Wolvesmouth Underground Dining
Various locations
Dining date: 1/14/12

I first dined at Wolvesmouth about a year ago and it was one of the more memorable dining experiences of the year. I almost never get to see this caliber of cooking up close, and I found the process to be as intriguing as the food itself. Since then, I’ve dined at Wolvesmouth’s streamlined Beer Belly event as well as the gluttonous 40-course event, but this was my first trip back to the “standard” ~10 course setup. There was a fortuitous (for me) last-minute cancellation, and I jumped at the chance to fill in.

The ever-changing menu is posted on the refrigerator, an amalgamation of what’s fresh at the farmers and fish markets (and meat purveyors), combined with whatever ideas come up in Craig Thornton’s head. While always different, the menu is reliably interesting, displaying varied flavors and techniques.

potato puree, cheddar, broccoli cheddar fritter

We started with this dish. The puree was very thick and rich, likely from the added cheese, and it definitely had a potato flavor kind of resembling a richer mashed potato. The fritter was tasty, fluffy and airy, with a little bit of texture (I think from the broccoli stems?) that worked quite nicely. Some lime juice was a nice touch to cut through some of the richness.

ocean trout, chickpeas, harissa, yogurt, meyer lemon

The trout here was cooked well, and I thought the hearty chickpeas helped add some body to the dish. Yogurt and meyer lemon provided some tart acidity.

rabbit, cornbread, fried green tomatoes, tobasco

Here, pureed cornbread polenta was topped with a slice of fried green tomatoes and a rabbit meatball. Interesting. The sweetness from the cornbread and tomatoes worked well with the savory meatball, while a touch of tabasco aioli really brought everything together. The delicate crunch of the tomato’s batter was pretty nice too.

chicken liver, radish, toast, apple, parsnip, almond

The fresh bite of radish and green apple was integral here, complementing the rich mineral flavor of the liver. Some almonds added a nuttiness and crunch, while there were two different breads available for spreading.

squash, coffee, cider, pistachio, oil, cherry

I liked the fact that this squash was roasted, bringing out a little more of the sweetness. The coffee cream added a lot of depth, while pistachios added a nutty texture. Some tart cherries completed the bites.

bay scallop, uni, sweet shrimp, avocado, cocktail shrimp head ice, cucumber, onion

This was another very interesting dish, with flavors of a shrimp cocktail and a seafood salad. The shrimp head ice was very intriguing; it was cool, refreshing and slightly spicy at the same time. Tomato and a little bit of sea flavor were the primary complementary flavors with the seafood. I also liked the meaty avocado and the cool crunch of the cucumbers here too.

I caught these slabs of meat coming out of the oven. Nice!

pork belly, jalapeno tofu mousse, glazed carrot, freeze-dried peas, crab

When I saw the large slab of pork belly in the immersion circulator, I knew we were in for a treat. Cooked sous vide then crisped in the oven, the pork was luscious and succulent. However, I thought the skin could’ve been crispier – it was a little limp. The crunchy, glazed carrot was a nice accompaniment with a subtle maple flavor while the jalapano tofu mousse provided a very mild heat and creaminess. Lastly, freeze dried peas added some delicate texture.

duck, wild mushrooms, brussels sprouts, skin-breast-sauce, roman gnocchi

The last savory dish was this piece of duck breast, served with brussels sprouts and gnocchi. The duck was flavorful and tender, but the skin wasn’t as crunchy as expected (diced and sprinkled on top of the duck), similar to the pork. I liked the balance of sauteed brussels sprouts and gnocchi with the duck though.

I found the wolf surveying the kitchen.

malt panna cotta, pain perdu, whiskey banana sauce

The panna cotta clearly showed off the malt flavor, and I liked the warm French toast to go along with the cool treat. Warm bananas and grated chocolate completed the dish.

vanilla pound cake, kabosu curd, black sesame, mandarin, lime pop rocks

This dessert was a work of various textures and citrus. The kabosu curd and mandarin slices were the fresh, fruity base while the black sesame crumble and pound cake were the bulk of the body. Lime pop rocks were a fun addition too. This was rather light and a nice way to end the meal.

