now has the highest concentration of hipster bars and restaurants of just about anywhere.
If you're going to Paris, here's a few recommended stops.

Du Pain et des Idees, Paris

1) Du Pain et des Idees -- This bakery comes highly recommended by David Leibovitz, and since I prefer bread to pastries, macarons and chocolates, I made it a priority. I was picking up snacks for my picnic on the TGV train to Cannes, and the chocolate pistachio snail made an astoundingly good breakfast, while the hearty, slightly sour pain Pagnol, hacked off a huge loaf, was probably one of the single best breads I've ever tasted.

Chez Prune, Paris

2) If you're going to the above bakery, grab an escargot or chausson aux pommes and head down the block to Chez Prune for a coffee. The coffee itself isn't that special, but in terms of being at the epicenter of things, it's roughly equivalent to Intelligentsia. The view of the Canal St. Martin is quite a bit more lovely than Sunset Blvd., however.
3) Au Baratin seems to be mentioned in every New York Times article about Paris (though not as many as Le Chateaubriand, which I missed even though I was staying on practically the same block). The cozy wine bar-cum-bistro is on a steep and atmospheric Belleville street, the owner is gruff but has great taste in wines, and the food is spot-on. If you're looking for somewhere with good wine, a very French menu but with a few contemporary touches, and prices that aren't sky-high, Le Baratin is a good choice. My marinated sardines and white asparagus were light and fresh, and the owner recommended a terrific wine to go with it.

4) The Marche Place d'Aligre (every day except Monday) combines aisles of produce and a small flea market outdoors with a covered market featuring some super high-quality food stalls. I helped a Russian family try their first oysters ever at the seafood stall, checked out the artisanal French and Belgian beers at Le Cave a Biere, marvelled at one of the more amazing cheese counters, and generally longed for the chance to cook a feast based on the products of this market. Several cute cafes and bakeries surround the market, where it's easy to spend a whole morning even if you're not cooking a meal anytime soon.

Ex-pat Jim Haynes welcomes visitors to his loft every Sunday

5) Several more gourmet underground dinners in Paris seem to be fairly sporadic, not to mention pricey. But former Texan Jim Haynes runs what must be the longest-running underground dinner anywhere. For 34 years he's been welcoming visitors -- lots of Canadian and American tourists, and a smattering of Parisians and other visitors -- to his loft near Montparnasse, which features a rare Parisian backyard. For a 25 euro contribution, there's all the beer or boxed wine you can drink, a salad, a rustic main course like beef bourguignon and dessert. The visitors are mostly of the knowledgeable and interesting variety -- I met two Vancouver editors and food bloggers, a guy who works with Mike White and an Irish TV news producer, everyone friendly and eager to trade restaurant and travel tips.
6) Don't forget to pick up a jar of Speculoos spread to bring home. What are speculoos? The strangely-named cookies are delicate Belgian ginger biscuits that for some reason are all the rage in France. They form the base of tiramisu, flavor gelato and crepes, and are even made into a popular spread that looks like peanut butter but tastes like crushed, spreadable cookies.

Delphine adds to W Hollywood buzz

Since I missed the opening of the W Hollywood hotel, I was surprised to find a full-blown schmoozing scene spread throughout the patio bar and lobby of the brand-new hotel when I arrived for a press dinner at the W's restaurant Delphine. Ex-Balthazar and Pastis chef Sascha Lyon is adamant that it's not a typical hotel restaurant -- run by the same dining group that owns Boa and Sushi Roku, the French Riviera-style bistro has its own signature style but certainly feeds on the hive of activity that is the hotel. The menu is seafood-intensive, but with prices that are reasonable by glitzy hotel standards and plenty of staple items -- burgers, macaroni and cheese, croque monsieur -- to satisfy late-night noshers and hotel patrons. Open at 6:30 am for breakfast and late into the night, the restaurant should be a handy commissary for all manner of folk who pass by Hollywood and Vine. In keeping with the South of France theme, there's specialties like pan bagnat ($11), pissaladiere ($13), moules frites ($17), brandade, giant seafood towers and bouillabaisse as a special some Fridays. As for the food? My arctic char had a pleasantly crisp skin and was nicely cooked, but the cocktails we tried from the adjacent Station Lounge were uniformly way too sweet.
If I had a lunch meeting or was hosting visitors who wanted to hit Hollywood Blvd., I'd still check out Delphine for some moules or pan bagnat, just for a little Riviera reminder.
(And don't miss the lovely historic Cote d'Azur photos on Delphine's website.)

