When I chose my last apartment in LA, having Book Soup as my neighborhood bookstore was a major selling point. For apartment hunters in LA now, Nook may be a convincing reason to live in West LA. It’s the neighborhood bistro that I’ve never had and always wanted. It’s reasonably priced, and with a menu of jazzed up, slightly globalized comfort food, which ranges from $10 Butternut Squash and Chickpea Stew to the $12 Nook Burger to the $22 Maple Mustard Glazed Ribeye. The interior is sleek and welcoming, but as you can guess by the name, rather small. Our party of 7 waited over an hour on a Friday night to get a table without a reservation (they leave a certain number of tables avail for walk-ins every night… and they also have a bar with wine and beers). Once we got the table, we had friendly service, and they were more than happy to let us linger at the end… until we finally flagged them down for the check. And it really is in a nook… a nook of a strip mall.

Boiled Peanuts are served to start off, like an American version of edamame. I was soon addicted to their singular creamy sponginess and mild nutty taste.

I was happy with my Stout Braised Short Ribs with Garlic Smashed Potatoes, Red Onion, and Bacon, and its $17 price tag. It was a well-rounded earthy dish, with fall apart short ribs, and the silkiest caramelized onions.

I got the Shiitake and Gruyere Mushroom Bread Pudding on the side, and was smitten with its creaminess and flavor. Btw, it’s a big serving, and that’s a lot of cheese on there. I tried to save some some calories by eating just the (also packed with cheese) bread underneath, and wound up with a hard hatch of cheese over the remains of bread when its small remains cooled.

Chad got the Maple Mustard Glazed Ribeye with Brandy-Apple Saute and Crispy Buttermilk Onions. The onions were fantastic — the most seamless integration of coating and onion that I’ve encountered. The apples were also delicious in their caramelized brandy ways. I would have ordered them as a side, if they were available. The steak had a great taste, but was cooked to medium, rather than medium rare. This seems to happen a bit at Nook, so if you go, order just under what you want, like “rare medium rare” to get medium rare.

For dessert, we had the Brownie Cup with Tahitian Vanilla Bean Gelato, which was as homey and perfect as you could want. There were also a few spots of chocolate sauce on the plate for a modified brownie sundae feeling.

I was also able to try the Cinnamon Apple Crumble with Tahitian Vanilla Bean Gelato, which was slightly gooey on the inside and wonderfully crisp and cinnamon-y on the top, with the gelato melting over it all.

I also tried the Chocolate and Banana Bread Pudding with Brandy Caramel Sauce and Homemade Whip Cream, which amazed me with its smooth texture and its pungent taste. I think I’ll want a full serving next time…

I noticed that the fourth dessert on their menu, which we didn’t order, is a Chocolate Pot de Creme… which I believe makes 4 out of 4 desserts served in little cups. I think that works for a bistro like this. And it must be pretty convenient for the pastry cooks, but maybe not for the dishwashers…

If you get the chance, try to visit Nook… and of course, you don’t have to be a local to be regular.

Also, I didn’t get a chance to try their Caesar Salad with a whole grain mustard dressing, but the LATimes recently posted the recipe here, so maybe I’ll eat Nook-style at home soon.

With Chad’s help, I whipped up an Easter lunch yesterday. I found all of the recipes quickly the day before, and started making things on Sunday at about 11am in LA…

Oddly enough, the Glazed Carrots turned out to be the amazing dish of the day. They just burst with good carrot, herb, and butter flavor, with a hint of sweetness (from only 1 added Tbs of sugar to 8 carrots). We couldn’t stop eating them. The recipe, from Fine Cooking, is at the end of this post.

For the ham, we made this Cola Baked Ham with Cherry-Orange Glaze. I’d never baked a ham before, and to pour 2 liters of Coca-Cola into its pan seemed very odd… But it turned it great, juicy and flavorful — with the tinge of cola flavor (and I think that the allspice is the true secret weapon of this dish). I always think, though, that the glaze is a bit wasted on the outside of the meat since the rind can get a little funky, so luckily, we had some extra glaze to serve with the baked ham. The glaze was flavorful (esp w/ the Grand Marnier), but quite sweet — but we made it using the Bonne Maman brand for the preserves, which are usually very sweet.

Ever on the lookout for gravy, Chad explored the possibility of making the mixture of ham juices and cola left from baking into gravy with the addition of cornstarch. After some time on the stove, it did turn into a rather thick cola-flavored gravy, but it was sweeeeeeet.

I made these Gingered Mashed Sweet Potatoes, too, and they were nicely creamy and ginger-y, and not as sweet as many sweet potato recipes. The recipe called for 1.5 c of cream and 6 Tbs of butter to be added to 4 sweet potatoes, but I just couldn’t do that to people that I know. Instead, I used 1/3 c cream and maybe 2 Tbs butter. We also didn’t have a food processor handy, so I just mashed it with the back of a wooden spoon. It was still quite fluffy, and the garlic stayed whole (or halved, as I cut them), which I liked as a textural contrast in the final dish; they were so soft and mellowed from the cream and the cooking that they were nice to eat with the mashed potatoes.

