Abby "Pleasure Palate" A.'s Profile

After watching Chef/Owner Scott Conant on the show, Chopped, show no mercy when Italian dishes were cooked improperly, I was definitely curious as to what his food was going to be like. Will his exacting standards follow through on his own menu at his newly opened restaurant, Scarpetta, in Beverly Hills?

Our meal definitely started on a high note when they brought out their complimentary bread which were accompanied by an eggplant caponata, mascarpone butter and citrusy olive oil. The bread itself was soft and/or crusty when it needed to be but the absolute treasure in the basket was their stromboli, which had ham and cheese rolled into it.  That stromboli is actually quite rich and filling, so you might want to limit to yourself to just one or two.

When it came to the appetizers, my party shared three of them.  First up was the Raw Yellowtail which was seasoned with ginger oil and topped with pickled red onion and a pinch of sea salt.  The tender and mild flavors of the fish went well with the slight hint of spice from the ginger oil while the sea salt gave it a nice ocean-y finish.

The second starter was the Braised Short Ribs of Beef on a bed of autumn vegetables and farro risotto. To be honest, I don't remember much about the flavors of this particular dish, but I did remember that the beef was meltingly tender.

Our last appetizer was the Creamy Polenta with a fricassee of truffled mushrooms. I really loved the creamy texture of the polenta and when paired with the earthy flavors of the mushrooms, this was definitely a hit with everyone at the table.

Now on to the pasta dishes and again, we shared 3 of them, starting with Chef Conant's signature dish which was Spaghetti with tomato and basil. After one bite, I could see why he's known for this dish. There was a creamy-silky texture to the sauce that was mouth appealing plus the subtle peppery flavor of the basil was also a perfect complement to the tangy-acidity of the tomatoes.

Even though the Spaghetti was definitely tasty, my favorite pasta dish of the night was actually the Beet and Smoked Ricotta Casonei with pistachio nuts & poppy seeds. I'm a beet lover so as soon as I saw this dish on the menu, it was a must-order. The sweetness of the beets, the smoky cheese and the sweet nuttiness of the pistachios really made my taste buds dance with delight.

The third pasta dish we tried was the Duck and Foie Gras Ravioli with a marsala reduction.  This is the one savory dish that didn't do much for me.  I didn't taste the duck because it was just too overwhelmed by the sweetness of the foie gras and the rich flavors of the marsala sauce.

Our meat entrees consisted of two different ones.  My favorite of the two was the Ash-Spiced Venison Loin with braised radicchio, smoked polenta dumpling and dried cherry reduction.  The venison was cooked perfectly and its strong, distinct flavors went well with the bitterness of the radicchio and the tartness of the dried cherry sauce.

A little less memorable for me was the Aged Sirloin of Beef with roasted baby potatoes, porcini mushrooms and barolo reduction.  Just like the venison, the beef was cooked perfectly, but nothing else really stood out for me. Someone in my party also ordered the Black Cod with caramelized fennel and concentrated tomatoes. I only had a small taste and not enough to leave an impression, but my friend enjoyed it.

When it came to the savory portion of our meal, almost all of the dishes were stellar.  Unfortunately, when it came to desserts, Scarpetta didn't do as well.  It's not that they were bad.  It's more like they were just okay.  There wasn't anything really mind-blowing about the 4 different ones we tried. First, we sampled the Chocolate and Vanilla Parfait with a hazelnut milkshake and biscbill maherotti. I'm not sure why but the Parfait tasted a little too coffee-like for my liking.

The second dessert we tried was the Pear Crostata which were stuffed forelle pears, brown butter pound cake and honey gelato.  I didn't taste enough honey in the gelato, but I did like the denseness of the cake. My favorite dessert was the Coconut Panna Cotta with guava soup and caramelized pineapple. I enjoyed the creamy texture of the panna cotta and I could have easily eaten a small bowl of just the guava soup.  The tropical flavors all played nicely together.

Last was the Amaretto Flan with spiced roasted pumpkin and marsala zabaglione gelato.  At our table of five, no one liked that amaretto flan.  In fact, one little bite was enough to put everyone off.  I just couldn't taste the almonds and the flavor was a little bitter, plus the texture was more like jello than what we're used to as flan.  We all did like the gelato and wished we had more of that instead of that flan.

