Just wanted to share pics of a wonderful dinner I had the previous weekend with some friends.
We decided on Bastide, rated as one of the top restaurants in Los Angeles. There has been several changes at Bastide over the past few years. Chef Walter Manzke along with his wife Margarita (who is also the pastry chef) and sommelier Pieter Verheyde are the current team that leads the restaurant. Chef Manzke has trained and worked with Alain Ducasse, Ferran Adria and Joachim Spichal so we knew we were in good hands.
I decided to bring along my Breguet La Tradition:
Since I was the first to arrive I took a few pics of the dining area. The weather was perfect so we had a table in the outside patio:
And the setting with the Bastide logo:
A few moments later, our friends arrived and we were seated. The menu is pre-fix with only a choice of either the 4 or 7 course. While perusing the wine list, we were treated to an amuse of a cheese churro with gazpacho water:
This was accompanied by a very delicate but flavorful tempura spinach:
We choose the 7 course and selected some fabulous wine pairings.
An interesting note, the menu has a very basic description of the menu. Our 7 course was described as:
Amuses 1, 2, 3, 4
Fish
Duck
Beef
Cheeses
Sweets 1, 2
Wow, an entertaining way to keep patrons guessing on the preparation of each course. Since our 4 amuse courses and fish were all seafood, we chose a phenomenal 1978 Louis Jadot Batard-Montrachet, and a equally perfect 1978 Louis Jadot Chevalier-Montrachet.
Amuse 1 turned out to be a kumomoto oyster with daikon and lemon gelee:
Next, Amuse 2 was big eye tuna tartare with macadamia nuts, citrus, and avacado puree:
Amuse 3 was a rolled yellowtail sashimi. Very simple and fresh but with a texture different from any yellowtail that I've ever had:
Amuse 4 was beautifully presented. Santa Barbara spot prawns in a lemongrass foam, served with a pea soup in a French press:
Our fish course was a loup de mer with white asparagus and lobster. This was one of the standout dishes of the night:
The next course was a roasted duck with a truffle infused ravioli. The fragrance from the truffles were amazing, you can smell them 10 feet away as the waiters were serving them. Our wine was another fantastic selection, a 1966 Chateau Margaux premier grand cru:
And the beef course was a tasting menu within itself. from left to right: Grilled NY steak, foie gras over beef short ribs, marrow over a carrot, and braised short rib. The foie gras was excellent but unexpected as it's usually served with some type of sweet instead of savory sauce:
Next was a cheese course (unfortunately did not get the names of each cheese) and served with several fruit compotes:
Pieter, our sommelier generously offered one of my favorite wines, a 1990 y'Quem to join our dessert courses.
And we start our first dessert, a refreshing strawberry tapioca. Once again a beautiful presentation as the pineapple au jus was added. It reminds me of my trips to Hawaii
Our second dessert course was a 5 part tasting. From right to left: my absolute favorite !!! A pistachio ice cream
YUMMY!!!, chocolate beignet, banana and peanuts foster, chocolate mousse, and the best chocolate milk shake I've ever had.
We ended the meal with several handmade chocolates:
From left to right: salt caramel, raspberry, hazelnut, and root beer. My favorite was the hazelnut.
To top off the evening, a warm cup of white silverleaf tea:
We all had a fantastic time. Great food, fine wine, and best of all - good friends to share the moment. I was honored to have been invited to take part in this wonderful event.
Regards,
ED-209
] . . . cordially, Art
