LA Trip and Lots of Food Pics

To make a long story short, QB and I went down to LA over the weekend. It was mostly to hang out with my family and to celebrate a few things including a belated Mother's Day, an early Father's Day, and a soon-to-be-born baby.

Friday night, QB, Crestfallen, and I hit up Father's Office in Santa Monica for some damn good burgers. They are really, really good. And, we had some sweet potato fries and aioli dipping sauce to go with them. Man, I haven't had such a delicious burger from a bar in... do I dare say, ever? Jules would probably toss that Big Kahuna burger in the trash after having one of these. I washed it all down with a Tripel Karmeliet beer.

On Saturday, there was a small party we attended at Marmalade Cafe in LA's Farmer's Market. It was a sort-of baby shower, but it was clearly co-ed, so I think that means it wasn't a baby shower. The brunch we had there was really good, but the fare was typical, so I won't write much more about it.

For dinner, seven of us ate at Noé Restaurant inside the Omni Hotel. I learned about a week prior to the planned dinner that their head chef, Robert Gadsby, had left to pursue other interests. I was really disappointed by that, but it was too late to do much about it, since I didn't want to change everyone's plans at the last minute. Despite knowing of the departure of their famous chef, we opted to do the 9-course tasting menu. We figured, we probably wouldn't get another opportunity to have a really nice meal like this in quite some time.

So, without further ado, I bring on the pictures of food...

Bread Dip of Olive Oil and Anchovies

Complimentary Amuse Bouche - Rabbit


Tuna Tartare with Watermelon


Diver Scallop with a Forest Mushroom Purée


Noé's Signature Dish - Classic Mimosa Salad
Accompanied by Mango Frappé


Corn Chowder Cappucino (no coffee, just a name)


Striped Bass over a Tomato Confit
(I messed up the dish slightly before taking a picture, ugh)


Duck and Foie Gras with Pears, Strawberries, and Arugula


Lamb in a Red Wine Sauce over Whipped Potatoes


Passion Fruit Cake with Blueberries
(for those who opted out of the cheese plate)


Cheese Plate - Epoisse and Onatek(?)


The Final Dish - Pastry with Berries

All in all, I thought the food was pretty good. I thought both the bass and the scallop were excellent. I wasn't a huge fan of the lamb, but everything else was really good. I wish the service was a bit better though. They weren't so good with keeping the water glasses full, and for one of the dishes, they forgot to provide one of us with silverware... incredulous.

The next day, we went out to Venice Beach. Didn't do too much out there. Grabbed some coffee at Cafe Collage, and checked out the random street vendors and entertainers. Also, got a cool shot of some wall graffiti.

The End