Gastronomy Blog by Cathy Chaplin

Now Closed

09 Feb 2010

The Dining Room at The Langham – Pasadena

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To celebrate my 28th birthday, The Astronomer treated me to dinner at Pasadena’s swankiest restaurant—The Dining Room at The Langham. I normally avoid eateries nestled inside hotels, but the opportunity to taste Chef Michael Voltaggio’s blend of classic cookery and modern bells and whistles proved too enticing to resist. Plus, the restaurant is practically located in my backyard. There is no finer gift than a short commute with no traffic, especially for a gal who hates to drive.

The Dining Room was mostly empty when we arrived for our 7 PM reservation, save for a handful of couples eating quietly and speaking in hushed tones. The Astronomer and I were seated quickly and with a smile by the hostess. As expected, the room’s decor was dated and stuffy. The green paisley wallpaper was the sole bright note in a sea of dark cherry wood and framed pictures of ships. Renovations are currently in the works to transform the space into one fitting of Chef Voltaggio’s modern cuisine.

The Dining Room offers three prix fixe menu options: a four-course menu (2 Beginning, 1 Middle, 1 End) priced at $79, a five-course menu (2 Beginning, 2 Middle, 1 End) priced at $95, and a Chef’s tasting menu priced at $125. Since birthday girls always get what they want, Chef Voltaggio was given full rein over our supper.

To start, The Astronomer and I were served a slice of sourdough and a bacon roll each. Presented alongside were two rounds of butter, one from Vermont and the other from France. Both butters were warm enough to spread easily. The bacon roll wasn’t on the level of Providence’s, but it was a pleasure to eat nevertheless.

Next, the Chef sent out an amuse bouche to whet our appetites. The dish was described as a sesame bagel with salmon and cream cheese, but from its appearance, we knew we were in for a far more interesting treat. The “bagel” tasted distinctly of sesame oil and had a smooth texture not unlike cream cheese. The white powder underneath the bagel tasted like cream cheese, while the salmon roe unleashed a salty smokiness. The amuse left me amused and giddy.

The first course was comprised of raw slivers of Japanese shima aji (a type of mackerel) served with pickled baby peach, a dashi “sponge,” and bonito. The sweet peaches proved to fine accompaniments to the mild fish. The small portion definitely left me wanting more.

A second bread course arrived soon after we polished off the shima aji. The truffle brioche was served with a quenelle of goat’s milk butter. Dotted with flecks of black truffle, the roll smelled fabulously and tasted just as great. Although it’s hard to imagine anything trumping truffles, the goat’s milk butter was seriously spectacular. Creamy and slightly pungent, the butter paired tastily with the warm roll.

With the essence of truffle still lingering on our tongues, we were served langoustine with young fennel and lobster mushroom lasagna. Similar to my experience with the shima aji, I adored the dish but the portion size left me wanting more. Now, if the langoustine had been swapped out for a butter-poached lobster tail, I would’ve been completely satisfied. I think all Chef’s tasting menus should include a lobster tail.

One of the strongest dishes of the evening was the foie gras with saffron-poached apples, crushed Marcona almonds, and aerated brioche.

The foie gras contained a hidden pocket of apple gelee, which, along with the coarse sea salt, helped to curb its richness. In contrast to the earlier courses, the portioning here was more than satisfactory. In fact, there was so much foie gras that I had to request additional brioche to finish it off. And speaking of the brioche, it had a wonderful way of collapsing in my mouth.

The Astronomer requested that his foie gras course be substituted with something else because he’s not keen on fatty lobes of liver. In its place was an “Autumn Harvest,” a study of vegetables of the season. The colorful plate contained 20 varieties of vegetables and flowers including hearts of palm, parsnips, carrots, and beets. Coffee granules provided a textural contrast to the vegetables. The Autumn Harvest was appealing, but the fact that it was vegetarian made The Astronomer feel like he was being punished for his dislike of foie gras.

The skate wing with brown butter, scrambled cauliflower, and caper powder was well-prepared, but not wow-inducing. Try as we might, we could not get excited over cauliflower.

The pastrami pigeon, on the other hand, was really something special. Inspired by a Reuben sandwich, the deconstructed dish was comprised of cured pigeon, Swiss cheese “crackers,” sauerkraut gelee, and a rye reduction. The texture and flavors of the pigeon were delightful.