To end, my friends and I really enjoyed dining at Scarpetta.  Not only was the food superb, the service was impeccable.  I would definitely return again.

Have you ever had one of those days when you were out running errands and suddenly, you realized you were hungry? But soon after, you don't know what you're hungry for? So you end up driving home, thinking to yourself that if I see something interesting on the way, I'll make a stop and grab a bite. Well, for some reason, I ended up stopping at Rick's Drive-In. I don't even know if I was in the mood for any kind burger, but I've been driving by Rick's for years and have heard off and on that they have pretty good food, so I decided to give it a try. After waffling over the menu choices, I went for the Taco in a Bun with French fries.

Why Taco in a Bun? I'm not quite sure. Perhaps because I wasn't in the mood for a traditional burger so at least, this might be a bit different. I didn't even bother asking what was in it when I ordered it. I just went for it. After unwrapping it and taking a closer look, I saw that it basically had the components of a taco with seasoned meat, lettuce, tomato, and cheese on a burger bun with mustard. Yes, this really was Taco in a Bun, at least an Americanized version of a taco.

So I dug in. Was it the best Taco in a Bun Burger I ever had? I can't say since this is the only one I've ever had, but it hit the spot. If you're really hungry, this burger was a good size, so that's a plus. As for the taco meat itself, it wasn't seasoned enough for my taste; but adding hot sauce was helpful in the taste department. Other than that, the bread was soft and the vegetables were fresh, all good things in my book.

Is it something I'd crave or go out of my way to get again? Not really. But for one afternoon, that Taco in a Bun was enough to satisfy the hollow feeling in my belly and sometimes, that's good enough. By the way, the French Fries were some of the best I've ever had, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. I'd stop by just for those.

However, while writing this post, I remembered that a friend had blogged about her experience at Rick's Drive-In and when I looked up that post again, she mentioned a menu item that crazily enough may merit a repeat visit to Rick's Drive-In sometime soon. Have you ever heard of the Spuderito? Simply, it's a French fry burrito with fries, cheese and hot sauce. It sounds good to me.  I bet it does to you, too. :)

To see pics, go to:
http://bit.ly/9BijAf

When it comes to gourmet burgers in LA, I've had my share of some truly tasty ones from Father's Office to Umami Burgers to even an off menu burger from Jitlada. All these aforementioned places are already well-known in LA, so it was nice when my friend, introduced me to a burger place that's a little more under the radar; yet, served some pretty darn good burgers. I'm talking about The Fix Burger in the Silver Lake neighborhood.

While the Fix has more traditional burgers as well as create your own burger options, they also have Specialty Burgers where you can specify the meat. Your patty choices include beef, buffalo, turkey as well as a vegetarian option. Unfortunately, they used to carry ostrich, but aren't doing so at the moment due to supply issues. What's really cool about the Fix is that all their meats are organic and come from local ranches.

From the Specialty Burger choices, my friend went for the Rodeo Burger with bacon, onion rings, bbq sauce, mayo and cheddar, which she enjoyed immensely.

For me, it was all about the Seoul Burger with mushrooms, Korean sauce, Korean slaw, jack and mayo. I opted for the buffalo burger and I have to admit that the buffalo meat surprised me, but in a good way. Knowing that buffalo tends to be leaner, I wasn't expecting my burger to be that juicy. Boy, was I wrong. That meat was definitely napkin-wiping juicy and I also liked how the meat's surface had a nice grilled char to it. Also, all the other ingredients went well together flavor-wise and in general, I enjoyed that burger bite by bite.

However, there were a couple of things that could have improved that burger even more, in my opinion. First, it needed some heat. Perhaps, it wasn't meant to be a spicy burger, but if either the Korean slaw and/or the Korean sauce was amped with chili and garlic, this Seoul Burger would seem even more like a "Seoul" burger. Second, the bun didn't hold as well as it could have been. Towards the tail end of eating my burger, the bread was getting a little too soggy for my taste.

Along with burgers and other sandwiches, the Fix also had a variety of sides to choose from. My friend and I shared their Homemade Onion Rings and Garlic Fries. I really enjoyed both of them. What I liked about their onion rings is they weren't greasy and that spices were added to the batter to give them some flavor. I tasted some black pepper and a hint of rosemary.

