Mellow and sleek, Grace is the kind of restaurant that I wish could be my daily oasis. This Beverly Blvd establishment has a chef named Neal Fraser in charge of the kitchen, who you may remember from an episode of Iron Chef America (which he won). The menu is an embarrassment of riches — robust, seasonal, peppered with exotic (mostly) American ingredients, and with a specials menu that almost matches the size of regular menu. I wanted to get the tasting menu to try as much as possible, but it is only available on certain nights of the week (not Saturday).

To start, Chad got the Red Wattle Pork Belly with Purple Sticky Rice and Roasted Apples, but I can only think of it as a Molten Bacon Cake (Red Wattle, btw, is a type of swine). It has the taste of the most succulent bacon with a caramelized top, and since the rice and apples also have traits of caramelization, they are just perfectly able to slip in line with the pork belly while providing textural and taste contrasts. Although unfathomably rich and generously portioned, it’s rather easy to eat the whole thing, fast. The aroma is also part of the charm; even while Chad ate, I could enjoy the dish from afar. We later recommended it a woman next to me on the banquette at a neighboring table. When her plate arrived, emanating its cloud of red wattle pork belly scent, it was all I could do to resist reaching over with my fork to collect a finder’s fee. This was probably the best dish of the night. Incidentally, the secret ingredient on Fraser’s Iron Chef episode: pork.

For about a week before our meal at Grace and before knowing about the pork belly, I had been craving a crisp Spring salad, and luckily, Grace knows how to do that. The Early Spring Salad featured Fiddlehead Ferns, a Mozzeralla Stuffed Squash Blossom, Fava Beans, Arugula Flowers, Duck Proscuitto, and Blood Orange Vinaigrette. I liked the way that the stems of the lettuce leaves were left attached, like little green bouquets. The crisp fiddleheads, whose texture hinted at water chestnuts and whose taste resembled asparagus, were a rare treat. I liked the earthiness and slight sweetness of the duck proscuitto and the freshness of the crispy and gooey squash blossom. I liked that the vinaigrette wasn’t soaking through the other elements, but it did get lost somewhere in the mix, popping up for an occasional odd citrus tang; I’d rather that it had been more neutral to let the other ingredients fully shine, but maybe that’s just me and my uneasy relationship with dressings.

The Grilled Tenderloin of Buffalo with Farro, Haricots Verts, Morcilla, Ossau-Iraty Cheese, and Red Wine Sauce was another crave-worthy winner. The buffalo was tender, and just a touch gamey. I love the use of farro here, and the morcilla (which turned out to be a blood sausage) was a clever accompaniment, adding a depth of flavor and a crumbly texture. The cheese added a refreshing zing. The red wine sauce was a little too sweet and syrupy, though, and I wish that it had relied more on its wine than its sugar.

My Castelvetrano Olive Crusted Alaskan Halibut came with a wild ramp, squash blossom and potato “risotto” and an organic carrot emulsion. It’s a minor pet peeve of mine that “crusted” food often just has bits of whatever ingredient tossed on top (and that usually fall off), but I trusted Grace, and they came through with a true, adhered olive crust for the halibut. The halibut was juicy and almost silky with a nice chew; it was unlike more meaty halibut with completely turgid sinews (and on the other side of the spectrum, it was unlike halibut that falls apart in slippery sheets). The true brilliance of this dish was the flavor combination of the olive and carrot. I’d never thought to pair the two, and I want to experiment more with this. The risotto had a pleasant potato-vegetal-onion-y taste, but it was a little too watery — I think from juices from the halibut resting on top of it. Rather than perhaps nicely imparting flavor, it diluted the carrot emulsion in an unfortunate way when it came into contact with it. Oh, and that was a big piece of halibut. I ate it all.

For dessert, I got the Ginger Caramel Parfait with Orange Confit and Pinenut Brittle. I liked the creaminiess and the shape of the ginger ice cream (or was it some kind of a mousse?), and everything tasted very good and in a controlled taste and texture scheme.

Chad got the Boca Negra, which had a Dark Chocolate Cake, Spiced Tea Ice Cream, and Balsamic Syrup. Chad originally wanted the dessert that I got, but took this by default… and even so, once again wound up with one of the more amazing dishes. The key here was the balsamic syrup, whose spike of flavor — even after this wonderful meal — reminds you what it means to really taste food, and makes you wonder why bland food even exists. It didn’t quite taste like balsamic vinegar — it had more of a rosemary sweetness to it. The tasty ice cream and rich chocolate cake went well with it.

Chad also ordered the best drink of the night: the Roof Garden. Like a twist on a mojito, it had ketel one vodka, fresh citrus sweet & sour, fresh thyme and mint, and club soda. Like the balsamic syrup in the dessert, it woke up your taste buds, but with herbs and citrus.

My first drink was the Aromatherapy, which had Hendrick’s Gin, Elderflower Syrup, Tonic, and Soda. I was concerned about the presence of tonic and soda, but I wanted something floral and soothing. And in a sense, it was floral, for it tasted of not much more than gin. My second try was the Orange Blossom Special, with Hangar One Mandarin Blossom Vodka, Galliano, White Cranberry Juice, and a Splash of Fresh Orange Juice. This was an improvement, with a complex citrus flavor, and enough in the glass and a small glass carafe in ice water for 1.75 drinks. For better or for worse, though, I think that the fresh orange juice separated a little and contributed a certain water-y element. The Roof Garden was the way to go that night.

Grace is expensive, but I think that it’s worth it. I would go back again in a heartbeat. To be able to eat such a variety of quality ingredients so well prepared and so well combined was a treat, and it had the kind of menu where I would want to order one of each… like the Rabbit Papperdelle with Fava Beans, Pea Tendrils, and Aged Goat Cheese; the Duo of Fish with Hawaiian Smoked Marlin, Chive Blini, Horseradish Creme Fraiche, Confit of Wild Alaskan Salmon, Loquats, and Blood Oranges; the Satueed Day Boat Scallops with Black Truffle Risotto, Wild Mushrooms, Dandelion Greens, and Pink Peppercorn Sauce; the Sauteed New Zealand Tai Snapper with New Caledonion Blue Shrimp, Toasted Couscous, Cherry Tomatoes, Stinging Nettles, and Pepper Tomato Broth; and even the Morning After Pastries (made to be taken home and eaten… the next day). Oh, and that Grilled Tenderloin of Wild Boar…

This entry was posted on Monday, April 17th, 2006 at 6:36 pm and is filed under Highly Recommended, Los Angeles, Restaurants, Sampling. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.