The Astronomer’s favorite course of the night was the Japanese Kuroge beef with marrow toast, matsutake mushrooms, and Bordelaise sauce. The beef’s marbling was nothing short of intense and as a result, the meat was insanely tender and juicy.

As if the steak wasn’t decadent enough, the marrow toast took the dish to a whole new level.

Transitioning from savories to sweets, we were served a hibiscus and raspberry sorbet palate cleanser. The little Dippin’ Dots were made using liquid nitrogen.

The Astronomer and I were each served a different dessert. For her: Fools Gold with chocolate, salty hazelnut praline, peanut butter, and milk sorbet. The shards of gold atop the cake reminded me of corn flakes.

And for him: Baba Au Rhum with kiwi, pineapple, and coconut in various forms. This dessert was reminiscent of the Nitro Coconut Floating Island served at The Bazaar, Chef Voltaggio’s former haunt. The Baba Au Rhum was very refreshing and I preferred it over the chocolate creation.

A slate of mignardises arrived along with the check. The dark chocolate lollipops were embedded with crackling Pop Rocks, another oldie but goody trick from The Bazaar. They’re like “fireworks in your mouth,” proclaimed The Astronomer. “A celebration at the end of the meal!”

The teeny tiny meyer lemon macarons and passion fruit jellies with edible wrappers were lovely treats as well.

For me, the mark of a spectacular dinner are those special moments when a bite is so good that I’m forced to shut my eyes and zone out the room in order to fully absorb its awesomeness. While I experienced several very good courses at The Dining Room, I wasn’t floored by any one dish. The Astronomer, on the other hand, was a goner after that steak.

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The Dining Room at The Langham
1401 South Oak Knoll Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91106
Phone: 626-568-3900

Recipe

07 Feb 2010

Orange Spice Cookies

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I don’t mean to brag or anything, but these Orange Spice Cookies are Ludo-approved. The chef and I were both guests at a wonderful oyster tasting party last weekend where I brought these lovelies for dessert. Since I’m usually the one dolling out criticism [See: LudoBites 2.0, LudoBites 3.0], I thought it was only fair to offer Chef Ludo the chance to scrutinize my humble creations. “They’re not too bad,” he declared after a couple of hearty bites. “They’re good,” he added as he polished off the final chunk. Granted, his praise wasn’t glowing, but coming from the man who invented the black croque monsieur with ham, foie gras, and cherry amaretto jam, it pleased me to no end. “Ludo likes my cookie!” I yapped to anyone who would listen for the rest of the evening.

What makes these Orange Spice Cookies really fantastic is their crinkly and sugary exterior. The cookie’s ever-so-light crust gives way to innards that are delicate, moist, and packed with an array of warm spices. I prepared this recipe once by hand and another time with the help of a stand mixer. While using a stand mixer was easier on the muscles, I preferred the texture achieved with the handmade version. Grease up those elbows, the results are worth it.

1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup light or dark molasses
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon orange zest

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix together 1/2 cup of sugar plus 2 teaspoons grated orange zest in a shallow bowl for coating and set aside. Whisk the flour, baking soda, spices, pepper, and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.

Beat the butter, brown sugar, and remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar together in a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 6 minutes. Beat in the egg yolk and vanilla until combined, about 30 seconds. Beat in the molasses and maple syrup until incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl and beaters as needed.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly mix in the flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds (the dough will be soft). Give the dough a final stir with a rubber spatula to make sure it is combined.

Using wet hands, roll 2 tablespoons of dough at a time into balls, then roll in the sugar and zest mixture to coat and lay on two parchment-lined baking sheets, spaced about 2 inches apart.

Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, until the edges are set and the tops are cracked but the centers are still soft and underdone (peek through the cracks to check the centers), 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then serve warm or transfer to wire rack and let cool completely.

Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Recipe adapted from The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

Restaurant Review

04 Feb 2010

Taco Taskforce: Los Angeles’ Best Goat Taco

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For the second meeting of the Taco Taskforce, Bill (Street Gourmet L.A.), Javier (The Glutster), Matt (Mattatouille), Josh (Food GPS), and I aimed to find Los Angeles’ best goat (birria) taco. While goat meat hasn’t caught on in mainstream American cuisine, it is beloved across the globe. I tasted goat for the first time while living in Vietnam, and was taken aback by its deep flavor and favorable texture. Whether prepared in a salad, a curry, or simply grilled, the meat was very enjoyable and not overwhelmingly gamey.

