Melisse 1104 Wilshire Blvd Santa Monica, CA 90401 Dining date: 1/24/14 Melisse, like the restaurant of my last post Providence, is oft-considered one of the best restaurants in the city for its French-Californian cuisine. It’s truly one of the few refined fine dining destinations that has survived through all the food trends Los Angeles has…
Keiko à Nob Hill 1250 Jones St San Francisco, CA 94109 Dining date: 12/1/13 My dad’s mentioned Keiko à Nob Hill a number of times in the past as a potential restaurant, but we didn’t try it until this most recent trip to celebrate some November birthdays. Chef Keiko Takahashi and partner Seigo Takei opened…
Republique 624 S La Brea Ave Los Angeles, CA 90036 Dining date: 12/6/13 Chef Walter Manzke (Bastide, Church & State, countless collaborative/pop-up events) has become one of my favorite chefs in Los Angeles over the years, so I’ve been eagerly awaiting this opening for a long time. Taking over the location of famed Campanile &…
Patina 141 South Grand Ave Los Angeles, CA 90012 Dining date: 10/10/13 Patina’s been a fixture in the Los Angeles fine dining scene for decades, celebrating its 10-year anniversary at the Walt Disney Concert Hall this month. To celebrate, the restaurant offered a special menu of 10 courses for $10 each on October 10th. I…
La Boutique de Joel Robuchon Marunouchi Brick Square 1F 2-6-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0005 Dining date: multiple Perhaps the one category of food that struck me the most in terms of differences between Japan and America was the countless options of quality pastries, chocolates and all types of sweets. I don’t really have a sweet…
Chateau Restaurant Joel Robuchon Yebisu Garden Place 2F 1-13-1 Mita, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-0062 Dining date: 11/18/12 I wasn’t initially planning to dine here. I went to L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon at the beginning of my stay and was content on trying more of the Japanese food that I couldn’t get in America. At some point…
Pierre Gagnaire ANA InterContinental Hotel Tokyo 1-12-33 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0052 Dining date: 11/11/12 My third main foray into Western cuisine in Japan was my first time to a Pierre Gagnaire restaurant. I’ve heard some mixed reviews about Gagnaire’s lone U.S. restaurant Twist in Las Vegas, but still felt like I had to try his…
Beige Alain Ducasse Chanel Ginza Building 10F 3-5-3 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0061 Dining date: 10/28/12 In between bowls of soba and ramen and countless plates of curry rice, tonkatsu, yakitori, sushi and sashimi, I’ve scattered a few French meals into my itinerary. This was the second (after L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon). Beige Alain Ducasse is a…