L’Arpège 84 rue de Varenne 75007 Paris, France Dining date: 10/27/14 L’Arpege has been high on my list of restaurants to try for some time. When I first traveled to Paris seven years ago, I remember walking around the corner from the Rodin Museum just to see the restaurant from the outside. Having just graduated…
Gordon Ramsay 68 Royal Hospital Road London SW3 4HP United Kingdom Dining date: 10/17/14 Gordon Ramsay is one of the most famous chefs in the world and one of the few who are celebrities in both hemispheres. While best-known for being a shouty chef on TV, he first made a name for himself cooking in…
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal Mandarin Oriental Hotel 66 Knightsbridge London SW1X 7LA United Kingdom Dining date: 10/16/14 Heston Blumenthal is one of the most notable chefs in the world; his flagship The Fat Duck was once named the best restaurant in the world and has consistently garnered three Michelin stars. He has a number of…
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…
Providence 5955 Melrose Ave Los Angeles, CA 90038 Dining date: 1/16/14 I’ve generally considered Providence one of my favorite restaurants in Los Angeles since it opened in 2005. I first had chef Michael Cimarusti’s food at downtown’s Water Grill in college and followed him here. This was my fifth visit overall, but my first in…
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…
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…
Osteria Mozza 6602 Melrose Ave Los Angeles, CA 90038 Dining date: 10/5/13 I haven’t been to Osteria Mozza in three years and it’s still one of LA’s most popular Italian restaurants. Since opening in 2006-7, the Mozza restaurants have been consistently popular. I’m amazed at what they’ve been able to do with the property at the corner…