The Haricots Verts in Red Wine Vinegar Cream tasted great, but the cream was a little overwhipped by the time it was mixed with the haricots verts; it should have been runnier. Since we didn’t have red wine vinegar, we used balsamic, which turned out fine. Last time I made this, I didn’t have tomatoes, and I was impressed by how good they taste with the haricots verts, and cream, and chives. Next time, I’m looking forward to making the recipe as is and correctly. The recipe is below; it’s adapted from a Thomas Keller recipe that I found somewhere on the internet last year.

For dessert, we had this Strawberry Shortcake. After what seems like an eternity of making sponge cakes at school, little did I know that I walked myself into another sponge cake recipe here (as opposed to a biscuit-like shortcake which I avoided for lack of a rolling pin and cutter, but I probably should have worked around that since I like that better). The cake turned out fine — slightly dry yet buttery, as usual — but after my success with drastically decreasing the cream and butter in the sweet potato recipe, I tried to decrease the amount of sugar mixed with the strawberries from 2 c to .5 cups. It turned out that not enough syrup was really made from the strawberries as they macerated as a result, but I made up for that by serving it with lots of whipped cream. The berries probably should have soaked for at least an hour or two instead of my 15 mins to get the flavor more even, but the taste was still nice, and I was satisfied. Later, I’m told that the cake got more soaked with syrup, and so was moister.

In all, it wasn’t all that hard to make the meal. The recipes were pretty simple, and I baked the cake before baking the ham. Once the ham was in the oven, I cut up most of what needed to be cut up and would cook once the ham was taken out to rest. Then, at that point, it was mostly just pouring, stirring, and watching… and then eating and eating.
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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…

Note: This is an entry for ARF/5-A-Day Tuesday on April 18, 2006 at Sweetnicks, http://sweetnicks.blogspot.com/ Check out the round-up!

After reading about the smoked salmon pizza that Sweetnicks made, I got a proper craving for it, and decided to make a version for myself. Of course, I monkeyed around with it a little, so I sauteed (and squeezed dry) some chopped baby spinach instead of slicing cucumber, used white onion instead of red because that’s what I had, used creme fraiche instead of sour cream, replaced the dill with chardonnay and oak smoked sea salt b/c I couldn’t get dill, and baked a Trader Joe’s Herb and Garlic Pizza Crust as a base (and also to make up for the missing dill). I wish I had a piece now — a great mix of cool and creamy and sour and salty and chewy and crisp and veggie. I liked it so much that I had it two consecutive nights for dinner.

On the third night, I was out of smoked salmon, but I had just come home from a day in San Francisco with a leftover half of my L’Autostrada sandwich that I’d taken home from Citizen Cake. After a brief hesitation, I thought “This will sandwich become pizza.” So, I removed the meat from inside, chopped it into squares, and used it to top my creme fraiche, sauteed spinach, capers, and avocado. I also sprinkled some Hawaiian red clay sea salt. It was also delicious, and a good thing for me to remember when I have leftovers in the future.

If St. Honore is the patron saint of pastry chefs, I wonder what this Gateau St. Honore symbolizes…

Admittedly, it’s a silly cake. But addictive. I’d only had it in tart form before, notably at Bouchon Bakery. Its base is a round of puff pastry, and choux pastry is piped around the border and in a spiral inside. It is then baked, and when cool, filled with creme chiboust (pronounced shi-boost). Creme chiboust is made by combining hot pastry cream and hot italian meringue, which takes a little bit of coordination; two people started them at the same time and aimed to finish at the same time. On the outside are profiteroles dipped once on each side in caramel that dries crisp so that one end gets a little hat and the other end sticks to the main pastry. The ones that I’d had before were smaller so that you could comfortably pop the whole thing in your mouth… and it crackles with caramel before the creme chibouste explodes out from the soft choux pastry and it all melts away. Whipped cream is piped on top of the creme chiboust using a special tip that has a slit in it so that it comes out like a robust mohawk. We finished it with chocolate shavings and a sprinking of powdered sugar (which we are told helps the contours of the choc shavings pop out). A cross section looks like this:

Some research on the internet shows that St Honore was the Bishop of Amiens in France. He died in 653 AD, and his feast day is May 16. This site says: “During his service a number of miraculous events occurred, which spared farmers, millers, and bakers from natural disasters. Residents of France connected the miracles with Bishop Honoré and in 1204 a Parisian baker built a chapel to commemorate him. Today, the chapel is no longer standing, but the name, Saint Honoré, is etched in a gate leading to Faubourg and Rue Saint Honoré in the heart of Paris.” Answers.com further adds that pastry chef Chiboust is rumoured to have created this cake in his Paris shop in 1846… over 1,100 years after his death. And maybe he knew something about St. Honore’s wacky style that I don’t…

Anyway, the caramelized profiteroles are the gem of this cake. We served this for a classmate’s birthday, and by the end, all the edges and profiteroles were torn off, leaving a ragged creamy center on the platter. No picture of that… It was too brutal.