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Menu Moliere: Maison Akira's Foie Gras Menu of Joy
For the month of April, Chef Akira (of Maison Akira fame) decided to create a themed dinner he endearingly called, "Menu Moliere", assumedly after the satirical French playwright. Each month was to have a theme, like an Iron Chef competition's secret ingredient, only he only competes with himself. The result is that Chef Akira ups his own ante and produces even more divergent and unique combinations of flavor than ever before!
And the best part? The theme of April was FOIE GRAS. Now, those of you who know me know that I have an inordinate obsession with foie gras. Its rich fattiness and flavors are only complemented by the fact that it came from a delicious animal. Take that and add it to every course of a meal? PRICELESS.
No, I take that back. It HAS a price. A very good one! $44 for the 3-course meal, and $66 for the wine pairing. How THAT for world class food?
D and I opted for the non-pairing, having brought our own wines from a wine tasting earlier in the evening. In addition to the meal, we went all out and decided it was best to toss in the foie gras appetizer from the menu, for good measure. The resulting meal?
Appetizer 1: Grilled Duck Foie Gras in a Port Wine Truffle Sauce with Daikon Pot au Feu and Roasted Pear. This is by far my favorite course, and it's fortunately one of the regular courses on the menu (meaning, I can come back anytime outside of April to have it!). The daikon calmed down the foie gras, without diminishing its flavors, and added a subtle vegetable flair to the meaty foie gras. The oyster mushrooms were also amazing, with their soft but firm (almost al dente) texture and their rich mushroom flavors. All in all, a balanced flavor in every bite. Very original, very balanced, amazingly orgasmic.
Appetizer 2: Duck Foie Gras Flan in a Port Wine Truffle Sauce with King Oyster Mushrooms. You would think that foie gras flan was unheard of and blasphemous, but this was everything they tell you about gastronomy and more. The flan was still very milky and cremy, showing subtle signs of flaking apart when you break your spoon through it (like a real flan!). The flavors were also dairy and milky, with subtle hints of foie gras. I confess I didn't enjoy this course as much because I personally don't prefer flan, but if you're a fan of both foie gras and flan, it was an excellent mix of the two. Subtle hints of foie gras, flavors and rich texture of a flan. Pretty successful endeavor!
Appetizer 3: Puree of Celery Root with Grilled Duck Foie Gras and Balsamic Reduction. This one caught me by surprise. I really never had celery root before, and mixed with the balsamic reduction, it ended up being remarkably sour. But the foie gras was seared well, with the crisps on top adding the texture. If you took the celery root and balsamic reduction in moderation, you could create the perfect combination of flavors, but you just had to play at it. All in all, still a very unique combination of flavors and textures.
Entree 1: Napoleon of Big Eye Tuna and Foie Gras with Wasabi Potato Mousseline in a Plum Wine Horse Radish Sauce. Whoever thought about putting the liver of a land creature and a fish creature together in the same dish? CHEF AKIRA. The big eye tuna, which was light and fluffy (even lighter since it was PERFECTLY seared, leaving it virtually sashimi), brightened up the foie gras and complemented it with a different subtle fishy flavor. The mousseline was an interesting addition, a texture twist to the standard wasabi on the side of a sushi dish. The wasabi (in moderation) added a great "pop" to two items that subtly intermingled with each other.
Entree 2: Angus Beef Tenderloin Steak “Rossini” with Grilled Duck Foie Gras in a Truffle Sauce with Spring Vegetables. Okay, anyone who knows me also knows I order my steaks "still mooing". Rare. Always rare. The rarest you can get it to the table without being called by the Health Department. This works out remarkably well with Chef Akira's cooking talent, the fabulous quality of the meat he selects, and the steak Rossini dish on the Menu Moliere. What ended up being presented was a dish where not only two of my favorite items were being served to me, but the flavors were explosive and the textures were remarkably interchangeable. The seared foie gras was obviously going to be tender, but the steak was easily cut and immediately chewable. Soft, tender, a perfectly prepared steak. Complemented with the foie gras, it was the absolute perfect entree, clearly the best steak Rossini I have ever had, or could ever imagine.