Their garlic fries were unlike anything I've had before. Usually, you get fried bits of garlic with your garlic fries, but the Fix does something completely different. Their garlic fries are topped with roasted salty/sweet chunks of garlic, so you get a two texture eating experience. First, there's the crispness of the fries and then there's the soft texture of the roasted garlic. I was definitely "fix"ated on those fries.

Overall, I really enjoyed my meal at the Fix. Even now, the memory of that juicy buffalo burger still lingers and I am looking forward to a return trip so that I can try some of the other burgers on their menu. I've also heard really good things about their shakes, so a peanut butter shake may be in my imminent future as well. So the next time you're in the Silver Lake area, get a "Fix" on The Fix Burger and you just might find a new favorite burger joint.

To see pics, go to:
http://bit.ly/bNOHTy

I came to this restaurant when it was a Lebanese restaurant a few years back and thought the food was stellar.  My friend and I were looking for a restaurant to have dinner before a movie and since I remembered Mandaloun for its good food, we decided to give it a try.

We walked in at around 6:30 and the place seemed deserted.  We were almost about to walk out when a server gestured as in.  As we were being shown to our table, I had mentioned that that it's been a few years since my last visit and the waitress quickly said that Mandaloun was under new ownership.  Instead of a Lebanese restaurant, it was now Russian-Armenian.

Still willing to give this place a try, my friend and I sat down and placed our order.  Immediately, we hit a snag.  We placed our order with one of the menu items being a chicken dish, only to be told a few minutes later, that it wasn't available nor was another similar chicken dish on the menu.  Come on. If something is not available, that's one of the first things the customer should know.

We had ordered a couple of appetizers, but a bread basket arrived first.  That bread was sad.  It was cold and it tasted like something I would have picked up at a grocery chain.  Plus it was dry.  No butter was brought or offered with that bread basket.

Our appetizers included a plate of pickled veggies and an eggplant dish called a Muttabal, which was basically Baba Ganoush.  These were dishes that seemingly shouldn't take long to prepare (unless I'm mistaken), but we ended up waiting about 20 minutes for them to arrive.  Both appetizers were okay, although the Muttabal was very mayonnaise-y.  Perhaps, it was that way to hide the face that there didn't seem much eggplant in what was supposed to be an eggplant dish?

As for entrees, I went for the lamb chops and my friend went for the cornish hen, but we shared both dishes.  Just a mention about the sides, you have your choice of rice or potatoes.  Granted, our waitress did say that the potatoes were like french fry wedges, but a part of me was thinking that there had to be more to these potatoes than that.  I was wrong.  Those potatoes were just unseasoned  thick french fry wedges that were too much at room temperature to my liking.

The lamb chops were tiny, but were cooked well.  Nothing wow, but at least they tasted good; however, the Cornish hen was ridiculous.  When I see a Cornish hen on a menu, I'm thinking that we'll be served a whole Cornish hen.  Perhaps I read the description wrong or misunderstood, but what we got were four little drumsticks.  They could have come from a Cornish hen or from just a really small chicken.  Other than going into the kitchen to check it out, we didn't have a clue.  To add insult to injury, those chicken legs were over fried and very dry.

By the time, our meal was over, we were ready to go.  So we asked for the check.  Not having the right change, I asked our server if she could give me change for a $20.  She said she'd ask and let me know.  Let me know? I've never had any problem getting change at any restaurant I've been to, but that was definitely foreshadowing.

She came back and said that they said no to giving me change.  What????  So my friend brings up a good point and asks our server what would happen if we had to pay our bill with a $100 or even $60, since the total for our meal was a little over $50. Would we get change then?  And she said, of course.  Ridiculous.  Totally ridiculous.

All I know is that the food there isn't good enough to deal with cold bread that tastes store-bought, slow service, so-so food and an unwillingness to make change for a freaking $20 bill.  So unless the restaurant changes hands again, I have no plans to return to Mandaloun.

When it comes to food prepared tableside, it's just one of my favorite ways to have a meal. There's just something fun about seeing your dinner prepared and cooked in front of you before being able to enjoy it. What I find interesting is that quite a lot of this tableside food preparation seems to show up at Korean restaurants with the meal usually ending with fried rice. By the way, I'm not putting Korean BBQ in this mix, simply because the patrons usually do all their cooking themselves.