This meal was on par with my first Wolvesmouth experience. I think around 10 courses is ideal; each plate is substantial on its own, while still showcasing a diverse example of Thornton’s cooking. For me, the highlights were the fritter & potato puree, rabbit, pork belly and the last dessert. Considering the dinner as a whole, it’s easily still one of the unique and tasty experiences in the city.

Pheast Underground Dining
Various locations
Dining date: 5/13/11

Pheast is one of the latest underground supper clubs to pop up in Los Angeles, a concept that seems to be on fire right now (the most notable example, of course, is wolvesmouth). Underground dining, at its essence, is where a small group of people meet up at a “secret” location to eat unique, spontaneous creations on a plate.

I first heard about Pheast from a random tweet by 3starbackpacker but a quick Google search at the time yielded nothing. It stayed in the depths of my memory until Kevin and Ryan went a couple of weeks ago. My interest was suddenly piqued. Isaiah Frizzell is the man behind the meal, a self-taught chef originally from Tennessee.

Cocktail

This was explained as similar to a Greyhound, and sure enough the characteristic grapefruit flavor is what I noticed first. Refreshing.

Green papaya salad, escargot

This was an interesting mixture of ingredients. The papaya salad was crunchy, acidic and just a little bit spicy. The acidity really played well with the richness of the tender escargot.

Uni, pickled oyster, celery puree, cucumber emulsion, sour cream chocolate

The uni was a little bit warmer than I would’ve liked, as well as a little muddy and fishy tasting. Not good. However, the pickled oyster was bright and flavorful, while the sour cream chocolate was really interesting, lending a welcome sweetness to the dish.

Sweetbreads, rye puree, braised mustard seed, mustard, green leaf lettuce

The sweetbreads were very tender and I thought really stood up well to the mustard. Rye puree…now that’s a novel idea. I thought this worked as well, adding a wheat flavor – in a way, this dish was sort of like a deconstructed sandwich.

Banh mi of chicken liver mousse, pork belly, daikon, carrot gastrique, baguette, microcilantro

Speaking of deconstructed sandwiches, here was a version of a Vietnamese banh mi. All of the components were quite good, especially the chicken liver mousse. Rich and flavorful, it made a nice spread for the rich pork belly. The cilantro was  key in adding some freshness and brightness.

Shrimp, truffled potatoes, japanese tomatoes, microarugula, shitake mushrooms

Isaiah explained this as an Escoffier-inspired dish. There were a number of components in this bowl, the most prominent being the shrimp and truffled potatoes. I think each of these worked well with each other, though I was looking for a little bit more of a textural contrast somewhere.

Bison, nopales, teff

The bison, seared rare, was very good. This was my first time having teff, an African grain similar to quinoa. The cactus, with its slimy texture (similar to okra) was good as well, but I don’t think this dish was necessarily greater than the sum of its parts.

Bacon, butterscotch, apple, cantaloupe

This was a play on the famed Alinea dish consisting of bacon, butterscotch, apple, and thyme. The bacon, from Lindy & Grundy, was probably the thinnest I’ve seen (1/16 inch) and had a crispiness and smokiness that was accented well by the sweet butterscotch. The sweet/smoky interplay was a clever transition from savory to sweet dishes.

Grapefruit sorbet, red bell pepper coulis, candied pistachio “praline”

A bit of a palate cleanser here. The grapefruit sorbet was nice and refreshing, and the red bell pepper really mixed things up.  The pistachio added some sweetness and texture.

Candied baby walnut, homemade goat cheese, strawberry

This dish didn’t work too well for me. I liked the walnut, but I didn’t think the goat cheese really paired well. Though, I’m not really a cheese person.

Cherries, dark chocolate crumble, milk chocolate ice cream, matcha & douglas fir cremeaux

This was easily my favorite of the sweet dishes. I liked the sweet/tart combination from the cherries and chocolate, while the dark chocolate “soil” added texture. Both the ice cream and cremeaux (sort of in between ice cream and mousse) were very good.

While I didn’t love all of the them, Isaiah presented a suite of dishes that were creative and imaginative, drawing inspiration from the classic (Escoffier) and the modern (Alinea). Often when trying to continually be innovative and different the plates don’t always work, but when they do it’s something very unique and special. Having said that, I was amazed at Isaiah’s ability to prepare all of these dishes (there were 8 of us dining this evening) with minimal help. He carefully explained each dish as it arrived, and it was clear that a lot of thought and work went into each one.