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And the best part? The theme of April was FOIE GRAS. Now, those of you who know me know that I have an inordinate obsession with foie gras. Its rich fattiness and flavors are only complemented by the fact that it came from a delicious animal. Take that and add it to every course of a meal? PRICELESS.
No, I take that back. It HAS a price. A very good one! $44 for the 3-course meal, and $66 for the wine pairing. How THAT for world class food?
D and I opted for the non-pairing, having brought our own wines from a wine tasting earlier in the evening. In addition to the meal, we went all out and decided it was best to toss in the foie gras appetizer from the menu, for good measure. The resulting meal?
Appetizer 1: Grilled Duck Foie Gras in a Port Wine Truffle Sauce with Daikon Pot au Feu and Roasted Pear. This is by far my favorite course, and it's fortunately one of the regular courses on the menu (meaning, I can come back anytime outside of April to have it!). The daikon calmed down the foie gras, without diminishing its flavors, and added a subtle vegetable flair to the meaty foie gras. The oyster mushrooms were also amazing, with their soft but firm (almost al dente) texture and their rich mushroom flavors. All in all, a balanced flavor in every bite. Very original, very balanced, amazingly orgasmic.
Appetizer 2: Duck Foie Gras Flan in a Port Wine Truffle Sauce with King Oyster Mushrooms. You would think that foie gras flan was unheard of and blasphemous, but this was everything they tell you about gastronomy and more. The flan was still very milky and cremy, showing subtle signs of flaking apart when you break your spoon through it (like a real flan!). The flavors were also dairy and milky, with subtle hints of foie gras. I confess I didn't enjoy this course as much because I personally don't prefer flan, but if you're a fan of both foie gras and flan, it was an excellent mix of the two. Subtle hints of foie gras, flavors and rich texture of a flan. Pretty successful endeavor!
Appetizer 3: Puree of Celery Root with Grilled Duck Foie Gras and Balsamic Reduction. This one caught me by surprise. I really never had celery root before, and mixed with the balsamic reduction, it ended up being remarkably sour. But the foie gras was seared well, with the crisps on top adding the texture. If you took the celery root and balsamic reduction in moderation, you could create the perfect combination of flavors, but you just had to play at it. All in all, still a very unique combination of flavors and textures.
Entree 1: Napoleon of Big Eye Tuna and Foie Gras with Wasabi Potato Mousseline in a Plum Wine Horse Radish Sauce. Whoever thought about putting the liver of a land creature and a fish creature together in the same dish? CHEF AKIRA. The big eye tuna, which was light and fluffy (even lighter since it was PERFECTLY seared, leaving it virtually sashimi), brightened up the foie gras and complemented it with a different subtle fishy flavor. The mousseline was an interesting addition, a texture twist to the standard wasabi on the side of a sushi dish. The wasabi (in moderation) added a great "pop" to two items that subtly intermingled with each other. 
Entree 2: Angus Beef Tenderloin Steak “Rossini” with Grilled Duck Foie Gras in a Truffle Sauce with Spring Vegetables. Okay, anyone who knows me also knows I order my steaks "still mooing". Rare. Always rare. The rarest you can get it to the table without being called by the Health Department. This works out remarkably well with Chef Akira's cooking talent, the fabulous quality of the meat he selects, and the steak Rossini dish on the Menu Moliere. What ended up being presented was a dish where not only two of my favorite items were being served to me, but the flavors were explosive and the textures were remarkably interchangeable. The seared foie gras was obviously going to be tender, but the steak was easily cut and immediately chewable. Soft, tender, a perfectly prepared steak. Complemented with the foie gras, it was the absolute perfect entree, clearly the best steak Rossini I have ever had, or could ever imagine. I'll bypass the desserts, since (1) there was no foie gras in them, and (2) I hardly had any once I was so full of foie gras. They were fairly good, as all of Chef Akira's dishes are, and they were closers on yet another NYC- and world-class meal.
Maison Akira
713 E Green Street, Pasadena, CA
http://www.maisonakira.com/
Maison Akira
713 E Green Street, Pasadena, CA
http://www.maisonakira.com/
Duck House - Stay for the Peking Duck (but Not Much Else)
While most of us only know "Peking Duck" from what we get from those Chinese BBQ places with ducks hanging in the window, apparently most of us haven't gotten the TRUE peking duck experience. According to experts, only a few locations in LA actually make Peking duck the true way, blowing air into the duck between the flesh and the skin, stretching the skin and separating it from the flesh to allow for separate cooking. Tender cooking of the flesh, to retain the juices, and crispy cooking of the skin.