Another interesting thing to note is that so far, my experiences have all been seafood-based. Not that I minded, but I did wonder if there was something I was missing. It turns out I was and I found that out while reading a blog post by Josh Lurie of Food GPS about a restaurant called Ma Po Dak Gal Bi that serves tableside prepared spicy chicken. After reading through what Josh had to say, I knew I had to check this place out for myself.

Upon arriving, it was safe to say that Ma Po Dak Gal Bi was a true hole in the wall. Nothing fancy about the decor, as you can see for yourself in an earlier photo; however, I've always been more about the food than the ambiance. Unfortunately, the starter salad and the panchan wasn't too exciting and this was the first time I've also been to a Korean restaurant where kimchi didn't hit our table.

Thankfully, what followed brought smiles to all our faces because that's when the cooking started. Oil was added to a pan at our tableside grill and once heated, rice cake cylinders, sweet potatoes and marinated dark chicken meat was added and sauteed by our capable server.

Soon after, cabbage and chili sauce was added to the mix and all the ingredients were allowed to cook down a little bit before the addition of perilla leaves. More sauteeing and cooking and eventually, our meal was ready for us to dig in to.

I have to say that this spicy chicken dish was pretty good. Texturally, I enjoyed the slight chew of the rice cake cylinders and flavor-wise, the spicy notes of the perilla leaves balanced well with the sweetness of the sweet potatoes. Of course, the chili packed a nice little punch, although I ended up adding just a tad more since I wanted just a little more heat.

After we had our fill, what was left became the components of a fried rice dish. Our server came back to do some more cooking. She added a little more oil to the pan then rice, dried sea weed strips, onions and chopped kimchi vegetables and course, those ingredients took in the flavors from the previous dish. We were all a little full already, but who can resist fried rice? My group certainly couldn't, so while a lot of it came home with us, we were still able to enjoy some of it still at the restaurant.

Overall, this was a nice meal. I wouldn't say that the spicy chicken at Ma Po Dak Gal Bi is mind-blowing, but it's filling, tasty and I enjoyed every bite. It's also certainly a bonus to get fried rice out of this as well. So the next time, you're looking for some eats in Koreatown and need a break from the pork and beef madness that comes from Korean BBQ, then give a chicken a try. I'm sure Mr. Pig and Mr. Cow would love the break.

Last month, I set up a tasting with the Frysmith Food Truck for my dining group and we got to sample 6 items from their menu. Before we get into the food itself, let's talk a little about the family and it truly is a family behind Frysmith. Frysmith is the brain child of Eric Cho, a native Angeleno who having exposed his palate to the diverse ethnic dining scene, used to dream up of how those flavors could be translated as french fry toppings; hence, the birth of Frysmith.

Along with what's currently on the menu, he'll also dream up specials to ensure that there's always variety for Frysmith customers. With his wife, Brooke, who came aboard to handle the business side of things, to bake delectable cookies as well being the head driver and his father, Ed, who maintains the truck and ensures that they never run out of canola oil, this family really knows how to get things done in the fry world.

One thing that I also like to point out about this truck is while they do sell canned sodas, they also have bottled craft sodas available. I'm not sure if these sodas change every week but for our tasting event, I enjoyed sips from both a Squamsco Sarsaparilla and an Original China Cola made with Chinese Herbs. I tend to think that bottled soda actually tastes better than the canned version and smaller distributors usually have more interesting flavored sodas anyway.

Ok, now let's start with our tasting. First off, we had the Chili Cheese, which is regular fries topped with Angus all-beef chili made with beer and chocolate along with cheddar cheese and onion. At my first bite, I already knew this was a good start. No, it was a great start. This is the first time I've had beer and chocolate chili and the flavors were amazing. I could easily eat that chili in a bowl by itself and pronounce myself a very happy woman.

Our next sample were off menu Poutine fries, which were basically fries topped with Ballard family farms cheese curds and smothered in a porcini gravy. That gravy was rich and I could really taste those mushrooms. Even though this was just the second dish we tried, it was already my favorite. The combination of the semi-soft curds, the crispy fries and that gravy was a perfect example of fry heaven.

Third up were the Rajas, which were fries topped with fire-roasted poblano chiles, caramelized onions, marinated Angus skirt steak and Jack cheese. I enjoyed the smokiness of the poblano chilies and how the steak had a nice little char to the meat's surface.