In Mexico, whole goats are rubbed with a collection of savory spices (ancho, cumin, peppercorns, cloves) and oven roasted. After hours of slow and low cooking, the meat is sauced with a blend of drippings and broiled tomatoes, and served with fresh corn tortillas, white onions, and cilantro. Tacos are assembled by hand at the table. The mission of the Taco Taskforce was to find the place in town that best approximates a south-of-the-border birria experience.

With hundreds of birrierias scattered throughout the Southland, it would have been impossible to taste every single one. For the sake of our sanity, palates, and wallets, we explored a total of seven goat shacks as curated by Bill. One of the restaurants on the list turned out to be a total disaster, while the other six were winning all around. The outlier was eliminated from the rankings below.

We scored the birrierias in four categories—protein (quality of the meat), condiments (tortillas, consomme, garnishes), flavor (chiles, vinegar, spices, meat), and cooking (flavor and texture of the meat). Since I’m more of a qualitative thinker than a quantitative one, my assessments were mostly based on taste and the overall vibe from the establishments. For the numeric breakdown, see Mr. GPS.

Beginning with the establishment that scored the fewest points, here are our findings. Ready, set, goat!

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#6 Birrieria Jalisco – Boyle Heights

With write ups in the LA Weekly, Travel+Leisure, and the Los Angeles Times, Birrieria Jalisco was the most celebrated restaurant on our tour. The condiments here were only so-so. The thin and sour consomme didn’t merit sipping on its own, but performed adequately to moisten the goat meat. The tortilla was not handmade and was heated through on a charred grill.

The spine, leg, and rib meat were all very good, but lacked the heady flavor and divine texture that better establishments delivered.

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#5 Birrieria Chalio – Boyle Heights

Birrieria Chalio, which specializes in Zacateca-style birria, was our first stop on the taco tour. The condiments here were hit or miss. The handmade corn tortillas measured a foot in diameter and were downright fluffy. I enjoyed eating the tortilla alone, but found it too thick paired with the meat. The weakest accoutrement was the consomme, which bordered on bland and tasted of canned tomatoes.

The hunks of ribs and legs weren’t “crazy tender” according on my notes, but the burnt ends were texturally appealing.

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#4 Birrieria Tlaquepaque – Huntington Park

Birrieria Tlaquepaque has two outlets located across the street from one another. Since the opening of Birrieria Tlaquepaque #2, the original one has been converted into a take-out joint. The newer location is ten times bigger and able to accommodate large groups.

Since we ate at the original location, the consomme was poured over the meat and the tortillas were not handmade. [The tortillas are handmade at Birrieria Tlaquepaque #2.] The broth was very pleasant and salted to perfection—it would’ve made a splendid soup on its own.

The flavor of the rib and leg meat was spot on, while the texture could’ve been more tender. However, considering that an older goat was employed, it was an all around solid birria effort.

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#3 El Parian Restaurant – Pico Union

Jonathan Gold once declared El Parian’s birria, “the single best regional Mexican dish in Los Angeles.” We found the consomme well-balanced, soulful, and appealingly tomato-y and appreciated that the tortillas were made for all to see.

The sections of rib and leg meat were extremely tender. The chewy bits of cartilage and collagen added interest to the mix.

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#2 Flor Del Rio – Boyle Heights

Flor Del Rio was the most charming birrieria we visited. The consomme was tangy, satisfying, and full of goat flavor, while the handmade tortillas were warm and just thick enough.

The amazingly tender meat slid off the bone cleanly and contained an abundance of delicious connective tissue.

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#1 Birrieria Tepeque – Huntington Park ** CLOSED **

Birrieria Teqpeque captured the picky hearts of the Taco Taskforce with its Michoacan-style birria. The consomme was bright, lovely, and popped with tanginess. The handmade tortillas were more than adequate, but the meat here was so amazing that it begged to be eaten straight up with one’s fingers.

Baby goat is the secret to Teqpeque’s standout birria. Aside from being ridiculously tender, the meat absorbed the spices beautifully. The distinct and delicious flavors of chilies and cloves permeated the ribs and shoulders like no other.

I was ready to throw in the towel after sampling Teqpeque’s birria, but I had to plow on with the Taskforce to make doubly sure. After tasting the city’s best, I am positive that Teqpeque cannot be topped.

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