While all of us can boast that we've had some version fo peking duck before, I'd have to say my experience with Duck House was probably one of the best. The skin was crispy without being too oily, and the flesh was amazingly tender and still juicy. They provided us with fresh greens and a rich hoisin sauce to eat it with, and instructed us to roll it into these crepe-looking breads. The end product was a rich mix of juicy, soft meats, springy fresh greens, and crispy, salty skin. It was a good flavor combination and a good texture combination.The only thing I regret about this location was that we tried about 4-5 other courses, and they were all disappointing compared to other Chinese restaurants. Nothing really stood out as spectacular except the peking duck, but according to our friend, the more people you bring, the more dishes you can try. (How many people until you get the foie??) Next time I might consider waiting for more people, and/or savoring the peking duck while waiting for the mediocre dishes to pass me by.
Duck House
501 S. Atlantic Blvd., Monterey Park, CA 91754 - (626) 284-3227
Indigo Grill - San Diego's Gem in Little Italy
For Girls Weekend in San Diego, the girls and I went to Indigo Grill, mostly because one of us knew the owner (always nice when you have a connection). While this place was Mexican-inspired, it also touted inspirations from the entire Pacific Southwest and Pacific shore. What we ended up getting was Mexican-based food, with fresh seafood and some fusion elements to some of the dishes.
The starter was one dish, big enough for four people to share. They called it "Pipian Crusted Brie", which consisted of brie which was been baked in sesame seeds and a variety of other crumbs, accompanied by sides of jalapeno jelly, honey roasted garlic, grilled nopales, mole negro, and scallion flatbread. I love this type of tray because it ends up being a mix-and-match feast, where everybody gets exactly what they like. Plus, who DOESN'T like a plate with a piece of roasted garlic?? Even the presentation worked, with a flatbread that appeared to have the name of the restaurant seared into the cake, sticking out as if to shout its presence from the rooftops!
Even between four girls, we ended up splitting two entrees, one bone-in rib eye and one special of the night--scallops seared on a brick of sea salt with sides of various greens cooked in a bacon dressing. (Because let's face it--bacon makes everything better!) I didn't try the rib eye, since it was a Friday during Lent, but the scallops were delicious. The sea salt brick was the cooking surface for the scallops themselves, making it both hot and delicious. Most of the girls thought it was too salty, but I thought it was just right, allowing the salt to bring out the fishiness and tartness of the scallops.
All in all a pretty good find, every good prices for HUGE portions, and a relatively casual spot for San Diego's Little Italy.
Indigo Grill
1536 India St., San Diego, CA - (619) 234.6802
http://www.cohnrestaurants.com/restaurants/indigogrill/
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The starter was one dish, big enough for four people to share. They called it "Pipian Crusted Brie", which consisted of brie which was been baked in sesame seeds and a variety of other crumbs, accompanied by sides of jalapeno jelly, honey roasted garlic, grilled nopales, mole negro, and scallion flatbread. I love this type of tray because it ends up being a mix-and-match feast, where everybody gets exactly what they like. Plus, who DOESN'T like a plate with a piece of roasted garlic?? Even the presentation worked, with a flatbread that appeared to have the name of the restaurant seared into the cake, sticking out as if to shout its presence from the rooftops!
Even between four girls, we ended up splitting two entrees, one bone-in rib eye and one special of the night--scallops seared on a brick of sea salt with sides of various greens cooked in a bacon dressing. (Because let's face it--bacon makes everything better!) I didn't try the rib eye, since it was a Friday during Lent, but the scallops were delicious. The sea salt brick was the cooking surface for the scallops themselves, making it both hot and delicious. Most of the girls thought it was too salty, but I thought it was just right, allowing the salt to bring out the fishiness and tartness of the scallops.All in all a pretty good find, every good prices for HUGE portions, and a relatively casual spot for San Diego's Little Italy.
Indigo Grill
1536 India St., San Diego, CA - (619) 234.6802
http://www.cohnrestaurants.com/restaurants/indigogrill/
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