What came our way next was their Kimchi fries with Kurobuta pork belly, onions and cheddar. Cheese and kimchi would seem an odd coupling, but it works and when you add the pork belly, you have a triad of spicy, cheesy, meaty goodness.

Only two more french fry creations left and the next item was the second off menu item of our tasting. The fries came with calamari, burrata, shredded basil (I think) topped with a ponzu dressing. I think our group was the first ever to try this dish. Unfortunately, this wasn't a hit for me. I did like the tartness of the ponzu dressing, but the burrata didn't really melt and part of the joy of cheese and fries is having the cheese be at least a little gooey. As for the calamari with the long tentacles, I felt like I was eating seafood spaghetti. I think calamari rings may have been a better option. Regardless, while I liked the components separately, I didn't care much for them together.

Last, but not least, was the SweetPo, which was free-range chicken in tomatillo-tamarind sauce over sweet potato fries and topped with mixed nuts. I was actually already getting full by this point, so I just had a little of the SweetPo. Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling this dish either. The sweetness of the potatoes pairing with the slightly tart/sour tomatillo-tamarind sauce was a disconnect for me. It didn't quite jive; however, I'd like to replace the sweet potato fries with just regular fries and I have feeling that I'd like it much better.

Overall, this was a great sampling of menu items from the Frysmith Food Truck. I really loved the crispy fries. Soggy fries are a no-no for me. The various toppings were delicious and while a couple of them wouldn't be considered faves of mine, they were at least interesting and unique. So the next time you see the Frysmith Truck parked close to you, be sure to check them out for some of the best gourmet fries in LA.

My first time attending the Grilled Cheese Invitational  was in 2008. It was definitely a fun time and I've been a regular goer ever since. Since my first visit, this event has grown in size and last April, I found myself with other avid grilled cheese sandwich lovers at the Los Angeles Center Studios for the 2010 Grilled Cheese Invitational.

At the Grilled Cheese Invitational, it's all about the spirit of competition as both amateur and professional cooks competed separately for grilled cheese sandwich greatness in 3 different categories.

* The Missionary Position: Standard bread, standard cheese (or cheeses), standard butter and no additional ingredients.

* The Kama Sutra: Any kind of bread, any kind of butter, and any kind of cheese PLUS additional ingredients(the interior ingredients must be at least 60% cheese).

* The Honey Pot: Any kind of bread, any kind of butter, and any kind of cheese (the interior ingredients of the sammich must be at least 60% cheese), and with an overall flavor that is sweet and would best be served as dessert.

As for the judging, Invitational go-ers had to apply online ahead of time to become a judge and though they had still pay for admission, they were able to sample as many of the grilled cheese sandwiches as they could get to in the competition area. So what are the general rules of judging?

   * Get Sammy from Runner
   * Eat Sammy
   * Vote on Sammich
   * Put Vote in Ballot Box

However, just because you're a judge, it doesn't mean that you'll automatically get sandwiches to judge. When it comes to the nitty gritty of judging, the main goal is to "get that sammy from the runner."

To get that sammy can involve anything from being patient for some and being aggressive for others. It could mean being at the right place at the right time or knowing people who are competing. A cheese-inspired costume could give you brownie points, especially since a lot of the chef and runners themselves were also dressed accordingly. Knowing how to make good eye contact and smiling doesn't hurt and looking excited, being enthusiastic and vocal may also draw the chef and the runner's attention to you. In short, a shy violet will not get any sammiches.

Once you get that sandwich and hopefully, you'll get more than one, you'll get a ballot where you get to score that sandwich on 4 different categories.

* Presentation: How does the sammich look? (Scale of 1 - 10, 10 being highest)

* Taste: How does it taste? (Scale of 1 - 20, 20 being highest)

* Wessonality: Is this sammich special? Deliver Style points here (Scale of 1- 5, 5 being highest)

* SPAZ: The Weird Factor (Scale of 1 - 15, 15 being biggest Spaz

If you weren't an official judge, there were other opportunities that day to get some grilled cheese sandwich action. Tillamook Cheese, was one of the main sponsors and there were free Tillamook grilled cheese sandwiches for all. There were also other vendors competing for a People's Choice Awards like The Grilled Cheese Truck, the Oaks Gourmet, Chef Eric Greenspan of the Foundry and more.

