Ortolan

Dining Companions: Chris B, Antonella N, and Scott M.

Date: 8-7-08

Our party changed from six to four, the players changed, but who in the hell cares. We were at amazing Ortolan.

Let's talk about the decor first. The front of house is nice, but as you walk to the back, by the bar you pass an amazing dark room with a wall along the lines of an old library with the ladder on wheels. Instead of books in the dark black shelves there were beautifully lit herbs growing. Amazing looking. Beautiful bathroom (although I'm not sure if cloth towels is more or less earth friendly than disposable...).

First, we all engaged in martinis. The girls had pomegranate martinis and the boys had a Manhattan and a pear vodka martini. These were just okay. We also split an amazing $95 bottle of Bordeaux. The sommelier questioned our choice of Bordeaux (and by "our" I mean Antonella's) but we decided to stick to our (Antonella's) guns. I'm glad we did- delicious.

We shared two different foie gras appetizers among all four of us. Before that came out, they brought us a plate with salted and unsalted butter and a bread waiter came along with a variety of offerings. I tried the sourdough (not sour enough for me but fine) and the lavash (nice, cracker similar to the ones served at Ammo). In addition to the butters, we were given three test tubes containing a basil extra virgin olive oil (which I did not try), a 20 year aged balsamic vinegar (very nice), and a lobster infused oil (tasty, delicate).

Then they brought out eggplant spread in a very interesting glass dish and some soups served in test tubes. We had two of each- tomato on the bottom/celery on top OR carrot on the bottom/hazelnut on top. I don't generally enjoy hazelnuts, but this soup (chilled) was quite nice. The others enjoyed the tomato as well.

The foie gras was delicious. As a group, the consensus was that the foie gras special was the better of the two. This was seared, presented with mandarin gelee (in spheres), dark cherries, and some sort of crispy cube of hummus that was called something fancy that I can't remember. Each component of the dish was beautiful, tasty, and worked well together. The regular menu foie gras was a terrine served with some lovely little decorative elements and an apple confit (?) on the side. It was also very tasty. Both were served with homemade brioche.

For our entrees, we ordered (and shared): the short ribs, the cod served paella style, the roulades of rabbit, and the steak with a potato canneloni of beef marrow. Wow. First of all, all four dishes were beautiful, and all were delicious. The rabbit was perfectly cooked, as was the medium rare steak. The steak was accompanied by little puffy potato pillows as well as the canneloni. The canneloni in addition to the beef marrow had chestnuts. Those were the big hits of the night. The cod served paella style was like a deconstructed paella. A well cooked piece of cod (which generally doesn't strike me as very exciting but in this case it was) placed on top of a well seasoned rice with seafood and vegetables in it. Along side, clams, sausage slices, and topped with a crispy rice sheet, the cod was well placed.

We were offered a cheese plate selection and a cart was wheeled over. The selection looked very nice but we passed and went straight to dessert.

For dessert we ordered and shared: panna cotta with cherry caviar (served in an actual caviar tin), a white chocolate/verbena sorbet/peach tower, a chocolate tart with fresh raspberries (tasty and smelled heavenly), and blackberries on sable with berry tuille and a yogurt sorbet. I think mine (panna cotta) and the chocolate were the best. I didn't love the white chocolate dish, but then again, verbena is a bit strong for me. It reminds me of my L'Occitane hand lotion. Mine really looked like a tin of caviar.

Before the dessert was served we were given a mint sorbet. It was very pretty but tasted like colgate or crest. After dessert, they brought a black stand on a plate, filled with tiny delicate petit fours- two kinds of macaroons, fruit jelly (like what's served at Craft and sold in the Dean and Deluca catalogue), rose flavored marshmallows, and a few other goodies. They were tiny, cutely arranged, and mostly tasted terrific. I did not enjoy the marhsmellow, but I very much liked the jelly and the chocolate thing. Antonella did not like the jelly.

Then, as if that was not enough, they brought over a tray of six different types of truffles- lemon, passion fruit, earl grey, lemon, pear, and a last one I can't recall. I enjoyed my passion fruit. Scott said the pear one did not have much of a pear taste. Scott and Antonella both enjoyed the Earl Grey one.

The dishes used were unusual and visually striking. I enjoyed this. I also enjoyed the fact that the head chef/owner, Christopher Eme, came out to greet us and ask about the meal. Including tax and tip, the bill was $133 apiece for four of us. Considering the amount of food, the detailed service, and that we had a lot of alcohol, it seemed very fair.

Valet is $4.50 but if you look around, there are some meters.

www.ortolanrestaurant.com

8338 W. 3rd Street

Los Angeles, CA 90048