Bouchon Beverly Hills hits the bistro benchmarks

To really get the benefit of the pretty, faithfully French bistro Bouchon, try to arrange for a new lover to have recently entered your life. Preferably, he's adept at ordering wine in French and knows the difference between an Umami and a Kumamoto oyster. If he's a little late, go ahead and order a flute of champagne and sit at the bar flashing a bit of leg and leafing through Le Figaro. Flirt with the bartender until he arrives and the waiter leads the two of you to a secluded table, where you'll share tastes of shellfish, charcuterie and bites of steak and frites before ending with a sensuously oozing cheese plate, and maybe hopping over to the Montage Hotel for the rest of the afternoon. OK, now that I've got that over with, here's what my meal was actually like. I was looking forward to a birthday lunch at Bouchon, especially after I was lucky enough to be invited to the lavish opening party where I sampled oysters and foie gras, hung out in the kitchen with the head pastry chef and baked my own baguette. Of course, it's a whole different kettle of mussels when it's on your own dime (or even your friends' dime.) Kathy took some time to look over the brief wine list, and we chose a French rose for a rare boozy lunch. It was rainy and I was threatening to come down with a cold, so we started with carrot ginger soup. The thick soup was perfectly smooth and buttery, but lacked any discernable ginger taste and could have maybe used an acidic note to elevate it beyond haute baby food. A simple salad with warm goat cheese was correct, as they say in France, with fresh, flavorful lettuce and a perfectly salted viniagrette. Usually we tend to order fish to share, but trout with almonds sounded too old-school, tuna nicoise sounded too cold on a damp day and Kathy had eaten salmon the night before, so we ended up choosing poulet a la grand-mere. Half of a good quality, teen-ager sized chicken was plenty to share, with purple potatoes and lardons upping the ante in the savory jus that was just a touch undersalted (other bloggers have called it totally oversalted -- guess they're working to get it just right). My favorite part of the meal was actually a side dish of Brussels sprouts with bacon and salted capers, which packed a great contrast of lightly bitter roasted sprouts with salty bacon and capers, all happily swimming in a small pool of beurre noisette. Actually, I'd like a small pool of beurre noisette to swim in instead of a jacuzzi, if that could be arranged.
This was a pretty modest lunch, but still ran to $100. Service was extremely attentive and professional, which is really refreshing. The bistro cooking at Bouchon is competent and satisfying, but the menu isn't all that exciting. It's a lovely, airy fin de siecle room, but with paper tablecloths, bread placed right on the table, brown paper menus and chunky carafes of wine, it's not a fine dining place, despite the prices.
None of this will be news to people who have eaten at Thomas Keller's other Bouchons, and the ladies of Beverly Hills can always use a new lunch spot. It's a pleasant spot if you've got the blé...now if they'd only finalize plans for the bakery. In the meantime, the downstairs bar should be open very soon if you just want to pop in for that flute of champagne and a few nibbles.

Anisette: still getting its feet wet

There's no denying that the new Anisette in Santa Monica is a lovely room, just like being in Paris, with red banquettes, tall ceilings and tiled floors. I like the small upstairs dining area which overlooks the main restaurant and is open to the kitchen, with jars of spices lined up on open shelves looking like you've walked into Alain Giraud's home kitchen. This is probably uncharitable of me, but I'm pretty sure if it was my home kitchen, I could whip up a better plate of Eggs Benedict. The best part was the smoky, thinly sliced ham, a worthy riff on Canadian bacon. Too bad the Hollandaise was bland, with none of the anticipated lemony tang, the homemade looking English muffin didn't taste as good as Thomas's and the potato cake it sat on was dried out. My breakfast guest, used to bargain basement prices in Las Vegas, thought $13 was high for our breakfast dishes. My complaint wasn't the price, since the Benedicts at Square One are the same price -- it's simply that there was nothing particularly satisfying about the dish or the $3 cup of average coffee. Nor was I impressed by the heavy, meaty English breakfasts flying out of the kitchen, complete with black pudding -- not very appealing on a sunny morning at the beach. And our waiter managed the difficult feat of being obsequious, yet vanishing when you actually needed him. I really don't mean to complain, because they obviously put a lot of work into the place, but I hope dinner will be a much more delicious experience. Just don't try to take a picture from the stairway, because Alain was busting a girl for taking pictures just as I climbed the stairs.

Presto change-o: Mes Amis opens in Los Feliz

Colorful café chairs replace Asian touches on the sizable front patio, with swoopy metal decorations on the front

Actually it's been open a week, but the new French bistro on Vermont seems to be having a soft opening with no sign out front yet. We always said Tiger Lily was too big, so the space has cleaved in half, leaving a smaller bar on the right which remains Tiger Lily and a nicely-sized restaurant on the left which has been dubbed Mes Amis.

Inside, one room has comfy red booths, while a wall of wine awaits in the adjacent room

Just a block down from Figaro, one of the partners is a former Figaro manager and the menu bears some resemblance to that of the older bistro. Dishes include trio de lapin (rabbit three ways!), loup de mer and bouillabaisse, with prices in the $30 per entree range. Pizzas figure too, although $20 for an apricot proscuitto pizza strikes me as a bit high. Mes Amis is also open for lunch and weekend brunch.

A children's menu is a nice touch, with choices including a grilled Nutella sandwich. Poulet pané sounds better than chicken fingers, I guess.

A preview of David Myers' Comme Ca

Last night's opening preview of Comme Ca revealed a lovely re-do of the Middle Eastern cafe Noura on Melrose. Unfortunately the patio and fire pit were gone, but the space has been beautifully revamped in a crisp black and white color scheme, with lots of shiny white subway tiles (even in the bathroom, pictured), blackboards on the walls and black bookshelves lining the bar area. There's a large front room and two smaller rooms in back, with a New York-style vibe reminiscent of Osteria Mozza more than of Paris. Comme Ca is still putting on the finishing touches and David Myers hopes to open for dinner by early November, with lunch and breakfast (!) to follow soon after.
The menu is bistro all the way, from Moules frites ($20) to specials of Choucroute Garni on Wednesdays ($26), Beef bourguignon ($24) and Coq au vin ($24).
Everyone was drinking one of the house cocktails ($13), such the Rumble with rum and crushed blackberries or the East Side Cocktail with gin and cucumber. We saw columnist Joel Stein, Sang Yoon from Father's Office and Joachim Splichal among others at the soiree among the guests. Tastings included buttery oysters, roasted bone marrow and oxtail jam on toast (in photo), brandade fritters, some wonderful cheeses and heavenly bites from Boule like a salted caramel eclair bite and bites of bittersweet chocolate tart. This place is sure to be a big hit with prices that are probably considered reasonable by the Beverly Hills/West Hollywood crowd, a pretty, lively design and French classics that aren't always easy to find in L.A.