Overall, being a cheesehead, this is one event I look forward to every year and even better, one of my friend's Missionary entry won a Judge's Choice Award.

A few years ago, I heard about the Caribbean Treehouse, a restaurant that serves food from Trinidad and Tobago, but it wasn't until I saw a post on the Man Bites World blog that I saw pictures of any of the food itself. Although the descriptions sounded tasty, it still took me awhile to finally check it out for myself and when I did, I brought along a group of friends along, with one of them being Trini born and bred. I was definitely very interested in getting her take on her "home" food.

One thing to note about this restaurant is "Treehouse" is part of its name for a good reason. There's actually a tree in the dining room that goes through the roof of the restaurant. Now that's not something you see everyday.

For our meal, my group of friends shared 9 dishes. We started off with the beef and chicken pies, which were more like hand pies as opposed to being cooked in pie shells. The pastry was actually quite flaky, so that was the pro; however, the cons included beef that was a little too salty and chicken that was dry and under-seasoned. So far, this wasn't a good start to our dinner.

From meat pies, we went on to their rotis, one that was vegetarian (potato and green beans) and the other was filled with goat. They looked like giant burritos on the plate. Taste-wise, they were okay, not bad, not memorable, but definitely filling.

On the weekends, they serve a dish called the Sparrow Special and being there on a Saturday, of course we had try it out. The Sparrow Special is made up of strips of salt cod, boiled cassava, sauteed onion and tomato. This was actually one of the better tasting dishes of the night, but the boiled cassava was a little undercooked and was also lacking any kind of seasoning. Considering that the onions, fish and tomatoes were a great flavor combo, it was almost as if the cassava was cooked on its own and added to the dish later on. Next to arrive was the Shrimp Curry, which was quite disappointing. The shrimp was overcooked and the curry, if there was any, was missing in action.

While the crab portion of the Crab Dumpling dish was at least fairly meaty and the sauce was tasty, the dumplings were simply horrible. I rarely use that word as a food descriptor because it's pretty harsh, but horrible is truly the best way to describe these dumplings that were so hard, they could have been used as hockey pucks.

So far, my Trini friend was less than impressed with our meal; however, the one dish that disappointed her the most was the stewed king fish. The fish on our plate wasn't stewed by any means. It was fried. Yes, fried. She described the dish as being comprised of all these ingredients that sounded really yummy. Unfortunately, I can't remember the ingredients she mentioned, but they were a far cry from the reality of what we had before us. Our disappointing journey into food from my friend's country ended with an Oxtail Stew that was more bony than meaty with the meat itself being tough and chewy.

I was really excited to bring my Trini friend here and out of a score of 1 to 10, I was generous with 5 to 6. She felt she was generous with a score of 3. Ouch! Oh well, the only good thing that came out of this is her promise to prepare a home-cooked Trini meal for me so that I could really experience what her "home food" is all about. Hmmmm.....that reminds me. I need to give her a call and make sure she remembers her promise. :)

Except for occasional forays, Pasadena hasn't been a regular dining destination for me for awhile now, but after seeing Gourmet Pig's blog post about the June Old Town Pasadena Restaurant Week, I thought this would be a great chance to check out a couple new-to-me restaurants. With the prices running $25 to $35 for 3 course meals in selected restaurants, I would have been a fool not to. The second restaurant I took my dining group to was Pop Champagne and Dessert Bar. Our first visit was earlier in the week to Vertical Wine Bistro.

Our meal started with shared appetizers. First, there was the Parma Proscuitto with Medjool Dates, Figs and Fresh Melon. Nothing fancy, but I enjoyed the fresh figs and dates. The Brie Toast with Chardonnay Soaked Raisins was our second appetizer, which seemed more like a dessert than an appetizer. It was a little sweet of a starter for my taste.

What I enjoyed the most was the Housemade Tapenade with Crostini, with three different tapenades on the plate, olive, tomato and wild mushroom. The tapenade wasn't too salty and the flavors of each of the focal ingredients really shown through, with the mushroom tapenade being my favorite.

As for the entrees, everyone choose either the lamb chops or the pasta for their main course. Although I'm not normally a pasta person, I went for the Spring Pasta with roasted garlic chicken, caramelized spring onions, pancetta, English peas, Roma tomatoes, parmesan and olive oil. It wasn't bad, but just a bit bland at times. It reminded me that usually the best place to order pasta is at an Italian restaurant.

I did have a couple of the lamb chops, which had a dijon herb crust, a port rosemary reduction and was served with roasted garlic and an Anaheim chili hummus and pita bread. One bite of the lamb chop and it made me happy that one of my dining partners was sharing it with me. The meat was juicy and I really liked the cheesy crust, something I've never had on a lamb chop before.

When it was time for dessert, two different ones from their tasting menu hit our table. Mine was the Chocolate Beignets with a Strawberry Sauce and Caramel. Considering that this restaurant is called Pop Champagne and Dessert Bar, I had high hopes for their dessert. I wouldn't say that these beignets were the best I've ever had, but they had a rich chocolateness to them that I liked.

What I ended up enjoying more was the Seasonal Pavlova, a French meringue topped with Chantilly cream and seasonal fresh fruit. It was nice and light and the fresh fruit were a nice end to the meal.

To end, considering that the name of the restaurant is all about dessert, I didn't know what to expect from having an actual meal there. Although there were a few minor bumps, I enjoyed what I had and while Pop Champagne isn't a destination a restaurant for me, I wouldn't turn down an invitation to return.

Except for occasional forays, Pasadena hasn't been a regular dining destination for me for awhile now, but after seeing Gourmet Pig's blog post about the June Old Town Pasadena Restaurant Week, I thought this would be a great chance to check out a couple new-to-me restaurants. With the prices running $25 to $35 for 3 course meals in selected restaurants, I would have been a fool not to. On the first day of this promotion, I took my dining group to Vertical Wine Bistro.

I really liked the ambiance of the space, but what really caught my eye was this ceiling structure that was like an art piece. It brought in natural light to the dining room, but I also enjoyed watching the colors change from white to blues and grays as the afternoon sun made way for evening. Anyway, all poetry aside, our meal started with bread that came with this very addicting red pepper dip that was creamy and had a kick to it.

When it came to our appetizers, our table ordered all three that were available and I actually shared all my food with a friend so that we could both try twice as much. My particular appetizer was the Golden Baby Beet Salad with Laura Chenel's Chevre and a cumin vinaigrette. Since I love beets, it was a foregone conclusion that this was the appetizer that I was going to order, but what really interested me was the cumin vinaigrette dressing. That dressing was awesome. It was a bit nutty, a little peppery and just absolutely delicious. I wouldn't have minded taking a bottle home of that salad dressing.

I also enjoyed the Green Market Salad with watermelon radish, sunflower sprouts and the Meyer lemon vinaigrette. This is the first time I've ever had watermelon radish and was expecting it to have a little bite, but it was actually mild. I found out later on that it's related to the daikon radish as opposed to the red radishes. Overall, the salad was very fresh and the dressing added a nice hit of tartness.

As for the entrees, everyone in our group opted for either the cod or the short ribs. I went straight for the Black Cod which was oven roasted and served with salsify, haricot vert, corn, tomato and a lobster peppercorn jus. As soon as I saw my fish, I already saw one thing that was spot on. Simply, the skin looked crispy and it also tasted crispy. I've been to too many a restaurant where the fish skin is just wasted. The fish itself was absolutely lovely. It was moist and delicate and how can you go wrong with a lobster peppercorn jus?

I also got to sample the Braised Short Ribs with sautéed swiss chard, heirloom carrots and tatziki. Those short ribs were meltingly tender. No knife was needed or wanted. My fork did all the work and every bite was delicious.

Finally, it was dessert time and again, the table opted for 2 of the 3 available desserts. I went for the Panna Cotta with Kumquats and Kaffir and I'm glad I did. The panna cotta was rich and creamy and I really the tart flavors the kumquats added to this dessert.

The other dessert was the Decadent Cake with Hazelnut Gelato. This dessert was the only disappointing part of the meal. Maybe, my idea of decadence is on a different plane, but I didn't get what was so decadent about this cake. It actually tasted like a brownie that was a bit on the dry side, with the gelato adding the needed moisture.

Overall, this first visit to Vertical Wine Bistro was a hit. Although the service was a bit on the slow side at times and the music seemed a little too rock and roll for the ambiance, the food was very good and I look forward to a return visit to check out more of the menu.